Will the Muslim Caliph Rule from the Temple Mount? - Bible vs. Islamic Prophecy - Part 6 -- Plus Easter Moments Countdown Days 25 & 24

End Times Eyewitness:
Israel, Islam and the Unfolding
Signs of Messiah's Return

This is Part 6 post of a 9-part series on what Islam teaches about "End Times" prophecy. (Tweet that!) It amazes me that Islam even has prophecies of the "End Times" and I wonder if it did from its beginning (the 7th century A.D.). (Tweet that!) It's so clear to see how the End Times prophecies in the Bible have been stolen and twisted into something close but different...and yet the same because the "messiah figures" of Islam have written themselves right into the Bible prophecies of the Antichrist and his False Prophet -- the agents of evil. (Tweet that!)

Satan's mission is to steal, kill, and destroy and he thinks that by "stealing" the Bible prophecies -- which were actually written about him -- twisting them into something that looks attractive to some, he can kill the people who truly love God and destroy God's prophecies of the End Times. But the fact is the End Times prophecies will play out just as God has said and God is the Victor, not Satan. (Tweet that!)

I am presenting this series of blog posts to inform Christians (because I know you'll be fascinated as I am!), and to educate those who do not know about these things (Tweet that!) so you will not be taken in by the twisted lies but will see the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ -- and therefore will follow him only. (Tweet that!)

If you have not read the previous posts in this series, you will find links to them under "Related Posts" at the bottom of this post.

My thanks to Joel Richardson and his team for creating this enlightening DVD. Here's another piece of interesting information form the DVD:

Joel Richardson introduced this section of the DVD with this: "To discuss the Muslim expectations concerning their two primary Messiah figures, I sat down with two Muslim leaders. The first was Adnar Oktar of Istanbul. And the second was Sheikh Ekrima Said Sabri. Sabri is the President of Quranic and Islamic Studies at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem...."

Continuing a bit later on the DVD:

Joel Richardson: "...according to Islamic prophecy, the Mahdi will be a Muslim Caliph, or a global Muslim leader, together with the Muslim Jesus, will actually establish his seat of Islamic authority on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem." 

[Sabri,explaining Muslim beliefs as translated in captions on DVD:] "The Mahdi will be Caliph for the Muslims. The Muslims will follow him and his rule. Due to the fact that Jerusalem and Palestine are the center of the Islamic world, there can be no question that the Muslims and the Mahdi will be established there during that period of time. When Mahdi will come at the end of days his rule will not stand only in Jerusalem or Palestine but in all the world."

Do not be deceived. This is not the true Jesus. (Tweet that!) This is the Antichrist and his False Prophet who have come to deceive the whole world (if that were possible). His mission is to steal the position of King that the real Jesus truly owns, to kill and destroy the people who love the true Jesus. (Tweet that!) The Antichrist and his False Prophet will be able to wreak havoc in this world, but ultimately they will not succeed. (Tweet that!)

So who will you follow? Can you tell the difference between the players? (Tweet that!) Between the real Jesus and this masked impostor called the "Muslim Jesus"? (Tweet that!)

Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. (Mark 13:5-6)

“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” 

He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. (Luke 21:7-8) 

Related Articles:

• Amazing Bible and Islamic Prophecy Parallels - Part 1
• Muslims' Teach the Lie that Jesus Will Deny the Cross! -Bible vs. Islamic Prophecy - Part 2
• All Inhabitants of the Earth Will Worship the Beast - Bible vs. Islamic Prophecy - Part 3
• Peace, When There is No Peace - Bible vs. Islamic Prophecy -Part 4
• Sacrifices Being Performed at the Rebuilt Jewish Temple - Bible vs. Islamic Prophecy - Part 5

Easter Moments:

• Countdown Day 25: Jesus Your Scapegoat

• Countdown Day 24: Jesus was The LORD's Goat

(Tweet that!)

The Sun Will Be Darkened and the Moon Will Not Give Its Light

Morguefile.com

I've always found it interesting that Jesus next says "Immediately after…" Obviously End Times events are happening in a specific order and are progressing on a specific timeline. (Tweet that!)

Here's what Jesus says next in Matthew 24:

"Immediately after the anguish of those days, 

     'the sun will be darkened,

     the moon will give no light, 

     the stars will fall from the sky, 

    and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.'" (Matthew 24:29, NLT)

In case you didn't know it, this is a quotation from or reference to Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Joel:

"The heavens will be black above them;

    the stars will give no light.

The sun will be dark when it rises,

    and the moon will provide no light." (Isaiah 13:10, NLT)

(See also Isaiah 34:4.) 

The earth quakes as they advance,

    and the heavens tremble.

The sun and moon grow dark,

    and the stars no longer shine. (Joel 2:10, NLT)

We've talked about the sun being darkened and the moon not giving its light before on this blog when we talked about the series of lunar and solar eclipses that we are currently experiencing and are living in the middle of. (Tweet that!)

The first of four lunar eclipses (called a tetrad)*) occurred last April 15^th. Leading up to that I wrote a series of posts about lunar eclipses and why this current series is so interesting and important--especially to the spiritually minded. (Tweet that!) If you haven't read those posts, I'd recommend you catch up on that information. At the bottom of the post on April 15, 2014, there is a list of all the posts in that series on the lunar eclipses. Find that post here:

• "The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014" ( posted April 15, 2014)

Within this tetrad* (which means these four total lunar eclipses), a solar eclipse will also occur on March 20^th, 2015. We'll talk more about solar eclipses as that one approaches, but we touched on them back in June in a three-part series. You can find links to all three posts here:

• "About Solar Eclipses Part 3 – The Spiritual and Prophetic Significance of the Coming Solar Eclipse" (posted June 21, 2014)

The next lunar eclipse, which is the second of the four, will occur in barely over a month on October 8, 2014, which is the first day of the Jewish holy day called the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot). (Tweet that!) This is:

• the third of the three fall Feasts as well as 
• the last, or 7th, of the seven annual Feasts.

In anticipation of that lunar eclipse, we are going to spend some time in coming posts talking about the three fall Feasts of the LORD. (Tweet that!)

We talked about the three spring Feasts last spring. Those three spring feasts are (click on their links to learn more):

• Passover 
• Unleavened Bread 
• and First Fruits

Jesus also fulfilled the fourth of the seven Feasts, which is Pentecost [link]:

• Pentecost

That means of the seven annual Biblical Feasts, there are three left for us to explore, to learn how Jesus will fulfill them in his second coming, and to celebrate before the year ends. (Tweet that!) These final three annual Feasts of the LORD are: 

• the Feast of Trumpets
• the Day of Atonement
• and the Feast of Tabernacles

This means that, as we've moved into September, the next annual Biblical Feast to occur on the calendar is the Feast of Trumpets, and the trumpet call is actually referred to in the next few verses in Matthew 24. We'll talk about that in the next post. (Tweet that!)

*tetrad: "A sequence of four total lunar eclipses including no partial eclipses [in between them]..." ("'Blood Moons' Explained" on Space.com.)

Related Articles:

• The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• How the Jewish Calendar Works
• The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014

How to Tell a True Prophet or Prophecy from a False One

Thanks Morguefile.com 

As I mentioned in the very first post for this blog on March 2, 2014, I'm a prophecy geek. I've loved prophecy since I first heard of it, or discovered it, or however you say that. I remember when I was a kid, maybe even before I was a teenager, I heard of prophecies in the Bible and they fascinated me. Someone actually said what was going to happen in the future?! And then…did it come true? (Tweet that!)

Of course we have many people through history and even today saying they can predict the future. But the trick is: do they get it right? (Tweet that!) 

True prophecy comes true. I've learned that true prophecy only comes from God and that any prophecy that comes from the One True God comes true. (Tweet that!)  It has to. God cannot get it wrong. If God gave a prophecy and it did not come true in every detail, that would mean either God cannot see the future or He made a mistake or He lied. God alone can see the future. God cannot make mistakes. And He cannot lie. Prophecies that come from the one true God must come true.

That does not mean all of them have been fulfilled already. Some are in the future and have yet to be fulfilled. But I believe we are very close to seeing them fulfilled. I also believe we are seeing some fulfilled right before our very eyes in these very days. (Tweet that!) 

Exploring all these things is what this blog is about.

So how do we know whether a person is a true prophet speaking truth from the one and only true God? (Tweet that!) Deuteronomy 18:19-22 (New Living Translation) gives us this guidance. This is God speaking through the prophet:

19 "'I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. 20 But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.' 

21 "But you may wonder, 'How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?' 22 If the prophet speaks in the Lord's name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.

That's what God says. Now I don't know about you, but I find that a bit tricky because in order to see if the message is from God, we have to wait to see if it happens!

For some prophecies, we have been waiting for thousands of years. So should we keep waiting? Or declare them false?

Even though many prophecies have not yet happened, we can be sure they will come true because of the track record of the prophets in the Bible. Enough prophecies by the same prophets have been fulfilled to assure us they are true prophets. The rest of the prophecies will come true.

Believing this is called "faith." Seeing the prophecies that have already come true and believing the rest will also be fulfilled based on that is called strengthening our faith. (Tweet that!) How strong is your faith?

Does what's going on with Russia and Ukraine have anything to do with Bible prophecy? - Part 3

 Brown: Russia. Green: Ukraine. Black: Crimean Peninsula
ImageUploader12345 Creative Commons
Found on Wikipedia

In the previous two posts we looked in depth into what is happening in Russia and Ukraine and how it might relate to Bible prophecy. In Part 2, the previous post, I promised to give information on other names listed in Ezekiel 38:1-9, specifically verses 5-6 and what those countries are called today. (Tweet that!)

This is what Ezekiel 38:5-6 says: 

⁵ Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ⁶ Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you.

At this point in my study, this is my understanding of who these nations are today. (Tweet that!) I also understand, however, that not everyone may agree.

• Perisa - Iran
• Cush - Ethiopia
• Put - Libya
• Gomer - Ukraine
• Beth Togarmah – eastern Turkey

Also in Parts 1 and 2 earlier this week, we saw video interviews about what is happening in Ukraine from a Biblical perspective. I hope you have enjoyed these. Here is one more, Part 3 of the interview of Avi Lipkin by Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News, which aired March 6, 2014. This one runs about 13 minutes.

Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News interviews Avi Lipkin about Russia and Ukraine. 

Part 3 aired March 6, 2014.

Related articles:

Does what's going on with Russia and Ukraine have anything to do with Bible prophecy? - Part 1

Does what's going on with Russia and Ukraine have anything to do with Bible prophecy? - Part 2

Does what's going on with Russia and Ukraine have anything to do with Bible prophecy? - Part 2

Brown: Russia. Green: Ukraine. Black: Crimean Peninsula
ImageUploader12345 Creative Commons
Found on Wikipedia

On Tuesday, in Part 1, we briefly reviewed the beginnings of this conflict occurring with Russia in Ukraine.

You might remember on April 17, 2014, news reached the US of a leaflet handed to Jews leaving their synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk telling them they had to register with the government and list their property. An eerie echo of Nazi regimes from the past, the leaflet was immediately condemned by national leaders. While the leaflet claimed a connection to Denis Pushilin, a man who was identified as the chairman of "Donetsk's temporary government," he claimed he had nothing to do with it.

You can find more information in this article on USA Today: "Leaflet tells Jews to register in East Ukraine." 

While we watch what is going on in Ukraine, many Bible prophecy geeks think of the prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled which tells us Israel will be attacked by nations to her north. Bible prophecy geeks like me also believe this prophecy will be fulfilled as part of the "End Times," or the times leading up to the last seven years of the Tribulation.

This prophecy is found in Ezekiel 38. (Tweet that!) Here is part of that prophecy. God is speaking (through His prophet Ezekiel):

The word of the Lord came to me: ^{2 "}Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him ³ and say: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. ⁵ Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, ⁶ also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you. 

^{7 "'}Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. ⁸ After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. ⁹ You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.'"  (Ezekiel 38:1-9)

My favorite Bible that I own is The NIV Study Bible from 1985. The notes in this Bible have taught me so much, I just love them. So I often share what I learn from them.

I found helpful information in the notes section of The NIV Study Bible, which says,

"Gog" is "apparently a leader or king whose name appears only here and in Rev. 20:8… Possibly the name is purposely vague, standing for a mysterious, as yet undisclosed, enemy of God's people."*

The phrase "of the land of Magog" takes us back to the times of Noah. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Before the great flood that covered the earth, eight people entered the ark: Noah and his wife, and their three sons and their wives (Genesis 7:13). (By the way, this was depicted much differently in the recent movie Noah, so don't be confused by that. In the true story, each of Noah's three sons had wives and they all entered the ark.) (Tweet that!)

Because everyone else in the world died in the flood, all the nations of today's world descended from these three sons of Noah (Genesis 9:18-19).

Noah's son Japheth had seven sons. They are listed in Genesis 10:2. Compare these names to the names in the Ezekiel 38 passage above:

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. (Genesis 10:2)

Here is more information on "Gog" and "Magog" from the The NIV Study Bible. (Tweet that!) Please note the reference to the "future coalition" which means the prophecy of what is to happen in our future:

 …since the Hebrew prefix ma- can mean "place of," Magog may here simply mean "land of Gog." Israel had long experienced the hostility of the Hamites and other Semitic peoples; the future coalition here envisioned will include—and in fact be led by—peoples descended from Japheth.*

Regarding "chief prince," the The NIV Study Bible note gives this information:

Military commander-in-chief. The NIV text note gives the possible translation "prince of Rosh," and if it is correct, Rosh is probably the name of an unknown people or place. Identification with Russia is unlikely, and in any case cannot be proven.*

I've heard many times that "Rosh" may indeed be Russia. The previous note says that is "unlikely," but gives no reason for that statement.

Regarding "Meshech and Tubal," the The NIV Study Bible note says this:

These sons of Japheth…are probably located in eastern Asia Minor… They are peoples and territories to the north of Israel… As in the days of the Assyrians and Babylonians, the major attack will come from the north.*

So if you have ever heard that Bible prophecy predicts Israel will be attacked from the north in the End Times, this is where that prophecy comes from. (Tweet that!)

For my next post I'm preparing information about the other names listed in Ezekiel 38:5-6 shown above and what those nations are called today.

In the last post we watched an interview of Avi Lipkin by Gary Stearman. There is much more to that interview. Here is part 2, which aired March 5, 2014. It runs about 13 minutes.

Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News interviews Avi Lipkin about Russia and Ukraine. 

Part 2 aired March 5, 2014.

Related article: 

• Does what's going on with Russia and Ukraine have anything to do with Bible prophecy? - Part 1

*NIV Study Bible (Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI, 1985), 1280. Notes on Ezekiel 38:2.

Does what's going on with Russia and Ukraine have anything to do with Bible prophecy? - Part 1

Brown: Russia. Green: Ukraine. Black: Crimean Peninsula
ImageUploader12345 Creative Commons
Found on Wikipedia

I'm sure you, like me, are watching the situation involving Russia and Ukraine and you're wondering what really is going on and if it has something to do with Bible prophecy. (Tweet that!)

Many of us see the conflict, but don't have any background information or understanding to know what it all means. I can't say I have any more understanding than the average American or Christians elsewhere. But I have tried to find information that might give us insight into what's happening in light of Bible prophecy. This week I'll share what I've found. I hope you'll find it as interesting and helpful as I have.

Briefly remembering what has happened, the conflict started in late February just after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

According to the Wikipedia article, "2014 Crimean crisis," the conflict started "in the aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution, which resulted in President Viktor Yanukovych's deposition by the Ukrainian parliament after his flight from the capital....

"Beginning on February 26, pro-Russian forces began to gradually take control of the Crimean peninsula. Many of them were widely believed to be Russian military personnel without insignia..."

I found the following video interview very interesting and insightful. Here, Gary Stearman, of Prophecy in the News, talks with Avi Lipkin, who has studied this area of the world most his life and shares wonderful information to teach us. This Part 1 video runs under 12 minutes. (Tweet that!)

In the next post, I'm preparing information about a prophecy in the Bible that has yet to be fulfilled which says Israel will be attacked by nations to its north. So please stop back by on Thursday.

Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News interviews Avi Lipkin about Russia and Ukraine. 

Part 1 aired March 4, 2014.

Why Did God Give Us Prophecies? Part 1

www.Morguefile.com 

Since we are talking about prophecies in the Bible and them coming true or being fulfilled, it's only fair that we ask why would God give us prophecies? (Tweet that!) I can think of at least three reasons why God would give us prophecies. (Tweet that!)

This is God's prophet Isaiah speaking in Isaiah 48:3-6:

I foretold the former things long ago, 

    my mouth announced them and I made them known; 

    then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

For I knew how stubborn you were;

    your neck muscles were iron,

    your forehead was bronze.

Therefore I told you these things long ago;

    before they happened I announced them to you

so that you could not say,

    'My images brought them about;

    my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'

You have heard these things; look at them all.

    Will you not admit them? 

From now on I will tell you of new things, 

    of hidden things unknown to you...

These verses tell us at least two reasons why God gives us prophecies:

• To tell us what will happen. This also means that He knows what will happen before it does. (Tweet that!) Because God is eternal, He is outside of time and He is able to see the end from the beginning.

• Secondly, God tells what will happen in advance so that when we see it happening, we know it is Him doing it. (Tweet that!) For those of us who believe in Him, we know He is doing these things, or at least is allowing them to happen. We know God is still in complete control of everything happening on the earth. For those who do not know or believe in God, God, in His mercy, is bringing them evidence that He is real, that He is involved in human history taking place on the earth, and that He wants them to believe that He is real and truly exists.

 A third reason is...

• ...so that we, those of us who believe in Him, will not be afraid—even when we see these things taking place right before our very eyes. (Tweet that!) Knowing God forecast everything that is happening means that we do not need to be afraid but can trust Him with our very lives and every detail of them.

Jesus said in John 14:27-29:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 

You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

Jesus told us before it happened so that:

1. We will have peace, we will not let our hearts be troubled, and we will not be afraid.
2. And also so that when it happens we will believe.

What about you? Do you believe? If yes, do you feel fear creeping in? How can you refocus on Jesus and chase fear away?

If you do not believe, why not? What would it take for you to believe? Are Bible prophecies predicted and then fulfilled enough to convince you? Or are you one who will never believe, no matter what? If that's you, why?

More Bible Prophecies Fulfilled to Come...

www.Morguefile.com 

We have just taken a whirlwind forty days for Lent on this new blog.

Now, with Easter over, let's slow the pace a bit (so I can catch my breath and keep up).

I plan to now post three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

If you'd like to receive these posts via e-mail, please use the box in the upper right to sign up for e-mail delivery. You will receive each the day after it posts.

We will continue to talk about Bible prophecies fulfilled.

• We will talk about Bible prophecies that have already been fulfilled in the past, because it strengthens our faith to see how God has kept His Word in the past. (Tweet that!)

• We will also look at what is happening in our world today and how prophecies might be being fulfilled right before our very eyes. (Tweet that!)

• We will also look at how world events might be shaping up to fulfill Bible prophecies in the future, prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

I hope you will find these coming posts every bit as interesting as the 40 Lenten posts we explored through Lent to Easter. There is a lot more great information coming, so please continue to come back. And bring a friend!

You can also find notice and links of these blog posts on:

• my Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/DianneButtsAuthor 
• my Twitter: @DianneEButts http://twitter.com/DianneEButts
• my Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/dianneebutts/

If you have enjoyed these 40 Days of Lent posts leading up to Easter, then you would probably also enjoy my books. The newest, the third and final book in the "Prophecies Fulfilled" series, just released last week. It's called Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus and you'll want to get it now because it explores the seven Feasts of the LORD as well as the three more coming lunar eclipses and the solar eclipse next March 20^th, 2015, which we haven't even talked about here yet.  (Tweet that!)

You'll enjoy and be awed and amazed by these events much more if you have the background information on them provided in my book.

For more information on the entire "Prophecies Fulfilled" series, click the tab at the top of this blog. Thank you for your time and interest!

On Thursday we'll look at why God gives us prophecies. What do you think are some reasons God would tell us what He is going to do in advance? (Tweet that!)

Hallelujah! Jesus is Risen from the Dead on the Feast of Firstfruits

Thanks Morguefile.com 

The Feast of Firstfruits occurs within the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread, which we touched on yesterday. It is a one-day Feast and occurs on Nisan 16.

The Feast of Firstfruits celebrates the first, early spring harvest.

Jesus was raised from the dead on the Feast of Firstfruits. (Tweet that!)

He is the first of the great harvest of souls from the earth! Hallelujah! Jesus is risen! (Tweet that!)

"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him" (1 Corinthians 15:20-23,NIV 2011). (Tweet that!)

Do you belong to him? If not, or if you're not sure, why not make that happen today? To do so, simply tell Jesus--either out loud or in silent prayer. He can hear you--that you trust that he paid for all your sins, that you will follow him and obey his ways, and you want him to be your Savior forever more.

Then record this important decision and event somewhere, like the inside cover of your Bible.

If you have done this, then you belong to him and will be part of the harvest of souls to heaven when he comes! (Tweet that!)

✟   Jesus was raised from the grave on First Fruits, and so He fulfills the Feast of Firstfruits as the first fruit of the great and coming harvest of souls. (Tweet that!)

Here's another interesting thought:

Jesus raised from the dead "very early the morning" of the third day. We do not know exactly what the time was.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus, (Luke 24:1-3.) 

See also Mark 16:1-6, John 20:1-2, and Matthew 28:1.

Peter tells us, in 2 Peter 3:8:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 

See also Psalm 90:4.

We are currently in the year 2014. We are now living in the third millennium since Jesus walked the earth. So if a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day, we are now living in the very early morning of the third day. (Tweet that!)

Jesus is coming again. He will come again to fulfill all the prophecies of his second coming.

Don't be surprised if he comes very early during this millennium day.

Happy Easter!

Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!

(I will see you again for the next post on Tuesday.)

What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?

Thanks Morguefile.com 

In the natural world, meaning in nature, there are only three things than can cause the moon to appear red. Some societies in human history have called these a "blood moon."

While God is able to supernaturally cause anything He wants to happen, He most often uses the natural way of the creation which He created to do what He has in mind to do.

Knowing that, it's perfectly logical to believe that the coming natural phenomena of the four lunar eclipses which will cause the moon to appear red while naturally occurring could, at the same time, be spiritually significant. In other words, just because these eclipses are happening naturally and not supernaturally doesn't mean they are not spiritually or prophetically significant.

The moon and its orbit, as well as all the galaxy, was pre-arranged by God. And He knew from the beginning of creation that there would be a lunar eclipse on April 15, 2014.

In the natural realm, with no supernatural intervention, what can cause the moon to appear red?

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

There are three things:

• when it is low in the sky, because of the effect of the earth's atmosphere;
• when there is smoke from a forest fire, ash from a volcano, or other debris in the air;
• and during a lunar eclipse, again because of the effect of the earth's atmosphere.

The first of the coming four lunar eclipses occurs next Tuesday, April 15^th, on the first Feast of the LORD which is Passover. (Tweet that!)

Will you be watching the skies next Tuesday night? I will. What if it's cloudy? My bet is it won't be. Why would God hang a "sign" in the sky and then cover it with clouds so we couldn't see it? (Tweet that!)

I'll be watching. I hope you will too.

This article, "Lunar eclipse could doom NASA's LADEE moon orbiter"  from CBSNews has information about the time we can see the lunar eclipse in the Western Hemisphere, including the United States.

Be awed. Be amazed at what God is doing this Passover night! (Tweet that!)

Who do you know who would like to know about this? Please share it with them. You may use the share buttons at the bottom of each post. Thank you.

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)

The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD

Thanks Morguefile.com 

What are the Feasts of the LORD? God gave seven Feasts to the Jews in Leviticus 23. These were Feasts the Jewish people were required to keep, and they continue to observe and celebrate them to this day. 

In some translations of the Bible, such as the newer (2011) New International Version (NIV) as well as the New Living Translation (NLT), they are not called "feasts" but are called "festivals."

It's important to notice these are not the Feasts of the Jews. These are Feasts of the LORD. They belong not just to the Jewish people but to everyone who belongs to the LORD.

The seven Feasts of the LORD have both historical meaning and prophetic meaning.

By "historical" I mean these Feasts point back in time to a certain time in history and the Feast is designed to remind the Jews (and all of us) of what God did for the Jewish people at that time in history.

By "prophetic" I mean these Feasts also point forward in time to something God said He would do in the future. Now, these Feasts were given in the time of Moses, who lived approximate 1500 years before Christ, so some of what was "future" in that time is now past history to us. In other words the prophetic/future meaning for some of these feasts is in our past. And we can clearly see it since we now have the benefit of looking back in hindsight.

The prophetic meaning of the first four of the seven Feasts of the LORD were fulfilled in the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophetic meaning of the last three of the seven Feasts of the LORD will be fulfilled in his second coming.

Some people don't believe Jesus is coming again. Their disbelief does not affect that truth that he will indeed come again—and that time is growing near. (Tweet that!) Two reasons we can be so confident he will indeed come again are:

• The fact that he has already fulfilled four of the seven Feasts in his first coming
• The fact that three of the seven Feasts have yet to be fulfilled.

The first three Feasts occur in spring. Then there's a break of fifty days to Pentecost.

Then the last three Feasts occur in fall of the year.

Here are the seven Feasts (or festivals) of the LORD in the order they occur annually along with the historical event or meaning, the prophetic event or meaning (Tweet that!), and the Scripture backup for that event:

1. Passover, which points historically to when the Passover Lamb is slain. Prophetically, Christ was our Passover Lamb, slain for the sins of the world (all who will accept that). 1 Corinthians 5:7
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, celebrated by eating only bread without leaven. Historically it points to when the children of Israel left slavery in Egypt in haste with no time to let bread rise. In the Bible leaven often symbolizes sin. Prophetically, Jesus Christ, who was without sin, was buried and in the grave for the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 2 Corinthians 5:21
3. The Feast of First Fruits historically commemorates and thanks God for the first of the harvest after the Israelites entered the Promised Land. Prophetically, Jesus Christ is the first of the harvest, the first raised from dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Revelation 1:5
4. Pentecost, historically commemorates the giving of the Law by God to Moses. Prophetically, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the giving of the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost. Acts 2
5. The first in the fall is the Feast of Trumpets, also known as Yom Teruah or Rosh HaShana. The Feast of Trumpets, historically, is associated with the blowing of the shofar (ram's horn trumpet). Prophetically, it is connected to the resurrection of the dead and/or the Rapture. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
6. Historically, on the Day of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur, the High Priest enters Holy of Holies to atone for the people's sins. Every fiftieth year on this day, the Year of Jubilee is proclaimed. Prophetically, Jesus Christ will come again to get his people whose sins are atoned for. Mark 15:37-38, Hebrews 10:19-21
7. The final Feast is the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths or Sukkot. Historically this celebrates the completion of the harvest. Prophetically, the harvest of souls from the earth is complete and God comes to live or "tabernacle" with us. Revelation 14:15-16

NASA projects there will be a full lunar eclipse on both Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles, the first and the last annual Feast of the LORD, in 2014 and then the same repeats in 2015. (Tweet that!)

Do you find this fascinating?

Who do you know who would like this information? Who would you like to share this with? Please use the share buttons at the bottom of this post to share it with others. Thank you.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

Tomorrow we will look at what in nature (apart from God doing something supernatural) can cause the moon to turn red like blood. (Tweet that!)

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.) 

How the Jewish Calendar Works

Thanks Morguefile.com 

Yesterday we talked about signs from God in the moon and the four lunar eclipses, the first of which is coming next week. These four lunar eclipses coming in 2014 and 2015 will fall on major Feasts of the LORD. (Tweet that!) We're going to talk about the Feasts of the LORD tomorrow, but first we need to lay some ground work about the Jewish calendar and how it works.

In the United States and in most western countries, we use the Gregorian calendar which is based on the sun (solar). The Muslim calendar goes strictly by the moon (lunar). The Hebrew or Jewish calendar is based on both: the lunar cycle defines months and the solar cycle defines years.

The calendar used in most of the west, including the United States, is called the Gregorian calendar and it came from Pope Gregory. He tweaked the previous calendar a bit regarding our leap year, which occurs every four years (on presidential election years in the United States) where we add one day, February 29^th, to keep us in sync with the sun. Before the Gregorian calendar there was the Julian Calendar from Julius Caesar, the Roman. The Julian calendar dates from around 70 B.C.

The Jewish or Hebrew calendar is what God uses and what the Bible goes by. On the Jewish calendar, months are 29 or 30 days, corresponding to the 29½ day lunar cycle. There are twelve or thirteen months in the Jewish year. In order to keep the yearly cycle on track so that the Feasts of the LORD stay in their appointed seasons, occasionally a thirteenth month, or leap month, is added creating a leap year. Seven leap years occur in a 19-year cycle.

The first of a Jewish month always begins on a "new moon." In America that means when no moon is visible, however on the Jewish calendar "new moon" means the first sliver of moon sighted.

Why is understanding the Jewish calendar important?

• It's important for understanding when Jewish holidays occur, such as the seven Feasts of the LORD. 
• It may also be important to understanding prophecies in the Bible like those in Daniel 12:11-12 and Revelation 11:3 and 12:6.
• And it might be significant when eclipses—which can only occur during full moons—fall on Feasts of the LORD. 

Since the first of the month on the Jewish calendar always falls on a new moon, this means that the 15^th of the Jewish month is always on a full moon.

Thanks to www.Morguefile.com 

Two Feasts begin on the fifteenth of the month or full moons: the first Feast and the last, which are Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot).

What does that have to do with lunar eclipses? Lunar eclipses only occur during full moons.

As we've talked about, there are four total lunar eclipses on the horizon, with the first occurring only a few days from now. Here are the dates on our calendar and Hebrew calendar for these four lunar eclipses, as well as the Feast they will occur on: (Tweet that!)

• Gregorian Date           Hebrew Date     Feast of the LORD
• April 15, 2014             Nissan 15          Passover
• October 8, 2014          Tishrei 14/15     Sukkot
• April 4, 2015               Nissan 15          Passover
• September 28, 2015    Tishrei 15          Sukkot

Please come back tomorrow for a very important discussion of the seven Feasts of the LORD and their prophetic significance. 

And please invite someone you know who might be interested in the things of the Lord to join us.

If you are enjoying these posts and would like to learn more, you can find much more in depth information on these same topics in my "Prophecies Fulfilled" books. (Tweet that!) The soon-coming book, Prophecies Fulfilled in the Life of Jesus, contains information about the Feasts of the LORD, these lunar eclipses, and more. I don't yet have a release date from the publisher for this book, but it should be released within a few weeks. To see if it's available or to order, you may check Dianne's Amazon Author Page. 

Special Note:

In anticipation of the first of the four lunar eclipses occurring next week, we're covering some prophecies concerning red moons and other information important to understanding their significance. (Tweet that!) Here is the schedule of these posts. Please invite your friends or your entire church to join us:

• Day 10, April 9: The Moon as a Sign and the Prophesied Blood Red Moons
• Day 9, April 10: How the Jewish Calendar Works
• Day 8, April 11: The Prophetic Significance of the Feasts of the LORD
• Day 7, April 12: What Causes the Moon to Turn Red Like Blood?
• Day 6, April 14: "Tetrad" of Four Lunar Eclipses on Jewish Feast Days in the Past
• Day 5, April 15: The First Lunar Eclipse on Passover 2014 (and why I don't expect anything to happen that day.)