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PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 140

October 3, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 4

If you have time, and have not previously read Numbers 1 through 3, it would be helpful to do so before reading Number 4. God fellowshipped with man after the fall at altars, then in a tabernacle, and afterwards in a temple in Jerusalem. The Feast of Tabernacles was one of the three main Feasts of Israel where all males, above a certain age, were commanded to come to Jerusalem’s Temple to worship the God of Israel. The disciples, and their Messiah, always obeyed this ordinance given by God. When Jesus came, he came as the living seed promised in Genesis 3:15, which came through Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and King David.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Genesis 22:18,19 – And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. [19] So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Genesis 26:4-6 – And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; [5] Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. [6] And Isaac dwelt in Gerar:

Genesis 28:14-16 – And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. [15] And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. [16] And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

Psalm 89:34,36 – My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. [35] Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. [36] His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.

Matthew 1:23 – Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Luke 1:30-35 – And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. [32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. [34] Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? [35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The Spirit of the Seed dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, which was a tent. The Spirit of the Seed dwelt in the Temple, which was made of stone. And the Spirit of the Seed, in whom was all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, tabernacled among men in a Temple of sinless flesh and blood. The word translated as “DWELT” in John 1:14 is a Greek word used for “tabernacle” or for “tent.”

Colossians 2:9 – For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

John 1:14 – And the Word was made flesh, and DWELT among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:1,2 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God.

John 1:10,11 – He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. [11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

John 10:23-31 – And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. [24] Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. [25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. [26] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. [27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. [30] I and my Father are one. [31] Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Although his own people, the nation of Israel, rejected him, and he in turn rejected them, he will soon return again to raise up the tabernacle as it once stood at Shiloh, and will receive them as they receive him as the one who is to set eternally on David’s throne.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Amos 9:11 – In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Luke 1:32 – He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Isaiah 9:6,7 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [7] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 140A

October 4, 2003

From Now to Armageddon Series

In the Negev Wilderness Protected by God

Phase 4

Only one third of Israel’s Jewish population will make it into the Negev wilderness, where they will remain for the last 1260 days of the tribulation period. They will come out at the battle of Armageddon, retake Jerusalem, and go as far north as Hamath in Syria, as far west as the River of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea coast, and as far east as the Euphrates River. About 1.7 to 1.9 million will go the Negev, some 70% will fly, and the other 30% will go by surface transportation or on foot. This will leave one third of the woman Israel “therein” the present borders south of Beersheba, and the antichrist in control of the rest of the land from Dan to Beersheba.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

About 30% of the Israeli population lives east of the coastal plain from Tel Aviv to Haifa. They will go into the Negev via land routes.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

About 70% of the Israeli population lives on the coastal plain from Tel Aviv to Haifa. They will be taken into the Negev via a massive airlift.

Revelation 12:14 – And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

Time, and times and half a time = 1 yr + 2 yrs + ½ yr = 3 and ½ prophetic years = 1260 days

The 1260 days are finished when Armageddon ends with the Second Advent of the Messiah, at which time Israel again becomes the people of their God. God will extend his grace to the one-third that were driven into the Negev wilderness by the sword of antichrist, and will give them a promised rest and peace of a thousand years. In the same city that he declared them to be spiritually desolate when they crucified his Son, and said they were no longer his children, there he will declare them to be restored as his children. His Son will reign and rule over them, and all the earth under the heavens, for a thousand years.

Zechariah 13:9 – And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Jeremiah 30:22 to 31:2 – And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. [23] Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. [24] The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it. [1] At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. [2] Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

Hosea 1:10,11 – Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. [11] Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Daniel 7:14,27 – And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. [27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Luke 1:30-33 – And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. [32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 140B

October 6, 2003

From Now to Armageddon Series

Composition of the Confined Woman Israel

Phase 5

The latest horrific homicide bombing in Haifa is another nail driven into the resolve of the woman Israel to continue her building of a long security fence between herself and the Palestinians. All of this will make it much easier for Israel to justify continuing the fence, and will eventually bring in the “forced” false peace on the Palestinians, which must precede the attack of the antichrist that breaks it, and results in his driving one-third of the woman Israel into the Negev wilderness.

I have covered the driving of the woman Israel into the Negev wilderness, and discussed many things associated with some of the things that will happen to her from the time of the initial attack against her, until she roars out some three and one-half prophetic years later. Israel will be confined there, but protected by God’s preparing it for them, for a time, times, and half a time. They will be given into the antichrist’s hand in the sense that he will have them confined to the Negev wilderness, much as they were for 40 years under Moses. So what will be the composition of the one-third, or 1.7 to 1.9 million Israelis, that made it safely into the Negev?

Daniel 7:25 – And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

The woman in Revelation 12 represents the entire one-third that survived the attack. She herself represents a remnant of Israel.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 12:5,6 – And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. [6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

The seed of the woman Israel, through Judah, David, Zerubbabel, and Heli, the Father of the virgin Mary, is the man child, Jesus Christ. He is her seed and he has a spiritual seed. He has a seed made up of 144,000 born again Jews, which are a part of the 1.7 to 1.9 million. His seed consists of a believing remnant of 144,000 that live among a much larger remnant of unbelieving Israelis.

Revelation 12:17 – And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. [17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The remnant of her seed, Jesus Christ, are 144,000 born again Israelites, who were sealed in that condition to survive physical death, so that they could be a part of the one-third in the wilderness, for the purpose of giving the testimony of Jesus Christ to unbelieving Israelites.

Revelation 7:4 – And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

And, among the 144,000, will be the two witnesses. They will proclaim a message of repentance to Israel in sackcloth, urging them to repent of their sins and their rejection of their Messiah, and to put their faith in him alone to be saved by grace through faith. It will be basically the same message Paul preached to both Jew and Gentile.

Revelation 11:3 – And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Acts 20:20,21 – And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, [21] Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, in the Negev wilderness, for 1260 days, there will be 1.7 to 1.9 million Israelites. Among them will be 144,000 believing Israelites, and among them will be the two witnesses of God.

In Phase 6 I will attempt to elaborate on the interactions between these residents, what will happen to them while they are there, and what the final effect will be on all of them by the end of Armageddon.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 140C

October 6, 2003

From Now to Armageddon Series

Jihad Setup – Homicide Bomber & Syrian Air Strike

See Prophecy Updates 74D, 79D, and 92A in Archives

A Woman, Her Seed’s Remnant, and Two Witnesses

Phase 6

Earlier this week, in Prophecy Update 139C, I described how Palestinian terrorist groups had helped Israel welcome in the Feast of Trumpets, the Jewish New Year, by killing three Israelis, one of which was a baby. On Saturday they again helped Israel bring in another of its many feasts, the most Holy Day of Atonement, this time with a female homicide bomber in Haifa, who left some 19 dead, and about 60 wounded by her disregard for human life. Several babies were among the dead and injured. This will only result in Israel being more determined to quickly finish its security wall to being in a “forced” false peace it thinks it can maintain. And this false peace will be broken by a lightening, surprise attack from the north that will drive a remnant of Israel into the Negev.

Before this false peace is put in place there will be many secret meetings held between Syria and selected other Islamic nations to discuss and plan for such an attack. Yesterday’s air strike against an Islamic Jihad terror camp inside the borders of Syria, has set the stage for what I predicted in Prophecy Updates 74D, 79D, and 92A in our Prophecy Archives. Please consult these updates for what I expect to happen in the next four years between Israel and Syria, which will lead to a Jihad before 2008. I do not expect this Israeli air attack to produce a Jihad in the near future, but it is establishing a pattern, which will eventually cause the king of the south (Israel), to push against the king of the north (Syria). And, much to the great surprise of the mighty king of the south, he will see the king of the north, backed by 10 Arab nations, push into his glorious holy land all the way to Beersheba.

Daniel 11:40,41 – And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. [41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

Phase 5 ended with the woman of Revelation 12 in the Negev wilderness. She represents a large remnant of between 1.7 to 1.9 million Israelis that survived the attack of Zechariah 13:8. And about 92% of them will not believe that Christ is their Messiah.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Her seed was Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and his seed is made up of 144,000 believing Jews, which make up the other 8%. They were sealed as his followers, before the attack, from suffering physical death during the attack, so that they might witness to the 92% of unbelievers during the 1260 days the woman will be confined in the Negev wilderness. They have the testimony of Jesus Christ and keep his commandments, and among them are the two witnesses.

Revelation 7:4 – And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Revelation 12:17 – And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 11:3 – And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

The resurrection of the two witnesses occurs just before the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and marks the close of the second woe. The seventh trumpet is the third woe, and is followed by the seven vials of God’s wrath.

Revelation 11:11,12 – And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. [12] And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

The two witnesses will go to Jerusalem knowing they are going to be killed by the antichrist, and then resurrected from the dead after three and one-half days. They will have so informed the Woman Israel, and the remnant of her seed, the 144,000. When the 144,000 see what they predicted come to pass, they will give glory to God, and be raptured shortly thereafter on the sounding of the seventh trumpet. A lost person does not give glory to God.

Revelation 11:13 – And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

They will be caught out at the same time as all the saved, on the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and the saved in the kingdoms of this world will be separated from them, and all will be in the place of the heavenly kingdom. It is the place of Christ’s judgment seat, and there all the saved will be judged before the vials of God’s wrath are poured out on those who destroy the morality of earth.

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 11:18 – And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 140D

October 7, 2003

From Now to Armageddon Series

The Rapture

Phase 7

I have already exposited on the resurrection of the two witnesses, which occurs prior to the seventh trumpet. A great earthquake follows their resurrection to end the second woe. The great earthquake will be immediately followed by the rapture of the 144,000 sealed Israelites, along with all the saved, at the trumpet’s sound, prior to the pouring out of God’s seven vials of wrath. At this time, with all the saved of all the ages safely in heaven, God will pour out his wrath on those left behind, and all the kingdoms of this world become his, bought back by the blood of the Lamb. The mystery of God, introduced by Paul, will be finished when the seventh angel sounds.

I Corinthians 15:51 – Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

Revelation 10:7 – But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

I Corinthians 15:52 – In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I Thessalonians 4:16,17 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

The 24 Elders represent Old and New Testament saints, chosen by God for their faithfulness, probably 12 from the Old Testament, and 12 from the New Testament. It is the time of Christ’s judgment seat for the saved of the two Testaments.

Revelation 11:16-18 – And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, [17] Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. [18] And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

For a complete exposition of verse 18, and all the events associated with the rapture, please see Prophecy Updates 73D, 74A, 76, and 82A in our Prophecy Archives.

Just as the way into the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt, was opened to all who would receive his Son as Messiah when Christ paid the price for their sins on the cross, so will the temple be open in heaven after the judgment to all those who did. His death and the rapture were both marked by an earthquake.

Matthew 27:50,51 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. [51] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Revelation 11:19 – And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

In Phase 8, I will elaborate on the period of time from the rapture on the seventh trumpet to the end of what is called the final battle of Armageddon.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 141

October 9, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 5

The Feasts of Passover and Pentecost have already been fulfilled in prophecy, but the Feast of Tabernacles is yet to come. Christ, when he tabernacled among men, gave us a preview of his appearance when it is fulfilled at his Second Advent, as he was transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration. He appeared there before three of his disciples with Moses and Elijah alongside him.

Matthew 16:27 to 17:5 – For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. [28] Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. [1] And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, [2] And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. [3] And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. [4] Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. [5] While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Jesus, the Messiah, will gather all Israel from across the earth after his Second Advent, and will tabernacle in the midst of them in Jerusalem for a thousand years. Just as Messiah was in the wilderness cloud that was a cloud and smoke by day, and shone as the shining of a flaming fire at night, protecting the assemblies of Israel both day and night, and was in the tabernacle in the wilderness, so will he be the protector of each dwelling place in Jerusalem, providing whatever is needed to protect Israel from all earthly things and elements.

Isaiah 4:5,6 – And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. [6] And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.

He will revive all the spiritually dead, scattered bones of Israel, and then tabernacle in the midst of a spiritually alive nation for a thousand years.

Ezekiel 37:1-3 – The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, [2] And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. [3] And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

Ezekiel 37:11-14 – Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. [12] Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. [13] And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, [14] And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of David, the living Son of God, will sit on David’s throne as the King of Israel, and the King of Kings.

Ezekiel 37:24-28 – And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. [25] And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. [26] Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. [27] My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. [28] And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Zechariah 12:8 – In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 141A

October 11, 2003

From Now to Armageddon Series

From the Rapture to Armageddon

Phase 8

I covered the events before, during, and after the rapture in Phase 7. Shortly before the rapture, the antichrist will return to Jerusalem from Egypt. Upon arresting the two witnesses, he will sit on the temple (hieron) mount in his own human body temple (naos), attempting to prove to himself and all mankind that is God. (See Prophecy Update 52 in our Prophecy Archives)

2 Thessalonians 2:4 – Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple (naos) of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Daniel 11:45 – And he shall plant the tabernacles (ohel) of his palace (appeden) between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Ohel = tents = the millions of tents of his vast army.

Appeden = Portable command post for royalty

(See Prophecy Updates 51 and 52)

His end was prophesied in Daniel 11:36, and it will be completed by the indignation described in Daniel 12:1. It will be accomplished by the power of God, which is the reason none can “help him.”

Daniel 11:36 – And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

Daniel 12:1 – And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

When he claims to be God on the temple mount, sitting in a sinful temple body of flesh, after having killed the two witnesses, he will watch them ascend into heaven, a great earthquake will occur, then the seventh trumpet will sound, the rapture of all the saved will occur, and then all hell will break loose as the vials of wrath are poured out on the earth. The “time of trouble” will be when God’s vials of wrath empty out.

Matthew 24:21 – For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Revelation 16:1 – And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

The “indignation” predicted in Daniel 11:36 will make it such that “none shall help him” in Daniel 11:45, because it will be God conducting the indignation described in Daniel 12:1, and the indignation will be completed in Revelation 19:19-21, when the antichrist, false prophet, and his armies are destroyed.

Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

In Phase 9 I will elaborate on Armageddon, and many events associated with it.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 141B

October 12, 2003

From Now to Armageddon Series

The Battle of Armageddon

Phase 9

I closed Phase 8 with the antichrist sitting on the temple mount in Jerusalem claiming to be God. He had killed the two witnesses, watched them resurrected to ascend to heaven, and gone through the earthquake that followed.

Daniel 11:45 – And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

It is at his point, that he, as Satan incarnate in a sinful temple (naos) of flesh, sends out the call for all nations to come to Jerusalem and join him in the final destruction of God’s chosen people, the remnant of Israel confined in the Negev wilderness. It is a spiritual demonic call from the vocal cords of the Satanic trinity, Satan the father, antichrist the son, and the false prophet as the unholy spirit.

Revelation 16:13-16 – And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. [14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. [15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. [16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

It is the time of which the Prophet Joel spoke in his vivid description of God’s great final battle that ends the age of the Gentiles. And Joel closes his description of it with God’ promise to Israel that when Armageddon is over, he will be the one who has brought them through it, and will again be their God.

Joes 3:9-17 – Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: [10] Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. [11] Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. [12] Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. [13] Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. [14] Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. [15] The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. [16] The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. [17] So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

The Assyrian of Micah 5:6 will be destroyed to close the battle of Armageddon, and Israel will drive north into Syria, and east to the Euphrates River to claim the old Abrahamic Land Grant for a thousand years, and peace will exist over all the earth. (See Prophecy Updates 62 to 69 in our Prophecy Archives)

Micah 5:6 – And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

Micah 4:3-5 – And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. [4] But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. [5] For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 141C

October 13, 2002

Conventional to Nuclear – Israel Shifting Military Focus

I have known for 35 years that Israel possessed nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare capabilities. In Prophecy Updates 4 and 17A, issued in early 2001, I shared the history of their nuclear development program. In the later years of the last century, Israel received three Dolphin class diesel submarines form Germany. They are the best diesel subs in the world, able to stay at sea for more than four weeks with a range of some 2800 miles. In the late nineties I included a transparency of the first sub Israel received in my lecture series, and pointed out a section of the sub where a modification of the craft could be made such that a cruise class missile could be launched from beneath the surface of the sea. I told the audiences where I lectured during this period that I was certain it would soon carry a nuclear warhead. The submarines were first designed to carry the U.S. made Harpoon missiles, but I told listeners it was a sure thing that Israel would modify the existing launch mechanisms to send missiles carrying nuclear warheads. I also told them the three subs to patrol three areas, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel made sure that public announcements of their acquisition of their German war machines reached all the Islamic nations, particularly Iran.

Recent news sources are now quoting senior U.S. and Israeli military officials as saying that Israel has done exactly this, modified American cruise missiles to launch from beneath the sea. Israel now has the ability to launch many atomic weapons from three sources: Jericho based land missiles, aircraft, or Dolphins under Persian Gulf waters.

Please read Special Prophecy Update Number 129C in our Prophecy Archives, titled “Atomic War in Israel – Yes or No?,” before continuing. My major purpose in writing this update is not to show the buildup or might of Israel in its WMD arsenal, and Update 129C will advise you why this is the case. I am writing this to advise you that recent things stated by prominent Israeli war hawks, are making it plain that Israeli officials have no fear of a convention war, but are developing a fear of a WMD conflict. They are convinced they could militarily defeat all the Islamic nations in a conventional war. And this, along with their daily anticipation of a completed security fence giving them an internal peace scenario they could control, added to their belief they could defeat the Arab nations handily in a conventional war, is causing them to be drawn into a false peace sense of security. When they believe they have gained sufficient control of their internal conflict with the Palestinians, they will begin to say: Now! At Last! We have generated our own “peace and safety!” The WMD’s, which they are starting to shift their resources to counter, will not be launched against them, but a Pearl Harbor type of lightning conventional jihad will, and Israeli will again discover to trust in the power of their Messiah, rather than their own expertise. A forced false peace, followed by a vicious surprise blitzkrieg from the North, will drive Israel into the Negev, and I believe it is likely to occur before 2008.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

The United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency has given Iran an October 31^st deadline to accept full inspections and prove it does not have a nuclear arms program. If, after that, they continue to appear to be continuing on their quest for an atomic bomb, which they can mount as a warhead on their Shahab-3 missile, then I look for Israel, possibly before year’s end, to hit their atomic facilities with an air strike.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 141D

October 14, 2003

Headed for a Future Rude Awakening

I have, for some time, been dogmatic in my belief that the time will come when Israel will actually believe, and then say, they have no fear that any of their internal or external Arab enemies could possibly drive them out of their land. In other words, they would be convinced to the extent of stating they had attained “peace and safety” in the land to the degree of being able to maintain it. When, to the Spirit’s satisfaction, they reach such a degree of confidence, sudden destruction is coming on them from the north and, much to their surprise, they will be driven into the great Negev wilderness of southern Israel.

Please allow me to quote from a recent article in the Jerusalem Post Internet in order to show they are not far from the scenario in which it seems to them they have “peace and safety.”

“The Syrian army does not pose a significant threat to Israel and has no viable tactical war option.”

“Because of Sunday’s IDF air strike in Syria, they have had to suffer the public indignity of the media mentioning their obsolete forces as being no match for Israel.”

A senior Israeli intelligence officer, according to the article, stated: “The threat of all-out war does not exist, at least not one that they start.”

Because Israel has handily defeated their Arab neighbors in wars in 1948, 1967, and 1973, they, along with the United States, are certain they can do it again any time. I believe their successes in these three wars were the will of God, and that is the major reason they won them. And I do not believe God intends to let them win the initial battle in the coming attack, but will give them the final victory in the battle of Armageddon, which ends this age some three and one half years after the attack.

The Syrian military consists of some 380,000 men, 12 divisions, 3,700 tanks, 2,600 artillery pieces, and about 500 aircraft. Military sources say that Saudi Arabia has recently funded a large procurement for Kornet anti-tank rockets, which are state of the art. Most of the Syrian money recently spent in military acquisitions has been for Scud class surface to surface missiles, fortified bunkers for protection from IAF strikes, and hundreds of warheads armed with Sarin and VX nerve agent, with the possibility of some being biological in nature.

When I retired from the National Security Agency in 1971, one could sense even them, that Israel’s victory in the 1967 War had given them a growing sense of invincibility again the Arab nations. It has grown in scope ever since, and seems to be headed toward the point in time when it will satisfy and fulfill the requirement entailed by a sense of “peace and safety.”

I believe there will be a funneling of Arab oil revenues into Syria on an accelerated basis from now until a modernization of her existing military posture is built up to the point it can suddenly counterattack against an Israeli intrusion into its territory, thereby surprising an overconfident Israeli government with a rude awakening, which will see them driven south of Beersheba. And I expect this rude awakening to come at some point in time prior to 2008. The attack is certain, but the time must be classified as opinion.

Daniel 11:40 – And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 141E

October 16, 2003

The Geneva Initiative – Munich 2 – “Peace in Our Time”

It is now becoming readily apparent that Operation Defensive Shield, launched in March 2001 after the Palestinian uprising began, is having a chilling effect on the Palestinian terror groups that first came out of the original Fatah terror group, which Arafat has always headed. Now Arafat is willing to settle for what he once turned down, since it is becoming clear to him that the longer he waits, the less of the West Bank the Palestinians are going to receive in any settlement. But Arafat has not been able to control Hamas, the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade, and Islamic Jihad for years. But even these extreme terror groups are feeling the pressure of constant assault under Operation Defensive Shield, and may soon agree to accept the latest farce, the Geneva Initiative. It would yield about as effective a peace as the one Neville Chamberlain brought back to England from Hitler’s Munich in Germany, promising “Peace in Our Times.” Transportation Minister Lieberman said on Israeli Radio on Monday that it should not be signed in Geneva, but rather in Munich. He said: “I would call it Munich 2.”

The Geneva Initiative required more than two years of negotiations, and was finally signed by Israeli Shahar Party leader Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Authority minister Yassar Abed Rabbo. The document was negotiated in Jordan, and included a broad range of delegates, among them two Fatah leaders, Kadura Fares and Muhammad Hurani. The document does not represent either government, but is reported to be acceptable to PA Chairman Yassar Arafat and his latest Prime Minister, Ahmed Queri.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called the plan “delusional” and criticized the Labor Party for allowing some of its members to be part of the Initiative. This is rather odd on his part because the plan is quite similar to the one President Clinton and Ehud Barak came up with in late 2000, which Yassar Arafat rejected.

I could, at this time, lay out the details of this latest farce plan designed to bring peace to the Middle East, but it is simply another smoke screen and an attempt to show the world that wicked Israel does not really desire to have peace with the Palestinians. Yassar Arafat, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, al-Aksa Martyrs, and all the other splinter terrorist groups, are running scared, and this latest Geneva Initiative is simply “any port in a storm” on their part. The U.S. and Israeli governments are about as likely to accept it, as the Boston Red Sox are likely to send valentines to the New York Yankees.

After almost three years of death and suffering that accelerated with the latest Palestinian uprising, only one thing is certain in this unpredictable, ever shifting scenario – only the return of the Messiah can bring a true and lasting peace to Israel for a thousand years. This is, of course, true for all mankind, because of the inherited heart condition we received at birth from our forefather Adam. True peace will not come to Israel until God gives them a new heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Ezekiel 36:26-28 – A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. [27] And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. [28] And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Amos 9:15 – And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God.

Prophecy Update Number 142

October 17, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 6

The same Jesus, the living Word of Almighty God, who tabernacled (fellowshipped) among men in John 1:14 and I John 1:1-3, will again tabernacle with Israel in Jerusalem during his millennial reign, as the Scripture attests in Ezekiel 39:21-29.

John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:14 – And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

I John 1:1-3 – That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; [2] (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) [3] That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 39:21-29 – And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. [22] So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. [23] And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. [24] According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them. [25] Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; [26] After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. [27] When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; [28] Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. [29] Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.

Jesus will enter the reconstructed millennial Temple of Jerusalem when it is completed. He will enter it as the Shechinah Glory of Almighty God, and dwell there as the King of Kings.

Ezekiel 43:1-7 – Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: [2] And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. [3] And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. [4] And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. [5] So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. [6] And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. [7] And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile,

And an international Feast of Tabernacles will be observed in the city of Jerusalem during all of Messiah’s millennial reign.

Zechariah 14:16 – And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Messiah, God’s only begotten Son, will set as King of kings on his throne in the holy hill of Jerusalem, and Israel will be the ruling nation over all the nations for a thousand years.

Psalm 2:6-12 – Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. [9] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. [10] Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 142A

October 18, 2003

Two Dead Jewish Leaders – Two Predictions

John 11:47-53 – Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. [48] If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. [49] And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, [50] Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. [51] And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; [52] And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. [53] Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

Caiaphas, the high priest, of course had quite a different thing in mind, viewing the whole nation as perishing if it lost favor with Rome. His prediction was fulfilled, but in a completely different manner from which he expected. They did lose favor with Rome, and were carried captive out of their homeland some forty years after his prediction, but Christ did provide the way for a spiritual remnant to remain as his nation, such that the nation did not perish.

Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, made the following prediction in 1954: “In the Negev will be tested the people of Israel and its state.” I believe he also, not knowing the way it will actually be fulfilled, predicted what is soon going to happen to one-third of Israel’s population and state.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 12:6 – And THE WOMAN fled INTO the WILDERNESS, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Israel is going to be tested in am manner it has not been exposed to since the holocaust brought on it by the Nazi regime – More than three million will be slaughtered by the Islamic Jihad from the north. Less than two million will make it to safety in the Negev, where their resolve to survive will be tested for the last three and one-half years of this age, which will end at the battle of Armageddon. God will test them with fire in the Negev, but will being them through it, and they will once again be his chosen ones. The end of the Battle of Armageddon will occur at the Second Advent of Israel’s Messiah, and it will know a thousand years of peace, after some 2000 years of great persecution. God will cause Israel to finally rest.

Jeremiah 30:22 to 31:2 – And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. [23] Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. [24] The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it. [1] At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. [2] Thus saith the Lord, The PEOPLE which were LEFT OF THE SWORD found GRACE in the WILDERNESS; even ISRAEL, when I went to CAUSE him TO REST.

I am certain that in the future Israel will be attacked and driven into the Negev. But when will the attack occur? I cannot say for sure. But I have expressed repeatedly my OPINION that it would occur at some point in time prior to 2008, and that is as specific as I have ever been on this Web Site, or plan to be up to 2008. If 2008 rolls in, and the attack has failed to materialize, I will simply eat crow, but continue to believe it must come.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 142B

October 19, 2003

Two Very Different Conferences

One to Create – One to Destroy

The First Zionist Conference was convened August 29, 1897 in Basel, Switzerland. There were 197 delegates from 16 countries that formed the initial Zionist policy. This gathering, and the thundering speech of the electrifying Theodor Benyamin Ze’ev Herzl, led to the establishment of the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948, some 50 years and 9 months after his speech.

The biggest two-day Islamic Summit Conference in three years, met on October 16, 2003 in Malaysia, attended by senior representatives from 57 Islamic countries, but unlike the Jewish Conference of 1897, its theme was not to create a state, but to destroy the modern one created in 1948. The central theme of the huge conference, judging by most of the voices heard during it, was “Muslims of the world, unite against Jews.” Mahtir Mohammad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, opened the conference with a thundering speech opposite to that given in 1897. He began, according to the Jerusalem Post online edition, saying, “They succeeded in gaining control in most of the world’s powerful states and, as a tiny community, became a world power, but 1.3 billion Muslims must not be defeated by a few million Jews. A way must be found.” There can be little doubt that the Arabs are seeking for a way to finally destroy the State of Israel. He went on to say, “The Europeans killed 6 out of 12 million Jews, but today the Jews are in control of the world via their proxies. They lead others to die for them.” Although the anti-Semitic remarks have created rebuke by the non-Islamic world community, our good friend and supporter, the President of France, blocked a stern rebuke drafted by the EU, which would have condemned the hard words spoken by the delegates. France only needs the United States when it gets in trouble, and needs it to bale them out of it, such as the last two World Wars. They have long been a thorn in our side, boasting some of the world’s most arrogant leaders in history. The only thing they ever gave us, outside of a hard time, is the Statue of Liberty, which stands as a symbol of freedom to all nations.

The anti-Semitic theme of the conference was continued by Palestinian delegate Mohammad al-Farrah, “If we are weak, no one will support us. The Israelis respect only the strong, we must therefore all unite.

The stage is being set for events that will eventually lead to the attack by 10 united Islamic nations against Israel. The Arab’s now know they must settle the many differences that have kept them at each other throats for hundreds of years, and they are drawing together under the teachings of Allah, their god, which will eventually lead to a surprise, lightning Jihad against Israel. This attack will be planned in secret, behind closed doors, among only those Arab nations that fall into the category of being trusted to keep it from Arab nations such as Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. It will be larger in scope, with more nations involved, better planning, and programmed coordination, than existed during the 1948, 1967, and 1973 wars.

The Israeli government, and many of its publications, has convinced the world, and their own people, that conventional wars, like those in 1948, 1967, and 1973, are a thing of the past and, consequently, they are cutting back on the production of weapons of conventional warfare, and shifting their expenditures toward non-conventional weaponry. The non-Islamic world, along with Israel, does not believe the Arabs can defeat Israel in a conventional war. Israel is lulling itself into a sense of “peace and safety” from being overrun by Arab nations from Dan to Beersheba, eventually ending up in the Negev. Such an attack against Israel would cause the nations of the world, including the U.S., to say, “No sweat, Israel will do the same thing it did in 1948, 1967, and 1973,” and they will sit back and watch to see how long it takes Israel to do it. But much to their surprise, the Arabs will succeed, and suddenly the world will see Jerusalem fall, and it will be too late for the U.S. to come to Israel’s aid. Islam knows full well the Negev has been Israel’s war contingency evacuation zone since they first drew up the Nation War Contingency Plan in 1948. They know it is the most heavily fortified military zone on the surface of the earth, so they will stop their advance at Beersheba, the gateway to the Negev. The U.S., at this point, will be satisfied with an immediate truce, as will the rest of the world, and Israel, reeling under the shock of a thing they thought could not happen, will also accept the truce, thereafter remaining as a state in the Negev for three and on-half years.

I Thessalonians 5:3 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

I am certain that these three prophecies will eventually be fulfilled, and am of the OPINION the initial Jihad attack will occur at some point in time prior to 2008.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 142C

October 21, 2003

A Political Koran Interpretation by Islam

The Koran indicates that Ishmael, not Isaac, was the seed of promise, and that he, as their forefather, gives them the land of promise, the land now occupied by Israel. All this, of course, is pure fiction, put out by one who claimed to be the prophet of Allah, that is, Mohammad, who wrote about a thousand years after the completion of the last Old Testament book.

But as if corrupting The Book, as they refer to the Old Testament, wasn’t bad enough, they have politicized their own writings to lay claim to the ancient temple mount of Israel. They use an account in the section of the Koran called “The Night Journey” to validate their claim to being the rightful heirs of the Jerusalem temple mount, in the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful. It is found in 17:1 of The Night Journey, and reads as follows: “Glory to Him (Allah) who made His servant (The Prophet Mohammad) go by night from the Sacred Temple (In Mecca) to the farther Temple (They say it was the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the temple mount at Jerusalem), whose surroundings We have blessed, that We might show him some of our signs. He alone hears all and observes all.” However, there is one huge problem with this interpretation of the Koran! When Mohammad wrote the Koran, there was not a Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, or place of prayer on the temple mount, or anywhere else in the city of Jerusalem. And, for that matter, there were no Islamic believers in Palestine. The word “mosque” comes from two Arabic words, masjid, meaning “the place of worship,” and sajada, which is “to pray, to prostrate oneself.” There does not have to be a building, only a place designated for Muslims to pray, in order for it to be called a “mosque.”

The translation of the Koran, provided by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute), indicates the true location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which means “most distant Mosque”, is in Medina, on the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, and not in Jerusalem. Ahmad Muhammad ‘Arafa, columnist for the Egyptian weekly Al-Qahira, published by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, in a recent article asserted that the Koran Night Journey does not refer to a miraculous journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, but to the prophet Mohammad’s Hijra (emigration) from Mecca to Medina. It is important to note that MEMRI went on to say: “the belief that Muhammad’s Night Journey (Koran 17:1) is one of the most important foundations of the sanctity of Jerusalem in Islam. There is an extensive body of Islamic traditions related to this belief, and these are explicitly or implicitly rejected by the author.”

Jerusalem is considered to be Islam’s third holiest city, after the Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina. MEMRI states, “This article constitutes a dramatic departure from standard Islamic doctrine, and the fact that it was published in a government journal adds to its political significance.”

In his article, ‘Arafa writes that the text in the Koran “tells us that Allah took his Prophet from the Al-Haram Mosque (in Mecca) to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.” At the time, ‘Arafa writes, there were no mosques in Palestine because there were no people there who believed in Muhammad that would gather together to pray in a specific place that served as a mosque. Most of the inhabitants of Palestine were Christians. Among them was a Jewish minority.

‘Arafa concludes that “the Isra (Night Journey) was not to Palestine; rather it was to Medina. It began at the Al-Haram Mosque (in Mecca) after the Prophet had prayed there with his companion, and both of them had left it, and the journey ended at the Mosque O As’ad ibn Zurah, in front of the house of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari in Medina, where the Prophet built the mosque known as the Mosque of the Prophet. ‘Arafa found that the account in the Koran “confirms that the final destination of the Hijra of Mohammad, which was carried out secretly, was a mosque, that is, a praying place in Medina.

The material for this Update came from a variety of sources, but the bulk of it came from Israel Insider, Israel’s daily newsmagazine, in an article written by Ellis Shuman on September 5, 2003.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 142D

October 22, 2003

Song of Moses Latter Day Series – Number 1

The song of Moses, in Chapter 32 of Deuteronomy, and the introduction to it in Chapter 31, is an outline of the future historical events that are ahead for God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, from the time of the death of Moses until the Second Advent of their Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The song of Moses carries us unto “the latter days” of this present Gentile age.

Deuteronomy 31:15,16 – And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. [16] And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.

After many years of failing to properly observe all the ordinances under the covenant of the law, God sent his messenger John ahead of the messenger of the covenant, the Messiah, to announce the Christ had arrived to fulfill the covenant that only he could perfectly keep as a man.

Malachi 3:1 – Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

But King Herod beheaded Messiah’s messenger, and the Israelites rejected the messenger of the covenant, King Messiah. Historical Israel has paid a terrible price for not letting their Messiah gather them together, having been cut off spiritually, when their temple was declared to be spiritually desolate just before they crucified him, and then being told it would remain spiritually desolate until he returned to be accepted as the one they rejected.

Matthew 23:37-39 – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Because they rejected their Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, the messenger of his covenant, God forsook them, and the historical record of more than 1900 years has, is, and will continue to be fulfilled in the many evils that have befallen them as a nation. Even today, among the Orthodox, there is always the question, “Why has the God of Israel allowed all these terrible things to come upon us, why can we find no peace, why has our God forsaken us?”

Deuteronomy 31:17 – Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day. Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?

For hundreds of years Israel was a disjointed skeleton, scattered across the surface of the earth, like spiritually dead, dry bones, in a great valley. They have been the most persecuted and despised people on this planet for more than 1900 years, with some six million having been murdered in the nazi holocaust. And, even now, they have known no peace for the 55 years they have been a recognized nation. The evil that has befallen then in the “latter days” of this age, from 1936 to the present, has been the most intense. It has been as Moses said it would be in the “latter days.”

Deuteronomy 31:29 – For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.

Never, in the history of God’s dealings with Israel, have they been spiritually further away from him than at the present time. They have long since stopped trusting in their God to deliver and restore them, and they are far removed from placing their faith in their true Messiah, Jesus Christ. They are trusting in a security wall, their own military might, and the most powerful nation on the earth, the United States, to deliver them from their many enemies. The most intense time of suffering for Israel is still future, of that I am certain, and I am of the opinion it will begin before 2008. Israel will be driven into the Negev wilderness by its many enemies, two-thirds of its population will perish, Jerusalem will fall, and one-third will make it into the Negev, where they will remain for 1260 days.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Zechariah 14:1,2 – Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

The residue (remnant) of the Jews who do escape will not be cut off from the city of Jerusalem forever, but will be brought back from the Negev from the Negev in victory by their Messiah following their 1260 day confinement there. And he will be their God, and they his people, for all eternity.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

The horrible period of time of Jacob’s trouble will be ended when the Messiah comes to end the battle of Armageddon.

Jeremiah 30:7-9 – Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. [8] For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: [9] But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 143

October 23, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 7

There is no question that the Feast of Tabernacles will be observed in Jerusalem by all nations during the reign of Israel’s returned Messiah. Both Zechariah and Isaiah describe the observance of the Feast.

Isaiah 66:23 – And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

The King, the Son of God, the Son of David, the Messiah, the Anointed One, was born to tabernacle with Israel, but they rejected him. They suffered no birth pains when he was born, and when he was crucified. They began when Titus leveled Jerusalem and the Temple some 40 years after his resurrection, and have continued ever since. Israel’s final, and hardest birth pains, will begin about 1260 days before he returns at his Second Advent. His Second Advent will not only bring him to birth as Israel’s Messiah, but he will be accompanied by all of those who received him as their Messiah since he was first promised as the Salvation Seed in Genesis 3:15.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

He was sent to shepherd his flock, the nation of Israel, but only the little ones among proud Israel would receive him as Messiah, and he turned his hand over them as his flock, and since that time his Spirit has created many such little flocks across the earth, made up of both Jew and Gentile.

Zechariah 13:7 – Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

John 10:24-31 – Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. [25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. [26] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. [27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: [28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. [30] I and my Father are one. [31] Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

Acts 20:21 – Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:18 – For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Acts 2:40,41 – And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Ephesians 2:22 – In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:21 – Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

The “little ones” of Zechariah 13:7 were cast out by the Jewish religious leaders because of what they preached in the name of Christ, but when he appears at his Second Advent, they will all be rejoicing, and Israel will be very ashamed for having crucified him.

Isaiah 66:5 – Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Zechariah 12:9-11 – And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. [10] And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. [11] In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem,

Revelation 1:7 – Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 143A

October 25, 2003

Song of Moses Latter Day Series – Number 2

As I indicated in our first Song of Moses Update last week, the song was introduced in Chapter 31 of the book of Deuteronomy, and presented in Chapter 32. Moses was about to die, and God gave him a historical account of what was to befall Israel from that time to the “latter days,” when the fullness of the Gentile Age would end.

Deuteronomy 31:28 to 32:5 – Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. [29] For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. [30] And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended. [1] Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. [2] My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: [3] Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. [4] He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. [5] They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

Time after time, from the Egyptian exodus, through the exile and return from Babylonian captivity, and then in Roman bondage, they corrupted themselves again and again in failing to follow his doctrinal teachings that fell from heaven through the words of the prophets. They were repeatedly punished for failing to see their God as the unchanging Rock, as the God of truth, and without iniquity. By the time their God came as their Messiah, because they did not study the words of the prophets, they failed to recognize him as the Son of God, in who dwelt the fullness of God, without iniquity. As a crooked and perverse nation they crucified their own Messiah, and received him not as the Rock of their salvation.

John 1:11 – He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

I Corinthians 10:4,5 – And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. [5] But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

By the time their true Messiah Jesus Christ arrived, they had become a spiritually foolish people toward God, trusting in their own wisdom and works of the law to bring them salvation.

Deuteronomy 32:6 – Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

They foolishly rejected the one who made them, and then crucified him, the Word, the Logos, the living God of all Israel, who came to them in a tabernacle of flesh.

John 1:1-4 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

They foolishly refused to honor him as God’s Son, the Messiah, by failing to come to him as the only Rock who could save them. They foolishly believed they could keep God’s standard of righteousness that was in the law, but only God himself could keep every jot and tittle of his own standard of righteousness, and God kept it as God in the body of the man, the Messiah, Christ Jesus.

John 5:39-41 – Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. [40] And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. [41] I receive not honour from men.

Matthew 5:17,18 – Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. [18] For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Christ perfectly fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Law of Moses, the Law of God. He came into the world without sin, being the Son of God, formed by his Father in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He is the only man who ever fully pleased God, who indwelt him in all his fullness. He fulfilled all that was necessary for God to be just, and the justifier of all who put their faith in his Son for the total salvation of their souls. He finished all the work on the cross at Golgotha.

John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Today, Israel is still a foolish nation concerning their own Messiah, but they are not alone, most of the world today agrees with them, in that they will not believe that Christ was crucified for their sins, and will not put their faith in him alone to save them from eternal damnation.

Deuteronomy 32:6 – Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

I Corinthians 18-23 – For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. [20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? [21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. [22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: [23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

Is your faith in Christ crucified for your sins, and in his being alive to keep you safe from hell forever? Is that enough faith for God to be just in saving your soul eternally? That is a saving faith that stands in the power of God, and Christ’s righteousness is the only righteousness that God will accept as your justification before him!

I Corinthians 2:2,5 – For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. [5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Romans 3:26 – To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 143B

October 26, 2003

Religious Unrest in Syria

As I reported in several previous Updates, one of the unusual things in Syria, as an Islamic country, has been the degree of religious freedom it has allowed its citizens. And, as I previously reported, this has been due to the very small religious sect, the Alawites, to which the Assad family belongs. Because of the rise of extremist groups within the Brotherhood of Islam, there were increasing violent acts among them in the early part of the eighties, and President Hafez al-Assad, the deceased father of the current President, Bashar Assad, sent troops into their stronghold at Hama (ancient Hamath), killing some 10,000, and crushing the city. This city is to be the northernmost latitudinal border of the land grant God gave to Abraham, which will be occupied by Israel when Messiah returns to dwell among them.

Ezekiel 47:17 – And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.

The southernmost border is to extend to Kadesh in the Sinai, and it is to extend westward from “the river” (the Euphrates) to “the great sea” (the Mediterranean) and the River of Egypt in the Sinai.

Ezekiel 47:19 – And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.

Genesis 15:18 – In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

During the inquisition of Assad against the Islamic extremists in the early eighties, hundreds of their most influential leaders were jailed, and many were never seen again. Their families, and the Islamic extremist groups, have not forgotten this religious inquisition.

Afterwards Hafez did some things to counter the sense that existed in the ranks of Syria’s massive Sunni Muslim population concerning religious suspicions of the validity of the Alawite sect. According to a recent news release by Neil MacFarquhar, in the New York Times, Assad built many mosques and founded myriad schools to study the Koran. However, this has, in part, led to the current resurgence in militant Islamic beliefs.

According to the article by MacFarquhar, “Violent sermons delivered by young mullahs like Sheik Mahmoud al-Ghassi, provide the most startling example of the careful line negotiated by the politically inclined.” The Sheik, in a sermon last week, “attacked the ‘atheist dogs’ waging war in the region,” then went on to say the economic sanctions by the Congress of the United States was “part of an Israeli plot to control all the land from the Nile to the Euphrates.”

How ironic that this will one day, in the not too distant future, be the case, and not because of an Israeli plot, but by an act of God he said he would perform thousands of years ago.

I expect the military, political and religious situation in Syria to become increasingly unstable beneath the surface, and would not be surprised if a Sunni led Baath coup replaced Bashar Assad in the next few years.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 143C

October 27, 2003

The Resurgence of Islamic Unity

The fourth huge kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as revealed to Daniel, was the mighty Roman Empire, which was symbolized by the two iron legs of the great statute viewed by the king in his dream. In its day, the Roman Empire was as strong and untied as iron in comparison to all the nations it conquered.

Daniel 2:40 – And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

In the latter days, which I am confident we are now passing through, there was to arrive on the scene a set of 10 toes to complete the massive statue, only to finally see it crash to the earth, and to be replaced by the kingdom of God on earth. The 10 toes are the kings of verse 44.

Daniel 2:44 – And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

The character of these kings, and the nations they head, is outlined in verses 41 to 43. They were to arise out of the territory that made up the empire of the two legs of iron, the ancient Roman Empire. Most Bible teachers of today bring them out of the northern half of the Roman Empire, but I have always clung to what Bible teachers of the 18^th and 19^th century believed, that they would be 10 Arab nations from the southern half of the empire. It would consist of such Arab nations as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, the proposed Palestinian State, and Iran.

These mingled people have only been able to unite for a single period in history. They did it by following religion as introduced to them by the Prophet Mohammad in the Koran. It was their religious fervor for Allah that was responsible for their conquest of Spain, and most of the countries of southeastern Europe. The Islamic Empire, at its peak, stretched from Spain and Morocco, across North Africa, northward into southeastern Europe, and as far east as India. And, like most empires, they became well educated, highly cultured, and very prosperous in the upper crust of their society, which eventually caused their religions fervor for Allah and conquest to diminish. Their individual rulers became powerful, and began to fear uprisings to their authority by their masses, which led to harsh, dictatorial governments. The individual nations varied from powerful to very weak, and the weak were often taken over by the stronger. Those who make up the Islamic faith are Abraham’s descendants through the twelve sons of Ishmael and the six sons of Keturah. Intermingled among them, but largely concentrated in Jordan, are the descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot, who was the father of Ammon and Moab, and Jacob’s brother Esau, also known as Edom. To further cloud the genealogical picture, there is also some of the blood of the ten northern tribes of Israel, which were carried into captivity by the Assyrians in about 712 B.C., plus there is the blood of some of the descendants of Noah that did not go through Abraham or Lot. They are a race that has, through mingling with the seed of non-descendants of Abraham, created a situation where uniting for war has always been a problem, due to their ethnic makeup and differences. There is only one thing that will unite them temporarily. It is the same thing that has fueled many wars – religious fervor. The 10 toes of Daniel’s great statue in these last days are going to unite and hold together as clay and iron long enough to defeat Israel in a vicious lightning religious Jihad from the north, under the banner of Islam. The following scriptures fit them like a glove.

Daniel 2:41-43 – And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

Some of them have the strength of clay, like Tunisia and Lebanon, while others, like Syria and Iran, have that of iron. In the phrase, “they shall MINGLE themselves with the seed of men,” the word MINGLE is the Hebrew word ARAB.

It is this kingdom of the antichrist that will dominate the known world of Daniel’s day for some three and one-half prophetic years, only to be replaced by the kingdom of God at the battle of Armageddon.

Recent events in the Middle East have infuriated Islam’s “man in the street” across all the Arab countries, and the Islamic clerics are taking full advantage of it to fuel the fire of an Islamic revival similar to that which eventually followed the death of Mohammad. The mosques across Islam are ringing loud and clear to unite, unite, unite, in the cause of Allah. There are some 1.3 billion Muslims, and religious fervor is the only thing that can cause them to unite and hold together long enough to defeat a Jewish population of just over five million in Israel. Watch the rhetoric intensity increase in many Islamic countries that have previously been relatively passive.

In the previous Prophecy Update I discussed the rise in Islamic fervor in Syria, which I believe will be the leader in the coming Jihad against Israel. The fundamentalism of radical Islam, which President Bahsar Assad’s father purged in 1982, is, as is the case in most secular Arab states, again raising its ugly head in the form of dramatic religious resurgence.

The article I quoted in the last Prophecy Update, quoted a message typical of sermons being delivered by young mullahs like Shiek Mahmoud al-Ghassi, who leads a mosque in the Syrian district of Saqhour. He was quoted as saying, “Islam is the only weapon required.” Some of his other statements in his sermon were as follows: “The Koran is stronger than America. Be prepared with all your strength.” By the time he finished, the article said many of the hundreds of worshippers were weeping. He went on to say, “you leaders and presidents, be worried about your thrones and your financial assets, because Islam will stay forever and no power on earth, whatever it dictates, whatever it mobilizes, can touch Islam.”

Watch the Arab world, particularly Syria. Fundamental Islamic fervor will continue to rise among the masses, and, in order to stay afloat, some of the leaders of more secular Arabic governments will have to climb on board, or lose their thrones in coups by radical Islamics. The 10 king’s crowns on the 10 horns of the beast in Revelation 13 will eventually be surrendered to the antichrist, such that no crowns appear on the horns of the same beast found in Revelation 17. God will put it in the hearts of the 10 Islamic kings to give the kingdom to the antichrist, unto God destroys them all at Armageddon.

Revelation 13:1 – And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Revelation 17:12,13,17 – And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. [17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

They will initially be successful in driving Israel into the Negev, where they will remain for 1260 days, but will be defeated by the Lamb of God when he returns with the faithful at the battle of Armageddon to begin his reign.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Revelation 17:14 – These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Revelation 19:20,21 – And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat on the horse,

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 143D

October 28, 2003

How Good Was the Estimate?

Last week I received an e-mail from a friend who sent me a picture he had copied from an ABC News release, but I was not able to raise the picture. He asked me how close my estimate had been on the percentage of Israeli settlements that would be saved by weaving the security fence deep inside the West Bank like a snake, thereby placing them on the side the Israelis would claim as their territory after the fence was finished? The picture apparently showed about 80 percent would be saved by the fence’s cut inside the “green line” border of the West Bank. Since my friend asked the question, I thought others might like to know the latest on the security buffer zone fence being built around the West Bank.

In Prophecy Update 62D, April 10, 2002, which may be located in our Archives, I gave my first full discussion of the proposed Security Wall Israel had announced it was planning to build around the West Bank. I covered its history from the time it was first proposed in 1968 by Yigal Allon, while I was still in the National Security Agency. I closed Update 62D stating: “I will guarantee you this, the Palestinians and all Islamic nations will hate it. And if anything will cause a false peace to come in, this action will insure it. A false peace is coming to the Middle East. It may be a ‘forced peace’ or a negotiated peace, or a combination of both, but it will be a false peace that gives Israel a sense of ‘peace and safety,’ and it will be broken with the agony and pain that suddenly comes upon a woman before giving birth to a child, and the pain and agony will last for 1260 days.” Israel, when it first announced it would build the fence, gave assurance that it would stick very close to the recognized border known as the green line. They, the U.S., and the Palestinians knew they would not, but that is the way international politics function. There was only one question in my mind, how far will they stray from the “green line” border to include as many Israeli settlements as possible. In my pro-Israel opinion they have every right to keep all of the West Bank.

I repeatedly indicated in Update after Update that Israel would not give up all of its 150 settlements in the West Bank, and estimated it would keep some 70 percent of them by weaving the Security Fence deep inside the “green line” border of the West Bank. In Prophecy Update 70C, June 2, 2002, I wrote: “Since conquering the West Bank, Israel has been claiming large tracts for settlements and state land preserves. About 200,000 Israelis live among 2,000,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, in addition to 175,000 who live on the West Bank territory annexed to the Jerusalem municipality after 1967. In the Gaza Strip, a sandy coastal area, 1,000,000 Palestinians are squeezed on about 60 percent of the land, while 3,000 Jewish pioneers have settled on the rest in heavily guarded communities. I believe the launching of Operation Defensive Shield will finally result in a containment zone very similar to what I drew up and presented diagrammatically in Prophecy Update 65C. This will allow Israel to keep about 70 percent of its existing settlements on the outside of the buffer zone. And the effectiveness of the buffer zone from internal terrorist attacks will allow all Israelis outside the zone to say they have a time of ‘peace and safety’.”

So, how close was my guesstimate of 70 percent? Last week, for the first time, according to an article by Ravi Nessman in the Chicago Sun Times, the following quote provides a pre-fence completion answer: “For the first time, Israel published a detailed map Friday of its planned security barrier, which would encircle tens of thousands of Palestinians, cutting them off from the rest of the West Bank, while keeping about 80 percent of Jewish settlers on the Israeli side of the fence. The fence’s snaking path, sloping from flat land up into mountains, cuts deep into the West Bank and will likely enflame already fierce international opposition.”

This newly published map may have been drawn up with compromise on some settlements in mind if deemed necessary, in which case it may end up closer to 70 than 80 percent of the settlements on the Israeli side of the buffer zone.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 143E

October 29, 2003

Song of Moses Latter Day Series – Number 3

As was outlined in the two previous Updates concerning the Song of Moses, it was a preview of coming attractions through which Israel was to pass from the time of the death of Moses to the time when the Age of the Fullness of the Gentiles would come in. Because they did not have an interest in studying and understanding the Scriptures delivered to them by the prophets God sent to them, it was only natural that they would not recognize Messiah when he arrived, and would reject him, because he did not meet their own traditional expectations of what he was sent to accomplish for them as a people. And yet the pre-incarnate personage of Christ as the Rock of Israel had been with Israel from the very beginning. Yet they were unmindful of his character, which was the same as the one who had formed them. Messiah was the same God who followed them as their spiritual Rock in all of their wanderings.

Deuteronomy 32:18 – Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

John 1:11 – He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Israel rejected him as their Messiah because they had repeatedly provoked God’s sons and daughters he had sent to them over and over again to advise Israel of the character of their coming Messiah. Because they would not receive their testimony, but consistently provoked them, and then rejected the one of whom they testified, God abhorred them, and made them, and their temple, spiritually desolate before him.

Deuteronomy 32:19 – And when the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.

Matthew 23:37,38 – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

God has hidden his face from Israel for over 1900 years, they are a faithless nation in the true Messiah, and will not put their faith in him until after they have been sent into the Negev wilderness, fleeing from their enemies. In the Negev, before the Second Advent of their Messiah, all Israel will put their faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Deuteronomy 32:20 – And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

Matthew 23:39 – For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Israel stumbled over the Rock, the Stone of God, who he sent to save them from their sins. But in the nation of the Gentiles, whom the Jews think to be a foolish nation of heathen, many have received him as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and have been saved by his grace.

Deuteronomy 32:21 – They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people: I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

Israel stumbled over the Rock, the Stone that God laid as the cornerstone of salvation for all men who would receive him as their redeemer. He was sent to Israel, but they rejected him. God has concluded them all in the unbelief of his Son as their Messiah, but they will finally believe as a nation in the Negev wilderness.

Romans 11:32 – For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

I Peter 2:6-10 – Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. [7] Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, [8] And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. [9] But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: [10] Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Romans 2:28,29 – For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: [29] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144

November 1, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 8

During the millennial reign of Messiah, according to Zechariah 14:16 and Isaiah 66:23, the unfulfilled Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled, and all flesh will come to Jerusalem to worship before the returned Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Anointed One.

Isaiah 66:23 – And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

We began an exposition of Isaiah 66:5 earlier, and I will now continue with 66.6. During Messiah’s First Advent to Israel, he cleansed the temple on two occasions – when he began his earthly ministry, and again when he closed it more than three years later. This created a commotion on both occasions when his voice was heard declaring to Israel’s religious leaders his Father’s displeasure with them. Israel paid a terrifying recompense some 40 years later because of the spiritual condition of the temple, and its refusal to accept the one who cleansed it as Messiah.

Isaiah 66:6 – A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies.

He performed the first temple cleansing on the Passover after he was baptized. He had first traveled to Cana, and then returned to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.

John 1:32-37 – And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. [33] And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. [34] And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. [35] Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; [36] And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! [37] And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

John 2:1-3,11,13-17 – And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there [2] And both Jesus was called and his disciples, to the marriage. [3] And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. [11] This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. [13] And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, [14] And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: [15] And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; [16] And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. [17] And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

He performed the second temple cleansing three years after the first during his last Passover in Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:9-16 – And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. [10] And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? [11] And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. 12] And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, [13] And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. [14] And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. [15] And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, [16] And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Recompense began some 40 years after Jesus declared the temple mount to be spiritually desolate. It happened as prophesied by Jesus in Luke 21:24. It was then made physically desolate.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Luke 21:24 – And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The recompense will be finished at his Second Advent, and Israel will say, “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144A

November 1, 2003

Groundwork for the Many Rapture Positions

When was the Groundwork Laid for them?

When I worked as a meteorologist in England for three years in the late fifties and sixties, I discovered it to be the land of many ancient writings. The Commentary by Theodore Beza, in the 1599 Geneva Study Bible, said the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 were the Messiah, Jesus Christ, rather than antichrist, which reflects the view of the preachers from the first books ever published, and this belief was the majority opinion up to 1900.

The basic groundwork for the many different rapture positions was spaded up by the attacks of the Protestant Reformers on doctrines of the massive Catholic Church. They were so disgusted with most of its teachings, that many proclaimed the Catholic Church itself to be the antichrist prophesied by Daniel and John the Apostle to come in the latter days. Many believed they were living in the latter days. When the Catholic Church met at the Council of Trent in the fifteen hundreds, the bulk of the discussions centered around how to restore credibility to its tarnished authority among the masses by losing its accused position of being the antichrist. One of the ways it lost its undesirable title was through the publication of a commentary on the book of Revelation in 1690 by a Jesuit priest named Francisco

He is the father of what came to be known as the “futurism” approach to prophetic interpretation. He introduced the idea that the prophecies in the book of Daniel, and the book of Revelation, did not apply to the church, but were only focused on the final seven years of this age. He did not believe in a rapture at the beginning of the seven years, nor did he divide it into two periods of three and one half years. He said the Bible’s warning about the antichrist could not possibly apply to the Catholic Church, but only predicted the appearance of a very evil man who would govern during earth’s final years. John Darby is often identified as the first to teach the rapture doctrine, but Morgan Edwards was teaching it in 1742, some 58 years before John Darby was born into the world. But John Darby, who was an Irish lawyer and Anglican preacher, did develop the method of Biblical teaching in which he included the futuristic views of Ribera. He was the first to fully describe a rapture seven years before the Second Advent of Christ, in which Christ came in the air, viewed only by the saved he came to take out, and left the lost behind to be ruled by an evil antichrist for a period of seven years. John Darby is also the man who created many of the first diagrams commonly associate with the seven-year pre-tribulation rapture position. But Morgan Edwards taught only 1260 days of tribulation remained, and that the rapture occurred when it began, 1260 days before Armageddon.

So, in reality, he was not a “first of the weeker,” but what one would call a “mid-tribber” today. Clarence Larkin, a skilled master diagram artist of the World War I era, created the most elaborate series of diagrams and charts on the pre-tribulation rapture up to that time, and most of today’s branch off from his in one way or another.

As far as the first person to ever venture away from a rapture prior to the seven vials of wrath or the absolute end of the tribulation period, I have found no one before Morgan Edwards in 1742 during my research.

You will find more historical information on the rapture, and the view I hold, in Prophecy Updates 73D, 74A, 82A, and 114A.

All of our Prophecy Updates from 1 to 139E may be identified by title from our Prophecy Archive Menu found at the top of each one of our Prophecy Updates by clicking on Updates 85C, 124B, and 139E in the pop down arrow box.

All of our Birth Pang Updates from 1 to 43 may be identified by title from our Prophecy Archive Menu found at the top of each one of our Prophecy Updates by clicking on Update 86A.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144B

November 2, 2003

Reaching Out Is the Work of Each Local Church

Dardanelle MBC has tried during the 29 years I have been her pastor, to reach out to as wide a spectrum as possible. I have preached in more than 700 churches, seminaries, colleges, and universities for the past 25 years while acting as pastor of this local church – They look upon this ministry as being an outreach of the Dardanelle MBC. We give more than twenty-four percent of our offerings into ABA missions, which we send directly to the sponsoring church or missionary. Our outreach into foreign counties through radio broadcasts into Europe, the Middle East, the North Atlantic, Africa, and Eurasia has been expensive, but more than worth the effort. Please forgive me if all this sounds like tooting our own horn, but I have heard rumors that we are a small isolated group with no outreach. I don’t attend the local functions in our area, and I skip many ABA meetings, because I do a revival every other week, a broadcast every week, pastor the church, issue Prophecy Updates on our web pages, and am 71 years old, tired, and worn out. Well, so much for all that – please forgive me for expressing my frustration with the lack of understanding by some in the ABA work. Really, my reason for this Update was to tell you about our outreach, which I am sure is inferior to many other churches, and I did not mean to brag about it. We also have an outreach to the nursing home in Dardanelle. We make a concerted effort to teach them about the marvelous Savior we know, and since most of those coming to hear us already know him, we try very hard to get them to understand the importance of serving him in the nursing home. A man or woman in the nursing home feels useless, because they have been cut off from the productive lives they once knew with their mates and children. We let them know that the usefulness they can perform in serving Christ, while in the nursing home, is perhaps greater than the service performed in their previous life before entering the nursing home. We teach them many things they can still do for their master, and remind them often of some of the Lord’s last words to Peter. We do two, one hour, services very week, one on Saturday, and the other on Sunday. I do the one on saturday, and Kenneth does the one on Sunday. I thank God for Ken Eubanks. We attended the Missionary Baptist Seminary together in Little Rock, and he has been a real friend to me for 29 years. He does it also on Saturday if I can’t get back in time from where I preached a revival that week. Brother Charles Trusty and Kenneth take turns filling in for me on the Wednesday nights I am away.

It is wonderful to have two sound preachers to fill in for you. And I thank God for the Dardanelle church members who come faithfully to all of the nursing home programs every week. They are a blessing and encouragement to both of us. Some of them are older than the ones in the nursing home, but I believe we can be of the greatest use to the Lord when we don’t have any strength left because of age, and have to allow him to give it to us by his amazing grace. I am finding what he told Peter to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

John 21:18 – Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

I am including in this Update a sample of the type of message we present at the nursing home. You can see it contains the ingredients of salvation, security, and working for Jesus while you wait. Please pray for the church and myself. It will be greatly appreciated.

SAVED-WORKING-WAITING-WATCHING –FOR CHRIST!

We are eternally saved by grace to do good works!

Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

We are waiting for the rapture and our new bodies!

I Corinthians 15:51 – Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

We are watching for him when we work for him!

I Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

We will be judged for the things done in our bodies!

II Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We will be judged in heaven before his wrath on earth!

I Thessalonians 5:9 – For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 6:9 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144C

November 2, 2003

Song of Moses Latter Day Series – Number 4

Deuteronomy 32:20-22 – And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. [21] They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.

I covered Deuteronomy 32:20-22 in the previous Update. Deuteronomy 32:22-25 deals with the terrible suffering Israel has experienced since Messiah made their temple mount spiritually desolate, plus the suffering they will experience during the final 1260 days of the age of the Gentiles. It was foretold it would happen to them by the one God sent to deliver them from their sins.

Matthew 23:30-35 – And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. [31] Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. [32] Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. [33] Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? [34] Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: [35] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Israel’s punishment as a nation has indeed been as the Song of Moses described it would be. The nazi holocaust did not spare any of them based on age or sex.

Deuteronomy 32:22-25 – For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. [23] I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. [24] They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. [25] The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.

Their temple was made spiritual desolate by Jesus when they rejected him as Messiah, and physically desolate when the Roman Titus overran and the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.!

Matthew 23:38 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Matthew 24:1,2 – And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. [2] And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

And, as Messiah predicted, the city fell, the temple was leveled, and they were carried into captivity across the face of the earth,

Messiah advised them of the horror that was going to come upon them, but he promised he would come again to them, not as a Lamb in a manger, who was sacrificed so that they might put their faith in his flesh and blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins, but as the Lion of Judah. He will come following a time of great trouble like the world has never seen, which I believe is likely to begin before 2008. The timing is OPINION, but that it will eventually happen is certain.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Luke 21:25-28 – And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; [26] Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. [27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

There will be a remnant of believing Israelites among the one-third of the population that makes it to the Negev.

Revelation 12:17 – And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144D

November 4, 2003

Song of Moses Latter Day Series – Number 5

Deuteronomy 32:26 – I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:

In the last Update, I covered the scattering, and terrible suffering, that the people of Israel have suffered across the corners of this earth, since they rejected the Messiah their God had sent them for their deliverance. It indeed happened exactly as Messiah told them it would. More than 60 percent of the world Jewish population, even today, still remains scattered across the earth, and this percentage is likely to remain static until Jesus returns.

And, indeed, except for the unconditional covenant God made with Abraham, the grandfather of the man Israel, he might have caused them all to be destroyed, and then forgotten by mankind. Since God did not desire for the enemies of Israel to have reason to doubt his existence and power as the only God, he has spared Israel, and will return them to their land to be his people, and he will be their delivering God as Messiah at Armageddon.

Deuteronomy 32:26-30 – Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this. [28] For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. [29] O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end! [30] How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?

God makes the point that the only reason the nations of the world were allowed to do what they have done to Israel, for more than 1900 years, was simply because he allowed them to do so. Just as David defeated Goliath because God, the Rock of Israel, was with him, and thousands fled before him because the Rock put fear in their hearts, it should be apparent to Israel and to the Gentile nations that what has happen to Israel was the permissive will of God. Had God been with them, as their Rock, it would never have happened. Messiah is the living Cornerstone, the living Stone, the Rock of Israel. He was miraculously cut out of God, the great mountain of all mountains. He was formed in the womb of the Virgin Mary, not by the might and power of the flesh, or by the will of man, but by the Spirit of the living God, who brought Messiah the Headstone forth from Mary through Zerubabbel and Heli, the father of Mary.

Zechariah 4:6-10 – Then he answered and spake unto me saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. [7] Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. [8] Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [9] The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. [10] For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Zechariah 3:8,9 – Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. [9] For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

In Messiah is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily in the completeness of God’s Spirit. Messiah is the stone with the seven eyes of God his Father. He is the stone cut out of God, the great mountain of all mountains, and governor of all governors over all governments. He will return to crush the ten toed, latter day, kingdoms of antichrist, and rule forever as the offspring of David.

Daniel 2:45 – Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel 7:13,14 – I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144E

November 5, 2003

The Beast With the Deadly Wound!

For most of my adult life I have believed that the one we identify as the antichrist will apparently be killed by a weapon of war, but will seemingly undergo a miraculous recovery from his deadly wound and, in so doing, will gain followers across the known world of John’s day. The Islamic world has been waiting for such a man since the death of the prophet Mohammad. Please read Prophecy Update 82, Part 3, Exposition of Revelation, Chapter 13, in our Prophecy Update Archives. For a description of what I mean as the “known world of John’s day,” please read Prophecy Updates 73A, 77A, 77B, 77C, and 135C in our Archives.

Revelation 13:3,12,14 – And I saw one of his heads as it WERE WOUNDED TO DEATH; AND HIS DEADLY WOUND was healed: and all the world wondered after THE BEAST. [12] And he exerciseth all the power of the FIRST BEAST before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the FIRST BEAST, WHOSE DEADLY WOUND WAS HEALED. [14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to THE BEAST, which had THE WOUND BY A SWORD, AND DID LIVE.

I have believed, through most of my adult manhood, that antichrist would receive a deadly wound, which would cause the world to believe he was dead, but afterwards would reappear to cause many of the earth’s inhabitants to believe he was miraculously back among the living. And I have always believed this would be the man who would lead the initial attack against Israel, and drive them southward into the Negev wilderness, where they would remain for the last 1260 days before Christ’s Second Advent. It would be during this time period the antichrist would literally be that Wicked One, the Devil, incarnate in the sinful flesh of the antichrist. I have always taken I Thessalonians 2:8 to represent this period of 1260 days.

II Thessalonians 2:8 – And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

And I have long taught that those sections of the world, which were known by the readers of Revelation at the time it was written, would unknowingly worship Satan through the antichrist, because Satan would indwell his human body. I have also taught that the people of the known world will say that no one can win a war against a leader they seemingly cannot kill.

Revelation 13:4-6 – And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? [5] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. [6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (Please read Prophecy Updates 80, 81, and 83)

2 Thessalonians 2:4 – Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (Please read Prophecy Update Numbers 79 and 52 in our Archives)

Daniel 11:45 – And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (Please read Prophecy Updates 53 and 81A)

Revelation 19:19,20 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

I do not believe Osama Ben Laden is the antichrist. But his apparent death, and supposedly still being among the living, may well represent the type of scenario by which the antichrist gains the loyalty of the Islamic world. The Islamic “man in the street,” among the 1.3 billion Arabs in the Middle East, considers Osama a great hero, and the longer he remains alive or avoids capture, the greater a legend he becomes to them. Neither do I believe that Saddam Hussein is the antichrist, but he does bother me, and the sooner they kill or capture him, the easier I will rest with my statement he is not the antichrist. He only bothers me because he was born in the southern part of the old Assyrian Empire, and I have always believed the antichrist would come from that ancient Empire. (Please read Prophecy Update Numbers 80, 81, and 82 in Archives)

While I do not believe that either Osama Ben Laden or Saddam Hussein is the antichrist, I do believe this may well be the type of scenario that sets up a situation where he has supposedly been killed by a wound his enemies are sure finished him off, but much to their surprise he suddenly appears and leads a successful Jihad against Israel with the backing of 10 Islamic nations.

Rest assured that even though I do not believe the Beast of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein, is the Beast with a deadly wound that did live, the fact that he was born within the southeast fringe of the ancient empire does bother me, and I am going to continue to hope he is caught soon. And, while I wait, I will certainly monitor the degree of his accelerating popularity with the 1.3 million Arab population composed of the “man in the street.”

Osama Ben Laden became a hero to the Islamic masses when he drove the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan by a process of guerilla warfare, and then challenged America by destroying the Twin Towers. Saddam Hussein seems to be using the Islamic terrorists from numerous Arab nations to conduct the guerilla terrorist war now being waged against the Americans and their allies in Iraq. As each day passes that Saddam is able to avoid capture, and American troops continue to be picked off in Iraq, his mystic grows in the minds of the masses as a man who is standing up against “the big devil” and, in their eyes, defeating us. The one thing that bothers me about Saddam is where he was born. He was born in Tikrit in Iraq. Tikrit is located within the extreme southern part of the ancient Assyrian Empire. However, I do not think he is the antichrist, but the scenarios of “you are dead,” then “no, you are alive,” may be the type of scenario we can expect to see unite the 1.3 billion Islamic population behind the real antichrist when he does show up. Such a scenario would certainly fulfill Revelation 13:3,4.

Revelation 13:3,4 – And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. [4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And it could explain how clay and iron could be caused to cling together for a while by faith in one leader among a mingled population.

Daniel 2:41-43 – And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

And it could explain why 10 leaders of 10 Islamic nations would be willing to surrender their power to him.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 144F

November 6, 2003

The 19^th Century Revision of the Time of God’s Wrath

In the early part of the 1800’s, or perhaps even as early as 1742, the tribulation period began to be divided into two sections, each one 1260 days in length, for a total tribulation period of 2520 days. The first half was a time of peace, and the second half a time of trouble, so it was only natural that the last 1260 days came to be known as the “great tribulation.” This interpretation was justified using Matthew 24:21,22.

Matthew 24:21,22 – For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

I certainly agree there will be tribulation during the last 1260 days of the tribulation period, but the intensity time of it being “great” has been shortened, and it will not last for the full 1260 days, but will be confined to the pouring out of the vials of God’s wrath during the latter portion of it, perhaps during a period of some 45 days. I do not believe the archangel Michael stands up for Israel until the antichrist is setting on the temple mount in his palace (appeden – command post) claiming to be God just prior to Armageddon, and that is when the “great” part of the tribulation begins, after which Israel is delivered, every one found written in the book.

Daniel 11:45 to 12:1 – And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

So when does the “great” tribulation come on the earth in the tribulation period? In Revelation 6:12-17 God gives John a preview, an overview, of what will happen from the opening of the sixth seal to the pouring out of the contents of the seventh vial of his wrath. However, the true wrath of God does not begin until the pouring out of the first vial of wrath in Revelation 16:1.

THE PREVIEW OF HIS COMING WRATH!

Revelation 6:12-17 – And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; [13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. [15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; [16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Verses 12 to 14 are the judgments of God upon the earth from the six seal through the seven trumpets.

Verses 15 to 17 are the wrath of God poured out on the lost following the sounding of the seventh trumpet.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS COMING WRATH!

Revelation 11:15,18 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. [18] And the nations were angry, AND THY WRATH IS COME, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

THE ARRIVAL OF HIS WRATH UPON THE LOST!

I Thessalonians 5:9 – For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

Revelation 15:1,7 – And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. [7] And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

Revelation 16:1,2,16,17 – And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. [2] And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. [16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 145

November 7, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 9

Zechariah, Isaiah, and many of the other prophets, all indicate that the Messiah of Israel, who came as Jesus at his First Advent, and tabernacled among men, will come again at his Second Advent to tabernacle with his chosen forever. The word translated at “dwelt” in John 1:14 is the Greek word for what the Hebrews identified as a tent or “tabernacle.” God dwelt in a tent of sinless flesh and tabernacled with Israel for more than three years. Soon he will come again at his Second Advent as the Lion of Judah and tabernacle with his chosen forever.

John 1:14 – And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled) among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Isaiah 66:23 – And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

We had completed the exposition of Isaiah 66:6 in our previous article. Israel’s Messiah was born before it ever experienced the tribulation of Revelation 12:6.

Isaiah 66:7 – Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

But a remnant of the seed of the woman’s child, who was Jesus, will be preserved by God, in the Negev wilderness during the 1260 days of tribulation, and the children of Israel shall be reborn as a nation at Messiah’s Second Advent.

Isaiah 66:8,9 – Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. [9] Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.

Revelation 12:5 – And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Revelation 12:17 – And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The woman represents the 1.7 to 1.9 million Jews that will make it into the Negev wilderness, and the remnant of Jesus, her seed, are 144,000 sealed Jews.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 7:4 – And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

As God indicated “Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” Both rhetorical questions beg an answer – and the answer is a definite implied YES! When Jesus returns at his Second Advent, because of the testimony of the 144,000 in the Negev wilderness, the Israelites in the wilderness who believe will be born of his Spirit, and he will bring them forth as his children.

Acts 2:20,21 – The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: [21] And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Micah 5:3 – Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Isaiah 66:10 – Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 145A

November 8, 2003

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials of Revelation

Part 1 – Beginning With The Seals

In October 2003, I presented the seventh trumpet pre-wrath position at the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Midwest City, Oklahoma, over a period that lasted from 8 A.M. to 10:30 P.M., with a break for lunch and dinner, and several short breaks for water and circulation relief. I am very grateful to one of the fine pastors there for a question he asked concerning the seven seals. He asked me where I placed them. I had not discussed them, and he wanted to be able to envision where I put them. I am grateful he asked me, because it suddenly made me very aware of something I knew, but had not really thought about for years. I covered the seals in my second book, “The Tribulation Triad,” when I wrote it in the late seventies, but during the 25 years I have lectured in more than 700 churches, seminaries, colleges, and universities I have never, to the best of my recollection, discussed the six seals as to “where” they fit in the tribulation period. I have discussed what they represent at great length, but simply did not position them as to where they belong in the tribulation period. There is a very good reason as to why I never placed them specifically in the tribulation period – I do not believe the first five occur during the tribulation period, and that the first four describe the events Jesus referred to as “the beginning of sorrows” in Matthew 24:7,8, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:10,11.

Matthew 24:7,8 – For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. [8] All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Mark 13:8 – For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

Luke 21:10,11 – Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: [11] And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

I certainly do not believe we are now in the tribulation period, because I have long taught the first seal opened following the end of the first world war on this planet, and that the others began to open in chronological when World War II began. I should have presented this series at the time we started this web site several years ago, but better late than never. It is diagrammatically pictured on page 154 of “The Tribulation Period.” Even though I did not believe the first part of the tribulation period was going to last three and one-half years because I believed the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 are Messiah the Prince, and not the antichrist, knowing the vast majority of the prophetic teachers of today believe it is the antichrist, I showed the first three and one-half years on my diagram, and jammed all of it as occurring during the fifth seal. I believe when seal six opens it starts the last three and one half years of the tribulation. I do believe there will be a brief period of false peace just before the opening of the sixth seal, during the time of the fifth seal, but it will be of much, much shorter duration that most believe today. I have always taught that the sixth seal is a preview of all the horrifying events that will occur from the seventh seal through the seven trumpets and seven vials. At the time I wrote “The Tribulation Triad” I placed the time of Satan’s casting out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-12) in what most identify as the first three and one half years of a seven-year tribulation period. I have since changed my mind. Do I still change my mind about prophecy? I do not change my mind about the doctrines of salvation, the ordinances of the church, or that Jesus is coming, but I do indeed continue to change my mind about the many things in prophecy. If you are not prepared to do that, you will never learn anything. The only one who could lecture about prophecy, and never have to correct what he taught, is the Great Three-In-One. I feel sorry for all those who think they got it right the first time, and still teach exactly the same things they taught when they first taught prophecy fifty years ago. I have changed what I once believed about some things, and hopefully, if I don’t grow to think I am God, and understand it as well as He does, I will continue to change. God got it right the first time, the rest of us will have to keep changing our minds if we want to be more accurate in our interpretation of what God already knows.

I will begin this series with the first seal and, if the Lord is willing, will go through the seals, and then identify how I believe the seals, trumpets, and vials are laced into a pattern from the seventh seal through the last vial.

Again, I am grateful I was asked where the seals fit in the tribulation period, because it made me realize that what I have long believed about it had become such so engrained in me that I proceeded like the hearer already knew where I placed them, which was a real goof on my part. I knew that the vast majority of writers place the seals in what is known as the tribulation period. Knowing this, I should have explained the seal positioning at some point before he asked the question, and it suddenly made me realize that I should have put this on our web pages when we first began. So I will be putting it out on updates for some time, giving the seals in chronological order.

The riders on the first four seals do not picture specific individuals – they do not represent men, but rather all of mankind. They represent four phases through which mankind was to pass preceding the tribulation period. I do not believe the tribulation period has seven full years, because Jesus fulfilled more than three years of it after his baptism. The horse colors portray the characteristics of four phases in chronological order: white for peaceful conquests, red for the blood shed in wars, black for the dark eyes associated with famine, and pale for the color of death associated with pestilence or a corpse.

Revelation 6:1,2 – And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. [2] And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The first great world war to engulf all the known world that existed when John wrote the book of Revelation in about 96 A.D. during the great Roman Empire, which was the fourth beast of Chapter Seven in Daniel, out of which a final revived empire of antichrist was to arise in the latter days, was what we called World War I. Out of World War I came the Balfour Declaration, which did finally lead to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The Balfour Declaration was a British statement of policy issued in 1917 by Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour. It stated British support for a Jewish national home in Palestine without prejudice to the rights of the non-Jewish population. The white horse rider represents the state of mankind that existed between the two great world wars that occurred between two German tyrants. The color of the horse, like a white dove, symbolizes the state of peace that existed between 1918 and 1932 across the territories recognized as the Roman Empire during its maximum extent. I believe most of the prophecies in the book of Revelation will be fulfilled across the known world of John’s day, not in the western hemisphere.

A long series of conquests by Hitler’s shaking of the bow, without firing any arrows, allowed the relative peace to continue until 1939. He was able to occupy several of the lands to his west, southwest, south, and southeast by a series of bluffs, without firing a shout. They succumbed to his threats, and he occupied large sections of nations around Germany. Threats, rather than arrows, secured him much land. The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Arthur Neville Chamberlain, followed a policy appeasing Hitler, rather than confronting him. So, in 1938, he went to Germany and signed the Munich Pact, which allowed Hitler to occupy part of Czechoslovakia. It was a time of peace where those who “went forth conquering, and to conquer,” did so by bluff rather than by blood. He returned home with the cry “Peace in our times.” The first of the four horse riders has come and gone. He departed the scene when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. That is when the red horse rider came on the scene. I will cover his activities in Part 2.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 145B

November 9, 2003

The Seals, The Trumpets, and the Vials of Revelation

Part 2 – The Second Seal

The first four seals of Revelation open before the period known as the tribulation period. They occur during the period of time Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows.”

The first seal has already opened and closed. The second, third, and fourth seals are already open, and will remain open until the end of the tribulation period. All three of them will intensify rapidly in the tribulation period.

In Part 1, we placed the first seal before the tribulation period in the time period from 1918 to 1939, from the end of World War I to the beginning of World War II. The second seal was opened by the appearance of the red horse rider when Hitler attacked Poland in 1939 to start World War II. The Second Advent will close it.

Revelation 6:3,4 – And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. [4] And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

The bloody 1939 German invasion of Poland marked the arrival of the red horse of war. As its rider spread out a carpet of blood by war across what was once the old Roman Empire, across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Eurasia, it began to fulfill verse four’s prophecy. We have had no lasting peace on the earth since 1939, with blood continuing to be shed off and one during the cold war across the northern half of the ancient Roman Empire, and intermittent bloody wars have continued to occur across the great African and Middle East sections of what made up the vast southern half of the Empire in John’s day. The landmass of Roman conquest in Africa and the Middle East was greater in size than the land it took over in Europe. The antichrist will arise out of this section of a revived Roman Empire, not out of Europe. The ten toes of Daniel’s great statue, the 10 horns of his fourth beast, the ten horns found on each of John’s two beasts, and the ten horns on his Dragon, are all the same ten kings, but they are not European horns, they are the horns of ten Islamic nations, and the horn that leads them comes out from the section of the Roman Empire that once covered the ancient Assyrian Empire.

The rider on the red horse is still on the move in guerilla warfare across northern Africa, and the entire Middle East. The suicide bombings, the hit and run tactics, and all the terrorist activities in the Middle East will continue to increase until a false peace comes in to lull Israel into a false sense of security. The false peace will not last for three and one half years. I believe it will last for less than three months, and be broken by a surprise Jihad of lightning quickness out of Syria and Lebanon. The total number of wars in any given year peaked in 1987, but the character of it changed from army against army to terror again everyone. However, this coming Jihad will break the brief false peace suddenly, and massive blood shed will occur across sections of the revived Roman Empire. The initial red horse blood bath will occur from Syria to Egypt, but by the end of the tribulation period, which ends with the battle of Armageddon, it will have engulfed all of what was once the great Roman Empire. The old Roman Empire is currently being revived in its southern half by the ten horns it carried to its 2000-year sleep, but, once fully revived, it will not last long. Then Christ will head a full World Empire for 1000 years.

Daniel 11:41-43 – He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. [42] He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Daniel 7:23-27 – Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. [24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. [25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. [26] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. [27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 145C

November 10, 2003

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials of Revelation

Part 3 – The Third Seal

The first four seals of Revelation open before the period known as the tribulation period. They occur during the period of time Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows.”

The first seal has already opened and then closed. The second, third, and fourth seals are already open, and will all remain open until the end of the tribulation period, and all three will rapidly intensify when it begins.

Their primary area of fulfillment is the maximum extent of land occupied by the Roman Empire in the first and second century. The “whole earth,” “all the world,” and similar expressions in the prophetic writings of both the Old and New Testament periods, in many instances, are hyperbolic, and do not refer to the world as we know it today, but to the world as the people, to whom they wrote, knew it from 600 B.C. to 135 A.D. The most severe judgments of the second, third, and fourth horse riders, along with the mark of the beast, will occur in this area.

I have known for a long time that if I lived to my allotted threescore and ten years, I would see the third seal open in the area known to those that lived in the era of Roman domination. The African continent was known to exist at the time of John’s writings, and that is where I knew it had to start. Good ole Mr. Wills, my ninth grade teacher in Junior High School, is the one who introduced me to this in 1947. It was such a simple thing, but such a certain thing, that I had no fear of being wrong about it when I wrote my first book in the seventies. It was based on food supply and population increase.

Revelation 6:5,6 – And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. [6] And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The population explosion, particularly in Africa, which has suddenly burst on the scene, should be no surprise to the human race. The world’s population has roughly, in a somewhat similar pattern, followed a formula of daily penny doubling. Suppose someone proposed to give you five billion dollars if you would double a penny he gave you for forty days, and then give him all the proceeds of the doubling process on the fortieth day – Would you take the deal? A single penny on the first day would produce two cents on the second day, four cents on the third day, eight cents on the fourth day, sixteen cents on the fifth day, thirty-two cents on the sixth day, sixty-four cents on the seventh day, and only a dollar and twenty-eight cents on the eighth day. So, based on what you’ve read so far, it seems like a pretty good deal. But on day forty you would have to fork over more than five billion dollars. This principle has been the backbone of when the famine prophecy prediction would occur ever since eight people stepped off the Ark of Noah. This principle opened the famine seal, and will cause it to intensify until Armageddon.

The world’s famine outbreaks in its developing countries have been occurring closer and closer together in time since World War II, and the trend will accelerate until the Second Advent. Why? A few thousand years ago eight men and women descended in an ark “upon the mountains of Ararat,” and then began to multiply. At first, like the penny, the increase was insignificant from a numerical standpoint. When Jesus was born the world population had only reached about 200 million. When Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 it had barely reached 400 million. But, like the multiplying principle of the penny, it began to accelerate noticeably about the time of the Civil War, and exploded after the Great Depression of the thirties. In 1989 the world population reached five billion and, the same year, eleven million of the earth’s residents died of starvation. The population of our planet passed six billion in October of 1999, and is predicted to reach ten billion in 2030. Some say it will only reach between eight and nine billion by 2030. But even if that is true, how can the additional three plus billion be fed, if eleven million died of starvation in 1989 with a population of only five billion.

Some say, “don’t worry, agricultural technology is on the way to solving the famine problem.” No way! The latest U.N. study found ten percent of the world’s soil profile badly damaged. The three-year study accessed the soil conditions on a global scale, and involved more than 250 soil scientists. It marked the first time since World War II that soil profiles had been accessed on a global scale. As reported by Larry B. Stammer in the Los Angeles Times, the study found that “about two-thirds of all seriously eroded land is in Asia and Africa, home to most of the world’s poor. The article, using the report as its basis, proclaimed: “Despite the much acclaimed great green revolution of the past several decades, which have produced unprecedented gains in food production by the introduction of fertilizers and hybrid grains, per-capita food production has declined in some eighty developing countries in the past decade” The 1993 report, “Vital Signs, The Trends That Are Shaping Our Future,” as reported in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette of July 18, 1993, stated: “This new report shows the first clear sign that population is outpacing the available food supply for humans. The trend is mostly because of record world population growth, but also reflects a slowdown after decades of increasing food supplies. The main sources of food – farms, ranches, and oceans – all are approaching, or may have reached, their maximum per-capita output, according to the Vital Signs Report.”

The simple truth is this, in 1993, for the first time since records began to be kept, world food utilization exceeded world food production. Utilization continued to exceed food production until 1996, and a massive endeavor was made by technology to catch up with utilization. The endeavor allowed food production to pass utilization in 1996, and it continued to exceed utilization until 1999, but the population passed six billion in October of 1999, and the production again fell below utilization, where it has remained to the present. In April of 2003, a report published by the International Committee of the Fourth International, stated that 200 million people in Africa are malnourished. The world food production has not been able to keep up with the stork in the twenty-first century, and the disparity can only increase with an increasing population growth.

The third horse rider will gallop faster and faster as he heads for Armageddon. I contend that the famine now occurring in Africa, which was a part of the prophetic world when the prophecies were written, is the beginning of the fulfillment of those prophecies, and that famine will spread out of this area into all sections of the world that were known at the time the book of Revelation was written by John. There will be a serious food shortage in the United States, but it will in no way be comparable to the famines that ravage what is referred to as the “Old World,” or the pre-Columbus world. I believe the vast majority of “Old World” residents, both religious and non-religious, will take the mark of the beast to get food without hesitation, but I do not believe the mark of the beast will be put on the residents of the United States. I believe that Revelation 13:16,17 applies only to that part of today’s world that was known when John wrote Revelation.

Revelation 13:16,17 – And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Followers of Islam have no idea whatsoever about even the existence of this prophecy. The Catholic priests have not taught their masses in Europe about this, and only a handful of Catholics understand anything about it. The same is true among all the different sects of religion that are spread across the “Old World.” They will all take it without hesitation to obtain food.

I believe the antichrist’s empire will, at first, take in the vast Arab area of Islam from Morocco to Pakistan, but it will spread out quickly like water, and when the time for the final battle of Armageddon arrives, he will dominate all of the “Old World.”

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 145D

November 11, 2003

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials of Revelation

Part 4 – The Fourth Seal

The first four seals of Revelation open before the period known as the tribulation period. They occur during the period of time Jesus called “the beginning of sorrows.”

The first seal has opened and then closed. The second, third, and fourth seals are already open, and will remain open until the end of the tribulation period, and all three will rapidly intensify when it begins. Its major effects will be experienced in the “Old World.” The word used for “pestilence” is “loimos,” which means “any deadly infectious disorder.” Death is the usual resultant of most deadly infectious disorders, and the corpse of pestilence often has a pale, greenish-yellow, jaundice appearance, as is found representing the color of the pale horse in the fourth seal.

Revelation 6:7,8 – And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. [8] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Many plagues have passed through mankind since the fall, but none have generated a massive epidemic that just kept on accelerating, with seemingly no end on the horizon. Cholera, small pox, typhoid, bubonic plague, and so on, have appeared in short bursts like false labor, but none has ever produced a persistent, ever increasing, epidemic characteristic with seemingly no end. But now, for the first time in history, we have a “loimos,” a deadly infectious disorder, which has perfectly matched these characteristics from its inception, and is still increasing at epidemic proportions after more than 20 years. HIV is the deadly infectious virus that swept across the globe like wildfire. HIV cases worldwide increased from a trace in 1980 to more than 5 million in 1985, to more than 10 million in 1990, to more than 20 million in 1995, to 35 million in 2000, and now stand at 45 million in 2003. AIDS, the dreadful blossom of HIV, was first reported in a British sailor, who died from it in England in 1959. The hardest hit areas are those who are part of the “Old World” that was the known world during the Roman Empire. Africa is by far the hardest hit area, but it is still spreading into the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and what were once the satellite nations of the Soviet Union. There were 5 million new HIV cases in 2002, and 3.1 million died of HIV/AIDS the same year.

HIV is not the only deadly infection order increasing in the “Old World.” The World Health Organization fears that tuberculosis may kill 30 million during the next 25 years. The emergence of drug-resistant strains, and the spread of HIV have both hampered efforts by health agencies to slow the renewed spread of the consumptive pestilence. Thirty new infectious diseases have come to life since 1970.

Lord willing, I will present a summary of the final result of the second, third, and fourth riders activities in the next update. We are headed for an unbelievable chain of horrifying events, but only a handful believes it.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 145E

November 12, 2003

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials

Part 5 – Affects of Three Seal Riders on Earth

Revelation 6:3-8 – And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. [4] And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. [5] And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. [6] And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. [7] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. [8] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Some seem to have the impression that these three riders pass their individual judgments on the earth, with each one departing the scene when the next one shows up, and then the last one, the pale horse rider death, departs the scene as soon as the fifth seal opens. I don’t know where the idea came from, but I am convinced that these three riders are going to be galloping until the end of the last 1260 days of the tribulation, and will be striding at their greatest pace at Armageddon. The red horse pictures bloodshed, the black horse represents famine, and the pale horse represents death. These three phenomena will be experiencing their peak occurrences during the final great battle of Armageddon. The “them” in verse eight refers specifically to the rider on the red horse (death by weapon of war), the rider on the black horse (death by hunger), and the rider on the pale horse (death by pestilence). By the close of the tribulation period they will have killed billions across one-fourth of the earth (the known world in John’s day). The word translated as “earth” is “ges,” and it does not mean population, it means “earth.” Many writers try to make this a fourth of the world’s population, but that cannot be the case, because “ges” never means population.

The final feast of wildlife on the slain bodies will reach its maximum at Armageddon.

Ezekiel 39:4 – Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

Revelation 19:17,18 – And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Isaiah 66:15,16 – For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. [16] For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

These three riders are still going strong at Armageddon.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 146

November 14, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 10

There is coming a time, in the not too far distant future, when Messiah will tabernacle among men in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 66:23 – And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.

The Second Advent of Messiah will precede the time when “all flesh” comes to worship before him, and his destruction of the enemies of Israel at Armageddon will be very violent and swift.

Messiah will destroy five-sixths of the great armies led by the antichrist at Armageddon, and will set himself up as a sign in Jerusalem to all nations as King of Kings.

Isaiah 66:19 – And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

Ezekiel 39:1-3 – Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [2] And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: [3] And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.

The nations of the earth, in great fear, will bring all Jews home to Israel from which they have been scattered in great haste on whatever transport is available after the battle of Armageddon. Messiah will appoint priests from among them to minister in his Millennial Temple, which will be built during the early years of his reign.

Isaiah 66:20,21 – And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. [21] And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.

It will be a time of great rejoicing for believers of all the ages who return with Messiah at his Second Advent, and the glory of God in Messiah will shine forth from God’s Holy City of Jerusalem for a thousand years. Both Jew and Gentile will rejoice together forever.

Isaiah 66:10-13 – Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: [11] That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. [12] For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. [13] As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 2:1-4 – The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. [2] And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. [3] And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. [4] And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 146A

November 15, 2003

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials

Part 6 – Fifth Seal Souls Anxious to Return to Reign

Revelation 6:9-11 – And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? [11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

These are the martyred souls of the saints of the ages, and they are very anxious for the Second Advent, since they will return to reign with Christ for 1000 years on this present earth. The white robes are a reward for a willingness to die for the word of God and the testimony of Christ they gave from it. Their fellow servants and brethren are still on the earth, and will remain there up to the time of their martyrdom before or at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. Both groups will be in heaven after the sounding of the seventh trumpet. White robes are part of the eternal outer garment of the saved that were faithful. The souls under the altar were faithful unto death. There will be saved men and women who will be faithful unto death in the tribulation period. Some will be faithful, but will not be required to give their lives. They will also wear the outer robe as a garment forever, but the unfaithful saved will not wear the outer garment in heaven. The “little season” they are told to wait in rest is the time left before their fellow servants and brethren come up to join them when the seventh trumpet sounds, after which God will perform their request to “judge and avenge our blood on them (the lost) that dwell on the earth.” Some saved in heaven will not receive a robe because of unfaithfulness.

Revelation 16:15 – Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

“Naked” did not mean completely uncovered to John. It meant to be covered by the inner garment without an outer garment. All the saved will go out on the seventh trumpet, both faithful and unfaithful, and all will be judged in heaven for rewards following it.

Revelation 11:15,18 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. [18] And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

Chapter 12 in Revelation is a parenthetical chapter, and the remnant in the midst of the woman Israel, being the remnant of her Son Jesus Christ, will have his testimony and keep his commandments in the Negev. The woman Israel will flee into the Negev wilderness 1260 days prior to Armageddon with her Seed’s remnant in the midst of her, and the Seed’s remnant, the 144,000, will be taken up when the seventh trumpet sounds. The two men who are the witnesses of God will be among the 144,000, but will be caught up immediately before the blowing of the seventh trumpet. They will be among those who “should be killed as they were” in seal five, Revelation 6:11.

Revelation 12:5,6,17 – And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. [6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. [17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 7:4 – And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

Revelation 11:3 – And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Revelation 11:7-9 – And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Revelation 11:12 – And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Revelation 20:4 – And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 146B

November 16, 2003

The Seals, Trumpets, and Vials

Part 7 – The Last 1260 Days of Tribulation Begins

Revelation 6:12-14 – And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; [13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

The sixth seal catastrophe begins with an earthquake, and marks the time antichrist attacks Israel, driving them into the Negev and leaving them there for the last 1260 days of the tribulation period. This earthquake is the first earthquake in the book of Revelation, and it opens 1260 days of tribulation before Armageddon. The last earthquake in Revelation is the greatest of all, and it closes the tribulation period at Armageddon. There will be countless numbers of earthquakes of great intensity between these two, but these are the first and the last in the tribulation period, occurring on the sixth seal opening, and the empting of the seventh vial. They will a part of God’s judgment upon both the lost and the unfaithful saved during the seals and the trumpets, but those earthquakes occurring from the seventh trumpet to the last vial will be much greater in intensity because they are a part of God’s wrath on the earth.

Revelation 16:16-21 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. [20] And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. [21] And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The first five seals are a chain of events that are already in motion. The first four have already opened, and I am persuaded that the fifth is about to be played out under the throne by the souls of the martyred saints found in Revelation 6:9-11. I would not be surprised at all if the sixth seal opens at some point in time before 2008. It will open, but WHEN is just OPINION on my part.

The sixth seal gives John a preview of what will happen when the seventh seal is opened and the seven trumpets begin to sound. I believe that the sixth seal contains a fore view of the events that will occur when the trumpets are blown and the vials are emptied. The opening of the sixth seal sets the stage for the sounding of the first trumpet – and then remains unsealed up to the pouring out of the seventh vial.

When God showed John the events of the end times, he first showed him a generalized picture of what would be happening on earth and in heaven during the period that proceeds the tribulation period, in what Matthew and Mark called “the beginning of sorrows.” This picture was presented in the opening of the first four seals. The fifth seal is a heavenly scene of souls in heaven anxious for God to take action against those who spilled their blood, and for his Second Advent. When the sixth seal is opened, God gives John a preview of what the last 1260 days of the tribulation period will be like. But it is an overview, and the specifics are not revealed until the seventh seal is opened, all seven trumpets sound, and all seven vials have been emptied. The sixth seal is a broad outline of what God intends to do during the time span from the seventh seal, through the trumpets, and up to the last drop of the seventh vial. The trumpets and vials are the specific events within the broad outline of the sixth seal. The trumpets and vials are interlaced, and picture the same events. Each trumpet announces the beginning of an event, and its numerically corresponding vial closes it. The sound of the trumpet heralds the start of a phase, and when the last drop of the corresponding vial is poured out, the phase is finished. Trumpet number 1 is the judgment of God until it phases into Vial number 1, at which time it becomes the wrath of God. Trumpet number 2 shows the judgment of God until it phases into Vial number 2, at which time is becomes the wrath of God. This sequence is true through all seven trumpets and seven vials. The trumpets represent the judgment of God on both the saved and the lost. The vials represent the wrath of God upon the lost. The sixth seal gives a preview of the trumpets and vials. It first previews the judgments of the phenomena which are going to be unleashed by the trumpets in Revelation 6:12-14, and then gives a preview of the wrath of God that will be unleashed by the vials in Revelation 6:15-17.

Verses 12 to 14 are God’s judgment. They basically tell what will be produced during the time of the trumpets. Verses 15 to 17 are God’s wrath. They basically picture what will be produced on mankind by the vials.

God’s wrath will come after the sounding of trumpet 7, when vial 1 of his wrath, which corresponded to trumpet 1, is poured out. Trumpet 7 sounds in Revelation 11:15.

God’s “wrath is come” after the seventh trumpet sounds, while the saved are being judged in heaven after being taken up at its sounding, and are at Christ’s judgment seat for rewards for works done during their time in their physical bodies.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 146C

November 17, 2003

The Seals, the Trumpets, and the Vials

Part 8 – The Seventh Seal Introduces Seven Trumpets

I covered the sixth seal in Part 7 – It is an overview, a preview, a brief outline, of the coming judgments of God during the seven trumpets upon the land, the water, the atmosphere, and interior of the earth, and of the wrath of God on the lost of the earth from the seven vials his angels pour out on it. Verses 12 to 14 in the verses that follow are a preview of the coming judgment of God in the seven trumpets that follow the seventh seal. Verses 15 to 17 are a preview of the coming wrath of God in the seven vials that are poured out following the blowing of the seventh trumpet.

Revelation 6:15-17 – And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; [16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The seventh seal opens, and there is a hushed breath of silence in heaven in heaven before the trumpets begin to sound. The seventh seal introduces, and contains, the elements in the seven trumpets of God’s judgment.

Revelation 8:1-6 – And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. [2] And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. [3] And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. [4] And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. [5] And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. [6] And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The first trumpet judgment on mankind comes up from beneath the earth’s land interior into its atmosphere, and then comes down on the earth. (See Birth Pang 3).

The second trumpet judgment on mankind comes up from beneath the earth’s ocean and sea floors, and then comes down on its liquid surface. (See Birth Pang 4).

The third trumpet judgment on mankind comes down on part of the earth’s water supply in the person of a comet named Wormwood. (See Birth Pang 12).

The fourth trumpet judgment on mankind comes up out of the earth and gradually darkens the entire upper part of the earth’s atmosphere. (See Birth Pangs 7, 9 & 10).

The fifth trumpet judgment upon man comes up out of the smoke from the interior of the earth in the form of demonic depraved fallen angels. (See Birth Pang 6).

The sixth trumpet judgment upon man comes up on the earth out of a demonic world under the Euphrates River as a vast multi-million army of terrifying demonic riders on devilish creatures. (See Birth Pangs 6 & 8).

The seventh trumpet separates the saved from the lost on the earth as the saved are all gathered up at the rapture, and thereafter judged in heaven. “Thy wrath is come” on the earth while the saved are being judged in heaven for rewards. God’s wrath begins following the seventh trumpet when the first vial of it is poured out on the earth.

Revelation 16:1,2 – And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. [2] And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 146D

November 18, 2003

The Consummation of the Gentile Age is Near!

There are several ingredients that are being stirred into the mix that will eventually lead to a surprise Jihad from the north against Israel. The Bible indicates the attack must come, and only the time it will come is in question. I have long believed it would occur after the year 2000, but before the year 2008, and am more convinced now than at any previous time it will occur before 2008. The latest developments in the Middle East are unveiling the things that will occur to bring in a “forced” false peace, which will be broken before 2008 by the attack. These developments of recent origin, which will be a part of the bringing in of a false peace, are as follows:

1. The 10 clay and iron Arab toes of Daniel’s great statue are finding a catalyst that will hold them together long enough to be successful in an attack against Israel.

Daniel 2:42 – And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

The catalyst that will unite some 1.3 billion Arabs is the inability of the United States to capture the two men they thought they had killed, namely, Osama ben Laden and Saddam Hussein. This is causing a belief to grow among the common people of Islam that they can eventually overcome the “big devil,” the U.S., and the “little devil,” Israel, and in time will be able to drive them both out of the Middle East. Quite frankly, I was confident they would have caught these two by this time, but I was very wrong, and every day they remain at large causes them to be looked upon as the heroes of Islam, and unites Arabs to come together, and remain together in a common bond for Jihad. It is paving the way for them to unite behind a leader of Islam, who will be the antichrist. The antichrist could well be thought to have been killed by foreign powers, only to reappear, and thwart them. While I do not believe that Saddam or Osama will be the antichrist, I am persuaded recent temporary escapes from death, coupled with their ability to evade capture, may set the stage for a similar scenario for the antichrist to follow when he does rear his unholy head. And, in so doing, he will impress 10 other Arab kings to such an extent they will surrender their crowns to him, which represent their symbols of kingship.

2. The security fence of Israel is causing both Arafat and the numerous terrorist groups to finally realize they must negotiate under a false pretense as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will receive a bare minimum of the West Bank. They are beginning to realize that every day the building of the fence continues, they are losing bigger and bigger chunks of what they could have received if they had negotiated earlier. I have always stated that the coming “false peace” would be a “forced peace,” whether by negotiations or literally pushing the Palestinians inside a fence whose border was totally determined by Israel. I believe Arafat and his Fatah, the Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and the al-Aksa Martyrs Brigade, are close to beginning a series of steps to set Israel up for a false peace that will create an invalid sense of security. Israel is still building Israeli housing complexes inside the West Bank, even since the “Roadmap to Peace Plan” was implemented, and this is putting additional pressure on all of the Palestinian factions to negotiate before they lose all of it.

3. Egyptian intelligence chief General Omar Sulieman is now in Israel for talks with Yassar Arafat on the possibility of instituting a new ceasefire agreement with Israel. He helped broker the last truce, which collapsed in August. He will meet in Ramallah with Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and the heads of the security forces to discuss the ceasefire and restart of the peace talks. He is also expected to hold talks with the Israeli government, and will travel to Gaza for talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad later in the week. Because of what I have written in 1 and 2, and considerable internal pressure Ariel Sharon is beginning to experience within the framework of his own government, I suspect that Sulieman’s efforts may eventually bear fruit.

As I have stated countless times, the coming peace in the Middle East will be a forced peace, regardless of whether it is negotiated or put in effect by brute force. It would appear that the Palestinian Authority, and all associated terrorist groups, are moving to produce a false peace.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 146E

November 19, 2003 (16 FONT)

Correlated Sequence of the Trumpets and Vials – Part 9

The Sixth Seal begins the final 1260 days of the Tribulation Period with a great earthquake, and then gives a brief outlined preview of what is going to happen during it from the seventh seal, through the trumpets, and down to the last vial.

The trumpet and vial events are interlaced in a series of ever increasing horror. A trumpet is used to herald the beginning of the event. The pouring out of the corresponding vial marks the time when the event intensifies to the level of the wrath of God. The seals and trumpets represent the judgment of God on both the lost and unfaithful saved, while the vials represent God’s wrath on the lost following the rapture at the blowing of the seventh trumpet. Event one begins with the blowing of the first trumpet, turns into wrath after the seventh trumpet sounds, and ends at the same time as the other six vials. Vial one in event one is poured out at the same time the seventh trumpet sounds in event seven.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 147

November 21, 2003

God Tabernacles with Man – Number 11

Christ tabernacled as Messiah in his earthly ministry for more than three years. The Greek word for tabernacle or tent is translated as “DWELT” in John 1:14.

John 1:14 – And the Word was made flesh, and DWELT among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

But he was only allowed to tabernacle with Israel for a little more than three years before they cut him off. In so doing they cut off the Shepherd of Israel, and he gave them up by declaring their temple worship desolate, but promised to return as their shepherd in the future.

Micah 5:3 – Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Soon she will travail as a woman with birth pangs for a period of 1260 days, but will be saved at the end of it at Armageddon when their Shepherd returns with those who have believed in him. He will break the yoke of the antichrist, and restore Israel as his people in their own land. He will be a “plant of renown.” And, as that plant, he will feed his flock as their shepherd. What Messiah, the Son of God through David, will feed them is spiritual food. He is the “tender plant” of Isaiah 53:2 that is the “plant of renown” in Ezekiel 34:29, and the food from his person is spiritual, not physical.

Micah 5:4 – And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Ezekiel 34:23-29 – And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. [24] And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. [25] And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. [26] And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. [27] And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. [28] And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. [29] And I will raise up for them A PLANT OF RENOWN, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

Isaiah 53:1,2 – Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For HE shall grow up before him as a TENDER PLANT, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Ezekiel 34:30,31 – Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. [31] And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

John 10:14-16 – I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. [15] As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. [16] And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

John 5:24,40 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that HEARETH MY word, and BELIEVETH ON him that sent me, HATH everlasting life, and SHALL NOT come into condemnation; but IS PASSED from death unto life. [40] And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 147A

November 22, 2003

Song of Moses Latter Day Series – Number 6

All of the previous Updates, associated with this series on the Song of Moses in Chapters 31 and 32 of the Book of Deuteronomy, have dealt with Israel’s rejection of its Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the consequences they have experienced because of that rejection. But this Update covers the punishment of Israel’s many enemies when the Messiah it rejected returns to save and restore it to fellowship with God. The punishment of enemies by God sounds similar to things described as last day war events throughout the prophetic Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 32:40-42 – For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. [41] If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. [42] I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.

This imagery of God, personified as lifting up his hand to heaven, is at times portrayed in the pre-incarnate Christ, who appeared at times as the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament deliverances of Israel. The imagery does bear some striking similarities to the imagery of mighty heavenly beings in Revelation, which are associated with the throne of God, the sounding of trumpets, voices of angels, a rainbow, the last trump, the seventh trump, a mystery, a resurrection, a judgment for rewards, and a final punishment for those who destroy the earth, all of which are a part of the last three and one-half years of the tribulation period.

Revelation 4:2,3 – And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. [3] And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Revelation 10:1 – And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

Revelation 1:15 – And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Revelation 10:5-7 – And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, [6] And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: [7] But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

I Corinthians 15:51,52 – Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I Thessalonians 4:16,17 – For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Deuteronomy 32:40,41 – For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. [41] If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.

Revelation 10:5-7 – And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, [6] And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there SHOULD BE TIME NO LONGER: [7] But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Daniel 12:7 – And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for A TIME, TIMES, AND AN HALF; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

Revelation 12:14 – And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for A TIME, AND TIMES, AND HALF A TIME, from the face of the serpent.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 147B

November 23, 2003

Israeli Reaction to UN Anti-Wall Resolution & U.S. Pressure

As I have stated in countless previous Updates, Israel is determined to complete the great security wall complex around the West Bank, and to dip into the “green line” border as far as necessary to include most of its more than 150 Jewish settlements on its side of the wall. As last week closed, Israel promised to ignore the United Nations resolution, which officially indorsed the Middle East “road map” peace plan and sharply rebuked the building of the security fence complex, and announced it was going to continue this barrier of separation in spite of President Bush’s harsh criticism of it. Israel was quite clear that it believes the barrier is necessary to stop the homicide bombings of its citizens.

This fence, as I have maintained since implementation of the original plan by Sharon, is not only to keep out the terrorists, but also to generate a “forced peace” on the Palestinians, a peace that gives Israel confidence it can control such a peace to the extent it can maintain it to the degree they can have genuine “peace and safety,” or what they call a peace with security. This “forced peace” may come by negotiation with Palestinians, or by Israel literally forcing them inside the fenced area and then saying, well, now you have your Palestinian state, but one way or the other it will be a peace controlled by the Israelis, and it will be a “forced” peace that must be a “false peace.” The Palestinians seem to finally be grasping this eventuality, and are realizing that the longer they wait to negotiate with Israel, the less territory they will have in what makes up their new state. Hopefully, even the terrorist groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Al- Aksa Martyrs Brigade, are also beginning to realize the only way they can possibly reach their goal of driving Israel out of the land from Dan to Beersheba, is by the generation of a false peace. This will lull Israel into a false sense of security, and pave the way for a surprise, lightning, Jihad from the north by external Islamic nations in coordination with the PA and terrorist groups within the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In one of President Bush’s speeches last week from England, he stated that Israel must not hinder final peace negotiations “with the placement of walls and fences.” But Israeli officials answered his comment with the statement that Israel would continue to do what it believed was best for the security of its citizens. Furthermore, Israeli officials said they were resigned to the probability the United States would cut out the price of the fence and any new Jewish settlements from the recent nine billion in loan guarantees it was promised from the United States. A false peace is coming to Israel. The only unanswered question is when. The false peace will be broken by a surprise Jihad from the north. The only unanswered question is when. Two-thirds of the Jewish population will perish in the attack. The only unanswered question is when. Israel will be driven into the Negev wilderness, where it will remain for some three and one-half prophetic years. The only unanswered question is when. Any answer to the unanswered question of “when” the attack will occur, can only be speculation on the part of anyone who attempts to provide it, because the Scriptures predict the event, not the specific time of it. I am speculating the attack will occur at some point in time prior to 2008, based on events that are currently unfolding in the Middle East.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Special Prophecy Update Number 147C

November 24, 2003

Now to Armageddon – Know That God Is in Control!

There are many differing scenarios and factors that are coming to play in the Middle East, and all of them point to a strengthening resolve among the Islamic nations to unite in a common resistance against all infidels, with a particular open season on Israel, the “little devil,” and the United States, the “big devil.” This is the first real resurgence of the followers of Allah against the infidels since the demise of the old Ottoman Empire, the “sick man” of Europe that left its Islamic beliefs in southeast Europe. However, in the midst of all this resurgence, the hand of God is directly involved in the actions a Middle East cast of players is now acting out. This controlling hand of God will use the Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal to accomplish the fulfillment of his prophecies, as graphically portrayed in Ezekiel 38:3,4, when two hooks go into his jaws, such as one would put in the mouth of a resisting animal to pull him in the desired direction.

Ezekiel 38:3,4 – And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [4] And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

There is only one power that can bring together the mingled seed of the followers of Islam, which consists of clay and iron, and then hold them in union long enough to bring about the fulfillment of his prophecies.

Daniel 2:41-44 – And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. [42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

God is, and will continue, to put in the minds of ten Arab nations, the need to come together for the purpose of attacking the nation of Israel, and they will surrender their power to the antichrist.

But the same God who held clay and iron together for a brief period, and who led them to surrender their crowns to the antichrist, will also break apart the iron and clay of Daniel 2:43 into pieces, and establish the everlasting kingdom of his Son, the stone cut out of God himself.

Daniel 2:34,44,45 – Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. [44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. [45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

This is another way of saying, God is in control, and it will all turn out as he indicated. The antichrist and his false prophet will be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone, most of his army will be destroyed, and all the nations of the world will lose their dominion to the kingdom of Christ on earth for a millennial season.

Daniel 7:11-14 – I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. [12] As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. [13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Special Prophecy Update Number 147D

November 25, 2003

THE THREE “HE’S” IN DANIEL 9:27

Have We Taken the Wrong Path in Prophecy?

Have We “Bought the Farm” in Prophetic Teachings?

It is absolutely amazing how the great majority of our prophetic teaching on the antichrist, and all the events associated with his arrival and departure during the last seven years of the Age of the Gentiles, is based on Daniel 9:27, and the understanding that the three “he’s” in it refer to the antichrist. All of the prevailing positions on the rapture, so widely differing among the brethren, the pre, mid, pre-wrath, post, split, and progressive positions are all based on the three “he’s” being the antichrist. All of our charts and diagrams are based on the antichrist being the three “he’s” in Daniel 9.27, showing two boxes, each one three and one half years in duration, which are supposed to be the final seven years of the Gentile Age.

Daniel 9:27 – And HE shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week HE shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations HE shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

There are times a part of me wishes I had never gone back in time to see what was believed, and what was taught, about the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27. In all my years of research I have yet to find anyone teaching what is taught today prior to 1742. The first expositors of the Church Age on the Old Testament all held in their writings that the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 were Jesus Christ. The idea that the “he’s” were the antichrist did not appear in any of their writings. Among the best known writers of the first four centuries, who believed the “he’s” were Jesus Christ were: Hippolytus, Clement of Alexander, Julius Africanus, and Eusebius.

The Catholic writers of the Dark Ages continued to state this belief in the Sargis DOAberga document and, in this period, Theodore Beza, Arnold of Villanova, and Pseudo Aquinas all continued to proclaim that the “he’s” were indeed Jesus Christ. I could find no writer among them that identified the “he’s” as referring to antichrist.

In the Protestant Reformation times both Martin Luther and Melanchthon said the “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 were the Christ, not antichrist. Melanchthon dated the 70 weeks of Daniel from the second year of the great Persian king Artaxerxes Longimanus, with 69 weeks to the baptism of Christ, and placed the crucifixion of Christ in the midst of the 70^th week, three years after Christ’s baptism. This is the position I hold today. I believe Christ fulfilled the covenant during his ministry in the first part of the last seven years, and we are waiting for the second half to be fulfilled following the attack of antichrist against Israel. Other Reformation writers who held the three “he’s” were Jesus Christ were Georg Nigumus, Johann Funck, Jacques Cappel, John Tillinghast, Joseph Mede, and Heinrich Bullinger. And, once again, I was unable to find a single writer during the Protestant Reformation that identified the “he’s” as the antichrist. I am not saying one did not exist, but I could not find him.

In the Post Reformation period Isaac Newton, Cocceius, Johann Petri, William Wilson, Heinrich Horch, Jahann Bengal, and the Belenburg Bible, all identified the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 as being Jesus Christ. And, once again, I could find no writings in this period that stated the “he’s” were the antichrist.

From the Post Reformation period to 1742, I could not find a writer that identified the three “he’s” as being the antichrist. Among American expositors who identified the “he’s” as being Christ were Samuel Langdon, John Davenport, Ephraim Huit, and Samuel Osgood. Among the Old World expositors, during this period, who held the “he’s” were Christ, were Bishop William Winston, William Hales, Louis Gaussen, Archibald Mason, and Edward Bukersteth.

So, the question I have been forced to address is a very simple one. Were they all wrong up to 1742? Should we have changed the teaching that the three “he’s” refer to Christ, and made them apply to the antichrist? I have made my choice – the old fellows were right, it is Christ! This teaching lasted well into the 20^th century, and is still held by a minority in this present century. I was exposed to it as a young man many years ago, and I still believe it. One of the greatest Baptists of history, B.H. Carroll, who was born in the 19^th century, carried this teaching into the 20^th century. It began to decline in popularity after John Darby began to popularize the Pre-Trib Rapture position in 1827, but was still the majority belief until the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909, after which it became more and more of a minority belief.

There was a very popular song in my youth titled “What a Difference a Day Makes.” I assure you, that the title I ascribe to Daniel 9:27 is a most profound one – “What a Difference a HE Makes.” Which position is correct? I could care less personally, because I am prepared for either one to be correct. How is that possible? I both practice, and advocate to the church I pastor, to do the following:

Mark 13:34-37 – For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. [35] Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: [36] Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. [37] And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

I am qualified to be his servant because I was saved by grace through faith so I could walk unto good works!

I am supposed to serve him in good works in his house, in one of his local churches that teaches his truths.

I Timothy 3:14,15 – These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: [15] But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

I am supposed to serve him in a church that teaches the truth he taught the first eleven disciples, and to whom he delivered the authority to do so just before his ascension.

Matthew 28:18-20 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. [19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Lord has assigned me a work to do in a local church at Dardanelle, Arkansas. I am the pastor of that church by his appointment and their accepting it. I feed it and do the work of an evangelist.

I Peter 5:1-4 – The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: [2] Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; [3] Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. [4] And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

II Timothy 4:3-5 – 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; [4] And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. [5] But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

So, if I am doing what I am supposed to do faithfully in one of Christ’s local churches when he does come, I do not have to be concerned about the time of his coming. I may be killed in a car crash today or die in my sleep at the crack of dawn tomorrow, which are both just a form of early rapture. Do the following daily, and you won’t have to be concerned about the “he’s” in Daniel 9:27, or when the rapture is going to produce the “change.”

I Corinthians 15:51,58 – Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [58] Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Hebrews 10:21-25 – And having an high priest over the house of God; [22] Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) [24] And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: [25] Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

II Peter 1:4-8 – Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; [6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; [7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. [8] For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 6:9 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 147E

November 26, 2003

Israel Warns Iran for the Second Time

When Saddam Hussein was close to developing the first Islamic nuclear bomb, Israeli jets flashed across the desert skies and destroyed his large nuclear complex. The United Nations and its member nations supplied a long line of vocal denouncements of what Saddam was doing, but not one of them took any action. Israel issued its second announcement to Iran and the United Nations early this week – It is prepared to take unilateral action against Iran’s nuclear facility IF the international community fails to stop the development of nuclear weapons at any of the units that make up its atomic energy complex. In 1981 Israel bombed Iraq’s big nuclear reactor near Baghdad, and they are not in the habit of making threats void of eventual fulfillment.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is meeting this week to discuss the situation in Iran. It is meeting in the face of what some have labeled as a warning of “unprecedented severity” toward Iran by Israel Defense Minister Shaul Mofez. At the time of the Iraqi attack, Israel defended its action by claiming it had dealt a devastating blow to Saddam’s goal of developing nuclear weapons. Israel views Iran’s goals as being the same as those of Saddam. Last week, during his visit to the United States, the Israel position was made crystal clear to officials when he stated. “under no circumstances would Israel be able to tolerate nuclear weapons in the possession of the Iranians.” Mofez went on to state, that in 2004, Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons would “reach the point of no return.”

Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad (Israel’s secret services), backed up the Defense Minister’s statements. Dagan claimed a development of nuclear weaponry in Iran represented the greatest threat Israel had faced since the founding of the Jewish state in 1948. He also said the Iranians were developing ground-to-ground missiles that could hit Israel as well as all of Europe.

The claim of Iran, that it has no plans to develop nuclear bombs to put on its existing long-range missiles, is an out and out lie. Iran has long made the claim its reactor at Bashir is to be used solely for the production of electricity for peaceful purposes, but its output of 100 megawatts is much too large for that purpose alone. Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Kashan is nearing completion and, with enriched uranium, an output of 100 megawatts can produce 10 nuclear bombs a year. Israel and the U.S. are both well aware of this potential. In 1956 Israel asked France to help build a nuclear reactor in the Negev for them in return for Israel having helped France in the 1956 Suez recovery campaign. So, in 1957, France began to build Israel a 24-megawatt nuclear reactor at Dimona in the Negev wilderness. A 24-megawatt reactor can produce a lot of electricity for peaceful purposes, but it cannot produce an atomic bomb. Israel and France both assured the United States, who opposed Israel having the nuclear reactor, that it would never be used to produce nuclear weapons. We knew they were lying, and they both knew they were lying, but that’s the way it goes in world politics. There was more to it than that, but if I said any more about it I might be guilty of violating national security, and I don’t want to be thrown in jail. The sand from the Negev left by the feet of the French technicians had not settled following their exit in 1960, before the Israelis had jacked the reactor up to 150 megawatts to produce atomic bombs. In 1964 the first Israeli atomic bomb was ready. I will not reveal where, how, or when it was tested. In 1967 Israel, for the first time in its history, launched a preemptive strike against the Arab countries surrounding it – Why? The Egyptians had obtained some Russian copycats of our highflying RB-70 aircraft, and were flying over Dimona above maximum jet altitudes of Israeli fighters. The Israelis were afraid of these aircraft being used to direct a three-prong air strike from Egypt, Jordan, and Syria against Dimona, so they attacked them first to preclude such a possibility. Israel had a few atomic bombs at that time but did not use them. It is against Israeli War Contingency Plan directives to launch weapons of mass destruction, unless they are first launched against them. However, they had no need to use them because they mopped up the Arab armies in six days.

By 1968, since Israel already had atomic bombs, the United States helped them to get a hydrogen bomb. I will not reveal the particulars of how all this came to pass because of national interest. I will tell you that the U.S. was not directly involved in its development. The Germans supplied the yellowcake (crude uranium), and it was smuggled by night on a Liberian tanker into the port of Haifa in December of 1968. In 1969 Israel made its first hydrogen bomb. I will not reveal where, how, or when the bomb was tested.

In 1973 Israel was caught napping on Yom Kipper, and the well-planned surprise attack by Syria, Egypt, and Jordan met with great success in its initial stages, with their armies making solid incursions across the Golan, into Sinai, and across the Jordan. However, it is significant that Israel did not use its numerous nuclear weapons under such a shocking initial scenario. Israel will not use weapons of mass destruction against any one unless they are first launched against it.

Israel now has some 200 well-concealed Jericho missile silos in the Negev, some 300 Jericho missiles, and more than 300 warheads containing the elements of weapons of mass destruction. These missiles are capable of reaching all targets in the Islamic kingdoms of the Middle East. The main reason I wanted Saddam Hussein to be deposed in Iraq had nothing to do with any possibility of a democratic state being established there. That is impossible. Saddam is a megalomaniac with illusions of power, grandeur, wealth, and dreams of divinity. Had he developed a nuclear bomb, and a missile capable of delivering it, he would have launched it against Israel, no matter what the consequence to his own people for his having done so. None of the other Islamic leaders are megalomaniacs. If they do not launch weapons of mass destruction again Israel, then Israel will not launch the same against them. The next Arab war against Israel will be a war of conventional weaponry. Weapons of mass destruction will not be used against Israel, because it would cause the full destruction of all Islamic nations, and they jolly well know it. The sooner we catch Saddam and Osama, then get out of Iraq, the better off we, and the rest of the world, will be.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 148

November 27, 2003

Happy Thanksgiving Day to All

An Eternal Thanksgiving Day Is Drawing Near

God Tabernacles With Man Forever – Number 12

A time of great tribulation after a false peace is approaching, especially for Israel, but it will be followed by a great time of eternal thanksgiving by all who have known Jesus Christ as their Messiah. The great prophet Zechariah describes this time of great tribulation for Israel, but clearly indicates it will be followed by a time of prayerful thanksgiving.

Zechariah 13:8,9 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. [9] And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Zechariah also indicates that, during this time of great tribulation, the city of Jerusalem will fall, but assures its occupants its warfare will end when it has received double for its rejection of its Messiah, and will once again become the city of the Living God. Jerusalem’s occupants will only be cut off from the city temporarily, and will return to inhabit it after it receives double for its rejection of his Son.

The prophet Isaiah also speaks in great detail of this time of pardoning following the great warfare the city will go through.

Isaiah 40:1,2 – Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. [2] Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

When the set time is come, Messiah will arise to them, and have favor and mercy upon Jerusalem, the holy city of God.

Psalm 102:13 – Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

The Gentile nations will watch the building stones of Ezekiel’s Millennial temple being put in place, and Israelis will rejoice in its rising to its place of prominence from the dust of its fall among the Gentile nations. All Israelis across the surface of the earth, who survive the great tribulation period, will favor the dust of their motherland Israel, and will return to it rejoicing. For a thousand years God will favor the nation of Israel above all nations. He will fill her with his glory, and all the nations of the earth will fear Israel because of their fear for its God.

Psalm 102:14,15 – For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. [15] So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

After the Millennial Temple is completed in the building up of the city of Zion, Messiah the Prince, Jesus Christ, illuminating the Shekinah Glory of God, will enter the completed temple, and dwell among his people for a thousand years in the earthly city of Jerusalem. Shekinah or Shechinah, means “to dwell” in the Hebrew language.

Psalm 102:16 – When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

Lord willing, I will continue this exposition of Psalm 102:13-23 in Update Number 149.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 148A

November 29, 2003

A Brief History of the Gap Theory of Creation

In the circle of Christian beliefs, concerning the creation of the earth and the universe, there are several different teachings. All agree God created the earth, but beliefs of how and when differ considerably. There are three primary views concerning the age of the earth. Most believe it is a very young planet, and that God created it mature (old) as he created man (Adam) mature. This group has the earth varying in age from 6000 to perhaps 12000 years. Then there is a group that believes a very long indefinite period of time passed between Genesis 1:1 and 1:3, varying from millions to billions of years, and that the creation account following Genesis 1:2 is a recreation, or reshaping, of what was made void and without form by Satan’s fall in Genesis 1:2. The third group believes in theistic evolution, saying God created things over a long period of time, with the Hebrew word “yom” for “day” being used to denote long epochs of time during the six days of Genesis creation. Now, having very briefly presented these different beliefs, PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY NEXT!

HERE IS PRECISELY AND EXACTINGLY WHAT I BELIEVE – AND I BELIEVE IT EXACTLY AS IT IS WRITTEN:

GENESIS 1:1 – IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH.

I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT THE HOW AND THE WHEN. I AM ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT YOU IF YOU DO NOT BELIEVE HE CREATED IT. I HAVE BIGGER FISH TO FRY THAN BECOMING ENTANGLED IN DEBATES ABOUT WHICH ONE IS CORRECT. SO PLEASE DON’T SEND ME ANY OFFERS TO DEBATE. THIS IS SIMPLY A HISTORY OF ONE OF THE BASIC BELIEFS KNOWN AS “THE GAP THEORY.”

In this Update I intend to present a brief history of what is known as “the gap theory.” It is not the intent and purpose of this report to elaborate on the various Scriptures and inductive reasoning processes put forward by many learned men in support of the basic hypothesis. It is primarily the purpose of this article to render a brief history of the gap theory from its inception into the ranks of Missionary Baptists. However, at least a very basic description of the proposition should be outlined before going into details about its history, and a short summary of the theory will be presented by Gaebelein from his Annotated Bible, where he states the following on pages 16 and 17 (BEGIN QUOTE BY GAEBELEIN):

“It is of the greatest importance to understand that the condition in which the earth (not the heavens) is described in the second verse is not how God created it in the beginning. Scripture itself tells us this. Read Isaiah 45:18. The Hebrew word for ‘without form’ is TOHU, which means ‘waste.’ ‘The earth was waste and void.’ But in the passage of Isaiah 45:18 we read, ‘He created it not a waste.’ The original earth passed through a great upheaval, a judgment swept over it, which in all probability must have occurred on account of the fall of that mighty one Lucifer, who fell by pride and became the Devil. The original earth, no doubt, was his habitation, and he had authority over it, which he still claims as the “prince of this world.” Luke 4:5,6 shows us this. The earth had become waste and void; chaos and darkness reigned. What that original earth was like we do not know, but we know that animal and vegetable life were in existence long before God began to restore the earth. The immense fossil beds prove this. But they likewise prove that man was not then on the earth. Between the first and second verses of the Bible there is that unknown time of millions of years which geology gets a glimpse of in studying the crust of the Earth.” (END QUOTE BY GAEBELEIN).

In order to present a truly representative history of the gap theory, it is first necessary to examine the soil of the times from when it first burst forth its blooms into the light of the nineteenth century. A bit of what we might call a “pre-bloom” time of say, 100 years, would present a picture of mankind beginning to unearth extensive “finds” of various kinds of fossil life. Graphic pictures of pre-historic creatures and plants began to be noticed in exposed rock surfaces, and even more startling were the underground finds of huge dinosaur forms that had once roamed the vast plains of earth. It was a time of great unrest in the minds of learned men who sought an answer to the apparent conflictions of these discoveries with a long accepted belief in a very young earth of some 6000 years.

Into this time of apparent contradiction with the long conceived idea of a young, God-created earth, stepped a brilliant Christian man of that day, the scientist, Georges Cuvier. Morris and Whitcomb, in their publication of “The Genesis Flood,” give the following statement concerning Cuvier: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“The man to whom we refer was Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), professor of comparative anatomy in the museum of natural history at Paris, and the founder of modern vertebrate paleontology – a man of immense learning and reputation. Cuvier’s opposition to flood geology was subtle, because he insisted the earth had been laid down by the flood. He also taught that the major fossil strata of the earth had been laid down by a series of great floods, separated by immense periods of time, and long before the creation of man.” (END QUOTE).

As in most theories, there were certain portions of Cuvier’s hypothesis that needed, over a period of time, to be modified to agree with later discoveries of climate and geological shifts of both life forms and the earth’s crust. Kruten, in his book, “The Age of the Dinosaurs,” as it pertains to the discovery of dinosaur remains in the Paris Basin, says of Cuvier: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“Georges Cuvier, working out the sequence in the Paris Basin, taught that the successive periods in the history of the world were invariably caused by a great catastrophe, wiping out most of the living beings when it occurred, whereupon new forms of life were created or migrated from other regions. The antithesis of catastropism is the principle of actualism or uniformitarianism.” (END QUOTE).

It was during Cuvier’s lifetime that the conflict between the theories of Pre-Adamic “Catastrophism” and “Uniformitarianism” spread across the civilized world. There were many theologians who lifted the flag in support of Curvier’s hypothesis of a long period of chaos and catastrophe before the first appearance of man. Some of these theologians were portrayed by Surburg in the book “Darwin, Evolution, and Creation,” where he wrote the following: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“In the nineteenth century George H. Pember, in his book, ‘Earth’s Earliest Ages,’ set forth the interpretation that a long period or ‘gap’ was to be reckoned with after Genesis 1:1. Pember is thus sometimes credited with the formulation of the ‘gap’ or ‘restitution’ theory. The possibility of a gap or long period of time after Genesis 1:1 has been held by a number of nineteenth century theologians, among then Hengstenberg (1802-69), famous Lutheran theologian at the University of Berlin; Franz Delitzsch (1813-90), professor of Old Testament at Erlangen, and by Boehme, Oetinger, F. Von Meyer, Stier, Keerl, Kurtz, and others.” (END QUOTE).

I shall have something to say about Surburg’s suggestion that Pember is the originator of the gap theory at a later time, but for now I would like to present as clear a picture as possible on the catastrophism theory advanced by Cuvier. To close our analysis of Curier’s idea, I will provide a quote from Wendt in his book, “Before the Deluge,” where he speaks of Cuvier’s theory as follows: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“According to Cuvier, the earth was shaken many times in its history by upheavals and cataclysms. Some of these were local events; in such cases they only annihilated life in the affected regions, so the new living beings drifted in from other regions and repopulated the devastated areas. In his principle work on paleontology, ‘Recherches Sur Les Ossements Fossiles,’ Curier stated: ‘Life on earth has been frequently interrupted by frightful events. Innumerable organisms have become the victims of such catastrophes. Invading waters have swallowed up the inhabitants of dry land; the sudden rise of the sea bottom has deposited aquatic animals on land. Their species have vanished forever; they have left behind only sparse remains, which the naturalist is currently striving to interpret.’ Cuvier did not exactly state that life on earth had been extinguished to finality, and then recreated by God in superior form; that theory was to be advanced by his successors.” (END QUOTE).

Concerning Cuvier’s belief concerning the existence of man during the time of the earth’s great catastrophes, Wendt flatly states: “Cuvier did not believe in the existence of man in primordial times.”

While I agree with Dr. Surburg’s statement that G.H. Pember is often credited with the formulation of the original gap theory, this has caused many who do not believe the gap theory to say it was only an answer to Charles Darwin’s famous book, The Origin of Species, published in 1859. However, this is completely false.

The weight of my research credits the original formulation of the gap theory to have originated from the lips of Dr. Thomas Chalmers, a noted gentleman of some renown, some 45 years before Darwin’s book was published. Whitcomb and Morris, in their book, “The Genesis Flood,” are correct in their assessment of the “earliest” appearance of the gap theory, of which they state as follows: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“As early as 1814, Cuvier’s views were being pronounced in England by Dr. Thomas Chalmers, who found room between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 for this succession of pre-Adamic catastrophes and thus became the great popularizer of the now famous ‘Gap Theory.’ Many of the greatest geologists of this period, such as Adam Sedgwick, Rodgerick Murchison, and William Buckland, approved Cuvier’s theory because it seemed to offer an easy explanation of the fossil strata.” (END QUOTE).

It would seem reasonable that the 1810 pre-Adamic catastrophe theory of Cuvier would prompt an almost immediate searching of the Scriptures by diligent born-again believers in an attempt to find God’s linguistic answer to a scientific problem. I have always held that God’s word has the answers for the problems mankind faces in the interpretation of what it teaches. It seems quite reasonable to me that his word was used at that time to present a linguistic solution to a scientific dilemma. I believe the born-again believer who first discovered this linguistic revelation in Genesis was Dr. Thomas Chalmers, who began to expound it publicly “as early as 1814.” The character of this man reveals an inner nature that held the Bible inspired to the point of defending his beliefs openly. The following information concerning Dr. Chalmers, taken from The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, is quoted as follows. (BEGIN QUOTE).

“Chalmers, Thomas (1780-1847). Scottish minister. Born in Anstruther and educated at St. Andrews University, he was inducted to Kilmany Parish in 1803, and lectured part time at his University. He experienced evangelical conversion in 1811, and his ministerial and emphasis and activity were completely changed. He began to write for ‘The Christian Instructor,’ publication of which marked the turning of the tide in the moderate-evangelical encounter. In 1815 he was inducted to the Tron Church, Glasgow, and was heard by crowded congregations twice every Sunday. Glasgow reeled in shock when Chalmers left in 1823 to teach moral philosophy at St. Andrews’s University, but when he moved on to Edinburgh to teach philosophy, his friends were sure he had found his sphere. He became Moderator of the Evangelical Party in 1832, and thereafter the leader and symbol of the movement. During the next decade he championed the cause of church extension, building in six years some 216 churches, and raising 290,000 pounds, a fantastic amount for that day and time. After “The Disruption,” Chalmers became the Moderator of the Free Church Assembly, and professor of Theology in New College. His “Institutes of Theology” was published posthumously in 1849.” (END QUOTE).

The “Free Church Assembly” of which Chalmers became Moderator, was an Association of local free churches that made up what was known as The Free Church of Scotland. In order to understand Chalmer’s connection with the Association, the following quote from The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church is offered: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“Free Church of Scotland. Popularly known as ‘The Wee Free Church of Scotland.’ It represents the minority of the former Free Church of Scotland who refused to enter the union with the United Presbyterian Church to form the United Free Church of Scotland. The original Free Church was constituted in 1843 after “The Disruption,” when about one-third of the ministers and members seceded from the Church of Scotland rather than submit to what they considered to be state control of the local churches. Their leader, Dr. Thomas Chalmers, declared: ‘We quit a vitiated establishment and would rejoice in returning to a pure one.’” (END QUOTE).

Thomas Chalmers was certainly more than qualified to advance such a premise as the gap theory in the Genesis account of creation, possessing Doctors degrees in three disciplines, Bible Languages, the Sciences, and Divinity. Certain domestic calamities, and a severe illness of his own, opened up the fountains of his soul, and drew him closer to the Lord. So, when he was asked after this to prepare an article for an Encyclopedia in Edinburgh by Brewer, he commenced an extensive study of the evidences that Christianity was genuine, during which he became absolutely certain of Christ as Savior, and that the Bible was the veritable “Word of God.” After this, according to the Cyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, “He grew earnest, fervent, devout, and faithful to his pastoral duties.”

This reference bears testimony to a man who was an objective scientist that recognized the Bible as the “Word of God,” from which a linguistic answer could be provided to a scientific question. In a future Update, Lord willing, I will give a thorough exposition of the “Gap Theory” by Dr. Thomas Chalmers. But the purpose of this lengthy Update has been to present the history surrounding its origin, and to carry that history to the time when it first entered the ranks of Missionary Baptist churches. As outlined previously, it was not long before theological ideas began to form around the periphery of Culvier’s hypothesis on what is known as catastrophism. Some simply rejected it, some tried to adjust it, and still others linguistically interpreted Genesis 1:1,2 to provide a theological answer to a scientific hypothesis. The pattern is much the same today. Unbelieving scientists are providing scientific answers to creation. Some believing scientists are offering scientific answers to the creation. And theologians are arguing over interpretations as to how to interpret inspired Biblical words. As for myself, I believe Genesis 1:1, and I could care less how or when God created the heavens and the earth, I just know he did it. However, I will give you my opinion on the Genesis account of creation in a future Update, Lord willing.

So how did the Gap Theory get into Missionary Baptist work? A Dr. Henry Drummond, like Chalmers, was an evangelical minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He was born four years after Chalmers died. The parallelism in their lives, induced by almost being contemporaries, and Drummond’s following the doctrinal path of Chalmers, is quite evident in the following quote taken from the New International Dictionary of the Christian Church: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“Drummond, Henry (1551-1897). Scottish writer and evangelist. Born at Stirling, and educated at Edinburgh University, he was persuaded by D.L. Moody to suspend his theological course and to work with him in evangelistic campaigns during Moody’s first visit to Britain. After 1866 he taught Natural Science at the Free Church College in Glasgow, and in 1883 published the best seller, ‘Natural Law in the Spirit World.’ In 1884 he was ordained and became Professor of Theology in the college. He influenced many generations of students through his evangelistic work, visiting Australia in 1887 and the United States in 1890. His lectures at Boston were published as ‘The Ascent of Man’ in 1890. But his best known work was ‘The Greatest Thing in the World,’ which was a meditation on I Corinthians 13:13.” (END QUOTE).

Dr. Drummond has been mentioned because he is referenced by the man most responsible for the introduction of the Gap Theory into Missionary Baptist ranks, Dr. J. Louis Guthrie, who was one of the three founders of the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas. Dr. Guthrie, speaking of him in his book, “Christ in Creation,” says: “Drummond has written the nearest to a spiritual science, and consideration of all phases of life, in his ‘Natural Law in the Spiritual World,’ but his work is mostly from analogy.” Again, Dr. Guthrie speaks of Drummond in regard to his views on the doctrine of trichotomy, as he comments: “I am indebted to Drummond, Sabatier, Dr. Giorgio Bartoli and others for some help I have had in this trend of thought. They have given valuable suggestions to which I have fastened quite a train of thought.”

But it is not Drummond that gave us the gap theory, but a man whose ideas conflicted with Drummond on the theory of catastrophism before Adam, Dr. Giorgio Bartoli. After having researched many names quoted by Dr. Guthrie in his works, it appears evident to me that Dr. Guthrie was familiar with the viewpoints of both Drummond and Bartoli. And from the writings of Dr. Guthrie it is readily apparent he accepted and expounded the viewpoint of Dr. Bartoli. Dr. Guthrie speaks of him in his book, “Christ in Creation,” where he gives the following testimony of Bartoli: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“Dr. Bartoli in his little book, ‘The Biblical Story of Creation,’ makes this observation in the amazing statement, ‘even now, after the millenniums that our earth has existed, no simple bodies exist, only composite ones. The element is is an artificial product of man, which he extracts from the chemical combination of which it is part and parcel. It is not physical progress that prevails in the world, but degeneracy. Our creation is getting gradually older, poorer, and uglier; the earth moreover, is drying up constantly, becoming less habitable, and by degrees becoming a desert. The progressive decay and degeneration of the earth and man is a fact, beyond the possibility of a doubt. Not evolution, but involution, is the great law of the universe. Involution means the imperfect from the perfect, the simple from the composite, the immoral from the moral, ugliness from beauty, crime and vice from innocence, disorder from order, and death from life.’ This is the pronouncement of a man who is chemist and physicist, who has taught these sciences along with geology and biological science in many universities of Europe and Asia. He has lectured extensively in nearly all countries in Europe and the Americas, and knows language, philosophy, science, and theology in their practical phases. He writes in nearly every modern Occidental language. He is now Superintendent of Mines in Sardinia. His varied experiences have qualified him to speak with authority. His knowledge of literature, the sciences, theology, and philosophy can hardly be questioned.” (END QUOTE).

Dr. Bartoli, a contemporary of Drummond, picked up the standard left behind by Dr. Chalmers and spread its influence across the American and European continents. An excellent presentation of Dr. Bartoli’s concept of the pre-Adamic world catastrophe is given in his book, “The Biblical Story of Creation.”

Dr. L.D. Foreman, in his book, “The Bible in Eight Ages,” gives a lengthy quote from Dr. Bartoli’s book on pages 102 to 105. Speaking of the pre-Adamic fallen angels, Dr. Bartali writes as follows: (BEGIN QUOTE).

“Since they could accomplish nothing against God, these miserable creatures vented their malice upon the earth, where they fell in millions. That disastrous fall produced a world cataclysm. Our solar system was convulsed, disemboweled and reduced to chaos – confusion, darkness, and complete disorder prevailed.” (END QUOTE).

So, in summary, the thread of continuity that stretches from Missionary Baptists back to the birth of the Gap Theory in about 1814, began with a first stitch by Dr. Thomas Chalmers, rippled across the Atlantic on the wings of Dr. Giorgio Bartoli, and entered our ranks largely through the brilliant, fertile mind of Dr. J. Louis Guthrie.

I dedicated my third book, “The Key to the Bottomless Pit,” to Dr. Fred G. Stevenson, a rare man of God, who made this dullard think. Dr. Fred was, during his many years of teaching at the Little Rock Missionary Baptist Seminary, the best Hebrew teacher of his era among Missionary Baptist Seminary teachers of Hebrew in our ranks. Dr. J. Louis Guthrie suffered an early demise as a teacher at Little Rock, but Dr. Stevenson had tremendous influence on the many students he taught during his long tenure at the school. The only other Missionary Baptist preacher I ever knew that could speak slower than Fred was “Buddy” Pennington, a dear brother who, like Fred, has gone on to be with the Lord. Most of the graduates of the school during the fifties, sixties, and seventies, were avid proponents of the Gap Theory. Since that time a growing number of its graduates have advocated the “young earth” theory, held by the teachers who have followed the precepts advanced by the school of creation.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 148C

December 1, 2003

The Gap Theory and Associated Fall of Satan from Heaven

In Prophecy Update 148A I presented the history of the Gap Theory. In Prophecy Update 148B I presented the two basic Scriptures that are used to make the linguistic biblical case for its validity. Basically, the Gap Theory advocates that Satan was created by God as a sinless Archangel and placed over the material universe as its prince and protector, with countless number of angels under his authority to facilitate the tasks of the commission he had received from God. But Satan rebelled against the authority of his maker, and caused one-third of the angels to follow him in his rebellion, and they also fell from favor with their creator. I believe this rebellion occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and changed God’s original creation of the earth in verse 1 to the desolate waste found in verse 2 (Please see Updates 148A & 148B).

Genesis 1:1,2 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was (became) without form (tohu), and void (bohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Our understanding of time, as finite human beings, is really incapable of grasping time as God views it. Peter alludes to this principle in his second epistle.

II Peter 3:8-12 – But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

I believe that perhaps as long a period of time as six billion years passed between Genesis 1:1 and 1:3, and that the verses from 1:3 onwards are about a restoring, a reconstruction, a reshaping, a remolding of God’s original creation, which was marred by the fall of Satan. I do not believe man ever existed upon the earth until the sixth day of the restoring of the earth by its creator. I believe Genesis 2:7 occurred on the sixth day of the remolding of God’s first creation.

Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

I believe that one of the reasons God created man was to place him over the creation he had assigned Satan as prince before his sin against God. But Adam also sinned, and lost his position as ruler over the creation. God then immediately advised Adam and Eve that he would one day send a Seed from their lineage to crush the power of the prince of this world, Satan, and thereby restore man as its ruler. Jesus was that Seed.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Christ came as that Seed possessing power over Satan and all his fallen angels, which are now also identified as devils or demons. Christ, as the pre-incarnate Son of God, saw Satan when he first fell billions of years ago.

Luke 10:17,18 – And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. [18] And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

When Satan fell, about one-third of the angels fell from heaven with him as his followers. A falling star looks like a long bolt of lightning coming down from the heavens, and the stars of Revelation 12:4 represent all the angels that fell to the earth long ago with the Dragon, who is Satan.

Satan fell from heaven billions of years before the Seed arrived in the manger in Bethlehem, but patiently waited for the Seed’s arrival in the flesh, hoping to destroy him and keep his kingdom. But the Seed grew to manhood, was crucified for our sins, and Philippians 2:6-11 was fulfilled. Christ is in heaven today as the intercessor for all who have their faith in him for the salvation of their souls.

Philippians 2:6-11 – Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If we confess him in this life, he will confess us forever as his children. It is a matter of first believing in the heart he is the total sacrifice for your sins to the extent you believe he is still alive by calling on his name to save you. Confession of him from your mouth as your Savior then naturally follows.

Romans 10:9,10 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

So Satan fell long ago, with one-third of the angelic host, but failed to destroy the Christ child, who is now in heaven with all the power of God.

Revelation 12:4,5 – And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. [5] And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Christ judged the prince of this world, and Satan was found wanting, and the power he held over men through the threat of death was broken by the Seed, who stepped on the serpent’s head and broke his power. But in so doing, the Seed’s heel, which walked upon earth to redeem mankind, was more than bruised at Golgotha.

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

But the Seed’s death passed judgment on Satan, and this world over which Satan was prince, and now the power of the Holy Spirit draws men to the resurrected Seed through the preaching of the cross.

I Corinthians 1:18 – For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

John 12:32 – And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

John 14:30 – Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world (Satan) cometh, and hath nothing IN ME.

Satan could never possess the righteousness of God that is in Christ after falling, hence Jesus said, “and hath nothing IN ME.” We can only be made the righteousness of God by our position in Christ.

II Corinthians 5:21 – For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM.

Christ alone can impute to us his righteousness, and he imputes it based on our faith in him to save us from the power of death, which is eternal separation from him in a lake of fire. The power of Satan is broken, and now men and women can be set free from the condemnation of God for their sins by trusting in Christ’s sacrifice for their sins. Only faith in the saving power of the Son can forever remove us from the condemnation of God for what we all are – born sinners.

John 8:36 – If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Lord willing, in our next Prophecy Update, I will clearly define from Scripture what I believe Satan did that caused his fall. I will also discuss the dinosaurs, evolution, when man was placed on this earth, and other things I am often asked about creation.

Special Prophecy Update Number 148D

December 2, 2003

Satan’s Sin as it Relates to the Gap Theory

Before reading this Update, please review Updates 148A, 148B, and 148C. The purpose of this Update is two fold – to offer some ideas in support of a hypothesis concerning the sin that transformed the angelic being Lucifer into the angelic adversary known today as Satan, the Devil, the Dragon, and the old serpent, and to supplement the “Gap Theory” of Dr. Thomas Chalmers as a possible explanation of the numerous species of life known to have inhabited the earth over a very long period of time. I am in agreement with Dr. Chalmers linguistic claim that Genesis 1:1 does indeed represent God’s original creation of perfect heavens and a perfect earth, while Genesis 1:2a represents the chaotic condition of that initial creation brought about by Satan’s first sin of rebellion against his creator, and that Genesis 1:2b begins the description of God renovating or regenerating the chaotic earth into a habitable planet, one which could support the biological needs of his new creation known as Adam, the first human on its surface.

Genesis 1:1,2 – In the beginning God created (bara’) the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was (hayethah – became) without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Moses uses the word bara’ to indicate God created the heavens and earth from things that are not seen.

Hebrews 11:3 – Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

But in the re-creating or renovation of the bara’ of Genesis 1:1, when God begins the process of restoring it, he indicates he is making (asah’) visible things from his first bara’, which he created from unseen things.

Genesis 1:7 – And God made (‘asah) the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Genesis 1:16 – And God made (‘asah) two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made (‘asah) the stars also.

‘Asah’ means to make from what is seen. Bara’ is often used to identify what is made from things that cannot be seen. God made (‘asah) the sun, moon, and stars from what he had already created (bara’) in 1:1.

In Exodus 20:11 he uses ‘asah, rather than bara’, because he is referring to remaking (‘asah) the earth in six days out of what had been marred in what he created (bara’) billions of years before the fall of Satan.

Exodus 20:11 – For in six days the Lord made (‘asah) heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Vine’s says the following concerning created (bara’) as it relates to made (‘asah): “The verb bara’ is of profound theological significance, since it has only God as its subject. Only God can create in the sense implied by bara’: The verb expresses creation out of nothing on a cosmic scale: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

In Genesis 2:3, referring back to Genesis 1:1 where God first created (bara’) the earth, then made (‘asah) the things of verses 4 to 17 out of what he had previously created, we find the two words used together.

Genesis 2:3 – And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created (bara’) and made (asah’).

I believe God created (bara’) the heavens and the earth billions of years ago, and Lucifer was placed over it. I do not know how much time passed before Lucifer fell. I do know God rested on the seventh day after he made (asah’) it such than man could exist on the earth.

One must be careful to explain that there is not a concrete, infallible rule for distinguishing precise bara’ and ‘asah differences in all cases, and the exact differences between the usages of bara’ and ‘asha in all sentence structures does have some variance. But the context in which they are placed in Genesis 1:1 to 1:17, does allow the distinction to be made.

When I retired from the National Security Agency, I enrolled in the Missionary Baptist Seminary. During my undergraduate work there, I was privileged to have Dr. Capell for study of the poetical books. When he was covering the book of Job he gave two assignments we had to turn in for a grade. We were allowed to write on any subject that might relate to the book. The first paper I composed was basically what you read in Update 148A, which I titled “A Brief History of the Gap Theory,” and Dr. Capell gave me an “A+” on it. To be quite honest, since I knew he was a proponent of the gap theory, I knew he would like it. However, when the second paper was due, my confidence he would like what I wrote was about a minus 10, but I wrote it anyway, and much to my surprise, he have me an “A” on it. The second paper was titled “The First Sin.” What follows is virtually a copy of what I wrote, and what I have taught at Dardanelle MBC for almost 30 years.

The basic hypothesis that I offer concerning Satan’s sin against God that caused the earth to become without form and void is as follows:

(1) That Lucifer’s original sin was to attempt to create a living form of “bios” (life) by his own power.

(2) That most, if not all, creatures possessing “bios” (life) in the time gap between Genesis 1:1, and the latter part of 1:2, were Satanic clones of the life forms God placed on the earth in Genesis 1:1.

(3) That Satan’s basic purpose in his numerous forms of cloning “bios” (life) over millions of years was to produce a form of “bios” into which he could transfer his spirit, and sustain “zoe” (eternal life) in his cloned creature.

(4) That Satan was finally able to clone an inferior non-homosapien form of “bios” without a living soul, but could not generate “zoe” into it.

Perhaps the most graphic description of Lucifer’s sin is contained in Isaiah 14:12-15 – How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! [13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. [15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

I Timothy 3:6 – Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Verses 13 and 14 from Isaiah, in conjunction with I Timothy 3:6, reveal the basic problem of Lucifer, pride, and is what his sin of rebellion most likely entailed. In his pride Lucifer wanted to be the most High, not in a position of being his servant, but being equal to him. So how could it be brought to pass? There is one thing about God that is absolutely unique – He is the creator all things, yet he was not created. Before Lucifer’s sin there were only two categories of existence or being – The Creator, and the created. The most High was the Creator and everything else was what he had created. In order for Lucifer to fulfill the prideful goal of his heart expressed by his statement, “I will be like the most High,” it was necessary for him to move into the Creator status that only God held. For only by moving into the Creator status could he have any possibility of reaching his lofty goal of being “like the most High.” It is with this idea I proceed with the hypothesis that Satan’s original sin consisted of attempting to be the first creation of God who could create life exactly like God generated life. I contend that God gave Satan billions of years to accomplish such a feat by experimentation with the first life forms God placed on the earth he created in Genesis 1:1. I contend that Satan was able to learn how to clone and manipulate the original life forms God created in Genesis, and that his counterfeiting endeavors over billions of years are found in the fossil records of the earth’s layers laid down over that vast expanse of time. I suspect God gave Satan all this time before a vast audience of his first creation, the angels, so that it would forever be established in their minds that God along was the giver of life, and all Satan was ever able to accomplish was the manipulation of the life forms God had first given life. So, in the end, after all the angelic host had seen the utter failure of Satan to produce a form of life to rule over the earth as his children, then God recreated what Satan had wrecked and marred, and placed a new creature on the earth to rule over it in righteousness for him, the creation we know as Adam, as man, as anthropos. And, when Adam sinned, God immediately revealed his plan to have his Seed, his only begotten Son, to be the one who would buy back Adam’s inheritance by the price of his own blood on the cross.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Hebrews 2:14,15 – Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; [15] And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

It is my contention that while Satan was never able to create such a being as Adam, even by mutation of the species, manipulation of the DNA, or cloning, it is possible he was eventually successful in producing a creature with a crude form of animal intelligence. At the end of the pre-Cambrian age, hundreds of fossil life forms suddenly appeared in the Cambrian rock strata. These were the original life forms of Genesis 1:1, and it was from these simple life forms that Satan’s experimentation produced the heinous creatures that eventually roamed the earth for millions of years. It is conceivable that Satan hoped eventually, through experimentation with “bios,” to produce a life form in the flesh in which his “zoe” could dwell. If so, he failed completely. And, more importantly, all of heaven was a witness to his failure. I do not believe Satan has ever been, or ever will be, able to create life as God creates it, from his very person. But I do believe he has learned to take what God has created, and manipulate, mutate, and clone it into something God never intended. I will take the Scriptures, Lord willing, and make a case for my contention in the next Update.

Dr. J. Louis Guthrie, in his book, “Christ in Creation,” says of “bios” and “zoe” on page 17: “bios is a Greek word meaning physical or tangible life. From it we get many English derivatives connected with physical life. Zoe is the other form. It is not so easily defined and indeed corresponds more closely to what we call spiritual life in common speech. I cannot recall a single instance, where the Greek work bios, is ever used for the inner life of God, his saved, or angels, and I have given it pretty thorough investigation. These words and their meanings seem sometimes incorporated in the inner life when life is spoken of in the sense of such things as salvation, regeneration, development of Christian ideals, and the resurrection. Many times it is implied that the physical life depends on the spiritual. The living zoe never seems to have existence alone, the inner life is the sort that is self sustaining, and has no need of food itself, also it has complete power to give off eternally and never receive nor demand anything returning to it. This life seems to comprehend the infinity of matter, mind, and spirit. This is the complete fullness of divine life. God then becomes to us a complete personality of material, mind, and spirit.” Neither could I find a single case where bios, or derivations thereof, were ever used to refer to anything but things concerned with physical or tangible life. It was never used for the inner life of God, his saved, or angels. With this in mind, I repeat my original hypothesis that Satan was able to mutate, manipulate, and clone the cells of the original life forms of Genesis 1:1 into a low grade form of bios, but never zoa (eternal life). In my old seminary composition I wrote, “I would not be surprised to see scientists produce crude bios in test tube proportions in the next ten years.” And indeed they did! I told the members of the church I pastor in Dardanelle 25 years ago that they would clone a warm blooded mammal before the year 2000, and that it was quite possible they would clone a soulless human just before the Lord returned.

In my next Update I will give accounts from Scripture that support my hypothesis that Satan has, can, and will duplicate life forms. He has been in the process for a very long time. Hopefully, before I am finished with this series on the Genesis creation, I will transmit my explanation as what caused the age of the dinosaurs to abruptly come to an end.

Special Prophecy Update Number 148E

December 3, 2003

The Creation Gap Theory and Satan’s Ability to Create Life

Please read Prophecy Updates 148A through 148D before reading this Update. The basic hypothesis that I offered concerning the sin of Satan against God, which I contend caused the earth to become “without form and void,” was presented in Update 148D, and was as follows:

(1) That Lucifer’s original sin was to attempt to create a living form of “bios” (physical life) by his own power.

(2) That most, if not all, creatures possessing “bios” (physical life) in the time gap between Genesis 1:1, and the latter part of 1:2, were Satanic clones or counterfeits of the life forms God placed on the earth in Genesis 1:1.

(3) That Satan’s basic purpose in his numerous forms of cloning or counterfeiting “bios” (physical life) over millions of years was to produce a form of “bios” into which he could transfer his spirit, and sustain “zoe” in his cloned creature.

(4) That Satan was finally able to clone an inferior non-homosapien form of “bios” without a living soul, but could not generate “zoe” into it.

John, speaking of Christ, stated the character of life that God was able to place in physical man through faith in his Son’s ability to give it, and the Son himself professed his ability to give life having that character. The word “zoe” was used in both of the following scriptures each time the word “life” appears, and each time it means eternal life.

John 1:4 – In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 5:40 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

I certainly do not mean to imply that Satan was ever, or ever will be able, to become the original creator of anything except sin. But I do mean to imply that Satan, by misuse of his God-given intelligence, was able to clone, imitate, counterfeit, or whatever you want to label it, and bring forth a form of life we call “bios” from life that God created in Genesis 1:1. God alone is the creator of all things except sin. I am simply saying that Satan developed the capability to mutate, clone, counterfeit by his evil designs, and that these productions were made from the “all things” creations of God in Genesis 1:1.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

I do not mean he manipulated all of the “all things,” but that he did mutate some of them, and of the some he did mutate, he was never able to bring them under his complete control. I am also advancing the idea that God allowed Satan to carry this out over an enormous time span in order to prove to all creation God is the “most High” and, as such, the only one capable of sustaining all life and the creation itself.

Isaiah 14:12-16 – How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! [13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: [14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

In order to add some inductive Biblical premises to my argument that some life forms prior to Genesis 1:3 were of Satanic mutation processes, I offer the account of the plagues, which were sent by God upon the Egyptians and their many false gods. It is noteworthy that the power of Satan to produce certain bios life forms through the Egyptian magicians was vividly portrayed. Satan was able to produce bios blood and two different types of cold-blooded reptilian bios in the form of serpents and frogs.

Exodus 7:10-12 – And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. [11] Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. [12] For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

The superiority of God’s created bios serpents is shown by what they did to the cloned bios of Satan.

Exodus 7:20-22 – And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. [21] And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. [22] And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said.

Exodus 8:5-7 – And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. [6] And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. [7] And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

But when it came time to clone or counterfeit a warm-blooded bios, the magicians were unable to do it. I contend that, at this point in time, the Devil had not been able to master the cloning of warm-blooded bios, but I believed he would eventually learn how to counterfeit it, and that is why I told the church I pastor 25 years ago that scientists would one day clone a warm-blooded mammal. Notice the reaction of the magicians when they were asked to produce a small warm-blooded sand louse.

Exodus 8:16-18 – And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. [17] And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. [18] And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

Please notice what the Egyptian magicians said. They recognized this creation was by the finger of God, which their god Satan was not able to duplicate.

Exodus 8:19 – Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said.

They knew they could go no farther, because their god had not yet been able to master the cloning of warm-blooded creatures in the time of Moses. And their folly was manifested to Pharaoh and all of Egypt.

II Timothy 3:8,9 – Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. [9] But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

The magicians exclamation, “This is the finger of God,” is a statement of their recognition of the power of the true God. They were not impressed that the “most High” could produce bios blood or simple forms of bios life in cold-blooded creatures, because their god could produce clones of counterfeit cold-blooded bios. But when God produced a small complex bios like a sand louse that their master could not yet clone, they quickly acknowledged a higher “finger” of power than that of the god to whom they belonged. Scientists cloned a frog long before they ever cloned a large warm-blooded mammal like “Dolly.” Satan energized the reptile in the Garden of Eden and the Egyptian magicians. He has energized many forms of life in all ages, and will do so in the future. I believe he is now energizing some TV evangelists who are willing to follow him today, as is indicated in II Timothy 3:6,7.

II Timothy 3:6,7 – For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, [7] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I feel it quite within the realm of possibility that the reptilian species of the many geological ages were Satan’s experimental clones of the original bios God created in Genesis 1:1. It is also conceivable that as each new species ran into a dead end by failing to progress into what Satan had in mind, it was subsequently eliminated by some great catastrophe, cast out or discarded to make room for another attempt to produce a species of bios that could rule over the earth as Satan’s representative. The earth’s crust bears testimony to many such catastrophic events during its long history. It is not unreasonable to assume Satan may have been able to ultimately produce a species of bios such as the hominoid findings of the Leakey family in the Olduvai Gorge of Tanzania, which roamed the earth millions of years ago. Satan may well have been able to produce a hairy bios creature with enough intelligence to develop a lifestyle with a strong self-preservation instinct. I do not even rule out the possibility that such a hairy bios creature may have attained sufficient intelligence to dig out shallow graves for its dead to eliminate the stench associated with bios decay, and to draw characters on cave walls, but these were not men created by God with souls – They were not zoe, they were creatures of bios life but not of bios indwelt by zoe, the breath of God. They were not living souls.

Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Hopefully, in Prophecy Update 148F, I will complete this series on the Genesis creation, and finally get around to discussing what I believed caused the dinosaurs, and the associated land life forms of their distant age, to disappear so suddenly in geologic time.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 148F

December 5, 2003

Gap Theory Phases of the Earth

I accepted the Gap Theory long before I came to the Missionary Baptist Seminary in Little Rock, Arkansas. It has been around since Hector was a pup. I attended the original Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in the late forties and early fifties while Dr. Bogard was still living, and entered my military and National Security Agency career in 1951. I was first exposed to it while working in Washington from Merrill Unger’s Bible Handbook. So it was no great leap for me to listen attentively to what was taught concerning it while I was a student at the seminary. I again wish to state what I have said over and over again in this series – the gap theory is just what the title implies, it is a THEORY, no more and no less, but Genesis 1:1 is not a THEORY, it is a FACT.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

I do not believe man evolved. I believe he was created on a single day, the sixth day of a restoring of the original creation of God in Genesis 1:1, which became something other than what God intended when the Devil rebelled against his authority by attempting to create life forms. I would encourage you to read Prophecy Updates 148A to 148E to gain the background needed to follow what I am about to present in this Update.

I believe there have been two great floods on the present earth that God originally created, the flood of Noah’s time, and the flood of Genesis 1:2a.

Genesis 1:2 – And the earth was (hayethah-became) without form (tohu), and void (bohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

As I have shown in previous updates, the first sentence in 1:2 states what the earth had become as a result of Satan attempting to manipulate God’s original creation of 1:1. The word “deep” is a noun that means “abyss,” and refers to the bottom of a great flood God has sent upon the earth to destroy Satan’s creation, and the “face” of that great flood is the surface of its waters that cover all the earth. The second sentence of 1:2 – “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,” pictures God hovering over the surface of the waters, which he used to cover Satan’s maze of confusion. It is the picture an artist would portray by painting a portrait of a chicken hovering over her eggs to give protection and her warmth to produce new life from her eggs she originally laid. This is the announcement of what is about to follow in the rest of the first chapter of Genesis, which is a literal six day restoration of the original creation of God in Genesis 1:1 that had been marred by the activity of Satan. The first great flood in the Bible is not the flood in the time of Noah, it is the great flood of Genesis 1:2 that covered all the land surface of the original creation of God.

The earth has gone through several phases of God dealing with it since he originally created it. They are as follows:

(1) The Original Earth – Genesis 1:1

(2) The Earth Marred by Satan – Genesis 1:2

(3) The Earth Reshaped by God – Genesis 1:3-31

(4) The Earth Cursed by God – Genesis 6:17,18

(5) The Flood of Noah’s Day – Genesis 7:23,24

(6) The Present Earth – Genesis 9:15

I believe that God created the earth billions of years ago. I do not know, nor can I estimate, when Satan first rebelled against God, but I believe a great gap of time exists between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2b, and I also believe that the re-creation by God from Genesis 1:3 onwards was done in six literal days, not over long periods of time. Please note in Genesis 7:19-24 that only the land based creatures were totally wiped out in the great flood of Noah’s day. The same was true in the first great flood of Genesis 1:2, only the creatures dependant upon “the face of the ground” for their life survival were destroyed.

Genesis 7:23 – And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

The sea creatures were not all destroyed completely in either of the two floods. God did create (bara’) great whales in the seas in his re-creation. It is interesting that whales are mammals. It appears that the creatures of the oceans were not all destroyed by the Genesis 1:2 flood, and that many, along with some birds that were able to survive the flood, were allowed by God to bring “forth abundantly, after their kind,” in order to once again repopulate their domains.

Genesis 1:21 – And God created (bara’) great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

This would explain why fossil replicas of fish from the pre-Genesis 1:2b flood were discovered, which perfectly match their descendant species in the oceans of today. These fish fossils that match were found in areas of the earth’s land mass that were once joined together, but tore apart at the time of Satan’s rebellion against God between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. If you will take world map and look at the protruding northeastern part of the South American continent, then shift your eyes across the Atlantic to view the area of greatest curvature in the western coastline of Africa, you will see how the two continents were once joined together into a single land mass. The identical fish fossils from the pre-flood of Genesis 1:2b are found in Africa and South America where they once joined together. They were separated when the earth began to break apart from being a single dry land mass at the time of Satan’s rebellion against God, who created the single dry landmass in Genesis 1:1. Geologists have named the first landmass of Genesis 1:1 “Pangaea,” which means “all lands.” The development of plate tectonics principles in the twentieth century brought a sweeping change in our understanding of the original earth. It was a century in which we ran across, under, and above the earth, and it was a time when the most fantastic increase in human understanding of the earth and the universe occurred, an acceleration that is beyond belief. Now, in these last days of this age, we can understand many of the tenets of God’s creation that Moses, and those traveling with him, were not able to grasp in their day, which is the reason God gave them a very simple account they could accept, but left a fuller understanding in the linguistic account for us to understand in these last days.

Daniel 12:4 – But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Soon after the first truly reliable world maps were made, geographers noticed that the continents would fit together like a jigsaw puzzle if they could be moved, but the idea of a mobile crust was not considered until the knowledge explosion occurred in the early nineteenth century. As a certified meteorologist, I became familiar with the work of another man who was my peer in meteorology, Alfred Wegener, a meteorologist who accepted the theory first advanced in 1908 by American geologist Frank B. Taylor. The German, Alfred Wegener, gave the first good explanation of why plate tectonics was valid, by pointing out the similarities in the fossils found on the coastlines of northeastern Brazil and central sections of the western coast of Africa. His evidence was published in a 1915 book with the title, “The Origins of Continents and Oceans.” Warner believed that the continents light granite rock somehow plowed above the denser basalts of the ocean sea floors, driven by forces related to the rotation of the earth. His theory was not proven until our “running to and fro” on the ocean sea floor (since the end of World War II), enabled us, by the development of seismic tomography (created by the earthquake waves passing through the earth), to see the cracks in the world’s crust. Then the technology needed to track the historical magnetic paths of polar wandering through magnetic patterns in the rock strata reversals on the ocean and sea floors was developed, and we were finally able to accept the tectonic drift of the continents over a long period of time to be a fact, rather than just a theory. The dinosaurs, and their fellow land creatures, lived in the age that followed the fall of Satan in Genesis 1:2, and their extinction occurred suddenly and abruptly in the flood of Genesis 1:2b, after having flourished for millions of years. Genesis 1:3 is the beginning of the description of a literal six day restoration of the fallen creation following the flood of Genesis 1:2a.

Genesis 1:1-3 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

I am beginning to wonder if I will ever complete this series, but, Lord willing, I will eventually finish. I don’t know if I really want to take the time to go through the re-creation verses line by line, but if I feel inclined to do so it will eventually appear in our future Prophecy Updates. If I feel up to it, I may discuss the earth’s age theory of Bishop Ussher in the next creation update. I believe his theory first appeared some 23 years after the 1611 edition of the King James Bible, and, if correct, would have the earth reaching an age of 6,008 years in 2004.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 148G

December 6, 2003

The Gap Theory Flood and the Age of the Earth

Please read Prophecy Updates 148A through 148F before reading this Update. Up until the time that Bishop Ussher, in about 1634, added up the genealogical dates in the fifth chapter of Genesis, and gave them as proof that the earth was created in 4004 B.C., people did not particularly care how long the earth had existed. They just read the first Scripture in the Bible, and believed it. That satisfies me, but it does not seem enough for a number of people, so I have given you an account of what I believe concerning the how and the when of creation, as I interpret it from the account in Genesis. However, what I consider important is that God created the earth, not when and how he did it.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

It is highly unlikely that God intended to wait until 1634 to reveal the age of the earth to an Irish Archbishop named James Ussher. I don’t believe that the genealogical ages from Seth to Noah were intended, or can be used, for calculating the age of the earth. The Hebrew words used for “son,” “daughter,” and “begat,” may involve a distant or an immediate descendant. Merrill Unger, in his “Bible Handbook,” gives several reasons why one should not use Bishop Ussher’s calculated age of the earth as factual. They are quoted as follows:

(1) The Hebrew terms “begat,” “son,” “daughter,” are used with great latitude and may involve a distant as well as an immediate descendant.”

(2) The ten generations from Adam to Noah and the ten from Noah evidently aim at brevity and symmetry, rather than unbroken father-to-son relation.

(3) Abbreviations due to symmetry are common features of Scripture genealogies (as in the first chapter of Matthew).

(4) In the recurring formula: A lived ____ years and begat sons and daughters, and A lived after he begat B ____ years and begat sons and daughters, B may not be the literal son of A. (the identical Hebrew word “ben” is used for son, grandson, great-grandson, great-great-grandson, adinfinitim). The age of A is his age when his descendant was born from whom B was descended. So an indefinite time interval may therefore be intended between A and B.

Believe me when I tell you I have heard all the arguments that come from cross referencing Old Testament and New Testament genealogies in an attempt to prove man was created in 4004 B.C. And I have tried to be open and honest with God and myself in attempting to discover from the Scriptures exactly when Adam was created on this planet. I cannot tell you from the Scriptures when Adam was created. All I can do is to give you an estimate based on what I have seen in the fossil record of what I believe to be the descendants of Adam, and the latitude I believe allowed by God without violating the linguistics of the Scripture. I approximate, estimate, just plain guess, that God created Adam in the Garden of Eden some 25 to 30 thousand years ago. But if you believe God created Adam in 4004 B.C., I will certainly admit you might be correct. And if you do believe that the earth is only 6,007 years old, I have no problem with it. But if you tell me that God did not create the earth, or that he did not create Adam on the sixth day, or that he created Adam by a process of evolution from lower life forms, then I violently disagree with you.

The flood that closed the age of the dinosaurs, and their cold-blooded epic of geological time, occurred in the final sentence of Genesis 1:2.

Genesis 1:2 – And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

In the discourse that follows I will attempt to correlate Genesis 1:1-3 with II Peter 3:3-8.

II Peter 3:3,4 – Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, [4] And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

This was the first single land mass continent that stood alone out of the seas and oceans of our planet. It was given the name Pangaea by Alfred Wegener in 1915 in his book, “The Origins of Continents and Oceans.” It correlates with II Peter 3:5.

II Peter 3:5 – For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Genesis 1:2a – And the earth was (hayethah) without form (tohu), and void (bohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

This is what the earth became when Satan rebelled against God. It was in this state for a very long period of time. After Satan had been given millions of years to create a living bios creature with a soul, he utterly fell on his face, and all of the created beings of God watched him fail. It was at the end of Satan’s failure that God flooded the earth, and wiped out the land dwelling creatures on the earth abruptly and suddenly. Thus Genesis 1:2a correlates with II Peter 3:6.

II Peter 3:6 – Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

Genesis 1:2b – And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

This is when the Spirit of God fluttered over the surface of the flood that covered the earth, like a dove hovering over her eggs she previously laid to give them protection and warmth to come to life. This is when the waters began to recede off the earth, and it eventually became the divided earth much as we know it today. This verse correlates with II Peter 3:7.

II Peter 3:7 – But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

Genesis 1:3 – And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

This verse marks the beginning of the penetration of light that had only been able to keep the earth in a state of scattered, diffused, refracted, and reflected light for a very long period of time, but now it begins to break through the great cloud shroud around the earth, and marks the start of God’s six days of re-creation of his original creation marred by Satan.

During the re-creation God made most of what he made out of what was already here from his first creation. You will find the word ‘asah used in those cases. But he also initially created some things for the first time in the six-day re-creation. In those cases you will find the word bara’ was used.

I do not mean to be rude, or difficult to get along with, but because I got tired of having to try to tell people what I believed about creation in ten words or less, I did not address the subject in my 27 years of lectures in churches, seminaries, colleges, universities, and institutions of higher learning. I have seen as much controversy on this subject as I have on the rapture question. I am tired of controversy and flying dust among the brethren, and having to defend my positions in such a wide area of disagreement, so if you send me questions on these two subjects, you may not get an a reply. Let me put it simply: I believe that God created the heaven and earth, that he created Adam on the sixth day, that the days were 24 hours long, that Adam did not evolve through evolution, that Jesus was the second Adam who died for my sins and is my Savior, and that he is coming sometime soon for me. I really don’t have the time or inclination to get involved in something less important than what I have just stated.

Dr. L.D. Foreman was a close friend who encouraged me very early in my ministry to pursue the destruction of the earth by movement of the tectonic plates in the tribulation period. He asked me if he could include my material from Tectonic Chaos in the fiftieth, and last memorial, of his publication, and he included a lot of it in his anniversary publication. But there was one thing we differed on, and I discussed it with him at length in the cafeteria at the Texarkana Book Store shortly before his ill- fated trip to the Solomon Islands, where he suffered a fatal heart attack while baptizing one of the new converts. After Dr. Foreman published his book, “The Bible in Eight Ages,” certain topographical discoveries were made in Iraq, and I discussed it with him at length. Unfortunately we did not have an opportunity to continue the discussion after his trip to the Solomon Islands. I don’t know if I would have been able to get him to change his mind had he returned, but I do intend to present where I differed with him in one part of his book. Lord willing, I will put this out as Prophecy Update 149A.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 148H

December 6, 2003

Gap Theory Continental Breakup – When?

Please read Prophecy Updates 148A to 148G before reading this Update. I contend there was only one continent when God created the earth in Genesis 1:1. Geologists call it Pangaea, which means “all lands.” When Lucifer rebelled against God this one landmass, Pangaea, began to break up and spread apart. It has been spreading apart ever since, and is still spreading apart in some areas, but undercutting and overriding itself in others. The spreading may have started as early as two billion years ago, or as late as 150 million years in the past. I believe this breakup of this first land mass occurred between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and that the first part of 1:2 shows the results of that breakup.

Genesis 1:1,2 – In the beginning God created (bara’) the heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was (became-hayethah) without form (tohu), and void (bohu); and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

For bara’, hayethah, tohu, and bohu, please see Updates 148A to 148G.

Widespread tectonic plate motion proofs come from two different aspects of the earth’s magnetic field. These are the “paths of polar wandering” and patterns of magnetic reversals on the sea floor. We were able to see the plate movements over long periods of time because the long lines of magnetic force running between the north and south poles influence the properties of rock as it forms. Following World War II we developed the ability to map the entire sea floor of the world through many deep-sea explorations and satellite spectrographic photography in all the various colors of the spectrum. The heat seeking ability of detection by colors of the spectrum unveiled what had been hidden from man’s eye’s since his creation in the Garden of Eden, the great cracks in the crust of the ocean and sea floors that extended down to great underground lakes of molten magma. One of these great cracks is now identified as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and, along this crack, since the breakup of Pangaea, liquid lava has been flowing upward, hardening instantly when its hits the waters on the Ocean sea floor. This phenomenon has been spreading the European and African continents apart from the North and South American continents at a very, very, slow rate, averaging perhaps only a few inches per year. We know it has been a very slow process by the interaction between two things in God’s creation, the change of state occurrences in rocks when they change from liquid to solid, and the constant shifting of the earth’s magnetic field. Volcanic rocks cooling from the lava become magnetized in the direction of the earth’s magnetic field when they cool to a solid state. The lines of force in the magnetic field occur at different angles at earth’s different latitudes, being horizontal at the equator and vertical at the poles. By using a sensitive instrument called a magnetometer one can determine the direction of the magnetic poles and the magnetic latitude at the time the rock was formed into its solid state. Studies of magnetic properties in rocks show that the continents have changed their positions relative to the earth’s magnetic field during the geologic time since the fall of Satan and the associated breakup of Pangaea. The continents followed different paths relative to the magnetic poles, showing that they have moved relative to each other, which led to the proof that continental drift tectonic plate theory was correct, and that the earth has been slowly spreading apart for countless numbers of years.

Another proof of tectonic plate drift over eons of time were studies of the basalt rock magnetic properties across the surface of the entire earth, which proved that the earth’s magnetic field has reversed itself many times during the last 70 to 80 million years, There have been periods of 1 to 3 million years during which the magnetic poles have been close to their present locations, followed by similar periods during which the north and south poles have been reversed. At least nine reversals have occurred in the last 5 million years. The present period of “normal” polarity began about 700,000 years ago, and was preceded by a period of reverse polarity some 2 million years before it occurred, which contained two short periods of “normal” polarity.

In the early sixties Fred Vine and D.H. Matthews postulated that since the earth’s magnetic field had been reversed intermittently, then new basalt forming at the crest of the Mid-Atlantic ridge during geologic time would have experienced a process of being magnetized, and that it would have to be according to the earth’s polarity at that time. As spreading of the ocean floor progressed, a series of normal and reversed magnetic strips should have been produced symmetrically from the center of the ridge. Each band of new rock moving on the ocean floor to the east on one side of the crack, and to the west on the other side, should have kept the original magnetic declination it received at the time of its formation from liquid to solid, and each section on either side of the crack should have a matching section equal distant on the other side of the crack. So, if their postulation was correct, the result should have been a matching set of parallel bands of normal and reversed magnetized rocks on either side of the ridge. The use of magnetometers across the Atlantic Ocean floor proved their theory to be a fact.

Dr. L.D. Foreman, whom I loved dearly, and who was a kind friend to me in my early years as a believer, believed the earth did spread apart, and was a proponent of the Gap Theory, but he believed the continents began to spread apart in the days of Peleg. The only time we ever fully discussed “when” I believed they first begin to spread apart was in the break room of the ABA Texarkana book store shortly before he went to the Solomon Islands, where he died of a heart attack while baptizing a new convert. I really don’t know if I would ever have been able to bring him to believe what I concluded about the land spreading in the days of Peleg, because I never had the opportunity after our Texarkana meeting, but I intended to try. There were some geological, geographic, and archeological discoveries in Iraq that did not really come to light until the fifties, and they tend to indicate a different interpretation of Scripture dealing with the days of Peleg. They involve the discovery of a canal, or as the ancients of that day called it, “a rill”, or a watercourse, for travel and irrigation of the land.

According to Strong’s Dictionary of Old Testament Words, the Hebrew word PELEG means: “A rill (i.e., a small channel of water, as is used in irrigation).” The Indian custom of naming their children after historical events that occurred near or at their birth, which is still done at times in our present day culture, was quite common among the ancients, and I am persuaded that Peleg was named for a historic event among the ancients of his day. Peleg was born some 100 years after the flood, at which time civilization was limited largely to the fertile valleys that lay between the Tigris and Euphrates River, which both emptied into the Persian Gulf. So the event was a major one for the known world of that day. In the following Scripture the word translated “earth” is the Hebrew word “erets,” and in the context of this verse it means only the land surface that made up the known world at Peleg’s birth. Young’s Analytical Concordance lists the numbers of ways it is translated in the KJV.

Country – 140 times

Earth – Frequently

Field – 1

Ground – 96

Land – Frequently

Nation – 1

Way – 3

World – 4

So, as you can see from the table, earth or land is the usual meaning of it. We often refer to fertile soil as the good land of the earth.

Genesis 10:25 – And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth (erets) divided (palag); and his brother’s name was Joktan.

We now know that the earliest civilization, which lived in the wide fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, built what they would have called a rill or watercourse, but which we would call a canal. It was used for irrigation between the two rivers, and to transport trade goods from one river population to the other by small boats, rather than having to cross either river.

PALAG, translated as “divided,” is rarely used in the Old Testament, and only four occurrences are listed in Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is a primary root and, according to Strong’s Dictionary, it simply means: “to split.”

So, putting this all together, I do not believe this is when the continents, as we know them today, began to move apart at the speed of ocean liners. I believe the one continent that God created in Genesis, which geologists have named Pangaea, began to break apart very slowly when Lucifer rebelled against God between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, and they have been very slowly drifting apart for countless numbers of years.

I believe that Peleg was named for the peleg (rill or canal of water) that was made when the erets (land) was palag (split), and which did indeed separate the known world of civilization into two sections, a northern half of the Tigris-Euphrates River valley, and a southern half ending at the Persian Gulf. I believe it likely that the rill had just been completed when Peleg was born, and his name was used as a historical marker of the event.

The three videos, titled “A Geological Exposition of the Second Coming of Christ”, which are found for on the Menu at the top of this Update you are now reading under VIDEOS, make a very convincing case that God will again break up along the borders of the world’s existing tectonic plates, and thereby generate many of the terrifying events of the coming tribulation period. They are on the second page of VIDEOS, which is opened by clicking on the bottom of the first exposed page.

This is the end of The Gap Series. It runs from 148A through 148H. I do not intend to say anything else about it. If anyone asks me what I believe about creation, what follows is what I proclaim. The first two Scriptures are what I know for sure about creation, and the last five are what I know for sure about the last Adam, Jesus. I preach the last five, and do believe they are more important than completely understanding the two in Genesis.

Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

I Corinthians 15:45 – And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

John 6:62,63 – What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 5:40 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

Romans 10:17 – So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 149

December 7, 2003

God Tabernacles With Man – Number 13

The Security Fence – Leading to Messiah’s Temple

The security fence that Israel is building is boxing everyone, including Israel itself into forced negotiations that will finally yield a false peace in the Middle East.

The Palestinian cries to their Islamic brothers, Russia, China, the European Union, and the United States, are sounding out in panic, because they, and the terrorist groups among them, are becoming acutely aware that if they don’t negotiate soon, then there will be nothing to negotiate. They will simply be herded into whatever part of the West Bank has been fenced it, and that will be their new state, whether they like it or not. The terrorists don’t want to be fenced in the West Bank like they are fenced inside the Gaza Strip. They know it will hamper all their activities against Israelis, both civilian and military. Yassar Arafat knows if he doesn’t negotiate soon he will lose at least 30 percent of the West Bank inside the “green line” border, which existed between Jordan and Israel when the West Bank belonged to Jordan. The agreement, signed between the non-government recognized Israeli and Palestinian groups in Geneva this week, was largely pieced together on the part of Palestinians to stop the building of the fence before they lost everything. The security fence, which was first envisioned by Yigal Allon in 1968, but not put into place until Ariel Sharon came on the scene, has done a wonderful job of putting the heat on the Palestinians. Whether the false peace comes by it forcing the Palestinians to negotiate because of it, or by Palestinians being manually forced behind it when it is finished, it will be the fence in the end that produces the false peace. And it is this coming false peace that will be broken to produce the effects of Zechariah 13:8 on the population of the State of Israel.

Zechariah 13:8 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

Israel’s fence is rattling the cages of all the world leaders. The European Union delivered a stern warning to Israel on Wednesday, declaring that its fence “must not invade” Palestinian territory. The EU is striving for greater Syrian involvement in the Roadmap process started by a quartet sponsoring the Roadmap Plan, of which the EU is a member. At the end of the two-day summit, dominated by the Middle East, some were hoping that the EU would be able to soon conclude an associational agreement with Damascus. Syria is the only member of the European Union’s 12 member Mediterranean club not to have signed the agreement directed against terrorism.

The security fence is also causing the pressure on Syria, from all those who make up the quartet behind the Roadmap, to begin to negotiate for peace in exchange for a return of the Golan Heights, which was occupied by Syria prior to the 1967 war. And Syria announced this week it was willing to restart the stalled negotiations. The deadlocked peace process dominated the two days of discussions in the conference, which drew into it the 25 current, and future EU members, and the 12 states that make up the Mediterranean Partnership, which are mostly Islamic. Libya came as an observer state. This security fence is the key to a false peace in the Middle East. And I am anxious to see it come, one way or the other, for when it does come, and I expect it begin next year, then the stage is set for it being broken, and the Second Advent of Messiah will being in the final true peace at the battle of Armageddon. The Messiah, as the Lion of Judah, will tabernacle with men for a thousand years in Ezekiel’s new temple.

In Number 12, “God Tabernacles With Man,” I exposited on Psalm 102, verses 13 through 16. In verse 16 we were advised that God would one day build up Zion, the city of God we know today as earthly Jerusalem, and would appear in his glory after its building up was completed. In Ezekiel 40:2 the prophet is allowed to see the framework of this future Jerusalem from a distance. Then, from 40:2 to 43, he is given its dimensions to be used for the future construction of it. He is then allowed, in chapter 43, to see Messiah the Prince, Jesus Christ, enter the completed temple radiating the Shekinah glory of God in his bodily presence.

Psalm 102:16 – When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

Ezekiel 40:2 – In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south.

After Messiah’s Second Advent, when he returns to end the final battle of Armageddon and restore Israel to greatness, he will hear their prayer, and will again be their God. Israel and its temple were made spiritually desolate when they rejected their Messiah, but he promised restoration to fellowship with God when he came again, and that they would say blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Messiah will sit on the throne of his father David and reign over the kingdom of Israel. Psalm 102:7, when coupled with the verses before and after it, presents an Israelite nation restored from the destitution of desolation, whose prayers are then received with grace by their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 102:17 – He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Ezekiel 37:21-26 – And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: [22] And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: [23] Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. [24] And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. [25] And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. [26] Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

Lord willing, I will continue this exposition of Psalm 102:13-23 in Update Number 150.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 149A

December 8, 2003

The Wise Men and the Star in the West!

Was it a Star as We Understand Stars in the Heavens?

Matthew 2:1-3 – Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. [3] When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

They were the Magi, the wise men, the descendents of their Magi forefathers who, some 600 years before the King of the Jews was born, had known Daniel and his teachings in the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They had seen a new light in the east glowing in the western sky, and believed it to be a star, but not just a star, the symbol of the birth of a King, which the ancients thought announced a new Kings birth, and not just any King, but a King of Israel. Was what they saw really a new star in the high heavens that was millions of light years away? I would say they saw it low on the western horizon to have headed so specifically toward Israel, and any new light, seen twinkling so far away on the horizon, would have been called a star. But was it a star they saw? And how did they know it was the King of Israel that was born? There were other countries to the west of their position that had kings when the Magi first saw the star.

We know the prophet Daniel was in Babylonian captivity from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to King Cyrus of Persia, and that he was personally acquainted with the astrologers and the magicians, who made up the magi, the wise men of the kingdom.

Daniel 1:19-21 – And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. [20] And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. [21] And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

And we also know that Daniel was placed over the Magi in the kingdom after he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a great statue.

Daniel 2:48 – Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

We also know that Daniel had the first five books of the Old Testament because he quoted from them. We know he had Jeremiah’s writings because he quoted from him, and it is very likely he had the writings of the prophet Isaiah, who wrote some 100 years before his writings. And I seriously doubt that Daniel would not share with the descendants of Abraham these writings if they were willing to listen to them. I am confident that some of them did, and that they passed Daniel’s teachings on down through their descendants, who would also likely have been Magi through birth inheritance from their forefathers. So I am confident the Magi were familiar with Numbers 24:17.

Numbers 24:17 – I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

They knew the Star from the loins of Jacob, who God gave the new name of Israel, had to be a King because the Sceptre was carried by a king as the symbol of his authority. And they knew this would be a very special King, probably from the writings of Isaiah, and what Daniel taught them concerning his coming and kingdom.

Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6,7 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [7] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Once the wise men saw the star they had to prepare for their journey, which would be long and dangerous. To go from Babylon to Israel was not done by going west in a straight line, which is, of course, the shortest distance between two points. One did not even think of passing across the barren wasteland directly between Babylon and Israel. They would have trekked northwest on the eastern side of the Euphrates for safety reasons and to have a constant water supply, and probably attached their army to a larger caravan to provide safety from the many robber bands that plundered small parties of travelers. They would have followed the fertile crescent, going northwest up the Euphrates, then west through the Palmyra valleys, then south down the Jordan. Gathering up their people and possessions to accompany them, finding a caravan that was leaving for Israel, and the general preparations might have taken more than a month. And the journey itself, if unforeseen acts of fate occurred along the way, which they usually did, might have caused their arrival before Herod more than a year after they first saw the star. Once they saw the star they knew to head for Israel, and they did. They did not need to see the star every night. They simply told Herod “we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” It is probable they did not see the star after their first sighting, such that when they finally did reach Israel, where they knew the Israeli King would be born, they naturally went to the present King of Israel, who they thought would surely know where the new king was born. Although the Scriptures do not state it, it was only natural for them to assume Herod was his father, and that may have been the reason they came naturally to him.

We all know full well what happened after this, when the priests and scribes quoted Micah as to where Messiah was supposed to be born.

Micah 5:2 – But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

And we know that when the wise men departed from Herod, the star suddenly reappeared, probably for the first time since they had seen it more than a year before.

Matthew 2:9,10 – When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

If this star was high in the heavens they could not have known which house in the village it stood over. The star would have to have been low enough for them to be able to tell which house it stood over. It was a moving star, and “went before them.”

Now, please allow me to speculate, and I admit, it may not be correct, but it is something to think about. Angels are, at times, in the Scriptures, referred to as stars, as in Revelation 12:4, where one-third of the angels rebelled against God with Satan, and the heavenly one who comes to earth in Revelation 9:1 is labeled as a star.

Revelation 12:4 – And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 9:1 – And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

Jesus refers to himself as the one who has sent the angel of the Lord to testify unto the churches, and then names himself as the morning star in Revelation 22:16, and calls himself the morning star in Revelation 2:28,29.

Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Revelation 2:28,29 – And I will give him the morning star. [29] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

When the ancients saw a new light appear in the heavens they referred to it as a star. Although I cannot say with certainty if what I am about to suggest is true, it is a very interesting possibility that does not violate the linguistics of the Bible. The Hebrew word for star is “kowkab,” which, according to Strong’s Dictionary of Words found in the Old Testament, means “a heap of blazing,” hence “a star (as round or as shinning).” The ancients would have identified a heap of blazing in the sky on a distant horizon as a star. They saw it on the night of the Kings birth, so what do I think they saw – They saw the light of the glory of his birth manifested in the heavens on the distant western horizon as a round ball of light, which they would have called a star.

Luke 2:7-14 – And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. [8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. [10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. [11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, [14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The wise men would have studied the stars looking for the sign of the coming King of which Daniel had informed their forefathers, and they recognized the light from the many angels that announced his arrival as a distant star on the western horizon. I speculate it disappeared soon after they saw it, but they knew it was time to head west to worship the new Jewish King from what Daniel had taught them. And I further speculate it did not reappear until an angel of light, appearing as a round, blazing ball of light, which looked like a small star, began to lead them to the exact place where the young child (who was then likely between one and two years of age) dwelled with Joseph and Mary. Just as the blazing light of the Lord from the cloud of his glory guided Israel as they traveled by night across the Sinai, so did this blazing light, which appeared as a star, guide them directly to God’s Son. The star may have been the angel of the Lord, or one of the archangels. I confess that what I have just written is speculation on my part, and may not be correct, but I like it, and as long as the Lord does not bother me about writing it, I feel no obligation to keep it to myself.

Matthew 2:9-11 – When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. [11] And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

II Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 149B

December 10, 2003

A King Who Is a Star and a Sceptre of Righteousness!

The sceptre (modern English scepter) was the symbol of the authority of the ancient kings. It was a rod or staff, a badge of authority, the proper ensign of sovereignty. It was held when the king sat on his throne, when directing battle from his portable command post throne, and on solemn occasions of state. The wise men had come seeking the king who would one day carry the sceptre of Israel.

Matthew 2:1,2 – Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

As indicated in Prophecy Update 149A, the wise men had seen the star on the western horizon, from their position in the east, probably between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. As indicated in 149A, they most likely had been looking for the new star, the symbol of a king’s birth, for the reasons I gave in the Numbers 24:17 exposition.

Numbers 24:17 – I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,

The Star symbolized the King’s birth, and the Sceptre an indication of the God-given ensign of his right to rule. It is interesting to note how the Persian kings, and others, used the sceptre to grant favor or death. The way they used it could instantly give life or death to their subjects. One such account of this is recorded in Esther. If one of his subjects came into his presence in the inner court of his throne room without his invitation, it was a life or death situation for that individual. If the king did not extend his sceptre to them so they could receive it, they were put to death. If he extended it to them and they received it, they were granted life.

Esther 4:11 – All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

Esther was tested, put on the spot! Was she going to go into the king unannounced, and risk death to plea for the people of Israel, or was she going to simply try to keep her own life. Her final words in Esther 4:15,16 bear the record of the choice she made. She was willing to perish in order for her people to live.

Esther 4:15,16 – Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, [16] Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which IS NOT according to the law: AND IF I PERISH, I PERISH.

Esther 5:1-3 – Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. [2] And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. [3] Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.

The King of all believers, the Sceptre who came out of Israel did the same for us, and in so doing, he perished for us, and has promised to share his coming kingdom with us.

Luke 12:32 – Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Our King of kings, went before the High Priest, before the Governor, Pontius Pilate, before King Herald, for all believers, knowing he would perish and bear our sins on the cross to deliver us from spiritual death, and provide us with a place in his kingdom. He has spoken to us in these last New Testament days by our King, his Son, and his Son has held out his Sceptre to all who will accept his favor. Those who receive his held out Sceptre, receive eternal life in union with him. Those who refuse his held out Sceptre remain in spiritual death forever.

John 1:11-14 – He came unto his own, and his own received him not. [12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: [13] Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 1:2,3,8 – Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; [3] Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; [9] But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

His extended sceptre is his own personal righteousness, without which no man can come into his presence. He held out his sceptre to me 59 years ago, and I, a sinner, condemned, and unclean, received his favor, his mercy, his forgiveness, and his personal righteousness. I am still a sinner in the flesh, but his righteousness lives in my soul, and he will never leave, nor forsake me.

Romans 3:20-26 – Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. [21] But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: [23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

I am one of the subjects of the King of kings, who has granted me the eternal favor of his sceptre. And his kingdom will soon come on this earth. I want to serve him in this coming kingdom, and I am persuaded he will assign me a work in his kingdom directly proportional to the degree I was willing to work for him in one of his churches in this present church age.

Ephesians 2:22 – In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:21 – Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Revelation 2:26-29 – And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [27] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. [28] And I will give him the morning star. [29] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.