God is Near but so can be the Dragon

This was a copy taken from my book but the formatting has changed the structure and erased entire passages—-so it will seem a bit disconnected.

Are you struggling with your writing or with taking captive your thoughts?

Writing is very interesting… I feel like I am trying to expose the dragon for what it is – sometimes the dragon that is in the air, but other times the dragon that seems to hide in our minds. That brings up the best struggle that is actually a blessing — the defeat of the dragon that wants to seek us out like that roaring lion. That is why we must take captive every thought to the Glory of God.

The following is a copy of Chapter 3 in my new book “The Dark Sky of Prophecy: What Have They Done?“

Chapter 3:  God is Near

In the sixty-six books of the Bible, God gives more than 8,000 promises and over 3,000 prophecies. Seven hundred passages reveal who God is through His Name. For instance, the Word reveals that Jesus is Creator of everything:

“For by Him all things in the heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, lords, rulers or powers. All things have been created through him and for him. He himself existed before anything else did, and he holds all things together,” Col. 1:16-17.

Since Jesus Christ created everything, it would make sense that he has control over the deep mysteries of both science and non-science. Does this include control of time and events? The Word has two good examples: When King Hezekiah was sick, God gave him 15 extra years of life and at the battle in Gibeon, Joshua needed more daylight to secure the victory and so after he boldly prayed, God commanded the sun to stand still.

These miraculous responses, divine proclamations, and other deeply profound messages in the living Word portrays a broad and beautiful picture of who God is. He is beyond words and knowledge, for we still cannot fully explain the Trinity and the idea that God is three persons in one. Jesus said, “I and the Father are One.” He is Sovereign and our Creator, who is full of Grace, steadfast in Love, eager to uphold justice, abundant in forgiveness, merciful, and open to fellowship and dialogue as he takes interest in us.

When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. God did not want them to live forever in their state of sin. Tempted by the Serpent they doubted God’s Word choosing to follow the Serpent’s lie and their own will and desires.

In Genesis 3:15, God tells the Serpent and Eve that their seed will be at war, and the seed of the Serpent will strike her Seed, but her Seed will crush the head of the seed of the Serpent. This first prophecy introduces the central theme of God’s Word: War between good and evil, redemption through Jesus Christ, the defeat of Satan, and God’s final judgment upon sin and rebellion, the Anti-Christ (an evil seed), and the false Prophet.

Genesis continues by revealing a series of covenants and promises that God made through Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Then eight hundred years later during the fall of Israel God’s prophets receive more detail about God’s plan to save the Jewish nation and the world.  Eight hundred years later Jesus Christ fulfills almost all those promises and covenants. On the Cross, He defeats the “seed of the serpent.” He declares, “It is finished.” The Temple veil is torn from top to bottom and Heaven’s Door is opened to all who place their trust in Him. Jesus the “Door,” is the Lamb of God that gives access to God’s throne at any time, Hebrews 4:16.

John the Apostle, adds to Jesus Christ’s divine biography by stating, “In the beginning the Word existed, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God,” John 1:1-2.  Yes, this boggles the mind but in essence the Word of God which “is living and active” is Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word, was with God the Father in the beginning. This powerful verse illustrates why the Bible is hard for the unbelieving mind and heart to grasp. Jehovah’s Witnesses change this verse to say, “In the beginning the Word existed, the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” They have changed it because they do not believe Jesus is God.

Jesus Christ is not just a “divine recording” of the past but is living and active now in both the Word and in us through the Holy Spirit. In the prophetic book of Revelation 1:8, he declares, “I AM the Alpha and Omega, who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.” In the Gospels Jesus states, “The Father and I are One,” and comforts his disciples by promising that the Holy Spirit, the “Helper,” will come upon them when he leaves.

The mystery and power of the Holy Spirit points back to the Baptism of Jesus by John. Jesus “emptied himself of the Godhead by making himself a servant,” and “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,” Phil. 2:7-8. Jesus set the example for the 2000-year long Church Age and what it means to be a humble servant of the Lord. We will see how all this fits into the dynamic of Daniel’s divided 70th week prophecy.

Genesis 1:2 reminds us that from the beginning the Trinity involves the Father, the Son Jesus, and “the Spirit of God who hovered over the waters of the earth”- while the “earth was desolate, unformed, and shrouded in darkness. God’s Spirit generated life that formed in water and later the land. A divine parallel is Jesus who was made desolate and shrouded in darkness on the Cross. Ironically, He is the Author of Life” who conquered death and sin so that we might live. He, the Father and Spirit existed before time began, before the sun, moon and star. He is three persons-in-one being of one divine nature dwelling together in eternal love, joy and fellowship.

The mystery of the Trinity is the mystery of the Church and what separates Christianity from all the gods, cults, and religions of the world.  History clearly shows that the Bible or Word of God is the only book that gives a trustworthy account of historical events, people, and places in the past, present, and future. And it reveals an incredible cosmic rescue plan:

“God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves, through whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins,” Col. 1:13.

Sin condemns mankind and death is its consequence. God created man and gave him the opportunity to choose good from evil and placed a spirit, soul, and conscience in his heart. Adam, however, chose to disobey God opening the pathway to the Knowledge of Good and Evil and a permanent separation from God called “sin.” So, God became “man” to reverse what Adam did and Redeem humanity. This is a true Cosmic rescue story.

The seven-day Creation message reveals a historic event, a wonder of science, and a series of promises from God’s heart. Those promises are both physical and spiritual and involve both Laws of Thermodynamics and the “law” that God placed in the heart of all Creation.  God’s power holds atoms together and each layer above or beyond was divinely designed for life and our enjoyment. Despite our great progress in biology, physics, and astronomy we are still unable to generate the “spark of life.” And we still do not know how light from distant stars fits the constraints of the historical Creation timeline. But God can do anything including project or expand time, space, and light. On Day 4 of Genesis the Word reveals the purpose of God’s design for the heavenly lights was:

“To separate day from night and as signs (Mo’adim) for appointed times.”   The same word mo’adim is used in Levitus for “appointed festivals.”

Mo’adim means “Signs” and not seasons, yet most Bibles prefer “seasons” instead of “signs.”  Yes, the sun was used for seasons, but most lights, the stars and planets, were set in place as Signs for appointed times. The light from stars, moon, and wandering planets would announce the birth of Christ and the Great Sign of Revelation 12. This is Prophecy Alert #1

This alert is of critical importance because most Bibles include the word “seasons” but omit “Signs for appointed times.” This is an example of omitting the correct Hebrew translation and it blinds people to the fact that God puts signs in our path to get out attention and “rescue us.”

The sun and moon have been used for Signs in the sky during eclipses, blood moons, and dark suns. The Great Sign of Revelation 12 is a warning sign of a time or paradigm when Satan is permanently cast down from heaven and will then try to destroy the “Woman” or Jewish nation. He will fail as God provides the “wings of an eagle” to carry Jews to safety in the wilderness of Jordan. God protects these “saved Jews” during the entire 3.5 years of His Wrath. Again, this is a reminder that God still loves and cares for Israel’s people. This fact is a centerpiece of God’s Promise. Meanwhile Satan is doing all he can to destroy the Church and Jews around the world.

God declares Day 7 a “day of rest” reserved for worship and to recharge the soul. Those 7 Creation days also reflect seven thousand years of His cosmic timeline fulfilling 2 Peter 3:8, “With the Lord one day is as one thousand years.”  Each Day of Creation is declared “good” by God, sealing His stamp of approval. It is a sampling of his sovereign power and will help us know that he has a “Good” plan for both the nation of Israel and for the Church. His promises and prophecies are Good for all time and for situations.

“The Resurrection and the Life. The person who believes in him, even though he dies, will live,” John 11:25.

God appointed faithful people to record, teach, and declare His promises and prophecy. This included scribes, priests, soldiers, and even zealots, fishermen, and a tax collector. At Pentecost the fire of God’s Spirit came alive in believers. This Holy Spirit acts as our guide, helper, revealer and convicts us of our sin. He reminds us that Jesus is:

“The Resurrection and the Life. The person who believes in him, even though he dies, will live,” John 11:25.

To find Truth one must go to God for he is our Rest and Refuge and is Near to those who love him. God promised Abraham that his seed would bless all the nations; and that seed is being sown in hearts with the Word recorded in Ram drives, remote projection, television, radio and Apps. His promise echoes throughout time and in scripture from Abel’s sacrifice to Isaac who was a type of Christ 2000 years later, and then another 2000 years beyond that to the Cross. Noah’s Ark and the Cross “were and are” God’s provision and promise for eternal rescue or Salvation. Figure # 1 below explains this historical timeline with the 70th week of Daniel and the Millennium also illustrated:

The illustration here cannot be transfered (sorry) you will need to read the book

After the 2000-year Church Age, the rapture will happen, ushering in a three-and-a-half-year period of Wrath followed by the Millennium. Jesus will return in all His Glory at the end of the Wrath to defeat Satan and the Anti-Christ. Our present “Church Age” is the mystery sealed for our time as stated to Daniel in 12:4: “roll up your scroll and seal your words until the time of the end. Many will rush around while knowledge increases.”

The Church Age is sandwiched between two 3.5-year periods that add up to Daniel’s 70th week: 3.5 + Church Age + 3.5 years = 7 years. It is a time of sanctification like the 10 Days of Awe in the Temple when a “divine window” outside ordinary time was opened. The 10-Days-of-Awe were only 7 twenty-four hour days. The Church Age surrounded by a special “7-year Spiritual Week” reflects the supernatural quality of the 7-day spiritual week in the Temple that was 10 days long! Both act to purify God’s “priesthood” The “10” days of Awe were for purification primarily and the 2000-year Church Age is for sanctification of believers; the priesthood of God.

A Christian also has a supernatural quality in that he or she is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. All believers are part of the “priesthood of God” and are being purified by God, under constraints of time yet anchored eternally.

Because God is faithful and just, this author believes Scripture teaches that Christians will be removed before the outpouring of God’s Wrath. From Genesis to Revelation, from Enoch’s life to the “obedient Church of Philadelphia,” God declares that He will “snatch away” his own before the Wrath of God comes. God’s Wrath is half the length that Futurism promotes.  Below is just one of at least ten powerful “rapture” scriptures in the Bible:

“With a shout of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of God’s trumpet, the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and the dead who belong to the Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever,” I Thess. 4:16-17.

In the Second Coming, when Jesus Christ defeats the forces of the Anti-Christ, he sets foot on the Mount of Olives and parts it in half so that those in Jerusalem can flee to the Jordan River.  In the rapture the saints “meet the Lord in the air,” and return with Jesus later.  Those are clearly two separate events. If you do not believe in God’s Rapture, how can you explain that difference? Jesus Christ’s return with the raptured saints to rescue millions of Jews in Jerusalem and Judea is described in Zechariah 14:4:

“On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.

There is no massacre of Jews. Jesus gathers the refugees from Jerusalem and leads them south towards Bosra in Jordan. This is the 2nd Coming of the Lord when the Jews see the Lord and declare, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” They Believe in their Messiah and then He defeats all the enemy forces. Note this great victory and rescue by the LORD, as this is key to the debate on whether extreme “suffering” happens in the future city of Jerusalem. Jesus says to all who believe in Him,

The Word and the Holy Spirit are our divine connection to the Lord.

“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” Matthew 28:20.

Jesus may be in Heaven but there really is no separation. The book of Joshua 1:8 reminds us to meditate in God’s Word “day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” God does not want us to ignore the writings of the prophets and especially the Books of Daniel and Revelation. These are key books revealing history and the world’s condition, God’s plan for us, and details of events that will soon happen. The Word says that if you seek Jesus with all your heart you will find Him.

Misrepresenting and misinterpreting the Word of God has set the Church on a wrong trajectory concerning prophecy. God warns, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money.” Prophecy speakers and authors have invested their reputation on publications or programs predicting wars or events based on incorrect analysis of scripture. Are they willing to admit their errors and maybe lose some credibility and prestige? Are they willing to admit that some of their past sermons or writings were incorrect and warn others? God wants us to be 100% truthful, honest and humble.  Store your treasure in heaven, the rewards are much greater. God exhorts:

“Do not be conformed to this world but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect,” Romans 12:2.

 

The Evangelist Greg Laurie has stated:

“The Bible is a package deal, it does not change, and it is not a salad bar for you to pick and choose what you like or don’t like.”

 

God gives us a choice to follow him and His Spirit or to follow the world and its darkness. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have Life and have it more abundantly,” John 10:10.  Darkness and the world says, “My body, my Choice!” or “I feel different, I am no longer a man.” Jesus Christ says, “You were fearfully and wonderfully made by me.” Craig Laurie sums it up:

If you ignore prophecy because you do not understand it, keep reading, invite the Holy Spirit to guide you, and you will be blessed as the fog in your mind disappears. This author remembers when he could not “see” what a certain pastor or a book was teaching until he studied it, prayed about it, and asked the Holy Spirit to give him discernment. Be an astute consumer.

God is not distant. He wants to meet with you and interact with your thoughts and ideas. He is not merely the God of prophecy, history, and Creation. He is near to those who seek Him. The same God who created the stars, fulfilled thousands of promises, and revealed the future through His prophets invite us into a personal relationship through Jesus Christ. Jesus

The Word became flesh and lived among us. John 1:14

Christ is the eternal Word that will not return void:

He walked with us, talked to us, healed hundreds just by his touch or a word, calmed the storm, multiplied food, set captives free, and defeated death and the supernatural all for us. His Word is near. His Spirit is near. His promises are near. And soon, He will return.

In the next Chapter we will delve into the biggest controversy in Prophecy. To start we should introduce the man who announced Jesus’ arrival since he plays a pivotal role. Jesus says that “among men born of a woman there is no one greater than John the Baptist.” God points to John the Baptist because He wants us to see the key role he plays in Prophecy! Yet his God directed role is completely diminished in the futurist’s prophetic scheme. We will see that this is the same error made in choosing Nehemiah over Ezra when determining the Appearance of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This is Prophecy Alert #2 and will be expanded more in this discourse.

The futurist and all the millions who follow them like pied pipers are led to believe that the historical “appearance of the anointed One” occurs near Christ’s death on the Cross.  They believe and teach that the “Triumphal Entrance” represents His first “appearance,” and not Christ’s super-natural baptismal announcement by the Holy Spirit and God’s voice from Heaven.

“Abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it,” I Thessalonians 5:22-24.

 

So, the author asks you to digest and measure the entire message of the Gospels. Why would God diminish 98% of Christ’s ministry and mission to leap forward into His final four days?  Why would God ignore the Words and Testimony shared by Jesus Christ during his 3.5 year walk and face-to-face ministry and mission among the people. He met the needs of the people and answered their deep theological questions; He does the same for us. Are you now ready for a true adventure into His Word? One of hundreds of Christ’s life’s lessons shared through Paul is written below:

So What Will Soon Happen? X

The backlash against Trump may usher in the Anti-Christ.  The President has built up so much angst that irrational behavior follows in his wake. When truth impacts society so greatly with change and hope there will be ever stronger forces attempting to push against it.  Every year these forces have grown darker and deeper and more irrational. We now have an Islamist, a Pope and a Jew in seats of great power opposing the effort by one man to stop nuclear holocaust. The Jew represents the fallen materialistic Jew in America and the worldly flesh who have sold their soul to Baal and idol worship. The Pope represents a false works-based Babylonian religion, and his background is no less antithetical.  Ironically both are heavily Anti-Israel and Anti-God.  The Islamist is ole Hakime Jeffries who loves calling Trump names and threatening him at every turn.  This guy is a real nut case and pure anti-God, anti-Israel, and anti-goodness.  He is probably the most irrational and toxic of the three.  This evil trinity represents seats of power full of pride and corruption seeking self glory and the destruction of the American system of checks and balances for a dictatorship of a few.

As Cardinal the Pope represented one of the most corrupt cities in America, Chicago. It has the highest murder rate and the most corrupt political machine in the world. The city and the man represent the darkened heart of America.  The Jew is the past leader of the Senate that tried to incarcerate the present President of the United States. He represents all the lies and deceits that have been concocted from the dark corners of Washington D.C.  He and his cohort in the House of Representatives organized a nest of corruption that controlled the weakest President in the history of the nation. Jeffries is true disrupter with little virtue or character, a man willing to destroy the people who truely make this nation great.

They almost destroyed the nation by opening all our borders and boundaries, inviting our greatest enemies in infiltrate every section and level of society. Like a virus it affected the soul and spirit of our nation to where we were no longer respected around the world. This invited Russia to attack Ukraine, China to threaten Taiwan and the Philippines, Islamic forces of ISIS to take over nations all over Africa, and the Ayatollah to coerce and control the nations of the Middle East. Europe was weakened by loss of will power and infiltration of Islam. The Western powers were at the brink of an economic collapse while the power and  influence of the BRIC nations and their growing coalition were filling the void.

The leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran have promised to destroy America which they call the “Great Satan.” And they promise to “push Israel into the Sea” after calling it the “Little Satan.” Yet the blind and corrupted media ignores the “Death to America” chants coming out of those Islamic cults and their leaders. Their eschatology calls for chaos which they believe will welcome in the 12th Imaan who will then destroy all the “Satanic powers.”  Ironically all three of this “crackpots” have chosen this Islamic cult over the leader of the free world!

Flying Dark – Part II (for new book- Cosmic Crossroad Countdown: God is Near

Cosmic Crossroad Recount: God is Near: Hallelujah!

The Son of God gave up Heaven’s throne and breathed his first breath in a dusty feeding troth in Bethlehem. As Creator, the Beginning and End, He had made man from the dust of the earth. Could that be why He used mud to heal the man born blind? Why would he step down from Heaven to experience our frailty?  He knows that we are weak and easily tempted.  Obviously, He knew how much we need Him, so he became one of us and paid for our sins.  That is the greatest Gift ever given. The Life, Death, Resurrection and Return of Jesus Christ are God’s plan for eternal redemption for all who believe and trust in Him.

Jesus declared himself “Living Water” and said that “anyone can drink of it.” He declared, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life,” John 8:12. He gave us the Holy Spirit so that we will not walk in darkness. The Great Mystery is that God’s Spirit is sealed in all who believe in Him, guaranteeing eternal fellowship and life with Him.  And Jesus Christ who is the Word (John 1:1) is “living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart,” Heb. 4:12.  God moves in us through the Holy Spirit which helps us understand everything including prophecy and other profound Truths in the Word.

It is important to comprehend what is true or false and to never give up seeking the Truth. Jesus called Satan the Father of Lies and warned us concerning the last days that “no one deceive you.” Deception comes in many forms including saying that Jesus Christ is just an angel. There are other more subtle ways to deceive and that is why adding or subtracting to God’s Word or changing its translation and interpretation is dangerous. Since the Church was formed there have been heresies, false Christs, and misplaced prophecy.  We must see with eyes that see.

Ephesians 1:13-14 states, “You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in Jesus Christ, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until God redeems his own possession for his praise and glory.” Spreading the Gospel of salvation to every nation and tribe is the commission given by Jesus Christ just before He ascended into Heaven.  Satan wants to stop it and will do anything to deceive those seeking God or who are lost in sin. As Jesus said, he has come to set the captives free and give sight to the blind. Jesus accused the Pharisee’s of not seeing with eyes that see and failing to see the Signs of the time.  Ironically, we are now in an era where a prevailing system of prophecy is dictating the truth while not having eyes that see. They have failed to see the Signs of the time while blindly suppressing all other viewpoints.

The Apostle John who wrote Revelation states, “In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity. And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out,” John 1:1-4. This not only sums up the Gospel but also the Character of Jesus Christ, Creator and Sustainer despite darkness.  Satan can deceive and lie but God’s steadfast love and truth will prevail. This is why God established a 2000-year Church Age prior to completing His Plan for the Ages. He has been and will be near us during this wilderness period where the Church is tested and strengthened.

Presently God is near to all those seeking Him. In the book of Revelation John declares, “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him-even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be. Amen,” Revelation 1:7. People will mourn because of past unbelief and failure to see with eyes that see and hear with ears that hear. It is important to understand prophecy so that you will see the signs and know how God intends to fulfill His promises and prophecies. You do not want to be like the blind guides who give false knowledge and views dependent on false interpretation of key prophecies such as Daniel 9:24-27. Listen and see the God that is near you. To the believer He is in you guiding you and sustaining you. Seek Him out.

John ends his Gospel by saying, “these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”   Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me,” John 14:3. Throughout His ministry beginning with His Baptism we discover that “his name” is “Wonderful Counselor, Bread of Life, the Living Water, Resurrection and the Life, Great Physician, The Lamb of God, and dozens of others. They reveal the Heart of God and why He wants to have a relationship with you. He was also called “Good Teacher” and He greatly desires for you to know the Truth so that you can grow close to Him. Hell is the only place in the Universe where God is not Near. Presently Jesus is very near to all those seeking Him. Psalm 108, tells us that He is “slow to anger” and does not deal with us “according to our sins, nor repay us according to our inequities.” His anger falls on Jesus.  “The steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,” Ps. 103:17.

His “Name” proclaims who He is and how He upholds and protects us. The incredible Truth is Jesus Christ is not only near but is literally in our heart.  The Word gives us clear hard Truth to guide us, comfort us and most of all fulfill our greatest needs. He is the Beginning and the End and therefore gives us a look into the future. He is the Author of Life and of the Future and therefore the time he gave us, the 3.5 years of His ministry, is the foundation of the Prophetic 7-year Timeline that completes history and crowns God’s mission to save mankind. Unfortunately, this is not what you will hear from the typical pulpit. The worse thing that you can do is to stop seeking Truth.

God protects us with His prophetic commands:  1.) “Come and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool,” Isaiah 1:18. This fatherly command requires both faith and trust- a willingness to reason and walk with God in obedience. 2.) “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.”  Again, have faith and trust to share the Gospel.  3.)  Concerning the Book of Daniel Jesus commands, “whosoever reads it, let him understand.” God wants us to study and discern the truth so that we can prepare for His Return.  4.)  In that walk to Emanus Jesus scolded them “Oh fools, slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” God wants us to see with eyes that see.  5.) In the book of Revelation, Jesus declares, “Blessed is the one who reads this message, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are written in it; for the time is at hand,” Rev. 1:3.  God will bless those who commit to reading and understanding His Promises, His Signs, and His Warnings because the “time is at hand.” He wants us to understand and decipher the signs of the time and the profound Truth in the Word so that we can pray in the Spirit for direction and discernment.

During Israel’s 70-year captivity God spoke to and through the Prophet Daniel. Some say he was a type of Christ, because his prophecies had a direct connection to the coming Messiah. In prayer and fasting Daniel interceded for the nation and received visions and a powerful message from the Archangel Gabriel. The most consequential is recorded in Daniel 9:24-26: “Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”  Verse 25: “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.  Verse 26: “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” The puzzle of words and phrases above is God’s prophetic timeline for the Ages. Verse 27 is not quoted because it will be discussed in the next Chapter because it is even more confusing.

This announcement by Gabriel points to more than birth but also the Life, Resurrection and Return of Jesus Christ. The timeline spans over 2500 years from 457 B.C. to the Millenium period. The first period involves 49 years (7 weeks) to rebuild Jerusalem, then 434 years (62 weeks) until the Anointed Prince, Jesus Christ appears. The last Week or 7 years begins with the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. The first half ends with Jesus putting “an end to sin, atoning for wickedness and bringing in everlasting life.” The 2nd half of the 7 years begins with the Wrath of God and ends with the Millenium. Between the two halves of the Week is the Covenant period of Grace given to mankind for Salvation to all who believe. The Rapture of the Church will rescue believers before the final 3.5-year Wrath begins. There is no 7-year Wrath of God. One must keep seeking the Truth to be prepared.

Unfortunately, as time has passed some key verses such as those in Daniel have been reinterpreted and poorly applied. What was accepted by early Church fathers has been twisted into one 7-year Wrath of God that omits the severe trials that the disciples were about to go through. It seems clear that Jesus was giving them the warning in the Olivett Discourse, after all He mentions “them” and “you” twenty-four times in that discourse.

This book will give an accurate, biblically centered explanation that fits the spirit of the Word. It recognizes that the nation of Israel was formed in 1948 fulfilling God’s Promise. Knowing this will help you understand prophecy and thus discern truth. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you God’s heart for Israel. In Jeremiah 31:3, God states, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”  This is just one of dozens of promises that God has made to Israel. God is drawing both Jew and Gentile to Him and declares, “All those led by the Spirit of God are Sons of God,” Romans 8:14. Jesus Christ wants us to know that He is not only God’s Son but also Lord and Lord of Lord’s. Our faith will grow as our understanding grows and as we share this Gospel to both Jew and Gentile. He helps, guides, and protects us and declares: “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” Heb. 13:5.

God literally walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And He warned them and the Serpent about a future battle between their ancestor (Jesus Christ) and the Serpent’s seed (the Anti-Christ). Throughout His Word he reveals thousands of prophecies that light up our past and illuminate our future. They expose darkness, for He is a “lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path,” Ps. 119:105. Below is a simple outline of one of the most important unanswered prophecies in the Word of God. This is Daniel’s 70-Weeks Prophecy quoted earlier and spoken by Gabriel. Sixty-nine and a half of the 70 weeks have been fulfilled but the last portion of the final week carries with it the prophetic era of Salvation and rebirth that was spoken of by the prophets.

  • The 70 Weeks (v. 24): A set timeframe established by God for the Jewish people and those of the “anointed one” to conclude sin and bring in righteousness.
  • The 1st stage (v. 25): From the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the “Messiah the Prince,”
  • Begins with Rebuilding (v. 25): Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and a moat, but in “troublesome” or “perilous” times.
  • Then a Mysterious Death (v. 26): After the 62 weeks, the Anointed One (Messiah) will be “cut off” (killed) and have nothing.
  • Destruction of What and When? (v. 26): The people of the “prince who is to come” will destroy the city and the sanctuary (Temple) in 70 A.D. or sometime in the distant future?
  • Desolation and Sacrifice (v. 27): Points to Jesus Christ and not to the Anti-Christ as is often taught.  And it means that the “covenant” is granted by Jesus Christ in the middle of the week. Those who receive Christ as their Savior will be born again. Jews are included and Jerusalem is now part of the Jewish nation fulfilling prophecy. But evil and rebellion will grow until the end comes with both the rapture and the 3.5-year Wrath of God. It is during this time that the first and second beasts will appear.

As we walk with Him through time we will see and experience His Steadfast Love.  We will see a unity of Spirit and Truth that holds the message together and carries God’s Spirit into our heart and not just our mind.  This is not an Academic study but is a dive into the heart of God and the trust and obedience that comes through Him.

There is no confusion nor doubt when one discovers God’s profound Truth and Love for us. In His steadfast love we find hope for our present predicament and future trials. God restores us and reverses our circumstance. His steadfast love endures forever and is expressed in redemption, sanctification and by His “great wonders” (like parting the Red Sea). He is our daily Good Shepherd that will help us learn and grow in Him (sanctification). There are other profound truths mentioned in the outline that will be discussed.  So, hang tight and allow the Spirit of God to touch and teach your heart and mind as you read the next Chapter.

Note that now more than ever the “weeds or tares are growing ever bigger along the fruitful grain,” Matt. 13:30. North Africa, Constantinople, and Egypt were completely Chrisian until the 7th Century.  Revelation’s 7-Churches were Christian and now they do not exist, The Sancta Sophia was the largest Christian Church in the world – now it does not exist.  In England girls are gang-raped and not prosecuted maybe because it has over 85 Sharia courts.

Do you remember what Jesus said concerning his execution: Jesus declared that he had 12 legions of angels at His disposal to rescue him?  However, His plan was much greater, to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  So where are those angels? Revelation states that thousands surround Heaven’s throne. However, Hebrews 1:13-14 states, “But to which of the angels did he ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?  All of them are spirits on a divine mission, sent to serve those who are about to inherit salvation, aren’t they?”  It is possible that those angels have been reassigned to protect Christ who is us. Therefore, they are helping those “inheriting” salvation. They play a part in the great 2000 year era of the Church. And prophecy concurs that the Church is upheld by God’s hand until the rapture.  We can have hope even in a hopeless world.

In the Next Chapter we will delve into the center of a deep prophetic debate that will reveal profound Truth and shades of falsehood that have grown within Christian theology. We will see how the mistranslation of just a few words changes prophecy and creates a fog of confusion. These Prophecies are central to God’s heart and His promise to both Israel and the Church. The danger comes when we ignore the Spirit and heart in which certain words are used and override it with an Academic matrix of uninspired ideas to fit preconceived notions.

One notion is that Israel was permanently rejected by God when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman Empire. These “enlightened authors” and others within the last few centuries concluded that the New Covenant replaced the Covenant given to Israel, overriding key Promises made to Moses and other prophets. This rejection of Biblical truth and other dogma helped birth Nazism and the popularity of Islam in the West.   Agnosticism and rejection of good theological truth has grown in popularity with each generation feeding antisemitism, transgenderism, homosexuality, angel worship, witchcraft, and very bad Eschatology (the study of Prophecy). These philosophers, often under the guise of Christianity, undermined the heart of God’s message to our generation. It has become an intellectual trap like a modern-day “Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil.”

We are witnessing how bad dogma affects political movements and policy throughout the world. People do not realize that it is setting the stage for the Anti-Christ and the coming Wrath of God.  Just remember that Christ is Near and promises, “My Grace is sufficient for you, My Strength is made perfect in weakness,” II Cor. 12:9.

As we jump into the next Chapter remember that God often speaks to us through prophets like Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah and many more including King David. “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets,” Amos 3:7. Therefore, we must take care to accurately translate and understand truth that God conveys in His Word. He loves us and wants to strengthen us. This Psalm is for persecuted people under trial as Iranian Christians are and was sung by Priestly Sons of Korah. It reminds us that we are a Royal Priesthood (II Peter 2:9) and that we can approach Christ’s throne of Grace at any time, (Heb. 4:16).                                                                                                   “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
  Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,” Psalm 36:1-2.

The Dark Skies of Prophecy Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the attempt to expose fallacy or weakness it is important that we do not generate slander nor label Christians as being heretics. The purpose is to educate the public and those who teach and promote Biblical Truth. It is important to expand our understanding of what God has communicated to us through His Word and the inspiration He continues to give us through the Holy Spirit. With that said, we should be careful how we word critical thoughts and how we label ideas and positions that people take.

It has been a custom among certain groups and television ministries to negatively label anyone who does not agree with their seven consecutive year pre-tribulation rapture viewpoint. They often use exaggeration and critical labeling to demote opposing viewpoints and promote their own ministry. Others use sensational concepts or theories to entertain their followers and raise money. This habit of labeling other groups is a form of slander and a way to put down or box out opposing viewpoints instead of having honest conversation and debate.

To be clear this book does not teach a preterist, partial-preterist, nor the amillennial viewpoint. The viewpoint presented in this book describes: “God’s Mercy and Love expressed through the 3.5-year ministry of Jesus Christ, followed by the Church Age, then closed out by the Rapture, and a 3.5 period of Divine Judgment called the Wrath of God.” Our two thousand yearlong Gospel-age is in the spotlight and embraced by two divine 3.5-year Holy periods that proclaim the Name of God as Savior and Judge, the Lamb and Lion, and the Alpha and Omega (the Beginning and End). The two prophetic 3.5 periods are God’s hands holding up the Church, the Light of God.

This Light points to God’s great mysteries in the Old and New Testament. In Ephesians 3:9, Paul declares that God’s grace was given him so that he could “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” The Holy Spirit and the Church were mysteries revealed by Jesus Christ. Another mystery was the miraculous birth and survival of the nation of Israel in 1948 and the miracle war of 1967 which released Jerusalem from Islamic control. These are signposts that point to the Lord’s 2nd Coming. The Cosmic Crossroad Countdown book series reveals other divine signs given to us to guide us such as God’s Festivals, the Jubilee years, the 7-Days of Creation, and God’s Great Sign of the Woman in Revelation 12. They show that we are in the “generation” that will see the rapture.

God’s plan was to defeat sin and death and transform His creation from a temporary and corrupt state to one that is eternal and perfect. The Futurists may label this inspired viewpoint as the “classic Pre-Wrath version.”  However, the classic Pre-Wrath end-time scenario demoted by the Futurists was based on a contiguous 7-year tribulation. This prophetic outline does not follow that concept and instead has the two 3.5-year periods embracing and uplifting the two-thousand-year Church Age. It makes sense that God would spiritually and physically embrace His Church as He puts all people in the world through tests and trials that will cause them to look up to Him. He wants to purify the Church and draw unbelievers to the Light so that everyone will have a chance to repent and obey Him. He encourages us by declaring; “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance,” James1:1-2.

In His Love God has made His Word available to the entire world through every method possible including through the printing press, radio, television, film, and digital drives. He has also allowed the 4 Horses of Revelation to shake the world’s foundation with disasters, famines, wars, rebellion, pestilence, and even the beasts of the earth. This shaking also happened during Old Testament time as shown in the following verses:

1) David called out to God in distress as enemies surrounded him: “My cry reached his ears. The world shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains quaked, they shook because he was angry. He shot his arrows and scattered them; with many lightening bolts he frightened them,” Ps. 18:7 and 14.”

 2) Psalm 97:1: “Hate evil, you who love the Lord. He guards the life of those who love Him, delivering them from domination by the wicked.”

3) Isaiah 40:4-5: “Every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain and hill will be lowered; the rough ground will become level, and the mountain ridges made a plain. Then the Glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity will see it at once, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

4) Haggai 2:6-9, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

It is IMPORTANT to note that in Haggai’s verse the phrase “in a little while” or others like “in the last hour” and the “70th week” can represent lengthy periods or spans of time now and into the future.

This idea of “super short time” representing a long amount of time is used by Jesus in replying to the woman at the well. Jesus says, “the hour will soon come when worship will not depend on a specific location but will be “in spirit and truth.” The Temple will not be necessary. God will move from the Temple to the human heart. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you,” I Corinthians 3:16 ISV).

Paul the Apostle refers to the Haggai verse above suggesting that Jesus Christ “shook all the nations, filling this house with Glory.” Paul states in Hebrew: “Once again I will cause the earth to move. But this time I will cause heaven to move, “Hebrew 12:28. Although Paul does not say that Heaven and earth moved when Jesus defeated Satan and Death, could it still be true? He will again move both Heaven and Earth at the end of the age in the last half of the prophetic 7th Week. Was Haggai comparing earth’s Creation to what will happen at the end of time? During the Wrath of God, all temporary, created things—both in heaven and earth—will be transformed through a final, cosmic “shaking” or judgment. This will ensure that only the eternal, unshakable Kingdom of God will exist.

However, we know that Jesus Christ made all this possible by reversing death, sin, the temporary state of matter, and much of physics through God directed miracles while living in a sin filled world.. When he died a massive earthquake happened and the sky became dark for hours. The supernatural was shaking the natural. Thus, at both sides of our 2000-year period the effect on nature and “permanence of created things” change. Both 3.5-year periods show “cosmic events.” There is much more detail on these special cosmic events in the first Cosmic Crossroad Countdown book.

John the Apostle in Revelation 3:10 shares the strong exhortation given by Jesus Christ to all Churches (and this includes Christian authors, film makers, institutions) that act as His Light to the world: “Because you (Philadelphia Church) have obeyed my command to endure, I will keep you from the hour of testing that is coming in the whole world to test those living on the earth.” This “hour of testing” spans time to include our present age. It is an “hour” that includes world wars, Islamic invasions, worldwide pestilence like the Spanish Flu, and economic dictatorships like China. The White Horse and Rider will test the faith and devotion of the Church. The Red Horse and Rider will test their strength and obedience. And the Black and Green Horses will shake their faith, endurance, and convictions.

Jesus Christ showed his love for everyone including the demon possessed with miracles, comforting words, divine wisdom, and God’s plan expressed in parables and warnings. He set the stage for how a believer can overcome the world. He was purposefully directing a three-and-a-half-year ministry while he fulfilled hundreds of prophecies. Although he does not explicitly say, “I am fulfilling the first half of Daniel’s 70th week,” he implies this in the following Gospel passages:

1) In Luke 13:6-9 in the parable of the unfruitful Fig Tree Jesus Christ speaks of seeking fruit for “three years” and granted “one more year” to nurture and care for it. This is a good reference to his 3.5-year ministry.

2) The Gospel of John records at least three Passovers celebrated during Jesus’ ministry, ending with the Passover of his crucifixion. Since scholars believe that Jesus was born near late September during the Feast of Tabernacles, it suggests that he was baptized by John the Baptist in September during or after the Feast of Tabernacles. That would add six months to his ministry for a total of 3.5 years.

3) If you chose to use the word “confirm” at the Lord’s supper (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20) one sees Jesus Christ confirming “the blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many.” By doing this he is identifying himself as the “anointed prince” in Daniel 9:27.

4) And in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:15): Jesus directly references Daniel 9:27: “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).” By instructing the disciples using this key passage in Daniel he confirms his ministry and the subsequent events: which include the abomination Nero placed in the Temple in 67 AD and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. The Abomination includes the execution the Apostles Paul and Peter by Nero and later the execution of all the Temple priests. It all “confirms” the abomination having been committed during the time of the early church and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 24:3-8:  Jesus replies after the disciples ask him what will happen to them, and what will be the sign of his coming and the end of the age:  “See to it that no one deceives you, because many will come in my name, proclaiming, I’m the Messiah, and they will deceive many people. You’ll begin to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you don’t panic. These things must take place, but the end won’t have come yet, because nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are only a beginning of agonies.”  Could all these events happen between the crucifixion of the Lord and the 70 AD destruction of the Temple? The religious authorities in Jerusalem were determined to quench any talk of the resurrection and to arrest the leaders and smother the message of this new faith. The Roman dictatorship did not want rebellion and so followed the requests of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders. Rebellion and lawlessness happened despite the caution. There were wars and rumors of wars with nations rising against nations. Deception and false Christs were evident in the book of Acts, so we can assume those were happening.

In Matthew 24:9-14: Jesus states, “Then they’ll hand you over to suffer and will kill you, and you’ll be hated by all the nations on account of my name. Then many people will fall away, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people, and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many people will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the inhabited world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Heavy persecution unfortunately happened to the disciples and the Church. The religious leaders executed James the brother of Jesus and stoned to death Stephen. Believers fled their homes and moved to other cities across the Jordan river as they fled Roman edicts issued against Christians throughout Judea.

What does the phrase “and then the end will come” mean here. In Jewish tradition it suggests an end to both the heavy persecution by Rome and the religious leaders but also an end to their present evil age and the beginning of a glorious new age. Soon Rome under Caesar Constantine would accept Christianity and the Gospel would spread throughout the Roman Empire. During and after the siege and destruction of Jerusalem the Roman forces and the religious zealots fought each other for years. The Church had to flee but was able to regroup and survive in various areas inside and outside Israel as archeology shows evidence of Churches in the Decapolis, Macedonia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Egypt, and Turkey.

In Matthew 24:15-20 Jesus states, “So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader take note), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Anyone who’s on the housetop must not come down to get what is in his house, and anyone who’s in the field must not turn back to get his coat.  ‘How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! Pray that it may not be in winter or on a Sabbath when you flee”

In this passage Jesus gave a warning to those in Jerusalem warning them to prepare to flee to the mountains of Judea. The Zealot rebellion around Judea begins 30 years later in 66 AD followed by the Roman siege in April of 70 AD. Jesus tells his disciples and the early church to leave Jerusalem before they are entrapped by this conflict. It does not refer to events in our future. Why do we know this? In the Matthew passage Jesus says “flee to the mountains” which is different than what happens at the “end of time” when Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives and the mountain splits in two. The believers in modern Jerusalem will flee directly to the Dead Sea area and will not need to “flee to the mountains.” They will not have to flee upwards and southward but will flee through the split open eastern wall of Jerusalem and through the split open Mount of Olives in the East and then downward to the Dead Sea. This will be a quicker and safer route. Zechariah 14:5 explains, “You will run away through my mountain valley…you will flee, as you fled the earthquake under King Uzziah. And so the Lord my God will come with his holy ones to accompany you.” Jesus Christ will guide and protect them and then return with them to establish the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem where Jesus puts His throne. This will begin the Millennium with a “Temple of the Lord” which has a throne and not the Ark of the Covenant.

Another passage in the Old Testament that critics use to “prove” that a pre-Millennium Temple will exist on the present Temple Mount is the vision that Ezekiel has. Ezekiel sees a glowing man with a measuring rod and line at the gate of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40:3-4). He is measuring the “new temple” which represents the New Testament believers and not a physical Temple. In II Corinthians 6:16, Paul teaches us what God’s plan is: “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the real temple. That temple is within each believer and the Church as a whole.

The Futurist claims that the passage in Ezekiel 40 and later in Revelation 11 points to a new temple that will exist on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount before the Millennium. This is a failure in interpretation. The images of a Temple in both Ezekiel 40-48 and Revelation 11 are a symbolic fulfillment of the Promises and Prophecies made throughout scripture. Examples are in the following verses:

1) Ephesians 2:19, ISV states:

That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah] Jesus himself being the cornerstone. In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord.

Jesus Christ is our “cornerstone” that fulfilled the Promises in the Old and New Testament. His spiritual Temple stands on the “foundation of the apostles and prophets” who received and recorded the Word of God and acted upon the commands and inspiration given by God. Even the Qumran community that interacted with John the Baptist and wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, believed that Ezekiel’s Temple was a spiritual temple. These Essenes helped shepherd the early Church. They hid their scrolls including the book of Daniel in caves. Did they understand that the Messiah was due at any moment and that John the Baptist had baptized him? John did declare openly that he was lesser and Jesus much greater.  Did they hide their scrolls for fear that they would be attacked by Roman forces during the entire period when believers and zealots were on the run?

2) Ezekiel’s vision beginning in Chapter 40 goes on for many chapters describing a symbolic place where his people will dwell forever, Ezekiel 43:7: “Son of dust, this is the place of my throne and my footstool, where I shall remain, living among the people of Israel forever. They and their kings will not defile my holy name any longer through the adulterous worship of other gods or by worshiping lifeless idols erected by their kings.”

The statement that God has his throne there forever implies that this is a picture of heaven and not the millennium. The millennium has a limit of 1000 years.

3)  Revelation 11:1 shows the Apostle John using a measuring rod to measure the Temple of God and the altar. John is measuring the Church and the number of martyrs that have given up their lives and are under the altar. Revelation 6:11, states that Jesus Christ tells the martyrs under the altar “to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers was completed, who would be killed.” God has set the number of saints that will be martyred before His return. Jesus also measures the number of believers as the Gospel reaches people worldwide. The outer courtyard is not “measured” because it represents the number of those who persecute God’s people and who will “trample the Holy City for three- and one-half years,” Rev. 11:2.

All these key passages support the fact that a Jewish Temple for Jews to worship in is not built anytime in the future. The Ezekiel Temple is a spiritual Temple in Heaven representing perfection.

Prophecy Flying in the Dark – Chapter 1 & 2

Chapter 1

The traditional KJV interpretation of the Angel Gabriel’s message to Daniel is as follows:  “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate,” Daniel 9:27.  Can you understand the message relayed?  The failure to give a clear yet accurate interpretation of this passage is a cause for concern. Who is the “he” in this passage? Modern day translators declare that the “he” is the Anti-Christ, yet according to proper grammatical analysis the subject here should be the “anointed prince.” This identity switch has flipped the meaning of current Prophecy projections and warnings.

The prior verse gives us the answer: “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed Prince will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the commander (Anti-Christ) who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” The “appointed prince” is in the singular whereas the “people of the coming commander” is in the plural tense. The “he” in verse twenty-seven is also in the singular and therefore should refer to the “appointed prince” and not to the “people of the commander.” The appointed prince is also the primary subject and since verses 26 and 27 belong in the same paragraph or in the same line of thought, the “he” in verse twenty-seven must be the “Anointed Prince.”  He, the “Anointed Prince” and not the commander, “shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week.” The word “confirm” is also incorrect. We will see that the favored translation of the Hebrew “gabar” is the word, “prevails,” not “confirms” and gives the message even more divine emphasis.

The commander’s army is the enemy of the Jews and will “destroy both the city (Jerusalem) and the Temple.” This happened at 70 A.D., and the commander did not confirm a covenant.  To suggest that this commander will “confirm” a covenant 2000 or more years in the future is not only a poor translation but also a very uncharacteristic message that God’s special messenger would relay. After all Gabriel was appointed to announce great news concerning God’s coming Messiah. This would definitely include God’s spectacular Covenant of Grace allowing anyone to be in a covenant relationship with Him forever.

This flip in translation caused teachers, pastors, and authors around the world to misunderstand and then misrepresent one of the most important prophecies and announcements in the Word of God.  Following the crowd is not a good excuse.  It is important for everyone to understand that the New Covenant “prevails” and this inauspicious commander and his false covenant do not.

The “anointed prince” is Jesus Christ who is in Heaven directing Gabriel to make this important announcement to Daniel. Why would Jesus ignore sharing the purpose of His birth, mission, and resurrection which “prevails” against sin and death and all forms of wickedness, anxiety, and fear? This is the power and hope of Gabriel’s message to the exiled nation and to all of us who read and study the book of Daniel. If any of this seems insignificant or obtuse follow along in the following chapters and you will clear some of the prophecy fog in your mind and receive a blessing as promised by Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation.

Why would Jesus Christ ignore his Promise to Israel and waste time announcing Satan’s future commander as a covenant maker 2000 years into the future? And why would God jump time from 538 BC (the time of Gabriel’s announcement) to 33 A.D. (the time of the Triumphal entrance as promoted by the futurist movement) and then leap forward again into an unknown time over 2000 years later (when the commander makes a false covenant with Israel)? This timeline skips Jesus’ three-and-a-half years of ministry beginning in 27 A.D. to then give the prophetic stage to Satan and his Anti-Christ at an unknown time far into the future?

This odd twist in the futurist interpretation of God’s message would demote the 4 Gospels and most of the New Testament. It ignores the promises and prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament.  How could this time jump be relevant in a Messianic message for the Jew who is looking for answers to their desperate situation? This is a dreadful manipulation of God’s purpose and eternal message of Grace and steadfast Love. It is a folly that must be exposed and that is why this book is so important.

The Archangel Gabriel also gave important messianic announcements to the Temple priest Zechariah and to the Virgin Mary. It would be out of character for him to digress from the theme of this divine message to introduce an Anti-Christ as the one who makes a covenant over 2000 years later. Why would God’s heavenly messenger skip the Messiah’s New Covenant that would end all sacrifices and offering? Why would he skip the message of hope and steadfast love that God was conveying to His exiled nation? And why would Garbriel ignore the “desolation” that Christ would suffer at the hands of this coming “commander?” The entire message recorded by Daniel would also comfort Jewish generations that would go through the trials of rebuilding Jerusalem and four hundred years of silence and severe testing.

We should note the three mistakes in translation as we adopt proper parsing, word meaning, and grammar:

1) The correct Hebrew translation for the verb “gabar” is not the word “confirms” but is the more commanding word “prevails.” The word “confirm” is only a secondary translation. In the Hebrew Lexicon the word “Gabar” is defined as “to cause to overpower.” Thus, verse 27 should read: “His Covenant will prevail with many for one week.”

The New Covenant of Grace “prevails” as the Anointed Prince defeats Satan in the wilderness, sets the captives free, brings sight to the blind, defeats death, and redeems humanity. Jesus is the 2nd Adam born fully man and fully God. He has come to reclaim the right of dominion from Satan and save mankind.  Using the word “confirm” would carry less power and authority. God “prevails” and overcomes Satan, sin and death through Jesus Christ and His Covenant of Grace. The New Covenant “prevails” over the Old Testament but does not abolish it.

2)  We can interpret the 2nd part of Daniel 9:27 as: “and He will be made desolate on the wings of abomination.”  Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah who fulfills all prophecy and therefore is the suffering servant who is made desolate. An obvious way to translate this entire passage is, “The covenant shall prevail for many for one week. In the middle of the week, “He (Jesus Christ)” shall cause the sacrifices and offerings to cease, and upon the wing of abomination He shall be made desolate.”  Jesus Christ was “made desolate” when He was betrayed by Judas, abandoned by his disciples, denied by Peter, and when he appeared alone before the High Priest who blasphemed God, the Jewish people that rejected him over Barabas, and Pilate who condemned Him.  He was again “made desolate” when he had to carry the cross on which he would be nailed to and died on, bearing the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. Nobody in history has been made so desolate for the sake of others. The commander or Anti-Christ was not desolate.

“The wings of Abomination” refers to the location or locations where this atrocity took place. The majority of Christ’s physical torture and mocking began in the Roman Antonia and ended on the Cross which are located in the North and Western “wings” of Mount Moriah. This “wing of abomination” could also refer to the Garden Tomb which is also on Mount Moriah but further away on the far North edge of the Mount,  Both are outside the city wall or on a wing outside the body of the Temple court.  In each case the Lord “was made desolate on the wing of abomination.”

3)  It is unfortunate that verse twenty-seven is one of the most misinterpreted verses in the entire Bible. In some versions the word “destroyed” replaces the word “desolate.” Again, “destroyed” is the wrong word to use for we know that Christ cannot be destroyed. He is “made desolate” when he is beaten up, scourged, and placed on a cross where He redeems the sins of the world.  Jesus Christ is not “destroyed.”  This incorrect translation is a result of improper interpretation throughout the Daniel 9:26-27 passage.

Improper translation in Daniel leads to wrong conclusions made in studying and teaching both Daniel and the book of Revelation. These teachers of prophecy claim that Daniel 9:26-27 proves that Revelation foretells an Abomination of Desolation in an “end time Temple” in Jerusalem. This is a false conclusion, for the book of Revelation never mentions the Abomination of Desolation.

Jesus warned His followers to look for the “desolation” spoken of by “Daniel the prophet.” This desolation began when Nero placed his image in the Temple in 67 AD and executed both Peter and Paul. The Roman siege of Jerusalem continued into 70 A.D. when the Roman commander Titus finally breached the walls and desecrated the Temple by burning it down. This is the final desecration and occurs 38 years after Jesus gave his Olivett Discourse in Matthew 24. Those in Jerusalem who did not flee with “just the clothes on their back” would die in Jerusalem. That is why Jesus warned his disciples to quickly leave Jerusalem when they saw Nero “set himself up as God” in the Temple in 67 A.D.

Teachers who are influenced by futurism point to Revelation 13:8-14, to say that “all who inhibit the earth will worship” the first beast and the second beast “is empowered to give life to the image of the beast.”  They claim this place of worship with a beast empowered to create a living image must take place in a future Temple built on the Temple Mount. And they claim this event is the Abomination of Desolation. Note that the book of Revelation does NOT state the location where any of these events happen.  If they happen, they could take place at the Vatican or in anywhere on earth including your home.

When asked by the author, no one attending futurist Prophecy conferences knew this and just took it for granted that Revelation mentions the Abomination of Desolation. The futurists declare that II Thessalonians 2:4 verifies their claim that “he opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary] of God and himself declares that he is God.” However, they must admit that Paul wrote this prior to Nero placing the Abomination of Desolation in Herod’s Temple in 67 A.D. soon after he executes Peter and Paul. Thus, the sanctuary is the A.D. 67 Temple, and the Anti-Christ type was Nero, the Emperor of the Roman Empire. This also fits Daniel’s beast empire vision with iron teeth.  There will not be a future Temple with a future Abomination.

Chapter 2  One Week equals Two 3.5-year Divine Periods

John the Apostle authored the Book of Revelation 20 years after the real Abomination of Desolation happened in Jerusalem in 67 AD. That is why it is not part of John’s vision given to him by Jesus Christ and portrayed in the book of Revelation. Both Paul and Jesus warned about the abomination of desolation because it had not happened. It would happen soon after Nero executed Paul on June 29, 67 A.D. In the Olivett Discourse Jesus warned his disciples about an abomination of desolation that would soon come and told them to flee before a three-and-a-half-year Roman attack would trap them. Before Titus, “the commander” destroyed the Temple and killed everyone in the siege, three other Caesars would enforce their control in Judea and Samaria that would lead to conflicts with zealots and heavy persecution against all Jews.

In summary the main theme of Gabriel’s message in about 539 BC was to announce to Daniel and to those who read Daniel’s scroll that a specific time was set for the Messiah to appear. This Messiah or Prince is Jesus Christ who proclaims the Kingdom of God and ministers for half a week, or 3.5 years. He is crucified near the end of this period. This represents the first 3.5-years. His death and resurrection end the need for sacrifices and offerings. During this “desolation” He redeems mankind. The Resurrection ends the need for a Temple since Jesus Christ is “the Temple” that He said would be “raised up after 3 days” and He is the New Covenant that redeems all those who place their trust in Him. He told the Pharisees that the “Kingdom of God is within us.” All who receive Him are a spiritual “Temple of God.”

The second 3.5-year period entitled “The Wrath of God” by Jesus Christ, John, and Paul was orchestrated by God from the beginning of Time to occur much later in the last generation.  We are that “last generation” as defined by the parable of the Fig tree in Matthew 24. This parable and the Great Sign of Revelation 12 are discussed intensively in the author’s first book: Cosmic Crossroad Countdown: The Fig Tree and the Prophetic Generation.  It will help you understand that the “WEEK” spoken about in Daniel 9:27 is divided prophetically into two 3.5-year periods—and only the first one has been fulfilled.

Alert #1: 3.5 YEAR BOOKENDS WITH CHURCH AGE INBETWEEN

Our generation began with the birth of the nation of Israel and may mark the end of the Church age. The Church age represents a 2000-plus-year span of time, like the 69-week span of time in Daniel’s 70-week Prophecy. This means that the final 3.5-year period of Daniel’s 70th week may start at any moment in the future. This will happen after the rapture and at a time when the God’s Wrath will impact earth as the sin of the world is judged. Jesus discusses this final 3.5-year period of wrath in his last discourse with the disciples and never mentions a 7-year period. Even though Jesus referred to Daniel’s 70-weeks prophecy, He did not warn of a “Wrath of God” that would last 7 years. Why not? Instead, he infers that his ministry represents only the first half of the 7-year period.  This will be detailed more in Chapter 3.

Jesus warned His followers to look for the “desolation” spoken of by “Daniel the prophet.” This desolation began when Nero placed his image in the Temple in 67 AD and executed both Peter and Paul. The Roman siege of Jerusalem continued into 70 A.D. when the Roman commander Titus finally breached the walls and desecrated the Temple by burning it down. This is the final desecration and occurs 38 years after Jesus gave his Olivett Discourse in Matthew 24. Those in Jerusalem who did not flee with “just the clothes on their back” would die in Jerusalem. That is why Jesus warned his disciples to quickly leave Jerusalem when they saw Nero “set himself up as God” in the Temple in 67 A.D. As stated earlier, this is the abomination seated in the Temple described by Paul in II Thessalonians. After this Temple is destroyed by Titus there will not be another Temple. nor another desecration.

Twenty years after the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem, John the Apostle wrote in Revelation about a time of “great tribulation” that would last 3.5 years.  The “Abomination of Desolation” had already happened in Jerusalem and now Jesus Christ visiting John from Heaven gives a vision of end time events that will happen on earth and in Heaven. Chapters 11, 12, and 13 describe events that last a total of three-and one-half years. Jesus does not describe any 7-year period of tribulation nor any 7-year “Wrath of God.”

Surely his detailed visions would reveal something about a 7-year judgment or wrath to come. But Jesus Christ never makes this declaration!  This clearly suggests that He fulfilled the first 3.5 years of the 70th week and therefore was the Covenant Maker who ended sacrifices and offerings for eternity. Therefore, when Gabriel declares, “he will make a binding covenant for one week,” the Binding Covenant is the New Covenant that spans the time from His Resurrection all the way into our time and beyond into the final 3.5 years. The Week of time ends up being thousands of years-The Gospel Age of the Church.

In conclusion: 1) The Word of God reveals that we will be looking forward to a three-and one-half-year Wrath of God and not to a “7-Year Wrath of God” popularized by the futurist prophecy movement. 2) Jesus Christ has fulfilled the first 3.5 years of Daniel’s 70th Week Prophecy. This means that both the “covenant” and the betrayal following that covenant by the “commander” or Anti-Christ will not happen. Both were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. What Jesus and Paul described as “abomination of desolation” happened in their generation, in about 67 A.D. under the leadership of Nero and eventually Titus.  3) Therefore, the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Jesus in the Olivette Discourse and by Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians has already been fulfilled.

4) And note that there will be an Anti-Christ, but he will have “authority for only three-and one-half years.” 5) The covenant that Gabriel announces is the New Covenant given unconditionally to all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior and not Satan’s or the Anti-Christ’s covenant. 6) We are not looking forward to an “abomination of desolation” that Darby and others claim will happen in a Temple on the Temple Mount.  7) Both the Jews and secular believers do not want a Temple. A new Temple on the Temple Mount will not be constructed. What appears to be a minor issue has become a major deviation of Truth concerning the whole of end time Biblical Prophecy.

The Dark Sky of Prophecy – Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Was 19th Century biblical prophecy just an intellectual exercise that grew in popularity during a time of philosophical transition? This “renaissance in thinking” also saw the emergence of Marxism, Materialism, and Social Darwinism. The shift in theology began as did Darwin’s Origin of the Species around 1848. The author was Nelson Darby the father of modern dispensational theology. His system of thought predicts a 7-year “Wrath of God” that begins with the Anti-Christ deceiving Israel as he prepares to destroy the Jewish nation and take control of the entire world. The Anti-Christ’s deception involves a “false covenant” with the leader or leaders of Israel.

Darby promoted a new translation of a prophecy given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel in about 532 BC. Gabriel calls it the “70 weeks Prophecy.” The prophecy reveals that Jesus fulfilled 69 weeks when he made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a week before his death on the cross. Darby and the Futurists believe that Daniel’s final week of 7 years has not been fulfilled. Today the majority who speak or write on biblical prophecy take this same position. These proponents dominate most Denominations and Prophecy conferences and rarely allow other viewpoints to be represented.

Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists, Evangelicals, and members of Bible and non-denominational churches agree with the Futurists and teach that Daniel’s final week represents a 7-year “Wrath of God” still to come. They teach that the Anti-Christ will begin this final week of judgment by signing a false covenant with the nation of Israel. Then in the middle of the week or after 3.5 years the Anti-Christ will place the Abomination of Desolation in a Jewish Temple that must be built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount.

This opens the idea that the Anti-Christ is alive today and may be Trump with his new peace initiative or an influential Jew like Jerud Kushner who recently established the Abraham Accord. We should not be looking for the Anti-Christ but should be looking for and sharing Jesus Christ. We should seek Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. Research shows those who read God’s Word at least 4 times per week will share more, memorize more, learn more, and will live healthier lives.  This may be due to Beta-endorphins that help us deal with stress, anxiety, and any challenge in life.

The 7-year “Wrath of God” concept inspires a false flag mentality that may motivate insecure people to distrust good leaders who are peacemakers with a popular following. The “evil covenant” conspiracy can generate inappropriate behavior and media hype that do not fit the context nor the basic logic of God’s message of love and grace. Why would God intend this? The Archangel Gabriel shared “Good News” of significant impact to both Mary and to Zechariah the father of John the Baptist concerning the births of Jesus and his cousin John. And we know Gabriel did not appear to Joseph to calm his anxiety about Mary’s pregnancy. That was not his mission. Precedence indicates that Gabriel’s purpose focused primarily on events related to the celebration of the coming Messiah.

When Gabriel spoke to Daniel, he was announcing the coming of an “anointed prince” or Messiah who “in the middle of the week” or after a 3.5-year ministry, will introduce a new covenant. Jesus Christ fulfilled this when he died for our sins after ministering God’s grace and love for 3.5 years. Soon after his baptism he manifested his majesty and power by defeating Satan’s temptations. He declared that he was bringing in the Kingdom of God and his public ministry overcame the effects of sin on the body and souls of countless people. He overcame Satan again at the Cross by defeating death and sin at the Resurrection. All this was done in public and it ended the need for “sacrifice and offerings.”

He was the one who was “made desolate” in the “wing of Abomination.” He was betrayed by Judas and in his time of need he” was abandoned by his disciples.  The Roman soldiers whipped, beat, mocked, and spit upon Him. They stripped off his clothes and forced a crown of thorns on his head. Alone on the Cross he took upon himself all the sins of the world past, present, and future. He was “made desolate on the wing of abomination.” No future commander nor Anti-Christ can fulfill this powerful divine prophecy.

Jesus Christ is our eternal sacrifice, and He purposefully ended the need for animal sacrifices and offerings for sin. From heaven He directed Gabriel to share this message of hope with Daniel to encourage the exiled Jewish nation in 532 BC and later as they endured four hundred years of silence. Also, God may have wanted to alert Jews and the young Christian Church in the first century of an impending attack on Jerusalem by a large Roman army.

The Roman Empire which tortured and persecuted both the Jewish nation and the early Church represents the iron-toothed fourth hybrid beast in Daniel’s vision of 4 Empire Beasts. The Roman Empire was also the iron legs in Nebuchadnezzar’s metallic giant. It is interesting to note that in 90-91 AD Jesus Christ gave John the Apostle a vision of two other beasts that would persecute the Church and the tribulation saints.

From a historical viewpoint it was “commander” Titus who ended all Jewish animal sacrifices through the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Titus, as Daniel prophesied was just a commander, and not an emperor and was the one who destroyed “the temple and sanctuary.” As stated, Gabriel’s focus is not on the “commander” in verse twenty-six but on the main subject in the paragraph called the “anointed prince.” He is the one who ends the need for all animal sacrifices through the New Covenant of Grace. His sacrifice offers eternal forgiveness of sin. God’s plan would affect all of Heaven and earth. The New Covenant and Christ’s victory over sin and death is why history has the designation “Before Christ” and “After Christ.”

Gabriel’s message gave the Jewish people hope during their captivity. It would also influence what Daniel recorded on his scrolls. Teachers and students of the Bible agree that Daniel’s scrolls provided information that motivated Magi from the East five hundred years later to study the heavenly lights for a sign of a newborn King of the Jews. Gabriel’s focus was on the Messiah and his birth, linking prophecies given earlier by Isaiah, Malachi, Zechariah, Jeremiah, and King David to this special birth.

Gabriel’s announcement came after Daniel’s earlier vision of the multi-horned mutant beast with metallic teeth and Nebuchadnezzars’ dream of the metallic giant. Those supersized signs are like the Four Apocalyptic Horses and will follow throughout modern history giving each generation a healthy need to look up to God and  seek Him with faith and hope. God will be testing individuals, nations, and tribes and thus, His voice and shaking will impact society. Through trials and testing God will draw people to him as He did with Jacob, Joseph, Gideon, Moses, and the other heroes of the Bible.

According to Revelation 19:16-20, Jesus Christ returns from Heaven after the rapture with an army of Saints and destroys the armies of the Anti-Christ, thus fulfilling the prophecy behind the defeat of the two supernatural metallic-like avatars in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah, is the Rock that destroys Nebuchadnezzar’s metallic giant and the hero that overcomes the final metal toothed mutant beast in Daniel. He will also defeat the two beasts in Revelation. Changing or adding to any part of Gabriel’s important message would affect mankind’s understanding of God’s eternal plan and timing. It could alter our understanding of the Book of Revelation and the timing of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Note that God has warned us not to add or subtract from the message in Revelation.

Nelson Darby decided to change the interpretation of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy even though the early Church fathers did not entertain his theory. His theory runs contrary to the following comparison of Daniel’s prophecy in the books of Matthew and Revelation. Jesus is warning the disciples to flee Jerusalem when they see the Abomination of Desolation placed by Nero in the Temple. He warns them to immediately flee to the mountains. This is revealed in Matthew 24:15-17 ISV: “So when you see the destructive desecration, mentioned by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place (let the reader take note) then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Anyone who’s on the housetop must not come down to get what is in his house.”

Jesus then states, “How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. Pray that it may not be in winter or on a Sabbath when you flee, because at that time there will be great suffering, the kind that has not happened from the beginning of time until now and certainly won’t ever happen again,” Matthew 24:19-21 ISV.  This was a horrific event where all those who stayed in Jerusalem were starved to death, died of diseases, or were brutally killed when the seige ended.

Note that there two separate events where Jesus Christ warned the people to flee. Both were directed to those living in Jerusalem. The other one occurs at the 2nd Coming, when Jesus sets foot on the Mount of Olives and it splits in two. In this instance the people do not flee to the mountains. They flee through the eastern wall and the wide opening in the Mount of Olives. In this case all who see Jesus are saved and cry out “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.”  They are all divinely protected as they escape the forces of the Anti-Christ.

Revelation 13:5, describes length of time that the destructive beast called the Anti-Christ reigns. “The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months (3.5 years).” Then Revelation 19:20 states: “The beast was captured, along with the false prophet who had performed signs on its behalf. By these signs the false prophet had deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.” This marks the end of the 3.5 years of the Wrath of God.

The above verse clearly states that the Beast, or Anti-Christ will “exercise authority”  for 3.5 years and not 7 years. Jesus Christ will throw him into the lake of fire at the end of the 3.5 year “Wrath of God.”  So, how can the Rider of the White Horse at the beginning of Darby’s 7-year Great Tribulation be the Anti-Christ? The Futurist insists on this because they claim the two 3.5-year periods are just one 7-year period, and that this one 7-year period is the Wrath of God. This requires that the Anti-Christ “exercise authority” for a full 7 years and not just forty-two months. This runs against what we just saw written in God’s Holy scripture.

Revelation 12:13-14 states, “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that it might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times, half time (3.5 years).” Again, this verse warns of an attack on the “Woman” who is the nation of Israel and the male child which is both Jesus Christ and Christians (who have Christ in their heart). Those fleeing include the 144,000 “sealed” Jews and other believing Jews and Christians. This parallels the account in Matthew 24:15-21, where the believing Jews flee into the Judean mountains.

The woman and child are “taken care of” when they are quickly carried or transported on the “wings of eagles.” It is possible those Jewish saints flee Jerusalem in left-over tourist buses organized by Christians who have also prepared “the land” beforehand. This land is the Jordanian wilderness where dozens of Christian benefactors have bought and prepared hotels and motels for these refugees. They will “be taken care of for 3.5 years” while chaos worldwide is happening. As the Trumpet and Bowl judgments shake the entire world, they are protected.

Darby’s theory did not originate from any of the early Church fathers, not with John the Apostle the author of Revelation, nor with his associate Polycarp and Polycarp’s student Irenaeus. Their writings and those of other Church fathers do not entertain Darby’s interpretation. They saw and experienced great tribulation at the hands of cruel Ceasars such as Domitian, Nero, and Antonius Pius and were in the generation that witnessed the death of Paul, Peter, and James, and the destruction of Jerusalem. They were aware of the long rebellion and commotion that led to the seige organized by Titus. They knew that the Church had escaped due to the warning that Jesus gave them.  It had all started when Nero placed an image of himself in the Temple in 67 AD. The city fell 3.5 years later in 70 AD.

This rebellion and seige is the 3.5-year period described in Daniel 12:7.  Jesus refers to this in Matthew 24:9-10 when he says to his disciples, “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another.” This 3.5-year period foreshadows the 3.5-year Wrath of God that will occur at the end of time. The early Church fathers understood that both Daniel and Jesus had warned the Church and other inhabitants to flee Jerusalem before the total encirclement of the city by the Roman army.  This same warning will remind them to flee Jerusalem 2000 years later when the Anti-Christ invades.

Darby’s focus on a 7-year Wrath and the Anti-Christ covenant has affected the teaching of prophecy in churches around the world? Romans 15:4, states “For everything written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may endure.”  When we misinterpret scripture will it affect our hope and endurance? Revelation 1:3, states “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud and blessed are those who hear and obey the words written in it because the time is near!”

The time is near!  This was stated to John the Apostle not us. Note that this is an exclamation. Does this imply that the 4 Horses of the Apocalypse happened soon after John was given God’s Revelation? This was a time when Caesar Domitian and others like Maximus killed many of the leaders of the church and committed severe persecution such as what happened in the Roman Colosseum. Many cults were forming, and many lies were being told. False Christs were trying to deceive young believers and non-believers, and wars and rumors of wars were spreading. The birth pains had begun and would continue to grow for almost 2000 years. Are we not ego-centric to think that our birth pains are the only ones that the Church has seen throughout history?

In his theory Darby sought to remove the idea that the Four Horses of the Apocalypse and their Riders had already been released. Artists, historians, and others however have depicted those “horses and riders” throughout history as causing cataclysmic geo-political events that ravaged nations, tribes, and entire regions. The early church fathers in the time of Irenaeus saw the death and distress caused by this Apocalyptic spirit in their generation. They and following generations experienced horrible wars, pestilence, famine, rebellion, and/or economic hardship such as slavery. We cannot ignore the bloody Arab invasion that occurred in the 8th century and the Ottoman Empire that persecuted Jews and the Church for over 400 years. World Wars and revolutions such as Mao’s cultural revolution and his war of independence killed millions of Christians and others.  Famines and pestilence killed millions more.

Romans 15:4 states, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  This refers to prophecy and the correct interpretation of the Word of God. Misguided leaders or teachers can affect the Churches understanding of both the timing and the sequence of prophetic signs, events, and warnings. Can this misinterpretation affect our hope and joy? The phrase, “in the middle of the week, sacrifices and offerings are ended,” is not a future event since Jesus Christ fulfilled it in 32 AD. Darby’s re-interpretation also ignores the true Abomination of Desolation that Nero committed around AD 67 when he put his own image in the Temple. We Christians are now the Temple and there won’t be an Abomination of Desolation in a future Temple.

Nero’s abomination caused a rebellion in Jerusalem that lasted over 3 years under four different emperors and the general Titus who continued the battle against the Jewish zealots and started the siege on Jerusalem. This siege began in April of AD 70 resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands and the total destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. The five Roman leaders responsible were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, and Titus the son of Vespasian. In its entirety it was a 3.5-year campaign against the Jewish leadership and the zealots. Can this atrocity be judged as an abomination? Since hundreds of thousands of innocent people died, it would seem so.

Does Darby’s change in interpretation demote the glorious sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross for all who believe? No, but as shown, it does confuse all end time theology. The true message given to Gabriel transcends time offering Salvation to all who trust in Jesus Christ as both Savior and standard bearer of the New Covenant. His Name is above all names, and He is the New Covenant which supersedes the Old Covenant. The veil in the Temple was torn in two declaring that Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and man and no Temple is necessary.

In the 1st Coming Jesus Christ fulfils over 350 Prophecies given by God to Daniel and the other prophets. His Resurrection and the Gift of the Holy Spirit mark the beginning of the Church Age. The last 3.5 years or the “Wrath of God” will come after the Rapture of the Church and will begin after the great earthquake described in the 6th Seal Judgment. Following the chaos caused by this worldwide earthquake the devastated world will seek a strong leader who will be the Anti-Christ. He will take political control over the world and will organize a large force that will attack a rebellious nation of Israel and its capitol city Jerusalem.

The Anti-Christ’s army along with the million-man army from the East and the Arab armies will surround and destroy Jerusalem. This will be the third destruction of this great city. The first one occurred when Babylon conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC and the second when Nero claiming to be God put a statue of himself in the Temple. It was Nero who desecrated the Temple and caused the “abomination of desolation” mentioned by Paul in 2nd Thessalonians. He was the perfect Anti-Christ type. History describes him as the one who torched Rome and set live Christians on fire as living torches. Will the modern-day Anti-Christ behave in the same way? He will try to kill all those who do not receive the “number of the beast.” He will also kill the two witnesses that are preaching on the streets of Jerusalem. These two witnesses will begin their ministry before the attack on the city to warn its citizens and the citizens of other nations who sin against God. They will inspire the 144,000 who will be sealed by God, Revelation 7:3. The two witnesses will be killed by the Anti-Christ but will be resurrected by God in 3 days.

As revealed earlier, the last week of Gabriel’s 70-week prophecy bookends modern history with one 3.5-year period happening during the ministry of Jesus Christ and the second one happening at the end of the Church age. The 1st 3.5-year period begins with the baptism of Jesus Christ. It ends with His Ascension in 32 AD. The total time span between the Ascension of Jesus Christ and the uplifting of the Church in the rapture is about two thousand years. The last 3.5-year period might begin in 2028 and end in 2032. The whole “Church Age” covers the gap between these two 3.5-year periods and represents rise and fall of nations and the spreading of the Gospel throughout the world. The final 3.5 years are God’s Judgment on sin and His Victory over Satan, the false prophet, and Anti-Christ. It will end with Christs 2nd Coming, the battle of Armageddon and then the Millennial Kingdom will follow.

Prophets like Daniel, Zechariah, and Joel spoke of this final 3.5-year period as being the “Day of Lord.”  In the book of Revelation, this period has also been described as lasting only 3.5 years.  As stated earlier the Bible never states that the “Wrath of God” lasts 7 years. For instance, why is the White Horse in the first Seal Judgment considered part of the Wrath of God? This horse and rider represent deception and lies and not death. This is an Anti-Christ spirit that has been active since the Gospel began. Apostle John warns about this deception, I John 2:18, “Dear children this is the last hour; and as you have heard the anti-christ is coming, even now many anti-christs have come.” These Anti-Christs will prepare the way for the Rider of the Red Horse who brings death, terrorism, civil war, and even world war. This is man’s wrath upon man and not God’s Wrath.  The Black Horse and Rider represent economic suppression and a digital currency that will monitor all spending and savings. The Green Horse with Death as its Rider and followed by Hades represents the death of all those who are unbelievers. This has happened throughout history as God has guided “redeeming armies” to defeat the forces and powers of darkness.

Prophecy throughout scripture tells us that there will be a massive attack on Israel in the future. This large force will strike Israel and surround Jerusalem, and it will almost succeed since two thirds of the Jewish population will perish (Zechariah 13:8-9), “It will come about in all the land, declares the Lord, that two-thirds of the people living there will perish.”  In the last battle Jesus Christ will intervene as He splits the Mount of Olives in two allowing those who call upon His Name to flee down into the Dead Sea and then southward to lands prepared for their safe habitation. This is the second Coming of the Lord described in Revelation 19:11-21.  They will join the 144,000 Jews sealed by God (Rev.7:3) and others who fled into this southern wilderness over 3 years earlier, Revelation 12:14, “However, the woman was given the wings of a large eagle so that she could fly away from the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she could be taken of for a time, times, half a time” (three and one half years). All of these believing Jews and other Christians will be safe while the Trumpet and Bowl Judgments severely shake the rest of the world. This will be Wrath of God.

The prior chapter explained why Darby’s Anti-Christ will not make a covenant with Israel and will not end all sacrifices and offerings in a future physical Temple. We know that animal sacrifices cannot happen without a Jewish Temple constructed on the Temple Mount. We know that Islam has imbedded itself in nations around the world and will not allow the construction of a Jewish Temple near their Dome of the Rock. They would declare jihad throughout the West. Third we know that the average Jew and most secular people worldwide do not want animal sacrifices. And fourth we discovered that there is no “covenant” made by an enemy “commander of the people.”

 

It is likely that Darby misinterpreted Daniel’s use of the phrase “Most Holy Place” in Daniel 9:24. This phrase refers to the “Most Holy Place” discussed by Ezekiel and Zechariah and is not a future Temple on the Temple Mount.  Jesus would have told him that it was a Temple. No, this Holy Place will have the throne of David and will not bear the Ark of the Covenant. Nations will come to it for it is the Holy Seat of Government and Justice. Jesus Christ sits on throne with an iron scepter. The people who worship Him are the Temple of God.

The message from Gabriel does not point to the nation of Israel nor the corrupted Temple in the time of Jesus. There was no nation of Israel at this time. In his Triumphal entrance Jesus Christ cried for Jerusalem and condemned the religious leaders that had taken it hostage. The Temple Mount was therefore under God’s judgment. The Temple in Jerusalem at this time in history was not the “Most Holy Place.”

Also, the word “sacrifice” is not in italics in Daniel 9:27, but it is in Daniel 8, 11, and 12. This is because the word “sacrifice” was added by early translators, however it was not added in Daniel 9:27 since it was in the original text.  In the KJV any word not in the original text was in italic. The emphasis points to Jesus Christ ending the sacrifice. Note that Jesus, the Lamb of God, did not die in the Temple grounds, He was crucified on a cross “upon the wing of abomination,” or outside the walls of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount will only become the “Most Holy Place” in the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus Christ sits on David’s throne.

Darby’s Anti-Christ or “Commander” cannot and will not end the sacrificial system. There have not been any animal sacrifices since the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. If the Temple and its outer court were reconstructed today, it would be an “abomination of desolation” for the very fact that it would be a denial that Jesus Christ is the Eternal Sacrifice for all who receive Him. Christians, Jews, and even Islamists would be against it. For emphasis, most Jews do not believe that they need a Temple. They have lived two thousand years without animal sacrifices. The only supporters would be the ultra-orthodox and those zealot Christians who want to usher in the Anti-Christ.

The idea that the average Jew wants a Temple is a made-up theory. In fact, what prevents the destruction of Jerusalem by future anti-Jewish forces may be the very fact that the Dome of Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are still on the Temple Mount. The Israel Defense Forces know that it shielded Jerusalem’s ancient city walls from missile attacks. The future “Commander and his people” will seek to destroy Jerusalem and not the Temple Mount because their focus will be to decapitate the government and kill soldiers and other Jews. The Word of God says that the two witnesses will preach in the streets of Jerusalem and not on the area of the Temple Mount for the very reason that the Dome of the Rock is still there. Islamic religious leaders would not allow this preaching and would incite riots. The rebuilding of the Jewish Temple is not popular with any political group in Israel nor in the world.

My Thoughts from God’s Word on End Time Events after the Rapture

So what will happen?  The rapture of the Church will undermine all of America’s services and military, just as war breaks out worldwide.  Out of chaos will come a Daniel’s fourth beast which is composed of the 3 historical beasts: the Lion of the Babylonian Empire, the bear of the Medo-Persian empire, and the Leopard of the Greek Empire.  This 4th beast has body parts representing all 3 prior empires plus an Empire that extends into our present culture. This is the Roman Empire mixed with the Holy Roman Empire as we know it today.  This 4th Empire will be ruled by 10 kingdoms that will control the earth, Daniel 7:7-25.  This beast is also described in Revelation 13: 1-18 and Chapter 17.  In these passages John, sees a “composite” beast that rules the earth with 10 kings or kingdoms.  This ends when a small horn erupts that defeats 3 of the 10 horns producing a total of 8 horns or kingdoms or kings. The 8 horns last “1 hour” (a short time) out of which they will “give power and authority to the beast” or Anti-Christ (Rev.17:12-13). At the formation of this 8th horn, the Anti-Christ will impose his will upon the whole earth and will commit the Abomination of Desolation on the Temple grounds. Soon later he will assassinate the 2 witnesses who were ministering to Israel and to the world through the media for 3.5 years.  They have acted as dual prophet/judges and brought plagues and drought to those nations who disobey God.  Therefore, they are not popular and when they are killed people will celebrate by giving each other gifts such as candy.  This is a practice that is celebrated by Radical Islam when killing Jews.  It is important to note that Islam has also been associated with this practice and with the Swastika- a cosmic symbol of Nazism and revolt against God.

This 8th horn represents and 8th kingdom that was and is and will be suggesting that it is an outgrowth of Hitler’s Reich.  Some believe that the Anti-Christ will represent a “resurrection” of Hitler or a Hitler-like figure that shows similar traits. Even today we see the swastika used by many groups that endorse lawlessness and brutality.  This spirit of the anti-Christ fulfills what both John and Jesus warned about. The Anti-Christ used the first 3.5 years to consolidate power over 10 kingdoms or the 10 horns and in the process will win over the world’s population including Israel with his charm and with the promise of peace and security. There is tribulation on the ten kingdoms or kings as the Seal Judgments are released by the Lamb of God.  The final Seal is a warning of the coming great Wrath to come. This is not the wrath of God nor the Day of the Lord.  The blood red moon and sackcloth sun along with the massive earthquake are warnings to the whole earth.  The Great Wrath comes only after a lead Angel commands 4 angels holding back the 4 winds “not to harm the land, sea, or trees until the 144,000 are sealed.”  Hence the Wrath begins after the 30 minutes of silence in heaven and after 144,000 pure Jews are sealed.  This happens during the 7th Seal and before the beginning of the 1st Trumpet judgment. The 144,000 are God’s agents to replace the raptured Church.

Prior to the formation of the 8 kingdoms and during the time of the ten kingdoms the White Horse will spread Lies and Deception (the Anti-Christ) and soon later rebellion will occur or the Red Horse.  This leads to economic hardship and the control of trade, money, and all goods including food by the Anti-Christ’s enforcers (the 3rd rider and black horse).  Sometime during the first 4 Riders of the Apocalypse God will appoint the 2 Witnesses in Israel.  The two witnesses may influence where the 4th Rider of Death followed by Hades is focused. Most of these 4 Seal judgments will occur outside Israel and in the 4th Seal ¼ of the earth is devastated with the sword, famine and plagues. This implies that it may also be affected by drought and fire, which is the power given to the witnesses.  This 4th Seal judgment does not kill ¼ of the earth’s population as many believe. And the earthquake in the 6th seal obviously affects the whole earth for every island and mountain will be moved.  Some think that the Seal judgments only affect Israel—it actuality it is just the opposite.

Mexico, Canada and the weakened United States may form one region.  South America and Central America along with most of the Caribbean may make up another region.  Africa and India along with other destroyed Asian nations such as Pakistan make up a 3rd region.  The rest of Southern Asia and Australia make up a 4th region.  The Philippines, and other Pacific Islands along with Hawaii, Japan, and Taiwan make up a 5 region.  Russia and its old USSR make up a 6th region, China forms the 7th, and finally the Middle Eastern nations including Turkey and Iran make up an 8th.   Initially prior to the formation of the 8 kingdoms fire, drought and civil war weakened 10 military zones or horns with its 10 kings. The Anti-Christ quells the rebellion, the Red Horse, with a superior force. He restores order with the Black Horse. During this time the Dome of the Rock is destroyed and out of this struggle the 8 major kingdoms are formed.  The Anti-Christ creates a treaty or covenant with Israel so that peace will be restored in the region and allows them to rebuild the Temple. The Temple is completed under a year and from there the Jews call out to Jews the world over to return to Israel.  The Anti-Christ allows this migration.  Among this is group i9are the two Witnesses who begin the next stage of their ministry on the Temple grounds.

One-step from World War

Movie Trailer:  https://youtu.be/z2wQpcbLTD8

Anarchy leads to autocracy or strong controls to suppress rebellion for the sake of peace and security. When judges compromise justice and ignore the law—dogma and more rebellion arise along with lies and propaganda that feed the masses. This scenario will allow the Anti-Christ to spread consolidate his power—for Satan is the Father of lies. Right now, we are seeing the stage being prepared. The international nuclear watchdogs have confirmed that Iran is building a stockpile of highly enriched nuclear materials for the making of nuclear bombs or missiles. We just saw Iran’s balistic missiles and drones penetrate Israel’ defenses. Israel knows that allowing Iran to continue its pursuit of a nuclear weapon is an existential threat and so they will continue their attack. If Iran hits our military bases, we will join Israel in hitting deeper bunkers with bunker buster bombs.  And it will take us one step closer to world war.

I believe one reason Trump has been talking to Putin is to make sure that he understands that this attack is regional and not his business. There is a treaty between Iran and Russia —- so Trump is making sure that Putin understands that this attack is to prevent a nuclear war near Russia that could affect the underbelly of Russia. Hopefully he will abide by this effort and warning.

See with eyes that see so that you may know the Truth and walk in the Light and not the darkness. Pray in this time turmoil so that you may understand the Word of God. So many have misunderstood– that the Time of Tribulation is near. They have not seen the Signs nor heard the winds of the Spirit blow. The rider on the White Horse will soon run his ghostly race to subdue the earth with lies and deceit. Are you ready?  Time is short and therefore the Author seeks help in every venue to get the message out. God wants the world to know that the Great Sign of Revelation 12 was a divine warning of “Invisible Wars” both natural and supernatural that will continue to shake up the world.

In the last 8 years, America and Europe have lost their way allowing dictators, dark spiritual forces, and emotion to command the stage. An irrational woke mentality seeks to dictate truth and policy. Our national debt has soared, and the threat of nuclear war and internal rebellion has inflamed the fears and anxiety of the masses. The war in Ukraine and the threats in the middle East and Far East are taking the superpowers to the edge of war. Like the Bethlehem Star and the birth of the nation of Israel, the Great Sign of Revelation 12 was meant to get our attention. It has a powerful meaning for our day. God calls it the GREAT SIGN for a reason – so why are so few investigating its importance? Is it a Great Sign because God is warning us of the soon to come Great Tribulation and His Great Wrath?

As we study this Great Sign and Crossroad that connects to it, we will unwrap other mysteries and the path to the future. There is still time, but we must act now to pursue God’s Truth for it will save souls. To keep up with events, read new posts at: CosmicCrossroad.com and here. The fact that most people cannot open “the mysterious” Word of God shows its power and therefore it’s profound depth. In this book the Word is prayerfully used to reveal Answers. With God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, the blind can see and find hope. The rewards are inexpressible for Jesus Christ; the Author of Salvation is with us and wants an intimate relationship with us. He wants us to know and understand the love and hope in His message, many of which are revealed in his prophecies, warnings, and signs.  It is up to us to see with eyes that see and hear with ears that hear before these “Days of Noah” turn into the stage for the Anti-Christ.   Check this cool Movie Trailer that I made https://youtu.be/z2wQpcbLTD8

Deception or just bad Exegesis among Prophecy Speakers?

We have been deceived: Many Prophecy books, speeches, sermons, and film declare that ¼ of the world’s population are killed in the 4th Seal or during the ride of Death followed by Hades on the Green Horse. This is often used to support the idea that this must represent God’s great Wrath or the Day of the Lord. This lie is then shared by those who have been deceived. And so now 9 out of 10 people have been deceived. Open your Bible and read: Revelation 6:8 says, “I looked, and behold, a green horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

It does not say that a fourth of the earth’s population is killed like many have been told and now share with others! There may only be tens of thousands who die as we have seen in Ukraine where there is total devastation of buildings and infrastructure, yet mostly soldiers have been killed. In Chapter 7, an angel appears that commands the 4 angels that have held back the 4 winds, not to harm the land, the sea, and the trees until God has sealed the 144,000 on their foreheads. This infers that in Chapter 6 even the “trees and land” were not devastated by that 4th Horseman on the Green Horse.

This is not God’s Great Wrath nor the Day of the Lord as many prophecy speakers want you to believe. WWI and WWII were much more devastating. The point is in the 6 Seals God gives us Signs or warnings of the Coming Wrath of God or the Day of the Lord. Logically it makes sense, for God wants to first Seal the 144,000 who will replace the Church which was raptured before this final 7-year Tribulation. In His Grace and Mercy, God wants to save as many people as possible. By this time the Kings of the Earth are shaken Revelation 6:15, and the Anti-Christ is in control and raising his army while consolidating his power over 10 Kings.

God wants to save as many as possible before they receive the Mark of the Beast and are forever forsaken. Even the 6th Seal with its massive earthquake and the impact by many “falling stars” is not the “Day of the Lord.” As stated in the book of Joel and declared by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:29 these are birth pains or signs marked by a blood moon and sackcloth sun. They warn of God’s Wrath in the coming Trumpet Judgments which will devastate 1/3 of the earth and sea. During this time the Anti-Christ will commit the Abomination of Desolation and will kill the two Witnesses.

Seek the Lord with all Your Heart, Mind, and Soul

Know that your sins will find you out.  Whether you know God or not the Truth and His Light will expose darkness.  Right now Satan and his angelic hoard are doing their nasty deeds around the world ….  even to the point of tempting believers with sexual bait. Those who resist and flee evil both physically and mentally will be blessed. Read Cosmic Crossroad Countdown: the Invisible War & Final Chapter to better understand the full perspective! The Dragon is furious for he knows that his time is short: Rev. 12:12……