Saturday 16 September 2023

 

SIGNS OF OUR TIMES April 2014

"Thy word is a lamp unto my
feet and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105

Isaiah 29:6 Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. 7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel [Jerusalem], even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.
PRESSURE BUILDS AGAIST ISRAEL
For over three years now the war in Syria has ebbed and flowed. Sometimes the rebels have appeared to be winning and then the government forces of President Assad would regain the upper hand.
Recent developments have seen Assad’s forces, heavily reinforced by thousands of Hezbollah militia have forced the rebel army from its last stronghold in the east of Syria to abandon the city of Yabroud after five months under cruel battering, [Hezbollah is Iran’s puppet].
The loss of Yabroud has cut rebel supply lines to the forces still holding out in rural Damascus against a government army siege which is starving these areas of food, power and clean water. Yabroud was the rebels’ last stronghold in the Qalamoun range, and its fall allowed the deal struck between Assad and Hezbollah last September to be executed.
Under that deal, Debka sources reveal, the 8,000 square-kilometre area of the Syrian Qalamoun range was promised by the Syrian ruler to Hezbollah as a reward for its sterling contribution to the Assad regime’s war.
This augments Hezbollah’s threat to Israel!
The Qalamoun range is now transformed into a barrier separating Syria from Lebanon, the while endowing Hezbollah with a superb strategic vantage point for monitoring events in Lebanon. The area under its lofty oversight arches out from its new mountain fief to South Beirut and southern Lebanon and further east to the Shebaa Farms - the disputed Hermon strip controlled by Israel – a crescent encompassing Lebanon from the south, east and north.
By removing most of its military forces to this stronghold, Hezbollah can also reduce its dependence on South Lebanon and use it as a buffer zone against Israel.
For Israel this is a major setback. Its tactics for keeping advanced Iranian arms out of Hezbollah’s hands hitherto were to bomb the shipments on their way from Syria to Lebanon as they crossed the border. That border has now shifted and the bulk of Hizballah personnel and weapons will be cached in the Qalamoun Mountains which is formally sovereign Syrian territory. The mountainous terrain in any case presents a difficult target to reach. [Debka – abridged]
IRAN’S ATTEMPT TO SMUGGLE ARMS FOILED
Iranian Rockets Intercepted by Israeli Commandos
40 rockets unloaded from Iranian arms ship in Eilat
Israeli troops Sunday unloaded 40 M302 rockets whose range is 160km, nearly two hundred 121-mm mortar shells and about 400,000 7.62-mm-caliber bullets for Kalashnikovs in the hold of the KLOS C ship from Iran, which Israeli commandos seized on the Red Sea.
The Iranian missile ship was bound for Sinai or Gaza
An Egyptian security source reported Sunday that the Egyptian missile ship apprehended by Israeli commandos destined for terrorists in Sinai or the Gaza Strip. The sea route through Sudan is plied routinely by smugglers and illegal migrant traffickers. “Tomorrow Iran will hide nuclear suitcases.” Debka 10-Mar-14
Binyamin Netanyahu warned Monday, March 10, that because the world chooses to ignore Iran’s concealed nuclear program, the next KLOS C ship may not carry missiles but “nuclear suitcases.” Debkafile: He was the first Western leader to acknowledge Iran’s possession of nuclear suitcases, which were part of a ten-year old illicit Ukrainian shipment to Iran of six X-55 nuclear capable cruise missiles with a range of 2,000km. A nuclear suitcase can enable terrorist organizations to quickly transport a tactical nuclear or dirty bomb from place to place.
In presenting the illicit cargo, Netanyahu also implicitly rebuked EU Foreign Police Executive Catherine Ashton for failing to raise the Iranian weapons ship in her talks in Tehran Monday, when he said, “There is a shrill chorus of international condemnation when we build a balcony in Jerusalem, but scarcely a word when Iran tries to smuggle missiles into Gaza.”
RUSSIA ANNEXES CRIMEA
Crimea was a Russian province until 1954 when it was given to the Ukraine by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as a “good-will gift.” Strangely, it was General Mikhail Gorchakov who led the 80,000 Russian soldiers who crossed the Pruth River in 1853 into the first conflict of the Crimean war!?
The Crimean War (October 1853 – February 1856) was a conflict in which the immediate issue involved the rights of Christians in the Holy Land which was controlled by the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. The French promoted the rights of Catholics, while Russia promoted those of the Orthodox. Russia lost and the Ottomans gained a twenty-year respite from Russian pressure. The Christians were granted a degree of official equality and the Orthodox gained control of the Christian churches in dispute. Russia survived, gained a new appreciation for its religious diversity, and launched a reform program with far-reaching consequences.
We cannot but feel that, with the rise of the Orthodox Church in Russia, there may be a (secret?) religious “stouch” behind this new Crimean confrontation. The coming financial retaliation may well result in Germany gaining even more control of the European + economy! – and provide a ready market for Israeli gas and oil! Doing business with Russia: A German dilemma 17TH March, 2014 by Valentina Pop . BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a cautious politician. A natural scientist by formation, she never goes for bold statements unless they have been carefully weighed beforehand. By her standards, the speech in the Bundestag last week was bold. She spoke of a three-step reaction to Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine. The assets freeze and visa ban on 21 names adopted on Monday (17 March) by EU foreign ministers are step two. If Moscow does not change course and "further destabilizes the situation, for instance in eastern Ukraine," step three - economic sanctions - will follow. Her statement was repeated on Monday by her spokesman, Steffen Seibert. Seibert said Russia had done nothing to de-escalate the situation, had isolated itself on the international scene by recognizing the "illegal" referendum in Crimea and further fuelled tensions, for instance by seizing control over gas pipelines in eastern Ukraine. Economic sanctions will hurt Germany, too . Russia exports mostly oil and gas to Germany, while German firms export industrial machines, trains, cars and medicines. More than 6,000 German companies are registered in Russia and are now fearing retaliatory measures from the Russian government - for instance having their properties seized or their assets frozen. Merkel on Friday downplayed their impact on the German economy, noting that bilateral trade with Russia (€76bn) is not worth much more than trade with the Czech Republic (€60bn), a much smaller country. She was speaking in Munich where she met the representatives of the business community and industry chambers, who gave a cautious support to her stance.
FOUR BLOOD MOONS!
The Internet is awash with the phenomenon of the
apparently established fact that four eclipses of the moon
– in which the moon, as seen from Jerusalem, will appear
to be blood red.
These total lunar eclipses will appear on the
following dates:
April 15, 2014 Feast of Passover
October 8, 2014 Feast of Sukkot
April 4, 2015 Feast of Passover
Sept. 28, 2015 Feast of Sukkot
This group of four total eclipses is known as a ‘Tetrad.’
It is significant because it has happened before and on
each occasion some vitally important event has occurred
in the history of Israel!
For example, the most recent of these total lunar
eclipses was at the time when Israel gained control of
the Old City of Jerusalem for the first time in over 2000
years, and led to the declaration of Jerusalem as its
eternal capital. .
April 24, 1967 Feast of Passover
Oct. 18, 1967 Feast of Sukkot
April 13, 1968 Feast of Passover
October 6, 1968 Feast of Sukkot
(Israel took the Old City of Jerusalem, June 7, 1967)
Prior to that tetrad there was another which occurred
during the time of the establishment of the State of
Israel. Mr. Ben Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel on
the 14th May, 1948. The War of Independence started
on that day and continued through to August 1949.
During that period there were four total lunar eclipses!
April 13, 1949 Feast of Passover
October 7, 1949 Feast of Sukkot
April 2, 1950 Feast of Passover
Sept.26, 1950 Feast of Sukkot
I should mention also (for our American Brethren) that
the only other tetrad that gets a mention had occurred
during the time that Columbus discovered the New
World. America became the sanctuary for persecuted
Jews all over the world from where they found little rest.
Those tetrad dates also fell on significant Feast Days!
Columbus departed on his 1st voyage on August 3,
1492.
April 2, 1493 Feast of Passover
Sept. 25, 1493 Feast of Sukkot
March 22, 1494 Feast of Passover
Sept. 15, 1494 Feast of Sukkot
Columbus set out on his 2nd voyage on September 24,
1493. His discoveries of the New World have proved
highly significant in the history of Israel.
THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD
The reason for mentioning these lunar events is because of the Scripture which refer to what appears to be a rather significant lunar event – most probably a total eclipse. The prophet Joel, when speaking of the Last Days, wrote of the terrors of that time:
Joel 2:30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call. Seeing that the Apostle Peter quoted these words in his appeal to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost, we wonder if perhaps there was a “total lunar eclipse” at that time, for the sun also didn’t shine for three hours! [Matt.27:45].
ISRAEL’S IMMEDIATE DILEMMA
Israel is approaching Passover time which everyone, especially the Arabs, know is a statewide holiday time. The Arabs have used Jewish holy days before to launch attacks on Israel or Jewish targets world-wide.
At present Israel is surrounded on all sides by terrorist and Arab national armies that are “armed to the teeth” with a vast array of rockets, mortars, planes, tanks and artillery that can reach any part of Israel. There are Al-Qaida in Sinai. Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the regular army and a host of militias in Syria and the Palestinians in the West Bank and Jordan!
All these have one aim – to destroy the nation of Israel! The present tense situation cannot continue! Israel must act soon and quickly to disperse or destroy these antagonists.
The LORD GOD has promised deliverance for Israel in a number of prophecies such as Jeremiah 30:7 which warns of a ‘day’ unequalled in Jacob’s [Israel’s] history – “but he shall be saved out of it!”
Ezekiel also prophesied about the present situation:
Ezekiel 36:1 Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, “Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD: 2 Thus saith the Lord GOD; ‘Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession:” 3 Therefore prophesy and say, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the nations, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: …. 5 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; “Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the [Arab] nations, and against all Idumea [Sinai Arabs. Al Qaeda and Bedouins], which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey.
6 Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the nations: 7 therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the nations that are about you, they shall bear their shame.” Paul the apostle linked Israel’s deliverance with the return of our Lord Jesus: And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, “There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” (Romans 11:26}
As Revelation 16:15-16 links the Coming of the Lord with Armageddon we are on the threshold of World War 3! Judging by the build-up of terrorist forces in every country bordering Israel (except perhaps Jordan) it is probable that this Passover could see the most violent outbreak of war in the Middle East since Roman times. It will certainly be the “time of Jacob’s trouble” should that be the case!
Isaiah 11:14 appears to relate the progress of the battle: 14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Obadiah vs 19 & 20 confirms this.
We can therefore but wait and see what the month of April will bring. We have never lived in such a time of trouble. The question is, “will it continue to get worse or are we at that point in time where our Lord Jesus will come as a thief to those who ignore the abundant signs about us?”
That we are on the verge of some momentous upheaval is quite obvious: political, ecological, geophysical, etc.

“Even so, Come! Lord Jesus.”

 

Thought for the Day

This was my reward”


We continue on from some of our thoughts yesterday on how the wisest of kings, Solomon, reflected on what his life had really achieved. In reading Ecclesiastes, we perceive his remarkable insight into the meaning and purpose, from a human perspective, of all that exists and our interaction with them in our lives. What do his insights reveal?
Solomon uses his wisdom to accomplish everything possible. His second chapter details this, “…my heart still guiding me with wisdom … I made great works, I built houses and planted vineyards … made myself gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools … had slaves … also great possessions of herds … also gathered for myself silver and gold … I got singers … many concubines … so I became great and surpassed all who were before me … whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure … this was my reward for all my toil” (verses 3-11).
Note his conclusion! “this was my reward” – but note even more his next comment, “then I considered all that I had done and the toil I had expended” – and what does he see as the outcome of his considerations? “Behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind”. Other versions have, “I saw everything was emptiness and chasing the wind” (NEB) “meaningless” (NIV). Solomon saw that human lives have no lasting substance. Yet we all strive after things we can possess and experience, we may these days, for example, travel to many parts of the world but, let us recognise that, at the end of the day there is nothing ‘eternal’ in what we have experienced or achieved! Solomon then declared “so I hated life” (verse 17). A remarkable comment!
It seems evident he wrote this near the end of his life; he lacked the vision that his father David possessed when he wrote a Psalm and commented about “men of the world whose portion is in this life” – but in the next verse David said to his Creator, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness” (Psalm 17:14,15). What will we be satisfied with?
Those who read Ecclesiastes should look into the mirror of their hearts and consider their ambitions – and what they mean, or do not mean – in the eternal perspective of their future.

Russia, North Korea and World Peace

 


Russia, North Korea and World Peace

The whole World seems to be in a fix that would take an immense amount of work and co-operation to solve. There are few places where true peace can be found, many no longer trust Banks to keep their money safe and life in general is for many hard and stressful. This ought to make us think – ‘what will happen next, will the world as we know it pull through?’ Students of God’s Word, the Bible, however, need not to be concerned by such ‘portents of disaster’. The Lord Jesus told his disciples clearly that just before his return such troubles would arise and although one might say that his words could apply to any age, it seems clear that today’s sad world fits perfectly with the one the Lord Jesus describes.
Luke 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
Nation shall rise against Nation.
koreamissiles
A good example of Nation rising against Nation is North Korea, who though relatively tiny and in the grips of a devastating famine, is belligerently challenging one of the world’s mightiest nations, the USA. Angry at UN sanctions following its nuclear test in February and the recent military drills in S Korea, N. Korea is now in a state of war with S. Korea and has threatened ‘merciless’ pre-emptive strikes against it and the USA. The final straw was the US sending nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers in a first ever firing drill over the Korean Peninsula. Just hours later the North cut its last- remaining military hotline with South Korea and put its rocket units on combat status with a threat of targeting US bases in the Pacific region. Their Parliament endorsed plans to give nuclear weapons greater prominence in the country's defences and a recent report states that more intermediate range missiles have been moved to its east coast and pointed towards the USA.
Let the weak say I am strong
North Korea’s preparations for war bring to mind the prophecy of Joel, who spoke of the time of the end when all nations would rise against Israel and be defeated at the battle of Armageddon.
Joel 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
Here, North Korea could be classed as a weak nation preparing for war, beefing up its Nuclear potential and saying, in effect ‘I am strong’.
Wars and commotions
The Civil War in Syria goes on unabated with March being the bloodiest month so far. One of the factors which keeps the conflict going is the involvement of Russia and Iran on the side of Syria. It was to be expected that Russia would return to its old belligerent ways for it seems clear from Bible prophecy that Russia, as Gog, or King of the North, will be the leader of the army of nations which assembles in the Valley of Jehoshaphat to attack Israel at the Time of the End. 
In the prophecy of Daniel Ch 11:40 we read 
‘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.’
It is significant that Russia is now using its ships to bolster its presence in the Middle East. Recently a Russian Defence Ministry spokesman stated that naval manoeuvres in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean would continue and that shortly 4 large Assault ships would also be sent. He stated ominously that the size of the group and the types of ships would depend on the situation there. The Black Sea is a strategic waterway connecting to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean. Countries with shoreline along the Black Sea include Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Romania, in addition to Russia which has been heavily involved in protecting Syria's President Bashar al-Assad . Late last year, as a protective measure, Turkey deployed a number of batteries of Patriot missile defence systems supplied by NATO allies including the USA along its border with Syria.
Surprise!
Another sign of preparation for war was the Surprise Military Exercise in the Black Sea personally authorised by Russian President Vladimir Putin. He phoned his Defence Minister at 4 in the morning with orders to activate 7,000 troops, 36 ships, up to 20 fighter jets and helicopters and 50 pieces of artillery in order to test battle readiness in the Black Sea. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stated “We are talking about major exercises, intended as a check”; but it could be seen that such preparations are for aggression rather than defence.
Signs in the Sun and moon
The Prophet Joel also prophesied that the LORD ‘would shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.’ (Joel 2:30-31) and we have just experienced two such wonders; two very close shaves in the form of visitors from Outer Space. In early February a130, 000 ton asteroid brushed past the Earth at a distance of 17,000 miles, closer to the earth than some of our satellites; and just hours before, Russia had a close encounter with a 55 foot diameter meteor. It left a vapour trail across the sky in the Ural Mountains and exploded 15 miles above earth with a force 30 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. It lit up the sky, caused shockwaves that injured 1,200 people and damaged thousands of homes, blowing out windows and setting off car alarms over a wide area. NASA scientists said the timing of the two cosmic events, both of which are unprecedented in modern times, was merely coincidental; even so it ought to make us pause to wonder if the Creator of the Universe is not telling us something!
What is the Creator of the Universe telling us?
The Creator of the Universe is the Maker of the Earth, Sun, Moon and Stars Gen1:
14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
Ps 147:4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
As all things are therefore in His power and the lights in the Heavens (stars etc.,) are for signs, isn’t it possible, that when we have TWO meteors approaching the earth at the same time we should see this as a sign. Its interesting to consider the doubling up of this sign, for when Pharaoh received two dreams as messages from God, this is what Joseph told him Gen 41:32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. A sign then of trouble to come upon the world? And when one of them causes great fear and damage to Russia, Israel’s strongest enemy, maybe we are being given a warning that God is bringing about the time described in Joel and the return of Jesus.
Signs in the world
When God judged the world at the time of Noah and sent the Flood, it was because of mankind’s wickedness Gen 6:
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth
Returning to Joel, we see that God’s Judgement will again fall again upon a world which has moved so far from the ways of mercy, love and truth which the lord Jesus preached in his Gospel.
Joel Ch 3 tells us of the gathering of the Nations against Jerusalem and God’s judgement, because of their wickedness.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
A way of escape
JesusIsComing
If the signs in the heavens and among warring mankind tell us that ‘The day of the LORD is near’ (Joel 314), what can we do about it? This was the first thing the Lord Jesus preached about when he began his ministry.
Mr 1:15 Saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
It is by repenting (having a change of mind and outlook); believing the Gospel of the Kingdom to come and being baptised that we can escape the calamities which are soon to fall upon this earth. And not only escape but also hope to reign with him over an earth which resembles the Garden of Eden before the fall. For those with such a hope, today’s troubles hold no threat but a promise of a glorious future, as the Lord Jesus said…
Lu 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Thought For the Day You shall remember

 


“You shall remember …”


It is good to have a good memory; it is frustrating to be forgetful. Yet how often do we forget to be thankful for good things? Do you recall the comments of Jesus when only one of the ten lepers he healed returned to express thanksgiving for his healing (Luke 17:15-17).
In our Deuteronomy reading today – and this book should be seen as Moses’ final exhortation to the people before he dies, he says, “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.
And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these 40 years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart …” (8:1,2).
What kind of remembering are we to do? Each one of us will have different memories. What memories these people of God had at this time! We need to be aware that nearly all the adults in the 12 tribes (but not the Levites) who had come out of Egypt had died in the wilderness because of their unfaithfulness. These had witnessed the miracles of the plagues in Egypt, then the most dramatic of miracles in crossing the Red Sea on dry land, then the physical nearness of God as they camped beside the mountain. Then came the provision of water, the manna and the quail – and still they complained. Are many teenagers reading this? Once you reach the age of 20, God holds you responsible.
Because those 20 and over had not developed any depth of faith, they wandered and died in the wilderness because they failed to remember – and in remembering – to take to heart all that the Lord their God, the only real God had done. A lesson for us! Is there anything we fail to remember? What a tremendous picture the history of the world since those days provides – and now we are surely reaching the climax.
In John’s Gospel we have read of the climax of the life and death of God’s son – and the absolute wonder and drama of his resurrection. John’s 20th chapter ends, “… these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that by believing you may have life in his name”. Remember, our actions show what we believe. Make the time today to read and meditate on the last 2 chapters of John’s gospel, it is one of the richest sources of food to stimulate our minds in the whole Bible.

Bible Prophecy Christianity Corrupted

 


Christianity Corrupted

Nearly all of the writers of the New Testament predicted that changes would occur in key beliefs after their deaths. That people would “fall away” and that “apostasy” would enter the body of believers. Consider the following verses:
“For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock… For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:27-30
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (the return of Christ), except there come a falling away first…” 2 Thessalonians 2:3
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy…” 1 Timothy 4:1-2
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” Jude v3
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1

A Warning

We can see from the verses above that the established church would be deceived by false ideas. The warning is to take heed to what the Bible teaches. We must get back to the word of God. We cannot afford to rely on what a Vicar, Priest, Bishop or Pastor dictates to us.
We have to search out the scriptures to ensure that we hold the truth as preached by the original believers in Jesus Christ. Such searching can be done by any individual who is seeking for truth. It takes an open and independent mind, one which comes to the Bible to find that truth. The verses above show the importance of finding the true original doctrines as taught in the scriptures and holding fast to them. It clearly does matter what we believe and to ensure we have not been deceived by an apostate system we have to get back to what the Bible teaches.

The Historical Fulfilment

From the verses we have looked at, you can clearly see that the established body of Christians would be infiltrated and deceived by false ideas. History shows that the early church changed its stance on core doctrines quite early on. This changed and corrupted church soon became political under the name of the Catholic church. Many split offs from this “Mother” church have occurred but most of these “daughters” adopted the already changed and corrupted doctrines of their Mother.
The historian Edward Gibbon, in the 15th chapter of his ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’, tells of how the original beliefs of the early Christians were changed over the course of time. He writes the following:
“The ancient and popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second coming of Christ … a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years; when Christ, with the triumphant band of the saints and the elect who had escaped death, or who had revived, would reign upon earth…”
So the early believer’s hope, as outlined in the Bible (more here) was that Jesus was to return to the earth to set up a Kingdom. Believers were to reign with him on earth for 1000 years. This belief changed. A core doctrine which most churches adopted was that men have an immortal soul (a belief brought in by ancient Greek philosophy) and that, upon death it floated to heaven or hell. Many churches, including the Catholic church, its break off daughters and even churches who claim to have nothing to do with the Catholic church such as Evangelical churches, hold this same corrupted doctrine today.
Justin Martyr, an early Christian, also wrote in 150AD:
“For if you have conversed with some that are indeed called Christians, and do not maintain these opinions, but even dare to blaspheme the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and say that there is no resurrection of the dead, but that the souls, as soon as they leave the body, are received up into heaven, take care that you do not look upon these. But I, and all those Christians that are really orthodox in every respect, do know that there will be a resurrection of the body and a thousand years in Jerusalem, when it is built again, and adorned, and enlarged, as Ezekiel, and Isaiah, and the rest of the prophets declare.” – Dialogue With Trypho, The Jew, section LXXX.
Again we see how that the original church doctrine was changed – and we could cite from many more writers who lived in the early period of the church.
With further study you would find that other core doctrines of modern Christianity are not original beliefs as taught in the scriptures – the four most profound corruptions are on the doctrine of the resurrection, the Kingdom of God on earth, the unity of God and the devil (select a link to find out the true Bible teaching on these topics).

Recent Changes

Many recent changes are occurring in most churches as the pressures of modern, humanistic society challenge already weak church practices and doctrines. In a desperate attempt to keep up their popularity, churches adopt these ideas. There are a few doctrines which have recently been changed in many churches – such as the authority of the Bible, the Holy Spirit, divorce, adultery, cohabitation, homosexuality, and women priests amongst many more.
The Catholic church especially has exposed its changing character with the public ‘apologies’ of its leader (Pope Benedict XVI). One Catholic doctrine is that the Pope is God’s infallible representative on earth. How is it then that one Pope can apologise for another’s declaration – especially for beliefs or decrees which followers died for! Consider the recent declaration that the idea of Limbo for child “souls” is not true. What of other Popes who believed it or indeed the Mothers and Fathers who paid money to the clergy to supposedly get their children from Limbo to heaven? Did God change his mind? What about Pope Benedict XVI’s apology for offending Islam in one of his speeches in 2006 – were the Popes of previous ages sorry when they ordered the destruction of thousands of Muslims?
These recent changes clearly show that change is something which does and will occur – but is it something which should occur?

God’s ways do not change

The Bible clearly teaches that God’s ways and purpose do not change. Consider these verses:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
“For I am the LORD, I change not…” Malachi 3:6
“God is not a man,  that he should lie; neither the son of man,  that he should repent: hath he said,  and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken,  and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it wasimpossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:17-18
“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2
It is important therefore to read the Bible, for what we find there will not change. Although man changes and society’s rules may change – the Bible will stay constant, both in its doctrines and its teaching on how we should live. What we believe and how we live our lives, should be consistent with the Bible if we claim to be followers of it.

The Latter Days

 

The Latter Days

“The Latter Days” is a time period mentioned in scripture. It is important, because in the latter days Jesus Christ will return to the earth and it is the time period we are living in now.

The return of Israel

We read this amazing prophecy in Hosea:
“For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3:4, 5
This shows that the Jews would once again return to their land. This happened in 1948 with the declaration of a Jewish state. We are therefore living in this Biblical time period termed “the latter days”.
The verse however is not completely fulfilled, as Israel are not engaged in the activity of “seeking the LORD their God” or “David their king”. The Lord their God is the God of the Jewish Fathers – the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. David is a reference to Jesus Christ – David means “beloved” – see reference to Christ as the “beloved” in Luke 9:35, 2 Peter 1:17. The Jews therefore will once again seek God and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah in the not too distant future, when he returns to the earth to rebuild the temple and establish God’s Kingdom on the earth. (See more about the Kingdom in this article “The Kingdom of God »“.)

The tribulation of Israel

The Bible describes the circumstances of the turning point when Israel will accept Jesus as the Messiah. The Bible speaks of a time, after the Jews have returned to their land, when all the nations will gather against them.
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:2-3
We read in Zechariah of how Israel is almost defeated by the armies of the invading nations. It is at this point of desperation that God will intervene and “save the tents of Judah” (v7). It is clear He will do this by sending His representative, the Lord Jesus Christ, for we read that “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (v10). Before moving away from Zechariah, it is worthy of note that when Christ does come, he comes with his “saints” (or “called out ones”) – see Zechariah 14:1-5. This gives us an idea of the sequence of the events which are to unfold at Christ’s return – in order for the chosen saints to be with Christ in glory, it means that they have first been resurrected and judged. The return of Christ to the earth, the resurrection and the judgement therefore take place before the attack on Israel by the nations.
This is all very exciting as it links us into a prophecy directly about “the latter days” given by the prophet Moses to Israel:
 ”I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” Deuteronomy 4:26-31
So if we piece together the prophecy of Zechariah 12 with the prophecy of Deuteronomy 4, we get a picture of what is soon to happen on the earth. We have seen the fulfilment of the prophecies of the regathering of the Jews to Israel. We are living in a time just before the return of Jesus who will soon return and perform the resurrection of the dead and judgement. The nations will come against Israel. Israel will be in dire tribulation and on their last legs. At that point Messiah (and his saints) will appear to them and they will accept him and then they will begin to serve God once more. This is all going to happen in the time period called “The Latter Days”.

The Kingdom to be set up

The details in the famous prophecy called “Nebuchadnezzar’s image” recorded in Daniel 2, were given to prove that “there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known… what shall be in the latter days” (Daniel 2:28).
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is all about the history of the kingdoms of men and God’s future Kingdom which is to be set up on the earth on the territory of the kingdoms of men. This future Kingdom is to be set up after Jesus Christ returns to the earth. 

The book of Revelation

 

The book of Revelation

The book of Revelation is an amazing message from Jesus to his followers. It is a book of sign and symbol showing events which would occur from the 1st Century right up until our day and beyond. To unlock the symbols in the book, other parts of God’s word need to be studied. The Bible interprets itself. A symbol in Revelation normally has an explanation elsewhere in scripture.
Most interestingly, the book focuses on the relationship between the true followers of Jesus and the apostasy (called “Babylon the Great”). It explains in great detail, the different phases of the apostasy – how it climbed into the political arena and how it is active even today. The great apostasy which grew from the early Christians became the Catholic church. Many details can be confirmed by history.
Specific time periods are outlined, making this book an amazing prophecy – but one which takes a great amount of time and effort to understand.
This article is only a basic introduction to the outline of Revelation but it is hoped that enough information is given to encourage the reader to study this book in depth after they have accepted the simple teaching of the gospel and been baptised.

3 Rules for understanding the book of Revelation

In the very opening verse of the Book of Revelation we are given three clear pieces of information:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Revelation 1:1
This tells us that:
  1. This book is written to Christ’s servants – So the things contained within this book will not be things for beginners. We will not have the gospel or first principles set out because these are basic things which enable someone to become a believer. Revelation is for those who already have a full understanding of the gospel. What we have outlined in Revelation is a useful message for those who already follow Christ. It’s not been written for Jews and it’s not been written to convert Gentiles – it’s been written for those who have been baptised.
  2. Revelation outlines events which will “shortly come to pass” – The book of Revelation reveals God’s purpose with his servants down through the ages, starting at John’s time. This tells us another important thing. The events in the book of Revelation were to take place after John’s time (AD90 approx). This helps us to correctly eradicate erroneous expositions – for example where, in chapter 12 some expositors suggest that this occured before the garden of Eden and is an account of Satan being expelled to the earth where he later tempted Eve. This idea breaks the principle outlined in this first verse. The events in Revelation happen after John’s time.
  3. This is a book of symbol - Strong’s concordance tells us that the word “signified” means = “to give a sign, to signify, indicate”. In other words this book has been encoded in symbols so that only those true, dedicated servants will understand its meaning. This means that when we read of ‘heaven’ in Revelation – it’s not literal. When we read of ‘candlesticks’, ‘stars’, ‘angels’, ‘trumpets’, ‘vials’ or ‘plagues’ these will not be literal but symbols. To unlock the meaning behind the symbols one must look elsewhere in scripture. For example the symbol of the “sea” is unlocked by looking at Isaiah 57:20 where we read that the “wicked” or Godless nations are like the “sea”.
The above three things which are outlined right at the beginning of this book show us that this is a deep area of the scriptures. It has really only been written for true believers. Therefore it’s not really a great place to start if you are new to the Bible. You will not find the gospel simply taught within the pages of the Revelation, although it will be backed up by the Revelation.

The layout of the book

The basic structure of the book of Revelation is found in Revelation 1:19:
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; Revelation 1:19
John was to record the things that he had seen (Chapter 1), the things “which are” – these are found in Chapters 2-3 and the letters to 7 churches. Then in Chapter 4 and verse 1 we learn that the rest of Revelation outlines the “things which shall be hereafter”.

Newly released historic film collection includes scenes of the Holy Land

 

Newly released historic film collection includes scenes of the Holy Land

Newly released historic film collection includes scenes of the Holy Land

The giant newsreel archive British Pathé, released its entire collection of 85,000 films to the public this week.
The films, dating from 1896 to 1976, include hundreds of newsreels from Palestine prior to the establishment of Israel in 1948.  We found of particular interest the films of combat between British and Turkish forces during World War I and the brave attempts to push desperate Jewish refugees from Europe past British barriers in the 1930s and 40s.
“This unprecedented release of vintage news reports and cinemagazines is part of a drive to make the archive more accessible to viewers all over the world,”British Pathé announced.
“Our hope is that everyone, everywhere who has a computer will see these films and enjoy them,” said Alastair White, General Manager of British Pathé. “This archive is a treasure trove unrivalled in historical and cultural significance that should never be forgotten. Uploading the films to YouTube seemed like the best way to make sure of that.”
We present here several of the exciting films now on the British Pathé YouTube collection. Many of the newsreels are silent films.
The ones shown on the website are:
Dedication of the Hebrew University  and speech by Earl Arthur Balfour (1925)
1929 disturbances against Jews, a crude Jewish barricade,  and the arrival of aBritish naval ship in an attempt to restore order.
Thousands of American Jews take part in [1929 "monster"] demonstration before offices of the British Consul, demanding protection for their kinsmen in Palestine. New York, U.S.
“In Palestine Today (1938)” shows how the British restored peace in Jerusalem with the loss of “only” 9 people:

Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go

 

Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go

Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go


These words should be familiar to all Bible readers: they are the words of the “two men … in white robes” (a common way of describing angels) – it is what they said to the disciples as their astonished eyes watched their Lord ascend upwards “and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9-11). We suspect it was no ordinary cloud, but like the cloud that Moses climbed up into on the mountain (Exodus 24:16).

Countless generations of Bible believers have looked for their Lord to descend from heaven in their lifetime. The disciples had asked, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (verse 6) and were told by their Lord they were to be “my witnesses in Jerusalem” – but ultimately that the witnessing was to be “to the end of the earth” (verse 8). He had said this earlier, also on the mount of Olives, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nationsand then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
The other sign which Jesus gave, which Luke also recorded, was that “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (21:24). Today, Jerusalem is constantly a centre of world attention – and the returned Jews have made it the capital of their resurrected country. The evidence is plain that the climax of the ages is near. But we know, and must emphasize that it was not for his disciples, then or now, to know exactly when. Notice again the answer of Jesus when the disciples asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (verse 6). They were commissioned to be “my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria” (verse 8). It is for true believers today tocomplete that commission “… and to the end of the earth”.
Are you his disciple? Are you helping this commission to be carried out? If you are, you will be really looking for his return “in the same way (as the disciples) saw him go into heaven”.
As his disciple you will be following the examples given in the book of Acts, which we have now started reading. Notice the way in which the Old Testament is often quoted as an essential part of that message. It tells us many details of the Kingdom Jesus will set up, also giving us examples of faithful service (and failures) as we are reading in the book of Deuteronomy.