OpentheWord.org

ESPAÑOL: ¿Desempeña Rusia un papel en los tiempos del fin?

Many believe we are entering the end of the end times. With that some wonder what countries, if any, will have a role to play.

In recent years, Russia has been in the news from its brutal attack on Ukraine to more recent concerns about the possible release of a plague from one of its biological laboratories.

The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute located in Siberia was constructed under the old Soviet Union to create bio weapons. The lab continues to function with Russia claiming it is now focused on fighting plagues.

According to reports, a 28-year-old lab worker by the name of Darya Shipilova accidentally broke a test tube and caught what some believe was the pneumonic plague.

Pneumonic plague is a severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia bacteria and can be spread between people. A person can die within 24 hours without treatment.

Shipilova died within days of her hospitalization.

The Kremlin responded that there had been no accident at its facility.

As a result of this breach, five hospitals and 200 people were put in isolation. These actions suggest a serious breach at the facility. Those actions speak louder than the Kremlin’s words.

As we study the Biblical end times, it clears that plagues will make an appearance.

Jesus warned of apocalyptic plagues prior to his return stating, “and there will be massive earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines…” (Luke 21:11).

Notice how Jesus said that these plagues will show up in various places, meaning it will not all be concentrated in the Middle East.

In his vision of the end times recorded in the book of Revelation, the Apostle John warns that one of the four horseman of the Apocalypse mentioned in Revelation 6 is called death and Sheol. Riding a greenish grey horse, it will bring death through plagues and famine (verse 8).

In a recent article, Israel365 News reported on the plague incident in Russia and particularly that country’s possible connection to the end times.

Israel365 News is an orthodox Jewish site. Though they don’t accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, they believe a Messiah is soon coming.

As part of their end times theology, they believe that God will unleash plagues similar to what during Israel’s exodus out of Egypt.

Berkowtitz writes that when God sent the fifth plague, the Hebrew word ‘dever’ was used to describe the pestilence in Exodus 9:3. This is the same Hebrew word used in Exodus 38:22 to describe the pestilence that quote “God will unleash on Gog, the invader from the far north whom generations of Bible readers have identified with Russia.”

Perhaps the clearest Biblical reference to Russia’s role is found in Ezekiel which speaks of a nation called Gog that will play a role in Armageddon, the last end times battle against Israel.

One verse even provides the geographical location of Gog stating it is in the “remote parts of the north” (Ezekiel 38:15). The ASV describes Gog as being from the “uttermost parts of the north”.

The verse tells us that Gog is located in the farthest north that a country could be.

There are only two nations today that occupy the Earth’s arctic, Canada and Russia.

And of the two, Russia certainly fits the bill as it has been aggressive in the Middle East including supporting Iran.

Of course, it wasn’t named Russia 2,500 years ago when Ezekiel uttered that prophecy. It probably wasn’t even a single country at that point, but rather a conglomeration of small tribal groups.

But Ezekiel, who received visions, was seeing how it would appear centuries in the future. If it was Russia, he had to find or make up words in Hebrew that would resemble what he was seeing or hearing in Russian.

Berkowitz writes:

“Ezekiel identifies the enemy as “Gog, of the land of Magog, nesi rosh Meshech v’Tuval” (Ezekiel 38:2), which some read as “the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. The 19th-century Hebrew scholar Wilhelm Gesenius linked Rosh to the Russian people and Meshech to Moscow.”

Where that is true or not, another prophet, Daniel, also had visions of the end times. But he described the countries involved using animals.

One country had the appearance of a bear that would devour many nations.

5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ (Daniel 7:4 NASB)

The bear has long symbolized Russia and the old Soviet Union.

We saw that on display during the 2008 Euros, when Russian supporters unfurled a massive flag which covered nearly a full section of seats emblazoned with a bear and the words “Forward, Russia” as a show of support for the Russian soccer team.

Over the past century the old Soviet Union and now its latest rendering, Russia, have aggressively tried to dominate other countries.

While these coincidences don’t automatically mean that Russia will be a major player in the End Times, the country’s actions certainly make it a contender.

ESPAÑOL: La arqueología confirma la existencia de Balaam

Despite the best efforts by secularists to discredit the Bible, archaeology continues to confirm that it is in fact an accurate record of historical events that took place in ancient Israel.

Perhaps the most curious involves an archaeological dig that took place in 1967, when Dutch archaeologists discovered an ancient text on a wall in the Jordanian town Deir Alla confirming the existence of a seer called Balaam.

For those unfamiliar with the story, Balaam, a pagan seer, was hired by King Balak of Moab to curse Israel as the nation sat on the other side of the Jordan river preparing to make its first unsuccessful attempt to enter the Promised Land under Moses (Numbers 22 – 24).

However, when Balaam went to curse Israel, he instead blessed them saying he could only deliver the message he was given.

Though unwilling to curse Israel, Balaam eventually gave the Moabite king the necessary information to defeat Israel. He told Balak to send women to entice the Israeli men into sexual sin. They probably did it in connection with a pagan fertility feast where sex played a major role. After the Israeli men joined in, God judged Israel (Numbers 25:1-2).

The text written on wall plaster in Deir Alla was broken into 119 pieces. It was essentially the equivalent of a modern day billboard.

Though it is largely intact, there are a few missing pieces. But the text, destroyed in 800 BC, is very clear that it was about Balaam son of Beor, the exact name mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 24:3).

In fact, Balaam son of Beor is mentioned three times in the first four lines and is called a seer of the gods.  This text was not written by Jews but by Canaanites who independently confirmed Balaam’s existence.

Now the Biblical incident involving Balaam took place about 500 years earlier, around 1400 BC and the inscription supports the idea that Balaam lived much earlier. He obviously had a folk hero status which indicates why Balak was willing to pay Balaam money to curse Israel.

The Dutch archaeologists who found the text noted that bottom of the 50 lines of text were quite worn indicating that the inscription was very old before it was destroyed probably during an earthquake that hit the area during the reign of King Uzziah (Amos 1:1).

As well, the text refers to the Book of Balaam, indicating that the inscription was taken from a much older document that we no longer have.

The text written in Aramaic starts with:

“Warnings from the Book of Balaam the son of Beor. He was a seer of the gods.”

In fact, the phrase “Book of Balaam” was written in red ink for emphasis. The text goes on to mention several of Balaam’s curses suggesting he had a reputation for cursing people which confirms why the Moabite king hired Balaam.

But one of the curses has caught people’s attention because it was against the ‘shadday-gods’ leading some to speculate that this was in fact a reference to Jehovah, because Balaam used this same word twice when he described God’s blessing of Israel (Numbers 24: 4, 16).

The oracle of him who hears the words of God,

Aside from the story, Balaam is referred to three times in the New Testament. Peter, who refers to Balaam as a prophet (not a false prophet), condemns him for going after money (2 Peter 2:15-16) as does Jude (Jude 11). And in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John refers to Balaam as having enticed people to engage in sexual sin and eating meat sacrificed to idols (Revelation 2:14).

But as we read the account in Numbers, we are told as Balaam stood to curse Israel that the “Spirit of the Lord” fell upon Balaam and he blessed Israel (Numbers 24:2). This would suggest that his three prophetic words of blessing were divinely inspired.

But one of the things Balaam said has puzzled Biblical scholars because it seems like he was predicting Christ’s coming:

“I see him, but not now;

Some have wondered if this is a reference to Christ, but nowhere in the New Testament do any of the writers tie this passage to a prophetic foretelling of Christ’s coming, as they did with other Old Testament verses.

Others have suggested it was actually a reference to King David (and perhaps indirectly Messianic), because King David subjugated the Edomites (2 Samuel 8:14) which is referenced in Balaam’s prophecy .

But the mention Israel possessing Edom is very similar to another word giving by the Prophet Amos that talks about the restoration of the Tabernacle of David and the prophet adds this line “That they may possess the remnant of Edom” (Amos 9: 11-12).

Amos is connecting the gentiles entering the Kingdom of God with the restoration of David’s tabernacle.

The early church believed this prophecy involving the Tabernacle of David and the gentiles was actually fulfilled when the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his family who were gentiles similar to what happened to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost.

At this point, the early church was made up of Jews, some of whom believed that gentiles needed to become Jews (get circumcised) before becoming Christians. The Apostles called a council in Jerusalem to discuss the gentile’s role in the early church and James quoted this passage in Amos to explain why they should accept gentiles into the Church as equals (Acts 15:13-21).

Sources:

Hi, my name is Dean Smith.

Many have questioned the account of the ten plagues that God unleashed during the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt because they are not mentioned in Egyptian records.

But that is simply not the case. In fact, the plagues may have been mentioned, but we have to look about three hundred years earlier to find them.

First there is the Ipuwer Papyrus which describes several events that resemble the plagues. However, it was simply a letter written by a concerned Egyptian citizen to government officials.

We also have an official Egyptian record of at least one of the plagues: the “Ahmose Tempest Stela” also known as the “Storm Stela.” It seems to describe the ninth plague.

A stela is an upright slab of rock used to commemorate significant events in a nation’s history.

Many Christians have traditionally believed that Rameses was the pharaoh of the Exodus. Although several blockbuster movies support this perspective, these two artifacts have many questioning whether Rameses was the pharaoh of the Exodus.

They suggest that Israel’s exodus from Egypt may have taken place at least three centuries earlier.

Many now believe the Exodus story actually started with the arrival of Pharaoh Ahmose. Around 1550 BC, Ahmose drove out the Hyksos, who had invaded the northern Nile delta about two hundred years earlier and forced the Egyptian government to move south.

Some believe Ahmose was the new Egyptian king mentioned in Exodus 1:8 — the king who did not know Joseph and eventually enslaved the Hebrews who had arrived during the Hyksos reign.

Like the Hebrews, the Hyksos were Semitic, so the two groups shared a similar culture and language. This could explain why Joseph so easily rose to power and why his family was allowed to settle in the land.

Fragments of the Ahmose Stela were discovered between 1947 and 1951. In his article ‘Proof for the Biblical Exodus,’ Simcha Jacobovici writes that two professors from the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute—Robert Ritner and Nadine Moeller—translated the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the slab in 2014.

According to the two professors, the stela describes a massive darkness that occurred in Egypt. It was so unusual that it warranted its own memorial.

The stela records that the darkness was so intense that the Egyptians could not see people standing beside them. It also said the darkness was so heavy that the Egyptians were unable to light torches. The inscription literally states, “No torches could be lit in the two lands”, apparently referring to Upper and Lower Egypt.

Now compare this description with the ninth plague described in the Book of Exodus:

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” 22So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:21-23 NASB)

Notice how the darkness is described as being so thick that it could be felt. It was also so dark that people could not see each other.

While the stela states that the Egyptians were unable to light their torches, the Bible says that the Hebrews had light in their dwellings. The wording seems to suggest that the Egyptians did not. What would be unusual about the Hebrews having light in their dwellings if the Egyptians also had light?

There is, however, one notable difference. The stela says that the darkness lasted seven days, while the Bible says that the thick darkness lasted three days. The emphasis on the ‘thick darkness’ may suggest that it began to lift after the third day.

The stela adds that a massive storm struck Egypt in conjunction with the darkness. It was so severe that it flooded temples dedicated to the Egyptian gods and apparently washed some of them away. Death was everywhere, and bodies were seen floating down the Nile. The stela also says that every household was affected by death.

It is difficult to say, but this may refer to the seventh plague, which involved a devastating storm of hail and rain that killed many.

23 Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. (Exodus 9:23 NASB)

Perhaps the most significant statement on the stela concerns whom it blamed for the catastrophe. According to Ritner and Moeller, the inscription attributes the catastrophe to a singular ‘god’ who was more powerful than any of the Egyptian gods.

And this was exactly the intent of the plagues. When Pharaoh first refused to allow the Hebrews to leave, Moses warned him:

“May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. (Exodus 8:10 NASV)

In their report, the two professors believe the stela portrayed actual events that took place in Egypt. It other words they did not view it as a metaphor.

They attributed the darkness to a massive volcanic eruption on the Mediterranean island of Thera. Although they presented evidence that Ahmose’s reign and the volcanic eruption occurred at roughly the same time, many researchers believe the two events were separated by hundreds of years.

Once again, we see how archaeology confirms the Bible. Thanks for joining me on this podcast and I will catch you again.

An article on Israel365 News provides a surprising confirmation that the church is the Temple of God.

Israel365 News is operated by Orthodox Jews based in Israel. Although, they don’t believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, they still believe their Messiah is coming soon. As part of His arrival there will be a third Jewish Temple.

In the article, Israel365 reported on the remarks made by Moshe Feiglin, an Orthodox Jew and Israeli politician who believes that there will be a third Jewish temple.

Feiglin used to be part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party. However, in 2015, after being hindered from advancing in Likud, Feiglin formed his own orthodox political party, Zehut. It has since grown into one of the more prominent orthodox political parties in Israel.

In a statement to members of Zehut, Feiglin spoke of the building of a third Jewish Temple.

The Temple Mount currently has two Islamic buildings on the site, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Many scholars and Jewish traditions hold that the Mosque is built over the site of the original Jewish Temple, that was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.

Feiglin believes that at some point in the future, the Muslims will simply abandon the Mosque, preparing the way for the Temple.

But this is where it gets interesting because Feiglin added that Biblical prophecy indicates that the gentiles will play a major role in the construction of the third Jewish Temple.

He cited Isaiah 56:7 that speaks of how the Temple will be a house of prayer for everyone including the gentiles:

“Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer… for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7)

The prophet Zechariah goes one step further adding that the gentiles will be involved in the actual construction of the third temple:

“And those who are far off shall come and build the Temple of the LORD, and you shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you” (Zechariah 6:15)

The verse indicates this will occur at the Messiah’s arrival, as it states: “you shall know that the LORD of Hosts has sent me to you.”

Jewish tradition holds that this verse was partially fulfilled in the construction of the Second Temple, which is the one that Jesus visited. Not only did a Persian king provide initial support in its construction, but a major renovation was paid for by King Herod.

Because of these verses Feiglin believes that gentiles will also play a significant role in the construction of a third Jewish Temple. However, a physical Third Temple alone would not fully satisfy these prophecies.

It does not fulfill Isaiah’s prediction that the Temple would become a House of Prayer for the gentiles. Nor does it fulfill the promise made by Zechariah, that God would dwell among the nations.

“And many nations will join themselves to the Lordon that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of armies has sent Me to you. (Zechariah 2:11)

If we look at the Temple as a physical building, for God to dwell among the nations there would need to be a Temple constructed in every country.

But as we look at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the gentiles in Acts 10, we witness a significant expansion of God’s Kingdom to include the Gentiles.

And because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, those who believed in His death and resurrection were filled with the Holy Spirit.

The primary purpose of the Temple was to house the Ark of the Covenant on which the very presence of God dwelt.

With the Holy Spirit now dwelling within people, Paul states that believers and the church became the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:20-22).

The Temple moved from a physical building to a spiritual one. So as churches were constructed in nations around the world, this fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy of God dwelling in the nations.

This is why the Israel365 article, though written from a different theological perspective, unwittingly points to a truth Christians have long affirmed.

ESPAÑOL: ¿Fueron Moisés y un Poderoso Egipcio Llamado Senenmut la Misma Persona? Evidencia Arqueológica de un Héroe Bíblico

While skeptics have questioned Moses’ existence because there is no mention of him in the Egyptian records, an interesting article in the Daily Mail suggests this may not have been the case.

The article, based on research provided by the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology, states that a mysterious man by the name of Senenmut who rose to incredible heights within the Egyptian Empire was none other than Moses.

Senenmut was his Egyptian name, and Moses his Hebrew one.

Most of us are familiar with the story of Moses who was raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter after his Hebrew mother put him in a basket on the Nile River to save him from the Pharaoh’s order to kill all the Hebrew male infants.

And this is when the interesting parallels begin to appear.

First, the Egyptian records reveal that Senenmut was a commoner who first rose to prominence during the reign of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s first female pharaohs.

Writing for the Armstrong Institute, Christopher Eames believes Hatshepsut as a young princess was the one who found Moses in the Nile marsh and raised him as her own son.

The Egyptian records even state that Hatshepsut’s spirit was “inclined toward foreign people.” We know from the Biblical record, that the princess recognized immediately this was a Hebrew baby (Exodus 2:6), but took him in anyways.

Other Egyptian records state that Senenmut had ‘come forth from the flood’ — echoing the Biblical account in which Moses received his name because Pharaoh’s daughter ‘drew him out of the water’ (Exodus 2:10).

Additionally, Senenmut was even given a god-like status because other Egyptian records state that he was able to control ‘even the Nile.’

Coincidentally, the first of the plagues that God had Moses perform was turning the Nile blood red. From the Egyptian perspective it looked like Moses had killed the Nile.

This god-like status may explain why Senenmut became so powerful in the Egyptian government.

When Hatshepsut rose to Pharaoh around 1479 BC, Senenmut became one of her key advisors. He was a powerful man who received over 90 titles.

Senenmut was an architect and heavily involved in construction projects. This would explain why Moses was on a building site when he caught an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave.

But the fact that Moses was able to dispatch an armed Egyptian also links him to Senenmut. This is because the Egyptian records reveal that Senenmut was a military commander who led several successful Egyptian campaigns in what is today Ethiopia and Sudan.

In other words, if Moses and Senenmut were the same person, he was a trained soldier and accustomed to violence.

And the Armstrong Institute was not the first to make this connection between Senenmut and Moses — the ancient Jewish historian Josephus who died around 100 AD, also did.

In his book Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus provided an extensive breakdown of Moses’ military accomplishments in Ethiopia while serving as an Egyptian commander.

Josephus believed Senenmut and Moses were one and the same person.

Archaeologists have found other interesting similarities. Several statues have been found of Senenmut, rivalling that of the royal family. This is very unusual since he was a commoner.

There is even a statue of Senenmut holding Hatshepsut’s daughter. Since it was absolutely forbidden for a commoner to even touch someone in the Pharaoh’s family, much less hold them, how was a commoner able to do this?

It suggests that Senenmut, like Moses, had been adopted into Hatshepsut’s family. The name, Senenmut, even hints at this close family tie as it has been translated as meaning “mother’s brother.”

And the similarities continue. Because despite his prominence, the Egyptian records show that Senenmut suddenly disappeared.

He left behind two uncompleted tombs. They had not only been abandoned, both were also sealed. Archaeologists discovered that his unfinished sarcophagus had been smashed, suggesting some type of personal vendetta.

Some of Senenmut’s statues were also vandalized.

This falls in line with Moses’ fall from favor in the Egyptian court. After killing the Egyptian guard, Moses fled to Midian before returning to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.

And the New Testament even hints of this connection between Senenmut and Moses.

In a speech given before his martyrdom, Stephen said that Moses “was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in speaking and action” (Acts 7:22).

Having been raised in Pharaoh’s court, Moses received the best education available including math, astronomy, architecture and engineering.

But Stephen adds that Moses was also famous for his actions or what he had accomplished. Though there was no hint of this in the Exodus account, Stephen implies that Moses had many notable achievements during his forty years in the Egyptian court.

How did Stephen come to this conclusion?

I suspect he was referring to that ancient connection between Senenmut and Moses.

This god-like status may explain why Senenmut became so powerful in the Egyptian government.

When Hatshepsut rose to Pharaoh between 1479 BC to 1458 BC, Senenmut became one of her key advisors. He was a powerful man who received over 90 titles.

He was an architect and heavily involved in construction projects. This explains why Moses was on a building site when he caught an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave.

But the fact that Moses was able to dispatch an armed Egyptian also links him to Senenmut. This is because the Egyptian records state that Senenmut was a military commander who led several successful Egyptian campaigns in what is today Ethiopia and Sudan.

In other words, if Moses and Senenmut were the same person, he had witnessed and perhaps even participated in battles. He was accustomed to violence.

And the Armstrong Institute was not the first to make this military connection between Senenmut and Moses — the ancient Jewish historian Josephus who died around 100 AD, made the same argument.

Although, the Bible does not mention that Moses was in charge of any military operations while serving in the Egyptian court, in his book Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus provided an extensive breakdown of Moses’ military accomplishments in Ethiopia while serving as an Egyptian commander.

Josephus believed Senenmut and Moses were one and the same person.

Archaeologists have found other interesting similarities. Several statues have been found of Senenmut, rivalling that of the royal family. This is very unusual since he was a commoner.

There is even a statue of Senenmut holding Hatshepsut’s daughter. Since it was absolutely forbidden for a commoner to even touch someone in the Pharaoh’s family, much less hold them, how was a commoner able to do this?

It suggests that Senenmut, like Moses, had been adopted into Hatshepsut’s family. The name, Senenmut, even hints at this close family tie as it has been translated as meaning “mother’s brother.”

And the similarities continue. Because as prominent as Senenmut was, the Egyptian records show that he suddenly disappeared.

Senenmut left behind two uncompleted tombs. They had not only been abandoned, both were also sealed. Archaeologists discovered that his unfinished sarcophagus was completely smashed, suggesting some type of personal vendetta.

Some of Senenmut’s statues had similarly been vandalized.

This falls in line with Moses’ fall from favor in the Egyptian court.

After killing the Egyptian guard, Moses fled to Midian before returning to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.

And the New Testament even hints of this connection between Senenmut and Moses.

In a speech given before his martyrdom, Stephen said that Moses “was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was proficient in speaking and action” (Acts 7:22).

Having been raised in Pharaoh’s court, Moses received the best education available including math, astronomy, architecture and engineering.

But Stephen adds that Moses was also famous for his actions or what he had accomplished. Though there was no hint of this in the Exodus account, Stephen implies that Moses had many notable achievements during his forty years in the Egyptian court.

How did Stephen come to this conclusion?

I suspect he was referring to that ancient connection between Senenmut and Moses.

Hi my name is Dean. Kim Kardashian is the most famous of the Kardashian family. She gained her fame starring in the reality TV show Keeping up with the Kardashians which ran from 2007 to 2021.

In 2015, the Daily Mail published the story of how a prophetic word given by a 11-year-old boy saved the Kardashian family from the Armenian genocide.

The Kardashians originated in Russia and went by the name Kardaschoffs. In the mid 1800s, they moved to the village of Karakale, located in modern Turkey.

The family was considered religious rebels as they attended a Molokan church which had been branded heretics by the Russian Orthodox Church.

The particular Molokan group the Kardashians attended was impacted by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1833. 

Their services had a very pentecostal flavor. This  included raising hands, dancing, prophecy, miracles and other manifestations such as being slain in the spirit, and laughing.

During the 1850s an 11-year-old boy, Efim Klubnikin, gave a prophetic word that many Armenians would die unless they fled to a land across the great ocean.

He prophesied:

“Those who believe in this will go on a journey to a far land, while the unbelievers will remain in place. Our people will go on a long journey over the great and deep waters. People from all countries will go there. There will be a great war. All kings will shed blood like great rivers. Two steamships will leave to cross the impassable ocean.”

Because it came from a child, the Molokans ignored the prophecy.

But in 1901, a much older Efim called a meeting of the Molokan elders. He reminded them of the prophetic word he gave 40 years earlier.

Efim then added two further revelations. First, the Armenians needed to move quickly because the government would soon close the door to departures.

Secondly, he used a crudely drawn map telling them they needed to go to Los Angeles, California.

Over the next decade, 2,000 Armenians obeyed the prophecy and fled to America.

This included the Kardashian’s great grandfather Tatos, who would eventually marry fellow Armenian and Molokan refugee, Hamas Shakarian.

So why did prophecy tell them to specifically go to the US West Coast? The answer may lie in the Azusa Street Pentecostal Revival that took place in Los Angeles between 1906 and 1915. 

Because of their previous experience with the Holy Spirit, the Molokans played an important role in this outpouring which sparked the world-wide Pentecostal movement.

Those who fled Armenia not only avoided World War I, but they escaped the terrifying Armenian genocide that took place between 1915 and 23, where it’s estimated the Ottoman Empire slaughtered upwards of 1.5 million Armenians. 

This would have included the Kardashian’s ancestors, as everyone in the village of Karakale, where they came from, was killed.

Thanks for joining me on this podcast and I will catch you again.

ESPAÑOL: Maldijo Jesús en secreto el Templo Judío asegurando que nunca sería reconstruido?

A recent Israel365 News article highlighted the importance of a third Jewish temple for the Jewish faith. Yet an incident recorded in both Matthew and Mark hints that Jesus may have secretly cursed the temple, ensuring it will never be rebuilt.

In his article, Adam Berkowitz wrote about three pronouncements made by Israel’s nascent Sanhedrin which was set up in 2004, as a rabbinical court of Jewish law.

It hopes to eventually have the Israeli government recognize it as the country’s official Sanhedrin and integrate it into the political and legal system.

Though this hasn’t happened yet, the nascent Sanhedrin released three psaks.

According to Berkowitz, a psak is a “binding halachic ruling, and that, in matters concerning the fate of the Jewish people, a court above is bound to follow the ruling of a court below.”

In other words, these psaks uttered by the lower Sanhedrin court will be carried out by the higher Heavenly court.

One psak called for the removal of all of Israel’s enemies. Another called for the return of a spirit of prophecy, and a third called for the Messiah to be revealed and the Jewish temple rebuilt.

In its psak about the Temple, the nascent Sanhedrin declared:

“The court asks that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, reveal our righteous Mashiach. The court asks that the Holy One, Blessed Be He, remove and erase every obstacle so that we may build the Beit HaMikdash.”

The Beit HaMikdash refers to the Jewish Temple which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Berkowitz added, “The document closes by repeating the formula that just as the court below has ruled, the court above should rule the same, “and so may it stand.”

But I am not convinced the latter will happen. Not only did Jesus prophesy the destruction of the Temple in Matthew 24, but the Lord’s cursing of a fig tree may have permanently sealed the Temple’s fate.

There are incidents in the Gospels that seem totally out of place with their surrounding context. Some scholars have developed a method for interpreting these passages.

Called the sandwich theory, it states that if what takes place before and after an incident shares the same theme, then the story in the middle is connected to that same theme.

Similar to the sandwich, what is in the middle is the key point of what is really taking place.

In Matthew 21, we have the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree. The Lord went to the tree looking for figs, but it had none because it was out of season. Yet despite it being out of season, Jesus cursed the tree and it died.

But immediately before this account, Jesus had just cleansed the Temple, after which He and the disciples withdrew to Bethany.

It was on this journey that they encountered the fig tree.

The next day, Jesus and the disciples returned to the Temple and were immediately confronted by the priests over what He had done the previous day.

So if the incidents before and after involved the temple, then according to the sandwich theory, the fig tree story is also about the temple. In fact, it is the main part of this spiritual sandwich.

If this is the case, it suggests that Jesus was actually cursing the temple.

Matthew noted that Jesus cursed the fig tree with these words, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you” (Matthew 21:19).

Mark repeated the curse and added that the fig tree was “withered from the roots up” (Mark 11:20). This meant there was no chance of regrowth. It was permanently dead.

So if the fig tree was secretly the temple, this means it will never be rebuilt.

We know that Jesus’ attitude towards the temple was the catalyst behind His arrest.

When the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas arrested Jesus, one of the first charges he brought against the Lord was that He wanted to destroy the temple (Matthew 26:59-61).

But I suspect in the fig tree account recorded in Matthew 21, Jesus was delivering the final verdict on the temple. Then three chapters later, the Lord would prophesy its complete destruction.

ESPAÑOL: Un Evento Sobrenatural Ocurrió Sobre Jerusalén Justo Antes de la Destrucción del Templo en el 70 d.C.

A very strange thing happened in the skies above Jerusalem four years before the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple in 70 AD.

This supernatural event was not only reported by a first century Jewish historian Josephus, but a Roman one as well.

In his book, Jewish Wars, Josephus reported seeing angels and chariots in the sky over Jerusalem around 66 AD. 

Josephus wrote:

“Chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were running among the clouds.”

He even admitted that people would have a hard time believing his story, describing it as beyond belief, but he said others had seen it as well.

But this story takes an interesting twist as a first century Roman historian, Tacitus, also wrote about this incident in his book, Histories: 

“There had been seen hosts joining battle in the skies, the fiery gleam of arms, the temple illuminated by a sudden radiance from the clouds.”

Tacitus’ version was slightly different revealing he was using another source. He not only wrote of a battle taking place in the heavenlies, Tacitus added that the Jewish temple was illuminated by a radiant light.

This suggested that the temple was the focus of the angelic war occurring above Jerusalem.

We know that Angels played a major role in many Biblical events. Psalms 78:49 tells us that God sent quote “a band of destroying angels” into Egypt prior to the Israel’s Exodus. They undoubtedly battled the demonic angels in Egypt, preparing for Israel’s exodus. 

We also know from Daniel 10, that Godly Angels literally fought, the demonic Prince of Persia to prepare for Israel’s return to the Promised land.

God uses angels to accomplish His purposes. 

But there are a couple of big ‘Ifs” to this account. If there was an Angelic battle over Jerusalem just prior to the temple being destroyed and if this battle was about the Temple what does this tell us?

In Matthew 24, Jesus prophesied that the temple was going to be obliterated and not one stone would be on top of another.

This was God’s prophetic will and this is exactly what happened. 

So if Godly angels were battling in the skies above Jerusalem to ensure that the Jewish Temple was destroyed, who were they fighting?

But the bigger question is why was the temple destroyed?

Well after Jesus cleansed the temple, the priests asked for a sign the Lord had authority to do this in John chapter two. Jesus said destroy this temple and in three days He would raise it up again. 

After being mocked by the impossibility of this feat, John writes in verse 21, that Jesus was talking about His body, which today is the church. 

God was replacing the physical Temple with a spiritual one.

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ESPAÑOL: ¿Detuvo Dios la Construcción de un Tercer Templo Judío?

Since the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple in 70 AD, the building of a third Jewish Temple has been a high priority for orthodox Jews.

Some Christians support it believing the temple is part of the End Times. They cite 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul talks about the Antichrist proclaiming himself to be god and sitting in the temple and Revelation 11, where the apostle John is told to measure the temple.  

Now some believe this is a physical temple, while others believe it is spiritual.

Over the centuries there have been several attempts to build a Temple in Jerusalem.

Perhaps the closest came in 361 AD, when Julian the apostate became the emperor of Rome. 

Christianity was now the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.

However, Julian, who had been raised Christian, rejected his faith and sought to return Rome to its pagan roots. Thus the nickname Apostate.

This included restoring the pagan temples and even providing the financing to help construction.

As part of his agenda, Julian allowed the Jews to build a third Jewish temple. 

Though Julian provided financial help, Hilkiycah, a prominent Rabbi, argued that gentile money should not be used in constructing the temple.

Whether Julian’s money was used or not, the Jews started building.

They had government support. They obviously had the finances and they had the workers. 

But something strange happened.

Ammianus Marcellinus, a pagan historian and close friend of Emperor Julian, explained what took place in his book, The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus:    

Julian thought to rebuild at an extravagant expense the proud Temple once at Jerusalem, and committed this task to Alypius of Antioch. Alypius set vigorously to work, and was seconded by the governor of the province; when fearful balls of fire, breaking out near the foundations, continued their attacks, till the workmen, after repeated scorchings, could approach no more: and he gave up the attempt.

He said balls of fire poured out of the ground, forcing the workers to stop construction. As a friend of Julian, Marcellinus would have been supportive of the emperor’s policies, so he wouldn’t be prone to embellishing a negative story.

In his book, Historia Ecclesiastica, Christian historian named Sozomen, who died in 450 AD, also stated that fires stopped the construction. He added that an earthquake which destroyed the work already completed was the final blow that ended the project.

We have no idea what caused those fires, but do know that a major earthquake hit the area in 363 AD. 

Then to top it off, Julian the Apostate, the driving force behind the temple’s construction, was killed in battle that same year, limiting his reign to less than three years. 

While secularists call it a coincidence, Christians called it providential. They believed God removed Julian because the Lord has done similar things in the past.

A Godly angel killed King Herod in Acts 12:23. God also struck down the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, with madness in Daniel 4:32-33. 

The Christians also believed God was instrumental in stopping the construction of the Jewish Temple. 

Why?

Because according to the Apostle Paul, the church and believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit are now God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). 

ESPAÑOL: El Mensaje Subliminal Detrás de Jesús Caminando sobre el Agua

One of the more notable stories in the Gospels is the time Jesus walked on water.

But it’s easy to miss the hidden message within this miracle.

According to Mark 6, after miraculously feeding 5,000 people, Jesus told His disciples to go by boat across the Sea of Galilee to Bethesda. Jesus remained behind to pray.

Because the Sea of Galilee is surrounded by mountains, storms pop up quickly when the cooler mountain air mixes with Galilee’s warm moist air.

As the disciples were crossing they were hit with a sudden storm. The wind was pushing against them and as the disciples struggled with the oars. Jesus suddenly appeared walking on the water.

Shocked, the disciples initially thought they were seeing a ghost.

While there is certainly the miraculous element to this story, many miss the bigger message. Without stating it outright, Jesus was demonstrating that He was Jehovah in the flesh.

This is seen from several passages throughout the Old Testament that speak of God walking on water.

It starts off with arguably the Bible’s oldest book, Job, which describes the power of God with these words:

He who commands the sun, and it does not shine
and seals up the stars,
8 he alone spreads out the heavens,
and treads on the waves of the sea. (Job 9:7-8) .

The idea of Jehovah walking on water is seen again in Psalm 77. This passage starts off in verse 11 attributing what follows to Jehovah (LORD in all caps).

You walked through the sea;
you passed through the surging waters,
but left no footprints. (Psalm 77:19)

Notice how the passage emphasizes, the miraculous nature of this because, Jehovah left no footprints.

The same idea is presented again in Isaiah 43:16.

Now Jesus was doing exactly the same thing.

But Mark alludes to Jesus being Jehovah with a second odd phrase, when he writes that Jesus ‘came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them” (Mark 6:48 ESV).

This phrase was significant and one Jews were very familiar with. This is because it connects back to Moses who desired to see God’s Glory in Exodus 33:18. However, Jehovah told Moses that if any man sees God’s face they would die.

Twice in verse 22, Jehovah said He would ‘pass by’ Moses allowing him to see God’s back:

Without saying it, Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples that He was the Son of God, Jehovah in the flesh.

Matthew adds:

And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:33)

This is the same Greek word the writer of Hebrews used to describe angels worshiping God in Hebrews 1 verse 6.

It was the first time that the disciples worshiped Christ as they finally recognized they were seeing God in the flesh.