Simply Open The Eternal Word of God and Allow The
Spirit of God to Lead You Into The Eternal Truth Also.
The Land In Question Was
Given To Israel By God
"When Joshua was old and well advanced in years,
the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large
areas of land to be taken over. "This
is the land that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and Geshurites: from the Shihor
River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron
on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the territory of the five
Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron--that
of the Avvites). (Joshua 13:1-7)
The Land In Question
Was Used By God For Israel
"These are the nations the LORD left to test all
those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he
did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not
had previous battle experience): the five rulers of the Philistines, all the
Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in
the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were
left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands,
which he had given their forefathers through Moses. The Israelites lived among the Canaanites,
Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. (Judges
3:1-5)
The Land In Question
Was Totally Captured By King David
"When the Philistines
heard that David had been anointed king over Israel,
they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went
down to the stronghold. Now the
Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;
so David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines?
Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, for I
will surely hand the Philistines over to you." So David went to
Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said,
"As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before
me." So that place was called Baal Perazim. The
Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them
off. Once more the
Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;
so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind
them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear
the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because
that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine
army." So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down
the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer." (2
Samuel 5:17-25)
The Land In Question Will
Finally Be Totally Subdued By Jesus Christ
"This
oracle came in the year King Ahaz died: Do not rejoice, all you
Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that
snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.
The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in
safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors.
Wail, O gate! Howl, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines!
A cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there is not a straggler in its
ranks. What answer shall be given to the envoys of that nation? "The LORD has established Zion, and in
her his afflicted people will find refuge." (Isaiah
14:28-32)
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: "Take from my hand this cup filled with the
wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When
they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send
among them." So I took the cup from the Lord's hand and made all
the nations to whom he sent me drink it:Jerusalem and
the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object
of horror and scorn and cursing, as they are today; Pharaoh king of
Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people, and all the
foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon,
Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod);
Edom, Moab and Ammon; all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea;
Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places;all
the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the
desert; all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media; and
all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other--all the kingdoms
on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshach will drink it too. "Then tell them, 'This is what the
LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to
rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.' But if they
refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, 'This
is what the LORD Almighty says: You must drink it! See, I am beginning
to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go
unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all
who live on the earth, declares the LORD Almighty.' "Now prophesy
all these words against them and say to them: "'The LORD will roar from on
high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his
land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live
on the earth. The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the
LORD will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all
mankind and put the wicked to the sword,'" declares the LORD. This
is what the LORD Almighty says: "Look! Disaster is spreading from nation
to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth." At
that time those slain by the LORD will be everywhere--from one end of the earth
to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be
like refuse lying on the ground. Weep and wail, you shepherds; roll in
the dust, you leaders of the flock. For your time to be slaughtered has come;
you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery. The shepherds will
have nowhere to flee, the leaders of the flock no place to escape. Hear
the cry of the shepherds, the wailing of the leaders of the flock, for the LORD
is destroying their pasture. The peaceful meadows will be laid waste
because of the fierce anger of the LORD. Like a lion he will leave his
lair, and their land will become desolate because of the sword of the oppressor
and because of the Lord's fierce anger." (Jeremiah
25:15-38)
"This is the word of the LORD that came to
Jeremiah the prophet concerning
the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza: This is what the LORD says: "See how the waters are rising in the north;
they will become an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and
everything in it, the towns and those who live in them. The people will cry
out; all who dwell in the land will wail at the sound of the hoofs of
galloping steeds, at the noise of enemy chariots and the rumble of their
wheels. Fathers will not turn to help their children; their hands will hang
limp. For the day has come to destroy all the
Philistines and to cut off all survivors who could help Tyre
and Sidon. The LORD is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnant
from the coasts of Caphtor. Gaza will shave
her head in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. O remnant on the plain, how
long will you cut yourselves? "'Ah, sword of the LORD,' you cry,
'how long till you rest? Return to your scabbard; cease and be still.'
{7} But how can it rest when the LORD has commanded it, when he has ordered
it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?" (Jeremiah 47)
"This is what the Sovereign LORD says: 'Because the
Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with malice in their hearts,
and with ancient hostility sought to destroy Judah, therefore this is
what the Sovereign LORD says: I am about to stretch out my hand against the
Philistines, and I will cut off the Kerethites and
destroy those remaining along the coast. I will carry out great
vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then
they will know that I am the LORD, when I take vengeance on them." (Ezekiel 25:15-17)
"This is what the LORD says: "For three
sins of Gaza, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because she
took captive whole communities and sold them to Edom, I will send fire
upon the walls of Gaza that will consume her fortresses. I will destroy
the king of Ashdod and the one who holds the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn
my hand against Ekron, till the last of the
Philistines is dead," says the Sovereign LORD."
(Amos 1:6-8)
"Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At
midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. Woe to you who live by
the sea, O Kerethite people; the word of the LORD is
against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines. "I will destroy you, and
none will be left." The land
by the sea, where the Kerethites dwell, will be a
place for shepherds and sheep pens. It will belong to the remnant of the house
of Judah; there they will find pasture. In the evening they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon. The LORD their God will care for them; he
will restore their fortunes." (Zephaniah
2:4-7)
"The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once
again he will choose Israel and will settle them in
their own land.
Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob." (Isaiah 14:1 )
""Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for
I am your husband. I will choose you--one from a town and two from a clan--and
bring you to Zion."
(Jeremiah 3:14 )
"I
will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the
city where I chose to put my Name." (1 Kings 11:36 )
Even In Spite of The Evil History
Below:
"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he
reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years.
He did evil in the eyes
of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had
driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father
Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals
and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to all the
starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the
LORD, of which
the LORD had said, "My Name will
remain in Jerusalem forever." In both courts of the temple of the LORD, he built altars
to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the
Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination
and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists.
He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. He
took the carved image he had made and put it in God's temple, of which God had said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this temple and in Jerusalem, which I have
chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my Name forever.
I will not again make the feet of the Israelites leave the land I assigned
to your forefathers, if only they will be
careful to do everything I commanded them concerning all the laws, decrees and
ordinances given through Moses." But Manasseh led Judah and the people of
Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the LORD had
destroyed before the Israelites." (2 Chronicles 33:1-9)
"But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from
among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling.
To that place you must go;" (Deuteronomy 12:5 )
"Then to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his
Name--there you are to bring everything I command you: your
burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the
choice possessions you have vowed to the LORD." (Deuteronomy 12:11 )
"Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes,
and there observe everything I command you."
(Deuteronomy 12:14)
"Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of
the LORD your God at the place the LORD
your God will choose--you, your sons and daughters, your
menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns--and you are to
rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to."
(Deuteronomy 12:18 )
"But take your consecrated things and whatever
you have vowed to give, and go to the
place the LORD will choose."
(Deuteronomy 12:26)
"Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil,
and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a
dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD
your God always." (Deuteronomy 14:23)
"But if that place is too distant and you have
been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put
his Name is so far away)," (Deuteronomy 14:24 )
"then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose." (Deuteronomy 14:25)
"Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose." (Deuteronomy 15:20)
"Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God
an animal from your flock or herd at the
place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name."
(Deuteronomy 16:2)
"except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on
the anniversary of your departure from Egypt." (Deuteronomy 16:6 )
"Roast it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. Then
in the morning return to your tents." (Deuteronomy 16:7)
"And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a
dwelling for his Name--you, your sons and daughters, your menservants
and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and
the widows living among you."
(Deuteronomy 16:11)
"For
seven days celebrate the Feast to the LORD your God at the place the LORD will choose. For
the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of
your hands, and your joy will be complete." (Deuteronomy 16:15)
"Three
times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No
man should appear before the LORD empty-handed:" (Deuteronomy 16:16)
"If
cases come before your courts that are too difficult for you to judge--whether
bloodshed, lawsuits or assaults--take them to the place the LORD your God will choose." (Deuteronomy
17:8)
"You
must act according to the decisions they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be
careful to do everything they direct you to do." (Deuteronomy 17:10)
"If
a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living,
and comes in all earnestness to the
place the LORD will choose," (Deuteronomy 18:6)
"take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from
the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket.
Then go to the place the LORD your God
will choose as a dwelling for his Name" (Deuteronomy 26:2)
"when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you
shall read this law before them in their hearing." (Deuteronomy 31:11)
"When Joshua was old and well advanced in years,
the LORD said to him, "You are very old, and there are still very large
areas of land to be taken over. "This is the land that remains: all the regions of the
Philistines and Geshurites: from the Shihor River on the east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north, all of it counted as Canaanite (the
territory of the five Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron--that of the Avvites);
from the south, all the land of the Canaanites, from Arah
of the Sidonians as far as Aphek,
the region of the Amorites, the area of the Gebalites
; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon
to Lebo Hamath. "As for all the inhabitants of the mountain
regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all
the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before
the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as
I have instructed you, and divide it as an inheritance among the nine
tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."" (Joshua 13:1-7)
"The
western boundary is the coastline of the Great Sea. These are the boundaries
around the people of Judah by their clans. In accordance with the Lord's command to him,
Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah--Kiriath
Arba, that
is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites--Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai--descendants of
Anak. From there he marched
against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). And Caleb
said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage
to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." Othniel son
of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; so Caleb gave his
daughter Acsah to him in marriage. One day
when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her
father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What
can I do for you?" She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since
you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." So
Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. This is the inheritance of
the tribe of Judah, clan by clan: The southernmost towns of the tribe of
Judah in the Negev toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel,
Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon,
Beth Pelet, Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Iim, Ezem,
Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain and Rimmon--a total of
twenty-nine towns and their villages. In the western foothills: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim and Gederah (or Gederothaim) --fourteen towns and their villages. Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, Lachish,
Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, Gederoth, Beth
Dagon, Naamah and Makkedah--sixteen
towns and their villages. Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Aczib and Mareshah--nine towns
and their villages. Ekron, with its surrounding settlements and
villages; west of Ekron, all that were in the
vicinity of Ashdod, together with their villages; Ashdod, its
surrounding settlements and villages; and Gaza, its settlements and villages,
as far as the Wadi of Egypt and the coastline of the
Great Sea. In the hill country: Shamir,
Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir), Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon and Giloh--eleven
towns and their villages. Arab, Dumah,
Eshan, Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) and Zior--nine
towns and their villages. Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah and Timnah--ten towns and
their villages. Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
Maarath, Beth Anoth and
Eltekon--six towns and their villages. Kiriath Baal
(that is, Kiriath Jearim)
and Rabbah--two towns and their villages. In
the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin,
Secacah, Nibshan,
the City of Salt and En Gedi--six towns and their
villages. Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites,
who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites
live there with the people of Judah." (Joshua 15:12-63)
"After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the
LORD, "Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the
Canaanites?" The LORD answered, "Judah is to go; I have given
the land into their hands." Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, "Come up with us into the
territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go
with you into yours." So the Simeonites went
with them. When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and
Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and
fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and
cut off his thumbs and big toes. Then Adoni-Bezek
said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up
scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them."
They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. The men of Judah
attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it
on fire. {After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the
Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. They
advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. From there they advanced against the people
living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath
Sepher). And Caleb said, "I will give my
daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and
captures Kiriath Sepher."
Othniel son of Kenaz,
Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When
she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" She
replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the
Negev, give me also springs of water." Then Caleb gave her the upper and
lower springs. The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of
Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.
Then the men of Judah
went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked
the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally
destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah.
The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron--each
city with its territory. The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took
possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from
the plains, because they had iron chariots. As Moses had promised,
Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. The Benjamites,
however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to
this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites. Now the house of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them.
When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), the
spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Show us how
to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well." So
he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his
whole family. He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a
city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for
the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into
forced labor but never drove them out completely. Nor did Ephraim drive out the
Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among
them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained
among them; but they did subject them to forced labor. Nor did Asher drive out
those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab
or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob, and because of
this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. {Neither
did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh
or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites
too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth
Shemesh and Beth Anath
became forced laborers for them. The Amorites confined the Danites
to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. And the
Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres,
Aijalon and Shaalbim, but
when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into
forced labor. The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond."
(Judges 1)
"Then the LORD raised
up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges
but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their
fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked,
the way of obedience to the Lord's commands. Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge
and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived;
for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed
and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more
corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and
worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. Therefore the LORD was very angry with
Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant that I
laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer
drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use
them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk
in it as their forefathers did." The LORD had allowed those nations to
remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of
Joshua."
"These are the nations the LORD left to test all those
Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did
this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had
previous battle experience):
the five
rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians,
and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. They were
left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands,
which he had given their forefathers through Moses. The Israelites lived among
the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They took their daughters in marriage and
gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods." (Judges 2:16-3:6)
""At that time Michael, the great
prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress
such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that
time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be
delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:
some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise will
shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to
righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But
you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go
here and there to increase knowledge." Then I,
Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the
river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed
in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be
before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" The man clothed in
linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his
left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever,
saying, "It will be
for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been
finally broken, all these things will be completed." I heard, but I
did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all
this be?" He replied, "Go your way,
Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
Many will be purified,
made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the
wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. "From the time that the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up,
there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches
the end of the 1,335 days. "As for you, go your way till the end.
You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your
allotted inheritance."" (Daniel
12)
"Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your
holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to
sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision
and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. "Know
and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild
Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven
'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench,
but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One
will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War
will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will
confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he
will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he
will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is
decreed is poured out on him." (Daniel
9:24-27)
"Concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you,
brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy,
report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord
has already come. Don't
let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the
rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed,
the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself
over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up
in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't
you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back,
so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is
already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is
taken out of the way. And
then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord
Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor
of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and
in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish
because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason
God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have
delighted in wickedness. But we ought always to thank God for you,
brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be
saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the
truth."
(2
Thessalonians 2:1-13)
"But not all the Israelites
accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?"
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is
heard through the word of Christ. But I ask:
Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all
the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, "I
will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a
nation that has no understanding." And Isaiah boldly says, "I was found by those who did not seek
me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me." But concerning Israel he says, "All day long I
have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.""
"I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am
an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God
did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture
says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: "Lord,
they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one
left, and they are trying to kill me"? And what was God's answer to
him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the
knee to Baal." So too, at the present time there
is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no
longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but
the elect did. The others were hardened, as it
is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not
see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." And
David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block
and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot
see, and their backs be bent forever." Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at
all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles
to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the
world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches
will their fullness bring! I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I
am the apostle to the Gentiles,
I make much of my ministry
in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some
of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what
will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If
the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is
holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. If some of the branches
have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in
among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do
not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the
root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were
broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted.
But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be
arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches,
he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and
sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided
that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And
if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to
graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree
that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated
olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted
into their own olive tree! I do not want you to be ignorant of this
mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a
hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And
so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come
from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my
covenant with them when I take away their sins." As far as the gospel is concerned, they are
enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of
the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
Just as you who were at
one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their
disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they
too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has
bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Oh,
the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the
mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever
given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through
him and to him are all things. To him be the glory
forever! Amen." (Romans 10:16-11:36)
"But what does it say?”The word is near you; it
is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are
proclaiming: That if
you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For
it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your
mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never
be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and
Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can
they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear
without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they
are sent? As it is written,
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (FOR YOU
TOO)!" (Romans
10:8-15)
He's
coming very soon, the signs are very clear, and when that trumpet sounds,
We'll be otta here! Praise God for our Great Blessed Hope, Who Will
Deliver
All Those Who Believe, out of this world of Darkness, and into His Eternal
Light!
Ref: 1 Thess. 4:13-18 & Titus 2:11-14
In Christ's Love, Bob Gotti