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Feast of Tabernacles 5787/5951/2026

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Fall Feasts with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 24, 2026 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.’”

On our western Gregorian calendar in 2026, the Feast of Tabernacles will be observed from about Friday, September 25th to Friday, October 2th (Great Day). Or pending the new moon confirmed at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishri.

This year, the Essenes mark the beginning of Tabernacles on Wednesday, September 30th and runs through Tuesday, October 6th. The last and Great Day occurs on Wednesday, October 7th.

The third and last fall holiday on God’s calendar is Tabernacles. It is also called Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Tents, or the Feast of the Harvest because it was after the harvest in the fall. Simply put, it was also called “the Feast” or “the Festival”. This festival is a week-long festival from Tishri 15 to 21 on a Hebrew calendar.

Jews sing Isaiah 12:3 Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation, during the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot.

The Jewish holiday is a reminder to the Jewish people they lived in tents after the Exodus from Egypt.

In addition, the Feast of Tabernacles requires sacrifices of sin offerings and burnt offerings. At the time of preparation for the morning sacrifice, a priest descends to the Pool of Siloam amidst great music, celebration, and singing of Isaiah 12:3, and fills a golden pitcher with water. After dipping his pitcher in Siloam’s water, the priest returns to the Temple and pours the water into one of the silver basins by the altar (Wayne Stiles, Insight for Living).

Jesus connects the dots for us in the Book of John. He is promising those who believe in Him the Holy Spirit. Jesus is making this proclamation on the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

This chapter of Isaiah is a universal promise to the entire world. The Holy One, Jesus is our salvation. Isaiah 12 refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit and the reign of Jesus. And He is going to live and dwell with us.

John 4:14 “…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”-Jesus

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

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Teshuvah 5786/5951/2026

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Signs: Sun, Moon, Stars..., Teshuvah/Repent, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , on August 10, 2026 by paulthepoke

The season of Teshuvah begins on the first day of the Hebrew month Elul.

Teshuvah is a 40 day period that runs through the holiday of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Teshuvah is the Hebrew word for repent.

The call of Teshuvah is to turn back towards God and repent. As Christians, we should return to Jesus.

The point of the season for Judaism is to prepare for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.

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… 

The month is mentioned one time in the Bible. 

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.

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

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On our western Gregorian calendar in the year 2026, Elul begins at sunset on Wednesday, August 12 as calculated by 21st century time keeping.

The traditional, secular Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar. These folks are waiting on the sighting of the new moon to determine the start of the month.

The Essenes followed a solar calendar. A solar calendar has a leap week as compared to a leap month with a lunar calendar.

On the Essene calendar, Elul 1st will take place on Sunday, August 16th, 2026. It is the year 5951 AM. In other words, 5,951 years since creation.

https://dsscalendar.org/DSS-Greg.php?Y=2026

Jewish time keepers cannot agree.

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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 except Shabbat or the Sabbath (Saturday for us in western culture) and the last day of month of Elul. The trumpet is blown after the morning service. The shofar is blown frequently…

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Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years…”

The Hebrew word for “signs” is ‘owth. It means: sign, signal, a distinguishing mark, banner, remembrance, miraculous sign, omen, warning; token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof.

From the beginning, God stated the sun, moon, and stars are points of communication.

Ancient myth? Or is God trying to get our attention. He knows the end from the beginning.

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.

This year, during Teshuvah, the world will be treated to solar and lunar eclipses.

Ancient Jewish rabbis have taught the moon represents Israel. The sun represents the gentile nations. The location of the celestial event is a warning to the geography impacted. Pay Heed!

On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will occur over eastern Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a very small corner of northeast Portugal.

The link below from NASA provides animations of the solar eclipse.

https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5656

Of curiosity and note, news has broken over the weekend regarding Greenland.

The graphic above was made in December 2018.

Image: https://geoexpro.com/hydrocarbon-potential-of-the-jameson-land-basin/

Greenland issues ‘strong warning’ as Trump-linked oil firm prepares to drill

Island’s government says no approval given after Greenland Energy brings kit ashore for exploratory drilling

Greenland’s government issued a “strong warning” that no approval had been granted to land the kit. “All future logistical matters must be advised and approved by the mineral resources authority – before they are carried out,” the government said in a statement.

Two days later…

The picture was provided by a post on Truth Social by President Trump himself.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/08/greenland-iwarning-trump-linked-oil-firm-prepares-drill

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On Friday, August 28, 2026, UTC time, a 96.2% partial lunar eclipse will occur over North and South America, parts of Europe, and Africa.

Timing for the event in North America will occur on Thursday night, August 27, 2026.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2026-august-28

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

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Was Jonah’s Greatest Sign Really the Fish? -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Mark Wilson with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 5, 2026 by paulthepoke

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

Most people remember Jonah as the prophet swallowed by a great fish.

But Yeshua saw something greater.

When the religious leaders demanded a sign, He pointed them back to Israel’s Scriptures:

“No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
Matthew 12:39

Jonah’s descent, return to life, and mission to the nations formed a divinely woven pattern of Messiah’s death, resurrection, and worldwide call to repentance.

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❖ A Galilean prophet of Israel’s restoration

Before Nineveh, Jonah had already prophesied Israel’s restoration:

“According to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah.” 2 Kings 14:25

God had seen Israel’s affliction and had not forgotten His people (2 Kings 14:25–27).

Jonah was also from Gath-hepher in Galilee. That makes the later claim, “No prophet arises from Galilee,” deeply ironic (John 7:52). Jonah had arisen from Galilee, and now the greater Jonah stood among them.

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❖ Jonah’s journey is a repeated descent

The Hebrew narrative emphasizes Jonah’s downward movement.

He goes down to Joppa, down into the ship, down into its innermost parts, and finally down into the sea.

From the depths he cries: “Out of the belly of Sheol I cried.” Jonah 2:2

“I went down to the foundations of the mountains.” Jonah 2:6

Jonah speaks in the language of death, Sheol, the pit, and burial.

Then God reverses the descent: “Yet You brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.” Jonah 2:6

The pattern is clear: descent, apparent death, divine deliverance, restored life.

Yeshua identified this as the sign of His own death and resurrection:

“Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40

Jonah descended because he fled from God’s will.

Yeshua descended because He obeyed it.

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❖ One man is handed over and others are spared

Jonah tells the sailors: “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you.” Jonah 1:12

They plead, “Do not charge us with innocent blood” (Jonah 1:14).

When Jonah is handed over, the storm ceases and everyone aboard is spared. Jonah suffered because of his own disobedience, so the comparison is not perfect.

But Yeshua, the truly innocent One, willingly gave Himself for others: “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord.” John 10:18

Jonah’s surrender calmed a temporary storm.

Messiah’s sacrifice brings peace with God (Isaiah 53:5).

Jonah slept while sailors feared for their lives. Yeshua also slept during a storm and was awakened by terrified disciples (Mark 4:38).

But Jonah could not command the sea.

Yeshua rebuked it: “Peace! Be still!” Mark 4:39

Jonah was powerless before the waters.

The greater Jonah ruled them.

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❖ The suffering prophet prayed Israel’s Scriptures

Jonah’s prayer echoes Psalms 18, 42, 69, 116, and 120, and concludes: “Salvation belongs to the LORD.” Jonah 2:9; Psalm 3:8

Yeshua likewise prayed Israel’s Psalms in His suffering (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46; Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46).

The suffering prophet prayed Israel’s songs.

The suffering Messiah fulfilled them.

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❖ Life from death leads to Gentile repentance

After Jonah is brought up from the depths, the word of the LORD comes again: “Arise, go to Nineveh.” Jonah 3:2

The prophet who had descended into Sheol now rises and carries God’s message to the Gentiles.

Nineveh believes God, turns from violence, and receives mercy: “God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way.” Jonah 3:10

Following Messiah’s resurrection, repentance and forgiveness likewise go from Jerusalem to the nations: “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke 24:47

The pattern is striking: death, return to life, renewed commission, Gentile repentance.

Yet God had not abandoned Israel.

Jonah was an Israelite prophet, and the nations received mercy through Israel’s messenger.

“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:3

“I will also make You a light to the nations.” Isaiah 49:6

God’s mercy reaches the nations through Israel, not by erasing Israel.

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❖ Jewish commentary sharpens Yeshua’s warning

Rashi explained that Jonah resisted Nineveh because he expected the Gentiles to repent quickly, exposing Israel’s failure to heed her prophets.

This highlighted Yeshua’s warning: “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” Matthew 12:41

Nineveh repented at the preaching of a reluctant prophet.

Israel’s leaders stood before the obedient Messiah.

Jonah performed no signs in Nineveh.

Yeshua healed the sick, opened blind eyes, taught Torah with authority, and proclaimed the Kingdom. Something greater than Jonah had come.

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❖ Jonah knew mercy but struggled to reflect it

Jonah admits why he fled: “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in mercy.” Jonah 4:2

He was echoing Exodus 34:6.

Jonah understood God’s mercy, but resented seeing it extended to Nineveh. Jonah sat outside the city hoping judgment would fall.

Yeshua approached Jerusalem knowing judgment was coming and wept over it (Luke 19:41–44).

Jonah was angry that sinners might live.

Yeshua gave His life so sinners could live.

Jonah descended unwillingly because of disobedience.

Yeshua descended willingly in perfect obedience.

Jonah emerged from the depths and preached repentance to one Gentile city.

Yeshua rose from the dead and sent repentance to every nation.

Jonah was a sign.

Yeshua was its fulfillment.

The sign had been embedded in Israel’s Scriptures all along.

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

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What If Light Is One of the Bible’s Greatest Themes? -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Mark Wilson with tags , , , , , , , , , on July 29, 2026 by paulthepoke

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

The Bible begins in darkness.

Not with sin.

Not with death.

Not with rebellion.

Darkness.

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2)

Then came the first recorded words of God:

“Let there be light.” (Genesis 1:3)

Those are more than the opening words of creation.

They introduce one of Scripture’s greatest themes.

From Genesis to Revelation, God is steadily driving back the darkness.

As C. S. Lewis beautifully observed,

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Lewis understood something the Bible has proclaimed from its very first page: God’s Light doesn’t merely illuminate our path. It enables us to see everything else rightly.

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❖ Creation

Light appears before the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:3-5).

Whatever the precise purpose of that first light, it declares an unmistakable truth:

Light begins with God.

Darkness does not create.

It only retreats when God speaks.

David later writes, “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9)

Everything becomes clearer in His presence.

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❖ The Presence of God

The theme immediately expands.

A bush burns but is not consumed.

A pillar of fire guides Israel through the wilderness.

The golden menorah shines continually inside the Tabernacle.

Then the radiant Shekinah Glory fills the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38) and later Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

Again and again, God’s presence is revealed through light.

Yet Scripture also records one of its saddest moments.

Because of Israel’s persistent rebellion, the glory departs from the Temple (Ezekiel 10-11).

But judgment is never God’s final word.

Ezekiel later sees that same glory returning from the east to dwell among His people once again (Ezekiel 43:1-5).

Even exile points toward restoration.

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❖ The Promise of Messiah

The prophets looked beyond Israel’s darkest days.

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2)

Isaiah calls the coming Servant, “A light for the Gentiles.” (Isaiah 42:6)

And again,

“I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)

Malachi closes the Old Testament with a remarkable promise:

“The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings.” (Malachi 4:2)

For centuries, Scripture had been preparing the world for one Light.

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❖ The Light Arrives

John deliberately echoes Genesis.

“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

Then Jesus declares: “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

The true Temple had come.

The true Light had entered the world.

The symbols had become reality.

Paul reaches all the way back to Genesis and writes:

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Creation itself pointed forward to new creation.

At the Transfiguration, Jesus did not merely reflect light.

His face shone with His own glory (Matthew 17:2).

He is not illuminated.

He is the source.

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❖ Two Kingdoms

The Bible never presents darkness as God’s equal. It is not a competing force. It has no creative power. No sustaining power. No victorious future. Darkness exists only where light is absent.

This is why Scripture speaks of two kingdoms: The Kingdom of God’s beloved Son. And the dominion of darkness (Colossians 1:13).

Satan understands the power of light so well that he disguises himself as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

He cannot create true light. He can only counterfeit it. False messiahs. False prophets. False gospels. False righteousness. His greatest weapon is not obvious darkness. It is imitation light.

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❖ Our Calling

Jesus never told His followers to become experts on darkness.

Instead He said, “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14).

The psalmist reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105).

Paul echoes the call: “Live as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8).

Peter writes that we have been, “…called out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9).

Believers do not manufacture spiritual light.

Like the moon reflects the sun, we simply reflect the One who does.

One candle transforms an entire room.

Darkness has never extinguished light.

Light always expels darkness.

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❖ The Story’s Glorious End

The Bible ends exactly where it has always been heading.

Isaiah foresaw the day when the LORD Himself would become Israel’s everlasting light.

“The LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” (Isaiah 60:19)

John sees its fulfillment.

“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp… There will be no more night.” (Revelation 21:23, 25)

Think about that.

The first recorded words of God were: “Let there be light.”

The closing vision of Scripture is a creation where night itself has disappeared because the Lamb is its everlasting Light.

From the burning bush…

To the pillar of fire…

To the menorah…

To the Shekinah Glory…

To the prophets…

To Bethlehem…

To the empty tomb…

To the King who declared, “I am the Light of the world”…

Every light in Scripture is ultimately pointing to the Light of the world.

The Bible is one grand story of God’s self-revelation in His Son.

Darkness had its hour.

The Light gets eternity.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

~

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

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Will Babylon Rise Again? -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Iraq/Babylon/Shinar, Mark Wilson, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2026 by paulthepoke

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…” — Revelation 18:2

For generations, many prophecy teachers dismissed the idea of a future literal Babylon.

“Impossible.”

“The city is a ruin.”

“Babylon is merely symbolic.”

Yet today, that objection is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

Iraq is investing billions in infrastructure. The massive Al-Faw Grand Port and Development Road corridor aim to connect the Persian Gulf with Europe, Asia, and beyond through a major commercial network. No, this does not prove prophecy is being fulfilled. But it does make a future economic hub in Iraq far more plausible than skeptics once claimed.

Commentary and analysis on the Al-Faw Grand Port and Development Road below provided by Paul Lehr.

For countries on the western shores of the Persian Gulf: United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, the Al-Faw Grand Port and Development Road will allow them to bypass the Strait of Hormuz to the north.

The road and railway go through the heart of ancient Babylon and the modern day Babylon Governorate in modern day Iraq.

https://twitter.com/i/grok?conversation=2076028099804737649

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And that matters because Babylon occupies a unique place in Scripture.

❖ The Bible Begins and Ends with Babylon

The first organized rebellion against God emerged at Babel.

“Come, let us build ourselves a city… and make a name for ourselves.” (Genesis 11:4)

Under Nimrod (Genesis 10:8–10), humanity united politically, economically, and spiritually in defiance of God.

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Now turn to Revelation. The final world system is centered around “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17–18).

The parallels are striking:

❖ Global unity apart from God

❖ Political influence over nations (Rev. 17:15)

❖ Economic dominance (Rev. 18:3)

❖ Religious deception (Rev. 17:5)

❖ Sudden divine judgment (Rev. 18:8)

The Bible’s story opens with Babylon and closes with Babylon. That doesn’t feel accidental.

As Andy Woods notes, Babylon serves as one of the great bookends of biblical history—a symbol of organized human rebellion against God from Genesis to Revelation.

❖ A Remarkable Amount of Prophetic Attention

Consider how much prophetic real estate God devotes to Babylon.

Isaiah 13–14.

Jeremiah 50–51.

Daniel’s prophecies.

Revelation 17–18.

References stretching from Genesis to Revelation. Few cities receive such sustained attention across the entire biblical narrative.

That alone should make us cautious about dismissing Babylon as a minor theme or reducing it to a vague symbol.

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❖ The Literal Reading Is the Natural Reading

Babylon appears nearly 300 times in Scripture.

Babylon means Babylon in Genesis.

Babylon means Babylon in Isaiah.

Babylon means Babylon in Jeremiah.

Babylon means Babylon in Daniel.

Yet when we arrive at Revelation 17–18, many suddenly insist Babylon must become something entirely different.

Why? If Jerusalem means Jerusalem…

If Israel means Israel…

If Egypt means Egypt…

Why should Babylon not mean Babylon? The burden of proof belongs to those abandoning the normal reading.

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❖ A Destruction Still Future?

Isaiah writes: “Babylon… shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.” (Isaiah 13:19)

“It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation.” (Isaiah 13:20)

Jeremiah adds: “Babylon shall become heaps.” (Jeremiah 51:37)

“No one shall dwell therein.” (Jeremiah 50:39)

Yet when Persia conquered Babylon in 539 BC, the city was not destroyed like Sodom. There was no sudden fiery annihilation. No permanent overnight devastation. People continued living there for centuries. Alexander the Great even planned to make Babylon his capital.

A fair question therefore emerges: When was Babylon ever destroyed the way Isaiah described?

Many futurists conclude the ultimate fulfillment still lies ahead.

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❖ Revelation 18 Sounds Like a Real Commercial City

Read Revelation 18 carefully. The chapter is saturated with economic language.

“The merchants of the earth have become rich…” (Rev. 18:3)

“Cargoes of gold and silver…” (Rev. 18:12)

“Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance.” (Rev. 18:17)

“In one hour such great riches came to nothing.” (Rev. 18:17)

Merchants. Cargo. Luxury goods. Shipping. International commerce. Global influence.

Many futurists see Revelation 17 emphasizing a religious Babylon and Revelation 18 highlighting a commercial Babylon.

Whether one accepts that distinction or not, the language sounds remarkably concrete.

The rise of major Gulf trade infrastructure makes such a scenario easier to envision than at any time in modern history.

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❖ The Same Pride, The Same Judgment

Genesis 11 records mankind saying: “Let us make a name for ourselves.”

Revelation 18 records God answering: “In one hour your judgment has come.” (Rev. 18:10)

The first great rebellion.

The final great rebellion.

The same spirit.

The same pride. The same desire to build a world without God.

And the same Judge.

No one should set dates.

No one should claim every construction project fulfills prophecy.

But believers should watch. Because the city that launched humanity’s rebellion against God may yet play a role in its final rebellion before the return of the King.

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen…” (Revelation 18:2)

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

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You Might Be a Supersessionist -Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Mark Wilson, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , , on June 23, 2026 by paulthepoke

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

Scripture is clear: “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid!” (Romans 11:11). God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Yet some theologies openly teach that the Church has fully replaced Israel in God’s plan and promises. If that sounds familiar, these might hit close to home.

  1. If you read “apple of His eye” in Zechariah 2:8 and immediately apply it to the Church instead of Israel, you might be a Supersessionist.
  2. If you call God’s treasured possession in Exodus 19:5 a “temporary title” that’s now been transferred to your denomination, you might be a Supersessionist.
  3. If you prefer the rotten fruit of Augustinian allegory over the plain promises God made to the descendants of Jacob, you might be a Supersessionist.
  4. If you believe the specific land promises in Ezekiel 36 are really just poetic language about heaven, you might be a Supersessionist.
  5. If Justin Martyr is your hero for declaring the Church the “true Israel,” you might be a Supersessionist.
  6. If you think the word “Israel” in the New Testament always secretly means “the Church” except when it’s a rebuke, you might be a Supersessionist.
  7. If you claim the Church is now God’s treasured possession while smirking and calling modern Jews “Christ-rejectors,” you might be a Supersessionist.
  8. If Augustine’s City of God convinced you that the millennial kingdom is simply this present Church age, you might be a Supersessionist.
  9. If “one new man” in Ephesians 2 means ethnic Jews disappear into the Church like salt dissolving in soup, you might be a Supersessionist.
  10. If you celebrate Replacement Theology but rebrand it as “fulfillment theology” so it sounds less heretical, you might be a Supersessionist.
  11. Bonus Time: If you read “all Israel will be saved” in Romans 11:26 and immediately start explaining why it doesn’t actually mean what it says, you might be a Supersessionist.

We are not to boast against the natural branches. As Paul warns in Romans 11, the root supports us — we do not support the root. Our calling is not to replace or dismiss Israel, but to walk in such joyful obedience and genuine love that we provoke the Jewish people to jealousy, stirring them to recognize their Messiah through the beauty of a grafted-in people who honor God’s irrevocable gifts and calling.

Charles Spurgeon declared it powerfully: “I think we do not attach sufficient importance to the restoration of the Jews. We do not think enough about it. But certainly, if there is anything promised in the Bible it is this.”

May we heed the Word, reject boasting, and live as a blessing that draws God’s ancient people back to their Messiah.

Drop your own “You Might Be a Supersessionist” lines in the comments, let’s keep the sharpening going!

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MOU Iran & United States Analysis: Czekmate

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Czekmate, Persia/Elam/Iran, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , on June 19, 2026 by paulthepoke
Logo featuring the word 'Czekmate' with a stylized cross incorporated into the lettering.

I understand the reservations of the Israelis here.

The wheels of this bus have to come off very publicly if the conservative movement can have a “Don’t ever ask us to negotiate with these mutants again” moment. Nothing in the MOU is irrevocable. I worked on MOUs at the State Department often. They have weight around the discussion table and before cameras. That’s it.

I am going out on a limb with my three readers here that we are struggling with William F. Buckley’s “In Search of Antisemitism”. I wish that they’d take a look at who in (and out of) the USG is pushing this abomination. Make no mistake the strategic imperative deserve a serious answer. But we have fundamental questions to answer definitively, and this conflict is a good proxy for doing so.

Are we children of (thus brothers under) the same Lord? As peoples, do we not honor the name El Shaddai?

Answer, yes, we honor the one God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.

So why would we entertain these notions that Israeli and American interests as divergent? In some small picayune matters, almost certainly that will happen. These are ripe for diplomatic working-level chats. But the larger questions require us to examine greater questions of common destinies, and thus common causes, and that must be answered and fixed upon our hearts. They must be mutually agreed upon as historically and biblically fully answered questions.

In the course of that, we must dismiss arguments that President Trump faces from members of his own political house. It is painful as it is to watch this “deal” unfold, but there is an element of theater. My prayer is that it is designed to be an exhibition of diplomatic folly. My fervent hope is that the gambit works in order to show the level of compromise within the conservative movement. One will likely find a river of mainly (though not exclusively) Qatari money there.

In so doing, we might be able to clean our own house within the conservative community and finally answer the Israel question for good so as to guard against future accretions. Only then can we clean up with overall American outlook. My hope is that it will offer the Israeli national outlook a similar opportunity because a larger issue looms.

In watching Levin last night, he discussed cold war issues with a level of gravity implying the existential questions involved. The conservative movement has roundly declared victory over the defeat of the Soviet monolith, largely at Reagan’s doing. As men/women of the right we see communism’s discredit as final.

What was deeply troubling of communism is that it was a political philosophy of “man without God”, to quote Whittaker Chambers. It is what gave us all a pit of foreboding in our collective gut during the cold war. That shared tacit understanding by many, gave gravity to the task of confronting it, and thus the purity of our intent was clear. Some of our countrymen opted to sniff the airplane glue of accommodationism.

The red monolith was defeated by ideas of freedom born in Judeo-Christian Biblical principles.

In our sedentary post-cold war world, ‘Man without God’ was quietly and stealthily usurped by a far more insidious threat embodied by the Iranian threat: Man against God.

That is what we are against in this fight against Iran. Yes, Iran is nothing compared to the Soviet Army. But that cold calculus of national power falls away to those on the receiving end of Iranian satanic fury. When brought back to human proportion, the distinction of the scope of the threat is irrelevant when its intentionality is made clear. Imagine the heart stopping urgency of a pair of newly-weds rushing a precious newborn to a shelter in Haifa amid the seemingly endless whales of the klaxon.

My friends, Trump knows what he is doing. he has to clear the division within his own house. Prime Minister Netanyahu must also do like. I argue that by his action Ehud Barak has shown himself to be as hostile to God as anyone. My long years in the wilderness have taught me that Man against God is real. Let’s fortify our President by prayer, that the foregoing is understood.

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This Week in Prophecy: 14 Point MOU Iran & United States; Trump Chirping; Israel & Lebanon; Spielberg

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Ezekiel 38-39, Persia/Elam/Iran, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 18, 2026 by paulthepoke

Daniel 10:13-14 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”

Ezekiel 38: Persia or modern day Iran.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2026/06/17/read-the-14-point-memorandum-of-understanding-between-the-united-states-and-iran

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu held a press conference. His comments below have been translated to English. You know it is serious when he is speaking in Hebrew.

Ezekiel 38: Meshech, Tubal, Beth Togarmah, Gomer or modern day Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has weighed in…

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Jeremiah 31:35-36 Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name: Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.”

A friendly reminder to President Trump, you are playing with an Eternal Power.

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1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

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Obadiah 1:20a The exiles of this host of the people of Israel shall possess the land of the Canaanites as far as Zarephath…

Tragedy in Majdal Shams, Lebanon & Prophecy

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Colossians 1:16: “For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through Him and for Him”.

John 1:3: “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made”.

Hebrews 1:2: States that God “appointed [His] Son heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe”.

No, not true Mr. Spielberg.

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

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Is the Kingdom Here, or Is It Still Coming? Mark Wilson

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Mark Wilson with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on June 7, 2026 by paulthepoke

Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

An infographic titled 'Is the Kingdom Here... or Is It Still Coming?' illustrating the Bible's four phases of God's Kingdom. It features sections on 'The Kingdom Within,' 'The Kingdom Growing,' 'The Kingdom Coming,' 'The Final Test,' and 'The Eternal Kingdom,' accompanied by relevant scripture citations and descriptions.

Many believers assume the Kingdom of God is either entirely present or entirely future. Scripture presents a richer picture.

Jesus reigns today. Yet Satan is still called “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Christ sits at the Father’s right hand (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3), yet wars continue, nations rage, and creation groans under the curse (Romans 8:22).

How can both be true?

The answer is that the Kingdom unfolds in stages. What Cotton Mather observed centuries ago is still worth considering today: the Kingdom is not a single moment in history but a divine program moving toward its climax in the reign of Messiah.

❖ The Kingdom Within

The Kingdom first appears in the hearts of those who trust Christ. Jesus declared, “The kingdom of God is in your midst” (Luke 17:21). Paul wrote that believers have been transferred “into the kingdom of the Son” (Colossians 1:13).

Every conversion is a kingdom victory. Every transformed life demonstrates the authority of the King. Yet no one could honestly look at today’s world and conclude that God’s will is being done on earth as perfectly as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Something more remains ahead.

❖ The Kingdom Growing

Jesus compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed that grows from small beginnings into something far larger (Matthew 13:31-32). Through the spread of the gospel, Christ is gathering people from every tribe, language, and nation (Revelation 5:9).

Yet this present phase exists alongside rebellion. Peter warns that the devil prowls like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). John says “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). The King reigns, but His enemies have not yet been publicly subdued.

As Paul explains, Christ “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). The word until points forward to a future manifestation of His rule.

❖ The Kingdom Coming

The prophets consistently describe a future earthly reign of Messiah.

Isaiah foresaw a day when the nations would stream to Jerusalem and learn God’s ways, while weapons of war would be transformed into tools of peace (Isaiah 2:2-4). Zechariah declared, “The LORD will be king over all the earth” (Zechariah 14:9). Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would receive “the throne of his father David” and reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:32-33).

David’s throne was never located in heaven.

It was in Jerusalem.

Daniel saw the same future. After the succession of Gentile empires represented by the great statue, a stone cut without human hands strikes the kingdoms of this world and becomes a mountain filling the entire earth (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45). The stone does not gradually improve the kingdoms of men.

It crushes them.

John describes the fulfillment after Christ’s return: “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

The Millennium is necessary because God’s covenant promises require it. Abraham was promised a land forever (Genesis 17:8). David was promised an everlasting throne (2 Samuel 7:16). Israel was promised a future national restoration (Ezekiel 36:24-28; Amos 9:14-15). The Millennial Kingdom is where these promises become visible history.

As John Walvoord observed: “The premillennial interpretation is the only one that provides a literal fulfillment of the Old Testament promises concerning the kingdom.”

❖ The Common Objection

Amillennialists often ask: “Why would there need to be a future earthly kingdom if Christ already won the victory at the cross?”

Because victory and implementation are not the same thing.

Christ defeated Satan at the cross (Colossians 2:15), yet Satan still deceives the nations (Revelation 12:9). Christ conquered death through His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54-57), yet people still die. Christ is King today, yet the kingdoms of this world have not yet become His visible kingdom (Revelation 11:15).

Others argue that Revelation 20 is symbolic. Yet the sequence remains remarkably straightforward: Christ returns in Revelation 19, Satan is bound, the saints reign, Satan is released, final judgment occurs, and then the New Heaven and New Earth appear. The burden of proof falls on those who would collapse these events into a purely symbolic present age.

❖ Why Is Satan Released?

Perhaps the most fascinating question in prophecy concerns Satan’s release after a thousand years (Revelation 20:7-10).

Why allow one final rebellion?

Because God demonstrates forever that humanity’s deepest problem is not environment, politics, education, wealth, or government. During the Millennium, the world experiences perfect justice under the direct rule of Christ (Isaiah 11:1-9). Yet when Satan is released, countless people still choose rebellion.

As Jeremiah wrote: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9

The final revolt proves that the problem has always been the human heart. Even paradise cannot save a person. Only regeneration can (John 3:3).

❖ The Kingdom Consummated

After the final rebellion comes the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Death itself is abolished (1 Corinthians 15:26), Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10), and God creates a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).

The Kingdom reaches its eternal form. No curse. No death. No rebellion. No tears. God dwells with His people forever:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Revelation 21:4

The Kingdom began in hearts. It grows through the gospel. It comes in glory when Christ returns. It endures forever in the new creation.

The prayer Jesus taught His disciples has not yet been fully realized: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

But the day is coming when it will be.

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Israel’s Destiny

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on June 3, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 7 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The body of Jesus Christ (the church) and Israel are two distinct, separate entities with two different destinations. God spends more time in the Bible talking about the destination of Israel as compared to the church.

First, we will look at the destiny of Israel. Ultimately Israel will be restored to the greatness God promised to Abram in Genesis 12. Israel will be a blessing to all nations. Jesus will rule His kingdom from Jerusalem, Israel for a thousand years and into eternity. But before Israel gets there, difficult times will come upon the nation and the world as have never been before. Jesus makes the comment this will be the worst time in the history of the earth. However, He will preserve a remnant.

Matthew 24:21-22 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

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Unfortunately for the nation of Israel a set of seven or seven years remains on God’s time table. Daniel’s people are fellow Israeli’s. Daniel’s holy city is Jerusalem. The verse from the prophet is very clear. Israel’s future is deal with sin and end it. Judgment comes first then restoration and peace.

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

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This period is known as the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” The concept of Jacob’s trouble comes from the prophet Jeremiah 30. God makes it very clear to Israel. Judgment is coming, but I will not forget you. There are many examples in the chapter. Here is one of the verses.

Jeremiah 30:11 “For I am with you,” declares the Lord, “to save you; for I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you, only I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Ancient temple complex with people gathered around and a winding river in the background

The Apostle Paul in the New Testament book of Romans makes it very clear. God is not finished with nation Israel. He makes this statement writing to members of the church in Rome. His writings included the idea of Israel’s election, Israel’s rejection, and Israel’s future restoration. Paul is in serious angst and agony regarding his fellow countrymen. He would go to Hell for Israel. God has not kicked Israel to the curb let alone replaced them with the church or any other group of people or nation.

Romans 9:3-4 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises…

The Apostle Paul is emphatic. There is NO way God has broken His promise to His people and nation, Israel. The idea is consistent in the Old Testament and New Testament. God has not changed His mind.

Romans 11:1-11:2 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

Malachi 3:6 “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”

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Today in the early 21st century, Israel is back in the land and a nation as prophesied. Israel has resurrected as a nation. This time, they will not reject their Messiah. The statement below is becoming more of a reality as time passes. There are Jews who believe in Jesus and the number is growing. The world will ultimately receive blessing.

11:15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

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Romans 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”

Focus on the word “saved”. It is the Greek word σοζο/sozo. The word is defined as to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction; one (from injury or peril); to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health (Strong’s Concordance).

The tense of the verb is future. The verse is prophetic. Israel will be spared and preserved in the future. At the time of the writing, Israel had yet to be dispersed to the world let alone regathered back to the land. The nation will not be destroyed.

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This series is an excerpt from the book, Rapture the Bride Redeemed. https://www.amazon.com/Paul-Lehr/e/B09W8FB77N

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