History and the
signs.
We have to know
history if we are to know past signs.
The first prophecy
seminar I ever went to really hit home when the revelation of prophecy's truth
was revealed in our very own history. So
many times prophecies unfolding. Proof beyond doubt of God's reality, God's truths. He doesn't ask us to believe in total
blindness. Yes, there is a step of faith that HAS to be made, but God has given
us an amazing amount of prophecies with history fulfillment. We'd be foolish not to look at everything
available to us.
These last few days
we've been discussing the signs Jesus gave to us for the last days.
We discussed
Jerusalem and the 'times of the gentiles' being fulfilled. Today we're going to continue that study
by reading more of Elder William
Grotheer's article- 'An Hour and An End'.
By the grace of God
we'll have our hearts and minds open to ALL His truth! Please, Lord, bless us, help us, keep us,
know us!
*******
p 16 -- Chapter VI
-- Data of History and 1967
In 1975, a section
of The Reader's Digest was devoted to articles on Jerusalem, and peace in the
Middle East.
One of these was
captioned - "Jerusalem -- Too Holy For Its Own Good." The author,
David Reed, wrote: - A stone wall,
rising starkly in the Walled City, figures strongly in Israel's adamancy over
not wanting to give up East Jerusalem. This is the Western Wall, a fragment of
the western rampart of the platform on which the First Temple of King Solomon
and the Second Temple of King Herod stood. The Second Temple was destroyed by
the Romans in A.D. 70, when the Jews were driven into diaspora, or dispersion.
Throughout 19 centuries of diaspora, the wall or the memory of it, served as a
spiritual beacon and a symbol of a lost homeland to Jews the world over. During
this time, Passover and Yom Kippur services ended with the incantation in
Hebrew: "Next year in Jerusalem." ...
When the British
withdrew from Palestine in 1948, and Jews and the Arabs fought for the control
of the state, the Jews managed to hold West Jerusalem and proclaimed it the
capital of the new state of Israel. Yet, tantalizingly, the Western Wall
remained just beyond reach. Jordon annexed East Jerusalem as well as the West
Bank of the River Jordon, a territory that surrounds the city on three sides.
For 19 years, a no-man's-land separated the two sectors, and the Jordanians
refused to allow Jews to worship at the Western Wall.
When war came in
1967, Israel urged Jordan's King Hussein to stay out of it, promising, in
return, not to attack Jordon. But, egged on by Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser and
other Arabs, Hussein sent artillery shells crashing into West Jerusalem.
Israeli soldiers counterattacked, and poured into the Walled City. Their
religious fervor was such that many headed directly for the Western Wall, where
they paused to pray. For the first time in 19 centuries. the wall was under
Jewish control. (March, 1975, p. 132)
This gives concisely
the events and Jewish feeling connected with the retaking of Old Jerusalem in
1967. It signalled the first step in the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus,
marking the beginning of the closing of "the time of visitation" for
the Gentiles, or nations. Beyond this actual event which Jesus gave as the
"sign" when the times of the nations would begin to be fulfilled, a
number of other happenings in the religious world occurred which marks 1967 as
a significant date.
One is the Catholic
Charismatic Movement. "Catholic Sociologist Andrew Greely estimates that
two million Catholics have attended charismatic meetings." (Christianity
Today (CT), June 6, 1975, p. 45) This same journal reports: - Pentecost Sunday, 1975, will live in
church history as the day when the charismatic movement in the Catholic Church
arrived in St. Peter's with full force. During the pontifical mass presided
over by Pope Paul VI on May 18, the sound of tongues and charismatic singing
filled the massive nave of the ancient mother church of Roman Catholicism. ...
The conference which
in previous years had met at Notre Dame University, convened in Rome in
conjunction with the Holy Year proclaimed by Pope Paul. The theme was the same
as the Holy Year "Renewal and Reconciliation." Participants came from
over sixty nations representing more than one million Catholic charismatics in
several thousand prayer groups. Several Protestant Pentecostal and charismatic
leaders also attended as "official ecumenical observers."
Conference sessions
were held on the outskirts of Rome in a large tent over the catacombs of St.
Callixtus, a meeting and burial place for early Christian martyrs. ...
On Pentecost Sunday,
the conference moved to St. Peter's for the mass celebrated by Pope Paul.
p 17 -- Although the
charismatics were a minority in the throngs who filled the church and the
square outside, their presence was apparent as the mass progressed. Spontaneous
singing of the charismatic anthem "Alleluia" competed with the pipe organ
at the beginning and the end of the service. At the consecration of the host, a
soft murmur of "singing in the Spirit" (chanting in harmony in
glossolalia) filled the cathedral. While the Pope continued the mass, hands
were raised in praise, and at one point, a priest fell to his knees and asked
to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Several persons laid hands on him and prayed
quietly. ...
The climax of the
conference came at St. Peter's on Monday, May 19, in a mass conducted by
Cardinal Suenens, who was assisted by twelve bishops and more than 800 priests.
This was the first specifically charismatic service ever held in St. Peter's.
Suenens delivered his sermon in typically Pentecostal style. The cathedral
reverberated with the shouted responses to his "hallelujahs." Such
Pentecostal choruses as "Spirit of the Living God" and
"Alleluia" were sung with hands upraised. Several times the
well-filled basilica resounded with singing in the Spirit. ...
At the close of the
mass, Pope Paul arrived to give special greetings to the conferees. As he
entered, the congregation broke into cheers and applause. Most of his message
was given in French, with short summaries in Spanish and English... At the end
of his prepared text, the Pope broke into impromptu remarks in his native
Italian. Reflecting on his encyclical on joy that was proclaimed the day
before, he exhorted the charismatics to share their joy with the world. The
conference erupted in applause as the Pope ended with, "Glory to the Lord,
hallelujah!" Before he exited, the Pope embraced and kissed Cardinal
Suenens and greeted about twenty leading charismatics. Many wept openly. ...
According to
Catholic theologian Kilian McDonnell of Minnesota. it was a "triumphant
day," while to Balthasar Fisher of Trier University, Germany, the meeting
was "historical - of enormous importance." To Protestant Pentecostal
spokesman David du Plessis, it was "the greatest charismatic and
ecumenical event in history."
Cardinal Suenens
summed up the feelings - and hopes - of many when he declared that by his
actions and warm words of approval, "the Pope opened his arms and heart to
the charismatic renewal." (Ibid., pp. 45-46)
However, the bottom
line of this Catholic charismatic breakthrough in 1975 was reported in CT, June
22, 1973: - On the surface, the big
story is still the movement's phenomenal growth. From its beginning among a
handful of mostly young persons at a retreat in 1967 on Duquesne University
campus in Pittsburgh, it now encircles the earth. (p. 37)
When one perceives
the charismatic movement as a manifestation of the working of the power of
Satan, the event at Duquesne University, and the date - 1967 becomes
significant. Here is an outward display of demoniac power in angelic garb
moving into the Catholic church, the government of which, prophecy indicates
will figure so largely in the final scenes of this world's history. This is not
saying that such power has not resided in the Papacy since its inception as
indicated in prophecy (Rev. 13:2; II Thess. 2:9), but does serve as a sign
heralding the time for such manifestations in the devil's final movement to
deceive the world. (Rev. 16:13-14) 1
Turning to another
event, we find that 1967 marked the 450th Anniversary of Protestantism. The
World Book Encyclopedia made this observation: - World Protestantism celebrated its 450th
anniversary in 1967 and encountered some of its most troublesome issues in
history. Most Protestants consider October 31, 1517, as the symbolic beginning
of the Reformation. On that day, Martin Luther issued his Ninety-Five Theses
criticizing the Roman Catholic Church and pointing toward a fresh understanding
of God's grace. In October, 1967, Protestants gathered - quite often with Roman
Catholics - in countries throughout the world, to recall that event. (1968 Year
Book, p. 468)
1 -- Revelation
pictures Satan under the symbol of a "dragon" or "serpent"
(Rev. 12:9; 20:2) In Rev. 16:13-14, the symbol changes to "like
frogs" - an animal which catches its prey with its tongue.
p 18 -- From the
same encyclopedia under the topic - "Eastern Influence" - an
interesting summary was given of the introduction of Eastern philosophy into
Western thinking. The summary stated:
Finally, news of non-Western religion came to the West in 1967 through
the efforts of individuals and groups that might be described as commuters
between value systems. The "hippie" phenomenon, which reached a peak
in midsummer, was an example. Hippies turned to Zen Buddhism, the Vedas, the
writings of Rabbi Hillel, and the teachings of Jesus, implying that these could
provide meaning for a non-violent generation. The Beatles were the best known
of the celebrities who turned to Eastern Religion as they sought
"transcendental meditation" through contact with Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi, their chosen spiritual leader. Timothy Leary advocated a religion based
not only on mind-expanding drugs like LSD, but also on literary resources of
Eastern religion. (Ibid., p. 476)
Through the prophet
Isaiah, God spoke concerning "the last days" in which a people
professing His name would prefer a "law" going forth from Jerusalem
rather than accepting what He had already proclaimed from Mt. Sinai. This
people would be "replenished from the east." (Isa. 2:2-6)
Another happening
which marks 1967 is a mix between religious elements and the toy industry. John
Godwin in his Occult America describes it thus: - The year 1967 was a historic milestone
for the United States toy industry. In that year Americans ditched their
longest -standing favorite among board games, and elevated Ouija boards to its
place. Since then approximately ten million of these boards have been sold,
making them a $50,000,000 business and assuring that a basic minimum of 20
million Americans have played with them.
I picked out a
fairly random lot of thirty dedicated Ouija players and asked them if they
could tell me where the game originated and what the name meant. Most of them,
as it turned out, believed that it was a Far Eastern device, its origins lost
in antiquity, its title meaning something or other in either Chinese, Hindi, or
Korean. One lone individualist held out for Hebrew, another had it on authority
of her card-reading girlfriend that Ouija meant "spirit" in either
Sanskrit or Persian.
The fact is that the
Ouija board was invented and patented in 1892 by one William Fuld of Baltimore,
Maryland. At first he and his brother called the contraption Mystifying Oracle,
but found the label too long and hit on a combination of the French and German
word for "yes" as an alternative. Until 1966 the boards were made
exclusively by the Fuld family's Southern Toy Company. Then Parker Brothers -
who also manufacture Monopoly - bought the rights. To their astonishment the
new acquisition outsold their No. 1 hit from the word go!
There was of course,
a certain amount of sales push behind it. Ads - "Give One to a
Friend" - in magazines, and a crescendo ditty, "Hey, Ouija, we
needja" blasted over various rock-orientated radio stations. There was a
war in Vietnam, confirming the pattern noted during both World Wars and Korea
that Ouija boards always sell better in wartime. But the current dizzying surge
is the result of a totally unexpected market combination. The usual wives,
mothers, and sweethearts of service men were joined by millions of teenagers,
right down to the thirteen-year-old level, who had never previously shown much
interest in these gadgets. And while the involvement of servicemen's relatives
had obvious reasons, the sudden enthusiasm of the teeners remains a mystery -
even to Parker Brothers. (p. 272)
Even as the
charismatic movement with its overtones of Spiritism garbed in angelic light,
signals the arrival of the final manifestation of Satanic power to deceive, so
also does the emergence of the raw spiritistic Ouija board signal the same
thing - the time for the marvelous working of Satan. Both made a rebirth in the
same year that the sign Jesus gave, concerning the times of the Gentiles, began
to be fulfilled - 1967!
*******
Facts.
These are facts.
Some might shout
that they are mere coincidences, or say that things are being read into other
things that aren't there. A lot of time people will tear things apart because
they want to remain blind, they refuse to see.
Blindness is comfortable when it comes to people not wanting to see
their own faults, their own call to face judgment. Yes, face judgment.
I'm not an old time
preacher who is going to shout hellfire and damnation, I'm not. I'm just me, an
ordinary average person who is going to shout that WE ARE ALL GOING TO FACE
JUDGEMENT.
When the probation
hour is up every person will have had their eternal fate decided. The living and the dead.
God's HOLY Word
tells us this--
2Ti 4:1 I charge thee in the sight of God, and of
Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and
his kingdom
God's words, not
mine!
Like it or not, we
will be judged. Are we Christ's or not?
Please LORD, let us
be YOURS!
Please!
Let us be YOURS.
All by YOUR GRACE
and MERCY, YOUR LOVE!
More tomorrow by the
grace of God.
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