INTERESTING INFORMATION CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
CONFIRMING BIBLICAL TRUTH
SECTION II - SPECIAL ARTICLES/ BOOK REVIEWS
IN THIS SECTION:
· WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE? (WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS)
· WHAT’S IN A NAME?
· "BOB PIERCE - THIS ONE THING I DO" - A BOOKREVIEW/SUMMARY
· "THE HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE" - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
· "SIGNS OF THE TIME” - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
INTERESTING INFORMATION
Est. 1997
The following material is provided for information purposes only. Any conclusions or opinions formed should be based on the principles as outlined in Acts 17:11. The material is intended for use as a witnessing tool and to keep you informed so you will not be unaware (Luke 21:34) of what is happening according to Scripture’s
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“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8b)
Ezekiel 34:2 “Shepherd, feed the Flock
"THE WALL THAT NEVER TUMBLES DOWN"
https://www.heritagechurchmckinney.com/messages/The%20Wall%20That%20Never%20Tumbles%20Down.mp3
Pastor Len McLaughlin, Heritage Church, McKinney, Tx
You will enjoy and find this interesting – Pass it on to your Homebound Family and friends
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
THY WORD IS A LAMP UNTO MY FEET AND MY PATH
AMY GRANT
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – How we live for Christ matters! - Pastor Mark Cable
INTERESTING ARTICLE SUMMARY
· Why does it matter if the Bible is inerrant?
· Nineveh and the ancient gods: Amazing archaeological find
· 4 reasons why Islam is growing a faster than Christianity
· 3 reasons “Gay Christian” is not a Biblically acceptable identity
· Will the Nephilim return before Jesus comes back?
· THE BOOK OF BOOKS
INTERESTING ARTICLES
WHY DOES IT MATTER IF THE BIBLE IS INERRANT?
The Christian Post – Jul. 12, 2025 -- In the 1980s and ’90s, a controversy swirled within the Evangelical world over the question of biblical inerrancy. A common claim during that time was that the doctrine of inerrancy was an innovation of late nineteenth-century Princeton theologians who were attempting to respond to higher biblical criticism. Before then, the claim continued, Christians did not believe the Bible to be without error, but only “infallible.” It was a distinction that made a big difference. The Bible is accurate in matters of faith and practice, but not without error in other areas, such as science or history.
Though the word “inerrancy” may have been new, the idea was not. How the Early Church fathers described Scripture sounds exactly like what the Princeton theologians meant by inerrancy. The same, in fact, can also be said about medieval, Reformation, and even modern theologians before the rise of theological liberalism.
The attack on the idea of biblical inerrancy 40 years ago is essentially the same as the attack on biblical authority that emerged during the Enlightenment. Once reason and science were elevated as the primary arbitrators of truth, it was necessary to reject things like the biblical claims about miracles. Aligning Scripture, particularly Genesis, with accepted science required assuming that the Bible was not reporting literal history or attempting to make scientific claims.
The attack on biblical inerrancy quickly became an attack on literal interpretations of Scripture. “Literalists” are often accused of deifying or worshipping the Bible instead of God. However, inerrancy cannot be reduced to mere biblical literalism. The doctrine of inerrancy claims that the text of the Bible, as written by the original authors, is without error in all that it affirms when properly interpreted. Every part of that is important, especially the idea of interpretation, which requires an understanding of the kinds of texts that make up the Bible. This leaves significant room for disagreement among inerrantists about how to read Genesis or Revelation.
To put it simply, the Bible is inerrant. Our interpretations are not. To know what God is communicating to us requires careful, serious study of the whole of Scripture.
Inerrancy also affirms that the Bible’s human authors wrote in their own words, in different genres, and that their personalities came through in their writings. And yet, they were inspired, or “carried along” as Peter described it, by the Holy Spirit and kept from error. Just as Jesus, the living Word, is both human and divine, and his humanity did not necessitate sin, so the written Word is both human and divine, and the human element did not necessitate error.
, biblical authority is challenged for the same basic reason of aligning biblical claims with the widely accepted values of our culture. Only today, the values to which Scripture must conform are largely moral, especially in areas of sexuality and identity. The plain and clear scriptural claims about homosexuality, chastity, marriage, and the value of life are dismissed as “worshiping the Bible” instead of God. Jesus loved everyone, we are told, and taught a Gospel of “radical inclusivity.”
Of course, we only know what Jesus taught from Scripture, and it’s all right there to study and meditate on. Jesus’ statements show He had a very high view of the Old Testament’s moral requirements. Wherever He corrects interpretations of the Law, except for the dietary laws, He makes them more stringent, not less. If we are to use Jesus as our guide, we have to rely on the biblical accounts of Jesus. This means the moral standards of the Law apply to even our motives and attitudes, not just actions. He doesn’t whisper about holiness, including sexual holiness. His words are plain. There’s no way the Jesus described in the Bible would support same-sex “marriage,” or aborting babies, or harming children through castration or mutilation.
Rejecting the full authority of Scripture only grants authority to the whims of culture or human desire. As St. Augustine said, “If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
NINEVEH AND THE ANCIENT GODS: AMAZING ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND
Charisma News – June 2, 2025 -- Historically, Nineveh is known for being the city from which God called Jonah to preach repentance following ancient paganism. Now, archaeologists have found something of tremendous value that points back to practices of this civilization: stone carvings that include the depictions of ancient deities.
According to EuroNews, German archaeologists in Iraq who were excavating in Nineveh unearthed a giant monumental relief which showed King Assurbanipal who was the final ruler of the Assyrian Empire. On this stone slab two pagan deities were also depicted, Assur and Istar, or rather, Ishtar.
The findings on this remarkable stone slab also include what EuroNews considers to be a “fish genius” who “bestows salvation and life on the gods and the ruler,” along with what appears to be a hybrid of a man and scorpion.
This incredible discovery took place at the North Palace, and as excavation project leader professor Aaron Schmitt notes, “Among the numerous relief depictions of Assyrian palaces known to us, there is no depiction of the great deities,” making this find extra fascinating.
In the Bible, Nineveh stands as a symbol of both God’s mercy and judgment. The book of Jonah reveals how deeply entrenched in idolatry and violence the city was, yet God still extended an opportunity for repentance. Jonah’s reluctant mission to the Assyrian capital—where he warned of impending destruction—resulted in one of the greatest revivals in biblical history. From the greatest to the least, the people of Nineveh repented, and God spared them. However, later prophets like Nahum pronounced judgment on Nineveh for returning to its wickedness, showing the consequence of a people who rejected the mercy they once embraced.
This recent archaeological find sheds light on the spiritual climate of Nineveh in its final days: a culture deeply invested in false gods and supernatural beings. As the stones cry out with the images of gods that could not save, Scripture reminds us that only the God of Israel has the power to call a nation to repentance and stay His hand of judgment.
The ruins of Nineveh and their carved relics are more than historical artifacts—they are enduring evidence of a biblical narrative that speaks to the spiritual condition of nations then and now.
4 REASONS WHY ISLAM IS GROWING FASTER THAN CHRISTIANITY
Charisma News – Jun. 6, 2025 -- A new report from the Pew Research Center paints a sobering picture of the shifting religious landscape worldwide: Islam is growing faster than any other religion, while Christianity—still the largest faith globally—is shrinking in its share of the population.
“It’s just striking that there was such dramatic change in a 10-year period,” said Conrad Hackett, lead author of the Pew study. “During this time, the Muslim and Christian populations grew closer in size. Muslims grew faster than any other major religion.”
According to the study, Christianity now comprises 28.8% of the global population, a drop of 1.8 percentage points from a decade ago. Islam, by contrast, has grown to 25.6%—an increase of the same amount. While both religions saw numeric growth, the rate of increase for Islam outpaced Christianity due to several key factors.
Why Islam Is Growing Faster Than Christianity:
Hackett pointed to disaffiliation as a primary cause of Christianity’s decline: “Among young adults, for every person around the world who becomes Christian, there are three people who are raised Christian who leave,” he told Premier Christian News.
This trend is most visible in the West. Europe, once the stronghold of global Christianity, has now been surpassed by sub-Saharan Africa, which holds the largest share of Christians at 31 percent. The shift is driven by “high fertility, youthfulness and rapid growth in general of sub-Saharan Africa,” said Hackett in The Washington Post, “as well as the aging, lower fertility and disaffiliation going on in Europe.”
Meanwhile, the unaffiliated—those who identify as atheist, agnostic or with no religion—have surged to 24.2% of the global population, up from 16% a decade ago. This rise, too, is largely attributed to people leaving Christianity. In countries like China, the U.S. and Japan, the unaffiliated make up vast portions of the population.
Hackett acknowledged that while some expect a religious revival, “the broad trend is that in many places people are moving away from religion.”
The Pew study is based on over 2,700 surveys and censuses across 201 countries and territories. While the numbers reflect shifting affiliations, they may not fully capture nuanced personal beliefs. Still, the data points to a future in which Islam may overtake Christianity as the world’s largest religion—unless global trends drastically change.
3 REASONS ‘GAY CHRISTIAN’ IS NOT A BIBLICALLY ACCEPTABLE IDENTITY
The Christian Post – Nov.5, 2023 -- There is an ongoing debate about whether or not “Gay Christian” is a biblically acceptable identity for a Christian. Dr. Gregory Coles, for instance, has argued in favor of “Gay Christian” identity in his book Single, Gay Christian: A Personal Journey of Faith and Sexual Identity. The question of identity is one that every ministry leader needs to be prepared to answer. Southern Baptist ministry leaders in particular should know at least the following reasons why “Gay Christian” is not a biblically acceptable identity.
First, identity is a matter of dominion. The profession “Jesus is Lord” is a recognition that Jesus has dominion over everything in the universe including all aspects of one’s personal identity. Nothing sinful according to Scripture should be a part of a Christian’s identity because sin no longer defines the believer in Christ. While believers can and do struggle with sin, sin no longer has dominion over a believer. The term “Gay Christian” contradicts that affirmation by carving out some aspect of the self over which Jesus is not Lord. Therefore, “Gay Christian” is inherently contradictory; as if to say “Jesus is Lord” with fingers crossed.
Second, identity is a matter of God’s purpose. All Christians agree that we are sinners saved by grace. All Christians agree that becoming a Christian does not immediately eliminate all sinful desires. All Christians should agree that both actions and underlying desires can be sinful (James 1:14-16, Matthew 5:28, Romans 1:27, etc.). All Christians are in daily need of conviction, confession and repentance.
The doctrine of mortification stems from passages such as Colossians 3:5-10 which call Christians to put indwelling sin to death through repentance and faith. Correspondingly, the doctrine of vivification emphasizes that Christians not only die to sin but also live unto righteousness. Mortification and vivification reflect the “putting-on” and putting-off” language of Ephesians 4:20-24. The term “Gay Christian” wrongly preserves that which God intends to change, celebrates sinful desire that Christians are commanded to mortify, and wrongly identifies a child of God with something that is not life-giving.
Third, identity is a matter of the heart. It is hard to conceive that anyone would want to identify themself with something of which they were ashamed or hated. The term “Gay Christian” inevitably communicates a sense of pride in, or celebration of, same-sex attraction or same-sex activity. Christians are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). It is untrue that a genuine Christian is proud of or celebrates their sinful desires or actions and it would be unloving to give that impression.
The heartfelt desire of a Christian is conformity to Christ. Any Christian, if given the opportunity, would happily exchange what is broken and unlike Christ for what is healed and reflective of Christ. While a person can be born again and still struggle with same-sex attraction, the title “Gay Christian” reflects a heart holding on rather than letting go.
WILL THE NEPHILIM RETURN BEFORE JESUS COMES BACK?
Charisma News – Nov. 4, 2024 -- In a recent discussion with Prophecy Watchers, pastor and Bible teacher Rick Renner delves into an intriguing topic: will the Nephilim, the half-human, half-angelic beings mentioned in the Bible, make a return before Jesus comes again? Drawing from both ancient history and Scripture, Renner explains the signs of the end times, warning of events similar to those described before Noah’s flood.
Renner says the world’s ancient myths of gods and demigods weren’t simply flights of imagination, “In the ancient world, people think, ‘Oh, they just had overactive imaginations.’ No, they were closer to these events, and they remembered these events.” He notes that temples built by ancient civilizations were often dedicated to “fallen deities” that people believed were real, showcasing humanity’s historical connection to these extraordinary beings.
Renner links these events to biblical passages in 2 Peter and Jude, which discuss angels who “left their first estate” and committed “the unthinkable” by interacting with humans. These rebellious angels, Renner explains, were punished severely: “God put those rebellious angels in chains so they couldn’t move,” he says, emphasizing that these angels, creatures of light, are now bound in darkness “until the time of the great judgment.”
In discussing the days before the flood, Renner points to a growing corruption that spread through humanity, nearly destroying all purity except for Noah and his family. “Noah was blameless in his generation,” he notes, describing how Noah’s lineage remained untouched by this corruption. Renner sees a modern-day parallel in today’s trends, such as transhumanism and genetic manipulation, as people “violate boundaries that were never supposed to be violated.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of Renner’s discussion involves a prophecy about a faithful remnant who will stand strong at Jesus’ return. When Paul mentions “those that are alive and remain” in 1 Thessalonians 4, Renner explains that the Greek term refers to a remnant of believers who will remain “spiritually robust” in a time of widespread disbelief. This, he says, explains why Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Renner believes the true Church will be small yet faithful, contrasting with a “fake church” that embraces worldly values.
As Renner sees it, recent events provide further confirmation that we are living in prophetic times. The reappearance of what he believes are the ruins of Noah’s Ark, first uncovered in 1948, coincided with the reestablishment of Israel. These events, he says, are not coincidental but “two end-time phenomena” reminding us of God’s plan and promise.
Though Renner warns of challenging times ahead, he reminds listeners that God’s power ultimately prevails. Just as Noah’s family remained pure and faithful, believers today can trust that Jesus will keep and rescue His bride. The Bible promises, “We have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,” (Heb. 6:19). Through every trial, believers can hold fast to the hope of Jesus’ return and the ultimate victory He brings.
THE BOOK OF BOOKS
Through the Bible, God reveals who He is, what He is doing, and how the future will unfold for mankind.
Related Scripture
Acts 17:10-12, 2 Corinthians 5:20; Matthew 5:16; Romans 12:4-6; 2 Samuel 18-19; Acts 17:10-12
The Bible provides an accurate account of God’s character, actions, and purposes. Together, the Old and New Testaments teach us that man’s problem is sin and the only remedy is faith in the Son of God: Jesus Christ.
Through His Word, God has entrusted to us the knowledge of who He is, what He is doing, and how the future will unfold for mankind. The Scriptures were intended to lead us into a growing relationship with our heavenly Father and to empower us for fruitful service as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). In this position, we are called to follow Jesus’ example in glorifying God (Matthew 5:16)—our Savior focused not on Himself but on the Father, whose plan is to reach the entire world with His saving grace.
God’s will includes different tasks for His children to accomplish, according to the way He’s planned for each one to serve (Romans 12:4-6). Meditating on scriptural principles and examples will help us discern what He has in mind for us.
What place does this amazing book—the Bible—have in determining the course of your life? Take time today and every day to listen to the Lord, to partake of His wisdom, and to determine what He is saying to you personally.
In Touch Ministry
PRIOR ISSUE
INTERESTING INFORMATION
7/9/2025
LET’S CELEBRATE “HOOF DAY”
In the 10th Chapter of Genesis, when Pharoah ignored the words and warnings of Moses, Jesus hardened Pharoah’s heart and sent a plague of “Darkness” into all the land of Egypt.
Like Pharoah, Satin has captured and hardened the hearts of unbelievers, blinding them to God’s Word and Truth.
One day soon, Jesus will return with the sound of a Trumpet and in the “twinkling of an eye” and will take His Children Home to Heaven to be with Him for Eternity! On that Day, Jesus said “Not one Hoof (of Believers) shall be left behind”! (Exodus 10:26)
OH WHAT A DAY THAT WILL BE!!!
We need to earnestly pray for our unbelieving Family members and Friends that they will soon repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior before it too late. Proverbs 27:1 indicates that we are not promised Tomorrow.
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
GOD, YOU’RE SO GOOD
Kristian Stanfill/Melodie Malone-Passion Music
https://youtu.be/7IIZIPtQuW8
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “Good things happen when we believe God” – Brad Doskocil
INTERESTING ARTICLE SUMMARY
· Yes, There is a Prayer to Jesus in the “Declaration of Independence”
· Singing is more than notes and lyrics. It’s a Spiritual discipline and a gift from God
· Has the Location of Jesus first miracle been revealed?
· GIFTS FROM GOD
INTERESTING ARTICLES
YES, THERE IS A PRAYER TO JESUS IN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE!
Note: The following is derived from "America's Primal Prayer: Is Jesus Christ the God of the Declaration; Did the Founders Dedicate the Nation to Him; Is the Constitution Woven From Christian Fabric; and Why Does it Matter?" an ebook by Michael Nedderman.
WND – Jun. 3, 2023 -- How would it affect politics today if the 40 million Christians who don't vote understood that the founders, including Thomas Jefferson (a Trinity-believing Christian in 1776), actually intended the Declaration's four "God references" to be unambiguous references to Jesus Christ – and that their help is desperately needed to restore this knowledge and bring about a patriotic and religious revival?
And, what if those non-voting Christians could also be shown that the Founders incorporated the Declaration's revolutionary theory of government ("one nation under [and dedicated to that] God") into the Constitution as the "American Theory of Government" (Americanism) with its integral Christ-based "Chain of Delegated Authority" (Christ creates and endows Man who delegates only "just powers" to his servants in government). This defines America's "Liberty Equation," that our rights are a gift from God.
It is a fact that the concluding paragraph of the Declaration contains an unmistakable prayer to Jesus Christ inserted into Jefferson's draft by the Christians in the Second Continental Congress, the Declaration's actual author. (Jefferson wrote a good first draft.) That prayer to Jesus clarifies Jefferson's less specific references (to "Nature's God" and the Creator of "all men"), as well as Congress' reference (to "divine Providence," in the last sentence), with an explicit identification that Jesus Christ is the God of the Declaration to whom the entire nation officially and perpetually prays for guidance and righteousness using his well-known biblical title, "the Supreme Judge of the world":
"We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America … appealing [praying] to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude [righteousness] of our intentions …" (Bracketed comments added.)
All of the Declaration's signers (none were deists), understood the Bible well enough to know that Jesus said of himself:
"… the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father."– John 5:22-23
Christians understand that Jesus both judges and saves: See Acts 10:42-43, Romans 8:33-34 and James 4:12. For further substantiation of the universally acknowledged Christian understanding that Jesus is the Supreme Judge of the world, see John 5:26-27; Matthew 16:27; 25:31-46; Acts 17:30-31; 10:42-43; Romans 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Timothy 4:1-2, 7-8; Revelation 2:18-19; 19:11-16; 20:11 through 21:8; 22:12-16, etc. The Bible is crystal clear on this point of fundamental Christian doctrine.
While prayer takes many forms, all are appeals to God. In fact, "appeal" is a synonym of "prayer," "supplication" and "invocation." The quotation from the Declaration above, the "appeal" for guidance and righteousness, is clearly a prayer explicitly directed to "the Supreme Judge of the world" who, for all Christians – but certainly for 1776 Christian America when the practice was to use titles when addressing God, is Jesus Christ and no other!
Because Jesus is unquestionably the "Supreme Judge of the world," and because the words "appeal" and "prayer" are synonyms, the quotation above from the Declaration, "… appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions," could reasonably be written as, "… praying to Jesus Christ for the righteousness of our intentions."
The recognition of that prayer to Jesus has been forgotten because the practice of using titles for God has fallen away. See examples at the end of "The God America officially thanks today is Jesus Christ" (about Thanksgiving Day).
It makes sense that the mostly Christian signers of the Declaration of Independence intended that document's four "God references" to perpetually "acknowledge [Jesus] before others." Consider the blessing, and carefully note the curse contained in Jesus' promises:
"Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."– Matthew 10:32-33
By publicly acknowledging Jesus "before others" (to "a candid world" – the Declaration), the Founders obligated Jesus to acknowledge America "before [his] Father." That is the reason we are so blessed. See Michael Medved's "The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic."
This is the most important historical fact about the founding of our great nation:
With that official act of national prayer in the Declaration, the Founders dedicated America to Jesus Christ in that document made sacred by those references.
The continuation of that blessing, and the prevention of such a denial/curse, depends upon those who are willing to acknowledge Jesus "before others" by sharing this column and, thereby, restore this heretofore lost knowledge of America's Primal Prayer to Jesus Christ.
Significantly, the American Theory of Government (Americanism), as it is expressed in the symbiotically linked Declaration and Constitution, cannot be changed because that Theory is set in the "historical concrete" of the Declaration and politely sealed with the term "self-evident."
With the use of the term "self-evident," the founding generation is saying that anyone who disagrees is objectively, perpetually and inexcusably wrong about God as that Christian generation understood the Author of reality from, among other biblical passages, the Apostle Paul's teachings:
"… because that which is known about God is evident within them [self-evident]; for God made it [self] evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen [evident to the self], being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."
– Romans 1:19-20, bracketed comments added.
It is critically important to note that by using the term "self-evident" in the Declaration, the Founders only removed the divine nature of the truths which followed from any further political, not theological, debate: that there is a God who created and endowed "all men" with "certain unalienable rights." That is America's unamendable Liberty Equation.
SINGING IS MORE THAN NOTES AND LYRICS. IT’S A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE AND A GIFT FROM GOD
The Christian Post – Jun. 30, 2025 -- You were given a voice to worship.
Yes, you!
Maybe you think singing is for somebody else and that no one wants to hear you sing, but the Bible says otherwise. The Lord delights in the praises of His people. Or, as Psalm 22:3 puts it, He is “enthroned” upon them.
In the scriptures, singing is not optional or only for the select few. Over 400 times is singing mentioned. There are 50 direct commands to sing. The Bible is clear that our singing has purpose beyond enjoyment or performance.
Colossians 3:16 urges us to allow the word of God to dwell richly in us, with wisdom, as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
Singing has a purpose: to plant the word of God in our hearts, remind us of the Gospel and draw us closer to Christ our Savior.
God desires our singing and praise. Singing reminds us of the good news of Jesus. Singing plants the word in our hearts. But is singing as an act of worship considered a spiritual discipline?
In short, yes.
Donald Whitney defines spiritual disciplines as “Biblical practices (things you do) that promote Spiritual health, take us deeper into our understanding of the gospel and lead us closer to Jesus.” He goes on to say that spiritual disciplines are the means to a greater end, that being holiness.
So, how does singing, both personally in private and corporately with the church, make anyone more holy?
Singing as an act of worship draws us closer to the heart of God. The Psalms are filled with personal cries to God. Cries for help, cries for mercy, cries of celebration, cries of remembering. God is a personal God who drew near to us and longs for us to know Him.
Singing God’s word lets us preach to ourselves. The Psalmist in Psalm 42 is singing to himself, reminding his own soul that his hope is found in the Lord. Singing as an act of worship is also preparation for the eternal song we see in Revelation 5.
Singing God’s word helps us remember God’s word. Our brains are wired to retain what we sing long after we remember just about anything else, and they’re activated in remarkable ways when we sing or hear singing.
Music activates the entire limbic system — the group of brain structures responsible for fundamental processes like emotional regulation, learning, loving, desiring and remembering. Music even has therapeutic applications for emotional, cognitive and psychological disorders. It has the power to console and encourage the families of Alzheimer’s patients who have forgotten their loved ones, but can still remember a song from their childhood.
Singing grows us in holiness by engaging, uplifting and educating us. It brings us closer to God, closer to each other and closer to the beauty of God’s creation.
Consider how much your experience of a beautiful songbird would be changed if you could only see it but not hear it. You need to hear them sing to experience the fullness of their created beauty.
The same is true for our worship and for the Word of God: We are commanded to sing not only for the sake of discipline but also to enjoy the beauty of song. For the distant or wandering soul, oftentimes, it’s the singing of God’s word that stirs the affections for the Lord again. Singing the truth will help us remember it and experience it in its fullness, even in our very last days, when everything else is fading.
My work at the Worship Initiative is an attempt to make song in worship just as universal as it was meant to be. We aim to equip everyone — at every level of confidence, experience and ministry involvement — to sing. Every voice is necessary. Every voice is beautiful and can become ever more so.
God wants to hear your voice. He wants to hear your voice singing His word back to Him, every day of your life — and every day of eternity. So let Him.
HAS THE LOCATION OF JESUS’ FIRST MIRACLE BEEN REVEALED!
Charisma News – 5-26-25 Did archaeologists just uncover the very spot where Jesus performed His first miracle of turning water into wine?
According to the Daily Mail, archaeologists believe they just discovered the location of ancient Cana through excavation digs eight miles northwest of Nazareth in the village of Khirbet Qana. This area is known for its connection to a Jewish village that existed during Jesus’ lifetime, along with an underground cave system containing secret sites for Christians to worship.
Within one of these secret centers are two containers which fit the bill as being one that Jesus would have used to turn water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
Previously, it was believed that the town Kafr Kanna, was the location where the wedding at Cana was hosted. They even claim to have the water pots that Jesus used at the “Wedding Church.” This, however, may not be historically correct, but has worked well for grabbing the attention of tourists right outside of Nazareth. In Khirbet Qana, the underground Christian worship sites included graffiti with crosses on it, and a shelf that included two stone vessels.
If this truly is the site of Jesus’ first public miracle—where water became wine at a wedding feast—it is more than a historical revelation; it is a divine reminder. The miracle at Cana was not merely about meeting a need at a wedding, but about revealing the glory of the Messiah and igniting faith in His disciples (John 2:11). This archaeological discovery, nestled beneath layers of time in the humble village of Khirbet Qana, could serve as a prophetic echo, calling today’s world to once again behold the One who has power to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
In a time when skepticism grows and faith is tested, such findings act as tangible anchors, reminding us that the Word of God is not myth, but rooted in real places, real events and real power.
GIFTS FROM GOD
In times of hardship, take a moment to marvel at the evidence of God's love and care all around you.
In today’s passage, James writes, “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” (v. 17).
Have you ever taken a moment to marvel at the abundance of blessings in your life? The air you breathe, the sun that warms your face, and the love of family and friends are all tremendous gifts. Everything we enjoy has been freely bestowed on us by a loving Creator who doesn’t ever change—who never gives us cause for doubt or uncertainty.
Our lives, on the other hand, are constantly shifting, and we will find pleasant times interspersed with periods of hardship and sadness. Thankfully, we can always rely upon our God, whose good gifts are meant to remind us of His unchanging nature. Even when we face pain and adversity, we can look for the Father’s love and mercy in our life, recognizing each breath we take, each relationship we enjoy, and each sunrise we witness as evidence of His presence.
God’s gifts are perfect and precisely designed to sustain us in a way that fills our soul. Let’s receive them with a heart full of gratitude and speak of them as a way of testifying to His love.
In Touch Ministry
SECTION II - SPECIAL ARTICLES/ BOOK REVIEWS
IN THIS SECTION:
· WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE? (WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS)
· WHAT’S IN A NAME?
· "BOB PIERCE - THIS ONE THING I DO" - A BOOKREVIEW/SUMMARY
· "THE HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE" - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
· "SIGNS OF THE TIME” - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE?
By D.E. Davis
For Christians, we are told in Scripture in 2Cr 5:8 that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. For those who turn away from God, we are told that they are eternally separated from God and go to a place called Hell. Rev 14:11 says that the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.
The question that everyone ponders is: What really happens after we die? Do we just lay dormant until the Lord takes us to be with him or until judgement is handed out at the Great White Throne as called out in Rev. 20:11? Are we conscience? Do we feel, touch, think, recognize loved ones, know what is happening around us? All questions that we have ask ourselves, no doubt, at some time in our life.
My own personal review of the Scriptures has led me to believe that after we die, even though our body may be dead and buried, our Spirit is alive and fully conscience. Chuck Missler likens this state of conscienceness to the software that runs the Computer; once the hardware goes, the software remains intact and available for further applications.
There are two illustrations in the Bible that makes it clear as to what happens after death, when we're in the spirit.
The first one is illustrated in the Luke account of Lazarus and the rich man in Chapter 16. After death, Lazarus, a man of God, is escorted into Abraham’s Bosom, a holding compartment in Hell for the Believers prior to the Cross. The non-believing rich man was "buried" and went into a separate compartment in Hell (Hades), apart from Abraham’s Bosom, where he was in Torment according to Scripture. Both were in a Spirit state; yet by the account, they could see each other and speak to each other.
The second account is in Revelation, where John is taken (in the Spirit) to Heaven to see those things that shall come to pass prior to the return of Jesus Christ to the Earth, or Second Coming (not the Rapture).
I had to conclude from the study, based on the following Scripture, that all of the senses we have here on earth will be with us throughout eternity, even unto death.
· THE ABILITY TO LOOK/SEE - Luke 16:23;Rev. 1:12;4:1,4; 5:1,2; 6:1,2,8,9; 7:1,2; 8:2; 9:1,17; 10:1,5; 13:1,2,3;14:1,6; 15:1,2; 16:13; 17:3,6; 18:1; 19:11,17,19; 20:1,4,11,12; 21:1,2,22; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO HEAR - Rev. 1:10; 4:1; 5:11; 6:1,3,5,6,7; 7:4; 9:13,16; 10:4,8; 12:10; 14:2,13; 16:1,5,7; 18:4; 19:1,6; 21: 3; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO BEHOLD ( to obtain knowledge of: understand: perceive) - Rev. 5:6,11; 6:5,8,12; 7:9; 8:13; 13:11
· THE ABILITY TO REASON - Luke 16:30
· THE ABILITY TO CRY (even though there will be no more crying in Heaven) - Rev. 5:4,5; Luke 16:24
· THE ABILITY TO SPEAK - Rev. 5:13; 10:9; 21:6,15; Luke 16:24, 29,30,31
· THE ABILITY TO FEEL/TOUCH - Luke 16:23, 24,25
· THE ABILITY TO REMEMBER - Luke 16:25
· THE ABILITY TO WONDER - Rev. 17:6
· THE ABILITY TO WRITE - Rev. 1:11; 10:4; 19:9
· THE ABILITY TO QUESTION - Rev. 7:13
· THE ABILITY TO TAKE (THE BOOK/ROD) - Rev. 10:8,9,10
· THE ABILITY TO FALL (ON KNEES) - Rev. 19:10; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO STAND - Rev. 13:1
· THE ABILITY TO WORSHIP - Rev. 19:10; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO PERFORM TASKS - Rev. 11:1
God has promised in 1 Thess 4:16 and 1 Cor. 15:52,53 that one day, we shall be reunited with Him in body and will be transformed and conformed to Him - in the twinkling of an eye. We are also told in Scripture that we shall see Him face to face- see the Lamb that was slain for you and me. We know by His Word, that we will Praise Him, Worship Him and Rule with Him.
One thing in the study that I found extremely fascinating was the difference in treatment between Lazarus and the non-believing rich man. Scripture says that Lazarus was escorted to Heaven by an Angel, but there is no indication in Scripture about how the rich man arrived at Hell. Could it be that God had a specific purpose why He chose not to tell us in Scripture?
Finally, knowing that others may have varying interpretations of these Scriptures, I strongly urge you to review the Scriptures yourselves to determine what you find as the truth according to God’s Word.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
For those who wish you had some other name because you don't like the name you were given, you had better think twice. It is most likely that the name your parents picked out for you was not their choice but God's choice. Let’ s face it, the word of the Lord is true. That's why in Eph. 1:4, God proclaimed that He had chosen us from before the very beginning of the world.
If you follow the Genealogy of Adam in Genesis, Chapter 5 (*) you will receive an insight into what importance God put in names - It's an exciting message:
Genealogy Meaning
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enosh Mortal
Kenan Sorrow
Mahalalel The blessed God
Jared Shall come down
Enoch Teaching
Methuselah His Death shall bring
Lamech The Despairing
Noah Rest, Comfort
Now let us look at God’s Plan for Redemption:
"Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest."
Let us now look at the Genealogy of Abraham (*):
Genealogy Meaning
Abraham Predestination
Isaac Called
Jacob Justified
Joseph Glorified
(*) Source: Chuck Missler’s Briefing package: “A Walk Thru the Bible”
WELL YOU SAY! BUT THAT WAS ALL OLD TESTAMENT AND WOULDN'T BE APPLICABLE FOR TODAY - WOULD IT?
Well, let us see.................. As a Christian, did God not choose you by name at the same time he chose Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph - before the very foundation of the world? If God had a purpose for their name, would you expect anything less for your name since He chose you at the same time?
As a Christian, You ought to thank God daily that you, by your given name, was written in the Lamb's book of life before the very foundation of the world and that you will be a partaker in all the promises of Rev 21:27.
Within the last couple of years, researchers have found many startling discoveries through the use of super computers, specifically, hidden codes that God supernaturally placed within the Hebrew text of the Bible. Over 2000 years ago, the names of historical and current leader’s names were placed in the Bible. Such names as Adolph Hitler, Eichmann, Arafat, Peres, Rabin, Rabin's murderer Amir, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, Saddan Hussein, George Bush, Schwarzkoph, Peter Arnet (CNN), Timithy McVeigh, Bill Clinton.
Do you think that God would limit His calling out to just those who had a highly visible historical impact on this world? There is no doubt that He had a purpose in doing this, if nothing else, just to get your attention that He is the Creator; that He alone knows the beginning from the end.
It is my firm belief that as we advance further with our computer technology and peel back the layers of the Hebrew text of the scriptures, we will make many more startling and exciting discoveries. One being that God has written each and every one of our names in His Word.
HERE IS WHAT GOD SAID: Isaiah 66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain."
BOOK REVIEW by D. E. Davis (September 1997)
BOB PIERCE -"THIS ONE THING I DO"
By Franklin Graham with Jeanette Lockerbie
It is amazing the worlds that open up to an individual, once the Power of the Holy Spirit comes upon him. Just three years ago, where once I was blind to Missions, to all the inspired men and women God has called to service and the multitude of people all over the world who have been saved, new worlds are ever opening to me to see how awesome the power of God is in our Christian lives.
Such was the power and strength of faith Bob Pierce had in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is difficult for me to even attempt to assess where God has put Bob along with other past great men of the faith, but from what I read about his life with Christ, he certainly had his eyes focused on Jesus! I personally feel inadequate and humbled to even put in words, my thoughts about this man. Bob was a man Blessed by God. I feel sad that I never had an opportunity to know him, but look forward to meeting him one day in heaven.
If ever there was a verse of scripture that represented Bob Pierce, it had to be the title of this book as taken from Philippians 3:13,14 ".......this one thing I do,....I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ."
Bob was raised in Los Angeles and at the age of 12, gave his life to Christ and was baptized in the Nazarene Church. "God simply called me to give my heart to Jesus, and I followed Him." He died in 1978 of leukemia but lived his life for Christ in between in between those dates as if Christ was coming tomorrow and he still had to witness to the whole world before dawn broke. Throughout his career, he dedicated his life mainly to Missions and over the years was responsible for founding such World re-noun programs as "World Vision", an organization dedicated to meeting the emergency needs in crisis areas such as Korea after the Korean war. During that time of need, he established a Korean Orphanage, serving over 30 thousand Korean war orphans. Bob was also responsible for starting the World re-noun Korean Orphan's Choir. As an outgrowth of "World Vision" he founded "World Medical Mission" which covered all emergency medical needs in countries all over the world which had no medical facilities. He was also founder of "Samaritan's Purse" and organization dedicated to funding World emergency need, no matter where they were. These organizations are still meeting the needs of those in crisis today.
If his work through these organizations was not enough, he became a United Nations War Correspondent during World War II; was Co-founder for "Youth for Christ"; and became a Motion Picture producer/Radio program host, author and a lecturer, but first and last, he always considered himself an evangelist! Even though Bob knew that he was "extraordinarily gifted by God, he was never impressed with himself - he considered himself just an earthly vessel, available at all times for the exclusive use of the Lord".
In his own words, he had "many flaws, failings but had abundant faith in God who lives and cares about people."
If I had to pick four areas of the Christian life that I feel truly represented Bob Pierce, they would be 1) Unwavering Faith, 2) Compassion for others, 3) Obedience to God and 4) Commitment to accomplish the Will of God in his life.
From the Beginning, Bob knew his calling was for Missions to the Asian Countries. His first mission led him through Hawaii to Hong Kong and eventually to China. Getting to China was his first big test of faith - he had no money, even for the first leg to Hawaii. Bob held the opinion that God knows ones needs already and if He has called you to a task, He will provide and enable you - just move out! He did just that and went to the L.A. airport that day without any money in his pocket. His faith paid off as God provided the funding for each leg of his trip just at the moment he needed it. This was the norm rather than the exception throughout his career as an evangelist. What ever it was, where ever it was, if God called, Bob would act no matter what the circumstance......he knew that God would always provide.....and He did!
Bob had a compassion for the spiritually and physically suffering of the world. "He was the friend of the little people, the forgotten, the hurting, the maimed, the unheard and the unsung". Bob's theme was "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God". It was Bob's personal belief that "wherever you find men and women who really love Jesus Christ, you find the compassion of Christ spilling out of them to meet human need." Over the years World Vision, Samaritan's Purse and other organizations like them; one in particular, Mission Aviation Fellowship Pilots (MAF), who flew Missionaries around the world in crisis situations, helped so many helpless and needy men, women and children. They knew first hand the healing power of God.
Bob dared it all to be obedient to the Lord's call. Once he had in focus the mission that God wanted him to accomplish, he followed in Faith to bring the unsaved to Christ. It was his opinion that " If you are an ambassador, act like one!"- no matter where you are. Bob would bring to memory how other great men of Faith were obedient even in the face of death. During World War II, a young South Korean Pastor, Mr. Im was mistaken for a North Korean Communist and imprisoned. During his internment, he would go around camp singing "Jesus Loves Me" and other Christian songs. He not only uplifted and inspired other fellow Christian prisoners to come together, he brought many more to Christ. Together he and another prisoner, Chaplain Voelkel, established a Bible Study where over 6,000 prisoners finished a six month Bible Study. Six Hundred (600) of those finishing the Bible Study became pastors and came back to Korea to preach the Gospel. In another instance, he related how a Korean school teacher was put to death in front of his students because of his faith and obedience to the Lord.
To be an ambassador for the Lord "is one of the greatest things that could ever have happened to anyone - to let God put a fish hook into you so deep that there is no way of ever getting off the hook."
"Bob did one thing all of his life, and that was to lead people to the foot of the Cross where they would put their faith in a risen Lord Jesus Christ. He lived every minute completely amazed that God could use him. No matter how much he was able to do in how many places, it was never enough." This was the kind of commitment Bob made to Jesus; "to commit yourself, give yourself away to God irrevocably, forever. Say to Him, go ahead and burn me up. Spend me. Eat me up. Use me for you Glory." And that's exactly what he did.
Being a man of God was not always easy for Bob and he paid a high price. In one measure or another he had to forsake his wife, his family, his Mother and Father, his brothers and sisters and other worldly possessions to follow Jesus. He not only lost his health, he lost his Daughter, Sharon, to death.
Committing your life to Christ in a Godless society is never easy; many times you feel like you may be the only one putting your life, your self image, your social acceptance on the line. As Bob came to realize, ". Someone has to go and pay that humiliating price of literally letting your ego be stomped on- not just pushed in and suppressed, but laid out there for people to stomp on. We need to do this by the grace of God with love and patience: sow the seed on rocky soil, nurture it, and maybe never be applauded."
Committing your life to Christ really comes down to this; What really matters
to you in Life?
On his death bed in the City of Hope, Bob left us this one message - "I don't care what you have attempted. What you have succeeded at, or what has been your work in Christ's name while you are here on earth - only one thing matters when you have reached the last step before you go to stand before Christ:
- Did you tell men and women who Jesus is?
- Did you bring them to some comprehension of His redeeming love?
- Did you make it plain to them that He alone can pay their way to heaven throughout His atoning death on the cross?"
Such was the life of a man of God, Bob Pierce.
HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE
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ACT 17:11 - Exhorts you to daily review the scriptures to see if what is being said is true
References: Grant R. Jeffrey - "The Signature of God"- RECOMMENDED READING
Other reading: "The Hebrew Factor" by Yacov Rambsel
Prepared by D. E. Davis
Daniel 12: 4 - "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Here is undeniable proof, the third in the series, that every word, every letter and every punctuation in Bible text was put their by the inspiration of God. It gives new meaning to the words "increase knowledge". It's just one of the many signs, and without a doubt, the most exciting revelation that God said he would reveal to man in the "end time". As you will see, God has put his signature throughout the Bible, has revealed History before it ever happened, all through hidden codes that were supernaturally placed into text which was written over 2,000 years ago; which could only be found with today's computer technological advances. The codes are found in what scholars call "Equidistant Letter Sequences" or ESL. That is, each sequential letter in an encoded word or phrase was found the same distance apart numerically; The exact interval designed by God.
Actually, the discovery of hidden codes in scripture dates back to before WWI and it was not until 1988 that the use of computers were able to detect a significant amount of coding in scripture. Since then, the research that Grant Jeffrey and others have done has just exploded and new discoveries are happening every day.
Here is a summary of what has been found and outlined in Grant's book, referenced above. It is my understanding that he is in the process of writing another book to tell what he has found subsequent to "The Signature of God".
Luke 21:15 - " For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay (refute) nor resist."
Proverbs 25:2 - "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter."
THE SIGNATURE OF GOD
What follows is what most of the human race would find hard to believe. It unfathomable to think that the Hebrew Bible, containing 304,805 Hebrew letters, written by 40 individuals could contain hidden messages that if one letter was taken out of the text, one word was removed, the hidden message could not be revealed......yet the message has been sustained for over 2,000 years and has been revealed to man just as Jesus said it would be. Jesus has actually placed His name and other messages about Himself into text which proves he is the creator of all; King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
GOD'S SIGNATURE
God has personally signed scriptures throughout the Old and New Testaments in various ways. For example in the Old Testament, he has encoded his name, Jesus, in the following scripture:
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD FROM ANCIENT TIMES UNTIL TODAY
God has also encoded unbelievable detail about many of the things we read about and which touch our lives daily. For example, he outlines:
PLACES AND THINGS
· Gen. 2: 4-10 - The key word "Eden" was spelled out sixteen (16) times in the span of 379 Hebrew letters. The letters were all equidistant from each other.
· Gen. 2 - In this chapter which deals with the garden of Eden, scientists found encoded in the Hebrew text, Twenty-five (25) names of trees that were in the
Garden of Eden.
· Gen. 1:1 - Starting with the first appearance of the Hebrew letter "Tav", the word "Torah" was found every 50th letter.
· Ex. 1: 1 - Again, starting with the first appearance of the letter "Tav" and counting every 50th letter, the word "Torah" was spelled. Num./Deut. - In the book of Numbers the word "Torah" was found spelled backwards every 50th letter. In the book of Deuteronomy, "Torah" was found again spelled backwards, but this time every forty-ninth (49) letter.
NAMES AND EVENTS
· Holocaust
· Deut. 10: 17-22 - Beginning with the second to last appearance of the Hebrew letter "bet" in this passage, they found every Thirteenth (13) letter, the phrase "b'yam marah Auschwitz" which means "in the bitter sea of Auschwitz." Also encoded in this passage were the names of the other Nazi Concentration camp, "Belsen".
· Deut. 33:21 - Beginning with the letter (resh) that appeared in the Hebrew word "Yisreal," and counting every twenty-second (22) letter from the left to right they found the phrase "re'tzach alm" discribing the Holocaust, which when translated, means "a people cry murder, slaughter."
· Adolph Hitler
· Deut. 10: 17-22 - The word "Hitler" spelled out in Hebrew was found every twenty-second (22) letter.
· Deut. 33:16 - Beginning with the first appearance of the Hebrew letter "mem" and every two hundred and forty-sixth (246) letter from left to right you find that the coded letters spelled out the phrase, "Melek Natzim," which translates as the "king of the Nazis."
· Eichmann
· Deut. 32:52 - Beginning with the appearance of the first letter (aleph) and counting from left to right every six hundred and seventy (670) letters, the name "Aik'man" is spelled, which is the Hebrew form of the name "Eichmann."
· Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
· "Sadat occurred together with the name of the leader of the Moslem Brotherhood assassinating team that killed him.......it contained the year of his assassination, 1981, and the words "president," "gunfire," "shot'" and 'Murder".
· Desert Storm
· Beginning in Gen. 1:7 and continuing through the rest of Genesis, Grant Jeffrey indicated at the Prophesy Conference in Irvine,Ca. on 27 Sept. 1996 that they had recently found information in hidden code in scripture relating to Desert Storm. I believe more details will be available in Grant's next book.
· The French Revolution
· Gen. 39,41 - "Another passage in the Book of Genesis revealed a cluster of encoded words that deals with the French Revolution. The following words are clustered ogether" "Mapecha HaSarfatit" which spells "the French Revolution" in Hebrew, "Louis," the name of the French king, and the word "Beit (house of Bourbon,") his royal dynasty. In the same cluster were the following words: "Hamarseilles" (the name of the French anthem) and the word "Bastillia" (the infamous French prison for political prisoners........"
OTHER HISTORICAL INFORMATION
· Word pairs - "In their initial experiment, .......the scientists arbitrarily chose three hundred (300) Hebrew word-pairs that were logically related in meaning, such as hammer and anvil, or tree and leaf, or man and woman." ".....the researchers were astonished to find that every single word-pair had been located in Genesis in close proximity to each other."
· King David's Ancestors
· Gen. 28 - " Every one of the five Hebrew names of these ancestor of King
David (Pharez, Zerah, Boaz, Obed, Jesse) were found encoded at forty-nine (49) letter intervals, hidden within the text of Genesis 38".
· Famous Jewish Rabbi - "The Jewish people celebrate the memory of their famous sages by commemorating their date of death. Incredibly, the computer program found every single one of the sixty-six names of these famous rabbis embedded in the text of Genesis paired at significantly close proximity with their actual date of birth or their date of death."
IS THE HEBREW BIBLE UNIQUE TO GOD' S INSPIRED EMBEDDED CODES?
Grant points out that "The researchers attempted to reproduce these results by running the computer program on other religious Hebrew texts outside the Bible, including the Samaritan Pentateuch. .......the researchers could not detect word pairs in the Samaritan Pentateuch or any other Hebrew text outside the Bible. In fact, an exhaustive analysis reveals that no other Hebrew text outside the Old testament contains these mysterious codes, not even the Hebrew apocryphal books written during the four hundred years before the birth of Christ"
A WORD OF CAUTION
"No one can search the Torah using these codes to foretell future events. The reason is that it is impossible to extract the encoded information unless you already know what the future facts are." "The prophet Isaiah warned against false prophets and declared that only God can Prophesy future events accurately
(Isa. 46: 9,10).
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"Computer tapes are now available so that anyone with a computer can personally verify the existence of these codes beneath the text of the Scriptures.
As Christians, we can stand firm in the word and shout for joy. God has given us "the words and the wisdom that none of our adversaries will be able to refute or contradict", no matter how much they try!
PRAISE THE LORD!
SIGNS OF THE TIME
References: Grant R. Jeffrey - "The Signature of God"- RECOMMENDED READING
Prepared by D. E. Davis
June 10, 1997
Prelude
How do we know that Jesus is the one true God when there are so many religions, cultures and cults that claim that they serve the one true god? How about Buddha, Allah?
Scripture says that God alone knows the beginning from the end. The way that God establishes His authority is through Biblical Prophesy. There are over 500 prophesies that were prophesied over 2,000 years ago that have all come to pass. There are still some Old Testament that have yet have to be fulfilled (Daniel Ezekiel), but there has never been an event prophesied that has not come to pass in it’s time. 100% accuracy tells us that the God of the Bible is the only true God. No one else in the history of the world, living or dead, can make this claim.
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In Matthew 24:3, just before Jesus' ascension into heaven, the disciples of Jesus ask Him what would be the sign of His second coming. Over the centuries various groups have attempted to guess when Christ would return to the earth to claim His inheritance as promised throughout scripture. As we know, no one has been right yet!. God clearly states in Matthew 24:36 that no man, not even the angels, know the day or the time when Christ will return. Only God the Father knows.
This summary is clearly not another attempt to forecast this event. This summary does, however, attempt to provide an awareness of what is happening around you so that you will not be caught unaware. (Ref. Luke 21:34 and Matthew. 24:42).
ACT 17:11- Exhorts you to daily review the scriptures to see if what is being said is true.
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----------------------THE SIGNS OF THE TIME-------------------
Grant Jeffrey has done a wonderful job of providing critical information about events that are happening in this generation that all Christians need to know; Events that were prophesied over 2,500 years ago. Approximately 90% of the material contained herein was extracted and summarized from Grant's book. I highly recommend reading this book as it contains so much more that you will want to know.
THE REBIRTH OF ISRAEL
The rebirth of Israel was prophesied in several scriptures throughout the Bible. Isaiah 66: 8 predicted that Israel would be born again in "one" day. Ezekiel 4:3-6 and Levitcus 26:18 foretold the exact number of days that it would take Israel to re-establish themselves as a nation in the last days. ( The exact calculation can be found in Grant Jeffrey's book referenced above). On May 14, 1948, the Jews proclaimed their independence of the reborn state of Israel.....The exact day that was predicted over twenty-five (25) centuries ago.......No other ancient nation ever ceased to exist for a period of centuries and then returned to take its place on the stage of world history."
PRESENT ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
In Psalms 83:2-8, God inspired King David to predict that upon Israel's rebirth as a nation it would be immediately surrounded by their enemies. The modern names of those nations named in scripture include Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria....the nations that have now joined the Palestinians in their attempt to destroy Israel.
In Gen. 12: 3, God has promised to punish those nations that come against Israel. "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
RESTORATION OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE
When Israel was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in approx. 562 B.C., Israel was no longer allowed to speak the Hebrew language, but had to learn the language of the Chaldeans. The Lord predicted, however, through Zephaniah 3:9, that he would restore a pure language to Israel so that they may "serve him with one consent". It was in the early part of this Century that the Hebrew language was revived from the dead language. Today, Hebrew is a living language to over 5 million Israelis.
THE FERTILITY OF ISRAEL
In Isaiah 27:6; 35:7 and Joel 2:23, the Lord prophesied through these prophets that the deserted, unproductive, barren land of Israel would once again become productive in the last days and that Israel would experience tremendous increases of rain. Ever since Israel has returned to the land, they have flourished in the land and now supply over 90 percent of the citrus fruit consumed in Europe. Rainfall has increased by more than "10 percent every decade for the last century and Israel has planted in excess of two hundred (200) million trees and transformed the complete environment of the Promised Land." According to the United Nations, Israel is now "the most agriculturally efficient land on earth."
THE UNWALLED CITY
Ezekiel 38:11 speaks of the future invasion of Gog and Magog (Russia) saying "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of un-walled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates". Grant explains that "even army bases and Israel's settlements in the West Bank and Gaza have no walls today.........How could Ezekiel have known twenty-five centuries ago that the development of modern weapons such as bombs, airplanes and missiles, would have made walls and gates irrelevant for defensive purposes in the last days. In the ancient past even small villages as well as cities depended on walls for defense against invading armies."
PLANS FOR REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE
Revelations 11:1, 2 foretells of Israel rebuilding the Temple in the last days. There is much controversy between the Israelis and the Muslim's because the Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa Mosque) it is believed, sits on the very spot where the Temple is suppose to be built. In recent years, however, aerial Infra-red photography shows that this may not be the case. Ezekiel 44:14-18, tell about the sacred vessels and linen robes that must be used in the Temple. "The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has already prepared over 75 of the objects, vessels, and linen garments required for future Temple service.......over 500 men from the tribe of Levi have already been trained to fulfill the duties of Temple worship and sacrifice."
Update:
Just recently in the Washington Post on May 28, 1997, it was reported that a 10 month old heifer named "Melody" is the first red heifer to be born in Israel in over 2,000 years. "In ancient times, the ashes of a red heifer were mixed with spring water to purify high priests before they entered the Temple."
THE REBUILDING OF BABYLON
We know that the old city of Babylon (now called Iraq) will be built again in the end times because Isaiah 13:6, 19 foretells of its destruction. In Isaiah 34:8-10 it is prophesied that the rebuilt City of Babylon will burn for ever.
"As unlikely as it seems, the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein has spent over one billion dollars rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon and intends that it will become the center of their future renewed Babylonian Empire. Interestingly, the whole city of Babylon was built over an underground lake of asphalt and oil."
THE ANOINTING OIL
The prophet Daniel prophesied in Dan. 9:24 that the when Jesus returns, that the most Holy of Holies will be anointed with the anointing oil. "One of the five ingredients, afars' mon, was thought lost forever, when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and the only two groves of afars'mon trees in existence were burned
to the ground. Incredibly, several years ago, archeologists in Israel found a clay flask buried near the Dead Sea caves filled with the ancient oil of anointing. Scientists confirmed that the oil is two thousand years old and is composed of the precise ingredients described in Exodus 30:25,26."
PESTILENCE/FAMINES/EARTHQUAKES
Matthew 24:7 prophesied that in the last days "For nation shall rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers (various) places." Grand Jeffrey writes regarding these matters:
· Pestilence - In 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency produced a report which "concluded that up to 75% of the population of Africa living in the area south of the Sahara Desert may become infected with AIDS over the next 12 years. This will mean the death by AIDS of over three hundred million people in Africa alone. In July 1991, the South African Medical Journal reported that a staggering 47% of black male and female blood donors tested positive for AIDS during 1989."
In Nov. 1996, the Associated Press reported that "Sexually transmitted diseases are diagnosed 12 million times a year in the United States - including a staggering 3 million cases among teen-agers".
· Famine - The United Nations today "claim that over thirty million in Africa are now at risk of dying from the most devastating famine in this century. The UN estimates that one billion people are in danger of starvation while another billion lack proper nutrition. North American food reserves (grain and corn) are at the lowest level in sixty years."
· Major killer earthquakes – “Major Killer earthquakes (7.2 or greater on the Richter scale) occurred only once per decade throughout history until our century. However, since A. D. 1900, the growth in major earthquakes has been relentless. From 1900 to 1949 it averaged three major quakes per decade. From 1949 the increase became awesome with 9 killer quakes in the 1950's; 13 in the 1960's; 56 in the 1970's and an amazing 74 major quakes in the 1980's. Finally, in the 1990's, at the present rate, we will experience 125 major killer quakes in this decade."
WORLD WIDE COMMUNICATION
In Revelation 11:9,10, it is prophesied that during the tribulation period, the antichrist will have the two witnesses that God sent killed and their bodies will lay in the street for three and a half days while the whole world watches.
Did not the whole world watch Desert Storm on CNN television? With all the technological advances in telecommunications, including the recent opening of the World Wide Net to our computer industry, any event happening in any part of the world can now be viewed while it is happening. The prophesy of the two witnesses could literally be fulfilled today. This could not have happened just 10 or 15 years ago.
INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AND TRAVEL
Daniel 12:4 prophesies how much knowledge and travel will increase in the end time. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the Book, even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased."
Today, it is estimated that "Human knowledge is growing so quickly that it literally doubles every twenty-four months." With the discovery through the use of modern "Super" computers by Grant Jeffrey and other researchers of the hidden codes that God supernaturally designed into the original Hebrew text of the Torah describing not only the history of the world in advance, but also verifying his Authority through His personal signature throughout his scripture, we realize that God chose this generation to reveal this unique aspect about himself.
It is also amazing that in this century, we have gone from horses to cars, from cars to supersonic spacecraft; not only can we now travel the world in a matter of hours, but in the case of the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery, we can now travel at speeds in excess of eighteen thousand miles per hour.
REVIVAL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Daniel 2:40-44 predicts that the old Roman Empire will be revived in the end times into a ten Nation alliance. We currently see the foundation being laid today through the European Economic Community. "In 1957, six (6) Countries signed the Treaty of Rome laying the foundation for the future United States of Europe.............Since then the Maastricht Treaty consolidated the fifteen (15) Nations of the European Union into the worlds first superstate." All it will take is the re-shuffling and/or the consolidation of Nations to bring this prophesy to a literal fulfillment.
ODDS THAT THESE PROPHECIES WERE FULFILLED BY CHANCE IN THIS GENERATION
"In the Bible there are several types of generations. One generation is defined as the length of life of the average person - seventy or eighty years. However, a generation of governing is usually defined as forty years,...........During the last two thousand years since the days of Christ, there were fifty such forty-year generations. Therefore, the odds are one chance in fifty that any one of these specific prophecies happened by chance in our generation rather than some other generation."
"The odds that more than one event happening in our life time are:
"Another way of looking at this is that the chance that the prophets of the Bible correctly guessed these prophecies is also one in 97,500 trillion............in other words, it is simply impossible that men alone could
have written the Bible without the supernatural assistance and inspiration of God."
Matthew 24:32-35 - "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
Luke 21:28 - "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
ANTI-CHRIST TO BE REVEALED
As of today, no one knows who the Anti-Christ is, but we do know what God has told us about him:
Many people try to spiritualize or say the events prophesied in the Bible are just symbolic. Any doubt about how God handles these prophetic events should have been erased on May 14,1948. God is literally fulfilling scriptural prophesy before our very eyes. Can we expect anything less for those few remaining prophesies for which He has promised the world; 1) the removal of the one who restrains the man of lawlessness/Sin (the rapture of the Church), 2) His second coming to take possession of His inheritance, 3) The millennial kingdom and 4) the new heaven and new earth.
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Ezekiel 33:6 - "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
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