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THEME - Prophesy
May God richly bless
you this day!
These devotionals are written by the
following men:
- DW - Senior Pastor, Dan Wilkenson
- RJS - Retired Pastor, Dr. Bob Shifflett
- DM - Associate Pastor, Dave Most
May God richly bless you this day!
Wednesday, January 1st
The
Seventy Weeks
Daniel 9:2, 20-27
The prophet Daniel in his study of the
book of Jeremiah found that the captivity was to last seventy years. At
the end of this time, God would bring a remnant of people back into the
land of Israel.
It is interesting to note here that just as the captivity lasted
seventy years, God's program for Israel
on this earth is presented in terms of seventy sevens, or seventy
different periods of seventy years. It begins with the return to the
land.
More time than this is passed since the
days of Daniel's prophecy, and the restoration of Israel.
That is because of the importance of what we read in Daniel 9:26.
In this verse, we read that Messiah shall be cut off, but not for
himself…. We find a very similar phrase in Isaiah 53. In
speaking of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, in verse 8 we read,he
was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my
people was he stricken. When Israel
rejected Jesus Christ and delivered Him to the Romans for crucifixion,
he was cut off. At this time, God's program moved from Israel
to the church of Jesus
Christ. We read in John 1:11 He came unto his
own, and his own received him not.
One of the biggest mistakes students of
Bible prophecy make is to confuse God's plan and program for Israel
with God's plan and program for the church. The Old Covenant involved
an earthly kingdom for Israel
that was of this world. Hence most of the promised blessings are
temporal. The New Covenant is a universal heavenly kingdom made up of
people from every nation. Hence most of the blessings are spiritual.
Romans 11:23,24 23 And they also, if they abide not
still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them
in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild
by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree:
how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? The
nation of Israel
is not set aside forever. She is only set aside as long as she remains
in unbelief. The day is coming when the church will be grafted out
because of unbelief. At that point in time, Israel
will be restored spiritually as well as nationally. Today God's clock
for Israel
is stopped. It is like a time out in some sporting event. At the
rapture, this clock will start and the seventieth week will play out
with the desecration of the yet to be built temple. DW
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Thursday, January 2nd
The
First Seven Sevens
Nehemiah 2:1-8
In Daniel 9:25 we read, the street shall be
built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. In the book
of Nehemiah, we read about these troubled times. We tend to think in
decades. We think of the 40’s, the 50’s, the 60’s, the 70’s, etc., but
in Jewish culture they thought in periods of seven. The seventh
sabbatical year was the year of Jubilee. It occurred just once every 50
years. This prophecy…, is concerned not with world history or church
history, but with the history of Israel
and the city of Jerusalem.
The 70 “sevens” would begin, Gabriel said, with the issuing of the
decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
The … decree … by Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued on March 5, 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8). On that occasion Artaxerxes
granted the Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem’s
city walls. This decree is the one referred to in Daniel 9:25. The
first period of 49 years may refer to the time in which the rebuilding
of the city of Jerusalem,
permitted by Artexerxes’ decree, was
completed (444-395 B.C.). Though Nehemiah’s wall construction project
took only 52 days, many years may have been needed to remove the city’s
debris (after being desolate for many decades), to build adequate
housing, and to rebuild the streets and a trench. (Walvoord, John F., and Zuck,
Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois:
Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.)
If you study the book Nehemiah, you will
find that most of the difficulty involved in rebuilding the walls of
the city came from friendships and covenants that people who returned
developed with the enemies in the land. It was a mixed multitude. The
people needed unity. The only way that they could achieve this was
through separation. We tend to look at the size and prestige of the
crowd. God looks at the purity of the crowd. The people came to the
point where they had to build with a trowel in one hand and a sword in
the other. They were called to build, but in order to defend their
right to build, they needed to be ready to fight. There is a popular
belief today among God's people that godliness means we never fight.
This does not follow the teaching of either covenant. If we would build
anything of value for God, we will find it necessary to both build and
fight to defend what we build. Sadly, I don't know of a
"nice" or "Christian" way to have a fight. We need
to keep our hearts right, but we are not righteous if we don’t fight to
protect what we love. DW
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Friday January 3rd
The
Sixty Two Weeks
Isaiah 53
This next block of time covers Israel's
history from the rebuilding of the wall, until the coming of Jesus
Christ. The work of Jesus Christ according to Daniel 9 involved six
things. The first three have to do with sin, and the second three
with the kingdom. The basis for the first three was provided in the
work of Christ on the cross, but all six will be realized by Israel
at the Second Advent of Christ. (Walvoord,
John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible
Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press
Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.) The preparation for the first three
involves the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The preparation for the last
three occurs during the 70th week. In the Bible, the seventieth week is
elsewhere called the tribulation, and the time of Jacob's trouble.
Note the three things spoken of
concerning the crucifixion. They are: finish transgression, end of sin,
and atone for sin. In Israel,
every year the High Priest had to put away the sin of the nation. This
text speaks of forever covering of Israel's
sin. Then the next two phrases also relate to events that occurred on
this Day of Atonement. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest made
atonement for his sin and for the sin of the people. In making
atonement for the sin of the people, he used two goats. One was killed
and its blood sprinkled on the mercy seat. The other was lead away into
the wilderness and abandoned. The one relates to the satisfaction of
justice and the other to the taking away of sin. Both of these concepts
are important. God took away our sin, when it was placed on Jesus
Christ. The sprinkling of the blood on the altar signified the
satisfaction of divine justice. The penalty for sin is death and the
sin bearer Jesus Christ paid the penalty in full. All of these things
were to be accomplished during the first 69 weeks.
Thank God that they have. With the death
of the Messiah the 69th week ended and the clock stopped, and the times
of the gentiles started. Israel
as a people turned to unbelief and God though not excluding Jews,
turned to the gentiles in order to preserve a righteous remnant. The
spiritual aspects of the kingdom were accomplished, but the temporal
aspects of the kingdom are yet to happen, but both aspects are the work
of the Messiah. God's purpose for Israel
in this will not fail. DW
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Saturday January 4th
The
Seventieth Week
II Thessalonians 2:1-12
There is no temporal judgment for the
apostasy of the church because the church is a kingdom that is not of
this world. Therefore, our judgment will take place in this life by way
of chastisement, or in the next, by way of loss of reward. However,
nations are a different matter. God deals with nations in judgment. He
raises them up or puts them down. A great example of God putting down a
nation is the nation of Germany
and Adolph Hitler during WWII.
We read in John 5:43 where Jesus said, I
am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall
come in his own name, him ye will receive. Jesus came to this
earth as God in the form of human flesh. The day is coming when another
will claim to be God come in the form of human flesh. In 2 Thessalonians
2:4 we read of him. Here we read, of one Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he
as God sitteth in the temple
of God,
shewing himself that he is God. This
is the same event we read about in Daniel 9:27… he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation,
and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. It is
the desecration of the third temple, which has yet to be built on the
temple mount. Of Judas, who betrayed Jesus, we read, John 13:27 And after the sop
Satan entered into him. The same thing will take place in the
heart of this world leader.
He will not be God in the form of human
flesh, but Satan. This will become evident when he demands worship. God
does not use coercion. He is worthy of worship, but does not compel
people to worship Him. If we would worship, we must do so voluntarily.
The state is to use force in keeping people from evil not in making
them do right. This is the main trouble spiritually with socialism. We
have moral authority to compel people to support law and order
financially. There is a great tendency to want to use the power of the
state to compel people to support each other financially. This is
always wrong. The definition of what is good is a matter of religion.
The Bible teaches charity not socialism. DW
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Sunday January 5th
The
Times of the Gentiles
Daniel 2:36-44
From the time the Babylonians took Jerusalem
in 586 BC until now, the Jews have not controlled the city of Jerusalem.
When Ezra and Nehemiah enter the land, they do so at the pleasure of
Persian kings. Jesus noted that the city of the Jerusalem
is the standard for the times of the gentiles. We read in Luke 21:24
that Jesus said … Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. The Greek word translated trodden down
has the idea of walking on something. It is the same Greek word we find translated smite in Revelation 19:15 … out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron … One of the
items hindering the peace process in the Middle East
today is the fate of the city of Jerusalem.
Since 586BC gentile nations have ruled this city.
In our text, God gives Nebuchadnezzar an
outline of the gentile nations that will dominate this world. He sees
the image of man 60 cubits high and six cubits wide. Six is symbolic
man in the Bible. God created man on the sixth day. This image had a
head of gold, shoulders of silver, a belly of brass, hips and legs of
iron and feet of clay mixed with iron. In the book of Daniel, it is
clear that these signify the kingdoms of Babylon,
Persia, Greece,
Rome, and a future
coalition of the old Roman Empire. Today, the
efforts to create a United States of Europe may well be this last
kingdom before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. The
nations making up the old Roman Empire continue
to this day.
It would seem, then, that the treaty
that makes Antichrist the ruler of this world also gives Jerusalem
to the nation of Israel.
Antichrist will seem very friendly to Israel.
Jesus said, John 5:43
I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. Since the days
of the apostles, Israel
has sought an earthly kingdom. Antichrist will give it to them. God
often uses sin, as punishment for sin. Of Israel
we read in Psalm 106:15 where God gave them their request; but
sent leanness into their soul. The same thing can happen in our lives
if we seek our own way and turn from God. If we would find blessing, we
must seek the honor and glory of God, and the happiness of others. DW
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Monday January 6th
The
Babylonian Empire
Daniel 2:37-40; 7:1-4
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire
is the head of Gold. This image of Nebuchadnezzar is top heavy. The
kingdoms decrease in weight and value, but increase in strength. Man
sees his problems in terms of politics and power, but God sees them in
terms of morality and spirituality. Nebuchadnezzar was an absolute
ruler. As we read the Biblical account, we see that God is heavily able
to influence him through Daniel and a mental illness. God humbles the
pride of this great king by taking away his mind for a period of seven
years. This experience leaves him with a deep respect for God.
In the Bible, Babylon
is a picture of man without God. This empire was started by Nimrod
according to Genesis 10:10. In the book of Revelation, Babylon
is used to describe apostate religion and the kingdom
of Antichrist. God called
Abraham out of this apostate kingdom to establish a new nation
dedicated to God. The ‘hanging gardens’ built by Nebuchadnezzar were
one of the wonders of the ancient world. He built these for Amytis, his Median wife, as a reminder of her
homeland.
In the book of Daniel, Antichrist is
described as coming from the old Syrian wing of Alexander the Great's empire. In the book of Revelation, we find
both a mystery Babylon and
a civil Babylon. The
capital of mystery Babylon
is Rome, but that of civil Babylon
is the traditional site of Babylon.
False religion played an important part in this city from its
foundation. At the tower of Babel,
God confounded human language. This effort involved false religion. The
Roman Catholic Church incorporated much of the old Babylonian religion
into its thinking and practice. Archeologists have uncovered many lions
in their study of the Babylonian empire. The lion had significance in
the ancient Babylonian religion. On the N side the massive Ishtar gates... This paved roadway was c. 920 m
long, its walls decorated with enamelled
bricks showing 120 lions (symbol of Ishtar)…
The New Bible Dictionary,(Wheaton, Illinois:
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1962. This
kingdom is an apostate kingdom. It is just not as strong or corrupt as
those kingdoms that follow. An important feature of this time is
conflict between God's people and these corrupt kingdoms. DW
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Tuesday January 7th
The Persian
Empire
Daniel 7:1-8
Cyrus and the Persian Empire
are the shoulders of silver. This kingdom dominated the Middle
East and the city of Jerusalem
after the fall of Babylon.
In the book of Daniel, this kingdom is depicted as both a ram and a
bear. God reveals the kingdoms of the times of the gentiles to Daniel
in two different forms. The one is precious metal and the image of a
man, the other is wild beasts. The image of a man and precious metal
reflects the view of the natural man and the wild beasts reflect the
view of the spiritual mind. .
These beasts come up out of the sea. The
sea is a picture of the volatility of people and human politics. The Persian
Empire incorporated Media. Media was older than Persia,
but Persia
dominated thus a lop-sided bear. The bear is slower and more cumbersome
than the lion. The three ribs represent the nations of Babylon,
Egypt and Assyria.
This is the kingdom that dominates the Middle East
as the people return from captivity and the city and temple are
rebuilt. .
It is interesting to note that the power
of Persian kings were limited somewhat. These kings could make laws,
but they could not change the laws that they made. This provision was
probably designed to get them to think carefully about the laws that
they made. It is also interesting to note that the prophet Daniel
became a key and loved advisor to the Babylonians and the Persians. We
see the love of the Persian king for Daniel in particular as he tries
to save him from the den of lions.
There is a clear shift from these first
two kingdoms to the kingdom
of Antichrist. Antichrist
will have no love for any of God's people. Therefore, we see these
gentile kingdoms grow in power, but decline spiritually. The growth is
an unhealthy growth. We also see the hostility between civil authority
and those who serve God present from the beginning, but complete under
Antichrist. We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:7 … the mystery of
lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so
until He is taken out of the way. The enemy is working to gain
control of the kingdoms of this world. The enemy works through deceit
and coercion. We are in the world, but not of the world. If we would
offer any restraint to the enemy, we must engage the battle in the
political arena. DW
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Wednesday January 8th
The
Greek Empire
Daniel 8:3-8
The Greek Empire was one that depended
greatly on the "notable horn". Alexander the
Great was this "notable horn". Alexander the
Great was an unusual leader. The philosopher Aristotle tutored him. He
used his knowledge to both conquer and control other nations. Before
Alexander's conquests, there was a good deal of conflict between Greece
and Persia.
In Daniel's prophecy, we see that the goat was "moved with
choler". The idea is that bitterness played an important
part in this attack. The Persians defeated the Greeks in the Battle of
Marathon in 490BC and in the Battle of Salamis in 481BC. These battles
were both near the city of Athens.
The Aramaic word translated choler in this text is very similar
to the Hebrew word translated bitter in Exodus1:14.
In the text in Exodus, the Egyptians made the lives of the Hebrew
slaves bitter.
In the acquisition and administration of
power, it is difficult to be just to individuals and minorities, and
consequently people are often hurt. These hurts can lead to bitterness
and this is exactly what happened to the Greeks. The Greeks had
difficulty uniting because of the geography of the country. Alexander's
father Phillip had tried to unite this country, but it was Alexander
who finally realized his father's dream.
It would seem from what we see in the
Bible, that hatred of Persia
played a very important role in uniting the Greeks. Here, we see an
important spiritual element in the decline of this world's empires and
the eventual kingdom of Antichrist
and that is bitterness. Bitterness played an important part in the rise
and fall of Adolph Hitler and the Third Rich. Germany
suffered greatly after World War I because of war reparation payments.
The economy and the pride of the nation were in shambles. All of us
will experience unjust suffering in this life, but not all of us will
give way to bitterness. We are warned in Hebrews 12:15 about the danger of
bitterness. In this text, the author warns us lest any root of
bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled…
It would seem that just as people age and become more embittered and corrupt, the kingdoms of this world become more
embittered and corrupt. Bitterness allows the enemy a foothold in our
heart that will blind us and eventually destroy us. DW
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Thursday January 9th
The Roman
Empire
Daniel 2:39-43
The Romans adapted the Greek phalanx and
instituted the military organization of the legion. This has since
become a standard for military organization. The Roman legion was never
defeated. Rome
disintegrated from moral and spiritual corruption. As iron is the
strongest metal of Nebuchadnezzar's image, Rome
was the strongest kingdom to rise. In the west, the kingdom did not
fall until shortly before the Renaissance and the Reformation. In some
ways, the empire in the west never really fell, it only disintegrated.
Most of the nations of the old Roman Empire
retain their basic political and cultural structures today.
The descriptions of the last two empires
in Daniel are intriguing. The Roman Empire
represented many conquered nations. It was a confederacy.
Nebuchadnezzar saw the image of a man with two legs of iron. The Roman
Empire had two general divisions and eventually split into
the Byzantine and Roman Empire. The ten toes of
clay and iron represent a latter revived Roman Empire
of ten nations. We read about the Roman Empire
on Daniel 2:39. Here we read, forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth
all things: and as iron that breaketh all
these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. The Romans learned
a lot from these previous kingdoms. Alexander the Great used the same
principles in governing conquered people that the Persians developed.
While the Romans conquered the Greeks,
the Greeks conquered the Romans culturally. Historians to this day
describe Roman culture as Greco-Roman culture. The Romans were very pragmatic.
Their culture developed as an eclectic borrowing from many others
before and around them. If something seemed to work, they would take it
and apply it to their own situation. By taking the best from everyone
else, they were able to adapt and overcome all others. This emphasis on
practicality and experience is still with us today. The foundation of
much of our thinking today is rooted in Greek and Roman thinking. For
kingdoms to endure through the years, they need both strength and the
ability to adapt. The Romans had both. Hence, their Empire, in many
ways, becomes the standard for the Empire of Antichrist. The reason
this will ultimately fail is that without God there is simply no
long-term success. DW
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Friday January 10th
The Ten
Nations
Daniel 7:7-11
This last kingdom mentioned in the book
of Daniel is the kingdom of Antichrist.
In Daniel 7, this kingdom is mingled together with that of the Roman
Empire. The description of Antichrist in Daniel
11:36-37 is worthy of our study. Here we read, … the king
shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify
himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous
things against the God of gods, and shall prosper … Neither shall he
regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any
god: for he shall magnify himself above all. This same heart
was evident in Nebuchadnezzar, but now it comes to a wicked fullness.
Most of us have heard the proverb that
power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The founding
fathers of our country knew very well the need to keep power diffused.
At this point, the people of this world turn their backs on this
ancient wisdom and give Antichrist absolute power. In Revelation 17:12 we read of this same ten
nation confederacy. Here we read … the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no
kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
It is interesting to note the statements
made in Daniel and Revelation. In Daniel 7:19-22 19 Then I would
know the truth of the fourth beast, … 20 And of the ten horns that were
in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three
fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things …. 21 ….the same horn made
war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient
of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High;
and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. In Revelation
13:4-10 we read very similar things. We read, … they
worshipped the beast … there was given unto him a mouth speaking great
things and blasphemies … 7 … it was given unto him to make war with the
saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him … 10 … Here is the patience and
the faith of the saints. DW
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Saturday, January 11th
The
Jewish Preservation #I
The name, Jew is derived from the
patriarch Judah. It was first given to a person belonging to the tribe
of Judah
and later to the Southern Kingdom of Judah (II Kings 16:6; 25:25;
Jeremiah 32:12; 38:19; 40:11; 41:3), in contradistinction from
those belonging to the kingdom of the ten tribes, who were called
Israelites.
During the Captivity, and after the
Restoration, the name, however, was extended to all Hebrews without
distinction (Esther 3:6, 10; Dan. 3:8, 12; Ezra 4:12; 5:1, 5).
Originally these people were called
Hebrews (Gen. 39:14; 40:15; Ex. 2:7; 3:18; 5:3; 1 Sam. 4:6, 9, etc.),
but after the Exile this name fell into disuse. Paul was self-styled a
Hebrew (2 Cor. 11:22; and Phil. 3:5).
The history of the Jewish nation is
interwoven with the history of Palestine
and with the narratives of the lives of their rulers and chief men.
They are now dispersed over the world, and to this day remain a
separate people, “without a king, and without a prince, without a
sacrifice, without an image and without an ephod. The ephod
here is not the one worn by the High Priest, but a gold image of
Jehovah, and without teraphim,”
false gods (Hos. 3:4). Until the
beginning of the nineteenth century they were everywhere greatly
oppressed, and often cruelly persecuted; but now their condition has
improved, and they are admitted in most European countries to all the
rights of free citizens. In 1860 the “Jewish disabilities” were
removed, and they were admitted to seats in the British Parliament.
Today, their number is estimated at about fifteen million, 3,000,000
being in Europe and Russia,
6,000,000 in North America, 5,000,000 in Israel,
the remaining scattered in South America, Africa,
Australia,
and the Far East.
There are three names used in the New
Testament to designate this people, (1.) Jews, as regards their
nationality, to distinguish them from Gentiles. (2.) Hebrews, with regard
to their language and education, to distinguish them from Hellenists,
i.e. in New Testament times Jews who spoke the Greek language and (3.)
Israelites were the chosen people of God. To other races we owe the
splendid inheritance of modern civilization and secular culture; but
the religious education of mankind has been a gift from the Jews alone.
RJS
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Sunday, January 12th
The
Jewish Preservation #II
It has been said that an Emperor in Europe
questioned one of his generals as to the integrity of the Bible. The
answer was, “The Jews!” The above quotation has been attributed to
Bismarck or Frederick the Great of Germany, Napoleon of France and/or
one of the Tsars of Russia, I do not know to whom it was said, but it
is a true statement. The preservation of the Jewish people attests to
the historical truth of the Bible. Other nations have risen and fallen
into the ashes of history, but the Jews live on, this is because they
were and are the chosen of God. He is sometimes called, “The Wandering
Jew.”
In 1917 the British Government issued
the “Balfour Declaration” which gave the Jews a homeland in Palestine.
At that time there were approximately 60,000 Jews and 500,000 Arabs in Palestine.
WW1 gave the land for the people and WW2 gave the people for the Land.
Those two wars were used of God to make a homeland for the Jews.
The twentieth century came close to
seeing the total annihilation of the European Jews (1936-1945).
Approximately 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the concentration camps of Germany
and Poland,
but By Divine intervention; the Allies defeated the enemies of the Jews
in World War II (1939-1945). the God of Israel
intervened and the Allies won the war. The “YAD VASHEM” (Hill of
Remembrance) in Jerusalem
is a memorial to the Jews slaughtered in Europe
by Hitler. This memorial names all the concentration camps. And “The
Avenue of the Righteous,” is a road naming Gentiles who hid Jews and
helped them escape the holocaust.
Israel
is about the size of the state of New Jersey.
About five million Jews and one and one half million Arabs live on this
little piece of war torn land. These Jews have gathered from Western
Europe, Russia,
Arab States,
North and South America, Australia,
Africa and the Islands of
the World. All immigrants have one thing in mind, to establish a
nation. They are ignorant of the Scriptures that inform us that all
these things must be (wars and rumors of wars) before the
return of our Saviour. The current troubles
in Israel
are prophetic concerning their beloved land. “And Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the Times of the Gentiles
be fulfilled,” (Luke 21:24).
RJS
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Monday, January 13th
Birth
of Zionism in the 19th Century
In 1831 Mehemet
Ali ruler of Egypt
conquered Palestine when he
defeated the Turks. In 1839 Sir Moses Montefiore
(a Jew from England)
discussed the return of the Jews with Mehemet
Ali, but these talks failed when the Turks regained Palestine.
In 1880 the Turks approached the English government with a plan to
resettle Palestine with
Jews from Europe.
Theodore Herzl
(1860-1904) planted the seed of Zionism (return to Israel)
in the minds of Jews in 1895. In the next 20 years, Jews all over Europe
dreamed of returning to their homeland. Between 1895 and 1914 many
books, pamphlets and articles were circulated in Europe
and America
printing both ideological and practical projects encouraging European
Jews to return to Palestine.
However, there were Christians who objected on theological grounds to
reversing the “edict of Rome”
that forced the Jews to leave Palestine
in 70 A. D. They were asking, “What would happen to the Roman Catholic
dogma of ‘inadmissibility of the restoration of Israel’
if a Jewish State were established?”
It took until 1917 to germinate in the
minds of English leaders to honor Chaim Weizmann, an English Jewish scientist who
discovered acetone, an ingredient used in making more powerful gun
powder. This discovery shortened the War by many months or years. Great
Britain wanted to honor Mr. Weizmann, but he refused any personal honor and
asked that Israel
be given a Homeland. The Balfour Declaration, a White Paper, gave a
much larger portion of land to Israel
for resettlement, than was given by the United Nations in 1948.
However, the Jews did not return as was expected. The Jews stayed in Western
Europe and did not want to give up their homes and incomes
to go and settle a barren, foreign land. Then came
the Jewish Holocaust and World War Two. WW1 provided a Land for the
People, and WW2 provided a People for the Land. God used those horrible
wars to fulfill the prophecy.
The British military ruled Palestine
between the wars and until 1948 they rejected and frustrated extensive
Jewish immigration. The military had one thing in mind, they wanted to
control and colonize the Middle East and keep
the massive oil rich lands under British control. RJS
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Tuesday, January 14th
Up to Jerusalem
in the 20th Century
Israel
holds an everlasting, God-given-deed, to this portion on the Fertile
Crescent. This land was given to Abraham and his posterity
in a covenant recorded in Genesis in 12:1-4, 13:14-17, 15:1-6 and 17:1-8.
This covenant has seven distinct parts: Genesis 12:1-3 Now the
LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that (1) I will shew thee: And (2) I will make of thee a great
nation, and (3) I will bless thee, and (4) make thy name great; and (5)
thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And (6) I will
bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and (7) in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
This Biblical covenant has never been rescinded. During the Carter
administration (1977-1981) a minister wrote to President Carter and
told him about this everlasting covenant. One of the White House staff
responded, “That ancient tribal agreement has no force or value today
and the administration does not recognize it.”
Rome
renamed Judah
“Palestine” using a name
from the earlier coastal inhabitants, the “Philistines.” Arab invaders
conquered Palestine in 636,
but a Jewish minority remained. The British Army conquered the Turks in
1917 and in 1922 the British Palestine Mandate was recognized. This
little chunk of land has been war-torn over 40 centuries. The kings of
the South and the kings from the East used the “Fertile
Crescent” as a highway for their armies in conquest after
conquest over the centuries.
Ever since the second revolt in 132 AD,
when Rome removed the Jews
from Palestine, whether
they are Saphardic, from North
Africa and Spain
or Ashkenazic from Eastern Europe,
they have had one perennial prayer “Up to Jerusalem
next Year.” It is estimated that the Romans deported about three
million Jews after the rebellion was squelched.
The PLO says the Jews have no right to
the land, however when they began to return in the late 1940’s and
early 50’s, the Jews purchased much of the worthless land from the
Arabs. The Jews cleared the swamps, organized the “kibbutz,” irrigated
the land and manufactured equipment needed to plant and harvest the
crops. Truly the desert blooms like a rose today. RJS
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Wednesday, January 15th
Shall A
Nation be Born in a Day? Yes!
Isaiah 66:8
“The United Nations General Assembly
voted in 1947 to partition Palestine
into an Arab and a Jewish state. Israel
was declared an independent state May 14, 1948; the Arabs rejected partition. Egypt,
Jordan,
Syria, Lebanon,
Iraq,
and Saudi Arabia
invaded, but failed to destroy the Jewish State, which gained
territory.
“An uneasy truce between Israel
and the Arab countries, supervised by a UN Emergency Force, prevailed until
May 19, 1967, when
the UN force withdrew at Egypt’s
demand. Egyptian forces reoccupied the Gaza Strip and closed the Gulf
of Aqaba to Israeli shipping. In
a 6 day war that started June 5, the Israelis took the Gaza Strip,
occupied the Sinai Peninsula to the Suez
Canal, and captured East Jerusalem,
Syria’s Golan
Heights, and Jordan’s
West Bank. The fighting was halted June 10 by a
UN arranged cease-fire agreement.
“Egypt
and Syria
attacked Israel,
Oct. 6, 1973 (Yom
Kippur, most solemn day on the Jewish calendar). Israel
counterattacked, driving the Syrians back, and crossed the Suez
Canal. A cease-fire took effect Oct. 24: a UN peacekeeping
force went into the area. Under a disengagement agreement signed Jan. 18, 1974, Israel
withdrew from the canal’s west bank.
“In 1977, the conservative opposition,
led by Menachem Begin, was voted into office
for the first time. Egypt’s
Pres. Anwar al-Sadat visited Jerusalem
in Nov. 1977, and on Mar. 26,
1979. Egypt
and Israel
signed a formal peace treaty, ending 30 years of war and establishing
diplomatic relations. Israel
returned the Sinai to Egypt
in 1982.
“Israel
affirmed the whole of Jerusalem
as its capital, July 1980, and annexed East Jerusalem.
In 1989, violence escalated over the Israeli military occupation of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ongoing peace talks
led to historic agreements between Israel
and the PLO, Sept. 1993. The PLO recognized Israel’s
right to exist. This recognition was on paper only and the PLO began to
terrorize Israel
and demanded a Palestinian State.”
For the last decade, there has been
continued conflict and it will continue until the antichrist takes over
the world. Israel
has been the center of controversy ever since Abraham was given the
Promised Land and will be until Christ reigns in Jerusalem
for a thousand years. (All but the last paragraph of this page was
copied from World Almanac 1999, page 801. I don’t often copy but I
could not have composed or condensed this information any better than
they did.) RJS
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Thursday, January 16th
Why is
there no Peace?
When the Lord says something again and
again, it is time that we listen: Jeremiah 6:14 They have healed also the hurt
of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there
is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the
daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no
peace. The 20th century was the bloodiest century in recorded
history. Two world wars and hundreds of lesser wars all around the
world have been the plight of the past hundred years. We have just
stepped over the threshold of a new century and war is again on our
agenda. It is beyond our comprehension to understand the total number
of dead, both military and civilian, in the last century. Yes, there is
no peace in the world or little Israel.
As we watch the television news several times a day, we see new
terrorism in Israel.
We see the pictures of destruction and carnage on the streets and the
suffering of Jewish people. It is all directed toward civilians, young
and old. Matthew 24:6-8 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for
all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
We were horrified as we saw the pictures
of the Twin Towers
falling in twisted steal and powered concrete on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. According to Matthew 24 and Luke 17, “we ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
Pardon the English, but it expresses what we want to say.
Since World War II, knowledge has
multiplied so fast that most of us are amazed at the accumulation of
electronics and speed of communications. We are trying to imagine what
will come next. As a child, I could not understand how the whole world
could see the two witnesses at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem,
Revelation 11:3, and 7-12. Today, it is “old hat” to see
suffering and death in action the world around, via satellite
television. There is no question that we are living in the last days.
Our Blessed Saviour could come for the Saints
at any moment. It behooves us to examine our relationship with Christ
NOW! If there is any question in your heart, fall on your knees and
confess your sins. RJS
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Friday, January 17th
Spiritual
Apostasy in Israel
The holocaust in Germany
and Poland
was a disaster for the European Jews. They could not understand why the
Roman Catholic or Lutheran Church
did nothing to protect them, not even to complain or defend them. In
persecution they turned to God in prayer, but received no answer.
Because of these three rejections they became agnostic. This writer
talked to many merchants and store clerks in Jerusalem
in the late 1970’s and they all said, “There is no God.” Not having
gone through what they did, I could understand their feelings of
spiritual rejection. A second cause for rejection of God was the
“Pogroms, 1881-1905” the Jews by the tens of thousands were massacred
in Russia.
Paul tells us in (Romans 11:1-11)
the whole story. I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God
forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the
tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he fore
knew. Know ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel,
saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged
down thine altars; and I am left alone, and
they seek my life. But what saith the answer
of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have
not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so then at this present
time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if
by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more
grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work
is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and
the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them
the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that
they should not hear;) unto this day. And David saith,
Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock,
and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be
darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. I say then, Have they stumbled that they
should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is
come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Our
Jewish friends do not understand that we Gentiles have found God
through Christ and His plan was to provoke them to
jealously that they might turn to Him. However, they still reject the
plan of God and will do so until after the tribulation and Christ sets
up His Millennial Kingdom. RJS
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Saturday, January 18th
What
will cause the Jewish Spiritual Restoration?
The answer is found in Zechariah
12:9-10 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to
destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
The spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me
(The Messiah) a picture of the crucifixion and death of Christ
and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth
for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in
bitterness for his firstborn. What a marvelous illustration of
the eternal existence of Christ!
John 1:3 tells us all
things were made (created) by Jesus. Paul tells
in Colossians 1:16, For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him, and for him.
On the basis of the following,
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 they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 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.
According to Ezekiel 38 and 39
The armies of Gog and Magog
will gather around Jerusalem
to destroy the surviving Jews and the City. These armies shall be
consumed with fire from heaven, and it will take seven months to bury
the dead, in order that the land might be cleansed.
Yes, the Lord Jesus will return to the Mount
of Olives just East of Jerusalem and enter the City
through the Eastern Gate. There, He shall present Himself as their
Messiah and King of the Jews.
Revelation 19:11-14 And I saw
heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make
war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many
crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called
The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon
white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. What a
great future we have with Christ Jesus! RJS
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Sunday, January 19th
The
Pre-Tribulation Position
Revelation 3:10
There are seven churches mentioned in
Revelation and many scholars consider these churches to represent seven
ages of the church. We are only interested in the last two because they
represent the immediate time and the very near future. Church # 6 (Rev.
3:7-13) is the Philadelphian or Missionary
Church. Here we find our
text: Revelation 3:10
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. “I
will keep thee from the hour of temptation.” Again, most scholars agree
that this refers to the Tribulation. Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it
is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
This verse along with others we will mention identifies this time of
suffering as “Jacob’s Trouble.” It is not the church’s trouble!
Many students of the Scriptures also use
Revelation chapter 4, where John, the pen man, is caught up into
heaven to view future events and record them for us in the rest of the
book of Revelation as a type of the Church being caught up, “rapture.”
Both Books written to the Thessalonians
mention the return of the Lord for His Church in every chapter.
Especially chap. 4:16-18, where we have a sequence of events. 1
Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words. Note where the
meeting will be, “in the clouds.” From many other references we find
that the clouds are God’s chariots.
Lastly, we need to remember the 70 weeks
of Daniel. These weeks are the destiny of Israel,
in what we call the “Times of the Gentiles.” These weeks never refer to
the Church. The first 69 weeks are history and were closed at Calvary.
The 70th week is future and deals with the Tribulation. Praise the
Lord, we’ll be watching over the ramparts in heaven. RJS
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Monday, January 20th
The Mid
– Tribulation Theory
About thirty years ago while driving on
a Saturday morning in Southern California, I was listening to an
Adventist preacher speaking on the Rapture and he said, “Our youth are
asking how long is soon?” Fundamentalists never use the word “soon” for
the return of Christ. We use the word “imminent” when referring to the
rapture of the church.
While in college I heard of Dr. Norman
B. Harrison who taught at Bethel Seminary in St.
Paul Minnesota. One of
my professors was a student of his. Dr. Harrison was one of the leading
proponents of the mid-tribulation theory. My professor used this term
in many classes, “Me thinks I hear the hoof beats of the four
horsemen.” But if I read my Bible right these horsemen ride at the
beginning of Revelation 6: and taking the Bible literally, they
cannot hear them until after the church is raptured.
The mid-tribulation teaches “The 7 Seals are the out workings of man,
the 7 trumpets are Satan’s last stand, and the 7 bowls or vials are
God’s wrath upon the world.” This does not ring true with Scripture.
Another argument against the
mid-tribulation rapture is that the time of rapture is unknown to all
except the Father. Christ’s imminent return for His church in the
clouds as recorded in 2 Thessalonians. If this is right according to
the mid-tribulation rapture position, the church would know the exact
time. It would be at the end of the first 3 and ½ years of the
tribulation.
Also, these proponents of the
mid-tribulation do not take the Book of Revelation literally but
“spiritualize” the Scriptures to satisfy their misguided doctrine. They
deny the dispensational teachings of the Scriptures. It is interesting
that one of the most revered evangelists of the last half of the 20th
century espoused and propagated this mid-tribulation theory in the last
few years of his ministry and has many followers.
The church at Smyrna was promised ten
days of tribulation in Rev. 2:10, If we believe that these seven
churches represent seven historical ages of the church, then the
tribulation spoken of in the above text has nothing to do with the last
two churches at Philadelphia and Laodicea.
The above arguments we present are only a few of the many found in the
Bible. RJS
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Tuesday, January 21st
The
Post -Tribulation Theory
This theory begins with confusion as to
the difference between the teachings of dispensational theology and
covenant theology. If one does not understand that there are different
covenants, that person does not understand God’s Book. It then becomes
a book of confusion and contradiction. God has offered 8 covenants,
beginning with: Edenic, it was conditional.
The Adamic, Noahic,
Abrahamic were all unconditi-onal.
Followed by the Mosaic, conditional; Davidic, unconditional;
Palestinian, conditional; and New Covenant, unconditional. If we
con-fuse these we are unable to fully comprehend the plan of God for
different people in different ages. Hebrews 8:6 But now hath he
(Christ) obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises.
Covenant theology includes the Church as
a continuation of the Jewish economy and therefore the church must go
through the tribulation along with the Jews. They fail to understand
that “Jacob’s Trouble” in Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s
trouble; but he shall be saved out of it, is a time of
trouble for the Jews and not for the church.
Post-Trib.
teachers seem to think that the Pre-Tribulation is a “Jonny-come-lately” teaching. They think it came
into being because of the Scofield Bible.
Also, that we fundamentalists worship the Scofield
Bible, this is not true. The Post-trib.
teachers don’t understand Hebrews 8:8-13. And sad to say the Jews did
not understand it either, that is why the Apostle Paul turned to the
Gentiles and planted churches in Asia Minor, and
Europe. The Gentiles are the branch grafted into
the vine and the Jews are temporarily cast off, but will be gathered
again after the tribulation - the time of “Jacob’s Trouble.” Please
read, Romans 11:1-6.
Again the same argument must be presented
against this teaching as was presented in the mid-tribulation theory.
Only the Father knows the time of the rapture of the saints. If we set
a time, we can be sure that Jesus won’t come at that time, because
Jesus said, No man knows the day or the hour, Matthew 24:36.
RJS
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Wednesday, January 22nd
The Two
Witnesses in Jerusalem
Revelation 11:1-14
We want to take a look at The
Ministry of the Two Jewish Witnesses right after the rapture, which
starts the Great tribulation. By now the Jewish temple has been
rebuilt, and the nation (though still in unbelief) is worshiping
Jehovah again. It seems likely that the two witnesses will minister
during the first half of the Tribulation, preaching to the Jews and
having access to the temple. At the middle of the Tribulation,
Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel
and take possession of the temple area (2 Thes.
2; Dan. 9:27;
Matt. 24:15). He will set himself up as god, thus bringing about
the “abomination of desolation” that both Daniel and Christ
predicted. Though the forces of Satan have taken over the Jewish
temple, Christ will claim it again and restore it to His people.
Next we see the purpose of their
ministry. They will display God’s power to unbelieving Jews and
Gentiles, and many will be saved through their witness. They are called
prophets (vs. 6, 10) as well as witnesses. They will announce to
the world the great events to come and will incur the wrath of the
Beast and his people. Some believe the two witnesses are Enoch and
Elijah, since neither of these men died, but were both taken to heaven
alive. We just don’t know for sure.
Next, we see the persecution in their
ministry Sinful men have never wanted to hear or obey God’s Word.
These two witnesses will be divinely protected until their work is
finished; then God will allow the Beast to oppose them and slay them.
The citizens of Jerusalem
will not even give them proper burial, Ps. 79, and the whole
world will see their bodies and rejoice. This period of three and
one-half days will be a “satanic Christmas” celebration. People will
host parties and exchange gifts and rejoice that their tormentors are
dead.
Lastly we see the panic following
their ministry. God raises them from the dead! Think of the fear
that will come to hearts around the world as people see two dead men
come to life on the streets of Jerusalem!
And then the two men will be caught up to heaven as their enemies stand
and watch! Then will come an earthquake that
will destroy one-tenth of the city and kill 7,000 people. What a day
that will be! Are you ready? Do you know Christ now?! Read 2
Corinthians 13:5. Amen. DM
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Thursday, January 23rd
Reason
for the Satanic Trinity
Revelation 13
In our text we see a satanic trinity as
Satan counterfeits the Father; the Beast is the imitation Son
and Savior; and the False Prophet counterfeits the Spirit. This
second beast comes from “the land,” which probably means Israel.
He is likely to be a Jew. We see in Dan. 9:26 that Antichrist will have Roman
citizenship; but, like Paul, he could be a Roman Jew. However, Antichrist
will need an associate to help him win the world. This associate will
be the False Prophet. He has “horns like a lamb,” suggesting peace and
friendliness, but there are no crowns (authority) on the horns. Satan
gives him the same power as the first beast, but his task is to glorify
the Beast and get the world to follow and worship him. Dan. 3. The
False Prophet will duplicate the miracles of the two witnesses by
making fire come from heaven (11:5; 13:13). This event will fulfill
Paul’s prophecy of 2 Thes. 2:9 and
Christ’s prophecy in Matt. 24:24. The False Prophet is the one
who orders the image of the Beast made. This is the “abomination of
desolation” found in Matt. 24:15, Dan. 11:45, and 2 Thes. 2:4. The Beast will have his image set up
in the restored Jewish temple in Jerusalem
at this time. This image will come to life! It will speak and greatly
amaze the world. Both the Beast and his image will speak “great things”
and utter blasphemies against heaven. Worldwide worship is not the only
goal of the False Prophet. He will also establish worldwide economic
controls. Just as the 144,000 have the Father’s mark on their foreheads
(14:1), so the followers of the Beast will have his mark on
their foreheads or on their right hand. This mark will enable them to
buy and sell. Those who do not follow the Beast and who do not have his
mark (his name) will suffer greatly; see 20:4. Satan will now
have what he has always wanted: the world will be worshiping him, and
he will be in complete control of all the kingdoms of the world. The
only “fly in the ointment” is that Christ is reigning in heaven, and
His kingdom will one day be established on earth. Satan will vent his
fury upon the saints of God on earth since he cannot touch Christ and
the saints in heaven. Excerpts from the Bible Knowledge Commentary.
Dear Father God, Jesus Christ, God’s
Son, and God, Holy Spirit, we are so grateful that You are in complete
control. Guard us and keep us from the evil one. Help us to set our
eyes and hearts on You alone. Amen. DM
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Friday, January 24th
Satan,
the cherub created by God
Ezekiel 28:11-19
Most people visualize Satan as the guy
with the red suit, the pitchfork, and the pointed tail. But according
to God’s Holy Word, he was created by God and was one of the most
beautiful angels in Heaven. He was created for a specific purpose. He
was the cherub that covers. He was also created with a built in musical
system and that is what our devotion will look at specifically today. God
gives us everything we need to know about life and godliness, through
our knowledge of Him. 2 Pet. 1:3. God has told us about
Satan. He is the father of liars, he is the prince of the world, he can
appear as an angel of light, (a good guy) he has declared himself as
god, he was cast down out of heaven because of it, and he will
ultimately be defeated and cast into the lake of fire in the last day.
We can see specifically that Satan hates God and is God’s declared
enemy and as such, he hates anyone who loves God and follows God. As
stated earlier, Satan is a liar. He is the master deceiver and one of
the most effective tools he is using today is the tool of music. He has
successfully deceived the world and even much of the church today in
this specific area. Much wisdom and discernment is needed if we are to
be able to stand and remain holy in this battle against the evil one.
As true believers of Jesus Christ, we
are to follow and obey the Biblical principles given to us, and one of
the best verses to start with is in Romans 12:1,2.
“I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world,
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God.” If we genuinely have obeyed these two verses, we
would not have any difficulty with discernment regarding music or any
other issue area for that matter. Most professing Christians never make
it past the first point though. Presenting their bodies as a living
sacrifice? No way! Most folks want to present their opinions instead,
but sadly enough, opinions at best, are sinful and distorted because
there is a complete lack of obedience to the clear and specific
guidelines given by God for life and godliness. We must start with
godly obedience and consider each point in these 2 verses. Where do you
stand? “God, help us to obey!” DM
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Saturday, January 25th
Antichrist,
the little horn
Daniel 11:36 – 12:3
Daniel, the man of prayer, gives us much
detail as to the end times and to the antichrist. We begin today with Rome.
It is called “the people of the prince that shall come.” Who is this
prince? Not “Messiah the Prince,” because that refers to Jesus Christ.
“The prince that shall come” is Antichrist. He will be the leader of
the restored Roman Empire. So, the destruction
of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was
just an illustration of a future invasion and destruction to be led by
Antichrist. This prince will make an agreement with the Jews to protect
them from the other nations, and this agreement will be set for seven
years. That is what makes the headlines today so very interesting. We
are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem,
but we know it won’t take place until later. Right now, we as believers
are to be watching for the rapture, the next event in Bible prophecy.
Then the Great tribulation, the final seven years, is the completion of
Daniel’s 490-year period.
Between the death of Christ and the
signing of this covenant we have the entire Age of the Church, a “great
parenthesis” in God’s program. The 490 years are in operation only when
Israel
is in God’s will as God’s people. When Israel
crucified Christ, she was set aside and the “prophetic clock” stopped
ticking. But when the Antichrist signs his pact with Israel,
then the last seven years of Daniel’s “seventy weeks” will start being
fulfilled. This seven-year period is the Great Tribulation, or the time
of Jacob’s trouble. It is described in Rev. 6–19. After three and a
half years, Gog and her allies will invade Palestine
(see Ezek. 38–39), and God will judge them. Antichrist will
invade the land, break his covenant, and set himself up as world
dictator. He will stop all worship at the Jewish temple (see 2 Thes. 2) and force the world to worship him and
his image. This is the abomination of desolation (see Matt. 24:15;
John 5:43;
Rev. 13). How will this period end? Jesus Christ will return to
earth, meet the rebel armies at Armageddon, and defeat them (Rev.
19:11–21). Excerpts from Wiersbe’s Expository
Outlines.
Dear Lord God, how our hearts tremble
when we read of the future of those who do not and will not repent and
accept You as Savior. Help us to evaluate our own hearts to make sure
we’re ready! Amen. DM
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Sunday, January 26th
False
Prophet
Revelation 13:11-18
The devil, the beast, and the false
prophet will all oppose the one and only Triune God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit. In the end though, all satanic forces
will be defeated by the Son of God. The lessons we should learn are as
follows:
A. The hindrance.
Satan opposes the work of God in several ways:
(1.) He snatches the Word
of God from hearts, smothers the seed with worldliness, or scorches the
shoots with persecution.
(2.) If he cannot overcome the Word, he plants false Christians
(“children of the devil”) wherever the Lord plants true believers. Many
people are going to hell, not because of gross overt sins, but because
they have a “false righteousness” apart from faith in Jesus Christ.
(3.) He sits in the branches of Christendom and influences what goes
on.
(4.) He plants false doctrine that deceives people.
B. The method.
Satan’s chief method of opposing God is through imitation. He preaches
an imitation gospel, establishes imitation churches, plants imitation
Christians, etc.
C. The task. True and false will grow together until the end,
and God will separate them. Our job is not to try to “clean up” the
world, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use discipline in the local
church. The church is not the kingdom of heaven. God commands us to
judge sin and discipline Christians who would hinder the growth of the
church by godless living (see 1 Cor. 5 and
Matt. 18:15–18).
Our job is to plant the Word in hearts and let God “plant” us in places
where we can bear fruit for His glory.
D. The climate. The “tares” will be bound together at the end of
the age. In these last days, we see many organizations and even nations
uniting for one purpose or another. We have world church organizations,
world banks, world labor movements, world trade organizations, etc. In
the religious world, denominations are getting together; organizations
are merging for mutual protection. We wonder how many tares are being
bundled for the burning.
E. Stay awake. While we sleep, Satan works. A sleeping church is
an opportunity for Satan to plant false Christians (see Prov. 24:30–34). It is important that
we stay awake (Rom. 13:11–14).
F. Be discerning. We must “try the spirits” to detect when Satan
is at work (1 John 4:1–6). This is not judging (Matt. 7:1–5),
but rather exercising our spiritual senses to see if people really
belong to Christ (Heb. 5:14).
Amen. DM
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Monday, January 27th
Battle
of Armageddon
Joel 3, Revelation 19:11-21
In both texts for today, we see first
the prophecy of Joel looking ahead to the events of Revelation 19. This
time will be dreadful in that there will be much suffering and death in
this battle at the end of the tribulation. Joel 3:1 makes it
clear that the Jews will be back in their land, delivered from the
captivities in Gentile nations. But all the nations will gather
together to fight Jerusalem.
God will bring them into the Valley
of Jehoshaphat,
that is, the area of the Plain of Megiddo, where the Battle of
Armageddon will be fought. Verses 2–8 make it clear that this judgment
will be God’s punishment on the Gentiles for the way they have treated
the nation of Israel
and the land of Israel.
Palestine has been a
plundered land; many Gentile nations have robbed the Jews of wealth
that is rightfully theirs. God will recompense them in the Day of the
Lord. In v. 2 when God promises to “plead” with the nations, this does
not mean He will beg them to repent. The word “plead” can be translated
“execute judgment”. Verse 13 compares the battle to a ripe harvest of
grapes in Rev. 14:14–20. The “valley of decision” in v. 14 has
nothing to do with “making a decision for the Lord.” The word
“decision” suggests threshing; the nations will be threshed, judged by
the Lord. Christ will defend His land, His people, and His holy city.
Christ destroys the armies with the Word, the sword that comes from His
mouth (Heb. 4:12).
Men would not bow to His Word and receive the Gospel; now they must be
slain by that same Word. The followers of the Beast are “marked men”;
the mark of the Beast on their bodies seals them for certain judgment.
Christ not only destroys the armies of the Beast, but He also captures
the Beast and False Prophet and casts them alive into hell where they
will suffer for eternity. This point alone defies the foolish doctrine
of total annihilation because they are mentioned again at the end of
the millennium. God also takes Satan and casts him into the bottomless
pit (20:1–3). Excerpts from Wiersbe’s
Expository Outlines.
Gracious and Merciful God and Savior, as
true believers, we tremble at these words of truth as we realize that
You are a loving God, but You are also a just God and must punish sin
and evil. How we praise You for Your great Salvation, and we ask You to
help us to be obedient and faithful to tell others of Your saving grace
for them too. Amen. DM
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Tuesday, January 28th
The
Millennium – Explanation – 1,000 years
Revelation 20
This is the “thousand years” chapter
(mentioned six times here), which describes the Millennium. The word
“millennium” means “thousand years” in Latin. Sadly and mistakenly,
some folks deny that there will be a literal thousand-year reign of
Christ on earth. They prefer to “spiritualize” the OT kingdom prophecies
and apply them to the church today. But I believe that there will be a
literal thousand-year kingdom on earth for several reasons:
(1). To fulfill the OT promises to Israel,
Luke 1:30–33;
“…And of His kingdom there will be no end.”
(2). To give a public display of Christ’s glory to the nations of
earth; After seeing all the worldly rulers up to this point, the whole
world will now see the awesome reign and rule of the King of Kings and
the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ!
(3). To answer the saints’ prayer of “Thy kingdom come”; This literally
should be one of our daily prayers as we longingly look for the
imminent return of our Lord and Savior.
(4). To fulfill the promises to the church that saints will reign with
Christ; This of course reminds us of the fact that the precious gospel
message that presents the Kingdom of Christ was temporarily placed into
the hands of the gentiles, (The Church, the Bride of Christ) because
the Jewish nation had rejected Christ. At the millennium, the kingdom
and the Promised Land will be restored to the Jews.
(5). To bring about the complete redemption of nature as promised in Rom.
8:19–23;
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth
for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made
subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath
subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also,
which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to
wit, the redemption of our body.” Lastly,
(6). To give mankind one final trial under the sovereign rule of
Christ. Excerpts from Wiersbe’s Expository
Outlines.
Dear Lord, how our hearts yearn for Your
return. We anxiously await that day and we
want to hear those precious Words, “Well Done, thou good and faithful
servant.” Help us to be Faithful, till You come! DM
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Wednesday, January 29th
Pre-Millennial - (see A-millennial devotional 1/31/03)
Revelation 20:1-15
The Battle of Armageddon is now over,
and both the beast and false prophet have been cast into hell forever.
Christ now lays hold of that old serpent, Satan, and casts him into the
bottomless pit. Some of Satan’s followers are already chained (2
Peter 2:4; Jude 6), but now the “old serpent” himself is
imprisoned. The beast and the false prophet have been eternally judged;
but Satan’s final judgment is not yet come.
Then there is a resurrection of the
Tribulation saints who gave their lives in faithful service to Christ.
From the description in Dan. 12:1–3, the OT saints are already
with the Lord and will be given their glorified bodies at the second
resurrection. The main difference here is that they are not the body of
Christ, the church, the saints who are raised at the rapture before the
tribulation. At this point, then, the church saints and the tribulation
saints will have been raised and given glorified bodies to reign with
Christ. This is known as the first resurrection. It extends from the rapture
of the church (1 Thes. 4:13ff)
to the resurrection of the saints described in Rev. 20:4. All
who are raised in the first resurrection are saved people; they will
not experience the second death, which is hell. See John 5:24–29.
The OT saints believed in a future resurrection of the dead, but they
knew nothing of the “second resurrection from among the dead” taught in
the NT. The church saints are raised at the rapture, and the
tribulation saints are raised in the period of the first resurrection
before the millennium. Both the OT saints and the lost then are raised
at the second resurrection at the end of the millennium. A period of
1,000 years will elapse between the first and second resurrections.
Thrones are prepared, and the purified
nation of Israel,
the church, and the Tribulation saints reign with Christ. Matthew
25:31–46 makes it clear that the living Gentiles will be judged
before the Millennium begins. Believing Gentiles (sheep) will have
proved their faith by loving and helping the believing Jews (“my
brethren”). The saved Gentiles will enter into the joy of the kingdom
that God promised for His people Israel.
“Dear Lord, it is with great joy that we praise Your Holy Name. Thank
You for Your plan from eternity past to eternity future. Nothing is
left to chance. You are our salvation! Amen.” Excerpts from Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines. DM
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Thursday, January 30th
At the end, the Post-Millennial – (see A-millennial
devotional |
