PROPHECY UPDATE NEWSLETTER
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Pre-Millennium - Pre-Tribulation - PrePARED
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(Featured Article at Bottom)
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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
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Armageddon on the doorstep: the ISIS conquest of Iraq leads to Jerusalem - are you ready for the next world war?
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Israel Could Be Dragged into ISIS's War, Obama Admin Warns
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Holy Cow! Torah condition for 3rd Temple now met?
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This week on 'The Hal Lindsey Report'
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Do we now live in Christ's Kingdom?
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Daily Jot: Shift or Appeasement?
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Daily Devotion: The Secret Place
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Featured Article: The Twilight Zone
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Armageddon on the doorstep: the ISIS conquest of Iraq leads to Jerusalem - are you ready for the next world war? - Barry Shaw - http://www.thedailysheeple.com/armageddon-on-the-doorstep-the-isis-conquest-of-iraq-leads-to-jerusalem-are-you-ready-for-the-next-world-war_062014
As we witness the brutalization of Iraq by the ISIS terror organization, consider this: this Islamic march of death leads to Jerusalem. The leading result of the call of the people in the Arab world for the overthrow of unsatisfactory leaders has been their cause being hijacked by insurgent jihadist terrorists.
We saw that in Libya with the fall of Gadhafi. We saw it in Egypt where Mubarak was replaced by the Muslim Brotherhood, in this case an in-house jihadist movement. We see it in Syria where the people's cry against Assad has led to an influx of Al-Qaida type groups vying for dominance. Now we witness the conquest of Iraq by a vicious Islamic terror regime against which Al-Qaida pales into moderation.
The Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) is headed by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He transformed a few small terror cells into the most brutal and lethal terror group on earth. Mercy is not in this man's vocabulary. Abu Bakr picked up the mantle after Abu Omar al Baghdadi was killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation in 2010. Al-Qaida in Iraq was under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who, in a 2005 letter to the head of Al-Qaida, Ayman al-Zawahiri, put the aims of Al-Qaida in Iraq into four stages;
1. Drive America out of Iraq.
2. Create a Caliphate in Iraq.
3. Use that as a base to attack other countries.
4. Attack Israel.
When both al-Zarqawi and al-Baghdadi were killed by American forces it looked as if Al-Qaida was decimated in Iraq, but Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reformed a weakening terror group by leading it in battle, honing its fighters' training and experience in Iraq and Syria, and by using political savvy to link his growing group to local and tribal demands and interests. It became both a fighting force and a social benefactor, winning local hearts and minds along a bloody path of victory. He absorbed the al-Nusra Front terror group in Syria into his ranks, demanding their obedience. Seeing the growing threat, Al-Qaida's al-Zarqawi, from his hiding place somewhere in Afghanistan or Pakistan, criticized ISIS for not concentrating on Iraq. In response, a confident ISIS hit back, accusing the Al-Qaida chief of "Sheikh Osama (bin Laden) gathered all the mujahedeen with one word, but you divided them and tore them apart."
ISIS has attracted thousands of foreign fighters to its ranks, increasing its power and size. The shockwaves caused by its Iraqi Blitzkrieg in seizing the towns of Mosul, Tikrit, and Fallujah was met by a mocking response by ISIS.
"The battle is not yet raging, but it will rage in Baghdad and Karbala. Put on your belts and get ready" as they contemptuously called Iraqi leader, Nouri al-Maliki, an "underwear salesman."
Clearly, the battle for Iraq is along sectarian lines with the Sunni ISIS, representing the majority of Iraqis, challenging the Shia al-Maliki rule. Clear also was al-Maliki's refusal to allow American forces to stay on in Iraq, but the ISIS victories were enhanced by the military vacuum in Iraq following the American pullout, and this responsibility can be put at Obama's White House door.
Obama's self-proclaimed foreign-policy "achievements" have been U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, and "Al-Qaida has been decimated and is on the run!" These two boasts have now come back to haunt him. Al-Qaida has morphed into a bigger monster that is about to take over Iraq. And what was President Obama's response?
"We don't have the resources. Let the local leaders deal with them."
This is shortsighted weakness, and dangerous. This was emphasized on Friday, June 13, when Obama, confronted by the deteriorating situation in Iraq, decided to head off to California for a fund-raising event and some golf. America spilled blood and treasure in Iraq including 4500 lives, $17 billion in military training to Iraqi forces, and $15 billion in military equipment. Now ISIS terrorists are seen driving around in American military Humvees.
The United States embassy in Baghdad is the largest global American embassy. It has 15,000 workers. It would be a mistake to think that they did not pick up intelligence on the gathering Islamic terror storm. They did, and it fed it up the chain to the State Department and the White House, for months. Neither of those bodies acted on the intel. As one staffer told Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters,
"We couldn't convince the President that this is serious!"
Now the Baghdad embassy could be under ISIS fire, making Benghazi look like child's play. And the attack on Americans will not end there. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was captured, imprisoned, and then released by America in Iraq, just as Obama recently released the five top Al-Qaida/Taliban prisoners at Gitmo.
America, and others, will pay for both these foolish gestures. As Ken King, the commander of the Bucco Camp that was ordered to release al-Baghdadi, related on the Fox News "Kelly Files" program, as a parting shot the ISIS leader glared at King and warned:
"I'll see you in New York!"
In a strange twist on "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," Republican lawmakers called for a partnership with Iran to stop ISIS from attacking Baghdad. Senator Lindsey Graham warned that ISIS "will eventually march on Jordan and Lebanon. They're going to take the King of Jordan down." The unspoken implication is that Israel will be next. ISIS is now pumping Iraqi oil. It grabbed half a trillion dollars when it seized Iraq's central bank in Mosul making it the richest terrorist organization in the world. ISIS has been called too extreme for Al-Qaida with justification. Al-Baghdadi is being crowned "the next Bin Laden."
ISIS is guilty of wholesale massacres in Syria, leaving the bodies to rot for all to see. It beheaded a top rival rebel commander, leaving his head in the middle of the market. Amnesty International listed a few of their atrocities in their 18-page report "Rule of fear; ISIS abuses in detention is northern Syria."
"They have conducted hundreds of executions, beheadings, even crucifixions in Mosul, Iraq. They destroy anything that is not Islamic, such as the Assyrian Church in Mosul. Hundreds have been slain for being "infidels."
Once Islamic ISIS establishes its permanent presence in Iraq, as Hizb'allah has done in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, it will strengthen its grip on Syria. While looking down on Israel from the Golan Heights, it is likely to turn its attention to a militarily weak Lebanon, seeking to remove the Shiite Hizb'allah from power, taking over its armory of a hundred thousand rockets, and taking control of that country.
From its northern stronghold in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria it will target Jordan with the intention of deposing, or killing, the Hashemite king, as a preliminary step to taking over his country. If America, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia do not immediately move to strengthen the kingdom, King Abdullah will be exposed to mortal danger, granting ISIS control over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan in their march to a global Caliphate, and Stage 4 of their original plan. Israel would be advised to keep a sharp eye on future moves by ISIS to attack or infiltrate Jordan via Syria.
Who is to say that radical Palestinians and Islamists in Jordan will not open the gates of that country to ISIS, just as Syrians reached out to them at their cost? When that scenario is achieved, Israel will be exposed to a threatening and powerful terror enemy stretching from Rosh HaNikra on the northern Mediterranean to Mount Hermon in the northeast of Israel, sweeping through the Golan Heights and down the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea and the Red Sea in the south. In the turmoil that is the Middle East, where regimes are falling and nations are toppling, who is to say that such a nightmare scenario is not possible unless ISIS is stopped in its tracks now? - See more at:
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If ISIS threatens the survival of Jordan, the Obama administration believes, it would ask for help from two of the least popular countries in the Middle East: America and Israel.
The terror group that's taken over major portions of Iraq and Syria won't be content with roiling those two countries, senior Obama administration officials told Senators in a classified briefing this week. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) also has its eyes on Jordan; in fact, its jihadists are already Tweeting out photos and messages claiming a key southern town in Jordan already belongs to them.
An ISIS attack on Jordan could make an already complex conflict nightmarishly tangled, the officials added in their briefing. If the Jordanians are seriously threatened by ISIS, they would almost certainly try to enlist Israel and the United States into the war now engulfing the Middle East.
"The concern was that Jordan could not repel a full assault from ISIS on its own at this point," said one senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another Senate staff member said the U.S. officials who briefed the members responded to the question of what Jordan's leaders would do if they faced a military onslaught from ISIS by saying: "They will ask Israel and the United States for as much help as they can get."
If ISIS were to draw Israel into the regional conflict it would make the region's strange politics even stranger. In Iraq and Syria, Israel's arch nemesis, Iran, is fighting ISIS. Israel, on the other hand, has used its air force from time to time to bomb Hezbollah positions in Syria and Lebanon, the Lebanese militia aligned with Iran. If Israel were to fight against ISIS in Jordan, it would become a de facto ally of Iran, a regime dedicated to its destruction.
But Jordan is also an important ally for Israel. It is one of two countries (along with Egypt) to have a peace treaty with the Jewish state. Jordanian security forces help patrol the east bank of the Jordan River that borders Israel and both countries share intelligence about terrorist groups in the region.
For now the one thing Iran and Israel do agree on is that U.S. intervention in Iraq is risky. Khamenei has told Obama to just stay out. Netanyahu was more subtle, warning that Obama should not promise Iran anything in the nuclear negotiations that might entice its cooperation in Iraq. His advice was for Obama to weaken both sides.
But behind the scenes, Israeli diplomats have told their American counterparts that Israel would be prepared to take military action to save the Hashemite Kingdom.
Thomas Sanderson, the co-director for transnational threats at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Israel and the United States view the survival of the Jordanian monarchy as a paramount national security objective.
"I think Israel and the United States would identify a substantial threat to Jordan as a threat to themselves and would offer all appropriate assets to the Jordanians," he said.
Sanderson, who is a former contractor for the Defense Intelligence Agency, said those assets would include air power and intelligence resources, but he stressed that whatever Israel and the United States offered Jordan would be tailored to the kind of threat ISIS posed. "It's impossible to rule out boots on the ground from Israel or the United States, but that is the least likely scenario. Amman would have to be under siege for that to happen," he said.
While the U.S. intelligence community estimates that ISIS only has 3,000 to 5,000 fighters who are full members of the organization, the group is nonetheless a potent force. In its military campaigns in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has seized millions of dollars worth of cash and advanced military equipment from bases abandoned by the Iraqi and Syrian armies.
That said, Jordan's special operations forces are considered by military experts to be professional and competent. The tiny country that borders Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iraq has survived terrorism, insurrection and regional war since it gained independence in 1946.
A spokeswoman for the Jordanian embassy in Washington, Dana Daoud, said the country's military and security forces were fully capable of meeting the ISIS threat. "We are in full control of our borders and our Jordanian Armed Forces are being very vigilant," she said. "We have taken all the precautionary measures. So far, we have not detected any abnormal movement. however, if anything threatens our security or gets near our borders it will face the full strength of our Jordanian Armed Forces." Earlier this week, Jordan closed a major border crossing with Iraq.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is a co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Jordan Caucus, said in an interview that the threat from ISIS could draw the United States into the conflict. But he also said he had more confidence in Jordan's military than he did in Iraq's.
"I don't think there is any sense that the rank and file Jordanian forces will melt away the way the Iraqis did," he said. "It's a different context in Jordan. If the need arises, they will provide more than a match for ISIS."
In the last two decades Jordan has made a strategic decision to ally closely with America. Today the country is one of America's closest partners in counter-terrorism. After U.S. forces lost access to Iraqi military bases in 2011, Jordan emerged as the most important base for the CIA in the region. The CIA, for example, trains Syrian rebels from positions inside Jordan. On Thursday, the White House asked Congress to authorize an additional $500 million for military training and equipment for those opposition forces.
At times, the close partnership with Jordan has resulted in tragedy. A triple agent provided to the CIA by Jordanian intelligence ended up detonating himself and seven other CIA operatives at one of the agency's outpost in Khost, Afghanistan in 2009.
In the last year, the U.S. military has also positioned batteries of Patriot missiles and a fleet of F-16s inside Jordan along with a contingency of U.S. soldiers known as Centcom-Forward Jordan. That group is led Brig. General Dennis McKean, one of whose missions is to help plan for Jordan's defense in the midst of the chaos that has enflamed the region.
"Jordan is a very close partner to the United States, and we have shared their concerns about violence spilling across the border for some time," said Commander Bill Speaks, a spokesman for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. "We are committed to supporting Jordan's security and continually assess the situation and how best to support our friends in the region."
One of those threats today is coming from the southern Jordanian city of Ma'an. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a Shillman-Ginsburg Fellow at the Middle East Forum who specializes in jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, said, "Jordan is a part of the Sham, the Levant states that also include Lebanon, that ISIS aims to control as part of its near-term ambitions. But Jordan is a more viable target for them than Lebanon at the moment and the signs of local support, like in Ma'an, will embolden them."
Even before the ISIS offensive in Iraq, supporters of the group had tweeted maps showing the city of Ma'an in southern Jordan, as part of a regional Caliphate. Last week, a photo from Ma'an showed ISIS supporters holding a banner declaring the city "the Fallujah of Jordan," comparing it to the city in western Iraq that fell to ISIS in January.
With the threat to Jordan rising, Secretary of State John Kerry met Thursday with Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Paris in a group that also included Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.
"The reason that he pulled them together is because, one, the threat of [ISIS] is not just to Iraq. It's to the region," said a senior administration official.
But Kerry and the Arab foreign ministers didn't discuss any specifics of how to work together to fight against ISIS, the official added. They talked generally about the situation on the ground, the formation of the new Iraqi government, and their shared frustration with Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, but not about direct security cooperation.
"As a sort of front-line state in the fight against [ISIS], Jordan is certainly one of the countries that we are directly referencing when we talk about the potential of a threat," the official said. "That said, the current focus of [ISIS] activity is inside Iraq, is inside Syria, and to the extent that [ISIS] has sort of designs on other places, that was not directly discussed today."
The threat to Jordan is on the minds of many lawmakers though in Washington. Schiff said that if the Kingdom of Jordan were in danger of falling, "We would be prepared to provide a whole different level of material support than anything we are talking about in Iraq." He added, "I still don't think there are many foreseeable circumstances for American boots on the ground, nor do I think the Jordanians would ask for them. But the willingness to provide greater material support, greater intelligence support, and the willingness to stand behind the Jordanian government is an order of magnitude greater than what we have done for Iraq."
Perhaps that's one of the reasons why the senators who emerged from this week's briefing on ISIS were so grim.
"We have to be concerned no longer simply about what's happening in Iraq, but the risk it poses to Jordan and other countries in the region as well," he said. "We need to work closely with our allies in the region, particularly Jordan, to protect them from the growing risk that this poses."
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Holy Cow! Torah condition for 3rd Temple now met? - Bob Unruh - http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/torah-condition-for-3rd-temple-now-met/
Institute reports required 'red heifer' being raised in U.S.
The Jerusalem-based Temple Institute has taken on the goal of rebuilding the Third Jewish Temple, regarded by Jews and Christians as a precursor to the coming of the Messiah.
The plan is guaranteed to provoke world conflict, since the Islamic Dome of the Rock now sits on the presumed Temple site.
And while the preparations seem to be lining up, a major obstacle remains - the absence of a red heifer, required in the biblical book of Numbers, Chapter 19, for the purification that is essential before worship.
Until now, according to the institute.
The organization posted a video this month showing what appears to be a perfect red heifer that is being raised at an unidentified location in the United States.
"In truth, the fate of the entire world depends on the red heifer," the institute says.
"For G-d has ordained that its ashes alone are the single missing ingredient for the reinstatement of biblical purity - and thereafter, the rebuilding of the Holy Temple."
The Temple Institute says purification with the red heifer "reminds us that man has the potential to rise above his transitory physical existence, with all its false sense of hopelessness and misery ... the impurity of death."
"This is the role of the Third Temple for all mankind, and this is the Messianic vision of the future: the call to live an eternal life, liberated from the sham and unhappiness which is the sum total of the human condition for so many people. The call for the true joy of living life to the fullest - with the knowledge of G-d," the institute says.
"The divine ordinance of the heifer, beyond the grasp of man's frail intellect, with all the details of its preparation and ceremony, calls out to Israel and to all who seek to cling to the living word of the G-d of Israel: 'purify yourselves! Shake off your despair! Death is an illusion!' Thus it is written, '... but all of you who cling to the Lord your G-d ... you are all alive today' (Deut. 4:4)," the organization explains.
According to institute spokesman Rabbi Chaim Richman, the heifer is being raised according to the laws of the Torah at an undisclosed U.S. location.
Institute leaders say they are excited because few animals meet the qualifications of being red, with not even two black hairs.
"This [animal] could be a candidate for the resumption of the process of purification," he said.
The Angus mix was born in January and is not being tagged, branded or "used for any activity."
Why a red heifer?
It's not for humankind to know, Richman said.
"The knowledge the red heifer represents is way, way beyond our spiritual capacities," he said.
But is there really a red heifer today that could move the progress on the Third Temple forward?
"Yes," he said. "When the time comes, all the circumstances that are necessary to be lined up on the same page ... we will be able to usher in a new era of purity."
A report from Right Side News said a "qualified" red heifer has not been seen in Israel for nearly 2,000 years.
The institute, which has worked on Jewish requirements for worship such as a seven-branched Menorah made of gold and a golden incense alter, was founded about 30 years ago.
It is "dedicated to every aspect of the biblical commandment to build the Holy Temple of G-d on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.
"Our short-term goal is to do all in our limited power to bring about the building of the Holy Temple in our time," the institute says.
"The major focus of the Institute is its efforts toward the beginning of the actual rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Toward this end, the Institute has begun to restore and construct the sacred vessels for the service of the Holy Temple."
The vessels already completed are on exhibit in Jerusalem's Old City Jewish Quarter, the institute explains.
Right Side News' Michael Snyder points out the obvious.
While both Jews and Christians view the location of a red heifer as the next step in fulfillment of their religious prophecies, which say there will be a Jewish Temple standing in Jerusalem in the last days, Muslims take a different view.
"The Islamic world would go into convulsions if Israel tried to build anything on or near the Temple Mount at this point."
But already, the institute is recognizing what it views as inevitable, leading guided tours of the Temple Mount with special consideration for the expected location of the Third Temple.
"Please note that it is forbidden for all people to set foot upon the actual location of the Holy Temple. Those Jews who visit the periphery of the Mount, motivated out of a desire to be as close to the holy place as possible, do so according to the strict requirements of Jewish law and do not actually set foot upon the sanctified areas," the institute explains.
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The Daniel Series has been Completed  The Daniel Series is now complete, all 6 DVD''s in the series are now shipping! All of you that have been waiting for the set to be completed, can now order through our online store. Reviews: I love the way these studies are broken down. Very enjoyable and informative; also a great fit for me since I am an auditory learner! Keep them coming. I hope you will go through the entire bible this way (Acts! Acts! Acts!) lol - sugemac301 An excellent study and perspective, thank you. - S. Dresden Great reading and commentary, thank you. - N. Youngman Amazing Videos. Please watch them in full. I believe you will be blessed. - Joakim VISIT OUR STORE BY CLICKING HERE We are also offering some new bundle specials at our store, be sure and check them out. We are offering the Daniel Series and the Revelation Series on DVD together for $99.95 and together on a USB Flash Drive for $89.95. We have added the Daniel Series to our Ultimate Bundle, which now includes the following: The Revelation Series (11 DVD's), the Prophecy Series (12 DVD's), The Daniel Series (6 DVD's), the Short Video Collection (1 DVD) and the Bonus DVD, - Six Hours That Changed the World - 31 DVD's in all, for only $199 - this special is for USB Flash Drive Only!  VISIT OUR STORE BY CLICKING HERE |
The book of Daniel is the most important prophetic book in the Bible, even more than the book of Revelation. This week, however, I will focus, not on the prophecies of Daniel, but on the man and his character. It's an especially timely study in a world charging headlong into a new dark age.
Daniel lived one of the most remarkable lives in the history of the world. Even as a teenager, he changed the course of history. But in the story I want to examine this week, many years have gone by. The Medes and Persians had defeated the Babylonians and taken their empire. Darius now ruled. For about twenty years following the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, it had seemed like Daniel's career was over. But as happened to him so often, he quickly rose through the ranks again.
After becoming one of the most important figures in the empire, Daniel's integrity and the king's confidence in him ignited the jealousy of his peers. But the only way they could eliminate him was by concocting a plan that depended on his faithfulness to his God.
As the world grows darker, God can and will prosper and care for His people, but don't expect everything to be easy. The psalmist wrote, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous." But he doesn't stop there. He goes on to affirm, "But the Lord delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34:19, NASB)
Daniel is testimony to that promise. He made the decision to honor his convictions rather than obey the dictates of the state. By doing so, he assured himself of a terrible fate. He was thrown to the hungry lions.
And his friend, King Darius, trapped by the power of his own words, was helpless to intervene.
It's interesting to note that because the law of the Medes and Persians, once signed and confirmed by the king, was unalterable, King Darius found himself facing a dim reflection of the dilemma God Himself once faced when Adam and Eve chose death over life with Him. He loved them, but had given His word that sin always carries a death sentence. And God's word is infinitely more certain that the law of the Medes and Persians.
So in His infinite wisdom, God devised a way for His love to deliver sinners from His wrath while not compromising His righteousness and justice. Jesus Christ took upon Himself a human nature, lived as a true man, and never once sinned. He therefore qualified to voluntarily take upon Himself the penalty and punishment for our sins. He died in our place and secured a true forgiveness for each one who will receive it as a gift. Salvation cannot be given if any human merit is attached to it. Salvation is an absolute gift.
Tune in this week as I examine how the intractability of the Law of the Medes and Persians, and Daniel's faith in his God, led to a national revival of faith in the one true God.
Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com . Check your local listings.
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To answer that question, Dr. David Reagan and I on our television program Christ in Prophecy put together a panel of Bible prophecy experts. We invited Al Gist of the Bible prophecy ministry Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries from Louisiana and Dennis Pollock of Spirit of Grace Ministries which focuses on evangelizing the continent of Africa.
Change in Beliefs
Dr. Reagan: The Amillennial viewpoint was not the view of the early Church Fathers. All the records indicate all these men were Pre-Millennial, in that they believed in a literal thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on this earth.
Amillennialism was developed by the fellow who became the greatest Church Father in terms of the impact of theology. That was St. Augustine. He taught a spiritualized interpretation of the Bible in the 5th Century around 400 AD when he wrote the book The City of God. The ideology was immediately adopted by the Church because basically what it's saying is that the Kingdom Promise that Jesus made to the Jewish people had now been transferred to the Church. The Church is the Kingdom, and the Church is reigning over the world today.
Since Augustine's spiritualization of the Church as Israel became the position of the Church from then on. He believed we Christians are the ones who should have the authority, he argued, because we are the Kingdom of God on earth. That's the reason it was adopted so quickly. Once it was adopted during the Middle Ages, if you took another position you were burned at the stake, so people kept their mouth shut and they didn't talk about any other position.
Remember, too, that the Bible was not available to people until the last few hundred years. There were no printed Bibles throughout most of Church History, and most people, if they had one, couldn't read it anyway because they couldn't read. So, people didn't know what the Bible said about the Millennial Kingdom other than what the Church taught. That's why for thousands of years Augustine's teachings have remained the dominate viewpoint of the Church.
Dennis Pollock: True, as every time the people who could read the Bible came across these passages in the Old Testament which speak about the exaltation of Israel and how God would reign among them, they would just immediately transfer Israel's promises to the Church.
Dr. Reagan: If you go back and look at a 1611 King James translation of the Bible, you will find in the Old Testament that the chapter headings which the translators put in there say, "God's Comfort to the Church." Then you start reading and it says, "Comfort ye Israel, comfort ye Israel." But, the King James translators put chapter headings in that made all these references to Israel refer to the Church instead of to Israel.
The Spiritual Kingdom
Nathan Jones: There's an argument that can be made for the Amillennial viewpoint, that is that we are in the spiritual kingdom of Christ. Christ, when He died on the cross, ushered in His kingdom, which is a spiritual kingdom, to those faithful who would come out of this world and serve Christ one day. But, that doesn't mean that there's not a literal, physical kingdom that the Bible also promises. The physical Kingdom on this earth remains still in the future.
Dr. Reagan: That's a very good point. It reminds me of the fact that when Jesus was ready to ascend into Heaven, His disciples asked Him, "Are you going to create the kingdom now? Is this the time?" He didn't say, "Hey, there's not going to be any kingdom." No. He said, "It's not for you to know the times."
Al Gist: The state of affairs during those early centuries of this millennial really lent support to the idea that the Church was supposed to be the recipient of all these promises made to Israel. Remember when Christianity first started? It was just a sect of Judaism, a minority sect, that was severely persecuted by the Jewish leaders. Gradually, as the Gospel spread into the Gentile nations and the Church became much more populous which of course later on led to half of the Roman Empire adopting the religion of Christianity as the official State Church, at the same time Christianity was growing and becoming so great, the Jews were being oppressed. They were destroyed as a nation and the Temple was burnt down and they were scattered around the world. So, the logical conclusion is evidently God's through with the Jews and now the Church is the new spiritual Israel, and thus the recipient of all of those promises that God made to Israel.
So, there were some things happening in history that kind of lent support to this idea of the Church replacing Israel. Of course, it's not biblical, but again, people tend to watch newspapers more then they watch the Bible.
Rules of Interpretation
Dr. Reagan: In Zechariah 14:9, Jesus says that He's going to become king over all the earth. I went to my pastor one time as a kid and I said, "You teach that Jesus is never going to put His feet on this earth again. What about Zechariah 14?" And he read it, and he read it, and he read it. Finally, he turned to me and said, "Son, I'll tell you one thing, I don't know what this means, but it don't mean what it says." That kind of stubborn thinking is really the problem with adherents to Amillennialism.
My rule of interpretation from beginning to end, and it doesn't matter if it's just prophecy or whatever is this: "If the plain sense makes sense, don't look for any other sense, or you'll end up with nonsense."
You don't have to have a degree in hermeneutics. You have to have a Ph.D. in imagination. You just need to take the plain sense meaning of God's Word.
Al Gist: Also, you've got to have a desire to study the Word and apply it yourself. Apply yourself to the Word and let the Word be applied to yourself and then you'll understand what God is saying.
Final Thoughts
Dr. Reagan: Any final comments?
Nathan Jones: I would like to bring up one little point that everybody probably knows, and that is at the end of the Millennial Kingdom the world will see one final rebellion. There will be one last terrible time coming to the world at the end of the Millennial Kingdom when a large number of those born during those centuries will turn against Christ and towards the recently released Satan, but Jesus will win over them as well. After that, the world will never again know war.
Dr. Reagan: Amen. And in the meantime I'm just going to shout, "Maranatha, come quickly, Lord Jesus!"
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Daily Jot: Shift or Appeasement? - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The Supreme Court unanimously struck down the occupant of the Oval Office's executive appointments made during "pro-forma" sessions of the Senate. The Court said: "The Recess Appointments Clause empowers the President to fill existing vacancy during any recess-intra-session or inter-session-of sufficient length...A Senate recess that is so short that it does not require the consent of the House under that Clause is not long enough to trigger the President's recess-appointment power." The "president" made some appointments during "pro-forma" sessions of the Senate, while technically the Senate was in session. Not one Supreme Court Justice supported the "president."
The decision was significant because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid collaborated with the "president" to make the Senate appear as if it were in recess so the appointments, which the "president" knew would not be confirmed, would stand. The Senate, however, is technically in session when it is in pro-forma and is not in recess, although it is not conducting business. According to the Supremes, this manipulation of the law is unconstitutional. By narrowing the use of recess appointments, the Supremes actually made it a useful tool for future presidents to use in the future. Nonetheless, it exposes the corrupt manipulation of the law and conspiracy to do so by the Majority Leader of the Senate.
In another attempt to limit tyrannical power of a rogue president, House Speaker John Boehner is going to introduce legislation allowing the House to sue the president regarding overreaching executive orders. Boehner pandered to the re-elect crowd saying, "The Constitution makes it clear that a president's job is to faithfully execute the laws; in my view, the president has not faithfully executed the laws. And when there's conflicts like this between the legislative branch and the administrative branch it's, in my view, our responsibility to stand up for this institution in which we serve." How about standing up for the people? The Constitution makes clear that Congress already has authority to handle abuse of power.
Led by Arizona Republican Jeff Flake and California socialist Democrat Dianne Feinstein, more than 36 senators sent a letter to the "president" demanding he "personally make clear" that illegals will not get special treatment. Additionally, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee told the National Review that the "president's" Supreme Court defeat is only the "tip of the iceberg." Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz said this is the 12th unanimous defeat of the "president" in the the Supreme Court since 2012 on increased executive power issues (translated dictatorial). Does this represent a shift back to Constitutional authority or is it election year appeasement to keep Americans in a soft tyranny concentration camp? Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceives you." Appeasement is tricky. Shift is painful to politicians.
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Daily Devotion: The Secret Place - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
-Psalm 91:1
When you were a child, did you ever have a hiding place - a place you would run to when you were afraid or wanted to be alone? God wants to be your hiding place. The good news is that you can retreat to this hiding place wherever you are. When you are tied up in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you can retreat there. When you are having a conflict at work and don't know what to say or how to deal with it, you can immediately retreat into that secret place of the Most High as you live in fellowship and communion with God.
It is not only dwelling there, but it is living under the shadow of the Almighty. Have you ever tried to walk in someone's shadow? It can be done, but you have to stay really close. That is exactly the picture here in Psalm 91:1. God is saying, "I want you to be so close that you are actually in My very shadow." If you do that, it will give you the courage to face life.
Remember the story of the great prophet Elijah, who boldly stormed into the court of wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and declared that it would not rain, except at his word? Where did he get the courage to pull off something like that? Though Elijah was in the court of powerful monarchs, he recognized that at the same time, he was in the presence of an even more powerful Monarch. He was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High.
If you kneel before God, you can stand before any man. Are you walking in this fellowship with Him?
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FROM THE HEART
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It certainly appears the U.S.A., not to mention the entire world, have entered an end-times "twilight zone" of weird and abnormal human behavior-as we speed forward towards the coming Rapture of the church (of Christians). Informed people and really most any rational person would have to conclude that here in America, we have now entered a real life twilight zone. This fact can easily be confirmed by monitoring the daily national news, going to the movies, scanning tabloid magazines, watching television shows, surfing the Internet, or observing bizarre human actions personally in your own part of the world. Christians should not be surprised by the odd behaviors taking place today, because Scripture says: "But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power" (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Much of the twisted behavior by humanity will purposely be directed toward the persecution of Christians in the latter days before the Rapture. Disdain for Christianity will be a fact of life for Christians in the "twilight zone" days ahead. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12). Strange things will take place. The generation of American children known as the Baby Boomers, were born between the years of 1946 and 1964. If you are a Baby Boomer born in the first half of that eighteen year period, there is a good possibility that you remember the popular television series, "The Twilight Zone" with Rod Serling, which ran from 1959 to 1964. The show's genre consisted of science fiction, fantasy, mystery and suspense episodes depicting disturbing or unusual events. The characters in the show found themselves in surreal nightmarish situations which evoked feelings of senselessness, disorientation, and helplessness in their environment. The characters in the show often exhibited a lack of a clear course of action to escape the confusing or frightening situations affecting them. Does this fictional television show's premise sound familiar when considering the current real life situation of our American citizenry? The answer seems to be a resounding, yes. Virtually every day in America is filled with disturbing, surreal, nightmarish, senseless, frightening, and unusual events often initiated by millions of "lost" people who are living out their daily lives without any moral foundation or Christian principles to guide them. The definitions of twilight: the time of day between sunset and darkness, a dim illumination, and a period or condition of decline following growth, glory, or success. Do these definitions of "twilight" sound familiar to you when considering the current state of our American nation? Sure they do. There is little doubt that the sun seems to be setting on America's greatness, goodness, and Christianity-while at the same time apostasy, apathy, and a new general pervading spirit of evil continues to increase and permeate throughout America. If you have been around for at least the last six decades to experience firsthand the passing of time and events in our country, and the rapid changes that have occurred just since the 1950s and 1960s here in America, it's not hard to discern the current weirdness and downward spiral of our society and culture. These changes have progressively come along faster and faster with each passing decade right up to the present time, especially after the advent of personal computers and the subsequent explosion of technology over the past three decades. Daily innovations are the norm in today's world. There was a social consciousness song in 1964 titled, "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. If Dylan wrote the song today he would most likely have to title it "The Times They Are A-Changin' Fast" in order to accurately convey the speed at which social change is taking place in America and around the globe. And much of the change is certainly not for the better. The speed of change today is breathtaking! Singer Barry McGuire sang the song, "Eve of Destruction" in 1965, but a song by that title would likely be more appropriate today, considering the current social changes which are degrading, debasing, and destabilizing our American and worldwide cultures and societies. There are many days now when I wake up, look around, and wonder exactly what country I am living in, and what happened to the remarkably successful, prosperous, and primarily Christian-oriented America I knew as a youth just a few decades ago. It certainly seems as though we are now in our twilight years as a Christian nation, at least the nation as it was for most of my Baby Boomer life. I feel like I'm living in an episode of the "Twilight Zone." There is no reason to cite a lengthy string of examples in this article as to all the evil Satan is doing through human beings to undermine our country as a godly Christian nation. A countless number of examples for this can be found on the RaptureReady.com website. Be sure to take the time and read over a wide variety of Web pages and topics offered on RaptureReady.com, including the daily news on events taking place all over America and around the world affecting Christianity, and also read some of the many insightful articles submitted by various Christian writers regarding current events in America and around the world from a Christian perspective. Many articles focus on the coming Rapture in the near future, and inform people exactly what they need to do to be saved and ready for that day when Jesus Christ will return in person to rapture Christians from the earth into heaven. I will cite a few examples of odd behavior in the news headlines these days, which when combined with a ton of other potential examples, will likely serve to hasten the time of the Rapture, which is followed immediately by the seven year Tribulation period, which in turn will be followed immediately by the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on earth. There is no shortage in the "distortion of truth" found in virtually every human activity reported on in the news these days, and then there is the demise of traditional marriage, resulting in more and more dysfunctional individuals and families. Then there is the increasingly twisted roles acted out by men and women in these days of homo-mania. Who would have ever thought we would be bombarded with male sexual performance enhancing drug ads during nightly prime time television shows, or read about things in news headlines such as a bike rally attracting dozens of naked riders, thousands of people attending a gay pride parade in Tel Aviv, Israel, and multi-thousands of very young children being shipped from Central America and across Mexico without their parents, to be deposited across our border into the United States, resulting in a "humanitarian crisis." Then of course there is the ongoing troubling problems within our own United States government, starting at the very top levels of our government, and the ongoing troubles in the Middle East, along with many other ongoing problems in our nation and around the world. It's not hard anticipating a perfect storm of calamity approaching the human race. Mankind's rebellion and attempt to break away from God, and disobey the Word of God as found in the Holy Bible, will end in disaster for all non-Christians. In the end, the sinful activities of humans who rebel against God and disregard Jesus Christ as our Savior, will end in futility for the human rebels. You might equate it in trying to row a boat up a waterfall. "All flesh is like grass; and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the Word of the Lord abides forever" (1 Peter 1:24-25). Christians shouldn't really be surprised or caught blind-sided by the fast changing times if they have read Bible Scripture, because the Rapture of the church will take place with awesome speed at the end of the Church Age-our current age-which according to biblical "signs of the end-times" seems to be speeding toward a rapid end in the near future. "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed, for this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) The rubber band of rapidly changing human events that started out pretty loose and limp in my youth, has gradually been stretched consistently tighter over the decades, and as of recently the rubber band is being stretched so very tight and thin that it seems to be nearly at the point of snapping or breaking. This is the best analogy I can think of to convey my personal perspective of time and human activities over the past six decades. When the rubber band of human events finally does break, all hell on earth will literally break out during the Tribulation period. Praise God, the Rapture of Christians will take place prior to everything hitting the fan, so to speak. We don't want to be here when that happens but until then, we all have most definitely entered the new real life human twilight zone! The Rapture will take place "quickly" when it occurs (even though we don't know the exact time of the Rapture). Jesus said, "I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." (Revelation 22:12) Be ready!
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Maranatha! (Lord Come Quickly)
"On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand."
"Let Us make the short time we have left count for all eternity!"
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