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| Beautiful Modern Israel |
Ignoring
Israel
We’ve all heard a lot of talk recently about the predictions for the Rapture and such, which was supposed to have happened last May according to a preacher in California who had done some mathematical calculations on dates and times while working from a template fixed from the time of Noah and the Ark. As we all know, the Rapture didn’t quite happen, in fact nothing happened and the person responsible for all the billboards and thousands of dollars spent attempting to warn people of the coming doom, now says that the world is coming to an end anyway this October. Which, if you know your stuff, can’t happen until a handful of other events happen that still have to take place.
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| Ancient Israel as far as photography goes |
Personally, I understand where the preacher comes from, and why he says what he says about the coming Armageddon, but I can’t agree with him. It’s not just a matter of those many other things that have to happen first, but it is also a matter of avoiding the “control” button that this sort of thinking desires to have in many of these kinds of situations. We simply DON’T have that kind of control. We can’t know. We can’t be the ones to say to the world, “I told ya so!” And I feel a lot of this sort of thinking is the basis for this line of thought.
That isn’t to say he doesn’t have a small point to make here. Indeed he does! For there are certain signs that ARE here and now that DO lead someone who believes God to see that times and events may already be in action for the Second Coming of Christ, but the remedy is not mathematical formulas.
The remedy is simply to be ready. Do you believe God? Or do you believe someone else as to the truth of our reality? You may have never stepped foot in a garden of Eden, you may have never eaten from a forbidden fruit tree, but God says you are born with an original sin against him and that this is the root of all of mankind’s problems. Do you believe God? Or do you believe someone else? Keeping in mind that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, and only the righteous inherit the Kingdom of God. That is to say, only those who believe God can share in the future universe that will exist without end. That’s what God says, and that should be our main focus. The rest will come by itself.
Speaking of the Garden of Eden and such, and also of the Devil, or Lucifer. No one ever seems to point out that the existence of a devil and his involvement are direct implications of this forever eternity that I speak of here. If there had been another place for Lucifer to go, you would think that he would have, but instead, as the story goes, he wanted to take over God’s universe. This implies that there is NO place else to go, and also is a telling measure of the insanity inherent in the sin of pride, for which a brilliant and powerful angel gave up his position in a failed coo. Thank God, he did not succeed, for every inch of the reality we live in is entwined with the power of God, our creator, and if a non-omniscient, selfish, being tried to take it over and rule, things would become unglued rather quickly. But that’s how crazy Lucifer’s actions are.
So, having said that, let me just mention something about predictions for the future and the coming end of the world, and then finally Israel, and it’s place in all this, which is actually the body of this blog post. Recently, I went looking into the non-biblical studies of the predictions of Michael Nostradamus. For those of you who don’t know, Michael de Nostredame (14 or 21 December 1503[1] – 2 July 1566), usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties (The Prophecies), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events.
Having read up on a little bit about this, there are a few points to be made here about this sort of prediction. Nostradamus is given credit by some as having predicted Napoleon, and also Hitler; which he calls the first two Anti-Christs. There is a lot to be desired in his writings according to whom you ascribe to in your studies of his work, but there are also some rather startling revelations there that are date and event relevant. However, that is the problem with a lot of this work, some of it is right on and some of it is way off the mark. It’s often weird stuff. But he does predict a comet to hit the Earth in 2069, and then the third world war to begin in 2070. This war is begun by the Muslim world, and the Middle East, according to Nostradamus, is defined by the Muslim world with little mention at all of Israel.
He mentions Israel as a bohemian country. There is even scripture from Corinthians that can be used to support this notion that Israel is the “bohemian”. Anti-Semitic? Indeed it is. And it is Nostradamus’ big mistake. Or is it? Is it a mistake? Consider for a moment the brilliant Lucifer who has access to spiritual goings on that no man sees. He can actually be right about some things but prevented from revealing others. He would indeed ignore Israel, and even hate Israel, as he does all mankind, to be honest. In a reality where God rules everything and that which happens is “allowed” to happen, even those things which are death and destruction have a place in the communique between God and his creation.
God loves his creation and affords it grace and forgiveness that go way beyond what that creation deserves, mostly due to its disobedience and inherent unbelief. This forgiveness was never proffered to Lucifer. And remember what I have said about believing God, and not someone else. Therefore, if anything can be gleaned from Nostradamus’ predictions, it can conceivably be said that certain information may have indeed been allowed to be leaked concerning not only Napoleon and Hitler and World War II, but also our immediate future.
But, I provide this as only a possibility. The key to future events resides in Israel. Israel is God’s time clock, and to ignore her is to ignore the signs of the times. Whatever Nostradamus’ predictions might be worth information wise, they do not include Israel or even God for that matter, for at the end of the book he claims that “The Great Comedian” has won. Mankind is destroyed. And whom do you know who would give us that kind of ending?
So why bring this up? Many today who refute the preacher’s predictions of the Rapture would like you to believe that the many disasters that we as a planet have been experiencing are nothing all that new. The earthquakes and the tsunamis are only more prevalent because we have better communications. We have a world wide net to get world wide news from and nothing goes unnoticed anymore. But just like Nostradamus, they ignore Israel. They do so at their own peril, for God himself has said, Israel is his “first son”.
The return of Christ for the church and His appearance to set up the kingdom in Jerusalem could not have occurred before the date of 1948. Israel’s restoration as a nation and its link to the return of the messiah is a link that must not be ignored in a reality that belongs to God. It’s His house people! Things are going to go the way he wants them. Old testament prophets foresaw a future Messianic kingdom with its head in Jerusalem. The King is God himself, and all nations would be subject to his authority. This is not the usual view proposed to the masses, and it may seem unusually focused on the Jewish state, but that’s because it IS focused on the Jewish state. God has long chosen the Israeli people as his nation to spread the knowledge of himself to the world. Jesus himself echoed the laments of God the Father from the Old Testament as to his great disappointment with Israel’s infidelity toward himself. Watching Israel is the key to everything.
In order for the Messiah to return and establish His throne on the Earth, there are five major events that must happen that precede the Second Coming of Christ.
1) Israel must be re-established as a nation on the Earth. (DONE)
2) Jerusalem must become the capitol of the nation. (DONE)
3) The people of God must return from the four corners of the Earth, from the North, South, East and West, and go back to their ancient homeland in Israel. (In the process)
4) The arid, desert regions of Israel must be restored to a fertile and productive land. (In the process, and if you haven’t seen how this is happening, you will be amazed.)
5) The nation of Israel will become a superpower with a great army, surpassing that of many Gentile nations. (Not yet)
Only when these five events begin to occur, and they must be within the same generation, can we say with Biblical certainty that we have the generation that will see the end of all things, and the Rapture and the last world war. Israel is the measure by which we can see the future coming.
In this post, I will be discussing these points and why it is a mistake to ignore Israel when considering the future.
Sorry, Nostradamus.
More on this next time.
Speaking of the Garden of Eden and such, and also of the Devil, or Lucifer. No one ever seems to point out that the existence of a devil and his involvement are direct implications of this forever eternity that I speak of here. If there had been another place for Lucifer to go, you would think that he would have, but instead, as the story goes, he wanted to take over God’s universe. This implies that there is NO place else to go, and also is a telling measure of the insanity inherent in the sin of pride, for which a brilliant and powerful angel gave up his position in a failed coo. Thank God, he did not succeed, for every inch of the reality we live in is entwined with the power of God, our creator, and if a non-omniscient, selfish, being tried to take it over and rule, things would become unglued rather quickly. But that’s how crazy Lucifer’s actions are.
 |
| Nostradamus |
So, having said that, let me just mention something about predictions for the future and the coming end of the world, and then finally Israel, and it’s place in all this, which is actually the body of this blog post. Recently, I went looking into the non-biblical studies of the predictions of Michael Nostradamus. For those of you who don’t know, Michael de Nostredame (14 or 21 December 1503[1] – 2 July 1566), usually Latinised to Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties (The Prophecies), the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events.
Having read up on a little bit about this, there are a few points to be made here about this sort of prediction. Nostradamus is given credit by some as having predicted Napoleon, and also Hitler; which he calls the first two Anti-Christs. There is a lot to be desired in his writings according to whom you ascribe to in your studies of his work, but there are also some rather startling revelations there that are date and event relevant. However, that is the problem with a lot of this work, some of it is right on and some of it is way off the mark. It’s often weird stuff. But he does predict a comet to hit the Earth in 2069, and then the third world war to begin in 2070. This war is begun by the Muslim world, and the Middle East, according to Nostradamus, is defined by the Muslim world with little mention at all of Israel.
He mentions Israel as a bohemian country. There is even scripture from Corinthians that can be used to support this notion that Israel is the “bohemian”. Anti-Semitic? Indeed it is. And it is Nostradamus’ big mistake. Or is it? Is it a mistake? Consider for a moment the brilliant Lucifer who has access to spiritual goings on that no man sees. He can actually be right about some things but prevented from revealing others. He would indeed ignore Israel, and even hate Israel, as he does all mankind, to be honest. In a reality where God rules everything and that which happens is “allowed” to happen, even those things which are death and destruction have a place in the communique between God and his creation.
God loves his creation and affords it grace and forgiveness that go way beyond what that creation deserves, mostly due to its disobedience and inherent unbelief. This forgiveness was never proffered to Lucifer. And remember what I have said about believing God, and not someone else. Therefore, if anything can be gleaned from Nostradamus’ predictions, it can conceivably be said that certain information may have indeed been allowed to be leaked concerning not only Napoleon and Hitler and World War II, but also our immediate future.
But, I provide this as only a possibility. The key to future events resides in Israel. Israel is God’s time clock, and to ignore her is to ignore the signs of the times. Whatever Nostradamus’ predictions might be worth information wise, they do not include Israel or even God for that matter, for at the end of the book he claims that “The Great Comedian” has won. Mankind is destroyed. And whom do you know who would give us that kind of ending?
So why bring this up? Many today who refute the preacher’s predictions of the Rapture would like you to believe that the many disasters that we as a planet have been experiencing are nothing all that new. The earthquakes and the tsunamis are only more prevalent because we have better communications. We have a world wide net to get world wide news from and nothing goes unnoticed anymore. But just like Nostradamus, they ignore Israel. They do so at their own peril, for God himself has said, Israel is his “first son”.
The return of Christ for the church and His appearance to set up the kingdom in Jerusalem could not have occurred before the date of 1948. Israel’s restoration as a nation and its link to the return of the messiah is a link that must not be ignored in a reality that belongs to God. It’s His house people! Things are going to go the way he wants them. Old testament prophets foresaw a future Messianic kingdom with its head in Jerusalem. The King is God himself, and all nations would be subject to his authority. This is not the usual view proposed to the masses, and it may seem unusually focused on the Jewish state, but that’s because it IS focused on the Jewish state. God has long chosen the Israeli people as his nation to spread the knowledge of himself to the world. Jesus himself echoed the laments of God the Father from the Old Testament as to his great disappointment with Israel’s infidelity toward himself. Watching Israel is the key to everything.
In order for the Messiah to return and establish His throne on the Earth, there are five major events that must happen that precede the Second Coming of Christ.
1) Israel must be re-established as a nation on the Earth. (DONE)
2) Jerusalem must become the capitol of the nation. (DONE)
3) The people of God must return from the four corners of the Earth, from the North, South, East and West, and go back to their ancient homeland in Israel. (In the process)
4) The arid, desert regions of Israel must be restored to a fertile and productive land. (In the process, and if you haven’t seen how this is happening, you will be amazed.)
5) The nation of Israel will become a superpower with a great army, surpassing that of many Gentile nations. (Not yet)
Only when these five events begin to occur, and they must be within the same generation, can we say with Biblical certainty that we have the generation that will see the end of all things, and the Rapture and the last world war. Israel is the measure by which we can see the future coming.
In this post, I will be discussing these points and why it is a mistake to ignore Israel when considering the future.
Sorry, Nostradamus.
More on this next time.
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