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Posts Tagged ‘jack kelly’

Rapture? Which Rapture?

Posted in End Times Prophecy, Rapture, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2014|

Great overview of the current rapture theories and some of the issues they pose.

Remember, the darker it gets, the brighter and farther our little light shines!

Maranatha, Lord come quickly!

myblessedhope

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Rapture? Which Rapture?

By Jack Kelley

http://gracethrufaith.com

Among Christians who believe there will be a rapture of the Church, the great majority of us are convinced it will precede the end times judgments. This position is commonly called the pre-tribulation rapture.

Those who reject the pre-trib view are either mid-tribulation, post tribulation or pre-wrath rapture advocates.       In this study we’ll review these rapture positions. (more…)

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The Man From Eternity

Posted in End Times Prophecy, Ezekiel 38 War, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 17, 2012|

It always amazes me how the same themes and models of Christ , the Trinity, and the God Head are worked throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament.  I have never understood people who say the New Testament is the only book for Christians.  It does layout our “history” as a church and the covenant we have with God through Christ Jesus, but it certainly does not stand alone.  There is so much pointing going on between the books through prophecy and direct reference that we would miss so much if we only studies one or the other.

It is through these prophetic references that we gain so much reassurance of how solid the Rock is that we found our faith on.  Jack Kelly does such a great job systematically stepping us through verse by verse how the different prophecies connect, how the translations impact our interpretation, and How the context/audience impacts that interpretation.

Enjoy!

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The Man From Eternity

by Jack Kelly

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2).

Everyone who has ever received a Christmas card is familiar with Micah 5:2.  But here’s something you might not know about it.

Beyond the common understanding that it’s a prophecy of the Messiah’s birth place, the way Micah described Him is unique, to say the least, and contradicts the Jewish thought prevalent at the time of His birth that he would be an ordinary man.  The English phrase “whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” is remarkable in itself but only tells part of the story.  A literal translation from the Hebrew shows that the  promised ruler of Israel existed before time began, and would continue to exist forever. He wouldn’t just be a human descendant of King David with a human life span, but would be a man like no other.  A man from eternity.

Later John would say the following about Jesus. Calling Him “The Word” He wrote,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).

So we wouldn’t misunderstand who “The Word” is, John followed up with,

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

And Jesus Himself made the point that if the Messiah was just a son (descendant) of David’s why did David, speaking through the Holy Spirit, call Him Lord? For David said,

The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under under your feet” (Matt. 22:43-44)

In our English translation the meaning isn’t clear, and even if you look up the Greek text of Matt. 22:43-44 you can miss it.  (more…)

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Repenting On Behalf Of Our Country?

Posted in Church Falling Away, Days of Noah, Deception, End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 23, 2012|

Over the last few months there has been a lot of activity within the Church to pray, fast, repent, cry’s for our nation to repent and turn back to God.  It has always made me somewhat uneasy and when I participate, I feel worse.

Jack Kelly really sums up better than I could my gut feelings.  When I found and read the article below and shouted out “Praise the Lord” and I think I shed a few tears.

Deep in my soul I knew that this is a personal deal, not collective in the least.  I can not save you, you can not save me.  It is something between you and God and me and God.

I think too much energy has been spent praying for our will for our nation instead of for God’s will to be done as Christ prayed.  What ever that is, it is guaranteed to be better than anything we can come up with.  He will give us what we need to “occupy” until he returns to rapture us home.

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Repenting On Behalf Of Our Country?

by Jack Kelly

Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.”

As I listened, he said to the others, “Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. (Ezekiel 9:3-6)

The principle of marking those who would be protected from judgment was first mentioned in Genesis 4:15 when the Lord marked Cain as a warning to those who might try to kill him for murdering Abel.

It had also been hinted at when the Lord told Elijah He had reserved 7,000 faithful in Israel who had not succumbed to idol worship (1 Kings 19:18), but Ezekiel 9:4 stands as the clearest example in history of the Lord marking those who are His and protecting them from danger.  In the spiritual world the mark is a sign that the marked person belongs to the Lord and is off limits to anyone else.

Have You Been Marked?

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (Ephes 1:13-14).

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).

In these two passages Paul revealed that all born again believers were marked at the time they believed to show that they belong to the Lord.  It’s the spiritual equivalent of a rancher branding his cattle with his mark of ownership.  The presence of this mark will protect us like it has protected others He has marked throughout history.

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The Gospel of the Kingdom Vs. The Gospel of Grace

Posted in End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on November 3, 2012|

Great Study, can’t wait for part 2, hopefully next week…

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The Gospel of the Kingdom Vs. The Gospel of Grace

by Jack Kelly

 

Part 1.  The Gospel Of The Kingdom

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matt. 3:1-2)

Prophecies of a Messianic King appear throughout the Old Testament and many in the Jewish leadership saw John’s arrival on the scene as their fulfillment.  They sent representatives to the place where John was baptizing to see if he was the promised Messiah. He said he wasn’t, but that the one they had been expecting was even then in their midst (John 1:19-28).

750 years earlier Isaiah had said when the Messiah came He would reign on David’s throne forever (Isaiah 9:6-7) but the throne of David had been vacant for 600 years.  John had come to tell them the time was finally at hand and they had better get ready for Him.

When Jesus began His ministry, John introduced Him as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:8) and publicly testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:34).  Right from the beginning Jesus began teaching that the Kingdom of Heaven was near (Matt. 4:17), and sent His disciples through out the land to alert the people to this fact as well (Matt. 10:7-8).

But even with Isaiah’s prophecies, John’s testimony, and the Lord’s teaching, the Jewish leaders refused to accept that Jesus was the Messiah. They questioned His claims, His doctrine, and His miracles in spite of the fact that all were clearly foretold in their prophecies.

Isaiah had also said when He came the Messiah would have no beauty or majesty that would attract them to Him and that nothing about His appearance would make them desire Him (Isaiah 53:2). The fact that Jesus was not like they expected Him to be was a big problem for them.

Just before John was executed, He had sent a delegation of his disciples to confirm for themselves that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

In reply Jesus said, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Matt. 11:4-6)

Jesus fed the multitudes, walked on water, healed the sick and raised the dead and still they asked for a miraculous sign.  Finally in frustration He responded, “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:38-40). They would get their sign, but only after they had executed Him.

Later, just a few days before His execution, He warned them again.  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit (Matt. 21:43). He was speaking of the coming Church.

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Is God In Total Control Of Everything?

Posted in Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2012|

This is such a common question that I believe we have all struggled with at some point in time of our lives or if not yet will at some point.  The answer is so reassuring and strengthening of our faith.  Studying prophecy has a similar effect.  I wish more understood how powerful it is.  God laid out for us what will happen before it happened so we could strengthen our faith in Him and with assurance put our trust in Him.  He knew we would struggle like Thomas with doubts and would need some reassurance.  Prophecy is that reassurance and yet largely as a church, Christ’s Bride, we ignore it or worse scoff at God’s predictions that He put in place to reassure us of His power and authority.

Maranatha, Lord Jesus come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Is God In Total Control Of Everything?

by Jack Kelly

There’s a theory, only hinted at in Scripture, that Planet Earth had been the domain of Satan prior to his rebellion. Although he was only a created being, Satan was an enormously powerful dignitary in God’s Universe (Jude 1:9). He was the overseer of the Cherubim (the guardians of God’s Throne) and a leader of the angelic host. He was God’s most impressive creation (Ezekiel 28:12-15). Because of his position, his power, and his beauty he became proud and rebelled (Ezekiel 28:17, Isaiah 14:13-14), bringing about a judgment that destroyed planet Earth.

All this seems to have happened between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. Hints of this in Scripture are

1) an alternate (and some say more literal) rendering of Genesis 1:2 reads, “But the Earth became formless and void”, rather than “and the Earth was formless and void.”

2) In Isaiah 45:18 the Lord said He didn’t create the Earth that way, using the same Hebrew word that’s translated formless in Genesis 1:2, but formed it to be inhabited. Putting these two points together hints at a judgment sometime after Earth’s original creation.

3) The angels already existed at the time of the Genesis creation account. They shouted and sang for joy when the Lord laid the foundations of Earth (Job 38:4-7) so they must have been created earlier. If so, then Satan must have been created earlier was as well.

4) The serpent seems to appear out of nowhere in Genesis 3:1 although there’s no mention of him in the creation account. Also the Hebrew word translated serpent comes from a root meaning enchanter, which could mean it was not an ordinary animal. And Eve didn’t seem to be reluctant to converse with him, indicating she might have recognized him for who he really was.

Let me hasten to add that I don’t believe in a pre-Adamite civilization. The Bible clearly calls Adam the first man (1 Cor. 15:45). It also says the animals were created on the same day as Adam (Genesis 1:24-26) so I don’t believe dinosaurs or any other animals preceded Adam’s creation.

After Earth sat submerged in ruin and darkness for who knows how long, God said “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) and the six day Genesis creation process began. It helps to remember that the Bible is not a book about eternity, it’s about the age of man. As such it begins with the creation of the first man and ends when the Millennium ends seven thousand years later. It gives only vague hints about what happened before the Age of Man began and what will come after it ends. All we really know is that there was an eternity past and there will be an eternity future.

God’s first instruction to Adam and Eve was to give them dominion over Planet Earth, telling them to subdue it and populate it (more…)

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Two Roads, Two Gates, One Goal

Posted in End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2012|

I am re-posting this article from a while back.  It is one of my favorite articles that Jack Kelly has done.

With time drawing short, it is critical we understand Jesus’ words and which path we find ourselves on.

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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Two Roads, Two Gates, One Goal

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)

This passage is often quoted in reference to the different roads traveled by unbelievers as opposed to believers.  Unbelievers are said to be on a broad road with many fellow travelers, all on the way to their destruction.  Believers on the other hand are a small segment of humanity and are on a narrow road to salvation.  This difference is further defined by some as pertaining to our behavior.  The unbeliever’s gate is wide and his road is broad, supposedly indicating that there’s room for all kinds of sinful behavior, while for the believer it’s a small gate and a narrow road suggesting that there’s very little latitude for misbehaving.  A careless step or two and you may find yourself being rerouted onto the broad road.

If you look at these 2 verses alone it’s easy to understand why so many see them this way.  But in the context of the chapter a different picture emerges.

In Matthew 7 the people in focus all claim to be believers, and the emphasis is on their fruit.  The Lord began by admonishing us against judging others,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Matt. 7:1-2)

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The Tribulation’s Purpose Vs. The Church’s Nature

Posted in Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Deception, End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on October 19, 2012|

Jack Kelly lays out a great comparison below of who the Tribulation is for.  I really like his concise explanation of the different audiences that are present in the Bible.  The majority of confusion surrounding prophecy comes when you do not take the time to put the scripture in context but also identify who the audience is that Jesus and/or God is speaking too.

It is the purpose of the tribulation that always kept coming up when I first started studying prophecy many years ago.  Some of the interpretations just didn’t make sense as to why it was needed.  Christ’s act of grace on the cross is all that we need, as the church, for salvation.  It allowed God to forgive us of our all of our sins: past, present, and future.

Just think about that for a moment…

How powerful is that?  He forgave through one-act of selflessness, all our past sins and our present sins, but also all of our future sins.  We are redeemed!  That to me is just mind-blowing.  He knows our heart and our actions before we even do them.  He knows we will struggle with sin while we are still in this world, but through Christ we have overcome!

Maranatha Lord, come quickly!

-myblessedhope

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The Tribulation’s Purpose Vs. The Church’s Nature

by Jack Kelly

Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matt. 25:13)

Those who shy away from the study of prophecy are fond of quoting the above verse as their justification.  But earlier in the same passage, the Lord had admonished all who read His words of prophecy to understand them (Matt 24:15).  In addition the Apostle Paul wrote that the events leading up to the end of the age should not take believers by surprise (1 Thes. 5:4) implying that we should be familiar with them.

Since the Bible cannot contradict itself, Matt. 24:15 must have been aimed at a different audience than Matt. 25:13.  And sure enough, a closer look reveals that both the implied timing and the intended audience of the two Matthew passages are different.  Matt. 24:15  was intended for everyone who would ever read the passage, but in Matt 25:13 the Lord was only speaking to people remaining on Earth at His Second Coming.  We know this because it follows Matt. 24:30 which describes the 2nd Coming.  Matt. 24:36-37 confirms the context to be the 2nd Coming, as does Matt. 25:1.  Of course in 1 Thes 5:4 Paul was addressing the church, who will not be on Earth at the 2nd Coming, but in the presence of the Father (1 Thes. 3:13).

What both the Lord (Matt.24:15) and Paul (1 Thes. 5:4) were saying is that while we won’t know the exact timing of things, we should understand the sequence of events leading up to the Day of the Lord. And perhaps no event in the sequence is more controversial than the Rapture of the Church, especially as it relates to the Great Tribulation.

It seems to me that the first thing we should do in trying to obey the Lord’s commandment to understand all this is to clarify two things, 1) the purpose of the Great Tribulation, 2) the nature of the Church.

The Purpose of the Great Tribulation

The phrase Great Tribulation makes reference to a specific event, not a general condition. While the Lord warned the disciples (more…)

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Standing In The Way

Posted in Antichrist, Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Days of Noah, Earthquakes, End Times Prophecy, Ezekiel 38 War, One World Currency, One World Government, One World Religion, Pestilence, Psalm 83 War, Rapture, Weather signs, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2012|

Amazing article by Jack Kelly, he really lays out what we have seen happen over the last 100 years as God sets the stage for the last days.  From Israel’s return, to the fall of the USSR making way for the revived Roman enpire, to the fall of the USA we are seeing today.  He makes clearly focuses on not just what we have seen but what we should have our eye on.  God’s promises to us, His church, and His will for us until His Son returns to claim His bride in the air.  It is really something to ponder…

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Standing In The Way

by Jack Kelly 

There are lots of news reports, articles, and even books devoted to the deteriorating state of America and speculating on the likely outcome. Reading them has brought several things to my mind.

As an example, I remembered something Hal Lindsey said 20 years ago about the then current world situation. He said he had been wondering how God was going to fulfill end times prophecy while the Soviet Union was standing in the way of the revived Roman Empire taking its prophesied place in the end times.

The term “revived Roman Empire” comes from Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as a prophecy of “Gentile Dominion”, the time during which Gentile Empires would rule the world. (Daniel 2:31-43).

In the dream Nebuchadnezzar saw a large poly-metallic statue, and Daniel interpreted it to represent four Kingdoms. Many scholars believe the head of gold stood for Babylon, the chest and arms of silver symbolized Media Persia, who conquered Babylon. The belly and thighs of bronze pointed to Greece who defeated the Persians. The legs of iron represented Rome who replaced the Greeks.

Finally came the feet and toes, part of the legs and made partly of iron like the legs, but different in that they were also composed partly of baked clay. Daniel called them a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly weak (Daniel 2:41-42).

The Roman Empire was never completely conquered. Instead it split into eastern and western legs, versions of which have always been visible on the world scene. Since the feet and toes are the last phase of Gentile Dominion before the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdom of His own (Daniel 2:44) and since the statue only represents four kingdoms, scholars call them the revived Roman Empire.

How Will This Happen?

OK. Let’s go back to Hal’s question. Remember, before its fall in the early 1990s all of Eastern Europe including half of Germany was under Soviet control. This was a significant portion of the old Roman Empire. He wondered how the USSR would be defeated so the end times version of the Roman Empire could emerge.

Then we all received the answer loud and clear when for all intents and purposes the Soviet Union suddenly ceased to exist. It wasn’t defeated by an external enemy, but crumbled from within under a crippling burden of debt. The debt was the result of a combination of problems, including a disastrous war in Afghanistan, an unsustainable arms race with the US, and the inability to support the resulting increase in government spending in a declining Soviet economy.

Remembering Hal’s comment made me think how similar the world situation is today, only now it’s the US standing in the way of end times prophecy. Israel can’t experience the utter abandonment that will leave God as its only hope against powerful, hate filled enemies until the US has been neutralized. Like the Soviet Union, we could crumble from within for the same reasons they did. A catastrophic natural disaster, a coordinated series of terrorist attacks, or the rapture of the Church would also get the US out of God’s way. But something will have to happen to clear the way for the next phase of the end times, because just as the USSR was not part of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, neither is the USA.

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Believe In The One He Has Sent

Posted in Church Falling Away, Deception, Salvation, tagged , , , , on June 22, 2012|

I think this is a new favorite article for me from Jack Kelly. 

He does a fantastic job laying out the basics in a way that cuts right to the heart of the matter.

What is the only thing we need to do to accept the glorious gift of salvation God has offered to us and what the difference is between a Christian doing good work and a non-believer doing the same good works. (Hint: It has to do with motive and intent.) 

I have never heard this concept explained so well.

Must Read!

God Bless!

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Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life,  he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11-15)

The Great White Throne Judgment fits descriptions we have about the Day of Atonement, also called Yom Kippur.  It’s was believed that on the first of Tishri the books in which all the deeds of God’s people had been recorded were opened for review.  The names of those whose behavior in the previous year had been exemplary in every way were immediately inscribed in the Book of Life. Those whose behavior had been totally without merit were scheduled for death in the coming year. Almost everyone was somewhere in between these two extremes so for the next 10 days, called the days of awe, the people conducted a thorough self examination and went around frantically trying to right the wrongs they had committed during the year because the forgiveness by God required prior reconciliation between men (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance).  On the 10th of Tishri, Yom Kippur, the books were closed and those who had righted the wrongs of the previous year were inscribed in the Book of Life for another year.   During the 10 days of awe,  a common greeting among friends was, “May your name be written in the Book.”

The difference in Rev. 20:11-15 is the absence of the 10 days of awe.  The unsaved dead will be resurrected and immediately taken to judgment without any opportunity to make things right.  Anything that was not dealt with before the person died will be there to condemn him or her at the Great White Throne.  Therefore only those who died in a state of total righteousness will find their names written in the Book at the resurrection of the unsaved.

Traditional Or Conditional?

There’s a lot of talk these days about degrees of good and evil, and some of it has even evolved into a re-thinking of our traditional view of the eternal state of unbelievers. The traditional view is that anyone who fails to personally accept the pardon that God purchased for us with the blood of His son will spend eternity in a state of agonizing punishment in the Lake of Fire.

But some have begun to question this view, asking why an unbelieving humanitarian who led an exemplary life in service to others but failed to acknowledge the Lord as his Savior should receive the same punishment as someone like Hitler or Stalin who murdered millions of people in cold blood. They say it’s not like God to do this, and back it up by quoting Revelation 20:12 that says in part, “The dead were judged … according to what they had done.”

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The Magog Persia Alliance

Posted in End Times Prophecy, Ezekiel 38 War, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 13, 2012|

Great Article on the Ezekiel 38 prophecy we are seeing unfold right in front of us!

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 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say; ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.  I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.  Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.’ (Ezekiel 38:3-6)

From time to time Scripture gives us brief glimpses of the supernatural powers behind Earthly thrones.  Isaiah 14:3, Ezekiel 28:12, Daniel 10:13, 20 and Daniel 12:1 are examples of this. When these supernatural powers are referred to as the king of a particular country, as is the case in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 it tells us God has Satan in view.  When the power behind the throne is called a prince, it’s one of Satan’s underlings.

Some years ago, I came to the conclusion that Gog is one of these supernatural powers, perhaps Satan’s counterpart to the Archangel Michael, who is also called a chief prince (Daniel 10:13) and who  is responsible for the defense of Israel (Daniel 12:1).  A review of Genesis 10 shows that Gog’s name does not appear in the human genealogies there, nor can he be found among their descendants by any other means, but he appears to be well known to God.

On the other hand, Magog  does appear in Genesis 10 as the 2nd son of Japeth and brother of Meshech and Tubal.  Most scholars believe Magog represents modern day Russia, while Meshech and Tubal likely settled nearby in eastern Turkey, and there’s universal agreement that Persia is now known as Iran.  In the past we’ve pinned down the modern equivalents of the other nations involved in the Ezekiel 38 scenario, so for the purpose of this article I want to focus on the growing relationship between two of the key national participants, Magog (Russia) and Persia (Iran).

Some scholars observe that when the Lord lists groups of nations, He often does so in priority order, with the most important ones first.  If so, then placing Persia first in the order of nations that will be joining Magog and his brothers in the coming attack against Israel is a sign of Persia’s importance to the group’s objectives.

The Sleeping Bear Has Awakened

As Russia has moved to re-assert itself as a player on the world stage, one of the first steps has involved the Middle East.  This began with the agreement to help Iran build nuclear reactors, supposedly for peaceful purposes.  After numerous delays caused primarily by Western objections, the Bushier reactor has finally come on line. It’s the first of what was originally announced as an agreement to build 10 such power plants. Through out all this Russia has been steadfastly opposed to any military efforts aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program.

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Believe in Your Heart

Posted in Deception, End Times Prophecy, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 22, 2012|

The thing I love about Jack Kelly’s articles is the simplicity with which he peels back so many layers of the onion (layers of scriptural truth/meanings).

The topic of this article is so very important during these last days that are so filled with deception.  It regards our salvation.

We not only need to know “how we are saved” but why it works the way it does.  It reveals the genius of God.

Jack lays it out beautifully and by knowing “why”, your belief and faith will be strengthened.  Just as study of prophecy strengthen’s our faith.

Enjoy!

God Bless!

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Believe in Your Heart

by Jack Kelly

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead you will be saved (Rom 10:9).

We’ve all confessed (give assent to or acknowledge) with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and understand its importance to our salvation, but what about the “believe in your heart” portion of the verse?

In Romans 10:10 Paul goes on to say that it’s with our heart that we believe and are justified. The Greek word translated justify is from dikaios which means to be innocent or holy. The King James translates this word “believe unto righteousness” meaning that our belief in the resurrection is what brings us our righteousness, allowing God to regard us as though we’re innocent of any sin and therefore holy.

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Body, Soul, And Spirit

Posted in Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 28, 2012|

This is an amazing article by Jack Kelly.  I have been reading and listening to Romans recently and I had so many ah-ha’s while reading his article below that I lost count.

He does a wonderful job unpacking how we were designed to work and how sin has corrupted and confused that design.

I have added in the Scripture text that he referenced so that you can see God’s word on the subject.

Enjoy!

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Body, Soul, And Spirit

by Jack Kelly

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebr. 4:12-13)

Some people view the soul and body interchangeably, while others think the soul and spirit are the same. But it’s more accurate to think of them as separate components.  Our soul is the conscious part of us, composed of mind (intellect), will, and emotions.   It makes choices and controls our behavior by giving orders to the body. Our spirit is the subconscious part, an internal adviser to the conscious soul.  It’s  our conscience.

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The Last Christmas?

Posted in Church Falling Away, End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , on December 21, 2011|

The article below by Jack Kelly, does a good job summing up what I have been feeling this Christmas season.  I have felt this season more reflective, and a focus on savoring the small things. 

Trying to focus on generosity instead of all of the stuff that usually surrounds holidays these days.

Kind of a back to the basics sort of approach. 

Even more interesting is what I have not been feeling to the degree I have in years past.  I have not felt anxious, or overwhelmed.  I am saddened by all of the evil that is overwhelming the world but internally, I feel at peace, maybe even a little excited for what we are on the cusp of.  If asked “what” we are on the edge of, I would have to say honestly I don’t know exactly, my blessed hope just like Paul is that Christ’s Return is near, the Rapture, but it could just be another series of sorrows.  But it just feels different. 

I feel an acceleration is coming, it feels like the calm right before the storm, where things are peaceful and then the 100 mph winds hit 2 minutes later.

Maybe it is just the time I took off from posting helped me step back from the barrage of signs and events.  Maybe it is the realization of God’s true distinction of “good” people from saved.  (more on that in a future article)  But I think not, its more than that.  It is a reassuring peace. 

But it really does feel different this Christmas, it defies the “reality” of our world but maybe it is not a “peace” of this world.

God’s christmas gift is where our focus should be…

May God Bless each of you this Christmas season and may you remember what the true meaning is behind it all.

myblessedhope

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The Last Christmas?

by Jack Kelly 

Whether you’re following commentaries by prophecy scholars on the nearness of the rapture or predictions by financial experts on the nearness of the world’s economic downfall, the message is the same. This could very well be the last time we celebrate Christmas as we’ve come to know it.

And that’s a good thing. Because for most of the world, Christmas has become little more than an annual exercise in spending money we don’t have to buy things they don’t need for the people on our list, some of whom we don’t even like.  Add to that the sad fact that millions of American families are doing this from homes they no longer own, adding to a debt load they can hardly carry now, and you can see the level to which the world has sunk. And the saddest fact of all is they aren’t doing this out of any gratitude for what the Lord has given them.  They’re doing this because for a brief period of time they can pretend everything’s OK.

For believers it should be a different story, although most of us are totally unaware that the greatest event in Church history is looming on our horizon. The coming rapture should be energizing the body of Christ and causing a massive reorientation of our priorities and yet current polls indicate that over 90% of us are still focused on the secular world and the fading illusion of happiness it offers, rather than the incredible promises of the Bible.

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The Owners Manual for the Human Race – The Bible!

Posted in Christian Persecution, Church Falling Away, Days of Noah, Deception, End Times Prophecy, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2011|

I had heard that alternate title once before long ago, but was reminded of it in Jack Kelly’s article “Wisdom of the Ages”.

The Bible is the most amazing book.  The more you read it, the more Truth and wisdom you can glean.

Satan’s plan over the centuries to move us from knowing our history, to being so focused on the future, is quite cunning.  You hear it said all the time, that everything you need to know about life is in the Bible, well maybe you don’t hear that as much these days but the statement is still as true today as it was when it was written.

Jack does a superb job at laying out how contorted our world view has become.  Not only have we just been taught little by little, that our past (history) is not important, but we have in fact seen much of it re-written.

The one constant in our world has been the Bible, but even that is under attack as new interpretations are developed under the goal of “modernizing” the language so that it can be “better” understood.  That is false!  Spend some time reading the Bible and it will come to life!  To better understand that deception check out my previous post on changes that are being made through translations. (Is your Bible uncorrupted?)

Enjoy the article below, it was a very enlightening and refreshing read!  It will also give you some great tools, straight from scripture, that God wanted us to know and use daily.  It is better than any self-help book currently published.

God Bless!

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Wisdom Of The Ages

by Jack Kelly

Recently, I was reminded of a video I had watched some years ago on the life of Abraham. First shown on one of the cable networks, it was surprisingly faithful to the Bible’s account of Abraham’s life.

The late Richard Harris portrayed Abraham as a man of great sensitivity, with a yearning to know God. Eventually he was successful, for the Bible describes him as God’s friend (Isaiah 41:8). It does not tell us why Abraham sought God, or how he even knew there was a God. Although Abraham’s early  ancestors had obviously known of Him, the people of Abraham’s time were not followers of this God. How did Abraham find out about Him?

Creation Chronology

Genesis 5 is a chronology of the first 10 generations of man. It’s given without explanation or embellishment and covers the period from Adam through Noah.  Since the chronology is specific, calculating the life span of each man is simple, as is the total time from Adam’s creation to Noah’s death – 2006 years. Genesis 6 – 9 then shifts gears to describe the Great Flood, which occurred 1656 years after Adam’s creation. Chapter 10 is about the Tower of Babel.

Then in Genesis 11: 9 the chronology abruptly begins again with Noah’s son Shem and continues through Abraham (then called Abram) in Genesis 11:26.  Once again we can calculate both the individual life spans and the total elapsed time of 10 generations. By putting the two lists together you come to the amazing discovery that Noah was still alive when Abram was born and died when Abram was 58.

You can also see that if Adam recounted the story of his origin to his son Seth and his grandson son Enosh, (seems likely, since Adam’s origin was pretty unique) then Enosh could have told Noah.  In fact 8 out of the first 10 family heads were still alive and well during most of Noah’s life. Only Adam and Seth had died. Since they all lived in the same general vicinity, Mesopotamia, it’s likely they all knew Adam’s story and could have passed it along.

Hello Noah? This is Abraham

Only Noah and his three sons survived the flood, but any of them could have talked with Abram. In fact Noah’s son Shem, still around when Abram’s son Isaac was born, actually out lived Abram. (Some say Shem was the one called Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20, the King of Salem to whom Abram paid a tithe on the spoil he had taken while rescuing Lot.)

The notion that the Creation story came from fables told by illiterate primitives around campfires at night just isn’t so.  The chain of information from Creation to Abraham needed only 3 links; Adam, Enosh (Adam’s grandson) and Noah. It is no stretch of the imagination to conclude that Abram had heard about the Creator of the Universe through this chain and then sought Him out. You see, in those days there was great interest in the lessons of the past; the wisdom of the ages.

What’s The Point?

Today in almost every field, great emphasis is placed on new thought. Nothing wrong with that per se, but in our quest for the “latest thing” are we losing our grounding in the wisdom of the ages?

Through out history, every society has relied on the wisdom of its elders to instruct the young, guaranteeing that its heritage would remain intact and that simple truths would not be lost. Because for the most part western society no longer venerates its elders and their wisdom, we live in a revisionist world, where even the past is becoming uncertain.  (Was Columbus a good guy or a bad guy? Was the Holocaust real? Who was JFK?)

Many of life’s simple truths are no longer passed along, yet they have always been effective in building successful lives. They were first written down for us in the Bible, confirmed in the biographies of successful people, and documented by society’s observers.  Here’s an example.

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Olivet Discourse Parables…Who? When? Why?

Posted in Deception, End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 8, 2011|

Below is a series of studies that Jack Kelly did a while back on the Olivet Discourse and the parables Jesus tells regarding the last days.

These are often the topic of much debate as to their meaning and I think Jack does an excellent job at look at the grammar, customs/traditions of the period, timing, and context to discern who these parables are about.

They are meant to be read in order but have value as stand alone but some loss of context.

This topic came up over the weekend and I felt others would benefit from me dusting these off as well.

Enjoy!

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Saved From The Worst But Kept From The Best?

Who Are The Overcomers?

Understanding The Olivet Discourse Parables

Understanding The Olivet Discourse Parables Part 2

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The Parable Of The Wedding Banquet

Parable Of The Wedding Banquet, Follow Up

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Click on the article title for a link to full original referenced article.

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Two Roads, Two Gates, One Goal

Posted in End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , , , on March 11, 2011|

A second of two articles that I felt would be appropriated to revisit based on current events.

We need to reflect on what road we are on, and if these events are a wake up call for us.

Do we need to make a change in our lives?  Are we on the right path?

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Two Roads, Two Gates, One Goal

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14)

This passage is often quoted in reference to the different roads traveled by unbelievers as opposed to believers.  Unbelievers are said to be on a broad road with many fellow travelers, all on the way to their destruction.  Believers on the other hand are a small segment of humanity and are on a narrow road to salvation.  This difference is further defined by some as pertaining to our behavior.  The unbeliever’s gate is wide and his road is broad, supposedly indicating that there’s room for all kinds of sinful behavior, while for the believer it’s a small gate and a narrow road suggesting that there’s very little latitude for misbehaving.  A careless step or two and you may find yourself being rerouted onto the broad road.

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In Your Anger Do Not Sin

Posted in End Times Prophecy, tagged , , , , , on October 12, 2010|

Very good article from Jack Kelly, this week.  It is something we all need to consider as we deal with the increased stress and tension of these last days, while we occupy till He returns…

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In Your Anger Do Not Sin

“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26).”

This is the verse the Lord impressed upon my heart as I was asking for a topic for this article. It’s familiar to anyone who has ever experienced any Christian counseling, and like many Bible verses it bears closer examination.  Translations differ slightly in rendering this passage and the Greek contains some interesting insights, but Paul was quoting from Psalm 4 where the intent of the passage was established. Let’s begin there.

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The Hidden Doctrine Of The Rapture

Posted in End Times Prophecy, Rapture, Salvation, tagged , , , , , on October 5, 2010|

Good article laying out the Doctrine of the Rapture and why God would have “hidden” it in scripture.  It also give a good back ground on Bible translations and where the word Rapture comes from…

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The Hidden Doctrine Of The Rapture

Over time I’ve received several questions along the line of the following one.   “Why do you think that such an important occurrence as the rapture is spoken of so few times and why is it so “hidden” in scripture?”

It’s true the rapture is not mentioned very often, at least not directly.  In fact, the Greek word from which we get the whole rapture idea appears only 13 times in the New Testament and and even then it comes to us in a roundabout way.   The Greek word is harpazo and means to catch up or take by force.  In  most English translations of 1 Thes.4:17 it’s rendered “caught up”. The root from which it comes is haireo which means “to take for oneself.” 1 Thes. 4:17 is the only place the word harpazo refers to the rapture of the Church.

On top of that rapture is an English word that comes from the Latin translation of harpazo which is why you can’t find it in your  Bible.  You would have to read 1 Thes. 4:17 in Latin to see it there. (It appears as rapiemur.)  Many people don’t realize that for the thousand years preceding the Reformation, the Latin Vulgate was the primary translation of the original Greek texts.  It was the standard text longer than any other translation before or since.

Although the concept of the rapture appears through out the Bible  it wasn’t until about 20 years after the cross that it was described in any detail.  This is how Paul could say he was revealing a secret (Listen, I tell you a mystery) when he described it in 1 Cor. 15: 51-53. Together with 1 Thes. 4:15-17 it was the first clear teaching of the rapture in the history of mankind. Only with the benefit of Paul’s disclosure can you look back through the Bible and see the many hints of the rapture. (See Rapture References)

There was a good strategic reason to keep all this secret before the cross.  Paul spoke of it in 1 Cor 2:7-8. Explaining that his message of wisdom was not taken from the wisdom of the world, he said,

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