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WILL ISRAEL MAKE A PEACE AGREEMENT WITH THE ANTICHRIST?

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By Ken Blue

Once the ten (toes/horns) nations arise from the chaos in the Middle East, and the Antichrist emerges from Syria to takes control of the seven remaining nations, Israel will make a seven year peace agreement with him, and his allies. They do this for peace, and greed. This, no doubt, is the time spoken of by Daniel. “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. The “many” are the seven remaining nations under his control, and the nation of Israel. The week is seven years, not seven days. Another way the week is described is as a “time,” “times,” and “half a time.” “And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” Daniel 12:7.

No doubt this first 31/2 years are symbolized by the “white horse.” This will give the semblance of peace, even though there will continue to uprisings and rumors of wars. This does not imply that the “red horse” is not active; it simply means that the white one is in the lead at that time. Dakes notes are helpful about the first half of the Tribulation.

• “A king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” This reveals the character of the Antichrist, showing the type of person the little horn will be when he comes out of Greece, Turkey, Syria, or Egypt in the latter time of their existence (Dan. 8:23; 7:20-25; 9:27; 11:36-45; 2Th. 2:3-12; Rev. 13:1-18; 14:9-11; 15:2-4; 16:13-16; 19:20; 20:4-6).”

But, after 31/2 years, Antichrist will turn on Israel and seek to destroy them. He believes this is necessary in order to have peace in that part of the world, and for his kingdom to be established. Israel will discover that they have made a covenant with hell. Only 1/3 of the nation will survive. “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” Zechariah 13:8-9. That one third will be protected and fed by Edom, Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. Daniel 11:41. Pray for Israel.

THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS

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By Ken Blue

The first issue we must clear up is that nothing in the chapter has anything to do with the Church, the Body of Christ, of which all believers are members today. All is about Israel.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:3-31

The questions are three: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? You will notice that he Lord does not answer the first question first, but rather gives them a list of signs that they should look for. In addition, the events in this chapter are the same events found in Revelation 6-19.

A list of signs for Bible believing Jews to note, are given. 1. False Messiahs and false Jewish prophets. 2. Wars. These are wars that would concern Israel. The Spanish American, the Civil War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Falkland War are not to be considered here. Only the wars that might trouble them are considered here. 3. The famine, pestilences, and earthquakes are found in the book of Revelation, and thus, within the Tribulation period. 4. Not only will the Jews be hated by all nations, they will also betray one another. The orthodox Jews will be hated and killed by the secular Jews. In addition, the religious Jews who do not believe their own Scriptures will persecute the righteous Jews. Note the indictment Stephen brings against his on nation. “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.” Acts 7:51-53. 5. The gospel of the KINGDOM will be preached to the whole world by saved Jews in the Tribulation. 6. Now the Lord answers the “when” question. When they see the Antichrist desecration of the temple at Jerusalem, it will be a sign for them to GET OUT OF JUDAEA! Paul speaks to this in his letter to the Thessalonians. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. 7.

This period will be the worst suffering for Israel since the world began. In addition, were it not for an elect remnant of Jews, all would be killed. 8. The battle of Armageddon will take place, and the birds will gather to eat the dead bodies. 9. Jesus returns to Israel and gathers the Jews from the surviving nations to come and enter the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. This is the kingdom found in the “Lord’s Prayer.” These events lead up to the end of the present “age.” It will not be the end of the world.

I WILL NOT…

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By Ken Blue

I’ll not boast of goodness, for I have none.

I’ll not speak of works, for they are but dung.

I’ll not vaunt tomorrow, how will it come?

I’ll boast of Jesus and what He has done.

 

I’ll not accept applause, for it is vain.

I’ll not excuse sin, there’s no one to blame.

I’ll not live for wealth, or for earthly gain.

I’ll live for Jesus and His holy name.

 

I’ll not kiss my hand, in its sinful state.

I’ll not stand up, but at His feet prostrate.

I’ll not admire self; what I do I hate.

I’ll trust Jesus and for His coming wait.

 

I’ll not feign perfection, for woe is me.

I’ll not rejoice, `till this body is free.

I’ll not be satisfied, `till Thy likeness I be.

I’ll confess this, my righteousness is Thee.

 

LET’S STUDY REVELATION # 30

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CHAPTER NINE

The Mutants from Hell

Revelation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.” (Revelation 9:1).

At this point a new sphere is introduced. The three spheres in Revelation are heaven, earth and the pit. From this point on, the bottomless pit holds much of our attention.

 

Under the trumpets the underworld begins its invasion. These events are at the mid-point of the Great Tribulation and parallel chapter 12, where the devil is cast out of heaven.

We are not given the identity of this “star.” Obviously he is a living creature. Many assume it is Satan or one of his servant angels. Some writers take the RSV interpretation suggesting that John is saying he saw a star, which had fallen from heaven. They then cross reference to Luke 10:18, which says, “And he (Jesus) said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Although Satan did fall prior to Genesis 1:2, and will also be cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:9), there is no proof that is what John is talking about.

This star could be any angel carrying out the bidding of God. Men and angles are often called stars. The twelve sons of Jacob were represented as stars (Genesis 37:9). Jude speaks of the ungodly as wandering stars (Jude 1:13). A star was seen in the east at the birth of Christ and was no doubt an angel (Matthew 2:2-10). Stars are often spoken of symbolically (Numbers 24:17; Revelation 1:16, 20; Revelation 12:1).

This angel has the key to the bottomless pit and loosens its demonic inhabitants upon the earth. The fact that he has the key indicates that he is not Satan or one of his evil agents. This angel is the Lord’s servant. When he opens the pit the emergents ascend, and are described as incomprehensible creatures. They come from the pit that is, no doubt, located in the heart of the earth. If so, this would explain why it is called the “bottomless pit,” since the earth is constantly in motion.

Pits are often spoken of in Scripture, and they served many purposes. They were used to capture wild animals or to hold captives secure for judgment. Jeremiah was confined in such a prison-pit in the courtyard. “Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire” (Jeremiah 38:6). See Jeremiah 38:13 which says, “So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.”

These abandoned pits were a danger to travelers, and many times the careless would fall into them and remain there until help came, or until they died. David compared certain events in his own life as one hopelessly trapped in such a pit. “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” (Psalms 40:1-3).

Demons acknowledged Christ’s power when He was on the earth and feared He would assign and confine them to the pit. “And, behold, they cried out, saying, what have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29)

Luke 8:28-31 describes our Lord’s power over these creatures from the underworld and their plea not to be sent to the “deep” or the prison house of the underworld. The inhabitants of the bottomless pit are held captive until the angel with the key comes to release them.

“And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.  And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” (Revelation 9:2-6).

A LIVING DOG AND A DEAD LION

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By Ken Blue

“For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. 7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Ecclesiastes 9:4-10 .

All men die, whether they are kings or canines. If you really want to be depressed, read the book of Ecclesiastes without an understanding of its purpose. There is much wisdom found in the above verses, and we would do well to understand then, since we too will die.

The purpose of the book is to show what this life on earth consist of apart from knowledge of God. It never rises higher than the clouds. It’s about life, “Under the sun.”

Although a living dog is better than a dead lion, the dog too will die. Kings die also, and are soon forgotten. All possessions perish with them. The dog, on the other hand, still has some life ahead of him. How then should he live his remaining day under the sun? How is he better?

The writer is not advocating a reckless life. He is saying enjoy the life you have. Christians must remember that there are boundaries.

The reward for your work is the bread and drink you can purchase with the money earned. That is God’s plan. Also, one should not live as though every day is a journey to the graveyard. The idea of dressing in white and anointing one’s head, gives the idea of enjoyment contentment, and cheerfulness. Don’t spend your life moping about circumstances. Also, husbands and wives are to enjoy one another all their remaining days. If you will notice verse 9b, you discover that the things discussed are the portion of this life. This is your reward under the sun.

Many are despondent because they thought there was more to this life than what they have experienced. There is, if you can get your affections above the sun. Notice what the best Christian who ever lived said about this life. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 1 Corinthians 15:19.

You see, a living dog is better than a dead lion. You have a life before you. You can enjoy it and live for God. The dead, on the other hand, have no more opportunities. They no longer serve the Lord, nor can they be saved if they die without Christ. Indeed, the living dog is better than a dead lion.