The 23rd chapter of the book of Leviticus gives us an account of the "seven great feasts" of the Lord. They are a prophecy and foreshadowing of future events, part which have been fulfilled and part are yet to be fulfilled. These feasts are holy convocations of the people and they were instituted by God. God promised that if the males went up at the set time to Jerusalem to keep these feasts He would look after them and their families.
These feasts were to be celebrated annually. Four in the spring with the spring harvest and three in the fall during the fall harvest. The first four are:
the Feast of Passover
the Feasts of Unleaven Bread
the Feast of First Fruits
the Feast of Pentecost
The last three are:
the Feast of Trumpets
the Day of Atonement
the Feast of Tabernacles
Today I will discuss the first four feasts that have been fulfilled through Christ's death and ressurection.
The Feasts of Passover
Passover orginated in Egypt when Moses was told by God to lead His people out of Egypt. It is to the Jew as the "beginning of months" (see Exodus 12:1-2) or the beginning of the Jewish year. After God had stricken Egypt with 6 plagues, the 7th and last plague was to destroy the first born son of every family that do not obey God. They were commanded to kill a lamb and put the blood of the lamb on the doorway. Those who did not do this lost their first born son. The Jews obeyed and placed the blood of a lamb on the doorway and the angel of death passed over their household sparing their first born son.
The passover feast was to be celebrated each year to remember how God delivered them from the bondage of the Egyptians. Look at Exodus 12:3-10. "Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying , On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers households, a lamb for each household. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male one year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. And they shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments, I am the Lord.
Why would they get the lamb on the 10th and keep it until the 14th before they killed it?
How hard would it be to kill the lamb that your family adopted and took care of? It is a reminder of what a sacrifice that God gave by sacrificing His son.
Why the blood on the doorposts and lintel(top of the door)?
This symbolized the blood on the cross that was to come.
Why at twilight?
This is the afternoon hours of the day as the sun is dropping in the sky. This said that Jesus would die on the cross in the afternoon hours. He died on the cross on the "nineth hour"(Matt 28:46). That is the nineth hour of the day from day light. This would be about 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Why was the Passover so important?
Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with everyone else. He was crucified on Passover and became the ultimate Passover lamb.
It was done this way as a prophecy to foretell the role of Jesus in the future as the Messiah.
1 Corinthians 5:7, "Clean out the old leaven(if you don't know, leaven is yeast that they used to make bread rise and it represents sin), that you may be a new lump(represents without sin), just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover lamb also has been sacrificed,"
According to this verse, Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
That means that Jesus died and His blood was spilt to cover the sins of the world so that the death angel will not judge us and send us to our punishment. Just as the Jews and the Egyptians has a choice to kill the lamb and spread the blood or not, we have a choice to believe in the blood of Christ. If you believe in Him, He will save you from your sins and your sins are Passed Over, they are not looked at because of your obedience.
So you can see that the Passover is a celebration of God's deliverance from the Egyptians and is also a prophecy of how Christ delivered us from our past. The symbolism of the Feast of Passover has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
The Feast of Unleaven Bread
The Feast of Unleaven Bread begins on the day after the Passover, and continues for seven days.
(see Lev 23:6-8) You can see in 1 Cor 5:7, that the old yeast is to be cleaned out and thrown away.
What does that represent? Repentance! Ask for forgiveness of sin by the blood of Christ and your old sins are thrown away. You are not judged for those sins, they are never brought up again because of the Grace of Christ. Some believe that you have to stand before God on judgement days an account for all of your past sins, that is not true if you are a believer in Christ.
Your sins are washed away!! That is why Jesus can save anyone, no matter what they have done in the past. Satan's biggest lie and deception is, "you are not worthy of going to heaven". That is a true statement, however, because of the blood of Christ I can go no matter what I have done.
Why did the Feast of Unleaven Bread last for a week?
Jesus died on the cross, was placed in a tomb, was raised on the third day, and finally ascended to the Father. The destruction of sin of the world, took all of that to be fulfilled.
The Feast of Unleaven bread is symbolic of the beginning of the walk of a believer. Accept the blood of Christ is your profession of faith in Him and the repentance of sin and changing of your life to a new nature (represented by the new lump of leaven) represents your new walk with Christ. When we are baptized they say, "walk in the newness of Christ".
At this time we turn away from our physical bodies and we are born into our spiritual bodies.
The Feast of First Fruits
The Feast of First Fruits was observed by the Jews by taking the first part of the harvest of any crop, plant or animal and offering it up to God as a burnt offering. Guess what? The burnt offering of an animal was a one year old unblemished lamb. This was to give glory to God for the blessing of provision of food.
How does the harvest work? You plant a seed and out of the seed grows new life, the old seed rots away and the new plant is born. That new plant produces fruit.
The Feast of First Fruits represents Christ in the same way. Jesus was planted in the tomb. After three days He rose from the grave as a new creation. That new creation, Jesus in His glorified body, now could produce fruit. Look at Revelation 1:17, "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man, And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, "Do not be afraid, I am the first and the last, and the living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." Look at Revelation 2:8, "The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life". These are statements of Christ.
You can see this discussed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:42-47. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body, there is also a spiritual body. So also it is written, the first man, Adam, became a living soul, the last Adam(Jesus) became a life giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, the second man is from Heaven."
Jesus was the First Fruit. He fulfilled the Feast of First Fruit by being the first to rise from the grave in a new spiritual body. After that, all who die are present with the Lord.
The Feast of Pentacost
Fifty days after the Feast of First Fruits, the Feast of Pentacost was observed. The space of time between the two feasts was 7 weeks or 49 days which are called the "feasts of weeks". On the 50th day the Feast of Pentacost begins. Penta means fifty. So the feast after fifty days. It actually was to celebrate the ingathering of the wheat harvest.
At the feast of pentacost, a new meat offering was to be offered before the lord. It was called new because it must be of grain from the new harvest. At the feast of firsts fruits stalks of grain were to be offered and waved, but at the feast of Pentecost the grain was to be ground and made into flour, from which two loaves were to be baked with leaven. The two loaves represent the two classes of people, Jews and Gentiles. A burnt offering of seven lambs without blemish of the the first year, one young bullock, and two rams were to be offered also. Then a "sin offering" of a kid of the goats, and two lambs of the first year for a peace offering. The loaves were to be waved before the Lord as a praise of provision unto the Lord. The loaves were symbolic of the unity of the two groups of people.
Jesus fulfilled the Feast of Pentacost when He sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples and they were filled with the Spirit of God. When this happened the Gentiles were included into the plan of salvation for the first time, combined together as the bread.
You can see this in Acts 2. "And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there cam from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting and there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
(6) And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language and they were amazed and marveled, saying "Why are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which were were born? (17) And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of my spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams,"
Monday, June 1, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The RED HEIFER
Today is the big day in Jerusalem. Today is the day they try to place the cornerstone. It will not happen without a divine overseeing. The Arabs will not let it happen. In the past they have attempted to place the cornerstone and the Israel police stopped the event because they knew it would cause riots.
It would be nice to see the Jews stand up and fight for the right to rebuild the Temple. The Temple completed their connection to God. Today we have the Holy Spirit to connect us to the Father. However, they don't have that either. So you would think that they would fight to re-establish a connection to God and feel whole again.
To see more of the event go to http://www.templemountfaithful.org/. It is a very interesting website. If nothing else you can see that they have plans to reconstruct the Temple within a very short time. They have everything necessary to re-establish the Temple worship today.
The next sign is the red heifer. The following was taken from http://www.arksearch.com/ website.
Hebrews 9
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Red Heifer: The Details
According to the Bible:
A. The red heifer (Num 19:2):
Must be without blemish
Must be without defect
Must never have worn a yoke
B. The sacrifice (Num 19:3-7):
Must be performed outside the camp
The blood must be sprinkled seven times in front of the tabernacle
The ENTIRE heifer must be burned before the priest
Cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet are added to the fire
The priest washes his clothes and bathes
C. The Water of Purification (Num 19:9):
Prepared by a man who is clean
He gathers the ashes
(Implied) He adds water to the ashes (19:17)
He stores it outside the camp in a clean place
The water is for the congregation of Israel
He washes his clothes and bathes
It is this water, The Water of Purification, which is required by the Israelites today. It is needed to "purify" today's Levitical priesthood and to "purify" the temple mount in preparation for the Third Temple.
Red Heifer: The Rancher
In the early 1990's, a cattle rancher ran across the scriptures describing the red heifer. As he pondered what he had just read, he realized that he indeed had that kind of heifer.
Coming into contact with a group from Israel, he began communicating and eventually worked a deal to provide them with the biblically defined red heifer.
The original agreement was to provide 200 pregnant red heifers, which would be shipped via ocean lined to Jerusalem. Statistically, these pregnant heifers would produce 100 bulls and 100 heifers. The resultant 100 heifers would become the "potential" sacrificial stock.
Time went by, and this event did not occur. The interest and motivation had by no means disappeared but are fervently still there. The plan had now reached a much grander scale. The goal now is to repopulate the nation of Israel with this man's breed of cattle stock. So instead of 200 heifers, they are planning to ship thousands of heifers to Jerusalem.
As you read this, the heifers are grazing in the plains of Nebraska. I have been told that they are very gentle and a very good breeding stock. They have never been haltered, worn a blanket and are visually spotless and free from defect. A rabbi from Israel will be examining them this spring (1997).
The rancher is Clyde Lott. He has said that they are looking for "prayerful minded people" to help out with their efforts. He also said that they are "set on go" and ready for the process of shipment and repopulating to begin.
Most of this information has been obtained from a tape interview of Clyde Lott by Hatikva Ministries and from telephone conversations with him.
THE MID-EAST DISPATCH, DAILY NEWS FROM ISRAEL - ISSUE 237 - 16th March 1997
RED HEIFER SIGNALS THIRD TEMPLE
The birth of a red heifer in Israel is being hailed by religious Jews as a sign from God that work can soon begin on building the Third Temple in Jerusalem.
A team of rabbinical experts last week confirmed that the animal, born six months ago on a religious kibbutz near the north Israeli port of Haifa, meets the correct Biblical criteria for a genuine holy cow. According to the Book of Numbers (XIX: 2-7), the animal is needed for an ancient Jewish purification ritual.
"Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke," says the fourth book of the Old Testament, also part of Jewish holy scripture, the Torah.
The heifer will be slaughtered and burned, and its ashes made into a liquid paste and used in a ceremony which religious Jews believe they must undergo before they can enter the old Temple site in Jerusalem to start building a new structure.
Since Herod's Temple was destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus in AD 70, no flawless red heifer has been born within the biblical land of Israel, according to rabbinical teaching.
The birth of the animal, to a black-and-white mother and a dun-colored bull, is being hailed as a "miracle" by activists who want to rebuild the Third Temple and prepare the way for the Jewish messiah's entry to Jerusalem.
The faithful will need to wait until the heifer is at least three before it can be used in a ritual sacrifice. That would enable religious Jews to start the new millennium (a Christian event, but still regarded as portentous) in a state of purity.
News of the red heifer's appearance, however, will not be well received by Muslims. The site of the old Jewish temples in the Holy City is now occupied by one of Islam's holiest shrines, the Dome of the Rock. Jewish extremists want to destroy the Dome and the adjoining Al-Aqsa mosque to make way for a new temple. In 1985 a group of Jewish terrorists were jailed in Israel for planning to destroy the Dome with high explosives.
But Jewish activists say they regard it as their divine mission to build a new Temple. "We have been waiting 2,000 years for a sign from God, and now he has provided us with a red heifer," said Yehudah Etzion, the ringleader of the Eighties' plot to blow up the Dome, who was present at last week's inspection of the red heifer at Kfar Hassidim. "There were a couple of little white hairs which worried us, but the rabbis are satisfied that it is the red heifer referred to in the Bible," said Mr Etzion. (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (London) 3/1
Praise God for another sign of the end times and Jesus Christ is coming soon!!
God bless, Dean
It would be nice to see the Jews stand up and fight for the right to rebuild the Temple. The Temple completed their connection to God. Today we have the Holy Spirit to connect us to the Father. However, they don't have that either. So you would think that they would fight to re-establish a connection to God and feel whole again.
To see more of the event go to http://www.templemountfaithful.org/. It is a very interesting website. If nothing else you can see that they have plans to reconstruct the Temple within a very short time. They have everything necessary to re-establish the Temple worship today.
The next sign is the red heifer. The following was taken from http://www.arksearch.com/ website.
Hebrews 9
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Red Heifer: The Details
According to the Bible:
A. The red heifer (Num 19:2):
Must be without blemish
Must be without defect
Must never have worn a yoke
B. The sacrifice (Num 19:3-7):
Must be performed outside the camp
The blood must be sprinkled seven times in front of the tabernacle
The ENTIRE heifer must be burned before the priest
Cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet are added to the fire
The priest washes his clothes and bathes
C. The Water of Purification (Num 19:9):
Prepared by a man who is clean
He gathers the ashes
(Implied) He adds water to the ashes (19:17)
He stores it outside the camp in a clean place
The water is for the congregation of Israel
He washes his clothes and bathes
It is this water, The Water of Purification, which is required by the Israelites today. It is needed to "purify" today's Levitical priesthood and to "purify" the temple mount in preparation for the Third Temple.
Red Heifer: The Rancher
In the early 1990's, a cattle rancher ran across the scriptures describing the red heifer. As he pondered what he had just read, he realized that he indeed had that kind of heifer.
Coming into contact with a group from Israel, he began communicating and eventually worked a deal to provide them with the biblically defined red heifer.
The original agreement was to provide 200 pregnant red heifers, which would be shipped via ocean lined to Jerusalem. Statistically, these pregnant heifers would produce 100 bulls and 100 heifers. The resultant 100 heifers would become the "potential" sacrificial stock.
Time went by, and this event did not occur. The interest and motivation had by no means disappeared but are fervently still there. The plan had now reached a much grander scale. The goal now is to repopulate the nation of Israel with this man's breed of cattle stock. So instead of 200 heifers, they are planning to ship thousands of heifers to Jerusalem.
As you read this, the heifers are grazing in the plains of Nebraska. I have been told that they are very gentle and a very good breeding stock. They have never been haltered, worn a blanket and are visually spotless and free from defect. A rabbi from Israel will be examining them this spring (1997).
The rancher is Clyde Lott. He has said that they are looking for "prayerful minded people" to help out with their efforts. He also said that they are "set on go" and ready for the process of shipment and repopulating to begin.
Most of this information has been obtained from a tape interview of Clyde Lott by Hatikva Ministries and from telephone conversations with him.
THE MID-EAST DISPATCH, DAILY NEWS FROM ISRAEL - ISSUE 237 - 16th March 1997
RED HEIFER SIGNALS THIRD TEMPLE
The birth of a red heifer in Israel is being hailed by religious Jews as a sign from God that work can soon begin on building the Third Temple in Jerusalem.
A team of rabbinical experts last week confirmed that the animal, born six months ago on a religious kibbutz near the north Israeli port of Haifa, meets the correct Biblical criteria for a genuine holy cow. According to the Book of Numbers (XIX: 2-7), the animal is needed for an ancient Jewish purification ritual.
"Speak unto the children of Israel that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke," says the fourth book of the Old Testament, also part of Jewish holy scripture, the Torah.
The heifer will be slaughtered and burned, and its ashes made into a liquid paste and used in a ceremony which religious Jews believe they must undergo before they can enter the old Temple site in Jerusalem to start building a new structure.
Since Herod's Temple was destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus in AD 70, no flawless red heifer has been born within the biblical land of Israel, according to rabbinical teaching.
The birth of the animal, to a black-and-white mother and a dun-colored bull, is being hailed as a "miracle" by activists who want to rebuild the Third Temple and prepare the way for the Jewish messiah's entry to Jerusalem.
The faithful will need to wait until the heifer is at least three before it can be used in a ritual sacrifice. That would enable religious Jews to start the new millennium (a Christian event, but still regarded as portentous) in a state of purity.
News of the red heifer's appearance, however, will not be well received by Muslims. The site of the old Jewish temples in the Holy City is now occupied by one of Islam's holiest shrines, the Dome of the Rock. Jewish extremists want to destroy the Dome and the adjoining Al-Aqsa mosque to make way for a new temple. In 1985 a group of Jewish terrorists were jailed in Israel for planning to destroy the Dome with high explosives.
But Jewish activists say they regard it as their divine mission to build a new Temple. "We have been waiting 2,000 years for a sign from God, and now he has provided us with a red heifer," said Yehudah Etzion, the ringleader of the Eighties' plot to blow up the Dome, who was present at last week's inspection of the red heifer at Kfar Hassidim. "There were a couple of little white hairs which worried us, but the rabbis are satisfied that it is the red heifer referred to in the Bible," said Mr Etzion. (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (London) 3/1
Praise God for another sign of the end times and Jesus Christ is coming soon!!
God bless, Dean
Monday, May 18, 2009
An Important Sign
Today is a very important day. Today Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Obama at the White House to discuss many things. First of all Obama hasn't been a very good supporter of Israel and tends to lean toward the Palestines. Obama is planning on putting heat on Netanyahu to create a two state peace plan. This is the seven year peace plan that is discussed in the Bible as a sign of the last days. Clinton and Bush tried to get this done in the past and now Obama.
It would take something special to make it possible to give away critical land that would jeopardize security of Israel to make it possible. The answer is that the Jews will be given the right to rebuild the Temple and reinstated the Temple worship of blood sacrifice.
On May 21st, the Temple Mount Faithful plans to move the 13 ton cornerstone of the third Temple into place paraded by reconstructed Temple trumpets blasting and flags of Israel and of the Temple. Is it time to rebuild the Temple? Everything is ready to recreate it. If interested go to the Temple Mount Faithful website and look at all of the Temple items that have been recreated by hand according to the commands of God to Moses in Leviticus.
The next step would to reinstate the ARK OF THE COVENANT into the proper place in the Temple. Personally, I believe that RON WYATT got it right about the location of the Ark. He said that when Jesus died on the cross, the earthquake broke the rock by the cross opening up a 20 foot deep hole leading to a hidden chamber where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden before the capativity of the Jews when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple. The Ark was never mentioned after that. When Jesus died on the cross, the Roman guard pierced Jesus' side and blood and water poured into the hole and the BLOOD OF CHRIST spilled onto the Ark just as it was required of the sacrificial blood of the lambs during the Temple sacrifices on the Day of Atonement. This would be a perfect example of how God foretells us of thing coming in the future so that we have no excuse to understand that God is God and Jesus is his son who He sent to earth to die for our sins.
Most people believe that the Temple will be rebuilt on the existing location that is also occupied by the Dome of the Rock which is a holy place for the Muslums. I am betting that Israel will ask to rebuild the Temple a little further North where Ron Wyatt discovered the location of the Ark of the Covenant. This way the Jews would not have to move the Ark but rather just build the Temple above the Ark and reinstated the blessing of God on Israel. No enemy will stand if the Temple worship is correctly reinstated. It would be awesome to see the power of God protecting Israel again so that the whole world will see the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is in control and realize that His Son is the Messiah.
If this peace treaty happens, it signals the beginning of the seven years of tribulation. This will cause a great uproar because a majority of the "Christian evangelist" on TV are teaching that the Christians will be "raptured out" before the beginning of the tribulation.
This is the whole purpose of my blog, to let the people know that the "pre-trib" rapture isn't in the Bible and when the peace treaty is signed the world will turn again the Christian because of the lie, pretrib rapture, that is being taught. It will make it look like our faith is on book full of false beliefs. We will have the greatest chance of being a witness for Christ that has ever existed.
It seems the events are unfolding before our eyes. Are you ready? If not, trust in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He gave for our sins that we can have eternal life.
God bless, Dean
It would take something special to make it possible to give away critical land that would jeopardize security of Israel to make it possible. The answer is that the Jews will be given the right to rebuild the Temple and reinstated the Temple worship of blood sacrifice.
On May 21st, the Temple Mount Faithful plans to move the 13 ton cornerstone of the third Temple into place paraded by reconstructed Temple trumpets blasting and flags of Israel and of the Temple. Is it time to rebuild the Temple? Everything is ready to recreate it. If interested go to the Temple Mount Faithful website and look at all of the Temple items that have been recreated by hand according to the commands of God to Moses in Leviticus.
The next step would to reinstate the ARK OF THE COVENANT into the proper place in the Temple. Personally, I believe that RON WYATT got it right about the location of the Ark. He said that when Jesus died on the cross, the earthquake broke the rock by the cross opening up a 20 foot deep hole leading to a hidden chamber where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden before the capativity of the Jews when the Babylonians destroyed the Temple. The Ark was never mentioned after that. When Jesus died on the cross, the Roman guard pierced Jesus' side and blood and water poured into the hole and the BLOOD OF CHRIST spilled onto the Ark just as it was required of the sacrificial blood of the lambs during the Temple sacrifices on the Day of Atonement. This would be a perfect example of how God foretells us of thing coming in the future so that we have no excuse to understand that God is God and Jesus is his son who He sent to earth to die for our sins.
Most people believe that the Temple will be rebuilt on the existing location that is also occupied by the Dome of the Rock which is a holy place for the Muslums. I am betting that Israel will ask to rebuild the Temple a little further North where Ron Wyatt discovered the location of the Ark of the Covenant. This way the Jews would not have to move the Ark but rather just build the Temple above the Ark and reinstated the blessing of God on Israel. No enemy will stand if the Temple worship is correctly reinstated. It would be awesome to see the power of God protecting Israel again so that the whole world will see the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is in control and realize that His Son is the Messiah.
If this peace treaty happens, it signals the beginning of the seven years of tribulation. This will cause a great uproar because a majority of the "Christian evangelist" on TV are teaching that the Christians will be "raptured out" before the beginning of the tribulation.
This is the whole purpose of my blog, to let the people know that the "pre-trib" rapture isn't in the Bible and when the peace treaty is signed the world will turn again the Christian because of the lie, pretrib rapture, that is being taught. It will make it look like our faith is on book full of false beliefs. We will have the greatest chance of being a witness for Christ that has ever existed.
It seems the events are unfolding before our eyes. Are you ready? If not, trust in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He gave for our sins that we can have eternal life.
God bless, Dean
Friday, May 8, 2009
Days of Noah
Matthew 24:37, "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand untiel the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be."
This verse says that most of the people of the earth will be busy with their lives and not paying attention to the signs that are in front of their nose to warn them of the coming judgement. In the days of Noah, it took him 120 years to build the ark. There was a big sign. Maybe we are going to have a big sign right in front of our nose and not even pay attention. The creation of Israel as a nation after almost 2000 years, without a war to regain the land, being gathered from all of the regions of the world might be our sign!!! You think.
For any of you non-Christians or new Christians, I would be asking "how could Noah work on the ark for 120 years?" It is easy, he lived to be 950 years old. Genesis 9:28, "so all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died." Then if I were you, I would be asking how can he live that long? It is easy, everyone lived to be around 900 years old. What?
You see, according to Genesis 1:7, "And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse." There was a bubble of water around the earth protecting us from the sun rays and creating a green house on the earth where everything lived longer and grew bigger. Plants grew several feet a day and probably produced fruit several times a year. There were no oceans, and one large land mass.
The earth was flat and mostly land.
Did you know that it will be more like that during the millenial kingdom? Most will live the whole time.
Why did the people in the days of Noah not get it? The main reason is that they had never seen rain. It had never rained? The earth was watered like a green house with a mist from the ground. So, a boat meant nothing to them. Water had never been a threat. And then, one day the water above the earth was burst, I think by an asteroid which scientist showed that it hit on the tip of the Yucatan penisula in the Gulf of Mexico, and the water flooded the whole earth. This asteroid destroyed the dinosaurs and all living creatures that were not on the Ark or lived in the water. It changed the face of the earth and we are still shifting because of the impact. A fun thing to do is go to Google earth and look at the oceans. It is easy to see how the land masses have shifted and some of the land has gone underwater. It is also easy to see how the continents use to fit together. South America use to be touching Africa. Man, it has moved a long way.
So, today there are lots of people that are missing the signs of a coming judgement. God promised to never use water again. Next time it is by fire. We discussed the possible fire judgement coming in a past blog.
Don't be one of those who miss out on salvation from the coming judgement because you will not look at the signs in front of your nose.
This verse says that most of the people of the earth will be busy with their lives and not paying attention to the signs that are in front of their nose to warn them of the coming judgement. In the days of Noah, it took him 120 years to build the ark. There was a big sign. Maybe we are going to have a big sign right in front of our nose and not even pay attention. The creation of Israel as a nation after almost 2000 years, without a war to regain the land, being gathered from all of the regions of the world might be our sign!!! You think.
For any of you non-Christians or new Christians, I would be asking "how could Noah work on the ark for 120 years?" It is easy, he lived to be 950 years old. Genesis 9:28, "so all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died." Then if I were you, I would be asking how can he live that long? It is easy, everyone lived to be around 900 years old. What?
You see, according to Genesis 1:7, "And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse." There was a bubble of water around the earth protecting us from the sun rays and creating a green house on the earth where everything lived longer and grew bigger. Plants grew several feet a day and probably produced fruit several times a year. There were no oceans, and one large land mass.
The earth was flat and mostly land.
Did you know that it will be more like that during the millenial kingdom? Most will live the whole time.
Why did the people in the days of Noah not get it? The main reason is that they had never seen rain. It had never rained? The earth was watered like a green house with a mist from the ground. So, a boat meant nothing to them. Water had never been a threat. And then, one day the water above the earth was burst, I think by an asteroid which scientist showed that it hit on the tip of the Yucatan penisula in the Gulf of Mexico, and the water flooded the whole earth. This asteroid destroyed the dinosaurs and all living creatures that were not on the Ark or lived in the water. It changed the face of the earth and we are still shifting because of the impact. A fun thing to do is go to Google earth and look at the oceans. It is easy to see how the land masses have shifted and some of the land has gone underwater. It is also easy to see how the continents use to fit together. South America use to be touching Africa. Man, it has moved a long way.
So, today there are lots of people that are missing the signs of a coming judgement. God promised to never use water again. Next time it is by fire. We discussed the possible fire judgement coming in a past blog.
Don't be one of those who miss out on salvation from the coming judgement because you will not look at the signs in front of your nose.
The Return of Christ
Good morning. My daughter told me that I am too intense at times for new readers. So, I will try to slow down and give the new readers the reasons that I believe that we are in the last generation on this earth before the return of Christ.
The Jews believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six days. 2 Peter 3:8, "But do not let this once fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day". They believe that there will be six days = six thousand years from Adam until the Messiah. The seventh day = one thousand years will bring in the millenial kingdom. Revelation 20: 1-3, "And I saw an angel coming down from heaen, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed, after these things he must be released for a short while." So, you see after Jesus returns in the cloulds, there will be a time of rest, a sabbath day, a thousand years of peace on earth.
We can see that there is approximately 2000 years from Adam till Moses, 2000 years from Moses to Jesus, and 2000 years from Jesus until the return of Christ. Well Jesus died around 30-32 AD. 2000 years would be around 2032 give or take a little for the conversion from a Jewish year(360 days) to the standard year that we have today(365.27 days).
Matthew 24:32-34, "Now learn the parable from the fig tree(represents Israel), when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves(represents the capturing of Jerusalem in 1967), you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place".
The fig tree represents Israel and the putting forth of it leaves represents the capturing of Jerusalem in the six day war in 1967. That was a miracle in itself.
More than this: the Israeli military was outnumbered on all fronts and in all services. Israel could field a total strength of 264,000 soldiers; this included all the reserves, and could not therefore be sustained for any length of time without destroying the economy. Facing them were 525,000 Arab soldiers (of whom almost half - 240,000 - were Egyptian). Israeli tanks were outnumbered by more than three to one: 800 Israeli tanks faced 2,424 Arab tanks (again, about half - 1,200 - were Egyptian). The Israeli air force could field 350 aircraft, outnumbered almost 3 to 1 by 939 Arab aircraft (450 of them Egyptian).
So, if you consider a generation from 1967 and a generation is 70 years, then Christ would have to return before 2037.
You can see two prophecies that tell us the return of Christ is coming soon and then there will be a 1000 years of peace on the earth. This is a very good reason that we should not put off trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life. If you have not, I pray you do so today.
God bless, Dean
The Jews believe that God created the heavens and the earth in six days. 2 Peter 3:8, "But do not let this once fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day". They believe that there will be six days = six thousand years from Adam until the Messiah. The seventh day = one thousand years will bring in the millenial kingdom. Revelation 20: 1-3, "And I saw an angel coming down from heaen, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed, after these things he must be released for a short while." So, you see after Jesus returns in the cloulds, there will be a time of rest, a sabbath day, a thousand years of peace on earth.
We can see that there is approximately 2000 years from Adam till Moses, 2000 years from Moses to Jesus, and 2000 years from Jesus until the return of Christ. Well Jesus died around 30-32 AD. 2000 years would be around 2032 give or take a little for the conversion from a Jewish year(360 days) to the standard year that we have today(365.27 days).
Matthew 24:32-34, "Now learn the parable from the fig tree(represents Israel), when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves(represents the capturing of Jerusalem in 1967), you know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place".
The fig tree represents Israel and the putting forth of it leaves represents the capturing of Jerusalem in the six day war in 1967. That was a miracle in itself.
More than this: the Israeli military was outnumbered on all fronts and in all services. Israel could field a total strength of 264,000 soldiers; this included all the reserves, and could not therefore be sustained for any length of time without destroying the economy. Facing them were 525,000 Arab soldiers (of whom almost half - 240,000 - were Egyptian). Israeli tanks were outnumbered by more than three to one: 800 Israeli tanks faced 2,424 Arab tanks (again, about half - 1,200 - were Egyptian). The Israeli air force could field 350 aircraft, outnumbered almost 3 to 1 by 939 Arab aircraft (450 of them Egyptian).
So, if you consider a generation from 1967 and a generation is 70 years, then Christ would have to return before 2037.
You can see two prophecies that tell us the return of Christ is coming soon and then there will be a 1000 years of peace on the earth. This is a very good reason that we should not put off trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life. If you have not, I pray you do so today.
God bless, Dean
Thursday, May 7, 2009
How do you know that we are getting close?
How do we know that we are living in the last days? Daniel 9:2 ; "in the first year of the reign of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years." Actually, this means seventy "sevens" of years, or seventy weeks of years, or 490 years. This is the Jewish clock set by God until the abomination of desolation is set up in Jerusalem.
The problem with prophecy is that it often has a double meaning. In this case, it has two meanings.
Look at Daniel 9:25-26; "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined."
You can see that there is 70 weeks of years or 490 years on the clock of Israel until everything is over. Some people believe that this timeframe was complete in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and it began in 445 BC with the proclamation to rebuild Jerusalem. That is the first meaning of the prophecy. To say that it is the only meaning is to say that God is through with Israel. Romans 11:25-26, "For I do not want you brethren to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written." You see the covenant with Israel is irrevocable just as our covenant of salvation by grace is irrevocable. God will finish what He started with Israel in the last days.
According to Daniel, after the seven weeks of years and the sixty-two weeks of years the Messiah will be cut off. That is that the decree was given around 445BC and Jesus was cut off or crucified around 32 AD which is exactly 483 years. That means that there is one week of years left. Seven years which Matthew 24 calls the tribulation. The whole book of Revelation was written so that we could know what was going to happen.
According to Daniel 9:27, "And he (the antichrist) will make a firm covenant with the many for one week but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering,"
So, the one week is yet to come and it will begin with a seven year peace treaty. The pressure is on Israel more than ever to sign a peace treaty. I believe that this peace treaty will be with the Palestinians to give them a home land and half of Jerusalem. What will Israel get for such a sacrifice? There is only one thing that would be worth it. Control of the Temple mount so that the Jews could re-establish the Temple worship. To do this would put them back into a relationship with God and reestablish His protection upon Israel. That would mean that they could sacrifice animals on the altar and follow the old covenant again. The Ark of the Covenant may be put back into place. The problem there will be is it the copy that King Solomon made for his son, or is it the real one. I believe that I know where both are. So, in the middle of the seven years, the antichrist, who has signed the seven year peace treaty with Israel will break it and put himself on the throne of the Temple and claim himself as god. That is because he will be infilled with the spirit of satan and satan has always wanted to be God. This will happen 1260 days into the tribulation.
If you look back at the old blogs you will see that there is a 30 period just after that called the "hour of testing". This is when the mark of the beast is enacted on all mankind. This is another great sign to show we are quickly approaching the end time. Today, we are closer than ever to being able to mark everyone with a chip that will take the place of our money system so that you cannot buy or sell without it. If you take the mark, you will be condemned by God. That is why Israel will run for the hills during that time (see Matthew 24:15-22).
The problem with prophecy is that it often has a double meaning. In this case, it has two meanings.
Look at Daniel 9:25-26; "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined."
You can see that there is 70 weeks of years or 490 years on the clock of Israel until everything is over. Some people believe that this timeframe was complete in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and it began in 445 BC with the proclamation to rebuild Jerusalem. That is the first meaning of the prophecy. To say that it is the only meaning is to say that God is through with Israel. Romans 11:25-26, "For I do not want you brethren to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in, and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written." You see the covenant with Israel is irrevocable just as our covenant of salvation by grace is irrevocable. God will finish what He started with Israel in the last days.
According to Daniel, after the seven weeks of years and the sixty-two weeks of years the Messiah will be cut off. That is that the decree was given around 445BC and Jesus was cut off or crucified around 32 AD which is exactly 483 years. That means that there is one week of years left. Seven years which Matthew 24 calls the tribulation. The whole book of Revelation was written so that we could know what was going to happen.
According to Daniel 9:27, "And he (the antichrist) will make a firm covenant with the many for one week but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering,"
So, the one week is yet to come and it will begin with a seven year peace treaty. The pressure is on Israel more than ever to sign a peace treaty. I believe that this peace treaty will be with the Palestinians to give them a home land and half of Jerusalem. What will Israel get for such a sacrifice? There is only one thing that would be worth it. Control of the Temple mount so that the Jews could re-establish the Temple worship. To do this would put them back into a relationship with God and reestablish His protection upon Israel. That would mean that they could sacrifice animals on the altar and follow the old covenant again. The Ark of the Covenant may be put back into place. The problem there will be is it the copy that King Solomon made for his son, or is it the real one. I believe that I know where both are. So, in the middle of the seven years, the antichrist, who has signed the seven year peace treaty with Israel will break it and put himself on the throne of the Temple and claim himself as god. That is because he will be infilled with the spirit of satan and satan has always wanted to be God. This will happen 1260 days into the tribulation.
If you look back at the old blogs you will see that there is a 30 period just after that called the "hour of testing". This is when the mark of the beast is enacted on all mankind. This is another great sign to show we are quickly approaching the end time. Today, we are closer than ever to being able to mark everyone with a chip that will take the place of our money system so that you cannot buy or sell without it. If you take the mark, you will be condemned by God. That is why Israel will run for the hills during that time (see Matthew 24:15-22).
Monday, May 4, 2009
What will you do?
I had the pleasure of going to a men's retreat this last Friday. I knew only the one who invited me and we had a good time of worship. They played music and we sang and prayed and praised.
When it came time to share, I could tell that the main emphasis was that these men were celebrating the "freedom" of salvation that is given to us by Jesus Christ through GRACE. I really didn't realize that so many people may have not understood it, that Jesus has forgiven all sins past, present, and future and that we are no longer under the law. We are under the guidence of the Holy Spirit. We have surrendered our lives to Jesus because He gave us a gift that we can never earn. I guess that most of their lives they were living under some type of bondage. Maybe the past, maybe expectation of what you are suppose to do now?
They asked "did anyone have anything to share", and I never turn down a chance to talk about prophecy. So, I made the statement that we should be ready for the future in case we are expected to stand firm on our beliefs. After I finished, the leader made the statement that he believed in the prerapture and that we didn't have to worry about the future, that God will take care of all things.
I really didn't want to cause a stir in their meeting; so, I held my tougue. On the way home I thought about his comment. After all, doesn't God provide for your future? The answer is yes.
However, God prepared for Noah's future by telling him to get ready, judgement is coming. God prepared for Abraham's future by telling him to prepare to be a leader of a nation. God prepared for Moses' future by telling him every move to make. Are we really not suppose to do anything, just sit and wait for the provision of God? Did Joseph do nothing and wait for the provision of God? If he had not listen to the warnings of God and prepared for seven years, a whole country would have starved to death.
I feel the same way about prophecy. God has told us what to expect. He said that He is coming back one day and that we are suppose to anxiously await His return. My whole life, I was taught that we would be taken out before the tribulation; but, after studying it very carefully, I don't see it. Why would we need the book of Revelation if we were being taken out before any of it happens? I believe God has given us prophecy to say, "be prepared" judgement is coming. They always use, "well God took the believers out before the judgement of the flood so I believe that He will do the same with us". Ok, what about the 120 years of warnings that judgement was coming and no one listened. If they had listened to the signs, like a man building a giant boat and warning that a flood was coming to destroy the whole world, they could have repented and been saved.
We have been promised that we will not go through the "wrath of God". 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ". The wrath of God is the seven bowls of judgement that are in the latter part of the seven years of tribulation.
We are promise that we will not go through the "hour of testing". Revelation 3:10, "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth". This hour was talked about on my 3/31 post. It is the 30 days just past the first 1260 days.
We can bury our heads in the sand, or we can prepare for a future testing that may come in our lifetime. God gave us many signs. He gave us the Holy Spirit to teach of about the future. Our job is to study, tell others, and be prepared to be a witness in tough times.
You can see one such event is about to happen this week. The "hate crimes" bill has passed the house and this week is before the Senate for approval. If it passes, and a Christian takes a stand against homosexuality or gay marriage or even mention what the Bible says on the issue, they will be arrested for one year and fined up to $250,000 for a hate crime. How is your faith now.
If asked a question about gay marriage like the runner up to Ms. America was, will you stand with the teaching of the Bible and risk going to jail or will you hide your beliefs.
Jesus took a stand, He died for you and provided you with eternal life, what are you willing to do for Him?
When it came time to share, I could tell that the main emphasis was that these men were celebrating the "freedom" of salvation that is given to us by Jesus Christ through GRACE. I really didn't realize that so many people may have not understood it, that Jesus has forgiven all sins past, present, and future and that we are no longer under the law. We are under the guidence of the Holy Spirit. We have surrendered our lives to Jesus because He gave us a gift that we can never earn. I guess that most of their lives they were living under some type of bondage. Maybe the past, maybe expectation of what you are suppose to do now?
They asked "did anyone have anything to share", and I never turn down a chance to talk about prophecy. So, I made the statement that we should be ready for the future in case we are expected to stand firm on our beliefs. After I finished, the leader made the statement that he believed in the prerapture and that we didn't have to worry about the future, that God will take care of all things.
I really didn't want to cause a stir in their meeting; so, I held my tougue. On the way home I thought about his comment. After all, doesn't God provide for your future? The answer is yes.
However, God prepared for Noah's future by telling him to get ready, judgement is coming. God prepared for Abraham's future by telling him to prepare to be a leader of a nation. God prepared for Moses' future by telling him every move to make. Are we really not suppose to do anything, just sit and wait for the provision of God? Did Joseph do nothing and wait for the provision of God? If he had not listen to the warnings of God and prepared for seven years, a whole country would have starved to death.
I feel the same way about prophecy. God has told us what to expect. He said that He is coming back one day and that we are suppose to anxiously await His return. My whole life, I was taught that we would be taken out before the tribulation; but, after studying it very carefully, I don't see it. Why would we need the book of Revelation if we were being taken out before any of it happens? I believe God has given us prophecy to say, "be prepared" judgement is coming. They always use, "well God took the believers out before the judgement of the flood so I believe that He will do the same with us". Ok, what about the 120 years of warnings that judgement was coming and no one listened. If they had listened to the signs, like a man building a giant boat and warning that a flood was coming to destroy the whole world, they could have repented and been saved.
We have been promised that we will not go through the "wrath of God". 1 Thessalonians 5:9, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ". The wrath of God is the seven bowls of judgement that are in the latter part of the seven years of tribulation.
We are promise that we will not go through the "hour of testing". Revelation 3:10, "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth". This hour was talked about on my 3/31 post. It is the 30 days just past the first 1260 days.
We can bury our heads in the sand, or we can prepare for a future testing that may come in our lifetime. God gave us many signs. He gave us the Holy Spirit to teach of about the future. Our job is to study, tell others, and be prepared to be a witness in tough times.
You can see one such event is about to happen this week. The "hate crimes" bill has passed the house and this week is before the Senate for approval. If it passes, and a Christian takes a stand against homosexuality or gay marriage or even mention what the Bible says on the issue, they will be arrested for one year and fined up to $250,000 for a hate crime. How is your faith now.
If asked a question about gay marriage like the runner up to Ms. America was, will you stand with the teaching of the Bible and risk going to jail or will you hide your beliefs.
Jesus took a stand, He died for you and provided you with eternal life, what are you willing to do for Him?
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