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Prophe-Zine Issue 033
PropheZine #33
1 January 1997
Chris Jewett ....................................... Welcome
Emil Gaverlund and
Rob Lindsted....................................... Suddenly No More Time (Part 2)
Dave Breese....................................... Until He Comes
J.R. Church......................................... In the Twinkling of an Eye
Noah HutchingsÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. God - The Master Mathematician
Bible Study by Lambert Dolphin.......... Pots, Potters and Clay
Editorial by John LoefflerÉÉÉÉÉÉ Reality Check
Prophe-zine News Bytes
Lee UnderwoodÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. FYI - Israel Updates
Chris JewettÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. Algerian Oil, Islam and the American Way
Chris Jewett ÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ. Iron Steel Update
Chris JewettÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.. Egypt Waters the Desert
Chris Jewett....................ÉÉÉÉ....... The Final Word
Hey Gang....
Here is Prophe-zine 33! The start of new year and who knows?....maybe this will be the one, for all is ready!
Several good articles this issue. We have Emil Gaverluk and Rob Lindsted, JR Church, Noah Hutchings and round things out with contributions from John Loefller. We want to add some good Bible study type articles in each issue as well. This time we include Lambert Dolphin's article on the potter and the clay which provides serious students insight into what the Bible means when it speaks of "clay" or "dust", "the Potter", etc. It is an analytical look at Jeremiah's vision about the damaged clay vessels. Although a little long, I think you will enjoy it. As always, thanks to Lee Underwood for the Israel Updates.
We are one month away from the prophecy conference in Tampa. Again, there are a number of wonderful speakers scheduled. All sessions are free. You can view the schedule of events and costs for rooms at the PZ Web Site (http://www.best.com/~ray673/pzhome.shmtl). Both Ray and I will be there and look forward to meeting PZ cybscribers. We hope to engage the speakers in interviews for our future issues. So, if you go, be sure to look for us. Ray has put our photos on the PZ Staff Page of the PZ Web Site, so you know what we look like. Maybe we'll wear T-shirts with PropheZine logos all over them....that would sure make us easy targets! But, we are not there to take anything away from Ray Brubaker and his super group of folks. They put on a killer conference, the speakers do their homework, (that is to say they really know the material), and the facilities are magnificient. We hope to see you there!
This is the anniversary date of our son's homegoing. A young man who yearned for the rapture, even at the ripe old age of 16, I would like to share something he wrote for an essay assignment that last semester:
THIS LAST YEAR AT THE RANCH: "Éall of the maintenance staff were Christians. The nicest thing was that we all got along real well and didn't have any major disagreements. I really enjoyed having people with the same interest as me. Such as: coming to WORK at the (Christian) ranch, and not to play; not looking for money, just coming to serve God in a "servant's fashion;" for the Bible says 'The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, so should ye do likewise,' and they weren't there for their own glory."
As Steve Green sings, "may all who come behind us find us faithful." Seth, you left some awesome footsteps to follow-may we all follow those steps which will lead others to Christ. See ya soon!
Maranatha!
Chris
dsyple@ix.netcom.com
Suddenly No More Time - Part 2 of 4
by Emil Gaverluk and Rob Lindsted
Part 1 of this series was forwarded in PZ 31.
It contained Chapters 1 and 2.
Chapter Three
The Great Tribulation will come upon the world suddenly and catastrophically, and the world has begun to move on an exponential curve of its own. Consider these recent world events:
Saddam Hussein and Iraq invade Kuwait. Kuwait's oil reserves are cut off from the rest of the world and the situation is unacceptable.
The United States and a multi-national armed force, sanctioned by the United Nations, retakes Kuwait and touts Iraq's army into total retreat.
Many states of the former USSR are in upheaval and civil war.
Russians are also in chaos with Boris Yeltsin trying to establish a more liberal government than desired by hardliners.
September 1993 saw a devastating earthquake in India that took over 21,000 lives.
These are only a few instances that confirm Matthew 24, but there are still many countries of the world that have just one goal in mind: power. To attain power one must have armies, navies, and air forces. To maintain these armed forces requires energy in the form of petroleum, gas an oil. To get this gas and oil the aggressors must go to those places where it is most abundant.
Deuteronomy 33:19 has this to say about Israel's energy sources: "They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand."
This verse contains a graphic description of oil explorations today on land and in the oceans, yet it was written thirty-five hundred years ago. The sudden industrial explosion and energy crises were not unknown to God thousands of years in the past. He is using them to bring to pass His will and purpose.
Deuteronomy 33:13 is another important verse: "And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew and the deep that coucheth beneath."
Then verse 16: "And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof."
Deuteronomy 32:13 is one more scripture that is often referred to that falls within this context: "He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock."
This section of Deuteronomy just quoted has a definite end-time application. When God began to relate to Moses how Israel will be blessed in the future, He really said: "Moses, you are not to see this come to pass. This is not an immediate blessing for Israel; this is in the future." As always, God will continue to care for Israel in a very special and beautiful way.
God knew that oil, one of the riches of the deep, would not be discovered until the last days when knowledge would have increased and technology would have developed the ability to drill deep into the earth. It would be exciting for Israel to discover a bonanza oil field as a result of their present oil exploration.
It is interesting to see how God has made provisions for Israel. These verses of Scripture referred to from the books of Deuteronomy and the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of Ezekiel clearly indicate that Russia will come down against Israel to take a great spoil, to take a prey. Oil in Israel might indeed be part of the spoil that Russia will hope to gain. Also factor in the tremendous resources of the Dead Sea that could be used as an energy source, and Israel could well become the wealthiest nation in the world, and the most envied.
This only underlines that fact that the basic source of energy in the world today is - oil, because oil is so convenient to use. Oil produces electricity, another form of energy that has become a modern-day necessity. Present efforts in the United States that point toward energy alternatives do not negate the truth that Jesus Christ will return after the Tribulation with the saints to rule and reign for one thousand years. He will then have this earth functioning as the Creator intended. The first thing Jesus Christ will do is remove the curse. This means rebuilding the planet and putting back into the earth the resources which God originally put into it. The heat of the sun will become seven times hotter, and this will cause the oceans to evaporate. The steam will rise up and form a great vapor cloud around the earth-a canopy like the planet Venus has around it. Environmental conditions that existed in the time from Adam to Noah will be restored. The beautiful climate and agreeable environmental conditions of their day were lost during the flood of Noah. Also, there was an increase in the ultraviolet rays which affected that exponential curve of the lifetime of the average man. In Genesis 5 it I learned that Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years and Methuselah had a life span of nine hundred and sixty-nine years. No man has yet to live a millennium, but the opportunity will come when Christ returns and reigns for one thousand years.
Before this millennial period arrives, many things must happen here on earth, and the clock that must be observed is Israel. With this in mind, it is no surprise to anyone that every Middle East crisis - large of small, directly or indirectly involving Israel - has revealed how dependent the United States is on OPEC oil. Going to the aid of tiny Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War was a great humanitarian effort on the part of all who participated against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. The simple truth is that the world as a whole simply could not stand by and let Hussein have control over Kuwait and one of the largest oil pools in the world. Even Iraq's Arab brothers saw that as an intolerable situation, because Saddam would blackmail them as fast as he would the U.S. or Russia. Saddam wanted and still wants power! He wants to rule the Middle East, utterly destroy Israel, and then hold the rest of the world as petroleum hostages. But in Jeremiah 51:61'62, we see that no matter how future battles may go with Iraq, the war will inevitably go to God Almighty.
"And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words; Then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate forever."
It behooves all Christians to understand God's plan which is revealed in the Bible and to recognize the fact that God said in the last days there would be an increase of world interest in the Middle East. Looking at the perilous world situation today, with all nations arming themselves for Armageddon, it is agreed in one sense that there is a need for a central world authority-a world ruler-to prevent the earth from being blown up. Actually, the condition of the world will demand an absolute dictatorship. It is interesting that many articles in recent periodicals describe the Common market and their ten nations' search for an answer-man . Most so-called experts in political science today are of the opinion that there is a need for a global system.
Computers are a part of the overall picture of a future world government because they will be necessary to control this governmental, global phenomenon. It is also necessary for a whole world government to have access to a transportation system that would be able to get its armed forces anywhere around the earth within hours. This is already a possibility today. The other item they would need is energy. Without energy such a supreme international authority could not be maintained. The Common Market needs energy; Russia needs energy; the United States needs energy; every country with aspirations to develop or survive needs energy. Energy is needed for the production of fuel, for the production of goods, and for the production of weapons.
Thus, the energy problem continues to be focused on the Middle East. God has a program that is proceeding according to the prohetic outline. This program includes the rebirth of Israel as it occurred in 1948. Several very unique events of those things which Jesus said must happen before He would come again. The energy problem today is just one of the alarms that have gone off. Other signs that have alerted the last generation of this age are wars, famine, earthquakes, New Age religions, apostasy, technological build-up, and the population explosion. Add to this the fact that in many nations water is becoming more precious than oil. Those natural resources that were taken for granted just twenty-five years ago-water, coal, iron, copper, etc.-have suddenly become treasures which the nations are fighting over more and more.
Mentioned earlier was the Common Market (EEC). In Daniel 2, the revived Roman Empire is represented by ten toes on an image of successive empires from ancient Babylon to the empire of the Antichrist. Some past articles written about the Common market, its growth, development, and plans for the future, point out how soon the coming of Christ really is. As an example, an article written years ago in Popular Science Magazine titled, "Alcohol Fuels," put forth this view: By comparing yearly oil consumption with present production and known reserves, figures show that there is only a limited supply of liquid petroleum left on earth. It is their feeling that somewhere between the years 1998 and 2011 U.S. gas pumps will run completely dry. Popular Science is certainly not trying to confirm Bible prophecy, yet this proposition concludes-and is being proven in the early nineties-that the Middle East is becoming more important to the world day by day.
It is vital to impress upon Christians the importance of today's events, and to point out that there may not be months or years to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ. Every Christian must be prepared to meet Jesus Christ as if He were coming today, because no one knows the day nor the hour when will be heard the shout from space and the sound of the trumpet!
CHAPTER FOUR
It is felt by many that man is living in pre-Tribulation times. The problems besetting mankind on a worldwide scale are happening exponentially, and the time of trouble prophesied in the Bible becomes closer and closer. Jeremiah 30:7 says:
"Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."
Michael, of course, is the guardian angel of Israel, so this must have been a great note of comfort to Daniel. Here in Zechariah 14:1-5, are found more prophetic scriptures that say this:
"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 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. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 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. 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."
In the days when Jesus Christ walked on this earth the people that were alive only got to hear Him speak once or maybe twice. Of course, those who followed Him for three years head Him minister often, but the average person did not get to hear Him speak that often. Today is a time in which the completed Word of God is available to all, and anyone can see fulfilled right before their eyes events prophesied centuries ago. Events occurring now in the early nineties are a testimony that the Word of God is true and that God's plan is in effect and right on schedule.
Even though those people saw Jesus with their own eyes-which is certainly a most wonderful thing-they died and must wait for the promise of resurrection. Many believe that here in 1993 this is the last generation that will be translated. Those who have died will be raised first, then those which are alive will then be caught up, according to Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. That is why there is such interest in what is happening in the world. All of the vents taking place in the world today act as a gauge to help determine how close mankind is to the marvelous event of the Rapture.
Speaking of time, it is amazing that the Bible actually gives us a time schedule as to when all of this is going to occur. For example, looking at Hosea 6:2, which is a very important verse, the prophet says to Israel,
"After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."
After two days? Does that mean two twenty-four-hour days? In 2 Peter 3:8 we find the answer:
"But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
Psalm 90:4 give this insight:
"For a thousand years in thjy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night."
"But as yesterday," one thousand years goes by as one day to the Lord. So, after two thousand years He will revive Israel as He did in 1948. "In the third day He will raise us up and we shall live in His sight." So, it looks like the Millennium will begin around the year 2000.
It should be noticed that there was an overlap from A.D. 32 until A.D. 70 where both the Church and Israel existed. God formed the Church on the day of Pentecost in A.D. 32, and the Church and Israel co-existed until the dispersion of Israel at the hands of the Romans in A.D. 70. Here, at the end of the day of grace is found once again an overlap of Israel and the Church. It is beautiful to see how God has kept His model consistent. The model of two days is quite prevalent throughout the Bible. That model has its beginning all the way back in the book of Genesis, in the creation pattern of six days, with the seventh day being the day of rest. Here, then, is the six thousand years of man's existence pictured as six days of creation, and the thousand-year reign of the Lord during the Millennium pictured as the period of rest following the creative effort.
Christ's dealing with the Samaritan woman in John 4 fits the same two-day pattern as was mentioned earlier. Jesus departed Judea for Galilee and found it necessary to travel through Samaria. Although all Jews avoided Samaria, Jesus was determined to travel through Samaria. While there, He began to interact with a woman and He presented her with the fact that He was the water of life and that if she would drink of this water, she would never thirst again. She went back and told the people of her village that she had met the Messiah. In verse 40 of chapter 4 of the book of John it states:
"So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days."
It is interesting that Christ dealt with the Jewish people and then took two days out and interacted with those who were not Jews. Once this was accomplished He went back and again established dealings with the Jews. This is the same period of two days, or two thousand years pictured in the Gospel of John. Two days! The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled. Luke 21:24 says:
"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.
That verse talks about a time when Jerusalem will be under the control of the Gentiles, and when that control is broken, everyone will know that the Second Coming of Christ is at hand.
In Scripture Israel is sometimes spoken of as a son. Hosea 11:1 says:
"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."
Notice that it says "him"-"then I loved him." In Exodus 4:22 it refers to Israel as a firstborn son. Hosea really has a number of models in it. Again the world "model" is being used to say that God gives us a picture of these last days through the prophecies in the Bible.
Consider these significant days in the life of a Jewish boy. At one point the Arab nations planned to run the people of the nation of Israel off into the ocean so as to be done with them forever. But, as a defensive measure, the Israelis developed the "Plant Gideon." As the Arabs began to line their tanks up directed toward Israel, the Israelis took every vehicle from Jerusalem-taxi cabs, buses, trucks and cars-and drove them up into the hills. There they dismantled the exhaust systems and revved the engines all night long. Yes, all night long they revved the engines, yelled, and shouted. On the morning of the day the Arabs were to attack, the day that Israel was to be run into the sea, the Israelis found that there was not one Arab left to drive the tanks. They had all fled. As a matter of fact, the Israelis had, for quite some time thereafter, more Soviet-made tanks than any other type of tank, all of which had been captured from he departed Arab troops.
This all occurred on the eighth day of the existence of Israel as a nation. Now, the eighth day of an Israeli boy's lie is extremely important, for on that day-the eighth day after birth-the rite of circumcision takes place wherein the Jewish boy affirms the covenant that God made with Abraham.
The next significant day in the life of a Jewish boy, the thirtieth day of the boy's life is called the Day of Redemption. There was a plant set out in the book of Leviticus. The firstborn, whether it was a donkey or whether it was a little child, had to be redeemed by a lamb. That is the day that Britain said, "All right, if you are determined to make yourself a nation (they were coming out of British rule), we will remove our blockade of ships from you." Israel responded in this way: "This is the thirtieth day and this is our redemption, that you will allow us to begin to trade, to negotiate with the rest of the world as a nation." They called it their redemption and it was on exactly the thirtieth day, fitting the pattern of the Old Testament. All the way through the life of a Jewish man it can be shown how this pattern is constant, just as it was with the six thousand years and the six days of creation, and just as it was with the two days and the two thousand years of the Church age.
Israel being alive today is a miracle. No one has ever heard of any other nation coming back from the dead, so to speak. Even a language that in a sense went out of use has been revived and has come back into use. What a thrill it is to be alive today and to be a Christian. The Christian is the only one who has a hope, and what a sad thing that is for the rest of the world. They have no hope, and what they are faced 2with is this exponential curve suddenly exploding in a world crisis where billions of people, really half the population of the earth, will be destroyed. Everyone will have to choose, and the only choices are a life in heaven, or devastation upon this earth. It is between Christ-the Son of God-and the Antichrist. To refuse to make a choice is to choose the Antichrist. Everyone-everyone-makes a choice one way or the other.
Every Christian should be thrilled that they have accepted Christ into their hearts. It is hoped and prayed that every reader of this book will accept the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
Reprinted by permission of:
Southwest Radio Church
PO Box 1144
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
Tel.: 1 (800) 652-1144
Fax: (405) 236-4634
Part 3 of Suddenly No More Time to be forwarded in PZ #35.
"UNTIL HE COMES"
Watching and Waiting
By Dave Breese
There is an engaging mystery going in the church of our time of which notice should be given. That mystery is the relative absence of preaching on the return of Jesus Christ. Recently a woman was heard to say, "I have been a member of this good evangelical church for more than ten years. During that time I have heard no mention whatsoever of the fact that Christ is coming again. I've not heard it said once from behind the pulpit the expression that Christ is coming again." This is, of course, a deficiency so severe that one would be tempted to ask very pointed questions of the person who occupies that pulpit. To avoid preaching on the return of Christ is to suggest by silence that there is no deadline against which we are to work for the Savior. Indeed, it is impossible to preach the whole counsel of God without a prophetic, component in our preaching. This statement, "Christ is coming again, " should be the regular animated conversation of believers. How, for instance, can a church conduct a communion service without reference to the return of Christ? The Scripture says, "For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till He come" (I Cor. 11:26). At a communion service, a new Christian would certainly be expected to ask, "Why do we do this?" The answer is, "We do this to show the death of Christ on the cross and we are invited to conduct communion services until the time of Christ's appearing for His own. " Certainly the communion service cannot be properly explained without reference to the return of Christ.
If the church at Thessalonica were asked the reason for the zeal with which they believed in Christ, followed Him, and became an example of the believers, they would certainly have responded, "We are waiting for the Son of God from heaven " (I Thess. 1: 1 0). Anticipation of the return of Christ and preaching on that motivational subject is one of the outstanding reasons that the Thessalonicans had a great church. They reached across the world with the Gospel because they believed in the return of Jesus Christ.
If a Christian individual were noted for living a Godly life in the days of the early church, onlookers may ask why. "Why are you not promiscuous? " the cynic might ask. The answer from the Christian was, I am "looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ" (Tit. 2:13). Yes, we notice again and again in the New Testament that belief in the return of Jesus Christ is tied to Godly living, earnest testimony, successful witnessing and confidence toward God.
Effective individual Christians in the great churches of the New Testament preached the Gospel, prayed for sinners and brightly anticipated the coming of the Lord Jesus. The first announcement made to the early church was "This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven " (Acts 1: 11). What a joyous motivation this must have been! Upon hearing this, we can be sure that the members of the early church were greatly heartened and filled with anticipation. To know that their ultimate destiny was sure in the Lord Jesus would make it possible for them to face every other concern of life. They wanted then to go nowhere, to believe nothing, to be involved in no activity that they would not be proud to present to Christ upon the occasion of His return. The early Christians were marvelous people and conducted themselves as in a great program of spiritual warfare. This was certainly because they knew Christ would come again for them.
Does the Bible tell us of the attitudes of mind we should have when we think of the return of Jesus Christ? Indeed, it does! It tells us, first of all, that we should be waiting for His appearing. We have noted that the church of Thessalonica was waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ! So were others! The Corinthian church was told by the Apostle Paul, "You come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 1:7). Paul reminded us that "when Christ comes He will be glorified in His saints and admired in all them that believe"(II Thess. 1:10). That is an event worth anticipating, worth waiting for.
Beyond waiting, we are also reminded that we must be watching for the return of Christ. The Scripture says, "You are all sons of light, and sons of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch .2nd be sober minded"(I Thess. 5:5,6). Watching for the return of Christ certainly suggests a degree of concentration on this subject. When we are looking at the sky, we are supposed to see more than the deep blue of the vault or the billowy white clouds. We are to be reminded of the return of Christ. To watch for His return means to watch for His return. We must not be neutral as we anticipate that great day. The Scripture, advising against disinterest, tells us that we are to be looking for Him. The Scripture says, "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. " (Heb. 9:28). When one anticipates a lovely event, like a reunion with a long-absent loved one, that one is looking. That one is standing on tip-toe, staring out the window and pays scant attention to other things. Looking for Christ should resemble a wife intently anticipating the return of a husband who has been away on business.
In an even stronger fashion, the Scripture indicates that we are to love His appearing. Speaking about his own future, Paul says, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing" (II Tim. 4:8). Even reading this emotional passage causes each of us to wonder how much and by how many has been wasted on the things of this world. True love has within it the element of preoccupation, the constant thinking about something as against possible interest. Who can deny that Christians, the church of our time, has such a myriad of interest, commitments, ministries, involvements, fascinations that these may well become the foliage that hides the Person who should be the first love of us all. To love the appearance of Christ in its essential meaning certainly means to love Christ Himself.
We are also advised to rest in the reality of the certain coming of Christ. When we are sure of the return of Christ, everything else is finally alright. If Christ is coming again for His own, there is little by comparison concerning which we shall worry. So it is that the Scripture says, "And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels" (II Thess. 1: 7). In the same vein, the Apostle Paul, when speaking about the return of Christ for His own, says, "Wherefore, comfort one another with these words" (I Thess. 4:18). Comfort-words of assurance these are the words that constitute the promise of His coming. The promise of His coming is a commitment of greater value than almost all the other promises of life put together.
We, therefore, suggest to every discouraged Christian, to every despondent church that some new thought be put into the marvelous promise of the return of Christ. A study of the prophetic Word will bring other details about the end times. However, the core of it all is the blessed promise of the return of our dear Savior. We may look for Christ. When we love His appearing our lives will be transposed upward into a plane of light and reality. There will come a time, of course, when heaven will burst upon us in its totality. Then the shadow will give way to the substance, then will our feeble enlightenment be overwhelmed by the light of eternity. When we stand on that fair shore, we will regret no moments spent in advance contemplation of that wonderful hour.
Dave Breese will be one of the featured speakers at the 1997 International Prophecy Conference in Tampa, Florida, 31 Jan-4 Feb 97.
Reprinted from the September 1995 issue of Destiny Newsletter published by Christian Destiny. For more information write: Christian Destiny, P.O. Box C, Hillsboro, KS 67063-0015 or call (316) 947-2345.
In the Twinkling Of an EyeÉThe Imminency of the Rapture
By J. R. Church
Mainline theologians have long taught that the rapture of New Testament Christianity is imminent - that is, at any moment. We have held to the view of a pretribulation rapture primarily because a mid or post-trib rapture would not be imminent. If any predicted event had to occur before the rapture, the church would be awaiting that event instead of the shout and trumpet sound. If we did not keep ourselves diligent, we might not have an incentive to keep ourselves pure. Also, the teaching of Jesus that no man would know the day nor hour would be invalid.
Over the past twenty years, however, novel interpretations of the rapture have emerged. Some scholars teach a mid-trib; others a post-trib; and some a pre-wrath view of the rapture. In this study, I propose to confirm the conservative view of a pre-tribulation rapture. It revolves around the New Testament teaching that the church is the bride of Christ and is separate from Israel, the historically wayward wife of Jehovah. Those who teach that the church will go through the tribulation, seemingly, do not understand the difference between the church and Judaism.
The Ten Virgins
The most definitive account is shown in the parable of the ten virgins:
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
"And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut." (Matthew 25:1,5,6,10).
The parable of the ten virgins offers a vivid view of the rapture. Note that the story does not mention the bride, only the bridegroom and the bride's attendants. Why? Because the story was originally told for Jewish ears. It was too early to reveal the mystery that the bride was going to be comprised mostly of Gentiles. The ten virgins apparently represent Judaism. Those who were left behind paid a heavier price for the oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, than just the purchase of it. They missed the marriage. It is a common belief that the Jews who reject the Gospel will go through the tribulation. Toward the end, however, many will repent and accept Christ. At Armageddon, the Savior will return with His wife to rescue Israel. At that time, Jesus will establish a world-wide kingdom with Jerusalem as His capital city.
Children of the Bridechamber
Our Savior also sidesteps the subject of the bride in another passage. There, He only discusses the subject of the children of the bridechamber:
"And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.
"But the days will come, when the bride groom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days." (Mark 2:19,20).
Again, the bride is not identified. Evidently, Christ did not want the Jews to know that He planned to take a Gentile bride. Instead, He focused upon the children of the bridechamber - relatives of the groom - a reference to Jews.
Friend of the Groom
In the next reference, John the Baptist actually mentions the bride, yet the focus is upon himself as the friend of the groom:
"He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." (John 3:29).
John refers to himself as the friend who rejoices over the bridegroom's choice of a bride. The bride, however, remained a mystery to be revealed in later years.
According to Jewish custom, there were two friends of the groom. One would serve as an attendant to the groom, as John the Baptist implied. The other would take care of the bride and present her to the groom. The apostle Paul regarded himself as the one who would present the bride to the groom. As the apostle to the Gentiles, he wrote to the church at Corinth:
"For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (II Corinthians 11:2)
This is a reference to Gentile Christianity in its role as the mystical bride of Christ. Paul finally reveals what was, heretofore, a mystery. In Jewish custom, a marriage was arranged with the payment of a price (mohar). Essentially, the groom actually bought the virgin from her father. In like manner, Christ paid the ultimate price for us - His own blood.
Following the financial arrangement, and the signing of the marriage contract (ketubah), the groom would return to his father's home where he would build a bridal chamber (chuppah). When it was prepared, he would return to fetch her for the marriage. This fetching was similar to elopement. In the fourteenth chapter of John's gospel, Christ promised to prepare a place for us, then return and take us to the Father's house. It is a direct reference to the Jewish wedding:
"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. 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." (John 14:2,3)
We presently await the return of Christ for us. If it only took six days to make the heavens and the earth, one can imagine how magnificent our mansions will be after two thousand years of preparation. This brings us to a description of our future home.
The apostle John was exiled on the island of Patmos by the Roman government as the emperor, Domitian, cracked down on the Christian religion throughout the empire. Tradition says that John was boiled in oil, but emerged unscathed. While on Patmos, he was given a vision of the events described in the book of Revelation.
The Lamb's Wife
In the closing chapters of Revelation, the church is seen in our eternal home, the New Jerusalem: "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." (Revelation 21:9)
John is taken to the holy city, which is described as a great and high mountain:
"And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." (Revelation 22:10)
In the final reference to the bride, we are shown the intricate relationship between the church and the Holy Spirit:
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)
This is an important association. Like the servant of Abraham, who went to find a bride for Isaac, the Holy Spirit has been choosing those who comprise the bride of Christ in every era of church history.
As the book of Revelation opens, we are given a view of the church in the form of a seven-lamp Menorah. Christ, our High Priest, stands in its midst and says:
"The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." (Revelation 1:20)
The following seven letters to the churches are a pictorial overview of church history during the past 2,000 years. Each letter depicts certain aspects of the church age:
Ephesus - the church of the first century
Smyrna - suffering persecution to A.D. 316
Pergamos - under imperial favor, A.D. 316 to the end
Thyatira - the papacy, A.D. 500-1500, plus a believing remnant
Sardis - the Reformation, A.D. 1500 to the end
Philadelphia - the true church in the era of missions
Laodicea - the final state of apostasy
In chapter one we are informed that the Menorah represents the seven churches and in chapter four, we see that Menorah standing before the throne of God:
"And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God." (Revelation 4:5)
Here, the Holy Spirit is associated with the seven views of church history. In every era, from Ephesus to Laodicea, the Holy Spirit has exhibited His ministry of choosing and preparing the bride. Both the church and the Holy Spirit work in concert to issue an invitation to the unsaved. Together we proclaim the Gospel. May we be reminded that in chapters one through three, the church is on earth. However, in chapter four, we see the seven-lamp Menorah standing before God's throne. We have been raptured prior to the events which follow - a pre-tribulation rapture.
The Jewish ritual of prostration is in view as John describes the elders offering their crown before God's throne: "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Revelation 4:10,11)
The Selihot Ritual
The seven letters to the churches remind us of the Jewish "selihot" services which begin on Sunday before Rosh HaShanah. In "The Jewish Holidays," Michael Strassfeld writes:
"The end of Elul is marked by selihot - special penitential prayers - recited during the week before Rosh HaShanah. It has become customary to begin selihot at twelve o' clock the Saturday night before Rosh HaShanah. In many synagogues, the cantor and or choir will give a foretaste of the High Holiday services. Some synagogues have study sessions preceding the selihot services. Every day after that until Rosh HaShanah, selihot is said just before sunrise or early in the morning. The selihot service is composed of prayers asking for forgiveness. The day before Rosh HaShanah marks an intensification of the preparations, reflected in an extra-long selihot service." (pp. 97 98)
Is it possible that John's mention of the "Lord's day"in chapter one corresponds to the Sunday before Rosh HaShanah? Viewed as a seven-lamp Menorah, the church appears to be already in the presence of Christ as the Revelation opens. Are we raptured before Jesus appears to John? When John arrives in heaven, in chapter four, the Menorah is already standing before the throne of God. How and when did we get there? Did we arrive with John in chapter four or were we raptured previously?
During the selihot ritual, Jews will gather in groups of four to initiate a bet din - a court from whom one asks absolution for any unfulfilled vows from the past year. Usually each of the four takes a turn asking the other three to serve as judges. Some Jewish groups observe selihot throughout the entire month of Elul. They contend with God over who has offended whom. Malachi appears to be somewhat of a selihot as God pleads with Israel. The sixth chapter of Micah carries the same theme. In each case, it is God who initiates and wins the argument. The pot has no right to question the potter. God is the offended One. Again, Michael Strassfeld writes:
"We are ready to move on to Elul, a prelude to the High Holiday season with its themes of renewal and return. In fact, the period of Elul embodies a process of courtship between us and God.... Estranged from each other ... Israel and God rediscover each other and initiate the slow and at times painful process of becoming lovers again." (p. 93)
In each of the seven letters, the Lord reveals a similar theme, To Ephesus He said, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love." (Rev. 2:4) To Smyrna He said, "... ye shall have tribulation ten days." (v.10) To Pergamos He said, "I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam." (v.14) To Thyatira He said, "I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel ... to seduce my servants." (v. 20) To Sardis He said, "I have not found thy works perfect before God." (Rev. 3:2) To Philadelphia He said, "... hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (v. 11) Finally, to Laodicea He said, "I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." (vv.15,16)
The Jewish selihot ritual is typical of the Judgment Seat of Christ which the church is destined to encounter. The apostle Paul teaches about the Judgment Seat of Christ in three epistles. He warns that each of us will give an account for the way we have lived. To Rome Paul writes:
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:10-12)
Again, Paul reminds the church at Corinth that Christ Himself will be our judge:
"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (I Corinthians 3:12-15)
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." (II Corinthians 5:10)
If the seven letters do not prophetically reflect the characteristics of the Judgment Seat of Christ, then one wonders where else in the book of Revelation would it fit?
Wednesday Afternoon
An important feature in the Jewish marriage concerns the day upon which marriages were allowed to occur. Alfred Edersheim, in his book, "Sketches of Jewish Social Life," notes that Jewish law specifies certain constraints for timing the ceremony:
"Marriage with a maiden was commonly celebrated on a Wednesday afternoon, which allowed the first days of the week for preparation ... Marriages were not celebrated either on the Sabbath, or on the day before or after it, lest the Sabbath-rest should be endangered." (pp. 151,152)
Marriages were not allowed on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Prophetically, this constraint may be understood by viewing the days of the Jewish week as typical of a Shavuah - the Sabbatical cycle of seven years. Also, the weekly Sabbath was a prophetic type of the seventh year which was designated as a Shmitah, or Sabbatical Year. For instance, Daniel chapter nine refers to seventy weeks which were actually sets of seven years each - a total four hundred ninety years. Though they appear in our English Bible as "weeks," they were not weeks of seven days, but years. From this chapter we may observe the relationship between the seven-day week and the seven-year week. One is typical of the other, Each concludes with a Sabbath rest.
From that perspective, we may conclude that the rapture could not take place in the year, or even the year after Christ's return. That also eliminates the rapture at the beginning of the Tribulation, or the year before which is a Sabbatical year, or possibly even two years before. Since Jewish weddings typically took place on Wednesday afternoon, we may consider the possibility of the rapture occurring as early as three and a half years before the tribulation period begins.
From the fact that Jewish marriages occurred in the middle of the week, one might be thinking that a mid-tribulation rapture is in order. Not so. Let us consider what Christ will be doing during the course of the tribulation. For that, we must learn the prophetic significance of the High Holy Days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Also, we must view the office of Christ as the High Priest during this time.
The High Holy Days
The High Holy Days offer a view of the end-time. Rosh HaShanah has a multiplicity of prophetic implications. According to rabbinical authority, on that day God is recognized as King. Also, it represents the day when the books will be opened and the judgment set. Strassfeld writes:
"The themes of God as King and Rosh HaShanah as the birthday of the world are intertwined with those stating that this is a period of repentance, that God is in the process of judging all living things....
"According to tradition, there is a Book of Life and a Book of Death and each person's name is written down in one of these books. On Rosh HaShanah, all the righteous are written in the Book of Life and all of the wicked in the Book of Death, but all those who are neither righteous nor wicked have until Yom Kippur to repent before their fate is sealed." (pp. 97,100)
In Revelation chapters four and five, God is viewed upon a throne. He is thus recognized as King. Remember, kings sit upon thrones. Also, John sees Christ take a book from the Father's hand and proceed to break its seals. This is typical of those heavenly books mentioned above in which all of mankind is written. The events observed in these chapters correspond with Jewish liturgy for the festival of Rosh HaShanah.
This festival of trumpets, considered one long day, is actually observed for two days. The twenty-four hour period takes forty eight hours to transpire in every time zone around the world. Its observation for two days also points up the importance of Rosh HaShanah as more than just a Jewish observance. All nations are in view as the books are opened and the judgment set. We see Him not as just the King of the Jews, but as the King of kings.
On the third of Tishri (the third day after the new moon of September), Jews observe the "Fast of Gedaliah." This is a somber occasion as Jews remember the assassination of Governor Gedaliah which occurred in 587 B.C. He was killed by a member of the royal house of Judah, following the destruction of Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians.
There are ten days from Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur (Tishri 1-10). They are called "Days of Awe" and represent days of penitence or affliction in which Jews, realizing that good works do not merit eternal life, fall upon the grace of God for salvation. Again, Strassfeld writes:
"Yom Kippur is ... a day when those who have failed at repentance - and which of us has not? - may cast themselves upon God's mercies and ask that He act for them." (p. 111)
Prophetically, the Days of Awe are typical of the tribulation period - concluding with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It was the day in which a blood sacrifice was made by the High Priest and taken into the Holy of Holies.
Preparing for Yom Kippur
At this point, we should view the office of Christ as High Priest. We should take note that the High Priest will have no time for His wife during the tribulation period. His duties are spelled out in the liturgy of the High Holy Days. In "The Jewish Festivals," Hayyim Schauss writes:
"Seven days before Yom Kippur the High Priest moved from his home to his chamber in the Temple. During this week he alone conducted the service, offered the daily sacrifices, sprinkled the blood, burned the incense, and tended the lighting of the Menorah, He did this for seven successive days.... He also fears that through some accident he may be disqualified. Should that happen, his understudy would have to conduct the services of the Great Day. The understudy is therefore also prepared and ready for the occasion." (pp. 125-132)
This is most significant. The High Priest is secluded within the Temple precincts for seven days to prepare for his entrance into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. These seven days appear to correspond with the seven years of the tribulation period. Should the High Priest become contaminated, he would be found unworthy. In fact, such an event is recorded by Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian of the first century. In "The Antiquities of the Jews," Josephus writes:
"Now it happened, that during the time of the high priesthood of Matthias, there was another person made high priest for a single day, that very day which the Jews observed as a fast. The occasion was this: this Matthias the high priest, on the night before that day when the fast was to be celebrated, seemed, in a dream, to have a conversation with his wife; and because he could not officiate himself on that account, Joseph, the son of Ellemus, his kinsman, assisted him in that sacred office." (book 17, chapter 6, paragraph 4)
We can only conclude that Christ could not rapture the Church during the seven year tribulation. He will be performing the duties of the High Priest in the heavenly Temple, preparing for the battle of Armageddon the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement.
Revelation's View of the High Priest
Throughout the book of Revelation, we have a view of Christ as High Priest. In chapter one, we see Him standing with the Menorah, dressed in the vestments of the High Priest:
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks:
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow,. and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." (Revelation 1:12-16).
Thus begins a view of our High Priest as He initiates the liturgy of the High Holy Days.
Judaism teaches that on the day of Rosh HaShanah, God opens the three books. He writes the names of the godly in the book of life. He writes the names of the wicked in the book of death. Finally, He writes the names of those who are not completely godly or not completely wicked in the third book and gives them ten days to repent.
Our High Priest Is Worthy
During the Rosh HaShanah ritual, our High Priest is proclaimed worthy to proceed with the liturgy which will ultimately lead to Yom Kippur:
"And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:1-10)
No High Priest from the Levitical priesthood was found perfect enough to perform the final redemption of earth. Christ is worthy because He is a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek - a Gentile order which dates back to the days of Abraham. Also, Christ is the Lamb Who died on Calvary and rose again the third day. He is the Son of God and God the Son. As such, He is both perfect and worthy.
He takes the book from the hand of His Father and begins the redemption process. It is possible that the breaking of the seven seals represent events which begin during the prophetic fulfillment of Rosh HaShanah (observed for two days) and the Fast of Gedaliah (on the third day). This does not mean that the rider on the white horse concludes his task before the tribulation begins. What it may mean, however, is that the rider on the white horse (the antichrist) could begin his mission as early as three years before the tribulation. This would also be the case for the red horse of war, the black horse of famine, and the pale horse of death. These events could begin to develop before the tribulation sets in and conclude as late as the final year of the tribulation.
Revelation's Tour of the Temple
It appears that the scene in Revelation corresponds with the synagogue service on Rosh HaShanah. As sunset nears, John looks at the new moon of September. He sees that the constellation Virgo, the virgin, is clothed with the sun. The new moon is under her feet (Revelation 12:1). It is time to attend the service. A door appears in heaven (Revelation 4:1) and John is invited by the voice of Christ, which sounds like a trumpet, to attend the heavenly Rosh HaShanah ritual. As he arrives at the heavenly Temple, he sees God, as King, sitting upon His throne with a book in his hand. Judgment is about to begin. The righteous (that's us) are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The wicked are written in the Book of Death. Those who are not altogether wicked, nor altogether righteous will have only until Yom Kippur to repent. They might be Uncle Fred or Aunt Susie. Or they might be the Jewish people who, for centuries, have looked for the Messiah, while overlooking Jesus.
The Laver
Before God's throne stands a sea of glass, a reference to the laver - the wash basin that stood in the Temple courtyard. In the days of Solomon's Temple, the laver was more than fifteen feet across and eight feet high. This one is huge!
The Seven-Lamp Menorah
Near the throne stands the seven-lamp Menorah which was first introduced in Revelation, chapter one. In chapter four, it is referred to as the seven-fold Holy Spirit. We who were born again by the Holy Spirit have been removed from the earth. We now stand before the throne of God.
The Lamb
According to Jewish teaching, on Rosh HaShanah, God counts His sheep and determines who shall live and who shall die. Of those who will die, God determines who will die of hunger, disease, earthquake, etc. That brings us to the One Who is worthy - God's Lamb. He alone is found worthy to break the seals and open the book.
Daniel also gives us a general view of this impressive scene:
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (Daniel 12: 1-4)
Daniel is told about a book in which the righteous are written. Then he is told to seal the book! Could this be the book with seven seals? The analogy is astounding!
Christ takes the scroll and begins to break each seal. He breaks the first seal and begins to read what's on the p.. His voice sounds like thunder. There are four living creatures near the throne who demonstrate the first four seals. Taken in the order of their listing, it should be the one who looks like a lion that shows us the first horseman (the Deceiver). The second horsemen (the Destroyer) is introduced by the creature that resembles a calf. The third horseman (Drought) is introduced by the creature with the face of a man. The fourth horseman (Death) is introduced by the creature that has the appearance of an eagle. These four living creatures are given the power to hurt the earth.
The Veil
As the events move to chapter seven, we are shown the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies:
"And after these things I saw four angels standing an the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (Revelation 7:1-3)
The veil of the Mosaic Tabernacle was woven with blue linen and hung upon four columns across the west end of the Holy Place. The veil covered the Holy of Holies, secluding it from human view. This is typical of the blue oxygen atmosphere which covers the earth in all four directions - north, east, south, and west. Throughout the day, earth is veiled from the rest of the universe - a forbidding Holy of Holies. Only at night is the veil removed, allowing us to see the vast reaches of God's abode.
Four heavenly creatures were embroidered on the Temple veil. They typify the four living creatures destined to hurt the earth by introducing the four horsemen. However, their mission is held up until 144,000 Jews are sealed on earth - the firstfruits of those Jews left behind at the rapture. The next scene introduces John to the raptured church. Multitudes from all nations stand before God clothed in white robes.
Now the earth can be hurt!
The Altar of Incense
In chapter eight, Christ breaks the seventh seal. There is silence in heaven for half an hour as all of heaven expectantly awaits the onset of the tribulation. This silence is also seen in the Jewish synagogue on Rosh HaShanah as the congregation awaits the blowing of the Shofar. Strassfeld writes:
"There is a sense of expectation in the silence before the shofar sounds, followed by unease by the various blasts. Part of its sense of mystery lies in the interplay of the silence, the piercing sound, and the hum of people praying." (p. 99)
This is precisely the scene in the eighth chapter. Next, an angel steps up to the golden atlar that stands before the veil and offers incense with the prayers of the saints. As the trumpets prepare to sound, he takes fire from the altar and casts it to the earth:
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God,. and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saint, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound." (Revelation 8: 1-6)
At this point, the tribulation begins. There is no way to determine a sequence of events, how long and intense each will be, and how they correspond to other events. For example, we do not know if the trumpets describe the same judgments as the vials, but we suspect a possibility. Nothing is timed until we get to chapters ten through thirteen. In chapter ten a mighty angel declares that there will be no more delay. In chapter eleven, we are told that Jerusalem will be trodden under foot of the Gentiles for forty-two months; that two witnesses will prophesy 1,260 days; that they will be killed and resurrected after three and a half days. We are told in chapter twelve that Israel will flee into the wilderness and be nourished for 1,260 days - also referred to as "a time, times, and half a time." In chapter thirteen, we learn that the beast out from the sea will rule over the earth for forty-two months. That is all we are told! We are told nothing else about how long many of the events will take to transpire. We are not told how the seals, trumpets, and vials work in concert with each other, if at all.
The Day of Atonement
The scene shifts back to the heavenly temple briefly for the blowing of the seventh trumpet and the preparations for pouring out seven vials of wrath. They appear to be associated with the Yom Kippur ritual which occurs on the tenth day after Rosh HaShanah. In chapter eleven, the seventh trumpet is blown and the veil is pulled back. Has the Day of Atonement arrived?
"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. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail." (Revelation 11:15,19)
A similar scene is given in chapter fifteen:
"And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled." (Revelation 15:5-8)
Another view is seen as the seventh vial is poured out in chapter sixteen:
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air,. and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saving, It is done." (Revelation 16:17)
In the ancient Jewish ritual for the Day of Atonement, the congregation gathered in the courtyard before dawn. The service began when there was enough light to see the hill of Hebron, eleven miles to the south. During the course of the day, the High Priest would bath five times and wash his hands and feet ten times. After each bath, he would change clothes, first from the colorful attire of the High Priest, to a simple white garment used for his duties in the Holy of Holies, etc. It is said that he would not wear his golden vestments into the Holy of Holies, lest God be reminded of the golden calf. As the High Priest stood before the congregations and offered prayers, he would pronounce the ineffable name of God ten times through the course of the day. Each time, the congregation would prostrate themselves on the pavement.
The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies four times in the course of his duties. First, He took fire from the brazen altar, placed it in a firepan, entered the Holy of Holies and laid it between the staves of the Ark. Standing back, he tossed incense on the fire, filling the place with smoke.
Emerging, he stood before the congregation and killed a bullock. He drew its blood into a vial or bowl and handed it to an assistant. Then he chose a sacrificial goat and a scapegoat by casting lots. He left the scapegoat to face the people while he slaughtered the other goat and drew its blood into a second vial. Taking up the vial of bullock's blood, he entered the Holy of Holies a second time and sprinkled it on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant with his finger.
Emerging again, he placed the vial of bullock's blood on a stand near the golden altar of incense. Taking up the blood of the goat, He entered the Holy of Holies the third time and sprinkled it on the ark seven times with his finger. He emerged from the Holy of Holies, mixed the blood of both animals together, and sprinkled some of it on the horns of the golden altar of incense. He took the remaining blood outside and poured it out at the base of the brazen altar.
Approaching the scapegoat, He prayed for the sins of the congregation to be placed on the scapegoat. He then led the goat to the Eastern Gate, turned it over to a person chosen to escort it about ten miles into the wilderness, and retuned to read portions of the Mosaic Law to the congregation. The scapegoat was led out to a precipice and driven over the cliff to its death. Signals were passed along the trail back to the Temple that the scapegoat had removed the sins of the people.
Now, one thing remained for the High Priest. He entered the Holy of Holies for the fourth time and removed the firepan, thus concluding the Yom Kippur ritual. He would emerge with the announcement, "It is done." Changing clothes once again into his golden vestments, he offered the regular evening sacrifice and dismissed the congregation.
These events correspond to the scenes we see in Revelation - seeing the heavenly Temple opened; getting a glimpse of the ark; filling the temple with smoke; angels pouring out vials of wrath; and a voice announcing, "It is done." It appears that the first half of Revelation is devoted to the ritual of Rosh HaShanah - the Feast of Trumpets - and the last half is devoted to the ritual of Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement.
A Year for a Day
As I contemplated the events of Revelation and compared them to the ten days from Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur, I wondered if those days might represent years. Also, can the other days of the Jewish calendar be compared to the years in this century? It was on Av 9 that the spies came back from spending 40 days in the Promised Land. Their tales of woe melted the hearts of the people. Hearing that there were giants in the land, they turned against Moses and refused to enter. Because of their unbelief, God announced that those 40 days would become 40 years:
"And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise." (Numbers 14:33,34)
Can we take the Hebrew calendar - say, from Pentecost through Yom Kippur, and find a prophetic scenario that fits this century? I consulted a Jewish calendar, and prepared a chart. I noted that in the Sabbatical year of 1882, fourteen young Jews left Karkov, Russia to immigrate to Palestine. They went as the first Aliyah - the first return to reclaim the Promised Land. Also, during those years Theodor Herzl inspired Jews all over the world to work toward reclaiming their ancient homeland. Be reminded that it was during the season of Pentecost that Naomi returned from her exile to reclaim her land. She had Ruth to approach Boaz on the night of Pentecost with a request to redeem Naomi's inheritance.
Historically, the twenty-one days from Tammuz 17 to Av 9 represent the darkest period in Jewish History. It was on a Tammuz 17 that Moses caught them with the golden calf. Both Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple were besieged and burned during this time. Every year these days are observed as Israel's "Dark Time," concluding with a fast on Av 9. Counting the days of the calendar, I noted that the "Three Weeks" or "Dark Time" from the seventeenth of Tammuz to the ninth of Av corresponded to 1927 through 1948. These were the years that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the subsequent Holocaust. The first nine days of Av (1-9) are especially severe, Hayyim Schauss writes:
"During the nine days between the new Moon and Tishah B' Av, the restrictions are so severe that all bathing is forbidden and no meat may be eaten. The lack of meat is not a great hardship on the Jews of the town; nobody eats much meat during the hot summer months. But the ban on bathing causes real hardship, for these are the hottest days of the year. But no matter what the heat, nor how strongly the sun burns, nobody goes to the river. Who would dream of bathing during the "Nine Days," when Jews mourn over the destruction of the Temple?" (pp. 101-102)
Counting the calendar, I was amazed to find that the first of Av corresponded with September 1939 through August 1940 the beginning of World War II!
The Sabbath before Tishah B'Av is called Sabbath Chazzon meaning, "vision, prophecy." The first chapter of Isaiah is read which starts, "The vision of Isaiah ...," and predicts destruction and doom. In my calendar, the Sabbath before Tishah B' Av fell on the Av 6, corresponding with September 1944 through August 1945 - the concluding year of World War II!
Rabbis teach that the Messiah will be born on the ninth of Av, the day associated with the destruction of both Temples. Av 9 has been such a dreadful date in their history, Jews think the birth of their deliverer will come out of it - like the Phoenix rising from its ashes. Schauss writes:
"But a people cannot live only on memories of the woes of the past. It must also have hopes for a brighter and happier future. It is for this reason that the belief came current amongst Jews that the Messiah was born on the day of the destruction of the Temple. The month of Av is therefore called <I>Menachem Av</I>, for the meaning of menachem is 'comforter.' Menachem is also the name of the Messiah, according to one homiletical interpretation of Lamentations." (p. 106)
Counting the calendar, I found that the ninth of Av corresponded to September of 1947 through August 1948. That was the year of the birth of the nation of Israel. Their long-looked-for baby had arrived! not the messiah, but the nation that will see the final redemption!
The month of Elul brings the calendar up to the present. It corresponds to the past three decades. The first day of Elul corresponds to 1969-70, but preparations begin on the preceding Sabbath. Schauss writes:
"The attitude during the entire month of Elul is already an earnest and sober one, and all feel that soon the solemn days will begin. But undercurrents of the coming holidays are felt even earlier ... on the Sabbath at which the blessing for the coming New Moon, that of Elul, is recited. Every Sabbath before a new Moon is a special Sabbath in the synagogue. But the Sabbath before Elul is exalted above all the other pre-New Moon Sabbaths. One knows that very soon, in just a few days, the call of the Shofar will be heard." (p. 143)
In my Jewish calendar, the Sabbath before the new moon of Elul falls on Av 27 and corresponds to 1965-66. Indeed, just as Schauss suggested when he said, "One knows that very soon ... the call of the Shofar will be heard,"the very next year East Jerusalem was liberated in the Six Day War and Shlomo Goren blew the Shofar at the Western Wall!
On the day before Elul 1, corresponding to 1968-69, many Jews fast and begin to recite Selihot - prayers of supplication and confessions. On the next day, Elul 1, the Shofar is blown, after which Psalm 27 is recited. The Shofar call is a signal that the time for penitence is approaching. It is interesting to note that with the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967, the city has become the focal point of the world. God promises to make Jerusalem a "cup of trembling" for the entire world. The capital of Israel will become the center of conflict until Christ returns to make it His world capital.
Following through with our study, the Sunday before Rosh HaShanah falls on Elul 26 and corresponds to 1994-95. The day before Tishri 1 should fall on Wednesday, Elul 29 and correspond to 1997-98.On that day, an extra long Selihot service is observed. Rosh HaShanah may correspond to 1998-99. Yom Kippur might correspond to the year2007-08. But, of course, we do not know the future. We can only contemplate the question, "Could the Jewish calendar actually be a prophecy of the end-time - a year for a day?" Only time will tell.
From the December 1996 issue of Prophecy In The News
Questions or Comments for JR Church, e-mail to: jerryc@icon.net
Visit JR's WebSite: http://www.upbeat.com/prophecy/
God-The Master Mathematician
by N.W. Hutchings
We are living, we believe, in that generation spoken of in Daniel 12:4,
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased,"
It has been claimed that today knowledge is doubling every two and one-half years. In times past, there have been periods in which knowledge has increased in certain areas of human intelligence; music, literature, agriculture, mechanics, etc. But in the present generation, there has been an explosion of knowledge in every facet of the laws of science that govern the universe and man himself: medicine, agriculture, metallurgy, aerodynamics, astronomy, electronics, nuclear physics, geology, mechanics, plastics, communications. At the base of the knowledge explosion in these latter years is man's development and application of the science of mathematics and, in particular, computer science. A computer is a mathematical machine developed to the degree that it can apply the laws of mathematical science to any given problem and situation. Without the computer, modern space exploration would not have been possible.
The word "mathematics" comes from the Greek, 'mathematikos,' or the Latin, 'mathematicus,' and means "to learn," "inclined to learn," or "memory." A computer is a sophisticated mathematical machine, but it is only as useful as its memory. If a computer loses its memory, it is of no use.
However, God, is infinitely greater than any computers today, or any that are on the drawing board, because He is the Master Mathematician of the universe. He is the author of all science, and by His laws of Creation all things consist. The base of all absolute mathematics is the fact that one plus one equals two. From the beginning in Genesis we read on the first day of creation God spoke, and there was light. On the next day of creation, God spoke and the firmament, or our atmosphere, appeared. We read in Genesis 1:8,
"And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
The first chapter of Genesis plainly informs us that one plus one equals two. On the next day, God made the dry land and plant life appeared, and here we are told that two plus one equals three. In Genesis we discover division. God divided Adam into two parts, and from one came two. We are also told that man, through procreation, multiplied upon the face of the earth.
Through the chronology of mankind in Genesis we see the development of the numerical system to nearly one thousand. Methuselah lived to be 969 years of age before he died. And from the beginning of simple arithmetic in Genesis we discover progressively the development of mathematics until Revelation, where there is revealed a complicated system of numerics involving patterns of sevens, tens, and other numbers. In Revelation 9:16 we find the number 200 million.
The mathematical structure of our Bible proves beyond doubt that it was written by a Master Mathematician; it could not possibly have been written by mere human beings alone. This numerical pattern lies beneath the surface of the Greek and Hebrew texts from which our King James Version came. We understand that there is no truly original texts, because as far as we know, the original letters or parchments upon which John, Luke, Paul, and the other writers of the New Testament wrote, have not been found. Perhaps the closest writings in existence to the original texts are those of the Dead Sea Scrolls containing portions of the Old Testament, including the book of Isaiah. But from the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, upon which the Majority Text is based, there is found a remarkable scientific, mathematical pattern that proves that God, by the Holy Spirit, preserved the purity and perfection of His Word, just as the Holy Spirit moved upon the writers of the Old and the New Testaments.
Just as the Bible establishes the basis of all absolute mathematics, it also establishes the rule for all theoretical mathematics: a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. It is from this theorem that all other theorems and postulates from which geometry, trigonometry, analytics, and other branches of theoretical math spring. Jesus said in Matthew 7:14,
"straight is the gate [or opening], and narrow is the way [or line], which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
There are many reasons why we accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God. The words of the human writers of the Bible, forty in all, writing over a time span of approximately sixteen hundred years, claimed that they were writing the words that God gave them. We read in 2 Timothy 3:16,
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God."
In 2 Peter 2:21, we read that the Bible was written by holy men of God as they were guided, or moved by the Holy Spirit. We read also in Luke 1:17
"Éhe [the Lord God] spake by the mouth of his holy prophets."
There are hundreds of other verses of scripture which aver the word of the Lord came to the prophets as they wrote. We know also that the Bible is the Word of God because it shows the reader the way, the line, or the road, and that way is Jesus Christ. We also are provided indisputable evidence that the Bible is not just another human book in its intricate numerical pattern.
Let us take, for example, the number seven, God's perfect number. From the first book in the Bible through the last, seven is the most dominant number. God rested on the seventh day, or the Sabbath. Egypt experienced seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. When the city of Jericho was captured, the people and seven priests who had seven trumpets marched around the city seven times. Every seventh year the land of the Israelites was not to be cultivated or planted. Solomon spent seven years building the Temple. After its completion, he held a feast for seven days. Naaman washed seven times in the river.
In Revelation, the last book of the Bible, seven is mentioned repeatedly: seven churches, seven lampstands, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials, seven stars, seven spirits, etc. In Revelation alone, it is used more that fifty times. These are just a few examples of the evident usage of seven through the Bible which prove that it is an unusual book. Forty writers who lived over a period of sixteen hundred years would not have continued the pattern unless there was a central author. Within the Hebrew and Greek texts is an even more amazing pattern of sevens.
In the first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, the number of Hebrew words is seven. The total Hebrew letters in these seven words is exactly twenty-eight, or four times seven. The first three words contain the subject and predicate of the sentence. Translated in English is says, "In the beginning God created." The total letter s in these first three Hebrew words contain two objects of the verb "created": "the heavens" and "the earth." The total number of letters in both the first and second object is exactly seven each. The three dominant words in this verse are "God" (the subject) and the objects "heaven" and "earth." The total number of letters in these three Hebrew words is exactly fourteen, or two times seven. The number of letters in the other words is exactly fourteen, or two times seven. The number of letters in the other words of the verse is also fourteen - tow times seven. This is just one of the countless nu7merical examples in the Bible which mathematically prove that the Bible is a supernatural, God-breathed, God-given book.
There are also patterns of sevens in the second division of Christ's genealogy, contained in Matthew 1:12-17. In the remaining eight verses of Matthew 1 (18-25), there are seventy-seven different Greek words in the text, eleven times seven. Of the seventy seven Greek words, the number of words spoken by the angel to Joseph is twenty-eight, four times seven.
The second chapter of Matthew contains the account of Jesus' childhood. The number of Greek words in Chapter 2 is exactly one hundred sixty-one, or twenty-three times seven. The number of Greek letters is exactly eight hundred ninety-six, or one hundred twenty-eight times seven. There are several paragraphs, and each paragraph has numerical features of its own. For example, the number of Greek words in the first six verses., fifty-six, divides perfectly by seven (eight times seven).
From Matthew we go to the Gospel of Mark. The first eight verses of chapter 1 record the ministry o John the Baptist. The number of Greek words is exactly seventy-seven, or eleven times seven. Of these seventy-seven words, the number which begin with consonants is thirty-five, or five times seven; the number John used in his preaching is twenty-one, or three times seven. In the account of Christ's baptism, the number of Greek words used in the text is thirty-five, or five times seven.
These are just a few of the passages which prove that the entire Bible is one book with one author --- God, the Master Mathematician. But God is not just the Master of math, He is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. Inasmuch as every scripture is God-breathe, we can believer the words of Jesus Christ, who declared that He and His Father are One , as recorded in John 3"16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him sold not perish, but have everlasting life."
Every number in the Bible has its own peculiar properties, something that no other book in the world can claim. In this brief article we can investigate only a few numerical values and applications, but for example, let us consider the number of man-six (Rev. 13:18). Hollywood created its own six million dollar bionic man, but let us consult the King James Version for further amplification:
Man was created on the sixth day (Gen. 1:27, 31).
@. Revelation 13:18 says that 666 is the "number of a man."
3. The Bible has sixty-six books; it was written for man.
4. Genesis 6 has the word "man" mentioned six times.
5. Galatians 6 has the word "man" mentioned six times.
6. 2 Chronicles 6 has the word "man" mentioned six times.
The following are interesting facts about the book of Joshua:
It is the sixth book.
It is the first book named after a man.
Joshua has six letters.
It has twenty-four chapter (four times six).
"Men" is found six times in chapter 6.
Israel marched around Jericho for six days in chapter 6.
"Man" is found six times in chapter 6; thirty times in the whole book (five times six).
The following are interesting facts about Romans:
It is the sixth book of the New Testament.
The name of the book has six letters.
The name has "man" in it; "Romans" means "an emphasis on man."
"Man" is the sixth word in Romans 6:6.
Six different times, "man" is the sixth word in a verse; the sixth time is in Romans 6:6 (also Rom. 2:1,3,6; 3:28; 5:7; 6:6).
It has sixteen chapters and teaches us how a Gentile man can be made just before God.
9. "Man" is found two thousand six hundred and four times in the King James Version, exactly four hundred thirty-four times six!
"Son of Man," with reference to Christ, is found eighty-four times, fourteen times six. Fourteen is the number of deliverance-Christ came to bring deliverance as the "Son of Man;" Israel will see the "Son of Man" coming in the clouds (Matt. 24:30); Christ will return to deliver them (Matt. 24:31).
The minds of the cleverest men who have ever lived would not be capable of devising such sublime mathematical problems. No human could possibly have devised such a means of binding the whole of God's Word together. Only the author, God Himself, the Supreme Intellect of the universe, could have done it. The number of words found in Matthew, not found in any of the other twenty-six books of the New Testament, reveal mathematical designs so profound that they amaze us. How did Matthew know to use the right number of certain words to complete the pattern? In order for Matthew to have accomplished this, it would have been necessary to have had all the other books before him as he wrote, as well as the prison epistles of Paul not yet written, and the three epistles of John and the book of Revelation.
The Bible is different from all other books in the world including the Koran, the holy book of the Moslems, and the religious writs of the Hindus and Buddhists. The infallible numeric structure of the Bible proves that it is the only book written by an intellect superior to that of man. It is evident that the Bible is not the work of many minds, but the work of One Mind. The designs furnish clear proof that the whole Bible ha but One Author, and each book of both the Old and New Testaments was written by the same Mind who planned everything before the world's foundation. He is God, the Creator, who said in Genesis 1:3
"ÉLet there be light: and there was light."
In fact, every candid, logically minded individual is compelled to admit to himself, if not openly, that the intelligence which planned and designed the Bible was Superhuman, Divine. That One Designer was a Supernatural Master Designer, the Master Mathematician. The Bible proves itself in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
The evidence and facts are such that no critic can successfully face them. Facing them means unconditional surrender to the inevitable and foolproof system which can stand any amount of honest testing. No living person has yet attempted to dispute this convincing array; the best anyone can do is ignore them.
In geometry, the two angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are proved to be equal by cold, unimpassioned mathematical reasoning, abut which there can be no dispute. The Word, backed by indisputable scientific and mathematical design, states in no uncertain terms that God, the Creator of the universe, sent Jesus Christ, born of the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, to die for the sins of every man and woman in the world. All who accept this truth, believe it, and receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, are born again to eternal life.
Mathematics in Creation
Even on the first day of creation, we witness the operation of mathematical laws which govern the universe, set in motion by the Master Mathematician. In the sphere of light, there are exactly seven colors. They merge together to form light. One is the number of God, for there is One God; and we read in Genesis that God is light, and in Him is no darkness (1 John 1:5). On the first day, God divided the light from the darkness.
We read in Genesis 1:6-8 that on the second day of creation, God made the firmament, or atmosphere. Atmosphere contains the necessary elements for life, and without it there would be neither animals nor plants. It contains oxygen, necessary for animal life, and carbon dioxide, necessary for plant life. Two is the number of witness, and these two life sustaining essential s bear witness that God is the Author of all life on earth; whether animal or vegetable.
In other words, animals did not evolve from plants OR VICE-VERSA. Without atmosphere, there would be no sound. In music, there are exactly seven whole tones in a scale, while every6 eighth note begins a new octave and is a repetition of the first note.
Of the third day Genesis 1:9010 says,
"And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth'; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good."
Water at first covered the entire planet, but on the third day God divided the waters and the land. We now have seven continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica. God also gathered the waters into seas; and again, according to maritime terminology from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, we have seven seas: North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea.
We read further concerning the third day of creation,
"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day." (Gen. 1:11-13).
Numerical patterns in the plant or vegetable kingdom are so numerous, it is impossible to discuss in nay detail in this brief study. the grains in Indian corn are set in rows and always arranged in even, never odd, numbers. Leaves are arranged upon a stem in perfect order so that one is exactly parallel to the first leaf on the stem. On the apple tree it is the fifth leaf, on the oak the fourth, on the peach the sixth, etc. In Endogens (house plants), three is the prevailing number, while in Exogens (outside plants), five is the prevailing number. Every acorn, very fruit, every leaf, every blade of grass grows in an exact mathematical design.
On the fourth day of creation, Genesis 1:14, 16 says,
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and yearsÉAnd God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also."
A lunar month, the time it takes for the moon to circle around the earth, is twenty-eight days, or four times seven; the distance the moon is from the earth is 238,000 miles, or 34,000 times seven. The diameter of the moon is twenty-one hundred miles, or three hundred times seven.
The sun, which also appeared on the fourth day, does not follow the creative pattern of seven. It fits into the numerical pattern for the Godhead, the number three. Perhaps the reason for the sun's place in this particular mathematical design is that without God the Creator there would be no life. Without the sun, all life on earth would become extinct within a matter of hours, a few days at most. God is also light; He made the sun to rule the day. The distance of our sun from the earth is 93 million miles, or 31 million times three. The relation of Newton's law of gravity between the sun and the earth is two times ten grams to the thirty-third power (eleven times three), or two times ten tons to the twenty-seventh power (nine times three). The sun's mass is 333,000 that of earth, or 111,000 times three. Earth is the third planet from the sun. It circles the sun at the speed of 66,000 miles an hour, or 22,000 times three; our solar system has nine planets that revolve around the sun (three times three). The sun cross the vernal (spring equinox in the third month (March), the twenty-first day (seven times three), and the autumnal equinox in Sept3mber, the ninth month (three times three) on the twenty-first day (seven times three).
God's creation on the sixth day (Gen. 1:24-27) included wild and domesticated animals, insects, and all other life that falls outside the insect kingdom. Last of all, God made man. As we have stated, six is the number of man, so declared in Revelation 13:18. A mathematical pattern is found throughout the life forms God created on the sixth day. The pattern of three and six is found throughout insects. For example, let us consider the bee:
The worker grub matures in twenty-one days (seven times three).
It is at work three days after leaving the cell.
The drone matures in twenty-four days (eight times three).
The bee is composed of three sections, head and two stomachs.
The two eyes are made of approximately three thousand small eyes (one thousand times three), with each eye having six sides (two times three).
There are six wax scales underneath the bee (two times three).
Like all insects, the bee has six legs (two times three).
The egg of the queen is hatched in three days.
It is fed for nine days (three times three).
It reaches maturity in fifteen days (five times three).
The animal kingdom reintroduces the number seven. The gestation periods of just a few animals are as follows:
The mouse is twenty-one days (three times seven).
The rabbit and the rat is twenty-eight days (four times seven).
The cat is fifty-six days (eight times seven).
The dog is sixty-three days (nine times seven).
The lion is ninety-eight days (fourteen times seven).
The sheep is one hundred forty-seven days (twenty-one times seven).
Hen eggs are hatched in tw3nty-one days (three times seven).
Duck eggs hatch in forty-two days (six times seven).
The human species gestation is two hundred eighty days (forty times seven).
The sixth day of creation represents man's day; six is the number of man. Man's day will be a period of seven years in which the world will be commanded to worship a man of its own choosing, a man with the number of man-666. After ward the Lord's day will come, represented by the seventh day-a day of rest from war, famine, crime, disease, and sorrow. Throughout the Bible, mankind is promised this dispensational day of rest. According to the book 'Number in Scripture,' there is medical evidence that man's pulse beats slower on the seventh day than the previous six days. This is a sign from God that man is to take one day to remember his Creator and then look forward to that heavenly day of rest for all who are in Jesus Christ.
Today, there are multitudes of scoffers in our seminaries and pulpits who contend that the Genesis account of creation is a myth-a tale invented by the ancients to explain to their children how the world came into being. What inventor of a myth would go to the trouble of devising complicated and intricate mathematical designs and patterns woven, not only through the account of creation in the Bible, but indelibly imprinted upon all living things created? There is no way the Genesis account of Creation could possibly be a myth. It is impossible to have happened other than in the way Moses said it happened in the first three chapters of Genesis. God is indeed the Master Mathematician of the universe.
Reprinted with permission of
The Southwest Radio Church
PO Box 1144
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
Tel: 1 (800) 652-1144
Fax: (405) 236-4634
By the way we are working on getting information on the next Prophecy Conference being sponsored by SWRC. Stay tuned. My wife has attended their conferences and found them enlightening and very worthwhile.
Bible Study
Pots, Potters, and Clay
By Lambert Dolphin
dolphin@best.com
Introduction
The Bible teaches truth "here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept." Unlike a textbook or encyclopedia, God reveals information on a given subject or topic in a distributed form - from Genesis through Revelation. Often truth is made known through stories of lessons from history, or is depicted by the use of symbols. The first use of a symbol or a theme in the Bible is always very important.
When the Bible discloses truth using symbols, the meaning of the symbol is never changed, but often amplified and expanded as one moves forward through the narrative of the Bible. For these reasons, one of the most profitable ways to develop a systematic Biblical world-view (weltaunschaung) is to follow the use of a given symbol through the entire Bible using a lexicon or word search program.
The theme of "the potter and the clay" in the Bible gives us one of the most beautiful, impressive, and awe-inspiring pictures of the Sovereignty of God over both men and history, and shows us vividly His constant, loving, artist's hand in all our affairs. The following study is brief and by no means exhaustive.
Man Created from the Clay of the Earth
Then 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 birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created (bara) man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28)
"In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up---for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground---then the LORD God formed [Heb: yatsar] man of dust from the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath [ruach] of life; and man became a living being [nephesh]. And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden [the word means "delight"], in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Genesis 2:5-7)
[First use of the symbol of potter and clay. "Dust" and "clay"are often used interchangeably for soil or earth from the ground.]
Yatsar, translated in this version as "formed" means to mold as a potter molds the clay, [the term is also used in Jeremiah 18-19]. The account of man's creation in Genesis 1:27 says that God created [bara] man. Man was created, but also molded and fashioned. Bara is a word used in the Bible only for the creative activity of God. It implies something new has been brought into existence by divine command. Yatsar tells us how God formed and sculpted man (Adam/Eve). Man as created by God is the highest of all of God's artistic works, and God made man very much like Himself. God's creation of the first man was "hands-on" and God's involvement with all men ever since has been a personal one, whether individuals know this or not!
The fall of man affected body, soul and spirit. Death entered the world because of sin, man's connection with the Source of life caused mind and soul to languish and the physical body to begin to die. The genetic and spiritual damage causing death was passed on down to all of us who are the natural descendants of Adam.
The death of God's Son on the Cross was God's method of reconciling all things to Himself, making provision for man's restoration, rebirth and eventual physical, bodily resurrection. The new life imparted to all followers of Christ immediately renews soul and spirit. The body, however, remains unredeemed
for the rest of one's life. "Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being;' the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual which is first but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man [Adam] was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?' " (1 Corinthians 15:45-55)
The Biblical symbol of the potter and the clay when applied to man therefore makes references to man as created by God, man related to and linked to the physical world, and man the perishable and mortal. God as the great Potter, the Sovereign God has the right to create, or to remake any man, and the clay has little to say about the matter!
Job acknowledged this when he said, "Remember that thou hast made me of clay; and wilt thou turn me to dust again?" (Job 10:9)
The Potter's Right over the Clay
In the days of the prophet Isaiah, Judah's repeated disobedience brought an alarm from the Lord, "Woe to those who hide deep from the LORD their counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, 'Who sees us? Who knows us?' You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay; that the thing made should say of its maker, 'He did not make me;' or the thing formed say of him who formed it, 'He has no understanding'" (Isaiah 29:15-16)
A lump of ordinary clay is chosen from the amorphous pile of the clay heaped on the floor. The potter has an end product in mind, a vessel that will be useful to its final owner and a credit to the potter's craftsmanship and experience. The potter labors over the clay forming and shaping and forming it until the final product is realized. The pot then can be fired and decorated - but if it cracks or turns out misshapen, it is no big deal to discard it altogether. Can we imagine a mere clay pot complaining to the potter? Does the pot have "rights" of it's own? No, it exists, and finds useful service as an ordinary kitchen pot or a beautiful vase, solely because the potter intended it for such an end.
Yet God allows both individuals and nations to cooperate with Him as He molds and shapes fallen men and women. While the clay is still pliable and wet, the Great Potter's desire is to make a work of beauty and utility out of that which is otherwise marred, flawed, and unsuited for His use.
For example, in his desperate prayer asking God for mercy for the rebellious nation of Israel the prophet Isaiah employs the very same image of the potter and the clay, "Yet, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou art our potter; we are all the work of thy hand. Be not exceedingly angry, O LORD, and remember not iniquity for ever. Behold, consider, we are all thy people. Thy holy cities have become a wilderness, Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, has been burned by fire, and all our pleasant places have become ruins. Wilt thou restrain thyself at these things, O LORD? Wilt thou keep silent, and afflict us sorely?" (Isaiah 4). Isaiah begs God not to discard Israel as a worthless piece of pottery, but to reform and remake the nation while the clay still retains its pliability.
As we shall see, the situation had deteriorated 100 years later when Jeremiah was given a vivid picture of pottery that is useless and destined at this point in time to be shattered and thrown out with the potsherds into the rubbish heap.
God's Chosen Gentile Vessel, Cyrus the Persian
God's program for bringing the Jewish people home to the land of Israel from the Babylonian captivity involved Cyrus the Great of Persia (558-529 BC) whose identity, name and purpose in God's plan was announced by the same prophet Isaiah 150 years in advance! "Who stirred up one from the east [Cyrus] whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod. Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from
the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am He...
"I stirred up one from the north, and he has come, from the rising of the sun, and he shall call on my name; he shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay. Who declared it from the beginning, that we might know, and before time, that we might say, 'He is right'? There was none who declared it, none who proclaimed, none who heard your words." (Isaiah 41:2-4, 25-26). Although there is no evidence that Cyrus ever exercised faith or belief in God, he is a Gentile "type" of Christ in the Old Testament.
In fact Isaiah 45:5 indicates that Cyrus "did not know me [the Lord]." Yet Cyrus is called a "shepherd" in Isaiah 44:28 and was chosen (well ahead of time) to be God's instrument for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, "Thus says the LORD, your [Israel's] Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: 'I am the LORD, who made all things, who stretched out the heavens alone, who spread out the earth-- Who was with me?---who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools of diviners; who turns wise men back, and makes their knowledge foolish; who confirms the word of his servant, and performs the counsel of his messengers; who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited,' and of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins' who says to the deep, 'Be dry, I will dry up your rivers' who says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfil all my purpose;' saying of Jerusalem, 'She shall be built' and of the temple, 'Your foundation shall be laid.' " (Isaiah 44:24-28)
Chapter 45 of Isaiah further describes the program and plan God laid out for Cyrus before this king was ever born: "Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and ungird the loins of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed: 'I will go before you and level the mountains, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron, I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me. I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I gird you, though you do not know me, that men may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe, I am the LORD, who do all these things.
"Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may sprout forth, and let it cause righteousness to spring up also; I the LORD have created it.
"Woe to him who strives with his Maker, an earthen vessel with the potter! Does the clay say to him who fashions it, `What are you making'? or 'our work has no handles;' Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in travail?' "
"Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: 'Will you question me about my children, or command me concerning the work of my hands? I made the earth, and created man upon it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host. I have aroused him [Cyrus] in righteousness, and I will make straight all his ways; he shall build my city and set my exiles free, not for price or reward,' says the LORD of hosts..." (Isaiah 45:1-13)
Pharaoh a Chosen Vessel of God
Cyrus is not the only non-believer chosen for God's special purposes in history---without that individual's consent or knowledge! In his wonderful teaching about the sovereignty of God among men, the Apostle Paul illustrates his teaching by naming the Egyptian pharaoh at the time of Moses as a "chosen vessel" of the Lord: "What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So it depends not upon man's will or exertion, but upon God's mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, 'I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.' So then he has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills. You will say to me then, 'Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?' But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me thus?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:14-24)
This passage clearly indicates that God's purposes for his own people, for those who know him, is mercy---to make them into beautiful, winsome, holy persons. It is the "great" men of the world, proud, arrogant, pretentious, powerful and impressive who seem to be the movers and shakers of the present generation. But in the end these "vessels of wrath" are afterwards discarded by the Sovereign Lord of history!
The Reforming and the Smashing of a Nation
Jeremiah the prophet (627-585 BC) lived somewhat later in time than Isaiah, it was his destiny to prophesy for 40 years in Jerusalem with no fruit for his efforts. In anguish and pain he witnessed the terrible invasion of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC and the slaughter of the majority of the populace---men, women, and children. Jerusalem was destroyed before his very eyes. He himself was hauled captive to Egypt soon afterward by rebellious fellow-countrymen and there put to death.
One of the most vivid pictures of God the Potter and His people the clay is recorded in Jeremiah 18-19:
"The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 'Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.' So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the LORD came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done?' says the LORD. 'Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will repent of the good which I had intended to do to it."
In the clearest imagery possible, God the Potter asserts His rights to reform, remodel, or even to discard an entire nation when His inspection reveals the pot on the wheel is "spoiled, marred, or ruined."
"Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the LORD, Behold, I am shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.' But they say, 'That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.' Therefore thus says the LORD: Ask among the nations, who has heard the like of this? The virgin Israel has done a very horrible thing. Does the snow of Lebanon leave the crags of Sirion? Do the mountain waters run dry, the cold flowing streams? But my people have forgotten me, they burn incense to false gods; they have stumbled in their ways, in the ancient roads, and have gone into by-paths, not the highway, making their land a horror, a thing to be hissed at for ever. Every one who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head. Like the east wind I will scatter them before the enemy. I will show them my back, not my face, in the day of their calamity. Then they said, 'Come, let us make plots against Jeremiah, for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not heed any of his words.' Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to my plea. Is evil a recompense for good? Yet they have dug a pit for my life.
"Remember how I stood before thee to speak good for them, to turn away thy wrath from them. Therefore deliver up their children to famine; give them over to the power of the sword, let their wives become childless and widowed. May their men meet death by pestilence, their youths be slain by the sword in battle. May a cry be heard from their houses, when thou bringest the marauder suddenly upon them! For they have dug a pit to take me, and laid snares for my feet. Yet, thou, O LORD, knowest all their plotting to slay me. Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from thy sight. Let them be overthrown before thee; deal with them in the time of thine anger." (Jeremiah 18)
Ray C. Stedman offers a clear commentary on this passage in his book The Pot and the Potter, from Death of a Nation.
What did Jeremiah see in this lesson? First there was the clay. And Jeremiah knew, as he watched the potter shaping and molding the clay, that he was looking at a picture of himself, and of every man, and of every nation. We are the clay. Both Isaiah and Zechariah in the Old Testament join with Jeremiah in presenting this picture of the potter and the clay. And in the New Testament we have the voice of Paul in that great passage in Romans 9, reminding us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. So Jeremiah saw he clay being shaped and molded into a vessel. Then some imperfection in the clay spoiled it in the potter's hand, and the potter crumbled it up, and began anew the process of shaping it into a vessel that pleased him.
Jeremiah saw the wheel turning constantly, bringing the clay against the potter's hand. That wheel stands for the turning circumstances of our life, under the control of the Potter, for it is the potter's foot that guides the wheel. The lesson is clear. As our life is being shaped and molded by the Great Potter, it is the circumstances of our life, the wheels of circumstance, what Browning called "this dance of plastic circumstance," which bring us again and again under the potter's hand, under the pressure of the molding fingers of the Potter, so that he shapes the vessel according to his will.
Then, Jeremiah saw the potter. God, he knew, was the Great Potter, with absolute right over the clay to make it what he wanted it to be. Paul argues this with keen and clear logic in Romans 9: "Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me thus?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?" Of course he has. The vessel is shaped according to the image in the potter's mind.
So Jeremiah, watching, learned that an individual or a nation is clay in the Great Potter's hands. He has a sovereign right to make it what he wants it to be. He has the skill and design to work with the clay and to bring it to pass. And if there be some imperfection in the clay, something which mars the design, spoils the work, the potter simply crushes the clay down to a lump and begins again to make it yet a vessel according to his own mind. In the verses which follow, this lesson is applied to the nation...
In other, more direct terms, this is the same lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house, applied to the nation. When the pressure the potter applies is successful in turning the clay in the right direction, the potter seems to repent, the pressure is relieved, and the clay is allowed then to remain in the form it has taken. But when something in the clay resists, the potter then seems to repent of making a vessel at all, and he crushes it into a lump, and begins again to make it yet into the vessel he desires.
And this is true of our individual lives. If some hard circumstance comes into your life---and it may be there right now, or it may be just around the corner, or you may just have passed through it---that circumstance is the wheel of God, to bring you against the pressure of the Potter's hand. If you do not resist, if your will does not spoil the work by murmuring, grumbling, or complaining, or feeling resentful and bitter, but you accept the working of the Potter, then the pressure is relieved, and the vessel takes shape. But if there is resistance, if the human will, like some imperfection in the clay, chooses something other than the Potter has in mind, then the Potter can do nothing else but crush it down to a lump once again and, beginning with the same lump, make it over into a vessel which suits his heart and mind. The great lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house was that of the sovereign control of God. He is the potter, and we are the clay...
In Chapter 19, God sent Jeremiah back again to the potter's house: "Thus said the LORD, 'Go, buy a potter's earthen flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests, and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you.' "
Back to the potter's house he went, this time not to watch the formation of a vessel in the hands of the potter, but to buy a potter's flask, a vessel already fired in the kiln, hardened, brittle. He was to take it outside the gates of the southern part of Jerusalem to the valley of Hinnom, which is called, in the New Testament, the valley of Gehenna. This was the garbage dump of Jerusalem, the place they threw all the refuse from the streets of the city. All the bodies of dogs and cats and other animals that died in the streets were left there to rot. It was the place where bodies of criminals were thrown after execution, to rot in the sun and be food for vultures---an evil, stinking place. There Jeremiah was to take the elders of the people and some of the senior priests and say these words to them:
"You shall say, 'Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon this place that the ears of every one who hears of it will tingle. Because the people have forsaken me, and have profaned this place by burning incense in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents [This was a place where altars were erected to the god Molech, a fearsome, grinning god inside of which was built a great fire, and then through whose mouth the people passed their living children to be burned alive.], and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind; therefore, behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when this place shall no longer be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter. And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem..."
There is the sovereignty of the Potter over the clay. Men make plans. God makes other plans. Napoleon had to learn that lesson. He once said, "God is on the side of the army with the heaviest artillery." There came a time in his life when, exiled on the island of St. Helena, he said, "Man proposes; but God disposes."
"And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give t
heir dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed [whistled] at; every one who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss [whistle] because of all its disasters. And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and every one shall eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them." These words came literally true. In but a few years the armies of Nebuchadnezzar surrounded this city, laid siege to it, and the resulting famine grew so severe, as we will see in this very prophecy, that the people resorted to cannibalism and killed and ate their own children, and one another, in order to live. Then the armies broke down the walls of the city and leveled them to the ground, so that later those passing by would whistle in amazement at the destruction which came upon this city.
Now Jeremiah was told to do something with the flask he had purchased at the potter's house, beginning with verse 10, "Then you shall break the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, and shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: " 'So will I break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter's vessel, so that it can never be mended. Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. Thus will I do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city like Topheth. The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah---all the houses upon whose roofs incense has been burned to all the host of heaven, and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods---shall be defiled like the place of Topheth.' "
But Jeremiah was told, in the striking figure God employed for the benefit of these people, to take the potter's vessel he had bought and dash it to pieces on a rock. And as they watched it fly into smithereens, so that it was impossible to bring it back together, these people were taught that they were dealing with a God whose love is so intense that he will never alter his purpose---even if he has to destroy and crush and break them down again...
You see, that is the way the world sees God right now. They see the hell which is coming into our nation, the hellish things which are taking place. And soon it will be worse, according to the prophetic Scriptures. There will be worse signs taking place, worse affairs among men, in which 'men's hearts will fail them for fear of seeing the things which are coming to pass on the face of the earth.' They will cry out against God as being harsh and ruthless and vindictive, filled with vengeance and anger and hatred. That is all the world sees.
But the people of God are taught further truth. Jeremiah had been to the potter's house. He had seen the potter making a vessel, and he knew that it was love behind the Potter's pressures, and that when the vessel was marred, the Potter was capable of crushing it down again, bringing it to nothing but a lump, and then molding it, shaping it once again, perhaps doing this again and again, until at last it fulfilled what God wanted. That is the great lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house, and that we can learn at the potter's house, as well. In Paul's second letter to Timothy he says, "In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for noble use, some for ignoble. If any one purifies himself from what is ignoble [those practices which appear just before this in the context --- wrongful attitudes, contentiousness, ungodliness, doctrinal aberrations, iniquity] then he will be a vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work." (For a very relevant and helpful commentary on this passage see Ray C. Stedman, http://www.pbc.org/dp/stedman/ timothy/3787.html, Fit to Be Used.
When we are in the Potter's hands, feeling his pressures, feeling the molding of his fingers, we can relax and trust him, for we know that this Potter has suffered with us and knows how we feel, but is determined to make us into a vessel "meet for the master's use." What a tremendous lesson, what a beautiful lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house---one which I hope will guide us and guard us under the pressures which are coming into our lives these days. Remember that the Potter has a purpose in mind, and the skill and ability to fulfill it, no matter how many times he may have to make the vessel over again.
The Treasure in Earthen Vessels
After pruning down the volunteer army from 22,000 to 300, Gideon was given God's strategy for overcoming the Midianite oppressors in the Days of the Judges, "And the LORD said to Gideon, 'With the three hundred men that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand; and let all the others go every man to his home...' That same night the LORD said to him, 'Arise, go down against the camp; for I have given it into your hand. But if you fear to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant; and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.' Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the seashore for multitude. When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, 'Behold, I dreamed a dream; and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.' And his comrade answered, 'This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the host.' When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, 'Arise; for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.' And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. And he said to them, 'Look at me, and do likewise; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.' So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, 'A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!' They stood every man in his place round about the camp, and all the army ran; they cried out and fled. When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Bethshittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abelmeholah, by Tabbath..." (Judges 7:7-22)
Clay pots with lamps inside! Clay pots that are smashed and broken in order to let the inner light shine through! Perhaps this Old Testament story inspired the Apostle Paul to describe Christians as mere vessels of clay designed to hold and contain a priceless treasure, "...if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing." In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ersecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
"For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:3-18)
Summary
God is the Creator of the universe and He specifically created man for His own pleasure. God's intentions for man have always been in our best interest. God as Master Artist desires that all His creation reflect His beauty and splendor and glory.
The reshaping, reforming, remaking of any man, or even an entire nation of people, is accomplished by God in His sovereign control of all of human history. The Potter has absolute right over the clay!
Non-believers as well as believers are shaped and molded by God for His purposes whether they realize this or not. God uses people with or without their permission! Men only get credit when they cooperate with God!
In grace God allows the clay of our humanity to cooperate with the Potter. Our cooperation with our Maker allows Him to make beautiful vessels out of our previously flawed lives. We thus have a choice in becoming "vessels worthy of the Master's highest use."
The figure of the clay and the potter especially applies to the outer man. Our present bodies inherited from Adam and are fallen and unredeemed. In the resurrection our present "vessels of clay" will be exchanged for magnificent resurrection bodies of a higher order.
The body of man is the housing or container for the spirit and soul, and supremely the temple of God, the place of residence for the Son of God Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. Finally, the vessel is not nearly as important as the treasure it was designed to contain and to reveal.
The Work of a Potter
The most common way of making early pottery was by hand. This method usually was abandoned after the invention of the wheel. The former method commonly used coils of clay to form the shape of the vessel, which was then smoothed off into finished form. Most of the pottery used in Bible times was thrown on the wheel...The better vessels were finished off with a slip, which is an extra pure grade of clay that will produce the finest of colors. It was the consistency of cream and was applied to the vessel before firing. An additional technique, which produced one of the most pleasing patterns, was burnishing...To burnish a vessel the potter used a hard instrument, such as a piece of bone, and pressed against the original vessel or the slipped vessel, producing the desired pattern. This method gave a play of light and shadow to the fired vessel. Jeremiah 18:1-6 refers to the potter's house. This was not a reference to the home of the potter, but to his place of manufacture. The house would be near to a field where clay could be weathered and stored and where it could be prepared for fashioning. A kiln for firing the ware and a dump for the broken and discarded vessels would be a part of the potter's complex. the house would provide cover for the wheel upon which the potter would fashion his vessels in all kinds of weather. This building would also make possible the control of the drying process before the firing. It would be necessary to closely watch the evaporation of the newly fashioned objects since this would also influence the results of the firing process. Although most of the pottery in Biblical times was shaped on the potter's wheel, the one specific reference to the wheel in the OT is Jeremiah 18:3. There were two types of wheel. The hand-turned wheel consisted of two discs. The heavier wheel below gave momentum to keep the lighter one above turning, but the vessel was shaped on the upper wheel. The foot-turned wheel consisted of a large wheel which was turned below by the potter's foot. The small wheel above, connected to the lower wheel by a shaft, was the one on which the prepared clay was thrown and fashioned by the potter. The apocrypha includes a detailed account of the work of the potter at the wheel (Ecclus. 38:29-32). As the ball of plastic clay spun around rapidly, the centrifugal force upon the clay was controlled by the deft fingers of the potter so that any desired vessel could be obtained as long as the quality of the clay permitted the completion of the vessel. Jeremiah witnessed that factors can be present that defeat the original intention of the potter. The clay may be the wrong kind. It may have too many impurities. The treading may not have been properly done, or the potter may have failed to place the ball of plastic clay in the exact center of the wheel. If the clay does not yield the desired product, the potter can then reshape the clay into a ball and produce another vessel. It was this process that Jeremiah noted carefully.
****Be sure to visit Lambert's Web Site at: http://www.best.com/~dolphin
REALITY CHECK
John Loeffler, Colorado Christian News
Reality check for the church: In the Sudan, Christians are being persecuted and sold into slavery. In most of the Islamic world converts to Christianity are persecuted and often killed. Churches meet in secret, they're attacked by mobs and destroyed. In Pakistan, Christians are accused under public law 297C which provides the death penalty for blasphemy against the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed.
In southern Mexico, evangelicals are regularly pitched out of their homes or villages and people are killed. 15 Christians in Peru were just released from jail after being wrongfully accused of terrorism. In Vietnam, 15 pastors are in jail at this time. In China hundreds of Christians are in the gulag system for "re-education" because of their faith. In North Korea the church is under extreme duress. In Cuba, pastors and church members are under house arrest; churches are being destroyed and property
seized.
As a group Christians worldwide are perhaps the most persecuted of religions. Despite this hard fact, the church in America has remained oblivious to this fact. Fortunately, there is a growing increase in awareness of the persecuted church. Steve Snyder at International Christian Concern says they're inundated with information requests from churches around the country.
Increasingly, those who have experienced persecution in other countries are warning the U.S. church that its time is coming. I believe this is correct.
In the 1960s, the flower child movement swept the country with radical changes in the culture which have now emerged in full flower. The lone voice of Francis Schaeffer warned about the major world view shifts and predicted that the outcome would be a persecuted church. The church treated it like a passing fad and kept on keeping on, doing whatever it is churches do.
In the 1980s, the New Age touting the values of Alice Bailey's occult theosophy channeled from the demon spirit Djwahl Kuhl appeared. The church treated it like a passing fad and failed to respond to it and kept on keeping on, doing whatever it is churches do.
Now flower power has merged with the New Age and pushed its way onto the world scene in politics and education, seeking to impose a new philosophy that I call monistic global pantheistic humanism.
Its one maxim is toleration, relativism and exaltation of the god/dess within. Its one action is to be mercilessly intolerant of anything not agreeing with it.
As these values now permeate the culture and are being codified into national and international law, there can be only one ultimate consequence for those who believe in absolute values: persecution.
The new philosophy is absolutely incompatible with the traditional beliefs of Christianity.
The so-called Christian right, for all of its fighting and screaming and politicking, has failed to comprehend the critical issue of a world view shift. Fighting over abortion, gay rights and other such things merely deals with symptoms rather than a cure and I'm still questioning how many gays are won to Christ by the political fighting.
The religious right says we're losing the culture war. We lost it thirty years ago when we kept on keeping on, doing whatever it is churches do. Now, all we can do is deal with the wreckage and pull
people out of it.
The Christian Right says that if we can just teach everyone about the values upon which the country was founded and get back to our biblical roots, we can "turn this around." The assumption, of course, is that the culture will hold together long enough to do that.
This is not a left vs. right issue as people from both sides have bought into the new paradigm. It is even splitting churches, much as the fight over Nazism split the church in Germany. A good part of the church doesn't even realize there's a battle on as they keep on keeping on, doing whatever it is churches do.
Despite the babble about common ground, in reality, both sides are locked in a war to the death because the assumptions of both are mutually exclusive. There can only be a winner and a loser; no
compromise. This means only one thing: once the culture war is thoroughly lost, persecution. And I'm sure the churches then as now will keep on keepin' on, doing whatever it is churches do.
Israel Updates - FYI
by Lee Underwood
fellowship@inet-images.com
"Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land" Ezekiel 37.21
CONCESSIONS MADE BY ISRAEL: A series of Israeli concessions paved the way for the apparently upcoming signing of the Hevron agreement. Minister of Defense Mordechai decided that the road adjacent to Netzarim in Gaza will be reopened to Arab traffic. The road had been closed by order of previous Prime Ministers Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres, following a terror attack there two years ago. Other Israeli concessions include the closure of the Yugoslavian Farm near Masuah in the Jordan Valley to Israeli farmers, the opening of King David Street (Shuhada) in Hevron to Arab traffic, and the opening of the Arab market in Hevron. In addition, according to an article in Friday's Jerusalem Post, agreement has been reached to allow a Palestinian checkpoint at Ma'arat HaMachpela (Cave of the
Patriots). According to the article: Palestinian police will carry "equivalent" weapons to Israel Defense Force (IDF) troops. But not necessarily the same weapons; There will be no buffer zone between H-1 and H-2 - instead of a buffer zone there will be "security arrangements;" There will be a Palestinian checkpoint at the entrance to Ma'arat HaMachpela. This will not be immediate since the agreement calls for a review of the current arrangements only after three months.
Meanwhile, Yassir Arafat has allocated $12 million to be used to restore Arab areas of Hevron and to prevent any expansions by the Jewish community. 270 workers are currently working to rebuild and restore the Arab areas.
Officials in Israel's negotiating delegation said that the US is now willing to submit a letter to both sides
which will detail their commitments to continuing the implementation of the Oslo accords, thus serving as an American guarantee for the continuation of the piece process.
Once again thousands of Israelis filled Hevron's streets this Shabbat. Arriving in the City of the Patriarchs from all over the country, sleeping on mattresses on floors, thousands filled Ma'arat HaMachpela on Friday night and Saturday morning for Sabbath prayers. During the afternoon, tours of the Jewish neighborhoods and holy sites were conducted. The guests were hosted to meals at the Gutnick Center, next to Ma'arat HaMachpela in the center of Hevron.
An emergency meeting of leaders of Kiryat Arba and Hebron was held on Saturday night in Hebron. The
activists declared that they have not despaired and will continue to struggle against the proposed
abandonment of the city. They promised more 'surprise activities' geared at increasing both public and
political support. (Arutz Sheva, Hevron Press Office, SNS, Yediot Achronot, Israel Line)
MUSLIMS OPPOSE PLO RULE IN HEVRON: In the Muslim Egyptian press, including al-Dustur and Ruz Al-Yusuf, there have been surprising reactions to the Hevron deadlock. These newspapers maintain that a religious, and not a political, solution is required in the city. It is known that Muslim elements in Hevron, and indeed throughout the Muslim world, are opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority (PA), arguing that Hevron, a religious city, should not be governed by the secular PA. It is occasionally heard, from Arab religious figures and others in the territories, that continued Israeli rule is preferable to the PLO. Muslim opposition to the PLO has also been encouraged by reports of horrible torture of prisoners in PA jails, and of large-scale embezzlement and other misuse of funds by PA officials, including Arafat's misappropriation of foreign donations bound for PA coffers. (Arutz Sheva)
TENSION INCREASES IN TERRITORIES: Several failed attempts to attack Israeli targets in Judea and Samaria occurred on Sunday, Yediot Aharonot reported. Three molotov cocktails were thrown in Hevron and an improvised explosive device was detonated near the Gush Etzion settlement of Alon Shvut. The molotov cocktails were thrown near Hevron's Jewish neighborhood of Beit Hadassah. Two Palestinians were injured in one of the attacks. The IDF arrested a suspect in one of the incidents. The IDF has now stated that two of the firebomb attacks were against an IDF outpost near Beit Romano and an ID patrol. Wednesday three separate firebombs were thrown near Beit Hadassah, in Hevron, over a period of 30 minutes. No injuries were reported in the attacks. Israeli Border police opened fire in one of the attacks. Several Arabs were arrested by Israeli troops. On Thursday, another firebomb was thrown in Hevron near Beet Hadassah. The children who were standing at the attack site left minutes before the bomb hit and ignited. No one was injured. Again, on Friday, three firebombs were thrown near Beit Hadassah. No injuries or damage was reported in the attack. A few minutes later, on the bypass road to Hevron, approximately 100 meters (100 yards) north of the Jewish community of Beit Chaggai, three firebombs were thrown. No injuries or damages were reported. A Hevron community spokesman stated: "If this is the quality of security before redeployment, what will happen after the army abandons over 80% of the city?"
In another development, commanders of the special anti-terror unit - the Yamam - have said that there will be no possibility of preventing terror attacks against Hevron's Jews after the IDF's pullout from the city. A memorandum which was prepared following military exercises this week in Hevron concluded that the defense of the Jewish houses in the city will be impossible after the withdrawal. A copy of the report has been submitted to PM Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, at Alon Shvut, a two-kilogram bomb detonated at 7:30 a.m. inside of a hitch-hiking station near the settlement. Although several students and one soldier were near the station, none were injured. A senior Israeli military officer said that an increase in tension has occurred not only in Hevron, but throughout Judea and Samaria. The IDF's Central Command is concerned about the escalation in tension and is following developments closely. Israeli officers of the civil administration in Hevron are in contact with PA members in an effort to calm the atmosphere.
Senior intelligence officials have reported that information suggest there will be a renewal of terror
attacks against Jews in the area of the community of Netzarim (Gaza). The intelligence report speaks of a "wave of terrorism," expected against the Netzarim community. Meanwhile, A day-old etrog (citron fruit) orchard of the community of Netzarim was uprooted Thursday by local Arabs. The IDF forbade Netzarim's residents to guard the orchard, a kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the community, and promised that it would do so itself. Netzarim representatives told Arutz Sheva that the promise was apparently not fulfilled, and the local Arabs were able to uproot the saplings. The area was decreed a "closed military area" Thursday night. (Israel Line, Hevron Press Office, The Voice in the Field News Service, SNS, Channel 2 Radio News)
RABBI ELIEZER WALDMAN SPEAKS OUT: Former MK and Kiryat Arba resident Rabbi Eliezer Waldman, speaking for the group, Rabbis for the Land of Israel, has reiterated the obligation of Torah observant IDF soldiers to refuse top comply with direct orders to participate in the eviction of Jews from parts of the Land of Israel. The group issued a halachic ruling forbidding soldiers from carrying out a Hebron redeployment. Rabbi Waldman, who is Head of the Kiryat Arba Hesder Yeshiva, has stressed that statistics have shown Hesder Yeshiva soldiers to be extremely loyal and highly motivate but nevertheless, the cannot go against their religion and the laws of the Torah [Hesder Yeshivot are programs in which Torah observant Jews alternate five years of IDF service between actual IDF training and performance of duties as soldiers with the study of Torah. Most Hesder soldiers are found in the IDF Tank Corps and leading infantry units.-ed]. Meanwhile, Meretz leader, Yossi Sarid has asked the Attorney General to order an investigation into Waldman's remarks. Justice Minister Tzachi HaNegbi is demanding that the Rabbis rescind their ruling. The Justice Minister insisted that the Rabbis act imediately and refrain from stirring up the soldiers with politics. (Channel 2 Radio News, SNS, Kol
Yisrael, MED)
THEN WHY DO THEY CALL IT THE 'TEMPLE MOUNT'? Independent Media Review & Analysis (IMRA) interviewed Walid M. Awad, Director of Foreign Publications in the Palestine Ministry of Information, in English, on December 25th. The following is taken from that interview. IMRA: "In your article, Jerusalem, A City Crying Out For Justice [See F.Y.I. - 12-07-96-ed], you write that "Jerusalem is not a Jewish city, despite the biblical myth implanted in some minds" and that there is "no tangible evidence" of "Jewish existence from the so called 'Temple Mount Era'." Are you suggesting that there never was a Jewish Temple?" Awad: "I am not saying that there was not one. I am saying that the location of the Temple on the Temple Mount is in question. Even the Jews question its location. There are scholars who say that it might be in Jericho or somewhere else 4 kilometers [2.4 miles] outside of Jerusalem . . . All I am saying is that the city is in danger of Israelis trying to change things. All I am saying is that the Israelis have been digging under the Temple Mount and haven't come up with anything." IMRA: " . . . Are you sggesting that the period starting with Ezra and Nehemiah, with the return to Jerusalem and the Second Temple Period, did not happen?" Awad: "All I am saying is that the Israeli excavations under the Temple Mount have failed to yield any evidence of a so called "Temple Mount Era".
Meanwhile, the Waqf has begun construction activity within the boundaries of the Temple Mount, ajacent to the northern wall, between the Gate of Forgiveness and the Afel Gate. Journalist Nadav Shragai reports that the Waqf did not request a permit for the building. Members of the Chai Vekayam organization, who photographed the construction, are planning to petition the Supreme Court to require the Jerusalem municipality to dispatch a building supervisor and police officers to the site. (IMRA, Arutz Sheva)
ON THE NORTHERN FRONT: Hizb'Allah has released video footage of Tuesday's roadside bomb attack in which two soldiers from the elite Egoz unit were killed and two others seriously wounded. The film shows the soldiers walking through a narrow street in Markabeh when an explosive device is detonated alongside those leading the unit. The video footage, seen on television in Israel Wednesday, shows the soldiers who were hit falling to the ground following the huge blast which raised a cloud of black smoke. It appears from the film that the explosive device was operated by remote control. The film shows other members of the unit running to the aid of their fallen comrades and the subsequent evacuation of the casualties by helicopter. Military sources say that the fact that a cameraman was there at the scene indicates that the bombers had local assistance, that they knew the route the soldiers would take and that the attack had been carefully planned. According to reports, IDF troops carried out extensive searches in the area of Markabeh, a Shi'ite village with about 1,000 residents. The IDF imposed a curfew on Markabeh village inside the security zone yesterday and several residents were allegedly detained for
questioning following attack.
Meanwhile, the Knesset interrupted its marathon session on the annual budget to commemorate the 30th anniversary of settlement on the Golan Heights. MK Yehuda Harel (Third Way), who was one of the original Golan residents, said that his party's commitment to the Golan is "unconditional." Year long festivities are beginning to celebrate 30 years of settlement on the Golan. (Ma'ariv, Arutz Sheva, MED, Kol Yisrael)
MORDECHAI IN EGYPT: After a 90-minute meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Mordechai at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said a "new atmosphere" had surfaced in the Middle East. Mordechai said military relations between the neighbors which had slacked off since the late 1980s, would be strengthened. "[Mubarak] said to forget about any war -- take that word 'war' out of your lexicon," he said. The press in Egypt, meanwhile, launched a scathing attack on Israel - including allegations that the Mossad is systematically smuggling drugs into Egypt in order to corrupt the country's youth and soldiers. Jerusalem was also accused of dispatching prostitutes with AIDS to infect the population. In sum, the entire media was using Israel as a punching bag.
In another story, Egypt apparently is extremely concerned over the continued erosion of its status in
the Arab world, particularly in light of its power struggle with Iran. The latter represents the force of
Islam whereas Cairo stands for the Arab League and secular pan-Arabism. This contest for supremacy is now accelerating, due to Iran's signals that it is about to enter the arena of regional negotiations; for example, we now see articles on Jewish life and synagogues in Teheran, and Iranian President Ali Hashemi Rafsanjani has made it known that his country is willing to help locate and liberate Israeli POW Ron Arad. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akhbar Velayati has indicated his interest in dialogue with the West. As a result of all this, the Egyptians are worried that they may lose their central role in the region. Against this background, it is easier to understand Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak's collusion with PLO chief Arafat to delay signing the Hevron agreement with Israel. Cairo is using Arafat as a platform to boost its power; Mubarak has been signaling to both Israel and the US that without Egypt, Arafat will not sign. (Jerusalem Post, MED, Arutz Sheva)
EARTHQUAKE SHAKES MIDDLE EAST: An earthquake was felt in the northern and central parts of Israel shortly after midnight Tuesday night. The Seismological Institute say the quake was centered on the Iraqi/Syrian border and registered 6.3 on the Richter Scale. (Kol Yisrael, MED)
SYRIA WILL NOT START OVER: Syria is not willing to backtrack on piece talks with Israel, Syrian President Hafez Assad said in an interview published Saturday. Assad told Egypt's leading al-Ahram newspaper that PM Netanyahu was trying to renege on deals Syria had reached with previous prime ministers, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. In September, Netanyahu confirmed that Rabin had tacitly agreed to give back all of the Golan in exchange for a peace agreement with Syria. But Netanyahu said he was not bound by such ``hypothetical statements'' that were not part of a written deal.
IRAN TO SUPPORT SYRIA: The London based paper Al Hayat reported from Iran that Iran will support Syria if Israel attacks. The Syrian government is confident of the support of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran as well as nationalist and Moslem groups who would activate the Arab public against Israel. The senior leadership of Teheran "promised to do everything in its power to insure the ability of Syria to stand up to
difficulties" if it has them with Israel.
Meanwhile, Iran is pressuring the leadership of Hamas to return to their former increased level of attacks
against Israeli targets. In addition, Iran is beginning to "urge" other Arab terrorist groups to strike out
against Israeli targets. This assessment was reported by Hillary Mann of the Washington Institute of Middle East Affairs. The report goes on to report of a cooperative effort between the governments of Iran and Syria against the ongoing peace process. (Ha'Aretz, IMRA, Yediot Achronot)
Agreement Between Likud and Labor Soon? An agreement between the Labor Party and the reigning Likud Party is reported to be near completion. Representing the Labor Party is MK Dr. Yossi Beilin who has been dealing with Likud MK Michael Eitan. Some of the main points reported to be included in the bilateral accord are:
1. The Likud will not oppose the establishment of a Palestinian State.
Recognition of the Arab "right to return."
Most Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria will not live under Israeli rule. Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) will not be uprooted but some will fall under PLO Authority rule. (This is expected to effect approximately 10% of the Yesha communities).
The PL Authority will have civil and administrative rule in East Jerusalem. These are the "highlights" of the accord which is expected to be brought before Prime Minister Netanyahu and Labor Party leader Shimon Peres in about 1-2 weeks. It was stressed that this accord is not being drawn up to create a national unity government but it is unclear as to what goal this agreement is designed to achieve. (Channel 2 TV News)
KNESSET ON-LINE: Israeli's 120-member legislature, the Knesset, is now on-line at: http://www.knesset.gov.il. (Arutz Sheva)
LIVE ON-LINE CHAT: Participate in a 'chat' with Hevron Spokesman David Wilder live on Wednesday, January 1, 1997 between 10:00 am and 11:00 am est (ny time) 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm Israel time. For details, see the Virtual Jerusalem home page: http://www.virtual.co.il
(Jewish Community of Hevron)
"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet" Isaiah 62:1
Send comments and subscription requests to Lee Underwood at:
fellowship@inet-images.com
Web site: http://www.inet-images.com/fellowship/fyi.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Algerian Oil, Islam, and the American Way
by Chris Jewett
Ezekiel 38:13 says, "Sheba, and Dadan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all its villages, will say to you, 'Have you come to capture a spoil?'É"
The spoil referred to here, many scholars believe, could very well be oilÉspelled spoil without the "sp". Currently the United States has its own intrigue with petroleum as many American businessmen slink in and out of the troubled country of Algeria. Chartering flights from London or Zurich and living in anonymity, these people spend billions on the black slimy subterranean stuff that our modern lifestyle has come to depend upon so much.
Algeria, like most countries in the region, are becoming more and more Muslim centered, shifting from a moderate political system to the extremes of Islamic militancy and terrorism. In fact, the current Civil War in Algeria is occurring because of the Islam-run government shut down the country's first attempt at a multiparty election several years ago.
Spoil or not, this country, as well as Gog and Company, cannot live without the blood of petroleum pumping through its veins. But, even more so, no one can live even one second without the One who holds all things together, and by whose blood we have redemption.
Iron and Clay Update
by Chris Jewett
"And in that you saw the iron mixed with clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another. Even as iron doesn't not combine with pottery." Daniel 2:43
In his well known dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a monstrous figure whose feet were mixed of clay and iron. Many today believe that mixture to be representative of the European Community whose multiple nations, though combining to make one conglomerate, do not effectively unite--much like the union between iron and pottery.
This past weekend, the European Council finally managed to complete a series of meetings which would initiate actions to establish economic and monetary union using the single currency of the European Superstate, the Euro. Also considered during these meetings were revisions to policies in foreign relations and internal governing. The new European Union treaty will also include revisions to Maastricht to include expansion/enlargement by integrating several central and eastern European states. The actions of the European Council will have a profound effect on the futre of NATO as well. This one bears watching, folks.
In another story, it is reported that small and medium businesses are considered the backbone of the European Union. A total of nearly 16 million small and medium enterprises operate in the non-agricultural portions of the member states, and provide work for more than 101 million people.
Talking about peopleÉless than four million babies were born in the EU this past yearÉthe lowest rate of growth since the end of WWII. Apparently conditions in modern Europe are not conducive to child rearing, the fertility rate has declined in some countries as much as 30 percent, and millions of abortions are being performed. The EU contains 6.5 percent of the world populace and with a growth rate of 0.3 percentÉAfrican and Asian countries tripled the EU growth rate. At the same time, those of the Muslim faith are opposed to abortion, and birth control-as is the Pope. Many of us in the Western world bought the notion of zero population growth, much to our detriment.
Foreign labor is also a subject among the EU. Long established as the industrial sector of Portugal, government officials cite the "north" with producing inferior goods due to weak management and poor administration of labor assets and resources. They tout that Portugal must become more competitive and open its doors to foreign labor and foreign companies.
Meanwhile the Swedish government is working to restructure its banking industry. Not a great deal available here except that the Government of Sweden has prepared a secret methodology. Will keep an eye out and report more when known.
Finally, on a more technological note, it looks like Lisbon's Expo 98 will include a Virtual Reality exhibition by recreating the legendary undersea world of Oceania. Oceania is a mythical/mystical city on the par of Atlantis. Here visitors to the exhibit will be able to walk the streets and shop in virtual underwater. They expect a capacity crowd of six thousand visitors per day. Don't forget your aqualungÉjust in case.
Isn't it interesting, that at this juncture in time we see signs and wonders in the sky, the new age is definitely coming 'of age' and there is talk about Oceania, Atlantis and people watching the skies for signs? The world is being prepared for the coming delusion. We find, in our home town plenty of opportunity to share the good news. Even unbelievers see the things that are happening and wonder. My wife has a friend at the junior college who, while not yet a Christian, believes the Bible to be true, and foretelling the future. This friend believes we are in the end times. Trouble is, without the message of Christ-there is no future. These signs and wonders which we are seeing give us an awesome opportunity to share the Truth with those who might not be interested at any other time. I for one, need to buy up the opportunities when I attend my local astronomy club meetings!
Egypt Waters the Desert
by Chris Jewett
"In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and sprout; and they will fill the whole work with fruit." Isaiah 27:6
God makes this promise to His Chosen of Israel. Yet man in his own power tries to accomplish the same. After centuries of farming the Nile Valley, it seems that Egypt has decided to get serious about using the desert areas for farming. They want to build a great big pumping station over there. It will eventually pump about 66 thousand gallons of water a second from the Aswan High Dam lake to the Toshka depression, resulting in the irrigation of more than 500 thousand acres.
Seems President Mubarek of Egypt understands the necessity to having bridges to the 21st century, but also understands that a little water is required as well. Of course, they don't all believe in Egypt, the political other side think Mubarek's plan is doomed to fail and have called it the proverbial white elephant.
Man loves his technology, but miracles belong to God.
Natural Phenomena
by Chris Jewett
"And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Rev 6:14
"And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe." Rev 16:21
Even though the above times reference the tribulation period, here is a report of a recent "pang". There is a mountain in MexicoÉwell, Mexico has a few, but this one goes by the name of Popo which is short for the more Aztecan Popocatepetl. One other thing, Popo is active. In fact late Sunday, it huffed and it puffed and it blew some smoke, ash and red-hot rocks all over the countryside, severely staining the otherwise pure driven snow on its crest. The eruption caused a series of three earthquakes and sent the locals running for É well, anyway they ran and they didn't think there was going to be much in the way of cover. Fact of the matter was, after many calls to the local police station, they were told to high tail it out of townÉthe word was evacuate. Seems Popo has caused the whole state of east Puebla to go on "yellow alert"Éthe only alert left now is "red."
Meanwhile we heard reports of 32 pound balls of hail falling in China. Think about that in terms of that bowling ball you roll down the lane which has an average weight of 15 pounds. Momma always said that when ya get a knock on the head, put some ice on it to make the swelling go down.
The Final Word
by Chris Jewett
dsyple@ix.netcom.com
"Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: They tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab and the Hagarenes; Gebel, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah."
How many times have you been reading through your Bible and stumbled across the names of places you never heard of before? Places that, in prophecy, are supposedly around today, but you just haven't got the foggiest where they are. Like when Ezekiel writes about the Lord speaking out against Mount Seir? Who is Mount Seir? Where is Mount Seir? In the above passage, I have kinda figured out what's going on. All those guys, whoever they are, will be (and presently are) plotting and planning against Israel. But, if I knew who they were in today's terms, it would certainly helpÉ
Through careful and laborious study (well, ok, it was a quick give away in one of the books I haveÉso it was not so laboriousÉyou got me), I have learned that those mentioned above are Arab countriesÉbe careful, now, there is a difference between an "Arab" and a "Muslim." Many teachers like Chuck Missler, Perry Stone, and Arnold Fruchtenbaum have very good material on this subject. I have taken the liberty to put some of it down here for you. It's a country conversion chart. You will note that sometimes a modern country takes up more space that a "nation" of ancient time.
Mount Seir . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. a mountain range that overlooks Israel from Edom.
Where Esau settled.
Edom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Southern Jordan
Moab .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Central Jordan
Ammon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northern Jordan
Hagarenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Egypt
Gebal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lebanon
Tyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lebanon
Amalek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sinai Peninsula
Philistia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gaza Strip
Elam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Persia (Iran)
Assyria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Syria and Iraq
Kedar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saudi Arabia
Hazor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saudi Arabia
Ishmaelites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Descendants of Ishmael who was one of the "fathers" of all Arabs.
I figure these guys are all over the place.
Anyway, hope this helps.
