Category Archives: End-Times

2024: “Behold I do a new thing. Do you see it?” Ascend to the door of glorious revelation – Veronika West

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Since the New Year our dear sister has brought many more noteworthy prophetic words than those of January, as listed in my posting of 1st February, but now we need to take note of this in particular, courtesy of His Kingdom Prophecy, as it relates to today’s (to be featured next):

2024: THE DOOR OF GREATER GLORY AND REVELATION

I heard these words recently in my prayer time, “Daughter, In 2023 I gave many the eyes to see into the next Seven-year Prophetic Cycle and Season.

But now I will give them Wings to soar in 2024 — that will carry them through the Door of Greater Glory and Revelation, to where I will impart supernatural strategies and My Hidden Secrets for the manifestation of Divine Restore and Victory in the Midst of a Coming Famine and Nations at War!”

This morning January 2, 2024, as I went early into my prayer Hut. As I began to pray, I was immediately made aware of an Administrative Angel of The LORD standing before me, and I heard these Words, ”Come up here! Come up higher — for it’s the Season of Ascension! Continue reading →

End-times Briefing 10 cont’d: key signs and prophecies

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[First posted 1.7.20]
We continue Annex A to Simplicity and examine some items in earlier Briefings:

KEY END-TIME (or SECOND ADVENT) SIGNS and PROPHECIES

An awareness of End-Time signs will help us to see if any world events, as they unfold in the weeks, months and years ahead, can honestly be described as fulfilling Biblical prophecy. Analysis of world events in relation to prophecy requires care and integrity, both to ensure genuine spiritual significance, and to avoid “false news”, conspiracy theories and the pronouncements of false prophets. It will be exceedingly hard to convince a sceptical world that prophecy is being fulfilled!

Some prophecies in the Bible seem particularly significant, in light of current world events, especially in the Middle-East. The following prophecies are worth bearing in mind, especially by those who are intentional about marrying historic prophecies with contemporary occurrences. They are, in short, signs of the End-Times:

  • Egyptian will turn against Egyptian (Isaiah 19:2)
  • Damascus will be in ruins (Isaiah 17:1)
  • Gaza will writhe in agony (Zechariah 9:5)
  • There will be false teachers and prophets who lead people astray (2 Peter 2:1-2)
  • Earthquakes, famines, plague and pestilences will intensify (Luke 21:11)
  • People will prefer fantasy to reality, myth to Christian truths (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

Some other signs of note:

  1. The Jews have returned to their Biblical homeland, however, not all of the Jews have returned, and not to all of what was originally the Promised Land. We can expect to see more Jews returning and there may be further expansion of the current borders of Israel.
  2. The desolate land of Israel has become fertile and fruitful – Zechariah 7:14.
  3. The Gospel will be preached to all nations – Matthew 24:14. The Gospel is being preached in many nations, though not yet in all nations. It may be difficult for us to determine when full coverage has been achieved! At the same time, it is surely significant that in a matter of a few years from now the Bible, or parts of it, will have been translated into every known language.
  4. We can expect that in any communication on End-Time prophecies the message, and the messenger, will be mocked and ridiculed (2 Peter 3:3-4).
  5. Jerusalem will be seen as a problem by the whole world (Zechariah 12:2-3). Zechariah made this prophecy in about 520 BC, when Jerusalem was in ruins. Today, as foretold, Israel and Jerusalem are the focus of massive media coverage that is totally disproportionate to the size of the city or nation.
  6. Christians will be persecuted and martyred (Matthew 24:9).
  7. Many will turn away from the Christian faith (Matthew 24:10).
  8. The governance of Jerusalem will be free of Gentile involvement (Luke 21:24).
  9. The “Man of Lawlessness” (the Antichrist) will appear on the world stage. He will be seen as a great and very effective unifying world leader (Revelation 13:3-8). He will establish a seven-year covenant of peace with Israel which, after 31/2 years, he will break when he declares himself as god in the Temple in Jerusalem.
  10. A worldwide financial system will be established requiring people to register and show allegiance to the Antichrist, as a prerequisite to being able to shop and trade (Revelation 13:16-17). We hear talk today of a “new world order”, the need for a worldwide economic organisation and a world government.
  11. A 31/2 year period of desolation and despair, the “Great Tribulation”, will follow the “Abomination of Desolation” by the Antichrist in the Temple.
  12. In order for the prophecy at 11 above to be fulfilled, assuming it is not allegorical, we can expect to see the Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.
  13. All nations will gather to fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2).
  14. Jesus will return and defeat the attacking nations at Armageddon (Zechariah 14:3-4, Revelation 16:14-16, Revelation 19:11, 19-21).
  15. The awesome realisation that Jesus is the Messiah, and all that that implies, will come to the nation of Israel in absolute certainty (Zechariah 12:9-10).
  16. Nations will be judged according to their treatment of the Jews (Joel 3:1-2).

(Annex A) CONCLUSION 

Undoubtedly, more signs could be added. However, time and space dictate a degree of selectivity. Jesus gave us pointers for the circumstances that will prevail when he returns, but makes it clear that the specific time of his coming cannot be known. It seems clear that we are well along the time line of prophetic events. Those signs that await fulfillment could happen very quickly. Reading the Bible, watching what is happening, particularly in Israel and Jerusalem, and seeking to understand the spiritual significance of unusual signs and symbols in the world around us, are all key elements in our being ready for the return of Jesus.

Neil Mackereth, 21 May 2020

Continue End-Times Briefings.

End-times Briefing 10: the centre line – where are we now?

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[First posted 1.7.20]
Simplicity of the Gospel and in Evangelism and in End-Times – Neil Mackereth
Annex A to Neil Mackereth’s paper Simplicity goes deeper into Matthew 24 signs than earlier Briefings 2: the ‘When?’ and 3: the ‘What?’ of Watching [cross-references to the book of Daniel are mine]:

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

THE CENTRE LINE OF END-TIME PROPHECY – WHERE ARE WE NOW?

At the start of Matthew 24 the disciples are seeking Jesus’ acknowledgement that the Temple is a beautiful building.  They were shocked by His response, that the Temple would be utterly destroyed, not one stone left on another.  This startling prophetic statement leads them to ask two very significant questions: “When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Jesus responds to this as two questions, the second having two parts) Before answering these questions, Jesus warns the disciples against being deceived by people falsely claiming to be Christ. This thread of potential deception by false prophets continues throughout the chapter. Question 1: “When?” The answer to the first is most clearly given in Mark 21:20-24: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfilment of all that has been written.  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”   The exact fulfilment of this prophecy came in 70 AD. It is worth noting that the Roman General Vespasian was in the process of establishing a siege around Jerusalem when he was recalled to Rome to be installed as Emperor. Thus, a lull occurred which allowed many to escape the city before Vespasian’s son, General Titus, fully established the siege which led to the destruction of the city and Temple. There was nothing metaphorical about the siege of Jerusalem and its destruction: those who knew what Jesus had said, and were obedient to His advice, escaped.  Since then, the sacred Temple site has been “trampled on by the Gentiles”. Question 2: “What?” – 2nd Part In answering the second question, which has two overlapping parts, Jesus addresses part 2 first: “the sign of the end of the age”. He summarises several signs before giving the sign. He makes it clear that while the various catastrophic events constitute the “birth-pains” for what is to come, and these along with persecution will cause many people to turn away from faith, they are not the final sign.  That sign is given in v 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”  This can be seen as the required culmination of the “Great Commission”; the task given to the disciples in Matthew 28, to go and make disciples of all nations.  Determining when this task has been completed will be difficult! These early verses of Matthew 24 emphasise the need for Christians to stand firm during the labour pains that indicate the imminence of the “birth” of the Kingdom of God on earth. From verse 15 to 25 the focus narrows to Israel. When “the abomination that causes desolation” [Daniel 9:27,11:31,12:11] is seen in the “holy place” [9:23, 8:13 ‘Wonderful Numberer‘] it is time to flee.  The continued warnings of deception, the sense of great distress and the indications of extreme urgency given in these verses cannot be overstressed. The words were spoken by Jesus and he tells us how to pray. Note that Jesus does not say that we should pray against these things happening, rather that they won’t happen in winter, or on the Sabbath. What is “the abomination that causes desolation”?  It seems that the events of AD 70 were a “model” or “shadow” of what will happen at the end of the age.  When Titus destroyed the Temple, he set up an idol on the site.  Prophecy relating to the end times (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14,15) says that the antichrist will declare himself god, set up an image of himself in the temple, and order everyone to worship it.  This is the “abomination” that mocks God. Jesus goes on to say (Matthew 24:24) that some false Christs and false prophets will be so convincing that even the “elect” (well established, strong Christians) may be deceived, and that things will be so bad that no one would survive if the “days had not been cut short”. Question 2: “What?” – 1st Part Jesus then addresses part one of question two: what will be the sign of His coming? The order in which He answered the two parts to the question is significant.  Jesus’ return will be unmistakeable! If we think that Jesus might have come, then He hasn’t!  If we don’t believe that Christ can make His second and glorious coming to Earth obvious to everyone, then we seriously underestimate the power, authority and capability of our God. In the closing verses of chapter 24, Jesus urges us to be both watchful and prepared and that His return will be swift and sudden. We are not told the “day or the hour” (verse 36) and it seems clear that we should not speculate on these matters. However, we do have some indication of the events leading up to the end of the age, and that things will be as they were “in the days of Noah” (verse 37). 

IN THE DAYS OF NOAH – END-TIMES’ TRENDS

As shown in Matthew 24:27, the characteristics of end-times world activities and conditions are likened to the circumstances in the days of Noah.  This parallel is repeated in Luke 17:26. In Luke 17:28 the comparison is expanded to include the conditions in Sodom during the time leading up to Lot’s departure from the city. The account of Noah’s righteousness and the situation before the flood is given in Genesis 6. How do the conditions then and now compare? The earth was full of wickedness and evil thoughts (v 5), violence (v 11) and sexual corruption (v 12).  It seems that materialism, violence, corruption and immorality were accepted as the norm. The positive features of the story of Noah are that he was supernaturally warned.  Noah “walked with God” and “found favour in the eyes of the Lord”. He was obedient to God and, as head of his family, took full responsibility for his household and led them to safety. The conditions in the end-times are summarised by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” So, are the conditions in the world today as they were in the time of Noah?

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End-times Briefing 9: the significance of Hourglass & End-times Harvest dream

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[First posted 25.6.20 and further to Briefing 8]

A couple of hours ago Veronika published this from our dear brother:

“Today I bring yet another striking, in-depth interpretation to the dream I submitted to you all yesterday…Prophet Abel Praise submits some revelation for the purposes of prayer. ENJOY!!!”

DREAM INTERPRETATION…; “THE GOLDEN REVOLVING DOOR OF THE AGES AND OF ETERNAL DESTINY…AND THE HOUR GLASS OF THE END-TIME HARVEST…!!

‘Oh such great honor that The LORD grants us eyes to see and pours out HIS Spirit that we may discern what The Spirit Of The LORD is saying that we may know how to march in this hour.

‘The profound calling this prophetic dream brings us at this time is a call to contend for; recover; and administer the time-gates; or better put; the prayer-watches assigned to us in this hour; as that is how we will effectively partner with The LORD in birthing in time and eternity; being the earth and the heavens under the jurisdictions we are assigned in this hour; the predestined counsels of great awakening; revivals, victories harvest and advance into territories; the Kingdom is destined to make in this season. Continue reading →

End-times Briefing 8: Hourglass of End-time Harvest – Veronica West

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[First posted 25.6.20]

Late yesterday afternoon Veronika posted this on her ministry Facebook. Upon reading it Neil Mackereth, author of SIGNS: The Significance of Bible Prophecy reacted as follows,

“That is very powerful indeed…I also had clear direction that the time of allowing the wheat and the tares to grow together is about to end – the harvest of separation is about to begin.”

I reminded him of my hearing in 2008, “This is ALL about to be fulfilled!” upon opening my Bible to re-read Matthew 13’s parable of the wheat and tares harvest – see Briefing 1, Why? and The End-game Is Now In Play (we were soon to become good friends).

Here’s Veronika’s Facebook version and this published on His Kingdom Prophecy:

AN URGENCY OF TIME; THE GOLDEN REVOLVING DOOR OF THE AGES and of ETERNAL DESTINY — THE HOURGLASS of the END-TIME HARVEST!

Last night I had a powerful dream that I would like to share for the purpose of Prayer.

This dream was incredibly complex and so I will do my best to describe what I saw, heard and felt in the dream. So please bare with me as I try to share and interpret what I saw, and what I believe The LORD is revealing.

As I woke from the dream in the early hours of the morning, I immediately began to draw what I saw in the dream (see pictures below).

This dream came with such an urgency of the times and the need to begin to cry out for the nations of the earth who are in the valley of decision.

I believe this dream speaks to the 11th hour. A kairos time in the earth. An appointed time of The End-time Harvest!

For an eternity without Christ is an eternity of damnation and darkness…!

In this dream I was caught up in The Realm of The Spirit where I could see the globe of the earth. And yet at the same time, I could see all the nations of the earth laid out before me like a map.

As if in three dimensional vision, I could also see the boundaries of the many nations and the different people of those nations, but as I looked at the globe of the earth, suddenly a large clock appeared before me and I could hear the sound of ‘ticking” in The Realm of The Spirit.

The deep sound of ticking, seemed to penetrate my innermost being, which caused a great urgency to rise up within me, (an urgency that time was running out) and then I heard these words,

“The Clock of Creation. Time and Eternity.”

As I heard those Words, suddenly I saw what looked like a heavy Golden Revolving Door that sat at the centre of The Clock (the type of revolving doors you would see at the entrance way of a large hotel or even a hospital, the type of door that has multiple entryways).

As I looked at the heavy Golden Revolving Door, I heard these words,

“The Golden Revolving Door of The Ages and of Eternal Destiny.”

I could clearly see the three hands of The Clock, the second hand, the minute hand and hour hand. The time on The Clock read 11:55, and between the minute hand which sat at (11) and the hour hand which sat at the (12) there was an “entry-way”.

Then I heard these words,

“Grace! Grace! Grace! Grace! Grace! For these are the days of My Grace, come! Enter in… For now is the time for a great Harvest is at hand.”

Five times I heard the word “Grace!” and then I heard again the loud sound of ticking which echoed in The Realm of The Spirit.

My eyes were drawn to the second-hand on The Clock, which was moving around the face of The Clock with great momentum, and then suddenly, my eyes were drawn to the centre of The Clock and a Golden Hourglass appeared over the face of The Clock..

I heard these words,

“The Hourglass of the End-time Harvest”.

As I looked at The Golden Hourglass, I saw that the top of the Hourglass was narrow and the bottom of the Hourglass was wide…and… I could see the sands of the Hourglass falling.

Then suddenly I saw Jesus and a multitude of Angels standing at the centre of the Hourglass and His Face was turned towards the “doorway/entry point” of The Golden Revolving Door and the nations of the earth were standing on the threshold of the entryway.

I saw the right hand of Jesus lift up and He was knocking. Then suddenly my eyes were drawn back again to the small second hand of The Clock, which was still moving very fast.

I felt again such an urgency in my spirit, as I could see that as the small second hand moved, so the minute hand was moving and the entryway of The Golden Revolving Door was getting smaller and the top of the Hourglass was getting narrower.

At that point in the dream I began to cry out for ‘mercy’ for the nations which had not yet entered through The Golden Revolving Door…

And as I cried out… suddenly, I saw what looked like (5) Archangels of The LORD, each one standing at different markers on The Clock…different ‘entry points’ of The Golden Revolving Door (which I knew by revelation represented different times in history).

Then I heard these words,

“Angels of Awakening. The Guardians of past great Revivals and Awakenings on the earth”.

As I looked at the first Angel, I saw the time ’17:30’ come up before me and I knew immediately that the time represented the ‘year 1730’ which was the start of the ‘First Great Awakening’.

As I looked at the Archangel of Awakening, I saw a blazing sword of Fire in his hand and the angel stood guard at the entry point of that time… and the doorway was ‘sealed shut’ by a wall of fire!

Then I saw the time ’18:20’ come up before me. Again I knew that the time represented another time of a great spiritual awakening in the earth, the ‘year 1820’ was the beginning of the ’Second Great Awakening.’

Just like I saw with the First Great Awakening, I could see a second Archangel of The LORD standing guard at the entry point of that time in history and with a blazing sword of Fire in his hand and the doorway to that era was ‘sealed shut’.

Now as I kept watching and listening in the dream, the time and numbers ‘1875‘, the year of the ‘Third Great Awakening’ also came up before me, and then ‘1906‘, ‘The Azusa Street Revival’ and then ‘1910‘, the beginning of the ‘Twentieth Century Revival’.

As each of these specific times in history came up before me, I watched as the heavy Golden Revolving Door would move and the time on The Clock would change and the sands of The Golden Hourglass would fall.

As I watched, each great awakening come and go, I saw Archangels of Awakening being stationed at each entry point and a wall of Fire would seal shut that time in history!

But then the dream shifted again and my eyes were drawn away from the past times of great awakening which were now sealed off by a wall of fire.

As my eyes were drawn back to the time on The Clock and I heard these words,

“The 11th hour Harvest is here…. And the Reapers are Angels!”

As I heard those words in the dream, suddenly I saw again Jesus and the multitude of Angels who were standing at the (centre of The Clock, at the centre of The Golden Revolving Door and the centre of golden Hourglass) and I heard these words,

”Prepare! Prepare, for I stand at the door and knock, for the time is short. Watch! For the 11th hour Harvesters are now being released onto the earth.”

As I heard those words, I saw the multitude of Angels who were standing with Jesus, being released into the nations and I saw they were carrying golden sickles in their hands.

I watched as The Angels of The Harvest went forth upon the nations, and then I saw the Sons and Daughters of God begin to rise up within the nations and they began to co-labour with The Angels of The Harvest.

I watched as multitudes of people from every tribe, tongue and nation across the earth, who had been standing in The Valley of Decision and on The Threshold of The Entryway of The Golden Revolving Door, begin to enter in and cross over to the other side.

I could see the sands of The Golden Hourglass beginning to fall with an even greater acceleration, as both ‘time’ was being accelerated and ‘heaven’ was being populated.

As I watched The Angels of The Harvest and the Sons and Daughters of God moving together across the harvest fields of the nations, the sound of the ticking clock seemed to be growing louder and louder with every passing second.

Then suddenly I heard these Words,

“Watch and Pray! For but a little while longer The Golden Revolving Door of The Ages and of Eternal Destiny stands open before the nations.
“As the days of My Grace and Mercy are poured out upon the nations, watch! For the time is here, for the 11th Hour Harvesters will herald the birthing of a new great awakening on the earth!”

PS – A few things to ponder and pray!

As I woke from this dream, I began to write and draw everything I saw and heard in the dream!

While meditating over this dream, a few things that really struck me as powerfully significant in the dream.

The first was the repeating of the number five (5) and the mention of God’s Grace… Grace, Grace, these are The Days of Grace!

Another amazing aspect of the dream highlighted to me were the five Archangels of Awakening and how they stood as guardians over the past awakenings and how a wall of fire sealed off those different era’s of awakening.

I felt as I prayed over this aspect of the dream, The Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart that while the past awakenings were incredibly powerful and amazing in their time, what God is about to do in this ‘new era and great awakening’ in the earth will look nothing like the past revivals, and that heaven is about to do a new thing in the earth — ‘that eyes have not seen, ears have not heard and minds have not imagined’!

Again and again, the urgency of time in the dream was impressed upon me.

The time is now! The time is short! There is an supernatural acceleration taking place over time!

This certainly kept getting stronger and stronger in the dream…

The Golden Revolving Door of The Ages and of Eternal Destiny is closing…. The 11th Hour Harvest is now upon us…

The nations are standing in The Valley of Decision, standing on the threshold…

As Sons and Daughters we must arise and begin to co-labour with The Angels of The Harvest for this is a kairos time… an appointed time of harvest on the earth….

No more delay!

Veronika West, 24th June 2020

For an  inspired interpretation of the dream’s significance click next >

Continue End-Times Briefings.

I’m reminded of: El Shaddai Publications, 2001.

End-times Briefing 7: Daniel and ‘The Wonderful Numberer’ Jesus Christ

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Now we examine one of the sparkling radiant diamonds, found in the treasure trove of Unlocking the Biblical Watch of Messiah’s Return. First a brief recap: 

‘DANIEL’S VISIONS

‘Daniel was privileged to receive extraordinary visions which were sealed until the ‘time of the end’ when many will run ‘to and fro’ and knowledge will increase. An apt description of our current world when knowledge and data are readily available via the internet.

Daniel 12:4 (NKJV) – “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

‘The prophetic words of the Book of Daniel were sealed until the ‘time of the end’ – confirmed again later in the same chapter (Daniel 12):

Daniel 12:9-10 (NKJV) – And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed ’til the time of the end”. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

‘Daniel’s ‘time of the end’ is now.

‘Earlier in the Book of Daniel a ‘when’ question was asked, regarding the desolation of the Temple in Jerusalem. The question was asked to someone called the ‘Wonderful Numberer’ [19]. The questioner (the ‘holy one’) clearly knew that the ‘Wonderful Numberer’ had the answer to the ‘when’ question.

Daniel 8:13 (YLT) – “And I hear a certain holy one speaking, and a certain holy one said to the wonderful numberer who is speaking: ‘Until when [is] the vision of the continual [sacrifice], and of the transgression, an astonishment, to make both sanctuary and host a treading down?’”

‘As will be seen [20], the wisdom of the ‘Wonderful Numberer’, who answered the ‘when’ question, is part of the ‘understanding’ sealed until the ‘time of the end’, when the ‘wise’ will understand. Moreover, the ‘Wonderful Numberer’ will be shown to hold the ‘Key of David’ [21] – the significance of which will be examined in detail [22].’

‘Notes:

‘[19] The Hebrew word for ‘Wonderful Numberer’ in Daniel 8:13 is ‘Palmoni’ (Hebrew ‘לפלמוני’ – Strong’s number 6422) and is only found once in all scripture . It is a ‘contracted’ word and contains the elements of two Hebrew words. The first is ‘pele’ and the other is ‘ma-na’. The Hebrew word ‘pele’ means ‘wonderful’ (see Isaiah 9:6) and the word ‘ma-na’ means ‘numbered’ (see Daniel 5:25-26). So, this contracted Hebrew word ‘Palmoni’ literally means ‘Wonderful Numberer’”. Taken from F.C. Gilbert’s book, Practical Lessons for the Church of Today, pp. 606-608, published by The Review in 1902.

Gill’s Exposition states: ‘another angel said to him that spoke, whose name is unknown, only called such a one, or ‘Palmoni’, which some render ‘the wonderful numberer’ or ‘the numberer of secrets’ or ‘that has all secrets numbered’; and apply it to Christ, whose name is ‘Pele’, wonderful; the eternal Word of God, that is in the bosom of the Father, and knows all secrets, and the number of times and seasons, how long they will last; what created angels know not, he does; and therefore they apply to him for instruction and knowledge in hidden things.

The ‘Wonderful Numberer’ is found in few translations yet many commentaries acknowledge this translation including Albert Barne’s Commentary, John Gill’s Exposition, Geneva Study Bible, Calvin’s Commentary, John Trapp’s Complete Commentary, Matthew Poole’s Annotations, Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and E. W. Bullinger’s Companion Notes. (See StudyLight.org Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary Daniel 8:13)

‘[20] See chapter ‘Numbers, Triangles and Pyramids in Scripture’ and section ‘The ‘Wonderful Numberer’ as the Seventh Pyramid’.

‘[21] See chapter ‘Tools of the Watch’ and section ‘The Key of David’.

‘[22] See chapter ‘Tools of the Watch’ and section ‘The ‘Wonderful Numberer’ Holds the Key of David’.’  [Isaiah 22:22 << THAT NUMBER AGAIN! – RB]

Daniel 8:13-21 [Scripture For All Interlinear OT Hebrew]

NB: reference at note 19 to Jesus as knowing hidden things, ie ‘mysteries’, per recent post Kingdom Mysteries – Jesus Points to Mathematics (originally posted 6 April 2018).

Now let’s take a peek at some of my many tabbed pages:

In the subsequent chapter ‘Tools Of The Watch’, Jonathan writes, :The guiding principles or ‘tools’ include the ‘Key of David’, the ‘Wonderful Numberer’ and the importance of ‘days’ in the Bible…’ 

NOW, on page 224 note the double reference to ‘8’, one to it being ‘the number of resurrection’; hence, a fresh cycle or new octave as stated in the previous post!

As you may be able to read on the last tab, p 239, under ‘The Application of the Tools’:

‘The three (now established) tools of the watch, the ‘Key of David’, the ‘Wonderful Numberer’ and the ‘hidden days’ of Daniel, work together in unlocking the biblical watch. The ‘Key of David confirms that biblical numbers unlock ‘understanding’; the ‘Wonderful Numberer’ confirms that biblical numbers unlock ‘understanding’ whichheralds the first resurrection. Both these tools work together with Daniel’s ‘hidden days’ in the word of God regarding that ‘which the Lord is about to do’ and before the divine judgement (the Tribulation).’

I trust you’re able to read these snippets and appreciate it’s worth taking time to study Jonathan’s magisterial theses at leisure, and to visit his website Books.JRHill.com for more information and updates.

Continue End-Times Briefings.

End-times Briefing 6: New Ager sees first pieces of God’s ‘jigsaw’

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[First posted 16.6.20]

How a New Age follower got hooked into the Bible’s prophecies.

A unique take from die-hard anti-Christian confronted by facts in non-Christian book!

As an ex-unbeliever rescued by Jesus Christ in person and ‘born-again’ by Holy Spirit into life everlasting through His sinless blood, I reiterate Chuck Missler’s concern:

“You may not believe what the Bible says, but what’s utterly astonishing is that so very many claim to believe in Jesus yet have no grasp of the idea Christ is to literally return and rule!”

The aim of these Briefings is to help my readers be better informed and thus grasp that truth. If an ardently anti-church guy deeply involved in New Age teachings, who viewed ‘Bible-bashers’ as bigots, could grasp and keep hold of this mind-blowing stuff, then how much easier is it for believers in Jesus to fully appreciate these things?

So, come on a revelatory journey with me that hints at the relevance of Bible ‘coding’:

BACKGROUND

Personal events over the last couple of years brought insights into formative events in my childhood that have a bearing upon why I must write – as if pre-ordained destiny!

Mulling over one particular memory suggests the Lord played a direct role in what had happened – as though He instigated the ‘first contact’ and thus strongly stimulated what became an abiding fascination within my spirit. That is, His grace in action…

Then at the right time decades later, He revisited the sown seed that was emerging from below ground and simultaneously brought together two things – a book and a television – to kick-start life-changing events!

Moreover, last year when speaking about prophecies being like ‘jigsaw pieces’ I shared what had got me interested in prophecy. BUT only then did it dawn upon me that’s what I’d seen on those pages and that screen: two ‘jigsaw pieces’! I hadn’t put two and two together until over 30 years later! Dohh!

By covering the identical topic, the printed and spoken words I read and heard in mid-80s got connected and opened up a much bigger intellectual, historical and spiritual picture. They were the very first two physical ‘jigsaw pieces’ I’d encountered and fitted together tightly, as though in an awesome ‘invisible jigsaw’ – one I’d begin blogging about twenty years later.

And only now do I notice two more ‘pieces’!

‘FIRST CONTACT’

Having Catholic parents, it was church every Sunday. As soon as I was able to read, my mother showed me how her Missal explained what’s said during Mass. Each Sunday had a page with picture depicting the liturgical theme, as in this copy page.

Being very keen on astronomy I was intrigued by the picture for the First Sunday in Advent. It shows Jesus standing on clouds in the midst of the sun, moon and shooting stars; but over a burning earth!

Back then I didn’t know it indicated events predicted to precede his Second Advent!

Being a visually-minded boy gifted in drawing, my favourite cartoon stories were those on science fiction. Also, a richly illustrated book By Spaceship to the Moon is a much-thumbed Christmas present of 1955 from my grandmother. And so in the next couple of years we’d go picking blackberries near the huge radio telescope being built at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire.

As you may surmise, that Advent picture had left a subtle impact upon my fertile imagination.

Jodrell Bank radio telescope (1959)

Years later my historical interest led me into Elizabethan-Jacobean codes and self-publishing a booklet on how the misquotation from The Tempest on the Shakespeare monument in Westminster Abbey has a geometrical code of the name of Sir Francis Bacon. (He was involved with producing the King James Bible – see Bio Info).

1st & 2nd PIECES – JERUSALEM

Invisible Hand

By mid-1980s, as editor/publisher for a New Age group, I was well-placed for one of its leaders who dealt with mail-order books to hand me a brand new book on international politics and the Middle-East. Moreover, it examined ancient predictions on those highly complex issues!

So, whilst watching a documentary about the then current Iraq-Iran war, I grabbed the book to casually flick through, pausing at illustrations and charts and noted repeated references to the significance of Jerusalem.

Thus, I was stunned upon hearing the TV narrator say: “Elite units from opposing forces are rehearsing an attack upon Jerusalem” – despite being at war with one another, these opposing armies united to rehearse their ‘liberation’ of Jerusalem – ie. its recapture from the Jews!

Immediately, my head sung to see film footage of that violent rehearsal – my jaw dropped! Wouldn’t yours?

Therefore, this book most definitely is be taken seriously. It grabbed and got my full attention and became of seminal value in understanding these End-times well before I started reading the Bible a few years later!

Thus, began my appreciation as a non-believer in the Bible as prophecy. This reality got confirmed by peculiar instances (‘God-incidents’) after I’d begun blogging, especially at the time of this blog’s 4th anniversary in November 2013 [The Invisible Hand Reappears and Did My Triple Warning About Iran Affect WordPress Connections?] and two year later [What’s Weird About Writing About Iran].

More importantly, that mid-1980s event began loosening my disdain of churchgoers. It needed, however, a visit from the Lord to rescue me from the devil’s camp before that decade was out. [Read I’m FREE! for my full testimony.]

Furthermore, upon revisiting The Invisible Hand I now recall a couple of other ‘jigsaw pieces’ confirming this ‘heaven-sent’ book was just right for me.:

3rd PIECE – BIBLE CODES

Being interested in codes and writing a booklet on one of significance to literature, my attention was drawn to Victor Dunstan’s claiming the Bible holds coded and plain-text prophecies by ancient seers and which relate directly to Britain’s Mandate in Palestine. He also covered historical data on the Mandate and the Middle-East’s religions and politics.

Consequently, I became more alert to Middle-Eastern and globally-related events, which suggest things may not be as they seem at first glance – or as reported in the media, and definitely not the BBC! I was amazed to learn that many modern events are of Biblical significance. Therefore, I began watching events unfold – occasionally and slowly at first, but rapidly and accelerating after we entered the new Millennium, or ‘3rd Day’ since Christ.

Also, I was well-acquainted with the Western esoteric tradition and the Kabbala in Jewish mysticism, so I was at ease with Dunstan’s term ‘ancient seers’.

Using prophet Daniel’s mathematical coding of ‘Time’, this author extrapolated that all prophecies would come to a climax in 1992 with Russia being the lead villain against Israel. However, he didn’t foresee the collapse of communism in 1989! Yet that year proved pertinent because the ‘Middle East Peace Process’ had just got under way in October 1991 and led to the Oslo Accords of 1993. [Latest: New details emerge of how Russia prevented Obama’s anti-Israel resolution.]

Furthermore, Dunstan accurately foresaw the resurgence of Islam as a militant force:

‘We are about to witness a mighty and almost unbelievable upsurge in Islam. Though we see the first signs of an Islamic-revival (it) has a long way to to go but it’s going to go that ‘long way’ very quickly.’ [page 198]

Consequently, his seminal book has received a number of mentions during the course of my blogging (Invisbl_Hand tag refers).

Here’s the book’s fold-out table I saw on cross-links between prophet Daniel and the Book of Revelation, under a photo of the Dome on the Rock mosque in Jerusalem…

The author’s easy, conversational and non-religious style was clear from the outset as he introduced his material gleaned from ‘ancient seers’ and what they call “the time of the end” – the days in which we’re living. He emphasises the mathematical skill of Dr Grattan Guiness’ in his Light for the Last Days (1887) in using those sages’ writings to foretell the deliverance of Jerusalem from the Turks 30 years later.

However, his book opens with a prediction I’d been personally been aware of for twenty years.:

4th PIECE – JFK’s ASSASSINATION

Doubtless you recall where you were and what you were doing when you heard news of the terrorist attack on New York’s twin towers on 11th September 2001? Similarly, I well recall being outside my school’s dining hall on 22nd November 1963 upon hearing news of President Kennedy’s murder. The next year, however, I was intrigued to read about a lady who’d predicted that alarming event, and to which Victor Dunstan refers and uses as a lead-in to the thousands of years-old predictions of the Old Testament prophets:

ON THE SECOND COMING

The author’s frank admission shown below indicates his frank opinion on the possible return of Jesus and suggests why The Invisible Hand is free from church jargon and ‘Christianese’.:

P 307 Chpt 18 – Ancient Seers Foretell Event to ‘Out Science Fiction’ Science Fiction

WHY 1992?

To expand upon the above reference on 1992, the next image (which I hope you can read) tells how Dunstan sees the ‘Times’ in the Book of Daniel point to 1917 and 1948, as well as to 1992. And he demonstrates how these periods can link not only into the Christian calendar but also into the Muslim one – asking if that implies a linkage to the ‘abomination of desolation’ (Daniel 9:27) and thus to the Anti-Christ.:

All to the glory of God alone

Continue End-Times Briefings

Credits:
  • Puzzle Globe and Book by Thanunkorn, courtesy Freedigitalphotos.net
  • Puzzle In Sky by Idea Go, courtesy Freedigitalphotos.net
  • All other illustrations and photo by Richard Barker.

End-Times Update: imminent signs in the sky (PPU 126)

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In End-times Briefing 3, Sign 27 cites Jesus in Matthew 24.29 and Luke 21:25:

  • “After that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. (“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars…of heaven will fall and the powers of the heavens be shaken”)

Therefore, note this news item:

Whilst drafting this, Chris Moyler writes me as follows on his Telegram, so I hope to carve out some time to watch (click here to watch, starts properly at 4 mins point):

Hi dear Richard,
Johnny covered the upcoming US solar eclipse in Great detail this week, explaining its great prophetic significance.
Towards the end of the program he also spoke about this comet.

End-times Briefing 5: pastor’s ‘Sign in the Sun’ vision warns of coming global cataclysm! [Prophecy coming to pass!]

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[First posted 23.02.2022]

NB.Bible Update: Luke 21:25 – and there will be signs in-the sun posted 11 days ago.]

Those following these Briefings will appreciate the direct relevance of Sign #27 to this video and transcript, for which I’m grateful for Carolyn Stewart’s very helpful expertise.

On 27th May 2020 Revd Christopher Wickland posted this alarm or warning on what’s soon to hit the world. (To date, his November 2019 prophecy of a great humbling then spiritual revival of Britain is accurate.) As with all prophecies, please seek the Lord in weighing this vision.

In NKJV, Christopher’s Luke reference is headed ‘The Coming of the Son of Man’:

“Welcome to another thought for the day. Today I have quite a serious message and one which probably many Christians will find a little bit hard to stomach. I will start with this piece of scripture, then I will get straight into it.

“It says in Luke 21 from verse 25: “There will be signs in the sun, in the moon and in the stars and on the earth, distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring. Men’s hearts failing them from fear and expectation of things coming upon the earth because the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

“The other night I was out for a walk with my wife, and the Holy Spirit really came upon me suddenly. Something happened there and one of these things that happened was that really strongly the Holy Spirit said to me,“There will be signs in the sun very soon.”

“Then he reminded me of something that happened to me, probably about 12 years ago. I was on the train going to Portsmouth Grammar School, where I taught at the time in those days, and as I was on the train I fell into like a trance. I know it sounds really weird, but it was a state between sleep and being awake. I remember looking up at the sun, and suddenly the sun changed colour from yellow to green, and there was an ear‑shattering crack of thunder across the whole sky, and then the whole of the city that I was stood in, I was looking around, with people running and screaming because of this cosmic sign in the sky, and people were terrified and in fear. And then BOOM, I suddenly came to with a start.

“I believe the time is coming now, I believe the Holy Spirit was saying to me, even this morning while I was in the shower, “Tell the people that the Sign in the Sun is about to start.” And I don’t know whether that will be soon, as in like weeks, months, or even years….I don’t know. But I believe the Holy Spirit said to me that the signs in the sun will start to commence.

“This will be something, I believe, on a world‑wide level – everybody will see it – and it will defy the laws of physics!

“The sun will do stuff that the sun just shouldn’t do!!

“And this is a sign, both to the nations and a sign to the Church. And it’s a sign to the nations that they have to repent. And it’s a sign to the Church that we too need to repent and actually get on our knees, and really take seriously the times in which we are living in, because the times that we’re living in are more wicked and more dangerous than we actually can even conceive.

“We are like frogs…We are being put in a little bowl of water, and the water has got hotter and hotter, and we as Christians are being boiled alive right now, but we don’t even know it. This is a reality of where are at.

“During this time of lockdown I have really been seeking God’s face a lot more. And the thing that I’m becoming more and more impressed with by the Spirit is that we are in trouble; in that our nation has turned to such liberalism, where we justify the murder of innocents, where we justify taking away the virginity of our children in their minds, where we justify so many wicked things, where the laws of the land have become an abomination to the things of God and His Word. Where now even churches are turning in droves away from the things of the Gospel and moving into the things of liberalism and of the world. We are in great trouble!

“Now I know a lot of you watching this are thinking, “Woah! This guy, he’s lost the plot.” Maybe I have, I don’t know. But I have to be faithful to what I believe God is showing me, and I remember so vividly that vision of the sun changing colour, and the crack of thunder that ricocheted across the sky, and the terror that fell upon everybody.

“Because God is a good God, why would He do such a cataclysmic sign? Well for the Church it’s to “Wake Up!”. And for the world it’s “You need to repent. Time is running short. You cannot carry on living in wickedness and depravity much longer before the Great Tribulation comes to you!. You have to repent. Now is the time!”

“The Bible says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’ Now is the time. And when those signs, as prophesied, as I read in the opening scripture, in the sun will start to appear ‑‑ and I believe they are coming soon ‑‑ then it is a time of warning for the Church, because the Church ‑‑ we’ve become indifferent to the things. We look around our world and go, “Yeah, that’s okay. We know it’s going on.”

“But we need to be on our knees. We need to be praying more fervently, more harder, more gut‑wrenching, heart‑felt prayers at this time in history, now more than any other time in history to date, because we are at the epoch of the most horrendous of things, and we look around and we’re not even aware of how horrendous it is because we’re acclimatised to the wickedness of the world in which we live in. But the Sign in the Sun will be God’s mercy to His Church to wake us up. Now, I don’t know if this is months, weeks or even years way. But this is what I believe God showed me, this is what I believe the Holy Spirit told me to say and to warn us: time is running out, and it is a time to take our faith seriously. God bless you.”

Footnotes:
Blue Letter Bible defines ‘a sign, mark, token’ as:
    1. that by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others and is known

    2. a sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature – of signs portending remarkable events soon to happen – of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’.

Readers will recall pastor Wickland’s miraculous recovery from a fatal heart attack last November free from consequential brain or heart damage after being effectively dead – see Was Pastor’s fatal heart attack to prevent God’s warning to Britain and apostate church?. Only days before he’d recorded an accurate prophecy on a great humbling of Britain and then a spiritual revival, but which got overlooked in the upheaval of events.

Continue End-Times Briefings 

End-Times Update: earthquakes, the earth is speaking! (PPU 125)

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In End-times Briefing 3, Sign 5 cites Jesus in Matthew 24.7 – emphasis mine:

  • “And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven ; All these are the beginnings of sorrows….”

Thus, He’s not prophesying a major earthquake but significant ones in many places, but with possible inference of proximity in time, that is within a certain period of time. From minute 4 of the following video pastor John Kilpatrick cites four on the Day of Atrocity against Israel, 7th October 2023, and eight more worldwide before the end of October. That is, a dozen within three weeks and soon followed by major events in Iceland.

“God said this is something you have to preach and I want the live stream and God TV audience to hear” (too).

Click on image to play:

A state of emergency was declared in Iceland after a volcano erupted for the fourth time in three months on Saturday, March 16, 2024 > ‘coincidental’ clip length of 22 secs BUT “No such thing as coincidence”!!

End-times Briefing 4: expert’s excitement – More are coming to know this…

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This post, one of my first blogs in November 2011, later featured on the Home page to inform visitors of the acceleration of prophetic fulfillment, as may be inferred from the links to confirmatory events two years later:

As you may have gathered from my Welcome, I’m into eschatology – the theological study of the destiny and judgement of nations and all people, even angels!  It’s about  ‘The Last Days’, as in the ancient Torah’s description: Acharit Hayamin, ie. ‘Last of the Years’, and were regarded as the years immediately following Jesus’ ministry. They’re more popularly known in Christian circles as the ‘End-times’.

Come with me to one of my favourite video classes where (the late) Dr Chuck Missler is asking his students, “Why Eschatology?”

“It is very practical”, he answers himself and explains:

“Apparently, we’re being plunged into a period of time about which the Holy Bible says more than any other period – including the time when Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee!

“Now that’s a preposterous statement – and I challenge you to challenge my statement! To do so you need to do two things:

1  Find out what the Bible itself says about this and – this is a bit harder,

2  Find out what’s really going on – but you won’t get that on the ten o’clock news!

“Fortunately, thanks to the internet, the alternative press and to talk-radio you can do some homework and find out what really is going on. The more you do those two things the more you’ll understand why many scholars are extremely excited about the horizon we’re moving into – because it all deals with the return of Christ to rule earth.

“It really is remarkable how controversial this topic is, but there are:

  • over 1800 references in the Old Testament to this event – 17 Old Testament books give prominence to the event.
  • over 300 references in the New Testament – 216 chapters in 23 of its 27 books give prominence to this primary issue: the return of Jesus to rule on earth.

“You may not believe what the Bible says, but what’s utterly astonishing is that so very many claim to believe in Jesus yet have no grasp of the idea Christ is to literally return and rule!”

I respect Chuck for frequently stressing that we shouldn’t take what he says as ‘Gospel’ but always do a ‘Berean check’ per Acts 17:11; that is, to search the scriptures to find out whether or not his ideas line up with them. Also, I admire his public apology for admitting that, having long taught about an anticipated Middle Eastern war from a certain scriptural stance, he’s gained a better understanding from other passages. So Chuck explained why he’d changed his mind.  For more information visit his website at Koinonia House.

What are we to do when mainstream news doesn’t help?  To find out click Not on The 10 o’clock News. [Since blogging this in 2011, heavily biased news has proliferated as a psychological warfare dictating news and denouncing non-MSM as disinformation with intention of governments curtailing independent journalism.]

PS: (20.3.24) From Behold Israel re post-October 7th 2023 Atrocity:

Footnote:

The following posts are just a few examples among many of subsequent eschatalogical developments since Chuck’s video:

Continue reading End-Times Briefings 

End-times Briefing 3: the ‘What?’ of Watching > Signs!

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So far we’ve considered the Who, Why and When we’re to watch. Now to the rationale of this blog, as stated in its title’s strap-line, ‘Looking for the signs of Jesus’ return‘ and we examine what Jesus told us to look out for:

WHAT?

Omitting Jesus’ prediction of the destruction forty years later of the Temple in AD70, here’s a selection of signs stated in the first Gospel (Mark 13), and as augmented by Matthew (chapter 24) and Luke (chapters 17 & 21) plus insertion of Paul’s first and follow-up letters to believers in Salonika, to whom he stressed the origin of his teaching; ‘For this we say to you by the word of the Lord…‘

    1. “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations [‘ethnos’ – people groups], and then the end will come.”
    2. Disciples will stand before and councils, rulers and kings, beaten in religious assemblies:
    3. Many will come in Jesus’ name, saying, “I am He,” and will deceive many.
    4. Wars and rumours of wars – nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom: “See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet
    5. “And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven ; All these are the beginnings of sorrows.
    6. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by nations all for My name’s sake.
    7. “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another…Brother will betray brother to death – a father his child – children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death and…
    8. “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
    9. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
    10. “SO, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing where it ought not (let the reader understand!), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” [This refers not only to the Roman standard placed in the Temple’s Holy of Holies but also to profane objects or person therein at any time (including its mount?)]
    11. “…in those days there will be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
    12. “And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days….
    13. “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it for false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
    14. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven…’and the dead in Christ will rise first,
    15. ‘then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up [‘harpadzo’ = rapture] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…’
    16. ‘You know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety” then sudden destruction comes…’
    17. ‘Let no one deceive you…for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first (Apostasy), and
    18. ‘the man of sin (lawlessness) is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped,
    19. ‘so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God…
    20. ‘The coming of the lawless one is according to the workings of satan with all power, signs and lying wonders, and
    21. ‘with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they didn’t receive a love of the truth, that they might be saved…
    22. ‘For this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie (!!)…’
    23. “As it was in the days of Noah, so also in the days of the Son of Man: “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.”
    24. “Likewise as it was in the days of Lot…on the day Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
    25. “In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife: Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
    26. “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 will be taken and the other left.”
    27. “After that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. (“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars…of heaven will fall and the powers of the heavens be shaken”)
    28. “and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
    29. “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth...
    30. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
    31. “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
    32. “Then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.” [The Rapture]

Jesus said, “Take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.“

Details from The Apocalypse, the book recording ‘the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants’ penned by His apostle John, will follow later.

IS THE END NIGH?

Not necessarily! I’m not of the alarmist brigade because, in my humble opinion, Jesus is coming back for a bride who’s ‘made herself ready’, which I understand to be a church that has been restored to move fully in the ‘greater works’ – one that has arisen with the glory of the Lord appearing over her and piercing the ‘thick darkness covering the peoples’ (see Revelation 19.7, Acts 3.21, John 14.12 and Isaiah 60.1-2). YET, it may be just over the horizon!

There’s clear indications this preparation is already happening through many ministries. Jesus did say, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16.18).

On praying to our Heavenly Father, He instructed us to petition, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matt 6:10).

The Lord’s Kingdom rule has yet to come in its fullness so, in my opinion, a reworking – even a significant sifting or pruning – may be necessary as the Lord finishes building his Church and believers make themselves ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Next, in End-Times Briefings read an expert’s extremely excited opinion in Briefing 4…

Notes:

The above listing covers prophecies from the New Testament only, but not completely. For my blogs on prophecies from the Old Testament visit Bible Updates, Daniel, Ezekiel and Gog-Magog links.

  1. Regarding Daniel’s prophecy on the Temple see Notes to About Watching
  2. Sign #5 – see Fulfilled Prophecy #34 on quakes within hours of prophetic word and on increased activity around the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’.
  3. Sign #10 – for an incisive opinion read What Not To Watch For In The End-Times.
  4. Sign #15 – an interesting clarification of ‘watch’ regarding pre-Tribulation rapture theories at Nelson Walter’s What Does ‘Watch’ Mean?
  5. Sign #16 “when they say” – the theme of the UN’s Year 2017-18 is ‘Together for Peace, Dignity, Safety  & Respect For All’, as outlined in Three Prophetic Jigsaw Pieces.
  6. Sign #17 – the great falling away from faith by church leaders has already begun, as may be seen under this blog’s Apostasy tag.
  7. Sign #21 – the acceptance of same-sex marriage, in defiance of biblical teaching, and its ‘wedded’ association with Sign #20 should put the holy fear of God in folk!
Credits:
  • Scripture from New King James Version; copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. used by permission. All rights reserved.
  • Header photo of Lookout Tower over entrance to Alcazaba, the Citadel, Malaga, Spain.

End-times Briefing 2: the ‘When?’ of Watching > NOW!

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Knowing the ‘who’ and ‘why’ for watching for the End-times, we must consider timing:

WHEN?

Jesus’ major End-time teaching was given immediately after leaving the Temple with some of His disciples and He foretold its complete destruction, which was fulfilled about 40 years later with the infamous Roman siege of Jerusalem.

Jesus on the Mount of Olives:

As He sat on the nearby Mount of Olives, two sets of brothers (Peter & Andrew, James & John) asked Jesus to expand upon that prophecy, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” (see Mark 13, Luke 21, Matthew 24).

He answered in some depth, and by examination of the details we can conclude that not only does Jesus describe later events in that First Century but also those of a much later time, one yet to come but which is now at the door!

So Jesus did – but didn’t – tell them precisely “when”.

In talking of that future time however, He tells them a parable about the appearing of leaves on a fig tree – which many believe refers to the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel.:

“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it (or ‘He’) is near – at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place..But of that day and hour no-one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is…Watch therefore…I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:28-37 NKJV emphasis mine)

Other passages of the New Testament imply that He, or Holy Spirit, subsequently gave those leading disciples, and Saul of Tarsus who became Apostle Paul, further insights on the approximate timing of those signs, as below:

Peter Preaching in the Temple:

Soon after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven and the Holy Spirit falling in flames of fire upon the prayer group of about 120 believers (Acts 1:!5), Peter and John went to the Temple at the hour of prayer. You may recall the account of their stopping to heal a lame beggar “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” – it led to everyone heading for the Solomon Portico to become ‘filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him’!!

Peter was then inspired to preaching about it not being either him or John who’d done the healing, but faith in Jesus’ powerful name and he reminded them about how badly the leaders had dealt with Him. So Peter called all the people to:

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of His holy prophets since time began…” (Acts 3:19-21 – my emphasis.)

So there’s a huge contribution followers of Christ have yet to make across all spheres of society towards such restoration – we’ve hardly started; not to mention both human and demonic opposition – but however do we restore ‘all things’? We must conclude that only The Almighty is able to bring about the ‘restoration of ‘all things’ – and doubtless in the manner Zecharia prophesied to governor Zerubbabel:

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit”, says the Lord of hosts. (Zech 4:6 NKJV)

Although we need to beware of false prophets, Acts 3:21 implies that the Lord will keep His prophets informed of His intentions in bringing this about (Amos 3:7). Hence the important relevance of contemporary prophecy.

Paul Writing to the Thessalonians:

We know from Acts and accounts in Paul’s Epistles that this Apostle to the Gentiles was blessed with visions of and revelations from Jesus Himself as, for example, in the main scripture quoted by ‘pre-Tribbers’:

‘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 Thess 4:15-17 NKJV)

‘But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 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. 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 Thess 5:1-5 NKJV – emphases added)

As modern history attests, Palestinian/Gazan leaders have been defiantly intransigent over any so-called ‘peace plan’ with Israel and, like Iran and Hezbollah, want to wipe Israel off the face of the map! Even so, let’s keep watching!

Note: UN’s theme for 2017-18 was ‘Together for Peace, Dignity, Safety & Respect For All’, as outlined in Three Prophetic Jigsaw Pieces.

20th CENTURY ‘KICK-START’

Although our focus is upon New Testament prophecy, we must not overlook not only that Jesus taught the parable of the ‘Fig Tree’ but also within our lifetime Old Testament prophecies of the future of the Jewish people were fulfilled by the stunningly rapid establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 – as recounted below:

Ten Scriptures Prophesying Israel’s Rebirth – Neil Mackereth

With Jerusalem no longer being “trampled down by Gentiles” (Luke 21:24) after the 1967 Arab-Israel war, that earlier date of 1948 could be regarded as ‘kick-starting’ the fuller aspect of the End-times.

Next, in Briefing 3 we consider what we are to watch out for that’s yet to come…

[Click for listed links to End-Times Briefings]

[Image by courtesy of Elaine Tavolacci https://awordinseason.info/]

End-times Briefing 1: the ‘Who?’ and ‘Why?’ of Watching

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In view of current events it’s time to reconsider the End-times foretold in the Holy Bible.

The mini-series published in February 2018 and filed in the main menu for reference purposes was preceded by a couple of re-blogs referring to one of eight eschatological scenarios – that is, on the pre-Tribulation Rapture. Along with a theology blog’s debate, I was prompted to expand upon one of this blog’s earliest entries – ‘Why Watch?’

So now, lets’ reconsider the ‘Who, Why, When and What’ of our watching:

WHO?

Messiah Jesus Himself is the WHO and is thus the basic reason we should be watching for. because He instructed His followers to do so.

YET the ‘Who’ includes you, me and everybody alive – including unbelievers! SO, If you’re not familiar with who Jesus really is and the fact we can be in a close, loving relationship with Him, then dip into my question: “Do You Know Jesus?”

WHY?

For me, a totally unexpected and very spectacular, life-changing event in 1989 made watching very personal and connected into relevant, directive scripture. (Years later I realised that it was truly a blessed foretaste in every way of His ‘Second Advent’.)

Then in 2008, wanting to check Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13, I opened my Bible and IT EXPLODED! as I heard:

“This is ALL about to be fulfilled!”

Thus impelled, in February 2009 I began emailing friends and church leaders on current events and prophecy in The Endgame Is Now In Play, wherein I write:

‘Jesus urged His disciples to look out for and observe signs of the times. Regarding their questions about His return at the end of this Age, the earliest Gospel account has Jesus stressing 7 times, “Watch…be alert…on your guard“ (Mark 13). Matthew 24 reports Jesus saying 4 times, “Watch…and when you see…” followed by the parables of the burglar (Jesus coming “like a thief in the night”) and of the virgins > “Don’t be caught napping!” (is the Church still asleep?).
Luke’s account has, “Be always on the watch…” at Luke 21:36 and chapter 12 (NIV) has sections on watchfulness and interpreting the times. In each Gospel Jesus commands, “Learn the lesson of the fig tree…”. Also, the Apostles went on to give more indicators (Acts 3:20-1, Hebrews 12:26-7, 2 Peter 3, 2 Timothy 3 and the first and second letters to the Thessalonians).’

It’s claimed that for every OT prophecy about Jesus Christ’s birth and life there’s seven to eight times as many about His eventual return or ‘Parousia’, also called ‘The Second Advent’ or ‘Second Coming’. I’m of the opinion the likelihood of that event in our lifetime is rapidly increasing !

Jesus stressed the great importance of His return. Eg, His instruction to the four who’d been with Him from the outset of His mission is given at Mark 13:33-37 (NKJV):

“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming – in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning – lest, coming suddenly, he finds you sleeping! And what I say to you, I say to all, ‘Watch!’.”

That’s why I’m watching and, believer or not, you too are included, as is implicit in Jesus’ admonition: “I say to ALL…“

So, watching for Him is and always has been THE ‘inclusive’ activity – and one with divine warrant!

How Can We Be Sure?

You may object and say, “But even if that’s an accurate quotation it’s only guesswork”. That is, prophecies don’t always come to pass. First, in synopsis only, I offer this key to foretelling the future.:

We’re privileged to learn what Almighty God has decided is to happen. He shared his plans with a select number of ancient sages, or prophets, over a long period that started 29 centuries ago, and several centuries before Christ. Amidst extensive instructions He told the prophet Isaiah:

“For I am God and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand and I shall do all My pleasure’…” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV)

In fact, some years before Isaiah the first of the ‘writing prophets’ had received a distinct word about God’s intention to divulge His plans. This is recorded in Amos’ scroll at the seventh verse of the third chapter (in modern notation):

“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”

MOREOVER, 10 OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES WERE FULFILLED OVER TWO MILLENIA LATER WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL IN 1948, as Neil Mackereth writes in his two-part article’s Annex published on 4 April 2025.

Next, in Briefing 2 we learn about when we’re to be watching for whatever’s coming >>

[Click for listed links to End-Times Briefings]

End-times Great Apostasy in Rome; pope versus the faithful

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Further to the two-part report on papal apostasy confirmed by a sign from heaven on the pope’s birthday, when lightning struck a statue of Saint Peter at a Catholic church near his home diocese Buenos Aires, the co-founder and CEO of LifeSiteNews John-Henry Western writes a profound, shocking short paper upon more proof of the pontiff’s heretical leanings:

Click to read in full:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/pope-francis-has-declared-war-on-faithful-catholics/

It is a veritable ‘must-read’ about the pope’s strong support of abortion (child sacrifices to the false-god Molech) and thus empowering so-called Catholic Biden to threaten US Supreme Court Justices attending his abysmal speech on the disastrous state of the Union (click image to read and watch clip):

Biden Threatens Supreme Court Justices to Their Faces (Video)

SIMULTANEOUS ‘fire’ worship with ‘fire’ word – AWESOME!!!

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Continued from previous – which please read first…and now play this 1:34 minute video as you read this post… Continue reading →

End-times Great Apostasy – making God in our image!

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This is one of the two aspects of this matter on my mind when I was blessed with the insight of God’s Word being His ‘Battle-Plan’. Revd Franklin Graham remarks about it on his Facebook as follows (emphases and linkage mine):

‘The Methodist Church in the United Kingdom has released its own “Inclusive Church Language Guide” that urges ministers and church-goers to avoid using words such as “husband” and wife” (and more) because those terms can be “hurtful” and “offensive.” Shame on the Methodist Church. These are Biblical terms—and marriage between a man and a woman is Biblical truth. The word “wife” is used in some 360 verses in 38 books of the Bible. They are in essence trying to edit what the Word of God says and teaches to be more appealing to the changing whims of culture.We are warned against that in Scripture. As Christians, we aren’t called to avoid what might offend people—we are called to share the Truth of God’s Word that can guide and direct us through every step of life.’

UN-BIBLICAL ‘BLESSINGS’

Let us not forget that in 2021 this body voted by 254 to 46 to allow same-sex marriages, requiring a change to the definition of marriage to be “a lifelong union in body, mind and spirit of two people who freely enter it”.  This is completely contrary to and at odds with what the saintly founder of Methodism, Charles Wesley, taught – and is utter heresy! Continue reading →

End-times Great Apostasy – confirmed by word from the Lord

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I’m delighted to find Chris G Bennett posted this on his Facebook yesterday:

FALLING AWAY

I see one or two prophecies talking about many things being pointers to the end-times. One of the things I don’t see is any reference to the great falling away, or loss of faith, prior to Christ’s return for the rapture or the second coming. The Lord pointed this out to me the other day and said, very simply, “Have you ever had a look at this?”

Only one mention is made in scripture, in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, of this virtually ignored subject. So many either ignore it altogether, or they brush over it and try to pretend it’s of little or no consequence! Yet there it is, in plain sight for us all to see, to mark, note, and inwardly digest.

Here it is –

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.”

One question, simply,

‘Has not the present state of much of the church amply confirmed that “the falling away” has well and truly started and is progressing at an alarming rate?’ So much so, indeed, that many churches are unrecognisable as Christian churches, but rather resemble more as self-righteous glee clubs, full of gossip and other even less sanctified behaviour!

But the Bible tells us that unless this comes first, then other end-time events cannot happen! So God is not surprised nor dismayed nor even appalled as we so often are! He may be sad at the extent of our sin, but never surprised nor dismayed. Another important point to bear in mind – the falling away must happen BEFORE the other end-time events, and there’s never a timeline laid out in biblical prophecy. However, other end-time signs as in Matthew 24 and elsewhere in Thessalonians, all agree in their pointing to this particular time that we’re in today.

The present falling away is unprecedented anywhere in history – the signs are there for all to see – all of which are declared by scripture as being abhorrent before God, an abomination – yet the church daily goes against scripture and Gods law in so many ways!

  • Abortion/child sacrifice
  • Same sex marriage
  • No heaven – no hell
  • L.G.B.T.Q./Trannies
  • Unsaved & unrepentant clergy

False doctrines; e.g. Replacement Theology, Hypergrace, the twisted Word of Faith / Prosperity gospel, the fallacy that women are not speakers or leaders, and more … (I realise this incomplete list may cause contention but – so be it! I don’t want an argument so: Please just scroll on by!)

Even recently, the Methodist Church probably caused Wesley to turn in his grave again when they came out against the term “husband and wife” in favour of “partners”!

So, call the intercessors again! Yes, call the intercessors, and join them too, to wage spiritual war on the false gospel, on the ‘tolerant’ church, on the ‘live and let live’ communities.

We cannot ignore the falling away any longer. It’s not going anywhere unless we do something about it, and if we don’t do something about it, then God will but we will not like it when He does!

I don’t hate anyone, but I hate sin, even though I’m not innocent either. I love all of Gods creation, even the unlovable and hateful ones. All I can do is love and leave the rest to God. As Billy Graham famously said, “It’s God’s job to judge, Holy Spirit’s job to convict, and my job to love!”

CGB

RB: So encouraging after having posted 70 items on this grave issue that the Lord has told a friend to check it out! The primary topic of both Paul’s letter to the Thessalonian church is that of the Lord’s return and Paul spells out what will happen just prior to that dread yet awesome supra-natural event – and God’s permitting and dealing with it all!!

On our spiritually limited adversary – Neil Mackereth

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ON TARGET: this latest of my friend Neil Mackereth drew enemy flak whilst he was writing. In its Introduction he refers to his paper of 2021 published God-incidentally as Wow-Wotta-Wednesday: Know Our Enemy’s Strategy along with my 3,000th post –  Satan Has Limited Power, by Veronika West together with a related vision.

THEREFORE, I urge my readers to weigh and pray carefully:

THE  ADVERSARY

Introduction

A couple of years ago I wrote an article entitled “Know Your Enemy” in which I considered some of Satan’s tactics in striving to fulfil his grand strategy of thwarting God’s plan for the redemption of mankind. At that time my focus was on Satan’s endeavours to destroy Israel and to introduce a new world order.

Since then, things have taken a turn for the worse. A great darkness has come upon the Earth and Satan is intensifying his efforts to destroy Israel and the Jewish people.

In this article I ask: Who is Satan and why is he opposed to mankind in general, and Israel in particular?

Answering these questions requires some speculation. The comments that follow do not have full scriptural authority and should be treated with caution!

Satan

In Hebrew the word “satan” means adversary. Satan has come to be used as the name for a fallen angel who rebelled against God and sought to take God’s throne for himself. The Bible gives little information about Satan’s origins and downfall. In Isaiah and Ezekiel there are references to the fall of the “morning star”, translated as Lucifer, which some interpret as referring to Satan, while others suggest it relates to the King of Babylon.

There has been much conjecture and many hypotheses over the centuries: some suggest Satan was a very powerful (perhaps the most powerful) angel and his pride and jealousy led him to rebel against God’s decision to create man (I have not found a scriptural foundation for this theory).

Another suggestion for Satan’s existence is that God, in creating man, wanted us to have freedom of choice, i.e. not be automatons. In order to have freedom of choice (i.e. the option to choose to love, follow and obey God) an alternative has to exist! God gives us all the information we need in order to make an informed choice about the gospel of God and the reality of Jesus as our Messiah. The gospel of God will continue to be preached for as long as God ordains, and during that time, Satan is permitted to roam the Earth (has a legal right?). Again, though some aspects of this theory can be inferred (e.g., from Job), there is no clear scriptural confirmation.

Perhaps Satan’s most significant advantage is that many people do not believe he exists! His and his henchmen’s depiction, particularly at Halloween, as some sort of demonic cartoon characters, has encouraged the view that the devil and his demons are figures of fun; a mythical oddity of no significance to 21st Century man.

However, we can see from Scripture that Jesus took Satan very seriously and even though Satan’s destiny is clear, in the meantime he and his demons will make every effort to undermine God’s plan.

Satan’s Ploys

Satan knows what the Bible says and that the book of Revelation shows that Jesus will return to Jerusalem to take His rightful place on the throne of David, as King of the Jews. He will rule His people and the world from Jerusalem.

Throughout history, Satan has been attempting to prevent the fulfilment of God’s plans. Satan appears to believe that, if he is successful, his eventual banishment to “the lake of burning sulphur” (Revelation 20:10) will not happen. His ploys include:

1. Tempting Adam and Eve (and hence mankind) to sin and fall from God’s grace

2. Seeking to have the baby Jesus killed

3. Tempting Jesus to sin and so become unworthy as Saviour

4. Seeking to destroy Jesus

5. Dispersing the Jews to fragment and destabilise their national identity and/or;

6. Destroying all Jews so that Jesus has no Jewish Kingdom over which to rule and reign;

7. Preventing the re-establishment of a Jewish nation state (Israel) and/or

8. Destroying Israel or Jerusalem, or dividing Jerusalem to ensure areas, particularly the Temple Mount, remain under the control of Muslims

Satan tried the first and seemed to be successful; however, God instigated plan B (or was it always plan A – God is omniscient!). The second ploy was thwarted and the third robustly rebutted by Jesus. Satan appeared to have achieved his goal with the crucifixion, but apparent victory turned to spectacular defeat when Jesus rose from the dead. The fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth ploys have been ongoing throughout history, with varying degrees of success.

However, I want to emphasise the miracle of the preservation of Jewish identity and traditions, over thousands of years, and the huge significance of the re-establishment of Israel as a nation state in 1948; and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967.

Nevertheless, the Temple Mount remains in the hands of gentiles. Zechariah 1:14-16 may be a “model” for the present situation on the Temple Mount: “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, and I am very angry with the nations that feel secure. I was only a little angry, but they went too far with the punishment.’ “Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (See Addenda below for detail)

What is the Point?

The point is that “the devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. Hamas is the embodiment of that image of Satan, roaming around to devour people. It is imperative that Christians follow events carefully, seek to understand what is happening from a spiritual perspective and encourage their governments to support Israel.

Addenda: Comments on The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount warrants closer examination. The Jews, or more accurately those practicing Judaism, consider the Temple Mount to be the place where God chose to manifest His divine presence (Isaiah 8:18, Psalm 9:11). There has been much confusion about whether the Temple Mount is on Mount Zion.

From 2 Samuel 5:6-9 it is clear that Mount Zion was a fortress that King David captured from the Jebusites. He renamed it City of David and developed and expanded the site. The scope of the City of David can be seen from modern day archaeological excavations. King David’s son and successor, King Solomon, built the first Temple on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1-2) in 957 BC. Mount Moriah is probably synonymous with what we now call the Temple Mount, though its exact location has not been confirmed.

It seems that with the building of the Temple the term “Zion” was expanded to include the Mount and subsequently the whole of Jerusalem and the people of Israel (hence Zionism and Zionists). This collective term can be seen in Isaiah 40:9, Jeremiah 31:12 and Zechariah 9:13. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC.

Zion became a term used for the people of God (Isaiah 60:14) and this theme continues through the New Testament (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1). Peter refers to Jesus as the ‘Cornerstone of Zion’ (1 Peter 2:4-6).

The second Temple was built, under the direction of Zerubbabel, in 516 BC and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Jewish tradition maintains that there will be a third Temple on the Temple Mount and that its design has been prophesied in Ezekiel 40 to 47.

Sunni Muslims consider the Mount to be the “Noble Sanctuary”, the third most holy site in Islam. It is revered as the location to which Mohammad was transported for his ascent to Heaven. The Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque were built on the Mount after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 637 AD. The Dome of the Rock, completed in 692 AD, is in the middle of the Temple Mount, on the site where many (but not all!) Biblical scholars believe the Third Temple should be built.

The question remains, why is the Temple Mount still under Muslim control?

In 1967, the Jordanians, with the help of Syria and Egypt, attacked Israel. Prior to the 1967 “Six-Day War” Jordan controlled East Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, and the West Bank. Israel’s armed forces defeated the attack and occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In the aftermath of the war Israel agreed the return of the control of the Temple Mount to the Islamic Waqf (guardians of Muslim holy sites). This gesture has not led to peace and reconciliation! The Temple Mount is an enclave within Israeli controlled Jerusalem. The Muslims have been granted authority to manage the Temple Mount in accordance with their traditions, while Israel continues to have technical control of the site and monitor access. To add to the confusion, the Palestinian Authority claims sovereignty over the Temple Mount.

In Summary:

Zion was the fortress that King David captured from the Jebusites. He renamed it City of David. It is thought that the location of Zion expanded to include the Temple Mount, and subsequently Jerusalem and the people of Israel. Following the destruction of Jerusalem the name Mount Zion was transferred to its present location across the valley to the south of the walled city. While the physical location of Zion may have changed over the years, the spiritual relevance has remained constant.

The Temple Mount is almost certainly the most contested religious site in the world. There can be little doubt that Jerusalem is different and, considering its size and location, it is truly amazing how significant it is in world affairs! It is the focal point of End-times prophecy and, as mentioned above, it is imperative that we keep a close watch on all information relating to events in Israel and Jerusalem. Finally, the literalist view is that the building of the Third Temple is a major prerequisite for progress (the next step?) along the prophetic time-line of the Bible story.

Bible Update PS: just as Holy Spirit told Paul on End-times

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Further to the Bible Update on Paul’s letters to Timothy on what Holy Spirit told him about End-times and how they describe today’s evil:

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