PROPHECY UPDATE 9/16/2022

 

To Test Israel - By Gary W. Ritter - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/09/07/to-test-israel-by-gary-w-ritter/   To determine whether God’s Chosen People truly had faith in Him, the Lord allowed pagan nations to remain in the land of Canaan as the Exodus concluded so that the next generation of Israelites might experience war. Judges 1:1-2 tells us:   “Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.”   Why, we might ask, would God want to subject His children to the violence associated with war? What kind of a loving God would do that?   After listing the nations that would confront them, Judges 4:4 goes on to tell us why:   “They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.”   So, war was the mechanism for God to determine if Israel would trust Him by obeying all the laws that He had set forth in order that they would live righteously for Him. How did circumstances get to this point that Yahweh had to test the peoples of Israel in this way?   The first generation to leave Egypt had significant issues. They were delivered miraculously by the hand of God time and again. Their failure to trust the Lord was largely due to their having been conditioned for the last 400 years to glorify the pagan Egyptian gods. These gods were visibly represented by idols. Then Moses came along and told them they had to worship an invisible God who was Spirit only. The giving of the Ten Commandments solidified this quandary, as they were instructed to worship no God but Yahweh, and they couldn’t even represent Him through the making of an idol.   That didn’t work out so well, and their lack of trust in this God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – despite the overwhelming miraculous evidence – resulted in this entire generation sentenced to death in the wilderness because of their unbelief.   The second generation learned the lesson. They were generally faithful to God by obeying His Word. Several incidents cropped up that caused them grief, but God knew their hearts and their faith in Him. He ushered them across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. However, part of their duty was to take out the giants of the pagan nations inhabiting Canaan.   They had mixed results, but that was probably to be expected by frail, sinful people. All in all, they generally did what God intended, i.e., to devote these other nations to destruction and to possess the land.   As their leader, Joshua knew – just as Moses before him had – that the Israelites were a stiff-necked people and subject to disobedience. He warned them that other gods would be a snare and that they would have to choose between Yahweh and the pagan gods. It’s why he made his famous declaration in Joshua 24:15:   “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”   Surprisingly, the people heard him and responded positively. In fact, following the death of Joshua, they continued working at their appointed task of driving out the inhabitants of the land as God directed, again having mixed success. But then … trouble!   Judges 2:10 describes what happened in the following years:   “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”   This new generation, the third counting those who left Egypt, i.e., the grandchildren, completely lost it.   Judges 2:11-13 shows what happened:   “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.”   Is it any wonder that God determined He had to test them?   What happened? The second generation learned their lesson pretty well.   They saw the unbelief of their fathers and realized something had to change. They needed to have faith in the God who delivered them from bondage. All well and good. But look at what they neglected. They didn’t teach their children, despite what God had commanded they do. Recall that Moses declared in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 as the Lord had instructed:   “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”   And if the children didn’t learn and propagate the Word, how then could their children know it? Is it any wonder that the time of the Judges was one of great apostasy, as ignorance of God was passed on for many generations?   Is there a lesson for us today?   Of course. It’s what makes the Bible as relevant as it is – ALL of Scripture, from the Old Testament through the New Testament.   However, we want to describe the faith of the World War 2 generation in America (i.e., the Greatest Generation) and those following. There’s little doubt that the teaching of God’s Word has dramatically declined since then with the resulting Biblical illiteracy that consumes our culture today. People are more inclined to believe in aliens from other planets than they are in the God of the Bible and their absolute need for salvation. In fact, many believe their redemption will come through these visitors from outer space. Given the examples we see in the Old Testament, we know that doesn’t bode well.   These examples also show what God tends to do in order to test His people to see if they really believe and trust in Him. He brings war and difficult times. Why? So that we can learn to rely on Him – or not.   Over the last twenty years, we’ve had a pretty good run at this testing. Starting with 9/11, the serious financial difficulties in 2008, and certainly the last two-plus years of COVID and its aftermath, all these and more have greatly tested the church, not to mention the secular population.   And how have we done? The church embraced Islam, the prosperity and other social gospels have risen greatly, and a large contingent of Christianity decided to trust the government and its authority figures rather than God.   Finding a good church is a major challenge these days, i.e., one that actually preaches and teaches God’s Word as written. Eastern mysticism is rising exponentially as New Age dominates the spiritual realm of many people’s lives. Children have little to no idea of who the God of the Bible is, the fact of their sinfulness, or why they aren’t good people like they’ve been conditioned to believe.   In the time of Judges, the Lord had to raise up a deliverer who would rescue Israel for a brief period, then they’d slip back into apostasy. What can we expect in this day and age?   I think God has clearly shown that judgment must come because there is soon to be an end to things. In the past, that meant subjugation by pagan nations. Now, that means God is getting ready to wrap up the Church Age and history as we know it in order for unbelievers to be under the subjugation of Antichrist in the Tribulation.   Ultimately, in Israel, as the years rolled by, the people were ruled by kings, and they fell further away from God. It meant the absolute destruction of the nation – initially at the hands of the Assyrians and Babylonians, and finally again by the Romans. Judgment fell because it had to.   Are we so special in this nation that we think we’re immune to God’s judgment? Apparently, many people think so. But we’re not. This world – led by the example of America – has been on a downward trajectory for a long time. The blood we’ve shed and the abominations we’ve propagated are a stench to God.   Who is our deliverer in this new time of Judges on the cusp of the Tribulation? None other than Jesus Christ. Mankind has shown that it is incapable of delivering itself from the troubles it brings on through its anti-God actions. We need a true Savior, and we have Him in Jesus. In this world gone rogue, we need the One who will remove us from its midst.   Many of us who name the Name of Christ realize how alien this world has become to us. (Sadly, many Christians don’t, and they’ve decided to embrace the world.) Because of this world’s hostility, such destruction is coming that will make the past violence and oppression of the pagan nations against Israel look like child’s play. Thankfully, God knows all this and will remove those of us who have called upon Him.   Why? Why the pre-Tribulation Rapture? It’s all because of Jesus! It’s His merciful gift to us who believe. We’ve already proven through faith our need for Him and trust in Him. We have no further requirement to demonstrate how thoroughly we can gird up and stand against the horrors of God’s wrath upon this earth. God’s grace is sufficient.   Soon, the Lord will show us this very fact.   —   Gary Ritter website: books & blog   http://garyritter.com/   Kindle Vella story: Tribulation Rising   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099Z462WD

Mideast Review: What Will It Take for The IAEA To Wake Up? – Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/mideast-review-w-amir-tsarfati-what-will-it-take-for-the-iaea-to-wake-up/   Tuesday night saw the second Israeli airstrike on the Aleppo airport in a week. The purpose of the attacks was to shorten the runways so that larger aircraft are unable to land. This is directly related to Iran’s attempts to ship weapons to Syria using large cargo planes. Also Tuesday night, Deir ez-Zor, Syria, was attacked by unknown warplanes. There are two possibilities for who might have carried out the strike. First, it may have been the US synchronizing with Israel so that they can attack in conjunction with one another. Second, Israel may be leading this strike also, and just informing the US of their actions. The base that was attacked in Deir ez-Zor was originally Syrian. Then the war began, and Russia took over and upgraded the facilities. But now that Russia has pulled its troops from the base in favor of the war in Ukraine, Iran has swooped in and set up shop. Thus, it was the Iranians who were targeted in this attack.   This week began on a difficult note for the Kremlin as on Monday a suicide bomber killed two staff members outside the Russian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Security forces shot the perpetrator, but it is unclear if the bomber was able to still set off the bomb or if the bullets are what detonated the explosion. Among the dead are a Russian diplomat and a member of the embassy’s security. While initial reports put the number of civilians killed much higher, casualties amongst the public still were at least four deceased and more than ten wounded.   Europe is beginning to suffocate, as Russian President Vladimir Putin slowly twists his energy garrote tighter and tighter. Meanwhile, a distant voice calls out from Mar-a-Lago in Florida, “Hey, EU, I told you so.” Now, Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy company, has said they will completely halt the flow of gas to Europe through Nord Stream 1 and it will remain shut off until Europe lifts the economic sanctions on Moscow. In turn, Europe accused Russia of weaponizing its energy, to which Russia responded, “Yeah, and…?”   The EU is receiving no sympathy from the rest of the world. Rather than step up oil production to help offset the economic damage from the gas shortages, OPEC+ is reducing their oil production by about one hundred thousand barrels per day. This is despite calls from US President Joe Biden for large increases. China is offering to sell the EU some of their surplus liquified natural gas (LNG). But before you think that suddenly Beijing has become altruistic, the reason they have surplus LNG is that they are buying Russian excess that had previously gone to Europe. China is then loading up that excess onto ships and sailing it thousands of miles to Europe where they are selling it to the gas-starved Europeans at a huge mark-up.   A little over a week ago, Austria stepped in to rescue its primary energy supplier, Wien Energie, by providing a two-billion-euro bailout. Four days later, both Sweden and Finland had to jump in to keep their power utilities solvent. Sweden is giving up to 250 billion kronor ($23 billion) in credit guarantees to its energy companies which are facing immediate technical bankruptcy. Finland is offering loans and guarantees up to 10 billion euros ($10 billion) to its utilities. Norway said it is closely watching the situation but does not yet feel that they need to act.   It is not surprising to see that not only did the Euro fall below the dollar earlier this year, but it has now reached a 20-year-low. Why is this so important? Because it is one of the key factors that is going to lead to the massive civil unrest that is soon to come. A fascinating report by Verisk Maplecroft determined that out of the 198 countries evaluated, 101 have seen a rise in social unrest over the last quarter. This includes both established and emerging countries alike. The expectation is that with the energy shortages and economic downturns, the dissatisfaction within the populace is only going to increase. It will take a major disappointment of the masses toward their governments to allow a singular leader to step in and unite the people of many nations under one head. This is certainly the direction that this world appears to be going.   Even as the Kremlin is continuing to make enemies to the west, they are deepening their ties with their new BFFs in the Iranian regime. Tehran has confirmed that they’ve placed a bid to purchase Russian Sukhoi SU-35 advanced fighter jets. Highly maneuverable with long-range air-to-surface strike capabilities, these fighters will greatly modernize the Iranian air force. Let’s hope for the sake of their pilots that these planes are more reliable than the military drones that Iran sold to the Russians.   On Wednesday, the IAEA, nuclear watchdog of the UN, stated that the agency was “not in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.” In other breaking news, the IAEA has discovered that water is wet and that the sky is blue.   A senior diplomat who saw an IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear readiness stated, “Iran now can produce 25 kg [of uranium] at 90% if they want to.” That is both the amount and the enrichment level that the IAEA has determined is necessary to create a nuclear weapon. Currently, the uranium is stored at 60% enrichment, but the UN’s nuclear watchdog reported that it would only take three to four weeks to increase it to the needed level. According to the same report, the IAEA concludes, “It seems that Iran will be able to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for three nuclear bombs in one month and enough for five bombs in four months.” Wake up, IAEA! The Ayatollah’s regime already has enough enriched uranium! You know it and I know it. All it takes now is them making a strategic decision to move ahead with a bomb!   For most of the world, it seems that the nuclear deal is dead. The EU believes that the US government process for lifting sanctions will make completion of a deal impossible prior to the November elections. An anticipated conservative backlash against the very unpopular Biden administration has Europe thinking that there is no hope for a deal after the election. It seems right now that the only ones who think that a deal can still happen are Biden and his democrats. That possibility has Israel concerned enough that the head of the Mossad, David Barnea, traveled to Washington DC to meet with various top officials in the administration, Pentagon, and State Department. Prior to Barnea taking his position in June, his predecessor, Yossi Cohen, met with President Biden for the same purpose of dissuasion.   Tensions are building between Turkey and Greece over the Aegean Islands. The Turkish government was content to allow the islands to remain under Greek sovereignty as long as they remained demilitarized. However, now Erdogan is accusing Athens of building a naval force within the island group. The Turkish president is adamant that Greece must stop or risk paying a “heavy price”. Erdogan warned, “When the time comes, we will do what is necessary. As we say, all of a sudden, we can come overnight.”   Musaad al-Halawi, former leader of al-Hisbah (the secret police of ISIS), was killed in an attack in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, by the US-led coalition. Al-Hisbah is the “morality police” of ISIS and is known for violently ensuring that all follow its interpretation of the laws of the Koran.

The Broad Path to Destruction - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.comssa   “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.   It’s very easy for most people to find the broad path that leads to destruction. It’s a well-beaten path and clearly the way many feet have travelled. You don’t need GPS to get the directions to that path, just follow the crowd. Watch movies that promote violence, sexual promiscuity, and other sinful acts, and you’re on your way. You can also find the directions in secular music that glorifies the ways of the world. If you’re tempted by sin, instead of asking a well-grounded Christian for directions, ask a worldly person and you’ll get directions to the broad path that leads to destruction. Scripture will not guide you to that road, but will guide you to the strait gate that leads to life eternal. Keep Jesus’ words in your heart and follow Him on the path to the strait gate. Not long before He was going to offer Himself as the final sacrifice for our salvation, Jesus had a talk with His disciples. He told them He was going to prepare a place for them (and us). The disciples had followed Him for three years, but they still weren’t clear about what was about to happen. “And wither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” John 14:4-5. They were confused by Jesus’ words, and it was Thomas who asked Jesus how to find the way He spoke about, rather than asking Peter or Matthew, who were as confused as he was. Jesus will never lead us astray, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. We need to take heed to these words seriously. Faith in Jesus is the only way to find eternal life.   The Sermon on the Mount holds many lessons taught by Jesus, and we need to pay attention to His words. After stating that the path to eternal life is found by following the “strait and narrow path”, He warned against false prophets. “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15. False prophets have always led people down the broad way to destruction. God is very serious about not following false prophets and what their punishment will be. “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” Deuteronomy 18:20. That’s pretty serious. Thank God for His grace and mercy through Jesus. It’s very important not to allow yourself to be swayed by the teachings of the false prophets of today who write books with new ideas and many pastor mega-churches. Scripture is God’s word and His truth. Just because someone writes a book doesn’t make them a true follower of Christ. Today there are many authors and leaders of mega-churches who promote the “prosperity gospel” which isn’t found within the words of Scripture. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:6-8. Purpose driven, kingdom now, replacement theology, name-it-and-claim-it, and other false teachings will lead along the broad way to destruction. New Age ideas aren’t found in Scripture, nor is contemplative prayer or Yoga. The only way to protect yourself from these lies is to study truth. God’s truth is found in Scripture.   When we think of following the path of destruction, quite often we think of those who live a destructive lifestyle filled with illegal drugs, drunkenness, promiscuous lifestyles, and other such activities. We are moving quickly to the end of time, and Satan and his minions are becoming more noticeable in their attempts to destroy humanity. Satan can cause many conflicts in our minds and making sin seem acceptable. We can’t expect people of the world to follow God’s truth, but for people who have professed Christ as their Saviour, sin isn’t acceptable. Confusion comes when we deviate from Scriptural truth and compromise God’s word. It’s a sign of the times that many pastors don’t view sin as a problem, but teach user friendly sermons that don’t make the pew-sitters uncomfortable. There are even pastors who are “transgender”, which is a abomination that openly mocks God. There’s no way they can be trusted to preach God’s truth while embracing a life of sin. If we stand firm in the Lord, we won’t be detoured off of the strait and narrow path that God desires us to follow. We are in a spiritual battle. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. As Christians, we need to use God’s truth as a filter for our thoughts, words, and actions. We need to conform ourselves to God, rather than trying to conform God to our sinful ways.   If you aren’t strong in your Christian walk, you can be easily beguiled by Satan’s lies. He has had centuries upon centuries of watching humanity and becoming familiar with our weaknesses. His lies to humanity began in the Garden of Eden. God had given Adam one rule “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surly die.” Genesis 2:16-17. God gave this command to Adam prior to Eve being created. It was up to Adam to be sure that Eve understood and followed God’s word. Some time after Eve was taken out from Adam, she had a conversation with Satan, which is always a bad idea. He appeared to her in the form of a serpent. Satan lied to Eve, who believed his lies instead of God’s truth. God said don’t eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because you will die. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. The broad road that leads to destruction was open for travel. Satan twists God’s truth into a ball of confusion and those who have no grounding in God’s truth, are easily detoured to the broad way of destruction. Satan lied, Eve believed him, Adam joined in sin, and Paradise was lost. Adam and Eve did not become like gods. God was right (as always). Death entered creation. Adam and Eve didn’t drop dead immediately, but their sin separated them from God and the death they experienced was soul death. Ever since that time, anyone with no faith in the Messiah faces eternal death. Satan will always lead a person to sin and the broad road to destruction. Study God’s word in order to stay one the path that Jesus walks.   The broad road to destruction may come by someone knocking on your door and presenting you with the Mormon or Jehovah Witness lies. Beware, and don’t be deceived. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him… For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ”. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 & 13. Many have been led astray by these nice-looking, and very sincere people who earnestly are deceived. Sadly, they desire to deceive others. Study Scripture and don’t waiver from following Christ along the strait and narrow path. If anyone preaches a different Gospel than the truth found in Scripture, don’t listen to them. Their lies are from Satan. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:14-15. Keep your mind and heart on Jesus, and don’t be deceived.   When we come to a true faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our life should reflect that faith. We will continue to sin, but we have the assurance that confessing our sin to Jesus will bring forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. What a blessing. If we confess our sin to Jesus, He forgives. When we turn away from the broad way that leads to destruction, and follow Jesus on the strait and narrow road the leads to eternal life, we have Christ’s assurance that He will forgive us.   As we near the Rapture, the days will become more and more wicked, as the world embraces Satan’s lies. As this happens, Christians need to become more sure pn our walk on the strait and narrow path. Not following false prophets, the latest fad, or any doctrine of demons. Christ is our example and we need to follow Him closely and avoid the broad path that leads to destruction.   God bless you all,   Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.comssa ron@straitandnarrowministry.com   Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com                                                    www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com   All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.

Why Is a Biblically Sound View of Eternity so Essential? – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2021/9/21/4-ways-the-bible-helps-us-understand-our-destination   In his devotional, New Morning Mercies, Paul David wrote this,   “You see, a sound biblical doctrine of the future is the only way to arrive at a sound biblical understanding of the present. If there is a final glorious destination for all God’s children, then this time is not a destination, but a preparation for a final destination.”   In other words, we need a true Bible-based perspective of our future beyond this life in order to understand our journey through it. Without such a Scripture-based forward look to the paradise that awaits us, we often err by making this life our destination and eternity but an afterthought.   In his book Desire, author John Eldredge quoted physicist Blaise Pascal as saying, “Our imagination so powerfully magnifies time, by continual reflections upon it, and so diminishes eternity…for want of reflection…we make a nothing of eternity and an eternity of nothing.”[i]   We all struggle with this at times, do we not? It’s so easy to value what we see above our future destination, that of imperishable bodies, reigning with Jesus, and a spectacular eternal state. When we lose sight of these things, we also lose a biblical understanding of our lives this side of eternity.   So, why is a biblically sound doctrine of eternity so essential for our everyday lives?   1. IT FOCUSES OUR HOPE EXCLUSIVELY ON JESUS’ APPEARING   The Rapture has become a source of much mocking today and unfortunately such ridicule often comes from those within the church. However, the New Testament teaches that Jesus is coming for His church before the Second Coming and before the start of the Tribulation period.   As such, Jesus’ appearing is our imminent expectation as it was for the early believers. Paul summed up this eager anticipation in Philippians 3:20-21:   “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”   The word for “await” depicts a heightened eagerness and attentiveness for a future event. New Testament saints regarded the Rapture as an imminent event and watched for it with great expectation.   Our hope rests totally in Jesus’ appearing to take us to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:1-3; Colossians 3:4). We live in biblical times; this is the season of His return for us.   Yet, the most popular teachings of our day deny this biblically sound understanding of our imminent hope in one of two ways. First, many pastors tell us that life will return to normal; the world has seen times like this before in its history and recovered. “Today is no different than previous periods of chaos and evil,” they say.   A second popular misconception unduly exalts the church making it the shelter for the current storm rather than the Lord Jesus. Most in this camp make the unbiblical claim that the church itself will bring in the millennium with Jesus returning at its conclusion.   Some teach a more subtle form of dominion theology, yet equally errant, by directing the hopes of believers to eventual triumph of the church before the eternal state. The church thus triumphs even though there is no millennium or a restoration of the kingdom to Israel.   Please know that in such a time as this, our hope must rest in Christ alone. All the teachings that deny the imminent appearing of Jesus for His church exalt what we can see above what’s invisible and in so doing take our focus away from Jesus.   2. IT ASSURES US THAT THE LORD WILL PUNISH THE WICKEDNESS WE SEE   Perhaps the biggest frustration of our day is that evil, vile people appear to enjoy much success while those who hope in the Savior face increasing persecution and opposition. Those who kill Christians, or those that enable them to do so, seem to have all the power at the moment.   The Bible tells us not to fret over the success of wicked people because in the end God will judge them (Psalm 37:7-15). The Old Testament depicts the horrors of the day of the Lord in which the entire earth will feel the impact of God’s wrath (Isaiah 13:9-13; Zephaniah 1:14-19). The book of Revelation adds details to this coming time of judgment upon the earth in chapters 6-18.   “If hell is real, and it is,” one might ask, “why is it necessary for the Lord to deal with sinners in this life? Why is the seven-year Tribulation a necessity if God will surely deal with sinners at the White Throne judgement?”   I believe the Lord will display His wrath in such a way for the following reasons:   First, the Tribulation will give God an opportunity to display His glory. After He destroys the powers in the Gog-Magog alliance, He will declare, “And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them” (Ezekiel 39:21). Those now seeking to destroy our way of life will see a full demonstration of His power and sovereignty ahead of their ultimate destruction. They will witness the Lord’s glory firsthand.   Second, His judgments during this time will give sinners one last chance to call upon the Lord (Revelation 9:20-21). Though most people will continue in their rejection of the Savior, the Bible tells us that a great multitude will turn to Him and find eternal life (Revelation 6:9-11; 7:9-17).   Third, the wrath of the day of the Lord will give the world a visual representation of His justice. The Lord’s direct and unmistakable intervention in human history during the Tribulation will demonstrate His intent to judge all those who reject the Savior and His provision of eternal life.   The seven-year Tribulation is real and it’s closer than most can imagine.   3. IT ADDS CONTEXT TO OUR LIVES VIA OUR FUTURE REIGN WITH JESUS   For those of us securely in Christ, our future millennial reign with Him provides a context into which we can place personal tragedies and other experiences during our short-lived journey this side of eternity.   Much like it might have been for Joseph, bound in chains headed for a life of slavery in Egypt, it’s difficult to see beyond the trials and many disappoints in our lives. However, just as the Lord used hardship and injustice to prepare Joseph for his rule alongside Pharaoh and preserve His chosen people, so the Lord blends together our struggles, talents, gifts, hardships, and experiences to prepare us to reign with Him during the thousand-year period we refer to as the Millennium.   Yes, trials come to test us, enable spiritual growth, and provide us with opportunities to serve others in the body of Christ. However, I believe the Lord is also preparing us for our future role in His glorious kingdom.   At this point you might also ask, “Why is the millennium necessary? Could He not accomplish the exact same purposes in the eternal state?” These are good questions; however, I believe Millennium is a biblical necessity because:   It will vindicate the holiness of God before all the nations of the world (Ezekiel 36:22-23; 39:25-29; Zephaniah 3:14-20).   It will demonstrate that the Lord is a covenant and promise keeper. At the start of the Millennium, He will restore the fortunes of Israel just as promised throughout the Old Testament.   It will further glorify Jesus as the Father exalts the Son to rule over the earth, the very place of His rejection and great suffering (Psalm 2; Daniel 7:13-14).   It will prove the innate sinfulness of humanity. After one thousand years of perfect conditions on the earth and the rule of a righteous Sovereign, a multitude will rise up against Jesus (Revelation 20:7-10). This will decisively remove the excuse that it’s the environment that causes people to reject the Savior.   Together, the Tribulation and Millennial rule of Jesus will leave sinners with absolutely no justification for their rejection of the Lord.   4. IT TELLS OF OUR GLORIOUS DESTINATION IN THE ETERNAL STATE   Revelation 21-22 add the final touches to our ultimate hope, that of dwelling forever in the New Jerusalem and newly reformed earth and heavens. At this time, the words of Revelation 21:4 will apply for us and for everyone God brings with us to this brighter shore:   “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”   Paradise is a real, physical place. Life in eternity will be exponentially better than even our best and most favorable experiences in this life.   The New Jerusalem will exceed even the grandest of expectations or the most fanciful images of our imagination. Do not let anyone deceive you into thinking that the New Jerusalem merely represents a future symbol of God’s presence on earth as some teach today. Such false teaching rips the heart of all biblical expectations of eternity that we see in both the Old and New Testaments (see Hebrews 11:13-16; 12:22-24).   JESUS IS OUR HOPE   Jesus is the sum total of our hope in today’s lawless and wicked world.   Some say things in the world will return to normal. However, apart from God’s direct intervention, it will be impossible to stop the momentum of the globalists that control many governments (including the U.S. President) as well as all avenues of communication and justice. The Lord will utterly destroy their kingdom, but that will not happen until the end of the Tribulation.   Those who deny the reality of the Rapture and Jesus’ future reign on the earth often direct our attention to the church as our hope. But how can we have confidence in an institution that’s so awash today in false teaching, errant views of the Gospel, and all-out compromise with the wickedness of this world?   The New Testament points us to Jesus as our hope (read 1 John 3:1-3).   The biblical picture of eternity breathes hope into our lives and brings peace amid the turmoil of this life. As the collision of this world with the seven-year Tribulation looms ever so close, it’s essential that we focus on Jesus’ imminent appearing.   Normal is not coming back, Jesus is! Don’t let the relative calm of our day deceive you; the kingdom of the antichrist is still advancing throughout our world.   My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. In this book, I show how the words of Scripture lead us to beliefs in Jesus’ imminent appearing and in a future gloriously restored Israel.   Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/ . It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks!   [i] John Eldredge, Desire (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007), p.110.

Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: Farmball and football - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   With football season now kicked off, it reminds me of another game we played on the farm, a way to have some fun and let off some steam. Growing up on the farm was a lot of hard work, especially in the fall when school started. Waking up early in the morning before school and heading out to the barn in cold weather to feed and water the livestock, cleaning stalls and then eating breakfast and getting ready for the school bus. It never ended. So when we had a little time on our hands, we would try to find something to get into. Sometimes, that was playing farmball. Now farmball could be a form of basketball or football or baseball. But the rules were modified greatly for the number of participants or the weather or equipment.   In the summer to fall months, I often loved dressing up in my brothers’ football gear and making believe I was them. Chuck played in high school and college. Larry was a high school standout. These guys were strong, fast farm boys and they knew how to compete with the best of them. I wanted to be like them. Only trouble was, at such a young age and my brothers being 9 and 14 years older than me, I often had to play alone. Imagine how it is throwing yourself the football. I guess it made me faster, trying to catch my own passes. As I got older, my friend Sonny would come over and we would spend hours playing catch and “broadcasting” our moves for the TV audience. We would take turns being Roger Staubach or Bobby Hayes or Bob Lilly or LeRoy Jordan or Calvin Hill (get it that we were cowboys, so we were Cowboys fans?).   New Years Eve at the farm, Sonny would come over and we would have some friends from school sometimes. We would go out in the horse barn and play farmball. The center ally in the barn was ten feet wide by 60 feet long, with a hard, compacted dirt floor. The doors at each end were the goal lines. No out of bounds. Tackle only. You could make two first downs. Throwing a pass was difficult because the ceiling of the barn was only about 14 feet. But if the ball bounced off the rafters and somebody caught it, it counted as a complete pass or interception. Probably one of the first “Arena” football venues. We would be bruised and bloodied up big time at the end of the night. And we were really sore the next day. Many a championships were fought, won and lost in that barn.   Isaiah 22:18 recalls the judgment of the evil servant Shebna, “He [The Lord] will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country.” Commenters agree that Shebna was in the hands of the Lord like a ball in the hands of a strong man, and would be hurled out of his place–thrown at a great distance by a strong arm. In 1911, Park H. Davis wrote what is known as the first history of football—”Football: The American Intercollegiate Game”–where he claimed: “This allusion, slight as it may be, is sufficient unto the antiquary to indicate that some form of a game with a ball existed as early as 750 years before the Christian era, the epoch customarily assigned to the Book of Isaiah.” I’m pretty sure God loves football, and I bet that it’s cousin, farmball, is played across America more than people would admit. We the have scars to prove it.

Daily Devotion: Character Over Charisma - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. —Psalm 119:1   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/character-over-charisma/ - Listen   There are people who cheat, lie, steal, and cut corners, yet they seem to get away with it. Maybe you’ve thought, “Why shouldn’t I do that? Why should I play by the rules?” Here’s why: In the end, those people will reap what they sow. The Bible tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7 NKJV).   The longer I live, the more impressed I am with character over charisma. I’ve seen a lot of preachers with dynamic personalities flame out because they didn’t seek to maintain honesty and integrity. The psalmist David wrote, “I will be careful to live a blameless life—when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home” (Psalm 101:2 NLT). And in Psalm 119:1 we read, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord” (NLT). The great evangelist D. L. Moody said, “If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.”   In the Old Testament, we read about Daniel, a man of integrity, someone who always sought to do the right thing. On one occasion, it caused his arrest. After the king signed a decree that no one could pray to any god, only to him, Daniel prayed to God anyway. His enemies had him arrested and thrown into a lion’s den. What a bleak scenario that was. But how did the story end? His enemies ended up being eaten by lions, and Daniel lived to pray another day.   The same thing happened to Joseph, whose story we find in the Book of Genesis. Joseph lived with honesty and integrity, and although Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of rape, he received vindication in the end. If you live with honesty and integrity, you will, too.

PROPHECY UPDATE..............9/16/2022

 

The Biblical Necessity of a Third Jewish Temple – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/9/15/the-biblical-necessity-of-a-third-jewish-temple   The third Jewish temple has been in the planning stage for three decades. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has completed all its furnishings with the exception of the Ark of the Covenant for which they claim to know the location of the original one. The institute is currently training Levites to serve as priests in the future temple.   On its Facebook page, the Temple Institute just announced a major development in its quest to find the perfect red heifer necessary for the cleansing sacrifice of the next temple. Judging from the live video that I am watching as I write, it appears that five red heifers vying for perfection have arrived in Israel amid much excitement. We live in amazing times!   The government of Israel is also preparing for the completion of the third temple. Consider the quote below from an article on the Israel 365 News website:   Israel is upgrading its already impressive international airport. The government is also working on a railway infrastructure that will bring international travelers directly from the airport to the Temple Mount. This will enable all 70 nations to come to worship God in Jerusalem’s House of prayer, a vision that the government has already hinted is their true intention. [i]   Are all these things relevant to scriptural prophecies regarding the last days? Absolutely! They all point to the fulfillment of biblical prophecies concerning the construction of the third temple, which is a biblical necessity. It must happen in order to fulfill scriptural prophecy.   Lest you think I’m crazy for putting it that strongly, please allow me to build my case.   DANIEL’S PROPHECY REGARDING THE DESECRATION OF A FUTURE TEMPLE   In Daniel 9:24-27, the prophet lays out a timeframe of seventy weeks of years that God had determined to fulfill His purposes for the nation of Israel. Verse 27 describes a significant event that occurs during the last “week,” or final period of seven years:   “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”   Daniel 12:11 also refers to this time when “the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up.”   The Lord, though the prophet Daniel, tells us that a future prince will make a seven-year agreement with Israel and at the halfway point of the covenant, he will desecrate the temple in Jerusalem. He will put an end to animal sacrifices, which will have started during the first half of Daniel’s seventieth week.   Lest you doubt that there will be another temple with actual animal sacrifices, please know that the Israeli government envisions religious Jews with “vegetable and animal sacrifices” riding the train to the Temple. [ii] How amazing is that!?   The nation of Israel is not only preparing to get travelers from the Ben Gurion Airport to the future temple, it’s also making provisions to get the sacrifices there as well.   JESUS PLACED THE TEMPLE DESECRATION IN THE FUTURE   How do we know Daniel’s prophecy did not already happen in history? How can we be sure that there’s a lengthy gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week?   Almost four centuries after the time of Daniel, Antiochus Epiphanes came to power in BC 170. He later desecrated the second Jewish temple by setting up idols in it and by offering pigs on its altar.   Although the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes may have foreshadowed what the prophet wrote about, it was not it. We know this because Jesus, in Matthew 24:15, referred to the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 as a still future event:   So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).   About two hundred years after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, Jesus said that the fulfilment of Daniel 9:27 would happen in the future. He also predicted that it would lead to a severe persecution of the Jewish people during a time of “great tribulation” on the earth (Matthew 24:16-21).   Roughly forty years after Jesus spoke those words, a Roman general named Titus destroyed the second Jewish Temple along with much of Jerusalem. This set off a persecution of the Jewish populace that resulted in the deaths of a great many.   Did Titus fulfill Daniel’s prophecy regarding the “abomination of desolation?” No, he did not. We know this primarily because of a key detail that the Apostle Paul adds to the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15.   JESUS HIMSELF WILL DESTROY THE DESOLATOR AT HIS SECOND COMING   In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul identifies the person who will desecrate the temple as the “man of lawlessness,” or the one we refer to today as the “antichrist.”   “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)   The apostle tells us here that the coming desolator will be blasphemous against the Lord, sit in the “temple of God,” and “proclaim himself to be God.” Then he adds one essential detail about the one that will commit Daniel’s “abomination of desolation:” The Lord Jesus Himself will kill him at His Second Coming:   “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)   At His return to earth, Jesus will destroy the man that fulfills Daniel’s prophecy in 9:27. Since the Lord did not kill Titus, nor did the Second Coming happen during the general’s lifetime, he cannot be the one who fulfilled this prophecy as the desolator of the temple.   THE APOSTLE JOHN WITNESSED THE DESOLATOR’S FUTURE DEMISE AS PREDICTED BY PAUL   In Revelation 13:6, John tells us that the coming beast, whom we today identify as the antichrist, will open “its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling.” This is the guy of Daniel’s prophecy (9:27 and 11:36) as well as the one Jesus referred to Matthew 24:15. He is also the “man of lawlessness” of 2 Thessalonians 2.   In Revelation 19:19-20, John provides an eyewitness of the future destruction of this future beast that will desecrate the Jewish temple:   “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.”   Just as the Apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Jesus Himself will destroy the “desolator” of Daniel 9:27 at His Second Coming. He will cast him into the lake of fire.   No one has ever fulfilled all that we know about Daniel’s “abomination of desolation“ from Matthew 24:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8.   THE WITNESS OF IRENAEUS (AD 130-202)   Irenaeus, an early church leader, bishop in Lyons, France, and prominent theologian, wrote Against Heresies in AD 180 to combat the spread of Gnosticism in the early church. He was born in Smyrna and received his training in the faith by Polycarp, whom the Apostle John himself discipled.   In Against Heresies, book 5, chapter 30, section 4, Irenaeus wrote these words:   “But when the antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple in Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous times of the kingdom . . . .”[iii]   This direct quote from Irenaeus reveals significant details about his beliefs regarding the desecration of a future temple:   Irenaeus, writing 110 years after Titus destroyed the second temple, believed that there would be another temple in Jerusalem.   Irenaeus said that the antichrist would “sit in the temple in Jerusalem” just as Paul said he would do in 2 Thessalonians 2:4.   Irenaeus predicted that Jesus Himself would destroy the antichrist at His Second Coming, exactly as Paul prophesied and as John witnessed in Revelation 19:20.   Although Irenaeus believed that God had rejected Israel, he nonetheless asserted that there would be a third temple in Jerusalem, which the antichrist would someday defile. I cannot explain such a glaring contradiction, but I believe the words of Daniel 12:9-13 shed light on it. There the prophet said that the understanding of the prophecies regarding the last days would greatly increase when that time arrives, which is now.   Although Irenaeus’ words are not Scripture, it’s highly significant that a highly respected second century AD theologian believed there would be a third temple in Jerusalem in which the antichrist would sit and defile.   THE EVIDENCE FROM SCRIPTURE TELLS US THERE MUST BE A THIRD TEMPLE   The above evidence for the biblical necessity of a third Jewish temple in Jerusalem finds its basis in the words of Scripture. If the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture apply to the words written by its many human authors, and that’s most certainly the case, then we know that God’s purposes for Israel and Jerusalem remain intact, there must be a third Jewish temple in Jerusalem by midpoint of the Tribulation.   In addition, since a key event in the seventieth week of Daniel remains unfulfilled to this day, that signifies that the entire time frame of the prophet’s last week of years awaits a future fulfillment. We have not reached the completion of the Lord’s purpose that He determined for the seventy weeks of years as Daniel wrote about in 9:24:   “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”   God’s ultimate purposes for both the people of Israel and Jerusalem are still in play. It will be at the end of the seventieth week that the Lord will “bring in everlasting righteousness” with His return to earth and the setting up of His thousand-year reign over all the nations of the world.   WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US TODAY?   Since the seventieth week of Daniel is all about God wrapping up the purposes He revealed in Daniel 9:24 (and we see this time rapidly approaching), this tells us that Jesus’ appearing for His church is ever so close.   This seven-year period is all about Israel and Jerusalem, not the church. The Rapture must happen before this time begins since its then that God’s focus turns once again to Israel.   A Welsh Baptist preacher named Morgan Edwards, who lived 1722-1795, wrote about his belief in a pretribulation Rapture:   I say, somewhat more—, because the dead saints will be raised, and the living changed at Christ’s “appearing in the air” (I Thess. iv. 17); and this will be about three years and a half before the millennium, as we shall see hereafter: but will he and they abide in the air all that time? No: they will ascend to paradise, or to some one of those many “mansions in the father’s house” (John xiv. 2) and disappear during the foresaid period of time. The design of this retreat and disappearing will be to judge the risen and changed saints; for “now the time is come that judgment must begin,” and that will be “at the house of God” (I Pet. iv. 17).[iv]   A century later, John Darby, like Morgan Edwards, initially believed that the Tribulation would last three and a half years, the second half of Daniel’s seventieth week. However, as he studied the differences between the church and Israel, he then placed Jesus’ appearing before the antichrist’s covenant with Israel. He realized that the church did not belong in any part of the seventieth week of Daniel.   All these things tell us that we are very close to the fulfillment of Jesus’s promise in John 14:2-3:   In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.   He’s coming for us just as He said and He will take us to the place He’s preparing for us. This is the future tense of the Gospel.   In the meantime, hold the words of Philippians 3:12-4:1 close to your heart and never forget that when Jesus appears, we will appear with Him in glory (not on the earth):                         When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:4).   My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. In it, I lay a firm biblical foundation for our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home.   Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/ . It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks!   [i] Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, Ben Gurion Gearing Up To Bring All 70 Nations Straight From The Airport To Third Temple, September 7, 2022 @ https://www.israel365news.com/274549/ben-gurion-gearing-up-to-bring-all-70-nations-straight-from-the-airport-to-third-temple/   [ii] Ibid.   [iii] Irenaeus, “Against Heresies,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols., Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1979), p. 560.   [iv] Morgan Edwards, Two Academical Exercises on Subjects Bearing the Following Titles; Millennium, Last-Novelties (Philadelphia: Dobson and Lang, 1788), p. 7.

Red Heifers arrive in Israel in preparation for “Third Temple” - https://endtimeheadlines.org/2022/09/red-heifers-arrive-in-israel-in-preparation-for-third-temple/   The Temple Institute and Boneh Israel made a huge step towards reinstating the Temple service on Thursday when five red heifers landed at Ben Gurion International Airport.   The red heifer was the main component in the Biblically mandated process of ritual purification for impurity that results from proximity or contact with a dead body. Because the elements needed for this ceremony have been lacking since the destruction of the Second Temple, all Jews today are considered ritually impure, thereby preventing the return of the Temple service.   The Temple Institute launched its Red Heifer program about a decade ago, led by Rabbi Azariah Ariel. But even in Temple times, an animal that fulfilled the Biblical requirements was exceedingly rare. Failing to produce a suitable candidate from ranchers in Israel, The Temple Institute began investigating alternative sources for a red heifer.   Boneh Israel, an organization that connects Christian lovers of Israel to the Holy Land, stepped in to help. Led by Byron Stinson, a native Texan, Boneh Israel understood ranchers.   “I didn’t set out to do this, but right now, I am probably the best red heifer hunter in Texas,” Byron quipped. “The Bible says to bring a red cow to purify Israel, and I may not understand it, but I am just doing what the Bible said.”   “The prophecies came true, and the Jews are back in Israel,” Byron said. “Now they need to build a Temple. But it’s like buying a really nice car. If you don’t have the key, you aren’t going anywhere. The red heifer is the key to making the Temple work like it’s supposed to.” Boneh Israel took out full-page ads in ranching magazines, explaining the situation to ranchers. They requested that any red calves be set aside.   “Several years ago, the farmer is a devout Christian who became intensely interested in the Biblical commandment,” Stinson explained to Israsel365 News.”He began breeding cattle for this trait. So when my team and I set out to search ranches in Texas for a red heifer, his were already better suited.”   One of the major difficulties was that the government requires tagging calves right after birth. The ear tag creates a hole in the calve’s ear, a blemish that disqualifies the calf for the Mitzvah. The farmer explained that because of COVID, the employee who normally puts in the tags did not come to the farm when these five calves were born.   A team of rabbis from the Temple Institute flew out to inspect the calves last year. The requirements are incredibly demanding, requiring that there be no more than two non-red hairs on the entire calf. It must also never have been used for any labor or have been impregnated.   The heifer must be two years and one day old to be suitable for the ceremony. Sometimes, a calf that is perfectly red when it is young develops black or white hairs as it grows older or may develop a blemish. Sometimes, the colored hairs fall out or disappear. Certifying the calf requires a complete and intensive inspection in which a rabbi knowledgeable in the laws goes over the entire calf with a magnifying glass.   Chanan Kupietzky, an Orthodox Jewish resident of Efrat, is the liaison between Boneh Israel and the rabbis of The Temple Institute. “The Jews don’t need to be pure to build the Temple or to bring the public sacrifices,” Chanan explained. “On the other hand, purity will take it to the next level and will facilitate rebuilding the Temple and doing the service.”   “Education is essential to move forward, for the Jews and non-Jews,” Chanan said. “Boneh Israel is an Israeli organization whose main goal is education.”   The cows were between 5-8 months old. To be suitable for the red heifer ceremony, the cow must be two years and one day old so these heifers will be raised in Israel until they reach the proper age. Chanan pointed out that last year was 5781 in the Hebrew calendar.   “In Hebrew numerology, this is תשפא. That is an acronym for תהיה שנה פרה אדומה (it will be the year of the red heifer). The cows we are looking at now were conceived last year,” Kupietzy said. “This year is תשפ,ב 5782, an acronym for תהיה שנה פרה בישראל (It will be a year for the heifer in Israel). In two weeks we will begin תשפג, 5783, the year in which the ceremony of the Red Heifer will be performed. This is an acronym for תהיה שנה פרה גאולה (It will be a year of the Red Heifer of redemption).”

Worldview: Perfect Economic Storm – By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/worldview-w-amir-tsarfati-perfect-economic-storm/   I would like to begin by once again expressing my condolences to my all my dear friends in the United Kingdom over the death of Queen Elizabeth II. For decades, she has been a steady constant in a very unstable world. My prayers, and those of the entire Behold Israel team, go out for you during this time of loss and transition.   North Korea is officially a nuclear state, according to a law recently passed by the nation’s government. As such, it reserves the right to employ a preemptive nuclear strike when necessary. Also, it declares that its nuclear status is irreversible, while barring any future denuclearization talks.   It is very unlikely that a nuclear agreement will be signed with Iran before November. This is a good thing, says Mossad head David Barnea. He went on to state, “The deal is based on Iranian lies. Iran has sought to build a nuclear weapon that endangers Israel’s existence. This deal will easily help them reach this goal under international legitimization.” Whether or not a deal is ultimately signed, few people believe that Iran will be deterred in their nuclear ambitions through any method other than force.   In the same speech, the Mossad’s Barnea openly accused the Iranian regime of using terror as their primary method of diplomacy. “Terror serves to help the survival of the regime, prevents any change by the Iranian public, undermines the sovereignty of its neighbors, and deters them from cooperating with Israel. Terror is used to extort countries all over the world.” Included in this program of terror are dozens of Iranian attacks against Israelis abroad that have been thwarted by Israel’s intelligence agency, according to its reports. As for their habit of hiding behind their proxy militias, Barnea was having none of it, saying, “The Iranian leadership must understand that attacks against Israel or Israelis, directly or indirectly by proxies, will be met with a painful response against those responsible, on Iranian soil. We will not pursue the proxies, but the ones who armed them and gave the orders, and this will happen in Iran.”   In this same vein, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed more than ten facilities where precision missiles are being manufactured in Syria for use by Iran and the Shiite militias. Using a map, he pointed out where the Syrian Military Industry (SERS) is creating these weapons for use against Israel.   The Lebanese lira is nearing a historic low, trading in the markets around a rate of 37,000 lira to one US dollar. In October 2019, the rate was 1500 lira to the US dollar.   The Russian military is suffering heavy losses in the northeastern front. The Ukrainian army seems to have caught them flatfooted and was able to repatriate thousands of square miles of land, including the city of Izium, in the worst Russian setback since March. In retaliation, Moscow has used the same weapon they are employing against the rest of Europe – energy. The Kharkiv and Donetsk regions went dark Sunday and three other regions partially lost power after the Russian army shelled power plants throughout the area. Separately, the Russians have shut down Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which supplies 20% of the nation’s electricity. There are also reports of Putin’s military attacking hydroelectric plants and destroying dams.   As mentioned above, Russia still has Europe in an energy headlock. The Eurozone is now paying for its addictions, first to the chimera of alternative energy, and second, to Russian gas. The former has disappointed them with its impracticality and limited reach, while the second is controlled by a man who won’t hesitate to shut off the spigot to extort what he wants.   In a not-at-all unconnected story, the European Central Bank (ECB) raised it rates by an unprecedented 0.75%. Ostensibly to combat its record inflation of 9.1%, energy fears have a strong hand in guiding Europe’s current economy. Along with the announcement, the ECB warned that there would likely be more rate hikes in the months to come.   As US President Joe Biden held a White House celebration over his Inflation Reduction Act, the country’s inflation rate hit 8.3% and the stock market tumbled over 1300 points. But the legendary James Taylor sang a song, so I suppose that made it all alright.   Quite possibly the most concerning economic news is China’s recession, which is only going to get worse. Severe long-term drought has caused major increases in the cost of transportation, water, and electricity. Housing is in crisis mode because of a government sponsored Ponzi scheme forcing Chinese people to buy more houses. The Belt and Road Initiative that was intended as a sort of new “Silk Road” for linking China to Europe and other parts of the world has failed due to many of the poorer countries to whom China has loaned money – Tajikistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and other African countries – defaulting on their payments. Finally, they continue their zero COVID tolerance policy that is shutting down whole cities. Mix all that together and you have a perfect economic storm. It is likely to be a very eventful six months ahead of us.   The Armenia-Azerbaijan hot spot has boiled over and there are reports of fierce fighting along the border. Armenia is claiming that the Azerbaijani army is attacking cities and towns with drones and mortars, and reports of the dead on both sides are reaching 100-150. Shia and Sunni are once again squaring off as Iran threatens Azerbaijan to not make changes to the border with Armenia, even as Turkey is sending cargo planes full of military equipment to the Azerbaijanis.   Turkey may turn to Russia for fighter jets if the US reneges on a deal to sell the country F-16s. In 2019, Turkey purchased an advanced missile defense system from Russia, causing Washington to cut them out of a deal to update their military aircraft. Fine, says Erdogan. “The US is not the only one selling war planes in the world. The UK, France, and Russia sell them as well…and others are sending us signals.” With the burgeoning relationship between Putin’s Russia and Erdogan’s Turkey, it is likely that the deal will be struck between those two nations.   Today begins the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Among those attending will be Russian President Putin, Chinese President Xi, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Turkish President Erdogan, and Iranian President Raisi. Originally intended to combat extremism and terrorism in Central Asia, the organization has morphed to become an economic, industrial, and technology alliance. While Turkey and Iran are not full-fledged members, they still participate and Iran’s membership into the alliance is on this year’s agenda.

The New Heavens and Earth – Recreation or Renovation? – Lee W. Brainard - https://www.rev310.net/post/the-new-heavens-and-earth-recreation-or-renovation   Many prophecy teachers in our day believe that the current heavens and earth will be annihilated (cease to exist) and be replaced by a second ex-nihilo creation. This and this alone, they insist, is what is meant by the new heavens and earth. But I believe this is a mistake. Consider the following points.   ONE—GOD CREATES ETERNAL THINGS. In Ecclesiastes 3:14 we read the amazing statement, "I know that whatsoever God does, it shall last forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before him.” This is an intrinsic part of God's nature. The eternal God creates eternal things. When He made the angels, mankind, the earth, and the heavens above, he made them eternal institutions. Their annihilation is morally impossible. To insist that any one of these institutions will cease to exist is to impugn God with either a superintendence failure or a design flaw.   But the argument doesn't hang on the application of the broad principle alone. There is a multitude of passages in the Bible that testify to the eternality of such divine institutions as the heavens, the earth, the land of Israel, Mt. Zion, Jerusalem, and David's throne.   Take the heavens, for instance. God pointed the patriarchs to the heavens above their heads and promised them that Israel would endure for as long as the sun and moon endure (Jer. 31:35-36). He didn't misspeak here. This is the eternal truth of the God who cannot lie. The future destinies of the heavens and Israel are inseparably intertwined. If the current heavens are going to cease to exist, then Israel will also cease to exist. But Israel will never cease to exist. Therefore, the current heavens will never cease to exist.   This same truth is also stated absolutely. Psalm 148:3-6 reads, "Praise him, you sun and moon. Praise him, all you stars of light … Let them praise the name of the Lord. For he commanded, and they were created. He has established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which shall not pass.”   For another example, the eternality of Mt. Zion is unequivocally stated. Psalm 132:13-14 says, “The Lord has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his dwelling place. This is my resting place forever.” And Micah 4:6-7 adds, "In that day, says the Lord, I will assemble the lame, and I will gather the outcasts and those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant and the outcasts a strong nation. And the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Zion from that point on, even forever.”   TWO—THE PRECEDENT OF THE PHYSICAL REALM. In the Bible, we read about three earths. The earth that existed prior to the flood. The earth that exists now. And the new earth that shall exist after the current earth is destroyed by fire. These three are detailed in 2 Peter 3:1-13. This same passage also establishes God's precedent for the destruction of the earth. Notice that when He destroyed the former earth and introduced the current earth, he did not do so with annihilation and recreation but with radical transformation of the earth through the flood (2 Peter 3:6). The earth did not cease to exist. Mankind today lives on the same orb of rock and dirt that mankind lived on prior to the flood. This raises an important question when it comes to the new earth. Why would God depart from this precedent? He is the God of order and pattern. And this precedent suggests that the coming destruction of the earth will be a renovation by fire (2 Peter 3:7) rather than a cessation of existence and replacement.   THREE—THE PRECEDENT IN THE MORAL REALM. God's handling of defilement in the moral realm sheds much light on how he will handle the effects of defilement in the physical realm. God doesn't fix the defilement problem in his moral creation with annihilation. He fixes it with sequestration. He casts the wicked angels and men into the lake of fire forever. They don't burn up. They don't cease to exist. They experience eternal punishment with the smoke of their torment ascending day and night forever. But the annihilation-and-recreation theory introduces a conundrum that challenges the wisdom of God. If he can fix the problem in the moral creation without the annihilation of the guilty perpetrators, why can't he fix the problem in the physical creation, which is an innocent victim, without annihilation? Why would he subject physical creation to a worse fate than moral creation? Physical creation, mind you, has no sin, no wickedness, and no iniquity to remove. It only has scars caused by rebels, both angelic and human. And God can easily remedy these scars by renovation.   FOUR—THE SANCTITY OF PLANET EARTH. There is a sanctity about this planet that precludes its non-existence. It absorbed the sweat, tears, and blood of the Lord. He was born here, lived here, died here, buried here, and raised here. He walked its dusty surface. It is the scene of many glorious victories he wrought on behalf of his people over the centuries: the ark, the Exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, the battle of Jericho, and crossing the Jordan on dry ground. Dozens of his prophets and apostles testified here. Millions of his martyrs had their blood mingled with the dust of this planet. To think of God separating himself and his people forever from the scene of all this moral glory is simply unthinkable.   FIVE—GOD'S ORIGINAL INTENTION. God's original intention was to enjoy fellowship with Adam, Eve, and their progeny in the paradise that he had created for them here on earth. If the serpent hadn't introduced sin and rebellion into the world, this happy relationship would have continued for eternity. When man succumbed to the serpent's temptation, he not only lost his standing with God and came under the strong influence of the deceiving spirits, he suffered banishment from the garden and the judgment we know as the curse. The planet also fell under the effects of the curse and suffered defilement from the cooperation between mankind and the fallen angels. But God provided redemption for mankind. This comes through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood for all mankind that whosoever believes on him might be saved and inherit eternal life. And this redemption, while not directly for the planet, does involve the planet. For we clearly read in Scripture that on that happy day when the saints receive their resurrection blessings and eternal life, creation itself gets to participate in the glorious freedom of the children of God (Rom. 8:19-21). Moreover, Satan and his evil minions are bound and cast into hell, leaving man and nature completely free from the influences and damage of the wicked angels.   But there is no full and glorious restoration according to the annihilation and recreation theory. There is no restitution of all things. Nature receives no permanent enjoyment of the glorious freedom of the children of God. It only gets a temporary taste, then it shall cease to exist. This tarnishes the sovereignty of God. If this theory be true, God will redeem less from the clutches of the serpent than was lost in the garden. Mankind will be redeemed, but the earth will not be. God will be forced to scuttle this planet, indeed the entire creation, to deal with the defilement problem. He will be obligated to ferry the redeemed survivors of the ordeal to a new creation.   CONCLUSION. I trust you can see that there are numerous weighty objections to the new heavens and earth being an annihilation and ex nihilo replacement of the current heavens and earth. If you want to study this subject in depth, I cover it with much more detail in my book The New Heavens and Earth: Recreation or Renovation?, which is available on Amazon in paper and Kindle. There are also links on my website (soothkeep.info) under the Books menu for various purchase options including iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo.   Eyes wide open, brain engaged, heart on fire.

Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: Death of a coach - Bill Wilson – www.harvest.org   I just found out that my high school football and track coach passed away. Martin “Marty” Tausch was 86. He had a profound impact on my life and I’ve been debating how to depict it. I met Coach going into my sophomore year. There was a meeting called of all those who wanted to play football. We were gathered together in the gym in August. Coach made a grand entrance sporting a goatee. It wasn’t a friendly meeting. He kind of explained that he was the new football coach and that he had expectations. He said that the football coach should be viewed as a benevolent dictator—we do what we are told and he would do what was best for the team. Kind of scary. Not what many of us expected.   He gave us the schedule and right away I had a conflict because I was in Horse 4-H and had to take a week off at the end of the month for the Randolph Fair. That set our relationship on a path that never really changed. I think he saw that as choosing horses over football and that choice was a question of dedication. Over the next three years, I moved back and forth from starting to sitting and listening to crazy criticism that had very little to do with my football play, but a lot to do with personal sarcastic digs. I remember recovering a fumble one night and he pulled me aside and told me, “That was the only thing you did all game.” I think he believed in the old school of thought that negativity and conflict was motivational. On one hand it can motivate for a short time. On the other it discourages. And that eventually was reflected in my attitude.   Marty was also our track coach. If you were going to play football, you had better run track or play baseball in the spring. We never had a good track team until my class of freshmen came up. We were fast, athletic and tough. Coach took advantage of that to get us in shape and win track meets. And win we did. Changed the whole complexion of our league’s All-Sports Trophy. But we didn’t win championships in football, usually second or third. We didn’t lose because we were out of shape—he was great on conditioning. I believe we lost games because of the culture he established. In track, I was like his best buddy. In football, I was a pretty good scapegoat. Especially, when I had to take off to go to the fair each year. The horse thing finally got the best of Coach, though. His two daughters loved horses. And he loved his daughters.   He finally came to me and asked if they could come over and ride. He would even pay. Dad and I talked it over and they were welcome without any pay. I think that allowed Coach to see who we really were. I hope it did. Years later, we greeted each other fondly at a game. And I think of Coach Tausch a lot. My success as a coach was in part due to him. He really taught me what I didn’t want to do. But he also taught me mental toughness. He acquitted his life well. He won many track titles and as his obituary says, “coached some outstanding athletes.” He was involved with developing young men throughout his life. We all have our journey and Coach Tausch is part of mine. As in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.” I’m sure he did all three in his own way. I respect him for it.

Daily Devotion: Run to Win! - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! —1 Corinthians 9:24   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/run-to-win/ - Listen   My son Christopher was a great runner, and we used to race on the beach. For many years, I somehow managed to beat him, probably because I was a sprinter and he was a long-distance runner. But one day, we were walking along the beach, and I said, “Let’s race to that rock. Ready?”   Christopher not only won the race that day, but he won big. Then he went to Heaven before me when his race ended at age 33, so he beat me in that race as well.   In the race of life, we should be running for gold. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT). We want to run to win. We want to do the best we can with the life that God has given us.   There will come a time in our lives when we’ll have our last meal, give our last statement, and breathe our last breath. Hopefully, we can say, as Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8 NLT).   Maybe you’ve thought, “Well, I have a long way to run in this race. Maybe I’ll get right with God when I’m in my 80s or 90s.” But you don’t know when the end of your race will come. It may be coming to an end more quickly than you planned.   Always be able to say, “I fought the good fight. I kept the faith. I finished the course.” Run your race well—and finish it well.