Tuesday, July 29, 2014

WHY I AM A PRETERIST

Preterism is a view in Christian eschatology which holds that some or all of the biblical prophecies concerning the Last Days refer to events which took place in the first century after Christ's birth, especially associated with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The term preterism comes from the Latin praeter, meaning past, since this view deems certain biblical prophecies as past, or already fulfilled.
I am a preterist because Jesus, John the Beloved/John the Revelator, Daniel, and the Apostle Paul were all preterists. That does not mean that the message is not also for our own time, but rather that it is an example and pattern as to how, why, and when God destroys a nation, a people, and/or a City. When any nation, city, or people fall into the same spiritual condition that Jerusalem was in, in the New Testament era, it also will be destroyed and come to an end. It is a message so relevant to the United States of America today, that we must proclaim it.
Jesus said of his prophesies in Matthew 24: "Verily I say unto you this generation shall not pass,till all these things be fulfilled," verse 34. This is also recorded in Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32. How can we ignore the clear meaning of His words? If it had not happened, Jesus would have been a false prophet.
Jesus also said: "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom," Matthew 16:28. This is also recorded by Mark and Luke. 
John the Beloved Disciple, writing in 1John 2:18: "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists, whereby we know that it is the last time."
John the Revelator stated the purpose of the Revelation of Jesus Christ was: "... to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." Then in verse three he says: "... for the time is at hand." Then in the end of the Book, 22:20: "... Surely I come quickly," (soon). John was a true prophet; it happened.
Daniel had prophesied of the end of the nation, city and people which was to come at a given time, after 490 years, and a time, times and half a time, Daniel 9:24-27; 12:7. That time had come in the first century AD. The fleshly nation of Israel ended, the City of Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jewish people were destroyed, dispersed and their genealogical records were burned.
Paul, in his epistle to the Thessalonians said of the Jews of Judea: "Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets and have persecuted us, and they please not God, and are contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sin alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost," 1Thessalonians 2:15-16. Paul wept for his natural nation, but saw clearly that it had destroyed itself by rejecting their God.
Yes, I cannot see the testimonies of all of these preterists and not realize that they were proven to be true prophets of God.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

86. Zion The Perfection Of Beauty

Revelation 4: 2-3: “And lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.” (RSV)

   The throne of God, the most beautiful scene ever recorded. The Throne of God glows with the light of every beautiful gem. God gives this beauty also to those He loves. Daniel 12:3:

   And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

   Matthew 13:43: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear let him hear."

   For background, see in Ezekiel 28:12 something of the description of the beauty of the "Eden, the Garden of God." Although the lament is for the "king of Tyre," it is his spiritual counterpart, satan himself that is described. When satan was in heaven, he was "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty."

   But it is also said to him: "Thou sealest up the sum (KJV),”or "You were the signet of perfection (RSV)" This probably indicates that he was the one who had the authority to use the signet ring of God; "Every precious stone was your covering.
  He could "authorize" anything by use of the "seal" which represented God's Name, His Signature. He could "seal up the sum"; that is, he could endorse the full extent of God's blessings. Satan was cast out of "Eden, the Garden of God," because of his pride and he attempts now to counterfeit the wisdom, beauty and wealth that he once had.

   To think that Jesus has given us that Name of God! The power and authority of using the Name that was taken from satan has been given to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Mark 11:23-24, etc.) The beautiful gems that were in "Eden, the Garden of God," are now in the New Jerusalem, the Church, the Bride of Christ in Revelation 21:11-21.

   God intended for His fleshly nation, Israel, to have the wealth and beauty of the jewels. In Exodus 28:9-30 we read of the precious gems that were to be used in the breastplate and carried before the Lord by the High Priest. Each tribe was engraved into the two onyx stones upon the shoulders of the High Priest, six names upon each onyx stone. 
   Then there were also twelve precious gems that had the names of the twelve sons, tribes, of Israel engraved into them separately. These twelve stones represented their signet ring or signature, their name, which the High Priest carried before the Lord. Over the course of their Biblical history, however, fleshly Israel lost this beautiful symbol of God's presence and blessings and "dwelt many years without an ephod," (Hosea 3:4).

   In the time of Christ, Herod had tried to adorn the temple with "costly stones," (Mark 13:1). But these were only satan's imitations, not the real jewels of God. Then, in the image of Babylon the Great, we see the ugliness of the jewels of the harlot, (Revelation 17:4). It is in contrast to this that we see the jewels of the beautiful Bride, the New Jerusalem, in 21:11-21.

   The twelve stones of the ephod are represented in New Jerusalem by the twelve gates of pearl which are engraved with the names of the twelve tribes, (21:12 and 21). The authority of the twelve apostles is represented by the twelve foundation stones which are engraved with their names. It is these signet ring stones which form the foundation of the wall, (21:19-21). Either they are these precious stones – imagine a gem 1500 miles long and wide serving as a foundation stone! – or they were inlaid with these precious stones.

   Note that this beautiful Bride, the New Jerusalem, now dwells in "Eden, the Garden of God." Satan has been cast out, chapter 20, and now the Garden is safe. The Bride now dwells in the place that satan once enjoyed, having the "signet of perfection," being full of "Wisdom" and "Perfect in Beauty," "Zion, the Perfection of Beauty." 
   Bullinger, (p.687), gives an interesting comment on these jewels. They may have had further symbolic meanings. He speaks of the number seven as representing, among other things, the notes of the music scale. The scale as we now know it begins with “c” goes through “g” and back to “a-b.” In this scheme of things: “c” is the first note; “d” the second; “e” the third; “f”’ the fourth; “g” the fifth; “a” the sixth; “b” the seventh.

   He says that these notes also represent colors, so that if the notes do not harmonize the colors they represent will not either. We know that the numbers of the Hebrew alphabet also represented letters. If the stones of the New Jerusalem represent colors, then there is a possibility that a message could be transmitted by using the number of that color of stone.

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation In Context, available at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma and also available online at www.amazon.com 
or www.xulonpress.com
Free downloads are available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net 

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

THE IMMIGRANT CHILDREN

THE IMMIGRANT CHILDREN
By Irene Belyeu
    What does this sudden inflow of immigrant children mean to us and our nation? Among many other possibilities I believe it means at least these two things:
1. It means we have lost the war on drugs and these children are fleeing from the hell-like conditions resulting from our failure to wage that war vigorously and consistently for the past fifty or sixty years and even up to the present day.
Our nation chose the wrong direction years ago when we decided to invest our major military and economic power in the Middle East instead of next door in Mexico and Central America.
Why?
The powerful lobbyists representing the international corporations and the military/industrial complex were ruling our nation and manipulating the elections and therefore the elected officials. The most powerful of these lobbies was and is AIPAC, American/Israel Political Action Committee. Consequently with the blessing of many Churches, our nation has established the anti-Christian nation posing as “Israel.”
On the pretense that they are “our only ally” in the Middle East they have continued to invade Palestine, inflaming the hatred of the Arab nations. This has kept us embroiled in wars and blackmail, requiring huge grants and tax favors to nations and international corporations, building up a national debt that will keep us in bondage for at least two more generations. As a result our nation is bankrupt with a crumbling infrastructure and fierce enemies throughout the world. The great army that we would have had has been slain in the womb.
2. This inflow of immigrant children means also that we are being given a second chance to care for, love, discipline and nurture these thousands of children in place of those thousands that were aborted as fetuses.
Let us wake up and grow up and take a mature view of who we are, where we are and what we are. There is a tremendous opportunity in these immigrant children for us to sober up, give up our spoiled life styles and do what is right and good. Instead of indulgence in ridiculous luxuries and purposeless pleasures, let us seek the good ways of truly Christian conduct and stand against the slavery of addictions, the worship of Mammon, (the love of money), immoral recreational sex, and sin itself.
In other words, let us repent both as individuals and as a nation and seek the Lord’s mercy and grace. This is the way, the only way out of the disastrous results of our past sins.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

87. JERUSALEM TO BE DESTROYED



By Irene Belyeu

As the Lord spoke to Ezekiel:

 “(17) Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. (18) When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die, and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.  (19) Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked ways, he shall die in his iniquity, but thou hast delivered thy soul. (20) Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. (21) Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou has delivered thy soul. ” Ezekiel 3:17-21.

            Years ago before the invention of DNA testing a major study was carried out regarding the racial identity of those who call themselves “Jews” throughout the world. That study showed conclusively that there was no difference between the racial characteristics of the “Jews” and those they lived amongst. This was published in a book: “The Myth of the Jewish Race.” Now that DNA testing can be done, several studies have found that there is no identifiable racial DNA linking today’s so-called “Jews” with the lineage of Abraham.

            So what does this mean? It means that these “Jews” are a religion and not a race and therefore:

1. The Churches are deceived that teach that they are Biblical heirs of the promise to Abraham, a false doctrine.

2. It means that our nation, the United States of America, has been deceived into full military and financial support for the Zionist state called “Israel.”

3. It means that the B-illions and even TR-illions of dollars the USA has spent on that support has been in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

4. The religion of these so-called “Jews” is that of the Pharisees of the New Testament era as described by Christ in Matthew 23 and who suffered the destruction described in Matthew 24 and Revelation 18. They were then, and are now, anti-(against)-Christ, the original and continuing AntiChrist.

5. The rise again of this evil doctrine has deceived all nations and is due to reap the same consequences of destruction. Yes, the so-called “State of Israel” is as certain to be destroyed as was Jerusalem and Judea in 70 AD of the first century.

6. Our Churches and our nation are warned to repent and “Come out of her” lest we also be partakers of her sins and consequent plagues, Revelation 18:4.

7. It means that we have to make a choice as a nation and as a Church: Will we follow Christ or the Anti-Christ? We know from the Biblical example of the Cross of Christ that there will be persecution and martyrdom but with it everlasting Life and victory over death, hell and the grave.

What shall we choose?