Posts Tagged ‘Prophecy’

Jesus planned it all out in detail before He was even born. After thirty years on earth, His time had come. Just days before He was arrested and crucified, He rode into Jerusalem – on a donkey. Why did the multitude shout and lay coats and palm branches on the road some 2,000 years ago?

Why were they celebrating, and what were His followers thinking while the people roared with joy as Jerusalem rocked with excitement?

The King was coming.

Palm Sunday will be here in a few days which means Resurrection Sunday is just one week after that. In this crazy, fascinating, unprecedented time we find ourselves in due to COVID 19, many Americans have been watching on line church services and practicing social distancing.

As predicted by the Prophet Daniel, the exact day of Jesus’ grand entrance into Jerusalem was very different. Expectation filled the crowds during the Jewish feast of Passover as stories about Jesus spread across the entire land.

In the Old Testament, Zechariah 9:9 predicts a sign of the Messiah, and states:

Rejoice greatly, …Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation; Humble, and mounted on a donkey; Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The Apostle Matthew stated most of the crowd spread their coats in the road for Jesus to ride over, and others cut branches from the trees and put them in the road. He wrote:

The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!”

10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:9-11

They knew what was written about the Messiah. We, too, have the Scriptures to confirm so many prophecies including some yet to come. Check out what John wrote in the Book of Revelation about the future Millennial kingdom following the Great Tribulation:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10                                  

The Lamb of God took away the sins of the world! We just have to believe…

FULL POST HERE:

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Pope Francis recently signed a pact with Muslims in a possible push toward a one-world religion and declared that diversity of religions is God’s will. But wait. Doesn’t the Bible warn Christians about unifying with those who worship other gods and have contradictory beliefs?

God sent His Son to save sinners, but Allah had no son. Isn’t this a problem with anyone else? There are many glaring, stark contrasts between the founders of Christianity (Jesus) and Islam (Muhammad) as well as the doctrines themselves. Jesus taught love and forgiveness, and He also instructed His disciples to “pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44).”

But the prophet Muhammad was a violent warrior who promoted conquest, had multiple wives, and killed Jews and Christians – referring to them as infidels and sworn enemies. Look it up.

Jesus was a sinless, spiritual leader who laid down His life to save mankind, said “Father, forgive them” to those that crucified Him’ Jesus never killed anyone. Muhammad too, was a spiritual leader, who became a political leader, a liar, and a violent military leader. Christ ruled by peace while Muhammad ruled largely by the sword.

Nevertheless, a historic interfaith covenant was signed in the Middle East last week, and isn’t it interesting the U.S. mainstream media was practically silent about it? Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, considered to be the most important imam in Sunni Islam, arrived at the signing ceremony with Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Francis “hand-in-hand in a symbol of interfaith brotherhood.”

The pope and the grand imam of al-Azhar signed what was referred to as “a historic declaration of fraternity, calling for peace between nations, religions and races, in front of a global audience of religious leaders from Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other faiths.” Many gods and spirits exist, but if one religion is true, all the rest have to be false. Does the Bible have anything to say about this?

“…do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world; …and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist;” (1 John 4:1-3)

Though there are some similarities, Islam is quite incompatible with the Bible as well as America, a society that values Judeo-Christian principles and religious freedom. Islam will accept no other religions, no competing economic or political views, and no legal system except Sharia Law which would outlaw Christianity.

And by the way, did you know Muslims elected to Congress demand to be sworn in on the Quran, not the Bible? So who or what are they swearing allegiance to? Many passages in Islamic holy books command and justify violence in the name of Allah. Let’s look at what the Quran has to say about other religions.

“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; (Quran 5:33)

“(Remember) when your Lord inspired the angels… “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve (defy Allah). Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them” (Quran 8:12)

The Quran contains at least 109 verses that speak of war with nonbelievers, usually meaning non-Muslims, as well as 164 verses declaring jihad, holy war. Religion of peace – really?

Islam is a social, political and economic system (Sharia Law) that uses a false deity (Allah) to advance its agenda of control. The meaning of Islam is “submission,” and people must bow to Allah.

The God of the Bible, Jesus Christ said, “All authority has been given to me (Matthew 28:18).” Islam, however, teaches Jesus was only a prophet. They say He was not God and teach that Jesus did not sacrifice Himself for our sins and die on the cross, nor did He rise from the dead. But these are core essentials of the Christian faith!

Muhammed claimed to be the last and greatest of all of God’s prophets, he had fifteen wives, and sanctioned the beating of wives (Sura 4:34). Muhammed was well known for spreading his new religion by force. Five years after his death, Muhammad’s followers captured Jerusalem and by 732 A.D. they went into Spain. Their aggression continued for hundreds of years until finally, resistance rose up via the Crusades which began in 1095.

Back to Pope Francis: another thing he did was to declare the Sharia-governed United Arab Emirates the ‘homeland of tolerance.’ Just look at history and news reports and you’ll see this could not be further from the truth.

So, the Pope shook hands, kissed, and signed with El-Tayeb, an open advocate of Sharia law. In fact, in a June 2016 television interview he stated,

“The penalty for an open apostate, departing from the community [Islam], is well stipulated in sharia. An apostate must be pressed upon to repent within a variable period of time or be killed.”

Clearly, Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive. Both claim to be the only true way to God, but both cannot be right.

Former Muslim, Elijah Abraham, is an expert on Islam and as an evangelist, he travels worldwide to train pastors on apologetics and how to witness to Muslims. He states:

Islam is advancing in the West with an evil agenda to convert Westerners and especially Americans to Islam and dominate the world. If that happens, the biggest loser will be the church of Jesus Christ in the West because of its loss of its religious liberty and freedom of speech.

Nowhere in the Bible does God encourage joining with other religions. While there have been many attempts in recent years to find common ground between the two religions, the fact is that stark differences remain.

It is misguided to focus on a few common teachings without considering the differences in major doctrines that are diametrically opposed to one another. This is not to say we shouldn’t evangelize people of other faiths, but when it comes to “uniting,” Christians are often the first to compromise, and it’s often biblical doctrine that suffers. All through the New Testament, we read about salvation by faith in Christ alone; that we are saved by the grace of God through trusting in the sacrifice of Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9).

We know that powerful, world elites are pushing uniformity and a one world religion, but it’s still stunning to see top world leaders from Catholicism and Islam make such a dramatic display. This is clearly a sign we’re drawing closer to the end.

SEE THE FULL, EXTENSIVE POST AND MORE ARTICLES HERE

Many of us began preparing for Christmas and the five ‘F’s a month ago: festivities, family, food, fellowship, and fun. It’s easy to forget one of the most important aspects of the season: forgiveness – and renewed hope. Christmas is the celebration of an actual historical event that forever changed the world, as the God who never changes carried out His plan to change the hearts of mankind.

No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done or what kind of past you’ve had, there’s always hope – if you open up your heart and receive the greatest gift of all. As the song says:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing…

Through the centuries before Christ, the prophets predicted the promised Messiah would come – and from where He would come. Micah 5:2 states:

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.”

According to God’s preordained plan, when the perfect religious, cultural, and political conditions were in place, Jesus Christ left the Father’s presence and entered this world to become one of us. Isaiah 7:14 states:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel,”

Three of the most astounding words in history are, “God with us.”

Most people don’t have a problem with a baby in a manger, but the same baby we sing about during Christmas grew up and preached repentance to all people only to be killed by hypocritical religious leaders.

An infant in a feeding trough isn’t too confrontational or threatening. But Jesus declared that He is the Truth and the only way to God the Father (John 14:6). This claim is something to seriously consider. Why? Because evidence backed by archaeology, eye-witnesses, and history suggests it’s true.

So what is the meaning of Christmas? At the perfect time, Jesus was born for the purpose of dying for our sins. He lived a sinless life and sacrificed Himself so that we might believe in Him and live eternally. This really is good news! The gospel is the greatest gift God has given the church – because the message about Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the greatest treasure God has given the world…

Read the full post by David Fiorazo

*Originally published by Freedom Project Media

Open pages of bible isolated on white backgroundNow after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”  Mark 1:14-15

Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In 1965 the epic religious movie The Greatest Story Ever Told was released, retelling the story of Jesus Christ from His humble birth and His teachings through the crucifixion and resurrection. The media and critics at the time gave it excellent reviews and some even raved about the brilliant and inspiring, Bible-based production. Times have changed; but the gospel has not.

The gospel, aka the “good news,” is the greatest gift God has given the church, because its message is about Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the greatest treasure God has given the world. Like the apostle Paul, we are to deliver to others what we also received, because people’s salvation depends on it. No one would keep the best news in the universe to themselves – would they?

As committed Christians, our priority in this life must be to consistently believe, live, and deliver to others the message about Jesus Christ and the truth about His life, teachings, death, resurrection, and ascension. For those who have believed and have confessed Jesus as Lord, our ticket is punched and our place in God’s presence is reserved for eternity! Our faith is in Him and our hope is in heaven.

Every person alive today and who has ever lived will stand on one side of eternity or the other. The universe revolves around the most pivotal event in the history of the world: The resurrection of Jesus Christ; the eternal Son, one with the Father and the Spirit, and the exact representation of God’s nature.

… The gospel is not some formula or a simple “sinner’s prayer.” It encompasses the entire Bible as its framework with plenty of background setting the stage. Its truth can transform our lives and its power can save the worst of sinners.

With the increasing attacks on free speech and religious expression in America today, do you see how important it is for us to be able to preach the gospel? This basic freedom is affected by politics, laws, and government. Enemies of Christianity will not relent in their agenda to squelch the mention of sins they endorse, but when push comes to shove, we must obey God rather than man. Speak the truth and leave the results to Him.

Since we have received and accepted the gospel, we must reject the world because the two are in opposition to each other. This can present a problem for many of us. If we love Jesus, we will obey Him (John 14:15), but if we love the world, we will end up following anything else except Him. Because this temporary earth is passing away and we are faced with an eternity that will not wait, the choice should be clear…

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20).

Where does Jesus get such authority? It bears repeating Jesus Christ overcame death and the grave and is seated at the right hand of the Father. His tomb is famous for what it does not contain. Even the Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus acknowledged His tomb was empty when they made up lies to try and conceal the resurrection.

Isn’t it interesting in their attempted cover-up, the religious leaders testified to the empty tomb? The story gets even more bizarre, because their lie included instructing the soldiers to say they were asleep instead of guarding the tomb of Jesus. This was not some small conspiracy, because in those days a Roman soldier caught sleeping on duty would have been executed.

Moreover, all other gods or religious leaders who have lived on the earth have burial sites or memorials where their bones remain. We can easily understand how some of their followers hate Jesus, because He is the only true, living God; other gods people worship are false, dead gods.

… The disciples did not have all the resources and technology we have today, and yet the early church grew in numbers day by day even in the midst of threats and persecution.

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20

Please understand regardless of whether or not you have placed your trust in Jesus and bowed before Him acknowledging His majesty, a day is coming in which every human being will bow down before Him and confess this truth – Jesus is Lord.

… Charles H. Spurgeon once stated:

My hope is not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died. My trust is not that I am holy, but that, being unholy, Christ died for me. My rest is, here, not in what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is and must be, – in what Christ did, and is still doing as He stands before yonder throne of glory.

Are we willing to preach this gospel in an increasingly rebellious culture and risk being called intolerant, narrow-minded, or worse? Are we willing to be criticized and misunderstood for delivering the truth Jesus commanded us to speak? Do we love others enough to live what we believe, expose the darkness of sin, and when necessary, confront wayward Christians?

… God’s foreordained solution (Acts 2:23) was to send His only Son, Jesus, to give His life as a ransom for us. By believing, confessing Jesus is Lord, and repenting of our sins, we are saved and have everlasting life with God. May we not muddy up the message that we are saved by grace through faith in Him (Ephesians 2:8).

If the Bible is true, then this is why you and I live: To make sure the greatest story ever is told!

 

*This a book excerpt from The Cost of Our Silence. To read the entire chapter, click here: