Archive for May, 2014

Trend Update, Revived Roman Empire, May 2014

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 28, 2014 by paulthepoke

Memorial Day weekend proved to be an interesting time in the Holy Land. The Pope, Francis, visited the Middle East. There are many who think the Pope will be the Anti-Christ. The Roman Empire is being revived, so they say. Many have identified the Pope as the Anti-Christ. I would also encourage everyone to remember the Roman Empire had an eastern leg which included modern day Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

The Pope had an interesting trip. He called for interfaith toleration and unity between the Muslims and the Jewish people. He visited the Muslim Dome on the Temple Mount and the Jewish Western Wall. He endorsed dividing the land and acknowledging a Palestinian state. With all due to respect to the pontiff, I would encourage him to read the Book of Joel. God says, “Do not divide My land.” This is not a good idea and not in accordance with God’s will.

The Pope has requested a peace meeting or summit next month (June 2014) at the Vatican between the Muslims and the Jews. I expect the Pope or somebody to invoke Father Abraham as a bridge to peace at some point in the future.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming…

Scripture tells us the Anti-Christ will NOT be revealed until the resurrection of the dead believers in Christ and the living believers in Christ are raptured into the clouds to meet Jesus. There is a lot of debate about the word “apostasy”. It is the word apostasia in the Greek. The word is transliterated. It can mean the following in the original Greek: a falling away, defection, or apostasy. The word is used one other time in the New Testament.

The key to the passage is noted later in these verses with the restrainer. Many take this “restrainer” to be the Holy Spirit who is indwelled in Christians. The restrainer will be removed when Christians are snatched into the clouds at the rapture by Jesus. Then, the Anti-Christ will be revealed and present himself to the world.

This passage also notes there will be a Jewish Temple. The Anti-Christ will present himself as being God in the temple. Currently, there is no Jewish Temple. But if we wake up one morning and there has been an agreement to rebuild the Temple…

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Resurrection…Next Stop, Lake of Fire

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , on May 25, 2014 by paulthepoke

One way or another, we are all eternal. Some of us are going to Heaven and some of us are going to Hell. The prophet Daniel makes this pretty clear. Daniel 12:2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

There are two groups of people here. Previous posts focused on the positive. This will be about the negative. Look at the adjectives that describe Hell, disgrace and everlasting contempt. How else are those words translated in the original Hebrew?

In the Hebrew, the word for disgrace is “cherpah”. It could also mean: reproach, scorn, or taunt.

In the Hebrew, the word for everlasting is “`owlam”. It could also mean: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, ancient time, long time, always, continuous existence, indefinite or unending future, eternity.

In the Hebrew, the word for contempt is “d@ra’own”. It could also mean:aversion, abhorrence. Definitions provided by Strong’s Concordance.

Hell is a repulsive taunt and it never stops.

The resurrection of the dead takes place after the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Satan has been released and organizes an uprising that gets torched. All the dead who have not been resurrected to life are brought before the Great White Throne in Revelation 20:11-15.

This is something for the “moralist” to consider. For the critic who says, “Man is ultimately good.” Or, “We need to consider all of the good things they have done.” If a person has rejected Jesus’ cross work and payment for sin, man will be judged according to his or her deeds.

Be careful what you wish for, it is stated twice that man will be judged according to his or her deeds. Revelation 20:12b…and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

The eternal destination for those not found in the Book of Life is the Lake of Fire. Scripture describes this as an actual physical place. It is noted in Revelation 19 and 20.

Jesus teaches about Hell more than anyone else in the Bible.

To the critic, the stakes are high, ante up. “Something” is eventually right and “something” is eventually wrong.

Psalm 53:1-3 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God,” they are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; there is no one who does good. God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

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Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, First Fruits

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , on May 18, 2014 by paulthepoke

1 Corinthians 15:20-24a But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming…

So people ask, what are the “first fruits”? This is a reference to the Lord’s Festival. It is as known as different titles. It is called the “Feast of First Fruits” in Christianity. In Hebraic Judaism, it is known as “Reshit Katzir”. In a Jewish mindset it means, the beginning of the harvest. The harvest is resurrected bodies. First Fruits is the third of the LORD’s spring holidays. First Fruits has its roots in the Old Testament after the Jews Exodus out of Egypt.

Leviticus 23:9-14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Now on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. Its grain offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine. Until this same day, until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth. It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 

The Jewish people were given this appointment from God after leaving Egypt. There are specific directions as to the administration of this holiday. Traditionally, the first fruit to be harvested is barley. The grain is to be presented before God as a fine flour mixed with oil and baked. Translation, a barley bread was baked without yeast (yeast is symbolically sin). The drink offering is wine. Contained in these instructions is a foreshadowing of the elements of communion, bread and wine. Who proclaimed to be the “bread of life”?

Another condition, a perfect lamb was presented and sacrificed. Jesus is called the Lamb of God at least 27 times in the Book of Revelation alone. We know He was sacrificed on a cross. Christ, the seed of grain, was planted in a tomb and resurrected a glorified, incorruptible body.

This is to take place one day after the Sabbath, the first day of the week, or Sunday. God tells the Jewish people this festival is to be completed continually where ever you live. Give thanks to God before eating.

Jesus is the initial harvest of the resurrection. There was a wave of believers in Jesus who were resurrected in Jerusalem after Christ (Matthew 27:52-53). Christ, as high priest, presented and waived this resurrected harvest before the Father.

These spring holidays tell the story of Jesus at His first coming. He was the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed. He was buried before the Sabbath began. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was celebrated on the Sabbath. And he was resurrected on the first day of the week in accordance with the Feast of First Fruits. The Jewish people participated in this holiday for thousands of years from the time of Moses. These spring feasts were literally fulfilled to the day in the person of Jesus.

So who is next? But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming…

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Resurrection Witnesses

Posted in Gospel, Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on May 11, 2014 by paulthepoke

The Sadducees of Jesus’ day did not believe in the resurrection. Acts 23:8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.  This reference in Acts is after Jesus rose from the dead. The Sadducees were around when the event took place. They saw and talked to witnesses who acknowledged the resurrection, and they still did not believe. Some people will not let facts or history get in the way of their beliefs or religion.

What does the Bible have to say about witnesses to resurrection events. There are multiple examples.

The first example would be the resurrection of Jesus Himself. What proof is there? Are there any witnesses to this event? The first witnesses were likely the Roman soldiers standing guard over the tomb. The religious leaders of the day were suspicious and pestered Pilate to the point where guards were appointed to stand at the tomb of Jesus. A Roman guard was usually four men. These men were skillfully trained military assassins. Here is what they saw. Matthew 28:2-4 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. This would be an attention getter first thing in the morning.

Women saw Him at the tomb (Matthew 28:8-10).

Jesus was not the only person resurrected. After Jesus rose, there were others raised from the dead. They were alive again and walking around Jerusalem. They were seen by people in the city. Matthew 27:52-53 and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. I imagine this would promote a scene of chaos and fear.

Jesus showed up and was observed by more than 500 people at one time. 1 Corinthians 15:6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep…

Jesus also made appearances to the apostles as a group of eleven (John 20:26-31, Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18). He made individual appearances to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11, John 20:10-18), Peter (Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5), and James (1 Corinthians 15:7). Jesus appeared to two travelers on the road in Mark 16:12-13 and Luke 24:13-35. Jesus was also viewed by many at His ascension into Heaven (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:44-49, Acts 1:3-8).

Is it likely 1,000 plus people conspired the story of resurrections and the story stuck?

At some point in the future (currently May 2014), two witnesses in Jerusalem will be left dead and unburied in the street. The world will rejoice and send gifts to others. They are finally dead. They will be on display, dead, to rot. They will not be allowed a proper burial. Revelation 11:11-12 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. This event will convince many…

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?“

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Resurrection for All, Part 3

Posted in Uncategorized on May 4, 2014 by paulthepoke

Daniel 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”

Daniel is informed in these verses that all people are eternal and will be resurrected one way or another. The focus of this post is those who are wise. A later post will be dedicated to those who are destined to “everlasting contempt”. Scholars agree this verse, Daniel 12:2, is the definitive Old Testament verse that teaches a literal resurrection.

…sleep in the dust of the ground is an idiomatic expression for dead and buried in the Hebrew.

The Hebrew word for “everlasting” is `owlam. Per Strong’s Concordance it means: forever, always continuous existence, perpetual, everlasting, indefinite or unending future, eternity.

The Hebrew word for “life” is chayay. It means: to have life, to continue in life, remain alive, to revive, be quickened; to live (prosperously), from sickness, from discouragement, from faintness, and from death.

When you are resurrected, it is eternal. A life of riches, health, encouragement, and stability is promised if you choose Jesus’ payment for sin.

Daniel 12:13 “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

Daniel was given the timing for this resurrection event. It is the same answer that was given to Job in Job 19:25,…at the end of the age.

The concept of the resurrection is a fundamental doctrine and a basic teaching of the Bible. Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

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