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Israel and the Number 12 in Scripture - Part II - By Randy Nettles - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/05/20/israel-and-the-number-12-in-scripture-part-ii-by-randy-nettles/
ZECHARIAH 12 Zechariah 12 is a prophecy of the future deliverance of Judah/Israel from the Antichrist’s forces when they attack Judah and Jerusalem during the end days of the Day of the Lord. Zechariah 14 foretells the eventual outcome of the battle: “The city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished, and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, but the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:2). However, it will be a very costly victory for the Antichrist, as he will lose many men in this battle. Zechariah 12 describes how the Lord will intervene by empowering the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah/Israel with His Holy Spirit giving them supernatural strength and fighting ability, as he did in the days of old with Samson, Shamgar, and David and his fighting men (as described in 2 Samuel 23:8-39). “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it. “In that day, says the Lord, I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God. In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place—Jerusalem. “The Lord will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:1-9). Jesus will not return to save the remnant elect until the Jewish people call on Him as their Messiah to save them. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction, they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15). When Jesus returns to the earth on the Feast of Trumpets, he will go first to Bozrah/Petra Jordan and destroy the Antichrist’s forces that are gathered there to kill the Jews who are taking refuge there. He will fight them all the way back to Jerusalem and then save the remnant Jews that are still living there. I believe this will happen on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), 1260 days after the abomination of desolation. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo” (Zechariah 12:10-11). It is thought that the mourning at Hadad Rimmon is referring to King Josiah who was killed in battle at the plains of Megiddo. He was greatly mourned by his people, as he was a righteous and beloved king of Judah. JOHN 12 Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday before his crucifixion on Passover is discussed in John 12. “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13). This is the fulfillment of the 69th “seven” of Daniel’s prophecy found in Daniel 9:25. “And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat on it; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, your King comes, sitting on an ass’s colt. These things his disciples didn’t understand at first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him” (John 12:14-16). Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” Although Jesus gave many signs that he was the Jewish Messiah by performing healings and miracles, the majority of the people and religious rulers of Israel did not believe he was their Anointed One. John said: “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, ‘Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?'” (John 12:37-38). John was quoting from Isaiah 53:1 here. This amazing prophecy in Isaiah, which was made over six centuries before Jesus’ time, is called “the sin-bearing Messiah” as it describes the torture and crucifixion of Jesus for the sins of mankind. Here is how Isaiah finishes this prophecy (of 12 verses) in verse 12: “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” John quoted Isaiah again, “Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spoke of him” (John 12:29-31). Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord (and His Seraphim) in the year King Uzziah died. This amazing encounter is recorded in Isaiah 6. The Lord asked Isaiah who He should send to prophesy to the people. Isaiah said, “‘ Here am I; send me.’ And He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘Hear you indeed, but understand not; and see you indeed, but perceive not.’ Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed” (Isaiah 6:8-10). The Jews of both generations were similar in their unbelief of the Lord’s word through His prophets. They all had eye, ear, and heart problems. HEBREWS 12 The Old Testament members of the Lord’s Hall of Faith are discussed in Hebrews 11. The last verse in chapter 11 says, “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” This is the promise of the heavenly inheritance of the New Jerusalem. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). The cloud of witnesses is the Old Testament members of the Hall of Faith described in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 12:18-24 compares the “gathering” of the children of Israel unto the LORD at Mount Sinai to the gathering of the saints unto the LORD at Mount Zion (New Jerusalem) after the Rapture. Because of their unbelief, the children of Israel had to continue their journey in the wilderness for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. Because of their faith, the Church of Jesus Christ will go directly to the Promised Land of Heaven and the New Jerusalem after their translation at the Rapture. The Mt. Sinai experience with the LORD was terrifying, while the Mt. Zion experience will be joyful beyond comprehension. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Mt. Sinai: “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.) (Hebrews 12:18-21). Mt. Zion: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:22-24). The spirits of just men made perfect are the Old Testament “cloud of witnesses” who have not yet received their translated heavenly bodies. Here is the best advice you will ever get! “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:25-26;28-29). REVELATION 12 Revelation 12:1 takes place after the two witnesses (with supernatural abilities) of Revelation 11:3 are killed, resurrected (after three-and-a-half days), and ascend to heaven in a cloud. Immediately after their ascension, the seventh angel sounds the seventh trumpet judgment. This is approximately at the mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation, known as the Great Tribulation. Revelation 12:1-5 is a depiction of events that have happened on the earth and in heaven in the past, and which will lead up to events in the future end times (verses 6-17). “Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth” (Revelation 12:1-2). This woman is an allusion to Israel by way of Joseph’s dream in which he saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him (Genesis 37:9). The sun represents Jacob (Israel), the moon represents Rachel, the eleven stars represents Joseph’s brothers. Of course, Joseph would be the twelfth star. Mary, representing Israel, would eventually give birth to Jesus, the Messiah. “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron” (Revelation 12:3-5). In these verses, John is comparing Satan to a great, fiery red dragon. The seven heads and ten horns represent the final form of the Gentile World Empire (prophesied in Daniel 7:7), now shown to be under Satan’s control and authority. Jesus was born through Mary, who was a descendant of Israel and specifically the tribe of Judah. Jesus Christ is destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9). The vision is of the nation of Israel just before the birth of the Messiah. Satan brings his demonic host with him, from heaven to the earth, in an attempt to kill the Messiah shortly after his birth. This attempt to destroy the child was the slaughter of the babies of Bethlehem by Herod in Matthew 2:16-18. There was a tremendous amount of demonic activity in the Gospels during the time of Jesus. “And her Child was caught up to God and His throne” (Revelation 12:5). The wording of this verse is very interesting. Most scholars believe it is referring to Jesus’ ascension into heaven as recorded in Acts 1:9, “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” The English word “taken up” is “epairo” in Greek. However, John uses the same word Paul used for the Rapture (in 1 Thessalonians 4:17), which is “caught up” or “harpazo” in Greek. This makes me wonder why John used harpazo (caught up or seized forcibly) instead of the more generic word epairo (to raise or lift up). Some scholars see this as a reference or a hint to the Rapture, in which Jesus and His church will be caught up into heaven. However, the woman is not the Church; she is Israel. The Church doesn’t give birth to Jesus. Jesus gives birth to the Church. After Jesus is caught up to God and His throne, John’s vision moves forward to events that will occur in the Tribulation. The next event is one that takes place in heaven and swiftly moves to the earth. It occurs at the “in the midst” point of the seven-year Tribulation when the Antichrist commits the abomination of desolation in Jerusalem’s new Temple (as prophesied by Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15). Meanwhile, in heaven: “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9). At this point, Satan and his fallen angels fight against Michael and the faithful angels. Satan and his forces lose, and they are cast to the earth. They no longer have access to heaven or God’s throne. “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:10-12). The inhabitants of heaven are ecstatic after Satan and his demonic angels are ejected from heaven. They consider this as the start of the kingdom of God and His Christ, as Satan will no longer have access to God. There will no longer be any accusations levied against the children of God. Unfortunately, Satan and his evil horde are cast to the earth, and man, are they angry! He knows the Bible and all the prophecies concerning the end times and realizes he only has 1260 days to accomplish his evil agenda. “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth” (Revelation 12:13-16). The Jews in Jerusalem who witness the abomination of desolation by the Antichrist are instructed to flee to the mountains quickly, if not sooner, by Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:15-22. “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). This is the evil event that begins the Great Tribulation or Jacob’s Trouble. Just like when Israel was pursued by Pharoah and his Egyptian army during the Exodus, she will be pursued by the Antichrist and his forces at this time. And just like God supernaturally intervened then to save His people, so will He do again in the future. “You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them” (Exodus 15:12). As the A.C. sends some of his forces to chase after the Jewish people who are fleeing to Petra, Jordan, the earth will open up and swallow them. The Jews who escape at this time will arrive safely in Petra and will remain there for the duration of the Great Tribulation. “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (Revelation 12:6). Another typological example of “a flood” against the children of Israel is found in Daniel 9:26, “And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood.” Of course, this verse is referring to the destruction of the Temple and the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, as described in Luke 21:20-24. “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). The “rest of her offspring” will include all the Jewish believers among the Jews at that time, as well as the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7. Matthew writes about these Messianic Jewish believers in Matthew 24:22, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” Revelation 12 is an allegoric description of Satan’s persecution of the Jews during the approximate mid-point of the seven-year Tribulation. It begins when he is cast down to the earth and indwells the Antichrist, who performs the famous abomination of desolation in the newly built Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. He organizes a worldwide anti-Semitic campaign to try and destroy the Jewish race once and for all, but he will fail because of God’s supernatural intervention. Satan’s hatred of humankind has been going on since time immemorial, ever since he instigated man’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. This was when the first prophecy was given by the Lord, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Part of this prophecy has been fulfilled. Satan’s influence on ungodly men led to Jesus being tortured and crucified. He was attempting to stop Jesus (the “seed of the woman” and the Holy Spirit) from usurping his authority as the current “ruler of this world.” Evidently, Satan didn’t fully comprehend the Lord’s prophecy. Had Satan known Jesus’s death would bring about the new covenant (“For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” – Matthew 26:28), and that Jesus would be resurrected three days later, he wouldn’t have had him killed. “None of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). Instead of denying Jesus (and the elect) his Kingdom, Satan had only managed to “bruise his heel.” The second part of this prophecy is yet future but is as sure to come true as the first part. At the beginning of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ on the earth, Satan will be bound and cast alive into the bottomless pit. A seal will be set on him so he can’t deceive the nations anymore for a thousand years. After the thousand years are finished, Satan is released for a little season and will attempt a comeback coup. “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them” (Revelation 20:7-9). The Lord will complete the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, given approximately 7000 years ago, by “bruising his (Satan’s) head.” The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 11:31). “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22:12-13). Amen; Even so, Come, Lord Jesus! Randy Nettles [email protected] When The Bible Meets The News Of The Day… Listen First And Finally To God – By David Jeremiah - https://harbingersdaily.com/when-the-bible-meets-the-news-of-the-day-listen-first-and-finally-to-god/ I don’t know who first said it, but many Christians have affirmed it over the years: “The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!” From a spiritual and theological point of view, it’s a way of saying that the Bible is the most trustworthy and authoritative source we have. The Bible was inspired by God, so trusting the Bible is equivalent to trusting God. But what about from a secular point of view regarding world affairs? Whom do we trust when it comes to today’s always changing news? During the 1960s and 1970s in America—two of our more tumultuous decades—one American journalist came to be called “the most trusted man in America”: Walter Cronkite. For nineteen of those twenty years, Cronkite was the anchorman on the CBS Evening News television broadcast. His final words at the end of each show were always the same: “And that’s the way it is.” “That’s the way it is” meant you had been given the factual news that represented the day’s events—not a newscaster’s opinions about the day’s events. We live in a world that challenges our biblically based worldview at every turn. We must decide whether the world will shape us or we will shape our world. To paraphrase the previous statement about the Bible, many people during Cronkite’s era would have said, “Cronkite said it, I believe it, and that settles it!” Walter Cronkite was so respected as a newscaster and journalist that he was affectionately known as “Uncle Walter” and “King of the Anchormen.” He even trained himself to speak more slowly than most television journalists so that he could be understood by the average viewer. I grew up as a young adult listening to Walter Cronkite—and thinking back on him and his trustworthiness made me realize something: There is no one in today’s world of news or journalism that is referred to as “the most trusted man (or woman) in America.” No one has replaced the man who once held that title. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to glorify one individual newscaster. I’m sure he wasn’t perfect. But I am here to suggest that most of what counts as news today is perhaps less trustworthy than it should be. Instead of signing off a news show with “That’s the way it is,” most newscasters today would need to say, “That’s the way we see it.” In other words, it’s hard to know today if we are getting an accurate portrayal of our world or a broadcaster’s bias. That’s not to fault newscasters or the people who write their scripts and load them into the teleprompter. It is simply to say that we all look at the world through bias-colored, or opinion-colored, glasses. And that includes me. I look at the world, unapologetically, through Bible-colored glasses. So when it comes to viewing our world and viewing our Bible, what should we do? Should we look at our Bible through media-colored glasses or look at the world through Scripture-colored glasses? Said another way, should we allow the events of the world—moral, political, cultural, economic—to shape how we view God and His Word? Or should we let God and His Word shape how we view events that happen in the world? When we rise in the morning and peruse the overnight news headlines on our phone or computer, do we let those headlines set our emotional and spiritual “blood pressure” for the day? Or at the end of the day, when we take in a half hour news program on television, do we allow the media mantra—“If it bleeds, it leads”—to fill our mind with troubling and disruptive, even unsavory, images and stories that we think about when trying to fall asleep? Or at the beginning and end of the day, do we rise and retire by meditating on the truths of God’s Word, reminding ourselves that He is sovereign and loving and oversees the world based on His plans and purposes? Does the world shape our worldview or does the Word shape our view of the world? Facing the World’s Pressures In 2021, I released a book that addresses this question of “Who shapes whom?”— Where Do We Go From Here?: How Tomorrow’s Prophecies Foreshadow Today’s Problems. In that book, I discuss ten different phenomena happening in our world today that have the potential for disrupting our spiritual life if we don’t respond to them biblically. Let’s consider a few of them here. Socialism Many Americans are probably unaware that there are several outspoken socialists serving in the United States Congress. Or that forty percent of Americans view socialism favorably as a political and economic system—nearly fifty percent of Millennials and Generation Z. Socialism is based on the teachings of Karl Marx, the seed from which Communism grew. It is contrary to the basic tenets of the American system—a Constitutional republic based on private property, free enterprise, capitalism, and freedom of speech and religion. And no, Acts 2:42-45 and 4:32-35 do not prove that the Early Church in Jerusalem was socialistic based on communal sharing of property. The Early Church voluntarily shared their goods with those in need, not as a result of a government mandate. There is nothing biblical about socialism. Pandemic Since early 2020, the world has felt the impact of the COVID-19 virus which has caused more than 669 million infections and more than 6.7 million deaths worldwide. The initial and understandable response of humans to a pandemic is fear—especially among the elderly and most vulnerable. But this wasn’t the first pandemic in the world, and it won’t be the last. The Bible says that the worst pandemics are yet to come—during the coming seven-year Tribulation. Thankfully, Christians will not be on this earth at that time. But how do we live without fear in the face of transmissible diseases? First, by remembering that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Second, by remembering that God is our Refuge and our Fortress who guards us against “pestilence” and “any plague” (Psalm 91:2, 6, 10). There is nothing biblical about living in fear. Cancel Culture Many people today are afraid of identifying with Jesus Christ or having any biblically based personal conviction or belief, for fear of being “canceled”—publicly attacked, ostracized, and shamed for being out of step with political correctness. Yielding to this cultural peer pressure will silence the voice of anyone speaking out for Christ or the values of the Kingdom of God. Think about what would have happened to the Early Church if the apostles had succumbed to what was very much a religiously based cancel culture. In Jerusalem, the religious leaders of the day warned the apostles not to speak about Jesus or they would face imprisonment (Acts 5:17-18) or even death (Acts 7:54-60). But when threatened, Peter and the other apostles told the authorities that when it came to obeying God or man, the choice was clear: They would speak boldly for God (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29). There is nothing biblical about being silent for fear of being canceled. I could go on, but you get the idea: We live in a world that challenges our biblically based worldview at every turn. We must decide whether the world will shape us or we will shape our world. Finding the Word’s Principles Survey firms regularly publish the results of their studies on where Americans get their news and information about current events—and the results are predictable. Young people get most of their news from social media; conservatives favor one television channel while liberals favor another; older Americans still rely on newspapers and major networks. There are so many choices available that we find a source of information that aligns with our values—all the while believing that our favorite source is giving us the unvarnished news or “telling it like it is,” to paraphrase Walter Cronkite. That’s fine. I’m not going to tell you whom you should listen to except for this one admonition: Listen first and finally to God and His Word for these reasons: After all the trends and movements pass away, the Word of God will still be here. If the world’s words don’t align with God’s Word, they are opinion, not truth. Only the Word of God will thoroughly equip you to live in a constantly changing world. Instead of the world shaping your views, let the Word shape your worldview every day. Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
Anti-Bible Attack Dogs – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2023/05/22/anti-bible-attack-dogs/ At this late hour at the end of the age, it’s obvious to anyone who’s truly attuned to God’s Word and is watching as instructed by the Lord (Mark 13: 37): Christ’s call in the Rapture must be very near. Proof includes that Heaven’s enemy has, it is clear, unleashed the “attack dogs” against God’s Holy Word. Those “hounds of hell” have chosen a well-known animal-activist entity, whose name by reputation seems nonthreatening while Satan moves forward with his devilish plan. And it seems quite sad, because the organization has done, I presume without knowing very much about it, at least some level of good through its services. Again we see the rapidly growing—and I believe intrinsically evil—AI technology coming to the forefront of society and culture. Those who are determined to insinuate their controlling, bullying influence have chosen to, through AI, directly attack the Word of God. The following illustrates that the attack dogs have been unleashed in a major way: Once again, the Left is trying to appropriate the Bible for its own political purposes, this time with the help of artificial intelligence. Yes, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals last week published a rather milquetoast rewrite of the book of Genesis entitled “The Book: PETA’s Version of the Creation Story.” The result is inherently offensive, occasionally a tad funny, but ultimately rather underwhelming… PETA—or the AI, which I’m convinced probably provided the best bits of this dilapidated drivel—decided to be slavishly derivative, repeating original locations and keeping the rough structure of Genesis, while simultaneously scrapping the main theological message of the story and the major plot points that give the inspired Word its emotional heft. In this incredibly sanitized version of the Bible, Cain isn’t a murderer, Nimrod stops being a hunter, Hagar is a chef, a dog takes the place of Isaac on Mount Moriah and there is no sacrifice, Pharaoh’s butler and baker both live, and Pharaoh’s dreams involve vegan preaching, not the famine responsible for reuniting Jacob’s family. Somewhere between the AI and the woke scolds at PETA, basic details got lost. For instance, Rachel dies in childbirth with Joseph, rather than with his younger brother Benjamin (Genesis 35), and Benjamin miraculously appears as an elder brother to Joseph. Cain—still the villain of the story—sacrifices animal flesh to God while Abel sacrifices plants, which represents a reversal of the biblical story in which Abel sacrifices his prized sheep. PETA might as well have made Abel the villain, especially since it decided to scrap the murder, anyway. Most of the main characters—who have rather tremendous flaws in the original version of Genesis—are all morally spotless priests of the vegan religion here, preaching the virtues of soy and almond milk. They go from place to place, spreading the gospel of treating animals like people, and occasionally the animals speak on their own accord. (At one point, camels decide among themselves to teach the uneducated humans, but then decide just to travel with them, instead.) Joseph’s brothers still decide to kidnap and sell their brother out of jealousy, but they also wouldn’t dare harm a goat to dip his multicolored coat in goat’s blood. Instead, they use beet juice. Yes, they contemplate murdering their own brother, but God forbid they touch an animal… It seems that whoever at PETA rewrote Genesis lost interest after the first few chapters, letting AI do the rest. (“PETA Teams Up with AI to Rewrite the Bible, Tyler O’Neil/Daily Signal, May 16, 2023) Some would view all this as drivel, as the writer puts it—just tongue-in-cheek fun-poking. But the God whose Son paid the price for all the sin of the world in the most horrific, humiliating way imaginable, I must believe, finds little humor here. Neither is the serpent’s intention tongue-in-cheek. He wants to steal truth from and destroy every human being. He fully intends to do so in part by deceiving humans into thinking that neither he nor God even exists. Destroying the veracity of God’s Word is one of the chief ways he is trying to achieve his plan of destroying the human race. Jesus is the Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1–4) Jesus said that, despite all of the devils’ attempts to destroy those who follow the Lord, we shouldn’t fear or be distracted. He, Jesus, has overcome the world (as well as the flesh and the devil). Satan and all of Hell’s attack dogs will never destroy the Word of God. We have our Lord’s promise. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Matthew 24: 35) Waiting for the Call - By Dennis Huebshman - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/05/10/waiting-for-the-call-by-dennis-huebshman/ Starting with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Paul gives us encouragement about what awaits us at the end of this age. “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then, we who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine) The book of 1 Thessalonians is the first book of the New Testament to be written around 49-51 A.D. Going to the book of 1 Corinthians, which will be referenced next, Paul wrote it about 53-54 A.D. In comparison, the Gospels are dated as Matthew after 70 A.D.; Mark 65-75 A.D.; Luke 85 A.D.; and John being completed between 90-110 A.D., but possibly started as early as 70 A.D. Looking at 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, we have more information about the event known as Harpazo, the Taking Up, or more commonly known as the Rapture. “Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the Trumpet will sound, and the dead shall be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” One note here: the Trumpet mentioned in these two books has nothing to do with the trumpet judgments given in Revelation 8-11. There are numerous signs of what will be taking place on earth just before the end of this age. Without going through the entire list as given in Matthew 24; Luke 21; 2 Timothy 3; 1 John 2-5; 2 Peter 3, and numerous other places in the Bible, we can take each and every sign and show it’s here today – and all at once for the first time ever. Jesus said in Luke 21:28, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” What has prophecy experts, and even a prophecy novice like me excited, is that the signs began forming about a decade ago, and the progression is gaining momentum daily. On May 14, 1948, Israel became a sovereign nation again after almost 2,000 years. This would be the blooming of the fig tree that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. He stated that the “generation” that saw this would not pass before He would return. We are not told how long this generation would be; however, on May 14, 2023, Israel will be 75 years back in the land. What true believers are looking forward to is to be free from this sin-filled world and “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.” That just happens to be the title of a Fanny Crosby song from 1868. Please note the words of this amazing Hymn. 1.) Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast. There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest. Hark! Tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me. Over the fields of glory, over the Jasper Sea. Ref.) Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast. There by His love o’ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest. 2.) Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe from corroding care. Safe from the world’s temptations, sin cannot harm me there. Free from the blight of sorrow, free from my doubts and fears. Only a few more trials; only a few more tears. 3.) Jesus, my heart’s dear refuge; Jesus has died for me. Firm on the Rock of Ages, ever my trust shall be. Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is o’er. Wait till I see the morning break on that golden shore. There are many “nay-sayers,” just as there have always been, who say nothing has changed, and everything’s the same as it’s always been. These are the “scoffers” mentioned in 2 Peter 3:3-4. They overlook 2 Peter 3:8, which states, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” In 2 Peter 3:9, we’re told the Lord is being patient with us, giving us the opportunity to repent and be saved. Then, reality sets in; those who refuse to repent and accept the free gift that our Savior gave to us at Calvary will end up in the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:11-15). What a lot of people forget is that our Creator is not bound by time as we are. He created time for us. Genesis 1:3-5; “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the First Day.” There have been movies and television programs where humans could travel back in time and experience historical events. Of course, these are all fantasy. However, with God, it is a reality. Not being bound by the time restraints that we are, He is able to be anywhere at any time that He so chooses. Not only that, the term is omnipresent, or being able to be everywhere at once. He’s also omnipotent, or all-powerful; and omniscient, or all-knowing. True believers are becoming less popular every day. We hate no one, but we do not accept the acts that our Father called abominations. We are being labeled as “haters” because of this, which does not surprise our Father at all. Satan has been a powerful influence with all his tactics, and his demons are working overtime as never before. This is another sign that this age is coming to a close and being very close to entering the next era, which will be known as the tribulation or wrath. All who have Jesus as their Savior are promised we won’t go into that time period. That is in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10. We will be with our Jesus in our new Home and in our new forever, immortal bodies. Our Judgment will be the Judgment Seat of Christ as given in 2 Corinthians 5:10. This is not a condemning judgment as the Great White Throne Judgment will be. We will gain or lose rewards for all the actions we did here on earth, but the outcome will still be eternity in Heaven. The best part is you get to choose which judgment you will attend. It’s a free-will choice, as God will force no one either way. However, at our last breath here, our final destiny is set. It will either be Heaven or Hell. No other option exists, no matter what false prophets are saying. Today, right now, you can place yourself “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.” The simple steps are found in Romans 10:9-13. There’s nothing you can buy or earn; it’s a free gift from the Son of the Lord God Jehovah, Creator of the heavens and the earth. It’s your choice and the most important decision you will ever make. Jesus is waiting for all who will call on Him to be their eternal Savior. Choose wisely; choose today; Choose Jesus! Shalom – Maranatha! (Peace be with You; Come, Lord Jesus!) [email protected] Daily Jot: Beware of Musks in sheep’s clothing - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Yes, he bought Twitter. Yes, he restored Donald Trump’s account. Yes, he is cracking down on leftists censoring conservatives on Twitter. Yes, he stood against the government propaganda on COVID. Yes, he exposed the FBI for influencing the elections. Yes, he donates money to Republicans. Yes, he says he is a champion of free speech. But there is a clue about Elon Musk that people ought to be aware of before they jump onto the bandwagon that he is a potential savior of the American ideal. Musk recently hired Linda Yaccarino as CEO of Twitter. Yaccarino was chairman of NBC Universal Sales and Client Partnerships with close ties to the World Economic Forum and the Biden Administration. Yaccarino is a member of the World Economic Forum, an attendee at its meetings, and is listed as a “contributing expert” on some of the WEF materials. On her Linkedin page, she writes that she “rallied support from the business community, the White House, and government agencies to create a vaccination campaign, featuring Pope Francis, reaching more than 200 million Americans.” Yaccarino led the Ad Council in promoting the Biden Administration’s vaccine propaganda campaign, saying in a February 2021 release: “When the marketing and media communities come together and amplify urgent public health messages, we can be an incredible force for good.” Yaccarino, then Board Chair of the Ad Council, continued, “The Ad Council has been leading the charge to make sure everyone in America has the latest and most accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccines. Every major media company and platform recognizes the importance of this effort and through the media community’s support, we’ll be able to reach Americans with the information they need from the sources they trust.” That information was part and parcel to promoting the government’s false claims that the COVID vaccines were both “safe and effective.” Since then, studies have verified that the vaccines lost their efficacy within weeks of being administered and have had more dangerous side effects reported than all other vaccines combined. The WEF’s Great Reset is the most dangerous threat to the exercise of religion and freedom of speech in your lifetime, and perhaps history to date. WEF champions corporate and government cooperation—the very kind that led to quarantining healthy people, forcing lockdowns, and mandating experimental vaccines. Yaccarino was not only part of all that, she actively facilitated the WEF COVID agenda. And Musk must be OK with it even though he said he opposed the COVID vax. Before justifying this hire for whatever they want to believe, folks might consider Christ’s warning in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” Actions speak louder than words. Daily Devotion: Under All Circumstances - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles. — Psalm 34:6 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/under-all-circumstances/ - Listen A fisherman who was a backslidden Christian went out in a boat with some of his buddies. Suddenly a storm came, and it was getting worse and worse. It was so bad, in fact, they thought they were going to drown. So, the men turned to their Christian friend and said, “You’ve got to talk to God right now! Pray and get us out of this mess!” He said, “Guys, I haven’t prayed in years. I haven’t been to church in a long time. I don’t want to pray.” They kept pressing him, and eventually he agreed to do it. Reluctantly he prayed, “Oh Lord, I haven’t asked anything of You for fifteen years. But if You will help us now and bring us safely to land, I promise that I won’t bother You for another fifteen.” At least he was honest. But we should never be hesitant to pray. We should see it for the privilege that it really is. Writing to the Christians in Ephesus, the apostle Paul said, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT). Notice Paul’s use of the words “all,” “every,” and “everywhere.” He told us important things about prayer, but he didn’t address the things people tend to focus on, like the best posture for prayer or whether to pray with our eyes open or closed. The point is that we should pray when we are young, when we are old, when we are in trouble, and when things are going well. We should pray in any posture, in any place, at any time, and under all circumstances. Someone has described prayer as the breath of the newborn soul. Prayer is good and needed in the life of a Christian. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 5/23/23 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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