Archive for May, 2013

Tribulation Martyrs

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on May 26, 2013 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:9-11 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. 

Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The context of these verses is the seven year tribulation. We are not in the tribulation. I am not suggesting these events taking place in today’s world (May 2013) are the tribulation. As I write, there is no world dictator. There is no single person demanding worship as God. People are not walking around with marks on their forehead or hand in order to engage in commerce.

These two sets of verses popped into my mind when I heard the news from London. The event I am referring is the soldier murdered in the street by two extremists. The soldier was hit by a car and then violently murdered with a machete and butcher’s knife.

Pope Francis recently recognized 15th Century Christians who were beheaded as martyrs because they refused to convert to Islam. There is recent history of Christians beheaded in Iraq. Western soldiers have met this fate when captured in hostile territories. The point being, this is trend is emerging in the news of our world.

The Bible is clear in what it states. There will come a time in the future when violent deaths and beheading of people who believe that Jesus is the Son of God will increase significantly. The translations are not confusing.

Look at these two words in the Greek. From Revelation 6:9, the word “slain” is sphazo. According to Strong’s Concordance it means to slay, slaughter, butcher, to put to death by violence, mortally wounded.

From Revelation 20:4, the word “beheaded” is pelekizo. It means to cut off with an axe, to behead.

Violence will increase and trend as the tribulation draws closer. But, there is good news.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:57 …but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who believe in Christ will miss the Tribulation, so it says…read it for yourself.

Trend Update: Burden of Damascus May 2013

Posted in Burden of Damascus, Isaiah, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on May 11, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 17:1 The oracle concerning Damascus. “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and will become a fallen ruin.

This is quite a statement. Damascus is going to be wiped out. The Hebrew is interesting in the description. The grammar states it is going to be taken away and removed. One could state it will be a ruined ruin or a ruined heap!

This is the city of Damascus, Syria. This place has been a hot spot in the Middle East and in the news cycle. The country of Syria has been in Civil War since the spring of 2011. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on the planet. The city’s had residents and inhabitants for over 5,000 years. There is some debate of what the meaning of the name is. In the Hebrew, according to Strong’s Concordance, it means “silent is the sackcloth weaver”. According to Wikipedia, the Damascus metropolitan area has approximately 5 million people.

Early May 2013, Israel launched strikes into Syria targeting missiles intended for the terror group Hezbollah (meaning is “Party of God”).  The missiles reportedly came from Iran. Syria has pronounced these acts a “Declare of War”. Chemical weapons are being used and fought over in the Syrian Civil War.

Any time events begin to unfold in Damascus, it tends to peak one’s interest and curiosity in light of Isaiah 17:1. Are these the events that lead to the destruction of Damascus? I don’t know nor am I suggesting “this is it”.

The events unfolding are interesting and have potential prophetic implications in Damascus and with regard to Ezekiel 38 and 39 (Magog or Russian invasion of Israel from the north). Key characters in Bible prophecy are present (Russia, Iran, Syria, Israel). Russian President Putin is upset with Israel and expressed that further attacks on Damascus would not be tolerated. Russia is offering air defense systems to Syria. There are Russian troops in Syria (Debka.com). Russia has reportedly delivered supersonic cruise missiles to Syria (Haaretz.com). The Russians do not want President Assad in Syria overthrown.

The United States is committed to supplying arms to forces in opposition to Assad, the “Syrian rebels”. The rebels are effectively up against the Syrian Army who is backed by Hezbollah, who is backed by Iran, and Russia who backs all of the above (Debka.com).

Iranian and Hezbollah troops are reported to be increasing in Syria. Israeli forces are gathering along the Lebanese and Syrian border. Anti-missile batteries have been dispatched by Israel (Jerusalem Post). War drums are beating. Millions of lives are at risk.

As a friend has stated, there is a lot of passion in the Middle East over the name of God.

Isaiah 8:17-18 Eagerly and Patiently Wait…

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , on May 6, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 8:17 And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. 

The word for wait in the Hebrew is chakah. Per Strong’s Concordance it means to wait, tarry, or long for. The grammar indicates to intensively or intentionally wait. The idea is to be eager and patiently wait. Be ready to act. When the time comes, it is go time. An example of this word is noted in Psalm 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.

The same concept is emphasized a second time in the verse with the word Hebrew qavah. It is translated “look eagerly”. It means to wait or look eagerly for, to lie in wait for, or linger for. The verb has the same idea of intensity. Isaiah is intensely patient and looking intently for the Lord. Another example of this word is in Genesis 49:18 “For Your salvation I wait, O LORD.” 

Isaiah 8:18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.

This verse is a reminder to the people of Israel. What do our names mean? This is in reference to the meaning of Isaiah (meaning Jehovah has saved) and his two sons, Shear-jashub (meaning the remnant shall return, Isaiah 7:3) and Maher-shalal-hash-baz (meaning speed the spoil, hasten the prey). One last reminder, the Lord dwells in Jerusalem.

Easier said than done…

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