Dead Sea Rift

Earthquakes in Israel

The Middle-east is a land of fault lines and earthquakes. One of the most impressive fault lines lies directly in Israel in what is called called "The Dead Sea Rift", (some call it the Jordan Rift Valley.) Here is a picture of it by satellite.

Statistically, the Land of Israel has a history of a destructive earthquake once every 80 to 100 years. The last major quake was in 1927... 80 years ago. It is no wonder that scientists are keeping their eye on this region of the earth!

Geologist Dr. Ron Avni of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev notes that, "There's a very high probability that some time in the next two decades there will be a major earthquake."

Earthquakes in Scripture
There are many scriptures that speak of earthquakes. Several speak of a HUGE earthquake, such as never been experienced on the planet before... and it takes place right there in Israel! (Possibly in this very rift area that you see in the photo above!) Here are some passages that talk of earthquakes, specifically toward the time of the end.

Ezekiel 38:18-20 (nkjv)
“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’

Zech 14:3,4
Then the LORD will go forth
And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle.
And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
Which faces Jerusalem on the east.
And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two,
From east to west,
Making a very large valley;
Half of the mountain shall move toward the north
And half of it toward the south.

Matthew 24:7
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Revelation 6:12
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

Revelation 11:13
In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Revelation 16:18
And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.

Great Blog

A Different View of Creation

For anyone interested, here is a fascinating explanation from Scripture concerning the Creation of the Earth. I have never even considered this before! Click on the links below to read it.
Part2
http://www.xanga.com/veritas_verbatim/604679886/item.html?nextdate=last
Part3
http://www.xanga.com/veritas_verbatim/605089936/item.html
(NOTE: There is a Part 1 Part 2 and Part3.... the links above is to Parts 2, 3..where it gets to the "meat" of the explanation.)

70th Week Past or Future

There is a HUGE amount of speculation on this topic! It would take a lifetime to sift through all of the “antiquities” sited in many of these arguments. (Actually, I have tried to sift through a couple... namely Josephus, and Ussher.) Bottom line here is.... we need these historical accounts, it is critical to our understanding. The problem comes in when men of history have written according through their own “filters”, (it is only natural, we all do it,) so we must use caution when we interpret true history based only on these writings. An example of this would be Josephus. He was a Jew, but was under hire by the Romans, so it would not have been wise for him to have expounded on the evils of the Romans during that time. Suffice it to say, these books are not “Scripture”. We know the Bible is different, it is the inspired Word of God and so we are to take what it says with more authority than we would just any other book.

Another word about speculating. When it comes to things in the future and discerning the plan of God, it is impossible to put God in a neat little box and it is equally hard to categorize His works into a neat little outline! His ways are past finding out, that is for sure. Then does that mean we have no business studying eschatology? (I have heard this argument before. ;-)) Absolutely not! To put it plainly, God wants us to know or He wouldn't have put it in His Word! He lets His servants in on things... especially when something big is coming down! Here is an example...

Gen. 18:16-18 “Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them on the way. 17 And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, 18 since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?”

With that said, let's not waste any more words.... the way I am going to answer the question of if Daniel's 70th week is past or future is with a simple “yes”. I believe in this case the “historical picture” precedes the actual complete fulfillment. Let's look at the wording again.

Dan 9:26,27
26 “ And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
(This we know is the crucifixion of Christ)
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
This very thing actually happened in history in 70 AD when the Romans lead by Titus destroyed the city and the Temple. It was a horrible famine and war. From the beginning, if you count when several Jewish factions began to skirmish in 66 AD to 73 AD when Masada finally fell, that was a period of 7 years! That is why many feel this is Daniel's 70th week. But nowhere in Josephus or in any of the other books did I see the “covenant with many”, (please comment if you know where this is.) I am thinking.... this was only the “movie trailer”... the "REAL film" is yet to come!

Here is my reasoning on why I think that.... Let me ask you one question... was Titus the “Antichrist”? Does he measure up to all of the characteristics that you know scripture says describes the Antichrist? I can see where he could have been “an” Antichrist, but he just doesn't seem to fit the bill for the description of THE Antichrist. Do you remember what the Bible says concerning the “Man of Sin”? It says he will perform great signs and wonders, he will deceive the “whole world”, he will cause all to have a “mark” in order that they might buy or sell. None of these things happened in 70 AD. I am thinking this is exactly what Daniel said it is... this is an account of what the “people of the Prince who is to come” will do, (or actually "did" as we are looking at history.) Titus was only one of those people... “the Prince” who is future will be much more terrible!

Also, I might mention here, there are a few Rabbi's and others that will teach that these verses speak about Antiochus Epiphanes, the Maccabean Revolt and the re-cleansing of the Temple at the first Hanukkah back in Dec. 164 BC. But obviously, these Rabbi's are not, and probably would not be reading Matthew 24 where Christ speaks of the “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel” as yet to come. Antiochus was but a mere foreshadowing.

I also thought it was interesting it mentions the “covenant with many” AFTER the destruction of Jerusalem....... look at this verse

27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”

“Then” is when it appears this “one week” begins... Daniel's 70th week actually begins with the start of some type of “covenant” sometime after the destruction of Jerusalem. Then in the middle of the week this “he”, (the Prince to come) will bring an end to sacrifices and on the “wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate.” The people of the Prince to come has already destroyed the Temple, how is there to be an end to sacrifice now!? Well, there are only two ways... One, is that the Temple must be rebuilt, or two, that there be sacrifices carried out without a temple! That second option had not even entered my mind until this year and the Sanhedrin's efforts to again begin the Passover sacrifices!! (See last weeks blog!)

It is exciting to see something like the effort to re-establish sacrifices, because it shows me just how limited my thinking is concerning prophesy! We can't help but try to box it all up in a nice neat package, I fear it is just our nature, (I know it is mine.) But, just as many were caught off guard at His first coming due to pre-conceived notions and certain expectations, let us hold loosely our viewpoints and continue to study and watch as I know all will be revealed in His time.
And .... no matter what, I know I will see Him face to face at the end of my days and that will be heaven!!
Love to All, Bee

Daniel's 70th Week

Hi All,
Here is the beginning of our study on the "last week" of Daniel's prophecy.
Love, Bee

The 70th Week.

FIRST.... a little review to help us better understand:

Remember WHO were the weeks referring to?
Daniel's people, (Israel)
The Holy City, (Jerusalem)
When we examine prophecy and look for signs of fulfillment, our eyes need to be on Israel and Jerusalem specifically! This is where it will happen, not Europe, not the United States, not Rome, or Russia, or Mecca, (although some of these other places may be involved,) but in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Also notice... this prophecy is not only about "the people", there is the LAND. There is a theme in scripture and that theme involves a literal kingdom on "earth"... land... a piece of soil! What is it about the "land" that is so important that it is even included in the everlasting covenant made to the Patriarchs? This has baffled me! But I am getting glimmers of what this is all about. More about that later......... ;-)

A word about how I am viewing these weeks:
I am taking these weeks as a synopsis of the entire plan, not necessarily as a strict "timeline" of the future events. In other words, when all is said and done, all of these 6 things in Dan. 9:24 will have been accomplished at some time or another, with the exception of where it specifically indicated that "after the seven and the sixty two weeks" Messiah would be cut off, and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem by the "people of the Prince who is to come" (vs. 26) Also the "Abomination of Desolation" appears to take place after these 69 weeks and within this "last week" time period. More discussion on this in the next study!

So what does it say the entire 70 weeks would accomplish?

Daniel 9:24
“ Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
1. To finish the transgression,
All offenses against Israel and Jerusalem will be finished

2. To make an end of sins,
3. To make reconciliation for iniquity,
These two go together, as they deal with sin. All sin guilt will have been done away with for those who believe, because of the perfect sacrifice... Christ himself. He is our reconciliation with the Heavenly Father.

4. To bring in everlasting righteousness,
Simply, a time when mankind will sin no more.

5. To seal up vision and prophecy,
After the 70 weeks are completely over, all prophecy and visions will have been fulfilled and documented, or "sealed up" as in the sealing of a historical scroll when there is no longer any need for things to be written in it.

6. And to anoint the Most Holy."
Some translations say "Most Holy Place." To "anoint" means to pour oil on it, to consecrate it, set it aside as holy. As in this verse:
Gen 28:18 "Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it."
What is the "most holy place"? If we are talking about Daniel's holy city Jerusalem, (and we are)... we are talking about the Temple Mount, and possibly an altar of some type!

So, how many of these things has already taken place? How much of this is historical and how much is future?
Stay tuned..................

Messiah Cut Off

Hello All,
Daniel 9:24 was my "verse of the day" today on my Google page, so I thought maybe the LORD wanted me to share with you the meaning of the "Seventy Weeks of Daniel". I think all I can handle today will be the first 69 weeks... stay tuned for that "last week"! ;-) Here is my short and to the point version.
Blessings to You, Bee

P.S. There are a few different variations of these calculations but suffice it to say, all are very close to the date that Messiah was "cut off" or crucified, "but not for himself", it was for us. Jesus Christ died for our sins as the perfect Passover sacrifice according to the Scriptures!

Isaiah 53:5,6
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Daniel Chapter 9

24 “ Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 “ Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
26 “ And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself"..........

First of all, to understand this prophecy we need to note these are 70 "weeks of years". The length of a "prophetic year" being only 360 days instead of 365! These 70 weeks will begin with the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem completely ("with streets", not just the wall.) We know this date from the documentation of the decree in Nehemiah 2:1 "And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes," Most historians know when this twentieth year was and understand this date to be around March 5th 444 BC. Keep this date in mind.

Now let's work the numbers... and let's use "days" right now instead of years because of the difference in the length of the year.
7 weeks of years = 17,640 days (or 49 "prophetic years")
62 weeks of years = 156,240 days (or 434 "prophetic years")
Let's add these, the total so far is 69 weeks which is = 173,880 days (or 483 "prophetic years")

Now let's add those 173,880 days to the date 444 BC and what do we come up with? First we need to convert those days into OUR calendar years to get our present day date.
173,880 days divided by 365 = 476.38 modern day years, (I will round it down.)
444 BC + 476 years minus the 0 year for the BC/AD shift and you get ...
33 AD The same year our Lord was crucified, or very close to it!

Some have figured the exact "days" and have come up with the calculation from March 5th,444 BC add 173,880 days and you will get to Nisan 10 or March 30, 33 AD which according to Luke 19:29-40 is the day Messiah entered Jerusalem on a donkey and all were singing Hosanna to the Son of David! Just a few days later Messiah was crucified.

Zechariah 9:9
“ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.