The Divine Command to live together

Posted on August 26, 2012 by dknezacek

Over the years, as I have done my own bible studies, I have become increasingly alarmed at how Christians often allow their traditions to trump the Word of God. There are a wide area of subjects that are covered by these traditions, but one that is fresh in my mind is the area of marriage and living together.

Originally in this article, I had said that “The church I am attending has recently run-off one of our families, because their daughter was living with her boyfriend.”

I’m afraid this was a bit of an exaggeration; The pastor never told anyone that they couldn’t come back.  It appears to be the interpretation of the family involved that they weren’t welcome.  It is unfortunate that sometimes we read things into the actions of others that were not intended.

I also said; “Evidently living together before marriage is a sin worthy of excommunication in some churches.”  The truth is that no one has been excommunicated from the particular church in question, however, there are churches who would remove a person from membership for the “sin” of living together.  I am sorry I failed to distinguish between the practices of this particular church, and of other churches.

The question that comes up is; Is there a place in scripture where such a situation is addressed? The answer is “Yes!” Let’s have a look. Surely Christians should follow the bible’s guidelines, shouldn’t they?

10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her. Deuteronomy 21:10-14

It is true that the specifics of this case are not exactly the same as the case at my church. The young woman is not a refugee from war.  At the same time, God never commands one person to do something that is a sin for another.

Notice also, that the man in this case is to live with his intended bride for a full month without having sex with her. Wait a minute! Shouldn’t there be a chaperone to make sure they aren’t having sex? This is a case where God is invoking the “honour system”. He is commanding the man to have respect for this girl and not take advantage of her for four weeks. God expects this man to act in an honourable way. Imagine!

Should their relationship progress beyond merely living together, there is another commandment that takes over;

16 And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. Exodus 22:16

The phrase “ and lie with her” is a euphemism for sex. Note that the word “endow” means “to provide support for”. In other words, the act of having sex has made her his wife. In God’s eyes they are already married.

Now go back to verse 13 of Exodus 21. All he has to do for them to be married is “thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.”

The truth is that it is the same today. The marriage is not real until it is “consummated”. (Another euphemism for having sex.) If a married couple never has sex, the marriage can be annulled.

An annulment simply means that the marriage never was. In other words, you may have a piece of paper from a pastor, an Imam, a rabbi, or a judge, but you are not really married until you have sex! I’m not talking about those Catholics who have children, and then get an annulment. That’s just dishonest. I’m talking about the way it was meant to be, and what the word definitions actually mean.

There is no place in the entire bible where it is commanded that one must have a minister, a rabbi, a judge, or priest to officiate a wedding. This is something that someone has added to the bible, and Christians accept this tradition as if it was from God.  It is not wrong to have someone officiate your vows, but that is not really what marries you.

Exodus is from God. Deuteronomy is from God, but this tradition is from men.

There you have it. God actually commanded men and women to live together before marriage!

I can hear someone objecting that this was only in the case of a woman captured during a time of war. The problem is that God never changes! The principles He expressed in the law are expressions of His unchanging character. The statements made in the moral law are still relevant today.  He never commands one person or group to do something that offends His nature.

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8

As I noted last week, Jesus said;

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 24:17-18

The law is still valid.

Paul said;

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: Acts 24:14

and

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Romans 15:4

And Peter;

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

Yes that’s right. Exodus and Deuteronomy were written for our education, by Moses, the man of God, moved by the Holy Spirit! Don’t think that the writers of Scripture were simple, barely educated savages. They were Holy men of God, who actually had a greater understanding of the things they wrote than we, in our arrogance, know today! They wrote the things they received from God Himself, but we interpret their writings through the thick, distorted, lens of our traditions!

Most Christians do not believe Deuteronomy 21:10-14, nor Exodus 22:16. This brings them into opposition against the apostle Paul, and Jesus Christ! As I noted last week, it is possible to practice and teach error on certain issues, and to still be saved, but it still is error (see Matt 5:19-20). People who teach such error will find that much of their work on this planet was a waste of time! They preach the gospel and undermine it at the same time! In doing so they drive away people who need to be saved!

The bible does indeed speak of disassociating from those who are in open sin. The example used is a man who had his father’s wife (I Corinthians 5:1). This is clear disobedience of the law (Leviticus 20:11), and is not something a Christian should approve of. This is different than a couple merely living together. By doing so they are actually married, according to the biblical definition.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:24

This is the biblical definition of marriage, being one flesh. It is there at the very beginning of the bible, but for most of us that is not good enough. We have to add our traditions, as if God’s Word is not sufficient!

Pastors tell their flocks that “If you don’t have a piece of paper saying you are married, then you are not!”  By doing this the Church actually aids and abets sin, and gives men an excuse to leave their wife and children.  “After all we weren’t married.  She was only a girlfriend!”  No!  Once you are living together and have had sex, you are married, unless the woman was married before, then you are in adultery, a totally different situation.

No. This is about something else. It is about controlling people. It is about pastors lifting themselves up as leaders, and expecting unquestioning obedience from God’s people. It is about pastors attempting to control who gets married, and to whom. The problem is they belong to God, and not to you, pastor! They only need obey you if you are biblically correct. In this case the pastor is not following Scripture, but tradition.

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. I Peter 5:5

All means all, and does not exclude the pastor!  In cases where the pastor is in sin, or teaching error, he needs to humbly repent just as any other member of the flock.

As I have studied this and other subjects I have been shocked to discover that there is a connection between each and every subject to the End Times. An incorrect understanding of biblical morality will actually lead people to accept the person of the Antichrist. If you are teaching unbiblical morality, you may actually be saved, and taken in the rapture, but what of those you leave behind? Will they accept the Antichrist as a man-of-God, because of something you said?

I can guarantee that what is considered “Christian tradition” will indeed lead many to accept the Antichrist. They won’t suspect that he is the Beast until it is too late!

This may be why Jesus told us;

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36

While all who call upon the name of the Lord are saved, there are many who call upon a false Jesus. That Jesus cannot save. Many professing Christians define Jesus by their traditions. They ascribe characteristics to Him that are not from the bible, and they ignore the characteristics that He ascribes to Himself through the bible. When people call upon that Jesus, they are calling upon another Jesus.  This is idolatry.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. II Corinthians 11:4

When Jesus declared the following, He was declaring that He is the God of the Old Testament;

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37

There is no place in the New Testament which this is describing, but there are many in the Old! The Old Testament was given to us as the foundation for the New. You cannot build a house without foundations or it will fall apart at the first shifting of the earth. The same is true of those who attempt to build a church without building it upon the Old Testament as the foundation for the New.

The same is also true of those who ignore biblical prophecy. Prophecy takes up between one quarter and one third of the Word of God. Pastors who ignore this divine ratio are NOT preaching the whole counsel of God!

Jesus actually bases His authority, and title, on His fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. Pastors who do not teach about this area of apologetics are building their congregation’s faith on a house of cards. When children are confronted by peers who say “Why do you believe that stuff”, it is not good enough to answer “Well, my pastor says…”  Young people who don’t know about Jesus’ fulfilment of Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, 7:14, Daniel 9:26, Zechariah 13:6, and many others, will not have a leg to stand on when confronted by the logic of their peers.

I can assure you that the Holy Spirit did not inspire His prophets to write the bible only to have His preachers ignore a third of it! By the same token, He did not inspire the law, only to have the Church ignore it. By doing so we are not only harming ourselves, but we are actually harming others!

Some pastors tell us “I have the words of the Son of God, therefore this is all I need“.  But the Son of God is the very one who said “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39  Talk about honoring the Lord with your lips, and dishonoring him at the same time, with your actions!  Such pastors ought to be ashamed of themselves!

In the same conversation the Son of God made certain that we understand, the Scriptures He wants us to read are the words of Moses; “46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?”

Pastors often preach from Jesus statements of Matthew 19, when the subject of marriage and divorce comes up;

3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Matthew 19:3-9

Unfortunately they stop at verse 9, as if this is the end of the discussion.  Jesus went on, however, and the words of verse 10 carry equal weight as 3-8.  In fact verse 9 explains what Moses actually wrote.  It is not different than the law, but clarifies what is contained within!

9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

You see Moses used the word “uncleanness” as a euphemism for sexual sin, or fornication.  The hard-hearted pharisees used this word as an excuse to divorce their wives for any perceived error on her part.  Christians don’t see this because they don’t read Moses.

When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.  Deuteronomy 24:1

Many pastors explain this passage to mean that if a betrothed, or engaged, young woman was caught in sexual sin, her intended husband could divorce her, and send her away.  It does mean this, but it means so much more.  It is worded indefinitely because God was giving the Israelites a way out, so they could show mercy to the guilty, and it wasn’t only for newly weds!

God clearly states that a young woman who is engaged, or betrothed, and who has sex with another man deserves death.

23 If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 24 Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you. Deuteronomy 22:23

Moses was giving Israel a choice.  You can choose justice, and you can expect it yourself, or you can choose mercy, knowing that you too are a sinner worthy of death.  When Jesus told the woman caught in adultery “go and sin no more“, He was consistent with the law of Moses!

The law was given for our benefit, and not only for Israel.  You cannot understand Jesus without understanding Moses, nor the other way around!  Moses did write about Jesus.  He said that Jesus would be like he himself!  What Jesus said about marriage is exactly backed up by the writings of Moses!

The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; Deuteronomy 18:15

Jesus is not only like Moses in the fact that he spent time in Egypt.  Nor is this talking about the similarities between Jesus and Moses as they were growing up.  These are just superficial similarities.  Jesus is like Moses in character, and doctrine.  The things that really matter!

Moses is the context of the New Testament!  If you are not cross referencing Moses, as you read the teachings of Jesus, you are substituting your own upbringing for the context of the bible.  You will never understand it that way.

Paul told us “But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing ALL THINGS which are written in the law and in the prophets:”  (Acts 24:14) There is no way you will be able to do this if you neglect large portions of the Word of God!

The Church may not be under the law per-se, but the law actually reveals the mind of God to us on every subject it touches.  I am not writing this to “stick it in the eye” of Christians.  If your tradition is not supported from Genesis to Revelation it is because it has an extra-biblical source!  Satan has a definite purpose behind his inserting man-made ideas into Church tradition!

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Who’s IN and who’s OUT?

Posted on August 18, 2012 by dknezacek

Thursday this week, while reading Matthew, I came across a familiar passage, which grabbed my attention, and wouldn’t let go. Friday I went back to those verses and couldn’t escape them! I am working on a post about Rick Warren and the contemplative prayer movement, but I had to set it aside because there is something in Jesus words that demands my attention!

How often have we heard preachers begin sermons with these words?

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:17-18

Most preachers focus on these two verses from the sermon on the mount, and point out that Jesus is the fulfilment of the law. This is correct, but it is not the only thing this passage is saying.

It is also reaffirming the unchanging nature of God. God didn’t give laws to Moses that contradict His nature. Neither is Jesus saying that we need to keep parts of the law. He didn’t single out the ten commandments, and let the rest of it slide.

As you read the statements of Jesus, and compare them with the Old Testament, you will find He never contradicts it…ever! As you study the Old Testament law you are actually studying the character of God. God as He is today!

The law was given with the purpose of convicting us of our sin, for the purpose of bringing us to Christ. This is true even for those of Old Testament times. The law cannot save, and never could.

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24

Some of us were convicted of only a few sins, but many of us became great sinners before the Holy Spirit was able to use our sin to bring us to Christ. There is a dichotomy in our churches, where the preaching of the law leads some to expect their law-keeping will save them. For others, the preaching of the law leads them to realize their need for a Savior!

Most pastors use these first two verses as the basis of their sermon, but lets look at the next. I think you will see something amazing;

19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The “therefore” is connecting this verse with the preceding. Look at these two teachers. One of them breaks a commandment of God, and teaches others to do so. This man is called the “least” in the kingdom of … Hell? The kingdom of Satan? No! He is the least IN the kingdom of Heaven!  The kingdom of God!

The next person has a lot in common with the Pharisees. He obeys the commandments, and teaches others to obey them as well. He is called “great” in the kingdom of Heaven! Unlike the Pharisees, however, he is saved!

Notice that both of these teachers are IN the kingdom of Heaven! Now read the next verse;

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

What is Jesus saying here? Isn’t He saying that both of the teachers of verse 19 are IN the kingdom of Heaven, and yet the scribes and Pharisees are OUT?

The teacher who did not obey the law, and taught others to disobey it, has a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees! Amazing!

When Jesus came, the Scribes and Pharisees were the most devout teachers of the bible in the world! They were sticklers for every jot and tittle of the law! Here is Paul’s testimony concerning himself, before he was saved;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Philippians 3:6

 Paul, the Pharisee, had been trusting his own righteousness to get him into Heaven. It took a miracle to get him to change his mind! He ended up trusting, and receiving, the righteousness of Jesus. In the end he calls his own righteousness “dung” (verse 8).

Is Jesus contradicting Himself here? No! He is saying that the righteousness that gets you into Heaven is not earned by keeping the law!  It is not earned at all!  The erroneous teacher in verse 19, has the righteousness of someone else. He does not get into Heaven with his own righteousness, but with the righteousness of Jesus Christ! He will lose rewards for his errors, but he will NOT lose his salvation!

God is so good!

It is better to be like the second person rather than the first, of verse 19, but it is still better to be like the first, than to be a Pharisee!  So long as we are trusting our own righteousness, and good deeds, we are lost!

The only difference between those IN, and those OUT is, one has Christ as Savior, and one does not!

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The Feast of Tabernacles and Amillennialism

Posted on August 11, 2012 by dknezacek

Having been raised in a Church that believed in the literal interpretation of Scripture (for the most part), I grew up mostly familiar with the pre-Tribulation rapture teaching. Consequently I am often baffled when I am confronted with those who want to allegorize everything in Scripture.

Take, for instance, those who say that we are in the millennial reign of Christ right now. This is one of the teachings of Amillennialists. This philosophy, originating with Augustine, says that the millennial reign of Christ is occurring right now, and it will end with the rapture of the Church, as well as the separation of the goats from the sheep, and judgment day. Some of them seem to believe that there will be a literal Antichrist shortly before this time, though many teach that the various popes have been occupying the “office” of the Antichrist since Constantine.

Very frequently, though not always, you find that these people also teach that the Church is the Israel of God. This is known as replacement theology, where the Church replaces Israel, and all the Old Testament prophecies concerning Israel apply to the Church, unless they are negative, and then they still apply to natural Israel. I tackled this idea in my posts The Israel of God and The Israel of God Revisited.

While reading through Zechariah the other day I came across three unusual prophecies that should end the idea of replacement theology, unless you allegorize them, of course. Funny, I don’t remember any pastor ever preaching from this part of the Word of God. This is a prophecy of the millennial reign of Christ, which concerns the actions of the Gentile nations during this time;

16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16-19

The nations which come against Jerusalem will include all the nations of the whole world, as we can see in Jeremiah 25:26, and in Revelation 19:19.

I have often noted that the bible repeats things for emphasis. Here we have three mentions that the feast of tabernacles will be celebrated by the Gentile nations during Christ’s earthly reign. This may be because this is the day that Jesus will return, to rescue Israel.

It may also be to commemorate the fact that God has left his mansion in Heaven to dwell in shacks (tabernacles) among men.

The question I have for those who think we are in the millennial reign right now is; How come you don’t celebrate the feast of tabernacles? I don’t know of any Christian denomination, except maybe the Jewish Messianic denominations, who keep this feast, but this prophecy is specifically for and about the Gentiles.  Yes, Israel is in the prophecy too, but they will already be in Jerusalem.  It will be the Gentile nations who make this annual journey.

Gentile nations who do not send representatives to Jerusalem to observe the feast of tabernacles, during the millennial reign, will be cursed with droughts and sickness. Does this happen today? There are droughts, and plagues, from time to time, but this is not because we do not observe this feast. No. None of the conditions outlined in these verses can be observed today.

The only answer is that this is a prophecy for another time, a time that is soon coming, but is not quite here just yet. More evidence that Jesus will return for a literal thousand-year earthly reign!

One little note of interest; It appears that some of our modern technology may make it into the millennial reign. Since every nation will be required to send representatives to this feast, and some of those nations are a long way away, some form of rapid transportation will be needed to get them to Israel. If we were to return to the era of sailing ships, and horses and buggies, a round trip from many nations to Jerusalem, and back, would take the better part of a year.

Of course this would also mean that the Gentile nations should have been celebrating this feast for the last 2,000 years, and yet we don’t have any evidence that this was ever done, or even attempted!

While I would never doubt the salvation of someone who claims to have been saved through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am certain that some eschatologies did not come from God. Preterism, Amillennialism, and Replacement Theology, appear to be prophetic schemes that were introduced into the Church with the purpose of causing confusion among Christians.

I am so often frustrated at the modern Church’s ignoring of the Old Testament. Most Christians don’t know what the Old Testament says, let alone believe it.  The New Testament is solidly built on the Old. In the book of Revelation alone there are over five hundred references to the Old Testament!

Here’s what Paul had to say about the Old Testament law and prophets;

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: Acts 24:14

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Thinking of learning Hebrew?

Posted on August 7, 2012 by dknezacek

While writing The Spirit of Prophecy, I found I had the need to do some research on a few Old Testament Hebrew words.

That research sparked a curiosity regarding the Hebrew language.  Is it possible that Hebrew was once the universal language, before Babel?

What about modern Hebrew?  Modern Hebrew is the result of a fulfilment of biblical prophecies, after all, and it is based on Old Testament Hebrew, though like any living language it has changed, and new words have been added with the advent of modern technology.

I did some searching and started on a free course called Foundation Stone.  Unfortunately Foundation Stone is based on Ashkenazi Hebrew which appears to have had a substantial European influence.  Sephardic Hebrew would be preferrable.

This week I discovered that the United States Foreign Service Institute has a free version of their Hebrew program available as a free download online.  This is the course that American diplomats took before going to work in Israel.  The course is somewhat dated, being produced in 1965, but the language hasn’t changed that much.  The modern version of this course costs $200.00!

I noticed the audio sounds a bit fuzzy at times.  I have been cleaning it up with Audacity, a free audio editing software package.

I have downloaded it and it looks promising.  It will take some time, however, and time is one thing I don’t seem to have much of these days.  I’ll periodically post reports of my progress.

Shalom!

Dan Knezacek

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The End Times Chronology in the Old Testament

Posted on August 4, 2012 by dknezacek

As I recently read several articles on the Internet, regarding the Tribulation and the return of Israel, I have been confronted by the idea that Israel will not fully return to the land until Jesus returns, at the end of Armageddon.  The implication is that some members of Israel will live in complete, or relative safety, in other nations, while God pours out his judgment on their brothers in Israel.  Some of the “big name” scholars teach this, but there is evidence that they are wrong.

It appears that this teaching is based on the faulty reasoning that the Gog/Magog war will occur during the Tribulation period. Ezekiel 39:25 would appear to be the centre of this idea “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;” The reasoning is that “since Israel is coming back at the end of this war, and this war is so bad it must occur during the Tribulation period, then Israel must return after the Tribulation.”

As I have stated in other articles, the evidence is that the Gog and Magog war will actually occur during the closing days of the Church age. In other words, the Christian Church will still be on earth during this war. There could actually be a space of several years between “Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob” and the phrase “and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel”.

Zephaniah 2:1 & 2 give us a better idea of the timing of the final return of the people of Israel.

1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’S anger come upon you.

Who is this “nation not desired”? This is Israel. They are gathered in unbelief, and this is why they are called the “nation not desired”. The Tribulation period is designed to bring Israel to faith in Jesus Christ, and therefore their gathering together must be in unbelief. Jesus is the LORD (YHWH) who is going to bring His anger upon this nation.

The “fierce anger of the LORD” and “the day of the LORD’S anger” are references to the Tribulation period. This gives us the timing for the gathering of verse 25 of Ezekiel 39, it is before the beginning of the Day of the Lord, the Tribulation.

Look at the next verse in Zephaniah 2

3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’S anger.

If Israel is the “nation not desired” then the “meek of the earth” are not the same people. This is a reference to the Church of Jesus Christ, or Yeshua ha Mashiach. This hiding in the day of the LORD’s anger, is not in a place on earth, but is actually a reference to the rapture, when Jesus takes His church to Heaven!

This passage is thus an Old Testament rapture passage! It times the rapture to AFTER the Gog and Magog war, around the same time as the final remnants of Israel are returning! This will also be the time when the Antichrist shows up.  He will portray himself as a Savior after that war.

Notice how the terminology fits what Jesus said in Luke 21:36;

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Here in Jesus’ teaching on the End Times, He tells us to pray that we will be accounted worthy to escape all these things. The truth is that there will be many professing Christians who will be left behind. You and I can’t tell if someone is truly a part of the Lord’s Church. Many unbelievers dress like Christians, and act like Christians, and in fact many of them may actually be more zealous in certain areas of morality than true believers. They are trying to work their way to Heaven. You can find many of these unbelievers in places of authority in Churches today. Many pastors, song leaders, and Sunday school teachers, will be left behind!

You are not guaranteed a place in the rapture just because you said a certain prayer, or go to church, or preach in church. The question is “does the Lord know you?” and “are you still seeking the Lord?” Now that you have found Him, do you still keep on seeking Him, or do you go on, confident in yourself? Are you trusting Him, and His finished work on the cross, or are you seeking to add something to it?

Notice that the people who escape the Tribulation will be standing before the Son of Man. They will be in Heaven while all Hell breaks loose on earth. As the judgments of the Tribulation come upon the earth, the Church will be judged in Heaven, but none of them will be cast out!

Isaiah also wrote about a pre-Tribulation rapture, as well as the gathering of Israel.

17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD. 18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

This passage hints of the regathering of Israel. The last part of verse 18 refers to the general failure of Israel to be God’s missionary nation “ we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen”. The references to child birth in verse 17 are common biblical terms regarding the time of the Tribulation. The implication here is that since Israel has failed as God’s missionary nation, they will now be recalled back to their place of origin, like a faulty product, and God will deal with them there.

19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Verse 19 concerns the resurrection of the dead saints. This appears to be the resurrection of both the Old Testament saints as well as the Church age saints. The prophet himself is anticipating being resurrected at this time. These dead sing for joy! This is not a general resurrection of both saint and sinner, for these people have no fear, like the unbelievers will have.

Verse 20 is the pre-Tribulation rapture of the Church;

20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

The “chambers” that Isaiah refers to here are the “mansions” Jesus referred to in John 14:2. This is the rapture of the Church. They are His people, the meek of the earth, that Zephaniah spoke of.

Notice also that they are being hidden while the “indignation” is going on on the earth. This term is often used as code for the Tribulation. The judgments brought to the earth during the Tribulation period are done because of God’s indignation against the earth and her inhabitants. When professing Christians do the practises that the heathen do, like contemplative mysticism, breath prayers, and centering prayer, they invite the wrath of God!

Why won’t the earth cover her slain? There will be so many killed during the Tribulation that most of the dead bodies will lie around exposed, and rotting!

And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Jeremiah 25:33

But, getting back to our subject. Is the rapture of the church related to the final gathering of Israel? I say that it is. At the time that God reverts to using Israel as His witnesses on the earth, he will call the Church to Heaven.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. Isaiah 7:12-13

Here, the beating off from the channel of the river (the Euphrates) to the stream of Egypt (the Nile) is a reference to either the Psalm 83 war, or more likely the Gog and Magog war. Israel will expand to the borders God gave them in the Old Testament, and this will entice them to return home.

I believe the “trumpet” here is the same trumpet Paul referred to in I Thessalonians 4:16;

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

It appears that this trumped does double-duty. It calls back Israel to the land, and at the same time calls the Church home. Paul also hints of this in I Corinthians 15:52;

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

This is the last trumpet for the exiles of Israel to return home. It has nothing to do with the trumpet judgments of the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation had not been written at the time that Paul wrote, and he appears to have had no knowledge of the judgments of that book. If he had he would have written about them, but it appears that the insights of the book of Revelation were reserved for John.

If we were to put these events into a chronological order we will first see the Psalm 83 war, then the Gog and Magog war, then the final regathering of Israel, the revealing of the Antichrist, and the rapture of the church, followed by the Tribulation period, culminating with Armageddon, and the return of Christ, coming with the very same saints who were raptured several years earlier.

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The Nation of the Antichrist Part 4

Posted on July 28, 2012 by dknezacek
Disclaimer: The author intends these articles to assist the reader in understanding the End Times prophecies of the Holy Bible. There is no intention to provoke hatred towards any group, tribe, or nation. Even the family of the Antichrist deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The book of Revelation states that there will be members of every tribe, nation, kingdom, and tongue, in Heaven! It is the hope of the author to provoke Christians to witness of the love and forgiveness of God toward all who will listen! It is his hope that we will share in the joy of seeing even family members of the Antichrist himself, in Heaven with Jesus!

For my fourth and final installment on the Nation of the Antichrist, I want to focus on something that has eluded most biblical End Times scholars.

The Antichrist, like Jesus Christ, has many names in the bible. He is called “the son of perdition”, “the idol shepherd”, “the abominable branch”, “the Beast”, and others, but the term Antichrist is actually a title, not a name. The word “anti” in the Greek not only connotes opposition to Christ, but actually means “in the place of”.

The Antichrist will actually place himself in the position of Jesus Christ. He will claim to do many things that Jesus Christ did, and has done, including being raised from the dead. He will actually show up at a time that appears to be the end of the Tribulation, and will pose as a Savior!

Many have noted the similarity of dictators like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, to the character of the Antichrist, and in many ways these comparisons are accurate, but there is one where there will be a big difference. These men were famous for their opposition to the bible, and for big piles of bibles being burnt. I am quite certain that Satan has another European dictator in the works who will also be strongly opposed to the bible, however, this is not the Antichrist, but a decoy sent to distract those who are looking for the Antichrist.

The real Antichrist, on the other hand, will actually use the bible to establish his authority! Rather than burning big piles of bibles he will actually open one up, point to certain passages and say “This is about me!” He won’t burn bibles like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, but will use it, more like Rick Warren, or Joel Osteen!

In researching for The Spirit of Prophecy, I read over half way through Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life” and was shocked at how often he takes Scripture out of context, and twists it to conform to his own ideas! Scripture manipulation is truly an art with Warren! It is so bad I couldn’t get past the twenty second week! If you want to know how the Antichrist will treat Scripture just read through Warren’s book, but be careful; he is slippery!

I have searched through the bible looking for a passage that could be used by a Roman dictator to establish his throne as the throne of God, the Messiah. There isn’t one! There is no place where a dictator from Rome could open up a bible and say “Do you see this passage here? This is about me and my ministry!”

The scholars have not been able to come up with one, simply because there isn’t one, and yet so many of them still insist that the Antichrist must come from Rome.

Should the Antichrist come from Edom, however, there are a number of passages to which he could point and say “I am the fulfilment of this promise”, or “I was there and inspired the prophet to write this“!

A few years ago I came to the conclusion that the Antichrist must come from the gentiles, and while walking my dog, I asked this question “If the Antichrist comes from the gentiles how is it that he will be able to masquerade as Israel’s Saviour?”

The very next morning as I was reading Isaiah 63, I was shocked to read verse 1 “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”

I had read through that passage before and didn’t get it, and I have heard pastors read it and miss the point, but all of a sudden my eyes were opened! If the Antichrist comes from Edom he can actually use this verse and say “I inspired Isaiah to write this”!  (It is a lie, of course, but it would be believable to some people!)

This is what Daniel meant when he wrote that the Antichrist “shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). He will claim to be God in the flesh, just as Jesus is truly God in the flesh!

If this verse were alone we could say that maybe it is an accident of translation, but there is more;

LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. Judges 5:4

“God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.” Habakkuk 3:3

“And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.” Deuteronomy 33:2

Teman was a grandson of Esau, and Paran, and Seir are districts in Edom. The Lord spoke to Moses while the Israelites were in the wilderness of Paran, in Edom. This is what these passages are referring to, but if you take them out of context, you can turn them into messianic prophecies, saying that the Messiah comes from Edom! This interpretation will be what the Antichrist wants you to believe!

You may remember how, in the book of Hebrews, Levi payed tithes to Melchizedek while in Abraham’s loins? (Hebrews 7:5-9) The passage is pointing out that the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the Levitical priesthood, since Levi payed tithes to Melchizedek before he was even born.

The Antichrist will use the same principle with regard to an incident which occurred between Jacob and Esau.

In Genesis 33 Jacob and Esau meet again after having been apart and estranged for many years. Esau had been so angry with Jacob that he was ready to kill him after he tricked his father, Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing. Now after many years apart Jacob is coming home and brings a number of peace offerings for his brother.

3 And he (Jacob) passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

8 And he (Esau) said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

I have no doubt that the Antichrist will use this passage to say that Jacob, as the patriarch of Israel was recognizing Esau’s superior position in the covenant, by bowing to him, and even foreshadowing the “Messiah’s” coming from Esau. Jacob even called his brother “lord”. Such an interpretation would have to ignore the fact that Esau had sold the birthright to Jacob many years before this incident. The truth is that Jacob was simply trying to make amends to his brother, but he never gave the birthright back. Israel couldn’t give it back then, or today, even if they wanted to!

The problem with taking these verses as prophecies is they don’t match the bible’s other messianic prophecies, which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The only way that the Antichrist will be able to fool the world that these passages are prophecies about his “ministry” is if the world is ignorant about the bible, and if they take them out of context. Unfortunately we have a number of popular teachers, like Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen, who are experts at taking the bible out of context. They are preparing a generation for the master of Scripture manipulation.

One key prophecy is Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy found in Daniel 9:24. The seventy weeks of years began when the proclamation went out to rebuild Jerusalem. There were three proclamations made, but regardless of which one was intended, they all would have required that the Messiah would be “cut-off” before the year 33 AD. This would preclude any messiah coming along at any other time in history.

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9:24-26

And this takes us full circle; The people of Edom are there in verse 26, not as the Messiah, but as the people of the “prince to come” the Antichrist. It was their actions in Jerusalem, shortly before the Roman armies arrived on the scene, that ultimately led to the destruction of that city.

Their descendants are still there today.  They still live in the same land that Esau lived on, and they still hold to the ancient hatred against their brothers!

They were dispersed, much like Israel was, but they have returned and will soon fulfill the prophecy of Malachi;

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever. Malachi 1:4

If you compare this map of ancient Israel and her neighbors, with a modern map, the descendants of Edom, Moab and Ammon form a modern nation.  This is the nation that will produce the Antichrist.  If you know who he is, don’t fight him with carnal weapons of war, but fight him with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  The bible is clear that while many of the members of this nation will join with the Antichrist, there are also many who will join with Israel, and will offer them protection when they flee from the “Abomination of Desolation”!  These are our brothers and sisters in Christ!  Pray for them, that they will get saved, and that they will make a difference for Jesus in the last days!


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The Nation of the Antichrist part 3

Posted on July 23, 2012 by dknezacek
Disclaimer: The author intends these articles to assist the reader in understanding the End Times prophecies of the Holy Bible. There is no intention to provoke hatred towards any group, tribe, or nation. Even the family of the Antichrist deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The book of Revelation states that there will be members of every tribe, nation, kingdom, and tongue, in Heaven! It is the hope of the author to provoke Christians to witness of the love and forgiveness of God toward all who will listen! It is his hope that we will share in the joy of seeing even family members of the Antichrist himself, in Heaven with Jesus!

I am well aware that, by promoting the idea of a non-European Antichrist, I am swimming against the tide. Most scholars focus on the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, or on the Revelation 17 passage, and equate the seven mountains mentioned with the seven Hills of Rome. Since we have examined these two passages in detail in the last two posts, I would invite you to read them before continuing.

The subject of the national origin of the Antichrist is not a small subject, and considering Satan’s attempts to cloud the issue, it is one of great importance.

Well, what of the other Old Testament prophecies concerning the nation of Edom? As I discovered, it is not easy to find all the prophecies concerning these people. While there are a number where this nation is identified as Edom, it also has a number of names associated with it that the casual observer might overlook. To find all the prophecies concerning Esau’s descendants you need to search the bible for words like Paran, Seir, Teman, Bozrah, Esau, and Idumea. You also need to examine the prophecies regarding Edom’s partners, Moab and Ammon, the descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot. As I have gone into greater depth in The Spirit of Prophecy, this will merely be an overview.

To date Germany has killed the most Jews in all of history. Russia, Poland and most of the other nations of Europe have also had their pogroms. It is God who says that Israel is the apple of His eye, and I doubt the Christianity of any nation that persecutes His people;

For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. Zechariah 2:8

Make no mistake about it Germany has suffered tremendously for their treatment of Israel, but neither Germany, nor the other European nations have been called “The people of my curse” by God. This is a special title that is reserved for one nation, Edom, the closest relatives the Jews have on this planet!

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. 6 The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. Isaiah 34:5-6

Notice the previous verse, it will give you the context;

4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

Make no mistake about it, this is the fulfilment of Revelation 6:13-14; it is clear that this judgment against Edom occurs during Armageddon, and yes it does mention the other nations of the world, but the people of Edom are the people of God’s curse. It is my contention that the reason for this curse is because these are the people who will produce, support, and nurture the Antichrist.

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. Malachi 1:4

When you think of the people of Edom do you think of them as the people against whom the Lord has indignation against, for ever? Most people don’t even think about this nation, although some realize that there were some early Christian churches among these people. Look carefully and you will see that the time that Edom is known by this title will be after they have rebuilt their nation. It is a time which is coming, but is not here quite yet.

Go back a verse. God’s hatred against Esau is not against the man, but against the nation he founded. Job, of the book of Job, appears to be a descendant of Esau, and he was a righteous man. Just as some Jews will end up in Hell, some Edomites will end up in Heaven. This statement is not against every individual, but is a general statement.

3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

There is more;

11 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: Amos 1:11

The little phrase at the end is prophetically significant “ he kept his wrath for ever”. “For ever” indicates that Edom will not stop fighting his brother as long as he has opportunity. Even during the end times, during the Tribulation period, Edom will still hate and pursue his brother.

1 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. 4 I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: Ezekiel 35:5

Note that Mount Seir is one of the prominent mountains of Edom.

Which calamity do you think the prophet is talking about here? I’ll give you a clue: Look at the very last phrase. When did Israel’s iniquity have an end? Have you seen my post about Tel Aviv being named the world’s number one Gay city? Israel’s iniquity has not had an end to date, and won’t until they call on Jesus to save them during the latter half of the Tribulation period! When He saves them as a nation their iniquity will be washed away. This is the time that Ezekiel was referring to. This is why Israel should be very wary when dealing with their neighbor to the east. They may be the closest relatives the Jews have, but they are also their greatest enemies!

Many prophetic passages are written in the past tense, as if the event’s they describe have already occurred. This is because they are written from God’s perspective, who sees all history at once. The events that make God so very angry at Edom are yet future events.

He goes on to say;

13 Thus with your mouth ye have boasted against me, and have multiplied your words against me: I have heard them. 14 Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate. 15 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

Once again we can ask, when will the whole world rejoice? The answer is that the world will not rejoice until Jesus returns, and even then it will not rejoice until He has defeated His enemies, and the millennial reign begins. So we know that the ultimate destruction of Esau’s descendants will not occur until Armageddon.

Esau’s descendants have the same problem with boasting that the Antichrist has.  He learned it from them!

And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it. Obadiah 1:18

The amazing thing here is that, in the midst of the destruction of this nation, God will actually show mercy to some of these people. In the midst of Jeremiah’s indictment of Edom, for their End Times crimes, God says of Edom;

Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me. Jeremiah 49:11

But how will this be done? How is it possible that some of Edom’s women and children will survive, and yet at the same time there will be “none remaining of the house of Esau”? It appears that some women and children of Edom, and of Moab, will be involved with the preservation of Israel even as their very own husbands are in the Antichrist’s armies, hunting the Jews to kill them!

2 For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon. 3 Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth. 4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. 5 And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness. Isaiah 16:2-5

  As the believing third of Israel flees the Antichrist, they will find refuge among the Antichrist’s own people! In the end, after all is said and done, these women and their children will not want to acknowledge any association with Edom, or Moab, but will be absorbed into Israel.  The person who is sitting on the throne of David is none other than the returned Jesus Christ.  The oppressors and spoilers are the people of the Antichrist.

That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Amos 9:12

So in the end, Esau will have descendants who actually will partake of the blessing which he so recklessly sold to his brother, but they will not acknowledge any connection to him! They will marry Jews and will want nothing other than to be known as Jewish believers in Jesus Christ!

The only explanation I can see for all the prophecies against Edom, and there are more, is that this nation will produce, nurture, and support the Antichrist to the bitter end. In all of this the goodness of God can be seen in that He will actually save some of those people, but the nation of Edom itself will disappear!

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The Nation of the Antichrist, Part 2

Posted on July 10, 2012 by dknezacek
Disclaimer: The author intends these articles to assist the reader in understanding the End Times prophecies of the Holy Bible. There is no intention to provoke hatred towards any group, tribe, or nation. Even the family of the Antichrist deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The book of Revelation states that there will be members of every tribe, nation, kingdom, and tongue, in Heaven! It is the hope of the author to provoke Christians to witness of the love and forgiveness of God toward all who will listen! It is his hope that we will share in the joy of seeing even family members of the Antichrist himself, in Heaven with Jesus!

A few years ago I discovered Ariel ministries, a Messianic Jewish ministry headed by Arnold Fructenbaum. Searching through the site I discovered Mr. Fruchtenbaum’s article on Revelation which I downloaded and read. Having been on their website recently I can’t find the article, except to note that it can be ordered from their resource page. For the most part it is a good study on Revelation and well worth reading.

There was one statement that I initially accepted, but later came to disagree with. As I can’t find it now, I’ll have to go by memory. Reading Daniel 11:41 the author simply notes that the Antichrist will not be able to defeat the modern nation which is represented by the ancient tribes of Edom, Moab, and Ammon;

He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. Daniel 11:41

I have heard other bible scholars say much the same thing. The question that ultimately hit me is “The Antichrist is going to rule the whole world so how is it possible that this little nation will not fall to him?” This nation is smaller than Israel, after all, and is right next door. No! It’s not possible that any nation would be more powerful than the Antichrist and his armies!

There has to be a better explanation.

This observation led me to do a study of the biblical prophecies regarding the tribes of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. I found that there are a lot of prophecies in the bible, regarding these three tribes, and they are overwhelmingly negative, as well as timed in the End Times near the Day of the Lord. In fact Jeremiah 25 describes the armies of these tribes attacking Israel during Armageddon.

If these tribes were to be victorious against the Antichrist, if they were a righteous people, there is no hint of it in the pages of the bible. On the other hand it does appear that these people will actually support the Beast in his efforts to destroy Israel.  (There is some evidence that some of their women will actually assist the Jewish refugees fleeing the Antichrist, even as their husbands are in his army, hunting them down, but that is a subject for another day)

Then, I began to look at Daniel 11:41 in a different light. Could it be possible that the Antichrist will not defeat this neighbour of Israel because he doesn’t have to? Is it possible that the nation of the heirs of Edom, Moab, and Ammon is the Beast’s home, and power base?

This is the best explanation for Daniel 11:41. How could God tell us where the Antichrist comes from, without actually naming the nation? The nation he does not defeat is his place of origin, his people, who support him from the beginning!

There was one little problem with this idea, however; We all know that the Antichrist will come from Rome. Don’t we? Daniel 9:26, on the surface, indicates that Rome will produce the Antichrist.

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9:26

It was indeed the Roman armies who destroyed the city and the sanctuary, in their attack of 70AD, however, this is only part of the story. The armies of Rome were not entirely made up of Roman citizens. Rome was not large enough to control the whole empire without help. One of the first things I noticed was that the apostle Paul had a confrontation with a Roman centurion who was not from Rome.

Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Acts 22:27-28

The armies were led by Rome, but we know for certain that they were ethnically mixed even up into the ranks of the officers. In fact Josephus sheds further light on this subject in his book The War of the Jews. As I read through his eyewitness account of the fall of Jerusalem I found that the father-son team of Roman Generals, Vespasian and Titus, were assigned the task of subduing the Jews.

On his way to Jerusalem Vespasian stopped in Damascus and collected the Roman armies as well as a large number of troops from kings in the area…Syrian Arabs!

So Vespasian sent his son Titus from Achaia, where he had been with Nero, to Alexandria, to bring back with him from thence the fifth and. the tenth legions, while he himself, when he had passed over the Hellespont, came by land into Syria, where he gathered together the Roman forces, with a considerable number of auxiliaries from the kings in that neighborhood. (The War of the Jews/Book 3/Chapter 1/Section 3)

On the surface this would seem to support the idea that the Antichrist might come from Syria, and this is what I thought at first, but there was that nagging idea that the Beast would come from Edom, so I read on…

It turns out that while Vespasian and Titus were gathering their armies, someone else had already made their way to Jerusalem! These people were Jewish by religion, at the time, but were descendants of Esau, by blood. They were known as Idumeans, which is the Greek form of the Hebrew, Edomite.

Josephus recounts how the Idumeans came to the city gates by day and were refused entry. This refusal probably added to their outrage. After dark, during a huge thunderstorm, the zealots allowed the Idumeans into the city, where they went first to the Temple and attacked there, killing some 8,500 men! Then they went throughout the city and killed another 12,000 people, for a total death toll of 20,500 people!

In the aftermath of this killing spree, the Idumeans held a trial for the High Priest, Ananus, and his deputy, Jesus. For this trial they appointed seventy citizens to act as jurors, but when the jurors failed to convict them, the Idumeans dragged them to the wall of the Temple and threw them over the edge, killing them.

Josephus lays the blame for the entire destruction of Jerusalem at the feet of the Idumeans because he knew that these two men, Ananus and Jesus, were aware that they couldn’t defeat the Roman armies, and were prepared to negotiate a surrender. (Josephus, The Jewish War, book 4, chapter 5, section 2)

The Idumeans left the zealots in charge, and these people had such a hatred for Rome that they were prepared to sacrifice the whole city in defiance of Rome. This is what they did, and as a result over one million people were killed, and the Temple and city were destroyed, just as Daniel had predicted some 800 years earlier.

One other detail that many ignore is also relevant; As Nero had died, and Vespasian was recalled to Rome to become the new Caesar, Titus became the general in command of the Roman forces. One might recall that the Roman legions were famous for their discipline. The legionaries would not go against the command of a superior officer, because the penalties were severe. (flogging or even death)

Titus had issued an order, before the attack began, that the Temple should remain intact. The Roman soldiers were not the first ones to begin looting in the Temple. Do you remember the Syrians that Vespasian had gathered on his way to Jerusalem? It is very obvious that it was those soldiers who disobeyed Titus’ order and began the looting in the Temple.

As a result of the widespread looting Titus was forced to change his order, so it wouldn’t look like he had lost control of his army. Thus history records that it was the Romans who destroyed the Temple, but its destruction can be traced to the Idumean attack shortly before the Roman armies arrived on the scene!

Compare this map with a modern map of the Middle East, and you will see the nation that today covers the territory of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. This is the nation who will produce the man known as the “son of perdition”, “the Beast”. and “the Little Horn”!

Josephus’ eyewitness account sheds new light on the destruction of Jerusalem, and on Daniel’s words “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” . I have no doubt that the Antichrist will come from Jacob’s brother Esau, on at least part of his family tree. The people of Idumea today make up a sizable percentage of the population of this nation. Once again, when you dig into the facts you find that things are not always what they seem on the surface!

So, why do so many Christians believe the Antichrist will come from Rome? Satan has a need for a scapegoat. He needs people’s attention diverted away from the real Antichrist.   He needs a villain so his Antichrist will appear the hero!  This is Rome’s role, which Satan has been preparing her for, for millennia!

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The Nation of the Antichrist

Posted on July 2, 2012 by dknezacek
Disclaimer: The author intends these articles to assist the reader in understanding the End Times prophecies of the Holy Bible. There is no intention to provoke hatred towards any group, tribe, or nation. Even the family of the Antichrist deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The book of Revelation states that there will be members of every tribe, nation, kingdom, and tongue, in Heaven! It is the hope of the author to provoke Christians to witness of the love and forgiveness of God toward all who will listen! It is his hope that we will share in the joy of seeing even family members of the Antichrist himself, in Heaven with Jesus!

Usually when I do my personal devotions I read through one book or another, usually alternating between the Old and New Testaments. Having recently finished going through several New Testament epistles I thought “Why not revisit some of the Old Testament prophecies I went through while writing The Spirit of Prophecy”.

Jimmy DeYoung, on Brannon Howse’s program had recently said something to the effect of “I am not aware of any war where the whole world is involved except the final battle at the end of the millennial reign of Christ”. This had been on my mind for some time, because I knew that Jeremiah 25 contains a list that starts with Jerusalem, in verse 18, and ends with “all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth” in verse 26.

This war can’t be the final war at the end of the millennial reign for it begins with God’s judgment against Israel, and Jerusalem. During the millennial reign 100% of Israel will be saved. The final battle will not be God against Israel and the world, but the world against God and Israel. Mr. DeYoung has failed to take Jeremiah 25 into account in his eschatology. (Eschatology: the study of end times prophecies)

As I read through the passage I also noticed a peculiar command, and its result;

27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. 28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink. 29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

Now, no one wants the Judgment of God against them, but I remembered, or was led to, Jeremiah 49 where a very similar mindset is spoken of. This time the people of Edom are singled out for judgment;

12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

Now why would Edom think they should not suffer the wrath of God? Why would God single them out at this point, when He is angry with the whole world? Why would the land of Edom (Idumea) be singled out for a special curse? Why should their cities be perpetual wastes?  Note also that Bozrah is another name for the land of Edom.

The best answer is that the Antichrist will come from the tribes descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother.

The reason they think they should not suffer God’s judgment is because they think that as descendants of the first son of Isaac, they should still have the birthright. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, and it seems ludicrous that such a major blessing, the position of a nation in Gods economy, could be sold for such a trivial price, but it was, and it was a legal agreement, which God still honors!

The people of Edom will be led by a man who they think is the Christ, but in reality is the Antichrist! He will look like a Christian, talk like a Christian, and act the way many Christians think a Christian should act.  At least for a time.  The modern nation, which is the inheritance of Esau, will be his first power base!

Edom, Moab, and Ammon, formed a permanent alliance many years ago.  They were the founders of the modern nation in view here. Their territory 2,500 years ago was roughly the same as it is today!  Just compare this map with a modern map of the Middle East, and you will figure out which nation I am talking about!

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Further down in chapter 49 there is another statement made about the people of Edom that caught my eye.

16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD.

When I read the phrase about them making their nest as high as the eagle I was reminded of another passage concerning this same nation, which contains remarkably similar language;

Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD. Obadiah 1:4

Again, as I read this statement I remembered another similar statement. Something about someone wanting to exalt their throne above the stars of God.

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isaiah 14:13

The King James bible directs the above statement to “Lucifer”, while the NIV translates it as “morning star, son of the dawn!” Now, since Jesus is known as the Morning Star, does this mean that He will fall out of favour with God? No, the NIV translators made a mistake.  It’s not that God is confused, but Satan keeps on trying to imitate Him, and usurp everything that belongs to our God!

As you continue reading you are given more clues.

16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

It may seem like nit-picking, but this person is a man, not an angel. Lucifer is an angel.

But, lets keep going;

18 All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.

If this person is “cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch”, then who is it? Who is the Branch? Of course the Branch is Jesus, so this “abominable branch” is a usurper, who is similar to Jesus;none other than the Antichrist! So, what could this phrase mean, to be “cast out of his grave”? Here’s a clue;

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. Revelation 13:3

There is some debate among bible scholars as to whether the Antichrist, the Beast, will be actually resurrected. I think his resurrection will be genuine. There is only one Savior, Jesus Christ, but God is quite willing to set a trap for those who have rejected the Salvation that God offers through Jesus. When this Edomite is raised from the dead, the whole world will follow him, and suffer the wrath of God for doing so.

Everything you need for salvation is there in the pages of the bible, but an evil generation wants a sign, so God will give them one! Can you think of a better sign that someone being raised from the dead? He will be raised from the dead, but his mouth will be speaking blasphemies. How many will catch on? I think there will be numbers who do, but many of them will die as martyrs.

Far better for you to be saved, and Raptured, and in Heaven while all of this is going on.

Here’s another clue, in the next verse of Isaiah 14;

20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

This man will not be buried on the earth. Combine this statement with the previous, that he is cast out of his grave, and it appears to be in line with the statement in Revelation 19:20, where the Beast is cast alive into the lake of fire.

Verse 22 indicates the Lord’s displeasure with this man’s sons and nephews. Satan has no sons, nor nephews, again indicating that this is a man and not an angel. It also indicates that his family supports him in his endeavors. I would still hope that some from his family might get saved, perhaps a cousin, or even a sister.

The fact that he has sons would also indicate that he is not gay, contrary to many scholar’s opinion that the statement “he does not regard… the desire of women” in Daniel 11:37 indicates he is a homosexual. It has another meaning, which I have examined previously. Search this site for “polygamy”, if you want to examine this subject in greater depth.

The chapter begins, in verse 4, calling this man “the king of Babylon”, and in verse 25 he is called “the Assyrian”, but this does not mean that he is born in either Assyria, or Babylon. I live in Canada, and we have a Queen, but even though she has the title “the Queen of Canada” she was not born here, and neither does she live here.

It could very well be the same with the Antichrist. He does not have to be born in Babylon to be called the king of Babylon. This is likely a title that is conferred on him by the Harlot Church, after they have set up camp in this city.

The earlier verses we looked at, in Jeremiah 49, and Obadiah 1:4, line up perfectly with Isaiah 14, and are consistent with the idea that the Antichrist will come from Jordan, from Edom, the nation descended from Jacob’s brother Esau. This small study is but the tip of the iceberg. There is a wealth of evidence that the Beast will come from Jordan. For a more complete study I recommend that you obtain a copy of The Spirit of Prophecy. Dig deep, you’ll be surprised at what you find!

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Rick Warren promoting New Age authors… again!

Posted on June 27, 2012 by dknezacek

As I was reading about Rick Warren’s most recent endorsement of several New Age authors, I remembered reading about the New Age prophetess Alice Bailey, a few years ago, and noting that one of her teachings was that the Christian Church would help bring about the New Age.

“The woman who coined the term New Age, occultist Alice Bailey, (believing that we were on the threshold of a new spiritual awakening) said that this new enlightened age would come, not around the Christian church, but rather through it.” (http://amos37.com/2012/03/22/alice-bailey-goals-of-the-new-age/)

We shouldn’t be surprised then, when big name Christian personalities, like Rick Warren, promote occult practises, such as Mantra meditation, breath prayers, and Yoga. And Rick is not alone. People like Eugene Peterson (Author of the Message “bible” fraud), Beth Moore, David Jeremiah, and many others, are also promoting these types of practices to an Evangelical audience.

These practices are used to induce an altered state of consciousness, to enable the practitioner to come into contact with the spirit world.  Remember, not all spirits are good!  The true God, and His angels, never contact a person this way!

The Emergent Church almost universally accepts these practices as well. Ever heard of Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, or Mark Driscoll? These are some of the most well known leaders of the Emergent, or Emerging Church, and all of them are involved to some degree, in practices that are not Christian, but have their origin in the Occult. These people all have an evangelical background and so can speak the lingo. They sound Christian. They have a big audience as well. If numbers count then these guys really matter!

Purpose Driven is also closely associated with the New Apostolic Reformation crowd of C. Peter Wagner, Rick Joyner, Joyce Meyers, and Todd Bentley. Wagner was Warren’s doctoral dissertation advisor at Fuller Theological Seminary, a school who’s name keeps popping up in apostate circles.

What I think we are witnessing is the dawning of the great apostasy spoken of by Peter;

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. II Peter 2:1

Look carefully at what Peter is saying here. Isn’t he saying that the same thing that happened to Israel will happen to the Christian Church? Just as Israel was largely apostate when Jesus came the first time, the Christian Church will be largely apostate when He comes the second time!

Paul said something similar, that they would be;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 2 Timothy 3:5

These people don’t “deny God” they deny His power! They make God dependent on man, and they redirect the focus from the Lord Jesus Christ, to making the world a better place here and now!

This stuff didn’t start with Rick Warren,C. Peter Wagner, and the Emergent Church, it started years ago. I think it really can be traced back to the protestant reformation. Men like Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, and Simons, though Heroes of the faith, also had their failings. One of the major failures of the reformation was the refusal to abandon everything that had its roots in the Roman Catholic church. The name reformation itself, carries the implication that its practitioners thought Rome was a Christian Church which only needed reform!

Nothing could be further from the truth! Roman Catholicism is paganism, with a thin veneer of Christian terminology. Everything about Rome is wrong, from its morality to its Church governance, and especially its version of salvation with an abominable mix of grace-plus-works.

The fathers of the protestant reformation failed to continue the thought process that started the reformation itself. Had they done that, and turned 100% to the bible, our society, and our churches, would look very different today.

Did people get saved as a result of the reformation? I think so, but I also think that the reformation itself carried the seeds of the apostasy we are seeing come into bloom today.

I attend a Church which has rejected most Contemporary Christian music, with good reason. There is a lot wrong with most CCM music. Unfortunately my Church, and most traditional churches fail to exercise discernment when it comes to the old hymns. The attitude seems to be “if it is traditional then it is OK.”

If you read your bible, however, and then read the lyrics of the old hymns you occasionally come upon errors, and even heresies!

The hymn “I Serve a Risen Savior”, by Alfred Henry Ackley is one case in point. The chorus contains errors that imply that extra-biblical revelation is acceptable in the life of a Christian:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.

Does Jesus talk with you, as you go throughout your life? Doesn’t He speak to us through His word? This hymn gives the audience the idea that extra-biblical revelation is OK, and is to be encouraged. Why should it surprise us, then, that members of the NAR claim to speak with Jesus, and get answers daily?

Notice the implication that the “narrow way” is the way we walk through this life.  The truth is that Jesus Himself is the narrow way!  The implication that a lifestyle is the narrow way, subtly implies that salvation is dependent on works!

What about “In the Garden” by Charles A. Miles?

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

This person seems to hear from Jesus regularly. Yes, Jesus does talk to me, through His word! Again, why should we be surprised when people like Beth Moore claim to hear from Jesus often? Songs like this have conditioned the Church to accept this kind of thing. There is truth in these songs, but it is mixed with serious error.

I don’t think these are the only hymns with errors in them. I have seen others, particularly in Christmas carols. It is this type of thing, that our ancestors failed to notice, that is now bearing fruit in the modern Church.

Music is one of the best ways to introduce heresy into a church. The tune sounds so nice, and we always want to give the writer the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe it just wouldn’t fit with the music, any other way?”

So where did the major errors of our modern popular preachers, like Rick Warren, come from? I think they are the result of Christians failing to notice minor errors for generations. The sum of these errors is apostasy!

The chickens are now coming home to roost!

Note:  I am interested if you find any theological errors in traditional hymns.  If you think you have found one please send the details to me at; danpilot (at) csolve.net

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