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A Soul is like a Seed
Almonds photo credit Vassilis http://www.flickr.com/A Soul is like a Seed
It must open in order to produce new life.
By Craig C. White
A soul is like a seed. Or perhaps I should say that a seed is like a soul. I think that God created seeds to illustrate how life renews itself and how our own souls live and also all too often die. God gave the first living thing a seed!
Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
A seed is designed to produce new life. It has a hard outer shell and a center that is capable of becoming a whole new plant. Our souls are similar. Our hearts house and protect our spirit. Our spirits are capable of growing into something greater. Regrettably, most souls never yield new life. Jesus compared a person’s soul to a wheat seed.
John 12:24-25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
In order for a seed to grow it needs to open its outer shell. If it doesn’t open its shell then it cannot become anything more than a seed and it dies. In the same way, our hearts must open to God’s spirit in order to renew our life. If our hearts remain closed then our spirits cannot be renewed by the Holy Spirit of God.
Did you know that a seed opens from the inside? When conditions are right the embryo swells and breaks open the outer shell. Our hearts must also open from the inside. The Spirit of God is always outside of our hard hearts beckoning us. When we hear him we must push our shell apart in order to let him in.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
When you sow seeds into the ground you have expectations that they will grow back up out of the ground and produce new life and fruit. The seed will be gone but a new plant will grow in its place. If a seed represents a soul then the fleshy fruit represents our body. In the same way that a seed becomes a plant, our bodies will become something greater. If our bodies are sown into the ground they will be raised up again but they will be changed. Our bodies will be raised in much better condition. They will endure forever!
1Corinthians 15:42-44 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
A seed doesn’t just become another seed, but it becomes something much more. If our souls are germinated by God’s Spirit then we will also become something greater.
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Because of sin our spirits cannot regenerate our bodies alone. We need God’s everlasting Spirit. Without God’s spirit our souls and bodies will wither and die. If our souls hold the Spirit of God, then even though our bodies die they will be made alive again!
Romans 8:10-11 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Jesus’ own resurrection is proof that if we receive God’s Spirit in our souls then our bodies will also be made whole. Our body may wither and die but because our soul has been made alive by God’s everlasting Spirit, our body will also one day be renewed.
1Peter 1:23-25 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
If a person never receives the Spirit of God then he will never be renewed. He will be dead forever. As you can imagine, being dead forever is really bad. Unfortunately it’s even worse than that. When a plant is dead it is used for firewood to be burned. When a person is dead God also tosses him into the fire.
John 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Just like the rain falls on every seed, God’s Spirit is offered to every heart. If a person hardens their heart to God’s Spirit, then their soul and body are cast into hell to be burned.
Hebrews 6:7-8 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
If the soul of a man resembles a seed, and man was also made in God’s image (Gen 1:26), then perhaps God is like a seed. Does that sound farfetched?
Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
In the verse below, the apostle John calls Jesus the Word. The Word was with God. The English word with is translated from the Greek word pros. Pros means to be facing or toward. Pros can be translated literally as being face to face. So the Word (Jesus) was face to face with God.
John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
If you have ever cracked open an almond you have noticed that the nut has two halves. Just as the two halves of a seed are face to face; Jesus was face to face with God. Jesus was very near to God. Jesus was God. You know, you might even say that God was a nut! But you probably shouldn’t say that in church!
A soul is the spiritual seed of a man. It can grow into something new or it can wither and die.
God has Great Expectations that he would know you!
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Erdogan is honoring the God of forces in his palace!
Erdogan is honoring the God of forces in his palace!
The Antichrist is a gentile
Daniel 11:38
By Craig C. White
There is a widely held thought that the Bible teaches that the Antichrist will be Jewish. I do not agree at all. The Antichrist will be the ruler of the next world empire. Just like the ruler of every past world empire; he will be from a gentile nation.
Some say that the Antichrist must be Jewish because only a Jew could get the nation of Israel to follow him as their new messiah. They get that idea by assuming that the term “anti-Christ” means a counterfeit messiah. That is not the meaning that the Bible portrays. The prefix “anti” means against. The Antichrist will stand against the God of Israel. The Antichrist will not come as an imitation Jewish messiah but he will come as the oppressive ruler of the next world empire. Like most rulers of past world empires he will also claim that he is god.
2Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Folks that say that the Antichrist will be Jewish use the following verses to support their view. They say that the phrase “the God of his fathers” refers to the God of Israel. If you ask me, that argument is hardly conclusive. First of all every nation has its own God or Gods. So the God of his fathers could describe a person from any nation. Second, the word translated as God in English is actually the plural form in Hebrew. So the following verse may be better translated as “the gods of his fathers”. That would definitely exclude Israel since they have only one God.
Daniel 11:37-38 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
Now let’s look at what else these verses say. In verse 38 it says that in his estate the Antichrist will honor the God of forces. The word translated as “estate“ can mean a base or place of operation.
*Estate: used as a noun; a stand, that is, pedestal or station: – base, estate, foot, office, place, well.
The word translated as forces refers to military power.*Forces; a fortified place; figuratively a defence: – force, fort (-ress), rock, strength (-en), (X most) strong (hold).
Reading the rest of Dan 11:38 we see that the Antichrist will honor the God of military power with gold and silver and other luxurious things. Where will the Antichrist display all of this wealth as he attempts to honor his god? The Antichrist may in fact honor the God of military power in his base of operation. Where do the rulers of world empires operate? They operate out of palaces.
Let me tell you a true story that is happening right now. Newly elected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has built a new 1,000 room, 3.1 million square foot palace for himself that cost the Turkish government $615 million dollars! President Erdogan’s new palace is the most expensive palace in the world today! It is a palace worthy of biblical mention.
As you might expect Turkish citizens as well as Turkish leaders have protested the costliness of Erdogan’s new palace. Erdogan responded by saying, “No one can prevent the completion of this building. If they are powerful enough, let them come and demolish it.”
The palace is known as the “White Palace” and sits upon a hilltop overlooking Turkey’s capital city of Ankara. The White Palace is bigger than the Whitehouse. It is bigger than the Kremlin. It is bigger than the palace of Versailles. This is where President Erdogan now lives. Inside his new home President Erdogan often has Turkish soldiers dress in the period correct armor of Ottoman Empire era military. He isn’t honoring his Islamic religion but instead Turkish President Erdogan is honoring the world conquest of the old Ottoman Empire!
In February 2015 Erdogan announced that he will rename the “White Palace” as the “Presidential Kulliye”. A kulliye is the name of the grounds surrounding a mosque. These grounds typically house support services for the mosque such as kitchens and guest quarters. The new name gives the presidential home religious significance. President Erdogan says that the palace symbolizes a resurgent Turkey. What he means to say is, “The palace is the headquarters of a revived Turkish ruled Ottoman Empire”. He has already publicly declared his intentions to create a new Turkish led Islamic Union.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan describes himself as a moderate Muslim while he ardently proclaims himself to be a Turk. He served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014. He was elected as President of Turkey in December 2014. Inside his base of operation he doesn’t honor the gods of his fathers but instead he honors the armies of his countries past. He honors the Turkish conquest of the world. I hope that by now you have guessed that I think that Turkish President Erdogan is the top candidate to be the ruler of the next world empire.
The Bible tells us that the man we call the Antichrist will be from a gentile nation.
Throughout Bible prophecy a beast represents a gentile ruled government that is rebellious towards the God of Israel. Gentile simply means nation. A beast is often described as coming out of the sea. The sea represents the gentile nations of the world. These are primarily the nations of the ancient world. In Revelation 13:1 below a beast rises out of the sea. Daniel 7:3 also describes the final gentile world empire as coming out of the sea.
Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Beasts in the Bible usually describe world empires that are ruled over by gentile nations. There have been seven world empires throughout world history. They are in order; the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, Roman, and Turkish Ottoman Empire. There will be one more world empire ruled by the gentile nations. Every ruler of every world empire was a gentile from out of these ancient nations. Not one ruler was Jewish. The ruler of the next world empire that we call the Antichrist will be a gentile out of a gentile nation. The Antichrist will be a gentile. The Antichrist will not be Jewish.
Turkish President Erdogan is poised to attack Damascus and then to invade Israel. These are things that the Bible tells us that the Antichrist will do! Must I say it again? It is High Time to Awake!
*Definitions are from the Strong Hebrew Dictionary.
Read all about the coming Turkish led invasion into Israel in my book Turkey invades Israel – Halfway to Armageddon
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Elkosh O’Gosh!
Elkosh O’gosh!
God the ensnarer
By Craig C. White
When Hebrew prophets talk about the burden of a city or nation they are describing the portion of God’s judgment that it must endure. The book of Nahum is describing Nineveh’s plight. In 612 BC God sent a flood of water to destroy Nineveh. I think that Nahum is also describing the plight of ISIS in Mosul today!
Nahum 1:1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
The name Nahum means comfort. He didn’t comfort the city of Nineveh but he did comfort the nation of Israel by telling them that one of their enemies would be vanquished by God. Nahum was one of the Israeli captives that were taken away by the Assyrian Empire around 740 BC. So during the time that Nahum wrote his book he lived in Assyria or what we call northern Iraq today. Nahum lived in a town called Elkosh. Today the small town of Elkosh is known as Alqosh. Alqosh is located about twenty miles to the north of the city of Mosul. As a matter of fact Alqosh overlooks the Mosul dam. If the Mosul dam was ever to burst, Alqosh is as close as you could get to the dam without drowning. What does the name Elkosh mean? Elkosh means God the ensnarer.
To ensnare means to catch something in a trap. God set a trap for Nineveh. God ensnared the city of Nineveh by planting it by the Tigris River. In 612 BC God sent a torrential rain which overflowed the banks of the Tigris River flooding the city. The city of Mosul is sitting in an even worse trap. In 1985 construction of the Mosul dam was completed. Ever since the dam was put into service there have been concerns about its stability and safety. It seems that the ground it was built on is dissolving! The dam requires constant upkeep to prevent it from failing. The Mosul dam is located just north of the city. If the dam burst it would send a sixty foot high wave of water over the city of Mosul. So Nahum the comforter represents God the ensnarer; otherwise known as Elkosh!
Listen to my verse by verse Bible study through the Old Testament book of Nahum titled The End of ISIS is near!
https://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?episode_id=8076847&autoplay=false
Read all about ISIS in bible prophecy in my book The End of ISIS is near!
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The nations are disquieted over Syria
The nations are disquieted over Syria
verse by verse through Jeremiah 49:23-27
By Craig C. White
The Prophet Jeremiah asks the question “How is Damascus not there?”. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. One day it will no longer exist.
Jeremiah 49:23 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
What is Jeremiah telling us? Obviously this prophecy is concerning Damascus, Syria. In the verse above, Jeremiah mentions two cities. Hamath and Arpad (or modern day Tell Rifaat) are both located in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border. Today Hamah is Syria’s fifth largest city.. Hamah is further south but still close to the Turkish border. Arpad is modern day Tell Rifaat located about 25 miles north of Aleppo and about 20 miles south of the Turkish border. These cities are located along the path of an invasion launched from Turkey headed towards Damascus.
According to Jeremiah 49:23 the people of northwestern Syria will hear intelligence reports that the Turkish army is about to invade Syria. The army’s target is Damascus and they are coming through their cities! The people of northwestern Syria are terrified. Their hearts faint with fear
There is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet. The sea in Bible prophecy can refer to the Mediterranean Sea when it is accompanied with the definite article “the”. The sea can also refer to the nations. There is no article used here in the original Hebrew. I think that Jeremiah is saying that the nations will have great anxiety over the coming Turkish invasion into Syria. The Hebrew word translated sorrow means anxiety, fearfulness, carefulness, or heaviness.
So the nations will be very nervous concerning the coming Turkish invasion into Syria. The Turkish army’s goal is the destruction of Damascus. The English says it well here. The nations will not be able to be still. The Hebrew word translated quiet is defined below. The nations of the world will not be able to be at rest. They are already feeling uneasy concerning Syria.
quiet – shâqat, shaw-kat’
A primitive root; to repose (usually figuratively): – appease, idleness, (at, be at, be in, give) quiet (-ness), (be at, be in, give, have, take) rest, settle, be still.
Jeremiah 49:24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
Damascus is waxed feeble. This is the idea of failing in your old age. Damascus is about to die. Damascus turneth herself to flee. This could refer to the city preparing to relinquish its life and it could also refer to the cities inhabitants as they attempt to escape.
The Hebrew word translated fear means to tremble with terror. Anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail; literally Damascus is feeling a localized tightness like a woman about to give birth.
Jeremiah 49:25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
Two different Hebrew words for city are used in the verse above. The city of praise is a fortified city that has been celebrated in song. When God says “how is the city not left” he could be communicating his astonishment that even after a terrible assault on Damascus, the city has still not surrendered. When God calls Damascus “the city of my joy!” he is specifically saying that he delights in the cities old buildings. So we are looking for the destruction of the old part of the city. The neighborhood of “Old Damascus” is the capital of Syria. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. It was founded by the Aramaeans over four thousand years ago, and was inhabited two thousand years before that. Damascus is a living depiction of human history.
Jeremiah 49:26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
In this verse the young men are contrasted to the men of war. The men of war obviously represent the Syrian Army. Lately Syrian citizens have joined Assad and the Syrian Army to help defend their country. The Syrian National Defense Force is a newly formed civilian guard. I think that the Syrian National Defense Force could be represented by the young men in this verse.
It sounds like the young men of Damascus will stay behind to defend the city. Perhaps they will be the first line of defense. The young men of Damascus will die in its streets. The Syrian Army will be bunkered in Damascus. When God says that all the men of war shall be cut off he means that every Syrian soldier will die defending Damascus.. Jeremiah isn’t necessarily saying that this assault on Damascus will last only one day. That day refers to the entire duration be it one day or longer.
Jeremiah 49:27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.
The phrase “kindle a fire” leads many to imagine a nuclear explosion but that is not what is pictured here. The terminology “kindle a fire” is used in several other Bible passages. The terminology “kindle a fire” mean that God will send an army against a city or a nation. I think that God will send the Turkish army against Damascus.
Many so called Bible scholars claim that the destruction of Damascus has already taken place. They say that the Assyrian conquest of Damascus in 734 BC fulfills the Damascus prophecy. Well Damascus was conquered by Assyria in 734 BC and several cities around Damascus were burned with fire but Damascus has never been completely destroyed.
Jeremiah was a prophet around 600 BC. Jeremiah gave his prophecy one hundred years after Assyria conquered Damascus. So the Assyrian conquest of Damascus can not possibly fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecy. The Assyrians conquered Damascus in 734 BC. I think that Jeremiah is prophesying about an invasion of Damascus that is forming now.
In Jeremiah 49:27, The palaces of Benhadad refer to the ancient thrones of Syrian Kings in Damascus. Like the ancient invasion, this future invasion will also destroy Syria’s seat of government in the neighborhood of Old Damascus.
So the Turkish army will march down from Syria’s northwestern border terrorizing cities along the way. Their goal is the destruction of Damascus. The nations of the world will be in a tumult. They will not be able to calm down. Damascus will prepare to die. The people will flee and the young men and army will fight to the death never surrendering. The oldest city on earth will be destroyed along with its historical buildings. Jeremiah describes a city under siege not a city obliterated by a single bomb.
Listen to “The nations are disquieted over Syria” on Spreaker.https://widget.spreaker.com/widgets.js
For a verse by verse study read Isaiah 17 predicts the destruction of Damascus
Read my new book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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The destruction of Damascus is still future!
The destruction of Damascus is still future!
Jeremiah prophesied long after Isaiah
By Craig C. White
Please allow me to defend the future fulfillment of the destruction of Damascus. Many Bible scholars claim that the destruction of Damascus has already taken place. They say that the Assyrian conquest of Damascus in 734 BC fulfills the Damascus prophecy. Well Damascus was conquered by Assyria in 734 BC and several cities around Damascus were burned with fire but Damascus has never been completely destroyed. These Bible teachers argue that the Assyrian conquest of Damascus happened shortly after Isaiah gave his prophecy about the destruction of Damascus.
Isaiah 17:1 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
It is true that the Assyrians conquered Damascus and wreaked havoc on surrounding towns shortly after Isaiah predicted the event. I am certain that much of Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in 734 BC, BUT long after Isaiah gave his prophecy the Prophet Jeremiah also predicted the destruction of Damascus.
Jeremiah 49:23-25 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet. 24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
Jeremiah was a prophet of Israel around 600 BC. Jeremiah gave his prophecy one hundred years after Assyria conquered Damascus in 734 BC. So the Assyrian conquest of Damascus cannot possibly fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecy. The destruction of Damascus is still future.
I think that Jeremiah is prophesying about an invasion of Damascus that is forming now. Turkey will destroy Damascus!
Read my verse by verse Bible commentary through Jeremiah 49:23-27 titled The nations are disquieted over Syria
Read my book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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Kir is Kerak – Damascus refugees will soon flee to Kerak, Jordan!
Kir is Kerak
Damascus refugees will soon flee to Kerak, Jordan!
By Craig C. White
The Prophet Amos condemned Damascus. He said that God would send an army against Damascus and that the Syrian people would become refugees in Jordan. This prophecy was fulfilled when Tiglath-pileser the Assyrian king conquered Damascus (734 B.C.) and carried the Syrian (Aramean) captives away to Kir (mountainous region in western Jordan). However, like many bible prophecies this may also refer to a current event. Today the city of Kir in Jordan is called Kerak. Kerak is in south western Jordan east of the Dead Sea. It has a population of about 20,000. Not including the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees already there.The citizens of Kerak are poor and mostly Christian. By the way Kerak is in the Moab region of Jordan and is very likely where the Judean refugees will flee during Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation!
There are about 600,000 Syrian refugees in western Jordan today. This is further evidence that the destruction of Damascus as described in the bible is eminent. It is also evidence that the God of Israel is the one true God and that we all had better heed his word and we had also better humble ourselves before him while there is still time! In Amos 1:5 the plain of Aven is a valley in the northeast part of Lebanon near the Syrian border. Today it is called the Bekaa valley. It has been suggested that Saddam Hussein hid WMD’s here before the invasion of Iraq.
Amo 1:3-5 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron: 4 But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Benhadad. 5 I will break also the bar of Damascus, and cut off the inhabitant from the plain of Aven, and him that holdeth the sceptre from the house of Eden: and the people of Syria shall go into captivity unto Kir, saith the LORD.
God used the terminology to send a fire to mean that the Assyrian army would besiege the city. Just as the ancient Assyrians assaulted the city in 734 BC, I think that the Turkish army will do likewise soon. The palaces of Benhadad refer to the ancient thrones of Syrian Kings in Damascus. Like the ancient invasion, this future invasion will also destroy Damascus’ seat of government in the old part of Damascus.
Tens of thousands of Syrians have already taken refuge in Kir (or Kerak) in western Jordan. Many more will join them as Damascus flees. Bible prophecies are coming true. There is a terrible time of Satan’s anger and of God’s judgement coming on all of the world. It is High Time to surrender your soul into God’s care.
Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 also predict the destruction of Damascus, Syria. They both offer details that can be observed today!
For a verse by verse study read Isaiah 17 predicts the destruction of Damascus
Read my new book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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Shane Brown speaks with guest Craig C. White
Shane Brown speaks with guest Craig C. White
If you haven’t heard this then you are falling behind.
Monday night I talked with Pastor Shane Brown and his prayer line callers. They were all fantastic. We discussed the nearness of the Rapture of the Church and I was allowed to answer caller’s questions. Thank you Shane. It is apparent that you love Jesus and that you also love your prayer line callers. Follow Shane on Twitter https://twitter.com/shanebrownmedia and on facebook https://www.facebook.com/shanebrownmedia
https://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?episode_id=9560320&autoplay=false
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Old Damascus neighborhood must be destroyed
Old Damascus neighborhood must be destroyed
The city of my praise
By Craig C. White
Most Christians are familiar with the Bible verse that says that Damascus will become a ruinous heap. But the Bible defines a specific Damascus neighborhood that must be destroyed.
Isaiah 17:1-2 The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
Has Damascus already become a ruinous heap? Some outlying neighborhoods have. But the central core of Damascus remains relatively intact. Does this satisfy Bible prophecy? Not yet. Jeremiah chapter 49 identifies the neighborhood of Old Damascus with its Old buildings and ancient renown.
Jeremiah 49:25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
Two different Hebrew words for city are used in the verse above. The city of praise is a fortified city that has been celebrated in song. When God says “how is the city not left” he could be communicating his astonishment that even after a terrible assault on Damascus, the city has still not surrendered. When God calls Damascus “the city of my joy!” he is specifically saying that he delights in the cities old buildings. So we are looking for the destruction of the old part of the city. The neighborhood of Old Damascus is the seat of Syria’s government as well as its center of ancient history. Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. It was founded by the Aramaeans over four thousand years ago, and was inhabited two thousand years before that. Damascus is a living depiction of human history.
Map of Damascus with the neighborhood of old Damascus outlined in red. This is the area of Damascus that the Bible pinpoints!
Video showing the devastation of the al-Dukhania neighborhood east of Damascus
After you view this video you will understand that the Bible does not require Damascus to be destroyed by a nuclear bomb as so many Bible prophecy buffs teach.
Read my commentary titled The nations are disquieted over Syria
For the entire story read my book The complete guide to Syria in end time Bible Prophecy
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Look for an Islamic Union represented by a leopard!
Look for an Islamic Union represented by a leopard!
The new Ottoman Empire!By Craig C. White
Today we live in a very evil time. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his plans for the formation of a new Islamic Union covering North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Erdogan wants to reconstitute the Turkish ruled Ottoman Empire. This Union is most certainly the leopard that is described in Daniel 7:6. According to Daniel chapter 7 this Islamic Union (or leopard) will unite together with the European Union, and the newly formed Russian Union to comprise the next World Empire. Like I said Russia has already begun the formation of its end time Union. This Russian Union is described as a bear in Daniel 7:5.
In Daniel chapter seven the new Union is represented by a leopard with four heads and also four wings. I have been expecting to see the formation of an eight nation confederacy but this new Union may instead be composed of eight tribal regions. The leadership of this new Union may even be composed of Islamic terrorist organizations. Turkey has been in league with Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Hezbollah leadership. In Daniel chapter 7 this new Union will even be given legitimate political status on the world stage.
Daniel 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
Once this Islamic Union is formed and certainly signified as a leopard then we are only a treaty away from the creation of the end time World Empire that will oppress Israel and then be destroyed at Jesus Christ’s second coming! Throughout world history the nation of Israel has suffered terribly under the rule of every past World Empire. Israel will suffer its greatest tribulation under the next World Empire.
Erdogan has already shunned Saudi Arabia; singling the nation out as the enemy of the new Turkish led Islamic Union. This makes perfect biblical sense. As I read the Bible it indicates that during the Tribulation Iran and the Kurds will destroy an Arabic city known as “Mystery Babylon” in Revelation 17:5. I think that city is Mecca. Saudi Arabia is Iran’s most reviled enemy.
I wrote my commentary titled “The Leopard is Upon Us!” way back in 2011. Since then the identity of the four primary nations of the leopard in Daniel 7:6 has become more apparent. In November 2014 then Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan announced his plans to form a new Islamic Union. I think that the first four nations to be included in this Union will be Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. These are the same four nations that Revelation 9:13-16 identifies as being located along the Euphrates River. During the first half of the seven year Tribulation period these four nations along with four other secondary nations (or perhaps four Terrorist organizations) will conquer most of the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Central Asia. Please read my commentary titled World War III.
Rev 9:13-16 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Now President Erdogan has made his intentions of forming a Turkish ruled revived Ottoman Empire with him as it’s Sultan very clear! The first nation to fall to Erdogan and to the Turkish Army will be Syria. After Damascus is destroyed and Syria is conquered then Erdogan will install Muslim Brotherhood leadership there! Then the leopard (or Islamic Union) will be formed.
Some Bible teachers are looking for a ten nation or ten king confederacy ruling over this new Islamic Union. But the Bible doesn’t describe a ten king Islamic Union (or leopard). Instead it describes a ten king World Empire. When the EU, Russia, and the new Islamic Union combine then they will be ruled over by ten kings!
The sun has been shining since Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The light of the gospel has shined throughout the world. But now we can see the sun sinking low in the sky. It has been High Time to Awake but soon the sun will set when no man can work!
Read this article by Walid Soebat titled The Muslim Antichrist Has Just Given The Most Important And Shocking Speech Of The Century
Read my commentary about Daniel chapter 7 and the formation of the next World Empire titled The Leopard is Upon Us!
Now more than ever before you should read all of my Bible prophecy books but start with this one! The Fall of Satan and Rise of the Antichrist
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Before the Great Tribulation
Before the Great Tribulation
The Antichrist will invade Egypt then Israel.
Daniel 11:40-45
By Craig C. White
There is a movement in Northern Africa and the Middle East to bring the region under an Islamist umbrella. Egypt has loosed the bands of the Muslim Brotherhood for now, but ultimately Egypt will not escape. During the first half of the seven year Tribulation period Turkey will conquer Egypt!
Antiochus Epiphanies was the king over one quarter of the Grecian Empire headquartered in Syria. Antiochus Epiphanies is a forerunner and type of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will do many of the same things that Antiochus Epiphanies did.
Ezekiel 39:1 identifies the Prime Minister (chief prince) of Turkey as the future invader of Israel. Ezekiel chapter 39 describes the battle of Armageddon led by the Antichrist. So a Turkish Prime Minister will be the Antichrist. The battle of Armageddon happens at the end of the seven year Tribulation period.
Daniel chapter 11 describes an invasion into Egypt and then into Israel that happened in 167 BC led by Antiochus Epiphanies. I think that Daniel chapter 11 also predicts a future invasion of Egypt and then Israel led by the Antichrist. This isn’t the battle of Armageddon. Instead it is the attack that begins the Great Tribulation (Mat 24:21). This invasion into Egypt and then Israel happens in the middle of the seven year Tribulation period. In Daniel 11 below, the king of the south is Egypt. The king of the north is Turkey in this future invasion into Egypt and then into Israel!
Dan 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
So Turkey will invade Egypt and even come into Israel (the glorious land). It sounds like Turkey will conquer all of Northern Africa and the Middle East except for Jordan. Edom, Moab, and Ammon all represent today’s Jordan.
Dan 11:42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
The Antichrist (Turkish Prime Minister) will loot Egypt of its treasures. Turkey will be joined in its conquests by Libya and Sudan.
Dan 11:44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
Remember that this account refers to two separate invasions of Egypt and then Israel. In 167 BC Antiochus Epiphanies heard news of a Jewish effort to take control of the temple in Jerusalem. He then invaded Israel to stop it. Turkey will invade Egypt in the future led by the Antichrist. He will probably also hear news from Jerusalem concerning the newly built temple.
Here is a historical account of Antiochus Epiphanies’ attack on Israel in 167 BC. The Turkish Antichrist will attack Israel in much the same way.
2 Maccabees 5:11–14 When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery.
Dan 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
The seas described in this verse are typically thought to be the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is between the two seas. The glorious holy mountain is thought to be Mt. Zion in Jerusalem. But please allow me to point out that Turkish President Erdogan has already built several mosques on the Bosphorus in Istanbul that separate the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
In 167 BC Antiochus Epiphanies took-over the temple in Jerusalem and declared that he should be worshiped as god. In the future the Antichrist will take-over the temple in Jerusalem and declare that he should be worshiped there. This verse reflects the desecration of the temple spoken of in Dan 12:11 and referenced in Mat 24:15-16. When the Jews around Jerusalem see the Antichrist claiming to be god in the temple at Jerusalem then they are instructed to flee to the hills of Jordan!
In the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist will attack Israel. This begins Jerusalem’s Great Tribulation (Mat 24:21)! Just before his armies invade Israel they will invade Egypt and carry away their treasures. So when Israel sees Turkey invade Egypt they will have an advanced warning that they will be attacked next!
Today Egypt has seemingly avoided a Muslim Brotherhood takeover but in the end the entire Middle East and northern Africa will be under the control of the Antichrist.
PS: Daniel chapter 11 doesn’t describe the other Turkish led invasion into Israel that is described in Ezekiel chapter 38. Turkey will first invade Syria and destroy Damascus. Then Turkey will lead Iran, Sudan, and Libya into Israel. All of these forces are fighting in Syria today! Turkey has announced their intention of further invading Syria.
Very interesting to read and hard to stop. – Alexandria
Read about Israel’s Great Tribulation in my book Israel’s Beacon of Hope.
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