Living Journey

The other day I posted a video on the rebuilding of the “Third Temple“. This led to someone (Vince) commenting on prophecy and the importance of it in these days that are fast leading up to the return of Christ. (See HERE for all of my other posts concerning the coming of the Third Temple)

Obviously, there are those who deem prophecy to be of little or no importance, Rick Warren being one of them, see HERE. It makes me wonder if people like the Rick Warren’s of the world have ever read the bible for all its worth, as so much of it is written to show us how God is interacting with people and events even during our time. Prophecy deals with countries, governments and end time events.

Have you ever wondered why it is that the middle-east is the most volatile place on the earth? If you have asked this question then you can find the answer in the Bible. Within its pages are key events that point to the culmination of God’s promises to His people. His Word is being fulfilled even while you are reading this. But you may wonder how to begin to even know where to start with biblical prophecy.

I have just come across a website called “Prophecy Watch” and it has some very basic and easy to read articles that outline biblical prophetic concepts that are relevant for us today. The articles are not that long at all, and give you a basic understanding about current events that point to prophetic trends and mega-events. These articles are written by Phillip Goodman. Phillip Goodman is speaking at a conference with other well known experts in this field, Dave Hunt, Roger Oakland are the two that I am most familiar with.

One article from the website “Prophecy Watch” is called Trends and Mega-Events and is well worth the read if you are a new student to biblical prophecy and have difficulty in knowing where on earth to start. Eschatology is the study of end time events and it shapes our understanding of certain key biblical concepts such as kingdom building and even so far as political Christian dominion. Understanding the different eschatological views is important for us today as we have reached a time of unification of sorts and are now in a very real position of being able to build a global government and religious system.

This article talks about the differences between “Trends” and “Mega-events”…

The key to assessing the Signs of the Last Days is to view history over the long haul— to look at the total scope, or the whole panorama, of historical events. By doing that we can discern TRENDS. We must then look at world events in two ways.

The first is to become aware of “Trends.”

The second is to watch for relevant “Mega-events.”

Trends tell us more about the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy than the isolated, daily events many prophecy writers whip up into a frenzy of articles and books. For example, in the Mid East, the daily peace, no-peace cycle may drive one to Biblical boredom, but the fact is that they confirm a consistent pattern, or trend, that precisely parallels that which is described in Bible prophecy— The Mid East will be the focal point of the last days, with the central focus being on Israel and Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

~~~

A prophetic Mega-event is an event of such magnitude that it sends shock waves around the planet and propels the Trends of prophecy forward in quantum leaps!

Why are Mega-events so significant? These “super-episodes” of history not only make big-print headlines, but they actually accelerate the trend-lines of prophecy in leaps and bounds down the path of fulfillment. Hasn’t the 9-11 tragedy put the U.S. (and other countries) on a fast track toward global regulation?

Other articles like “Dividing the Land of Isreal” and “Temple Mount Violence” are worth reading for those who are new to biblical prophecy.

You can find all of his articles HERE if you want to learn more. They are very well written, they are basic and are very easy to understand.

When I did a search for “Phillip Goodman” it brought me to this other called “Rapture Ready” which has some interesting articles on end time events. I have only taken a cursory look, so I ask that you measure everything against scripture.

I would normally blah, blah, blah about all of this Hagee stuff.  But I just wanted to share a link with you about the ongoing  controversy, here tis…

As Messianic Jews we appreciate the support for Israel and the Jewish community that many Christians have shown in recent years. This remarkable change in Jewish-Christian relations corrects centuries of Christian anti-Semitism and promises to bear much fruit in the coming years. In particular, we recognize the important work that Pastor John Hagee has accomplished in rallying thousands of Christians to this cause. At the same time, we must note serious concerns about some of Pastor Hagee’s doctrinal positions, particularly as expressed in his recent book, In Defense of Israel. These teachings contradict biblical doctrine, undermine thetestimony of Jewish followers of Jesus, and weaken the cause of Christian supporters of the Jewish people. (Read more here)

For those who are following the news on Hagee and his latest book ‘In defense of Israel’… this may be of interest to you…

Two Opposites Cannot be the Same or True

-John Hagee’s supports Israel but at the same time abandons giving the gospel to the Jews-

James 3:10-12: “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh.”

Hagee is well received by both the church and by Jews. His ministry is on 50 radio stations, seen on 160 Television stations in America, in nearly 100 million homes. He has authored over 20 books; some of which have become a best seller in America (on the New York Times Best Seller list). “Jerusalem Countdown” sold 1.4 million copies. Hagee’s latest book is “In Defense of Israel” (October 2007) is on the USA Today bestseller list and on the Christian Booksellers List. John Hagee is called Doctor Hagee, having Honorary Doctorates from Oral Roberts University, Canada Christian College and from Netanya Academic College in Israel.

It was years ago that I lost any respect I had for Hagee when I saw Rick Godwin on his stage sitting on one side and Hagee on the other side with Kenneth Copeland giving a horrendous teaching to Hagee’s flock; it was shameful (Aug. 18,1999). (Godwin certainly is not pro Israel, which makes Hagee’s position all he more perplexing). When a pastor promotes this kind of off the wall teaching I cannot have any respect for him. (Read more here)

For the life of me I cannot understand how he could have shared the stage with a heretic like Kenneth Copeland! Anyway, this article is written from the perspective of a Jewish believer. Hagee’s word faith teaching is documented in this article… apparently to be poor is a sin and is a curse…

[...]Hagee on the TBN Praise-A-Thon broadcast said that “poverty is caused by sin and disobeying the Word of God” (April 16, 1993), “poverty is a curse.” (November 4, 1992).

Yet the bible says…

Luke 6:20, 24 disagrees “. . . did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”

Which is right, Hagee or the Bible?

The article speaks more about Zionism, and modern political Zionism and much more is explained about Hagee’s theology and how he has spoken out about how the Jews can be saved outside of Jesus the Messiah. This is of course Dual Covenant Theology, yet Paul did not think like this at all! His desire was for the gospel of Jesus to be proclaimed to the Jew first!

I could go on, but check out the article for yourself. It is written by Mike Oppenheimer from ‘Let Us Reason’.

Just quickly, I received an email this morning from a very dear friend of mine. And I know that she and others like her are getting very, very weary. I am too! As I was about to reply to her, I was reminded of the following scriptures.

This post is for all of those out there who are feeling tired and worn by the constant attacks on the Body of Christ…

We are constantly reminded to wake up. The disciples became heavy hearted and fell asleep during the night watch. Jesus said that they should stay awake so not too fall into temptation…

Luk 22:4546 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Jesus told them three times about not sleeping…I guess he really means it… it is very important…

Mar 14:3742 When he went back, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? You couldn’t stay awake for one hour, could you? All of you must stay awake and pray that you won’t come into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again and prayed the same prayer as before. Again he came back and found them asleep, for their eyes were very heavy. They didn’t even know what they should say to him. He came back a third time and said to them, “You might as well keep on sleeping and resting. Enough of that! The time has come. Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let’s go! See, the one who is betraying me is near!”

Interesting that just before Peter saw the transfiguration he was heavy with sleep…

Luk 9:32 Now Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

How about this from the commentary on this verse, very interesting that they were scarcely awake and it was difficult for them to wake up even by the ray of his light…

[...]and when they were awake, The Syriac version reads, “scarcely awake”; they were so heavy with sleep, that it was with difficulty they were awaked out of it, even by the rays of light and glory that were about them. The Ethiopic version adds, “suddenly”; such a lustre darted from these glorious forms, especially from the body of Christ, as at once surprised them out of their sleep; and being thoroughly awake,

The heaviness is something that we are feeling from the toil of the day…

Heavy with sleep - Borne down with sleep - oppressed, overcome with sleep. It may seem remarkable that they should fall asleep on such an occasion; but we are to bear in mind that this may have been in the night, and that they were weary with the toils of the day.

The reason why we are finding it hard to keep awake is because the groom is late, this from the parable of the ten virgins

Mat 25:5 Since the groom was late, all of them became sleepy and lay down.

Why is He late…?

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We are definitely living in the last days. Although I think we are on the cusp of darkness, and we haven’t really entered into the third watch of the night, maybe we are on the edge of night? God Help us, give us strength!

Related Article:

• Women On The Watch It is my hopeful conjecture - you sisters who so keenly resolve to press the exposure of apostasy’s proliferations and false christs and prophets at the close of the age–will, without hesitation, as the Spirit illuminates His Word to you, provide insight into the times of the Gentiles and their final fulfillment. Increasingly, I see incredible parallels to the content of your insightful declarations - as well as the formidable courage in Christ whereby you singularly and collectively provide such insight and warning to the Body of Christ… God bless you all as you unreservedly take up the challenge as God’s Deborahs at the close of the age–a stark differential to the Harlot Who rides the Beast! “—D.K.

This post started as a reply to a comment that I made the other day. It really got me thinking about biblical prophecies and the reason behind them. I ask the question, what is prophecy for and should they be ignored? The reason I ask this is because Carla raised an important point recently about some prominent teachers (we all know who they are) who say that prophecy is a waste of time.

This really got to me.

Do you know why?

Prophecy is something that indicates to us the signs to watch out for as we approach our Blessed Hope. That Blessed Hope being reunited with our beloved groom — namely, Jesus.

Why on earth would a bride not be watching for the signs of her groom?

I know that as the day creeps into the afternoon, I watch the clock waiting for my hubby to get home. I look for something to give me a timepiece if you like, to know the hour in which to expect him. Isn’t that the way we should be for our first love? Our greatest love!

Why on earth would we not be carefully watching for the signs of His coming? — on ‘earth‘ indeed …an earthly kingdom is very seducing. Lot’s wife is a prime example of this looking back toward earthly things.

Luk 17:30-32 According to those things, it will be in the day the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who will be on the housetop, let him not go down to take his goods from the house. And likewise, he in the field, let him not return to the things behind. Remember Lot’s wife.

Gen 19:26 And his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Albert Barnes notes on the bible: “She” looked back - she delayed - perhaps she “desired” to take something with her, and God made her a monument of his displeasure. Jesus directed his disciples, when they saw the calamities coming upon the Jews, to flee to the mountains, Mat 24:16. He here charges them to be in haste - not to look back - not to delay - but to escape quickly, and to remember that by delaying the wife of Lot lost her life.

The calamities that fell upon the Jews after Jesus said this, are things that will be recapitulated in their fullness (they will be felt worldwide) before the Day of the Lord.

The Blessed Hope will be our wedding day after all. So I ask the question, what kind of bride calls anticipating the signs of her grooms arrival a waste of time?

One who has found another lover, an adulteress I suspect!!!!

Ecology - the New Salvation Message?

These days, moralisers find it easier to make people feel guilty about their impact on the environment than about committing one of the seven deadly sins. Not surprisingly, many religious institutions are busy reinventing themselves by promoting ecological virtues and preaching against the eco-sins of polluters. ‘In search of eco-salvation’ by Frank Furedi

In the above article Furedi suggests that the Church has lost a lost of its ground because of the closer scrutiny passed by the world in cases where it really needed to be examined, like child abuse etcetera. This is most definately and unfortunately needed. The protection of children must always be of paramount importance, and how a church, any church, can protect any paedophilia priest/s by way of a document called Criminales Solicitacciones (PDF File) that the current Pope as Cardinal Joseph Radzinger drafted up before his election into the abomination of Church Head is beyond any reasonable human understanding…

One consequence of the erosion of religious authority was that the church became exposed to the critical scrutiny of the public. A dramatic manifestation of the loss of religious authority is the spate of child abuse scandals that have incriminated church leaders. In many places Catholic officials were forced to respond to the public’s mistrust of their conduct by banning priests from any private contact with children.

But many questions remain.

1. What are the consequences when the Church and State begin to blur the edges of separation - which of course is happening in the West today?
2. Should they be blurred at all, as society will have a major impact on the Church and will be judged by society’s ever changing standards?
3. Are those standards God’s standards?
4. Should society and culture which is always changing be given such a position to examine or even govern over the Church or vice versa?
5. Could this lead to key doctrinal changes within the Church, doctrines that the Church has held as foundational and fundamental to the truth of the Word of God?
6. Could this lead to the message of salvation being watered down or pushed aside altogether as a new political agenda takes precedence over what could be considered an archaic message of separation and division?

Let me make one point very clear, I am not talking about the Church being exempt from unlawful actions against children. But what I am saying is this … as the Church succumbs to the world of politics on both sides of the fence - those being the left and right - who can be sure that the Church will come away untainted by our ever changing world?

The Church does have to be separate from the world - but it is also to be the salt of it - the bible says this and it warns us to keep ourselves separate from this world because of this very reason. Can the Church remain salt if it continues with its political prowess and will there begin to be a compromise of the very message of salvation because of today’s current societal political climate? I thought that the following was an interesting thing to ponder… read it and ask yourself, how is this kind of Christ, this new christ, being promoted by the new reformers. Is this christ the one of eternal salvation, or one that is more concerned with the kingdom here on earth?

Forced on to the defensive and sensitive to the charge of being out of touch with public concerns, Western religions have looked for new ways of rebuilding their authority. As I have argued elsewhere, some church officials attempted to associate themselves with the authority enjoyed by psychology and therapy and reinvented themselves as counsellors and therapists (2). As the former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey noted, ‘Christ the Saviour is becoming Christ the counsellor’.In recent years, some in the church have sought to gain the public’s ear through the greening of traditional doctrines, and Christ the Saviour is fast becoming Christ the environmental activist. Western society is continually in search of rituals and symbols through which moral probity can be affirmed. It appears that, for many church leaders, the project of saving the planet offers more opportunities for reconstituting rituals and symbols than the saving of souls. ‘In search of eco-salvation‘ By Frank Furedi.

If this is the case, and I believe it is, then the salvation message of the Church has indeed changed into … Christ the Greenie - the world welcomes you!Why is this new message becoming more and more vocal today? Because it is a lot more friendly for one, and it is perceived as being the moral message that anyone of any religious persuasion can relate too. It is certainly a message that does not divide. A very unified message that can involve every nation, tongue and culture…

The appeal of eco-spirituality to so many different religions is a testimony to the powerful influence that environmentalism exercises over contemporary culture. At a time when traditional institutions find it difficult to connect with popular concerns, environmentalism is still able to transmit ideas about human responsibility through appealing to a sense of right and wrong. That is why the authors of children’s books and school officials also use environmentalism as a vehicle for socialising youngsters.However, eco-spirituality cannot really compensate for the loss of traditional moral authority. Indeed the very embrace of the environmentalist agenda can only accelerate the decline of institutions that cannot give meaning to the religious doctrines on which they were founded. The shift away from God towards nature inevitably leads to a world where the pronouncements of environmentalist experts trump those of the priesthood. It will be interesting to see what will remain of traditional religion as prophecy and revelation is displaced by computerised climate models.

Oooo Oooo, I know. How’s about we not even talk about prophecy and revelation! Then nones the wiser, right?I reckon there are quite a few people of influence out there already very uncomfortable with that kind of ridiculous religious talk!Shhhhh … mum’s the Word then!