charlesj

Hello iamlamad: We first see evidence of the definition of the sun, moon and stars in Genesis 37 where we run across Joseph. At this time, Joseph is a young man and is having dreams etc. He dreams a dream and tells it to his father: Genesis 37:9-10 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? Notice: Joseph dreams that the SUN, MOON AND STARS will bow down to him. (We with our “western minds” don’t see this and think God is speaking of the “elements of heaven” literally. We with our western mind “miss the message.” -his father (Gen 38: 9, a Hebrew) immediately knows what these elements represent and rebukes Joseph. -the sun, moon and stars represented the household of Jacob. -the sun represented Jacob the father, the moon his mother and the stars represented his brothers. Later, this prophecy was fulfilled when Joseph was in Egypt and in a high government position and his family did bow to him. The sun represented the head of the house, a leader of the house. The moon and stars was his mother and brothers. Isaiah 13:10 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. The Lord is speaking here in Isa 13:10 of the destruction of Babylon. He used an army (clouds) to do His will. Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. Here again, In Isaiah 19:1ff the Lord is speaking of “riding a swift cloud” to destroy Egypt. An army fulfilled this. The point is, that the Lord, in prophetic speech, speaks of “coming in the clouds, or riding a swift cloud” when really He is speaking of using a nations army to destroy another nation. In Isaiah, it is evident that the prophet is talking about the conquest of Egypt by an army that is doing the will of God. Matthew 24:29 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: Here, in Matthew you see a reference to the fall of the Jewish nation in 70 A.D. The sun, moon and stars are made up of the Sanhedrin, that is, the high priests, scribes (some Pharisees) and elders. These made up the ruler ship of Israel at this time. It has been referred to as the “last days, the last hour” in the New Testament and happened in 70 A.D. when Titus, the Roman general, came and destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. This was fulfilled when the Lord “came on clouds” (Roman army) and destroyed the temple and city. Messiah told them when they see (Matt 24:15) the abomination of desolation (destruction) spoken of by the prophet Daniel then know the time is near. The synoptic parallel to Matt 24:15 is Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. So, Jesus told them when you see the Roman army (Gentile army, an abomination) surrounding Jerusalem, then you will know the desolation (destruction) is near Matthew 26:64 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. In Matthew 26 Christ promised the high priest, Caiaphas, that he would see him coming on the clouds. (Christ has many “comings” in the N.T. and doesn’t mean a coming to earth like a “literal coming.” In the Greek it is Christ's “Parousia” …. His presence.) He saw this in the fulfillment of the Roman army, doing the will of God, through Titus in 70 A.D. “Coming in clouds, sun, moon and stars all are “judgement language” for the Hebrews. (We miss this with our western minds) Like in Noah’s time, a new age was started. Jesus brought in a new age (New Relationship) in which those that have been “born from above” (born again) have been added to the bride of Christ, the Assembly (The church, Acts 2:47). Their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and they enter into that great city as described by the Hebrew writer: (This great city is all those righteous in Heaven from Adam to today’s time and growing daily. Hebrews 12:22-23 22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, This city (Universal Church in heaven) is made up of all the righteous from the time of Adam until the present time – and is growing daily. PRAISE HIS NAME!! (When one is “born again” they are added to the universal church in heaven. After being born again, they later “join” a church here on earth.) Acts 2:20 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: These statements means “the end of the world” to a premillennialist, but this is not what the bible is teaching. It is not the end of time (world), but the time of the end of the age. (Old Covenant age, THE JEWISH rule). Mountains = Kingdoms Jeremiah 51:24-26 24 And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith Jehovah. 25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith Jehovah, which destroyest all the earth; and I will stretch out my hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith Jehovah. Here in Jeremiah 51 the defeat and destruction of Babylon is pictured by making a destroying mountain (apparently a volcano) into a “burnt-out” mountain. The term “MOUNTAIN” is used over and over again to stand for a kingdom, as for example, in Amos 4:1 and Isaiah 2:2. WINDS: The “winds” are often used to indicate the “activity of God.” The Greek or Hebrew word could have been translated “wind or spirit.” “Wind” is constantly associated with God and the activity of God. For example look at John 3:7,8 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Sometimes the “winds” are used as actions by God against people: "When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry all of them up, And a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in Me shall inherit the land, And shall possess My holy mountain." -Isaiah57:13. “Like an east wind I will scatter them Before the enemy; I will show them My back and not My face In the day of their calamity.'" –Jeremiah 18:17 Or, like where the Hebrew writer quotes Psalm 104:4 in Hebrews 1:7 “And of the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.” God rides on the cherubim (Psalm 18:10 & elsewhere) and also walks on the wings of the wind. . THE POINT HERE IS “WIND” IS CONSTANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACTIVITY OF GOD. These “SYMBOLS” are a part of the Bible’s way of teaching.

Hello Joe: I want you to know I've spent hours answering you. LOL Please read Daniel 9:25-27 below: This is a prophecy given to the prophet Daniel by the angel Gabriel around 600 years before Christ came on earth and the prophecy was fulfilled. Daniel 9:25-27 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” This decree concerns the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Gabriel was speaking to Daniel. Gabriel spoke of 70 weeks total. The first period of seven weeks (49 years) was evidently to be characterized by something different from that which would follow, or it would reach an important point. (Each week is 7 years) Then would follow a continuous period of 62 weeks, (7 + 62 weeks=69) and afterward would be the remaining week when the nation of Israel would come to its end time. This would complete a total of 70 weeks. Notice the chronology of events below. It is assumed by many scholars that King Artaxerxes gave the commission to Ezra to write the law. Admittedly, Ezra was a priest and scribe, but where is the verse that states that Artaxerxes commissioned him to establish that law? According to scriptures, it was Ezra’s intent to establish the law before the decree was issued. The king’s decree amounted to giving of silver and gold to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs. All silver and gold left over could be spent on whatever Ezra chose. Verse 20 – The king tells Ezra that the rest of the needs for the house of God should be shared by royal treasure and free-will offerings of the people. When has any city been rebuilt without the aid of silver and gold? Nehemiah was commissioned by Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem. In Neh. 2:5, Nehemiah asks permission to go and rebuild the city, and for letters to the governors of the provinces asking them to furnish him with the proper timber to make the repairs. Thus the phrase of Nehemiah “That I may rebuild it” fits the description issued by Gabriel. But 2:16 indicates that the work had already begun, but for some reason had halted; it further indicates that Nehemiah was chosen by God as a leader of the workmen and, as the one chosen by God to finish the work. There is no room for assumption in the matter. If we choose he commission by Artaxerxes and Nehemiah, we best fit the decree described by Gabriel. When the date is reckoned with, we find no little problem. We will not go into the many historical calendars of that day, but when we recognize that this is a Jewish date and their calendar must be considered, we will arrive at about 453 for the issue of the decree. The work on the house of God had been halted, perhaps by the same people who tried to stop Nehemiah, and Nehemiah went down in the face of danger and repaired the gates and walls. This gave the people faith to finish the work on the temple. If true, then seven weeks or 49 years was allotted to finish the work on the temple, at which time the expiration date would have been 405 B.C. Then would have begun the sixty-two weeks or 434 years, and the period would have expired in AD 30, about the time Christ was baptized. The scripture says, “and after this the Messiah would be cut off and have nothing.” At the expiration of the 434 years would be the last and most important week, the one where the Messiah would stop the sacrifice in the middle of that week, or three and one-half years. Christ would be offered on the cross as the last legal sacrifice under the Law of Moses. Hebrews 9:26. Observations: a. Some has willfully ignored the truth of Daniel and has used error to scare unlearned people into a particular belief. b. The Church of our Lord in failing to teach the book of Daniel has allowed many of its members to fall into the millennial hog pen. And now the church has waited too long to teach Daniel that, when the truth is presented, one is almost put in the class of false teachers. c. Let us remember that Christ Himself was classed among the false teachers of His day, and even murdered for His teaching. What is our reputation compared to His life? d. There is a pressing need for Daniel to be studied and taught in the church today. The whole of the New Testament is a commentary on Daniel, especially the book of Revelation. Compare the visions of John with the sum of the visions of Daniel. Remember that Daniel was not allowed to write some of the visions he saw, but was told by the angel they would be sealed up until the end time of Israel, where is the book that does? VERSE 26. “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off.” The phase “after the 62 weeks” means that after the first seven weeks expired, the 62 weeks would begin, and after the 62 weeks expired, the Messiah would be cut off; He would die. As stated before, the expiration of this sixty-two week period would be AD 30. We are now concerned with events that should occur in the latter portion of the 69 weeks (7 + 62= 69), and the beginning of the last and final week, 70th week. During the latter portion of the 69 weeks, Christ was born, John came as His forerunner, Mal. 4:5-6 Elijah of Malachi was John the Immerser, Matt 11:11-14. This is the “last days” spoken of in the Old Testament, referring to the period from the coming of Christ in birth, until He came back in the destruction of Jerusalem. During the expiration of 69 weeks, Christ would come to John to be baptized by him. The coming of the Spirit of God upon Christ at this point would confirm the beginning of the last week. In every case there are notable events that inaugurate a new epoch. And no greater even was present than when God confirmed His Son by sending the Spirit upon Him in the form of a dove and speaking from heaven. And beside this, there was the administration of baptism, a purification which the Jews expected to be practiced in the Last Days in preparation for the coming of the Messiah and His Kingdom (see Ezek 36:25 and Mal. 3:1-4) These things confirm that the last week of the seventy weeks had begun. In the middle of the week, Christ would be tried by the Jews, rejected, and condemned to die on the cross. His sacrificial death put a stop to sacrifice. The fair meaning is that Christ, at the cross, would legally end the Law of Moses where sacrifice was required. By shedding of His blood, Christ would purchase the kingdom, Acts 20:28, and by His blood the last sacrifice would be offered. Not only does this confirm the words of Gabriel, it confirms the New Covenant. This is not to say that sacrifice was not offered in the temple at Jerusalem, for it continued there until the temple was destroyed in AD 70. Paul made the sacrifice there, Acts 21. Actually, sacrifice as not needed, for the last sacrifice had already been made and the New Covenant established. It shows the longsuffering of God, when He gave the nation of Israel almost forty years after the death of the Son to merge into Christianity before bringing destruction to the temple. VERS 27. “And He will make a firm Covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week H will put a stop to sacrifice.” As has been stated for v. 26, this week began with the baptism of Christ, and continued for three and one-half years in which He taught the New Covenant (the gospel about the Kingdom). At the expiration of three and one-half years, He would put an end to sacrifice by offering by offering Himself as a full payment for man’s sin guilt. Only one who was sinless could offer Himself for our redemption.. No mere man could offer it. This testifies to the Deity of Christ and to the exclusiveness o he Christian faith as a source for true salvation. No other Name can offer real atonement. Beginning with Adam and Eve (e.g. the skins used to cover their nakedness) and throughout the Old Testament, the sacrifices symbolic of the Coming One whose sacrificial death would redeem man from condemnation and separation from God’s fellowship, and cover their sins. “And on the wings of abominations will come one who makes desolate even until a complete destruction.” Jesus said, “do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (destruction) Therefore, we see the balance of the last week beginning when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the twelve, and the teaching of Christ goes forth. A question is asked at this point: What was the main subject at this point: What was the main subject of His teaching, since He states that He came to bring a sword, or destruction? The fair meaning is that all the visions of Daniel would here begin to be fulfilled respecting the end time of His people. We find all the epistles filled with the passing of Israel and the established divine religion of Christ, Christianity, surpassing Judaism as the universal religion. As we make an overview of Israel from the time they came under the rule of Rome until this period of the last week, we notice that Israel came under the protection or rule, of Rome when Pompey in 63 B.D. brought this nation under his control. He became the sole ruler of Rome, thus becoming Daniel’s first horn. Daniel’s vision concerned the period from the conquest of Israel until the nation was destroyed. This makes Pompey Daniel’s first horn and Vespasian the eleventh. Many scholars have tried for many years to make the horns of Daniel and of John fit in perfect order, which makes the book of Revelation a late composition and setting its vision in the future. We have lost sight of the purpose of the visions. They concerned only Daniel’s people. From that time the apostles began to teach, they went first and always to the Jew, relating the abolishment of Judaism in favor of Christianity. On the wings of this testimony by the Holy Spirit the desolation began, a desolation that continued on the wings of abomination until Jerusalem and the temple became a complete destruction. This confirmed the kingdom of Christ in just the same way that the resurrection confirmed Christ as being the Son of God, Romans 1:4. Now, I will move to the destruction itself. Gabriel tells Daniel it will be a COMPLETE DESTRUCTION, Dan 9:27; Zechariah tells us Christ will return in that destruction and will gather all the nations against Jerusalem for battle, Zech 14:1-4 “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south…” Malachi spoke of this as God preparing a day when He would burn the chaff and save the righteous, when they would skip about in the stall as fat calves, Mal 4:2. Joel spoke of the church age and related the return of Christ to this even, Joel 2:31 (quoted by Peter in Acts 2:20). Jesus said He would return to reward the unbelieving Jews with revenge: “… For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:27,28 and again in Matthew 23:34-36 “…Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” Matthew 26:64 “…Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming (Greek: parousia) on the clouds of heaven.” (This “Parousia” means Christ’s presence, it does not mean “His coming to earth.” Christ will NEVER come back to this earth.) Also, Luke 21:30-32 “… when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.” Matthew 10:23 “…But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.” He came (Parousia) in AD 70. Matthew 10:23 almost set the date for His return and this great destruction of Israel. Daniel sees this event occurring during the period of the eleventh horn, (Emperor Vespasion) the time Ancient of Days would come in judgment, Dan 7:21, 22. “… I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.” The saints would be given into the hands of the horn “and they will be given into his hands for a time, times and a half time.” (3 1/2 years). Time, times and a half time: (3 ½ years) All the visions pertained to Daniel’s people. From the visions themselves we learn that there was a time element involved which began the conquest of that nation by Pompey in 63 B.C. It began with the first horn who would rule over them, and moved through time until they were destroyed by the eleventh horn, Vespasian. (And his son General Titus in A.D. 70.) If Daniel 7:25 was rendered as three and a half years it would not conflict with Revelation 12. Almost everyone admits this refers to the church during the siege against Jerusalem. In v. 14 the church was carried away into the wilderness to be nourished by God for a time, times, and a half time. (3 ½ years) I conclude that Gabriel related to Daniel the FULL DESTRUCTION of Israel as a nation and their religion, and further that all the visions of Daniel would be fulfilled at the end time of that nation which came at the hands of Vespasian in A.D.70. Paul states the people were in the tribulation during the time of his writing of 1 Thes 3:4. John declared in Rev 1:1-3 that the things written in the Book were to take place “shortly” and the time “was near.” Then John declares in Rev 1:9 “I John your brother in tribulation and in the kingdom…” John was in this tribulation during and around A.D. 70. Both scriptures and history verify a tribulation for the Jewish Christians beginning AD 66. On the “wings of his tribulation came the one who was to make the final destruction to the nation of Israel. Thus the vision of Daniel finds its fulfillment in this period, Dan 12.1; Matthew 24:21. Any questions? Charles, cjemeyson@satx.rr.com

Hello iamlamad: When man/woman obeys the gospel they "are born again." No longer are we "in the world" to hear "trumpets, sun (no shining), moon (turning dark), stars (falling)... you WILL NOT SEE OR HEAR THESE. These are Hebrew way(s) of writing and the Hebrew (Jew) knows when they see in Matthew 24 (and other places in the bible) of the sun, moon and stars falling they are being told that the Jewish nation will fall and be destroyed. We with our "western minds" miss these things. When you read in the bible "coming in clouds" what do you think? This is Hebrew judgement language. If you look in Matthew 24:30 you will see Jesus "...coming in clouds." The Hebrew reader will not have any problem with this language, he/she would know that Jesus is coming in judgement." I have studied this for over 49 years. Write me and we can discuss it. cjemeyson@satx.rr.com. I am charles May the Lord bless you as you study His Word and serve Him, Charles

Someone wrote in our church wrote on the 70 Weeks of Daniel that I want to share with you... Daniel's Seventy Weeks by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Many thoughts have been given concerning Gabriel's prophecy given to Daniel, both regarding what Gabriel was referring to and when it would take place. Instead of just giving out ideas, let's look at what is said in detail. The Historical Context Israel had greatly sinned before the God of Heaven. Because of her apostasy, Jeremiah foretold that the Jews would be held captive in Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:12; 29:10). That prophecy came true and is confirmed for us by Daniel who lived to see the end of the captivity (Daniel 9:1-2). But why seventy years? Israel was to be in captivity "until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years" (II Chronicles 36:21). The Old Law required that the ground not be plowed every seventh year (Leviticus 25:1-7). Apparently the Israelites ignored this commandment; certainly there is no recorded of it being followed prior to the captivity. God did warn through Moses of the consequence of not following this commandment: "I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste. Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall rest -- for the time it did not rest on your sabbaths when you dwelt in it" (Leviticus 26:33-35). One way or the other God was going to make sure the land had its Sabbath rests. Each year of the captivity represented a year that the Sabbath rest for the land was not kept. Therefore, the seventy years of captivity represented 490 years of Israel neglecting God's laws. While the captivity looked back 490 years, the prophecy given to Daniel looks forward 490 years to the coming Messiah, the "Anointed One," who would make an end to sin (Daniel 9:24). Thus, when Daniel received this prophecy, he stood at the half-way point between two major eras in Israelite history. Daniel had been praying because he knew that the prophecy of Jeremiah was about to end (Daniel 9:1-2). He confessed the sins of himself and his people before the righteous Judge, and asked that God restore Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Daniel 9:16-17). While Daniel prayed, God answered his prayer by sending Gabriel with an answer. Daniel was told that a decree would be going forth to restore Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Daniel 9:25). However, Daniel was also informed that something far more important would happen in the future -- the Messiah would come. The Messiah's Mission Dealing with Sin Israel's real problem was not their captivity but their sins. The Messiah would make an end of sins. That is why Jesus was sent into the world. Jesus, whose name means "Savior," would save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). He died for our sins in his sacrificial death on the cross (I Corinthians 15:3; Galatians 1:4). Moreover, he would make reconciliation for iniquity. Sins place a barrier between the sinner and his God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Jesus came to give his life as a ransom payment for sin (Matthew 20:28). Thus, we were given forgiveness through his shed blood (Ephesians 1:7). In his death he reconciled all things to himself (Colossians 1:20). In the place of sin, the Messiah would bring in righteousness. He took on our sins so that we might have righteousness (II Corinthians 5:21). We were healed by his strips, so we might live for righteousness (I Peter 2:24). Daniel had prayed for forgiveness for Israel. The answer he received was beyond what he was expecting. God wasn't just going to forgive Israel for their past sins; God was going to deal with the problem of sin. Christ's coming did not end sin in the sense of eradicating it from the world, but he did solve the problem of sin for mankind. He introduced a system that would free men from their sins. "He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). Never again would a sacrifice for sin be necessary. Jesus died once for all people and for all times. Isaiah 53 uses the same words -- transgression, sin, and iniquity -- to describe the Messiah's work in dealing with the problem of sin. That is important because it helps us place when Gabriel's prophecy was to take place. Isaiah 53 deals with Jesus' physical coming into the world. Jesus dealt with the problem of sin during his first coming, and, as Hebrews 9:23-28 indicates, that problem only needed to be solved once. Sometimes you will hear people say that Gabriel's prophecy could not be dealing with the first coming of the Lord because sin is still in the world, but such misses the point that sin was dealt with by Jesus' death. Bring in Everlasting Righteousness After charging everyone with sin, Paul shows that Jesus brought in an era of righteousness into effect (Romans 3:21-26). This righteousness was brought by the gospel to all people. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith"" (Romans 1:16-17). Vision and Prophecy Would Be Sealed To seal something is to bring it to a conclusion. God used visions and prophecies in the past to communicate with His people (Hebrews 1:1). A chief focus of the Old Testament prophecies was the coming of the Messiah and the era which would follow him. "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven -- things which angels desire to look into" (I Peter 1:10-12). With the completion of the New Law, the need for prophecy ended (I Corinthians 13:8-13). God foretold that when sin was dealt with, He would stop sending prophets into the world (Zechariah 13:1-3). Even Jesus spoke of this when He said that those who claimed to prophesy in His name would be cut off. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21-23). Daniel was told that visions and prophecies would be sealed during the time the Messiah came. The Most Holy Will Be Anointed The term "Most Holy" is a reference to God. Thus, Daniel was told that the Messiah, the Anointed One, would be God (John 1:1-4, 14). Anointing was used to dedicate something or someone to God. It was a way to declare something or someone as holy. For example, kings and prophets were anointed (I Kings 19:16), as well as priests (Exodus 28:41). Interestingly, Christ functions in all three of these roles. He is the Prophet (Acts 3:22-24), our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1), and our King (Matthew 21:5). It was prophesied that the anointing of the Messiah would be by the Spirit of God. "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound" (Isaiah 61:1). That prophecy was fulfilled at Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:16-17) and confirmed for us by the apostles (Acts 10:38). When we speak of Christ we are using the Greek word for "the Anointed One." He Will Make a Firm Covenant As Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, the Old Covenant made with Israel would be replaced with a new one. "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah -- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD" (Hebrews 8:7-9). Jesus brought in a new Covenant. "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15). It is a firm covenant in that it will last until the end of the world (Jude 3). Sacrifice and Offerings Will End The change took place when Jesus died on the cross. With Jesus' sacrifice, the sacrifices of the Old Low ended (Hebrews 10:8-10). "Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Colossians 2:14). Its removal abolished the division between Jew and Gentile, allowing salvation to spread to all the world (Ephesians 2:13-17). When Would the Messiah Come? The prophecy given to Daniel not only told Israel what would happen, it also pinpointed when they would happen. The starting point for measuring time is placed at the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. The length would be seventy weeks, or 490 days. It is generally agreed that each day of this prophecy represents one year. The time is divided into three periods: seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and the seventieth week. In the middle of the seventieth week sacrifices would end. That would be a reference to the death of Jesus upon the cross when his sacrifice brought to an end of all sacrifices for sin. Therefore, Daniel was told that the Messiah would be cut off (die) 486 1/2 years after the decree was issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. There are three possible starting points for measuring this time frame. But since we know the event that marks its ending point, it is straightforward to determine the starting point. Zerubbabel led the first group out of captivity in 536 B.C. 486 years after this would be 50 B.C., about 80 years prior to Christ's death. Nehemiah led the third group out of captivity in 444 B.C. 486 years after this would be A.D. 42, or about 12 years after Christ's death. But in 457 B.C. Ezra lead the second group from Babylon to Jerusalem. 486 years from this date would be A.D. 30, the year of Christ's crucifixion. Ezra and the people came for the purpose of rebuilding Jerusalem (Ezra 7:6-7; 9:9). It wasn't until Nehemiah came thirteen years later that the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. In fact, in Gabriel's prophecy seven weeks (49 years) were allotted for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple in troubled times (Daniel 9:25; Ezra 4:1-6). Adding the 62 weeks to the 7 weeks gives us 483 years, which would be A.D. 26, the year of Jesus' baptism and the beginning of his ministry. In the midst of the seventieth week (3 1/2 years later), Jesus was killed (cut off). The Consequences of Rejecting the Messiah There are many people who wish to rewrite history, but the fact remains that Jesus was rejected and killed by his own people (John 1:11). The prophecy given to Daniel speaks of the consequence of that rejection in Daniel 9:26-27. A prince would come who would destroy the city and the temple like an overwhelming flood. That end is firmly determined, set in place by God, as a result of their rejection. Jesus explains this portion of the prophecy in Matthew 24:1-34, especially in Matthew 24:15. See "The Fall of Jerusalem" for more details on Jesus' statements. In A.D. 66 the Jews, who were subjects of Rome, revolted against the empire and fought a bloody war with Rome for several years. Vespasian, the emperor, sent Prince Titus, his successor to settle the matter. Just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the "abomination of desolation", which Daniel prophesied, would take place (Daniel 9:27; 11:31). In Luke's account of these same matters, Jesus said that the Roman army would surround Jerusalem just prior to the desolation (Luke 21:20). Josephus speaks of a tyrant, named Simon, who slew the priests "as they were about their sacred duties ... many persons, who came thither with great zeal from the ends of the earth, to offer sacrifices at this celebrated place ... fell down before their own sacrifices themselves, and sprinkled that altar ... with their own blood; till the dead bodies of strangers were mingled together with those of their own country, and those of profane persons with those of the priests, and the blood of all sorts of dead carcases stood in lakes in the holy courts themselves." This happened just prior to Titus marching on Jerusalem. This then was the abomination. Titus overthrew Jerusalem after a five month siege in the summer of A.D. 70. Jerusalem was burned (Matthew 22:7) and the temple was destroyed (Matthew 23:38). The burning of Jerusalem caused the precious gold in the temple to melt and flow into the cracks of stones. The Romans tore up the stones to get to the gold, leaving not one stone in place (Matthew 24:2). J. N. Geldenhuys said, Titus “overran the city with his army, destroyed and plundered the temple, and slew the Jews — men, women, and children — by tens of thousands. When their lust for blood had been sated, the Romans carried off into captivity all the able-bodied remnant of the Jews (for they had done away with all the weaklings and the aged), so that not a single Jew was left alive in the city or its vicinity. Only on one day in the year — the day of remembrance of the destruction of the temple — were they allowed to mourn over the city from the neighboring hilltops.” This was the desolation. Even the Jews recognized that the destruction of Jerusalem was a fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. Jewish historian Josephus wrote, "Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them." Think how mighty is our God who foretold the future in such detail, naming both the events and the timing in which they would occur down to the very year from nearly 500 years in advance.

Hello Joe: THE LAST WORDS OF OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECY THE BOOK OF MALACHI The canon of the Old Testament Scriptures closes in a very different manner from what might have been expected after the splendid future revealed to the covenant nation in the visions of Isaiah. None of the prophets is the bearer of a heavier burden than the last. Malachi is the prophet of doom. It would seem that the nation, by its incorrigible obstinacy and disobedience, had forfeited the divine favor, and proved itself not only unworthy, but incapable, of the promised glories. The departure of the prophetic spirit was full of evil omen, and seemed to intimate that the Lord was about to forsake the land. Accordingly, the light of Old Testament prophecy goes out amidst clouds and thick darkness. The Book of Malachi is one long and terrible impeachment of the nation. The Lord Himself is the accuser, and sustains every charge against the guilty people by the clearest proof. The long indictment includes sacrilege, hypocrisy, contempt of God, conjugal infidelity, perjury, apostasy, blasphemy; while, on the other hand, the people have the effrontery to repudiate the accusation, and to plead ‘not guilty’ to every charge. They appear to have reached that stage of moral insensibility when men call evil good, and good evil, and are fast ripening for judgment. Accordingly, coming judgment is ‘the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.’ Chap. 3: 5 ‘I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.’ Chap. 4: 1 ‘For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven [furnace]: and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.’ That this is no vague and unmeaning threat is evident from the distinct and definite terms in which it is announced. Everything points to an approaching crisis in the history of the nation, when God would inflict judgment upon His rebellious people. ‘The day’ was coming – ‘the day that shall burn as a furnace;’ ‘the great and terrible day of the Lord.’ That this ‘day’ refers to a certain period, and a specific event, does not admit of question. It had already been foretold in precisely the same words by the Prophet Joel (2: 31): ‘The great and terrible day of the Lord;’ and we shall meet with a distinct reference to it in the address of the Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 20). But the period is further more precisely defined by the remarkable statement of Malachi in chap. 4: 5 ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.’ The explicit declaration of our Lord that the predicted Elijah was no other than His own forerunner, John the Baptist (Matt. 11: 14), enables us to determine the time and the event referred to as ‘the great and terrible day of the Lord.’ It must be sought at no great distance from the period of John the Baptist. That is to say, the allusion is to the judgment of the Jewish nation, when their city and temple were destroyed, and the entire fabric of the Mosaic polity was dissolved. It deserves to be noticed, that both Isaiah and Malachi predict the appearance of John the Baptist as the forerunner of our Lord, but in very different terms. Isaiah represents him as the herald of the coming Saviour: ‘The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God’ (lsa. 40: 3). Malachi represents John as the precursor of the coming Judge: ‘Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts’ (Mal. 4: 1). That this is a coming to judgment, (A.D. 70) is manifest from the words which immediately follow, describing the alarm and dismay caused by His appearing: ‘But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth?’ (Mal. 3: 2.) It cannot be said that this language is appropriate to the first coming of Christ; but it is highly appropriate to His second coming. (His second coming seen in Matthew 24:39 “coming (parousia) in clouds”, A.D. 70) Nowhere will you see “second coming” in the New Testament. In Matthew 24 His “Parousia” was His “presence.” Remember, He is God and is present EVERYWHERE at all times. There is a distinct allusion to this passage in Rev. 6: 17, where ‘the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains,’ etc., are represented as ‘hiding from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, and saying, That great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?’ For those who think the Book of Revelation is future this may surprise you...it is NOT. This is another study and I will be glad to discuss it with you. (cjemeyson@satx.rr.com, Charles) Nothing can be clearer than that the ‘day of his coming’ in Mal. 3: 1 is the same as ‘the great and dreadful day of the Lord’ in chap. 4: 5, and that both answer to ‘the great day of his wrath’ in Rev. 6: 17. We conclude, therefore, that the prophet Malachi speaks, not of the first advent of our Lord, but of the second in A.D. 70. This is further proved by the significant fact, that, in chap. 3: 1, the Lord is represented as ‘suddenly coming to his temple.’ To understand this as referring to the presentation of the infant Savior in the temple by His parents, or to His preaching in the courts of the temple, or to His expulsion of the buyers and sellers from the sacred edifice, is surely a most inadequate explanation. Those were not occasions of terror and dismay, such as is implied in the second verse – ‘But who may abide the day of his coming?’ The expression is, however, vividly suggestive of His final and judicial visitation of His Father’s house, when it was to be ‘left desolate,’ according to His prediction. The temple was the center of the nation’s life, the visible symbol of the covenant between God and His people; it was the spot where ‘judgment must begin,’ and which was to be overtaken by ‘sudden destruction.’ Taking, then, all these particulars into account - the ‘sudden coming of the Lord to his temple,’ the dismay attending ‘the day of his coming,’ His coming as ‘a refiner’s fire,’ His coming ‘near to them to judgment,’ ‘the day coming that shall burn as a furnace,’ ‘burning up the wicked root and branch,’ and the appearing of John the Baptist, the second Elijah, previous to the arrival of ‘the great and dreadful day of the Lord,’ - it is impossible to resist the conclusion that the prophet here foretells that great national catastrophe in which the temple, the city, and the nation, perished together; and that this is designated, ‘the day of his coming.’ However strange, therefore, it may seem, it is undoubtedly the fact that the first coming of our Lord is not alluded to by Malachi. This is distinctly acknowledged by Hengstenberg, who observes: ‘Malachi passes by the first coming of Christ in humiliation altogether, and leaves the interval between his forerunner and the judgment of Jerusalem a perfect blank.’ This is to be accounted for by the fact, that the main object of the prophecy is to predict national destruction and not national deliverance. At the same time, while judgment and wrath are the predominant elements of the prophecy, features of a different character are not wholly absent. The day of wrath is also a day of redemption. There is a faithful remnant, even among the apostate nation: there are gold and silver to be refined and jewels to be gathered, as well as dross to be rejected, and stubble to be burned. There are sons to be spared, as well as enemies to be destroyed; and the day which brought dismay and darkness to the wicked, would see ‘the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings’ on the faithful. Even Malachi intimates that the door of mercy is not yet shut. If the nation would return unto God, He would return unto them. If they would make restitution of that which they had sacrilegiously withheld from the service of the temple, He would repay them with blessings more than they could receive. They might even yet be a ‘delightsome land,’ the envy of all nations. At the eleventh hour, if the mission of the second Elijah should succeed in winning the hearts of the people, the impending catastrophe might after all be averted (chap. 3: 3, 16-18; 4: 2, 3, 5, 6). Nevertheless, there is a foregone conclusion that expostulation and threatening will be unavailing. The last words sound like the knell of doom (Mal. 4: 6): ‘Lest I come and smite the land with a curse!’ The full import of this ominous declaration is not at once apparent. To the Hebrew mind it suggested the most terrible fate that could befall a city or a people. The ‘curse’ was the anathema, or cherem, which denoted that the person or thing on which the malediction was laid was given over to utter destruction. We have an example of the cherem, or ban, in the curse pronounced upon Jericho (Josh. 6: 17); and a more particular statement of the ruin which it involved, in the Book of Deuteronomy (chap. 13: 12-18). The city was to be smitten with the edge of the sword, every living thing in it to be put to death, the spoil was not to be touched, all was accursed and unclean, it was to be wholly consumed with fire, and the place given up to perpetual desolation. Hengstenberg remarks: ‘All the dreadful things that can possibly be thought of are included in this one word; and he quotes the comment of Vitringa on this passage: ‘There can be no doubt that God intended to flay, that He would give up to certain destruction, both the obstinate transgressors of the law and also their city, and that they should suffer the extreme penalty of His justice, as heads devoted to God, without any hope of favor or forgiveness.’ Such is the fearful malediction suspended over the land of Israel by the prophetic Spirit, in the moment of taking its departure, and becoming silent for ages. It is important to observe, that all this has a distinct and specific reference to the land of Israel. The message of the prophet is to Israel; the sins which are reprobated are the sins of Israel; the coming of the Lord is to His temple in Israel; the land threatened with the curse is the land of Israel. All this manifestly points to a specific local and national catastrophe, of which the land of Israel was to be the scene and its guilty inhabitants the victims. History records the fulfilment of the prophecy, in exact correspondence of time, place, and circumstance, in the ruin which overwhelmed the Jewish nation at the period of the destruction of Jerusalem. TWO DESTRUCTION'S MENTIONED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT OF ISRAEL. 1. A non-complete destruction. 2. A COMPLETE destruction. In Jeremiah 4:27-is a NON-COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL (This is the Babylon captivity) verse 27 “For thus says the LORD, "The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.” Non complete destruction during Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C, BUT NOW God says there will be a COMPLETE DESTRUCTION 70 A.D. Daniel 9:24-27 COMPLETE DESTRUCTION SPOKEN BY GOD TO DANIEL: ““A period of seventy sets of seven (490 years) has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness (Yeshua), to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One (MESSIAH, YESHUA)—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed (Yeshua crucified), appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise (Roman General Titus) whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he (General Titus) will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. (70 A.D. END OF THE AGE!!) ) And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.” Here in Daniel 9:24-27 some 600 years before the Messiah comes on the scene God tells Daniel that He will make a complete destruction of the nation of Israel (unbelieving Jews), their temple and their genealogies. God ALWAYS has had a REMNANT. When God destroyed Jerusalem, its temple and the nation of Israel in A.D. 70 He had a remnant of believing Jews in Messiah that He made the New Covenant with. (Jer 31:31 & Heb 8:8-13) "The SUM of Thy Word is Truth" (Psalm 119:160) "Knowledge gained and not shared is KNOWLEDGE STOLEN." minister, Mark Davis 7/18/07 May the Lord bless you as you serve Him, Charles

Thanks for your responses. I want to break down with “answers” to some of the things you said. I think all your responses were good and logical. First: “But as far as what that "ol preacher" said about the Bible being other peoples' mail...not sure exactly what he meant but it doesn't sound too flattering as far as it being the "inspired" Word of God??” CaptWalker: W.L. Wharton, 94 years old deceased now, said this about when you are reading or studying the bible to just remember “you are reading someone else’s mail.” W.L. meant, for example, when you are reading or studying, and the pronouns “you, we, us, etc.” are used then most likely it is speaking of the writer or his environment at that time. A good example of "someone else's mail" you see when reading Acts 3:2-12 “a certain man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. 3 And when he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. 4 And Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze upon him and said, "Look at us!" 5 And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-- walk!" 7 And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. 8 And with a leap, he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God; 10 and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 And while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement. 12 But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? Take a look at the “context” of Acts 3:2-12. Notice who is in this context … Peter and John, a lame man with the pronoun used “he.” (verse 3). Verse 8, the lame man (he) went into the temple with “them” (Peter & John) praising God. Verse 9 “people” (Jews) saw him (lame man). Verse 12 “why do you gaze at US (Peter & John). Do you see what W.L. meant here in Acts 3 “you are reading someone else’s mail.” ?? Yes, we use the Bible. We learn many things from the bible which is written by the Holy Spirit. We learn how to be saved, we learn how to worship God. From the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2, First Day of the Week, Sunday, we learn that for the first 7 years A.D. 30 to A.D. 37 there were only Jews in the Church, Jewish Christians. Acts 10, 11, around A.D. 37 we see the first Gentiles being converted Cornelius, his family and friends. Gentile Christians were at one time “far off,” but now have been added as a branch to the Olive Tree. (Some translations say "afar off.") Eph 2:15-19 “…Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” ESV "Knowledge gained and not shared is Knowledge Stolen." Minister, Mark Davis, 7/18/07

Hello JoeCanada: Yes, we worship Him in spirit and truth. Also, we walk by faith (trust) in Him and carry out His Word in our lives as we walk and live. We serve Him until death. Joe, I am 79 years old now and have served Him for over 49 years. I have heard believers like you who have said "the time will come when He is in Jerusalem, but He is not there yet. Soon, very soon! I've heard this in every generation. In 1988 I purchased two books, "88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988, The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh-Hash-Ana)" and the other is "On Borrowed Time The Bible Dates of - The 70th Week of Daniel -Armageddon - The Millennium" The author of both books Edgar C. Whisenant was a former NASA engineer and Bible student (1932-2001) This type of "HYPE" has been going on now for 2100 years. I can go back in time and show you prophecies from the Jehovah Witnesses, The Seventh Day Adventists, The Seventh Day Baptist, Church of God, 7th Day and the list could go on and on. These people are IGNORANT of God's Word. They are not stupid people, but just ignorant of God's Word. "The SUM of Thy Word is Truth" (Psalm 119:160) I would rather not write these things on the Internet. I do not hardly ever get on Facebook or Worthy Christian Forums. For those who want to discuss it more or any other subject then email me: cjemeyson@satx.rr.com. My name is Charles

Diaste: Earlier, near the top of this thread you said, "This is more or less distraction from the issue. I asked when the Mount of Olives cleaved and removed and split to Azal; and how the nations were to come worship the King every year if he was not one earth. The bigger problem with this is ignoring all the other bits of prophecy associated with His coming and the cleaving of the Mount; none of which took place in AD 70 nor in the ensuing centuries." My question to you: How do Christians today in every nation on earth worship Jesus and the Father without Jesus and the Father being physically and visibly in Jerusalem? How does anyone worship the Father and Jesus without being able to see the Father and Jesus. And how can you worship them if he is not even in Jerusalem?

Hello BeauJangles: I think I must be "out of the loop" on this conversation. What do you mean "...has everything been resolved yet, or does this mean the date been postponed....etc" I am still drinking my coffee and did not get up as early as you. My wife and I normally are up by 6 a.m. and start drinking our coffee. Hope you had some? I like your profile. Like you, I love the Lord with all my heart. My goal in life is to make disciples. I retired from IBM in 2005. I was in IT and worked on computers, networks and satellite systems. I traveled all over San Antonio, Austin and south Texas on my service calls. I had a lot of "windshield time" in which I was able to meet a lot of people and share the gospel. Over the years the Lord has used me as a tool to lead many to Him. For the last 15 years my wife and I are "hosts" at Mustang Island State Park. We stay five months at the park in our 5th wheel RV. The state requires me to work 24 hours a week and I stay free and they provide us with water, electricity & sewer hookup for our RV. All these years I have worked the entrance gate and collected entrance fees. So, we have a lot of time to fish etc. I meet many people coming into the park and am able to share the gospel with them. Many come from other countries such as Germany, Turkey, Canada, etc. etc. I've been able to share the gospel with some and baptize them in the surf of the Gulf of Mexico waters. I've even baptized some in swimming pools, church baptisteries and one in a bathtub. May the Lord bless us as we serve Him, Charles

Hello CaptWalker: I use the KJV and many other translations. I do know a lot of the KJV weaknesses. The king of England, King James, wanted an English translation of the bible and he gave his translators 15 rules to go by when translating. One of the rules that stuck out to me was the 3rd rule that he told his translators "when you get to the Greek word "ekklesia" I want it translated with the English word "church." Since the 1600's most English bibles have the English word "church" instead of "congregation or assembly." If you get a chance, read "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How it Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture" by Alister McGrath. You will be surprised at how many English words the KJV bible has introduced to the world audience. I don't guess it makes much difference when you read "church" as long as you remember it is an "assembly of people" and not a building. I use the word church, but I do know the difference. I also imagine most Christians know the difference. Looking at the KJV I think one of the biggest translation errors (or, could have been better) is Matthew 24:3 where the KJV in Matt 24:3 says: "...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? (aionos -age) The disciples had gathered from the Saviors language that this catastrophe was imminent; and their anxiety was to know the time and the tokens of its arrival. Notice in verse 3, above in the Greek, that the Greek word is NOT “κόσμον” (kosmon or kosmos, world), but “αἰῶνος” (aionos, age). Christ's "parousia" took place in Matthew 24:30 (A.D. 70) "coming in clouds" where His "presence" (his second coming). Christ may have been in heaven at this time, but He is omnipresent. Christ came at the END OF THE AGE of the Law of Moses, the end of the Old Covenant that God made with the Jewish Nation. That age ended in A.D. 70 and a new age started, the New Covenant age under the Laws of Christ and not the Laws of Moses. Messiah spoke of two ages. The old covenant age and the new age to come, that is, the New Covenant age. Matt 12:32 “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age (the age Jesus lived in) or in the age to come." I used Matt 12:32 to show the two ages Christ spoke of. The age of Jesus and the age to come, the New Testament age. In 1 Cor 10:11 Paul says the ends of the age have come, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1Cor10,11) Here Paul regarded himself and his readers as living near the conclusion of an aeon, or age. In the epistle to the Hebrews, we find this remarkable expression, “Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Heb 9:26) (Again, same Greek phrase as Matt 24, “συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων” and is speaking of the end of the Old Covenant age.) Here the writer of Hebrews clearly shows that he regarded the incarnation of Christ as taking place near the end of the aeon, or dispensational period. To suppose that he meant that it was close upon the end of the world, or the destruction of the material globe, would be to make him write false history as well as bad grammar. The aeon of Matthew 24:3 is speaking was about to close in a great catastrophe; and a catastrophe is not a protracted process, but a definitive and culminating act. I believe, therefore that the end of the age (συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων) refers solely to the approaching termination of the Jewish age or dispensation, NOT THE END OF THE WORLD AS MOST (denominations) TEACH. An ol’ preacher told me one time, “when you read the bible, remember, you are reading someone else’s mail.” W.L. Wharton (1914-2002) I have remembered what W.L. said for many years. It’s funny (AND SAD) how a lot of people take the Bible as if it was written personally to them. They see the pronouns, you, us, we etc. etc and apply it to themselves when the apostles of Christ are speaking of themselves. For example: in the NAS bible, Acts 1:4 the Holy Spirit uses the word "them"... read the account and see who is "them." Verse 6 uses "they"... who is this? Verse 8 uses the term "you"... who is this? Do you get my point? If you follow "in context' you will see that these "them, us, you, etc" are the apostles. Many TODAY apply things in the bible to our time and ourselves when in context it is not speaking of someone 2100 years later. When I was in bible college hermeneutics class a professor use to scream out CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT! My wish for all is to read "context, context, context" even if you have to read ten chapters behind or ahead. Who is the author, who is he speaking to, what time period, and why. Context, Context, Contest! Today we have serious problems in the church world. Many take (from the pulpit or teaching) and believe all they have heard. I have been to three bible colleges and normally sat in the back and watched the students in bible class take notes. These notes are used later by the student(s) to teach others. The problem is they have not, like the Bereans, checked with the Word of God to see if it is true or not. THIS IS A SHAME!! So, today we have over 33,000 denominations almost each preaching/teaching something different. There are two Greek words used when one thinks of reading a text. One of the Greek words is “eisegesis” when means to read one’s own interpretation INTO a given text. A lot of times we “hear” a teaching from someone, like a minister, and we take his words for it and we “read into the text” what we’ve heard from the minister or teacher. We EISEGESIS (read into) the text instead of EXEGETE it. To exegete a text means to “draw the meaning out of.” When we read the Bible, we must not fall into the trap of eisegesis. We must exegete the context of the message to what it meant when the author penned it. Church leaders are very guilty of this. We (me) must be on the guard not to eisegesis a text, but exegete it. May the Lord bless US as we serve Him, Charles cjemeyson@satx.rr.com

Hello: I am not sure what "dates" you are speaking of. Sorry. Your servant in Messiah, Charles Jemeyson

CaptWalker: Here are some verses from Matthew 24 quoted from "Young's Literal Translation." (YLT) And having gone forth, Jesus departed from the temple, and his disciples came near to show him the buildings of the temple, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do ye not see all these? verily I say to you, There may not be left here a stone upon a stone, that shall not be thrown down.’ And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these be? and what is the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?’ Notice the disciples also asked Him "what is the sign of thy PRESENCE... " This "presence" is from the Greek word "parousia." When Christ came back the second time in Matt 24 it was His "parousia." Many look for a "second coming" of Christ, but if you look throughout the n.t. you will find "parousia" but not a third or fourth coming. Parousia is mentioned 24 times in the N.T. (Matt 24.3, 27, 37, 39; 1 cor 15.23; 16:17: 2cor 7.6,7; 10.10; Phil 1.26; 2:121; Thess 2:19; 3:13; 4:15;5:23; 2 Thess 2.1, 8, 9; James 5.7, 8; 2Peter 1.16; 3:4, 12; 1 John 2:28) Most of these verses translate parousia as "coming." Take a look at YLT and you will see he translates this Greek word as "presence" most of the time. Jesus goes on throughout this chapter 24 and finishes speaking of the "end of the age." He speaks of the full "end of the age" not "end of time." That age ended in A.D. 70 with the nation of Israel gone. Today, God deals with "individuals" and not as He did with His Old Covenant Jews. My son David is 51 and my other son, Paul is 46. I raised two sons your age. I am thankful that both serve the Lord. I am 79 years old, married to Crystal for 56 years... Crystal is a "gift to me from the Lord." I spent 6 years as a Naval Spy with the Naval Security Group in Africa, all over Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. After the Navy I was a "recon" U.S. Marine. I loved all of it. Your servant in the Messiah, Charles

Hello CaptWalker: Israel did become a nation in 1948. It is like any other nation. Israel does not have an Aaronic priesthood as it did before Jesus destroyed the nation of Israel in A.D. 70. The only "priesthood" we have today is our High Priest Jesus Christ. When Christ destroyed the nation, its temple, many unbelieving Jews (according to Josephus, 1,100,000 were killed) and many taken captive) and their genealogy records it was all finished. There is not a Jew today that can tell you from what tribe they are from. (Except for Jesus from the tribe of Judah). God (Jesus) destroyed the Jewish system and The Law of Moses. Christ, at the cross, brought in the "kingdom of God" and it was established in A.D. 70. Since that time we have been under the New Covenant and the Laws of Christ. During A.D. 30 to A.D. 70 was a "transitional period." During the transitional period Jesus and His disciples kept the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses. It was during this transition period that the apostles wrote the books of our New Testament. All the apostles heard Christ speak of "...coming in clouds...sound of a trumpet" (Matt 24:30-31) This "coming" was His "paraousia," that is, His presence. All throughout the New Testament the Hebrew writer of Book of Hebrews and the apostles had what Jesus said about His coming in clouds with a loud trumpet and throughout their writings they used the terms "the last days, the last day, the last hour." We today read their writings and when we see "we, us, our, etc." we apply it to our time 2100 years later when ALL applied to their time period. For example: we apply 1 Thes 4:16-18 to us today: "...For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." No, the apostle Paul is speaking to the church in Thessalonians. He is telling them (as in Matthew 24:30-31) that Christ is coming back with a shout of the trumpet... Those "in who have died in Christ" will rise and we (apostles and all the believing Jews at that time) will be caught up. For us living today, there will NOT EVER be a return of Christ nor a judgement. For you and me (and all believers) we will live out our lives serving Him until we die. At death our bodies will return to the earth and go back to dust. The real you, your spirit, will immediately, at your bodies death, go back to the Lord. To make an analogy, take a pecan. Most of us love pecans, but we don't eat the shell. We break open the pecan and enjoy the insides. It is the same with our bodies. When we die, the shell, goes back to dust. The insides, our spirit, goes back to the Lord. PRAISE HIS NAME!! Forty nine years ago, I believed just like you. I encourage everyone to visit this site: https://www.preterist.org/

Hello JoeCanada: I am going to write this, but hope not to offend you. I've seen what you have written regarding Acts 1.11 many times. It is quite astounding that some will retreat to the haven of every passage they can find that does not explicitly mention or include a time reference in order to escape the preponderance of evidence of an imminent return in "coming again" passages which show the Parousia as being at hand (engus), and coming in the lifetime of the first-century generation. (Matt.10:23; 16:27,28; 24:3,14,34; 26:64; Rom.13:11-12; 16:20; 1 Cor.1:7-8; 10:11; Phil.4:5; Heb.10:37; Jas.5:7-8; 1 John 2:17-18; Rev.1:1-3, 22:6,10,12). Many who do this seem totally unaware that such is a desperate effort to avoid, evade, and escape the issue. They apparently reason that using a scripture that does not have an explicit time reference cancels out the passages that include it. This is the same error the "Jehovah's Witnesses" make on their interpretation of Adam's death, Gen.2:16,17; 3:6; 5:5); that the Jews made on the raising of the temple of Christ's body (Matt.27:40; John 2:19-21); and that the premillenialists make on the establishment of the kingdom (Mk.1:14-15; Lk.21:32). In every case noted above, the failure to honor God's time statements forces an erroneous interpretation and application. One can make a time-prophecy teach anything and anytime of fulfillment by such tactics. For example, if one were to fail to consider the time statements and facts found in other passages, the kingdom could be taught as yet future. Jesus taught the disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come" (Matt.6:10). At the time those words were spoken, the kingdom was clearly future and therefore the propriety of praying for its arrival. Now would it not be very inexcusable exegesis to camp out on this text and make the assertion that the kingdom is yet future? Sure, this seems quite elementary, but it is exactly the reasoning and methods resorted to on "coming again" passages. Remember, one and one is two; belief and baptism equal salvation; and in time prophecies, the time and manner equals fulfillment. In the words of the Psalmist, "The sum of Thy word is truth..." (Psa.119:160, ASV). The late and eminent Foy E. Wallace, Jr. stated this principle in the following words. "The fulfillment of prophecy cannot be separated from TIME AND CIRCUMSTANCES (emp. mine, WHB) stated by the prophet." God's Prophetic Word, p.165. One text where this obvious fallacy of reasoning is evident is in the misuse and abuse of Acts 1:11 as an "answer"? or objection to coming again passages which show an imminent return of Christ. The attempt to array Acts 1:11 over against Heb.10:37, "FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY," and Jas.5:8, "You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming (parousia) of the Lord is at hand," staggers the imagination. The aim of this writing is to demonstrate that Acts 1:11 is in harmony with all the other time passages and that the interpretations argued for "in like manner," to circumvent such teachings raise insurmountable difficulties. First, it is agreed by all that Acts 1:11, "...this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," refers to the Parousia. Jesus used the term "parousia," (presence) four times in Matthew 24, speaking of his return. Two of those references, verses 3 and 27, are before verse 34 (that mysteriously invisible and so-called "continental dividing line"). "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." Most agree that all coming before verse 34 is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.. Therefore, they are led to the inescapable conclusion that the "parousia" of verses 3 and 27 occurred in 70 A.D., within that first-century generation. In addition, Jesus used the term "parousia" in two verses following verse 34, in 37 and 39. Are there two "parousias"? Is there no significance in the use of that definite article "the" in the Greek? Which "the" parousia is "THE" parousia? Which "the" parousia is the fall of Jerusalem, and which "the" parousia is the "second coming"? Inspiration anticipated this erroneous reasoning by placing the events before verse 34, which undeniably describe the fall of Jerusalem (Matt.24:15-17), in the same time as the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17:26-32), which is undeniably Christ's "parousia." It follows therefore, that Matthew 24 is one harmonious delineation of the fall of Jerusalem and parousia of Christ in 70 A.D.. Harmony Of The Parousia In The Epistles Second, there is no distinction of "comings" in the epistles that justify two "parousias" taught in Matthew 24. (l Cor.15:23; 1 Thess.2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 2 Thess.2:1,8; Jas.5:7,8; 2 Pet.1:16; 3:4,12; 1 Jn.2:18). Again, God in His infinite wisdom anticipated the errors of those who would teach that "the Lord delayeth his parousia" or did not keep his promise (2 Pet.3:4), by placing a time reference in the epistles in connection with the parousia just as He did in Matthew 24. Observe: All these things shall come upon this [1st century] generation." The "parousia" is included in these things, vv.3-34 (vv.3,27). Therefore the "parousia" occurred in that [1st century] generation. Parousia "At Hand" The parousia was said to be at hand (engus) or near in respect to time, when James wrote in or about A.D.60, just 10 years before the demise of Jerusalem and the Jewish state. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming (parousia) of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming (parousia) of the Lord draweth nigh," (is at hand, engus). Berry's interlinear literally translates, "...has drawn near" (Jas.5:7,8). Acts 1:11 Now, if one considers the fact that Acts 1:11 is speaking of the parousia (though the word "parousia" is not used in the text), then we have: (1) Jesus saying that Acts 1:11 would occur, be fulfilled, in "this (first century) generation," and (2) James saying that Acts 1:11 is at hand in respect to time about A.D.60. What further proof is needed to show that the parousia (Acts 1:11) was at hand than a direct scriptural reference that uses both terms, "parousia" and "engus" in the same text? Any interpretation of Acts 1:11 that fails to honor the time limitations for the parousia is not "exegesis" but "eisegesis"! The only escape is to deny that Acts 1:11 is speaking of the parousia. Are we ready for that? In conclusion, it has been noted that the basic error of using passages which do not expressly mention time statements to refute those which do is a scriptural miscalculation and misuse of sound Biblical principles. Foy E. Wallace, Jr., in the reference noted, demolished the claims of premillenialism on the "postponement" and not-yet-come kingdom theories by using the principle of "time and circumstances" to arrive at the truth on time prophecies. This principle is catastrophic to the not-yet-come parousia theories traditionally embedded into the hearts of many today. The subject of the "parousia" in Matthew 24 is one and the same, agreeing time-wise with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.. That was the only parousia or return of Christ in the New Testament and which James said was "at hand" (Jas.5:7,8). Acts 1:11 must mark "time" with it or find itself court-martialed out of the ranks of the "parousia" or "coming again" passages. May the Lord bless you and family as you serve Him, Charles Jemeyson .

Hello JoeCanada: Hebrews 9:28 is generally one of the first verses offered as proof there is to be a yet future return of Jesus. Let us notice a few things about the text. The inspired writer says in Heb 9:26 Jesus had appeared "once" to put away sin by sacrificing himself. The Greek word translated once is "hapax" and normally means "once for all time," see Jude 3 “…Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once (Greek “hapax”) for all delivered to the saints.” I Peter 3:18 “….For Christ also died for sins once (Greek “hapax”) for all…” The writer then says Jesus "shall appear the second time unto salvation," vs. 28. The force of the word "second" as used here is the same as "once;" Christ would not appear again and again. He appeared (Parousia His presence.) in Matt 24:30 when He came in clouds. Almost all interpreters admit Jesus came in the destruction of Jerusalem. One writer commenting on Matthew 24:29-31 says "It is a coming of Christ in judgment upon the city of Jerusalem." But we ask, for what purpose did Jesus come in A.D.70? Was it not simply for judgment of the wicked! In Luke 21 Jesus spoke of Jerusalem's coming destruction: "then shall they see the Son of Man coming (Parousia) in a cloud with power and great glory" vs. 27. He said "when these things come to pass then look up and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" vs. 28. In verse 32 he said it would be in that generation. The word "redemption" used here is the identical word used in Romans 3:24; 8:23; I Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7,14, etc. to speak of the redemption of salvation. With these few facts before us let us draw a conclusion. Hebrews 9:28 says Jesus would appear a second time (A.D. 70), not many times, unto salvation. Jesus said he was going to return at the destruction of Jerusalem and this would be the redemption [salvation] of his Body (the Jewish Christian church). He said it would be in that generation. Therefore Jesus' return in the destruction of Jerusalem for the second time was also for the purpose of redemption, is the return of Hebrews 9:28. BTW: when the church started on the Day of Pentecost, the First Day of the week, Sunday, there were 3,000 Jews saved and added to the church. Later 5,000 more Jews were added. For the first 7 years, only Jewish Christians were in the church. Acts 10 & 11 talks about the first Gentiles that were saved by the gospel. The Gentiles were “afar off” Eph 2:13-22 and added to the Jewish Church. Since Christ's coming in A.D.70 was the coming for redemption, and since He was to return only once for salvation per Hebrews 9:28, then Christ's return in A.D. 70 was the final coming of Christ. Many teachers/preachers talk about the “second coming” and apply it to our time. This will NOT HAPPEN. All Christians will live out their lives and serve the Lord until death. At death the body will go back to DUST and the “real you, your spirit” will immediately go back, face to face, with the Lord. I am 79 years old and have served the Lord since I was 30 and hope to serve Him until death. I am in very good health, but I know my time is short and I look forward to face Him. This conclusion is corroborated in Hebrews 10:33-39. The Hebrew writer is speaking to his Jewish brethren of believers. He is telling those Jewish believers to “hold on” until the Messiah’s coming in A.D. 70. Of course the writer does not know when the Messiah will come, but he knows it is a short time before He comes: “…partly, by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners, and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. But my righteous one shall live by faith; And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” The writer in Hebrews 10 addresses Christ's coming in judgment and salvation: "For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and he will not delay." [Tragically, most commentators insist he HAS DELAYED!] Christ gave a prophecy talking directly to the nation of Israel and telling them of the coming destruction. (Please read: Matthew 24, 25; Mark 13:1-33; Luke 17:20-37 & Luke 21:5-36) This prophecy was given around A.D. 30 and was fulfilled in A.D. 70, 40 years later. Christ said He was “coming (PAROUSIA) in clouds” (Matt 24:30) The Greek Parousia means “His presence.” If you read the verse before this, Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken…” This coming of the Messiah Jesus was His second coming, a “Parousia.” We with our “western minds” we overlook and don’t understand what the Hebrew mind sees when, in prophecy, the sun, moon and stars are used. “Coming in clouds, sun, moon & stars” is “judgement language” throughout the Hebrew bible. When you see the sun is darkened, the moon doesn’t give its light and the stars fall from heaven then you are seeing judgment language showing a nation falling. The stars falling in Jerusalem (Matt 24:29) were the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Priests etc. The nation of Israel, the temple, the Jewish Nation fell and was destroyed in A.D. 70. At this time the “Law of Moses” “vanished away” and the Old Covenant ended. Between the time of the death of Christ and A.D. 70 was a “transitional period.” At the cross the Kingdom of God started and was “established” in A.D. 70. From A.D. 70 on the New Covenant was fully established. When Christ came the second time (His presence in Matt 24:30) Jesus used the Roman General Titus as a “tool” to destroy the Nation of Israel, its temple and the genealogies of the Jews. There is not a Jew today that can tell you from what tribe they came from because God saw to it that there would never be an Aaronic priesthood. Only the High Priest, Jesus Christ, from the tribe of Judah reigns! Upon what basis can anyone postulate a future coming of Christ? He promised to come [once] again for salvation. He said when it would be; and he kept his word. It is something to ponder. I feel like I could write volumes on this subject. May the Lord bless us as we serve Him, Charles Jemeyson “The SUM of thy Word is Truth” (Ps 119:160)

Hello Diaste: Sorry I did not respond until now. My wife and I were at the coast (Port Aransas, Texas) with one of our sons, doing a little fishing and enjoying the sun. What you have written above I've seen for over 45 years. As a matter of fact, in 1970 to around 1973, I believed what you presented as a question. I started following Christ (disciple, not Protestant nor Denominational) when I was 30 in 1970. I will present to you what I believe is correct and hopefully you can gain something from it. I quite arguing many years ago. As Christ loves us all, I hope, as a disciple, I will love all also. In the premillennial view of Bible prophecy, the events depicted in Zechariah 14 are most often interpreted as depicting the second coming of Christ when Jesus will descend from heaven and stand on the Mount of Olives and from there set up His millennial kingdom. The chronology outlined in Zechariah, however, does not fit this scenario. Events actually begin in chapter thirteen where it is prophesied that the Shepherd, Jesus, will be struck and the sheep will be scattered “…Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.” (Zech 13:7) This was fulfilled when Jesus says, "'You will all fall away, because it is written, "I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED"'" (Mark 14:27) What follows describes events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. God will act as Judge of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. As the king, He will send "his armies" and destroy "those murderers, and set their city on fire" (Matt 22:7) For I will gather all the nations [the Roman armies] against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered (Matt 24:17), the women ravished (Luke 17:35), and half the city exiled Matt 24:16)], but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city" (Zech 14:2). This happened when the Roman armies, made up of soldiers from the nations it conquered, went to war against Jerusalem. Rome was an empire consisting of all the known nations of the world (see Luke 2:1). The Roman Empire "extended roughly two thousand miles from Scotland south to the headwaters of the Nile and about three thousand miles from the Pillars of Hercules eastward to the sands of Persia. Its citizens and subject peoples numbered perhaps eighty million." Rome was raised up, like Assyria, to be the "rod of [His] anger" (Isaiah 10:5). "So completely shall the city be taken that the enemy shall sit down in the midst of her to divide the spoil. All nations, generally speaking were represented in the invading army, for Rome was the mistress of many lands." Thomas Scott, using supporting references from older commentators and cross references to other biblical books, writes that Zechariah is describing the events surrounding Jerusalem's destruction in A.D. 70. The time when the Romans marched their armies, composed of many nations, to besiege Jerusalem, was "the day of the Lord" Jesus, on which he came to "destroy those that would not that he should reign over them" (Matt 22:1-14; 24:3, 23­:35). When the Romans had taken the city, all the outrages were committed, and the miseries endured, which are here predicted (Luke 21:20-24) A very large proportion of the inhabitants were destroyed, or taken captives, and sold for slaves; and multitudes were driven away to be pursued by various perils and miseries: numbers also, having been converted to Christianity, became citizens of "the heavenly Jerusalem" and thus were "not cut off from the city" of God (Gal 4:21-31; Hebrews 12:22-25) Josephus says that 1,100,000 Jews were destroyed. Forcing these series of descriptive judgment to leap over the historical realities of Jerusalem's destruction in A.D. 70 so as to fit a future judgment scenario is contrived and unnecessary. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle (Zech 14:3). After using Rome as His rod to smite Jerusalem, God turns on Rome in judgment. Once again, Assyria is the model: "I send it against a godless nation and commission it against the people of My fury to capture booty and to seize plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets . . . . So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, 'I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness'" (Isaiah 10:56; 12:13). "It is significant that the decline of the Roman Empire dates from the fall of Jerusalem." Thomas Scott concurs: "It is also observable, that the Romans after having been thus made the executioners of divine vengeance on the Jewish nation, never prospered as they had done before; but the Lord evidently fought against them, and all the nations which composed their overgrown empire; till at last it was subverted, and their fairest cities and provinces were ravaged by barbarous invaders." And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south (Zech 14:4) It is this passage that dispensationalists use to support their view that Jesus will touch down on planet earth and set up His millennial kingdom. Numerous times in the Bible we read of Jehovah "coming down" to meet with His people. In most instances His coming is one of judgment; in no case was He physically present. NOTICE HOW MANY TIMES GOD’S COMING IS ASSOCIATED WITH MOUNTAINS. (This “coming in clouds” (example Matthew 24:30) in the New Testament is the Greek “Parousia” which means “His presence” not a literal coming) "And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. . . . Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech" (Gen 11:5, 7). "So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey. . . (Ex. 3:8). "Then Thou didst come down on Mount Sinai, and didst speak with them from heaven. . . (Neh. 9:13a). "Bow Thy heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke" (Psalm 144:5). "For thus says the LORD to me, 'As the lion or the young lion growls over his prey, against which a band of shepherds is called out, will not be terrified at their voice, nor disturbed at their noise, so will the LORD of hosts come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill'" (Isaiah 31:4). "Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Thy presence­" (Isa. 64:1). "When Thou didst awesome things which we did not expect, Thou didst come down, the mountains quaked at Thy presence" (Isa. 64:3). In Micah 1:3 we are told that God "is coming forth from His place" to "come down and tread on the high places of the earth." How is this descriptive language different from the Lord standing on the Mount of Olives with the result that it will split? Micah says "the mountains will melt under Him, and the valleys will be split, like wax before the fire, like water poured down a steep place" (1:4). "It was not uncommon for prophets to use figurative expressions about the Lord 'coming' down, mountains trembling, being scattered, and hills bowing (Hab. 3:6, 10); mountains flowing down at his presence (Isaiah 64:1, 3); or mountains and hills singing and the trees clapping their hands (Isaiah 55:12)." What is the Bible trying to teach us with this descriptive language of the Mount of Olives "split in its middle"? The earliest Christian writers applied Zechariah 14:4 to the work of Christ in His day. Tertullian (A.D. 145­-220) wrote: "'But at night He went out to the Mount of Olives.' For thus had Zechariah pointed out: 'And His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives' [Zech. 14:4]." Tertullian was alluding to the fact that the Olivet prophecy set the stage for the judgment-coming of Christ that would once for all break down the Jewish/Gentile division. Matthew Henry explains the theology behind the prophecy: “The partition-wall between Jew and Gentiles shall be taken away. The mountains about Jerusalem, and particularly this, signified it to be an enclosure, and that it stood in the way of those who would approach to it. Between the Gentiles and Jerusalem this mountain of Bether, of division, stood (Song of Solomon 2:17). But by the destruction of Jerusalem this mountain shall be made to cleave in the midst, and so the Jewish pale shall be taken down, and the church lay in common with the Gentiles, who were made one with the Jews by the breaking down of this middle wall of partition, Eph 2:14. You will notice that there is no mention of a thousand year reign. Yet, we are told that "the LORD will be king over all the earth" ( Zech 14:9). So what is new about this language? "For the LORD Most High is to be feared, a great King over all the earth. He subdues peoples under us, and nations under our feet" (Psalm 47:2, 3). This is exactly what happened with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Paul told the Roman Christians that "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). The church's adversary (Satan) was those Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah and persecuted His Bride, the church (see John 16:2). Jesus calls them a "synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 3:9). May the Lord bless us as we serve Him, Your servant in Messiah, Charles Jemeyson

AUTHORITY IN THE BIBLE GOD HAS INHERENT AUTHORITY • Let’s start at the beginning, If you look at Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. • Psalms 24:1: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; • Who do you see here as the “owner”? GOD has ALL AUTHORITY! He has made it all, He owns everything. God delegated AUTHORITY to His Son, Jesus Christ • John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. • Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them (apostles) and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Jesus delegated AUTHORITY to His apostles: • John 13:20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." (Jesus here, is talking about the one’s He sent, His apostles) • John 20:21 Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (Apostles) The Holy Spirit guided the Apostles Again, Jesus was talking to His apostles and said: • John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you (apostles) all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (Jesus speaking to His apostles) • John 16:12-15 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.” • 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 “but God has revealed it to us (apostles) by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” The apostles wrote the New Testament: (by the Spirit of God) With the exception of the Book of Revelation, the N.T. books were written by the apostles by the Spirit of God. The Revelation was signified unto John by the angel of Jesus Christ (1:1) • Ephesians 3:1-5 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. We are not to “add to” nor “take away” from the written Word: • Revelation 22:18-19 “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.” • Galatians 1:8-9 “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” • 1 Corinthians 4:6 “Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written." Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.” In the Bible, God told us “everything He is going to tell us”!: PAUL SPEAKS HERE OF “FAITH”… • Faith - Galatians 1:11-24 “I want you to know, brothers that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from birth {Or from my mother's womb} and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles-- only James, the Lord's brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." • “Once for all” -Hebrews 9:26-28 “Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” God has given “All things Pertaining to Life and Godliness” § 2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” • Peter maintains that the Bible doesn’t claim to teach us everything on every subject, but it does claim to teach us everything we need to know on every subject to please God. • Everything we need to have true life and please God is revealed in the Bible! • This is precisely why God does not want us to tamper with the Bible. Summary: • God has all authority. He has delegated ALL Authority to his Son. • His Son delegated Authority to His Apostles. The apostles have the same authority as Christ. • Through the Holy Spirit, the apostle’s have written the Word through “Epistles.” (Letters) and these letters have been put into book form. (We call it the “Bible”) • Through the terms of the New Covenant we know: -how to worship God, -how to be obedient, -how to be saved, -the government of the church -and how to live our lives as a Christian. GOD \ MAN JESUS | \ MAN’S WORDS APOSTLES (No authority) \ BIBLE (Apostles wrote Bible by Holy Spirit)

Remember this as you read the bible: “When you read the bible, you are reading someone else’s mail.” Preacher …W.L. Wharton (1914-2002 died at 94 years old. Started preaching at 18 years old the gospel of our Lord and died at 94 still teaching and preaching and excited about the Lord.) I am going to quote (below) a chapter from “Russell, J. Stuart from his book: “The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming.” Stuart talks about the Greek word “parousia” which means “presence.” Nowhere in the bible will you find “second coming,” but you will find “coming in clouds” (Parousia). This is Hebrew “judgement language.” We with our “Western minds” miss this language. Many teachers and preachers use "second coming" in their preaching when the scripture context is speaking of Christ's "parousia." Christ NEVER CAME BACK TO EARTH A SECOND TIME NOR WILL EVER COME BACK to earth a second time. If you read this writing you will see that Christ did come "in the clouds," His parousia. John the Baptist is foretelling what Jesus is going to do, (Matt 3:7-12) very soon, to the nation of Israel. If you read Matthew 24 and the synoptic gospels (Mark 13:1-33; Luke 17:20-37 & Luke 21:5-36) you will find Jesus warning the Jewish nation of their destruction coming soon. His prophecy was fulfilled about 40 years after Christ went back to the Father in 70 A.D. This is when the “end of the age ended” and the Law of Moses vanished. The “end of the age” was the end of the Law of Moses. From that point on, a new age, the New Covenant was established. This Greek word “Parousia” is used 24 times throughout the New Testament by the apostles and ALL POINTED TO 70 A.D. If you read the writings of the apostles (And the author of the Book of Hebrews) you will see “the last days” or the “last hour” these references are looking to the “parousia” (presence) of Christ when He destroyed the Nation of Israel. Just remember as you are reading, this “coming in clouds” (Parousia) of Jesus and the destruction of Jerusalem was on the apostles of Christ minds ALL THE TIME! We with our “western minds” see “coming in clouds” as something different than the Hebrew (Jewish) mind. The KJV bible has led many astray in Matthew 24:3 when it says, “…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?” KJV For the students of the bible, look at the Koine Greek word that KJV in Matt 24:3 translated “world.” It is the Greek word “αἰών (aion)” which means “AGE.” The age Jesus was in was ending, the “Old Covenant age.” Jesus was born under the Old Covenant age (The Law of Moses) and it was fixing to end. Jesus and His apostles kept the Law of Moses, kept the Sabbath, all the feast days of the Old Testament and all 613 commandments of the Old Covenant. Matthew tells us “…“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” (New American Standard) The KJV uses “world or world to come”… I don’t know why the KJV translated it this as “world” The Greek for world is “KOSMOS.” IN Mathew 24:3 the Greek word is “aion” which means age. Just remember as you are reading Matthew, Mark, Luke & John the age they were writing, that age was ending. There are TWO ages mentioned, the age that was (Old Covenant age) and the "age to come." Those speaks against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven in Jesus age, the Old Covenant age, or the (age to come) New Covenant age, the age we are in. (Matt 12:31, 32) The Old Covenant age ended in 70 A.D. when Jesus “coming in clouds” destroyed Jerusalem, the temple and the Jewish genealogies. There is not a Jew today that can tell you from what tribe they come from because Christ made sure that no Aaronic priesthood could ever again exist. According to Josephus, God destroyed 1,100,000 Jews in 70 A.D. and took thousands captive as slaves by the Roman Army. (In 70 A.D. it was Christ’s “Parousia” His presence and He used General Titus to as a tool to destroy Jerusalem.) The ONLY priesthood that exists today is from the tribe of Judah, Jesus Christ from the tribe of Juday is the ONLY High Priest of God. The apostles were there (The apostles saw and heard what Jesus said in the synoptic gospels Matthew 24, 25; Mark 13:1-33; Luke 17:20-37 & Luke 21:5-36) when Jesus prophesied (around 30 A.D.) the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, the nation and its genealogies. Jesus's prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D. Remember, the apostles was there when Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and this was on the mind of the apostles as they lived out their lives and taught the people (and also on the apostle Paul’s mind) When the apostles went throughout their area, from Matthew to the book of Revelation, they warned the people of that area of the coming destruction and not to fear for all those who believe in Jesus would be safe. The apostle John in the Revelation tells those in the seven churches of the impending destruction of Jerusalem in detail. He began the Revelation of Jesus and tells them (Rev 1:1) “…this MUST happen shortly… (The Greek word here is “τάχος tacos” when means “at your elbow.” THE TIMING IS THAT CLOSE AT YOUR ELBOW!”) And then in verse 3 John tells his audience the “time is near.” John gives the Revelation and then in the last chapter, Rev 22:6 & 10 he repeats that fact that this must take place “shortly” (v.6) & the “time is near. (v.10)” After a very short time, this prophecy by Jesus was fulfilled in 70 A.D. The Roman Empire was a reality until 476 A.D. Some teach the Book of Revelation is about the destruction of Rome in 476 and some even teach and preach it is for our day 2100 years later! If it is 476 years later of 2100 years later, HOW CAN THE HOLY SPIRIT SAY IN REVELATION 1:1 “…this must take place shortly” (“at your elbow)… or “the time is near.” No, this ALL HAPPENED SHORTLY, 70 A.D.!! Most of the apostles were killed by 68 A.D. and John was the last apostle alive and wrote the Book of Revelation sometime before 70 A.D and detailed the destruction of Jerusalem. Most “scholars” (who say they are scholars) will tell you Revelation was written around 95 A.D. NOT TRUE! I WILL QUOTE BELOW FROM THE BOOK: The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming.” By James Stuart Russell THE PAROUSIA PREDICTED BY JOHN THE BAPTIST "There is nothing more distinctly affirmed in the New Testament than the identity of John the Baptist with the wilderness-herald of Isaiah and the Elijah of Malachi. How well the description of John agrees with that of Elijah is evident at a glance. Each was austere and ascetic in his manner of life; each was a zealous reformer of religion; each was a stern reprove of sin. The times in which they lived were singularly alike. The nation at both periods was degenerate and corrupt. Elijah had his Ahab, John his Herod. It is no objection to this identification of John as the predicted Elijah, that the Baptist himself disclaimed the name when the priests and Levites from Jerusalem demanded: ‘Art thou Elias?’ (John 1: 21.) The Jews expected the reappearance of the literal Elijah, and John’s reply was addressed to that mistaken opinion. But his true claim to the designation is expressly affirmed in the announcement made by the angel to his father Zacharias: ‘He shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias’ (Luke 1: 17); as well as by the declarations of our Lord: ‘If ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come’ (Matt. 11: 14); ‘I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not… Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist’ (Matt. 17: 10-13). John was the second Elias, and exhaustively fulfilled the predictions of Isaiah and Malachi concerning him. To dream of an ‘Elijah of the future,’ therefore, is virtually to discredit the express statement of the word of God, and rests upon no Scripture warrant whatever. We have already adverted to the twofold aspect of the mission of John presented by the prophets Isaiah and Malachi. The same diversity is seen in the New Testament descriptions of the second Elias. The benignant aspect of his mission which is presented by Isaiah, is also recognized in the words of the angel by whom his birth was foretold, as already quoted; and in the inspired utterance of his father Zacharias: ‘Thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins’ (Luke 1: 76, 77). We find the same gracious aspect in the opening verses of the Gospel of St. John: ‘The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all men through him might believe’ (John 1: 7). But the other aspect of his mission is no less distinctly recognized in the Gospels. He is represented, not only as the herald of the coming Savior, but of the coming Judge. Indeed, his own recorded utterances speak far more of wrath than of salvation, and are conceived more in the spirit of the Elijah of Malachi, than of the wilderness-herald of Isaiah. John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the multitudes that crowded to his baptism, to ‘flee from the coming wrath.’ He tells them that ‘the axe is laid unto the root of the trees.’ He announces the coming of One mightier than himself, ‘whose fan is in his hand, and who will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, but who will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire’ (Matt. 3: 12). ( Took place in 70 A.D., added my me, cj.) It is impossible not to be struck with the correspondence between the language of the Baptist and that of Malachi. As Hengstenberg observes: ‘The prophecy of Malachi is throughout the text upon which John comments.’ In both, the coming of the Lord is described as a day of wrath; both speak of His coming with fire to purify and try, with fire to burn and consume. Both speak of a time of discrimination and separation between the righteous and the wicked, the gold and the dross, the wheat and the chaff; and both speak of the utter destruction of the chaff, or stubble, with unquenchable fire. These are not fortuitous resemblances: the two predictions are the counterpart one of the other, and can only refer to the self-same event, the same ‘day of the Lord,’ the same coming judgment. But what more especially deserves remark is the evident nearness of the crisis which John predicts. ‘The wrath to come’ is a very inadequate rendering of the language of the prophet. It should be ‘the coming wrath;’ that is, not merely future, but impending. ‘The wrath to come’ may be indefinitely distant, but ‘the coming wrath’ is imminent. As Alford justly remarks: ‘John is now speaking in the true character of a prophet foretelling the wrath soon to be poured on the Jewish nation,’ So with the other representations in the address of the Baptist; all is indicative of the swift approach of destruction. ‘Already the axe was lying at the root of the trees.’ The ‘winnowing shovel’ was actually in the hands of the Husbandman; the sifting process was about to begin. These warnings of John the Baptist are not the vague and indefinite exhortations to repentance, addressed to men in all ages, which they are sometimes assumed to be; they are urgent, burning words, having a specific and present bearing upon the then existing generation, the living men to whom he brought the message of God. The Jewish nation was now upon its last trial; the second Elijah had come as the precursor of ‘the great and dreadful day of the Lord:’ if they rejected his warnings, the doom predicted by Malachi would surely and speedily follow; ‘I will come and smite the land with the curse.’ Nothing can be more obvious than that the catastrophe to which John alludes is particular, national, local, and imminent, and history tells us that within the period of the generation that listened to his warning cry, ‘the wrath came upon them to the uttermost.’” Russell, J. Stuart. The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord's Second Coming (Kindle Locations 210-214). . Kindle Edition. Many of those reading this will NOT ACCEPT this as truth. One of the reasons is because they have believed a lie so long as the lie is a truth to them. All I ask is to open your hearts and eyes and examine the Scriptures. “The SUM of thy Word is Truth…” (Psalms 119:160) ("When you tell a LIE long enough, it becomes truth," Hitler said this.) Many in this group believe as I did in 1970 when I was 30 years old. I have studied His Word for many years, been to Bible College, and have grown in His Word. God's Word has changed my beliefs on eschatology. God’s Word is like you living all your life and taking a bucket and dipping it into the ocean and trying to drain it. At the end of your life you look at the ocean and see that you have not even touched it. It is the same with God’s Word, you can study ALL YOUR LIFE, and like the ocean, you have not even touched it there is SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN. The Lord loves you and wants US to grow with Him and His Word. Question: To go along with this study, what do you think about Isaiah 13:10 “For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” Answer: The Lord is speaking here in Isa 13:10 of the destruction of Babylon. He used an army (clouds) to do His will. Question, How about: Isaiah 19:1 KJV Isaiah 19:1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. Answer: Here again, In Isaiah 19:1ff the Lord is speaking of “riding a swift cloud” to destroy Egypt. An army fulfilled this. The point is, that the Lord, in prophetic speech, speaks of “coming in the clouds, or riding a swift cloud” when really He is speaking of using a nations army to destroy another nation. When you see “coming in clouds,” sun darkened, moon will not give light and stars falling from heaven this is judgement language. In Matthew 24 you see this phrase of the sun, moon and stars (Matthew 24:29) and this is speaking of the falling of the nation of Israel. The “stars” are its leaders, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, priests etc. For those who have open hearts, not to argue, but to learn, email me, I have studied this for over 49 years. I am Charles. cjemeyson@satx.rr.com

Maybe the da da dits did the same to me?? LOL My wife of 56 years thinks it has affected me. I know one thing, it has affected my hearing. My wife gets upset with me because I ask her "what did you say?" many times a day. If there is any noise in a crowd and someone is speaking most of the time I can't hear. The VA has given me hearing aids, but they do not really help very much. Anyway, The Lord bless you as you serve Him, Charles

Years ago, I was a Naval spy and we intercepted Morse code messages from the Russians and Chinese. Many of their messages were in binary form. I liked the binary form as it was very easy for me to copy in Morse code. The Russian Navy had some of the fastest code senders in the world. I could copy Morse at 55wpm. dit da dit?? or da dit da da da? May the Lord bless you as you serve Him, Charles

Hello Megan: Years ago, there was a book published that Jesus Christ was to return in Sept 1988. What Happened?? LOL The Jehovah Witnesses spoke of the end of the world in 1974/5 (I can't remember the exact time due to it was spoken years ago) I have seen this "end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ" stuff over the years since 1970 when I started to follow the Lord (disciple of the Messiah). Every generation of Christians have an "antichrist." Martin Luther, John Calvin, Cotton Mather, William Tyndale, and a long list of other Protestants have considered the office of the papacy to be the Antichrist in their generation. Some said Nero Caesar, some Hitler, even some said Napoleon. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, for the Nixon and Ford Administrations topped the “Most Likely to Be the Antichrist” lists. Also, in the 1970's the Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, with a "birthmark on his forehead" showed that he had the "mark of the beast." Almost every present since George Washington has been labeled as the "Antichrist." Remember that Obama was the Antichrist and now it is Trump. We, with our "western minds" look at the Jewish writings (Old and New Testament) and apply our understandings. As Gentiles, we miss what is really being said a lot of the times... for example when you see "coming in clouds, or "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:..." (Matt 24:29) What do you think with your "western mind"? As a Hebrew (Jew) he/she sees this as judgement language. If you study the synoptic gospels Matthew 24 (Mark 13:1-33; Luke 17:20-37 & Luke 21:5-36) this is all about the "destruction of the Nation of Israel, the temple and even the Jewish genealogies." There is not a Jew today that can tell you from what tribe they come from due to the fact that the Messiah destroyed them in 70 A.D. According to Josephus, the Jewish Historian, 1,100,000 Jews (even women and children) were destroyed and many thousands taken captivity as slaves by the Roman Army. (Christ 'coming in clouds" Greek, "parousia." means His presence.) Correspond with me on this, my name is Charles and my email address is cjemeyson@satx.rr.com. Anyone else that want to discuss this please email me. I do not want to argue over this subject, but want to keep it peaceful and joyful. The more you learn of God's Word, then the happier you will be. Gods Word is like someone taking a bucket of water out of the ocean until you die. When you look back at the water taken out, the water that the bucket poured out does not make a difference in the ocean. This is the same with God's Word, you can study it ALL YOU LIFE and you still have an ocean left. You find out, there is MUCH more to learn. I have studied over 49 years, been to bible college, and have only touched the surface it. I learn ALL THE TIME. "Remember, when you read the bible, you are reading someone else's mail." Preacher, W. L. Wharton (1914-2002) "The sum of thy Word is truth" (Ps 119:160)

Please send this link to everyone on your email lists. THANKS! LINK BELOW IS TO A VIDEO PRESENTATION BY AN ARTICULATE BRITISH CITIZEN BLASTING Prime Minister DAVID CAMERON FOR HIS FOOLISH VIEWS & ENABLING OF MUSLIMS / ISLAM ENTRY AND EXPANSION IN ENGLAND. IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST STATEMENT I'VE SEEN TO DATE ABOUT THE DANGER OF MUSLIMS / ISLAM IMPORTATION. SOUND UP, CLICK LINK, WATCH FULL SCREEN, VIEW / LISTEN TO EVERY WORD BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT OUR PRESIDENT IS ALSO BRINGING TO OUR COUNTRY...... https://player.vimeo.com/video/167607521?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

Dawn: An EMP would bring the United States to its knees. If Iran or China were to send a nuclear missile over the U.S. it would create an EMP. If that happened you would not have water, electricity, no radios, no police protection, no stores to purchase food, not truck/cars on the road, no NADA!! Go to google and google "emp." There is a lot of info on it there. An EMP could be done by nature, but most likely it would be one of our enemies. It wasn't to long ago that "I think" I read where China bragged about doing this to the U.S. Of course we have that technology also, but it is "whoever does it first wins." In Christ, charlesj 2Thes 1:7,8 (two classes of people here, unbelievers and believers. You have to worry about this for it would be worse than an EMP.)

There is a group of us here in Texas that are preparing for the worse, like an EMP (electromagnetic pulse). The group is called Texas Texaspreparednessgroup. The url is http://texaspreparednessgroup.ning.com /group/god-is-salvation-group. There are many "groups" within texaspreparednessgroup. I belong to the salvation group. The goal is to be prepared with food, clothing, water, lights etc. in case of an EMP or other calamity. We are NOT anti-government or anything like that. The group assignments deal with where you live. I live in district 12 (D-12). Texas is large so we have a lot of districts. Maybe your state has one?? In the meetings someone teaches on how to make soap, herbs that are edible, rabbit traps, etc. etc. The main thing to have is a supply of water. Go to our webpage and you will see the rules.

Hello Hall 7: Fear is one the things that God has given us. There is nothing wrong with fear. When Christ was on earth, "...the disciples meet behind closed doors for FEAR of the Jews..." (John 20.19) Of course, by faith (trust) and a focus on Jesus we walk in this life. Is it a sin to fear while in Christ? No. I don't think any of us would want to leave America and go to another country. I've been in Africa (two years with Muslims), Germany (two years) and all over the Mediterranean. I was a Naval spy (Naval Security Group) for 6 years and spent four years as a U.S. Marine Corps. So, when someone tells me to "go to another country" it doesn't set to well with me. (I'm not mad, I just don't like it.) You had better fear these people (Muslims). I saw them hang a two women in Africa (Sidi Yahia, Kenetra, Morocco) just for going with an sailor. in Christ, charlesj