Archive for Elijah

Forerunners to Christ, John the Baptist and Elijah

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels with tags , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2020 by paulthepoke

Luke 1:17 and he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

The angel Gabriel continues his prophecy of Zechariah’s son, John the Baptist.

Look carefully, he (John the Baptist) will come before the Messiah. John the Baptist is not Elijah. John comes in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Later, Jesus Himself would confirm that John the Baptist functions as if Elijah.

Matthew 11:14 “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” –Jesus.

John’s purpose is to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.

As Gabriel stated previously, the ministry of John the Baptist will associated with joy, gladness, and the grace of God. People will turn back to the Lord. This is the Hebraic concept of Teshuvah.

John the Baptist is associated with the first coming of Christ. Elijah is associated with the second coming.

In both the first and second comings of Jesus, the two forerunners to Christ will change the hearts of children and fathers.

Compare Gabriel’s comments to Malachi 4:5-6. These are the last words of the Old Testament. From Gabriel back to Malachi, it had been approximately 425 years since God had communicated with the Jewish people.

Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

Elijah’s purpose… so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

When Elijah comes a second time, he will precede the second coming of Christ. His ministry will be associated with the great and awesome day of the LORD.

Although he is not specifically named, Elijah is likely one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11. The skill set and characteristics of the witnesses are consistent with the prophet Elijah on his first mission.

See 1 Kings 17-21 and 2 Kings 1-2 for Elijah’s initial career and efforts.

Revelation 11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

Elijah will be dressed in sackcloth. These garments are made of a coarse, dark cloth from a goat. In Elijah’s day, sackcloth was worn in times of mourning, distress, mortification, or penitence.

Elijah promises fire, drought, water to blood, and all kinds of plagues.

Elijah will be an instrument of judgment.

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Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia???

Posted in Egypt/Nile River, Saudi Arabia/Sheba/Dedan with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on February 14, 2019 by paulthepoke

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Midian is a son of Abraham and Keturah. This occurred after the death of Sarah.

Genesis 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Midian settled in what is modern day northwest Saudi Arabia. The location is east of the Gulf of Suez. This is east of the Sinai Peninsula. And this is east of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Per Strong’s Concordance, there are 59 references to Midian in the Old Testament.

According to the Bible, this is the location where Moses led the Hebrew people after the Exodus from Egypt.

Horeb, the mountain of God… Horeb means: waste or desolate.

This is also the likely location of Elijah the prophet when he escaped Jezebel.

1 Kings 19:8-9 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

There is also the comments of the Apostle Paul regarding the location of Mount Sinai.

Galatians 4:25 Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.

The following is from https://www.jabalmaqla.com/

There is a long-standing academic consensus that the story of the Exodus is entirely, or almost entirely, a myth.

This conclusion is partially based on research assuming that the traditional candidate for Mount Sinai in the southern part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula is legitimate. Although some experts believe in the credibility of that tradition, many have come away disappointed with the evidence (or lack thereof) found since the area has been heavily excavated in recent decades. The result has been a widespread rejection of the historicity of the Exodus story and proposals for over a dozen other mountains as possible candidates for Mount Sinai.

This website is dedicated to the candidacy of Jabal Maqla, which is part of the Jabal al-Lawz mountain range in northwestern Saudi Arabia. The creators of this website currently find this candidacy to offer the most compelling evidence.

Click on the link for video.

However, research regarding this candidacy has been severely limited due to a lack of access to outsiders, with aspiring visitors being arrested, threatened, harassed and blocked by Saudi security or hostile locals who believe foreigners are to be kept out of the area. The authors of this website are among a tiny group of Westerners to successfully visit the sites in question. 

The purpose of this website is to compile all of the relevant information about the theory and its purported evidences so those interested can have a single comprehensive source. The website will be updated as ongoing research yields new information.

This website is a project of the Doubting Thomas Research Foundation, and is dedicated to documenting the true location of Biblical Mt. Sinai. Among the many sites proposed, this particular location in northwestern Saudi Arabia is the best candidate for where the Israelites traveled after fleeing slavery in Egypt. As we continue to study this subject, we remain firmly dedicated to intellectual honesty and integrity, and if new information arises that suggests another location, we will follow the evidence until it leads us to the truth, wherever that may be.

This website is LOADED with all kinds of thought provoking information and photographs. Check it out… https://www.jabalmaqla.com/

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Trend Update: Removing Land Mines on the Jordan River, April 2018

Posted in Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 12, 2018 by paulthepoke

Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him.

March 2018: The Israel National Mine Action Authority and HALO Trust are removing land mines from the Qasr al-Yahud Baptism Site on the Jordan River. Many believe this is where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

Click on the link below for additional geography and analysis.

Qasr al-Yahud means The Castle of the Jews. The location is approximately 6 miles east of Jericho. 3,000+ mines are expected to be discovered and removed. Cost of the project is estimated to be around $4 million.

“Once the clearance is complete and INMAA and HALO officials can assure the site is safe, the church plots will be returned to the respective denominations and visitors will once again be able to visit these holy sites,” Israeli Defense Ministry.

The geography is a historical location of action in the Bible. It is believed to be the place where nation Israel crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land after the Exodus from Egypt.

Joshua 3:1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.

Joshua 4:19-20 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 

Gilgal is immediately east of Jericho.

joshua-34-crossing-the-jordan-6-638 SlideShare net

SlideShare.net

Elijah’s chariot ascended into Heaven from this location on the Jordan River.

2 Kings 2:1 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.

2 Kings 2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.

2 Kings 2:7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.

 

Elisha performed many miracles from here on the Jordan River. These are noted throughout 2 Kings.

2 Kings 5:10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-begins-clearing-thousands-of-landmines-from-jordan-river-baptism-site

This particular geography has historically been a hot spot for Biblical activity. Makes one wonder what the future has in store for this location.

 

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Passover: Leave a Place for Elijah

Posted in Prophecy, Spring Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 8, 2017 by paulthepoke

Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

These are the last words and thoughts of the Old Testament. There would be silence for approximately 425 years…

A tradition at a Passover Seder is to leave an empty seat for the prophet Elijah. The empty seat is at the head of the table. A cup of wine is poured for Elijah should he show at the Seder. Elijah is the honored guest who is to announce the arrival of the Messiah.

Tradition has children opening the front door of the home in the hope of the arrival of Elijah. As the door is opened, the guests say… “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Christ in the Passover, Ceil and Moishe Rosen, Moody Press, Chicago.

John the Baptist was a type or forerunner for the first coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself made the declaration.

Mark 9:12-13 And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.” –Jesus.

And Jesus confirms that John the Baptist functions as if Elijah.

Matthew 11:14 “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.” –Jesus.

…and they did to him whatever they wished…and that they did. John the Baptist was beheaded. King Herod used the excuse of a “good dance” to complete what he wanted to do anyway.

Matthew 14:10-11 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

Jesus is coming a second time and will return to Earth. At that time, Christ will have a forerunner as He did the first time. I take it this next time it will be Elijah himself. Although he is not specifically named, Elijah is likely one of the two witnesses in Revelation 11. The skill set and characteristics of the witnesses are consistent with the prophet Elijah on his first mission.

See 1 Kings 17-21 and 2 Kings 1-2 for Elijah’s initial career and efforts.

Revelation 11:3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.

And like John the Baptist…

Revelation 11:7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.

 

So when Elijah shows up and drinks the cup of wine at the Passover Seder, Yeshua HaMashiach is close…

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Revelation: Thyatira’s Jezebel

Posted in Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel…

Jezebel…Her name means chaste or unexalted.

This may have been a woman locally with the name Jezebel or it is a symbolic reference to the wife of King Ahab.

Jezebel the queen and wife of King Ahab of Israel was not a nice lady. King Ahab was not a good king and she was not a good influence.

1 Kings 21:25 Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.

Jezebel was from Sidon. She was a Phoenician. This would be modern day Lebanon north of Israel. She worshipped Baal and was an idolatrous woman.

1 Kings 16:31 It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him.

Jezebel surrounded herself with prophets of false gods.

1 Kings 18:19 Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.

While she loved the false prophets, she was hostile to God’s prophets. She promised to kill Elijah.

1 Kings 18:13 Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid a hundred prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 

1 Kings 19:2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

Jezebel had Naboth falsely accused and stoned. Naboth was the owner of a winery that King Ahab wanted. King Ahab offered to buy the winery and Naboth refused to sell. So Jezebel forged a letter in the name of king. She had two men bear false witness Naboth. As a result, Naboth was executed. Ahab got his winery. See 1 Kings 21.

Evil was allowed to run its course and eventually Jezebel got hers. Jezebel’s death was prophecy fulfilled. Where Jezebel colluded with two men to lie about a decent man, Scripture bears witness to her promised death two times.

1 Kings 21:23 Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, “The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.”

2 Kings 9:10 “The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.”  Then he opened the door and fled.

Jezebel could not manipulate her way out of death.

2 Kings 9:30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out the window.

Her end was a violent death without burial as prophesied.

2 Kings 9:33  He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot.

But there would be no burial for Jezebel…

2 Kings 9:35 They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 

And as a reminder…

2 Kings 9:36-37 Therefore they returned and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, “This is Jezebel.” ‘ ”

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Trend Update: Temple of Bel, March 2016

Posted in Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 30, 2016 by paulthepoke

1 Kings 18:40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

The verse above is the result of the showdown between Yahweh and Baal on Mount Carmel. All of the drama of the Baal worshipers did not matter. 1 Kings 18:28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. Elijah the prophet verses 450 prophets of Baal…no match.

The ancient god of Bel is back in the news. This is the same Bel of the Bible.

Bel, a serpent dragon, was the chief god of the Babylonians. This the same Bel Daniel refused to worship in Babylon.

Bel is also known as Baal. Baal means “lord” or “master”.

Israel came under judgment for sacrificing their sons to Baal in Jeremiah 19:5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind…

Another name for Bel is Beelzebub. This is the name given to Satan in Matthew 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.” Beelzebub is also known as the lord of the flies or the dung god.

www.biblehub.com

The Temple of Bel was bulldozed by ISIS in Palmyra, Syria in 2015. Palmyra, the city of Palms, is 130 miles northeast of Damascus, Syria. The temple was founded in 32 AD. It was the center of religious life in Palmyra.

SaundrAugerReuters

Photo: Saundra Auger/Reuters

Copies of the 50 foot arch are to be rebuilt in Trafalgar Square in London and Times Square in New York City. It is a “gesture of defiance” to ISIS.

This is all set to take place in April 2016 during World Heritage Week.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/28/palmyra-temple-bel-arch-survived-isis-syria-london-new-york?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/opinion/sunday/life-among-the-ruins.html?_r=5

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-NrXlCSttXZtZ6QYICUkFA

 

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Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, Booths, The Feast, 2015

Posted in Fall Feasts, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2015 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 23:33-36 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind. For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.’”

This is the last of God’s appointed feasts or festivals. This holiday is known by many names. It is called the Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Tents, or the Feast of the Harvest because it is after the harvest in the fall. Simply put, it is also called “the feast” or “the festival”.

sukkot

This festival is a week-long festival from Tishri 15 to 21. When working in the fields during harvest, people lived in tents. The tents served as a reminder of the forty years of wandering in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt. The holiday is a reminder of the provision and safety God showed Israel during their travels in the desert as noted in Deuteronomy 8. The feast is a thanksgiving for the harvest of grapes (Exodus 23:16). It is to be a joyous festival (Deuteronomy 16:14). Sabbatical rest without work is part of the holiday. (New Manners and Customs of Bible Times).

In September 2015, The Feast is scheduled to start on September 28 and run through October 4 on our Gregorian calendar. In God’s timing, The Festival is scheduled to start on Tishri 15-21. Tishri 1 is declared when the new moon is sighted. A lunar eclipse or a blood red moon is scheduled for September 28, 2015. Man’s calendar and God’s day planner may not be on the same page.

It is God’s desire to live with humanity.

We mostly think about when God comes to Earth to dwell with us. Jesus lived with humanity 2,000 years ago (Gospel Accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). The Holy Spirit has indwelled in believers since the beginning of the church in Acts 2. Christ has promised to return to Earth and reign for 1,000 years (Revelation 20). Eventually, God the Father will tabernacle with His creation on Earth in Revelation 21.

 

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Antichrist, The Beast, Part 1

Posted in Antichrist/Beast, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 18, 2015 by paulthepoke

Revelation 11:7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.

The antichrist’s initial appearance in Revelation 6 is as a conquering hero as the rider of the white horse. His appearance starts the action in the seven year period. “The beast” makes his first appearance under this title in Revelation 11. The Greek word for beast is therion. Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: a wild animal, wild beast; metaphorically a brutal, bestial man, savage, and ferocious.

“The beast” has his origin from the bottomless pit or the abyss. The word is abussos in the original Greek text. Per Strong’s, it is defined as: bottomless, unbounded, the abyss, the pit, the immeasurable depth; of Orcus, a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons.

The testimony and prophecy are being provided by the two witnesses of Revelation 11. They will present their case against humanity at the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. It is clearly a big deal when “the beast” is able to kill these two witnesses. Others will try to kill God’s two witnesses but meet death. Revelation 11:5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.

2witnesses

The two witnesses will not be popular with the masses. They will have the ability to control the weather by withholding rain. They will turn waters blood red. And they will have the ability to send any plague they want as often as they desire (Revelation 11:6).

The world is going to celebrate “the beast” because he will end the reign of the two witnesses. It will be party time on planet earth because these two are dead. Everybody get drunk and celebrate. Hail the conquering hero, “the beast”. Revelation 11:10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

… will make war with them, and overcome them … The Greek grammar of this phrase is precise and certain. The beast is going to initiate and pick a fight. He is going to bring it. He will conquer the two witnesses.

The intensity of his attack is noted in the Greek word for kill in the verse above. The word in the original Greek is apokteino. Per Strong’s it means: to kill in any way whatever, to destroy, to allow to perish; metaphorically to extinguish, abolish; to inflict mortal death; to deprive of spiritual life and procure eternal misery in hell.

“The beast” is not satisfied with just seeing the two men’s death. It is not enough to only exterminate them. He wants them really dead! Suffer! Eternal Pain! Go to Hell! “The beast” will use these two as an example. Their bodies will not buried. They will be left dead, on display, for all to see for three and a half days (Revelation 11:9).

To this point in Revelation, the antichrist has brokered peace in the Middle East. Then “the beast” killed God’s two prophets and witnesses. He is just getting started…

By the way, God publically resurrects His two witnesses (Revelation 11:11-12).

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Rapture Part 3, Elijah

Posted in Prophecy, Rapture with tags , , , , , , , , , on June 29, 2014 by paulthepoke

2 Kings 2:11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

Elisha was not the only witness to this event. 2 Kings 2:7 Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. The text says there were at least 51 others at the event site.

Elijah and Elisha knew God was coming to get Elijah. This is documented and noted frequently in 2 Kings 2:1-11. Members of the prophetic guild or school in Bethel (2 Kings 2:3) and Jericho (2 Kings 2:5) were aware that God was coming to take Elijah. Hundreds of people knew Elijah was going to be taken into Heaven.

Things are no different today in 2014. There has been notification for over 1,900 years. People are aware there is a time coming when those who believe in Christ will be taken into the clouds to meet the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 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.

So whatever became of Enoch and Elijah? God took them both into Heaven. They did not die. Scripture says we all die once. Hebrews 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment…

Two witnesses show up on the scene in Revelation 11:3 “And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” Scholars debate the identity of these two witnesses. Elijah is promised to come again before the tribulation. Malachi 4:5 Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. Many agree one of these witnesses is Elijah. Others debate the identity of the second as either Enoch or Moses. Enoch was taken alive by God in Genesis 5:24. Moses died and was personally buried by God in Deuteronomy 34:6. Draw your own conclusions as to who the second witness is. These two witnesses die at the hand of the beast in Revelation 11:7. Three and a half days later, the witnesses are resurrected back to life for people to see. Then, they are called from and ascend into Heaven (Revelation 11:11-12).

Elijah’s resume: Rapture, return, death, resurrection, and ascension…That is quite an experience through time.

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