Category Archives: Keys To Prophecy

Keys to Prophecy: Jesus is the Ultimate Solution to the Politics vs Religion Issues

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In the return from Israel’s Babylonian captivity, at first things were going very slowly. The people were concentrating on their own affairs, and were neglecting the service of God. Then the Lord God stirred up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, and they began preaching, and soon work on a new temple was resumed, Ezra 5:1-2. The date given in Hag 1:1 and Zech 1:1 works out to be our year 520 BC. A series of visions follow in Zechariah. Some of this concerned,

Joshua the High Priest.

In Zechariah 3 Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, is pictured first as in filthy garments, and then is cleansed and is given fresh garments, and promises of a good service, Zech 3:7. Then he is told he is a type, a symbol, a sign,

“Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men who are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant, the Branch.”
Zech 3:8

God’s servant the Branch is big subject in Scripture. Isaiah said way before captivity,

“There shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit.”
Isa 11:1

It goes on to say that the Spirit of Yahweh will rest on this “root” or “branch” of Jesse, and of course Jesse was the father of ancient King David. Also there are other links, including: the name “Joshua” in Hebrew is Yehoshua, and in the second century BC Jewish translation of the Old Testament into Greek, it is translated as “Iesous,” which in the New Testament is translated into English as “Jesus.” So it seems that Joshua the High Priest in Zech 3:8 is symbolic of Jesus the Christ, the true Branch of David, even by name.

Other visions follow in the book of Zechariah.

Some of them seem to generally parallel some of the visions in the nearly 600 years later book of Revelation, but that is another story. Then in Zechariah 6 the High Priest Joshua is brought up again

A crown of gold and silver is made for Joshua,
“the Branch,” Zech 6:9-12

Evidently this is symbolic of not only religious authority, but also of royal / civil authority! Then it says of Joshua / Yehoshua / Branch / Jesus,

“even he shall build the temple of Yahweh; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; and he shall be a priest on his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”
Zech 6:13

Jesus is now building the ultimate temple of the Lord, made of people, of which Christians are living stones, 1Pe 2:4-5. And Jesus is NOW both our high priest (Heb 3:1) and our king (Rev 1:5, 1Cor 15:24-25, etc.). Further, Jesus has received ALL authority already.

“…“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.”
Mtt 28:18

Jesus resolves the government vs religion controversy,

Because in One Absolutely Good Man is both the head of all government and the head of all religion.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Keys to Prophecy: A Satanic Solution to Political Division

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Not everyone agrees with this world-wide division of powers and authorities. Yes, this prevents evil men from having a monopoly of power here on earth, and often pits evil men against evil men in their quests for unrestricted power. Sometimes these battles are truly terrifying. David comments,

“Yahweh brings the counsel of the nations to nothing.
He makes the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect.”
Psa 33:10

By such means God continually restricts the reach and grasp of evil men. Satan though intends to offer the ultimate solution to the divisions of worldly powers.

Satan intends to offer a substitute “god,” another
“god”/man whom ALL have to worship.

If ALL men HAD TO worship just ONE MAN, that would provide the foundation for unifying all of ideas under that ONE MAN. (See the post on “Religious Ideas are the Foundation of ALL Politics.) That would provide a sure framework to end all of the diversity in religion, and that is the root of our political diversity. It would provide a basis for world-wide unity. Paul says of this “god”/man,

“he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshiped; so that he sits as God in the temple of God, setting himself up as God.”
2Thes 2:4

He is called “the beast” in Revelation. He is talked about under several names and phrases in both the Old and the New Testaments. The “mystery of lawlessness” occult (hidden) religion that will eventually produce this world ruler, “already works” in the first century, 2Thes 2:7. God will at the last allow him a short reign of three and a half years (for a time, and times, and half a time).

“… Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. ”
Rev 13:5

Many think of this as hard times for the church

And it will be. However God will once more provide for His faithful ones in “the wilderness.” You might think of this as the second (and final) exodus out of this world.

“Two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, so that she might be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
Rev 12.10

Even so, this is also times of extreme stress
for the entire world.

This man will come with powerful Satanic signs and wonders (2Thes 2:9), including some sort of his being raised from the dead.

“One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast.”
Rev 13:3

No one will be able to buy or sell or trade anything unless they accept this man as “god.” And if you worship him, you will perish forever, Rev 13:8, 17.

This is not some sort of premillenial invention. This is Scripture and it clearly has NOT happened yet. All but a few faithful will worship him, very near the end of the age.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Keys to Prophecy: Christians are to Submit to the Governing Authorities

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After all they are appointed by God Himself. This is truly part of the overall context of prophecy, and is consistently treated that way

“1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment.”
Rom 13:1-2

Paul goes on to say that these are, overall,
powers for good.

If you do not want to be afraid of the governing authorities, then do what is right, Rom 13:3

“for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.”
Rom 13:4

“Servant” or “minister” here is diakonos, literally “deacon.” So some “ministers of God” carry weapons. Part of the context is the last part of chapter 12, where we are taught to NOT be involved in personal revenge.

“Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.””
Rom 12:19

So how does GOD take revenge on evil doers? Well part of it is through the civil authorities. Instead of personal revenge, we should wait until the police show up.

“For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are ministers of God’s service, attending continually on this very thing.”
Rom 13:6

This is God’s plan for our societies.

Does this mean the government is always right and good?

By no means! They are men who have been appointed to a certain role in society, and will be judged by how well they fulfill their role, as also we will. Some human examples might be useful.

For instance we have bosses at work, and often we are the “servants.” Sometimes this is very literal. For instance if we are “serving tables,” acting as a waiter.

“Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.”
Col 3:22

Does this mean the boss is always right? By no means, but he is still the boss. We should try to help him if we can, but it would be out of line for us to “take over,” or “take him out.”

If rulers are completely out of line, we should
politely decline to obey, and accept
the consequences.

Peter is a good example in Acts 5.

“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29

Another example is the soldiers declining to murder the priests at the order of the now evil ruler, King Saul, 1Sam 22:17. Kings and judges are warned to serve Christ with fear and trembling, lest He personally take them out! Psa 2:10-12. And it happens every day!

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Keys to Prophecy: God Rules the World NOW

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God has always ruled in the kingdom of men. This is the way Nebuchadnezzar put it after he had been forced to acknowledge God’s overruling in the affairs of men.

“34 … for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or tell him, What do you?”
Dan 4:34-35

God appoints the rulers of this earth.

Paul states it this way.

“Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.”
Rom 13:1

God has His purposes, although we may not understand His reasons. It appears that generally speaking that God gives the nations the kind of rulers which they deserve. Nero was emperor when Paul wrote these word. So it is

“… that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whoever he will, and sets up over it the lowest of men.”
Dan 4:17

And that is plainly the same message in Rom 13:1 and Dan 4:17.

God’s plans are way above our thinking

“8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahweh. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isa 55:8-9

Further there is no way to stop God’s plans and purposes.

“30 There is no wisdom nor understanding
Nor counsel against Yahweh.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle;
But victory is with Yahweh.”
Prov 21:30-31

It is God who controls the outcome of battles, despite our preparations.

When rulers displease Him, He removes them.

Daniel put it this way.

“21 He changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings, and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding; 22 he reveals the deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.”
Dan 2:21-22

And what is the purpose in these things.

What is the purpose of these ups and downs and moving the places where a nation may live?

“26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ”
Acts 17:26-27

God will nurture and exalt those who please Him, correct those who are doing or attempting to do what is wrong. And on those, whether kings or nations, who completely refuse to repent and turn, He will bring the results of their sins down on their own heads.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Keys to Prophecy: Religious Diversity PREVENTS Much Political Unity

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An inheritance of political diversity

It is one of the great political facts of life, that God has deliberately divided the nations of this earth, and divided the political powers that exist on this earth. These powers were created relatively recently in history, immediately after the world-wide flooding of the earth in the time Noah. Then these powers were divided in the confusion of languages which occurred on the plains of ancient Babylon. Both of these events appear to have happened in second half of the third millennium BC.

The scrambling of our speech by tribe and nation
meant that cultures and world views
would develop independently.

The creation of separate languages is still a powerful barrier to unity in many areas, including politics. It means there are often totally different ways of thinking about things and expressing ideas. These then become formidable obstacles to everyday things like fellowship and travel and exchanging ideas. The technology for learning other languages is better than ever in our own day, but these are still mighty obstacles to unified world power.

All of this is by the deliberate plan and counsel of God.

God decided thousands of years ago that it was NOT good man in his wickedness to be united. For instance in Isaiah’s day the nation of Judah had turned very bad, and the government was bad also. Isaiah wrote of those times.

“1 Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write perverseness; 2 to turn aside the needy from justice, and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!”
Isa 10:1-2 WEB

But there was little way to change this from the inside of the nation. The prophets were preaching to both the people and their rulers with little effect. So what can be done? So God raised up another nation of fierce men, able warriors and engineers to bring down the fortifications of Judah and bring punishment on that nation for their sins.

“5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”
Isa 10:5-6 KJV

There comes a time when talk is over, preaching and pleading is done, and sinful nations are punished … ALL within history.

This diversity has been a powerful barrier to
wickedness

For evil men trying to manipulate these systems, these have been powerful barriers to unrestrained exploitation of the weak and helpless. If one people or group came to be very wicked and exploited others, then other nations/tribes would in time put them down. These became mighty obstacles to uncontrolled evil men.

The diversity of cultures and religions which grew out of these divisions meant that there would be no unified basis for opposing God’s plans.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Keys to Prophecy: Religious Ideas are the Foundation of ALL Political Thinking.

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Why do Biblical and prophetic issues continually
overlap political issues?

This is a frustrating issue for many. Many think religion should be completely separate from government, and some think even from life. The source of these issues leads us to the source of ALL political thought.

Yes, it is true! Whether it is good government or bad government, the foundations are ALL essentially religious. To whatever extent these ideas are corrupt or evil or false, then government will be corrupt or evil of false. To whatever extent these view are good and true and healthy, to that extent the government can be good and true and healthy, if those ideas are properly implemented.

Some would question calling all of these ideas religious, but essentially they are.

All of our thinking start with premises.

Just like a premise/axiom in High School geometry, these are things which cannot be proven, but which we assume to be true, and they appear to be plainly be true. For instance, in plane geometry it is assumed that a straight line can drawn from any point to any point. Further it is assumed that it is possible to extend a straight line indefinitely.

Our foundation premises about life and our world are at their root, religious in nature.

Out of these premises and our analysis of what we see
in life, grows our world view.

Everyone has a world view of some sort. All of us, both Christian and non-Christian, have some random and wrong views of reality floating around in our heads and in our hearts, Mtt 15:19-20. Sometimes these world views are unconscious, and clearly do not conform to reality, but they are there. Other ideas may be more carefully thought out. Is man made in God’s image? Or is man just a chance blob of tissue?

Out of our world view rises our ethics.

If man is made in God’s image, then it would be evil to murder him. Or if man just a chance blob of tissue, what would be wrong with knocking him around or killing him? No problem. Right? Our world view then controls our ethics

Then our ethics control our politics

If man is made in God’s image, then we try to protect human life as a valuable and holy thing in our dealings with other citizens (politics). If other hand there is no wrong in murdering people, then we might have no laws against eliminating inconvenient “blobs.”

This is not really new information

This has been known since ancient times, at least since the time of Plato/Socrates. This how thinking and ethics and politics, whether right or wrong, have always worked.

Plaro (Socrates) in fact pointed out that our ethics are built on our world view (be it right or be it wrong), and our politics are then built on our ethics. The above illustration is taken from Prophecy Principles, in the section “Religion, Babylon, and Effective Rule.”

So religion and politics do overlap.

I am not making an argument for churches to become overtly political, which would be a mistake. Rather I am pointing out some measure of conflict between politics (any politics) and religion (any religion) is in the long run inevitable. The question then becomes one of how to view these things, and deal with these things (and prophecy and Scripture does view and deal with these things).

Scriptures are from the World English Bible WEB, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901.

Common Pitfalls in Interpretation, Part 9

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Walking in the Dark

The opposite of being alert and watchful is being in the dark, either mentally or spiritually.

“5 You are all children of light, and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness, 6 so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those who are drunken are drunken in the night.”
1Thes 5:5-7 WEB

If you are in the dark, you won’t see what you need to see.

“Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going.”
Jn 12:35 WEB

Sin, doing what is wrong, blinds us,
hobbles us, changes how we see things.

“You shall not twist justice: you shall not respect persons; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.”
Deut 16:19 nf

You don’t have to be ignorant or ruined for wrong things to affect you, and to affect your judgment! You can be wise and righteous, and these things can affect you. We can be very sophisticated and learned people and end up darkened in our sins.

“Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding. ”
Hos 4:11 WEB

Rejecting the commandments puts
blinders on us.

The commandments do test us and sort us out. When we hesitate and halt at doing what God says, it places limits on what we can see and comprehend and experience in those directions. Sometimes it is simple things of mercy and compassion for others that we reject, so we end up going around in mental and spiritual circles which lead nowhere.

“But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”
1Jn 2:11 WEB

In their distorted logic on oaths, Jesus said to the leaders of the scribes and Pharisees,

“You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?”
Mtt 23:17 WEB

Satan will deliberately blind us if we will let him.

“in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them.”
2Cor 4:4 WEB

Jesus can give us relief from our darkness

“ Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” ”
Jn 8:12 WEB

But sometimes we know our deeds are evil,
so we don’t want the light.

“This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.”
Jn 3:19 WEB

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

nf is my own translation based on the WEB.

Common Pitfalls in Interpretation, Part 8

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Forgetting the power of God,
or underestimating it.

I think that quite often men do CORRECTLY understand various prophecies, either from Revelation or of the prophets of old, or of in between things such as the eventual conversion of the Jews as a nation, and then immediately reject what was said, because they do not understand how that could ever happen! So the initial correct reading flies out the window, forever forgotten, and never again to be considered, because they thought, “That could never be!”

I think really this happens all the time, and it becomes unthinkable to ever reconsider these things.

“Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe …”
Lk 8:12

No better example of this sort of blindness can be seen than that of,

Israel in the wilderness.

Moese had brought them the Ten Commandments under spectacular circumstances, and they had seen many power actions by God, but they still did not understand His power.

Psalm 106 touches on some of these things at times. It does seem to have been written during the Jewish captivity in Assyria and Babylon, Psa 106:47. Although the author is unnamed, he zeros on Israel’s failings in these matters time after time. The Psalmist remarks on when Israel came to the Red Sea.

Indeed they had already seen incredible powerful actions of God while they were still in Egypt. But when the irresistible force met the immoveable object of the Red Sea, they forgot everything they should had learned, and fell apart when Pharaoh’s army approached on their rear. They had no reason really to distrust God’s power, but instead fell back on “common sense,” and failed. “Nevertheless, God saved them for His name’s sake.”

“Our fathers didn’t understand your wonders in Egypt.
They didn’t remember the multitude of your loving kindnesses,
But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.”
Psa 106:7

But then it says,

“13 They soon forgot his works.
They didn’t wait for his counsel,
14 But gave in to craving in the desert,
And tested God in the wasteland. ”
Psa 106;13-14

They wanted something better to eat, but instead of humbly asking, howled protests in the wilderness.

“21 They forgot God, their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
And awesome things by the Red Sea.”
Psa 10621-22

“24 Yes, they despised the pleasant land.
They didn’t believe his word,
25 But murmured in their tents,
And didn’t listen to Yahweh’s voice.”
Psa 106:24-25

And so do we many times.

For a fact, many astonishing things happen
in history.

And that is not merely in Biblical history, but also in secular history. Who would believe the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), or the Russo-Finish War or the Battle of Midway in World War II, IF they had been related in the Bible?

But we should be men of faith, not stumbling at what we may think could never happen. Then it is easier to get what we need out of prophecy.

Scriptures are from the World English Bible (WEB), a copyright free revision of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Common Pitfalls in Interpretation, Part 7

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Having our facts wrong, of Scripture, or of history

John 7 is instructive of the many ways that wrong facts or ideas can blind us. The Feast of Booths was coming up, but Jesus did not immediately go. Everyone was looking for Him, but were not talking openly about Him for fear of the Jewish leadership.

Finally Jesus showed up, speaking and teaching and calling the hand of the Jewish leaders. He said they were trying to kill Him, and this was answered immediately by saying, “You have a demon. Who seeks to kill you?” Jn 7:19-20. Still the crowd was whispering, isn’t this the one they are trying to kill? Jn 7:25 WEB.

So where did Jesus come from?

Then the crowd surmises from popular ideas:

“However we know where this man comes from, but when the Christ comes, no one will know where he comes from.”
Jn 7:27 WEB

Ah! He really came from God. So Jesus said,

28 … “You both know me, and know where I am from. I have not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, whom you don’t know. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”
Jn 7:28-29 WEB

Of course Jesus speaks here of His coming from God, which it doesn’t seem is exactly what the crowd had in mind.

Then the chief priests and Pharisees sent troops
to arrest Jesus.

The crowd was debating.

“41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “What, does the Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hasn’t the Scripture said that the Christ comes of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?””
Jn 7:41-42 WEB

So there were conflicting opinions.

Finally the officers came back empty handed. Their superiors asked why they had not brought Him in. Their answer was that there had never been a man who spoke as this man had.

The leaders were furious, and answered, are you also led astray? Have any of the leaders believed in Him? But of course majorities have never been a measure of truth. Compare the story of the true prophet of God Micaiah as opposed by the 400 false prophets in 1Kings 22, or of Jeremiah alone telling the truth in his time. In fact Jesus says,

“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”
Lk 6:26 KJV

Nicodemus protested their condemnation without hearing Jesus answers, and they answered,

“… Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”
Jn 7:52 KJV

But the truth was,

Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They thought of Jesus as from Galilee, but He wasn’t actually from Galilee. He was actually from Bethlehem, as the prophets foretold (Micah 5:2), and from God (Isaiah 40, Deut 18:15, etc.). The Pharisees, though well educated, had their facts wrong, so they were either puzzled, or reached false conclusions.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

Mountains in Scripture

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An audio lesson.

Mountains have commonly been associated with high and exalted worship. Take for instance the Greek “gods” were associated with Mount Olympus. This association also exists in Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament. Jesus told the Samaritan woman,

“Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, will you worship the Father”
Jn 4:21 WEB World English Bible

Of course the ultimate mountain for worship is Mount Zion in the heavenly Jerusalem, of which the earthly is only a type, Heb 12:22-24. It is NOT “a mountain that might be touched,” Heb 12:18.

Listen to this audio lesson here, or click on the Audio Player to download as an MP3 file.