Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Somethings Amiss
There is something brewing that could be deadly to the nation and it is not just Hurricane Earl! Please pray! If America bullies Israel to cede portions of Jerusalem we will fall under the curse of Zechariah 12:3, "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." Suddenly there is talk of splitting and internationalizing Jerusalem. Will the nation be cut in pieces? Pray!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Last Trumpet--Part 4
Before you panic, I am not going to try and convince you that I know when the rapture is. Only a foolish person would attempt such a thing. Jesus clearly warned that no man knows the day nor the hour. Several cults have their beginnings with men who seemed to portend when Jesus was returning. My point is that God does clearly follow patterns.
Even that verse, Matthew 25:13, has an interesting background to it. It is always important to remember that Jesus was a Jewish man, a descendant of King David. As such, he often employed Jewish teaching style into His ministry. It was common knowledge in His day that when a Rabbi spoke, what he did not say was just as important as what he did say. Here is a good example. Jesus is speaking to very astute men who have a great depth of understanding in scripture. They are angry with Him that His followers are shouting at Him, "Hosanna, to the Son of David". This was only to be shouted to the Messiah and the priests surely didn't want the lowly Nazarene to be the Messiah! In answer, we read this verse, "And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" Matthew 21:16. The leaders immediately would have become angry at this statement, and we do see that happen in the other gospels. Why would that offend them? They would have known that He was using Psalm 8:2 a messianic Psalm, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,..." They would also know what the rest of the verse said! "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." Jesus used a verse that implied they were God's enemies! Wow! Call that politically correct!
Jesus statement in Matthew 25:13 has overtones that only a Jew in that time period would have completely understand. Always remember, we must try as we can to get biblical statements in their historical context as well as their literary context. Having said that I'll finish the thought another day. Sorry! :)
Israel and the Middle East
Godlessness in the Last Days
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Last Trump--Part 3
The last week of Jesus' first coming was intense with symbolism related to the feast season. It also followed the prophecies given clearly by Daniel in the ninth chapter. Jesus entered Jerusalem on the correct day to be considered Messiah, but it was what happened after this that still is amazing when one considers the prophecy of Daniel. Here is that text. "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." Daniel 9:24-27
The Last Trumpet--Part 2 dealt with the specificity involved with the first 69 weeks or 483 years. I read a Jewish Rabbi's rebuttal of the common Christian understanding of the 70 weeks being weeks of years. His interpretation was that it was 70 literal weeks. He then named some obscure fellow as appearing in Jerusalem during that time period as the fulfillment, but he must not have paid very close attention to verses 24 & 25. These things needed to happen. After the 69th week Messiah was to be "cut off". The sanctuary was to be destroyed. The end of the 70th week would have brought an end to sin and make reconciliation for iniquity, to end all last days prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy--the Messiah. Has any of that happened yet. Just the cutting off of Messiah Jesus and the destruction of the temple. Somewhere between the 69th and 70th week after the destruction of the temple there would have to be a new one so that it could be desecrated. If we follow the rabbi's interpretation where was the temple at the end of 70 real weeks? It wasn't even standing as it was in ruins from the Babylonian captivity.
No, as we saw in the first two sections, Jesus was in Jerusalem at the right time. He ate dinner (passover) with His disciples and was crucified the next morning. Jewish days run from sunset to sunset, so he was crucified on Passover. He was cut off but not for himself. Within a generation, as He prophesied, the 2nd temple was destroyed by those who crucified Him--the Romans. He was the sinless bread of life during the feast of unleavened bread and He was the first fruits of those resurrected in a glorious body. His next appearance will be in the clouds to redeem his bride living and dead at the last trump--Rosh Hashanah? Much more on this later!
Israel, the Middle East and the Coming Destruction of the Abomination on the Mount!
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