The following is a reprint of an article written by Pastor Art Kohl from Faith Bible Baptist Church in Eden, New York.

Ever since I was a child I had been taught that Jesus was crucified on a Friday and rose from the dead on a Sunday. I heard a pastor within the last two year explain why this is incorrect. His explanation was based solely upon scripture and revolved around the fact that Jesus was the final sacrifice.

The Israelites were commanded to honor the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also known as Passover to commemorate the Lord taking them out of captivity in Egypt. We must remember that Jesus was a Hebrew from the tribe of Judah. In Matthew 5:17 he says "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."

The Hebrew Calendar itself is a key to understanding. Lets look briefly at it together.

It is my opinion that this is one of the most accurate and clearly supported positions on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ available and strongly recommend you print it out, pour yourself a cup of coffee, grab your bible, some highlighters, a pen and a note pad and dig in. If you do, I know that you will see just how futile the traditions of Man are and how accurate the word of God is. It is not a dead book, but is living and useful today even more so.

I hope this holiday you find this article ministering to your spirit. We will deal with Christmas in another post.

Blessings.

http://fbbc.com/messages/kohl_easter.htm

Is it “Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday?” Or, Palm Friday, Good Wednesday and Easter Saturday?”

by Pastor Art Kohl
March 15, 2005

To establish the biblical truth we must work backwards:

I. Christ Rose From The Grave Upon The First Day Of The Week.

Matthew 28:1, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.”

Mark 16:2

“And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”

Luke 24:1

“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”

John 20:1

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”

Notice in Bible stories that Christ was already risen from the dead when the women got there. When did they get there?: “...as it began to dawn,” “very early in the morning,” “when it was yet dark,” “at the rising of the sun.” The ladies got to the grave when it was dark and the day was just starting to break. That is early. Probably about 6:00 AM.

What did they find? All four accounts tell us they found an empty tomb. Jesus was gone, even before the stone was rolled away. (Matthew 28:1-6). When did Jesus rise from the dead? The Bible tells us so as to leave no doubt. Let’s repeat Mark 16:9, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” The answer: “Early the first day of the week.” The Jewish day began at 6 PM in the evening. From 6 PM Saturday to 6 PM Sunday is considered by the Jews as the first day of the week. Therefore Jesus was probably alive for 12 hours before Mary Magdalene saw Him. He had probably been alive for almost 24 hours before the disciples saw Him. John 20:19, “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” Thus, Christ most surely arose sometime late Saturday evening, the beginning of the Jew’s “first day of the week.” Mary Magdalene and the disciples saw Him during the hours we Americans call Sunday, but He probably arose during the time we call Saturday evening.

II. Thus, Christ died on the Cross on Wednesday Afternoon.

The following are 20 verses of scripture which state that Christ would be dead for three days. The first of the twenty also states that it will be three nights also. Thus three-twenty four hour periods:

Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (compare Jonah 1:17)

Matthew 16:21 “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

Matthew 17:23, “And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.”

Matthew 20:19, “And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify [him]: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Matthew 26:61, “And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.”

Matthew 27:40, “And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Matthew 27:63, “Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.”

Matthew 27:64, “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”

Mark 8:31, “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Mark 9:31, “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.”

Mark 10:34, “And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Mark 14:58, “We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.”

Mark 15:29, “And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,”

Luke 9:22, “Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.”

Luke 18:33, “And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”

Luke 24:7, “Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

Luke 24:21, “But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.”

Luke 24:46, “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:”

John 2:19,21, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. But he spake of the temple of his body.”

Acts 10:40, “Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;”
The scriptures tell us that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and that it is impossible that God should lie (Hebrews 6:18).

The case then should be settled. If Christ died at 3 PM on a Friday and was placed in the tomb by 6 PM on Friday, then three days and three nights later would place the Resurrection of Christ after 6 PM on Monday. But, as we have seen, the scriptures clearly teach that He rose early the first day of the week (Saturday-Sunday). Which will you believe? The scriptures or traditions of religions?

Colossians 2:8 warns, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Why do some say “Good Friday” then? What is their argument? Their argument is that the next day was the Sabbath, when the truth is, that it was a Sabbath.
The Sabbath starts on Friday at 6 PM and ends at 6 PM on Saturday every week. It was a Sabbath day of rest for all Jews. The proponents of “Good Friday” use this argument based on the following scriptures to say Friday rather than Wednesday:

Mark 15:42-46, “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.”

Luke 23:50-56, “And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just: The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them; he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”

It is important to note here that although every Saturday was a Sabbath, there were other Sabbaths during the year that fell on different days of the week, but the same Jewish law applied to those sabbaths also (no traveling, no fires, no working). If those sabbaths fell on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. the same rules applied.

Let’s illustrate: In America we used to call every Sunday, “the Lord’s Day.” It was a holiday. We used to have blue laws so it would remain a holiday. But there were other days that were holidays such as Christmas. Christmas is always December 25 no matter what day it falls on - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. Several Mondays are designated as holidays each year.

The Sabbath was the same every Saturday, but also there were other Sabbaths in the Jewish calendar, no matter what day they fell on, such as the “Feast of the Passover.” These Sabbaths were called “High Days.” With that thought in mind, please consider John 19:31, “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, for that sabbath day was an high day, besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”

By “high day” it means that it was not a regular Sabbath day, but one higher than the rest. The Greek word for “high” means “greater, exceeding, mighty.”
Now we are told that this high day Sabbath had to do with the feast of the Passover. With that in mind, consider these scriptures:

Matthew 26:2, “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.”

Mark 14:2, “But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.”

Mark 14:12, “And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?”

Luke 22:1-2, “Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people.”

Luke 22:7, “Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.”

Luke 22:15, “And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:”

John 13:1, “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.”

John 18:39, “But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?”

John 19:14, “And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!”

1 Corinthians 5:7, “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”
The Passover lamb was always sacrificed on the 14th day of Nisan. Nisan is the first month of the Hebrew calendar. There is a difference between the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) and the Passover Sabbath. The Passover Sabbath always followed the killing of the Passover lamb, no matter what day of the week the killing of the Passover Lamb occurred on. (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:7; Numbers 28:16-18). The Passover Sabbath was always the 15th day of Nisan.

The Bible states that Christ died exactly three days and three nights before the first day of the week. Figuring in the Passover Sabbath, He must have died on a Wednesday at about 3 PM and been put in the grave of Joseph of Arimethaea before 6 PM. Common sense and scripture can only come to this conclusion. Both Thursday and Saturday of that particular week, that particular year, were Sabbaths.

III. Palm Sunday Then Must Have Really Been Palm Friday.

Jesus arrived at Bethany six days before the Passover. That would be thus the Thursday before His crucifixion. John 12:1 states it this way, “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.”

Then on “the next day” we read the history of the Triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem - John 12:12-13, “On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” Thus Palm Sunday should really be Palm Friday.

IV. Conclusion:

The believer cannot believe in “Good Friday” for two outstanding reasons:

1. God would have been in error 20 times when He recorded in His word that His Son would be in the grave for three days! How could we then trust in the rest of His word.

2. Six days before “Good Friday” would have been Saturday. That’s when Christ was traveling to Bethany (John 12:1). It was a violation of the law for a Jew to travel on Saturday, thus Jesus and many other Jews (John 12:9) would have violated the law. Violation of the law is transgression, and transgression is sin, (1 John 3:4). Thus we cannot believe in Good Friday for Jesus never sinned. Jesus traveled to Bethany on Thursday of that week, and rode into Jerusalem on Friday. He was crucified the next Wednesday and rose again on Sunday (late Saturday night).

Copyright © 2005
Permission granted to freely copy.
Scripture verses are from the King James Holy Bible.

My Friends,

Here is a resource I discovered online. It lists the names of God in Hebrew. Remember our Lord Jesus Christ is himself a Hebrew of the Tribe of Judah. He is also a Davidite and will sit upon the throne here on Earth and will rule with an Iron Scepter.

The Son of God as revealed in the Brit Chadashah

Introduction
This page surveys the plethora of Hebrew Names and Titles for God the Son, Yeshua Hamashiach, as found in the Brit Chadashah. (The New Testament) They are listed in alphabetical order, with the Hebrew spelling, common transliteration, and English phonetics following. For each Name, I include some Scriptural references.

After reading through this list, you should be awestruck at the amount of direct revelation we have been given that Yeshua HaMashiach is indeed God the Son!


Adonai (a-doh-NIGH) I AM (John 8:58; cp. Exodus 3:14).

Advocate Malakh Melitz
(mal-ahkh me-LEETS) Advocate; Intercessor (1 John 2:1; cp. Job 33:23).

All in All Kol Bakol (kohl ba-KOHL) All in all (Eph. 1:23).

Alpha and Omega Aleph v'Tav (ah-lef ve-TAHV) Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13).

Annointed One Ha-Mashiach (ham-mah-SHEE-akh) The Annointed. The Messiah (John 1:41). The synonymous word Christos (χριστός) occurs over 500 times in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament).

Beginning and Ending Rosh vaSof (rosh ve-SOHF) Beginning and the Ending (Rev. 1:8).

Beginning of the Creation of God Reishit Bri'at HaElohim (ray-SHEET be-ree-AT ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Beginning of the Creation of God (Rev. 3:4).

Beloved One Yadid (yah-DEED) The Beloved (Matt. 12:18).

Branch of Righteousness Tsemach Tsedakah (TSE-makh tse-dah-KAH) Branch of Righteousness (Jer. 33:15; cp. Isa. 4:2).

Bread of Heaven Lechem Shamayim (LE-khem sha-MAI-yeem) Bread of Heaven (John 6:32).

Bread of God Lechem Elohim (LE-khem e-lo-HEEM) Bread of God (John 6:33).

Bridegroom Chatan (khah-TAHN) Bridegroom (John 3:29).

Cornerstone Rosh Pinah (rosh peen-NAH) Chief Stone; Cornerstone (Mark 12:10; Psa. 118:22).

Christ HaMashiach (ham-mah-SHEE-akh) The Annointed. The Messiah (John 1:41). Occurs over 500 times in the Brit Chadashah. "The Christ" (Χριστοῦ) in Koine Greek.

Dayspring from on High Or-Boker Mimarom (ohr-BOH-ker meeem-mah-ROHM) Sunrise from on high; Dayspring from on High (Luke 1:78).

Deliverer HaPalat (hap-pah-LAT) Deliverer (Rom. 11:26; cp. Psa. 18:2, 2 Sam. 22:2).

Door HaSha'ar (hash-sha-AR) The Gate; The Door (John 10:9).

Faithful and True One Ne'eman V'Yashar (ne-e-mahn ve-yah-SHAR) Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11).

Faithful Witness Ha'ed Ha-Ne'eman (ha-ed han-ne-e-MAHN) The Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5).

The Last Adam HaAdam Ha-acharon (ha-ah-DAHM ha-a-cha-ROHN) The Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45).

First and Last HaRishon v'Ha'acharon (ha-ree-SHOHN ve-ha-a-kha-ROHN) The First and the Last (Rev. 1:11, 17; 2:8; 22:13).

God HaElohim (ha-e-lo-HEEM) God (John 1:1; entire book of Hebrews).

God Blessed Forever Ha-Elohim Hamvorakh L'Olam Va'ed (ha-e-lo-HEEM ham-voh-RAKH le-o-LAHM va-ED) God blessed forever (Romans 9:5).

God the Only Begotten Son Elohim ben Yachid (e-loh-HEEM ben ya-KHEED) The Only Begotten God (John 1:18).

Good Shepherd HaRo'eh HaTov (ha-roh-EH hat-TOHV) The Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14; Heb. 13:20).

Governor Moshel (moh-SHEL) Ruler; Governor (Matt. 2:6).

Great High Priest HaKohen HaGadol (ha-ko-HEIN hag-gah-DOHL) The Great High Priest (Heb. 3:1; 4:14; the entire book of Hebrews).

Head of all things Rosh l'khol-ha'edah (rosh le-KHOL ha-ei-DAH) Head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22).

Head of the Church Rosh Ha'edah (rosh ha-ei-DAH) Head of the Congregation; Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4; Col. 1:18).

Heir of all things Nachalah Vakol (na-kha-LAH va-KOHL) Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2).

Holy One Kadosh (kah-DOSH) The Holy One (Acts 3:14; cp. Isa. 40:25).

Holy Servant Eved HaKadosh (E-ved ha-kah-DOHSH) Holy Servant (Acts 4:27).

Horn of Salvation Keren Yeshuah (KE-ren ye-shoo-AH) Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69; cp. 1 Sam. 2:10).

I AM THAT I AM Ehyeh asher Ehyeh (eh-YEH a-sher eh-YEH) I AM THAT I AM. (John 8:58; cp. Exodus 3:14).

Image of God Tselem Elohim (TSE-lem e-lo-HEEM) The Image of God (Col. 1:15).

Immanuel Immanuel (eem-mah-noo-EL) God with us (Matt.1:23; cp. Isa. 7:14).

Intercessor Malakh Melitz (mal-ahkh me-LEETS) Advocate; Intercessor (1 John 2:1; cp. Job 33:23).

Jesus Yeshua (ye-SHOO-a) Yeshua; Jesus (Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:21). Note that the Name "Jesus" appears 973 times in the Brit Chadashah.

Jesus Christ HaMashiach Yeshua (ham-mah-SHEE-akh ye-SHOO-ah) Jesus the Messiah; Jesus Christ ( Matt. 1:1, 18; Mk. 1:1; Jn. 1:17; 17:3; Acts 2:38; Rom. 1:1, 3, 6; 1 Co. 1:1ff; 2 Co. 1:1ff, Eph. 1:1ff; Col. 1:1ff; etc.). "Jesus Christ" in Koine Greek.

Jesus of Nazareth Yeshua haNotzri (ye-SHOO-a han-NOHTS-ree) Jesus of Nazareth (Mk. 1:24; 10:47; 14:67; 16:6; Lk. 4:34; 18:37; 24:19; John 1:45; 18:5, 7; 19:19; Acts 2:22; 6:14; 10:38; 22:8; 26:9; Matt. 26:71).

Jesus Son of Joseph Yeshua ben-Yosef (ye-SHOO-a ben-yo-SEIF) Jesus son of Joseph (John 1:45).

Jesus the Messiah HaMashiach Yeshua (ham-mah-SHEE-akh ye-SHOO-ah) Jesus the Messiah; Jesus Christ ( Matt. 1:1, 18; Mk. 1:1; Jn. 1:17; 17:3; Acts 2:38; Rom. 1:1, 3, 6; 1 Co. 1:1ff; 2 Co. 1:1ff, Eph. 1:1ff; Col. 1:1ff; etc.). "Jesus Christ" (᾽Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ) in Koine Greek.

Jesus the Nazarene Yeshua Minetzeret (ye-SHOO-a meen-ne-TSE-ret) Jesus of Nazareth (Matt. 21:11).

Judge of the Living and the Dead Shofet haChayim v'hametim (SHO-fet ha-KHAI-yeem ve-ham-me-TEEM) The Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42, cp. Psa. 50:6, 75:7).

King of Israel Melekh Yisrael (ME-lekh yees-rah-EL) King of Israel (Mark 15:32).

King of the Jews Melekh HaiYehudim (ME-lekh ha-ye-hoo-DEEM) The King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2; 27:11, 29, 37; Mk. 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26; Lk. 23:3, 37; Jn. 18:33, 39; 19:3, 19, 21).

HaKohen HaGadol (ha-ko-HEIN hag-gah-DOHL) The Great High Priest (Heb. 3:1; 4:14; the entire book of Hebrews).

Lamb of God Seh HaElohim (seh ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36; Rev 5:12).

Last Adam HaAdam Ha'acharon (ha-ah-DAHM ha-a-cha-ROHN) The Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45).

Light of the World Or Ha'Olam (ohr ha-oh-LAHM) Light of the World (John 8:12; cp. Psa. 27:1).

Lion of Judah Ha-Aryei Mishevet Yehudah (ha-ar-YEI meesh-SHE-vet ye-HOO-dah) The Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5; cp. Gen. 49:9).

LORD Ha'Adon (ha-ah-DOHN) The Lord (Rom. 10:9).

LORD of Glory Haggo'el Adon HaKavod (a-dohn hak-kah-VOHD) The Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8; cp. Psa. 24:8; Isa. 40:5).

Man of Sorrows Ish Makhovot (eesh makh-oh-VOHT) Man of Sorrows (Isa. 53:3).

Master Rabbi (rab-BEE) Rabbi; "my great Master" (Matt. 23:8).

Mediator Melitz Echad (me-LEETS e-KHAD) One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5).

Messiah of God Mashiach HaElohim (mah-SHEE-ach ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Messiah of God (Luke 9:20).

Morning Star Kokhav Hashachar (ko-KHAV ha-she-KHAR) Morning Star (Rev. 22:16; cp. Rev. 2:28).

My Beloved Son Beni Yedidi (be-nee ye-dee-DEE) My Beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mk. 1:11; 9:7; Lk. 3:22; 1 Co. 4:17; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:17).

Mystery of God Sod HaElohim (sohd ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Mystery of God (Col. 2:2).

Nazarene Notzri (nots-REE) Nazarene; One "separated"; Matt. 2:23; Lk. 18:37; Jn. 19:19; Acts 6:14; 22:8. HaNotzrim was the name given to the first Christians (Acts 24:5).

Only Begotten Son Ben Yachid (ben yah-KHEED) Only Begotten Son (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; Heb. 11:17; 1 John. 4:9).

Our Passover Pischeinu (pees-KHAY-nu) Mashiach our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7).

Power of God Gevurat Elohim (ge-voo-RAT e-lo-HEEM) The Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24).

Prince Sar (sar) Prince (Acts 5:31).

Prince of the Kings of the Earth Elyon leMalkhei-Aretz (el-YOHN le-mal-khay-AH-rets) Prince of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5).

Prince of Life Sar haChayim (sar ha-KHAI-yeem) The Prince of Life (Acts 3:15).

Prophet HaNavi (han-nah-VEE) The Prophet (John 1:25, 6:14; Matt. 13:57,
cp. Deut. 18:15).

Rabbi (rab-BEE) Rabbi; Teacher; "my great Master" (Matt. 23:8).

Redeemer HaGo'el (ha-go-EL) The Redeemer; Kinsman Redeemer (John 4:42; cp. Isa. 49:7).

Rejected Stone Even Ma'asu (E-ven mah-a-SOO) The Rejected Stone (Mark 12:10; cp. Psa. 118:22).

Resurrection and Life Hatekumah v'haChayim (ha-te-koo-mah ve-ha-KHAI-yeem) The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

Righteous One Tsaddik (tsa-DEEK) The Just; The Righteous (Acts 3:14; cp. Zeph. 3:5).

Root of David Shoresh David (SHO-resh dah-VEED) Root of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16).

Ruler Moshel (moh-SHEL) Ruler; Governor (Matt. 2:6).

Savior of all Men HaMoshia l'chol Adam (ham-moh-SHEE-a le-khol-a-DAHM) The Savior of all men (1 Tim. 4:10; cp. Isa. 45:15, Jer. 14:8).

Savior of the World Moshia HaOlam (moh-SHEE-ah ha-oh-LAHM) The Savior of the world (John 4:42; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 4:10; cp. Isa. 45:15, Jer. 14:8).

Seed of Abraham Zera' Avraham (ze-RA; av-rah-HAHM) The Seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16).

Shepherd HaRo'eh (ha-roh-EH) The Shepherd (John 10:11; 1 Peter 5:4; cp. Zech. 13:7).

Son of Abraham Ben Avraham (ben av-rah-HAHM) Son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1; Luke 3:34; 19:9).

Son of David Ben David (ben dah-VEED) Son of David Son of David (Matt. 1:1, 20; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30f; 21:9, 15; 22:42; Mk. 10:47f; 12:35; Lk. 3:31; 18:38f).

Son of God Ben Ha-Elohim (ben ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Son of God (Dan. 3:25; Matt. 4:3, 6; 14:33; 26:63; 27:40, 43, 54; Mk. 1:1; 3:11; 15:39; Lk. 1:35; 22:70; Jn. 1:34, 49; 5:25; 9:35; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31; Acts 8:37; 9:20; Rom. 1:4; 2 Co. 1:19; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:13; Heb. 4:14; 6:6; 7:3; 10:29; 1 Jn. 3:8; 4:15; 5:5, 10, 12, 20; Rev. 2:18).

Son of Man Ben Ha'adam (ben ha-a-dam) The Son of Man (Matt. 8:20; 9:6; 26:2, 24, 45, 64; Mk. 2:10, Lk. 5:24; 6:5; 24:7; Jn. 1:51; 3:13f; 5:27; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 12:23, 34; 13:31; Acts 7:56; Heb. 2:6; Rev. 1:13; 14:14; cp. Dan. 7:13).

Son of the Father Ben Ha'Av (ben ha-AHV) Son of the Father (2 John 1:3).

Son of the Highest Ben Elyon (ben el-YOHN) Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32).

Son of the Living God Ben Elohim Chayim (ben e-lo-heem KHAI-yeem) Son of the Living God (Matt. 16:16; John 6:69).

Teacher Rabbi (rab-BEE) Rabbi; Teacher; "my great Master" (Matt. 23:8).

The Amen Ha-Amen (ha-ah-MEIN) The Amen (Rev. 3:14).

The Christ HaMashiach (ham-mah-SHEE-akh) The Annointed. The Messiah (John 1:41). Occurs over 500 times in the Brit Chadashah. "The Christ" in Koine Greek.

The Coming One Hu Haba' (hoo ha-BAH) The One who comes (Luke 7:19).

The Deliverer HaPalat (hap-pah-LAT) Deliverer (Rom. 11:26; cp. Psa. 18:2, 2 Sam. 22:2).

The Door HaSha'ar (hash-sha-AR) The Door (John 10:9).

The Firstborn Habekhor (hab-be-KHOR) The Firstborn (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:6).

The Firstborn of the Dead Habekhor hakam min-hametim (hab-be-KHOR hak-kahm meen-ham-me-TEEM) First Begotten from the dead (Rev. 1:5).

The Holy One of God Kedosh Ha-Elohim (ke-DOSH ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Holy One of God (Luke 4:34).

The Life HaChayim (ha-KHAI-yeem) The Life (John 14:6).

The Living One HeChai (he-KHAI) The Living One (Luke 24:5).

The LORD Ha'Adon (ha-ah-DOHN) The Lord (Rom. 10:9).

The LORD of Glory Haggo'el Adon HaKavod (a-dohn hak-kah-VOHD) The Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8; cp. Psa. 24:8; Isa. 40:5).

The Messiah HaMashiach (ham-mah-SHEE-akh) The Annointed. The Messiah (John 1:41). Occurs over 500 times in the Brit Chadashah. "The Christ" in Koine Greek.

The Prophet HaNavi (han-nah-VEE) The Prophet (John 1:25, 6:14; Matt. 13:57,
cp. Deut. 18:15).

The Righteous One Tsaddik (tsa-DEEK) The Just; The Righteous (Acts 3:14; cp. Zeph. 3:5).

The True Vine HaGefen Emet (hag-GE-fen E-met) The True Vine (John 15:1).

The Truth HaEmet (ha-E-met) The Truth (John 14:6).

The Way HaDerech (had-DE-rekh) The Way (John 14:6).

The Word HaDavar (had-dah-VAHR) The Word (John 1:1).

The Word of God HaDavar Elohim (had-dah-VAHR e-lo-HEEM) The Word of God (John 1:1, 14; Gen. 1:1).

True and Righteous Witness Ed HaEmet v'haTzedek (ed ha-E-met ve-hatz-TZE-dek) The True and Righteous Witness (Rev. 3:14).

Watcher of our Souls Hamashgiach Nafshoteikhem (ham-mash-GEE-akh naf-sho-TAY-khem) Watcher of our souls (1 Peter 2:25; cp. Song 2:9).

Wisdom of God Chokhmat Elohim (khokh-mat e-lo-HEEM) The Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24).

Word of God Devar HaElohim (de-var ha-e-lo-HEEM) The Word of God (Rev. 19:13; John 1:1).

Word of Life Devar HaChayim (de-var ha-KHAI-yeem) The Word of Life (1 Jn. 1:1).

Yeshua Yeshua (ye-SHOO-a) Yeshua; Jesus (Matt. 1:21; Luke 2:21). Note that the Name "Jesus" appears 973 times in the Brit Chadashah.

Yeshua ben-Yosef Yeshua ben-Yosef (ye-SHOO-a ben-yo-SEIF) Jesus son of Joseph (John 1:45).

Yeshua ha-Notzri Yeshua haNotzri (ye-SHOO-a han-NOHTS-ree) Jesus of Nazareth (Mk. 1:24; 10:47; 14:67; 16:6; Lk. 4:34; 18:37; 24:19; John 1:45; 18:5, 7; 19:19; Acts 2:22; 6:14; 10:38; 22:8; 26:9; Matt. 26:71).

Yeshua Minetzeret Yeshua Minetzeret (ye-SHOO-a meen-ne-TSE-ret) Jesus of Nazareth (Matt. 21:11).

A Note about the Hebrew and Greek Texts for the Son's Names

The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, of course, and that's the starting point for serious exegesis of its writings. The Hebrew names derived here come from the Salkinson-Ginsburg Hebrew New Testament (1999 edition) which I compared to F. Delitzsch's older Hebrew translation of the Brit Chadashah as well as with the Robinson-Pierpont Majority Text (1995), the Westcott and Hort NT, and the Friberg NT (UBS3/4). I also cross-checked against the LXX and various Jewish sources.

Hebrew for Christians
Copyright John J. Parsons
All rights reserved.
www.hebrew4christians.com

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

Friends,

It's time that we take our walks with Christ as seriously as did the early Church, and the Israelites who refused to compromise in their faith and were obedient, even unto death.


The Martyrs - Jesus Freaks - Sermon on the Mount

Marcus Mullet / Ripple Effects Productions | MySpace Video

A battle over religion is brewing in central Indiana after a public school wanted second graders to sing a song declaring, “Allah is God.” The phrase was removed just before the performance after a national conservative group launched a protest.

The principal of Lantern Road Elementary School in Fishers, IN, said they were trying to teach inclusiveness through their holiday production. It included references to Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa. However, no other deity, other than Allah, was referenced in the show. Emphasis Added was mine.

“It went off…without a hitch,” Danielle Thompson told the Indianapolis Star. “Several families thought it was a nice program.”
But others did not – especially David Hogan. His daughter came home with a copy of the lyrics just days before the production. Hogan, a Christian, told the American Family Association, a conservative advocacy group, that he was deeply concerned to learn that his daughter had been singing, “Allah is God.”

Here’s what the children were assigned to sing:

But when it came time to perform the “Christian” part of Christmas, children were assigned to say:

Micah Clark, executive director of the Indiana AFA, launched an Internet protest once he heard about the allegations. “What surprised me here is that we’ve had a secular scrubbing of Christmas for so long and the school apparently didn’t see the problem with kids singing to Allah,” he told FOX News Radio. “You won’t even mention Jesus and you’re going to force my child to sing about Allah?

In email correspondence the school initially defended the reference as a way to be inclusive of all religions. However, once complaints starting rolling in, school leaders decided to eliminate the Allah reference.

That drew the ire of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana. “It’s unfortunate if that was removed from the program just because of Islamophobic feelings,” Shariq Siddiqui told the Indianapolis Star. “Schools are a place where we should learn more about each other rather than exclude each other based on stereotypes and misconceptions.”

But Clark said having children bow and pray is problematic for non-Muslim families. “(This show) affirmed Islam and negated Christianity. I wouldn’t have had a problem if it had been equal to all faiths.”

At least one Christian family approved of the Allah reference. “I’m a Christian and I was in no way offended by the program at Lantern Road,” said Judy Grasso to The Star.

Be sure to join Todd’s Twitter by clicking here and check out his book by clicking here.

My dearest Christian brothers and sisters, as you read the translation of the Islamic "Call to Prayer" consider that this prayer denies Christ, and sets up Muhammad as a false prophet.

It denies Abba Father as the one true God not once, not twice, but three times. It places Allah above God the Father six times.

Before we read it together let us look to God's word (The Bible) and see what Abba inspired the writer of Isaiah to enscribe for all people's, nation's, and tongues to understand about the heart of the advisary.

Isaiah gives us a clear description of the level of self deception, and pride that grip's Satan so tightly that he believes he can, and will set himself above God the Father.

Isaiah: 13:14 "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of the assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."

Muslim Apologists will say that Christians, Hebrews and Muslims all worship the same God. I pray that you would ask God (YHWH or Adoni) for wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit, to discern the truth about the Identity of Allah, his prophet Muhammad and how it petains to you as a follower of Christ.

Here is the Call to Prayer (Salat) that is recited five times each day from the prayer hall (Musallah) of Mosques (Masjid) all across the globe...and now, here in America. In times past it was not called from a loud speaker as today but from the tops of the minaret (the tall spires so common to Islamic Archatecture).

Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
I testify that there is no god except Allah.
I testify that there is no god except Allah.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
Come to prayer! Come to Prayer!
Come to success! Come to success! (meaning in this life and the Hereafter)
Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest.
There is no god except Allah.

For those of us who believe in the Bible, we know that there are in fact, other gods. If not, why then, did God (Abba) instruct us through Moses in the very first commandment given on Mt. Horeb? "Deuteronomy 5:7: You shall have no other gods before me." God (Abba) knew that there would be others who would accept worship in his place, and attempt to place themselves above him.

We are to give ourselves to God through his son Jesus Christ. If you should take the time to delve into the study of Islam you will discover that it claims Jesus didn't die on the Cross, wasn't God's son (only a prophet), that God (Allah) cannot have a son among many other things.

I envite you to read the books I have read and listed on the left to further your understanding of Islam. If you do, you will discover that there is a striking difference between the character of the God of the Bible and the God of the Koran (Allah).

The burden is for you to discern which one in the true God and which one is a false god who desires to steal, kill and destroy.

Destruction of the Temple and the City in 70AD.

The last time I posted, I ended with saying we would be discussing who, historically, was responsible for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. I can remember when I was in the sixth grade studying Mesopotamia, Babylon and the people groups that lived along the Euphrates. My instructors name was Mr. Kirk. History wasn’t an exciting subject matter to me at that time. I can remember thinking quietly to myself, my does it matter who the Mesopotamians or Babylonians were…who cares? How does it affect me?

Now that I have become a student of studying God’s word, I love history. It is filled with clues to puzzles buried within scripture and it most certainly reveals answers that we seek, unlocking the secrets which have been buried under the sands of time. I helps us to draw parallels between people groups when appropriate and gives us insight as to how long specific people groups have responded with hate against God’s chosen.

For Catholics, they use the Douay Rheims Bible, it contains some books known as “The Apocrypha” which are not included within the official “Cannon” recognized by the Christian Church. This is another matter entirely, however I will say they do have historical merit and SHOULD still be read.

Although most books in the Bible have some prophetic merit, some books are more obvious than others. The particular prophecy regarding the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem was spoken of in Daniel, and by Christ himself. Let’s look at them together, beginning with Daniel. In Chapter 9:24 it says this:

Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy
city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make
reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the most Holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
command to restore and build Jerusalem until [Messiah the
Prince], There shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks; the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

And after the sixty-two weeks [Messiah] shall be cut off, but not
for himself; [and the people of the prince who is to come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary.] The end of it shall be with a
flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then
he [the prince who is to come, not Messiah] shall conform a
covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of
abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the
consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.
(King James Version) Emphasis added is mine.

So we have to ask ourselves is this a future prophecy, or has this occurred in the past? When we study scripture it is important that we follow rules of Hermenutics, which I will take time to include a thorough post about in the very near future. For the time being I will assert that we know the Temple in Jerusalem has been destroyed in the past. It has been historically recorded. It has not been destroyed just once, but twice. It was first destroyed in 587 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar who laid siege to Jerusalem. He had the city burned, the inhabitants murdered and took a remnant, one of whom was the writer Daniel to Babylon. The siege of Jerusalem is not only recorded in history but in scripture as well in (2 Kings: 24-25) and (2 Chronicles: 36). The prophet Jeremiah prophesied that there would be 70 years of captivity by the Israelites within Babylon (Jeremiah 29: 1-14).

The text tells us that the “people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” The chronological order is that the Messiah is cut off first. Jesus was the Messiah spoken of in Daniel. When he was crucified he was “cut off, but not for himself,” fulfilling part of the prophecy. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus is having a conversation with the apostles. They had come up to him and were pointing out the buildings of the Temple when he said this “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Jesus not only predicted the destruction of the Temple, but left clues that could be discovered by those who really want to check the accuracy with history.

In 70 AD when the Roman General Titus Flavius Vespasianus laid siege to the city of Israel the temple was set ablaze. Interestingly enough the gold from the temple melted and the soldiers, in their zeal to get to it because of it’s value, literally dismantled the entire temple to remove the gold that had run in between the cracks of the stones.

“…not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

The statement made by Jesus could not have been more unbelievably, and incredibly accurate. The precision with which scripture describes future events cannot be known until the even occurs and mankind can look back on it. It is then that we can know that God is who he says he is, through the use of prophecy and its errorless character. In the very last chapter of Daniel, he asks the Lord “what shall be the end of these things?” Daniel is speaking of the prophecies he has been given. The Lords’ response is also amazingly accurate.

“Although I heard and did not understand. Then I said, “My Lord, what shall be the end of these things?" And he [the Lord] said “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand…” (Daniel 12:8-10)

The words are closed up, what does this mean? The Strongs reference for this phrase is number H5640. Daniel was originally penned in Hebrew. This phrase pronounced sâtham śâtham, (saw-tham', saw-tham') meant to stop up; by implication to repair; figuratively to keep secret: - closed up, hidden, secret, shut out (up), stop. The reference for the word “sealed” is H2856 meaning to “seal, make an end, mark, seal up, to stop.” Daniel is told that the words of the prophecies given him would be closed, or hidden until the time of the end at which time they would make sense to those living in that time.

There are many Biblical teachers, who zealous to unlock the contents of Daniel have surmised that “the people of the prince who is to come,” referred to a revived Roman empire because the soldiers responsible for the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were Romans. God’s word is profoundly accurate; it has proven to be so over time and will continue to prove itself as the coming of the Lord nears. At first glance this theory sounds accurate; however, it requires a most studious examination to reveal the facts God intended mankind to know. Scholars have written volumes about a European Antichrist and the revived Roman Empire, even the wildly successful Left Behind series pegs the Antichrist to a character who is of European descent, a Romanian in fact.

Having read the series and been enthralled in the books, (honestly they were hard to put down), I can understand how someone could fall prey to the mistake made by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. For starters I want to say this. I choose to believe that their intentions are nothing but honorable. Their desire in writing this series was to create an interest in end times events and their study. However, as it says in Daniel, the contents of the book are to be sealed until the end, hidden, secret. So in all fairness, the most popular conclusions in this particular arena are most likely wrong given the accuracy of the Biblical text.

Since I was about twelve I have been interested in what will happen in the end times, this came from a reading of Revelation after my grandfather passed away. Late last year I began studying Christian Eschatology and Islamic Eschatology along with the various positions on the rapture. What happened was I had puzzle pieces in front of me that I noticed fit together very nicely. After more research in this area I discovered I was not the only one who was coming to the same conclusions, in fact, it seems that more and more Bible scholars are beginning to make the same connection as well. My conclusion was that the Antichrist would not come from a revived Roman Empire, but would be Islamic. When I read Walid Shoebat’s book God's War on Terror here is what I discovered.

"…some of the best and the greatest thinkers in Christian history have also seen Islam as Antichrist.” People like Hilaire Belloc, Bishop Fulton Sheen, Gregory Palamus of Thessalonica, Vernon Richards, Sir Robert Anderson, Cyril of Jerusalem, Sophronius the Patriarch of Jerusalem (560-638), Maximus the Confessor (580-662), John of Damascus (676-749), Eulogius of Cordova, Paul Alvarus, and the Martyrs of Cordova. Even John Calvin and Johnathan Edwards the great American Revivalist both saw Islam as playing the major role in the EndTimes. With all of this, do I have your attention now?"

Oh boy did he have it alright. In addition to Shoebat the list of published, present day authors who are asserting the same thing are Joel Richardson, Daniel Spruill, Roland Back, David Winston Bach, Robert Livingston T. W. Tramm, and Faisal Malick. There are others who are writing extensively about Islam; yet, are not taking a stance prophetically. Several of whom I have read materials from are Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, Brigitte Gabriel, Bill Warner of The Center For The Study of Political Islam, Nonie Darwish, Bat Ye’or. Online there are sources such at www.profoundprophecy.com a site under the direction of Scot Dyer, www.beastfromtheeast.org, run by Rodrigo Silva and his other site www.bibleprophecyinthenews.com, www.thereligionofpeace.com, www.kitmantv.blogspot.com and many more.

It is my belief, and I am not alone in this line of reasoning, that the Islamic Antichrist position is more Biblically accurate, uses consistent hermeneutics and solid exegesis to arrive at these conclusions. It isn’t a popular position and authors, unfortunately, are receiving backlash from Muslim sources as well as resistance from evangelicals who are unwilling to admit that the Pre-Trib position (which says the church will not be here during the 70th week of Daniel) is not based on sound exegetical teachings, or a consistent application of Hermeneutics.

Charles Cooper of www.prewrathrapture.com does an excellent job of dismantling the Pre-Trib position scripturally. I inject this only to point out that as believers we need to test all things against scripture. In the end what we want is truth, and we should desire it, even if it means that we were wrong and need to readjust to move forward. As a former member of the Pre-Trib camp I was shocked when I began to really look at it under a microscope. It is a doctrine that is lulling the masses into a false sense of security, unfortunately this will lead to being unprepared. Understanding Daniel is most definitely the key to understanding Revelation. Once I understood the reality about the identity of the final beast empire I realized how important it was to take a closer look at the rapture positions. The body of Christ needs warning. Christ knows this, God the father knows this, which is why there is so many clues and evidence hidden within the Bible. Only those who seek the Messiah him will find him, those who aren’t really looking for him will miss him completely. We must be like the Bereans and check to see if what our Pastors are teaching us is really what God’s word says. Why? Because the word tells us there will be false prophets and false teachers. False prophets give false prophecy, false teachers teach false doctrine. My opinion is that Muhammad was a false prophet. And further investigation will reveal that Islam is the final Beast Empire revealed to Daniel. When we consider there is indeed strong evidence that the Church will be here during a portion of the 70th week, and will suffer the wrath of Antichrist, it should cause us to be more sober minded. It should cause believers to desire to learn about it and to prepare our hearts and minds for the mission God may have for each of us during this time period.

The Roman Historian Josephus (Joseph Ben Matthias) was a Jew and a Priest. He was at one time a Military Commander of Galilee during the Jewish Revolt of 66AD just a few years prior to the destruction of the Temple and the City. He was captured by the Romans at the fall of Yotapada in 67AD and held as a prisoner in Cesarea until his release in 69AD. During this time he predicted that Titus Flavius Vespasianus would become Emperor, and when it later came to fruition he would be made a Roman citizen by Titus and took the name Josephus Flavius. His firsthand eyewitness to the account is recorded in his writings. He is responsible for authoring The Jewish War and a 20 volume work known as The Antiquities of the Jews. He is one of the historians credited with recording these events which help to illuminate scripture. For those interested, there was an excellent biography written about him by Steve Mason which appeared in Biblical Archeological Review (September/October 1997, pp. 58-69).


According to the record of Josephus, approximately 1.1 million Jews were killed in the destruction of the city and the temple in 70AD. This event is still mourned today in the annual Jewish fast of Tisha B’Av which takes place on the 9th day of the month of Av in the Hebrew Calendar.


As you can see below, the Hebrew calendar differs from our Gregorian Calendar. Notice that the Month of Av is comprised of the last half of July and the first half of August.



There still stands today the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy which was erected by the Emperor Domitian, the brother of Titus, shortly after his death. It was meant to be a memorial commemorating the Romans capture of Jerusalem and its looting of the city. It is covered in engravings and depictions of the looting of the temple. Thanks to tourists there is a plethora of high qualify photographs of the arch available online. Here is a photo of the depiction of Romans taking the spoils of war from the Temple.



Because of history we have not only the Jewish record of the event, but other sources as well such as the Roman Senator and historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus, and the Christian writer Sulpicius Severus. Tacitus work The Annuals happens to be one of the first know secular sources that mentions Christ. His writing are used by Christians to provide support historically as he mentions both Jesus and the persecution of the Christians under Caesar Nero. Sulpicius Severus authored several books but his primary work was the Chronicle or (Chronica, Chronicorum Libri duo or Historia sacra, c. 403).

We know that the particular destruction described in Daniel had to do with the City and the Temple. According to the record of these historians, primarily the firsthand eyewitness accounting by Josephus there were actually 4 Legions which made up the sea of men surrounding Jerusalem in the siege of 70AD. Rodrigo Silva, director for www.beastfromtheeast.org and www.bibleprophecyinthenews.com provides us with a wealth of information as he goes to great length using historical sources to deeply describe these events in his two articles “The People of the Prince that Shall Come: Who are they?” and “Debunking the European Antichrist.” Both of these are reposted on our site with permission from Mr. Silva. When the emperor Titus destroyed the city and the temple in 70AD he fulfilled scripture, this historical facts leads many to a conclusion that the “people of the prince who is to come” are Roman. Under a microscope what one discovers is that while the Government which was responsible for the destruction of the City and the Temple was indeed Roman, the “people” who made up the specific Legions were primarily Arabs, Syrians and Turks.

According to history there were four (4) specific Legions of Roman soldiers who participated in this fulfillment of scripture.

Legion 5 Macedionia: Solders from Moesia; Serbia and Bulgaria.

Legion 10 Frestinus: Comprised of soldiers from Turkey and Syria.

Legion 12 Fulminata: Soldiers from Melitene; Eastern Turkey; and Syria.

Legion 15 Apollonaris: Syrian Soldiers.

Silva (www.beastfromtheeast.org) describes the Legion in particular that was responsible for breaching the wall and setting fire to the temple itself in his article The People of the Prince Who Is To Come.

"These four legions were all involved in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The legion, in particular, that went through the wall breach and set fire to the Temple was known as X Fretensis or the tenth legion. It was this particular legion that actually pulled down the entire Temple and made the Temple Mount its new base. It should be pointed out that each legion was composed of several smaller ''cohorts.'' Below is a list of the actual cohorts that comprised the tenth legion and where they originally came from:

A. Thracum: Syria (Syrians)

B. IV Cohort Thracia: Bulgaria and Turkey (Turks)

C. Syria Ulpia Patraeorum: Petra in Edom (Nabatean Arabs)

D. IV Cohort Arabia (Arabs)

Again, these were a mixture of Syrians, Turks and Arabs. While the people who destroyed the temple were indeed Roman citizens, they were not primarily Europeans or Italians, but rather the peoples that lived in Syria and Eastern Turkey during the first century. This verse is concerned with the heritage and lineage of the people as restricted by the text ''people of the Prince'' and not their allegiance to Rome. This is why the text is written in this way. It insists in this connection. Once again, the Bible has led us to the same region. In context, the ''people of the prince'' are simply the people of the Antichrist; the Hebrew ''Am'' for people is persons, members of one’s people, compatriots, countrymen, kinsman and kindred (Strong's 5971)."

Prior to reading Silva’s description I had not heard this. Being intrigued I downloaded a copy of Josephus Flavis writings to compare and see if this were indeed accurate. I applaud Silva and other authors who have come to similar conclusions by using history to uncover these answers which were there all along just waiting be to uncovered by the careful student of history and prophecy. Although I didn’t immediately alter my point of view, I took careful note of what I had discovered. Once I had read more materials by authors who have drawn the same conclusions I knew the evidence was sound, and compelling. Hopefully it will motivate you to dig as well and to read, study the scriptures, and history for the answers that are waiting to be found.

The evidence, is the purpose of this website. To bring it all together and make it available so what we can make sober minded decisions about our future, and preach God's word to mankind. The next several posts will be articles by Rodrigo Silva and other authors who support this viewpoint. Until then, dig in my friends.

Last year I began to look at the other “Rapture Theories” primarily to be able to have a solid understanding of them, where their arguments were weak, where they were strong, and how to defend my own position based on a sound exegetical defense rooted in scripture. Since I was about 15 I have been told, and taught by men whom I have respected, that the rapture will occur prior to the 7 years of tribulation. When I began to look at the many options it seemed staggering, almost confusing. I didn’t realize there were so many. Here are just a FEW of the major positions.

Pre-Tribulation

Mid-Tribulation

Post Tribulation

Historical Premillennialism

Dispensational Premillennialism

Pre-Wrath

Partial Rapture

Amillennialism (non-millennialism)

Postmillennialism

Christian Reconstruction

Kingdom Now Theology

Preterism.

One morning, as I was making coffee, a random thought came into my head. How many lies does one have to tell to be considered a “liar,” one, right? So then how many false teachings would a pastor have to teach to be considered a “false teacher,” one, right? Would one heretical teaching be enough to destroy a church and it’s congregation for an eternity? How many “false prophecies” would someone have to claim to be considered a “false prophet”? As I consider the profound implications this has regarding labeling someone a "false teacher" or a "false prophet" it gives me pause as I contemplate the seriousness of being a teacher of Biblical matters. Whether it is related to doctrine, or prophetic matters the bible covers both. We are expressly warned in Matthew 7:15:

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."

The text goes on further until the end of the chapter describing the conduct of those who are false prophets.

Again in are 2nd Peter 2:1 it says this

"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed."

Swift destruction...destructive ways, wow. Preaching is dangerous if you aren't right on the money so to speak. Woe to you if you purposefully misdirect God's children. There are other verse in scripture that teach on false prophets and false teachers and how to spot them. Contemplating them makes me realize the seriousness with which one needs to approach picking up a bible, standing in the pulpit, and teaching where you can be help personally responsible for the direction and growth of a flock, which has been entrusted to you.

Because truth is exclusive not all of them can be right.

Some false teachers are obvious; yet, still they draw crowds and people flock to hear them teach. Collections are taken, and the “sheeple” are fleeced of their hard earned money. Thinking it will be put into use for the work of the Lord, it is instead diverted to the Mercedes(s) payments, fabulous vacations flown aboard private planes, or lush living in what can only be described as a compound rather than a home. Those are the more obvious examples. However, how does one identify the false teacher who isn’t as obvious?

What would you do, how would you respond, to discover on your own, through the study of God’s word (which is sharper than any double edged sword), that a doctrine you believe or have been taught is not explicitly taught in scripture. How would you respond to learn that under careful scrutiny the position you have held for years, fails miserably because it was not founded on solid exegesis? What would you do if you discovered that a position you may have held violated the basic rules of hermeneutics? Would you repent? Would you stonewall the other person and dig your heals in deeper or would you drop to your knees and ask God to show you the truth, even if it was contradictory to what you had been taught? Bear in mind that the one exception and rule is that the correct position MUST adhere to scripture, it MUST bear sound doctrine, it MUST not be taken out of context, and it MUST use solid exegetical methods to arrive at the conclusion. Likewise it MUST harmonize all passages and cannot contradict itself.

“The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him.” ~Proverbs 18:17

“How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen to silver. ~ Proverbs 16:16

“He who distains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.” ~ Proverbs 15:32

To borrow a phrase from the hit television serious “Highlander,” “There can be only ONE.” This is something that has bothered me for YEARS and I have been waiting for a Pastor to do a thorough and convincing teaching on the subject of Revelation and how it fits with other prophetic scripture like Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jude, Joel and Zachariah, .

For many years I have had questions about the “Pre-Tribulation” rapture of the church that weren’t answered. I was seeing inconsistencies in verses being pulled out of context in order to support that particular position (theory), and exegesis that didn’t follow the rules of Hermeneutics. The supports that were leaned upon in the Book of Revelation, weren't as strong as I had been lead to believe. Nor did other versus used to support to position in other passages of scripture satisfy lingering questions.

Another area that was problematic for me what the harmonization of scripture with time lines. When was Ezekiel 38 in comparison to the Battle of Armageddon? All of the verses I found seemed to tie them into one event; yet, most evangelicals teach they are two separate events. The problem is that scripture has the Lord himself fighting against his enemies in both events. That would mean he would have to come three times, not twice. He came once as a Lamb and then again as a Lion, oh yes...and one more time because we can't make the passages fit. He comes once in the air, and another time his feet touch the ground...what?

All along I was taking the position on “faith,” “It’s that way because Pastor Brian, or Chuck Smith, or Greg Laurie or Raul Ries says it’s that way.” At one point I had heard a VERY good teaching on Preterism and why it can basically be set aside as a false teaching. However, the bottom line is that when I stand before God it is not a Pastor who will speak for me…but Christ alone, so I had better make sure I am right before God.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always [obeyed], work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

He wants us to OBEY; however, if one is turned aside to false teaching, they cannot obey what is written. We cannot, and should not ignore the study of passages, verses, or books that seem difficult or hard to master. The more time we devote to study, prayer and asking for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the truth in God’s word the greater the likelihood that he will do just that, reveal to us the truth that has eluded us.

One of the questions that had been plaguing me was this:

If the Pre-tribulation rapture of the church IS the correct view point, why is it not CLEARLY taught in scripture like other doctrine, and why is it that the early church fathers didn’t teach it, or believe in it?

Another question that lingered like a splinter in my mind was this:

What event could cause Christians to “fall away” as in 2 Thessalonians 2:3?

Out the 12 texts I referenced it says “falling away” and “rebellion.” Why would a Christian rebel against God? Elsewhere I had read that it can also mean “to shrink away” as in shame. So I considered what action could a Christian take that would cause them to “shrink away.” Could an outright denial of Christ be what is meant?

Although Wikipedia is not the preferred source for scholarly writing its definition of “rebellion” is interesting. “A refusal of obedience.” Once again the wheels in my mind were turning, what event, or conditions could cause a Christian is refuse to be obedient?

So one day as I was sitting in the Jack in the Box across from the college where I am currently in school, I was drafting a letter to a good friend who is a Pastor. As I was writing I was struck with a thought.

What does “refusal” mean? So I Googled it…are you ready for this? Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines “refusal” as “the act of refusing or denying.”

As I read this my spiritual radar went on full alert. An act of denying...could that be what the writer was trying to explain? So I decided to open up my E-Sword application on my trusty Laptop (which isn’t always trusty) to see what Strong’s has to say about that particular verse.

According to the KJV with Strongs the “falling away” is number G646 ἀποστασία or apostasia pronounced ap-os-tas-ee'-ah. This word is Feminine of the same as G647; defection from truth (properly the state), (“apostasy”): - falling away, forsake. So I decided to look up the Masculine as well. The masculine G647 ἀποστάσιον apostasion ap-os-tas'-ee-on is Neuter of a (presumed) adjective from a derivative of G868; properly something separative, that is, (specifically) divorce: - (writing of) divorcement.

So those who “fall away” will literally defect from the truth, or forsake Christ, they will divorce themselves from him. Interesting, so…does someone who changes their position on when the rapture occurs, or another doctrine that isn’t eternal that some churches may disagree upon) divorce themselves from Christ? I can’t definitively answer yes to that. However, because I have changed my position on WHEN the rapture will occur it made more sense when I began to study Islam, its eschatology and began to compare it to our own. As I was doing this my “radar” began going off again, BIG TIME.

There are too many coincidences that occur when one begins to seriously to study Islam, what the Koran says, the Hadith, and Muhammad’s Biography to ignore. They are all very revealing. I find that they all point very clearly towards something discussed by Daniel in chapter 7 when the angel was describing to him the final beast empire.

Many mainstream pastors teach that the Final Beast Empire will be a version of the revised Roman Empire based upon a verse in Daniel 9:26c:

“And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

We know from history that in 70 AD the Romans destroyed both Jerusalem and the Temple in Jerusalem. The assumption for many years, which has been taught in mainstream evangelical churches nationwide, is that the final beast empire and the Antichrist would come from a revised Roman Empire. This idea combined with Revelation 17:19 has lead to the idea that somehow the papacy (Catholic Church) would be the “woman” riding the beast empire. I'm embarrassed to admit it; however, I used to think this as well.

This is where I must inject something that happened to me back in May of 2001 before I go any further.

At the time I was living in Vista with my ex wife. I had moved there to make an attempt at working out our marriage which was failing miserably. At the root of all our problems were Spiritual Issues, as are most problems we have in life.

During this time I was reading a book by David Hunt entitled “A Woman Rides the Red Beast” by Dave Hunt of the Berean Call. I was also personally reading in 1 Samuel: 3 about how the Lord kept calling Samuel out in the night.

I do not specifically recall for sure what day it was; however, I believe it was a Sunday night. I couldn’t sleep and felt as if I had been woken up. Although I kept trying to go back to sleep I was wide awake. It wasn’t normal behavior for me at that time and I went into the living room. Instead of watching TV I started praying. At some point I remember speaking out loud, “I’m awake Lord what do you want of me?” I had what I can only describe as a strong urge to leave the house and go for a drive.

I didn’t understand it at the time, but I did what I felt I was being urged to do. I drove for about 20 minutes and the entire time it was as if I was being directed, it was very unusual. I arrived at a 7-11 and the parking lot was vacant, it was around 4 o’clock in the morning.

Upon my arrival I remember asking God, why am I here? You brought me to a 7-11? For what, a slurpee at 4:00 AM? The inaudible; yet, very clear response was to just wait. I waited, and waited, and waited. I didn’t even know what I was waiting for. Finally a delivery truck rolled up and and the driver got out and unloaded several large stacks of newspapers. After he left I again was urged and it was simple. Get a paper. That was it. I remember thinking, you woke me up, had me drive to a 7-11 at zero dark 30 (I'm a former Marine so excuse the slang) and all you wanted was for me to purchase a newspaper? Give me a break Lord. I thought you were going to reveal something significant me. So I purchase my paper and a cup of hot coffee and sat back in my car to read. Here was the front page headline for that day.

“Pope Enters Muslim Mosque For First Time In 1,000 Years.”


Pope John Paul had entered the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on the 6th of May 2001. It made front page news. At the time the book I was reading by Dave Hunt was speculating that the final beast empire would be a revised Roman empire and the Antichrist would have some connection with the Roman Catholic Church. He made a very convincing case and I thought that the Lord was showing me a conformation about my position. It would not be until earlier this year that I would recall that evening and make a connection with its significance. It would also not be until this year that I would learn what the Catholic Church’s official teaching within the Catechism is regarding Islam.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 841. For further reading on this particular issue CARM has an interesting article on its website:

"The Church's relationship with the Muslims." The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day." (CCC, 841).


Unfortunately I would have to strongly disagree with the Catholic Church and question their understanding of the true character of “Allah” the god the Muslims worship. Quoting from the CARM Website here is what THEY had to say (this is quite brief based upon the length of the article but I think it makes its point rather succinctly.

“Obviously, the Muslims do not adore the one true merciful God because they serve a false god. They deny the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Quite simply, they deny the true God and are not capable of adoring the true God as long as they hold to the false teachings of Islam. Therefore the paragraph in the CCC cannot be correct.”

Sometimes the answers we are looking for are hidden in plain sight. Islam, it was right there in my hands…and I didn’t even take the time to investigate the significance. Now that I think about it, I may have been quite distracted by the turmoil we were having at home; yet, God wanted me to read those headlines. He wanted me to read the story so later on it would make sense to me.

It is interesting to note that although history tells us there were four Legions of Roman soldiers stationed outside Jerusalem in 70 A.D. only one of them is credited with the actual destruction of the Temple itself…

Check back soon. The next post will cove the four legions responsible for the actual destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem as well as the city.

Until then, press in my friends, dust off your Bible and ask for the Holy Spirit as your children ask for G.I. Joe with Kung Fu Grip and Tyco train sets for Christmas. Ask with belief in your heart that he will give you what you seek. Don't rest in man for your answers, but in God's word.

“Let no man deceive you in ANY way.” A Command from non other than Jesus himself.