Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Dog Days of Summer - By - Randy Nettles -
http://rev310.com/2019/07/the-dog-days-of-summer-by-randy-nettles The dog days of summer are upon us. Here is how Wikipedia describes the origin of this common saying: "The dog days or dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Various computations of the dog days have placed their start anywhere from the 3rd of July to the 15th of August and lasting for anywhere from 30 to 61 days." {1} It's getting hot all over the world...extremely hot. The last month was the hottest June ever recorded. In fact, 2019 may be the hottest year yet because of El Nino and other climate factors...and we are just getting started in these dog days of summer. Of course this is nothing compared to what it's going to be like during the latter part of the Tribulation. "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which has power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory" (Revelation 16:8-9). Not only does temperatures rise during these summer time months, but also tempers. More fights and wars start in the summer than in any other time of the year. Tempers rise and restraint lowers. The result is bad judgment that is acted upon; in other words....war. Most of the ancient world powers such as Egypt, Israel, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome usually fought their major battles during the summer and early autumn months when there was not much rain or inclement weather. The modern State of Israel came into existence on May 14, 1948 (Iyar 5, 5708 on the Jewish calendar) when David Ben Gurion called to order a historic meeting and read Israel's Declaration of Independence. For the first time in more than two thousand years, there was an independent Jewish state of Israel. The day after Israel declared its independence, it was attacked by five Arab nations: Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. They fought all during those dog days of summer that year and by the end of 1948, the Israeli army had defeated the Arab nations. It was one of the greatest military victories ever for Israel, rivaling even the fall of Jericho. Of course, God miraculously intervened on Israel's behalf and the victory was assured....just like at Jericho (only not as obvious). In 1967, Egypt and Syria sent troops to the Sinai Peninsula and forced the United Nations Emergency Forces based there to leave. On June 5, 1967 (Iyar 26, 5727 on Jewish calendar), during the dog days of summer, Israel responded with a preemptive strike, demolishing the Egyptian air force in just three hours. Israeli forces captured the Gaza Strip and the Sinai, then conquered the Old City of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. The conquest took six days and became known as the Six Day War. Jerusalem, the holy city, was once again in the possession of Israel. Iyyar 26 is now celebrated as Jerusalem Day. Some of Israel's worst historical moments as a nation/s occurred during the dog days of summer. They are known as fast days or days of mourning. There are four fasts mentioned by the prophet Zechariah that commemorates some tragic event connected with the destruction of their holy Temple and the city of Jerusalem. They occur during the fourth, fifth, seventh, and the tenth month of the Jewish calendar. This article only takes into consideration the fourth and fifth months. The fast of the fourth month, Tammuz, occurs on the 17th day of Tammuz (usually July). The fast of the fifth month Av (usually August), occurs on the 9th day of Av. Tammuz 17th begins a three-week period (21 days) of national mourning leading up to the fast of Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of Av. Three spiritually significant events have happened on the 17th day of Tammuz. Each event involved the breaking of a spiritual symbol that signified God's disfavor that had been incurred as a result of national disobedience. A mourning period followed due to the Jewish people's consciousness of their sin and their recognition that God's punishment would follow. 1) Moses breaks the tablets of the law (10 commandments) at the foot of Mount Sinai. On the seventh day of Sivan (3rd month), Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet his creator and to receive His spoken and written Law, which he later recorded in the first five books of the Bible. He was on the mountain for forty days. The Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Sivan 17, 1446 B.C., approximately 63 days after the Exodus from Egypt (Nisan 14). Moses returned on the 17th day of Tammuz to the spectacle of the Israeli idolaters worshipping a man-made golden statue of a calf as their God...just as they had done during their 400 year slavery stint in Egypt. As you can imagine, Moses lost his temper during the dog days of summer and broke the original 10 commandment tablets of stone (written by God himself) by throwing them onto the ground at the feet of the idolaters. About three thousand men were killed as a result of this grave sin. Moses lost his temper but it was righteous anger; and therefore not a sin. God never mentions the broken tablets to Moses or reprimands him. It reminds me of Jesus' righteous anger when he drove out the money changers from the holy Temple in Jerusalem at Passover (Mark 11:15-17). Sometimes people just have to learn the hard way...it's the way of the world. 2) The Babylonian army breaks through the walls of Jerusalem and causes the daily sacrifice in the temple to cease. This tragic event occurred on Tammuz 17th 586 BC. The date on our modern Gregorian calendar was June 19, 586 BC. This day became an annual fast of mourning for the Jews and lasts twenty one days until the ninth of Av, the day of remembrance of the loss of the Temple. 3) The Roman army stopped the daily sacrifice in the temple of Jerusalem. In AD 70, General Titus besieged Jerusalem because of their rebellion against Rome. Roman army catapults were positioned to continuously catapult large boulders onto the Temple and kill large numbers of priests. This tragic event forced the priests to discontinue the daily sacrifice on the 17th of Tammuz, the anniversary of the exact day on which the Babylonian army caused the same damage 655 years earlier. It was another hot summer day in July...the exact date was July 11, AD 70 on the Gregorian calendar and July 13, AD 70 on the Julian calendar. The next historical anniversary date for Israel, Tisha B'Av, occurs on the 9th day of Av. Av is the 5th month on the Jewish calendar. Tisha B'Av is not one of the appointed Feast days of the Lord, but is a fast and a day of mourning. The current Jewish calendar year is 5779. This year the 9th day of Av is on August 9, 2019. Nine seems to be an unlucky number for Israel, for it is the number of judgment and/or finality. Here are a few examples other than Tisha B'Av: "In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes" (2 Kings 17:6). "In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it" (Jeremiah 39:1). "And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land" (Jeremiah 52:6). "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). There have been eight tragic events for the Jewish people that have occurred throughout history on this 9th day of Av, known as Tisha B'Av. If it happens again on this date, it will be for the 9th time. 1) Twelve Jewish spies survey the Promised Land - Moses sent out 12 tribal leaders to spy out the land and its inhabitants for 40 days prior to entering the Promised Land of Canaan. 10 of the 12 spies returned with negative reports about how impossible it would be to conquer the enemy, due to mighty giants living in the land. Even after witnessing God's miracles and His promise of victory, the 10 spies showed no faith that the newly formed nation of Israel could prevail and take the land from the enemy. They advised the children of Jacob against going to war against the Canaanites. The Bible records that the people believed the evil report and mourned all night in fear. They turned against Moses, Aaron, and the two faithful spies (Caleb and Joshua). Some rebels in the group led an attempt to stone Moses and to return to the bondage of Egypt. "According to the ancient Jewish commentary, the Mishna (Ta'anit 29a), this event occurred on the 9thday of the month of Av", in the year 2317 on the Jewish calendar. [2] The date on our modern Gregorian calendar was July 8, 1444 BC, on a Friday. God destroyed the rebel leaders and informed the people they would wander in the wilderness for forty-years for their rebellion and disobedience...one year for every day the spies had searched out the land. This tragic rebellion and unbelief in God's promises caused the temporary loss of the Promised Land for an entire generation. Everyone 20 years and older would not live to enter the Promised Land, save for Caleb and Joshua. "Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel; and the people mourned greatly" (Numbers 14:39). From this day on, the 9th of Av became a "fast" of mourning as the Jews wept over their lack of obedience to God and their subsequent punishment. 2) The destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians - The Babylonian army under Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 588 BC. After a 2 year siege they breached the walls on the 17th day of the 4th month of Tammuz. The Babylonians broke through the city walls, killed multitudes, burned the Temple, and took its precious vessels. This tragic event occurred on Av 9, 3175 (July 10, 586 BC), on a Monday. "According to the Jewish commentary, Me'am Lo'ez, by Rabbi Yakov Culi and Rabbi Aguiti, and other historical sources, including Ta'anit 29a, from the Jerusalem Talmud; the Babylonian army fought their way into the Temple on the 7th day of Av. The soldiers ate, drank, and caroused there until the 9th of Av. And toward evening, they set the Temple on fire. It burned all night and through the next day, the 10th of Av. Jeremiah, the prophet, was an eyewitness to the tragic event. This national tragedy has been commemorated by the Jews ever since the solemn fast, on the 9th of Av, known as Tisha B'Av. For more than 2000 years, the Jews have read the book of Lamentations in which Jeremiah laments the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the great Temple of Solomon." [3] 3) The destruction of the second temple by the Romans - The Romans had been at war with the Jews since AD 66. They finally were about to crush the revolt by destroying their capitol, Jerusalem, in AD 70. Over 1,250,000 people were surrounded inside the city by the Roman legions. The original attack had occurred on the Feast of Passover when a huge number of pilgrims came to the Temple to give sacrifices and were thereby trapped in the city. The Roman general Titus offered terms of surrender that would have preserved the Jews city and Temple, but the Jews refused. Thus the city and the Temple were destroyed on Av 9, 3830 (August 1, AD 70), on a Friday. This tragic event fulfilled Jesus prophecy 37 years earlier when he said, "for the days shall come upon you, that your enemies shall cast a trench about you, and compass you round, and keep you in on every side, and shall lay you even with the ground, and your children within you: and they shall not leave in you one stone upon another, because you knew not the time of thy visitation" (Luke 19:43-44). This prophecy was fulfilled to the smallest detail. As the Temple burned with tremendous heat, the sheets of gold that covered much of the Temple melted. The molten gold ran down into the cracks between the foundation stones. Afterwards, the Roman soldiers used wedges to overturn every stone to get to the gold, thus fulfilling Christ's words. 4) The Romans plowed Jerusalem and the Temple Mount - One year after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple , the Romans plowed the Temple Mount and the city. This occurred on Av 9, 3831 (July 22, AD 71), on a Wednesday. This was a complete fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah, "Therefore shall Zion for your sakes be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountains of the house as the high places of the forest" (Micah 3:12). "A rabbinical source (Ta'anit 26b), records this was done to turn the city into a Roman colony." [4] 5) The destruction of Simon Bar Kochba's army - After the fall of Jerusalem, there was a period of enforced peace between Rome and Israel. In AD 133, a dynamic warrior named Simon Bar Kocbha, led a rebellion against Rome. He was successful for two years until Emperor Hadrian and his vast Roman army destroyed the Jewish rebels. Many people believed that Bar Kochba was the Jewish Messiah, including the famous scholar Rabbi Akiba. The Jews still believed the Jewish Messiah would be a great warrior and would lead Israel in victory against the Romans and other enemies. This event partially fulfilled the prophecy by Jesus when he said, "I am come in my Father's name, and you receive me not; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive" (John 5:43). On that terrible day of the 9th of Av, in the Jewish year 3895 (August 3, AD 135), on a Wednesday; the last great army of an independent Israel (ancient) was slaughtered without mercy. The prophet Isaiah may have referred to this event when he prophesied, "Within sixty five years Ephraim (Israel) will be too shattered to be a people" (Isaiah 7:8). 6) England expelled the Jews - Following condemnation of the Jewish Talmud by Pope Gregory IX in the year AD 1236, criticism of Jews increased and Jewish communities began to be displaced throughout Western Europe. King Edward I of England issued a declaration in 1275, cancelling all debts owed to Jews and forbidding them from making any loans to non-Jews. In addition, Edward arrested a number of Jewish leaders, demanding a ransom before releasing them. On Av 9, 5050 (July 24, AD 1290), on a Monday; King Edward expelled all Jews from England, confiscating all their assets for himself. The history of England's rise and fall can be traced to this ancient prophecy in the book of Genesis. "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). England's decline started approximately at this time and continued until 400 years later, when Oliver Cromwell, granted the Jews the legal right of settlement in 1657. England prospered at this time and later. At the end of World War I, a victorious England held power through its British Empire over one-quarter of the world. In the 1920s and throughout the period until 1948, England repeatedly reversed its promises to the League of Nations and failed to provide a national homeland for the Jews (as promised by the Balfour declaration). During World War II, the Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis of Germany, because they had no homeland to flee to when the persecution of Adolf Hitler began. Even the U.S. turned down many Jewish immigrants that were trying to enter the country at this time. In the years between 1917 through 1948, England lost her vast empire; and was no longer the world's preeminent superpower. 7) Spain expelled the Jews - On Av 9, 5252 (August 10, AD 1492), on a Wednesday; the Spanish government ordered the expulsion of Jews from Spain. Every Jew who would not immediately be baptized was required to leave the country. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, desiring to create an entirely Catholic nation, sought to erase Judaism from Spain. The Spanish Empire declined at this point...never to fully recover. On this same day in history, Christopher Columbus left Spain and discovered the New World. This event was significant to the Jews because eventually America provided a place of refuge for the Jewish people. When the new nation of Israel was reborn in 1948, the U.S. of America became Israel's strongest advocate and protector. The United States was the first country to recognize Israel as a nation of the world. America's rise to world power status began with her friendship with Israel ...for God said, "I will bless them that bless you, and curse them that curse you." (Genesis 12:3). 8) Russia Mobilized for WWI and launched persecutions against the Jews - On Av 9, 5674 (July 31, 1914), on a Friday, World War I was declared by Russia and Germany. The mobilization of Russia's army triggered persecutions and attacks against the Jews in eastern Russia, killing tens of thousands, and forced many to immigrate to the Holy Land. This immigration helped set the stage for the historical events leading to the creation of the modern nation of Israel in 1948. World War I might have been the start of the prophecy by Jesus when he told his disciples "nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom" (Matthew 24:7). More than 12 million people died during this "war to end all wars." Of course World War II followed along with many more wars throughout the decades. War is still coming for us all, but especially for Israel. The prophecy of Isaiah 17 has still not been fulfilled, as Damascus is still in existence. "The burden of Damascus, behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap" (Isaiah 17:1). Many believe Psalm 83 is an unfulfilled prophecy regarding a war between Israel and a confederacy of her hostile neighboring nations. Yes, some of these prophecies could see their fulfillment during the dog days of summer...perhaps on one of the fast days for Israel, such as Tammuz 17th or Tisha B'Av (the 9th day of Av). Also, the prophecies of Jeremiah 49:35-39 and Ezekiel 38 have not yet been fulfilled. Jeremiah's prophecy is in regard to the destruction of Elam or Iran. Ezekiel's prophecy (known as the Gog/Magog war) is about the miraculous defeat of Russia and the confederacy of Turkey, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, and others that come against Israel in the latter days. God himself will intervene in behalf of Israel, as in the days of old; and will decimate these enemies of God's people. The Bible speaks of a time when Israel's fasts will turn into feasts. "Thus says the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace" (Zechariah 9:19). There will be no more war for the children of Jacob....no more dog days of summer. This time of joy will occur when Jesus, the Messiah, returns to the earth to set up his Millennium Kingdom in the fall season (Tishri, the 7th month), after He fulfills the 5th, 6th, and 7th Feasts of the Lord. The remnant of Jewish believers that are still alive after the Tribulation will inherit all of the land God originally promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Jews will finally become what God intended for them to be...a blessing unto the nations and they will lead many to the Lord. "For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and you shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong" (Zechariah 8: 12-13). Randy can be reached at: nettlesr@suddenlink.net Why Did God Create the Human Race? - By David Cogburn - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/09/god-create-human-race-david-cogburn/ This is an interesting question. The most easy and quick answer is for His pleasure or because He wanted to. But is there more to it than that? The answer to this question can only come from His word in the Bible and what it says about everything He's already done in the past and everything He's going to do in the future. So let's jump in and see what we can figure out. The Bible tells us that God is one God with a Triune essence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This Triune essence is a "Relationship" essence. God IS a Relationship, and relationship is what brings Him His greatest pleasure. He loves it so much He decided to create angels to have a personal relationship with Himself and with each other; and then, following that, He created the human race to have a personal relationship with Himself and with each other. Relationship is the "only" thing that God truly cares about the most. Why is that? Because relationship involves FREE WILL! We all know that God is a God of love. It is impossible to have love without free will. You can only love if you have the ability not to love. It is impossible to please God without free will because without free will you are simply a programmed type of robot. As smart as robots are becoming these days and as smart as they will ever be, will they ever be able to "love" you? Of course not. That involves free will which involves thinking and feeling. Robots will never think or feel. They can only do one thing - compute, and even that is limited by what their program allows them to compute. The simplest definition of love is putting others before yourself. The opposite of love is pride - putting yourself before others. God loves us and desires that we also love Him back. Angels and humans are sentient beings created in God's image of spirit, soul and body. Both angels and humans have free will in order to love God back and obey Him, or not to love and obey Him. Each angel was created "saved" directly by God to be perfect and without sin and to live eternally in His presence. The angels receive the very BEST God has to offer living with Him in heaven. They do have free will; and as we know from the Bible, God's most high angel Lucifer decided he wanted to be like God and worshipped and committed the first sin in the Bible, the sin of pride by putting himself before God. His influence was so strong, approximately one-third of the angels using their free will also rejected God and fell. God, knowing all things, knew this would happen before He created them but He did so anyway. They ended up being cast out of heaven. Obviously, this disappointed God greatly, and especially since they were receiving the very "best" God had to offer and rejected Him anyway. It was then that God did something very different. He decided to create human beings. They would be very different from angels. How so? Again, God knowing all things, knew human beings would sin and end up being born "lost" instead of "saved" like His angels when they were created. It appears He created the universe for the main purpose of creating "time" which exists "inside" eternity. God is eternal and does not need "time." Only humans need "time." Everything that happens "inside eternity" is eternal. This is why the angels that fell from "inside eternity" do not have a plan of redemption and there is no way for them to get "right" with God again. This also explains why human beings now have "time" in order to be born lost; but, at some point inside our time on earth, we hopefully will come to know God through His Son Jesus Christ and go from being eternally lost to eternally saved. THEN when we "enter eternity," our eternity is already set to live with God forever. For those who die and enter eternity without Jesus, their eternity is also set to spend eternity separated from God forever in hell. ETERNITY and God is what life is all about! How else are humans different from angels? God "directly" Himself created each sinless angel. Everything God creates is sinless and perfect. Adam and Eve were created sinless and perfect. Once they disobeyed God and sinned, Adam became the father of sin when his sin nature was passed on to every human being that's ever had a human father and mother (Gen 3:15). Human beings are created indirectly by God but created directly by sinful men and women through procreation. This is why all humans are born lost with a sin nature and separated from God, beginning with birth. Sin not only affects human beings but affects "everything" in the entire universe. The Bible says all of nature groans for the children of God to be redeemed (Romans 8:19-23). The bottom line is: humans are born behind the 8 ball. Because of sin we do not live in God's presence. We are not receiving the very best God has to offer. We temporarily live in a world that has "both" good and evil, both pleasure and pain, both love and hate, and many other opposites. With God in heaven, there are no opposites - only all good with no sin. This is what every human being should yearn for; but alas, according to the Bible, our free will prevents the majority of humans from coming to know God and spending eternity with Him. Free will is the most dangerous thing on the planet for every human being because, with it, we determine our ETERNAL destiny. So knowing this, what would you rather be - an angel or a human being? Here is a rhetorical question - is it easier for an angel to be "saved" or a human being to be "saved?" So now we get back to the title of this article? Why would God do this - create a human race in a lost sinful condition and inside a sinful universe for their entire lives? Or, here is a better question: which pleases God more - for a saved angel to love Him and stay saved, or for a lost human to love Him and become saved? That's another rhetorical question. From the Bible, we know that around one third of the saved angels fell; and it "appears" from the Bible that approximately one-third of the lost human race will be saved. And now we get to the pièce de résistance of the absolute best difference between angels and humans, and perhaps the "main" reason God created human beings. And to best grasp this point, let's ask ourselves this question: Has God done anything for human beings that He has not done for angels? He has. It's a biggie! His love and His reward for lost human beings who manage to come to know Him and love Him through Jesus Christ is so great that He decided to do the unthinkable - allow us to become "joined" to Himself through the Holy Spirit that resides in all born- again believers. In John 14:20, Jesus says, "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you." A good analogy for this is: God is Windows; angels are Mac. They serve and support Windows but are separate from Windows. We are a Windows "upgrade." We are not Windows but we are a part of Windows, and thus are connected to God in a very unique way that angels are not. This helps explain why the Bible says we shall rule over angels. It appears that God's greatest plan and desire was to take His lost human beings created in His image and living in a lost universe, and reward those who came to love Him and know Him through His Son Jesus - to reward them with Himself for all eternity. THAT is how big a deal it is for God when each person becomes saved. The Bible says the angels rejoice when that occurs. Luke 15:10 says "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." I used to be concerned about what would happen in eternity if I goofed up like some of the fallen angels and sinned somehow. I now know that is "impossible" for this reason: By being connected to God in a unique way, just like God would never sin with His free will, we will never sin with our free will. And we will be able to LOVE the way God loves; and how great is that? Being connected to God for all eternity is wonderful but we will not be able to know what that "fully" means inside eternity until we get there. This is just one more reason to be saying daily - Maranatha. Come quickly Lord Jesus. dcogburn@twc.com Nearing Midnight: End-Time Incrementalism - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ Most students of prophecy are familiar with the advancement of an end-time event following an exponential path. Jesus laid this out in his prediction that the end would come like labor pains. There is another pattern in Bible prophecy that can be best described as Incrementalism, which primarily is the result of man's involvement in world affairs. Incrementalism is a method of working by adding to a project using many small incremental changes instead of a few (extensively planned) large jumps. Logical incrementalism implies that the steps in the process are sensible. Incrementalism is a term that is not compatible with scripture. God may use situations that involve incremental changes, but his will always calls for immediate action. If Satan had written a handbook guide for how he spreads deception, incrementalism would likely be covered in some chapter. When Pharaoh attempted to use compromise, Moses would not take what was offered. Moses had faith in God and did not take the seemingly reasonable deal of the tyrant. As the plagues grew worse and worse, Pharaoh used incremental ploys to resist Moses's call to "let my People Go." "So Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me'" (Exodus 8:28). "Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.' And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence" (Exodus 10:11). "Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, 'Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you'" (Exodus 10:24). Ancient Israel has a frequent problem with idolatry. As the worship of Idols would incrementally creep in with moral decay, the solution wasn't to reverse the process. King Josiah is seen as the best example of how to reform from this sin. He did not put away some idols in order to maybe someday destroy the rest sometime later. He destroyed all idols throughout his land and established true worship. "Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him" (2 Kings 23:25). What makes Incrementalism troublesome to us today is that we are seeing it on so many fronts. The devil has been on such a lengthy winning streak, we've lost sight of how wicked the world has become. Most people don't even realize how far we have drifted from the truth. When I was a kid, most people praised and respected our founding fathers for giving us the greatest form of government mankind has ever devised. In recent years, the left has chipped away at America's national heritage by dwelling on racial grievances. Lately, the attacks have degraded to pure hatred of everything related to American history. When former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick told Nike he didn't like a Betsy Ross's flag on its footwear, the firm immediately pulled the shoe. The flag had nothing to do with slavery. Kaepernick spouted off because he has animosity toward all American flags. Because Trump has the slogan, "Make America Great Again," the press has become fixated on publishing articles that seek to lower America's standing in the world. One of the most dangerous form of incrementalism is the attack on our freedoms. We have gone from the nation that greatly prized personal liberty to one where the needs of so-called minority group are given a higher priority. When liberals were outnumbered, they wanted special protection for their values. Now that they control large regions of society, their new motto is now "majority rules." When it comes to rules, there are no set guidelines. On social media, conservatives are being marginalized for offenses that leftist groups get a free pass to violate. In the past few weeks, several people on the right have been banned for insulting posts. And yet, we have groups like Antifa beating people with crowbars, and their accounts face no restrictions. When Twitter froze actor James Woods' account because it just didn't like his conservative views, I gave up on the site. Woods said he is also done tweeting, saying, "Until free speech is allowed on Twitter, I will not be permitted to participate in our democracy with my voice. As long as Jack Dorsey remains the coward he seems to be, my Twitter days were in the past." Twitter censorship just marches on. The site says it will start labeling tweets from influential government officials (President Trump) who break its rules. It is very unlikely that we are going to see any change in the direction of incrementalism. Because we've been on this path for so long, the natural onset of reprobate thinking makes the chance of any U-turn a remote possibility. In the face of this madness, believers need to abide in God's truth and wait patiently for the rapture. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient" (Romans 1:28). "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). Daniel's Astounding Prophecies - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-7-9-2019/ Critics of the Bible have no reasonable answer for Daniel's miraculous prophetic accuracy. They try. They have been trying for over two thousand years. But their criticisms don't hold up. For instance, Daniel laid out a list of coming world superpowers. He wrote it well in advance of the actual events, and history proves him right. He told about the Medo-Persian empire. He foretold the Greek empire and their leader, Alexander the Great. He even told what would happen to that empire at the time of Alexander's death. Critics respond that the Book of Daniel must have been written long after it says it was written. As of July 9, 2019, Wikipedia asserts, "The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse." But it was actually written around 540 BC. The Wikipedia article is laden with errors. Though not stated, the errors begin with the idea that God cannot (or at least does not) speak to man. That means the critics must find a "natural" explanation. A later dating of the book is their way of saying that the writer of Daniel cheated. The problem is that Daniel's astoundingly accurate prophecies did not end in the second century BC. Their fulfillment continues to this day. Perhaps the most amazing of them all is found in the 9th chapter of Daniel. It is the prophecy of the "70 sevens." It was given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel. "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place" (Daniel 9:24). The scripture just quoted says, "70 weeks" and I said, "70 sevens." That's because the Hebrew word used here - "shabuwa" - literally means "seven." It usually refers to a seven-day week. But not always. For instance, in Ezekiel 45:21 every major Bible translation simply says "seven" - its literal meaning. That's crucial because, to us, the word "week" means seven days. But the context here clearly shows that these sevens are "weeks of years." For anyone who believes the Bible, it is obvious that the purposes of the seventy weeks listed in the scripture above revolve around Israel. The weeks were "decreed for your people and your holy city." Daniel's people were Israel. And his holy city was Jerusalem. That means God's purpose for the 70 sevens revolves around Israel. The other obvious thing is that these purposes have not yet been realized. Transgression has not been finished, sin has not ended, everlasting righteousness has not been manifested in Israel or the rest of the world. We know exactly when the clock started. Daniel 9:25 says the weeks of years would begin with, "The issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem." The Book of Daniel goes on to give details about exact events during the first 483 years. It predicts to the day when the Messiah would present Himself to Jerusalem. Late dating the Book of Daniel to the 2nd century BC doesn't explain that one. Gabriel's message to Daniel speaks of a pause between the 69th and 70th weeks. We're still in that pause today. But the 70th week is on the way. In a few days, I hope to write in more detail about the pause and the 70th week. Instead of Wikipedia, we'll look at how Jesus interpreted Daniel. And it will take your breath away. Daily Jot: Prophetic warning to America - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com While this is the time of year we all celebrate the liberty of America, please also be a student of what is happening to this liberty. We are in the midst of one of the most alarming dangers to our country and our way of life. My ministry partner of 26 years, William Agbeti is issuing a prophetic warning to America. Agbeti writes: "Based on my extensive exposure to third-world coups d'etat, as well as close study of recent political developments in the US, I believe I can reliably construct a predictive simulation of an imminent COUP d'etat in the US! Unlike bloody coups that engulfed third-world countries in the 1900s and recent times, coups have transformed into bloodless, disruptive tools in changing legally elected governments." Agbeti continued: "Unbelievably, this new modus operandi in coup making has become appealing to even an established democracy like the US. Conceptualization of coups is always rooted in the same kind of ideology - notably socialism, communism, one world government, one economic order, one state apparatus, one religion or perceived system of peace and what have you. It's therefore rare to find strong adherents of capitalism or proponents of true democracy engaging coups to advance their political and or socio-economic beliefs. To wit, anytime you smell a coup anywhere, chances are that some kind of "One World" order ideology is at work. This, indisputably, makes the democrats in the US an offshoot of some kind of socialist government! "Operatives of, say a socialist government in a third-world setting ,behave very much like some of us are clearly seeing amongst the democrats in the US. The similarities are obvious--open rejection of election results, organized grassroots resistance, forged alliances with mainstream news media, complex and multifaceted campaign of lies and mind-control techniques, and this is the most dangerous, use of remnants of the previous government still secretly operating within the new government! It's worthy of note that socialist governments that suddenly lose power have well-developed massive grassroots support, safeguarded and powered by blind and wide-spread loyalty of the media. These entities become very desperate and, naturally, lend their support to the shadow government in a bid to go back on life support! "Talking about life-support, what coup planners basically use as baits to lure the teeming masses on board their political wagons are PROMISES, such as free education, family support, universal basic income, fat grants for communities, districts, regions and numerous freebies! These promises are targeted at vulnerable segments of society: students, young adults, struggling families, displaced people, legal and illegal immigrants, unemployed, etc." The Lord said in Ezekiel 22:30, "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it." In America, we are destroying ourselves by our lack of stewardship to godliness and liberty. Let us not be found lacking to the point of the last sentence in this verse: "But I found none." Stand, and having done all, Stand. Daily Devotion: A Reason Not to Fear - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire. - Job 5:7 In the months following September 11, 2001, as many as 400,000 New Yorkers suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Drug use, both legal and illegal, and alcohol use went up dramatically after that horrific day. It's because people were afraid. And they had good reason to be. John 14 tells us of a time when the disciples were afraid. Jesus had dropped a bombshell on them. He said something that turned their world, as they knew it, upside down. Then He went on to share some words to bring calm to their troubled hearts: "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me" (John 14:1 NLT). He didn't say, "Mull over your problems." Rather, He said, "Don't be troubled." Life is filled with trouble. It seems as though once you have one problem resolved, three more take its place. As Job 5:7 says, "People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire" (NLT). From the moment we come into this life, there are all kinds of troubles. While there are reasons to be troubled, there is a greater reason not to be: We know Jesus. He said to His disciples, "Trust in God, and trust also in me" (John 14:1 NLT). In other words, "I haven't brought you this far to abandon you now. I know what I'm doing. Believe." There are times in our lives when things happen that we just don't understand. When I don't understand something about God, I try to always fall back on what I do understand: I do understand that God loves me. I do understand that He is looking out for me with my best interests in mind. And I do understand that no matter what happens, He will get me through. FROM THE HEART
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