I attended a Passover Seder last night, which was excellent.  I believe that Christians should be hosting or attending Seders.

         
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The instructions to perform the Seder were in The Feasts of Adonai, by Valerie Moody.  It also contains numerous charts, menus, and recipes.  It may be the best book describing God’s feast days that I’ve ever seen.

I will be eating unleavened bread (matzo) and drinking a little red wine each night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  If we look at a square of matzo, we should be reminded of the suffering of Yeshua/Jesus: the stripes for the flogging He was given (Matthew 27:26), the numerous small holes for all the piercings He received (27:29,35), and the scorched areas for His bruises (27:30).

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5,6).

In other news, according to a senior official in the Palestinian Authority, the Obama administration has encouraged “resistance” by Palestinians to protest Israel’s presence in eastern Jerusalem.  Read more here:

Passover began last night, at sunset.  It’s also a full moon.  Tonight, I will be attending a Passover Seder.  Incidentally, I believe that Jesus was crucified on Good Thursday, not on “Good Friday.”

During the evening, I read Exodus 12.  I said a prayer for Israel, that the Lord would protect many of them during the Great Tribulation to come (whenever that might take place) and minimize their suffering and anguish.  Then I ate some matzo and drank some wine, in memory of Yeshua’s broken body and His blood shed on my behalf.

Finally, I read Isaiah 53, a written depiction of the suffering Messiah, Yeshua, centuries before He was born to the virgin Mary.  Indeed, “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).  As such, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).  Thank you, Lord and Savior Yeshua, for willingly dying for my countless multitude of sins and transgressions.

Now, today I have been thinking about something.  The prophecy in Daniel 9:27 says that “in the middle of that ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.”  It occurred to me that prior to the middle or midpoint, there may not need to be a sacrifice at all.  It could be that the prophecy indicates a one-time, final declaration that from this point forward, whether during Passover or at any other time of year, there will be no more sacrifices, permanently.  It might be similar to the way a state could abolish capital punishment, even though there might not have been an execution for a very long time.

If so, this would come only days after someone was detained, and later arrested, for attempting to slaughter a goat near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem:

Today is “Palm Sunday.”  It is the same day of the week that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Luke 19:28-44; John 12:14,15), as predicted by one of the ancient prophets (Zechariah 9:9).

The night before this, Mary had anointed Jesus with expensive perfume (John 12:1-3).  Mary was the sister of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead (11:38-44.)  Thus when Jesus, the Anointed One, rode into Jerusalem the next day, this fulfilled the ancient prophecy given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel:

Know and understand this:  From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven “sevens” and sixty-two "sevens" [that is, 69 x 7 years = 483 years]. (Daniel 9:25a)

The people of Israel should have recognized the first coming of their Messiah and God, Yeshua/Jesus, because the exact timing of this event had been chronicled by Daniel, an esteemed Jewish prophet.  Jesus even explained this, on Palm Sunday:

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you.” (Luke 19:41-44)

It really is appalling to me how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been treated so insolently by Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton lately.  And Barack Obama snubbed him tonight by leaving him hanging to go have dinner with Michelle and the kids.  The Obama administration believes that Israel should stop building “settlements” in East Jerusalem.

However, Mr. Netanyahu sees things differently:  “The connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be denied.  The Jewish people were building Jerusalem 3,000 years ago, and the Jewish people are building Jerusalem today.  Jerusalem is not a ‘settlement.’  It’s our capital.”  I agree.  In fact, I believe that all of Israel—and much more—belongs only to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel).  Here are two email responses I have written showing why I believe this:

• When will God's covenant with Abraham be fulfilled, and how do we know that it is Israel who will receive the promised land?
• Do you think that forcing Israel to comply with a newly formed Palestinian "state" would be the equivalent of the Bible's "nations turning their backs on Israel"?

I walked around Seaport Village last night.  It is one of my favorite spots in San Diego.  I had intended to get there before sunset to take photos of the sun going down over the ocean, but I was delayed.

By the time I got there, it was dark enough that I had to use an increased time exposure on my camera to capture enough light.  Unfortunately, I did not have my tripod with me, so the shots (especially the last one) are not as sharp as they could have been.

         
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Today, President Obama signed into law the Health Reform bill, known as the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” for which the House of Representatives voted by a slim margin, 219-212, on Mar. 21.  As far as I am concerned, it is the final nail in the coffin of the twins, Freedom and Liberty.

         
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Now, our two beloved friends, who have been so good to us for over 225 years, can have a formal tribute and a solemn burial.  We will not be seeing them again anytime soon.

On this first full day of Spring, I feel that Freedom and Liberty have died in the USA.  Tonight, the House of Representatives passed the Senate’s version of the Health Reform bill of Dec. 24, 2009 (the so-called “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”) as well as the Reconciliation Bill (see more in my Mar. 3 entry).

Freedom and Liberty will “lie in state” for two days, until the president signs the bill.  However, the “tombstone” has been created, since I see no more hope for the “resurrection” and “recovery” of Freedom and Liberty in the United States or, for that matter, the world.

I watched much of the debate on C-SPAN.  I was proud of such representatives as John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin), who steadfastly have fought this disastrous legislation for over a year.  I am sorry to say that they lost.

         
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In my opinion, this is one of the biggest travesties in American history.  The USA never will be the same again.  Obamacare is a tragic “train wreck” waiting to happen.  Furthermore, once it “crashes and burns,” it will be impossible to “clean up the mess” completely or to “rebuild the train” (that is, the nation’s health care system) to a properly functioning level again.

President Obama has told numerous, downright untruths about this disastrous piece of legislation.  If this level of deception of the American people continues during his term, it will not surprise me if he turns out to be the False Prophet.  I cannot think of anyone in the world right now who meets the criteria to be that person better than Mr. Obama does.

In other news, the Israeli government has indicated, today, that issuing a permit to allow a Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount to take place would be a “major threat to public safety and order, especially at this time.”

The State Prosecutor has urged the Israeli Supreme Court to reject an appeal by an orthodox Jewish group to offer a sacrifice on Passover.  He added that this issue should go before the legislature, not the high court.  It looks like neither the Israeli government nor Supreme Court wants to be holding this “hot potato” issue.  I’m curious to see what happens next.

Finally, a “fire and ice” show has been going on in Iceland today.  I wonder if they export molten lava from their erupting volcano.  I’d like to have some to pour over my Thai food.  See a video here:

Although the volcanic eruption has been relatively small, it is right next to a glacier.  The fear is that there will be flooding due to melting of the glacier.  As such, hundreds have been evaculated.  The pictures I inserted into the following article are frames captured from the video above, so they are not very clear:

Someone has taken issue with my Mar. 14 comments, as well as the last portion of my Mar. 15 comments.  Although she is the only one who has expressed concern about some of the things I said, there may be others who share her feelings.

These are some of the points she raised:

• God's wrath falls well into Daniel's 70th week, but before that the world will experience His judgment.  This is a distinction without a difference.
• He is completely Sovereign over all the coming horror, and indeed wrote the script.
• God is not about to be transformed into a devastated, hurt, sad entity in need of consolation from us.
• I have little tolerance for modern Theology which reduces God to an image like that of a man.  He is God, all the coming horror, wrath and judgment is decreed by Him, He wrote the script and is not going to be reduced to tears over it.

Today, the Anti-Defamation League criticized comments that General David Petraeus made during a Senate hearing two days ago.

A “day of rage” was declared today, by Hamas, leading to violence across Jerusalem.  Hamas was clear that this was a direct result of the opening of the Hurva Synagogue yesterday, Mar. 15.  A statement was read by Politburo Chief Khaled Meshaal, in Damascus, describing the synagogue’s opening as “a declaration of war”:

Today, Rosh Chodesh Nisan, was supposed to be International Temple Mount Awareness Day (see my Mar. 6 entry).  Numerous Jews and Gentiles gathered near the Temple Mount this morning, planning to walk up onto it.

However, all of the tensions and violence put a major damper on that.  Rabbis Chaim Richman, of the Temple Institute, said, “We were denied access by the police, who essentially caved in to Moslem incitement and violence.”

Standing in front of a newly built golden menorah, Rabbis Ariel and Richman gave encouraging talks to listeners.  One thing Rabbi Richman said, speaking of his commitment to see the Third Temple built, was, “Things are not on ‘auto-pilot’; it’s not just ‘cruise control.’  We have to show that we are willing to take a step also. ... First, we have to take a stand and do as much as we possibly can, and then God makes miracles.”

It makes me wonder how far they are willing to go to “take a stand.”  Perhaps those who agree with him may be even more intent now on following through with offering the Korban Pesach two weeks from today.

In other news, there was a predawn earthquake in Los Angeles County this morning.  The moderate temblor was a magnitude 4.4 and caused a sharp jolt in the area at 4:04 a.m.  A good friend said she wondered if 4.4 and 4:04 could be subtle hints pointing to April 4 (or 4/4), the proposed midpoint of my 70th Week time frame.  I wonder if there might be another earthquake then.  Hmmm....

Besides the quake, Orange County, CA, had the high temperature for the nation today: 92°.

The Hurva Synagogue was dedicated today in Jerusalem (see my Nov. 30, 2009 entry).  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the ceremony.  This was amidst growing tensions in East Jerusalem.  See more here:

Recently, several people have asked me what is my “take” on the “abomination of desolation,” of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.  The bottom line is that I do not know, for certain.  All I can do is consider the timing of this event and make some speculations about it.  As part of this process, I have revised the abomination that causes desolation section, in my Rapture commentary, which some might find interesting.

I think of something that Jesus said:

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. (Luke 21:20,21)

Firstly, Jesus seemed to indicate that there will be a gathering of armies or other forces prior to the “desolation” (which, presumably, will take place after the “abomination,” whatever that may be).  Secondly, in three Gospel accounts, Jesus alerted those in Judea to “flee” when they witness these events.

Of course, not everybody in Jerusalem and Judea will flee, but at least a remnant of people will.  John recorded that the fleeing remnant will be protected for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6), the final half of the 70th Week.  Thus, it would seem to me that both the setting up of the “abomination” and the fleeing of many in Judea will transpire on the same day.  I do not know how to interpret this any other way.

Also, consider Daniel 9:27 and 12:11.  Both verses seem to connect these two events together:

• the cessation of the sacrifice and
• the setting up of the abomination of desolation.

One event may not necessarily cause the other, but it does seem that they will happen at nearly the same time, it would, seemingly on the same day.

The midpoint of my hypothesized 70th Week is April 4, the Feast of Firstfruits 2010.  There very well may be violence in Jerusalem on March 16: International Temple Mount Awareness Day (see my Mar. 6 entry).  If so, it is possible that hostilities could escalate after that, necessitating the influx of external groups (perhaps even the United Nations Peacekeeping forces) to intervene.

In my Jan. 18 entry, I showed how the orthodox Jews of the New Sanhedrin want to sacrifice a Pesach lamb on the Temple Mount on March 30, Passover.  Perhaps this would be done in defiance of the resistance that they would encounter, by Muslims, to their walking onto the Temple Mount on March 16.

For those who have not heard, International Temple Mount Awareness Day is scheduled for March 16, only 1½ week from now.  It will take place on a Rosh Chodesh (new moon).  The official page promoting this, at the website of The Temple Institute, is here:

There have been demonstrations at several universities across the USA today.  The protestors oppose tuition fee hikes, and many want free publicly-funded education (including for illegal aliens).  Participants have been encouraged to use any tactics they deem effective or appropriate to get their message across, includes strikes, walkouts, marches, rallies, occupations, sit-ins or teach-ins.  This movement began in California, a state which is hopelessly and irretrievably bankrupt.

Unquestionably, education and health care costs in the state, as well as in the nation as a whole, are much too high.  The problem is that making major funding changes in these areas right now, with the economy right on the precipice of a great depression, could be disastrous.  It will not take much more to nudge it over the edge.  I don’t know which will happen first for California: falling into the bottomless abyss of financial insolvency or sliding off into the Pacific Ocean due to a cataclysmic earthquake.

The cry of many protestors is, “Education is a human right!”  However, commodities such as education and health care (see my Mar. 3 entry) are not “rights” guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.  Attempting to convince people that they are is blatant mendacity.  Fortunately, the framers of our Constitution are not here now to see how lawmakers have been corrupting and chipping away at that key, fundamental document in recent years.  I suspect that they would be banging their heads against the wall in utter disappointment and frustration.

I think this web page is pretty cool:

Recently, I heard the pastor of a Calvary Chapel (CC) talking about Mark 13:24-37.  It was exactly what would have been taught at the main Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA.  I know because I used to attend the latter, regularly, over two decades ago.

Eventually, I quit, mostly because I felt that the foundational tenets they laid down about such things as the Rapture, the Creation, and a few other biblical teachings were made of “sand.”  Therefore, in my opinion, many of the instructional models built on top of them were, and are, in danger of collapsing.

Also recently, someone emailed me and encouraged me to watch a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) video and also to read two SDA commentaries.  He wanted to know what I thought about them.  Simply speaking, I feel similarly about many SDA and CC teachings.  I agree with some things (such as their general instruction of Jesus’ principles), but I sincerely disagree with most of their prophetic and end-time views.

Interestingly, both CC and SDA churches call themselves “non-denominational,” to set themselves apart from other church denominations.  Paradoxically, due to their extremely sectarian and narrow beliefs and teachings, they both are very denominational.  Furthermore, their end-time teachings are quite different from each other, almost diametrically opposed; and, generally, I agree with neither.

If you want an example, you can read the following lengthy email response that I have taken the time to write to the person who asked my opinion about the SDA video and commentaries:

• What do you think about the views of Seventh Day Adventists in general, but especially on prophecy and Revelation, and particularly on the period known as the Millennium?

Today is a full moon.  The next full moon, on March 30, will begin Passover week 2010.  Presumably, by the end of that particular week, my hypotheses about the seven-year European Neighbourhood Policy, and about a partial Mid-tribulation Rapture of “firstfruits” believers, will be proven right or wrong, definitively.

Anybody who has followed what I have been writing for the past three years, though, should know that I never have claimed to be a “prophet,” nor have I asserted that I have any type of “enlightenment” about the future, nor have I professed to have “heard” anything from God.  I have not even declared that I feel certain that anything of any significance definitely will occur on even one of the dates I have proposed.  In fact, there are many people who seem to feel more certain that I am correct than I do.

Numerous people, in the past, have set firm dates of when they believed prophetic events would take place (such as the Rapture or the Second Advent of Jesus to earth).  They’ve always been wrong.  Understandably, then, there are many who insist that “setting dates” scares people, causes some believers to give up on trying to reach the lost, or makes other Christians look like idiots when a predicted date comes and goes without a momentous occurrence.  I’ve even heard that Christians should have nothing to do with date-setters.  Generally speaking, these things may be so.

I have had these verses pointed out to me many times:

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. (Matthew 24:36)

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. (Mark 13:35)

Firstly, these are referring to the main, Pre-wrath Rapture event (Matthew 24:30,31; Mark 13:26,27), not to the Second Advent of Jesus back to earth, as some maintain.  (See Are the Sixth Seal events at the very end of the 70th Week?)  Secondly, I believe, quite emphatically, that there will be multiple Rapture events; and no believer will know at which one, much less the day or hour, that he/she will be removed.

In any case, I will not insist on setting my dates in “stone.”  So why do I even bother suggesting dates at all?  Virtually everything I have suggested has revolved around one inescapable fact:

For the first time in history, in October 2006, Israel joined other nations in signing onto a seven-year agreement—one which confirms and strengthens a prior agreement and which potentially fulfills the initial portion of the prophecy in Daniel 9:27.

No other “date setters,” in the past, have had this vitally important “foundation,” on which to build end-time theories, available to them.

Now, the prophecy in Daniel 9:27 indicates that sacrifice and offering will cease in the middle of the “week” of seven years.  It seemed logical to me, then, that 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6) should be the length of both the first and second halves of that seven-year period.

As such, I have proposed a very simple thesis:  Day #1 of the 70th Week was October 22, 2006, a new moon (which was significant, to God, several places in the Torah).  If so, then day #1 of the second half of the 70th Week would be April 4, 2010 (the Feast of Firstfruits = Easter Sunday); and day #1,260 of that second half would be September 14, 2013 (Yom Kippur).  Of course, these dates are merely the “tip of the prophetic iceberg,” as anyone knows who has read my commentaries and email responses.

Seeing how these and other dates appear to fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, I have been open-minded enough to consider that some of the presumptions I have made about the 70th Week, for about two decades, may have been incorrect.  I have urged other end-time prophecy teachers to think about this as well.  For me, such long-standing suppositions, which may need to be re-evaluated, include the following:

• The 70th Week must begin with a bona fide “peace” agreement involving Israel.
• The Third Temple must be built during the 70th Week, due to the appearance of the word "temple" in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1.
• Sacrifices and offerings, when reinstated, must take place within the Third Temple.
• The end-time false messiah, the Antichrist, must fit into a specific mold and adhere to a strict pattern of expectations about him.

Purim began at sunset tonight, so I read one of my favorite stories in the Bible: the Book of Esther, from which the story of Purim originates.  It is an amazing story of drama and intrigue.

Most people do not realize that the “villain” of the story, Haman, was hanged on Aviv 17 (or Nisan 17) of the Hebrew calendar.  This also happens to be the Feast of Firstfruits, which also is Resurrection Day (Easter Sunday).  That is, Aviv 17 is a day of salvation for both Jews and Christians.  You can read my brief account about Purim here:

This year, the weekend of the Feast of Firsfruits is April 3 & 4, only five weeks away.  It also is the midpoint of my proposed 70th Week period.  I continue to consider the possibility that a partial Mid-tribulation Rapture, of “firstfruits” believers, might happen during that weekend.

In other news, look at the chart to see the nine earthquakes, magnitude 6.0 or greater, that have happened in the world during the past 24 hours.  I got my information here:

Tensions between Jews and Muslims in the West Bank and Jerusalem are extreme.  Violence can break out, at any time, over seemingly minor things.  This happened today:

Many of you have heard of “laminin.”  It is a protein molecule that is a major component, in all of our internal organs, of the extracellular matrix also known as the basement membrane.

This protein assists in cell adhesion and binds other extracellular matrix components together.  The laminin molecule has four “arms” that bind to four other molecules.

I heard of laminin a couple of years ago, via the following video:

Both a model and an electron micrograph of the laminin molecule show that it is cross-shaped.  Laminin is vital in making sure that body structures hold together.  It reminds me of one of Paul’s descriptions of Jesus:

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:17)

Most scientists probably would insist that relating laminin to Jesus and the cross is mere speculation.  Some would say, “But laminin was here long before Jesus and the cross were around!”  Yes.  However, Jesus was/is the Word of God, Who always has been in existence, and He also made everything (including laminin):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3)

There also are events in the ancient Torah that point first to the Messiah and then to the cross.  One of them occurred in the days leading up to the very first Passover.  The Israelites were to take lambs, without blemish or defect, on the 10th day of the month of Aviv (or Nisan).  The lambs were to be kept for four days and then be slaughtered on the 14th day of the month (Exodus 12:2-6).

These “lambs” foreshadowed the Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Christ).  He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (on the 10th day), was found to be perfect and faultless in responding to all of the questions asked of Him by the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 21:1-11, 22:15-46), and then was crucified (on the 14th day).  Incidentally, this shows that Jesus’ crucifixion day was Good Thursday, not Good Friday; in that year, Aviv 10 was on a Sunday and Aviv 14 was on a Thursday.

In ancient Egypt, God told Moses that after the lambs were slain, on the first Passover, the people were to

...take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. (Exodus 12:7)

I am going to make the assumption that, due to gravity, at least a few drops of blood from the top of a doorframe dripped down to the bottom of the doorframe.  Thus, the configuration of the blood at the top, both sides, and bottom of the doorframe would have been a cross.  This points directly to the Messiah, Yeshua/Jesus, our Passover Lamb, since He was sacrificed on a cross:

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7)

Archeologists in Jerusalem have uncovered ancient structures that probably date back to about 1,000 years BCE.  Dr. Eilat Mazar, leader of the archaeological dig, has indicated that a wall 70 meters long and 6 meters high is likely to have been built by King Solomon.  Read more here:

On Nov. 3, 2009, I posted a prophetic dream and a vision.  Here is a prophetic word, from the person who wrote the vision about the “rain of fire,” describing extreme change that is about to come, both in ourselves and in the world:

• Prophetic Words of Change

I flew, recently, and shot these photos out the window of the plane, near sunset:

     
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Valentine’s Day, like most days celebrated annually (such as Christmas Day), is just another day of little significance to me.  Really, the main good thing about it, to me, is getting various types of candy on sale the next day.  And since I typically do not eat much candy, that “stash” will last me quite a long time. 

This seems like an appropriate day, though, to say that I do have one, and only one, true Love: my Lord and Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus).  I long to see Him and to be like Him, which could happen as early as the Feast of Firstfruits 2010 (during the weekend of April 3 & 4 in Passover Week 2010), only a few weeks away.  I know that I would not deserve such a privilege; nevertheless, I desire it more than anything.

Whenever it may transpire, I look forward to being a part of the “Bride” of Christ, my Bridegroom.  For you men out there who have difficulty thinking about being a member of the “Bride” of Christ, I can understand your hesitation, perhaps even uneasiness about this.  Such a thing does not seem “natural” to me, either.  But, in effect, that is the point.  This is not a natural matter; it is a supernatural issue.  Just as wives should submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18), we need to submit, wholeheartedly, to God and to His commands, as He will be our eternal “Husband.”

I believe that the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2 & 3 have multiple symbolism.  I feel that one representation pertains to Christians during the 70th Week, most of whom will enter the Great Tribulation.  However, it appears that those in the Philadelphian church (Revelation 3:7-13) will be the only ones to keep God’s “command to endure patiently” and, as such, will be kept “from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (3:10).  This “hour of trial” would seem to be the Great Tribulation.

Furthermore, there are two more things that will apply to these believers:

1. before them will be placed “an open door that no one can shut,” and
2. they also will have “kept [God’s] word and have not denied [His] name.” (Revelation 3:8)

The “open door” may be the same door through which the “wise virgins” will walk, with their Bridegroom, into the “wedding banquet,” and then the door will be shut (Matthew 25:10) by the only One who can shut it: the Bridegroom.  If so, I suspect that this will be soon after a partial Mid-tribulation Rapture of “firstfruits” believers—see Is it possible that Jesus' parable about the ten virgins could indicate that there will be a Mid-tribulation Rapture?  Also, it may be that those who will be part of this event will have honored, revered and obeyed God’s Word or Torah (see my entry for Feb. 13) and will have continued, steadfastly, to proclaim the name of Jesus.

If there is to be a supernatural transformation of some believers, in as little as seven weeks from this weekend, I hope to be on that “boat” out of here.  There is absolutely nothing in this world that I would regret leaving behind.  Indeed, that may be one of the “keys” to being part of that “firstfruits” group, to be changed on or around the Feast of Firstfruits (Easter Sunday).  I want nothing more than to be with my Bridegroom, and I hope that those reading this yearn for it as much as I do.

In other news, today may be the beginning of a “Climategate” situation.  Professor Phil Jones, who has stepped down as director of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, is at the center of a media storm concerning climate change, specifically an alleged global warming deception:

In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Jones implied the following things:

• Data for vital “hockey stick graph” has gone missing.
• There has been no global warming since 1995.
• Warming periods have happened before—but not due to man-made changes.

To see the interesting interview that Professor Jones had with the BBC’s environment analyst, Roger Harrabin, go here:

From time to time, I get asked why I place so much importance and significance in the ancient Torah (or Instruction or Law) of God.  There are so many reasons that I could not even begin to list them here.  However, I found one of the best explanations of this topic by Tony Robinson of Restoration of Torah Ministries.  If you read the following (a PDF file), you will have a good understanding of how I feel about this issue:

Some have been wondering whatever happened to Javier Solana, after he retired from the position of EU Foreign Policy Chief late in 2009.  Well, if he is “the one” that many think he will turn out to be, he wouldn’t really be expected to drop out of sight completely.

Here is new information on Solana today:

Note the last reference to Solana in that article:  “Javier will make a significant contribution to the institution's global agenda....”  Hmmm...so maybe he’ll still be instrumental in helping to formulate a global government after all.  This is speculation, of course.

However, since the Brookings Institution is located in Washington, DC, it makes me wonder if Solana and Obama will be spending more time together, whether publicly or privately.  In any case, here is an article, at the Brookings website, where you can find out more about Solana and Brookings:

Today, Iran followed through with president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s promise to begin enriching uranium up to 20 percent grade, in open defiance of a UN ban.  This follows yesterday’s threat by Iran’s spiritual ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei:  “The Iranian nation with its unity and God’s grace will punch the arrogance [of Western powers] on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) in a way that will leave them stunned!”  I guess we’ll see what, if anything, happens on February 11.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by asking for “crippling” sanctions against Iran:

I do not see the United Nations imposing any sanctions on Iran.  They already have had ample opportunities to do so but have done nothing.  For instance, Javier Solana’s Geneva Talks 2, on Oct. 1, 2009, were ineffective.

I think that as far as the UN is concerned, if Iran wiped Israel off the map, it would be doing the world a big favor.  In light of the fact that Israel is God’s chosen nation, the UN and Iran should rethink their perspectives.  But they won’t.

In other news, it looks like Geert Wilders may be getting “railroaded” by the court in his trial in the Netherlands.  In the second part of my Jan. 20 entry, I noted how his trial had begun on that date.  Read more about it here:

I suspect that the court is scared to death of negative repercussions from Islamic factions if it does not find Wilders guilty.  Here is an eye-opening speech given in New York, by Geert Wilders, on Sep. 25, 2009:

In my entry yesterday (Feb. 7), I pointed out how disgusted I was that “progressive” groups had protested the Super Bowl video with Pam and Tim Tebow.  I found a perfect example.

During the video, Tim “tackled” his mother, all in fun and good humor.  Yet, Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization of Women (NOW), said that this “glorified violence against women.”  Frankly, I find that comment no less than obtuse.  See more details here:

Drew Brees

Peyton Manning

Like millions of people, we watched the Super Bowl game: New Orleans Saints (31) vs. Indianapolis Colts (17).  Personally, I didn’t really care who won.  I just wanted whoever was the best team to win.  I certainly do extend my congratulations to Drew Brees (Most Valuable Player) and the Saints.  They are a dynamite team!

Tim Tebow Hebrews 12:12 Ephesians 2:8-10

I enjoyed Pam and Tim Tebow’s video #1 and video #2.  I also felt that the recent “outrage” by “progressives” to the airing of these videos, during the Super Bowl game, was abhorrent.

As far as I am concerned, “pro-choice” groups have exhibited their manifest intolerance by openly complaining about this, and they are exceedingly hypocritical in contending that the opposite view should be suppressed.  Frankly, their appalling rhetoric disgusts me.  I think that such people need to have a “liberal” administration of the Board of Education.

I liked Pam and Tim Tebow’s pro-life message, which was neither blatant nor offensive.  I also like these Bible verses that Tim has painted on his face in the past:

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. (Hebrews 12:12)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

A good friend made a boatload of soup: shredded turkey, vegetables, and tasty seasonings.  She’s the only female I know who fully understands me, and I think she’s the only one who ever has.  She was going to throw out the last couple of bowlfuls, but I said I wanted it.  She also had purchased a jar of green olives.  Each olive is stuffed with a whole garlic clove.  They were “too strong” for her, and she was going to throw them out, too.

   
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Today is halfway between December 21 (the first day of Winter) and March 20 (the first day of Spring).  Southern California has had tons of rain recently, so everything is green and there are colorful, vibrant plants everywhere.

                 

         
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Tonight is the biggest and the brightest full moon of 2010:

Near the bottom of that article, it talks about the “moon illusion,” meaning that the moon appears to be larger to us soon after it rises than it does when it is high up in the sky.  The article suggests that you snap two photos of the moon, one when it is near the horizon and one when it is higher in the sky.  So I did that.  These two photos are almost 3½ hours apart:

 
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He certainly is a great orator, at least I think so.  However, nothing about the “State of Obama Address” impressed or pursuaded me.  Basically, all I heard were recycled campaign promises and unreasonable, idealistic expectations.

       
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I was watching C-Span this morning.  Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was the main speaker at the National Urban Fellows Conference in Washington, D.C.  I was impressed by both the content of his speech and his oratory skills.

Booker, a Christian, was raised Baptist.  In his speech, he gave a good example of how God allows us to be in certain situations which, initially, seem to be unpleasant.  Yet, later, we see how He caused them to happen for our benefit.

He described the account about when he was a teenager, flying from Newark to San Francisco, to begin college at Stanford.  On the plane, he was relieved to see that there were two open seats next to him.  He began a conversation with God, saying, “Please, Lord, let these two seats remain open!”  Then, as the door to the plane closed, he thought, “Dear God, you have blessed me!”

However, as he started to stretch out and relax, the door to the plane swung back open.  He heard a screaming, yelling baby coming on board, along with its mother and brother.  Guess where they sat?  If you want to hear this fascinating, 4½-minute story, go to C-Span Video Library, Jan. 22, 2010.

Eating according to the kashrut (that is, the Hebraic dietary laws, located mostly in Leviticus and Deuteronomy) is very healthful and nutritious.  For the most part, I eat that way; rarely do I deviate from that.

This afternoon, I was eating my usual raw oats, fruit, and corn tortilla with peanut butter.  I chopped up some skinless chicken breasts (after removing any fat) and some vegetables: a cabbage, two large zucchinis, two large broccoli crowns, two large onions, and a whole garlic bulb.  I sprinkled on some sea salt and Italian seasoning and steamed everything well.

 
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I have written a lengthy email response to someone with the following question:

• Doesn't the word "temple" in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1 indicate that the Third Temple will stand on the Temple Mount for the last 42 months of the final seven years?

Perhaps some readers will find this to be interesting, if not provocative.  In option #3, I raise the prospect that the Islamic Dome of the Rock could come to be used, by the Jews in Jerusalem, as their next “temple” or “shrine” of worship. In Jews and Muslims did worship together at Dome of the Rock, the writer points out the possibility that the Dome of the Rock will become an “International temple in Jerusalem” and the “Temple of the new One World Universal Religion with the basic belief that all faiths lead to the same god.”  Hmmm....

In other news, the trial of Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders began today in the Netherlands.  There is a link to a very power speech he gave, about Islam, at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York in my Sep. 25, 2009 entry, or else just click here to go directly to the speech:

Wilders is creator of the controversial Fitna movie (16 minutes 48 seconds in length), to which I also have a link in the radical Islam section of my End-Times commentary.  Read more about this at Atlas Shrugs site here:

There are certain things I hear or read, from many prophecy “buffs” or “teachers,” with which I adamantly disagree.  A big one is that a Rapture event must take place before the 70th Week, shown in Daniel 9:27, begins.  People who believe this also typically believe that God’s wrath or vengeance will encompass all of the final seven-year period (the 70th Week), often referred to as the “Tribulation.”  I have refuted the notion of a so-called “Pre-tribulation Rapture,” as well as the idea that the wrath of God will last for seven years, plus the common misconception of a “seven-year peace treaty,” in these and in other email responses:

• How can believers go into the final seven years, if God has not appointed them to wrath?
• How can the Rapture be anything but Pre-trib, if it comes as a "thief in the night"?
• Doesn't God's wrath take place throughout the entire Tribulation or 70th Week period?
• How can the European Neighbourhood Policy be the Daniel 9:27 covenant, if the latter is a "peace treaty"?

Another common view is that the 70th Week, along with other end-time prophecies, already have taken place, sometime in the 1st Century A.D.  Again, I absolutely disagree with this view, known as “preterism,” as explained in these email responses:

• How do you know that Daniel's 70 weeks did not end in 33 A.D.?
• The seventy weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 already has happened, so how can you say it has anything to do with the end-of-the-age prophecies of Matthew 24?

I was directed to a couple of interesting and informative websites tonight.  Normally, I do not refer to other websites; however, I will make an exception here.  These are companion sites:

After reading my yesterday’s entry, someone pointed out to me that no matter how my “numbers seem to add up,” the fact is that there is no Third Temple, nor even the beginning of its foundation, standing in Jerusalem.  So how, then, according to the prophecy in Daniel 9:27, could sacrifice and offering begin and then be put to a stop by Passover week 2010?

In a few entries during 2009, I highlighted some related issues: July 30, Aug. 6, Oct. 12, and Nov. 30.  Today, an online friend (from Unsealed Prophecy) linked me to an interesting website, Korban Pesach.  They assert that the “true centerpiece of the Passover table,” the Paschal Offering (that is, the Passover lamb), has been missing for years.  The following article states, “This year in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin Initiative is calling upon the Jewish people in Israel and throughout the world to participate in the Korban Pesach”:

Now, I personally do not engage in any online blogs, chat room conversations, or bulletin boards.  However, sometimes I am directed to noteworthy ones, such as the following example at the Fulfilled Prophecy website, where many of the entries pertained to the possibility of a Pesach (Passover) sacrifice in 2010:

I found some of the observations made by “Adamantine” on that page to be astute and particularly interesting.  In case that page disappears, for any reason, I will record two sections of that user’s observations here:

I’ve been asked if I have a list of people, to whom I email a regular “newsletter,” to notify them of new entries here on this remarks page, new commentaries, new responses to people’s questions, or anything else that is new at my website.  No, I don’t have a list like that.

For one thing, I do not like to be on such lists myself (even though I am on many of them).  For another thing, it is not important to me to have a “following” of people who read things that I have written, mainly because it is irrelevant to me whether or not people agree with my views.

However, like I said, I am on several email lists, mostly of “Bible teachers” and “prophecy buffs.”  Evidently, for most of these, it is important to them that other people know and accept, even embrace, their views.  Also, many of them have books, CDs, DVDs, and other things to sell, and many also request donations. 

Of course, there is essentially zero chance that I will buy anybody’s anything, since I sell nothing at my website, nor do I request donations.  Personally, I have a problem with “peddling,” for profit, the Word of God (Proverbs 23:23 and 2 Corinthians 2:17).  That doesn't necessarily mean that others shouldn’t do it; it just means that I shouldn’t and won’t.

I have seen many on the internet, and elsewhere, who seem absolutely certain that they know when the 70th Week has begun or will begin.  Usually, they base their belief on some painfully convoluted collection of numerology, jubilee years, eclipses, a tenuous definition of “generation” (Matthew 24:34), certain threats made toward Israel, and/or whomever they believe the Antichrist to be.  Some of them even say, “God told me that [such and such].”  I also have a problem with that.

If you have read things at my website, you will know that I never have claimed to have received any type of divine revelation from God, nor “heard” Him directly tell me anything, about end-time events.  I simply have examined God’s written word and have made what I feel are logical comparisons among various passages in the Bible.  I also have cited specific verses, so the reader can follow and verify my train of thought.

Pertaining to the 70th Week, I have said that it may have begun in October 2006.  I have based this, mostly, on one solid fact.  That is, for the first time in history, Israel has signed onto a seven-year agreement, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which both confirms and strengthens another agreement: the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EuroMed).  These are the main stipulations for the final seven years of this age to have begun, according to Daniel 9:27—not some esoteric and nebulous “jubilee” or “generation” or some other period of time, measured from an inconclusive year such as 1948 or 1967.  Also, the way we know that the prophecy involves Israel is because it was decreed for Daniel’s people and his holy city (Daniel 9:24): Israel and Jerusalem.

Incidentally, here is one of the EU-Israel documents, in the ENP portfolio, showing the scheduled seven-year period (2007-13), as well as the middle year (2010), on the title page: European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, Israel.  On man’s time table, the ENP was calculated to run from January 1, 2007, through 2013—seven years.  However, God often “trumps” the plans of mankind; therefore, He very well could have determined another date, closer to the establishment of the ENP in October 2006, to be the commencement date.

The only “numerology” that I have used is 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3, 12:6).  What I have done is very easy and straightforward, as I believe God has made His Word very simple and uncomplicated, so that anyone with half a brain and with any sense, who has read it, can understand it.

I merely have begun with a day on which there was a new moon (October 22, 2006), during the week in which the ENP was funded (October 17) and established (October 24).  In Scripture, new moons and full moons are shown to be significant to God (1 Chronicles 23:31; 2 Chronicles 8:13, 31:3; Ezra 3:5; Psalm 81:3; Isaiah 66:23).  With October 22, 2006, as day #1, then day #1,260 is April 3, 2010—the regular Sabbath day during Passover week 2010, which presumably would be an ideal period of time for sacrifice and offering to be taking place, once it has been re-initiated.

Then, I did not “force” anything for the next day to be, amazingly enough, the Feast of Firstfruits 2010 (= Easter Sunday).  Jesus, the “firstfruit” from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20) Who never would die again, was resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits.  So could April 4, 2010, be the day on which a group of “firstfruits” believers are supernaturally changed into imperishable, incorruptible forms?  And could they be the “wise virgins” depicted in one of Jesus’ most illustrious parables (Matthew 25:1-13)?  I believe that these things could be true.  Of course, I will not insist that they will be so, since God has not told me so, directly.  Yet, they certainly do seem to be quite plausible possibilities to me.  (Read more here:  Is it possible that Jesus' parable about the ten virgins could indicate that there will be a Mid-tribulation Rapture?)

An even more astounding “coincidence” is discovered if April 4, 2010, is counted as day #1 of the final half of the 70th Week.  In this case, amazingly enough, day #1,260 turns out to be September 14, 2013—Yom Kippur 2013.  For over two decades, I have believed that Jesus’ second advent, back to earth, would take place on a Yom Kippur (also known as the Day of Atonement).  I just did not know in which year it would take place, since I did not know in which year, seven years earlier, the 70th Week would begin.

The day I discovered that the final day of my hypothesized 70th Week period is a Yom Kippur, my knees buckled (I was standing at the time, with a calculator in my hand), I gasped out loud, and I had to sit down.  Had Yom Kippur not been the last day of that seven-year period (extending from the Fall of 2006 to the Fall of 2013), I probably would have discounted my entire theory, on the spot.  On the contrary, what I discovered only strengthened that theory.

I will continue not to claim that I am correct between now and April 4, 2010.  In accordance with Daniel 9:27, if sacrifice and offering are not forcibly stopped, by that date, somewhere in Israel—whether in a partially or fully constructed Third Temple, or in a replica of that Temple (see my Oct. 12, 2009 entry)—then I will be the first one to acknowledge that my “theory” was wrong.  It will not mean that I have disregarded the validity of the Daniel 9:27 prophecy, but rather that my timing, clearly, was off.

You know, the timing of the first coming of the Anointed One (that is, Messiah), Yeshua/Jesus, was defined very plainly and unmistakably in Daniel 9:25.  Yet, almost nobody in Jerusalem recognized it when it actually happened (Luke 19:41-44).  As such, it makes a great deal of sense to me that the timing of Jesus’ second advent, as well, will be missed by the vast majority of people—even though God, Who never changes, and in His grand simplicity, has explained it extremely clearly and explicitly.

I find it quite unfortunate that some people love to make things (such as the Word of God) infinitely more complicated and complex than they really are.  Maybe they think it makes them sound “smart” or “enlightened” or something.  Others choose to be patently oblivious to clear and stark warnings, such as that the Great Tribulation—the darkest time in human history up to that point (Matthew 24:21)—very well may be upon us much sooner than they imagine, even as soon as the Spring of 2010.  Watch this short but sobering video to see just a little of what to expect, at least as far as Christians (and Jews) are concerned:

Today, the earth is the closest to the sun (perihelion) that it will get during 2010, about 91 million miles.  The earth will be at its furthest point from the sun (aphelion) on July 6, about 94½ million miles, although in most years the latter takes place on July 4.

Four of us were playing Chickenfoot Dominoes Game this afternoon.  I’ve always thought it was a fun game.  We must have played for at least a couple of hours.

We played with a double-six set, although more commonly it is played with double-nines.  We just wanted to get more games in, so we used less dominoes.  I came in third place, overall.  But I don’t have to win to have a good time, which I did. 

By the way, I think some JibJab videos are clever.  This one, pertaining to 2009, is pretty funny (although there are a few questionable parts of which I did not approve):

Happy New Year.  I had a really good time last night (New Year’s Eve).  I am still full from all the great food I ate.  Here was the very beginning of 2010, as registered on the official U.S. time clock:

I always make a calendar and tape it to the wall in front of me.  I like to keep track of the phases of the moon each month.  On the back of the calendar are holidays and observances during 2010.

If you would like one for yourself, click on each image below and print out the two pages (.doc files) on either side of one piece of paper.  Just change my name, at the top of the calendar page, to your name before you print it.  (The thin gray lines will not show up when you print the pages).

 

Or else you could print out these (.pdf files), without my name on the calendar, and write in your own.