Posts tagged Prophecy
Jesus the Messiah
Apr 1st
By Shelley Neese
For an observant Jew, one of the most important events anticipated in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) is the arrival of the Messiah to redeem His chosen and rule over them during the Messianic age. Without this Messianic hope, Judaism would be stripped of its fundamental purpose and spiritual drive.
For the observant Christian, who reads the Tanakh in light of the New Testament, the most important events detailed in the Tanakh are the Messianic prophecies that point towards Jesus’ coming. Without the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies Jesus may have claimed to be the Messiah but He would not have demonstrated it.
To make sense of the Christian proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah, it is important to show which Messianic prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection. There are approximately sixty major Messianic prophecies with more than 300 references in the Old Testament. This is a conservative estimate using only those scriptures that have traditionally been viewed as describing some attribute or act related to the Messiah. The Messianic prophecies cover the whole period of the Old Testament—the first found in Genesis and the last in Malachi. These predictions were told through God’s prophets in advance so Israel might recognize the true Messiah when He appeared.
The Messiah was to be a descendant of Abraham (Gen. 12:3), come from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), and be heir to the throne of David (Isa. 9:7). He was to be born the seed of a woman (Gen. 3:15) while Isaiah foreshadowed the virgin birth (Isa. 7:14). Micah called Bethlehem the Messiah’s birthplace (Mic. 5:2). The Messiah was to be both a prophet (Deut. 18:15) and priest after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4).
Just as Isaiah prophesied, most of Messiah’s ministry was in the Galilee where He taught and performed miracles so they “may see a great light” (Isa. 9:1, 2). As it was foretold, Jesus was rejected by many of His own people (Isa. 53:1, 3). When it was time to go down to Jerusalem at Passover, towards the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He rode in on the back of a donkey (Zech. 9:9).
Prophecies of the Messiah’s suffering are remarkable in their detail, surrounding every event in the Passion. He would be betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9) for thirty pieces of silver (Zech. 11:13), the money to be returned for a potter’s field (Zech. 11:13). The Messiah would be spit upon and beaten (Isa. 50:6). David foreshadowed that Messiah’s garments would be divided and that His persecutors would gamble for His clothing (Ps. 22:18). They would give him gall and vinegar for His thirst (Ps. 69:21). Zechariah knew His side would be pierced (Zech. 12:10). No bones were to be broken (Ps. 34:20). Yet He would remain silent to the accusations hurled against him (Isa. 53:7).
Though Jesus fulfilled many of the Messianic prophecies during His first advent, had He not conquered death through resurrection there would be no continuing hope. Because He arose on the third day (Hos. 6:2) and ascended into Heaven (Ps. 68:18), His followers now anxiously await His return when the remaining Messianic prophecies will be fulfilled.
To the believer, Jesus perfectly matches the profile of the anticipated Jewish Messiah. But of course the veil is not lifted for all, and there are a few common objections raised in relation to Jesus and the prophecies.
One of the most common objections is that it’s pure coincidence or luck that Jesus fits the Messianic profile. Yes, it is feasible that a normal man happened to fulfill a few of the prophecies, like being born in Bethlehem and from the tribe of Judah. However, the mathematical probability that one person could fulfill all sixty major prophecies is astronomical. George Heron, a French mathematician, calculated that the odds of one man fulfilling even forty of the Messianic prophecies are 1 in 10 to the power of 157. The science of probability seems to rule out the possibility of coincidence.
Another theory is that the whole thing was a giant fabrication. Followers of Jesus supposedly manipulated the Old Testament and inserted false prophecies relating to Jesus after the fact. This theory fell apart with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, particularly The Great Isaiah Scroll which has been carbon dated to somewhere between 335 BC and 107 BC. To the dismay of Liberal scholars, the Dead Sea Scrolls, which predate the Christian era, are remarkably accurate when compared to the text of the standard Hebrew Bible we have today. For example, of the 166 Hebrew words used in Isaiah 53 there is only a seventeen letter difference between the standard Hebrew Bible and the ancient scroll. All seventeen are spelling or stylistic changes. No Christian conspiracy stands out there.
Other objectors take the reverse approach and claim that Jesus deliberately attempted to fulfill the prophecies. The book, The Passover Plot, is one source that advocates the idea that Jesus even faked his own death. There is no doubt that Jesus knew the prophecies intimately and in some instances did purposefully fulfill them. This was not done deceptively, however. When Jesus appeared to the disciples after the third day, he said to them: “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). Even still, there is only so much about his life that Jesus could orchestrate if He was merely a man. A normal man could not control His place and date of birth or His lineage. He could not make Judas betray Him or His tormentors mock and beat Him. He could not arrange the order for His crucifixion or the people’s reaction to His death. Indeed, most of the prophecies are beyond the power of a man to fulfill deliberately, and if Jesus was only seeking His own glory, pretending to be the Messiah, then why would He have chosen to suffer and die rather than declare Himself the kind of King Messiah that the Jews of His day were expecting.
One may laboriously detail every prophecy fulfilled in Jesus and effectively argue against the objectors, but ultimately accepting Jesus as the Messiah is an act of faith. Faith is required to accept one’s need for a Savior, and faith is required to see the world’s need for a redeemer. Jesus, the Anointed One, fulfilled the prophecies according to the intent of God, not the expectation of men. He came once to suffer and to die so that by His wounds we could be healed (Isa. 53:4-5) and He will return again to gather those who recognized Him as Messiah.
“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
(2 Peter 1:19-21)
Shelley Neese is managing editor for the The Jerusalem Connection Report.
God, America, and America’s Enemies
May 2nd
AMERICA IN PROPHECY PART 5
By Dr. Richard Booker
Internal Enemies
The fourth possible reason for America being further weakened is attacks within our borders from our enemies. It was said in the past that America had two great friends, the Atlantic and the Pacific. The point of the comment was that America was protected from the wars in Europe by the oceans. That was before jet planes and suicide bombers.
The call of jihad from the radical Muslim terrorists is, “Today we fight the Saturday people, tomorrow the Sunday people.” Israel is the Saturday people who, for over 50 years, have experienced the front-line wrath of jihad because Israel lives in the neighborhood of the jihadists. On 9/11, the Sunday people (Christian America) were awakened to what Israel experiences everyday. The events of 9/11 changed the world and changed our way of life as Americans.
No matter how much we try – it is impossible to secure our borders. There is no way we can keep out terrorists that are coming into our country. Even worse, it seems our government is inviting them to live among us. And once in our country, it is relatively easy for determined terrorists to weaken America through more bombings. America is a big, easy target. It is not a matter of if we will have another 9/11, but when.
There are many terrorist “sleeper cells” already in America. They are not sleeping but are waiting for the right moment to activate their cell and cause great destruction. Included in this vast Islamic terrorist network are groups that are becoming household names such as Hamas, Al-Queda, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, Muslim Brotherhood and others. They all have the same goal which is the destruction of the “Great Satan” America. Some of these groups probably already have nuclear “suitcase bombs” that have been smuggled into the country. They only need to detonate one of these to bring America as we know it to an end.
In addition to this violent threat, there is also the internal threat of radical Muslims who have infiltrated every aspect of our society including our military, our political organizations, our prison systems, our homeland security, our universities, our business, etc. They operate under the cover of our political correctness, our freedom of speech, our generous laws of charitable giving, etc. to use their influence at the highest levels of American society.
External Enemies
A fifth event that could dramatically weaken America is an external attack from our enemies. Whenever possible, nations at war attack their enemies when they are perceived to be weak internally. If America has an economic collapse as well as a continued moral collapse, our enemies will see this as an opportunity to attack us. But who would dare attack America – seeing that we are far superior militarily to any nation?
The answer is Russia and possibly a nuclear Iran. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia remained in tack with thousands of nuclear weapons. While they are weak economically and militarily, they are recovering and their nuclear weapons make them a threat to our survival.
Neither Russia nor Vladimir Putin is our friend. Russia is actively working to arm Syria and Iran with nuclear weapons because they want to reassert their influence in the Middle-East. Russian nuclear scientist and technicians are in Iran and Syria assisting them in developing weapons of mass destruction with Israel as the target. Russia is building a modern naval base in Syria to be operated by Russians. They have attack submarines deployed off our East and West coasts armed with enough fire power to destroy America. Now they have an open invitation to our backyard from their new friend in Venezuela.
Most Bible scholars believe Ezekiel 38-39 is talking about Russia as the nation that will lead an end-time confederation against Israel. I believe this will be a Russian/Turkey/Iranian led coalition. At the time of that invasion, Ezekiel 39:6 says that “fire will fall on those dwelling safely in the coastlands.” I wonder who this could be. Who do you think the prophet is speaking about? The Scripture could be referring to America. Whatever the details, I don’t believe the Almighty will allow Americans to go about their business as usual when Israel is being attacked. Do you?
Dr. Richard Booker is a bestselling author and speaker and the Founder of Sounds of the Trumpet and the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies. He is a contributing editor for the Jerusalem Connection. To invite him to speak to your congregation or conference and to learn more about his work, see his web site at: www.rbooker.com. This is the first of six articles on America in Bible prophecy. The articles are excerpts from Dr. Booker’s new book, “The End of all Things is at Hand—are You Ready?” To get the full text, order this book directly from Dr. Booker’s web site at www.rbooker.com.
God, America, and Natural Disasters
Apr 2nd
AMERICA IN PROPHECY PART 4
By Dr. Richard Booker
In part two, I stated my belief that there are six possible reasons that could cause the demise of America as the leading superpower of the world. The first reason which I discussed is economic collapse. America has gone from the greatest creditor nation in the world to the greatest debtor nation. Even as I write this, our economy is collapsing under the weight of our greed and debt. Without our economic power, America will no longer be a superpower.
In part three, I discussed the moral collapse of America. Moral collapse proceeds economic collapse. To review my comments, our founding fathers stated that the American democracy was designed for a moral people and would not survive unless there was a Judeo-Christian moral consensus of the citizens.
Our form of government was meant to be self-governing. But without Judeo-Christian morals to guide us and restrain us, we cannot govern ourselves. Our lack of restraint leads to lawlessness which causes the federal and state governments to pass more and more laws to control our behavior. As the government intrudes into more areas of our lives by passing more laws, our democracy gives way to a dictatorship and we lose our freedoms. This is taking place before our very eyes. WAKE UP AMERICA!
Natural DisastersA third danger that could weaken America is “natural disasters.” Is it just the fact that we have the Weather Channel telling us more than we used to know, or is America experiencing more natural disasters than anytime in its history?
There are so many natural disasters in America that one of the most popular TV programs is called, “Storm Stories.” We see the devastation caused by fires in the West, tornadoes in the Midwest and hurricanes and flooding in the Southeast. And we are all wondering when the “Big One” is going to hit California. Now we have always had the weather to contend with but not like today. We are having severe weather conditions in places where we have never before had them. It seems that nature itself is attacking America.
The whole world witnessed the destruction of New Orleans caused by Katrina. Regardless of the positive spin from the politicians, New Orleans will never fully recover from Katrina. It was a disaster on a scale of “biblical proportions” and could easily happen again. The city of Houston, TX housed and fed over 250,000 refugees from New Orleans, and many of them are still unsettled.
Shortly after Kartina, Hurricane Rita headed towards Houston. I live in Houston. Once again, the world was watching as a million people from the Houston area desperately trying to get out of town were stuck on Interstate 45 with no gas, no food, no water, overheated cars, crying babies, etc. Rita was a huge hurricane heading directly to Houston. It looked as if Interstate 45, which was supposed to be the escape route, was going to be coffin as it was right in the path of Rita.
It was only the mercy of God that Rita, ever so slowly, at the last moment, had landfall just to the East of Houston. Houston was only a prayer away from untold destruction and the loss of thousands of lives. Houston is the fourth largest city in America. Our country could not survive if Houston had experienced the same destruction of New Orleans.
Rita was followed by Hurricane Ike which was one of the worst storms in US history. It almost destroyed Galveston, the entire Gulf Coast and caused major damage to the greater Houston area. The city and surrounding area looked like a war zone. The wind and rain were so frightening that my wife slept in the closet to keep from hearing the noise. We were without power for a week.
Is the increase in weather activity a warning of the perfect storm to come? What do you think?
Someone from New Orleans asked a well-known Christian leader the question, “Where was God? Why did He allow this to happen?” The person gave a very wise answer and said, “We expelled God from school. We voted Him of our political system. We dismissed Him from our judicial system. We told Him we didn’t want Him involved in our lives. And we wonder why He allowed this? God doesn’t go where He is not wanted.”
Dr. Richard Booker is a bestselling author and speaker and the Founder of Sounds of the Trumpet and the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies. He is a contributing editor for the Jerusalem Connection. To invite him to speak to your congregation or conference and to learn more about his work, see his web site at: www.rbooker.com. This is the first of six articles on America in Bible prophecy. The articles are excerpts from Dr. Booker’s new book, “The End of all Things is at Hand—are You Ready?” To get the full text, order this book directly from Dr. Booker’s web site at www.rbooker.com.
God, America, and Morality
Mar 2nd
AMERICA IN PROPHECY PART 3
By Dr. Richard Booker
Moral collapse proceeds economic collapse. The great empires of history collapsed because of moral failures as much as they did from military defeats. America is the only nation in the history of nations that was birthed out of religious persecution and with a Judeo-Christian world-view and vision. It is this Judeo-Christian heritage that has made America great. I use the term Judeo-Christian because without the Judeo there would be no Christian. The Pilgrims and Puritans came to America because of religious persecution by the State Church of England. They were godly people who saw themselves establishing a colony in the new world that would be a shining light of God’s redemption to the nations.
William Bradford, who was appointed governor of the new colony wrote, “Thus out of small beginnings, greater things have grown by His hand who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shown to many, yes, in a sense our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”
Cotton Mather wrote that William Bradford, was a person of study as well as action. He had mastered Latin and Greek but the Hebrew he most of all studied. Because he said, “he would see with his own eyes the ancient oracles of God in their native beauty.” He was also well skilled in history, in antiquity, in philosophy and theology. But the crown of all was his holy, prayerful, watchful and fruitful walk with God.”
There were 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower who survived the 65 days at sea. They arrived at Plymouth, Mass. on Dec. 26, 1620. Of this number, more than half died in the first winter due to sickness and inadequate provisions. Less than 50 pilgrims were left, and of that number, some were too old to have children. When you do the math, only a small handful of godly women gave birth to America. Miraculously, thirty years later, in 1650, thirty of the original colonists were still alive and they had 160 descendants living at that time.
The Mayflower Compact
Before they landed, the pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact which was their covenant they would live by as a colony. It was modeled on the covenant of their separatist congregation in England. It reads in part:
“In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc., having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia, do, by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”
Whether one likes or not, the record is clear that the Pilgrims intended to establish America as a Christian democratic republic. They did not want a national Christian Church of America. They understood the wisdom of separating organizationally the government of the people from the religion of the people. They advocated freedom of religion not freedom from religion. They certainly did not have in mind separating God from the government. They wanted to separate church and state but not God and state. Unfortunately, America has lost its vision.
Our founding fathers stated that the American democracy was designed for a moral people and would not survive unless there was a moral consensus of the citizens. Born as a self-governing people under the moral laws of God, America now despises the laws of God that made us great. While America has been a great light to the nations, our light has gone out because we have abandoned our Judeo-Christian heritage.|
Everyday America flaunts its immorality in the face of God as if we dare Him to judge us. Many believe the Almighty has accepted our dare. What do you think?
Dr. Richard Booker is a bestselling author and speaker and the Founder of Sounds of the Trumpet and the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies. He is a contributing editor for the Jerusalem Connection. To invite him to speak to your congregation or conference and to learn more about his work, see his web site at: www.rbooker.com. This is the first of six articles on America in Bible prophecy. The articles are excerpts from Dr. Booker’s new book, “The End of all Things is at Hand—are You Ready?” To get the full text, order this book directly from Dr. Booker’s web site at www.rbooker.com.
Where is America in Bible Prophecy?
Jan 2nd
AMERICA IN PROPHECY PART 1
By Dr. Richard Booker
America is the greatest nation in the history of nations. America is the only superpower in the world. Our military, our economy, our form of government, our wealth and prosperity, with all its faults, far exceeds all the other nations in our world today and is the envy of every nation. If you don’t appreciate your blessings here I suggest you go live somewhere else for awhile and then come back. While oppressive nations build walls to keep their citizens in – America build walls to keep people out. Most of the people of the world would come to America if they could.
Yet when we read the prophecies in the Bible about the end times, we don’t find any mention of America. There is not even the vaguest reference to America in the Bible. As American people who love our country and enjoy living here, thinking that it will go on forever, we should ponder why America is not mentioned in all the great end-time events. What could this mean? The question that should concern all of is “Where is America in Bible Prophecy?” It is a sobering question.
General PropheciesSo where is America in Bible prophecy? Why is it that our nation, the greatest of all nations in all of history, and, what I believe to be the last Gentile superpower, is not mentioned specifically in Bible prophecy?
There are two types of prophecies in the Bible regarding nations. One is general prophecies and the other is specific prophecies. America is included in the general prophecies about the nations.
Whether we are Christians or Jews, we should take heed to the following words from Jesus recorded in Luke 21:24, “And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
While America is home to about 6 million Jews, America is a Gentile nation. All Gentile nations, including America, have a life-cycle. They have a beginning, a time of development, and they have an end to their prominence. While only the Almighty knows the details, when Israel liberated Jerusalem in 1967, many believe this signaled the end of the times of the Gentiles. America, it seems, is the last great sovereign, superpower Gentile nation. Those of us who live in America love our country and are grateful to be Americans. But we must understand that as a Gentile nation, our days of glory and prominence will, in God’s time, come to an end.
There are numerous Scriptures that speak of the end of the nations. When the Bible says that God will destroy the nations, He doesn’t mean that all the people will die but that the empire will die. But at the end of days, the former empires of the nations will worship the One True God and His kingdom will rule over the earth. While Jews and Christians have theological differences, we both long for the day when the nations will acknowledge the One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The prophet Isaiah gave the following word of assurance, Isaiah 2:1-4, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established on top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:1-4).
An Everlasting Nation
Even though America as we know it today and the empires of all the Gentile nations will come to an end, there is one country that has a promise from God that it will last forever. That everlasting nation is Israel. Could it be that America is now reeling under the judgment of God because of its policy to divide and weaken Israel? Yes, the nations that seek to destroy Israel will themselves be destroyed but Israel lives forever—Am Yisrael Chai!
Jeremiah 46:28 reads, “Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, says the LORD, for I am with you; for I will make a complete end of all the nations to which I have driven you; but I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, for I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”
Dr. Richard Booker is a bestselling author and speaker and the Founder of Sounds of the Trumpet and the Institute for Hebraic-Christian Studies. He is a contributing editor for the Jerusalem Connection. To invite him to speak to your congregation or conference and to learn more about his work, see his web site at: www.rbooker.com. This is the first of six articles on America in Bible prophecy. The articles are excerpts from Dr. Booker’s new book, “The End of all Things is at Hand—are You Ready?” To get the full text, order this book directly from Dr. Booker’s web site at www.rbooker.com.