Prophecy /
Eschatology
-
Pastor Brett Peterson, Coastland
Christian Bible College and University – more than a seminary: www.ccbcu.edu
Understanding the Pre-wrath view:
Pre-wrath consortium A great Church in Southern California: Living Water
Fellowship
Before we get into prophecy, I
feel I need to share the following with you…
Have you ever been aroused from a good night’s sleep
with a song on your heart? This
particular morning was like that. My
first conscious thought was ‘I see the Lord, sitting on His throne’. As I lay there I had sweet fellowship with
God. My wife, peacefully sleeping next
to me, had no idea I was also praying for her.
I prayed for Cody, my son, as well.
I felt truly blessed. I thanked
God for the family and home He has given me.
I was filled with joy afresh as I considered that my heart is Christ’s
home. In fact, for many years now I
have experienced a communion with God that permeates every waking moment. I rose from our bed looking forward to the
adventure God would lead me on that day.
I poured a cup of coffee and brought in the morning paper. What a glorious day! As I laid my Bible next to the paper, I
noticed a strange headline – specifically; ‘Would Jesus drive an SUV?’ Now, as a Bible college teacher, I love to
ponder questions that many people don’t even give a second thought to. So, I was hooked. I began to consider it.
It is reminiscent of the question many Christians have asked themselves;
‘What would Jesus do?’ As I considered
both questions, I found myself lost on a philosophical and Biblical journey
into the ethics and practices of Jesus, and trying to picture Him living in the
21st century. In the midst
of my intensely contemplative mood, I was abruptly interrupted with another
thought - an overwhelming feeling that the real question should be; ‘What would
Jesus say?’ If Jesus were here right
now, how would He answer that question?
It’s as if Jesus said to me, ‘hey, why don’t you ask me?’ I was speechless. This was one of those moments where you know God is speaking to
you. How often do I make decisions and
run my life without even considering what Jesus would want me to do. In asking ourselves ‘what would Jesus do?’
we are essentially saying, ‘I can answer that question’. Also, it leaves Him out of the equation. We formulate our own opinion of what a
historical man named Jesus would do if He were here. God began to speak to me very clearly. The idea was this; you
can speculate and guess what Jesus would do if He were here, but that doesn’t
bring you closer to Christ. What we
should be asking is ‘what would Jesus say?’.
In fact, we should ask Him directly.
This allows Jesus to be part of our life. He becomes involved in our very thought process. And, more often than not, He begins to
answer those questions! If you are a
believer, Jesus is living in your heart – and He desires to be a part of your
life. If we ask, ‘Jesus, what do you
want to tell me regarding this situation?’ we are praying and expecting an
answer! Wow, consider what would happen
in your life if you actually prayed without ceasing! Paul gives us Jesus’ instruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 “(16)
Rejoice always; (17) pray without ceasing; (18) in everything give thanks; for
this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(19) Do not quench the Spirit;”
If Jesus were here today, what would His message
be to the church? What would He say to
the world? What is the Heart of Jesus
for you today? What is God’s will for
your life? What would Jesus say to you
right now if He were with you? The fact
of the matter is this; He is with you right now!
I prayed about the question for some time – and I
felt compelled to just sit down at my laptop and start typing – by faith. I encourage you to find a comfortable spot,
pour yourself some tea (you may need viente mocha cappuccino), and get ready to
embark on a reading adventure that could change the course of your life – and
actually bring you to the place that God begins to use you to build His
kingdom! When you ask, ‘What would
Jesus say?’ (or better ask Him for His direction) you will begin to experience
His leading and guiding. Your Christian
walk will become an adventure!
I’ve always been a thrill seeker – an
adventurer. But there is no greater
adventure that being a Christian! You
may be thinking, ‘how do you know?’
Well, I have had my share of adventure.
I grew up riding motocross and hunting.
I did every extreme sport I could.
I also loved backpacking. Every chance we got, my two best friends and I
would drive to the Sierras and pack in to some secluded lake or pristine river.
Being the men that we were, we would drink in the thrill of being alone in
God’s country, most of the time at least a three day’s walk to the nearest
road.
When you’re out there so far from everything you
have learned to depend on, like a store to buy whatever you need, or the
knowledge that if you broke a leg or hurt yourself you could be at a hospital
within a few minutes, you begin to understand what it is like to be totally
self dependent for everything you need to survive. A very wise man once said
there are no atheists at sea, and I finally understood what he meant - when you
have to be self reliant to survive, you realize how limited you really are and
how much you need God at the helm of your life leading, guiding, and providing
for you all things pertaining to life and Godliness. The realization that I was
a three day journey from the nearest road, and then at least an hour drive to
the nearest small mountain community would overwhelm me at times, usually late
in the afternoon after a day filled with fishing, rock climbing, carving a
walking stick, or just laying in the sun allowing the balm of the wilderness to
free my mind. As the sun would begin to hide itself behind a distant ridge, I
would realize I wasn’t in a camp ground, I was in the untamed wilderness, far
away from anything remotely resembling life in modernized America. At that time
I would look towards the heavens and thank God for His provision and grace
which He abundantly pours into my life every moment of every day. His peace
would flow into my mind along with a wealth of creative thought, as if God
Himself was pouring inspiration into my consciousness. I would ponder many
things - or just walk and day dream.
My favorite day dreams were those concerning the
great wilderness I was in, for even though time goes on and people change, the wilderness
does not. That big sequoia tree over there could be the same one a mountain man
rested under 100 years ago. Oh yes, out there I could as well have been a
Knight in some enchanted forest, 3 days walk from the castle, or a mountain man
in the mid 1800’s out tracking bear, the only difference at that moment in that
place was the cloths on my back and the tent I would sleep in. This is when a
boy truly becomes a man - when a philosopher truly understands mans place in
the ecosystem of this world - when a poet experiences the most glorious beauty
and sense of wonder and contrasts that to the sometimes hostile and bleak
environment in which he dwells - and when a theologian looks God in the face,
through the majesty of His creation, and praises Him for His workmanship. Up
there, my mind assumed the role of each of the afore mentioned individuals, and
in each role I would come to the same conclusion - God created man in a
universe that seems to be endless, and God created in man an imagination that
is equally as immense, along with the rational to know that and see Gods
signature right there in our own thought process and creativity as well as in
the universe.
In fact
the Bible is clear that God reveals Himself to all mankind - specifically in
Romans 1:18-25 - which says; “for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their
wickedness, since that which is known about God is evident within them, for God
made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible
attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being
understood through what has been made, so men are without excuse. For even
though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks to Him, but
they became futile in their speculations and thinking, and their foolish hearts
were darkened. “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the
Glory of the incorruptible God, for images made in the form of corruptible man and
of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. Because of this God
gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity,
degrading their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth for a lie -
and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever
praised. Amen.”
When you begin to know God, He takes the helm of
your life and you know longer have to worry about anything – you can totally
trust Him – and He will lead you and meet your every need.
He has taken me on some great adventures – when
you include Jesus in your life, God makes your life a wonderful adventure.
How refreshing and exciting it is to experience
God’s direction – knowing what you are doing is overseen by the God who holds
the universe together! God directs us
in many ways. This includes dreams (not
all dreams – you know if God is using a dream to speak to you – it is very
clear). Let me share how He directed me
with a dream.
The dream was the most vivid dream I had ever
experienced. I was living on a sail boat, and I was sharing the gospel with
people on other boats all around me.
The dream was so real – I evened sailed in the dream (later I found out
that everything I did in the dream came to pass, even the proper way to sail a boat!). When I woke up, I felt God directing me to
live on a boat and minister to people on the ‘coastlands’. He put a verse on my
heart, Isaiah 42:4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has
established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for
His law.” He told me the Coastlands
were waiting for someone to bring them the good news of the Gospel. I heard that still small voice in my heart gently
ask, ‘will you go?’
I continued to pray about this dream, and God
continued to put a burden on my heart for the coastland. I had only been on the
ocean in a boat 1 time, and I had never been sailing, yet God was calling me to
take this radical step of faith and move onto a boat and preach His word to the
coastlands. I had two major concerns with the plan. 1. I knew nothing about
sailing, boating, or the ocean. 2. I had no desire to learn. Frankly, I could
not understand why God was leading me to do this - I truly hoped He was just
testing me to see if I would be willing to do this, and I wouldn’t actually
have to go through with it. The burden
to do this grew greater, and I finally set out to change the course of my
life. I began calling Yacht dealers. I told them how much money I had and that I
needed a sailboat I could live on. They
would laugh and say I could buy a ‘fixer upper’ for that price, but she
wouldn’t be sea worthy. I was so
glad! I told God I tried, but there was
simply no way I could afford a boat and do what I felt He was calling me to
do. I left it in His capable hands.
Six months went by, and I had forgotten the
dream. Then, one morning, out of the
blue I receive a call from Eddie Arnold sailboats in Newport Beach. I was in San Bernardino preaching at various
churches and running a community center there.
The voice on the phone said, “Hey, Brad”, I said, “no, this is Brett”,
and he replied, “Brett –I found your phone number in my desk drawer, and I’m
wondering if your still looking for a sailboat. A gentleman dropped off a boat he had purchased from us and told
us to sell it for whatever we could get, because he was leaving the
country. We have a shipment of new
boats arriving late this afternoon and I have to sell that boat today. We’ll give it to you for the price you gave
us plus one thousand dollars.” I was in
shock. Could this be from the
Lord? He began to tell me about the
boat and I began to pray, “Lord, if you really want me to do this, give me a
sign.” The man on the phone finally
said, “oh, the boat has a name on it, let’s see…, ‘Salvation’ – it really is a
clean yacht.” As soon as he said the
name, the Holy Spirit came upon me and I knew.
Site unseen, I agreed to buy the boat.
It was time to leave San Bernardino.
I went to the bank and got a cashier’s check for the boat. I made the hour drive to Newport Beach, and
I found Eddie Arnold Sailboats. I
introduced myself and handed the gentleman the check. We did the paperwork and he handed me the keys. I looked at the keys (I still hadn’t seen
the boat), and I informed him that I had no idea what to do. “Do you know how to sail?” he asked. ‘No’ was my reply. He called one of his deck hands into the office and told him to
show me how to sail but he only gave him 20 minutes to show me.
An
exert from my personal log…
“My
first sail out of the harbor – I’m sailing from Newport to Dana Point. I picked up the logistics of sailing a boat
very fast. I really don’t know why,
because I only had one lesson, if you can call 20 minutes instruction from a
teenage a lesson in sailing! I do
remember sailing in my dream though. It
is as if God taught me how to sail. I
have been practicing in the harbor and preparing for this voyage. As I left the calm of the harbor, and the
swells began to push my boat, I felt totally unequipped to make this trip. It took me about an hour to learn how to sail
in the 5 foot swells. And then, it all
came together – the wind, the swells, and my boat all worked together – it was
beautiful! I began moving faster than I
thought a sailboat could go – and for the first time since I had moved onto the
boat, I felt a love for sailing. I
thanked God for putting me here, and I looked forward to the great adventure
that awaited me.”
The emotions I had on this maiden voyage are a lot
like those a new believer experience – or an old believer who begins to seek
the Lord for direction in His life and actually knows God is leading Him. At first it’s exciting, but when you
actually take your faith with you to the work place, or to your friends, or
wherever God is leading you, you begin to leave the safety of the church and
become a little unsure. But then God
fills you with His peace. It is when
you feel the Spirit of God directing you and you experience His presence. And suddenly your faith fills you with love
for Him and you begin to view your walk as an adventure. Jesus takes the helm of your life and you
ask ‘what is Jesus saying to me now?’
If you’ve lost that sense of adventure in your
walk with Jesus, or you never have experienced it, today may be a new beginning
in your Christian experience. As you
begin to consider what Jesus is trying to tell you – what His message is for
you in your life – and you sense His leading and guiding you – you will begin
to live the greatest adventure and most fulfilling life that you could ever
imagine. If Jesus were with you right
now, what would He say? Think about it
for a moment before you continue reading – pray right now – ask Him! He will tell you! It may come in a ‘still, small voice’. It may come from a thought that is not your own. It may come through a verse that you
read. It may come through someone
calling you and sharing a verse or exhortation with you. It may come through a sermon on the radio,
or a tape, or at Church. But get ready
– His answer will come!
An Exert
from my personal log…
I’ve left everything to follow this call. My home is now a Yacht. The ocean is my front yard. I feel so close to God out here. I’m not really sure where I am, somewhere
between the channel Islands and Santa Barbara.
But I feel at home. Mainly
because I feel God’s Spirit within me.
I sense Jesus is in control, and I’m just along for the ride. I can’t rightly articulate what I am feeling
right now. I do know this; Jesus is at
home in my heart. My heart truly has
become His home – and I know what it means to be totally submitted to Him as
Lord! This fellowship I have with Him
is sweet. I pray all believers will
find what He has shown me out here.
Close
your eyes and pray something like this, “Father God, I know that your Spirit is
here with me right now. Lord Jesus, I
know you long for fellowship with me.
As of this moment I will no longer ignore you. I want you to speak to me.
I desire to be led by your Spirit.
I’ve been asked to consider what you would tell me if you were
here. You are here – right now – and I
long to experience your presence and hear your voice. Today begins a new phase of my walk with you. Forgive me for ignoring you. Help me to always be aware of your presence
and open to your leading. In Jesus name
I pray, Amen.”
My
heart, Christ’s home…
(Revelation 3:20)
‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
Do you truly believe that your heart is Christ’s
home? That as you abide in Him, He
abides in you? If you really believe
this, it will impact the way you live.
The question you begin to ask is, ‘what would Jesus say to me right
now?’ You would know that to die to
yourself is to allow Jesus to make the decisions in your life. Paul articulates it well in Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it
is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself up for me.”
Jesus desires to lead and guide you – in every
decision. He desires to communicate
with you. He wants us to truly dine
with Him. To the first century writer,
that meant to have intimate Koinonia (fellowship). As you experience His presence, He will begin to lead you!Jesus
said in John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me;” Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He
delights in his way.” The steps you take today – and the decisions you make set
the course for the rest of your life.
The major decisions and the minor ones are important to Jesus! Remember, He goes where you go. You are His hands and feet and voice
extended to this world. Every decision
you make impacts the Kingdom of God.
Are you being faithful in the little things? You can drift with the tide as a a ‘Christian’ who believes in
Jesus but lives as if He doesn’t exist,
or you can raise your sails and start living the life God created you to
live! And in the process get grounded
in your beliefs!
Ephesians 4:14
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by
waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming;
There are no guarantees in life, but there is
faith. You have a choice as to what
course you will take. I know that God
will show you the narrow path that leads to abundant life in Jesus Christ, and
the absolute truth you can find in His Word, the Bible. Jesus has always desired for us to receive
from Him the abundant life that only He can give. In fact, Jesus said in John
10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may
have life, and have it abundantly.”
What Jesus is talking about is living life to its
fullest – celebrating each moment as the wind of God’s Spirit drives you on –
it is adventure – it is discovery, it is experiencing the joy that God created
you to live in. It is fulfilling the
great commission. It is building the
Kingdom of God. It is living your life
in a way that it matters. It is having
an eternal perspective. This book will
help you trim your sails, get your life on course, and discover the contentment
of living in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, to build His kingdom, not
yours! It is giving the helm of your
life over to Jesus – it is staying the course.
There is nothing more awesome than a fine tuned
sailing yacht traversing the stormy ocean, driven by the wind, able to
withstand the perils of the sea. I
lived on a sailboat for two years and raced sailboats for over 8 years. During that time, out there on the
unforgiving ocean, I learned the importance of staying on course. Your have to constantly check your compass
and trim your sails in order to keep moving in the right direction. Inevitably, the ocean currents and the
swells slowly take you off course – so you trim your sails and adjust the helm
to compensate. Are you on course
today? Or is it time to adjust your
sails and get yourself back on track?
Life is a lot like a sailboat race. You do your best with the boat and the
sails, but ultimately you rely on the wind to bring you home. The word in the Bible for ‘Spirit’ is the
same word for ‘wind’. In life you do
your best, but only God’s Spirit can bring you home. Without Jesus in your life, you simply drift with the current of
popular thought, going no where fast.
When you allow Jesus to take the helm of your life, and His Spirit fills
your sails, you begin to sail through life on a course destined to bring you
adventure, contentment and peace.
Believe me, as you begin to seek God’s guidance in your life, your life
will not be boring! It will become a
celebration of God’s mighty power and plan for your life. You will be filled the Joy in the midst of
any circumstance! For truly, Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet,
and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our
Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Many people today have everything they need, and
yet they still do not have peace. They
may experience fleeting happiness, but they don’t have true Joy. Their marriage is on the rocks, their
children are in trouble, and the stress of their job is too much to bear. The Bible contains the keys to turning your
life around.
“…fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good
conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their
faith.” I Timothy 1:18b & 19
God taught me what it means to keep the faith (in
Jesus) and a good conscience (by doing your best with what God has given
you). If you have all faith but your
life is not on the course, you will suffer shipwreck. If you do all these great religious works and have a clear
conscience, but lack faith, you will end up on the rocks. We need both to be successful and experience
the abundant life.
Remember, faith is not hope! Faith is the evidence of what you hoped
for. Solid, empirical evidence you can
stand on. We do not hope that our
Father hears our prayers – we know He does.
That is faith!
James 1:6 “But he must ask in faith without any
doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed
by the wind.”
Remember the story of Jesus and the disciples on a
boat in the middle of a horrific storm?
The disciples thought they were going to die in the storm, and when they
had done everything they could do to save the boat, they finally woke Jesus
up. He got up and calmed the
storms. How often do we do the same
thing? Jesus is with us – His Spirit
dwells in us – yet we never ask Him for His input – we try to solve it on our
own. Listen closely; Jesus wants to be
included in your life!
He has the answers! It’s time to start asking Him what He would tell you to do! What would Jesus say? You begin to allow Jesus to plan your life –
and miraculous things begin to happen!
James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a
city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” (14)
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just
a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. (15)
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and
also do this or that.”
If you really believe He indwells you, you must
believe He cares about everything you do!
He has a perfect plan for your life and His perspective is absolutely
clearer than yours could ever be! Let
me paint a picture for you - Galileo once developed a theory of relativity
based upon this example: A boat is sailing at 10 knots, and the captain is
walking on the deck walking in the direction the boat is traveling at 2 knots.
I add this to this example: The boat is the world,
the ocean is the universe, and the captain is a man. If another man is sitting
on the deck of the boat, his perception is that the captain is walking by him
at 2 knots an hour. From shore, the captain is walking 12 knots - the 10 the boat
is going and the 2 he is going.
From a boat drifting in the current flowing 2
knots in the same direction of the other boat, the captain appears to be
traveling 10 knots and the boat 8 knots. Which one is right? In mans thinking
all are right, but from an absolute fixed point of reference all are wrong.
From this absolute fixed point of reference the boat is actually traveling 12
knots (10 plus the 2 knots for the current), and the captain is actually
traveling 14 knots (10 + 2 +2).
Therefore, as individuals on the boat, we need a
perspective outside of us, outside our own space and time domain to give us
ultimate truth - this is where Jesus desires to provide direction to you – He
is our fixed point of reference!
Very often though, even when we ask Him for
direction, there seems to be silence.
It could be He has already given you direction in His Word, the
Bible. The Bible is the only religious
book that has been authenticated by over 20,000 manuscripts and prophecy that
has been WORD for WORD fulfilled!
It is the foundation for our faith and our practice. It is living and active.
It is our guidebook for life!
The Psalmist in Psalms 119:105 says it well; “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. “
Paul clarifies it in 2 Timothy 3:16 ‘All scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness’
I have studied the Bible since 1968. In the beginning I had a simple faith, and
His Word was life to me! More than
that, I understand what Jesus was talking about when He said;
John 5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who
sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out
of death into life.”
Do you remember the first time you read the Bible
and the message came alive? Do you remember when the mystery and the excitement
of reading the Words of God filled your mind and you were blessed each time you
picked up God’s Word? This is when God
desires us to desire Him more than anything else. As we grow, we begin to experience His filling and guiding every
day, and we begin to ask ourselves, ‘what would Jesus say?’
Many of you may be at the point in your life where
the Bible isn’t as exciting as it used to be. Many may feel understanding and
interpreting scripture is too difficult for you. Some may feel like just
reading commentaries instead of going through the process of discovery on your
own.
Studying God’s Word can be the most exciting thing
you do as a believer – expect God to speak to you as open the Bible and read
the Words of Life. This is just the beginning of a great adventure!
Even though I have read the Bible 100’s of times,
it is still fresh and new. Every
morning, before I open the pages of the Bible, I am overwhelmed with the truth
that God will speak to me through His Word.
He knew what I would need to make it through the day. He inspired the scribes to write
specifically to me. And every morning,
I find the words of life and the inspiration I need to live that day unto the
Lord. The Bible is very clear on
how to live and how to access true peace and the power and presence of
God. To be a Christian is to be a
follower of Christ. To be led by Him.
Romans
8:14 “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. “
So what else is being a Christian? The Bible says obedience is better than
sacrifice. We need to obey God’s Word.
We need to hear the voice of our Lord and follow His instruction. In ourselves, we can not. So you must die to
our self completely, and allow Jesus to take the helm of your life. In doing this, you become God’s hands and
feet extended to this world, and you start realizing He is right here, with you
now, trying to give you direction. Is Jesus
Lord of your life or is He only conceptualized in your thoughts?
Now, there are many who have tried Christianity
and studied the Bible and been faithful church goers, yet never truly became
born again. When you are born again, your eyes are opened - there is no way you
could ever leave that intimacy with the creator of the universe. Your whole
life changes. Jesus becomes LORD. You begin to include Him in your decisions. You begin to ask what Him what He wants you
to do. I like to compare it to color
blindness. I am a little color blind, so on the test, when they flash those
multicolored circles with numbers in them, I can only see the numbers half the
time - the rest I just see dots. People try to explain to me and show me the
numbers - but I can not see them.
This is how everyone sees the spiritual realm - as
a bunch of colored dots - they are spiritually color blind. But, when you are
truly born again, all of a sudden, you can see! You know without any doubt -
and this is why you leave your comfort zone and share Jesus Christ so
powerfully - you know the Truth, and the Truth has set you free!
Yes, there is absolute truth. Truth that exists outside our own philosophy
that is universal and timeless. It is
revealed in the Bible. Post-modern thought has swept over most of the western
world. The only absolute truth the world embraces today is that there are no
absolutes, and anyone who says there is becomes someone considered to be
intolerant and disrupting the unity the world is moving into.
Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is
at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the
armor of light.” True Christianity is
not religion, it’s reality. It’s
hearing Jesus. It’s obeying Jesus.
You may be asking about now, ‘What about my free
will?’ - this story may help:
There is a playground. The one who built the
playground established some simple rules - don’t hit, don’t spit, don’t throw
rocks at each other, and support the principal - if the children obey these
rules, they will have a long recess and a good relationship with the teachers
and the principal. If they disobey, there will be consequences.
The children obeyed the rules at first, but
eventually some stopped and began to hit and spit and talk bad about the principal
- so he sent a representative of him to monitor the playground and show the
children how to get along and have a good long recess and a good relationship
with him and the principal.
Well, some of the children liked their freedom and
soon got enough support to kill the principal’s representative - they also
buried the sign with the rules. Some still believed and followed the rules -
they saw the representative come back to life and go to the principal.
He told the children that if they believe and
continue to follow the rules, they will have peace and eventually get to go on
an ‘out of this world’ outing - but the rest of the student would get
detention.
After many years many kids developed their own
rules and denied that the principal even existed - yet, there was some who
still believed and tried to persuade the other, but they wouldn’t listen.
Some children became very bad, some developed
rules that were like the old rules, but still allowed the children to take the
toys from the other children and still denied there was a principal.
Well, one day the principal came, recess was over,
and the children that obeyed the rules and believed in the principal were taken
on a great adventure - all the other students were sent to detention.
Is the above story just? Is it loving for the
principal to send some of the students to detention?
I would say a resounding ‘yes’! The children had
the opportunity to follow the old rules and believe in the principal, but they
chose to follow their own rules and basically held to ‘out of site, out of
mind’ philosophy. They broke the rules and reaped the consequences.
If you believe in God, you should know that He
created us to worship and serve Him. He is God - and it is our pleasure to
follow His rules and want to please Him.
It is our goal to include Him in our lives.
Just as a painter receives glory because of his
painting, so God receives glory from His creation.
I have found ‘the old rules’ real, and the
‘principal’ a God that cares for us individually and wants to bless and reward
all who simply do what He has asked - much like the story above. It truly is very simple: It is experienced in two steps: 1.What is
Jesus saying to me right now? 2. Obey His voice!
Despite the fact that it is simple, many Christians
are struggling with their faith – some make Christianity a religion of do’s and
don’ts. Legalism and church tradition
becomes their savior rather than simply believing that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God who died for our failures and made a way for us to know God and
experience His peace in this life and eternity. Others feel that they simply can’t live the life Jesus charted
out for them to live - so they fall back on a “no ones perfect” mentality - and
because of this they don’t even try.
‘His grace is sufficient, so I will just live my life in my way.’ You may be thinking that I am making a
blanket statement and judging the church unfairly - well, the proof is in the
statistics. Barna did a survey in 2001
- the results indicated that on 152 items regarding lifestyle, there was no
difference between professing Christians and professed non-Christians. These included divorce, adultery, drug use,
abortion, etc. Further, 78% of those
Christians surveyed indicated they do not believe in absolute truth! Now that is shocking.
What has happened to the church? The faith of many in the church has been so
compromised and watered down, that it is easy to see why Jesus asked this
question in Luke 18:8; “when I return, will I find faith on the earth?”
It is interesting that many Christians today lack
faith - they have hope (expectation without really knowing) instead of faith
(confirmation of an established fact - even if it is to be fully accomplished
in the future).
Hope leads to striving in the flesh. “I hope God is in control of my life” - the
person who says this is still trying to do things in their own strength – they
work as hard as they can for fleeting moments of peace – they say they believe
in Jesus Christ yet have not experienced the abundant life Jesus has promised
to those who know Him. This may be a
reflection of you. You have not learned
how to abide in Jesus. Your life is off
course and you have not entered into His rest.
Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart
sick,
Faith leads to a fulfilled life. “I know God is in
control of my life”. - This person is resting in the joy of the Lord - with a
childlike faith in God that brings a sense of peace and security in the midst
of any situation.
Ephesians
2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of
God;”
Have you experienced the grace of God in your
life? Isn’t it time to realize that God
is real – and His plans for your life are better than your own? Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I
have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to
give you a future and a hope.’
It’s not about religion, it’s not about do’s and
don’ts, it’s all about a loving relationship with God! He has charted a course for your life that
is filled with blessing and contentment – isn’t it time to get your life on
course? Isn’t it time to include Jesus
in every area and ask Him to direct your steps?
Proverbs 16:9 “The mind of man plans his way, But
the LORD directs his steps.”
During those years of sailing, I learned how much
affect little changes in your course can affect your ultimate destination. Catalina, a little island off the coast of
Southern California, is just about forty miles from Dana Point. The course to Avalon from Dana Point is 283
degrees - but if you begin the sail just a few degrees off course, you end up
missing the island and totally lost!
What direction are you heading in?
Are you on the straight and narrow path that leads to God, or are you on
the broad path that leads to turmoil and eventual destruction? The purpose for this book is to help you get
your sites back on the Lord and help you change course towards a life filled
with the good things of God.
Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for
the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are
many who enter through it.”
If you are already on that narrow path, this book
will help you stay the course, and navigate through this life with Jesus at the
helm. You will experience God in a
fresh new way!
If you are still drifting through life, this book
will help you trim your sails and get on course – to an abundant and fulfilled
life! May you be as blessed reading
this book as I was writing it.
An
exert from my personal log…
“We were in a Yacht race called ‘The
Spyglass’. As we were approaching San
Diego harbor, the wind began to die, and thick fog rolled in. We tried to stay on course, but the lack of
wind, the current, and the lack of visibility left us in a desperate
place. We needed help from outside our
own senses or even our sailboats basic instrumentation. We needed a fixed point of reference. We felt the wake from several large ships
barely missing us – we had no choice but to drop our sails, start the engine,
and attempt to get back on course to the harbor.”
That fixed point of reference in life is the
Bible. It is being led by the Spirit.
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and
a light to my path.” In my life, I have
found this to be completely accurate.
Romans 8:14 “For all who are being led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
Absolute Truth
An exert from my personal log…
“There
is nothing more exciting than the start of a Regatta (a sailboat race). You have 30 or more boats all maneuvering
for position – to cross the starting line right as the gun goes off. You are pushing your boat to the limit – and
so is everyone else. This is my first
race, and the start was totally extreme!
I almost hit several boats – and several almost hit me. I was tacking at full speed every 30 seconds
– the time was counting down for the start.
I started for the line, adjusting the sails to slow down and speed up –
trying to get there in perfect harmony with the starters gun. This was an e-ticket ride – 5 seconds left,
I trimmed for speed and went for the line.
If I was even a split second early I would have to do a complete circle
before starting the race. I heard the
gun, and to my surprise we crossed the line just after it sounded – a perfect
start!”
When
you believe in Jesus, and your eyes are opened to the wonderful truth about who
He is, you are filled with excitement and anticipation. When you experience His direction and you
obey Him, you begin to know that His plans are better than yours. You then realize that there is a God who
loves you and desires to know you – that He protected you your whole life, and
knew you would choose to follow Him on the very day your did. However, many people are not open to this truth. They refuse to examine the Bible or consider
the existence of God. They have
embraced two philosophical systems of thought that, when you consider them, are
almost intellectual suicide. The two
philosophies that have influenced thought and religion today are postmodernism
and the idea that order can evolve from chaos.
This
new philosophical system of thought actually goes beyond postmodernism and the
theory of evolution – it is now based mainly on your experience. It is a merging of science and self directed
thought. It is a neo
experientialism. What is
experientialism? The thought that
experience, either that ourselves or of others, is the test or criterion of
general knowledge or truth.
Neoexperientialism
is what I am calling the post-postmodern philosophy or
postdecostructionalism. This philosophy
believes there are no absolutes nor are there any laws except logic. Nothing beyond personal experience is
knowable. It has the idea that
everything is conceptual and fabricated according to your own experience – and
reality is only the experience of the moment.
Even past experience is beyond your grasp and is to be questioned
because it exists only in the imagination and is therefore not reality.
This
philosophical thought is influenced heavily by what I will call the Internet generation.
The idea is that everything on the Internet is conceptual and not
real. It is a cyber world made up in
the minds of the users – a basic assumption in neoexperientialism.
Reality
TV is a product of this philosophy.
They want something that is real.
For many, including Christians, Jesus is conceptual, to be accessed
occasionally, but not to be part of ‘real’ life.
Within
the past century many humanistic ideas and false religions have begun to
influence the church. So we must go
back to the Bible – our only source of faith and practice!
Our
‘apriori’ is what we believe before we study something. It is the filter we use to analyze any new
truth. A presupposition is to suppose
beforehand. Something which you presume
to be true before you begin a study.
For example, the evolutionist presupposes that the Biblical account of creation is false. His apriori is that man has evolved through
countless adaptations and slow genetic changes. He looks at creation as myth.
Our
presupposition is that the Bible is God’s
Inspired Word. We will discuss this at
length in the chapter on ‘Bibliology’.
Our apriori becomes our dogma – something held as established fact we
can hold to with certainty. Within the
Christian ‘dogma’ is the facts that God is manifest in the Father, the Son (who
is also the Messiah), and the Holy Spirit.
To
study theology we must believe that the human mind can comprehend the truths
about God revealed in scripture. We can
never know God in His infinite totality, but we can know what He has revealed
about Himself. As we understand the
truth, it gives us the tools to recognize falsehood and contend against it.
Theology will provide you the tools to combat the two
biggest enemies of truth:
First
being human philosophy, and second, false religion.
Col 2:8
- Beware lest any one cheat you through philosophy or empty deceit, according to
the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not
according to Christ.
Human
Philosophy and humanistic / postmodern thought. We must remember;
“Finitum
non capax infiniti.” That is to say, the finite is not capable of the
infinite. Finite man is incapable of
understanding God without God first revealing Himself.
Every
attempt to understand God that grows from man’s limited intellect leads to
humanistic philosophy or false religion.
It leads to a man made belief system that lacks any real insight.
2 Tim
3:5 - having the form of Godliness, but denying its power, from such people
turn away.
False
religions. We need to know the truth to
recognize error! When we know the truth,
we are set free to worship God in Spirit and in truth!
1 John
5:6 ¶ This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not
by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is
truth.
Theology is discovering truth - true scientific method
is discovering truth.
Here
are some verses relating to Spirit and Truth;
John
14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John
14:17 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.
John
15:26 ¶ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,
he shall testify of me:
John
16:7 ¶ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you.
John
16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John
17:17 ¶ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John
17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
John
18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him,
Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To
this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should
bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
John
18:38 Pilate saith unto him, What is
truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith
unto them, I find in him no fault at all.
John
4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for
the Father seeketh such to worship him.
John
4:24 God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free.
Please note: The following pages are raw notes and thoughts – this is not a
finished document.
Sermon Notes – Pastor Brett Peterson
Islam
– Arab state - Palestinians (2Ki 23:27)
Signs
indicating we are in the Last Days
The
Great Harlot is on the rise
New
International Dictionary of NT Theology
Word Pictures in the New Test., Vol. 4
Adam Clark’s
Commentary on the NT
IVP
Bible Background Commentary
Victor
Bible Background Commentary
70th
week of Daniel – Seals and horsemen
Sermon Notes – Pastor Brett Peterson
|
Eschatology |
Prophecy - studying the history of the future.
If you have been a Christian for any length of
time, you have heard that Jesus is coming soon. Remember the mid-eighties?
Remember Y2K?
Only now have prophetic events lined up in
such a way that the 70th wk. of Daniel, known as the ‘Tribulation’, could
start.
Today, I will present an overview of current events
and prophecy, and demonstrate that we are truly in the ‘last days’.
the Gospel being proclaimed to the whole world
are just a few of the end time prophecies that are about to be completed!
“Surly the Lord God does nothing without first revealing
it through His servants the Prophets” Amos 3:7 NASB
Many read Revelation, the apocolypse or the
‘unvieling’ as a veiling – something that can’t be understood.
Over and over, as we
study prophecy we are told to:
Know and understand
He that has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the church
I pray that today, you will know and
understand. It is time to wake up!
Ephesians 5:6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because
of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore
do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but
now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the
fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying
to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the
unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it
is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But
all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything
that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says,
“Awake,
sleeper,
And arise from the dead,And Christ will shine on
you.”15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as
wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So
then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And
do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the
Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always
giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even
the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
Introduction
Before we examine what
the Word of God says about prophecy and the signs of the times, let us ever be
mindful of Revelation 22:18-19:
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the
book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written
in this book. Rev. 22:18-19
With
that warning clearly in perspective, let us not "add" or
"subtract" from God’s Holy Word. Where
"thus saith the Lord" speaks – let us "read and understand"
(Matt. 24:15).
Where the Word of God is silent – no
matter how great the temptation, let us not "add unto these things".
Let
us be good Bereans: Acts
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
It is important to understand prophecy, so we
must approach it with Romans 3:4 in mind:
".
. . let God be true, but EVERY man a
liar;. . " Romans 3:4
Don’t just take what people tell you as truth –
pray, read, and study!
You can’t go by man’s interpretation!
|
2 Peter 1:20: |
Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.. |
We must rely on God’s Word and His Spirit to teach
John 14:26-28
26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in My name, He will
teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world
gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be
fearful. 28“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will
come to you.’
We need to rely on God’s Spirit even more so today!!
I John
2: 18-29
18Children, it is the last hour; and just as you
heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from
this we know that it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but
they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have
remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all
are not of us. 20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and
you all know. 21I have not written to you because you do not know
the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22Who
is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the
antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever
denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the
Father also. 24As for you, let that abide in you which you heard
from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you
also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
The Holy Spirit, our Teacher
25This is the promise which He Himself made to us:
eternal life.
26These things I have written to you concerning those
who are trying to deceive you. 27As for you, the anointing which you
received from Him abides in you, and you
have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about
all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you,
you abide in Him.
28Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He
appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His
coming. 29If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone
also who practices righteousness is born of Him.
More than ever, today we need to
ABIDE in Jesus Christ and ask God for the empowering of the Holy Spirit!
Our Hope – the Rapture
I Thess. 4:15-18, 13But we
do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that
you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those
who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the
word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the
Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord
Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then
we who are alive and remain will be caught up (harpodzo – latin Rapturo) together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore
comfort one another with these words.
Matt. 24: 3As He was sitting on the
4And Jesus answered and said to them,
“See to it that no one misleads you. 5“For many will come in My
name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6“You will
be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for
those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7“For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various
places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8“But all these things
are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
9“Then they will deliver you to
tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of
My name. 10“At that time many will fall away and will betray one
another and hate one another. 11“Many false prophets will arise and
will mislead many. 12“Because lawlessness is increased, most
people’s love will grow cold. 13“But the one who endures to the end,
he will be saved. 14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in
the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
32“Now learn the parable from the fig
tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you
know that summer is near; 33So, you too, when you see all these
things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34“Truly I say
to you, this generation will not pass
away until all these things take place. 35“Heaven and earth will
pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36“But of that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37“For
the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38“For
as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39and
they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will
the coming of the Son of Man be. 40“Then there will be two men in
the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41“Two women will
be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
Be Ready for
His Coming
42“Therefore be on the alert, for you do
not know which day your Lord is coming.
Luke 21:25-28 ‘Lift up your head’
25“There will be signs in sun and moon
and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring
of the sea and the waves, 26men fainting from fear and the
expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of
the heavens will be shaken. 27“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory. 28“But
when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near.”
29Then He told them a parable: “Behold
the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they put forth leaves,
you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31“So
you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of
God is near. 32“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass
away until all things take place. 33“Heaven and earth will pass
away, but My words will not pass away.
II Thess. 2: 1Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2that you
not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or
a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has
come. 3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come
unless the ?apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is
revealed, the son of destruction.
2 Timothy 3
Apostacy - “Difficult
Times Will Come”
1But realize this, that in the last days difficult
times will come. 2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money,
boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving,
irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of
good, 4treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God, 5holding
to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;
Won’t it come like a ‘Thief’? Not for the church that is watching!!
Luke 21: 34“Be on guard, so that your hearts will
not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly
like a trap; 35for it will come upon all those who dwell on the
face of all the earth. 36“But keep on the alert at all times,
praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to
take place, and to stand before the Son of
I Thess. 5:1-11
1Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no
need of anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know full
well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While
they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them
suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in
darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are
all sons of light and sons of day
((skip to vs. 9))
9For God has not destined us for wrath,
but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who
died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with
Him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up one another,
just as you also are doing.
But for the apostate church it will come like a thief in the
night.
Rev. 3: 1“To the angel of the church in
He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says
this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are
dead. 2‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were
about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
3‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent.
Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not
know at what hour I will come to you. 4‘But you have a few people in
Intolerance of Christians has begun!
John 15:18+ Jesus says if they hate me , they will hate you. They persecuted me and they will persecute
you.
The UN Universal Declaration of Human rights states:
Where governments and authorities fail to protect these freedoms it is at once
an affront and a menace. Where
religions and their adherents are persecuted, defamed, assaulted or dineid due
process, we are all diminished, our sococieties undermined.
There must be no room in the 21st century for religious
bigotry and intolerance.
DEFINED: Members of one
religion must accept people of all faiths everywhere as equal to their
own. There can be no prosolytization or
attempts to ‘convert’ members of another faith or no faith to any other faith.
Witnessing, under this legislation, would be considered genocide
and a hate crime!!
What is our ‘blessed hope’?
Titus 2: 11For the grace of
God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12instructing us to
deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and
godly in the present age, 13looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great
God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14who gave Himself for us to
redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His
own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Compare to Luke 21:27!!
Luke 21: 25“There will be signs in sun and moon and
stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of
the sea and the waves, 26men fainting from fear and the expectation
of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens
will be shaken. 27“Then they
will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory. 28“But when these things begin to
take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is
drawing near.”
g
Our hope is in the return of Jesus
Christ! Matt. 25 – the 10 virgins.
Between dusk and
We are approaching the
g
Those
with ‘extra oil’ or the church that is prepared will be the true church - the
bride of Christ!
g
The
herold is shouting today – behold, the Bridegroom cometh!
How is that herold declaring this? The signs that are happening all around us!
Matt. 16: 1The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and
testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2But
He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for
the sky is red.’ 3“And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today,
for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance
of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
Signs of the times…
1917 – Brittain calls Jews back to
Lev.26:24 -28 God says He will punish
Note that from the time the Jews were called
home in 1917to the time they took
1948
No one knew that Jews had been making their
own ammunition and smuggling arms in -
they were preparing for this event.
1967 - 6 Day war –
2000 - Zech. 12 :1-3
1The £burden of the word of the LORD concerning
Thus
declares the LORD who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the
earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, 2“Behold, I am going
to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when
the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. 3“It
will come about in that day that I will make
The UN has taken a stand against the Jews.
The signs of the times…
1.
– The 3rd
gThe Temple Institute in
1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.
2 “He will
revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
They state that ‘to live before Him’ is to again have a
gThey state this means they will be without a
They
count 70 years from the Babylonian captivity when the Jewish temple was
rendered un-usable.
Then, when you take the 1,930
years they have been without a temple since it was destroyed by
70 years and you have 2000 years, or 2 days they have
been without a
gA day is as a thousand years (II Peter 3:8; Ps. 90:4)
They believe that in order for this prophecy
to be true, they have to build the
the ‘3rd day’.
We visited the Temple Institute in July, 2000.
They have all the
The
On Monday,
They were not allowed to set it because
of the threat of wide spread bloodshed if they did. Never the less,
2. Satellite communication and the
ability for the whole world to see events at the same time.
3. Jesus said that the church would carry
the Gospel to the whole earth, and then the end shall come. Matt. 28:19,20, Luke 24:45-49; John 20:21;
Acts 1:8; cf. Matt 4:19;
Many missions organizations say that by the
end of the year 2000 every major people group in the world should be reached
with the gospel message!
4.
Amos 1:3-5 States that
These
occurred in:
1948
(1st) 1967(2nd) 1973(3rd) and the 4th appears that it could happen at any time!
NOTE:
Isn’t it appropriate that God preserved this city to be a sign for the
last days?
Is. 17:1
States that
In 1973,
be world war three. If
5.
Obodiah 1:15-18
15 “For the day
of the LORD draws near on all the nations.
As you have
done, it will be done to you.
Your
dealings will return on your own head.
16 “Because just
as you drank on My holy mountain,
All the
nations will drink continually.
They will
drink and swallow
And become
as if they had never existed.
17 “But on
And it will
be holy.
And the
house of Jacob will possess their possessions.
18 “Then the
house of Jacob will be a fire
And the
house of Joseph a flame;
But the
house of Esau will be as stubble.
And they
will set them on fire and consume them,
So that
there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,” For the LORD has spoken.
Joseph's tomb being burned and becoming a
catalyst for end time events
As you may have heard, the Moslems burned
Joseph’s Tomb. In Obodiah
Also, in that same passage it says Jacobs
house will be a fire (different word than flame), and Essau’s house a
stuble. Palistiinians are Essau’s
house,
6. Missile defense:
Ez. 39:1-4
1“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say,
‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh,
Meshech and Tubal; 2and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you
up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of
Israel. 3“I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down
your arrows from your right hand.
Arrow – can mean shaft or cylinder – could
mean a missil
Right hand – your strength
By Arieh O'Sullivan
TEL AVIV (October 17) - The IDF late last
night declared the country's anti-missile shield based on the Arrow-2 rocket
finally operational. It marks the first time any country in the world has a
functioning defense against surface-to-surface missiles.
7.
Pastor Chuck Smith stated that his sources in
12Now this will be the plague with which the LORD
will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh
will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their
sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth. 13It will come
about in that day that a great panic from the LORD will fall on them; and they
will seize one another’s hand, and the hand of one will be lifted against the
hand of another. 14Judah also will fight at
8.
Psalm 118:10-14 -
10 All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut
them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut
them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut
them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
The UN is against
9.Is.
10.Is. 10:1 - Unrighteous decrees made.
11.Dan. 12:4
Men will be traveling ‘to and fro’ across the world, knowledge will
increase.
12.Matt. 24:6
Wars and rumors of wars.
13.I Tim. 4:1-4 Many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits
& doctrines of Demons. Marriage
will be discouraged.
14.II Tim. 3:1-7 Perilous times are here (especially for the church). Men are lovers of self, boasters, proud,
disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affections, truce
breakers, false accusers, despisers of
those
that
are good, high-minded, lovers of pleasure rather than
lovers of God, having a form of Godliness,
but denying it’s power. Ever learning, but not able to come to the
knowledge of truth.
15.Matt. 24:3-26 False prophets, false Christs (Buddha, Moon, Hindu, Mohammed, and
100’s of cults all claim to be ‘types’ of
Christ or sometimes the re-incarnated
Christ. Since the early 1980’s we have
had many public displays of
men claiming to be Jesus
Christ. Prior to this, most simply
stated they were ‘types’ of Christ. Now
we have
them claiming to be Christ!
Mark
so many claiming to be prophets of God and
deceiving churches around the world today more than ever.
Churches are barking, laughing, seeking signs
rather than seeking Jesus and doing things that can not be
found in scripture.
Rev. 17:17
God put in the mind of the world to come together.
17“For God has put it in their hearts to execute His
purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast,
until the words of God will be fulfilled. 18“The woman whom you saw
is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
THESE THINGS ARE BEGINNING TO HAPPEN TODAY
LIKE NO OTHER TIME IN HISTORY!
Remember Luke
The Next Event…
Gog –
Magog
The
Israel Invasion predicted in Ezekiel 38 & 39 could occur at any time!
And when it does...
It will grab the attention of the entire world for 2 reasons!
It
is when God will intervene and destroy the invading forces;
There
seems to be a hint to the use of nuclear/chemical weapons.
Many
ancient sources have clearly identified "Magog" as referring to the Scythians
which were the ancestors of the true Russians. Hesiod, "the father of
Greek didactic poetry," identified Magog with the Scythians and southern
Among
the Allies... Ezekiel 38;1-6
the
lead ally is listed as "
Meshech and Tubal refer to regions in ancient
Two
weeks ago,
Most of the countries that are mentioned are
Islamic/Moslem countries today. They
include,
Remember,
it
is already destroyed. (Ez.38:8)
So, the possible scenario is this:
When
attack
Ezek. 38:4-15
Ezek. 38 and 39 describe the whole battle.
Zech.
Ezek. 39:9-10
the Tribulation. The burning of the weapons should be complete before the second
coming of Jesus Christ.
Ezek. 39:11-16 It will take 7 months to bury
the dead! After 7 months they will send teams in to ‘tag’
bones left on the surface and teams to bury
those bones - could this be a result of chemical or nuclear weapons?
This
would throw the world into a state of crisis and the UN would assume control of
all its member nations. (10 zones).
World Crisis – UN or 10 nation governement
arises
Daniel 2:31-43 Our first view of the four great world empires(pg.6) and the 10
nations that will unite in the last days.
The
four great world empires are:
and
Roman (legs & feet). The last one
is the
The ten toes here are the ten horns of Daniel
7:19-21. These ten nations will give
power to the Anti-Christ - but three of
the nations will not comply with the one world
order, and the anti-christ will uproot them as he assumes powers.
These 10 nations are also described in Rev.
13:1-3. The same 4 beasts all make up
the last one, the government of the
anti-christ that will come on the scene in
these last days.
These 10 nations could be the European
Community, the United Nations, or some other configuration of countries yet to
be
established.
It is interesting to note that the United nations has broken the entire
world up into 10 economic zones:
North America, Western Europe, Japan,Australia
& South Africa, Eastern Europe & Russia, Latin America, North Africa
&
the
We must note that
to the 70th week of Daniel or the Tribulation
(as shown on the previous page). They
are not part of the
The power of the Anti-Christ's government will
come from this 10 nation confederacy.
But three of those will disagree with
the arrangement, and they will be
‘uprooted’. Then the Anti-Christ will
rise to power (Rev. 13:1-10; Daniel
He will sign a peace treaty with
Rev. 17:13-18
The ten nations will hate the harlot (a false religion) that brings the
Anti-Christ to power and destroy her.
(Oct.
2000) the UN had a summit for all the religious leaders of the world - they
signed an agreement basically
affirming there are many ways to God and that
all religions should come together…interesting...
Anti-Christ
The
word "Anti-Christ" itself is commonly misunderstood.
The prefix "anti" comes from the Greek language and has
two meanings:
1. Opposed to; and
2. In the place of or a substitute for.
The Antichrist will not only
"oppose" Christ but he will do it in the most sinister way...by
pretending to BE CHRIST!
The Man of Lawlessness!
Intellectual
& Boastful;
Daniel
He
will Exalt himself above the God of gods;
Daniel
He
will have no Desire for Women;
Daniel
He
will honor 'a god of fortresses'
Daniel
He
will have authority;
Daniel
He
will seize by Intrigue;
Daniel
Shrewd
& Deceitful & Powerful;
Dan
A
Forceful Military Leader;
Daniel 8:24, Rev 6:2, Revelation 13:4,
A
Powerful Leader
Revelation 17:17
He
will have false profit who is a Unifying Religious Guru;
2 Thessalonians 2:4,Revelation 13:3, 14, 15
And here are a few from the New Testament!
|
Man of Lawlessness / Son of Perdition |
2 Thessalonians 2:3 |
|
One bringing Signs & Wonders |
2 Thessalonians 2:9 |
|
One who comes in his own name |
John 5:43 |
|
AntiChrist / Pseudo-Christ |
1 John 2:22 |
|
The Beast |
Revelation 11:7, 13 |
|
Lawless One |
2 Thessalonians 2:8 |
|
Beast from the Sea |
Revelation 13 |
|
One whose Fatal Wound will Heal |
Revelation 13:3 & 12 |
|
Vine of the Earth |
Revelation 14:18 |
In Daniel 9:26-27 we read;
"...the People of the Prince that
Shall Come would
destroy the city and the sanctuary..."
The fulfillment of this occurred
in history when the Roman legions under Titus Vespasian destroyed
[Jesus foretold this in Luke
*Interesting to note is this
occured on the 9th of Av on the
Jewish Calendar... This is the same exact day the
Needless to say this is a most solemn day
in
This reference to the Romans in Daniel
as a Roman or European leader.
2 Thessalonians 2:7
"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."
Daniel 9:27 "And he shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week:and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation,and that
determined shall be poured upon the Desolate."
The 70th week of Daniel or the ‘Tribulation’ Period
The last 7 years of human government on this earth.
He will require ALL to worship him, or pay the price!
The Mark of the beast….
Rev. 13:16-18
"And he will cause all the small and the great, the rich and
the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right
hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy
or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the
number of his name. Here is wisdom, Let him who has understanding calculate the
number of the beast, for the number is that of a man;
and his number is
six hundred and sixty six. 6 6 6
Time magazine writes:
"Your daughter can store money any way she wants – on her laptop, on a
debit card, even (in the not too distant future) on a chip implanted under her skin." (Time, April 27, 1998, p.
51)
Revelation
20:4 says ". . .UPON their
foreheads, or in their hands. . ."
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and
judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4
The word "UPON" in
Rev. 20 is clearly a reference to a visible mark.
It is interesting to note, that even the grain of rice size chip
that can be implanted is too large to put in the forehead. The conclusion could be that if you can’t
have the chip embedded in your right hand, you would have to receive a mark
‘on’ your forehead.
The word for ‘mark’ is charagma:
a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured
figure (statue): — graven, mark
(Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)
The ANTICHRIST...
will not only be empowered by Satan himself
But he will also have a sidekick
The
FALSE PROPHET...
This False Prophet will have supernatural powers
Of course, these powers are Evil. [Revelation 13:11-18]
[This Dastardly Duo is spoken of alot in Revelation]
But their END WILL COME!
Revelation 19:20"And the beast
was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his
presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and
those who worshipped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of
fire which burns with brimstone."
In
They will resume their sacrifices
They will think 'their Messiah has come'
[John
But he will break this treaty
half way
through the 7 year period
Matthew 24:15-21, "Therefore
when you see the Abomination of Desolation which was spoken of through the
prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, (let the reader understand) then
let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains let him who is on the housetop
not go down to get the things out that are in the house; and let him not turn
back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who
nurse babes in those days! But pray that your flight may not be in the winter,
or on a Sabbath; for then there will be a great
tribulation such as not occured since the beginning of the world till now,
nor ever shall...
From the Abomination of Desolation,
[The MID point/MID week of the Tribulation]
There are 3 & 1/2 years remaining,
This begins the 'Great Tribulation'
[This is the time between the abomination and the breaking of the 7th
seal. .]
Conclussion
Hebrews 10: 19Therefore, brethren, since we have
confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new
and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His
flesh, 21and since we have
a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a
sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our
bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of
our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24and
let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25not
forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another; and all the more as you
see the day drawing near.
gLuke 21:25-32 Our redemption is near!
gNow is the time to be a bold witness
for Jesus!
gActs 1:8 - We will carry this Gospel to
the whole earth, and then the end shall come.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
There were about 1200 people groups unreached
- missions agencies have been called to each group and they feel they will have
reached them all by the end of this year!
gII Peter
Matt. 10: 16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the
midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17“But
beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and
you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony
to them and to the Gentiles. 19“But when they hand you over, do not
worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour
what you are to say. 20“For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who
speaks in you.
21“Brother will betray brother to death,
and a father his child; and children
will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22“You
will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to
the end who will be saved.
23“But whenever they persecute you in one
city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of
A.W. Tozer said this concerning the soon
return or our Lord:
The
wise Christian will be content to wait for that day. In the meantime, he will
serve his generation in the will of God. If he should be overlooked in the
religious popularity contests he will give it but small attention. He knows
whom he is trying to please and he is willing to let the world think what it
will of him. He will not be around much longer anyway, and where he is going
men will be known not by their Hooper rating but by the holiness of their
character.
4 World Empires
The political systems established
– a glimpse of the Roman system that is coming back in these last days:
The ten toes here are the ten horns of Daniel 7:19-21. These ten nations will give power to the Anti-Christ - but three of the nations will not comply with the one world order, and the anti-christ will uproot them as he assumes powers.
These 10 nations are also
described in Rev. 13:1-3. The same 4
beasts all make up the last one, the government of the anti-christ that will come on the scene in
these last days.
These 10 nations could be the
European Community, the United Nations, or some other configuration of
countries yet to be established. It is
interesting to note that the United nations has broken the entire world up into
10 economic zones:
North America, Western Europe,
Japan,Australia & South Africa, Eastern Europe & Russia, Latin America,
North Africa & the Middle East, Tropical Africa, South and Southeast Asia,
and China.
We must note that Russia, Syria,
and most of the Moslem countries are not part of this because they will be
conquered prior
to the 70th week of Daniel or the
Tribulation .They are not part of the Roman empire.
The power of the Anti-Christ's
government will come from this 10 nation confederacy. But three of those will disagree with
the arrangement, and they will be
‘uprooted’. Then the Anti-Christ will
rise to power (Rev. 13:1-10; Daniel 7:19-end).
He will sign a peace treaty with
Israel & the 70th week of Daniel begins.
Rev. 17:13-18 The ten nations will hate the harlot (a
false religion) that brings the Anti-Christ to power and destroy her.
Last year (Oct. 2000) the UN had a
summit for all the religious leaders of the world - they signed an agreement
basically affirming there are many ways to God and that all religions should
come together…interesting...
Rev. 18 At this time(possibly)
Babylon will fall also. The World will
mourn. They will welcome the Anti-Christ.
What is Rome today? If it is the political system established by
them, it is any democratic form of government – mainly Europe and the United
states.
Intolerance of Christians has begun!
John 15:18+ Jesus says if they hate me , they will hate
you. They persecuted me and they will
persecute you.
The UN Universal Declaration of Human rights states:Where
governments and authorities fail to protect these freedoms it is at once an
affront and a menace. Where religions
and their adherents are persecuted, defamed, assaulted or dineid due process,
we are all diminished, our sococieties undermined.
There must be no room in the 21st century for
religious bigotry and intolerance.
DEFINED: Members of
one religion must accept people of all faiths everywhere as equal to their
own. There can be no prosolytization or
attempts to ‘convert’ members of another faith or no faith to any other faith.
Clinton, in executive order 13107 states that the US will
abide by this document.
Witnessing, under this legislation, would be considered
genocide and a hate crime!!
Islam – Arab state -
Palestinians
(2Ki 23:27)
The LORD said, "I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have
removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen,
and the temple of which I said, 'My name shall be there.'"
g 638 AD - Caliph
Omar Ben Hatav captured Jerusalem and put it under Muslim rule.
g 688-691AD The dome
of the rock was built.
This group – came from South east
Jordan – they are Edomites – Esau’s descendants – now they are the
Palestinians.
Eze 36:5 therefore thus
says the Lord GOD, "Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken
against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land
for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of
soul, to drive it out for a prey."
Palestinians. Gen. 25:23-33
Arab nations: born : Gen. 16:1-16,
Gen. 21:14+,
They will be a ‘pain’ to Israel:
Num. 33:51-56,
They didn’t drive them out of the
land: Josh. 9:1-26, 13:2-7
But God has fought for Israel –
and they will posses the land:
Isa 34:5 For My sword is
satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the
people whom I have devoted to destruction.
Islam
Prepares For All Out War
01/24/02 All of the evidence of the last
week point to one inescapable
conclusion – the radical forces of Islam
are preparing for an all-out war
with Israel. Here are the latest
intelligence reports:
1. Israeli Military Intelligence Chief
just warned the Knesset, “The most
dangerous wave of terror attacks is just
ahead. In his opinion, nothing would
avail to halt Arafat’s headlong terrorist
offensive - even if Israel offered
to withdraw to its 1967 borders, gave up
all the holy places and consented to
the return of 1948 refugees.” This is
first public confirmation by an Israeli
intelligence officer that Arafat is bent
on nothing less than Israel’s defeat
and destruction.”
2. Yasser Arafat, in direct violation of
Oslo Agreements, has just ordered
20,000 of his police force to take to the
war field. They have been equipped
and deployed for major war. Military
experts note that the Palestinian police
force is not an irregular militia like
the Tanzim or a terrorist gang like
the Aqsa Brigades, but an organized
regular corps with a command hierarchy,
an operations arm, intelligence, an
advanced communications network and
considerable mobility. It is equipped
with hundreds of vehicles, some
armored, donated mainly by the United
States, the UK, Germany, France and
Italy, as well as being amply armed with
automatic weapons, including heavy
machine guns.
3. Iranian Revolutionary Guards, hundreds
of escaped al-Qaeda trained
terrorists and Hezbollah units are in
Lebanon preparing to strike Israel from
the north. Iranian troops are in control
of 300 long-range rockets capable of
hitting the large population centers of
Acre, Nahariya, Tiberias, Kiryat
Shmoneh and Haifa with its oil refineries
and heavy industry. Iran appears to
have orchestrated whole operation.
4. Palestinian Authority distributing
huge hidden cache of Qasem 1 and Qasem
2 long-range Katyusha rockets,
anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles and heavy
mortars. Apparently other ships before
Karen-A believed to be successful in
delivering these arms.
5. Israeli Defense Forces given new
tactical orders and deployed for regular
combat.
To say the situation is a powder keg ready
to explode doesn’t begin to catch
the enormous danger that is gathering.
When we add some of the following
facts, the situation begins to take on
catastrophic, Biblical proportions.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are ready to side
with Iraq and Iran in an axis front
against US presence in the Gulf region.
The Saudis have also committed huge
sums of money to back the Palestinian war
effort. With this kind of
alignment, the whole balance of power in
the Middle East could shift. The US
will find it all but impossible to attack
Saddam Hussein in this kind of
arena. Further, US carriers and warships
will come under extreme risks in the
Persian Gulf. They face the possibility
of attack from all of the axis
nations.
Arafat: I'm like George Washington
By Lamia Lahoud January, 27 2002
RAMALLAH (January 27) - Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser
Arafat told
some 2,000 demonstrators at his Ramallah compound yesterday the
struggle for
an independent Palestinian state will continue until the
Palestinian flag is
raised over the walls of Jerusalem.
"Until victory, until victory, until victory," he said.
Echoing comments he made a few days earlier, Arafat said he is
willing to
give his life for his goal of a Palestinian state, with a capital
in east
Jerusalem.
1917 – Calling Israel Home
Lev.26:24 -28 God says He will
punish Israel 7 times for her apostasy. This began in 604bc with Babylon, 2nd -
Media-Persia, Greek, Roman, Saracens, & Turkish (Ottoman). The seventh will be the Anti-Christ
reign. From 604 to 1917 is 7 ‘times’ of
360 day years - exactly as prophesied!!
Note that from the time the Jews
were called home in 1917to the time they took Jerusalem is 50 years. It is the Jubilee(Lev. 25)of them being back
in the land - In Jubilee the land goes back to its original owner…Interesting
time frame: 334bc Alexander takes Jerusalem.
1967 Jews retake Jerusalem. This
is 2333 years. If you subtract the 33
years of Jesus life it gives you 2300.
Daniel prophesied (Dan.8:14) that Jerusalem would be given to the wicked
for 2300 evening and mornings. Ezek.
4:6 - day = a year prophetically at times - this is a possible confirmation
Note that the true 2300 will happen during the 70th week of Daniel most likely,
and this is simply a pattern noted.
Britain takes Palestine
Jews are invited to
Joh 11:52 and not for the
nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the
children of God who are scattered abroad.
(1Ch 16:35)
Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation, And gather us and
deliver us from the nations, To give thanks to Your holy name, And glory in
Your praise."
(Psa 106:47)
Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the nations, To
give thanks to Your holy name And glory in Your praise.
(Isa 11:12)
And He will lift up a standard for the nations And assemble the
banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four
corners of the earth.
(Isa 45:20)
"Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you
fugitives of the nations; They have no knowledge, Who carry about their wooden
idol And pray to a god who cannot save.
(Isa 66:18)
"For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is
coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory.
(Jer 29:14)
'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore
your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where
I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place
from where I sent you into exile.'
(Jer 30:3) 'For behold,
days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My
people Israel and Judah.' The LORD says, 'I will also bring them back to the
land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.'"
(Jer 31:10)
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare in the
coastlands afar off, And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him And
keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock."
(Jer 49:14)
I have heard a message from the LORD, And an envoy is sent among
the nations, saying, "Gather yourselves together and come against
her, And rise up for battle!"
(Eze 20:41)
"As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out
from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I
will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.
(Eze 28:25)
'Thus says the Lord GOD, "When I gather the house of Israel from
the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in
them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I
gave to My servant Jacob.
(Eze 36:24)
"For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the
lands and bring you into your own land.
(Eze 37:21)
"Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will
take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will
gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;
(Eze 39:27)
"When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from
the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the
sight of the many nations.
(Isa 10:21)
A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
(Isa 10:22)
For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return; A destruction is determined,
overflowing with righteousness.
1948 – Israel Nation Born
(some of these verses talk about
the restoration that will take place in the Millinium)
Britain pulls out of Israel
divides the state into a
Jewish and Palestinian state.
Israel becomes a nation.
Gen. 12:7, Joshua 1, Gen. 28:3,4
(Exo 32:13)
"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom
You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as
the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give
to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"
(Num 33:54)
'You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to
the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give
less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You
shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.
(Deu 12:10)
"When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the
LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your
enemies around you so that you live in security,
(Deu 19:14)
"You shall not move your neighbor's boundary mark, which the
ancestors have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that
the LORD your God gives you to possess.
(Psa 25:13)
His soul will abide in prosperity, And his descendants will
inherit the land.
(Psa 37:9)
For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD,
they will inherit the land.
(Psa 37:11)
But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves
in abundant prosperity.
(Psa 37:22)
For those blessed by Him will inherit the land, But those cursed
by Him will be cut off.
(Psa 37:29)
The righteous will inherit the land And dwell in it forever.
(Psa 37:34)
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to
inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
(Isa 49:6) He says,
"It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the
tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make
You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the
earth."
(Jer 16:15) but, 'As the
LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and
from all the countries where He had banished them.' For I will restore them to
their own land which I gave to their fathers.
(Jer 30:3) 'For behold,
days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My
people Israel and Judah.' The LORD says, 'I will also bring them back to the
land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.'"
(Jer 31:23) Thus says the
LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Once again they will speak this word in
the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes, 'The LORD
bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill!'
(Jer 33:7) 'I will restore
the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they
were at first.
(Eze 39:25) Therefore thus
says the Lord GOD, "Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have
mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.
(Amo 9:14) "Also I
will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the
ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink
their wine, And make gardens and eat their fruit.
(Nah 2:2) For the LORD
will restore the splendor of Jacob Like the splendor of Israel, Even though
devastators have devastated them And destroyed their vine branches.
(Isa 49:8)
Thus says the LORD, "In a favorable time I have answered You,
And in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You
for a covenant of the people, To restore the land, to make them inherit
the desolate heritages;
(Isa 57:13)
"When you cry out, let your collection of idols
deliver you. But the wind will carry all of them up, And a breath will
take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land And
will possess My holy mountain."
(Zec 8:12)
'For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.
1967 – Israel takes Jerusalem
6 Day war -
takes
control of
Jerusalem.
(1Ki 11:32)
(but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and
for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of
Israel),
(1Ki 11:36)
'But to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may
have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for
Myself to put My name.
War fought in 1967
between Israel
on one side and Egypt, Jordan, and Syria
on the other side. The Arab nations received aid from Iraq,
Kuwait,
Saudi
Arabia, Sudan and Algeria.
The entire war lasted 132 hours and 30 minutes (less than
6 days), while the fightings on Egyptian side only lasted 4 days and only 3
days on the Jordanian side.
The war left Israel with the largest territorial gains
from any war fought, Sinai and Gaza Strip
were captured from Egypt,
Furthermore did the war result in a closure of the Suez Canal
which came to last for 8 years.
HISTORY
1967 May: Mobilizing of forces on both Arab and Israeli sides of
the borders.
June 5: Israel attacks Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Great victories
for Israel are achieved immediately. Egyptian air crafts are wiped out after
effective bombing of air strips.
June 7: The strategically important Egyptian Sharm el
Sheikh is captured.
— Jordan surrenders to Israel, after having lost East Jerusalem and the West
Bank.
June 8: The entire Sinai comes under Israeli control. Later that
evening, Israeli fightings on the Egyptian front are ceased.
June 10: Syria surrenders, after seeing Golan Heights come under
Israeli control.
1973
Kippur war - within 20 klmt.s of God supernaturally protected held off 2000 Egyptians! There are many stories from all the wars Israel have been in since 1948 of how Israel won battles with incredible odds. One Jewish general writes that he saw a ‘hand’ hold back Syrian troops!
1978
September, ‘78. The
Camp David peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. It lasted seven years. (1984). Egypt must grant safe passage to the armies that will come against Israel, so the peace could not have lasted. Also, Egypt was a great empire, now it is an insignificant kingdom. (Eze 29:13) 'For
thus says the Lord GOD, "At the end of forty years I will gather the
Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. (Eze 29:14) "I
will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of
Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly
kingdom. (Eze 29:15) "It
will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up
above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not rule
over the nations. (Eze 29:16) "And
it will never again be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing to
mind the iniquity of their having turned to Egypt. Then they will know that
I am the Lord GOD."'"
Now
(Zec 12:1) The
burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD who stretches out the
heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man
within him, 2) "Behold,
I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples
around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against
Judah. 3) "It
will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for
all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will
be gathered against it. Jerusalem will be a burden to the whole world. Quotes from news
papers: “The eyes of the world are on Israel.” The whole earth wants peace In the middle east. The people in are chanting “peace at any cost”. (1Th 5:1) Now
as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to
be written to you. 2) For
you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like
a thief in the night. 3) While
they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come
upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will
not escape. (1Th 5:4) But
you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a
thief; Mat 16:3 "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm
today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the
appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
Signs indicating we are in
the Last Days
Please note that only now are all
the prophetic events in place for the 70th week of Daniel to start! What events?
- - Israel out of the Temple 2000 years- it has been ‘2 days’ in
the ‘third’ day, it will be rebuilt.
We know the Temple has to be rebuilt in these last days. We are told in Revelation that the outer court will be reserved for the Gentiles -
Rev 11:1-4 Then there was
given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, "Get up and
measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. (2)
"Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure
it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the
holy city for forty-two months.
(3) "And I will grant authority
to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days,
clothed in sackcloth." (4) These are the two olive trees and the two
lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
this could be the
Dome of the Rock. There is room to build the Temple on the
mount.
Note that the two witnesses of Revelation come on the scene after the
is
completed. The Temple Institute in
Jerusalem state they could complete the Temple in 6 months after they receive
the OK to build...
g The Temple Institute in Jerusalem asked me to read and
consider Hosea 6:1-6.
g They state this
means they will be without a Temple ‘2 days’ or 2000 years.
g They count 70 years
from the Babylonian captivity when the Jewish temple was rendered un-usable.
Then, when you take the 1,930
years they have been without a temple since it was destroyed by Rome in 70AD,
add it to the
70 years and you have 2000 years, or 2 days they have
been without a Temple!
g A day is as a
thousand years (II Peter 3:8; Ps. 90:4)
g They believe that in order for this prophecy to be true,
they will build the Temple in the this millenium the ‘3rd day’.
We visited the Temple Institute in July, 2000.
They have all the Temple furniture and utensils for sacrifice almost
complete. All that’s left is the candle stick holder.
The Israel Defense has issued a statement declaring that the Palestinians can
no longer be trusted in guarding the sacred sites,
including the Temple Mount!
2. Satellite communication and the
ability for the whole world to see events at the same time.
Rev 11:9 Those from the
peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead
bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be
laid in a tomb.
3. Jesus said that the church would carry the Gospel to the
whole earth, and then the end shall come.
Mat 24:14
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as
a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
MK 13:3 As Jesus
was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and
Andrew asked him privately,
MK 13:4
"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that
they are all about to be fulfilled?"
MK 13:5 Jesus
said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you.
MK 13:6 Many will
come in my name, claiming, `I am he,' and will deceive many.
MK 13:7 When you
hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen,
but the end is still to come.
MK 13:8 Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth
pains.
MK 13:9 "You
must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and
flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and
kings as witnesses to them.
MK 13:10 And the gospel must first be
preached to all nations.
MK 13:11 Whenever
you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to
say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking,
but the Holy Spirit.
MK 13:12
"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children
will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
MK 13:13 All men
will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
MK 13:14
"When you see `the abomination that causes desolation' n standing
where it n does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those
who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
MK 13:15 Let no
one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out.
MK 13:16 Let no one
in the field go back to get his cloak.
MK 13:17 How
dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
MK 13:18 Pray
that this will not take place in winter,
MK 13:19 because
those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created
the world, until now--and never to be equaled again.
MK 13:20 If the
Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of
the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
MK 13:21 At that
time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ n!' or, `Look,
there he is!' do not believe it.
MK 13:22 For
false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to
deceive the elect--if that were possible.
MK 13:23 So be on
your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
MK 13:24
"But in those days, following that distress, " `the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
MK 13:25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' n
MK 13:26 "At
that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and
glory.
MK 13:27 And he
will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of
the earth to the ends of the heavens.
MK 13:28
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender
and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
MK 13:29 Even so,
when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the
door.
MK 13:30 I tell
you the truth, this generation n will certainly not pass away until all
these things have happened.
Matt. 28:19,20,
Luke 24:45-49; John 20:21;
Acts 1:8; cf. Matt 4:19; 10:16-20; 13:38; 24:14;
Many missions
organizations say that by the end of the year 2004 every major people group in
the world should be reached with the gospel message!
4. Babylon – world language –
Gen. 11:1-9, Is. 47, Dan. 12:4, Col.3:5,6, Matt. 24:37-41
5. Joseph's tomb being burned and becoming a catalyst for
end time events .
As you may have heard, the Moslems
burned Joseph’s Tomb. In Obodiah we are
told that in the last days, when the nations are about to be judged, Josephs
Tomb would be a flame. I find it very
significant this event took place. The
word in the Bible for tomb in this passage can also mean ‘house’. See below.
Also, in that same passage it says Jacobs house will be a fire
(different word than flame), and Esau’s house a stuble. Palestinians are Esau’s house, Israel is
Jacob’s house. So, we have Esau’s house
(Palestine) starting and feeding the flame (Josephs Tomb) and the fire (the
lack of peace in Israel)! - *see the
next page for Israel’s response to Joseph’s house burning*
Joseph’s Tomb
Burned
* OC Register ,
Sunday - Oct. 8, 2000. Arabs tore apart
and burned
Joseph’s
Tomb. It was a shrine, house, tomb,
compound & synagogue.
Obodiah 1:15-18
An end times prophecy - ‘Joseph's house will be a flame’
The idea is that
it would be burned, and it infers it will be a catalyst for end time
events. Israel's Defense state that
Palestinians can not be trusted with the Temple Mount because of Joseph's Tomb!
Oba 1:1-18 The vision of
Obadiah. Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom-- We have heard a report from
the LORD, And an envoy has been sent among the nations saying,
"Arise and let us go against her for battle"-- (2)
"Behold, I will make you small among the nations; You are greatly
despised. (3) "The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, You who live
in the clefts of the rock, In the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in
your heart, 'Who will bring me down to earth?'
(4) "Though you build high
like the eagle, Though you set your nest among the stars, From there I will
bring you down," declares the LORD.
(5) "If thieves came to
you, If robbers by night-- O how you will be ruined!-- Would they not steal only
until they had enough? If grape gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some
gleanings? (6) "O how Esau ((Edom – the Palestinians)) will be ransacked, And his
hidden treasures searched out! (7) "All the men allied with you Will send
you forth to the border, And the men at peace with you Will deceive you and
overpower you. They who eat your bread Will set an ambush for you.
(There is no understanding in him.)
(8) "Will I not on that
day," declares the LORD, "Destroy wise men from Edom And
understanding from the mountain of Esau?
(9) "Then your mighty men
will be dismayed, O Teman, So that everyone may be cut off from the mountain of
Esau by slaughter. (10) "Because of violence to your brother
Jacob((Palestinian terrorists against
Israel)), You will be covered with shame, And you will be cut off
forever. (11) "On the day that you stood aloof, On the day that strangers
carried off his wealth, And foreigners
entered his gate And cast lots for Jerusalem-- You too were as one of them.
((Arafat!!)) (12) "Do not gloat over your brother's day,
The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah In the day
of their destruction; Yes, do not boast In the day of their
distress. (13) "Do not enter the gate of My people In
the day of their disaster. Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity In the
day of their disaster. And do not loot their wealth In the day of their
disaster. (14) "Do not stand at the fork of the road
To cut down their fugitives; And do not imprison their survivors In the day of
their distress. (15) "For the day of the
LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to
you. Your dealings will return on your own head. (16) "Because just
as you drank on My holy mountain, All the nations will drink continually. They
will drink and swallow And become as if they had never existed. (17)
"But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape, And it will be
holy. And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions. (18)
"Then the house of Jacob will be a fire And the house of Joseph a
flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them
on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of
Esau," For the LORD has spoken.
g
Obadiah
1:18 the word for ‘house’ in Hebrew - strongs #H1004 House… úPa—
g
bayith
(108c); a prim. root; a house:—armory *(1), buildings (2)home
(33), homeborn *(2), homes (2),
house (1534), house and the houses (2) *(1), place (2), places
(1*(15), residence (1), room (6), rooms (1), shrine *(1), temple (36),
temple to the house (1), temples (2), tomb (1), treasury *(1)
Walvord in ‘Every Prophecy in the
Bible”, pg. 297 states that part of Obadiah's prophecy was fulfilled, but only
a shadow in 70ad.
The rest will be fulfilled and has already started!!
Israel’s response to Josephs house
being burnt – see the next page:
6. Other signs:
Is. 5:20 - Men calling bad good
and good bad.
Is. 10:1 - Unrighteous decrees
made.
Dan. 12:4 Men will be traveling ‘to and fro’ across
the world, knowledge will increase.
Matt. 24:6 Wars and rumors of wars.
Luke 21:31 When we see certain prophetic events happen,
that generation will not pass away until the end comes!
Rev. 17:17 God put in the mind of the world to come
together.
THESE THINGS ARE BEGINNING TO HAPPEN TODAY LIKE NO
OTHER TIME IN HISTORY!
Tuesday, October 17 2000 02:29 18
Tishri 5761 Arrow anti-missile shield is operational
By Arieh O'Sullivan
TEL AVIV (October 17) - The IDF
late last night declared the country's anti-missile shield based on the Arrow-2
rocket finally operational. It marks the first time any country in the world
has a functioning defense against surface-to-surface missiles.
Air force officials said there was no relation between the announcement and any
current political or security situation in the region.
"It was a chronological event that now came to fruition," said one
IAF source.
Could this be Ez. 39:3-4? It may be...
Show laser movie…
1. Pastor
Chuck Smith stated that his sources in Israel reported that on (10-08-2000)
they had Jets with Nuclear weapons on board – and that if someone attacked they
would not hesitate to use them.
<<Zech. 14:12+,>>
2. Syria
is organizing a summit of Arab nations to join together against Israel! <<Ez. 32:18+;38, Ps. 118:10+, Luke 21:20, 2 Chronicles 15:6; Isa 3:25-26; 8:21-22;
13:13; 29:3; Jer 20:4-5; 34:17; 52:4; Ezek 4:1-4; Dan 9:26-27; Hos 9:7; 14:1;
Zeph 1:14-15).
The UN is against Israel (14
nations). The US was the only member of
the UN to not vote against them! Arabs
state that the USA is Israel –
The Arab (Islam) agenda:
The following is a word-for-word
translation of the Mosque Al Aqsa Imam's
sermon on Friday, 29 September
2000. Immediately after the service, the
worshippers rushed out of the
Mosque and began rioting and throwing rocks at
the Jews praying 70 feet below at
the Western Wall..
(IsraelWire-10/2) Friday 29
September 2000, Hire 1 -Raja - 1421.
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful. I witness that there is
no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His
messenger.
Oh Moslems, The event of the hour is the
visit of Sharon (The Jewish minister
and the butcher of Moslems in Sabra and
Shateila Camps) along with few Jewish
leaders to al-Aqsa Mosque. Hundreds if not
thousands of policemen guarded
them.
Sharon is challenging more than one
billion Moslem all over the world. What
should be the response to Sharon's
slighting of Moslems' holy place? Should
we respond only by throwing stones, or by
condemnation? Sharon or Barak will
not dare to challenge Moslems if there was a head for the Moslems . who may declare Jihad against them to remove their state completely.
The visit of this Jewish butcher of
Moslems had come when the case of Palestine was distorted from being a war
between Moslems and disbelievers to a war between Arabs and Jews to a call to
apply UN resolutions to a conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians to
a conflict about the refugees then a conflict around the status of Jerusalem
and then finally to conflict
over the status of al-Aksa Mosque.
Who will forbid the Jews from committing
massacres today in al-Aksa Mosque, which might become a new road (for them) to
continue the so-called peace process or in another words, to surrender
Palestine to the Jews completely? For more than 50 years the imperialist
disbelievers had planned for our opposition to the Jews to stay confined to
demonstrations, throwing stones and conspiracies.
We did not hear one ruler for Moslems
declaring that he wants to eradicate the Jews from Palestine. Instead they
declare that Sharon's visit is the cause because they are defending Barak and
the Labor party.
Al-Aqsa Mosque was under the Crusaders occupation
for more than 90 years. It used to be a stable for their horses. But only when
the Moslem Ummah declared Jihad that al-Aqsa Mosque was liberated.
The same thing applies today; this Mosque
will not be liberated until Jihad will be declared by a trusted authority, who
else would he be except the coming
Khalifah Insha'Allah. I call all the Moslems to work for this purpose:
"They see the (Day) indeed as a
far-off (event): But We see it (quite) near."
Ameen.
Damascus
Putin and Assad Discuss Mideast Tensions
·
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the worsening situation in
the Mideast during a 40-minute phone call with Syrian President Bashar Assad on
Sunday, the Kremlin press service said. The press service gave no details,
saying only that Putin and Assad discussed the "drastic aggravation of the
situation in recent days" in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and promised
to continue developing ties between Moscow and Damascus. Russia is behind the Muslim agenda &
supporting Syria with arms and training.
Amos 1:3-5 States that Syria will
come against Israel four times, and then will be made desolate.
These
occurred in:
1948
(1st) 1967(2nd) 1973(3rd) and the 4th appears that it could happen at any time!
Damascus is the capital of
Syria. It is the oldest perpetual city
in the world! It is over 5000 years
old!
NOTE: Isn’t it appropriate that the oldest city is one that will be
destroyed to clearly show the world that God is sovereign?
Is. 17:1 States that Damascus will be taken away from being a city and
become a ruinous heap - this has not happened yet,
but will very soon!!
Isa 17:3 "The
fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, And sovereignty from Damascus And
the remnant of Aram; They will be like the glory of the sons of Israel,"
Declares the LORD of hosts.
In 1973, Israel came with 20
kilometers of Damascus - Russia stepped in and informed the world that if they
continue, it will
be world war three. If Israel had destroyed Damascus then, this
prophecy could not have been fulfilled!
Additionally, Russia is backing
Damascus - when Damascus attacks Israel again, it will be destroyed, and it
will cause the
prophecies in Ez. 38 and 39 to be
fulfilled - Russia, the bear of the north along with Muslim nations will be
forced to attack Israel, but God will intervene!
Micah 5:2-6 Timeline of events: Messiah 1st coming,
Syria treads on Jerusalem, Is. scatters, Is returns, Jesus taught to the
whole world, Syria attacks Israel again
(the fourth one) and is destroyed!
Israel informed Syria that if they
make any aggressive moves, they will come down on them severally and swiftly!
They also have released a
statement saying they will not hesitate to level Damascus!
Here is something for further study (this is a challenge for my students):
Is. 7:5-9 Syria will conspire against Israel. From the first to the last there will be a
time of ‘less than 65 years’!
7:3-9 The name of Isaiah’s son, Shear-jashub,
which means “a remnant shall return.”
Could this mean it has to happen
by 2013?
This event can happen prior
to the 70th week of Daniel
The Great Harlot is on the
rise
Rev. 17 -
I Tim. 4:1-4 Many will depart from the faith, giving heed
to seducing spirits & doctrines of Demons.
Marriage will be discouraged.
Matt. 24:3-26 False prophets, false Christs (Buddha, Moon,
Hindu, Mohammed, and 100’s of cults all claim to be ‘types’ of
Christ or sometimes the re-incarnated Christ. Since the early 1980’s we have had many
public displays of
men claiming to be Jesus Christ. Prior to this, most simply stated they were
‘types’ of Christ. Now we have
them claiming to be Christ!
Mark 13:21-23 Many false Christs & prophets will arise
and show signs - to seduce, if possible, even the elect. We have
so many claiming to be prophets of God and
deceiving churches around the world today more than ever.
Churches are barking, laughing, seeking signs rather than
seeking Jesus and doing things that can not be
found in scripture.
2 Timothy 3
1But realize this,
that in the last days difficult times will come. 2For men will be
lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to
parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious
gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4treacherous,
reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of godliness,
although they have denied its power;
Thursday January 24 2002
World Religious Leaders Join
Pope in Peace Bid
By Philip Pullella
ASSISI, Italy (Reuters) - Pope
John Paul and religious leaders including Muslims and
Jews, Buddhists and Hindus,
committed themselves on Thursday to work for peace and
shun violence.
Christian monks in brown woolen
habits, saffron-robed Buddhists, black-cloaked
Muslims, Sikhs wearing turbans,
white-bearded Orthodox patriarchs and rabbis traveled
together on a peace train to pray
near the tomb of St. Francis.
``Violence never again! War never
again! Terrorism never again! In the name of God,
may every religion bring upon the
earth justice and peace, forgiveness and life. Love,'' the
Pope said.
He spoke at the end of an
emotional day in which some 200 religious leaders representing
a dozen faiths made pledges in the
city of the 13th-century saint most associated with
peace.
Wearing his traditional white
robe, the Roman Catholic leader sat on a red stage flanked
by religious figures as they each
addressed a crowd of 3,000 people in a white tent.
Solemn commitments to work for
peace were read in 11 languages including Hebrew,
Arabic, Farsi and Punjabi.
``We commit ourselves to
proclaiming our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are
incompatible with the authentic
spirit of religion,'' said one read by Konrad Raiser,
secretary-general of the World
Council of Churches.
The Pope, who lit peace lamps with
other participants, said they all wanted to ``do our
part in fending off the dark
clouds of terrorism, hatred, armed conflict, which in these last
few months have grown particularly
ominous on humanity's horizon.''
The Middle East crisis came to the
fore when Rabbi Israel Singer of the World Jewish
Congress departed from his
prepared address and alluded to the conflict with
Palestinians.
``You should tell your people, and
we should tell ours, all of us, all of us, to question
whether land or places are more
important than people's lives. And until we learn to do
that there will be no peace,''
Singer said, raising his voice..A message read out on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed
Sayyed Tantawi, grand imam of
Egypt's Al-Azhar mosque, spoke of
''restoring the legitimate proprietors to their rights,''
an apparent reference to
Palestinian lands occupied by Israel.
BUDDHIST CHANT,
Assisi,
a medieval city accustomed to Western choirs and Gregorian chants, was treated
to something different as
religious pluralism ruled.
Geshe Tashi Tsering, wearing a
crimson and saffron robe, began his time on the center
stage with a Buddhist chant.
Chief Amadou Gasseto, of the
traditional Vodou animist religion of the West African
nation of Benin, said the occasion
taught ``the art of knowing how to respect one's
adversary, of tolerating
differences and understanding others' convictions.''
It was the third such day of peace
led by the Pope, who has said he hopes the meeting
will promote relations with
Muslims in the wake of the September 11 suicide plane
attacks on the United States and
the war in Afghanistan.
After a morning session, the
religious groups went off to pray in various rooms before
sharing a vegetarian lunch and
returning to the tent for the final pledges.
Rabbi Ron Kronish of Israel told
reporters aboard the peace train returning to the
that
he would return to Jerusalem feeling ``spiritually empowered'' to work for
peace.
``Does it resolve anything
tomorrow? No. Will it have an impact in the long-run? I hope
so,'' he said.
But outside Assisi, not everyone
was happy with the events.
``To pray with heretics,
schismatics, rabbis, mullahs, witch doctors and various idolaters
creates confusion among Catholic believers,''
Federico Bricolo and Massimo Polledri,
members of an Italian government
coalition party, said in a statement
_______________________________________________________________
Mat 24:24 "For false
Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so
as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
2Pe 3:17 You therefore,
beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried
away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,
This is the beginning of the
Apostate church…
1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit
explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying
attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
2Th 2:1-3 Now we request
you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together to Him, (2) that you not be quickly shaken from your
composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if
from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (3)
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless
the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction,
We need to wake up!
Ephesians 5:6Let no
one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God
comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers
with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in
the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists
in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what
is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful
deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is
disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But
all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything
that becomes visible is light. 14For this reason it says,
“Awake,
sleeper,
And arise
from the dead,And Christ will shine on you.”15Therefore be careful
how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of
your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish,
but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk
with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking
to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all
things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and
be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
Revelation 22:18-19:
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written
in this book:
And if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the
book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written
in this book. Rev. 22:18-19
With that warning clearly in
perspective, let us not "add" or "subtract" from God’s Holy
Word. Where "thus saith the
Lord" speaks – let us "read and understand" (Matt. 24:15).
Where the Word of God is silent – no matter how great the temptation, let us not "add
unto these things".
Let us be good Bereans: Acts
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that
they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
It is important to understand
prophecy, so we must approach it with Romans 3:4 in mind:
". . . let God be true, but EVERY man a liar;. . " Romans 3:4
Don’t just take what people tell
you as truth – pray, read, and study!
You can’t go by man’s
interpretation!
|
2 Peter 1:20: |
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.. |
We must rely on God’s Word and His
Spirit to teach us truth!
John 14:26-28
26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in My name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27“Peace I
leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28“You
heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’
We need to rely on God’s Spirit even more so today!!
I John 2: 18-29
18Children, it is
the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19They
went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us,
they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown
that they all are not of us. 20But you have an anointing from the
Holy One, and you all know. 21I have not written to you because you
do not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the
truth. 22Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the
Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23Whoever
denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the
Father also. 24As for you, let that abide in you which you heard
from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you
also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
The Holy Spirit, our Teacher
25This is the
promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.
26These things I
have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27As
for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach
you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is
not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
28Now, little
children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not
shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. 29If you know that He
is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born
of Him.
The Apostasy
2Ti 3:1-3 But realize
this, that in the last days difficult times will come. (2)
For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant,
revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, (3) unloving,
irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of
good,
1Ti 4:1-3 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later
times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits
and doctrines of demons, (2) by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in
their own conscience as with a branding iron,
(3) men who forbid
marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be
gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
(Hos 14:4) I will heal their apostasy, I will love them
freely, For My anger has turned away from them.
Mat 15:9 'BUT IN VAIN DO
THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'"
Luk 18:8 "I tell you
that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man
comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
Mat 24:10 "At that
time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
(Mat 7:21) "Not everyone wh