Tension between Iraq and Turkey

Posted on April 22, 2012 by dknezacek

This week Press TV is reporting that Iraq has seized a Turkish airplane that violated its airspace.  Apparently the plane was carrying an armored car belonging to a high ranking Iraqi official.

Meanwhile Turkish prime minister Erdogan is saying that Turkey has close relationships with all levels of Iraqi society, despite statements to the contrary by Iraqi prime minister Maliki.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the Turkish-Arab Tourism Fair held in the western province of Bursa on Sunday. (Photo: AA)

As I have stated previously, it appears that we are now in the early stages of the nations aligning for the Psalm 83 war.  This conflict between Iraq and Turkey is also in its early stages, and I predict that it will intensify to the point that Turkey will not assist the Arabs when they make an all-out attack on Israel.

While Assad, in Syria, is a member of the Alawite sect, closely aligned with the Shi’ites, the rebels in that country are primarily Sunni.  The conflict in Syria will have a related outcome to this conflict.  I can’t say how long Assad will last, but ultimately I think he’s on his way out.

Before the Psalm 83 war we will see an alignment of all the Arab nations, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Palestinians, and probably the other states of the Arabian Peninsula, such as Yemen, and the U.A.E.

When those nations attack Israel, Turkey, Libya, and Iran will sit it out.  How and why they sit out the conflict has been a mystery, but it is becoming plainer and plainer every day.  These current events are fitting exactly into the biblical scenario.  Because these people refuse to read the bible, they are playing a role in these events that will result in their own demise!

Turkey, Iran, Libya and Sudan will sit-out the Arab attack on Israel, blame the Arabs for the loss, and make their own attack, along with Russia, several years later.  That war, known as Gog/Magog, and written about in Ezekiel 38-39, will be horrific, and will see direct action by God Himself!  While a European leader will be identified as the Antichrist by many Christians during this time, the real Antichrist will not show up on the scene until after the Gog-Magog war, at a time when the world believes the Antichrist has been done away with!

The evidence is that these wars are Church-Age wars.  The Christian Church will be here, on this planet, until shortly after the second one.  While we should be busy preaching the gospel, we should also be busy preparing for these wars. Your family and neighbors need you to be prepared!

When there is an all-out attack on Israel, and their backs are to the sea, don’t be surprised if they use nuclear weapons in desperation.  They have a right to self defense, but when it happens there will be so much dust kicked up into the upper atmosphere that it will cause crop failures in places as far away as Australia, and Canada!

What are you going to do about it?  Don’t wait until it is too late!  Do you have a cache of imperishable food supplies?

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Where does Rome fit into Biblical End Times Prophecy?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by dknezacek

Let me start out by stating that I am coming from a premillennial, and pretribulation rapturist point of view. Some may think that I am saying the Tribulation will occur before the rapture. This is not the case. I believe, however, that our enemy would like to make us believe the Tribulation is occurring when indeed it is not.

Some, at the time, were concerned that Hitler, or Nero, was the Antichrist, though they were not. Satan has been working on this strategy for some time and has some tricks up his sleeve. I am trying to warn people about what I believe some of those tricks are, and I don’t have an exhaustive list. Hence the need for vigilance and discernment.

Most protestant Christians, if they think about the End Times at all, would probably think of Rome, or the Roman Catholic church, as being the Harlot of Revelation 17 and 18. There are many similarities between Rome and the entity identified as Babylon the Harlot.

We could point out to the fact that she is described as “sitting upon many waters” (Rev 17:1) and it is indeed true that Rome has representatives on every continent on earth. It is equally true that almost all secular governments on this planet send representatives to Rome, and many have embassies in the Vatican. The Vatican does indeed wield much political clout, so the phrase “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication” (Rev. 17:2) would seem to apply.

We could go throughout the chapter and most of the descriptions given do indeed apply to Rome. Verse 4 speaks of her as being decked out in purple and scarlet and having great wealth. She is described as being drunk with the martyrs for Jesus, and it is certain that the Roman Catholic church has been responsible for the deaths of millions of Christians. Rome is certainly a Harlot for she mixes biblical doctrines with paganism, and has done so for millennia.

I would contend, however, that these two chapters of Revelation actually describe two cities, not one, and neither of them is Rome! Please don’t get me wrong. I believe with all my heart, that the Roman Catholic Church is very closely involved with the first city mentioned in Revelation 17, but the city itself is not Rome.

Just as the Roman empire at one time moved its capital to Constantinople, it is equally possible for them to move it to any city they desire. If the Roman empire were a world empire they could choose any city in the world.

Satan is much more clever than most give him credit for. Since the writing of the New Testament he has been working on a plan to deceive the world. He, or one of his representatives, has been to every Christian Church service for the last two thousand, or so, years. He knows what Christians have been saying about Eschatology, and in fact may be responsible for much of it himself! This small fact is the key to understanding what is going on with Rome. How can he convince Christians to join in his rebellion against God?

Just as Nero, Antiochus Epiphanes IV, Hitler, Napoleon and others were counterfeit antichrists, Satan is working to produce another. Satan is going to produce a decoy antichrist, and false prophet, that the world can really believe in. I think that the predictions of the Christian scholars will appear to come true in one man from Europe, maybe even from Rome, or at least Italy.

For years I have noticed that many scholars focus on the European Union as being the centre of the biblical End Times events. Most seem to think that the ten nations of Daniel 7:24, and Revelation 17:12, are limited to ten nations of the European Union. As a youth I also believed this idea, but later as I studied it became apparent that the ten nations mentioned represent the entire world. Europe can only be one of these ten nations.

When I learned that the Club of Rome had published a study in 1974 entitled “Mankind at the Turning Point: the Second Report to the Club of Rome”, it began to dawn on me that the ten toes of these passages are actually ten regions, or super-nations spoken of by the authors of this study. On page 38, figure 4-1 of this report there is a map that shows the world divided into ten regions.

So what is the purpose behind the idea that the events of Revelation are centred on, and limited to, Europe and the Middle East? I think that someone is working on an elaborate ruse to trick the world into thinking that the Antichrist has been defeated and we, the people of earth, can usher in the kingdom of God on earth!

What else can we say about these ten kings, or rulers? We are told in Revelation 17:12 & 13 that these kings have no power as yet, and they have one mind, and give their power to the Beast. That they have no power as yet, should indicate to us that their nations did not exist at the time the bible was written. These are nations that are created in the last days, not old European nations. The fact that they have one mind should also indicate to us that each one of these rulers will look an awful lot like the Antichrist himself. In fact I think that each of these rulers would like to personally take the reigns of world power.

It should not surprise us, then, that the Antichrist would actually destroy three of these kings. What will he tell the world about his defeat of these three rulers? How can he avoid suspicion himself? I think the answer is rather simple: He may point to one, or perhaps all three, and say “That man is/was the Antichrist!” Should this scenario come about during, or around, the Gog and Magog conflict, we have a scenario where the world might actually believe Armageddon has already occurred. If Armageddon is over the next thing on the agenda is the millennial reign of Christ!

This brings new light to Paul’s words in I Thessalonians 5:3 “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

So how can Satan complete this illusion? How can he make the world believe the Tribulation is over, when in reality it hasn’t yet begun? By replicating, as near as possible, the major events of the Book of Revelation! I believe Jesus actually referred to this time, but since it isn’t the Tribulation proper, He didn’t refer to it as the Tribulation but as “wars and rumours of wars” and “nation shall rise against nation”.

I don’t believe that Jesus’ use of the phrase “wars and rumours of wars” actually meant “business as usual”. I think He meant specific prophesied wars, found in the prophetic passages of the bible. Please note that Jesus, in Revelation 16:15, immediately before the final battle, Armageddon, is still saying “I come as a thief”. This is amongst all the judgments that God has already brought upon the earth by this time. This phrase, in this context, can’t mean “I come without warning”. Don’t forget that thieves do more than one thing, usually they come to take something from you. In this case He is coming to take sovereignty from the kingdoms of earth. He is also coming to take life and liberty from His enemies! Even the rapture of the Church is along the same lines: He is coming to steal away the greatest treasure this earth has, the true Church of Jesus Christ!

I think this time period, which we are about to enter, will see a European leader who is just like the ideas our prophecy scholars have envisioned about the Antichrist. He will likely be from Italy, maybe even Rome, handsome, charismatic, Catholic and gay. He will have a power centre of ten nations from Europe, or perhaps the EU will shrink to ten nations. He will have an economic agenda that will actually work, for a time, and may even introduce some sort of biochip identity plan. The pope will support this man and many Christians will view the pope as the false prophet.

This man will arise some time around the Psalm 83 war and may actually be involved in brokering a peace treaty between Israel and the Arabs, which will allow Israel to rebuild the Temple. This peace treaty will be one more nail in the coffin of this man. (As an aside, I believe this very same treaty will be the one the real Antichrist will affirm some years later.)

As the Gog and Magog conflict gets underway the European leader may actually try to head off the conflict. As a reward for his efforts someone, perhaps Russia, or maybe Iran, will drop a nuclear device on his home base, Rome, destroying both him and the pope!

Christians around the world will look at Revelation 17 & 18 and declare the fulfilment of this prophecy! The Gog and Magog war will actually feature direct action from God Himself, for we are told in Ezekiel 38 & 39 that He will defeat these enemies with an earthquake, and fire and brimstone from the sky, and shall cause the enemy armies to turn on each other.

The situation will be so bad that it will be hard for people to imagine anything worse. To make matters worse, there are prophecy scholars and rabbis today who are saying that the Gog and Magog conflict is the same as Armageddon. Interestingly there are some Jews who call Rome “Edom”, the nation named after Jacob’s brother Esau, and historically one of the worst enemies of the Jewish people.

The dust kicked up from both this and the earlier Psalm 83 conflict will make the moon appear red, the sun will be dimmed, and crops will fail worldwide. The scholars will look up and declare that this is Armageddon, for the bible does indeed say that these phenomena will occur during the Day of the Lord.

Unfortunately for them, the Bible also says this will occur BEFORE the day of the Lord: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” (Joel 2:31) This phenomenon is mentioned three times in the book of Joel, and I believe this is because it will actually occur three times, once during the war of Psalm 83, again during the Gog and Magog war, and finally during Armageddon itself.

It is my belief that both the Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38 & 39 wars are likely to occur before the rapture of the Church. These two conflicts appear to be sequential, with a period of some years occurring between them, with at least enough time for Israel to become prosperous and living in a state of peace. The nations of the Psalm 83 conflict are not involved in the later war, and appear to have made some sort of peace with Israel. They will not have been totally annihilated, for most of them are listed in Jeremiah 25:18-27 as being involved in the final war with Israel, Armageddon.

The Gog and Magog conflict must occur before the Tribulation itself, for Israel will burn the weapons of that war for seven years. It is certain that they will cease burning those weapons when they flee to the wilderness for the second half of the Tribulation period. They will not be carrying large amounts of fuel for they will be fleeing for their lives! Jesus’ warning to them was that they should not go back into their home to grab anything (Matt. 24:17), just flee!

 A Pseudo-Armageddon

 So, what is my point? The war of Gog and Magog is a “Pseudo-Armageddon”, Rome is a “Pseudo-Harlot”, the European leader will be a “Pseudo-Antichrist”, and the world will be looking for peace at the end of that conflict. With God Himself coming to the aid of Israel, and Islam defeated, the final remnants of that nation will return to the God of their fathers, and to the land. This return will be in name only, for their spiritual restoration will still be some time in the future. This will be the time the trumpet of Isaiah 27:13 will be blown, and I think this trumpet is the same as that mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:52.

This trumpet is likely the same one that brings the final remnants of Israel back to the land, and signals the rapture of the Church. It does “dual duty”.  In order for this idea to be true the Gog and Magog war must precede the Tribulation, unless this trumpet coincides with the Psalm 83 war, but I think this is unlikely. I think the final return of Israel will occur after the Gog and Magog war because they see the hand of God directly involved in protecting Israel.

This falls in line with Jesus’ words: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28. This leaves us with the question: How much of the beginning of these things will the church see? We will not be here for the beginning of the Tribulation itself, but some of these wars are likely to occur shortly before that time.

  Babylon the Harlot

 So what will happen after the Gog and Magog war? I think this is the time that something very wicked, in the form of a woman made of lead, is moved back to her base in Shinar (Zechariah 5:5-11). Shinar is the plain in Assyria where Babylon is located. I think this will be the remnants of the Roman Catholic church moving back to her place of origin, Babylon, Iraq. I believe this woman is the same woman who rides the Beast.

This will be the location of the Harlot city of Rev. 17. Here, the humbled Catholic Church will join hands with the religions of the world, including the Hindus, Buddhists, protestants, the New Apostolic Reformation, the remnants of Islam, and many independent Christian churches. What of the “seven mountains”? Babylon is on a plain, so the nearest I can tell is that the seven mountains are the “seven mountains of society” that the New Apostolic Reformation keep on talking about. Its just a guess, but I think it is as good as anyone’s.

Notice that Revelation 18 begins with the phrase “And after these things”. Then John goes on to describe a city very nearly the same as in the previous chapter. Another city of seven mountains, that rules the world, and defies God. The problem I see is that if it is the same city we would have the bible saying essentially “Babylon will be destroyed, and after this, Babylon will be destroyed”. Remember though that the Antichrist is an intelligent man. When he orders the destruction of the first city he will have an alternate capital city ready for its role, and I think likely his home town.

  Amman

 In my book “The Spirit of Prophecy” I describe how it is possible that the Antichrist is not from Rome but from Edom. I examined the eye witness account of the destruction of Jerusalem and showed that the Idumeans, or Edomites, actually began the destruction. Furthermore I examined several prophecies regarding the people of Edom and showed that they are all very negative and overwhelmingly timed to coincide with the Great Tribulation period, and Armageddon.

Interestingly, the people of the nation just to the east of Israel comprise the descendants of the biblical tribes of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. The city of Amman, the capital, is named after its founding tribe Ammon, one of the sons of Lot. More importantly, Amman was originally known as the city of seven jabals (Arabic for mountains)! Amman was a Rome wannabe, and is famous for its many Roman ruins!

Of course the passage in question speaks of this city as one that trades with the merchants of the earth through shipping. Amman is not a port, however the passage does not say that this city is a port, only that the merchants sit in their ship afar off and watch her burn. The nearest port to Amman is actually Tel-Aviv/Jaffa, only 60 miles away. It would be very possible for ships to sit outside of the port of Jaffa, and watch the smoke of Amman’s burning, rising from behind the hills of Israel!  They could also see the same pillar of smoke from the red sea near Eilat.

To bolster this idea one need only to look at the Old Testament passages that speak of the destruction of this city. The old name of Amman was Rabbah, or Rabbath Ammon. Jeremiah 49:1-6, and Amos 1:13-15 both describe the destruction of this city by fire. To date Amman is one of the oldest continuously-occupied cities in the world, and has never been destroyed by fire. The fulfilment of those prophecies is only a matter of time.

Interestingly, and incredibly relevant, is the fact that the New Testament name of Amman was Philadelphia. The city was given that name by Ptolemy II Philadelphos, the Helenic king of Egypt, in his own honor, and was changed to Amman in the third century AD. I am not certain how the Antichrist will use this fact, but I believe he will likely point to the Philadelphia of Revelation 3:7-13 and claim this is a prophecy for his city. He will likely use God’s promises to that church and apply them to himself and his followers.  Is it possible that Amman could actually change its name back to Philadelphia?  Stranger things have happened!

I have heard prophecy teachers quote Daniel 11:41 to say that this passage indicates that the nation of the descendants of Esau, Moab, and Ammon is victorious against the Antichrist. Let’s have a look, shall we?

“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”

The question we need to ask is “Why doesn’t the Antichrist defeat this nation?” Is it possible that this little nation, even smaller than Israel, is too powerful for the Antichrist to defeat? Of course not. The best explanation for this is that he is their favorite son. He has no reason to defeat this nation because they are on his side from the beginning of his career! He has Edomite blood in him, and this is why the Lord says of Edom:

“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)

No one else suffers this fate. Of all the people who have persecuted Israel over the years, not the Germans, nor the Russians, but only the Edomites have the title of “The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever!” They are not known by that title today. This is a reflection of a coming event.

There is so much more information available on the subjects I’ve outlined here, it would be easy to continue for some time, however I have already done that in my book “The Spirit of Prophecy”.

Maranatha!

Daniel Knezacek

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Article moved to a permanent place on Squidoo

Posted on April 16, 2012 by dknezacek

My article about a formatting error in The Spirit of Prophecy has been modified and moved to a permanent place on Squidoo. http://www.squidoo.com/a-mistake-in-my-book-the-spirit-of-prophecy

When I was writing, I didn’t understand how moving the most important part of chapter 8 to the end of the chapter would have such a negative effect. It will be corrected the next time the manuscript is updated, perhaps later this year. In the mean time please read this article. It is eye opening. I promise!

Dan Knezacek

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Isaiah the key to Daniel and Revelation

Posted on April 10, 2012 by dknezacek

Well, I have to confess, it appears I made a mistake when I was writing The Spirit of Prophecy!

No, not a theological mistake, not even an interpretation error, but a formatting error. You see I was building a case, in chapter 8, and I put the most important passage at the end of the chapter. This was a mistake.

This last weekend I was talking with my mother, who has been reading The Spirit of Prophecy, and she confronted me over the subject of chapter 8. She claimed to have read the chapter, but as I questioned her it appeared that she had no idea of the significance of Isaiah 4, in relation to End Times prophecy. My only conclusion is that she became indignant with the rest of the chapter, and put it down before getting to the most important part!

I must take full responsibility for not starting with Isaiah 3-4, and then building my case based on that passage. The next time I update the manuscript I will be sure to modify the introduction to Chapter 8, to clearly point to this passage, because it is the key passage to understanding Daniel 11:37. It may take some time until I am able to do that, so here is a brief introduction to the subject of Chapter 8 based on Isaiah 3-4;

It is commonly said that the book of Revelation is a companion to the book of Daniel. This is true, but in fact, if you only study these two books, in relation to the End Times events, you will end up with more questions than answers. There are more than 500 Old Testament references in the book of Revelation and only some of them refer to Daniel. A complete study of that book must include many references to Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Zechariah, Zephaniah, Joel, and others, as well as the Psalms, and even the Law of Moses!

Indeed, just as every book of the Old Testament has prophetic implications for the first coming of Christ, they all must be consulted in order to get a proper view of His second coming! This is not a subject for the faint of heart!

I’m going to narrow down this study to Isaiah 3-4 as well as the passages that are directly related to it.

Isaiah 3:1-23 is an indictment against ancient Israel. It is speaking about their sin and God’s judgment of it, leading to their captivity and exile. One thing that I have discovered (and not me alone) is that the sins that led to Israel’s exile, will still be continuing as they return to the land! Somewhere in this passage there is a shift in emphasis from the ancient times to the modern day Israel. The fulfilment of these verses is still future!

16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: 17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. 18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, 20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, 21 The rings, and nose jewels, 22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, 23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails Isaiah 3:16-23

Sarit Hadad is one of my favorite artists.  She is extremely talented, but I find I usually can’t watch her live videos. There is too much sensuality displayed on stage, and it is not usually her, but the dancers she surrounds herself with. The following youtube video is a good example. (usually I convert her music to mp3s and listen as I drive)

or here

As I have noted elsewhere, there are two major defeats of Islam coming in the near future. These are the Psalm 83 war, and the Ezekiel 38-39 invasion of Israel.

Somewhere around 900 A.D. the exiled Israelite tribes living in Afghanistan and Pakistan, converted to Islam. I expect that there are others in other Muslim nations, though I can’t point to any particular group that fits this pattern. These people are actually a fulfilment of prophecy themselves:

Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour. Jeremiah 16:13

One man told me that he thought that these tribes were cut off from Israel, and no longer recipients of God’s promises. I disagree. These tribes will one day return to Israel and will throw off the yoke of Islam, that has kept them in a straight jacket for some 1,100 years. Once they return to Israel the world will see them go wild, and the videos of Sarit Hadad will appear tame in comparison.

The time I am referring to is the time Isaiah wrote about in Isaiah 3, but the story does not end in verse 23. This indictment results in judgment from God. The passage is full of cause-and-effect examples. Verses 24-26 describe the result of Israel’s sin; they will be involved in a huge war.

24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. 25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. 26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

Was this an ancient war, or is it a coming war? Yes! While this passage had a partial fulfilment during the Assyrian, and Babylonian, captivities of Israel there is yet a future war that will bring a complete fulfilment of this passage. How do I know?

As I said there is a cause-and-effect-relationship displayed here. The sins displayed in Isaiah 3:1-23 will result in the Tribulation and Armageddon, mentioned here in verses 24-26. Note that the men of Israel are going to die in this war. When the Antichrist sets up the abomination of desolation in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, there will be a variety of reactions in Israel.

The believers in Jesus Christ will heed his warnings, from Matthew 24, and flee to the wilderness. The unbelievers, those who trust in themselves and the force of arms, will pick up arms to fight the Antichrist. These people, mostly men, will die fighting the Antichrist. It is not possible for him to be defeated by the force of arms. While their motivation is to protect the Temple, God does not need them to fight for Him, He wants them to obey Him!

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:15-21

The survivors of this war are spoken of in Isaiah 4:1. This verse is the key to Daniel 11:37, and shows why professing Christians will support the Antichrist!

1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach

These women and men are the survivors of Armageddon. This event is a direct result of Armageddon and occurs after it is over, and Jesus is setting up His reign on the earth. Notice that they are not asking for illicit affairs, but for marriage. This is what it means when they say “only let us be called by thy name”. You take your husband’s name when you marry him.

The “reproach” they mention is the same reproach Rachel spoke of in Genesis 30:23, and by Elizabeth in Luke 1:25. In both cases the reproach is the inability to have children. These women of Isaiah 4:1 won’t have the ability to have children because with Jesus ruling the world, illicit affairs will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Not only this but these women, and men, will be 100% believers, and will not want affairs, but will want the benefits of marriage.  The problem for them is there won’t be enough men to go around!

There is no way these holy women will approach men this way without having the permission of Jesus Christ first!

Before we move on, please note that while the passage is specifically speaking of Israel there are implications for the entire human race. Not only will the majority of the men of Israel die during Armageddon, the situation will be the same for the Gentile nations who send their armies to fight Jesus at His return. Every person who picks up arms to fight Jesus at his return will die, and since most armies are mainly male in gender, there will be a shortage of men throughout the whole world.

I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Isaiah 13:12

God does not primarily mean that men will be pure like gold, but rather He will make them rare, the way gold is rare in relation to iron.

So, how do I know that this passage is referring to the return of Christ? Look at the next verse;

2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

Who is the “branch of the Lord”? This is none other than Jesus Christ. Furthermore this can’t refer to his first coming for the same author says of that time “he had no beauty that we should desire him”. (Isaiah 53:2) Yet Jesus has always been beautiful in Heaven. This can only refer to His return!

3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

These people will be called “holy”, yet today Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have their Gay pride marches.  It can’t refer to today or to any time from that day until the present.

This refers to everyone who escapes the wrath of God, at Armageddon. These daughters of Zion who have had their filth washed away, are the same women spoken of in verse 1. Some of them will be the same women spoken of in chapter 3, who were prancing around, and flaunting their sexuality. Something has happened to change their minds!

What has happened to them is the Tribulation period, the 144,000 witnesses, and Armageddon. These people are the ones who will repopulate the earth during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. As I mentioned before, the Gentiles will find themselves in the same situation. Their men will die at Armageddon, and there will be many more female survivors than male.

Why would God do this? Why would he set up this generation to live in families of one man/seven women? For one thing, these people will have children in a 50/50 ratio of boys to girls. After this generation there will be no need for polygamy throughout the earth. These people will grow very old, and some of them, perhaps even the majority, will actually live throughout the entire millennial reign of Christ! (1,000 years!)

These people will be eye witnesses of the events of the Tribulation and Armageddon. They will be able to tell their descendants of the events they have seen for many generations. The fact that they are in families of such an unusual makeup, will cause their descendants to ask questions. They will have ample opportunity to witness to both the power of God and to his salvation. Thus, at the end of the millennium, when there is one final rebellion against the rule of Jesus Christ. The rebels will have no excuse for they will have heard the story of Armageddon from people who were there!

5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. Isaiah 4:5-6

Here in the closing verses of Isaiah 4 we see more references to events that are yet to happen, and will not happen until Jesus reigns on the earth. Again confirming that this chapter is totally related to the millennial reign.

So how does this passage relate to the person of the Antichrist? Daniel tells us;

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. Daniel 11:36-37

The king here is the Antichrist. Notice that he does not regard, or care about, the God of his fathers. This is a monotheistic God, probably the Allah of the Qur’an. Notice the next phrase: “Neither shall he regard… the desire of women”. Some have said that this is “the god that women desire”. This is incorrect. What god is desired by women? This is a direct reference to the desire of women as articulated by the women in Isaiah 4:1, and is also related to the way women are treated by the followers of the God of his fathers.

Islam has always allowed polygamy. During the Iran/Iraq war of the 1980s there were a million men killed, and yet you don’t hear of large numbers of widows in those nations. Their religion allows them to double up on their men. There is a lot wrong with Islam, but the fact that it allows polygamy is not one of them. The subjugation of women is a problem, for the bible tells us that the soul of a woman is of equal value to God (Romans 10:12). God allows polygamy because of His love for women, and because he wants to fill the earth with people.

1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: Ezekiel 39:1-2

The Antichrist will be an official over the nations destroyed after the Gog and Magog war. Those nations have always allowed polygamy, and when one of six soldiers returns after that war it will be natural for the survivors to expect one man to be allowed to marry several woman. This is when the Antichrist will prohibit polygamy. By doing so he will endear himself to western Christianity!  Christians will support the Antichrist because they have believed “Christian” tradition, rather than studying, and believing, the Word of God!

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Isaiah 45:18

During the millennial reign, God will restore the Garden of Eden conditions on this planet, and its population will blossom like never before. The contrast between the reigns of Jesus Christ and the Antichrist is there in Scripture, but is hidden from those who refuse to believe!

Now that you know the biblical basis for Chapter 8 of The Spirit of Prophecy you can go and read it with a greater understanding. We go back to the Law of Moses and show that Jesus never contradicted anything in the Law. We study the life of David and discover that his view of morality was the same as Jesus’.  You will see that everything I have said here is found in the bible, and there is so much more evidence that these things are true.

David was indeed a “man after God’s own heart”.  God was telling us something very important by focusing so heavily on David.

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Easter or Passover?

Posted on April 6, 2012 by dknezacek

Growing up in a conservative Baptist family, I was raised not to question our “Christian” traditions. We celebrated Christmas, Easter, and even Halloween, just like our neighbours, and it wasn’t until long after I came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that I began to look into the history of these celebrations.

When I was a child, my mom would boil eggs and we would decorate them at Easter. In fact this week my mother was doing the same thing with some of her grandchildren.

It was not until someone asked me “Do you know the history of the Easter bunny and Easter eggs?” that I even thought to question the origin of these symbols.

It turns out that rabbits and eggs are ancient fertility symbols! In fact the ancient Easter celebration was a celebration of the sun, spring, and the accompanying fertility it brings!

The very name “Easter” was the name of the ancient fertility goddess Easter, or Eostre! This goddess is known by several other names such as Astarte, Ishtar, Ashtorethand Diana, and was always a life-giving mother goddess. The goddess Easter was actually hatched from an egg, according to the pagan legends! “Hot cross buns” also originated at this time.

This goddess originated in Babylon as the wife of its founder Nimrod, Semiramis, a real person. After Nimrod’s death, Semiramis became pregnant, and claimed an immaculate conception, or virgin birth. Her son was named Tammuz, and she also claimed that he was the reincarnation of his “father”, Nimrod. Nimrod himself, became the Sun god in the ancient pagan religions.

This is why Christians worship on SUNday, the “venerable day of the Sun”. While it is not wrong to worship God any day of the week, once you make it into a command, you are replacing the commandment given by God Himself (Exodus 20:8). This is a sin, which has been committed by the Church as a whole, started by Pope Sylvester I (314-335 A.D.) who “decreed that the rest of the Sabbath should be transferred rather to the Lord’s day [Sunday]”

When Tammuz was killed by a wild boar, Semiramis declared that pig should be eaten in honour of his death. This is why ham is the traditional meat at Easter! By the way, Tammuz’s birthday is December 25th.

14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD’S house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these. Ezekiel 8:14-15

Yes, it is an abomination to participate in pagan celebrations.

She was also known as “the Queen of Heaven”. This Queen of Heaven made an appearance in the Old Testament. The people of Israel worshipped her at times, here is what the Lord says about this goddess;

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Jeremiah 7:18

Yes, the worship of Easter did provoke the Lord’s anger against Israel. What was the consequence of their disobedience?

25 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. Jeremiah 44:25-26

To this day the people of Israel refuse to say the name of the Lord, Jehovah, Yahuveh, or Yahweh. It has been so long since they have said His name that they no longer remember how to say it! What do they say today, for the name of the Lord? HaShem, השם, which literally means “the name”. So, God’s anger at Israel’s idolatry still remains today, as is evidenced by the fact that they refuse to say His name in fulfilment of Jeremiah 44:26! They claim that it is too holy for them to say, yet the fact that the prophets gave us this name is evidence that God Himself, wants us to use it. However, He wants us to use it in holiness and righteousness, and we certainly can’t do that if we are worshipping other gods!

This brings us back to the Church.

Peter, quoting Psalm 90:4, the psalm of Moses, says;

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. II Peter 3:8

For you and I, two thousand years is a long time, but for God it is only two days ago! Since Easter was worshipped as a pagan goddess only two days ago, do you think God has forgotten it? I think not! Here we have the celebration of the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross, for you and me, and we are naming the celebration after His arch rival, an impostor? Does this truly honour the Lord Jesus Christ?

The ancient passover celebration was given by God as a celebration of God’s rescue of Israel from the captivity and slavery in Egypt. That celebration was actually a foreshadowing of the Jewish messiah who would one day come and sacrifice Himself for us. This was God’s intention from the beginning, and it is God the Father who tells us; While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. Matthew 17:5

Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: I Corinthians 5:7

Jesus is our passover lamb. He is the ultimate sacrifice, which truly appeases the wrath of God. Let’s stop this sham that is Easter. Lets celebrate the passover that God gave us. Do we have to do it the same day as the Jews? I don’t think so. The bible records what day of the week Jesus was sacrificed, but the Jewish passover bounces around. It’s not wrong to celebrate with the Jews, but I don’t think it’s wrong to celebrate it the same day of the week that Jesus actually died, and actually rose from the dead.

One question we need to ask ourselves is; “Does our keeping the pagan Easter set up a stumbling block for others?” The world knows that Easter has its origins in pagan celebrations, and it seems the most ignorant people, on this subject, are Christians themselves! They point to our keeping of pagan celebrations and ask “Don’t you know what you are doing?” The sad truth is that most of us don’t!

Christians are so caught up in their traditions that they fail to think about what they are doing, or who it harms, just like Israel at the time of Christ!

So let me ask you; In Revelation 17:5 we are told of a woman; “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Who is this mother, and who are her daughters?

A daughter is made of the same substance as her mother. A daughter is a woman who comes out of a woman. My wife is a woman, just like her mother. If the mother is a church, then it follows that the daughters are also churches. Just as Laban’s daughters took some of their fathers idols when they left their father,(Genesis 31:19-35) so today most Christian Churches have clung to much of Rome’s idolatry, all the while claiming faithfulness to God.

We can see then that many of the errors of Rome have been perpetuated in the churches that came out of her. Easter in fact, is the tip of the iceberg. In The Spirit of Prophecy I have discussed some of the other errors of Rome that have made their way into the protestant churches. These errors do indeed offend the Lord, and will ultimately lead many professing Christians to participate in the Great Tribulation itself. Don’t put your traditions ahead of the Word of God! That is a very dangerous practice!

On a related note; have you ever noticed the crescent moon and star on top of a mosque?  While there are no symbols of Islam contained in the Qur’an, the crescent moon and star have become the universal symbol of that religion.

The crescent moon and star are universally recognized symbols of Islam

Ancient depictions of the mother goddess

This symbol did not have its origin in Islam, but from much further back.  Back all the way to the pagan goddess Diana, in fact.  The crescent moon represented a womb and the star appears to represent her son, originally Tammuz.

So we see here a connection between Christianity and Islam, through the ancient pagan goddess Easter, Ishtar, or Diana, all one and the same.  Once the true Church is raptured there will be nothing to stop the unification of the world’s religions!

For more information see the following, and please browse with discernment:

http://biblelight.net/sunday.htm

http://www.amightywind.com/passover/lambvsham.htm

http://christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t020.html

http://www.torahandspirit.com.istemp.com/babylon.htm

http://istanbullblog.blogspot.ca/2006/02/star-and-crescent-moon-symbol-of-islam.html

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The Israel of God, revisited

Posted on April 3, 2012 by dknezacek

After my small article the other day, I thought it would be wise to further clarify the issue of “the Israel of God”. I had several verses and passages in mind that I didn’t cite. I guess I was thinking that everyone is as familiar with the pertinent Scriptures as I am, but I was wrong.

The subject of replacement theology is a very big one, and is leading several major denominations to divest or boycott Israel. I have said it before, and I’ll say it again, this hostility toward Israel will ultimately lead many of these professing Christian churches to support, and approve of, the Antichrist! The recent Christ at the Checkpoint conference in Bethlehem, Israel, has stirred up some emotions. This subject is far from dead!

Who is "the Israel of God?

Let’s take a look at some of the early Christian Gentiles and see how Paul speaks of them;

What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. Romans 9:30

For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: Romans 11:13

In Romans 11:13 Paul is addressing Gentile believers. If they are Israel, why does he still address them as Gentiles?

18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. Romans 11:18-32

When I was a kid, my father planted an apple tree that had several different varieties of apple grafted in. I’m not sure what the root was, and some of the branches never gave any fruit, but we were able to get several different types of apples from that same tree. I remember one branch bearing Delicious apples, and I think one of the other branches produced something like MacIntosh, or Courtlands, or Ida Reds.

My point is that the type of apple a branch produced did not change when it was grafted into a different trunk. Each branch produced the same type of apple as its original variety, but they all got their life-source from the same trunk.

Verse 25 is not a threat. It is a promise! While God has cut off the majority of Israel for a time, he will graft in their descendants once again, during the Tribulation period! At that same time, the majority of people who call themselves “Christians” will actually support the Antichrist, and the true Church will be gone! At that time it will be Israel who takes the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world!

Verse 26 is another promise to the Jews. The day is coming when Jesus will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Notice that the Church is never referred to as Jacob. While the Gentile church has the faith of Abraham, and are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel, we retain our identity as Gentiles.

And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. Romans 15:10

Who are His people that we are to rejoice with? Not all of Israel, but with the believing remnant. We are to love all of Israel, but “His people” in this context, are those Jews who are in the Church.

25 But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. 26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. 27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. Romans 15:25-27

Here we have a very clear distinction between two groups of believers. Paul was bringing a contribution from the Gentile believers in Macedonia and Achaia, to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Paul clearly states that these believers are distinct in their origin, and remain distinct even as brothers in Christ. The Gentile believers owe a debt of gratitude to the Jewish believers.

Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Romans 16:4

Again, the Gentile churches were distinct from the Jewish churches, though they were one in Christ.

13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 1 Corinthians 12:13-15

OK. Here we have a passage that says we are all one body, both Jews and Gentiles. Does this mean that we are all Jews? No! Notice that in verses 14-15 in the context of Jewish or Gentile identity, he clearly states that we are still different, though we are of the same body.

The controversy between Peter and Paul over the Jewish dietary laws is instructive;

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? Galatians 2:11-14

The Gentiles Paul was referring to, in verse 14, were Gentile Christians. If they were changed into Israelites, or Jews, we would see Paul referring to them as such. Such a change is nowhere to be seen in Scripture. We see that Peter, a member and leader of the Church, is still called a Jew, while the Gentile believers, are still Gentiles.

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, Ephesians 3:1

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Ephesians 3:6

When a Gentile gets saved, by faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she becomes a Gentile member of the body of Christ. We become fellow heirs with the Jewish believers.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

So if we are neither Jew nor Greek, but are all one in Christ, then why does Paul refer to Peter as a Jew?

We have to learn to understand the context in which these statements are made. When Paul says we are neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, he is speaking of the value that God holds for a human soul. God does not value Jews over Gentiles, nor rich over poor, men over women, nor adults over children. Each soul has exactly the same value to God.

If God has the chance to save one Jew, or ten Gentiles, what will He do? Will he value the ten more than the one, or vice-versa? No! He will save eleven people in total!

It all comes down to the character of God in Christ Jesus! He truly doesn’t play favorites. Does this mean that Israel is not the chosen nation? That He has chosen the Church instead? Of course not. Did you see Romans 11: 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Since God made them His chosen nation, He will not repent of that proclamation.

9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 11 For there is no respect of persons with God. Romans 2:9-11

Very clearly, being the chosen people does not mean that they are automatically saved. This implies that those who are unsaved are not children of God. What did John the Baptist, or Jochanan the Baptizer, say to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him to be baptized?

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Matthew 3:7

What is a viper? It is a snake, or serpent. Who came to Adam and Eve (Chava) in the Garden of Eden, in the form of a serpent? Isn’t John implying that those Sadducees and Pharisees, who came to him for baptism, were children of Satan? If they were children of Satan it is not possible that they could be children of God, nor of the Israel of God, at the same time.

Jesus also uses this same terminology to refer to the leaders in Israel in Matthew 12:34 and 23:33.

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Matthew 23:33

Addressing the scribes and Pharisees Jesus makes it plain:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44

These men were definitely descendants of Jacob. They were trusting in their ancestry to save them. In fact they did not think they needed saving, because of their ancestry. Jesus, being God, was trying to show them that they were lost and in need of a Savior.

Getting back to our subject, is it possible that these men were a part of the Israel of God? If their father was the devil, then it is impossible for them to be both children of God, and children of the devil, at the same time. The only conclusion we can come to is that they were a part of the Israel of Satan, the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

So, if we put it all together, Israel is never synonymous with the Christian Church as a whole. The unsaved members of Israel, are beloved, but lost, and thus not a part of the Israel of God. The only people left, to belong to the Israel of God, are the believing remnant of Israel. This is exactly who the Israel of God is referring to… those who belong to both Israel, and to the Christian Church at the same time.

Many professing Christians have proclaimed themselves to be the Israel of God. At best this is an error. At worst it is heresy, and a damnable lie! I am very afraid that if those who believe this error don’t soon repent, they will get caught up in the worship of the Antichrist, and will be lost forever!  Once you believe one lie, it is much easier to swallow the next one that comes along!

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Revelation 3:9

Daniel Knezacek, is the author of The Spirit of Prophecy.

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Some thoughts on the events of the last week of March 2012

Posted on March 30, 2012 by dknezacek

The events of this week have been interesting, to say the least.  The Global March to Jerusalem has turned violent, as expected.  The Anti-Semitic protesters have been hurling rocks and firebombs at Israel’s security forces.  Notably, among the leaders of the march are people like Rev. Jeremiah Wright, US president Obama’s former pastor, for nearly 20 years.

Other notable, left wing personalities, who have endorsed the march include  Desmond Tutu, former British MP George Galloway, radical professors Noam Chomsky and Cornel West, Code Pink activist and co-founder Medea Benjamin.

For years I spent many hours a day, listening to CBC radio, and had heard of most of these names, filtered through this leftist propaganda machine.  Only more recently have I found out that they are radical anti-Semites, and even the Jews among them have a great disdain for Israel.  Check out the links provided with each name, they are eye opening.

The Global March on Jerusalem has been designed from the outset as a propaganda ploy, and provocation, to delegitimize Israel, as was the so-called peace flotilla of 2010.

On March 29 Fox News ran a story “Bolton accuses administration of leaking story on Israeli planning along Iran border“.  The former US diplomat, John Bolton, has accused the American administration of deliberately leaking some of Israel’s plans with regard to a planned attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.  He states that some of the details of the leak are very damaging to Israel’s plans, and effectively derail them.

Other analysts have come to the same conclusions.  It may be a scoop for Foreign Policy to expose Israel’s plans, but did they think about the effect this information would have on our allies before they published it?  On the other hand, such speculation might actually put pressure on Iran to come to the negotiating table.  I doubt it, though.  If we were talking about rational people it would, but we are talking about twelvers here.

I wonder if the American administration has mistaken the Iranian dictators for rational people?

US Senators Lindsey Graham (L), John McCain (C) & Joe Lieberman (file photo)

 

Meanwhile… US Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Joe Lieberman, have sponsored a resolution for the US to supply Syrian rebels with weapons.  As I have stated before, Assad may be a bad guy, but do you think the Muslim Brotherhood will be better?  Once all the Arabs are united under the Muslim Brotherhood, how long do you think it will be before they make a united attack against Israel?

Having the Muslim nations disunited has actually worked for the stability of the region.  The Sunnis in Saudi Arabia have been opposed to the Shiites in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon.  Once they settle their differences, they will turn on Israel.  It is not a matter of “if”, but “when”.  See my post on the Psalm 83 war.

Of particular relevance to that war is the continuing violence in Libya.  While the Muslim Brotherhood have defeated Gaddafi, they haven’t yet been able to bring peace to the nation.  As I have noted before, the Psalm 83 war does not include Libya, Russia, Turkey, and Iran.  The current Middle East chaos is actually serving to set up the Psalm 83 scenario.  It may be that when the rest of the Arabs attack Israel, Libya will be embroiled in their own civil war.

I can’t say definitely what will do it, but you will shortly see an Arab attack on Israel without the participation of Libya, Russia, Turkey, and Iran.  It appears that all the major events currently going on in these nations is working toward the same goal, the fulfillment of Psalm 83.

As a Christian, I love to see God work, but I’d rather see Him working in my life, and in the lives of people around me, than the devastation that will be caused by that war.  Still, it will happen, in His time.  I expect the attack will go so badly for Israel, that they will be compelled to use weapons of mass destruction.  Should those weapons be nuclear, and should they be used on multiple targets, we will see the effects even in North America.

Numerous nuclear explosions, going off in a short period of time, will kick so much dust and debris into the upper atmosphere, that there will be crop failures in places as far away as North and South America!

What will happen to the stability of the nation you live in, when people can’t get food?  The US department of Homeland security is now purchasing over 450 million hollow point bullets.  Are they preparing for social unrest because they know it is coming?  (Note: I personally think Alex Jones is a liberal agent-provocateur, but I am providing this link out of interest’s sake)

Why is Obama signing into law, the right of the US government to indefinitely detain American citizens?  Why now?  Again, I don’t like the ACLU, but they are right to be concerned about this law.

This is why you should be saving some food supplies NOW!  I don’t know when the Psalm 83 war will occur.  We may have a few years to wait, but don’t wait til the last minute!  It’s better to buy a few more groceries than you need, every week, and then rotate your stock. People who wait until it happens will find the shelves empty!

Don’t assume the rapture of the Church will occur before either the Psalm 83, or the Ezekiel 38-39 wars.  I have documented in The Spirit of Prophecy, evidence that these wars may actually occur during the Church age, shortly before the rapture.  Things could get very bad before the Church is removed, so you need to be prepared!

Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus,

Dan Knezacek

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Global March to Jerusalem

Posted on March 27, 2012 by dknezacek

Later on this week, March 30 to be exact, several Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic, groups are planning a Global March to Jerusalem, in a propaganda effort to delegitimize the state of Israel.

It is commonly said that Jerusalem is a Holy City to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.  This is not exactly true.  Jews pray toward Jerusalem, and have loved this city since it’s founding by David some 3,000 years ago.  Their Temple, one of the most magnificent buildings in the world, once stood where the Dome of the Rock now stands.

Christians too have loved this city, for not only is it the site of many of the events of the bible, it is the place where the Christian Saviour was crucified, and from where He will one day rule the world.  I did a quick search through the Holy Bible, for the word “Jerusalem” and got 767 matches, 626 of which were in the Jewish Old Testament.

The Muslims only care about Jerusalem because it was once theirs, and now the Jews have control over it.  It is a doctrine of Islam that they must take over the whole world, and thus any part of it that they lose, must be restored through holy war, or jihad.  The Qur’an does not mention Jerusalem by name, even once.  The one reference that may be Jerusalem is a reference to “the farthest mosque”

Glory to (Allah)
Who did take His Servant for a journey by night,
From the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque.
— Sura 17:1

The problem is that there was no mosque on the Temple mount during Muhammad’s life.  The journey Muhammad wrote about must have been to another place, or an imaginary one, or possibly written long after his death.

The primary meaning of the word “holy” is “separate”.  If something is holy it is separate from normal, average, day-to-day stuff.  Muslims routinely play sports on the Temple mount, as well as riot and vandalize their own Mosque.  Have a look at some screen shots taken from a video about the Muslim view of the Temple Mount.

Muslim vandalism of Mosque on Temple Mount

Rocks and broken chairs in Temple Mount mosque after Muslim riot.

Muslims praying toward Mecca, point their backsides at Dome of the Rock

Muslims worship the "moon" god, though the image of the moon itself actually came from the ancient pagan goddess Diana

As I said before, the only reason the Muslims want the land of Israel is because it was taken from them.  They have no respect for it.  They did nothing with it when they controlled it, for well over 1,000 years!  Notice also, that though the Muslims controlled the land, there were always Jews living on it.  Though the Romans killed over one million Jews in 70 AD, and carried the rest away as slaves, you don’t lose title to your land just because you were carried away as a slave.

So, why are they enlisting the aid of well-meaning, but ignorant, westerners in their fight against Israel?  The short answer is that they can’t take it back by themselves.  The hundreds of millions of Muslims in the Middle East, with all their arms and money, cannot take back the land of Israel from the small band of five million Israelis.

The problem is their analysis of the situation.  They have told themselves that the only reason Israel is able to hold on to their small parcel of land is because the USA supports them.  This is incorrect.

The truth is that God has used the USA to support Israel, and if the USA were to stop supporting Israel, then God will find someone else to support them, or He will do it Himself!  Lately churches like the Presbyterian Church USA, and the Southern Baptists, have begun to support the Palestinians.  This is a mistake.  You can’t support the God of Israel, and His enemies at the same time.  Rather, they are inviting God’s judgment on the United States of America! (To say nothing about abortion!)

How long will it be before God grows tired of people who call themselves His friends, but act like enemies?  I don’t know, but I don’t think it will be too long now!  While Isaiah said it about Israel, the same condemnation applies to many Christians today;

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. (Matthew 15:8,Isaiah 29:13)

As for the March on Jerusalem, scheduled for later this week, I expect there will be serious consequences for some of the protesters.  Any attempt to breach the borders of the sovereign nation of Israel will, and should, be met with force!

I don’t care if you call yourself a “Christian”, if you attempt to enter Israel by breaking down their barriers, you could find yourself meeting God before you are ready!  Israel has a right, and duty, to defend it’s borders, by any means necessary!

The whole reason for the march is a lie!  While some of it is covered above, we need to debunk some of the propaganda;  Is Israel an “Apartheid” state?  Look at the above photos.  Who is missing from those photos taken at the most holy Jewish site?  The Jews of course!  The truth is that Israel grants religious freedom to all its citizens, though it is the Jews themselves who’s freedoms are limited, in their own land!

In 2 Samuel 24:18-25 we have the account of David, king of Israel, purchasing the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, in order to build the Temple there.  Araunah wanted to give it to him, but David insisted on purchasing it.  The Jebusites were the original Canaanite inhabitants of that land.  No one has ever purchased that plot of land again from that day to today!  It has been won and lost in battle, but the rightful owners are still David and his heirs, the people of Israel!

The Dome of the Rock, and the Al Aqsa mosque, sit on stolen land.

This conflict won’t end this week.  In fact it will continue until Jesus returns at Armageddon, when the whole world unites to fight against Him and His people!

For more information on the March to Jerusalem see the following

Iran Aware on the March to Jerusalem

The Global March to Jerusalem

The Vancouver Sun “The pseudo-left marches away from reason”

Dan Knezacek is the author of the Spirit of Prophecy

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Iran, Hezbollah supporting Assad

Posted on March 25, 2012 by dknezacek

I was reading last night, a post by Walid Shoebat, saying that Iran and Hezbollah’s support of the Assad regime, in Syria, is a good thing!  I agree!  So is the Russian and Chinese support of that regime!

As long as the Sunni Arabs are divided, it gives Israel a bit of breathing room.  There is no “good side” in the Sunni/Shiite conflict.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking “the enemy of my enemy is my friend“.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, in their rebellion against Assad, will somehow bring some peace or stability to the region.  The exact opposite is what will happen.

I do disagree with Shoebat’s analysis that “Syria is not going to fall like Libya, Tunisia, and Egypt did.”  As a believer in biblical prophecy, I have come to the conclusion that the next major war on the biblical schedule is the Psalm 83 war, in which all the Arab nations will attack Israel.  This war includes Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, who are all currently in the Shiite camp with Iran.  “Asaph’s war” will not include Iran, or Russia, so we see that some wedge will be driven between these three nations and their sponsors, before the Psalm 83 war ensues.

Yes, Syria will fall.  The question is “when”, not “if”.  For the sake of the people of Israel, Syria, and the Arab world, I hope Assad will be able to hold on for a few more years.

Psalm 83 does not tell us the result of that war.  It only describes the attack, and calls out to the Lord for help.  I believe the answers can be found in other places in Scripture.  Isaiah 17:1 for instance:

The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.

From that day until now Damascus is the oldest continuously-occupied city in the world.  At one time it was the center of the early Christian Church, but now its demise is looming on the horizon.

Isaiah 19 is another passage of interest, for the people of Egypt.  Could the city of Cairo be the one referred to as “the city of destruction”?;

17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it. 18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.

And, what about Lebanon?  Will Lebanon suffer the same fate in the same war?  I think it is likely;

1 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. 2 Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down. (Zechariah 11:1-2)

The only hope for these nations is that they repudiate Islam and embrace Israel.  Such a move could hold off this destruction for a generation, or so… perhaps.  I don’t think such a scenario is likely, however.  The Muslims of these nations are too radicalized.  They appear to be heading towards the abyss at full speed.

I find it so amazing that the enemies of God appear so fully determined to fulfill His prophecies!

Another article by Walid Shoebat, which you should read, is Yusuf al-Qaradawi denouncing… Hezbollah?  Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh who had advocated an alliance with Hezbollah for years.  Now he’s throwing his “friends” under a bus!  Why?  Because he sees his chance to unite all the Arabs.    I think he’ll be successful, and it will result in the destruction of his own homeland!  Some people are truly their own worst enemies!

The Sunnis don’t think the Shiites are true Muslims, therefore they are apostate, and can be killed whenever it is convenient.  But it’s OK, the Shiites think the Sunnis are apostate, and therefore the same applies to them!

How different are the teachings of Islam, from those of Jesus Christ, who said “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;” Matthew 5:44

(For clarity’s sake, Jesus was talking about individuals, not nations.  Paul affirmed that nations have a right, and responsibility, to bear the sword to protect the nation.  See Romans 13:4)

As I have said before, this Sunni/Shiite divide will result in two separate attacks against Israel, and two major losses to Islam, at the hands of the Jews and their God!  For a more in-depth analysis, I’d like to invite you to read The Spirit of Prophecy.  In it you will see how these two wars fit into the bigger picture of the bible’s End-Times prophecies.

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The Israel of God

Posted on March 20, 2012 by dknezacek

As I have been watching the Palestinian/Israeli issue, I have been struck by how many Christians seem to think that the Church replaces Israel, or that the Christian Church is “the Israel of God”.  The recent “Christ at the Checkpoint” conference has brought this issue front and centre.

The term “The Israel of God”, found in only one place in the bible, (Galatians 6:16) has been used as a basis for Replacement Theology, and antisemitism, for a many centuries. As a young person I had been told that “The Israel of God” is the Christian Church. The person who told me that might be somewhat embarrassed if I could remember who they are, once we get through this.

This is the only place in the bible, that I have found, where there is the possibility that Israel and the Church could be mixed up. Let’s take a look at the passage in question, with a few extra verses to give us some context:

12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. Galatians 6:12-16

Paul is writing here to believing Gentiles, who were being compelled to be circumcised by some of the Jews. As Paul says in verse 15, Christianity is not about circumcision, or non-circumcision, but about becoming a new creature, through the new birth in Christ Jesus.

Now he gets to the part in question: “As many as walk according to this rule” meaning the Christian Church has no regard, one way or another, toward circumcision.  “And upon the Israel of God” is in addition to those he had just mentioned, not that they are not a part of the Church, but rather that Israel is divided. He is not directing these blessings to all of Israel, but to the “Israel of God”, the Jews who are a part of the Christian Church.

You see, he had been criticizing the Jews who wanted to circumcise the gentile Christians, and then talks about the Israel of God, as a distinct entity from national Israel, but he was not referring to gentile believers. He was referring to the people who were both members of Israel, and members of the Church.

If you are a gentile, and a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you are a “gentile of God”! Both “Gentiles of God” and “Israelites of God” are part of the Church of God. The term “the Israel of God” is a collective term for all the Israelites who are in the Church of God. So, what Paul is saying here is that both the Israel of God, and the Gentiles of God, understand that neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision, has any value apart from having a changed heart!

By the same token, the term “Spiritual Israel” does not denote the whole Church, but only the Israelites/Jews in it!  This term does not appear in Scripture, but we can see its existence in those Jews who are also Born-Again Christians.

The Israel of God

That should settle it.

For anyone still doubting the distinction between Israel and the Church, I’d suggest reading Romans chapters 3, and 9-11.

Anyone who says that the Church replaces Israel is a liar, and is not taking the bible in its literal sense. If your pastor says that, I’d suggest you leave that church.

Now, some might be asking: “What about the verses that say ‘all Israel shall be saved‘?”(Romans 11:26)  First, remember that “context” in Scripture means not only “the verse before and the verse after”, but “all of Scripture”.

If Paul had meant the Church when he said “Israel” then it implies that some members of the Church are not saved.  The problem is that I was not IN the Church until I was saved.

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: Ephesians 2:12

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 5:10

There are many people who think they are in the Church, and attend every week, but who are still His enemies in reality.  They are not in the true Church of Jesus Christ, but it is still possible to be in Israel and yet not saved.

Paul also said, in the previous chapter:  “Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:” (Romans 9:27, Isaiah 10:22)

So how is it possible that all Israel can be saved, yet only a remnant will be saved?  The answer is found in Zechariah:  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (Zechariah 13:8)

This is referring to the end of the Tribulation  period, also known as “the Time of Jacob’s trouble“.  Why is it Jacob’s trouble?  Because it is God’s judgment against Israel, and 2/3 of them will die at that time.  The bible does not tell us how many of those two thirds of Israel will die for Jesus, nor how many will die at the hands of Jesus, for supporting the Antichrist, nor how many die for just being Jewish.  I think there will be many in each situation.

If you are a Gentile, don’t be complacent.  The evidence is that many more Gentiles will die at that time, than Jews!  It is not only God’s judgment against Israel, but also His judgment against the whole human race!

But what of the remnant of Israel, who are saved by the grace of God?  Where will they be during the millennial reign of Christ?  The above picture will change, because the Church will be removed at the rapture.  Here’s the picture Scripture paints of Israel, and the Gentile believers, during the millennium:Israel and the people of God

Israel will be the preeminent nation on earth during the millennium.  Everyone who goes into the millennial reign from the Tribulation, will be a believer, but many of their descendants will be unbelievers.  Israel, however, will be 100% saved, and will stay that way!  Praise God!

Dan Knezacek is the author of “The Spirit of Prophecy”.

For anyone interested in an excellent website/blog by members of “the Israel of God”, see the Rosh Pina Project.

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