THE INTERESTING
INFORMATION CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
CONFIRMING
BIBLICAL TRUTH
JUNE 20, 2018
SECTION 1 – INTERESTTING
INFORMATION WEEKLY ARTILCLES
SECTION 2 – SUMMARIES/BOOK
REVIEWS/SPECIAL ARTICLES/CHRISTIAN LINKS
SECTION
III – CONTACT
INTERESTING INFORMATION 6/20/2018
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.
C
DOUBLE
CLICK OR COPY TO BROWSER
URL -BIBLICAL TEKHELET FROM 3,500 YEARS
AGO TO TODAY
Blue thread dye produced from Murex trunculus
snails for Priesthood garments. (Exo. 39:1)
VIDEO- ISRAEL: LIVING
PROPHECY
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: “God cannot give us
happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there” – C.S. Lewis
INTERESTING ARTICLES
·
5 reasons we should
always support Israel
·
Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem
·
What you probably
didn’t know about the rainbow’s prophetic significance
·
Church-goers say gifts
to charity, needy count as tithing
·
Drag Queen children TV
shows coming to America, “Drag Tots”
·
PEACE AT ANY PRICE?
·
‘S
INTERESTING ARTICLES……
5 REASONS WE SHOULD ALWAYS SUPPORT
ISRAEL
Charisma
News – May 14, 2018 -- I'm thrilled to have been invited to join the
celebration of the grand opening of America's embassy in Jerusalem this week.
This is a historic moment, and the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's
capital and move our embassy there is the just and respectful move for the
people of Israel. Jerusalem is the seat of Israel's government, and Israel
reserves the right to determine its own capital city, as does any other
sovereign nation throughout the world.
Israel
has survived as a people and as a nation against all odds. They have suffered
unprovoked wars, genocide, slavery and every physical and rhetorical attack
imaginable. The reasons for standing with Israel are clear and overwhelming,
but in case there's any doubt, here are the five most important ones:
First, God has promised to bless those who
bless Israel. In Genesis 12:3, the Lord says of Israel, "I will bless
those who bless you and curse him who curses you, and in you all families of
the earth will be blessed." I firmly believe this promise from God
is as true today as it was centuries ago. And I take His promises seriously.
There's no denying God's sovereignty and His hand both in history and in each
of our lives. I dare not test God of the consequences for denying our
friendship and support of Israel.
Second,
Israel is a strategic ally—helping them helps us. Israel is our strongest ally in the
Middle East—militarily, economically and technologically. This cannot be
overstated. The Israelis regularly provide essential intelligence in confronting the global war on terror
and combating Islamic extremists. The Middle East has been a place of near
constant upheaval and violence, and it is imperative we remain friends with the
leading power in the region.
Third, Israel shares our democratic values.
The government of Israel adheres to the rule of law and treats its citizens
fairly and equally under the law. As such, they are a role model for other
nations. In a part of the world dominated by totalitarianism, they are a beacon
of hope.
Fourth,
Israel's enemies are daily plotting their destruction: The nation of Israel reemerged 70 years
ago from the ashes of the largest, most appalling genocide ever endured by any
people group in history: the Holocaust. One would hope that the memory of this
darkest moment in history would forever serve as a reminder to stand side by
side with the descendants of David as they resist the forces of death and
destruction assembled against them. Yet hardly a day goes by without a rogue
leader or violent insurgent group proclaiming "death to Israel" —all without the United Nations
so much as batting an eye. We mustn't be short-sighted and ignorant of the
perennial hatred and bigotry the Jewish people have endured. We can't let our
guard down for a moment, for the forces arrayed against Israel are the same
forces arrayed against us.
Fifth, God gave the Promised Land to the
Jewish people as their eternal home. Every other nation was founded by an
act of human will, but Israel is unique in that it was established by an act of
God. It was promised to Abraham by God in an eternal covenant. Genesis 17:8
reveals, "All the land of Canaan, where you now live as strangers, I will
give to you and to your descendants for an everlasting possession, and I will
be their God." The existence of Israel from its beginning is truly a
miracle, and the fact that Israel exists to this present day is testament to
the Lord's timeless promise.
These
are but a few of the many reasons we must stand with our friends in Israel. They
need us now more than ever—and we need them. Join me, then, as we are
instructed in Psalm 122: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they
prosper who love you! Peace be
within your walls and security within your towers!'"
May
a peaceful Jerusalem be an ever-louder chorus of God's providence and His
faithful hand in the world He created.
Israel365 -
June 12, 2018 -- This psalm starts with the words sha’alu
sh’lom Jerusalem, (pray for the well-being of Jerusalem. Shalom, translated here as ‘well-being,’ is the first Hebrew word many
people learn. It actually has three meanings: ‘hello,’ ‘goodbye’ and ‘peace.’
It is the word with which friends greet one another,
but Shalom is more than a greeting; it is also a
blessing. Peace is the most important gift we can ask from God, on an
individual level, as families, and between nations. It is therefore of utmost
significance that the world’s holiest city, Jerusalem
, has the word shalom at its core, because it is meant to be the source
for all peace on earth. King David exhorts “Pray for the well-being of Jerusalem ,” for
when Jerusalem
is confronted
with conflict, the whole world suffers. Conversely, though, when
Jerusalem
is at peace, the entire world enjoys serenity.
WHAT YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE
RAINBOW'S PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE
Charisma News
– May 9, 2018 -- My father was in the Naval Air Force. He belonged to a unique
division called "The Hurricane Squadron," a group of pilots that flew
prop planes into the eyes of hurricanes to take weather measurements (yes, they
had "the right stuff"). I always admired the courage it must have
taken to do something that daring.
When I was
just a child, we happened to be gazing at a rainbow and my dad matter-of-factly
explained, "When you get high enough in the atmosphere and look down on a
rainbow, it's not a semi-circle—often, it's a complete circle." That was a
"Wow!" moment for me, and I thought about it often, especially when I
witnessed one of those amazing bridges of hope stretching across the sky.
At first, I
didn't catch the biblical connection; it was just an intriguing marvel of
nature. Once I entered a relationship with God, though, the symbolism of this
biblical emblem impacted me more, because I realized a rainbow represents God's
promises.
It all started
with Noah. The global flood, foretold by God, had destroyed every living thing.
Only Noah, his family and the animals in the ark survived. After the waters
subsided, Noah offered burnt offerings to God. The Creator responded by saying:
"As for
Me, I establish My covenant with you, and with your
descendants after you; ... I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be
a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ... Then I will remember My covenant,
which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the
waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh" (Gen.
9:9,13, 15).
It's been
thousands of years now, and God has kept His word. The world has never been
destroyed by water since—and never will. Simply because God
promised.
By the way,
the point I made at the beginning—about the rainbow being a full circle—that
speaks a powerful message. The upper semi-circle, visible from below,
represents God's spoken Word promises (in the Bible or communicated to us
personally). The lower semi-circle, visible only from above, represents their
fulfillment. Standing on the surface of this planet, we only see the upper arc
(the promises) and often wonder if they will come to pass. From above, God sees
both the upper and the lower bands (the promises and their fulfillment) as one
and the same. Because what He says, He intends to do.
In the last
book of the Bible, John was lifted in the Spirit and saw an amazing
confirmation of this truth. In his vision, he saw a door open in heaven. Then,
walking into that celestial chamber, he described God's inner sanctum:
"Immediately
I was in the Spirit. And there was a throne set in heaven with One sitting on the throne! And He who sat there appeared
like a jasper and a sardius
stone. There was a rainbow around the throne, appearing like an emerald"
(Rev. 4:2-3).
Did you catch
that? The rainbow was not just over God's throne; the rainbow was around
God's throne. So, from heaven's perspective, God's promises and their
fulfillment are one and the same. We need to praise God every day with that
expectation.
CHURCHGOERS SAY GIFTS TO CHARITY, NEEDY
COUNT AS TITHING
Christian
Headline News – May 11, 2018 -- Most Protestant churchgoers believe that giving
10 percent of their income is a biblical requirement they should follow but
they define the practice of tithing in a variety of ways, a new survey shows.
About half say
they can give their tithes to a Christian ministry instead of a church. One in
3 say tithes can go to help a person who is in need.
And more than 1 in 6 say their funds can go to a secular charity.
“For many
churchgoers, tithing is just another term for generosity,” said Scott
McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research in
Nashville, Tenn., of the findings released Thursday (May 10).
The
evangelical research firm surveyed 1,010 Americans who attend a Protestant or
nondenominational church at least monthly. It also queried 1,000 Protestant
senior pastors.
Pastors are
less likely than people in the pews to view tithing as a continuing biblical
command.
While 83
percent of churchgoers say tithing is a current requirement, 72 percent of
pastors agree.
Pastors who
affirm that tithing is a biblical command don’t agree on how to define it. More
than half (56 percent) say it should be one-tenth of an individual’s gross
income. Seventeen percent say it should be one-tenth of net income. Eleven
percent say it is “whatever amount a person regularly sets aside to give” and 7
percent say it is “whatever amount a person actually gives.”
Among
churchgoers, large majorities in different regions and of different races said
tithing should continue today: 85 percent of Southerners, 74 percent of
Northerners, 87 percent of African-Americans and 80 percent of whites.
Those with
evangelical beliefs were more likely (86 percent) to view tithing as a current
biblical demand than those without them (79 percent). Those attending church
services at least weekly were more likely (85 percent) to have that view than
those attending once or twice monthly (71 percent).
More than half
of churchgoers (54 percent) give a tenth or more of their income to their
church while 1 in 5 said they give regularly but less than 10 percent and a
similar number say they try to give but are not always consistent. Eight
percent say their finances make it difficult to donate and 2 percent reported
not giving to their church.
“Even those
who can’t tithe believe that giving matters,” said McConnell. “Most churchgoers
say they give — even if it’s a struggle.”
Of those who
do give, most often do so in a personal way — contributing cash or a check at
church. Eleven percent use their church website for
giving, and smaller percentages use automatic payments or a church app, though
some give using more than one method.
“Giving is
considered an act of worship — and clicking on a mouse may not feel as holy as
putting your offering in the collection plate,” McConnell said.
DRAG QUEEN CHILDREN TV SHOWS COMING TO
AMERICA, 'DRAG TOTS!' FEATURES CROSS-DRESSING TODDLERS (Excerpt)
The Christian
Post – June 11, 2018 -- At least two new animated television shows about drag
queens, one featuring children characters, are set to debut in America, drawing
high concern from conservative commentators.
World of
Wonder released a trailer in May about "Drag Tots!,"
a show about toddler drag queens coming June 28th, featuring transgender model RuPaul.
"In a
world on the brink of chaos, where fear is the rule of the land, the voices of
a generation have banded together to give our planet what it needs...BABY DRAG
QUEENS!" proclaims a preview on YouTube.
On May 31,
Netflix announced the animated "Super Drags," with a teaser
preview that is yet to be given a release date stating:
"By
night, they tighten up their corsets and transform into the baddest
SUPER DRAGS in town, ready to combat shade and rescue the world's glitter from
the evil villains. Get ready, because the SUPER DRAGS are going deeper than you
think."
In a Saturday
post on The American Conservative website, Orthodox Christian author
Rod Dreher described such shows as "woke
pederasty."
"Netflix
is turning drag queens into animated superheroes, and RuPaul's
streaming service is turning drag queens into child superheroes," Dreher warned.
"You
might think — I certainly hope you think — that your child will not be exposed
to this filth. The thing is, your child, and all of us, have to live in a world
in which this is normal, and in which the popular culture thinks that dressing
little boys up like sexually provocative women is not only permissible, but a
sign of cultural progress," he added.
The
author pointed to other such efforts, like the "Drag Queen Story
Hours" that have been held in libraries across America.
They
have been adapted by other countries as well, including the United Kingdom,
with activists defending the idea of drag queens reading to children. Acculturated
author Amelia Hamilton has warned that even if children being
exposed to cross dressers is aimed at introducing new ideas and opening
their minds, "it is clear that the events skew in a particular political
direction."
"As
the author of two patriotic (and apolitical) children's books, I can attest to
the fact that the left is highly suspicious of exposing children to anything
that could potentially be considered conservative," Hamilton said at the
time, in comments directed at Drag Queen Story Time.
PEACE AT ANY PRICE?
Relationships
are one of life’s greatest sources of joy. Yet they can also lead to some of
our biggest trials. Let’s face it—we won’t be able to get along with everyone,
because we live in an imperfect world. Every human being has been affected by
the fall and enters this life as a sinner. Furthermore, the fact that we are
Christians is itself a source of conflict: Jesus tells us the world will hate
us because we are His (John 15:18-20).
Despite all
these obstacles, we are to try to be at peace with all men. This means we
should seek to resolve conflicts and do what we can to live in harmony.
Scripture gives us the following guidelines:
·
Never
pay back evil for evil or take your own revenge (Rom. 12:17, Rom. 12:19).
·
Overcome
evil with good (Rom. 12:21).
·
Love and pray for your enemies (Luke 6:27-28).
·
Practice frequent forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22).
These
principles all run counter to human nature; therefore, the only way to
successfully apply them is through the power and grace of Jesus Christ. Yet
despite our best efforts, peace is not always possible. When our overtures are
repeatedly rejected, ending the quest may be appropriate. Or if harmony is
possible only by violating Scripture, we must refuse to compromise.
God is the
only one who can change the heart of someone who refuses to be reconciled. Our
responsibility is to faithfully represent Christ to that person with our words,
attitudes, and behavior. The Lord’s job is to produce the fruit.
In Touch
Ministry
PRIOR ISSUE
INTERESTING INFORMATION 6/13/2018
DOUBLE
CLICK OR COPY TO BROWSER
URL - LIBRARIES PUSH CROSS-DRESSING ON YOUNG KIDS
VIDEO - THE JOSHUA & CALEB
REPORT – MEET SONDRA BARAS, THE FOUNDER
OF CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAELI COMMUNITIES
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
LOVE
SONG
– HILLSONG
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: “A Christian is: A mind
through which Christ thinks, is a heart through which Christ lives, is a voice
through which Christ speaks, is a hand through which Christ helps.” – Saint Augustine
INTERESTING ARTICLES
·
What Joseph’s Prophetic
journey can teach us about God’s timing
·
The origins of Zion
·
Can you be gay and
Christian?
·
Undercover Planned
Parenthood videos appear to show employees ignoring rape and abuse
·
Love God more than the
Bible?
·
THE IMPORTANCE OF
MOTIVE
·
‘S
INTERESTING ARTICLES……
WHAT JOSEPH'S PROPHETIC JOURNEY CAN
TEACH US ABOUT GOD'S TIMING
Charisma News
– June 1, 2018 -- Life is full of peaks and valleys, pits and pinnacles.
Sometimes it feels like you're on a non-stop roller coaster ride. Whether it's
your job, school, marriage, church, family or just life in general, everything
is a mixture of bitter and sweet. Emotions fluctuate like the stock market—up
one minute, down the next. Of all the Bible characters who
experienced life's ups and downs, Joseph comes to mind. Paul Evans wrote,
"Adversity is God's university." If that is true, then Joseph had a
Ph.D.
Joseph was
Jacob's favorite son by his favorite wife (Rachel) whom he sired in his old
age. The age disparity made him more like a grandson to Jacob, who showed his
favoritism by making him a multi-colored tunic. His 10 older brothers were not
amused by Joseph's fancy clothes or his absurd dreams. If Joseph had a fault,
it was being a blabbermouth—he couldn't keep his dreams to himself.
God gave
Joseph two prophetic dreams that provided glimpses into his future and
propelled him to his destiny. In the first dream, the brothers were bundling
wheat in the field when all his brother's sheaves (bundles of wheat) bowed down
to his sheaf. In the second dream, the sun, moon and 11 stars bowed down to
him. Even Jacob rebuked him for such an outlandish idea.
Joseph's
jealous brothers resented him for his bright clothes, his big dreams and his
big mouth. "'So you want to be our king, do you?' his brothers derided.
And they hated him both for the dream and for his cocky attitude" (Gen.
37:8, TLB). Then they conspired to kill him to ensure that none of his
fantasies ever materialized.
The
opportunity came when Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were
grazing their flocks. Reuben, the oldest brother, intervened and spared his
life. Instead, they stripped Joseph's coat off, threw him in a pit, brought
their father his torn tunic covered with goat's blood and let him assume the
worst. Meanwhile, they secretly sold Joseph to a band of Midianite merchants
bound for Egypt.
When Joseph
arrived in Egypt as a slave in shackles, perhaps he wondered if he had
misinterpreted his dreams. He was purchased at auction by Potiphar, captain of
Pharaoh's guard. Joseph worked hard, proved himself
trustworthy and quickly rose through the ranks to become his top manager. God's
favor on his life was obvious.
When
Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Him, Joseph fled the scene, leaving another
coat behind. With scant evidence and no witnesses, she claimed he tried to rape
her and had him thrown into prison. There, God gave him favor with the warden
and soon Joseph, an inmate, was running the joint as the jailer's assistant. As
time passed, word spread that he had a keen ability to decipher the meaning of
dreams.
Before long,
he interpreted the chief butler and baker's dreams, which had fallen out of
favor with Pharaoh. Just as Joseph predicted, the butler was restored to his
post, serving the king's court while the baker was executed. Two years later,
Pharaoh had a nightmare about seven healthy cows that were eaten by seven sick
cows. Awakened, he dozed off and dreamed again about seven plump ears of corn
being devoured by seven scrawny ears of corn. When Pharaoh's magicians couldn't
interpret the dreams, the butler suddenly remembered Joseph and had him
summoned from prison.
God gave
Joseph the meaning of Pharaoh's dreams. He predicted seven years of plenty
would be followed by severe famine and proposed a plan to stockpile 20 percent
of every harvest to sustain them through the drought. Pharaoh appointed Joseph
over all of Egypt as his right-hand man to implement the plan. Ironically,
Pharaoh placed a royal robe (another new coat) on Joseph, gave him his regal
signet ring and a golden necklace, and paraded him through Egypt in a chariot.
Imagine that—a prisoner promoted to prime minister!
Pharaoh
renamed Joseph "Zaphnath-paaneah" (quite a
mouthful), meaning "giver of the nourishment of life, or savior of the
world." God used him to literally save the ancient world from starvation.
Joseph was 30 years old when he was promoted. He was 17 when he had his dreams,
a 13-year interval. Then there were seven years of bounty plus two years of
famine before his brothers showed up in Egypt looking for food. So a total of
22 years went by after Joseph dreamed his brothers would bow down to him, and
it finally came to pass. Don't give up on your God-given dreams.
Joseph is a
fitting type of Jesus. Notice the striking similarities:
When Joseph
revealed his identity to his guilt-ridden brothers, they expected him to kill
them. Instead, Joseph forgave them, was reunited with his grief-stricken father
and moved their clan to Egypt to take care of them. Here's how he summarized
his difficult journey: “But as for you, you intended to harm me, but God
intended it for good ... to save many lives" (Gen. 50:20)
That is the
essence of redemption—how God brings good out of bad. God can take the bad
things that happen in our lives and turn them around in our favor. He can lift
us out of our pit and put us on the pinnacle. So, when life gets you down,
remember how God used a slave to save the world. Then imagine what He can do
through you.
THE ORIGINS OF ZION
CAN YOU BE GAY AND CHRISTIAN?
Charisma News
– May 8, 2018 -- It's the question I'm asked over and over again. It's the
question that's dividing churches and separating family members. It's the
question that must be answered: Can you be gay and Christian?
Well, if you
claim to be a Christian, that means Jesus is your Lord
and the Bible is your authority, so the real question is: What does Jesus have
to say about this? And what does the Bible—God's Word—have to say? That's what
we need to find out.
Of course, we
understand that every Christian struggles in some area, whether it be pride or anger or lust or jealousy or greed. But we also
recognize that these desires and attitudes are sinful, and so we say no to them
and yes to the Lord.
In the same
way, some Christians struggle with same-sex attractions, saying no to those
attractions and yes to the Lord. That's their area of temptation and battle.
But what about
those who say, "God made me gay, and if I'm in a committed relationship,
the Lord is pleased. After all, God is love, and love wins. What the Bible
opposes is abusive relationships like homosexual pederasty and prostitution and
promiscuity. That's what the Scriptures condemn. But the Lord blesses committed
same-sex relationships."
Is this true?
There's only
one way to answer this question. With humility, we must come to God and His
Word and say, "Father, whatever You say, we will
obey. We only want Your will."
So, what does
God's Word have to say? Can you practice homosexuality and follow Jesus at the
same time?
We've put
together a six-minute video that answers this head-on, clarifying
misunderstandings, dispelling myths and offering hope.
Can you be gay
and Christian? You'll find your answers here.
UNDERCOVER PLANNED PARENTHOOD VIDEOS
APPEAR TO SHOW EMPLOYEES IGNORING RAPE AND ABUSE
Christian
Headline News – June 10, 2018 -- Two new undercover videos seem to show Planned Parenthood
employees at clinics ignoring claims of statutory rape and advising pimps on
how to get an unreported abortion for underage prostitutes.
In two new
videos from Live Action, "Aiding Abusers: Planned Parenthood's
Cover-Up of Child Sex Abuse,"
the pro-life group shows undercover investigators talking with clinic
employees.
Live Action
claims that its undercover sex trafficking investigation found eight different
Planned Parenthood employees at seven different facilities in different states
“showed a willingness to aid and abet sex traffickers.”
"Rather
than reporting suspected abuse to authorities, Planned Parenthood has
repeatedly looked the other way," Live Action President Lila Rose said in
a statement. "Because of Planned Parenthood's atrocious record of
returning victims to their abusers to suffer yet more abuse, Live Action has
worked for a decade to expose the systemic abuse cover-up."
Planned
Parenthood officials have not responded to the investigations.
In the video investigation of sex trafficking, undercover
investigators posed as pimps and prostitutes to ask employees how they could
get an abortion for underage girls.
Undercover
investigators said they were involved in “sex work” and worked with young girls
about 14 to 15 years old.
However, in
one instance, a clinic worker tells the pimp that there is a bit of “play room”
for rules dealing with minors.
"So as
long they just lie and say, 'Oh, she's 15, 16.' You know, as long as they don't
say 14 and as long as it's not too much of an age gap then we just kind of
like, then we just kind of like play it," the clinic worker is seen saying
in the video.
In the video investigation of statutory rape, a clinic worker
advises a 13-year-old undercover investigator who tells the worker that her
boyfriend was 31.
The employee
tells the girl she doesn’t want to know the age because she would then have to
report the case as rape and sexual abuse.
She told the
girl to say her boyfriend was 14.
In an Arizona clinic,
the investigation found workers giving similar advice.
"You
don't have to say anything," the clinic worker says. "It's your choice, it is your private life. I mean as long as you are
not being forced to have sex."
LOVE GOD MORE THAN THE BIBLE?
Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto
my path.”
A young pastor
wrote this on Facebook: “If God is not bigger than your Bible, then your Bible
is God.”
Creation
Moments – June 9, 2018 -- This is one of those pious phrases that people like
to post on Facebook so that others can sagely nod their heads at the profundity
of the statement and then pass the comment on. And at first sight, the
statement has a “rightness” about it. We do not want
to elevate anything above God, do we? He should be our primary focus.
However, the
statement falls apart on closer examination. If someone earnestly studies the
Bible day after day, carefully learning what is in it, what are they going to
learn? The Bible is a unique book, inspired by the Holy Spirit. So the earnest
Bible student will, in fact, be learning more about God. It is through His
inspired word, the Bible, that God has revealed Himself specifically to us.
Yes, there is the general revelation of nature, but this is not enough to teach
us about the nature of God.
Pious
statements like these are actually used to take people away from God’s word by
implying that God has given us so much more outside His word. In fact, this
Facebook pastor used this statement to justify his own particular relationship
that He believed had been granted to him by God despite the fact that the Bible
describes it as a sin.
One person
added a wonderfully appropriate comment to the post: “If your God is not the
God revealed in the Bible, then you are an idolater.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVE
Our culture is
action-oriented. Generally, when we see a problem, we plunge ahead with a
solution. But before taking action, it would be wise to examine our motives.
Not every good deed is prompted by a good motive.
When David
arrived at the scene of Israel’s battle against the Philistines, he saw Goliath
for the first time and heard the Philistine’s insults and mockery of the
Israelites. Then someone told him about the rewards King Saul had promised to
the man who would kill Goliath—great riches, the king’s daughter for a wife,
and freedom from taxation.
Such a
generous reward was certainly a great motivator, and it obviously piqued David’s
interest. However, what ultimately propelled him onto the battlefield was the
desire to defend God’s name: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he
should taunt the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26).
As maturing
Christians, we must examine our motives for desiring victory in any battle we
face. Too often we are seeking a selfish end, such as release from our
discomfort and a return to an easier way of life. But God is more interested in
molding us into Christlikeness than He is in keeping us comfortable.
Think about
the last conflict you faced, or maybe the one you’re experiencing right now.
Are God’s honor and your spiritual growth the focus of your desires? If not,
then you are at odds with what He is trying to accomplish in your life. But if
His will is more important to you than your own agenda, you can be certain that
He will use the battle for your good and His glory
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."
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:
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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"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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