Author: jdwvaw2

As a blogger focusing on eschatology, I’m constantly aware of the wide variety of scripture interpretation and its application. This is also true in other areas of theology. This fact is contrary to the plea for unity echoed thru ought the New Testament. The apostle Paul clearly states: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Corinthians 1:10). Jesus prayed this in the presence of His disciples: “I do not pray for these alone but also for those who will believe Me through their word; that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe You sent Me.“ (John 17:20-21).

So why aren’t we Christians completely unified in mind, faith, practice, and even scripture interpretation? There is only one answer-we are not listening to the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is the guide and helper Jesus sent to us to keep us on a straight and narrow path. In John chapter 16 Jesus said the Holy Spirit would; “guide us into all truth, tell us of things to come, and take of Mine and declare it to you”. Jesus did not even let the apostles begin their ministry until they were empowered by the Holy Spirit Who came at Pentecost. It’s only by the Spirit that unity can come. The bible is His book. Every word is His from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. He wrote it to be interpreted in one way, not many ways. If we let Him completely guide our thoughts, His truths will become evident. These truths will be the same for every seminary student, pastor, evangelist, teacher, as well as you and me. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “I beseech you to be worthy of your calling…. endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3). Notice that it’s the “unity of the Spirit” or, in other words, the unity which the Spirit brings.

Paul castigated the church at Corinth for following men rather than Christ, causing divisions. “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul’, or “I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephus,’ or ‘I am of Christ’. Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13). Thats the equivalent of saying today “I follow Calvin,” or “I follow Luther,” or “I follow Wesley,” or “I follow the Pope,” etc. True, we shouldn’t reject God-given teachers, but we can’t rely on them solely for our doctrine. Our doctrine ultimately must come exclusively from the scriptures as illuminated by the Teacher freely given to us by God Himself, the Holy Spirit. The apostle John tells us we can avoid division and deception by the Holy Spirit (anointing) Who abides in you. “These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the Anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the Anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” (1 John 2:27).

Many times, Paul entreated us to “walk in the Spirit” as he did. And that he did from his conversion till his death in Rome, always being directed by the Spirit. He told the Romans: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14). This statement begs the question-if you’re not led of the Spirit are you truly a son of God? I think the answer is obvious.

The single most important task a Christian has is to learn to follow the Spirit’s direction. If all Christians were proficient in this, divisions within Christianity would not exist, and unity would be the norm. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? I do recognize, however, that this will probably not soon be the case. Divisions among Christians will likely be with us right up to our Lord’s second coming. Nonetheless, till then, it behooves us to pursue unity in peace and love of our brethren to the best of our ability. Above and in all things, be led by the Spirit. In Him, there is no deception or division.

Maranatha, Jim

Islam is experiencing unprecedented growth and influence worldwide. This is in spite of atrocities radical Muslims have committed and continue to commit in virtually every corner of the globe. Think 9/11 and October 7 as examples. Yet their influence and acceptance continues to grow due to the fact that liberal left- wing countries turn a blind eye to these atrocities in an effort toward appeasement of their growing Muslim population and their anti-Zionist stance. This article on France is, unfortunately, typical. France is dying. Emmanuel Macron is the one pulling the plug. – Israel365 News Other European countries such as the UK are in the same boat. In spite of the biblical mandate to avoid dividing the land of Israel, (Joel 3:2), 147 UN countries already recognize “Palestine” as an independent state, with the UK, France, Australia, and Canada about to do so this month. Imagine the encouragement this gives to Islamic terrorist organizations like Hamas.

I have posited in many posts, articles, and my book that the antichrist will originate from an Islamic entity to Israel’s north. Also, his ten-nation confederacy that will support him in his devious ways and ensure the downfall of Mystery Babylon are all Islamic and currently surround Israel. No question Islam is the quintessential antichrist religion.

It’s quickly becoming Islam vs the rest of the world. If you are not Islam or not willing to convert, you are either considered an infidel-not deserving of life-or a dhimmi, one who must swear loyalty to the Muslim state and pay a special tax called jizya. Islam gives no other choices. Therefore, war with Islam is inevitable. Consider this post from an FBI agent: Yossi BenYakar on X: “FBI agent, John Guandolo perfectly explained Islam in 3 minutes. Must listen. https://t.co/FgAvWREqNs” / X Also, this from an American Pastor: Wall Street Apes on X: “American Pastor has traveled all over the Europe and has a warning, “The enemy of the world is Islam, 1000%” “There are places in Texas, there are places in Dearborn, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota that are nearly fully Islamic. They are trying to institute all of their Sharia https://t.co/YkU9N150CR” / X Israel already knows and is experiencing this. Her current foes are all Islamic including Iran and her proxies Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. While Israel appears to be winning these battles militarily, she seems to be losing the PR war as main-stream media world-wide covers her in negative terms while trumpeting positively the lies of terrorists like Hamas.

The world has a short time to wake up, recognize the threat Islam poses, and take appropriate action. However, in many areas it may already be too late. As Christians, we need to counter Islam with the Gospel wherever possible. We also must be aware of Islam’s likely role in prophecy and point it out to those who are willing to listen. We know how the Book ends.

Maranatha, Jim

I’m sure it’s not just me noticing the increasing contrast of good vs. evil, or to put it another way, light vs. darkness in this world. By “light” I mean biblical and spiritual revelation from our Creator that gives us a “lamp unto our feet” directing us how to walk in all that is Godly in an ungodly world. By “darkness”, I mean a complete lack of Holy Spirit direction leading to a life of doing what we please, which is really a life directed by the god of this world, Satan himself.

The Prophet Isaiah spoke of this coming darkness when prophesying about the coming Messiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:2). Also: “For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2). In this scripture, the darkness prophesied to cover the earth is, in Hebrew choseck, meaning among other descriptions, misery, destruction, ignorance, and wickedness. But when he says “deep darkness” the people, it’s a different Hebrew word that is similar, but emphasizes grossness or thickness. You may have heard the expression “it was so dark, you could have cut it with a knife”. This is the kind of darkness I see manifesting itself in today’s world. Very gross, deep, heavy. Something only the “Light of this World”-Jesus can penetrate.

The Prophets Joel and Amos speak of the “day of the Lord” as being especially dark. “For the day of the Lord is coming, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Joel 2:1-2). “For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness and not light.” “Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light?” (Amos 5:18,20).

When Jesus hung on the cross and evil celebrated triumphantly those three hours were characterized by darkness: “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.” (Matthew 27:45). The Apostle John contrasted Jesus with the darkness of this world: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:5). “And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:15). And there you have it-the reason for all this darkness. It provides cover for evil deeds. Jesus-the real Light exposes it all.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way: “The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12). He then says this about us Christians; “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13). And: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day (of the Lord) should overtake you as a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5 4).

Yes, darkness, an evil thick darkness, seems to be slowly enveloping the world much like it did during the days of Noah. It’s prophesied in your bible and will continue to get worse and worse right up to the Day of the Lord ending the great tribulation. As for us we must continue to walk in the light as He is in the light. As we walk more and more in the Spirit, our light will shine brighter and brighter pushing the darkness into oblivion, at least as far as we’re concerned. Let your light shine and you’ll dispel this present darkness.

Maranatha, Jim

If you are a user or subscriber of this blog site eschatontrails.com I want to thank you for connecting and reading information that I’m sure will be helpful to you in navigating our Lord’s plan to wrap up this age. I strive to only post news or scriptural analyses that are as timely and accurate as possible in following Jesus’s command to “watch”. Over the past several years I’ve posted over 300 times on topics relevant to current eschatology. Also, this web site has links to several articles I’ve written in the past on similar topics. I’ve also linked to a book detailing the eschatological chronology of Daniel’s 70th week or the soon coming tribulation. You can access it here: Last Days Events: Sequence and Synchrony: Weinert, J D: 9798858723684: Amazon.com: Books

If any of the above gives you concern or you would like to ask questions, feel free to email me at: jim.weinert@outlook.com I promise to read and respond to any private comment or question you may have regarding what I have published (or any scriptural topic that I have not addressed). Your views and concerns are important to me. I plan to keep on posting as these last days draw nearer and encourage you to include this blog as part of your preparation and watchfulness.

Maranatha, Jim

I’ve blogged before about the fact that Jesus emphasized preaching about His coming kingdom. Gospel of the Kingdom – Jim’s Eschatological Info. I also blogged about the phrase “The kingdom of God is within you”. The Kingdom of God is Within You? – Jim’s Eschatological Info. Some also quote another statement from Jesus interpreting it to mean that His kingdom is not on this earth: “My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36). But His use of the word “world” is “kosmos” or the arrangement of the world’s systems. He clearly doesn’t mean that His kingdom won’t be on this planet but that it will not partake in the corrupt systems of the God of this world, Satan. This use of kosmos is demonstrated in 1 John 2:15. “Do not love the world (kosmos) or the things in the world (kosmos). If anyone loves the world (kosmos), the love of the Father is not in him.”

Jesus’s kingdom as clearly defined in both the old and new testaments will be here on this earth, in a refreshed and restored environment. (Acts 3:21). Jesus will be ruling and reigning from Jerusalem, the capital of the world in a kingdom truly from heaven. And we, His faithful followers, will be reigning with Him.

Are you ready for His soon coming earthly reign?

Maranatha, Jim

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

Let’s analyze these Pauline scriptures and, perhaps, speculate a little.

At Jesus’s parousia (glorious second coming) there will be two loud sounds heard by all worldwide: the shout of an archangel and the last trumpet sounded by God Himself. At this sound all who are dead and belong to Christ will be resurrected and stand on the earth. If we are still alive at this point we may be shocked to be standing next to some familiar faces who had died but now live. If that is not astounding enough, we will look up and see our Lord Himself descending on the clouds in the sky. It’s then we will be changed-instantly. We will put on immortality. We will be given a body like those who were just resurrected and similar to our Lords glorious body. With this new body we will now be prepared for the next astounding event. We will rise together along with those from the grave to meet our coming Savior in the air!

We will then be with the Lord forever. Where He is going we’re going. We know from other scriptures such as Zechariah 14:4 that His destination is the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where He will complete His destruction of the evil armies gathered there. We’re going there also. We are going to rule and reign with Him from the Capital of the world, Jerusalem.

These events will mark the culmination of this age and the tribulation while ushering in the 1000 year reign of Christ’s kingdom.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait! What a powerful and exciting time that will be! Are you prepared and ready?

Maranatha, Jim

The apostle Paul, writing to the Thessalonians about Jesus’s second coming added this: “For when they say, ‘peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

If you’ve been following Israel’s current wars, it’s becoming apparent that her conflicts with Iran and proxies Hisbollah, Hamas, the Houthies, and other local insurgents in Syria and Iraq are winding down. This will likely lead to a period of general peace, at least as it concerns Israel. Could this be the peace Paul was prophecying about? We certainly need to be alert to that possibility.

I believe we are in the time that Jesus called the “beginnings of birth pangs”. Here Paul talks about the onset of full labor pains which I presume to be the 70th week of Daniel, or the tribulation. If these ensuing months result in a time of relative peace for Israel through initiatives such as expanded Abraham Accords, it may be a sign that we are quickly approaching the time of Jacob’s trouble. I also believe this ‘sudden trouble’ is a result of Jesus opening the seven-sealed scroll and the release of the four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6.

Stay tuned-keep watching!

Maranatha, Jim

Jesus told His disciples: “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.” (Matthew 24:43). Jesus’s message to us in this example is clear and simple. The home owner needs to determine what watch of the night the thief was coming so he would be ready and prepared. So, accordingly, we need to determine the season of His coming so that we are ready, unlike the 5 foolish virgins described in the next chapter.

The second Scripture that indicates we are able to discover the season of Jesus’s return is from the Apostle Paul. “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. But you brethren are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-5). These verses reinforce what Jesus said above.

The third reference I will provide is from Revelation. “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.” (Revelation 3:3). Again what Jesus said was to recall His teachings and watch and you will know the hour of His coming.

These three Scripture references taken together give us clear message. As far as the world is concerned, Jesus’s coming will be as unexpected and shocking as a thief breaking into your home. But we, if we read, study the prophetic scriptures, and watch, can be ready and prepared by determining the season of His glorious second coming.

Maranatha, Jim

If you’re like me you’ve been closely following developments in the middle east, especially the Israel-Iran war. Since our Lord commanded us to watch in these last days, we need to determine if the current events involving Iran are prophesied in our bibles and have end-time significance. I’ve done what I consider to be a thorough search of the scriptures and came up with 5 potential scenarios, a couple of which are easily dismissed. The modern state of Iran is referred to in the scriptures as Elam, Persia, or Medo-Persia.

Frequently mentioned as fulfillment on prophecy news sites is Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39 that detail the future “war of Gog and Magog”. It is usually noted that Persia is listed as one of the antagonists allied with “Gog” and “Magog”. “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them….” (Ezekiel 38:5). This is definitely not what is happening today, as “Gog” is the antichrist and this war is clearly Armageddon, the final battle for Jerusalem concluding with Christ’s return. I did a blog post on why Gog-Magog is Armageddon you can read it here: Ezekiel’s GOG-Magog War is Armageddon – Jim’s Eschatological Info

A second prophetic mention of Persia is in the Book of Daniel. Daniel saw a vision of a two-horned ram attacking a male goat. “The ram which you saw, having the two horns-they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece (Javan)….” (Daniel 8:21). Notice that in this war, though it may well be an end-times event, Israel is not involved, so, again, this current Iran-Israel war is not what is here referred to.

A third scripture reference to Iran that is being widely bandied about in prophecy news sources is found in Jeremiah 49. “Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven and scatter them toward all these winds. There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies and before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger, says the Lord, and I will send the sword after them until I have consumed them. I will set My throne in Elam and will destroy from there the king and the princes, says the Lord. But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 49: 35-39). While this may have had partial fulfillment in the days following Jeremiah (Nebuchadezzar crushed Elam followed later by Cyrus taking over Belshazzar’s reign in Elam), the prophesied total desolation of Elam never really materialized. Daniel’s use of the eschatological term “latter days” indicates that following their judgment, Elam will be reestablished. This prophecy is a possible description of what we are now witnessing. If it is, the worst for Iran is yet to come. We’ll see.

A fourth possible prophetic fulfillment of this war may be a lead up to the huge world war prophesied in Revelation. This war is often called the sixth trumpet war, the Euphrates River war, or simply World War III. “Then the sixth angel sounded…. Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates…. So, the four angels who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.” (Revelation 9: 13-15). The four countries surrounding the Euphrates are Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. If this Iran-Israel war leads to wide-spread international superpower involvement that results in huge loss of human life, it certainly would have been the prophetic spark for this horrific war. By the way, this sixth trumpet war is not Armageddon. It will emanate from the Euphrates River area, not from the plains and mountains near Jerusalem. While this war will likely take place during the great tribulation, we must be aware that events in Revelation are not necessarily chronological. We need to be alert that this is a possible fulfillment.

A fifth and virtually certain prophetic fulfillment of this Iran-Israel war comes from Jesus’s warning of birth pangs happening just before the tribulation and His second coming. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars…. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom…. “ Matthew 24: 6-7). The current situation in the Middle East obviously fits this prophecy. We know what comes after birth pangs -full on contractions!

To summarize, we can eliminate Ezekiel 38&39 and Daniel 8 from consideration. Jeremiah 49 and Revelation 9 are possibilities we need to watch. The Matthew 24 birth pangs are a certainty.

Saints, we’re living in prophetic times. We need our bibles more and more to unravel what’s coming on this world. Jesus told us quite succinctly; “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.” (Mark 13:23). Keep watching, keep studying. Be prepared and ready.

Maranatha, Jim

The soon coming Kingdom of God is nearly beyond description in terms that we can grasp. The millennial reign of Christ will have an Edenic character that this age has never nor can ever experience. Only two humans have ever experienced this type of existence in all of history. They, of course, are Adam and Eve before the fall that led to a curse that corrupted all of creation. In the coming kingdom redeemed mankind will once again have a full relationship with his Creator such as Jesus walking and talking with Adam in the garden. The Kingdom will be characterized by one main element-the dominance and control by its King- our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be on His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9: 6-7).

Jesus will use those that are His to administer the kingdom as He sees fit. That’s us, His bride, His church, His adopted kin. We will rule with Him as kings and priests. “… Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and makes us kings and priests to His God and Father…” (Revelation 1: 5-6). “For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5: 9-10). As kings and priests God will have restored to us dominion of the earth just as was assigned to Adam and Eve. “Then God said, ‘let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and every living thing that lives on the earth.’ ” (Genesis 1:26). Their other duties included care of their environment. “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2: 15). This same type of dominion will be manifest in our delegated tasks as kings and priests. The term “kings” refers to regional authority and leadership via sovereign power. “Priests” implies our utter devotion to Christ as we are tasked with being intermediaries between God and mortal humanity.

Yes, even though we will be living in a truly glorious environment, we will have responsibilities in the earthly government of the Son. This current brief period of temporal existence is merely a training ground preparing us for the wonders to come. How is your training going? I hope well. Just make sure you’re following the lead of the greatest trainer man could ever have-Jesus Himself. He’s our example. If you are, you’ll have no problem navigating a truly amazing future.

Maranatha, Jim