Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Revelation Revealed: Part 4, Demonic Invasion - Pastor Mike Taylor -
http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2017/12/revelation-revealed-part-4-demonic.html "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." (Revelation 9:1-4) As we have seen, studying these previous chapters starting in chapter 6 that the destruction grows even more fierce as each chapter reveals the devastation God in His wrath is raining down the nations who are in rebellion, and have refused to believe in the only means of redemption provided by God, that is Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected to life. Each of us were saved, who truly believe in the work of the cross, as His death washed us in His own blood. But more importantly, Jesus didn't stay dead, but rose again on the third day. His death would have meant nothing, if Jesus had stayed dead, but His resurrection guarantees each of us a future. 7 "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5:7-10) Without the resurrection, we would not be guaranteed to rise from the grave, or be changed into spirit being at the coming of our Lord for His church, but now Jesus Christ is our High Priest who stands at the right hand of God making intercession for those who come to God, by faith through the shed blood of God's only Son, Jesus Christ. But these nations have not by the majority accepted that payment, and have rebelled against a Holy God. They have rejected the sacrifice of His only Begotten Son, and God will extract a payment for their rebellion in blood, torment, and destruction. Remember if you just jump forward and note when Christ comes back with the armies of heaven in chapter 19, His vesture is dipped in blood. It is not His own blood, but the blood of those He has slain, and the blood of many will flow by the billions that the bible says "that if the time were not shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect, it will be shortened"..that is how the destruction of this earth is near total in number. WOE TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH. As the angel proclaimed in the last chapter 8, 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" (Revelation 8:13) The nations have been rocked with Divine judgment that has come upon the earth, with wave after wave of God's Wrath, but now an angel cries that the next three angels will reveal things even more devastating that what they have seen in the recent past. God will now command angels to release demons from the abyss, which may be the pit that fallen angels were chained back in Genesis waiting for this time to take out vengeance on mankind. 4 "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them." (Revelation 9:4-6) These creatures that come out of a smoking furnace are described in the next verses of this chapter, and the description is most hideous and they have one mission, that is to torment mankind for 5 months, not kill them, but make them wish they could die. Death will escape anyone who tries to commit suicide, as God will not allow death to capture them, but to torment them with stings like a scorpion for a period of time. 11 "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." (Revelation 9:11) What I find interesting, is that this pit is opened by an angel, and may be demons from another dimension, which the spirit world is not of the material, but parallel to our own. We can't see it, as if we did we would all have heart attacks from the fear that would grip each of us who saw the war being fought. Right now, mad scientist are trying to find the so-called "God Particle" which they believe is the key to the origins of the universe. In their crazy ambitions, many have feared that the power generated from the CERN Hadron Collider could effectively open up another dimension and no one knows what could come through its open portals. "CERN or the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was purportedly developed to 'replicate the big bang theory' and 'open gateways to other dimensions.' (The " big bang theory is a Kabbalist teaching as well. ) End times prophecy teacher Tom Horn is presenting these claims by theoretical physicists as fact, and a fulfillment of prophecy. "However, they also believe that there are parallel realities around us, other dimensions, and there could be other intelligence there.... "There is a reason why God put them on the other side of that veil, and you might not want to open that door! And here's the thing. Their own director of CERN, General Rolf Heuer, has given interviews to the British Press in which he admits that is what they are trying to do. They want to open the door to another dimension. He said 'when we open the door, something might come through it into our reality! Or, we might send something through it into their reality!'" -Tom Horn "Out of this door might come something, or we might send something through it," Sergio Bertolucci, Director for Research and Scientific Computing at CERN is cited as saying while briefing report that include CERN HQ. The town in France where CERN is located is called "Saint-Genus-Poilly". The name Pouilly comes from the Latin "Appolliacum" and it is believed that in Roman times a temple existed in honor of Apollo, and the people who lived there believed that it was a gateway to the underworld. It is interesting that CERN, whatever it actually is, is strategically built on this spot, to deliberately appear to fulfill a dispensational view of these verses in the book of Revelation:" (The Christian Observer) Is the site of this Haldron Collider which is lying over an ancient pagan temple dedicated to Apollo, the source of where these demons will come through from another dimension, but will be allowed to pass into this world through a door the Holy Angel will open? It gives one pause to think that mankind is trying manipulate the spirit world and may pay a high price when it is finally allowed to be opened. They don't know what they are messing with. This is just a warm up for the demonic activity of spiritual beings that hate all mankind, as they have been in prison for thousands of years, and here their hatred is released, but one woe is past...the next two are even worse. 12 "One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men." Revelation 9:12-15) THE SECOND WOE AND MORE DESTRUCTION Remember those angels that stood on the four corners of the earth back in previous chapters? Here they are loosed to do the will of God and they slay 1/3 of all mankind. Figure that up...for approximately 7 billion people, a third will die, or 2-2.5 billion people from all over the earth. How will they slay them? Remember how the death angel slew the first born of Egypt? They just quit being alive, their heart stopped, or a physical infliction of a wound by a spiritual sword, because we don't know how they will die, but they will die suddenly and most likely, no one will attempt to bury them, or if they do, their effort will be interrupted by future calamity that befalls the nations. The death toll continues to rise, and the earth will be ravaged from the diseases this will cause and more will die. 17" And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Revelation 9:17-21) How can anyone interpret what the description of these demonic forces of 200 million are?. God is using them to destroy those who are in rebellion to His commandments and do not have Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. To me, it sounds like a return to ancient paganism that God abhors and destroyed whole civilizations because of their idolatry. Analyzing this army of the horsemen: Does this speak of a natural or a supernatural army? Is this an army of men or an army of demons? If this describes a natural army of men, then the weird description may speak of modern, mechanized warfare. It may be John simply describes modern machinery in the only terms he can, and the result is this weird, grotesque, terrifying account. But, a human army this size has never been seen. The total size of all armies - on both sides - at the height of the Second World War was only 70 million. In 1965 China claimed to have an army and militia of 200 million, but this claim was doubted by many. Even if such an army was assembled, and marched towards the west, it is hard (but not impossible) to see such an army killing two billion or more people - a third of mankind. Therefore, perhaps the safest interpretation is to see this as not a literal 200 million strong army, but a demonic army invading earth. This continues the idea of the demonic army like locusts described earlier in the chapter. But the mass extinction of whole nations will be forthcoming and few will survive this massive assault. Note that God is attempting to get man's attention. To cause them to turn to Him if by nothing else fear for their lives, and repent of their crimes, their murders, their idolatry and plead for mercy and forgiveness, but men will not turn to God, and God knows it, but gives them an option anyway, but they will not repent and the carnage continues to grow. REVELATION CHAPTER 10, GOD WILL ALLOW NO MORE DELAY "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: 2 And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, 3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not." (Revelation 10:1-4) Here a mighty "angel" can also be rendered messenger, as many have wondered about the identify of this messenger from the very throne room of God. Many believe that it is Jesus Christ come to personally bring judgment and proclaim what is about to happen. The description looks like it could be Christ, as a rainbow is about His head which is a reminder of the promise of God made to Noah, and His face shines like the sun, and his feet as burning fire, which sounds like the feet John saw our Glorified Jesus in Chapter 1, but could also be the Ark Angel Michael, which is a mighty angel, but whoever it is, this messenger comes from Almighty God and roars like a lion, as seven thunders uttered their voices. NO one knows what these seven thunders consist of or what they are, as God forbids John to write down what he hears and sees associated with these seven thunders. This illustrates the principle that while God has revealed much, there are secrets which God has not seen fit to reveal to man at this time. But notice how this powerful being is standing, on the earth and on the sea, meaning He has power over all the earth, I would be more inclined to believe that this is Jesus who has come to make the will of God known. The thunders could be in reference to what was written in the Psalms: "The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, "Glory!" (Psalm 29:3-9) This is a short interlude that serves as a dramatic purpose, but also shows mercy in allowing more opportunity for repentance. It is as if God brought things to the brink, then pulled back a little to grant mankind more time to repent. Will they repent? Let us see. 5 "And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, 6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." (Revelation 9:5-7) This messenger has sworn by God Almighty, that time will be delaying no longer. God has given mankind ample time to repent and come to their senses about following the Everlasting Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, and they will not, so God will allow no more delay. Judgment is coming beyond what anyone can even imagine, and those who rebel against God will be crushed and near totally eliminated from this earth. 9 "And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. 11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings."(Revelation 9:9-11) What is this little book that John takes and eats and becomes bitter in his stomach? John could only proclaim the Word of God if he had taken it in. Such an action symbolized the reception of the Word of God into the innermost being as a necessary prerequisite to proclaim it with confidence. When he came to think upon it, it was either so mysterious that he could not comprehend it, or the matter of it was so sad that it gave him great trouble and bitterness in his stomach. Any effective communicator of God's Word has experienced both the sweetness and bitterness that is associated with His Word. Whatever the content of the scroll, it is connected to John's command to prophesy to all men. This is not a message for the church of the Living God for at this point, the church is not present upon the earth as this is a continuation of Gods wrath and we "are not appointed to wrath" ..John's prophecy spoke of the fate of the entire world, not just one nation, empire or emperor, such as the Roman Empire, but the last empire that would be ruled by the Anti-Christ. CHAPTER 11: TWO WITNESSES PROPHECY AT THE JEWISH TEMPLE "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." Revelation 11:1-3 Here John is told to measure the temple of God, but to exclude the outer courts. Why does God tell John not to measure the outer courts. IN ancient times, the outer courts were for Gentiles, or those who were not Jewish, and on the Temple mount, should the Temple be built up that location, the location has been determined to be north of the Muslim "Dome of the Rock", so God is showing they are not part of His people. John is told to do much like Ezekiel was told to measure the Temple, and Habakkuk was told to measure the earth. Also Zechariah was told to measure Jerusalem in chapter 2. So what does it mean to have something measured? Measuring denotes ownership of what is being measured. God owns the Temple where the Jewish people have been sacrificing since the temple was completed. God is showing us that He is in charge of what is happening, thus He produces two witnesses that are clothed in sackcloth, which testify of the power of God and His Christ. Some believe the passage is talking about the Temple of our bodies, the Christian, but note that Daniel, Jesus, and the apostle Paul all denoted a coming event known as the "abomination that causeth desolation". The Anti-Christ, as we have learned, will confirm an existing covenant with Israel, allow them to build a Temple and then desecrate it by standing in the Temple claiming to be God. So a physical temple has to be built and standing, temple sacrifices being performed and then being halted to demand worship to the Anti-Christ who will have a idol to be worshiped placed in the Holy of Holies and demand worship of himself. 3 "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will." Revelation 11:3-6) WHO ARE THE TWO WITNESSES? Many have tried to determine who these two powerful men, that God sends to witness to the world either inside/outside the Temple grounds. The whole world will be mesmerized and watch intently by satellite TV and listen to what they say, and see what they do. Many believe, including this minister, that they are both Elijah and Moses. Why? Because each of them cause the same miracles that were performed by Elijah by calling fire down from heaven, so those who try to hurt them in any way, fire proceeds from their mouths to destroy whoever attempts such an act similar to Elijah in 2nd Kings and the priest of Ba'al. These two witnesses also have power to shut heaven . . . they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire: The two witnesses have the power to bring both drought and plague, similar to the power Elijah (James 5:17-18) and Moses (Exodus 7-12) had. This is similar to what happened during the Exodus when Moses called for the plagues that decimated pagan Egypt. The witnesses have an unique, continual empowering from the Holy Spirit, as shown in Zechariah's olive trees and oil lamps picture (Zechariah 4:2-3 and 4:14). The passage from Zechariah had its first application to two men in Zechariah's day: Joshua and Zerubbabel. "Just as these two witnesses were raised up to be lampstands or witnesses for God and were empowered by olive oil representing the power of the Holy Spirit, so the two witnesses of Revelation 11 will likewise execute their prophetic office. In the picture from Zechariah, oil lamps were filled directly from olive trees which piped oil right to the lamps. This is a picture of continual, abundant supply. If we will be witnesses, we must first have something to witness - our own personal encounter with Jesus Christ. Then, we must have the power of the Holy Spirit to bring forth the story of what we have witnessed effectively. In this book of the Revelation the Holy Ghost borrows all the elegancies and flowers in the story of the Old Testament, thereby to set out the story of the New in succeeding ages. These servants of the Most High God preach immovable at the Temple in Jerusalem for 3.5 years. It could be what inspired and caused the 144,000 Jewish evangelist to realize that Jesus was indeed the Messiah all along, and cause them to become the witnessing powerhouse that preaches and wins millions to Christ. Then comes a climatic end of their witnessing, when God allows them to be slain by the Anti-Christ. 7 "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." (Revelation 11:7-10) The world has watched and hated the two witnesses, because evil men would not heed their preaching and proclaiming salvation through Jesus Christ, and those who tried to stop them were killed nearly instantaneously. The whole world suffers and fears these two men that have preached over 3 years while plague after plague befell the inhabitants of the nations and now their testimony is finished, and God allows them to be killed by the beast that comes from the bottomless pit. The Bible describes the man who kills them, the Anti-Christ, who most likely has been possessed by Satan himself, who is the beast from the bottomless pit. These two men were not cut off short from their testimony, they have fully completed it, and for the future Glory of God, they are allowed to submit to being killed by this demon from hell. 8 "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." (Revelation 11:8-10) SETTING UP THE COMING GREAT TRIBULATION One would think that the Anti-Christ has won, as he is the only one who was able to destroy and kill these men who have persecuted the world for 3 ½ years and caused the evil men of this world much distress, and now they rejoice that these two prophets have been destroyed and the whole world sees it on TV cameras that broadcast the event to the world. Notice the three descriptions of the city, which is Jerusalem being called Sodom or immorality, and Egypt or slavery, and a Great City, which is akin to Babylon the home of the Anti-Christ. Anyone who is in bed with the Anti-Christ and being in love and making a covenant with him, deserves these titles. But soon, those who erred in this position of a false peace will soon find out that they have made a pact with the devil. The world all over will rejoice and cause humiliation to not even cause their dead bodies to be buried, but look upon them for 3.5 days as they lie lifeless without the honor of burial. This is the worst possible result for your enemies to allow your dead body to lie there in death. The world is merry because they could not stand to hear the truth, or not be allowed freewill choice to revel in their ungodliness, and to endure the plagues that were brought upon them. But they are about to get a rude awakening. 11 "And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven." (Revelation 11:11-13) Can you even imagine this scene. They must be thinking to themselves, "didn't this happen before when million disappeared and we didn't know what happened to them? And what are they going to do to us now?". These two men stand on their feet, and great fear fell upon the earth dwellers, but the earth was not good enough for these two men, and God calls them "come up hither". Now where have we heard that expression before?? I know, when God called John into the throne room of God and witnessed the church sitting there on thrones. It is a type of rapture of these two men. Judgment of their deeds immediately is pronounced as a great earthquake comes and destroys a tenth part of the city of Jerusalem and 7,000 men die as a result. But a remnant of the Jewish people give glory to God, as they know who it was that did both acts of rapture and judgment of the earthquake. 14 "The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshiped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." (Revelation 11:14:19) The ending of this chapter sets the stage for what is coming, and it grows exponentially worse as the chapters progress. Everyone in the heavenly realm knows what is coming, and they fall on their face before God as signs of His power surround them, lightnings, thundering, great earthquakes, and hail that continue to ravage the earth, but now the 7th angel has sounded his trumpet and the the coming judgments will be the filling of the wrath of God to the brim of the cup of His indignation. Do you even envision the horror of this time, and we have just come to the end of the 11th chapter, which the 7th angel is announcing even greater destruction that will come upon the earth. How can it get any worse, you ask? It can get much worse, to where God will slay nearly every man and woman on this planet with plague, pestilence, fire and brimstone. In the next chapter, we are introduced to the actors that are part of this spiritual drama played out in the physical realm. This chapter seems to divide the tribulation in half dropping down into the middle of the carnage that has come near full strength of God's Wrath, but we get a pause to catch our breath, as we see who this time of Tribulation is designed for. See you next time as we explore chapter 12 and beyond that deals with the actors in this drama, natural and supernatural players. A CALL TO REPENTANCE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE As my custom at the end of any prophecy piece, I want to ask those who may be reading this message this side of the rapture, or even on the other side into the coming Tribulation, what is your destiny in all this? Will you be found part of the body of Christ and escape this coming horror? Or will you accept Jesus on the other side and try desperately to survive only to most likely be destroyed by the Beast power in martyrdom? On the flip side of this coin, will you reject the only payment for the sins you have committed found in only One Person, Jesus Christ and be cast headlong into what I have tried to describe in words, but cannot compare to the reality of what is coming. Or will you continue to reject Jesus in all your unrighteousness and stubborn refusal to repent of your sins, just to finally be thrown bodily into a burning Lake of Fire fueled by sulfur and brimstone? You have a couple choices that you must make on either side of this coming event known as the HARPAZO, or the snatching away of the church, some call the "rapture"....what will you answer be? Will you accept Jesus now, while the choice is a simple free will choice, or accept under extreme perilous conditions in the coming Tribulation?? Or the worst choice and do nothing and be consumed by a God who is a consuming Fire in all His righteous indignation over unrepentant sins and refusal to come to the only payment for your sins, found in His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord? The choice is yours. Join me next time, as we explore further carnage of this planet in the "WOMAN AND THE DRAGON". See you then. 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 8-10) This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying you find Jesus as your source of eternal life. If you need counseling, prayer, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at [email protected], or visit me online for more biblical messages, at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com , God bless you all TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.................SOON Did Trump's Jerusalem declaration fulfill Ben-Gurion 'prophecy'? - http://www.wnd.com/2017/12/did-trumps-jerusalem-declaration-fulfill-ben-gurion-prophecy/#4yyD5UDlbODAhlX5.99 Rabbi sees more than coincidence in date of announcement Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital came on the exact same date on the Hebrew calendar that Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, 48 years earlier, just a year after Israel's founding, announced that it would be so. Rabbi Benjamin Blech, professor of Talmud at Yeshiva University and an internationally recognized educator, religious leader and lecturer, did the calculation and found that both announcements were made on the Hebrew calendar date of Kislev 19 - Ben-Gurion's in 1949 and Trump's earlier this month. "[W]hen I looked at the Hebrew calendar, I realized something far more profound than a political statement," Blech wrote in Aish.com. "Rabbinic scholars long ago taught us that with the end of prophecy, after the close of the Bible, God has another way in which to communicate with mankind. It is by way of the secret of time - the linkage of events occurring on exactly the same date that makes clear we are meant to understand divine messages. Coincidence, it's been famously said, is God's way of choosing to remain anonymous. In other words, it's God's way of testing our ability to concede the Almighty's role in directing the remarkable twists and turns of history." Blech says he's certain President Trump did not know the significance of the day on which he chose to proclaim the historic change of America's policy with regard to the status of Jerusalem. "The idea of the seemingly coincidental confluence of events on precisely the same day suggesting divine involvement has a precedent with another major moment in Jewish history - also linked to the month of Kislev as well as to Jerusalem," he adds. Hanukkah began on Kislev 25 - another notable date in the history of Jerusalem. "What makes this date so special?" Blech asks. "The Maccabees fought the battles but it was God who, behind the scenes, saw to it that success was finally achieved on the 25th of Kislev - the exact same day when construction of the second temple had commenced years before, as evidenced in the prophetic book of Haggai (Chapter 2:10, 15 and 18). And when the Syrian Greeks, in their efforts to eradicate Judaism, defiled the temple with idols, pagan sacrifices were not offered in the temple until - yes, you guessed it - the 25th of Kislev" (I Maccabees 1: 54-59). Blech says the message of that date is reflected in the prophet Isaiah's vision for universal peace, which appears prominently on a wall outside of the United Nations: "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." "That, too, I believe was the message of the 19th of Kislev" this month, he wrote. Nearing Midnight: Trump Prophetically Enlightened? - Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ Presidents of the recent past have made statements that I recall as having Bible prophecy in view. I haven't researched to find these statements in their exact verbiage, but they were made and could be rather easily found with today's search engines. I remember that Jimmy Carter referred to the Holy Land as having biblical and historical importance according to Israel's prophets. Ronald Reagan sometimes would refer to the Second Coming of Christ and the reality of Armageddon. Bill Clinton once said that his pastor, Dr. W. O. Vaught, told him when Clinton was governor of Arkansas that if Bill ever became president, he had better treat Israel according to Genesis 12. -This, regarding the blessings or cursing to be given by the Lord, Himself, depending upon whether one blessed or cursed Israel. President Donald Trump, in talking about his decision declaring Jerusalem as Israel's eternal capital, and announcing he will move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, said something of profound significance, in my view. He announced a number of important reasons for his decision. Then he said: "...It is reality, And, its the right thing to do." One must wonder how much of this president's declaring Israel's eternal capital and moving the embassy there is based upon true understanding of why it's "the right thing to do." A considerable amount of the criticism I've heard about Trump's decision comes from a specific, leftist diatribe. These say it's the crazy evangelical Zionists who base Israel's right to the land they "occupy" upon the Bible. The word "Bible" is dripping with vitriol, even when read rather than heard. It's like they are saying"...the Bible!...Ugh!" Trump is listening to the Bible thumpers and doing it for their votes. That is the rant. Yet, the following Bible truth is exactly what makes Mr. Trump's decision to declare Israel's capital Jerusalem and move the American Embassy there the "right thing to do." Jerusalem, is, in fact, chosen by the Lord of Heaven to be at the center of His chosen land for His chosen people: But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel. Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. But the LORD said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well in that it was in thine heart: Notwithstanding thou shalt not build the house; but thy son which shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name. The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken: for I am risen up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. And in it have I put the ark, wherein is the covenant of the LORD, that he made with the children of Israel. (2 Chronicles 6:6-11) Almost every leader on the world stage at present is against the decision. Even our closest allies, like British Prime Minister Theresa May, are adamantly against the declaration and the move. Yet this president is unmoved. He seems determined to carry out the promise that presidents preceding him didn't have the political will or courage to honor. -That of proving America's commitment to declaring Jerusalem Israel's capital by moving the embassy there from Tel Aviv. Trump is one who has proven that he keeps promises, even bucking the heavy resistance of opposition from outside his own political party and from within. He forges ahead, despite the world's opposition to this decision. He doesn't wither under the fire of the fanaticism of the Islamic world that rages with hatred for Israel. It is not possible for me to know for certain, but I strongly suspect that Christian counsel from people such as Dr. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, have made it known to the president the truth about Israel from God's perspective. Thankfully, Mr. Trump has wisely listened to such counsel, it appears. America stands in much better stead with the Almighty with this fulfilled, presidential promise. Did Jesus Fulfill All 108 First Coming Prophecies? - Nathan Jones - www.lamblion.com Jesus did indeed fulfill all 108 distinct Bible prophecies concerning the Messiah's First Coming. Anyone who thinks that is an accident knows nothing - absolutely nothing - about the laws of probability. Prophecy is proof positive that Jesus is God in the flesh. On a recent television episode of "Christ in Prophecy", Dr. David Reagan and I, along with guest Dennis Pollock, set out to demonstrate this amazing fact and in doing so revealed the life-changing impact such knowledge can have on a person's life. The Scepter Shall Not Depart Dr. Reagan: Every year at Christmas I am reminded of the remarkable prophecies concerning the birth of Jesus, and how they substantiate His deity and the faithfulness of God. Let's take a look at some of those prophecies. The first that come to mind are those that establish the general time period when the Lord would appear. There are two in particular I'd like for us to consider. The first in Genesis 49:10. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people." Nathan Jones: When one thinks of a king, we usually think of a crown and a throne, but kings also wield a scepter. The one who holds the scepter is the one who also holds all the power in the land. The line of King David flowed from the tribe of Judah, and so Judah through King David and his lineage held the rightful power over Israel. This power included making laws and also the authority to wield capital punishment over its subjects. The Jewish people throughout much of their early history held the right and power to put to death those who disobeyed their laws, that is, until Shiloh came. Who is Shiloh? Shiloh stands out as a Messianic term for the Messiah. Jesus the Messiah is Shiloh. By the time Jesus had arrived on the scene, up to that point the Sanhedrin still wielded the power to put Israel's criminals to death. But, when the Romans took over, they took that power away from the Jewish people. Hence, when Israel's religious leaders plotted to crucify Jesus, they had to get Pontius Pilot's permission to kill Jesus because the Jews had lost the power to enact capital punishment. The scepter - the power - to rule uninhibited had been removed from Judah. The loss of that power occurred nearly the exact time Shiloh showed up! Messiah Shall Be Cut Off Dr. Reagan: Another prophecy predicting the general time period of the Messiah's first advent can be found in Daniel 9:20-27. It concerns the prophecy of Daniel's 70 Weeks of Years. Dennis Pollock: What an amazing prophecy this is! The angel Gabriel personally delivered this message when he came and appeared to Daniel while he was deep in some intense praying. Gabriel declared a number of prophecies, but the one that we are focusing on here is that after "7 sevens" and "62 sevens," meaning 483 years, the Messiah would be cut off. This amazing prophecy declared that the Messiah would one day come, and when He did, He was going to be "cut off," meaning He'll die. A lot of the Jews couldn't accept a prophecy that foretold the death of the Messiah. This prophecy pinpoints the timing of the Messiah's arrival and departure. The 483 year countdown would commence once a command was given to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Mathematicians and theologians have done some complicated figuring to calculate the starting event that would lead to the general time period of the Messiah's arrival. Once the command was given in 445 B.C. by the Persian King Artaxerxes through a decree issued to Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1-8), take 483 years from that decree and we end up right at the time of Jesus, particularly right at the time of His death. Such an utterly amazing prophecy! The prophecy leaves no doubt that only Jesus of Nazareth could be the Messiah the Angel Gabriel was referring to. Jesus arrived precisely on time to fulfill the 70th Week of Daniel prophecy. Probabilities and Prophecy Dr. Reagan: The world would shout "Coincidence, coincidence!" But, we all know better than that. Quite a lot of study in the Scriptures has been made over the centuries concerning whether a prophecy fulfilled is merely coincidence or probability. Nathan Jones: It's impossibly hard to have a coincidence show up 483 years later when you need it to happen. I'm not a mathematician, but there was a mathematician who made such calculations. He has since passed away, but his name was Peter Stoner. The man possessed the most brilliant mind, and yet he demonstrated that rare gift of being able to take complicated mathematics and explain them in easy to understand illustrations. For example, Dr. Stoner acknowledged that there are 108 distinct messianic prophecies made in the Bible that Jesus Christ fulfilled at His First Coming. He wondered what were the chances of just eight being fulfilled in the life of one man. Stoner performed all the mathematical calculations and he figured out that the possibility was 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That number is a 1 followed by 17 zeros! That number stands so big that the human mind can't grasp it. And that calculation is based not on all of the 108 prophecies, but merely eight. Dr. Stoner brought that ungraspable number down to my level in order to explain it. He said this is what 1 in 10 to the 17th power would look like. Take the entire state of Texas, which is a very huge state, and fill it two feet deep in silver dollars. Mark one coin and throw it out of an airplane. Once the coin had landed, churn up all those coins statewide with bulldozers so that the coin is totally buried. Next, take a blind man and drop him in. When the blind man reaches down and picks up the very first coin, that would be the coin with the mark. That is 1 in 10 to the 17th power! Impossible? It sure would be, unless something divine happened. That divinity was none other than the arrival of the Son of God, Jesus Christ! Dr. Stoner proved we are not talking about coincidence here when it comes to Jesus Christ fulfilling hundreds of years-old prophecies. Daily Jot: You are a hero in the life of an African girl - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Many who read The Daily Jot each day probably don't understand the depth by which this ministry impacts lives. Yes, we provide analysis of current events to reveal the prophetic and equip and encourage readers to evangelize. There is a whole lot more. Donors to The Daily Jot can rest assured that our ministry in West Africa is changing lives in rural areas, often under Muslim domination, with clean water, food and clothing. But even deeper than that, there are times when we are faced with life and death situations that must be acted upon decisively. Your contributions and encouragement assists us in making a difference. The following story is one such example as written by our ministry partner Pastor William Agbeti. "Akornorba had dropped out of school following the untimely death of her father and sought employment to support her and her impoverished mother. This was just the beginning of her troubled journey. She had fallen into inhuman servitude as a private housemaid to a so-called "Christian" woman for meager wages, without any hope for a bright future. Unwilling to resign to the fate of a servant, she listened to friends who peddled stories of greener pastures in the Middle East. She then became very determined to make it to where the grass was greener. To this end, she saved what she could to pay a Muslim agent to unknowingly start a journey of no return. This is when God miraculously foiled this plan of satan. "But for the love of God and the timely intervention of our ministry, young Akornorba (her real middle name, meaning delightful child) would have fallen prey to Islamic human trafficking, juvenile sex trade and gross human abuse. Rather than ending up servicing the sexual escapades of psychopaths and being sold from one deranged Muslim slave master to the other at secret slave markets in the Middle East, she was divinely directed to us where she gained support to start vocational training. Beforehand, thanks be to God and the supporters of our ministry, she was saved from an impending death and was planted in a school. Of a truth, one person or body corporate can make a huge difference in the life of an individual. This is you! "Today, we were honored to present a gift of a locally manufactured gas oven to Akornorba at her hometown, to use for baking pastry products. This forms part of our program of empowering her to be totally independent even before school, and to assist her to start raising funds and support payment of her school fees. This was made possible through Daily Jot readers' labor of love. You are heroes and heroines in the life of Akornorba. This is just one example of how your prayers and gifts to The Daily Jot change lives. Our hearts and love go to all donors who made this possible." Maybe you were unaware, but now you know. As Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, "Inasmuch as you did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." PS from Bill: I know that ministries are all asking for end of the year donations. This is the kind of work we are doing in the name of the Lord. If you are so led to help, please consider us. The Daily Jot, 5257 Buckeystown Pike, #314, Frederick, Md. 21704 or securely online here www.dailyjot.com . May the Lord bless you as your blessing blesses us! Daily Devotion: Just Another Night in Bethlehem - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done marvelous things! -Joel 2:21 On the first Christmas Eve, there were no brightly colored lights on anyone's homes. There were no stockings that had been hung with care or any visions of sugarplums dancing in children's heads. It was just another night in Bethlehem. The census had gone out-that command by Caesar that everyone was to be taxed. But history was about to change in Bethlehem. All of Israel was living in a very frightening time historically. They lived under the tyrant King Herod who would execute people at will. In addition, the Jews were living in occupied territory. The Romans had taken control of their country. They were no longer free to do what they wanted and live as they wanted. They wondered if Rome would ever leave. Would the violent rule ever cease? Would their world ever change? Then suddenly angels appeared to the shepherds and told them not to be afraid; the Messiah had been born. There is a lot to be afraid of in our unstable, volatile world today. It seems that at every turn, we hear about another horrific tragedy happening in our world. It can cause us to be terrified. Then there are the personal fears: What if I lose my health? What if I lose a member of my family? What if this happens? What if that happens? A lot of things run through our minds. Here is the message of the first Christmas-and the message for us this Christmas: Don't be afraid. . . . I bring you good tidings of great joy. Ray Stedman wrote, "The chief mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of fear and the presence of joy." Does that describe you? Fear is what Christmas came to remove-and now we can have joy in its place. 
FROM THE HEART
IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT Prophecy Update has no corporate sponsors. This ministry is paid for and prayed for by readers and supporters. Without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update, Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter - thanks! If ever there was a time to invest in God's Kingdom, it's now! What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake? "Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!" "Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey 1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack. 2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others. 3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks! Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 Prophecy Update is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt - non-profit organization, and all your donations are tax deductible. If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. You can make a secure donation online by going to: DONATE NOW Or Visit our website: http://prophecyupdate.com/donations/ Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 
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