Bible Prophecy Update 2010

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Reuniting Priest And King
http://gracethrufaith.com/
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

“O profane and wicked prince of Israel, whose day has come, whose time of punishment has reached its climax, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Take off the turban, remove the crown. It will not be as it was: The lowly will be exalted and the exalted will be brought low. A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs; to him I will give it. (Ezekiel 21:25-27)

The turban was worn by the High Priest, the crown by the King. The Lord had deliberately kept these two offices separate, the priests always coming from the family of Levi and Kings from the family of Judah. The third holy office (prophet) could come from any tribe and indeed there were priests who were also prophets (Ezekiel and Zechariah for example) and at least one king who was also a prophet (David). In Abraham's time one man (Melchizedek) was both King and Priest but there was never another since the birth of the Nation. To prove the Lord was serious about this mandatory separation, when King Uzziah tried to officiate as a priest, he was immediately stricken with leprosy.

But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God, and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest with eighty other courageous priests of the LORD followed him in. They confronted him and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the LORD God.”

Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the LORD's temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead. When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out. Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the LORD had afflicted him.

King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in a separate house —leprous, and excluded from the temple of the LORD. Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land. (2 Chronicles 26:16-21)

A New Priesthood

So this prophecy of Ezekiel's actually called for a suspension of the offices of both of High Priest and King, and then proclaimed they would remain suspended until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs. The “he” in the passage refers to an individual and the “it” to the combined office of King/Priest.  In other words, someone like Melchizedek.  In Ezekiel 44 we read that the Lord has become more and more displeased with the Levitical priesthood for their behavior down through time and declares that only those from the faithful line of Zadok can minister before Him in the Millennial Temple.  But even among them there is no mention of a Levitical High Priest in the Millennium.

The idea of a priest in the order of Melchizedek was first put forth in Psalm 110.

The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion; you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth.

The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook beside the way; therefore he will lift up his head.

The Hebrew word translated LORD is the unspeakable Name of God, represented by the four letters YHWH. The one translated Lord is Adonai, and is used by a junior to address a senior. The only one senior to King David, the author, and yet not the LORD has to be His Son, the Messiah. In this Psalm, the Messiah is appointed a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Placing Jesus in the context of Psalm 110, the writer of Hebrews wrote;

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:19-20)

Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:26-28 )

But the Messiah is also the Lion of Judah, King of Israel, heir to David's throne. (Luke 1:32-33) It seems to me then, that the “he” Ezekiel's prophecy referred to is the Messiah, who we know as Jesus and who, like Melchizedek, is both King and High Priest.

When Were These Offices Suspended?

The last legitimate King to sit on David's throne was Jeconiah, aka Jehoiachin about 600 BC, a few years after the time of  Ezekiel's prophecy. The LORD was so offended by this King's behavior that He pronounced a blood curse on the Royal line.

Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land they do not know? O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!

This is what the LORD says: “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:28-30)

To this day, there hasn't been a legitimate King in Israel since. By the way, it was this curse that made the virgin birth necessary to preserve the Messiah's claim to the throne. It's a complicated issue that I explained in detail in my article entitled “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.”

The last legitimate High Priest was Onias III who was murdered during the tumultuous reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, about 174 BC. With the exception of a period during the Hasmonean Dynasty, the office of High Priest was thereafter auctioned off to the highest bidder. (The first “winner” was Jason, brother of Onias, causing speculation that he was behind his brother's death.)

How do we know that these two suspended offices will really be combined?   The Bible tells us so.  In my article called “The Branch” I explained that this phrase appears four times in prophecy, each time revealing one of the Messiah's assignments on Earth. In Zechariah 6:12-13 we read, … this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.

The Lord had told Zechariah to fashion a crown of silver and gold and place it on the head of Joshua, the High Priest. (Zechariah 6:9-11) Silver was the coin of redemption and symbolized the priesthood. Gold of course stands for royalty, the King. Then he used Joshua as a model of the Messiah clothed in Majesty and ruling on His throne, as both King and Priest. In Him there is finally harmony between the two offices and the promise of Psalm 110 is fulfilled.

As you read this, we have a Great High Priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. (Hebrews 8:1-2) And one day soon He'll appear in the sky with all His Holy Ones, and then the LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name. (Zechariah 14:9) Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus! 11-21-09

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Reconciling Matthew 24 and Daniel 12
http://gracethrufaith.com/
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

A while back I posted a study showing why the phrase “No one Knows The Day or Hour” was meant for the 2nd Coming, not the Rapture. Even though it's clear that the Great Tribulation is 1260 days long, and the 2nd Coming follows it, the Lord said people on Earth at the time will not know the day or hour of His coming. To emphasize this, He repeated it 4 times within the span of 28 verses (Matthew 24:36-37, 42-44, 50-51, 25:13)

A reader responded with the fascinating suggestion that this might help solve the mystery of the 1290 days and 1335 days of Daniel 12:11-12. Here's what she wrote.

“I agree with you that Matthew 24:36-51 refers to the Lord's return at the end of the Tribulation, also known as “the time of Jacob's trouble.”  However, I can understand why so many Christians become confused and think those verses might refer to the rapture.  It used to seem strange to me that ”the evil servant” mentioned in Matthew 24:48-51 could mistakenly think that “his Lord delayeth his coming” when there are so many places where the exact length of time of the final 3 1/2 years is spelled out in Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14(time, times, and half a time), Revelation 12:6 (1260 days), and Revelation 13:5 (forty two months).  Because of those verses, most Christians tend to think that Jesus is going to return on the very last day of the Great Tribulation, so how could He “delay His coming.”  But then there are those intriguing verses in Daniel 12:11-12:

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.  Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”

I have always wondered if there is a little pause after the seven years of Tribulation ends and then the Lord returns, and Daniel 12:12 is speaking of that little pause.  Matthew 24:29-30 seems to confirm the short pause spoken of in Daniel.  Matthew 24:29-30:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

If there is a bit of a pause between the end of the Tribulation and our Lord's return to earth (with us following behind him on our white horses), that explains why some people on the earth who don't maintain their faithfulness during that last little stretch of time after the Tribulation ends might be caught unfaithful, per Matthew 24:48-51:

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

A pause like this could also explain why the 10 bridesmaids “fell asleep” waiting for the Lord.  I suppose that all this is a moot point for the Church, but it's one of those things that I've pondered.  What do you think?”

Here's what I think. I think putting Daniel 12 and Matthew 24 together makes a lot of sense. To explain why will require some speculation on my part because the Bible doesn't go into much detail. But if you'll permit me a little latitude, I'll try not to stray away from the Bible's intent in filling in some of the blanks concerning the time of the Lord's coming.

Immediately after the end of the Great Tribulation, on the 1260th day after the Abomination of Desolation, the Sun and Moon will go dark, and the stars will fall from the sky. An indeterminate period of total worldwide darkness will follow, and then a great sign will appear in the dark sky. This sign has not been described to us, but people on Earth will know it's the sign of the Lord. After that, on a day no one will have known in advance, the Lord will suddenly appear on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Matthew 24:29-30). Imagine if you can the contrast between the totally black sky and the brightness of His glory, especially after an extended period of total darkness. What a sight!

The armies of Heaven will be with Him (Revelation 19:14), as will the Church (Revelation 17:14). He'll be coming from the Jordanian desert where He will have defeated the enemy forces trying to wipe out the Jewish remnant hidden there. (Isaiah 63: 1-6) As His foot touches the Mt. Of Olives a giant earthquake will open a deep ravine running from the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea. Living water from the Temple north of Jerusalem will immediately fill the ravine, connecting the two bodies of water. (Zechariah 14:1-9, Ezekiel 47:1-12)

With nothing more than the word of His mouth He'll destroy the forces arrayed against Him. The anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be captured and thrown into the Lake of fire. He'll summon a lone angel who will seize the devil, bind him in chains, and cast him into the Abyss for 1000 years. (Revelation 19:11-20:3)

At the end of the day light will finally return to Earth (Zechariah 14:6-7) brought by the New Jerusalem coming down out of Heaven. (Revelation 21:22-24) To say it'll be a unique day is one of the greatest understatements of all time.

If His first official act is one of judgment, as Matthew 25:31-32 and Revelation 20:4 seem to say, then perhaps it will begin immediately after His arrival.

This will be a judgment of Tribulation survivors. Those who pass will have shown themselves to be believers and will be received unto the Lord and welcomed into the Kingdom Age to help re-populate Earth. Those who fail will be put away, removed from the planet. This is summarized in Matthew 24:40 where the Greek word translated taken means to receive unto oneself, and the one for left means to be put away.

The Lord described this judgment in greater detail in the form of four parables.  The first one describes how He'll deal with the false teachers, those who led people astray during the Great Tribulation. This is the Parable of the Servants (Matthew 24:45-51)

Then come those who lost heart and failed to maintain their own salvation, as will be required of Tribulation believers (Revelation 14:12 & 16:15). This is the Parable of the 10 Virgins. (Matthew 25:1-13)

Next we see those who placed no value on His word. They didn't study it or share it, but in effect buried it in the ground and in the process lost even what little comprehension they originally had. This is the Parable of the Talents. (Matthew 25:14-30)

And finally comes the judgment of people who stood by and watched the Lord's people be nearly driven to extinction with out lifting a finger to help them. This is the story of the Sheep and Goats. (Matthew 25:31-46)

The next task on the Lord's agenda will involve cleansing the defiled Temple, making it fit for use again. (I'm convinced that the same Temple used during Daniel's 70th week will be used in the Millennium. For more detail read my study called “The Coming Temple”.) By the time the Temple is re-dedicated, 1290 days will have passed since the Abomination of Desolation. This is consistent with the view held by some that the 1290 day period from Daniel 12:11 pertains to the duration of the Temple's desolation, not the Lord's return.

But there will still be 45 more days before reaching the 1335 days given to Daniel as the duration of time from the Abomination of Desolation to the beginning of blessing, which I see as being the official start of the Millennium. I suggest that this time may be necessary to set up the Kingdom. There's a lot that needs to be done, like crowning the Prince of Israel and installing his government, organizing the priesthood behind the family of Zadok (Ezekiel 44:15-16) and teaching them their new duties, especially concerning the new cycle of sacrifices and Holy Days (Ezekiel 44-46), positioning the New Jerusalem in its orbit above Earth (Revelation 21:2-3), reassigning the Tribal land allotments in Israel (Ezekiel, 45 & 48 ) and installing the governments of the Nations. If these things unfold as I've described them, then 1335 days from the Abomination, the Millennial Kingdom will be officially inaugurated.

Those who have both waited for and actually reached that day will be truly blessed, because they will have been eyewitnesses to the most amazing events in human history, and at its conclusion will have found themselves among the victors, poised to experience the fulfillment of all their dreams. It will be a celebration such as has never before been seen on Earth. If you close your eyes and listen carefully, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-07-09

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Rapture References Part One
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Last Week's Feature Article by Jack Kelley

Recently I was challenged to make a list of all the passages in the Bible that hint of a pre-trib rapture. As you may know I believe Paul was the first person on Earth to present a clear pre-trib teaching, about 20 years after the cross. Before that time it was unknown because Jesus didn't teach it to His other disciples during their time together. And since the Olivet Discourse is directed at Israel, there's no mention of it there either, even though the end times is in view. Israel will not participate in the rapture.

Now I'll be the first to admit that doing this requires that you already have a working knowledge of the pre-trib position, because without it you wouldn't recognize some of these references as being pertinent to the subject. But ever since Paul revealed the rapture, scholars have been seeing hints of it here and there, even in the Old Testament.

Before we begin, in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 Paul explained why God's plans for the church had been kept secret until after the crucifixion. He said that if the rulers of this age (Satan & Co.) had understood all that God intended for us they would not have crucified the Lord. Not that they could have stopped it, of course. But had they known God was going to use the murder of His Son to save us all, they wouldn't have gone ahead with it, and in fact would have tried to prevent it. It wasn't until He was on the cross that they discovered the Lord's death was going to become payment in full for all our sins, so instead of it being cause for a great celebration it totally disarmed them and made them into a public spectacle (Colossians 2:13-15). Then, 20 years later, they learned about the rapture. These were both things that God had planned from the beginning, but a good general keeps his strategy a secret in order to take his enemy by surprise, so God didn't let Satan (or anyone else) know about these things until it was too late for him to react. Even now, Satan doesn't know when the rapture is coming. All he knows is what we know, that each new believer could be the last one, the one that takes us all out of here and beyond his reach forever.

I'm convinced that God's plan requires the Church to disappear before Daniel's 70th week begins. Remember, the Lord set aside 70 weeks (490 years) for Israel to accomplish 6 things. (Daniel 9:24) At the end of 69 weeks (483 years) Jesus was crucified, the clock suddenly stopped, and Israel disappeared along with its Temple and Old Covenant worship. Daniel's prophecy was left incomplete and from that time on, God's focus was on the church.

The reappearance of Israel in 1948, the promised rebuilding of a Temple, and resumption of Levitical sacrifice during the 70th week make it clear that the Church didn't end the dispensation of Law but only interrupted it seven years short of its intended duration. We would all agree that if the introduction of a dam into a stream of water interrupts its flow, then it's reasonable and logical to conclude that removal of the dam will be necessary for the flow to resume. Therefore if the introduction of the Church after the 69th week of Daniels prophecy caused the interruption in its fulfillment, it's reasonable and logical to conclude that the Church will have to be removed before the final seven years of the dispensation of Law can run their course and Daniel's prophecy can be fulfilled.

Of course there are other sound reasons why the church has to disappear before the End Times begin in earnest. Not having a destiny on Earth, our presence here would serve no purpose during the time of Earth's liberation from bondage (Romans 8:19-21). Not being subject to judgment the Church has no unfinished business with God that could be concluded during the End Times. Unlike Israel we don't need to be made righteous because we're already as righteous as God is (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jeremiah 30:11 says the End time judgments will serve a two fold purpose, to completely destroy all the nations among which Israel has been scattered and to discipline Israel. Since God does not consider the Church to belong to either group our presence on Earth during that time would be irrelevant.

But the most important reason, as we'll see, is that God said we won't be here. Those who teach the Church's presence on Earth during any part of Daniel's70th Week have to re-define grace, re-invent the church and re-interpret the Scriptures to support their position.

With that introduction, let's look at some of the clearest hints God placed in the Scriptures to show He has always planned for a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. Naturally, we'll begin in the Old Testament.

Enoch Disappeared

Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took Him away. (Genesis 5:24)

In Matthew 24:37, Jesus said that the time of His coming would be like the days of Noah. He went onto explain that just as all the unbelievers perished in the flood, all unbelievers would perish at the time of His 2nd coming as well. Those who survive the devastation of the Great Tribulation will immediately face judgment and be taken off the planet. The parables of the servant, the ten virgins, and the talents explain this, as does the account of the Sheep and Goat judgment. (Matthew 24:45-25:46)

But if you give the Lord's statement its widest possible application, you can see that as the time of the Great Flood drew near there were 3 kinds of people on Earth. There were the unbelievers who perished in the flood, Noah and his family who were preserved through it, and Enoch, who was taken by the Lord well before it.

Just so, as the End of the Age draws near there will still be three kinds of people on Earth. They are the unbelievers of our time who will perish in the End Times judgments, modern Israel who will be preserved through them, and the Church who will be taken by God well before they begin.

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Rapture References Part One
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Last Week's Feature Article by Jack Kelley

There some interesting similarities between Enoch and the Church. For starters, the name Enoch comes from a root which means to train or teach. To the church Jesus said, “Go and make disciples (students) of all men.” (Matthew 28:19) And according to Hebrew tradition, Enoch was born on the day that would become Pentecost. It's the same day the Church was born. I believe Enoch was an early type of the Church and his disappearance before the flood gave the first hint of a pre-tribulation rapture.

Lot Had To Leave Sodom

But flee there quickly, because I can not do anything until you reach it. (Genesis 19:23)

Abraham had struck a bargain with the Lord that if even 10 righteous people could be found in Sodom and Gomorrah He would spare the cities. The fact that the cities were destroyed indicates 10 righteous people could not be found there. But there was one, and though He wasn't bound to do it, the Lord instructed the angels to get Lot out of town before commencing their judgment. Peter referred to Lot's rescue from Sodom as evidence that the Lord does not judge the righteous with the wicked (2 peter 2:7-9) Lot therefore becomes a model of the Church, who with a righteousness imputed by faith, has to be removed from the time and place of judgment before it begins.

Where Was Daniel?

Daniel 3 contains one of the most popular children's stories of the Old Testament. Many don't realize that it's also one of the clearest models of the End Times anywhere in the Bible. King Nebuchadnezzar represents the anti-Christ who decrees that anyone who refuses to bow down and worship the statue he has made will be put to death in the fiery furnace, which represents Great Tribulation. Daniel's three friends, representing Israel, refuse to worship the image and are thrown into the furnace to die. While in there they encounter the Lord, are preserved through the judgment, and are elevated to positions of honor in Babylon.

But where was Daniel? He was a prominent figure both before and after chapter 3. But in this episode his name was not even mentioned. Did he worship the statue to escape judgment? If you think that, you don't know Daniel. Did he refuse to bow down but was not accused? If you think that, you don't know his enemies. After all they rounded up his three closest friends. For the purposes of this story it's as if he has disappeared altogether. In chapter 3, Daniel was a model of the Church, who during the End times judgments will have disappeared altogether, while Israel will be preserved through them, meet the Lord in the midst of them, and be elevated to positions of honor in the Kingdom Age.

Isaiah Said It Best

But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.

See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. (Isaiah 26:19-21)

Without a doubt this is the clearest statement of the Lord's intentions for the Church anywhere in the Old Testament. It can't be tied to any event in history, but clearly awaits a future fulfillment. And it can't be intended for Israel, whose resurrection will come after the time of God's wrath, not before it. (Daniel 12:1-2)

Some day soon a group of people will suddenly rise from the dead. Another group, still living, will be whisked away to rooms prepared for them to be hidden from the time of God's wrath. Then the Lord will punish the people of the Earth for their sins. The fact that the groups being resurrected and hidden are not objects of his wrath is indicated by the switch from second person (resurrected and hidden) to third person (punished). Notice how similar the wording is to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 & 5:9, Paul's teaching on the rapture.

But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. (The dead in Christ will rise first).

Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; (After that we who are alive and left will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air)

It's appropriate to insert John 14:2-3 here as well to see what rooms Isaiah was talking about.

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

This promise does not point to the 2nd Coming when the Lord will come to Earth to be with Israel here, where they are. This is a promise to the Church that He has gone to His father's house to prepare our rooms for us. Then He will come for us to take us there, where He is.

See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. (For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.)

I'm convinced this is the passage Paul had in mind when he said “According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.“ (1 Thessalonians 4:15). I say this because with the exception of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 there is no passage in all the Bible that so clearly describes the pre-trib rapture of the Church.

This is not the sum of Old Testament verses that point to a pre-tribulation rapture. But it's a good sample of the clearest ones, to help you see that God always intended to take us to be with him before He unleashes the End Times judgments upon the unbelieving Earth. Next time we'll take a similar survey of the New Testament. See you then. 01-30-10

[nChrist]

Rapture References, Part 2
http://gracethrufaith.com/
This Week's Feature Article by Jack Kelley

In part one of this series we explored some of the clearest hints from the Old Testament that the Lord has always intended to rapture the Church before the End Times judgments begin. This time we'll continue with a two part survey of the New Testament. Because Paul was the first to reveal the mystery of the Rapture, we won't expect to find a clear explanation in the Gospels, but since we already know about it, we'll be able to spot a couple of hints here and there. Shall we continue?

Obvious By Our Absence?

In His definitive teaching on the End Times, the Lord warned Israel they would be hated and persecuted by all nations because of Him (Matthew 24:9). He said many would fall away from the faith, and would betray and hate each other (Matthew 24:10). He said their Temple would be desecrated by another Abomination of Desolation, and when that happened those in Judea (the New Testament name for Israel) would have to flee into the mountains immediately (Matthew 24:15) He told them to pray that their flight wouldn't take place in the winter (winters can be harsh in the Judean wilderness) or on the Sabbath (fleeing would violate Sabbath travel restrictions) because the Great Tribulation would be coming and it would be worse than anything man has ever known (Matthew 24:20-21). He said if He didn't personally intervene not one of them would survive it, but for the sake of the believers among them He would put an end to it at the appointed time (Matthew 24:22). He said false Messiahs and false prophets would perform great signs and miracles to deceive them as the end approached (Matthew 24:24).  (Paul confirmed this in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 placing its fulfillment after the rapture.)

He said everyone on Earth will see Him when He comes back (Matthew 24:27) and it will be just like the Days of Noah. Unbelievers who survive the Great Tribulation will be taken away in the judgments that follow His return and believers will be welcomed into the Kingdom to build a new world. All this and more, He said to Israel. (Matthew 24:36-25:46)

But did He speak one word of comfort, or even warning, to His Bride? Did He say He'd protect us through this terrifying time? Did He even acknowledge our existence? No. Not once. Why? Because He was talking to Israel about a time after we're gone. He left it to Paul to explain the details of our rescue after it was too late to stop what He was about to do for us.

Lot Had To Leave Sodom (Revisited)

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:28-29)

In Luke 17:26-27 Jesus had been saying how in the days of Noah unbelievers hadn't heeded the warnings they were given, and didn't avail themselves of the Lord's provision for their rescue. They were caught by surprise when the flood came and it destroyed them all.

At first glance verses 28-29 seem like a similar example, but it's really very different. Lot was taken away from the time and place of the judgment before it began. In fact the angels who were sent to remove him said they couldn't bring the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah until Lot was away and safe. (Genesis 19:21-22) As I demonstrated in part one of this series, Lot served as a model of the Church who also has to be rescued from the time and place of the coming judgment before it can begin.

The Resurrection And The Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

This is an amazing statement. The Lord had already said that whoever believes in Him would not perish but would have eternal life. (John 3:16) Here he provided more detail, saying that even though a believer experiences physical death, he will still have life. He was referring to the resurrection of those who die in faith. And then He said there would be some would never die, but would pass from this life directly into the next one. If we didn't already know about the rapture, we wouldn't see this, but since we do we can understand that He was talking about that one generation of believers who will be alive when He comes for the Church, and will receive eternal life without dying first. And once again the Lord confirmed that the single qualification for eternal life is to believe that His death paid the entire price for our sins.

What's To Become Of Israel?

When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ” ‘After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages. (Acts 15:13-18 )

It was not quite 20 years after the cross, and the Apostles were meeting together in Jerusalem. None of the New Testament had been written yet. 483 years of Daniel's 490 year prophecy for Israel (Daniel 9:24-27) had been fulfilled on schedule but with the Messiah's death everything had come to a stop. Before He died, the Lord had even told them that the Temple would soon be completely destroyed, and after His resurrection He had refused to confirm their hope that the Kingdom would now be restored to Israel. In effect He had said, “That's not for you to know.” (Acts 1:6) And now Peter, Paul, and Barnabas had given eye witness accounts of the Holy Spirit coming directly upon Gentiles with much prophesying and speaking in tongues. If Gentiles could come straight to the Lord and receive the Holy Spirit without converting to Judaism first, did that mean God was finished with the Jews? If so what would become of Israel and all the Lord's unfulfilled promises to His people?

James, the Lord's half brother, helped them understand what was coming. What we now know as the Dispensation of Law had been interrupted while the Lord takes from among the Gentiles a people for Himself (the Church). In Greek the phrase “taking from” literally means to take out of, or carry away from. It denotes an exit, a separation of time, place, and cause.

After He has taken the Church, James said, the Lord will turn His attention once again to Israel. The Temple will be rebuilt and the remaining 7 years of the Dispensation of Law will run their course. This is the time we know as Daniels 70th week. He concluded by saying the Lord has known for ages that He was going to do this.

[nChrist]

Rapture References, Part 2
http://gracethrufaith.com/
This Week's Feature Article by Jack Kelley

Paul's Confirmation

Paul, who was there, explained it to the Church at Rome this way. I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is (or will be) my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

The Greek word translated “full number” was often used in a nautical sense to define the number of sailors, oarsmen, and soldiers required to man a ship. Once a ship had its full number it could set sail for it's intended destination. When it arrived it was said to have “come in.” I believe Paul's intention was to say that the Church has a “full number” and once that number is reached it will set sail for its intended destination, heaven. No one on Earth knows this number and that's why no one will know the day or hour of the rapture in advance.

Some commentators believe the same thought was conveyed in Genesis 7 with the Ark. It had to contain 2 of every kind of animal, 7 of the “clean” animals, Noah, his 3 sons, and their 4 wives. That was its full number. Once they were all aboard, the door was shut and the Ark floated away.

When the Church's “full number” has “come in” to its heavenly destination God will turn His attention once again to Israel and the final 7 years of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy will be fulfilled, culminating in the Lord's return to establish His Kingdom. This is the Kingdom promised to Israel that Daniel said would never be destroyed, or left to another people, but will endure forever. (Daniel 2:44).

The Rapture Goes Public

They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

These are the rapture verses, named for the Latin translation of the Greek word harpadzo, which means to be caught up or snatched away in English, and which appears in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In part one of this series I showed how closely they resemble Isaiah 26:19-21. I believe Paul was using Isaiah's words to support his claim that this wasn't just his idea, but had been announced by the Lord nearly eight hundred years earlier.

With the first letter to the Thessalonians Paul gave the first clear promise of a pre-tribulation Rapture. When He called Jesus the one who will rescue us from the coming wrath in chapter 1, he meant that sometime before the seal judgments of Revelation 6, which signal the beginning of God's wrath (Revelation 6:16-17) Jesus will separate the Church from the time and place of the End Times Judgments. (Look up the full meaning of the Greek word translated “from” in 1 Thessalonians 1: 10 to confirm this.) In Chapter 4 he said this separation would happen when the Lord comes to take us to be with Him in Heaven. First, believers who have died will be raised up. Then, we who are still alive will be snatched away with them to meet the Lord in the air. Then in chapter 5 he repeated the reason for our sudden rescue. It was never intended that the Church would suffer through the time of God's wrath.

Say That Again, Paul

Between the two letters we call 1st and 2nd Thessalonians something happened that would have scared the recipients right out of their socks had they been wearing any. They received a letter that appeared to be from Paul but was in fact a forgery. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 it said the Day of the Lord had already come. Confused and frightened, they dashed off a hurried request for clarification since this new letter contradicted what Paul had previously taught them.

Here we get an extraordinary insight into their understanding of the sequence of End Times events. Receiving word that the Day of the Lord had come would only have upset them so much if they'd been led to believe that the Rapture of the Church would precede it. Think about it. From any other view, this kind of news would have been scary for sure, but their fear would have been tempered by a certain amount of joyous anticipation. Sure the next few years would really be rough, but whether by martyrdom or survival they would soon be in the presence of the Lord forever.

But from the pre-trib perspective, hearing that the Day of the Lord had come would be horrifying, because it would mean that they had missed the rapture. And that would mean they weren't saved. No wonder they wrote Paul for clarification!

It's important to understand that they had asked Paul two questions. The first concerned the Day of the Lord and the second was about our being gathered to Him, the Rapture. Paul answered the 2 questions in that order using verses 3-5 to describe conditions that would bring about the Day of the Lord and verses 6-8 to explain when the rapture would occur in relation to them.

Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5)

Confirming and amplifying Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:27) and the Lord's warning from the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:15), Paul pegged the beginning of the Great Tribulation to the moment the antichrist stands in the Temple in Jerusalem proclaiming himself to be God.

And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 )

Before the antichrist can be officially revealed, One who is currently limiting the power of lawlessness has to be taken out of the way. The phrase “out of the way” literally means out of the midst, or from amongst. Some force that restrains the power of evil within certain predetermined limits (for this power is already at work on Earth) has to be removed.

Scholars who read the passage literally identify this force as the Holy Spirit. And since the Holy Spirit is sealed within us, if He's taken out from amongst the people of Earth, we have to go too. You can't take the Restrainer without taking the container, as someone has said. This is the Rapture of the Church, and once we're gone the power of evil will be free from restraint and all Hell will break loose on Earth until the Lord returns at the end of the Great Tribulation to put a stop to it.

Here then is the sequence. Before the Day of the Lord can come, the antichrist has to be revealed, and before he can be revealed the church has to be raptured. So according to Paul the next prophetic event involving believers will be our own disappearance. We're not finished yet, so be sure to tune in again next time for the exciting conclusion of Rapture References. 02-06-10

[nChrist]

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
http://gracethrufaith.com/
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

(note: I originally published this article in 2000, but with the Obama administration's renewed emphasis on achieving an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, I've updated it and offer it for your consideration.)

Right from the beginning, most informed commentators have predicted that the only logical conclusion to the so-called Middle East Peace process would be war.  Contrary to what our leaders have told us, the Palestinian goal has never been to accept a two state solution.  They've already turned that deal down at least twice.  No, the goal has been to eliminate the Jewish state altogether.  As long as they could win concessions at the bargaining table war could be avoided, but the day would obviously come when no more concessions could be given, and the only option would be to go to war for the rest.  That day may have come, and of course the stumbling block is  Jerusalem.

I Am Going To Make Jerusalem A Cup That Sends All The Surrounding Peoples Reeling … Zechariah 12:2

How have we come to this? Let's review the real issues. The Koran teaches that any land conquered in the name of Islam will never be lost. The very existence of the nation Israel is a violation of that teaching because the land of Israel, including and especially Jerusalem, was once conquered for Islam. Since 1948 the utter destruction of Israel has been the stated Moslem goal, but half a dozen wars have taught them that Israel was too strong to be destroyed militarily. The brilliance of the “Peace Process” is that it enables the Palestinians to win back much of the land through inexpensive negotiations. This has the effect of simultaneously weakening Israel and giving the Moslem forces time to gain the necessary strength to take the rest.

Land For Peace?

What most people don't realize is that with the speed of modern aircraft and missiles, conventional warfare requires more geography rather than less to give defenders sufficient time to react to an attack. Taking land from central Israel (the West Bank) means that attack aircraft could traverse the country in about 8 minutes. This is not enough time to react with effective counter measures.   Giving up the West Bank would make Israel less secure rather than more.

Also, Israel's enemies have used the time spent in negotiations to create long-range ballistic missile and biological warfare capabilities in an effort to neutralize Israel's nuclear threat. A nasty situation all around. Most informed observers believe that as soon as the Moslems have gained everything possible from negotiating and believe they're strong enough to destroy Israel, they'll attack. And unless major changes in the Jewish position concerning the sovereignty of Jerusalem are forth coming, the negotiations are effectively over.  Whether Israel's enemies are strong enough yet for a military victory may soon be revealed.  Combatants on both Israel's Northern and Southern borders seem ready to find out.

I Make Known The End From The Beginning … Isaiah 46:10

Over 2500 years ago the Lord informed Ezekiel of a great battle involving a coalition of nations who would align themselves against Israel (Ezekiel 38-39). He said this battle would take place in the latter days, after the Jewish people had been gathered in the land from many nations following a great war, and would be a surprise attack on the mountains of Israel (West Bank). But he also said the people would think they were living in safety when the attack came (Ezekiel 38:8 ), a peaceful and unsuspecting nation (Ezekiel 38:11).   But that doesn't seem to define their current state.

Recently a little known prophecy from Psalm 83 that might be a bridge between here and Ezekiel 38 has come to the surface.  Psalm 83 is a prayer that God would defeat a coalition of nations that could represent Israel's current next door neighbors, who the Psalmist accuses of conspiring against God's people, threatening to destroy them as a nation.  There is no evidence in the historical record that such a coalition ever rose up against Israel, so Psalm 83 may very well be speaking of an attack that a growing number of strategists expect to come in 2010.  If so then it's obvious Israel will emerge victorious and will fall into the state of complacency suggested by Ezekiel 38:8-11.  This would also explain why none of the nations named in Psalm 83 are included among the attackers of Ezekiel 38. (Read about Psalm 83 here)

Who Started This?

The so called Arab-Israeli conflict has actually been brewing for over 4000 years. It began with Isaac and Ishmael, the sons of Abraham, escalated in the time of Jacob and Esau, the sons of Isaac, and continued through out the Old Testament.  It became a Moslem-Jewish conflict with the advent of Islam in the 6th century AD.   But behind the scenes the real battle has always been a spiritual one, because ever since God chose the Jews as His people, Israel as His land, and Jerusalem as His city, Satan has been working overtime in an effort to take the land away from Him by destroying His people.  After all, he thinks Planet Earth is his.  So this is not just a political matter or even a religious one.  It's a spiritual matter and will not be resolved until Satan is defeated and the Lord Himself causes every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that He (alone) is Lord (Phil 2:10-11).

Why Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem?

On several occasions I've been asked something like, “If this is a great cosmic problem that won't ever be solved until the 2nd coming, how can our prayers help?”  Here are some good reasons why we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

1st, speaking of the Jewish people the Lord said, “Whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye” (Zechariah 2:9) and to tribulation survivors He'll say, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).  I know it breaks His heart to see the way His city has been defiled by hate and bloodshed. As Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision has said, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” It's good for us to be on the Lord's side.

2nd, He has commanded it and rewards us for obedience. All of Psalm 122 speaks of the special nature of Jerusalem, the one place on Earth God specifically chose for His dwelling, and  promises prosperity to those who pray for its peace. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. (Psalm 122:6 KJV)

And 3rd, when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you're praying for the Messiah to come and establish His Kingdom. Maybe that's the best reason of all.

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Commentary by Jack Kelley

9th Annual Update January 2010

There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming, and currently all of them are in some stage of fulfillment.  As in years past, I'll list the seven with their primary biblical references and offer commentary from current events.

1. Israel Will Be In The Land… Ezekiel 36:24, 37:21

For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land .

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.

In 1948, when Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us.   Isaiah 11:11-12,  Ezekiel 36:8-12 and Amos 9:14-15 had also clearly foretold this.  Jesus said that some from the generation being born when this happened would still be alive when He returned (Matthew 24:34).

The fulfillment of this prophecy caused another reaction as well. Satan reads prophecy too, and began exerting even more influence on world leaders in his continuing effort to thwart the plan of God. As a result, Israel has fought six major wars in the last 62 years, each of them an attempt to erase the Jewish Homeland from the face of the Earth. And it's clear that this effort will continue, with the biggest battle of all looming on the horizon, foretold by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39. Israel's enemies, both physical and spiritual, won't let up until they've either succeeded (their view) or been destroyed (God's view).

This past year we've seen unparalleled efforts by friend and foe alike to diminish both Israel's influence and its size.  Much of the attack has been focused on the capital city, Jerusalem.  The new leadership in the USA, traditionally one of Israel's most loyal allies, has caused many to doubt its willingness to stand with Israel by calling East Jerusalem occupied territory and demanding that no more Jewish homes be built there.  At year's end the European Union called for an official declaration dividing Jerusalem to make way for a future Palestinian State to have part of the city as its capital.  And several Middle Eastern countries are said to be working with the Palestinians to introduce a UN resolution that will unilaterally declare a Palestinian state on Israeli land, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

But try as these nations might to destroy Israel, God has a different outcome in mind for Israel.

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. (Isaiah 11:11-12)

“You, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.  I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,  and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.  I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children. (Ezekiel 36:8-12)

“I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God. (Amos 9:14-15)

And the nations who tried to divide Israel?

I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. (Joel 3:2)

2. Jerusalem Will Be In Jewish Hands… Luke 21:24

They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land, and indeed the world, was about to end (Luke 21:24). Fulfillment of this prophecy began in 1967, and scholars saw it as another major sign that the End of the Age had begun.  The almost world wide effort to take the city apart again is in essence a battle of wills.  Nearly every Israeli leader has stood firmly on a pledge to keep Jerusalem united forever as Israel's capital, but the unbelieving leaders of the world are just as resolutely determined to divide it.  Behind all this of course is a spiritual battle of massive proportions.  While there's no doubt as to the out come, the battle will be a fierce one.

I've come to believe that Jerusalem won't really be free of Gentile “trampling” until the Lord returns.  Daniel's prophecy that Gentile Dominion would not end until the Lord establishes His kingdom (Daniel 2:36-45), Zechariah's prophecy of the city being captured and divided just before the Lord's return (Zechariah 14:2), and John's observations in Revelation 11:1-2 of the gentiles trampling the outer court of the Temple during the Great Tribulation all confirm this.

The ongoing fulfillment of these major prophecies concerning Israel has caused confusion in the minds of some commentators. It centers around an incorrect interpretation of Matthew 24:34, that all end times prophecies would be fulfilled within a generation, nominally 40 years, of Israel's re-gathering in 1948. That error made 1988 seem like the likely time for the End. But when 1988 came and went scholars focused on the Jerusalem date, 1967, and began adding 40 years to that, advancing their predictions to 2007. The rationale for this is that the timing of the First Coming prophecies in Daniel 9:24-27 keyed off the rebuilt city, not off the return to the Land.  But that date proved wrong as well.

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Commentary by Jack Kelley

The problem is, the Lord didn't promise that all end times prophecies would be fulfilled within a generation of their beginning, only that the generation being born at the time of the first of the signs would still be alive to see their completion. According to Psalm 90:10 an average Biblical life span is 70 years, so predicting the approximate time of the End requires the addition of 70 years to 1948, not 40.

As it draws nearer, the approximate timing of the 2nd Coming will become more and more obvious. Those people around when a treaty is enforced permitting the Jews to build their Temple in Israel will know that it's about seven years away. (Daniel 9:27) Those who witness the anti Christ standing in that Temple proclaiming himself to be God will know there are only 1260 days left until the end of the Great Tribulation, and the 2nd Coming happens shortly after that. (Matthew 24:15,21 & 2 Thessalonians 2:4)  But even so, the Lord did state quite clearly that those alive on Earth at the end of the Great Tribulation would not know the exact day or hour of His coming until He actually appeared.  (Matthew 24:42 & 44, 25:13)

3. A Moslem Coalition Armed And Led By Russia Will Attack The Holy Land… Ezekiel 38:2-6

“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army–your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops–the many nations with you.”

Over 130 historical references make it plain that Magog stands for modern Russia, and the other countries named here form a coalition based on their common religion, Islam. (Today Russia is 30% Moslem and growing.)  Among them are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern European countries along the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia Minor.  A quick look at a world map will reveal that these areas are home to some of the most radical Islamic groups.  (For a detailed explanation of the modern nations to which these Biblical names refer, read “An In Depth Look At The Modern Equivalent To Biblical Names in Ezekiel 38 )

The Russians are already a major supplier of arms for the Moslem coalition, just as Ezekiel prophesied, and will be drawn into joining in this battle by God Himself. Russia's barely disguised policy of becoming the major outside force in the Middle East is playing right into the Lord's hands. Iran and Russia are well into the implementation of a $50 billion deal to provide Iran with nuclear power. The 10 reactors called for in the deal are supposedly for electrical power generation, but most western leaders suspect they'll be used to build bombs, too. Some experts claim that Iran will become a nuclear power this coming year, but others think a bomb is still a year or two off.  Israel has again vowed to prevent that ever happening, but don't be surprised if the US continues to back away from its similar promise, even though at year end the language coming out of Washington seems to be getting tougher again.  I read recently that Pres. Obama and PM Netanyahu have agreed on delaying talk of military action until the spring of 2010 to give the next round of sanctions a chance.  Netanyahu had previously announced a Dec. 2009 deadline for evidence of diplomatic progress.

Russia has also formed commercial and military alliances with Turkey and Syria, and has become Turkey's 2nd largest trading partner after Germany.  They've sold Damascus a state of the art anti-air defense system along with their latest generation missiles and anti-tank rockets and are building a major military seaport in northern Syria, in preparation for moving components of their Black Sea fleet there.  In Lebanon, Russian Military Intelligence has just about taken over the town of Sidon, spying on Israel for Iran and Syria.   Iran has taken delivery of a Russian air defense system too, to protect its Bushier reactor site, first in the series Russia has promised to build.

The major obstacle to an early fulfillment of this prophecy is the reference to its occurrence at a time when Israel is “a peaceful and unsuspecting people” (Ezekiel 38:11).  This certainly is not the case today, but in Psalm 83 there's a yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecy that appears to involve all of Israel's next door neighbors in another unsuccessful attempt to wipe the Jewish nation off the map. The psalmist pleads with the Lord to intervene and defeat Israel's attackers. If this happens, it will help explain why none of them are named in Ezekiel's list of antagonists, and how Israel could be living in a perceived state of safety as Ezekiel 38:11 requires.  Two of Israel's neighbors, Hamas and Hizbollah are making frantic preparations for war and are on record as saying they expect one soon.  Not surprisingly, these preparations are being bought and paid for by Iran.

But two other pre-requisites for Ezekiel's battle are clearly being met.  The Gaza war strained Israel's relationship with Turkey to the breaking point, and as I've shown Turkey will be on the Moslem side in Ezekiel's battle.  Public support in Turkey for membership in the EU is also declining, another sign that attitudes toward the West are changing.  Turkey's Prime minister Erdogan believes Turkey's destiny is to rebuild the Ottoman Empire into the new Middle Eastern powerhouse. He's getting cozy with Iran and Syria to accomplish this.  It won't be long before Turkey lands solidly in the camp of the Moslem coalition.  Israel's recent offshore natural gas discovery, said to be of  “historic” proportions, could create the wealth necessary to make Israel an attractive target, fulfilling the prophecy of  Ezekiel 38:13 that Russia will be looking for plunder.  Till now Israel really hasn't had any wealth to speak of, but the natural gas discovery is worth billions, and in the past few weeks oil has been found near Tel Aviv as well. There's no specific information yet on how big the strike might be, but it could be significant and it already has people excited.

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Commentary by Jack Kelley

I believe that the removal of the US as Israel's powerful ally is also necessary to pave the way for Ezekiel's battle, because I don't think the Moslem coalition will attack until they're sure the US won't retaliate.  Any one of several scenarios currently being played out could accomplish this, especially since our national policy toward Israel is already changing.  A deepening recession could turn the nation inward again and cause us to lose interest in defending Israel.  Further decline of the dollar on world markets could even render us financially unable to do so.  The funds would have to be borrowed, and our ability to repay current debt is already being questioned.  The threat or actual occurrence of a major terrorist attack could cause us to stand down.   And finally, the Rapture of the Church could deprive the US of both the leadership and manpower to respond.  Any one of these would mean serious trouble for the US and all of them have a better than average probability of coming to pass in the coming years.  In summary, it's a whole lot easier to see the US abandoning its commitment to Israel than it was just a short time ago.

When the time is right, having recently taken His church to Heaven, the Lord will use this battle to orchestrate His reconciliation with Israel, and on its heels the anti Christ will emerge with a peace plan that includes a Jewish Temple. So once this battle takes place, end times prophecy will go on fast forward.

4. The Ancient Roman Empire Will Re-Emerge As A Political Force… Revelation 17:9-10

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.” (This one is a little obscure if you don't know your history. When John was writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All were conquered and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age, according to Daniel 9:26.)

Daniel 2:36-45 describes Gentile Dominion from Daniel's time forward (Egypt and Assyria had already fallen) in the form of a giant statue representing the four remaining Kingdoms.  Babylon was the head of gold. Persia was the chest and arms of silver.  Greece was the belly and thighs of bronze, followed by the two appearances of Rome, two legs of iron (Biblical Rome) and two feet of iron mixed with clay (the revived Roman Empire).  Read it carefully and you'll find some interesting things in the description of the two feet upon which the statue stands.  In the first place iron and clay don't mix. We can imagine sticky clay serving as glue sticking pieces of iron together, but the language describes a clay that's made of dust and already baked … hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can't make random pieces of iron and pottery adhere.

The two iron legs of the statue describe the two divisions of the Roman Empire of Biblical times, Western and Eastern. Today the territory of the Western division is occupied by Europe, while the Eastern territory holds the Islamic countries of the Middle East.  They're the two feet of iron mixed with clay.  Both divisions are steadily becoming more and more powerful.   Some experts insist that the combined defeats spoken of in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38-39 will render the Eastern (Islamic) leg incapable of becoming part of the World Empire of the End Times.  But rough estimates indicate that as little as 15% of the Islamic world will be represented by the forces aligned against Israel, and remember it's only their soldiers who die in battle, not their total populations.  And besides, Daniel had both the statue's feet in view in chapter 2 so both divisions of the Roman Empire have to be present at the End of the Age.  The next step will be an uneasy alliance between these two divisions.  Daniel's use of iron and pottery in their makeup speaks to the difficulty the Western and Eastern cultures will have in remaining united.  But the fact that Daniel only identified four empires means the last one can only be some form of ancient Rome.  (I find it interesting that with the inroads Islam has already made in western Europe, some commentators have begun calling it “Eurabia”.)

5. The World Will Embrace A Single Religion… Revelation 13:8

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Make no mistake about it. Islam is the major religious force in the world today and their goal is nothing less than world domination, by any means necessary. It's the world's fastest growing religion and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Already nearly one out of every four inhabitants of the world is Moslem, and like most Christians and Jews they don't really know what they believe or why.  I'm no prophet, but as I look into the future, it's much easier for me to see Islam riding its current wave of momentum to fill the void left by the departure of the Church than it is to imagine some watered  down mix of apostate Christianity and New Age Mysticism doing so.

Much has been written recently about al Mahdi, a figure out of Moslem prophecies that are strikingly similar to Christian prophecies of the anti-Christ. Both show a leader coming on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth.  Both depict him as man of peace who will have a seven year reign, head up a one world religion and one world government, and claim supernatural origins.  Both prophecies culminate in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth's final judgment.  It's as they're pointing to the same person. The difference is that in Islam he's a good guy, while the Bible calls him evil.

Take this charismatic political and religious leader with his supernatural power, add the widely held but incorrect belief that God and Allah are the same, and that Islam is a religion of peace, and then subtract the spirit of discernment that will disappear with the Church and you can see how he could be the straw that a world on the brink of disaster grasps for survival.

6. The World Will Accept A Single Government… Rev 13:3

The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.

The last US presidential election showed how quickly a fearful and disillusioned people will get behind someone who promises to change things.  When you look at the shape of the world it doesn't take much to imagine circumstances getting to a point where the whole world will agree to follow a leader who will promise to bring order out of chaos.   Whether it's Global Warming (now called Climate Change) or the decline of the US dollar,  the one solution everyone is talking about is some form of one world government. With the things that already threaten world stability getting worse by the day, how much more frantic will people be after millions of their neighbors suddenly disappear without warning or explanation, and there's been a nuclear exchange that brings destruction from Europe through the Middle East and into Russia? All it will take is a leader who can persuade people he can fix things to bring this prophecy to fulfillment.

7. Babylon Will Re-Emerge As A Prominent City In World Affairs… Revelation 18:2-3

With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Commentary by Jack Kelley

You may not know it, but Babylon is being made ready to accept its destiny as a city of power in the end times.  It's just a ceremonial city right now, but 20 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates again.  Now there's a concerted effort underway to complete what Saddam Hussein began and  return Babylon to world prominence.  The government of Iraq has decided that making Babylon an international tourist destination is in the country's best interest, and the US has agreed to underwrite a feasibility study to see how this could be accomplished.

You may think that being little more than a tourist attraction  is a far cry from being a center of world power, but not too long ago some of Iraq's new political leaders were calling for their nation's capital to be moved to Babylon, too. The logic behind this is that Baghdad was Saddam's capital, and the new Iraq needs a new capital, more consistent with its heritage. Babylon fills the bill, and becoming the capital of Iraq would be a giant step toward achieving its transformation into a center of power.

Because of Babylon's current lack of importance in the world, some students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of its destruction in Revelation 18, and of course many see the USA or some city therein as a logical candidate.  But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes “mystery Babylon” as seated on seven hills (meaning Rome), a prophecy in Zechariah 5:5-11 shows it being moved “to the plains of Shinar” a reference to ancient Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can't switch from literal to allegorical interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and where Babylon is concerned no such direction exists. In fact the opposite is true.

Birth Pains

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. (Matthew 24:6-8 )

Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:10-11)

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28 )

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS … According to intelligence reports that include all our current wars as well as conflicts where a cease fire exists but are still unresolved, 47 wars are currently being fought around the world.  But some reports say there may be as many as 200 additional disputes threatening to erupt into armed conflict.

THE INCREASE OF NATURAL DISASTERS … More frequent and more severe hurricanes, more frequent and more intense earthquakes continue to dot the news.  According to the USGS there were 73 “significant” earthquakes around the world in 2009.   This compares with 58 in 2008 and 55 in 2007. (Source: www.earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews)

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS … The Magnetic Polar Reversal, predicted by computer model for 2012 is gaining more attention since its likelihood was first announced.  While the effects of a Magnetic Polar Reversal have never been observed by mankind, it has apparently happened in the distant past.  What's unique this time is that the Sun is due for a polar reversal at the same time. What this means is that while the Sun will be experiencing its most intense radioactive storms, Earth's magnetic field (that protects us from these Sun storms) will be at its weakest and may even be non-existent in some parts of the world.  No one knows the extent of the damage this could cause, but based on expert opinion I've speculated that the combined effects of the 2 polar reversals could fulfill the 6th Seal judgment of Revelation 6 and if the projected time of 2012 is correct, it fits into the early stages of Daniel's 70th Week that I believe will begin sometime in 2011.

PESTILENCE… Not only new diseases like HIV and SARS, but also the return of old ones like Whooping cough. The big news this year was the swine flu which has so far failed to materialize into the pandemic experts were predicting.

THE LOVE OF MOST WILL GROW COLD … 3500 people die every day in defense of the Christian faith. Run away crime, children being abused and murdered by their parents, children killing children. Murder trials as public entertainment soon to be followed by televised executions. Ethnic cleansing, rape and forced pregnancy, pedophilia, random shootings, the incidence of disrespect is enough to make you sick.

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Commentary by Jack Kelley

THIS GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL NATIONS … Looking at the state of the world, it's hard to be encouraged. But as world news gets worse and worse, more people are turning to the Lord for solace. According to some reports as many as 175,000 new believers are born again every day, mostly in Africa, China, and India. Reports of these conversions are accompanied by accounts of miracles, people receiving supernatural healings and even being raised from the dead. It appears that Just as He did at the beginning of the church Age the Holy Spirit is moving mightily at its End. I believe the Lord is issuing a giant “last call” before He suddenly takes the church out of here to begin the End Times judgments.

As you know these signs from the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) are progressive and all are described as beginning well before the end. Their main interest to us is found in the phrase “beginning of birth pangs.” Natural disasters, the tendency toward war as a tool of diplomacy, famine amidst plenty (35,000 children die each day of starvation and related diseases) and pestilence are described as being common to the era but increasing in frequency and intensity as the end approaches.

It's true that for over 100 years folks have been saying, “how much worse can it get?” Sadly, the answer now as it was then is, “Much!” It seems man's depravity knows no limits. But take heart. Though we are in the world, we are not of the world. We don't belong here, being citizens of heaven. And one day soon our long awaited King will return to take us there. Maranatha!

[nChrist]

2010 … What's Likely, What's Not
http://gracethrufaith.com/
Commentary by Jack Kelley

The following is not intended as prophecy. The only thing I can safely say I got from the Lord is the idea to write it. But with things happening so quickly these days I think it's good to get some perspective on Biblical events that may affect our lives in the coming 12 months. It'll be a good follow-up to our recap of 2009.

The Battle of Psalm 83 … Likely.

Something big seems to be brewing on both Israel's northern and southern borders. In the south, Egypt and the US are said to be teaming up with Israel. Their plan is to drive Hamas from power in Gaza. Egypt is already building an iron wall along its border to prevent Palestinian entry into the Sinai desert. There are 2 motivating factors at play. One is that the US seems determined to broker a peace agreement this year. To accomplish this, Hamas has to be taken out of the way so Mahmoud Abbas can be the undisputed leader of the Palestinians. The second is the fact that al Qaida is building a strong presence in Gaza. Egypt sees this as a national threat. Some are already calling Gaza the new Yemen.

Israeli experts at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Universities strongly believe that in the north, Iran is preparing to preempt a military attack against its nuclear program by going to war against Israel, using Hezbollah and several other Palestinian militias from Lebanon as proxies. These experts say that such a move by Iran will give Israel the needed justification to wage a destructive war of unprecedented proportions against both Hezbollah and Lebanon, totally crippling their capabilities for many years to come. They predict that with the resolve of Israel's current leadership it will only take them 5-6 weeks to liquidate Hezbollah and dismantle the Lebanese Army.

They also believe the Netanyahu government will use the opportunity to widen this war to include Damascus and Northern Syria, wiping out Syria's chemical and nuclear programs in the process. In the wake of all these dramatic events, Syria and Lebanon will have no other option but to sign a peace treaty on Israel's terms. (Source: Hamid Ghoriafi, journalist and Middle East analyst in a report to the Lebanese Canadian Coordinating Council.)

If this happens it will explain why none of these entities was named in Ezekiel's roster of enemy combatants.

The Battle of Ezekiel 38 … Not Likely

Reading Magog's (Russia's) mind God said, “You will say, ‘I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.' ”

“Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?' “ (Ezekiel 38:11-13)

Three factors argue against Ezekiel's Battle coming this year. First, Turkey hasn't yet completed its change of allegiance from Europe to the camp of Islam, although this could be completed very soon.

Second, Israel hasn't acquired the wealth necessary to make it a tempting target to Russia, as required by Ezekiel 38:13. The multi-billion dollar gas strike off the Mediterranean coast, and the recent discovery of oil near Tel Aviv could soon provide sufficient motivation to meet this requirement as well.

But third and most importantly, Israel is not living carelessly in a state of perceived peace, and has neither dismantled the security wall that divides it from the Palestinians, nor relaxed its guard in any other way. On the contrary, the military has just concluded successful tests of its “Iron Dome” missile shield in preparation for installation. While Israel sincerely desires peace, the country is not unsuspecting of attack, and is in fact preparing to either receive one from Hizbollah, or launch one against Iran or both.

Current news out of the State Department indicates that the US may have abandoned its effort to impose stronger economic sanctions on Iran, for all practical purposes leaving only the military option. I really think that unless Iran's nuclear ambitions are curtailed in some other fashion, the Israelis will be looking for an opportunity to take care of the matter themselves and therefore will not be taken by surprise this year.

The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse … Not Likely

For several years people have been asking if we're in the Seal Judgments of Revelation 6. They ask these questions because some teachers say the first seals are already open. But the opening of the seal judgments requires the 70th Week of Daniel to have begun, and that can't happen until Israel is officially back in a covenant relationship with God. That means God will have revealed Himself to them by defeating their attackers in the Battle of Ezekiel 38 (Ezekiel 39:21-22) It's helpful to remember that from chapter 6 thru chapter 19, the Book of Revelation is a commentary on Daniel's 70th Week, a period of time during which the Church is not present on Earth.

Further Decline Of The US … Likely

Since the US is not mentioned in End Times prophecy, although it's been a dominant world power for nearly all of our life times, its further decline in 2010 is likely. Here's why I think the US will be increasingly irrelevant as the End Times approach.

More and more “experts” are saying that the recession is not only not over but in 2010 will take an even larger bite out of our economy. Continuing to create money out of thin air to cover our soaring deficit will eventually catch up with us and when it does prices will begin to increase rapidly as the dollar loses what little value it still has. Some say we'll begin to see the effects of this in 2010. Massive irregularities in the distribution of “bail-out” money are coming to the surface and are likely to further erode our confidence in what our government is telling us.

Most unnerving of all is the lack of trustworthy information from any source. Liberals say the worst is over and things are getting better. Conservatives say we haven't seen the end yet and things will get worse. With the liberal media pretty much in the government's pocket and the whackos on the right telling us to buy some guns and find a cave to hide in, where's the voice of reason to give us the straight story? Or doesn't any body know?

Experts are beginning to admit that neither political party has the will to do what's required to save the US from economic ruin. The only question is how long it will take for us to self destruct. Some are saying that by the end of 2010 our situation may well be far worse than it is today.

The Rapture Of The Church … Likely

These days, any talk of coming events has to include the Rapture of the Church. To say that it's unlikely to happen in 2010 would be misleading, because with each passing day it becomes more and more likely. Even though the timing of the rapture is based upon the number of Church members (Romans 11:25) and not a date, there are other dates that offer clues as to how close we're coming.

In Matthew 24:34 Jesus said in effect that the generation being born at the time of the first End Times signs would still be alive at the 2nd Coming. The first sign is almost universally recognized as the re-birth of Israel in 1948. “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24). From Psalm 90:10 we learn that although some may live longer, an average lifespan is about 70 years. 70 years from 1948 would be 2018. Both Romans 11:25 and Acts 15:13-18 indicate that the 70 Weeks of Daniel, interrupted 7 years short of its promised 490 year duration, would resume after the Lord has taken His Church from among the gentiles. Subtracting 7 years from 2018 puts the latest time for the rapture sometime in 2011. Since it could happen at any time, and will happen before Daniel's 70th week begins, we can realistically look for the rapture any time now.

Every Jewish person dreams of one day celebrating Passover in Jerusalem and so at the end of the Passover Seder, a final toast is traditionally offered. Everyone raises their glass and drinks to the fulfillment of that dream, saying, “Next year in Jerusalem!” Maybe in Church gatherings during 2010 Christians will begin raising their glasses to the toast, “Next year in the New Jerusalem!” It could happen. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 01-09-10

[nChrist]

Joel Speaks Again Part 1 of 3
http://gracethrufaith.com/
A Bible Study By Jack Kelley

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. (Joel 2:1)

Joel could be called the unknown prophet because outside of his three chapter book and one reference in Acts 2:16 there's not much said about him anywhere. Not in the Bible and not in the history books. His father Pethuel (the name means vision of God) was unknown as well. In the absence of fact scholars rush in with opinion but there's no consensus among them as to when Joel wrote his book. Some say it was in the 9th Century BC and others claim it was 300 years later, after the return from Babylon.

Interpreting Joel's book of prophecy doesn't depend upon knowing the correct date of its publication so we won't get into that debate except to say that what little evidence there is favors the early date, around 850 BC. The Book of Joel must have carried a lot of weight right from the beginning, because it appears from their writings that Amos, Micah, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel all borrowed phrases from it.

There is agreement that Joel was speaking to what would become the Southern Kingdom, seeing the massive locust plague and severe drought that were devastating Judah at the time as a model of the Great Tribulation. Therefore his message is one of repentance, comparing the locusts to armies sent by the Lord to judge the nation for its sins. Unlike some contemporary scholars who see the Day of the Lord as being a time of judgment upon the Gentiles while bringing deliverance for Israel, Joel knew that the unfaithful of Israel would be taken to task as well. Only following their judgment would Israel be restored. This is consistent with Jeremiah's later admonition that although the nations will be completely destroyed during the Great Tribulation, Israel will not go entirely unpunished but will be disciplined (Jere. 30:11). And Zechariah compared the Day of the Lord to a refiners fire, by which Israel's impurities will be removed before the Kingdom age begins. (Zechariah 13:9).

With that brief introduction, let's see what Joel has to say to Israel at the End of the Age.

Joel 1, An Invasion Of Locusts

The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel. Hear this, you elders; listen, all who live in the land. Has anything like this ever happened in your days or in the days of your forefathers? Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:1-3)

Joel's name means “The Lord is God” and he opened by claiming that what we're about to read are the Lord's own words, flowing through Joel's pen. The Lord commanded the first generation of readers to pass this along through those who would follow.

What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. (Joel 1:4)

There are 24,000 varieties of locusts, some up to 10” long, and they live for 6-7 years. Some unexplained hormone change causes them to swarm unexpectedly. When that happens they don't really fly but are carried on the wind, completely divesting the place they land on of every trace of vegetation before being carried off again. People who've experienced a locust plague claim the swarms are so large and so dense they darken the sun, and at night as you lie in bed you can actually hear them chewing outside your window.

While the exact meaning of the Hebrew here is unclear, it appears to be describing four different kinds of locusts, coming one after the other until there's nothing left.

We're going to resist the temptation to allegorize this plague as some commentators do, seeing the four kinds of locusts as being representative of the four Gentile Kingdoms that eventually brought about the disappearance of Israel. It's pretty clear that in the beginning Joel was describing the devastation of an actual plague of locusts. But rest assured, he'll be talking about the End of the Age soon enough.

The Drunks

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, for it has been snatched from your lips. A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white. Mourn like a virgin in sackcloth grieving for the husband of her youth. (Joel 1:5-8 )

The crops will be completely destroyed, and those who habitually consume them will mourn like a bride-to-be grieving over the loss of her betrothed, all the hopes and dreams of marriage snatched away before even one of them comes true. This was considered to be one of the most severe kinds of emotional loss, and the drinkers of wine would experience that same feeling when they saw the crops destroyed without warning before they got a single taste.

The Priests

Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD. The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. (Joel 1:9-10)

The grain offering was a voluntary act of worship in recognition of God's goodness and provision. The drink offering accompanied the twice daily burnt offering given for the general protection of the people. The locust plague made these daily offerings impossible, preventing the people from expressing their worship of the Lord. At opposite ends of the social spectrum, the priests would mourn their inability to worship, just as the drunks mourned their inability to imbibe.

The Farmers

Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree— all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. (Joel 1:11-12)

Farmers were the most directly affected, the fruit of their labor destroyed before it could replenish their depleted stores or be exchanged for compensation. A whole year's work for naught. Some would not even have sufficient grain for seed, making the next harvest unlikely as well.

These three groups are meant to be representative of the entire community, from the lowest to the highest and everyone in between. No one would emerge from this unscathed.

A Call to Repentance

Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.  Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. (Joel 1:13-15)

The transition has been made. Having begun by describing a plague of locusts Joel now sees the coming Day of the Lord, and calls everyone to fast and pray.

Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes— joy and gladness from the house of our God? The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up. How the cattle moan! The herds mill about because they have no pasture; even the flocks of sheep are suffering. To you, O LORD, I call, for fire has devoured the open pastures and flames have burned up all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the open pastures. (Joel 1:16-20)

At the outset of Daniel's 70th week the anti-Christ will make his initial appearance as the rider on a white horse (Revelation 6:2). He'll come to power in the guise of a peacemaker (Daniel 8:25) following the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39, and will fool everyone. But it's a big lie and while people are saying “Peace and safety” destruction will come upon them suddenly and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3) With the arrival of the rider on the red horse peace will be taken from the Earth and war will suddenly break out again. (Revelation 6:4)

This will bring a time of famine in the midst of plenty. There'll be shortages almost everywhere. As if that isn't bad enough, runaway inflation will price even those foods that can be found out of the reach of many. It'll take an average day's wages just to feed one person. (Revelation 6:6)  Those who can't support themselves will be left to starve with no one able to help them.  Then, as the Trumpet Judgments begin, one third of of the trees and all the green grass will go up in smoke (Revelation 7:7) destroying the animals' pastureland.

War also renders public services ineffective.  Sanitation facilities stop working. Power and water no longer flow. Hospitals can't handle the burden so disease runs rampant. The Great Tribulation is still ahead and yet in 1/4th of the world, millions of people will have already died from the wars, famine, and plagues. Even the wild animals will be going crazy from lack of food and water, brazenly attacking humans for sustenance. (Revelation 6:8 ). This is no longer a mere plague of locusts that happened 29 centuries ago. This is the run up to the Day of the Lord, and we're the generation for whom Joel's warning is intended. Stay tuned, there's plenty more ahead. 12-05-09

[nChrist]

Joel Speaks Again Part 2 Of 3
http://gracethrufaith.com/
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

This week we're continuing our series on Joel with a survey of Chapter 2, the heart of Joel's prophecy.

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. (Joel 2:1-2)

The End of the Age is finally arriving. The phrase “Blow the Trumpet in Zion” indicates there's an Old Covenant keeping remnant of Jews in the promised land. The sound of a trumpet can mean either great news or terrible news in Israel. In this case, the phrase “the Day of the Lord is coming” means it's the most terrible news imaginable. Any more references to locusts are now symbolic of the judgment that's coming upon the whole world, to test those who who live on the Earth. The Lord has promised to keep the Church out of both the time and place of this event (1 Thessalonians 1:10 & Revelation 3:10) but no such promise has been made to Israel, and certainly not to the unbelieving world, which is about to be totally destroyed.

Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste— nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. (Joel 2:3-6)

In Revelation 8-9 we read of the Trumpet judgments and encounter wording so similar it might have been lifted from the pages of Joel 2. All the grass of the land is burned up (Revelation 8:7) The locusts have the appearance of horses (Revelation 9:7) and make a noise like that of chariots (Revelation 9:9) as they leap over the mountain tops. Men are in anguish and every face turns pale (Revelation 9:6).

They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They all march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. They climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful.
Who can endure it? (Joel 2:7-11)

In his book “The Late Great Planet Earth” Hal Lindsey saw Revelation 9 as John's attempt to describe fleets of attack helicopters filling the skies above the battle ground. Our exposure to war movies makes this easy to imagine, and we can almost hear their unique ground thumping sound as they swoop in to release another barrage of rockets. Their number is so great that just the sound of them makes the Earth tremble, and they blot out the sun and moon (Revelation 9:2). John gave the number of mounted troops they support as 200 million (Revelation 9:16) an incredible force. Before they're finished 1/3 of mankind will die (Revelation 9:18 ). And this is just the beginning. The full fury of God's wrath will be released in His final effort, the Bowl Judgments.

Some incorrectly interpret the Bowl judgments as the only time of God's wrath, but that's not how John described it. He said that the wrath will begin with the Seal Judgments (Revelation 6:17) and will be completed with the Bowl Judgments (Revelation 15:1), not begun there. By the time He's finished the nations to which His people have been dispersed will have been completely destroyed (Jere.30:11) all the cities of the world will have been reduced to rubble (Revelation 16:19) and every island and mountain will have disappeared (Revelation 16:20)

I believe that one purpose of the Tribulation judgments will be to return Earth to the condition it was in when God created it, in preparation for the Millennium. The elimination of the mountains and islands may point to the reversal of changes brought about in the Great Flood. Psalm 104:8 says the flood waters flowed over the mountains and down into the valleys God prepared for them. Some scholars interpret this to mean that at the time of the Great Flood, the mountains were raised up and the valley floors depressed to make room for all the water generated in the flood. Those deep valleys are now the floors of the sea.

Perhaps this act will be reversed, eliminating the high mountains and raising up valley floors. And if the continents are brought back together into one land mass, as some scholars speculate they once were, there will be no islands, either. Looking at a map of the continents, you can see how they're shaped in such a way as to hint that they may have all been joined together in the distant past. Scholars have named this single land mass Pangea, which means All-Earth, or One World. Some believe that Genesis 1:9 describes Pangea and that Genesis 10:25 says it was divided into the seven continents we know after the flood.

Isaiah 65:20 hints at the return of long life spans, such as was the case in the earliest days. This was made possible by a water vapor canopy that surrounded the Earth until the Flood. (Genesis 1:6-8 ) Since Revelation 21:1 says there'll be no more sea, this water could likely be used to restore the canopy.

If all this is true, then passages like this one from Habakkuk are not just poetic license but are describing very scary times ahead.

He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal. (Habakkuk 3:6)