Month: January 2024
It Was Necessary For God to Choose One People :: By Jonathan Brentner
From raptureready.com
Bible prophecy is all about Jesus, yet it revolves around Israel from start to finish. Although God first promised to send a Redeemer while Adam and Eve were still in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15), He subsequently narrowed this prophetic focus to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and then specifically to the lineage of King David.
Why did the Lord choose the sons of Jacob, whom He renamed Israel? Romans 9 reveals that His choice happened as the result of His sovereignty. It was solely His choice in the matter. Jacob had more of a heart for God than his wicked brother; however, starting with the call of Abram, every choice flowed from His divine purposes rather than from the character of the one He chose.
We might also ask why it was necessary to choose just one nation. The answer to this question unveils God’s wisdom in His choice of one people through whom He would both reveal and fulfill His redemptive purposes for humanity.
- The Preservation of the Old Testament Scriptures
It would have been impossible to preserve Old Testament Scriptures as one revelation from God apart from Him choosing to reveal His Word through one special race. In Romans 3:1-2, Paul alludes to Israel’s privilege of being the recipients of God’s revelation:
“Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God” (NASB).
What if the Lord had revealed the story of creation and the flood to the Egyptians, the Psalms to the Assyrians, and then sent His prophets to Israel? Can you imagine such confusion? How would we know what or who to believe?
In order to preserve the integrity of Scripture, His revelation to humanity had to come through one chosen race. There’s no other way that we could know that the Old Testament is truly God’s Word apart from such unity.
God’s purpose in this matter enables us to recognize the fulfillment of biblical prophecy as His story unfolded through the Israelites, leading to the birth of the Savior.
- The Identification of the Savior
Apart from the Lord choosing to reveal His sovereign purposes through one nation, Israel, there wouldn’t have been any sure way to identify the Messiah when He came into the world as a baby in Bethlehem.
All the Old Testament books, written by descendants of Jacob and preserved by the Jewish people, point to the coming Messiah, and each identifies Him in a unique way. They form a supernatural and cohesive unit that not only speaks to their divine inspiration but also to the unfolding of God’s plan through Christ both in the past and for the future.
The Hebrew prophets, though separated by hundreds of years, provide a remarkably consistent picture of the coming Messiah, revealing many aspects of His birth, life, ministry, suffering, and resurrection. Jesus fulfilled 48 specific prophecies along with a great many types revealed throughout the Scriptures during His first arrival on earth.
A book could be written on this matter, but suffice it to say that we know Jesus was our long-awaited Redeemer because God chose Israel as His people, inspired the Old Testament through them, and provided many prophecies and types that all pointed to our Savior.
- The Understanding of God’s Character
How could we know so much about God’s character apart from His revelation to one particular people that unfolded during a time span of 1,500 years? We learn many things through His dealing with Israel over a period of many centuries.
God’s message to mankind became much clearer with Jesus’ entrance into the world (Hebrews 1:1-4) and the New Testament, which the Lord inspired through His apostles.
That does not, however, negate the wealth of understanding about God’s character that can be gleaned from the pages of the Old Testament, especially throughout the Psalms. As already mentioned, each book portrays Jesus in a unique way that furthers our understanding of Him and of His nature as God, who took on human form.
- The Illustration of God’s Saving Purposes
The book of Hebrews reveals how the Levitical sacrificial system both illustrated and pointed to Jesus’ death on the cross through which we have forgiveness of sins. This further illustrates the necessity of God choosing one people through whom He could reveal His saving purposes for the entire world.
The words in Hebrews 9:19-23 illustrate how the sacrificial system God revealed to Moses showed the necessity of Jesus’ death on the cross.
“For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
The Law demonstrated that a blood sacrifice was necessary for the “forgiveness of sins.” The repetition of the sacrifices under the Levitical system pointed to the once-for-all death of Christ on the cross for our redemption.
John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Although it took a while for believing Jews to fully grasp what he meant by that designation, we understand it today because of the system of sacrifices revealed for us in the book of Leviticus that pointed to the Messiah as the “Lamb” who would die in our place upon the cross.
- The Writing of the New Testament
God’s selection of one race was also critical for the completion of His written revelation to us, the New Testament. It was written by Jewish men, most of whom witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection and were able, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to tell us about His life and expand upon His redemptive purposes for us.
God later chose the Apostle Paul to communicate much of our understanding regarding the Gospel. Very few men in his day had the same high level of understanding regarding the Old Testament as did Paul, which enabled him to help the Jews of His day, and us, better understand how the Hebrew Scriptures verified the message of grace that he proclaimed to both Jew and Greek.
To demonstrate the continuity of revelation and prophecy from the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament, it was necessary for all its writers to have a deep understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures. For example, the book of Revelation contains a great many inferences from the ancient Hebrew prophets and connects them to the completion of the Lord’s redemptive purposes during Jesus’ thousand-year reign and the eternal state. The unity of biblical prophecy staggers our minds with its supernatural character.
- The Resolution of History
One huge downside exists for God’s chosen people: Satan has never let up in attempting to thwart the Lord’s redemptive purposes for selecting Israel. His attacks on God’s chosen race have been murderous, extreme, relentless, and continue to this very moment.
The book of Esther provides a prime example of the devil seeking to stop the birth of the Messiah. He later inspired Herod to kill all the babies in Bethlehem in order to stop God’s plan. From 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, we learn that even Jesus’ crucifixion was intended to thwart God’s plan, but it backfired big time for Satan and his minions.
God’s Word says that Jesus will return to a repentant Israel, and someday He will enter Jerusalem as the Jewish people shout with glee, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Zechariah 12:10-13:1; Matthew 23:37-39). In order to stop Jesus’ words in Matthew 23 from coming to fruition, Satan has greatly intensified the world’s hostility and hatred toward the Jewish people since Israel became a nation in 1948.
The October 7, 2023, barbaric attack on Israel came from the pit of hell and Satan’s determination to stop the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The turning of world opinion against Israel comes from the same motive.
In light of such great suffering over the millennia, is it not only right and just that the Lord would give Israel a glorious kingdom? His people have greatly suffered solely because God chose them to fulfill His redemptive plans through them. In the end, Israel will experience the wonders of a restored kingdom far more glorious than anything ever seen in human history.
What will we see inscribed above the twelve gates to the New Jerusalem, our home for all eternity? It will be the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, one for each entry in the city (Revelation 21:11-12). For all eternity, we will see these names and remember that God accomplished His saving purposes for us by choosing Israel as His special people.
***
Please Note: In Hereafter, It’s Far Better Than You Can Imagine, Terry James and I describe the future glory that awaits us as believers beginning with Jesus’ appearing to take us home. From beginning to end, we emphasize the jubilant joy that awaits us in Heaven. The last chapter contains twenty-seven frequently asked questions and answers pertaining to Heaven and our experience there. (The book is now available for pre-order.)
Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. Thanks!
Share this article:
MORE WAR :: by Daymond Duck
From raptureready.com
Prophecy teachers understand there will be wars and rumors of war at the end of the age.
Some (including myself) have long thought that the Battle of Gog and Magog could happen soon, but it has not.
Russia invaded Ukraine almost two years ago (on Feb. 24, 2022), Hamas invaded Israel about 3 months ago (on Oct. 7, 2023), and every day, there are indications that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to other nations.
>On Jan. 6, 2024, Hezbollah fired 62 rockets from Lebanon into Israel, and the next day, Israel warned that tensions are rising and there could be another war with Lebanon.
>U.S. Sec. of State Blinken was touring nations in the Middle East to calm things down. In Qatar, he said, “This (The Israel-Hamas war) is a conflict that could easily metastasize, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering.”
>Houthi rebels from Yemen have attacked ships in the Red Sea 24 times in the last 3 months, supposedly in support of Hamas; on Jan. 10, 2024, the UN Security Council demanded that the Houthis stop the attacks immediately; on Jan. 11, 2024, the Houthis attacked another ship; the U.S., UK, and others fired more than 100 guided munitions at 16 Houthi military targets in Yemen (5 people were killed and six were injured); the Iranian-backed Houthis called the strikes in Yemen an act of war and vowed to take unimaginable revenge on the U.S. and UK.
>On Jan. 12, 2024, Iran condemned the U.S.-led strikes on the Houthis (Iran’s hired terrorists) and said it risks spreading the war. Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan accused the U.S. and UK of trying to turn the Red Sea into a sea of blood. Iran and Turkey will join Russia in the Battle of Gog and Magog.
>On Jan. 13, 2024, the U.S. and UK struck more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen.
>On Jan. 13, 2024, an article in the New York Times reported that a Mideast expert for the European Council on Foreign Relations said, “This is already a regional war, no longer limited to Gaza, but already spread to Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.”
>On Jan. 13, 2024, a French military analyst expressed the opinion that Iran’s proxies are anxious to spread the war, but Iran wants them to hold back a little longer (a month or so) while Iran produces some nuclear weapons.
>On Jan. 14, 2024, Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fired an anti-ship missile at a U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea.
>On Jan. 15, 2024, the Houthis said their position on attacking ships in the Red Sea has not changed since the U.S. started attacking targets in Yemen.
>On Jan. 15, 2024, a missile fired from Yemen hit a U.S.-owned ship.
>On Jan. 15, 2024, it was reported that Iran has Revolutionary Guard troops on the ground in Yemen helping with the Houthis attack ships in the Red Sea.
>On Jan. 15, 2024, the Houthis in Yemen fired a missile that hit a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
>On Jan. 16, 2024, Hezbollah tried to send several drones into northern Israel. They followed that by firing several rockets into the same area. Israel responded with more than 30 airstrikes on 15 different targets, including more than 150 squads of Hezbollah forces.
>On Jan. 16, 2023, the U.S. launched a pre-emptive strike and destroyed 4 anti-ship ballistic missiles that the Houthis in Yemen were preparing for launch.
>The Houthi attacks on ships are causing the price of shipping to soar.
>On Jan. 17, 2024, U.S. Sec. of State Blinken said he “could not think of a time in his career when there had been more global challenges, ranging from war in Gaza and Ukraine to tensions over Taiwan.”
It is beginning to look like there will be another war, and another war, and another war (wars and rumors of war), and this is one of the signs Jesus said would exist at the end of the age.
Here are some reports that appear to verify that the end of the age is near.
One, concerning deceit: based on a survey of 1500 experts, industry leaders and others, on Jan. 10, 2024, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned that false and misleading information produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a greater risk to the global economy than Climate Change.
Two, concerning the Mark of the Beast and tracking all buying and selling: a digital ID is not the Mark of the Beast (the name, number, or Mark of the Antichrist), but it is a necessary step for the use of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and the ability to track everyone’s buying and selling.
On Jan. 12, 2024, it was reported that about 1.6 million people in Malaysia have signed up for a digital ID, and the government expects about 30 million people will have one in the next 6 months.
Some officials claim that more than 100 nations are studying the use of CBDCs.
815 million people in India already have a digital ID.
Three, concerning the Mark of the Beast: at the Davos 2024 meeting on Jan. 16, 2024, Bill Gates said, “COVID vaccines need to have longer duration, more coverage, and we’re going to change. Instead of using needles, we’ll use a little patch.”
The patch Gates is talking about is his patented Quantum Dot Tattoo (Mark).
He wants to tattoo people when they are vaccinated to identify those that go along with world government, allow them to buy and sell, etc.
Gates added that his patch is almost ready, and it will be rolled out in India (where 815 million people already have a digital ID).
(Question: If Gates and others are preparing to jab, tattoo, and track 815 million people in India, do you think they will stop when they have accomplished that? If they can do it to 815 million people in India, could they do it to everyone on earth by the middle of the Tribulation Period?)
Four, concerning a peace treaty in the Middle East: over a 7-day period, U.S. Sec. of State Blinken recently traveled to 9 Arab nations, and all of them agreed that they are willing to sign a short-term or long-term (could it be 7 years) agreement provided Israel is ready to take concrete steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state (the division of Israel).
It was also reported that Blinken had a “very candid conversation” with Prime Min. Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials in Israel on this issue, and a senior State Dept. official said, “Israel ultimately doesn’t have a choice.”
The Bible clearly teaches that there will be a worthless 7-year treaty at the end of the age, and it will kick off the Tribulation Period.
The judgment of God will fall, and the entire world will eventually look worse than Gaza looks today.
(My opinion: The Two-State Solution – a division of Israel – has been Biden’s plan all along, and God clearly said He would drag the world into the Battle of Armageddon if they do it; Joel 3:2.).
Five, concerning the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S.: on Jan. 11, 2024, Hertz announced that it will sell 20,000 EVs (they own 60,000) it has bought and replace them with gasoline-powered vehicles.
They cited high repair costs and the low resale value of used EVs (most people will not buy one).
Six, concerning an increase in natural disasters at the end of the age: this past weekend, some temperatures in Canada dropped to minus 50 degrees Celsius (about 58 degrees below zero Fahrenheit), the solar panels were virtually useless, and all the remaining gas generators were operating at full capacity.
Alberta’s electric company imported electricity from other systems, asked citizens to not charge their electric vehicles (EVs), and to not use electricity in every way they could.
(Question: What would have happened to citizens at 58 below zero if they relied solely on solar panels and other sources weren’t available; no coal, gas, oil, or wood? How did those people get to work, store, doctor, etc., if they couldn’t charge the batteries on their EVs? Understand that some U.S. leaders are serious about closing coal mines, stopping the drilling for oil, forcing citizens to drive EVs, etc.)
Seven, concerning the decline of America: in Nov. 2023, a male Democrat who identifies as a female was elected to fill a seat in the Virginia state senate.
In a recent interview on Jan. 9, 2024, he/she announced his/her intent to be sworn in with his/her hand on his/her favorite heavy metal album instead of the Bible.
(My opinion: At some point, America will pay for its blatant rejection of God.)
(More: On Jan. 1, 2024, a new law went into effect in Maryland that requires taxpayers to pay for sex-change procedures, breast implants, hair alterations, voice lessons, scar removal procedures, and more.)
Eight, concerning an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters at the end of the age: while I am writing this on Jan. 15, 2024, about 95 million Americans are experiencing an unprecedented storm with snow, ice, strong winds, record low wind chill temperatures, and, in some areas, life-threatening conditions and power outages.
Note: For a very important and powerful message about what has been going on for the last 2-3 years, click on the following link:
Here is a daily update on the Israel-Hamas war.
Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 (Day 96): The forty-first day of the resumed war.
The U.S. and UK shot down 18 drones and 3 missiles that Houthis fired at ships.
Houthis that fired missiles at a British navy vessel in the Red Sea were trained at an Iranian naval academy.
The UN Security Council demanded that the Houthis in Yemen stop attacking ships in the Red Sea immediately.
Israel’s war cabinet will deliberate a Qatari proposal to deport Hamas leaders and release all hostages in exchange for the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza. Hamas immediately rejected the proposal, but the U.S. and Israel have agreed that Hamas will not govern Gaza when the war is over.
Intelligence information captured by Israel in Gaza shows that two so-called Palestinian journalists who were recently killed in the war were terrorists posing as journalists. At the time of their death, they were using drones to spy on Israeli troops.
Thousands of Israelis went to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem to pray for the release of the hostages.
Israel found a tunnel with evidence that hostages had been there, including DNA.
Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024 (Day 97): The forty-second day of the resumed war.
Iran seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was carrying oil from Iraq to Turkey.
The U.S., UK, and others fired more than 100 guided munitions at 16 Houthi military targets in Yemen (5 people were killed and 6 were injured).
Friday, Jan. 12, 2024 (Day 98): The forty-third day of the resumed war.
The Iranian-backed Houthis called the strikes in Yemen an act of war and vowed to take unimaginable revenge on the U.S. and UK.
About 30 min. after the attack on Houthi military targets in Yemen, there were unconfirmed reports of a bomb threat on the U.S. embassy in Iraq. (Note: The Iranians, Houthis, and Bahrainis are Shiite Muslims, not Sunnis like most Arabs.)
Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan said Turkey is giving evidence to the International Court of Justice that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 (Day 99): The forty-fourth day of the resumed war.
The U.S. and UK struck more Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis said the U.S. and UK will have to pay a heavy price for the attacks.
Fighting is intense, and the death toll is high in central and southern Gaza.
A group of violent anti-Israel protestors almost broke through the fence around the White House.
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024 (Day 100): The forty-fifth day of the resumed war.
Netanyahu said, “No One Will Stop Us, Not the Hague, Not the Axis of Evil, and Not Anyone Else.”
The Biden Administration said they are pressuring Israel to start lowering the intensity on Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas released a 37-second video of 3 Israeli hostages and said it will reveal their fate tomorrow.
Hamas said the fate of many hostages is unknown.
The Palestinians in Gaza are some of the poorest people on earth, and Hamas could have helped them, but Hamas spent billions of dollars building new tunnels and expanding old ones.
Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 (Day 101): The forty-sixth day of the resumed war.
Israel said 25 hostages have died in captivity, but Hamas is still holding 132.
Two attacks in Israel by terrorists that entered the nation illegally killed one and injured 17.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired rockets at Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan (in Iraq), under the pretense that Israel had established a spy center there (4 civilians were killed and 6 civilians were injured). Iraq recalled its ambassador to Iran and said it will lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council.
Several Hamas officials who were living in Lebanon have gone into hiding in other countries.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh urged Muslims all over the world to build on the victory they had on Oct. 7, 2023 (raping women, beheading babies, taking hostages, etc.) for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Anti-Defamation League said antisemitism is increasing.
Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 (Day 102): The forty-seventh day of the resumed war.
The tunnel network under Gaza is far bigger than anyone realized. It was originally believed to be about 250 miles but has turned out to be 350 to 450 miles of tunnel and more than 5,000 shafts.
From an area in Gaza that Israeli troops had just evacuated from (about 24 hours before), Hamas fired more than 50 rockets toward a town in Israel. This generated a debate in Israel’s war cabinet about Israel withdrawing too soon.
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024 (Day 103): The forty-eighth day of the resumed war.
Muslims – some have been funded by Iran – have attacked Jews in Judea and Samaria more than 2600 times since Oct. 7, 2023 (throwing rocks or firebombs, stabbing or trying to stab people, running over people with their vehicles, etc.) Understand that this is several times a day, every day. What is wrong with those who think Israel shouldn’t try to do something about it?
FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).
Finally, are you Rapture Ready?
If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.
Share this article:
