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The Shofar, the Rapture and the Feast of Trumpets

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What do these terms have to do with Christ's return? You need to separate truth from fiction.

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Every autumn the Jewish community observes a holiday called Rosh Hashanah, also called the Feast of Trumpets. On this day a shofar, or ram’s horn, is blown.
Most Christians find little meaning in the Feast of Trumpets, but this day holds an important message for you and your future?
There are connections between this ancient holy day, the idea of the Christian Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Join us on Beyond Today as we explore The Shofar, the Rapture and the Feast of Trumpets.
Jackie has been a Christian all of her life. She believes that we are fast approaching a time of massive war, disease epidemics and natural calamities.
She also believes that God is going to save her by the “Rapture.” Many Christians believe that the Rapture is a prophesied event where Christ “raptures” away Christians into the clouds before the time of the Great Tribulation.
She worries about her husband, who isn’t concerned with any church or the Bible. Will he be left behind to suffer and possibly die?
At a synagogue down the street a group of Orthodox Jews meet to celebrate the Feast of Trumpets.
Part of this ceremony will be the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn. In ancient times the shofar was blown for various reasons, including a call to waror the heralding of an important event.
It would appear that these two events: a Christian woman thinking about the Rapture and a group of Orthodox Jews observing the Feast of Trumpets have nothing in common.
The truth is that the Feast of Trumpets is a celebration of one of the most important times for both Jews and Christians. It is a day that celebrates events that are yet to happen!
On Beyond Today we’re going to explore the wonderful meaning of the Feast of Trumpets and how—for Christians—understanding what this day pictures can change your understanding of God’s plan for all humanity…and for you personally.
The book of Revelation tells of a time when seven angels will blast seven trumpets, each one heralds a great event during the time leading to the return of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings.
A careful study of these events shows that Jackie’s concern about the Rapture is based on a wrong understanding of the prophecies.
If you’re a Christian who believes in the Rapture, about this time you’re saying, “I know this guy is wrong. The Rapture is mentioned in the Bible by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians.”
Let’s take a look at those verses. If you don’t have a Bible in front of you get one and follow along. Let’s turn to 1 Thessalonians:4:13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.. Here the Apostle Paul writes to the church in Thessalonica
Let’s look at what Jesus taught about His Second Coming and the gathering of the saints: Matthew:24:29-31 [29] Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other..
We can see that there are remarkable similarities between what Paul wrote and what Jesus says about the events that take place at the end of the tribulation.
Are Jesus and Paul talking of two different events? Are they contradicting themselves?
To answer these questions we have two other passages to explore, but before we do I want to personally offer you a free booklet that explains what the Bible really teaches about the Feast of Trumpets and its importance for Christians.

Doomsday or the Age of Aquarius

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Doomsday or the Age of Aquarius






article by David Hulme





One of the world's best-selling books in recent times is The Late Great Planet Earth, the work of a religious author who has attempted a prophetic explanation of future geopolitical events from a biblical perspective. For some, their fascination with prediction is ever present and insatiable, and, while many others publicly discount the efforts of the end-time prognosticators, they themselves are privately curious about such forecasts.







Is doomsday coming?



Source: Photos.comPerhaps, in times of uncertainty, we long for some degree of assurance that there will be a future. We want certainties.



If we are realistic about the human condition and just a dash pessimistic, we can easily drift toward the cataclysmic secular prophets.



If we are more optimistic and perhaps a little unrealistic about human nature, we will probably overestimate the positive possibilities of the years just ahead. From the human perspective it's hard to achieve a really objective fix on the future.



Whether you believe the 20th century ends immediately after the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1999, or one year later, the much anticipated third millennium since Christ is upon us. The contending visions of the optimist and the pessimist are all around us.



There are those who foresee a world in which our major problems will finally be solved; there are others who predict more crises, more turmoil, more upset.



What does the beginning of the next millennium portend?



For some inclined to religion, it is a significant road sign on the way to the fulfillment of a major biblical prophecy. A recent letter from an evangelical group invited me to participate in a fast for the successful completion of the preaching of the gospel by the year 2000. Obviously for some the end of the 20th century has become an important benchmark. But, whether it's a religious interest or a secular fascination, the year 2000 carries its own attraction.



Author Hillel Schwartz has studied the effect of the end of centuries on the human psyche. He says that a kind of hysteria sets in as centuries approach their end. At the close of the past several centuries, public discourse has included alternate scenarios for the century ahead. Either the world would end in a series of catastrophes or undergo a positive transformation. It's Doomsday or the age of Aquarius, the End of the Ages or the New Age.



Earlier apocalyptics

The Roman author Lucretius wrote during the first century B.C. that "the mighty and complex system of the world, upheld through many years, shall crash in ruins. Yet I do not forget how novel and strange it strikes the mind that destruction awaits the heavens and the earth...My words will perhaps win credit by plain facts, and within some short time you will see violent earthquakes arise and all things convulsed with shocks...The whole world can collapse, borne down with a frightful-sounding crash" ( De Rerum Natura , MCMLXXV, p. 387).



The year A.D. 1000 may also have incited similar fears and some strange human behavior. A kind of millennial madness seemed to strike Europe, if the 15th-century German Monk Tritheim is to be believed. He wrote:



"In the thousandth year after the birth of Christ, violent earthquakes shook all of Europe and throughout the continent destroyed solid and magnificent buildings. The same year a horrible comet appeared in the sky. Seeing it, many who believed that this was announcing the last day, were frozen with fear" (Yuri Rubinsky and Ian Wiseman, A History of the End of the World , p. 66).



This preoccupation with heavenly signs may have had its effect on the Holy Roman Emperor of the time. Otto III is reputed to have said, "The last year of the thousand years is here, and now I go out in the desert to await, with fasting, prayer, and penance, the day of the Lord, and the coming of my Redeemer" (Hillel Schwartz, Century's End , p. 13).



While such accounts of spectacular signs and end-time fears in the year 1000 are disputed by scholars, the idea is strong in the human imagination that cataclysmic events in the heavens will announce the end of the world and the great judgment of God.



Close of the 19th century

As the last century was coming to an end, Parisians were enjoying la belle époque, the beautiful era: All was well with the world in the eyes of a sophisticated city. The Paris Exhibition of 1900 was ablaze with electricity. The age of dirty coal was disappearing, and a new, clean power was here. It seemed the world was on the verge of a civilized rebirth.



Lurking in the shadows, of course, was the coming horror of World War I. Its antecedents were present as the century turned over and some recognized the possibilities of catastrophic war. While some were enjoying X-ray parties (photographing their hands in an effort to energize themselves for the new century, X-ray technology being a recent discovery), others heard the words of Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II: "The first day of the new century sees our army-in other words, our people-in arms, gathered around their standards, kneeling before the Lord of Hosts."



In a diary entry from 1898, Claude Bowers wrote of the pessimistic- optimistic view of the near future. Of his friend's concern with impending war, he wrote: "This he thought was probably what people looked forward to as the end of the world. It would be the end of conditions existing at the time, but the dawn of a far more splendid era."



The end of the world

Some portrayals of the end of the world trace their origins, of course, to the Bible. The Bible, a book open to much misinterpretation, indeed may be the most misunderstood and misinterpreted book ever written. Those end-time images of comets and earthquakes, wars and famines, judgment and retribution, come from the prophetic passages of the Bible, both Old and New Testament.



Sad to say, many can't bring themselves to take the Bible seriously because others have so misused it, those 19th- and 20th-century prophets who have said the world would end on a specific date only to be proven wrong over and over.



But, as you'll discover in The Good News , the Bible does not say a lot of the things people claim that it says. It actually makes it clear that we are not to know the precise time of Jesus Christ's return, and that we should not misinterpret wars, earthquakes, famines and signs in the heavens as the end of the world-steps along the way, perhaps, but not necessarily signs of the end.



The prognosticators who have come and gone with their failed prophecies have made a common mistake. They have misinterpreted as signs those events and activities that occur in the general course of human life, or they have devised elaborate time sequences to project a date for the end of this age. Many are the disappointed who have accepted too precise an interpretation of the Bible's prophetic passages.



But Jesus Christ did say, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.



See All...).



In this and other places the Bible is replete with references to Christ's second coming. The early disciples clearly believed and taught that their Master would return to set up a kingdom. Was this just wishful thinking, as one group of theologians suggests?



For that to be true, we are asked to believe that passages written after Jesus Christ's life on earth were inserted deliberately to mislead. Moreover such references would have to have been inserted consistently over many years, as many as 30 or 40.



The biblical emphasis

Consider this:



•According to The Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy , 535 verses in the Bible refer to Jesus Christ's second coming.

•The four Gospel writers all comment on the second coming, even though they wrote in different places over a span of decades.

•The Gospel historian Luke says in the Acts of the Apostles that Peter attested to Christ's second coming with these words: "And that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:20-21 [20] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

[21] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.





See All...). Here Peter, as one of the eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry, said that all the holy prophets (of the Old Testament) spoke of Jesus' return to restore all things on earth.

•The apostle to the gentiles, Paul of Tarsus, author of at least 13 letters, or 25 percent, of the New Testament, mentions Jesus' return at least eighteen times during the 14 years of his writings.

•The book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse) shows a prophetic sequence without any dates that includes Christ's return.

•The book of Revelation, with its images of the return of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is the final book of the New Testament, setting the capstone on the New Testament canon.

What we face here is a paradox. Countless religious devotees have written and spoken about Bible prophecies, including Christ's return, yet have consistently failed to get the message straight. In their attempts to be zealous scholars and students of the Word, many have inspired others to doubt the Bible's faithfulness.



Faith in the Word of God as God's Word has been undermined. Not only do so many misinterpret the Bible's prophecies; they cause others to stumble as a result. But, as the apostle Paul said, "let God be true but every man a liar" (Romans 3:4God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.



See All...). God's Word will always stand, though a thousand misinterpret.



What, then, can we know about Bible prophecy in general and about the year 2000-the last year before the new millennium-in particular? The answer to the first question is rich in information for our natural curiosity. Those images of earthquakes, famines, pestilence, judgment and retribution are from Christ Himself.



Matthew's Gospel contains a prophetic passage reiterated in Mark 13 and Luke 21. Known as "the little Apocalypse," the predictions in Matthew 24 spring from questions posed by Jesus' disciples. Matthew records that, in response to Jesus' statement that one day Herod's magnificent temple would be destroyed, "the disciples came to him privately saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'" (Matthew 24:3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?



See All...)



The answers to their two questions frame the rest of Matthew 24 and 25. It is instructive that Jesus does not directly answer the "when" of the questions in any definitive way. He does not set a date; in fact, as we saw earlier, He states that only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.



See All...).



He disabuses His hearers of any thought that the kind of signs that people historically look for to indicate the end are valid. Acknowledging that wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes will occur, He nevertheless makes it clear that "the end is not yet" and that "these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.



See All..., Matthew 24:8All these are the beginning of sorrows.



See All...).



A real clue

One clue that the end is near will be the international preaching of "this gospel of the kingdom" as a witness (Matthew 24:14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.



See All...). Clearly that will not be a sign like an earthquake or a war, or a famine or a pandemic.



Jesus also speaks of events in the Middle East as precursors to His return. In so doing He refers to the prophet Daniel's writings in the Old Testament: "'Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place' (whoever reads, let him understand), 'then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains'" (Matthew 24:15-16 [15] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

[16] Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:





See All...).



Some claim that this was fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Yet Jesus calls that idea into question by saying, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days we shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."



These statements describe terror such as the world has never seen. Because of the intense danger to all humanity, the "tribulation" will be halted for the sake of "the elect," the people of God. Only then will the heavenly signs of the sun, moon and stars in disruption occur.



The return of Jesus Christ will take place accompanied by the sign of the son of man, a visible appearance of the returning Jesus Christ in the heavens. This will follow a time of unparalleled suffering brought on by man's own hand and Satan's wrath, as we discover in the book of Revelation: "Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory" (Revelation 16:8-9 [8] And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

[9] And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.





See All...).



Soon after, there is a time of great happiness during which at last the human misery can end: "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready'" (Revelation 19:6-7 [6] And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

[7] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.





See All...).



Where does the year 2000 fit into all of this? What do the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third signify?



From a strictly biblical perspective the beginning of the next thousand years signifies nothing and the turn of the century means nothing more nor less than the progression in a humanly devised system of counting years. Remember that the year 2000 is the year 5761 for the Jews, 1421 for the Muslims and 4698 for the Chinese. In our limited awareness we often assume that dates that may be important to us should be important to everyone else on the planet.



God doesn't follow man's calendars

As we've seen, no one knows the day nor the hour of the end of this phase of human civilization, and it's unlikely that God the Father is operating according to any of these human calendars.



The prophecies of the Word of God will come to pass on time, when He determines. In the meantime, we have more than enough to busy ourselves with. The apostle Peter wrote two letters toward the end of his life. In them he distills his Christian experience. Thinking about the future day of judgment he writes: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness...?" (2 Peter 3:10-11 [10] But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

[11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,





See All...).



The idea that we live in the shadow of Judgment Day ought to make us ask ourselves about the spiritual condition of our lives. There is a way that leads to holy conduct and godliness in this life.



Peter pleads with his readers to find that way. It comes down to accepting responsibility before our Creator for what we are and what we've done and learning how to be forgiven of sin and that sin will be obliterated.



That's the relief that God's elect find as they begin their new life now. They can be assured of God's protection in the progression of events up to Jesus Christ's return. In the meantime, they live their lives not in fear but in enthusiasm for a new way that will be eternally satisfying in the ongoing work of God.

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Why Prophecy?

From http://el-paso.ucg.org/  or call 1-888-886-8632.

Why Prophecy?

Prophecy is an integral part of the Bible, God's inspired revelation to mankind. Through it God reveals Himself, His plan for humanity and why we are here.



We strive for security, long for stability and dream of a glowing and predictable future for ourselves and our posterity. But for most of us these hopes and desires are far from certain to be realized. Our world is filled with rapid and often perilous change.



We could easily fall victim to an accident, act of violence, debilitating disease or natural disaster. The turbulent winds of economic and social change threaten our financial stability. Wars and acts of terrorism threaten to endanger the fabric of society and make even more elusive the security we seek.



Uncertainty is a way of life.



No confidence



Consider today's youth. A lack of confidence in the future is a major cause of anxiety among teenagers. Thousands are convinced the good life will evaporate before they're old enough to enjoy it. They crave assurance and purpose. Nihilism—the absence of confidence and hope in anything—is epidemic. The staggering number of teen suicides illustrates their disillusionment. Some vent their anger and frustration by setting up an alternative society of gangs.



But teens aren't the only ones anxious about their future. Adults turn to psychics and astrological readings in unprecedented numbers, attempting to peer into the murkiness of the future. Books about the future are best sellers. Millions of people long for reassurance that some kind of light shines at the end of the tunnel. King Solomon's observation that "man is greatly troubled by ignorance of the future" (Ecclesiastes 8:7For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?



See All..., Revised English Bible) holds true today.



Why is our world so uncertain? Have we no alternative? Is nothing predictable? Must we live in ignorance of our future? Can we discover a source for information about where this world is headed?



Indeed we can, and it tells us a great deal about what lies ahead. We can also know the cause of our uncertainty and the amazing turn of events that could change it for the better.



Where can we find answers?



The answers have been waiting for us all along. They're in the pages of the Holy Bible.



The Bible is unique among all literature. Though penned by many writers from varied cultures over a span of 15 centuries, it is the masterpiece of a single author, the Creator of the universe.



For centuries Bible students have marveled that so many writers, from strikingly dissimilar backgrounds, could maintain the consistent message and purpose found in the pages of Scripture. No other compilation of writings from such varied authors could compare with the Bible's continuity and harmony.



This consistency gives the Bible unrivaled distinction among literary works. This constancy is one of the proofs of its divine inspiration. As the Bible itself powerfully proclaims about its origin: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:



See All..., emphasis added throughout).



Much of this remarkable book is prophetic. Its prophecies reveal crucial information about the future of mankind. When we realize that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, then we begin to realize the significance of its prophecies. They are reliable because God Himself inspired them.



What does the Creator tell us about Himself and the future? "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done … Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:9-11 [9] Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,

[10] Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

[11] Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.





See All...). God not only claims to reveal the future, He has the power to bring to pass what He has foretold!



The apostle Peter advises us to pay attention to the words of the biblical prophets: "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed…knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21 [19] We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

[20] Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

[21] For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.





See All...).



The Prophet of prophets



A prophet is one through whom God speaks—one appointed to reveal the will of God to His people. One of the greatest of these prophets was God's own Son, Jesus Christ: "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:1-2 [1] God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

[2] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;





See All...).



People seldom think of Jesus Christ as a prophet, but a prophet He was (Luke 13:33Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.



See All...; 24:19; John 6:14Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.



See All...). His message—"the gospel of the kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,



See All...)—is filled with prophecy. His message explains and clarifies the destiny of mankind, revealing the way God will accomplish His master plan.



The record of Jesus Christ's birth, life, ministry and death is one of history's most powerful confirmations of the reliability and accuracy of Bible prophecy.



Precise details about Jesus' birth, ministry and crucifixion were accurately foretold hundreds, even thousands, of years before He was born. Specific events and circumstances foretold centuries earlier came to pass exactly as the Hebrew prophets had predicted, providing compelling evidence of their credibility and substantiating the accuracy of their messages.



Could their words hold meaning for us today? Did you know those same prophets tell us what Jesus Christ has planned for the future— your future?



You probably already know that Jesus promised to return to earth. That promise is an excellent example of prophecy. He also promised to finish the work He began at His first coming. Throughout the Bible the life and mission of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, are depicted as examples of His devotion to the welfare of people. Many prophecies yet to be fulfilled are directly related to the future work and mission of Jesus Christ.



A right perspective



Many people regard prophecy as mystical, strange and unreal, with no relevance to their lives. They have almost no understanding of what prophecy is all about. Others, having encountered grossly distorted interpretations of Bible prophecy, have grown skeptical and disillusioned.



However, when properly understood, the Bible speaks with a clear, consistent and reliable message that is just as appropriate for us as it was for the people of ancient Israel.



Whether you are unsure of the value of the Bible's prophecies or regard them with deep respect, this booklet is meant to help you accurately understand prophecy. We want you to see the true scope of prophecy—how it links mankind's past, present and future. A knowledge of prophecy can provide you with a balanced perspective revealed by the Creator.



God's promises: the foundation of prophecy



Prophecy is not merely a series of unrelated predictions randomly scattered throughout the Bible. It has a structure; it is set on a firm foundation. To understand the foundation, we must realize the overall purpose of the Bible, its themes and the threads of its stories.



One overall theme is that the Bible is the tale of two families. The first is the family of Adam, the human father of all mankind. The second is the family of Abraham, the father of those who are faithful to God (Romans 4:9Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.



See All..., 11). God regards people who become, in a spiritual sense, like faithful Abraham as His own personal family, His sons and daughters (2 Corinthians 6:18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.



See All...).



The Bible begins with the creation of the universe and a world fashioned to support Adam's, and then all humanity's, existence. The story of Scripture will not be complete until all of the descendants of Adam receive an eternal inheritance in refashioned heavens and earth or—if they unequivocally refuse God's way of loving others as themselves—eternal death in the final judgment (Revelation 20:14-15 [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

[15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.





See All...).



It is to Abraham and his descendants that God gave the promise of an eternal inheritance. Only members of the family of Adam whom God grafts into the family, or "seed," of Abraham (through the sacrificed Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth) may partake of that eternal inheritance (Galatians 3:29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.



See All...).



Between the creation of Adam and God's final judgment is the story of God's relationship with us, His creation. The Bible, in its account of Adam, explains the reason for our nature. It tells us how and why sin, evil and suffering entered the world and reveals God's solution to that problem. It reveals the purpose of our existence, explaining why God made human beings and the incredible future He has in store for us.



At the heart of God's plan for us are many amazing promises. In a greater sense, God offers us one magnificent promise, which He first expressed to Adam and Eve and amplifies and expands throughout the Bible. God promises He will make available everything we need to establish and maintain an eternal relationship with Him as His children—that our salvation will always be His greatest concern.



Read on to learn how prophecy fills in the details of God's wonderful plan for humanity. You will discover the reason people suffer and the lessons they should learn from it. You will see that God, who inspired prophecy, cares for people—that He has designed a logical and realistic master plan for solving the suffering and dilemmas that (as history well shows) we cannot resolve on our own.



You will also learn why the life, work and mission of Jesus, as the Messiah, was planned even "before time began" (2 Timothy 1:9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,



See All...)—and why His continuing efforts are crucial to the success of God's plan and purpose for our future.



Come with us on a journey to explore and understand Bible prophecy.

The Purposes of Prophecy

The Purposes of Prophecy
Does God use prophecy to punish humanity out of some perverse sense of enjoyment? Of course not! But if there are positive purposes to prophecy, what are they?
by Jerold Aust
Why do some people think that God gets enjoyment out of prophetic punishments? Does God have a fundamentally cruel streak that He randomly satisfies, targeting people who can't defend themselves?
Historically, writers of apocalyptic literature promote this satanic notion, as Dante Alighieri did in his Divine Comedy. Why would anyone perpetuate this concept? Your Bible makes clear that there are purposes for prophecy; and those purposes, contrary to conventional wisdom, serve us.
Defining prophecy and classic examples
Prophecy is a divinely inspired prediction of the future, and there are many examples of fulfilled prophecy in Scripture.
A classic example is when God promised a revival of His true religion under a king named Josiah (1 Kings 13:2). This amazing prophecy was fulfilled 300 years later when God restored the rebellious kingdom of Judah by installing young Josiah as king (2 Kings 22:1). Josiah's grandfather was the infamous evil King Manasseh who ruled Judah for 55 years.
Josiah had a different heart, and God used him to turn the nation around. It worked, but not for long. God also predicted that Judah would go into captivity for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:8-12), which He fulfilled to the letter.
After Josiah's premature death, Judah went right back into following false religious practices and, as God had prophesied, the nation went into captivity under the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24).
While the Bible records prophecies that have been fulfilled, it also lists prophecies yet to be fulfilled. A classic case is that of the coming Beast and False Prophet who are predicted to rise to power in the future (Revelation 13; 17). Today, significant signs show this prophecy will come to pass by the rising power of the European Union, the coming king of the North, and the rising power of a great Muslim confederation power, the coming king of the South (Daniel 11:40).
Let's look at some purposes for prophecy.
Cause and effect
One purpose of prophecy is to teach mankind that terrible consequences result from disobeying God. This is a great key to understanding prophecy. Most view prophecy as God sitting around contemplating how He can make the lives of human beings miserable. Instead, humans incur their own prophetic punishments through disobedience to God's law and through their own poor conduct (Deuteronomy 30:19).
God's laws are automatic (Romans 2:11-12); that is to say, they are designed so that our good actions eventually lead to good results and our evil actions lead to bad results. God's spiritual laws are like His physical laws. For example, when we throw an object into the air, we know it must eventually fall back down to the ground. We depend on those laws every single day.
God's automatic laws directly affect human life. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 reveal the cause and effect of either obeying or disobeying Him. Obey God and be blessed. Disobey and bring curses on yourself. These polar opposites help determine the effects of prophecy. Indeed, they embody prophecy.
A good example of doing good and being blessed for it can be found in the prophecy regarding the New Testament Church, in part, at the very end time. There will be relatively few who keep God's commandments, honor Christ as the Head of the Church and endure to the very end (Revelation 3:8, 10).
God prophesies to them that they will escape the Great Tribulation, "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world" (verse 10). This is a blessing, a direct application of choosing to do what's right and being blessed for obeying God's laws.
God allows human beings free moral agency, to choose and make decisions to receive an abundant life now and live forever later, or to choose and make decisions to curse themselves now and to die (Deuteronomy 30:19). Clearly mankind determines his own destiny, either for bad or for good.
God is in control
A second purpose of prophecy is to show that God controls events throughout history for the purpose of fulfilling His plan. Ultimately, God will see His plan through, no matter what people do.
There are prophecies that turn out for good even though humans are ignorant of them. For instance, God said He would bless Israel and the world at Christ's return based on His covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). In this case, good for modern Israel comes through a promise God made to Abraham thousands of years ago.
God highlights this kind of prophecy to those who are ignorant in Ezekiel 36:22-24. At the time of the end, modern Israel will be in captivity, scattered among the nations, as God prophesied. When Christ returns, He will free Israel from captivity and bring them again to the Holy Land.
Here's a case of prophetic blessings to an ignorant Israel, which happen in spite of, not because of, anything Israel did. The key to this prophecy is that God is doing this for Himself, not Israel. They profaned His name, and He will restore His good name through them:
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD," says the Lord GOD, "when I am hallowed in you before their eyes"'" (Ezekiel 36:22-23).
In a sense, the initial fulfillment of this prophecy eclipses choice. Once freed and restored to the Promised Land, Israel will then have to choose to do what's right in God's eyes.
Interloper behind prophecies of punishment
Prophecy is also directly tied to the great interloper. Christ's spirit-led disciples know this, but the world doesn't. America and the Christian West have willingly closed their eyes to God's revealed truth.
"And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them'" (Matthew 13:14-15).
Behind this willing blindness, there lurks Satan the devil whose avowed purpose is to dupe people into doing his dirty work. He strives to motivate mankind to destroy itself, for God won't allow Satan to do this evil deed directly.
Human beings are Satan's competition. He knows that we will one day judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3) and constantly tries to tell God that His redemptive plan to save mankind is a lost cause (Revelation 12:10).
The interloper, Satan the devil, the god of this world, affects how prophecy works in the worst of ways. Isaiah writes about the heinous cruelty of Satan, who "made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners" (Isaiah 14:17).
This verse summarizes Satan's wicked rule on this earth and over mankind. From the time of Adam to Christ's second coming, he has and will continue to peddle, traffic and merchandise his lies, which is precisely how he changed himself from Lucifer to Satan the devil (Ezekiel 28:15-19).
Prophecy warns, punishes and blesses
Prophecy is a prediction of the future under divine inspiration. It shows us that human beings cause their own troubles.
Prophecy regarding punishment shows us that God simply predicts how uncontrolled human nature reaps its own sown seeds of destruction (Galatians 6:7-8).
Prophecy regarding encouragement and blessings shows us how faithfully obeying God brings on blessings in this life and the blessing of life eternal. For prophetic blessings to come about, we must keep God's laws of love (1 John 5:3).
Prophecy also shows God's ultimate control over history as He completes His plan of salvation for everyone.
These are the purposes of prophecy, which contrast the false notion that God is cruel or that He sits in heaven all day figuring out novel ways to make humankind experience fear and suffering. This type of behavior describes the god of this world, as depicted in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. Satan is the one that influences the world and well-meaning Christians with such aberrations.
Prophecy is a helpful, encouraging and merciful tool in the hands of an all-loving Savior, given for the good of mankind. We should use it wisely. WNP

Mass Media and Bible Prophecy

From http://www.el-paso.ucg.org/

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Mass Media and Bible Prophecy
Several amazing biblical passages foretell the shaping of the world at the time of the end by a powerful web of global media.
by Howard Davis
Some of the Bible's most astounding prophecies concern where global media are taking the world.
Though thousands of years old, the Bible has much to say about the "last days" and "time of the end." Some biblical visions and prophecies are descriptions of events, situations and technologies that did not apply to the ancient world and make sense only in a modern context.
Thousands of years ago the Bible foretold a massive revolution in information and communications technology like that we've witnessed in recent years. But it also prophesied a globally pervasive culture of violence and self-absorbed, pleasure - seeking indulgence in sex and greed.
Further, it forewarned us of worldwide manipulation of public opinion through economic forces and political gamesmanship that will culminate in the rise of a world dictatorship and massive religious deception so powerful that true Christians will be silenced, persecuted and even murdered- while the world celebrates their demise.
Shocking? Yes, but read on.
Daniel and the information explosion
Two prophecies lay the groundwork for many others when it comes to the role modern entertainment and news media are to play in end-time events.
First, God foretold through the prophet Daniel the development of the kind of technology and entertainment media that permeate our world. Yet Daniel lived 600 years before Christ. Through Daniel, God also foretold four mighty empires, the first and second comings of the Messiah and the final subjugation of much of the world by a charismatic dictator who will fight Jesus at His second coming (Daniel 2, 7, 8-9, 11-12).
Although God used him to record these prophecies, Daniel himself admitted that he didn't completely understand them. An angel told Daniel that some aspects of these prophecies would not be understood in his lifetime: "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end" (Daniel 12:9). Their full meaning as they pertain to world events would not be known until the last days, yet even then "none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand" (verse 10).
But God did tell Daniel-and, through Daniel's writings, He tells us-two characteristics of the end-time age, when Bible prophecies would open up to human understanding, to the "wise" who would listen to God.
". . . Shut up the words," God said to Daniel, "and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro [a reference to the availability of rapid mass transportation] and knowledge shall increase" (verse 4, emphasis added throughout). This last phrase is the key: The time of the end is the time of the "increase" of "knowledge."
Daniel's prophecy of a time when "many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase" certainly fits our time. Our age is rightly called the information age. By some estimates the accumulation of knowledge doubles every 18 months. Anyone with a connection to the Internet has vast libraries of information at his fingertips. Encyclopedias of knowledge can be reproduced on CDs for pennies apiece.
But what does the knowledge explosion have to do with modern global media?
This is where the second trend fits in. Behind the knowledge explosion is the development of mass media and the technological transformation that made them possible. Without the means to rapidly spread information abroad to many people, no knowledge explosion would have occurred. In other words, if we have no means to disseminate information, we have no information.
The invention of the printing press brought the proliferation of books, the primary medium for disseminating knowledge in the 18th century's "age of enlightenment." Along with the advent of largecirculation newspapers, public education in the 19th century brought widespread literacy, which made further technological progress possible. Technological development in electronic communications exploded in the 20th century with radio, television, computers, satellites and finally the Internet, which brings these technologies together in one worldwide web.
"At the heart of globalization," writes Thomas Friedman in his best-selling book The Lexus and the Olive Tree, are "recent advances in technology-from the Internet to satellite telecommunications" (2000, p. 22). Indeed, these two factors allow virtually anyone to instantly see and hear events and other people anywhere on the planet.
Instant international availability
Such developments are foundational to understanding two ancient prophecies that deal with the way people see and hear a final warning from two servants of God- called in Scripture the "two witnesses"- just before the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to rule the world.
Although these men are public witnesses to God's existence and the world's need to heed the warnings of the Bible to avoid even more disasters, most people will not believe them. But Scripture indicates they will be seen and heard- throughout the entire world.
A remarkable prophecy in the book of Revelation tells us that people of every nation will simultaneously see the murder in Jerusalem of these two prophets of God by the dictator mentioned earlier, called the "beast":
". . . I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days [3 1/2 years] . . . These have the power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy . . . When they finish their testimony, the beast . . . will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them" (Revelation 11:3-7).
This prophecy deals with a time of worldwide conflict in which the dictator known as the Beast will rise to power through manipulation of public opinion and religious deceptions, no doubt using the powerful tool of mass media.
But note the indications of the kind of information technology available at the time of these events:
"And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city . . . where also our Lord was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
"Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them" (verses 8-12).
These astounding prophecies indicate that television or similar electronic media will broadcast the murder of these two prophets-probably linked by satellite and the Internet or even more-advanced technologies. Live views of the events will be available instantly and simultaneously throughout the world. These two men will be the ultimate witnesses as nations of every language behold these startling events while commentators report on them live from Jerusalem.
Signs and wonders
Before the arrival of the two witnesses, however, their two satanic counterparts- the Beast and a religious leader the Bible calls "the false prophet"-will apparently powerfully manipulate the news media to dazzle the world with supernatural acts most people will think are divine but will really be satanic in origin.
Notice Paul's prophecy of the religious leader. Writing of the time of "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," Paul tells us this man "will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thessalonians 2:1, 4, New International Version).
Paul continues: "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness" (verses 9-12, NIV).
Revelation 13:13-14 further explains that he "performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast . . ."
Such passages tell us that these evil leaders will cunningly and massively deceive virtually the entire world. Most people will assume these two represent God and will readily follow them-not realizing they are really tools of Satan. (To learn more about these end-time events, be sure to request your free copy of the booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.)
Self-absorbed entertainment
Paul wrote of yet another trend in the last days in which mass media even now play a major role.
"But mark this," Paul wrote shortly before his death, around A.D. 67: "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:1-4, NIV).
Does this sound familiar? Each of these abysmal traits can be found in the daily menu of American entertainment devoured by two billion minds on televisions around the world. Welcome to the age of crude amusements and pandering to lust-24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Lust for violence, self-glorification, sex without the commitment of marriage, vicarious indulgence in forbidden fruit without the consequences-these are the themes of the comedies, soap operas, dramas and talk shows that constitute the moral equivalent of a sewer flooding human minds. It's the sated ancient Roman crowds all over again watching the doomed die in the Colosseum.
The motive for so much filth is simple -money. Delivering eyes to advertisers is the primary objective of network executives. Programming that most effectively hooks the largest audience features fastpaced content centered on a mesmerizing diet of sex, lust, greed and irreverent and profane humor. It's a sure bet to keep an audience glued to the tube. Produce such material and you make money.
If you own the movie and TV production rights to sex, lust and greed, you make more money. If you own book publishers, magazines, cable and satellite systems and video-rental stores, you make even more money-lots and lots of money. It's no wonder we've seen so many massive media mergers in recent years.
The implications are sobering. Children increasingly think, say and do what they see on commercial and "public" programming. More and more people cannot discriminate between Hollywood-produced drivel and real life. Their lives become almost surreal.
The consequences, according to the Bible, will be devastating. God's Word indicates these trends will play a major role in the downfall and destruction of the United States and other major Englishspeaking nations (be sure to request your free copy of the booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy).
Research shows that children's antisocial behavior in schools directly relates to the amount and content of the television they watch. In one survey 35 percent of imprisoned violent criminals said they got the ideas to carry out their crimes from watching television.
The last days and you
Ninety percent of Americans claim they believe in God. But they don't know who He is. They can't recite the Ten Commandments, name the four Gospels (much less the books of the Old or New Testament) or explain the difference between Abraham and Muhammad. As Paul predicted, the motivation of people in the last days will not be personal achievement, noble character or love of neighbor. Men, women and young people will be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God."
So what about you?
God says to any who are caught up in the end-time materialistic system, mindset and culture that pervades the world, "Come out of her,My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).
The way to come out is to recognize where our materialistic, self-obsessed entertainment and media are leading us. Turn off the consumption; turn away from the self-obsessed way of life promoted by our global media system. Instead, turn to God and His Word, the Bible. Remember, God recorded these warnings to us for a reason. GN