Bowing to the Rising Sun (and other "detestable practices")

I've been reading Ezekiel and I had to stop at chapter eight when I realized I didn't know exactly what he was talking about.
First off it starts with:
"In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day". 
When was that?
Well the it was the sixth year of exile of King Jehoiachin. (We know that from earlier chapters) The sixth month is Elul (around August).  Six is a number of preparation... also the number of "man".  It would be interesting if it were also on the sixth day, but it's not, so I won't try to read anything into that.


So imagine Ezekiel: "sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me", and all of a sudden he gets a vision of these same elders (and then some) deep in idol worship.  That's pretty intense. You know he had to talk to them after this whole vision was over.  I would hate to have been in his position... (To say nothing of his positions in previous chapters).
God tells him,  “ look toward the north.” So he looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar he saw this idol of jealousy.
From the commentaries I read it seems to be a general consensus that this was an asherah pole that had been replaced after King Josiah had them all torn down only a generation ago.  There is even mention of Jaazaniah son of Shaphan being a part of the vision. (Shaphan was the guy who brought the sacred scrolls to Josiah, which led to him tearing down all the idol worshiping monuments.)
So Ezekiel sees the asherah pole in a holy place, then God tells him to dig through a hole in a wall to see through a secret doorway.  In this vision he sees 70 elders (plus Shaphan's son Jaazaniah) all holding censers with incense, and around them on the walls were "all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Israel."
It's interesting to note that Jaazaniah's name means "Jehovah hears". Verse 12 says, "They say, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land."  (Exactly the opposite of his name.)
Then Ezekiel gets a vision of the court of women (the only place that the women were allowed to go in the temple area). There they were mourning the god Tammuz. At first glance I thought, well, at least they are just crying over some idol, but that's not the real story. I looked up the god of Tammuz and found that in mythology he was a lover of Venus, who is basically alive for 6 months then in the under-world for 6 months.  When the rivers are dry, he's gone... when they are there, he's alive. The rivers even run red (with his blood) near the end... because of the red rock and it's dye that is seen when the river is small. So in their "mourning" these women prostituted themselves and wailed and all that jazz that goes along with Satan's style of "worship".
Then God shows Ezekiel the inner court of the temple. (That's holier still.) ..."and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the rising sun in the east.  He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually arouse my anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!  Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

This is where I decided to put it on the "All About The End" blog. I always look for Islam in prophetic passages. This passage is not all about the end... It's from a prophecy that has already been fulfilled. But in their Baal worship of facing the rising sun we can see clearly that Islam (which also faces the rising sun) is continuing in a detestable practice.  Bowing to anything, be it Mecca or the sun, is idolatry. 
I hate to even bring it up, but take Obama's rising sun symbol for example. Can anyone honestly deny his ties to Islam? God help us.


Anyway... God mentions in the visions "They will do even more detestable things than this."  We know that right at the cusp of the last 3 1/2 years before Christ's return the Anti-Christ will set up the "abomination that causes desolation" in the area of the Temple.  I would almost say that the Dome of the Rock is already an abomination... but I guess there will be something worse.  We won't have to wait too long to find out.

The Day After Elections

Well, most of the news is in... we'll see if anything changes today.  It's a small victory for both sides in my opinion.  I'd like to think that it will lead to a bigger victory later for God-honoring people, but my bible tells me otherwise.
Matthew 24:10-13 "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved."
This verse comes directly in front of the verse warning about the "abomination that causes desolation" which happens at the beginning of the last three and a half years spoken of in Daniel and elsewhere.  
The love of most has not grown cold yet. I'd say we're not even a third of the way there. Yet as time progresses everything speeds up.  In my short lifetime things that were impossible before are now everyday occurrences.  Everything that needs to be in place before the two witnesses come on the scene is in place. The technology to be able to allow some to buy and sell and others to not is all out there. Monitoring systems to keep tabs on everyone... it's all there. 
As we see our government taking over more and more, we see the stage being set for the control that must be present when the Antichrist comes to rule the world.
How will it happen? Why would anyone accept a world dictator?  We're not that stupid.
Really? I look at facebook posts and wonder sometimes. The bible says that the Antichrist will seize his kingdom through intrigue, (Daniel 11:21-23) and with only a few people he will rise to power.  That means the majority will not even "elect" him, he'll just somehow take over. Verse 24 says he'll distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. So his followers become wealthy, but the rest do not.  He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time. (If "time" is like the rest of these chapters, that means a year.)
The following verses talk about this "king" from the North being against a king in the South.  The southern king will try and wage war, but will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him.
The king of the North goes back and forth venting his fury against the holy covenant.  The holy covenant here obviously involves God's people. Some commentaries say it's all about Israel, others say Israel and her allies, others say the Christians. Then (verse 31-32) “his armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him."
Now is the moment in the reading where you do some introspection to answer the question "Will I be one of the ones who 'knows' my God, and will firmly resist the Antichrist?"  Consider this: “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time."  (Again, hopefully the "time" spoken of is just a year, but who knows.)  Will you resist even if it means being stolen from, martyred, or tortured?  You may get help from someone you think is your friend only to find out that they are against you. You may "stumble", but it's only a purification process. 
Scary times are ahead but Jesus said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)  That is the hope.  No matter how bad our country gets, no matter who betrays us, no matter what they do to us, as we see more and more natural disasters, more wars and rumors of wars, even when we see the Antichrist rise to power and "vent his fury on the holy covenant" we can STAND UP and LIFT OUR HEADS, for our redemption is drawing near!  AMEN!


Back in Daniel it says that the Antichrist will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will honor a god of fortresses, and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.  (Most would agree that this god of war/fortresses that Daniel speaks of refers to the god of Islam; Islam being a religion spread by any means necessary.) 
^{I've already talked in the past about Islam's messiah and how he lines up perfectly with our Antichrist. Read Joel Richardson's book "the Islamic Antichrist" for more info.
It's easy to see how after multiple natural disasters and multiple collapsed economies a world in dire straights would accept the "help" of a man who seems to have all the power in the world at his fingertips. Miracles and wonders will follow him where ever he goes. He will bring peace, and prosperity to all who follow him.
If you think the world is "blind" now... just wait, it'll get worse.}

Olive trees

Back to Zechariah...
I was re-reading and drawing a blank... nothing more to write about.
Then in other ares of life, as I was drawing ideas for a tattoo, I was thinking of eschatological symbolism that I wanted to incorporate in the feathers of my phoenix. The idea to put an olive branch in his mouth or talons popped into my head. I was remembering Zechariah chapter 4 about the golden lamp stand and the two olive trees, and getting it a bit mixed up with Chapter 1 where Jesus is standing among the myrtle trees.
I knew that in chapter one the trees represented God's people Israel. I just had it confused thinking that they were olive trees too, not myrtle trees. I got all excited thinking about what other verses I could now go to looking for the symbolism of Israel and Olive trees.  My mind went immediately to Noah's ark. I thought of how the dove came back with an olive branch.
Well, before I go too far with the 'wrong' turn my mind took, I must say that when I went to look it all up to share it with you, I was pleasantly surprised by my mistake. All of my conclusions are just as exciting (if not more) with the correct information as they were with the wrong information.
Myrtle trees represent the people of Israel, but olive trees represent God's anointed.
The two olive trees in chapter 4, are the two witnesses (I would guess). The olive branch in the story of Noah is the anointed 'branch' of his family, saved from the flood.
So now we can look at both trees in stories we know.
Off the top of my head, I think of Esther.  Her real name, Hadassah, means Myrtle. She was chosen to represent all of the Jews, not just the anointed ones.
In Romans 11 he talks about the gentiles being grafted into the olive tree. He doesn't say the Myrtle tree...  We don't become Jews, but we are part of the tree that is God's true family. Not all Jews are part of the olive tree. The olive tree consists only of believers in the Messiah.
In the Bible olive oil was used for light. Myrtle trees don't make oil for lamps... only "anointed" olive trees do.
The manna from heaven in Numbers 11 tasted like "something made with olive oil." :-)
Deuteronomy 28 talks about curses for the disobedient; In verse 40 it says, "You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off." Sure, this may have been literal, but think of the symbolism of that too.
There are at least a handful of other verses that I think have a (not-so-hidden) symbolism concerning the olive tree, but I'll let you look those up for yourself if you want.
As for the myrtle tree and how it relates to Jews...  Myrtle trees are strong; they start as a shrub with many stems that wrap around each other forming the trunk. It takes them a long time to grow, but they have deep roots. When you "bruise" the leaves they give off an aroma.
Anyway... interesting stuff.

"Hebrew"

In my reading today I came across the passage that says, "I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." (Matthew 10:23)
I hate verses like this that get me all confused. I mean obviously the disciples aren't here now (and though the two witnesses {which could include John} will be at the end, that's clearly not meant).  So even though my mind goes immediately to the second coming, that doesn't quite fit.  I read a few commentaries with various ideas. One of which was about the coming 'wrath' of the Son of Man, when Israel was destroyed in 70 AD.  That argument made sense, and I could go for that.  There was another that pulled up Luke 21 and paralleled the two passages. It spoke of a double prophecy; both the destruction in 70 AD as well as the Tribulation period.
You know I like double prophecies, so I liked that one too.  The rest weren't worth mentioning.


Well, later I was doing my 'other' reading ("Breaking the Jewish Code") and I found this: 
"The name Hebrew originated out of Shem's great grandson's name Eber. It comes from the verb 'abar''pass through' or 'region beyond'.  Abraham was the first Hebrew, because he passed over from his native land to the promised land.  The Abrahamic covenant was sealed when God passed through the sacrifices, and in Egypt God passed over the Israelite homes that were protected by the lamb's blood.  Joshua and Israel passed over the Jordan, possessing their inheritance..." etc. meaning to
The phrase "passing through" hit my spirit from my earlier reading in Matthew (even though it says "going through"), Then I noticed that I was reading a page in the book that I had read months ago. I had opened to my husband's bookmark... not mine, which is literally 140 pages ahead.  It had been so long since I picked up the book, I had forgotten what I read. 
But it was clear to me that God wanted me to read that part again. As I said, my spirit leapt at the similarity between "going through" and "passing through". 
I lost my "e-sword" software when my husband upgraded my computer, and I don't feel like uploading it right now, but I bet that the root word of both phrases are related, if not the same.


"I tell you the truth, you will not finish {being} Hebrew {in} the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."


Now I'm not saying my new interpretation is the end all be all. But I like it.


And yes, I know, I supposed to be blogging about Zechariah now... I've slacked on that... But I'm sure you'll allow me this break. :)

The Horsemen

Two days ago I randomly opened my Bible for my daily reading. I opened to Zechariah. I shortly realized that I have not read Zechariah since I started my End Times study; crazy, I know. How could I have over looked this prophetic book?
Well, I have enjoyed reading it over the past two days, and now I'm buckling down to study it.
Soon, there will be more on the blog about Zechariah... but for now  I encourage you to read it yourself.


Just in the first little bit of my study I've been interested to find that Zechariah had 7 visions in all... which basically means he had the 'complete' story laid out.
He also got some information that was omitted in other places, like the direction of the Horsemen.
He didn't get what each stood for though. That makes it fun to fit the other books together with Zechariah like a puzzle.
Revelation gives us what the colors of the Horses meant, and Zechariah tells us where they went:
      Revelation 6:2... White horse = conqueror bent on conquest  Zech 6:6 White horse went towards the west. (I would say it's safe to say that the west is categorized by a quest for conquest.)
      Rev 6:4 ... red horse = taking peace from the earth, men killing men. Zechariah doesn't mention where he was going... but to my understanding, the red horse stayed right there in the middle east... Islam. (It's safe to say that the middle east  is known for war and ongoing conflict.)
      Rev 6:5... black horse with scales for weighing wheat and barley... for a day's wages... and don't spill/damage the oil and wine. Zech. 6:6 that chariot was going to the north. (I could make a joke about how the people of the north like to drink a lot... but I'm not even sure if the verse means that wine would be plentiful, or costly... I've read commentaries that say both.  There have been, and will be, famines in the north, but I'm not sure if you could say the north is 'known' for such things.  Maybe somebody with more knowledge could help me out on this one?)
Rev 6:8 Pale/dappled horse... death (disease, pestilence) Zech. 6:6 toward the south. (It's safe to say that Africa is indeed plagued with disease and death.)


This is just the tip of the iceberg for the study of Zechariah, but small doses are good. :-)

Another interesting article

One of my Twitter peeps posted this today:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1164149.html

I find it interesting. It's talking about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's prediction that a quake is certain to hit Tehran. He has advised that at least 5 million of  its 12 million inhabitants to relocate. 

Minister of Welfare and Social Security Sadeq Mahsooli's only answer to avoid the earthquake that has been "due" for a couple decades now is to "avoid sins, to pray, to seek forgiveness, pay alms and self-sacrifice."

He has the right idea, for sure, but I'm not sure 'Allah' will answer.

Eartquakes, Volcanos... locusts

I'm not allowed to "rewrite" this information, so I'll just give you the link:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28917174/ns/technology_and_science-science/

The general gist is that locusts produce more serotonin when they 'need' to, in order to "swarm". They do this when the food supply is low. Whenever the food supply is decreased around the world, either by natural disasters or man made crap we will experience swarms of locusts,(like Australia last year). Scientists are working on targeting the locusts with something that will block their serotonin, but we know that that will not be successful based on biblical prophecy. The bible specifically says we'll have swarms of locusts in the Tribulation.... So expect it.

Heaven, Our Eternal Home?

Well, I suppose it's all how you look at it. 

""I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Jesus said to the thief on the cross beside him. Luke 23:43)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

It had always been my thought that upon death we are released from time and therefore none of the "contradictions" in the bible mattered. I have since changed my mind about that... in part.

Stories like "the thief on the cross" and "the rich man and Lazarus" (in Luke 16) show me (unless the rich man just "thought" he was still in time) that we go straight to heaven or hell upon death. 

To make sense of "the dead in Christ rising first..." I have to think of that as a bodily resurrection, and the other as a spirit thing. 

So now back to the question of Heaven as a home. 

I suppose with this theory (and that's all it is) you live spiritually in heaven from the time you die until the rapture. Starting with the rapture, I imagine we have our new bodies. In my calculations there will be many, many people who remain in heaven during the thousand year reign.

Rev. 20:4-6 "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."

I'm still not quite sure if the martyrs that reign with Christ are martyrs from all time (which is my first choice), or just from the Tribulation, or would it include all believers that would've been unwilling to "take the mark" had it been in their time (that being my last choice). Either way, these chosen to reign with Him will only be in Heaven physically for a very short time (not quite a month by my calculations), and then back down to reign for a thousand years.

...THEN...

After the great deception (Rev 20:7-10) the old earth and sky pass away and it's Judgment Day. (dum-dum-dum duuum).

After that... the new heaven and new earth are revealed, and the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven.

This is where my question's "rubber" of Heaven as our Eternal home hits the "pavement".

Do you think that the New Jerusalem is Heaven? Or are they separate?

The description of the new Jerusalem is that it's 12,000 "stadia" in length wide and height. (That's about 1400 miles, meaning it would hide the entire Middle East, and would be over 4000 times as tall as the tallest building on Earth now.)  It's streets are paved in the purest, nearly transparent, gold, and it has twelve gates each made of a single pearl. The throne of God will be in the city and the river of life will flow from it.

The question then becomes that if the New Jerusalem and Heaven are one in the same... or at least part of each other, will we live there? 

You could use the John 14:2-3 quote to say "yes, we will" ("In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.")

But you could also say that that is just about heaven now (in the interim phase). We may live in our "room" for a time, possibly before the new heaven and new earth, then we may go on with our own new life. 

Surely we will "serve" Him in the new city.

Rev. 22:3-5 "No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever."

So what do you think? Will we ever really live eternally in Heaven?

Just a note on the Pope

I'm sure you may have heard already about the sexual abuse cover-up scandal rocking the Catholic world. (Here's one link if you haven't)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/28/pope-sex-abuse-scandal-in_n_516257.html

Many, many eschatologists would have you believe that the Catholic church is the "false church", or the "one world religion" that will take over in these last days. Some would say that is has taken over enough to warrant that title already, and some may be jumping to the conclusion that this recent news only proves that this is the apostate pope people are waiting for to declare the Catholic church "bad".

That's all BS.  Satan may have a little smoke and mirrors trick going on... "Look over here, look over here," but Islam is the religion to watch. 

Soon enough, there will be proof if you're not convinced already.

The Conquerer on a White Horse

I've already talked about how Muslims are waiting for the Mahdi who will come riding on a white horse. This is mentioned in Revelation 6:1-2 "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."

Today I'm writing this more for amusement than because I really think there's something to this, but it is amusing, so I'll share...

Maybe you already know that Muhammad's horse's name was Burak. I never knew that,  but it is said that he went to heaven on his horse (usually portrayed as a winged horse, but a white horse none-the-less.) This is said to have happened at the temple mount in Jerusalem. For the Muslims the Western Wall is the "Al-Buraq Wall," (part of the Al Aqsa Mosque) and served as a tying post for Muhammad's horse.

In the Koran "The Day of Burak" is mentioned

"It is the Day of Rising, and the Day of Anguish and Repentance.
This is the Day of Burak!
This is the of Reckoning and Recompense.
This is the Day of Parting;
This is the Day of Encounter!"

(The story says that he will be given a crown and will ride Burak and will go to Heaven, and that a cry will be heard...)

"Raise your head, Rider of the Winged-Horse, as it is the Day of Reckoning and of Recompense. Raise your head and ask, and it will be given!"

"Your Lord shall give you, and you will be satisfied." (Koran 93,5) 

The name Burak also translated Barak, Barack, and Barric means "lightening or blessing". In the US, we are definitely living in the "day of Barack", and I have no doubt that he is helping to usher in the appearance of the Mahdi (Anti-Christ), "like lightning that flashes from the west to the east".

Wouldn't that be amusing if that turned out to be what was meant by "riding on the white horse". 

Again, I'm not saying this cause I believe it without a doubt... I'm just amused by the coincidence.

"The Last Trump"

1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

What is the "Last trumpet". We've talked about trumpets before with Rosh Hashanah. You can go back and look it up. The feast of Trumpets is a two day feast at the new moon usually in September. It's "announced" with shofar (ram's horn) blasts. The 100th blast is called the "last trump".

I'm not sure if Isaiah 18 :3 is talking about this one, but it says all the people of the world will hear the trumpet.

Matthew 24:29-31 says "Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 'At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

1 Thess 4:15-18  "According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

So even for (silly) people who don't believe that Rosh Hashanah is the "date" of the rapture, there will be all kinds of signs... and possibly 99 other loud trumpet blasts before we are "caught up".

The fun thing in these verses to me is seeing that it is at that time that we are made "immortal". The reason I like that is because a month later we're coming back down, following Jesus on horse back for the battle of Armageddon. (Rev. 19:14 "The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.") 

He will loose NO ONE in battle. We will be imperishable! The armies of the beast do not stand a chance. 

Can you imagine an army of saints that have been perfected? How cool is that?