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Ezekiel 38-39: The War of Gog & Magog (Part 1) -A.V. Rauf - https://bibleprophecyfortoday.com/2024/04/20/ezekiel-38-39-the-war-of-gog-magog-part-i/ Israel is the apple of God’s eye; the center of God’s prophetic program; they have been brought back as a nation beginning in 1948. This is a miracle in itself in terms of natural history. No nation has ever experienced this. Especially since 1967, when Jerusalem was recognized as a city in Israel a plethora of miraculous fulfillments of Bible prophecy regarding the nation of Israel have come to pass and are continuing to come to fruition even as I am writing this post! What is also noteworthy is how this small nation seems to be in the forefront of the global media as events in the Middle East are now being showcased before the entire world. This was also written in the book of Zechariah (which is a complimentary book also referred to as “The Little Apocalypse”)as compared to the Book of Revelation: Zechariah 12:1-3— 1 The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Gog Magog War According to Ezekiel 38 & 39, we see that Gog and Magog are going to invade Israel. The first thing we need to know is that Gog and Magog are mentioned in the Book of Revelation: Revelation 20.7-8—And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Some say that this coming war prophesied in Ezekiel will occur after the thousand year reign of Christ according to these verses. That is not true. This will be a minor rebellion in the eyes of God and it will be dealt with rather quickly. Not with the magnitude of what was described in Ezekiel 38-39. There are four major views regarding this war. Now in reference to what is currently taking place in the Middle East, what we will examine in the next few posts is of extreme interest. View # 1: The war will happen after the Millennium (unsupportive view) View # 2: It will occur in the Middle of the Tribulation period. This would be 3-1/2 years into the final 7 years on this earth prior to the return of Jesus Christ to set up His Millenial kingdom. View # 3: The war will occur before the rapture of the church, preceding the seven year tribulation period. One of the reasons for believing this is found in Ezekiel 39:4-12: 4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. 6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord. 7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. 9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: 10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. 12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Many Bible scholars find it difficult to see the fact that weapons being burned for seven years occurs during the Millennium. They also notice in this passage that it takes seven months to bury the dead. Again they don’t see this happening during the Millenium. They also believe that Gog & Magog refers to Russia and its allies consist of a Pan-Islamic Empire that will be defeated before the tribulation begins. (e.g. during this seven years the weapons are being burned.) Thus, this is different then the Battle of Armageddon. View # 4: This war takes place during the Battle of Armageddon. This is the view that is believed by most Jewish rabbis : Zechariah 14:1-3– 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. ( I suggest you read this chapter in its entirety.) There is no difference between this and what the other Hebrew prophets spoke about. This is the great Final Battle which occurs at the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ at the end of seven year tribulation period. THESE ARE THE FOUR COMMON VIEWS HELD BY BIBLE SCHOLARS. LET US NOW EXAMINE THE SCRIPTURES……. Ezekiel 38:1-6— 1 And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. In the opening six verses of Chapter 38 we have a recognition of those who will invade Israel. I want to break this down into 2 categories: the identity of Gog (verses 2-3) the involvement of other nations involved in this invasion ( verses 5-6) So in order to see who invades Israel let’ start with the identity of Gog: The identity of Gog. The land of Magog means simply “from Gog.” So Magog is the land where Gog has his Empire or throne perhaps. The reason this became of great interest is due to the research of a Hebrew scholar named Gasinius. In examining the Hebrew words used in this text, Gasinius identified the words “chief prince,” which in Hebrew means “rosh” or “the head leader.” He identified the word “rosh,” and its phonetic equivalent with the modern country of Russia. He then proceeded to use the same method of phonetic equivalent of the Hebrew terms compared to their Russian meanings. Therefore, “Meshach” becomes “Moscow” and “Tubal” becomes “Tobolsk.” Many scholars in the past have identified Gog and Magog with the ancient Scythians. The Scyths were early mounted Nomads; unequalled in their archery skills. Aiming backward, riding at a gallop, they could kill birds in flight—right or left handed! The Scythians are mentioned in Colossians 3:11 in the N.T. Many believe that they were the ancestors of many of today’s Russian people. Or at least those of the former Soviet Republic. They dominated the vast steppes of Russia from Ukraine to the Great Wall of China. An eight century reference referred to the great Wall of China as “ Sud Yagog et Magog.” Or the rampart of Gog and Magog. A rampart is a high, elevated protection or defense. The Quran makes reference to it as Vadjudj wa madjudj. They were known to be very Barbaric, and even cannibalistic. They were known to eat the remains of their deceased relatives (according to Tertulian, one of the early church fathers.) Also, they were also identified as being “north” of Israel. In order to identify Gog from a biblical perspective, we will look at three categories: 1. A Historical Connection: Genesis 10:2–The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. Here it lists Gomer, Magog, Tubal and Meshach as the sons of Japheth. (Remember that after the flood of Noah, it was his three sons that re-populated the earth: Shem, Ham and Japheth.) By the way the name Togarmah, which is mentioned in Ezekiel 38 was the son of Gomer, or rather the grandson of Japheth. Now the term Gog can be found 11 times in the Bible. However, 9 of the 11 times it is mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39. I Chronicles 5:4 ( in the genealogical tables) list Gog as a descendant of Reuben of the tribes of Israel. So there is a historic connection to this name: I Chronicles 5:4–The sons of Joel; Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, It comes from the Japhetic nations. Japheth was promised that he would be dominating the world scene. Thus, world empires were sprung from Japheth. According to the Jewish rabbis, the Japhetic nations would always be involved in Armageddon. They saw the “Semitic” peoples of Israel being attacked by the Japhetic peoples who would primarily be dominating the world in the days of the coming of the Messiah King. 2. A Geographical Connection: In verse 6 of chapter 38 we read “north quarters.” In verse 2 of chapter 39, we read “north parts.” Now Magog is mentioned in the Bible 5 times. In I Chronicles 1:5, we see Magog as the son of Japheth. All we know is that it is north of Israel. When you look at a map, and you go the furthest direction upward, it appears that that nation is Russia. Some say it could mean Turkey. In what is referred to as the “Fertile Crescent,” all countries are north of Israel. This is regarded so by the Bible and it is still regarded so today. For example, although Iran appears east of Israel, (see map) one must still travel north. You can’t cut across the Saudi Arabian desert, you must go north. Now first you go through Syria and then Iraq which is always north. Isn’t it interesting that Syria and Iraq are being targeted by ISIS as they attempt to re-establish an Islamic Caliphate in the Fertile Crescent! As I am studying the current crisis with ISIS and the Levant, it is clear that these events are a pre-cursor to a possible war (perhaps Psalm 83) that will ultimately lead to the War of Gog and Magog and the appearance of Anti-Christ. Psalm 83–1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. 2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. 3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. 4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. 5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: 6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. 9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: 10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth. 11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: 12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. 13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. 14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; 15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm. 16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord. 17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish: 18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth. The ancient Assyrians were always referred to as a Northern power. Even ancient Babylon was always referred to as a Northern power. So even as we read our maps, we are not necessarily viewing them from a Hebraic background. So it is probable that Gog and Magog, although they are referred to as a Northern power, can stretch out as far as Iran, when you study this from a Hebraic perspective. We do know that Iran in fact is mentioned here. 3. A Political Connection: In 38:2 Gog is referred to as the chief prince, or leader of Meshach and Tubal. It does not say that he is the chief prince of Magog, although he is from the land of Magog. So what does the Bible have to say about Meshach and Tubal? Meshach appears 8 times in the Bible. He is listed as a son of Japheth in I Chronicles 1:5. Interestingly, the name Meshach is also referred to as the son of Shem. So Meshach also descends from the Semitic nations. I Chronicles 1:17–The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech. He is also called the brother of Elam and Asher, which today is Iran and Iraq by the way. Both Meshach and Tubal are listed together as merchants. They apparently are very active in trading with other countries. Tubal is listed 8 times in the Bible. Tubal and Meshach are listed in the Bible as among the nations whose graves are seen as the result of God’s judgment. The other nations are Asher (ancient Assyria/modern Iraq), Elam, (modern Iran), Egypt, and Edom (which is Jordan.) Ezekiel 32:17-29– It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. 19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised. 20 They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes. 21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword. 22 Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword: 23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living. 24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit. 25 They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain. 26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. 28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword. 29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. God says those are the graves which will result from God’s great judgment in Armageddon. It is very interesting that Tubal and Meshech are among these nations. ( To be continued….) Damascus Foretold Fate Forming – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/04/22/damascus-foretold-fate-forming/ Things of ominous import are ratcheting up in the Syrian and Lebanese regions of the Middle East cauldron. So high have rumors of a major Israeli strike soon to come raised fears that Bashar Al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, has deemed to take his entire family on vacation somewhere distant from Damascus. Both Israeli and Arab press report Assad has abandoned the Syrian capital and that he did so suddenly and with little announcement. The latest war-making revolves around the IDF taking out a major Iranian terrorist leader/diplomat in a building near the Iranian Embassy. Iran has gone on a campaign of threat that has everyone in the region on high alert. Israel fully expects there will be retaliation, probably of a spectacular sort, for the taking out of senior Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Damascus in a strike upon a building adjoining the Iranian consulate. (See update below.) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and high-ranking members of the IDF have vowed severe actions if Iran does something dastardly in retaliation for taking out one of their most heinous terrorist plotters. Israel has constantly been battling Lebanese military forces on the border of Syria and holds Syria responsible for allowing those forces to launch attacks and retreat to within Syria. Israeli military command has vowed that action will be taken to eliminate threats from Lebanon, even if Damascus is involved. Iran has, rather than back down, vowed to make Israel pay for the killing of their Guard. Most who keep close tabs on the situation in the region believe this is the cause of Assad and his family taking the sudden leave, claiming it’s vacation time. The following news excerpt further enlightens on the volatile situation that threatens stepped-up war-making. In a message to Israel, Iran sent its foreign minister, Hussein Amir Abdollahian, to Damascus on Monday, a week after an airstrike in the city struck a building adjoining its consulate, killing senior Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Iran has vowed revenge on Israel, accusing it of the strike… He paid tribute to the Syrian and “Iranian martyrs” during his visit and also slammed Israel. During the visit, Syria said that it does not recognize the “Zionist regime.” Under the Assad regime, Syria was always one of the holdouts in the region that did not recognize Israel and has considered itself part of the “axis of resistance” linked to Iran. However, the Assad regime has known since the mid-1970s that it will never defeat Israel. Since the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011, the regime in Damascus was weakened, and so invited Iran to send over militias and the IRGC. Iran then used Syria as a testing ground for its militias to move weapons to Hezbollah and drones to Syria. Starting in 2018, Iran began to increase threats to Israel from Syria, using drones flown from the T-4 base near Palmyra and built a base near al-Bukamal called Imam Ali. It also encouraged Hezbollah to open the “Golan file” and move Hezbollah members closer to the border. Hezbollah has been attacking Israel since October 8. Russia and Iran manipulate Syria for different goals Syria has now joined Iran in publicly slamming Israel, claiming it is helping “mobilize” the international community against Jerusalem. However, the real powers behind the throne in Damascus are both Russia and Iran. They may not always agree on everything, but Russia has exploited the Hamas war on Israel for its benefit, which Iran has done as well, hoping to isolate and weaken Israel. Iran’s message in sending its envoy is that it will continue to seek to punish Israel. [Source: Iran FM threatens Israel amid symbolic visit to Damascus, By SETH J. FRANTZMANAPRIL, APRIL 8, 2024 The Jerusalem Post] (And now an important news update from the time this commentary was begun.) Iran directly attacked Israel, sending drones and a few missiles toward Israel –around 300 in total. None landed within Israeli territory but were destroyed or landed outside Israel’s boundaries. One 7-year-old Arab girl in a Bedouin village was seriously injured in the attack and was reported as hospitalized. The Jerusalem Post reported the following. The IDF has updated that the full Iranian attack consisted of over 300 threats, of which 100 were ballistic missiles launched from Iran. Another 30 cruise missiles were launched from the Islamic Republic, along with drones. There were also two rounds of rockets, around 40 total, fired on Israel from Lebanon, with Israel responding with counterattacks in close to real-time… Israel, the U.S., the U.K., and Jordan worked to intercept the drones and missiles over Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Israel, according to foreign reports. France also assisted in shooting down the aerial threats. [Source: Iran attacks Israel: No drones, cruise missiles breached Israeli airspace, By YONAH JEREMY BOB, TZVI JOFFRE, TOVAH LAZAROFFAPRIL 13, 2024 22:47 Updated: APRIL 14, 2024 10:36, Jerusalem Post] A CBS news report said that President Joe Biden called Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu after the attack on Israel and told him the United States won’t support a retaliatory action against Iran – that the U.S. doesn’t want a wider conflict in the region. Damascus is known to be the city that harbors headquarters for practically every official Muslim terrorist organization that exists. Iran is known to be sponsor for a number of these. This fact might well be the primary catalyst for bringing about the city’s Biblically Forecast doom. To the observer of these prophetic times, the likely implication of things heating up by the moment involving Syria can’t be missed. The Isaiah prophecy comes instantly to mind when thinking on all of this that is developing so quickly. “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap” (Isa 17:1). We can’t know if Bashar Al-Assad has studied Bible prophecy and has looked at this Isaiah Foretelling. But his sudden decision to get out of Dodge –rather, out of Damascus—sure makes it seem as if he has seen the handwriting on the wall… With such tyrants, such allusions or idiomatic expressions probably don’t come close to applying. But to “Watchers on the wall,” it seems appropriate to conclude that the “handwriting is on the wall” and that Isaiah’s Damascus Foretold fate might well be determined to be forming at this present hour. DOWNLOAD THE PROPHECY UPDATE APP Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
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DONATE HERE Your can also mail your support to: Prophecy Update PO Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384 The Absurdity of Lies Hasn’t Stopped People From Accusing Jews – By Olivier Melnick - https://harbingersdaily.com/the-absurdity-of-lies-hasnt-stopped-people-from-accusing-jews/ During the season of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover, I am always reminded of the accusation that Jews, over the millennia, have used the blood of Christian children to make the matzah (unleavened bread) for Passover. This accusation is known as the “Blood Accusation” or “Blood Libel.” It is, of course, a false allegation, but this hasn’t stopped people from accusing Jews through the ages, and it has led to thousands of deaths. The idea is that Jewish people murder young Christian children during the time of Passover, drain them of their blood, and use it to make unleavened bread. Passover often takes place around the time of Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and the Blood Libel can also be reinforced with the other lie about the Jewish people, the accusation of killing Christ or deicide (the killing of God.) Biblically speaking, the Jewish people were to refrain from consuming blood, so much so that God made it very clear to them on several occasions (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 7:26, 17:14; Deuteronomy 12:6, 15:23; Acts 15:20, 28-29.) It was a grave sin to consume blood. The children of Israel had a firm order from God, punishable by death, as in Leviticus 17:14, “For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.” The practice has continued through the ages, and one of the basic principles of kosher meat in contemporary Judaism is to drain the meat of all its blood before consumption. So, when did it start in Jewish history? Like many of the false accusations, it started during the Middle Ages in Europe and has grown ever since. The first case on record was in 1144 in Norwich, England. When I say the case, I need to clarify that this is the first time that an accusation was made about the Jewish community, although there was absolutely no proof to make such an accusation. A young child, known today as William of Norwich, died of a violent death (allegedly crucified by Jews on Easter Friday) during Holy Week in Norwich, England. The accusation was made by one single Benedictine monk, Thomas of Mommouth, who had claimed to have talked to some of the people in 1150 who witnessed the event. In other words, this was a second-hand story allegedly received by one monk six years after the alleged date of the murder that ignited the Blood Libel, occasionally still blazing across the globe today. This is so irrational, but that is the weapon of Satan to transform the irrational into the rational and make people believe it and go after the Jews. The most recent book on the topic was Pasqua di Sangue (Passovers of Blood) by Ariel Toaff, published in His native Italian in 2007 and translated into English in 2016. That is 872 years after the death of William of Norwich. In his book, Ariel Toaff claims that the use of blood for Passover was a regular thing in Jewish communities, and it is very damaging to judeo/Christian relations. It should not come as a surprise, then, when we hear of people in the Middle East accusing Jews of the same crime today, as was the case in 2014, as reported in Times of Israel, “Israel is targeting the Palestinians… I would just like to remind you of the ruling by the Israeli rabbis, who have instructed the soldiers to knead the [dough for] the bread that the Jews eat with the blood of Arab and Palestinian children.” The old canard lives on, as irrational as ever and as believable as ever by those who loathe the Jews and seek their complete destruction. If we want to connect Passover to blood, we can actually do it without too much difficulty, but it is not the blood of Christian children, but the blood of the Passover Lamb, sacrificed by each Jewish family after they came out of the Egyptian captivity and experienced the first Passover as retold in Exodus 12, and especially verses 21-22, “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Bring out and take for yourselves lambs according to your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the doorway of his house until morning.” The blood of the lamb was to be applied to the doorposts and lintel of the Jewish homes where the families were securely inside, and the destroyer (angel of death) would smite the Egyptians and preserve the Jewish people. Even back then, there was no sign of any blood consumption by anyone whatsoever. Taking this biblical story to its perfect fulfillment, we must first look at the purpose of the Passover lamb for the Jewish people, and the true meaning of “life is in the blood” comes to life. But beyond this, we can also look at the ultimate Lamb of God, Yeshua of Nazareth, who sacrificed His own life to pay for the sins of all people just like John the Baptist cried out, “behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John1:29.)” If we are to talk about blood during the Feast of Pesach (Passover), we’d better talk about the blood of Yeshua shed on the Cross for the salvation of all mankind. That is the only blood worth mentioning and it is not the blood of Christians, but the blood of Christ! The Way We Represent Christ - By Nathele Graham - [email protected] “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart” (Psalm 32:11). We live in the time of the signs, and prophecy is being fulfilled quickly. We hear news headlines, or people talk around the water cooler at work, and the words are of doom, gloom, and fear. It’s so easy for us to lose sight of the fact that Christians can rest easy in God’s truth. God hasn’t changed at all, and His word is still truth. Unfortunately, many Christians choose not to study God’s word. Liberal media gets high priority in reading material, but God’s word is left on a shelf to gather dust. As that happens, it’s the secular view of life that gets seared into our minds and hearts. In October of 2023, Hamas committed a vicious and heinous act of terrorism against Israel. At first, the world was stunned that such a brutal attack could be done by one group of humans against another group. Then, the liberal media began blaming Israel. If you study Scripture, you’ll understand that God gave that land to Abraham and to his children forever. God had made a covenant with Abraham. “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (Genesis 15:18-21). There were no conditions or time limits on that promise. There have been times when Israel has fallen out of fellowship with God, but that didn’t cancel the promise. Much later, God did give rules to Moses to pass along to the Jewish people. “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:4-6). Israel is a treasure to God, even when they are in rebellion. They’ve been in rebellion for many years. In 1948, Israel was reestablished as a nation, not because of any work of men but because God ordained it. The Jewish people have all rights to Jerusalem and, indeed, to every inch of Israel. When God makes a promise, He will never go back on it. Prophecy is an important Biblical study, and Christians need to make every effort to understand it. Why is this important? God doesn’t want us to be taken by surprise. He wants us to understand the times in which we live. By understanding, we can find peace when others are wringing their hands and fretting. Prophecy is also a great witnessing tool. Sadly, even Christians are having trouble dealing with all the evil that’s happening in the world. The horrid attack that Hamas inflicted upon Israel has many people talking about the end times. Some talk mockingly, but others truly want to understand what God says. Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be a “problem” to all nations. Guess what? There’s a war going on today because the Muslim nations that surround Israel want to destroy them, and all nations of the world are affected. “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:2-3). Some say this is a prophecy concerning the final battle when Christ returns at the end of the Great Tribulation. That may be, but it looks very much as if it could be happening now, before the Tribulation. What we can absolutely know for sure is that God will never allow Israel to be uprooted again. Prophecy is clear on that point. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11-12). If you study the history of how it all came together for Israel to be reestablished, it was miraculous and obvious that God orchestrated it. In the last few years, much has happened to cause anxiety. The pandemic caused so much trouble, and what we know now makes it look even worse. Evil men were behind it, and the supposed “cure” was just a long line of jabs. There’s talk of more pestilence coming. Food tampering, as well as genetic tampering (as in the days of Noah), is a reality today. When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age, He gave some signs. “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8). Jesus said not to be troubled when we see these things, but He also said it’s just the beginning. As I see prophecy being fulfilled, I get scared and upset, but I also find peace knowing that God has told us what is coming, but He has also promised Christians that we will be Raptured prior to the final seven years of history. We’re seeing things happening faster, and we can trust in the Lord to take us away from the Tribulation. Christians need to represent Christ in a way that honors Him and gives hope to others, not in a way that follows the world. Unfortunately, we’re seeing another sign that the days are coming to an end. “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it” (Amos 8:11-12). Today, people just don’t study or share God’s word. Paul also wrote a letter to Timothy warning about what will happen to congregations in the later days. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Many pulpits today are filled with much false doctrine… doctrine of devils. There is truly a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. This lack of teaching allows world events to put fear into the hearts of Christians. There’s no reason to only blame preachers. Most people have access to Bibles and can study Scripture for themselves. There are many excellent Bible teachers online, but use discernment; there are many false teachers. The best way to study and teach Scripture is to start in Genesis 1:1 and teach line upon line and precept upon precept through Revelation 21:21. That way, no important truths will be skipped. If you are a Christian and spend your time fearfully listening to all of the bad things happening in the world and fretting and worrying about what you read, remember that MSNBC and CNN raise their ratings by feeding on people’s fears. Satan also feeds on lies and fear. No wonder many Christians are scared. Instead of keeping tuned to God, they stay tuned to secular programming. Christians should be the ones who are calm and faithfully representing Christ. We are the ones who need to have answers to help the unsaved find salvation and peace in Christ. Peter is a good example of a man who was changed by Jesus. Peter followed Jesus for years but didn’t really know Him. That’s like many Christians today. It wasn’t until after the resurrection that Peter let go of his fears and became a true man of God. He no longer hid in fear of people knowing he was a follower of Christ. He wrote letters of encouragement that still edify us today. In his first letter, Peter spoke of living a God-honoring life. If you walk closer to Jesus, you will have less fear. “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:14-15). If a non-believer is filled with anxiety over news reports or anger because they blame Israel for the war, do you have answers? If they look at you and you’re anxious and have no joy in the Lord, will they even know you’re a Christian? On the other hand, if you show joy in your life because you are a child of the King, they may feel comfortable asking you about your peace. Will you have an answer? Can you explain why Israel owns the land and why the war is happening? Can you explain that things will get worse and that the only hope to escape the horrors of the Tribulation is to truly repent of sin and turn to Jesus? These are important answers to important questions. If you represent Christ with joy and strength, you are serving Him well. The world holds no hope for anybody. For a person who has not given their life to Christ, there is no chance to live eternally in Heaven; they face an eternity in the lake of fire. On the other hand, Christians have so much in which to find joy. Our sins have been forgiven. Do you really understand what that means? Sin separates us from God. Even what we think is a small sin is still sin and will condemn us to an eternity in the lake of fire. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If you dwell on that fact, it can be very depressing, but there’s more to that thought. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26). You cannot have any joy or peace unless you have realized that you are a sinner and that sin has separated you from God. It’s time to repent of sin; that means to change your mind and turn to Christ. If you live an adulterous lifestyle, that’s sin. Repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness. He will forgive you. Then, turn away from sin. You cannot represent Christ in a good way if you’re living a life that glorifies the world. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Give your thoughts to God, and don’t let fear stop you from representing Christ in a way that honors Him. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed. If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6). Daily Jot: Official Documents: CDC, FDA lied about COVID treatments - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recent court-mandated release of over 780,000 COVID vaccine injury reports demonstrates that the CDC knew within weeks of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout that the shots left tremendous dangerous side effects in their wake. Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration was ordered in a March 21 settlement to retire, delete and not republish information saying that ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID. These two court orders expose the federal government of gaslighting the American public about the effectiveness of COVID prevention and treatment and the negative life-altering side effects of something the government insisted was “safe and effective.” A UK study of over 20,000 adults in 2021-22 published February 29 in the Journal of Infection indicated that people treated with ivermectin for COIVD-19 recovered two-days faster, were less likely to be hospitalized, or to die from COVID (1.6% vs 4%), and experienced greater sustained recovery (57% vs 52%). Still the study declined to recommend ivermectin. This and other studies showed the effectiveness of ivermectin treatment, yet governments worldwide, following FDA leadership, refused to treat people with ivermectin. The court order required FDA to “retire” its consumer update “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19,” and to “delete and not republish” its social media posts “you are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.” Now, after so much loss of life. The CDC court-ordered release of vaccine injuries demonstrated that it knew as early as November 2020 of the serious side effects of the COVID vaccines including heart inflammation, myocarditis, stroke, tinnitus, and other serious issues. But the CDC chose to hide this information from the public and manipulate the reporting system so as to frustrate assessing the rate of adverse events. Despite the fact that the COVID vaccines do not prevent COVID, do not stop it from spreading, and have severe and long-standing side effects, CDC still features on its website the following: “COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and free. Everyone 6 months and older can get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.” In short, the government lied and continues to lie about COVID vaccines, and it also prevented use of effective COVID treatments like ivermectin. The government is now being forced to release information proving it knew it was making false claims at the expense of millions of lives and no telling the long-term damage to vaccine recipients. These also show the insidious relationship the CDC and FDA have with big pharma. President of the Brownstone Institute Jeffrey A Tucker in a recent Epoch Times editorial sums it up: “What we have in operation here is a form of vampiric capitalism, an entire industry that has colonized our health and bodies in the interest of wealth extraction even though its products do not work and actually make us more sick, providing more opportunities to innovate products that do more of the same.” Christ warned in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” This entire COVID episode is framed in deceit, and accountability has fallen in the streets. Daily Devotion: Proof of God’s Love - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. —Romans 5:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/proof-of-gods-love-2/ - Listen I’ve noticed that people like to think of their animals as human. They’ll put clothes on their dogs, for example, but dogs don’t like clothes. Years ago, I bought a Harley-Davidson hat for my dog, which I thought was funny. But he hated it. And he couldn’t wait to get it off. We can put clothes on dogs, but it won’t turn them into humans. A dog is still a dog. In the same way, we might try to change our environment or the way we look, but it won’t change who we are. We’ll still be the same on the inside. When a Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus with some questions, Jesus told him, “Don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again’ ” (John 3:7 NLT). To help Nicodemus understand, Jesus went on to say, “The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit” (verse 8 NLT). Jesus was saying, “It is just like the wind. You don’t see the wind coming or where it is going, but you see its effects. You can tell when it is going to rain. Look at the dark clouds. You can see the rain. But you can’t see the wind. You can only see the effects of it.” In the same way, we can’t see God. But to say there is no God because we can’t see Him is like saying we don’t believe in electricity because we can’t see it. Although we can’t see God, we can see His effect. We can see the impact He has made in people’s lives. Jesus got more specific in His conversation with Nicodemus and laid out the essential gospel message. He also gave us a verse that every Christian should commit to memory: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). This refutes the concept of God as a cosmic killjoy or an angry judge who is ready to destroy humanity. Rather, Jesus began by saying, “For this is how God loved the world.” God loves everyone, despite what they’ve done. And He showed His love to us in a tangible way. The apostle Paul wrote, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). But let’s also notice the other part of John 3:16: “So that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT). What does it mean to believe? It doesn’t mean to intellectually accept something. Sometimes we think that believing something means acknowledging it is true. However, that is not believing in the biblical sense. The word “believe” means to put your complete faith in something. God is saying, “Trust Me with your life.” That is what it means to believe. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 4/23/24 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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