Author: jdwvaw2

A recent video was brought to my attention that does a good job of describing what in the world is going on in our country with things like critical race theory and how Christianity is being impacted. It’s a bit long, but after you’ve watched it I guarantee you’ll better understand the social and political upheaval taking place in our world. Set aside an hour to watch Pastor Baucham’s presentation here: Biblical Justice vs. Social Justice | Voddie Baucham – YouTube

I’m sure most of you have heard the teaching that Enoch and Elijah were translated (raptured) by God to heaven before they died. This is purported as the reason they will be the “Two Witnesses” of Revelation chapter 11. But, is that really what the bible says happened to them ? Let’s check Enoch first.

The book of Genesis records : “After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5: 22-24) Paul adds this in Hebrews; “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5) First, consider that the text does not indicate where God took him. Heaven is merely an assumption by many teachers. Also, the text does not say that he never died, only that he didn’t “see death“. It appears that God took him before the earth was corrupted by the sons of God (righteous line of Seth) cohabiting with the daughters of men (line of Cain), perhaps protecting him from the resulting chaos that ended with a flood. So , where did God take him ? We can only speculate, as the bible does not say. Eden maybe ? At any rate, the bible clearly says this “….it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…”(Hebrews 9:27) Hebrews also indicates that Enoch did indeed die. After a listing of OT heroes of faith including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, etc. it is thus stated “These all died in faith, not having received the promises...” (Hebrews 11:13). “All”, by necessity includes Enoch.

Lets take a look at Elijah. When Elisha took over the mantle of his mentor Elijah the prophet this occurred : “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11) The Hebrew word translated here as heaven simply means sky. Elisha watched Elijah carried off into the sky. So, the question remains – where was Elijah taken ? It’s evident that he did not remain in the sky. Other sons of the prophets who were watching from a distance suggested this to Elisha; “….Look now , there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley….and they searched for three days but did not find him.” (2Kings 2:16-17) Certainly, the same law that applies to all of us also applies here; “It is appointed for men to die once..” While this seems to present an enigma, a later scripture brings clarity. Years later, after Elijah was taken, when Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat was king in Judah: “And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying….” (2Chronicles 21:12) Jehoram got a letter from Elijah criticizing his ungodly reign describing things Elijah could only have known about lest he was still alive on the earth. Commentators struggle with this verse stating things like- ‘this must be a scribal error where Elisha was meant’. IMO, God simply relocated Elijah according to His plan.

Interestingly, the New Testament records a similar relocation incident where Philip was instantly transported to Azotus after baptizing an Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Gaza. The account can be read in Acts 8:26-40. In summary, the teaching that Enoch and Elijah did not die but were raptured to heaven where God dwells is mere speculation. As for whether Enoch and Elijah might be the two Witnesses of Revelation, I’ll discuss this in an upcoming blog.

Listed below are some random New Testament quotes concerning conditions existing in our world just prior to Jesus’ return. I won’t comment, as I think they speak for themselves. Do you recognize any of these as ongoing in our time ?

Peter: “Beloved, I now write to you in this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first; that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts.….” (2Peter 3:1-3)

Jude: “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19)

Paul: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron….” (1Timothy 4:1-2) “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people, turn away!” (2Timothy 3:1-5)

Jesus: “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24: 10-13)

I feel it necessary to address the confusion in Christian circles about the account of the “Nephilim” or “giants” of Genesis chapter six, supposedly the result of the “sons of God (angels)” procreating with “daughters of men” resulting in human – angel hybrids. These evil hybrids then became the primary reason God had to destroy the world with Noah’s flood. In the reasoning of some, support for this view is found in Jude 6, 2Peter 2:4-5, and the spurious “Book of Enoch”. This book of Enoch was not written by Enoch, the seventh from Adam mentioned by Peter, but by unidentified Jewish mystics two centuries before Christ. It was held in high regard by the Essene sect known for the preservation of the dead sea scrolls. The real Enoch of Genesis never wrote anything, the Hebrew language not even in existence till Moses. The fact that this book of Enoch quotes what was most likely handed down by oral tradition from the actual Enoch does not give any credence to the book. All sorts of weird ideas come from this book, such as aliens from space, a flat earth, giants thousands of feet tall, etc.

The word Nephilim simply means in Hebrew tyrants or evil rulers of renown. The major mistake exegetes make when studying Genesis 6 is to identify “sons of God” as angels. The sons of God here can be more accurately defined as describing the line of Seth as opposed to the evil line of Cain. From the righteous line of Seth came Noah on down through Jesus. The apostle John states this clearly speaking of the current heirs of Christ ; “In this the children (sons) of God and the children of the devil are manifest……. not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. ” (1John 3: 10-12). Make no mistake, the earths inhabitants were destroyed in the flood due solely to the actions of men, not angels. (Genesis 6:5-8) Besides, angels do not procreate and reproduce. (Mark 12:25) Do not be drawn in to this fornicating angels theory which proponents indicate will have an effect on end time events. The apostle Paul had this to say; “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility, and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.” (Colossians 2:18) Worship of angels is what the Essenes used the book of Enoch for.

I cannot do justice to a full discussion of this issue here in a blog, but I will link to a very comprehensive and thorough treatment of this topic. It is long, but contains all the detail to answer any questions you may have. If you encounter others with questions about angels fornicating with humans, you should refer them to this article. I’ll post a permanent link below so you can find a future reference. The Sons of God & Daughters of Men (4windsfellowships.net)

“Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week….” (Daniel 9:27). This verse of scripture marks the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week, also known as the time of Jacobs trouble and the seven year tribulation. This seven year period ends the reign of human government on earth, concluding with the return of Jesus Christ and the setting up of His kingdom. So, if we can understand what this verse is telling us, we can ascertain, when it happens, where we are on God’s prophetic timeline.

Let’s look closely at this verse. “Then” indicates the time after the 2000 year desolation of Israel, in particular, Jerusalem. “He” indicates the antichrist. “Confirm” means to acknowledge or enable, strengthened by an outside power. “Covenant” means an arrangement or compact usually sealed by blood or passing between two pieces of cut flesh. “Many” means a significant number of individuals or nations. “Week” means seven years. Using these definitions, this verse could be phrased thusly; After Israel’s desolation is completed, the antichrist will enable and strengthen God’s covenant with Israel and many surrounding nations for a seven year period. Note that I named Israel as she is implied here, but not named directly. The key word here is covenant. But, what covenant ? Many prophecy analysts determine this as simply a peace treaty between Israel and many other signatories. IMO, possible, but not likely. Biblical history reveals five major covenants God has made with His people. They are; Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New covenants. Some bible analysts think that the Abrahamic covenant is meant here and the ” treaty” will guarantee Israel’s right to the land as that is what was included in God’s covenant with Abraham. Again; possible, but not likely IMO. The one covenant that fits like a glove is the Mosaic. Israel, at this specific time will necessarily need cooperation and approval to reinstate the priesthood, have a temple rebuilt, or at least a sacrificial altar present on the temple mount, and to resume daily and weekly animal sacrifices. All these are part of Mosaic law given by God to Israel through Moses. Note that in the next part of the verse: “But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering….”(Daniel 9:27). In order for the antichrist to end the sacrifices and offerings, they must have been reinstituted and a functioning priesthood must be in place. Israel’s part in the Mosaic covenant will be not only tolerated, but strengthened by the antichrist, but only for 3.5 years. Then his tune will change, completely, and the great tribulation will begin. His wrath against Israel and Christians will be poured out viciously. If we haven’t figured out who the antichrist is by that time, we will know for certain when he declares himself the sole object of worship from the temple mount.

When we see a charismatic ME leader successful in building a ten nation coalition give his support to Israel for their religious endeavors and exert his influence to encourage many others to do so as well, check him out, he just may be the antichrist. Especially if he officially confirms this with the many. We will then know that the seventieth week has started. Prophetic scripture contains many other detailed characteristics of this antichrist figure that will help us to recognize him, such as the number of his name (Rev. 13:18). I firmly believe this confirmation of the Mosaic covenant will happen within the next decade. Keep your heads lifted up and keep watching.

If you’ve been following the previous posts on “discerning the time” and “beginnings of birth pangs” you might be wondering; OK, I see that we’re getting close to Jesus’ second coming, and I understand that we are probably experiencing these BBp’s currently, so what else should we be looking for prior to the start of the tribulation ?

Well, Jesus did add this sign in Matthew’s gospel. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) While it’s true that it can be said this has been fulfilled in our day, I don’t believe it will be fully completed until the “Two Witnesses” of Rev. Chapter 11 and the angel (messenger) of Rev. 14:6 have completed their missions. Their ministries are definitely during the 70th week and will insure that the whole world hears the gospel. In fact, I think I can state with confidence that all of the events and judgments of Revelation take place during the time of Jacob’s trouble – Daniel’s 70th week. So, we shouldn’t be looking for these yet.

The beginning of the 70th week is clearly marked by this event “Then, he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week…”.(Daniel 9:27) When this takes place, we will then know that in exactly seven years, Jesus will return and set up His kingdom. Sound bible exegesis indicates the “he” here is the antichrist. What this indicates, then, by this time, whoever this antichrist is, will have established himself as the dominant world leader in the middle east with world-wide influence. He will have been successful in regional wars and promoting peace with Israel and her enemies. He does not come from traditional royalty, but gains authority through intrigue and craftiness. By this time, he will probably be backed by a ten nation confederacy led by him. Remember, he is called the “Assyrian” (ancient Assyria) in Micah Chapter 5: 3-8 and is said to be from Yavan (modern day Turkey) in Daniel Chapter 8:9 & 21. All this gives us some things to watch for in the near future. The rise of the antichrist and the establishment of his ten nation supporting confederacy will not take place in the dark. We should have a good idea of who he is when he “confirms a covenant with many”. As I write this, the world seems to be facilitating the systems necessary for him to come to power, socially, politically, economically, and religiously. Think-“great reset”.

As far as this “covenant” that the antichrist confirms with many; it’s identification will be important for us to determine just what it is so that we can determine with confidence the identity of the antichrist. Bible scholars do not agree on what the confirmation of the covenant entails. I’ll give you my interpretation of this in my next post.

Following his list of birth pangs, Luke says this in his gospel: “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My names sake.” (Luke 21:12) One can read all about this in the book of Acts, fulfilled graphically by Steven, James, Peter, Paul, and many others. In fact, all of the Apostles were either tortured or killed for their faith, along with many thousands of martyrs. Luke continues; “But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents or brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My names sake.” (Luke 21:13-17) This type of persecution of Christians has continued largely unabated from the time of Christ till today. The Voice of the Martyrs is a Christian organization that details Christian persecution around the world. They have a free magazine that will keep you informed. The Voice of the Martyrs (persecution.com)

Matthew’s gospel, however, instead of stating “before all these things” (after listing the beginnings of birth pangs), says “then” or after these things. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My names sake.” (Matthew 24:9). This is clearly a reference to the time period immediately following the BBP’s, or, the time just ahead of us.

Unless you don’t look at the news media at all, I’m sure you are aware of the growing persecution of Christians all over the world including here in the USA. With the ubiquitous adoption of “hate speech” laws, even the bible is fast becoming banned literature in secular society. Pastors and teachers who promote biblical truth against abortion, LGBQT lifestyles, multiple gender identities, etc. are increasingly condemned and shut down for hate speech. Simply teaching that Jesus is the only way of salvation has become hate speech. The god of this world is having his way. No doubt, the most virulent persecution of Christians in the world comes from the antichrist religion of Islam. Here is a link to a recent article detailing Muslim persecution of Christians: The Most Tragic Story Never Told: The Muslim Persecution of Christians | Frontpagemag

We must prepare our hearts and minds for persecution. It’s here already, and it’s going to become much worse. We need to always be ready to give an inspired defense of what we believe and why- (1st Peter 3:15). But, as Luke said above, we don’t need a prepared or rehearsed speech to state our beliefs. We just need to open our mouths and let the Holy Spirt in us do the rest. Don’t worry if your words fall on deaf ears. Remember Jesus’ words, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you ‘A servant is not above his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you….” (John 15:18-20)

“And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences……” (Luke 21:11) I’ll wrap up the discussion of BBP’s with a focus on the last of what Jesus clearly said were the “beginning of birth pangs”- pestilences. Pestilences here is the Greek word loimos which means plague – usually disease. In the Greek version of the Old Testament (LXX) the prophet Jeremiah uses this word several times to describe the plagues that God would use to afflict the Jews who would not listen and stay in Israel rather than go to safety in Babylon. This was not unlike the plagues Moses called down on Egypt, that included physical disease, and pests such as frogs, gnats, and locusts. That these things are happening in the world today is what I would call a “no-brainer”. While in various parts of the world plagues of pests are occurring (locusts in the ME, mice in Australia ?), the most obvious is the covid-19 pandemic. Past pandemics, some quite broad in scope, typically left some part of the world unscathed. This ongoing pandemic, however, has reached every corner of the globe. It’s certainly reasonable to conclude that this fits well with Jesus’ heads-up on BBP’s .

The reason I’ve spent so much time in these seven posts about the beginnings of birth pangs is so that you consider just where we are on God’s eschatological timeline. Jesus indicated that following these signs, would be increasing turmoil and “great tribulation” leading up to His second coming. After all, He wanted us to use simple logic. Shortly after the beginnings of birth pangs come the real pains of birth contractions. That’s why He used the birthing metaphor. Gods kingdom will be delivered in the earth with the coming of our Lord. I hope you realize by now that I think there is more than sufficient evidence to state with a high degree of certainty that we are currently experiencing these beginnings of birth pangs. The “eschaton”(last days) is upon us ! If you want to pursue a more detailed possible chronology of coming events, scroll down to read the recent posts about discerning the time.

So what does all this mean for us? Most assuredly, we need to prepare and become ready for what’s coming next. Watch here for upcoming posts on what we should be doing to prepare. And, keep watching !

These two BBP’s are often overlooked and not discussed. Luke’s gospel says this: “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” (Luke 21:9) Mark puts it this way: “….there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.” (Mark 13:8) (Note: some modern translations using the Nestle- Aland underlying Greek text do not have “troubles” in Mark 13:8.)

The words troubles and commotions are different Greek words, but translate as very similar. They mean; instability, disorder, confusion, chaos, tumult, sedition, a roiling as from a mob. They indicate the opposite of order and peace. The book of Acts contains examples of this. Probably the best one is found in chapter 19 about the riot in Ephesus. You can read the whole account in verses 23-41. Paul’s preaching had converted many to the gospel, much to the chagrin of the idol worshippers who made much money from the idols they manufactured. Therefore, they instigated a riot. Here’s a few quotes to illustrate what happened. verse 23: “And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way“. verse 29: “So the whole city was filled with confusion“. verse 40: “For we are in danger of being called into question for today’s uproar, there being no reason which we may give to account for this disorderly gathering.”

I’m sure you’re already thinking about certain troubles and commotions in our day. Quite evident here in the US is the demonstrations and riots that have swept our cities in the wake the George Floyd incident in Minneapolis. Or you might be thinking about the march on our Capitol In January. The rest of the world is not exempt from similar troubles. As I write this, rebellious demonstrations are occurring in such divers cities as London, Paris, Hong Kong, Moscow, Caracas, and Myanmar. The more we see the success of some of these tumults, the more they will occur. In fact, by the time the great tribulation starts; “….and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth….” (Luke 21:25-26)

I don’t know about you, but I’m convinced the the increase the troubles and commotions the world is currently experiencing is surely of the type Jesus said would precede the time of “Jacobs Trouble”. These are definitely beginning of birth pangs as He described them. Next post – pestilence.

Included in the beginnings of birth pangs spoken of by Jesus were earthquakes and famines. He said this: “….And there will be earthquakes in various places and there will be famines….” (Mark 13:8). First, lets talk about earthquakes. After doing much research on earthquakes both historical and current, the frequencies at various levels seem to be rather static over the period where valid measurements have been recorded. Most bible commentators are looking for increasing intensities and frequencies due to the fact that Jesus included them as birth pangs, which, of course, increase in intensity up to birth. But, is this really what Jesus meant ? While certain data can be manipulated to show current increases in earthquakes, it is probably not necessary – the text in all three synoptics does not demand it. Jesus simply said earthquakes will be occurring in “various” places. Its this word “various” that is interesting. The KJV translates it “diverse places“. I think what Jesus meant was that earthquakes would be happening in parts of the world other than in Israel and you will hear about them. Diverse is the Greek word kata which can be translated as apart from or throughout. Check out this map of powerful earthquakes over 8.0 magnitude from 1900 till recent. Latest Earthquakes (usgs.gov). Notice that the middle east around Israel is lacking activity. I think this demonstrates what Jesus was saying. The occurrences shown on this map are certainly in diverse places. Make no mistake. Major earthquakes are coming to the ME and Israel specifically, but these are prophesied to occur during the great tribulation, the final birth contractions.

Famines are another story. Famines are described as a lack of life sustaining necessities due to many possible factors, such as drought, crop diseases, harvesting problems, wars, natural disasters, political instability, etc. A search of historical data reveals that severe famines have been less wide-spread in the last few decades, due to a variety of factors, with the exception of central Africa. However, a new threat has emerged in this last year, and I’m sure you can guess what it is – the covid 19 pandemic. Because of the effect of restricted world-wide transportation of food stuffs and nutrition assistance programs, parts of the world that depend benevolent sources of food assistance are suffering greatly. Here’s one example reported on by the Jerusalem Post. Yemen: Pregnant women dying of malnutrition, UNFPA chief warns of crisis – The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com) Again, Jesus did not say that famines would be increasing in intensity, only that they would be happening, ” but the end is not yet”. Yet He included them along with earthquakes in His list of beginnings of birth pangs. We can surely add them to the other items He talked about for us to keep abreast of as we draw near to the real birth pangs.

My next post will be about troubles and commotions.