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The Biblical Necessity of the Millennium - By Jonathan Brentner - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/06/20/biblical-necessity-millennium-jonathan-brentner/
In my last post, I looked at what Scripture teaches about our exciting role in Jesus' glorious kingdom during the millennium, which takes place between the Second Coming of Christ and the eternal state. For those of us in Christ, this thousand-year period of time (the millennium) will be a thrilling time of renewal as we reign with Jesus for a thousand years, sharing in His inheritance. After reading my previous article, some might ask, "Is the millennium really necessary for us to experience the wondrous restoration you wrote about? Won't these things also be true in the eternal state? Is the millennium necessary?" Life in the eternal state will be spectacular. Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven, does a great job of expanding our imagination regarding what life might be like on the new earth and in the New Jerusalem after Jesus has forever vanquished sin and death. However, the Bible also tells us of Jesus' rule upon the earth during a time when people will rebel against Him and death will be present. Because these things remain during this time, it cannot be the eternal state. It must be the intermediate kingdom we call the millennium, which takes place after the second coming but before the eternal state. Besides this, there are three other considerations that necessitate the millennial rule of Jesus: The Promise of the Father to His Son In Psalm 2:7-8, we read this promise of the Father to the Son, ". . . The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.'" The context in Psalm 2 clarifies that this is a physical rule over the kingdoms of the world in which Jesus rules with a "rod of iron" (2:9). The presence of rebellion, judgment, and death (Psalm 2:9-12) during this intermediary kingdom sets it apart from the eternal state when such things will no longer exist. Since the conditions of this kingdom do not match our current experience and cannot be the eternal state, it must be the millennium. Daniel 7:13-14 provides us with a picture of the Father giving "one like the son of man" (a term Jesus often used of Himself) "dominion" over all the peoples and nations of the earth. His rule will be eternal, but the first thousand years will be the millennium, the time the Father gives the Son the nations of the world as He promised in Psalm 2. The apostle Paul tells us more about this intermediary kingdom in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26: "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death." Once Jesus fulfills His purpose for the kingdom signified by destroying death, He will give His kingdom back to the Father, and the eternal state will begin with the earth and heavens and the New Jerusalem, the glorious city (Rev. 21-22). The Scriptural Prophecies Regarding Israel Many Bible-believing pastors today deny the reality of the millennium because they erroneously assert either that God has rejected Israel or that He no longer deals separately with Israel since Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament. This brings me to the second reason for the biblical necessity of the millennium. The Millennium is necessary because it offers the only opportunity for the fulfillment of the many scriptural prophecies regarding the restoration of Israel. Many Old Testament prophets wrote about a regathering and restoration of Israel in the last days (Jer. 30:3, 33:23-26; Ezek. 36:22-38; Zeph. 3:16-20; Amos 14:14-15; Joel 3:1). All these passages speak to a future restoring of a kingdom for Israel that has not yet happened. Many today laugh at the question of the disciples in Acts 1:6, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" Such scoffing overlooks Jesus' reply in which He did not contradict their assumption, only the timing of the kingdom for Israel. Furthermore, if the disciples were terribly confused about the kingdom at this point, it would reflect rather negatively on Jesus' teaching ability since He had spent the forty days after His resurrection teaching them about the kingdom (Acts 1:3). Those who claim that God has rejected Israel stand in direct contradiction to the teaching of Scripture. In Romans 11, the apostle Paul proclaims that "God has not rejected his people" (v. 2), and later in the chapter predicts the future conversion of "all Israel." Speaking of Paul's assurances in Romans 11, Eric Sauer wrote this in his book The Triumph of the Crucified: "In words which simply cannot be misunderstood, Paul here confesses his belief in a full conversion of Israel, and explains how from it the greatest and most blessed effects will flow to mankind." Can you see the potential for serious problems that arise when one says that Paul's clear words regarding Israel's continuing place do not signify what they appear to mean? Over time, this approach to Scripture has had devastating consequences for the words of the apostle regarding many other things. The Words of Scripture One cannot deny the reality of a future millennium before the eternal state and at the same time interpret the words of Scripture in the way that authors intended. Let's take the words of the prophet Zechariah, for example. He prophesied that a time after Jesus' crucifixion, a great number of the Israelites would repent and recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Using words that clearly apply to those of Jewish descent and no one else, the prophet pictures a time of much weeping as they see the one "they have pierced" (Zech. 12:10-13:1). If one dismisses a future for Israel and thereby denies the reality of the millennium, that person cannot take the words of the prophet Zechariah as he intended them or, for that matter, what his words meant to his original audience. The denier of the millennium must retrofit an understanding to the text that was foreign to the prophet's understanding at the time he wrote concerning the future repentance of Israel. All these things also apply to Zechariah 14 where the prophet describes the Lord as "king over all the earth" (v. 9) and one who reigns in Jerusalem during a time when rebellion remains possible on the earth (vv. 16-19). For reasons already discussed, this cannot be eternity. In Revelation 20:1-10, John describes a thousand-year rule of Jesus before the eternal state. Just as we saw in many other passages, it's a time when sin is still present since Satan orchestrates a massive rebellion at the close of this time. If John's words regarding this time are mere allegory, of what do they refer? Satan is not bound now, and he will be totally destroyed before the eternal state. Even in a symbolical sense, there is not fulfillment to John's words apart from the millennium before the eternal state. The words of the prophets and Jesus, as well as the apostles speak of a coming time of great tribulation on the earth followed by the Lord's return and His rule over Israel. Those who deny a future restoration of Israel and the reality of the millennium cannot take any of the prophetic words regarding the future literally, in the way that those speaking intended them. They must retrofit the words with an understanding foreign to the prophets when they wrote. As those redeemed by our Savior, we look forward to a wondrous time of restoration beginning with the Lord's return for us and continuing on throughout eternity. While the time of the eternal state after the millennium will also be glorious for us, our wondrous anticipation of this time finds its basis in a literal interpretation of God's Word, which also teaches the thousand-year rule of Jesus. Taking the words of Scripture as the writers intended them necessitates the thousand-year reign of Jesus that we call the millennium. During this time of renewal, we will see God's purposes come to full fruition as He also prepares us for our roles during the eternal state, or heaven, where we will enjoy all the wonders of the new earth and New Jerusalem. Because sin will no longer exist in eternity and 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 indicates a change as Jesus hands over His kingdom to the Father, I believe our roles of reigning with Jesus will differ during this time. I believe the eternal state will provide us with additional opportunities to pursue our most cherished pursuits, the desires that the Lord has already placed on our hearts. The millennium is a necessary prelude to the eternal state because, without it, much of scriptural prophecy remains unfulfilled and God reneges on His covenants and promises regarding Israel. Jonathan Brentner Website: Our Journey Home Please consider signing up for my newsletter. Thanks! E-mail: [email protected] The truth about Jerusalem's City of David and the lies about Silwan - Nadav Shragai - https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-truth-about-jerusalems-city-of-david-and-the-lies-about-silwan/ For the Palestinians attempting to rewrite the history of Israel's capital city, the City of David is just one more thread in the large tapestry of denial of Jewish ties to Jerusalem. A photo of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and U.S. envoy Jason Greenblatt on July 1 striking a thin, symbolic wall with a sledgehammer-a wall built to separate two parts of the ancient Pilgrimage Road-became the headline of the archaeological site's inauguration ceremony. The road is one of the most sensational archaeological discoveries to be made in Jerusalem since Israel's establishment. On this road, which was remarkably preserved under the ashes of the Roman destruction, many thousands of Jews, according to the historical descriptions, walked to the Temple Mount in Second Temple times, after a ritual bath in the nearby Siloam Pool. Over the past five years, Israeli archaeologists have uncovered 350 meters of this road, including numerous artifacts that bring to life the last battle in Jerusalem, about 2,000 years ago, between the Jewish rebels and the Romans. Friedman attended the dedication ceremony not only to express recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the City of David area, but also to admire a magnificent archaeological endeavor of the Israel Antiquities Authority, replete with discoveries. Although this site was dedicated by Israel on June 30, the project began more than a hundred years ago, at an excavation by non-Israeli archaeologists, at a time when the State of Israel did not exist and Jerusalem was under Muslim rule. Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority, closely supervised by safety engineers (in line with the world's strictest standards), have been searching for or excavating the Pilgrimage Road, mistakenly known as the Herodian Road, only since the beginning of the 2000s. But they and the Antiquities Authority are not the first to look for this road or excavate it. They were preceded in the period of Jordanian rule by the British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, who uncovered the more northern parts of the Pilgrimage Road and also warned that the City of David should be excavated hastily before the Jordanians paved a road there, which is indeed what they eventually did. Kenyon was preceded by an archaeological research delegation during the period of the British Mandate. And this delegation was preceded at the end of the nineteenth century, in the time of Ottoman rule, by the archaeologists Jones Bliss and Archibald Dickie. Before discussing the many discoveries from the new excavation, we first need to disprove the allegation that it endangers the homes of the residents of the Arab neighborhood of Silwan. Local Arabs took part in digs ... until they were threatened Over the years, hundreds of Silwan residents took part in the archaeological digs of the Antiquities Authority funded by the NGO "Elad" (the name is a Hebrew acronym for "To the City of David"). More than once the digging was done below the houses of these same Arab workers. They would have kept working there to this very day had they not been threatened with violence by emissaries of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in Eastern Jerusalem. Political opponents of the archaeological excavations in the City of David, which have been conducted for almost 50 years, try every few years to impede the work of the Antiquities Authority, often resorting to legal proceedings. Once or twice they have even gotten as far as the Supreme Court, whose justices are known to be particularly sensitive to claims of infringement of human rights. The petitioners claimed that the excavations endangered the residents of Silwan, and the court looked into their allegations and rejected them. Former Supreme Court Justice Edna Arbel, responding to a petition submitted against the excavations in the Givati Parking Lot (part of the City of David) (High Court of Justice file 9252/080), stated that "many of the claims made by the petitioners were mere empty words, with no basis presented for these claims." After Israeli professionals described to her a series of operations undertaken to ensure the stability of the residential dwellings in the area, she said "the petitioners did not present any evidence that would substantiate a connection between the excavations and the damages that were allegedly caused to their homes." Justice Arbel continued: "There appears to be no disagreement that the parking lot is within the territory of a national park and that the excavations conducted in it so far have yielded an impressive archaeological trove, which is of great scientific and historical importance that transcends Israel's borders. ... Israel's rich historical past is enfolded layer by layer in its soil. The historical annals of the land, of the peoples who have lived in it, passed through it, and entered the pages of history. Over the years, these annals were buried in the land and became its secrets." "Israel," the justice is quoted as saying in another court ruling, "is indeed a young country, but its roots are deep in human history, and its land is replete in its length and breadth with ancient relics of an ancient human civilization, which lived and created in this region for thousands of years. This is all the more so regarding the locale known as the City of David. The remains of the City of David tell the annals of Jerusalem for thousands of years, as one can still learn about them from the Hebrew Bible (see, for example, Samuel II, 4:8, 9:11; Chronicles I, 15:1; and the place itself is mentioned even earlier, of course, in the story of the binding of Isaac) and other sources. "The importance of the secrets of the City of David, national and international, is not unique to the Jewish people, but rather is of importance to anyone who wants to delve into the history of this region, which is the cradle of the monotheistic religions. The importance of the archaeological research lies not only in understanding the past of the country and in the possibility of verifying the truth of the details known to us from other sources, but also in the fact that it sheds light on the development of human culture. As such, its importance transcends peoples and borders." "It had been made clear," Arbel noted, "that the excavation work in the parking lot was being done under the supervision and accompaniment [of] professionals." Seals, palaces and a golden bell And indeed, some years later the Givati Parking Lot provided a rich trove of instructive archaeological findings. The chief finding is an impressive structure from the end of the Second Temple period which, in the view of some archaeologists, served Queen Helena of the kingdom of Adiabene in Assyria about 2,000 years ago. Helena converted to Judaism and built magnificent palaces in the City of David. (The palaces of the kings of Adiabene are mentioned in the writings of Josephus, and they were reconstructed at the Israel Museum in the Jerusalem Model of the end of the Second Temple period.) Also found in the Givati Parking Lot were relics of First Temple days: a six-meter-wide Byzantine road, of which 30 meters were uncovered; a structure of an estate owner from the Roman period with a courtyard, garden and mikvah [Jewish ritual bath]; and remnants of the ancient Muslim period. An especially interesting find was a stamp seal on which, in ancient Hebrew script, can be seen the words: "For Natanmelech eved hamelech ['slave of the king']." The name Natanmelech appears in Kings II, and the researchers say the archaeological finding is dated from the same period as the biblical account-the second half of the seventh century BCE. According to the researchers, the parking lot is apparently also the location of the ancient Acra fortress, which was built by King Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 BCE during the period of Seleucid rule in the Land of Israel. The fortress remained a stronghold of the Seleucids and their Hellenized supporters during the Maccabean Revolt. Another ruling by Arbel dealt with the Herodian drainage tunnel located right under the route of the Pilgrimage Road (also known as the "Herodian Street"). The drainage tunnel was discovered a few years ago by archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun; today, one can walk through it from the vicinity of the Siloam Pool to the foundations of the Western Wall (in the vicinity of the Davidson Center). Exciting findings were made in this drainage tunnel, such as cooking pots and kitchenware with which the rebels ate their last meals before the Romans discovered them and killed about 2,000 of them (according to Josephus). Also found in the drainage tunnel was a sword that belonged to a Roman legionnaire, still in its leather scabbard, and a picture of the Temple menorah that was scratched on the back of a broken potsherd by an anonymous individual who, apparently, had seen the real menorah with his own eyes. In addition, an intriguing, one-of-a-kind artifact was found in the drainage tunnel: a gold bell with a loop at its edge. This bell had been sewn onto the hem of a garment of a distinguished man of Jerusalem, possibly even the High Priest himself. (Exodus 39:24-26.) Found on the floor of the drainage tunnel was the cover of a cistern from First Temple days. The cistern is located half under the drainage tunnel and half (this part is blocked and inaccessible) on the Temple Mount. Here, too, some kitchenware was found, and Jewish rebels against the Romans may have spent their last moments hiding in this cistern as well. 'The infringement of the property rights, to the extent it exists, is minor' It was also claimed to the Supreme Court (file 1308/08) regarding the drainage tunnel that the work performed in it endangered the Silwan residents just above it. Here, too, in an additional and separate ruling, Justice Arbel declared: "First, notwithstanding the claims of the petitioners, it was explained that the work is being done under professional engineering supervision and as part of an approved construction plan. And not only that, as is clear from the statements of the respondents, most of the operations that the Antiquities Authority is carrying out in the drainage canal are not actual excavation work but involve clearing out garbage that has accumulated in the canal for about two thousand years." The justice mentioned the reinforcement work being done to prevent damage and added: "One may say, therefore, that the work is performed with the accompaniment and supervision of professionals, not as the petitioners claim, and it is clear that these professionals are not only concerned about the completion of the work in the drainage channel, but also are aware of their obligation to make sure the work is done in a way that will not harm the petitioners, their family members, or their property." As for the petitioners' right to ownership of the ground beneath their homes, the justice stated: "To the extent that such an infringement indeed exists, it is minor. ... Against the infringement stands a significant public interest in carrying out the work. Indeed, the unveiling of the secrets of the past, which lay for hundreds and thousands of years in the bowels of the earth, is a central aspect of archaeological research. The performance of this research is a many-faceted public interest, whether because of the contribution it makes to understanding the history of the country and the history of the Jewish people, or because of the contribution it makes to understanding historical events that are of importance not solely to the Jewish people and to their history." The Givati Parking Lot and the drainage tunnel are only two examples of sites in the City of David that in recent years have disclosed secrets. There are other important examples: In 2005, archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar discovered remnants of a large stone structure that she is inclined to identify as the palace of King David. In the 1970s and 1980s, archaeologist Dr. Yigal Shiloh discovered the Bullae House and the Ahiel House within the area of excavations in the City of David called Area G. On the bullae found in the excavation area, names such as Shiftiyahu Ben Tsafen or Beniyahu Ben Hoshiyo had survived, as well as the names Yirmeyahu Ben Shafan (a royal scribe) and Azaryahu Ben Hilkiyahu (a priest from First Temple Days). Forty-five bullae out of the 51 found in the Bullae House bore inscriptions in ancient Hebrew writing and included the name of the owner of the seal, along with the name of his father. As the 2000s were approaching, fortifications were discovered in the City of David for a spring and a Canaanite pool. A large pool, quarried in the natural rock, it was a mainstay of the water system from which the Canaanites drew their water. This pool was quarried in the 18th century BCE but went out of use completely in the eighth century BCE, possibly because of the excavation of the famous Hezekiah Aqueduct. The Pilgrimage Road And now the Pilgrimage Road has been discovered. Only about 350 of the 700-meter road have been uncovered so far. Although the prevailing opinion was that Herod built the road, it turns out it was built in the time of the Roman governors who came after him, specifically in the days of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. The archaeologists who have been excavating the Pilgrimage Road over the past five years-Dr. Joe Uziel, Ari Levi, Nachshon Zenton and Moran Hajibi-have also shattered another assumption: It was not the poor who lived along the Pilgrimage Road in the area of the "Lower City," but in fact a wealthy population. Among the ravages of destruction that have been uncovered along the road, luxury items have been found, including inlaid stone tables, jewelry of various kinds and perfume bottles. Along with these are many other findings: coins, cooking pots, complete stone and clay tools, rare glass items, a magnificent dais (for public announcements), and parts of arrows and catapults-testimony to the last battle in the "Eastern Hill" during the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans, which concluded with the destruction of the Second Temple. From Warren to Kenyon: The archaeologists who excavated the City of David The many discoveries in the City of David during the period of Israeli rule join dozens of excavations and excavators who have dug in the City of David, the most archaeologically excavated and researched site in Jerusalem during the years of modern research. Here, for those who speak of Israel conducting a "political excavation," is a list of the excavators of the City of David whose work preceded the State of Israel: In the period of Ottoman rule, Charles Warren of the Palestine Exploration Fund excavated extensively in Jerusalem and discovered the water system known as Warren's Shaft (1867). In 1880, two teenage boys alerted the German architect Conrad Schick to the existence of an ancient inscription engraved beside the southern outlet of the water tunnel in the City of David. This discovery of the Siloam inscription was among the most important at the site. (The original hangs today in a Turkish museum.) In 1881, the German archaeologist Hermann Gutte discovered the Byzantine Siloam Pool as segments of walls from different periods. As noted, more than a hundred years ago Bliss and Dickie discovered parts of the Pilgrimage Road. And Father Louis-Hugues Vincent contributed several of his own discoveries to the understanding of the City of David. Under British rule after World War I, an international project was conducted to investigate the hill of the City of David, under the sponsorship of the Antiquities Department of the British Mandate government. R.A.S. Macalister excavated at the site for the British Palestine Exploration Fund, and R. Weill on behalf of the French. Under Jordanian rule, as noted, only one excavation was conducted in the City of David, under the leadership of the archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon, who received personal permission from King Hussein to dig there. Conclusion When Palestinian media cry out that Silwan is in danger, they lie twice: firstly, because the Israeli excavators and authorities do not move in the City of David without the authorization of safety engineers, and comply with the strictest standards; and a second time because the City of David, which covers about 15 acres, constitutes about six percent of the territory of Silwan. When Palestinian leaders and clerics cry out that the excavations in the City of David endanger the Al-Aqsa mosque, they are deliberately lying. The excavations do not extend beyond the wall of the Temple Mount compound. For years, Israel has made sure to excavate around the Mount and not under it. That was the case regarding the Western Wall and along the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, and the same is true regarding the City of David. Even when the excavation comes close to the wall of the Mount from the south, it never goes beyond it. The visitors who walk on the Pilgrimage Road, or through the "Herodian drainage tunnel," ascend to the Davidson Center, which is at the foot of the walls of the Mount and not within it. Hence it appears that, as in the case of the Temple Mount compound, the acrimony and slander concerning the City of David stem in part from the inability of the inciters to deal with the Jewish past of the site, which is adjacent to the heart of Jerusalem: the Temple Mount. At a time when Palestinians are rewriting the history of Jerusalem, both the Jewish and the Muslim history, and trying to prove that they were in the city before the Jews (despite what modern research tells us), the City of David is for them another item in their large tapestry of denial of Jewish ties to Jerusalem, its sites and its holy places. Sanhedrin to Host Conference of 70 Nations to Take Place on Anniversary of Creation of the World: Nations Answer Call - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - www.breakingisraelnews.com "And the many peoples shall go and say: "Come, Let us go up to the Mount of Hashem, To the House of the God of Yaakov; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths." For instruction shall come forth from Tzion, The word of Hashem from Yerushalayim." Isaiah 2:3 (The Israel Bible™) On September 26, the Sanhedrin will be hosting the first conference of the Organization of 70 Nations at which representatives of several nations will attend. The conference is to bring together all of the nations under the common belief in the sanctity of the Bible and the sanctity of all of mankind. The members of the organization agree to the sanctity of Jerusalem and the Temple's, as well as the sanctity of God's covenant established with all of mankind through Noah. Every nation and ethnic group who sees itself as part of humanity and therefore accepts responsibility to join in a universal covenant of brotherhood of peace is invited to take their place in this Organization of 70 Nations." The concept of 70 nations is taken directly from the Bible. "God established the borders of the world based on the 70 children of Israel who went down to Egypt and the 70 nations that came out from Noah," the Sanhedrin' proclomation explained. "The concept of 70 Nations is from the Bible and symbolizes the basis for the organization while not being intended to imply a limit or requirement for participation." The concept of 70 nations also appears in reference to the 70 oxen offered in the Temple throughout Sukkot (the feast of the tabernacles) which the Talmud (Sukkah 55b) teaches are for the merit of the 70 nations. The conference will address the inability of the United Nations to maintain peace among the nations. Included in this are the actions of the UN that contravene the Noahide principles that are the basis upon which humanity exists. One example of this is the UN agenda to promote abortion and euthanasia as "human rights." Other things on the agenda The conference will also address the actions of the UN against Israel and the Biblical covenant that grants the land to the Jewish people. The attendees will also address the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, which enabled Iran, an openly aggressive power and state sponsor of terrorism, to advance its nuclear weapons program while funding terrorism. The mission The Organization of 70 Nations is expected to enable cooperation towards economic and social programs that will benefit all mankind. Included in this will be an international court based on Biblical principles. The court will be granted the mandate to protect the globe from ecological threats, mobilizing resources to stop hunger and advance agriculture, and advancing medicine for the good of all mankind. The organization emphasizes that every nation will keep its unique and distinct national identity, cultural heritage, language, and recognized borders. The invitation was signed by the members of the Sanhedrin which included Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the spokesman, and Rabbi Dov Stein, the secretary. Who's attending? Several nations have already expressed their intention to attend. Representing Guatemala, Vice president of the Republic of Guatemala Jafeth Ernesto Cabrera Franco as well as several of his advisers. There will also be official delegations from El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Trinidad Tobago, and Costa Rica. Several of the delegates are parliamentarians of their respective countries. The invitations were presented to the South American countries by Devora Luquer, head of the Hallel Foundation. "The people in the government were immediately receptive and open to the idea of an international organization based on Bible principles," Luquer told Breaking Israel News. "They perceived this as a return to their roots as a nation and as an individual." Luquer noted that such an organization must necessarily be based in Jerusalem, citing Isaiah as her source. And the many peoples shall go and say: "Come, Let us go up to the Mount of Hashem, To the House of the God of Yaakov; That He may instruct us in His ways, And that we may walk in His paths." For instruction shall come forth from Tzion, The word of Hashem from Yerushalayim. Isaiah 2:3 In recognition for her battle against bias and prejudice in the UN, the Sanhedrin invited former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley to serve as the honorary president of the Organization of 70 Nations. Though Haley has yet to respond to the invitation, the Sanhedrin issued a commemorative coin to honor her accomplishments. A musical performance The conference will be preceded by a World Creation Concert held on September 25 (the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Elul) which, according to Jewish tradition, will be the 5779th anniversary of the creation of the world. The concert will feature a musical presentation of a selection of Psalms that comprise the Hallel, a prayer service praising God. This will be the second concert of its kind. Last year, a World Creation Concert was held adjacent to the Temple Mount. During a ceremony held at the concert, representatives from Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico signed an agreement with the Sanhedrin to accompany the people of God, as peoples, nations, and individuals toward establishing the Temple in Jerusalem as a house of prayer for all nations as prophesied in the Bible. Merging of Commerce, Religion, Politics - Stepping Stone to Mark of The Beast? - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3329 Every few years attempts are made at removing "In God We Trust" from US currency but, as in other years, the Supreme court has rejected the most recent case attempting to prove the entanglement of state and religion with currency. In a previous ruling, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the Establishment Clause of the Constitution doesn't force the government to purge itself from all religious reflection. "Precluding general references to God would do exactly that," the federal appeals court ruled. In Canada, the government has been more than willing to communicate politically correct progressive messages by means of what is being called the "Gay Loonie". Canada's gold-colored $1 coin is affectionately called the "Loonie" from the Loon bird that adorns its cover design. However, the Canadian mint has now released a commemorative Loonie to mark the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of gay sex in Canada. Perhaps recognizing the challenge of how to memorialize legal sodomy on a coin, the Mint opted to celebrate this milestone with a more coy "stylized rendering of two overlapping human faces . . . the two faces will form one whole face in front view composed of two eyes with eyebrows, a nose, a mouth and two ears with a small hoop earring on the left ear." There are also rays emanating from the men that give the image a "holy aura". No doubt, we are to assume they are rainbow rays. Conservative Canadian Christians have called the new coin a highly offensive attack against God, and protests were previously set up at the Canadian Mint in Ottawa to try to stop its introduction. The protesters argue "the politicization of our coinage and the aggressive push of the LGBT agenda on all Canadians needs to stop". Such political messages on currency remind us of the passages in Revelation 13 which warn us that one day currency and the ability to conduct commerce will be directly related to both religion and politics. Whereas there is a lot of debate about the technology that will be behind the "mark of the beast" such as digital currency, microchip implants, etc., the clear message of Revelation is that this mark is a merging of commerce, religion, and politics. Only those who worship the Antichrist will get the mark and only those with the mark will be able to buy or sell. There has been growing concern in the Conservative and Christian community over the potential for blacklisting by the financial community. Similar to how Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have taken to banning organizations that disagree with their left-leaning policies, we now have credit card services, banks and other financial services under pressure to do the same. Although MasterCard's board says it is committed to the principle of allowing "all lawful purchases," online payments platform Patreon says that MasterCard asked it to withdraw service from Islam critic Robert Spencer, founder of JihadWatch.org, in August 2018. Mastercard also pressured a payment processor to cut off service to the conservative activist and think tank founder/author David Horowitz. Although this action took place last year, the processor later reinstated service following pressure from Breitbart News and other conservative media. Imagine that you are a store merchant who relies on credit card processing but MasterCard and Visa decline your account for promoting "hate". Without the ability to process credit cards, you would be out of business overnight. Or your personal PayPal account is shut down for doing business with organizations that PayPal rules to be "extremist". Realize that the CEO of PayPal has revealed the multi-billion dollar service partners with the leftist organization Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to decide who should be blacklisted from their company. Using "company corporate values" as their defense, PayPal has taken intentional steps to deny access to conservatives. This is a big concern for Christians because the SPLC has taken an anti-Christian slant in recent years, targeting groups like James Kennedy Ministries and the Family Research Council just because they hold Biblical views about sexuality and life. Such irony! They argue "values" as their defense, all the while denying conservative Christians the same "values" argument. Crowdfunding services such as GoFundMe have already shown how easy it is to shut down those they disagree with when they closed the account of Christian Rugby player Israel Folau who was raising funds to fight his legal battle with Rugby Australia, having been fired for criticizing homosexuality on Instagram. Folau's campaign had raised more than $750,000 from several thousand donors before the site closed the account and refunded all donations. With Facebook now looking at introducing its own digital currency, the Libra... Imagine if the use of such currency were directly linked to your Facebook profile. If Facebook will ban your posts critical of homosexuality or abortion, will they also ban your ability to use their instrument of commerce? In other words, you could be restricted in your ability to use this currency based on your religious or political views. The interesting thing about Facebook's new currency is that unlike Bitcoin, which is an open system, Libra is closed and will be highly gate-kept. Facebook announced the currency in partnership with 27 other major corporations, firms, and non-profits, including Visa, MasterCard, Spotify, Lyft, Uber and eBay. These Founding Members make up the Libra Association, which will be in charge of processing transactions for the network and maintaining its version of the blockchain. By the coin's tentative launch in 2020, the project hopes to expand to roughly 100 members. So, bear in mind: this is not just Facebook but a conglomerate of some of the biggest players in the world, essentially launching its own entirely new monetary system controlled by corporations instead of the government. This is a very significant development, not unlike China's Social Credit System that monitors and punishes citizens who do not 'toe the line'. A centralized network like Libra loses all of the features we associate with cryptocurrencies. The Association will be able to blacklist users they don't want to serve, they will be able to rollback transactions they don't like, and like a bank, they will have total access to all your financial information: who you paid, when you paid, why you paid, and how much you paid. Given Facebook's reputation for mismanaging user data and its flippant approach to privacy, an understandable concern from the community and even lawmakers has been, "Can we trust Facebook with our money and its related data?" Many of us can live without Facebook but few of us could live without our credit cards for a week. Thus far, Mastercard, Visa and most banks have not given into the blacklist pressure, but it is just getting started. An extreme event may be just the catalyst needed to move them to take more drastic action. In fact, following the Hegelian dialectic, they just might provoke that 'extreme event' themselves. With respect to world religions, only Christianity is being challenged legally. Only Christians and the one true God are being marginalized. Only Christians and the one true God are being isolated. We should expect to see a 'change-up' in these legal challenges in the not-too-distant future as Satan inspires the next step in his tripartite assault: elimination. The elimination of God will effectively be accomplished simply by changing the definition of God, followed by changing His identity. Bible believers know this to be the case as we are plainly forewarned: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there shall come an apostasy first, and that man of lawlessness be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he, as God, sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (II Thessalonians 2.3, 4) Psalm 2 anticipates our present circumstances: "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers (of industry?) take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His Anointed (His Christ) saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us'." (Psalm 2.2, 3) So long as it is in the world, the Church is a restraining force in society. It is these "bonds and cords" that provoke the antagonism of the world, not simply because of their restraint, but because of He Who has ordained them, "the Lord's Anointed". For those lacking discernment, those who fail to see the 'change-up' that is to come, they're going to be 'fanned'; their reaction will be a 'swing and a miss'. The prophetic merging of commerce, religion and politics is happening slowly and subtly, but surely. The prophet Habakkuk states it like this: "For still the vision awaits its appointed time; but at the end it shall speak and not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come and will not delay." (Habakkuk 2.3) These societal changes could prove to be some of the most dangerous and prophetic developments of 2019. Daily Jot: Christianity is the safeguard to Liberty - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com The Daily Jot has been sounding the alarm about the ongoing coup and what it means to America. Irrespective of bad doctrine that has been taught about not being involved in our nation, or supporting government even when it is evil, there is one axiom that cannot be refuted: Christianity is the safeguard to true liberty. Islam has tried to snuff out Christianity in its midst because it is the beacon of freedom, giving hope everlasting to all who believe. Communism, socialism and fascism outlaw Christianity because of the dangers it presents to totalitarianism. When you know the truth and the truth makes you free, there is no bondage to any worldly system. This is what great men in our history knew and counted on. With the immoral and amoral trying to place a death grip on our free society, Christians must stand otherwise freedom will cease to exist. "Freedom sees in religion the companion of its struggles and its triumphs, the cradle of its infancy, the divine source of its rights. It considers religion as the safeguard of mores; and mores as the guarantee of laws and the pledge of its own duration."--these are the words of Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat who came to America in the 1830s to observe what made the country so great. His "Democracy in America" is considered a historic treasure about the unique success of the United States. Tocqueville wrote that America is free because of its collective Christian religion. He pointed out that the laws that governed the Plymouth colony were derived from the Hebrew texts. In the later 1600s, even the law of Connecticut stated that man shall not "have or worship any other God, but the Lord God." He said that Americans "have succeeded in incorporating somehow into one another and combining marvelously...the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom." Tocqueville believed America was unique in this very way. As we look around the world and see the devastation of modern human trafficking-slavery-it is non-Christian states, such as Islamic nations and others that have no defined connection to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who are perpetrating humans in bondage. Cotton Mather wrote in 1820, "There is a liberty of corrupt nature, which is affected both by men and beasts, to do what they list; and this liberty is inconsistent with authority, impatient of all restraint; by this liberty we are all inferior; 'tis the grand enemy of truth and peace, and all the ordinances of God are bent against it. But there is a civil, a moral, a federal liberty, which is the proper end and object of authority; it is a liberty for that only which is just and good; for this liberty you are to stand with the hazard of your very lives." Galatians 5:1 says, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." As Christians we must demand and accept no other form of liberty. Daily Devotion: In God's Hands - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. - Matthew 10:28 I always laugh when I hear people say, "When I get to Heaven, I have a few questions I want to ask God." In all fairness, there are questions in life: Why did God allow this tragedy? Why did He allow that to happen? But I believe that one second after we get to Heaven, we won't care about those questions anymore. We will see God for who He is, and everything else will come into its proper focus. Right now, our understanding is limited; it is very finite. God's wisdom, however, is incredibly infinite and great. The Bible says, "Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely" (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT). Heaven will be greater than anything we've ever imagined. We can take the most wonderful thing we've ever experienced in life, multiply it a million times, and we'll get just a glimpse of what Heaven will be like. And the good news is that it will last forever and ever. With this in mind, let's think about what we're really afraid of. Let's take the most frightening scenario imaginable. What is it? The worst scenario isn't dying. The worst scenario is dying without Jesus. That is the worst scenario. That is the sum of all fears. Jesus said, "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28 NLT). If you are trusting in Christ, don't be afraid. To live is Christ and to die is gain. Our lives are in God's hands. 
FROM THE HEART
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