In the Tribulation: The Abomination that Causeth Desolation

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 

• Featured Article: In the Tribulation: The Abomination that Causeth Desolation 
• A Hebrew Prophetic View On 2022 
• Nearing Midnight: Sanctioning Sodom 
• If All of This Seems Familiar, That Is Because We Have Seen It All Before… 
• Daily Jot: The media’s hate campaign against the unvaccinated 
• Daily Devotion: Looking for Jesus 

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In the Tribulation: The Abomination that Causeth Desolation - by Pastor Mike Taylor - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2021/12/in-tribulation-abomination-that-causeth.html
 
“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: (Daniel 3:1-5)
 
One of the most familiar stories found in your Bible of an event that happened during the Babylonian captivity of the children of Israel, when Nebuchadnezzar decided to make a statue of gold and erect it to stand for all people to worship. The story focuses on three Hebrew children of the captivity who had been elevated in the government of the king of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Obednego so named in the Babylonian culture, but known as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah in the Hebrew tongue. I find this amazing, as just in previous chapters, the King of Babylon had proclaimed the God of Daniel, the God of the Bible as the only God of gods and all must worship Daniel's God....I don't get this King...did he just fall back into his old ways, or is the story pointing to something deeper and prophetic?
 
Knowing that Daniel's book was written during the Babylonian captivity and is full of prophecy and future events given to Daniel in dreams and visions, was the story of what happened to these three men just a story of obedience and faith? These three men who would not deny the God of their fathers, even if they had to go against the most powerful man during this time in history stood firm in their conviction of worshiping no one but the True God of Heaven.
 
The king commanded that when the sound of musical instruments were sounded that all the people that he had gathered, which was all the high officials in his government, would fall down in a sign of worship and loyalty to the king. Those who did not were warned that those who did not comply would be immediately executed.
 
“ And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.”(Daniel 3:6-7)
 
As the story progresses, and the Hebrew children mentioned would not bow down and worship this pagan idol, the knowledge of their failure to yield to the king's command reached Nebuchadnezzar's ears from those of the Chaldeans that were jealous of anyone of the captivity being elevated to high office and they watched them and reported it to the king. But the three Hebrew men stood firm on this obedience to God. Of course, being a king who had power over all the land and his subjects, this made Nebuchadnezzar furious, and he confronted the Hebrew men and gave them a chance to submit to his decree, but the Hebrews' in his government answered thus:
 
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
 
Not needing to go through the whole chapter for space, as anyone who wishes to read the chapter in Daniel will read where these men were thrown bound down into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal to make an example of those who failed to obey the king in all matters. But what happened? Knowing the story, I may not have to tell you, but scripture says that God protected them from the flames by being with them in the flaming fire.
 
King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished when he looked into the open door of the furnace, and saw four men walking around in the flames.
 
“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
 
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Daniel 24-25)
 
ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
 
When finished reading this passage in your bible, where else can we find a similar event that happened in history and mentioned in other places of your Bible? Yes, several places, such as pagan idol is set up in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem during the last dictator on earth, known as the final Anti-Christ and one must wonder, is there a connection? I believe there is. In this passage the King of Babylon is a symbol of the coming Anti-Christ, and those that proclaim by music and crying aloud that they fall down and worship are a symbol of the false prophet, but it is a prophecy of the coming future of the last Anti-Christ of our modern era. The idol is made of gold, or a false representation of divinity. Each will be a sign of loyalty, as well as worship of the image set up in Daniel's day, and also in the last days during the Tribulation. I believe Daniel prophesied just as John did. Note the similarities of each passage:
 
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
 
 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:14-15)
 
It is going to happen in the end of days, much like what happened in Daniel's account of Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol. Also, let's look at another time when an Anti-Christ type individual made a golden image and set it up in the Holy of Holies in honor of the pagan god, Zeus with the face of one we now know as Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian ruler who caused the Maccabean revolt that defeated this standing army and drove them from Israel. To the nation of Israel, this was an abomination. Our Lord Jesus spoke also of a coming “abomination that causeth desolation” and prophesied concerning again, the children of Israel.
 
 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:15-2)
 
So what am I driving at? Notice in each passage of Daniel and Matthew, even in historical accounts concerning Antiochus Epiphanes, that each example deals with the Jewish people exclusively. Notice in the account found in Daniel that all of the Gentiles of the Babylonian culture fell down and worshiped the pagan image that Nebuchadnezzar set up...then see from history that Antiochus Epiphanes targeted only the Jewish people to worship a false golden idol that he had set up in his attempt to eradicate anything Jewish and Hellenize the area with pagan customs. That is an historical fact.
 
When Jesus spoke in Matthew, who was He talking about? He was talking about the Jews. He was talking about the Nation of Israel reborn in the end times and another coming pagan idol that would target them for idolatry and worshiping the beast of Revelation. So why is that important today? Most of the nation of Israel today are secular, or non believers in the God of the Bible, let alone Jesus the Messiah. It's important because God will turn His attention to the nation of Israel exclusively for the bringing of repentance and realizing their Messiah whom they had rejected. The Tribulation is all about Israel's salvation.
 
THE 144, 000 JEWISH EVANGELIST COME UPON THE SCENE
 
“And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:4)
 
 This is the start of the events that lead to Israel turning back to God. When God ordains these men and sets up His two witnesses that prophecy for 3.5 years on the Temple Mount, then God will begin dealing with Israel as a nation, and the focus will have shifted from the Church and the Age of Grace, back to Daniel's 70th week that deals only with Israel and their purification by fire.
 
 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”( Revelation 11:3-4)
 
It is believed that these two witnesses will supernaturally protect Israel the first 3.5 years, but after they are slain, resurrected, and translated into heaven, then the abomination that causes desolation will be set up in the Temple in Jerusalem, and the persecution of the Jewish people will spring forth as a flood, as prophesied.
 
I must emphasize my belief that the Tribulation is designed for two things as being exclusively refining Israel as silver is refined in the furnace, and to extinguish all rebellion. Malachi prophesied of this coming refinement in fire.
 
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. “ (Malachi 3:2-4)
 
DANIEL PROPHESIES ISRAEL'S COMING PERSECUTION
 
Returning to Daniel and the three Hebrew men, note that they were cast into the fire, but not a hair was singed, not a wrinkle in their clothes, and not a smell of smoke on their person. As God saved these men from the fire, so will God save those who come to faith and belief in the Messiah at long last during the Tribulation. In 70 AD, when the Romans were set to sack the city and burn it to the ground, a minority group of those who believed God escaped into Petra and they were saved. Those who stood to face the Romans were destroyed by the hundreds of thousands. As it was then, so it will be when God protects a remnant of the Jewish people from Satan, the Red Dragon who is wroth with the seed of the woman and goes to make war with them.
 
13 “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”.(Revelation 12:14-17)
 
So when Jesus spoke of the “abomination that causes desolation” He spoke of those who believed the Word of God would flee into the mountains, maybe even to Petra to be protected by God. Satan will be thwarted in his attempt to destroy those who have embraced their Messiah and in his rage will wage war and overcome those of her seed who will not repent.
 
As it was in 70 AD, history will repeat itself and a remnant of the nation of Israel will be saved, those who believe the witness of the 144, 000 Jewish Evangelist. It will be a greater holocaust than during World War 2, as the Anti-Christ will make Hitler seem like elementary school.
 
SO WHAT'S THE POINT?
 
 Glad you asked. The point of this whole study, is that the end times are for the bringing Israel to the knowledge of their Messiah, and everyone else, by majority will be in rebellion and destroyed by God. Now not all the saved in the Tribulation will be only Jewish, as I don't want to make the mistake to say that salvation during the Tribulation is only given to the Jewish people. Some will believe (a minority number), just as Israel believes, but it will cost many of these people their lives through being be-headed. In each example that I've mentioned here, do you notice someone, or a group of people that are not mentioned?
 
THE PROPHECIES ARE ALL ABOUT ISRAEL
 
 In the first example, the Hebrew children that refused to bow down and worship the image, and went through the fire of judgment of men. All Gentiles surrounding them were obedient to the wishes of the powers that be, namely Nebuchadnezzar and his command.
 
 In the second example, who was the focus of the rage of Antiochus Epiphanes? Again, the Jewish people were the target of obedience to a pagan god. A Gentile king persecutes the God's “elect” as Israel is the only groups of people who are called “God's elect”....we are called His church, His children, and His saints, but when the Gospels speak of gathering the “elect” from the four winds, as in the Gospel of Mark, this is a sign about gathering the saved and persecuted Jewish people, in their martyrdom. It is another sign that the church is not present for the Tribulation.
 
“And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” (Mark 13:27)
 
How do I know the elect are the nation of Israel? Because the very next verse speaks of the fig tree budding and in context, both verses speak of Israel...NOT the church...as the church is already gone.
 
 “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.” (Mark 13:28-30)
 
This is again spoken of Matthew chapter 24 by our Lord again.
 
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect [chosen people] from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31)
 
Israel is God's chosen people. If those who see Christ are mourning, it can't be the Ekklesia, as we would be rejoicing...so Jesus is not speaking of the “called out ones” the Ekklesia, but the nations of Gentiles in rebellion who will know that judgment has come and they have taken up battle plans to wage war against a Living God, but realize it to their horror that they are going to be destroyed.
 
In the third example in Matthew 24 that we have hit upon, Jesus was speaking to the Jewish people, and them exclusively. He did not mention anyone else, not Gentiles, not Tribulation saints, and especially not the Church of the Age of Grace, as the church had not been born yet.
 
Each of these examples were prophetic in the coming Tribulation, known as Jacob's Troubles. They deal with Israel and they make no mention of any other group. They are prophetic that the coming Tribulation will be near totally about Israel being cast into the fire of Tribulation and being refined as silver and gold is refined in the fire. Israel has been a wayward child for nearly 4000 years. God has not abandoned her, but has put her aside until the fullness of the Gentiles come in.
 
25 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes.
29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.” (Romans 11:25-31)
 
ANTI-SEMITISM GROWS
 
 With this knowledge, can you see that any God fearing member of the Church of the Living God, why would they be against God by coming against Israel, the apple of God's eye?
 
“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8)
 
 I am sometimes aghast when I hear of any church group, so called “Christians” that take a stand against Israel and side with the Palestinians with the so called BDS movement “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” against God's chosen people, His elect. They are playing with fire and judgment from a Holy God. Some deny that the Nation of Israel are actually part of the 12 tribes of Israel and that God has abandoned Israel. How foolish can one group be?
 
 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
 
Our God further proclaims that Israel will always be His people...they will always be before Him:
 
“Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:
35 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me forever.” (Jeremiah 31:35-36)
 
If you look at any day with the sun shining, the moon giving her light at night, and the stars still twinkling in the heavens, then God says, when these pass away, then and only then will Israel be anything but His chosen people. Check it out folks, ...even in this time of their unbelief God will redeem Israel, not loosing one..It will not always be so that they will be in unbelief. Those who are an enemy of Israel, make themselves an enemy of God. God says that He will bring in Israel when they cry out aloud, through much Tribulation, just what Jesus spoke of:
 
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
38 Look, your house is left to you desolate.
39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”(Matthew 23:37-39)
 
When Israel is refined in the fire of Tribulation, they will finally recognize their Messiah that they had killed 2000 years ago and they will mourn:
 
 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”(Zechariah 12:19)
 
When Christ comes to set up His Kingdom on earth, He will come to fight for the children of Israel:
 
"Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (Zechariah 14:1-3)
 
Repeating what Paul emphasized in Romans when speaking of his brethren, the nation of Israel....
 
“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”(Romans 11:25-29)
 
Our great God will show them mercy because of the promises He made, not because they deserve it. Ezekiel 36 shows this clearly. God repeats several times that He is bringing Israel back for His Holy name's sake, and not for Israel's sake.
 
Am I making a case for the support of national Israel? You bet I am!! No, Israel does not deserve this kind of mercy, but my reader, neither do you or I. We are saved by grace and God has been dealing with this Ekklesia (or called out ones) the Church for 2000 years,. The Age of Grace and the Church of the Living God is composed of all who believe, which is vastly a Gentile church saved by the mercy and the love of God. It's not a denomination, or church building, or some evangelist on your TV screen. No, it's a blood washed, baptized, turned around 180 degrees, repentant, and forgiven sinner that is the church. It is every individual that has the Holy Spirit as a deposit of a future glorification and salvation of their soul. No denomination has a lock on the gates of Heaven. It is free for the asking. God deals with each of us on His time schedule. Each of us were born to decide what to do with this God/Man, Jesus Christ. Israel will get their turn when God turns His undivided attention to the national salvation of Israel.
 
 So, if your denomination, your church, or your pastor/priest makes a case in error for abandoning Israel as a people, and who spouts the nonsense that we are modern day Israel or somehow replaced Israel, you need to either straighten them out, or leave and find a church that actually believes the Word of God.
 
THE TRIBULATION HOUR LOOMS STRAIGHT AHEAD
 
 When God turns that focus upon Israel for their salvation, then we are in the Tribulation for 7 years. And if you see what I'm talking about above come to pass, then you just missed the greatest event in all of history, next to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ...you just missed the “translation”, the snatching away, the “Harpazo” (rapture) of the forceful removal of God's Church as the rapture and the mystery will be the removal of the Church in the twinkling of an eye.
 
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1st Corinthians 15:51-54)
 
Don't let this hour catch you by surprise. If you are playing church, have no relationship with Jesus Christ, now is the time to make that decision you've been putting off...When Jesus comes to take His saints home, the Age of grace will have ended and the Tribulation will come like a whirlwind and many will be swept away in death and destruction. Don't make that mistake and think you can do that “tomorrow”....you're not promised tomorrow...God has been patient with Israel and will bring her into the Kingdom of God. If you be a gentile, then you have no such promise...Only a fearful prospect of a wrathful God.
 
22 “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”
27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
29 for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:22-29) (my emphasis)
 
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ” (2nd Peter 3:8)
 
“ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”(John 3:16-18)
 
Then confess with your mouth your accepting Jesus as personal Savior to everyone around when the opportunity presents itself:
 
8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)
 
Don't be like Israel has been in their blindness. They won't always be blind, but if you miss the event of the coming of Jesus Christ, then heaven help you...you're gonna need it.
 
 This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying for your salvation. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, then drop me a line at [email protected], or visit me online for more studies in Biblical lessons from God's Word at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com. God bless you all, TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET 

 


 
A Hebrew Prophetic View On 2022 – Enoch Lavender - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5128
 
As we approach 2022, many are wondering what the year ahead may bring.
 
While we can't read too much into numerology, the number 22 associated with this year is a very significant prophetic number, carrying multiple layers of biblical meanings.
 
22 - Number of Completion and Fullness
 
The Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 letters - from the first letter Aleph to the final letter Tav. The Hebrew Bible features many 'acrostic' passages, which are passages using all22 letters of the alphabet in sequence, with each successive letter starting a new line. From a Hebraic mindset, passages that use the entire Hebrew alphabet in this way speak of perfection, fullness and completeness.
 
Here are some examples of acrostic passages in the Bible:
 
Prov. 31:10-31 - the perfect woman
Psalm 112 - the perfect man
Psalm 119 - the perfection of God's law (each letter is used to make 8 successive lines)
 
22 - Number of Chaos and Judgement
 
There is also a correlation between the number 22 and the themes of chaos and judgment in the Bible. For example, three of Israel's wicked kings were linked to the number 22:
 
• Jeroboam ruled for 22 years
• Ahab ruled for 22 years
• King Amon began his reign at age 22
 
Sadly, the wicked rulers of both Israel and Judah led the people away from the ways of God. God's resulting judgment on Jerusalem is graphically portrayed in the book of Lamentations. This book is written with four acrostic chapters, as it is describing the perfect and complete devastation of the city.
 
A closer glance at these acrostic chapters, reveals a startling find - the sequences of the 22 letters in these chapters are all partially jumbled. For Hebrew readers, this jumbling of letters would be painfully obvious (as it would be for us today if an author got their ABC's mixed up). Is the jumbling of letters just a clerical mistake or does it carry a deeper meaning? The Rabbis affirm that this must have been a deliberate choice by the author to symbolize the jumbling of God's divine order caused by sin, leading to both chaos and judgment
 
The destruction of Jerusalem featured in the Book of Lamentations, is further linked to the number 22 through the associated annual fast days on the Jewish calendar. The two most prominent fast days are the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av which mark the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, the end of sacrifices in the Temple as well as the destruction of the Temple itself (by the Babylonians as well as the Romans on the very same day some 600 years apart). The 22 days between these two significant fast days are to this day an annual period of national mourning on the Jewish calendar.
 
22 - Number of Hope and Restoration
 
The minor prophet Zechariah refers to the fasting days marking the destruction of Jerusalem and promises that they will ultimately turn to joy and gladness (Zec. 8:19). Since the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians, many other disasters have happened to the Jewish people - on the very same days - intensifying this annual mourning period. Yet the prophet declares that a day is coming when Israel will be comforted not only of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple but also of all the other calamities that have happened to them -and when this happens, the 22 days of mourning will truly turn to joy.
 
The number 22 being linked to joy and restoration is also found in the story of Joseph and His brothers. We all remember the story of Joseph's agonizing betrayal by his brothers, his years of slavery, his unjust imprisonment and how God raised him up to be second only to the Pharaoh. It took a long 22 years before Joseph's brothers finally stood before him, and a teary-eyed Joseph could finally reveal his true identity and embrace his brothers.
 
Many scholars see the story of Joseph as prophetic of Jesus' separation from His Jewish brothers. Like Joseph, Jesus has been thought of as dead by His people and like Joseph, He has now a foreign name (i.e. Jesus instead of Yeshua). As Joseph wore foreign clothes and spoke a foreign language, so Jesus has been 'dressed' in foreign rituals and religious traditions that conceal His true Jewish identity. Yet one day, He will be restored to His long-lost brethren, and this restoration is linked to the End Times and the number 22.
 
22 - the End Time Hope
 
The Jewish calendar, instituted by God Himself in Leviticus chapter 23, features three Autumn Feasts. These Fall Feasts which take place annually over the course of 22 days, give a panoramic prophetic preview of End Time events.
 
• Feast of Trumpets - Repentance at the sounding of the great trumpet
• Day of Atonement - Restoration with Israel crying out to God as a Nation
• Feast of Tabernacles - Rejoicing as God finally dwells among His people again
 
In this context, it seems like no accident that the Bible's most detailed book of End Time prophecy, the Book of Revelation, has 22 chapters.
 
22 - Chaos, Destruction, Restoration and Hope
 
We have seen in this article how the number 22 is biblically linked to both chaos and destruction as well as to hope and restoration. It is tied to the End Time sequence of events that ultimately point us to the promised restoration of Israel and the coming of the Messiah Himself.
 
While you and I may not (yet) be living in the final phases of End Time events, we have truly been through a few years of chaos and disorder caused by Covid. This challenging time has rocked many of our lives, whether it be financially, emotionally, physically, or spiritually. It has also rocked the very foundations of our societies, with great divisions, economic upheavals, and unrest in many nations.
 
In the midst of this chaos, let us remember that our God is a God of restoration and order. The message of the number 22 shows us that God can, and will, turn sorrow and chaos into order and joy as we turn to Him. Let us take hope for the year ahead and believe God for better things to come in 2022.

 


 
Nearing Midnight: Sanctioning Sodom – Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
 
Significant proof of advanced end-times prophetic progression recently leaped to the forefront of communications coming from some within the Roman Catholic Church.
 
I have mentioned before that I receive on a regular basis a newsletter from These Last Days Ministries, a Catholic group. It is especially interesting to me because those presenting the news and commentary do so from a viewpoint remarkably like that of us who hold to the pre-Trib view of Bible prophecy.
 
To put it mildly, they are no fan of the current pope. As a matter of fact, they have even communicated several times that they see him as a candidate for the false prophet, the second beast of Revelation chapter 13. With Pope Francis’ latest action, he brings to the forefront, for those willing to see, that he is deserving of such accusation. His action is Antichrist—anti-biblical—at its very core.
 
The pontiff is a supporter of abortion. He recently publicly gave President Biden and, in effect, the entirety of the Democrat Party, a blanket pass on the killing of babies in the womb—a matter long seen as great sin by the Roman Catholic Church.
 
We have written before this pope’s predisposition to support things that portend Antichrist’s arrival.
 
He has said on more than several occasions that there ways to God, Heaven, and salvation of the soul other than through belief in Jesus Christ alone. He has backed up those political minions in high places within the Catholic Church, giving them a pass on the murder of millions of babies through abortion. He has embraced at every opportunity the climate-change madness and the worship of Mother Earth and the Gaia mantra that we must all come together to save the planet.
 
He joins the totally reprobate purveyors of insanity who demand that all must either submit to an experimental, highly questionable injection or be excluded from the formerly normal activities of the compliant human community.
 
Now Pope Francis has moved into the area of anti-God activity that Jesus, Himself, indicated will mark the moments leading up to His intervention into human history. The pope has sanctioned homosexuality in no uncertain terms and those in the Catholic Church who know this is anti-God at its black heart are pushing back.
 
The word “sanction,” like so many English words, has more than one meaning. It can mean a prohibition against or a punishment for defying or violating a regulated matter (for example, when the US sanctions Iran for not abiding by agreements on atomic weapons development). But the use of the word in the sense that it means to approve or accept an action or conduct is how this pope has “sanctioned” homosexuality, despite God calling it “abomination.”
 
And this is the gist of the newsletter I recently received from the Catholic group that I mentioned earlier.
 
Following is an excerpt that explains their displeasure with this pope’s action.
 
Francis has written to pro-LGBT New Ways Ministry, praising and thanking the group and its founders, despite its long-standing opposition to Church teaching on matters of sexual morality and consequent censorship by Church authorities.
 
On December 8, the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) revealed that Pope Francis wrote two letters to the group’s executive director, Francis Deeryard, on May 3 and June 17. The NCR stated that the letters were on official “Vatican stationary,” and written in Spanish.
 
The first letter, dated May 3, was in response to an April 21 letter DeBernardo had written to the Pope, explaining the nature of the pro-homosexual New Ways Ministry (NWM). The organization claims it “educates and advocates for justice and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Catholics, and reconciliation within the larger church and civil communities.”
 
According to NCR, Francis wrote of a discernible “attitude of shepherd closeness” in NWM, saying that DeBernardo’s letter had “helped me a lot to know the full story you tell me…”…
 
The second letter from the Pope to DeBernardo – a long-time advocate of homosexuality, and a 29-year veteran with New Ways Ministry – again praised the NWM head while also honoring NWM’s co-founder Sr. Jeannine Gramick.
 
“Thank you for your neighborly work…[your] heart, open to your neighbor,” wrote the Pope, before praising Gramick, who has a long history of dissenting from Catholic teaching on homosexuality and abortion…
 
“The Holy Father’s warm letter to New Ways Ministry is not only another step in his outreach to LGBTQ people, but the beginning of a kind of rehabilitation for New Ways, and for Sister Jeannine [NWM’s co-founder Sr. Jeannine Gramick] as well, in recognition of their important ministry in our church.” (“Francis Praises Dissident Pro-LGBT ‘Catholic’ Group Previously Condemned by the Church,” by Michael Haynes, LifeSiteNews, December 9, 2021)
 
We are now well into times “as it was in the days of Lot” in the wicked city of Sodom, as the Lord Jesus forewarned (Luke 17:26–30). Homosexuality and all forms of sexual perversions marked that time. The “falling away” of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is manifest starkly for all who can discern the lateness of the prophetic hour.
 
It’s time to “watch” (Mark 13: 37), but it is even more imperative that believers witness as never before to bring lost souls to Christ before the shout is heard from above, “Come up here!”
 
“And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head, for your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21: 28)

 


 
If All of This Seems Familiar, That Is Because We Have Seen It All Before… - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/if-all-of-this-seems-familiar-that-is-because-we-have-seen-it-all-before/
 
It is often said that history repeats itself, but usually it doesn’t happen quite so quickly. If you are getting a sinking feeling because current events bear such a close resemblance to early 2020, you are definitely not alone. All over the globe, the Omicron variant is causing a wave of tremendous fear that is unlike anything that we have seen since the first half of last year. And based on the response so far, it appears that we haven’t learned much since then. We are witnessing so many of the exact same patterns play out, and that could have very important implications for the year ahead of us. Interestingly, many on social media are now reminding us that 2022 is pronounced “2020 too”, and that is certainly quite a depressing thought.
 
Do you remember all of those ominous projections that “the experts” were giving us back at the very start of the COVID pandemic?
 
Well, it is happening again. Researchers at the University of Washington made headlines all over the world this week when they warned that there could be 140 million new COVID infections in the United States in January and February…
 
Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine revised its COVID-19 modeling to include updated information about the omicron variant.
 
They found the U.S. may see a total of about 140 million new infections from Jan. 1 to March 1, 2022, peaking in late-January at about 2.8 million new daily infections.
 
Wow, that sounds really bad.
 
But of course we have seen similar projections before, and every time they were dead wrong.
 
And just like when the pandemic first began, New York City is the epicenter for this new wave of infections…
 
New York once again smashed COVID records on Wednesday, with the new Omicron variant blamed for an all-time high of 28,924 cases reported across the Empire State.
 
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the numbers at a news conference Wednesday – the fifth day in the last six where New York has broken its prior COVID diagnosis records, and the sixth day in a row that there has been more than 20,000 cases across the state.
 
Doesn’t it seem odd that New York City just keeps setting new record after new record even though so many New Yorkers have been “fully vaccinated”?
 
In fact, it has been reported that a whopping 85 percent of all New York City residents have received at least one injection.
 
Is there someone out there that can explain to me what is going on?
 
Another parallel to the early days of the pandemic is that Bill Gates is starting to make lots of noise again. He says that he has canceled most of his holiday plans because of Omicron, and he is warning that the “worst part of the pandemic” could be right in front of us…
 
Bill Gates said he called off his holiday plans as the omicron variant ushers in what he predicts could be the “worst part of the pandemic.” He also predicted, however, that the current surge in COVID-19 cases could be over within months, and the pandemic itself may end next year “if we take the right steps.”
 
“Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic,” he tweeted on Tuesday. “Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my holiday plans.”
 
That is funny, because he originally told us that if we did everything that he was urging us to do that things would be much better by now.
 
But guys like him will never admit that they were wrong.
 
Thanks to all of the fear that is being generated, we are starting to see major sporting events being canceled just like we did in early 2020. For example, the NHL has decided to “pause” their entire season…
 
The headlines on Monday night were stark, if unsurprising: The NHL was going to pause the 2021-22 season Wednesday, and resume after Christmas break, amid a spike in COVID-19 cases. This followed a flurry of team shutdowns that left a diminishing number of games on the schedule.
 
In the aftermath, we’re left with several questions: How will teams get “unpaused”? Will there be a change in protocols? How does this impact the Olympics and All-Star Weekend?
 
And The Gator Bowl is in danger of not being played because Texas A&M decided to pull out of the game at the last minute…
 
Texas A&M will not participate in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl because of COVID-19 issues and season-ending injuries within the program, leaving Wake Forest without an opponent as officials try to find a replacement team, it was announced Wednesday.
 
“It is unfortunate, but we just don’t have enough scholarship players available to field a team,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said.
 
If Omicron continues to spread rapidly, will there soon be a tsunami of cancellations such as we witnessed during the early portion of last year?
 
Let us hope not.
 
Initially, Americans were being told that life would “return to normal” once everyone got their shots. But now health authorities are telling us that “boosters” are needed because immunity wanes “3 to 6 months” after the initial injections…
 
Breakthrough cases demonstrate how effective vaccines are and can also show how that protection changes over time. Immunity from initial vaccinations wanes 3 to 6 months later, health experts say, so boosters are crucial to fighting off the new variant.
 
If you keep complying, there is always going to be another injection for you to take for the rest of your life.
 
And for many of you, “the rest of your life” is going to be a whole lot shorter than you originally thought.
 
There is so much fear in the air right now, and it appears to be completely unnecessary.
 
In fact, a very large study just determined that Omicron appears to be much less dangerous than Delta is…
 
The real-world analysis, of more than 160,000 people, comes ahead of a similar UK Government report expected to show Britons are also less likely to be severely ill with the variant.
 
Omicron sufferers were also 70 percent less likely to be admitted to ICU or put on a ventilator compared to those with Delta, according to the study led by South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
 
But of course our leaders are not going to be swayed by real scientific studies such as this.
 
Instead, they are just going to keep smashing the panic button because that is what the “experts” are telling them to do.
 
A fresh round of restrictions, mandates and lockdowns would be absolutely devastating for the global economy, and it would certainly set the stage for so many of the things that I have been warning about.
 
Sadly, even though they have seen the damage that they have already caused, our politicians seem determined to create even more chaos.
 
Very dark times are now upon us, and I have a feeling that they are about to get even darker.

 


 
Daily Jot: The media’s hate campaign against the unvaccinated - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
While the president of the United States is saying that those who are unvaccinated will face a winter of death and severe illness, the corporate news media is on cue calling for extreme actions against the unvaccinated because they are a threat to society. CNN and MSNBC medical analysts are actually calling for the unvaccinated to be isolated from the rest of society and that they be put on the bottom of priorities for medical treatment if they contract COVID-19 or any of the variants. The MSNBC medical analyst Dr. Vin Gupta went so far as to say that bioethics should be permanently changed to not only refuse care for the unvaccinated currently, but also in the future should additional pandemics arise.
 
Gupta told leftist media host Joy Reid, “This is where it’s controversial, but we need to talk about this, the bioethics of it broadly because this is not the last respiratory pandemic we’re going to face, Joy. What do we do with somebody who is unvaccinated who is taking advanced ICU therapies from somebody who is vaccinated in the hospital? How do we rank order that priority? We do it for organs, kidneys, livers, lungs. We say, ‘Did you smoke, did you drink recently?’ If you did, you’re lower on the list, even if you need it. We need to start thinking of that model. Have bioethics around it.” Gupta and Reid continued to spread the misinformation that only the unvaccinated are transmitting COVID and causing it to mutate.
 
Switching channels to CNN, medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen told CNN’s Newsroom, “I do have a lot of concern about what happens to parts of this country, for example, that have very low vaccination rates. This is another reason why I think President Biden’s message yesterday was the right one in some way — in saying vaccinated people should move on with their lives with precautions. But I wish that he would go further to restrict the activities of the unvaccinated because they are the ones who are still spreading COVID and prolonging the pandemic for all of us.” Wen also spread the misinformation that the vaccines protect against contracting variants such as Omicron.
 
In both of these cases, the interviewers just accepted the narrative without question. Moreover, the statements that the vaccines were only designed to prevent death and severe illness were left unchallenged. Think about how that narrative has changed from totally protected from COVID to able to contract COVID to able to both contract and transmit COVID to just to not having severe illness and death. All the while they are ignoring a person’s civil rights and wanting to severely punish the unvaccinated as a lower class of people. This is really hate speech propagated by the news media and encouraged by the government. Christ said in Matthew 15:19, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” You can see where these doctors’ hearts are, and it is far from their oath of do no harm.

 


 
Daily Devotion: Looking for Jesus - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. —Luke 2:29–31
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/looking-for-jesus/ - Listen
 
I don’t know about you, but waiting is not something that I like to do. I am, by nature, an impatient person. My wife (who is very patient, by the way) can attest to this.
 
We’re all waiting for Christmas, but for children especially, it’s really difficult to wait. They’re filled with anticipation. The Bible tells the story about someone who was waiting for the first Christmas. His name was Simeon, and he was living a godly life at a time when the people of Israel had turned from the Lord in many ways.
 
They hadn’t heard from the Lord for hundreds of years. Not a single prophet had spoken in the name of the Lord. Not one miracle had been performed. There hadn’t been any angelic appearances. But suddenly the time was right. Everything was set in place.
 
The Lord had revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die until he saw the Messiah, and Simeon held on to the promises of God. Then one day, Simeon saw Mary and Joseph walking into the temple with the baby Jesus, and he knew who they were. How did he know? It’s because Simeon spent time in prayer, and God reveals things to those who seek Him.
 
The Bible tells us that he took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” (Luke 2:28–32 NLT).
 
Just as godly Simeon was eagerly waiting for Jesus to come the first time, we should be eagerly waiting for Jesus to come the second time, because the Bible says that He is coming back again to this earth. The first time, Jesus came to this earth in a manger. But the second time, He will come in glory.

 


 
FROM THE HEART
    
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