The Tribulation, or the Seventieth Week of Daniel

We have reached the end of the age of grace, or the church age. Jesus came to save His people, the Jews. When the Jewish people turned their backs on Him and crucified Him the gift of salvation was given to the gentiles. Anyone that is not of Jewish descent is considered a gentile. This fulfilled the prophecy given to Daniel,

“Seventy weeks[a] are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of[b] sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.

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

26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”  Daniel 9:24-27

In verse 25 it states that Messiah would be cut off after 69 weeks, (a week is considered a year). The 69 weeks are finished when Jesus is rejected by His people and crucified. Since the Jews rejected their Messiah they were cut off and the gift of salvation was given to the gentiles as it was prophecied in Isaiah.

“Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”

This is an interlude in the period of time where Israel will be brought back into fellowship with God. After the age of grace and the rapture there may be a short period of time before the 70th week begins. This final week will begin when the Antichrist signs a seven year peace with Israel. You have to imagine that after the rapture the world will be in chaos. Millions of people just disappeared and all the children that were not old enough to make a decision to follow Jesus. There will be horrific damage and death from cars and other vehicles crashing when their drivers disappear, planes will fall out of the sky when their pilots disappear. Most people will be missing family members or friends, people will be terrified wondering where the others went and if others will be taken too. With so many people missing you have to imagine that the stock market will crash, government will be left short staffed as well as hospitals, the police and the military. Martial law will be instituted to protect as many people as possible while the country tries to recover.  This will be much worse in countries with many Christians, but every country will lose people. The world will be looking for someone to step in and bring things back to normal… A man steps onto the world stage, the people of the earth are mesmerized by what he says, this man seems to have answers that the world desperately needs. Before long this man is pushed into taking charge of a one world government. He speaks of peace and before long he has done what no one has ever been able to do before, he has brokered a peace in the Middle East. Israel has signed a seven years peace treaty. The world will look on in wonder at what this man has done, they will think that he is the leader that the world has always been waiting for. The truth is far more frightening, this man is the Antichrist. He will come onto the world scene talking about peace, he will seem to be the answer the world has looked for. He will actually have peace for three and a half years, but then he will break the treaty and start persecuting the Jewish people.  When the peace treaty is signed, that is the beginning of the final seven year period before Jesus second coming. During this period God will send judgments down on the earth like He did in the Old Testament, the purpose of these judgments are to remind Israel that their God is real and has not forgotten them. It is a call to Israel to come back to God. God will send judgments that get progressively worse, He will send two witnesses to preach the truth in Israel, these witnesses will cause many Israelites to turn back to their God and to preach the truth and bring others to truth.

And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days,clothed in sackcloth.” 4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”[a] 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. 6 They have power to shut up the heavens so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want. Revelation 11:3-6

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

8 from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.  Revelation 7:1-8

 

The first half of the tribulation will be bad, but the second half will be even worse. After the Antichrist breaks the treaty he will insist on being worshiped. He will institute a new program, everyone on earth will be required to have the number 666 on their right hand or forehead or they will not be allowed to buy or sell. Part of taking this mark is the worship of the Antichrist. As you take the mark you then need to walk over to the statue of the Antichrist and bow down and worship it. If you choose not to take the mark you will be immediately executed by guillotine.

Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666. Revelation 13:14-18

This will be a terrifying time to live if you are a believer. Many believers will be martyred during this time, but they will immediately be with God.

As for Israel, the Antichrist will be trying to kill the Jews any way that he can. The only way for the Jews to survive would be for them to escape Israel and run to the mountains where God will protect them. Many think the mountains that are mentioned is the rock city of Petra. Some believers have gone to Petra and buried Bibles for the Jews to use once they are in Petra.

 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a]spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.  Matthew 24:15-22

At the end of the seven years, when all seems lost, Jesus will return. All will see Him. Jesus will destroy the Antichrist’s armies and at the end of the one sided battle He will take the Antichrist and the False Prophet and throw them into the lake of fire.

 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is calledFaithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen,white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will [d]rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the [e]wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

17 Then I saw [f]an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying toall the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of [g]commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”

19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

Doom of the Beast and False Prophet

20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs [h]in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with [i]brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:11-21

 

No one wants to live through these times, and the good news is, as a Christian you will not have to. You will be with Jesus, in heaven at this time. What about those that don’t believe? Well the good news is that there is still time. The age of grace is still here, you have a chance to escape the tribulation, all you need to do is accept the free gift that Jesus is giving you. You don’t need to be perfect to accept this gift, it is a free gift of salvation. Think of it as a do over. All the bad things that you have done in your life are gone, the slate has been wiped clean. There is not one sin that God does not know about, or one that He can’t forgive. All it takes is a quick prayer and you will be saved from these things. Yes, you may die before the rapture, but you will be with God at that moment and at the rapture you will receive your perfect body and live in heaven, which is too beautiful to even imagine. I want to see you there. Pray this simple prayer to join God’s family.

 

Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name I confess that I have sinned and ask for forgiveness. I ask that Jesus come into my heart and become my  Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead.
Thank You Father for saving me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The End of the Age of Grace

There have been quite a few different ages throughout history. The first age was creation, from the beginning of creation until man was thrown out of Garden of Eden for disobeying God and bringing sin into the world.

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;    male and female he created them.  Genesis 1:27

 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.  Genesis 3:23

The next age was the pre-flood age, this time period covers the period after Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden until Noah built the ark to survive the flood.

The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”  Genesis 7:1-4

The third age was the age of Abraham and the formation of the state of Israel. God made His covenant with Abraham to make him a nation and the father of many generations. Jesus starts His ministry and is crucified at the end of this age.

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai.[a] Walk with me and be trustworthy. 2 I will make a covenant between us and I will give you many, many descendants.” 3 Abram fell on his face, and God said to him,4 “But me, my covenant is with you; you will be the ancestor of many nations. 5 And because I have made you the ancestor of many nations, your name will no longer be Abram[b] but Abraham.[c] 6 I will make you very fertile. I will produce nations from you, and kings will come from you. 7 I will set up my covenant with you and your descendants after you in every generation as an enduring covenant. I will be your God and your descendants’ God after you. 8 I will give you and your descendants the land in which you are immigrants, the whole land of Canaan, as an enduring possession. And I will be their God.”  Genesis 17:1-8

 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,[d] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.[e]” So he named him Israel.

11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty[f]; be fruitful and increase in number. A nationand a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. 12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” 13 Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. Genesis 35:10-13

 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”  Acts 1:6-11

Now the fourth age is the church age, this is the age we are currently living in. The church age began when Jesus ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit down to believers during Pentecost. It will end at the rapture of the church, when God calls all believers living and dead from this age up to heaven. At this point the Holy Spirit will also leave the world.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.  Acts 2:1-4

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

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. 2 Thessalonians 2:7

We are living in the church age right now. The only thing that is holding back Satan’s plans and the releasing of the Antichrist is the Holy Spirit. When the believers are taken to Heaven in the rapture, the Holy Spirit will leave as well. The Holy Spirit is on earth now in the church and the believers, once we are taken in the rapture the Holy Spirit will be taken from the earth as well.

Now no one knows when the rapture will happen


 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.  Matthew 24:36-41

What we do know is what Jesus told us about His return. 

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 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. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:4-14

As you read this I am sure you can see the parallels in the world that we are living in. There are wars and rumors of wars…the world has been at war more than it has been at peace, you constantly hear about wars in various places. As of right now we just had Israel and Palestine fighting and lobbing missiles at each other…and God has supernaturally been protecting Israel like He promised. At the same time Russia has encroached on the Ukraine and there have been some skirmishes.  Famine is widespread, especially in Africa and if you watch the news, it seems like there is a large earthquake happening somewhere around the world at least weekly. And of course, watching the news or reading a news site it seems like all that is published is bad news. More and more violence and brutality, evil is on the rise. We are growing closer and closer to the end of this age. 

One of the most pressing reasons that we are nearing the end of the age is in what Jesus said in this verse. The fig tree always represents Israel.

 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.  Matthew 24:32-35

Israel became a nation on May 14, 1948, as prophesied by Ezekiel.

The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares theLord.’” Ezekiel 37:1-14

Now in Matthew, Jesus says that this generation will not pass away before these things come to pass. Many consider this to mean that those that were alive when Israel became a nation will not all pass away before the end of this age. So, in this age a person can live to be around 100 years old, if incredibly lucky. It has been 65 years since Israel became a nation and with all the other prophecies about the end of the age coming to pass, the end of the age could occur at any time. 

Once the rapture comes, the church age, the age of grace will end. After the rapture the next age is all about Israel and God giving Israel a final chance to turn to Him. In the Bible we see that Israel was punished to turning away from God and worshiping false gods. They were taken captive by the Babylonians and many of them were taken to Babylon as captives. Daniel was one of the captives, as he was praying fervently for Israel he receives a prophecy.

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e]

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:20-27

The first 69 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy have already been fulfilled. After this, the prophecy was halted to be completed in its appointed time. So, between the 69th and 70th week is the age of grace. Once the age of grace has ended, the 70th week will start.

The Mark of the Beast

The Mark of the Beast, or 666 is well known in popular culture, it is seen in books and movies and even music. If you go into any bookstore or Christian store you will find lots of books on the Mark of the Beast and what it means. I think the earliest movie that I remember seeing is the Omen though you can find lots of movies that deal with the subject in biblical prophecy, both documentaries and fictional.
Many people treat the Mark of the Beast like it is a horror story, something they see in movies and read about in books, but ultimately not real. People think that no one can force them to get a mark on their hand or forehead, not in this free country. Well most people will not have to worry about getting this Mark. The Rapture will have occured first and the church will have been taken out of the world along with the Holy Spirit. The Antichrist will then rise up and take control of the world, the Bible does not specify how long it is between the time the Antichrist takes power and then signs a peace treaty with Israel, which included rebuilding the Temple. This treaty will be the beginning of the Tribulation period.
²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple^[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:27
In the middle of this peace treaty, the Antichrist will enter the Temple and declare himself God.
³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness^[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ 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. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
At some point, the Antichrist is killed with a wound to his head. In a poor imitation of Jesus rising from the grave, the Antichrist will rise from the dead and his deadly wound will be healed. 
³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. Revelation 13:3
After the Antichrist rises from the dead, he is indwelt with Satan. The Antichrist is not God, he is actually dead, only through Satan indwelling him can he rise from the dead. 
The Antichrist has a helper, the False Prophet. When the Antichrist rises from the dead, the False Prophet erects a statue of the Beast and enforces a system where all people have to have a mark on their right hand or forehead. A system of worship in enforced where all people must bow down and worship this statue and all those that refuse to take the Mark will be killed. 

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[e] That number is 666.         Revelation 13:11-18

Now you may be thinking, couldn’t people fake the Mark? The answer is no, sure they could fake it from a distance, but the Mark will actually be a microchip inserted in their hand or forehead that will be scanned. This is scary, but scarier still is the fact that the technology exists today. Most pets are now “chipped” in case they get lost. The chip is an RFID microchip that is about the size of a grain of rice. 

en.wikipedia.org

im9.eu

Are you thinking that no one is using the technology right now? There are certain private and government agencies that require their employees to be chipped as a method of entering the secure facility. Article
Many institutions are now starting to use RFID technology, for example prisons are starting to use RFID to track their inmates. They do not have to have a chip implanted, just an ankle bracelet at this time. Article
Schools are also starting to make their students wear a name badge with an RFID chip. Article
In the preliminary versions of the Obamacare healthcare bills there was a measure that would require all those on public healthcare to be required to have a chip implanted with their medical history. None of these versions made it to the final bill. Article


As you can see, the technology is very real. I would not worry about getting a chip or accidentally taking the Mark of the Beast. When this system is implemented there will be no doubt as to what you are doing. You would never be able to take the Mark accidentally.

The Harbingers

Harbinger: anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign (dictionary.com)

“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”

Isaiah 9:10

 

Looking back on biblical history we can see the effect disobedience had to the Israelites. In Deuteronomy 28 God tells Israel that if they obey the commands that He has given to them, God will bless them. 

⁹ The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.                Deuteronomy 28:9-11

If the Israelites turned away from God and disobeyed His commands they would be cursed. 

⁵⁸ If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the Lord your God— ⁵⁹ the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. ⁶⁰ He will bring on you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. ⁶¹ The Lord will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. ⁶² You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the Lord your God. ⁶³ Just as it pleased the Lord to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess.                      Deuteronomy 28:58-63

God had infinite patience with Israel and gave them many chances to turn back from their disobedience and follow Him. Israel ignored the prophets that warned them again and again to return to God. Finally God sent harbingers Israel as a final warning, but in their arrogance, Israel ignored the warnings. 

 

America is following in the footsteps of Israel. America is the only other nation that was founded on biblical principles, as a Christian nation, and as long as we continued on that path, God blessed America. We were blessed more than any nation on earth, America was the leader of the free world. For most of our history we considered ourselves a Christian nation, and our leaders stood for those principles. As time has gone on we have started removing God from every aspect of our lives; from school, government, public institutions and public places. Anything Christian is mocked and abhorred. Is it any wonder that the blessings that America once had are leaving us. We have received the same harbingers of warning that Israel received, and we have chosen to ignore them and have arrogantly claimed that we will triumph under our own power. 

 

God sent nine harbingers to Israel and America. In the next section, I will relate the harbingers that Israel received to the ones that we received. There is no way that this can be coincidence, the events line up in an eerie similarity. Only God’s hand on these events could make them so similar. 

 

 

“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”

Isaiah 9:10

 

THE HARBINGERS

 

The first harbinger is the breach. God had protected Israel throughout her history. Many times He had saved her from incredible odds, but now He removes the hedge of protection from Israel and she is attacked by the Assyrians in 732 B.C.  

The United States has been the military superpower of the world. We are far superior to any other nation in the world. God has removed our hedge of protection and our breach came on September 11, 2001. For the first time, we were attacked catastrophically within our borders. 

 

The second harbinger is the terrorist. Assyria were the terrorists of their day, they had the art of terror at its highest level. They were one of the most feared nations because they would kill their enemies in horrific ways. The Assyrians are actually the ancestors of Al Queda, the terrorists that breached our walls. The Assyrians spoke a language called Akkadian, the language is extinct but it developed over time into Arabic, the language spoken by Al Queda. So the two terrorists groups spoke a similar language while performing the same acts of terrorism. 

 

The third harbinger is the fallen bricks. After the Assyrians attacked Israel there was a lot of damage to buildings and walls. Many piles of fallen bricks were all around Israel. The fallen bricks are a foreshadowing of the nation’s future collapse. I don’t need to remind you of the destruction caused by the falling towers. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

 

The fourth harbinger is the tower. After the Assyrians attacked Israel, they vowed to rebuild even better and stronger than before. They did not repent and turn back to God, instead they proclaimed their defiance to God. They proclaimed that they would rebuild with hewn stone, a much stronger alternative than the mud and straw bricks that they had used previously. Hewn stone could also be built higher.

After September 11th it seemed that every leader was making proclamations of rebuilding. There was a lot of talk about building a freedom tower in the place of the twin towers, as a symbol of our defiance. We were talking about being defiant to our enemies, but we were really being defiant to God.

 

The fifth harbinger is the Gazit stone, or the hewn stone. This kind of stone is usually quarried out of mountain rock. After it was carved out of the mountain, it would be smoothed and shaped into a building block. The stone must then be transported to the site of the fallen bricks to be a part of the prophecy. Israel had stone hewn out of the mountains and brought back to begin their rebuilding. Now you are probably thinking that we don’t build with granite, but with steel; but we did have a cornerstone of granite cut out of the Adirondack mountains and we called it the Freedom stone. 

http://archive.longislandpress.com/2010/09/10/freedom-stone-ceremony-honors-non-uniform-911-responders/

 

The sixth harbinger is the Sycamore. When the Assyrians attacked Israel many of the sycamore trees were cut down and destroyed. The sycamore in that time was the ficus sycamorus, also known as the fig mulberry tree, a common tree all over Israel’s lowlands. The uprooted sycamore trees are a foreshadowing of the uprooting of a kingdom. Now you are wondering what this tree could have to do with America, there are not a lot of trees in downtown Manhattan. As the north tower collapsed, it sent debris flying through the air. At the far northern corner of ground zero the debris struck down a sycamore tree. 

http://neddybee.blogspot.com/2011/09/miracle-of-sycamore-at-ground-zero.html

 

The seventh harbinger is the Erez tree, or cedar. The sycamore was a common tree, not considered very strong. In their proclamation, Israel planned to replace the common sycamore trees with very strong cedar trees. Erez is usually translated as cedar, but it is really more of a conifer tree, a pinacea tree. Pinacea trees include cedars, spruce, pine and fir trees. The sycamore that had fallen at ground zero is removed and put on display as a symbol of the calamity. Now a new tree would need to replace the fallen sycamore. Instead of replacing it with another sycamore it is replaced with a pinacea tree, picea albies. 

http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/news/articles/lighting-ground-zeros-tree-of-hope

 

The eighth harbinger is the utterance. The utterance is the proclamation of the vow in the capital city. The nation’s leaders had to make the proclamation and speak the act of defiance. In Israel, the leaders made the proclamation of Isaiah 9:10 in Samaria, the capital city. Did this utterance take place in America? Yes it did. In 2004, John Edwards speech in front of the Congressional black caucus was built entirely on the vow of Isaiah 9:10. 

Here is a link to the speech. John Edwards Speech.

 

The ninth harbinger is the prophecy. This harbinger is also verbal, but it is not about what is, but what is to come; a prophecy. The proclamation by Israel in Isaiah 9:10 is both a vow and a prophecy. On September 12, 2001, the day after the attacks Tom Daschle, the senate majority leader gave a speech. In the speech he quotes Isaiah 9:10, in doing so, he joined together America and 9/11 with the prophecy in Isaiah. In effect, he prophesied judgment on America. Tom Daschle’s speech.

 

 

As you see how the events in America have mirrored those of Israel, you can see that America has been warned and we have stood in defiance of God’s warnings. We are seeing the results of that defiance now with our failing economy and the disasters that have come upon this country since that date. 

 

If you want to find out more go and check out the book The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn.

 

John 3:16

One of the best known verses in the Bible is John 3:16. We see it everywhere, people holding signs with John 3:16 on them in pictures, Tim Tebow has it written on his eyeblack, it is on bags and shirts and bumper stickers; it is the ultimate symbol for being a Christian.

I wonder if anyone really thinks about what it means anymore. Let’s take a look at the verse:

For God so Loved the World

That He Gave His Only Son,

That Whoever Believes in Him Shall Not Perish

But Have Everlasting Life

Let’s start with the background. God created a perfect world and then created man to have authority over it.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26

Man was only given one rule, that he may not eat from one tree. This was a test of obedience and love, but man failed.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:15-17

With this act of disobedience man gave the authority he had over the earth and all things in it to Satan. When people say, “why did God let this happen?” The answer is simple, we gave authority to Satan. We had free will and we chose to hand the dominion of the earth to Satan. God does not cause disasters or evil things to happen, but He does not interfere with our free will. God wants us to love and worship Him by choice, not because we are forced to which is why He does not interfere with the choices we make; good or bad.

Then God chose Abraham to be the Father of a new people, a people dedicated to God. Abraham made a covenant with God. God would bless Abraham and he would be the father of many nations. As we see in the Bible, God keeps His promise to Abraham and his descendants become the Israelites. One of Abraham’s descendants is Moses. Now to Moses God gives the ten commandments and lays out the system of sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. Blood must be shed for sin to be forgiven. This is a precursor to Jesus sacrifice in the New Testament.

Up until the time of Jesus the Jewish people lived under the law. The law required sacrifice of animals at different times for forgiveness of sin. You can read about all the different sacrifice requirements in the book of Leviticus. If you are wondering why the Jews don’t continue the system of animal sacrifice today it is because according to the Torah sacrifices were only allowed to be made in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Once the Antichrist comes to power, he will rebuild the Temple and the sacrifices will resume for a time. This will continue until the Antichrist comes into the Temple and declares himself God.

Now we get to the verse. God loved all of us, not just the Jewish people. Very few gentiles would become Jews and follow the system of law. God needed a sacrifice that would be for all people and would do away with the system of law. God became a man and was born as the poorest of the poor. Jesus endured all that we as human beings endure during our lives. He was hungry, thirsty, cold, tired, alone; everything that you imagine a human would experience. During His lifetime, He focused on telling as many people as He could reach about God and His love for all people. He knew that He was sent to earth for one purpose, to die.  When He was crucified He took all the sins of everyone on himself as a one time sacrifice. He died so we could live! There is only one thing that we need to do, believe in Him and accept the gift that He died to give us, eternal life.

There is more to this verse, everyone always stops at the one verse 3:16. I want to talk about more than that part of the verse. Here is the continuation:

¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. John 3:17-18

 

Now we see the reason that God sent Jesus into the world. Not to condemn the world, but to save it. Jesus is our only hope. We cannot get into heaven based on the good deeds that we do. If we are judged according to how “good” we are then we would be doomed. No one on their own can be good enough to get to heaven. All we need to do is accept the gift that Jesus is giving to us through grace. 

Whoever believes in Jesus and accepts this gift of life, their sins are washed away. The slate is wiped clean. The opposite side of this gift is the rejection of it…anyone that does not believe in Jesus is rejecting the gift of salvation that He died to give you. It does not matter how good you are, you have committed the unpardonable sin by rejecting Jesus. 

I pray that you reach out and take that FREE gift that Jesus wants to give you. It costs you nothing and it will change your life. God loves you so much that He sent His son to die so that you do not have to…why would you not take the gift He is offering to you…. 

The Final Judgment

The final judgment will come at the end of the millennium period. During the millennium Satan be bound and thrown in a pit.
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. ³ He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.  Revelation 20:1-3

The believers that survived the Tribulation period will enter the millennial kingdom. They will be mortal and will marry and have children during this period. Those that believe in Christ will live through the entire millennium period, but their children will have to make a conscious choice to follow Christ or to refuse Him.
“Never again will there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach^[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.  Isaiah 65:20
There will be no sickness during the millennium, the people that die during this period will be those that turned their backs on Christ and refused to follow Him. This proves that man does not need Satan to tempt him to be disobedient, men are capable of choosing evil on their own. 
At the end of the millennium period Satan will be set loose, he wastes no time in going out to gather together armies for a final stand against God. Satan and his armies surround God’s people in preparation for a battle, but there is no battle. God sends down fire to destroy these armies and throws Satan into the Lake of Fire for good.
⁷ When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. ⁹ They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰ And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:7-10

Now the final judgment takes place, the Great White Throne Judgment. This is a judgment of the wicked dead, all those that died in unbelief will be raised for this judgment. Since these people did not receive forgiveness by grace, they will be judged according to their deeds. Many will protest that they believed in God, but they will be shown the book of life and they will see that their names are not there. Then they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. 
¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

Many people say that God is not fair. Why would He throw people into Hell? I thought He was a loving God…. the answer is simple. Yes, He loves everyone; in fact He loved you so much that He sent His son to die so that you would not have to. There is only one catch…you need to accept the gift that He has give you. God does not want anyone to go to Hell, but He gave us free will. We get to make the choice about where we spend eternity. What choice have you made? Where will you spend eternity?

The Sheep and Goats Judgment

The second judgment will be the sheep and goats judgment. This judgment will occur after the Tribulation period that will end with the second coming of Christ. This judgment is for everyone that lived through the tribulation period.
In arid lands, Shepherds often grazed the sheep and goats together. During the night, when the temperatures got colder, the goats were put into a shelter because they were would freeze without the warm woolly coat of a sheep. Sheep are docile animals that are easily led to green pastures, on the other hand, goats are known for being stubborn and not wanting to obey. When we look at these characteristics, we can relate them to a person that eagerly follows God and someone that prefers to do whatever they want and not obey anyone.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

When Jesus returns and Satan has been bound for a thousand years in a pit, it will then be time to judge those that survived the tribulation period. The purpose of this judgment is to determine who is worthy to enter the millennial  kingdom. 

The sheep represent the people that came to believe in the Lord after the rapture and did not take the mark of the beast and follow the Antichrist. The goats represent those people that did not come to faith in the Lord during this time and many of them did take the mark of the beast and have followed the Antichrist.  Jesus separates the sheep on his right hand side, and these people will be going into the millennial kingdom. The goats will go to eternal punishment. 
The main part of this judgment is God’s people, the Jews. During the tribulation, Satan and the Antichrist will make an all out effort to finally destroy the Jews.
¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. Revelation 12:13
The woman in this verse is Israel, and the male child referred to in this verse is Jesus. At around the midpoint of the tribulation, Satan is thrown out of heaven. Up to this point, Satan had been allowed into heaven as the “accuser of the brethren”.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.  Revelation 12:10

The Jews at this point will have to hide from the Antichrist because they will be hunted like they were during the Holocaust but worldwide. The sheep, being Christ followers will be the ones that reach out to help the Jews during this time. The goats will be turning in the Jews for persecution. This is what they will be judged on. 

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Judgment. No one wants to be judged for their actions, good or bad. As Christians we know that we will not have to be judged for our sins, through our belief in Christ we know that we are forgiven. That does not mean that we will not continue to sin, we are not perfect, but because we put our trust in Jesus our sins are forgiven. Many people will say, “I am a good person”, but because they reject Christ, they are actually committing the worst sin.
⁸ “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. ⁹ But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Luke 12:8-10

The unpardonable sin that is being spoken of in this verse is rejecting Jesus and His gift of eternal life. When someone does this they are telling Jesus that they don’t need Him to forgive their sins, they choose to be judged for the sins they commit.

Jesus offers everyone this free gift of salvation, it is up to us whether we accept or reject it. 

There are three judgments that are talked about in the Bible. They each happen at different times. The first will be for the raptured church, this is not an actual judgment but we will be rewarded for our deeds. The second happens at the second coming of Christ, this is a judgment for those in the tribulation period. The final judgment is a judgment of the wicked dead, all those that have died in unbelief since the beginning of time.

Lets start with the first judgment, this is called the Judgment Seat of Christ, or Bema Seat of Christ. Those believers that have been raptured into heaven and have received their resurrection bodies will be judged and receive rewards according to their deeds on earth. These believers will not be judged on their sins, those have been forgiven by their belief and acceptance of Jesus. Believers will give an account of their lives to Jesus and will receive crowns according to what they have done.

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10

There are five crowns that are mentioned in the New Testament as rewards for the faithful believers.

First is the Incorruptible crown, this crown is promised to Christians that are focused on doing God’s will. They do not let external things distract them from the work they are doing to bring others into God’s kingdom.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

The apostle Paul compares the training and endurance and focus of a person running a race to get a prize to the Christian that is focused on doing God’s will in their lives to receive the Incorruptible crown.

http://ubdavid.org

The second crown is the Crown of Life, also called the martyrs crown. This crown is for the believers that endure testing and tribulation and are ultimately martyred for their steadfast belief in Jesus Christ. They hold firm to their beliefs in Jesus even if it means their death.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  James 1:12

http://ubdavid.org

The third crown is the Crown of Rejoicing, or the Soul Winner’s Crown. This crown is for those that have been witnesses to other people and have brought others to belief in Christ by this witness. God is not going to judge you by the number of people that you have brought to belief, He will reward you for your willingness to be used by Him to tell others about Him.

¹⁹ For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 1 Thessalonians 2:19

http://ubdavid.org

The fourth crown is the Crown of Righteousness. This crown will be given to all those who long for Christ’s return. Those who read the prophecy in the Bible and believe it, and wait expectantly for its fulfillment.

⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8

http://ubdavid.org

The fifth crown is the Crown of Glory, this is the Pastor’s crown. This crown will be given to all those that preach and teach the word of God. Those who teach and preach are held to a higher standard, they are judged not only for what they have done, but for what they taught their congregations. They have a responsibility to teach the Biblical truth and to live a life that reflects those teachings.

⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. 1 Peter 5:4

http://ubdavid.org

What Happens Next?

Well the election is over and Barack Obama is still President. I am disappointed, not that I thought Mitt Romney really represented me, but at least he had biblical values and would have stood with Israel. I did not believe in everything Romney stood for, but he stood closer to what I believe. I do not believe in abortion, especially partial birth abortions where the baby is delivered and even if it is alive the doctors have to lay it on the table and wait until it dies! Now that is murder!
What is Partial-Birth Abortion?
Partial-Birth Abortion is a procedure in which  the abortionist pulls a living baby feet-first out of the womb and into the birth canal (vagina), except for the head, which the abortionist purposely keeps lodged just inside the cervix (the opening to the womb).  The abortionist punctures the base of the baby’s skull with a surgical instrument, such as a long surgical scissors or a pointed hollow metal tube called a trochar.  He then inserts a catheter (tube) into the wound, and removes the baby’s brain with a powerful suction machine.  This causes the skull to collapse, after which the abortionist completes the delivery of the now-dead baby.
Why is it called “Partial-Birth”?
 Under state laws, a “live birth” occurs when a baby is entirely expelled from the mother and shows any signs of life, however briefly — regardless of whether the baby is “viable,” i.e., developed enough to be sustained outside the womb with neo-natal medical assistance.  Even at 4½ months (20 weeks), perinatologists say that if a baby is expelled or removed completely from the uterus, she will usually gasp for breath and sometimes survive for hours, even though lung development is usually insufficient to permit successful sustained respiration until 23 weeks.   Thus, the term “partial-birth” is perfectly descriptive. http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/facts/pbafacts.html

What does the Bible say about abortion?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you,
    before you were born I set you apart; Jeremiah 1:5

“If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. ²³ But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life. Exodus 21:22-23

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke1:39-41

These are just three examples that God considers an unborn baby to have life and to kill it is murder. God knew us in the womb, he formed us. Jewish law states that if a man causes a woman to miscarry, he is guilty of murder. Third example, John the Baptist leaped with joy in Elisabeth’s womb when he heard the voice of Mary who was carrying Jesus. If he was not alive, how could he leap in her womb?? 

The term many women use to describe that they are pregnant is that they are “with child” they don’t say “with embryo” the child is alive within them.

 

Another thing that I stand for is the meaning of marriage, it is between a man and a woman. I do not hate gay people, Jesus said we should love everyone, but I believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman. What does the Bible say about this?

¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam^[f] no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
²³ The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.”

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Genesis 2:18-24

God intended man to unite with another so he would not be alone, God created Eve to be the mans helpmate. God did not create another man to be with Adam.

⁴ “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’^[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’^[b]? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Matthew 19:4-6

 

For those that say that it is Old Testament. The disciples clearly teach that marriage is between a man and a woman. 

²⁶ Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷ In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. Romans 1:26-27

In this verse is the description of homosexuality, it is unnatural and shameful.

One of the main reasons that I am against Obama is his stance on Israel. Israel is God’s chosen and as Christians we are supposed to stand with her and support her.

President Barack Obama was caught on camera on Monday assuring outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he will have “more flexibility” to deal with contentious issues like missile defense after the U.S. presidential election. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/26/us-nuclear-summit-obama-medvedev-idUSBRE82P0JI20120326

Russia is against Israel, they are allies with Iran and supply them with arms and are helping them to develop nuclear weapons. As we know, Iran has made no secret of her desire to destroy Israel. So we see that Obama is friends with those that want to destroy Israel.

“I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee, and in thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3

Any nation that has turned their backs on Israel has lost their power, and many nations that have tried to destroy Israel have themselves been destroyed.

Many people ask, where is America in Bible prophecy. The Bible only tells about the nations that directly affect Israel. We seem to be on that road now, we are turning our backs on Israel and we are no longer the super power that we used to be. Reading the Bible as a child, I wondered how America could not be in Biblical prophecy. How could the revived Roman Empire be the leader of the world when the US was so strong. Now I can see how that can happen. We are no longer the power that we once were and with our bad economy we are becoming less and less every year. It is only a matter of time before we are no longer considered a leader of any kind in this world. The power will switch to Europe.

I have to say, shame on you to any Christians that voted for Obama, and especially any pastors that encouraged their parishioners to vote for Obama. One day you will stand before the Lord and have to give an account of your actions, and a pastor will be held accountable for what he teaches his flock. You knew what he stood for and what he stands for is against what the Bible teaches.

What comes next in Biblical prophecy? There are only two things that are left to happen before the Antichrist rises on the scene. We are seeing the stage being set for him to rise to power. I will go into more detail on these things at a later time. The only two prophecies left are the war of Gog and Magog and the Rapture. There is no timetable in the Bible for these events and either one may come before the other. There are 25,000 people that turn to God for their salvation daily, so God may delay the Rapture for one more day for these people. There will come a time when the last person that will believe will accept Christ and then we will go home.
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14
The second event is the war of Gog and Magog. I think we are seeing this war being set up right now. America, Israel’s only ally with Obama at its head will not stand with Israel.
President Obama made a fateful choice in becoming the first American commander -in- chief who is unwilling to stand with Israel at a time when the country faces an existential peril.  http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-09-13/news/33823202_1_obama-and-netanyahu-netanyahu-lives-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu
⁰ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. ¹¹ 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. ¹² 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.^[d]” ¹³ Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages^[e] 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: 10-13
No one will be standing with Israel when this attack comes. The nations will try to solve this with diplomacy instead of arms. 
I believe we are seeing everything falling into place for this attack to take place.

I will continue to pray for my country to do the right thing and I will be praying for Israel. I also pray for all those that do not know the Lord. The time is growing short and the church will soon be called home to be with the Lord.

Super Storm Sandy

This post was originally from October 30,2012.

Super Storm Sandy tore its way up the east coast leaving much damage in its wake. I have been glued to the Weather Channel watching the carnage ensue. As a former New Yorker, I was horrified to see the damage to Manhattan. It will certainly take some time for things to get back to normal over there. Every time they showed a picture of some damage it brought back memories of when I had been in those places, very scary. My Mom lives in Delaware and my brother in Maryland, as a matter of fact my whole family lives on the east coast and due to the size of Sandy, they were all in her path. Many of my friends were also in Sandy’s way. As far as I can see, most of my friends and my family survived Sandy. I am still waiting to hear from my friends on Long Island, I am sure their power is out. I am hoping they did not have any major flooding and damage.

This picture is from the Weather Channel as they were predicting the path of Sandy. This was the kind of storm none of us have ever seen. The size of this storm was beyond belief, 900 miles across, incredible. As if this storm itself was not enough, there was also another storm that was travelling east at the same time. As the storms collided they caused a massive blizzard in the mountain areas of western Virginia, West Virginia, western Maryland and eastern Kentucky. Some areas received around three feet of snow.

East village in Manhattan

Path station in Hoboken NJ

Most of Manhattan blacked out during storm.

It seems like these kinds of storms are occurring more often. Last year Hurricane Irene caused $19 billion in damage, Sandy will be much more. Then the October snowstorm last year and then a mild winter, it seems the weather is not following the usual patterns. People cry global warming, but weather has always followed patterns, it is just that we have never seen anything like this in our lifetime or since people started keeping track of the weather.
With all the concern over Sandy there was another even that occurred on Saturday that would have been front page news on a normal day, a 7.7 earthquake off the coast of British Columbia, Canada triggered tsunami warnings down to northern California and all the islands of Hawaii evacuated the lower coastal areas for higher ground.

I am sure many are wondering about this crazy weather and signs of the end times. I believe that they are what Jesus refers to as birth pangs in Matthew.

⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:7-8

²⁵ “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. ²⁶ People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Luke 21:25-26


As we get closer to the end of the church age and the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week things will get more unsettled. There are only two events that need to happen before the Tribulation period begins and God’s judgment on Israel. You may wonder why God is sending judgment on His people, but it is really a last effort to gain their attention and bring them back to relationship with Him. The last two events are the Rapture of the Church and the War of Gog and Magog. After these the Antichrist will rise and sign a peace treaty with Israel for seven years.
I believe we will be seeing many more storms that are greater in intensity and also more earthquakes as well. Time is short, do you know Jesus?