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15 Years IS A Big-Deal. PAUL’S CONVINCING ILLUSTRATION GALATIANS 3: 6-9. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD. A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD, A BULWARK NEVER FAILING OUR HELPER HE, AMID THE FLOOD, OF MORTAL ILLS PREVAILING
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15 Years IS A Big-Deal PAUL’S CONVINCING ILLUSTRATION GALATIANS 3: 6-9
A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD, A BULWARK NEVER FAILING OUR HELPER HE, AMID THE FLOOD, OF MORTAL ILLS PREVAILING FOR STILL OUR ANCIENT FOE DOTH SEEK TO WORK US WOE, HIS CRAFT AND POWER ARE GREAT, AND, ARMED WITH CRUEL HATE, ON EARTH IS NOT HIS EQUAL
2ND VERSE DID WE IN OUR OWN STRENGTH CONFIDE, OUR STRIVING WOULD BE LOSING, WERE NOT THE RIGHT MAN ON OUR SIDE, THE MAN OF GOD’S OWN CHOOSING, DOST ASK WHO THAT MAY BE? CHRIST JESUS , IT IS HE, LORD SABAOTH, HIS NAME, FROM AGE TO AGE THE SAME, AND HE MUST WIN THE BATTLE AMEN
READ GALATIANS 3: 6-9 • LEAVES DISCUSSING THE GALATIANS EXPERIENCE IN CHRIST, AND • MAKES A MAJOR SHIFT (IN THIS BRILLANT LAWYERS CASE) ---- AND PRESENTS AN IRREFUTABLE ARGUMENT by … • RETURNING TO HIS FAVORITE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
OPENS THIS PART OF HIS ARGUEMENT • BY DIRECTING THE GALATIANS ATTENTION TO HOW THEIR “FATHER” WAS SAVED … • LETS LOOK FIRST AT THE BI-LATERAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN GOD AND ABRAM • READ GEN 12:1-3 • ABRAM OBEYED … “KEY” • GOD INITATITES A UNI-LATERAL AGREEMENT
GOD’S CLARIFIES PROMISES TO ABRAM • 12: 7 “To your descendents I will give this LAND” • 13:14 “lift up your eyes, …. For all the LAND which you can see, I will give to you and your descendents forever…….” • 14 After LOT’s rescue, and rejecting the King of Sodom’s offer to take all the rescued “goods” .. Abram is blessed by Melchizedek
GOD ENCOURAGES ABRAM • (YOU DID RIGHT IN REJECTING THESE “GOOD’S”) BECAUSE • 15: 1 “… I (GOD) AM YOUR SHIELD, YOUR EXCEEDINGLY GREAT REWARD” (WOW) • 15: 2-3 ABRAM DOES NOT MINCE WORDS… “HOW CAN THIS BE, SINCE I AM CHILDLESS” GOD: “ONE WILL COME FROM YOUR OWN BODY WHO WILL BE YOUR HEIR”
GOD: COUNT THE STARSSO SHALL YOUR DESCENDENTS BE • 15:6 “AND HE (ABRAM) BELIEVED GOD AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS” • (ABRAM SAID “AMEN” TO WHAT GOD SAID.) • 15: 8-17 GOD THEN MAKES an UNCONDITIONAL UNI-LATERAL AGREEMENT WITH ABRAHAM …. AND HIS SPECIFIED DESCENDENTS • 15: 18 “TO YOUR DESCENDENTS (ISSAC AND JACOB…) I HAVE GIVEN THIS LAND”… (details given) .. 1/10 of today
15 years LATER GOD INSTITUTED WITH ABRAHAM THE SIGN OF THIS UNI-LATERAL COVENANT • CIRCUMCISION (CUTTING) .. A SIGN OF BELONGING TO THE COVENANT • (LIKE BAPTISM FOR THE CHRISTIAN… BAPTISM DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN, IT IS A SIGN THAT YOU ARE IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST)
WHAT IS PAUL’S ARGUMENT? • HE IS SAYING… LOOK, ABRAM WAS DECLARED RIGHTEOUS BY FAITH …. 15 YEARS BEFORE CIRCUMCISION WAS EVEN INSTITUTED • SO, CIRCUMCISION CANNOT BE A CRITIAL ISSUE “TO BE DECLARED RIGHTEOUS”…. IT IS SOLELY FAITH. (remember 400 years later came the law) • PAUL IS IMPLYING 2000 YEARS AGO, TODAY AND 2000 YEARS IN THE FUTURE …. SALVATION IS SOLELY BY FAITH (THROUGH GRACE)
BESIDES THE LAND • GOD ALSO PROMISED ABRAHAM: • 1. I WILL MAKE YOU A GREAT NATION DONE • 2. I WILL MAKE YOUR NAME GREAT DONE • (JEWS, CHRISTIANS, AND MOSLEMS) • YOU SHALL BE A BLESSING DONE (NOBEL PEACE PRIZE) • I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU DONE AND I WILL CURSE THOSE WHO CURSE YOU • AND IN YOU ALL THE NATIONS OF THE DONE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED (CHRIST)
ABRAHAM TRIES TO CHANGE THE TERMS OF GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL UNI-LATERAL CONTRACT • GOES TO EGYPT AND OBTAINS A HAND MAID FOR SARAH… AND HAS AN AGREEMENT WITH SARAH… • HAGAR GIVES BIRTH… AND BEGINS THE ARAB LINE • IN TIME, GOD SAYS “NO WAY” … MY PROMISES ARE FOR YOU AND SARAH TO HAVE A SON.
REMEMBER • GOD GIVING THE “LAW” DID NOT ALTER HIS CONTRACT (400 YEARS LATER) • GOD ALLOWING ISRAEL TO HAVE A KING DID NOT ALTER HIS CONTRACT • GOD SENDING HIS SON “INCARNATE” TO BETHLEHAM DID NOT ALTER HIS CONTRACT (IN SEVERAL WAYS IT FULFILLED IT)
WHAT HAS YET TO BE FULFILLED? • THE LAND
GOD HAS AN ENEMY TRYING TO NEGATE GOD’S PROMISES • SATAN HAS TRIED TO WIPE OUT THE JEWS • FROM HAMAN, HEROD, NERO TO HITLER TO … MUSLIMS • SATAN TRIED TO WIPE-OUT CHRIST • (MANY THINK HE THREW A PARTY WHEN CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED) • SATAN HAS TRIED TO PREVENT THE JEWS FROM OCCUPING THE PROMISED LAND
SATAN WILL USE A PERSON CALLED ANTI-CHRIST TO PURSUE THESE GOALS • REMEMBER: AFTER WW 1, AND THE DEFEAT OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE… THE WEST PARTITIONED UP THE ARAB LAND… (ARAB’S WANTED IT ALL) • GIVING A LAND FOR THE ARABS (TRAN’S JORDAN) AND A LAND FOR ISRAEL TO BE ADMINISTERED BY ENGLAND AS MANDATED BY THE BALFOUR DECLARATION .. ACCEPTED BY LEAGUE OF NATIONS, JULY 24, 1922 (FYI: RUSSIA AND THE FRENCH TRIED ALSO TO TAKE OVER PALESTINE PRIOR TO THE BALFOUR DEC.) • Jews to go to Israel and Arabs to go to Jordan • AFTER 17 YEARS, FOLLOWING NUMEROUS TERRORISTS ATTACK’S IN ENGLAND/PALESTINE BY THE ARABS.. ENGLAND RENIGED ON THE BALFOUR DECLARATION (and has gone downhill ever since as a major power) … NO LONGER BRITISH POLICY TO HAVE A HOMELAND FOR THE JEWS (1939) … IMPLICATIONS…
FOLLOWING THE HOLOCOST • US ACKNOWLEDGED ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST AS A SOVEREIGN STATE (1948) .. THEN OTHER NATIONS FOLLOWED SUIT… EXCEPT FOR THE ARABS. RESULT: • WAR • WAR • WAR • WAR
SO WHAT IS SATAN’S CURRENT PLAN • DIVIDE AND CONQUER • PAST FOUR US PRESIDENTS AND SEC. OF STATE • EU • ARABS • UN • RUSSIA TWO or THREE STATE “SOLUTION” WOULD MAKE ISRAEL INDEFENSEABLE
SATANS FINAL PLAN • WORK THROUGH ANTI-CHRIST TO DESTROY JEWS AND CAPTURE JERUSALEM/ISRAEL FROM JEWS. • NEGATE GOD’S COVENANT • WHERE WILL ANTI-CHRIST COME FROM?
FIRST LETS BE CLEAR • SCRIPTURE IS ALL ABOUT THE MID-EAST • (ITS MID-EAST CENTRIC) • IN FACT, SCRIPTURE IS ALL ABOUT THE “CENTER OF THE WORLD” …. (ITS JERUSALEM CENTRIC) • PSALMS 135:21 • VARY RARELY DOES SCRIPTURE TALK ABOUT A PEOPLE GROUP OUTSIDE OF THE MID-EAST
LETS LOOK AT THE NATIONS WHO ANTI-CHRIST WILL USE REMEMBER PEOPLE GROUPS • FROM CREATION TO ABRAHAM – • FROM ABRAHAM TO ACTS 2 • FROM ACTS 2 TO REVELATION 22 • ONLY GENTILES • GENTILES PLUS JEWS • GENTILES PLUS JEWS PLUS CHRISTIANS • I COR. 10:32
GOD PUT TIME-LINE FOR THE FUTURE FOR EACH GROUP IN DIFFERENT BOOKS PEOPLE GROUP BOOK OF BIBLE • GENTILES
GOD PUT TIME-LINE FOR THE FUTURE FOR EACH GROUP IN DIFFERENT BOOKS • DANIEL • EZEKIEL/ ZECHARIAH • GENTILES • JEWS • CHRISTIANS
GOD PUT TIME-LINE FOR THE FUTURE FOR EACH GROUP IN DIFFERENT BOOKS GROUP (THRU ETERNITY) PRIMARILY: • GENTILES • JEWS • CHRISTIANS • DANIEL • EZEKIEL/ZACHARIAH • REVELATION
BY THE WAY(NO RUSSIA, NO ROME) GOD WILL JUDGE • NUMBERS 24:14-18 • ISAIAH 25:8-10 • MICAH 5: 2-6 • ISAIAH 63: 1-4 • HABAKKUK 3:3-7 • JOEL 3: 2-4 • EZEKIEL 25: • SAUDIA ARABIA, JORDAN • MOAB (SEE ABOVE) • ASSYRIAN (IRAN/IRAQ) • EDOM (JORDAN) • CUSHAN AND MIDIAN • SINAI PENINSULA • TYRE/SIDON/COASTS OF PHILISTIA -LEBONAN AND GAZA • AMMON/MOAB/EDOM/ PHILISTIA
WHERE DID THE PROPHESY OF “ROME” COME FROM DANIEL 9:26 • “and after the sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself, • AND THE PEOPLE (OF THE PRINCE WHO IS TO COME) SHALL DESTROY THE CITY AND THE SANCTUARY” • WHO IS THE “PRINCE WHO IS TO COME” (ANTI-CHRIST) • WHAT PEOPLE DESTROYED JERUSALEM?????
WHO DESTROYED JERUSALEM IN 70 AD? • WAS IT THE ROMANS (ITALIANS) UNDER GEN. TITUS? • OR ????? • I REFER YOU TO JOSEPHUS • TRAVELING ARMY RELATIVELY SMALL • HIRED CONSCRIPTS ALONG THE WAY • GEN (5*) VESPASIAN WENT BACK TO ROME DUE TO DEATH OF NERO … WITH MUCH OF HIS ROMAN ARMY AFTER DEFEATING TOWNS OF JUDAH • LEFT HIS SON, TITUS, TO DEFEAT JERUSALUM
5TH, 10TH, AND 15TH LEGIONS WERE ARABS • MOST HISTORIANS FEEL FROM JOSEPHUS RECORD, GREATEST AMOUNT OF CONQUERS WERE ASSYRIANS (ARABS) • JOSEPHUS RECORDS THAT THE ARABS SLICED UP THE JEWS TO SEE IF THEY HAD SWALLOWED ANY JEWELRY … KILLED 2000 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN… BEFORE TITUS COULD STOP THEM • RECORD STATE THAT TITUS ORDERED HIS GENERALS TO PUT OUT THE FIRE OF THE TEMPLE… BUT THE ARABS WERE NOT ABOUT TO OBEY/WERE OUT OF CONTROL
SO WHO ARE THE “PEOPLE THAT DESTROYED JERUSALEM” IN 70 AD? • PROBABLY 95% OF EVANGELICALS SAY ROMANS … thus the “Prince to come” will come from the Roman Empire. • PROBABLY 4% OF EVANGELICALS SAY ARABS • THUS THE “Prince to come” will come from the Arab Empire THAT LEAVES 1%... So what does this position indicate?
CONUNDRUM • DOES DANIEL 9:26 APPLY TO 70 AD? • DANIEL , ZECHARIAH, JESUS AND JOHN (REVELATION) TALK ABOUT JERUSALEM BEING DESTROYED • JOHN WROTE REVELATION IN APPROXIMATELY 96 A.D.…. AND HE WROTE IT WAS STILL FUTURE. • SO PERHAPS DANIEL 9:26 DOES NOT APPLY TO 70 A.D.
SO WHO IS GOING TO ATTACK ISRAEL/JERUSALEM? • WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS GO TO THE PLAY-BOOK, SCRIPTURE,……. GO TO EZEKIEL and REVELATION FOR THE ANSWER… • IT IS PLAINLY DESCRIBED IN EZEKIEL 38 AND Revelation 17: 9-11 • Lets first look quickly at EZEKIEL 38:1-6 • SEE DIAGRAM
ANTHROPOLOGY • PUT --- MANY SCHOLARS IDENTIFY AS • LIBYA, BUT ALSO ADD ALGERIA, MOROCCO, AND TUNISIA • CUSH --- SUDAN • MAGOG --- COULD INCLUDE THE “STAN’S” THAT BROKE OFF FROM RUSSIA • PERSIA --- IRAN (AND IN BIBLE TIMES INCLUDED AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN)
WHAT DO THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON? • ALL MUSLIM NATIONS
INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS • REV 20: 4 “… AND I SAW THOSE WHO HAD BEEN BEHEADED FOR THEIR WITNESS TO JESUS (DURING THE TRIBULATION)…” • SURAH 47:4 “When ye encounter the infidels, strike off their heads.” • JOHN 16:1-4 (Jesus telling disciples) “YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS…AND ANYONE WHO KILLS YOU WILL THINK HE IS OFFERING A SERVICE TO GOD.” • QUR”AN ON KILLING INFIDELS: SURAH 9.5
MORE INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS • DAN 7:25 “HE WILL CHANGE THE SET TIMES AND LAWS” • KORAN REQUIRESUSE OF THE ISLAMIC CALENDAR • HADITH INDICATES JESUS WILL RETURN (AT DAMASCUS) AND BE THE MAHDI’S (WE KNOW AS THE ANTICHRIST) ASSISTANT WITH THE PURPOSE TO KILL ALL THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
NOW LETS SEE IF REVELATION 17: 9-11 SUPPORTS THIS INTERPRETATION? • “THIS CALLS FOR A MIND WITH WISDOM: THE SEVEN HEADS ARE SEVEN MOUNTAINS ON WHICH THE WOMAN IS SEATED; THEY ARE ALSO SEVEN KINGS (EMPIRES), FIVE OF WHOM HAVE FALLEN, ONE IS, THE OTHER HAS NOT YET COME, AND WHEN HE DOES COME HE MUST REMAIN ONLY A LITTLE WHILE. AS FOR THE BEAST THAT WAS AND IS NOT, IT IS AN EIGHTH BUT IT BELONGS TO THE SEVEN, AND IT GOES TO DESTRUCTION.”
EIGHT WORLD EMPIRES BEFORE JESUS RETURNS IN GLORY • WHEN JOHN WROTE: • 5 HAD ALREADY FALLEN • EGYPTIAN EMPIRE • ASSYRIAN EMPIRE • BABYLONIAN EMPIRE • PERSIAN EMPIRE • GREEK EMPIRE --- 1 IS - -- ROMAN EMPIRE (TILL A.D. 1453) ---7TH (FROM A.D.1453 TO 1909) ---8THANTI-CHRISTS WORLD EMPIRE
EVANGELICAL PROBLEM • WHO IS THE 7TH EMPIRE?.. IF YOU MAKE THE ANTICHRIST TO COME FROM THE ROMAN EMPIRE? --- THEY ARE THE 6TH EMPIRE. • IT CANNOT BE ROME
NOTE • EACH RULED OVER THE MID-EAST AND • JERUSALEM
NOW LETS SEE IF REVELATION 17: 9-11 SUPPORTS THIS INTERPRETATION? • “THIS CALLS FOR A MIND WITH WISDOM: THE SEVEN HEADS ARE SEVEN MOUNTAINS ON WHICH THE WOMAN IS SEATED; THEY ARE ALSO SEVEN KINGS, FIVE OF WHOM HAVE FALLEN, ONE IS, THE OTHER HAS NOT YET COME, AND WHEN HE DOES COME HE MUST REMAIN ONLY A LITTLE WHILE. AS FOR THE BEAST THAT WAS AND IS NOT, IT IS AN EIGHTH BUT IT BELONGS TO THE SEVEN, AND IT GOES TO DESTRUCTION.”
SO • BOTH EXEKIEL AND REVELATION ARE IN PERFECT AGREEMENT AS TO THE PEOPLE THAT WILL ATTACK ISRAEL AND ATTEMPT TO DESTROY JERUSALEM … MUSLIMS • ANTI-CHRIST WILL BE A MUSLIM … PROBABLY FROM TURKEY OR ITS SURROUNDING NATIONS
CONCLUSION 1 • GOG (ANTI-CHRIST) WILL BE HEAD OF TURKEY AND/OR LEBANON… A MUSLIM … AS ALL THE NATIONS THAT WILL COME AGAINST ISRAEL/JERUSALEM as described in Ezekiel ARE today MUSLIM. • GOD (EZEKIEL 39:16) WILL BRING THESE NATIONS TO ISRAEL FOR JUDGEMENT… AND HE (GOD) WILL WIN • WHEN: PROBABLY AFTER THE RAPTURE BUT BEFORE THE TRIBULATION BEGINS • ALL NATIONS will come to Israel to destroy the Anti-Christ… HOWEVER Jesus returns in the heavens, they WILL ALL turn INSTEAD to fight HIM: GOD WILL JUDGE DURING THIS BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON (END OF TRIBULATION) .. SATAN LOSES .. AGAIN
CONCLUSION 2 • GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES • GOD OFTEN MAKES US WAIT (SOMETIMES 4000 YEARS) • JESUS WILL PRESENT TO ISRAEL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MILLENIUM …. THE LAND … FOREVER • YOU CAN’T IMPROVE ON GOD’S PLAN • SATAN WILL END UP IN LAKE OF FIRE… WITH ANTICHRIST AND FALSE PROPHET