Posted on 08/25/2013 7:14:14 AM PDT by pastorbillrandles
In view of recent developments in Syria, (The use of Chemical weapons), I am reprinting a Dec 2011 column on Syria in Prophecy
The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.(Isaiah 17:1-2)
At a breath-taking rate, world events are increasingly lining up with predictions of the prophets of the Bible, signifying that the Day of the Lord draws near. The biblical prophets are specific as to geo-political alignments and events which are to occur in the last days. The rapidly festering situation in Syria is an example of this phenomenom.
The Assad government of Syria is currently reacting to its own version of the so-called ‘Arab spring’. The wave of populist reform demonstrations in the Arab world has already swept aside the governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya and has stirred discontent in several other Arab nations.
Bashir Assad has shown a willingness to brutally suppress all internal dissent, having slaughtered four thousand of his own people, and sent tens of thousands into hiding, to maintain his power. But he is feeling besieged, and is looking for insurance in the form of beefed up weapons and military.
Having recently been censured by the Arab league, and threatened by Turkey, and seeing what NATO did to fellow Arab despot Gaddafi, Assad is looking for help from Iran,Russia, and even North Korea in his quest to fend off his enemies.
Here is an article from the English edition of ADNKRONOS International, titled,“Syria:Iranian and N.Korean Rocket Experts hold Damascus Meetings”
Damascus, 1 Dec. (AKI) – Dozens of officials from North Korea and Iran have conducted meetings with representatives of the Syrian government in Damascus to help president Bashar al-Assad obtain weapons following the implementation of sanctions by members of the Arab League and other countries.
The meetings have been taking place in recent days, and were attended by experts in the production of rockets, according to Kuwaiti daily al-Seyassah, citing unnamed intelligence sources.
”The Syrian regime is afraid of losing power so is asking help from these two allies to put in place whatever means are necessary, even if it causes many deaths,” an intelligence source told the newspaper. “The only way to stop further bloodshed is for foreign intervention”.
Furthermore this article from Israel’s Arutz Sheva called,“Russia sent Syria Super Advanced s-300 Missiles” indicates that Assad is determined not to become the next Gaddafi, even if maintaining power involves World War.
Certainly Syria, Russia, North Korea, Europe, America, and of course Israel, are all preparing for something terrible.
The prophet Isaiah predicted that at the time of the end, a dreadful thing which has not ever happened in history is to occur. Damascus will cease from being a city, no longer will it be a seat of Government, a heap of rubble is it’s future.
Jeremiah implies that shortly before her destruction, Damascus will be surprised that Jerusalem is not “deserted” as she expected, this causes Damascus to lose heart herself.
Whatever the provocation, the destruction of Damascus will reflect badly upon Israel in the court of world opinion. The world will turn on Israel, blaming her for what happens to Damascus. What little favor Israel had enjoyed up till then will shrivel up, it will resemble the last few olives left after the shaking of the olive tree by the reapers.
Damascus shall be obliterated in the context of a wider war, which will be destructive of other Arab cities as well, such as the area we call Gaza, which is a terrorist state designated as part of the U.N.imposed “two state solution”, but which God calls, “the nation not desired”…
The one positive aspect of these terrible times, is that even the hardest of men will begin to seek the living God,
In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 17:7)
Zechariah echoes Isaiah,
The burden of the word of the LORD in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the LORD.(Zechariah 9:1)
The international outcry that will be raised against Israel will be unprecedented. The nations line up to register complaint in the U.N., newspaper headlines will scream, pundits will wax eloquent with moral indignation, religious leaders will pontificate against Israel, her former lovers will leave her, and it will be extremely unfashionable to stand with God’s chosen people in that day.
Woe to the multitude of many people Who make a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 13 The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters; …(Isaiah 17:11-12)
But the outcry will merely be the prelude to the outpouring of Divine wrath upon all nations . Tribulation such as never occurred upon the earth, the wind and the sea raging, and men’s hearts failing them for fear…
But it is as in the evening, which seems always darkest before dawn, such is the tribulation and time of Jacob’s trouble, as Isaiah says,
Nice try, but it's the Bestselling Christ Surrenders to Satan scam that mocks Jesus Christ Himself.
Romans 11:21 For if God hath not spared the natural branches, fear lest perhaps he also spare not thee.
Romans 11:22 See then the goodness and the severity of God: towards them indeed that are fallen, the severity; but towards thee, the goodness of God,if thou abide in goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
Keep on preaching the illusion that living a Christian life doesn't matter and focusing on the bestselling diversion of the moment if you like, but all the tap dancing in the world doesn't change the fact that Jesus Christ expects us to bear fruit.
James 2:17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.
James 2:18 But some man will say : Thou hast faith, and I have works : shew me thy faith without works ; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well : the devils also believe and tremble.
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar?
James 2:22 Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect?
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God.
James 2:24 Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?
James 2:25 And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers, and sending them out another way?
James 2:26 For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.
No matter how you twist "watching", it doesn't encompass generating new interpretations of Scripture any time the headlines change in order to sell the sizzle of knowing the future.
16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
“They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.”
Paul didn’t write that to you. He wrote to someone living before 70 AD.
Address Daniel 12:4 and Revelation 22:10, if you can!
(Romans 11:22) Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.
(Romans 11:23) And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.
(Romans 11:24) For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
(Romans 11:25) For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
(Romans 11:26) And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
(Romans 11:27) For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
(Romans 11:28) As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes.
(Romans 11:29) For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
------------------------
The people who watch actually expect him to return and they don't want to be found doing nothing even though they know it isn't their works that save them and they can't earn their way.
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 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. 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: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 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. 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.
A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day, therefore in the big picture we are on the edge of the long awaited Sabbath Day, awaiting the Millenial day of rest. There have been 6000 ears of human history, most of which have past, Jesus came two 'days' ago, by that reckoning. Hosea 6 tells us that for "two days" the Jews would be smitten and torn, and on the 'third day" they would be perfected. We are at the end of the second day, in the very last of the last days, the eve of the day of the Lord.
“A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day...”
Stop using these verses as a “secret decoder ring.” This is a quote from the Psalms and Peter is using it to tell people Christ hasn’t come yet because He is giving them time to repent! It’s not a crypto-calendar for false doctrine like Dispensationalism! Christ said “ALL these things” would happen before that generation passed! Peter was writing to people (specifically Jews in the diaspora!) that “THE END IS NEAR!” and calling them to repent!
Dispensationalism requires two things: people who willingly spread false doctrine and people ignorant of basic contextual hermeneutics. Which one are you?
“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you...”
The “you” in that verse is not YOU! Peter was writing to a specific audience at a specific time for a specific reason and YOU are the last person he had in mind!
YOU, a dispensationalist preacher living 2,000 years after the fact was not even on Peter’s radar! He was very specific to whom he addressed his letters:
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 1 Peter 1:1
Are you a Jew whose forefathers were dispersed into those areas of the ancient near east? If not, PETER WAS NOT WRITING TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE ALIVE FOR THE LAST 2,000 YEARS!
You call yourself a pastor yet you don’t understand the basics of hermeneutics, Biblical or otherwise???
Shame on you!
Stingray,I am not going to trade “Shame on you”’s with you, it is a waste of time. But for someone who doesn’t see the obvious prophetic significance of the miraculous rebirth of Israel,(As prophesied by Jeremiah,Isaiah, Joel, Ezekiel), and you also insist somehow that the resurrection occurred in 70ad, you have no credibility. If anyone is using “hyper dispensationalistic” methods, it is you, trying to tell me that the second epistle of Peter isn’t applicble to me. Do yu actually believe Christ came in 70 AD?
A, B, C, it's a process. How does one acquire light?
Exodus 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”
The Hebrew word for 'obedient' here is shema, which also means know, as in, we will do, and we will know. Do mitzvot. That's how to receive light! Notice 24/7 nice touch.
Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
4:1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.
4 “Remember the Torah of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
Repent / Teshuvah = 'Return,' return to Torah
Read the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), the older brother is Judaism, the younger Christianity. The younger brother better do teshuvah! To the Father and to Torah!
And learn some Hebrew
http://www.sarshalom.us/resources/scripture/asv/bible.html#BRITHAHADASHAH
“...for someone who doesn’t see the obvious prophetic significance of the miraculous rebirth of Israel,(As prophesied by Jeremiah,Isaiah, Joel, Ezekiel)...”
And every prophet you cited there was fulfilled in the restoration of Israel after the Babylonian captivity! There is no prophetic significance to the rebirth of Israel because Jesus Himself said “all these things” would be fulfilled before His generation had passed!
Luke wrote that all things written would be fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem! (I’m paraphrasing for the sake of time here.)
The resurrection was tied to the judgment of Israel (read Daniel 12) at “the time of the end.” John wrote that that time was “at hand!” (Revelation 22)!
Jesus parousia (literally, His “presence”) happened in the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and it’s Temple, just as God’s presence was “seen” in the destruction of Jerusalem & its Temple in 586 BC by the Babylonians!
So yes, He came in judgment upon those who killed Him and the messengers He sent! Read Matthew chapters 21-25!
As much as you would like to make the Bible about us living today, it is NOT about us!
But given the choice between believing Christ when He said He would come again while some of those standing right in front of Him were still alive (Matt. 16:27-28), or believing you, who says He hasn’t, I’ll believe the plainly spoken words of Christ!
OK- go ahead and believe what you want. Have the ‘sheep and goats’ been judged already?
“OK- go ahead and believe what you want. Have the ‘sheep and goats’ been judged already?”
What part of “all these things” isn’t perfectly clear?
Seems you have a decision to make: believe Christ or the creeds. I know who I believe. Do you?
Pastor Bill
Thanks for your insight, I always enjoy reading your studies,
As far back as the 70s, I was aware of the prophecy that Damascus would one day become a heap of rubble, and while knowledge of his truth (not just knowledge in general) has continued to increase, its been interesting to watch over the years as world events continue to align with his word and we can more clearly see those days approaching, and with the record of the Gospels we have more than Moses and the Prophets, we have a more sure witness, we are without excuse that any of us should be caught sleeping at so late an hour,
With so many things now occurring in the world, its seems that many will normalize these extraordinary times, as if all things continue as its always been, its clear from scripture that if it were possible even ‘the very elect’ would be deceived and alone in the flesh we cannot adequately discern the signs of the times or properly separate his work in the flesh (Israel) from the spirit (Church) but we require (humbly) the illumination of the holy spirit. “thou art the Christ” and as Jesus responded to Peter, “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you”
I’m not aware if you’ve done a study on the parable of the 10 virgins? I would be interested in reading it if you have,
The parable of the 10 virgins is applicable to today, and even to this very discussion thread, being that it truly is amazing when you consider the time it must certainly apply too, his return, meaning what must be happening in the world at the exact moment he comes for his waiting bride, as is being revealed by the spirit,
1) they are all virgins, (The Church)
2) five are wise, with oil (Holy Spirit)
3) five are foolish,
4) they are all waiting for the bridegroom (Jesus) and
5) they all wake up with the shout, (Trump of God)
6) at the midnight hour (Fullness of Time)
7) “Go ye out to meet him” (with the voice of the Archangel)
And yet only those with oil in their lamps are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb and “the door is shut.” (enter though into thy chambers) (hide thyself a little while, until the indignation be past)
Those without oil in their lamps are aware they missed the coming of the bridegroom, and while they hurry off and attempt to remedy what they lack, the door still remains shut to those without oil (the holy spirit) and with the admonition from the lord himself “depart from me I never knew you”
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:13
His coming for his Bride is not this day, this day comes later:
Jesus is returning bodily to this Earth and every eye will see him coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and every knee will bend, and he will sit forever upon the throne of David as King of Kings and Lord or Lords forever,
What exactly do you believe, Stingray?
Thanks,
jodyel
“Do you actually believe Christ came in 70 AD?”
I do find it quite remarkable that some can believe this. Very interesting to say the least.
“What exactly do you believe, Stingray?”
That Christ came in 70 AD in glory of His Father exactly as He promised: while some of those He addressed in Matthew 16:27-28 were still alive.
When you study how the Father came “in glory” against the nations of the Old Testament that were under His judgment, you begin to understand that Christ’s coming (literally “presence” from the Greek parousia) was not a physical presence, any moreso than the Father was physically present in the OT!
Therefore, if Christ came as He said He would, before that generation had passed, then EVERYTHING ELSE prophesied associated with His coming in judgment upon Jerusalem happened, too!
Everything not fulfilled by Christ’s earthly ministry on the cross was fulfilled less than 40 years later, before the generation with whom He walked the earth had passed.
If all this, therefore, is true (and I firmly believe it is based on Christ’s very own words to His disciples), then people need to re-examine what they think they know about terms like “resurrection” (the spirit raised from Sheol, as the Psalmist wrote), “rapture” (which does not exist in the Bible!), “antichrist” (of whom when John wrote, said there were many!), “tribulation” (most people dont even know that there are two distinct tribulations mentioned in Matthew 24, and that one is both a sign and cause of the other! Look closely at verses 9 and 14 again!), etc.
In short, I went from being a pre-trib, pre-mill, dispensationalist to being a full preterist after 6 years of intense study in the Bible - both Old and New Testaments - all because I wanted to understand Revelation and nothing that I had been taught about it in pre-trib, pre-mill dispensationalism made any sense whatsoever!
Revelation can be easily understood if you study it in light of the gospels (Matthew 21-24, Luke 11-21, John 15-16) and you understand Christ’s prophetic ministry in light of the Old Testament prophets!
I’ll close with this:
Read Matthew chapters 21-14, keeping in mind the two tribulations in Matthew 24 (verses 9 and 14). Revelation’s first seven chapters deal almost exclusively with the tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24:9 (and Matthew 10:18, John 15 & 16). Revelation 8-20 deals with the second “great tribulation” (judgment) that falls on Jerusalem mentioned in Matthew 24:14. Revelation 21-22 address the world after the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the Mosaic Covenant, when the first and chief persecutor of the church (not Rome but Jerusalem) has been taken out of the way and God’s kingdom - His church - over which Christ is the head is fully instituted on earth.
There is no army of angelic beings riding to our rescue. Christ has empowered us to change our world. We are His body: His Temple here on earth. If people want to see the world change, they need to get their eyes off the skies and their heads in the game.
That’s exactly what I believe!
So Preterist then, right? I understand now and will have to respectfully disagree.
Thanks for the reply.
“So Preterist then, right?”
As I believe I made clear with this comment:
“In short, I went from being a pre-trib, pre-mill, dispensationalist to being a full preterist...”
But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end...Daniel 12:4
And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Revelation 22:10
I suspect your disagreement isn’t with me so much as it is with the Word of God.
I wrote that before I’d finished your entire post, so I knew you were Preterist before I got to that part.
Just my way of writing....a rhetorical question more than anything else.
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