The Tribulation or 70th Week of Daniel will start on this EXACT DAY! And the Book of Daniel supports this timing. Not only does the Bible tells us what day the Tribulation begins but it also tells us the exact day it ends. And both of these days are Feasts of the Lord. Watch this Nelson Walters video to discover what so few understand about the coming 70th Week of Daniel. Which year is of course the big question.
Recent announcements by the UN about the UN (Stakeholders) taking control of nations during epidemic outbreaks like Covid 19 and even extreme Climate Change events with a start date as early as September 2024 indicate the move to the Biblical prophesied one-world government is on the UN agenda.
“Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16
“No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:20-21
The people in Berea were commended for subjecting the apostle Paul’s words to God’s Word:
“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” Acts 17:11
Everything the Bible says about God is true; everything anyone says about God that contradicts the Bible is false. Apart from a belief in the authority of God’s Word—as well as a growing knowledge of what it says—we’ll be vulnerable to deception. This is why one of the greatest needs in churches today is the consistent teaching of sound doctrine. Without it, and without people reading good books that reinforce a biblical worldview, God’s people will drift along, swept away by the current of popular opinion.
Faith is not inherently virtuous. Its value depends on the worth of its object. The Bible, understood in context and given precedent over our own instincts and preferences, is our dependable guide for faith and practice. Only by learning what Scripture says about God can we know what’s true about Him.
When we delight in God’s Word, we are delighting in Him.
I’ve heard people say, “Don’t take pleasure in the Bible; take pleasure in God.” But to study God’s words is to take pleasure in God because His Word is an expression of His very being.
Anyone who finds happiness in God must find happiness in God’s words as David did:
“In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.” Psalm 119:14
“I find my delight in your commandments, which I love.” Psalm 119:47
“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97
Notice these Scriptures demonstrate that to delight in and to meditate upon God’s Word is to delight in God Himself.
The point of studying God’s Word is to know Him.
There is a danger of idolizing our own knowledge of the Bible rather than remembering the point is to know Him better. (If we fail to understand that, the problem is with us, not the Bible!)
J. I. Packer, in the first chapter of his book Knowing God, says this: “To be preoccupied with getting theological knowledge as an end in itself, to approach Bible study with no higher a motive than a desire to know all the answers, is the direct route to a state of self-satisfied self-deception. We need to guard our hearts against such an attitude and pray to be kept from it. …there can be no spiritual health without doctrinal knowledge, but it is equally true that there can be no spiritual health with it if it is sought for the wrong purpose and valued by the wrong standard… Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God himself better. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God’s attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are. As he is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so he must himself be the end of it.“
May we see Bible study and doctrine as a basis for humble worship of our King and Savior, not for prideful posturing.
God’s words have the power to bring heart happiness.
When Jeremiah said that God’s Word “became to me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16), he was suggesting that Scripture has a cumulative effect that increases over time. Happily, by God’s grace, As Joni Eareckson Tada says: “If you want to increase your desire for God, then get to know Him more deeply. And there is no better way to know Him than through His Word. Get into God’s Word, and you will get a heart for Jesus. Get passionate about Scripture, and your passion for Him will increase. Feelings follow faith…and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.“
God promises that His Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). We live in a time where the Bible is increasingly minimized. Let’s be committed to doing everything we can to uplift and honor God’s Word, as a means of knowing and loving Him.
Adapted from an article by Randy Alcorn, “Is There a Danger of Worshipping the Bible Instead of God” http://www.patheos.com
How to Build a Faith That Will Withstand Any Persecution
I will close this book with a few words of hopeful wisdom to help you in case you are terrified of the future and wonder if you will be able to withstand the difficult days ahead. I do not claim in any way that I have a monopoly on how to build a solid Christian life, or some special secret to achieve rapid maturity, an oxymoron in itself. It would be impossible for you to have the same huge host of people build into your life that have built into mine. I’m very sorry for those of you who have had few, if any, people pour into your life by spending time with you, praying with and for you, and guiding your growth as a Christian. I have been hugely blessed in this regard. Because of that godly input over many years and forty-plus years of walking with the Lord, I have a few ideas on how to build an unshakeable faith. People often ask me if I have doubted my faith while serving the Lord abroad in overwhelmingly Muslim communities. My answer is always “No. Being the only Christian for miles around actually builds my faith stronger.” That is because I continually see the vivid contrast between the reality of Christianity and the Holy Spirit within us, and the deadness of religion, even one that calls for extremely high commitment. As I’ve said many times before in print and in person, ONLY the Holy Spirit can change a life, no one else. That’s the primary, on-the-ground difference between Christianity and every other faith out there. The longer you are among those other faiths, even as you find elements worthy of admiration in them, you will understand that none of them actually change the heart.
So let’s take a brief look at a few steps you can consider to build a faith that will remain true and strong, even if Islamists order you to forsake it. 1. Get Into a Small Group(s). There is absolutely no need to build a strong faith through your own effort, gutting out daily Bible reading, going to church whenever you can, and trying to pray for longer and longer amounts of time each day. The modern, Western thought that we can walk with Jesus but not follow any “organized religion” is wrongheaded. This type of Lone Ranger Christianity is nowhere to be found in God’s Word. It is a Western, individualistic interpretation of a faith that grew out of small groups, as we see all over the Book of Acts. I am saying clearly that you cannot grow the type of faith you will need in the End Times by watching sermons on television or online and staying in your own home with no regular contact with other Christians. The Church will never stand strong if it’s built on survivalists who move as far away from others as they can and practice an isolationist Christianity. You should not want to dive into body life simply because it is commanded. You should do it because it is enjoyable and a necessary part of your growth. We all need that sharpening from one another, as Proverbs 27:17 says, As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
The author of the book Arab Spring Christian Winter – Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World, Ralph Stice has spent many years living, working, and ministering in Muslim countries. His time in Turkey (seat of the former Ottoman Empire) has led him to the same conclusion as Joel Richardson author of The Mid East Beast – The Scriptural Case for an Islamic Antichrist.
Only churches that can defend Biblical faith will survive. The Bible clearly presents the following as historical events that we need to defend as miraculous events of God’s making:
God created the universe in six twenty-four-hour days simply as a pattern for how man is to live. Six days we are to work and the seventh day is a day of rest and a day to worship our Creator God.
Adam and Eve were created in God’s image to be in a relationship with Him. Death and separation from God were God’s judgment as a result of Adam and Eve’s SIN (rebellion against God’s command).
Just 1600 plus years after creation sin had become such a problem that God judged humankind’s SIN again this time with a worldwide flood destroying all humankind and animal kind except those on Noah’s Ark.
God established the nations when He confused the languages at the Tower of Babel.
God established His nation; Israel was established for God’s purposes and it is yet to fully achieve those purposes. The fact that it was rebirthed as a nation in 1948 is a sign God is in control of His Story.
JESUS enters history (B.C. and A.D. ) to provide humankind with a way back into a right relationship with God. He paid the price for our rebellion against God. The penalty for rebellion was death and Jesus died on our behalf so that all those that accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are born again with the Holy Spirit to enable them to live a Christian life and be assured of resurrection to eternal life. First, the resurrected Saints will serve with Jesus for 1000 years (Millennial Kingdom) on this earth. Then the White Throne judgment, after which, there will be a new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell.
God has given us His Word by inspiring His prophets and apostles to write the Bible. Its authenticity is proved by the fact that much of it is now fulfilled prophecies and we are now seeing many end times prophecies being fulfilled in our time.
Fortunately, God has established the following ministries to equip us to defend all of these seven historical truths:
In particular, I personally recommend and use the Creation Magazine when I talk to a non-believer who raises evolution as an objection to accepting Biblical truth. Become a subscriber; go to http://www.creation.com
Can I suggest you watch out for a post I intend to do entitled Answering the Skeptics: No Evidence for God.
God gave all of his prophets a picture of the future that God had in store for them. There are at least 1800 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming. God wanted to prepare us for the soon coming time of tribulation when God will purify His church as He allows Satan to rule and reign for 3 1/2 years through the Antichrist (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 below).
In the case of the O.T. prophets, they were given the future of their nation Israel that God had established for His purposes. They all saw their prophesied Messiah (Jesus) ruling the nations from a magnificent Jerusalem in the land of Israel with the borders that God had specified to Abraham. This is Jesus’ Millennial reign on this earth prior to its destruction, the second resurrection, the White Throne judgement, and finally the new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell. It is a transition period, we have had 6000 years of Satan’s rule and we will soon have 1000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning the nations with the glorified Saints.
The Saints will be resurrected and those living raptured just prior to God pouring out His wrath upon the earth with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. As I have covered before, a number of times, the rapture occurs after the celestial signs at the end of the sixth year (sixth seal) of the final seven years (70 the Week of Daniel). The wrath of God lasts one year and ten days, the length of time of a Jewish year that precedes a Jubilee year. God’s wrath at the time of Noah’s flood also lasted one year and ten days.
The N.T. apostles were given prophecies like the two below, to Peter and Paul. Jesus gives us far more detailed information in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 & 25, Luke 21, Mark 13) and Revelation. I will cover those in a future post.
“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:2-7
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God… And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“ 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
Why are younger people departing from a Biblical worldview? How did this happen?
Satan developed a strategic plan to destroy God’s Word and he took aim at the foundational book of the Bible – Genesis.
Take God out of the creation story and you destroy the Biblical foundations: man and woman made in God’s image, marriage, supernatural beings, angels, including enemies of God – a fallen angel called Satan and his demons, The Fall of mankind, a worldwide flood of Noah’s Day, confusion of languages (Tower of Babel) that established the nations, andGod established His nation, Israel for His purposes. All leading to God, JESUS, entering history at the appointed time.
Evolution has been Satan’s most successful strategy. If Darwin’s evolution is true, God is not necessary to explain the existence of the Cosmos. It evolved over billions of years. To do that you have to make Noah’s Flood a myth and yet just about all people groups around the world have a flood story in their foundational history and numerous geologists of today recognize that there is abundant evidence in the rocks and fossils that speaks of water-related rapid catastrophic deposition, just as would be expected with Noah’s Flood. Sadly, the growing number of neo-catastrophists still cling to millions of years by assuming many sequences of catastrophes separated by millions of years.
Schools and universities now teach evolution and the Big Bang as fact. The U.S. District Court on December 20, 2005, charged that even teaching intelligent design (ID) was an unconstitutional establishment of religion. Even many theological schools have now accepted evolution and billions of years as scientific fact which has destroyed Biblical history and belief in an inerrant Bible.
Once God was removed from history then it was only a matter of time before God’s commandments were also jettisoned from every area of life: government, law, sex, marriage, family, life (abortion and euthanasia), and finally lawlessness abounds.
The institutional church has abandoned God’s word and lost its power. It is no longer relevant and in fact considered a danger that must be controlled by legislation.
Most parents still try to teach Christian values to their kids: how to be kind and generous and hardworking, etc. They have disciplined their kids in life skills like keeping a clean room and working hard at school and being polite. But at school, they are taught evolution and therefore the Bible and the God of the Bible are myths. The Bible and its God are no longer relevant, and “SIN” what is that? We can make up our own rules. Hence, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, gay marriage, and transgenderism are all acceptable lifestyle choices.
Unless parents tackle the creation/evolution issue and therefore the historical accuracy of God’s Word they will have little to no impact on their children’s evolutionary worldview which allows them to live the life they choose. Why would they choose all the constraints the God of the Bible requires? However, God’s Word is true; fulfilled Biblical prophecy proves it to be an accurate record of God’s dealings with His world. Parents need to teach this truth so their children will submit to their Creator and reject the lies of their enemy Satan who is out to destroy them. To help parents teach biblically, God has raised up ministries like Creation Ministries International (CMI – http://www.creation.com) and Answers in Genesis both with Ph.D. scientists who can clearly show evolution as a failed theory and that the Bible’s “young earth” history is supported by scientific evidence. They have excellent resources for Christians to use. Also, discipleship must be daily, and not just in life skills, but apologetics, theology, prayer, the power of God, and missions.
Also, Children need to be taught how to become born-again Christians with the Holy Spirit indwelling their spirit. We cannot live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit. We are told the Holy Spirit is the one who produces the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, kindness, and self-control. He is the one who will make us Christ-like (sanctification). He is the one who provides all nine gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) of the Spirit for ministry. Much of the institutional church teaches that God the Father sent Jesus to provide the way back to the Father by His sacrifice for us on The Cross but they do not teach that Jesus made it possible for the Father to send the Holy Spirit to enable us to live the Christian life and all that entails. It is the power of God.
PRAYER
Father, we thank you for ministries like CMI that are addressing the attack on the inerrancy of your Word. Bless them we pray and show us how we can play our part in supporting their efforts, particularly with churches in our area of influence. We pray for Christians in schools and universities that they may be able to bring your truths to light in their sphere of influence. Equip them with the correct materials to use by guiding them to websites like http://www.creation.com. Heavenly Father we ask you to raise up churches that will operate like the early churches described in the Book of Acts in the power of the Holy Spirit to do what you called us to do:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Matthew 28:19-20
“ You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”2 Timothy 2:1-2
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
“Christian persecution has skyrocketed in India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party) took power in 2014,” said International Christian Concern (ICC) President Jeff King. “With the goal to set up India as a Hindu nation, they have passed laws and enforced policies targeting Christians. The [recent attacks] are the result of this overarching hostility toward followers of Christ. It has created an increasingly dangerous climate for Indian believers.”
India ranks as the 10th most risky nation in the world for believers, according to Open Doors USA’s 2022 World Watch List, which ranks countries where persecution is most prevalent.
“The persecution of Christians in India is intensifying as Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence,” the World Watch List explained. “The driving force behind this is Hindutva, an ideology that disregards Indian Christians and other religious minorities as true Indians because they have allegiances that lie outside India, and asserts the country should be purified of their presence.” This is of course Satanically driven and I am reminded of the amazing account of Daniel and his experience with the Angel Gabriel. What an amazing message Gabriel gave to Daniel from many aspects, but it shows that Satan appoints demonic angels to be princes over his territories and no doubt Satan has his Prince of India.
“O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you… Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me,.. and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”Daniel 10:11-14
Satan did not want Daniel to receive that message from God and he had his demonic angel that he had set over Persia to try and stop Gabriel. Note Gabriel needed help from the Archangel Micnael which shows the power demonic angels still possess. Gabriel also mentions that on his return he will fight against not only the Demonic Prince of Persia but also the Demonic Prince of Greece.
“But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.“ Daniel 10:20
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” which helps us get a better understanding of what is playing out in India right now.
According to ICC, Christians in 20 villages in the Chhattisgarh state of India were attacked last week during church services.
Hindu nationalists used bamboo sticks to attack believers, looted their homes, and destroyed three churches. Several people were severely injured and hospitalized, while others fled to the jungle or nearby police stations, but authorities refused to help.
“Small kids and women with their families were sitting in open places in biting cold, with no food or water, warming their hands with their breath,” one witness told ICC.
A church leader said, “These large-scale violent attacks bring back traumatic memories of the Kandhamal anti-Christian riots,” referring to August 2008 when radical Hindu nationalists killed 39 Christians and destroyed 3,906 homes. “These incidents have shocked the entire Christian community in the state, and the sad thing is that the people in authority did not bother to help,” the leader added.
India ranks as the 10th most risky nation in the world for believers, according to Open Doors USA’s 2022 World Watch List, which ranks countries where persecution is most prevalent.
As my followers know this account of what is happening in India is prophesied to take place before Jesus returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom. Tribulation even great tribulation is what we can expect.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13
The most olim in more than two decades arrived in Israel this year, representing a dramatic increase from 2021.
Some 70,000 people from 95 different countries immigrated to Israel in 2022 with the assistance of the Jewish Agency for Israel, in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration.
It was the most olim in 23 years and a dramatic increase from 2021 when about 28,600 immigrants arrived in the country.
Even before the Israelites went into the Promised Land, Moses told them they would be cast out of the land and scattered across the earth but then regathered from all the nations where God has scattered them. Look also what God told Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. Can there be any doubt about Biblical prophecy, the inerrancy of God’s Word, and Jesus coming Millennial Kingdom.
“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you . . . and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God. . . that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. . . . Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it.” Deuteronomy 30:1-3
“Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land.And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned and will cleanse them, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 37:21-23
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.” Jeremiah 16:14-15, repeated again in Jeremiah 23:
“In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Isaiah 11:11-12
The regathering actually began before 1948 when Israel was miraculously re-established as a nation. Israel being reborn was the first major prophesied “end-times” sign.
Jewish Agency data for the period between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, 2022, shows that 37,364 olim arrived from Russia; 14,680 from Ukraine; 3,500 from North America, with assistance from Nefesh B’Nefesh; 2,049 from France; 1,993 from Belarus; 1,498 from Ethiopia as part of Operation Tzur Israel; 985 from Argentina; 526 from Great Britain; 426 from South Africa; and 356 from Brazil. Final totals for 2022 will be available after the year concludes.
Approximately 27% (about 19,000) of this year’s olim are young people between the ages of 18 and 35, who will boost Israeli society and the economy, including professionals in fields where there is a labor shortage in Israel such as medicine, engineering and education. Around 24% (16,500) of the olim are ages 0-17; 22% are between 36 and 50 years old; 14% are aged 51-64; and 13% are 65 and over.
The Gospel brings life to those who receive it. But it often leads to hostility from those who do not. Thus, the desire to comprise the Word is ever-present as compromise may lessen or even eliminate one’s suffering. For Paul, the presence of the Holy Spirit is the key. Timothy can guard the treasure “through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us”.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” 2 Timothy 1:14
Sadly, many people in our institutional churches including leaders have never been born again by the Holy Spirit. He indwells all true believers and provides the power and love, and self-control to live the Christian life. He will produce the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22, all 9) and provide the ministry gifts (all 9).
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will display at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:12-16
NOTE: “Until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christwhich He will display at the proper time.”
As I have mentioned many times previously there are many more prophesied signs of Jesus’ second coming (2,000) than there were of His first coming (300). The religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees totally misread the signs of His first coming and sadly most of the institutional/denominational church is miss reading the many signs preceding Jesus’ second coming.
Supersessionism or Replacement Theology is one of the main reasons. The source of Replacement Theology came about in the first century.
The following article is largely taken from the lead page of Jewish Voice (www.jewishvoice.org).
The Messianic/Christian debt to Hebrew Scripture, Jewish exegesis, and divine revelation was evident to all followers of The Way. In fact, Jewish-Christian relations, in spite of second and third-century Christian elitist assaults upon all things Jewish, continued with good rhythm and solid relationship until the mid-fourth century with the advent of the First Council of Nicaea. At the Council of Nicaea, under Constantine’s oversight, the Church formally disconnected from the Jewish roots of Christian theology and practice, by separating the celebration of Easter from the Celebration of Passover.
But the sentiments of the Bishops at Nicaea have their foundations in debates that began in the second century. Justin Martyr crafted his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew on the heels of the Bar Kochba uprising in the Land of Israel, then under Roman rule, and first called “Palestine,”, in 135 C.E. The Dialogue was finally published in 150 C.E. some 15 years before Justin’s martyrdom. Here Justin made his strong case for a “New Israel,” a “True Israel,” in replacement of biblical Israel―hence, the term “Replacement Theology” or “Supersessionism” (that the Church Supersedes Israel).
Although we find warnings against Replacement Theology (Supersessionism) in the Book of Romans, Paul attacks it at its roots and reminds Gentile followers of Yeshua that “the root (that is, Israel) supports you (Romans 11:18b). However, what begins with Justin’s Dialogue, an increasingly hostile disposition towards the Jewish people, the God of the Hebrew Bible (sometimes referred to as the “demiurge”), the Torah and any expression of faith that was linked to these began to flourish in the newly forming institutional Church.
For historical reasons too complex to explain here, the Church fathers sought to create a new “wall of partition” between Jewish and Christian people. This would not only result in thousands of assaults upon Jewish people over the next 1,500 years but also cripple Christian self-understanding as a “daughter” of the Faith of Israel. God intended for Israel and the apostolic fruit of Jewish efforts at winning non-Jews to Yeshua to labor for the Kingdom in total partnership under Yeshua. The Christian negation of all things Jewish helped to foster Jewish resistance to the Gospel message.
This Christian elitist antipathy toward Jews and Judaism became woven into the fabric of Christian theology and thereby into Western civilization. Martin Luther and the other reformers inherited this anti-Jewish theological posture and cultural prejudice. Luther, heralded as the Father of the Reformation and an avid student of Paul is credited for his justification by faith emphasis as newly discovered in Romans. But in the processing of his new insights, he took severe liberties to castigate the Jewish people, even Jewish Believers in Yeshua. This led Luther to craft during the final decade of his life horrific written sermonic siege upon the Jewish world. That collection informed much of the Western expressions of anti-Semitism over the centuries that followed and was quoted oftentimes by the Nazi Regime in the days of Hitler.
However, the re-establishment of the Land of Israel in 1948 and the recapture of the City of Jerusalem in 1967 have forced the Church to reconsider long-held attitudes towards the Jewish people. In a time when Israel did not inhabit the Land promised to them by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, it was a bit easier to believe that He may have abandoned His Covenant promises to Israel. With the nation re-born in a day (Isaiah 66:7-8) and the City now under Israeli sovereignty (Luke 21:24), Christians of many denominations are seriously reconsidering many long-held theological positions concerning Israel and the Jewish people. May the Lord eradicate the fallacy of Replacement Theology from His Bride, the Church, in our lifetime and in our days. Jesus in the Oliver Discourse makes it clear that the miraculous re-establishment of Israel as a nation back in 1948 was the prime sign of His soon-coming return. Please make sure you get a copy of the Free book 10 Signs the Last Days Have Begun from http://www.lastdaysovercomer.org. where you will find this sign (Israel reborn) plus nine other related signs.
Read what Marquis Laughlin has to say, “as a new believer, I was fascinated to discover that God has told us in the Bible everything He is about to do. It contains hundreds of fulfilled predictions. Many of them were fulfilled down to the day! That’s really what sold me on God. He is in control. He is sovereign, all-knowing, and all-powerful! He is…God!”
Marquis Laughlin wrote the Foreword for the new FREE BOOK10 SIGNS The Last Days Have Already Begun. It is available on the new website created by Nelson Walters and Jake McCandless http://www.lastdaysovercomer.org. If you are not positive we are in the last days before Jesus returns to earth then you MUST read this book.
“The days are near when every vision will be fulfilled.” Ezekiel 12:23
Apostle Paul commends the Bereans as being more noble” because they “searched the scriptures daily” to see if Paul’s teachings were true.
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them, therefore, believed” Acts 17:11
If the Bereans thought it was wise to double-check Paul’s writing with the scriptures, shouldn’t we be regularly checking the scriptures to make sure what we’ve been taught is accurate?
As you read 10 Signs The Last Days Have Already Begun I pray that you will be like the Bereans were, that you’ll be a story detective, searching the scriptures daily to make sure what is being taught here is true. May the Lord grant you even more of the context you need to understand your part in His Story better.
Jesus began his teaching to the disciples on the end times with: “Now learn this parable from the fig tree.” Jesus thought this teaching was so important that He commanded his followers to learn this parable and what its interpretation meant. It was the only time in scripture that He gave His followers that command.
Learning this parable is probably a great place for any Christian to start understanding the Last Days. From it, you can figure out if you are part of the Final Generation; and therefore, if you need to begin to prepare for those times.
If we can know and confirm in our hearts that we are the final generation and we’re in the last days, then how will we respond?
Mental belief isn’t enough, we must respond in action. Conviction is required. Conviction we can know the signs. Conviction they are being fulfilled. Conviction to believe God will bring these things to pass. Conviction to prepare. Conviction to help others prepare. Conviction to step back from the arguments and move forward in unity. Conviction to make the most of this time for the Lord.
Satan is acting in response to knowing the end is coming. He knows his time is short so he’s trying to inflict as much harm as possible.
“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath because he knows that his time is short!”Revelation 12:12
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 