I found the message linked below to be encouraging and insightful. I want to share it with all. Pastor Farag is one of the most awakened pastors I have come across (9/11, Patriot Act, death shot, DNA corruption, etc.) and while other’s efforts to tie current times to biblical prophecy fall short I find Pastor Farag’s messages always sit right with my heart and often confirm thoughts that the Holy Spirit has already pressed upon me.
0-8mins Opening prayer, etc.
8-25mins A simple and hopeful Pre-Trib message
25-end JD expands with good insights as to the certainty of why the last hour is not near but here:
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Advanced Technology
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Mankind’s Survivability
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Deception Spiritually
https://calvarychapelkaneohe.subspla.sh/59534ds
The last one “Spiritual Deception” is the reason for my post title and the motivation of sharing this here at GAW. What movie are you watching? The biggest nugget in Pastor Farag’s message, for me, was the distinction between “an” anti-Christ and “the” anti-Christ. While being grateful for this board and all of you contributors, my heart has always been unsettled about how to reconcile the spiritual hopes placed in Trump, Q, or “The Plan” vs biblical prophecy. I understand that for this reconciliation to be perplexing one has to have the mindset that we are indeed at the last hour. My hope is strictly in Jesus’ plan and I look forward to the blessed hope of Jesus gathering His children to Him in the clouds.
Conversely, the hopes in Trump, Q, or The Plan, while entertaining, do not hold much credence since we are already at the last hour. I don’t believe the current signs and times allow enough time for this generation, those that are alive now, and even those middle-late aged that are not saved by the blood of Christ, to escape the great tribulation. It’s coming and coming soon. There is simply not enough time for this ship to get righted. Much less for another era of bountiful and good times. It is a false hope IMO. We have never been so close to biblical prophecy. Israel is a nation, the temple artifacts are all already made and just waiting for the already planned and supposedly only waiting on funding. DNA manipulation and the evil in man’s hearts just as in the time of Noah. COVID showed us a concerted global effort. World government and world currency on deck. These are only off the top of my head. The few prophecies that left are strongly in the realm of possibility now. It is a time to rejoice as heaven draws near.
Trump, Q, or the plan can all be anti-christs. Anything that is taking your hope away from Jesus can be “an” anti-Christ. They may not be “the” anti-Christ but they can certainly be “an”. Search your heart frens. What movie are you watching and where does your hope lie?
Seek Jesus and you will find truth.
Edit: I find it revealing and sad that some would equate this post to dooming. Is not our salvation and the promise of heaven immeasurably better than this garbage dump called earth? Where is your faith and what are you seeking? I get it, I have aspirations too and on some level would like justice to prevail just so I could experience them but the promise of heaven is so far beyond any happiness that can be found here. I will endure what I must for as long as I must while here but we are all better off keeping our hope rooted in Jesus Christ and not any worldly plan.
The assertion that the teaching of the "church being hidden from the Old Testament prophets" originated with the Jesuits and the Counter Reformation is a misconception. The belief in the progressive revelation of the church and its relationship to Old Testament prophecy predates the Counter Reformation and can be traced back to early Christian theologians and scholars.
The idea of the church as a distinct entity that was not fully revealed in the Old Testament but progressively unfolded throughout history has its roots in the writings of the early Church Fathers, such as Irenaeus and Augustine. They developed the concept of the "mystery of the church," highlighting the idea that God's plan for salvation was gradually revealed over time.
Furthermore, the belief that the Pope or the Papacy is the Antichrist was not held universally by all the Reformers. While some Reformers, such as Martin Luther, did hold this view, it was not a consensus among all Protestant theologians. Different Reformers had varying perspectives on the identity of the Antichrist, and their opinions were shaped by their own theological and historical contexts.
Regarding the reference to the Schofield Bible, it is true that the Schofield Reference Bible, first published in the late 19th century, popularized certain dispensationalist interpretations of biblical prophecy. Dispensationalism, which gained traction among some evangelical Christians, emphasizes a strict separation between Israel and the church and sees a future restoration of national Israel as distinct from the church. However, it is important to note that the concept of a progressive revelation and the church's distinct role predates the Schofield Bible and was not solely propagated by it.
It is essential to approach historical and theological topics with a balanced understanding, taking into account the contributions of various scholars, theologians, and historical contexts. The belief in the progressive revelation of the church and its relationship to Old Testament prophecy has been held by theologians throughout the centuries and is not solely attributed to a particular group or movement.
The "Church" or the Church Age was a mystery kept hidden from the OT prophets. This would be the period between the 69th week and the 70th week of Daniel.
The 70th week (The Great Tribulation) is still yet future because we are still in the Church Age.
Lets reconsider Daniel 9:27 in it's greater context to see who is being spoken about in the immediate context:
"Anointed One, the ruler" = Christ
"He will confirm a covenant" = the Antichrist
"he will put an end to sacrifice and offering" = Antichrist
"he will set up an abomination that causes desolation" = Antichrist
The phrase "The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed" = the Romans when they destroyed the Temple in 70AD.
Between verse 26 & 27 are roughly 2000 years. Why? Because the Church Age was a mystery to the Old Testament prophets and was not revealed to them in their visions of the future (see above verses). So the OT prophets saw Christ's first coming and his second coming as one event, they did not see the roughly 2000 year gap in between those two events that we are currently living in now.
Many times there are 100's if not 1000's of years tucked in-between two verses. Take, for example, when Jesus stood up in the Temple and read from the scroll of Isaiah:
~ Luke 4:16-21
He is handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and reads a specific passage from Isaiah 61:1-2. He stopped at verse 2 and sat down. Verse 3 speaks about the "day of vengeance of our God..." The Day of Vengeance refers to The Great Tribulation which was still yet 2000+ years in the future.
Same with Daniel's 69th and 70th weeks. There are 2 Millennium's in between those two weeks: The Church Age i.e. The Age of Grace, which was kept hidden from the OT saints.