Signs of the Times: Jesus is Coming Soon!

Hello Friends!

Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth very soon.  Now, Jesus Himself made it crystal clear that we cannot know the date of His return. He stated in Matthew 24:36:

"...of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

But, the Bible makes it equally clear that those who have the Holy Spirit living in them — that is, those who believe in Jesus as Savior — can understand the nature of the times that mark His return (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6).

Signs of the Times: Jesus is Coming Soon!

Friends, the season of the Lord's return is now! We are coming to the end of one age and the beginning of the age of Jesus' glorious reign right here on earth.

Signs that Show How to Know

What does God reveal in the Bible that shows us that now is the season of the Lord's return.

Well, there are nearly 500 prophecies in the Old Testament and in the New Testament 1 in every 25 verses that describe Jesus' Second Coming. Included in these prophecies God gives us an abundance of signs to be looking out for to know how soon Jesus' return will be.

Signs of Society

What are these signs? One of the categories of signs to be looking out for pertains to the nature of Society. In Matthew 24:37 Jesus says that His coming "will be just like in the days of Noah." What the Lord is saying here is, "I'm going to come back in a time when the earth is in as bad a shape as it was in the days of Noah." In other words, world society will go full circle and return to being as evil as it was in those days.

Genesis 6 describes the days of Noah when mankind's "minds were focused upon evil." In the days of Noah, immorality and violence were everywhere. The Apostle Paul spells it out in detail (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

"Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..."

 Truly that is the condition of society today.

Signs of Technology

Another category of end-time signs pertains to the amazing advancements in Technology.

Daniel 12:4 said there would be an explosion of knowledge and an increase in the rapidity of transportation at the end of this age. The Bible describes scenarios that depend on mass communication, satellite television, the Internet, computer technology and medical advances that have become a reality only in our day and time. For example, Jesus foreshadowed nuclear weapons in Luke 21 in speaking of people "fainting from fear" due to the "powers of the heavens being shaken," and how people will wish to hide underground to escape the devastation (Revelation 6:15).

Think how amazing it is that in the 20th Century people began on horseback and ended in a rocket.

Signs in World Politics

Yet another category of signs pertains to World Politics. The Bible prophesies a very specific end time configuration of nations. Israel is pictured as a nation once more that is surrounded by hostile Arab neighbors intent on its destruction. This, of course, has been the situation in the Middle East since the Israeli Declaration of Independence in May of 1948 (Ezekiel 35:1-36:7; 37:21-22).

Daniel prophesied that the Roman Empire would be revived. This began with the formation of the European Union (Daniel 2:36-41).

The Bible prophesies a great power located in the "remote parts of the north." This nation will menace Israel in the end times and will ultimately lead an invasion of Israel together with specified allies, all of which are modern day Muslim states (Ezekiel 38:1-39:16). Russia and its Muslim allies fit this description precisely.


Spiritual Signs

More evidence that Jesus will soon return is that at the end of this age Spiritual signs will abound.

Three times in Matthew 24 Jesus warns that the end of this age will see many false prophets claiming to be Christ with a resulting rise in cult followings, misleading many people away from the true teachings of the Bible.

Satanism in the form of witchcraft, New Age, and the occult were prophesied to become mainstream, and so they have. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:1 that:

"the Spirit explicitly says that in the latter times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons."

 And, many churches will become apostate, denying Jesus and ignoring His moral law. Paul writes about those who profess to being Christian in 2 Timothy 4:3-4,

"The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine... and will turn aside to myths."

 But, the signs are not all bad news. We are told that there will be some very positive spiritual signs in these end times. For instance, Jesus said that the Good News of salvation will spread throughout the world. He said,

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).

There also will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a greater interest in Bible prophecy and understanding of it (Matthew 24:14; Joel 2; Daniel 12).

Signs of Nature

As a result of all this turning away from God, God will increase the signs of Nature. Natural disasters of every type increasing greatly in frequency and intensity like "birth pains" are God's way of calling people to repent and return to a loving relationship with Him (Matthew 24:8). Jesus stated in Luke 21:11 that:

"there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven."

Signs Concerning Israel

The prophetic signs that relate to Israel, though, are the most important of all because the Jews are God's prophetic time clock. What this means is that the Scriptures often tie a prophesied future event with something that will happen directly to the Jews.

An example can be found in Matthew 24 where Jesus prophesied that the re-establishment of the nation of Israel would be an end time sign. Using the fig tree as a symbol of Israel, He prophesied that when the fig tree re-blossoms, the generation that sees that happen will be the one that will witness His return. Well, the fig tree re-blossomed on May 14, 1948 when the nation of Israel was re-established, making our generation the one that will witness the Lord's return.

Jesus gave a similar prophecy about the city of Jerusalem. In Luke 21:24 He prophesied that the Jews would be dispersed from Jerusalem and be led captive among the nations. He then said to watch for their return to Jerusalem because, when they return, it will mark the season of His return. In fulfillment of this prophecy, the Jews were dispersed from Jerusalem in 70 AD, and they returned in June of 1967, marking this day and time as the season of the Lord's return (Luke 21; Zechariah 8:4-8).

There are other prophecies concerning Israel that mark the end times when Jesus will return. One is found in Isaiah 35 where we are told that the decimated and barren land of Israel will flourish once again. In fulfillment of this prophecy, early in the 20th Century the Jewish settlers began to reclaim the land. Today, Israel has become the breadbasket of the Middle East.

Zechariah 12 tells us that Israel will become a military powerhouse in the end times, and today, the tiny nation of Israel is considered by military experts to have the fourth most powerful military force in the world.

Another key prophetic sign related to Israel in the end times is the one whose fulfillment we are witnessing today — the focusing of world politics upon the nation of Israel (Zechariah 12:2-3). All the nations of the world, including the United States, are coming against Israel over the issue of who controls the city of Jerusalem.

Truly, Israel's return as a nation almost 1900 years later is a miracle, proof positive that the Bible is the Word of God and that the prophecies in it have come true in this generation.

The Nature of Christ's Return

So why is God giving us all these signs to let us know about Jesus' soon return? Well, the key lies in why He is returning. Jesus is returning to deal with rebellion — sin — before setting up His Kingdom on earth. It is God's merciful and loving nature to let us know beforehand when He comes in justice and judgment to give us a chance to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 explains,

"God does not wish that any should perish but that all should be brought to repentance."

 God deals with sin in one of two ways — either in grace or in wrath. A person is under either the grace of God or the wrath of God. There is no third option. To be under the grace of God is a glorious thing. It means you have the promise that one day soon Jesus will appear and take you out of this world in an event called the "Rapture" before He deals wrathfully with rebellion (1 Thessalonians 4:17). The Bible promises over and over that those who have accepted Jesus as Savior during this age will be delivered from God's wrath. Romans 5:9 says that:

"we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."

 1 Thessalonians 1:10 states that we are waiting "for His Son from heaven... who will deliver us from the wrath to come." The promise is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 — "God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

But, if you're under God's wrath because you haven't ask for forgiveness of your sins and accepted Jesus as your Savior, you will stay behind and experience a wrath unlike anything you can even imagine. This will happen during what the Bible calls "The Tribulation" — seven years when the wrath of man, the wrath of Satan, and the wrath of God will be let loose upon this earth. For seven terrible and terrifying years the Earth will be devastated and billions of people will be annihilated before Jesus' Second Coming.

God is a God of love. Jesus says in John 3:16,  

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

 But, God is also a God of justice. The Bible says in John 3:36,

"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

 It is God's very nature to love, but His love demands that evil be dealt with in justice.

The Bible clearly teaches that God never pours out His wrath without warning for He is a just and loving God who does not wish that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). That is why He has provided so many signs to alert us to the fact that we are living on the threshold of the Tribulation and the soon return of Jesus Christ.

Decide

Where do you stand? Are you under God's wrath because you haven't accepted His free gift of salvation, or are you under God's grace because you have? Will you be one of those raptured before God's wrath, or will you suffer in it? Can you truly say that you are ready for Jesus' return?

You have a decision to make. If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Savior, then heed Mark 1:25.

"The time has come...the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

Believe in Jesus, God's Son, and have everlasting life. If you have accepted Jesus as Savior, your sins have been forgiven and forgotten, and you can look forward with confidence to that glorious day when Jesus will appear in the heavens. Make sure in these last days that Jesus is also Lord of every area of your life, so that when He comes He will find you ready.

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:35-37 NIV)

Source: http://www.lamblion.com/


If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><

 

Encouraging Concepts

Truth for Today

"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

An Open Letter Concerning Glenn Beck

An Open Letter Concerning Glenn Beck

Over the last few months there have been many questions and much conversation about the popular broadcaster Glenn Beck and his professed Mormon faith. This letter seeks to identify and clear up the confusion concerning both Beck's stand and the marked differences between Mormonism and historic, biblical Christianity. Please understand that we do not write these words in an effort to simply be "right" or to win an argument. The purpose of the letter is to determine the truth - something that Glenn Beck himself constantly lauds.

Let us begin by saying that we appreciate the stand Glenn Beck has made concerning our country, its foundation, and the great need for America to come back to God. Many of us have no doubt learned and gleaned information from Beck's thorough research and many fine, conservative guests. In fact, as he has stated many times on his national television program on the Fox News Channel and on his much-listened to radio program, the only hope America, indeed any person or nation, has is to return to and surrender to God. However, therein lies the problem. When Beck speaks of God, informed Christians must immediately question "which God?"

The unsuspecting or those less informed are given the perception that, when Beck mentions God, it must be the same deity that is spoken of as the Creator in the Holy Bible. To what extent Glenn Beck is grounded in Mormon doctrine or understanding may be debatable. However, he indeed presents himself in much the same manner as that of an "evangelical" Christian and also consistently states that he is indeed a Mormon. Let us be clear. Each person reading this must be warned that Glenn Beck's spirituality - which he claims to be the only solution - is not orthodox, historical Christianity in doctrine, beliefs, or practice.

Put bluntly, the basis of Mormonism exists in the idea of godhood for mankind in a doctrine called "The Law of Eternal Progression." This cultic belief states that God was a man as we are now and (through Mormonism and its erroneous teachings) we humans can become "gods" as well. Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith, wrote,

 

"... You have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you..." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 348).

 

Though the modern Mormon Church has tried to appear to be "Christian," this belief is the very core teaching of Mormonism. On the "Mormon Jesus," Mormon apostle Bruce R. Hunter, a member of Mormonism's "First Council of the Seventy," emphatically wrote,

 

"The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer, son of the morning. Haughty, ambitious, and covetous of power and glory, this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind" (The Gospel Through the Ages, Milton R. Hunter, p. 15).

 

Though the evidence that separates Mormonism from authentic Christianity is overwhelming, just these two examples should give one pause to question whether the Mormon god and Mormonism's unbiblical Jesus could in any way be construed to be the same as that portrayed in God's holy word, the Bible.

In Conclusion...
No matter how good the fruit may appear, no matter how much we may agree with his stand on America or politics, no matter how sincere or passionate he may be, we feel it is incumbent on those in apologetics ministry to point out that, if indeed Glenn Beck is a Mormon, he is advocating a religion that is not Christianity in any fashion but instead a false religion responsible for damning the souls of all who follow it. Being close or just using similar terms or phrases do not constitute sound doctrine. These things matter and each of us - Glenn Beck included - needs to examine whether we have placed our faith, hope, and trust in the real Jesus who is able to redeem and save a sinner or in one of the many worthless counterfeits such as the "Jesus" of the Mormon Church.

Standing for the authentic truth of the Bible, we are,

Shane K. Morin
Encouraging Concepts

(http://encouragingconcepts.blogspot.com/)

 

Eric Barger
Take A Stand! Ministries
(www.ericbarger.com)

 

Ed Decker
Saints Alive in Jesus
(www.saintsalive.com)

 

Jan Markell
"Understanding the Times" radio
(www.olivetreeviews.org)

Brannon Howse
"Worldview Matters" radio
(www.worldviewweekend.com)
 
Jim Spencer
Thru the Maze Ministries
(www.beyondmormonism.com)

Dr. David Reagan
"Christ in Prophecy" television
(www.lamblion.com)

Nathan Jones
"Christ in Prophecy" television
(www.lamblion.com)

Stacy L. Harp
Active Christian Media
(www.activechristianmedia.com)

Matt Buff
Rapture Ready Radio
(www.rapturereadyradio.com)

Tracy Tennant
Equipping ChristiansMinistries
(www.equippingchristians.com)

Prophetic Facts About the First Coming of Jesus Christ

Hello Friends!

Through a detailed study of the Holy Scriptures, we find a total of 18 Bible prophecies that were fulfilled at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The following summary represents the amazing proof that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah.

Prophetic Facts About the First Coming of Jesus Christ

Seven of these related to His lineage. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Hebrew prophets had prophesied that the Messiah would be:

1. From the Shemite branch of humanity (Genesis 9:26).
2. Through Abraham (Genesis 12:3).
3. Through Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 17:21).
4. Through Isaac's son, Jacob (Genesis 28:14).
5. Through the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:8).
6. Through the family of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1).
7. Through the house of David (Jeremiah 23:5).

This genealogical address of the Messiah was fulfilled precisely in Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17).

Notice how this genealogical trail begins broadly and then continually narrows down, focusing finally on a particular household. It's like saying my personal address is the planet Earth, the Western Hemisphere, the North American Continent, the nation of the United States, the state of Texas, the county of Collin, the city of Allen, and the street of Springcrest Court.

This family tree of the Messiah is one of the reasons He had to come before 70 AD because in that year, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, all the genealogical records of the Jewish people were lost. If a Messianic pretender were to present himself today, there would be no way to check his lineage to make certain that he fulfills the prophecies.

Another reason the Messiah had to come before 70 AD relates to the famous prophecy of Daniel called the 70 Weeks of Years (Daniel 9:24-27). This prophecy clearly states that the Messiah will appear and will be killed before the Temple is destroyed.

Other prophecies related to the birth of the Messiah include:

8. Place of His birth (Micah 5:2)
9. His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14)
10. His divine name (Isaiah 7:14)
11. Presentation of gifts to Him (Psalm 72:10-11)
12. Massacre of children after His birth (Jeremiah 31:15)
13. His escape into Egypt (Hosea 11:1)
14. His residence in Nazareth (Matthew 2:23)
15. His childhood poverty (Isaiah 53:2)
16. His Spirit-filled nature from birth (Isaiah 1:1-2)

The fulfillment of all these prophecies in the birth of Jesus is proof positive that He was the promised Messiah and redeemer of mankind.

Source: http://www.lamblion.com/

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

The Importance of Bible Prophecy

Hello Friends!

Although prophecy constitutes almost one-third of the Bible, its importance is constantly downplayed by those who dismiss it as having no practical significance or by those who object to it on the grounds that it is a "fad," which ultimately takes people's eyes off Jesus.

The Importance of Bible Prophecy

Revelation 19:10 says that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Thus, if prophecy is properly taught, there is no reason for it to divert anyone's attention away from Jesus. In fact, it should serve to emphasize the centrality of Jesus.

Is prophecy practical? Consider that all the New Testament writers testify to the fact that the study of prophecy will motivate holy living. What could be more practical than that?

Prophecy does not have to be either faddish, other-worldly, or impractical if taught properly. Nor does it have to be a playground for fanatics. It can and should be green pastures for disciples.

Reasons for Study

1) Validator of Scripture — Fulfilled prophecy is one of the best evidences I know of that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Bible contains hundreds of fulfilled secular prophecies pertaining to cities, nations, empires, and individuals. Jeremiah predicted the Babylonian captivity would last 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). Isaiah stated that the children of Israel would be sent home from Babylon by a man named Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28; Ezra 1:1). Daniel predicated the precise order of four great Gentile empires (Daniel 2 and 7). The destruction of Babylon was foretold by a number of the Hebrew prophets (Isaiah 13). In the New Testament, Jesus predicted the complete destruction of Jerusalem 40 years before it actually occurred (Luke 21:6).

2) Validator of Jesus — The Bible contains more than 300 prophecies about the first coming of Jesus, all of which were literally fulfilled. Every aspect of the life of Jesus was prophesied - the place of His birth, the nature of His birth, the quality of His ministry, the purpose of His life, and the agony of His death. Consider, for example, the prophecy in Psalm 22:16 that the Messiah's hands and feet would be pierced. That prophecy was written by David about a thousand years before the birth of Jesus. It was written 700 years before the invention of crucifixion as a form of execution. The literal fulfillment of so many prophecies in the life of one individual transcends any mere coincidence and serves to validate that Jesus was who He said He was - the divine Son of God.

3) Revealer of the Future — Prophecy serves to tell us some things that God wants us to know about the future (Deuteronomy 29:29; Amos 3:7). God does not want us to know everything about the future, but there are some things we must know if we are to have a dynamic hope. Thus, prophecy assures us that Jesus is coming back, that He will resurrect us, and that He will take us to live forever with Him and God the Father. In this regard, Peter likens prophecy to "a lamp shining in a dark place" (2 Peter 1:19). Paul makes the same point in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. He begins by observing that 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 Paul says those things have been revealed to us by God through His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

4) Tool of Evangelism — Prophecy can be used as a very effective tool of evangelism, as illustrated in the story of Philip and the Eunuch (Acts 8:26ff). Philip used Isaiah's great suffering lamb passage (Isaiah 53) to teach that Jesus is the lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. Matthew and Peter both used fulfilled prophecy in the life of Jesus as one of their basic evangelistic tools. In fact, Peter referred to prophecy constantly in his first gospel sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-39). He preached that Jesus had been crucified and resurrected in fulfillment of Hebrew prophecies. Later, Peter referred to fulfilled prophecy as one of the greatest evidences that Jesus was truly the Son of God (2 Peter 1:16-19).

5) Tool of Moral Teaching — People often overlook the fact that the Hebrew prophets were forthtellers as well as foretellers. In fact, the prophets spent most of their time using God's Word to spotlight societal problems. They called their listeners to repentance, true worship, social justice, and personal holiness. One of the great recurring themes of the prophets is that "obedience is better than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22 and Hosea 6:6). That statement means that in God's eyes, obedience to His commands is more important than outward religious practices such as offering sacrifices. Prophecy is thus a great repository of moral teaching, and those moral principles are still relevant today. (See Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 58:3-9.)

6) Generator of Spiritual Growth — Prophetic knowledge encourages patient waiting (James 5:7- 8); provokes earnest watching (Matthew 24:36,42); inspires dedicated work (2 Timothy 4:7-8); and enhances our hope (Titus 2:11-14). The result is holy living. Paul exhorts us to "behave properly as in the day," because the time is at hand when the Lord will return (Romans 13:12-13). Likewise, Peter calls us to gird up our minds and be sober and holy as we look forward to the revelation of Jesus (1 Peter 1:13-15).

Advice & Counsel

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul writes that all of God's Word is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." That includes God's Prophetic Word. In 1 Thessalonians 5:20 the apostle Paul pleads with us to treat prophecy with respect.

Peter warns us in his second epistle, that one of the signs of the end times will be the appearance of "scoffers" who will cast scorn and ridicule on the promise of our Lord's return (2 Peter 3:3ff). The great tragedy of our day is that many of the loudest scoffers are religious leaders who profess to follow Christ. Such leaders crucified Jesus the first time He came. They now scoff at His promise to return.

A good example of what I'm talking about is the "Jesus Seminar" that has been operating for the past few years. It is composed of forty New Testament "scholars" from a great variety of Christian seminaries in America. The seminar has been meeting every six months to vote on the sayings of Jesus as recorded in the four gospels. They hope to produce a new version of the gospels in which the sayings of Jesus will be color coded: red, if He said it; pink, if He may have said it; grey, if He probably did not say it; and black, if He definitely did not say it.

When they voted on the sayings of Jesus regarding His Second Coming, they voted that all the sayings were spurious and had probably been "made up" by His disciples. What apostasy!

Spiritual Food

God's Prophetic Word is food for our spiritual growth. We need to take it off the shelf. We need to open it up and feast upon it, and we need to do so with believing hearts.

The book of Revelation promises blessings to those who read it (or hear it read) and who obey it (Revelation 1:3). It is the only book of the Bible to promise such a specific blessing, but all God's Word is designed to bless us spiritually (Psalm 119), and that includes the Prophetic Word.

Key Scriptures pertaining to Prophecy

Let's conclude with a reminder of what the Word of God itself says about the value of prophecy. In this way we can be assured that the effort we expend in looking at the prophetic Scriptures will be time extremely well spent.

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our sons forever." (Deuteronomy 29:29)

"Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)

"I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done... I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it." (Isaiah 46:9-11)

"[Jesus said] 'Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.'" (Matthew 5:17)

"[Jesus] said to them, 'These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.'" (Luke 24:44)

"Of Him [Jesus] all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." (Acts 10:43)

"The prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow." (1 Peter 1:10-11)

"But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." (2 Peter 1:20-21)

"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10)

Source: http://www.lamblion.com/

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Science Speaks (Part 3 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back.  This week we will conclude our series based on the excellent book by Peter Stoner titled Science Speaks.  Enjoy!

Part Three: Messianic Prophecy

The third and most famous section of Peter Stoner's book concerns Messianic prophecy. His theme verse for this section is John 5:39 - "Search the Scriptures because... it is these that bear witness of Me."

Stoner proceeds to select eight of the best known prophecies about the Messiah and calculates the odds of their accidental fulfillment in one person as being 1 in 1017.

Stoner illustrated the meaning of this number. He asked the reader to imagine filling the State of Texas knee deep in silver dollars. Include in this huge number one silver dollar with a black check mark on it. Then, turn a blindfolded person loose in this sea of silver dollars. The odds that the first coin he would pick up would be the one with the black check mark are the same as 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of Jesus.

The point, of course, is that when people say that the fulfillment of prophecy in the life of Jesus Christ was accidental, they simply do not know what they are talking about. Keep in mind that Jesus did not just fulfill 8 prophecies, He fulfilled at least 108. The chances of fulfilling 16 are 1 in 1045. When you get to a total of 48, the odds increase to 1 in 10157. Accidental fulfillment of these prophecies is simply beyond the realm of possibility.

When confronted with these statistics, skeptics will often fall back on the argument that Jesus Christ purposefully fulfilled the prophecies. There is no doubt that Jesus was aware of the prophecies and His fulfillment of them. For example, when He got ready to enter Jerusalem the last time, He told His disciples to find Him a donkey to ride so that the prophecy of Zechariah could be fulfilled which said, "Behold, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey" (Matthew 21:1-5 and Zechariah 9:9).

But many of the prophecies concerning the Messiah could not be purposefully fulfilled - such as the town of His birth (Micah 5:2) or the nature of His betrayal (Psalm 41:9), or the manner of His death (Zechariah 13:6 and Psalm 22:16).

One of the most remarkable Messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures is the one that precisely states that the Messiah will die by crucifixion. It is found in Psalm 22 where David prophesied the Messiah would die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16). That prophecy was written 2,000 years before Jesus was born. When it was written, the Jewish method of execution was by stoning. The prophecy was also written many years before the Romans perfected crucifixion as a method of execution.

Even when Jesus was killed, the Jews still relied on stoning as their method of execution, but they had lost the power to implement the death penalty due to Roman occupation. That is why they were forced to take Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor, and that's how Jesus ended up being crucified, in fulfillment of David's prophecy.

The bottom line:

 

The fulfillment of Bible prophecy in the life of Jesus Christ of Nazareth proves conclusively that He truly was God in the flesh. It also proves that the Bible is supernatural in origin.

 

Keep in mind, this series highlighted prophecies that pertained to Jesus' first coming.  There are over 500 Biblical prophecies promising Jesus' second coming where He will reign on earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

 

Time is short!  Before it's too late, won't you trust in Jesus Christ today as Lord and Savior of your life?

 

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Science Speaks (Part 2 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome back.  This week we will investigate the accuracy of Biblical prophecy in part two of our book series by Peter Stoner titled Science Speaks.  Enjoy!

Part Two: The Accuracy of Prophecy

The second section of Stoner's book is entitled "Prophetic Accuracy." This is where the book becomes absolutely fascinating. One by one, he takes major Bible prophecies concerning cities and nations and calculates the odds of their being fulfilled. The first is a prophecy in Ezekiel 26 concerning the city of Tyre. Seven prophecies are contained in this chapter which was written in 590 BC:

1. Nebuchadnezzar shall conquer the city (vs. 7-11).
2. Other nations will assist Nebuchadnezzar (v. 3).
3. The city will be made like a bare rock (vs. 4 & 14).
4. It will become a place for the spreading of fishing nets (vs. 5 & 14).
5. Its stones and timbers will be thrown into the sea (v. 12).
6. Other cities will fear greatly at the fall of Tyre (v. 16).
7. The old city of Tyre will never be rebuilt (v. 14).

Four years after this prophecy was given, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Tyre. The siege lasted 13 years. When the city finally fell in 573 BC, it was discovered that everything of value had been moved to a nearby island.

Two hundred and forty-one years later Alexander the Great arrived on the scene. Fearing that the fleet of Tyre might be used against his homeland, he decided to take the island where the city had been moved to. He accomplished this goal by building a causeway from the mainland to the island, and he did that by using all the building materials from the ruins of the old city. Neighboring cities were so frightened by Alexander's conquest that they immediately opened their gates to him. Since that time, the city of Tyre has remained in ruins and is a place where fishermen spread their nets.

Thus, every detail of the prophecy was fulfilled exactly as predicted. Stoner calculated the odds of such a prophecy being fulfilled by chance as being 1 in 75,000,000, or 1 in 7.5x107. (The exponent 7 indicates that the decimal is to be moved to the right seven places).

Stoner proceeds to calculate the probabilities of the prophecies concerning Samaria, Gaza and Ashkelon, Jericho, Palestine, Moab and Ammon, Edom, and Babylon. He also calculates the odds of prophecies being fulfilled that predicted the closing of the Eastern Gate (Ezekiel 44:1-3), the plowing of Mount Zion (Micah 3:12), and the enlargement of Jerusalem according to a prescribed pattern (Jeremiah 31:38-40).

Combining all these prophecies, he concludes that "the probability of these 11 prophecies coming true, if written in human wisdom, is... 1 in 5.76x1059. Needless to say, this is a number beyond the realm of possibility.  Incredible! 

Please join us next week as we conclude our series of Science Speaks.


If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)

Science Speaks (Part 1 of 3)‏

Hello Friends!

Over the next three weeks we will investigate natural science and how it applies to the creation account as well as Biblical prophecy, specifically in regards to the deity and person of Jesus Christ. 

There is an excellent book by Peter Stoner titled Science Speaks. It uses a remarkable illustration to show how Bible prophecy proves that Jesus Christ was truly God in the flesh. The book was first published in 1958 by Moody Press.  Peter Stoner was chairman of the mathematics and astronomy departments at Pasadena City College until 1953 when he moved to Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. There he served as chairman of the science division. At the time he wrote this book, he was professor emeritus of science at Westmont. 

Science Speaks is divided into three sections. Two relate directly to Bible prophecy. The first section deals with the scientific validity of the Genesis account of creation, which is where we will begin today...

Part One: The Genesis Record 

Peter Stoner begins with a very interesting observation. He points out that his copy of Young's General Astronomy, published in 1898, is full of errors. Yet, the Bible, written over 2,000 years ago is devoid of scientific error. For example, the shape of the earth is mentioned in Isaiah 40:22. Gravity can be found in Job 26:7. Ecclesiastes 1:6 mentions atmospheric circulation. A reference to ocean currents can be found in Psalm 8:8, and the hydraulic cycle is described in Ecclesiastes 1:7 and Isaiah 55:10. The second law of thermodynamics is outlined in Psalm 102:25-27 and Romans 8:21. And these are only a few examples of scientific truths written in the Scriptures long before they were "discovered" by scientists.

Stoner proceeds to present scientific evidence in behalf of special creation. For example, he points out that science had previously taught that special creation was impossible because matter could not be destroyed or created. He then points out that atomic physics had now proved that energy can be turned into matter and matter into energy.

He then considers the order of creation as presented in Genesis 1:1-13. He presents argument after argument from a scientific viewpoint to sustain the order which Genesis chronicles. He then asks, "What chance did Moses have when writing the first chapter [of Genesis] of getting thirteen items all accurate and in satisfactory order?" His calculations conclude it would be one chance in 31,135,104,000,000,000,000,000 (1 in 31 x 1021). He concludes, "Perhaps God wrote such an account in Genesis so that in these latter days, when science has greatly developed, we would be able to verify His account and know for a certainty that God created this planet and the life on it."

The only disappointing thing about Stoner's book is that he spiritualizes the reference to days in Genesis, concluding that they refer to periods of time of indefinite length. Accordingly, he concludes that the earth is approximately 4 billion years old. In his defense, keep in mind that he wrote this book before the foundation of the modern Creation Science Movement which was founded in the 1960's by Dr. Henry Morris. That movement has since produced many convincing scientific arguments in behalf of a young earth with an age of only 6,000 years.

Peter Stoner calculated the probability of just 8 Messianic prophecies being fulfilled in the life of Jesus. As you read through these prophecies, you will see that all estimates were calculated as conservatively as possible.

1. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
   The average population of Bethlehem from the time of Micah to the present (1958) divided by the average population of the earth during the same period = 7,150/2,000,000,000 or 2.8x105.
2. A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).
   One man in how many, the world over, has had a forerunner (in this case, John the Baptist) to prepare his way?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
3. The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
   One man in how many, who has entered Jerusalem as a ruler, has entered riding on a donkey?
   Estimate: 1 in 100 or 1x102.
4. The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
   One man in how many, the world over, has been betrayed by a friend, resulting in wounds in his hands?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
5. The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
   Of the people who have been betrayed, one in how many has been betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
6. The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter's field (Zechariah 11:13).
   One man in how many, after receiving a bribe for the betrayal of a friend, has returned the money, had it refused, and then experienced it being used to buy a potter's field?
   Estimate: 1 in 100,000 or 1x105.
7. The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
   One man in how many, when he is oppressed and afflicted, though innocent, will make no defense of himself?
   Estimate: 1 in 1,000 or 1x103.
8. The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).
   One man in how many, since the time of David, has been crucified?
   Estimate: 1 in 10,000 or 1x104.

Multiplying all these probabilities together produces a number (rounded off) of 1x1028. Dividing this number by an estimate of the number of people who have lived since the time of these prophecies (88 billion) produces a probability of all 8 prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of one person. This probability is 1in 1017 or 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That's one in one hundred quadrillion - Absolutely amazing!

Please join us next week as we investigate part two of Science Speaks.


If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com  

I love hearing from you.  Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!

Blessings on your success!  
Shane  <><

Lighthouse Publications <>< 
"Dedicated to the Never Ending Search for the Creator's calling within You" (TM)