The God of the Armies of Israel - Watching Prophecy Come To Pass

Isaiah 11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. Gen. 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed Praying For the Peace of Jerusalem, The Christians and Messianic Jews 

SHALOM. 

The God of the Armies of Israel

Friday, August 01, 2014 |  Tsvi Sadan

 

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Bible

Operation Protective Edge is exposing a new phenomenon that may prove to be a source of strength for the IDF and for Israel. 

Col. Ofer Winter, commander of the Givati Infantry Brigade, recently wrote unprecedented words of encouragement to his soldiers: "History chose us to be the spearhead in the fight against the 'Gazan' terrorist enemy that defies, blasphemes, and curses the God of the armies of Israel."
They were words that clearly echoed David's own words to Goliath. 

Winter added a brief prayer: "I lift up my eyes to heaven and call with you, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!'" The letter ended with a wish for the fulfillment of the verse "The Lord, your God, who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies and gives you victory."

The content of Winter's letter to his soldiers, as well as the courage it took to take this position, is yet another clear indication that the familiar secular discourse regarding Israel's security is not enough to boost motivation to win the battle. 

Some who are still captive to the idea that secular Zionism is the only adhesive that can unite all Israelis were horrified by Winter's bold pronouncement that framed the Israeli-Arab conflict in metaphysical terms. 

As a secular movement, however, Zionism sees Israel as a refuge for the Jewish people that must be protected at all costs. This was a strange idea to begin with, because the Zionist movement itself would have never come into being without the most profound hopes rooted in the Bible. 

Jews returned to the Land of Israel because they believed it was theirs; otherwise they would have never come. This means that secular as the Zionist movement is, it never lost sight of the fact that the Jews are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and thus entitled to the land God has given to their fathers.

For many decades, however, Israelis have been led to believe that the Israeli-Arab conflict is no more than a national struggle over territory, and that it will be better for all if God remains in the background. Israel's existence, the argument goes, is justified on the basis of distant history and modern values. 

But over the past 10 years, a growing number of Israelis have begun coming to the conclusion that Israel and God are in fact inseparable, and that the existence of the former depends upon that of the latter.

Israel's existential crisis is naturally most potent amongst the soldiers preparing for battle. They are the ones who are forced to decide whether or not security and secular values of democracy, freedom of speech and human rights are enough to fill them with the courage and determination to risk their lives for the sake of Israel. 

As the Second Lebanon War demonstrated, Israeli soldiers need deeper motivation than democracy and even national security to risk their lives in battle. If these are the only values Israel is fighting for, they reason, why not enjoy them in other countries without the need to go to war every couple of years?

This relatively new discovery can explain why so many soldiers were greatly comforted by the sight of Rabbi David Grossman distributing half-shekel coins and tiny books of Psalms to the soldiers entering Lebanon. It also explains why during Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009) Golani soldiers wore tzitziyot (tassels or fringes on their garments - Deut. 22:12), and why the Givati commander is now reassuring his soldiers by reminding them that the God of their fathers is their God, too.

No doubt, many Israelis are still baffled by this new invitation for God to take the front seat. Many of us still believe that fighting in the name of an old book is the spark that will set fire to the region. These fears are fed by a failure to see that the Israeli-Arab conflict is a reenactment of ancient wars.
Indeed, it is a wonder why we Israelis find it so difficult to understand that rockets are fired towards Ashkelon and Ashdod because the indigenous people of these cities want them back. Why it is so difficult for us to understand that the Philistines hated Joshua just as the Palestinians hated Ben Gurion? 

Then and now, wars between the indigenous people of the land and the invading armies of Israel have nothing to do with Israel's right to exist as a Jewish democracy. The existence of the Jewish state in this land and its right to exist can only be justified by divine mandate. 

Col. Ofer Winter and many others like him begin to realize that Israel's uniqueness is something worth fighting for.

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Antichrist Will Soon Enter The Temple of God

My last post was a re-post from two years ago, an interview of Walid Shoebat, author of a dynamic book, God's War On Terror, which takes a completely different view of the fulfillment of end time prophecy than does the one which has been handed down for the last hundred or so years - and which doesn't seem to be working out for us.

Shoebat was a Muslim terrorist who converted to Christianity due to the faithfulness of his Christian mother and, of course, God's mercy. I thought the book made wonderful sense when I read it, and I've had it in the back of my mind for several years. I'm not saying it's the answer to prophecy; I'm just saying that we should consider it. Americans always think everything is going to happen in the good old USA, but all of biblical history happened in the Middle East. Maybe that will remain the same in the present and the future. Anyway, it's interesting. If you would like to read the article with some great pictures, you can find it HERE at Shoebat's website. CMR

Antichrist Will Soon Enter The Temple of God (Pay Close Attention)

By Shoebat Foundation on June 3, 2014 

By Walid Shoebat (Shoebat Exclusive)

Hagia Sophia, or Ayasofya in Turkish, is officially a museum: Turkey’s most-visited monument, whose formally neutral status symbolizes the secular nature of the modern Turkish state. But this status is changing when tens of thousands of Muslims have been gathering there on Saturday to pray demanding it will again be turned into a mosque — a dream they believe Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan can fulfill.

Erdogan is planning to pray inside the Hagia Sophia Temple, reports the Radikal Turkish daily newspaper which will probably be performed during the annual celebrations just before the August elections when Erdogan wants to retake his office of prime-minister.

Erdogan’s government is stepping up its calls to turn the Hagia Sophia into a functioning mosque, but Orthodox Christians complain that this is a desecration of the holiest site in Christendom.

Anatolia Youth Association (AGD) had made a call for the event that came at a time when several radical groups have been discussing the status of the museum.

“This is a serious push to break Ayasofya’s chains,” said Salih Turhan, head of the Anatolia Youth Association, which has collected 15 million signatures to petition for it to be turned back into a mosque.

This despite that the 17th Century Sultan Ahmed Mosque, remains mostly empty of worshippers and Istanbul boasts more than 3,000 mosques. The eyes are glued on desecrating Christianity’s most sacred Temple, the Hagia Sohpia.

“Ayasofya is a symbol for the Islamic world and the symbol of Istanbul’s conquest. Without it, the conquest is incomplete, we have failed to honor Sultan Mehmet’s trust,” he said, citing a 15th Century deed signed by the conquering Caliph and decrying as sin other uses of Hagia Sophia.

It was Erdogan who promoted celebration of the Turkish conquest that turned Constantinople into Istanbul: “Conquest is the removal of shackles on doors and in hearts,” he said to mark the 561st anniversary of the Byzantine defeat. ” Civilization comes with conquest,” he added.

Erdogan’s talk of conquest, expansion and his reviving of the dead man of Europe is painting his Neo-Ottoman dream as a red dragon. Erdogan is daily becoming an Antichrist who wants to enter a great Christian Temple, yet he is met without any resistance from western Christians. Even the 2012 film depicting the Muslim takeover of the Byzantine capital, “Conquest 1453″, attracted an audience of millions.

From its construction, until 1453, when the Ottoman Empire conquered the city, Hagia Sophia served as an Eastern Orthodox Temple and the seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Ottomans turned it into a mosque before being secularized and converted to a museum in 1935.

Prominent imams, including the harlot state of Saudi Arabian, Imam Abdullah Basfar, the imam of the Ka’bah in Mecca, Islam’s holiest site was present at the event to lead the prayers. The crowd left the area after the prayer chanting slogans that say Hagia Sophia should be a mosque.

Orthodox Christians see Hagia Sophia as a Temple to be the most significant structure in all Christian history.

American Evangelicals are either unaware of the significance of such structure or see that the Temple was built by Constantine the Great, which makes it insignificant.

Only time will tell who is right, Constantine had his share of sins and so did Solomon. But all Christians need to pay close attention to Erdogan’s desecrations of significant Christian or Jewish landmarks. Its not only 2 Thessalonians 2 which speaks of desecrating a temple, other text in Isaiah 14 grabs our interest.

But first, in 2 Thessalonians:

“for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who oppose and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (II Thessalonians 2:4)

Many would pause here and stop reading further since such a scenario is far-fetched; a Muslim Antichrist who enters Hagia Sophia is fulfillment? Isn’t Antichrist supposed to enter the Temple in Jerusalem? Indeed. And how could a Muslim declare to be God when Muslims deny that a man can be God?

This requires patience, study and attention. Not comprehending these issues is either caused by the lack of comprehending Islam or even inductively understanding the Bible.

First of all, Antichrist, while he claims titles that belong to deity, he also worships a deity: “He will honor a God of fortresses” (Daniel 11). This is not some allegory for he “acts against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory” (Daniel 11:39).

He serves a “foreign god,” which he shall “acknowledge” and via warfare he “advances its glory”, the glory of this single-war-god while he proclaims deity. Everything fits, including that he does not honor the “desire of women” (woman’s needs, rights).

It can’t get any clearer than this. Only in Islam can we find Muslim multitudes, while they deny they worship Muhammad and Mahdi, yet indeed they deify them. Muhammad in Islam holds a uniquely exalted status unparalleled by anything or anyone else. He is given the title Al-Maqam-Al-Mahmud (The Glorious).

Christians who know little about Islam, and who go around giving interpretations, complain much asking “how can Antichrist be Muslim when Muslims exclaim, “we do not worship any man, we worship Allah””.

Truth is, Muslims deify Muhammad and Mahdi giving them titles that only belong to god: Al-Maqam-Al-Mahmud (The Glorious One), Awal-Khalq-illah (The first of Creation), Muhammad (The Praised One), Al-Insan Al-Kamel (The Perfect Man), Rahmatan-lil-A’alameen (Mercy to All Mankind), Al-rasul Al-A’tham (The Greatest of All sent by God), Shafi (Healer), Munji (Savior), Mahdi (The Guided One/Deliverer), Al-Mustafa Al-Mukhtar (The Chosen One), Amir (The Prince), Khatimun-Nabiyeen (The Seal of Prophets), Al-Hadi (The Guide), Awal (First), Akher (Last), Sayyid Walad Adam (The Leader of The Sons of Adam) and Al-Siraj Al-Muneer (The Luminous One, The Glowing Lamp). (1)

It’s a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.” (Daniel 11:38)

We can either see a biblical contradiction or we need to reconcile the verses. One of the five main obligatory pillars of Islam is for every Muslim to pay Zakat by giving one-fifth of their income—their gold, and their silver to honor and advance the cause of Allah:“Zakat is for the poor and the needy, and… to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise.” (Qur’an 9:60).Zakat is not only for the poor, but a tax to expand the rule of Allah via warfare which the Qur’an is quite clear about:“And those who hoard up gold and silver and do not spend them in the cause of Allah.” (Qur’an 9:34).

Erdogan by invoking to pray at Hagia Sophia wants to be Sultan Mahdi in order to be exalted above all of creation and literally wants to sit in the Temple of God in Hagia Sophia.

Evangelicals propose the possibility of such temple to be only in Jerusalem, while many Orthodox Christians object to such rebuilding referring to John 4:21: “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (John 4:21) They would argue that historically it has been the pagans who wanted to rebuild a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem during the mid fourth century and God struck them dead.(2)

Evangelicals would argue that indeed, God struck them dead because this was not the right timing.

But the solution to the dilemma is that it could be both. Antichrist enters Hagia Sophia and a newly rebuilt temple in Jerusalem as well. 2 Thessalonians does not speak of the Temple being in Jerusalem. But this does not negate that it could be in Jerusalem since Revelation speaks of measuring the altar and that the Gentiles would tread foot in Jerusalem for 42 months

But Isaiah 14 holds a key. While most brush through the verses in Isaiah 14 by doing selective reading without focusing on every word, verse 13 says:
“I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.”

What is this “mount of the congregation”?

This declaration is not regarding Lucifer in his angelic stage, but Antichrist “is this the man that made the earth tremble” (v.17) and is said to rule from Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-13) which Christ proclaimed would be the future seat of Satan (Antichrist). This “mount of the congregation” is on the sides of the northern lands in Asia Minor—Turkey. It is in Turkey that the Seven Churches and the Seven Lamp stands were and this is no small issue to ignore. 

Others see this “mount of the congregation” as the temple in Jerusalem. This is not without merit: “… the joy of the whole earth, in mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”

When Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmet, an Antichrist (there are many Antichrists before the final one) of the seventh-head (empire) immediately went to the Hagia Sophia and ordered that it be converted into a mosque, he added abominations; the Islamic elements were added such as minarets, the mihrab and the minber all of which were appropriately positioned to face toward Mecca, including two huge marble jars which were brought from Pergamum in the 16C and added written blasphemies in Islamic calligraphy. The names painted on these plaques are Allah, Prophet Mohammed, the first four Caliphs Ebubekir, Omer, Osman and Ali, and the two grandsons of Mohammed, Hasan and Huseyin.

Muslim blasphemies replaces Christian signs: “We see not our signs” (Psalm 74:9) “Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.” (v. 4)

 As for Jerusalem’s Temple, many question, how could Wahhabi Islam allow for a Temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem? But the problem is that too many focus on Wahhabism alone. Turkish brand Sufi Islam is a bit craftier and the Turks even already have the Quranic alkaline verses ready:

“And who is more unjust than he who forbids that in places for the worship of God, God’s name should be celebrated?-whose zeal is (in fact) to ruin them? It was not fitting that such should themselves enter them except in fear. For them there is nothing but disgrace in this world, and in the world to come, an exceeding torment.” (Koran 2:214)

Today, the most fit to bring reconciliation between Shiite and Sunni, Jew and Arab are the Sufi Muslim Turks in which it will produce the Antichrist. The Sufis of Turkey are Sunni, this brand of Islam is different from the Wahhabist which is vehemently anti-Shiite.

Turkey has great reverence to the Shiite icons of Ali, Hassan and Hussein, the Shiite historic and religious martyrs and icons whose names are erected on plagues in Hagia-Sophia. They are the most fit to allow a Temple to be rebuilt on the Temple Mount. Sinem Tezyapar is an executive producer on Turkish Television states:

“As a devout Muslim, I take pleasure when Jews pray to Almighty God, and their praying anywhere in the world, including at the Temple Mount, would be a glad tiding for me as well. As a devout Muslim, it would be a joy for me to see Prophet Solomon’s Temple rebuilt as well. No, you did not hear me wrong. Prophet Solomon’s Temple being rebuilt in all its magnificence and glory would be a great delight for me, as it would be to any Muslim.”

Hagia Sophia is the most important Christian Temple in the East, built in the mid-4th century and then rebuilt during the reign of Justinian the Great. It should be a concern for every Christian on the face of the globe.

And in case people want to argue that Hagia Sophia was not considered the “Temple of God” for Christians, they need to search history. Sophia is the Wisdom of God. This phenomenon has always caused a lot of interpretational difficulties for researchers, resulting for example in the diversity of translations for Hagia Sophia temples in the literature (church/cathedral of the Holy Wisdom, God’s Wisdom, Divine Wisdom or even – incorrectly – St. Sophia).

Nevertheless, the problem to whom, in the mind of the Byzantines themselves, the sanctuaries of that name were dedicated is worth a closer look. It is even more interesting when we take into consideration the cathedral church in Constantinople, the most important temple of the empire and the whole East Christian civilization.

HAGIA SOHPIA, A TEMPLE OF GOD?

An excellent research by Zofia Brzozowska of the Katedra Historii Bizancjum sheds much light to answer this question. The understanding of the Hagia Sophia cathedral as a temple dedicated to the Son of God is also characteristic of several writers contemporary to the founder of the reconstruction of the Constantinopolitan basilica – Justinian I the Great. Procopius of Caesarea (ca. 500 – ca. 560) repeatedly mentions in his writings that the main metropolitan church was known as the church of the Holy Wisdom, because it was a name recognized at that time by the Byzantines as the most suitable for God as a name of his sanctuary. (3)

An interesting composition, containing a detailed description concerning the construction of the temple of Hagia Sophia, was written probably during the reign of emperor Basil I (867–886). In this work we can discover a number of essential components of East Christian sophiology. First of all, just like in the case of Byzantine writers of the 5th–6th century, the anonymous author says that the Constantinopolitan basilica was (in the eyes of the inhabitants of the empire) a church dedicated to the Only Begotten Son and Word of God. (4)

In the 11th century an attempt to explain the invocation of the Constantinopolitan cathedral an amazing construction to foreigners—was undertaken by a West European author. An anonymous traveler from Tarragona in his description of the capital of Byzantium emphasized that its main temple is dedicated to the Son of God, and the name Hagia Sophia points to one of the attributes of the Creator, the Wisdom of God (Latin Sancta Sapientia), and not – as it was claimed in the West in his times – a saint named Sophia. (5)

A clear statement that Hagia Sophia is a temple dedicated to Jesus, the Son of God can also be found in a medieval Byzantine normative source. A Chrysobull by Emperor Manuel Comnenus, dated 1153, states that the Constantinopolitan cathedral was built in honour of the Saviour. (6) 

Interestingly, the theme also appears on the pages of a 13th century. Source of Slavic provenance (Old Russian), known as the Pilgrim’s Books (Книги Паломник), written by Dobryna Jadrejkovič from Novgorod the Great, also known in the literature under the monastic name (Anthony of Novgorod), who traveled to Constantino- ple between 1200 and 1204. In the itinerary written after the return, he described many Byzantine objects of the capital, including the Hagia Sophia basilica, whose name according to him should be understood as the Temple of Wisdom and Word of God. (7)

In the work dedicated to Theodosius of Tărnovo the author calls the Constantinopolitan Hagia Sophia – a temple of the “Wisdom of God’s Word.” (8)

Needless to say Sophia cathedrals used to be built also in the area of Slavia Orthodoxa. A basilica dedicated to the Wisdom of God in Serdica (Sofia) comes probably from the era of the first Bulgarian state, although a number of researchers believe that it should be dated much earlier – to the 4th cent. At the turn of the 10th and 11th cent., a temple under the same invocation was built in Ohrid and some time later in Sliven. The most spectacular temples of Pre-Mongol Rus’ were also dedicated to the Divine Wisdom. The construction of the Sophia cathedral in the capital of Rus’ – Kiev, began probably in 1037. The temple of the Holy Wisdom in Novgorod the Great was built between 1045 and 1050 (probably in the place of an earlier wooden church under the same invocation, which had been erected as early as in 989). Moreover, in the 1060s foundations for a third Old Russian cathedral of Sophia at Polotsk were being prepared.

But the question about Hagia Sophia in Constantinople looks different. The preserved source material justifies the thesis that in Byzantium, regardless of the era, the cathedral basilica was conceived primarily as a temple dedicated to Christ – the Incarnate Word of God.

Most of the Eastern Church Fathers and later Byzantine writers (Justin the Martyr, Athenagoras of Athens, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Methodius of Olympus, Eusebius of Caesarea, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret, Atha- nasius the Sinaite, patriarch of Constantinople Germanus, Theodore the Studite, Symeon the Metaphrast, Symeon the New Theologian and Philotheus Coccinus) leave no doubt to the readers that the personified Wisdom of God they meet in the Old Testament, is a symbolic representation of Christ – the Logos before Incarnation.

Therefore, Hagia Sophia, having been dedicated to the Son of God, does qualify as Temple of God since Jesus is God.

In Second Thessalonians, it does not specify which Temple Antichrist sits in, it could be Hagia Sophia or Jerusalem, or even with all the other verses, both.

While we all argue the different biblical points, one thing is for sure, our silence on Hagia Sophia while millions of Muslims surround it like wolves, is shameful.

EZEKIEL 38 FORMING ITS ALLIANCES

On top of all of this, Turkey is extending its political influence and is courting Algeria. Erdogan has his eyes on North Africa. Algeria is one of the leading trading partners of Turkey in Africa.

Turkey is one of Algeria’s top ten external trading partners. Trade between the two countries reached almost $5bn. Algeria is the ninth biggest producer of natural gas in the world and has the tenth biggest proven reserves and is the third biggest natural gas supplier for Turkey, after Russia and Iran. Ankara is looking to establish more stable alliances that would withstand the ongoing regional turbulence. Algiers has an easy stepping stone: the common Ottoman past. Since the independence from France in 1962, Algerians have been rediscovering their Ottoman past. Recently, Turkey’s foreign policy efforts in the Middle East and North Africa region. Turkey is now one of the most popular tourist destinations for Algerians, with the number of Algerian tourists doubling by almost 50 percent from 2011 to 2013.

Also, as we argued for two decades, today Turkey is even building strong economic relations with countries with which it shares common culture and historical bonds and affirmed by Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi on Sunday. Speaking at the Turkey-Turkmenistan Joint Economic Commission meeting in Ankara, Zeybekç said developing relations with countries like Turkmenistan had been among the foreign policy priorities of Turkey in recent years.
“It is essential to launch a transport network comprising Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan,” he said.

The activeness of Turkey in Central Asia has grown; and the reason is not only the interests of Turkey, but also that the U.S is trying to influence the region through Ankara. Islamic Central Asia is not a priority for the U.S. European states, prevention of rapprochement with Russia, and other states of the Asian-Pacific Region are priorities.

In all this we see an Antichrist state (Turkey) ally with Iran, North Africa (Libya/Algiers) and the North Quarters of Beth Togarmah.

So how soon is “soon” to see the full force of Antichrist? The next decade will reveal much and the players will be ready, so stay tuned. 

REFERENCES
(1) Muslim scholar, Dr. G. F. Haddad, in an article with a blasphemous title, The Best of Creation states: “[There is no] other Prophet [other than Muhammad] or angel-brought-near with whom Allah Most High shared as many of His own Names in the Qur’an as He did with the Prophet. With respect to his foremost name– Muhammad–peace be upon him, consider the poetic verse of Hassan ibn Thabit (RA): ‘And He drew out for him [a name] from His own Name so as to dignify him greatly: The Owner of the Throne is the Glorious [Mahmûd], and this is the Praiseworthy [Muhammad]!’” 127 In other words, the name Muhammad is not a mere name for a man, according to the Qur’an, Allah, whose name is Mahmud, or the Glorious or the Praised One, named Muhammad after Himself. This is quite the claim. This is a further exaltation than the name Yeshua, which in English means Jehovah is our Salvation. Muhammad literally means The Praised One—The Most Praised.

(2) “Julian, who in his third consulship had taken as his colleague Sallustius, the prefect of Gaul, now entered on his fourth year, and by a novel arrangement took as his colleague a private individual; an act of which no one recollected an instance since that of Diocletian and Aristobulus. And although, foreseeing in his anxious mind the various accidents that might happen, he urged on with great diligence all the endless preparations necessary for his expedition, yet distributing his diligence everywhere; and being eager to extend the recollection of his reign by the greatness of his exploits, he proposed to rebuild at a vast expense the once magnificent temple of Jerusalem, which after many deadly contests was with difficulty taken by Vespasian and Titus, who succeeded his father in the conduct of the siege. And he assigned the task to Alypius of Antioch, who had formerly been proprefect of Britain. But though Alypius applied himself vigorously to the work, and though the governor of the province co-operated with him, fearful balls of fire burst forth with continual eruptions close to the foundations, burning several of the workmen and making the spot altogether inaccessible. And thus the very elements, as if by some fate, repelling the attempt, it was laid aside.” (Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman History, 23.1-3, trans. C.D.YONGE)

(3) Procopius Caesariensis, De bellis, III, 6, 26, ed. H.B. Dewing, London 1916 (cetera: Procopius, De bellis): Σοφίαν καλοῦσιν οἱ Βυζάντιοι τὸν νεὼν, ταύτην δὴ μάλιστα τῷ Θεῷ πρέπειν τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἡγούμενοι; Pro- copius Caesariensis, De aedificiis, I, 1, 21, ed. H.B. Dewing, London 1940 (cetera: Procopius, De ae- dificiis): Σοφίαν καλοῦσιν οἱ Βυζάντιοι τὸν νεὼν ἐπικαιριώτατα τῷ Θεῷ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἀπεργασάμενοι. A.M. Am- mann, Darstellung und Deutung der Sophia im Vorpetrinischen Russland, OCP 4, 1938, p. 123.

(4) In that way it took its name: the Church of Divine Wisdom (Hagia Sophia), expressed [in the matter] the Word of God – Narratio de structura, 10, p. 418; Г. Флоровский, op . cit .; С. Золотарев, София Пре- мудрость Божия…, p. 244. *

(5) K.N. Ciggaar, Une Description de Constantinople dans le Tarragonensis 55, REB 53, 1995, p. 129‒130; Таррагонский аноним, О граде Константинополе . Латинское описание реликвий Константи- нополя XI в., ed. Л.К.М. Санчес, [in:] Реликвии в искусстве и культуре восточно-христианского мира, Москва 2000, p. 165; С. Золотарев, София Премудрость Божия…, p. 244.

(6) G. Dagron, op . cit ., p. 231, 299–300; M.L. Fobelli, op . cit ., p. 168.

(7) A.M. Ammann, op. cit., p. 131; G. Dagron, op . cit ., p. 300; О. Этингоф, Иконография Иисуса Хри- ста как образа воплощенной Софии Премудрости Божией, [in:] София Премудрость Божия…, p. 59; С. Золотарев, София Премудрость Божия…, p. 244

(8) Пространно житие на Теодосий Търновски от патриарх Калист, [in:] Стара българска литература в седем тома, vol. IV, Житиеписни творби, ed. К. Иванова, София 1986, p. 464.

http://shoebat.com/2014/06/03/antichrist-will-soon-enter-temple-god-pay-close-attention/

PROPHECIES About The London Olympics ...

Ominous things are expected at the Olympics. If you watch 1) the two very short videos below, and 2) have read my two previous blogs (links below) which are related to this, and 3) read yesterday's blog right below this one on this page - you will have the 'bones' of what is immediately upon us. If you don't have at least a rudimentary understanding of the unparalleled deception and horrific events that are imminent the shock may be too great. The Christian has nothing to fear, but without a clue of coming events it would be overwhelming.  

I have seen various forms of the many occult Masonic Luciferian signs and symbols in use at the London Olympics - and dozens of interpretations of what is expected to occur - but although this is from 60-70 year old prophecies of Argentinian Seer Benjamin Solari Parravicini, it is the most succinct and briefest item covering the main thrust of things, and all of his prophecies which I read, came true. (You wlll hear the word 'truncheon' in the video; it is a billy club carried by police.)

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Profecia de Parravicini sobre los Juegos Olímpicos-

London 2012 Prophecy - 10 minutes 

Start video - Then click on the CC button on bottom

 right side  of video for ENGLISH SUBTITLES ... &

Watch for the reference to the "light from the south" 

(Nibiru/PX), the "cross in the sky," and LIGHT.

The lyrics to the song in the above video by The Clash,

are spelled out in the 3-min video below. 

This song welcomes in the antichrist

And one more thing: The reference to zombies is not a joke or figure of speech. It refers to a reality that is coming and was explained in my previous post about these "demonic chosen ones" which is HERE.   Also related to this is my most recent post revealing recent intel about the approach of Nibiru/Planet-X which is HERE

ROYAL HEIR

The Promise of Victory

by Dr. David R. Reagan

In his great novel about the French Revolution, called A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens began his story with some of the most memorable words in all of English literature:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…

These words have never been truer than they are today. Everywhere we look, in every direction, the world appears to be falling apart.

• We are racked by wars and rumors of wars.
• Immorality and violence are rampant.
• Our money is being devalued and debased.
• Our educational systems have been hijacked by Humanists and Atheists.
• Our political systems are gridlocked by value wars and corruption.
• All of nature seems to be reeling out of control, producing one calamity after another.
• Our churches are being destroyed by rampant apostasy.
• True Christianity is under attack from all sides, and Christians are being marginalized as intolerant bigots.

Yet, despite all this economic, social, political and religious chaos, it is the best of times because all these developments are a fulfillment of end time prophecies that point to the imminent return of Jesus!

Jesus Himself said that society would become as immoral and violent as in the days of Noah. And He said that when we see that happening, we are to ”look up and be watchful, for our Redemption will be drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Those of us who have committed our lives to Jesus may see all that is dear to us disintegrate before our very eyes, but we are going to win in the end.

We may suffer terrible persecution, but we are going to win in the end.

We may see the collapse of the dollar and the fall of the United States as a world power, but we are going to win in the end.

How can I be so confident? Because the Bible promises us ultimate victory, and I know for certain the Bible is true.

Our Promised Victory

What is our promised victory? Let me summarize it for you.

• We are promised that at any moment now we will be taken out of this world in the Rapture of the Church.
• We are promised that God will then pour out His wrath on the wicked world leaders who currently thumb their noses at Him.
• We are promised that Jesus will then return to reign over all the world in glory and majesty from Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and all the earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness, and justice.
• We are promised that we will ultimately be given an eternal home on this planet after it has been refreshed and perfected by God.
• We are promised that we will live eternally on that new planet in glorified, immortal bodies in the presence of our Creator and Savior.

Again, how can I be certain of these victorious promises? Because the Bible tells me so. And the Bible can be trusted as the infallible Word of God.

How do I know that?

Because it is the only book in the world that contains fulfilled prophecies.

And, because all the prophecies concerning the First Coming of the Messiah were literally and precisely fulfilled, we can be confident that all the prophecies about the Messiah’s return and triumph will be literally and precisely fulfilled.

Let’s take a quick, overview look at God’s Plan for the Ages. There are four major prophesied triumphal events on the horizon that we as born again children of God can look forward to: The Rapture, The Second Coming, The Millennium, and Heaven.

The Rapture

Our first promise of victory is the Rapture of the Church.

This is an event that is often confused with the Second Coming — but they are not the same. A careful study of the Scriptures reveals that the return of Jesus is going to be in two stages — first, the Rapture, and then later, the Second Coming.

The fact that these are two separate events can be easily demonstrated.

There are only two detailed descriptions of the Lord’s return in the New Testament — 1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelation 19.

And these two passages are as different as night and day. The two passages have nothing in common except that they both focus on Jesus Christ.

Figure 1 illustrates how different they are.

How can these passages be reconciled? I believe the only way to reconcile these two accounts is to conclude that they are talking about two different events and that the Lord’s return will be in two stages — first, the Rapture, and then the Second Coming. First Thessalonians 4 describes the Rapture of the Church. Revelation 19 presents the Lord’s return to this earth.

Solving Another Problem

This reconciliation solves another problem.

The Bible says repeatedly that the Lord’s return is imminent — that is, it can happen at any moment (Matt. 24:36 & 44). But how can it be imminent if there is only one future coming?

The Point: If there is only one future coming, then the Lord’s return is not imminent because there are many prophecies that must be fulfilled before He can return to earth:

• 7 Years of Tribulation
• The Rebuilding of the Temple
• The Revelation of the Antichrist
• The Killing of the Two Witnesses
• The Desecration of the Temple
• The Institution of the Mark of the Beast
• The Salvation of the Jewish Remnant

The Point Again: The only way the Lord’s return can be imminent is for there to be a Rapture that is separate and apart from the Second Coming — and which can occur at any moment, without the fulfillment of any prophecies.

Another Problem Solved

This reconciliation also solves another problem.

The Bible says that no one can know the date of the Lord’s return. But the date of the Second Coming can be calculated precisely. The book of Revelation says it will take place exactly 2,520 days or 7 prophetic years from the day the Tribulation begins.

Therefore, the statement about not knowing the date must apply to the Lord’s appearing in the Rapture. Again, the solution is two future comings — an Appearing and a Return.

The Second Coming

This brings us to the second great prophetic event of triumph that we can look forward to — the Second Coming.

The Bible says Jesus will return to this earth at the end of the seven years of the Great Tribulation. He will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem from which He ascended into Heaven (Zechariah 14:1-9).

This will occur when the Jewish people have come to the end of themselves through the persecution of the Antichrist, motivating them to turn their hearts to God (Zechariah 12:10).

When Jesus comes, they will look upon Him whom they have pierced, they will recognize Him as their Messiah, they will repent of their rejection of Him, and they will cry out, ”Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 23:39).

At that point Jesus will speak a supernatural word and the Antichrist and his forces will be instantly annihilated in the Valley of Armageddon (Zechariah 14:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:8). Jesus will then resurrect the Old Testament Saints (Daniel 12:1-2) and the Tribulation Martyrs (Revelation 20:4), giving them their glorified bodies.

He will proceed to judge all those still living, both Gentiles and Jews (Matthew 25:31-46 and Ezekiel 20:33-38). The Saved will be allowed to enter the Millennium in the flesh. The Unsaved will be consigned to death and Hades.

The Millennium

This brings us to the third great triumphal event Christians should be looking forward to — the Lord’s Millennial reign.

The Bible says that those of us in glorified bodies will reign with Jesus over those in the flesh for a thousand years, during which time the earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness, and justice.

During those thousand years, God is going to fulfill four promises He has made, as outlined below.

1) To Jesus — God has promised that the day will come when Jesus will receive honor, glory, and power.

Jesus was humiliated the first time He came. He was rejected by His own people. He was mocked, scourged, and murdered.

During the Millennium He will receive the honor He is due, and He will be glorified in history.

Isaiah describes it this way (Isaiah 24:23):

Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and His glory will be before His elders.

Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 1:10, makes the same point:

[Jesus is returning] to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed…

2) To the Creation — Restoration to its original perfection.

Repeatedly in the Hebrew Scriptures, the promise is made that God will one day redeem His creation. Isaiah 11 says the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the lion will eat straw with the ox (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Peter affirmed this promise in his sermon to the Sanhedrin Council when he declared (Acts 3:19-21):

19) Repent… in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

20) and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,

21) whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

God is going to redeem all of His creation, returning it to the original perfection that existed when He created it.

3) To the Nations — Peace, Righteousness and Justice.

Again, the Hebrew Scriptures speak of this promise many times. One example can be found in Micah 4:3 where the prophet emphasizes that the Messiah will bring peace:

He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.

The prophet Isaiah emphasizes the righteousness and justice that the Messiah will bring to the world (Isaiah 11:4-5):

4) But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth…

5) Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist.

4) To the Jews — Primacy among the nations.

God will regather all the believing Jews in the world who are left alive at the end of the Tribulation, and they will be established as the prime nation of the world (Deuteronomy 30:1-9). He will then fulfill all the promises He has ever made to them.

Consider, for example, the incredible promises of Isaiah 60 which God made to the Jewish people — promises that have never yet been fulfilled:

2) The glory of the Lord will appear upon you [Israel].

3) And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

5) The wealth of nations will come to you… And the sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet.

15) Whereas you have been forsaken and hated… I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation.

20)… the days of your mourning will be finished.

21) Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever.

The prophet Zechariah describes the Millennial glory of Israel with some remarkable imagery (Zechariah 8:22-23):

22) Many peoples and many nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.

23) Thus says the Lord of hosts, “In those days, ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’”

What a statement that is! It means the centuries of persecution of the Jews will finally come to an end. No longer will they be the butt of jokes or the target of harassment or the victims of murder.

5) To the Church Age Saints (you and me) — Ruling power over the nations.

This is a promise made many times in the Scriptures, both in the Old Testament and the New.

Here is one example from Daniel 7:27 in the Old Testament:

Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.

And here is confirmation in the New Testament (Revelation 2:26-27):

26) He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations;

27) and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as I also have received authority from My Father…

Heaven

The final stage of God’s Plan for the Ages will come at the end of the Millennium, when we will be presented with our Heavenly home.

The Redeemed will be removed from this planet to the New Jerusalem which Jesus has been preparing for us. And I suspect that from that vantage point, we will be able to watch the greatest fireworks display in history as God superheats this earth to burn away the pollution of Satan’s last revolt.

Out of that fiery inferno will come a new heaven and a new earth that will serve as our eternal abode.

That’s right, Heaven will be on a new earth. We will be lowered down inside the New Jerusalem to the new earth, and God Himself will come to earth to live among us.

Here’s how it is described in Revelation 21:

1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away…

2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

4) and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

5) And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

6) Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

7) “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

Notice the one to whom all these promises are made: the overcomer. In 1 John 5 we find a definition of an overcomer:

1) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…

5) And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

If you have put your trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are an overcomer, and you are an heir of all these promises.

According to Revelation 22:4, we will ”see God’s face” — which means we will have intimate fellowship with our Creator eternally.

And Revelation 22:3 says we will ”serve Him forever.” Yes, we are going to have meaningful and fulfilling things to do in service to our Creator.

Conclusion

•  The end times began on Pentecost in about 30 AD when the church was established.
•  We have now been in the Church Age for 1900 years plus.
• The Church Age will come to a halt with the appearance of Jesus in the heavens, followed by the Rapture of the Church Age Saints, both the living and the dead.
• The Church Age will be followed by the Great Tribulation which will last 7 years.
• We will be in Heaven with the Lord during the Tribulation, but we will return with Him at the end of the Tribulation to reign with Him over all the world.
• Then will come the Millennial reign of Jesus, lasting 1,000 years.
• The final stage of history will be the eternal state or Heaven when we will live eternally in glorified bodies in a New Jerusalem located on a New Earth.

The Glory of the Victory

Now I hope you can better understand the meaning of two great passages written by the Apostle Paul.

First, Romans 8:18: ”I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

He repeats this sentiment in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 where he writes: ”No eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has the mind of Man conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” But in the next verse, he adds that these glorious things have been revealed to us through His Spirit — speaking, of course of His Word.

In like manner, the Apostle Peter referred to the events we have surveyed as ”God’s precious and magnificent promises” (2 Peter 1:4).

Application

When you consider the details of God’s Glorious Plan for the Ages, how can you possibly be passive or apathetic?

We are promised victory, and it will be achieved with: The Rapture, The Second Coming, The Millennium, and Life Eternal with God in Glorified Bodies on a New Earth.

Clouds of darkness may be gathering around us, but the Light is about to break through.

It is the worst of times, but it is the best of times, for the signs of the times are shouting the good news that Jesus is coming soon!

In response, you and I should be shouting, MARANATHA! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Dr. David Reagan's website is HERE.

ROYAL HEIR