The Hall of Fame of Faith, and Western Values

Posted on November 16, 2013 by dknezacek

Sometimes the western, sanitized variety of Christianity really bothers me.

I was raised in a Baptist home, where our Jesus was the Jesus of the common western Evangelical. In time I began to realize that the bible, and the Jesus of the bible, has a different view of the world than that with which I was raised. Yes there are some similarities, but the differences are striking.  The God of the bible is refreshingly wild, and frighteningly so!

Take Hebrews 11, for instance. In it is contained a list of men and women of faith. Examples for us to follow, and learn from. Something controversial could be said about each name in this list, but the one I want to focus on is the man named Jephthah, or Jephthae;

32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and ofBarak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Hebrews 11:32-34

Have you ever taken a look at this man? Judges chapters 11 and 12 are all we have to go by. Jephthah was the son of a harlot, probably a prostitute, who was kicked out of Israel, but later called back to lead their armies in a war. The passage describes how the Holy Spirit came upon Jephthah and gave him the victory, but his noteriety is the result of a vow he made to the Lord before the battle;

30 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’S, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. Judges 11:30-31

I don’t know what he was thinking when he made this vow; maybe his favourite dog always came out of the house to greet him, or maybe his wife.  Maybe the dogs always came out first when he returned home. 

Maybe he reasoned that God is opposed to human sacrifice, and so it would be safe to make such a promise. It is clear that he didn’t expect it would be his only child, his daughter. In any case, Jephthah gave God a way out.  He gave God the final choice of that which he would sacrifice. God could have just as easily caused one of the dogs to run out to greet him!

It is also clear from the story that it was the Lord Himself who caused the daughter to run out of the house to greet him.

You think you know Someone…

34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year. Judges 11:34-40

There are many human sacrifices in the bible. Most of them are condemned, but this one is not. Don’t forget that this man is named in the “Hall of Fame of Faith”! There is something more going on here than simply a human sacrifice! This has something to do with Jephthah’s understanding of the character of God. His mention in the “hall of fame of faith” has more to do with this action, than it does with his victory in the war!

I have heard more than one pastor speaking about the story of Jephthah, and taking the lesson from the passage, that one shouldn’t make foolish promises. To be fair this is indeed one of the lessons of the passage, but it is NOT the major lesson at all, but more of a corollary.

You see, Jephthah knew that it is a serious thing to lie to God! Don’t make foolish promises, especially to God, but if you do make one to God, make sure you follow through on it!

This is a principle that can be seen throughout the bible.

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: Psalms 50:14

Jesus emphasized that we need to keep our word;

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Matthew 5:37

Even the Lord’s brother Jacob said the same thing;

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.  James 5:12

In our society, men and women take vows before man and God, and say “there will be no one else” and then, years later, they take up with someone else.  The excuses they make indicate that they don’t know God!  But, Jephthah was a man of integrity, who knew the Lord!  (Obviously not as well as he had thought, but he still knew Him!)

Jephthah had more of an excuse than most western adulterers. He had made a vow that turned into the promise to sacrifice his daughter! To our western minds this is a promise that should be broken! To our western minds what he did was one of the worst things one could do!

God, of course, did the same thing!  He sacrificed His son for you, and like Jephthah’s daughter, the Son of God went willingly!  The mindset of these people, and God, is very foreign to the western mind!

If Jephthah had broken his word, however, in the economy of God, that would have actually been a worse thing than what he ended up doing!

Notice that he actually gave his daughter the chance to escape. He let her go away for two months to “mourn her virginity”. At the end of the two months she returned knowing she was going to her death! I cannot help but wonder if her father gave her permission to go away, hoping that she would take–off into another country. It would have left him a way out, but she was a young woman of faith, also. This was a family of faith.

I believe she was led by the Holy Spirit to return, because this was a test of her father’s faith, and a lesson for those who were to come after. And, as a result of his action, Jephthah was included in the Christian Hall of Fame of Faith. I have no doubt that this event was harder for him than the defeat of the Ammonite armies! It was probably harder than the six years he spent as Israel’s judge. I am sure that he would have preferred to be remembered for his military victories, but those victories have been overshadowed by the sacrifice of his daughter, for all time!

Real faith is not always easy! I would like to suggest that true faith is NEVER easy! If our Christian walk has been easy, then it probably hasn’t been very Christian, and if you are truly saved I can guarantee there are tough times coming!

Does the story of Jephthah bother you? It does me, but he was truly a man of faith, and we can learn about faith from his story!  We can actually learn about God from his story!  I am sure that Focus on the Family disapproves of Jephthah.  Nevertheless, this story puts into context Jesus’ words of Luke 14:26;

26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Dan

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Obama’s dithering

Posted on November 15, 2013 by dknezacek

What needs to be said?  I’ll let him say it himself;

Can Israel, or the world, trust Obama?  Has he proven himself to be trustworthy?

If he had any integrity he would resign over Benghazi.  If not Benghazi, then he should resign over Obamacare.  Of course he won’t, because his goal has been to produce chaos, and in this he has been tremendously successful!

Once Iran produces, and tests, a nuclear device, then what can he, or anyone, do?  Now is the time to act… not later!

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Facts about Islam

Posted on November 15, 2013 by dknezacek

Here are some facts about Islam.  This is why western societies cannot tolerate a fifth column in our midst.

Please don’t say that Christians have done worse.  No Christian has ever committed murder while following the teachings of Jesus Christ, ever!  Yes, people have committed murder in Jesus’ name, but they weren’t Christians.  You can’t be a Christian if you disobey Christ, especially in such a systematic way.  No that was a false religion which tries to make you think it is Christian.

Here is what Jesus said about how to treat your enemies, and I don’t think that this means not to protect your family, for other times he told them to take a sword with them;

Matthew 5:44 
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

And here is what the bible says about Jihadists;

I John 3:15 
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Islam, on the other hand, when it commits murder in the name of Jihad, is following exactly the teachings, and example, of Mohammad!

Here are some facts about Islam.  I do not know the political or religious affiliations of Bill Warner.  It doesn’t matter on this subject.  What he has uncovered are FACTS!

I believe that Islam is very close to starting another World War.  People who give-in to their demands are our modern day Neville Chamberlains.  They are doing more harm than good!

Dan

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Netanyahu’s Dilemma

Posted on November 10, 2013 by dknezacek

Over the last few months there have been numerous articles about the fact that Israel and the Arabs have a common interest in defeating Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Many of these voices come from Israel itself, and while I cannot argue that they don’t have common cause on this issue, I think it is incredibly unwise to cooperate with people who have a stated goal of your own destruction!

Among the articles there are calls for Israeli-Arab cooperation, and some that are actually saying that such a cooperation is against the interests of peace, and that negotiation will win the day! Just like Chamberlain waving his piece of paper and declaring “We have peace in our time”, just months before Hitler’s troops marched into Poland!

Something the Liberal left doesn’t understand is the fact that negotiation NEVER works unless you have something to back it up with. If a police officer tells a robber “stand-down”, and does not produce a weapon to back-up his command, the robber will just laugh at him before shooting him!

You cannot negotiate bullies out of being bullies! There is only one language they understand…force!

Of course I am not saying that the use of force will make Iran’s leaders into “nice” people. That could only come from a changed heart, the kind that only Jesus Christ produces. No, the only thing that an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities would accomplish is to buy them some time, but that in itself might just be a worthy goal!

But, should Israel cooperate with the Arabs in this?

Given the fact that the Arab nations have collectively declared their goal of destroying Israel, it would be unwise for Israel to allow the Arabs any national security information. I mean information about when the Israeli Air Force is occupied a thousand miles away from home, for instance.

Given the fact that Muslims teach that it is acceptable to lie to kaffirs (infidels, or unbelievers of the Qur’an). This is called Taqiyya.

Islam Permits Lying to Deceive Unbelievers and Bring World Domination!

Qur’an, Hadith and Scholars:Lying and Deception

Taqiyya (lying,deceiving,illusion) Islam’s most important ideological wartool

The fact is that we don’t even need to debate the Qur’an or the Hadiths on this, we only need to look at how they behave toward non-Muslims in their own countries. Look at all the churches they have burned in Egypt in the last few months (over 80 at last count).

So, I have a question: Would the Arab nations invade Israel, if they knew the bulk of Israel’s Air Force was occupied destroying Iran’s nuclear installations? If they thought they could get away with it, I am certain they would! The more advanced notice they have, the more likely it is!

Should Israel accept safe passage of their Air Force through Arab territory? Maybe, but don’t allow them to know how many aircraft are actually flying through! Do it more than once, so they never know which is “the big one”.

Psalm 83 describes a war in which the Arab nations attack Israel. Those nations don’t include Turkey, Libya, or Iran. I am convinced that this war is on the horizon. It is inevitable, but wise action on the part of Netanyahu’s government could postpone this war until a later time. I pray that the Lord will give Mr. Netanyahu wisdom.

Be that as it may, I am with Israel. Mr. Netanyahu, do what you must to protect your people, and my prayers will be with you!

Shalom!

Dan Knezacek

For further reading:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/rift-widens-on-iranian-nuclear-deal-as-israel-arabs-warn-against-allowing-enrichment/2013/10/23/3b6ee676-3c23-11e3-b6a9-da62c264f40e_story.html

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/14041#.Un_J_ENTGMk

http://www.timesofisrael.com/top-minister-makes-sense-for-israel-arabs-to-cooperate-on-iran/

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2013/10/02/u-s-romance-with-iran-terrifies-arab-allies-nuclear-israel/

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Gulf-States-Question-US-Resolve-on-Iran-326004

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Posted on November 7, 2013 by dknezacek
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Travesty of Justice in Ontario, Canada

Posted on November 7, 2013 by dknezacek

From time to time I have heard snippets of the Caledonia issue in the news, but really had no idea of what is going on in the province in which I live.  It seems the OPP has been supporting the “native” protesters in Caledonia, and persecuting those who would hold them accountable! Canadians have gone to jail for standing up to the protesters! Meanwhile “native” protesters have committed crimes and are protected by the Ontario Provincial Police!

McHale was assaulted in 2007, and the event was caught on tape.  The head of the O.P.P. Julian Fantino, first blamed McHale for being assaulted and, once charges were filed, actually wrote a character reference for the person charged with the assault!  Is this any way for the top police officer to act?

People have been kidnapped, in Ontario, and no charges have been filed!  In fact one of the victims, one Dave Brown, was thrown in jail after his release, to control his reaction to being kidnapped!  This is Canada?

For those who know a little of Canadian history they would know that the “natives” of the Six Nations Reserve are actually transplanted American natives from New York state!  They are not first nations of Canada at all!  They are descendants of immigrants just like the rest of us!  These people, and their protests, have even been supported by several Palestinian groups!  Obviously there is more going on here than meets the eye.

Please take some time and listen to Gary McHale’s story.  You will be shocked that this is happening in “democratic” Canada!

The law is applied asymetrically in Ontario, Canada!

Also check out the story on Pajamas Media.

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Posted on November 7, 2013 by dknezacek
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The Myth that Oil in Israel Is a Prophetic Sign – Chapter 10

Posted on November 1, 2013 by dknezacek

 

In the final chapter of Gary DeMar’s book “10 Popular Prophecy Myths Exposed”, he tackles the idea that, should Israel find oil, that this has prophetic significance.

 

The first thing one has to note, is that Gary DeMar approaches Scripture with the idea that he already knows the end of the story, and thus anyone who says anything different has to be wrong by default!

 

This is technically called eisegesis; Reading your presuppositions into Scripture.

 

DeMar is only interested in proving his presuppositions, and not in allowing anyone, or anything, to change his mind in the slightest! He references Acts 17:11, where the Bereans are commended for checking the Apostles’ teaching against the Scriptures, and he does compare Hal Lindsey’s ideas to the Scriptures, but he doesn’t go any farther than he has to, and he doesn’t do it with regard to his own views.

 

‘But let’s look at one place where DeMar actually has it right; Lindsey quotes part of Genesis 49:25 (in italic) which describes the blessings that will come to Joseph: “From the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” Lindsey says of this verse: “Note that it predicts his great blessing will come from ‘the deep that lies beneath’ his land.” By “deep,” Lindsey means oil buried deep in the ground!

 

A careful reader would have looked up the verses quoted by Lindsey (Acts 17:11) and noticed that he conveniently left out “blessings of the breasts and of the womb.” The dispensational oriented Bible Knowledge Commentary states that this phrase refers to “abundant offspring.”3 Henry M. Morris, a noted dispensationalist, agrees and writes that it’s a promise of “an abundance of healthful progeny, of both man and animal.”4 Gerhard Charles Aalders, not a dispensationalist, concurs with the above authors: “‘Blessings of the breast and womb’ certainly refer to abundance in the bearing and feeding of children, as well as for human children as for the young of the livestock.”’ (p.162 , 10 Popular Prophecy Myths Exposed,

 

What can I say? The context of the passage is exactly as DeMar says. The “deep” referred to in the passage actualy refers to the growth of a child deep within its mother’s womb. Lindsay should not have removed the last part of the verse, in order to make it say something that it does not.

 

Does this mean that oil in Israel, and there is some there now, as well as natural gas, does not have any prophetic significance?

 

DeMar Quotes 1 Kings 3:8, and 4:20 to imply that this prophecy has already come true, and Israel has lost their chance!

 

“If Genesis 49:25 refers to the distant future, as Lindsey speculates, then there is a problem. By the year 2020, Arnon Sofer of the University of Haifa forecasts about 6.4 million Jews will live in Israel, “based on population growth and an average 50,000 Jewish immigrants a year. He expects the Arab population to reach around 8.5 million, in addition to 1 million non-Jews of other origins.” The most optimistic projections show Jews and Palestinians about even in popu- lation in 25 years. Beyond the borders of Israel, there are more than a hundred million non-Jews. It seems by present-day demographics that in comparison, it’s the wombs of Israel’s enemies that have been blessed.” (DeMar p. 163)

 

It must be terrible having to live without faith! Yes indeed! Humanly speaking it does look difficult for Israel in the coming years, and because DeMar thinks that God is no longer interested in Israel he cannot see a solution to the demographic problem Israel is facing.

 

Don’t forget that the wars that Israel has faced since its founding in 1948, has seen Israel rising triumphantly against enemies that outnumbered it 200 to 1! Does he think God has not had His hand on Israel in those wars? Does he think that Israel cannot survive odds of 1,000 to 1, with God’s help? He may be here for that day. I don’t know, but I wouldn’t be surprised! I wonder which side he will choose to be on?

 

The fact is that there are many people of Israelite (Jewish plus the ten “lost tribes”) ancestry living among the Muslims, and around the world. Those people will come out of the woodwork when Islam is defeated in the Psalm 83 war, and later in the Ezekiel 38-39 war. Once God shows them that they cannot rely on their false god, they will return to the land of their fathers, and God’s promise to Zechariah will come true;

 

“I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.” Zechariah 10:10

 

 

He will bring them “again”. In other words this is not the first time He will return them to the land. The first time they came back there weren’t that many of them. The majority stayed away. This is a reference to a future return where there literally will not be enough room for them in the land and they will have to go to Gilead (the entire Golan) and Lebanon. There’s a problem with that, of course! Hezbollah, the Muslim terrorist organization in Lebanon, would oppose Jewish settlements in Lebanon! No, this won’t happen until the Muslim menace is removed!

 

Demar seems to imply that the Muslim menace is too great and will, one day soon, overrun Israel. Well, don’t bet any money on it!

 

On pager 164 Demar notes;

 

‘Lindsey continues by appealing to Deuteronomy 33:24 to support his crude oil theory: “And of Asher he said, ‘More blessed than sons is Asher; may he be favored by his brothers, and may he dip his foot in oil.’“ Once again, Lindsey takes a verse meant for an ancient context and setting, and projects the distant future onto it to fit his system of interpretation. The “oil” of this verse is a reference to “olive oil.” Jack S. Deere, writing on Deuteronomy in the dispensational oriented Bible Knowledge Commentary, states that “to bathe one’s feet in oil rather than simply to anoint them would be an extravagant act. Thus the tribe of Asher would experience abundant fertility and prosperity.”12 Jan Ridderbos makes a similar observation: “his land will be so rich in oil that it is possible, so to speak, to wade in it. Indeed, Galilee, Asher’s territory, was rich in olive trees.”’

 

As he notes, petroleum was known in the bible, and was used as a waterproofing, and mortar. The King James translates it as “slime”. Petroleum was never known as “oil” in the bible. Does this mean that God couldn’t insert a message in Deuteronomy for the End Times? Of course not!

 

Still, DeMar could be correct, that the oil in Deuteronomy 33:24 is actually a reference to olive oil as a way of indicating the prosperity of Asher in the future. Does this mean therefore, that there is no prophetic significance to Israeli oil?

 

Why did DeMar ignore Deuteronomy 32:13?

 

“He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;”

 

If God wanted to tell Israel that one day they would extract oil out of the rocks, how would he do it better? Does olive oil come out of flinty rocks? Ancient Israel did not get oil out of the rocks, but today they are!

 

The real point of the chapter is twofold, one that Dispensationalists are reading things into Scripture, which point is valid, and second, that modern Israel has no prophetic significance.

 

All of this is really aimed at the interpretation of Ezekiel 38 as an End Times war.

 

8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. 9Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 13 Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?

 

Read the foregoing carefully. The conditions described here have not existed in history. Not at all since Ezekiel wrote this passage. This does not describe Israel during its invasion by Babylon, Syria, Persia, Greece, Rome, nor under the Ottomans. It does not even describe conditions today, since Israel is still in great danger from her neighbours. Israel has been attacked several times since her founding in 1948, and is still in danger today. Bashar al Assad is still threatening to invade Israel, and take back the Golan, and the rebels claim that the reason they are fighting Assad is because he failed to make good on his promises.

 

No, the conditions described here are a reference to a future time when Israel will indeed have a period of safety. A time when the security wall will come down, because it will no longer be needed.

 

Did you notice the names in the last verse; Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish? These are historically Arab entities. These Arabs are protesting this invasion, diplomatically. Why? After the Psalm 83 war they will make peace with Israel. They may very well become satelites of Israel, under her thumb, as it were, but at the same time these Arabs will become very prosperous. When they turn their backs on Islam and work with their brothers in Israel, the Arabs will prosper just as the Israelis! But why a diplomatic protest? It is likely that after the Psalm 83 war, they will be either disarmed, or have severely limited armed forces. They will not be able to resist the attack.

 

That will be the time the other Muslim nations will attack. Muslims have always been covetous of other’s wealth, and this will be the time when they will come to take what they think should be theirs.

 

Note the statement by Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish; “Art thou come to take a spoil?” Notice the little word “come”. This indicates that these entities are in close proximity to Israel, and the invading armies will have to come across their territory to get to their target!

 

There has never been a time when there has been a war like the one described in Ezekiel 38-39. Russia has historically been somewhat hostile to Iran, until now.

 

DeMar quotes Thomas Ice on page 166:

 

“Jerry [Jenkins] and I have unashamedly taken the position that all prophecy should be interpreted literally whenever possible. We have been guided throughout by the golden rule of interpretation: When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense. Take every word at its primary, literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context clearly indicate otherwise.”

If only it were so. Lindsey, who follows the same “golden rule,” is certainly not applying the principle in Genesis 49:25, Deuteronomy 33:24, and Ezekiel 38–39, and neither are LaHaye, Ice, and Hitchcock in their interpretation of Ezekiel 38–39 where ancient weapons are said to be descriptions of Russian MIG fighters. Like snake-oil salesmen, these modern-day prophetic hucksters are selling false remedies to a gullible audience willing to believe anything their prophetic heroes say about their product.”

 

I believe I have just shown you, however, that Ezekiel 38-39 is indeed an End Times battle. The immediate context does indeed dictate interpreting the passage as an End Times passage. Look again at the first verse

 

“After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.”

 

Context? “After many days”, “in the latter years”, “against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste”, and “brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.”

This is the context of Ezekiel 38-39. When the Jewish settlers came back to the land they drained many malarial swamps. They actually cleaned up the areas that had always been wastelands since they left some two thousand years earlier, and turned them into productive farmlands.

 

While there are indeed some valid points in DeMar’s criticism of Dispensationalism, his proposal is to go back to the failed ideas of the past, the very ideas that have fueled anti-semitism for the last 1,700 years!

 

No! While Dispensationalists have indeed made mistakes, and there are a few hucksters among them, they have actually made some real progress in the study of Eschatology. Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater! On the other hand, following Gary DeMar’s ideas is a step backward, into a dark anti-semitic past.

 

Rather than to follow an eschatological sysem, and force the bible to fit into one’s ideas, it is best to allow the bible to shape your ideas. Be willing to change what you believe if the bible tells you something different. This is what the bible itself teaches, but most Christians are not comfortable with this idea. This is a matter of faith, and trust. You need to make a decision to accept what the bible says, and don’t force it into any mold.

 

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. II Peter 1:21

 

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: II Timothy 3:16

 

II Timothy 3:16 
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

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The Righteous Shall Never Be Removed

Posted on October 28, 2013 by dknezacek

In one of the comments to my article “Does the bible teach that the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt?” the other day, the commenter stated that Proverbs 10:30 means that there will be no rapture of the saints;

“The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.”

I missed that verse in my response, but that does not mean I don’t have an opinion on it;

My first response is that he is taking the verse out of context.  Have a look at the verses immediately preceding it;

“27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.  28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.  29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. ” Proverbs 10:27-29

The context of “removed” in this passage is “taken in judgment”,  It has nothing to do with the rapture of the Church.  This is a statement regarding the End of the Tribulation period, NOT its beginning!  At that point the Tribulation believers will be held aloft by angels, as destruction and judgment rains down beneath them. Matthew 24:31

And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:31

It is useful cross-referencing this passage  with the parallel passage in Mark;

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.  Mark 13:27

When most people read “heaven” they immediately think of God’s home, but I don’t think this is a reference to the third Heaven.  The reference to “the four winds” is meant to make us think of the atmosphere, the first heaven.

These people are being lifted off of the surface of the earth, into the “heaven” of the atmosphere.  (See Genesis 1:20)  They are taken to the “uttermost part of heaven” which is the corresponding part of the atmosphere above where they were lifted from.  They will be witness to God’s judgment on their enemies.  And in the generations of their offspring to come, they will be there to tell them of that which they have seen.

My correspondent has, however hit upon something that I came across while researching for The Spirit of Prophecy;  Proverbs 10:30 will be jumped on by the “Church” members who are left after the Rapture!  Let’s face it, many pastors, Bishops, Cardinals, the pope, and many members of all denominations will be left behind.  They will have to come up with something to explain why they were not taken.

This is it!

Many of these people will say that those people who disappeared in the rapture were taken in judgment!  They will say things like “Those evil people who stood in the way of Christian unity were removed and taken to Hell!”  They will also use this verse to say that they themselves “are the righteous, who have inherited the earth!”  Should they say that “it was Satan who took those people to Hell” they will have committed the unforgiveable sin! (Matthew 12:31)

Of course there will be those who say that it was an “alien abduction“, even the Antichrist might say this, but I am not talking about unbelievers, but of professing believers!  Just because someone believes in God does not make them a true believer!  It just makes them a lost deist!

Those who profess to be believers will look for an explanation in the bible!  Those who are honest may actually get saved, but anyone who believes the Rapture of the Church was an act of judgment against them, will be predisposed to follow the Antichrist!

This should be viewed as a warning to those who deny the Rapture today, including my correspondent!  They are already preparing to deny the Rapture by taking Scripture out of context, and teaching others to do so!  I am sorry, but professing Christians are sometimes used as tools of Satan to pass around false doctrine!  There can only be one true biblical Eschatology!  All the others are either misinterpretations, products of human imagination, or worse!

Posted in Christian Doctrine, Prophecy, Prophecy, World Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

An Ancient Pre-Trib Sermon

Posted on October 25, 2013 by dknezacek

Having recently been exposed to Gary DeMar’s book Ten Popular Prophecy Myths Exposed, and having a reader bombard me with, really an attack on the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view, I thought it would be good to take a look at an ancient Pre-Trib rapture sermon.

Both DeMar, and my correspondent, who wishes to remain anonymous, bash the pre-trib rapture view as being a new innovation.  Even if it was new, that in itself would not mean it was incorrect.  The bible itself says;

And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Daniel 12:9

So if the angel told Daniel that his book would be sealed until the time of the end, why would we expect Augustine, or Martin Luther, or John Calvin, to have a complete understanding of that book when they were not living in the time of the end.  I am aware that they were living in the Church-age, which is generally called the “End Times” but that does not mean that every Christian throughout this age will have a complete understanding until the actual time of the end approaches.  Even then, as deception rules, most still won’t get it!

The doctrine of the Pre-Tribulation rapture of the Church has come under vicious attack in recent years.  It is almost as if this view is as much hated as the King James Bible!  The truth is that Pseudo-Ephraem did not originate this teaching, it can be found as far back as the writings of Moses, Asaph, Isaiah, and Zephaniah.  Nevertheless Pseudo-Ephraem’s sermon is an ancient pre-trib rapture statement, and proof that some Christians did believe this doctrine in the early years of Christianity.

Satan hates the Pre-Trib rapture, and yet he believes it himself.  This is why he has persecuted its adherents, on the one hand, while also preparing alternative explanations for his followers, to prepare them for deception at its occurrence, on the other!  Those “Christians” who are fighting the Pre-Trib Rapture position so vehemently will one day find that their attacks were against Christ Himself!

Pseudo-Ephraem gave his sermon, c. 374-627, and it was popular enough to be translated into at least three major languages, including Latin and Syriac.

Why would he use a name like “Pseudo”?  Does this mean that he was dishonest?  This practice has been attacked by many of his detractors, but this is an ancient way of crediting a teaching to its original author.  Today we would use footnotes and quotation marks to do the same thing, but that practice had not been developed at the time this sermon was written.

By using the name “Pseudo-Ephraem” he was giving credit to Ephraem of Nisibis as being the original author.  He was speaking “in Ephraem’s name”, as it were.

Rather than listen to the enemies of Christ rant about it, why not take a few moments to read the sermon?  I found the complete sermon on bibleprophesy.org a website by Jason Hommel.  I have left some of Jason’s comments, and links, at the end as they are very insightful;

A Sermon by Pseudo-Ephraem

On the Last Times, the Anti-Christ, and the End of the World

Section 1

Dearly beloved brothers, believe the Holy Spirit who speaks in us. We have already told you that the end of the world is near, the consummation remains. Has not faith withered away among mankind? How many foolish things are seen among youths, how many crimes among prelates, how many lies among priests, how many perjuries among deacons! There are evil deeds among the ministers, adulteries in the aged, wantonness in the youths–in mature women false faces, in virgins dangerous traces! In the midst of all this there are the wars with the Persians, and we see struggles with diverse nations threatening and “kingdom rising against kingdom” (Matt. 24:7). When the Roman empire begins to be consumed by the sword, the coming of the Evil One is at hand. It is necessary that the world come to an end at the completion of the Roman empire.

In those days two brothers will come to the Roman empire who will rule with one mind; but because one will surpass the other, there will be a schism between them. And so the Adversary will be loosed and will stir up hatred between the Persian and Roman empires. In those days many will rise up against Rome; the Jewish people will be her adversaries. There will be stirrings of nations and evil reports, pestilences, famines, and earth quakes in various places. All nations will receive captives; there will be wars and rumors of wars. From the rising to the setting of the sun the sword will devour much. The times will be so dangerous that in fear and trembling they will not permit thought of better things, because many will be the oppressions and desolations of regions that are to come.

Section 2

We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord, they have already been fulfilled (consummated), and there is not other which remains, except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom. Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world? Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming (advent) of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time. Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: “Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!” For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord. And we think that the earth exists with blind infidelity, arriving at its downfall early. Commotions are brought forth, wars of diverse peoples and battles and incursions of the barbarians threaten, and our regions shall be desolated, and we neither become very much afraid of the report nor of the appearance, in order that we may at least do penance; because they hurl fear at us, and we do not wish to be changed, although we at least stand in need of penance for our actions!

Section 3

When therefore the end of the world comes, there arise diverse wars, commotions on all sides, horrible earthquakes, perturbations of nations, tempests throughout the lands, plagues, famine, drought throughout the thoroughfares, great danger throughout the sea and dry land, constant persecutions, slaughters and massacres everywhere, fear in the homes, panic in the cities, quaking in the thoroughfares, suspicions in the male, anxiety in the streets. In the desert people become senseless, spirits melt in the cities. A friend will not be grieved over a friend, neither a brother for a brother, nor parents for their children, nor a faithful servant for his master, but one inevitability shall overwhelm them all; neither is anyone able to be recovered in that time, who has not been made completely aware of the coming danger, but all people, who have been constricted by fear, are consumed because of the overhanging evils.

Section 4

Whenever therefore the earth is agitated by the nations, people will hide themselves from the wars in the mountains and rocks, by caves and caverns of the earth, by graves and memorials of the dead, and there, as they waste away gradually by fear, they draw breath, because there is not any place at all to flee, but there will be concession and intolerable pressure. And those who are in the east will flee to the west, and moreover, those who are in the west shall flee to the east, and there is not a safer place anywhere, because the world shall be overwhelmed by worthless nations, whose aspect appears to be of wild animals more than that of men. Because those very much horrible nations, most profane and most defiled, who do not spare lives, and shall destroy the living from the dead, shall consume the dead, they eat dead flesh, they drink the blood of beasts, they pollute the world, contaminate all things, and the one who is able to resist them is not there. In those days people shall not be buried, neither Christian, nor heretic, neither Jew, nor pagan, because of fear and dread there is not one who buries them; because all people, while they are fleeing, ignore them.

Section 5

Whenever the days of the times of those nations have been fulfilled, after they have destroyed the earth, it shall rest; and now the kingdom of the Romans is removed from everyday life, and the empire of the Christians is handed down by God and Peter; and then the consummation comes, when the kingdom of the Romans begins to be fulfilled, and all dominions and powers have been fulfilled. Then that worthless and abominable dragon shall appear, he, whom Moses named in Deuteronomy, saying:-Dan is a young lion, reclining and leaping from Basan. Because he reclines in order that he may seize and destroy and slay. Indeed (he is) a young whelp of a lion not as the lion of the tribe of Judah, but roaring because of his wrath, that he may devour. “And he leaps out from Basan.” “Basan” certainly is interpreted “confusion.” He shall rise up from the confusion of his iniquity. The one who gathers together to himself a partridge the children of confusion, also shall call them, whom he has not brought forth, just as Jeremiah the prophet says. Also in the last day they shall relinquish him just as confused.

Section 6

When therefore the end of the world comes, that abominable, lying and murderous one is born from the tribe of Dan. He is conceived from the seed of a man and from an unclean or most vile virgin, mixed with an evil or worthless spirit. But that abominable corrupter, more of spirits than of bodies, while a youth, the crafty dragon appears under the appearance of righteousness, before he takes the kingdom. Because he will be craftily gentle to all people, not receiving gifts, not placed before another person, loving to all people, quiet to everyone, not desiring gifts, appearing friendly among close friends, so that men may bless him, saying;-he is a just man, not knowing that a wolf lies concealed under the appearance of a lamb, and that a greedy man is inside under the skin of a sheep.

Section 7

But when the time of the abomination of his desolation begins to approach, having been made legal, he takes the empire, and, just as it is said in the Psalm:-They have been made for the undertaking for the sons of Loth, the Moabites and the Ammanites shall meet him first as their king. Therefore, when he receives the kingdom, he orders the temple of God to be rebuilt for himself, which is in Jerusalem; who, after coming into it, he shall sit as God and order that he be adored by all nations, since he is carnal and filthy and mixed with worthless spirit and flesh. Then that eloquence shall be fulfilled of Daniel the prophet:-And he shall not know the God of their fathers, and he shall not know the desires of women. Because the very wicked serpent shall direct every worship to himself. Because he shall put forth an edict so that people may be circumcised according to the rite of the old law. Then the Jews shall congratulate him, because he gave them again the practice of the first covenant; then all people from everywhere shall flock together to him at the city of Jerusalem, and the holy city shall be trampled on by the nations for forty-two months, just as the holy apostle says in the Apocalypse, which become three and a half years, 1,260 days.

Section 8

In these three years and a half the heaven shall suspend its dew; because there will be no rain upon the earth, and the clouds shall cease to pass through the air, and the stars shall be seen with difficulty in the sky because of the excessive dryness, which happens in the time of the very fierce dragon. Because all great rivers and very powerful fountains that overflow with themselves shall be dried up, torrents shall dry up their water-courses because of the intolerable age, and there will be a great tribulation, as there has not been, since people began to be upon the earth, and there will be famine and an insufferable thirst. And children shall waste away in the bosom of their mothers, and wives upon the knees of their husbands, by not having victuals to eat. Because there will be in those days lack of bread and water, and no one is able to sell or to buy of the grain of the fall harvest, unless he is one who has the serpentine sign on the forehead or on the hand. Then gold and silver and precious clothing or precious stones shall lie along the streets, and also even every type of pearls along the thoroughfares and streets of the cities, but there is not one who may extend the hand and take or desire them, but they consider all things as good as nothing because of the extreme lack and famine of bread, because the earth is not protected by the rains of heaven, and there will be neither dew nor moisture of the air upon the earth. But those who wander through the deserts, fleeing from the face of the serpent, bend their knees to God, just as lambs to the adders of their mothers, being sustained by the salvation of the Lord, and while wandering in states of desertion, they eat herbs.

Section 9

Then, when this inevitability has overwhelmed all people, just and unjust, the just, so that they may be found good by their Lord; and indeed the unjust, so that they may be damned forever with their author the Devil, and, as God beholds the human race in danger and being tossed about by the breath of the horrible dragon, he sends to them consolatory proclamation by his attendants, the prophets Enoch and Elijah, who, while not yet tasting death, are the servants for the heralding of the second coming of Christ, and in order to accuse the enemy. And when those just ones have appeared, they confuse indeed the antagonistic serpent with his cleverness and they call back the faithful witnesses to God, in order to (free them) from his seduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Section 10

And when the three and a half years have been completed, the time of the Antichrist, through which he will have seduced the world, after the resurrection of the two prophets, in the hour which the world does not know, and on the day which the enemy of son of perdition does not know, will come the sign of the Son of Man, and coming forward the Lord shall appear with great power and much majesty, with the sign of the wood of salvation going before him, and also even with all the powers of the heavens with the whole chorus of the saints, with those who bear the sign of the holy cross upon their shoulders, as the angelic trumpet precedes him, which shall sound and declare: Arise, O sleeping ones, arise, meet Christ, because his hour of judgment has come! Then Christ shall come and the enemy shall be thrown into confusion, and the Lord shall destroy him by the spirit of his mouth. And he shall be bound and shall be plunged into the abyss of everlasting fire alive with his father Satan; and all people, who do his wishes, shall perish with him forever; but the righteous ones shall inherit everlasting life with the Lord forever and ever.

Of course, I (Jason Hommel ) have an opinion as well:

Section 2 looks as if it supports the pretribulation rapture model where the rapture must occur before the revealing or advent of the antichrist.

Section 10 looks somewhat like a post trib rapture, with the trumpet and the resurrection. However, Jesus is ALSO returning WITH his saints, as in the pre trib model.

Here is my rebuttal to the article above which says this is not a pretribulation document:

If you notice at that url, the section that is NOT highlighted in Section 2 reads as follows:

“Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world?”

Notice where the preparation lies, “for the meeting of the Lord Christ”, not preparations for 7 years or 3.5 years of hard times and famine.

In fact, the point the writer was making was that the famines had already come… so that he was thinking that the only thing next, yes, is the revealing of the wicked one, because that was the main event not yet seen in his day… and which, as 2 Thess 2 points out, cannot take place until the removal & rapture of that which restrains him, which is the author’s proof that the rapture is near, (neigh) and the very last time!

It seems to me that a large number of post tribbers have their focus on surviving the tribulation, which means that they are focused on survival supplies, and posession of the worldly goods and anxieties of the ages, forgetting that to die is gain. This, of course, is in direct contrast to the advice and exhortations given in this Sermon by Pseudo-Ephraem.

HOME: Bible prophecy study: pretribulation rapture
Teaching the pretribulation rapture from the Bible, the Wedding, and the Feast of Trumpets.
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