Edition 374: July 18^th 2017.

Suddenly – the King!

Introduction:

 Our Lord and Saviour, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince of peace and Lord of glory, will arrive suddenly! The rapture of the true church of the living God, will take place suddenly. The tribulation will begin suddenly. The veil of blindness upon the Jews will be lifted suddenly!

Sudden destruction will come to this world - off guard and unaware.

Suddenly:

If we put the root meanings together of the word “suddenly” in both Hebrew and Greek we come up with: Surprising, straightaway, instantly, unexpectedly.

The meanings can be extended into the resulting actions or emotions as well. For example, “sudden” as used here in the Bible often produces shock, awe, confusion, regret, hysteria and the like.

The sudden rapture:

The biblical rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17) or “catching up of we who are alive,” is an event which is exclusive. It’s only for the born-again, true church. It will take place in an “atomic moment.” This is the meaning of the original word “moment,” used in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. It means the smallest division of time possible.

The rapture is also seen as occurring in a “twinkling of an eye.” This is also an incredibly short space of time. This term has other wonderful meanings. Let’s have a brief look at it:

One of the Feast of Trumpets rituals is called the “Tashikh” symbolising the casting off of sins and the beginning of all things new. It is to be performed in the late afternoon at dusk, just as the sun sets and just before the night begins. This very short transition period is known as the “twinkling of an eye.”

The ritual is still performed today, at any body of water by the practise of casting stones, representing the sins of Israel, into the water while quoting Micah 7:19-20 “God will again have compassion on us, you will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

A previous verse in the same discourse (verse9) says that “God will bring them (Jews) forth into the light and they will see His righteousness.”

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:52 in describing the rapture of the church, compares it with the “twinkling of an eye” ritual at Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets)

Do you see what I see?

The rapture will happen very fast. It will happen on a Feast of Trumpets, which is the next to find prophetic fulfilment, and it will signal the mass salvation of the Jews, as they go into the tribulation period, which will begin immediately, suddenly, at the same time.

The big thing to bear in mind here is that there will be no time to prepare. Those who think they can wait till the last moment before getting saved or getting ready will be “suddenly” shocked! The suddenness of the event will catch the world totally off-guard!

For those in the sudden rapture, it will be instant transformation into incorruptible, eternal glory!

The rapture is sudden, exclusive, selective and spectacular and is very closely associated with the start of the tribulation.

Enoch is a type of the sudden rapture. Imagine walking along with someone and suddenly “he was not, because God took him!” (Genesis 5:24) No wonder people think we’re crazy!

Will it be world peace or world war?

Will the rapture leave behind a world of temporary peace?

No it won’t. The peace treaty or covenant that starts the tribulation and reveals the antichrist peace-maker is the only “peace” the world will see.  The “peace treaty” will be a gigantic lie and deception.

The only “peace” the world will see is the word “peace” written on a piece of paper!

Some believe that the first half of the tribulation will be peaceful and only the second half will be the “wrath of God.”

Not so! The entire tribulation will see natural and social upheavals. Yes, the second half will be far worse, but far worse than the devastation of the first half!

1 Thessalonians 5:3 “When they (unsaved) say ‘peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them like labour pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape.”

Isaiah 47:11 “...Desolation shall come upon you (Babylon) suddenly, which you shall not know.”

Jeremiah 6:26 Impending destruction: “O daughter of my people...the plunderer shall come upon us suddenly.”

Jeremiah 51:8 “Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed...”

“Babylon” in these verses above is not the literal city, but the end-time world-system in type.

So now we see that the true church will suddenly meet our King and so be with Him forever in everlasting peace. We see that the world will suddenly meet their lord – the antichrist, in massive tribulation and everything but peace!

Mental anguish and turmoil of the time:

Very few people are aware of how much the Bible has to say about the sudden deterioration of the mental condition of people in the tribulation period!

The tribulation period and a fair amount of the preceding forerunner times will be a time of great conflict in the spiritual realm, which will have ramifications and consequences in the natural, specifically in the hearts and minds of people.

Be aware that the whole world will suddenly be engulfed in spiritual conflict with no restraint, which will instantly transfer to the minds of the masses.

►For more on dealing with these issues personally, see Edition 372 “God’s psychology for today.”

The tribulation period is the final end of God’s patience with sinful, evil, wicked mankind. It is the end of His grace, which has warned about over and over again.

These tragic, but powerful verses below all relate to the stressed out minds of the masses in the time period called the tribulation:

Deuteronomy 28:28 “The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart.”

Jeremiah 20:4 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies and your eyes shall see it...”

Jeremiah 15:8 “...I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly.”

Isaiah 13:6-9 “Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty, therefore all hands will be limp, every man’s heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them...Behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate and He will destroy its sinners from it.”

The key words and phrases from these verses above are:

●Madness ●blindness ●confusion of heart ●A terror to yourself ●Sudden anguish ●terror ●fear ●sorrow ●Limp hands,melting hearts.

Note that these words above all relate to one’s psychological state!

The tragedy today is that sin is worshipped and accepted. Holiness is rejected, refused and condemned. This is all a total reversal. God’s word said it would be this way. The reason is simple:

Satan is the god of sin. Our Lord is the God of holiness. Satan gave birth to sin in the Garden.  Our Lord was the sacrifice for sin in the new birth, of which holiness is the result. But you can only reach it by being born-again!

The one and only remedy for sin and the way to holiness and peace is the way of the cross. Outside of the new-birth mankind is doomed to a fallen deteriorating life now and in eternity.

The heart of man is desperately wicked says the Bible. (Jeremiah 17:9) People love the darkness and sin. (John 3:19)

The term “born-again” is vitally important. It is key and foundational to true, pure, biblical Christianity. It is NOT to be changed, renamed or interfered with in any way, by anyone. Being born-again means being born-again, NOT conceived.

Isn’t it interesting that we are in a time where “knowledge will increase.” (Daniel 12:4) But at the same time deception is increasing. (Matthew 24:4) Both travel along the same highway!

Truth and holiness and error and sin are growing further and further apart these days, making it very easy to identify which is which. Then why are these days characterised by great deception and delusion? It’s because at the same time, spirits are putting out the spiritual eyes of the hard-hearted!

The messages of Joseph:

Joseph was a type of Yeshua. He was a Jew, but also has a close affinity with the Gentiles.

Both Yeshua and Joseph were rejected by their brothers. Both went to Egypt. Both were stripped of their robe / coats. Both overcame temptation and both were falsely accused. Both were unrecognised by their brothers at first. Both provided salvation.

Joseph landed up as a chief in the chief of the Gentile world – Egypt. He married a Gentile bride.

Now let’s have a look at some incredible facts!

In the Amplified Bible and in the Jewish, Hebrew Bibles, Psalm 81:5 contains a great mystery. In this one verse Joseph’s name has an extra “h” inserted. The ancient Rabbis believed that because Joseph sanctified his divine name by resisting Potiphar’s wife, he deserved having this extra letter from the divine name “Yahweh” added to his name.

Joseph (in Hebrew) now had part of the name of the Messiah in his name.

►Another powerful explanation for the added letter “h” is found in the same story. Before Joseph was about to be appointed Viceroy by Pharaoh, he was required to be able to speak all seventy languages of the then world. He could not, so the angel Gabriel came to him in the night and supernaturally gave them all to him, but added the extra letter to indicate that Joseph’s future ministry would be of God and to every nation, tribe and tongue on the earth.

When Joseph became Viceroy he had all the Egyptians circumcised. This is a type of his passion to have the whole world converted. This passion is also seen in Moses taking the bones of Joseph with him out of Egypt.

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him symbolising this desire to convert the world.

Pharaoh gave Joseph a new name on his release from prison, on the day which became the Feast of Trumpets (Psalm 81:3-6). The new name was: Zaphnath-Paaneah, meaning “The revealer of secrets.” (Genesis 41:45) Bear in mind that the children of Israel were released from Egypt also on the Feast of Trumpets. (Isaiah 27:13)

Will the Jews begin to have the great secret revealed of the Messiah’s identity on a Feast of Trumpets? – You bet!

Joseph was released from prison to become the kings king. Pharaoh did this by giving him the royal ring and clothing him with new garments of fine linen and put a golden medallion around his neck. Then Pharaoh gave Joseph his own chariot to ride out to all the people.

As he rode out, the people all called him by the name “Avrech”. (Genesis 41:42-43) The Hebrew sages interpret this name as, “The one to whom we all kneel”.

Do you see what I see?

Joseph is a type of our Lord. He is the revealer of the great secret that Yeshua is the Jewish God of the Jews. This revelation will hit the Jews suddenly, with the great drama beginning on a soon-coming Feast of Trumpets.

Joseph revealed himself to his brothers “suddenly.” It was a sudden revelation.

The Jews, with their new found, long-lost “Brother” will be the great “light to the nations” – to every tribe and tongue and nation!

Joseph is also called by the sages, “The splendour of Adam.”

My friend, our Lord and glorious Saviour is the final and complete “splendour of Adam!” My Jewish friends, you will soon become the “splendour of Adam” as your eyes look to Joseph and see not him but your great King of kings and Lord of lords! My friends, we as true believers in our Lord, at the rapture, will soon become the final “splendour of Adam, too!

The drama to end all dramas:

Well, my friends it is already a spectacular drama of monumental proportions as we have seen so far. The main subject of this edition is the suddenness of it all. Have a look now at some verses relating to our theme.

Psalm 6:10 “Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly!”

Malachi 3:1 “Behold I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. The Lord whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger in who you delight, behold He is coming, says the Lord of hosts (armies.)”

Isaiah 29:5 “The multitude of your foes shall be like fine dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passes away; It shall be in an instant, suddenly!”

Leviticus 26:15-16 “If you despise My judgements, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will appoint (sudden) terror over you...”

Zechariah 3:9 “...I will remove the iniquity of that land (Israel) in one day.”

Habakkuk 3:4 “His brightness was like the light; He has rays flashing from His hand, and there His power was hidden.”

The word “light” in the verse above is the same word used for: “The breaking of the dawn, awakening, light of life, light of face.”

There is a great awakening coming to Israel from the hand of our Lord. They will suddenly see His face, in a new light – the light of life. It will be a new dawn that will have been birthed in the twinkling of an eye!

Suddenly, the future!

We’ve seen that many things will happen very suddenly. There are other things that will also happen suddenly, but from a wider prophetic point of view. These things we will see taking shape.

It is the issues surrounding Jerusalem, the Jewish people and even the Temple Mount that are now in the prophetic mixer.

Watch for Syria to fall. Watch for Jordan to turn against Israel. Watch for Lebanon to become a lot more hostile with Israel. Watch for Iran to explode onto the stage. Watch for the King of the North and of the South to appear. Watch for the Psalm 83 war to start. Watch for a new Temple. Above all watch your own heart.

Imagine that one day you will be sitting right there where you are now, just like normal, and in a blinding flash you will suddenly be in heaven! What a thought! But the funny thing is; it will soon be very true!

My friends we are about to go into the most astonishing, amazing, dramatic and fantastic times. Staggering, stunning and splendid are words that come to mind when considering the future for the true believer!

Finally:

2 Peter3:14 “Be diligent that you be found in peace.”

When you move forward in the truth, you move into holiness and ever -expanding peace.

The world promotes and celebrates the destruction of restraint in society and the advance of sin and evil. They deplore the advance of holiness and purity.

My friends, “diamonds are forever!” (1 Joel 1:1) You have the potential to be a diamond in the pillar of God’s eternal temple. You were created to shine like a bright jewel forever.

Did you know that the purity of a diamond determines its value? Diamonds full of flaws can still be used, but only as industrial stones. A pure flawless diamond goes into a valuable ring or crown for all to see and admire.

A diamond is a pure and true “rock of the ages”!

The purity of a diamond speaks of the beauty of holiness! The purity of you is just the same.

Will you be an eternal dazzler? I hope you are. (1 Corinthians 15:41)

This is one the pictures I took of a magnificent Baobab tree at Kubu Island in the Makgadikgadi Desert, Botswana. I’ve superimposed it over an art work. Kubu is an island of vertical rock and ancient baobab trees rising out of the 20,000sq km salt pan.

Shalom and grow in His Grace!

Edition 373: July 11^st 2017.

Will Israel break God’s covenant?

Introduction:

 What makes Israel, Jerusalem and the Jews unique and special is that they are the only ones that God has made eternal covenant promises with, besides true, born-again believers. These covenants identify and separate Israel from the world – forever!

The covenant promises also reveal God’s prophetic plans, purposes and will. They find their dramatic conclusion in these days, and the time period just ahead.

Biblical covenants are between two people, or in this case, between God Himself and the Jews as an entity. But is a covenant still valid if one side breaks his side of the deal?

The central theme of this edition is God’s eternal covenant of peace with Israel and Satan’s counterfeit covenant of peace with Israel for seven years.

God’s covenant:

Genesis 17:7-8 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

Deuteronomy 4:40 “You shall keep His statutes and commandments that it may go well with you and with your children after you and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

Psalm 105:8-9 “He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded for a thousand generations, and the covenant which He made with Abraham and His oath to Isaac and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant.”

These verses above are so rich with many legal terms. They are substantial, clear and perfectly spelt out with no ambiguity!

Who are God’s covenant promises for?

Numbers 33:50-55 Instructions for the conquest of Canaan: “Moses, speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their moulded images and demolish all their high places...but if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those who you let remain, shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.”

Note in the verse above that the children of Israel were to drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land as they went in, by commandment of God. So much for the UN’s claim that Israel is the occupying force!

Israel did not fully comply with this and the Palestinian issue is the resulting “irritant.”

Exodus 34:11-14 “Observe what I command you this day. Behold I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite  and the Jebusite. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst...”

Note in the verse above, the list of people who were to be removed. These are the origins of the Arab /Palestinian people today. Note that Israel was to make no covenant of any sort with them!

Let me say that again: Israel is forbidden from making any covenant with them, but is to drive them out of the land.

Genesis 17:18-21 “Abraham said to God, ‘O that Ishmael (Arabs) might live before You!’ Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; (Jews) I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.”

So, in these verses above we see that God has made covenant promises with the children of Israel, and not the Arabs / Palestinians. The covenant promises from God are exclusively for the Jews and the land of Israel. There are other promises given to the Arabs.

Israel’s covenant with God is of peace:

Numbers 25:12-13 “The Lord spoke to Moses and said to him, say “Behold I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him, a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for His God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.”

Ezekiel 37:26 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.”

Isaiah 54:10 “The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has mercy upon you.”

The end result and fruit of God’s covenant promises with Israel is of peace. This is peace in the land of Israel, peace in the city of Jerusalem and ultimately peace in the hearts of the people.

Israel’s coming fateful mistake:

Leviticus 26:15-16 “If you despise My judgements, so that you do not perform all My commandments, but break My covenant, I also will do this to you: I will appoint (sudden) terror over you...”

Israel will break their side of God’s covenant promises with devastating consequences, for them and the whole world. But God will not break His side of the deal. The covenant promises will endure. But they will have a temporary seven-year hold as the great tribulation partially destroys the world.

Israel will make a fateful, forbidden covenant with the person who is to be revealed as the antichrist, which will bring the world’s most severe curses and catastrophes upon the world and Israel for a short season.

Jeremiah 11:2-5 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant, which I commanded your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice...that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers...”

●Hosea 8:1-3 “Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the Lord, because they have broken My covenant and rebelled against My law. Israel will cry to Me, “My God, we know You!” Israel has cast off good; the enemy will pursue him.”

●Isaiah 24:1-6 “Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and distorts its surface. It shall be; as with the people, so with the priest...The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty (proud) people of the earth languish. The earth is defiled under its inhabitants...they have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth...therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few are left.”

Again these verses above are clear and full of tragic meaning and soon-coming reality!

The forbidden, cursed covenant:

As we have seen in these amazing verses above, Israel will break their side of God’s covenant. They will make a new covenant, a peace deal, in place of God’s covenant, against God’s will and command. Israel will make a cursed covenant of peace with Satan himself – in disguise!

This cursed act will not nullify God’s eternal covenant, but will put it on hold for seven years!

Isaiah 28:15-18 “Because you (Israel) have said, ‘we have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol (hell) we are in agreement. When the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood we have hidden ourselves...’Therefore, your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol (hell) will not stand...”

As revealed in the verse above, Israel will think that they will be safe and have peace by making this new covenant! Talk about a grand tragedy! But also note that the peace covenant with the antichrist will not last and will be annulled.

What powerful deception Israel will come under!

The world will also reap the curse. Because it is of its god – Satan, it will encourage and welcome this “peace” deal with the antichrist.

Many Bible teachers get this satanic, antichrist peace covenant wrong because they look exclusively at Daniel 9:27, which only reveals some aspects of the covenant. There are many verses relating to this soon-coming covenant with hell. We must examine them all together to get the full picture.

The more traditional view is absolutely right. That is that this is a seven-year peace covenant signed between the person who will be revealed by that signing as the antichrist, and Israel as well as “the many.”

Some teach erroneously that this is not a “peace” covenant, because Daniel 9:27 doesn’t use those words. – Hogwash! Some teach that this is one of the previous peace efforts like the Oslo accord simply resurrected. – Hogwash!

No previous peace deal with Israel was a seven-year covenant, as it must be. All previous covenants are null and void and would have to be re-negotiated. The word “peace” is found in other verses.

Here are some of the verses dealing with this fateful, coming covenant:

Daniel 8:24-25 “His power (antichrist) shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty and also the holy people...He shall destroy many in their prosperity (and peace). He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human hand.”

Daniel 11:21-22 “In his place shall arise a vile person (antichrist) to whom they will not give the honour of royalty, but he shall come in peaceably (Lit=making peace) and seize the kingdom by intrigue...He shall be the prince of the covenant.”

Daniel 11:30-32 “...He (antichrist) shall rage against the holy covenant and do damage. He shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant...he shall defile the holy sanctuary and place there the abomination of desolation. Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery, but the people who know their God shall be strong...”

Note in these verses above we have the prince of the covenant of hell and the Prince of princes! Israel will make the wrong choice initially!

Israel cannot sign any sort of peace covenant with the world, Palestinians, antichrist or anyone, without breaking God’s pre-existing eternal peace covenant with them made thousands of years ago.

The covenant of the “prince of the covenant” (antichrist) is exactly what brings destruction and not peace.

Daniel 9:27 “He shall confirm (make oneself mighty) a covenant with many for one week (seven years); but in the middle he will bring an end to sacrifice and offering and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate...”

The coming peace covenant of Daniel 9:27 may well include the rebuilding of the Third Temple, which is required in a number of verses.

The Daniel 9:27 treaty may be a non-aggression pact or a pure peace treaty. It may include a land for peace deal. It may even include a multi-faith dimension.

The tribulation period will begin suddenly at the same time as this signing of the peace covenant. But much more very surprising things about that in the next edition!

The cursed covenant of peace is the same event revealed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 speaking of the revealing of the man of sin (antichrist.)

Israel will repent:

Deuteronomy 4:30-31 “When you are in distress (tribulation)and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice, He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.”

Israel will make the tragic mistake of breaking God’s covenant and accepting Satan’s false peace covenant. But they will soon realise it, and turn to the Lord in repentance.

Leviticus 26:40-42 “If they confess the iniquity of their fathers and their unfaithfulness...and are humbled and accept their guilt – then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham; I will remember their land.”

Exodus 23:27 “I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.”

Not only will Israel repent and turn to the Lord, but our God will come in and back them in a whole new way. The above verse relates to invincible Israel during the Exodus. It is also prophetic relating to Israel being ultimately invincible in war during the tribulation.

Jerusalem:

The city of Jerusalem is part of God’s eternal covenant of peace. We are called upon to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” (Psalm 122:6)

Amazingly the name of the city has much more to it.

The word “Jerusalem” itself is made up of two words, “Yrw”, meaning “foundation” and “Salem” meaning “peace.” The city is also known as the “habitation or dwelling place of peace.”

It is the only city or place in the world where God says, “I have put My name forever.” (2 Chronicles 33:7)

Counterfeit “peace” will come to Jerusalem through Satan. He will set up his “office” right there. He has chosen Jerusalem. Satan’s “peace” will be the seven year tribulation! Satan is a liar, thief and murderer. His peace efforts will be annihilated by the Prince of Peace as He returns to His Jerusalem, the “habitation of peace.” (Zechariah 3:2)

The final new covenant:

Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold the days are coming says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”

This new covenant does not cancel out the existing eternal covenant between God and Israel. The new covenant is like a new layer on top of and over the previous covenant. It relates to people as individuals and their personal salvation.

The Jews will participate in this in large numbers in the tribulation period.

The way of truth:

Passover led to the Exodus and the deaths of the enemies of the children of Israel in the plagues of Egypt. The Exodus led to the Promised Land and the deaths of the enemies of Israel in the Red Sea. The Promised Land now leads to the promise of salvation to the Jews and the deaths of the enemies of Israel in the tribulation period!

The way of peace is the way of truth. Making deals with devil will never produce peace! Drawing near to God in the fear of God is total and complete safety, with its result – peace! Bible prophecy spells out ultimate peace for all those that are His.

The lying mass-media:

The mass-media like CNN are and will be champions in promoting the ways of the devil and in condemning the ways of God and His truth. They will be part of the inspiration of Israel’s acceptance of the antichrist covenant. They will be part of the very reason for the coming tribulation period.

The mass-media are champions and major sponsors of the war against God, His people, and His word.

The mass-media, full of evil, are enthroned by the masses as the truth-bearers and peace-bringers. Talk about blind deception! They will be the world leaders in world destruction!

The “peace” the media speaks of is the absence of resistance to their ways, and the release and free-reign of Satan. This is why the media always has to try to prove God wrong!

If you are truly saved you rest in Him and are at peace.  

The grand summary:

God made eternal covenants with the Jews including the land of Israel. These were eternal covenants of peace, and to bring peace to Israel. They were not to be broken, carrying curses with them if they were. The covenants were exclusive and not inclusive of the Arab / Palestinian people. The covenants would result in God’s final purpose being achieved; of bringing salvation to the fallen world through the Jews in the last days.

No other “peace” covenants were to be signed.

Satan has a counterfeit peace covenant in-waiting. He will deceive Israel into breaking their existing covenant of peace with God and making “peace” his way.

This great tragedy will infuriate the living God and cause His curses to come into effect immediately as seen in the seven-year tribulation judgments upon Israel and the world.

Through all of this, God’s eternal covenant will still stand, but Israel will get war in the name of peace during the short seven-year period. Israel will repent and return to the living God. This will bring salvation to them and to many people of the world in tribulation.

Now, it is Satan who is infuriated that his covenant is finally annulled and rejected. He then turns up the heat as does God in response, and the world is finally destroyed at the Second Coming, giving way to the Millennium. (Revelation 12:12)

That’s what you call great drama! And it’s all just on the horizon!

The main point in all of this, which is vitally important to understand, is that the soon-coming signing of a peace deal has far more devastating consequences than most imagine!

It is so important to choose God’s ways and His life. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Breaking God’s covenant brings false peace for a short season and then destruction.

Finally:

Isaiah 54:13-14 “All you children (of Israel) shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established.

Isaiah 42:6 “I the Lord have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles.”

Incredibly, we see the prince of the covenant at work, and the Prince of the covenant at work! Israel will be fooled by the prince, but the Prince will receive them, save them and bless them.

I took these two pictures some years ago and now I’ve merged them into one new picture.

Shalom and grow in His Grace!

Edition 372: July 4^th 2017.

God’s Psychology for today:

Introduction:

The use of anti-depressants has more than doubled in the last decade. Not surprisingly, suicide rates are rising at a phenomenal rate worldwide, alarming the researchers.

Today the war is intensifying. It’s a war against God, a war against truth and for your soul. All of this creates disproportionately high stress levels in society.

As we charge forward into dramatic prophetic fulfilment, the great shaking will intensify and many people will be shaken to their core.

People will lose hope in the gloom. Heavy-heartedness, misery, worry, dejection and soul-desolation will rule all but the spiritually strong.

It is only the living God and His truth-counsellors who can effectively help. You cannot go outside of God’s word and ways and expect to be set free in these intensifying storms.

Psalm 37:30-31 (Amp) “The mouth of the uncompromisingly righteous utters wisdom and he speaks justly. The word of God is in his heart and will be stable.”

The problem:

The problem is stress, distress, depression, anxiety, rejection, mental turmoil and instability. Today, Christians are more prone than ever before, to these same psychological problems that we see in the unsaved.

The reason is that today, modern Christianity has changed and become “relevant” to the world in many cases.

Today far too much of what passes for Christianity is sugar-coated, whitewashed, soft-soaped hogwash. Cross-less Christianity, the flavour of the day, is powerless.

In fact, Christians are likely to become even more of a target for the devil in the near future. (Revelation 12:12)  They are Satan’s greatest enemy. Many of the attacks on Christians will be of a spiritual nature and will come in the form of evil spirits, curses and deception.

Today we live in a world of emotionally weak and disturbed people with little or no spiritual, “skeletal” backbone. Anything to do with taking up a cross, and the real truth, has to be watered down, changed or modified so that it doesn’t offend their spineless being.

With self “enthroned” and the god of this world sharing this throne of devils, demons, and witches, the results are clear to see. Modern man is a failure!

The depravity of man is continuously pushed further and further into the mire with no restraint. People are not getting better and better, but worse and worse with all manner of psychological issues driving them further into despair.

The kingdoms of this world await destruction, and only then, will the new world be pure, holy, and clean. Until then we are to raise and keep the cross of separation between us and the world.

The cause of man’s problems...A diagnosis:

1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

James 3:15 “This wisdom (demonic) does not descend from above, but is earthly (worldy), sensual (soulish), demonic.”

●An incorrect diagnosis of the problem compounds it not helps it.

The source of man’s problems is the sin nature. It is not called “mental illness” or any such thing. That would imply it can be fixed with pills or psycho-babble.

The cause is sin flowing in the blood of all humans born of Adam. This curse was infused into the blood of mankind right from the fall in the Garden.

You can’t take pills to make sin go away. You can take pills to make the effects go away for a short time, but then, you will soon see that you have not advanced at all.

2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Amazingly, mankind can’t see that sin kills. He can’t see that his own sin is his worst enemy, not best friend! You will never get rid of sin as long as you befriend it and make it welcome.

Is stress and depression sin? In the grand scheme of things it is. It leads away from God. If you are honest with yourself, you would have to admit that all depression is a result of not being able to get your way with something or other.

Most times people prone to stress and depression have opened the door to “the spirit of heaviness” to come in and control them. (Isaiah 61:3) They become pessimists and have a dark cloud over them that won’t go away.

►Interestingly, the word “heaviness” is Strong’s H3544, “Keheh” meaning darkness!

The spirit of heaviness is exactly that, it is a dark spirit – a demon spirit. Deliverance, not pills is the answer. You can’t fix it outside of God’s ways because you can’t even see it – it’s a spirit! Deliverance, is the answer.

Bear in mind that there are some people that you will never be able to help, because they have “been handed over,” as revealed in Romans 1 and other places. (Please read that chapter.)

I am not referring in this edition to those with a genuine physical problem leading to their psychological problems.

The solution:

The answer is the cross of our Messiah, and its resurrection-power, combined with personal repentance. This repentance is multi-facetted and is also seen in taking up your own cross, denying self, the world and the influence of the demonic.

The great answer to mans problems is death! If you are dead and someone comes along and rips you apart with the most hurtful words – it makes no difference does it? If someone comes along and praises you, again it makes no difference because you are dead!

We are to die to self. Then we are free!

From man’s viewpoint or the secular psychologist, the answer to man’s problems is to let your inner self have unrestrained expression. And use pills to keep any negative feelings or effects away.

Personally, I don’t know one person who has ever been truly helped and set free by the world’s psychologists. There may one somewhere, but I’ve never seen one. I do know of some who have had their problems compounded. Talk about having the odds stacked against you!

Sin is in the blood of Adam and his offspring. Now, have a look at this incredible Old Covenant verse, which is actually prophetic of the redemptive work of the cross:

Leviticus 17:11 “The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” The Amplified Bible renders it this way: “For it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life it represents.”

Adam’s blood is curse-rich. The blood of Messiah is fully redemptive!

The word “soul” in the Old Covenant is Strong’s H5315: “Nephesh” meaning - Activities of the mind, emotions, the will and the character. It is the equivalent of the Greek word “Psuche” from which we get the word “psyche” relating to the soul of man and not the spirit of man.

So, in this incredible verse above we see that soul-life is affected by the blood. Whose blood do you have in you? Adam’s un-atoned for blood, or the miracle-blood of our Lord, by faith?

Modern man’s godless psychology...An incorrect diagnosis:

Jeremiah 17:5 “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.”

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to man, but the ends thereof are death.”

►Sigmund Freud, one the hero’s of psychology, once said: “The biggest culprit of mental illness is the church.”

The source of man’s problems from man’s point of view is God’s word which defines and condemns sin. Mans answer is the eradication of sin and then redefining it as acceptable behaviour.

Psalm 107:17 “Fools because of their transgression and iniquities were afflicted.”

Ephesians 4:17-18. (Amp) “Do not live as the heathen do in their perverseness, folly, vanity and emptiness of their souls and futility of their minds. Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning clouded. They are alienated, estranged, self-banished from the life of God, with no share in it.”

Man’s psychology is non-confrontational and therefore submits to and flows with the sin nature. Man’s psychology is one with the word of the world and all its demons!

►The main thrust of secular psychology is not to make you well, but to change your value system, so that you can fit in with the psychologist’s boss – the god of this world.

The secular psychologist is not your friend. You are not his patient. You are his victim! He is a co-worker with the sin-nature in you. He is a true employee of the god of the world – Satan, to which they are blind.

From their point of view, self must have restraints removed and be allowed to express itself.

Express self and don’t suppress self, is their way. They believe that the church has created the “guilt feelings” which are a cause of mental illness.

So the blame is subtly shifted to the value system of the Bible.

To them, you have achieved wellness when there are no more guilt feelings.

Man is self-sufficient and if left alone will find the right way from within himself, the psychologist claims. Man is an island and the centre of his own universe, they say. Man is one with the world. Man is essentially good, they believe.

Actually, you can’t deny guilt. You can try to suppress it, takes pills and injections, see as many shrinks as you like, but because you were created by the living God for His purposes, you can never get rid of the weight of guilt and sin – it’s always right there.

Bear in mind that the unsaved psychologist does not recognise man’s spirit. They only deal in the soul realm.

If Satan can get to your spirit, he gets to your soul and then body!

Don’t think these are all inconsequential matters! They are of major importance. You can’t bargain with God. You can’t own Him and make Him your puppet!

Proverbs 1:25-28 (Amp) “You have treated as nothing all My counsel, and would accept none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your terror comes, and when your panic comes as a storm and desolation, and your calamity comes as a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call on Me but I will not answer.”

John 3:19-21 “This is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil...But he who does the truth comes to the light...”

These two verses above show the disastrous reason why the unsaved can never be truly set free! They reject God’s word. They are spiritually dark and in the dark! But the following verse was delivered by our Lord to the mass murderer, Saul of Tarsus (ISIS country) as he went down the road to Damascus:

Acts 26:18 “...I will turn them (Jews and Gentiles) from darkness to light and from the power of Satan, to God, that they may receive forgiveness for sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”

God’s psychology:

Only the born-again, Spirit-filled counsellor can really help you. All others do not have insight into the things of the Spirit and always wrongly identify man’s problems. Only the Spirit of God gives true sight and reveals these deep things of God.

Here’s how it works:

God’s Spirit in those who are born-again of the Spirit directs and inspires the human spirit of the believer. Man’s spirit then directs the body. The spirit is God-conscious, the soul is self-conscious and the body is world conscious.

Spirit of God → Man’s spirit → Man’s soul → Man’s body.

Only the word of God can divide you up correctly, so that we can apply the correct verses to the right areas of our life. Unredeemed man can never know his inner self or true nature. This can only be known or seen in the mirror of God’s word.

Hebrews 4:12 “The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow (body), and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

With the correct application of scripture, godly change filters through to every area of our lives, even our character and personality changes.

We change relative to our godly desire to change, godly knowledge, and obedience to the Spirit of God.

Godly psychology or philosophy (the search for wisdom) begins with His Spirit, your spirit, your soul and body. All are involved!

Psalm 1:1 (Amp) “Blessed, happy, fortunate, prosperous and enviable is the man who lives and walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, neither following their advice, plans and purposes, nor stands submissively in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down to rest where the scornful and mockers gather.”

Note the direction in the verse above: Walk →Stand →Sit! That’s what you call slowing down!

The grand, glorious, wonderful answer:

Proverbs 3:5-7 (Amp) “Lean on, trust and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge Him and He will make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear and worship the Lord, and turn entirely away from evil.”

As we do and obey the lessons of the verse above, we move into right-standing with God in all areas of our lives, and inner peace is the glorious result.

Holiness is the way to peace. Biblical holiness, inspired by the leading of the Spirit of God is the precious “pearl of great price” and value. It is food for a stable mind, enduring in the things of God.

To be in this fast deteriorating world without the restraining power of the Spirit of the living God in you, is far worse than walking a tightrope in a howling gale, with no safety net, traversing tissue-thin ice with flaming fires below it!

My friend, real discernment is a gift of the Spirit. If you do not have the gift, you do not have the discernment; you have only your own self-generated insight to go on.

You can’t receive from God what you don’t believe in!

In far too many cases, man’s emotional problems are a result of demonic activity somewhere along the line. Most people under the curse of the demonic don’t even know it, because they continue to reject the methods to see and deal with evil spirits.

Proverbs 26:2 “The curse without a cause will not alight.”

James 4:7 “Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Set free, stay free:

When you have battled a long battle and broken through to victory, be careful not to open doors to the past again.

Mark 4:19 (Amp) “Then the cares and anxieties of the world, and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and suffocate the Word and it becomes fruitless.”

Proverbs 4:20-23 “My son give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

The verse above can also be translated “Bow your ear to My word.” That has a wonderful picture of servitude – bowing the ear! It is also seen in Proverbs 22:17-18.

Kingdom service:

Some (very few) will be used greatly of our Lord in the coming great shaking. Even now the need is great. Some will be like a pillar in the temple of God, holding up the whole structure.

Those who are free themselves and who have the knowledge, understanding and wisdom of these things will set others free and be instruments of God’s peace in the turmoil.

As a counsellor of the things of God, you have an enormous responsibility upon you. You will either compound people’s problems, leading them into even greater bondage, or you will help to set them truly free indeed.

“Let not many among you be teachers (counsellors too) knowing that we will receive a greater judgment.” (James 3:1)

Colossians 1:28 “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Messiah.”

Tragically, many churches today are a pig-pen with wolves in pulpits masquerading as sheep, and the people can’t even tell, or care to know the difference any more. They are absolutely ineffective in delivering people from their problems and setting them free.

The true church has Spirit-led and revealed Bible truth as its source. The counterfeit church has dead-letter as its source. It produces death, with a few pretty bows and bells on it.

Psycho-health snippets:

●Be a giver. Most of all, give thanks freely and liberally. Thankful people have grace upon them.

●Learn to be content in your heart in whatever outward situation you are. (Philippians 4:11)

●Stay away from health spas and the like, where self-indulgence is professionally administered.

●Beware of the transfer of spirits, especially through masses of Jezebels in the church today.

Finally:

The ways of God are not the ways of the world. In most cases they are contrary. The way of truth is a beautiful, majestic, but narrow road!

Don’t follow or be influenced by the masses. They are always wrong in every generation. Far too many are schooled by superficial YouTube fools and shallow messages, mixed with error and deception.

Our Lord is a Lamb and a Lion, beware the “wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16) and the wrath of the Lion. (Proverbs 20:2, 19:12)

If you muzzle a lion, it will one day soon, bite through that muzzle and bite your head off! Learn to love the Lion! Submit to the Lion and the Lamb and the full counsel of God. Then the Spirit of God will set you free indeed, show you things to come and lead you into great peace.

Psalm 119:165 “Great peace have they that love your word and nothing causes them to stumble.”

Isaiah 32:17 (Amp) The effect of righteousness will be peace, both internally and externally, and the result, quietness and confidence forever.”

I took the background picture of a section of Augrabies Falls and the thin waterfall at Dragon’s Back in the Drakensberg and the Black Eagle picture, and merged them all together.

Shalom and grow in His Grace!

Edition 370: June 27^th 2017.

Mass-media and the coming Holocaust:

Introduction:

 Right up front let’s define our terms. Firstly the coming Holocaust will take place in the tribulation period and may be the result of a few wars and attacks on Israel, not just one. Some of these conflicts like the Gog & Magog war, may in fact begin just before the tribulation.

By “Holocaust”, I’m referring here to the fiery wars and disasters of the tribulation period coming upon Israel, the world and the world’s church.

By “mass-media”, I’m referring to the conglomerate-owned and listed media like CNN, SKY, BBC and others, but also other forms like print and social media.

The coming Holocaust is revealed in numerous verses. Here is one, filled with drama, tragedy and ultimate victory.

Zechariah 13:8-9 “It shall come to pass in all the land (Israel) says the Lord, that two thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one third shall be left in it. I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’, and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’

And to the media, here is one of the tragic messages:

Job 42:7 “...My wrath is aroused against you and your friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right...”

Some origins:

We must understand that the earth, created by God is adorned with and is “wearing” the world-system of which Satan is its god. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

We could quite accurately say that the world is alive and breathes the breath of its devil-boss.

The earth speaks of great beauty and natural wonder as is seen in numerous verses, especially in the Psalms. But the world has a different voice speaking. This voice is the word of Satan, with all things of God stripped out. The mass-media is the voice of the world and its god.

The mass-media serves and does the will of its big-boss, Satan, to bring about his purposes.

This is why the Bible instructs us to “love not the world, nor the things of the world.” (1 John 2:15) The Bible instructs us to “hate our lives in the world.” (John 12:25) We are to be “crucified to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

Let me put it another way: We are to die to the voice, opinions and influence of the mass-media.

The evil master-plan of the mass-media:

If the mass-media is the voice of the world, it is the voice of the “god of this world.” It is therefore incompatible with the voice and word of God.

In pre-Adamic times, Lucifer, which means “Light bearer” tried to exalt himself to be equal with God.

The first appearance of the “media” headed by now-fallen Lucifer, who became Satan, was in the Garden of Eden with the world’s first dose of fake news in the form of fake truth!

Genesis 3:4-6 “The serpent (Satan) said to the woman (Eve), ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil. So the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes and desirable to make one wise, she took of the fruit and ate. She also gave her husband and he ate.”

In summary this great deception was: You can be wise and be like God if you reject His word, and hear my word instead. Your eyes will then be opened with wisdom and you will be like God!

There is a much greater, deeper meaning in this “being like God”. It includes the man-made creation of a God-like world of peace and safety.

The mass-media will soon chant the devil’s chant – “We can create a God-like world without God, and we will all be like God.” In fact they will say – “We will be God.”

What a powerful lie! The truth is that you die as they did by rejecting God’s word. Spiritual eyes are blinded and you will never be like God or reach God. Humanism is doomed.

Man has always tried to be like God and create world peace. We saw this in Babylon, all the world empires and now the final attempt to create a new one- world of peace.

Let’s have a brief look at the failure of Babylon:

Genesis 11 reveals the destruction of Babylon because they were “one” and tried to exalt themselves to equality with God.

Jeremiah 50:2 “Declare among the nations, proclaim and set up a standard; proclaim and do not conceal it. Say – ‘Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed. Merodach is broken in pieces; her images are broken to pieces.’”

●“Bel” is the lord or god of Babylon. He was believed to be a “good” demon-god associated with Jupiter. (Strong’s H1078)

● “Merodach” means “rebellion”, but was also a name for a Babylonian deity responsible for bloodshed and slaughter of human victims. (Strong’s H4781)

●There was another demon-god in Babylon, named “Nibiru” or “Marduk” also called “Jupiter.” It means “The gate of crossing or transition.” But more about that another time!

● Babel / Babylon: Webster’s Dictionary gives the following etymology: From the Hebrew words “Bab” meaning “gate” combined with “el” or “ilu” meaning “god.” This is “the gate to god.” Strong’s concordance lists the meaning of the word Babel / Babylon as “confusion by mixture.” When you go deeper into the origins, you see that it is the mixture of good and evil as a way or gate to God!

So, in this amazing story we see mankind’s fateful attempt to build a tower, gate, or bridge to God, so that they could be like God in a God-like paradise. Human good as well as violence were employed to create this objective. But God destroyed it all!

We are now at the same position again. The world, headed by the god of fake-news – Satan, and his tool, the mass-media are again throwing out the things, ways and word of God to build their own world of peace and safety – their way! Do you want to guess what the end will be?

We as true Christians already have “world peace” in our hearts! We have and are in a kingdom of peace. But we did it God’s way, not the way of the media. This is why the world hates us.

Like true born-again Christians, Israel stands in the way of a new-world order in a big way as well.

Why does the mass-media hate the Jewish state?

Matthew 24:9-13 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you (Israel) and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake...”

As a result of the rebellion and sin of the Jews they were scattered among the nations of the world. But they were never able to assimilate into the nations. They always kept their Jewishness and identity.

Zechariah 10:9 “I will sow them among the peoples (nations), and they shall remember Me in the far countries. They shall live together with their children, and they shall return.”

But there’s much more! The land of Israel itself has a call upon it, and it cannot assimilate into the world either. The land, the city and the people all have eternal covenants attached to them by God, for His grand purposes.

God has a clear and distinct plan and purpose for them, which is not the plan of the world. This is why the nations and the media hate Israel. They can’t control them and bring them into submission to the devil and his new world of sin.

►While there is an Israel there can be no one-world government, because God has chosen and called Israel to be different and separate from the nations for His will and purposes.

This statement above is of major importance. It is far reaching and profound. This is why the Bible makes such an important issue of the creation and endurance of the Jewish people and the land of Israel.

Part of the satanic role of the media in the tribulation period will be to do what they do well – unite the world in enmity against Israel!

But it will all backfire on the gods of fake news.

Our Lord will soon “pierce” the blind eyes of the Jews with His sight-seeing power. They will see! He will “pierce” their hard, dead hearts, with His once-pierced life and they will live!

Zechariah 12:10 “I will pour on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look upon Me whom they have pierced...”

The media’s hatred for Israel is fuelled by the same hatred for true born-again Christians.

Here are some profound verses of scripture:

1 Chronicles 21:1 “Now Satan stood up against Israel...”

Zechariah 3:2 “The Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!”

Micah 4:11 “Many nations have gathered against you (Jews), who say, ‘Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.’”

In these verses above we see Satan’s resistance to Israel (land), Jerusalem and the Jews. The mass-media thrives on trying to bring down God and His word. But do they ever have an almighty shock coming.

Isaiah 14:1 “The Lord will have mercy on Jacob and still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. Strangers (Gentiles) will be joined to them and they will cling to the house of Jacob.” (Christian Zionists are these “Strangers” now, and it will be Gentile tribulation saints in the tribulation period.)

Romans 11:29 “The gifts and calling of God (upon the Jews) are irrevocable.”

Why will Israel and the Jews be hated so intensely in the tribulation period? Because they will be righteous and Satan’s new world order will be full of sin.

Isaiah 42:6 “I the Lord have called you in righteousness, and will hold your hand; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles.”

Romans 11:26 “Ungodliness will be removed from Israel.”

Isaiah 43:12 “I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses, says the Lord.”

The great mistake of the blind mass-media:

The media thinks that Islam is a religion of peace!! They think that you can make peace by dividing the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem and handing it to the Palestinians! That’s their eternal deadly chant – it’s all driven and motivated by their god of evil.

God’s plan is the opposite and it is spelt out in eternal covenant in a number of verses. Here is one:

Genesis 17:19 -21“God said: ‘No, Sarah your wife shall bear a son, and you shall call him Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him. As for Ishmael (Arabs) I have heard you and blessed him...but My covenant I will establish with Isaac.”

These covenants involve the Jews, the city and the land! (If you would like more on this, please click the “Teachings” tab at the top and go down to “Covenants and Promises.”)

Even though the Jews rebelled and broke their side of the covenant, it still stands. It is eternal.

Jeremiah 31:35-36 “Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and stars for light by night, who disturbs the sea and its waves roar. If those ordinances depart from Me, says the Lord, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.”

Islam, Rabbinical Judaism and apostate Christianity will come together with other religions to form the backbone of a new-world order in the tribulation period.

They will reject God’s covenants with Israel and His prophetic word and do the will of Satan by creating a world religion to serve the coming antichrist.

The mass-media are blind to the things of God, but they have full sight of the things of the devil!

A slap in the face for the mass-media:

Isaiah 52:15 “He shall sprinkle (Lit=startle) many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; for what had not been told them they shall see.”

Isaiah 60:12-15 “The nation and kingdom which shall not serve you (Israel) shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined...You have been forsaken and hated, so that no one went to you. I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations.”

Zechariah 2:8-12 “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you (Israel); for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye....Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming, and I will dwell in your midst, says the Lord...The Lord will take possession of the Holy Land and will again choose Jerusalem.”

These verses above reveal the great failure of the mass-media. They have failed and will fail again. God’s will and plan will be done and theirs will end in the fiery furnace of God’s Holocaust upon them.

The coming Holocaust upon the mass-media and the nations:

●Adolf Hitler said this: “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”

This could well be the silent unwritten motto of the modern media! It most certainly is true in their dealing with Israel!

Satan will be the world’s greatest peace-maker. He will come in trying to make peace and the world will buy it, because they are blind to all things spiritual. They think they can make world peace without going God’s way!

The media will welcome, promote and legitimise the coming man of peace with great fanfare, but the media will fail!

Psalm 21:8-12 “Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them...For they intended evil against You; they devised a plot that they were not able to perform. Therefore You will make them turn their backs; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string towards them.”

Isaiah 65:11-12 “You are those who forsake the Lord, who forget My holy mountain (Israel)...therefore I will number you for the sword and you shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, you did not answer, when I spoke you did not hear, but did evil before My eyes and chose that in which I do not delight.”

It all ends in the world’s greatest, monumental failure, fire and destruction! As all previous Holocaust’s upon Israel failed, so the coming Holocaust will ultimately fail, but God’s Holocaust upon them will endure!

Ezekiel 22:19-21 “...Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.”

Psalm 2:1-6 “Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth and rulers take counsel together and set themselves against the Lord...He who sits in the heavens shall laugh...He shall speak to them in His wrath and distress them in His deep displeasure...”

Isaiah 65:13-14 “Behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you (who forsake the Lord –verse11) shall be ashamed; behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit.”

Jeremiah 30:11 “I am with you, says the Lord, to save you; though I make a full end of the nations where I have scattered you...”

I hope you see from these verses above, that it is not wise or clever to go the way of the world, especially in dealing with God’s holy calling, and plans for Israel. If you do – you are gambling with eternal fire!

Your great disconnect:

You must make a conscious effort to sever, break, cut and disconnect from the opinions of the mass-media. You must do it now, before it all becomes a lot more supernaturally charged.

By the way, I’m not speaking of normal news items and the like, in the media. I’m speaking of their slant, and their opinions relating to anything to do with God.

“Love not the world” (1 John 2:15) is one of the great “disconnect” verses in the Bible! That obviously includes the voice of the world, the media.

Jeremiah 8:8-9 “How can you say, ‘we are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us’? Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood (fake news). The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord; so what wisdom do they have?”

You must see and understand that the world is headed for false, fake peace, motivated and inspired by the god of the world and his agents. You must see the invisible spirits involved.

It’s not just the error of the media; it is also their attack on the truth and those who are already born of the truth and those about to be born of it – Israel. You need protective spiritual armour and offensive spiritual weapons in these days!

It’s not just the psychological warfare of the media and their fake truth and fake news; it is also their intimidation, attack, and attempts to demoralise believers.  You must see it, know it and stand strong!

Here is perhaps the most profound verse in the Bible applying to the media:

Proverbs 28:4 “Those who forsake the law (word of God) praise the wicked.”

Also please be aware that a great and dangerous source of much of the fake news in all these things is much of the church. Many churches are one with the world!

You must see with eyes of God’s revelation in these days of concealment of the truth.

Understand that the mass media will, albeit inadvertently, lead you to its great boss – Satan!

Finally:

The world can’t save the world. The world can only destroy the world. Only God saves the world after destroying the old sin-filled, evil world.

The mass-media will inspire a coming Holocaust on Israel, but then it will absolutely backfire on the nations and the media themselves.

Isaiah 24: 4-6 “The earth mourns and fades away; the world languishes and fades away. The haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate...”

After this great destruction of the media’s new world order, comes the creation of God’s new world order called the Millennium – exclusively for those who are His. It will be a world of glory, majesty, holiness, splendour, grandeur and triumph. The curse will be gone and unimaginable wonders will be right here.

I took this picture in a “secret” forest right at the top of a misty mountain called the “Hangklip.” I merged the flower into the picture for added interest.

Shalom and grow in His Grace!

Edition 369: June 21^st 2017.

Mysteries of the Rapture:

Introduction:

 In the previous edition we looked at some of the mysteries of God and what that really means. By way of a quick summary, here are some main points:

The word “mystery” in the original is “mysterion” meaning “hidden from those on the outside, or hidden from the ungoldly.” It does not mean that those things are hidden from the believer – quite the contrary.

Romans 16:25 “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to the gospel and preaching of Yeshua the Messiah, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest and by the prophetic scriptures has been made known...”

The rapture of the church is one of these mysteries:

1 Corinthians 15:51 “Behold I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (die) but we shall be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye...”

This is why the unsaved cannot even comprehend what the rapture is, and why they mock us! To them it’s all a closed up mystery - an Enigma.

Unveiled and revealed Bible prophecy is vitally important in so many respects, least of all in assisting us to fear the Lord. Only those who know and understand the fear of the Lord, have access to true deeper revelation and biblical wisdom.

But why does a huge part of the church not teach on these wonderful things? Is it still a mystery to them, or are they just deceived, teaching only nice, happy, motivational, me-now sermons?

Is your church destroying you by preaching from the Bible?

If you or your church will not hear or receive or teach on the prophetic word, especially the prophecies of the greatest prophet ever – Yeshua, you are in danger of being destroyed. You must “heed the prophetic word.” (2 Peter 1:19)

One of my early mentors from the 70s, Derek Prince, often said, “Ignore the prophetic word at your own peril!”

Some are thinking – that’s a bit outrageous Joel! Who are you telling I’m going to be destroyed because I ignore prophecy? Don’t you know I’m a Christian and I love Jesus?

Okay, well here is the word of the Lord, out of the Bible for you and all church leaders:

Acts 3:22-23 “Moses truly said to the fathers: ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet (Yeshua) like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’”

So, I say again, is your church destroying you? Is your minister leading you to destruction by teaching you nice happy motivational sermons week after week and teaching nothing on prophecy? Just read that verse above again!

The churches, ministries and individuals who won’t teach Bible prophecy are a great danger to you, but also an affront to our Lord. They are rejecting prophecy, a major aspect of the greatest prophet of all – Yeshua! No wonder their churches are dead and being destroyed in great numbers.

Do you know that a huge number of churches are falling apart right now? They are “being utterly destroyed.” The numbers are staggering. But what is more staggering is that there is one consistent common cause. They are all Spirit-less churches, mostly denominational, which don’t believe, preach or teach end-time prophecy, including the rapture!

Perhaps an even greater, unsurprising tragedy is that the “utter destruction” that the Bible promises to these who won’t teach prophecy is resulting in the Spirit of God moving out to let in an evil, dark spirit – and they can’t even see it.

On the other hand, a large part of the church is seeing phenomenal growth amongst those who would dare not reject the prophetic teaching of our Lord. This is especially true in the eastern nations today.

Again, I ask, is your church or minister preparing you for destruction by what he won’t teach? And please don’t tell me that this is the way it’s always been. My friends, this time things are different!

You see, it’s not a matter of what you want to believe. It’s not a matter of cherry-picking your doctrine. I tell you as a believer, if you do not know or get to know prophecy in these dark days – you are headed for destruction!

This does not mean that we all have to agree on every last, little detail, but we must agree on the big, major, doctrinal issues. (Hebrews 6:1-2)

Here’s a nice little prophecy for those who won’t preach the fullness of the word:

Isaiah 29:11-14 “The whole vision has become to you like a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is illiterate, saying, ‘read this please’; and he says, ‘I cannot for it is sealed’...Inasmuch as these people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honour Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear towards Me is taught by the commandments of men...Therefore the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”

What happens to our bodies and when?

Thankfully, all true believers will soon get new resurrection bodies. These will be new supernatural eternal, glorious bodies, completing our salvation.

Our new bodies, will be given to the “dead in Messiah” and “we who are alive” at the time. It will occur in a blinding flash at the rapture.

Here is the classical rapture verse:

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Now, note what happens as the rapture occurs:

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 “Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (die), but we will be changed, in a moment in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet (for the church age.) For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible (old bodies) must put on incorruption, and this mortal, immortality.”

These new bodies will neither marry nor produce children. That is very important to remember!

Matthew 22:30 “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of heaven.

In regards to marriage and childbearing, we will be like the angels who do not marry. Other verses reveal additional, incredible supernatural qualities, which we will receive. We will be just like Him. (Romans 8)

Now consider this huge difference in the Millennium:

Isaiah 65:20-25 “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old...My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands, they shall not bring forth children for trouble (but will still produce children)...the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like an ox...”

Do you see what I see? It is huge!

If there is no pre-tribulation rapture and only a post-tribulation rapture, this would mean that all the saints together - of the church age and the tribulation, would get their resurrection bodies together as we go into the Millennium.

So, would we all be marrying and producing kids and working like normal in the Millennium? Or would be in resurrection bodies, not marrying, like the angels?

Sorry, you can’t have it both ways.

The answer is an incredible proof of a pre-tribulation rapture. It is another group, the tribulation saints who go into the Millennium in natural bodies, but with longevity restored!

Wonderful rapture meanings:

What’s in a name you ask?

Here are some of the words used to describe the rapture in the Bible:

●The catching away. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

●The escape. (Luke 21:36)

●The gathering. (2 Thessalonians 2:1)

●The transformation. (Philippians 3:20)

●The rescue and deliverance. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

●The blessed hope. (Titus 2:13)

●The mercy. (Jude21) (not a mercy)

●The instant changing. (1 Corinthians 15:51)

●The manifestation of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19)

●Redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18)

Let’s string those together. The rapture is described as:

●The catching away. ●The escape. ●The gathering, ●The transformation. ●The rescue. ●The deliverance. ●The  hope. ●The mercy. ●The changing ●The manifestation. ●The redemption.

Does that paint a glorious picture or what? Just those words alone reveal a great deal about the mystery of the rapture.

Glorious pre-tribulation rapture types:

●Enoch is a well-accepted type of the rapture of the church. He was taken alive by God, before the flood of Noah, a type of the tribulation. (Hebrews 11:5) The Bible says, “God took him.” (Genesis 5:24)

This amazing phrase is Strong’s H3947 “Laqach.” Meanings: Take, carry away, seize, capture, stolen, capture as flash of lightning, receive in marriage.

Isn’t that the rapture, perfectly pre-figured in the Old Covenant? How incredible is that!

●Joseph has so many types and meanings associated with his story. Let’s have a look at a few:

Just as Joseph gets ready to reveal his true identity to his brothers, something amazing occurs:

Genesis 45:1 “Joseph could not restrain himself before all those that stood before him, and he cried out, ‘make everyone go out from me!’ So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.”

Who are these that are taken away before Joseph reveals himself to his brothers? In type, we could say that this was the church. The great revealing is done to the Jews alone. Joseph is a type of our Messiah, who has no helpers or missionaries or church evangelists with him. He does the work alone, as is seen in many other verses.

There is a similar type in the story of Daniel and the fiery furnace. The three children of Israel are thrown into the fire, but Daniel himself, a type of the church here, is nowhere to be found!

There are many other glorious types of the rapture hidden in the stories of the Bible.

More on the mystery of the rapture in the Old Covenant:

Is this amazing passage below a hidden story of the rapture? Is the church not the “faithful man” and the “first ripe fruit”?

Micah 7:1-4 “Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits...there is no cluster to eat of the first ripe fruit, which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished (disappeared) from the earth, and there is no one upright among men...The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; now shall be their perplexity.”

The word translated “perish” is Strong’s H6, “Abad.” Meaning: “escape, flee, taken, perished, void”

Is this verse below not another Old Covenant verse which could apply to the rapture?

Isaiah 26:20-21 “Come my people, enter your chambers, and shut the door behind you; hide yourself as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation (tribulation) is past. For behold the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.”

Ephraim and Manasseh are the modern day Christians of the West. Some say they are the British, some say the US. They are neither. They are the redeemed of the nations which would include the true born-again disciples of all these nations.

Hosea 9:11 “As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird – no birth, no pregnancy, no conception!”

The surrounding context of the verse above speaks of the rebellion of Israel and its coming troubles. But right here we have this astounding verse! Is it not a type of the rapture?

No one knows! – Rubbish!

Even the unbelievers know and repeatedly misquote this verse, as do many Christians:

Matthew 24:36 “Of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

They all say, you see, it says no one knows when the rapture will be!

Prepare for a big shock!

If you read the preceding verses they are speaking of the tribulation period. In fact a previous heading is “The Great Tribulation.” If you read the verses following Matthew 24:36, again they are speaking of the tribulation period. If you read the other parallel gospel accounts, again, they are speaking of the tribulation period.

So why then, right in the middle of a lengthy and involved discourse on the tribulation period, would there suddenly be a verse saying “no one knows” when the rapture of the church will be?

The answer is simple. Matthew 24:36 is not talking of the rapture at all. In fact, it is not talking of anything that has to do with time! Are you surprised?

Let’s do a quick word study:

Matthew 24:36 “Of that day and hour no one knows...”

It is the conditions of the time (tribulation) which are being spoken of. It is saying...of these horrendous tribulation conditions no one knows! That changes the entire meaning doesn’t it? That also makes it completely consistent with the surrounding context.

Now let’s dig a bit deeper!

Matthew 24:36 “Of that day and hour no one knows...” What “day and hour”? Is it the rapture? No it is not. Again the presumption is wrong, wrong, wrong!

The Bible uses the term “Day of the Lord” for various events. One usage is to describe the entire church age. One usage is to describe the very last day of the tribulation and the Second Coming. The most common usage is to describe the seven-year tribulation period.

You have to go by context to see which one is being referred to.

So now we have the word “day” as a reference to the tribulation. Let’s go on:

Revelation 3:10 “I will keep you from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world...”

The Bible uses the word “hour” to refer to the entire seven year tribulation.

So now we have “day” and “hour” as references to the tribulation period. So, let’s go back to Matthew 24:36. This is what it is saying: Of these terrible conditions in the tribulation period, no one knows. He can’t even imagine how bad it will be.

Again that satisfies the surrounding tribulation-context and the context of the parallel verses.

But what about the term, “no one knows the day and hour,” being used as an idiom for the Feast of Trumpets, the next to be fulfilled prophetically? This feast is also known as the feast of which no one knows the day and hour, due to it beginning on the new moon, which could occur over two days?

If Matthew 24:36 is a reference to the tribulation period as a whole, and the Feast of Trumpets marks the start of the tribulation then we can rightly use this as a marker for a pre-tribulation rapture as well, because they occur in conjunction with each other.

So now, please get rid of the use of that verse saying no one knows the time of the rapture!

Will we see the rapture coming?

There will be numerous signs of the coming tribulation, so yes we will, because it occurs as the tribulation begins.

By the way, I totally reject the work of various people and ministries on YouTube and elsewhere claiming that there is a gap between the rapture and the start of the tribulation. Some say the gap will be days, some say 30 days, some say perhaps even ten years. None of them have any substantial Bible verses to back them. They only have somewhat stretched ideas from some verses. Their real reason is to perpetuate their belief in imminence and “no one knows the time.”

There is much more to that, which I will share at another time. In the meantime, I reject it all.

Apostasy: A mystery revealed:

2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away (apostasy) comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”

The verse above has been the source of much confusion and debate over the years. Many people have taken it to mean that the rapture can’t happen until the apostasy or falling away of the church.

The “Day” spoken of in this verse refers to the entire seven year tribulation period.

The word “apostasy” can also be translated as “departure.”  If you do a word study, you will find something amazing.

“Apostasy” is used 18 times. It is used 16 times as a verb and twice as a noun. Four times it means leaving the faith. That means that 14 times it means depart or get up and leave – permanently.

We must take the context into consideration as well as the frequency of the use of the word.

So, it should say: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one deceive you by any means, for the tribulation period, will not begin unless the departure (rapture of the church) happens first and the man of sin is revealed.”

Doesn’t that now make a whole lot of sense? And we have not violated or changed the word, just corrected erroneous translations!

The tragedy of unbelief:

There is a principle revealed in the Bible, which people would do well to take heed of. It’s not” when I see it, I’ll believe it”! It’s just the opposite. You must come to the Lord in belief, and then you will see.

Matthew 13:58 “He did no mighty works there (Nazareth) because of their unbelief.”

Hebrews 3:19 “They could not enter in (to the Promised Land) because of their unbelief.”

Psalm 78:21-22 “The Lord was furious; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation.”

Psalm 95:10-11 “This is a people who go astray in their hearts and they do not know My ways, so I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest.”

Psalm 106:14-15 “They (Jews) lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert, and He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.”

Psalm 55:19 “Because they do not change, therefore they do not fear God.”

Do you see why so many will remain blind and dumb to the things of God?

My friends, unbelief in any of these spiritual issues, including the rapture, will blind you!

Finally:

I have so much more on these subjects, never shared, which I will in future editions. Some of the material I have for you is truly amazing – we are heading for exciting times!

I encourage you to know these things well. They may just be your lifeline. If you click on the “Editions by subject” button and go down to “Rapture”, there are numerous other editions with a wealth of information on this spectacular subject.

I placed the orchid on a mirror, sprayed it with water, left the camera shutter open for two minutes (at night) and “painted” the flower with the light of a small pen-light.

Shalom and grow in His Grace!