Category Archives: Persecution

Angels and Men, Part 5 of 5

Posted on by
Reply

The second world wide persecution will be just before the end of this present universe.

Satan and his angels will be briefly released to deceive the nations, and turn them against Christianity and against God.

Satan at this time, for a very short period of time, 42 months, will be openly worshiped by men world wide.

An audio lesson,

Listen to this lesson above, or click on the player to download this lesson as an mp3 file.

At right time, Jesus will rescue His faithful ones, and punish Satan and all who have followed him.

Both Prophecy Principles and Revealing the Christian Age have much information about these final times.

Available from your bookseller.

Who Is This One Who Is To Come? Part 3 of 5

Posted on by
Reply

Of course the Jews have long and adamantly rejected the One and Only Savior of the World. So much so that many think the Jews will never turn around to their God. Scripture however says that this will for sure happen. Rabbi Jesus of Nazareth goes even further and says, “For most assuredly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.” Mtt 5:18

That means that those Old Testament promises of the Jews turning to their Messiah will YET happen.

An audio lesson.

You can listen to this lesson on the player above, or click on the player to download the lesson as an MP3 file.

For more information on the history of the Jews, how they went astray from God, and where this has led, and how all of this end up, read Jewish Chronicles.

In a time of stress, way before the Second Coming, persecution will start world wide on the church first. This will this spread to persecution of the Jews, and in some extreme circumstances the Jews will at last turn to their One and Only True Savior, Jesus the Christ The results will bring about tremendous changes for the good world-wide, for the Jews, for the church, for the gospel, and for the world.

Available from your bookseller.

Prophecy, Knowing Changes Behavior, 8 of 15, David and the Kingship

Posted on by
Reply

David was between a rock and a hard place!

He wanted to serve his God, and his country and his king. He was a powerful warrior before the Lord, much feared and respected by the men and women of his own country. Further, God had told David that he would be the next king over Israel. Then came the hard part. It came about that King Saul now feared David, and wanted to murder his top soldier, to secure his own kingdom.

For David, it seems, this was not an issue.

He had already been anointed as the next king by the prophet Samuel, 1Samuel chapter 16. This was really a prophecy. It had not happened yet. But David felt no need to do anything murderous and evil against Saul or his sons. God had assured him. David clearly believed it. There no need for him to do any evil things against anyone! God would make it happen at the right time.

David as an enemy of the state!

Was he willing to fight for Saul, and for his country under Saul? Why sure! That would be a good thing to do. On the other hand was he willing to fight against his own king and country? No way? Further, David had multiple opportunities to murder King Saul? Murder? Wasn’t he promised the throne? Might not this be the way to throne. Not to David. That would be murder to David. He didn’t need to murder anyone. God’s promise was good enough.

So David in the wilderness, running for his life, became
a model for New Covenant ethics.

“27 But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.”
Lk 6:27

You and I may do this in much tamer circumstances, but David did this on a battlefield, when he was running for his life from an evil king, when he had wrongfully been declared an enemy of the state. So it came about that he repeatedly spared Saul’s life when he easily could have taken personal revenge on his personal enemy. This story is told in some detail in 1Samuel chapter 18, all the way to 2Samuel chapter 1.

An example is in 1Samuel 26. Saul and his troops were pursuing David to kill him. Saul was sleeping within a circle of men within his camp, and everyone was so tired that they were soon asleep. All of them! David and Abisahi snuck inside the camp, and Abishai pleaded for permission to kill Saul with a single stroke. David contented himself with talking Saul’s spear and the jar of water at his head, and then retreating, and later, at a distance, showing Saul what he had done!

To David, as indeed it should be to any saint
of either the Old or the New Testament,
personal revenge is out of line.

As the Lord says, “Vengeance is mine …” Deut 32:35.

Believing what God says in prophecy does matter! It is an ethical matter.

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

Psalm 46, A Synopsis of Revelation, Part 4

Posted on by
Reply

“God is in her midst.” Psa 46:5a

The first point here is that God is with this city of God, “In her midst.” Zechariah speaks of “the daughter of Zion,” Zech 2:10; and says,

There is of course much more to the book of Revelation than is told in Psalm 46, and the basics of how to approach these subjects is what the book Revealing the Christian Age is all about. Available from your bookseller.

“… and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that Yahweh of Hosts has sent me to you. ”
Zech 2:11

Moses said a similar thing to Israel of old.

”You shall not be scared of them; for Yahweh your God is in the midst of you, a great and awesome God.”
Deut 7:21

And he counseled Israel,

“for Yahweh your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore shall your camp be holy, that he may not see an unclean thing in you, and turn away from you.”
Deut 23:14

So for instance in context Moses says they must bury their excrement, lest God walking through the camp see any unclean thing and be offended, and leave.

So you have to be holy!

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”
Heb 12:14 KJV

Oh? What does that mean? It means first of all that you cannot be in filthiness, sexually or figuratively. You cannot be walking in hatred of God or man, or in malice and anger. Further, to really be holy you must be washed in the blood of the lamb, Rev 7:14. You have to be living a committed life to the Lord, trusting Him to make good what is missing.

“She shall not be moved” Psa 46:5b

Of the assault on the city in Zechariah it is so.

“For thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye. “ Zech 2:8

Further,

“ … I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured.”
Zech 12:3 NASB 95 ed.

It is related to staying with the Lord

“I have set Yahweh always before me.
Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
Psa 16:8

But also there are tragedies in “the city,”in both
the Old and New Testaments

In the Old Testament Jerusalem was nearly taken in Hezekiah’s time, and was taken, and destroyed in the time of King Zedekiah, 2Kings 25. Similarly in Revelation 11 all “the city” but the inner court of the temple is trampled underfoot foot.

“… They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.,” Rev 11:2d

Naturally, “the city” of Revelation ultimately is “Jerusalem that is above,” Gal 4:26, Revelation 21, but additionally physical Jerusalem may also be in view in Revelation 11. Further it says of the beast,

“It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. …” Rev 13:7a

And to overcome them? I thought God was with the city?

So what gives?

Is this psalm false, or is Revelation true or not?

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

KJV is the King James Version of 1611

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt, 15 of 15

Posted on by
Reply

And the grand Exodus occurs … from this world itself!

The beast is able force the entire world to worship him as god, except for a few Christians. Evidently many Christians also worship the beast. Many also are killed or imprisoned. But also there is

Once more in the wilderness, just like ancient Israel!

Many Christians also seek refuge from the beast by fleeing into the wilderness!

“The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.”
Rev 12:6

So many are protected in the wilderness during the entire reign of the beast, in “a place prepared by God,” Rev 12:6; and away “from the face of the serpent,” Rev 12:14.

It is true that they try to pursue them in the wilderness, and it is daunting to think of such pursuit thinking of modern imaging techniques. But it says,

“15 The serpent spewed water out of his mouth after the woman like a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. 16 The earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon spewed out of his mouth.”
Rev 12:15-16

So even the earth will help the righteous in those terrible last days.

It will be terrible times on ALL men, not just Christians. Even Jesus, though, asks,

“… Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Lk 18:8

Then will come the greatest Exodus of all time.

There will all sort of signs on the earth and in the heavens. Notice carefully, we will NOT know the day or the hour, but we will know when it is near.

“But you, brothers, aren’t in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief.”
1Thes 5:4

Jesus says,

“25 There WILL be SIGNS in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Lk 21:25-26

Again Jesus says,

“But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”
Lk 21:28

That is clearly not written of the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem. That did NOT bring redemption near for either Jews, or gentiles, or Christians. It only fits the end of this universe.

And finally to heaven itself … the true promised land.

This will be when God’s faithful of all ages are raised from the dead, in sight of all of their enemies. The angels will gather God’s

“… chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Mtt 24:31 KJV

“17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.”
1Thes 4:17

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

KJV is the King James Version of 1611

Prophecy Practice: Out of Egypt, 14 of 15

Posted on by
Reply

By Mighty acts of Judgment God delivers His people

When God’s people in the Old Testament were totally under the power of Pharaoh, and needed deliverance from the power of the Egypt of this world, so that they might have their own land in the promised land of Canaan, God led them to freedom by mighty acts of judgment on an evil ruler, the Pharaoh of Egypt and his people.

When in the New Testament God’s people will be totally under the power of the beast, and need deliverance so that they might have their own land in the promised land of Heaven, God will lead them to freedom by mighty acts of judgment on an evil ruler, the beast of this world and those who worship him.

This is for a relatively short period of time.

Satan is allowed to reign only for the short time a of time of 3-1/2 years, which called 1260 days (Rev 11:3), 42 months (Rev 11:2, 13:5), and “time, times, and half a time,” (Dan 7:25, 12:7, Rev 12:14). It does say that the beast “overcomes” the church, the saints. Daniel is told that this will last,

“… for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Dan 12:7

Further it should be noted that Daniel deals with both the final events, and also with ancient kings who are symbolic of the final events. So how is the release of God’s people to be accomplished?

God will respond with might acts of judgment on
the kingdom of the beast and his followers

Always remember that the book of Revelation is a series of parallel, overlapping, cumulative visions. Putting them end to end, makes no more sense than putting the parables of the kingdom in the Gospels end to end.

These mighty acts of judgement are mentioned Revelation 11 with the testimony of the two witnesses. More is in chapters 15 and 16 when it talks about the seven last bowls of wrath, the last plagues which will be poured out on the earth. It mentions specifically,

“The fifth poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was darkened. They gnawed their tongues because of the pain,”
Rev 16:10

The plagues that fall toward the end, are remarkably similar to the plagues
that fell on Egypt in the book of Exodus!

In Rev 16:2 it mentions “a harmful and evil sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image.” In Rev 16:3-4 “the sea become blood,” and the rivers and springs of water became blood. All of which seems to be described from a different point of view in Rev 8:8-9. These things are specifically mentioned as punishment for spilling the blood of Christians, Rev 16:5. The world is also scorched with heat from the sun. And Rev 9:3-11 seems to speaks a plague of locusts, which seem to spiritual locusts, to afflict only those who do not have the seal of God.

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

The Rapture? Part 3 of 3. There is no Pre-Tribulation “rapture.”

Posted on by
Reply

There will be many special problems near the end of this present universe. Near the end of our present age the mystery of lawlessness (2Thes 2:7) and a religio-economic-political entity called Mystery Babylon the Great will be able gain absolute control of this world by God’s permission.These will be severe times for the entire world for 42 months, 1260 days, 3-1/2 years. The entire world will be forced to worship the beast or not be able to buy food Rev 13:17 or even exist!

Special protection is given the faithful in those days.

In Revelation chapter eleven those days are discussed under the imagery of the temple. Now the physical temple of the Jews was divided into two main parts. The temple over all is called the hieros. When for instance it says in Mtt 21:12 that Jesus entered the temple, it says that he entered the hieros. This included those parts which all believers could go, and much of Jesus teaching preaching was in the hieros. This part is what in Rev 11:2 is call the court or courtyard of the temple.

Even so, the innermost part of the temple is called the naos. This is that part of the temple where only the priests could go, and it included the holy place, and also even more secluded holy of holies where the ark of the covenant was supposed to rest. Now in Christianity ALL believers are priests and have access to God, Heb 4:16, etc.

In Revelation 11 only the naos is given protection. The rest of the temple will be destroyed.

“Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don’t measure it, for it has been given to the gentiles. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months.”
Rev 11:2

It seems that the inner part of the temple, the naos, represents the true and dedicated believers, and it indicates they will be protected. On the other hand, the outer courts represents those who claim to believe, but have not really given their lives to the Lord. And it indicates that they will given over to their enemies.

Similarly, Revelation 12 points to the faithful
as being protected.

The faithful of God’s people seem to represented by a woman. Then it says of this woman,

“The woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that there they may nourish her one thousand two hundred sixty days.”
Rev 12:6

So the woman flees into the woods to place prepared by God, for protection during those 1260 days during which the beast rules the world. Once again, indicating special protection for those who really belong to the Lord during that terrible 3-1/2 years.

But the church, those who are really faithful, are still there,
are still in the world during those time.

Yes they are given special protection, special nourishment, but she is still in the world, she is still hiding out in the wilderness from the beast. She is still undergoing stress and temptation.

But there is no special Pre-Tribulation “rapture.”

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

Keys to Prophecy: Yes, God Does Spare Us Some Trials.

Posted on by
Reply

I am reminded of some events in my own life. I became a Christian as a young adult, and was aghast at how much I had been deceived both about life, and current events and Scripture. I wasn’t sure that I should ever become a preacher, but I did know that I should do whatever I could, and that I needed to know more about the Bible. In that spirit I went back to college to seek a degree in Bible. Part of the requirements was a minimum of one year of Koine Greek, and an English proficiency test to be taken before a degree was conferred! Where I went to college, no English proficiency, then no degree, no matter how many hours one had!

But whoa! My worst subject in school had been English,

although I had good grades overall. And in High School Latin, my teacher passed me on a “D,” if I promised to not come back next year! And I did promise!

For my college entrance exams, my worse scores were in English!! Even so, I really wanted to know the Bible, and I didn’t want anyone shoot the bull to me about the Bible, especially along the lines of, “Well if you could read the Greek you would know, …”, and so on. So I made up my mind, no matter what … I was going to master Greek! So with no little anxiety, I dove into that course.

I passed with good grades, and then a strange thing happened. At the end of my Freshman year we were administered another set of standardized tests, and guess what! On those tests now my English scores jumped from the bottom of the heap, to very top! My English scores were higher than those in any other subject. Amazing! The truth of course is that often we really do not understand our own language, until we come understand some other language.

Then came the real surprise. Because my scores were so high on that test, I was automatically exempted from any English proficiency test before graduation. Such was simply not necessary. I had already proved myself.

Such also happens in the spiritual world.

“Blessed is he who considers the poor:
Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.”
Psa 41:1

In Luke 21 Jesus speaks of more than one subject, including those special stresses which will come upon men at the end of our age. Jesus says we should be careful and sober and alert,

“Therefore be watchful all the time, asking that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Lk 21:35

Even whole churches may escape special testing.

The church at Philadelphia has been faithful in the little things of life, and in the everyday testing that goes on, They are told,

“Because you kept my command to endure, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, which is to come on the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
Rev 3:10

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