Archive for Apostle Paul

Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashanah/Feast of Trumpets, 5778/2017

Posted in Fall Feasts, Gospel, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 19, 2017 by paulthepoke

Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.

See also Leviticus 23:23-25.

Many believers are pointing to this Feast of Trumpets with great anticipation. Many believe the rapture will take place this fall 2017, September 23rd to be specific. The foundation of the theory is the Virgo alignment in the heavenlies which is consistent with Revelation 12:1. Present company is not included in this thought.

Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Let’s cross the time and cultural divide from our place in the 21st century in western society. We are going back at least 2,000 years and upwards of 3,600 years ago. The Biblical text was written in an agrarian Middle East society. There are three languages involved: English, Greek, and Hebrew.

Judaism recognizes three trumps: first trump, the last trump, and the great trump. Each one of these named trumps represents a specific day. The “first trump” is blown on the Feast of Pentecost (Exodus 19:19). The “great trump” is blown on Yom Kippur and signals the return of Christ to Earth (Matthew 24:31). The “last trump” is synonymous with Yom Teruah or Rosh Hashanah (1 Corinthians 15:52). Resources: Festivals of the Jewish Year, Theodore Gaster; The High Holy Days, Herman Kieval.

newmoonThe Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah is the only new moon observance. This is not some Old Testament warm and fuzzy tradition. God has a point and a reason. He has not forgotten. The Apostle Paul makes note of this holiday.

Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

God has singled out this appointed holiday for some big time fireworks! Judaism has been rehearsing this holiday for at least 3,600 years since Moses. Has the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:52 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) connected the dots… (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.)

Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit fulfilled the spring feasts (all four of them to the day, hour, and minute…case closed). Resurrection and rapture on the Feast of Trumpets during the fall appointments??? The ultimate question is the year.

Crown of Thorns and Nails on Cross

Has Jesus Christ covered your sin? If no, you have bigger problems than when He is coming back for His church.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Regardless of the day on the calendar…Be Ready for His return.

Regardless of what is or is not taking place in the sun, moon, and stars…Be ready for His return.

Live your life as if He would come tomorrow…Be ready for His return.

Jesus calls believers to be alert and watchful. Proclaim the redeeming power of Jesus.

 

And we wait for Him to fulfill the fall feasts…

 

Rapture Promo

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/731160

Available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Rapture+Bride+Redeemed

Also available online at Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Inktera

Revelation 12 Sign: Resurrection First

Posted in Prophecy, Rapture, Resurrection, Revelation, Signs: Sun, Moon, Stars..., Teshuvah/Repent, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , on August 30, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 12:1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

One of the customs of the 40 day period of Teshuvah is to visit a cemetery. Jewish belief is the resurrection will occur during the period of Teshuvah. Specifically, the resurrection is to occur on the new moon holiday of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Christians refer to this as the Feast of Trumpets.

https://paulthepoke.com/2014/09/01/elul-blow-the-horn/

The Revelation 12 Sign occurs within the 40 day period of Teshuvah in the Gregorian year 2017 on September 23rd. Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets will start the civil Hebrew year 5778. When the new moon is identified by two witnesses and confirmed by the high priest, this will initiate Tishri 1.

The notion the rapture is a signless event is false. The rapture is not the next imminent prophetic event. Scripture is very clear. The resurrection of the dead comes before the rapture. The dead in Christ will rise first and ascend into Heaven before the rapture occurs. Yes, there is a historical event that will precede the rapture. It is the resurrection. The Apostle Paul points this out on two occasions.

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.

The idea of sleep communicated by the Apostle Paul is physical death. When we die, our body is buried and sleeping in the ground like a seed as stated earlier in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. Sleep implies the body will wake up at some point in the future.

The new information conveyed is we will not all sleep. Translation, believers will not all physically die. The sequence of events is described next. One, the dead will be raised imperishable (resurrection). Two, believers in Jesus who are alive and remaining…we will be changed (rapture).

The order of events is confirmed a second time in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. The resurrection happens first. Then the rapture occurs second. Dead believers go first.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

Living believers will be tipped on the coming of the rapture by the resurrection of the dead. The issue is the time gap between the two events. The time frame between the resurrection and rapture is not stated. There is no time marker. It could be seven seconds or seven years or whatever. The text does not say. But, the resurrection of the dead in Christ does come first. I suppose the timing of the two events would be relative to “imminent”.

When the inhabitants of planet earth see thousands upon thousands of people arise from their graves and rise into the air, this will cause a variety of responses which will likely include chaos and confusion. This is not the Zombie Apocalypse the culture is expecting. Living believers should know their ascent into the clouds to join the resurrected and Jesus Christ is next in the order of events.

 

Rapture Promo

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/731160

Available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Rapture+Bride+Redeemed

Also available online at Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Inktera

Resurrection: The Atheist Demands Proof

Posted in Resurrection, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2017 by paulthepoke

The atheist, always wanting proof. The arguments are all the same. The Bible does not count as evidence so they say. Jesus is imaginary. The Bible is a fairy tale and just a book of stories. Religion is for the weak minded. Insert next cliché here…

The atheist claims to have read the Bible. They usually studied the Bible at a liberal university and read it cover to cover of course. They took a class under a liberal, tenured professor. And they were brainwashed and told what to think.

Here is my challenge to the atheist. Sit down by yourself. Read. Comprehend…and think. Stop regurgitating what somebody told you. As an introductory to Jesus, I recommend the book of 1 John.

shroud turin

So you want proof…

Eye Witness Accounts

1 Corinthians 15:6-8 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.

In the passage above, there are 512 plus eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

John 20:11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;

Luke 24:10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

Salome is included with this group in Mark 16:1 for a total of at least 4 women.

Luke 24:13-15 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

Cleopas and friend are two other witnesses.

Matthew 27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

And to close out the list, a Roman atheist and his fellow guards. Seeing was believing for these boys.

 

But Jesus was not the only person resurrected. He was the first but there were others.

Matthew 27:52-53 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.

The events took place during Passover. Jews were required per Mosaic Law to come to Jerusalem for the holiday. Tens of thousands of people would have been in the city visiting in addition to the population.

The evidence provided in Scripture would stand in a court of law. Harvard Law Professor Simon Greenleaf wrote A Treatise on the Law of Evidence. The document is viewed as “the greatest single authority in the entire literature of legal procedure.” The United States judicial system functions on the rules of evidence established by Greenleaf.

Professor Greenleaf, an atheist, took up the issue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The facts changed his mind.

Professor Greenleaf’s legal standard of proof is not the issue. The case for the resurrection of Jesus is legally tight. Who cares if the facts stand in a man-made court of law??? The issue is this…

DO YOU BELIEVE THE RECORD?

Revelation: Historical Pergamum

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:12a And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

Ancient Pergamum today is essentially Bergama, Turkey. Today, not much is left of the ancient city but ruins. The city was located about 60 miles north of Smyrna. It is the northern most church in the Book of Revelation. The name means “citadel, height or elevation” per Strong’s Concordance. Pergamum was located in the ancient Roman province of Mysia.

This is the same region of Mysia the Apostle Paul was instructed to stay put.

Acts 16:7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them…

The Spirit of Jesus intervened and kept the crew in Mysia. Bithynia and Mysia are in Turkey. Jesus wanted them in Mysia. The region of Mysia is home to Satan and his capital, Pergamum (Revelation 2:13). Paul was forbidden by the Spirit of Christ from going into the region of Bithynia, home to modern day Istanbul, Constantinople, or Byzantium (synonymous names). The Holy Spirit and Jesus clearly had a plan for the gospel in Satan’s back yard.

Art and literature were very important to Pergamum. The city had a library of 200,000 volumes. Antony would later give this library to Cleopatra. The books were written on parchment. Pergamum was the city where parchment was developed. The word “parchment” or “pergamena” comes from the name of the town Pergamum. Because of this economic development, the city was very wealthy.

The Altar of Zeus is located in Pergamum. The statue was 40 feet tall. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Pergamum was a medical center of the ancient world. The worship of the medicine god Aesculpius took place here. The name Aesculpius is where we get the term “scalpel”. Surgery is a reminder of Aesculpius.  The symbol for medicine, the coiled snake on a pole comes from Pergamum. The irony, this medical symbol is a counterfeit to the bronze serpent of Numbers 21:8-9.

Numbers 21:8-9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Jesus would later refer to Himself as the serpent who would be lifted.

John 3:14-15 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

The ancient world and history to this day have a choice when it comes to healing, Jesus or Aesculpius. Aesculpius is a link to a scalpel that cuts and causes bleeding to the individual. Jesus bled for us and the result is eternal life for the individual. We can worship the god of medicine. Modern medicine is temporary at best. Or we can worship the Son of God. What He offers is forever.

http://bibleatlas.org/pergamum.htm

The Revelation Record, Henry M. Morris, p. 57.

Revelation: Historical Ephesus

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , on November 6, 2016 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:1a To the angel of the church in Ephesus write…

Historical Ephesus was the largest city of the seven churches.

This is the city for Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesus was located on the Cayster River. The city was between the Maeander River to the south and the Hermus River to the north. The city was also a great seaport on the Aegean Sea. The geography allowed Ephesus to be a significant commercial destination. It was the most important port in the Aegean.

There was a great theater in the city. It was believed to seat 50,000 people. The Apostle Paul wanted to go and speak to the multitude but his disciples had another idea. Acts 19:31 Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater.

Ephesus was home to the fertility goddess Diana or Artemis. The temple of Diana was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The city was the location of the riot in Acts 19. The Apostle Paul was having an economic impact on the literary and idolatry industry. People were turning to Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul spent more time in Ephesus than any other church. Acts 20:17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.

Acts 20:31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”

Extrabiblical historical sources indicate Mary the mother of Jesus died in Ephesus. The Apostle John is thought to have died and was buried here as well.

Today in the 21st century, there is nothing left but ruins.

The Revelation Record by Henry M. Morris; Holman Bible Dictionary; Nelson Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts; Tyndale Handbook of Bible Charts & Maps; Key Word Study Bible.

Revelation Churches: Modern Day Turkey

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2016 by paulthepoke

Revelation 1:11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” –Jesus

The Greek word for “book” is Βιβλιον/biblion. It means: a small book, a scroll, a written document. This is the word where we get the term Bible.

The word “book” is singular in the sentence. It would appear John sent one “book” or epistle to the seven churches. The book was sent from the island of Patmos. The order of the seven churches listed is geographical and clockwise in nature. The first stop on the mainland of Turkey was Ephesus. Next, the letter would have gone north to Smyrna. The third stop was north in Pergamum. Following Pergamum to the east and a bit south was Thyatira. The fifth stop to the south would have been Sardis. A jog to the east and the letter stopped in Philadelphia. The last stop to the south and east was Laodicea.

All seven churches are located in what is modern day Turkey.

Four of the seven churches in Revelation have references to Satan. Jesus is the one talking directly to the churches. Jesus got His information from God the Father (Revelation 1). This is not conjecture. The churches are: Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Philadelphia.

Acts 16:6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia… The Holy Spirit made sure Paul and his companions stayed in modern day Turkey instead of advancing east to China. The regions of Phrygia and Galatia are in the heart of Asia Minor.

Satan has his trinity. He plays the role of God. The antichrist plays the role of Jesus. And the false prophet plays the role of the Holy Spirit. Satan clearly has a foot hold in Turkey per the comments of Jesus to the churches in Revelation. Satan has a religious system and structures in place in this geographical area. If Satan’s home land is modern day Turkey, would it make sense for him to establish his kingdom with his minions here?

 

Feast of Trumpets/Yom Teruah: Jesus Casts a Shadow

Posted in Prophecy, Rapture, Resurrection with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on September 18, 2016 by paulthepoke

Colossians 2:16-17 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.

“Judge” or krinos in the Greek: The action of the verb is continuous.

Meaning of krinos: to approve, esteem, to prefer; to be of opinion, deem, think; to determine, resolve, decree; to go to law, have suit at law.

Do not let any one pass judgment or censure continuously. It is not any one’s place to scoff or mock the practice of God’s appointed holidays. The food of the festival include round challah bread, apples dipped in honey, and pomegranates.

Apples are dipped in honey and eaten for the promise of a “sweet year”.

Tradition has a round challah bread for the Lord as King.

Jews symbolically throw their sins into the river or a body of water. They rid themselves of sin.

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Fall_Holidays/Rosh_Hashannah/rosh_hashannah.html

There is only one new moon festival or God appointed holiday in the Mosaic Law. It is Yom Teruah. Christians refer to this as the Feast of Trumpets.

Numbers 29:1 and Leviticus 23:23-25 state the appointment is a Sabbath Day of rest…you shall do no laborious work.

The Apostle Paul states these elements are a mere shadow of what is to come. The Greek word for “shadow” is skia. It means: an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object.

The Feast of Trumpets is a shadow cast by Jesus Christ.

…the substance belongs to Christ. Toward who do we cast our sins? Who is our King? As believers, we will rule and reign with Him in the Kingdom to come (Revelation 1:6, 3:21, 20:4, 20:6, 2 Timothy 2:12). We are baptized in Christ as believers (Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12, Romans 6:3).

Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Numbers 29:1 ‘Now in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing trumpets.

Leviticus 23:23-25 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘In the seventh month on the first of the month you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.  You shall not do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.’”

The Hebrew people have been practicing the appointment every year for approximately 3,500 years on the first day of the seventh month per the Mosaic Law. The Feast of Trumpets is the only new moon holiday on God’s calendar. Yom Teruah is set aside by God with prophetic implications. The Feast of Trumpets is a promise for the future.

Millennial Kingdom: A Just and Truthful Leader

Posted in Isaiah, Millennial Kingdom, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on August 21, 2016 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

A focus of this verse is the eternal nature of the rule of Jesus, the Messiah. His rule will increase continually in abundance and it will never end.

There will be peace or shalom in the Hebrew. As described by Strong’s Concordance, this is the idea of peace: completeness, soundness, welfare; safety; health, prosperity; quiet, tranquility, contentment; absence of war; friendship of human relationships; with God especially in covenant relationship.

There will be an abundance of peace with unlimited growth.

Isaiah 11:5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.

This would be an example where our translators have opted for political correctness. The Hebrew word for loins and waist can also be translated as testicles. This Leader owns “a pair” and He will demonstrate it when it comes to doing things the right way.

The belt is equated with righteousness and truth. This is the case in Ephesians 6:14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth… and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…The Apostle Paul is quoting Isaiah 11:5 and 59:17.

Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.

Jesus will not be flying around and holding pep rallies. He is not going to give speeches on policy and hollow promises. The Messiah will be a man of action.

…act wisely…He will be the agent of change and cause. He will have insight. He will be prudent. He will be a wise teacher. Success and prosperity will be the result.

…do justice…Jesus will act as a judge. He will decide cases and execute judgment with perfection against the laws. See Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. It will be absolutely fair.

…do righteousness…The Lord will do what is morally and ethically right. This is the same word that describes the leader from the line of David, a righteous Branch. Truth will be on display.

Isaiah 42:1-2 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street.”

Jesus is not going to scream and yell at us like politicians (plural) of the 2016 American Elections. He will not be seeking attention to Himself. Look at me! Look at me! Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk…

He will take care of business and just simply do it.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Millennial Kingdom: Get to Work!

Posted in Isaiah, Millennial Kingdom, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on July 20, 2016 by paulthepoke

Deuteronomy 24:15 You shall give him his wages on his day before the sun sets, for he is poor and sets his heart on it; so that he will not cry against you to the LORD and it becomes sin in you.

Deuteronomy 25:4 You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing.

Leviticus 19:13 You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning.

The Mosaic Law states workers, people and animals, are to be paid for their labor immediately.

Labor is honored and rewarded across time in the Bible. In Genesis 1 and 2, Humanity was created to work. Adam and Eve were to manage a garden and tend to animals. Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

This same concept of paying workers (humans and animals) is noted in the New Testament.

The Apostle Paul quotes the law in 1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

It is Biblical to support your family with labor and wages. 1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Payment of workers and reward for labor are hallmarks of the Millennial Kingdom. Consistency continues…humanity and animals are rewarded.

Isaiah 65:21-23 They will build houses and inhabit them; they will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit, they will not plant and another eat; for as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, and their descendants with them.”

Isaiah 30:24 Also the oxen and the donkeys which work the ground will eat salted fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork.

God does not change. The Millennial Kingdom is not going to be a time and place of idle sitting on white, puffy clouds with cute, little, baby angels. There will be no sickness and everyone will be physically able to work.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.

FAILED COUP: Turkey’s increasingly dangerous Islamist President Erdogan returns to power. UPDATE: Nearly 3,000 arrested, 265 dead, 1,400 wounded.

Posted in Ezekiel 38-39, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on July 16, 2016 by paulthepoke

It would appear the coup has failed in Turkey. President Erdogan is likely to emerge from the event with more power. Turkey is a country that has a significant place in the Bible. All churches in the Book of Revelation are in modern day western Turkey. There are four references to Satan in those letters to the churches. The Apostle Paul started many churches on his missionary journeys (Acts) in what is modern day Turkey. New Testament books of the Bible are written to churches in what is modern day Turkey (Galatians, Ephesians for example). Ezekiel 38-39 focuses on a future invasion of Israel from the north. Areas of modern day Turkey are included in the list of nations. Modern day Turkey is a key piece to the end times scenario in the Bible.