Breath of Fresh Air

The Land in the Last Days

Ever wonder what significance a withdrawal from the West Bank might have? Note that it sits on "the mountains of Israel..."

Some verses linking the land of Israel and the return of Christ:

Luk 21:24-28 And they shall fall by the sword's edge. And shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the nations until the times of the nations is fulfilled. (25) And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars. And on the earth will be anxiety of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (26) men fainting from fear, and expecting those things which have come on the earth. For the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. (27) And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (28) And when these things begin to happen, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.

Eze 36:8-15, 21-24, 36 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall put out your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they have drawn near to come. (9) For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. (10) And I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it. And the cities shall have people, and the wastes shall be built. (11) And I will multiply men and beast on you, and they shall increase and be fruitful. And I will make you dwell as before, and I will do better to you than at your beginnings. And you shall know that I am Jehovah. (12) Yea, I will cause men to walk on you, even My people Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and not any more will increase their bereavement. (13) So says the Lord Jehovah: Because they say to you, You are a devourer of men, and you have bereaved your nations; (14) so you shall devour men no more, nor shall you bereave your nations any more, says the Lord Jehovah. (15) Nor will I allow you to hear the shame of the nations any more, nor shall you bear the shame of the peoples any more, nor shall you cause your nations to fall any more, says the Lord Jehovah. (21) ...I had pity for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went. (22) Therefore say to the house of Israel, So says the Lord Jehovah: I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. (23) And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, says the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. (24) For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all lands, and will gather you into your own land. ...(36) And the nations that are left all around you shall know that I Jehovah build the ruined places and plant that which was wasted. I Jehovah have spoken it, and I will do it.

Rom 11:25-26 For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, lest you should be wise within yourselves; that blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the nations has comes in. (26) And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

Zec 12:6-11 In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire among cut grain. And they shall devour all the peoples all around, on the right hand and on the left hand. And Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her place, in Jerusalem. (7) Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the people of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah. (8) In that day Jehovah shall defend around the people of Jerusalem. And it will be, he who is feeble among them at that day shall be like David; and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of Jehovah before them. (9) And it shall be in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. (10) And I will pour on the house of David, and on the people of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be bitter over Him, as the bitterness over the first-born. (11) In that day shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.

The Flood and the Last Days

Some verses linking Christ’s return to the flood and worldly ignorance (in these days due to over-faith of science) of Noah’s day:

Luk 17:26-30 (26) And as it was in the days of Noah, so it also shall be in the days of the Son of Man. (27) They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark; and the flood came and destroyed them all. (28) So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; (29) but the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all. (30) Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

2Pe 3:3-9 First, knowing this, that there will come in the last days scoffers walking according to their own lusts (4) and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. (5) For this is hidden from them by their willing it, that the heavens were of old, and the earth out of the water, and through water, being held together by the Word of God, (6) through which the world that then was, being flooded by water, perished. (7) But the present heavens and the earth being kept in store by the same Word, are being kept for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (8) But, beloved, let not this one thing be hidden from you, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The website for flood geology: (www.creationscience.com).

The website summarizing various flood stories from different cultures.

Verses about the “day of rest” and the link to the thousand years:

Heb 4:3-11 For we who have believed do enter into the rest, as He said, "I have sworn in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest;" although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested the seventh day from all His works." (5) And in this place again, "They shall not enter into My rest." (6) Since then it remains that some must enter into it, and since they to whom it was first preached did not enter in because of unbelief, (7) He again marks out a certain day, saying in David, "Today," (after so long a time). Even as it is said, "Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." (8) For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) So then there remains a rest to the people of God. (10) For he who has entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His. (11) Therefore let us labor to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of unbelief.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

As it was in the days of Noah...

Mattthew 24:31-51.  Signs are all around.  Begin with the fig tree - a symbol of Israel..."know that summer is near."  The nation was established again, after 2000 years of slumber (Ezekiel 37), in 1948.  It's been around now for 55 years - still "tender" and shooting forth leaves? 

What about summer?  Proverbs 10:5 fits in nicely with the first 2 verses in the Matthew account, eh?

Yes, earthquakes and floods in the Bible are often symbolic.  But you can't help but look at the current situation in the Southest USA and not think about our friend, Noah.  You can't help but wonder what the message we're receiving from God might mean.

If you haven't considered the subject of Flood Geology, I recommend you do.  It's a theory with holes, but then if it didn't have holes, it'd be a proven scientific fact.  The point is, too many modern scientists accept as fact theories like classical geology, evolution, etc.  The theories are not a problem...I mean, people have the ability to say anything they want until they're dead.  But passing theory off as fact is something that has poisoned both the perfectly harmless scientific world and the religious, faith-based world at the same time.  Too many "creationists" try to combat "facts" of "evolution" by coming up with "facts" that "prove" creation.  Both sides come out with egg on their faces. 

Creation scientists should be no more presumptious than their Atheist counterparts...the cockiness of scientists is another clear sign that Jesus' return is near.  II Peter 3 is about the day of the Lord.  Verses 3&4 relate directly to scientists, whose job it is to observe and record events, and draw conclusions from the results.

I guess that's a ramble, but with these world events of late, you can't help but think about Jesus' return...evacuation of Jews from Gaza is also HUGE.  Where is it all leading?

Zechariah

If you've never done this, read the book of Zechariah all the way through in one sitting.  It will do two things:

1. spur you on to further study of prophecy, and


2. show you that God is still VERY active in the world.

You can't watch the news these days without seeing a tidbit or two about the Middle East.  Sure, there are many "important" world events every day, but the Bible is clearly focused on that one area of the world.  So the Middle East is the place to watch.

Just because it's in the news every day, does that prove that God cares and is still involved?  Well, "proof" is a very funny subject, I suppose, with all sorts of connotations because of our "scientific" culture.  But it's enough to capture my attention - to bring me back to long-term "reality,"  as I escape the short-term "reality" of working, eating, sleeping, etc. 

Maybe God has set eternity in my heart...Ecc. 3:11.