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New and Information for the End Times - Stay Informed - Don't Be Left Behind...
PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES |
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10/16/12
10/15/12
10/14/12 |
Angels, Aliens and Armageddon The Coming Deception... 
**Reviews** I would venture to guess that not 1 in 100 Christians gives much thought about the unseen spiritual warfare occurring in each of our lives and the current events Randy provides in his daily emails. Randy's new video, "Aliens, Angels and Armageddon" sorts through Old and New Testament scripture to share explanations for angels, good and bad, and how all of us are part of the unseen fighting occurring around us. You will think differently about Randy's articles and your own life's struggles when you filter them through the lens and knowledge of knowing Satan and his demons are continually trying to destroy Israel and torment us with different fiery arrows. These lessons will strengthen your faith and provide perspective to endure the trials you undoubtedly will experience sometime soon. Great job, my brother! - John Wicklund, Chair Olive Tree Board of Directors Eye opening! A very plausible End Times scenario, now it all makes sense! - D. Koerner - Bakersfield, CA Just finish watching "Angels, Aliens and Armageddon" DVD. Randy, you did an excellent presentation on angels, aliens and the end time scenario. I highly recommend it... I will schedule presenting it in my area. - A. Delage - Canada For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. - Luke 21:25,26 One of the great characteristics of the end times is described in the New Testament as deception, or delusion, on a grand, perhaps unprecedented scale. The Lord Jesus warned that the deception that is coming in His Name and accompanied by great shows of power will be so convincing that even the very elect, that is, those who truly know Him, stand in danger of being carried away in the deception (Matthew 24:24). For more info and to order your copy, please visit: http://www.reelmanna.com |
PROPHECY UPDATE NEWSLETTER
STAY INFORMED, GET EQUIPPED, BE ENCOURAGED
Pre-Millennium - Pre-Tribulation - PrePARED
(Featured Article at Bottom) |
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NOTE: Due to technical problems we have not been able to send out the Prophecy Update Newsletter since Friday. We even had to switch to a new format, so please bare with us and keep us in prayer as we adapt to this new format. Prayerfully this will be even better than the old format and enable us to send out a better product that is more readable in all the different browsers. Thank you for your prayers and patience in this matter and I look forward to continue keeping you informed! - Randy @ Prophecy Update |
An October Surprise? - By Steve Meehan - http://www.raptureready.com/soap/meehan6.html
In recent presidential elections, the question invariably arises "will there be an October surprise?" to stimulate a candidate's chances of securing the office of president, especially when it is perceived that the campaign thus far has not been going well. It would usually require something of such newsworthy import and significance in order to provide a boost to otherwise tanking poll numbers and to curry favor with the voting populace come Election Day. Could such a ploy be implemented during the last few weeks of this election cycle? It is no secret that the Obama campaign has, to this point, not gone as well as they had planned. His promises of "Hope and Change" during the 2008 presidential election campaign never did materialize with the economy still floundering. With another 5 trillion dollars added to the National Debt during his first term of office, along with continued rising gasoline prices and a national unemployment rate hovering around 8%, the president and his team can hardly trumpet their economic achievements. His recent lackluster performance in the first presidential debate caused his poll numbers to slip even further, wiping out any bump he may have gleaned after the Democratic National Convention. It may be that the most damaging aspect to his chances of being elected to a second term and one that has been highly criticized by those on the right, are a series of missteps that his administration has undertaken recently in the realm of foreign policy. The events surrounding the assassination of the US ambassador in Benghazi, Libya, along with three American staffers, and how dismally the administration has been handling the controversy of inaction leading up to the terrorist ambush, combined with a series of incorrect statements in the aftermath of the attack, has been a real eye-opener to the American public. In the recent UN General Assembly meeting in New York with the opportunity to score political points by looking like a president fully involved in foreign affairs, Obama instead opted not to meet with any world leaders but instead chose to continue on the campaign trail and also took the time to make an appearance on the television show The View. With the growing threat of Iran going nuclear and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel seeking an urgent meeting with the leader of the free world and seeking US assistance in curtailing Iran's nuclear ambitions, Obama could have showed how engaged he is in the Middle East, instead of leaving the impression of being detached from circumstances there. During his first year in office, Obama met with European leaders and others, in what was perceived as an 'apology for being Americans' tour by those on the right. Couple that notion with the recent foreign political gaffes, he is leaving the impression that he is aloof, distant, not fully involved and that he "leads from behind" in how he conducts foreign policy. Obama may need to do something regarding world affairs to give his reelection chances a shot in the arm. It was reported recently by the Jerusalem Post that Israel and the USA will conduct a "massive" joint air drill in Israel on October 21st. The US is also sending "military operatives" into Jordan - as announced by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta - this month in case the need arises for the US to go into Syria to secure the arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, should Assad's regime fall. There is presently in the Persian Gulf two US aircraft carrier strike groups - the USS Eisenhower and USS Stennis - as a show of force and to keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf open to allow the free flow of transported crude oil through that waterway. Is it possible that there may soon be a US led attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities in light of these recent developments? There is no doubt that the Israelis have been applying ever-increasing pressure on the US to do something soon regarding Iran and their pursuit of nuclear weapons. It has to also be true that not only is Israel concerned with Iran's goal of developing nukes, but that neighboring Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States have to be equally alarmed with that prospect. They have to be exerting an equal amount of pressure on the USA to act, and to act quickly. If team Obama could successfully pull off going into Iran and destroy or severely cripple the nuclear sites - thereby putting an end to Iran's chances of acquiring nuclear weapons or at the least, setting back their program for a few years - it would almost certainly ensure his chances of reelection. The US, with all its firepower and advanced technology, could go into Iran with stealth aircraft to take out the radar facilities; destroy the missile batteries; severely cripple their limited air forces; and using its assortment of bunker-busting bombs, destroy the underground nuclear sites. If they were to plan and execute it properly, the fallout in the immediate region could be limited. However, Iran could get their proxies in Hamas, Hezbollah and perhaps Syria too, to launch an offensive on Israel. That is where this joint US-Israeli air drill planned for October 21st comes into play. It will be an air defense drill, designed to thwart any incoming missiles into Israel by those aforementioned groups. If the US were to carry out the attack on Iran alone - without the assistance of Israeli aircraft - Israel's air force would be free to safeguard its own country in the event of a retaliatory attack by those close enemies. This could be a win-win situation for all concerned nations in the region. A successful outcome could, for all intents and purposes, put an end to the Iranian nuclear threat; it could get the Iranian population to rise up and overthrow the current regime and the mullahs (although Bible prophecy seems to indicate that that will not occur, as Iran seems to be a key player in the Ezekiel 38 war); Israel would be safer in that the nuclear threat is gone for the time being; and the Gulf States and especially Saudi Arabia would be extremely delighted and might reward Obama by ramped up oil production to lower the cost of gasoline prices at the pump, just in time for Election Day. It is interesting to note, that in that prophecy of Ezekiel 38 - the so-called Gog/Magog war - that one of the on looking nations, as it were, during the invasion of Israel by Russia and the Islamic hordes - including Iran, modern day Persia - are the nations of Sheba and Dedan. Many bible scholars and students of bible prophecy are of the opinion that those ancient tribes settled in the Arabian Peninsula, including the countries of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It begs the question of why would Saudi Arabia side with the 'young lions of Tarshish' - which probably includes the USA, perhaps Canada, maybe even Australia - and not go along with the other Arab/Islamic countries who go after Israel; especially in light of the fact, that the destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17) by Israel, may be the fuse that ignites the war that leads to this invasion of Israel. Why isn't Saudi Arabia among the participants of this battle? Is it because the young lions have put down the Iranian threat to the region? In any case, it may be a long shot that the USA takes any action against Iran in these waning days of the election campaign. However, if team Obama really felt it needed to hit a home run to win over the American people before Election Day, such an October Surprise as the one described with a very successful outcome, would not only be a feather in his cap - it would be a full Indian headdress. e-mail author at GoTitans25@aol.com
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Ahmadinejad's Fatal Mistake
By Daymond Duck - http://www.raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd77.html
On Monday September 22, 2012, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood before the United Nations General Assembly and addressed the issue of the Zionists (His term for the Israelis). He arrogantly declared that the Israelis have "no roots" in the Middle East and they "represent minimal disturbances that come into the picture and are then eliminated." The next day, Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, called Mr. Ahmadinejad a "voice of unspeakable evil." Concerning this important issue, it must be said that Mr. Romney was right on target.
The Bible contains a magnificent anthem called the Song of Moses (Deut. 32:1-43). It begins with God calling upon the heavens and the earth to listen to the words of His mouth (Deut. 32:1). He soon says, "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance [at the Tower of Babel], when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds [borders] of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance" (Deut. 32:7-9). God asked people (all of Creation, but especially the Jews) to remember and inquire about the past. Then, He specifically referred all of Creation back to an incredible event that took place before the existence of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (also, before Ishmael and Esau). The Most High went back to the time He separated the descendants of Adam at the Tower of Babel. He scattered the nations and divided up the earth.He gave one nation part of Africa, another nation part of Europe, another nation part of Asia, etc. until He had divided up the whole earth except for one small precious spot called the Promised Land that He kept for Himself and set aside for His people (Jacob whose name was later changed to Israel).
At least three great truths can be mined from these incredible verses: 1) God kept the Promised Land for Himself and set it aside for Israel so no one has the authority to give any part of it away (consider what God said about His people, His land and His mountains in Ezek. 38:16, 21), 2) God set the borders of Israel's land so it is a mistake for the U.N. the U.S., the Arabs, Iran or anyone else to try to re-draw the borders of Israel to create a Palestinian State or any other entity (Gen. 15:18; 17:8; Ex. 6:6-8; Josh. 1:3-5), and 3) Since God has already pre-determined that Israel will get ALL of the Promised Land, those who act contrary to the Scriptures will ultimately fail (Gen. 17:8).
Consider the Fifth Commandment, "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee" (Ex. 20:12). The Fifth Commandment says God gave the Promised Land to Israel. If the Ten Commandments weren't given by God, people and nations can ignore the Fifth one. But if they were given by God, those who choose to ignore them are in big trouble.
Mr. Ahmadinejad and many others are choosing to ignore the Song of Moses, the Ten Commandments, and many other all-important Scriptures. Their voices of evil will soon lead to a fatal mistake. What they try to do to Israel, God will do to them (Jer. 51:20; Obad. 1:15).
FYI: Kindle owners can download eight of Daymond Duck's teachings at amazon.com and I would love for you to leave a review.
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When Being Pro-Peace Promotes War
By Jan Markell
October 16, 2012
www.olivetreeviews.org
When a college forum talks about being pro-peace and pro-Jesus, why do I become suspicious? When the event is sponsored by a Department of Reconciliation Studies, why do I become uncomfortable? The answer is, in part, that I graduated from this once rock-solid school in prehistoric days when Christian colleges were a safe bet.
Bethel University in St. Paul, Mn. is like most Christian schools today. They are trying to be cutting edge and they are trying to tell the truth from their perspective. But when the forum is about leaving the, "traditional pro-Israel stand," and learning to embrace the tormented Palestinians instead, you will begin to understand the dilemma. The attempt at "reconciliation" is disingenuous. The whole truth won't be told.
And Bethel University's "Hope for the Holy Land"
offered no hope and didn't tell the truth.
The speakers were on tour promoting Christian engagement in Palestine and Israel. They included Lynne Hybels from Willow Creek Church in Illinois, Sami Awad from the Holy Land Trust, and Mae Elise Cannon from World Vision.
I'll say it right up front: All participants represent outfits that are openly Replacement Theology: The church is the new Israel. Do you suppose their proper and Biblical perspective of Israel is going to be diminished and thus right from the start, the debate won't be balanced? If you said 'yes,' you would be dead-on.
I did not know that at the same time my friend and fellow journalist Jim Fletcher was attending"Catalyst East"
in Atlanta, one of the greatest gatherings of young evangelicals in America. And, they are largely pro-Palestinian. I shudder as I compare notes with Fletcher because the conclusion is obvious: Israel's days of enjoying unquestionable support from the evangelical community is eroding. He heard a few of the same voices as I did.
Fletcher writes, "Lynne Hybels presented no context with regard to physical conflicts between Israel and her Arab neighbors. For example, in her admittedly brief overview of the region, war seemed to spring up out of nowhere. No mention of Arab invasions of Israel in 1948 or 1973, or the cataclysmic decisions of Egypt's Nasser in 1967, which led to Israel administering the disputed territories of Judea/Samaria, or as the world largely knows it, the West Bank."
He continues, "For example, Hybels and others have begun framing the issue in terms of 'pro peace, pro Israel, pro Palestinian, and pro Jesus.' Other speakers such as Glenn Stassen, David Gushee, Brian McLaren, and Tony Campolo, savage Christian Zionists in the most odious terms. Hybels presents a softer, gentler side of Palestinian advocacy."
I made the same conclusion about Lynne Hybels. If you have to listen to Palestinian propaganda, it is nice to hear it in a soft-spoken voice. The same can be said for Christian Arab Sami Awad. Both are people you would like to get to know better. Both are sincere Christians who just happen to believe what Palestinian Christian leaders have said more than they choose to believe many verses in the Bible as it concerns God's land and people. Lynne and Sami aren't being disingenuous. They have different interpretations of the Bible, theology, and the facts on the ground.
The problem is they are speaking into the minds of young people who may not be able to properly process the information. These same young people will soon become pastors and teachers to the church at large and the untruths will be further implemented in the church.
How can you genuinely be pro-peace if there is no truthful talk about the following:
* The wall of separation between Israel and the Palestinian territories that saves tens of thousands of Israeli lives from Palestinian Islamic terrorists is called the "apartheid wall." The wall is compared to a bully to the Palestinian people when it is saving Israeli lives. Why not suggest that all other nations can have barriers to protect their people except Israel?
* There is no reference to the victims of Palestinian terror such as the Fogel family, slaughtered like pigs in March of 2011, or the dozens of victims of other terror activities that have left Israelis maimed or killed.
* The devious "two-state solution," that is no solution, is heralded even though it boots Israel off of their God-given land and it gives legitimacy to terrorists. The same could be said about all references to "land-for-peace" efforts that are praised, yet the Palestinian leaders reject these efforts and return to terror.
* The plight of Christians in the region is ignored or underplayed. Tens of thousands of Christians are running for their lives and that includes a decimation of Palestinian Christians who once made up 20% of the Palestinian population. That number is now down to 1%. Israel has not driven them out. Fellow Palestinian terrorists as well as Fatah and Hamas leaders have done it. Why no reference?
At the "Hope for the Holy Land" forum, no Jewish history was cited, no Scriptures were quoted, and no pro-Israel position was allowed into the forum and was discouraged in the Q & A.
At the close, the president of Bethel University, Jay Barnes, closed with his pro-Palestinian position while almost denouncing the pro-Israel view under which he had grown up.
Clearly, the prophesied abandonment of Israel is hastening. If the Lord tarries, when these young leaders mature, they will form a legion of people who will abandon the traditional pro-Israel stand found within evangelicalism for 65 years. This trend is in keeping with the "new way of doing church." Younger people continue to break tradition but contemporary ways are often not sound. The call of the "social justice" gurus are getting stronger and the Palestinian issues fall into that.
Jim Fletcher reached the same conclusion at his "Catalyst East" event. He says, "Everything I saw at Catalyst confirmed this drift. In dozens of random conversations, I noted that 'Millennials' -- the 20-somethings who are quickly dominating the evangelical scene -- expressed solidarity with the Palestinians and annoyance with Israel. This is a seismic shift in the American church and a serious threat to Israel's one traditional area of support."
He concludes, "No one is denying that there are plenty of sincere, well-meaning people in the peacemaker movement. The problem is, they are being schooled by the Palestinians themselves. The so-called Palestinian narrative, coming in via people like Sami Awad, isn't different from the agenda of former PLO chief Yasser Arafat, in any real sense. The Palestinians then wanted to eliminate Israel any way possible. Today's 'two-state solution,' 'one-state solution,' etc., is simply window-dressing for the goal of eliminating the Jewish state."
It is very true that Christians do need to care about the souls of everyone in the Middle East. While these young people are "pro-peace," God is "pro-salvation." God cares for the oppressed Palestinians.
It's just that Israel is not oppressing them nor tormenting them. Their own brothers are. Let's at least tell this truth. |
In Benghazi, al Qaeda bit the White House who fed it - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Americans should be outraged over the lies told them by the White House about the murders of the US Ambassador and three other US citizens in Benghazi, Libya. The Administration held for nearly a month that the US embassy in Libya was overrun by protestors angry about a movie depicting the "Prophet Mohammed" as a lunatic. The Administration repeatedly said that this type of freedom of speech caused the deaths in Benghazi. A month later, it is found that the Administration, including the president, the Secretary of State, the UN Ambassador, the Defense Secretary and many others lied. There was no protest-led attack. It was the very people this president helped to overthrow Libya--al Qaeda.
According to a 270-page intelligence report in Arabic obtained by WorldNetDaily (WND), those who attacked the embassy in Benghazi were the very same rebels that the White House assisted in overthrowing Libya. Upon confirmation of the report with the CIA, WND reports that the document specifies that Abdul Hakem Belhag, the chief al Qaeda operative "organized and directed the terrorist attack that killed [US Ambassador Chris] Stevens." Walid Shoebat, who translated the document for WND, said the killing was revenge for a US military drone attack that killed al Qaeda's second in command in Pakistan. Belhag also sought revenge for the earlier killing of his brother who fought for al Qaeda in Pakistan.
Belhag and Abdel Hakim al Hasidi both fought for al Qaeda in Iraq against the US. The men returned to Libya and organized the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, listed by the US State Department as a terrorist organization. Their al Qaeda fighters tipped the scales in favor of the US-assisted Muslim Brotherhood-led rebellion in Libya. After the rebellion, Belhag reportedly denounced his affiliation with al Qaeda and was accepted by the US as part of the National Transitional Council leadership in charge of rewriting the Libyan constitution and governing the newly formed "democracy." The Administration denied during Congressional hearings it was working with al Qaeda in Libya, but evidence clearly refutes that claim.
This is the most recent publicly documented case where a sitting president and his Administration were caught in a straightforward lie with life and death consequences. Furthermore, this president was working with the very people who were killing and maiming America's sons and daughters in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House helped these people take over a country. And the White House has been betrayed by those it supported. Americans should demand accountability for these evil deeds that resulted in the deaths of American citizens. The accountability should start at the Oval Office. Proverbs 29:2 says, "...when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." How true. That is, if anyone cares...
Read the WND report here: WND Intel Story
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Clinton says Benghazi-like story switch "always happens" - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
In an interview with CNN's Elise Labott, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "What I want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha or blame game." She told CNN that she take's responsibility for the security lapse in Benghazi because she is in charge of the State Department. But Clinton, in trying to dismiss the entire administration lying to the American people, said, "And I think it is absolutely fair to say that everyone had the same intelligence. Everyone who spoke tried to give the information that they had. As time has gone on, that information has changed. We've gotten more detail, but that's not surprising. That always happens."
Not to twist Clinton's words, but did she just say that everyone had the same intelligence--which means the president included--and that everyone spoke based on that information, and it always happens that the information changes? This could mean that it is standard operating policy to spin the story as propaganda and deal with the facts later. Certainly, this White House has practiced this technique many times. One example: Fast and Furious, where the White House denied any knowledge of selling guns to Mexican drug cartels that were subsequently used to kill a US border agent and several teen agers. Another example is denying the White House supported al Qaeda in Libya, but the facts now say otherwise.
Or how about reporting the unemployment rate below 8% immediately after losing the first presidential debate, but omitting the fact that "one large state" did not report their data? The White House and Labor Department still have not come clean on this, other than to admit that it was true that the still unnamed large state did not report. But I digress. If Clinton's assessment is true, why then did the occupant of the Oval Office hold fast to the story for an entire month that the US Libyan Embassy was stormed as a result of an anti-Islamic film? It was only after State Department officials leaked to the public that the story was a fabrication that Clinton admitted "that information has changed."
"...that's not surprising. That always happens," according to the Secretary of State. Anybody remember Watergate? A few guys tried to steal campaign files from the Democratic National Committee. A Republican cover up ensued. Richard Nixon resigned as president and eventually 43 people went to jail. Seems like small potatoes compared with aiding a terrorist group with whom you are at war in taking over a country; that group murdering four people, including a US Ambassador, as revenge for a death in Pakistan; and the president covering up the murders by saying they were the result of an anti-Islam film. Yeshua said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you." Deception is in the air, but, hey, Hillary Clinton says, "that always happens."
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Heaven's Rewards - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
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The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. . . . | |
-Revelation 4:10
I have a friend who has run a lot of triathlons and has even competed in some Ironman events. He has a lot of medals, and so I once dared him to go out in public wearing them. I said, "Put on all of your medals, and go walk around."
Of course he refused. (But it would have been great.)
The Bible promises crowns to those who are faithful to the Lord. And Jesus promised the church in Smyrna a crown of life because of their suffering (see Revelation 2:10). The apostle Paul wrote that if we endure temptation, God will give us a crown of life. He also wrote to Timothy, "There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).
We also read in Revelation 4:9-10, "Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. . . ."
The elders wore a crown that denotes, in the original language, a reward that is given for faithful service. It is not a crown of royalty like that of a king or a queen. It is a crown of reward.
We might imagine heaven with high achievers, men and women who are walking around, wearing multiple medals or crowns. But they will not be using their crowns in heaven to boast of how much they accomplished on earth. Rather, they will be laying down their rewards at God's throne.
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The Third Heaven - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org |
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I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know--only God knows. | |
-2 Corinthians 12:2
I read an article about a private foundation of astronomers and former astronauts who are building a space telescope that will orbit the sun and track the heavenly bodies that may threaten life on Earth. One of the astronauts was quoted as saying that in the first three weeks of operation, they would find more asteroids than have been found in the last 200 years.
But guess what they won't find? The third heaven.
According to the Bible, there are three heavens. Paul writes about it in 2 Corinthians 12: "I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know-only God knows. . . . But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell" (verses 2-4).
What are the three heavens? The first heaven is the sky, the atmosphere, and the clouds. If you were to walk outside and look up at the sky, that is the first heaven. Then there is the second heaven, which would be everything in the cosmos-basically, those things above the earth's atmosphere: the moon, the sun, the stars, the planets, the galaxies, and so forth. But the third heaven, in contrast, is the dwelling place of God himself.
I remember reading about a Russian astronaut who, commenting on his experience in space, said, "I didn't see God up there."
That is because you can't see into the third heaven.
We often think of the third heaven as distant beyond the galaxies. But I think the third heaven may be closer than we realize. Whatever it is or wherever it is, it is the dwelling place of God Himself.
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This Week's Feature Article by Jack Kelley - http://gracethrufaith.com/ikvot-hamashiach/the-tribulations-purpose-vs-the-churchs-nature/
Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matt. 25:13)
Those who shy away from the study of prophecy are fond of quoting the above verse as their justification. But earlier in the same passage, the Lord had admonished all who read His words of prophecy to understand them (Matt 24:15). In addition the Apostle Paul wrote that the events leading up to the end of the age should not take believers by surprise (1 Thes. 5:4) implying that we should be familiar with them.
Since the Bible cannot contradict itself, Matt. 24:15 must have been aimed at a different audience than Matt. 25:13. And sure enough, a closer look reveals that both the implied timing and the intended audience of the two Matthew passages are different. Matt. 24:15 was intended for everyone who would ever read the passage, but in Matt 25:13 the Lord was only speaking to people remaining on Earth at His Second Coming. We know this because it follows Matt. 24:30 which describes the 2nd Coming. Matt. 24:36-37 confirms the context to be the 2nd Coming, as does Matt. 25:1. Of course in 1 Thes 5:4 Paul was addressing the church, who will not be on Earth at the 2nd Coming, but in the presence of the Father (1 Thes. 3:13).
What both the Lord (Matt.24:15) and Paul (1 Thes. 5:4) were saying is that while we won't know the exact timing of things, we should understand the sequence of events leading up to the Day of the Lord. And perhaps no event in the sequence is more controversial than the Rapture of the Church, especially as it relates to the Great Tribulation.
It seems to me that the first thing we should do in trying to obey the Lord's commandment to understand all this is to clarify two things, 1) the purpose of the Great Tribulation, 2) the nature of the Church.
The Purpose of the Great Tribulation
The phrase Great Tribulation makes reference to a specific event, not a general condition. While the Lord warned the disciples that they and we would experience tribulation as a general condition in this world (John 16:33), He clearly identified the Great Tribulation as having a specific beginning and ending. It will begin when the abomination that causes desolation prophesied by Daniel is erected in the Temple (in the middle of the last 7 years of history) and will end just prior to the Lord's return, three and one half years later (Daniel 9:24-27 & Matt. 24:29-30).
The Great Tribulation is primarily Jewish in its focus. In fact, it was referred to as the Time of Jacob's Trouble until the Lord coined the phrase Great Tribulation in Matt 24:21. In doing so , He said it would be a time of unparalleled distress, unique in the history of the world.
Jeremiah 30:3-11 gives us the clearest definition of it's overall purpose. Let's read it.
The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the LORD."
These are the words the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah: "This is what the LORD says: " 'Cries of fear are heard-terror, not peace. Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale?
How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.
" 'In that day,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
" 'So do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel,' declares the LORD. 'I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.
I am with you and will save you,'declares the LORD. 'Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'
In this passage the event is foretold, its purpose explained, and the timing is made clear. Let's take the timing first. According to verse 3 it will take place after Israel and Judah are re-gathered in the land as one nation, and verse 9 says it will result in David becoming their King again.
There have been two re-gatherings since the passage was written, but the first, beginning in 535 BC, didn't result in David becoming Israel's King. (In fact, from about 600 BC to this day they have had no legitimate king at all.)
The second re-gathering began in 1948 AD and continues to this day. Though the population of Israel keeps growing, so do the Jewish populations of all the nations to which the Jews have been scattered, and there are still about as many Jews outside Israel than there are in the land. All that will soon change as the Lord calls all His people to return to their Promised Land following His victory in the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39. The second re-gathering is the one that will lead to the fulfillment of Jeremiah 30:3-11. Isaiah foretold that the second re-gathering would put an end to the contention between Israel and Judah (Isaiah 11:11-13), and Ezekiel 37:15-25 confirms that sometime after this reunion David will be their King.
Now for its purpose. "Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished." (Jere. 30:11)
The idea is that Israel has to be purified in preparation for the Kingdom Age God promised them, and the nations who rejected the Messiah and persecuted His people must be destroyed.
So the purpose of the Great Tribulation is twofold; discipline (purify) the people of Israel, and completely destroy the nations to which they had been scattered.
The Nature of the Church
According to Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, the church is nothing less than a new race of mankind, coming from among both Jews and Gentiles but sharing a destiny with neither. (Ephe. 2:15-16)
The problem had always been that God could never dwell for long in the midst of His creation. Our sins always eventually drove Him away. At the cross, He reconciled all things to himself, things in heaven and on earth (Col 1:19-20). This meant that He was now at peace with His creation for the first time since the Fall of Man. He accomplished this by paying the price for all the sins of mankind. Now, for anyone who would accept it, a full pardon for behavior past, present and future was available, free for the asking.
Accepting this pardon qualifies any person, young or old, Jew or Gentile, good or bad, to become a new creation. When we do it permits God to look upon us as if we are without sin altogether; and in fact as if we had never sinned to begin with. It also requires the division of mankind into three groups: Jew, Gentile and Church (1 Cor. 10:32). No longer being either Jew or Gentile (Galatians 3:26-28) means God's purpose is not served by having us present in the Great Tribulation.
It's critical that we understand God's perspective in this because it's substantially different from ours. To Him, the church is without sin, holy and blameless, and has been since the cross (Ephes. 5:25-27). Whatever sins we as individuals have committed (or will commit) have been forgiven (Colossians 2:13-14) and it's as if they never happened (2 Cor 5:17). At the cross, the church became as righteous as God Himself (2 Cor 5:21), having been made perfect forever (Hebr. 10:12-14). Because of the cross God has a people with whom He can live in peace. No further purification is necessary.
What's The Point?
Therefore, no purpose is served by having the Church endure the Great Tribulation. Remember, the Church is a body spanning 40 generations of human life. If we were not all made perfect at the cross, how could the suffering of the final generation of believers serve to purify all those who have preceded us? All the generations of the Church have died in hope of spending eternity with the Lord as the Bible promises us. Is it only ours who will receive this promise and then only after sharing in Israel's purification? Of course not.
In Israel's case it's a different matter. The past generations who rejected their Messiah are lost. The last generation's purification through the Great Tribulation won't save those who have gone before. It's intended to finally open their eyes and hearts to Jesus so that a remnant of God's chosen people can be preserved. (Zech. 12:10-13)
And as we've seen, during the Great Tribulation God's focus will be on Israel and His focus is always either Israel or the Church, never both at once. (This was explained by James in Acts 15:12-18 and by Paul in Romans 11:25-27.) If you take the view, as I do, that the Battle of Ezekiel 38 occurs before the Great Tribulation, and realize that one outcome of that battle is to turn Israel back to God, (Ezek. 39:28-29) then you know the church's days on Earth have to end at the same time. This is what makes the fact that Israel exists again an important sign that the end is near.
In Summary
Of course the Scriptures promise that the Church won't be present on Earth for the Great Tribulation and we've covered these promises in detail in other studies on the Rapture. My intent in this study is not to review them but rather to demonstrate that the two-fold purpose of the Great Tribulation is to discipline Israel and completely destroy the unbelieving nations, and to show that the Church has no part in either. Therefore our presence on Earth during that period would serve no purpose and in fact would be in direct opposition to our nature as God sees us.
It's also in direct opposition to His nature as revealed in the Bible. The basis of Abraham's negotiation with God concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was that God could not destroy the righteous with the wicked (Genesis 18:23-25). And Peter revealed how history teaches us that God knows how to rescue godly men from trial while holding the unrighteous for the day of judgment (1 Peter 2:4-9). As John did in Rev. 3:10, Peter used the Greek preposition "ek" in the phrase translated from (out of) trial. It means to keep something out of the time, place, or cause of an event. By using that preposition Peter and John were confirming that God knows how to remove us from the time, place, and cause of the coming judgment before unleashing it upon the world. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:9). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.
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Prophecy Update - PO Box 40516 - Bakersfield, CA 93384
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