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Israel and the Number 12 in Scripture - By Randy Nettles - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/05/16/israel-and-the-number-12-in-scripture-by-randy-nettles/
In 2018, I wrote a series of articles called God’s Perfect Numbers, based on the numbers 3, 7, 10, and 12 and their biblical significance or representation (https://www.raptureready.com/2018/10/19/gods-perfect-number-part-1-by-randy-nettles/ ). In this article, I will expound upon one of these perfect numbers. The number 12 signifies the perfection of rule or government. “It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with rule. The sun, which rules the day, and the moon and stars, which govern the night, do so by their passage through the 12 signs of the Zodiac, which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 (12 x 30) degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year (there are 12 months in a normal year for most calendars). Twelve is the product of 3 (the perfectly Divine and heavenly number) and 4 (the earthly, the number of what is material and organic).” {1} The number 12 represents Israel in many ways. Jacob had twelve sons whose descendants eventually formed the kingdom of Israel. Jesus, a descendant of King David of the tribe of Judah, had 12 disciples from different tribes of Israel. It’s not hard to find Israel in the Bible as Abraham’s descendants, the Jewish people of Israel and Judah, are located throughout the Old and New Testaments. However, several chapters, in particular, highlight Israel and their relationship and communion with God as no others do, and they are mostly located in chapter 12 of their respective Books. But first, let’s review the significance of the number 12 in my earlier article: https://www.raptureready.com/2018/10/27/gods-perfect-numbers-part-2-by-randy-nettles/ . REVIEW OF GOD’S PERFECT NUMBERS – PART 2 There were 12 patriarchs from Noah’s son, Shem, to Jacob (Israel): Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abram, Isaac, and Jacob. The number 12 is also the number signifying the perfection of government. Jacob had 2 wives and 2 ‘substitute’ wives. With these 4 wives, he had 12 sons and 1 daughter (Genesis 35:22-26). These sons of Jacob and their descendants eventually became the nation of Israel. Jacob’s sons’ names were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. Jacob’s only daughter’s name was Dinah. Abraham’s son, Ishmael (by the Egyptian bondwoman Hagar), was the father of 12 princes. His sons and their descendants became a great nation (Genesis 17:19). Ishmael’s sons’ names were Nebajoth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. There were 12 persons that were anointed in the Old Testament (5 of them were priests and 7 were kings): Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar, Saul, David, Absalom, Solomon, Jehu, Joash, and Jehoahaz. David was actually anointed 3 times. In the New Testament, there were 12 apostles of Jesus: Simon (Peter); James the son of Zebedee; John the brother of James; Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot (Mark 3:14-19). At the Garden of Gethsemane, when the religious leaders came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. Jesus told Peter to put up his sword, for he could call down 12 legions of angels to help him if He wished (Matthew 26:53). Every year, Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. Jesus’ first visit to the Temple in Jerusalem was when he was 12 years old. “And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the Feast” (Luke 2:42). On their trip home, after 1 day’s journey, they noticed Jesus wasn’t in their company, so they returned to Jerusalem seeking him. “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luke 2:46-47). When Jesus fed the multitude (5,000 men, not counting women and children) in the desert, all they had were five loaves and two fishes (a total of 7 food items). Jesus then looked up to heaven and blessed the meal and broke the bread, and gave the food to his disciples for distribution. “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full” (Matthew 14:20). At the time of the Great Tribulation, after the sixth seal, a mighty angel comes to the earth and proclaims: “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred, and forty and four thousand (12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10) of all the tribes of the children of Israel” (Revelation 7:3). Of the 12 tribes of Israel, 12,000 servants from each tribe will be sealed for service in the days of the Tribulation. In Revelation 21, 12 is the dominant number concerning the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven: “And (it) had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels and names written thereof, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Revelation 21:12,14). “And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four (12 x 12) cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel” (Revelation 21:16-17). “The twelve foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. (Revelation 21:19-21). God showed John another vision of the New Jerusalem. Here is a part of the description: “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manners of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:1-2). CHAPTER 12 IN DIFFERENT BOOKS OF THE BIBLE GENESIS 12 In Genesis 12, the Lord makes a covenant with Abram (later named Abraham), who would become the patriarch of the nation of Israel and other nations as well. Here are the promises and blessings the Lord made to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3). Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed Haran with his wife Sarai and Lot (his brother’s son), and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. Abraham and Sarah had one child between them, Isaac, in their old age, and this began the God-favored nation of Israel. Abraham is called the father of faith. He was the father of many nations, as God had promised him, for he was faithful to hear and obey the word of God. Abraham and Sarah are both members of the Hall of Faith in the Book of Hebrews. “By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10). “By faith, Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore” (Hebrews 11L11-12). “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had the opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16). EXODUS 12 The Passover was instituted in Exodus 12. “On the tenth of this month, every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. “Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover” (Exodus 12:3-11). The Passover was the 10th and final plague of the Lord against Egypt before Pharoah relented and let the children of Israel go free. “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:3-12). This was the first of seven Feast of the Lord memorials to be observed annually by the Israelites. The 2nd Feast of the Lord, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was also observed at this time. “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. “Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land” (Exodus 12:15-19). NUMBERS 12 Numbers 12 occurred evidently after Moses divorced his wife and married an Ethiopian woman (which was considered taboo according to God). I believe Aaron and Miriam used this event to try and gain more leadership authority with the children of Israel. “So they said, ‘Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?’ And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:1-3). Of course, Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible (and possibly Job), so I think this sentence in parenthesis is highlighting Moses’ humor regarding how humble he was. Here is what happened next, which I find extraordinary. “Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, ‘Come out, you three, to the Tabernacle of Meeting!’ So the three came out. Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward” (Numbers 12:4-5). “Then He said, ‘Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?'” (Numbers 12:6-8). I think the LORD answered Aaron and Miriam’s question (“Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?”) very adamantly. Throughout Israel’s history, the LORD spoke to his prophets mostly through dreams and visions. Moses was unique in that God spoke to him in a more personal way, face-to-face. Of course, the LORD’s form was obscured by a cloud, or he appeared in the form of a man (or angel) as a theophany (Christophany). The following verses describe the Lord’s anger at this question, and then He departs. At this point, Miriam became leprous. This leads me to believe she must have been the one who asked the question. Aaron cried out to his younger brother, Moses, and said, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” (Numbers 12:11-12). “So Moses cried out to the LORD saying, ‘Please heal her, O God, I pray!'” (Numbers 12:13). The LORD answered Moses’ petition but made Miriam remain leprous for seven days, during which she had to remain outside the camp for those days. Aaron and Miriam never questioned or challenged Moses’ authority again. DEUTERONOMY 12 God ordained that there was to be only one designated place of worship, where sacrifices were to be made, for all 12 tribes of Israel. “But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord. “And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you. Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you” (Deuteronomy 12:10-13). During the time of Joshua and the judges, the Tabernacle of Meeting (which contained the ark of the covenant) was located in Shiloh. After many centuries, the place of worship and sacrifice at Shiloh was moved to Jerusalem during the time of David. When Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, all of the Jewish people were required to assemble there for worship and sacrifice. I KINGS 12 After Solomon’s heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, God informed Solomon that He would tear away the kingdom from him and give it to his servant, Jeroboam. However, for the sake of David, the LORD wouldn’t do it in Solomon’s life but in his son’s life. The LORD also said because of His servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which He had chosen, He would leave two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, with Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. This division of the United Kingdom of Israel into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, is described in 1 Kings 12. One of the first things King Jeroboam did in the northern kingdom of Israel was to build two idols of gold that resembled calves. He set one up in Dan and the other in Bethel so his people would not return to Jerusalem to worship there. He instituted a new feast day to replicate the Passover, only this feast would start on the 15th day of the eighth month, in which sacrifices would be offered to the Golden Calf god. The great apostasy that God (and later Moses) had predicted the children of Israel would commit (according to Deuteronomy 31:16-19) had begun. DANIEL 12 Daniel 12 is a prophecy of the end times. It is referring to the last 3.5 years of Daniel’s 70th seven (seven years), found in Daniel 9:27. Jeremiah refers to it as the time of Jacob’s Trouble in Jeremiah 30:7. Isaiah refers to it as the Day of the Lord in Isaiah 13, and likewise so does Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi. Here is how the angel describes this time of Great Tribulation: “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1-3). In verse 4, Daniel is told to “shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and from, and knowledge shall increase.” I believe the book or scroll is not seen again until its reappearance in Revelation 5:1, where it is sealed with seven seals. The only one in heaven or earth (or under the earth) who was worthy to open or read or even look at the scroll is Jesus Christ. It’s interesting that He is described as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David in Revelation 5:4, and just one verse later in Revelation 5:6, He is described as the Lamb of God. It is as the Lamb of God and His sacrifice for mankind that He is worthy to open the scroll. Daniel 12 is a vision in which Daniel sees three persons: two angels, and Jesus Christ (the man clothed in linen). The two angels are on each side of the riverbank, and Jesus is above the waters. One of the angels asked Jesus how long will these wonders last. Jesus answered, “That it shall be for a time, times, and half a time [or 3.5 years], and when the power of the holy people [the Jews] has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished” (Daniel 12:7). Daniel heard this statement but still did not understand, so he asked the Lord (in verse 8), “What shall be the end of these things?” Jesus answered, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:9-10). However, Jesus gave Daniel (and us) one last clue of how long this time period would last. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11). Jesus gives Daniel the exact number of days of the “time, times, and half a time” which He referred to earlier. The end time of Jacob’s Trouble will start when the evil abomination of desolation occurs in the Temple of Jerusalem (as described in Daniel’s earlier prophecy contained in Daniel 9:27) and will end 1,290 days later. Jesus then tells Daniel, “Blessed is he that waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days” (Daniel 12:12). No explanation is given for what will occur on this 45th day after the 1,290 days have expired, only that those who experience it will be blessed. My theory on these 1,290 and 1,335 “end of the age” days is found here: End of the Age: From Firstfruits to Hanukkah: Part II :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready We will examine more of the number 12 in Scripture in part II. Randy Nettles [email protected] Endnotes: {1} Number in Scripture by E.W. Bullinger, pg. 253 – Kregel Classics It Comes Down To Who You Talk To – By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/worldview-with-amir-tsarfati-it-comes-down-to-who-you-talk-to/ It all began on May 2, when the Islamic Jihad sent 104 rockets and mortars from Gaza into southern Israel. One week later, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Shield and Arrow. Three senior commanders in the Islamic Jihad, who were responsible for the terrorist group’s air barrage, were targeted and killed. Later, three more would be taken out. In return, the Islamic Jihad fired 1,469 rockets and mortars at Israel. Of those weapons, 291 failed and fell in Gazan territory and 39 dropped into the sea. The Iron Dome took out 437 and two more were intercepted by the David’s sling system. Most missiles that made it through fell harmlessly. However, there were two Israelis who lost their lives in the attack, and 77 who were injured. In Gaza, there were 33 killed in the response. Quite a few houses belonging to terrorists were demolished by the IDF and many weapons factories and caches were destroyed. All eyes are now on today’s annual Jerusalem Day Flag March after Hamas issued threats against it, while demanding it not be held. Israel and Cyprus to Build Gas Pipeline and Production Plant Cyprus Energy Minister Giorgos Papanastasiou will soon travel to Israel to work out the details of a joint gas venture between the two countries. A pipeline will be built capable of transferring both Israeli and Cypriot gas from their sizable offshore fields. Also in the works is a liquefaction plant off the coast of Cyprus which will prepare the gas for export by tanker to Europe. The hope is to have the pipeline completed in 18 months, and the liquefaction plant in 2 ½ years. Warming Relationship Between Sweden and Israel When Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited Sweden on Monday, it was tangible evidence of the warming relations between the two countries. For years, the relationship has been tense, primarily over a very disparate view of the Palestinian situation. However, in the last two years, economic and technological ties have started to bring Jerusalem and Stockholm back together. This official visit by Cohen, the first by Israel in 22 years, speaks strongly of this reconciliation. Russia Freezes Finnish Bank Accounts Not all is happy in the Nordic regions. Russia has frozen the bank accounts of the Finnish embassy in Moscow and the consulate in St. Petersburg. According to Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, this action, which he called “bullying”, was enacted in late April. Both the embassy and consulate have enough cash reserves to continue operating for a time. Thus far, Moscow has not explained their action. Russian Military Possibly Destroys American-Made Patriot Missile System in Ukraine It comes down to who you talk to. The Russian defense ministry claimed Tuesday that early that morning one of their hypersonic missiles had destroyed a U.S.-made Patriot missile defense system. The U.S. said, “Wait a second. Sure, it was damaged, but we wouldn’t say ‘destroyed.’” Then, the Ukrainian air force spokesperson downplayed the whole incident, saying, “Do not worry about the fate of the Patriot.” Who’s telling the truth? I guess we’ll find out the next time there is an airstrike on Kyiv. Ukraine Intelligence Considers Striking Drone Factories in Iran It has been another devastating week in Ukraine. Russia has hit them time and again on the ground and, especially, in the air with missiles and drones. It is the latter weapon that has Ukrainian intelligence considering a philosophy that we in Israel know very well. When the weapons keep coming, you hit the source. Where is the source of these drones? Iran. So, don’t be surprised if sometime in the future you hear of a Ukrainian-backed strike of some kind on drone factories in Iran. Britain Commits Drones and Missiles to Ukraine When Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to have the U.K. join a “fighter jet coalition,” Sunak declined, offering instead to supply long-range attack drones and hundreds of missiles. While it may not have been exactly what Zelenskyy wanted, what he is getting is enough to send Moscow into a rage. “It leads to further destruction,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “It makes this whole story for Ukraine much more complicated.” Sometimes the lack of self-awareness among Russia’s leadership is staggering. Hungary Blocks EU Money Transfer to Ukraine The EU has been supporting Ukraine’s military efforts through their European Peace Facility (EPF). This time, however, when time came to approve the next portion of EPF money, Hungary said no. Their excuse was essentially that Ukraine was hogging all the funds, and more should be left for other places that need it. But Budapest has shown where their leanings lie from the beginning of the Russia/Ukraine conflict, disapproving of sanctions and refusing to send military equipment to aid Kyiv. Turkey’s Presidential Election Goes into Runoff Less than one percentage point kept incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from reaching the majority he needed to avoid a runoff. Final numbers saw Erdogan at 49.24%, his primary rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, at 45%, with another 6%-plus of the vote split between two other candidates. Many see an Erdogan reelection as giving the already authoritarian president a mandate for an even stronger grip on the government. Kilicdaroglu, on the other hand, is promising a return to democracy. The strong possibility that the incumbent will remain in office caused the Turkish lira to drop to a two-month low of 19.70 to the U.S. dollar. The next round of elections is May 28. Azerbaijan Makes Arrests in Alleged Plotting of Iran-Supported Coup At least seven people were arrested in Azerbaijan on Tuesday as part of an alleged coup plot. Using assassinations and armed riots, the cell, organized by Rufulla Akhundzadah and his son Almursal, hoped to bring down the government and replace it with a state under Sharia law. Akhundzadah was in touch with Iranian intelligence, who planned to bring the cell across the border for military training and religious education. Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
Satan And Our Cities - by Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/satan-and-our-cities/ In the past we’ve scripturally established that in the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation the worldwide death and destruction will be horrific and led by a New World Leader. Then, in the middle of the Tribulation, the New World Leader will die and Satan will be cast from his heavenly position down to the earth where he will personally run things. And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Rev. 12:7-9 This is a fascinating event. Up until this point in the Tribulation, Satan was referred to as the “god of this earth” and has access to the heavens. He works 24/7 to keep people from being saved. “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.” Luke 8:11 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2Cor. 4:4 Satan is so evil he doesn't want anyone to get saved by the blood of Christ. He wants them eternally dead. His worst nightmare is someone getting saved and understanding there is power in their position afforded by the atoning blood of Christ. Instead, Satan wants humans to worship him. He even tried to get Jesus to worship him during Jesus' 40 days in the desert. And despite being warned in the Lord's DAILY prayer outline, most Believers give lip service to the evil influence around them. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph. 6:11-12 But when Satan's thrown to earth he’ll be exposed for who he is—a false god. People will be dumbfounded when they see him. “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth," Is. 14:12a The next few verses are quite revealing. Using past tense, we find he weakened the nations prior to his being cast to the earth. You who have weakened the nations! Is. 14:12b And when people see him, they question whether or not he could be the one “Who made the earth a wilderness and overthrew its cities.” Apparently surprised at his magnificent beauty. “Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities," Is. 14:16-17 Ezekiel adds to Satan’s aura describing him this way: “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." Ezek. 28:12 The next couple verses describe his coverings that consisted of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and more. He must have been a sight to see. But all that wisdom and beauty must have gone to his head. In pride, he wanted more than the Lord had given him. Instead of worshiping God, he wanted to be worshiped. "I will make myself like the Most High." Is. 14:14b Pride was his chosen sin. He wanted to be God. Now before you say you would have never, never done that, remember what you were like before becoming a Believer. You were just like Satan, you were your own god. If you're not serving God, you're serving Satan. “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you." Ezek. 28:15 So Satan’s sin was revealed and the rest is history. But getting back to Satan’s role in the Tribulation, what's important to understand is that the devil worked through the New World Leader to make the earth a wilderness and overthrow its cities in the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. That means right after Rapture he’ll be unleashed to ruin the earth, and half the world dies in that 3 1/2 year period following our exit—4 billion people; 2 billion die the first year or two (Rev. 6:8; 9:18). What that means to you and me is that just before the Rapture we should begin seeing the beginnings of Satan's destruction of cities around the world. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 1Th. 5:5 Therefore, all we’re seeing happening to our cities today is a fulfillment of these prophecies. Sadly, what we're seeing is just the beginning of their woes. Most probably won’t get better. Their problems won’t be solved. It will only get worse. And this is, again, worldwide. Yet witnessing all this at the end of the Church Age is "comfort" to us Believers because it just means we’re that much closer to our rescue. For 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. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1Th. 4:16-18 4 horsemen of the apocalypse? Not yet, but another disaster is coming - By Wallace B. Henley - https://www.christianpost.com/voices/four-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse-not-yet-but-another-disaster.html With respect to national leadership going forward, it is time to face a hard fact: the United States needs a miracle. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are yet to be revealed, but the three riders of political disaster are already before us as the pace picks up for the 2024 election. Dementia-Senility, cluelessness, and hubris gallop into view. With every sighting, the need for a miracle becomes increasingly evident as the major candidates for the presidency and vice presidency come closer. Joe Biden, in the view of many, is astride the horse of dementia-senility. Kamala Harris is in the saddle of the steed of cluelessness. Donald Trump is mounted on the stallion of hubris. There are and will be others, but these are the ones now kicking up the most dust. God help us. Joe Biden is to be understood and pitied, having lost a wife and young children tragically. One would think it would take a lifetime to get over such grief — if ever. Now this heart-breaking past is mingled in President Biden with the challenges of old age (I understand those challenges well at age 81). The positives of aging can be, among others, wisdom, and experience. However, old-timers must be honest enough to recognize that they may distort the past or forget the consequences of bad decisions in earlier life. If Biden wins the presidency in 2024, he will need all the wisdom he can muster since he would be the oldest elected president in American history. Vice President Kamala Harris too frequently seems to be thrust into roles for which she has no preparation — like Biden’s appointing her as “czar” of migration in this season of unprecedented turmoil at the nation’s southern borders. True or not, she has come across as being clueless as to what to do about that staggering problem. Harris did not help herself by going to Atlanta for a political fundraiser just as migrants pressed in on the country’s gates, awaiting the end of Article 42, and the near obliteration of the boundaries. “Kamala Harris is to hit Dem Soiree as Title 42 lifts,” shouted a headline in the New York Post. Then there’s the case of another 2024 candidate, Donald Trump, who seems to have a serious case of hubris, the belief that one is invulnerable and above the clutch of past actions and mistakes. Hubris is a case of intense arrogance. It is true that there are no perfect people and hence no perfect candidates. We must carefully consider the temperament of Candidates and the impact of their personalities on decisions they might make if they win office. Dementia-senility can bring confusion and serious forgetfulness, a loss of focus, and emotional control, to name a few of the symptoms. These are not the attributes fit for confrontations with the tyrants and shrewd overlords of the present world disorder. Cluelessness dims the ability to see through subtleties and propaganda. It blocks leaders from understanding what is really going on. In a national and international scenario populated with crafty masters of bait and switch a clueless national leader can be snookered easily. The chief of state suffering hubris is prone to take risky actions. He or she underestimates threats on the one hand or, on the other, overestimates his or her own ability to knock out the adversary. This is scary stuff in a nuclear world. While John F. Kennedy might have been afflicted with hubris, nevertheless in the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 he had sufficient intelligence to know the Russians were not likely to ignite a nuclear war. His successor, Lyndon Johnson demonstrated a high degree of hubris about Vietnam, and he underestimated the determination and ability of the enemy in continuing to fight. Fifty thousand American lives were snuffed out because of the continuing miscalculation on the part of both Johnson and Kennedy. Nixon demonstrated cluelessness regarding the Watergate scandals that brought down his presidency. As a low-level member of the White House staff in that era I knew of aides who urged the president to take the initiative to reform his campaign organization and take full responsibility for ridding it of dirty tricks and questionable strategies. Because higher-level staff prevented those exhortations from going into the Oval Office, or because of Nixon’s own choices, his presidency was brought down. Gerald Ford, Nixon’s immediate replacement upon his resignation from the presidency, lost the election to a full White House term by revealing during a debate that he was clueless regarding the extent of Communist control in Eastern Europe. And then there was the striking hubris and cluelessness of Bill Clinton’s abuse of the Oval Office as a hideaway for his sexual escapades. In that, Clinton was following in the steps of Kennedy and who knows who else? The bottom line: Voters must go beyond soundbites and appearances from candidates and look deeply into their characters, temperaments, and records. The national and world scenes are far too delicate to be handled by a president whose age prevents him or her from taking reasonable approaches to crises, or so clueless that he or she cannot discern what is really going on behind the charade by which shrewd enemies conceal the facts, or national leaders who suffer from hubris so great that they overestimate themselves and underestimate their enemies. The imperative: Pray for a leadership miracle for the United States in 2024. Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: Rescue us from the mire - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Paula and I were in the same class in high school. We were, still are, good friends. During the week, we were on the same team—The Southeast Pirates. Whether it was girls basketball (she was one of the best players in the state of Ohio) or boys track or football, we were rooting for each other. But from about mid-April to the end of September, we were fierce competitors on the weekends. We showed horses and it was good friends in the paddock, but game on in the arena. We were both very good at what we did, and very serious in the ring. But that never affected—at least I don’t think it did—our friendship and our parents’ close relationship. As our horse show reputation grew, so did opportunity, not all of them great. Portage County was big on 4-H. In fact, our county fair was bigger than many state fairs because of 4-H. And horse 4-H was the anchor. About the time when Paula and I were seniors, I imagine that there were over 300 horse 4-H projects. This meant that there were many 4-H horse clubs springing up. There were about three elite clubs, which of course, Paula and I belonged to one each. Then there were many smaller clubs whose riders may of only competed at the Fair. The 4-H motto is “To make the best better.” It’s a motto that Paula and I have taken very seriously all of our lives. And many a kid who didn’t have the resources we did, also tried to live by that motto. They were always trying to do better. These clubs would have what they call “mock” horse shows. They were horse shows just among club members to both have fun and to improve their skills. These shows usually were held in a makeshift practice ring at the 4-H advisor’s or a parent’s farm and they would ask an experienced rider or an adult to “judge” them. It was an honor, mostly. Paula and I were excited to judge a mock horse show for a small club just down the road from her parents’ farm. It rained all night before the morning of the show. It continued raining until just before the show was to start. Paula and I walked down to the show ring and our excitement dried up when we saw the ring was mostly under water. We really just wanted to cancel, but the kids and parents insisted we have the show. So out we waded into the water and mud to the middle of the ring. Our good cowboy boots leaked around the seams at first, then were filling with water. Our socks were soggy then sloshing. Every time a horse would pass by, it splashed mud on us. It was mid-April Ohio damp and cold. And we were miserable. We would look at each other and just shake our heads. It was a Psalm 69:14 day, “Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.” Not too far from the truth because when judging horse shows, some love you (the winners) and many hate you (the non-winners). Finally, it was finished. The kids and parents were happy. We sloshed over to Paula’s house, shaking off the shivers, and Paula’s mom made us some soup to warm our bones. We vowed never again—that is, until the next time. And we had a good laugh. Daily Devotion: The Perspective of God’s People - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives. —Psalm 73:3–4 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-perspective-of-gods-people/ - Listen The psalmist Asaph struggled with the age-old question of why the wicked prosper. In Psalm 73 he wrote, “But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness” (verses 2–3 NLT). We live in a time when people celebrate and flaunt ungodly lifestyles. And like Asaph, we wonder how long they’re going to get away with it. As followers of Christ, we try to live by God’s Word, and people mock us for it. So, we say, “This just isn’t fair. That’s a horrible thing they’re doing. They shouldn’t be able to get away with that.” David, too, reflected on the life of the godly and the ungodly and contrasted them. He looked at the priorities they have. And in Psalm 5 he wrote, “You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers. Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe” (verses 6–7 NLT). David was saying, “Nonbelievers can do what they want to do and live the way they want to live. But I’m going to go to the house of the Lord.” Asaph arrived at a similar conclusion. He wrote, “Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction” (Psalm 73:17–18 NLT). When we gather with God’s people and study God’s Word together, we will see the big picture. We will realize that sin eventually catches up with everyone. And as followers of Jesus Christ, we will know that we’ve made the right choice. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 5/19/23 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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