20 Nov 2023

Published on: by RR7 Category:Nearing Midnight

Lucifer’s Furious Frenzy

All who watch end-times developments presently flowing in confluence, as Jesus commanded, know that antediluvian-equivalent evil is building toward Tribulation-level corruption. If not for the comfort we find in God’s Word about prophetic utterances of gloom, the fear factor would be raging, even among the most Spirit-controlled believers.

Sadly, few folks within God’s family during these times have a clue about the rapidly metastasizing violence and wickedness in today’s world. That is, few Christians within this generation even think about the evil that is building toward the time Jesus spoke about here:

“For then shall be great tribulation such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

However, the comfort God promises believers turns the fear factor into absolute assurance that the raging corruption, lawlessness, murder, and immorality will one day—perhaps at any moment—no longer concern those in God’s family:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

And the proof that this promise is for the comfort of believers of our generation is given in the next thing the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write:

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

Another sort, an entirely different kind of proof, if not for the above promise, would, if people truly understood what’s going on, terrorize and torture to the point of heart failure. But the proof I’m referring to can’t be seen with our physical eyes. It must be discerned only through spiritual eyes that can peer into the dimension inhabited by the powers and principalities of Ephesians 6:12.

A recent email I received from a friend who posts regularly on Rapture Ready News, and who stays in touch to provide me with news of possible prophetic import, gives significant insight. Mark, who has such spiritual eyes for discerning these matters, speaks, indirectly, to a prophecy that will, at a time during the Tribulation, greatly accelerate the serpent’s final assault on God’s chosen nation and on all of humanity left behind after the Rapture of the Church.

The world is not yet in that horrendous era but is heading toward that time of Daniel’s seventieth week and Jacob’s trouble at breakneck speed.

Here is what is scheduled during the middle of that Tribulation.

I refer to Revelation 12, where we read that Lucifer–Satan—is ejected from the heavenlies for the final time. He comes to earth, the prophecy says, with great fury. The prophecy further says, “Woe unto those who inhabit the earth, because he knows he has but a short time.”

We often note in these commentaries that we are not yet in the time of Tribulation but are witnessing the stage being set for it.

Mark, I believe, has correctly surmised exactly the situation we’ve witnessed in the unbelievably evil attack that was launched on Israel on October 7 and the world’s sudden turning against the attacked, Israel, rather than the attacker, which is comprised of many of the nations of Islam.

Mark writes the following:

“As I peruse all the stories online about hatred of the Jews and its insane intensity against them, I must say that I’m appalled by the level of Satanic ferocity being displayed against them, especially in Europe and the United States. And particularly at institutes of higher learning.

It is as though Satan himself has become unhinged in his preoccupation with his desire to kill every Jew in the world. I do believe that part of his insane rage is due to the “restraining” by the Restrainer and the Adversary not being able to progress with his scheme for global rule and total destruction of Israel and all of Jewry, but having to accede to the limitations placed on him by our Father in Heaven.”

Indeed, Lucifer, the old serpent, must, because of God’s restraint against his insane intentions, be angry beyond all understanding of those who aren’t spiritually tuned in to what’s really going on in these closing days of this Age of Grace. And, no doubt, that enragement is bound to grow the nearer the time of the Tribulation approaches.

But for the Christian who studies the whole Word–including Bible prophecy—spiritually discerning that approaching storm that will usher in the King of all Kings shouldn’t cause fear but assurance of a future as bright as all of Heaven’s glory.

The Rapture of all believers will instantaneously separate us from all judgment and wrath that will deal with Lucifer’s furious frenzy and with the anti-God evil of this fallen sphere. Here is how to be a part of that coming instantaneous separation.

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

–Terry

Things Are Not as They Appear :: By Jonathan Brentner

We live in the shadow of the midnight hour. As the hostilities in the Middle East escalate and capture the world’s attention, other telling signs of the last days slip by unnoticed by most people.

According to Prophecy News Watch, “The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a final agreement this week on the establishment of ‘European Digital Identity Wallets,’ the first central and fully digital identification system for all Europeans.” When later combined with Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), this will surely pave the way for antichrist’s mark of the beast at the midpoint of the Tribulation.

The increasing number and severity of earthquakes speak to God’s intention to shake the world with His wrath during the Day of the Lord (Hebrews 12:25-29; Isaiah 24:19-20; Revelation 6:12).

We currently see abundant precursors to the conditions that will exist after the Rapture of the church, especially those that John describes in Revelation 6:1-8. How much longer can it be until the world feels the full weight of these judgments?

Things in our world may look dire at the moment, but God’s Word tells us that they are not as they appear to be. And this is encouraging and joyous news for those of us who belong to the Savior.

We will begin with the unseen realities regarding our status as saints. The Apostle John also alludes to these in 1 John 3:1 as he writes about Jesus’ appearing:

“See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we would be called children of God; and we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (LSB).

We belong to God’s family; we are His beloved “children.” People outside of Christ cannot recognize our true identity as dear members of God’s family because they do not know Him.

Even though our adoption is complete in God’s eyes, it remains hidden from sight because we have yet to fully experience it. This happens at the time of the Rapture when we also receive our immortal bodies.

“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23).

In 1 John 3:2-3, the apostle uncovers more of our unseen identity in Christ:

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

The truths contained in 1 John 3:2-3 provide considerable comfort during the turbulent times that surround us. The apostle’s words emphasize that things are most certainly not as they seem:

  1. We know that our future glorified bodies will be immortal and free from all sickness and the effects of aging, but that is quite different from what we experience since, as John says, “what we will be has not yet appeared.”
  2. We now walk with Jesus by faith, but there is coming a day when we will see Jesus “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12) or, as the apostle writes, “we shall see him as he is.”
  3. We are currently “holy and blameless” in God’s sight (Ephesians 1:4). At the moment of the Rapture, however, this will become our eternal experience as we see Jesus and become “like him.”

The same is true for the world during the perilous times in which we live.

For the moment, it seems as though Satan and the globalists are winning as they use chaos, violence, death, and destruction in order to bring about their cherished one-world government.

The reality, however, is far, far different.

The devil’s minions will succeed for just a short while. They are filling up the cup of God’s wrath that He will pour out upon them in full measure (Psalm 75:6-8). As such, these elite powerbrokers are on the verge of destruction. This will happen during the Day of the Lord when the horrors that the Apostle John describes in Revelation chapters 6-18 come upon the world and the Lord destroys Satan’s kingdom.

What is the comfort amid the shocking news of our day? It is what we see with our eyes of faith despite the violence, wickedness, and violence that rages around us. It is what we believe about our true identity, as revealed in the New Testament.

The Apostle Paul wrote the following about our unseen hope:

“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25).

We know that when Jesus appears, we will meet Him in the air with incorruptible bodies and experience joys and wonders beyond what we can now imagine. The righteousness we already possess will be our forever experience. The Rapture is not just a side issue; Paul says it is the “hope” in which “we were saved.”

Things are most definitely not as they appear, and we praise the Lord for that!

-Jonathan

20 Nov 2023

Published on: by RR7 Category:Israel Watch

[This week, I’d like to post an open letter, written by a friend, that exposes the theological biases of people that want to spiritualize biblical promises made to the Jews. This problem has exploded in public since the satanic Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7. I think the letter is excellent and, like the author, I invite you to share it with others.—JF]

An Open Letter to Those Who Have Been Taught That the Church Has Replaced Israel

Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,

If you are a member of a Catholic or mainline denominational church, you have probably been taught something called replacement theology (and perhaps you don’t even know it has that name). Replacement theology leads those who have adopted it to believe that Israel is no longer God’s people and that the modern regathering of the Jews in their historical land is theologically meaningless. Please know this is an error, and I write this letter to alert you to it so you can study God’s Word and reach your own conclusion.

Replacement theology, sometimes called supersessionism or fulfillment theology, is a doctrine stating either that the Church took Israel’s place as God’s people when Israel rejected Jesus as its Messiah or that the “old” Israel was set aside in favor of a “new” Israel, the Church, upon Jesus’s first coming. No matter how it got there, the Church is now God’s people and the beneficiary of the promises God made Israel in the Old Testament. Consequently, Jacob’s blood descendants have no unique destiny, and modern Israel’s existence has no significance.

Because replacement theology is often woven into otherwise sound teachings on redemptive history, many believers aren’t even aware that it is a separate doctrine with its own name. Nonetheless, replacement theology is enshrined in Catholic dogma and runs rampant in mainline denominations, even among those that otherwise take the Bible seriously.

Replacement theology raises troubling implications about God’s character, not the least of which are: if God revoked his promises to Israel, what keeps him from revoking them again, and does God really change not (as Malachi 3:6 says)? Many who have been taught replacement theology have not considered these implications. Perhaps you have, too, but have dismissed them out‐of‐hand or rationalized them away, possibly because they are too dreadful to imagine. Unfortunately, ignoring the implications does not make them go away.

Rather than addressing these (and other) broader implications, this letter will instead tackle the assumption that lies at the very heart of replacement theology: did Israel really forfeit its blessings? Did God really forsake or move past Israel? Fortunately, if you read the Bible without bias, it gives a clear answer.

One point is worth making before proceeding: I don’t have the ability or the moral duty to force you to reject replacement theology. Only the Holy Spirit can convict. All I can do is call relevant scripture to your attention and invite you to check it out yourself. That is what I will now do.

To keep this letter short and clear, I will rely only on two passages: Isaiah 6 and Romans 11. (If you are a Reformed believer, you tend to read Revelation figuratively, because you have been taught that it is “apocalyptic literature.” I will therefore deliberately avoid Revelation’s many passages affirming Israel’s destiny, knowing that you will be unwilling to read Isaiah and Romans figuratively.) I will cite the King James Version, but any good version will do.

Isaiah 6 contains the well‐known “Here I am. Send me” passage in which Isaiah volunteers to convey a message God has for his people:

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:8‐10)

God informs his people not only that they are hardened (deaf, blind and without understanding) and he is the one hardening them, but also that he has hardened them to delay their repenting and being healed. Note that God does not tell them why he wants a delay.

When the disciples ask Jesus why he speaks “to them” in parables in Matthew 13, he quotes this passage of Isaiah 6:

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:” (Matthew 13:11‐14)

Paul also quotes this same passage of Isaiah 6 in Acts 28, reminding the local leaders of the Jews that they are hardened.

And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Acts 28:24‐27)

Paul then discloses the reason why God hardened Israel, delaying its repenting and being healed:

Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:28)

According to Paul, God hardened Israel so the Gospel could be taken to the Gentiles.

However, Isaiah 6 continues after the passage quoted in both Matthew 13 and Acts 28. God has more to say to Isaiah about his people. Returning to Isaiah 6, after hearing God’s decree against his people, the prophet begs God for an answer in verse 11, and God gives it to him:

Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. But yet in [the land] shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. (Isaiah 6:11‐ 13)

God promises that he will lift Israel’s partial hardening during or just after a widespread devastation. This may be a great war, even a nuclear war given the extent and degree of damage. However, it may be a direct act of God, acting in wrath. Only he knows.

Why then did Jesus and Paul’s quotations from Isaiah 6 stop short of verses 11‐13? The answer is that they were speaking in the First Century. Isaiah 6:11‐13 would be fulfilled in the future. They were only talking about Israel’s hardened condition in those days, and not about when it would someday repent. Remember, Jesus was only answering a question from his disciples as to why he was teaching in parables, and Paul was only making the case for taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Now, let’s look at Romans 11, in which Paul answers the question his earlier chapters in Romans begged: if Christ is the answer and the law is not, what about the Jews, to whom God had given the law? Has God turned his back on Israel?

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. (Romans 11:1‐4)

The answer is an emphatic “God forbid!” God will save an elect remnant of Israel, and God will save them by grace, not the law. To keep the Gentiles from being feeling superior to the Jews, Paul goes on to say:

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? (Romans 11:11‐15)

Then, after describing how the holy firstfruits of lump of dough renders the whole lump holy, how a holy root can render the entire tree holy, and how branches grafted onto a holy tree become holy, even branches that had previously been cut off, Paul reveals a mystery in verse 25:

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gen􏰁les be come in. (Romans 11:25)

Though he does not outright quote Isaiah 6:11‐13, he affirms the promise God made in those verses to end Israel’s hardening. The mystery Paul reveals is that the partial hardening of Israel’s elect will end when the “fulness of the Gentiles be (has) come in.”

It is important to note that none of these passages are talking about the Church. God has never hardened the Church. He has only hardened Israel, and only temporarily, for the express purpose of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles and building a Church that encompasses all peoples, nations, and languages. This he did at Israel’s great expense, but he will resurrect and magnify Israel because of it. Consider the supreme irony: God hardened Israel to benefit the Gentiles, and so many churches have returned the thanks to Israel by teaching replacement theology.

God’s reply in Isaiah 6 and Paul’s teaching in Romans 11 raise two questions: when will this widespread devastation occur, and when will the fulness of the Gentiles come in? The Bible gives no clear answer; God wants us to depend on him alone for the timing.

However, we can be sure of this – God will restore the elect of his people Israel. That unambiguous Biblical truth, stated explicitly both to Israel in the Old Testament and the Gentiles of the Church in the New Testament, exposes replacement theology as bad doctrine. Now it’s up to the Holy Spirit and informed believers to purge the Church of this sad error.

If replacement theology now troubles you as much as it does me, please do me a favor. Consider giving a copy of this letter to a brother or sister who has been mistaught. You will be helping them and doing a good work for God’s kingdom.

Check out my Patreon page

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

Jimfletcher761@gmail.com