Can you feel it? There’s excitement in the air! Jesus will be calling us Home soon, and if you’re like me, you can hardly wait. I listen to the awful news reports, but instead of allowing them to scare me or cause me to worry, I look at things through the lens of prophecy. Prophecy doesn’t make things better, but it does make it all clearer.

The hatred toward Israel is Satanic. Israel seems to be blamed for everything, and Iran and the Muslim world won’t be happy unless they totally destroy God’s chosen people. That won’t happen. Israel is back in their land, and that’s where they’re going to stay. The Bible tells me so!

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11-12).

The nation of Israel has been gathered for the second time, and, praise God, they aren’t going away! Bible prophecy will be fulfilled. For those with eyes to see and ears to hear, we know it’s being fulfilled today.

Daniel was an amazing man of God. He was born in Jerusalem but was taken as a captive to Babylon. God’s truth was a part of his nature, and nothing the pagan Babylonians could do would change Daniel’s heart for God. His refusal to embrace the pagan ways got him in trouble, but God always protected Daniel. Because Daniel honored and loved God, he was given an amazing prophecy known as Daniel’s 70 weeks. If you study it, you’ll understand that God isn’t finished with Israel. You’ll also understand that the Church age (a time period between the 69^th and 70^th week) is coming to an end. What will happen to Christians and to Israel is something everyone needs to understand.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Daniel 9:24).

Remember, Daniel was Jewish, so “thy people” refers to the Jewish people, and “thy holy city” is Jerusalem. Don’t be deceived. No matter how loud Satan yells through the mouths and hearts of the Muslim world, Jerusalem belongs to God, and He gave it to Israel. The term “week” is a common term for seven years, in the same way a decade is understood as ten years, or a score is known as 20 years. So, 70 weeks is 490 years. This prophecy is given a timeframe and is specifically directed to the Jewish nation.

When Daniel was taken captive, a war was raging; it was a war that fulfilled prophecy. God had said that the Jewish nation would be taken captive to Babylon because of their failure to follow God’s directions to allow their land to rest. Prophecy was fulfilled, and the temple in Jerusalem was totally destroyed. Daniel knew this, but during the captivity he had never stopped praying towards Jerusalem. He knew that one day God would restore it. The 70-week prophecy confirmed this to Daniel.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again and the wall, even in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25).

That’s very specific. History tells us that this prophecy was fulfilled exactly. Various decrees were given to allow the rebuilding of the Temple, but these attempts failed. On March 14, 445 BC, Artaxerxes issued a decree allowing the rebuilding of Jerusalem. You can read about the various decrees in Ezra and Nehemiah, but the one named in Daniel’s prophecy is found in Nehemiah chapter 2, and is the one that allows the city to be built.

According to calculations by Sir Robert Anderson in his book The Coming Prince, it can be proven that Jesus fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 and rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey on April 6, 32 AD. I’m not a great mathematician, but the calculations can be found in The Coming Prince, or by doing a little research yourself. Daniel had prophesied it, Zechariah described it, and Jesus was right on time and fulfilled it. Still the Pharisees missed it. Jesus lamented their blindness

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate, and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:34-35).

That blindness has lasted to this day, but one day the blindness will be lifted. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).

God is not finished with Israel, and the Church hasn’t replaced Israel. Prophecy is being fulfilled, and one day soon, the nation of Israel will call out to their Messiah…Jesus Christ the Lord. The lifting of the blindness will happen after Christians have been Raptured and the horrors of Daniel’s 70^th week have happened.

Daniel’s prophecy goes on to talk about the crucifixion. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:26).

Daniel must have been very happy to learn that Jerusalem and the Temple would be rebuilt, but then he was told it would be destroyed again. And so, it happened in 70 AD. Israel has faced many wars, but God has never completely turned from them, and He never will. This prophecy goes far beyond the destruction that happened in 70 AD. It goes a few years beyond today. After the Messiah was “cut off” (crucified), the way was opened for salvation by grace, not by the works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus.

The temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and the Jewish people were scattered throughout the world. There is a “pause” in the 70-week prophecy. This pause has lasted nearly 2,000 years, but prophecy didn’t stop. The persecution of the Jewish people is Satanic, but in 1948, they were regathered in their land and won’t be uprooted. We are still in the “pause” between the 69^th and 70^th week, but the 70^th will start soon after Christians are Raptured; God will turn His attention back to Israel.

The 70^th week is described in Revelation, beginning in chapter 6; Jesus spoke of it in the Olivet (Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13:3-13, and Luke 21:7-19), as well as in Daniel.

Concerning the Anti-Christ, he writes, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

This tells us that the Temple will be rebuilt. There is much talk in Israel today about rebuilding the Temple. They have all the items needed to be used for the rituals in the Temple, as well as priests being trained, and their garments are fitted to them. It’s also very possible that they have ashes from the red heifer. I’m very astonished that suddenly there are many red heifers being born. Some qualify, and some don’t. The ashes of a red heifer are needed to purify the Temple. We live in amazing times.

Sometimes it seems as if God is slow to fulfill prophecy. That’s when people begin to twist His words and come up with “replacement theology” and the idea that the Rapture isn’t in Scripture. God has a plan, and that plan must be fulfilled. We saw in Romans 11:25 that there’s a specific number of Gentiles that must come to salvation before the blindness will lift from Israel. God is willing to be slow to fulfill prophecy, while waiting for souls to be saved.

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

If you want to hurry things along so the Rapture will take us Home, you need to share the Gospel. Your friend or a family member just might be the one we are all waiting for! God has made the only way for salvation, and that’s through the blood of Jesus Christ. Why did He do this? Because He loves us. Jesus loves me; this I know. He loves you too.

“Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23).

The Rapture will take all Christians Home, not because of our own righteousness, but because Jesus is righteous. After that, Daniel’s 70^th week will start. We have many Biblical prophecies to tell us that that week will soon happen. God’s wrath will be poured out, but Christians will be safe with Jesus and away from God’s wrath.

The Anti-Christ will be revealed after the Rapture, but all of the tools he needs to implement the Mark of the Beast and track people are being used today. Don’t be deceived by all the “good” AI can do. Implanted chips may sound wonderful, but beware. Trust in Jesus, not in the world.

The war that’s happening in the Middle East isn’t just some whim of politics; it’s fulfilling prophecy. We are admonished to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and I do.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

Ezekiel, Psalms, Isaiah, and more tell us that major war will engulf the entire world. Plagues, famine, signs in the sky, and more will become common. Jesus isn’t slow in His return but is right on time. Don’t reject Him.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

 

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes of the Gentiles also” (Romans 3:28-29).

Many people have a hard time accepting something without working for it. In many cases, that’s true. For instance, if you want to eat and buy food, you need to have a job and work in order to earn money. In matters of faith, though, you cannot work in order to earn salvation. Jesus paid the full price for our redemption, and there’s no amount of works we can do in order to make us holy or bring salvation.

Our faith should encourage us to do good things for others, but any good works we do need to be done for God’s glory and not our own. Our faith should show in our actions, but that’s not where our salvation lies. Good works might consist of helping someone who has a flat tire, or if you see someone fall, help them to their feet. Whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus.

“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).

We must remember that humans have a sin nature that makes all of us very unclean. Our righteousness only comes from Jesus. Whatever good things we do, they must be done in Jesus’ name. If you don’t get a pat on the back for some marvelous work you’ve done, remember that it should have been done to bring glory to Christ.

When Paul wrote a letter to the Galatians, he was writing to Christians who knew their salvation was by faith, but they had listened to false teachers who were trying to go back under the Law. We see the same thing in our modern times. How many people do you know who will only worship on Saturday, or women who feel they must wear a head covering, or only wear dresses? I’ve noticed that the denominations which require such things pick and choose which part of the Law they feel they must follow.

When God gave the Law to Moses, keeping the Sabbath was one of the Commandments. God also said, “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:16-17).

If you want to worship on Saturday, you are free to do so, but don’t do it because you think you’re obeying the law. Jesus did things on the Sabbath that were opposed to the strict following of the Law in order to make a point. We are saved by grace through faith, not by works. Remember, Christianity is not a religion; it is faith in the saving grace of Jesus.

Jesus was born into a Jewish family and culture. That wasn’t an accident. The nation of Israel was taken out of the Gentiles and given the Law to teach them God’s expectations. God chose them to bring the Messiah into the world. He came first to the nation of Israel, and when they rejected Him, salvation by faith was opened to the Gentiles. I’m very thankful for that fact, but I feel deep concern for the nation of Israel.

The Gentile nations were pagans who worshipped idols and sacrificed children to their demon gods. We still hear of the Roman and Greek gods, such as Venus, Hercules, Athena, Mars, Neptune, and others. The Egyptian gods were as wicked as the Greek and Roman gods. The children of Israel had been captive in Egypt for many years, and when they were finally freed from slavery, God had to teach them His ways and move them away from the pagan Egyptian lifestyle they were used to. God took them out of Egypt; now Egypt had to come out of them. The Law was given to them as a schoolmaster to teach them how to please God.

“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:23-25).

The moral laws haven’t changed, but Jesus was the final sacrifice to take sin away; His pure blood was the final sacrifice. It’s still sin to kill, or to blaspheme God, or to commit sexual sin. Learn from the Law, and know how to live a moral life.

One day a group of people asked Jesus what works they could do for God. The Jewish Law required works in order to be righteous before God, and they wanted to know about works.

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:28-29).

Christianity isn’t about works or religion, but about faith. They understood religion, but not faith. Religion carries a set of rules – do this, don’t do that, cross yourself, wear a head covering, etc. Faith is belief in Jesus. The problem is that work is never finished, and man’s solution is temporary.

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

You can either believe in what Jesus did for you on the cross, or you can believe in your own works for salvation. Works cannot bring salvation, so I choose Jesus.

Does our freedom in Christ mean that we can sin all we want and still please God? That’s not what it means at all; we don’t have a license to sin.

“For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:13-14).

We have freedom, but we must use our freedom wisely. Sin only glorifies Satan, and doesn’t glorify God at all. Look around and you’ll see the evil caused by sin. When you watch movies that are filled with sin and violence, does that put God’s love in your heart? When you listen to heavy metal music singing about the highway to Hell, is God glorified? When you listen to or watch sin-filled entertainment, you aren’t drawn closer to God, but pulled away down the path of darkness.

“If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7).

Fellowship with Jesus is much more satisfying than fellowship with Satan, and Jesus loves you. Pray that the Holy Spirit will be your guide and listen to His voice. Study Scripture so that you can know God better and know what pleases Him.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16-18).

We need to make a choice to follow the Light instead of stumbling in darkness. Take a harsh look at your way of life, repent of the things which aren’t Godly, and pray the Holy Spirit will help you to put the way of the world behind you. What are some of the things the world wants you to do?

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). 

These things are promoted in most movies and songs today. Put it all behind you, and move forward in the Spirit. A life filled with the joy of the Lord is very satisfying.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). 

At first, it will take effort on your part to turn away from the lust that the world offers, but if you claim to be a Christian, then be led by the Spirit in all you say and do. Do this out of your love and gratitude for what Christ has done for you, not as a set of religious rules that cannot save you.

“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another” (Galatians 5:24-26).

Living by faith is a much more pleasant way to live. Pleasing God, not the world, brings a satisfaction to your life that you won’t find anywhere else. You won’t find it in the local bar, or in a religion that requires works to prove your salvation.

The Apostle Paul, and indeed all of the Apostles, understood what it meant to leave the world behind and to walk by faith. They lost friends and family, but gained the peace of God and eternal life.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Live by faith, not by works. Do the work of God, which is believing in the One He sent. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Think on things of God.

If you’re a Christian, then you’re saved by grace through the faith you have in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. No work you do can compare to what Jesus did.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).