Why the end times are the way they are...

[JohnD]

Luke 21:24 (NASB95)
24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The focus will again return to the Jewish people. With the understanding that the attention has never been fully off the Jewish people all along. And that the purpose for there even being a period of tribulation and great tribulation is to at long last bring the surviving Jewish people to cry out to the Messiah Jesus for deliverance / salvation from a world hellbent on their total destruction.

But before that, the devil will plow with the LORD's heifer in ways many eschatology buffs never saw coming.

Revelation 13:1–10 (NASB95)
1And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.
2And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
3I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
4they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
5There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.
6And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
9If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

The dragon is Satan (Revelation 20:2).

The sand of the seashore is Israel (Romans 9:27).

Genesis 22:17 (NASB95)
17indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.

The children of Abraham are physically (sand by the sea) the Jewish people. Spiritually the stars of the heavens.

The sea the beast comes up from is the sea of humanity.

Revelation 17:15–18 (NASB95)
15And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16“And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.
17“For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.
18“The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The harlot is Rome / Vatican City (Revelation 17:9). But this beast will not be a Gentile but a Jew who has profound influence over the Jewish people. It would not be possible otherwise. And in fact this beast will affirm the Mosaic Covenant (which Jesus fulfilled and put an end to) in order to divert the Jewish people even further away from Jesus. Hence the names of blasphemy and blaspheming speech. "Jesus was not the Christ... I am..."

2 Thessalonians 2:4 (NASB95)
4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

Isaiah 14:12–15 (NASB95)
12“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!
13“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.
14‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
15“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

 

[JohnD]

This despicable individual is prophesied in scripture in many places traditionally thought to refer to the genuine Messiah Jesus. For example...

Zechariah 8:23 (NASB95)
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.” ’ ”

10 men / 10 kings... a Jew... "we have heard..."

Many many times people are fooled by the "we have heard" statements that seem convincing enough that the LORD is with them or that they follow God when in fact they are a cultist a false religionist or even a self deluded individual with a God complex. I am reminded of David Koresh in Waco, Texas, or Jim Jones in Guiana some years back. And people fell in line with them.

Dare I say it? Many Orthodox Christian Churches as well impose their traditions of men upon the truth leading to division and error in the Body Christian. The end result is at the very least an ineffective remnant of believers busily engaged in chasing their own and each others' tails while the world plunges headlong into the great chasm known as the 70th Week of Daniel.

 

[JohnD]

The traditions of men distort the truth. There are so many examples to choose from. The "Lord's Prayer" is one. What is traditionally the Lord's prayer is actually the disciple's prayer (read it in context, teach us to pray like John taught his disciples to pray). And of course the prayer will have aspects of being A model for prayer. But it is not THE model for prayer in that it is in the setting of the Old Covenant / Old Testament with phrases like "forgive as we forgive." The New Covenant / New Testament abhors any condition of our behavior to receive and keep eternal forgiveness by anything other than our faith / belief in Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18 / Ephesians 2:8-10).

The true Lord's prayer is John 17.

In it is the repeated point of the unity of the believers in Christ that we be as one as the Father and the Son are one. Yet we see all around division and disunity and discord because people subscribe to their version of the traditions of men taught by their preferential denomination, congregation... and thus the salt has lost its savor and is good for nothing but to be cast into the manure pile and on the path to be trodden under the feet of men.

Here in the USA we have scene America (during my 50+ years anyway) go from a Christianized nation to a paganized nation. In my youth there were many flaws in America which had originally chartered its course on Christian principles. And the blessings and time of being able to repent to earlier times was the result of the inertial momentum of our Godly parents and grandparents. My post WWII Baby Boom generation was one of the worst / thankless / self absorbed in all human history to take in little more than one generation the blessed nation under God and turn it into modern Sodom and Gomorrah and still have the unmitigated gall to say "God Bless America..." at every opportune moment is disgusting worse than treason IMHO.

And we suffer the ravages of greedy and malice and paganism and the Light of Christ is hidden under bowels and beds... for fear of legal and financial reprisal. 501 C 3 tax exemption status for example is a gag on the voice of God.

 

[JohnD]

What difference does a little non-biblical traditions make?

Take Christmas for example... doesn't the whole world recognize this day and many non-Christian events like Christmas Day cease fires in war have been observed for that reason? And doesn't that afford people who would otherwise not hear the Gospel the ability to at least consider this Jesus who had such a profound effect on the world?

Atheists observe Christmas. Only they like the Santa Claus, peace on earth goodwill (from) to men version. To them Jesus is no more real than Chris Kringle. Or as one atheist put it "Santa is fake and Jesus is real?"

Christmas (Roman Catholic Christ Mass) was a religion-building exercise, like the daily saint which was a day devoted to a particular Romanized canon saint (until they ran out of days). Then they created an All Saints Day (November 1)... to which the pagan world responded with a prior All Hallows Evening (Halloween). Cute. And what a profound affect on the lost...

But Christmas was an attempt to draw the world's attention away from the renown holiday Saturnalia (essentially an orgy fest as was Easter / Astarte which did not lose its name in the process like Saturnalia did). So the popularity of Christmas rides on the coattails of a pagan orgy fest.

So obviously unbiblical is this fest / mass even the cultists like the Jehovah's Witnesses use it to prey on unsuspecting and ignorant Christians as a tool to try to legitimize their false beliefs.

My point is that especially as the times of the end draw incredibly near we can no longer afford these errors and ignorance in the Body of Christ.

I know there are many who have a great love for Christmas. It is actually the anniversary date for my marriage to my precious Bride of over 30 years. Back then, by setting that date we thought we were honoring the Lord on his "birthday." So this is not to place a dark shadow over mistakes of the past so long as we learn the truth and abide by it.

And even though the birth of Jesus was and is a very big deal, and more than likely was in September / October some 5 - 7 years prior to the BC / AD year of the Roman Catholic decree... Jesus never said to celebrate his birth or even his resurrection for that matter. He commanded us to remember his death until he returned to earth.

Luke 18:8 (NASB95)
8“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”