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REVELATION 11: A TEMPLE THAT DOESN’T EXIST… YET- Mark Wilson

Posted in Mark Wilson, Prophecy, Temple with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2026 by paulthepoke

At this time, I would like to introduce Mark Wilson to the website! Mark provides outstanding Biblical content on X @ https://x.com/Mark_Wilson_25/

An artistic illustration depicting the future temple as described in Revelation 11, with quotes from biblical texts and a guided timeline highlighting significant events related to the temple.

John is told to measure a temple that does not exist… yet.

“Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. But exclude the outer court… it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.” (Revelation 11:1–2)

This is not abstract. This is not symbolic drift. This is structure. This is geography. This is time.

And it forces the question:

❖ WHAT TEMPLE IS JOHN SEEING?

It cannot be Solomon’s. It cannot be the Second Temple.

Jesus already declared: “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2)

By the time John writes, that destruction is behind him. So if John sees a temple… it must be ahead of us.

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❖ A REAL, FUNCTIONING TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM

The word used is naos — the inner sanctuary.

Not a vague spiritual idea. A defined sacred space.

There is:

  • a temple
  • an altar
  • worshipers
  • measurable boundaries

This is not how Scripture describes the Church.

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❖ BUT AREN’T BELIEVERS THE TEMPLE NOW?

Yes. Absolutely.

“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

That is gloriously true. But present spiritual reality does not cancel future prophecy. Believers being called God’s temple does not erase a coming temple any more than being Abraham’s seed erases God’s promises to national Israel.

Revelation 11 describes:

  • an altar
  • outer courts
  • Gentile trampling
  • a defined city
  • a 42-month countdown.

That is not Church-age language. That is prophetic Jerusalem.

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❖ EVERYTHING HINGES ON THIS TIMELINE

42 months.

Three and a half years.

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’…” (Matthew 24:15)

“In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” (Daniel 9:27)

This is the midpoint of the Tribulation. A precise prophetic clock.

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❖ THE TEMPLE AND THE ANTICHRIST

Paul makes it unavoidable:

“He sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

This is not symbolic language. This is a man… in a place… making a claim. No temple… no fulfillment.

Jesus said you will see it.

Paul said it will happen.

John is told to measure it.

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❖ JERUSALEM UNDER PRESSURE

“They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.”

Jesus said: “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

A Jewish city. A contested mount. A ticking clock.

This is not ancient history.

This is the season.

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❖ AND THE SEASON IS GETTING LOUDER

For centuries, Jews were forbidden from praying openly on the Temple Mount.

Now? That barrier is beginning to crack.

Reports in recent years have documented increased Jewish prayer access and quiet permissions on the Temple Mount.

Small? Yes. Symbolic? Maybe. But prophetically… significant.

Because Revelation 11 requires one thing: A Jewish place of worship… functioning again.

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❖ THE PREPARATION IS ALREADY UNDERWAY

The Temple Institute has already:

  • Recreated priestly garments
  • Prepared temple vessels
  • Trained priests from the line of Levi
  • Constructed a functional altar
  • Advanced efforts for red heifer purification

This is not speculation. This is infrastructure.

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❖ GOD’S PROPHETIC CLOCK IS MOVING

Chuck Missler “Israel is the hour hand. Jerusalem is the minute hand. The Temple Mount is the second hand.”

Watch the second hand… and everything accelerates.

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❖ THE TEXT REFUSES TO BE REDUCED

This is not the Church. The Church is not divided into courts. Not trampled geographically. Not measured with an altar tied to sacrifice.

And the Antichrist does not sit in a metaphor.

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❖ THE PROPHETIC FLOW IS CONSISTENT

  • Israel regathered.
  • Jerusalem restored to global focus.
  • A covenant emerges.
  • Temple worship resumes.
  • The temple is measured.
  • The Antichrist desecrates it.
  • Judgment intensifies.

This is not random. It is coordinated.

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❖ SO WHAT ARE WE WATCHING?

Not imagination. Not allegory.

A future, literal temple in Jerusalem… casting its shadow into the present.

  • And if Revelation 11 is literal…
  • If Jesus meant what He said…
  • If Paul described a real event…
  • Then we are not waiting for prophecy to be written.

We are watching the conditions align.

The season is not silent.

It is accelerating.

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Church Origins in the Mosaic Law and Shavuot

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pentecost/Shavuot/Feast of Weeks, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on May 11, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 5 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

Beginnings of the church…

The church or the body of Jesus Christ has ties to the Old Testament Mosaic Law and God’s Appointed Holiday of Shavuot. I realize this will be blasphemy in some circles of theology reading this. Hear me out before going ballistic and deeming me a heretic. God has a plan down to the day!

The Law was given on Mount Sinai to Moses roughly 1,600 years before Christ. In the Old Testament and in the Hebrew, this God appointed holiday is referred to as Shavuot.

The word means: weeks. Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks is a memorial of God giving Moses and Israel the Torah. Hebraic belief is redemption from Egyptian slavery was not complete until they received the instruction or teaching. The holiday is one of God’s seven appointed holidays. Nation Israel honored Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, every year.

Provisions for the holiday include two loaves of bread, sacrificial lambs, a bull, two rams, a goat, and a drink offering of wine. God gives directions on how to make bread. Specifications for choosing livestock are given.

God loves the smell of grilled meats by fire. Toasted bread smells great. The holiday is also a day of rest with no work, a Sabbath. And He wants His people to do this celebration and exercise it every year on the same day.

Is God being unreasonable? He offers a holiday with grilled meats, toasted bread, and alcohol. It is an outdoor party in the late spring around a camp fire. Celebrate the harvest and give thanks to God. Road trip to Jerusalem!!!

See the Scripture for the complete details.

Leviticus 23:17-21 You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the Lord. Along with the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they are to be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. The priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the Lord; they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations.

Shavuot or the Feast of the Harvest is one of the three holidays where Jewish men are required to come to Jerusalem. The other two holidays are the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of the Ingathering (Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths). The men were to make their presentation and sacrifice before God at the Temple.

Exodus 23:14-17 “Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. Also you shall observe the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.”

Eating and drinking dairy products are part of the celebration of Shavuot. Many think the custom of dairy products is in reference to Bible verses referring to a promised land flowing with milk and honey. See the example below.

Exodus 3:8a “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey…

As stated in the Leviticus passage, the Feast of Weeks is seven weeks after Passover. It is a celebration of the completed grain harvest. The holiday is also a celebration of God giving the Torah (instruction or law) to nation Israel. Because of this, Shavuot is considered as the beginning or birth of Judaism.

Fast forward to 33 AD. Nation Israel has been celebrating and living God’s Appointed Spring holidays. Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb, had been sacrificed. He was the buried Unleavened Bread. Christ is the First Fruits of the resurrection.

Then fifty days later… It is seven weeks after the death of the sacrificial lamb, Jesus. Nation Israel is celebrating and living the holiday. Shavuot or Pentecost is also the day God the Father gave God the Holy Spirit. Because of this, Pentecost is considered the beginning or the birth of the church or the body of believers in Jesus Christ.

Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they (apostles) were all together in one place.

Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

In the Greek New Testament, Shavuot (Hebrew) is translated as πεντεκοστε/pentekoste (Greek). Per Strong’s Concordance, it means: the fiftieth day; the second of the three great Jewish feasts, celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover, in grateful recognition of the completed harvest. We have transliterated the word to Pentecost (English).

This is the day promised by Jesus of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit…”

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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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Baal Worship

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture with tags , , , on April 29, 2026 by paulthepoke

Numbers 22:41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Numbers 25:1-5 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.” So Moses told the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

At its core, Baal is a Phoenician deity. He is the chief rival of YHWH or the LORD God.

The name “Baal” (Hebrew: בַּעַל, baʿal) means “lord,” “owner,” or “master”. Baal-_____ or Lord of whatever the topic. Baal-zebub or Lord of the flies, another name for Satan.

Geographically, this is just east of the northern portion of the Dead Sea in what is modern day Jordan.

Baal appears in Scripture as the chief male deity of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, celebrated as lord of storm, fertility, and political power. After Israel entered the land, the name surfaces about eighty times, nearly always in contexts of apostasy. Baalism combined agricultural rites, sexual immorality, and child sacrifice, drawing Israel into covenant-breaking idolatry despite repeated warnings.

https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1168.htm

How convenient, engage in sexual perversion and call it worship. And give thanks with a child sacrifice, the consequence of the actions.

A small bronze figurine with an elongated body and a distinctive conical head, posed with one arm raised in a fist.

Worshippers also believed Baal controlled the weather. Baal could bring rain.

Elijah vs. Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18): The most famous story. During a three-year drought (which Elijah declares as judgment), Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal (and 400 of Asherah) on Mount Carmel. They prepare a bull on an altar but receive no fire from heaven despite frantic prayers, dancing, and self-harm all day.

Elijah rebuilds Yahweh’s altar, soaks it with water, and prays. God sends fire that consumes everything. The people declare “The Lord, He is God!” Elijah then has the prophets of Baal executed, and rain returns. biblegateway.com

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Worship of Baal or any other false god is unfaithfulness to God (Father, Son, and Spirit).

Judges 2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.

~

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

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Israel Origins

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Prophecy, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on April 23, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 3 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Eventually, the offspring of Abram would become the promised nation.

Abram (Abraham) to Isaac to Jacob (Israel) to 12 tribes which comprise the nation.

This is the story of the birth of a nation. The verses below are how the man named Jacob had his name changed to Israel. The nation Israel would come from this man Jacob. This is a brief history, present, and future of God’s chosen nation.

Genesis 32:24-28 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

In the Hebrew, Jacob or Ya`aqob means “heel holder” or “supplanter”. It can also mean he cheats or deceives. Jacob was given this name because of the events at his birth.

Genesis 25:26a Afterward his brother came forth with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob…

A close-up view of a pot filled with cooked lentils in a thick, savory sauce, with a ladle partially submerged in the mixture.

This name accurately describes Jacob. He cheated and deceived his brother Esau for his inheritance. Remember the lentil incident in Genesis 25.

The deceiver met his match in his future father in law, Laban. See Genesis 29-31 for the complete details with Laban the master manipulator and his daughters.

Any one watching modern day Israel in action today in the 21st century since their rebirth as a nation would agree, Israel continues to demonstrate mastery levels of deception. If you don’t believe that, watch their intelligence capabilities and Mossad in action.

Mossad (Hebrew: המוסד, “the Institute”) is Israel’s national foreign intelligence agency, officially known as the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.

  1. Intelligence collection (primarily human intelligence/HUMINT)
  2. Covert operations
  3. Counterterrorism
  4. Strategic special missions abroad

Mossad is estimated to have around 7,000 staff and an annual budget of roughly $3 billion (second-largest in the Western world after the CIA). Key units include the Caesarea department for special operations and the elite Kidon (“Bayonet”) unit, known for targeted actions.

Its official motto draws from Proverbs 11:14: “Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety”

The above verse is often loosely associated with themes of deception in intelligence work, though that’s not the literal motto. -Wikipedia

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God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. In the Hebrew, Israel or Yisra’el means “God prevails”. Per Holman’s Bible Dictionary, Israel means God strives, God rules, God heals, or he strives against God.

Genesis 32:28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

The verse above has proven to be prophetic for nation Israel. The country struggled against Egypt and was held captive for 400 years. God delivered His people out of slavery and bondage in the Book of Exodus.

God’s chosen people were taken captive by Tiglath-Pileser and the Assyrian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonians and plundered Jerusalem. Those who survived were taken back to Babylon. Israel was under Persian rule after they conquered Babylon.

They were dispersed throughout the world in the first century at the hands of the Roman Empire. They survived the Spanish Inquisition in the late 1400’s. Hitler attempted to exterminate the Jewish people during the middle of the 20th century in World War II.

Israel was reborn as a country in a day in 1948. The rebirth of Israel in one day was prophesied in Isaiah 66:8-9.

Isaiah 66:8-9 “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your God.

The same promise of Ezekiel 37 and the vision of the valley of dry bones was fulfilled.

Today, Israel is a nation again. The fact Israel is a nation again defies history. Name one other country who disappeared for about 2,000 years and resurrected into being from the past.

This nation, Israel is going to survive and overcome. The promise is made to Israel. God keeps His promises. This fulfillment is not about the corporate actions of the nation Israel. This nation is not morally superior because God chose them. God can manage the sins of Israel.

I support Israel, God’s chosen people. As a member of the church, I want what is best for them. The church should love, uphold and bless Israel. This does not mean we should enable or condone all of their actions. The church should not kick Israel to the curb. I will not tell them every thing they do is good.

That said, Israel has a right to defend themselves against people who openly state they seek their destruction. Israel has enemies who do not hold life valuable or sacred.

Ultimately, it is about God keeping his word and demonstrating His righteousness and sovereignty. Israel means God Prevails.

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

~

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

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This Week in Prophecy: Christlam & Tickling Ears; Quakes in Japan & Indonesia

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Culture, Earthquakes/Volcanoes, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2026 by paulthepoke

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20:13-17 You shall not murder.

Allah says… kill the infidel.

You shall not commit adultery.

Allah… ravish and molest the infidel.

You shall not steal.

Allah… pillage the infidel.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Allah… lie to and deceive the infidel.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Religion of peace?

Two religious leaders in traditional attire stand side by side in a historical setting, with ornate architecture in the background.

Photo Credit: Vatican Media

The last 5 of the 10 Commandments assume personal property, not the government’s or Allah’s property to be redistributed.

God of the Bible is different than Allah, not the same God.

Great Mosque of Algiers, “space proper to God.” -Pope Leo

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Jaden Ivey refuses to support pride month in the NBA.

Meanwhile, north of the border in Canada…

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Quakes in various places… -Jesus

Japan: A magnitude 7.4–7.7 earthquake (MJMA 7.5 per some reports) struck off the Sanriku Coast of northeastern Honshu, Japan, on April 20, 2026, at approximately 16:53 JST (07:53 UTC). The epicenter was in the Pacific Ocean along the Japan Trench, roughly 100 km offshore from Iwate Prefecture (near Miyako), at a depth of about 19–35 km.

Impacts and Casualties: Reports indicate 6–8 minor injuries (e.g., a woman in her 20s with a broken leg in Aomori). No deaths or major damage to homes/infrastructure have been widely confirmed. Over 170,000–180,000 people in coastal areas were advised or ordered to evacuate temporarily as a precaution.

Summary provided by Grok.

Indonesia: April 2, 2026 (local time; April 1 UTC), a significant magnitude 7.3–7.4 earthquake (reported as up to 7.6 by some agencies) struck in the Molucca Sea (northern Maluku Sea), offshore between North Sulawesi and North Maluku provinces in eastern Indonesia.

Casualties: 1 death (from falling rubble at a sports facility in Manado) and at least 4 injuries.

Damage: Over 450 structures damaged or destroyed.

~

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

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Debunking Replacement Theology: Greater Israel

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to part 2 of the series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

Genesis 15:18-21 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”

Map showing 'Greater Israel' as proposed by Theodor Herzl, highlighting regions including Israel, Palestine, parts of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and neighboring countries.

This is the original land grant promised to the future nation Israel. These are the land boundaries of Israel’s future. This configuration has never been realized. This calls for the geography of Israel to stretch from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq. One could argue if this includes the Arabian Peninsula or not.

Now this sounds impossible in today’s world and geo-political climate. Can you imagine the uproar if this was proposed at the United Nations?

But, there will be a land for peace deal when Jesus returns. It will look something like above assuming current geography.

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The key issue for Abram is the same issue we have today. Do we believe God? Do we take what God says seriously? Does God really mean it? In Abram’s case, did he believe the promises of things to come?

There are Jews in Israel’s government today who believe in this promised land grant.

Today in the 21st century, do we believe the good news of Jesus Christ? His death, burial, and resurrection are the issues for our eternal salvation.

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Genesis 15:6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

So…will God make Israel great again? Over twenty times in the book of Genesis alone, God stated His covenant with the offspring of Abram is an eternal and everlasting promise. He made the claim to Abram (later Abraham), Isaac, Jacob (later Israel) and his descendants.

Map of the Middle East showing countries including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, with highlighted regions in light blue.

Will God keep His promise to Israel in regards to the land grant? In the book Toward an Old Testament Theology, Walter Kaiser commented, “sixty nine times the writer of Deutoronomy repeated the pledge that Israel would one day ‘possess’ and ‘inherit’ the land promised to her.” (p. 124-5).

Is God going to bless the world through Israel? Do you believe the record?

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What Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right really mean when they invoke ‘Greater Israel’ -David Levy, The Guardian

Israel’s war aims were to maximally degrade the capacity of the Iranian state, achieving not so much regime change as state implosion. Despite the ceasefire, Netanyahu has emphasized that this is “not the end of the campaign” and that Israel’s “finger is on the trigger” to resume combat. A seasoned strategist, he has spent the second Trump administration seizing the opportunity of geopolitical fluidity to reach for his end goal: a Greater Israel.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/13/benjamin-netanyahu-middle-east-greater-israel

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What is Greater Israel? From biblical origins to modern-day Zionism, the vision of Greater Israel continues to shape Israeli rhetoric and regional tensions

Since the current Israeli government came to power in 2022, references to “Greater Israel” have become more common. 

Last year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was filmed advocating for the expansion of Israeli borders to include Damascus, the capital of Syria.

He suggested that Israel would gradually grow to encompass not only all Palestinian territories but also parts of Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/explainers/what-greater-israel

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What is Greater Israel, and how popular is it among Israelis? Recent US and Israeli comments on ‘Greater Israel’ trigger regional concerns over sovereignty and territorial expansion.

American right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson with US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee started the current furore. Carlson, an influential figure who has been vocally critical of Israel over the past year, repeatedly asked Huckabee whether he supported Israel controlling all the land between the Nile River in Egypt and the Euphrates River in Iraq.

Huckabee, a Christian Zionist, would not disavow the belief that the Bible promised that land to Israel – even though it now encompasses all or part of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/26/what-is-greater-israel-and-how-popular-is-it-among-israelis

~

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

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Debunking Replacement Theology

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Replacement Theology with tags , , , , , on April 9, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to the introduction of a new series, Debunking Replacement Theology.

The nation of Israel and the church, the body of Jesus Christ, are two separate entities. God has not changed His mind. The church has not replaced Israel. God has a unique plan for both.

There seems to be a lot of disorder between the concepts of the nation Israel and the body of Christ, the church. If one gets this concept wrong there will be confusion in understanding prophecy as well the Bible. Understanding of the Scriptures will take different paths pending one’s view of the church and Israel. Some people take the view Israel and the church are different. Others believe that Israel messed up so bad, God gave up on Israel and replaced the nation with the church, the body of Christ, or spiritual Israel.

A simple, clean definition of Replacement Theology is provided by Matt Slick of https://carm.org/questions-replacement-theology.

Replacement theology is the teaching that the Christian church has replaced national Israel regarding the plan, purpose, and promises of God.

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This line of thinking is also called Supersessionism. These folks believe the church is the fulfillment of Judaism. If Jews do not believe in Jesus, they are out. In other words, non-believing Israel has been superseded by the church. No kingdom for you…

The practical results include Israel no longer being God’s chosen people and nation. The geographical land promised and designated in the Middle East would belong to the church instead of a group of people living in what is modern day Israel and surrounding countries. The covenants in the Old Testament to Abraham and Moses would be null and void.

Carrie Prejean Boller with Tucker Carlson podcast- “Replacement theology is that the church has replaced Israel, and that we are the new Israel. We are the spiritual semites, which has been taught for 2000 years. Original church fathers would be rolling in their graves if they knew that we taught 1948 Israel is some sort of fulfillment of prophecy.”

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Replacement Theology makes God a liar. God’s view on this topic as well as any other has not changed. He cannot change. God is immutable. This aspect of His character is defined in the Old Testament.

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

This same concept is noted in the New Testament.

James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

The fact that God does not change should be reassurance that what He says is true. God keeps His word and His promises.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

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Both Israel and the church have different origins and beginnings.

The promise of God’s nation started in the plain of Shinar in what is modern day Iraq. Abram was minding his own business in Ur. Then God revealed Himself to this man. God made several promises to Abram.

Genesis 12:1e To the land which I will show you;

The first promise was to give Abram some land.

Genesis 12:2a And I will make you a great nation,

The second item was the promise to be a great nation. That nation would become Israel.

Genesis 12:2b-3 “And I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

The Hebrew word for “bless” is barakah.

And the last promise to Abram was blessing. Five times a form of the term “bless” is used. Abram and anyone in the world from that point forward who associates with him or his offspring positively, blessing from God!

Israel is not specifically mentioned in the passage above, true. However, Abram’s offspring would become a nation named Israel. Abram is also in the lineage of Jesus Christ and He, Jesus, would be and is the ultimate blessing from God.

~

Genesis 15:12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.

It was not enough to tell Abram. God made a contract or covenant with him for all time. Genesis 15 provides the details of the covenant. A direct son was promised to Abram. The number to come from his body would number the stars in the heavens. Animals and birds with specifications were part of the covenant.

God put Abram to sleep and sealed the deal Himself. The contract is on God to be completed. Abram did not have to do anything, he was out cold. Frankly, he would not have been able to do anything because of his mental status. It was dark and Abram was scared to death. There is nothing any fallen man can do. The responsibility belongs to God.

~

Amos 9:13-15 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow. I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them,” says the LORD your God.

Well, modern day Israel was replanted and recognized as a nation in 1948. This event was the Super Sign. Israel, as flawed as they may be, is back and they are not going anywhere says the LORD your God.

~

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

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Crushed for our iniquity…

Posted in Gospel, Resurrection with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 5, 2026 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 52:14 Just as many were appalled at Him, His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness…

Romans 5:6-8 For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

To the critic… You always want facts. You want proof. Take a listen and watch.

This is from the Shawn Ryan Show.

Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston is a world-renowned scholar on the Historical Jesus, specializing in archaeology, ancient history, and the New Testament. In 2026, Dr. Johnston became the only academic invited to present evidence for Jesus and the Resurrection at the World Economic Forum in Davos—bringing the Gospel into one of the most influential global stages. His evidence-based approach bridges rigorous research and compelling communication, making the case for faith both intellectually credible and spiritually transformative.

He is the author of The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-to-Face with Jesus, which highlights top archaeological discoveries corroborating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus outside the biblical record. Known for his evidence-first, no-nonsense style, Dr. Johnston powerfully confronts myths and cultural skepticism while offering hope and clarity in an age of confusion.

A hands-on scholar, he uses authentic and replica artifacts; such as the Shroud of Turin, crucifixion nails, the Titulus Crucis, the Pilate Stone, ossuaries, early New Testament papyri, Dead Sea Scroll facsimiles, and Roman coins. to bring history alive in vivid detail. His passion is showing how fresh discoveries, like the Shroud’s fading image, inscriptions mocking early Christians, and coins tied to Gospel events—continue to strengthen the historical case for Jesus Christ.

Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston Links:

LT – https://linktr.ee/_JeremiahJ

IG –   / _jeremiahj  

X – https://x.com/_jeremiahj

FB –   / christianthinkerssociety  

Website – http://www.ChristianThinkers.com

~

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What Must I Do To Be Saved? Faith… A Phil Kulis Series

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 19, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to Part 6 of Phil’s series.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓, 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇, 𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐈 𝐃𝐨 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝?

It’s really quite simple.

Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Let God into your life. It’s not only about you answering an invitation but you offering one in exchange. When you sense God knocking on the door of your heart, open the door and let Him in. It goes both ways, you let God into your house, God lets you into His.

What else must you do?

Listen to Him. God’s Holy Spirit will begin to produce the fruits of Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control. When you see these things manifesting in your life you will know that these things are done in God through you.

Read the Bible. Get to know God.

The New Covenant is this: God’s Law will not be written just in stone, but God will write His Law on your heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

You’ll know God’s Law is written on your heart when “Thou Shall Not” becomes “I Don’t Want To”. That is the evidence of repentance. That’s how you’ll know you’ve repented.

“Repent and believe the Gospel.”

~

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 of things hoped for, the 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 of things not seen.

The name of the 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 is “And it came to pass…”

The 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 is a person’s behavior until it comes to pass.

Hebrews 11 is sometimes called “the hall of faith”. It mentions Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham & Sarah, Issac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and the prophets. Even though they all had a close encounter with God they were still required to have faith! They were justified by acting in faith, doing what God told them to do. We can know God interacted with them because we see the 𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 of what happened when they acted in faith.

The same is true of our own actions. When we behave in a Godly way, not only we ourselves but others too have evidence of our faith.

𝐹𝑎𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠.

Faith is the currency of the Kingdom. Faith is like a coin where Belief and Action are flip sides of that coin.

“Your Faith has made you well” and “Faith without works (action) is dead.”

Adam disbelieved God and acted on his disbelief. We are to believe God and act on that belief.

~

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡?

In conversations with atheists, they continually demand, “prove to me God exists”. They reject the notion of faith.

If “the just shall live by faith” then without faith one cannot be justified. The very thing atheists demand – absolute undeniable proof, would disqualify them for justification.

Recently I was watching videos of NDE’s (Near Death Experiences). In all the tellings of these experiences there is one common element; after death all doubt is removed. Whether it’s a Heavenly or Hellish experience after death, they have absolute undeniable certainty of the truth of God. They know the Truth. However when they “come back” to this life they still have to demonstrate faith when explaining their experience to others.

In the presence of absolute undeniable certainty, Faith is simply impossible. They are exact opposites. In the afterlife Faith does not exist any longer. When there is no faith possible neither is there any possibility of justification by faith. Justification comes only by faith.

When a person dies and experiences absolute undeniable certainty their fate is permanently sealed. If they did not have justification by faith in this life, they cannot achieve it after death. This is why Hell is permanent. There is no faith in Hell, only absolute certainty.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Jesus explained that faith is required in this life before we die. “…that whosoever shall believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The just, shall live, by faith.

Believe

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Why Christianity? Grace… A Phil Kulis Series

Posted in Phil Kulis with tags , , , , , , on March 11, 2026 by paulthepoke

Welcome to Part 5 of Phil’s series.

𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓, 𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋, 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄, 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇, 𝐁𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐌

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲?

God created Adam.

God plus Adam begat Eve.

Adam plus Eve begat Mary.

God plus Mary begat Jesus, the second Adam.

God plus Jesus begat the Church, the second Eve.

We the church are now and forever like Eve in that narrow moment of time after she ate (sinned) yet before Adam disobeyed God by eating.

Even though we have sinned, we are protected by Christ’s perfect obedience to the Covenant of Sin and Death which is finished, permanently and eternally sealed by His blood. It’s over.

Jesus, the Seed of the Woman, is the Kinsman Redeemer. The Keeper of the Covenant. The Accepted Substitute. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!

~

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 “𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞”?

The term “grace” is often used but rarely defined therefore not fully understood. It’s a state of being, a status. Some say it’s “getting what we don’t deserve”. But that’s not a state of being.

To demonstrate, it helps to consider the opposite of grace which is; disgrace. If someone is a disgrace it means they have committed some sort of serious error, totally inappropriate for the circumstances. Disgrace becomes their status because of what they did. It cannot be undone because you can’t change the past.

With that in mind, “grace” can be defined as “the delightful beauty of saying, doing, being, everything right in every circumstance.”

The adjective “graceful” can be seen in an athlete who performs an extraordinary feat, such as a football player who catches an almost impossible pass and makes it look easy. Or a ballerina who moves with such fluidity that it seems purely effortless and natural. Poetry in motion. It’s not our actions, but theirs. We are “fans”, beneficiaries of their performance.

Sometimes a person of royalty is honored with the respectful title of “Your Grace”.

When you plug that understanding into the Bible wherever the word “grace” is used it blossoms with meaning.

Jesus is the personification of the grace of God. He said, did, and was, everything right in every circumstance. His words and His actions were in perfect harmony with His Father’s will; Love, which culminated in a singularly unique accomplishment.

It’s not a matter of Him giving us grace for ourselves, but that when we believe “in” Him we behave like Him. It’s His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it (grace) is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Jesus is the personification of grace, He is the gift of God from God.

~

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐨 𝐖𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞?

What does it mean to believe “in” Jesus? By simply asking the question of do we believe “in” Jesus or “out” of Jesus we find the answer. It’s not enough to just believe He existed. When we believe “out” of Jesus we’re walking in darkness. We must be willing to come out of the darkness of our disgrace and shame to walk in the Light of His grace, allowing the Father’s will be done on earth 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑢𝑠, just as Jesus did the will of His Father.

John 3:20-21 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

When we are “in” Him we are in His grace of the New and Everlasting Covenant. It’s His grace that is the gift of God. It’s not our efforts “works” that finished the covenant. It was His.

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