Archive for lion

Four Living Creatures

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Angels with tags , , , , , on November 10, 2019 by paulthepoke

Ezekiel 1:5 …and within it was the form of four living creatures.

The living creatures have no name. There is nothing else like these four entities described in Scripture. They are not like the seraphim or the cherubim. Ezekiel goes into great detail to give a physical description of the beings.

I take it these beings have the body shape of a human with some additions.

Ezekiel 1:5b …And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness…

As humans, we only have one face. These creatures are different. They have four faces, a human, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.

Ezekiel 1:6a but each had four faces…

Ezekiel 1:10-11a As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces.

Each creature possessed four wings. Two wings functioned to cover the body of the being. The other two wings appear to assist with movement.

Ezekiel 1:6b …and each of them had four wings.

Ezekiel 1:11b And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.

Ezekiel 1:23b And each creature had two wings covering its body.

These creatures are loud and imposing when they are in motion. Imagine the sound of a white water river rushing through a steep, narrow canyon.

Ezekiel 1:24 And when they went, I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the sound of the Almighty, a sound of tumult like the sound of an army. When they stood still, they let down their wings.

There is no need to turn when moving because these beings can see in all directions with their four faces.

Ezekiel 1:12 And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.

The creatures can move with exceptional speed, quickness, and agility.

Ezekiel 1:14 And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning.

These creatures may have legs like a human but they do not have toes on their feet. They appear to have a split hoof.

Ezekiel 1:7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot.

They also possess hands like a human.

Ezekiel 1:8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands.

Images of heat, fire, and lightning describe their appearance.

Ezekiel 1:13 As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

The Promise of the Lion of Judah

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , on August 25, 2018 by paulthepoke

Genesis 49:8-10 Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

The promise of the Jewish Messiah coming from the line of Judah has its foundation in Genesis 49. Israel or Jacob is on his death bed. His sons have been called and prophetic blessing is being announced. The focus is on the line of Judah.

 

Judah means “praised” in the Hebrew.

Judah’s family line was chosen by God because of His grace. Judah was far from perfect. He was greedy in dealing his brother Joseph (Genesis 37:26). Judah committed adultery with a prostitute. The result was a child. (Genesis 38:18).

Genesis 49:8a Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah was granted the birthright leadership position in the family as if he was the first born. Future leadership was to descend from the line of Judah. He was promised to be successful in matters of war and conflict.

Genesis 49:9a Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey… This is how the line of Judah started in King David. He was the little runt who challenged the giant Goliath. Like a lion’s “cub” or “whelp”, David was a kid when he approached battle. David was portrayed as overmatched “prey” against the giant Philistine. All he had was a sling and rocks.

Lion-Spirit-Animal

Genesis 49:9b …he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? At some point, a future Messiah from the line of David will be stretched out, relaxed, comfortable, and in absolute control. He will be firmly established. Nobody will dare challenge Him.

Genesis 49:10a The scepter shall not depart from Judah… This was not fulfilled until King David 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. From the time of King David until the time of Christ, a king from the line of Judah ruled. There has been a gap of almost 2,000 years since the Jewish people were scattered from Israel in 70 AD. There will be another.

Genesis 49:10b …nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet… Some scholars take this phrase to be idiomatic language in reference to the genitals. Descendants are to come from “between his feet” is the idea. And these descendants are to be rulers.

Genesis 49:10c …until Shiloh comes… The definitive meaning of Shiloh is not clear. Strong’s Concordance defines the term as: he whose it is; that which belongs to him; tranquility. Ancient Jews took the term “Shiloh” to mean the Messiah.

Genesis 49:10d …and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. The idea in the Hebrew is the nations will be cleansed and purged. The Messiah is going to clean house.

 

Revelation 5:5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

John identifies the Lion of the tribe of Judah as Jesus Christ.

The Lamb of God is currently at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. And when He returns to Earth, He will rule and reign with a rod of iron as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

There is time now. Identify with the sinless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Please…

Please…

Please…

 

 

Trend Update: Star of Bethlehem, June 30, 2015

Posted in Christmas, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 30, 2015 by paulthepoke

In the sky on June 30, 2015, there will be an event comparable to the Star of Bethlehem. The planets of Jupiter and Venus will be in conjunction. Regulus, the brightest star of the constellation of Leo will be in close proximity. This will occur in the western sky about 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time in the United States.

Take all of this for what it is worth. Please do your own homework. At the very least, it is curious and thought provoking.

Let’s look at the heavenly structures involved. The first is the planet Jupiter. It has long been known as the King Planet. Who is known as the King of Kings? Revelation 19:16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

The second actor is the planet Venus. It is known as the bright morning star in ancient cultures. It is seen before the sun sets in the evening. And Venus rises before the sun in the morning. Who is known as the bright morning star? Jesus Himself answers the question. Revelation 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

In the Hebrew Mazzaroth or constellations, Leo is a constellation. Leo is a lion and the last in order of 12 constellations. Leo is the culmination of the story of the Hebrew Messiah. The story starts with the constellation Virgo or a virgin. Who is known as a lion? Revelation 5:5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

The brightest star in the constellation Leo is Regulus. It is the alpha star. We get our English word “regal” from the Latin word. It means “king”. Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

http://www.truthseekersministries.org/files/rolleston-mazzaroth.pdf

Even CBS News and other secular news sources are making the connection between the celestial events on June 30, 2015 and the Star of Bethlehem. These folks are hardly supportive and friendly to the contents of the Bible. Even environmentalists and Communists are noting the event.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jupiter-venus-to-converge-in-star-of-bethlehem-moment/

http://planetsave.com/2015/06/27/star-of-bethlehem-closest-highly-visible-conjunction-of-venus-jupiter-in-2000-years-on-june-30-2015/

http://rt.com/news/270613-jupiter-venus-merge-conjunction/

See the patch below from Walid Shoebat. He is a former Palestinian terrorist who converted to Christianity. He is from the Middle East.  Shoebat has unique cultural perspectives we cannot relate to. He believes this celestial event is a sign. He thinks this signifies the Second Coming of Christ is close. He gives support of his prophetic opinion with references from the Bible.

http://shoebat.com/2015/06/29/tomorrow-you-will-see-the-star-of-bethlehem-a-sign-that-christs-second-coming-is-around-the-corner/

For information regarding the Star of Bethlehem, see the patches below.

http://www.bethlehemstar.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGUlWa2r-bk

 

Isaiah 5:28 Lion, King of the Beasts

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on October 7, 2012 by paulthepoke

Its roaring is like a lioness, and it roars like young lions; it growls as it seizes the prey and carries it off with no one to deliver it. And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; even the light is darkened by its clouds. 

This is the description of the army invading Israel. Culturally in Israel, lions were known as the king of the beasts with their size and strength. Lions generally are not man eaters. If a lion eats a man, it is a threat to eat a man again. Lions once were in the land of Israel. This is not the case at this point in time.

Look at the different ways Scripture describes a lion. Proverbs 19:12a The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion… A roaring lion is like a king’s rage and fury. Proverbs 20:2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life. A growling lion is dreadful and fearsome. When angered, it will cost you your life. Proverbs 28:1b …But the righteous are bold as a lion. Confidence is exuded by the lion. Proverbs 30:30 The lion which is mighty among beasts and does not retreat before any…There is no fear in the lion. The lion bows to nobody and keeps coming. Jeremiah 2:30b …Your sword has devoured your prophets like a destroying lion. The lion is compared to an eating and consuming lion.

When one looks at the idiomatic description of the invading army to a lion, you get rage, fury, wrath, terror, dread, fear, and death. The army is confident, bold, pressing, consuming, and devouring.

Finally, darkness has fallen upon the land. Scholars debate whether this darkness is literal or idiomatic. With all the death and destruction caused by this destructive army, it is easy to understand how this could be idiomatic. It would be figuratively dark with the level of death described in these verses.

It could also be a physical reality. The book of Joel describes a time in the future during “The Day of the Lord” when Israel is visited by an invading army and the physical world is literally darkened.  Joel 2:2a A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness. Joel 2:10 Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. Joel 3:15 The sun and moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness. Remember these same references to the progression of physical darkness in Revelation. The culmination of darkness occurs in Revelation 9:2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Jesus Himself references the physical darkness on the earth prior to His coming in Mark 13:24. Jesus is quoting Joel 2:10, 3:15.

It does not have to be one or the other, the darkness can be both figurative and literal.

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