Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb - Dr. Thomas Ice - http://www.pre-trib.org/articles/view/marriage-supper-of-lamb
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God." -Revelation 19:7-9 Recently at a prophecy conference I was ask if there was a difference in the Bible between the marriage of the bride (the church) to the Lamb and the marriage supper of the Lamb. I answered that I believe that Scripture indicates that there is a difference in these things and that they are two events that will take place at two different times in history. Let me show you why I think this way. The Marriage of the Lamb According to Revelation 19:7, the bride, (which is made up of the corporate and collected members throughout the church age taken to heaven at the rapture), makes herself ready for an impending event. How is the bride or the church made ready? She is made ready by clothing "herself in the fine linen bright and clean," which is said to be "the righteous acts of the saints." This statement means that by this point in history (right before the second coming), the sum total of the bride, the body of Christ, is in heaven and has already gone through the bema judgment where church age believers are to be evaluated for their faithfulness to Christ during this present age (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10). The result of going through the judgment seat of Christ results in the bride being given fine linen that Revelation 19:8 says, "is the righteous acts of the saints." This is how "His bride has made herself ready." Ready for what? She has made herself ready for the marriage of the Lamb. Thus, within the framework of the symbolism being used in this passage, it means that the marriage (marriage ceremony) takes place right before the second coming. Later, Revelation 19:14 says, "And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses." Thus, having been newly married to the Lamb, the bride begins her role in history of reigning at the right hand of Christ (Rev. 3:21) by accompanying her new husband in the heavenly accent from heaven on white horses in order to participate in the judgment of Armageddon at the second advent. Arnold Fruchtenbaum further explains as follows: The wedding announcement will be made (v. 6) and the Bride will finally be made ready (v. 7). The reason the Bride will now be fully ready for the marriage ceremony is because she will have her entire bridal gown on (v. 8). . . . this also show that the marriage ceremony takes place after the Judgment Seat of the Messiah, when the saints are rewarded for their deeds on earth (1 Cor. 3:10-15). . . . This corresponds to the ritual cleansing of the Jewish wedding system. The ones present at the marriage ceremony are the "few," that is, only those in Heaven at that time.[1] The Marriage Supper It is at this point that many Christians today often confuse the marriage of the Lamb with the marriage supper of the Lamb. But they are two separate events that occur at two different times in history. Revelation 19:9 says, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." This passage clearly has a forward look anticipating a future time. It cannot refer to anyone in heaven since the church (the bride) is the only redeemed entity in heaven. However, after the second coming when believers from other ages will be resurrected (Dan. 12:2) along with tribulation saints, both mortal and resurrected ones (Rev. 20:4), these will be the invited guest who will be guests at this celebration supper. I believe that the marriage supper will be during the first part of the millennial reign of Christ. Fruchtenbaum says: Hence, the "many" who are bidden to attend the marriage feast on earth are all the Old Testament saints and the Tribulation saints resurrected after the Second Coming. While the marriage ceremony will take place in Heaven just before the Second Coming, the marriage feast will take place on earth after the Second Coming. In fact, it would seem that the marriage feast is what begins the Millennium or the Messianic Kingdom; the Church's co-reigning with the Messiah will start with a tremendous marriage feast.[2] There are some New Testament passages that speak of Christ eating and banqueting in the kingdom are in my opinion references to the celebration related to the marriage supper of the Lamb. What are some of these passages which strongly imply that the celebration of the marriage supper commences in the millennial kingdom? Matthew 8:11 This passage says, "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." Here is a picture of the redeemed of the ages (from Adam to John the Baptist) sitting down with Christ in the kingdom and enjoying a meal together. These are likely the invited guest that we see spoken of in Revelation 19:9, since they are redeemed human beings from the ages who are not part of the church, the Bride of Christ. In this way there will be guests at the marriage supper of the Lamb who will be able to celebrate the marriage of the second person of the Trinity to His bride-the church. Luke 13:28-29 The statements made by Jesus in this passage have some parallels to the things He said in Matthew 8:11, but there are also some differences. It says, "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out. And they will come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God." This is in the context of Christ rebuking the Jewish leaders of His day who were advocating rejection of the Messiahship of Jesus to the nation. The leaders of Israel at this time thought that they were in league with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets, when in reality they were opposed their message by not recognizing Jesus as their long promised Messiah. Therefore, others will come from the four-corners of the world and experience the fellowship of the kingdom. This dining with the Messiah will likely commence with the celebration that will take place at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Like in Matthew 8:11, these others are the invited guests mentioned in Revelation 19:9. Luke 22:16-18, 29-30 This is an important passage in relation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We read in Luke 22:16-18 the following: "for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes." This is called the Lord's Supper, which Jesus inaugurated for the soon to be born church to practice until His return to get His bride. Christ's promise not to not eat or drink again until He does it when the kingdom comes, means that He will not be celebrating His marriage supper in heaven before He descends at His second coming with His bride. Here He says the next time he eats and drinks will be at the coming of the kingdom, which will start at the beginning of the thousand years of His reign upon earth. The above stated idea is reinforced at the end of the Luke 22 passage when Christ says the following in verses 29 and 30: "and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Once again, Jesus speaks of eating and drinking during the kingdom. This is the time when we will commence personal fellowship with our Saviour. Thus, it follows that this will be the time when the marriage supper of the Lamb, celebrating with the various redeemed of the ages Christ's taking of a bride. When the two parts of Luke 22 are combined it supports the notion that the marriage supper of the Lamb, mentioned specifically in Revelation 19:9 will take place during the millennial kingdom time frame. Matthew 26:29 is a parallel passage to Luke 22 and says, "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." Parable of The Wedding Feast Matthew 22:1-14 does not teach about a supper or feast in the kingdom, but this parable does picture a wedding feast (verse 4) similar to what most likely will take place at the beginning of the millennial kingdom when the Father's Son celebrates the marriage supper of the Lamb. Thomas Figart explains the purpose how this parable pictures the marriage supper of the Lamb when he says: At first glance it may seem inappropriate to refer to the "kingdom of heaven" as a marriage feast for the son (Christ) of the king (the Father) since the Church had not even begun. Indeed, how could Christ be presented to Israel in this royal fashion before His death? But when the parable is take as a whole, it can be seen as including the rejection of the Son, the destruction of Jerusalem and the judgment of unbelievers at the return of Christ to the earth. . . . The fact is the Jews had already rejected Him by the time this parable was given, and it is His way of showing some of the events which pertain to the succeeding years, even up to and including His return to earth.[3] Thus, this parable is a picture of the wedding feast or supper that will take place in the kingdom, but many of those who thought they would be there (non-elect Israel) will be absent. Likewise, many who were thought to have not even been invited will show up as legitimate guests at this important event in history. This is why it says in Revelation 19:9, "Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." Conclusion Though the marriage of the Lamb to His bride (the church) and the marriage supper of the Lamb are closely related, they are separate events, just as the wedding ceremony and the wedding reception of our day are separate events. In fact, these two events are often held at two different locations, just as the marriage of the Lamb will be in heaven right before the second coming (Rev. 19), while the marriage supper of the Lamb will commence with the beginning of the millennium. Perhaps some are confused and fail to make these distinctions because the word marriage is used to refer to both events. By comparing Scripture with Scripture and distinguishing the things that differ, it appears clear that they are two separate events. The most important thing for anyone to consider is whether they will be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. I hear there are going to be some interesting guests there. Make sure you are one of them by trusting Christ's gift of salvation through simple faith in Him and His gracious work on the cross that paid for the sins of all those who believer. Maranatha! Endnotes [1] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Revised Edition (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), p. 597. [2] Fruchtenbaum,. Footsteps, p. 597. [3] Thomas O. Figart, The King of The Kingdom of Heaven: A Verse by Verse Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Lancaster, PA: Eden Press, 1999), p. 402. Israel, Russia agree to boot Iran and Hezbollah from northern border - By Anna Ahronheim, Herb Keinon - https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Russia-Israel-agree-to-keep-Iran-and-Hezbollah-from-border-558552 The report says Jerusalem and Moscow agreed to allow Israel to maintain its ability to act against Iran's expansion in Syria. Ahead of an expected regime offensive in southern Syria, Syrian government troops should be the only ones present on the country's southern border, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. The statement carries great significance south of the border in Israel. "Of course, all non-Syrian forces should be withdrawn on a reciprocal basis," he was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency. "This should be a two-way process. The situation, when only representatives of the Syrian armed forces will be deployed on the Syrian side of the border with Israel, should become the outcome of such work." Lavrov made his comments at a joint news conference in Moscow with his Mozambique counterpart, Jose Condungua Pacheco. He also touched on the US military camp at al-Tanf on the Syrian-Jordanian-Iraqi border, which has been criticized repeatedly by Moscow. According to a Channel 2 report, Lavrov's comments are part of an understanding reached between Israel and Russia to keep Iranian and Hezbollah forces away from Syria's border with Israel on the Golan Heights. According to the report, Israel and Russia have reached an agreement whereby Israel will not intervene to prevent the deployment of Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops to the southern border and the Golan Heights, effectively reasserting Assad's control there, and Moscow will make sure that these troops do not include Iranian or Hezbollah forces. The report said Israel will also retain its freedom of action against Syrian entrenchment inside Syria. In addition, according to the report, Russia will call publicly for all foreign forces to leave Syria - something Lavrov did on Monday. Jerusalem has been urging Moscow for months to ensure that Iran, the Shia militias under its control and Hezbollah leave Syria. Moscow, according to Israeli officials, recently has become more amenable to the request out of concern that an Israeli-Iranian confrontation in Syria - likely if Iran continues to entrench itself militarily in the country - would endanger Moscow's gains there. Meanwhile, several Arabic- language media outlets carried unconfirmed reports of indirect negotiations between Israel and Iran. Another report claimed the Syrian regime has proposed a deal in which Hezbollah and Iranian militias would be pulled some 25 kilometers from the border with Israel's Golan Heights "The Syrian regime has sent a proposal through mediators to regional countries that will ensure the withdrawal of Hezbollah and Iranian militias about 25 kilometers away from the disengagement line in the Golan," an unnamed Western diplomat was quoted as saying by the London-based Al Sharq al Awsat newspaper. The report also said US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Satterfield has been working on a deal that would see, among other things, the withdrawal of all Syrian and non-Syrian militias some 20 to 25 km. from the Jordanian border and the formation of a US-Russian mechanism to control the implementation of the agreement. The Syrian regime allegedly proposed arrangements to allow local councils to govern in the villages of the Syrian Golan, including Beit Jinn, which was recaptured by troops loyal to the Assad regime several months ago. It also included the possibility of considering reviving the disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel from 1974, allowing for UN troops to monitor the demilitarized zone between the two countries. Phillip Smyth, a Soref Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The Jerusalem Post pulling Iranian forces out from southern Syria "requires further definition." "There are numerous forces, including some that are locally based in southern Syria under the control of Tehran and Lebanese Hezbollah," he said, adding that he has "a hard time believing that Iran will adhere to any arrangement involving their pullout from this zone. How long will it be before they are back in the area? It is a key strategic goal for Tehran to maintain a presence in southern Syria, and they have tried to do this since at least 2013." Another unconfirmed report on Monday in the Syrian opposition newspaper Zaman al-Wasl claimed the commander of the Syrian Air Force has decided Damascus will no longer allow Iranian- backed Shi'ite militias to use its bases to store ammunition and host fighters. According to the report, the Assad regime has been in a "panic following recent Israeli attacks." But according to Aymenn al-Tamimi, a research fellow at the Middle East Forum, it is "highly implausible" that the Assad regime will break its alliance with Tehran "Iran has expended considerable resources to ensure Assad's survival," he told the Post, adding that nevertheless, "Assad recognizes that some actions by Iran or Iranian- backed groups would not be in his interest, such as if they were to clear out border areas with the Golan and establish bases there. Accordingly, there are certain measures he can take to prevent that outcome: for instance, through trying to bring about reconciliation agreements in the border areas that allow the local rebel factions to act as holding forces, an outcome we have seen in Beit Jinn." The unconfirmed reports by Al Sharq al Awsat and Zaman al-Wasl come as the Saudi-owned Elaph news site reported that Israel and Iran had been engaged in indirect negotiations in Amman, Jordan, over the weekend. According to Elaph, "The talks with the Israelis were related to fighting in Syria and the nearing campaign in southern Syria, particularly in Dera'a and Kuneitra." Iran's ambassador to Jordan pledged not to participate in the upcoming offensive by the Assad regime in southwestern Syria against rebel groups, while Israel agreed not to intervene in the battles in the tri-border area as long as Hezbollah and Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias are not involved. The alleged negotiations were said to be mediated by a Jordanian who carried messages between the Iranian ambassador to Jordan, who was in one hotel room with Iranian security personnel, while senior Israeli security officials, including the deputy head of the Mossad, were in the next room. On Monday, it was announced that Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman will leave for a working visit to Russia on Wednesday along with the head of IDF Military Intelligence, Maj.- Gen. Tamir Hyman, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu. Liberman will also be joined by Zohar Palti, head of the Defense Ministry's Political- Military Affairs Bureau, and other representatives of the defense establishment. Channel 10, meanwhile, reported that National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat will travel to Washington on Tuesday for his first meeting with new US National Security Adviser John Bolton. The talks are expected to focus on coordinating positions regarding both the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal, as well as efforts to prevent Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Nearing Midnight: Careful, Mr. President - Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ There is growing worry that the Trump administration's move to cut funding for various Palestinian causes formerly provided by previous administrations might incite uprisings. This, while talk of a soon-to-come peace plan proposal by the administration grows among the several interlocutors within the process. But, the peace deal is far from a done deal. The following news excerpt frames the obstacles. Yet any Palestinian willingness to even consider the plan would require conditions to improve and anger to subside considerably in the coming weeks, an unlikely scenario as the Palestinians say evidence of one-sided Trump giveaways to Israel continues to pile up. US allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf also have felt compelled to criticize the administration for its approach. Ostensibly, Trump would need buy-in from those same countries to build enough momentum for any peace plan to succeed. ("US Readies Mideast Peace Plan Rollout Next Month, but Threatens Palestinian Aid," by Matt Lee, Times of Israel, 5/20/18) Sources say that the Trump administration will release the peace proposal following the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Reportedly, a number of US officials tell that the administration will likely release the peace plan in mid to late June. However, the timeline for release is subject to conditions in the regions at the time. Word has it nonetheless that the primary authors of the plan, President Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt, have already begun unveiling the plan to key people involved in the process. It is said that there is a great furor growing over details of the plan because there is in the offing significant cuts to funding Palestinian programs. This, of course, is something Donald Trump promised even during the run for the presidency in 2016. He, like many of us, sees only foolishness in continuing to throw taxpayers hard-earned dollars at those blood vowed to exterminate our chief ally in the region, the nation Israel. Added to the threat of withdrawing considerable amounts of American dollars from the Palestinian cause is the move of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This has caused the controllers of the Palestinian militants to incite rioting. Israel, in defending against assault after assault, is universally condemned by the international community. Always, the American media-news and otherwise-show the film and still photos of the relatively few rioters who are killed or wounded. Always the mainstream newshounds take the side of those who do their best to inflict damage to Israeli men and women simply defending Israeli borders. Hatred, worldwide, for the Jewish state-for Jewish people in general-is ratcheting up. While Europe, despite increases in rapes, killings, and other crimes by Muslim immigrants, continues to pamper and coddle those who have invaded their borders, those European leaders castigate Israeli leadership for simply defending Israel's borders against such hostile invaders. It seems to me that this is a form of insanity going on in Europe today. Perhaps it is an insanity of the sort that will one day welcome the prince that shall come... All of this enragement is certainly something the president of the United States should be wary of-of which he should be cognizant. But this is not the purpose of this commentary's title: "Careful, Mr. President." The reason for the caution in the title of this essay is directed at the so-called peace effort itself. Any president-any leader-involved in the peace process that has as its center the nation Israel should be fully informed of the dangers posed. The very heart and mind of the Creator of everything is focused on this one issue being toyed with in the Middle East at this moment. Anyone on the wrong side of this issue holds his own fate as well as the fate of the world in his hand. The God of Heaven is uncompromising in His holy view of the peace of Jerusalem. There is only One who can bring that peace. His Name is Jesus. Those who try to force the peace, God's prophetic Word says, will be responsible for Armageddon itself. "For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land." (Joel 3: 1-2) So: Careful, Mr. President. Don't concern yourself with the possible hostilities that will break out by supporting God's chosen nation. Be concerned about being party to forcing that nation to give up land for peace in order to achieve a peace that Isaiah the prophet termed "a covenant made with death and hell" (Isaiah 28: 15, 18). The Roots of the Arab-Israeli Conflict - Joel - http://www.christianevidence.net/2018/05/the-roots-of-arab-israeli-conflict.html Why is there such a great deal of conflict in the Middle East? Why is there constant strife between the Israelis and Palestinians? The answer to these questions can be found in a promise which God made to Abraham almost 4,000 years ago. That promise is contained in Genesis 12:1-3: 1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house To the land which I will show you; 2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." The passage above is generally referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham was 75 years old when God promised him, and his descendants, the land of Canaan (Gen.12:1,7; 13:14-15; 15:18-20; 17:8), innumerable offspring (12:2a; 15:4-5; 17:1-7; 20:17), and many blessings (12:2b-3; 22:17-18). But as yet, Abraham had no offspring. A decade rolled by and still no child blessed the home of Abraham and Sarah. It was physically impossible for Abraham's wife, Sarah, to bear children and so the two of them began to get impatient about God's promised child, the one through whom God would make Abraham a great nation. When Abraham was eighty-six years old, they couldn't wait any longer. They decided to help God out by having Abraham father a child through Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian handmaid (Gen. 16). This union had a child and they named him Ishmael. For thirteen years Ishmael had been living beside Abraham, winding his way into his father's heart, and was believed by Abraham, for all this time, to be the son of promise. Then all at once things changed. God shows up again to Abraham, as we read in Genesis 17:1-2, when Abraham was ninety-nine years old, and he says to Abraham in verses 15-16: "...As for Sarai your wife...I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her" (Genesis 17:15-16) Abraham fell on his face and laughed (Genesis 17:17). Not only had Sarah been childless all her life, but she was now well past normal child-bearing age! God's promise could only happen through divine intervention. Besides, Abraham already had a son, whom he loved dearly. Shouldn't something be said about Ishmael? Abraham, who seems up to this time to have regarded Ishmael as the promised one, must have had a feeling of anxiety instantly penetrate his breast as he utters: 18 ..."If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" Why cannot he do? Why may he not be the chosen child, the heir of the Promise? Abraham essentially asks "life" for his beloved son - that is, a share in the divine favor. Note the temper in which Abraham speaks here. The very existence of Ishmael was a memorial of Abraham's failure in faith and patience. For he thought that the promised heir was long in coming, and so he thought that he would help God. That is to say, he thinks he knows better than God. He believes his own plan is quite as good as the divine plan. But God makes it clear that Ishmael would not be the child of promise through whom all the world would be blessed in the following verses: 19 But God said, "That's not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac. I'll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever. 20-21 "And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children-a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year." Suddenly, Abraham finds that Ishmael is not the son of the Covenant; he is not the heir of the Promise. Sarah shall have a child, called Isaac, and from him shall come the blessings that have been foretold. It was always God's plan for the son of promise to come from Abraham and Sarah. The use of Hagar as a surrogate was of their devising, not God's! The assurance of this promise was the change of Sarai's name into Sarah. Sarai signifies my princess, as if her honor were confined to one family only; Sarah signifies a princess. Still, in his faithfulness, God promised Abraham that, although Ishmael wouldn't be the child of the promise, he would still bless him: God promised that He would make Ishmael fruitful and would multiply his descendants exceedingly, making of him a "great nation". The father of many nations-"12 princes" to be exact (Gen. 17:19-21; 21:18; 25:12-18). God also promised to give Ishmael's descendants the land to the east of Canaan (Genesis 16:12). God has been faithful to these promises. Ishmael took an Egyptian wife (Genesis 21:21) and became the father of the 12 tribes promised. These tribes were to become the nucleus of the Arab peoples, a people with a mixture of Semitic and Egyptian blood. These people inhabited the territory between Havilah (probably in NW Arabia) and Shur (near the Egyptian border), and were one of the several peoples who were the ancestors of the Arabians (Genesis 10:7, 25-30; 25:1-4, 13-16). Today, Arab-dominated territories are much more extensive even than in Bible times. There are 21 Arab nations with a combined population of 175 million people. The Arabs occupy a total area of 5.3 million square miles of oil rich land. By contrast, there is only one Jewish state with a population of 4 million people who are squeezed into only 8,000 square miles of space. That's a population ratio of 43 to 1 and a land ratio of 662 to 1. The Arabs have truly been blessed. The Lord appeared to Abraham six additional times to reaffirm this covenant (Genesis 12:7; 13:14-16; 15:1-6; 15: 8-21; 17:1-8; and 22:15-18). In these subsequent appearances, God declared that the covenant was an "everlasting" one (Genesis 17:7-8), and He spelled out the boundaries of the land in detail as encompassing most of what is referred to today as the Middle East (Genesis 15:18-21). The covenant was reaffirmed to Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 26:1-5), and to Isaac's son, Jacob (Genesis 28:3-4,13-14 and 35:10-12). Even a thousand years later, King David affirms the continuing validity of the Abrahamic Covenant in Psalm 105: 8 He [God] has remembered His covenant forever,The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, 9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. 10 Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, 11 Saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan As the portion of your inheritance." The hurt and anger of the teenage Ishmael towards this half brother Isaac led Abraham to send him and his mother Hagar into the wilderness (Genesis 21:8-21). The young man, told since childhood that he was the son of promise, found himself an outcast from his father. This set the stage for generations of strife between him and Abraham's other son, Isaac. Ishmael went on to become the father of many Arab nations. It's interesting to note that, following Ishmael's birth, Genesis 16:12 tells us that God told Hagar her son, Ishmael, would be "a wild donkey of a man" and that "his hand will be against everyone". Today, all the Arab tribes have been characterized historically by their impulsive and violent nature. They have been involved in endless wars among themselves and against both Jews and Christians. What an amazing fulfillment of prophecy! Furthermore, in the end times, the prophet Ezekiel says they will claim the land of Israel which God gave to their brothers, the Jews (Ezekiel 35:5,10; 36:2,5). And this is the root cause for the Arab-Israeli conflict we see today. Daily Jot: Two religious leaders and their false doctrines - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Two religious leaders were in the news over the Memorial Day weekend and both of them are teaching bad doctrine and both influence millions of people with it. One is calling for an end to white men, and the other is embracing social liberalism as he reinterprets scripture. One embraces homosexuality and told a longtime atheist friend in March that hell does not exist and that condemned souls just disappear. One says that the Republican Jewish Council represents white supremacy and has referred to the immediate ex-president as "God." These two men, absurd as their words are, represent well over a billion peoples' religions and millions agree with them. Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church, says his fellow church leadership "call me a heretic." Politico reports that the Pope is being "celebrated by progressives around the world for his push to update and liberalize aspects of church doctrine." Politico writes, however, "Francis is facing fierce blowback from traditionalists who take issue with his openness to Muslim migrants, his concern for the environment and his softer tone on divorce, cohabitation and homosexuality. Opposition has become so heated that some advisers are warning him to tread carefully to avoid a "schism" in the church." Church leadership believes Francis has undermined the church's authority and reduced the role of priests by rendering doctrine more ambiguous. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan tweeted over the weekend, "Why should there be an end to white men? Because their nature is not in harmony with the nature of God. White man was only given 6,000 years (6 days) to rule. You cannot deny he has ruled but on what principle did he rule? Righteousness? Truth? Justice? Fairness? I don't think so. What he (the White man) does, he does by nature. What you (Black people) do, is by learning from your master." He said that the traits of whites were murder and dishonesty. Farrakhan's website says, "We believe in the truth of the Bible, but we believe that it has been tampered with and must be reinterpreted so that mankind will not be snared by the falsehoods that have been added to it." It says that Nation of Islam founder Fard Muhammad is the Christian Messiah and the Muslim Mahdi. Obviously, one cannot believe in the truth of the Bible, but change it at will. Nor can one believe in the truth of the Bible and not the truth of the Messiah. Farrakhan is a false prophet of a false god, preaching a divisive and deadly religion. Pope Francis is trying to rewrite the doctrines of the Bible to fit his modern interpretation of scripture. These men deny the truth and use their authority to twist the meaning of scripture, making it hard for many to discern the truth. They will not stand in your place or mine on judgment day. This is why we must seek the truth for ourselves. Jesus said in John 8:31-32, "If you continue in my word, then you are my disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." Daily Devotion: Life's Most Dangerous Word - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. -2 Corinthians 6:2 I once read that 82 percent of all Christians came to faith by age 19 or younger. That was true of me. I was saved when I was 17 years old. Of course, that is not to say you cannot come to Christ in your later years, because many have. But generally it gets harder as the years go by. You may be young, and your heart might be touched right now by God's Holy Spirit. You need to do something about it. Don't put it off. Don't procrastinate. Don't say tomorrow, because the word tomorrow cannot be found on God's calendar. Tomorrow sounds so innocent, but it is life's most dangerous word. Tomorrow is the road that leads to the town called never. Tomorrow is the barred and bolted door that shuts people out of Heaven. Tomorrow is Satan's word, and so many people have been ripped off by his strategy. Don't let that happen to you. If God's Spirit is working in your heart right now, then now is the time to believe. And if you are getting on in years, this is even more significant for you, because every day you put it off, you become a little more set in your ways. Don't count on tomorrow. The Bible says, "Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV). The most dangerous of all delusions is there is plenty of time. You don't know whether there is plenty of time. You may have years ahead. You may have weeks. You may have days. Or you may only have hours. Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation. Don't put it off. Don't be a procrastinator. Because there will come a day when it is too late for you. 
FROM THE HEART
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