The Mystery of God

Posted on December 14, 2025 by dknezacek

I love Brandon Holthaus, the pastor of Rock Harbor Church, Bakersfield, California, I have learned a lot from many of his sermons, but every now and then he says things that I don’t believe come from a straight forward reading of the biblical text. Such was the case in a sermon posted on the 5th of December, 2025.

Brandon did get some things correct, but he didn’t really answer the question “What is the mystery of God”. In fact he kind of side-steps the question and says that this means the delay of God’s Judgment is now over. That now God’s wrath will be revealed fully. The problem is that God’s judgment is not a mystery. The bible makes it clear that God’s judgment against sin is the reason we need to cling to the Cross like our life depends upon it, because it does! God’s judgment against the sin of the early earth in the flood, is also very clear! No, God’s judgment against sin is clear from Genesis to Revelation; this is not the “mystery of God”.

This phrase is found at the seventh Trumpet Judgment which comes after the 7 Seal judgments, and the first 6 Trumpet Judgments in Revelation 10-11.

It is true that God’s Judgments increase in intensity throughout the Tribulation, and the worst Judgments will come in the second half of the Tribulation, especially towards the end, but this isn’t what the Angel is talking about regarding the Seventh Trumpet!

Let’s look at it here;

5 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.

So the entirety of the delay in question is not the Lord’s Judgments, rather it is the “time of the mystery of God, should be finished, as he hath declared to His servants the prophets”!

No, I can’t say that I know every relevant prophecy, but I do know a couple that he is referring to here. Here’s one from Hosea:

 5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

This is the last verse from Hosea 5 and the first 2 from the next chapter. The whole of chapter 6 is End Times, but you can look it up on your own.

Notice that in verse 5:15 that the Lord will leave until they acknowledge their offense. What offense is this? This is the offense of interpreting Jesus’ miracles as having come from Satan and then claiming that Jesus was not who He claimed to be. Now not every Jew did this, and there have always been Jews in the Church of Jesus Christ, but the nation as a whole did this! The nation as a whole needs to acknowledge this offense!

As He says in the same verse, “in their affliction they will seek me early”! This means that many Jews will come to Christ in the early part of the Tribulation! If you have seen other sermons from Brandon you will see that he thinks that Israel will only turn to Christ one day near the end of the Tribulation. This is incorrect, for Jesus is telling us here that they will begin to turn to him shortly after the Rapture of the Church! In fact the 144,000 Jewish evangelists will have their ministry entirely in the first half of the Tribulation, and they will be with Jesus early in the second half. How early I’m not sure, but it appears they will be in Heaven around the time of the Abomination of Desolation. 6:1 is simply an acknowledgment that the scattering of Israel was a result of their own sin, and it was the Lord who was behind it.

Verse 6:2 is referred to by Peter in 2 Peter 3:3-8 especially verse 8;

3 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.
  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:
  6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
  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.
  8 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.

So, this verse says that Israel will be revived after 2 days, and he is not talking about 24 hour days, but 1,000 year days! We are getting very close to 2,000 years of the Church Age, and it is winding down!

This verse tells us that Jesus will revive the nation of Israel after the 2,000 year point. When it says “in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.” This is a reference to Him raising Israel up to the point of ruling the world with Him, and the “living” here is spiritual; the nation will be entirely born-again, and they won’t abandon Him ever again! Just to be clear, he is talking about the entirety of Israel who survive the Tribulation; all of them will be saved!

Brandon Holthaus is one of those preachers who will tell you that Israel will collectively turn to the Lord near the end of the Tribulation, and He won’t help them for 48 hours! Well, what does this say about the character of the Lord? As I have shown already, Peter tells us that the return of the Lord has to do with the fact that for God a 1,000 years is as one day, and a day as 1,000 years. Literally 1,000 years, and not some generally long period of time!

What about the “mystery of God”? You already know what that is; God is here and actively working in the lives of 8 Billion people, but you can’t see Him! 2,000 years ago, God was not a mystery; you could walk down the road with Him, and ask Him questions, and He would give you answers! He even ate meals with both friends and enemies! He did not become a mystery until 40 days after the resurrection when He left for Heaven. In the passage from Hosea, the mystery of God is the time from when Jesus left, in 5:15 until He returns in the beginning of the third day in 6:2!

That mystery will end when Jesus Christ sets His foot on the mount of Olives! His statement that He will leave until 2 days are over will have been fulfilled, and now He is free to come and go, from Heaven to Earth, and back, any time He pleases! If He were to return before the 2 days are over then He would have lied, but Jesus cannot lie! He always keeps His word!

Just as an aside: when Jesus revealed Himself to Saul of Tarsus, later the Apostle Paul, He was in the air above him; he didn’t set foot on the earth!

Look with me at Zechariah 14 for a moment:

 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
  5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

When Jesus sets His foot on the mount of olives, the mountain will split in two, creating a large earthquake in Jerusalem! You can see this same earthquake in Revelation 11: 13

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.
  14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
  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.

This event occurs immediately after the two witnesses are slain, and resurrected in Jerusalem, at the end of their ministry, which is the first half of the Tribulation!

Notice the close proximity of the earthquake and the seventh trumpet, only 2 verses later. These events may not be chronological, but actually could occur simultaneously. According to the angel in chapter 10 the mystery of God will end when the seventh trumpet blows! It surely looks like Jesus returns to the mount of Olives at the mid-point of the Tribulation.

Notice also that in verse 15, the seventh angel sounds, and great voices in Heaven declare that “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ”. At this point the Kingdom of God has come to earth! This is His return! He will not hide Himself any more from this point on!

Notice in Zechariah 14:5 that the Jews are obeying a command of Jesus Christ; they are fleeing from the Antichrist! When did Jesus tell them to flee? There is a certain event that triggers their flight!

 15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
  16  Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:
  17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
  18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

You see, the believers of Israel will be ready to flee when they see the two prophets killed, and 4 days later they will be on their way when they see the ceremony of the Antichrist’s Abomination of Desolation on their phones and other devices!

Many pastors teach that Israel will not flee until the end of the Tribulation, but Jesus told them to flee when they see the Abomination of Desolation! Zechariah shows Israel fleeing when Jesus returns, and Matthew tells us when this will be!

This also explains why Jesus told them not to go into their houses for anything; the earthquake is coming and if they are in their house they could be killed by the falling structure, or trapped and be unable to get away! Those who are trapped in their homes will be forced to take the mark of the beast or die, once they are dug out!

Will everyone who flees be a believer at that time? I don’t think so; I think that new believers will grab their unbelieving friends and neighbors, and say “come with us, we know a place of safety!” They may not understand everything that is going on, but they know that they have been betrayed, when the Antichrist claims to be God in the flesh! These people will become believers when they realize who it is who is taking them to safety!

This also explains why Revelation chapter 14 tells us;

 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
  10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

You see, after the Abomination of Desolation there will be 2 persons on earth who have been raised from the dead, and both claiming to be God in the flesh; Jesus will be back after 2,000 years, and the Antichrist will make the same claim! People must choose between them. There will be no sitting on the fence!

Taking the Mark of the Beast is actually a form of the unforgiveable sin! When you take the mark of the beast you are stating that you believe that he is the Saviour of the world, and that he can save you from your sins! When you take that mark you are saying that you don’t believe Jesus can save you, even though He is back on the earth after 2,000 years!

So when will Jesus return? The best guess is that He will return during the ceremony when the False Prophet is unveiling the Abomination of Desolation and the mark of the beast! I think He will interrupt that ceremony, by landing on the Mount of Olives, ¼ mile away, create a diversion with the earthquake, and take His people to safety in a place across the Jordan river!

What can I say about Brandon Holthaus? By all means watch some of his sermons, but always have your bible open, and after it is over continue to study. God is not a respecter of persons, and you shouldn’t be one either! Check everything by the Word of God! Accept what is true, and disregard the mistakes; we all make mistakes!

I would give this same advice regarding any preacher, and even my own articles; check everything by the word of God, and hold on to what is true, but discard the mistakes! And, if I have made a mistake please let me know!

Dan

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The Gifts of the Spirit, are they for Today? Part 2

Posted on January 7, 2025 by dknezacek

The Apostle Paul, in writing 1 Corinthians 11-14 is addressing one meeting of the Christian Assembly from the beginning at 11:1 to the end of chapter 14. My mistake last week was in not starting at the beginning of chapter 11. Paul’s talk about “head covering” at the beginning of chapter 11 is directly connected to the rest of these 4 chapters. I believe I need to address this briefly before continuing.

3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.

As is usual in the bible, if you don’t understand something keep on reading! Paul qualifies these statements in the following verses, and these are related to the Gifts of the Spirit Service of Chapter 14.

13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

In verse 14 Paul is qualifying what he had said in verse 4; a man with long hair is covering his head like a woman, and it is a shame to him!

In verse 15 he continues with the same thought, that women are given long hair as a covering! So what is he saying when he says in verse 6 “if a woman be not covered, let her also be shorn”? He is being totally consistent, and is essentially saying that if a woman has a man’s haircut she might as well shave her head! So, in this case a cloth hair covering might be appropriate, but apart from this he is not talking about cloth hair coverings or hats anywhere!

In fact the original Greek does not use the word for “hat” or “cloth” or “cap” or any variation of these in the passage! The only noun used for any type of head covering is the Greek “komao”, in verse 15, which means “to let the hair grow, have long hair”. This is the same word used in the previous verse for a man’s long hair, which is a shame to him!

Now what about verse 5 when he says “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth…”? You can pray silently for sure, but prophesying is always vocal! You always prophesy with your mouth. You can’t prophesy in your head! So why would Paul talk about women prophesying in the context of the assembly, if women are to keep silent in the assembly? No, and the prayer he is speaking about here is public, vocal prayer, not silent prayer!

The truth is that many Christians have missed something here! We need to look at verse 19 again:

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

As I said last week “Notice that his statement in verse 19 is rather peculiar: his use of the word “must” might be confusing to some. The word is translated from the Greek “dei”: “it is necessary, there is a need of, it behooves, is right and proper”. The word translated as “manifest” is “phaneros”: “1. apparent, manifest, evident, known 2. manifest, i.e. To be plainly recognized or known.”

So, when Christian Assemblies properly practice the meeting as found in 1 Corinthians 11-14 it is expected that people participating in this service will sometimes speak heresies! One of the purposes of this meeting is to discover what heresies are believed by those attending! Are those listening expected to believe the heresies which are exposed? Absolutely not! So are the participants exercising authority over the assembly?

Absolutely not! This meeting is a discussion between equals, and is not a preaching meeting! Participants are expected to speak as the Spirit moves them, and sometimes new believers will mistake their own thoughts for the Holy Spirit! This is acceptable, and expected! It gives the more mature believers the opportunity to help newer believers overcome problems in their understanding!

The participants are given the right to express heresies so that those who know the truth have an opportunity to correct those heresies in the same meeting! The goal is NOT to run-off those expressing heresies but that more mature brethren might correct them, IN LOVE, so that they leave the meeting more mature than when they arrived! The goal is to help them become vibrant members of the Christian family being able to correctly witness for Christ in the community! This goal applies equally to men and to women!

We learn when we make mistakes, and we also learn when others make mistakes, but we won’t learn if people aren’t given the opportunity to make mistakes, and we won’t learn if errors are not corrected, in love!

So in 14:34-35 Paul is not commanding women to keep silent in this meeting, but only in preaching services! As Paul goes on to say;


34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

When he says “it is not permitted unto them to speak” he means it is not permitted for women to preach to the Church! It does not prohibit them from prophesying in the open service! Think about it; in our Church when discussing who is preaching this week we say “who is speaking…?” So the word “speak” is a synonym for “preaching” and that is how Paul uses the word here.

Paul told Timothy “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” II Timothy 2:11-12

So in a meeting that is essentially an open discussion, women are permitted to speak, pray, and even prophesy! They are not, however, permitted to usurp authority over the men, or to preach!

I think this is the best way to understand the apparent contradictions in Paul’s letter!

Many appear to think that he is changing subjects randomly in chapters 12 and 13, but these subjects are connected to his main subject and his switching from subject to subject is according to a Divine plan! He actually starts with the service where the men of the assembly were given the opportunity to exercise their spiritual gifts, in 11:17-19, then proceeds to the Lord’s Supper, then in chapter 12 discusses spiritual gifts, in 13 he discusses how those exercising these gifts need Love, or Charity, from the Assembly, and then in chapter 14 he discusses how these gifts should be practiced in the assembly meeting. This is the same meeting where the Lord’s Supper is to be remembered. It is not a different meeting!

If you have not read the first part of this series I would recommend that you go back and read it first before continuing here…

Paul, having said that “whether there be prophecies, they shall fail…” in 1 Corinthians 13:8 follows it up in chapter 14 with “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.” in 14:1. One would think that if prophecies are expected to fail then why bother, but if they are to continue until He returns then they are still relevant today!

I think that this meeting is intended to be a teaching tool for prophets, evangelists, teachers and preachers, and if used properly should result in increased faith among the congregation and also in those who participate! This is God’s University of the Church of Jesus Christ! He never intended that the Church would allow independent educational institutions to teach our preachers, but that this is a job for every Christian Church! Seminaries, Bible Schools, and Colleges are breeding grounds for all kinds of heresies, which the Church was intended to resist!

14:5 “I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.”

23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?

24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:

25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Notice the phrases “ the whole church be come together into one place” (v23) and “when ye come together” (v26) and now go back and compare them to 11:17,18, and 20, and you will see that Paul is using the same language for when these things are done! This is the same meeting! The Lord’s Supper and the practising of the gifts of the Spirit are to be done in the same meeting! Indeed it appears from 11:17-19 that the Corinthian church was doing this, but they weren’t following up the way it was intended! The result was that heresies went unchecked in the Church!

14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Notice that none of these things are wrong, but all are encouraged; the only criteria is that they are to be done with the purpose of edifying the Church. The word “edifying” is related to “edifice” and means to “build-up”. What we say in this service should be to the intent that we build-up the faith of the body! This is not for building up our own self-esteem, or pride! It is to build up each other in our faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ!

29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.

Notice that Paul takes it for granted that there are prophets in the New Testament Church; there are and always have been, but some churches discourage the development of God-given gifts of the Spirit! This is a shame and it ought not to happen, but it does and it will get worse as we approach the Tribulation period!

There is so much more that could be said about this study, but this has been necessarily brief. Everything that Paul says in these 4 chapters is important and applies to this one Christian Service. I would encourage you to read them yourself, repeatedly, and take some time to meditate on them. Go back and see if I was wrong: I may have missed a couple of points, but what I’ve said is biblically correct.

Think about Paul’s final statement:

37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.

This is a general statement that could apply to any of Paul’s letters. So why did the Holy Spirit see fit to place it in 1 Corinthians 14? This is the one command, or set of commands, that most Christian Churches have a huge problem obeying! They all want to maintain control of the meeting and most of them see these commands as taking control away from them! In doing so they make it about them and not about the one who died for them!

The commands Paul has included from chapter 11 through 14 are indeed commands of the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus said “as oft as ye do this do it in remembrance of me” but Paul has expanded this command to include the service of the gifts of the Spirit.

These are commands. These are not suggestions! These are not optional! Well, there are options included in these commands! The option is found in 14:31 “For ye may all prophesy…”! Everyone in attendance may prophesy if they so choose, but they don’t have to if they don’t want!

As king Saul found, partial obedience is disobedience! Churches that remember the Lord’s Supper, but forget the commands of 1 Corinthians 12-14 are as disobedient as king Saul, and should not expect the blessings of the Lord!

Will Christians lose their Salvation if they break these commands? No! If you are truly saved you cannot lose your Salvation, but you can lose rewards! You can lose status in God’s kingdom if you break His commands, and once you enter Heaven you will find there is no chance to earn back what was lost! You can even lose cities! You risk being sidelined during the Millennial Kingdom!

As Jesus said:

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19-20

Churches who neglect the smallest of Jesus’ commands risk being the person in these verses! Don’t be that person.

Dan

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The Gifts of the Spirit, Are they for today? Part 1

Posted on December 29, 2024 by dknezacek

I thank the Lord for the controversies and conflicts He has brought into my life. It is the controversies that force me to dig deep into the Scriptures and every time I do I find treasures there!

Most people who grew up in Christian churches think the church they grew up in is the most obedient to the commands of Scripture. It was only later, in my own studies that I learned that many of the commands of Scripture are ignored by most Christians, or at best taken out of context!

I confess that I was like that too. I grew up in Baptist churches, was saved, baptized, and married in Baptist churches, and my grandfather was a Baptist pastor. I was very familiar with the Baptist way of doing things, and thought it was entirely bible-based.

So, when we read things in the Scriptures which are contrary to the way we understand Christianity our Confirmation Bias kicks in and we tend to ignore it as if it was unimportant!

Seven years ago I began to attend a Brethren Assembly in Barrie, Ontario, because I thought that they were obeying God’s commands in 1 Corinthians 11-14. It is only more recently that I found out that they have split God’s commands in this passage into two, and are deliberately ignoring chapters 12-14 and the commands they contain! The fact is that 11:17 to the end of chapter 14 is speaking of only one meeting, and the Lord has some profound reasons for giving us these commands!

In Baptist Churches, every time we had a “Lords Supper” service we always read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, which is the essential part of this service, but we rarely read more than this. Sometimes we might read verses 17-23 first, without comment, and then reread verses 23-24 before the crackers, and 25 before the grape juice.

Once or twice I heard a sermon on the gifts of the spirit, from 1 Corinthians chapter 12, and at almost every wedding I attended we would have a short message from the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13.

Very occasionally I would hear someone quote from chapter 14, usually to show that tongues shouldn’t be heard in the assembly.

What I never heard was that in 1 Corinthians 11:17 – 14:40 Paul is addressing one meeting and is addressing the problems logically and consistently! He is not jumping around randomly from subject to subject, but is aiming at his target from the beginning and certainly hits the “bullseye”, although many miss it!

Paul was the missionary who had planted the Corinthian Church, and had spent several years there guiding them, before leaving to work in other areas. In the two books of 1 and 2 Corinthians Paul is addressing problems that had arisen after he had left that church. Everything Paul states in these two books is something that he had already spoken about when he was there in person!

We can see this in 1 Cor. 11:17-19 where they were attempting to follow the commands referred to later in chapter 14, but were failing to follow-through with the original intent!

17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

This is Paul’s introduction to the next 3 1/2 chapters, and he begins addressing the problems right away.

Notice that his statement in verse 19 is rather peculiar: his use of the word “must” might be confusing to some. The word is translated from the Greek “dei”: “it is necessary, there is a need of, it behooves, is right and proper”. The word translated as “manifest” is “phaneros”: “1. apparent, manifest, evident, known 2. manifest, i.e. To be plainly recognized or known.”

In other words this verse could be translated thusly: “For it is necessary that there are heresies among you, so that those which are approved may be evident, visible, or known among you”.

In other words then, it is the Lord’s plan for this service that heresies believed by members of the Church would come out, so that those more mature would have the opportunity to refute them in the context of the service! These heresies would not be present if there was only one person speaking in this service, or if the subject of the service was tightly controlled by the Elders! This service, which also contains the Lord’s Supper, is intended to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, not by the Elders or Pastor of the Church!  The Elders are to keep order, but the rest of it is up to the Holy Spirit!

After this Paul speaks of the Lord’s supper and then in chapter 12 logically goes into the important doctrine of Spiritual gifts!

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Every believer receives spiritual gifts the moment they believe in Jesus, but these are “raw” gifts. None of us receives our gift as a completely mature thing not needing any refinement! These gifts require that we work on them! Timothy was a gifted leader, and yet Paul says to him

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15

So even though Timothy received some of the same gifts Paul speaks of in chapter 12, he still needed to study! When we are saved we receive gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they still need to be worked on in order to refine them. If we don’t work on them we won’t grow, and God won’t give us something we can do for ourselves!

This is the purpose of this service: that the men of the assembly are given the opportunity to exercise their spiritual gifts in the “safe-space” of the Christian assembly. Because these gifts are “raw” Paul writes the next chapter on the subject of Love! Notice that the context of chapter 13 is not the wedding (although love certainly does apply to weddings) but this particular service of the Christian Assembly!

People exercising their spiritual gifts have a great need for love and understanding from the Assembly! Paul is so totally logical in his layout of these passages; each logically follows the one before and all are connected.

God has designed the Lord’s Supper service this way so that it is connected to the exercising of the Gifts of the Spirit, so that each brother would feel safe to express their understanding to the assembly. What Paul says in 11:19 then is that this service is designed so that heresies may be brought out in the context of this service. The purpose is so that more mature brethren would speak-up and correct the heresies, in love, before these people repeat them outside of the Church!

Notice at the end of chapter 13 that Paul states:

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Notice that these are all gifts that he spoke of in 12:7-11. Note that there are problems with them, but does this mean that we shouldn’t exercise these gifts? Prophecies will fail, and the word used could possibly mean “cease”, but this is not the same word used to say that tongues will “cease”! He goes on to explain why and for how long these gifts will be in effect:

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

You also have to compare these statements with other prophets such as Joel 2:28 which speaks of prophets during the Tribulation, and with Zechariah 13:1-5 which clearly states that there will be no prophets during the Millennial Kingdom! Once Jesus is here in person there will be no need for prophets, or prophecies!

Because we don’t know everything, we can only prophesy in part. This means that prophecies will fail. We are not in the Old Testament paradigm, where false prophets were to be put to death, but rather in the Church Age, the Age of Grace, prophets are expected to learn from their mistakes and to use this experience to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit more attentively. Paul expects the Assembly to be the place where budding prophets, teachers, evangelists, and preachers make their mistakes so that they don’t make the same mistake in public, and bring disrepute on the Church!

In verse 10 he tells us how long these spiritual gifts will last; in Greek the antecedent must agree with the adjective (in this case “telious” or “perfect”). Since “perfect” is neuter, its antecedent must also be neuter. If you search this paragraph you won’t find a neuter noun, but if you go back to the previous chapter you will find “soma” or “body” in several places from 12:12-17! Yes, “soma” is neuter! Thus the gifts of the Spirit will be needed, and administered, until the body is perfect! When will the body of Christ be made perfect? When we are with Him in our glorified bodies!

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

He follows it up in verse 12, and it fits perfectly; we won’t need the gifts of the Spirit when we see Him face to face!

This is the end of part 1, Part 2 shall follow soon,

Dan

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Zechariah 14 and the Return of Christ

Posted on November 23, 2024 by dknezacek

Considering recent events, like the US Election, I would like to talk about politics, but I won’t! Except to tell you that Donald Trump can’t save the USA! The Judgment of God is coming and there is no politician on this planet who can hold it off! If the people of the United States were to fall at the feet of Jesus and beg forgiveness, and receive Him as Saviour, then maybe judgment could be held off for a few years, but I can’t see that happening! The people who hate God are doubling down and shaking their fists at Him, and His people!

At the same time the people who profess to Love God are giving in to the pressure and are not standing with their Saviour, for the most part!

Most Christians accepted Covid vaccines even though they were created with cell lines taken from living bodies of aborted babies, shortly before they were left to die! How many people accepted these vaccines and don’t see the parallels to ancient Israel who sacrificed their children to the pagan god Moloch? Did God bring judgment on ancient Israel? Then you can be sure He is going to do the same to the nation where you live!

I’m not going to continue with this thought except to note that the ancient sins of the human race are still with us today! I also want to point out that in Judgment God always offers mercy to those who accept Him and repent! In all the End Time passages of the bible mercy is always evident in the midst of Judgment!

Do you remember how Zechariah 13 says that 1/3 of Israel will survive the Tribulation to go into the Millennial Kingdom?

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.

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.”

Okay, now in the next chapter he continues the thought and divides the nation into 3 parts; one part he had already mentioned, and now he divides the 2/3 into two parts.

Please read this section from Zechariah 14 and tell me which third part of Israel is obeying a command from Jesus?

1 “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.

3 Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” Zechariah 14:1-5

If you answered “the part of Israel found in verse 5” you would be correct.

Did you notice that he addresses them with “ye”? This is the plural form of the personal pronoun. It indicates that the writer is directly addressing a group of people; this group of people read the bible, so he is speaking directly to them!  They are mostly believers by the time they flee from the abomination of desolation, and will all be believers in a short time!

Which command are they obeying?

The one found in Matthew 24:15-18

15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”

It is also found in Mark 13:14-16

14 “But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judæa flee to the mountains:

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.”

This is the only time Israel is told to flee, and therefore this can be the only command they are obeying in Zechariah 14:5. This gives us the timing of this flight, since we are told when the Abomination of Desolation will occur; in the middle of the Tribulation!

We have a problem here, however, for if Zechariah 14 occurs three plus years after the Abomination of Desolation then Jesus was wrong to say that they need to flee that day! If they are still alive and able to flee over three years after the Abomination of Desolation then Jesus’ command to flee in haste was unnecessary! What are you inadvertently saying about Jesus?

When you say that Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation, and Israel can wait to flee until that day, you are saying that what He said in Matthew 24:15-18 was wrong!

The other thing you are saying, when you say this, is that “the Good Shepherd” leaves his sheep to face the wolves of the Beast Kingdom for over three years before coming to their rescue!

Here’s an observation you should probably think about; if Israel can resist the Antichrist for over three years, on their own, then why would they need rescuing? No, they need Him the day they flee from the abomination of desolation!

Something else you should think about is the fact that Israel is fleeing without any provisions! They are leaving with only the clothes on their backs, and only the food that is in their pockets, or backpacks! If they carry any food with them it will be gone within hours! As Daniel tells us in 9:27 the abomination of desolation occurs in the middle of the Tribulation;

“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.” Daniel 9:27

Midst = Middle

No! When Israel gets to where they are going they will need someone to care for them and to provide them with food Immediately, and for the next 3 1/2 years! Only a person who can create Manna, or take five loaves, and two fish, to feed thousands could manage to feed this much larger crowd of people! And, He is going to be there with them in their hour of need!  He is their Good Shepherd! Is He yours?

Notice the other two groups in verse 2 are not fleeing! These are the two thirds of Israel which will die during the Tribulation. The first group is taken captive, but the other group is left alone in Jerusalem!

The group that is taken captive is the group that takes up arms against the Antichrist; Jesus did not command them to fight against the Beast, but to flee! It is understandable that they would want to fight the Beast when he sets up his Abomination in the Temple. Those who only read the Old Testament will understand that the Beast is the “Little Horn”, and that they are seeing the “abomination of desolation” but if they are only reading the Old Testament they will not have seen Jesus’ command to flee.

In rebelling against the Antichrist this group will trigger the conflict we know as Armageddon!

Those who read Zechariah 14 will see Israel fleeing, but if they are not reading Matthew or Mark they will not understand how Jesus puts Daniel 9:27 and Zechariah 14:1-5 together. It might be that a few believers are among this group, perhaps being compelled to fight the Beast by friends or colleagues. Some of this group might actually get saved before they die, but die they will!

Verse 2 says this about the third group; “the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” This is just after saying that half of them will go into captivity. Here is a little math question: If you have a group of people and then take away half, what size is the residue? I’ll give you a hint: half!

Here is another question this brings up; What possible fact could cause the armies of the Antichrist to leave a third of Jerusalem’s Jewish residents alone in that city? (that’s half of what was left after the first third, the believers, fled at the abomination of desolation)

The answer is as simple as it is shocking! They are left alone because they have taken the mark of the Beast! Satan has no problem with this group of Jews still being in Jerusalem! He is quite happy with leaving them there! This is because the Antichrist knows that he has them! The moment they took his mark their fate was sealed! He knows Revelation 14:9-11

9 “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Satan knows that Jesus will ultimately destroy everyone who has taken the mark of the Beast, so he is fine with leaving them in Jerusalem! No doubt he will tell them that “you are my chosen people”, and he will laugh as they are destroyed!

In Hosea 5, Jesus speaks through the prophet Hosea in verse 15

“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”

Their “affliction” is the seven year Tribulation. Notice that they don’t seek Him “later” nor do they seek Him “at the end”, but “early”! The Rapture of the Church is the “wake-up call” for Israel, and they will begin to seek the Lord immediately after this event! They will find the Rapture in their own Scriptures, because it is there in at least five places, and then they will seek the Lord Jesus Christ! 

I hope you will go over these verses again, and pray about what they are saying. It seems like the bible actually teaches that Jesus will return in the middle of the Tribulation, probably on the very day of the abomination of desolation, and possibly during the very ceremony that the Beast and False Prophet use to introduce the Mark of the Beast!

Dan

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Chuck Baldwin and Scott Ritter gang up on Israel

Posted on July 15, 2024 by dknezacek

On the 20th of June Chuck Baldwin wrote a diatribe against Israel, using a statement made by Scott Ritter. Chuck Baldwin is a Baptist “Pastor” who doesn’t believe the bible, and claims that the modern nation of Israel has nothing to do with Biblical End Times Prophecy.

Scott Ritter bases his analysis on a humanistic worldview, and based on years of experience in the US military, and as an advisor to the UN. One thing you need to realize is that all the military advisors in the world can’t out-think the God of the Bible! They can’t out strategize Him either. Nevertheless, there are some things he said that are true. As a former employee of the UN you know that Scott Ritter is a globalist, so he is due for a huge surprise in the near future;

You can read the article here;

Scott Ritter: The Zionist Experiment Is Finished

In the part of the article that is from Chuck Baldwin I note that he never quotes the bible! Not once! (OK he referenced one verse, but didn’t quote it, and certainly not in context) You would think that as a “Pastor” the bible would be his first resort! Typical of so many professing “Christians” his opinion is all that matters, but he can’t quote Scripture to back himself up!

Here’s a piece of Scripture he should have quoted:

21 “But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.

22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land”. Ezekiel 36:21-24

Hmm, I guess that doesn’t support his point, but it is Scripture! You should read the whole chapter; it continues! But, I guess Chuck Baldwin must know more than God!

Here is another one:

“Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock”. Jeremiah 31:10

Notice to whom this command is directed: “O ye nations”. The “nations” here is the Hebrew word “goyim” which means literally “nations”. This is a command to the nations about what God wants them to say. The Christian Zionists are saying this, but a lot of professing Christians refuse to say it! It is a sin to disobey a direct command of God! Mr. Baldwin and “New Covenant” Theologians are building their Theology on disobedience to a direct command of God!

Think about it, when you claim that God is done with Israel, contrary to many statements of Scripture, you are actually accusing God of lying!

Here’s another one, and notice that Chuck Baldwin’s Theology is specifically refuted in verse 24:

19 “And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying,

20 Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

21 Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

22 As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

25 Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them”.

Chuck Baldwin, and Vladimir Putin have both stated that there is no promise that God will preserve Israel, but the truth is that there is no promise that God will preserve either Russia, or the USA! God, however, has promised many times to rule the world from Jerusalem, with Israel by His side!

So who is He talking about in verse 24 when He says “this people”? This people certainly includes Replacement Theologians, Chuck Baldwin, and Vladimir Putin, as well as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Mullah’s of Iran!

God’s promise is that as long as there is a day and night, there will be an Israel!

One of his first statements reads thusly;

“Over the past 76 years, Zionism has accomplished all of its intended goals. It has turned evangelical pastors and Christians away from Christ’s New Covenant to the point that most evangelicals know almost NOTHING of Christ’s New Covenant. It has turned political conservatives into rabid—almost maniacal—warmongers [be sure to watch my message THIS SUNDAY, June 23]. It has opened the floodgates of moral debauchery into America’s entertainment industries and our public school systems. It has opened a tidal wave of mass illegal criminal immigration into our country, allowing an unfettered alien army of tens of millions of military-age single men to enter, live, organize and proliferate into a very clear and present danger to our safety—and even to our very existence as a nation.”

So here he doesn’t quote any Zionist, either Jewish or Christian, to prove these are their goals! Of course these are not the goals of Zionists! It has never been the goal of Zionists to “open the floodgates of moral debauchery”! Christian Zionists love God’s commands, and teach them along with the Gospel! We don’t believe in forcing people to do what is right, it is up to the Holy Spirit to convict; not us!

Chuck Baldwin’s preaching is going to encourage an attack on Israel! By saying that Israel has no prophetic significance his preaching is encouraging another October 7, so really who is the warmonger?

When Christians try to force the law on people they end up becoming legalists, and promoting a works-based Salvation, which isn’t even Christian! Legalism is a cheap substitute for living in communion with the Holy Spirit!

It is true that there are a few Jews in the entertainment industry, and the entertainment industry certainly is promoting moral debauchery, but you can’t lay all the sins of a few on the majority! People who watch debauched entertainment are responsible for their own sins! It cannot be laid on the shoulders of others, regardless of their own moral state! By the way there are many Gentiles in the entertainment industry; why does he single out the Jews?

Something else that you need to know: God never violates Free Will! It is an attribute of God that He has free will, and He gave this to man in the Garden! What God wants is first to save us, and then He wants us to exercise Free Will in obeying Him! When we get our new glorified bodies we won’t have a sin-nature, and then obedience will come naturally! Today, we still have the sin-nature and obedience is something we need to work at; some are more successful than others, but all Christians are still sinners in this life!

Notice something that Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:

9 “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Notice his use of the words “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind”. These are two types of homosexuals. Notice that Paul is including these in the early Church. Nowhere does the bible encourage violence against any sinners, it just commands them to get saved, and then to repent!

Verse 11 shows us that all kinds of sinners can be saved, and included in the Church of Jesus Christ! No one was born Gay, and many, many practitioners of this sin have been saved and come out of this lifestyle! The same goes for all the other sins that Paul lists, and in fact all the sins that the whole Bible lists from cover to cover!

We were all born into sin, or “born this way” (pick your sin) but praise the Lord, He saves sinners!

One last quote:

“The modern state of Zionist Israel is a devilish counterfeit—a FAKE. And again, from a New Covenant perspective, Zionist Israel is the bane of global peace, American prosperity, Christian discernment and Biblical understanding. “

It is amazing that a professing Christian can repeat the lies of Satan with a straight face! For the first 300 years of Christianity all Christians believed that God has an End Times Plan for national Israel. It was only when Augustine invented Amillennialism, in the 300s,AD and forced it on the Church that people started to believe that God was done with Israel!

Funny thing though, there is no place in Scripture where we are warned about a “fake End Times nation of Israel”! None! We are, however, warned that all the nations of the world will attack Israel during the Tribulation, and that God Himself will come to her aid! These men are lining themselves up with the enemies of God!

Baldwin says that “Israel is the bane of global peace” and yet Israel has never attacked another country without provocation! The Arabs have attacked Israel in many unprovoked attacks since 1948 including October 7! What did Israel do to provoke this attack? They gave many Gazans jobs and money! They trusted them to work in their own homes!

In Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, in Luke 21: 24 He spoke of the “times of the Gentiles” as having a definite end!

(speaking of Israel) “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.”

So, don’t think the age of the Gentiles will go on forever, it will end when Israel gets sovereignty over the Temple mount! That time is coming real soon!

Israel will receive power over the Temple Mount before the Tribulation begins, probably shortly after the Gog and Magog war, around the time of the Rapture of the Church. This will signify that the Times of the Gentiles are over, but then 3 1/2 years later, at the Abomination of Desolation they will lose it again for a short while;

1 “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” Revelation 11:1-2

This 42 month period is the same 42 month period given to the Antichrist in Revelation 13:5. This is the second half of the Tribulation period, and also the time of the Mark of the Beast. It is also the time when Jesus will be on the earth! For most of that time He will be teaching Israel, and fighting for them when they are threatened by the Antichrist and his armies. He will not be fighting for the millions of Gentiles who get saved during the Tribulation, except for those He has chosen to survive and repopulate the earth.

Why? Because most people born during the age of Grace are too familiar with sin! People who are saved during the Church-Age are used to sin, and would have a difficult time transitioning to an age when open sin is no longer tolerated! Thus, for us to go from this age to the Kingdom age we need to lose our sin-nature first! He solves this problem with the Rapture first, before the Tribulation, but those who miss the Rapture must die before entering the Millennial Kingdom! Oh, they will enter the Millennial Kingdom, and reign with Christ for the full 1,000 years, but they will be in glorified bodies and not in these corruptible bodies of flesh!

So what’s my point? Only this, that God still has a plan for national Israel! The Russians and Arabs who hate Israel are working against God! They will only be allowed to go so far and then they will hit a brick wall! An impenetrable fortress!

“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:3

One other thing; I could have quoted from a number of New Testament passages to show that God is not finished with Israel. Here is one that specifically talks about a future restoration of national Israel:

6 “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:6-8

So when Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven his Apostles asked Him if He was “now going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Notice that He didn’t say “What Israel? I’m done with Israel!” NO! He actually affirmed that they were correct that there would come a time when He would restore Israel! It just wasn’t their concern at that time, because He had another job for them to do; they were to build the Church, starting in Judea and Samaria, and going to the ends of the earth from there!

Now, almost 2,000 years later, we are finally approaching the end of the Church-Age! Now is the time that He is restoring Israel, and soon He will rule the world from Jerusalem, with the help of the Hebrew nation!

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How do the Saints Judge the World?

Posted on June 6, 2024 by dknezacek

Have you ever been reading 1 Corinthians 6 and been puzzled by verse 2?

“1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

In the past I have read this passage many times, and because I didn’t understand what it was talking about, I just kept reading and forgot about it. Even when I read Psalm 149 last year, and I understood that the second half is about the role of the saints during the Tribulation, I didn’t connect the passages, but I should have.

I was reading in Isaiah 24 the other day and I saw a passage that reminded me of Psalm 149. In fact I am sure they are talking about the same event.

The Psalms have a lot of prophecy in them. So while the Psalms are Israel’s song book, the writers of the Psalms are more than song writers, they are Prophets! Of course that makes David a prophet as well! Well, I’m not really sure who wrote Psalm 149, but this is a prophecy that will most likely be fulfilled during the lifetime of people who are alive today!

Let’s take a look at it:

1 Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.

2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.

5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand;

7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;

8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;

9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord.

(Vs1-4) This section is about the restoration of Israel. Israel rejoices in His Salvation! They sing and dance and praise the Lord, because He is so Good!

It is no accident that the next verse switches to the glorified saints! The resurrection of the saints occurs at the end of the Church-age, shortly before the Rapture, immediately before God goes back to dealing through Israel during the Tribulation!

(Vs 5) Now the Psalmist switches to the resurrected saints in glory! “Singing upon their beds” doesn’t mean they are sleeping! No it is symbolic; they are in their own places in Heaven and they are totally safe! They are not singing quietly, but are making a joyful noise unto the Lord! These saints are not only the Church-age saints, but also the pre-flood saints, post-flood saints, and saints of the age of Israel!

Isaiah 26:19 indicates that all the dead saints will be resurrected just before the Rapture, including the Old Testament prophets:

19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Israel will live Psalm 23 in real time! Their place of refuge is in the land of the Antichrist, but they are perfectly safe with Jesus there to protect them!

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

The armies of the Beast will be attempting to get at the people of Israel to kill them, and Jesus and His people will sit down to eat with their enemies all around them! And they will be perfectly safe!

(Vs 6) As they praise the Lord, the saints are given a sword! This “sword” is not an allegorical sword. It may not be a literal sword, it could be, but it is certainly the literal ability to kill; God has a job for these saints! Having inherited their homes in Heaven for some three and a half years they are returning to earth with the Lord! He has a job for them; they are not going to be bored, sitting around on clouds! Oh, they will sing His praises, but they will also use the swords the Lord has given them!

If you are a blood-bought, born-again Christian, this is about you and your future! Your near future! This is not some distant time in the far-off future, but will most likely occur in the next 10-15 years! (I am writing this in 2024). I expect that by 2039 the Antichrist will most likely already be in the lake of fire, and Jesus will already rule the whole planet! If the beast is still on the planet, he will be in his last days and shortly to enter his eternal reward!

(vs 7) The job of the saints of all ages is to execute vengeance on the nations. The word translated as “heathen” is the Hebrew “goy” which means “nations”. Something you need to know about these nations: they have all had the gospel preached in them! All the true believers were removed from these nations at the Rapture, so 100% of those left behind were unbelievers on that day!

Many of them, but not the majority, have come to Christ during the Tribulation, and many of these have been beheaded for their testimony for Jesus! Now, at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus is sending out the saints to execute judgment against the unbelievers, and killers of planet earth!

These are people who have seen the Rapture, the sealed judgments, the trumpet judgments, and the bowl (or vial) judgments, and are still unbelievers after all this! They have heard the gospel angel preach the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ in all the earth and yet they are still committed to the Antichrist is spite of everything they have seen, to the extent that they have taken the mark of the beast, and have participated in the deaths of millions of saints!

Here is the Judgment of God against those who take the mark of the beast:

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Revelation 14:9-11

A person who takes the mark of the beast cannot be saved! This means that such a person cannot enter into the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ! Verse 7 ends by saying that the saints will “execute… punishments upon the people”. This means that every person who took the mark of the beast will be punished for this act of defiance against Jesus Christ! Attempting to save their life they will lose it at the hands of the saints!

The saints are not asked to do this today! This event is reserved for the time when the saints return in their glorified bodies. Today, while we are in our fleshly bodies we are to act as Jesus did when he was in His fleshly body; to love our enemies and to ensure they know that Jesus died for their sins! Today, we are to be willing even to lay down our lives for the sake of our co-residents of this planet, to the glory of Jesus Christ!

This changes once the saints are in their glorified bodies.

(Vs 8) The kings, nobles and leaders of the Antichrist’s kingdom are singled out for attention by the saints; they will be bound with “fetters of iron”. There is no escape for those who took the mark of the Beast and worshiped him!

Isaiah elaborates a bit more on what is going on here. He puts it this way;

21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Isaiah 24:21-22

The “high ones that are on high” is a reference to the host of fallen angels! I believe that the Scriptures indicate that they will be locked-up in two locations on earth: Babylon, and Edom! Two places that have an intimate association with the Antichrist, and false religion! These two locations will have no human inhabitants during the Millennial kingdom, just a few animals, and demons!

The statement directed to “the kings of the earth” does not limit this judgment only to the men at the top. Everyone who has taken the mark of the beast will become a prisoner! The place they are gathered is “the pit” also known throughout history as “Sheol”, Hades, and Hell!

The “many days” they are here is the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. What does it mean that “ after many days shall they be visited.”? It means that at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ the inhabitants of Hell will be resurrected in their eternal bodies, and will stand before Jesus Christ at the White Throne Judgment! Every one of these people will be thrown into the Lake of Fire after their deeds are examined!

Those who knew the Gospel of Jesus Christ and rejected it will receive the hottest places in the Lake of Fire, but the ignorant will receive lesser punishments, however none will escape punishment.

Judgment is always by works, and Salvation is always by faith!

So where will you be when the saints are called upon to remove the Antichrist’s people from the planet? Will you be one of the saints doing the bidding of Jesus Christ, or will you be one of the Beast’s people who took the mark, and ends up in the Lake of Fire? It is your choice; choose wisely!

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. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Romans 10:9

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

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) II Corinthians 6:2

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Is this the Psalm 83 War?

Posted on March 23, 2024 by dknezacek

I opened an article on Harbingers daily the other day with a sense of anticipation. The title is a question believers around the world have been asking since October 7, 2023 “Is The Prophetic Stage Being Set In The Middle East?” by Olivier Melnick. Maybe this time someone will dig deep and get it right, I thought.

In broad terms I can agree with his conclusion – yes the prophetic stage is being set in the Middle East! What we are seeing in the news every day is that the geo-political events going on around us are very definitely setting the stage for the bible’s End Times Prophecies! Let me add that I am so glad that there are Jewish Evangelists unashamedly preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ today! Praise God! Olivier Melnick has a ministry that is worthy of prayer and support! Having said that, it is important to note that having the gift of evangelism is not the same as having the gift of prophecy! Not only this but even if someone has the gift of prophecy, he still needs to study biblical prophecy, in order for the gift to be effective.

Mr. Melnick asks four questions and then answers each in sequence, and while he gets a lot correct, he also makes some errors.

“The war is ongoing, and many Bible students are wondering if it has any prophetic significance. Is it connected to any Bible events that are predicted for the future? Is it the war of Psalm 83? Is it the war of Gog and Magog? Is it the beginning of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, also known as the Tribulation? Maybe it is also connected to the events described in Zechariah 12. Let’s look at all four possibilities.”

Psalm 83 is a cry unto the Lord by an Israelite about an attack against his people. It is a prayer about a war of existential implications for Israel, and it lists the antagonists by their Patriarchs and by their ancient names. Mr. Melnick correctly states that this war has never occurred in history; all these nations have warred against Israel from time to time, but never have they done so together, at the same time! So far so good.

Rather than use the quotes he gives from a modern bible, here is the AV rendering;

1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. Psalm 83:1-8

Mr. Melnick correctly states that those who hate Israel also hate God. Their attack against Israel is really an attack against Israel’s God!

Something he doesn’t address is, who are God’s “hidden ones” in verse 3? This is a reference to the ones God deeply cares about in Israel, the Jews who believe in Jesus as Lord, Saviour, and Messiah! They look like Jews, are descendants of Jacob, and live in Israel, but they are His children in spite of all the pressure they get to reject Him! They are what the bible calls “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16), and if He intervenes it is because of them!

He answers the question “who are these people (the antagonists)?” thusly;

“In modern times, these ten nations are divided as follows: Jordan (Edom, Moab, Ammon), Saudi Arabia (Ishmaelites), Egypt (Hagarenes, Amalek), Lebanon (Gebal, Tyre), The Gaza Strip (Philistia), Iraq and Syria (Assyria.)”

Now, he gets the nations correctly, but the way he does it isn’t correct. The biggest issue I see is his claim that Egypt is represented by the Hagarenes and Amalek. The Amalekites have always lived in the Negev desert, south of Israel, which is a possession of Egypt today. So, the Amalekites will drag Egypt into the Psalm 83 war.

The problem is with the Hagarenes/Hagarites; it is true that Hagar came from Egypt, but the Hagarenes did not return to Egypt. Ishmael had 12 sons, who founded 12 tribes, and like Israel there was a conflict between two groups of Ishmael’s descendants; two and a half tribes of Ishmaelites left the main group in Saudi Arabia and moved north to the area the bible calls Gilead and the Golan. This group, probably out of anger toward their Ishmaelite brothers, chose to identify themselves by the name of Ishmael’s mother Hagar. The bible actually tells us where these people lived;

“And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand: and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.” 1 Chronicles 5:10

The word in the Hebrew is “Hagari” and it is the same in Psalm 83 and in 1 Chronicles. One group of translators used “Hagarites” and the other used the word “Hagarenes” but the meaning is identical!

When Israel was taken captive, these people moved into Gilead and the Golan, and they are still there today! In the time before the 1967 war Syria had possession of the Golan Heights, and used that position to shoot artillery shells on to the Israeli towns, villages and farms in the valley down below. During the 1967 war Israel took 30% of the Golan Heights, and the shelling stopped! Since that time the Hagarites have been agitating to force Bashar Assad, the president of Syria, to attack Israel and get the one third of the Golan back that Israel holds today. He has wisely resisted this pressure!

When I wrote my book I actually found photographs of Hagarites from the south of Syria! So, what this means is that the Hagarites are the people who will drag Syria into the Psalm 83 war! Despite the similarities in the names, Syria and Assyria are not descendants of the same man. Assur was the patriarch of Assyria, but Aram was the patriarch of Syria. Assyria is known as Iraq today, and Syria still has its ancient name.

Melnick says “Two of these countries, Egypt and Jordan, have official peace treaties with Israel and are currently not a threat to the safety of the Jewish people. Additionally, there has never been a conspiracy of all ten countries in the history of mankind.”

To which I have to reply, Mohammad set a precedent by breaking a treaty he had made with the people of Mecca (or perhaps Baka, or Petra), half way through its term, and his followers have followed his lead ever since! Trusting Muslim nations to keep a treaty is incredibly dangerous! Why would you expect them to reject the example of their hero?

There have recently been rumblings to the effect that if Israel attacks Rafah that Egypt and Jordan may cancel their treaties with Israel. Now since then Egypt has stated that they have no plans to cancel their treaty, but I think they have said this just so Israel is put off their guard!

His last statement is not logical; Just because these ten nations have never entered a conspiracy together does not mean it won’t happen; it will, and when it does it will be the fulfilment of prophecy! I expect it in the very near future possibly even this year (2024)!

8 I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Isaiah 42:8-9

Yes, our God declares things that have never been done before, so don’t be surprised when the Psalm 83 war occurs in real time!

My biggest argument is with his final statement: “Another way to look at Asaph’s lament is to see it as a literary device he used to express to his God that everywhere he looks, the Jews have enemies. It is akin to someone saying, “The whole world is against me” when many negative things simultaneously happen to that person. It is very likely that the war of Psalm 83 isn’t really a war to start with.”

The problem is that the God of the bible doesn’t often make generalizations in His prophecies. His prophecies are full of specific statements that can be verified; There were two Bethlehems in Israel in the first century, Bethlehem Ephratah, in Judea, and Bethlehem of Galilee; the prophecies of the Messiah (Micah 5:2) focus on Bethlehem of Judea, not just Bethlehem! No doubt God has given us Psalm 83 with very specific references so that when we see it we will know that God’s Word is true!

Melnick’s statement that Psalm 83 could just be a literary device used to express “The whole world is against me” is exactly the same type of obfuscation as what Liberal denominations say about the book of Revelation “the Book of Revelation is just an allegory about the struggle between good and evil”! “Move along! Nothing to see here folks!”

Sorry, the book of Revelation is prophecy from the beginning to the end! Its prophecies will come to pass exactly as written, to the Glory of God the Father! It appears that the generation alive today is the terminal generation of the Church-Age, so get ready!

Having said that, there is substantial evidence that the Psalm 83 war is a late Church-Age event, so it doesn’t even appear in the book of Revelation! Unless you are dead first, you will see this war! The Rapture of the Church will occur after this war, and even after the Ezekiel 38-39 war!

One detail I had overlooked is the final statement in verse 8 “they have holpen the children of Lot”. What this means is that when the Assyrians, or Iraqis get involved in this war, they do so to assist the children of Lot. These are the people known as Ammonites and Moabites, from northern Jordan. What happened is that in 70 AD, when the Roman armies took the Jews captive, the Ammonites and Moabites moved across the Jordan River into Judea and Samaria, and have been there until this day. I expect that when the current fighting extends to the “West Bank” (Judea and Samaria in actuality) we will see the Arab states who have been sitting this conflict out, will join, and then it will become the Psalm 83 war. Until that time, Mr. Melnick is correct that it is not yet the Psalm 83 war!

Melnick had more points on Ezekiel’s war, and Zechariah 12, but I will leave that analysis for another day!

Dan

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Some Thoughts on the Troubles We Face

Posted on December 16, 2023 by dknezacek

Isaiah 42:8
I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

This has been a stressful year for me. Apart from all the insanity we see daily, my wife has been going through a breast cancer diagnosis, two surgeries, and now chemo-therapy, and then radiation in the spring! In spite of having four churches praying for us, the Lord did not see fit to remove her cancer.

Just before the first surgery, as I was leaving work the day before, a Hindu colleague told me that he was praying for us. In fact it turns out that we had a whole group of Hindus praying to their god on our behalf.

As soon as he told me he was praying for us, a verse came to my mind;

Isaiah 42:8
I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

My Hindu friend has a little golden idol he keeps on his desk, and I knew that this verse is the reason my wife was not healed. Later on I asked him, “If Jesus had healed my wife, would you have thought it was your god who had healed her?” His answer was “yes”!

It is times like this when theory becomes practical. I know that Jesus is capable of healing cancer, and know of at least four cases when He intervened, and even though I believe He wanted to heal her, he couldn’t without violating His principle in Isaiah 42:8!

Some might object that “Isaiah was Old Testament, and we live in New Testament times”, but Jesus is the God of Isaiah, and God never changes! This is why we can trust Him!

If you have a moment, and you are a Christian, I would ask that you take a minute and pray for me and my wife? As James says “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16

But enough about me. I didn’t start this blog to talk about my problems, but Christians are family and so I thought it would be appropriate to ask my brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for us.

The current conflict between Israel and Hamas is something that most Christians are concerned about, or at lease should be. It has been on my heart since October 7.

Throughout Couid-l9 I encountered a lot of websites who pushed back against the Lockdowns, and the jabs, and many of them are still pushing back against big pharma for the obvious lies they told, and continue to tell. This is good, but since October 7 I am seeing several “conservative” websites blaming Israel for the Hamas atrocities, or even denying them outright! We are also seeing “conservatives” and even “christians” repeating the talking points originating from terrorists!

I have seen several articles on LewRockwell(dot)com that repeat accusations that “Israel is targeting civilians in Gaza”, without offering any evidence whatsoever! I have seen the same kind of accusations on HealthImpactNews, NaturalNews, and RT as well. (I have not given you the links because I no longer recommend these websites). I have seen the same thing on a number of “conservative” websites besides these as well!

No army in history has ever gone out of their way to avoid civilian casualties as much as Israel does! The IDF always calls the residents in buildings they are about to attack, and gives them time to get out before the attack takes place. This didn’t start with the current war, but has been going on for some time! In spite of this they are always pilloried in the western media!

The USA has never concerned itself with avoiding civilian casualties, but appears to consider them a part of the “shock and awe” effect! ”Collateral damage” is what they call it!

Russia, in the Ukraine war, has appeared to make some effort to avoid civilian casualties, with some success, but I don’t think even they have gone to the extraordinary efforts Israel takes! Speaking of Russia, early in the Ukraine war they pointed out that the Azov Brigades are actual neo-Nazis, which is true, but now that there is a group of Nazis attacking Israel, Russia has come out in some public statements in favour of this other group of Nazis! Hmm, so Russia isn’t really against Nazis; they have their own unfavourite Azov Nazis in the Ukraine, but they also have their favourite Hamas Nazis in Gaza! Talk about double standards!

We are seeing demonstrations in favour of Hamas in many western cities, including my own hometown, since the start of this war! Presidents of Universities are stating that “Kill the Jews” is acceptable free speech! The last time this kind of thing happened it was only in Germany, in the 1930s, but now it appears to be world-wide! This won’t end well! Last time it was WW2, but this time will lead to Armageddon! (WW3 isn’t Armageddon! Armageddon will be much worse!)

This week we have seen pictures of Hamas members stripped semi-naked as they are being taken to prison in Israel. It has to be done this way since they could easily conceal weapons in their clothing! No doubt this is a humiliating experience for them, but let me say that it is preferable to the alternative! 

I woke up this morning thinking about these men, and Israel. Israel has an opportunity right now, and maybe not only Israel; what would be the best thing for the Hamas prisoners of Israel, and for Israel itself? They need to have Arabic bibles available to them while in the Israeli prisons!

The only book in the world that can turn murderers into saints is the Word of God! The book that these people have been studying only makes them more murderous! They need to have the complete bible available to them! Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can turn them into “good people”!

I am not aware of any organization that places bibles in prisons in Israel, but I will look into it. In the mean time, if anyone reading this knows of organizations that do this, please let me know who they are in the comments below…

Dan

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Who is Babylon the Harlot?

Posted on June 18, 2023 by dknezacek

Earlier this year during my regular bible study, I read through Jeremiah, and then continued reading other books. This time something kept prodding me to go back to Jeremiah. I kept thinking about a phrase I had read in chapter 33, “Considerest thou not what this people have spoken…”. It is found in verses 24-26. You should read it…

24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

25 Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

I went back to this passage, and then back to chapter 30 and read through 35 several times,but there was something about what he says here that was not only puzzling, but also disturbing! You see, what “this people” are saying is really the very definition of Replacement Theology. My problem was that he doesn’t really define a definite group of people here, only that someone says that God is done with Israel, “God’s people”! The two families he mentions are the southern kingdom of Judah, and the northern kingdom of Israel. Collectively they are all Israel, but this was written when they were separated into two nations.

After going through this several times I decided to go back to the beginning and read the whole book again.

You know, often we skip over introductory remarks; usually we just expect flowery introductions, you know “to my friend, I hope you are doing well, etc.”! This time I noticed something in chapter 1 verse 5 that changed my view of Jeremiah;

4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

The word here that is translated as “unto the nations” is לַגּוֹיִ֖ם “leGoyim” or “to the nations” which is where we get the word “Gentiles”!

The books of Jeremiah were intended for the Gentiles from the beginning! They are often about Israel, but their intended audience is everyone else! If you are non-Jewish, then Jeremiah is your prophet, and what he wrote about concerns you! The little book of Lamentations is also by Jeremiah, and it also has some startling statements about the Gentiles!

I already knew about God’s command to the Gentiles in 31:10, but now I realized the statement in 33:24-26 is directly related to this command:

10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

The word “nations” here is also גּוֹיִ֖ם “Goyim”! This is a command to the Gentile nations about what God wants them to say! His indictment in chapter 33:24-26 is directed to people who have this command, who call themselves Christians, and yet refuse to obey it!

At the time that Jeremiah wrote this the Gentiles were almost universally Pagans, and Jeremiah was not able to take his message much farther than Egypt before he died! Jeremiah’s book containing God’s command, however, eventually made its way to the Gentile nations of the world, after the cross of Jesus Christ, and the founding of the Christian Church!

The eschatology (End Times Teachings) of the early Church were entirely Pre-Millennial, Dispensationalist, until one Augustine of Hippo came along in the 300s! With his allegorical interpretation of the bible’s End Times prophecies the church began to teach that the Church replaces Israel in God’s plan!

Today the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and most of the Protestant denominations teach that God is done with Israel, and that the Church replaces Israel in God’s plan!

You could summarize what they say with the statement from verse 24 “The two families which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off.”

That’s right, the majority of professing “Christians” in the world deny that God has a place for Israel in His plan! Notice who He calls “my people” in this passage: “thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.” That’s right, Israel!

But if the people He is referring to are Christians shouldn’t He call them “my people” also? He should, if they are Born Again Christians, but He doesn’t, does He? He calls them “this people”!

If “this people” had the Holy Spirit within them, they would not make this statement, and instead they would say “He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.” in obedience to the Lord’s command! There is a small group who does say this; the dispensationalists. They are not a denomination but are scattered among the denominations, and they are the only group who do say this!

A strange coincidence I noticed is that this is not the only place where “this people” add to Scripture; in their teachings about Salvation these same groups say that Salvation is by “grace, plus works” and thereby make the same error that ancient (and modern) Israel made; thinking that they can earn a place in Heaven by doing good works!

Oh, yes, many Reformed Churches also say that you can lose your Salvation by sinning, or if you sin you never were saved to begin with! So to them sin trumps God’s grace!

So, where do they get the idea that God is done with Israel? Well, it’s not from the bible; this is a demonic teaching! That’s right, this teaching is a doctrine of devils!

There is another place where Jeremiah speaks of this same group of people; in chapter 50. Chapters 48 and 49 are an End Times indictment against Moab, Ammon, and Edom, Israel’s closest relatives among the Gentiles, and then chapter 50 is an End Times indictment against Babylon. This Babylon is the Modern Babylon of Revelation 17, and we can see her destruction in verse 3 and in Revelation 17:16-17.

I don’t want to focus on verse 3 today, but you should read the whole passage:

1 The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

4 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God.

5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.

7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.

So, here in verse 7 Jeremiah is quoting Israel’s enemies in the same context as the End Times Babylon! Make no mistake, Babylon the Harlot is a group of Churches who claim to be Christians, and at the same time preach doctrines of devils! Characteristically these doctrines of devils are called names like Preterism, Amillennialism, and Post-Millennialism!

I grew up in a Church that was very confused in its Eschatology and we had Dispensationalists as well as Amillennialists teaching at the same Church! Sometimes it was the pastor, and other times it was Sunday School teachers. As a young Christian it was very confusing!

Dispensationalism has rules, the rules of Literal, Formal, Grammatical Hermeneutics, which are not hard to understand, but the Allegorical method of bible interpretation has no rules, and is very confusing! Just remember that God is not the Author of confusion!

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. I Corinthians 14:33

Over the last 1,990, or so, years many once sound Christian Churches have morphed into the Harlot of Babylon, mixing biblical doctrine with doctrines of devils! One telltale sign that you are in a Harlot Church is if your pastor says that God is done with the nation of Israel! If he does, leave! Get out while you can! Run!

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Events Surrounding the Return of Jesus Christ, part 3

Posted on April 4, 2023 by dknezacek

In Revelation chapter 10 the angel told us what to expect when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, and in chapter11 we see the seventh trumpet being blown, and notice what the Heavenly voices say about it;

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.

So, not only is the mystery of God now finished, but now Jesus is declared the rightful ruler of this planet, He is here on earth, and His reign has begun, even with the Beast still attempting to reign! This event, in the middle of the Tribulation, is the beginning of the Millennial Reign! It would appear then, that the seven year Tribulation straddles the last 3 1/2 years of the Church-Age, and the first 3 1/2 years of the Millennial Reign!

Now in chapter 13 we see the False Prophet setting up the Abomination of Desolation, and implementing the Mark of the Beast! Since Jesus has already been declared the ruler of this planet, the Mark of the Beast is an illegal mandate made by an imposter! Obedience to this mandate is disobedience to the command of God, “thou shalt have no gods before me”, and is a form of Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit!

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. Revelation 13:5-6

What blasphemous things might the Antichrist say about “them that dwell in Heaven”? Who are “them that dwell in Heaven” at this time? Well, not only the saints of all previous ages, but the Raptured Church-age saints! These Raptured saints are the ones He focuses on, because they are the only ones that give him any trouble! They have disappeared shortly after the Gog and Magog war, but they had prevoiusly spoken about the Rapture, and the “rumours” of the Rapture have not disappeared, but have strengthened!

As people, including the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, speak about the Rapture, which the world had seen, more and more people are coming to Christ, so the Beast has to lie about it to stop this! His explanation will turn the Holy Spirit into the devil, which is the unforgivable sin, and anyone who takes the Mark of the Beast is making a public statement that he/she agrees with this blasphemous explanation!

While John speaks of prophets in the plural, I have not yet discovered all the passages that speak of Jesus’ agreement with His Father, but I can show you one;

I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Hosea 5:15-6:2

Here is another place where many bible teachers skip part of the passage and thus take the passage out of context; if you only read 6:1-2 together, you might think the two days timing begins when Israel calls on the Lord! This is incorrect; verse 5:15 shows that the count-down begins when Jesus left, and the two days are the thousand year days of 2 Peter 3:1-8, and Psalm 90, the Psalm of Moses!

Israel does not call upon the Lord during one 24 hour period, but it takes 7 years for the whole nation to be saved! Even then, many of the Hebrew unbelievers will die in their sins, and none of them who take the Mark of the Beast, who support the Jewish False Prophet, will be saved!

The truth is that not all of the Jews who flee at the Abomination of Desolation will be believers at that time, but will mourn for Him when they see Him, and will believe in Him when they see Him! When they see the scars in His hands, and see Him fighting for Israel, then they will believe!

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. Zechariah 12:10

Notice also in Hosea 5:15 that Israel will seek Him early in their “affliction”! This is the first three and a half years of the Tribulation, and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists of this time are the firstfruits of Israel’s national revival! They are not the only new believers in Israel, but they will lead many Israelis, and Gentiles to faith in the Messiah during their ministry. Their ministry is only in the first half of the Tribulation, and they are Raptured, like the Church, at the end of their ministry!

1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. Revelation 14:1-3

Notice in verse 1 that Jesus is physically with them on mount Zion, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is because the 7th trumpet has already been blown in chapter 11, the Mystery of God is over, and He is free to come and go at will! Chronologically, this is very close to the time when the Antichrist’s idol is presented in the Temple, only a few feet away from where Jesus and these evangelists meet! The way it is written, it appears that Jesus meets the 144,000 only days, or perhaps hours, or even minutes, after the Antichrist’s Mark is mandated, from the very same spot!

Zechariah 14 shows that there is an earthquake when Jesus feet touch down on the Mount of Olives, and the people of Jerusalem flee from the Antichrist through the new valley which will be created! Revelation 11:13 shows a great earthquake in Jerusalem just as the seventh trumpet is blown, where the kingdoms of this earth are declared to be the kingdoms of our God, around the time the Beast sets up his idol in the Temple! Could this be at exactly the same time? Does Jesus interrupt the Antichrist’s idol ceremony in the Temple, with a great earthquake that kills 7,000 in Jerusalem, at the same time as the Beast begins forcing the world to take his mark?

Then notice in verse 3 that the 144,000 are now suddenly in Heaven before the throne, with the angelic beasts and the elders from Revelation 4! Someone once said to me that these witnesses die on the Temple mount, and that is how they get to Heaven! I don’t believe this is true; it doesn’t say they die, and Jesus is there physically on the Temple Mount! Surely He is capable of physically saving them, and translating them to Heaven before the Beast and his forces can get to them! Surely Jesus is more powerful than the forces of the Beast! No! This is another Rapture, just shortly after the two witnesses are taken to Heaven in the sight of the world!

In Revelation 11:19 we see the Ark of the Covenant also appearing in Heaven! This is a Rapture of a physical object! The Ark is currently on the earth, hidden in a secret, sealed chamber beneath the Temple Mount, but it will be in the new Temple when it is rebuilt, and ultimately it will end up in Heaven when there is the danger of it being destroyed by the Antichrist! He won’t get the chance, because it will be gone before he gets to it!

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 the bible, first Enoch was taken directly to Heaven, before the flood, then Elijah was taken in a whirlwind. Then Jesus was raptured after his resurrection. The Church is Raptured before the start of the Tribulation (Isaiah 26:19-21, Zephaniah 2:3, Psalm 50:4-6, Luke 21:28, 36, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, and others…). Then in the Tribulation, the the two witnesses (who might actually be Enoch and Elijah) are taken to Heaven, then the Ark of the Covenant, and finally the 144,000! These last two occur after the seventh trumpet judgment is blown, when Jesus is free to show Himself at will!

The Tribulation is a time of escalating supernatural activity on the earth!

I think we have discovered the prophetic timing of Zechariah 14:1-5, to occur at the same time as the Abomination of Desolation, in Matthew 24:15-22! This is the best explanation for when these events occur, but as usual, it also leaves us with more questions;

For example; if the 144,000 are Raptured at the mid-point of the Tribulation, do they just get to Heaven and then turn around and come back to earth with the saints? Are the 144,000 Raptured after Jesus returns with the saints?

It also says of them:

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb Rev. 14:4

So, from the time that they first meet Him, in person, they go wherever He goes! From the account, He meets them on the Temple mount, and then they are in Heaven with Him, singing a new song before the throne. Zechariah 14 indicates that Jesus comes to earth to fight for Israel, and that fight will go on for some time! Eventually Satan gives up, and then goes after Christ’s followers all around the world (Revelation 12:13-17). Does Jesus come and go between Heaven and earth during the second half of the Tribulation, with the 144,000 accompanying Him in His travels? Well, yes, but so does the Church!

You didn’t think you were just going to sit around on a cloud singing, did you? The problems of this life are lessons you will need during the Millennial Kingdom, that is if you are saved!

Are you saved? Are you aware of your status before God? Here are some things He says about you and me;

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:10-12

We cannot stand before God in our own righteousness. All of us have failed to meet God’s holy standards. The Creator of this world not only ownes this world and everything in it, He also owns the sun, and the light energy it produces. He owns the plants that take that energy and turn it into sugars, through His proprietary process of photosynthesis. When we eat that food which contains God’s energy, and then turn around and sin against Him, we are using His own energy against Him! He has a right to demand a punishment for sin!

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. Ezekiel 18:4

He is not talking about physical death here, because even the sinless Son of God died, but rather, He is talking about eternal death; an eternal conscious death in the Lake of Fire! That Lake was created for the devil and his angels, and God doesn’t want you to share it with them. This is why He came to earth to provide a substitute, who would die for your sin, so you wouldn’t have to!

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Romans 5:6-12

We have earned God’s wrath when we deliberately sinned, but God wants to take away our sin, and give us an amazing gift!

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 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.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:8-13

I hope that, if you are already a Christian, that this brief refresher has been enjoyable to you, but if not I hope you take Him up on His wonderful offer! The time is short, Jesus is coming soon!

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) II Corinthians 6:2

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