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Hamas, What Does it Mean?

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Gaza Strip/Philistia, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on October 13, 2023 by paulthepoke

What is the meaning of the word “hamas”? Well… that depends on who you ask.

I want to give a shout out to my cousin Lance who sent me a text regarding this topic.

Hamas or the Islamic Resistance Movement is a Sunni Muslim organization. The title is an acronym from an Arabic phrase.

The Arabic word “hamas” means: zeal, strength, bravery.

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However, there is the Hebrew word “hamas“. Per lexicons and dictionaries in the Hebrew, “hamas” means violence. The word is translated as violence, wrong, or malicious in the Bible.

The first time “hamas” is used in the Bible is in Genesis before the flood.

Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

Genesis 6:13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

And with this initial recognition and observation, God’s response to humanity’s violence is to eliminate “hamas“. Humanity had defiled the earth or the land with violence. Note also, God’s original intent was to destroy the earth along with humanity. And He did with water.

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Let’s take a look at what a prophet had to say about violence or “hamas“.

The context of Ezekiel 7 is judgment on the land of Israel. Judgment is being rendered against violence or “hamas“.

Ezekiel 7:11 Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them.

Ezekiel 7:23 Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence.

Ezekiel 7:25 When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none.

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https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/palestine-israel/2023/10/12/israel-hamas-gaza-death-live/

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https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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The Number 7 – Truth or Coincidence??? Kristina Weinreich

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Kristina Weinreich with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 17, 2023 by paulthepoke

During my scripture studies, I have been reading about the number seven (7). I find the truth and reliability of the Scriptures reinforced in a number. When you see the number and the situations that stretch across the time of the Old and New Testaments, you cannot dismiss the divine as coincidence but see it as proof of its truth.

In the Old Testament:
There were seven days of creation. The seventh day being the day of completion and rest.

In Hebrew scriptures, there are seven words in Genesis 1:1 and 14 words in Genesis 1:2.

Also in Hebrew Scriptures, there are seven paragraphs from Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:3, which is the verse about the seventh day.

According to Jewish tradition, the creation of Adam occurred on September 26, which is the first day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.

It is also believed that Jesus, the 2nd Adam, was born around this time, during the fall feasts. (Bethlehem & Herodium Hill)

There are seven sabbatical feasts:

  1. The Passover (Leviticus 23:5)
  2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6-8)
  3. The Feast of First Fruit (Leviticus 23:9-14)
  4. The Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-21)
  5. The Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23: 23-25)
  6. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32)
  7. The Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-34)

There are seven colors in the rainbow that God created as a covenant after the flood.

Abraham swore an oath of ownership over a well at Beersheba. The well is called “The Well of Seven”. Seven lambs were given as payment. (Genesis 21:25-34).

At Jericho, Joshua was instructed to march seven days around the walls. On the seventh day, seven priests joined the march while blowing seven trumpets (Joshua 6:1-27).

In 2 Kings 5:1-19, Naaman was instructed to wash seven times in the Jordan River for healing.

Isaiah 11:1-2 speaks of the coming of Christ and the seven spirits (traits of perfection) that will upon him:

  1. The spirit of the Lord
  2. The spirit of wisdom
  3. The spirit of understanding
  4. The spirit of counsel
  5. The spirit of might
  6. The spirit of knowledge
  7. The spirit of the fear of the Lord

King David referred to God’s word “like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6).

https://openclipart.org/detail/171713/lucky-seven

In the New Testament:
There are seven petitions in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9-13).

  1. Thy kingdom come
  2. Thy will be done on earth as in heaven
  3. Give us this day our daily bread
  4. Forgive us our debts
  5. As we (let us) forgive our debtors
  6. Lead us not into temptation
  7. Deliver us from evil

In Matthew 18:21-22, we are told to forgive not seven times but seventy times seven or seventy-seven (depending translation).

Christ used seven metaphors to describe himself as the path to salvation:

  1. The Bread of Life (John 6:35)
  2. The Light of the World (John 8:12)
  3. The Door to Salvation (John 10:9)
  4. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
  5. The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26)
  6. The Way, The Truth, The Life (John 14:6)
  7. The Vine (John 15:5)

Jesus healed seven individuals on the seventh day of the week. He made them complete on the day of completion.

  1. A man with a deformed hand (Mark 12:9-13)
  2. A man possessed by an unclean spirit (Mark 12:23-26)
  3. Peter’s mother-in-law with fever (Mark 12:29-31)
  4. A woman with an eighteen year infirmity (Luke 13:10-13)
  5. A man with dropsy (Luke 14:1-4)
  6. An invalid man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5:5-9)
  7. A man blind from birth (John 9:1-7)

Christ made seven statements from the cross:

  1. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:4)
  2. “Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
  3. “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 2:45)
  4. “Woman, behold thy son” and in the same statement “Behold thy mother” (John 19:26-27).
  5. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
  6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
  7. “My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me.” (Matthew 27:46)

In Revelation, there are:

Seven letters to seven churches
Seven seals to be broken
Seven trumpets blown by seven angels
Seven bowls of wrath to be poured out by seven angels

While this is not a comprehensive list of the number seven in the Bible, I believe this supports my belief in the truth of the scriptures. It is truth not coincidence.

Citations
Bethlehem & Herodium Hill. The Birth of Yeshua (Jesus) and the Fall Feasts, https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/birth-of-yeshua-jesus-fall-feasts/.

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Jubilee, Part 5, Humanity Falls

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Jubilee, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 14, 2021 by paulthepoke

Leviticus 25:23 The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.

God transfers authority and possession according to His own choice. He owns everything. The point of the post is to see how God transfers authority in leadership over the earth.

Please do not make assumptions in doctrine regarding marriage based on these verses. Marriage is a discussion for another day…Hint, both parties submit to Christ (Ephesians 5).

Jeremiah 27:5 By My great strength and outstretched arm, I made the earth, and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please.

http://paulthepoke.com/2015/11/15/jubilee-part-4-return-to-your-land/

In the beginning, God gave authority over the earth and everything in it to humanity. Notice authority was granted to both the man and woman equally. Authority was not given specifically to the man. See the two verses below in Genesis 1.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

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.”

There are two verbs of interest in the verses above. They are “rule” and “subdue”.

The Hebrew word for “rule” is radah. It is used as a simple action verb and radah means: to have dominion, rule, or subjugate. The verb does not necessarily imply harshness or utilizing an iron fist. There are examples where God instructs the use of temperament and respect. 

Leviticus 25:43 ‘You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.

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The Hebrew word for “subdue” is kabash. It is used as a simple action verb and kabash means: to bring into bondage, enslave, make subservient; to subdue, force, violate; or dominate, tread down. In other words, use force if necessary. Kabash is used in the context of conquering the land in the book of Joshua and the military victories of King David. -Definitions per Strong’s Concordance

The leadership structure radically changed with the original sin in the Garden of Eden. Originally, God transferred authority of the earth to the man and woman equally, humanity. A consequence of the fall in Eden is God redefined the dynamic of the relationship between the man and the woman. The woman lost her position as co-ruler with the man.

Genesis 3:16b To the woman He said… “Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

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Notice God’s comments to Noah after the flood in Genesis 9:7 “As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

There is no mention of “rule” and “subdue” anywhere in Genesis 9. Humanity’s authority over the earth is lost for now.

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With the fall, humanity lost authority over the earth. As of now, look who is in charge. 

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 

Currently, God has transferred authority over the earth to Satan.

In the beginning, humanity’s co-rulers (Adam and Eve) failed to rule and subdue the earth. Leadership structure and order were radically changed.

In the end, humanity’s co-rulers (Jesus and His bride the church) will succeed, fulfill, and restore God’s promise in the Millennial Kingdom.

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He will also deny us…

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Teshuvah 5781/2021

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Teshuvah/Repent with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 10, 2021 by paulthepoke
Israeli Moon Society

The new moon has been sighted and confirmed by a couple of different groups in the land of Israel. Trained spotters from the Israeli Moon Society and the website http://whenisthenewmoon.com/ are in agreement. The new moon was spotted on the evening of August 9, 2021 on our western Gregorian calendar.

But there is disagreement with the month. The Israeli Moon Society says it is the beginning of the month of Elul.

The Temple Institute relies on the Israeli Moon Society. Secular Hebrew calendars and our western Gregorian calendars proclaim the month to be Elul.

http://whenisthenewmoon.com/ says it is the beginning of the month of Av.

Imagine that, humanity disagrees on how to tell time as God has directed. Personally, I don’t know who is right. I will defer to God …But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. -Matthew 24:36

Elul is the last month of the civic calendar in Judaism. Elul is the sixth month of the religious calendar. Jewish tradition points to the name of the month to be an acronym of “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” a quote from Song of Songs 6:3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine… 

In Aramaic, the vernacular of the Jewish people at the time that the month names were adopted), the word Elul means “search”. Per Strong’s Concordance, Elul means “nothingness” in the Hebrew. The month is mentioned one time in the Bible. 

Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 

http://www.jewfaq.org, http://www.myjewishlearning.com .

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The month of Elul initiates a 40 day period called Teshuvah. The point of the season is to prepare for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.

It is a time to return toward God. People are called to turn away from their sin, repent, and change course. It is a time of inward reflection and sincere self-assessment. The goal is a change in lifestyle away from sin to obedience in God’s word. The 40 day period starts on Elul 1 and ends on Tishri 10, Yom Kippur.

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There are many examples of the significance of the number 40 in the Bible. Notice, the examples ultimately demonstrate a turning away from sin and a return to God’s word. The result is a changed mind, a lifestyle consistent with obedience to God.

On three occasions, Moses went up to Mount Sinai for 40 days and met with the LORD. Israel had worshipped a golden calf and committed idolatry against God (Exodus 32). Moses pleaded with God for mercy against His chosen people. He turned to God and instructed the people of Israel to turn from their sin. The golden calf was destroyed (Exodus 32:20). After the destruction of the golden calf, Jewish tradition has Moses ascending Mount Sinai on Elul 1 to Tishri 10 (Yom Kippur) to receive a second set of tablets. Moses came down from Mount Sinai when the people had repented (http://www.chabad.org, http://www.hebrew4christians.com).

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With a lack of faith in God, Israel was left to wander in the desert for 40 years. God told them He would help them take the Promised Land. Only two men believed, Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 32:12). The others did not turn and trust God. 

Numbers 32:13 So the LORD’S anger burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the entire generation of those who had done evil in the sight of the LORD was destroyed. 

It was considered “evil” to not believe God. When this came to pass and the last one died. God brought His people back to the land for the taking. 40 years later, the Jewish people returned to God and His word. Course of nation Israel had changed. The Law, God’s word, was reintroduced to the people before they entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy).

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Noah and his family were in the ark for 40 days and 40 nights during the rain and flood. The world was being judged for sin. The corruption of mankind is described in Genesis 6. Noah and his family had 40 days and nights to contemplate their watery environment as a consequence. They turned and responded to God. Their lives were spared in the ark. They had nowhere to go and plenty of personal time for self-reflection.

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Jesus was tempted by Satan for 40 days in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). Every time Jesus was tempted by Satan, He turned to God the Father and quoted Deuteronomy. Jesus’ responses to temptation were to turn to the word of God (Matthew 4:4), to not put the Lord your God to the test (Matthew 4:7), and to worship and serve the Lord you God only (Matthew 4:10). Jesus resisted the tempter and was obedient to His Father.

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Please… Noah Found God’s Grace

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on June 16, 2018 by paulthepoke

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor/grace in the eyes of the LORD.

This is the first mention of the word “grace” in the Bible. This is the Hebrew word chen. Sounds like “Cain”. Simply put, it is grace or favor. The word is found 69 times in the Old Testament.

Kentucky 2016 002

God told Noah rain and a flood were coming. Noah was graced with the knowledge of rain and the idea of a flood. The earth had not seen rain prior to Noah.

Genesis 2:5-6 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground…

God gave Noah instructions on how to build a boat.

Genesis 6:14-16 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.

A flood is coming…

Genesis 6:17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.

God’s grace preserved humanity and life through the rain and the flood. Noah and his family lived to tell about it.

Genesis 8:16-17 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

 

If God was not gracious to Noah, we would not be here. Today, in the 21st century, we are benefiting from God’s grace in countless ways.

God has been, is, and always will be gracious. The idea that God was not gracious in the Old Testament is absolute nonsense. If God was interested in crushing us like a bug the very moment we sinned, none of us would be here. The population of planet Earth would be zero. The fact we are drawing breath of air is an act of grace.

 

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Trend Update: Trial DNA Splicing Begins…, April 2018

Posted in Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2018 by paulthepoke

Matthew 24:37-39 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. -Jesus

An editorial note on the verses above. The focus is on the word “unaware”.

…they were unaware until the flood came… The emphasis in the Greek is they were clueless. They had no knowledge, no reality, no awareness of what was about to hit them. And this will be the case again before the seven years of tribulation. And this seven-year period will be more intense than the global flood that is being referenced in the verses above.

Matthew 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. -Jesus

April 2018: European law makers have authorized medical scientists to proceed with trial DNA-splicing therapy. Crispr is the biotech company that gets the first crack at altering human genetic code.

China is reported to have already started trials.

The idea is to remove mutated and faulty DNA and replace it. The altered DNA will be replaced by fetal stem cells. The fetal stem cells will be taken and grown outside of the body in a laboratory. Fetal stem cells are used because they have an increased amount of protein in comparison to adult stem cells.

Scientists have also located a gene which reduces the growth of protein in adult stem cells. Their goal is to remove the gene and allow for more protein growth in adult stem cells. This concept will allow for high levels of hemoglobin.

There are multiple levels of genetic manipulation taking place.

Professor Robin Lovell-Badge, Group Leader at London’s Francis Crick Institute, “We will look back and think that this is the real beginning of gene therapy.”

Darren Griffin, Professor of Genetics at the University of Kent, “Everything I have seen suggests it’s very safe and effective. I think the (trial) results will be positive. And then we will be able to say, this is where it all began.”

The scientific treatment is making its way to the United States. The University of Pennsylvania is looking for cancer patients to initiate trials.

The genetic therapy is believed to be a long-term solution for treated patients.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5618061/Humans-genetically-modified-time-Europe.html

 

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And its end will come with a flood, Part 3…Featuring Phil Kulis

Posted in Phil Kulis, Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , on August 25, 2017 by paulthepoke

PhilKulis Pic“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” –Jesus according to Matthew 24:37-39

So now we have two questions.
1. Where can we find a time that would indicate a flood at the end of the interval between the 69th and the 70th Week?

2. Does that flood indicate the coming of the Son of Man?

Our second question: Is there an indication of the coming of the Son of Man at that time of the flood? Yes!

The people themselves declare that the “great day” of the wrath of the Lamb has come. They confirm the coming of the Son of Man. Similar to the “Left Behind” story where people were sealed in an airliner in flight, these people sealed in underground bunkers see their bunker mates disappear and figure out what happened. And in the very next chapter there is a depiction of the rapture from a heavenly perspective.

This earthquake and flooding provides a perfect “cover” for the rapture event. When those who are underground during the events of the Sixth Seal return to the surface, there will be many missing people and perhaps scattered stories of those who claim to have witnessed believers disappearing before their very eyes just as the events unfolded. But because of the massive devastation, there will be plausible deniability by those who refuse to believe it and they will say they were lost in the floods and earthquake damage.

After the Rapture, a strong delusion will be sent upon those who have no regard for the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 …and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Revelation chapter Six ends with massive devastation with people in their bunkers. In chapter Seven, we see a multitude that no one can count has appeared in Heaven waving palm branches and praising God for being saved! I believe these are the raptured saints.

Jesus refers to the things that happen before the end as “birth pangs”. When a woman is with child and the “water breaks” the delivery of the baby comes rapidly. I believe this flood at the end of “it” is the breaking of the water and the delivery of the Church.

God has an established pattern of delivering through water; Noah, Moses, and Joshua. Jesus walked on water and the wind and the waves obey Him. It makes perfect sense that He will deliver His Church through the water of the flood at the end of “it”.

So when you see the events of the 6th Seal occurring do not lose faith! Look up! For your redemption draws near!

Do not take my word, or anyone else’s about this. Study these things in God’s word for yourself to see if it is so.

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And its end will come with a flood, Part 2…Featuring Phil Kulis

Posted in Phil Kulis, Prophecy, Revelation with tags , , , , , on August 15, 2017 by paulthepoke

PhilKulis Pic“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” –Jesus according to Matthew 24:37-39

So now we have two questions.
1. Where can we find a time that would indicate a flood at the end of the interval between the 69th and the 70th Week?

2. Does that flood indicate the coming of the Son of Man?”

 

The focus of this post is on the first question.

I believe if we study the Sixth Seal in chapter Six of Revelation, we find a strong evidence for both.

Revelation 6:12-17 “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and EVERY MOUNTAIN AND ISLAND WAS MOVED OUT OF ITS PLACE. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For THE GREAT DAY of His wrath HAS COME, and who is able to stand?’”

shelf clouds

Of the many things happening in this Seal is what appears to be a meteor shower with something happening on the earth large enough to cause “the sky to recede as a scroll.” (Nuclear exchange?) Along with this every mountain and island is moved out of place. Although it doesn’t mention it directly, we can easily infer that this massive global movement (the powers of the heavens shall be shaken) is enough to create many tsunamis that would strike multiple coastlines. Since some of the largest population centers are along the coasts, the losses will be catastrophic. That is the time of the flood at the end of “it”. And satisfies our first question.

Stay tuned for the second question in my next post.

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And its end will come with a flood…Featuring Phil Kulis

Posted in Phil Kulis, Prophecy with tags , , , , , on August 4, 2017 by paulthepoke

PhilKulis Pic“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” –Jesus according to Matthew 24:37-39

Many prophecy teachers use these words of Jesus to allegorize what is spoken of and say that in the end times we will see a “flood” of evil and wickedness as it was in the time before The Flood of Noah (even though Jesus doesn’t mention evil practices), or perhaps the strange goings-on regarding the DNA corrupting hybridization of humanity with fallen angels may occur again. But it’s the obvious topic of this passage that provides us with some overlooked but vital intelligence about what is going to happen.

Look at it again. Jesus Himself tells us the coming of the Son of Man will occur with a flood. So where else do we have a warning of a flood in the end times? Is there a second witness of scripture to the veracity of this prophecy?

The Prophecy of the 70 Weeks found in Daniel 9:20-27 describes the time leading up to the Messiah, the interval between the Messiah and the final Week, and the final Week itself. Verse 26 describes the things that happen in the interval and it mentions a flood. It says, “the end of it (the interval) shall be with a flood”.

The prophecy in Daniel declares that the end of “it”, the INTERVAL between the 69th and 70th week, ENDS WITH A FLOOD! That is the second witness!

 

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Teshuvah, 2016

Posted in Fall Feasts, Teshuvah/Repent with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 28, 2016 by paulthepoke

The month of Elul initiates a 40 day period called Teshuvah. This is the Hebrew word for “repent”. The point of the season is to prepare for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It is a time to turn toward God. People are called to turn away from their sin, repent, and change course. It is a time of inward reflection and sincere self-assessment. The goal is a change in lifestyle away from sin to obedience in God’s word. The 40 day period of Teshuvah ends on Tishri 10, Yom Kippur.

Elul 1 marks the beginning of Teshuvah. In a Gregorian calendar of the year 2016, this would be September 3 or 4 depending on when the new moon is confirmed. It is Jewish custom to blow a shofar (ram’s horn) one time every day during the season of Teshuvah. The trumpet is blown every day after the morning service except Shabbat or the Sabbath (Saturday for us in western culture) and the last day of month of Elul.

Elul is the last month of the civic calendar in Judaism. Elul is the sixth month of the religious calendar. Jewish tradition points to the name of the month to be an acronym of “Ani l’dodi v’dodi li” a quote from Song of Songs 6:3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine… In Aramaic, the vernacular of the Jewish people at the time that the month names were adopted), the word Elul means “search”. Per Strong’s Concordance, Elul means “nothingness” in the Hebrew. The month is mentioned one time in the Bible. Nehemiah 6:15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. Cultural customs per http://www.jewfaq.org, http://www.myjewishlearning.com .

Noah was the first person to experience the concept of Teshuvah with 40 days and 40 nights of rain. Noah and his family had plenty of time in the ark to focus on God. They were the only survivors of the global flood.

The reason for the flood was made known in Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. Humanity had ruined, rotted, and spoiled planet earth.

Genesis 6:12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

Genesis 6:13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them;

and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”

The Hebrew word for “violence” is chamac. It is a broad term that can also mean: wrong, cruelty, or injustice.

An evil mindset results in corruption and chamac.

In Noah’s day…eating, drinking, marriages, giving in marriage, more eating, more drinking, buying, selling, planting, building…This is Noah’s witness of humanity.

There was other shenanigans taking place with fallen angels…that is a discussion for another day.

The call of Teshuvah is to turn to God and repent. Repent is not a warm and fuzzy spiritual word that causes your stomach to flutter or hair to stand on your neck.

The Greek word for “repent” is μετανοεο or metanoeo: to change one’s mind for better; heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins; change your attitude.

Matthew 24:37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

 

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