THE MARK OF DESTRUCTION

You are welcome again, this night, in the hour of the trumpeter. We really appreciate your interest in this end time message, which God is using to wake up the Church, and prepare the saints for the return of The Lord, Jesus Christ. We sincerely thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

If you are following us for the first time, it is your golden moment, to hear the undiluted word of God which will help you to keep your garment pure, in readiness to meet your maker, either through the upper taker which is the Rapture of the Church or the undertaker which is death. It's a moment of the revelation of the amazing world events, happening around us and understanding them in the light of the revealed word of God.

We shall continue to look at many things which you do hear about these days or mentioned by people or read about them but you are always confused about them.

Because we have many things to discuss this night, we are going to begin immediately.

Let us pray.

In the name of Jesus. Amen
Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this opportunity to share in your word. Your word is truth and life. May we hear from you this night. Impart knowledge, understanding and wisdom to my hearer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Our topic is THE MARK OF DESTRUCTION
Revelation 13 verses 16 and 17

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name”

The book of Revelation was written by our brother, John when he was banished to the Island of Patmos by the Emperor. Many people do avoid reading it because of its many images and allegories. It is the only book of the Bible, with a blessing and a curse too. It is a pure eschatological book of the New Testament, just as Daniel in the Old Testament. So, when John saw himself at the Island, the heavens were opened for him on the Lords day and he saw and recorded the revelation of the events of the end time.

The teachings of the last days are not what one can explain in few minutes, so I will look at one of the things to expect after the Rapture of the Church- I think, in the previous edition of the trumpeter, I preached about the Rapture of the Church which is the next agenda, now, in the prophetic calendar of God. In as much as, no man or woman knows the time of the Lords return, yet, we know, it can happen anytime-even this night as I'm preaching. So Jesus would say, " Watch for my coming" He didn't say, "wait for my coming, rather, watch, watch for my coming"

My listener, we are going to look at the Mark of Destruction which is the mark of the Beast. Many people are talking about it these days- maybe, because it is written in the word of God or they hear some people talk about it.

So, there is a mark of the Beast, warned about in the word of God. Your doubt cannot take anything out of Gods word. It is Gods word, we believe it and that settles it.John saw it. It is recorded in many places of the Bible.

You should know, my listener that the world has been wired now- I mean the world today is a global village. Don't ever imagine that you are hidden or that anything, you are doing now is hidden from people. Noooooo, in, this 21st century, we are living in the open world.

Do you know that the New World Order which is gathering now has put many things in place to track you, right now at this very moment to monitor you, and to control. Nothing about you is hidden anymore. The western World will say, “the big Brother is watching you" So, there is no hiding place. Everything about you is being documented on daily basis, because of the increase of knowledge which was prophesied about in the book of Daniel. I think, I warned some of us in one of previous edition- when we preached "it is midnight" on some of your discussions and comments in some of our Medias and social contacts like Internet, face books and twitters. You may not know that many of your comments and words are being recorded. They may serve as exhibits, if you miss the Rapture or when the correct time comes.

That's why; we asked “what is this life after the Rapture? Friend, it will be total chaos, disaster and operation brutality. So be careful, how you live your life or do your business, so that you be not left behind.

I pray for you here, “you will not miss the Rapture in the name of Jesus Christ.

If you are hearing my voice this night and have not given your life to Jesus Christ, what are you waiting for? You are playing with your life and eternity destiny.

The satanic agents and the world body have mapped out the instruments that may facilitate the idea of the mark of the beast. This age is about to close, for anything which has a beginning must end.

Have you been hearing about a technology called "Verichip"? If you have not, then listen. These and more are some of the words you will hear these days. They are end time vocabularies. I'm not meant to scare you but to open your eyes so that you get yourself pure and ready for the return of The Lord. As you do your business and daily engagements, do them in righteousness and always ask for the grace of God to escape the great tribulation which Jesus Himself, said that it should be a time of great pain. I mean Jacobs trouble- you know how Jacob suffered when he left his fathers house.

So, as I was saying, Verichip is a technology, about the size of a grain of rice which may be placed under the skin, usually on the forehead or on the right hand in identification with the world government when the saints are gone out of this planet like the time of Enoch. You know that Enoch, in the Old Testament was the type of the Raptured Church.

So, the antichrist- the world dictator, like the erected image of Nebuchadnezzar must demand worship and allegiance and people should be forced to have a mark of identity or identification mark.

Mark is your symbol, trademark, brand, label, identity. It is a visible trace. Mark this word, "trace". It is an impression, name, stamp, seal placed on an article to signify ownership, quality or origin. To attach identification, such as a price tag. A thing which indicates position.

So, every individual under the world who missed the Rapture must have a mark of recognition and identification for the satanic reign. Verichip which was formerly called Positive ID may be the alternative. Many millions of dollars were spent, in order to search the correct place of its insertion, and finally the correct place should be at the forehead or the right hand? Have you seen it, my listener. What did the word of God said in Revelation chapter 13 verses 16 and 17

The mission of this Verichip is to put this chip into each and every human being on the planet. Many of all these are working in the underground, but should manifest fully after the Rapture. If you come closer, I can show you how this chip may look like. The chip is able to store detailed financial, medical and other kinds of information about the person that it is placed in. The size may be 2 millimeters long and about 1 millimeter in diameter, about the size of a grain of rice.

My listener, as I told us sometime ago, very soon, numbers will take over human names and identity- I mean, you will be known by numbers, no longer your name. Listen, some financial institutions may require that individuals be chipped in order to keep detailed records of who went in and out of the vault, which can be used later to narrow down suspects in the case of money shortages. Nothing of such may be bad anyway, in itself but please, when the world experiences the sudden catch away of the saints, many of these instruments may be the checks against the remnants. Today, you hear about the marks in some places like advertisement as you know that for the New World Order, the many ways to get the job done is through marketing and advertising.

As I told you, nothing is secret anymore now globally; some of these things are in operation in many developed countries. I remembered when I preached about the coming cashless society, as far back as 1998, in a crusade at Lagos, some people were asking, how shall these be? What are we seeing now? I think more are coming- maybe to help or to control afterwards. Whatsoever they ask you to do, you have to do but time shall come, when it shall be mandatory. It is operation bow or burn for the 3 Hebrew boys- Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, translated as Shedrack, Mishack and Abednego. They said to the king, we were careful some few minutes ago but now, we are no longer careful to answer you in this matter" you may increase the fire 7 times, we shall not bow down to your image"- meaning Jehovah is able to deliver during the tribulation. HALLELUYAH!

Do you know, my listener, as I'm talking to you now, there are many cameras now which identifies if a shopper is a man or woman? There are many types of software which scan people's face, like when you visit the city of Japan. Many health centers in some areas are using some technologies to help track patients and to help store their medical records. Very soon- I think, the issues of files may give way for some tracking records. Once a chip is inserted, it now becomes a container of all personal data and informations. I think we are getting late here. That's what they are saying.

Many of these equipments may make way for the main mark. My listener, just listen to me, after the Rapture of the saints, a person who takes the mark is pledging allegiance to the Antichrist and Satan. You know, as we have the Holy Trinity which is Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the work of creation and life, so there is the unholy alliance or Unholy Trinity- the Satan himself, the Antichrist and the false prophet in the work of human damnation and destruction.

Just remember, that the mark may be placed at the forehead. The word of God recorded in the place we read, that the false prophet which shall do many signs and wonders will be the instrument for the giving of the mark. Through many signs and wonders, he will deceive many. Friend, if you are following The Lord today because of signs and wonders or miracles- let me tell you, you are yet to see one. The false prophet will do many of them- to the extent of calling down physical fire from heaven, just to confuse and convince people that Antichrist is the Messiah of the world. He will do the counterfeits of the entire miracle Jesus did when he was here on the earth. So, be careful how you move and believe today.

So, with the advances in modern technology and coming policies, we are heading the prophesied mark of the beast system being introduced when the great tribulation period should be in full swing.

Why am I saying all these things?- it is for you to be more serious now than ever before- I mean in your Christian life, in your commitment and service in the kingdom of God. It should be no more apathy, weakness and hypocrisy as usual. Friend, Jesus Christ is coming back again. If you have not known him, please repent and give your life to him. You know, you must spend eternity somewhere- no matter your size or status. So, stop running and embrace the truth today. You are not safe unless you are saved.

Christians should not fear the coming mark of the beast or the number of the beast, no matter the angle it may come. Go on with your normal business, make your gains and prosper in righteousness but always look up for your redemption draws closer more than you expect.

Friend, remember, millions of people will be martyred- I mean killed for refusing the mark of the beast. They are called the Tribulation saints of Revelation Chapter 7 verses 13-15.It will be a period many will shed their own blood for their refusal in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

So, I'm saying this night that we have become a worldwide, connected society, whose every move is being tracked. The mark of the beast may be a worldwide system that gathers information and ties it with personal records of all kinds. For now, everything may be voluntary but a day is coming when you will be forced to have a chip put inside your body. Let me warn us here, never, I repeat- never allow anyone put a chip inside your body. By the way, whose mark are you bearing already? I may not go on preaching about your body sign or so called tattoo this night because of time.I think it is a topic for next night. But don't forget, all marks are for identification. The owner must come for them when the time comes.

Some people are protesting today in some parts of the world, saying “people are not pets, don't chip us" Others were shouting- “Verichip is a hazard to health" I don't know.

There is one now that is called, Radio frequency identification Device, RFID. It can be used to track items at a distance, right through someone's purse or wallet. Few months ago, because, the technology is now going worldwide, we saw the attorney general of Mexico and hundreds of others displaying theirs. Now, the Britain School uses it to monitor students movements on capus.When, the time comes, the world will use any and every excuse to sell it to people. You may hear something like; chips are helpful to prevent kidnapping cases, guard disease or medical mistakes. The list may sound so good and goes on and on.

And then one day, when the system is complete, they will link together some gadgets into one, complete system that the government will control- such as, thumbprint, eye scan, financial informations and cards, brain waves, computers inside your car as you know now that the first car without a driver was manufactured few months ago- just press the button, relax maybe at the back, then the car will control itself and drop you at your destination. We are progressing. Are we not? Some technologies will now know you are where you are, and what you are doing and saying and even how fast your heart is beating.

Anyway, after rapture, people will be asked to swear allegiance to the antichrist as an act of worship. My friends, please if you miss the rapture, don’t take the mark. It is a mark of eternal doom and disaster. But why must you wait for that time? You will not buy, sell, go to school or enter a bus or do anything without it. There will be no church afterall. The one you will see will be the church of the beast.

Look at the final reward for the people who take the mark in Revelation

REVELATION CHAPTER 14 verses 9-11
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name”

Again, Revelation chapter 16:1-2

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image”

Have you seen it? These are the judgements for the people who received this mark of destruction.

Watch again, when the beast, the false prophet and the Antichrist is judged, it must be with the people who took the Mark of the beast. This can be seen in Revelation chapter 19 verse no 20. The word said that they will be cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

This is true, because it is the word of God and should not be broken.

The mark of destruction is real. Resist it, reject it and fight it with your dying breath even at the point of being martyred.

For as many who resist it, they have their reward. Just look at the book of Revelation chapter 15 verses 1 to 3

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints”

Again, the book of Revelation chapter 20 verse 4.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years”

Beloved, it may not be easy but victory is guaranteed.

What are we saying here? Do fast to escape the wrath of the living God.
Time will fail me to go on and on.

But just, as you are hearing my voice anywhere now- in the bus, street or bedroom, Jesus loves you. He cares for you. He is preparing a better place for you if you leave here. In as much, as I love to see you prosper here on earth, I would like you to give your life to Jesus Christ, if you have not done so.

I will pray for you now if you want to give your life to Jesus Christ

You can repeat this prayer with me and believe it.
Lord Jesus, I come to you now by faith. I'm a sinner. Forgive me and give me the grace to live for you. I reject self, the world and satan. From today, I promise to follow you till the end. Thank you Lord for accepting me. Amen.

Now, let me pray for you

Lord, I thank you for this soul coming to you. I can see the angels rejoicing on his behalf. Forgive him all his iniquities and write his name in the book of life.Please give him power over the flesh, the world and the enemy. Thank you Lord for answering us in Jesus name.

Congrats! My friend, for the new life in Christ you've received today.

admin Post Date: 2019-03-20 Download PDF Version of this Message

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Young people who leave church no longer returning as they get older

While pastors have long banked on social science showing that young people who leave church generally return when they're older, a recent analysis of that trend suggests it might be over.

In his analysis of data from the General Social Survey of five-year windows in which individuals were born spanning from 1965 to 1984 and published by the Barna Group, Ryan Burge, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and pastor of First Baptist Church of Mt. Vernon, Illinois, shows that younger generations raised in the church aren’t typically returning to church when compared with members of the “Baby boomer” generation born between 1945 and 1964.

In Burge’s analysis of the boomer generation, four different five-year cohorts reflected the “trademark hump” supported by traditional social science “when each birth cohort moves into the 36–45 age range. That’s exactly what the life cycle effect would predict: People settle down, they have kids, and they return to church.”

When he examined data for the younger cohorts 1965-1969, 1975-1979 and 1980-1984, the data show a fading of the life cycle effect. While the hump is still there in the cohort measured from 1965-1969, a shift in the life cycle effect begins to emerge by around 1970.

“That trend line is completely flat—those people didn’t return to church when they moved into their 30s. You can see the beginnings of a hump among those born between 1975 and 1979, but in the next birth cohort the hump is actually inverted. That trademark ‘return to church’—which pastors and church leaders have relied on for decades—might be fading,” Burge said.

For anyone concerned with church growth, Burge says “this should sound an alarm.”

“Many pastors are standing at the pulpit on Sunday morning and seeing fewer and fewer of their former youth group members returning to the pews when they move into their late-20s and early-30s. No church should assume that this crucial part of the population is going to return to active membership as their parents once did,” he explained.

“The data is speaking a clear message: the assumptions that undergirded church growth from two decades ago no longer apply. If churches are sitting back and just waiting for all their young people to flood back in as they move into their 30s, they are likely in for a rude awakening. Inaction now could be creating a church that does not have a strong future,” he added.

Just this month, a new study from the Pew Research Center noted that only 65 percent of Americans now identify as Christian while those who identify as religiously unaffiliated swelled to 26 percent of the population. The drop in the number of Americans identifying as Christian reflected a 12 percent decline when compared to the general population 10 years ago. The decline was visible across multiple demographics but particularly among young adults.

"Religious ‘nones’ are growing faster among Democrats than Republicans, though their ranks are swelling in both partisan coalitions,” Pew said. “And although the religiously unaffiliated are on the rise among younger people and most groups of older adults, their growth is most pronounced among young adults.”

Research by the Public Religion Research Institute in 2016 on why Americans are leaving religion previously pointed to the increasing share of American adults who have been joining the ranks of the religiously unaffiliated, and said it is being “fed by an exodus of those who grew up with a religious identity.” Younger Americans today are also more likely to be raised without a religious identity than seniors.

“Only 9 percent of Americans report being raised in a non-religious household. And while younger adults are more likely to report growing up without a religious identity than seniors (13% vs. 4%, respectively), the vast majority of unaffiliated Americans formerly identified with a particular religion,” PRRI said. “No religious group has benefited more from religious switching than the unaffiliated. Nearly one in five (19%) Americans switched from their childhood religious identity to become unaffiliated as adults, and relatively few (3%) Americans who were raised unaffiliated are joining a religious tradition. This dynamic has resulted in a dramatic net gain—16 percentage points—for the religiously unaffiliated.”

According to the 2016 PRRI study, nearly four in 10, 39 percent, of young adults ages 18-29 reported being religiously unaffiliated. This was three times the unaffiliated rate of 13 percent among seniors ages 65 and older.

“While previous generations were also more likely to be religiously unaffiliated in their 20s, young adults today are nearly four times as likely as young adults a generation ago to identify as religiously unaffiliated. In 1986, for example, only 10% of young adults claimed no religious affiliation,” the report said.

The PRRI research suggested that in the past it was the religiously unaffiliated who were more likely to join the affiliated in adulthood, but it is the now the inverse and the share of younger Americans being raised in nonreligious homes is growing.

“Not every religious community is equally successful in keeping members in the fold, and historically, Americans who were raised unaffiliated were among the most likely to switch their religious identity in adulthood. In the 1970s, only about one-third (34%) of Americans who were raised in religiously unaffiliated households were still unaffiliated as adults. By the 1990s, slightly more than half (53%) of Americans who were unaffiliated in childhood retained their religious identity in adulthood. Today, about two-thirds (66%) of Americans who report being raised outside a formal religious tradition remain unaffiliated as adults,” PRRI said.

“One important reason why the unaffiliated are experiencing rising retention rates is because younger Americans raised in nonreligious homes are less apt to join a religious tradition or denomination than young adults in previous eras. About three-quarters (74%) of Americans under the age of 50 who were raised nonreligious have maintained their lack of religious identity in adulthood. In contrast, only about half (49%) of Americans age 50 or older who were raised unaffiliated still identify that way,” the study said.

Large generation gap in American religion
As younger Americans shift away from organized religion, the recent Pew study also suggests that Christians are declining not just as a share of the U.S. adult population, but also in absolute numbers.

“In 2009, there were approximately 233 million adults in the U.S., according to the census bureau. Pew Research Center’s RDD surveys conducted at the time indicated that 77% of them were Christian, which means that by this measure, there were approximately 178 million Christian adults in the U.S. in 2009. Taking the margin of error of the surveys into account, the number of adult Christians in the U.S. as of 2009 could have been as low as 176 million or as high as 181 million.

“Today, there are roughly 23 million more adults in the U.S. than there were in 2009 (256 million as of July 1, 2019, according to the Census Bureau). About two-thirds of them (65%) identify as Christians, according to 2018 and 2019 Pew Research Center RDD estimates. This means that there are now roughly 167 million Christian adults in the U.S. (with a lower bound of 164 million and an upper bound of 169 million, given the survey’s margin of error),” Pew explained.

The ranks of religiously unaffiliated adults in the U.S. meanwhile grew by almost 30 million over this period.

The PRRI study noted that a majority of Americans who left a religious tradition did not identify a particular negative experience or incident as their reason for leaving.

“In fact, more than two-thirds (68%) of unaffiliated Americans say their last time attending a religious service, not including a wedding or funeral service, was primarily positive. Only one in five (20%) unaffiliated Americans say their last visit to a religious congregation was mostly negative,” the study explained.

The study noted that another factor influencing the shift in more children being raised in religiously unaffiliated households is the increased likelihood of unaffiliated Americans marrying like-minded spouses.

“A majority (54%) of unaffiliated Americans who are married today report that their spouse shares the same religious background as they do. A generation earlier, unaffiliated Americans were much more likely to end up with religious spouses. In the 1970s, more than six in 10 (63%) unaffiliated Americans who were married reported that their spouse identified with a religious tradition,” PRRI said.

In his assessment of how churches can respond to the current falling away, Burge suggests churches can become more welcoming spaces for parents of infants and toddlers.

“I think one path forward is for churches to become intentional about providing welcoming and engaging spaces for parents of infants and toddlers. Things like free childcare during the worship service should be just the beginning. Events that allow exhausted parents the chance to talk to other people their age without having to watch their children like hawks would be a welcome relief. Churches should be encouraging groups like ‘Mothers of Preschoolers’ to meet in their spaces,” Burge said.

“If young people think that going to church is just going to consist of trying to keep their toddler from screaming the entire time, then staying home seems like a good option. And, if they find a church to be a welcoming space when their children are still toddlers, it stands to reason that they will be more likely to continue their attendance as their children grow older,” he added.

By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post Reporter
https://www.christianpost.com/news/

admin Post Date: 2019-10-24 Download PDF Version of this Message

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Is a third temple imminent in Jerusalem?

I have always been a strong supporter of Israel. This is not because I always agree with its secular leadership, which is often as corrupt as America's on seminal biblical issues like child-killing and sodomy, but because the Bible makes clear that Israel is an intact nation-state at the time of Christ's return. Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) that we would know the season of His return by the revival of the fig tree – the primary biblical symbol of the House of Judah per Jeremiah 24 and many other passages. It is the House of Judah (defined by the practice of Judaism) which occupies that relatively small portion of the Holy Land God promised to Abraham, which is today called Israel. Eventually, the House of Israel (defined in the Age of the Gentiles by the practice of Christianity) will be restored there as well on an equal basis, according to a little-recognized but pervasive theme of Old Testament prophecy about the last days.

Between now and then, the Antichrist will emerge (2 Thessalonians 2), establish a short-lived kingdom-of-evil based in Israel (Revelation 11) and trigger the outpouring of God's wrath by setting up the "Abomination that Causes Desolation" in the "Holy Place" (Matthew 24:15). Most scholars identify the "Holy Place" as the long-anticipated Third Temple of Jerusalem. In my four trips to Israel, including a church tour I led in 2017, I have twice toured the Temple Institute, which is dedicated to ensuring the temple is built and has (to precise biblical standards) 1) prepared all of the implements that will be used there, 2) built the altar, and 3) trained Levite priests identified by genetic testing.

I think the consensus of Christian prophecy watchers today is that we're very close to that final phase, especially as we watch the secular-controlled Israeli government lead the world in forced "vaccinations," in direct and shocking contravention of the post-Holocaust Nuremberg Code and against the vehement objection of our spiritual first-cousins, Orthodox Jews. It would seem that the scene is set, and we are awaiting only the building of the temple before "the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness – the son of destruction – is revealed … [who] will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

Missing in most discussions of these matters is the huge significance of a pair of seemingly minor prophecies in Genesis, made by Jacob about his sons Judah and Joseph (Israel), the patriarchs of the two Hebrew houses that alternately ruled the 12 tribes throughout biblical history.

"The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes" (Genesis 49:10-11). "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall" (Genesis 49:22).

Just as the House of Judah is represented in scripture by the fig tree, the House of Israel (Joseph), is represented by the vine. We find additional support for this in Isaiah 5:3-7: "And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge between Me and My vineyard. … For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel."

In His first coming, Jesus the Judean "will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch" (literally fulfilled in Matthew 21:1-9), meaning that He becomes intimately related to Israel as His bride. In His role as Israel's bridegroom and redeemer, He also becomes the rescuer of Judah at His second coming. The prophecy "he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes," is an unmistakable reference to His return as conquering king, and to the winepress of His wrath toward His enemies (Revelation 19:6-21).

The fig tree and vine together are symbolic of the harmony of the two houses, for example, 1 Kings 4:25: "So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree." Zechariah 3:9-10: "and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree." Micah 4:1-4: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that … [under Christ's reign] they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid."

But until the Day of the Lord (the thousand year "day" of the Millennial Kingdom), there remains a division and rivalry between the two houses – except during King David's fully unifying reign, which is why David is a type of Christ and why Luke 1:32 says, "The Lord God will give Him [Jesus] the throne of His father David." Only David and Jesus rule a totally unified and righteous 12-tribe kingdom. (Technically, there was residual two-house unity under Solomon, per 1 Kings 4:25, but God stripped him of authority due to grave sin and idolatry per 1 Kings 11:1-13).

But note Genesis 49:10 again. The House of Judah rules only from the establishment of the monarchy "until Shiloh comes." The context also makes clear that "Shiloh" is Jesus Christ.

Shiloh was the home of God's Tabernacle in the territory of Ephraim (Israel per Jeremiah 31:9) and the "capital" of the Holy Land through the era of the Judges, starting with Judge Joshua the Ephraimite. Shiloh is thus symbolic of the authority of the House of Israel in contrast to the authority of the House of Judah (in whose territory – Jerusalem – resides each successive Temple to God).

When Jesus comes again as "Shiloh," it will be to unite the House of Israel and House of Judah (Ezekiel 37:15-28) in the Holy Land, as the High Priest of a Tabernacle whose authority precedes and is superior to that of the (future) Third Temple in Jerusalem. He will come as described in Revelation 19:6-21: the Bridegroom freshly remarried to the Bride of Christ (House of Israel) in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, to rescue the House of Judah (Matthew 23:37-39), crush the wicked (Zechariah 14:1-9) and fulfill the prophecy of Romans 11:25-27 that "all Israel will be saved."

Our hearts should thus not focus on the Temple, but look beyond it until Shiloh comes!

By Scott Lively@ https://www.wnd.com

admin Post Date: 2021-08-05 Download PDF Version of this Message

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