A couple of weeks ago, Jack Kelley wrote an article that was pretty harsh towards the upcoming tetrad cycle and people’s attitudes towards it. I have some sympathy towards him given that people do have an overt tendency to gravitate towards signs and lock on them in lieu of searching the Scriptures. I myself have a tendency to do that as well, although I acknowledge it as a flaw.
Still, we are given signs in the heavens to watch for and I thought there was one particular aspect of Mr. Kelley’s critique which was a bit flawed. In his article, Mr. Kelley noted that none of the four lunar eclipses are centered on Israel and that only one (Sept. 28, 2015) will even be visible in Israel. That is true, but there were limitations on the previous eight eclipses as well.
The first tetrad, starting on April 13, 1949 and ending Sept. 26, 1950, were all visible in Israel, but only the third (April 2, 1950) was fully visible in Israel. The other three were only partially visible as they were all centered in South America. As Israel was new, it might actually matter a bit more that all four eclipses could be seen in some fashion in Israel, but God did not plant a full red bulls-eye over Israel when she first came back into existence.
These eclipses also happen the year after Israel declared itself a nation and was recognized by the US, USSR and other prominent members of the UN, which sticks in the craw of a few people. I would point out that while Israel existed as a nation, she was fighting for her very existence. The surrounding Arab nations declared war the day after Israel came into existence and Israel continued in a state of war until March of 1949. The borders of Israel (the armistice line that today’s Arabs are trying to get Israel to move back to (i.e. the pre-1967 borders)) were established by treaty that was signed by the final party in July 1949. So, the formalization of the land of Israel in her regathered state was not finished until after the first tetrad had begun.
Of the second tetrad (April 24, 1967-Oct. 6, 1968), again, only the third (April 13, 1968) was even partially visible in Israel. This one was over the Americas and the edge of it could be seen in Israel. The other three were all centered in the Pacific Ocean and Israel lay in the complete dead zone of visibility. At this point, Israel is growing up and emerging into manhood; perhaps suggesting that she is less reliant on the need to see the blood moons, especially as the ability to fully calculate them is becoming more prominent.
Also of interest, note that like the 1949-1950 tetrad, Israel achieves her territorial gain between the first and second blood moons. Yes, Israel had already achieved her territorial gain before the first blood moon on 1949, but the treaty was not finalized until after Passover. In 1967, the entire conflict was contained within the first Passover and Tabernacles blood moons (June 5-10). In both cases, territory was taken and the securing of that territory (with at least nominal recognition of sovereignty) between the period of the first and second blood moon.
The third tetrad (April 15, 2014-Sept. 28, 2015) will also not be visible from Israel, with the exception of the final eclipse Sept. 28, 2015. The first three will be centered in the Pacific while the final eclipse will be centered in the Atlantic and, like the third of the 1967-68 eclipses, only visible on the edge in Israel. To me, the lack of visibility speaks again to Israel’s maturity and the knowledge of the eclipses, rendering the need to plant them right over Israel moot. I also find it interesting that the one eclipse visible to Israel (indeed nearly all Jews as most of the 50% of Jews not living in Israel live in the West) is the last eclipse of the cycle. That speaks of a sense of finality to me.
Now, will the other pattern of Israel securing her new territory between the first and second blood moons hold? If it does, it would suggest that Israel will move and secure the Temple Mount sometime between Passover and Tabernacles 2014. The war that leads to the acquisition of this territory could begin before this, as back in 1948, but I would suspect that it would be more likely to be contained between the blood moons as in the 1967 war.
Of course, God could turn things around completely and not do it either way. My own natural guess would be that the Temple Mount will be secured as a result of the Psalm 83 War and despite all the sabre rattling, I don’t think all the players (read Jordan and Syria) are fully set up yet. The nominal support of Iraq and Saudi Arabia also suggests that they will be in a better position to send men/materials than they might be now.
As with the rest, we will just have to watch and wait. Certainly if the Rapture occurs this year, it will throw everything into chaos and Israel will be forced to move against her enemies. If the Rapture does not occur, something else may occur with us even still here to see it, allowing Israel to take back what is rightfully hers.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Quiet Kickoff
Today was a surprisingly quiet day considering it was both Sivan 6 (the official Jewish observation of Shavuot) and Nakba Day (the Arab day of grousing that Israel came back into existing).
One could argue that today should kick off Rapture season, but I think it should be held back until the Biblically recognized day of Pentecost, which will be Sunday, May 19 this year.
Not that any of this matters a hill of beans as we are to continue to watch and occupy until the Rapture happens, which could be 30 years from now for all I know (although I doubt it).
One could argue that today should kick off Rapture season, but I think it should be held back until the Biblically recognized day of Pentecost, which will be Sunday, May 19 this year.
Not that any of this matters a hill of beans as we are to continue to watch and occupy until the Rapture happens, which could be 30 years from now for all I know (although I doubt it).
Monday, May 13, 2013
The Economic Harbingers
I believe Mr. Cahn gave this lecture back in 2009, but it was posted in November last year. If you haven't read The Harbinger, this is a good tool to understand the economic aspect of the Harbingers, coming more as the follow up to 9/11.
Even if you've seen all of this before, the fervency of blessing in the last 10 minutes is worth watching alone. Mr. Cahn channels a good old fashioned Baptist preacher at the end.
Even if you've seen all of this before, the fervency of blessing in the last 10 minutes is worth watching alone. Mr. Cahn channels a good old fashioned Baptist preacher at the end.
Friday, May 10, 2013
But We Shall Rebuild With Dressed Stone
Today is 1 Sivan. I don't know if that day has any particular meaning but the spire was lifted and installed to the top of One World Trade Center today. I only bring this up because Gary Stearman interviewed Jonathan Cahn a few weeks ago and he mentioned the near completion of the new tower. Here is part 1 and here is part 2. I can't recall what he said specifically without going back and watching them again, but achieving the height does seem to hit a nerve of memory. I think it may have been in the second interview.
Of course, in typical modern style, although the height is finished, the interior of the building won't be ready for another one to two years. I'm sure that will be an interesting time as well.
Of course, in typical modern style, although the height is finished, the interior of the building won't be ready for another one to two years. I'm sure that will be an interesting time as well.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Temple Mount Discussions
Discussions about ownership of the Temple Mount are turning around again. An Israeli MK has gone so far as to hope for a solution to the Temple Mount problem by Jerusalem Day next year. The Muslims have sarcastically responded that they will turn over the mount when the Messiah comes and calls the Temple out of heaven.
Rhetoric aside, the focus on the Temple Mount as a point of contention is very interesting. The Temple has always been a sticky point, but with the Temple Institute having finished all the implements of the Temple and is now training priests in the proper methodology, the spirit of desire for the Temple seems to be stirring in the Jews and the Arabs are recognizing it.
I find this most interesting especially in light of the possibility that the next territorial/spiritual gain/threshold by Israel would be over the Temple Mount itself if you follow the pattern of the Tetrads, the last of which is slated to kick off at Passover next year.
If the situation with Syria, Hezbollah, Iran, et al. continues to spiral out of control, Israel could be looking at a sudden and all out war with every one of her neighbors. If that happens, and if Israel takes some pain (as Isaiah 17 suggest that she will), it would would make it that much more likely that Israel would tell the world to screw off and that they are going to build the Temple, but that they would allow Muslim access to the Dome of the Rock (behind a high wall) so long as they behaved themselves. That is one possibility.
Rhetoric aside, the focus on the Temple Mount as a point of contention is very interesting. The Temple has always been a sticky point, but with the Temple Institute having finished all the implements of the Temple and is now training priests in the proper methodology, the spirit of desire for the Temple seems to be stirring in the Jews and the Arabs are recognizing it.
I find this most interesting especially in light of the possibility that the next territorial/spiritual gain/threshold by Israel would be over the Temple Mount itself if you follow the pattern of the Tetrads, the last of which is slated to kick off at Passover next year.
If the situation with Syria, Hezbollah, Iran, et al. continues to spiral out of control, Israel could be looking at a sudden and all out war with every one of her neighbors. If that happens, and if Israel takes some pain (as Isaiah 17 suggest that she will), it would would make it that much more likely that Israel would tell the world to screw off and that they are going to build the Temple, but that they would allow Muslim access to the Dome of the Rock (behind a high wall) so long as they behaved themselves. That is one possibility.
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Damascus Bombing
Over the weekend, Israel moved in and bombed several targets in Syria. The primary target appears to have been a weapons convoy, designed to transfer arms from Iran to Hezbollah. Israel may also have hit a few targets tied to the production of Syrian chemical weapons, but neither side is talking about what was truly hit other than the weapons convoy.
Naturally, discussion on the Isaiah 17 prophecy ramped up heavily over the weekend and there still seems to be a bit of expectation in the air. Syria has gone ahead and declared that a state of war now exists between them and Israel, but that doesn’t really deviate from the status quo. Also, given that Syria has its arms full with the Islamic rebels; Syria is not really in a position to do anything except talk when it comes to responding to Israel.
Of course, that’s not to say that something could happen. We are less than two weeks away from Pentecost (9 days from when the Jews will observe it) and that means that we will soon kick off the 2013 Rapture season. As always, I tend to favor a Feast of Trumpets Rapture, but I will certainly not close my mind to the possibility of a Rapture at Pentecost.
Even if the Rapture does not occur, there is nothing to say that we may not see the fulfillment of Isaiah 17, 19 or Psalm 83 soon. Even if these specific prophecies are not fulfilled in the next couple of months, things will further escalate towards their ultimate fulfillment, which could come after the Rapture.
Regardless, things are definitely moving forward to a point where the fulfillment of Scripture is becoming visible on the horizon.
Naturally, discussion on the Isaiah 17 prophecy ramped up heavily over the weekend and there still seems to be a bit of expectation in the air. Syria has gone ahead and declared that a state of war now exists between them and Israel, but that doesn’t really deviate from the status quo. Also, given that Syria has its arms full with the Islamic rebels; Syria is not really in a position to do anything except talk when it comes to responding to Israel.
Of course, that’s not to say that something could happen. We are less than two weeks away from Pentecost (9 days from when the Jews will observe it) and that means that we will soon kick off the 2013 Rapture season. As always, I tend to favor a Feast of Trumpets Rapture, but I will certainly not close my mind to the possibility of a Rapture at Pentecost.
Even if the Rapture does not occur, there is nothing to say that we may not see the fulfillment of Isaiah 17, 19 or Psalm 83 soon. Even if these specific prophecies are not fulfilled in the next couple of months, things will further escalate towards their ultimate fulfillment, which could come after the Rapture.
Regardless, things are definitely moving forward to a point where the fulfillment of Scripture is becoming visible on the horizon.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
2015-2016 Confluences
I found a very interesting article today. The basis for the article is a book that I've not read, but I have heard of as my wife has a copy. It's called The Fourth Turning and I've meant to read it for a number of years now.
Anyway, the article (part 1 anyway) notes the primary outline of the book and emerging of a great crisis (the fourth turning) which we have now entered in. I assume that Mr. Horn will expand on this as he leads into his primary thesis this new Zenith 2016 project that he seems to be working on. I don't know the particulars of this project, but my guess would be a third and final book to close out Petrus Romanus and Exo Vaticana.
My theory behind this has to do with the calculations made by Jonathan Edwards, mentioned in Petrus Romanus, regarding the Donation of Constantine. Although a forgery, the initial treaty made in AD 752 and then validated in AD 756, officially marked Rome's transition from a spiritual entity to a political state. Edwards calculated forward from these dates a period of 1,260 years, using the 1,260 days mentioned in Revelation as reference. This brought him to 2012 and 2016 respectively. Mr. Horn probably has additional references and calculations from which to cite, but this one is the one most prominently noted regarding 2016.
Anyway, reading the article caused me to remember The Harbinger, and specifically Mr. Cahn's noting of the first Wall Street crash following the September 11th Attacks on 29 Elul (Sept. 17), 2001, and then the failure of Lehmen Brothers and Washington Mutual and the subsequent market crash also on 29 Elul (Sept. 29), 2008. It is only natural to play this forward until you reach 29 Elul (Sept 13), 2015 and expect a third event to occur at this time. Interestingly enough, the first two 29 Elul events were economic and related directly to Wall St. That cannot happen in 2015 as September 13 is a Sunday, so if there is a third economic strike made against us, it's effects will not be felt on Wall St. until the following day (Rosh Hashanah).
I don't know what to make of things right now, but it is interesting to note another element being added to the confluence of events that seem to be swirling around 2015. What that means for us in terms of the timing of the Rapture, I couldn't possibly say. I shall be looking forward to the next installment of this Fourth Turning/Zenith 2016 series.
Anyway, the article (part 1 anyway) notes the primary outline of the book and emerging of a great crisis (the fourth turning) which we have now entered in. I assume that Mr. Horn will expand on this as he leads into his primary thesis this new Zenith 2016 project that he seems to be working on. I don't know the particulars of this project, but my guess would be a third and final book to close out Petrus Romanus and Exo Vaticana.
My theory behind this has to do with the calculations made by Jonathan Edwards, mentioned in Petrus Romanus, regarding the Donation of Constantine. Although a forgery, the initial treaty made in AD 752 and then validated in AD 756, officially marked Rome's transition from a spiritual entity to a political state. Edwards calculated forward from these dates a period of 1,260 years, using the 1,260 days mentioned in Revelation as reference. This brought him to 2012 and 2016 respectively. Mr. Horn probably has additional references and calculations from which to cite, but this one is the one most prominently noted regarding 2016.
Anyway, reading the article caused me to remember The Harbinger, and specifically Mr. Cahn's noting of the first Wall Street crash following the September 11th Attacks on 29 Elul (Sept. 17), 2001, and then the failure of Lehmen Brothers and Washington Mutual and the subsequent market crash also on 29 Elul (Sept. 29), 2008. It is only natural to play this forward until you reach 29 Elul (Sept 13), 2015 and expect a third event to occur at this time. Interestingly enough, the first two 29 Elul events were economic and related directly to Wall St. That cannot happen in 2015 as September 13 is a Sunday, so if there is a third economic strike made against us, it's effects will not be felt on Wall St. until the following day (Rosh Hashanah).
I don't know what to make of things right now, but it is interesting to note another element being added to the confluence of events that seem to be swirling around 2015. What that means for us in terms of the timing of the Rapture, I couldn't possibly say. I shall be looking forward to the next installment of this Fourth Turning/Zenith 2016 series.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Better Death Through Chemistry
Reports have been coming in over the last week that the regime in Syria has been using Sarin gas against the rebels. Naturally the Obama administration is doing everything it can to backpedal from it's statement that the use of chemical weapons constitutes the crossing of a "red line" that would demand action.
However, rumors are abounding that Israel flew a sortie over the weekend and destroyed a chemical weapons site in Syria. Neither side is commenting which lends some credence that the rumors are true. Additional rumors are swirling that chemical weapons are also trickling over the border into Lebanon and into the hands of Hezbollah. All of this is also operating with the possibility of an Israeli strike against Iran in the background.
All of this raises (again) the possibility of a regional war between Israel and the Arabs that may evolve into the Psalm 83 War. One of these days, the war will actually happen; the only question really is whether or not we will be here to see it. I have to admit that I am highly torn on this issue.
On one hand, I am of the belief that Psalm 83 will take place a reasonable amount of time before the Ezekiel 38-39 War (6+ months) to give Israel a good amount of time to recover and let her guard down for the Russians. I'm also of the belief that the Ezekiel 38-39 War will take place in the early part of the Tribulation, possibly corresponding to the advent of the red horseman. It must take place early enough though that there is still seven years of time for Israel to use the weapons for fuel as I do not see Israel needing to burn weapons for fuel in the Millenium. These arguments make a case for the Psalm 83 War possibly occuring prior to the Rapture.
On the other hand, the Psalm 83 War appears to be coupled closely with Isaiah 17 and both scriptures give the impression that God will be once again turning His focus back to Israel at this time. The general belief is that God will not turn His focus fully back to Israel (restarting the stop watch of Daniel's 490 weeks) until after the church has been called home.
One might speculate that the Rapture might occur more than a few weeks/months prior to the start of the Tribulation as has been long speculated (including by me). That is always a possibility, but with the Holy Spirit no longer acting as a restrainer on evil, I have a hard time believing that Satan will need more than a few weeks to get his man fully installed in the position required and the ball rolling on kicking off the Tribulation.
It is difficult to see at this time. But we might get some clarity in the near future as things evolve. Three dates in particular to keep one's eye on in the near term are May 19th (Pentecost, although Israel will celebrate it on Sivan 6 - May 15), June 25 (17 Tammuz), and July 16 (9 Av). Again, nothing may happen this year just as nothing happened in previous years, but that does not excuse us from being watchful. One day, something will happen and we are responsible for alerting people when it does.
However, rumors are abounding that Israel flew a sortie over the weekend and destroyed a chemical weapons site in Syria. Neither side is commenting which lends some credence that the rumors are true. Additional rumors are swirling that chemical weapons are also trickling over the border into Lebanon and into the hands of Hezbollah. All of this is also operating with the possibility of an Israeli strike against Iran in the background.
All of this raises (again) the possibility of a regional war between Israel and the Arabs that may evolve into the Psalm 83 War. One of these days, the war will actually happen; the only question really is whether or not we will be here to see it. I have to admit that I am highly torn on this issue.
On one hand, I am of the belief that Psalm 83 will take place a reasonable amount of time before the Ezekiel 38-39 War (6+ months) to give Israel a good amount of time to recover and let her guard down for the Russians. I'm also of the belief that the Ezekiel 38-39 War will take place in the early part of the Tribulation, possibly corresponding to the advent of the red horseman. It must take place early enough though that there is still seven years of time for Israel to use the weapons for fuel as I do not see Israel needing to burn weapons for fuel in the Millenium. These arguments make a case for the Psalm 83 War possibly occuring prior to the Rapture.
On the other hand, the Psalm 83 War appears to be coupled closely with Isaiah 17 and both scriptures give the impression that God will be once again turning His focus back to Israel at this time. The general belief is that God will not turn His focus fully back to Israel (restarting the stop watch of Daniel's 490 weeks) until after the church has been called home.
One might speculate that the Rapture might occur more than a few weeks/months prior to the start of the Tribulation as has been long speculated (including by me). That is always a possibility, but with the Holy Spirit no longer acting as a restrainer on evil, I have a hard time believing that Satan will need more than a few weeks to get his man fully installed in the position required and the ball rolling on kicking off the Tribulation.
It is difficult to see at this time. But we might get some clarity in the near future as things evolve. Three dates in particular to keep one's eye on in the near term are May 19th (Pentecost, although Israel will celebrate it on Sivan 6 - May 15), June 25 (17 Tammuz), and July 16 (9 Av). Again, nothing may happen this year just as nothing happened in previous years, but that does not excuse us from being watchful. One day, something will happen and we are responsible for alerting people when it does.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
A Dark Pre-Anniversary?
Do you ever have those freaky moments where some idea just comes out of the blue and slaps you in the face? I had one of those a few minutes ago.
I was finishing watching Pastor JD's teaching on Ruth 2:2-23 (good lesson BTW) and I happen to scroll down to see some of the comments. Pastor JD had opened the study commenting on all the terrible things that had happened this week (Boston bombing, Texas fertilizer explosion, etc.) and someone had made a note of several previous terrible things happening around that April 19-20th time frame (Columbine shooting, OKC bombing, Branch Davidian imolation).
It was as I was reading this, and I think it was how it was worded, that the thought suddenly struck me if Passover fell on this day in the near future. Anyone who has looked into my past entries has noted that I believe that Christ's second coming will correspond with Yom Kippur and that I think Antichrist will be murdered on Passover, further cementing his status as an "alternate Christ." It just so happens that Passover does fall on April 20 (meaning that it will start at sundown on April 19) in 2019 and this is the only time it does over the next 17 years (I stopped looking after 2030).
I find this most unsettling. First, if April 20 is the day that Antichrist is murdered, it shows that God marking the evilness of this day, much as He has marked 9 Av as a day evil to the Jews. Second, if true, this is another marker indicating that the Tribulation will begin in the fall of 2015 (calculations suggest around November 12, 2015. That would be almost two full months after the Feast of Trumpets (September 14, 2015), kicking off the next Sabbatical cycle.
I feel a little unsettled by this and perhaps it is constant reminders to not set dates or maybe just the way the thought struck me out of the blue. I'm always very nervous when things hit me like that as I am by nature a rather slow and deliberate person. Yet, we are called to watch and if something does strike me, I would not be doing my duty if I didn't post about it. Perhaps other evidences will pile up as we keep watching.
I was finishing watching Pastor JD's teaching on Ruth 2:2-23 (good lesson BTW) and I happen to scroll down to see some of the comments. Pastor JD had opened the study commenting on all the terrible things that had happened this week (Boston bombing, Texas fertilizer explosion, etc.) and someone had made a note of several previous terrible things happening around that April 19-20th time frame (Columbine shooting, OKC bombing, Branch Davidian imolation).
It was as I was reading this, and I think it was how it was worded, that the thought suddenly struck me if Passover fell on this day in the near future. Anyone who has looked into my past entries has noted that I believe that Christ's second coming will correspond with Yom Kippur and that I think Antichrist will be murdered on Passover, further cementing his status as an "alternate Christ." It just so happens that Passover does fall on April 20 (meaning that it will start at sundown on April 19) in 2019 and this is the only time it does over the next 17 years (I stopped looking after 2030).
I find this most unsettling. First, if April 20 is the day that Antichrist is murdered, it shows that God marking the evilness of this day, much as He has marked 9 Av as a day evil to the Jews. Second, if true, this is another marker indicating that the Tribulation will begin in the fall of 2015 (calculations suggest around November 12, 2015. That would be almost two full months after the Feast of Trumpets (September 14, 2015), kicking off the next Sabbatical cycle.
I feel a little unsettled by this and perhaps it is constant reminders to not set dates or maybe just the way the thought struck me out of the blue. I'm always very nervous when things hit me like that as I am by nature a rather slow and deliberate person. Yet, we are called to watch and if something does strike me, I would not be doing my duty if I didn't post about it. Perhaps other evidences will pile up as we keep watching.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Hashemites and Babylon
Yesterday, I was checking in with Scotty over at Eternalrhythmflow and I caught a video he posted from a prophecy conference six years ago by a pastor named Dr. Joe VanKoevering. I hadn't heard of anyone at this conference (other than Walid Shoebat) but it was still an interesting message.
Since it was 2007, it is deeply steeped in the Islamic Antichrist theory, which I am neutral at best on. Still, Dr. VanKoevering did raise some very interesting points regarding the point of origin of the Antichrist (or at least his seat of power in Babylon). He gets a bit hung up on Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, but that's not that surprising given the time of the video. It brought to my mind two things.
The first was a tie in to a message Rob Skiba gave a couple of years ago regarding Antichrist's ties to Nimrod (which echo Chuck Missler's theories about Antichrist being Nimrod II). I tried to post that video but my post was eaten by blogger. Here's the video:
The second was a few comments made by LA Marzulli over the past couple of years. LA has been hung on King Abdullah II of Jordan and he made special note that King Abdullah offered to reestablish the monarchy in Iraq, possibly with himself at it's head. That would be a bit strange since Abdullah has a kingdom (Jordan) and there is a line of Hashemites who have been declared as heirs if the throne is reestablished (pretenders). The Jordanian Hashemites have, theoretically, absolved their claim to the Iraqi throne by this declaration after the 1958 coup that killed both King Faisal II and Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah. The throne currently would pass to Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid or to his son, Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad (who is heavily involved with the UN). But regardless, it does show that the Hashemites (from either branch) are clearly vested in reestablishing the Iraqi monarchy.
So, does it mean anything? Scripture does seem quite clear that Antichrist will have his initial headquarters in Babylon, although whether this is as an established UN site or as a capital of a regional power is up for debate. That Antichrist will take over the old Selucid empire does seem quite reasonable and his being of Hashemite decent would explain Jordan's escape from his armies marching against Egypt and the North given the current state. However, this does not take into effect the possible outcome for Jordan in the fallout of the Psalm 83 War and certainly Israel's presumed control over Petra at the time of the Abomination of Desolation.
I have to admit, that I'm also still sitting in the camp that Antichrist will have more of a Greek ancestry. If we assume (and I see no reason not to) that Antiochus IV Epiphanes is the proto-Antichrist from Daniel's point of view, then we should expect the true Antichrist be of a similar cut of cloth and that might assume lineage as well.
Of course, it would be remiss to note that the Hashemites have been marrying European women over the last few decades. I've not tracked all of them, but a number of the younger generation have the European bloodline through their mothers. Prince Zied bin Ra'ad's mother, for example, is Swedish and his own wife is an American. So it is certainly possible that Greco-Roman taint may have come in from the mother's side.
Taken as a whole, it certainly appears that at some point that a monarchy will be established at Babylon and that king will grow in power until he controls the whole world. However, it also is clear from Revelation that he will not receive his kingdom until after the Rapture, which would allow him to be revealed and receive the crown promised to him as the rider on the white horse. If we think we can see a possible way for the kingdom to be established, how much closer to the Rapture must we be?
Time will tell.
Since it was 2007, it is deeply steeped in the Islamic Antichrist theory, which I am neutral at best on. Still, Dr. VanKoevering did raise some very interesting points regarding the point of origin of the Antichrist (or at least his seat of power in Babylon). He gets a bit hung up on Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, but that's not that surprising given the time of the video. It brought to my mind two things.
The first was a tie in to a message Rob Skiba gave a couple of years ago regarding Antichrist's ties to Nimrod (which echo Chuck Missler's theories about Antichrist being Nimrod II). I tried to post that video but my post was eaten by blogger. Here's the video:
The second was a few comments made by LA Marzulli over the past couple of years. LA has been hung on King Abdullah II of Jordan and he made special note that King Abdullah offered to reestablish the monarchy in Iraq, possibly with himself at it's head. That would be a bit strange since Abdullah has a kingdom (Jordan) and there is a line of Hashemites who have been declared as heirs if the throne is reestablished (pretenders). The Jordanian Hashemites have, theoretically, absolved their claim to the Iraqi throne by this declaration after the 1958 coup that killed both King Faisal II and Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah. The throne currently would pass to Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid or to his son, Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad (who is heavily involved with the UN). But regardless, it does show that the Hashemites (from either branch) are clearly vested in reestablishing the Iraqi monarchy.
So, does it mean anything? Scripture does seem quite clear that Antichrist will have his initial headquarters in Babylon, although whether this is as an established UN site or as a capital of a regional power is up for debate. That Antichrist will take over the old Selucid empire does seem quite reasonable and his being of Hashemite decent would explain Jordan's escape from his armies marching against Egypt and the North given the current state. However, this does not take into effect the possible outcome for Jordan in the fallout of the Psalm 83 War and certainly Israel's presumed control over Petra at the time of the Abomination of Desolation.
I have to admit, that I'm also still sitting in the camp that Antichrist will have more of a Greek ancestry. If we assume (and I see no reason not to) that Antiochus IV Epiphanes is the proto-Antichrist from Daniel's point of view, then we should expect the true Antichrist be of a similar cut of cloth and that might assume lineage as well.
Of course, it would be remiss to note that the Hashemites have been marrying European women over the last few decades. I've not tracked all of them, but a number of the younger generation have the European bloodline through their mothers. Prince Zied bin Ra'ad's mother, for example, is Swedish and his own wife is an American. So it is certainly possible that Greco-Roman taint may have come in from the mother's side.
Taken as a whole, it certainly appears that at some point that a monarchy will be established at Babylon and that king will grow in power until he controls the whole world. However, it also is clear from Revelation that he will not receive his kingdom until after the Rapture, which would allow him to be revealed and receive the crown promised to him as the rider on the white horse. If we think we can see a possible way for the kingdom to be established, how much closer to the Rapture must we be?
Time will tell.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The Logos Question
I've been watching a lot of Chuck Missler videos on Youtube lately (as evidenced by my last post) and it got me thinking about something I hadn't thought of in a couple of years.
If you ever do studies of the Old Testement, you'll run into instances where men have direct confrontation with God (Abraham in Gen. 18, Jacob in Gen. 32:24-30, Joshua in Joshua 5:13-6:5). Sometimes God is called the LORD (I AM) and sometimes he is referred to as the Angel of the Lord. In either case, Biblical scholars refer to these as instances of the Logos, or pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. I've always found this somewhat difficult to swallow, not that Jesus could not appear, but that He would appear prior to His incarnation given how God (in all three aspects) exists outside of time.
Let me give you an example. Hold a sheet of paper. Pretend that the paper represents time-space. You are in the position of God existing outside of time. From your position, you can see time and space from any point and insert yourself into any point (you see the beginning from the end). God, in His first and third forms (the Father and the Holy Spirit) exists as spirit. Jesus was spirit until he became a man through the virgin birth. He lived, died, and was resurrected into His glorified body and then ascended back to the Father (i.e. he passed out of our dimensionality of time). You could think of this as descending onto the paper at one point and then coming back out of the paper at another.
Now, though God took six days to manifest the universe in terms of linear time, He actually created everything in a single instant since God exists outside of time. That is, you cannot create that piece of paper while trapped on the paper. The paper can only be created as a single sheet while outside the scope of the paper. To me, that means that even before God said, "Let there be light." Jesus had already been born to Mary, died, and risen to Glory.
From that standpoint, I contend that any and all instances of man interacting with God, was with Jesus in His glorified body, though He may have diminished His glory as it suited Him (such as when visiting with Abraham). This does not represent any break in time as Jesus has moved outside of time and can insert Himself back into it at any point.
We can see a similar type of thinking in the removal of Elijah. Elijah left our time-space in a chariot of fire and entered eternity. From his standpoint, he could have then immediately been dropped off at the moment of transfiguration on Mt. Nebo for his meeting with Jesus and Moses. He could have even been dropped off with Moses just before the Tribulation and then had his meeting with Jesus after he and Moses had been killed by Antichrist and resurrected. Either one could have seemed near instantaneous to him from when he left Elisha, though nearly 900 years separated Elijah ministry and Jesus' first ministry and around 2900 years from Elijah's ministry to the period of the Tribulation.
We are temporal creatures and even writing this out has made my head hurt in trying to comprehend the paradox. But it is something interesting to study and gives another aspect to the nature of God and His great wisdom and understanding.
If you ever do studies of the Old Testement, you'll run into instances where men have direct confrontation with God (Abraham in Gen. 18, Jacob in Gen. 32:24-30, Joshua in Joshua 5:13-6:5). Sometimes God is called the LORD (I AM) and sometimes he is referred to as the Angel of the Lord. In either case, Biblical scholars refer to these as instances of the Logos, or pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus. I've always found this somewhat difficult to swallow, not that Jesus could not appear, but that He would appear prior to His incarnation given how God (in all three aspects) exists outside of time.
Let me give you an example. Hold a sheet of paper. Pretend that the paper represents time-space. You are in the position of God existing outside of time. From your position, you can see time and space from any point and insert yourself into any point (you see the beginning from the end). God, in His first and third forms (the Father and the Holy Spirit) exists as spirit. Jesus was spirit until he became a man through the virgin birth. He lived, died, and was resurrected into His glorified body and then ascended back to the Father (i.e. he passed out of our dimensionality of time). You could think of this as descending onto the paper at one point and then coming back out of the paper at another.
Now, though God took six days to manifest the universe in terms of linear time, He actually created everything in a single instant since God exists outside of time. That is, you cannot create that piece of paper while trapped on the paper. The paper can only be created as a single sheet while outside the scope of the paper. To me, that means that even before God said, "Let there be light." Jesus had already been born to Mary, died, and risen to Glory.
From that standpoint, I contend that any and all instances of man interacting with God, was with Jesus in His glorified body, though He may have diminished His glory as it suited Him (such as when visiting with Abraham). This does not represent any break in time as Jesus has moved outside of time and can insert Himself back into it at any point.
We can see a similar type of thinking in the removal of Elijah. Elijah left our time-space in a chariot of fire and entered eternity. From his standpoint, he could have then immediately been dropped off at the moment of transfiguration on Mt. Nebo for his meeting with Jesus and Moses. He could have even been dropped off with Moses just before the Tribulation and then had his meeting with Jesus after he and Moses had been killed by Antichrist and resurrected. Either one could have seemed near instantaneous to him from when he left Elisha, though nearly 900 years separated Elijah ministry and Jesus' first ministry and around 2900 years from Elijah's ministry to the period of the Tribulation.
We are temporal creatures and even writing this out has made my head hurt in trying to comprehend the paradox. But it is something interesting to study and gives another aspect to the nature of God and His great wisdom and understanding.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Electric Universe
This is a fascinating lecture by Chuck Missler on the errors of current scientific theory in relation to a model that works better with both reality and the Bible.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Celebrating Death
I remember back when Osama bin Laden was killed, all the celebration that occurred and how it reminded me of Revelation 11:7-10 and the celebration over the death of the Two Witnesses. I was reminded again of that by the reaction by the British Left over the death yesterday of former PM Margaret Thatcher.
Some of this is obviously just the same sort of anarchy that youth indulge in when their team wins (or loses) some sporting event. But the level of sick glee over Baroness Thatcher's death extended well up the ladder in age and is indicitive of a growing comfort in indulging in glee when a foe (real or imagined) is removed through death.
To me, it is just another sign that the world is nearly in the same place as described in Revelation. Of course, that means it's nearly time to go home.
Some of this is obviously just the same sort of anarchy that youth indulge in when their team wins (or loses) some sporting event. But the level of sick glee over Baroness Thatcher's death extended well up the ladder in age and is indicitive of a growing comfort in indulging in glee when a foe (real or imagined) is removed through death.
To me, it is just another sign that the world is nearly in the same place as described in Revelation. Of course, that means it's nearly time to go home.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
The Old Dream
As a general rule, I do not remember my dreams. Even the ones that I do remember when I first wake up, generally slip away from my memory like sand passing through your fingers.
There is one major exception for me and it is a very old dream for me. I actually remember the aspects of the dream better than I do the circumstances around it. I was either five or six and we were living on the Naval Base in Atsugi, Japan. We lived in a row house and there was a cement path/sidewalk that led from the parking lot to our house that was a couple of hundred feet long.
In the dream, I am on this path and have just past the first set of row houses (the orange ones) on my right. The set where I live (the green ones) is perhaps 50 feet in front of me. It is a sunny day and I am coming back from school (I have my white 1984 LA Olympics backpack on my back). Suddenly it gets dark, as a very large, dark cloud passes over the sun. It gets cold as well and feel this sense of forboding. I look up and see this white shining thing and as it get closer, I see that it is a dove with an olive branch in it's mouth as usually depicted in the Noah story. The dove flies very near me and I lose sight of it as there is a sudden loud noise, like a type of roaring. I look up and the large grey cloud splits open down the middle and suddenly there is a brilliant light and a great bearded face with intense blue eyes is staring down at me. I remember that the face was neutral in expression, neither happy, sad, or angry. But I remember the eyes most of all. An intense, electric blue that could size you up and pass right through you. I only saw the face for a second before I woke up in a fright. It's about as close I have ever come to waking up, sitting bolt upright.
To this day, I have no idea what this dream means. Over the years it would be easy to dismiss it as the product of an overactive imagination, coupled with a few bits of Sunday School paraphanalia (the use of a blue-eyed Jesus would certainly give credence to this idea). However, the fact that I've never been able to forget this dream and the symbology associated with it has always given me pause. As I grew up, I learned about the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus as like a dove. Now I would never compare myself to Christ, but I do wonder if the dove wasn't representative of the Holy Spirit's guidance or protection. Certainly the skys opening and seeing the face of Jesus has called to my mind the idea of the Rapture or His Second Coming as I've aged and learned more, but again, I have no proof that that is what the dream was speaking of.
I am skeptical that I will ever have the dream fully explained to me. I also have no way of truly verifying that it was of God and not just a bad reaction to dinner. I leave it up to Him to use it or not in my life. But I thought it important to post. Perhaps someone else has had a dream like this and we can compare notes.
There is one major exception for me and it is a very old dream for me. I actually remember the aspects of the dream better than I do the circumstances around it. I was either five or six and we were living on the Naval Base in Atsugi, Japan. We lived in a row house and there was a cement path/sidewalk that led from the parking lot to our house that was a couple of hundred feet long.
In the dream, I am on this path and have just past the first set of row houses (the orange ones) on my right. The set where I live (the green ones) is perhaps 50 feet in front of me. It is a sunny day and I am coming back from school (I have my white 1984 LA Olympics backpack on my back). Suddenly it gets dark, as a very large, dark cloud passes over the sun. It gets cold as well and feel this sense of forboding. I look up and see this white shining thing and as it get closer, I see that it is a dove with an olive branch in it's mouth as usually depicted in the Noah story. The dove flies very near me and I lose sight of it as there is a sudden loud noise, like a type of roaring. I look up and the large grey cloud splits open down the middle and suddenly there is a brilliant light and a great bearded face with intense blue eyes is staring down at me. I remember that the face was neutral in expression, neither happy, sad, or angry. But I remember the eyes most of all. An intense, electric blue that could size you up and pass right through you. I only saw the face for a second before I woke up in a fright. It's about as close I have ever come to waking up, sitting bolt upright.
To this day, I have no idea what this dream means. Over the years it would be easy to dismiss it as the product of an overactive imagination, coupled with a few bits of Sunday School paraphanalia (the use of a blue-eyed Jesus would certainly give credence to this idea). However, the fact that I've never been able to forget this dream and the symbology associated with it has always given me pause. As I grew up, I learned about the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus as like a dove. Now I would never compare myself to Christ, but I do wonder if the dove wasn't representative of the Holy Spirit's guidance or protection. Certainly the skys opening and seeing the face of Jesus has called to my mind the idea of the Rapture or His Second Coming as I've aged and learned more, but again, I have no proof that that is what the dream was speaking of.
I am skeptical that I will ever have the dream fully explained to me. I also have no way of truly verifying that it was of God and not just a bad reaction to dinner. I leave it up to Him to use it or not in my life. But I thought it important to post. Perhaps someone else has had a dream like this and we can compare notes.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Shroud Energy
It was only a couple of years ago that the History Channel ran a special of a team that recreated the man shown on the Shroud of Turin. It was quite interesting and produced a 3-D computer image of the man. I personally believe that the man shown is Jesus but others disagree.
It is interesting to note that only a couple of years after this special, a new book is being published documenting the various evidences and is pushing the idea that the Shroud is in fact authentic. Going along with that, an article was published by the Vatican about a year and a half ago discussing how the image on the shroud might have been made.
The one theory that the article seems to settle on is that the image was produced by a massive output of Vacuum Ultraviolet radiation. Probably the most interesting aspect of this is that the shroud cannot be duplicated as a whole as the amount of radiation required is several thousand times what can be generated by equipment that scientists have available to them.
In other words, the volume of radiation generated to produce the Shroud is beyond man's ability to make and represents an outpouring of power never seen. If you believe, as I do, that the image on the Shroud was generated during the moment of Resurrection, Jesus' body was not only reanimated, but it was also regenerated into it's resurrection form. This is the same form that we will assume either at the Rapture (for believers) or at the subsequent resurrection (whether to life or to death). This gives the tiniest insight into the power of God that will be manifested at the time of the Resurrection.
It is interesting to note that only a couple of years after this special, a new book is being published documenting the various evidences and is pushing the idea that the Shroud is in fact authentic. Going along with that, an article was published by the Vatican about a year and a half ago discussing how the image on the shroud might have been made.
The one theory that the article seems to settle on is that the image was produced by a massive output of Vacuum Ultraviolet radiation. Probably the most interesting aspect of this is that the shroud cannot be duplicated as a whole as the amount of radiation required is several thousand times what can be generated by equipment that scientists have available to them.
In other words, the volume of radiation generated to produce the Shroud is beyond man's ability to make and represents an outpouring of power never seen. If you believe, as I do, that the image on the Shroud was generated during the moment of Resurrection, Jesus' body was not only reanimated, but it was also regenerated into it's resurrection form. This is the same form that we will assume either at the Rapture (for believers) or at the subsequent resurrection (whether to life or to death). This gives the tiniest insight into the power of God that will be manifested at the time of the Resurrection.
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