Archive for Apostle Paul

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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?

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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Trend Update: 1 & 2 Thessalonians, December 2014

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 3, 2014 by paulthepoke

1 and 2 Thessalonians were two letters in the New Testament written by the Apostle Paul in approximately 50 AD. A key theme of 1 Thessalonians is the coming of Christ. Another doctrine in 1 Thessalonians is the rapture. Themes of 2 Thessalonians are the Day of the Lord and God’s judgment. The citizens of the city were being deceived regarding these doctrines. The point of the letters was to encourage believers about the imminent return of Christ.

thess

Thessaloniki, Greece was and is a real place. There were believers in Jesus in this town and area. In Paul’s time, 1st century AD, Thessaloniki was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia. It was the largest city with a population of approximately 200,000 (Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps & Charts). Understanding the history of the city, it is not difficult to imagine how and why a riot broke out when Paul arrived on the scene (Acts 17:1-9).

The first Jews are thought to have arrived in the region in 513 BC. The city of Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by King Cassander of Macedon. The Jewish community remained uninterrupted in Thessaloniki until 1492 AD, the time of the Spanish Inquisition and expulsion of Jews from Spain. 20,000 Jews migrated to the city to escape persecution. Thessaloniki continued until the early 20th century. It was called “Mother of Israel” and “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.

Today (December 2014), the Greek city is looking to revive its Jewish past. In the early 20th century, the city was essentially Jewish. In 1911, David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi visited Thessaloniki. Their purpose was to study a functioning Jewish society.  They were looking for a model for the future state of Israel. The Jewish community in Thessaloniki was destroyed by the Holocaust during World War II.

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-features/.premium-1.626438

Curious, the modern day city of Thessaloniki is looking to return to its Jewish roots. The city is a reminder of the letters written by the Apostle Paul. His message to the church is that of encouragement. Jesus is coming to get His bride. He is coming back as judge. His return is imminent.

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Antichrist, Peace Treaty, Part 1

Posted in Antichrist/Beast, Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 30, 2014 by paulthepoke

Daniel 9:26-27 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Compare two people mentioned in the original Hebrew, “Messiah” and “prince”. In the Hebrew, the term for “Messiah” is mashiyach. Per Strong’s Concordance it means: anointed, anointed one, of the Messiah, Messianic prince, of the king of Israel, of the high priest of Israel. This describes Jesus, He is a king and a priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7).

In the Hebrew, the term for “prince” is nagiyd. It means: leader, ruler, captain, or prince.

There is clearly a difference in prominence and prestige.

Messiah will be cut off… At the time of the writing of Daniel (approximately 606 BC to 539 BC), the idea of the Messiah being on the scene was prophetic. Messiah had yet to appear to Israel. Messiah Jesus Christ was 500-600 years away. This had to be confusing to readers, a Messiah who was going to be killed and have nothing to show.

This verse says the Messiah will be “cut off” or karath in the Hebrew. According to Strong’s Concordance karath means: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, or kill. Cut a covenant. This is exactly what Jesus did with His death on the cross. He was eliminated and killed at that time. With His death, He cut a blood covenant for the sins of the world.

the prince who is to come… Who are the people of this prince? In 70 AD, the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and completely leveled the city. Many think the antichrist will come from a revived Roman Empire. In the western world, many assume this person will come from Europe. Look at a map of the Roman Empire. It is a large area of land. There is more to the Roman Empire than Italy. There is an eastern leg to the Roman Empire. The capital of the Roman Empire was moved to Constantinople, a city patterned after Rome. This eastern area included modern day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

romanempire117ad

This geographic area also provides for the antichrist being Jewish. Early church writers including Irenaeus and Hippolytus looked to a Jewish antichrist and backed their positions with Scripture (The Truth Behind Left Behind, Hitchcock and Ice).

There is another coming in the future of today’s time (November 2014) who will take Jerusalem again. Who is this guy going to be? Where will he come from?

will destroy the city and the sanctuary… The Hebrew grammar is clear. The false prince will be the agent of destruction and ruin Jerusalem. This verse also implies there will be a future Temple in Jerusalem. It is called the qodesh in the Hebrew. Translated, the “holy”. In the New Testament, Jesus confirms the “holy place” in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.

And its end will come with a flood… SUDDENLY! The Apostle Paul makes reference to the suddenness of the destruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

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