Prophecy 11 – www.BibleClass123.com

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PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 150

December 12, 2003

God Tabernacles With Man – Number 14

A Security Fence Will Not Be Needed When God Tabernacles

A security fence has the full attention of 191 world nations. Ninety of the United Nations General Assembly’s 191 countries supported an Arab resolution to request that the International Court of Justice in the Hague render an advisory opinion on Israel’s security fence. With 90 nations in favor, eight opposed, and 74 abstentions, the non-binding resolution asks the court to consider the legal consequences arising from the construction of the wall being built by Israel, and labels Israel as the occupying power. The resolution was sponsored by 27 Arab, Muslim, and Non-Aligned Movement nations.

This security fence has been just what the Doctor ordered to put the heat on the Palestinians and all her Islamic buddies. Her so-called Islamic buddy nations don’t want to keep the millions of Palestinian refugees in their territories for one additional minute, and unless the Palestinians do some peace negotiating soon, there won’t be anything left to negotiate. As each day passes, the building continues, with each new loop taking in more of the West Bank territory the Palestinians consider as their land. All this screaming, all these resolutions in the UN, and the Hague getting involved in the security fence, are living proof it has the Arabs worried, and their concern is that they must make concessions or Israel will force a state on them of Israel’s own design. The decision to build the fence was taken on July 23, 2001 officially, but it was first considered in 1968. It will cost an estimated NIS 7.5 billion. I believe it is one of the keynotes of the final generation of Israelites in this age of the Gentiles. They have walled in one enemy within their own borders, while they themselves are but unwalled villages to their enemies outside their own borders. Israel’s external enemies were to have an evil thought in the last days, and attack its unwalled villages.

Ezekiel 38:8-11 – After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. [9] Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. [10] Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: [11] And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

I have already exposited on Psalm 102, verses 13 through 17, which is an outline of events surrounding the restoration of the nation of Israel to an everlasting fellowship with God. It was written to give encouragement particularly to the final generation of Israelis, which would go through the great tribulation of the last days of the Gentile age. In the last days Israel will be attacked by the antichrist, and will go through a fiery trial of testing for some 1260 days, but God gives this generation assurance it will end, and they will be restored as his people.

Psalm 102:17 – He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

Zechariah 13:9 – And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

These verses were written for the final generation, which will flee into the Negev and, at the end of their suffering, will be created as a nation of born again Jews just prior to their Messiah’s Second Advent. They will praise his name as the Jewish remnant, and go into his physical kingdom.

Psalm 102:18 – This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.

Revelation 12:5,6,17 – And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. [6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. [17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Romans 9:27-29 – 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: [28] For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. [29] And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

Romans 11:25-27 – 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.

Psalm 102:18,19 – This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. [19] For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth;

God will look down on the final generation of Israelis at the close of the Gentile age with favor, and he will show them mercy and forgiveness. It will be a generation that will not pass before they are attacked and driven into the Negev. I believe the clock for this final generation started to tick when the temple mount and old city of Jerusalem once again became part of Israel in 1967. Israel had 40 years of access to the temple mount after they rejected their King Messiah. They have had access to the temple mount for more than 36 years since it was recaptured by Israel in June of 1967. They are further away from their God now than at any time in their history, and are absolutely hardened in their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. If they do not turn back to their God through Messiah prior to 2008, I believe they will turn to him after they are driven into the Negev. I believe the final Jewish generation of this age began in 1967, and that their temple mount will fall again to the antichrist at some point in time between now and 2008. I may be wrong about the timing, but it will fall again, and remain in Gentile hands for 42 prophetic months after its fall. The battle of Armageddon, which ends with the Second Advent of Christ, will mark the end of the 42 months, after which Jerusalem will be controlled by Israel throughout the Millennial Reign of Messiah.

Zechariah 14:1,2 – Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Revelation 11:2 – But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Zechariah 14:9-11 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. [10] All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. [11] And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

Lord willing, I will continue this exposition of Psalm 102:13-23 in Update Number 151.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 150A

December 14, 2003

The Star in the Manger and Judah’s Shiloh Sceptre!

The three Scriptures, which follow, received exposition in Updates 149A and 149B.

Numbers 24:17 – I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

Matthew 2:1,2 – Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, [2] Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Hebrews 1:8 – But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Now, with the sceptre of Numbers and Hebrews in mind, let us look at Genesis 49:10, which the man Israel uttered about coming prophetic events as they related to his 12 sons, in point the one relating to his son Judah, from whose seed Messiah, known as the Lion of Judah, was to come.

Genesis 49:10 – The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and UNTO HIM shall THE GATHERING of the people be.

The sceptre was a symbol of divine authority to rule. Most of the ancient kings possessed a sceptre. It was a rod or staff, usually long enough to rest on the floor between the ruler’s legs when he was on his throne. It was also a mark of succession that was passed from father to son when the old king expired. And, as such, was a mark of the royal line of kings in a dynasty. The sceptre of a king was the “law of the land,” and as ruler, his sceptre was looked upon as authority to administer it. The “law of the Medes and the Persians” was given with the authority of the sceptre as a “lawgiver.”

The tribe of Judah was the tribe to which the right to lead the other 11 descendant tribes was given. It was the tribe of Judah that received the blessing of Jacob to rule and lead the tribes.

Genesis 49:8 – Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee.

Jacob indicated that Judah’s tribe, and the right to pass judgment by the sceptre between the legs of their ruler, would remain with them and their leaders, until a leader in Judah’s line came to hold the position forever. And that this leader, symbolically referred to as Shiloh, would bring tranquility and peace of soul to those who gathered to him by his future assurance of one day GATHERING THEM into his eternal kingdom.

John 3:14,15 – And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: [15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jojn 12:32 – And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will DRAW ALL MEN UNTO ME.

Ephesians 1:6-10 – To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. [7] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; [8] Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; [9] Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: [10] That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might GATHER TOGETHER in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even IN HIM:

Genesis 49:10 – The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and UNTO HIM shall THE GATHERING of the people be.

Of “Shiloh” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance says, “It is a symbolic name for the ruler of Judah,” and in his Dictionary of New Testament Words he states; “It is an epithet of the Messiah.” The basic meaning of the word itself is “tranquil,” as one would associate with a genuine feeling of peace brought on by faith it would continue. It comes from another Hebrew root, “salah,” which means, “to be secure, be happy, be in safety.”

When Jesus came as Shiloh, he took up eternally the sceptre of the tribe of Judah, as his direct descendant in the line of David, through two of David’s sons, Solomon to Joseph, who was the son-in-law of Heli, and Nathan to Heli, who was the father of Mary. As Shiloh, Jesus was the one in the line that will rule forever by his scepter, which is the lawgiver that allows him to be the judge of all who are gathered to him. Micah indicates he was sent to be both the judge and the ruler of Israel.

Micah 5:1,2 – Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. [2] But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

(See Prophecy Updates 62 and 63 in our Archives for Micah 5:1,2)

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 150B

December 16, 2003

Judah’s Lamb in a Manger Will Come as Judah’s Lion!

Do not expect Saddam Hussein to repent of what he has done unless he concludes it will allow him to survive, and one day continue to expedite his illusions of grandeur at the cost of the lives of his own people. As I indicated in countless Updates, he is a hopeless megalomaniac. That is what concerned me most about the Middle East situation. A person with that sort of mental disorder would launch WMD against Israel if he had the technological ability to deliver them, which he did not possess. The leaders of the other Arab nations are not megalomaniacs. They would not launch WMD against Israel if they had the technological capability. Please do not tell me to stop practicing psychiatry, which comes from two Greek words, and means “soul healing.” Saddam’s case was so obvious that even an untrained snake charmer could have spotted it. Saddam is a narcissistic megalomaniac of the worst type, which is the primary reason I wanted to see the military go into Iraq. There will never be a stable democratic government in Iraq for more than a few months after we pull out. There are too many factions involved with too many different types of cultural and religious beliefs. I JUST WANTED TO SEE SADDAM OUT! I am hopeful we can pull out all our troops by the end of 2004.

I believe it is likely that the capture of Saddam Hussein will cause more of the Iraqi population to give information concerning where the rest of his henchmen are hiding, and to give less support and comfort to all the terrorist groups that have come into Iraq from Syria and Iran since the fall of Baghdad. And, even though it will not be overnight, I also believe this will be a factor in causing the terrorists in Israel to submit to a false peace between Israel and the Palestinians next year. This false peace will eventually be broken to begin a war that ends at Armageddon, at which time the Lamb, born in a manger in Bethlehem, will return as the Lion of Judah.

Luke 2:11 – For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

David’s forefathers are identified as Ephrathites, residents of Ephratah, a suburb, which was later incorporated into the town of Bethlehem.

Micah 5:2 – But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The man-child, the seed of his father David, and the Son of the living God, was born in the birth area of David, the city of Bethlehem. It was an event the Devil had long awaited in hopes of being able to devour the Seed of God.

Revelation 12:4,5 – And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. [5] And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

One of the Devil’s earliest attempts came through his use of the wicked King Herod, but God protected his Son by his angel warning Joseph in a dream to take the young child and flee to Egypt.

Matthew 2:16-18 – Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. [17] Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, [18] In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

It was not time for the heel of God’s Son to be bruised by Satan. But his heel was bruised after he had withstood every temptation of the Devil, kept every jot and tittle of God’s Law given to Moses, and lived a life of perfect righteousness, becoming the only man who has ever done so. Immediately after the first Adam sinned, God promptly announced the future arrival of the second Adam, the seed of a woman, who would come and crush the power of bondage under which Satan held us all because of man’s sin against his creator. But in so doing, by the Son stepping on the Devil’s head, his own heel was wounded to the extent that his physical life on this earth ended in death.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

And God even pictured the future basic essentials as to how the Seed would provide a permanent covering for the sins of man, and it would be one offering for all time by the offering of the Seed’s innocent blood and sinless flesh on the cross.

Genesis 3:21 – Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

I Corinthians 1:18 – For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

Ephesians 1:6,7 – To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. [7] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

The Seed was to come to come from Adam through Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and Heli, the father of Mary. The seed promise was reiterated in Abraham’s day in great clarity as to its inclusion of all mankind.

Genesis 22:18 – And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

And the first book in the first chapter makes it clear that this lineage was essential for Jesus to be the Messiah.

Matthew 1:1,2,6,16,17 – The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. [2] Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; [6] And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; [16] And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. [17] So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Finally the Seed arrived in Bethlehem, formed by God in the womb of the virgin Mary, and, as the second Adam, was born under the law of God, which he had to keep perfectly to do what the first Adam failed to do, that is, to obey God. All the first Adam had to do was keep the Garden and not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But the second, and last Adam had to live a life as perfect as the life of God, his Almighty Father.

Galatians 4:4 – But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

He inherited the ruling sceptre of Judah and, by his perfect, sinless life, earned the right to be the judge of all men. He will gather all of those who were gathered to him by the convicting power of the Spirit into a heavenly family of believers at his second coming.

Genesis 49:10 – The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Messiah is the sceptre of God held earthward to man, and those who receive it become a part of the family of God, being granted the righteousness of the sceptre they have received as their imputed, and only righteousness.

Hebrews 1:8,9 – But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. [9] Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Salvation is not in the law, it is in Jesus, the only man who ever kept it, and I am an adopted son of God only through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Galatians 4:4-7 – But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. [6] And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. [7] Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

When I came to Christ I was crucified with him, buried with him, and resurrected to live in him forever. That is why I now live for him by the faith of his Spirit that is in me eternally, and I will one day live with him in heaven.

Galatians 2:20,21 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. [21] I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

John 5:40,41 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. [41] I receive not honour from men.

Did you ever simply come to Jesus, trusting in him alone to save you?

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 151

December 18, 2003

God Tabernacles With Man – Number 15

Before God tabernacles again with man following the Second Advent, we must see a false peace come to Israel, which will be broken by an attack from the north by 10 Islamic nations. For three years on our Prophecy Updates I have chanted constantly that this false peace will be a “forced” peace. It may be implemented by direct force or by negotiations forced on the Palestinians, but one way or the other, it will be a false peace put on the Palestinians by force. The politically correct word for a “forced” peace is “unilateral” peace, which Ariel Sharon has been putting out like gangbusters for the past six weeks. “Unilateral” is defined as: “occurring on, or affecting one side only, taking into account only one sides desires, a one-sided decision. In plain Arkansas terminology it means that Israel alone is going to decide how much land the Palestinians get, and that they will finish the fence, thereby closing them in the land they grant them. It simply means: Yassar, we are going to take a one-sided approach to the road map peace plan, we will unilaterally give you what we decide you ought to have inside our fence. You know, I think that is a great false peace plan!

In Numbers 12 through 14 I have exposited on verses 13 through 19 in Psalm 102. In verse 19 God is pictured as looking down from the height of his sanctuary, and beholding the earth. Verse 18 indicates he is likely looking down on the last Israeli generation of the present Gentile age, if verses 13 through 17 are examined along with it.

He hears the groaning of the Israelis imprisoned in the Negev, who have been in spiritual darkness since they crucified their Messiah, and releases them from their 2000 year covenant of death that appointed them to their spiritual separation from God, which is spiritual death. They will pass through the fiery trial of some 42 months of virtually being prisoners in the Negev, then the veil over their hearts will be lifted, and they will turn to their God through Jesus their Messiah, and he will hear them.

Psalm 102:20 – To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Isaiah 28:18 – And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

II Corinthians 3:14-17 – But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. [15] But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. [16] Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. [17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

It is at this time that Messiah will begin his reign, and verses 21 and 22 begin to be fulfilled.

Psalm 102:21,22 – To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; [22] When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The following scriptures attest to this period of time when Messiah will tabernacle with Israel following his Second Advent.

Hosea 2:18-23 – And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. [19] And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. [20] I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord. [21] And it shall come to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth; [22] And the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hear Jezreel. [23] And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Malachi 4:2,3 – But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. [3] And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Micah 5:4 – And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 14:9,16 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. [16] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Daniel 7:14 – And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 151A

December 20, 2003

Middle East Peace and a Quickening Child in a Manger!

The Child in the manger will come again as the Lion of Judah and knows when the false peace, which will precede his Second Advent that brings in the true peace of a thousand years, will finally officially arrive in Israel. The rest of us can only speculate based on how we interpret prophecy.

I believe that Ariel’s forced peace plan, which he calls a “unilateral” plan of peace, is the instrument that will lead to the false peace prior to the true peace. Sharon’s unilateral plan is to be put into effect if Arafat and his Palestinian Government do not meet their requirement outlined in President Bush’s Roadmap to Peace Plan. The first thing outlined as the major obligation on the Palestinian Authority was to reel in the terrorist groups among them, and they have utterly failed to do so. They want the Israelis to fulfill their obligations without them shutting down terrorist groups. And so Prime Minister Ariel has addressed his nation and the Palestinians, saying, if you don’t start to fulfill your obligations, then we are going to fulfill ours, and we will fulfill them our way if you are not willing to negotiate in good faith. So the Palestinians are forced now to make a decision, negotiate and comply, or Israel will take unilateral action to bring in its Road Map Plan interpretation of what constitutes a fair peace settlement. Although Israel denies it, the preliminary stages of this forced unilateral peace plan are already in operation, and if Prime Minister Quorei does not come to the negotiation table soon, promising to reel in the terrorist groups, within months it will be in full swing with no turning back. If this does not force Arafat and Quorei to take action on subduing the terrorist groups among them, then nothing will, and I do not believe they could control them even if they tried. Israel is now on a roadmap of it’s own. Its end result is a predictable one – give the P.A. a state inside a fence surrounding the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with the borders determined unilaterally by Israel. Israel will maintain patrols around it on its side of the fence, and control all that passes inside and out of it. The E.U., Russia, China, Arab Nations, U.N., U.S., P.A., F.O.B., C.O.D., W.P.A., C.C.C., I.O.U., and all points north, east, south, and west hate the plan, but I love it!

Sharon has now stated that the government is going to re-locate some of the Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, stop paying the special benefits to those already there, and will not establish any more new settlements. These were the commitments Israel made under the Roadmap to Peace Plan. If the Palestinians will not return to the table of negotiations, and then begin to implement their obligations under it, then Israel will unilaterally begin to establish a false peace of its own design on the Palestinians. Israel will complete the security fence taking in those parts of the West Bank they want to take in, and then give whatever land is enclosed inside it to the Palestinians. One way or the other, whether one calls it unilateral, forced, implemented, or negotiated, a false peace is going to be imposed upon the Palestinians.

I thank God, that in all this Middle East mess and worldwide confusion, I know I have been eternally quickened with the life of the Son of God. At this traditional time of year, when I think of his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, and what he is now doing as the intercessor of believers in heaven, I thank God for his unspeakable gift in Christ Jesus, and do rejoice in that I believe he is coming soon for his children. Christ Jesus is the manger Image of God who quickens believers with his eternal life.

God made the man-child Christ Jesus in the womb of the Virgin Mary by his Spirit. God overshadowed her and made Christ in her womb as his flesh and blood Son, who was, and is, his only begotten Son.

Luke 1:30-35 – And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. [32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. [34] Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? [35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Colossians 2:9 – For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

John 10:30 – I and my Father are one.

John 14:9 – Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Matthew 28:18 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Philippians 2:6-11 – Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Godhead made the first Adam in the image the three in one would on day take on as a body of sinless flesh in the womb of a virgin.

Genesis 1:26 – And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

God knew that the first Adam would yield to temptation and sin against him, because God is all knowing. But in order to give man a free will choice to love and obey him, he created him in the image that God would one day take upon himself as the second Adam, and that through the second Adam all men and women would have the choice to love and obey him, or to reject and disobey him.

II Corinthians 5:18-21 – And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. [21] For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

We cannot obey God until we obey the gospel reported of his Son in Isaiah, nor can we love him until he indwells us by the new birth for that purpose.

Romans 10:16 – But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

So, let’s take a good look at Isaiah’s report and see if we believe it. If we believe it, then we can obey it!

Isaiah 53:1-6 – Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

If you believe Isaiah’s report then, believing God’s Son is alive, you can come to him alone for the eternal salvation of your soul. When you come to him in prayer, asking him to save you, then you have obeyed the gospel.

John 5:40,41 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. [41] I receive not honour from men.

Romans 10:16,17 – But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

After believing the gospel, I obeyed it by faith in the word of God. How did I obey it? Look at the verse that is found just before Romans 10:16.

Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I would not ask someone I believed was dead to save me, but how do I know for sure he saved me. Look at the verses found just before Romans 10:13.

Romans 10:9,10 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Is being born again from above and being saved the same thing?

I Corinthians 15:45 – And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

John 3:7 – Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Now that I am saved, am I supposed to be baptized by a local church that teaches the truths once delivered to the saints, and be faithful in service to God in it?

Acts 2:41,42 – Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [42] And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

God made his Son in a virgin’s womb in his image. His Son is the head and foundation of each one of his local churches

Colossians 1:15-19 – Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: [16] For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: [17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. [19] For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

Colossians 2:9,10 – For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. [10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Colossians 1:21,22 – And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. [21] And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled.

Special Prophecy Update Number 151B

December 22, 2003

Who Will Be The Next Pope in Rome?

Part 1

At the time of the writing of this update the total number of Cardinals worldwide was 194, and the number among them that were eligible to vote for the next Pope totaled 131. Because of the age of these Cardinals, the number lost by death causes the number to change at a frequent rate. By the end of this year (2003), it is likely that some 40 will have passed on into eternity since March of 2000.

Over the last 24 years, as I have traveled far and wide to present my prophecy lectures in more than 700 colleges, universities, churches, and institutions, many have asked me to identify the antichrist and the false prophet. And I have consistently refused to do so. Why? There are two reasons: (1) I don’t know, and (2) If I did think I knew, and told them what I thought, and the man died, I would look like a fool. So, as you read what follows, please do remember this: I DO NOT KNOW WHO THE FALSE PROPHET OR THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE!

Does that mean I fail to keep my eyes open for possible candidates? Of course not! I monitor all the Middle East prominent personalities, and I consider many of the leading religious figures in Europe. I am about to give you some information about a man I have observed very carefully since 1983, but have never put anything in print about him. Since the current Pope appears to be drawing near to the end of his lifespan, and it appears quite likely he may die in 2004, I am going to list some things about a man who may be the next Pope. I AM NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF PREDICTING THE IDENTITY OF THE NEXT POPE. So please do not read this, then tell people that Tom McElmurry is saying that this man WILL BE THE NEXT POPE. YOU DECIDE, after reading this Update, what you think about his chances to be the next Pope, and how you think he fits into the prophetic scheme of coming events in the era of the antichrist and false prophet, or if you even think he fits at all.

Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, the Archbishop of Paris, was born Friday, September 17, 1926, as Aaron Lustiger, the son of Jewish parents, in Paris, France. His parents perished in the Nazi deportations, which followed the fall of Paris to Hitler, but he was taken in by a Catholic family of Orleans, and his name was changed from Aaron, his Jewish birth name, to a very French name, Jean-Marie. The Biblical name of Aaron, Moses’ brother, would have quickly exposed him as a Jew to the occupying Nazi SS troops.

He converted to Catholicism and was baptized August 25, 1940, in the first year of the Nazi occupation. After he received a license in Theology from the respected Institut Catholique, and degrees in humanities and philosophy from the Sorbonne on April 17, 1954, he became a priest. On November 10, 1979, John Paul II named him Bishop of Orleans. On January 31, 1981, he succeeded Cardinal Marty as Archbishop of Paris. Lustiger is a defender of human rights, and has delivered many sermons across the globe. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals at the Consistory of February 2, 1983. It was at this time I learned both his parents were Jewish, and began a file on him, having since collected numerous bits and pieces of information concerning his past and present activities. I believe him to be the most energetic, intelligent Cardinal among the 194, and he is highly esteemed among the Arab, Jewish, and European leaders, which is the reason I am presenting this information.

When the Pope made his visit to the Americas in 1997, it was Jean-Marie Lustiger who often stood at his side, and was first seen as being a possible successor. Jean-Louis Missika, co-author of “Choosing God,” a book about the life of Lustiger, calls the cardinal “John Paul’s man in Paris.” Lustiger himself is the author of several Catholic books on theology, and worked with another Cardinal in the rewriting of the Catholic Church Catechism. This document ranks as one the most important documents in the Catholic Church because it is a handbook containing a summary of the principles of the Catholic beliefs, and is used in the indoctrination of all those who come into their rule and faith of practice. It was no accident he was chosen for the rewriting, thanks in no small part to his close relationship with Pope John Paul II, which was also responsible for his rapid rise through the Catholic Church hierarchy. His intelligence and forcefulness are responsible for both pro and con alike agreeing that the success of the World Youth Days Festival in France, much of which Lustiger personally planned, has strengthened Lustiger’s position in the hierarchy.

Lustiger has lectured at Hebrew University in Israel, and knows all the Arab leaders around Israel, most of which attended the burial of the last French President, whose funeral Lustiger conducted in Paris. He has always been patronizing to the people of his birth, saying “I was born Jewish and so I remain.” He has also stated, “For me, the vocation of Israel is bringing light to the goyim. That is my hope and I believe that Christianity is the means for achieving it.” At the 1998 Nostra Aetate Awards and Lecture ceremony, Lustiger presented an address titled “Jews and Christians Tomorrow, in which he stated, “I wish to thank you all for caring to give me the Nostra Aetate Award by associating me with Rabbi Rene-Samuel Sirat, to whom I feel so close in respect and friendship.” During the course of his speech he quoted from both the Old and New Testament. The Scriptures he chose left little doubt as to what he believes concerning the salvation of the soul. He reminded his listeners of Jesus by saying, “You must be perfect because your heavenly Father is perfect,” stating clearly that: “Historical experience shows us that lasting patience and numerous educational efforts are required to appropriate one’s soul.” He is a firm advocate of the Catholic Church not getting into a popularity contest, stating: “I’m sorry Jesus did not have a good public relations office because maybe he wouldn’t have had the bad problem of being crucified.”

During the Roman imperial epoch “consistorium” (to stand together) was used to designate the sacred council of the emperors. In time it came to designate the senate of the Roman pontiff, that is, “the assemblage of the Cardinals in council around the Pope.” Now, it is called the Consistory. At the Consistory, held at Vatican City in 2001, during his address to the body on May 21, Jean-Marie Lustiger warned his fellow Cardinals that the Consistory was not to be considered a club meeting of friends, and if they did not conceive the Catholic Church for what it is, the meeting and its conclusions would be meaningless. He also stated, “She must be considered from human points of view, as one of the institutions of the social body of humanity, but with the eyes of faith, as the Bride of Christ.” His address was entitled, “Pastoral Perspectives of the Church in the New Millennium,” which was the central topic presented by John Paul II to 155 Cardinals in attendance. Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger is dynamic and personable, the author of several books, an outstanding speaker, loved by French intellectuals, with a following among both old and young in the Catholic Church. It has been written that he is the personal pick of the Pope to succeed him, but whether or not that is true I cannot say. His sermons have attracted many enthusiastic listeners. Whenever he says Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral the place is always crammed, and when he walks through the crowd it is a sight to behold. He is the most influential and charismatic Cardinal on the list of 194.

I am not about to predict Jean-Marie Lustiger will be the next Pope. I have presented to you what I have learned about him over the last twenty years. Is he a candidate? Yes. Do I know he is in the top 12 out of 194? Yes. Do I think he will be the next Pope? I don’t know! What do you think? Lord willing, I will continue to tell you what I know about him in Part 2.

Special Prophecy Update Number 151C

December 24, 2003

God’s Greatest Gift – The Kaphar Manger Child

Two Coverings for Sin – O.T. Temporary – N.T. Eternal

II Corinthians 9:15 – Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

The Old Testament word for atonement is the Hebrew word “kaphar,” which simply means, “to cover.” It is constantly and consistently used in reference to covering sin before God so that man may fellowship with him.

When man broke spiritual fellowship with God in Eden, his first action was to attempt to provide a “covering” to hide what he had done before God’s presence. This is the first Biblical example of man’s attempt to save himself from God’s condemnation by his own works.

Genesis 3:7 – And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

But only God can restore man to fellowship with him, and it must be totally by God’s grace, and not by works of man. So God instituted his plan of salvation by grace by promising a Seed, a Messiah, who would be born of a woman to save man by God’s grace.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

And then God provided man a picture of what he would provide as a temporary cover (kaphar) for the sins of those who believed his promise of a seed, until the Seed came and performed the act that would eternally provide a permanent covering (kaphar) for the sins of all those who believed in all the ages before, during, and after his coming. God’s salvation has always been by his grace to all men who would believe the Seed would come to save them by deliverance from God’s condemnation for sin.

Genesis 3:21 – Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

None of the animal blood sacrifices from the first one by Abel to the last one God accepted before Christ declared the Temple Mount to be spiritually desolate, ever took away any sins. The ones who brought them, that had faith in God to send a Savior to deliver them from condemnation for their sins, were saved by grace. Those who brought them in the belief the sacrifice in itself would save them did not have their faith in God’s promise, but in their own ability to reconcile themselves to God.

Hebrews 10:4 – For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

The picture in Genesis of the shedding of innocent blood of animals to provide a covering (kaphar) for man’s sins, had no power of its own, but the one who was coming in a body made by his Father in Mary’s womb, did have the power to provide a permanent covering for all sin.

Hebrews 10:5-10 – Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: [6] In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. [7] Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. [8] Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; [9] Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. [10] By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

When Messiah the Seed’s blood was offered it took away forever the sins of all believers from Genesis to the end of the Millennium. It is a once for all covering (kaphar).

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 152

December 26, 2003

Will 2004 Be a Happy New Year?

I have not mentioned much about the Middle East this month because everything seems headed along the path I have predicted it would since we started this Web Site three years ago. The Israelis are really putting pressure on the Palestinians and seem to be headed for unilateral forced peace with them internally, but whatever sort of peace it is, it will be false and temporary. Since I know this false peace is the prelude for the attack that begins the last three and one-half years of tribulation, and am persuaded the false peace will arrive in 2004, this will be a Happy New Year for me. But whether it does, or does not, each New Year has been happy for me for the last 59 years, and this must certainly continue to be the case. Why? For 59 years I have known the Son who became a servant to save me from what I am, a sinner by birth and by nature.

I Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

THE SON WHO BECAME A SERVANT TO SAVE US!

Part 1 – The Servant

Isaiah 52:13 – Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

The Hebrew word translated as “prudently” is “sakal,” which means: “to be intelligently circumspect.” The Son of God was to walk around the things of this earth being intelligently circumspect of all things he encountered in word, action, and deed.

Luke 2:40 – And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Isaiah 42:1-4 – Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. [2] He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. [3] A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. [4] He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

Christ was not one to toot his own horn as a public figure walking in the streets, lifting himself up as some great one, determined to draw attention to himself. When the Hebrews built their homes using reeds or branches of trees, if one was seen to be bruised, the builder would not use it, and to insure that someone else would not use it by failing to spot the bruise, they would break it and cast it aside. Christ took the bruised and the imperfect that the scribes and Pharisees had rejected, and he uses them to build his kingdom. The rich and affluent Jews would simply throw away the flax wick in their olive oil lamps when they started to smoke, casting them aside as being of no value. But Christ would take those that smoked and trim them to be used to give more light. He takes that which the world rejects and trims it to his divine purposes, and he is the light that shines forth out of each one after he trims them. Christ dealt prudently with all that God gave him, and God exalted him for his work.

Isaiah 52:13 – Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

Isaiah 52:14 – As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

The Hebrew word translated “astonished” is “shamem,” which means: “to stun, to make numb, to be stupefied or devastated by what is seen. “Visage” is “mareh,” which means: “the outward appearance of the thing viewed.” “Marred” is “mishchath,” which means: “disfigured.” “Form” is “toar,’ which means: “outline or shape.”

I included the meaning of all these words in order to be justified in the following statement – Christ had been hit and beaten by so many, and so many times, that he was hardly recognizable as a human.

Micah 5:1 – Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. (See Prophecy Update 62 in our archives for an exposition of this verse).

The following verses bear record of some of the beatings he personally absorbed for our sins that caused him to appear as the barely recognizable body of bleeding flesh on the cross.

Matthew 26:66,67 – What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

John 19:1,2 – Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. [2] And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

Matthew 27:30,31 – And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. [31] And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

And the following verses outline why he absorbed the beating, and took all our sins in his body on the cross.

John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

John 12:32 – And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

John 3:14,15 – And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: [15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Special Prophecy Update Number 152A

December 29, 2003

Who Will Be The Next Pope In Rome – Part 2

In Special Prophecy Update 151B in our Archives I gave an outline of the history of one of the top 12 candidates in the running to be the next Pope, namely, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris. Whether or not he will be the next Pope is anybody’s guess, but I am providing this information in the hope it might be of some value in the event he is selected. Please review 151B, Part 1, before reading Update 152A. The information that follows is merely an addition to that in Part 1.

Lustiger is the author of numerous books, some of which are so popular that they may be found at Wal-Mart. Among his publications are the following: “Choosing God, Chosen by God: Conversations with Jean-Marie Lustiger,” by Lustiger and Walton; “Dare to Believe: Addresses, Sermons, Interviews 1981-1984,” by Lustiger; “The Mass” by Lustiger; “Dare to Rejoice” by Lustiger; and “First Steps in Prayer” by Lustiger.

His publishers and editors describe him as: “One of the most articulate and intriguing voices in the church today in that he provides faith-filled answers to the secular and spiritual questions of today.”

He knows most of the world leaders of Christianity and Islam today, as well as Israeli and Palestinian leaders. He met many of them when he conducted the Memorial Services in Notre Dame cathedral for the former French President Mitterrand in 1996, and the famed undersea explorer and environmentalist Jacques-Yves Closteau in 1997.

Now, Please allow me to reiterate what I stated in Part 1. I do not know who the next Pope will be! Lustiger is one of the top 12 candidates, but I am certainly not saying he will be the winner. If he is the winner, I will continue to watch his activities. Do I think Lustiger is the antichrist or the false prophet? No, I do not, but if he should be selected as the next Pope, I will continue to watch what he does. I have read some of his material, and I find no evidence in it to suggest he is either the antichrist or the false prophet, so until I see tangible evidence of it, I will not change my present opinion. I have offered this material for your consideration in the event I change my mind concerning what I currently believe about him.

Lustiger has close ties with the Lebanese Beatitude Sfier of Lebanon, and the large Catholic population there. The country of Lebanon is the only Arab country that has a population where believers in Christ are the majority. It is going to be very important in the coming year for the Syrians to pull more of their troops out of Lebanon, and to return control of their government back to the people of Lebanon. I am curious to see if he becomes involved in such a process. The coming year is going to produce a French effort to bring Lebanon and Syria into a period of better relationships with the United States and the rest of the western world. Lustiger could play a part in all this due to the strong Catholic ties in Lebanon.

France is making this effort, and Syria is responding, in part to a Syrian Accountability & Lebanese Sovereignty Act imposing sanctions on Syria, which was signed last Friday by President Bush. This Congressional Act calls on the President to ban U.S. sales of weaponry and dual-use items that could be used for civilian or military acts, unless Syria abandons its support for terrorism, pulls its troops out of Lebanon, stops the flow of terrorists into Iraq, and abandons its drive to obtain non-conventional weapons. The Act also calls on the President to impose two or more sanctions from a list of six: an export ban; a ban on U.S. businesses operating in Syria; restrictions on Syrian diplomats in the U.S., exclusion of Syrian-owned aircraft from U.S. airspace; a reduction of diplomatic contacts with Syria; or freezing of Syrian assets in the United States.

The United States presence in Iraq has been a success in shaking up countries like Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, who now understand we can do more than threaten action to occupy. This new Congressional Act and Operation Iraqi Freedom is putting continuing pressure on Syria to straighten up its act in the Middle East. And while I do not believe it will genuinely do so, I do believe they will put forth a counterfeit effort, which may well result in a false peace between Israel and Syria concerning the return of the Golan Heights. I may cover this in the next update if I can discover the results of an Israeli envoys meeting with a Syrian official in Paris last week, whose mission was to probe the intentions of the Syrians in their recent offer to restart negotiations with Israel.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 153

January 2, 2004

The Son Who Became a Servant to Save us!

Part 2 – The Sprinkling Servant

In Prophecy Update Number 153, Part 1, in our Archives, I exposited to the fullest extent on Isaiah 53:13,14. I will now begin to exposit on verse 15, which involves the sprinkling of many nations by the Son of God.

Isaiah 52:13-15A – Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. [14] As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: [15] So shall he sprinkle many nations;

“So,” which begins verse 15, is a conclusion to the shedding of sprinkling blood that caused his body to appear as it did in verse 14. And believers in “many” nations have had their sins covered by that blood sprinkling.

In Genesis 22:18 the promise made to Abraham refers to the same Seed as Genesis 3:15, and its lineage thereafter is primarily linked back to the man Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and Zerubbabel. The Seed is, of course, Jesus Christ, the suffering servant of God, whose heel bruising would include his blood sacrifice on the cross. This was shown in the sacrifice of innocent animal blood, in Genesis 3:21, to provide the temporary covering (kaphar) for sin until the Seed offered the eternal covering for it. Kaphar is the Hebrew word for “that which covers.”

Genesis 22:18 – And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:21 – Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

The Hebrew word for “atonement” is “kaphar,” and it entails sprinkling of the innocent blood to make atonement (a covering) for sin. The Day of Atonement, called Yom Kippur today, was the only day that the High Priest of Israel entered the Holiest of Holies behind the curtain in the Temple to sprinkle the blood on the Ark of the Covenant. Jesus, as the true High Priest of Israel, sprinkled his blood before the presence of God for all nations of the earth. And to all who will receive it as atonement for their sins, he accepts it as the eternal covering that allows them to be his children, and live in his heaven forever.

Leviticus 16:14,15,33,34 – And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. [15] Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: [33] And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. [34] And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Tabernacle and Temple sacrifices were just a picture of what the only true High Priest, Jesus Christ, would do before God to obtain for us a salvation that lasts forever as his eternal act of redemption. God does not save by the shadow, figure, or type, but by the true one who cast the shadow, Jesus Christ. The shadow cast by a man has no power, but is merely a reflection of the one who casts it. We are not saved by shadows, figures, or types of Christ, but are saved personally by Christ through the sprinkling of his blood and offering of his flesh for our sins, by a new and living way.

Hebrews 9:12 – Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 10:17-22 – And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. [18] Now where remission of these is there is no more offering for sin. [19] Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20] By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; [21] And having an high priest over the house of God; [22] Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts SPRINKLED from AN EVIL CONSCIENCE, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Before I was saved by the sprinkling of Christ’s blood as the covering for my sins, I had an EVIL CONSCIENCE continually, but after salvation I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, and when I confess my sins, he is faithful and just to forgive my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. My baptism, like circumcision in the Old Testament, did not save me. Baptism was a figure, a shadow, a picture of what did save me, faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If he had not shed his blood in death for me, been buried with my sins in his own body, and been resurrected as my eternal intercessor in heaven, then I would still be under God’s condemnation for all my sins. Baptism is a picture, a figure, a shadow of his death, his burial, and his resurrection. Baptism in water did not save me, but it was a picture of what had saved me before I entered the baptismal waters. There were many figures of many things in the Tabernacle and Temple practices that had no ability to save, but they all pointed to the only one who could, the Seed, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 9:9,10 – Which was a FIGURE for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; [10] Which stood only in meats and drinks, AND DIVERS WASHINGS, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.

When I was saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ I received a good conscience by the indwelling presence of Christ in the new birth. My water baptism that followed was the answer of my new conscience to God, the submission of my born again spirit to the one who renewed it.

I Peter 3:21 – THE LIKE FIGURE whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the ANSWER of A GOOD CONSCIENCE toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Webster’s Dictionary will tell you that a parenthesis is used to enclose “an additional clause placed as an explanation within an already complete sentence.” The parenthesis in I Peter 3:21 were placed where they are found to let us know it is not the baptism that saves us, but the resurrection of our Savior from the dead to hear our call for salvation.

“The like figure whereupon even baptism doth also now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

One is saved by faith in a resurrected Christ, not by the figure of it pictured in water baptism. Your baptism is your figurative testimony to the world that you believe in the death, burial, and resurrection for your salvation. Salvation by the new birth puts you into the Family of God. Baptism by Scriptural immersion places you in a local, visible, assembly, a church.

Baptism does not put away “the filth of the flesh,” but after one is saved it is the “answer” of obedience to God, which shows a good conscience toward God in their obedience to his command.

It is our faith that God raised him from the dead as our living sacrifice for sin that causes us to call on his name.

Baptism is a figure of what he did for our sins, but it is not the figure that saves us, it is the one whose act is figured, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gentile assembly in Acts 10 received the Spirit before they received water baptism.

Acts 10:47,48 – Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? [48] And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Baptism is the ordinance that places us in a local church by being added to it.

Acts 2:41 – Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

After I received a new heart sprinkled by the blood of Christ from an evil conscience, then my new conscience led me to be immersed by a local church, and in that church, as the word is preached and taught, it washes my daily walk as I practice what the Spirit teaches me from it.

Hebrews 10:22 – Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and OUR BODIES WASHED WITH PURE WATER.

Ephesians 5:26,27 – That he might sanctify and cleanse it WITH THE WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD, [27] That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

John 17:17 – Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

I Timothy 3:14,15 – These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: [15] But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Ephesians 2:22 – In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 153B

January 6, 2004

The Fence, the U.N., The Hague, and God’s Ruling

Last year the United Nations passed a non-binding resolution and asked for a political matter to be referred for consideration in The Hague. The Hague is the seat of the government of the Netherlands and headquarters of the International Court of Justice. Hague Tribunal, or International Permanent Court of Arbitration, is a court established by the first Hague Peace Conference in 1899. It is now supported by some 80 nations. The court supplies arbitrators to decide international disputes submitted to them. After World War I it was supplemented by the World Court and, later, the International Court of Justice. The political matter referred to the International Court of Justice involves the legality, the right, of Israel to construct a security fence or wall around the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The International Court of Justice has scheduled a hearing on the fence for February 23, 2004. The hearing is just the beginning of a very long process, which could take months or a year to complete. The resolution asked the Court to consider the “legal consequences arising from the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying power.” But Israel condemned the decision, saying it is a “cynical manipulation” of an apparatus that is designed to promote world peace in order to further the interests of those supporting terrorism. Israel is worried about judges who will be appointed to preside over the hearing, since two Arabs are currently among those on the Court of Justice, and both of these judges have expressed anti-Israel sentiments in the past. The Foreign Ministry Office is now probing the possibility to have some Israeli judges on the panel. Israel has an international team of legal experts currently in the process of formulating the country’s defense for the February hearing.

By the time the whole court scenario drags itself to a final legal opinion being handed down by the court, the fence should be near completion, and the worst that could happen to Israel over it would be the imposition of sanctions against it, which the United States would probably veto in the Security Council.

The Palestinians would not really have a legal leg to stand on if the fence had been built precisely on the “green line,” which was the border that existed between Jordan and Israel before the 1967 War. But I knew they would dip over and over again inside the “green line” to include Jewish settlements on the Israeli side of the fence, and this may cause the ruling to go against Israel. However, it really doesn’t matter which way the Court decides, because Israel is not going to pay much attention to any ruling that goes against them. This ongoing squabble between Israel and the Palestinians in the International Court of Justice in The Hague will likely get a lot of press coverage in February, but it will only amount to a tempest in a teapot.

The world has decided that Israel has no right to occupy the West Bank or the Gaza Strip, but an International Court of Justice cannot reverse a decision handed down by God. God promised the present territory, now occupied by Israel, to Abraham through his son Isaac, not Ishmael, and the man Jacob, whom God renamed Israel, was the son, the seed, of the man Isaac. The land now occupied by Israel belongs to Israel through the decree of Almighty God.

Genesis 13:14-17 – And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: [15] For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. [16] And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. [17] Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Genesis 15:6,7 – And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. [7] And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

Genesis 17:7,8,19 – And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. [8] And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. [19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Abraham had a son named Ishmael by the Egyptian concubine Hagar, and he made promises concerning him, but the land of Israel was given to the descendants of Abraham through Isaac.

Genesis 17:20,21 – And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. [21] But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

After Sarah’s death Abraham took a wife named Keturah, and had six sons by her, but before his death he gave all that he had to Isaac.

Genesis 25:1,2,5 – Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. [2] And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. [5] And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

And, before his death, Abraham sent those sons who did not come from Sarah into the east country. They are the Arab descendants of Abraham through Ishmael, the six sons of Keturah, and Moab and Ammon, the two sons of Lot by his two daughters that survived Sodom.

Genesis 25:5-8 – And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. [6] But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country. [7] And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years. [8] Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.

And, during the Millennial Reign of the Seed of Jacob, Israel will occupy the east country into which Abraham sent his sons not born of Sarah.

Genesis 15:18 – In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

And the descendants of all who dwelt there at the time of Abraham, as well as the descendants of Abraham who did not come through Sarah, will be subject to the rule of Israel and her returned Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 15:19-21 – The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, [20] And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, [21] And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

In fact, their Messiah will rule over all the earth, and Israel will be the ruling nations of nations under him.

Zech. 14:8,9,11,16 – And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. [9] And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. [11] And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. [16] And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 154

January 10, 2004

The Son Who Became a Servant to Save Us!

Part 3 – The King of Kings

In Update 153, Part 2, in our Archives, I fully exposited on Isaiah 52:13-15A, establishing the servant as being the Son of God, whose true cleansing blood was pictured by the blood sprinkling of the Old Testament priests. He has shut the mouths of kings as the King of kings, and he has brought them down to the level of all men, sinners who also must have a Savior. Kings of the earth are as unable to keep God’s standard of righteousness, seen by bring manifested in the law, as the men of lowest birth. They, along with the poorest of men, have been told of the King no one had ever seen, until he came to save all men that received him as their King. And all men, from the rank of king to beggar, from noble birth to that of a slave, have been put in a position such that they must consider him as King of kings, or reject him as the Son of the Almighty God.

Isaiah 52:13-15 – Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. [14] As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: [15] So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

KINGS SHALL SHUT THEIR MOUTHS AT HIM!

Romans 3:19,20 – Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. [20] Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

THAT WHICH HAD NOT BEEN TOLD THEM SHALL THEY SEE!

Romans 3:21,22 – But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

THAT WHICH THEY HAD NOT HEARD SHALL THEY CONSIDER!

Romans 3:23-29 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. [27] Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. [28] Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. [29] Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

Before the death of God’s suffering servant, King Herod and the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, were put into the position of considering him as the King of Israel, and both rejected him. After his death, King Agrippa and a new Roman Governor, Festus, faced the same decision concerning him, and Agrippa was almost persuaded.

Acts 25:13,22 – And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus. [22] Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. To morrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.

Acts 26:1,22-28 – Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself: [22] Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: [23] That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. [24] And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. [25] But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. [26] For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. [27] King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. [28] Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

THAT WHICH THEY HAD NOT HEARD SHALL THEY CONSIDER!

The kings of this earth have considered it for some 2000 years and, by and large, they, and the governments they rule, have rejected their King and his Kingdom.

Mark 1:14,15 – Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Today, the kings of the earth are still considering and rejecting him, and the governments of this present earth are trying to eliminate the very thought of him, and the word of God, from any sort of public display. They want to break any relationship that man has with God. A day of terrible judgment is coming for all those who do not show honor to the Father by embracing and kissing his Son on the cheek as the King and Savior of their souls.

Psalm 2:2-12 – The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, [3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. [4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. [5] Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. [6] Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. [9] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. [10] Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

John 5:40,41 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. [41] I receive not honour from men.

John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 5:21-24 – For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. [22] For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: [23] That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. [24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 154A

January 12, 2004

The Mysterious Melchisedec

Last week I received a request from someone on our e-mail list asking about Melchisedec, the mysterious personage in the book of Hebrews and Genesis, who is associated with the patriarch Abraham. Before Dr. I.K. Cross, who I consider to be the leading expert on prophecy in our work, published his last book, “O Israel,” he sent me a draft of it, and asked if I would review it to see if I disagreed with anything in it, or would like to made comments, or perhaps add anything to it. After I reviewed it, I sent it back to him, and asked if he would include in it something I believed about Melchisedec. Since I had already read and reread the draft, when the book came out, I did not read it again. Then I loaned my copy out to some preacher, and have not seen hide or hair of it since, so, I must confess somewhat ashamedly, that I do not know whether he included it.

When I finished seminary, on my next trip to Israel, in the late seventies, I came across a Jewish teaching on Melchisedec that intrigued me, and after I had thoroughly considered it, I believed it to be correct. It is true that Mechisedec is a figure of the never-ending priestly line of Christ, but he was a real person, and is used as an example of a priest who passed from life in one world to life in another. Melchisedec was Shem, the reigning Patriarch when Abraham was born, and from whom Abraham descended.

Hebrews 6:19 to 7:3 – Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; [20] Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. [1] For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, AND BLESSED HIM; [2] To whom also Abraham gave A TENTH PART of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; [3] Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made LIKE UNTO the Son of God; ABIDETH A PRIEST CONTINUALLY.

In the episode concerning the comparison of Christ to Melchisedec, two major facets are of paramount importance. And both emphasize that Christ’s priesthood is not of Levi, but of an eternal one that passed from life in this present world into eternal life in the world to come.

1. Christ did not come out of the line of the priesthood from Levi through Aaron. All of those priests lived and died in the age of the earth following the flood. They did not have a continuing life after death to CONTINUALLY INTERCEDE for those to whom they ministered during their lifetime in the age following the flood.

2. Christ came out of the line of the priesthood that lived through the flood, from the pre-flood world into the post-flood word. He came from Shem, who was Melchisedec, and who lived through the flood age world unto the age that followed. The direct son to son descent from Shem (Melchisedec), the Son of Noah, to Judah was by way of Lamech, Methuselah, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who was the father of Judah. Jesus Christ came from the priestly line of Melchisedec as the direct descendent of Judah.

In order to know that Melchisedec was Shem, one must understand part of the patriarchic system about how a patriarch would offer tithes. The oldest living patriarch up to the time of Abraham was looked upon as the greater among them all, and he would not offer tithes to any patriarch of lesser age than himself. Noah died two years before Abraham was born, and Shem had been the reigning Patriarch in the post-flood world all of Abraham’s life when he met him in Genesis 14:18-20. In the language of the Old Testament, the “s” is a “z” and the “c” is a “k” in Melchisedec.

Genesis 14:18-20 – And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. [19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: [20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

When Melchesidec brought forth bread and wine, Noah had been dead some 77 years, and Melchesidec had been the reigning patriarch and priest of the most high God all that time, and continued to be until his death some 75 years later.

In the patriarchic system, the greater, the older, patriarch blessed the younger patriarch, and the younger gave tithes to the older. Melchesidec blessed the younger patriarch Abraham, and Abraham offered tithes to him. Shem lived 150 years after Abraham was born, and 50 years after Isaac was born. Abraham was about 75 years old when he met Shem, the earth’s reigning high priest of the most high God on the planet, and the king of Salem, which some say represents what came to be Jerusalem. So Shem, who was Melchisedec, “was the priest of the most high God.”

The writer of Hebrews constantly uses figures and symbols with which the readers were familiar from the Old Testament. To symbolize the never ending priesthood of Jesus Christ, the writer is quick to point out his priesthood as beginning in this world, but continuing forever in the world to come, a continuous priesthood of never ending intercession for those to whom he ministers. He makes it very plain that he is not to be symbolized with the priests who died in this world, and were not able to continue their intercessory work thereafter for their constituents in the world yet to come. So he associates Christ with the line of Judah, one of the brothers of Levi. Christ, our eternal high priest, passed from life in this present world to eternal life in the new world to come. Shem passed from life in the old world to life in the new world. That is why the writer of Hebrews used him as a figure of a never-ending priesthood. The line of passing from one world to another is the symbol of passing from the pre-flood world to the post-flood world. Shem, as Melchesidec, presents that picture or figure to the earliest readers of Hebrews. The pre-flood world is the old world, and the post-flood world is the new world.

II Peter 2:5 – And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Hebrews 7:14-17 – For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. [15] And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, [16] Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. [17] For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Using the line of demarcation between those who passed through the flood as a picture of passing from death unto life, consider the description of the characteristics of the following verses, as they would apply to Shem when he met Abraham 75 years before his death.

Hebrews 7:3 – Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

WITHOUT FATHER – HIS FATHER NOAH WAS DEAD

WITHOUT MOTHER – HIS MOTHER WAS DEAD

WITHOUT DESCENT – HIS ANCESTORS DIED IN THE FLOOD

HAVING NEITHER BEGINNING OF DAYS – HIS DAYS DID NOT BEGIN IN THE POST-FLOOD DAYS OF THE NEW WORLD

NOR END OF LIFE – HIS LIFE DID NOT END IN THE FLOOD

SHEM WAS MELCHISEDEC, BUT HE WAS ONLY A FIGURE THE WRITER OF HEBREWS CHOSE AS A SYMBOL OF THE ETERNAL PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST FROM THIS LIFE INTO THE NEXT.

The main purpose of Melchesidec was to present Christ as superior to the priesthood of Levi, as well as that of Melchesidec, who died 50 years after Isaac, the promised seed, was born. One of my favorite passages in all of Scripture stems out of the Melchesidec comparisons.

Hebrews 7:23-28 – And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: [24] But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. [25] Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. [26] For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; [27] Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. [28] For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

John 5:24 – Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 155

January 16, 2004

The Son Who Became a Servant to Save Us!

Part 4 – Isaiah’s Report in Romans

Isaiah 52:13 to 53:1 – Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. [14] As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: [15] So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. [1] WHO HATH BELIEVED OUR REPORT? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

The three verses, 13 through 15, immediately preceding verse one, are Isaiah’s report of the Messiah who would come to deliver mankind as God’s suffering Servant and Son. Isaiah’s report is what men must believe in order to be saved by God’s grace. The verses that follow to the end of chapter 53 are a continuation of the report. Both John and Paul refer to it in the New Testament.

John 12:32-38 – And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. [33] This he said, signifying what death he should die. [34] The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? [35] Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. [36] While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. [37] But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: [38] That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, WHO HATH BELIEVED OUR REPORT? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Romans 10:16,17 – But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, WHO HATH BELIEVED OUR REPORT? [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The report is the Gospel in Isaiah. It is by putting faith in a resurrected Christ that men and woman are saved by God’s amazing grace. Christ is revealed to believers by the new birth – those who put their faith in Isaiah’s report by calling upon Jesus’ name to save them. He has ascended to where he was before, but belief in his word is the quickening power of his Spirit on this earth. Isaiah’s report begins in the last part of Isaiah 52 and continues through Isaiah 53. It is the report of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of all who will believe it. In order to be saved one must believe Isaiah’s report. I am saved because I believe the Gospel found in Isaiah. I believed it, and then obeyed it by faith when I called on the name of Jesus Christ to save me.

Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

God quickened my spirit when I believed the word given for that purpose.

John 6:62,63 – What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? [63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

I was quickened by the words of the resurrected last Adam, Jesus Christ, when I believed his word of life, and came to him.

John 5:40 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

I Corinthians 15:45 – And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

He drew me to him by the account given by Isaiah in his report.

John 12:32 – And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

John 14:18 – I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Romans 10:9,10,13 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [13] For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Men and women go to hell “for” only one reason, as Paul makes very clear in Romans 10:16.

Romans 10:16 – But they have not all obeyed the gospel. FOR Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

They do not believe Isaiah’s report and call upon the name of Jesus to save them.

Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 155A

January 18, 2004

Why Israel Has No Choice – The Fence Must Be Completed!

I have consistently maintained for the past four years that Yassar Arafat and his Palestinian Authority do not, and cannot, control the Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and al-Aksa Martyr’s Brigade. The only way the terror groups will stop their activities will be if, and when, they can see it will eventually lead to Israel being lulled into a false sense of security, after which they will be able to kill millions of Jews and drive the rest out of the land Israel claims as its own. Ariel Sharon’s unilateral peace plan has forced the hand of the Palestinians – put up, or shut up, and live in your own state behind a fence surrounded by the State of Israel. The continuous loud screams of protest out of the European Union, China, Russia, the Islamic nations, and the rest of the world are living proof that the fence is the right way to go. I only hope that Ariel Sharon can stay in power long enough to complete it.

Please listen carefully to the words of Hamas leader Mahmoud, who was responsible for the dispatch of the female homicide bomber who blew herself up Wednesday at the Erez Checkpoint in the Gaza Strip: “She is not going to be the last bomber because the march of resistance will continue until the Islamic flag is raised, not only on the minarets of Jerusalem, but over the whole universe.” Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said the use of female suicide bombers marks a change in the movement’s strategy, saying: “For the first time, Hamas used a female fighter and not a male fighter…Resistance will escalate against this enemy until they leave our land and homeland.” What kind of a religion would have a leader who applauds the mother of two young children blowing herself up as a spiritual act of it’s god? And what kind of a faith would universally applaud her act as approved by Allah, and his prophet Mohammad? Thousands marched through Gaza City, and masked gunmen carried her coffin, draped in the green flag. In her eulogy, a Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, stated: “It is not enough to call her a hero. Calling her hero does not give the whole truth. This woman abandoned her husband and children in order to win paradise.” What he stated is correct, according to the Koran. That is why only the return of the Son of God can bring true peace to the earth! The Israeli security official said the Hamas spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, issued a religious edit permitting women to carry out bombings, and that he personally approved Wednesday’s attack.

The account of the attack, as reported by Amos Harel, in the Daily News Alert from Israel, was as follows: “Reem Salah Riashi, the mother of two children, was the first female Hamas suicide bomber, killing four Israelis and wounding 12 others at the Erez checkpoint in Gaza Wednesday. She took full advantage of the weak spots that planners of the attack had identified. When Riashi passed through the metal detectors and set them off, she told the security guard she had metal pins in her leg. She even lifted her dress slightly to show the guard a bandage. At one point the bomber began to cry, lying on the floor and begging to be let through. A female guard was called to conduct a physical examination. When the guard turned away to find gloves for the examination, the bomber was able to advance some 13 feet into the terminal and detonated the belt she was wearing in the midst of a group of guards.” She died in order to kill and maim. The guards died trying to protect their people from terror. Her family disowned her. Her brother-in-law condemned her actions, saying, “I support peace.” The guard’s families mourned for them.

If this woman had been able to penetrate the check point, and make it into Israel proper, then plan “B” would probably have been to produce a much greater number of fatalities in a more crowded area. One cannot completely eliminate all acts of terror in Israel with the fence, but it will certainly drastically reduce the number and severity of them. The only thing that will stop the building of this fence is the complete cessation of all terrorist activities and the dismantling of the terrorist groups, and if that happens, then I will expect six inches of snow in Miami, Florida on July 4, 2004.

I apologize for issuing so many articles on this fence, but I have been convinced since its inception that is the catalyst that will lull Israel into a false sense of security, one way or the other. And when this false sense of security leads Israel to begin to think it has “peace and safety” to the extent they actually begin to say it then, after a relatively short period of false peace, they will be attacked from the north in a surprise Jihad.

Romans 11:32 – For God hath concluded them all (Israel) in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

Romans 11:25 – 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.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they (Israel) shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

I have been waiting for a geological survey of Jerusalem to be completed for three years. The results are in and I could not be more delighted. It confirms everything I have written about Jerusalem’s coming quake! I will cover the report, and its significance to coming prophetic events, in my next update, Lord willing.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 155B

January 20, 2004

Jerusalem Earthquake Damage Greatest at Temple Mount

A survey, commissioned by the Jerusalem municipality three years ago, has just been concluded. It was initiated by city engineer Uri Sheerit, at a cost pf NIS 400,000, to help draw up the city’s future construction plans, and was carried out by the Israel Geological Institution. This was the first such survey conducted for the city of Jerusalem in modern times and gave clear evidence the Temple Mount at the Old City would be the worst hit in Jerusalem. The old city itself with its underground caves and tunnels, and a north-south fault scarp just west of the Wailing Wall, is the most unstable zone in the environ. Among the other neighborhoods that were described as high risk areas are the city’s southeastern regions extending into the old city of David, including Emek Refaim, Abu Tor, Bakaa, and East Talpiot. Several Arab villages on the outskirts of the city were also included in the danger zones. The survey indicated that the Temple Mount and its surrounding area have “a highly sensitive geological location, as well as problematic infrastructure that could destabilize the land during an earthquake.” (See Birth Pangs Figures 41 to 49 and Birth Pangs 24 to 27 in Archives on Menu)

There was a major earthquake in Jerusalem in the days of King Uzziah that burned a vivid remembrance in the minds of Israelis for hundreds of years, the earthquake recalled dramatically with the warning of another future major earthquake by Zechariah in the Old Testament.

Zechariah 14:5 – And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

And there was an earthquake of less intensity than that of Uzziah’s day when Christ was crucified, which was associated with the ripping of the veil of the temple from the top to the bottom, forever opening the way into the holy of holies, into the presence of God, by the crucifixion of his Son for the sins of all who would believe in him as the propitiation for their sins.

Matthew 27:50,51 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. [51] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

Some five major earthquakes have occurred in the Jerusalem environs since the resurrection of Christ. The last large earthquake in the area was in 1927, when a magnitude 6.3 quake struck Jericho and the Jordan River valley. The Jordan River was dammed up for several hours at the Biblical location of Adam by landslides in the upper Jordan during this cycle of shakings. This is likely when the cracks in the Al-Aksa Mosque compound’s outer wall occurred, which some researchers claim is in danger of collapsing. This earthquake also damaged the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is built around a skull-shaped rock outcropping of Cenomanian limestone that most experts believe was where Christ was crucified. Some Israeli scientists have warned that another major quake will strike Jerusalem within the next 50 years.

The Great Rift Valley, which I have surveyed from the western base of Mount Herman in the Golan Heights to the valleys of Ethiopia and the Plains of Kenya, is the major culprit in the production of all earthquakes in Israel. If you will peruse the large number of diagrams we have made available in our Birth Pang Archives, and read Birth Pang Updates 21 to 48, it will give you a very thorough briefing on it. The Great Rift in the earth’s crust runs for 3,000 miles between Syria and Mozambique, and passes on both sides of the Dead Sea, below Jerusalem’s eastern hills. Another fault line runs from the northwest to the southeast beginning at the Port of Haifa, continuing past the Tel of Megiddo (Armageddon), and finally intersecting the Jordan River east of Nablus. It is in this valley the Bible indicates the hottest part of the final battle of Armageddon will be fought.

The researchers used computers to map the subterranean stratigraphy of the Jerusalem environs. They mapped the topography, geology, soil, and subterranean labyrinth of complex tunnels, caves, and many old cisterns.

The conclusion of the report was that “the Temple Mount at the Old City would be the worst hit part of Jerusalem if a serious earthquake were to strike the capital.” All of the experts are certain that an earthquake of at least the same magnitude as the one that devastated the Iranian city of Bam recently will, sooner or later, hit Israel. The earthquake prediction model for Israel, completed last year, indicates that the rift valley of Israel is due for a big one. The Scriptures also indicate the same thing! I believe it will not be too long before the dead bodies of the two end time witnesses will lie in the city of Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified, and that the first of a long series of Jerusalem earthquakes will occur.

Revelation 11:8-13 – And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. [9] And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. [10] And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. [11] And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. [12] And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. [13] And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The tenth part of Jerusalem that will fall is the section to the east of the N-S scarp bluff fault that lies some 90 yards to the west of the Wailing Wall. This is a weaker structural zone of Turonian limestone than the Cenomanian limestone to the west of the fault scarp. Please check our diagrams in the Birth Pangs Archives on the Menu. This is the same danger area the latest survey identified.

Zechariah 14:10 – All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the

corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses.

Zechariah 14:4 – And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Revelation 16:18,19 – And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Revelation 22:20 – He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 155C

January 22, 2004

Mel Gibson’s Film – The Passion of Christ

The soon to be released Mel Gibson film, “The Passion of the Christ,” is reportedly a vivid description of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s physical life. Many oppose the release of this film in February.

Since his crucifixion he has been both loved and hated by countless billions. Those who receive his light have the condemnation of God for sin lifted from them, and love him for it. But those who will not receive his light, hate it, speaking evil of any type of sacrifice for their sin condition, and thereby remain eternally under the condemnation of God. Those who receive his light are passed from the sentence of spiritual death into the light of eternal life.

John 3:17-20 – For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

John 5:24 –Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall NOT come into condemnation; but IS PASSED from death unto life.

Those who will not come to his sacrifice, as the complete offering for their sins, despise and reject him. They hide their faces from his light, and esteem him not. That is why there is so much controversy over the film, and why most of the film producers want nothing to do with it.

Isaiah 53:3 – He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Although I have not seen the film myself, based on what I have read concerning it, I do recommend to those, who are not afraid to look upon what may be a reasonably close representation of what Christ suffered for our sins, to make an effort to see it when it is released. If Gibson matches the detailed description that Isaiah gave of it, I can assure you it will never be erased from your mind, and you will be more thankful to Jesus for what he did to deliver you from the condemnation of God for your sins. He took upon himself the role of a SERVANT and suffered the horror of Isaiah 52:14, for which he was exalted, extolled, and made very high.

Philippians 2:7-10 – But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a SERVANT, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Isaiah 52:13,14 – Behold, MY SERVANT shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. [14] As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

The meaning of some of the Hebrew words in this story of Christ’s crucifixion, written some 730 years before it occurred, are as follows.

Astonished = shamem = stunned, stupefied to the point of numbness.

Visage = Mareh = the view presented to the eyes of the outward appearance of the object viewed.

Marred = mischath = disfigured by destructive action.

Form = toar = appearance of the normal outline.

To summarize, the appearance of his bodily outline, after his many whippings and hand beatings, was disfigured to such a degree that the view presented to those who saw him on the cross, stupefied them to numbness.

Why was it necessary for him to go through all of this unbelievable horror and punishment?

Romans 3:23 – For ALL HAVE SINNED, and come short of the glory of God;

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded FOR OUR transgressions, he was bruised FOR OUR iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Why was it necessary for him to go through all of this unbelievable horror and punishment?

Romans 3:10 – As it is written, THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE:

Galatians 3:21,22 – Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for IF there had been a law given which could have given life, verily RIGHTEOUSNESS should have been by THE LAW. [22] But the scripture hath concluded ALL under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Philippians 3:9 – And be found in him, not having mine OWN righteousness, which is OF THE LAW, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God BY FAITH:

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

Romans 3:21-28 – But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; [22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: [23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; [24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: [25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; [26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. [27] Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. [28] Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Galatians 3:16-18 – Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. [17] And this I say, that THE COVENANT, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, THE LAW, which was four hundred and thirty years AFTER, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. [18] For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Romans 4:3 – For what saith the scripture? Abraham BELIEVED God, and IT was COUNTED UNTO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

So man has two very serious problems, he is sinful and he has no righteousness of his own. He cannot be in the presence of the sinless and righteous God as a sinner, or as an unrighteous person.

WHAT IS GOD’S SOLUTION TO MAN’S PROBLEM?

Hebrews 9:24-26 – For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: [25] Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; [26] For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now ONCE in the end of the world hath he appeared TO PUT AWAY SIN by the SACRIFICE of HIMSELF.

Romans 4:6-9 – Even as David also describeth the BLESSEDNESS of the man, unto whom God IMPUTETH RIGHTEOUSNESS without works, [7] Saying, Blessed are they whose INIQUITIES (plural) are forgiven, and whose SINS (plural) are covered. [8] BLESSED is the man to whom the Lord WILL NOT IMPUTE SIN.

Hebrews 9:27,28 – And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: [28] SO Christ was ONCE offered TO BEAR THE SINS OF MANY; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time WITHOUT SIN unto salvation.

The ones to whom he will appear are those who believe he put away all their sins, giving them his righteousness! I am among the “MANY” whose sins he bore. When he was on the cross all my sins were future. I am one of the grateful “BLESSED” whose “INIQUITIES” and “SINS” are covered by his blood sacrifice, and to whom he will ONLY impute “RIGHTEOUSNESS.” He will not impute any sin that would place me back under his condemnation from sin, from which I was removed when he passed me from the state of spiritual death into the state of eternal life.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 156

January 24, 2004

The Son Who Became a Servant to Save Us!

God’s Plant of Renown Ends a Spiritual Famine – Part 5

I fully exposited on Isaiah 53:1 in Prophecy Update 155, and will now exposit on the one figured as “the arm of the Lord” in verse 1, and as a miraculous plant in verse 2.

Isaiah 53:1,2 – Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

“HE SHALL GROW UP BEFORE HIM AS A TENDER PLANT, AND AS A ROOT OUT OF A DRY GROUND”

It was thought impossible for a plant to grow continually out of a ground void of the slightest trace of moisture, and it was considered impossible for the dry womb of a virgin to grow a child without a male sperm. But God overshadowed the Virgin Mary, and the man-child Christ Jesus was conceived as his Son in her womb. I believe the reports found in Isaiah and Luke concerning his virgin birth.

Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Luke 1:34,35 – Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? [35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And the child grew up as a tender plant before God, his Father, who was well pleased with him.

Luke 2:40 – And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Matthew 3:17 – And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

After reaching manhood, and then completing a ministry for his Father among the people to whom he had been sent, they delivered him to the Gentiles, who crucified him. And for this the Son declared the Temple of his Father to be desolate, and advised Israel they would not see him again until he returned at his Second Advent.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

As he hung on the cross, there was darkness over all the land from noon until mid-afternoon.

Matthew 27:45 – Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

Amos wrote of this occurrence long before it happened, and for almost 2000 years Israel has continued to be spiritually desolate before the Lord. There has been a genuine famine of the word of God among them for not receiving the Son of God as their Messiah. Amos wrote almost 800 years in advance of his crucifixion what the afternoon of the day of his death would be like, and how eventually all of their many feasts would become days of mourning at a wailing wall behind their destroyed temple.

Amos 8:9-11 – And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: [10] And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. [11] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

But when Messiah returns at his Second Advent they will receive him as Messiah, and he will be the plant of great renown that feeds them the living word of God. The spiritual famine of the word will be ended in Israel. Jesus is the plant of renown that is a tree of life to those who are fed by his word. He will feed them his word throughout his reign.

Ezekiel 34:29-31 – And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. [30] Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. [31] And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.

The small church, a little flock, that followed him for more than three years, was fed with the living word of God straight from his lips.

Luke 12:32 – Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Today he has many small local churches, little flocks, and he feeds them from the written word that came from his lips, which was written as it was recollected by them as the Spirit brought it to remembrance.

John 10:16 – And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Romans 11:5 – Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Ephesians 2:22 – In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

HE HATH NO FORM, NOR COMELINESS: AND WHEN WE SHALL SEE HIM, THERE IS NO BEAUTY THAT WE SHOULD DESIRE HIM.

He did not take upon himself manly beauty that would have attracted woman, nor did he take on the outer look of a mighty man to gain the approval of men. Men and women received him by what he spoke, and by a conduct that matched what he taught.

Philippians 2:7 – But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

John 17:4,5 – I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. [5] And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Philippians 2:9-11 – Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Acts 4:12 – Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 156A

January 26, 2004

Good Ole Days Changed to Bad Days That Get Worse!

I recently received a query from someone asking me if I knew anything about the Venona Cables. They were encrypted Soviet diplomatic notes and messages from the thirties and early forties. The U.S. Army Signal Security Agency began decoding them in early 1943. The NSA (National Security Agency) came out of the ASSA long before I became a part of it, so the Venona Program was well before my time. My first contact with Soviet intercept was from an AACS North African element in what was then French Morocco, from which I plotted MESRAN intercepts in 1952 and 1953. However, the query did bring back a lot of memories of the time I spent in the Holy Land and the Middle East. It amazes me how much has changed for the worst since I was there in 1952 and 1953.

David Ben Gurion was the Israeli Prime Minister when I first came to the Middle East in 1952, and he left his position after I departed the zone in 1953. I remember that he called for settlements in the Negev while I was there, which was the first time I knew anything about the wilderness that was the Negev, and he went to Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev when he left the government the first time. Later, I visited his gravesite in the Negev, where he died in 1973. Remember Joseph Stalin – He died two months before I left the Middle East. Three years after I left, the French and British attacked Abdul Nassar, Head of the United Arab Republic, because of his attempt to take over the Suez Canal, and asked Israel to help them, which it did, advancing into Gaza and the Sinai. Because of this help, the French developed a nuclear reactor at Dimona in the Negev for Israel, from which Israel developed its first atomic bomb. And, the year after I left, the U.S. gave assistance to the Shah of Iran in ascending to the throne. The Prime Minister of Iran, Muhammad Misaddiq, was overthrown with American aid. A military coup had taken place in Syria just before I arrived in the Middle East. It was led by a group of Syrian officers, and Shishakli took power in Syria. Syria was pro-western while I was there, but turned to the Soviet Union a year after I left. King Faisal assumed the Iraqi throne the year I left the Middle East, and Saddam Hussein would have been 16 years old. Osama bin Laden was born of a Syrian mother four years after I left the Middle East. So to sum up all I have written in this paragraph – those were the good ole days in the area known as the Middle East. Many of the Arab countries were pro-western primarily because of their leaders. Of course, they all hated Israel, and will continue to do so until the Lord comes. The Middle East of today is the biggest mess of political, military, religious, and economic instability that I have observed in my 52 years of observing it. The foreign intrigue that goes on behind the scenes is matched only by the intrigue between the Arab states. Anyone who claims to understand all this is engaged in self-deception. I do not pretend to understand it all, and if I did not have Scriptures that predict the final outcome of it all, I would have no hope of understanding any of it.

So what is happening now in the Middle East that is interesting enough to be noteworthy, since the Arab leaders have been shaken up by the forces of the coalition invading Iraq, is as follows:

1. The Syrian President, Bashar Assad, has progressively withdrawn many of his earlier demands as pre-negotiation conditions. He now appears ready to negotiate from scratch, rather than beginning at the point they broke off with the Ehud Barak administration. It appears he is now ready to negotiate a peace with Israel if the Golan Heights issue can be resolved. The ball now seems to be in Israel’s court for the moment.

2. The Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon may be charged with some part in a scandal involving his sons, and no one is certain which way it will go, but even if the worst should happen his party would probably stay in power. Negotiating with Syria doesn’t seem to be on his agenda of important things at the moment. I think he sort of likes to see Syria squirm with American troops along their long eastern border with Iraq.

3. Everybody except Israel is screaming about the security barrier wall that is being built around the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It appears that Hades and high water won’t stop Israel from building it. The screaming will get louder and louder, but none of those screaming are being bombed by homicide bombers from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade.

4. Kurds, Shia, Sunni, and countless other smaller ethnic groups in Iraq are screaming for self-government ASAP, and for a very good reason. As soon as the elections are over, and our troops pulled out, they will assassinate whoever they vote in, have a grand ole ethnic blood bath, and divide Iraq into three sections, all three of which will still despise Israel, and hate Americans in varying degrees.

5. Iran is playing a game of hide and seek with the UN Agency group seeking to discover how actively they are pursuing development of enriched uranium, which would be necessary for the development of highly destructive thermonuclear warheads for their ballistic missiles.

I liked it better in the good old days, when all the Arab states played us, and the Soviet Union off against one another, and when both of us played the role of a sugar daddy to get them to adopt our type of government, democracy or communism. Finally, the Soviet Union ran out of money in its far flung drive to spread communism by sugar daddy grants and loans to all the countries they were trying to influence, and we became number one in power standing across the globe. Quite frankly, how much better off are we? Every one likes Sara Lee, but nobody likes number one. I am certainly thankful to live in a free country and to be an American, and I guess I would rather be number one, since that is, at least to some extent, part of the requirement to insure our security. Maybe I have lived too long, but at this stage in my life, the most important freedom I have is the freedom my soul has in Jesus Christ, and in the certainty he will soon bring all this mess man has made to a conclusion in which I will eternally rejoice.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 156B

January 28, 2004

The Great Three-Ring Circus – Past and Present!

Some kids have a funny way of watching events and the participants they see performing in them. As a very young boy my parents used to take me to the circus when it would set up in Woodruff County. There was a very large tent called the “big top” which covered three rings in a row under its canopy. The center ring was where the super duper performers, such as the trapeze artists did the spectacular acts, and lesser performers like the clowns performed in the other circles. I am at times considered weird because I love to anticipate the timing aspect of things difficult to predict, but most certainly will eventually occur. I always watched the man that carried the shovel. I really never expected the Lion to attack one of the trainers, although that does happen on very rare occasions. And I never really expected to see the male trapeze artist drop the beautiful girl on the ground when they were not using a net. And I always knew a large number of clowns would emerge from a very small vehicle. But I knew the man carrying the shovel would eventually use it, and I always tried to predict when he would use it by watching the actions of the elephants he was following.

The Middle East three-ring circus is a lot like the ones of my youth. One sees the acts of the super duper performers in the main ring being played out by different types of actors, and the acts of the less important persons in the other two rings strutting their stuff, but I keep watching the men that carry the shovels that are placing a security fence around the West Bank and Gaza Strip. And I am trying to estimate when they will dip out the final foundation ditch of the last concrete block, because I believe it will be possible to make a reasonable guess as to when the false peace will come in and then abruptly end with the beginning of the last three and one-half years of the tribulation period. It now appears that one-third of the 400 plus mile encirclement has been completed. I only watch events in the three rings to attempt to determine how they will accelerate or slow the security wall completion.

At present, in the center ring, the super duper performers are the Israel Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and Israel State Prosecutor Edna Arbel, who reported last week that she is in favor of indicting Sharon, and would so recommend in about two weeks time. Then, on Monday she said that an indictment against a public official requires his immediate resignation, even if the law does not specifically require it. And she told an audience at the Herzliya interdisciplinary center that at the moment evidence does exist indicating corruption, from which an indictment must follow. But the Justice Ministry said in a statement responding to her statements, that no decision had been made yet regarding Sharon, with officials noting that a final decision in the case will likely be made by the incoming attorney-general, Deputy Attorney-General Manny Mazoz, and not by Arbel alone. Mazoz is due to take up his position next week. If Sharon is indicted, the men with the shovels will still keep walking along the fence, but at a slower pace, and the final shovel will not be dipped out as soon as it would have been without the indictment.

In one of the other rings the Hamas performers are trying to get Israel to accept a ten-year truce offer from them, provided they pull out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. By the time you get this update that act will have been laughed out of the “big top” by the Israelis. Hamas put on the act knowing Israel would never accept it. Most of the acts in the two outer rings will have no effect on the completion date of the barrier wall. This act will be finished quickly, and will be replaced by the Israel team spearheading Israel’s defense of its security barrier at the International Justice Court in the Hague, which has hearings scheduled for February 23. The Israeli legal team met early this week at the office of PM Bureau Chief Dov Weisglass. Weisglass met last week with our National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice to review Hague hearings. The United States opposed the UN decision to refer the barrier issue to the Hague Court. It seems likely that President Bush will met with Sharon on this issue ahead of the court proceedings. It is likely that the U.S. will submit to the court its opposition to the court’s hearing of the security barrier case, and will argue it prefers that this issue be dealt with in negotiations between the parties involved. The U.S. will promote this position among some nations likely to accept it, and several European nations seem likely to support it. It seems unlikely that the EU can reach a unanimous decision on it. I do not expect this activity in an outer ring to affect the shoveling rate of the men on the barrier wall construction. You will probably hear Israel keep saying the security barrier is negotiable, however, they do not mean the elimination of it, or the stopping of the men carrying the shovels, but that they are willing to negotiate the precise path it will following, and might be willing not to cut so far inside the “green line” as they build it. They are not willing to negotiate the building of it, only how many settlements of their own people they are willing to leave inside it.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in the third ring under the Middle East “big top,” we have our terrorist loving good buddy Syria. According to a recent interview with Dr. David Kay, the former head of the coalition’s hunt for Iraqi’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD), he stated that he had been unable to discover any WMD still in Iraq. However, according to an article in the U.K. Telegram by Con Coughlin early this week, Dr. Kay said he had uncovered evidence that unspecified materials had been moved to Syria shortly before last year’s war to overthrow Saddam. He said, “We are not talking about a large stockpile of weapons, but we know that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam’s WMD Program. Precisely what went to Syria, and what has happened to it, is a major issue that needs to be resolved.” I reported the possible transfer of WMD material to Syria from Iraq last year in our Prophecy Archives. And Dr. Kay’s remarks are sure to add pressure on Syria by the U.S. to come clean on its WMD Program, but President Assad of Syria has made it clear that Syria is entitled to defend itself by acquiring its own biological and chemical weapons arsenal. At no time did I ever believe that Saddam had been able to produce atomic bombs, but there is no question he did possess chemical and biological WMD. How many of these two WMD he possessed initially, and how many he actually destroyed, I never pretended to know, but I know he did not destroy all of them, and I have a strong suspicion that the bulk of what he had was transported across the Syrian border when the coalition attack was about to begin. Syria increased its 2003 military budget by 40 percent over the previous year. At present Syria and Israel are playing a diplomatic game of cat and mouse on negotiations for the Golan Heights that are primarily to get the attention of the circus spectators in order to let them see who is wearing the black hat as the bad guy, and who has the white hat to mark him as the good guy. The activity, which is occurring in the third ring, as outlined in this paragraph, will cause the men that carry the shovels to increase their rate of digging the foundations for the security barrier. Israel wants to have this wall in place before transfer of any part the Golan Heights actually occurs.

Growing up in Woodruff County was quite an experience. Perhaps some of you old geezers from that area remember the “White River Monster.” About every three or four years someone would report seeing it surface out of the White River. Then my Dad and Mom would go with the rest of the crowd down to the old saw mill on the river bank at Augusta, packing a picnic lunch, and we would set all day in the saw dust, waiting to see if the White River Monster might surface. It was hot and sticky, but for a five-year old boy, it was very exciting. Every log floating down the river raised excitement in my young heart. Now, here I am by the Arkansas River waiting for a monster called the antichrist to surface in the Middle East, and my old 71-year old heart is hoping it will be soon. There are lots of Middle East logs that float by to catch my attention, but soon I will see the Middle East monster arise, and it will have been worth the wait, because it will herald the arrival of my Savior. Usually, around five PM, we would pack up and go home. I am looking forward to the time when I won’t be interested in waiting for the Middle East monster, and can pack up and go to my permanent home. Up until I retired from USAFNSA, I always had a “permanent home address” listed in my records. It was the same for more than twenty years, from 1951 to 1971 – it was 2507 West 12^th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72205. The house isn’t there anymore, so I can’t go home. But I have had a permanent home with my name listed in heaven for 59 years, and it will always be there. The word, that is translated as “conversation” in Philippians 3:20, is a Greek word that means your political home. I am a “yellow dog” Christian, who would not change parties even if I could. For those who don’t know what the expression “yellow dog” means, it simply means that some voters would vote for a old yellow dog named Rover if he ran on their party’s ticket. I will always vote for Jesus because he is the Head of God’s Party, and the head of the local church.

Philippians 3:20,21 – For our conversation (Greek – political home) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [21] Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 157

January 30, 2004

The Son Who Became A Servant to Save Us – Part 6

The horrifying Thursday homicide bus bombing in Jerusalem, near the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s official residence, is likely to end up with a death count in excess of ten, and some three dozen having injuries in the severe to minor categories. I believe this is the straw that broke the camel’s back. And I strongly suspect this will result in the United States scrapping its original “Road Map to Peace Plan,” to switch over to Ariel Sharon’s “Unilateral Disengagement Peace Plan,” which I have discussed in numerous previous Prophecy Updates. This latest homicide bombing was particularly bloody with body parts blown everywhere, and it will have far-reaching consequences in the temporary opinions of non-Arab countries concerning the building of the wall. Lord willing, in Prophecy Update Number 157A, I will cover the consequences in detail that I am persuaded it will produce to affect the world prophetic scenario.

I have already exposited fully on Isaiah 53:1,2 in Updates 155 and 156. I will limit this Update to an exposition of verse 3.

Isaiah 53:1-3 – Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. [3] He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

“HE IS DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN;”

He was despised and rejected that those he saved might be loved and accepted. Humans crave ACCEPTANCE, and despise REJECTION. There was great joy when we were accepted by the one we sought to marry because we loved them, and we wanted them to return our love. It would be hard to describe a greater feeling of depression than one whose love is rejected by the ones they love, but even though Jesus was rejected by men, he loved them to such an extent that he still died for them.

Ephesians 1:6,7 – To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. [7] In whom WE HAVE redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

We should gaze attentively upon the great faith of Jesus, who had such faith in his Father’s promise of the great joy that was to follow his suffering, he endured it all, so that he could sit in heaven, as the intercessor for all who would put their faith in him to do so, for the forgiveness of all their sins. He did not resist the taking of the life from his blood so that he might give eternal life to us. The word translated “looking” in the following verse has the meaning “to gaze attentively on to grasp the meaning of why he did what he did.”

Hebrews 12:2-4 – Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [3] For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. [4] Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

When we do gaze attentively upon the character of the man who did this out of love for us, to deliver us from the condemnation we were under because of sin, it makes it easier for us to look past our weariness to the day we will experience the eternal joy he purchased for us with his blood.

Galatians 6:9-11 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. [10] As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. [11] Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.

The degree to which they rejected and despised him is well described in the verses that follow.

John 19:14-17 – And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! [15] But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. [16] Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. [17] And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

Matthew 27:39-43 – And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, [40] And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. [41] Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, [42] He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. [43] He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

He could have called down myriads of angels to deliver him from the spite and rejection he received at the hands of brutal men, but he endured it all so that we might be restored to spiritual peace with his Father through the full atonement, which he made for us by his blood being poured out as the offering for our sins.

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

I Peter 2:22-25 – Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: [23] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: [24] Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. [25] For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

He had a mission, a ministry, to finish for our salvation, and he finished it by fulfilling ALL of the law for us, and taking ALL our sins in his own body at Golgotha.

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

And HE fulfilled and finished ALL of it, for ALL who would believe it, on the cross at his agony of Golgotha.

John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Colossians 2:13-15 – And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

I Corinthians 15:57,58 – But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Revelation 22:12 – And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 157A

February 1, 2004

The Fence and Israel’s Unilateral Forced Peace Plan!

The homicide bombing Thursday of a Jewish bus, which occurred near Israel Prime Minister Sharon’s official residence, will probably have a final death count of eleven along with four-dozen wounded. I believe this will cause the United States to give Israel the green light on Sharon’s unilateral forced peace plan, and means the end of our “Road Map to Peace Plan,” which I suspect we will drop in favor of Sharon’s plan of a disengagement from the Palestinians. The severity of this attack will, for a brief period, cause the non-Islamic world to back off briefly from its intense criticism of the fence, and of Sharon’s plan, but they will return to their criticism of both within a week. Bret Stephens, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, ran to the scene, and described it in all its full horror, “There was glass everywhere, shoes, feet, pieces of guts – and there were pieces of bodies everywhere.” Sharon’s spokesman, Raanan Gissin, said the attack illustrated why Israel is building a separation barrier in the West Bank – Israel says the structure is needed to keep suicide bombers out of Israel. He said, “The rest of the world should sit back and let us do what we need to defend ourselves,” as quoted by the associated press in the New York Times.

The United States has announced opposition to the International Court of Justice at The Hague holding hearings on the legality of the security barrier being constructed by Israel around the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The United States, Australia, and U.K. officially oppose the right of the court to conduct hearings on the matter, even though they have not supported the building of the fence, but consider the U.N. request for a hearing by the ICJ as the wrong way, at the wrong time, and certainly ill-advised. This latest horrifying homicide bombing will add fuel to the validity of their case, and will sway more of the European nations to their side, with the European Union now likely to come out in favor of the U.S. position. I would estimate, before the ICJ hearing opens, some 35 non-Arab nations will come out officially in opposition to the ICJ rendering a decision on the building of the barrier.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has met with Giora Eiland, the chairman of the National Security Council, and given him instructions for creation of a “security line,” to which Israel will withdraw as part of the overall plan for disengagement from the Palestinians. The Prime Minister’s office has been meeting with Eiland at least once a week and has been following the formulation of the plan with great scrutiny. Last week Eiland, for the first time, convened an inter-ministerial “disengagement committee,” and named four separate teams in its makeup – security, economic, legal, and humanitarian, which will work out the various aspects of the plan. I do believe that a considerable effort will be made by the Israelis to promote free trade with the new Palestinian state once they form it by their policy of disengagement from them. So, with the Palestinians fenced inside the new Palestinian state, it will be very difficult for terrorists to penetrate out of it, or to breach its entrance checkpoints, which will be heavily guarded by highly trained Israeli security screening experts. Although the screening will be intense and thorough, Israel will encourage free trade and labor via the entrances. I am sure Israel will establish special border passages where only laborers and trade goods can cross, and the strictest imaginable screening will be employed at these entrances. Once disengagement has finally been accomplished, look for the fur to fly in the enclosed Palestinian state between Hamas and the P.A. – Hamas will attempt to take over control from the Palestinian Authority, and they could be successful. It is even conceivable that the P.A. might have to ask Israel to come in and bail them out, if it appears they were about to lose the battle, but all that, I confess, is highly speculative. The P.A, is weaker now than at any time in its history, which might finally lead them to the peace table with Israel, and cause them to drop their objections to the wall if Israel will help them defeat Hamas and the other terrorist groups, but that also is highly speculative. The building of the security barrier wall has “forced” a lot of problems to the surface, and indirectly, or directly, will eventually produce a “forced” peace on the Palestinians.

Once the barrier wall has been completed, and the disengagement from the Palestinians has been accomplished, then, for the first time since Titus destroyed Jerusalem, Israel will begin to feel false security, which will cause it to say, “peace and safety.”

Luke 21:24 – And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4,9 – 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. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. [9] For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The legal and economic teams are supposed to examine the implications of withdrawing from settlements, and will come up with a proposal for compensation for settlers to the moved, including the legislation required for moving settlements.

Prime Minister Sharon wants to have a relatively well-formulated plan ready for meetings he has planned for this month with top administration officials in Washington. Sharon will present a more detailed plan than the one presented to the U.S. officials in Washington by his bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, when he visited the White House last month.

The Arabs need a scapegoat to unite their people under heartless regimes headed by heartless dictators. They give them no real freedom, jail them, torture them, and manipulate them, but they use Islamic teachings to drive them to homicide bombings, and to a greater hatred for the U.S. as the big Devil and Israel as the little Devil, such that they become in their minds greater devils than their cruel rulers. The Arab world needs Israel to keep their people’s hatred directed toward Israel rather than their own leaders. The Arab world could be represented by an Islamic leader going to a psychiatrist with a huge green bull frog sitting on his head that represented Israel. Before the Arab leader could say a word, the highly intelligent psychiatrist blurred, “Oh, I see your problem,” but was very shocked to hear the frog reply, “Yes, it is obvious, I can’t get this man to get out from under my feet.” The Arabs need the Israelis, but the Israelis don’t need them – Arabs don’t want to give up their object of hate. The Israelis have wanted to get out of Arab hair entanglement for 55 years, and have given Arabs unbelievable incentives to do so. In 2000, Israel offered to give up the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and most of East Jerusalem, which was refused, which offers living proof that the problem is not with Israel, it is with the hatred of the Islamic Arab world for them. The frog is going to remain entangled in the man’s hair until Jesus comes and Israel receives Abraham’s promised land grant through Isaac and Jacob, whom God renamed Israel.

Genesis 15:18 – In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Ezekiel 47:17 – And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.

Ezekiel 47:19 – And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.

Israel has a terrifying brief period of time to go through, namely the time of three and one-half years of great tribulation, before it receives the land promised by God to Abraham through Isaac. This time is looming in its future.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Zechariah 13:8,9 – 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. [9] And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Matthew 23:39 – For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Luke 21:27 – And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Zechariah 14:16 – And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:9 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 157B

February 3, 2003

The Hajj Pilgrimage

Each year, on the eighth day of Zul-Hijjah, month twelve of the Muslim lunar calendar, the Hajj begins in Saudi Arabia.

One of a Muslim’s religious duties, as detailed in the Five Pillars of Islam, is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca in the land of Saudi Arabia, the land where the Islamic faith was born. About two million make the Hajj every year, and about half of them are usually natives or employed in Saudi Arabia. The number from America has been increasing steadily for the last 20 years. Followers who are unable to go a Hajj because of poor health or lack of finds are excused from the obligation.

Many of the actions commemorated in Hajj are based on things done by Abraham, his son Ishmael, and his wife Hagar. The reward for observing Hajj based on various teachings of the Koran, by refraining from arguments, fights, and lewd behavior, is that the pilgrim will return home as free of sin as the day his mother gave birth to him. Muslims do not believe humans inherit the Adamic nature. They do not believe in original sin or in inherited sin, so that means all his sins will be forgiven by properly observing the Hajj. They do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because the Koran is very specific in saying that their God Allah has no son. All of the promises, which God made to Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, they bring through Ishmael, who was not the son of promise. Abraham had seven sons born as his children through two concubines, Ishmael through Hagar, and Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah through Keturah, but God’s promises of the Messiah came through the seed of Abraham, and Isaac, the father of Jacob. God gave Jacob the name Israel. Abraham and Sarah, as is often the case with believers, decided to help God keep his promise, because it seemed the barrenness of Sarah’s womb at her great old age, was not going to be able to produce a Messianic seed by miraculous action on God’s part. So Sarah had Abraham go into Hagar, who acted as a concubine, and a child was conceived, which they named Ishmael. Then God, as he always does, kept his promise of a seed, which was born of the seed of Abraham through Sarah. That seed is very clearly outlined as Isaac, the seed of promise in Genesis 22:18, and all those among the nations that have put their faith in the Messianic seed, that came through Isaac, have indeed been blessed by grace through faith in the promises of God in him.

Genesis 22:18 – And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

It is easy to see why the seven other sons of Abraham, who were not born of Sarah, have hated the descendants of the promise seed for many centuries. God gave all he had to Isaac, but only gave gifts to his other seven sons, and sent them into the east country. The bulk of those who make up the Islamic faith of today, are the mingled descendants of these seven sons.

Genesis 25:5,6 – And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. [6] But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

When Mohammad wrote the Koran, he took most of its teachings from what we call the Bible today. He took the Bible personalities, particularly of the Old Testament, which Islam refers to as The Book, and with complete disregard for truth, had them doing things that glorified Ishmael, rather than Isaac.

The Koran describes how Satan tried to persuade the Patriarch Abraham to not ritually murder Ishmael, his son, as God had commanded. On the tenth day of Zul-Hijjah, they all return to Mina and each person throws seven stones at three pillars, which represent Satan.

As this ritual began more than 244 people were trampled to death, and hundreds more injured under the crush of the worshippers, who were casing their stones at the pillars of Satan, a ritual which can best be described as a very emotional, highly perilous, hajji practice. This ritual has resulted in similar mass loss of life since 1998. Sunday morning they prayed at dawn, and then gathered stones to cast at Satan. As each one threw his seven stones, one by one, from their lips echoed the cry of “in the name of Allah,” and “Allah is Great.” Calling our country the “Great Satan”, as they threw stones at one pillar, which had ‘USA’ scrawled on it.

For centuries many different so called Christian groups have developed, and many of them have been labeled as being of the spirit of Antichrist, and I certainly would not deny that some of them are not of God. But if you want to find the largest religious group in the world that believes Jesus was not the Son of God, and did not take the sins of those in his flesh who believe in his sacrifice of it for their sins, then look for the full spirit of Antichrist to be revealed in the midst of Islam. Mohammad was one of the many false prophets who went out into the world, but of all of them, none have been able to get such a mass group of dedicated followers, which we call Islam.

I John 5:1 – Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

John 5:23,24 – That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. [24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

I John 4:1-3 – Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. [2] Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: [3] And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

II Thessalonians 2:8-13 – And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, [10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe A LIE: [12] That they all might be damned who BELIEVED NOT THE TRUTH, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Special Prophecy Update Number 157C

February 5, 2004

Islam, Born of a Bondwoman’s Son!

Millions of men and women, boys and girls, hating one another with a fanatical religious hatred – when did it all begin? The first conflict between a teenager and a young child, who had the same father, but different mothers, was the initial manifestation and planted seed of it.

Genesis 21:8-10 – And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. [9] And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian (Ishmael), which she had born unto Abraham, mocking (Isaac). [10] Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

Abraham’s first son Ishmael was born of a bondwoman of his wife Sarah. Sarah, the freewoman, was the mother of the seed God promised Abraham, and that seed was Isaac.

GALATIANS 4:22 – For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.

Ishmael is a picture of man trying to help God by his own scheme of helping God fulfill his promise by using his own plan, devised by the mind of the flesh, to make sure man gets what God promises. The birth of Isaac, from Sarah, was a miraculous act of God from a barren womb of a woman more than ninety years old, and it was based on the promise of God. Isaac was God’s son of promise, but Ishmael was man’s son of the flesh.

GALATIANS 4:23 – But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

There are two covenants, one representing mount Sinai, where Moses received the Law. It is a covenant given to man by God with this promise – If you can keep all of it, then you may come into my presence. It was given by God to man to prove that man cannot come up to God’s standard of righteousness, and must have faith in Christ, who was the seed promised to come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and who kept God’s standard for us.

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

James 2:10 – For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Galatians 3:21,22 – Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. [22] But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Galatians 2:21 – I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The Islamic faith does not believe in inherited or original sin. They believe that the seed of promise was born of Hagar, and was Ishmael. Their blessings from Allah come from their father Abraham through Hagar, mother of Ishmael, their seed of promise. And, ironically, their religion is the model for a belief in salvation by works. They are all in bondage in sin under the web of the Devil, much as were those Jews who did not believe Christ was the Messiah in John 8:44-47.

John 8:44-47 – 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. [45] And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. [46] Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? [47] He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Hagar (Agar) represents a covenant of death with the flesh, which all who do not trust in Christ for salvation of their souls are under, both the descendants of Abraham and the Gentiles.

GALATIANS 4:24,25 – Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. [25] For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

But for all men and women on this earth, regardless of their genealogy, who have their faith for full salvation in the promised seed, Jesus Christ, they are set free from the bondage of sin by the only man who every kept every minute part of the Law for them, and are a part of the family of the heavenly Jerusalem.

GALATIANS 4:26 – But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

John 8:36 – If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Christ kept the Law for us and died for us, taking our sins in his own body on the cross – That is GRACE.

Galatians 3:16-18 – Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. [17] And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. [18] For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Colossians 1:13,14 – Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: [14] In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Hagar pictures the covenant of death in the Law, but the Seed of Isaac, Christ Jesus, fulfilled it for us at Golgatha.

Colossians 2:14,15 – Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

II Corinthians 3:7,8 – But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: [8] How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?

Romans 8:15,16 – For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. [16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 158

February 7, 2004

The Son Who Became A Servant To Save Us – Part 7

Isaiah 53:3,4 – He is despised and rejected of men; A MAN OF SORROWS, AND ACQUAINTED WITH GRIEF: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

[4] SURELY HE HATH BORNE OUR GRIEFS, AND CARRIED OUR SORROWS: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

The reason Jesus Christ was acquainted with grief is that he bore our grief. The reason he was the man of sorrows is that he carried our sorrows. And he does the same at the present time. Mankind labored under the heavy load of sin revealed to them by their inability to keep God’s standard of righteousness, which was manifested to them by the Law of Moses. But Christ kept all the law without sin, and lifted God’s condemnation for sin off the backs of all who would trust in his ability to do so.

Matthew 11:28 – Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

There is great rest in the assurance of eternal life in our heavenly home, bought and paid for by the blood and the body sacrifice of Jesus himself. The only thing not yet known by believers is how close they will live to him in heaven. Probably as close as they lived to him here.

John 14:1-3 – Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. [2] In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

There is great rest in knowing that we have safety in the Son of God, and can cast all our care on him while we face the wiles of the Devil, thereby growing spiritually in ability to resist him by the power of Christ in us.

I Peter 5:7-10 – Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. [8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: [9] Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. [10] But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

The following comment that Jesus made to the first New Testament church is perhaps my favorite Scripture of comfort in the Bible. Jesus made it to them when he was delivering them from sinking in the Sea of Galilee by a great storm. It has gotten me through the storms of life.

Mark 6:50C – Be of good cheer: It is I; Be not afraid.

“AND WE HID AS IT WERE OUR FACES FROM HIM”

We are born with an Adamic nature that inherited the character of naturally wanting to hide from the light of God voice, of God words.

John 3:19.20 – And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Genesis 3:7-13 – And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. [8] And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. [9] And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? [10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. [11] And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? [12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. [13] And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

They both hid from God, rather than simply admitting they had sinned against him, then repenting of it before him. And when he did coax them to come out, the man blamed Eve, hinting that it was God’s fault because he gave him the woman, and Eve blamed the Devil. I do not blame anyone for my inherited sinful condition. I came out of hiding 59 years ago, repented of what I am by birth and nature, a sinner, and through myself on the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus.

“HE WAS DESPISED, AND WE ESTEEMED HIM NOT”

Man’s hatred and complete lack of esteem for him as the one sent by God is vividly described in the following verses of Scripture.

John 1:11 – He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

Luke 22:1-6 – Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. [2] And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people. [3] Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. [4] And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him unto them. [5] And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money. [6] And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

Matthew 26:59,60,66,67 – Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; [60] But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, [66] What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. [67] Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,

Mark 15:9-15 – But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews? [10] For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy. [11] But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. [12] And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? [13] And they cried out again, Crucify him. [14] Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. [15] And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

He was rejected by both Jew and Gentile, who esteemed him not, but for those of us who believe in him for our salvation, he is loved and esteemed above all men as the living Son of God, who loved us, and gave himself for us. We are not ashamed to confess him as our savior from our lips, knowing that God raised him from the dead, and that he lives forever as our eternal sacrifice and intercessor for all our sins.

Philippians 2:7-11 – But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 10:9 – That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Lifeless Islam and Judaism will honor their prophets, but not the Christ!

John 5:40,41 – And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. [41] I receive not honour from men.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 158B

February 11, 2004

Number One Topic in Israel

The number one topic in Israel for some time to come will be what the Israelis call their Anti-Terrorism Fence. The many opponents of putting up such a barrier have a wide variety of names for it, none of which may in any way seem complimentary, and some are unprintable. This fence has struck to the heart of the terrorist movement, and they are screaming on all fronts across the world of Islam, because they realize that once the terrorists are bottled up inside it, a major avenue of sweet revenge will be virtually closed to them. Building this fence has changed the dynamics of peace production in Israel from a negotiated farce to a forced unilateral reality. I have believed, ever since they started building it, that it would change the entire future path of how the false peace of I Thessalonians 5:3,4 would eventually come to Israel in the last days. In our Prophecy Update 62D, April 10, 2002, I wrote the following:

Begin Quote Update 62D, April 10, 2002

“Three years before I retired from the National Security Agency, in 1968, there was an Israel security plan put forward by their Foreign Minster Yigal Allon. It was drawn up by him, but never put into effect, and for that matter, I do not remember it even being put forward as an official proposal. As I recall, the plan was to completely surround the West Bank with a security buffer zone. I retired in 1971 and, quite frankly, my memory may not recall the details specifically, but it seems to me the security zone was to be about three miles deep, except on the side facing the Jordan River, where I think it was to be seven to ten miles in width. The Israelis seem to think this would provide them with security from the Palestinians enclosed within it. The more I think about it, the more it seems to me this was revived as a possibility in the Benjamin Netanyahu administration in a modified version. And what is now happening in Israel may also be a modified version of the old Allon Security Buffer Zone Plan. This would eliminate or cripple the terrorist infrastructure in the cities and refugee camps, then pull back a few miles and establish a security ring around individual areas, and then finally seal in the West Bank with a security buffer zone, to give them a feeling of peace and safety from the terrorists within the West Bank.

That may, or may not, be Israel’s final objective, but I will guarantee you this, the Palestinians and all Islamic nations will hate it. And if anything will cause a false peace to come in, this action will insure it. A false peace is coming to the Middle East. It may be a ‘forced peace’ or a negotiated peace, but it will give Israeli a sense of “Peace and safety,” and it will be broken with the agony and pain that suddenly comes upon a woman before giving birth to a child, and that pain and agony will last for 1260 days.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – 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. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. “

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

End Quote Update 62D, April 10, 2002.

Since I have touted this fence as the main instrumentation of the bringing in of a false peace ever since its construction was first published, and have written volumes of Updates involving it, I will cover the latest status of factors revolving around its construction. Israel is now preparing for unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians, largely by completion of the fence. The International Court of Justice hearing this month has caused them to make some changes in its planned path around the West Bank, which will give them a reasonable chance of staving off a harsh judgment, and cause more countries to back them in the building of it. The aim of the changes is really fourfold, (1) To unburden Israel of some international criticism, (2) To head off difficulties with three U.S. envoys coming to Israel this week to be briefed on the Disengagement Plan of Prime Minister Sharon, which has the fence as its main ingredient, (3) To cut down on the tremendous cost of building the fence, and (4) To hasten the completion of the fence. Since Prophecy Update 62D I have heard many different completion estimates. It could be completed by the end of this year, but there are so many political and economic variables in this completion formula, that it may not be finished until well into 2005.

The following fence information comes from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

1. The barrier, when completed, could be as much as 450 miles in its total length, but the sections consisting of concrete walls would make up less than 20 miles of it.

2. Its primary purpose is to keep terrorists from coming out of it into Israel to perpetrate their heinous bloodletting of its citizens. This would, of course, have in mind the horrific homicide bombers, who have taken a terrifying toll of Jewish lives, but the fence will also be used to prevent sniper fire along Israeli highways and into Israeli population centers.

3. Concrete walls are used especially in urban areas, where the use of a succession of wire fences and patrol roads would require greater territory and the dismantling of existing private homes. The wall in the area of Kalkilya has been built in order to prevent sniper fire on the Trans-Israel Highway, Route 6, because of frequent past sniper activity.

4. It is interesting to note that, in order to build the fence, Israel has not destroyed a single house belonging to the Palestinians. Private property has been utilized only by agreement with those who had previously owned it.

5. The security fence is a “breathing barrier,” permitting Palestinians to cross into Israel after an appropriate security check. At present, 41 gates are planned for the fence. It is a fence for peace and the normalization of relations between peoples that allows Palestinians to work in Israel. It does not use a minefield or electric fence. It has already significantly reduced the number of fatalities from the terrorist activities in areas where it has been completed.

The barrier, along most of its route, describing it from the Palestinian side progressing to the Israeli side, is as follows: a circular wall of razor wire, then a wide, deep trench, then a high fence of razor wire, then a patrol road, then elevated electronic and sensory detection devices, which would alert Israeli tower posts along it to send units of interception if any of the detection devices showed activity or were destroyed. This barrier is not intended to keep all Palestinians out of Israel, only the terrorists.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 158S

February 11, 2004

Earthquake Felt in Israel and Along its Rift Valley

A moderate tremor was felt in most major cities in Israel and the West Bank at 10:16 local time Wednesday, which lasted about 25 seconds. All Israeli schools were closed until early afternoon. The only injuries of note reported involved treatment for numerous stress victims. The earthquake was reported along the great rift fault that runs through the Jordan River valley from eastern Africa and the Red Sea, and then extends northward to Turkey. It was centered near the northern end of the Dead Sea. The shaking was felt in all the countries bordering on Israel. At the Knesset, lawmakers sitting in committee meetings feared a large bomb had been detonated. A crack developed in the ceiling above the minister’s table, and plenum meetings have been postponed pending engineering examinations. The ceiling above the Prime Minister’s office developed a crack, and an engineering crew inspected the glass partition at the visitor’s gallery. The quake was felt in the Jordanian capital of Amman, where it sent frightened residents running out into the streets from their homes.

Israel is located on the Syria – Africa Great Rift, which exists as a valley between two massive tectonic plates. As the two tectonic plates move on both sides of the valley, some sections move easily, but others are held back, and in these areas tension and pressure build up, eventually to be released suddenly to produce earthquakes. The Great Rift Valley runs for some 3,000 miles between Syria and Mozambique, via both sides of the Dead Sea, beneath the eastern hills of Israel, and the western hills of Jordan. About 35 miles to the north, another fault line cuts the land from the northwest to the southeast from the Israeli port of Haifa via the cities of Jenin and Nablus before reaching the Jordan River. All of this information was in the first book I wrote in the mid-seventies, in which I indicated how I believed God would use this Rift Valley Fault to fulfill many of his tribulation period prophecies. In a third book, “Birth Pangs From The Bottomless Pit,” which may be ordered from our Menu, I covered countless Scriptures that deal with how I believe he will use it. You may read about this usage on our web pages. The information is located under Birth Pangs in our Menu on the first page. It is contained in Birth Pangs 15 to 32. The figures associated with the rift valley may be found by clicking on Birth Pang Figures on our Menu, and viewing Figures 24 to 48. Dardanelle MBC also sells a video series called “A Geological Exposition of the Second Coming of Christ,” which includes all the information about world fault structures, and the details as to how this Israeli fault structure will affect the tribulation period. You will find all this material under our Menu on the first page.

You may find some interesting material on Israeli earthquake prediction models, and the structural weaknesses under the Temple Mount, in our recent Special Prophecy Updates 130A and 155B. This is just a wake up call to what the Scriptures indicate will eventually occur in Israel

Zechariah 14:4,5 – And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. [5] And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 159

(Previous Update 158C in Archives Lists All Updates)

February 15, 2004

The Son Who Became A Servant To Save Us – Part 8

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS,

Christ was beaten and bruised by both the Jews and the Gentiles. But the deepest wounds, made by the sword, the nails, and the lash, were made by Gentiles. It is not necessary for us to see them to believe them.

John 20:25 – The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands THE PRINT of the nails, and put my finger into THE PRINT of the nails, and thrust my hand INTO his side, I will not believe.

Both Jew and Gentile are responsible for his wounds made by piercing. There is coming a time, in the near future, that Jewish descendants of those ancestors who delivered him to be pierced, will assemble in the wide central plain of Israel between the Galilean and Samarian Hills and, following the Battle of Armageddon, will mourn in repentance for the nation of Israel’s 2000 year rejection of its Messiah.

Zechariah 12:9-14 – And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. [10] And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom THEY HAVE PIERCED, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. [11] In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddon. [12] And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; [13] The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; [14] All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES:

The bruising of Christ’s body, as a part of his crushing the bondage men were held under by the power of Satan, was pictured immediately after the fall of Adam by the promised Seed’s heel being bruised in crushing the head of the serpent, where a serpent’s power lies.

Genesis 3:15 – And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt BRUISE his heel.

THE CHASTISEMENT OF OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM;

We can only have peace with God through the blood of his cross, and it reconciles us to him eternally when we are found to accept it alone as the atonement for all our sins. He took our chastisement, our beating, our punishment for sins, that we might have peace with God.

Colossians 1:14,20 – In whom we HAVE redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: [20] And, HAVING MADE PEACE through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

II Corinthians 5:18-21 – And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself BY JESUS CHRIST, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, NOT IMPUTING their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. [20] Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. [21] For he hath made him TO BE SIN FOR US, who knew NO sin; that we might BE MADE the righteousness of God IN HIM..

AND WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.

We have been eternally healed by his forgiveness of our sin condition by the scourging he received for it in his own sinless flesh. All those failing to see themselves as being sinful, cannot believe he took their sins. How can Christ heal them of a sin sickness they do not believe they possess? How can one repent of what he does not believe he is guilty?

Luke 5:30-32 – But the scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? [31] And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. [32] I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:10 – As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

James 2:10 – For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

Luke 18:13,14 – And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 159A

February 17, 2004

At Last – The Ultimate Religious Weapon Is Discovered!

No, it is not the security fence, that’s old hat. Why? Because anybody is capable of building one of those! Why, both India and Saudi Arabia are planning one of those common, ordinary, everyday things, even though they both voted to put Israel on trial by the International Court of Justice for building one to keep out terrorists. India has apparently decided to build a fence along its border with Kashmir to stop terrorist penetrations into its population, and Saudi Arabia has infuriated Yemen by planning to build a fence between them to stop terrorists from entering to affect their population. Could the ultimate weapon be the nuclear bomb Iran is frantically trying to produce in the process of swearing it has no such intention? You know, the bomb it swore it did not have the ability to develop because of its inability to develop enriched uranium, which we have now discovered to be a lie, since receiving the Pakistan confession that it sold Iran plans for an advanced stage two uranium processor, the maker of highly enriched uranium. But the mother of all weapons does not consist of wire, or of a nuclear bomb. It has been walking on four divided hoofs for a very long time.

It has finally come on the scene, the religious weapon of weapons, and should be heralded as the Day of the Pig in religions circles. It has been reported in Israelinsider, Israel’s daily magazine, that Israeli police are considering using pig lard in buses and other places to deter the Muslim suicide bombers that have taken so many lives on Israeli buses. This was according to a report by Maariv on February 12, 2004. According to the report, the proposal received the Jerusalem rabbinate’s approval.

The suggestion by the police is based on the position of strict Muslim traditional teaching, which holds that any Muslim who comes in contact with a pig before dying will be denied access to heaven. As for the rest of us, who are not Muslim or Jewish, it doesn’t matter one way or the other, because Islam believes we are all hell bound anyway, so we might as well enjoy our bacon, catfish, and ham on the way down.

According to the report, Minister Gideon Ezra had previously suggested burying the corpses of suicide bombers wrapped in pigskin to deter the attacks. The proposal never got serious consideration in Israel, because its opponents suggested it would only serve to encourage all the suicide bombers, egged on by clerics stating that Jews were defiling the burial rites of Islam. Russian security forces reportedly buried some Chechen terrorists in pigskins last year in an attempt to end their suicide bombing attacks. But we Gentiles know that pigskins, properly prepared, are a best seller at super markets and service stations, and burying them is a waste of a great taste.

Rabbi Eliezer Moshe Fisher, at the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court, ruled in early February that “there is no Halachic ban on using bags of (pig) lard in buses and other places” when saving lives is concerned. The Halachic permit says bags of (pig) lard may be used in any place that might be a target for suicide bombings, such as schools, shopping malls, and railway stations. The Halachic permit was necessary because Jews also consider the pig to be an unclean animal, as are catfish because they do not possess scales.

Deuteronomy 14:8,9 – And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. [9] These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:

For those of you who have skinned catfish, you are well aware of how bad you smell after completing the process. So if they were to use bags of the perfume of catfish aroma on the buses, it would absolutely stop all suicide bombings on buses, because no one would ride the buses.

The Rabbi also went on to say that if police do not use pig fat in buses, tens of thousands of ultra-orthodox Jews will arm themselves with toy water pistols filled with liquid pig lard to be used against terrorists. So, from now on, I plan to carry small packets of pig lard with me on all my flights. I am hopeful they will arm all the Air Marshals with pig-greased bullets, and the pilots with toy pig lard pistols. Maybe we could put a pig on every flight. And, just in case there might be vampires or werewolves sneak on board, we could carry a few wooden stakes and silver bullets. In all honestly, please forgive me my levity, this is a very serious matter, and if pig lard works for the Jews, have at it, for I have been pro-Israel from my youth.

In October, former Chief Rabbi Mordehai Eliyahu and Kiryat Arba’s Chief Rabbi Dor Lior gave their endorsement to a proposal to test the use of wild pigs in detecting terrorist infiltrators and explosives in West Bank communities. A former trainer of sniffer dogs said, “Boars could also be better than dogs in finding mines and explosives.”

Rabbi Daniel Shilo of Kedumim, who is the chairman of the rabbinical committee of the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Gaza, and Samaria, said, “The prohibition of raising the pig is known, but because we are dealing with pikuach nefesh, the saving of lives, it is made permissible to have the animal.”

I have always wondered why, on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, there was a herd of swine being raised in Christ’s day. Were the ones in charge of the swine Jewish? Who knows, the Scripture merely indicates they were inhabitants of Gadara, in the country of the Gadarenes. But the descendants of the Jewish tribe of Dan were called Gadites.

Luke 8:26-33 – And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. [27] And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. [28] When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. [29] (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) [30] And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. [31] And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. [32] And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. [33] Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.

But even if those tending the pig herd were not Jewish, I have wondered, from time to time, if some of that bacon and ham did not end up for sale on the Israelite side of the border, even before Jesus appeared in Israel. The following Scripture was written more than 700 years before Jesus came to the country of the Gadarenes.

Isaiah 66:17 – They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.

The two verses preceding this verse are a most apt description of a period of time referred to as the tribulation period that will soon come on this earth, especially in the rift valley of the Jordan River and the fault from Haifa southeast past Megiddo to the Jordan (See Update 158S).

Isaiah 66:15,16 – For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. [16] For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

Revelation 19:16 – And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Revelation 19:21 – And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.