Questions from Readers (page 2)

To Honor Jesus Christ, Glorify God, Encourage Believers, & Warn All
Est 08-31-2006 Changed 04-24-2010

This information is offered with the hope that YOU can come to KNOW the Lord personally.

As a fellow Christian I once believed in pre-tribulation rapture because of teachings I have heard. I was big into the Left Behind series and even got the book about Revelation. However, when I began to read the scriptures, I realized with the aid of the Holy Spirit and much prayer that they were being taken out of context. God revealed to me that Rev 6 and Matt 24 describe the same set of events. Begin with the Sixth seal which describes the sun darkening and moon to blood and stars falling, this is described in Matt 24. Then the fifth seal which shows he martyrs in Rev 6 corresponds to the persecution of the church in Matt 24. The first four seals are condensed into the phrasing kingdom against kingdom, famines, pestilence and natural disasters. Please read for exact references. But after these is when the rapture takes place which is after the abomination of desolation in Daniel. When this was shown to me by the Spirit I prayed for discernment about why we should suffer a portion of the tribulation. The reason for this is the purification of the church Rev 3:14-21 the Laodicean church is lukewarm and God is about to spit her out of His mouth, Matt 24 shows that during the persecution the love of some will grow cold, these are lukewarm Christians who think they know Christ, but are just playing at church and not really committed. Believe me this is hard to accept and understand, it took much prayer and reading the Word, but when I took the Word in context and not just taking bits here and pieces there it all came together and peace flooded my soul.

God be with you and keep you safe, e-mail me with any questions or comments, I too am open to correction based on scripture.

Dear Russell:

Yes, Jesus is the only way for mankind when you examine and logically compare Christianity to all the world religions. But examine the bible as you examine our political times and you will find many many many contriditions inside due to man. The “History of God” is a good book to read. Tell me what you think.

RESPONSE

First of all, let me say that the notion of any "History of God" seems ludicrous. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psa 90:2) So, how can there be any "History of God?" The notion of a written "History of God" smacks of man elevating himself before he begins speaking.   What man would venture to write such a book with such a presumptuous title? Clearly, such a man does not know the Almighty. Of course, the book "History of God" is supposedly a history of man's thoughts about God; but, the author could not withhold himself from choosing the asininely proud title (since it sells).

Now, contrast this with the Bible. The men who penned the words of the Bible were admitted NOBODYs. They said so and PROVED it without saying so (by their actions of self-failure) over and over. What an honest book the Bible is!   God took NOBODYs and put His Word IN THEIR TONGUE so that they could speak and write the VERY WORD OF GOD.

The miracle is that the Almighty put His Word in MEN and they recorded it for us to read.   The notion that the Bible contains contradictions may only be maintained when one puts a private interpretation on the scripture one is reading. The contradiction is in the mind of the reader BEFORE the Word enters the reader. Such a reader can never understand the Bible because he has no enlightment from the LORD by which the Bible is opened to the reader's eyes and heart.

The Bible is not a History of what men think. The Bible tells the truth about God and His relationship with men FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE LORD GOD HIMSELF.   The Bible needs no one to defend it!!   It speaks for itself.   The Bible destroys the foolish thinking of men everyday and forever. The Bible will still be standing when the heavens and earth are made new.

Any man who wants to do battle with the Bible is headed for the slaughter. He is hastening to his destruction wielding his SWORD of LOGIC all the while being humiliated by the WISDOM of GOD.

End 12-19-2006

01-05-2007

READER ASKS

Dear Russell,

Yesterday, the Iraqi Government hung Saddam Hussein and the Shias' including most all the people were happy.
I have to say that I was sad even though he was a cruel dictator he actually believed he was doing right. He believed in the Koran which he thought was the true word of god. His letter he dictated for the public seemed to come from his heart. He was deceived. I am so sad that so many are deceived by their religions.

It has not made sense that our Government would want the Shias' in the Iraqi Government to take control
of Iraq. Our Government has been helping Jordan which is Sunni. This did not make sense until I read-

A Clean Break:
A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
_______________________________
This paragraph explains it.

King Hussein may have ideas for Israel in bringing its Lebanon problem under control. The predominantly Shia
population of Southern Lebanon has been tied for centuries to the Shia leadership in Najf, Iraq rather than Iran.
Were the Hashemites to control Iraq, they could use their influence over Najf to help Israel wean the south Lebanese
Shia away from Hizballah, Iran, and Syria. Shia retain strong ties to the Hashemites: the Shia venerate foremost the Prophet's family, the direct descendants of which- and in whose veins the blood of the Prophet flows - is King Hussein

Do you think this could be their aim?

God Bless You,

--

Answer

Yes -

On this page-

http://jesus-is-the-way.com/PostWar.html

see the 04-16-2003 and 07-16-2006 update

from 04-08-2004

see http://jesus-is-the-way.com/ThreeHorns2.html <<<<<especially

06-15-2006

The aforementioned page and the 06-15-2006 update refer to the following link-

Quote Begins Here>>
from an article published 4-1-2003 (but still full of relevant information) which outlines a strategy remarkably similar to Bible prophecy
http://www.prospect.org/print/V14/4/dreyfuss-r.html

Iran is not the only country where restoration of monarchy is being considered. Neoconservative strategists have also supported returning to power the Iraqi monarchy, which was toppled in 1958 by a combination of military officers and Iraqi communists. When the Ottoman Empire crumbled after World War I, British intelligence sponsored the rise of a little-known family called the Hashemites, whose origins lay in the Saudi region around Mecca and Medina. Two Hashemite brothers were installed on the thrones of Jordan and Iraq.

For nearly a year, the neocons have suggested that Jordan's Prince Hassan, the brother of the late King Hussein of Jordan and a blood relative of the Iraqi Hashemite family, might re-establish the Hashemites in Baghdad were Saddam Hussein to be removed. Among the neocons are Michael Rubin, a former AEI fellow, and David Wurmser, a Perle acolyte. Rubin in 2002 wrote an article for London's Daily Telegraph headlined, "If Iraqis want a king, Hassan of Jordan could be their man." Wurmser in 1999 wrote Tyranny's Ally, an AEI-published book devoted largely to the idea of restoring the Hashemite dynasty in Iraq. Today Rubin is a key Department of Defense official overseeing U.S. policy toward Iraq, and Wurmser is a high-ranking official working for Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton, himself a leading neoconservative ideologue.

But if the neocons are toying with the idea of restoring monarchies in Iraq and Iran, they are also eyeing the destruction of the region's wealthiest and most important royal family of all: the Saudis. Since September 11, the hawks have launched an all-out verbal assault on the Saudi monarchy, accusing Riyadh of supporting Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda organization and charging that the Saudis are masterminding a worldwide network of mosques, schools and charity organizations that promote terrorism. It's a charge so breathtaking that those most familiar with Saudi Arabia are at a loss for words when asked about it. "The idea that the House of Saud is cooperating with al-Qaeda is absurd," says James Akins, who served as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1970s and frequently travels to the Saudi capital as a consultant. "It's too dumb to be talked about."

That doesn't stop the neoconservatives from doing so, however. In The War Against the Terror Masters, Ledeen cites Wurmser in charging that, just before 9-11, "Saudi intelligence had become difficult to distinguish from Al Qaeda." Countless other, similar accusations have been flung at the Saudis by neocons. Max Singer, co-founder of the Hudson Institute, has repeatedly suggested that the United States seek to dismantle the Saudi kingdom by encouraging breakaway republics in the oil-rich eastern province (which is heavily Shia) and in the western Hijaz. "After [Hussein] is removed, there will be an earthquake throughout the region," says Singer. "If this means the fall of the [Saudi] regime, so be it." And when Hussein goes, Ledeen says, it could lead to the collapse of the Saudi regime, perhaps to pro-al-Qaeda radicals. "In that event, we would have to extend the war to the Arabian peninsula, at the very least to the oil-producing regions."

"I've stopped saying that Saudi Arabia will be taken over by Osama bin Laden or by a bin Laden clone if we go into Iraq," says Akins. "I'm now convinced that's exactly what [the neoconservatives] want. And then we take it over."

Iraq, too, could shatter into at least three pieces, which would be based on the three erstwhile Ottoman Empire provinces of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra that were cobbled together to compose the state eight decades ago. That could conceivably leave a Hashemite kingdom in control of largely Sunni central Iraq, a Shia state in the south (possibly linked to Iran, informally) and some sort of Kurdish entity in the north -- either independent or, as is more likely, under the control of the Turkish army. Turkey, a reluctant player in George W. Bush's crusade, fears an independent Kurdistan and would love to get its hands on Iraq's northern oil fields around the city of Kirkuk.

The final key component for these map-redrawing, would-be Lawrences of Arabia is the toppling of Assad's regime and the breakup of Syria. Perle himself proposed exactly that in a 1996 document prepared for the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies (IASPS), an Israeli think tank. The plan, titled, "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm," was originally prepared as a working paper to advise then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. It called on Israel to work with Turkey and Jordan to "contain, destabilize and roll-back" various states in the region, overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq, press Jordan to restore a scion of its Hashemite dynasty to the Iraqi throne and, above all, launch military assaults against Lebanon and Syria as a "prelude to a redrawing of the map of the Middle East [to] threaten Syria's territorial integrity." Joining Perle in writing the IASPS paper were Douglas Feith and Wurmser, now senior officials in Bush's national-security apparatus.

Gary Schmitt, executive director of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC), worries only that the Bush administration, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney, might not have the guts to see its plan all the way through once Hussein is toppled. "It's going to be no small thing for the United States to follow through on its stated strategic policy in the region," he says. But Schmitt believes that President Bush is fully committed, having been deeply affected by the events of September 11. Schmitt roundly endorses the vision put forward by Kaplan and Kristol in The War Over Iraq, which was sponsored by the PNAC. "It's really our book," says Schmitt.

Six years ago, in its founding statement of principles, PNAC called for a radical change in U.S. foreign and defense policy, with a beefed-up military budget and a more muscular stance abroad, challenging hostile regimes and assuming "American global leadership." Signers of that statement included Cheney; Rumsfeld; Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Peter W. Rodman; Elliott Abrams, the Near East and North African affairs director at the National Security Council; Zalmay Khalilzad, the White House liaison to the Iraqi opposition; I. Lewis Libby, Cheney's chief of staff; and Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.), the president's brother. The PNAC statement foreshadowed the outline of the president's 2002 national-security strategy.

Scenarios for sweeping changes in the Middle East, imposed by U.S armed forces, were once thought fanciful -- even ridiculous -- but they are now taken seriously given the incalculable impact of an invasion of Iraq. Chas Freeman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, worries about everything that could go wrong. "It's a war to turn the kaleidoscope, by people who know nothing about the Middle East," he says. "And there's no way to know how the pieces will fall." Perle and Co., says Freeman, are seeking a Middle East dominated by an alliance between the United States and Israel, backed by overwhelming military force. "It's machtpolitik, might makes right," he says. Asked about the comparison between Iraq and Hiroshima, Freeman adds, "There is no question that the Richard Perles of the world see shock and awe as a means to establish a position of supremacy that others fear to challenge."

But Freeman, who is now president of the Middle East Policy Council, thinks it will be a disaster. "This outdoes anything in the march of folly catalog," he says. "It's the lemmings going over the cliff."

Here, friends, we have a policy proclaimed in a book in 1999 which advocates a scenario in which a king takes over for 3 kings in Iraq. Much of this policy originated in Israeli politics through PNAC and "The Clean Break." These "politics" will lead to a 'consumption' of Israel (Isa 28:22) because Israel becomes ruled by scornful men (Isa 28:14) whose rule leads Israel into a policy called a covenant with death and an agreement with hell (Isa 28:15). Yet eventually they turn to Jesus Christ at His coming (Isa 28:16), though it only be a remnant, Isa 10:20, (they escape the antichrist). Israel will enter into an association (associate yourselves... and ye shall be broken in pieces) and and will gird itself (with PNAC and Clean Break and the eventual King of Iraq, the wicked counsellor of Nineveh (Mosul) Nahum 1:11) and by so doing will be broken in pieces. (Isa 8:9) Friends, the panorama of the book of Isaiah is awe inspiring!!
Remember, when Mosul (aka Nineveh, aka Assur), merges with Ammon (Psa 83) is when the antichrist comes to power. The Assyrian will be the scourge against Israel and shall overflow and go over (Isa 8:8) exactly as he does in Daniel 11:40. The Lord at His coming shall break the Assyrian antichrist (Isa 14:25, Isa 30:31, Isa 31:8).
<< Quote ends here

Friends, the strategy of the United States to destabilize Iraq is a deliberate one (as is explained here http://www.prospect.org/print/V14/4/dreyfuss-r.html

At any rate, no matter what the British decide, should the Iranian Oil Bourse accelerate, the interests that matter—those of Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Russians, and Arabs—will eagerly adopt the Euro, thus sealing the fate of the dollar. Americans cannot allow this to happen, and if necessary, will use a vast array of strategies to halt or hobble the operation’s exchange:

· Sabotaging the Exchange—this could be a computer virus, network, communications, or server attack, various server security breaches, or a 9-11-type attack on main and backup facilities.

· Coup d’état—this is by far the best long-term strategy available to the Americans.

· Negotiating Acceptable Terms & Limitations—this is another excellent solution to the Americans. Of course, a government coup is clearly the preferred strategy, for it will ensure that the exchange does not operate at all and does not threaten American interests. However, if an attempted sabotage or coup d’etat fails, then negotiation is clearly the second-best available option.

· Joint U.N. War Resolution—this will be, no doubt, hard to secure given the interests of all other member-states of the Security Council. Feverish rhetoric about Iranians developing nuclear weapons undoubtedly serves to prepare this course of action.

· Unilateral Nuclear Strike—this is a terrible strategic choice for all the reasons associated with the next strategy, the Unilateral Total War. The Americans will likely use Israel to do their dirty nuclear job.

· Unilateral Total War—this is obviously the worst strategic choice. First, the U.S. military resources have been already depleted with two wars. Secondly, the Americans will further alienate other powerful nations. Third, major dollar-holding countries may decide to quietly retaliate by dumping their own mountains of dollars, thus preventing the U.S. from further financing its militant ambitions. Finally, Iran has strategic alliances with other powerful nations that may trigger their involvement in war; Iran reputedly has such alliance with China, India, and Russia, known as the Shanghai Cooperative Group, a.k.a. Shanghai Coop and a separate pact with Syria.

Whatever the strategic choice, from a purely economic point of view, should the Iranian Oil Bourse gain momentum, it will be eagerly embraced by major economic powers and will precipitate the demise of the dollar. The collapsing dollar will dramatically accelerate U.S. inflation and will pressure upward U.S. long-term interest rates. At this point, the Fed will find itself between Scylla and Charybdis—between deflation and hyperinflation—it will be forced fast either to take its “classical medicine” by deflating, whereby it raises interest rates, thus inducing a major economic depression, a collapse in real estate, and an implosion in bond, stock, and derivative markets, with a total financial collapse, or alternatively, to take the Weimar way out by inflating, whereby it pegs the long-bond yield, raises the Helicopters and drowns the financial system in liquidity, bailing out numerous LTCMs and hyperinflating the economy.

While studying the book of John this week the question came up “why did John refer to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved”.

In your article where you suggest what needs to be done for man to be saved you failed to mention several points the most important being.

Baptism!!! Mark16:16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

There is no easy route to salvation. These are the true steps to salvation, one must Hear the word of God (Rom, 10:14), Believe (Heb, 11:6), Repent (Luke 13:3), Confess (Rom, 10:10), be Baptized (Gal, 3:27) then and only then can one be saved.

It is, however, the systematic deprivation of the underlying Greek which does so grievously offend me. For this is nothing else but a poisoning of the River of Life at its Sacred Source. Our revisors stand convicted of having deliberately rejected the words of inspiration in every page, and having substituted for them fabricated readings which the church has long since refused to acknowledge or else rejected with abhorrence, readings which survive at this time [1885] in only a little handful of documents of the most depraved type.

Greetings!
How can one be a man of reason and a man of faith? It seems to me that you are both. I guess it depends towards what ends you apply reason is a possible answer. If one acknowledges, rightly, the limitation of one's own reason, I suppose this is a start.

Furthermore, the idea of Jesus as God bothers me in a few ways. First of all, why was Jesus required if He is part of the Trinity (an aspect of God)? God, in this interpretation, must have a naturally forgiving nature - but this is at odds with Old Testament recounts.

God, in this interpretation, must have a naturally forgiving nature - but this is at odds with Old Testament recounts.
Sin is an awful thing. The Almighty is Holy and righteous.

Creationism, another problem, there is some conflict with scientific dating of the earth to 4.6 billion years ago. How can one reconcile such conflicting accounts, when there are fossils, and carbon dating, and suns and stars of apparent prehistorical origins?
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psa 90:2) There are plenty of men in the community of science who choose to interpret facts in ways that keep them on the throne. (See above). Fossils and geologic strata are circular reasonings. Furthermore, the earth is FULL of catastrophic geology, yet, many scientists insist on calling it "gradualism." Example- the earth is COVERED in sedimentary rock.
Who are we going to trust - men or God? The Word of God will stand forever and it will trample the notions of men trying to escape the inevitable.

How can I choose a God out of rationality and not out of fear?
You do not choose God, you SUBMIT to God. The FEAR of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.. (Pro 9:10)

How can I believe in a God out of faith, when faith, it seems is a matter of grace?
Now we are getting somewhere. Once you agree with God that you are a sinner, you will NEED a Savior. You will NEED Grace.
No one can be saved who does not need a Savior. Only sinners did Christ come to save (I am come not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance- Mat 9:13). Since all will not be saved and all are sinners, then, He is saving only those who KNOW they are sinners.

Commentary: Only by the mercy of God is anyone saved; there is NOTHING we can do to earn salvation . Not membership in churches, not membership in ANY denomination, not being Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Confuscian, not baptism, not sprinkling, not being good, not refraining from sin. The ONLY thing that saves us is the Grace of God through faith in the Only Begotten Son of God and His finished work on the cross. He saved us, regenerated us, renewed us. END QUOTE

More from Stephen-
I suspect that the little horn will be an Islamic leader who will gain a great following and these will be the ones who will worship Satan and his christ. The covenant will be a perversion of the Abrahamic covenant that God has with Israel. He will claim it (confirm) for Islam. The religion already teaches this now. We need to watch this very carefully if it turns out that Islam is the cult religion of the beast. It may not seem that the Islamic world can match western military power, but Satan and Abaddon are very powerful angelic beings and this may make the difference.

Certainly possible, but, do not count out the influence of the Vatican.

The fact is I despise all this anti-Islam talk in the United States and I have said so over and over and over. I have many “christian” friends who call me a nut-case for opposing anti-Islam talk. Frankly, I think anti-Islam talk is just plain wrong and is playing into the hands of the devil. See the http://jesus-is-the-way.com/ClashOfCivilizations.html

My point in this email is a PERSONAL MESSAGE to YOU, not to Islam. However, let all of Ishmael turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In John chapter 1 it says that In the beginning was the Word and Word was with God and the Word was God…He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not…the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us… This says plainly that Jesus Christ is the Creator and that the Creator dwelt among us. Nobody else can make this claim, not the Pope, not any prophet, nor any other man ever to walk the planet. Jesus Christ is GOD IN THE FLESH. Anyone that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist… (1 John 4:3) This can not possibly mean that someone says that a prophet named Jesus has not come. ("Everybody" says the prophet Jesus, including the lost) It can only mean that God has not come in the flesh. In other words, saying Jesus is not God in the flesh is the spirit of antichrist.

Jesus saith unto him I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. (John 14:6) This verse is the essence of jesus-is-the-way.com.

Micah 5:2 says that out of Bethlehem will come the future ruler of Israel whose goings are from EVERLASTING. The baby born in Bethlehem eternally existed as a Spirit BEFORE the world was created.

Jesus Christ (the man) was conceived in the body of a virgin by the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the only man who was not born a sinner. Jesus was ETERNALLY co-existent and co-equal with God the Father and Jesus said so. So, Jesus can not be just a prophet.

If Jesus is a prophet; then, He is also surely God. If He is not God, then, He is a liar and a crazy man BECAUSE JESUS SAID HE WAS GOD ALMIGHTY.

Jesus Christ personally created the universe and John chapter 1 tells us this is true. Jesus said to the Jews “Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58) The Jews sought to stone Him for this saying in that he made himself equal to God Almighty.

PS Write me any time as long as you are willing to have a peaceful discussion. Like you, I am not on a “mission.” I just believe that the Words of God are important.

The man who made the 4004 BC calculations for the creation was Bishop Ussher. You can see some of the problems associated with the calculations here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ussher_chronology

He actually came up with 4000 BC, but made an adjustment to 4004. That adjustment is documented in the article.

Here is the Talmudic methodology. (I need not point out that Talmudic tradition believes the Messiah is yet to come.)

This method is problematic as well. Examples (quoting from the text, emphasis added)

Adhering closely to the Bible texts, he endeavored not only to elucidate many passages, but also to determine certain dates which are not indicated in the Bible, but which may be inferred by calculation. In many cases, however, he gave the dates according to tradition, and inserted, besides, the sayings and halakot of preceding rabbis and of his contemporaries.

There are so many errors in the various calendar systems that no one “knows” what year it is. Add to this complication the fact that God has stopped counting days/years in certain prophecies which deal with the Jews (when they were out of favor, for example) and the further possible complication that “those days should be shortened” (do not know if it is length of days or number of days).

Suffice it to say, that I do not put much emphasis on what year it is in any case. It is not inconceivable that certain adjustments would need to be made at either the beginning or the end of the millennium to arrive at the totals (in addition to any needed adjustments during the tribulation or even prior to the tribulation).

Here is another issue which could relate to “global warming” as well and that is the (observable?) phenomenon of solar recession. Simply put – a variation in the nearness of the earth to the sun (nearness increasing) resulting in a slight decrease in the mean solar year. Let the globalists fix that! We have already observed that the solar year and the sidereal year are different. Which one applies?

To make matters even more interesting (and actually expand the topic), I cite this page-

Even if the Torah was seeing time from Adam, the text would have said "a first day", because by its own statement there were six days. The Torah says "Day One" because the Torah is looking forward from the beginning. And it says, How old is the universe? Six Days. We'll just take time up until Adam. Six Days. We look back in time, and say the universe is approximately 15 billion years old. But every scientist knows, that when we say the universe is 15 billion years old, there's another half of the sentence that we never say. The other half of the sentence is: The universe is 15 billion years old as seen from the time-space coordinates that we exist in on earth. That's Einstein's view of relativity. But what would those billions of years be as perceived from near the beginning looking forward?

The key is that the Torah looks forward in time, from very different time-space coordinates, when the universe was small. But since then, the universe has expanded out. Space stretches, and that stretching of space totally changes the perception of time.

Imagine in your mind going back billions of years ago to the beginning of time. Now pretend way back at the beginning of time, when time grabs hold, there's an intelligent community. (It's totally fictitious.) Imagine that the intelligent community has a laser, and it's going to shoot out a blast of light, and every second it's going to pulse. Every second --- pulse. Pulse. Pulse. It shoots the light out, and then billions of years later, way far down the time line, we here on Earth have a big satellite dish, and we receive that pulse of light. And on that pulse of light is imprinted (printing information on light is called fiber optics - sending information by light), "I'm sending you a pulse every second." And then a second goes by and the next pulse is sent.

Light travels 300 million meters per second. So the two light pulses are separated by 300 million meters at the beginning. Now they travel through space for billions of years, and they're going to reach the Earth billions of years later. But wait a minute. Is the universe static? No. The universe is expanding. That's the cosmology of the universe. And that does not mean it's expanding into an empty space outside the universe. There's only the universe. There is no space outside the universe. The universe expands by its own space stretching. So as these pulses go through billions of years of traveling, the universe and space are stretching. As space is stretching, what's happening to these pulses? The space between them is also stretching. So the pulses really get further and further apart.

Billions of years later, when the first pulse arrives, we say, "Wow - a pulse!" And written on it is "I'm sending you a pulse every second." You call all your friends, and you wait for the next pulse to arrive. Does it arrive another second later? No! A year later? Maybe not. Maybe billions of years later. Because depending on how much time this pulse of light has traveled through space, will determine the amount of stretching of space between the pulses. That's standard astronomy.

Today, we look back in time. We see 15 billion years. Looking forward from when the universe is very small -- billions of times smaller -- the Torah says six days. They both may be correct.

What's exciting about the last few years in cosmology is we now have quantified the data to know the relationship of the "view of time" from the beginning, relative to the "view of time" today. It's not science fiction any longer. Any one of a dozen physics text books all bring the same number. The general relationship between time near the beginning when stable matter formed from the light (the energy, the electromagnetic radiation) of the creation) and time today is a million million, that is a trillion fold extension. That's a 1 with 12 zeros after it. It is a unit-less ratio. So when a view from the beginning looking forward says "I'm sending you a pulse every second," would we see it every second? No. We'd see it every million million seconds. Because that's the stretching effect of the expansion of the universe. In astronomy, the term is "red shift." Red shift in observed astronomical data is standard.

The Torah doesn't say every second, does it? It says Six Days. How would we see those six days? If the Torah says we're sending information for six days, would we receive that information as six days? No. We would receive that information as six million million days. Because the Torah's perspective is from the beginning looking forward.

Six million million days is a very interesting number. What would that be in years? Divide by 365 and it comes out to be 16 billion years. Essentially the estimate of the age of the universe. Not a bad guess for 3300 years ago.

The way these two figures match up is extraordinary. I'm not speaking as a theologian; I'm making a scientific claim. I didn't pull these numbers out of hat. That's why I led up to the explanation very slowly, so you can follow it step-by-step.

Now we can go one step further. Let's look at the development of time, day-by-day, based on the expansion factor. Every time the universe doubles, the perception of time is cut in half. Now when the universe was small, it was doubling very rapidly. But as the universe gets bigger, the doubling time gets longer. This rate of expansion is quoted in "The Principles of Physical Cosmology," a textbook that is used literally around the world.

(In case you want to know, this exponential rate of expansion has a specific number averaged at 10 to the 12th power. That is in fact the temperature of quark confinement, when matter freezes out of the energy: 10.9 times 10 to the 12th power Kelvin degrees divided by (or the ratio to) the temperature of the universe today, 2.73 degrees. That's the initial ratio which changes exponentially as the universe expands.)

The first of the Biblical days lasted 24 hours, viewed from the "beginning of time perspective." But the duration from our perspective was 8 billion years.

The second day, from the Bible's perspective lasted 24 hours. From our perspective it lasted half of the previous day, 4 billion years.

When you add up the Six Days, you get the age of the universe at 15 and 3/4 billion years. The same as modern cosmology. Is it by chance?

But there's more. The Bible goes out on a limb and tells you what happened on each of those days. Now you can take cosmology, paleontology, archaeology, and look at the history of the world, and see whether or not they match up day-by-day. And I'll give you a hint. They match up close enough to send chills up your spine.

The following is the testimony of Scriptures which is the basis of my belief that the Anti-Christ will come from Turkey. I tried to explain as simply and plainly as possible.

1) There are four KINGDOMS in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.

The first kingdom is of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:37)
The second is the Median and Persian kingdom (Dan 2:39; 5:28)
The third is the Grecian kingdom (Dan 2:39; 8:21)
The fourth kingdom is NOT NAMED in the Scriptures. It was assumed to be Roman kingdom, but that is a false assumption as we will prove going forward. This fourth kingdom was represented by the iron legs, AND the iron+clay toes, who are the ten kings. It is in the days of THESE KINGS that the God of heaven will setup His kingdom (Dan 2:44)

2) The four beasts of Daniel 7 are four KINGS (not kingdoms) which SHALL ARISE (Dan 7:17).

Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar are ruled out to be one of them because these kings SHALL ARISE when this dream was interpreted in the first year of Belshazzar (Dan 7:1). Further, note that the first three beasts lived even AFTER the fourth beast was slain. That shows that all these 4 kings are CONTEMPORARY with each other, and the FIRST THREE kings will have their dominions taken away, but will have their lives prolonged AFTER the 4th beast is killed (Dan 7:11-12). This delivers the final blow to the "standard" teaching that these 4 beasts of Dan 7 are to be identified one-to-one with the 4 kingdoms of Dan 2.

But the FOURTH beast is also a KINGDOM in addition to being a KING. See Dan 7:23. The fourth beast is identified as the FOURTH KINGDOM upon the earth (Dan 7:23). This takes us back to Daniel 2, where we have all the 4 kingdoms mentioned, and 3 kingdoms identified. Daniel 7 throws light on the FOURTH kingdom of Daniel 2. It was represented by the iron legs, AND the ten toes made of iron+clay, who were TEN KINGS. Note that in Dan 7:24 we read about the ten kings again, but typified in the ten horns of the fourth beast.

The following is now the whole picture:

a) First kingdom - Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon (Dan 2:37)
b) Second kingdom - Median Persian kingdom (Dan 2:39; 5:28)
c) Third kingdom - Greciean kingdom (Dan 2:39; 8:21)
d) Fourth kingdom - Iron legs, iron+clay toes (Dan 2:40-44); Fourth beast with ten horns (Dan 7:23-24).

3) Once we get these 4 kingdoms clear, then comes the whole truth out. There is NO Roman, or revived-Roman kingdom in the whole picture. It is a FIGMENT OF IMAGINATION of some Bible teachers, who are workmen that need to be ashamed (2 Tim 2:15). They just followed SECULAR history instead of the Holy Scriptures.

The first three kingdoms of Daniel 2 have come and gone. The FOURTH kingdom is yet to come. When this FOURTH kingdom comes, there will be a KING (represented by the 4th beast of Daniel 7), who is contemporary with 3 other kings of Daniel 7. Out of this fourth kingdom shall come 10 kings (Dan 7:24), which are also the ten toes of Daniel 2.

It is out of this fourth kingdom shall another king ("LITTLE HORN", Dan 7:8) shall arise. He subdues 3 of the 10 kings (Dan 7:24). He will be diverse (that is, different) from the FIRST (Dan 7:24). The "FIRST" here is not the 1st of the 10 kings, but the king who is the fourth beast. Remember, the beast itself is a KING (Dan 7:17) in addition to being a KINGDOM (Dan 7:23). The saints will be delivered to the hand of this king (little horn) for 3.5 years (Dan 7:25). This "little horn" is the anti-Christ in his FINAL beastly appearance.

4) We now know that the anti-Christ ("little horn") comes out from the fourth beast of Daniel 7, which is yet to come. The fourth beast is a KING, and a KINGDOM comprising of ten kings (horns) and another king (little horn, anti-Christ). It is in Daniel chapter 8 that we read more about this "little horn".

Ram with two horns is the kings of Media and Persia (Dan 8:20).
He-goat is the king of Grecia (Dan 8:21).
The first king of Grecia is the great horn of the goat (Alexander, Dan 8:21).
This great horn is broken, and 4 horns arise, which are 4 kingdoms (Dan 8:22).
These 4 are Greece (West), Turkey (North), Syria (East) and Egypt (South).
This agrees very clearly with the history about Alexander's 4 generals who headed 4 parts of his broken kingdom.
We read about them and their progeny a lot again in Daniel chapter 11.

We read in Daniel 8:23, "And in the LATTER TIME of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up." It is in the LATTER TIME of their (that is 4 horns) kingdom, that the little horn will arise.

The little horn will arise OUT OF ONE OF THE 4 HORNS! See Daniel 8:9. Now the question is, out of WHICH one of the four? If we can answer this question by the Scriptures, then we will know where will this king come from. There is SOME information in Daniel chapter 8 itself. See verse 9. This little horn will wax TOWARD the SOUTH, EAST and towards the pleasant land. If he was already in EAST, how can he wax TOWARD the east? And how can wax toward the SOUTH if he were from the south? That narrows down to his location to either WEST or the NORTH.

5) It is in Daniel chapter 11 that we find the actual direction of this little horn.

We now learn that there will be 3 more Persian kings to rise (Dan 11:2), making the total 4 (Darius plus other 3).

After these Persian kings, a mighty king will arise (Dan 11:3), who is Alexander, identified as great horn of the he-goat in Daniel chapter 8.

His kingdom shall be broken, and four kingdoms will arise (same as the 4 horns).

The history of the kings of the south and the north and their children are described from verse 5 onwards.

We will trace the king of the NORTH in Daniel chapter 11. The SOUTH is identified as EGYPT (see v.8 ).

6) There is not one single king of the north in Daniel 11, but several. I will mention them all below:

a) The first "king of the north" mentioned in verses 6, 7 and 8.
b) One of his sons is now the "king of the north" and would go to war with the king of the south (verses 10-11).
c) This guy returns to south again (, and he will finally "stumble and fall, and not be found" ( v.19).
d) In his estate comes up a raiser of taxes (v.20), but will be destroyed within a few days, neither in anger nor in battle. Note that this might not be the immediate next "king of the north" but one who will rise in his estate. That can account for time gap between (c) and (d).
e) In his estate comes up a VILE PERSON (v.21), and obtains the kingdom by flatteries. His opposers are overthrown, including the "prince of the covenant" (v.22). He will go against the king of the south (v.25 ) and returns (v.28). This is his FIRST conflict with the south. There are two more of his "returns" to the south (see v.29). His second return to the south is in verse 30. At this time, he will have intelligence with the apostate Jews, who will pollute the sanctuary and take away the daily sacrifice, and place the ABOMINATION that maketh DESOLATE. This event BEGINS the great tribulation (Mat 24:15,21). His third (or "latter", see v.29) return to the south is found in verses 40-43, but the tidings from the EAST (see Rev 16:12) and the north will trouble him, so he will goes forth to destroy (v.44). He places his palace in Jerusalem, but will finally come to an end (verse 45, see also Rev 19:19-20).

Russell

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LETTER FROM READER

Hello Russell

I am sorry to put this question to you since it is not related to the end times events. Although I need some solid advice/direction on a family issue that has put my brother and I in turmoil.

A little background for you.....my brother has followed the Lord since he was a teen and has always referenced GOD in the advice he gives. I would say he helped lead me to the Lord about 7 years ago. So we have a history together sharing in each others Christian walk. He is Married ... [and so am I]. My brother's energy has been in his business. ... [my brother] basically he is a millionaire.... with the Big house, Nice Cars, Boat and Lavish vacations. Let me first say that I love my brother very much and I am very proud of him. I have always looked up to him and sought his advice in numerous matters.

So yes I have had some trying times in my life. .... [my husband and I] both work , he has been at his job for [many] years and I have been at mine for [many]. Money runs tight, and yes there have been some bad buying decisions in the past. Now the times are worse than ever, with a repossessed car, a house in near foreclosure and a garnishment for wages pending from a credit card.....WOW, things have never been worse for us financially. We tithe but I will admit, we are not faithful with it. I have asked my brother for money in stressful times such as these, you know, 1500 here, 1000 there......and I have ALWAYS paid him back within 2 weeks. Back When our bank accounts went frozen from the nightmare credit card/garnishment (1 Year ago) I asked my Brother for 15,000 with promise to pay him monthly. He denied me and said he does not want me to be a tail to him since it would not make for a good relationship between brother and sister. I was hurt but eventually got over it. Now times are worse than even back then and I got creative and asked if he would put Money for a Certificate of Deposit and then I would use that as collateral and pay all my bills off except my first mortgage. Then I would pay the bank loan while he gains 5% interest on his CD. ... Well he has denied me once again with this creative way to get the bank involved as the middle man. Of course he feels the same. It would mess up our relationship..blah blah blah. ... So okay, am I wrong here? Should I not be asking him for money or a loan? I am so confused. I'm not so sure I could do that to him if the tables were turned. Actually, I do know for a fact that I would never let his home be lost, his car be repoed....... Am I off track here? My parents are in financial need as well from Hospital bills (they both have had cancer). ... Everyone tells me it's not right about the money, ... But I need a honest Christian view on all this someone who doesn't know me or our family (an outside view). I love my brother, is his denial to help with money biblical? HELP!

Your sister in Christ,

RESPONSE

Your site came up in a search on the mark of the Beast. The real mark of the Beast is described in the Scriptures and the description is verified with the Scriptures. Please, read the following and the references very carefully before rushing to erroneous conclusions:

REV 13: THE MARK OF THE BEAST – 666! DO YOU ALREADY HAVE THE MARK OF THE BEAST?

Do you know that almost every adult, who calls himself or herself a Christian, already has the Rev 13 “mark of the Beast”? Yes, this is true and it has been true for a very long time. Ask God for Wisdom to understand:

The mark of the Beast, the lie of 2Th 2 and physical water baptisms, performed after Ac 11, are all the same evil. Impossible? No! Six times, we read that John baptized with physical water but Jesus Christ must baptize us with His Holy Spirit, Mt 3; Mk 1; Lk 3; Jn 1; Ac 1; Ac 11. Jesus Christ's saving baptism is the one and only spiritual baptism of God’s New Covenant according to Scriptures such as Mt 20; Mt 28; Mk 10; Mk 16; Lk 11-12; Lk 24; Jn 1-7; Ro 1-8; 1Co 6:9-20; 1Co 12:12-13; Gal 3; Eph 4:4-7; Eph 5:25-32; Col 1-2; Jas 1:16-18; 1Pe 1-3; etc. After John the Baptist went to prison, Jesus Christ began His earthly Ministry. During the time of His earthly Ministry, His apostles did not baptize anyone in or with physical water. Don't stumble on Jn 3:22-4:3, John the Baptist wasn't in prison yet and the Apostle John's Gospel is not in chronological order. So, if the apostles did not perform any physical water baptisms during Jesus Christ's entire earthly Ministry, what makes anyone think that Mt 28; Mk 16; Ac 1-7; Ac 9; Ac 12-28; etc. are about physical water? They aren't! They are about “Living Water”, “the Water of Life”, that we must also spiritually drink! Read Jn 7:37-39; Rev 21-22. Did the apostles have a temporary problem accepting non-Jews without first putting them through some of the Jewish rituals? Yes, they did in Ac 8; Ac 10 but what did Peter learn in Ac 10-11? Peter learned that he had opposed God! Non-Jews will be included in God's Plan of Salvation in the very same Way as the believing Jews – through sincere repentance and faith that lead to obedience, Mt 3-7; Mk 1:14-15; Jn 8-21; Ac 11; Ac 15; Ro 1-16; Gal 1-6; etc. Until we receive God’s saving New Covenant baptism from the Lord Jesus Christ through God’s Word, we have no Grace as God defines it and no salvation. Multitudes may think they have God's Grace but they do not, exactly as it has been prophesied to happen in these Last Days. This is the reason for all of the confusion among denominations, sects and cults. They have all invented their own false gospels instead of believing and obeying what Jesus Christ taught and told them to do, especially first of all in Mt 6:33a. What is it, exactly, that we must find first? Did you begin where Jesus Christ told us to begin?

Read Jn 1-7; Heb 1-13; 1Pe 1-5; Rev 1-22. Pay careful attention to the descriptions of the saved 144,000 in Rev 14:1-5 and the Voices of Rev 1; Rev 14. What must be “written” on our “foreheads”? God's Name, also called: “The Word of God!” "Living Water" is a description of God's Word in Spirit and in Truth. God's Word must be written in our minds and on our hearts as God's “Water of Life” that we must also spiritually drink!

Who had physical rituals for washing their “hands” instead of ceasing to do evil? The Jews of 2000 years ago, especially the unbelieving Jews, who symbolized all of the false Christians to come, Mt 15; Mk 7. How are these Jews described in Rev 2? As “a synagogue of Satan”, the same “Beast” of Rev 13, who persecuted the early true Christians. Who is the second “synagogue of Satan” in Rev 3? False Christians, who have followed in the footsteps of the first Beast, exactly as prophesied in many OT and NT Scriptures. They also wash the outside with physical water but leave the inside full of greed, wickedness and dead men’s bones, Mt 23; Lk 11-12. The second synagogue of Satan also persecuted true Christians, especially the true Christians of 350 years ago, the ones perfectly prophesied as the Philadelphia church in Rev 3. These true Christians founded Philadelphia, USA, after proving all of the carnal churches and all of their related carnal institutions are false!

What "sea" did the Beast come out of? The symbolic “Red Sea” where the symbolic wicked got wet and drowned, Ex 12-15. What is it that true Christians cannot "buy" or "sell"? God's Gospel Truth since God's Gospel Truth cannot be bought or sold with money, Isa 55; Mk 11; Rev 21-22. False Christians try to buy and sell but all they have to offer is lies from Satan, 2Co 11:1-15; 2Pe 1-3! Where was “666” revealed? In Isa 66:6 of the Old Covenant but primarily in Jn 6:66 of the New. Like the disciples of Jn 6, who rejected Jesus Christ and His Word, false Christians have refused to accept the fact that God is Spirit and He must be worshiped in Spirit and in Truth. God's Light and Living Bread are spiritual, His Living Water is spiritual and the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ, when it is symbolized by the Wine, is spiritual, Jn 1-7. What was symbolized in Jn 2:1-11?

God's New Covenant is spiritual; it is impossible to belong to the Law of Sin and Death and be saved. We must leave the Old Covenant and belong to the Law of the Spirit of Life, Ro 1-8. How do we go from the Law of Sin and Death to belong to the Law of the Spirit of Life? The correct answer is simple and short; it will take a couple of sentences or a small paragraph to explain. Only true Christians will know the correct simple short answer because we have experienced it. False Christians, who belong to the synagogue of Satan, do not know the correct simple short answer, 1Co 1-3. Do you know? Do your "teachers" know? If not, then you have a most serious problem that you must not ignore! Start over. Begin with Mt 6:33a. Contact me anytime regarding God's exact original Gospel Truth. Freely have true Christians received and freely we will give!

In the service of the Righteous One from God the Father,

I have a few questions. What do you think of Alex Jones (radio host)? He believes that by getting the truth out it will stop what these globalists are trying to do. Do you think that what he is doing is wrong or just a foolish act that will get nowhere?

Also, do you think we are heading to a new war consider we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan? And who will be the target this time. Most people believe that it will be Iran. I think if a new war breaks out it will be other countries involved as well.

God bless brother Russell. And may our Great Lord Jesus keep you safe. You are always in my prayers.

In my opinion Alex Jones works for one of the “bad guys”, more than likely the Vatican. Read this again Babylon.html

Alex is trying to get the conservatives to take action and if they do, they will be used in a setup to create the need for "martial law." This will act to do two things
1) bring down the freedom the US enjoys and solidify the emerging fascist state
2) victimize the Protestant fundamentalists and constitutionalists and categorize their movement as "terrorism"

Remember, according to Malachi Martin, the Capitalist West (including the US) is to be eliminated.

Some of the stories he brings out to light ties in to everything that is going on with this new world order agenda. And do you believe that this New World Order fiasco is giving way or opening up the door to the antichrist and his rule?

That question is difficult to answer. I do not know and it is not easy to predict either. I believe a lot is going to happen soon, economically and politically and socially. Our society could actually break down. Look for “incidents” to begin to happen in association with the “tea party.” These will be setup by infiltrators into the "tea party."

I hope you can answer some of those questions brother. But if you can't we will wait on the Lord to see what His plans are for the world. Things are getting really strange.

And the eerie part of all is how these major earthquakes have gotten worse in intensity. A friend of mine called 2010 the year of the earthquakes, but I told him that the Bible does mention that there will be earthquakes in various places. Do you also think that earthquakes and natural disasters will start getting worse in the upcoming months?

It appears that the earthquakes will continue to increase as will the other “birth pangs.”

God bless brother Russell. And may our Great Lord Jesus keep you safe. You are always in my prayers.

Please e-mail us with questions or comments today. I may be wrong, but, the Bible is never wrong.