What's So Special About THIS Generation Anyway - and who is it? Part 4

It’s been a while since we last had a look at the prophecy series. As a reminder, the Introduction and Reason One of why we believe these are the last days can be found here and Reason Two can be found here. Today we will be looking at Reason Three – The Developing Global Government and Reason Four - The Global Economy.

For those of us who have studied Bible prophecy for a while, we are in awe of seeing all the signs of the birth pangs coming together at once like this. The insistence of Iran to wipe Israel off the map so much so that a map was displayed at a UN meeting where there is no Israel on it, instead it has been replaced with only a state called Palestine, the record-breaking extreme weather, the unprecedented major hurricanes and earthquakes, the rumors of a global currency and the actions to create a global religion, and it goes on and on from there.

There are several posts on this blog regarding the birth pangs and the reasons why I, and millions of others around the world, believe that these are the last days spoken of in the Bible. Nobody knows the day nor the hour of Christ’s return, Only God the Father does, but Jesus gave us signs to watch for so that we would know the season of His return. (See Matt. 24, Luke 21 – Signs of the End of the Age)

My thanks to Jack Kinsella of Omega Letter for allowing the use of these briefings on my blog.
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Special Report: Reason Three – The Developing Global Government

The battle at the UN over whether or not the United States has the right to preemptive self-defense underscores the global perception there is a need for a supra-national government to oversee national affairs.

Probably the last body anybody would have guessed would immediately bow the knee to the United Nations would be the United States House of Representatives, but to listen to them, that is where the real power to make war is vested -- not in the Congress, but at the United Nations.

The power to make war is often what is referred to as the 'Divine right of kings' -- since war is something that occurs between two sovereign rulers.

The entire world is abrogating that right over to the center. No matter how that is spun, the net effect is that of ceding sovereignty to the UN.

How can America be sovereign while subordinate to the UN when it comes to national security?

Instead, we have something called 'collective sovereignty', as Kofi Annan explained in a recent speech, saying the "UN was chartered to prevent another global war", and that its founders recognized that, "agreeing to exercise sovereignty together, they could gain a hold over problems that would defeat any one of them acting separately". (Kofi Annan to the UN, Sept 11, 2002)

Clearly, sovereign authority rests with the United Nations in 2002. The objections raised by the French, Russians, Chinese, the EU -- all are rooted in the basic principle that no action can be taken without UN authorization.

There is no need to prove either the need for or the existence of a global government. It just isn't a very good one.

The UN's days are numbered -- that much is evident. If it can't control Iraq, how can it lay claim to any genuine global authority?

But it was designed as a global government and has created a massive infrastructure of global institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization and a massive interdependent infrastructure of NGO's [Non-Governmental Organizations].

They can't simply vanish. The ensuing global chaos would be catastrophic.

While the UN's days are numbered, the days of global government are not.

There are three pillars upon which the Bible says the antichrist will build his global government. Revelation Chapter 13 describes his absolute control over a global government, a global religious system and a global economy.

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." [Revelation 13:7]

The global government foretold by Scripture will stand in opposition to Israel, in particular over the question of the final status of Jerusalem.

"And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. " [Zechariah 12:3]

The existing global government stands in opposition to Israel over the final status of Jerusalem.
The global government foretold by Scripture "opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped." (2Thessalonians 2:4)

The existing global government's default position on any issue involving either the United States or Israel is one of opposition.

The US and Israel are also the only two states on earth founded under the authority of Scripture. Israel is the seat of Judaism and America is the seat of Western Christian culture. The phrase 'US-Zionist imperialism' is not uncommon language in UN speeches or in UN resolutions.

The Bible makes it clear that the final form of global government will not be headquartered out of UN headquarters in New York. It will be headquartered out of the revived Roman Empire. (See Reason Two - 'The Revived Roman Empire')

As this generation begins to draw to a close, having created the need for a global government and developed the necessary infrastructure, the UN is on the verge of dissolution.

Add to that the convenient revival of the old Roman Empire, the EU's lust for global power, and the fact it already operates according to a political template that has already absorbed nearly 25 countries and you have a picture entirely in harmony with the prophecies of Scripture for the last days.

The Bible said such a system would exist in a single generation, somewhere in time. At the same time as all the other single generation events, like the restoration of Israel, the revival of the Roman Empire, and the developing global religious system we'll discuss in the next installment of this series.

When you sit down and consider the odds, it isn't hard to see why the developing global government is Reason Three in this part of the series, "Six Reasons Why We Believe These Are the Last Days."

Special Report: Reason Four – The Global Economy

In medieval times, there were no banks where peasants could safely store their small amounts of gold and silver. It became the practice to store that hard money at the local metalsmith/jeweler who had a secure safe.

The jeweler would issue paper receipts, which could conveniently be exchanged instead of hard money for small transactions. Hence, the term 'good as gold'.

The jeweler noticed that he usually had on hand more gold at any given time than he needed to meet withdrawal demands. He began to issue extra receipts, which he loaned out at interest.

As long as everybody didn't show up at the same time, the theft went unnoticed as the jeweler lent out money he didn't have and collected real wealth in the form of interest in return.

Over the years, the practice evolved into what is today the fractional banking system.

The fractional reserve system is the discounting system employed by national central banks. It is also a massive fraud. I'm not here to debate the rightness or wrongness of it or to tilt at windmills. I'll just briefly outline the facts.

The Federal Reserve system is neither 'federal' or a 'reserve'. It is an internationally held private banking consortium. All banks in the Federal Reserve System become Federal Reserve banks by buying Federal Reserve stock.

The largest concentrations of stocks are held by five major US banks who are in turn owned by the international money trust.

Attempts to seize control of the US central bank of issue by the European Money Trust resulted in the US Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Banking Panic of 1837, the US Civil War, and the banking panics of the 1890's and 1906.

(This is incredibly interesting stuff, but it is really detailed. Space doesn't allow for a full explanation, but I will put together a much expanded version in a later Omega Letter report. For now, I have to hit the high points in order to connect the dots to Scripture for the purposes of this series.)

The seizure of control was accomplished by the 1913 passage of the Federal Reserve Act, written by a German immigrant named Paul Warburg. Warburg was the Fed's first governor, from 1913 to 1918.

Paul's brother was Max Warburg, head of the German Secret Service. A partner in their joint banking firm was the head of British intelligence. When the war ended, all three met again in Paris to hammer out war reparations against Germany. The bank selected to handle the transfer of wealth from Germany was the neutral Swiss Bank of International Settlements, headed by brother Fritz Warburg.

Warburg, Kuhn and Loeb are major stockholders in the Fed, and many of the names of European banking aristocracy control major stock control via proxy through offspring US banks.

The Federal Reserve system removed the US from a barter system to a debit system. A barter system was one in which currency was backed by gold. For every dollar issued, there was a dollar's worth of gold in the treasury. (Remember the jeweler?).

In the debit system, the Fed issues fiat dollars to control the economy, but each one is worth fractionally less, since it is just a case of cutting smaller slices from the pie.

That is what creates inflation. The Fed controls inflation by either cutting back or increasing the supply of dollars.

But it is still theft, albeit legal. In 1914, a good suit cost a $20 gold piece. Today, the same suit costs $500 -- or the same $20 gold piece.

Since there is no wealth backing today's money, there is no need to actually issue currency. Paper currency is a temporary measure to create the illusion of wealth. Now that everybody knows the truth but apparently nobody cares, the illusion is unnecessary.

(How much cash do YOU carry compared to your use of debit and credit cards? Me too. It's convenient, isn't it?)

Here are a few numbers to crunch. There is about $48 billion worth of gold in the US Treasury.

The US Gross Domestic Product is about $3 trillion. The US national debt is around $6 trillion.

So? Let's turn those billions and trillions into something easier to understand. A million seconds equals twelve days. A billion seconds equals thirty-two years. ($48 billion in gold, remember)

A trillion seconds equals THIRTY-TWO THOUSAND YEARS! The US national debt is $6 trillion!

That kind of impossible debt is what makes the most powerful man in the United States the Chairman of the Fed, not the President. When the Fed says jump, EVERYBODY from the president of the US to the president of the local branch bank asks, "how high?" The Fed Chairman can tank the market with a word, and tank the whole economy with the stroke of his banker's pen.

President George Herbert Walker Bush still blames Greenspan for his loss to Bill Clinton in 1992, claiming Greenspan created a temporary artificial recession in the months leading up to the election.

All the world's central banks are centralized again as members of the UN's central banking scheme via the IMF and World Bank systems.

The central banking scheme is part of a larger global system that came into being under the UN General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) signed in 1948. The GATT agreement eventually became today's World Trade Organization (WTO)

I hope you are following all of this. I had to skip over a lot to make to this point without having to do a series just on this single topic. Here is where we connect the dots.

The truly global economy was born simultaneously with the Computer Age that made it possible. The Computer Age officially began with the invention of the transistor by Bell Labs in 1948. There were computers before that, but before the transistor, they weren't reliable enough to be practical.

The centralization and integration of the US economy was replayed throughout the industrialized world. Cash is a global anachronism. The only logical next step is electronic money.

Last week, the idea of an 'electronic wallet' was advanced that much further with the approval of the Digital Angel e-chip for human implantation.

Two thousand years ago, John recorded the antichrist's principle method of maintaining control of his government.

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:16-17)

It was never possible in any generation in history. Until this one. And, from our vantage point at this moment in history, it seems like the next logical step.

The existence of a manipulated, centralized truly global economic system at this time in history is Reason Four in this part of the series, "Six Reasons Why We Believe These Are the Last Days."
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Next part of the prophecy series will focus on Reason Five – The Developing Global Religion and Reason Six – The Explosion of Knowledge and after that we’ll get into the discussion of the Rapture (The time is coming when one day millions of people around the world will disappear, at the same time, without a trace) and the Tribulation and what those are and what they mean to everyone on this earth.

What's So Special About THIS Generation Anyway - and who is it? Part 3

We last left off with the Introduction and Reason One of "Six Reasons Why We Believe These Are the Last Days" from the Omega Letter. This time we are going to explore reason number two as to why we believe these are the last days. So...let's get started on Reason Two.
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Special Report: Reason Two - The Revived Roman Empire

The prophet Daniel was roused from his bed at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Summoned before the king, Daniel was commanded to interpret a dream that troubled the monarch.

Daniel was given a two-fold task; before he could interpret the king's dream, he first had to tell him what it was. Nebuchadnezzar forgot the details -- he just knew it bothered him.

"But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;" (Dan 2:28)

Daniel began by telling the king what the dream was, and that his dream was to be a vision of the 'latter days'. "As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass." (Dan 2:29)

"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay." (Daniel 2:31-33)

Daniel himself interpreted the vision as four successive world kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon was the head of gold. History proved the chest and arms of silver to be the Medo-Persian empire, the belly and thighs of brass was the Greek empire of Alexander the Great and the two legs of iron became Rome.

Daniel's explanation of the successive empires specified how each would be overthrown and by whom, except for Rome. Daniel says that empire gives way to the empire represented by the feet and toes of the image. The Roman Empire grew too large to manage and was split into the Western and Eastern empires. The west was governed from Rome, the east from Constantinople. When the political empires collapsed, the spiritual empires of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Catholic Churches remained.

"And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay." Daniel 2:42

The 'iron mixed with miry clay' reference is interesting. Partly strong and partly weak. "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." (Daniel 2:43)

In the late 19th century, Otto Von Bismarck noted the change that was coming over the global power structure. "We live in a wondrous time in which the strong is weak because of his moral scruples and the weak grows strong because of his audacity."

Those 'moral scruples' of which von Bismarck spoke were the principles of democracy that were beginning to take hold in Europe. The days of kings wielding absolute power were gone -- war became too dangerous a practice to engage in frivolously.

The two wars that scarred the first half of the 20th century were the result of efforts to unite Europe by force.

The 1948 Benelux Treaty resulted in the establishment of the Western European Union (WEU). With the signing in Brussels of the Treaty of Mutual Assistance of the Western Union (United Kingdom, Benelux, France) Europe began to come together in the name of peace, not conquest. The 1948 Benelux Treaty led to the 1949 creation of the Council of Europe which in it's turn led to the expansion of the Belelux Treaty under the terms of the 1957 Treaty of Rome which led to the Western European Union.

Eventually, the Western European Union grew to ten nations. The Maastricht Treaty in 1993 created the European Union. The EU grew out of the original ten members of the Western European Union as associate members.

The original ten became known as Assembly of the Western European Union. Here's a thumbnail sketch of WEU history from their website.

"On the initiative of the Belgian and French Governments, a preliminary joint meeting of the Foreign and Defence Ministers within the WEU framework was held in Rome on 26 and 27 October 1984. It was marked by the adoption of the founding text of WEU’s reactivation: the "Rome Declaration". Work on the definition of a European security identity and the gradual harmonisation of its members’ defence policies were among the stated objectives. Ministers recognised the "continuing necessity to strengthen western security, and that better utilization of WEU would not only contribute to the security of Western Europe but also to an improvement in the common defence of all the countries of the Atlantic Alliance".

"The Rome Declaration reaffirmed that the WEU Council could – pursuant to Article VIII (3) of the modified Brussels Treaty – consider the implications for Europe of crises in other regions of the world."

"Pursuant to the decisions taken in Rome, the WEU Council was henceforth to hold two meetings a year at Ministerial level, in which Foreign and Defence Ministers were to sit at the same conference table." (http://www.weu.int/)

So we have the military arm of Europe -- the real power -- resting with the ten nation WEU, under the authority of the Rome Declaration.

Daniel says that the ten toes of iron and clay form the nucleus of the government of the antichrist. The antichrist is the 'prince' of Daniel 9:26. "...and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. . ." The 'city' [Jerusalem] and 'sanctuary' [Temple] were destroyed by Titus of Rome in AD 70 - hence the identification of the antichrist as a 'prince' or ruler of a revived Roman Empire.

Daniel 8:25 reveals the antichrist's method saying, "by peace [he] shall destroy many". This revived Roman empire that now covers all of Europe came into being by peaceful means after centuries of war aimed at accomplishing the same thing.

The revival of Europe as a global empire is Reason Two in in this part of the series, "Six Reasons Why We Believe These Are the Last Days."
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Next time we will take a look at Reason Three: The Developing Global Government

What's So Special About THIS Generation Anyway - and who is it? Part 2

Last time we talked about the generation and who is it, but it requires further insight and further study, so in the next several days we will be viewing evidences as to why we are that generation that will see the end of this age.

My thanks to Jack Kinsella of Omega Letter for the information contained in the information below.
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Special Report: Six Reasons Why We Believe These Are the Last Days

From where we sit, the reality that these are the last days is like the reality that this is the 21st century.

Amazing and marvelous, but somehow, at the same time, not as much of a whiz-bang experience as it would have been if we went to sleep in 1976 and woke up to this morning's news.

Global terrors like al-Qaeda, weapons of mass destruction, the seemingly inevitable Indo-Pakistani nuclear war -- these scarcely rate headlines unless they are a hair's breadth from catastrophe.

Global wonders like the internet, global positioning, Moore's Law of Computer Processing (CPU power doubles every 18 months) genetic breakthroughs, new cures for old scourges -- again, they compete for headline space.

In Europe, new moves towards integration continue to accomplish voluntarily what Charlemagne, Napoleon and Hitler failed to accomplish by force. Soon, the European Union will consist of as many as 25 European states.

In the Middle East, Israel appears doomed to existence as a armed camp in the midst of her enemies, despised by the global community, as evidenced by the sheer weight of one-sided resolutions passed against her -- despite the fact she was the victim of five wars of aggression in the last fifty years.

Although Israel is the only Western style democracy in the Middle East, surrounded by a sea of Arab dictatorships, the entire Western world (with the exception of the US) has embraced the Arab cause.

The United States is currently embroiled in a bitter dispute with the United Nations regarding Iraq. At issue is whether or not UN resolutions imposed as a condition of ending the Gulf War should be enforced. The debate is one of complete reverse logic.

On the table is more than just Iraq. The relevancy of the United Nations as a global system of government is at stake. If the UN doesn't enforce its own resolutions -- and then PROTECTS the offender who ignores them, of what value are its resolutions?

The North Koreans recently announced that they never really abandoned their nuclear weapons programs, and Western intelligence analysts believe Pyongyang could have as many as two nuclear bombs right now.

A strike on Iraq could well be the tinder that ignites the Middle East. For Iraq, that imagery could easily become literal.

Saddam has threatened to strike Israel with weapons of mass destruction if the US tries to unseat him. Israel has promised to retaliate with 'overwhelming force.'

Saddam has a chemical and biological arsenal big enough to kill every human being on earth -- if he had the means to deliver it. He doesn't -- but he has the means to deliver it to Israel.

Israel has an estimate 400 nuclear warheads and at least two nuclear-capable submarines patrolling the Mediterranean.

Israel won't wait for a second strike against it with chemical or biological agents before it incinerates the source and eliminates the threat.

We've been explaining all this for more than a year, piecemeal, making broad assumptions that everybody is on the same page.

Beginning with the Sunday edition of the Omega Letter, we will begin a six-part series called "Six Reasons We Believe These Are the Last Days." We'll look at Scripture, verse by verse, as it relates to these global developments, and explain how seemingly unconnected events are now coming together -- as predicted, and thousands of years in advance.

For some of you, it will be a review. For a few others, it will fill in some gaps. But we hope it will renew that excitement of realizing that we are the generation of which the prophets spoke, the one Jesus was addressing when He said, "This generation shall not pass til all these things be fulfilled." Matthew 24:34

Special Report: Reason One - Israel

One of the most clear and undeniable signs of the last days is the restoration of Israel. It is an event unique in the annals of human history. The Jewish culture, unlike other cultures of antiquity, was never absorbed by its many conquerors. Even after being divided, scattered across the centuries and throughout the world, without land or flag, the Jewish nation survived.

Think this through for a second. Broken into small groups, many unaware of the other's existence, the Jews survived, culture, religion, unique dietary laws, customs and traditions intact. Thousands of years. Hundreds of countries.

Despite the best efforts of the rest of the world to bring about their destruction through periodic massacres, forced conversions and pogram after pogram, the Jew survived. After having been scattered for two thousand years, today Israel is home to Jews from every country, speaking 86 languages.

In each adopted language, they heard the story of the Exodus. In each host country, sometimes at risk of death, they kept the Passover. When they all came home to the Promised Land, they found other Jews, telling the story of the Exodus, each in their own language. And it was the same story.

They were the same people.

Israel launched 'Operation Solomon' in 1991. It was the massive, one-day airlift of the remaining 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the midst of the Ethiopian Civil War.

"From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountain." (Zephaniah 3:10-11)

One can search the annals of history in vain for another people like the Jews. No other people of antiquity have survived into modern times under such circumstances. There are no Amalekites, Jebusites or Caananites. They may have descendants, but they are not a people.

Many Jews can trace their ancestry back to the time of Herod's Temple.

The history of the Jews was written in advance, including their return to the land of Promise in the last generation.

"And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God [is] a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them." (Deuteronomy 4:27-28,30-31)

As Moses predicted, the Jews were scattered and persecuted, but, in the 'latter days' have been restored for the express purpose of accomplishing their national redemption. (Daniel 9:26).

Isaiah predicted; "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." (Isaiah 11:11)

"For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it." Jeremiah 30:3

"For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land." Joel 3:1-2

"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:" Amos 9:11

It seems pretty clear that Israel's history was carefully planned according to a particular purpose. Don't miss out on the wonder of it all. Take a second and think it through. Don't miss this.

Foretelling the future of an entire nation is more than a good guess. Every single person in every single generation has to cooperate exactly, from Abraham forward.

If Moses' mother had not put him in a basket, there'd be no Exodus. So Moses' great grandparents could have only married each other.

And what if Habbakkuk's great-great-great-grandfather decided to be a bachelor? Every single individual choice throughout history -- ancient and modern -- had to be the exact right choice for the future to work out according to prophecy.

What if David ben-Gurion had been murdered during WWII or if Abba Eban had decided to remain in the British Army, or if Golda Meir had stayed in Chicago, modern Israel might not exist. Meticulous details. But God said modern Israel WOULD exist -- in the last days.

"Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. . . Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. . .And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. " Ezekiel 37:12,19-20

The existence of Israel is a miracle accomplished by God, specifically as He said it would be accomplished. And specifically when He intended -- in the last days. When the time came, the world convulsed into World War Two, and regurgitated the nation it had been holding captive until the appointed time.

Three years after the Holocaust, Israel raised her flag on May 14, 1948. For the first time since 702 BC, there was a place in the world called Israel and a home for the Jews.

"And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore." Ezekiel 37:25,27-28)

There is no story like Israel's. There is no nation like Israel. Of Israel, God said, "I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time:(Hosea 9:10).

Jesus said, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."

Israel is Reason One in this part of the series, "Six Reasons Why We Believe These Are the Last Days."
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Next time we will take a look at Reason Two: The Revived Roman Empire

What's So Special About THIS Generation Anyway - and who is it?

Ok, so where we left off about three or so weeks ago was going into the question of what is the generation who would see all of these signs come to pass. Of course those signs took up several posts - four in all total. Then I got into a special report during this special series about Jesus with the posts “why so many people hate even the mention of Jesus”, “who is Jesus and why did he have to die” and another post about “being a ‘good’ person”. Now we are back on track with answering this question about the generation which will see the end of the age, also known as the “End Times”. There are many reasons why THIS is that generation and we will explore those in our post today and in subsequent smaller posts in the days following.

Once again, my extreme thanks to Jack Kinsella of the Omega Letter in providing the majority of this information through previous briefings that he wrote. My thanks to Jan Markell of Olive Tree Views for some of the information in here as well.

So without any further ado, let’s go ahead and tackle this question of “What’s So Special About This Generation Anyway – and who is it?”
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How Long IS a Generation?

In Matthew 24:34 Jesus tells his disciples; "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." We can’t figure out who this generation is without first knowing how long a generation actually is.

Lots of televangelists have wasted lots of time trying to calculate the exact time of the Lord's return. There is a book called 1994 by Harold Camping that concluded via mathematical gymnastics that the Lord would return in that year. Incredibly, Harold Camping continues to have a following.

There is also a popular myth that Hal Lindsey concluded in "The Late, Great Planet Earth" that the Rapture would happen in 1988. I've never understood how that myth ever got legs. LGPE was translated into fifty languages and sold more than 40 million copies. You'd think somebody would quote this alleged statement so I could find it. I can't. However, I do remember watching Jack Van Impe, in another one of his 'calculations' (as Greece became the 10th member of the EU in 1981) saying that the Lord would definitively return in 1988. Maybe Hal is being confused with JVI? (The Late, Great Planet Earth was published in 1969 when the EU had only seven members)

2 Peter 3:3 says that in the last days there will be ‘scoffers’ “walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Some of these ‘scoffers’ are in the Church. They’ve heard the Lord was coming back in 1988, 1994, 1999, and even Jack Van Impe’s newly revised 2018. The only ones NOT disappointed are Jack’s new viewers who have only heard his latest ‘calculation’ and have to wait another 15 years to be disappointed – unless the Lord comes back – according to His Own schedule – before that.

Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36). Since the Lord Himself has drawn a veil over that bit of information, it is spiritual insanity to try and peek behind the curtain.

But it is sensational and it sells books, draws audiences and garners donations. The date-setters prove that all the time by the size of their audiences, but it is also a principle of Scripture: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; (2 Timothy 4:3)

However, in spite of that, there are almost no churches today that are preaching Christ’s return. The mainstream churches instead preach how to be a “positive thinker” and “if you just have enough faith then God will give you whatever you ask for” (the Word of Faith movement). They are also bringing new age teachings into the churches such as “since we are made in God’s image, we therefore are all ‘little gods’” and “Christian Yoga” which teaches inner meditation and mantras – an Eastern religion/new age teaching. The majority of the churches out there today are preaching how to bring man up to the level of God – it’s about man reaching up to God, instead of God reaching down to man to have that personal relationship with him.

Sensationalism has no place in the true Church. The truth is sensational enough all by itself. And truth never requires an apology later.

I recognize we’re an apathetic generation that loves to be entertained rather than think real serious thoughts. At least some feel that way. But there is one form of apathy I don’t get and that is the fact that people are yawning over the return of the King of kings and not yearning for it.

This is the greatest news on earth. Titus calls it our “blessed hope.” The Lord will put an end to all sorrow, sighing, tears, disasters, broken relationships, and more.

The apathy factor has grown since 9/11. America was torn for a few months and then many forgot because it wasn’t in their neighborhood. People went back to sleep while the evil doers in this country continue their plotting.

The tsunami of late 2004 shook some folks up when they saw the carnage and Hurricane Katrina did the same—for a while. But memories are short when it comes to bad news and apathy returned. But why the apathy to the good news that the King is coming? The world is starving for good, uplifting news. It doesn’t make the nightly news because to them only bad news counts! Christians have the best news on earth, and at the top of the list is that God has an end-time plan, and evil will be vanquished with the return of the Lord.

Then I realized that Jesus would return in the generation that wasn’t thinking about it! He says, “…be ready for in such an hour as you think not, the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:44). Our Lord said he would intentionally choose a time frame when many believers were indifferent and not waiting and watching.

I have concluded that we are the “think not” generation. As a matter of fact, if the Lord returned today He just might find some churches pretty cozy with a sinful world and some of them majoring in minors when it comes to even preparing people for eternity. The new “seeker-sensitive” church movement doesn’t want anybody to be uncomfortable and the message of Bible prophecy is labeled “doom and gloom.” What is “doom and gloom” about focusing on the eternal Home Jesus has prepared for His believing church? Yet church after church has tossed this wonderful, uplifting theme which is also the major theme of the Bible from beginning to the end.

If believers can get ecstatic about a sports event, why not about the return of the Lord? It doesn’t matter what view of eschatology one holds. Some believe in a Rapture and some in only the Second Coming. Either way, we need to be yearning and not yawning. Jesus rebuked the Jewish spiritual leaders of His day in Matthew 16 for not knowing the signs of the times or recognizing His first coming. I believe He is equally displeased that spiritual leaders and Christians today give little thought to His coming again. Jesus enthusiastically engaged His disciples in a discussion of His return in Matthew 24 – 25. From that I conclude that we can be assured that the quest for an understanding of His return is a worthy pursuit.

This world is not our home. God has prepared a glorious place for us. Life is short this side of Heaven. Sinners are lost and need to know this good news.

Now, to finish answering the question, how long is a generation? Let’s skip the calculations and genealogies and just look to the plain teaching of Scripture.

“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3)

And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. (Numbers 32:13)

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (Psalms 90:10)

A ‘generation’, we are told by God Himself, cannot be calculated precisely, no matter what feats of mathematical prestidigitation are employed to try.

A generation is the length of time between a father and son.

The outside limits of a generation, according to Genesis is 120 years. A man’s normal lifespan, according to Psalms, is seventy years, except for the strong few who live to be eighty. The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years, until ‘all that generation’ had been consumed.

Jesus said it was impossible to calculate the day or hour, but that we would know when it was near, even at the door. Given the fact this generation has been anticipated for two thousand years, 120 years would qualify as ‘near, even at the door’ – as would 20, 40, 70 or 80 years.

Instead, what Jesus commanded the Church is to recognize the general time of the end and to conduct ourselves accordingly.

(“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:44)
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So, there is not really any true time to conclude as to how long a generation is, but there are some hints that Jesus gives us in the Bible as to which generation would see His return to take those who believe in Him and have trusted Him as their Lord and Savior home to escape the wrath of God to come. Here is some further information as to why we are THAT generation.
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Matthew 24:37 says: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." To get a look at that distant, future, generation who would witness the return of Christ, Jesus tells us to look to that distant, past generation who witnessed the Great Flood.

The story of the days of ‘Noe’ or, Noah, begins with Genesis Chapter Six in which the 'sons of God' took wives from the 'daughters of men' (6:2).

First, the 'sons of God' - those are us, right? Wrong.

When the 70 Jewish scholars that worked on the Septuagint (a translation of the Old Testament Hebrew scriptures into Greek 300 years before Christ) translated the term ‘sons of God’ in Gen 6:2, they used ‘Angels of God’.

Some like to quote Matt 22:30 to prove that angels cannot marry or procreate, but Jesus was addressing the ‘angels in heaven’. Genesis 6 speaks not of the obedient angels in Heaven, but of FALLEN angels.

Furthermore, anytime angels are seen by humans they are seen as male (Gen 18:1-19:22, Mark 16:5-7, Luke 24:4-7, Acts 1:10-11) and in the Genesis 18:1-19:22 passage we even see (unfortunately) that the ungodly men of Sodom ‘desired’ the angels for themselves!

John 1:12 says that; "as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." While we, (the Church) have BECOME the 'sons of God' by the Power of Christ, Jesus said to look to the 'times of Noah'.

Genesis 6:2, 6:4, Job 2:6, 2:1, and Job 38:7 are the only Old Testament (pre-Jesus and pre-Church) references to the 'sons of God' and in every case, it refers to 'angels' -- without exception.

There are references to the 'sons of God' in Romans, Philippians and 1st John as consisting of the Church, the power to BECOME the 'sons of God' is unique to the Church Age, and was unknown in Noah's day.

The 'daughters of men' means exactly that -- the daughters of men. Making 'wives' of them is not figurative, either, as Genesis 6:4 says 'they bare children to them' that the Bible says later became the 'mighty men which were of old'.

In Genesis chapter 2, God promises a Redeemer who would be the 'seed of a woman'. Clearly, if Satan could pollute the human bloodline, he could break God's prophecy. Note that 6:8-9 say that Noah 'found grace in the eyes of the Lord' and that he was a 'just man and perfect in his GENERATIONS'.

God chose Noah out of His grace, Noah was not necessarily good or deserving, rather merely 'a just man' BUT he was 'PERFECT in his generations' -- untainted by the polluted bloodline of the angelic intermarriage.

Since Scripture doesn't say such angelic intermarriage takes place in the last days, most folks see Jesus' comment about Noah as prefiguring the Rapture.

That's true, but there's lots more there than that. Genesis Chapter 6 describes the most direct and unfettered contact between human beings in general and the spirit world recorded in the entire Bible -- apart from those recorded in the Revelation during the Tribulation Period.

Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Noah . .”

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (6:5)

It can be argued that television is imagination in a box. There, we vicariously live out all our dreams and fantasies. Somewhere on the cable dial, there is something for the imagination of everybody's heart. . .

So take a look at what is the imagination of the thoughts of THIS generation's heart. Porno, 'slasher' movies, Madonna, Brittany Spears, demon movies, movies about Satan -- THAT'S the 'imagination of our hearts' continually.

Popular culture today is full of the use of spirit guides, alien encounters, and open satanic worship. It will continue and it will increase.

If you have read anything of those who are allegedly in contact with the ‘aliens’ and ‘spirit guides’ you will notice the same claims coming through that these beings are going to show themselves physically to those on earth soon.

A similar, but seldom noted parallel is the unholy offspring of Genesis 6 and DNA and cloning research.

The corruption of the human race was the main reason for the Flood and we are in the process of corrupting it again.

In Luke 17:28, Jesus says of the last days; "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot.

The inhabitants of Sodom wanted Lot to turn the angels over to them (Genesis 18:-19:22). The thought behind this is that the men of Sodom thought that sexual union was possible. 2 Pet 2:4-5 and Jude 6-7 also throw some light onto this passage.

Jude tells us that the angels abandoned their proper abode and then contrasts their actions with that of Sodom and Gomorrah, who ‘in the same manner’ went after strange flesh.

The term ‘strange flesh’ means to go after an unnatural sexual union. For the men of Sodom it was homosexuality, but for these fallen angels it was inter-marrying with human women.

In any case, the parallel between Sodom and this generation's moral code is self-evident. You don't need me to prove that.

Jesus also said that in the last days the signs and wonders performed would be so great that ‘even the elect would be deceived if it were possible.’

The Bible warns, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?" (2 Peter 3:2-3) Peter also uses the example of the Flood and the times of Noah to illustrate the importance of understanding the times in which we live.

It is not a stretch to argue that the strong delusion of 2 Thessalonians could be tied to the emergence of an alien spaceship or direct visible contact with aliens (which in reality are demonic encounters).

Maybe it sounds nutty, but it does tie in with the days of Noah, and Hollywood has certainly been getting people used to the idea in the last decade or two.

The Hale-Bopp cult was convinced enough to die for it.

It would also be a ‘powerful delusion’ strong enough to shake people’s belief to the core. Except that Jesus reminds us that all these things have been prophesied before they happen so that your hope will be firmly rooted in the truth of God’s word.

While other Christians scoff, argue that the Church has replaced Israel in God's Plan, that they've been hearing 'for ages' that the Lord is coming back, or that prophecy was all fulfilled back in AD 70, keep this thought in mind.

God has chosen a few out of this generation to be the watchmen on the wall.

Peter tells us, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (2 Peter 1:19)

Keep the faith. The King IS coming.

"Behold, I have told you before." (Matthew 24:25)
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Nic’s Notes: In order to not make this so long b/c there is so much information to cover on this topic, I will be breaking this report up in to smaller pieces over the next several days. This blog will be covering several reasons why we believe these are the last days and why this is the generation to see it – six reasons specifically, but more discussion on top of those six reasons. I hope you find the discussion eye-opening and thought provoking, especially if you have not taken the time yet to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord of your life. It is the only way anyone will be able to escape the horror of what is to come before it happens.

After this generational discussion is over we will get into what the rapture is and reasons to believe the rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation – which nobody wants to be around for. The tribulation will turn into hell on earth for those who choose to accept Christ after the tribulation has occurred. It’s going to get interesting around here before much longer and if you have been reading these posts you will not be able to claim ignorance when you see these things that are to come actually happen before your very eyes. May God bless you as you ponder and consider the information that has been and will be put forth with an open mind and an open heart.

Special Report: But I'm a good person...

Nic's Notes: Last time we left off, we talked about who Jesus was and why He had to die. But there's more to the story. This will be the last detour before getting on with the continuance of Bible prophecy, it's significance to today and just what is the generation who will see the end of all things and the beginning of eternity. I have been given a burden to spread the message to as many people as possible so that the burden of their eternal existence - your eternal existence - will ultimately be in your hands. This post is how you can escape what is to come, what so many churches are not preaching anymore: the end of the world as we know it and the rise of the antichrist before Christ comes to judge the world after the seven year Tribulation. The most horrific period of existence that the world will ever know. These topics will be covered as well in the continuation of the prophecy series.

My extreme thanks to the Living Waters website for the majority of the information contained below. You guys are great! Keep up the excellent work. :)
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Of all the questions you will ask yourself in life, probably the most important is, Am I good enough to go to Heaven? The way to find this out is to ask yourself if you have obeyed the Ten Commandments. Most would answer the question, "Well, I've broken one or two, but nothing too serious, like murder, etc."

Before we say we have obeyed the Commandments, this is what someone would be like if he kept the Law—he will always love God with "all of his heart, mind, soul, and strength," and love his neighbor as much as he has loved himself. He has never made a god to suit himself (either with his hands or in his mind). He has always given God's name reverence, kept the Sabbath holy, honored his parents implicitly, and never once has he been "angry without cause." He has never hated anyone, had lust in his heart, or had illicit sex. He has never stolen even a paper clip or ball point pen, or told as much as a "white" lie, and not once desired anything that belongs to someone else. He is, and always has been "pure in heart," perfect in thought, word, and deed.

Spiritual Law #1:
THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH
The truth is, we are not like that. We have all "sinned" many times, and therefore we have stored up God's wrath, which will be revealed on Judgment Day. The proof that we have sinned will be our death, and after death we must face God in judgment. Think of it—if He has seen our every thought, word, and deed, and if He is going to bring all our sins out as evidence of our guilt on the Day of Judgment, we will all be found to be guilty. Our conscience has shown us right from wrong; we will be without excuse. God will give us justice, and Hell will be the place of our eternal punishment. "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known."

You might say, “But there are plenty of good people in this world, and I am one of them!"

What would you say if you were asked, "By whose standard. . . yours or God's?"

Interesting question. Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Do you think you are good enough to go to Heaven when you die? Do you ever think about the issues of life and death? Think about it for a moment: everything you hold dear to you is going to be torn from your hands by death. Whether we like it or not, we are all part of the ultimate statistic: Ten out of ten die. No doubt you have wondered why death separates us from our loved ones. This happens because we have broken an eternal Law.

So, in the interest of seeing where you stand in regards to God’s standards, let's go through the Ten Commandments and see how you do:

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me."
Is God first in your life? Do you love God above all else? Here’s a story for you. Many years ago, a man purchased a T.V. for his children, but the first evening they had it, he arrived home from work and found that they didn't even bother to greet him. They were too busy watching television. The man turned it off and explained to them that if they ignored him because they preferred to watch T.V. they were setting their love on the gift rather then the giver, a wrong order of affections. In the same way, if we love anything—husband, wife, children or even our own lives—more than we love God, we are setting our affection on the gift rather than the Giver, which is a transgression of the First Commandment.

Have you loved God with all your heart? Have you loved humanity as much as you love yourself? You be the judge. Will you be innocent or guilty on Judgment Day of breaking that Commandment? I'm not judging you—I'm asking you to judge yourself before the Day of Judgment. The sentence for breaking this Commandment is death.

2. "You shall not make for yourself any graven image."
This means that we shouldn't make a god to suit ourselves, either with our hands or our mind. I was guilty of this. I made a god to suit myself. My god didn't mind a "white" lie or a fib here and there—in fact, he didn't exist. He was a figment of my imagination, an "image" which I shaped to suit myself. Is your God the One revealed in Holy Scripture? If not, then you have made your own god to suit yourself—you have committed the oldest sin in the Book. Scripture warns that no idolater will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain."
Have you ever taken God's name in vain—instead of using a four-letter word to express disgust, you've used His name? Hitler's name wasn't despised enough to use as a curse word. If you have used His holy name in that manner, you are a blasphemer and will not enter the Kingdom of God.

4. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy."
I ignored this command for several years. Even though God gave me the gift of life, never once did I ask what He required of me. I was guilty of breaking this Commandment.

5. "Honor your father and your mother."
Have you always honored your parents in a way that's pleasing in the sight of God? Have you always respected and obeyed them? Ask Him to remind you of the sins of your youth. You may have forgotten them, but God hasn't.

6. "You shall not murder."
Jesus warned that if we get angry without cause we are in danger of judgment. If we hate our brother, God calls us a murderer. We can violate God's Law by attitude and intent.

7. "You shall not commit adultery."
Who of us can say that we are pure of heart? Jesus warned, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Do you treat your spouse as your best friend or do you have a friend of the opposite sex that you are closer to? That is a form of emotional adultery which can lead to physical adultery. Remember that God has seen every thought you have had and every sin you have ever committed. The day will come when you have to face His Law, and we are told that the impure, fornicators (those who have sex before marriage) and adulterers will not enter the Kingdom of God. Punishment for transgression of this Commandment is the death penalty.

8. "You shall not steal."
Have you ever taken something that belonged to someone else (irrespective of its value)? Then you are a thief—you cannot enter God's Kingdom.

9. "You shall not bear false witness."
Have you ever told a lie? Then you are a liar. How many lies do you have to tell to be a liar? Just one. The Bible warns that all liars will have their part in the Lake of Fire. You may not think deceitfulness is a serious sin. God does!

10. "You shall not covet."
That means we shouldn't desire anything that belongs to another person. The covetous will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Who of us can say we are not guilty of breaking these Commandments? All of us have sinned, and just as with civil law, you don't have to break ten laws to be a lawbreaker, so the Bible warns, "For whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

I'm sure there are many out there who do not believe in God or believe that they need God, but what if God is real? What if heaven and hell are real? Which one would you rather go to?

To find out if you need God, you must ask yourself some very important questions.
• Are you a good person... not by your standards but by God's standards?
• And if so... are you good enough to go to heaven?
Here is a quick test you can take to find the answers...

QUICK 8-QUESTION TEST

This test is designed to answer 2 questions:
Are you a good person according to God's standards?
And if so, are you good enough to go to heaven?
1. Have you ever told a lie?
___YES, I have told at least one lie in my life.
___NO, I have never told a lie in my life.
2. Have you given money to charity?
___YES, I have given money to charity.
___NO, I have never given money to charity.
3. Have you gone to church regularly?
___YES, I have gone to church regularly.
___NO, I have not gone to church regularly.
4. Have you ever stolen anything (no matter how small)?
___YES, I have stolen at least once in my life.
___NO, I have never stolen anything in my life.
5. Have you ever used "God," "Jesus," or "Christ," as a curse word? (Example: "Oh my G-d!")
___YES, I have used God's name in vain at least once in my life.
___NO, I have never, even once, used God's name in vain.
6. Have you made it a practice to read the Bible regularly?
___YES, I read the Bible regularly.
___NO, I do not read the Bible regularly.
7. Have you ever looked at someone and had lustful thoughts?
___YES, I have lusted at least once in my life.
___NO, I have never lusted in my life.
8. Have you ever broken the first Commandment? (You shall have no other gods before me)
___YES, I have broken the first commandment.
___NO, I have not broken the first commandment.

YOUR SCORE
NOTE: Some questions are scored as a group, and others are scored separately. The questions may appear out of numerical order.

1. Have you ever told a lie?

YOUR SCORE ON QUESTION #1:
The Ninth of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not lie." Telling just one lie, according to God's standards, makes you a "liar." In Revelation 21:8, God says, "...all liars, shall have their part in the lake of fire..."

7. Have you ever looked at someone and had lustful thoughts?

YOUR SCORE ON QUESTION #7:
The Seventh of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not commit adultery." If you've ever looked at another person with lustful thoughts, according to God's standards, that makes you an "adulterer." Jesus said, "You have heard it said, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:28) In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, God says that no adulterers "...shall inherit the kingdom of God."

5. Have you ever used "God," "Jesus," or "Christ," as a curse word? (Example: "Oh my G-d!")

YOUR SCORE ON QUESTION #5:
The Third of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain." If you've ever used the name "God," "Jesus," or "Christ" as a curse word, what you've done is take the name of the God who gave you life, and you've used it as if it were a "four-letter" filth word to express disgust. That offense is called "blasphemy," and according to God's standards, you are a "blasphemer." In Leviticus 24:16, God says, "he that blasphemes the name of the LORD, shall surely be put to death..."

4. Have you ever stolen anything (no matter how small)?

YOUR SCORE ON QUESTION #4:
The Eighth of the Ten Commandments is "You shall not steal." Stealing just one thing (regardless of its size or monetary value), according to God's standards, makes you a "thief." In 1 Corinthians 6:10, God says, "No thieves... ...shall inherit the kingdom of God."

8. Have you ever broken the first Commandment?

YOUR SCORE ON QUESTION #8:
The First of the Ten Commandments is "You shall have no other gods before me." That means that we should love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. The Bible tells us that no one has kept this commandment (see Psalm 14:2-3) -- if you said you had, you have also broken the 9th Commandment by lying.

2. Have you given money to charity?
3. Have you gone to church regularly?
6. Have you made it a practice to read the Bible regularly?

YOUR SCORE ON QUESTIONS #2, #3, and #6:
Giving money to charity, going to church, and reading the Bible are all good activities--but none of them impress God. The Bible says, "and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Isaiah 64:6) That means, all our "righteous acts" -- these "good deeds" that questions 2, 3 and 6 asked about -- can never make up for the fact that we've broken God's Holy Commandments. Think of it this way. If a person was guilty of a serious crime... such as murder... but he gave money to charity, does that make up for his crime? No. The person's crime hasn't been paid for because he gave money to charity. This "good deed" will mean nothing to the judge when he passes sentence. The murder must still be punished.

RESULT:
This test showed you how you stand up when judged by just five of God's Ten Commandments. So, if God judges you by that standard would you be innocent or guilty of breaking His Commandments?

It has already been established that you would be guilty of breaking His commandments. Even if you were able to perfectly keep 9 of the commandments for your entire life -- you have broken the first commandment (Question #8). The First of the Ten Commandments is "You shall have no other gods before me." That means that we should love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. The Bible tells us that no one has kept this commandment (see Psalm 14:2-3).

Knowing that you are guilty of breaking God's commandments, do you think you would go to Heaven or Hell?

While it may seem that God's goodness will cause Him to overlook your sins, the opposite is actually true. Perhaps the following illustration will add some clarity: Imagine you're standing before a judge, guilty of multiple crimes. The judge is about to pass sentence when he asks, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" You stand up, look the judge in the eye and say, "Yes Your Honor, I believe that you're a good man... and because you're good, you will let me go." The judge will probably say something like, "Well, you're right about one thing... I am a good man. And it's because I'm good that I'm going to see that you are punished for your crimes."

Another example is, say that there is a man who killed someone dear to you and had been on the run for many years, but during those many years he had changed and now considered himself to be a "good" person. Then one day he is captured and brought to trial. Do the good things he has done over the past years and being a "good" person now make up for the life that he took? Should he not be brought to justice b/c he is now changed from the person he had been? Of course not, he will still be punished and put in prison for that murder, regardless of the change in his life now, because that judge is just and good and knows that that person must be punished for that crime.

When we compare ourselves to man's standard we may look pretty clean, but when we compare ourselves to the pure snow-white righteousness of God's standard—His Law, we can see ourselves in truth, that we are unclean in His sight. That Law is the holy standard by which humanity will be judged on Judgment Day.

This may sound strange, but the worst thing you could do at this point of time is to try and clean up your lifestyle—you realize that you have sinned, so from now on you will keep the Ten Commandments, do good deeds, say the right things and think only pure thoughts. But should a judge let a murderer go because he says he will now live a good life? No, he's in debt to justice and therefore must be punished.

The Law of God, the Ten Commandments, is merely like a mirror—all a mirror does is show you the truth. If you see dirt on your face, you don't try and wash yourself with the mirror, its purpose should be to send you to water for cleansing. Neither should you try and wash yourself with the mirror of God's Law...that's not its purpose.

The sight in the mirror is not a pretty one, but if you don't face it and acknowledge that you are unclean, then all that "dirt" will be presented on Judgment Day as evidence of your guilt, and then it will be too late to be cleansed.

Spiritual Law #2:
GOD IS HOLY AND JUST
In civil law, a good judge must punish crime. If he turns a blind eye to injustice, then he is corrupt and he himself should be punished.

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before your face" (Psalm 89:14).

In one ten year period in the United States, 63,000 murderers were never brought to justice. These were unsolved crimes. If God turns a blind eye to those murderers and to injustice, then He is corrupt by nature. It makes sense that if He is good and just, He should be angry with those who have taken the lives of others, and He should punish murderers, rapists, etc.

This is the teaching of the Bible—that God will "by no means clear the guilty." He "will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil," "God is angry with the wicked every day."

The Bible says that the Law is perfect. It commands you to be perfect (Matthew 5:48). Are you perfect (in thought, word, and deed)? Will you make it to Heaven? You may say that you are still good, but God says you're not (see Psalm 14:2-3). So one of you is lying, and the Scriptures tell us that it is impossible for God to lie. Remember that all liars will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 21:8).

Perhaps you think that God is good and will therefore overlook your sins. The very thing you are counting on to save you on the Day of Judgment -- namely God's goodness -- is going to be the very thing that will see to it that justice is done. God’s Law demands justice. Because God is so good He will make sure that every murderer, rapist and thief receives justice... but He won't stop there. He will even judge our words and thoughts and make sure every liar, blasphemer, and adulterer is punished. While this is something that is extremely tragic and far from God's ultimate desire for any person, the Bible is clear that the place of punishment for those who do not turn from their sins is Hell.

What a terrible place Hell must be. If you read in the newspaper that a man received a $5 fine for a crime, you could conclude that his crime was insignificant. But if a man received multiple life sentences, you could conclude that his crime was heinous. In the same way, we can catch a glimpse of how terrible sin must be in the sight of God by looking to the punishment given for it—eternal punishment. Ungrateful humanity never bothers to thank God for His wonderful blessings of color, light, food, joy, beauty, love, and laughter, so He will take those blessings away from them. Instead of proving their gratitude by obedience to His will, they use His name to curse. Their punishment will be just but severe to the uttermost. Take the time to read what Jesus said Hell was like in Mark 9:43-48 and other verses.

Perhaps you feel safe because you don't believe in Hell. This can be likened to standing in the middle of a busy highway and shouting, "I don't believe in trucks!" Your belief or disbelief in trucks will not change reality. The same applies in this situation. Your disbelief in Hell will not cause it to cease to exist. God has given us HIS WORD on the existence and purpose of Hell...

The Bible Describes Hell

There are three words translated “Hell” in Scripture:
Gehenna (Greek): The place of punishment (Matthew 5:22,29; 10:28; and James 3:6)
Hades (Greek): The abode of the dead (Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27)
Sheol (Hebrew): The grave (Psalm 9:17; 16:10)

There are those who accept that Hell is a place of punishment, but believe that the punishment is to be annihilated—to cease conscious existence. They can’t conceive that the punishment of the wicked will be conscious and eternal. If they are correct, then a man like Adolph Hitler, who was responsible for the deaths of millions, is being “punished” merely with eternal sleep. His fate is simply to return to the non-existent state he was in before he was born, where he doesn’t even know that he is being punished.

However, Scripture paints a different story. The rich man who found himself in Hell (Luke 16:19-31) was conscious. He was able to feel pain, to thirst, and to experience remorse. He wasn’t asleep in the grave; he was in a place of “torment.” If Hell is a place of knowing nothing or a reference to the grave into which we go at death, Jesus’ statements about Hell make no sense. He said that if your hand, foot, or eye causes you to sin, it would be better to remove it than to “go into Hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:43-48).

The Bible refers to the fate of the unsaved with such fearful words as the following:
• “Shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2)
• “Everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46)
• “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:51)
• “Fire unquenchable” (Luke 3:17)
• “Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish” (Romans 2:8,9)
• “Everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
• “Eternal fire...the blackness of darkness for ever” (Jude 7,13)

Revelation 14:10,11 tells us the final, eternal destiny of the sinner: “He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone...the smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night."

We do not enjoy speaking in detail about the torments of Hell. It is, however, a real place and God in his love and mercy does not want you to go there.

If you don't believe what I am saying about the reality of Hell, it means you think God is corrupt (that He hasn't the moral backbone to seek justice), that Jesus was a liar, that the Apostles were false witnesses, that God's promises are nothing but prefabricated lies, and there is no greater insult to God than to call Him a liar. By doing so, you are adding to your transgressions. Imagine if you reject the Savior, die in your sins and find that what I have told is the Gospel truth? Then it will be too late, you will be judged for you sins. If that happens, and your eyes meet my eyes on the Day of Judgment, I'm free from your blood. I have told you the truth, but if you choose to ignore it your blood will be upon your own head...you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Can you see your predicament? You are guilty of sinning against God Himself, and, because you have a conscience, you have sinned "with knowledge." Isn't it true that every time you lied, stole, lusted, etc., you did it with knowledge that it was wrong?

Does the fact that you have sinned against God scare you? It should. You have actually angered Him by your sin. The Bible says His wrath abides on you, that you are an "enemy of God in your mind through wicked works." But let fear work for your good in the same way that a fear of jumping out of a plane at a great height would make you put on a parachute. Let your will to live open your heart to the Gospel of salvation.

Spiritual Law #3:
GOD IS RICH IN MERCY TO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us..." (Ephesians 2:4).

We have all broken the Law a multitude of times, but God came to this earth in the person of Jesus Christ, and paid the fine for us—"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Christ Jesus our Lord."

THE GOODNESS OF GOD
Jesus satisfied Eternal Justice, then rose from the dead, so that God can grant us eternal life. But just as we cannot earn a gift, so we cannot earn eternal life by our good works—"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone boast."

You may still think that you can (from now on) keep the Ten Commandments. But isn't it true that the best of us have lied, stolen, lusted, hated, failed to love God above all else, and failed to love our neighbor as ourselves? How can we then, live a "good" life if we have already sinned against God? At best we are reformed liars and thieves . . . but still Lawbreakers. If we trust in our own “goodness” to enter Heaven, we are saying to God, "I should enter Heaven because I have done good - I have earned my way in." You cannot earn a gift.

I am not the only one who doesn't want you to end up in Hell. God Himself is not willing that you perish. To make clear what an incredible thing He has done for you in the Gospel, let's look again to civil law: You are standing in front of a judge, guilty of very serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. The fine for your crime is $250,000 or imprisonment, but you haven't two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence...he lifts his gavel, when someone you don't even know steps in and pays the fine for you. The moment you accept that payment, you are free to go. Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and what's more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much he cares for you. His payment was evidence of his love.

So that you wouldn't have to go to Hell, God sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross -- suffering the punishment that justice demands. Then He rose from the grave, forever defeating death! The Bible tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) If you will repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus, God says he will forgive all your sins and grant you the gift of everlasting life. Just like the court case we just talked about, if you repent (that means to confess and forsake your sins) and put your trust in Jesus, then you will not have to suffer God's justice in Hell because the payment for your crimes was made by Jesus on the cross.

That's what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ. You are guilty, He paid the fine 2,000 years ago. It is that simple. The Bible puts it this way: "he was bruised for our iniquities . . . Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us...God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. The only thing that would satisfy the demands of Eternal Law was the suffering death of the sinless Son of God. What love God must have for you! He suffered unspeakable agony, so that you wouldn't have to be punished for your sins. His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no longer be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you obey Him -- death no longer has a legal hold upon those who belong to Jesus Christ.

When Jesus said to "believe" on Him, He was saying we should have faith in Him, in the same way you would trust a parachute to save you when you jump from a plane. You don't merely believe in the parachute - you put it on. Please don't "jump" without Jesus. If you die in your sins there is no second chance. God will give you justice, and you will end up in Hell forever. Any troubles you have at present are dwarfed by the trouble you are in with your Creator.

The reason you should "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" shouldn't be to find peace, joy, true happiness, to have your marriage healed or your problems fixed, etc. (to have your flight improved), but it should be to escape the jump to come—because of the fact that you have to pass through the door of death. Then, when the flight gets bumpy (when problems come) you won't fall away from the faith.

What should you then do? Simply repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Don't put it off until tomorrow.

Would you sell an eye for a million dollars? How about both for $20 million? No one in his right mind would. Your eyes are priceless to you, yet they are merely the windows of your soul. Your life (your soul) is of such value, Jesus said that you should despise the value of your eye compared to it. He said that if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you, for it is better to enter Heaven blind than to go to Hell seeing. In other words, of all the things you should prioritize in your life, it's not your health, your vocation, etc., it's your eternal salvation.

Think of a man who has committed adultery. His faithful wife is more than willing to take him back, so what is the attitude in which he should approach her? It should be one of tremendous humility, asking for forgiveness, and determining in his heart never to even think of committing adultery again. That's how you should approach God.

Spiritual Law #4:
ETERNAL LIFE IS IN JESUS CHRIST
"He who hears My word and believes on Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

Life's greatest mystery, death, was destroyed by the One who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." The Bible says, "He who has the Son, has life..."

To find the way to God, to understand the truth of God's Word, and to received the gift of eternal life, begin by repentance and faith through a prayer like this:
"Dear God, I understand that I have broken Your Law and sinned against You. I repent of all my sins and ask Your forgiveness for them (name them so that those sins that stand between you and God can be forgiven). Thank You that Jesus suffered on the cross in my place. I now place my trust in Him as My Savior and Lord (to say Jesus is your Lord means you are now making Jesus the master over your life). Forgive me and grant me your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."

If you are not sure how to pray or aren’t comfortable praying that prayer, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer. The words are not "magical," what God cares about is the attitude of your heart. Then put your faith in Jesus Christ in the same way you would put your faith in a parachute. You don't just "believe" it will benefit you, you actually trust yourself to it by putting it on.

If you have repented and trusted in Jesus, then you can now partake of the blessings of "the New Covenant." Here are just ten of God's exceedingly great and precious promises:
1. You have passed from death into life.
2. God will supply all of your needs according to His riches.
3. Jesus will be with you in trials, promising never to leave nor forsake you.
4. The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and give you the power to live a holy life.
5. You are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ—God has removed your sins as far as the east is from the west.
6. As you abide in Christ, you will see the "fruits" of His Spirit begin to manifest in your life.
7. As you read the Bible daily, it will come alive to you and cause you to grown in your faith.
8. When you pray, God will hear you and answer your prayers.
9. The cross will be continual evidence of God's love for you.
10. God will "keep you from falling, and present you faultless before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy."

Read your Bible daily, obey what you read and see what God has in store for those who love Him; find yourself a Jesus-centered, Bible-teaching church and commit yourself to it. God will never let you down.

Not sure what should you read or where you should start? I suggest that you start in the book named "John," and then read the one named "Romans." Whatever you decide to read, make sure you read every day. Then, once you have made peace with God, read the Bible daily and obey what you read.

May God continue to bless you as you obey Him.

Special Report: Who Is Jesus and Why Did He Have to Die?

Yesterday we covered the subject of why people hate or have animosity toward the even the name of Jesus. The last sentence ended with “we need to do the right thing, and tell them about His love that brought Him to Calvary to die for them.” Most people don’t understand why Jesus had to die. Most people believe that Jesus existed but there are differing answers as to just who they think He was. Most people say that He was just a good man, a teacher or a prophet, instead of actually being the Son of God. There is no doubt that He is the most influential person who ever lived. Today we are going to explore the probability that Jesus was who He said He was and why He had to die. This is a very long post so you might want to copy and paste this post in order to be able to spend the time that is needed on reading about this subject.

My thanks to the “Who Is Jesus – Really?” website, the biblebelievers.org.au website and Omega Letter for the information contained in this post today.

Some people claim Jesus was a great teacher. Others think he's a prophet. Some dismiss him as a liar or even a madman. Millions hail him as Savior and Lord. Whatever people think of him, nobody can deny that he stands at the very crux of human history.

The biblical record of his life shows that Jesus was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, taught throughout Palestine for about three years, was crucified and then rose back to life three days after his death. The Bible claims that more than 500 people saw him alive after this miraculous event. How could a mere man have lived such a life? The miracles Jesus performed, his death on the cross, his resurrection, his ascent to heaven--all point to the fact that he was no ordinary leader.

Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth, prophets predicted his coming. The Old Testament, written by many people over a period of 1,500 years, contains more than 300 such prophecies, 456 to be exact. All of these details came true, including his miraculous birth, his sinless life, his many miracles, his death and his resurrection.

The reason why prophecy is an indication of the divine authorship of the Scriptures, and hence a testimony to the trustworthiness of the Message of the Scriptures, is because of the minute probability of fulfillment.

Anyone can make predictions. Having those prophecies fulfilled is vastly different. In fact, the more statements made about the future, and the more the detail, then the less likely the precise fulfillment will be.

For example, what's the likelihood of a person predicting today the exact city in which the birth of a future leader would take place, well into the 21st century? This is indeed what the prophet Micah did 700 years before the Messiah. Further, what is the likelihood of predicting the precise manner of death that a new, unknown religious leader would experience, a thousand years from now - a manner of death presently unknown, and to remain unknown for hundreds of years? Yet, this is what David did in 1000 B.C.

Again, what is the likelihood of predicting the specific date of the appearance of some great future leader, hundreds of years in advance? This is what Daniel did, 530 years before Christ.

If one were to conceive 50 specific prophecies about a person in the future, whom one would never meet, just what's the likelihood that this person will fulfill all 50 of the predictions? How much less would this likelihood be if 25 of these predictions were about what other people would do to him, and were completely beyond his control?

For example, how does someone "arrange" to be born in a specific family?

How does one "arrange" to be born in a specified city, in which their parents don't actually live? How does one "arrange" their own death - and specifically by crucifixion, with two others, and then "arrange" to have their executioners gamble for His clothing (John 16:19; Psalms 22:18)? How does one "arrange" to be betrayed in advance? How does one "arrange" to have the executioners carry out the regular practice of breaking the legs of the two victims on either side, but not their own? Finally, how does one "arrange" to be God? How does one escape from a grave and appear to people after having been killed?

Indeed, it may be possible for someone to fake one or two of the Messianic prophecies, but it would be impossible for any one person to arrange and fulfill all of these prophecies.

John Ankerberg relates the true story of how governments use prearranged identification signs to identify correct agents:

David Greenglass was a World War II traitor. He gave atomic secrets to the Russians and then fled to Mexico after the war. His conspirators arranged to help him by planning a meeting with the secretary of the Russian ambassador in Mexico City. Proper identification for both parties became vital. Greenglass was to identify himself with six prearranged signs. These instructions had been given to both the secretary and Greenglass so there would be no possibility of making a mistake. They were: (1) once in Mexico City, Greenglass was to write a note to the secretary, signing his name as "I. JACKSON"; (2) after three days he was to go to the Plaza de Colon in Mexico City and (3) stand before the statue of Columbus, (4) with his middle finger placed in a guide book. In addition, (5) when he was approached, he was to say it was a magnificent statue and that he was from Oklahoma. (6) The secretary was to then give him a passport.

These six prearranged signs worked. Why? With six identifying characteristics it was impossible for the secretary not to identify Greenglass as the proper contact (John Ankerberg, John Weldon and Walter Kaiser, "The Case for Jesus The Messiah", Melbourne: Pacific College Study Series, 1994, 17-18).

How true, then, it must be that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, if he had 456 identifying characteristics well in advance, and fulfilled them all! In fact, what does the science of probability make of this?

The science of probability attempts to determine the chance that a given event will occur. The value and accuracy of the science of probability has been well established beyond doubt - for example, insurance rates are fixed according to statistical probabilities.

Professor Emeritus of Science at Westmont College, Peter Stoner, has calculated the probability of one man fulfilling the major prophecies made concerning the Messiah. The estimates were worked out by twelve different classes representing some 600 university students.

The students carefully weighed all the factors, discussed each prophecy at length, and examined the various circumstances which might indicate that men had conspired together to fulfill a particular prophecy. They made their estimates conservative enough so that there was finally unanimous agreement even among the most skeptical students.

However Professor Stoner then took their estimates, and made them even more conservative. He also encouraged other skeptics or scientists to make their own estimates to see if his conclusions were more than fair. Finally, he submitted his figures for review to a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation. Upon examination, they verified that his calculations were dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented (Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4).

For example, concerning Micah 5:2, where it states the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah, Stoner and his students determined the average population of BETHLEHEM from the time of Micah to the present; then they divided it by the average population of the earth during the same period.

They concluded that the chance of one man being born in Bethlehem was one in 300,000, (or one in 2.8 x 10^5 - rounded),

After examining only eight different prophecies (Idem, 106), they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17.

To illustrate how large the number 10^17 IS (a figure with 17 zeros), Stoner gave this illustration :
If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They'll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would've had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom (Idem, 106-107).

In financial terms, is there anyone who would not invest in a financial venture if the chance of failure were only one in 10^17? This is the kind of sure investment we're offered by god for faith in His Messiah.

From these figures, Professor Stoner, concludes the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of the prophecies (Idem, 107) - the likelihood of mere chance is only one in 10^17!

Another way of saying this is that any person who minimizes or ignores the significance of the biblical identifying signs concerning the Messiah would be foolish.

But, of course, there are many more than eight prophecies. In another calculation, Stoner used 48 prophecies (Idem, 109) (even though he could have used Edersheim's 456), and arrived at the extremely conservative estimate that the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10^157. In fact, if anybody can find someone, living or dead, other than Jesus, who can fulfill only half of the predictions concerning the Messiah given in the book "Messiah in Both Testaments" by Fred J. Meldau, the Christian Victory Publishing Company is ready to give a ONE thousand dollar reward! As apologist Josh McDowell says, "There are a lot of men in the universities that could use some extra cash!" (Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, California: Campus Crusade for Christ, 175).

How large is the number one in 10^157? 10^157 contains 157 zeros! Stoner gives an illustration of this number using electrons. Electrons are very small objects. They're smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10^15 of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long (Stoner, op. cit, 109).

With this introduction, let's go back to our chance of one in 10^157. Let's suppose that we're taking this number of electrons, marking one, and thoroughly stirring it into the whole mass, then blindfolding a man and letting him try to find the right one. What chance has he of finding the right one? What kind of a pile will this number of electrons make? They make an inconceivably large volume.

This is the result from considering a mere 48 prophecies. Obviously, the probability that 456 prophecies would be fulfilled in one man by chance is vastly smaller. According to Emile Borel, once one goes past one chance in 10^50, the probabilities are so small that it is impossible to think that they will ever occur (Ankerberg et. al., op. cit., 21).

As Stoner concludes, 'Any man who rejects Christ as the Son of God is rejecting a fact, proved perhaps more absolutely than any other fact in the world (Stoner, op. cit., 112).'

God so thoroughly vindicated Jesus Christ that even mathematicians and statisticians, who were without faith, had to acknowledge that it is scientifically impossible to deny that Jesus is the Christ.

By his own account, Jesus claimed he had the power to forgive sins, to cast out demons, and to determine people's eternal destiny. He even declared he himself was God!

In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.(emphasis: web author)"

Jesus could only have been one of four things: a legend, a liar, a lunatic--or Lord and God. There is so much historical and archeological evidence to support his existence that every reputable historian agrees he was not just a legend. If he were a liar, why would he die for his claim, when he could easily have avoided such a cruel death with a few choice words? And, if he were a lunatic, how did he engage in intelligent debates with his opponents or handle the stress of his betrayal and crucifixion while continuing to show a deep love for his antagonists? He said he was Lord and God. The evidence supports that claim.

Here are some of the key claims Jesus made about himself.
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THE CLAIMS OF JESUS
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He claimed to live a sinless life

Jesus could look at a crowd of people angry at his claims to share God's nature and ask, "Which of you can point to anything wrong in my life?" Even more amazing is that none of them could give a reply! No human being has ever lived a sinless life, except for Jesus.

John 8:28-29 "So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.'"

John 8:46-47 "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
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He claimed to be the ONLY way to God

Not one of several ways, but the one and only way. Not to teach the way, but to be the way to God. Nobody has ever made claims like that before and backed them, but Jesus did through his love, balanced life, and miracles.

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

Matthew 11:27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

Note: No other world religious leader, such as Buddha, Confucius, or Mohammed ever made this claim.
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He claimed to have shared the glory of God in Heaven

Jesus claimed to have pre-existed the people he spoke with. The apostle John--who shared bread with Jesus--wrote that Jesus was with God in the very beginning, and that "all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being." (John 1:1-5)

John 17:5 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

This is a claim distorted by groups like the Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses.
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He claimed to be able to forgive sins

One of the reasons that the Jewish leaders were so angry with Jesus was his continual practice of forgiving people's sins. The religious leaders understood clearly that since sins were rebellion against God Himself, only God could forgive sins.

Luke 5:20-21 "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.' The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?'"(emphasis: web author)

Luke 7:48-49 "Then Jesus said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven.' The other guests began to say among themselves, 'Who is this who even forgives sins?'"
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He claimed to be a Heavenly king

Luke 22:69 "But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God."

Luke 23:1-3 "Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, 'We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.' So Pilate asked Jesus, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied."

John 18:36-37 "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.'"
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He claimed to be able to give everlasting life

He didn't just tell people how they could find everlasting life, or deepen their own life experience. He actually claimed to give life himself.

John 6:40 "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 6:47 "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."

John 10:28-30 "I give [my followers] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die...'"
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He claimed that he would die and come back to life

John 10:17 "Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

John 12:32-33 "'But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.' He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die."

John 16:16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up into Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.'"
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He claimed that he would return again to judge the world

Matthew 24:27-30 "So as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man... At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory."

Matthew 25:31-32 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep and the goats."

Mark 14:61-62 "Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

Jesus clearly claimed to be both God and Messiah.

Declaring that he was God so angered the religious and political leaders of his day that they had him crucified. They buried him in a borrowed grave, and three days later, he rose from the dead.

The resurrection of Jesus is what makes Christianity uniqueand radically different from Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, and Islam. In fact, the validity of Christianity hinges on the proof of the resurrection of Jesus. If the resurrection never took place, then the Christian faith is based on a lie and people have no true hope for life after they die. But if it is true, then we can do nothing else but accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and receive his gift of love and forgiveness.

Throughout the centuries, most great scholars who have considered the proofs of the resurrection have believed, and still believe that Jesus is alive.

What are the proofs of the resurrection?

The resurrection is central to the Christian faith. If Jesus was not raised from the dead, then Christian beliefs don't amount to much, since Jesus himself said that he would be raised from the dead on the third day. On the other hand, if Jesus did rise from the dead, all his claims are true and we can know for sure that there is life after death.

A large volume of evidence exists to support the resurrection claims. In fact, there is more legal-historic evidence (the kind used in courtrooms) for the resurrection than there is for Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. There are several reasons why those who have studied the resurrection are convinced beyond a doubt that it is true.
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Jesus himself foretold his death and resurrection, and these events came about exactly as he had predicted.

John 2:19-21 "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.' The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had spoken of was his body."

John 10:17 "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again."

John 16:16-22 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.' Some of his disciples said to one another, 'What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?' They kept asking, 'What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying.' Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, 'Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy..."

Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Matthew 16:21 "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."
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The event is well-documented by numerous reliable, historical sources.

Historians such as Josephus (c.37-110 AD), Ignatius (c.50-115 AD), Justin Martyr (c.100-165 AD) and Tertullian (c.160-220 AD) were convinced of the authenticity of the resurrection. Their writings validate the accounts of the Gospel writers, who, according to leading biblical scholarship, recorded the event as soon as 37 AD and no later than 64 AD.

In addition, other first and second century historians including Cornelius Tacitus, Suetonius, Plinius Secundus, and Lucian of Samosata acknowledged the impact this incredible event had on the people of the time.
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The resurrection is the only plausible explanation for the empty grave.

Roman soldiers closely guarded the tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Moreover, the grave's entrance was sealed by an enormous boulder. The Roman guard, which was usually composed of 16 members, would have made it impossible for the disciples--who, by the way, were cowering in fear for their own lives--to steal the body. If, as some have claimed, Jesus was not dead, but only weakened, the guards and the stone would have stopped his escape. After being beaten and flagellated, hung on a cross for six hours, pierced by the spear of his executioners to ascertain his death, and wrapped, as was the custom, in 100 pounds of linen and spices, Jesus would have been in no shape to roll a two-ton stone uphill, outwit 16 Roman soldiers and then appear radiantly to his disciples.

The Jewish leaders of the day could easily have refuted all claims of the resurrection by simply producing a body, but they were unable to do so because there was no body.
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There are numerous eyewitnesses to the resurrection.

After he rose from the dead, Jesus appeared at least ten times to those who had known him and to as many as 500 people at one time. These appearances were not hallucinations; Jesus ate and talked with his followers and they touched his resurrected body. Their experiences were not delusions.

Luke 24:36-39 "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.'"

John 20:26-29 "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, the Apostle Paul wrote, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."
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The resurrection is the only reasonable explanation for the beginning of the Christian movement.

The Christian church was born in the very city where Jesus was publicly killed and buried. The belief in a resurrected Jesus had to be authentic to take root in Jerusalem and grow to encompass the whole world. The Christian church is now the largest institution that exists or has ever existed in the history of humanity. Clearly, this would have been impossible if the resurrection was a fabricated story.
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The resurrection is the only logical explanation for the transformed lives of the disciples.

They deserted and even denied Jesus before his public trial; after his death they were discouraged and fearful. They did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead. Yet, after his resurrection and their experience at Pentecost, these same discouraged, disappointed men and women were transformed by the mighty power of the risen Christ. In his name, they turned the world upside down. Many lost their lives for their faith; others were terribly persecuted. Their courageous behavior does not make sense apart from their conviction that Jesus Christ was truly raised from the dead--a fact worth dying for.
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Throughout the centuries, most great scholars who have considered the proofs of the resurrection have believed, and still believe, that Jesus is alive.

After examining the evidence for the resurrection given by the Gospel writers, the late Simon Greenleaf, an authority on legal issues at Harvard Law School, concluded: "It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact." Mr. Greenleaf was a Jewish professor who became a believer in Jesus the Messiah after studying the facts for himself.

Is Jesus still interested in us? What does it mean to have a personal relationship with Christ, and in what way does it impact our lives? And how does someone go about making that kind of commitment?

Those are good questions, and typical of someone who understands the significance of Jesus. Here is some information to help answer these and other questions you may have about Jesus.
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Because of Jesus' resurrection, his followers do not honor a dead founder

They have a vital, personal relationship with him. Jesus Christ lives today and faithfully enriches the lives of all those who trust and obey him. Throughout the centuries, multitudes have acknowledged the worthiness of Jesus Christ, including many who have greatly influenced the world. French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal spoke of people's need for Jesus when he said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through his Son Jesus Christ."
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How can you know Jesus more personally?

Because of God's deep love for you, he has already made all the necessary arrangements. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, you can enjoy a personal relationship. Jesus made it possible to bridge the chasm which separates us from God. The following four principles will help you discover how to know Jesus personally and experience the abundant life he promised.
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PRINCIPLE 1

God LOVES you and created you to know Him personally

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

What prevents us from knowing God personally?
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PRINCIPLE 2

Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separation from God].

Romans 8:6-8 "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God."

A great gulf separates man from God. Man is continually trying to reach God and establish a personal relationship with Him through human efforts, such as living a good life, philosophy, or religion. But he inevitably fails.

The third principle explains the only way to bridge this gulf...
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PRINCIPLE 3
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love

Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

1 Corinthians 15:3-6 "Christ died for our sins... he was buried... he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures... he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred..."

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

But it is not enough just to know these truths...
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PRINCIPLE 4
We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; then we can know God personally and experience His love

John 1:12 "As many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name."

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith. This does not depend on anything you have achieved, it is the free gift of God; and because it is not earned no one can boast about it."

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (a spirit of repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and make us what he wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

Jesus Christ is waiting for an invitation to come in to your life. In fact, he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20).

Perhaps you can sense Christ knocking at the door of your heart. You can invite him in by faith right now. God knows your heart so it doesn't matter exactly what words you use. Here's a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Jesus Christ will come into your life just as he has promised. Once you invite Christ into your life, he promises to never leave you. You can never be alone if you have God in your life.

Hebrews 13:5 "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

To know God personally is the greatest decision you will ever make.

If you just prayed that prayer, then you need to tell someone that you trust about your decision. If you don’t have anyone that you trust to tell, then ask God for guidance to bring someone in your life that you can trust.

Now we are going to discuss why Jesus had to die. This information comes from Jack Kinsella and the Omega Letter.

Why Did Jesus Have To Die?

Yesterday as we were coming home from church, my grandson Bailey chirped, "Gwandad!! Jesus died for you!" There was a pause and he said, "He died on a Cross because bad men put him there. He was covered with boo-boos!" (Being three, Bailey is not up on all the latest medical terms, but he knew what he was talking about) "An' He died for Mummy and for Gwandma and because He loves us."

I was absorbing all this as I drove when Bailey asked me the next logical question. "Gwanddad!" "Yes, Bailey." "Why did He have to die?"

When we got home, I tried to explain to a three-year old something that many adult Christians have difficulty explaining. Yet it is one of the first questions posed by the skeptic.

Why, indeed, if Jesus was God, did He have to die? To the skeptic, the whole Cross, Blood and death thing doesn't make any sense. I know many Christians to whom the answer is simply, "So He could be resurrected on the third day."

That was never a satisfactory answer when I was a skeptic, either.

This morning, instead of going over the usual state of global catastrophe, I thought it might be good if we were ALL equipped to give a reason for the hope that is in us.

The Scripture says God's Justice demands a sacrifice, but for most Christians contending with the skeptic, that answer is unsatisfactory.

The explanation that only a sinless man was qualified to take on the sins of the world makes sense, but it doesn't answer the nuts-and-bolts question of why He had to die. Not fully.

The answer to the nuts-and-bolts legalities is found, not in the New Testament, but rather in the Old.

In Genesis Chapter 15, we find Abram questioning God's promise that his seed will be numbered as the stars of heaven and that they would inherit the land to which God had led him.

Genesis 15:6 says "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." But Abram wanted a guarantee, nonetheless.

"And he [Abram] said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (15:8)

It was then that God proposed a blood covenant after the manner of the Chaldeans. "And he [God] said unto him, [Abram] Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

Abram knew what to do next, since this was something he was familiar with. "And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not."

The blood covenant worked this way. The animals were slaughtered and cut up. The pieces were intermingled and then carefully arranged to form a kind of aisle through which the two parties to the covenant would walk together, hands joined.

The principle of a blood covenant, and the symbolism of the rended animal parts was clearly understood to Abram. Whoever broke the covenant would end up like those piles of animals.

A blood covenant was, by common custom, a joining of 2 or more persons, families, clans, tribes, or nations, where the participants agree to do or refrain from doing certain acts. More specifically, God had proposed a patriarchal covenant.

The patriarchal form of covenant is a self-imposed obligation of a superior party, to the benefit of an inferior party. In this form, the terms the parties use to refer to each other are: father and son.

God's proposal included not only Abram, but extended to Abram's seed forever.

(Galatians 3:29 makes plain that Christians are also "Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.")

Are you still with me? Here's where we are so far. Abram has just prepared a blood covenant between himself and God in which his seed would forever be bound to God as heirs. To be an heir, under the implied terms of the covenant, also required being faithful to the Father.

Abram understood those terms and waited for God to appear. Consider the picture. Abram waited, driving away the carrion eaters from his grisly creation, waiting for God Himself to come down, join hands with Abram and together, they would swear a blood oath. God would be the Father of Abram and his descendents, who would then be required behave as sons to keep that covenant.

Genesis 15:12 records that as Abram waited for God, a deep sleep fell upon him. During that deep sleep, "it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:" (Genesis 15:17-18)

And there's the key! While the covenant was between Abram and God, by passing through the aisle alone, God signed the contract -- alone -- for both sides, binding Himself to keeping both parts.

We know that Abram's seed did NOT remain faithful to the covenant. And violating the blood covenant demanded that somebody had to die. That was what justice required.

The Apostle Paul was, before his conversion on the road to Damascus, a Pharisee, or a religous lawyer, one well qualified to explain the law of covenant oaths.

As Paul explains, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:9) Further. that “they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." (3:9)

And also, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith." (3:11)

Of the covenant that God signed on behalf of Abraham, Paul explains "Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." (3:15)

The covenant could only be confirmed when the price demanded for its violation was paid in full.

When the Law was given to Moses four centuries later, it was assumed by the Jews that to break it was to break the Abrahamic Covenant, for which the penalty was death. Remember, somebody had to die. But God signed on behalf of Abraham, and Paul pointed out the blood penalty required of the covenant was paid in full.

"And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect."

Why did Jesus have to die? Because the covenant demanded satisfactory payment for its violation, and no one who had broken that covenant was qualified to stand in payment except those who signed it.

And God signed on behalf of Abram and his seed.

It is for that reason that God stepped out of eternity and into space and time. To keep the provisions of the original covenant and be a true Son, as it demanded.

And having kept its terms on behalf of sinful humanity, it was incumbent upon Him to make payment, as justice demanded, for its violation by those on whose behalf the covenant was signed.

To be torn and rended like the animals that formed the corridor through which God alone passed.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah (53:3)

To make restitution on behalf of the seed of Abraham. You. Me. And everyone who ever broke its provision of faithfulness. All of us.

Jesus made that payment on our behalf. On the Cross, as He gave up the ghost, Jesus cried with a loud voice 'it is finished' (Tetelestai!) meaning, "paid in full."

The terms of the violated Covenant were met, its price was paid by its Signer. God's justice was fulfilled. That is why Jesus took on a human form and allowed Himself to be crucified by His own creation. That is the reason the Blood of Christ is so precious. Why nothing less would do.

Because justice demanded it.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
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I hope that this post has been enlightening to you and that it may have answered some questions you might have had if you are have been questioning and searching about who Jesus was and is. Next time we will pick up where we left off on Biblical prophecy and answer the question of what the generation is that will see the signs of the End Times come to pass. Don’t doubt that we are that generation. Of this there is no doubt. Until next time, Keep Looking Up!

Romans 8.