My dear friend Terry James wrote about the forthcoming invasion of Israel by a coalition of nations spearheaded by Russia, Iran, and Turkey. He joined the chorus of prophecy teachers who placed this event as a post-Rapture occurrence. After reading his recent commentary on this topic, I could only agree with him one hundred percent!

There are hardly any questions about the nearness of this war when we look at what is taking place in real-time. The conflict in Ukraine is a probable precursor to the hook in the jaw (Ezekiel 38:4). Russia’s trump card by way of denying the European nations the much-needed natural gas could be in jeopardy as a result of a recently inked deal between the European Union and Israel – a flow of vital energy resources through Egyptian pipelines. Could it be a matter of time before the Russians do what is necessary for their supremacy?

What about the trigger, which is very likely to be from the destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17:1)? Israel has not stood down where air strikes on the Syrian capital are concerned – bigger and bolder where updates go. With all this in play, many people glued to the prophetic clock could second guess the climactic moment. Some could say that it could be breaking news at breakfast time following a night of proverbial tossing and turning – at least a fifty percent probability from the layman’s point of view, but I still disagree with them. The basis for my line of argument rests in the Rapture; it has to happen first and foremost. Unless a multitude of believers are going to miss breakfast or whatever meal, depending on which side of the globe they are on!

Herein lies the crux of the matter: you can speculate and take an educated punt, but it all comes to nothing because our Heavenly Father holds the ultimate key to the timing.

“And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise, And knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).

So there you all have it; seeing something through the lens of our fallen nature can cause us to be severely sidetracked. This is the case when we use our academic qualifications and years of experience to gauge things. We have to seek knowledge and understanding from the Lord. Listen to His still, small voice of reason. It could do a lot better than heavy dosages of melatonin!

On a parallel and much closer to home note, there is that unprecedented flurry of activity emanating from a collection of cold hearts that form a no longer mythical cabal of immense cruelty. This is way beyond the rumor mill, beastly blueprints poised to be activated in the seemingly near future. Indeed, a scary thought that this is not a horror movie but a stark-naked reality –  could it even be so before Thanksgiving?

There are a host of intimidating indicators that point to the inevitable and inescapable. Once again, if a lay person saw all that was happening at breakneck speed, nothing would be further from the ugly truth. The question is – is that what is defined as the truth?

That heinous wolf pack of wicked people could scheme up sophisticated and intricate devices to oppress humanity for their ultimate personal gain. They boast of timetables that would be rigidly adhered to as well as target dates. All this might appear to be something never imagined, but in all truth and honesty, it is really a very old idea. It all has to do with mocking the Creator of all living beings and proving His Living Word to be a laughing stock. So these folks want to be God, and they are doing everything to make it come to pass. But in all truth and honesty again, it is only a regurgitation of Lucifer’s aspiration, which ultimately fell apart.

“For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit in the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ You shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isaiah 14:13-15).

It appears that all of us live each day with a looming existential threat. But it is merely a half-truth. The store shelves could be emptied of certain items, and there is chatter about another pandemic. Food processing facilities have been razed, and more in store, as there are reports of poultry and cattle dying mysteriously. Prices of essential stuff skyrocket while projections by secular experts indicate a global food crisis. Free space currently enjoyed will be almost extinct in the near future. Enough to drive up cases of insomnia and the accompanying depression. The world is spinning out of control and towards destruction. Even for many who belong to the Body of Christ, there is that question of how many of these before the Rapture?

I can only find great comfort in Revelation 3:10. “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.”

It is very clear that a good number of these nasties are not meant for us – the salt and light contingent! Not even a portion of it. We must bear in mind that the ultimate timing of events is in the hands of the loving God. Flesh and blood can draw up grandiose plans with a stunning degree of elaboration, yet they could be reduced to smithereens by the mighty hand of our loving Heavenly Father!

We may scan through a newsfeed or a blog piece, for that matter, but digesting the contents should be a calm affair. This being so when we allow the Holy Spirit to be our shining guide. Some of the bad stuff looks like ’round the corner, but it might not even scratch us because the Lord holds everything in His hands.

“Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?” (Job 38:22-23).

Only the Most High knows the specifics, and be rest assured that He has our best interests in His mighty hand. How a lot of us, myself included, wish we could be out of the world tomorrow! But only our Heavenly Father decides on the exact moment. So long we are here, we have to turn our focus on Him and His infinite resources. We will be well taken care of right to the final split second!

Everybody stay strong in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com

 

(There is a special message at the end of this article for those who do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.)

“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 12:4).

Probably one of the most maligned books of the Bible, it has been attacked over the centuries by atheists (so-called but…maybe not), unbelievers, etc., for the simple reason that its accuracy has been nothing short of astounding.

For the unbelieving, no matter which descriptor applies, the book of Daniel is so accurate, and its truths are so visible that they know in their inmost being that if they acknowledge its credibility, at the same time, they are also placing themselves under subjection to its ultimate author: The Sovereign God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; El Shaddai, God Almighty.

They are already under subjection to Him just as they are under the consequences of gravity. The acknowledgment of that to themselves, though, would confirm the reality of that subjection; thus, they resist doing so.

For the Christ-loving, following, and honoring, it is simply additional proof of the Sovereign God who is, in fact, who He says He is.

Is it really that simple?

I believe that – just like most of the rest of God’s Word – It really is that simple.

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

The below is taken from a commentary written by Joseph Benson many years ago.

“And knowledge shall be increased — By these means great light shall be thrown on every part of divine revelation, and especially on the parts that are prophetic: the more the predictions are accomplished, the better will they be understood; and future ages will receive more instruction and edification from them than we do. The words have an especial reference to gospel days; and the expression of running to and fro, doubtless points to the journeys, voyages, and labours of gospel ministers, whether apostles, evangelists, pastors, or teachers, who should traverse sea and land, and travel from place to place, from country to country, to spread the knowledge of divine truth, and testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Taken from Benson Commentary (Publishers: G. Lane and C. B. Tippett; Carlton & Phillips,1846–1854)

When we stop to consider the concept of “running to and fro” in our time, we have to consider that people today are mostly running between their coffee pot and their computer (and in my case, the bathroom!), and in that light, knowledge and information are literally seconds away both from being read (or watched) and understood, and being written (or videos made) and disbursed worldwide in seconds via the internet.

I’ve no doubt that when the Holy Spirit of God inspired the writing of this book, it was with full understanding that the year 2022 would arrive, and this technology would enable many millions of people to access the amazing revelations of Daniel as well as the entire balance of God’s Word… if they are of a mind to.

This modern-day reality, coupled with the abundance of literally fulfilled prophecies that have occurred in the intervening centuries, lends all the credibility necessary to understand that the balance of prophecies in the book of Daniel (as well as each and every other prophecy throughout the entire Word of God) will likewise be fulfilled.

That is a very sobering Truth for both believers and unbelievers.

• For the believer (who is paying attention to the “signs of the times), the urgency to witness is becoming more apparent. The clock is running down on the Age of Grace, and figuratively, we can now see the hands moving. The convergence of so many signs and actual events on an almost daily basis is very evident.
• For the believer (who is NOT paying attention to the “signs of the times); Wake up! Pay attention! Jesus admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees for this very thing. We have the advantage of the entire Word of God and history proclaiming the lateness of the hour! Overcome your fear and be a servant of God. Strive to hear the Lord Jesus say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Remember the servant of Matthew 25:18 and don’t bury your talent. Dig it up if you have buried it and get to work. My brothers and sisters, in all love and compassion, I urge you to reread Matthew 25:14-30 and take it to hear
• For the unbeliever (who is paying attention to “the signs of the times”) and is finding news sources where truthful news can still be accessed: I pray you will be one who will heed the call of God and respond to them in the only meaningful and life-giving way. (Please see the special message at the end of this article.)

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

It must be said here, however: The Lord will bring His entire Word to fulfillment, and there is a termination to this Age of Grace. The many signs that God, in His Grace, has provided are all quite literally converging.

• For the unbeliever (who is not paying attention or just refuses to listen), there are numerous verses that apply to the inevitable judgments that God must execute on a world that has become permeated with sin, rebellion, and vulgarity at every turn. Outright hatred of the God who has provided them with breath and life and, even more important: TIME to turn back from these things has an inevitable result if they continue to reject and ignore His Mercy.

“The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth. In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship, In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, Before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth” (Isaiah 2:17-21).

Now for the crux of this article.

While the emergence of the increase in knowledge and the clarity of future prophecy spoken of by Daniel 12:4 is the primary point of this article, I emphasize that the amazing accuracy of the prophecies that have previously been fulfilled that are contained within this book have been confirmed by the historical record. Neither have all the prophecies that were revealed to Daniel been completed. But they will be.

By no means is this accuracy and clarity limited to that book and chapter alone.

The Bible, the Word of God, has had its veracity and power confirmed by fulfilled future prophecy time and time again. Only the God of the Bible can and has done this, and it is His signature on all creation.

“Speak up and present your case–yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me” (Isaiah 45:21).

“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure'” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

At that time, and because of the vision he had been shown, Daniel was troubled and asked the Lord for answers. It was not yet time for that, and so he was told.

“Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the end of these things?’ And he said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand'” (Daniel 12:8-9).

There are numerous prophecies relative to the Lord Jesus alone, most of which have been literally fulfilled up to this present time. The odds of 8 being literally fulfilled in one person is 1 in 10/17th power (that is one in 10 with 17 zeros added to the end) – a number beyond reckoning to my finite mind. Jesus has fulfilled many more than 8.

There are many more left to be fulfilled, however, and these will be fulfilled in a very short span of time as God executes His final, promised judgments on a world in full rebellion against Him.

He has cautioned and warned and pleaded for almost 2,000 years, even to the point of sacrificing Himself on a Roman cross to pay the debt for us, and yet, the rebellion and depravity just continue to increase.

What more can He do than what He has already done?

For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no hope or peace in your life:

You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. It requires that you come before God on His terms.

And, what are His terms according to His Word?

• Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
• Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
• That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
• To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
• Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross.
• To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.

God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.

• No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
• No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
• Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.

If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.

John 5:24: “Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life.”

There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics, or politicians. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.

The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God with all your heart, He will hear you.

“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Pro Salvator Vigilans

To contact me: canoeman96@gmail.com