A Voice in the Wilderness

Lawlessness will abound, and the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12

Posted on 12/19/2023 by remso

When I left off our study in Matthew 24, we were looking at verse 11. The context goes like this: the disciples asked when will these things – the destruction of the temple and His return as the warring Messiah. Jesus began to answer, but the first thing out of His mouth was that they do not allow themselves to be deceived. He then went on to tell them briefly what was coming.

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”

Christ is indicative of the Messiah but also the anointed one. This word anointed opens the door to self-appointment.
“…you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

Why would this be important in a world where conflict is always going on?

The statement lends itself to something much larger than local skirmishes.
For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.

Do names like Ukraine and the Soviet Union sound familiar? How about Israel and Hamas?
And there will be famines,

All of which are man-made.
pestilences,

This is the Greek word pharmakeia, from which we Americans get our word pharmacy. But it also applies to the neighbor that manufactures meth in his garage and the big businesses pushing their vaccines.
And earthquakes in various places.

In case you haven’t noticed, earthquakes are popping off all over the globe and are frequently associated with volcanic activity. Read Matthew 24:5-7 NKJV.

“All these are (merely) the beginning of sorrows.”

Verse eleven tells us that during this time, “…many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.” Matthew 24:11 NKJV

Rise up? The Greek word egeirō comes from the idea of collecting one’s faculties: to waken; to rouse – literally from sleep, and in the extreme, to rouse from death. Now it is getting really dark – To raise again.

Imagine that while driving your car, your mind decides to go to some vivid, white sand beach where you had a great vacation. Suddenly you panic, collect your faculties, and realize that you cannot remember the last quarter mile of driving. It might also apply to the boxer who momentarily gets knocked out while fighting and gets awakened from a blow to the head.

Deceive many?

My thoughts lean toward a mass hypnosis, but that seems too much like something from a comic book, and yet, since October 7th, there is evidence of a mass deception. If you paid attention to the crowds wrapped up in this mass hysteria, most are younger, and I doubt they were ever disciplined for misconduct and, therefore, think that there are no rules. The college campuses where much of this riotous activity is birthed actively feed deception to the young and easily manipulated students through their professors, who arouse pitiful behavior in their students.

With all this in mind, comprehending a mass deception is not so difficult. However, the deception that Jesus speaks of has everything to do with a context; that context leans toward the Orthodox Jewish leadership in Israel.

First, give this some thought, if you can deceive the leadership, then you should be able to easily deceive the blind followers.

How is that possible?

Because, by their domineering tactics, they inform the followers what they can read or not read. For the most part, the Jews do not read the Torah for themselves but rely solely on the Rabbis reading it to them. The congregants are NOT, for example, permitted to read the prophet Daniel or Isaiah 53. It sounds like most of the people you sit beside are in Christian churches.

Secondly: The third temple, which is, at this point, not been built, has a chosen high priest, Rabbi Baruch Kahane. If the priesthood thinks this man is just a fine, young man, with outstanding qualifications, then there is nothing to take note of or to be alarmed.

Maybe this will help you understand.
I sat down at the after-service taco fest to eat lunch with a couple from that church that I only knew by face and began one of my random conversations. I did this because I am prone to be an introvert and I need to fight that, and my calling in life is to be a teacher of God’s Word.
I said to the man, did you know that the scripture says nothing about Jesus’s occupation except two verses. We assume that He was a carpenter, as His earthly father (a good man, by the way) is understood to have been a carpenter, and it is expected in this ancient culture that a young son would follow in the trade of His father.

The passages that reflect this are:

“When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?”
Matthew 13:54-55 NKJV

The other passage is:

“Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.”
Mark 6:3 NKJV

Since Mark’s gospel makes no mention of Joseph, the husband of Mary, we can only assume that he has been dead for quite some time.

In either case, the Greek word translated as carpenter is tekton. This word means a skilled craftsman or artisan) and can include a producer of fabrics, wood articles, and a carpenter. It means to produce, bear, bring forth, and could have included a person who lathed stone pots or wrote poetry.

An interesting thing happened about a quarter mile outside of Nazareth several years ago. A family owned a plot of land and wished to install a gas station. Well, you don’t make a move without the Israeli Antiquities department getting involved, and they discovered an artisan’s shop where they had been producing granite articles, such as large stone pots, by lathe. The intriguing thing is that Jesus seemed to know that the home where this wedding in Cana was taking place had such pots. History records that an entrepreneurial Jew realized that granite was not mentioned in the list of things that could be polluted, making that article unusable; therefore, it must always be ceremonially clean. The fact that the craftsman’s shop was so close to Jesus’s home may imply that He, too, worked there as a craftsman.

I pointed out how absurd the man’s assertion that we should only pay attention to scriptural references, and yet he was wholly given over to Jesus being a carpenter when nothing in scripture upholds his assertion. Now, picture a nation where the majority lives their lives this way.

So, a piece of information you won’t find in the Bible is the Islamic prophetic belief that our false prophet will descend Aaron and will function as the high priest in the new temple. They are also wholeheartedly given to the idea that this false prophet will give himself over to Islam, follow the Mahdi (a man who may well be the antichrist), and that our false prophet will be the enforcer of Sharia law on a global scale. This man, the false prophet, will be the Islamic version of Jesus.

Just something to think about.

How would you perceive this phrase “rise up” if it applied to one being “wakened” from the dead?

That only happens when God speaks a word over the dead. (Read John 5:21 NAS95. If you must have two witnesses, then look at Deuteronomy 32:39 NAS95)

But didn’t the witch of Endor call Samuel up from the dead? (Read 1 Samuel 28)

That is the show that she intended to put on for King Saul, but she screamed because Samuel arose, and he was not too happy about it. That day, Saul was stripped of his kingdom at Samuel’s word.

What if this “rising up again” has more to do with something comparable to those fallen angels chained up in the Euphrates? Read Revelation 9:13-15)

Dear Lord, NO, as 1/3 of the earth will die because of their release!

I hope you can begin to understand that this has nothing to do with God’s voice. The mere fact that many will be misled is a major part of the puzzle.

Now we look at verse twelve, where it says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

“All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:8-12 NKJV

Although the hatred for Israel and the Jews has been ongoing since Abraham, this malicious and deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the hatred of Israel and the Jews has been dominating the internet and the news on a daily basis.

Do you want examples of lawlessness?

How about organized mobs that overtake high-end stores and clean them out. What about Antifa, BLM, or the effects of pro-Hamas “parades” or the takeovers of our highways on our “democratic” society? That and more are a part of this lawlessness.

“And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,” Matthew 24:12 AMPC+

If it is not merely mass hypnosis, then it is like-minded, uneducated people who, with a minimal amount of motivation, are willing to kill some older Jewish man because he verbally withstood your cries to not punish Hamas and its pathetic followers. Here is one of the many headlines about the incident.

AP News – Man involved in confrontation with Jewish protester who died called 911 and cooperated with police

https://apnews.com › article › jewish-man-died-israel…

Nov 8, 2023 — California authorities are seeking help as they investigate the death of a 69-year-old Jewish man after a confrontation at a pro-Palestinian …

The Guardian reported,

“Posts circulated on social media included video of Kessler injured and lying on a sidewalk as people tend to him. The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles reported that Kessler was struck in the head with a megaphone by a pro-Palestinian protester before he fell, which the sheriff’s office has not yet confirmed. An autopsy found Kessler died from a blunt force head injury and that his injuries were consistent with a fall, Dr Christopher Young, the Ventura county medical examiner, said at a news conference on Tuesday. He also had “non-lethal” injuries to the face, Young said. The manner of death was homicide, Young said, but that does not reflect whether a crime occurred.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/07/california-police-man-death-protests-israel-palestine

Matthew 24 was directed at the Jewish people who were following Him. So, when He is talking about a great body, who is He talking about?

The nation of Israel and the Jews.

Could He be talking about the church?

It seems easy to say yes, especially when a quick look around indicates that much of the church has grown cold. But the context presses the knowledgeable to keep our focus on Israel.

So, as you look at the news coming out of Israel, do you see lawlessness and the love of many growing cold?

No doubt about it, and the lawlessness and iniquity do not necessarily have to be coming out of the Israelis. This should be obvious as you watch the reactions of the so-called Palestinians.

The environment associated with Israel removing an entire community that has a driven goal to eradicate Israel is clearly associated with Jesus’s prophetic words concerning the time right before His return for His church.

Posted in bible study, deception, false prophet, lawlessness, Matthew's gospel, temple, the nations, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged abound, beginning, betray, Bible, deceive, end times, False prophets, God, grow cold, hated, hope, iniquity, Jesus, last days, lawlessness, love of many, Matthew 24, nations, offended, prophecy, Scripture, sorrows, temple, Tribulation | Leave a comment

“We are to know” what is going on around us. A different way to think about Eschatology. Matthew 24.

Posted on 12/07/2023 by remso

Thanks to a change in the atmosphere, I am jumping out of our study on Matthew once again.

If I did not say it before, let me say it now. I have been struggling with mild depression. Some would say it is a demonic attack, and I don’t doubt it, as Satan would love to stop anyone who has a sincere heart and wants to share the Word and Love of God with others. I feel as if my primary purpose in life is to do just that: share the Word, so it does not take a genius to imagine where this attack has hit me; yep, I lost interest in doing Bible studies, but I will add that there has been a tremendous amount of family-oriented activities taking place and I frequently stop what I am doing and take care of my wife, Doctor appointments, and grandparent duties. Well, sometimes you just have to dig yourself out of the pit, and that is what I am doing now.

Is it merely a strange circumstance that Israel would be attacked in the midst of my spiritual battle on the Sabbath (October 7, 2023), filling the nation of Israel with death, confusion, and war?

I don’t think so. What I do believe is that Satan, who knows his time is short, has released his demon hordes upon the earth, and we, who are followers of Jesus Christ, will experience attacks on many levels.

Oh, by the way, though I cannot legitimately claim that I am a Jew, I did, however, have a Jewish grandfather who died when I was around 12; because of this, I have progressively turned my heart toward Jerusalem. This attitude makes me feel a bit aggressive when someone attacks my nation.

With our eyes on the Holy Land, we should be hearing messages from Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and 1 Thessalonians, to say the least. I know I can’t get enough of intelligent messages about Eschatology – end times events.

With that said, I want to talk about the idea that “we are to know” what is going on around us.

A common verse used to berate those who are excited about the return of Jesus Christ for His bride is this.

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

First off, there is a context to this verse, and it has everything to do with Jesus talking exclusively to a Jewish audience.

What importance does that knowledge play in such a bold and rather blatant statement by Jesus?

They were not Christians as yet, for Jesus had not gone back to the Father; therefore, Jesus would not have spoken to them about things that pertained to anyone but Jews. So, everything we see in Matthew’s account was directed to Jewish ears and understanding alone.

As for understanding the idea of being the bride, many were Galileans, and Jesus first recorded “miracle” was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Several of the newly chosen disciples were in attendance there. If anyone could understand the depth and meaning of being the bride, it would be a Galilean. If you are having trouble grasping what I mean by the depth of the Galilean wedding, it was bathed in tradition and Jewish understanding and held together by a contractual agreement, which the bride had every right to reject.

Another translation of Matthew 24:36 may give you more understanding.

“But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Matthew 24:36 AMP

The Amplified Bible added words that provide us with alternative understandings, while other [italicized] words provide “synonyms and explanations in brackets and parentheses within the text […] The strength of this version is that it acknowledges that no single English word or phrase can capture precisely the meaning of the Hebrew or Greek.” The quotation is from Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amplified_Bible#:~:text=is%20unique%20among%20Bible%20versions,of%20the%20Hebrew%20or%20Greek.

So, if you must be one that holds to tradition – because this is the way we have always been taught, and, therefore, agree that NO ONE can know the day or the hour, then knowing that we can’t know the precise timing, we may easily be able to place ourselves within the season and what we are living in is the Baseball World Series, which we, in America, just experienced.

Let’s talk about this phenomenon called the World Series for a moment.

Do we have an idea when this series of games will take place?

Yes, it happens on a yearly basis, in September, after a prescribed number of games have been played by every team. That is not the case with Christ’s return, as He is first coming to collect His bride. Evidence, in every way, shape, and form, is pointing to Jesus’s soon return. We like to refer to this evidence as signs.
Once the World Series begins, are there things that we can absolutely know about the event?

The series will be controlled by rules.

In baseball, three outs bring about changes in the inning and the side as the home team now gets their opportunity at bat and a chance to score.

There will be a prescribed number of games played within the series to determine the winner. It is not mandatory, however, that the series includes the entirety of the seven games as it is a best-of-seven series, meaning that one team could win the first four games and, therefore, win the series.

And though each game has at least nine innings, there can be no tie games, and some games have gone on for well over 12 hours. Typically, the games last about two hours.

So, as in Jesus coming for His church, there are variables that affect the length of the period we are looking for and at.

The point of this was not to have a discussion of baseball, which may mean little depending on where you live and the restrictions you live under, but to make a point that we can know the timing of the rapture just as we can talk with understanding about the World Series. Since we have established that Baseball has variables, then we must surely know that the rapture or snatching away of the church is filled with variables. Consider this: the game belongs to God, and the rules, though set in scripture, are His as well.

Most translations entitle this next section of the Bible

“Signs of the End of the Age.”

This is how it played out. Having ridden the young colt into Jerusalem, the crowd welcomed Him with wild enthusiasm.

“And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21:8-9 NKJV

Where do we find the Jewish context of what Matthew conveys?

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”
Psalms 118:26 NKJV

Leviticus elaborates on the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.”
Leviticus 23:34 JPS

And there are specific instructions associated with the Feast of Tabernacles.

“And on the first day you shall take the fruit of pleasing trees [and make booths of them], branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick (leafy) trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.”
Leviticus 23:40 AMPC+

The excited crowd anticipated the warring Messiah because all the signs pointed to Yeshua as being that Messiah.

But what did Jesus do?

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.”
Matthew 21:12-14 KJV

This verbal onslaught went on for days.

“And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.”
Matthew 21:17 KJV

The next day, He went back to the temple.

“Now, when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’”
Matthew 21:23-25 NKJV

We have records that indicate that He delivered the parable of the two sons, the tenants (which was directed at the Jewish leadership), the wedding feast, and more. He cursed the fig tree because it had no fruit on it; He spoke about paying taxes to Caesar as a rebuttal against those who tried to trap Him; the Sadducees asked Him about the resurrection; and He berated the leadership over the demands that they placed on the people but would not follow themselves.

I imagine that the disciples thought they would be killed during this process. After two long days, they left the temple and headed to the Mount of Olives, and this was the best they could come up with.

“Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.
And Jesus said to them,

“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Matthew 24:1-2 NKJV

Jesus, finally seated on the Mount of Olives, begins to answer the question below.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,
when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
Matthew 24:3 KJV

While the answer to the questions has great depth, Jesus’s first response was this.

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.”
Matthew 24:4 KJV

How many different ways can you be deceived?

Look up the Greek word for deceived, and you get planaō. It means don’t let anyone (cause you to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue): – [don’t let anyone make you] go astray, deceive, [don’t allow yourself to be] seduce[d], to wander, or be [taken] out of the way.

“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
Matthew 24:5 NKJV

This doesn’t even make sense to me. Since I know that Jesus will first come in the clouds and gather His church, it doesn’t make sense that people would try to portray themselves as the Messiah.

“My name” is the Greek word onoma; it means authority or character. The Word Study Dictionary tells us they will come using the name, title, character, reputation, or the person of Jesus.

An example can be seen in Jeremiah.

“Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own minds”
Jeremiah 14:14 NASB

Deceive? We already covered this. It is the Greek word planaō. It means don’t let anyone (cause you to) be [taken] out of the way.

I can remember Jim Jones and David Koresh. The latter managed to tell these fools that he was entitled to have other men’s wives. Try that line on me, and you are probably going to get hurt.

So, fools will cause you to go astray from God’s truth, which is His Word, and to be taken out of the way – the way is God’s way and not what Allah or some guru says. But wait, there is a context, and it is Jesus responding to their Jewish-oriented questions in a manner that they would understand.

So, even if you think you can stay committed to “the truth,” why can’t we understand what Jesus or the scripture is saying?

We can, but most will choose not to perceive that the Bible is a Jewish book written to a Jewish audience that somehow applies to us now because we were adopted into the family.

So, how many questions did the disciples ask Jesus?

Their questions covered three distinct events.

When will these things be?

This had more to do with the destruction of the temple, which was a relatively short few years away. The immediate destruction happened in 70AD. The future sign and destruction have a specific timing once the antichrist comes into power, and that only happens after the church is removed from the earth.
“What will be the sign of Your coming?

The NLT translates this portion in this manner: “What sign will signal your return.” As Jews, they were NOT asking about the church, as the church did not exist, and to be honest, filled with Gentiles, they would not have considered those attending to be worthy of the kingdom of God.
- The first thing to take note of, although since sin made time notable, there have been wars.
  
  “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…”
  Matthew 24:6-7a NLT
- Secondly,
  
  “…There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”
  Matthew 24:7-8b NLT
  
  I cannot remember a time when some third-world nation wasn’t suffering a famine. Now, it is a common conversation pertaining to hunger and our streets here in America. And earthquakes, though common, are now incessantly in excess of 6 and 7s in terms of magnitude.
- Thirdly,
  
  “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.”
  Matthew 24:9 NLT
  
  While we were able to sit unrestrained, in many of our churches, the Spirit of the Lord – the Holy Spirit, had spoken through me, saying, the time is coming when you, too, shall experience persecution, and you will NOT be able to handle it.
  
  With the war in Israel and heated conversations about abortions, the hatred toward Jews and Christ-followers is growing more each day.
- Fourth,
  
  “…Many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.”
  Matthew 24:10 NLT
  
  I have watched this happen, and if you were paying attention, you would agree.
- Fifth
  
  “Many false prophets will come and cause many people to believe things that are wrong.”
  Matthew 24:11 ERV
  
  Who is doing this?
  
  I honestly cannot imagine such a thing, but there are plenty of highly driven people, like those in the Faith movement, who are trying to act and speak in the authority of the name of Jesus. Consider that Jesus emphasized that deception would be great.
  
  Who was he talking to?
  
  Jews, and so our focus is on a Jewish impact.
  
  Did you know that a Rabbi was picked to be the high priest in the new Jewish temple once it gets built?
  
  It was reported by Israel 365 News, several years ago that his name is Rabbi Baruch Kahane. Although he did not feel it was the right time for such a declaration to be made, however, in 2022, he was front and center when a preparation necessary to sacrifice on the temple mount was performed. When I showed this man to some friends of mine, they made comments like, he looks like a fine young man; why would you think that he might be the one to cause such a deception? That’s my point; such a trusted man would cause such an uproar.

Posted in antichrist, apostasy, bible study, Deception, departure, End times, marked, Matthew's gospel, sealed, tabernacle, temple, the prince that shall come, Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Belief, Bible, Blessed, booths, bought, cast, comes, coming, day, deceive, end, end times, hope, hour, Jesus, last days, Lord, name, overthrew, prophecy, Scripture, sign, sold, stone, Tabernacles, temple, thrown, world | Leave a comment

Isaac is a type of Christ. Let me explain.

Posted on 11/04/2023 by remso

First off, I apologize to those who are regular readers. You could say I have been fighting a mild depression, and I have been occupied with the events surrounding Israel. One of my grandfathers was a Jew, and I feel a strong attachment to Israel. So, this post, triggered by a post I read several weeks ago, has had many interruptions. Life sometimes gets in the way.

I can’t remember ever hearing this before.

In Genesis 22:19 it shows us (in a type) Abraham coming down off the mount alone, for God received Isaac up – just as He would receive Jesus at a future date.

In case you are struggling to understand “a type,” think of it as a simile or model.

Isaac, for us, is a pattern or model of Christ who was to come, and Isaac submitted himself, as Christ eventually would, to be the sacrifice for us by what He did.

“He (Abraham) considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him (Isaac) back as a type.”
Hebrews 11:19 NASB95

Look at this in another translation.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”
Hebrews 11:17-19 NKJV

So, how does the narrative describe what transpired?

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”
Genesis 22:1-3 NKJV

Points to hold on to.

God tested Abraham by saying, “ Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love.”

Didn’t Abraham have another son?

He did, but Ishmael was not through the covenantal promise he made with God.

At Sarah’s insistence, Abraham took Hagar, Sarah’s servant, as a wife, and nine months later, she gave birth to Ishmael.

Ishmael’s descendants became the perpetual enemies of the Jews with one purpose: to kill the Jews.

If Isaac is an allusion to Christ, then we can recognize that God loved His only Son as well.

Is it possible that Abraham announced to Sarah what he was going to do (you know, sacrifice Isaac)?

He may have because we do not see any mention of Sarah again until she died in Genesis 23. Christ was not burnt upon an altar, but He was undoubtedly offered upon the same Mountain.

Abraham took the wood, the fire, and two young men. Perhaps these were there to help, or they could have been witnesses.

Problem: Sunday school often portrays Isaac as a young child who could have been forced through rough handling to submit to being sacrificed. The reality is that Isaac was big enough to successfully resist had he chosen to.

So then, Isaac willingly submitted, just as Jesus would eventually do.

“Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.”
Genesis 22:4 NKJV

Abraham has had to journey for three days to get to Mt. Moriah, even though he has no idea where he is going or the significance of this place.

This should have alerted you to comparable language about Jesus, who spent three days and nights in the belly of death, as Jonah did.

Isaac noticed that they were missing the lamb to be sacrificed. Abraham’s response went like this.

“And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they both went together.”
Genesis 22:8 MKJV

The inference was that God would provide “His own self” as the lamb necessary for our sacrifice, and He did just that through His Son. I can’t imagine what Isaac felt. It appears that Abraham, though we don’t see it in scripture, taught Isaac what it is to act in faith.

Did Abraham strike Isaac with the knife?

The answer is an emphatic no, but it appears that he went so far as to lift it as to slit his son’s throat. Sorry if that offends you, but it was the standard method of dispatching the sacrifice.

To shorten this, I will say that God provided a ram stuck in the thicket.

How did that just happen?

I don’t know, but it did, and Abraham took his son off the altar and offered up the ram.

God, once again, blesses Abraham.

“and said, I have sworn by Myself, says Jehovah; because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only one; that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And your Seed shall possess the gate of His enemies. And in your Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Genesis 22:16-18 MKJV

Now, pay attention to what happens next.

“Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham lived at Beer-sheba.”
Genesis 22:19 MKJV

Why did the description suddenly turn into a singular scenario?

The answer lies in what Abraham did. Short of killing his son, he went right up to the point where killing his son was next. God sees the heart and the dedication and accepts that.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED,”
Hebrews 11:17-18 NKJV

Abraham knew that God was able to raise up Isaac.

“For he (Abraham) reasoned that God was able to raise [him](this is an inference toward Isaac and Jesus) up even from among the dead. Indeed in the sense that Isaac was figuratively dead [potentially sacrificed], he did [actually] receive him back from the dead.” (The italicized words within the parentheses are mine.)
Hebrews 11:19 AMP

So the scriptures reflect Isaac as figuratively dead, an allusion to Jesus’s death and ascension into the clouds.

Just as we will not see Jesus again until He comes, at His Father’s dispatch, to collect His bride, we see no mention of Isaac again. Abraham sends the servant to find a wife for Isaac.

“but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:4 NASB95

Something tells me that the time frame between the “sacrifice” of Isaac and his fetching of his bride is significant, but time eludes me. I am confident this was an intentional language choice meant to allude to Jesus being caught up to heaven because we don’t see Isaac again until He meets his bride, Rebecca.

Rebekah coming to Isaac.

“Now Isaac had come from going to Beer-lahai-roi; for he was living in the Negev.”
Genesis 24:62 NASB95

Now, we see him and her for the first time since the mount.

Notice where Isaac is; he is in the wilderness of the Negev, where we will eventually find Jesus, where He was tested by Satan.

“Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming. Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. She said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” Then she took her veil and covered herself. The servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”
Genesis 24:63-67 NASB95

In this narrative that we are living, Jesus, our sacrifice, was caught up to heaven, and we don’t get to see Him again until the day that Jesus once again meets His bride, the church, in the air.

The term wife is the Hebrew word ‘ishshâh and means woman. Wife and woman are the same Hebrew word. H802 ‘ishsha^h meaning a woman.

If you are okay with losing your mind, look at what Adam said about Eve.

“The man said, “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:23-24 NASB

Did Adam have a mother?

No, he was a creation of God alone and made from the soil.

Did he ever have the experience of leaving his Father, God, before the moment in which he ate the fruit of that tree?

No, for when God saw that the man’s relationship with the animals was not a substitute for an intimate and conversational relationship with a woman, He had to make one. What a peculiar thought, as I am sure that God realized that naming all of the animals and then tending the sheep would not satisfy, and already had plans to clone a perfect woman from the perfect man He would make.

Another consideration is that God knew that Lucifer, soon to be known as Satan in this narrative, would rebel, be thrown to earth, and cause a cataclysmic amount of damage to the creation. God also knew that Adam would eventually stumble and fall, but this was not a shock to God as He knew it would happen; therefore, fallen mankind became the path for God to insert His Son into the earth as a human capable of redeeming and restoring humans back to God, by accepting His love if they chose to.

Since humanity carried a damaged DNA strain because of Adam, God had to bypass human genetics – this plays a role in the conversation we see in Genesis chapter six, where God had to bring a flood that would kill off all life on earth except for Noah’s family, as they alone were NOT polluted by the infiltration of the fallen angels. All this is why God asked Mary if she would be willing to carry the Son of God. I said it like this because Mary was “artificially” inseminated with a fertilized egg without having damaged DNA involved. This conversation demonstrates why it was said that Jesus had no sin. You would rightly assume that I was infected with sin if I turned over the vendor’s table and chased all these fine citizens off the church property with my handmade scourge, and yet scripture tells us that Jesus was without sin. Hmm.

We also make the assumption that Adam did not or could not interact or speak with the animals. It would be a limited conversation, as there was no news or sports to discuss. If you think this is crazy talk, then tell me how it is that the serpent in the garden held a conversation with both of them, and they were not alarmed, or why Balaam did not flinch when his donkey spoke to him?

I am not so sure that the sin that overtook the two of them in the garden, with all its horrid aspects, such as separation from the Father, which is clearly an emotional death, to say the least, as it separates you from the one who made you, and the physical death that we can only assume God described to Adam.

How would you understand death if you have never witnessed any form of death?

We are left to assume that this was all thrust upon them in the moments following the eating of the fruit.

Did this instant break in communication with the Father, through the death that sin brought, give Adam the elated emotions that we tend to associate with the experience of marriage?

I bring this up because this leaving, in some cases, has to be fraught with emotions, not all of which are pleasant, as so many in the Middle East get married only to immediately return to the added-on room or new additional floor of your parents’ home.

Posted in Abraham, bible study, Faith, Hebrews, Isaac, sacrifices | Tagged able, Abraham, alone, Belief, Bible, considered, dead, figurative, God, Hebrew 11;19, hope, Isaac, Jesus, Moriah, offered, prophecy, raise, Rebecca, received, returned, sacrifice, Scripture, son | Leave a comment

Blessed are those who mourn. Matthew 5:4 through?

Posted on 10/14/2023 by remso

Look intently at this.

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him.
(Matthew 5:1 NKJV)

Jesus did not retreat in fear, nor did He retreat, but it was a strategic move because the voice travels better as it moves downhill. Aside from that, there was the need to teach His own disciples what the heart of God is.

Having gathered His followers and all the others, He opened His mouth and taught. In the previous post, I covered Matthew 5:3, where the God’s Word translation conveys this:

“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them.” (GW)

Though I did not elaborate on the idea that understanding that you are spiritually helpless it is much like an alcoholic who realizes that they are not in control and will never be.

Does God leave you helpless?

Absolutely not. God’s life in you makes you a son or daughter of the King and entitled, within reason, to all the authority of the King. Think about the children of diplomats and how protected they are.

“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.”
(Matthew 5:4 NKJV)

Blessed?

It seems so odd to consider telling someone who just had their family blown up as they attended church in Nigeria that they are blessed.

The NLT unpacks Matthew 5:4 with “God blesses those who…” I think this way of perceiving what Jesus/God is about to say is more appropriate as, in most cases, it would be difficult at best to see this thing or event as a blessing.

Mourn is the Gk word penthéō and means to mourn, lament, or grieve over people or situations, and they do not have to be your own.

My takeaway on this is that in time, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God will turn this thing that has brought your mourning into a blessing. This turn may be in heaven, before the Father, but occasionally, it happens quickly within the current time frame.

“How blessed are those who are humble, because it is they who will inherit the earth!” (Matthew 5:5 ISV)

The other common word option is meek. Both meek and humble have an aroma of weakness in my mind for a long time. What changed my mind came about when I read the narrative about Moses. Allow me to elaborate.

(Now, the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) Numbers 12:3 NKJV

Being placed in the river by his mother, you could certainly see Moses’ future as one that could be oppressed or dead. But that was not to be his fate. He was rescued by the Pharaoh’s daughter and raised to be nobility in the Egyptian court. The scriptures do not define how Moses came to understand what his true heritage was, but we have evidence that confirms our suspicions.

“And it came to pass in that length of time, that Moses having grown, went out to his brethren the sons of Israel: and having noticed their distress, he sees an Egyptian smiting a certain Hebrew of his brethren the children of Israel.” (Exodus 2:11 Brenton)

Based upon Exodus 2:11, it is hard to perceive the humility in Moses as yet. Perhaps we don’t understand the meaning of the word. I can tell you that it is not what my dear mother defined it as.

Humble, according to the Word Study Dictionary, is the Hebrew word ‛ānāw. It is an adjective meaning poor, oppressed, afflicted, humble. It is used for persons who put themselves after others in importance; it is also used for persons who are not proud, haughty, supercilious, self-assertive, or low in rank or position.

We always build our arguments on at least two witnesses, so here is another.

“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.” (Hebrews 11:24-27 NKJV)

Let’s apply some logic to what we read here.

Moses, at his sister’s prompting, was given back to his mother to breastfeed until he was weaned.
There have been mothers who have allowed their children to stay on the breast beyond seven years. I suspect that most attempt to wean the child when their teeth show up around 18 months.
If Moses was given back to Bithia at 18 months, then there is “NO” way this child could have been taught about his heritage as a son of Jacob, a follower of Yahweh. (Keep in mind that these people, who kept to themselves, were sheepherders and followers of this unknown God, Yahweh. They were not known as Jews as yet.)
This puts the driving force on Bithia, the daughter of Pharaoh, who rescued Moses from the river, to have Moses placed in the intermittent care of Jochebed (which, according to the Midrash, was the birth mother of Moses.) And, as far as we know, she used these opportunities to teach Moses about his heritage as a Jew.

Does that make sense?

Not unless you believe in a God that works through people, often without their understanding, and does what seems to be improbable and impossible.

This puts the motivation on Bithia, Pharaoh’s daughter who rescued Moses from the river, to have Moses placed in the care of Jochebed (who, according to the Midrash) was the birth mother of Moses.

So, can we define humility based on what we see in Moses?

Absolutely. In Numbers 12, we find someone making a defining statement about Moses. Since God had Moses write all these early books, we might assume that it was Moses writing, as the Holy Spirit instructed, about himself. The Apostle Paul and the Disciple John seemed to find writing about themselves a bit uncomfortable. The following passage is a definition of Moses for a reason. We know this because, in most translations, it is set apart by parentheses. The Berean Study Bible did not do so.

“Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.”
Numbers 12:3 BSB

Why bring up the word humble and apply it to Moses?

Because there was a jealous hostility arising in the camp, and it centered on the brother and sister of Moses.

“Then Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had taken a Cushite wife. “Does the LORD speak only through Moses?” they said. “Does He not also speak through us?” And the LORD heard this.”
Numbers 12:1-2 BSB

When I read this, I find myself saying, really, all this because he married another woman.

By the way, what became of Zipporah, the first wife?

Oh, she is still around. If you remember, she threw the foreskins of their sons at Moses, yelling that he was a bloody husband to her, after he insisted that his sons, who might have been young men at this point, were to be circumcised. This is just a guess, but it seems some distance was suddenly put between Moses and his wife. Later, we see Jethro, Zipporah’s father, come to Moses, and he brought Moses’ two sons with him. Those two sons became priests in the desert temple.

We have several examples that might define Aaron and why he acts as a spokesman for God, but what about Miriam?

One of the first places we see Miriam is in Exodus 15.

“Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang back to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”
Exodus 15:20-21 BSB

Seriously, that is all I could find. Perhaps she got the job because she was family.

Earlier in this post, I defined humility from the Word Study Dictionary. It is an adjective meaning poor, oppressed, afflicted, humble. It is used for persons who put themselves after others in importance; it is also used for persons who are not proud, haughty, or self-assertive.

This may have played a role in Moses’ and his resistance to going to Pharaoh.

Did you notice how Numbers 12:3 pointed out how both Miriam and Aaron were saying, “Does the LORD speak only through Moses?” and “Does He not also speak through us?”

Well, they got a generalized answer.

“And suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three, come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three went out, and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward,”
Numbers 12:4-5 BSB

The answer was this.

“He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.”
Numbers 12:6 BSB

Did Aaron and Miriam meet these qualifications?

We are never told what their qualifications were aside from Miriam leading the worship choir.

I can tell you that Jesus spoke to me in a dream, but maybe it was a vision; all I know is that it felt very real. He related my entire life to me, and I was only about 25 at the time. I am now coming up on 70, and I can tell you that I saw the end, and it was filled with joy. Sadly, when I woke up, the only thing I could remember was that He had been there and the joy I felt. Truth be told, it has been a rough 45 years, and I am living through a rough time now. Maybe the joy has more to do with the joy we all will experience when He comes back soon for His bride, in the moment we call the rapture.

But when it comes to Moses, it’s different.

“But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
Numbers 12:7-8 BSB

Face to face?

Several translations use the terminology mouth to mouth. It is the Hebrew word peh and infers the mouth as the instrument of speech. You might say, we talk face to face. So this makes the relationship that Moses has different from anybody else’s up to this point.

It goes on to say,

I speak clearly,
face to face,
not in riddles,
and he sees the form of the Lord.

Not even Moses was able to look at the face of God, or he would die, so this is all symbolic but serious. To elaborate on the serious nature of this conversation, God says, “Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

Make no mistake, God was angry.

“So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed.”
Numbers 12:9 NKJV

Oh, He didn’t go away without acting.

“And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. Please do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”
Numbers 12:10-12 NKJV

You should know by now that Leprosy is a fungal disease that is treatable nowadays.

Aaron pleads with Moses for help.

“So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” Then the LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and afterward, she may be received again.” So Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again.”
Numbers 12:13-15 NKJV

Verse 13 is one of the most dramatic verses that help to define why Moses was deemed so humble because he put God first in decision-making.

Was Moses always so humble?

I don’t think so, and here is why. Remember how I asked the question, where is Zipporah, Moses’ first wife? Well, Jethro, her father, brought her back to Moses, along with the sons. As you well know, there are two sides to every story. In a region that still supports a culture where a woman can be treated as a farm animal, I can’t imagine what could have become of Zipporah. Perhaps humility played a large role in this marital affair.

“And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, with her two sons, of whom the name of one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land”) and the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”); and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. Now, he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.” So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”
Exodus 18:1-11 NKJV

In contrast to Moses, the humble man – because he trusted and followed God, “the people,” including Aaron and Miriam, “behaved proudly,” according to Jethro.

Proudly is the Hebrew word zûḏ and means to treat someone insolently, proudly, or arrogantly. The people acted in opposition to Moses and showed their indifference to God.

The next day, Moses went back to work.

“And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another, and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you, you are not able to perform it by yourself. Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you. Stand before God for the people so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will also go to their place in peace.” So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.”
Exodus 18:13-25 NKJV

And then Moses let his father-in-law depart, but the wife and sons stayed, as though Moses demanded they stay. If there was an impetus to stay, it came through Jethro.

“Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.”
Exodus 18:27 NKJV

Moses took his father-in-law’s advice.

Posted in bible study, Matthew's gospel, Moses | Tagged Belief, Bible, Blessed, brethren, children, comforted, distress, Earth, Egyptian, God, Hebrew, humble, inherit, Israel, Matthew, meek, Moses, Mourn, Pharaoh, refused, smiting, son, suffer | Leave a comment

He opened His mouth and taught them. Matthew 5:1-4.

Posted on 10/03/2023 by remso

We ended Matthew chapter four with this.

“… His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”
(Matthew 4:24-25 NKJV)

Syria?

I have not heard that saga about Jesus was spread throughout all of Syria.

Can we attest to the fact that Jesus went throughout Syria?

No, I cannot prove any of that.

You know what we do know?

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always.”
(Acts 10:1-2 NKJV)

Cornelius became convinced of who Jesus was – God’s Son- and obviously shared his faith. Going off this ESV map, I assumed that Cornelius lived on the Southern border of Syria.

Again, there is no way to validate this.

Look at where Caesarea is located. This map is from ESV Maps and provided through e-Sword Graphics. Caesarea Philippi is inland, South of Mt. Hermon, and close to Syria. Other maps show Caesarea at the lowest point in which that nation touches Israel along the coast. So, I am not clear which one is true. The Southernmost version is about halfway between Jerusalem and Syria.

The Pulpit Commentary says this about the cohort. “Jose hus, in the passage above quoted, speaks of five such auxiliary cohorts coming from Caesarea to join Vespasian’s army, and he tells us in another place (’ Bell. Jud.,’ 2.18, 7) that the principal portion of the Roman army at Caesarea were Syrians.”

Why is the information about the Italian Regiment important?

Because it feeds into the traditional response, we apply to those troops destroying the temple as though they were Italians answering to Titus when, as we learned from Josephus, those troops who destroyed the Temple in 70 AD were primarily Syrians. Yes, they fought under the Roman banner, but they did this only because they were conscripted troops with no other option but to participate and had a bitter hostility for the Jews.

“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” (Daniel 9:26 KJV)

Matthew 5 is entitled The Beatitudes by most translations.

“One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him,”
(Matthew 5:1 NLT)

Where did we leave off?

“News about him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to him all who were sick. And whatever their sickness or disease, or if they were demon possessed or epileptic or paralyzed—he healed them all. Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.”
(Matthew 4:24-25 NLT)

So what did He do?

“and he began to teach them.”
(Matthew 5:2 NLT)

Teach? It is the Gk word didaskō and means to know, teach, or instruct by word of mouth. Didaskō has inherent in it the intent to influence the understanding of the person who is taught.

I find myself chuckling because many of those surging upon Jesus did not come to be taught; they wanted the free stuff, like healing and food.

As He taught, He said,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 5:3 KJV)

A more simplistic translation tells us,

“Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom f heaven belongs to them.”
(Matthew 5:3 GW)

Look at what Dr. J. Vernon McGee had to say. “Blessed ar the poor in spirit.” It doesn’t tell you how to become poor in spirit; it just says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Having had the self-esteem beaten out of me as a child, being poor in spirit takes on a whole new meaning for me. Sure, there are those who think their feces doesn’t stink, and many of whom have wrangled their way into the pulpits of some massive churches. One that comes to mind averaged over 3000 in every service. The pastor would brag about his earned Doctorate, the high price of his suits, and how he could eat better food at the restaurants in Beverly Hills. He turned the church over to his arrogant son shortly before the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 21; just the other day, I heard that this mega-church had locked its doors. To be honest, I felt some sadness about this rumor because there were many good people there.

Poor is the Gk word ptōchós; according to the Word Study Dictionary, it means to cower like a beggar, poor and helpless, completely destitute.

Perhaps the phrase from the GW translation, “… those who recognize they are spiritually helpless,” is more appropriate.

Before I move on, sometimes the simplest of words, like destitute, can take on a grander meaning. Destitute and a so convey the idea of being

impoverished
indigent
poverty-stricken
needy
and downright poor

Now try to associate these mental images with your spirit.

Just this morning, one of the devotionals that a group of us read by Max Lucado. I responded to the question Max put forth that went something like this: will you be prepared to reply when the time comes for you to respond about your faith that could mean your death, as it did for Queen Esther and Mordechai?

I am barely comfortable when I have to respond, and it has nothing to do with life. Put in a situation where can see a need to “witness” for Jesus, I can hear the Holy Spirit telling me to “go for it.” When I finally make the decision to just jump in (this entire process only lasts a couple of seconds,) the fear goes away, and an amazing courage takes over; I, too, am in tears because I can see how God, not only, blesses the person listening to me, but those words coming out of my mouth are speaking to me as well.

So what caused this perpetual internal struggle in me?

Much has to do with the way I was raised. Maybe this will help you understand. When I got married for the first time, I was a co-dependent disaster, so when the first marriage was coming to an end due to her infidelities, among other things, I was put in a psych hospital for threatening to kill her; there, they asked me how long my religious parents had been alcoholics. Considering that they never drank, I was hard-pressed to figure out how to deal with all these issues.

So, let’s take a moment to examine some of the defining issues associated with co-dependency.

A lack of self-esteem and self-love.
Inability to set functional boundaries with other people and protect oneself.

A website called priorygroup.com tells us that the red flags of codependency are: A mood that reflects how others feel rather than your own emotions. Guilt or anxiety when doing something for yourself. Doing things you don’t really want to do simply to make others happy. Idealizing partners or other loved ones, often to the point of maintaining relationships that leave you unfulfilled.

These are the things that escorted me into adulthood with little to no self-esteem.

Having grown up in “faith” churches that idolized strength and bravery, I can tell you that there is a tremendous amount of bullying and judgment that happens there. It may be a lack of understanding, but for the most part, they, too, are submitting to peer pressure while ignoring what the Word of God says.

What does the Word of God say?

How about this verse?

“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6 KJV)

Offend is the Gk word skandalizō. This is the root of our word to scandalize, and I imagine it brings up a tremendous amount of negative imagery in most, but it also means to entrap, trip up (figuratively to cause to stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, To fall away from the gospel of Jesus Christ, or to offend.

And now you know the heart of the Father when it comes to children, and may I say it, abortion; and why Jesus said whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble, it would be better for him that a millstone was hanged about his neck, and that person was drowned in the sea.

Get real; if someone tied a two-hundred-pound millstone to your neck and tossed you into the ocean, there is only one thing that can happen to you, you die. Don’t get me wrong, this does not equate to the fiery hell that comes after the great white throne, but there is certainly judgment that comes while you are here on earth; some people think of this as karma.

“Therefore you are without excuse, O man—every one of you who is judging. For by whatever you judge an ther, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice t e same things. We know that God’s judgment n those who practice such things is based on truth. But you, O man—judging those practicing such things yet doing the same—do you suppose that you will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:1-3 TLV)

Yeah, I get it, you don’t see your cruelty as a judgment, but it is, and you can expect cruelty in return, both now in your lifetime on earth and at the judgment seat of Christ.

“… for when you judge someone else, you are passing judgment against yourself; since you who are judging do the same things he does.” CJB

Okay, wait a minute. You said we, as Christians, will not receive God’s wrath and judgment because that all went on Christ at the Cross.

Yes, I did, but it does not give you the right to be a jerk down here on earth, and we will all stand before Christ’s bema seat, where we will account for the stupid stuff that we did in the flesh. I have this tendency to think we will be thankful that all this broken, earthly mentality and our actions will be burned away, and we will be clean and free before Him.

The NASB uses the word stumble instead of offend.

“Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that of enses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”
(Matthew 18:7 KJV edited for readability)

What do they call it?

Oh yes, the formative years are when your self-esteem is supposedly being established. It probably occurs among females as well, but like a pack of wolves, the pecking order within the pack is established. This pecking order wasn’t just at school, it was a way of life at church, and I typically felt like I was at the back of the pack, and you wonder why religion disgusts me.

When I was around 12 years old, I was told by my mother that I would be beaten (and yes, that is the term mom used) if they found out I had defended myself. Now think about that; how would they find out that I defended myself unless I, or someone else, told them? They wouldn’t. The only other way would be physical marks on my face, arms, or hands.

On that note, I have been a stepdad twice. In the case of the first one, he came home from school with some horrible marks on his arms (these marks indicated that my son had been struck at least three times). I asked him what had happened, and he said that he had blocked a shot on goal in physical education class (with a teacher somewhere present). The kid who tried to score became enraged and began trying to hit my son on the head by striking downward with an overhand swing with the field hockey stick he was using. I said, what did you do? He responded with, I blocked his swings and then hit him back (I venture a guess that blocking those blows hurt a lot). My son said, I happened to hit him in the head, and he went down. He continued saying, I stood there for a moment in case his friends thought they might take a few shots at me, and then the teacher got involved and started tending to the boy on the ground. Having seen all the action, he told my son to go on to his next class, and nothing more was said. You see, even in the short time I was with that boy, I knew his heart, and he was not prone to violence. Now, imagine the injustice if I had beaten my son for defending himself.

I see that public education facilities will punish and suspend you for doing the right thing. Jesus did the right thing and sustained all the blows that were meant for us. Another way of describing this is to say that He redeemed us from sin – it didn’t matter how many or the manner of the sins; they were all taken upon Him through the cross.

Now, the question is, what will you do with the man upon the cross. His name is Jesus, and He is the only way to the Father. The thief on the cross next to Jesus merely asked, will you remember me and Jesus said yes. To some, this equates to asking Jesus into your life. Time is so short. Perhaps you should do that.

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I have no doubts that we are at the end of this journey. More from Terry James m.

Posted on 10/02/2023 by remso

End-times Enlightenment

Posted in confirm, covenant, departure, Heaven, Prophetic, rapture, rapture, twinkling of an eye | Tagged Belief, Bible, Christ, end times, hope, Jesus, last days, prophecy, Scripture | Leave a comment

Yes, we are jumping back into Matthew’s gospel, and we previously ended on Matthew 4:22. Next, Jesus preaches to great crowds.

Posted on 09/23/2023 by remso

This next section of Matthew’s gospel is entitled

“Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds.”

Yes, we are jumping back into Matthew’s gospel, and we previously ended on Matthew 4:22, where four of the new disciples have left their jobs fishing and are now following Jesus.

I now throw in a bonus question.

Where was the Apostle Paul’s first stop in virtually every city he entered?

If you said the synagogue, you would have been right. But that opens a line of sarcastic questioning; I thought the focus, here in the Gospels, was on Jesus? Well, it is, but guess what? We frequently found Jesus in the synagogues.

What was the logic of a move like that?

Some will say, what an odd question, seeing as the message Paul delivered almost got him killed on several occasions and was his final end.

One of the answers to such an obvious question is that Paul was a changed man and thoroughly committed to the message of Jesus and God’s grace because of what he encountered on the road to Damascus. Paul was prepared to die for this message of grace.

Isn’t that what we saw in Jesus?

Jesus did not change His ways, for He was sin-free (this state of being sin-free had everything to do with NOT being born with damaged human DNA. Yes, I believe that the fruit they ate, much like current vaccines that change your DNA, changed theirs, and every human being born of man was born with a propensity to sin. God bypassed all that by having the virgin Mary carry a fertilized ovum that He made.) In spite of valid temptations from Satan, Jesus stayed committed to the painful path that would bring those of us who accept God’s love back into the arms of the Father.

How do I apply what Paul did to Christ?

Jesus, too, was painfully aware that His death would come, and it is not difficult to watch something like The Chosen, which portrayed Him frequently praying all night, and imagine Him speaking freely with the Father and asking, is there any other way? He knew what was coming for Him would be brutal and painful, and yet He continued to stay committed to the cross.

When you read the Gospels, you see Jesus frequently saying things like, tell no one, and my time has not yet come. No, He did not want to die prematurely – as though that could happen but was more than willing to take our place on the cross and pour out His blood on our behalf.

So, what did Paul preach to these Jews in their synagogues?

The message that Paul preached was based on the Torah – the Old Testament and there were always a few who listened, heard the truth, absorbed what he said, and believed.

So, too, was the message that Jesus preached. He preached from the Torah, just as Paul did. Now, picture the disciples. Did they understand, absorb, and believe? Strangely, many indicated that they did. The reality of that understanding was wrapped up in their longing for Jesus to be the warring Messiah that they longed for. Instead of war, his message was one of love and the hope of peace obtained by a relationship with the Father.

In either case, these new Jewish “believers” were the beginnings of new churches, which we are familiar with because Paul wrote letters back to those communities.

So much for an introduction.

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” Matthew 4:23 MKJV)

Let that sink in.

Jesus went about all Galilee.

This sounds like purposeful intent to me. The crowds were not in the Jewish synagogues but were the result of the times when they fed the thousands that came, and they came because of the miracles.
Doing what?

Teaching in their synagogues.

That means, in Galilee, Jesus had a reputation as a respected Rabbi, and they gave Him, initially, an open door to teach.

Preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

The Jews had an understanding of what the kingdom represented, and it had everything to do with the time when God was back in full control of the earth and Jesus ruled as the warring Messiah. While that imagery must have carried some weight in Jesus’ mind, the kingdom was, at this point, love and gentleness.

What did He tell James and John when they wanted to call fire down on the small crowd that disrespected them?

Effectively, He said that is NOT why they were here and that they were to act as gentle as doves and wise as serpents.

And healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Matthew 4:23 ESV “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.”

If you are doing a more intense study, read from multiple translations because that one word that the translators used has multiple meanings.

“The news G189 about Him spread G565 R1 throughout G1519 all G3650 Syria G4947; and they brought G4374 to Him all G3956 who were ill G2192 G2560, those suffering G4912 with various G4164 diseases G3554 and pains G931, R2 demoniacs G1139, N1 R3 epileptics G4583, R4 paralytics G3885; and He healed G2323 them.”
Matthew 4:24 NASB+)

who were ill

G2192 echō – to be held in possession.

G2560 kakōs – to be grievously ill, wrongly held by evil.
suffering

G4912 sunechō – suffering, perplexed, or afflicted.
various

G4164 poikilos – various, diverse, manifold.
diseases

G3554 nosos – Disease, sickness. Metaphorically, pain, sorrow, evil.
pains

G931 basanos – (by analogy) torture: – just generally tormented.
Those who were thought to be demoniacs

G1139 daimonizomai – to be used by a demon: – to be vexed with, or possessed by demons.
Epileptics

G4583 selēniazomai – these people often shake uncontrollably and fall: -many are thought to be lunatics.
Paralytics

G3885 paralutikos – “paralytic”: one who is deprived of the power of muscular motion; there are sometimes thought of as weak, trembling, and subject to involuntary shaking;

After doing all this for the people, His fame spread throughout Syria and a few other places.

“And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy, and he healed them.
Matthew 4:24 KJV)

In the book of Acts, we see a statement that seems to be a retelling of Matthew 4:24.

“But in every nation he that fears him, and works righteousness, is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
Acts 10:35-38 KJV)

This last statement, more than all the others, says that there is no disease among humans that does not have its origins in Satanic oppression. I also had a strong sense that this was Peter talking because Peter did not mention Syria, the land of Gentiles. It is.

Why wouldn’t Peter, in Acts 10, bring the Syrians into the conversation?

Because he, more than Matthew (an apostate Jew when Jesus found him,) was a devout Jew and Syrians were unclean; to touch them would have made him unclean (according to Jewish – add-on laws – the Tenach), and Peter struggled to maintain his Jewish identity.

Some will try to come back at me on this last statement because Peter was the Apostle to the Gentiles. Yeah, that didn’t last long; we know this because we eventually find Peter seated among the “Christian” Jewish council in Jerusalem.

Acts chapter ten seems to be the major marker that we assume makes him the Apostle to the Gentiles. The scriptures tell us.

“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter.” Acts 10:1-5 NKJV)

It is possible this is the same centurion who, upon seeing all that happened to Jesus, said, surely this is the Son of God. If not, it is a peculiar coincidence that the scriptures give us multiple instances that refer to “the centurion.”

“And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” Matthew 27:53-54 KJV)

We are not told what Cornelius’ prayer was, but if I were to guess, he wanted as much of God as God was willing to give. With that in mind, the angel in the vision tells him that his prayers and acts of kindness have come up before God, so go get Peter.

I am always stunned at how well God coordinates these appointments. So, while Cornelius has sent men to ask if Peter would come to the house, in the meantime, God begins to show Peter a vision that, in a few minutes, breaks down Peter’s barriers in a manner that would convince Peter to enter the house of a Gentile. (Note, at this point, for the most part, salvation – life in Christ, has only come to the Jews.)

“…Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat, but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” Acts 10:9-15 NKJV)

In case you are lost, we have been working on Matthew 4:24, where Jesus’ fame went throughout all of Syria. By the time Peter has his interaction with Cornelius and his family, Jesus has been dead for several years now.

If Jesus went into Syria, we are not told about it in any other place. It becomes obvious and quickly that Jesus has been to many places. Jesus travels to Jerusalem

Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. Matthew 4:25 NKJV)

People were now following Jesus, not just from Galilee but from Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea.

So this travelog begins with John the baptizer baptizing Jesus somewhere around Bethany. Jesus traveled North to Nazareth and then to Capernaum and eventually moved South once again toward Jerusalem.

Posted in bible study, delivered, demons, doctrines of demons, healing, Jesus, Matthew's gospel, sharing the truth in love | Tagged Belief, Bible, Christ, devils, disease, diseases, fame, Galilee, God, Gospel, healed, healing, hope, Jesus, kingdom, people, possessed, preaching, prophecy, Scripture, sick, sickness, synagogues, Syria, teaching, torments | Leave a comment

Prophecy through the eyes of Terry James.

Posted on 09/19/2023 by remso

The CRISIS

Posted in Thoughts on scripture | Tagged Belief, Bible, end times, Jesus, last days, prophecy, Scripture | Leave a comment

A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. A study in Daniel 8 pertaining to the antichrist.

Posted on 09/06/2023 by remso

I wonder how many of you open up a site like this and say, oh, it’s just a Bible study. I have sat through too many boring, misleading, and thoughtless Bible Studies and have no intention of doing that now. Now when it comes to catchy headlines that grab your attention and sucker you in, I am not so good at that, praise God.

I write about things in scripture because I want to untangle them or do not understand them.

The antichrist is, quite possibly, the most confusing character in the Bible, so let’s get started.

Daniel 8:3-14 NKJV

3) Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

At first read and almost without thinking, I would have said this represented the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that remained of Alexander, the Grecian general. But an angelic explanation was given to Daniel, and it reads like this.

Daniel 8:20-23 NKJV

20) The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.

21) And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.

The first “king” was Alexander. Fascinating how the explanations pass right over Nebuchadnezzar.

22) As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.

Upon the death of Alexander, four generals struggled to gain and hold power; this is not a coincidence.

23) “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.

“When the transgressors have reached their fullness,” This statement leaves the door open for any variety of evil players. Fortunately, here in September of 2023, we have a smorgasbord of destroyers working to fullfill their dream of communism with them at the helm.

Do not ask because I have no idea who this man is.

4) I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward so that no animal could withstand him, nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.

5) And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground, and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

“The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” Daniel 8:21 NASB)

Alexander.

6) Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

The kings of Media and Persia.

7) And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him, and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

We should know that the Medes and the Persians had a common thread in that they were Assyrians. So yes, for a time the Assyrians were squelched.

8) Therefore, the male goat grew very great, but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it, four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.

The male goat = Alexander

The horn being broken was Alexander’s death.

Four notable ones = the four generals. Among those four were Ptolemy and Seleucid.

9) And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

From Finis Dake’s biblical commentaries. “the little horn or future Antichrist who will become great in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and Palestine.” Instead of Palestine, the NLT says, “toward the glorious land of Israel.”

All these nations, with the exception of the area that holds Palestine, are Muslim territory, and the Muslims have an entrenched association with the Assyrians.

10) And it grew up to the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.

Knowing that the little horn represents the antichrist, this must also represent Satan, as he took a third of the angels with him when he fell.

11) He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host, and by him, the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.

The Tree of Life Version conveys it this way, “ It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host.” Notice the impersonal reference “it” as they reference the antichrist. Most translations do the same thing. Why? Because Daniel 8:9 refers to the beast, the antichrist, as the little horn.

No one, it seems, gives this man the permission to declare himself a god (although Emmanuel Macron was vying for the title); this is totally on him (well, that, and the motivation and empowerment of Satan.)

It is at this point that the daily sacrifices come to a crashing halt. (“By him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.”)

It occurs to me that verse eleven, much like the Revelation, is a repetition of events, each with a different point of view and often an added detail.

The language of verse eleven leaves you with the impression that the temple is destroyed as soon as the daily sacrifice is taken away.

Daniel 12:11 NASB) states, “From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

1290 days extends beyond seven years by several days. Some might say it is not so precise.

Have you ever wondered why they would say that?

The precision has been there all along, but we have not attentively read the scriptures as we should.

Since the false prophet has now set up the image of the beast on the altar and is forcing people to worship it, is it possible to have people come and worship this image if the building has been torn down?

The answer is no.

Our general impression is that the false prophet, associated with the “great tribulation,” runs rampant for the second half of this covenantal time period. Matthew 24 details this for us.

Matthew 24:15 NASB “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Who is Matthew talking to?

Jews specifically, the nations generally, but NOT the church because we will be gone for three-and-one-half-years at this point.

Matthew 24:21 NASB “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

And almost all of it will be at the hand of the false prophet. If, as I pointed out, this false prophet will be the former high priest of the temple, can you imagine the utter dismay of most people. Some may actually follow this fraud in worshiping Allah – the moon god.

12) Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices, and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.

Transgression? The Hebrew word is pesha‘, and the primary word this becomes in English is REVOLT.

Currently, at the tail end of 2023, people are finally beginning to wake up and realize that Klaus, the WEF, and Billy Bob, the president, are desperately trying to kill us. I just found out that the N95 masks will give you cancer from extended usage because of the chemicals used to make the stupid things. And we are starting to see that burning out the entire island community of Lahaina has been in the works since 2006 so that they can make a smart city out of it.

“An army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices.”

Imagine telling what is left of the devout Jews, who think they are able to cover their sins through a sacrifice, that you do not get to do that anymore. It will take an army to enforce this decision, but it doesn’t tell us whose army. That opens the door to perhaps the IDF coming against their own people. Just saying.

We are also told that the false prophet – which might be a Jewish high priest doing this, trying to tell those devout Jews that the law of God is NOT the truth. Keep in mind that he casts truth to the ground. This is suddenly getting quite ugly.

13) Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

Question. At what point could we say that the sanctuary and the host are trampled underfoot?

If the temple mount is deemed to be part of the sanctuary, then having Muslims play soccer and throw rocks at visitors would certainly qualify as being trampled.

But what if it only applies to a time when the new temple has been built?

For three-and-one-half-years it seems that Jews only would have access, but any restrictions on the nations gaining access to the outer courts is not discussed. You see, we merely assumed that non-Jewish people would not be allowed.

May I be honest, the NKJ Version does not make a bit of sense. Try this version.

“Then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one said to the one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision last, the daily sacrifice be forsaken because of rebellion, the sanctuary be surrendered and the host be trampled?’ Daniel 8:13 TLV)

14) And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

While giving Daniel the answers as to what all this means, Daniel hears two holy ones conversing back and forth. “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

From the time of the giving, the sanctuary and it gets trampled underfoot is 2300 days. That equals 3 years, 2 months, and 10 days. So, from the catching away of the church to the antichrist confirming the covenant, is clearly an unknown but relatively short time frame.

Since seven years, by the Jewish calendar is 2,520 days, then there are 220 days, plus 35 days unaccounted for. Some will adamantly say there is an undefined time frame before the antichrist comes on the scene and the temple gets built.

I will tell you what the problem is, years of fallacy and assumption were relentlessly preached at us. Folks, it is time for you to read your Bibles for yourselves. Let me show you why you need to read it for yourselves.

Daniel 9:27 “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

This says nothing about Israel, but it may be a direct reference to the UN reaffirming a SDG covenant on September 18 and 19. What a coincidence, September 18th and19th is supposed to be the time in which Israel’s priesthood would be able to declare a new moon and inititiate Rosh Hanana (the Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Teruah.

Isn’t that peculiar. Jesus will return for His bride, the church, with a trumpet blast and Rosh Hashana is the only feast of Israel in which this is done.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1Thessalonians 4:16 NASB)

The definitions associated with chapter eight end like this.

“Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and stood me upright. And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time, the end shall be.” Daniel 8:18-19 NKJV)

In these few short sentences is the concise and definitive layout for the last days.

“The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.” Daniel 8:20 NKJV)

Media and Persia were also the second and silver portion of the statue that Daniel had to define for Nebuchadnezzar, and yet, they are the first empire talked about in this definition.

A common factor is Assyrians.

“And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.” Daniel 8:21 NKJV)

Greece, though not defined in Daniel’s description, is associated with the Alexandrian empire. Daniel identified this empire with the belly of Bronze, but the bronze extends through the thighs in the statue and is certainly a part of the legs. The peculiarity of this transition is ignored as the Alexandrian empire migrates and dwindles down through the four generals that tried to take over, only to be supplanted by the final two – the Seleucid empire in the north and the Ptolemaic in the Southern regions.

All of these have become Islamic kingdoms associated with, you guessed it, Assyrians.

“As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.” Daniel 8:22 NKJV)

The broken horn is Alexander.

How quickly the purity (Grecian) of that empire diminished. God does not concern Himself with the details, and He does not tell us about the dark and dirty intrigue that filters through these kingdoms.

“And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.” Daniel 8:23 NKJV)

If, in the majority, they are Islamic, then what type of person will this king that rises be?

The short answer is Islamic or an acceptable blend.

“His power 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. “Through his cunning, He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.” Daniel 8:24-25 NKJV)

In all this, we never broke from the remnants of the bronze or Grecian empire.

All this disturbed Daniel to the degree that he was physically sick, and he pleaded for an interpretation.

This is what he got.

Daniel 9:24 NKJV 24) “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.”

We have been living in the 2000-year gap between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week.

Consider that Antiochus destroyed the temple after Jesus’s death in 70 AD, and yet it speaks of a time to come.

Daniel 9:25-27 NKJV

25) “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

Do the math, this equals 69 weeks of years and is the time in which Jesus died and rose again, but it is 69 out of 70 weeks of years. In short, we have been waiting for the seventieth week to arrive, sort of, because that seven-year period is the seven years of God’s wrath.

26) “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

But not for himself?

He did this for any who would receive Him. Hopefully, you understand that Jesus is the Messiah and He is very Jewish.

Now, you have to identify the people of the prince who are coming to destroy the city and the sanctuary. The short answer is that they are Assyrians. Assyrians have been around for a long time; the common name for our day is Muslims. They, whoever this is, will destroy the temple once again.

Verse 26 speaks of sixty-two weeks of years. Do not get confused by this time frame because the first seven weeks of years had already come to pass, and the total of 7+62 = 69.

27) Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week, But in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

The prince that was to come is, in all likelihood, here already. This man is the one that confirms (the/a) covenant with many for seven years (one week of years.) This, by the way, is the same language that the UN has used about one of their Strategic Development Goals at a meeting of the UN this September 2023, during Rosh Hashanah.

He, the antichrist, shall bring an end to sacrifices and offerings. For a period of time that might not equal three-and-one-half-years, the Jews will be offering sacrifices all day, six days a week. The antichrist will have that stopped. Consider something that just occurred to me. We assumed the Prime minister of Israel would be holding a tight reign on terrorist activities; we also assumed that this prime minister would be Benjamin Netanyahu, but even as we speak, people like Ehud Barak, the former defense minister, are trying to dethrone the prime minister for the third time, much like the democrats are trying to prevent President Donald Trump from ever regaining power. But there is one other thing few are advertising; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wholeheartedly committed Israel to the UN’s agenda 2030 plan for global domination. That tends to mean that he has quietly sold Israel out to the antichrist – the one that even the UN is looking for to run this broken, overpopulated world.

A man at church, who I only knew by face, responded to something I said about Jesus with, I do not think we should pay attention to extra-biblical information. I pointed out how many things we “Christians” invest our minds in as doctrine, such as culture and history, and it is extra-biblical.

So here is a piece of extra-biblical information. Islam understands that there will be a temple built and that one from the lineage of Aaron will hold the position of high priest in the temple.

Try to imagine the influence and power such a man might hold, especially if, at some point in time, he begins performing signs such as Elijah did.

Do you realize that the high priest (Kohen Gadol in Hebrew), meant to offer these sacrifices as the high priest, has already been assigned?

His name is Rabbi Baruch Kahane.

(For the sake of context, this information was made public about four years ago, but later, during the lockdowns, it was said that Kahane had stepped back from the position, saying that he felt strongly that the timing was premature. You might think that he had declined the great honor, but about a year ago, the Rabbi was there, among those illegally blessing the temple grounds that are, to many, considered to be a part of the mosque.)

Why is that a big deal?

While the high priest performs his duties in the temple, the two witnesses that God sent will be preaching in the streets of Jerusalem and performing great signs. Imagine the impact that these prophets sent from God will have on the unbelieving Jews in Israel. Now, at the three-and-a-half-year mark, give or take a few days, the high priest ceases to perform his duties, turns his heart to Allah, follows the Mahdi (the antichrist), and begins to perform signs of a similar nature as the two witnesses. No one has been doing anything like this; killing and destruction, yes, but no signs as if they represented God.

One of the things the two witnesses do is to turn off the rain for many of the nations that are attacking Israel during this time. Droughts almost seem like a common event, but this stoppage of rain is significant, especially since almost every nation is experiencing severe flooding currently ((9/5/2023) and may have been going on for three years at this point.

What does the false prophet, the former high priest do?

He turns the rain back on.

If you know the events that surrounded Moses’ demands for Pharaoh to let God’s people go, then you know that, at God’s instructions, Aaron threw the staff to the floor, where it turned into a serpent.

Why would an average, non-venomous garden snake send anyone into a frenzy?

It wouldn’t, but something like a Cobra might. (As a side note, Brown – Driver – Briggs does give “venomous serpent” as one of the choices to define the Hebrew word tannı̂yn.) Since you are students of the Bible, then you know that the magicians, a part of Pharaoh’s advisory staff, also turned their ceremonial staffs into serpents. Aaron’s staff ate theirs.