Saturday 20 May 2023

The Promise to Abraham

The conflict between the two seeds (Genesis 3:15), seen first of all in the religious difference between Abel and Cain, continued. In time, there was intermarriage between the sons of God and those who were of “man”, ie of the ideology of Cain, crossing the “enmity” which God had placed between the two ideologies. As a result of men leaving the ways of God, wickedness and violence increased, which resulted in the flood. Genesis 6:2,3,5

Noah was saved, because:

He was just and upright
He walked with God (Genesis 6:8,9)

After the flood, the earth was repopulated. But problems developed again, and people left serving God to do “things their way” … Men departing from God’s way built cities and developed empires (Babel, Genesis 11:9; 10:10), seeking to “ make us a name” (Gen 11:6). God thwarted their purpose by confounding their language. He decided to work through one man (Abraham), one family, and ultimately one nation, to bring about His purpose.

Abraham is VERY important in the purpose of God. God tells us what He thinks of him in Genesis 18:19. He was a man who had the capacity to “keep the way of the Lord” and pass it on. Abraham is mentioned 74 times in the New Testament.

The promises made to him form the basis of the Gospel. (It is not possible to understand the gospel without Abraham).

Abraham is described as:

The friend of God	James 2:23
Father of the Jews	Romans 4:12
Father of us all	Romans 4:16
Heir of the world	Romans 4:13

Genesis 11:27-32 Abraham lived in a sophisticated civilisation. “Ur of the Chaldees” was a city of culture and learning, also a centre of idolatrous worship (Joshua 24:2-3). The temple or ziggurat of Ur is one of the best preserved ancient monuments in Iraq today, (Tell al-Muqqyyar). Abraham received a message from God to leave. This is recorded in Acts 7:2. He and his family moved to Haran – 800 miles north-west.

In Haran, Abraham is again called to leave. (Genesis 12:1-3) The story demonstrates two types of people:

Those who remained in Ur and Haran (idolatrous)
Those who, because of God’s Word, are prepared to separate from their former life

Genesis 12:1-3, 6

(a) A great nation (b) A great name (c) Bless them that bless thee (d) ALL be blessed	NATIONAL (Israel) PERSONAL FAMILY INTERNATIONAL

These promises remain unfulfilled (Hebrews 11:13). Though a wealthy man, Abraham continued to live in tents as a mark of his pilgrimage. He did not endeavour to “put down his roots” as it were, because “he looked for a city .. whose builder and maker is God”. (Hebrews 11:10) Abraham, like others who are recorded in Hebrews 11, will receive the promise in the future (Hebrews 11:39,40).

The seven words of the international promise (“In thee shall all nations be blessed”) constitute the gospel : Galatians 3:8. They show that God intended ultimately to bring blessings to ALL PEOPLES. In Genesis 13:14-17, the LAND is promised to Abraham.

Genesis 15:18-21 – the boundaries of the land are defined. God makes a covenant (more sure than a promise).

Abraham and Sarah have the promised son, Isaac, in their old age. They face the supreme test when God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. (Abraham believed in the resurrection – Hebrews 11:19.)

Genesis 22:16-18 – Promises and covenants are conditional. This time, God guarantees the promises – on the basis of His own existence.

Hebrews 6:13-18 states that the promise is now “immutable” – unchangeable.

“thy seed” is no longer the nation of Israel – the singular pronoun “his” defines the seed as singular. Paul interprets this as Christ. Galatians 3:16.

Note:

Promise – requires action on part of person to whom promise is made

Covenant – A contractual agreement between two parties

Oath – A declaration of an absolute guarantee, which is irrevocable

Abraham’s Descendants:

Many of the natural descendants of Abraham have returned to the land, in preparation for the final stage of the fulfilment of the Promise. “God has not cast away his people whom he foreknew”(Romans 11:1)

Jesus Christ, through his death, made the Promise to Abraham effective for all who wished to “join the family of Abraham”. This can be done by baptism into Christ. Galatians 3:27-29

At the return of Jesus, Abraham will be resurrected, restored to the land, and truly “his name will then be great”. Luke 13:28, 29

1. Mary believes that Jesus is born as a result of the promise to Abraham (Luke 1:54,55)

2. Jesus taught that Abraham “saw” the day of Christ and looked forward to it. (John 8:58)

3. True descendants of Abraham are characterised not by genealogy but by personal qualities (John 8:39; Romans 4:12)

4. The Promise to Abraham IS THE GOSPEL (Galatians 3:8)

5. Abraham is “heir of the world”! (Romans 4:13)

6. Abraham will be in the Kingdom of God. (Luke 13:28)

7. Jesus Christ died “that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through faith” (Galatians 3:14)

8. There is only one way we can inherit – we must belong to the family of Abraham, THROUGH BAPTISM INTO CHRIST. (Galatians 3:27-29).

9. In Christ, we are related to the covenants of promise and the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:12,13)

Next Lesson: The Establishment of the Kingdom of God - how God chose the small nation of Israel to live under His laws.

Friday 19 May 2023

Ezekiel 38

In this way of thinking, Ezekiel 38 is part of the global Armageddon battle that happens AFTER Jesus has returned. It is the 'day of the Lord' when God reveals himself to the nations through the destruction of Gog.

Here is a non-Christadelphian video that gives some reasons why this has to be.

Dr Thomas is confused on this issue. In Eureka Vol IIB p181-182 has Egypt already invadedand afflicted by 'Russo-Assyrian' Gog prior to Jesus return. This is countered by the Rainbowed Angel who conquers and restores Arabia then somehow protects Israel and p183 brings about the 'dwelling safely' Ezek 38. Then, p183, this proves an "irresistable temptation' to Gog who invades Israel (again?). Finally p184 the Rainbowed Angel comes out of Egypt and to Jerusalem and conquers Gog 'inaugrating' Armageddon.

This at least fits well the concept proposed here that there is one (Asshur) invasion before and one (Gog) 'after' Jesus returns.

Graham Pearce, however, questions this in 'How will Christ Come?' 1993,p41-42. From Isaiah 30:25 he deduces that the restoration of Arabia is 'on the day the towers fall' and so must be after the conflict with Gog at Jerusalem. He further argues that if the 'Arabian phase' happens before Gog attacks Jerusalem then it must be some time before because there needs to be enough time for the 'dwelling safely' bit to happen - having war in the south and peace in Israel at pretty well the same time 'not very likely'. Also Habbakuk shows a 'continuous forward movement of events' from the time the Holy One 'shines forth' in the south.

In the modern traditional incarnation of these ideas, Gog (seen as Russia) does indeed invade Israel after the 'dwelling safely'. However this 'safety' is now seen as a secular peace brought about politically in Israel sometime soon. Any possible link with or 'influence' of a prior 'Arabian' return of Jesus has been quietly forgotten.

(Note: The whole 'Arabian phase' needs re-examination. There are several differing versions of this in Dr Thomas's writings and none are particularly convincing, They all make the assumption that use of language relating to the Exodus is literal and not metaphorical)

It is suggested that a 'land at peace' is only possible after Jesus returns:

Ezekiel 38:6 In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.

For other passages describing Israel 'dwelling safely' see the following. Some are in the context of return or return from Babylon etc but use exactly the same language as those associated with the kingdom:

Jer 23:6 In his (Jesus The Branch) days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior. “So then, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

Jer 32:37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

Jer 33:16 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. “‘In those days and at that time will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: LORD Our Righteous Saviour.’

Ezek 28:26. When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’”

Ezek 34:28 They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke andrescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.

The Ezek 38 Gog invasion follows. This may be Russia/Europe etc as part of the larger 'Armageddon'. Note the only other use of Gog/Magog in Revelation 20:8 describes a global rebellion at the end of the millenium.

If Iran is the first invader then this phase cannot be Ezek 38 because Persia is only 'at the steps' of Gog.

God's Kingdom

In the days of these kings , shall the God of heaven
set up a KINGDOM which shall NEVER be destroyed
but it shall break in pieces & consume all these kingdoms
& IT SHALL STAND . . . FOR EVER
Daniel 2 v 44

It shall come to pass IN THE LAST DAYS , that the mountain of the LORD'S house
shall be established in the top of the mountains & shall be exalted above the hills
& ALL NATIONS shall flow unto it & MANY PEOPLE shall go & say ,
Come ye & let us go , to the mountain of the LORD , to the house of the God of Jacob
& He will teach us of his ways & we will walk in his paths
for out of ZION shall go forth the law & the word of the LORD from JERUSALEM - Isaiah 2 v 2 - 3

Blessed are the meek : for they shall INHERIT THE EARTH - Matthew 5 v 5

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord & of his Christ & he shall reign FOR EVER & EVER - Revelation 11 v 15

It shall come to pass , that every one that is left of ALL THE NATIONS which came against Jerusalem
shall even go up from year to year to worship the King , the LORD of hosts - Zechariah 14 v 16

The Gentiles [ nations ] shall come unto thee from the ENDS OF THE EARTH & shall say ,
Surely our fathers have inherited lies , vanity & things wherein there is no profit. - Jeremiah 16 v 19

IN HIS DAYS [ Christ's ] shall the righteous flourish & abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea & from the river unto the ends of the earth
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him & His enemies shall lick the dust
The kings of Tarshish [ Britain ] & of the isles shall bring presents:
The kings of Sheba & Seba [ Saudi Arabia ] shall offer gifts.
Yea , ALL KINGS shall fall down before him : ALL NATIONS shall serve him - Psalm 72 v 7 - 11

And they shall come from the east
& from the west
& from the north
& from the south
& . . . shall sit down in the KINGDOM of God - Matthew 5 v 5

And he that overcometh & keepeth my works unto the end
to him will I give power over the nations - Revelation 2 v 26

Thou [ Christ ] art worthy to take the book & to open the seals thereof:
for thou wast slain & hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred & tongue & people & nation
& hast made us unto our God kings & priests & we shall reign on the earth - Revelation 5 v 9 - 10

But the saints of the most High shall take the KINGDOM
& possess the KINGDOM for ever , even FOR EVER & EVER - Daniel 7 v 18

The KINGDOM & dominion & the greatness of the KINGDOM under the whole heaven ,
shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High ,
whose KINGDOM is an ' everlasting ' KINGDOM & ALL dominions shall serve & obey him - Daniel 7 v 27

Behold , the days come , saith the LORD , that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch [ Christ ]
& A KING [ Christ ] shall reign & prosper & shall execute judgment & justice IN THE EARTH - Jeremiah 23 v 5

He shall judge among THE NATIONS & shall rebuke many people
& they shall beat their swords into plowshares & their spears into pruninghooks
nation shall not lift up sword against nation , neither shall they learn war any more - Isaiah 2 v 4

For I know their works & their thoughts :
IT SHALL COME : that I will gather ALL nations & tongues
& they shall come & see my glory & I will set ' a sign ' among them
& I will send those that escape of them [ Jews ] unto the nations
& they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles
& they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations
to my holy mountain JERUSALEM , saith the LORD - Isaiah 66 v 18 - 20

That ' thy way ' may be known UPON EARTH , thy saving health among ALL NATIONS
Let the people praise thee , O God ; let ALL the people praise thee.
O let the nations be glad & sing for joy :
for thou shalt judge the people righteously & govern the nations UPON EARTH . Selah.
Let the people praise thee, O God ; let ALL the people praise thee.
Then shall THE EARTH yield her increase ; & God , even our own God , shall bless us
God shall bless us & ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH shall fear him - Isaiah 67 v 2 - 7

Surely the isles shall wait for me & the ships of Tarshish [ Britain ] first , to bring thy sons from far,
their silver & their gold with them , unto the name of the LORD thy God , to the Holy One of Israel ,
because He hath glorified thee [ Jerusalem ]
The sons of strangers [ Non-Jews ] shall build up thy walls & their kings shall minister unto thee
for in my wrath I smote thee [ Jerusalem ] , but in my favour have I had mercy on thee
Therefore thy gates shall be open continually ; they shall not be shut day nor night;
that men may bring unto thee [ Jerusalem ] the forces ( wealth ) of the Gentiles & that their kings may be brought.
For the nation & kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish ; yea , those nations shall be utterly wasted - Isaiah 60 v 9 - 12

Behold, I will do ' a new thing ' ; Now it shall spring forth ; shall ye not know it ?
I will even make a way in the wilderness & rivers in the desert.
The beast of the field shall honour me , the dragons & the owls
because I give waters in the wilderness & rivers in the desert
to give drink to my people [ Israel ] , my chosen
This people have I formed for myself ; they shall shew forth my praise - Isaiah 43 v 19 - 21

The wolf & the lamb shall feed together & the lion shall eat straw like the bullock & dust shall be the serpent's meat.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain , saith the LORD - Isaiah 65 v 25

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb & the leopard shall lie down with the kid
& the calf & the young lion & the fatling together & a little child shall lead them
& the cow & the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie down together
& the lion shall eat straw like the ox
& the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp
& the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain
for THE EARTH shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
. . . as the waters cover the sea - Isaiah 11 v 6 - 9

Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness
& righteousness remain in the fruitful field.
& the work of righteousness shall be peace
& the effect of righteousness quietness & assurance for ever
& my people shall dwell in ' a peaceable habitation '
& in sure dwellings & in quiet resting places - Isaiah 32 v 16 - 18

There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains
the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon & they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
His name shall endure for ever : his name shall be continued as long as the sun
& men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him blessed
Blessed be the LORD God , the God of Israel , who only doeth wondrous things
& blessed be his glorious name for ever & LET THE WHOLE EARTH be filled with his glory - Psalm 72 v 16 - 19

So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth
it shall not return unto me void , but it shall accomplish that which I please
& it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it
For ye shall go out with joy & be led forth with peace
the mountains & the hills shall break forth before you into singing
& all the trees of the field shall clap their hands - Isaiah 55 v 11 - 12

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength
they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run
& not be weary & they shall walk & not faint - Isaiah 40 v 31

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened & the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart & the tongue of the dumb sing
for in the wilderness shall waters break out & streams in the desert - Isaiah 35 v 5 - 6

And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim
& the ears of them that hear shall hearken
The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge
& the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly - Isaiah 32 v 3 - 4

IN THAT DAY shall the deaf hear the words of the book [ Bible ]
& the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity & out of darkness
The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD
& the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel - Isaiah 29 v 18 - 19

ALL NATIONS whom thou hast made shall come & worship before thee , O Lord
& shall glorify thy name - Psalm 86 v 9

Thus saith the LORD ; I am returned UNTO ZION & will dwell in the midst of JERUSALEM
& JERUSALEM shall be called ' a city of truth ' & the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain
Thus saith the LORD of hosts ; There shall yet old men & old women dwell in the streets of JERUSALEM
& every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
& the streets of THE CITY shall be full of boys & girls playing in the streets thereof - Zechariah 8 v 3 - 5

Sing & rejoice , O daughter of Zion : for , lo , I come & I will dwell in the midst of thee [ Jerusalem ] , saith the LORD.
& MANY NATIONS shall be joined to the LORD in THAT DAY & shall be my people
& I will dwell in the midst of thee [ Jerusalem ] & thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee
& the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land & shall choose JERUSALEM again - Zechariah 2 v 10 - 12

ALL the ends of THE WORLD shall remember & turn unto the LORD :
& ALL the kindreds of THE NATIONS shall worship before thee.
For the KINGDOM is the LORD'S & he is the governor among the nations - Psalm 22 v 27 - 28

Yea , many people & strong nations shall come
to seek the LORD of hosts IN JERUSALEM & to pray before the LORD - Zechariah 8 v 22

But thou , O LORD , shalt endure for ever & thy remembrance unto all generations
Thou shalt arise & have mercy upon Zion : for the time to favour her , yea , the set time , is come
For thy servants take pleasure in her stones & favour the dust thereof
So the heathen [ nations ] shall fear the name of the LORD & all the kings of the earth thy glory
WHEN the LORD shall build up ZION , He shall appear in his glory
He will regard the prayer of the destitute & not despise their prayer
This shall be written for the generation to come & the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD
For He hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary ; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth
To hear the groaning of the prisoner ; to loose those that are appointed to death
To declare the name of the LORD IN ZION & his praise IN JERUSALEM
When the people are gathered together & the kingdoms , to serve the LORD - Psalm 102 v 12 - 22

Behold , the tabernacle of God IS WITH MEN
& He will dwell WITH THEM & they shall be his people
& God himself shall be with them & be their God
& God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
& there shall be no more death , neither sorrow , nor crying
neither shall there be any more pain
for the ' former things ' are passed away - Revelation 21 v 3 - 4

' God's Kingdom '
coming soon . . . ON EARTH

The Hope of Israel (Elpis Israel)

' The Hope of Israel '
BIBLE TRUTH . . . Churches do NOT teach !!!

God's eternal purpose outlined throughout the Scriptures , is to provide a ' Way of Salvation ' for mankind that He might fulfill His ultimate objective - to fill the earth with His glory. What is God's Glory ?? Quite simply , it is His Character. God's plan is to fill the earth with faithful people , who display a love & a desire to reflect His Ways & His Character

Numbers 14v21 But as truly as I live , ALL THE EARTH shall be filled with the ' glory of the LORD '

Psalm 72v19 Blessed be His glorious name for ever & let THE WHOLE EARTH be filled with ' His glory '

Habakkuk 2v14 For THE EARTH shall be filled with the knowledge of the ' glory of the LORD ' as the waters over the sea
The ' Gospel ' is the " GOOD NEWS " concerning the :
1. Name of Jesus Christ ( " the ONLY Way " unto salvation )
2. Kingdom of God ( " the REWARD " for His faithful followers )

The Hope of Israel is the central message in the Bible of ' Salvation for Mankind '
Numbers 14v21 To them , who by patient continuance in well-doing ,
seek for glory & honour & immortality , eternal life :

Glory , honour & peace to every man that worketh good ,
to THE JEW ' FIRST ' . . . . & also to THE GENTILE

God offers salvation to mankind ' solely ' throught the redemptive life & work of His Son , the Lord Jesus Christ. This ' Way of Salvation ' is extended to ALL mankind - but ' first ' to the Jews ( the nation of Israel ) & then to all other nationalities ( ' Gentiles ' )

The Jews ( Israelites ) are God's ' chosen people '. As a nation , they are set apart in God's eyes because of the faithful obedience of their fore-father Abraham. Due to his remarkable belief & trust in Him , God made a series of amazing & eternal promises to Abraham , to bless his seed ( descendants ) & to make them great among ' ALL ' nations.

Unknown to ' most of ' Christianity - these " eternal promises " God made to Abraham are the VERY CORNERSTONE of ' THE GOSPEL '
Through the promise of ' A SEED ' & the promise of ' THE LAND ' - we are , in the Book of Genesis , given the ' prophetic assurance ' of the Lord Jesus Christ & also , the Kingdom of God on earth

Throughout God's Word , the Bible , there is an unmistakable series of ' PROMISES ' recorded which underpin God's entire plan & purpose with mankind. These ' PROMISES ' were made to a succession of God's faithful servants & they form a wonderful ' golden thread ' of hope & salvation for both the Jews & the Gentiles. These ' PROMISES ' attest to the true ' faithfulness ' of God toward His beloved servants like Abraham & highlight His grace & mercy toward all mankind. Please consider these wonderful promises we have listed below :

These remarkable promises were then ' REPEATED ' to his son Isaac ( Genesis 26 v 3-4 )
& . . . later ' RE-AFFIRMED ' to Abraham's grandson Jacob ( Genesis 28 v 13-14 & 35 v 10-12 )

Finally to ' under-score ' the importance of these eternal promises ,
they were ' RE-STATED ' yet again , to Abraham's descendent King David ( 2 Samuel 7 v 12-16 )
So . . . . How important were ' These Promises ' ???

Consider , the APOSTLE PAUL'S words in the New Testament :

Galatians 3 v 16-17
Now to Abraham & his seed were ' THE PROMISES ' made.
He saith not , And to seeds , as of many ; but as of one ,
And to thy seed , WHICH IS CHRIST

And this I say , that the covenant , that was confirmed before ( of God ) IN CHRIST ,
the Law , which was four hundred & thirty years after , cannot disannul ,
that it should make the promise of none effect.
For if ' THE INHERITANCE ' be of the Law , it is no more of promise :
but God gave it to Abraham . . . BY PROMISE

Romans 15 v 8

Now I [ Apostle Paul ] say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for ' the truth of God '
to ' CONFIRM THE PROMISES ' made unto the fathers [ Abraham , Isaac & Jacob ]

Vision of Four Beasts

Nebuchadnezzar had been shown the kingdoms of men represented by the pleasing symbols of a tall statue and a great tree, in Daniel chapters 2 and 4. Here in chapter 7, Daniel, the servant of God, is shown these kingdoms as they really are: like dangerous wild animals. The same four empires are shown and this vision supplies more details to what had previously been revealed.

The first beast was like a lion, a fitting symbol of Babylon. Many stone lions have been unearthed at Nineveh and Babylon. The outstretched eagle’s wings refer to the territory ruled by Assyria. Wings were plucked when the power of Assyria passed to Babylon, and the addition of a man’s heart means Babylon was more humane than the cruel Assyrians. These powers had ended the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 50:17). Babylon’s empire covered the Fertile Crescent from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.

Another beast, like a bear raised on one side, symbolised the Medes and Persians, with the latter dominant. This empire devoured much more territory than Babylon.

A leopard, a swiftly moving beast of prey, indicated the rapidity of the Greek conquest of Persia. Four wings indicate the expansion of the empire of Alexander the Great, and four heads show its subsequent four-fold division under four of his generals.

The lion, the bear and the leopard (Daniel 7:4-6) correspond to the gold, silver and bronze parts of the image in the king’s dream (2:32, 38-39). The dreadful and terrible fourth beast had great iron teeth (7:7) and corresponds to the legs of iron (2:40).

Iron teeth refer to Roman power. Bronze claws refer to the persistence of Greek culture and philosophy. [Also the two legs of the image relate to the Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) aspects of the iron Roman empire]. Ten horns refer to the ten barbarian nations that succeeded the Western empire in the 4^th and 5^th centuries. The things attributed to the little 11^th horn, which was in the midst of the ten, are so remarkable and so appropriate to the Papacy that no other application seems possible.

As the little horn uprooted three of the horns, so the emerging Papal power took the lands of three barbarian kingdoms. As overseer and spokesman, its eyes and mouth have gone throughout the earth. It spoke “great words against the Most High” (7:25), accepting such titles as Holy Father and the infallibility that belongs to God alone. It made war on the saints and prevailed over them for a period of three and a half times. This refers to 1260 years from AD 533, when the Eastern emperor Justinian acknowledged the Pope as Universal Bishop, to 1793, the date of the “reign of terror” in the middle of the French Revolution, which curtailed the Papal power to persecute.

Another Eastern emperor, Phocas, confirmed the authority that Justinian had granted to the bishop of Rome. Some 1260 years later the Papal States were lost and the Papacy was confined to the Vatican. It now professes to work for the reunion of all churches, provided it is recognised as the mother church. It wants Europe to unite under its Christian influence. The Catholic Church, patterned upon the operation of the Roman empire, maintains its institutions in the style of autocratic Rome.

Daniel saw that the Son of Man would be given dominion and an everlasting kingdom over all nations, and the saints of the Most High would reign with him (7:13-14, 18, 22, 27). At his trial, Jesus told his accusers that Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 110:1 applied to himself: “Hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64).

It is abundantly clear that God has ruled in the kingdom of men, and is still doing so. As saints, called out from the world, there is a crown of life laid up for us. Not all of the saints will be chosen, but only those who keep the commandments of Christ. We must keep the vision fresh and alive in our hearts.

In the symbol of the dreadful fourth beast, God showed Daniel that the power of Rome would continue in one form or other until its dominion is taken away and replaced by the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the saints. The Apostle John, who lived in the time of the Roman Empire, was given many more details of the development of the Roman Beast.

Tuesday 25 April 2023

Bible Prophecy Russia Preparing to Attack the West Daniel 11:40,45

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the West has made a coordinated effort to isolate Russia, cutting off financial and computer services dependent on the Internet. These moves could backfire now that Russia has been forced to operate independent of the West. An attack by Russia on offshore infrastructure, such as Internet cables, would cause catastrophic economic damage to the West, but significantly less to an increasingly isolated Russia. Putin seems to be preparing options for retaliation that may have seemed unthinkable during more peaceful times.

On April 20th, the UK’s Daily Telegraph warned that Vladimir Putin is preparing to attack the UK (20-Apr-2023):

“For a long time it was only speculation. Now we know for certain: Russian spy ships are mapping wind farms and key cables off the British coast. There can be only one reason for this—to learn how to sabotage UK and European critical infrastructure in the event of a full-scale war with the West.”

Euronews echoed a similar warning under the headline, Putin's ghost ships spying on critical infrastructure 'in case of war' (20-Apr-2023):

“Russia is running a fleet of 'ghost ships' in the Baltic Sea with their transmitters turned off—as they map offshore wind farms, gas pipelines, power, and internet cables in the waters around the Nordic nations for possible sabotage attacks.”

Defense officials have been warning governments about Russia’s threat on critical infrastructure for some time, but little has changed. In 2017 the BBC ran a headline, Russia a 'risk' to undersea cables, defence chief warns. The article explains this warning while highlighting potential economic disruption should this occur:

“The UK's most senior military officer has warned of a new threat posed by Russia to communications and internet cables that run under the sea.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the chief of the defence staff, said Britain and NATO needed to prioritise protecting the lines of communication.

He said it would ‘immediately and potentially catastrophically’ hit the economy if they were cut or disrupted.

The cables criss-cross the seabed, connecting up countries and continents.”

The sabotage last year of the Nord Stream pipelines, “which caused natural gas to leak into the sea and atmosphere, highlights the threat posed by undersea attacks on critical infrastructure. In addition to natural gas pipelines, the submerged internet cables that keep the world connected could be an appetizing target for rogue actors” the American Enterprise Institute said (30-Sep-2022). The majority of these cables are owned and operated by private companies answerable to shareholders and not governments.

In March 2022, France 24 reported Threat looms of Russian attack on undersea cables to shut down West’s internet, saying that:

“US President Joe Biden warned this week that Russia is considering attacks on critical infrastructure. One of the scenarios that has been mooted since the start of the war in Ukraine is that Moscow will attack undersea cables to cut off the Western world's internet.”

TeleGeography Submarine Cable Map: https://www.submarinecablemap.com

Breaking Defense provided an analysis of this threat in February 2022, providing three reasons why nations should be increasingly worried about possible sabotage of undersea cable infrastructure:

“‘One, it’s very easy. They span thousands of miles, they’re not guarded,’ Jones explained. ‘You can get down there if you want to create mischief. You can go down in a mini-submarine which you can easily hide in a mothership, and go down there with hydraulic shears and cut the cable, or possibly tap into a relay or repeater station.’

Secondly, ‘the impact is severe: national economies depend upon these undersea cables,’ she said. For example, she cited the paper’s finding that the US Clearing House for Interbank Payment Systems, known as CHIPS and familiar to anyone who has worked overseas for a US company, does some $1.8 trillion in monetary transactions among 22 countries every single day.

And the third thing is that ‘bad actors can enjoy plausible deniability.’”

Not only has Russia been shown to be mapping undersea infrastructure, but also successfully tested disconnecting from the Internet in 2019. China has developed a similar strategy. Meanwhile, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, society has become almost entirely dependent on digital processes which typically run from massive, centralized data centers interconnected around the globe by these very same undersea cables. It would seem that Russia is far more prepared for this scenario than the West and there is no sign that anything has changed in recent years. There are no business continuity plans to deal with such a widespread coordinated attack.

The economic consequences of such a disaster would be global and immediately catastrophic. Imagine getting up one morning to find that international communication has been severed. It is no longer possible to communicate outside of continental borders. Text messages fail to be delivered. Foreign news sites are unavailable or are no longer updated. Emails are returned as undeliverable, many key web applications are failing, international banking is brought to a standstill, and global stock markets go into free fall. At first, there is no explanation for what is happening, and so as time ticks on, people being to panic. Speculation mounts that there has been a highly organized state-sponsored global attack on the Internet. A run on the banks begins, and accounts and withdrawals are limited or frozen. As the outage turns from hours to days, store shelves empty and available supplies are snatched up (when have we seen that before?). In the midst of this chaos, Russian tanks are rumoured to be rolling west into Europe and south through Turkey, but information is slow and inconsistent; details are unclear.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, this hypothetical picture may have seemed farfetched. Today it is chillingly plausible.

The pandemic we have lived through has taught us just how vulnerable society is and that such an event as a global Internet outage can suddenly and dramatically change life as we know it. Those of us who have lived through a days-long outage, such as the massive power outage in eastern Canada and the United States in 2003, understand what this kind of event can be like. What would it be like if such an event was combined with a massive Russian attack? If the experts are right, it could take weeks to repair cables following such an attack, and recovery efforts would be subject to sea weather conditions.

Speaking of Rosh (Rus) or Russia, Bible prophecy leads us to expect just such an event, culminating in the invasion of Israel:

"Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them… In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you” (Ezekiel 38:7-9).

These events come at the time of a clash between the king of the north (Russia) and the king of the south (Britain and her allies) as described by the prophet Daniel:

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over… And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him” (Ch. 11:40,45).

This will be a dark day, when once again the lights go out all over Europe. It may also be that the Creator will turn the elements against the wickedness of the earth (including that which is pushed over the Internet) as well as Russia and her great company at that time when “he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”

WIRED, a technology magazine, has described a different threat to the global Internet and its super highways under the headline, A Bad Solar Storm Could Cause an 'Internet Apocalypse', “The undersea cables that connect much of the world would be hit especially hard by a coronal mass ejection” (26-Aug-2021):

“While severe solar storms are extremely rare, the stakes are perilously high. A prolonged global connectivity outage of that scale would impact nearly every industry and person on Earth…

A moderate-severity solar storm in 1989 knocked out Hydro-Québec's grid and caused a nine-hour blackout in northeast Canada, but that too occurred before the rise of modern internet infrastructure.”

Such an event would disrupt civilian and military infrastructure alike. Whatever happens, we see that the world is very vulnerable, like a house of cards ready to fall. When this happens, it will bring down the pride of man and people will have no place to turn but toward God:

“Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help… Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them…” (Psalm 146:3,5-6).

So, trusting in our God we do not fear what the future holds. But, now is the time to ensure that we are on the Lord’s side. This has been Daniel Billington with you this week as we continue to look at the news in the light of Bible truth.

Monday 24 April 2023

“For Three Transgressions And For Four”

4) “For Three Transgressions And For Four”^[4]

After the briefest of introductions, Amos 1, 2 consists mainly of eight judgements foretold against Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah and Israel. In each the solemn repetition sounds in the ear: “for three transgressions and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof.” This doom, against the people of God and against their ancient enemies round about, was spoken “two years before the earthquake” in king Uzziah’s reign, and presumably was to be fulfilled through that cataclysm. This was the proximate or primary fulfilment of the prophecy. At the beginning of his work as prophet, Amos was presenting his credentials — a prophecy soon to be fulfilled. When events turned out just as he said, the people would be ready to take notice of his ensuing prophecies. All this in accordance with Deuteronomy 18: 22: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

THE LAST DAYS

This should not be deemed to be the limit of application of Amos’ initial prophecy. There are good Biblical reasons for looking for a further fulfilment in the Last Days:

1: 2: “The Lord shall roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem” is a passage which is repeated verbatim in Joel 3:16, in a context the last-day fulfilment of which none would question. So evidently Joel saw this Amos prophecy as having reference to the time of the end. The similarity of 1 :6, 9 to Joel 3 :4, 6 confirms this conclusion.
The language of the prophecy requires an upheaval, which is a final retribution for the evil wrought by the nations listed on four (not seven) separate occasions, which have involved all of them. This is not traceable in ancient history, but presents no difficulty whatever in the twentieth century.
Uzziah’s earthquake provides a valuable clue. In Zechariah 14: 4,5 that earthquake is presented as a unique prototype of the earthquake which will happen at the coming of the Lord. Isaiah describes the same earthquake beforehand also (2: 10-22). But this description by Isaiah is appropriated in two places in the New Testament as prophetic of the coming of Christ. Isaiah 2:19 = 2 Thessalonians 1: 9 “... punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints ...” Also, Isaiah 2:19 = Revelation 6:12, 16: “and there was a great earthquake and the kings of the earth, and the great men ... hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”

THREE WARS — THEN A FOURTH?

If the conclusion based on these Scriptures be accepted, a further conclusion of exceptional interest follows. The nations enumerated in Amos 1, 2 are Judah and Israel together with all the Arab powers round about. On three separate occasions in recent years all these peoples have been involved in transgression together — in 1948, when the state of Israel was established; in 1956, the time of the Suez crisis; and in 1967, the amazing six-days war.

The prophet says explicitly there is to come a fourth involvement, which will lead on inexorably to divine retribution upon them all. This prophecy reads like specific reinforcement of the inferences possible from such Scriptures as Psalm 83, Obadiah, Ezekiel 35,36, Joel 3, that there must be yet another clash between Jews and Arabs, in which, or after which, all will pay the penalty for their cruelty, selfishness and ungodly materialism.

It may be that Amos 1: 1 justifies a further conclusion. Why was the prophecy made public “two years before the earthquake”? Is the vindication of the prophet’s dependability the only reason for mention of this unusual time element? Or is it there to indicate also that after the third (or maybe the fourth) transgression there is to elapse a period of only two years before the great divine intervention that must inevitably ensue?

It may be appropriate to add a further detail. Amos mentions both Judah (2: 4) and Israel (2: 6). Both were in existence in his day. In a sense both are now in existence today. Up to 1967 there was a small very circumscribed Jewish state, very little larger than the old southern kingdom of Judah. Since the six-days war the territory of the state of Israel approximates much more nearly to the dimensions of the combined kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The stage is set for big new developments.

[4] That is, 3 + 1 = 4; not 3 + 4 = 7. Compare Micah 5:5, where 7 + 1 = 8 (Revelation 5:6), not 7 + 8 = 15

3) “The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble”

Jererniah 30, 31

The phrase (Jeremiah 30: 7) is a familiar one to all students of prophecy. It turns out to be the key to the understanding of a remarkably complete picture of the day of Messiah.

“Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it (a time of trouble such as never was! Daniel 12: 1); for it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.” Clearly this is intended to be the last great deliverance. And how? By the coming of Israel’s Messiah. The Hebrew text here almost clamours to be translated: “the time of Jacob’s trouble, but out of it Jesus”!

A further specially significant detail is that this keyword “trouble” is the same Hebrew root which is used to describe how Jacob trembled at his impending encounter with Esau: “Then Jacob was exceedingly afraid and distressed ... Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children” (Genesis 32:7, 11).

JACOB PRE-FIGURES ISRAEL

The phraseology in Jeremiah 30 seems to imply that Jacob’s experience when he returned from his arduous life with Laban only to encounter Esau near the river Jabbok will be re-enacted in the Last Days experience of his nation.

This conclusion is surely put beyond doubt by the remarkable series of allusions in Jeremiah 31 to that period in Jacob’s life:

v. 7: 0 Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

v. 8: Behold, I will bring them from the north country (compare the return from Laban in Syria) ... and with them the blind (Isaac? Leah?) and the lame (Jacob halting upon his thigh), the woman with child (Leah), and her that travaileth with child (Rachel).

v. 9: with weeping, and with supplications (Jacob’s importunity with the angel: Hosea 12:4) ... by the rivers of waters (the Jabbok) in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble (Jacob’s lameness) ... Ephraim is my firstborn (Joseph the favourite).

v. 11: For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him (Laban) that was stronger than he.

v. 15: Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted (Benjamin=Benoni=son of my sorrow).

v. 16: thy work shall be rewarded (contrast Laban’s treatment of Jacob).

v. 19: after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh (again, Jacob’s lameness).

v. 21: Set thee up way marks (the heap of witness — Genesis 31: 45, 53 — to mark the final return to the Land).

Those accustomed to this kind of allusiveness in the writings of the prophets will have no difficulty in recognizing that here the final return of Israel is being described in terms of the return of Jacob from Syria. The entire picture in Genesis is marvellously apposite.

Because he sought the heavenly blessing by his own devices, Jacob was compelled to leave the Land of Promise. He spent many years in a Gentile land enduring hardship and oppression. At last God brought him away from persecution to dwell in the Land, which was his by right. No sooner was he returned than he had to encounter his brother Esau, “which is Edom,” coming against him with a great force of men. In the night, which followed, Jacob wrestled — against Esau, so he thought! — for the safety of his family. If they were to survive, everything depended on his self-reliance, prowess and ultimate victory. Yet all the time he was actually pitting his puny strength against angelic powers who, unseen, controlled and directed his life. All his days this had been Jacob’s fault. Now, wrestling at Jabbok, the lesson was learned. It meant subjection to Esau (see Genesis 33, especially v. 3), and the outcome — all unexpected — was that he was left unmolested in the Land. God appeared to him at Bethel, and the great Promise was ratified.

A TYPE FULFILLED

The teaching of Jeremiah 30, 31 is that all these events, pregnant with meaning, are to be re-enacted in the Last Days. Already Jacob has returned from the land of his oppressor where he has borne long and arduous task work. In the Land of Promise he has encountered Esau soon to prove mightier than he. With little reliance on God but with confidence in his own powers he now wrestles for national survival. All this is according to the unerring counsel of God, but the divine Providence in these momentous developments goes unrecognised. So there must ensue a time when Jacob, lame and disabled, shall acknowledge the superior might of Esau — but, now acknowledging also the over-ruling power and wisdom of God, Jacob becomes Israel, a people of destiny, freed from all adversaries and oppressors and rejoicing in inheritance of the Land and in a glorious vision of God:

And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord (Jeremiah 31: 28).

1) Fishers And Hunters

Jeremiah 16

The greatest day in Israel’s history was their deliverance from Egyptian bondage by the hand of Moses. Of this their Passover is an unfailing reminder, when they say: “The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”

Jeremiah 16: 14, 15 foretells the coming of another day of deliverance which will utterly dwarf that ancient experience. Instead, they will say: “...The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (v. 15).

This promise certainly did not find its fulfilment in the return from Babylon, for in no respect did that restoration compare with the deliverance from Egypt — and here Jeremiah foretells something considerably greater than that. Also, it is to be noted that the same promise is repeated in Jeremiah 23: 7, 8, where it is specified as the work of Messiah, the Lord our Righteousness. So, without any possibility of doubt, here is a prophecy of the Last Days. The rest of the chapter shows how the fulfilment is to come about.

FISHERS —

“Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them” (v. 16). Since the twentieth century came in, these words have found ample fulfilment. In many different ways God has, so to speak, dangled bait before His ancient people to lure them back to Himself and back to the Land. The Balfour Declaration in World War I was almost an incitement to Jews to get busy on re-colonization of Palestine. And circumstances were every way propitious—the Turks had been driven out, the Land was almost empty of population, the few Arabs there were tolerably friendly and willing to sell large areas of land at give-away prices, and the mandate was in the hands of Britain. The barometer was set at “Fair.”

— AND HUNTERS

But at first the Zionist Movement was slow to gather momentum. Nearly everywhere the Jews were tolerably comfortable, and pogroms seemed to be a thing of the past. So God tried a more radical method: “And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.” Thus there arose, to the utter astonishment of the entire world, a fanatical German demagogue who attracted power to himself as a magnet. This man was possessed with an insane hatred of Jews and everything Jewish. Before World War II began, and especially during it, Jews were hunted with a calculating resolution and inhumanity without parallel in world history. Both before and after the war, this hunting of God’s people meant a great swelling of the stream of immigrants to Palestine. Increasing Arab hostility cleared out the Jewish communities in all the lands of Islam, and the new State of Israel throve. But it throve in godlessness! An overwhelming proportion of its three million people are without effective religion. Such religious conviction as exists is of negligible power, for it is basically a zeal for arid rabbinic tradition. Repentance and faith towards God are almost unknown. Jewish Christians in Jerusalem are only a tiny handful. The great lesson of self-mistrust and of faith in the God of Abraham has still to be learned.

Accordingly, the Jeremiah prophecy proceeds: “For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land” (vv. 17, 18a).

Israel is God’s firstborn, endowed in time past with double blessing (see Deuteronomy 21: 17), but bearing also double responsibility. The present generation has certainly developed God’s Land with unmatched skill and industry, not to God’s glory however, but out of their own pride and for their own selfish ends. Therefore, first, before the divine blessing can be given them there must come recompense and a consequent change of heart.

When this transpires, the fullness of God’s kingdom will flood in: “The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit ... I will cause them (Israel, or the Gentiles?) to know mine hand and my might: and they shall know that my name is Jehovah” (vv. 19, 21).

Saturday 20 May 2023

The Promise to Abraham

Friday 19 May 2023

Ezekiel 38

Ezekiel 38

God's Kingdom

The Hope of Israel (Elpis Israel)

Vision of Four Beasts

Tuesday 25 April 2023

Monday 24 April 2023

4) “For Three Transgressions And For Four”[4]

3) “The Time Of Jacob’s Trouble”

1) Fishers And Hunters

4) “For Three Transgressions And For Four”^[4]