Author: jdwvaw2

Genesis chapter nine describes something called the Noahic Covenant. This covenant describes God’s unilateral promise that He would never again destroy the earth and all flesh with a worldwide flood. He stated: “I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13). He further states: “and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:15-16) It’s hard to imagine why God needs a reminder like the rainbow to keep Himself from destroying the earth again with a flood, but I’m glad for this covenant. Except for those with faith in His Son, conditions on the earth are probably not far from those during the time of Noah. In fact, Jesus predicted this about the state of the earth just prior to His coming. (Matthew 24:37) I believe we are there.

The LBGTQABC movement currently sweeping the earth has gone beyond sexual perversion and into what the bible calls blasphemy. They have co-opted the rainbow sign as a universal symbol of their blatant homosexuality. And, it seems to have world wide acceptance. The USA, for example, defiantly flies the rainbow flag at it’s embassies around the world. This in-His-face mocking of God’s eternal covenant is truly blasphemous. Even though some of them may not be aware of it, this satanic misuse of God’s symbol is a direct invitation to horrific judgment. We should look on their use of the rainbow with disgust, as God does.

Though God promised not to destroy the earth with a flood ever again, He will destroy all evil on this planet. As the song says “fire not a flood next time”. Biblical prophecy is clear that evil mankind will be destroyed by fire at Jesus’ second coming. The appropriation by the LGBTQ community of God’s beautiful symbol will only compound their ultimate judgment. As Christians, let’s not give any place to this abomination.

Jim

The apostle Paul writing to the Thessalonians about the days just prior to Jesus’ return: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” (2Thess. 2:11). The text is clear that the “reason” God does this is because “they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”(verse 10). The “lie” is Satan’s “unrighteous deception among those who perish” (also verse 10). So it appears from a quick reading of the text that God is sending some sort of deception so that they will believe Satan’s lies. But, this doesn’t seem to fit with God’s character. After all, isn’t He love, mercy and grace ? Is this really a fair interpretation of the text ?

After a review of the internet to see what prophecy teachers are teaching about this it’s soon evident that there is a wide range of opinion on what this strong delusion is. Opinions range from mind interference to angelic visitations to alien UFO’s or a recurrence of Nephilim. I think that all these wild theories miss the boat, as simple objective hermeneutics quickly resolves the mystery. (See the article on Hermeneutics below). One of the simple rules is to look to the context to find answers. So, let’s look at the context where this “strong delusion” is presented.

In the earlier verses of this chapter just before the verse in question, Paul is describing the revealing of the antichrist. In verses 6-8 Paul says this:” And now you know what is restraining, that he (antichrist) may be revealed in his own time.” “He who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way“. “And then the lawless one will be revealed.” (For a discussion of who the restrainer is scroll down to the recent post “The Restrainer”). Verses 9&10 follow: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception….” Then comes the verse 11 about the strong delusion from God. The Greek words for strong delusion are energia plane, or a ‘powerful working of error’. The context here clearly connects the strong delusion from God with His removal of the restrainer allowing Satan and his man their “own time”. This will be a 3 and 1/2 year period of great tribulation where lying wonders will be the order of the day. So, no, God is not sending a specific deception to unbelievers, but reassigning the one who has been restraining Satan permitting verse 12: “that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” This is entirely consistent with God’s character as demonstrated throughout scripture. “And their soul delights in their abominations, so I will choose their delusions, and bring their fears on them; because when I called, no one answered, when I spoke they did not hear; but they did evil before My eyes and chose that in which I do not delight.” (Isaiah 66:3-4). Paul says this about men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness: “Professing to be wise, they became fools….Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts….For this reason God gave them up to vile passions….And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things that are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness…” (Romans 1: 22,24,26,28,29) In Ephesians, Paul says this about the pagan mindset; “They walk in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Ephesians 4:17-19). Here “past feeling” is, in Greek, apalgeo or being so inured to sin that one is not bothered by what he is doing. God gives them over because they have given themselves over. To use modern vernacular, it seems God has a “red line”. When one crosses it, God gives them over to a reprobate mind, and no longer draws them by His Spirit. This is, no question, a harsh reality, but one justified by God as He has given them every opportunity, over and over. However, only God knows where this red line is with any individual, and it is not for us to make such a judgment. We must continue to pray for and witness to all no matter how lost they might seem to be. Judgment lies completely with God.

There is a time coming in the near future when the antichrist will be revealed and a huge portion of humanity will be be given over en masse by God to follow the lies and deception of the antichrist. He will do this by removing the restrainer from his present task of battling on our behalf in the spiritual realm. We need to be fully prepared so as to not believe the lies that that will bombard our senses. Stay strong in the Word.

Maranatha, Jim

Several prominent prophecy ministers are teaching a soon coming ME war based on Psalm 83. They say it will be a war won by Israel that will devastate Israel’s surrounding neighbors. And, supposedly, it will be a stand alone war, prior to the final conflict of Ezekiel 38 &39. If that is true, then we certainly need to be watching for it in the very near future. But, is it what the Psalm declares ? Here is the text of Psalm 83; Psalms 83 | NIV Bible | YouVersion

Let’s analyze this Psalm. First, who is the author, Asaph? Asaph was the Temple Musician/song writer during the time of David and Solomon. He is credited as the author of 12 Psalms, with 83 being the last. While many Psalms are prophetic in nature, the focus of this Psalm is prayer. Specifically, prayer to God for protection of God’s people from the enemies that surround Israel. These enemies are listed in verses 6-8. Notice what the Psalmist says about what they are plotting; They “make a tumult‘, they have “lifted up their head“, they have “taken crafty counsel against your people“, they have “consulted together” they have said “let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more“, they have consulted together with one consent“, they “form a confederacy against you“. (Psalm 83:2-5). Sound familiar ? Following is a map of these nations and their modern day counterparts;

During the time of Asaph’s ministry, these nations were not much of a threat, so, perhaps Asaph wanted this song sung by the Israelites as an ongoing prayer to prevent a future threat. There are no biblical accounts of a decisive war against these particular nations all at the same time. But, there is one that comes close in our modern era. The 1967 war. Against incredible odds, Israel fought against the combined militaries of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon. the PLO, and the Saudi air force. It was a miraculous victory for Israel giving her control of the Golan, Gaza, the West Bank, the Sinai peninsula, and Jerusalem including the temple mount. It was a relatively short war that included all the modern counterparts of Israel’s enemies listed in Psalm 83. Might this have been the object and fulfillment of Asaph’s prayer ? It is certainly an obvious candidate. However, there may be another fulfillment in our near future.

As I write this, Israel has just ended an aerial conflict with Hamas on its southern border involving thousands of missiles fired from Gaza. Hamas is an Iranian military proxy devoted to the destruction of Israel. Hamas is not the only Iranian proxy so inclined. To the north is Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Syria. To the east are Iraqi Shiite militias and Iran itself. To the south are the well armed Houthi Shiites, another Iranian proxy. They are all “consulting together to cut Israel off from being a nation”. I think this looming situation may be a focus of Asaph’s prayer. A war between Israel and Iran’s proxies seems imminent. I think this Gaza war was Iran testing Israel’s capabilities. Iran will probably coordinate a massive attack by her proxies in the near future. If the prayer of Psalm 83 is answered, these proxies will be totally destroyed.

So, to sum up, Psalm 83 is primarily a prayer that likely was answered in 1967, with a future 2nd fulfillment imminent between Israel and limited to Iran’s militant Islamic proxies. We can have a part in the outcome of that. When you read Psalm 83, quote it as a prayer to God for the safety and peace of Israel.

Maranatha, Jim

You may recall news of a UFO cult called Heavens Gate, that committed mass suicide in 1997. They were following a couple who claimed to be the two witnesses of Revelation. They believed that physical death would allow them to ascend to a space ship associated with the comet Hale-Bopp. Thirty nine of them died in this incredible deception. Jesus warned us that the last days would be filled with deception. The belief in super-intelligent life forms piloting UFO’s is wide spread in our day. Various unexplained sightings, alien abductions, reports of ancient alien visitations, the popularity of sci-fi movies, government cover ups, etc. fuel this belief. Even the bible is used as a source of belief in extra-terrestrials. Following is my take on this subject.

First I’ll make a simple observation about UFO’s. They’re unidentified. Until such a time arrives that we have clear visual and mechanical details complete with inspection, even the most controversial incidents will remain just that; unidentified.

Next, lets get into the bible. All the descriptions of so-called UFO’s in the bible, such as Ezekiel chapter 1, constitute visions where the prophet is given a glimpse into the spirit realm. There is a spirit realm where God and His angels reside, but it remains outside of the physical realm we inhabit. These visions do not depict UFO’s from another place in our physical universe. Various commentators try to invoke the “fornicating angels” theory whereby the Nephilim of Genesis are making last days appearances in UFO’s. A sound rebuttal of this theory is contained in the article permanently linked below entitled “The ‘Sons of God’ and the ‘Daughters of Men’ “. Yes, angels do appear in this physical realm from time to time as clearly seen in the bible, but, only as god’s messengers, not UFO pilots. And yes, we do need to be wary of Satan and his minions. They will as Jesus said “….show great signs and wonders to deceive….” (Matthew 24:24). “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2Corinthians 11:14)

Does the bible allow for beings from other than planet earth to exist elsewhere in the universe? Specifically, beings much more advanced than humankind in order for them to travel impossible distances to get here? In the beginning, God and Jesus created man in Their image. ” Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” (Genesis 1: 26) “For man …. is the image and glory of God” (1Corinthians 11:7). These statement and others indicate that man as created by God was special in that he was God-like. Adam, before the fall, was the smartest being ever created with the exception being Jesus Himself. Adam was at a level where he walked and talked (communed) with his creator. If there exists in this universe advanced beings of greater intelligence than Adam, they would have to fit in between Adam and God. However, the fact that man was created in God’s likeness does not give room for such beings. IMHO, the bible does not allow for super intelligent ET’s that could pilot UFO’s across the universe.

But, you may be wondering, what about simpler life forms, plant and animal, could they exist on other planets ? Concerning this, the bible is silent. Life is only described here on earth and in the spirit realm. We can only speculate. On the third day of creation, God created the sun, moon and the stars. Then He “stretched them out” to the expanse we now see. This stretching is described in Isaiah 42:5,45:12, 51:13 and Jeremiah 10:12,and 51:15. For all you Astro-physicists out there, this was the real “expansion” big-bang theorists try to describe. God doesn’t do anything without a reason. While we know He created this earth to be inhabited by His creation (Isaiah 45:18), He also had a purpose for creating the vast universe. I suspect His perfected creation after the millennial reign will be involved. Could God have designed vast Edenic real estate for His people throughout the universe to inhabit ? I’m only speculating, of course, but some sort of life may be awaiting us just as Eden was prepared for the creation of Adam. The Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah thusly; “”Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1Corinthians 2:9). He also said this about when perfection comes; “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1Corinthians 13:12) The implication here is that Paul (and us) will “know”(have knowledge) just as God does.

So, to sum up, the bible seems to prohibit super intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and thus, ET UFO pilots. However, I would not be surprised if non intelligent flora and fauna were to be eventually found on other worlds, most likely after His second coming. For now, UFO’s remain unidentified. We absolutely need to be prepared for all sorts of deception in these last days. I hope you’ll spend more time reading and studying God’s word then pondering UFO mysteries.

Jim

I’m sure that many of you, if you’ve had any exposure to basic physics, have heard of entropy. It’s a scientific principle contained in the 2nd law of thermodynamics. But did you know that this law is contained in the bible ? After an “aha” moment, I realized this was true, and decided to write an article about it. This link will take you to the article.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_50eM5Uh_WXnP-i-4X886ElwGTFq0WV2rSjLpTm0QmA/edit?usp=sharing

I’m also adding a permanent link below, so you can easily refer to it if necessary.

The following article by John MacArthur points out one of the main reasons our current world is in such a chaotic state.

John MacArthur: Right in Their Own Eyes (decisionmagazine.com)

Anti-Zionism, or antisemitism is raising its ugly head world-wide. This is prophetic. During the rise of the antichrist Israel will find itself without significant support from any world ally. This will facilitate the antichrist’s ability to successfully attack Israel and set up the abomination of desolation on the temple mount. Erick Stakelbeck does a good job describing what is happening in the following newscast video: UN Hypocrisy EXPOSED as it Singles Out Israel for Gaza Casualties | Watchman Newscast – YouTube

My last post presented a biblical riddle that, hopefully, we could solve together. I solicited your comments and opinions, but, sadly, only received one comment. I was hoping for a lively discussion. So, let me demonstrate how sound hermeneutics can shed light on difficult passages. (See the article “Hermeneutics” linked to below). Lets focus on Luke’s account, as it is more detailed. After Jesus famously stated that at His coming one would be taken and one would be left in a variety of situations (field, workplace, in bed), the Pharisees asked Him; “Where Lord ? So He said to them ‘wherever the body is, there the eagles will gather’ ” (Luke 17:37)

Jesus’ answer is given to the question “where?”. Using free bible software such as ESword (which you all should be accustomed to) reveals in a couple clicks that the Greek word “pou” translated “where” simply means what place or what locality. Next we need to determine who is taken to this locality. It is obviously not the ones left, as they remain in a broad variety of areas, but the ones taken. So Jesus indicated he will take individuals from a wide range of places and situations to a specific location. Where is that location ? Jesus answered; “where ever the body(corpses) is” – a gathering place for carrion eaters like eagles. Now, lets check end time scripture that describe where corpses might be found. Ezekiel says this when detailing the final battle before Messiah’s return; “Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field….Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal….A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood.” (Ezekiel 39:17) Revelation says this; “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘come and gather together for the supper of the great God that you may eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men…and the flesh of all men, free, slave, small and great…..And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19: 17-18, 21) Isaiah says this; “Then they shall bring all your brethren…. to My holy mountain, Jerusalem, says the Lord….And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against me….” (Isaiah 66:20, 24). From these scriptures it becomes apparent that the end time locality where the corpses are and the carrion eating birds (eagles) gather together is Jerusalem and its surrounding mountains. It seems clear to me that Jesus is simply saying that he is going to gather His elect to himself in Jerusalem where He will alight on the Mount of Olives. This will happen immediately after He crushes the armies of the world gathered together against Him leaving the area littered with corpses. His “riddle” fits perfectly with other end-time scriptures. This also should clear up any wonderment about who are taken and who are left. This is usually a point of controversy. What’s clear to me is that there are three groups of people indicated by Jesus in His response to the Pharisees. First, the enemies of Christ (wicked) – corpses, second, those taken -Christians (those who are His elect), and third, those in the world who remain.

As we come closer to Jesus’ return, all of the scriptures that deal with end-times will come into sharp focus. But we all need to set apart significant study time so the Holy Spirit can lead and guide us into all truth.

I am hoping to get comments from those who read this blog concerning a statement by Jesus. It appears to be a riddle that is not readily solved. I’m interested in your opinions. When describing His coming in the Olivet discourse, Jesus said this; “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together “ (Matthew 24 : 28). Luke’s Gospel records a similar comment from Jesus when talking to the Pharisees who had asked Him when the kingdom of God would come. (Luke 17:20). “I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed; the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding together; the one will be taken and the other left. Two men will be in the field; the one taken and the other left. And they answered and said to Him, ‘where Lord?’ So He said to them, ‘wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together’.” (Luke 17:33-37). It’s the underlined scripture above that I’m interested in. Obvious is the fact that Jesus is using the metaphor of eagles (carrion eaters) being drawn to corpses (dead flesh) to illustrate a connection to the day of His coming. He said this to both His apostles on the Mount of Olives, and earlier to curious Pharisees. The question is, how is this metaphor related to the events surrounding His coming ? What was Jesus trying to tell them them at that time, and now, us ?

A couple of Scriptures related to eagles that may help; Exodus 19:4, Revelation 12:14. If your link or notification doesn’t provide for comments, go to the main blog site and use the “comment” link following this post. Jim’s Eschatological Info – “What I say to you I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37) (eschatontrails.com) All of us together with the help of the Holy Spirit should be able to solve this. Keep studying. Maranatha!

Paul’s 2nd letter to the Thessalonians presents us with a bit of a mystery. When writing about the revealing of the antichrist mid-tribulation, he says why this couldn’t have happened earlier. There is something or someone “restraining” or holding back the Satan empowered man of sin from operating freely. This restrainer is currently still on the job. “And now you know what is restraining, that he (antichrist) may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed….” (2nd Thessalonians 2: 6-8). Apparently, Paul had directly told the Thessalonians who this restrainer was, but it’s not made clear for us. We need to do a little detective work to figure out who he means.

First, we must acknowledge that God Himself is orchestrating all end-time events, and so is responsible for everything that happens and when. Notice that stated in the above passage it is he who restrains until he is taken out of the way. God will remove an individual who has been holding back the antichrist. In Daniel’s book, the prophet reveals a spiritual battle taking place to keep Gods messenger from answering Daniels prayer. When the angel finally gets to Daniel, he says this; “….I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me….” (Daniel 10: 12-13). Later in the chapter he concludes when talking about these satanic princes in the spirit realm; “….No one upholds me against these except Michael, your prince.” (Daniel 10: 21). In chapter 12, when talking about the start of the great tribulation, when the antichrist reveals himself, the angel tells Daniel this; “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation….” (Daniel 12:1). These scriptures clearly indicate that there is a mighty archangel named Michael whose responsibility is to watch over and protect Gods people from evil powers in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). Because we Christians are “grafted in” to Gods chosen, Michael is our protector as well. But that protection will come to an abrupt end at the middle of the 70th week. Just before the final 1260 days, Revelation tells us this; “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12: 7-9). This is the precise time when Paul talks about removal of the restrainer. Michael “stands up”, and kicks Satan out of the Heavenly realm to earth where he is given a short time, “his time”, 3.5 years, to do his dirty work. Michael will have completed his mission for that time and will no longer protect Gods people from Satan’s wiles. His job of restraining is temporarily over. If you’ve read the seven recent posts on the two witnesses, you can see how their demise fits well with the timing of the restrainers removal. The two witnesses are killed mid-trib. when Satan, kicked out of heaven by Michael, opens the abyss, and looses the destroyer to posses the antichrist. Only then can the two witnesses be killed. If Michael were not taken out of the way, he would have prevented these things from happening.

This will usher in a time of testing for the church such as never before. We must be prepared. Though God will remove the restrainer, He will not abandon us. We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. He has given us his Spirit, which is greater than anything the world can throw at us. However, we are going to need the full armor as listed in Ephesians chapter six to take our stand. Always remember what David said before facing Goliath ; “The battle is the Lords”.

I think, taken together, these scriptures make a good case for identifying the Archangel Michael as the restrainer. I’m glad he’s on the job right now fighting for us in the spirit realm, but I’m not necessarily looking forward to when God takes him out of the way. It’s going to be a troubling time indeed. Jesus said about those days; “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22)