| |
Dedicated to the Student of the Last Days |
|
Vol. 28, April 2022 |
| |
|
Featured Article
Soon we will celebrate Easter, the day that Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, rose from the tomb, having defeated sin and death. Thousands of years ago, Daniel was shown in a glorious vision by the angel Gabriel when the Messiah would come and redeem Israel.
The 70-Week prophecy of Daniel is one of the most important prophecies in either the Old or New Testaments. Throughout Church history, this prophecy has been considered one of the most esteemed messianic passages of the Old Testament. It foretold of the greatest event to occur in the history of the world. Gabriel's answer to Daniel's humble prayer revealed to him and all those who read and understood it, that the Messiah would come and save His people.
Besides being such an important passage, Daniel's 70-week prophecy is also one of the most notoriously difficult passages for readers to understand. This being the case, it has caused a wide variety of interpretations since it was recorded.
In this article I will explain the vision of Daniel so that you can have a greater appreciation of God's foreknowledge and His love for us. As I discuss Daniel's vision, I will try to explain the major interpretations of the 70-week prophecy but will not go into great detail, since these are varied and numerous. Libraries are filled with the countless articles and books about this vision...
Read More Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
Update on Books
I joined a great group of writers called Christians Writing Wonder. It is a critique group of Christian authors who want to go beyond the smaller Christian market and into the general market of their genre. We critique each other's work, brainstorm, and share thoughts on how Christians can write for the average reader. They are a great bunch of writers with talent and imagination.
JKS
|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
Aaron, from Texas asks: Is the coronavirus one of the plagues mentioned in the Bible?
See the answer here.
|
|
|
| |
|
An Interview with Professor Stephen Ben-Yosef
Today I am visiting with Professor Stephen Ben-Yosef from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
"Thank you for inviting me to your office, Professor." His office is spacious, filled with packed bookshelves and crowded curio cases.
"Thank you, Mr. Sellers," replied Ben-Yosef. "I'm glad to have you here."
I sat back in the comfortable guest chair, marveling at all the artifacts in the curio cases. There were pieced together ornate vases, clay figurines and seals, stone implements, and several ancient coins. I'll ask about them after the interview, I thought to myself. First business, then pleasure. Ben-Yosef's office was bright with the scent of old books and an earthy smell of pottery.
"To begin, why don't you tell us about yourself," I asked...
Read More Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wars and Rumor of Wars.... Matthew 24:6 Prophesies in the News:
Hadera shooting attack, March 2022
.
By ANNA AHRONHEIM and TOVAH LAZAROFF MARCH 30, 2022
"Bennett: Whoever has a gun license, it's time to carry the gun • Volunteers called to reinforce army, police"
Israel on high alert
Israel plans to bolster its army and police presence in sensitive areas as it prepares for further terrorist attacks, including Gaza rockets, following a deadly spate of shooting and stabbing incidents that claimed 11 lives in the last week...
read more at The Jerusalem Post
|
|
|
|
|
The Earth Shall Reel To and Fro...Isaiah 24:20
So, what could cause the earth to "reel to and fro", " the moon being turned to blood" or the "stars to fall from heaven"? In volumes 1 and 2, I posted articles about a possible ninth planet orbiting our sun. A close encounter with a large gravitational force, such as another planet, could make the earth 'reel' or 'wobble' on its axis. In volume 3 I posted an article on pole shifts. Articles for this month and the next will be another possible explanation for these events prophesied in the Bible, Volcanic eruptions:
"The eruption of Mount Tambora killed thousands, plunged much of the world into a frightful chill and offers lessons for today."
By Robert Evans, JULY 2002
SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE
"The most destructive explosion on earth in the past 10,000 years was the eruption of an obscure volcano in Indonesia called Mount Tambora. More than 13,000 feet high, Tambora blew up in 1815 and blasted 12 cubic miles of gases, dust and rock into the atmosphere and onto the island of Sumbawa and the surrounding area. Rivers of incandescent ash poured down the mountain's flanks and burned grasslands and forests. The ground shook, sending tsunamis racing across the Java Sea. An estimated 10,000 of the island's inhabitants died instantly.
It's the eruption's far-flung consequences, however, that have most intrigued scholars and scientists. They have studied how debris from the volcano shrouded and chilled parts of the planet for many months, contributing to crop failure and famine in North America and epidemics in Europe. Climate experts believe that Tambora was partly responsible for the unseasonable chill that afflicted much of the Northern Hemisphere in 1816, known as the "year without a summer." Tamboran gloom may have even played a part in the creation of one of the 19th century's most enduring fictional characters, Dr. Frankenstein's monster..."
read more at SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Third Temple
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:" Amos 9:11
by John P. Pratt, V. Garth Norman, Lance Harding, and Jason Jones
15 Aug 2008
from John P. Pratt Home Page
"Newly discovered evidence indicates possible original location of Solomon's temple."
"Exactly where was Solomon's temple located? Virtually all investigators agree that it was on the Temple Mount Platform in Jerusalem, but its precise location has been in question.
This article proposes a new location on that platform, where no building presently exists. If correct, then Solomon's temple could be restored without affecting the magnificent Muslim mosque, the Dome of the Rock, which is situated where most scholars believe Solomon's temple had stood..."
read more at John P. Pratt Home Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new." Eccles. 1:9
From Jesus Plus Nothing
"The book of Judges, which is believed to have been written by the prophet Samuel around 1050 – 1000 BC, presents us with a sad and turbulent period in Israel's history. Contrasted greatly with the victorious book of Joshua that precedes it, Judges shows the failure of Israel to conquer their enemies, claim their inheritance, and the huge effect that this had on their life and relationship with God. Throughout this entire book, we see a repeated cycle, one that we will call 'The cycle of sin'.
Judges 2:18-19 'Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.'
In these two verses we find the pattern for the entire book – a pattern of sin, bondage and repentance that would last for nearly 350 years (around 1380 to 1050 BC). The following table [1] shows how this was repeated over and over..."
read more at Jesus Plus Nothing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him..." Ezekiel 38:2
By Felix Immanuel / January 16, 2018
From Trumpet Call
"Gog and Magog is not only mentioned in the Bible several times, but occurs in Genesis as well as Revelation. These are the group of people who will come against Israel in the last days. Hence, identifying them is crucial.
Ezek 38:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.
Ezek 39:1 "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.
The key identification comes from the book of Ezekiel where Gog was from north of Israel. There are several nations in the north and we need to have some approximate location to pinpoint the country of Gog and Magog today. Gog is the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Identifying any one of these places will give an approximate location of the country today in the north of Israel..."
read more at Trumpet Call
|
|
|
|
|
Come, Follow Me,...Matthew 4:19
By Elder Robert D. Hales
"The constellation of characteristics that result from faith in Christ are all necessary to our standing strong in these last days.
What does it mean to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ? A disciple is one who has been baptized and is willing to take upon him or her the name of the Savior and follow Him. A disciple strives to become as He is by keeping His commandments in mortality, much the same as an apprentice seeks to become like his or her master.
Many people hear the word disciple and think it means only "follower." But genuine discipleship is a state of being. This suggests more than studying and applying a list of individual attributes. Disciples live so that the characteristics of Christ are woven into the fiber of their beings, as into a spiritual tapestry..."
read more at churchofjesuschrist.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Emergency Preparedness
"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear..."
BY ANDREW ZALESKI, MAR 26, 2020
From POPULAR MECHANICS
"Long lines outside grocery stores. Aisles stripped of canned food, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. A fast-moving pandemic disease that, as of last week, was infecting more than 30,000 people every day.
Just a month ago, such a situation was unimaginable for most of us. But for disaster preppers, it's precisely the scenario they're determined to be ready for.
"I'm from a very old Appalachian family. Even before the word 'prepper' was a term, we were always putting back stuff and being ready in case we couldn't go to the store," says Samantha Biggers, who hardly fits the stereotype seen in TV shows like Doomsday Preppers. Biggers is a tattooed, 36-year-old farmer in North Carolina who brews her own beer and shears her own sheep. That's a far cry from a wild-eyed paramilitary man living off-grid in a bunker designed to weather an EMP blast.
In a world where most of us take a safety net for granted, the idea that we might have to be ready for the worst is a reality-distorting, anxiety-inducing mental exercise. And it's become all too real as the novel coronavirus spreads worldwide and we are suddenly forced to confront the reality of being locked down with limited access to food, medicine, and supplies..."
Read more at POPULAR MECHANICS
To see older editions of the Newsletter, go to the Newsletter Archive.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
