Archive for December, 2015

Trend Update: Burden of Damascus, December 2015

Posted in Burden of Damascus, Isaiah, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , on December 30, 2015 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!

jobar

This is a photograph of the neighborhood of Jobar in Damascus. The photo is compliments of a Russian drone. The link to the article below contains video of further destruction in Damascus.

http://www.news.com.au/world/drone-footage-shows-apocalyptic-scenes-of-syria/news-story/771dbd6acc10bb0948db41208acb78f3

This is the city of Damascus, Syria. 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 had approximately 5 million people.

That was before refugees started leaving the city and region in the thousands upon thousands. The New York Times estimates 4 million people have left the country. More than 200,000 have died. Other estimates have the figure topping 310,000. The actual number of deaths is difficult to assess due to the level of violence in the country. Data taken was in September of 2015.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/09/14/world/middleeast/syria-war-deaths.html?_r=0

The following countries and entities have military hardware in Syria: Russia, opposing Syrian factions, Iran, Lebanon, Hezbollah, United States, ISIS, France, Great Britain, and China. Israel has reportedly flown some air missions into the country. Did I miss any one?

Speculation and conjecture are Damascus would be the recipient of a nuclear blast. As of December 2015, that remains to be seen. Vladimir Putin has mentioned nuclear weapons are an option in the conflict. It is thought a nuclear weapon would bring about the complete destruction of Damascus noted in Isaiah 17:1.

…will become a fallen ruin… Based on recent history of the ongoing civil war, Damascus may experience a methodical and slow demise. The bombing and shelling are taking their toll. The visual images are stunning and demonstrate the complete, absolute, and utter destruction. The pictures are a ruinous heap of rubble.

Are we watching the Burden of Damascus unfold in our time?

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Birth of Jesus: City of Bethlehem, Address Migdal Eder

Posted in Christmas, Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 24, 2015 by paulthepoke

Micah 4:8 As for you, tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you it will come— even the former dominion will come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

Many believe this is the location and address of the birth of Jesus Christ. The address is the “tower of the flock”. In the original Hebrew, it is “migdal eder”

Per Strong’s Concordance, migdal eder means: tower of the flock.

The following paragraph is from The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Alfred Edersheim.

At the time of the birth of Jesus, Migdal Eder was a specific place. It was the location where shepherds brought their sheep. The sheep were to be sacrificed at the Temple. These were not just any flock and herd. The shepherds who kept them were men who were specifically trained for this royal task. They were educated in what an animal that was to be sacrificed had to be and it was their job to make sure that none of the animals were hurt, damaged or blemished. During lambing season the sheep were brought to the tower from the fields, as the lower level functioned as the birthing room for sacrificial lambs. Being themselves under special rabbinical care, these priests would strictly maintain a ceremonially clean birthing place. Once birthed, the priestly shepherds would routinely place the lambs in the hewn depression of a limestone rock known as “the manger” and “wrap the newborn lambs in swaddling clothes,” preventing them from thrashing about and harming themselves “until they had calmed down” so they could be inspected for the quality of being “without spot or blemish”.

Custom of the day utilized swaddling cloths for newborn infants as well as sacrificial lambs. These cloths or bands were also used for restraining lambs prior to sacrifice. The swaddling bands held the lambs for inspection to insure they met the standard set forth in the law (Numbers 28:3, Exodus 12:1-6). The lambs were restrained to keep them from harming themselves and disqualifying them from sacrifice. Lambs had to be without blemish.

See also http://hethathasanear.com/Birth.html

Today, the exact location of Migdal Eder is speculation.

Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

The angel had directions for the shepherds in the hills. Luke 2:12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Notice, the shepherds did not need guidance. Migdal Eder was a destination. Any shepherd in the area knew the exact location. Directions were not necessary. These guys knew the specific address.

Luke 2:15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”

Luke 2:16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

Jesus, the Lamb of God, was born in the same location as sacrificial lambs for the Temple. Jesus was wrapped “snugly” in swaddling cloth like a sacrificial lamb for inspection.

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Birth of Jesus: Hills of Bethlehem

Posted in Christmas, Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 20, 2015 by paulthepoke

Micah 5:2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.

Click on the YouTube video below for commentary and analysis. 

The first mention of Bethlehem in the Bible is in Genesis 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). This is Jacob or Israel’s wife. She is the mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 35:24).

Ephrath or Ephrathah are terms that are synonymous with Bethlehem. Genesis 48:7, Genesis 35:19.

In the original Hebrew, Ephrathah means “place of fruitfulness”. –Strong’s Concordance.

Bethlehem is the setting for the Book of Ruth.

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1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah…

Bethlehem is a place where a young boy named David raised sheep for his father Jesse.

1 Samuel 17:15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

The hills around Bethlehem were home to the thousands of lambs used in ritual worship in the Temple. The law required daily sacrifices of spotless and perfect lambs. Bethlehem was the town in Israel that was known for sacrificial lambs.

http://hethathasanear.com/Birth.html

Numbers 28:3 You shall say to them, ‘This is the offering by fire which you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs one year old without defect as a continual burnt offering every day.

See also Exodus 12:1-6 for qualifications of a sacrificial lamb.

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For roughly 1,000 years from the time of King David to the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem continued to be known for the Temple’s sacrificial lambs. We know this place remained an area for sheep because of Luke 2:8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

Jesus is the Lamb of God who was born in Bethlehem. The town known for spotless, perfect, sacrificial lambs. As these lambs were destined for sacrifice, so was Christ.

1 Peter 1:19 …but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ…

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

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Birth of Jesus: Region of Judah/City of Bethlehem

Posted in Christmas, Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 13, 2015 by paulthepoke

Micah 5:2 But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.

The fulfillment of Jesus being born in Bethlehem is in Matthew 2:1a, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…

Joseph and Mary traveled from Nazareth (70 miles north of Jerusalem) to Bethlehem (10 miles south of Jerusalem). The distance is approximately 80 miles. They were ordered to travel due to a request for the census. The government was counting people in order to collect taxes. Luke 2:3-4 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David…Mary would later give birth in verse 7 in Bethlehem.

bethlehemmap

It is promised, the Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. Genesis 49:10-11 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.”

The Micah 5:2 prophecy confirms the Messiah will come from the tribe of Judah. Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Revelation 5:5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

David was born and raised in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16). Bethlehem is in Judah as confirmed by Matthew 2:6. Matthew is quoting Micah 5:2.

Christ is in the line of David. This fulfills the David Covenant (2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17:11–14, 2 Chronicles 6:16). The covenant is a promise that Israel’s Messiah will come through the offspring of King David. It is also a promise that this kingdom will be eternal. The covenant is totally up to God to fulfill.

For a detailed account of the Genealogy of Jesus, see Matthew 1. The abbreviated notes of the lineage of Christ are in Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

In the Hebrew language, Bethlehem means “house of bread”.

Jesus proclaimed to be “the bread of life”. John 6:35a Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger…”

Jesus, the bread of life, was born in Bethlehem, the house of bread.

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Trend Update: Russia (Magog)/Israel, Ezekiel 38-39, December 9, 2015

Posted in Ezekiel 38-39, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 9, 2015 by paulthepoke

Ezekiel 38:1-3 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.

Ezekiel 38:6 Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-Togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you.

meshech

Magog was a son of Japheth. Genesis 10:2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. Japheth was the son of Noah. The sons of Japheth were born after the flood (Genesis 10:1).

The Bible and ancient historians point to the fact the land of Magog is modern day Russia. See attached post.

http://paulthepoke.com/2015/01/07/trend-update-russia-magogisrael-ezekiel-38-39-january-2015/

But what about the brothers of Magog? They include Gomer, Meshech, and Tubal.

Gomer means “complete”. Historians through the ages debate whether they lived north or south of the Black Sea. North of the Black Sea is modern day Russia. South of the Black Sea is modern day Turkey.

Meshech means “drawing out”; a people on the borders of Colchis (the land area east of the Black Sea). Armenia is effectively modern day eastern Turkey. Today (November 2015), the region of Meshech is modern day Turkey, Russia, and Georgia.

Tubal means “thou shall be brought”; a region in east Asia Minor (modern day Eastern Turkey).

Beth Togarmah: Beth is Hebrew for house. Togarmah means “thou will break her”.  People consider this to be Armenia. At its peak, the Armenian Empire was from modern day Syria on the Mediterranean Sea to south of the Black Sea and east to the Caspian Sea. Historically, Turkey is also known as the House of Togarmah.

Definitions are from Strong’s Concordance. Historical evidence from Google images, Wikipedia.

The brothers of Magog (Meshech, Gomer, and Tubal) appear to point to modern day Turkey.

Russia will be joined by several countries in their future invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). One of those countries is modern day Turkey.

What? Turkey has recently taken out a Russian fighter jet in disputed air space (November 2015). Russian leader Vladimir Putin has called this act “a stab in the back”. At this time, Russia and Turkey are clearly not on friendly terms.

Putin (December 9, 2015) has introduced the option of nuclear weapons in Syria in a press release. “With regard to strikes from a submarine. We certainly need to analyze everything that is happening on the battlefield, how the weapons work. Both the (Kalibr) missiles and the Kh-101 rockets are generally showing very good results. We now see that these are new, modern and highly effective high-precision weapons that can be equipped either with conventional or special nuclear warheads. Naturally, we do not need that in fighting terrorists, and I hope we will never need it. But overall, this speaks to our significant progress in terms of improving weaponry and equipment being supplied to the Russian army and navy.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putin-has-threatened-to-use-nuclear-weapons-against-isis-but-hopes-they-will-never-be-needed-a6766196.html

At some point in the future, Russia is prophesied to invade Israel. The Bible says Russia and Turkey are going to join forces and invade Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). If this is the time leading up to Russian invasion of Israel, I trust Russia and Turkey will kiss and make up. Maybe Russia invades Turkey. At any rate, the Bible says they will join forces to invade Israel.

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Jubilee, Part 7, Jesus the Kinsman Redeemer

Posted in Gospel, Jubilee, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 6, 2015 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:23-25 The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land. If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold.

In the previous post it was discussed how Satan is currently in charge of the world. God has given him authority since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The world is leased to Satan. God holds the title.

http://paulthepoke.com/2015/11/29/jubilee-part-6-satan-in-control-for-now/

Deuteronomy 10:14 The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the Lord your God, as does the earth and everything in it.

God has the papers of ownership when it comes to the Earth. This is confirmed in Revelation 5:1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

clayscroll

scroll: lds.org

Leviticus 25:24 Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land…God the Father has His price for the land of Earth. Because of sin, the land is cursed and there is a cost. God wants His payment in the currency of sacrificed, innocent blood.

Leviticus 25:25 If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. Adam lost the deed to the Earth because of sin. Adam was unable to pay the price with his guilty blood. No other person has been able to redeem the land since. All humanity is guilty and slaves to sin. We are unable to pay for the land. Humanity does not have access to the land deed until the scene in Heaven (Revelation 5). Jesus is fulfilling His role as a Kinsman-Redeemer. Jesus is related to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). Jesus is a kinsman to the man, Adam, who lost the land. Revelation 5:7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Jesus takes the book from God the Father. Jesus wants possession of the papers.

Revelation 5:9-10 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

The scene in Heaven (Revelation 5) is consistent with the customs of a Kinsman-Redeemer (Ruth 4). Both are conducted before the court and elders as witnesses before God. With His death Jesus purchased humanity, His bride, from the bondage of sin. He has access to the scroll. Christ is sinless and innocent.

See Jeremiah 32:6-15 for land purchasing and redemption document customs. The conditions for the redemption of the Earth are Tribulation; seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls…

Reference Material: God’s Final Jubilee, Dan Goodwin

Jesus, a man, and His bride, the church, will fulfill God’s command in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

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Trend Update: Russia (Magog)/Israel, Ezekiel 38-39, December, 2015

Posted in Ezekiel 38-39, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on December 2, 2015 by paulthepoke

Ezekiel 39:4-6 You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.  I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord.

At some point in the future, Russia is prophesied to invade Israel. The results are noted above in Ezekiel 39:4-6. See Ezekiel 38-39 for complete details.

The Bible and ancient historians point to the fact the land of Magog is modern day Russia. Gog is their leader. See attached post.

http://paulthepoke.com/2015/01/07/trend-update-russia-magogisrael-ezekiel-38-39-january-2015/

s400

Initially, Vladimir Putin had indicated there would be no boots on the ground in Syria. A US official stated seven Russian T-90 tanks were noted at an airport in the coastal town of Latakia, Syria. A Kuwaiti news source has identified Russian troops in the area. Russian naval presence has increased in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Syria. As of November 29, 2015, Putin has ordered 150,000 troops into Syria to eliminate ISIS.

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Report-Russian-ground-troops-arrive-in-Syria-in-unprecedented-military-action-435024

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/609757/Putin-ISIS-Islamic-State-Syria-Raqqa-troops-soldiers-air-strike-jets-military

Russia has announced it will deploy the S400 Missile Defense System to Syria. The missiles are designed to take out enemy aircraft and cruise missiles. It has a range of approximately 250 miles. It can reach targets at an altitude of 90,000 feet. Military experts consider this a game changer in the conflict. The system has reaching capabilities into northern Israel. The system also places US aircraft in potential danger. A warship is being deployed off the coast of Syria. It is equipped with an anti-aircraft missile system as well.

http://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/russia-deploys-anti-aircraft-missile-system-to-syria-after-turkey-downs-jet

Electronic jamming devices are being introduced by the Russians. Their purpose is to prevent attacks like Turkey’s downing of a Russian fighter jet. This is designed to affect weapons and radar systems.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/reports-russia-launches-electronic-warfare-in-syria-as-tensions-rise/

The trend is intact and gaining steam, so the Russian military buildup continues…

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