A Prophet like unto Moses

It is sometimes claimed by various believers that the statement made by Moses to the Israelites, about a prophet like himself that was to come, is a reference to his own return as one of the two witnesses spoken of in the book of the Revelation to John, chapter 11.  Of course, saying “a prophet like Moses” is not the same as saying “Moses, himself” but it seems that many people wish to interpret it that way.  So, let's look at that scripture.

Deu 18:17-19 KJVR And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. (18) I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. (19) And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

What is meant by “a prophet... like unto thee”?  Does it simply mean a prophet or does it mean a prophet that is of the calibre of Moses or does it go further and mean a prophet with the calibre and character of Moses?  Perhaps it means a prophet of Moses' calibre (extremely well versed in the law and knows God) and who is also a leader.

However, I believe that it is referring to a prophet who is not only a leader and of the calibre of Moses but who stands before God, Himself, and is a prophet who has seen God face to face.  I believe this because it was said of Moses that no other prophet (at that time) was or had been like Moses.  Since this is merely what I believe, this post could be interpreted as an opinion piece but I do provide some reasonable support for my conclusion.

Exo 33:11 KJVR And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Num 12:7-8 KJVR  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.  (8)  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Deu 34:10 KJVR And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,...

Moses had seen God face to face before his own death.  Elijah, who came much later, did not see God face to face even when God came to him as the small, still voice but Elijah did eventually see God when he was taken without dying.  From this it would be easy to believe that Moses and Elijah will be the two witnesses, and it is possible that they can be.  What this fails to take into account, h0wever, is that there is no precedent anywhere in scripture for a non-contemporaneous person, specifically a person of the past, coming into the present to do a work for the Lord.  It simply does not exist.  Not that it couldn't but that it doesn't, and if we are to understand the final book of the bible, the only way we can is by understanding parables and precedents.

So, to whom does the scripture refer when it speaks of a prophet like Moses coming to Israel?  God said that the prophet would speak everything that God commands him to speak and that whoever does not take seriously what that prophet says shall be held to account by God Himself.

There is only one prophet who perfectly fits the description and his name is the Lord Yeshua, the Christ.  Yeshua was a great prophet when he walked the Earth.  He clearly stated that he only said what the Father told him, only did what he saw the Father doing, and that the only way to the Father (who is God, of course) was through him (Yeshua) and that those who did not believe him would die in their sin, and that guarantees that God will hold them to account.  God clearly said, of Yeshua, “this is my beloved son.  Listen to Him!”

God would speak to no other prophet as He did with Moses, as if a man speaking to a man, until came Yeshua who is God's only begotten son, with whom He would speak directly.  All these facts perfectly fulfil the scripture of Deuteronomy 18:17–19.  I will not bother going into providing all the necessary scriptural references that describe the facts I have just stated (which you can verify for yourself) but I will provide some clearly stated verses found in the gospels which testify further to what I have here claimed.

Of what the Lord Yeshua did and said...

Joh 5:19 KJVR  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

Joh 5:30 KJVR  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. 

Joh 8:38 KJVR  I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 

Of what Yeshua and others declared him to be...

Joh 1:45 KJVR Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Joh 5:46-47 KJVR For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. (47) But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Joh 6:14-15 KJVR Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. (15) When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

Joh 7:40-41 KJVR Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. (41) Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee?

We see in the reference in John 6 and 7 that there may be contention as to whether or not Yeshua actually fulfilled the expectation that Elijah would come again.  However in John 6:15 we see that Yeshua was concerned that they would try to make Him a king and we know that Elijah was no king but to the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years, Moses was, in essence, their king, so the fact that it seemed that the people wanted to make Yeshua their leader speaks of Him being seen as the prophet like unto Moses.  In John 7:40–41 we see that there was contention amongst the people as to whether or not Yeshua was “the Prophet”, which many in our time take to be a reference to Elijah, but others of that time disagreed, as do many in our time, and said that Yeshua was the Christ.  So, those verses provide no direct support that Yeshua was the prophet like unto Moses but the other verses do provide that support since, like Moses, Yeshua had already seen God face to face, Yeshua was seen by the people as a leader or even a king, Philip declared that this was the prophet that Moses spoke of and last but foremost, Yeshua said, for himself, that he was the one that Moses wrote of.  Do we really need more evidence?  Some may but I am happy with that.

It seems that the prophet “like unto Moses” is not a reference to Moses coming back as one of the two witnesses, nor is it a reference to Elijah who came much later, but it is, in fact, a reference to the Christ who was (at that time) yet to come.

The Rubbish They Claim

Here is just another tiny example of how easily deceived we can be.

I have always been troubled that the following verses...

Mar 13:24b-25 KJV  the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,  (25)  And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

... are taken to be a reference to the sequence of solar and lunar eclipses in recent years.  Again, this is a case of taking verses out of context, as so many are happy to do if it fits in with their preconceptions.  Better to change the meaning of scripture than to admit to making an error, right?  I have a few choice words I would like to use to describe such self-deceived, deluded deceivers but, for the sake of the Lord's name, I will refrain from commenting further on such witless wonders.  Perchance some may wake up, smell the coffee and do an about-face.

Let us look at more of those scriptures in order to gain a better sense of the context of the quoted verses to see how, if at all, it fits with the claims being made.

Mar 13:24-26 KJV  But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,  (25)  And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.  (26)  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Mat 24:29-30 KJV  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  (30)  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Well, waddaya know!  AFTER THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS, the sun shall be darkened and the moon will not give her light... AFTER the tribulation!  One final reminder, one final time to drive home the volley... AFTER the tribulation.

Has the great tribulation yet occurred?  You know the one... the time that will be worse than any other time in history and never to be repeated?  Weren't WW1 and WW2 MUCH worse than anything we are currently experiencing or have recently experienced since the times of those wars?  I can hear the crys of foul, foul ball!!  Those that claim that the great tribulation was one or both of the world wars and all of that commie nastiness.  The problem with that is, well, kind of obvious.  WE ARE STILL HERE and Christ Yeshua is not!  Did one third of the human population die?  Was all the green grass burned up along with one third of all the trees?  Have we seen the son of perdition, yet, make the claim to being God?  "Pope!", did I hear somebody say?  I do not recall even this demonic Pope demanding that I worship him nor seating himself in the new temple which, oh, that's right, it has not yet been built and, worse still, he came AFTER all those world wars and all the communist and NAZI atrocities of the twentieth century, LONG after!  Of course, the Pope could turn out to be the son of perdition BUT he has not done so just yet.  What of the wormwood-laden falling star, the mega-volcano that falls into the sea, the ocean turning to "blood", and so forth.  What about the 200,000,000 troop invasion of the middle east?  I could go on.... and on... and on.  Naturally, many will claim that all of the relevant scriptures regarding the tribulation are metaphorical and, perhaps we could read them as parabolic but does that mean that the tribulation is also a metaphor?  Tell that to the beheaded souls who suffered at the hands of the wicked ones we call ISIS, another Saudi Family and international banksters co-operative effort.

Are we to assume that the following scripture from the book of Joel refers to different events? 

Joe 2:31 KJV  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 

Let us look at more of that scripture... 

Joe 2:30-31 KJV  And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.  (31)  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 

Seems there first have to be wonders in the heavens and blood, fire and pillars of smoke on the earth.  Wonders in the heavens?  There have been some interesting events but I rreally would not classify any of them up until now as "wonders".  As for the fire and blood and pillars of smoke, that sounds a lot like global volcanism gone mad, doesn't it?  We can see it all on the increase; more serious volcanic and seismic events are occuring right now, so there are some "pillars of smoke" but no blood rain yet (will probably be due to iron oxides dissolved in atmospheric moisture after expulsion from massive volcanic eruptions), and closer encounters with large asteroids, strange solar behaviour, and so forth are also on a dramatic rise... but what I read there in the scripture really does not yet seem to have come to pass.  So, in my view (and I emphasize, it is my view and you can take it or leave it, of course) the darkened sun and blood red moon described in the scripture of the book of Joel is the same as that referred to by the Lord.  Of course, He already knew all of those scriptures quite thoroughly.  God was, after all, their originator.

Just out of interest, have you ever seen the sun and moon through the darkness of the thick smoke of a major bushfire?  I have, several times, and it really does fit the description.  Can you imagine the same thing on a global scale when almost every volcano on earth loses its nut?  We do not need eclipses to fulfil this scripture, just lots and lots of thick smoke.  The dense clouds of massive eruptions generate their own weather so we can expect increasingly intense thunderstorms to accompany them along with lots of hail.  Of course, there could be eclipses involved and I am generally of the view that the recent series of lunar and solar eclipses, especially with the lunar eclipses falling on Jewish holy days in rapid succession, are likely to be a marker of some kind, as has happened in times past, but I am hard pressed to shoe-horn those events into the above scriptures.  It contradicts the scripture recorded of the Lord's very own mouth.  The great tribulation has not yet come and gone.  There will be other associated scriptures that we can discuss in relation to all of this but methinks this be quite enough for now.

It always pays to go back to basics, back to the scripture, read it whole, without prejudice, without preconception as much as one can manage, with eyes, ears and heart wide open and mouth tightly shut.  Read it, pay attention to each and every word no matter how insignificant it may seem, read it one word after another, line after line, no skipping, no shortcuts, no preconceived ideas, just the writ, the whole writ and nothing but the writ, so help you God (and I really do mean that).

Have a great day!

The Twelve Apostates

Did you ever stop to consider the fact that the twelve apostles were, in fact, twelve apostates, as viewed by the religious leaders of the day?

Of course, one of them was not, showing his true colours in the betrayal of God Himself.  Funny, innit?  It was the one who was NOT apostate who betrayed the Lord.

Just thought I would mention that in passing... just as a reminder that it is very dangerous to judge people on the basis of human standards.  Better not to judge people at all.  Judge only clear and obvious sin by avoiding it even unto death.

As an old French proverb I read somewhere says, "There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience."

Sleep well, my friends.

;-)

Goodbye, Great Eagle

On the 10th of February of this year, I saw something in the sky above my house that, originally, I was not going to mention but, now that I can see what is happening, I decided that it merited comment.  Normally I ignore things of this nature since too many people "see" things that, when I look at what they see, I see nothing special.  In most cases it is just that most people have led their lives ignoring their surroundings and only now that others are waking them up they begin to "see things" everywhere that they think are extraordinary but really are very ordinary.  On the very odd occasion there is something truly unusual but such things are very rare.  However, this is one of those rare occasions that I could not ignore.

Unfortunately, despite wishing I had photographs to document what I saw, I did not have any kind of camera with me at the time and had I gone to get one, by the time I had it ready, the event would have passed.  So, I have to just tell you what I saw and let you decide for yourself whether or not you believe me.  I documented it at the time so I have kept a good record (as is second nature due to my long engineering career).  Just bear in mind that I am usually inherently skeptical with regards to attributing any meaning to this kind of thing because, as mentioned, most people making claims such as these make mountains out of non-existent mole-hills (YouTube is brimming with such madness).  As an engineer with a very strongly scientific background, I tend to approach everything in a very logical and fact-driven manner.

Nevertheles, this was something distinctly unusual, rare, even difficult to believe despite seeing it with my own eyes.  Here is the account of what happened.

I stepped outside into my back yard, looked up into the sky and saw three startling and well-defined clouds, together in a tight-knit group but of substantial size, that slowly came from the west.  They virtually stopped overhead, above my house on the hill.  There were a few other faint clouds nearby but plenty of blue sky in between and all around.  Two of the group of three clouds were perfect images of eagle wings, left and right, perfectly placed relative to each other, with perfect symmetry and clearly depicted flight feathers, and in the space between the two wings was the clear image of the head of an eagle, both the head and the neck, but it was fading.  The image of the eagle was oriented such that it appeared as if it was in flight towards the north east.  Startled by what I saw, I watched as the head faded away within a few minutes.

After the head completely disappeared, the wings began to fade beginning at the shoulders and fading outwards, in perfect symmetry.  They remained right where the wings should be but simply faded away, looking as if they were being gradually erased from the parts nearest the body towards the outer extremities until they had completely vanished.

I have never before seen such a sight in the clouds.  One can sometimes make out the odd shaped face or animal or any such rough and approximate thing but generally they are poorly defined and at least some imagination, if not a lot, is needed.  Not this time, however.  I have never seen something so perfectly portrayed before in puffy white clouds and, for a moment, wondered if I would suddenly awaken.  How could swirling winds create something with such perfect mirror symmetry?

This could not be chance.  How can I ignore this and just write it off as "luck"?  I do not believe in luck.  Luck is for the ignorant and the godless.

An interpretation:  The great eagle is divided, left from right, and the head is caught in the middle, but no union exists any longer.  The new head will not last because the nation refuses to repent and there is no forgiveness, no coming together.  The nation has been judged.  In spite of the new head seeking to restore the nation to its former greatness, the factions within will continually derail all such efforts until anything the head says and does is ignored since, as a result of all the friction and widespread hatred for truth, all such efforts will achieve nothing.  The head will fade into irrelevance and become as if it was not.  Then, left and right will fade away, beginning at the centre and the parts closest to the head, finishing off with the far left and far right extremities with a great chasm between them, until nothing remains.  The seeds of war and destruction sown by prior government and godlessness will soon produce a great harvest and nothing the new head does can stop it.  Taking the nation will be a walk in the park for its enemies.  Without God, there is no more unity and there is no more strength.  The eagle will be overthrown just as it overthrew.  All that remains is wind.

God will not be mocked.  As the eagle has sown, so shall it reap.

You have been weighed in the balance and have been found wanting.  Goodbye, great eagle, for it would appear that your time has come.

_____________________

Addendum (2017-05-20):

An article published sometime in the past day demonstrates just how far gone this all is:

We are Watching a Slow-Motion Coup D'etat 

The great eagle is dead, the republic is long gone.  All that remains is the distant echo of its liberty bell, fading like a flower in the scorching sun or a morning mist in the desert.

Watch Jimmy!

This has been up a long time and we have all seen it over the years but I think it deserves more attention now than ever before...

Vision of the Presidents -- C. Alan Martin
http://www.ubm1.org/?page=presidents

As with all such things, take it with a pinch of caution.  Nevertheless, it may be worth careful consideration so perhaps we should watch for the departure of Jimmy Carter.  He may be the last of the living presidents that must depart before the coming great war according to what this dream seems to indicate.  How soon the war follows is unknown.  Perhaps his death marks the beginning of the great tribulation since current events are just a "warm-up".  Do not take what I am saying here as gospel truth but just bear it in mind as possible indication of where we are in prophecy.  Note that Carter served in presidency number 39, the same number as the last book of the Old Testament, the book of Malachi.  Of all the Old Testament books it is widely agreed that Malachi was the last to be written so its place as number 39 is not really in question regardless of the order of the rest of the Old Testament books.  The number, 39, some associate with the "curse of the law of sin and death", but I find this association is weak and narrow.  Since the number, 40, represents a period of preparation (growth, cleansing or sanctification), not testing as some posit (the testing comes afterwards), such as 40 weeks preparing a new human life to enter into the world (birth is the first test), 40 days the three Israeli spies spied out the land of Canaan (the report they gave and how the people responded to the report was the test and many failed that one badly, showing lack of faith in what God had clearly told them), 40 years cleansing (another way of saying, sanctifying) the Israelites in the desert by removing the faithless before entering the promised land (crossing the Jordan was the first test, a phrase that is often used as a metaphor for passing through death, and other tests shortly followed to test the faith of the people), 40 days and nights that Yeshua fasted and prayed before the tempter came to tempt (i.e. test) Him three times (three temptations in order to be complete), so we can say that 39, falling just short of 40, indicates falling short of being ready for the test to come, an incomplete preparation or a lack of sanctification; a relentlessly persistent evil condition, one without remedy.  It is easy to see how this number is often associated with disease or cursing.  We can also view 39 as thrice 13, and 13 being representative of apostasy, rebellion, corruption, decay and all such notions (evil in general), then 39 is complete apostasy, rebellion, corruption, decay.

It is noteworthy that during the presidency of Carter, the USA had already entered a rapid moral decline the likes of which were unimaginable prior to that time.  We have all heard stories about the 1960's.  That decade set up the conditions for the USA and the rest of the world, under American economic, political and media influence, to fall into apostasy.  I am hard-pressed to see the modern USA as anything other than a resurrected Babylon, but I would not call it so in isolation from other western nations.  We have all followed suit.  It is probably safe to say that the great falling away has its roots (or conception, if you prefer) in 1960's America and its birth in the 1970's.  Popular music is generally a good indicator of the direction society is taking and we see the rise of very dark and sinister music in the 1970's right alongside very plastic and shallow pop.  We also see it in the demographics of church attendance.  There was a peak in church attendance in the USA at the end of the 1950's and as we entered the 1960's a slow decline began but accelerated dramatically during the 1970's.  It slowed and leveled off somewhat during the 1980's to mid 1990's but was then followed by another sharp decline since that time, the most dramatic decline in US history.  This corresponds exactly with the dramatic rise in occultism and all of its associated ideas and beliefs, the rise in religious environmentalism, the rise in terrorism (no doubt funded by the international banksters) and the increasingly desperate attempts by the UN to assert itself as Satan's global government seeking carbon taxes as its revenue stream.

The name, Malachi, means "My messenger", and in Malachi, chapter 4, we have mention made of Elijah.  As stated in a previous post, I do not know if another Elijah is yet to come given that there was fulfillment with John the Baptist, but John's coming does not preclude it and conditions may merit the reappearance of the spirit of Elijah (to pave the way for the Lord and His kingdom) which, simply put, is a man who is utterly single-minded about God.  That is one of his primary characteristics... everything else, without exception, takes a back seat to the truth, a back seat to God.  The faith of such a man will see him through to the end, even unto death, as it did for John.  He will not doubt that the Lord will do as the Lord says He will.  No doubt at all will cross such a man's mind.  Obviously this is a primary characteristic of the two witnesses so there is no reason why they could not be both described as having the spirit of Elijah.  I am just thinking out loud here but you get the point, I am sure.  From Revelation chapters 8 to 11 we know that great cataclysms and war must come before the public ministry of the two witnesses can begin (one of numerous clear and unambiguous reasons why all current self-proclaimed two witnesses are false prophets), since the true two witnesses come as the second woe which is the sixth trumpet, and trumpets one to four speak of those aforementioned cataclysms, and trumpet five is the first woe and appears to be a great war.  To jumble up the order of events of the trumpets makes no sense and makes a mockery of the scripture.  It is clear that the angels sound their trumpets in numerical order.  All the fake prophets will be most deeply ashamed of what they have said and done when the true prophets arise.

I will avoid rambling on any further about these things in this post, since there is much more that could be discussed, but I will leave it as is and simply say...

... Watch Jimmy... since I suspect that he is not too long for this world, but I hope that during his remaining time he turns to the Lord, and the Lord who is merciful will have mercy on him.

_____________________

Addendum (2017-05-11):

How should we "interpret" the death of Jimmy Carter when it occurs, assuming it is of some significance?  Perhaps it marks the end of the incurable evil condition of the world.  At some point there will be no more people who can be saved since, like a deadly disease, the corruption spreads throughout all of humanity.  At some point, all the worshippers who are being counted (the temple being measured, the required stones ready) will be accounted for and there is no need for more time except for the final work of the two witnesses to conclude the testimony of the saints to the whole world that began almost 2000 years ago.  God times His actions precisely to ensure the required outcome at exactly the right moment but we have no idea just when that moment will be.  Perhaps the death of Jimmy Carter will be a sign that the moment is almost upon us.

So, how should we interpret the death of the 39th leader of the most powerful nation in the world given that the nation has fallen into the abyss of apostasy, wickedness and chaos?

Jimmy Carter was in office from January the 20th, 1977, to January the 20th, 1981.  So, the presidency of the 39th president of the USA began 40 years ago last January.  Well, isn't that interesting?!  Sounds to me like the next 3.5 to 4 years are ripe for judgement.

If I was a betting man and if I was to stake a wager on this (lots of "ifs" in there), I would bet that former President James Earl Carter Jr. will be deceased some time from late June until the end of July of this year.  This is no prophecy of any kind, just a guess based on some very big "ifs".  I do not like attempting to set dates but I am just letting you know some of my thoughts on this.  Again, I strongly emphasise, it is just a guess and carries no revelational significance.  Funnily, June 28th to July 4th sticks in my head because of certain past events I will not go into here.

Anyway, let's just... watch Jimmy.

_____________________

Addendum (2017-07-05):

Well, I guess that Jimmy is still with us... good thing I didn't place a bet on it after all!  In any case, something did happen just in the past 24 hours which took everybody a little by surprise.  Kim Jong-un's successful launch of an ICBM suddenly put my country on alert.  Of course, he'd be mad to waste a missile on Darwin.  It is not as if a country of just 23 million and a virtually non-existent military presence is going to pummel his land any time soon.  The only reason would be if there is an American base harbouring nuclear vessels or weapons somewhere in Darwin but, you can be sure, they would not be so stupid as to place such a thing within city limits.

Well. whatever happens, we all know horrifying things are on the way but we also know that our Lord and Saviour is with us.  That is where our trust should always be.  Keep well, my friends.

Update on the post, "Who or What are the Two Witnesses?"

Back in 2016, October the 1st to be precise, I published a post, entitled, "Who or What are the Two Witnesses?"  In that post I commented on the reason I believed, at that time, was the impetus for Yeshua saying, to the people around Him, the following:

Matthew 11:12-15 ASV  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force. (13) For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. (14) And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come. (15) He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

My comments were as follows:

"Some will argue that Yeshua made his statements with a conditional requirement, that being that it is so if you can accept it, and thus there must necessarily be a future occurrence of the actual original Elijah returning in order to ensure that the prophecy is fulfilled.  However, I strongly disagree with that reasoning because God does not do things in indefinite ways and because, I believe, it is not the purpose of the Lord's comment.  Why would the God of all glory and all creation seem uncertain about His own plans?  Are not the words of Christ directly from the Spirit of the Living God?  The Lord made that comment for a different reason, being that believing John the Baptiser was the Elijah to come was not essential to their faith and walk with God.  They could happily continue in their faith in God without having known or believed that John was the Elijah to come and there would come no harm to them, they would not be impoverished as a result."

"The reason for this is, I believe, that the appearing of Elijah was not for the sake of the believers but for the sake of the unbelievers, to bring testimony to them of the coming of the Messiah.  When Yeshua made that comment, He had just been speaking to John's disciples who were sent by John to ask Yeshua if He was the one they were waiting for.   As they departed, He turned to the multitudes and continued speaking, clearly also intending that John's disciples would hear this before they left. John's disciples already expected Him based on John's teachings about the coming Messiah and, in all likelihood, so did the multitudes that were listening, or they would not have been present."

Now, as a reason for Christ saying, "And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come", what I wrote is not a sufficient and complete answer, and it occurred to me why that was.  As I wrote at that time, "the reason for this is, I believe"... that the appearing of Elijah was not for the sake of the believers but for the sake of the unbelievers.  However, it was only what I could conclude at that time but, with time and with the continued work of the Spirit of God, things keep coming together like a grand jigsaw puzzle.  Although believers did not really have a need to believe that John the Baptist was the Elijah to come, if he was then Yeshua would have wanted to make that plain to them and not leave it in doubt.  Also, there was insufficient support for the comment I made about John's disciples overhearing what Yeshua said as they were leaving.  It never sat quite right with me.  Just one of those things, I guess, that kept niggling away in the depths of my mind... until this morning.

Now I have a clear, concise and definitive reason on why Yeshua made that conditional statement, and it ties in with the post, entitled, "Invalidity of All Current 'Two Witnesses'", published on the 6th of March, earlier this year.

Until John died, then the prophecies concerning the role of the Elijah that was to come were either not completely fulfilled or there was still time to invalidate the fulfillment by an action contrary to the prophecy.  Without complete and inalterable fulfillment, who could declare that John was the Elijah that was to come in a legally irrefutable manner?  If he had not yet completed his role, nobody could definitely say that he was the expected Elijah, whether in the spirit or in the flesh, because to do so would be to say that he had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his appearance (binding John's acts to the prophecy) but, until he was dead, it could not be stated as fact.  Alternatively, if he had completed fulfillment of the prophecy but then acted in a way to discredit that fulfillment before his death, we would end up with legally refutable claims that he was the Elijah to come.  At the time that Yeshua made his conditional statement about accepting John the Baptist as the Elijah that was to come, John was in prison but was still alive, for his disciples had, at that moment, come to ask Yeshua, on John's behalf, if He was the expected one (the Messiah).

Mat 11:3 ASV  and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?

So, Yeshua avoided making a false claim by keeping it open until John's death, after which Yeshua said plainly to His own disciples that John was, indeed, the expected Elijah.  This was now legally factual to the world.  The reason Yeshua had made the comment prior to John's death, saying that John was the coming Elijah, was because Yeshua already knew that it was true, as mentioned in the post, "Invalidity of All Current 'Two Witnesses'".  However, the incompleteness of the fulfillment of prophecy ensured that He could not make a legally incontrovertible statement for, although spiritually it was fact, physically it was not yet complete and, thus, not legally factual.  Once John was dead, the prophecies concerning him became legally established and incontrovertible fact.  Like Yeshua said on the cross just the moment before His own death, "It is finished." 

Since John did not do anything just prior to his own death that would have been contrary to the character of Elijah and which could have invalidated the prophecy with regards to himself, the prophecy of the return of Elijah appears to have been fulfilled, taking Yeshua's word for it.  However, we do not know enough about John's activities to comment on his fulfillment of the prophecy found in the book of Malachi, chapter 4, regarding turning the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers.  Was that fulfilled by John or is it only necessary that a final Elijah-like prophet at the end fills that role once in order that the prophecy given by Malachi be true?  There is much written on this but what does it actually mean?  I find that most explanations are too vague, fuzzy or wishy-washy to be of any value.  My understanding of scripture is that it is clear, concise, logical and solidly factual.

Luk 1:13-17 ASV  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.  (14)  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.  (15)  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  (16)  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God.  (17)  And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.

In this scripture, found in the book of Luke, we see confirmation that John did come in the power and spirit of Elijah, thus strongly supporting our method of understanding so that we know that it is consistent with the scripture, but we also see a comment related to Malachi's prophecy regarding turning the hearts of the fathers to the children.  However, instead of speaking about turning the hearts of the children to the fathers, it speaks of turning the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just, seemingly equating the hearts of the children with the disobedient and the fathers with the just.  Although it could be a currently fulfilled prophecy, it does also sound rather like the expected situation going into the millennial reign of Christ on earth, which can only begin upon the exit of the two witnesses of Revelation 11 and the return of Christ.  The chasm between parents and children in the current age is the worst that the world has ever seen, so the prophecy of Malachi does seem to apply more strongly to the current day or the near future than it does to any time before now.  This view assumes that it is talking about parents and their immediate children.  The support for this view is that it speaks of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children, meaning that the fathers spoken of must be alive in the same era as the children, so it could not be referring to something like ancient, wise patriarchs and modern, rebellious people.

Since John the Baptist was a spiritual fulfillment of Elijah, his coming (and going) does not prevent another "Elijah" from coming, to pave the way for the Lord, as stated by Malachi.  The great and terrible day of the Lord has not come, not quite yet, and although the prophecy of Malachi may appear to have been fulfilled ("Elijah" came before the great and terrible day regardless of how long ago he came), turning the hearts of the fathers and the children back to one another is something possibly incomplete, as would also appear to be "the restoration of all things", a major part of the coming Elijah's role as stated by Yeshua.  The "things" would likely be the correct understanding of scripture, righteousness and justice, the nature of evil, right, wrong and free will, the process of salvation and its essential requirement, the proper interpretation of parables, the truth about God and Christ, etc., a restoration which, it would appear, the two witnesses will accomplish, thus completing the great commission of bringing the gospel to the whole world as a testimony in order that the end can come.  That the coming Elijah restores all things lends credence to the idea that, if he is yet to come again, he may be one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11.  The two witnesses will be bringing the gospel of Christ to the world as a testimony and in the process will inevitably restore a correct understanding of many things therein.

Mat 17:11-13 ASV  And he answered and said, Elijah indeed cometh, and shall restore all things:  (12)  but I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.  (13)  Then understood the disciples that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Furthermore, this scripture, when viewed in the light of the aforementioned understanding of the legal requirements for the declaration of prophetic fulfillment, makes sense of the fact that Yeshua said that Elijah shall restore all things (the word translated as "shall" directly implies a future tense by what would probably have been the imperfect tense in the Aramaic or Hebrew language prior to its Greek translation) in spite of the fact that John was already, at that moment, dead, which is itself the reason Yeshua made it unequivocally clear that John the Baptist was the Elijah that was to come, for it was now legal fact.  Perhaps we can now state even more confidently that we should still expect one more "spirit of Elijah" prophet.  Whether or not he will be one of the two witnesses of Revelation, chapter 11, remains to be seen, though at this point it seems quite possible, even likely.  The events on the "mount of the transfiguration" would lend further support, though not solid proof, that he will be.  Will the Lord reveal that to us sometime soon?  We (including you) should ask Him about it.  Give it a shot.  God is wonderfully good and generous and the only reason He withholds information from His servants is because the moment for the revelation is not yet come.

So, should we expect the return of the spirit of Elijah?  I suspect so, though I would not state it as a legally binding requirement for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the last days or, at least, not without a deeper revelation on this issue.  We do not know enough at this time about the activities of John the Baptist other than the very little given to us in the scripture and possibly some fragments of historical accounts.  I guess that we will have to pray, wait and see.

Did Moses Really Die?

There are many who profess to understand the mysteries surrounding the two witnesses spoken of in Revelation, chapter 11, and, sadly, a significant number of such people claim that Moses did not actually die.  The claim goes along the lines of... "Moses must be one of the two witnesses and the other is Elijah, since they appeared on the mount of transfiguration with Christ, and they must die because all men must die once before the judgement, and we know that Elijah was taken without seeing death, and since Elijah must be one of the two witnesses because he is expected to return, and since nobody knows where Moses' body was buried and Satan contested this issue with God, then Moses must have also been translated without seeing death."... or something to that effect, including making various out-of-context scriptural references.  Sigh!  I am so tired of this nonsense, so weary of it all.  I really could NOT be bothered going to all the trouble of outlining them since if you are aware of the issue I am speaking of and if you are one who dilligently and unswervingly seeks the truth, then you know of what I speak.

So, the question really is... do we trust the scriptures?  Let me put it this way... do we trust Christ Yeshua at His word?  The Lord, Himself, said... 

Joh 10:35 ASV  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), ...  

Did He specify just one portion of the scripture that cannot be broken?  No, not as far as I can see, not that I have perfect "vision" but, simply that, having read ALL of the scripture, many parts many times over, I have not been able to come to any other conclusion than that the Lord meant NO PART of the scripture can be broken.  Of course, there are the pride-filled, hard-hearted people who have built their reputations on incorrect views and try to twist the scripture to fit those views, using the claim that there are many mistranslations in the well accepted English versions of the scriptures, in spite of the fact that most of their scriptural references are not in question in this regard, but any person who knows God can, easily enough, recognise such false claims for what they are.  They can be safely ignored.  No need for all of that mental clutter.

So, what do the scriptures say about Moses' death? 

Deu 34:5-8 ASV  So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah.  (6)  And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.  (7)  And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.  (8)  And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping in the mourning for Moses were ended. 

Jos 1:1-2 ASV  Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,  (2)  Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

... and that is that.  Either believe the word of God Almighty, Himself, or do not.

Joshua had no reason to make this up and, if he did, then nothing in the book of Joshua can be firmly believed.  Such a view would bring into question the rest of the books of the bible and then the claims of creation, the fall of Adam, the need for salvation, then finally bringing doubt upon the need for a saviour, Christ Himself and, thus, the very fact that He came and existed is questioned and comes to the point of being called a fable... and those who deny that Yeshua is the Christ are antichrist, in accordance with what John the apostle taught us (1 John 22).  That is an example of what progressivism is really all about, what it does, what it is actually intended to do.  That is raw and basic progressivism.  It is entirely based on moral relativism.  No foundation, no base, no reference, just like a boat tossed around at sea without anchor and without sail.  I call it, "Boiling Frog Syndrome."  The whole world is deep in a myriad of deceptions brought on by this very method.  It would have to be one of the devil's favourite ways to destroy mankind.  Once a person deceives himself, he becomes a deceiver and such people continue deeper and deeper into deception, deceiving themselves and each other, the growing pride and fear of being seen as imperfect making them ever less capable of admitting fault.  Strange how such people think that, just by telling us what they want us to believe about them, we are not going to see them for what they really are, warts and all!  Is there any hope for those who have willfully cast themselves into that abyss?  Only the Everliving God really knows.

Those who do not believe God at His own word will be held accountable for their unbelief in the face of the huge mountain of evidence, for the veracity of the scripture and for the reality of Yeshua the Christ and the eternal, self-existent one, the Everliving God.

There is a Calm Before the Storm

We stood on that west-facing beach, the dark cloud on the northern horizon stretching across all the land and all the sea, from the far east to the far west, and the calm was before it, a quiet but eerie calm, barely a whisper of wind, gentle waves breaking on the shore.  I knew in my heart that what is coming must come and, though I longed for that peace to never end, for Him to stay there with me on that peaceful shore, I knew that I had to face the coming storm.

My house is already secured on the immovable rock, protected from the oncoming tempest by sheer, stone cliffs, set like a stone fortress.  The winds could not reach me on one side nor the waves on the other.  I fear for my siblings, for my mother, for my friends.  Why is it so difficult for them to believe their own eyes and see that all that is cannot have just happened by chance?  In death no man can see, no man can hear, all is darkness and only God can enliven that dead spirit.  Though it grieves me, I know that God is always good, and God is always at peace, even when He is at war.  I need not fear.  He said that His burden is light, so I must believe that whatever He has assigned for me to do in these final days must be something which, for the most part, I will want to do.

The only question I have is, how long will last the calm before the storm?

A Warning to False Prophets

Eze 13:4-9 ASV  O Israel, thy prophets have been like foxes in the waste places.  (5)  Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of Jehovah.  (6)  They have seen falsehood and lying divination, that say, Jehovah saith; but Jehovah hath not sent them: and they have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed.  (7)  Have ye not seen a false vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, in that ye say, Jehovah saith; albeit I have not spoken?  (8)  Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have spoken falsehood, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord Jehovah.  (9)  And my hand shall be against the prophets that see false visions, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the council of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

What will the false prophets do?  All those fake "two witnesses" out there who are proclaiming the "word", their own word, their own vain imaginings, their doctrines of men and demons out of their darkened, vain hearts, seeking their own glory?  What shall they do when the true witnesses appear?  What will they do, what can they do when the Lord returns and His razor sharp eyes cut them to the quick?

When the true witnesses appear, the false prophets will continue plying their trade, accusing the true of falsehood, condemning them, seeking their silence, even their destruction.  How can such pride ever admit to fault?  Simply, it cannot.

The day approaches quickly, the moment of reckoning, the instant when the hearts of the liars will choose to repent or go to eternal destruction... and it will happen in the blink of an eye, for the moment that the voice of the true witnesses, who will NOT proclaim themselves to be Elijah or any other such well known name, goes out into the world, will be sudden, the word unassailable, their stand immovable, and near nary a soul will recognise them!  The world is truly in the grasp of the great delusion... a delusion that can only bring death.  As the witnesses act and bring calamity, gradually greater, gradually more intense, so will become the darkness of the veil over the eyes of all who cannot see... that is, all the dead.  How can such ever come to a knowledge of the truth?  Only the Ever Living God can lift that veil, only the Eternal One can save.

Will you know them when they come?