GOD WILL RESTORE ISRAEL: HE IS FAITHFUL

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Will God restore Israel? No question, the wayward child will be restored. He is faithful. His promises are not dependent on Israel being faithful just as His promises to the church don’t depend upon our faithfulness.

He will return to save them, restore them, and rule and reign from a restored Jerusalem for one thousand years (Millennial reign). Good to hear Joel Richardson devastate the Preterist view (a perverted and evil view) of end times.

The primary focus and prophetic burden of all the O.T. prophets is the return of the Messiah and the events that surround His coming. God was gracious to show each one of them the end of the story – the “Day of the Lord” when he comes to defeat Israel’s enemies and He rules and reigns from Jerusalem in the Millennium.

Joel does a great job of unpacking the different positions held on the identity of  Mystery Babylon.

EVENTS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE BEFORE JESUS RETURNS

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“Now when they are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction comes on them, like labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will surely not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.” 1 Thess 5:3–4

Paul’s reassurance to the Thessalonians implies that they were anxious that they might not escape the day of the Lord and therefore endure God’s wrath. Paul confirms Christians will be raptured before God’s wrath is poured out on an unbelieving world. It is at the end of the sixth seal being opened that His wrath commences: “For the great day of His wrath has come who can stand.” (Rev. 6:17) The seven trumpet and seven bowl judgements are the wrath of God.

Note, Paul contrasts the ungodly, who will not escape because Christ is coming back as a thief for them (as in the days of Noah) , with believers who are obedient-vigilant and “not in the darkness for the day to overtake you like a thief would.” Incidentally, this reassuring promise undermines the pretribulational notion that Jesus is secretly coming back as a thief for his church.

During the Antichrist’s great tribulation, the world will experience peace and security for those who are loyal to him. Hence, Paul prophesies that the world will be saying, “There is peace and security” before Jesus returns to mete out His day of the Lord’s wrath upon the wicked.

The church will be here to witness the ungodly exclaiming that they are experiencing peace and safety. This prophecy that Paul mentions undermines imminence because it will happen before, not after, the rapture.

This is just another prophesied event in a long series of intervening events that will happen before the rapture—rendering the pretribulation teaching of imminence contradictory in light of this biblical evidence. [1]

The peace and safety will be illusory, a false security for unbelievers, because eventually unforeseen calamity will come upon them just as unexpected labour pains come upon a pregnant woman.

We should be careful not to confuse Paul’s use of the birth pangs analogy with Jesus’ purpose in using the same phrasing in the Olivet Discourse (“All these things are the beginning of birth pains,” Matt 24:8). Paul uses the phrase in a completely different application. Jesus applies the birth pangs metaphor to particular events before the .Antichrist’s great tribulation, while Paul applies it to the situation of the onset of the day of the Lord’s wrath  after the great tribulation.

For a more in depth coverage go to alankurschner.com – The Prophecy – “There is peace and security” contradicts Pretribulation Theology.

END TIMES SIGN – ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

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A “LAST DAYS” PROPHETIC EVENT IS UPON US AS ECONOMISTS REALISE THE WORLD’S DEBT IS BEYOND RECOVERY. THE WORLD HAS NEVER BEEN AS INDEBTED AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.

 

In the month of October, 2017 alone, the US national debt has soared by nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars.

The government of the largest, most important economy in the world is completely, woefully bankrupt. And its rate of decline is accelerating.

You’d think this would be on the front page of every major newspaper in the world. But it’s not. It’s shrugged off as par for the course, as if accumulating historic levels of debt is somehow consequence-free. And this complacency is what I find the MOST bizarre. Consider the following: the US government spends nearly the ENTIRETY of its tax revenue on Social Security, Medicare, and Interest on the Debt. Throw in national defence spending and the budget deficit is already hundreds of billions of dollars.

The only realistic way out is for the US government to eventually capitulate… and default. 

This could mean selectively defaulting on holders of US debt (for example– the Chinese, Japanese, Federal Reserve, Social Security Trust Fund, etc.);  one day Uncle Sam simply stops paying.

Or it could mean defaulting on promises made to citizens, like providing a strong national defense, maintaining a stable currency, or paying out Social Security benefits as advertised.

Each of these scenarios has its own particular consequences, ranging from steep inflation to a full-blown global financial crisis.

Bottom line, there is no possible rosy scenario here for the USA and Europe is in a worse debt crisis.  As the global economy is interrelated, if major trading blocks like the Eurozone or countries like the US or China go into recession, it’s likely to affect economic growth around the world.

Sadly, as Jesus prophesied  in the last days there would be a great falling away in the church, even the elect being deceived. This is most evident in the denominational church which is compromising with the world on issues such as gay marriage, homosexual leaders in the church, evolution and billions of years.

Make sure you are in a Bible believing church that understands we are in the “last days” and is equipping the Saints to bring in the harvest. As the world gets darker our light will shine brighter. Our joy and hope in the Lord will be evident and the power of God on display with healing and miracles following. Live eternal NOW.

OUR BLESSED HOPE IS THE RETURN OF JESUS OUR KING

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ANOTHER GREAT PRESENTATION FROM NELSON WALTERS: OUR BLESSED HOPE

Christians need to understand that Jesus told His disciples (Olivet Discourse in Matthew, Mark and Luke) that six events will precede His return. You need to know what they are.

PRESENTATION SUMMARY:.

  • The blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of Jesus are ONE event, not two
  • The word appearing is not one of the Greek words for rapture, but rather a word that means “appearing above or upon,” such as the appearing upon the clouds; and it always means appearance of a god
  • This word is also used in 2 Thess. 2:8 where it says Jesus will diminish the power of the Antichrist upon his appearance. This can only mean that the Antichrist is already in power prior to the appearing of Jesus
  • Our hope is Jesus no matter what persecution may intervene. We have a blessed hope even if we must endure the Tribulation period.

So rather than being a proof text for the pretrib. rapture, Titus 2:13 and the accompanying word study are actually a proof text disproving the pretrib. rapture. How can the hope of Christians be the appearing on the clouds and the diminishing of Antichrist power, if there is a pretrib. rapture. Both cannot be true. I’ll chose to believe the Bible and Titus 2:13.

So if you liked Nelson’s teaching, hit a couple of the share buttons below. This is a terribly misunderstood doctrine, and sharing it will be helpful to multitudes of brothers and sisters.

 

IS THERE FORGIVENESS AFTER TAKING THE MARK OF THE BEAST?

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“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb.” Revelation 14:9-10

I believe this scripture is crystal clear. Listen to Nelson Walters clarify it with Jesus own words. Sadly, you will also hear that influential evangelical leaders including John MacArthur, Grace Church, California believe that you can be forgiven after taking the mark of the beast. This is deception and probably results from his belief in a Pretribulation Rapture which believes the church is taken up before the seven year tribulation (70th week of Daniel). He believes the church won’t face the Antichrist or the mark of the beast. Getting the timing of The Rapture right is critical for the church. Our faith will be tested radically during the tribulation period, make sure you keep your focus on the eternal reality revealed by Jesus, not on the too brief here and now.

“LAST DAYS” EVENTS ESCALATING AS PROPHECIED

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Celebration of passing the Same Sex Marriage bill in Parliament House Canberra yesterday. Labour’s Senate leader Penny Wong is the one standing in the picture on the left. She has a particular interest as she is in a lesbian relationship and she and her partner have two girls. On the right, Bill Shorten, Labour’s leader takes part in a March to support the YES VOTE.

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Sadly, most of these people live their lives as if God does not exist, certainly not the God of the Bible who tells us that   to fear God is the  beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7  At this time, I am also reminded of what Jesus said,

“If you abide in my WORD, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

God’s word also tells us, 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 judgement and destruction of the ungodly.

The world no longer believes that God judged the world just four thousand years ago. Only eight human survivors of a worldwide flood and yet the evidence of billions of things buried quickly all over the world is stark and ample evidence.

Probably the greatest proof of the authenticity of the Bible is fulfilled prophecy. Over 300 prophecies of Jesus first coming is enough, but do you know that there are many more prophecies concerning His second coming and these are beginning to unfold in our time. One of the most significant is the prophecy of Israel being reborn as a nation and that God would bring Jews back to Israel from all around the world. This is happening at an increasing rate as we approach the last seven years before Jesus return – The 70th Week of Daniel.

Many of the recent posts on this website clearly demonstrate we are in the “last days”. Another, very significant sign given by Jesus, is that in the “last days” there would be apostasy in the church. A great falling away, as the church no longer stands on God’s Word, heeding sound doctrine. Abortion, same sex marriage, gender fluidity and euthanasia are four abominations in God’s sight which will bring God’s judgement on nations that approve of these sins. Australia now joins those other nations that are going down this path of destruction. Judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah was a real historical event but the scoffers are blind.

IDENTITY OF THE ANTICHRIST REVEALED – MAHDI

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The following report by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, November 20, 2017 fits end times Biblical prophecy, in describing the Antichrist, and the possible lead up to the two Middle East wars described in Daniel 8; first Iran (Ram with two horns) seeking to establish Shiite dominance in the region. It will not be successful in its bid to destroy Israel. The first war precipitates the second with Sunni Turkey (Male Goat with a notable horn between his eyes))seeking to reestablish a revived Ottoman Empire. It’s conjecture on my part but the Antichrist may emerge from Turkey or one of the countries involved in this revived Muslim Empire.

“Iran is establishing bases in Syria, but according to some sources, their preparations to engage Israel are motivated far more by Messianic aspirations than military or political ones.

Iran has frequently stated its desire to destroy Israel, claiming the Jewish state as the focus of its nuclear and long-range missile program. Iran has also funnelled millions of dollars into proxy enemies of Israel, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Islamic soldiers seek to conquer Jerusalem. (Screenshot)
According to a Middle East military analysis site, Iran is now stepping up its pace, having established 13 military installations in Syria. Some experts see behind this a sinister desire for the end of the world – Islam style.

Indeed, the escalation of Iranian military efforts in Syria are religiously motivated, Ryan Mauro, a political analyst for the Clarion Project, explained in a recent interview.

“This isn’t normal competition between hostile powers, this isn’t even the normal Iranian sponsorship of terrorism or attempts to expand their military presence,” Mauro said. “To the Iranian regime this is the fulfilment of prophecy.”

Mauro pointed out that new Iranian troops are called Ansar al-Mahdi (“Supporters of the Messiah”). It has also created a 313th brigade, into which it is is recruiting young Syrian Shiites. According to tradition in Shiite Islam, 313 is the number of fighters that will arrive with the Mahdi, the Islamic Messiah.

Islam’s tradition holds that Mahdi is the redeemer of Islam. The arrival of Mahdi will coincide with the arrival of the Christian messiah, who will be the Mahdi’s assistant in fighting the Masih ad-Dajjal, the false messiah, or anti-Christ.

According to the tradition, the Mahdi will reappear along with Jesus, who will declare himself a Muslim, and kill Christians who refuse to convert. Shia Islam holds that the end-of-days will be a bloody battle, killing off two-thirds of the world population and leaving the rest to convert to Islam.

The concept of Mahdi is explicit in Iranian politics. In a speech in front of the UN General Assembly in 2008, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left the gathered politicians aghast as he explicitly begged Allah to hasten the return of the Mahdi.

“You are not dealing with fully rational actors,” Mauro said. “You can be irrational and strategic and pragmatic at the same time, which is what Iran is doing. If you understand these prophecies, you can understand Iran.”

Mauro explained that according to Shiite theology, Iran believes they will lead the battle against Sunni adversaries, continue down into Israel, and eventually take over Jerusalem. He believes that the recent destabilization in Saudi Arabia is a direct result of Iran’s apocalyptic agenda.

Debka editor Giora Shamis agreed. “The basis of Iran’s policy is based on spreading Shiite Islam and making it the dominant religion in the world,” Shamis told Breaking Israel News.

Read more at https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/98132/iran-trying-bring-islamic-end-days-syria/#r4qo1L7JOc9DJkfv.99

 

ISRAEL’S PROPHETIC ROLE IN FULFILLING THE PASSOVER RIGHT BEFORE JESUS RETURNS

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Jesus gave us a powerful revelation at his last Passover on planet earth. He said that it would not be fulfilled until He established the Kingdom of God. There is a fascinating prophecy in Jeremiah 23:1-8 that helps us unlock the puzzle. I have included an excerpt from verses 5-8.

“The days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the earth. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. And this is the name by which he will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, surely the days are coming, says the Lord, when they will no more say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel out of the north country and from all countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will dwell in their own land” (Jeremiah 23:5-8).

Just before and during the return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign on planet earth, the children of Israel and Judah who are scattered across the world will return back to the land. It will be so great that in the kingdom of God we will not discuss the Exodus from Egypt. Instead, we will discuss this final return from captivity.

There are parallels between the Exodus from Egypt and the coming return from captivity. For instance, 10 plagues struck Egypt. The first three hit Egyptians and Israelites alike. The last seven only were poured out on the Egyptians.

In Rev. 18:4-6, an event that happens just before the return of Jesus, the people of God are commanded to leave Babylon and not share in her plagues. This refers to the seven plagues of God’s Wrath found in Revelation 16.

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Ethiopian Jews are returning back to the land. The prophecy in Jeremiah specifically mentions a return from the north. Just two years ago, Benjamin Netanyahu called for ‘mass immigration’ of European Jews to Israel. Just last year, a report was released detailing how many Jewish people in France are moving to Israel. We are seeing some Jewish people return now. Many more will return home.

So, when we consider the Passover season, let us remember the Lamb that was slain, but also, let us not forget the Lion that is returning to bring Passover to its full meaning.

BIGGEST THREAT TO CHRISTIANITY IN THE 21st CENTURY.

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The biggest threat to Christianity in the modern day comes from within, a panel of theologians said at an event hosted by Ligonier Ministries on Tuesday evening to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

The panel of theologians at the Ligonier Ministries event “Reformation 500 Celebration” on Tuesday, October 30, 2017. Left to right: Chris Larson, president and CEO of Ligonier Ministries; Stephen J. Nichols, president of Reformation Bible College; Sinclair Ferguson, teaching fellow and Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary; and Derek W.H. Thomas, senior minister at the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, and professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Sinclair Ferguson, Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, responded that the greatest threat is “probably Christianity in this century.”

“That’s a greater threat than Islam. Christendom is a far greater threat to Christianity than Islam is. Islam can never destroy the Gospel, but Christendom can easily destroy the Gospel and is destroying the Gospel,” said Ferguson, adding, “the Church is the greatest threat to real Christianity in the world. God help us.”

“Especially with the Church in America, we have far too casual a view of God and that might be right at the centre of some of our theological malaise,” noted Nichols.

They stated the truth, but what they failed to say is that the majority of church denominations and Bible Colleges in the USA no longer hold to the inerrancy of Scripture, particularly the foundational book of the Bible – GENESIS. The acceptance of Evolution and billions of years history for the universe totally undermines the foundations laid in Genesis and its history of the Cosmos. Moreover, we should not be surprised as the Bible tells us that in the “last days” apostasy is rife – “there will be a great falling away”.

GOD’S WRATH IS COMING UPON HIS CREATION

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The Bible is clear, Christians will endure great tribulation in the “last days” and our Middle Eastern Christian brothers and sisters are already experiencing it.

The following extract from an article by P. E. Harris, pastor at Seely Community Church, is a heart-felt rendition of the dangers of believing the notion that the Great Tribulation will be God’s Wrath. The entire article is worth reading (click on READ MORE HERE at the end):

“A few days ago on a Sunday, a demoniacally deranged man shot up a Christian church in Sutherland Springs Texas. The shooter was a radical atheist who wanted to kill everyone in that church. The list of the dead range from an 18-month-old baby to a 77-year-old grandmother. Unfortunately, this kind of violence against churches has become the new norm in the United States, and Christians are genuinely perplexed how something like this could happen here. But this phenomenon is nothing new to the Church of Jesus Christ. Both our Lord and the Apostles warned us in Scripture that times of persecution would come upon the people of God. They warned us that tribulation would follow genuine devotion to Christ.

We orthodox evangelicals pride ourselves in our ability to rightly divide the Word of God. We preach and teach the Historical / Grammatical method of interpretation, and rightly so. To us, the idea of reading allegories or other foreign ideas into the text is reprehensible. We also tend to pride ourselves on our ability to weed out theological positions that are purely based on false traditions and cultic mysticism, rather than solid scriptural evidence. This is because we rightly believe the Word of God is the inerrant final authority on all matters of faith and practice. For the most part, orthodox evangelicals contend for these hermeneutical principles in every area of theology, with one exception, eschatology. When it comes to the end times, preachers use all kinds of poetic license to develop their pet theories. No longer do they adhere to the notion that the Bible interprets the Bible; and that context determines the exact meaning of words. With eschatology, they tend to speculate when the Bible is silent, and they diminish the clear meaning of God’s Word when it does not fit their narrative. With eschatology, all the rules are thrown out so they can change the meaning of words (just like cult leaders do) to support their aberrant end-time doctrines.

There is a massive multi-million dollar industry dedicated to the assumption that the great tribulation is equal to the wrath of God. These proponents of the pre-tribulation rapture make millions of dollars writing books and making movies assuring Christian they do not have to suffer persecution or tribulation for their faith prior to the rapture. But these massive, complicated and bulky theories are held up by the flimsiest of Scriptural speculation and wordplay. It is like trying to lift the weight of an elephant off the ground using a kite string. No matter how hard you try the weight will break that string. Defining the great tribulation as the wrath of God is the kite string that can’t support the theory. It is the lynchpin that connects the whole thing. Without it, the entire theory falls apart. The Left Behind doctrines are nothing more than giant sand castles, giving people the false hope of evacuation just prior to a tsunami of end-time persecution. So instead of soberly preparing people to face the tribulation to come, the American evangelical church is throwing parties in their fortresses made of sand. Instead of putting on the whole armour of God, the church is putting on its party hat. Instead of making solid disciples, the church is making spiritual revellers, drunk on the wine of end-time myths and fables. Once these notions are dispelled, the entire theory is washed away by the reality of Christ’s sobering predictions.

In Arndt and Gingrich’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, tribulation is defined by the Greek words thlibo and thipsis to primarily mean the distress of Christians as they are persecuted, afflicted and troubled by outward forces and circumstances. This definition is clearly taught by our Lord as He spoke to his disciples (the church) about the end-times,

“Therefore when you (the church) see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the house-top not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:15-22)

It is therefore evident by the context of Jesus Christ’s words that the great tribulation is defined as a time of horrible persecution of God’s elect, the church, who must flee from the wrath of Satan that comes by way of the Antichrist. The prophet Daniel said this period of time would last 3 ½ years and that “the power of the holy people (saints/elect) [would be] completely shattered.” (Daniel 12:7) Therefore the elect must endure through the great tribulation. This is the plain and correct meaning of both texts. And as the Lord tells us in the Book of Revelation,

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, where did they come from?’ And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:13,14)

To come out of something means you first have to be in something. These are Christians who were martyred in the great tribulation. Thus, the great tribulation is not God’s wrath on unbelievers, but Satan’s antichristian wrath upon authentic blood bought believers in Christ. The term “elect” means anyone who is in Christ at the time.

Apostle Paul tells us Christians are not “appointed to wrath” (1 Thessalonians. 5:9) and Revelation reveals God’s wrath is not poured out on this earth until the trumpet and bowl judgements in the last year of the 70th week of Daniel.

READ MORE HERE…