It’s Not About a Bunny

 It’s Not About a Bunny - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com I needed to do some grocery shopping and went to my local Walmart. As I walked around the store, trying to remember what I needed, I walked down an aisle that was an explosionof stuffed bunnies, chocolate eggs, and Easter egg dye. I was grieved. Where was Jesus in this burst of Pagan revelry? I needed some greeting cards, and as I looked over the assortment of humorous Easter cards, I couldn’t find any that stressed the blessing of the Resurrection. Finally, Isaw a couple of cards sitting very high above all the humorous cards. I’m short, so I had to really stretch to reach them, but they were nice cards and just what I wanted. Why were they displayed far from eye level? I thought about this as I drove home, and this poem came into my mind. It’s Not About a Bunny - By Nathele Graham It’s not about a bunny That hops away so fast. It is about Christ my Saviour, Whose love will always last. It’s not about an egg With a pretty painted shell It is about Christ who died To save us all from Hell. It’s not about an Easter bonnet Upon your head that’s worn It is about Christ the King Who wore a crown of thorns Christ’s death was a victory Over sin, death, and the grave. Don’t praise a bunny, tell Christ’s story His life He freely gave. Celebrate His love for you In everything you do. The bunny always hops away But Christ will dwell in you. Christians need to be sure of what we celebrate, and ask ourselves, “Does this honor God, or am I joining with the world?” At Christmas, we decorate a tree, and be sure ourchildren believe in Santa. At Easter, we are sure our children believe a bunny brings colored eggs and candy. Why aren’t Christians concerned that our children believe the truth? I know all the justifications for these celebrations of worldly ways, but why do we allow the world to dictate what and when we celebrate? It’s a certainty that Christ wasn’t born on December 25. In order to not inconvenience or upset the unbelieving world, it was decided to celebrate Christ’s birth to coincidewith a pagan celebration. As for Easter, that’s another pagan holiday set on the first Sunday after the first full moon, after the Vernal Equinox. That has nothing to do with Passover. Passover haseverything to do with the crucifixion of Christ and His resurrection three days later. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God sent Moses to petition the Pharaoh to let them go free. Pharaoh wouldn’t allow their freedom, so God sent plagues, which showedthe uselessness of the pagan gods worshipped in Egypt. Still, Pharaoh declined to let them go free. There was one final plague that would cause Pharaoh to give freedom to the Israelites. That was the death of the firstborn. God always provides safety for thosewho believe and follow His instructions. He established Passover to provide protection for the Israelites. The directions were given to the children of Israel, but if Gentiles followed the directions, they would also be saved from death. “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbournext unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year; ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day ofthe same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eatthe flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Exodus 12:1-9). This took place in the month of Nisan (aka Nissan), the first day of which is April 9 this year. At that time, the Israelites weren’t particularly faithful to the God of Abraham,Isaac, and Jacob. They had been in Egypt too long with the pagan worship and were mostly following the way of the world. God never will forsake them. Today, many Jewish people are atheists… again, following the world. In spite of not believing in God, moststill celebrate Passover. It is history, and it matters. Why would God go into so much detail about the month and day they were to select a perfect lamb to sacrifice, and how the ceremony was to be performed? Because the date isimportant. Many, many years in the future, that was the day when the perfect Lamb of God was crucified on a cross. His blood would be shed as the final sacrifice for sin. The Israelites who believed what Moses told them to do were saved, and death passed overtheir houses. God was bringing them back to faith and showing His power through love. Jesus fulfilled the Passover, and faith in Him will save you from eternal death. He is our Sacrificial Lamb. Once again, God showed His power through love. John the Baptistrecognized that Jesus was the sacrifice that would save us from death… God’s perfect Lamb. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The Jewish people standing near Him understood what He meant. Jesus also fulfilled the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of First Fruits, which are feasts ordained by God and celebrated along with Passover. “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD’S Passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: sevendays ye must eat unleavened bread” (Leviticus 23:5-6). Leaven symbolizes sin and pride (it puffs up). The unleavened bread is very symbolic of Jesus Christ, who had no sin. Then there’s the feast of First Fruits. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvestthereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it” (Leviticus 23:9-11). Jesus fulfilled them all. Firstfruits is always celebrated on the Sunday following Passover. That was the day Christ rose from the grave. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as inAdam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). God went to a lot of trouble to give a “picture” of what Christ would fulfill, and we ignore His design and celebrate pagan dates and bunnies. Daniel also gave a prophecy concerning when Messiah would be “cut off” (crucified). For that, we need to look to Daniel’s 70-week prophecy. The key to this is found in Daniel9:25, when a time period is described as beginning when a command to rebuild Jerusalem was issued. When Daniel was a young man, he was taken captive when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Daniel was always faithful to God Almighty. Althoughhe lived in the very pagan city of Babylon, he never bowed to a pagan god. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; andthe end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:26). Although Jerusalem was in ruins when Daniel received this prophecy, it would all be rebuilt, just to be destroyed again in 70 AD. When Daniel speaks of a week, it isn’t whatwe think. We refer to 7 days as a week, but Jewish thought is a week of years. So, one week equals 7 years. Many years after Daniel gave this prophecy, Nehemiah was a cupbearer to King Artaxerxes and was given a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. We know the decreewas given in the month of Nisan, the same month as Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits were established by God. People smarter than me know the date that decree was issued. By calculating from that date, they are able to calculate the exact day thatJesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as Messiah by the people. We call it Palm Sunday. It was just as Daniel had prophesied. God went to a lot of trouble to put this all together, so why do we celebrate on a pagan day that honors the pagan goddess Ishtar, and mock God by saying we are celebratingthe most important event of all time? The next event on the Jewish calendar is the Counting of the Omer. “And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto themorrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD” (Leviticus 23:15-16). Why is this a big deal? Well, counting these days will bring you to Pentecost. This was the day that the Jewish people celebrate the giving of the Torah. Christians have ahigher meaning for this day. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and itfilled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it lay upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). That day, Peter gave a powerful sermon heard by thousands of non-believers. That day, the Torah was fulfilled, and the Church was born. Three thousand souls repented and gavetheir lives to Christ that day. Pentecost is an important day for Christians. Christians have Scripture to give us understanding of God’s truth, but it’s a sad fact that many are heavily influenced by the world. Seldom do Christians really study God’sword but will watch a Hollywood movie about the Bible and think it’s truth. There’s a lot of “artistic license” taken with God’s truth in these movies. It’s important to study the entirety of Scripture, including the Old Testament. The Jewish Feast days allpoint to Jesus and are a wonderful study. Does all of this mean that we, as Christians, should celebrate these feasts? We can, but Jesus fulfilled them. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Matthew 5:17). Keeping the Law of Moses is no longer necessary since Jesus was the final sacrifice for sin; we should never feel the need to be placed under the Law, but honoring God isimportant. We have freedom in Christ and shouldn’t judge how another person worships. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but thebody is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17). Your faith should be in Christ alone. His death, burial, and resurrection happened according to Scripture, and He was truly the Lamb of God… the final sacrifice for sin. Repentand be born again. That’s the only way to eternal life. Remember, as you decide how and when to celebrate His love for you, it’s not about a bunny. It is all about Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed. If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (Part One)

 Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God (Part One) A foundational principle that enables us to be children of God is the idea of type and antitype. If we have been in the church for any time, we have been exposed to this concept. Biblical type-and-antitype concerns the revelation of a truth or a prophecy and its later or spiritual fulfillment. Within Scripture,an antitype in the New Testament is most often foreshadowed or predicted in type or as a pattern in the Old Testament. The Passover lamb is a type of its later fulfillment in the life and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Ancient Israel is a type of the spiritual nation of Israel, the church of God (see Galatians 6:16). The death of the lamb in Egypt provided the Israelites with physical deliverance from their bondage, and Christ's death provides us with deliverance from our spiritual bondage to sin. How does the Passover offering stand as a type of its fulfillment in Christ some 1,450 years later? God describes this offering in Exodus 12:3, 5-6: Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: "On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. . . . Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the firstyear. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight." The first New Testament fulfillment is Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Exodus 12:3 commands, each household of the children of Israel chose a lamb from their flocks on the tenth day of the first month, Abib, four days before it was to be slain. In the sequence of events leading to Christ's crucifixion, the tenth of Abib alignswith Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The people laud Him with palm branches, calling out, "Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" (Mark11:9). In this way, the people of Israel choose their Passover Lamb. The second fulfillment concerns the Passover lamb of old being chosen from the personal flock of each Israelite household. Originally, Passover was a very personal festival, kept in the home, not as it was later observed nationallyin the Temple. This detail indicates that its purpose was personal. The head of the household brought the chosen Passover lamb into the home four days before its sacrifice to spend those days with the family. Among the most docile animals, lambs symbolizegentleness, innocence, and vulnerability. The family and the lamb enjoyed an amount of intimacy during that short time, and they personally felt the grief of its death. The third fulfillment coincides with what the apostle Peter writes in I Peter 1:18-19 . . . knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. The chosen lamb was a lamb, by definition, not older than one year. It was as innocent as an infant. As a child ages, he becomes more worldly and corrupted by sin. The Passover lamb, an infant among sheep, was to symbolize this innocence, beingundefiled and harmless. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus Christ in this way: "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens" (Hebrews7:26; emphasis ours throughout). He was indeed "holy," pure and separate from other humans, having never sinned (IICorinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:5; I John 3:5). He was perfect like His Father in heaven (Matthew5:48). Only a perfectly sinless, holy Sacrifice could redeem sinners and take away their sin. The author of Hebrews calls the Savior "harmless," denoting innocent, blameless, or free from evil. Peter provides some commentary to this description: "‘Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth'; who, when He was reviled, didnot revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously" (IPeter 2:22-23). Though we are full of sin, our Redeemer was as innocent as a newborn baby. Hebrews7:26 also declares Jesus Christ to be "undefiled," from a Greek word meaning "unstained, unsoiled, undefiled, chaste, pure, inviolate, and unimpaired." The author adds another layer to His absolute perfection and purity. He was so perfect that He had notone flaw, not one imperfection, not one defect, not one blemish! But He was more than just perfect: He was both a perfect human being and a holy God-Being, something infinitely greater than a mere physical lamb. As such, He could represent both Creator Godand man and thus qualify as the Perfect Sacrifice to pay for and take away the world's sins. The fourth fulfillment brings together Exodus 12:46 and John 19:32-33, 36: Exodus12:46: "In one house [the Passover lamb] shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones." John19:32-33, 36: "Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. . . . For these things were done that the Scriptureshould be fulfilled, ‘not one of His bones shall be broken.'" The type of the Passover lamb was fulfilled even to this "minor" detail. However, God made sure that even these seemingly insignificant details had their antitypes so that we could have no doubt that Jesus Christ is our Savior. The fifth fulfillment manifests in Jesus' obedience, which is perfectly exemplified by an uncomplaining and submissive lamb. In the Suffering Servant chapter, Isaiah 53, God prophesies: He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah53:7) This passage convinced the Ethiopian eunuch once Philip explained it to him in light of its fulfillment in Christ. Matthew 27:11-14 provides us a gospel account of the antitype: Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "It is as you say." And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilatesaid to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?" But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. As we saw earlier, Peter also attests to this in I Peter 2:23 (see also Mark 14:61; 15:5; Luke 23:9; John 19:8-9). In Part Two, we will investigate a final antitype of the ancient Passover lamb. - John Reiss

Holy Week

 Holy Week - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-3-24-2024/ I have called it, “The week that changed the world.” The events of holy week should be contemplated often by every follower of Christ. It began with Palm Sunday as Jesus publiclypresented Himself as Messiah. The week concluded with His resurrection. But to rise from the dead, He first had to die. He died at the hands of Roman soldiers, at the behest of Jewish religious leaders, and He died for all of us. He died to save us from oursins. The night before the Lord’s crucifixion was like no other. Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples, a meal known in history as “the last supper.” After they ate,with Judas the betrayer still in the room, Jesus did something amazing. John 13:3-5 (NASB) says, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laidaside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” “The Father had given all things into His hands… He had come forth from God, and was going back to God.” Knowing His identity as the only begotten Son of God, He took on thegarb of a servant, knelt before each of His disciples, and washed their feet. He told them to treat one another with this kind of humility, love, and care. After a brief exchange with the Lord, Judas Iscariot left to betray Jesus to religious authorities intent on Christ’s murder. Later that night, after a time of profound teaching,Jesus and His disciples went to Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives to pray or, in the case of the disciples, to nap. It was there, in the middle of the night, that the religious leaders arrested Him. They quickly put Him on trial — the first of six trials,all held on the night of His arrest. At 9:00 AM the next morning, they crucified the King of Glory. Roman soldiers unwittingly carried out the plan of God — His plan from before the foundation of the world. At3:00 PM, He cried out “Tetelestai!” meaning, “paid in full.” The Lamb of God fully paid for the sins of the world. He bowed His head and said, “Father, into Your hands, I commit My spirit,” and He died by His own will. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the Lord’s body and prepared it for burial. John 19:40-42 says, “And so they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen wrappingswith the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid…. They laid Jesus there.” Those words end the 19th chapter of John. Chapter 20 begins, “Now on the first day of the week….” Sunday had come! The Lord’s disciples in various groups went to the tomband found it empty. Mary Magdalene encountered the risen Jesus. Soon thereafter, all the disciples saw and talked with Him. In the forty days that followed, over 500 people saw Him face to face, alive and well. This is history. This is what happened. The resurrectionof Jesus is supported by fuller and more believable evidence than any other event of ancient antiquity. Jesus said it would happen and it did. He also said that after rising from the dead, He would leave the earth for a time. He did not say how long. During the teaching of the night before His crucifixion, in John14:2-3, Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Rest in that assurance and joyfully tell everyone the good news. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

The Rapture Should Remind Us That Time Is Running Out

 The Rampant Practice Of Mocking The Rapture Should Remind Us That Time Is Running Out – By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/the-rampant-practice-of-mocking-the-rapture-should-remind-us-that-time-is-running-out/ As we await the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), there are a myriad of indications that the hour is late and the time of our redemptionis near. We can certainly see indications of the nearing end of the church age in all that Israel is experiencing. We can also note that the Ezekiel war must be coming in the not too distant future in light of developments related to that battle. Add to those,the move toward globalism, evil and good exchanging definitions, and on and on the evidence of the lateness of the hour goes. There are also signs within the church that things are wrapping up, and, sadly, they are negative. The Bible does not say there will be a huge revival or global Great Awakeningprior to the rapture. As a matter of fact, it says the opposite will be taking place. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV – “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Peter 3:3-4 KJV – “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? forsince the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” When sound doctrine is not endured, there are consequences that will be experienced by those who will listen to teachers that scratch their itching ears with things that aren’ttrue. This will contribute to the scoffing that Peter says will be present in the last days. The Greek word translated as “scoffers” can also mean “mockers”, and it is the same word that would be used to describe false teachers. To scoff or mock the teaching of the rapture of the church is to not endure sound doctrine. The rampant practice of mocking the rapture of the church should remind us thattime is running out and the church age is rapidly coming to a close. When you talk about Christ and you deny His resurrection, your whole faith is basically gone. But when you talk about Christ and you don’t deny His resurrection but you denyHis coming back to take us, then what’s the point of His resurrection? You’re doubting the literal promise of His physical return to this Earth; not just to touch Earth with His feet, but to meet us in the clouds and take us to be with Him. John 14:2-3 KJV – “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you,I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” What makes this statement valid is that three days after His death, Jesus rose from the dead. Forty days after He rose from the dead, He ascended into heaven where He hadcome from and He did so in front of eyewitnesses. After He ascended into the clouds and disappeared from the eyewitnesses’ view, two angels said to the men: Acts 1:11 KJV – “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manneras ye have seen him go into heaven.” Jesus said in John 14 that He would receive us, and Revelation 19 makes it clear that when Jesus comes “in like manner” we will be with Him. That means we have to alreadybe there in order to come with Him at His return. There is only one way that can happen, and that is the rapture. [The presence of] scoffers tells us the hour is late and mockers will not endure sound doctrine, which includes the rapture of the church. This should create a sense of urgencyin us for the lost and perishing around us, and raise our expectancy for that “moment and twinkling of an eye” experience we are all longing for. Sadly, many are not expecting what we are told is coming. Matthew 24:44 KJV – “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” These people are acting the same as the individuals in the days of Noah. Everybody knows that in the days of Noah, there were very few people who prepared themselves for somethinggreat. What is it that the rest of them did? The Bible says in Matthew 24: Matthew 24:37-39 KJV – “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” They didn’t want to hear what Noah had to say. They didn’t want to listen to the warnings that God, through Noah, was speaking to the people. So, just like those scoffers,they say, “Everything will stay the same.” Why are they doing that, do you think? To put people to sleep and steal their hope. You see, the hope of the coming of Jesus is the most important thing that a believer canhold onto today and is the number one thing Satan wants to steal from you. And he’s going to use scoffers – sometimes from within, most times from outside – to tell you, “Where is the promise of his coming?” Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Daniel 9:24-27 Prophecy – Weeks or Sevens?

 Daniel 9:24-27 Prophecy – Weeks or Sevens? – Randy Nettles - https://www.rev310.net/post/daniel-9-24-27-prophecy-weeks-or-sevens Many believe that Daniel 9:24-27 is the most important passage of prophecy in all of Scripture. No prophecy in the whole Bible is more critical to our understanding of theend times than these four verses. There are many different interpretations of the historical timing of the events that transpire within these four verses. This article examines several of them. We will also look at some of the Hebrew words and their Englishtranslations contained in these passages. Throughout my twelve years of writing articles on biblical topics, I have changed my mind on several beliefs and views I had as a younger man. Most of these original beliefswere formed from my biblical studies but when I couldn’t understand the meaning of certain scriptures I would just accept known Bible scholars’ and eschatologists’ views regarding these matters, without studying or researching them further. I no longer rely on other opinions or interpretations so much as I have determined that by researching these interpretations further, I no longer always agree with the “experts.” Writingarticles or books is the best way to learn (really learn) as it forces you to research the Bible scriptures instead of just reading them. For instance, I used to just accept the most favored view held by most eschatologists that the 70 weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 were based on Shemitah (or Shmita) cycles or weeks(a heptad or seven years based on the Jewish calendar). 70 weeks would therefore amount to 490 years. I no longer believe this is the best interpretation. These weeks might not be referring to seven years but to the actual seventh year (the Shemitah year)themselves. If that is the case, then the 70 sevens would not necessarily amount to 490 years. In some English translations of Daniel 24-27, the word sevens is used instead of weeks. The Hebrew word for seven or sevens is sebah (or sibah, sheba) and is spelled שֶׁבַע in Hebrew. This is the word used for the cardinal number seven in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for weeks is sabua (or shabbua) and is spelled שָׁבוּעַ in Hebrew. This is the same word except for weeks has one extra letter. Sabua indicates a period of seven days, weeks, or years. It is a denominative of sebah and literally means sevened, seven, or week. I believe the English interpretive word “weeks” in Daniel 9:24-26 refers to the actual Shemitah year (year seven). However, I think the word “week” in Daniel 9:27 refers to the seven-year Shemitah cycle or week (although the last year of the week will be the 70thseven). See Sevens(rev310.net) for more details. I always believed the 69 sevens of Daniel 9:25-26 were from 444 BC to 33 AD. However, the reason I thought this was because of the largely uncontested view of Sir Robert Andersonand those who came after him that the 69 “weeks” were 483 years by way of the prophetic calendar of 360 days. I no longer believe this is the correct interpretation. How were the Jews supposed to use a 360-day calendar to determine Daniel’s prophecy of 70Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27)? It looks good on paper, but it doesn’t hold water. As I said in TheJewish Calendar in Daniel’s Seventieth Week (rev310.net), “The Jews should have known when their Messiah was to come as it was prophesied in Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:25-26)of the 69 sevens, for Jesus said upon his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies willbuild an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children with you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19-42-44). If the Jews should have known when their Messiah was to come, how would they have known to use a calendar that they had never used before? Even if they knew they were to usea prophetic calendar of 360 days, that means they would have to count 173,880 days (483 years of 360 days per year), or they would have to count 30 days per month for 5769 months. Of course, this would be in addition to keeping up with their standard lunisolarcalendar for their Feast of the Lord and related agricultural observances. I find all this highly unlikely and believe the accurate calendar used in Daniel’s prophecy is the one the Jews have always used, which is the lunisolar calendar. The childrenof Israel already had a calendar in place for keeping up with large swaths of time, the Shemitah or Shmita (every seven years) and the Jubilee year (every 50 years) calendar. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Princeshall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25). I don’t adhere to the 458/457 BC terminus a quo date (the decree given to Ezra by Artaxerxes) for Daniel’s 69 weeks prophecy and the 26/27 AD date for the terminus ad quem69th week. The adherents to these dates believe the end date of the 69 weeks was when Jesus was baptized by John. His ministry began shortly afterward. Those who hold to this timeline for Daniel 9:25 believe that the first 69 weeks (483 years) of Daniel’sprophecy was from the issuing of the decree in the seventh year of Artaxerxes until the baptismal anointing (Acts 10:37-38) of Jesus Christ. Messiah (or Christ) means “anointed one,” so they believe this event marked the 69th week or 483rd year of Daniel’sprophecy. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shalldestroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined: (Daniel 9:26). The adherents to the 458/457 BC – 26/27 AD timeline for Daniel 9:25 believe the first part of Daniel 9:26, “And after threescore and two weeks (69 weeks) shall Messiah becut off,” is when Jesus was crucified in 30 AD (on a Friday). They believe the 2.5 - 3.5 years of Jesus’ ministry (depending on if they think Jesus was baptized in 26 or 27 AD), and his death, resurrection, and ascension all occurred several years after the69th week. One problem with this view is there is no terminus ad quem (endpoint) date for the 69 weeks that can be determined for the start of Jesus’ ministry. Most scholars of thistimeline believe the start of Daniel’s prophecy was Tishri 1, 457 BC, which is the start of the civil calendar as well as the start of the Shemitah year (I believe it is Tishri 10 according to Leviticus 25:1-9). So, that means the end of the 69 weeks wouldhave been Tishri 1, 27 AD (approximately 483 years). They therefore reason that the start of Jesus’ ministry was Tishri 1 (Trumpets), 27 AD. If that is the case, and Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, 30 AD, then Jesus would have had a 2.5-year ministry. However, just because Tishri 1, 27 AD is the start of a Shemitah year (and supposedly the 69th one) doesn’t mean this was the date of Jesus’ baptism. With this reckoning,we don’t know the actual terminus a quo date or the terminus ad quem date. We only have the dates for the beginning and ending Shemitah years of the 69 “weeks.” Another problem I have with this view and timeline is the idea that the baptism and anointing (by the Holy Spirit) of Jesus is the event that causes the angel Gabriel to callJesus the “Messiah the Prince.” If he had just called him the “Messiah” I would not have a problem with it so much, but he also called him the “Prince.” A prince is a royal person who is next in line to be king. Before Jesus’ crucifixion, he rode into Jerusalemwith his entourage on a donkey to shouts of “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38)! It was the only day in Jesus’ life that he permitted His followers to proclaim him as Israel’s King, fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy to the day! The Hebrew in Daniel 9:25 calls Him Messiah the Prince, denoting the fact that He was coming as the Anointed Son of the King and was not yet crowned King Himself. Jesus ridinginto Jerusalem on Sunday (Palm Sunday), Nisan 10 fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey,A colt, the foal of a donkey. I believe this is the event mentioned in Daniel 9:25 that occurred during the 69th seven. More on this later. THE DUAL REFERENCE PROPHECY OF DANIEL 9:24-27 If the Jews and the leaders of Jerusalem had accepted Jesus as their Messiah and King, the 70thseven would have begun soon afterward. Daniel 9:24-27 is a dual reference prophecy(with passages relating to both comings of Christ). In my article TheResumption of Daniel's 70th Week :: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready, I described these prophecies and how they work. “The dual reference prophecies were written in sucha way that if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah, He could have fulfilled them without a vast gap of time between the 69th and 70th weeks. Jesus was cut off, resurrected, and ascended into heaven at the end of the 69th seven. Seven more years were still needed to complete Daniel’s prophecy of 70 sevens beforethe Messiah Jesus could establish His Millennial Kingdom. These last seven years would (still) unfold into what the Old Testament prophets called the time of Jacob’s Trouble or the Day of the Lord. I am uncertain as to how all this would be accomplished bythe Lord, and one can only speculate what these last seven years would have been like. I’m sure it would have been different from what is described in Revelation because this book and all of the books of the New Testament would never have been written. One thing is certain in this scenario; all of the prophecies in the Old Testament (including the Day of the Lord and Daniel’s prophecies) and Jesus’ prophecies would stillbe fulfilled in these last 7 years. God’s will is always accomplished, and His word is always fulfilled. As I mentioned before, even if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah, He would still need to die on the cross to fulfill prophecy. The Romans would not accepta Jewish king in their midst, so they would see to it that he was crucified. They would then punish and persecute the Jews who were now revolting against the Roman Empire. Jesus would still be resurrected on the third day and appear to many. I believe Jesuswould also have remained on the earth for 40 days before ascending to heaven and the Father’s house, where He would remain until He returned (Second Coming) seven years later (in 40 AD). I believe the Holy Spirit would still have been sent at Pentecost 50days after Jesus’ resurrection. For Daniel’s prophecy to be fulfilled (in this scenario), I believe the Jews would agree to a seven-year peace treaty with the Romans to avoid further persecution or war.This event would anger God greatly, and the time of Jacob’s trouble would commence. The Roman ruler would break this covenant with the Jews and commit the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27) midway through this “covenant with death,” as described by theprophet Isaiah (Isaiah 28:15-16). Instead of the temple being destroyed in AD 70 (for in this scenario, there is no AD 70), its destruction would occur after the abomination of desolation by the Romans. The desolations of Daniel 9:27 would continue until the Jews repented and called on the Lord to return, thus fulfilling the prophecies of Hosea 5:15 and 6:1-2. In this scenario,Jesus would return to the earth 3.5 years after the abomination of desolation at the battle of Armageddon and destroy the Roman Antichrist and his army and all the other forces arrayed against Him. I believe in this scenario, Jesus would have returned on theFeast of Trumpets (as I believe he will in the future Second Coming) in the year 40 AD. As you may know, the Feast of Trumpets occurs on Tishri 1 which occurs on or shortly after the new moon conjunction of fall. The new moon conjunction for the fall of 40 ADoccurred on September 25 on the Julian calendar (at 00.09 Universal time). This would have been September 23 on the proleptic Gregorian calendar. Amazingly (or ironically), the fall new moon conjunction for 2033 AD occurs on September 23 (at 13:40 Universaltime) on the Gregorian calendar. This is a difference of 13:31 hours, separated by 1993 years of course. Of course, God knew Israel would reject His Son as the Messiah during His First Advent, and the scenario I just described never took place. However, He gave them every opportunityto do so, including Jesus remaining on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection. The Holy Spirit also gave the prophets of old dual reference prophecies so that Jesus could have fulfilled them completely during His First Advent. In between the gaps in these prophecies, the Church was conceived and the covenant of God’s grace through faith has temporarily suspended the covenant of the Law for Israel,just as He always planned. After the Rapture and the removal of the Holy Spirit indwelt Church, the covenant of the Law will resume for Israel (after a short gap of time) until it comes to an end seven years later, when Jesus returns to the Earth. THE TIMELINE OF DANIEL’S 69 SEVENS Now, back to our timelines. Regarding the 27 AD baptism for Jesus fulfilling Daniel 9:25 as the Messiah the Prince and the terminus ad quem for the 69thweek, that leaves allof Jesus’ ministry, his death, resurrection, ascension, and the birth of the Church (and giving of the Holy Spirit) outside of the 69th week by 2.5 (or 3.5) years. It leaves all of the most important events in Jesus’ life in the gap period (the time of theGentiles) between the 69th and 70th week, which has lasted for 1997 years now (according to this timeline). I believe the 69 sevens period should be from the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem (not the temple) to the life of Christ. His entire life, including his birth, ministry,death, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit (conception of the Church) should be included within the 69 sevens. After the 69 sevens were concluded, God turned His attention to the Church and this remains so to this day until the 70th week(the last seven years) begins, and then God will turn His attention back to Israel again, as the Rapture will have already taken the Church to heaven. There are other reasons that I don’t like 458/457 for the start of Daniel’s 70th week or 26/27 AD for the end of Daniel’s 69th week (and 30 AD for Jesus’ crucifixion), whichI have covered in other articles, so I won’t rehash it here. See DabarMatters (rev310.net), TheSeason of the Lord’s Return (rev310.net), TheJewish Calendar in Daniel’s Seventieth Week (rev310.net), and InThe Midst of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy (rev310.net). After reading these articles (I know you did, right?), you know I am a proponent of the 445/444 BC to 32/33 AD dates for the 69 sevens of Daniel 9:25-26. Let’s look at Daniel9:25 again. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even introublous times.” If these “weeks” are not cycles of seven years but are instead “seventh years” (or Sabbatical years) then the Messiah the Prince would come during the 69thseven. The word or dabar (some translations say decree) given to Nehemiah by Artaxerxes (during the 20thyear of his reign) to rebuild Jerusalem occurred in the month of Nisan inthe year 444 BC. So, the first “seven” or Shemitah year (sabbatical year) would have been Tishri 10, 3317 AM (445 BC) – Tishri 9, 3318 AM (444 BC) and the 69th “seven” would have been Tishri 10, 3792 AM (32 AD) – Tishri 9, 3793 AM (33 AD). The anointed Princewas prophesied to come sometime within that timeframe. It just so happens that Jesus (the Messiah Prince) rode into Jerusalem on Nisan 10, 33 AD, fulfilling Daniel 9:25. Author’s note: Nehemiah 8:13-18 mentions Nehemiah and the Jewsreading the Law during the Feast of Tabernacles during the year they returned to Jerusalem (444 BC), thus obeying the commandment to do so according to Deuteronomy 9-13. “And Moses commanded them, saying: “At the end of every seven years, at the appointedtime in the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.” (Deut. 31:10-11). These verses in Nehemiah indicatethe year they returned to Jerusalem (444 BC) was a Shemitah year. 69 Shemitah years later would be 33 AD. See the Sevens article. The first part of Daniel 9:26 says, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.” Of course, we know the term “cut off” means killed.So, the Messiah would be killed after the event of verse 25 (Palm Sunday), which would be four days after Nisan 10. Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, 33 AD (IMO). If you prefer to connect the word “after” with the sabbatical years, the 1st Shemitah year beganin 445 BC and the 69thShemitah year began in 32 AD, therefore Jesus’ death occurred after 32 AD. From 445 BC to 33 AD is 477 years. Daniel never mentioned 483 years, only 69 sevens. The number 477 is significant as I wrote about in Shavuot,Pentecost, and the Rapture (rev310.net). With this timeline, you have the entire life of Jesus, including his baptism, ministry, death, resurrection, the ascension of Jesus, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and theconception of the Church within the 69 sevens. The 69th seven continued until Tishri 10 (the Day of Atonement), 33 AD. Since Jesus wasn’t crowned King of the Jews at this time, God turned his attention to the newly conceived Church and away from the Jews.This is the time known as the Church age and the fullness of the Gentiles. It will continue through the Rapture of the Church (which will end the Church age) and keep on continuing until the last seven years (the Tribulation) which will culminate with the70th seven. Jesus will return at this time to set up His Millennium Kingdom. The six conditions or objectives of Daniel 9:24 will at this time be accomplished for Jerusalem and the Jewish people. I believe the crucifixion of Jesus occurred on Thursday, Nisan 14, as I have written about many times. Here is what the late Jack Kelley wrote regarding the chronology ofHoly Week. “Thursday is really the only day that works for the crucifixion. The Lord rode into Jerusalem on Sunday and allowed Himself to be hailed as Israel’s King for the first and only time in His ministry. This fulfilled the Passover prophecy that theLamb had to be selected on the 10th day of the first month and then had to be minutely inspected for 3 days (Monday the 11th, Tuesday the 12th, and Wednesday the 13th) until the 14th (Exodus 12:3-6). Jesus was thoroughly inspected and questioned by the religiousleaders in Jerusalem during this time. He was crucified on Thursday, Nisan 14, which was Passover, the day the lamb had to be sacrificed. It was also called Preparation Day (in all four Gospels) because it wasthe day before the Feast of Unleavened Bread began when no work could be done. The first day of U.B. is the special Sabbath (a high day) that John referred to in John 19:31. It began on the 15th which was Friday that year. The next day was Saturday, the weekly Sabbath on which no work could be done. Finally, the women came to the tomb at sunrise on Sunday, the first day on which they could dothe work of attending to His body (Matt. 28:1). It was the Feast of First Fruits, the day after the first weekly Sabbath after Passover. (Lev. 23:9-11) If Jesus had been crucified on Wednesday there wouldn’t have been time to meet the 3-day inspection rule and if the special Sabbath (the 1st day of Unleavened Bread) was onThursday the women could have come on Friday to anoint the body. Jesus couldn’t have been crucified on Friday (Good Friday), as there is no way you can get three days and three nights from Friday to Sunday morning. Jesus died on Thursday, day one, then Friday was night one and day two, Saturday was night 2 and day three, Sunday was night 3 and He was out of the tomb before sunrise whenthe women got there. Remember, the Jew’s 24-hour day begins at 6:00 pm. {1} HolyWeek Chronology – Grace thru faith If you go by the Nisan 1 dates by reckoning from the Biblical Jewish Calendar as outlined in TheCalculated Jewish Calendar vs. the Biblical Jewish Calendar (rev310.net), here are the Julian calendar dates and days of the week for Nisan 14 from 29 – 34 AD. Most scholarsdon’t believe Jesus could have been crucified earlier or later than these years. As you can see, 33 AD is the only date that Nisan 14 occurs on a Thursday. I don’t see a Good Friday in the bunch. Nisan 14 – Saturday, April 16, 29 AD Nisan 14 – Wednesday, April 5, 30 AD Nisan 14 – Monday, March 26, 31 AD Nisan 14 – Saturday, April 12, 32 AD Nisan 14 – Thursday, April 2, 33 AD Nisan 14 – Tuesday, March 23, 34 AD THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL 9:24,27 Finally, regarding the 70th week of Daniel 9:27, since I no longer believe in a prophetic year of 360 days for the calculation of the duration of a calendar year, I don’tthink these last seven years will be divided into two halves of 1260 days as most eschatologists do. The Jewish Sabbath “weeks” (seven years) are approximately 2540 or 2570 days in duration (give or take a few days) for both the Calculated Jewish calendar and the BiblicalJewish calendar. I believe the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy will contain 2569 days. One reason why I think the last “week” of Daniel’s 70th week will be for 2569 days is because that is what is required to get 1290 days from two very significant Feastof the Lord days on the Jewish calendar (see below). The last 3.5 years need to have two intercalary months added for this to be possible. Daniel’s 69 sevens prophecy began and ended in the month of Nisan (Nisan 10). I believe the 70th week will begin and end on Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Thetwo witnesses of Revelation 11 may begin their ministry on this same date, which is the holiest day of the year for Jews. 3.5 years, or 1260 days later the two witnesses will be killed by the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit. This fulfills Revelation11:3 and Revelation 11:7. The date on the Biblical Jewish calendar will be Nisan 1. Nine (the number for judgment) days later the Antichrist will ride into Jerusalem on a white horse declaring himself king of Israel and the entire world. This is Nisan 10on the Biblical Jewish calendar, the same day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as the Jew’s king (Messiah, the Prince) but was rejected as such. Five days later, the Jews’ Passover will begin on Nisan 15. I think the Antichrist will be killed during the Feast of Unleavened Bread and be resurrected on the Sabbath afterPassover, which is the original Feast of First fruits. This is the same day Jesus was resurrected. The Antichrist will stop all sacrifices on this day and his false prophet will set up the abomination of desolation as described in Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15.This is day 1279 from the start of the Tribulation. It is the “in the midst” event of Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9:27), which is2569 days in duration. There are exactly 1290 days left that constitute the “Great Tribulation.” Jesus will return to the earth (Second Coming) on Tishri 1, on the Feast of Trumpets. It will have been 1290 days from Nisan 10 when the Antichrist first rode into Jerusalemas the king of the world. The true King of Kings and LORD of Lords, Jesus Christ, will return as the “Man of War” and destroy the Antichrist, false prophet, and their evil forces, as described in Revelation 19:11-21. Also, from the Feast of First Fruits, when the Antichrist stopped the sacrifices and set up the abomination of desolation in the temple in Jerusalem, to 3.5 year later onthe Day of Atonement, will be exactly 1290 days in duration. This fulfills the prophecy of Daniel 12:11, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundredand ninety days.” I believe the events of Revelation 20:1-4, will occupy the remaining ten days “of Awe or Repentance” between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The end of the Tribulation willoccur on Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). It will have been exactly 2569 days (7 Jewish calendar years) from the start of Daniel’s 70th week on the Feast of Yom Kippur. Most scholars believe there will be a 45-day gap between the end of Daniel’s 70th week and the beginning of the Millennium Kingdom, because of Daniel 12:12 (1335 days). Fivedays after the Day of Atonement, the remaining Jews will celebrate Tabernacles (Sukkot) with Jesus. During this 45-day gap period, many necessary events will be accomplished such as the judgments of the tribulation survivors (Matthew 24:45-51; 25:31-46), appointingjudges and officers (Isaiah 1:26), and preparing the Millennial Temple as described in Ezekiel 40-48. Exactly 1335 days from the Antichrist’s abomination of desolation, the Millennium Kingdom will begin. “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundredand thirty-five days” (Daniel 12:12). Interestingly, this chapter and verse is 12, as 12 is the biblical number that represents Israel. For a hypothetical example (with Gregorian dates) of this timeline see The1290th & 1335th Day of Dan. 12:11-12 (rev310.net). Regardless of the correctness of this timeline, we know with 100% accuracy that Jesus will return to the Earth at theend of the 70th week and seven of Daniel’s prophecy. Incidentally, the Greek word for seven is Strong’s G2033 – hepta. The words, seven, seventh, and seven times occur 88 times in the New Testament (as does the “Son of man”). Eight is the number for new beginnings. The Greek isopsephy value for Jesus Ἰησοῦ (Iēsou) is 888. The Greek word hepta(seven) occurs 33 times in the Book of Revelation, pointing to the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Randy Nettles rgeanie55@gmail.com

The Mockers Are Multiplying

 The Mockers Are Multiplying - By Rick Segoine - https://www.raptureready.com/2024/03/27/the-mockers-are-multiplying-by-rick-segoine/ Here we are on Planet Earth, this beautiful little world that looks like a shining blue and white ball from outer space, this absolutely beautiful planet that was spoken intoexistence by the second person in the Holy Trinity on behalf of the first and the third persons – the Father, the Father’s Only Begotten Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, long before He walked upon the earth in a body made of flesh, had spoken this world and all of the universe into existence. It was the will of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke those words of creation. If He had not spoken all of creation and all of the living things that inhabit the creation into existence, you and I and everyone who has ever lived would have never lived.That is “never” as in not ever. What this means is that every person who has ever lived, including every person who is alive today and walking around on this amazing planet, owes everything they have, everybreath taken, and all that we cherish to the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Our Lord, our God, our Creator, deserves all of the praise and all of the glory from every single one of us with a heart filled with thankfulness and gratefulness, and intotal awe of the fact that this experience of being alive is very real. We really and truly are breathing air with the awareness that we are alive, and thinking things and doing things every day right here on Planet Earth. Sadly, not everyone who is alive on the earth is thankful or grateful or inclined to do any praising or glorifying of the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Spirit. Even moresadly, many are doing the exact opposite of that. Instead of praising, many are mocking. Instead of being grateful, many are blaspheming. As we move steadily toward the fulfillment of all God-inspired Bible prophecy, the blaspheming and the mocking are multiplying. It is doing that because the blasphemers andthe mockers are multiplying. Jude 1:18 tells us that “in the last times, there would be mockers who would walk after their own ungodly lusts.” The increasing number of mockers coincides with something Jesus said. He said in Matthew 7:13-20 that “narrow is the gate leading to eternal life and wide is the gate leadingto destruction.” He told us that few would enter the narrow gate, and many would enter the wide gate. In these end times, with the seven-year tribulation period appearing to be at our very doorstep, people are still getting saved, but even more people areresisting salvation. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Many of those who, of their own free will, are determined to enter the wide gate and travel the road to destruction, have become mockers and blasphemers. Not content withbeing mere unbelievers, many feel compelled to sanctimoniously mock the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The mockers also seem to immensely enjoy mocking the Christian believers. They refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as our “imaginary friends.” The mockers are convinced by the “prince of the power of the air,” aka Lucifer, the father of lies, that they are smarter than God Almighty and smarter than we who believein God Almighty. The mockers of today are not so very different than the mockers of Noah’s time. As Noah and his sons worked day in and day out on the Ark for 120 years, crowds of mockers would gather to yell insults at the four men who were building a giant boat on dryland. Noah would consistently preach repentance to them but to no avail. They considered the One who instructed Noah to build the Ark to be Noah’s “imaginary friend.” “As in the days of Noah” is how Jesus said it would be. And as always, Jesus was right. He gave us the signs to watch for that would let us know when His return was gettingclose, and admonished us to watch and to “look up for our redemption is drawing nigh.” Matthew chapter 24 and Luke 17:20-30 are full of these signs, and every one of them is converging together here in the year 2024. The Rapture of the remnant church could happenat any time. Only our Heavenly Father knows if it will happen in a couple of years or in five minutes from now. Just like Noah and his sons kept right on hammering, we need to keep ourlamps full, keep watching, keep evangelizing, and stay ready. This Christ-releasing world is growing more and more evil and waxing from bad to worse every single day, just as Paul reveals to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:13. Present times areincreasingly matching up with the times of Noah, as it was leading up to the flood. Genesis 6:5 describes the wickedness of Noah’s time. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heartwas only evil continually.” Two of the main things that the “times of Noah” and our “present time” have in common are a thick cloud of prevailing wickedness and evil wreaking havoc on the inhabitantsof Earth, and sickeningly smug mockery and blasphemy toward our Creator and our Savior. In the times of Noah and now, He who warns us and seeks to save us was and still is considered to be an “imaginary friend.” I think I can speak for all truly born-again believers when I declare Jesus is not my imaginary friend. He is my best friend, and He has stayed true to me even in the times that I have miserably failed Him. He has also been true to His Word of giving me the gift of the HolySpirit to live inside of me and guide me to the truth in all things. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has opened up my understanding of how Jesus and His Father are One and how His Father is also my Father. He who began a good work in me is being faithful tocomplete it, and I will be eternally grateful for His faithfulness. Together, the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit have opened up my understanding of scripture as the divinely inspired and prophetic Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). “All scriptureis God-breathed.” The hundreds of fulfilled prophecies and the hundreds of astonishing supernatural miracles that have taken place over the centuries that are recorded in the Holy Bible anddocumented even by secular historians are not imaginary. What is imaginary is believing that there is no such thing as a Creator. What is imaginary is believing an intelligently and perfectly designed creation sprang forth out of mindless nothingness. What is imaginary is believing that you yourself are a god or believing in any number of false gods, of which there are many. What is imaginary is believing in any and all of the many lies of Lucifer that are designed to convince you that the actual Creator, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are theimaginary ones. If you allow yourself to believe that, then you are fulfilling Isaiah 5:20 where it says, “Woe unto those who see evil as good and see good as evil.” If you are fulfilling Isaiah’s warning, then you have become one of the backward, upside-down, inside-out people who view all of the wickedness and evil in the world as agood thing. If you are either wittingly or unwittingly fulfilling Isaiah’s warning of seeing bitterness as sweet and darkness as light, you are fitting also into the definition of “woke” and mistaking your blindness for enlightenment. If so, you should knowthat you have been tricked, bamboozled, fooled, and flat-out lied to. There is still, at the moment, this side of the Rapture, time for the mockers, the scoffers, and even the blasphemers to repent. There is still time to change your mind andto change your heart. There is still time to do a 180-degree about-face turnaround. It starts by believing that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life and that He is the Son of God who has taken the punishment for all of your sins upon Himself so thatif you believe in Him, you shall be redeemed and given the gift of eternal life. He has the power and the ability to take your broken and depraved heart and cleanse it so as to create in you a new heart. A new heart that is filled with praise for God ourCreator rather than mockery of Him. A new heart filled with joy, love, compassion, and overflowing with thankfulness rather than blasphemy. A new heart that will allow you to see that evil is evil and good is good. A new heart that will allow you to easilydiscern the difference between the two and to never be fooled again. And a new heart that is no longer deceived and realizes that God cannot be mocked and that all mockery is done in vain (Galatians 6:7). You will fully understand why Holy God, our Heavenly Father, despises evil, and you, who once embraced and endorsed evil, will despise it also. At present, in the spring of the year 2024, the battle of good and evil is still raging. It is a battle for the souls of men and the souls of women and, along with free will,will determine where each one will spend eternity. Since we do not know when the day will arrive when we can say, “Tomorrow would be too late,” today would be the perfect day to follow through on the words of the Apostle Paul,the man who was chosen personally by Jesus that fateful day on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-9). And Paul said, as written in Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Looking forward with joy to your return, Lord Jesus, Rick Segoine

Revelation 22: Eternal recompense

 Revelation 22: Eternal recompense - By Mark Creech - https://www.christianpost.com/voices/revelation-22-eternal-recompense.html Dr. Howard A. Kelly, a distinguished physician and committed Christian, stood as one of the original four founding professors of the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Medicineupon its establishment in 1893. During his tenure as a medical student, Kelly’s resolve to pursue his studies led him to undertake various endeavors to meet his financial needs. Among these efforts, he wouldsell books during the summer months. One particular day, parched from his endeavors, he sought refreshment at a nearby farmhouse. Welcomed by a young girl who offered him water, he gratefully accepted, only to be pleasantly surprised when she instead presentedhim with a glass of milk, the coolness of which revived his spirits. As years elapsed, Kelly completed his medical education and ascended to the esteemed position of chief surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital. It was during this period that adestitute and gravely ill woman was admitted under his care. Recognizing her dire circumstances, Kelly ensured she received the utmost attention, providing her with a private room and dedicated nursing care. Through meticulous surgical intervention and attentivepostoperative care, the woman’s health steadily improved. Upon her recovery, the head nurse conveyed the news of her discharge, a moment of elation tinged with apprehension at the anticipated financial burden of her treatment. Requestingthe invoice, the woman braced herself for the impending expenses. To her astonishment, as she perused the bill, her eyes fell upon a remarkable notation at the bottom: “Paid in full with one glass of milk! Howard A. Kelly, M.D.” Dr. Howard A. Kelly’s story echoes Jesus’ promise to his disciples that even the smallest act, such as offering a cup of water in his name, will not go unrewarded (Mark 9:41).It is this same sentiment that is reiterated by Jesus in the last verses of the book of Revelation. Herein the Lord promises to return and bring with him a reward for every action of heart-felt service given in his name. Just as the woman’s small deed wasultimately recognized and more than generously rewarded, so it will be for everyone who faithfully awaits the Savior’s return in faith and perseverance. Here is what the Bible says: Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning andthe End.” Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs — the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers,and all who love to live a lie (Revelation 22:12-15). In the book of Revelation alone, Jesus admonishes three times: “I am coming soon.” (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). The concept of Christ’s imminent return, however, is mentionedthroughout the New Testament, though not necessarily in the same words. For instance, in Matthew 24:44, Jesus says, “You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” This echoes the idea of viewing the Lord’s return asnear at hand, though the language, “I am coming soon” is not used. In biblical literature, repetition is often used to highlight the importance of a particular message or event. This is especially the case when something is repeated threetimes in the same chapter — the repetition is meant to heighten its emotional and spiritual resonance. Encapsulated within this trinity of proclamations are all the implications of its great significance: hope, comfort, accountability, urgency, motivationto share the Gospel, a call to obedience, and an encouragement to remain faithful. There is a story about a traveler in Switzerland who came upon a beautiful villa on the shores of a lake, far from the beaten path of most tourists. An aged gardener who caredfor the villa was always glad to see visitors. He had lived alone there for many years. “How often does the owner of the villa come to see you?” asked the traveler. “Not very often. It’s been several years since his last visit,” responded the caretaker. “But,” said the traveler, “you have everything in such perfect order. It’s so clean and well-landscaped, with everything flourishing. It looks as if you were expecting yourmaster to show up tomorrow!” “Oh, no,” said the old man, “I’m expecting him to come today! He may very well be here at any moment, and so I must be ready with everything in order.” This is what it means to live in the light of Christ’s imminent return. Jesus also mentions that when he comes again his reward will be with him. Some Christians mistakenly see working for the Lord in the hope of gaining rewards as something unspiritual,even carnal. Yet, in Matthew 6:20, the Lord Jesus encouraged storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth, highlighting the wisdom of laying up for oneself heavenly rewards which are imperishable and eternal. Many years ago, when I first gave my heart to Christ and began attending church regularly, I encountered a profound little poem taped to the door of a Sunday School room.Its words have since held a firm grip on my life. It read: “Everything in this life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Regrettably, many individuals have their priorities inverted. They invest all their energies and resources in the fleeting pursuits of this present life, forgetting that noneof their possessions can be carried beyond. At best, these things are temporal. It’s only through our service to the Lord that we make investments in the eternal. Faithful and sacrificial investments in the Kingdom of God provide interest rates that are notonly perpetual and enduring but are far greater than anything that might be attained in this life. On whose word do we have this promise of eternal reward? It is not based on the pledges of some highly acclaimed individuals like Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, or MarkZuckerburg. The assurance given is not grounded on the authority of a government agency, or a financial, academic, or religious institution. No, their surety comes from him whose credentials are unmatched anywhere in the universe — the one who is the “Alphaand Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (vs. 12). Again, there is a trinity of proclamations (Revelation 1:8; 1:11; 22:13): expressions of our Lord’s eternal nature, divine authority, and preeminence. The great truth revealedis that Christ is the central figure of Revelation and God’s entire redemptive plan (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 13:8). Each in some manner expresses Christ’s deity. The proofs for the deity of Jesus are too voluminous to miss for anyone possessing intellectual honesty. Counted among them would be his miracles, his fulfillment of prophecies,his wisdom, insight, and moral teachings, his claims to be the Messiah, his acceptance of worship, his bodily resurrection from the dead, his impact on history, and the millions of people who have testified to being transformed by his message and presence. As the evangelist of yesteryear, William Biederwolf once claimed: “A man who can read the New Testament and not see that Christ claims to be more than a man, can look allover the sky at high noon on a cloudless day and not see the sun.” The conclusion is clear: Jesus is God. No one in human history compares to Him, because He isn’t just a man. The King James Version is a wonderful and blessed translation. It translates verse “Blessed are they that do his commandments.” Nevertheless, this can be confusing for somepeople because it isn’t by our works, or by commandment-keeping that we attain or earn the right to the Tree of Life. In Titus 3:5, the apostle Paul writes: “He [Christ] saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Hewashed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” Other translations such as the New International Version, the English Standard Version, the New American Standard Bible, the Revised Standard Version, and the New Living Translation,all translate the verse: “Blessed are those who wash their robes.” The passage is a reference to being washed in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb of God. The point being emphasized is our own responsibility in the experience of salvation.What Christ has done for the redemption of humanity, his life, death, and resurrection, must be personally applied. Salvation is not simply a mental assent to certain facts about Jesus. One can be filthy and unfit to sit at the dinner table and know everythingabout how soap and water cleanses, but unless that person applies the soap and water and washes, they will never be clean. Those who would partake of the Tree of Life and enter through the gates of God’s eternal city must choose to throw themselves entirely upon the grace of God in Christ. Thereis no other way (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). They must receive Christ, believe on Him from the heart, personally turn to him for forgiveness, and experience his life-altering power, which empowers one to desire and love God’s commandments. No others will get into Heaven, everyone else will be left outside of the city. This strong warning is reminiscent of the multitudes that heard Noah, a preacher of righteousness.God spared Noah and his family from his coming wrath, but the unbelieving who mocked the message were left outside of the Ark (A Type of Christ) and perished in God’s judgment of the great flood (2 Peter 2:5). In a parable, Jesus compared the Kingdom of Heavento 10 virgins waiting for the arrival of the bridegroom. When the bridegroom arrived, those who were prepared entered into the wedding feast, but the foolish virgins who were unprepared were shut out (Matthew 25:10-12). The list of those barred from the Tree of Life and the city is said to be, “the dogs – the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, murderers, idolators, and those who love to livea lie” (vs. 15). This is not meant to be understood as an exhaustive list, but to broadly characterize the masses who are damned. • Dogs – the unregenerate, who like scavenging canines, instinctively prefer the unclean, feed upon carrion, and find rummaging through the garbage of lifepleasurable. Dogs sicken themselves by consuming corruption, then they vomit it out, but love it so much return to eat the vomit (2 Peter 2:22). The unsaved live this way. Though some are more aware of it than others, they love what is impure and spirituallysqualid. • Sorcerers – The Greek word used for “sorcerers” is “pharmakeus,” which is related to the word “pharmakeia.” This word is connected to the modern English word “pharmacy.” The immediate application of the word is a reference to witchcraft or occult practices. The wider application of the word is to warn against mind-altering substances that can open an unseen portal to demonic spirits who possess and enslave, draggingindividuals into Hell. Drug abuse is an offshoot of sorcery and it is one of the most powerful weapons of the devil to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). As sad as their plight may be, those who practice the use and sale of illicit drugs will not be permittedinto Heaven. • Sexually immoral – people who are sexually active outside of marriage between one man and one woman. This would include casual sex, hookups, one-night stands, extramaritalaffairs, prostitution, polygamy, polyamory, heterosexual cohabitation, as well as same-sex relations in its many expressions. The souls of those who choose to live in this fashion are in jeopardy of being barred from entering God’s eternal home. • Murderers – people who directly commit the act of murder or have purposely and unlawfully taken the life of another person. Indirect acts of murder are more comprehensivein definition and can include leading people into forms of dissipation, that destroy them in the end. When people are unwilling or neglectful in doing what is right and it results in the loss of life, it can be a form of murder. There is also the spirit ofmurder that many live with every day. Jesus warned when someone’s heart long harbors bitterness, anger, and hate towards another, that individual will fare no better at the judgment than the person’s hands gory with human blood (Matthew 5:21-22). • Idolators – people who worship or serve idols, false gods, or anything other than the true God. Idolatry involves giving devotion, reverence, or worship to somethingcreated rather than to the Creator. Not many people today worship a graven image as many of the ancients did, but large swaths of the population worship things like nature, health, sports, science, academia, pleasure, celebrity, and wealth. People whose livesare consumed by such and fail to give God his rightful place as Sovereign will not enter God’s Kingdom. • All Who Love to Live a Lie – people who embrace and engage in deceitful behavior or falsehoods. This includes individuals who habitually lie, deceive others, or live dishonestlives. They deceive themselves or others about their actions, beliefs, or intentions, leading to a lifestyle of falsehood and deceit. This can include politicians, con artists, false spiritual leaders, internet trolls and hoaxers, corporate fraudsters, andmedia manipulators. This could also be legitimately applied to people who hold woke ideologies about gender and sexuality, cancel culture involving misinformation and mob mentality, or the practice of certain forms of identity politics. These too are thosewho “love to live a lie.” • People who live this way — people who habitually operate through life in this manner — people who are characterized by this kind of behavior — will not have any right to theTree of Life — neither shall they ever walk through one of the gates of the eternal city of God. They shall be forever banned, shut out, to burn in Gehenna, the dump outside of the city. These words are absolutely true and unchangeable. Some will scoff at them but every word will come to pass. They will come to pass because the One who said them is the Alphaand Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, and his word never fails. How wondrously happy are those whose garments have been cleansed in the blood of the Lamb; they will find passage through the gates of the radiant city of light and joyouslycelebrate together their right to partake of the Tree of Life’s miraculous properties of immortality. The earnest anticipation of Christ’s return instills unwavering trust. Believing and obeying the prophecies of Revelation fosters a simple and steadfast faith and serves asa stabilizing force amid life’s worst circumstances. Better still, it inspires a profound hope, as stated in I John 3:3, that compels the followers of Jesus to purify themselves in emulation of their Savior. Aspiring to reflect the Lord’s image is the ultimateaspiration for those eagerly awaiting his return. “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all according to their deeds,” says Jesus. It’s impossible to know exactly when the Lord Jesus will come again, but we can know with complete certainty that he will return. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 37 reaffirmRevelation chapter 22, verses 12 through 15: “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay” (Hebrews 10:37).

Purim to Passover 2024

 Purim to Passover 2024 - Bill Koenig - https://watch.org We pray that you are having a special week in the Lord. On Friday, March 22, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that a major Rafah operation could result in global isolation and long-term security harm for Israel. On Sunday Vice President Kamala Harris would not rule out consequences for Israel if it goes ahead with the Rafah operation. Moreover, in a meeting with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, Blinken reiterated U.S. “opposition to a major operation in Rafah.” Then also on Monday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that demanded Israel’s ceasefire for the rest of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan andthe release of all hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The United States abstained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately canceled plans to send a delegation to the United States to discuss plans for an operation in Rafah after the U.N. SecurityCouncil voted to back the ceasefire and the United States failed to veto the resolution. Within hours there a worldwide geomagnetic storm occurred and at 1:30 am Tuesday morning the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a cargoship. Key was the writer of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States. The following “Purim to Passover 2024” was written by my good friend Ted Vanlandeghem, a Jewish believer in Yeshua. Over the years he has been very supportive of my “Eye toEye―Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel.” PURIM TO PASSOVER 2024 – A CALL TO NATIONAL REPENTANCE - By TedM. Vanlandeghem • Yesterday we awoke to the news of the early morning collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, which occurred 24 hours after the conclusion of Purim. This cameon the heels of the United States’ abstention rather than veto of the United Nations Security Council’s passage Monday of a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war and 24 hours after news broke of Vice President Kamala Harris threatening Israel in aspeech with dire consequences: https://www.foxnews.com/media/harris-shameful-warning-israel-crashes-burns-online-kick-rocks-kamala • This has additional weighty significance since Francis Scott Key was the author of our national anthem, penned during the War of 1812 in the British battle for Fort McHenryin the inner harbor of Baltimore on September 14, 1814 (the day before Yom Kippur of 1814 and the last day of Yomim Nora’im 1814). • The fort where the battle took place that inspired Key to write the national anthem is right there in the inner harbor where the bridge collapsed. • Another prophetic layer is that a lunar eclipse occurred on Purim this year―and will be repeated the next two years: • 2024 also a Jewish leap year, so Purim occurs twice this year. During a Jewish leap year there are two months of Adar―Adar 1 and Adar 2―so Purim occurs twice: Purim Katan(February23–24, 2024) and Purim (March 23–24, 2024). The point is that there is a double portion of Purim this year. Adding weight to this is the lunar eclipse pattern that started on Purim this year and continues for the next three years. Additionally, this speaksof God dealing with Iran. It’s no coincidence that Israel is currently locked in a war against Iran and her proxies―Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. But there are other pieces to this: • This year’s total solar eclipse is on April 8, which is the 1st of Nisan on the biblical calendar, or the biblical new year, coming two weeks before Passover, which takesplace on the 14th of Nisan. • April 8 is also the end of Ramadan on the Islamic calendar―a prophetic convergence. • This eclipse comes seven years after the last total solar eclipse. • The two eclipses or 2017 and 2024 make an X over New Madrid, Missouri. • New Madrid is the site of two major earthquakes in the United States, in 1811 and again in 1812 (about three months before the beginning of the war of 1812). • George H. W. Bush started the peace process to divide the land of Israel in Madrid, Spain. Will judgment come upon America at New Madrid, Missouri? • The eclipse seven years ago passed over seven United States cities named “Salem,” which means “peace”― 1. Salem, Oregon 2. Salem, Idaho 3. Salem, Wyoming 4. Salem, Nebraska 5. Salem, Missouri 6. Salem, Kentucky 7. Salem, South Carolina • This year’s eclipse on the 1st of Nissan passes over and will be visible from seven cities named “Nineveh” in the United States and an additional one in Nova Scotia, Canada. • In the story of Jonah, God gave the city of Nineveh 40 days to repent: Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh willbe overthrown” (Jonah 3:4 NIV). • So if this is a prophetic pattern for the United States and we are being given a 40-daywindow to repent as a nation, then the next question is “What day comes 40 days afterthe first of Nissan?” That happens to be a day called “Passover Sheni.” • Passover Sheni is the biblically mandated second Passover or “make-up” Passover that was given in Numbers: “Tell the Israelites: 'When any of you or your descendants areunclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they are still to celebrate the Lord's Passover, but they are to do it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight’” (Numbers 9:9–11). • This second Passover was mandated by God for any of the people who were unclean or unfit to celebrate the first Passover, one month prior. If the people of God were notclean or fit to partake in the first Passover, he mandated this one―a second chance. It’s on this “second-chance Passover” that the 40-day window from the 1st of Nisan, April 8, ends! • Four days after Passover Sheni comes a Jewish traditional holiday called “Lag Ba'Omer,”or the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, in which the Jewish people in Israelmake large bonfires all across the land of Israel. • Lag Ba'Omer is marked by fire . A day marked by fire follows the “second-chance Passover.” • Could it be that God is giving the United States a 40-day window to repent that concludes on the second Passover, or the “second chance Passover”? And if we do not repentas a nation―will we reap fire?

Perilous Times and Cults

 Perilous Times and Cults – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/03/25/perilous-times-and-cults/ The first time I really was made to understand the insidious nature of heavily-populated religious cults in America was in 1999. Even upon learning about one cult in particular,I had trouble believing what I was hearing. We were in Indianapolis, Indiana, to speak at a prophecy conference –invited there by Dan, a person who would become a close friend over the ensuing years. He and his wife were at the head of an anti-cult ministry and were devoted intensively to bringing the Truth to people of the Mormon cult and to all who would heed what theyhad to say. And they did indeed have much to say about the truth behind the falsely gentle façade of Mormonism. There were great speakers at the conference like Dave Hunt, John Ankerberg and others, and I thoroughly enjoyed and learned from those speakers. But what I remember most wasprivate conversations between Dan and myself. His revelations were stunningly eye-opening. Yet, like I mentioned, I had a hard time getting my non-cultic mind around the insidiousness of the cultic dogmas and practices. The reason for Dan’s and his wife’s intensity in carrying out the assignment the Lord gave them was that they had several years previously to this 1999 conference come outof Mormonism. They had been at the intermediate level, as I understood Dan to say. That is, somewhere in the mid-level of the Mormon Church structure. And their status was about to change. Dan was being looked at for much higher doings in that structure. I never will forget our sitting in a small anteroom off the big sanctuary of the church rented for the conference. It was just Dan and myself there, having a quick lunch.Dan opened up in telling about his and his wife’s leaving the Mormon Church. The following news item, when I came across it on Rapture Ready News, instantly pierced my memory of that conversation those years ago with Dan. A former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was featured in an Associated Press investigation into how the church protects itself from allegationsof sexual abuse, was arrested by police in Virginia this week after being indicted on charges he sexually abused his daughter while accompanying her on a school trip when she was a child, according to court filings. Police and federal authorities had been searching for John Goodrich after a grand jury in Williamsburg on Jan. 17 found probable cause that he committed four felonies, includingrape by force, threat or intimidation, forcible sodomy, and two counts of felony aggravated sexual battery by a parent of a child. Those charges were filed weeks after the AP investigation revealed how a representative of the church, widely known as the Mormon church, employed a risk management playbookthat has helped it keep child sexual abuse cases secret after allegations surfaced that Goodrich abused his daughter Chelsea, now in her 30s, at their home in Idaho as well as on a school field trip to the Washington, D.C., area 20 years ago. “I hope this case will finally bring justice for my childhood sexual abuse,” Chelsea Goodrich said in a statement to the AP. “I’m grateful it appears that the Commonwealthof Virginia is taking one event of child sexual assault more seriously than years of repeated assaults were treated in Idaho.” Source: Former Mormon bishop highlighted in AP investigation arrestedon felony child sex abuse charges – WJET/WFXP/YourErie, by JASON DEAREN, Rapture Ready News, March 14, 2024 As I said, the news story grabbed my attention and transported me back to that afternoon in Indianapolis, sitting there with Dan. He told me why he and his wife, Augusta,born in Iceland and a naturalized American citizen, were so dedicated to their anti-cult ministry and why they believed in Bible prophecy. They and their children, then grown to adulthood, had been devoted to the Mormon agenda in every way. They saw the Mormon thrust as seeking only to do good and making surethey brought others into that “church” so others, too, would go to Heaven. Then, Dan said somberly, he came fully to know what the Mormon religion entailed at the elevated level that he was selected to join. The bishop, or whatever the superior minister was called –can’t remember—took Dan aside, Dan told me. The church official charged with informing Dan of his being chosen, etc.,then hit him with the stunning information and subsequent directive. The church official told Dan that to be in this exalted position to which they were elevating him, he needed to have sex with his daughters. I don’t remember the whys of this commandment by the Mormon structure, but I do remember vividly the instruction Dan told me he was given. It had something to do with solidifyingDan’s family in Heaven’s eternal positioning. I guess the information so stunned me that I missed the details of why such a heinous thing could be demanded by the cult leadership. One thing sure, when Augusta heard the demand, she threw what we call here in the south –a FIT! They broke all connection with the cult that very day, Dan confided. They sooncame to know the Lord and were, from that point forward, devoted to Christ and to exposing Mormonism and all cults. Dan and Augusta, both of whom were considerably older than I at the time, are gone to be with the Lord. I look forward to being with those great champions for the Lord againone Eternal Day. The Apostle Paul, I believe, wrapped within his powerful perilous times prophecy the very things today’s cults are foisting. The news story above, and my hearing Dan’s storyand what brought them out of Mormonism, points specifically to some of Paul’s forewarning of things to come as the end of the age approaches. I dissect those prophesied bits here. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be… unholy… Without natural affection, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Havinga form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge ofthe truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was” (2 Tim 3:1 through 9 dissected). To my spirit, Paul’s perilous times prophecy here –the specific things I left in— speaks to the Mormon cult and all other pseudo-Christian cults found in America and aroundthe world today. Now, let me say that there are folks within these cults who are good people, as we define good in our human social relationships. However, they are lost and need to come toknow the Lord Jesus for Salvation of their souls –as did Dan and Augusta and as did Terry James. For there is but one who is good. That is, as Jesus Himself said, God. And Jesus is God, and the way, the truth, and the life. No person comes to God the Father but throughJesus. Here is the way to come to Jesus for Salvation and to be ready to go to Heaven either through the Rapture of all believers or through the portal of death. “That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believesunto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Israel Is Reportedly Getting Ready To Launch A Massive Ground Operation

 Interesting Timing: Israel Is Reportedly Getting Ready To Launch A Massive Ground Operation In Rafah “In Mid-April Or Early May” - by Michael Snyder - https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/interesting-timing-israel-is-reportedly-getting-ready-to-launch-a-massive-ground-operation-in-rafah-in-mid-april-or-early-may/ An Israeli ground operation in Rafah is a “red line” for Hezbollah and Iran, and so once the IDF goes in the entire region could explode. Of course if Israel intends to destroyHamas, an operation in Rafah is necessary, because that it where Hamas is hiding. Israeli officials have been telling us over and over again that there will be a ground operation in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration or anyone else thinks, and nowwe have a timeline. The following is from a Times of Israel article entitled “Report: Israel preparing for Rafah ground operation in mid April or early May”… Following the failure of the latest round of negotiations in Qatar, Israel is not willing to make any further concessions to Hamas and is gearing up for an invasion of Rafahafter Eid al-Fitr — the three-day holiday that follows Ramadan and ends around April 12 — or in early May at the latest, according to Egyptian sources who have been in contact with IDF officials, quoted by the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar daily. That is very interesting timing. If this report is accurate, we are likely to see a ground operation in Rafah shortly after the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th. According to that same Times of Israel article, the ground operation in Rafah “would last between four and eight weeks”… The ground op inside the last bastion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip would last between four and eight weeks, the sources say, and would be accompanied by an evacuation of thecivilian population sheltering in Rafah, which amounts to about 1.5 million people, toward the center of the Strip along specific routes and at specific times, announced to civilians in each area of Rafah in advance. The mass evacuation would be monitored from the ground and the air to ensure that no Hamas fighters or Israeli hostages are hidden among the Gazan civilians, the Egyptianofficials say. Normally, in a military conflict you would never want to tell the enemy what you are going to do or when you are going to do it. But in this case the Israelis are trying to keep events from spiraling out of control. Unfortunately, it won’t work. We are on the verge of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, and it certainly won’t take much to push things over the edge. On Tuesday, the IDF conducted their deepest strike into Lebanese territory so far… The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday another rare strike conducted deep into Lebanese territory. The strikes targeted “a military compound used by Hezbollah’saerial unit” in the Baalbek District which is in the northeast of the country. This marks the deepest Israeli strike inside Lebanon since the war began in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas terror attack, at more than 110km from Israel’s border. In response, Hezbollah fired a bunch of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday… Hezbollah has fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, killing one person, in response to deadly Israeli strikes on a Lebanese village. Lebanese sources said seven people were killed in the Israeli attack overnight on Habbariyeh, making it one of the deadliest in recent violence. Israel said militants were killed, including one involved in attacks on Israel. It won’t be too long before this conflict goes to the next level. But it appears that it won’t happen until after the Great American Eclipse on April 8th. Meanwhile, there continues to be a lot of talk about a coming Chinese invasion of Taiwan. This isn’t new, but right now lots of people on social media are buzzing about a military training site in a very remote area of China that is “an exact replica of the roadnetwork near Taiwan’s Presidential Palace”… The Chinese have been gearing up for an invasion of Taiwan for quite some time. Let’s just hope that they do not decide to pull the trigger here in 2024. Elsewhere, it appears that Russian intelligence has concluded that “the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people”… The director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said on Tuesday that the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killedat least 139 people on Friday – despite repeated claims of responsibility by Islamic State. Russian officials persisted in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week’s deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv anda claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. Since Friday’s terror attack, the Russians have been hammering major cities in Ukraine with hypersonic missiles. This actually plays into the hands of the Ukrainians, because the more destruction that is rained down on Ukrainian cities the more likely it is going to be that western troopswill eventually be sent into Ukraine. And that is precisely what Ukraine wants. The Ukrainians will not win this war the way that it is going. Their only chance of winning is for NATO to intervene. But Vladimir Putin has already warned that sending NATO troops into Ukraine could lead to nuclear war… Putin noted that while accusing Russia of plans to attack NATO allies in Europe, Western allies were “selecting targets for striking our territory” and “talking about thepossibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine.” “We remember the fate of those who sent their troop contingents to the territory of our country,” the Russian leader said in an apparent allusion to the failed invasions byNapoleon and Hitler. “Now the consequences for the potential invaders will be far more tragic.” In a two-hour speech before an audience of lawmakers and top officials, Putin cast Western leaders as reckless and irresponsible and declared that the West should keep inmind that “we also have the weapons that can strike targets on their territory, and what they are now suggesting and scaring the world with, all that raises the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization.” On top of everything else, it looks like military conflict could soon erupt in the Balkans… Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti alleged that Serbia is planning an invasion and has deployed military units near the border. Kurti shared footage showing Serbian army movements and accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of making “open threats.” Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia maintains it as part of its territory. The situation has raised tensions, and Kurti has called for increased trooppresence from NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) to deter any potential aggression. I truly believe that global war will be one of the dominant themes of 2024. And it appears that things will escalate to an entirely different level following the Great American Eclipse on April 8th. Many dominoes will start tumbling once the IDF launches a ground operation in Rafah, and the whole planet will be extremely shocked by what happens.