Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Does Jesus Beat His Wife? - Jack Kinsella -
www.omegaletter.com Throughout the New Testament, the word translated as 'mystery' comes from the Greek 'musterion' which literally means 'secret' or 'hidden thing'. "Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." (1st Corinthians 15:53) In our modern English, however, 'mystery' is understood in the Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmesian sense of the word. The Apostle Paul cannot therefore be referring to the Second Coming of Christ in this passage. The truth of the Second Coming was revealed by Christ previously and therefore does not qualify. The Second Coming was prophesied even before His first advent. Daniel 12:1-3; Zechariah 12:10; 14:4 all mention the 2nd Coming, and Jude quotes Enoch, the "seventh from Adam" who "prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints." (Jude 1:14) The Rapture, therefore, is the previously unrevealed secret, a 'hidden thing' of God previously unknown to men and not His triumphant return at the end of the Tribulation Period. As the end of this present Age approaches, there are many Christians who are beginning to wonder if we might already be in the Tribulation now. We aren't. Here is how you can be sure. You are reading this page instead of partying at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. There are lots and lots of folks who think I am way out there for adhering to a pre-Tribulationist doctrine. (I know this to be true, also, because I get emails from them every time I comment on the Rapture, saying, "Kinsella, you're way out there!") They'll go on smugly (and endlessly), playing word games like 'the word 'Rapture' isn't even in the Bible' as if that meant something. (Try and find the word 'Bible' in the Bible. Does its absence mean there's no Bible?) Or babble mindlessly about Margarent MacDonald and C.I. Schofield, before pronouncing Dispensationalism and a pre-Trib Rapture a modern-day 'invented' doctrine. I say 'mindlessly' because they don't know what they are talking about -- they are just quoting somebody else's research as if it were the Gospel itself. Instead of building the argument based on what the Bible doesn't say about the Rapture, it is helpful to take a good close look at what it DOES tell us about the Rapture. First, notice that the Rapture involves the movement of believers from the earth to Heaven: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17) The 'dead in Christ' rise first, those believers who are 'alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. The operative word here is 'rise'. At the Second Coming, the Lord returns WITH His saints. That's what Jude said. That's what Paul said. "To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." (1st Thessalonians 3:13) At the Rapture, the Lord comes for His saints. So the Rapture is not the same event as the Second Coming. In one instance, believers rise and in the other, they descend. Things that are different are NOT the same, and the Rapture and the Second Coming are clearly different. What would be the point of Rapturing the Church after the Tribulation, anyway? The Lord returns to establish His kingdom on earth, so why pull out all the Christians before He can do so? If they are all changed at the end of the Tribulation, then who, exactly, is left for Him to rule over? "And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And He shall set the sheep on His right Hand, but the goats on the left." (Matthew 25:32-33) If all the believers are raptured at the Second Coming, that would also include the Tribulation saints. Where would the believers in mortal bodies come from if they are raptured at the Second Coming? Who would be able to enter into Christ's Kingdom? Then there is Daniel's 70 weeks. The Church was absent for the first sixty-nine weeks -- the countdown was suspended at the Cross so the Church could be born. Daniel makes it clear that all 70 weeks are determined 'upon Israel'. Revelation 19:7-8 says, "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." If the Bride is made ready to accompany Christ to the earth at the Second Coming, (while part of the bride is still on earth during the Tribulation) then how does the Bride (the church) also come with Christ at His Return? When we were at the pre-Trib conference in Dallas, one of our OL members, Barb Hvasta, said something that I had never considered. One can spend so much time out in the weeds on this subject that the screamingly obvious can slip right by, unnoticed. Of all the arguments offered at the conference for how we can know that the Lord comes back for His Bride before the first seal judgment (the revelation of the antichrist), Barb nailed it the best -- and in a single sentence! "Arguing that the Lord would put the Bride of Christ through the Tribulation is like getting engaged and then beating your bride senseless in order to prepare her for the wedding." Indeed! What kind of loving Bridegroom would subject His Bride to the worst beating imaginable (as Jesus Himself described it). The Rapture is actually among the oldest doctrines in the Bible, along with the fall of mankind and the promise of a Savior. "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." (Genesis 5:24) Not only does Enoch prefigure the Rapture, note that Enoch's Rapture was pre-Flood, not mid-Flood, or post-Flood. The Scriptures are plain, clear and concise on the topic of a pre-Tribulation Rapture -- provided one interprets the Bible literally, instead of figuratively or symbolically. While no man knows the day or the hour of the Rapture, the Second Coming can be accurately predicted, since Daniel tells us He returns exactly 1,290 days after the antichrist sits in the Mercy Seat in the Temple and announces that He is God; "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:4) "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." (Daniel 12:11) The pre-Tribulation Rapture is often called the "Blessed Hope" by those who look for His return before the Tribulation begins. Those who believe the Church will go through the Tribulation sneeringly call it the 'Great Escape'. Don't let anybody steal away your Blessed Hope: "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (1st Corinthians 15:16-19) The Rapture happens before the Tribulation, which means that He is coming for us soon! It isn't a Great Escape -- it is instead the original hope and change. The pre-Trib reading offers us hope that the Lord will change us and so shall we ever be with the Lord, which is why Paul closed with 1 Thessalonians 4:18: "Wherfore comfort one another with these words." Any other reading makes the Lord out to be a wife-beater and our hope is then that He will change after the Tribulation is over. I find precious little comfort in that scenario. Even if I do deserve the beating. Signs of war - http://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=540369 If, or - perhaps more accurately - when, war breaks out again on the northern border with Iranian proxy Hezbollah, the international community won't be able to claim it was not forewarned. Israel has been telling anyone willing to listen that Iran is entrenching itself in Syria and is developing precision missiles in Lebanon designed to be fired at Israel. And Israel has no intention of sitting by idly while Tehran does it. During his visit to Moscow on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made this clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If Iran is not stopped," Netanyahu reportedly told Putin, "then Israel will stop it." The prime minister's message to Putin is part of a larger campaign warning of Iranian belligerence and Israel's refusal to accept it. IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis warned recently in a rare op-ed on the Hezbollah-friendly Al-Masdar website that was also broadcast on the Voice of Beirut radio station that "Lebanon has become - both by its own actions and omissions and by a blind eye from many members of the international community - one large missile factory." "Iran has de facto opened a new branch, the 'Lebanon branch.' Iran is here... The future of Lebanese citizens is in the hands of a dictator who sits in Tehran," Manelis wrote, adding that "I think it is right to warn the residents of Lebanon of the Iranian game in their security and in their future." Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman echoed the message, noting that while Israel has no desire to go to war, it will use "all the options" available to it to prevent the production of missiles in Lebanon by Iran and Hezbollah. Further increasing the chances of a conflict is the blustering of Hezbollah. "Israel should not be unmindful and engage itself in a war that would destroy it," Mohammad Raad, a member of Lebanon's parliament from Hezbollah, warned in response to Manelis's op-ed. "Hezbollah has become today stronger and has what it takes to destroy the Israeli army." Raad's overblown confidence is probably shared by his fellow Hezbollah terrorists. And this does not bode well for the future. As history has taught us, one of the main causes of war is the mistaken estimate by a weak but bellicose aggressor that it has the power to overcome its much stronger enemy. If Hezbollah starts a war with Israel due to visions of grandeur and a false belief that it can defeat the Jewish state, it will be proven wrong only after hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Lebanese are killed. Apparently, Hezbollah has a short memory. Israel caused extensive damage to southern Lebanon during the 34-day Second Lebanon War of 2006. More than a thousand Lebanese, most of them Hezbollah fighters, were killed, and over 5,000 Lebanese were wounded. Perhaps Hezbollah truly believes that it has the capabilities to overcome Israel. This might be because the Shi'ite group overvalues the experience it has accrued from fighting alongside the Assad regime, Iran and Russia in Syria. Hezbollah's naval forces are reportedly receiving tactical support from Iran, which is also involved in the fighting in Yemen. Or it might be because since 2006 Hezbollah has been assiduously building it rocket arsenal, including missiles that can reach central Israel; developing an intricate tunnel system, complete with ventilation, electricity and rocket launchers; and, because it is no longer bogged down in Syria, it can mobilize almost 30,000 fighters. Whatever the reason, Hezbollah is dangerously overestimating its military capabilities, which makes it prone to stupid actions that are liable to drag southern Lebanon into another war. It is not too late for countries such as Russia and the US to avert another destructive conflagration in Lebanon that would force Israel to reestablish deterrence with Hezbollah at a terrible price to the Lebanese people. For this to happen, however, there must be a clear recognition that Iran and its proxy Hezbollah are the ones escalating the conflict. In any event, if or when war breaks out again on the northern border, world leaders will not be able to say they were not warned. The Underground Battle For Mount Zion - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/101940/underground-battle-mount-zion/#33SfOAglPQXzVHub.99 "But David captured the stronghold of Tzion; it is now the City of David." II Samuel 5:7 (The Israel Bible™) Mount Zion, a site of great importance to the Jewish people, is almost entirely owned by the Vatican. It happens to also be a focal point of a political battle being fought, oddly enough, underground. Harry Moskoff is an executive producer and writer of The A.R.K. Report, an account of his research into the location of the lost Ark of the Covenant. Moskoff is a devout Jew who uses archaeology to investigate his Biblical theories and is preparing to film a documentary that will investigate what lies below some of Jerusalem's holiest sites. One segment of his documentary will focus on Mount Zion specifically, located directly west of the Old City outside of the ancient walls. Moskoff notes that when the Bible refers to Mount Zion, it is actually using one of the names for the Temple Mount, which is also known as Mount Moriah. In that regard, he will investigate a theory of his that King David moved from his palace in the City of David, located on the southern slopes of the Temple Mount, to Mount Zion in the latter parts of his life. While some archaeologists believe that King David is buried near the City of David, Moskoff contends that his tomb is in fact located on Mount Zion. When he launched his investigation, Moskoff was shocked to find resistance from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that tried to prevent him from accessing the site. "I was naive but I was immediately made aware of a political battle being fought in the guise of archaeology," Moskoff told Breaking Israel News. "These groups wield a lot of power. They are working to prevent me from going into the tunnels under Mount Zion. "Their method is very simple: they take us to court and claim we are harming the Palestinian rights," he continued. One such NGO is Emek Shaveh, an Israeli organization describing itself as comprising archaeologists and community activists who are focused on the role that archaeology plays in Israeli society and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The NGO claims that the Israeli government's archaeological activity on the Temple Mount and Mount Zion are unscientific and only intended to undermine Palestinian rights in those areas. Emek Shaveh's description of itself gives off the appearance that it acts primarily out of humanitarian concerns. However, according to NGO Monitor, a watchdog organization that investigates the activities of anti-Israel NGOs, Emek Shaveh receives its funding from the European Union, as well as from individual European governments and anti-Israel organizations like the New Israel Fund. "These NGO's are trying to discredit the Biblical basis of the archaeology in Israel," Moskoff said. "This is a political battle being fought on the battlefield of archaeology, but the archaeological sites are also the Biblical sites. They are hijacking the science of archaeology for what is really a religious battle." Eli Dan, who served as assistant director of the Diaspora Yeshiva, a Torah institution on Mount Zion, which was charged with running the compound of King David's Tomb after the Six-Day War in 1967, has witnessed what he describes as a "long and complicated war" with the Vatican. "The Vatican fought for years to gain control of Mount Zion," Dan told Breaking Israel News. "Their main interest lies in the room where the Christians believe the Last Supper was held." "The previous Pope promoted a political agenda that advanced the Palestinian cause because he wanted to gain control of the site," he elaborated. "But that room is in a building adjacent to the Tomb of King David." Dan explained that King Solomon, King Hezekiah, and several high priests are also believed to be buried at the site. "The battle going on now for Mount Zion goes much deeper," Dan added. "The battle is for the identity of the site: whether it is a Jewish religious site, a Catholic site, or whether it is simply a tourist attraction with no religious significance." "The Palestinians have no say here and don't have any cultural or religious connection to the site," he continued. "Their influence has all but disappeared, but the NGO's still cause trouble, speaking very loudly in their name." Moskoff does not believe the battle has been won yet for Israel and the Jewish people. "People have to know about this, that these groups will do whatever it takes to keep us out of there," Moskoff said. "If we don't act, they will take away our rights to every one of our holy sites." Turkey Moving Closer to Gog-Magog Alliance? - Tzippe Barrow - http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2018/february/turkey-moving-closer-to-gog-magog-alliance There's been plenty written about the fulfillment of end-time prophecies in the days in which we're living. The changes that have taken place in Turkey over the past decade and a half could possibly indicate the latest piece of the puzzle falling into place. Before President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ascent to power, Turkey and Israel enjoyed a close working relationship, from tourism to trade to the military and beyond. That began to change when Erdogan was elected prime minister in 2003. Over time, he became increasingly open about his plan to reshape Turkey into an Islamic state. He wasn't subtle and indeed was quick to oppress and/or arrest anyone who opposed him. One incident followed another. CBN News reported on many of them. While trying to keep an open door with NATO and possible membership in the EU, Erdogan gravitated toward Islamic leaders in Iran, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere. He extended invitations to senior officials of known terror groups like Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He criticized Israel at every opportunity and praised Islamic endeavors. Erdogan's latest move against the Kurdish population in Afrin in northern Syria - and his use of brutal jihadists to attack other Kurdish civilians in the area - is moving Turkey toward the coalition of nations that will attack Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). More than 2,700 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel listed Turkey in the Gog-Magog alliance, which includes Russia (Magog), Iran (Persia), Sudan (Cush), Libya (Put); and Turkey (Gomer). Anti-Semitism is part and parcel of Islamic ideology as described in the Koran and the hadiths. Since his ascension to power nearly 15 years ago, Erdogan has not hidden his hatred toward Israel and the Jewish people. Turkey's growing friendship with the Gog-Magog alliance is indisputable evidence of the coming fulfillment of Ezekiel 38 and 39. The best part of this frightening scenario is God's intervention on behalf of His covenant land and people. News from Hal Lindsey Media Ministries - Hal Lindsey - www.hallindsey.com We are beginning to hear serious discussions about the "deep state." Especially with the furor surrounding the release of the Congressional memo regarding the use of dubious (or false) information by the FBI to obtain FISA warrants to surveil the campaign of Presidential candidate Donald Trump. What is the "deep state?" Google defines it this way: The "deep state [is] a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy." I'm sure that in the coming weeks we are going to be learning a lot more about the "deep state." Probably more than we wish we knew! In the meantime, it appears we are seeing evidence of the "deep state" beginning to overtly manifest. Recently, former Secretary of State John Kerry met with Hussein Agha in London. Agha is a close associate of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Israeli newspaper, Maariv, reported that Kerry asked Agha to pass a message to Mahmoud Abbas. He allegedly told Abbas to "hold on and be strong" because Trump will not be in office long. Kerry reportedly said that President Trump could be out of office within a year. Though the PA has confirmed the meeting, they will not confirm the comment. But if the Israeli report is true, what does John Kerry know? Even government officials have a right to their own personal political opinions. But during the last presidential election, a real "deep state" began to emerge. A story about the "deep state" is not a story about Donald Trump. It is about "the rule of law." Jesus warned that in the last days, "Lawlessness will abound." (Matthew 24:12 NKJV) I believe we now see lawlessness reaching new and disturbing levels. We have mounting evidence that high ranking members of the Department of Justice, including the FBI, sought ways to illegally interfere in the 2016 election. And have apparently sought ways to influence its aftermath. Immediately after the election, a troubling number of people who opposed the results began calling themselves "the Resistance." A "resistance movement" typically works in opposition to totalitarian regimes or occupying powers in which the "rule of law" has been suspended. In May of last year, Hillary Clinton announced the formation of a political organization to fund "resistance" groups. She said, "I'm going to do everything I can to support the resistance." Even former President Barack Obama has publicly encouraged "resistance" activities. Now, Clinton and Obama no longer hold official government positions. So they have influence, but no actual power. However, other members of "the resistance" hold power at the highest levels. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, recently warned of "corruption at the highest levels of the FBI." For years, we have lamented the moral decay in our nation. Moral decay means a corruption of values. And that corruption can reach anywhere -- even into the Justice Department and the FBI. There is something deeply wrong in the United States when some of our most trusted citizens and officials form themselves into a "fifth column" -- determined to do "everything" in their power to topple the duly elected government. If you or your loved ones have had the flu this year, you know what I mean when I say, "This year's flu is catastrophic!" It's killing the very young and the very old. But it's also killing young adults in seemingly perfect health. Recently, Bloomberg News ran a story on the influenza outbreaks under the headline: "Flu Season from Hell Keeps Getting Worse." This year's version of the flu first hit back in 1968. Then it was known as the "Hong Kong Flu." The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report "widespread flu activity" in every state except Hawaii. Schools have closed in 12 states. Emergency rooms are swamped. Some major hospitals have erected huge tents in their parking lots to handle the overflow. And the CDC notes that the flu season hasn't even peaked yet! Some experts estimate that as many as 56,000 could die from the flu this year. Jesus warned that the last days will see a rise in "pestilence." (Matthew 24:7) The current flu epidemic may be just one example. Another has been called "Spermageddon." That's what they're calling the male infertility crisis that's happening around the world. Hebrew University in Jerusalem recently released a study of data involving 43,000 men over a period of four decades. The study found that in the last 25 years, male sperm count has declined 60%. The Daily Mail of London called it "the most robust evidence to date of an unfolding disaster." Last week, a group of scientists announced their opinion that, at this rate, the human race could be infertile in 50 years! I began reporting about the comments of Dame Sally Davies in 2013. Dame Sally is the Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom (UK). She has been warning the world about the coming "superbug apocalypse." Five years later, it's here! CBS News recently reported: "Experts estimate that 700,000 people die around the world each year from drug-resistant 'superbugs,' and they expect the number to grow sharply." Some experts think that number will rise to two million deaths per year. The CDC estimates that more than 23,000 a year die from antibiotic-resistant 'superbugs' in the United States alone. It's true that the medical world has made unbelievable advances over the past century. But, despite our progress the world is seeing a dramatic rise in diseases from tuberculosis to smallpox to bubonic plague. And we are rapidly reaching the point where our miracle medicines will no longer be effective. Precisely as Jesus warned would happen in the final days before His return. Late last year, The Jerusalem Post reported, "A train station that will be built not far from the Western Wall will be named after US President Donald Trump." Israeli Transportation Minister Israel Katz said, "The Western Wall is the holiest place for the Jewish people, and I decided to name the train station that leads to it after President Trump... following his historic and brave decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel." Extending the train route to the Donald J. Trump Station near the Western Wall shows that the Israelis are getting ready for an enormous increase in tourism near the Temple Mount. Israeli officials may not realize it, but they are building the infrastructure for what may one day be the most visited single site on earth -- the new Temple sitting atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In Matthew 24, Jesus prophesied that the Temple of His day would be destroyed. And, in 70 AD, it was. But He also spoke of an "abomination of desolation" that will desecrate a future Temple. Even the mainstream media has noticed something unusual is happening. Recently, Newsweek reported, "Some Jews said Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital paved the way for the construction of a Third Jewish Temple in the same place the Second Temple had been." Folks, this one recent development alone signals to us that we are shifting into high gear as we approach the final days of this Age. The next big event will be the return of Jesus Christ to catch away all true believers in the Rapture. Finally, in my years as a believer, I have seen many Christian leaders acknowledge that we are not living under the Law of Moses. Then I have watched them turn around and substitute their own version of the law! But to do that is to try to combine law and grace. We forget that the law must be kept completely. Completely. No room for even one misstep or failure. That is humanly impossible. You see, the purpose of the law was to drive us to despair of self-effort. The law leads us to accept grace because it shows how far short of God's standards we all fall. Mixing law and grace is not possible because grace is only grace if all other requirements are dropped. Romans 11:6 says, "If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." We must have grace, but we cannot earn it or deserve it. If you could qualify to deserve it, you wouldn't need it. This subject is one of the great issues with which many in the Christian traditions have struggled throughout history. This week, I will explain it all in great detail. And I will share with you one of the most profound examples of the concept of grace I have ever witnessed. When former gymnast Rachael Denhollander stood before the physician who had been sentenced to more than 200 years in prison for molesting more than 150 young girls, she explained the magnificent story of grace in just a few short sentences. You must see it for yourself. Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com . Check your local listings. 9 reasons Shroud of Turin is the real deal - http://www.wnd.com/2018/02/9-reasons-shroud-of-turin-is-the-real-deal/#4avjJUZ2Th8idJ5h.99 Blood type identified as same found in another Jesus artifact "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed." - Matthew 27:57-60 With Easter and Passover just two months away, the Shroud of Turin is getting more attention than ever before, with many converts to the belief it may indeed be the burial cloth of Jesus. What is the shroud? It is an ancient, sepia-colored, rectangular, 14.3 by 3.7-foot linen cloth woven in a three-to-one herringbone twill composed of flax fibrils with the front and the back image of a naked man with his hands folded across his groin. While some consider it to be the burial cloth of Jesus left behind following His resurrection, others deny Jesus, arguably the most famous character in history, even existed. For many years, some dismissed the shroud as a medieval forgery. That possibility becomes more remote with every scientific test to which the artifact is subjected, leaving researchers baffled about how it could have been created, aside from the supernatural power of a resurrection. Here then are nine reasons the shroud is gaining more currency as the real deal: 1. Last summer, researchers from the Institute of Crystallography said they experimented with blood serum extracted from the cloth that suggests the person was suffering before death. They concluded it was the funeral fabric of a tortured man. Researchers there said these particles, called "nanoparticles," were a "peculiar structure, size and distribution," according to University of Padua professor Giulio Fanti. Tests on the nanoparticles reveal that they are not typical of the blood found in a healthy person. Instead, they show high levels of substances called creatinine and ferritin. Both are found in patients who suffer severe and forceful traumas such as torture. "Hence, the presence of these biological nanoparticles found during our experiments point to a violent death for the man wrapped in the Turin Shroud," Fanti said. Fanti said the latest discovery debunks the age-old claim that someone simply painted the image on the shroud. The characteristics of these nanoparticles "cannot be artifacts made over the centuries on the fabric of the shroud," he said. "These findings could only be revealed by the methods recently developed in the field of electron microscopy," said Carlino. He said the research marked the first study of "the nanoscale properties of a pristine fiber taken from the Turin Shroud." 2. In 2013, scientific tests on the Shroud of Turin, which went on display in a special TV appearance introduced by the pope, dated the cloth to ancient times, challenging earlier experiments dating it only to the Middle Ages. Scientists at the University of Padua in northern Italy, tested fibers from the relic and dated it between 300 B.C. and A.D. 400, which includes the era of Jesus. 3. Even the blood type found on the cloth has been identified as the rare AB, representing less than 3 percent of the population. Interestingly, another artifact associated with the shroud, known as the Sudarium of Oviedo in Spain, is another linen cloth - 34 inches by 21 inches - a kind of handkerchief that legend said was used to cover Jesus' head after the crucifixion. The blood type in the Sudarium has also been found to be AB. 4. A 2015 study of the pollens found in the shroud found 28 of them grown in Israel, with 20 of them in Jerusalem and eight nearby. Of the 28 plants, 27 are in bloom in March and April, the most likely time of the Passover. Half of the pollens are found only in the Middle East and never in Europe - virtually ruling out a medieval forgery on the continent. 5. Perhaps most fascinating is that the image on the cloth is not a stain. It is not painted on. It is not burned on. Somehow it was seared on to the cloth with a technology no one has yet to determine. Scientists in the 21st century have been unable even to reproduce it. It appears to have been caused by a burst of radiation. Italian scientist Paolo DiLazzaro tried for five years to replicate the image and concluded that it was produced by ultraviolet light, but the ultraviolet light necessary to reproduce the image exceeds the maximum power released by all ultraviolet light sources available today. The time for such a burst "would be shorter than one 40-billionth of a second, and the intensity of the ultraviolet light would have to be around several billion watts." 6. The image of the man on the shroud can be read by 3D imaging technology, something that can't be done with paintings. The image on the shroud is also only a few fibers deep. 7. Despite traditions in artwork and movies, the image of the shroud shows the nail marks at the bottom of the hand into the wrist. Only recently has modern science determined nails through the middle of the hands would be insufficient to hold a man's weight on the cross because the nail would tear through the tissues of this hands. 8. There are about 100 whip lacerations on the victim's back that match the flagrums of the first-century Romans for scourging. 9. There is even evidence of what appears to be spear wound - consistent with what is described in John 19:34. Daily Jot: All Pro Dads at Super Bowl LII - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Jesus told us in Matthew 5:14-16, "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." The Daily Jot is dedicated to equipping and encouraging its readers to evangelize, to be that light shining before men. Our goal is to use current events and commentary from a Biblical world view to equip readers to speak about events as well as to share the gospel. There is a lot wrong with the world, but there are some who are certainly bright shining lamp stands. Two of these men who are standing as such happen to be in the football space where they are dedicated to developing young men of character and reaching out to fathers. One is Troy Vincent, Sr. Troy was a first round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 1992 and played 15 years. He has been nominated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and currently serves as Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL. He is a kind, loving man whose heart is sold out for Jesus Christ. Another is Tony Dungy. Coach Dungy won two Super Bowls as a player and one as a Head Coach. But he would want to be remembered as a man of God. These men are intimately involved in All Pro Dads, an organization that promotes Godly fatherhood from the standpoint that "the true victory in life is not on a scoreboard, but is measured by the love and honor of their children." Like every man, they have their imperfections, but you might hear them say, "Each day, I just strive to be better, to serve my Lord better." It is a concept that is taught on the football field: take each play one at a time, use each play to get better. Each year at the Super Bowl, All Pro Dads holds a Family Football Clinic where dads and their sons or daughters hear a faith-based presentation from a current or former NFL player, and are taught football skills from former NFL players. Coach Dungy tells us why faith is important to him: "My Christian faith is the most important thing to me because it impacts everything I do and every decision I make. Everything else, including football, is temporary. Even family relationships will one day come to an end, but faith impacts eternity. So my life has to be defined by that faith, rather than by my career or my relationships. In a life that will definitely have ups and downs the steadying influence for me is my belief that God has an ultimate plan." Troy and Coach are two men of many in football who live by faith and share it not only by example, but by speaking boldly. This is why football is valuable to our youth and to dads who want to be better. Daily Devotion: A Life Worth Living - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. -John 10:10 One day you will have your final meal, you will make your last statement, and you will breathe your last breath. What if you were to sum up your life right now? What would you say about your purpose on earth? What truths would you want to emphasize to friends, children, and family? What regrets would you have? In Acts 20 we have the final words of the apostle Paul to the elders of the church he had started in Ephesus. Without question his words speak to any of us who are called to leadership in the church. But they also speak to us as Christians, telling us what our priorities ought to be. I want to call your attention to one word in this passage: joy. Paul said, "But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). The word joy in this verse could be translated "exceedingly happy." Were things going reasonably well for Paul? No. Paul had just said, "The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me" (Acts 20:23). Paul was a man who knew what suffering was, what hardship was. Yet he was saying that in the midst of it all, there was joy. Sometimes people think Christians live the most boring lives conceivable. Nothing could be further from the truth. The happy life is the holy life, the life that is lived for God. Jesus not only promised us life beyond the grave, but He certainly promised us a dimension of life on this earth that is worth living. 
FROM THE HEART
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