Tuesday, November 24, 2015


Was Katrina a Judgment of God?

 

Several students of prophecy began to notice a pattern of events where US policy went counter to God’s promise to Israel. Their books are listed below;

Eye to Eye by William (Bill) Koenig. Bill is a White House reporter. You can read his reporting at www.watch.org where you can also order his book.

As America Has Done To Israel by John McTernan. John is a former investigator with the Federal government. His blog is found at http://defendproclaimthefaith.org/blog/

The Israel Omen by David Brennan. You can find his book at www.israelomen.com.

God promised Abraham that He would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel (Genesis 12:3). Genesis 15:18 says, “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt (the Wadi El Arish) unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”

Everyone has heard of The Battle of Armageddon mentioned in Revelation. However, what people don’t understand about that battle is that it is a final attempt by the whole world to “divide my (the Lord’s) land.” Joel 3:2 says, “I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”

Each of these men have pointed out that within 24 to 48 hours of our government “making progress,” in moving the process forward in the land for peace policy, some catastrophe has hit our country. Nine of the ten biggest disasters listed on FEMA’s website occurred within 24 hours of our efforts to “divide the land” of Israel. (* see below). Here is a list drawn from their books. Exercise your own discernment in these “coincidences”.

#1 -      On Oct. 30, 1991, George H.W. Bush announced, at the Madrid Peace Conference, a change in US policy on peace in the Middle East. The change was called land for peace. The US government was now advocating the division of the land Israel “occupied” between Israel and a future Palestinian State. As Bush was delivering his speech, the “Perfect Storm” flooded the Bush home in Maine with 30-foot waves.

#2 -      On Aug 24, 1992, round six of the Madrid Peace effort began in DC. The Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin agreed to the policy of land for peace. On that same day, Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida causing $1.8 billion in damage.

#3 –     From April 1993 through August 1993, a peace agreement was being negotiated that would cede part of the Promised Land to the Palestinians. During this same period, flood levels were occurring in the Midwest that had not been seen in 500 years.

#4 –     On January 17, 1994, President Clinton met with Syrian President Assad to discuss the return of the Golan Heights. On that same day an earthquake registering 6.7 hit Northridge, CA causing almost $7 billion in damage. Why Northridge? Also scheduled that day, and in that area, was a gay pride parade that had to be cancelled.

#5 -      On January 21, 1998, Prime Minister Netanyahu is rudely treated at the White House. Both President Clinton and Secretary of State Albright refuse to have lunch with him. A few hours later the Lewinsky scandal broke in the media, which crippled the Clinton Presidency for the rest of his tenure.

#6 -      On September 28, 1998, Secretary of State Albright finishes the details of an agreement for Israel’s cession of 13% of Judea and Samaria. On that same day Hurricane George hits the US Gulf Coast and stalls. Also on that day, Clinton met with and Netanyahu to finalize the deal. After the meeting, Arafat addressed the UN on the subject of declaring a Palestinian State by May 1999. As soon as Arafat left the country Hurricane George subsided. FEMA reported the total cost of damages at $2.25 billion.

#7 -      From October 15-22, 1998. On October 15 Arafat meets with Clinton and Netanyahu at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland again to talk about the cession of 13% of Judea and Samaria. The talks were supposed to last for five days. On October 17 torrential rains and tornadoes hit southern Texas. The storms subside on October 22. Clinton declared that area of Texas a major disaster area. Damage was estimated to be over $1 billion.

#8 -      On December 12, 1998, Clinton landed in a Palestinian controlled section of Israel to discuss the “land for peace” policy. On that same day Congress voted four articles of impeachment against him.

#9 -      On May 3, 1999, Yasser Arafat was scheduled to declare a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital. On that same day the most powerful tornado ever to hit the US swept across Oklahoma and Kansas. Winds were clocked at 316 miles per hour. Clinton urged Arafat to delay his announcement until December.

#10 -    During the week of October 11, 1999, Jewish settlers were evicted from the West Bank at the urging of the US in its land for peace policy. During the same week the Dow Jones lost 5.7% of its value in the worst week since 1989. On October 15 the Dow lost 266 points and a hurricane slammed into North Carolina. On October 16, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked the California desert but did little damage.

#11 -    On June 5, 2001, George W. Bush sent George Tenet to Israel to implement limits on the use of Israeli land. On the afternoon of that same day Tropical Storm Allison formed off the coast of Texas and moved ashore at Galveston and Houston. So much rain fell that it became known as the “Great Flood of 2001.” FEMA said the costs of the storm came to almost $1.4 billion.

#12 -    On September 10, 2001, George W. Bush prepared to announce his plans for a Palestinian State.

The New York Times of October 2, 2001 carried an article titled “Before Attacks, U.S. Was Ready to Say It Backed Palestinian State.”

Before the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, the Bush administration was on the verge of announcing a Middle East diplomatic initiative that would include United States support for the creation of a Palestinian state, administration officials said, and it is now weighing how to revive the plan.”

On September 11, well, you know the rest.

#13 -    On April 30, 2003, the “Quartet” (USA, Russia, the E.U., and the U.N.) kicked off plans for dividing off a large section of the Promised Land to make room for a Palestinian State. According to the Wikipedia entry for the first week of May, 2003, “There were 401 tornado reports in 19…. More severe weather broke out this week alone than any other week in U.S. history. The old record for most tornado reports in one week was 171 during the week of the May 1995 Tornado Outbreak Sequence.”

#14 -    On August 23, 2005, the Israeli government completed the removal of Israeli settlers from Gaza. This was done under pressure from the Bush administration. On that same day Hurricane Katrina formed in the Atlantic and before the hurricane subsided it had resulted in the removal of a percentage of the American population from our Gulf coast equal to the Israeli population that was removed from Gaza. The Bush presidency was never the same after Katrina, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke from which he has never recovered.

#15 -    During the week of July 23, 2007, Quartet envoy Tony Blair traveled to the Middle East to continue the peace process begun at the Annapolis Conference to trade land for peace. During that week the world financial system began its meltdown from which it has never recovered.

#16 -    On April 19, 2010, Israel celebrated its independence. The Jewish lunar calendar does not coincide with our calendar so the observance of their independence day, Passover, or any other Jewish holiday falls on a different day in our calendar. On the same day Israel was celebrating its independence, President Obama announced that the US would not “automatically” support Israel in the UN. This was a fundamental departure from past American policy. On the next day, the Deep Water Horizon oil well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, creating the worst oil spill in US history.

These “coincidences” go on and on. The authors named above have counted up to 90 “coincidences.” At some point one must ask the question, “Is God telling us something?” Even Pavlov’s dogs got his message. It is true that on any given day a weather, earthquake, financial downturn, or other disastrous event will occur somewhere in the world. However, the common points in these coincidences is that it happens within 24 hours, it happens to the party “cursing” Israel, and it is a VERY serious event.


* Top Ten Natural Disasters

Ranked By FEMA Relief Costs

Event
Year
FEMA Funding
Hurricane Katrina
(AL, LA, MS)
2005
$7.2 billion*
Northridge Earthquake
(CA)
1994
$6.961 billion
Hurricane Georges
(AL, FL, LA, MS, PR, VI)
1998
$2.251 billion
Hurricane Ivan
(AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, NJ, NY, PA, TN, WVA)
2004
$1.947 billion**
Hurricane Andrew
(FL, LA)
1992
$1.813 billion
Hurricane Charley
(FL, SC)
2004
$1.559 billion**
Hurricane Frances
(FL, GA, NC, NY, OH, PA, SC)
2004
$1.425 billion**
Hurricane Jeanne
(DE, FL, PR, VI, VA)
2004
$1.407 billion**
Tropical Storm Allison
(FL, LA, MS, PA, TX)
2001
$1.387 billion
Hurricane Hugo
(NC, SC, PR, VI)
1989
$1.307 billion

*Amount obligated from the President's Disaster Relief Fund for FEMA's assistance programs, hazard mitigation grants, federal mission assignments, contractual services and administrative costs as of March 31, 2006. Figures do not include funding provided by other participating federal agencies, such as the disaster loan programs of the Small Business Administration and the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency. Note: Funding amounts are stated in nominal dollars, unadjusted for inflation.

**Amount obligated from the President's Disaster Relief Fund for FEMA's assistance programs, hazard mitigation grants, federal mission assignments, contractual services and administrative costs as of May 31, 2005. Figures do not include funding provided by other participating federal agencies, such as the disaster loan programs of the Small Business Administration and the Agriculture Department's Farm Service Agency. Note: Funding amounts are stated in nominal dollars, unadjusted for inflation.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

The Biblical Basis for the Trinity

  1. THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
    1. Deuteronomy 6:4
    2. Isaiah 43:10
    3. Isaiah 44:6-8
  2. OLD TESTAMENT EVIDENCES OF THE TRINITY
    1. Genesis 1:1,26,27
    2. Isaiah 6:1-10
    3. Isaiah 48:12-16
    4. Zechariah 2:10-11
(Points I & lll are not contested by those who deny the Trinity, therefore little space is given them here.)
  1. THE FATHER IS GOD
    1. I Peter 1:17
    2. John 5:17-23
  2. THE SON IS GOD
    1. He Is Called God Explicitly
      1. Matthew 1:23, "Emmanuel-God with us."
      2. John 1:1, "The Word was God." (Note: There is no scholarly support for the NWT rendering it "a god." For a thorough treatment of this issue request our study on John 1:1)
      3. John 5:17-23, The Son is "equal" to his Father
      4. John 8:53-59, Jesus is the "I AM" of Exodus 3:1-15
      5. John 10:28-33, Jesus and the Father are equal
      6. John 20:28 "The Lord of me and THE GOD of me."
      7. Romans 9:5, Christ is God over all
      8. Colossians 2:9, All the fullness of deity
      9. Titus 2:13, "our Great God and Saviour."
      10. Hebrews 1:8, "Thy throne O God."
      11. I John 5:20, "The true God."
    2. He Is Described In Terms Reserved Only For God
      1. Creator of ALL Things
        1. John 1:3
        2. Ephesians 3:9
        3. Colossians 1:16,17
        4. Hebrews 2:10
        5. Revelation 3:14
      2. The Almighty
        1. Revelation 1:8 with 21:5-7; and 22:12,13,16,20
      3. The First and Last
        1. Revelation 1:17; 2:8; 22:13 (Compare Isaiah 44:6)
      4. The Exact Representation of The Father
        1. Hebrews 1:3
        2. John 12:45 and 14:6-11
        3. Isaiah 46:9
    3. He Is Worshipped As God. (See Luke 4:8)
      1. Revelation 5:11-13 (Compare Revelation 4:9-11)
      2. Hebrews 1:6
    4. O.T./N.T. Cross-Reference Proves Jesus Is God
      1. Isaiah 40:3 with John 1:23 & 3:28
      2. Isaiah 45:23 with Philippians 2:10,11 and Romans 14:11
      3. Isaiah 44:24 with John 1:3
      4. Isaiah 6:1-5 with John 12:37-41
      5. Isaiah 8:13,14 with I Peter 2:7,8
      6. Isaiah 42:8 with John 17:5
      7. Isaiah 60:19 with Luke 2:30-32
      8. Psalms 102:24-27 with Hebrews 1:10-12
      9. Psalms 45:6,7 with Hebrews 1:8,9
      10. Psalms 23:1 with Isaiah 40:10,11 and John 10,11
      11. I Kings 8:39 with Revelation 2:23 
      12. Joel 2:32 with Romans 10:9-13
      13. Exodus 3:14 with John 8:58,59
      14. Malachi 3:1 with Matthew 11:10
      15. Exodus 19:18-21 with Hebrews 12:18-26
      16. Zechariah 12:10 & 13:6,7 with John 19:34-37
      17. Zechariah 14:4,5 with Matthew 24:29-31; Matthew 25:31; Jude 14,15; II Thessalonians  1:7-10; Revelation 19:11-21
    5. Jesus Is God Made Flesh
      1. Philippians 2:5-8: Jesus "being in the form of God" (i.e., deity), did not consider it something to cling to, but emptied himself of his divine glory and perogatives, NOT his divine nature, and took UPON his divine form "the form of a servant" (i.e., humanity), in order to suffer death.
      2. John 1:1,14: "In the beginning was (eternally) the Word and the Word was with God (i.e., the Father and Holy Spirit), and the Word was God (deity)." "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us."
      3. Hebrews 1:3 and 2:9-18: Jesus is the "EXACT REPRESENTATION of His (God's) VERY BEING" (NWT). No creature could possibly do that! But, Jesus set aside his infinite glory to become one of us so that he could be to us an, example in faith, the perfect sacrifice, our High Priest, Comforter, and Saviour.
    6. Who Is The "Angel Of Jehovah?"
      1. Genesis 16:7-13
      2. Genesis 18:1,13,17,20-22,26,33; 19:24
      3. Genesis 22:11-18
      4. Genesis 31:11-13
      5. Genesis 32:24-30 (compare Hosea 12:4,5)
      6. Genesis 48: 15,16
      7. Exodus 3:1-15 (compare vs. 5 with Joshua 5: 14,15)
      8. Exodus 23:20,21
      9. Judges 6:11-23
Note: In these passages the "Angel of Jehovah" speaks as Jehovah, is called Jehovah, does the works of Jehovah, and is worshipped by those to whom He appears. He is Jesus, the Son of God. "Angel" means "messenger" and is applied to the angelic beings, men (evangelists), and to God (see above)
    1. Answers To Common Antitrinitarian Prooftexts
      1. John 14:28 "My Father is greater than I." Just as the husband is positionally greater than the wife so the Father is greater the the Son. Both husband and wife are equally human as the Father and Son are equally divine.
      2. Colossians 1:15 "the Firstborn of all creation." "Firstborn" (Gr. Prototokos), not "first created" (Gr. "Protoktistos"). Firstborn is term that means first in importance. These scriptures bear that out: Genesis 41:51,52 with Jeremiah 31:9; Deuteronomy 21:15-17; Exodus 4:22; and Job 18:13.
      3. Revelation 3:14 "the beginning of the creation of God." We derive many words such as architect, archangel, arch-rival, from the Greek word "arche" translated "beginning" in this verse. It means "origin," "source," "chief," and "ruler." Jesus is the origin of ALL, or the creator.
  1. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD
    1. He Is Called God
      1. Acts 5:3,4 Lying to the Spirit is lying to God
      2. II Corinthians 3:17 "The Lord is that Spirit." (compare this with Exodus 34:29-35)
    2. He Is Omnipotent
      1. Isaiah 40:12-14 (See Romans 11:34 and I Corinthians 2:16)
    3. He Is Omniscient
      1. I Corinthians 2:10,11 Isaiah 40: 13,14
    4. He Is Omnipresent
      1. Psalm 139:7
    5. He Is Eternal
      1. Hebrews 9:14
    6. He Has The Attributes Of Personality
      1. Intellect
        1. Romans 8:27, "The MIND of the Spirit."
        2. I Corinthians 2:10-12, The Spirit "KNOWS."
      2. Will
        1. I Corinthians 12:11, "The Spirit WILLS."
      3. Emotion
        1. Ephesians 4:30, "GRIEVE" not the Spirit
      4. His Self-Cognizance Is Shown By These Actions:
        1. He Speaks
          1. Acts 8:29; 10:19; 13:2; 21:11
          2. Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22
        2. He Teaches
          1. Luke 12:12
          2. John 14:26
          3. I John 2:26,27
        3. Says "I"
          1. Acts 10:20
    7. If the Holy Spirit is a self-cognizant personality, and is also eternal, then He must be God, for God is the only eternal being.

Conclusion

"So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet there are not three Gods, but one God." (from The Athanasian Creed)


Friday, April 17, 2015

The Trinity, the Gospel, the Church and the Resurrection in the Old Testament

Types in the Bible are a form of prophecy. Here is one that is central to the fundamental message of God providing the redemption price in the Bible.

Genesis 15:2 - And Abram said, "My Lord, What can you give me seeing that I go childless, and the steward of my house is the Damascene Eliezer?" Eliezer was more like a business partner who would inherit Abraham’s estate if Abraham did not have his own offspring.

Genesis 22:1-19

The offering of Isaac is a recognized “type/prophecy” of God the Father (represented by Abraham) sending His only begotten Son (represented by Isaac) to die for our sins. But there is far more to this type acted out by Abraham of God’s plan of salvation which demonstrates at the very beginning of Israel as God’s Chosen People that He would send Jesus to die and rise from the dead. Consider how could such a plan be told in such detail 2000 years before the time of Christ?

The plan of salvation, acted out by Abraham, was fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus. After His death Jesus appeared to many of His disciples and then ascended to heaven (Acts 2). Since His death the Church has been established by God the Holy Spirit calling out those in the world, both Jew and Gentile, to be the Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11 and John 14:16,17) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter (paraclete = helper, comforter, advocate), that he may abide with you for ever;  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Genesis 22 (italics and underlining mine)
And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (This mountain [ridgeline] has three peaks, Mt. Zion on the south, the Temple Mount, and Golgotha to the north of the Temple Mount).
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; (typifies Jesus carrying His cross to Calvary) and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself (provide FOR Himself, or provide HIMSELF?) a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (Abraham KNEW God had to resolve this command by either resurrecting Isaac, or providing an alternative, because God had promised descendents through Isaac.)
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord (probably Jesus Himself) called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns (not by his wool for that would have made the ram unclean for sacrifice): and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen (2000 years later).
15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
19 So Abraham returned unto his young men (where is Isaac? Why is he omitted from the story of Abraham coming down the mountain? Because Christ ascended to heaven after His resurrection), and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

Continuing the “type/story” in Genesis 24 Abraham calls Eliezer and makes him promise to go to Haran to find a bride for Isaac. Eliezer returns later with Rebekah. The name Eliezer means “helper.” So Eliezer is a type of the Holy Spirit calling out a bride (Rebekah) for Christ.

In these events in the life of Abraham we see the Trinity (Abraham = Father; Isaac = Jesus; Eliezer = the Holy Spirit), the Church (i.e., Rebekah = the Bride of Christ), the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and on the very ground God set aside for it long before. These “types” are prophecy in story, in history, and even in people’s names. This is the kind of internal unity that convinces me the Bible is from a divine author. The Jews, who killed the prophets and even Jesus, would not even know they were writing God’s plan of salvation when they lived this, and wrote this.

But the above is just a tiny sample of many such “hidden below the surface” types.