Edition 41. June 8th 2010

In this edition:

●News makers

●What people are saying about the coming of our Messiah

In the next Edition:

●Some surprising and shocking facts and revelations on the arising of the antichrist.

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Recent news items of prophetic significance.

●Junior antichrist, Obama calls for new world order, but calls it a "new international order" In a speech at West Point he said that "the US would take a predominant role". No I'm not calling him the antichrist, just one in the spirit of antichrist! He is most certainly leading the US to a date with the devil!

●Iran announced that it will escort its own aid ships to Gaza. This will dramatically increase tension and place Israel in a very awkward situation and could lead to major conflict. Amos 1:6 "For the transgressions of Gaza I will not turn away it's punishment...I will send a fire on Gaza...and I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod." (Ashdod is a neighbouring city) We could be on the verge of another war in the region.

●Israel sends nuclear missile submarines to location off Iran coast in Persian Gulf. They will remain there for an extended period.

●Iran now has over two tons of enriched uranium says the IAEA (Jerusalem Post 1st June) This grade of enrichment is useless for nuclear power generation. It's enough for two nuclear warheads.

●The recent incident with Israel and the flotilla of ships headed for Gaza has far reaching prophetic implications. It will strain and alienate some of Israel's alliances, specifically Turkey, Israel's only Muslim ally. This would complete the alignment for the big war spoken of in Ezekiel 38 & 39.

●The IAEA says Syria is involved in secret nuclear experiments and refuses to co-operate with the IAEA.

●Global economic collapse is coming. US debt level increases by $5 billion per day under Obama, 3 times the Bush rate. European debt crisis worsens. The UK is on the brink of financial disaster and Japan is ready for meltdown! When these dominos from hell begin tumbling and knocking on, there will be no place to hide!

● Stupid US bankers and the just as stupid sub-prime system caused the first world credit crisis. Now we have the deadly European disease of debt caused by stupid politicians spreading worldwide like dominos. The world economy is on a knife edge again without the introduction of a new war with Iran and Israel, which would send the oil price skyrocketing. This would cripple the fragile world economy. It's coming!

●The premier of China has just warned that the economic troubles in Europe will cause another world recession. He said that the world needs to come together as one to come with solutions.

●G20 nations meet and fail to decide on a global bank tax rate and other global-economy rescue mechanisms.

●The highly secretive Bilderberg Group met in Spain on the weekend to discus ways to steer the world economy into a new recession. Their aim is to destabilise the world so that they can then bring in a new global currency, treasury and government. Here are the names of participants in the meeting which was leaked to certain sources: Henry Kissinger, Bill Gates, Chairman of Barclays, Chairman of The Washington Post, ING Chairman, Alcoa Chairman, Chairman of Google, Spain's Prime minister, Greek finance minister. US attorney General US Economic Council director and other financiers, professors and bankers.

● Time and again its been proven that big government and floating paper money are failures. This is why central banks and governments hate gold. It's essentially out of their reach!

Now is not the time to be ignorant of at least the basics of Bible prophecy!!

What teachers and preachers say about the coming of our Lord.

The reason many people don't like the subject of the coming of our Lord is because He is not their Lord and a fearful judgement awaits them. Our Lord will intervene in the affairs of every human being and every aspect of the world at His return. A pre-tribulation rapture means the horrors of tribulation will unfold on those left behind. At the second coming Yeshua / Jesus will destroy the entire world system and supernaturally restore the earth to the way it was before the Adamic fall.

Both the rapture and the second advent are a blessing of monumental proportions for the believer and the start of untold horrors for the world and those who reject our Lord. Of course it's a despised subject by the world.

The great tragedy of our day is that very few believers know our Lord deeply. Yes they know certain limited things about Him but no more. To many believers He is an inconvenient interference. They are in love with the world and its god Hollywood, it's music and ways in general. Their hero's are hell-bound celebrities. Their life's motivation is to have fun. Yes they're in 'fellowship', but only to have a jolly good time of fun, fun and more fun. Too many believers are completely ignorant of the scriptures and know little about the risen Christ. They are in greater danger than they imagine.

For believers that know our Lord, there is nothing as valuable and precious as withdrawing from time to time into the secret place of God's presence. Many superficial, worldly believers only withdraw deeper into the world and its ways...right into the grip of Satan.

At the coming of our Lord a terrifying, fearful judgement falls on the world and its ways; believe it or not. Great deceptions will fall and entrap those who are in love with world.

Many views:

I don't normally give a lot of weight to wide and varied opinions on eschatology (end time events) I've studied the subject thoroughly since the late 70s and my mind is settled. But this presentation should help you and lead you in this wonderful subject. Sometimes it's very helpful to see truth and error together. It teaches us how and why some have gone wrong and allows us to see the truth raised up like a banner above everything else.

With this in mind I want to discuss the various common beliefs and widely held views on the timing of our Lord's coming. There are also many fringe views out there which I will not even consider.

Complex elaborate calculations to come up with a date for the return of the Lord are a waste of time. Quite simply there are too many variables. For example, which calendar are you using. The Hebrew one has 360 days to a year. Have you taken leap years into account. have you taken the into account the changes made to the various calendars over time. (250 days were dropped from the Hebrew calendar) Are you using the lunar calendar? Can you see the dilemma. This is why there are so many views and different dates!

But all is not lost. The answer lies in very simple logic! There are some things we can be very sure of and other not.

●No one knows the time of the Lord's coming so don't bother trying!

This is the most widely held and disseminated view amongst Christendom. It's a lie perpetuated by deceived, blind guides, which is complete error. It's the view of almost all of the denominational (divided) churches, die-hard traditionalists and the view of many of the unsaved.

The Bible does not say "no one knows the time" It actually commands us to "know the time"! Isn't that a surprise?

This view is originated in one great misconception and error. In fact it shows that it's adherents don't know how to read, or couldn't be bothered and have just regurgitated the hogwash they've been taught.

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." This teaches that know one will know the exact time. The verse doesn't say..."no one knows the time". It says "the day and hour", which is a specific point in time!

Lets go a few verses up to Matthew 24: 32 - 34 "Now LEARN this parable from the fig tree (Israel)  When it's branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves you know that summer is near. So also when you see all these things, KNOW that it is near, even at the door. Assuredly I say to you, this generation shall by no means pass away until all these things are fulfilled." The words in caps (LEARN and KNOW are a specific command in the original. It's like a military command. So what this is saying is...I COMMAND YOU TO KNOW THE TIME!

There's no doubt that the fig tree is Israel. This can be found in many other verses of scripture, there is no dispute here at all. So the above verse is saying that when Israel blossoms or becomes a nation again, the generation that sees these things will be the one that will see the coming of the Lord.

Luke 21:29-32 Look at the fig tree, when it is already budding, you see and KNOW that summer is near. So likewise when you see all these things happening, KNOW that the Kingdom of God is near, assuredly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things are fulfilled. Verse 24 in this discourse includes the restoration of Jerusalem (1967) into the "all things happening"

We could safely say from these verses of scripture that we need to know the time of these things.

There are many other verses of scripture that command us to "watch and pray" and "be watchful". If its impossible to know the time, how can you be watchful?

One of the most powerful parables relating to the coming of the Lord is parable of the ten virgins in Mathew 25. The short story is this. Ten virgins (a type for believers) go out to meet the Bridegroom. Five foolish don't take enough oil and five wise do. The call goes out..."The Bridegroom is coming" The five foolish get locked out while the five wise go in to the marriage feast.

In the tradition of the day a person would go onto the roof of the home with the bride inside, to watch for the coming of the bridegroom. They didn't know exactly when he would arrive which is why they went up to watch for the arrival. (In the tradition it was the bridegroom who would come to the awaiting bride, not like our weddings today). Obviously the watchmen didn't go up to the roof and wait for months or years. They knew more or less when the bridegroom would come. Verse 13 says "Watch therefore, for you know not the day or hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Again, this is a very specific point in time and not the general time. It does not say no one knows the time!

1Thesselonians 5: 1-5 "Concerning the times and seasons, you have no need that I should write you, for you know that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night...but you brethren are not in darkness that this day should overtake you as a thief. Verse 9 "For God did not appoint us unto wrath." The tribulation period is also called "the wrath of God"

This verse clearly teaches that those who watch will not be caught out like a thief!

Believers who don't believe in the imminent return of our Lord are always half-baked. They can never set their eyes on things above and are always worldly.

●The Lord is returning in 1000, 1988, 2000 (and others past dates)

These were obviously all wrong because we are well past the dates. They all had certain aspects of scripture to back their views, but did not have the whole picture. For example one view was that the rapture would occur in 1988 because that was 40 years after Israel became a nation in 1948.

They believed that a generation was 40 years long and that our Lord would return at the end of the generation that saw Israel become a nation. They were right about the scripture which proclaims that the generation that sees all these things, (Israel's nationhood) will be the last. They were wrong about a generation being 40 years long.

There is no 40- year Bible generation. That comes from Psalm 95:10 "For 40 years I was grieved with that generation...so I swore that would not enter my rest." This does not mean a generation is 40 years.

There were many who believed the Lord would come in the year 2000. They had no scriptural backing at all. They simply thought that the new millennium would be it. Some thought that this was the 6000-year mark from Adam. In the year 1000 people also ran out expecting to see the Lord. They had no scriptural backing either.

It's very important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Because some were wrong, that in no way negates the command of God to watch and look for the coming of the Lord. There is a powerful evil spiritual force with many deadly spiritual implications behind not being watchful.

Be careful that you don't become what the Bible calls an "end time scoffer" because some were wrong.

●The Lord is returning in November 2010

This is a fairly widely held view in some circles. It is based on some very elaborate calculations and presumptions. I have little interest in these very stretched calculations. There are too many variables. I would not give this view much attention.

●The Lord is returning in 2012

This is a widely held view. It has little scriptural backing. It's main claim to fame is that this is when the Mayan calendar ends. Adherents to this view also cite various Nostradamus predictions and the work of Hollywood. None of these are scriptural and in fact have more satanic and witchcraft origins than anything else. Its interesting that the devil worshipping Mayan people were destroyed many years ago. Why we should we give any authority to them?

Personally, I would totally reject with contempt anything and everything that Hollywood says or does. If you believe or receive anything rooted in Hollywood you deserve to be deceived.

●The Lord is returning in 2011.

This view is gaining momentum today and is possibly correct. (Note I said possibly)

God does many things in a orderly manner. It is His nature to warn of impending judgement. He did this succinctly and exactly many times before. He warned exactly when the flood of Noah would begin. The Bible says that the Lord does nothing unless He reveals it to His servants the prophets first.

The seven feasts of the Lord:

The first four feasts of the Lord relate undeniably to and correspond with the first coming of our Lord. This was no accident! There is continuing, deep significance to the final three feats of the Lord. It is not surprising then that the final three relate to and teach of the Second Coming and surrounding events. It is also no accident that there is a long period of time separating the first four from the final three. This speaks of the gap in the 70-week prophecy of Daniel also called the church age.

The feast of trumpets (also called Rosh Hashanah) is the only one which is celebrated on the sighting of the new moon. This feast has traditionally been called the "the feast of which no one knows the day or hour". This is because historically no one knew exactly or precisely when the new moon would appear. Of course they did know within a short time. In Jewish tradition, as soon as the new moon is sighted, a long trumpet blast is sounded after a series of shorter blasts. This is called the last trumpet. The trumpet signifies a call to repentance and also a sign of impending judgement.

The trumpet blast at the start of Rosh Hashanah also kicks off the High Holy Days called The Days of Awe or the Days of Repentance. It's also a time when the Jews seek forgiveness and reconciliation and also the time when they believe God writes their names in the Book of Life. This is according to common belief and practice.

Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Teruah or the Day of Awakening. The Bible teaches that the Jews will be brought back into their land in blindness until their awakening.

Yet another name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hakesh, which means the day of hiding or the hidden day. It is hidden from Satan and all his followers! This also has reference to the 'hiding' of true believers at the rapture.

Traditionally the feast of trumpets also commemorates the creation of Adam on the sixth day, just before the seventh day of rest, which is a type of the millennium. The symbolism here is rich.

This day is also traditionally the birthday of Noah and was also the day Noah and his family entered the Ark, just before the judgement began falling. (Genesis 7 to 8)

This feast of trumpets is also the day of the "assembling of God's elect".  It was also used for the announcement of the coming of a king.

There are far too many issues here for all of this to be coincidence! No, my friends, our Lord will begin the tribulation period on the feast of trumpets. Can you see the importance? Just have a look at the image below. We are now in the middle. The three final feasts have NOT yet been fulfilled! They will be fulfilled as accurately and consistently as the first three

One thing we can be sure of is that the tribulation will start on a Feast of Trumpets, but which one? This we can't be absolutely sure of, but we can be quite sure.

Israel became a nation in 1948. Jesus says that the generation that sees Israel become a nation again will be the last. Psalm 90:10 speaks of a generation being 70 years long. So quite simply, we add 70 to 1948 and come to the year 2018. This would be the end of the tribulation and time of the second coming. Then we need to come forward seven years for the tribulation, which brings us to 2011. Will the tribulation begin on the Feast of Trumpets 2011? Quite possibly.

The Feast of Trumpets 2011 will be on September 28th. Am I setting that date? No I'm setting today's date to watch and pray and be ready!

At the time of the coming of the Lord, many faithful believers both Jew and gentile will be ready and not be surprised. The dead and deceived church will not be ready. They will be yelling..."No one knows the time" while they continue to worship the gods of the world.

Blood moons:

A blood moon is a total lunar eclipse, which sees the moon glow red for a short time. NASA's website offers the timeline for eclipses of the moon. There is an extremely rare phenomenon of four consecutive lunar eclipses known as a tetrad (blood moons). All four of these occur between 2014 and 2015. This would be the half way mark through the tribulation if it started in 2011.

Revelation 6:12 "Behold when he had opened the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth and the moon became as blood."

The opening of this seal is somewhere in the middle of the tribulation.

But the argument against this is that the moon turning red in colour occurs with the sun becoming black as sackcloth. Both of these phenomenon's could easily be caused by ash clouds or something in the atmosphere at the time. They could also be purely supernatural events. I present the blood moons simply as a point of interest, nothing more.

Some pointers towards a pre-tribulation rapture:

1Thesselonians 5:1-9 "Concerning the times and the seasons brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night...but you brethren are not in darkness that this Day should overtake you as a thief."

Isaiah 26: 19 20 " Your dead shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise...Come My people enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you....until the indignation is past, for behold the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth."

Psalm 27: 5 "For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle, in His secret place He will hide me."

Zephaniah 2: 3 "Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger."

1 Thessalonians 1:10 "Who delivers us from the wrath to come."

1 Thessalonians 5: 9 "For God has not appointed us to wrath."

Revelation 3:10 "I will keep you from the hour of testing that will come upon the whole world."

Did God warn of and give time frames for previous big judgements?

Its really not in God's nature to catch us out or to catch His own family off-guard. But it's also not His fault if His people ignore His warnings!

It would really be out of character for God not to give us time-warnings of the coming tribulation.

God informed Noah of His intention to destroy the world with a flood, 120 years before it occurred. He also gave Noah the means of escape. The Bible says that Noah entered the ark seven days before the flood started, while everyone was carrying on life regardless. Noah's name mean "rest". Isn't that amazing. Rest while floating above God's judgment! That alone is a good defence of the pre-tribulation rapture position.

Before the fiery judgement and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God warned Lot and his wife and told them to get out before the judgment came.

There are many other examples of God warning of impending judgement within time frames. These two, Noah and Lot are both connected with the Second Coming, so it would not be surprising that God would give us a time-warning for the coming tribulation.

By the way, the Second Coming, right at the end of the tribulation will be on a day known to anyone who's interested. The days of the tribulation are numbered in both Daniel and Revelation. So once it starts, all you need to do is tick off the days!

 Conclusion:

"There is one glaring observation here. This is it: The three views, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are not far apart are they? Of course only one could be right if any, but either way...time is very short indeed.

Slight differences should not cause you to throw the baby out with the bathwater. They should inspire you to get ready and be ready and live as though our Messiah was coming tomorrow! If one or two of the views is wrong; so what? You've lost nothing, in fact if you've prepared your heart, you've gained. If one is wrong that does NOT negate God's word and command to watch!

When the 1988 bunch were found to be wrong in 1989, that caused me to look for the reasons why they were wrong and to carry on looking!! That will forever be my position and attitude! Its worth remembering that those who say, "where is the hope of His coming, everything will carry on as always" are condemned by our Lord.

It's very important to let the Bible say what it says and not try to foist into it personal beliefs, especially complex rather stretched presumptions. It must be kept simple.

I would rather be watching, ready and wrong than blind, deceived, not ready and full of the world's ways thank you!

Psalm 111: 2 "The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them."

Heaven or hell:

Young woman, Jesus is coming soon, do you know that? If you knew that you would need to appear in court, wouldn't you prepare beforehand? You can chose now. If you join our Lord's family now you will escape coming judgement. The judgment and resulting resurrection that came upon our Lord at Calvary, will be imputed to you. If you reject Him, a terrible judgement and fiery end awaits you!

Old man you can be made new again. If you accept our Lord you will walk with Him in glory. You'll receive a new body just like that of our Lord. It will be eternally young! Eternity is a long time to regret making the right choice! 

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In closing here is a woodcut by Gustav Dore entitled 'Paradise lost' (Thanks to the Adelaide University Library.)

Kind regards and many blessings...Shalom and grow in grace!