An Addendum to Daniel's Prophesies: The Woman and the Man Child

                  The subject of this writing has the purpose of bringing a new understanding

to a portion of scripture which has been misinterpreted and completely corrupted. My reference is to the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation.  This falls within the context of the end time prophecies of Daniel although it is not contained in that context. The foundations had to be laid for the purpose of proving that there is no pretribulational rapture of the church as is held by those who endorse dispensational theology. The text of I Thessalonians 4:13-17 has been explained to be the description of that resurrection event after the tribulation when compared with other scripture, (Matt. 24:29-31 and Rev.11:11-12) and not a description of the so-called rapture. This leads us to our current topic. Also, it is important to understand that the tribulation is three and one-half years in duration and not seven as is commonly believed. But it is of extreme importance to understand that there will be a catching up of a remnant of God’s very faithful people just prior to the tribulation period as the remainder will be subject to the tribulation with the object of purifying their hearts through trouble, persecution and even martyrdom. Chapters eleven (first 12 verses and chapter twelve of Revelation covers that reality in detail.(See also Rev.3:10-11).

            The text in chapter twelve of Revelation describes a great wonder seen in heaven consisting of a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (See Rev.12:1). This of course is a metaphor which needs to be understood. Where then does the metaphor come from and how do we interpret it? The metaphor is drawn from Joseph’s dream recited from Genesis 37:9-10. From that text we can discern that the sun, moon and stars represent the whole household of God as they existed at that time and is represented by the family of Jacob (Israel). So by application of the Revelation text we can see that the woman along with her offspring represent metaphorically all of God’s people, then living on the earth i.e. the church. “And she being with child cried travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”(Verse 2). “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. Then the text reveals to us the dragon (Satan) through his instrumentality of the beast having seven heads and ten horns. This entity is more thoroughly described in Revelation 13:1-2 and we glean from other scriptures detailed in Daniel 7:7 & f that this beast in both texts is one and the same and represents the final worldwide kingdom under the control of Satan at the end of the age. In modern vernacular that is the “New World Order” which will prevail universally at the end of this age. Then we see in verse four that as the woman who is in travail and ready to give birth; the dragon seeks to devour her offspring as soon as it is born.  But in verse five we see “her child is caught up to God, and to his throne.” We now need to know how to interpret the text up to this point.

            The woman who is clothed in the metaphor is the entire church living on the earth at the end of the age.  She is in the travail of birth for within her resides a people who have been perfected and purified by the workings of the Holy Spirit in them. Through their faithful responses to Christ he has been thoroughly formed in their hearts. We do not know their number. We only know that Christ has been formed in them through their enduring faith.  Thus, this remnant out from the church as a whole is “caught up (to snatch or seize violently, to take away by force-Strong’s Concor.) to God and to the throne.” Remember Enoch and Elijah? The preparatory text for understanding this phenomenon is found at Rev. 11:1-2 in the measuring of the temple (the house of God, i.e. the church) finding those who are worshiping  in truth therein in contrast to the court without  which is given unto the Gentiles to be trodden under foot forty and two months. This divides the people of God into two spiritual conditions and prepares our understanding as to why a remnant (the man child) is caught to the throne. Then we see in verse seven that the woman (the church) ‘fled into the wilderness’ finding a place which God has provided to sustain her for a thousand two hundred and three score days (the period of the duration of the tribulation).

              This catching up of the man child precipitates warfare in the heavenly realm.

The Lord has procured the spiritual ground through the man child to evict Satan from any access to the heavenly realm which he has retained continuously since the fall of man. “… the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was there place found any more in heaven…..he was cast out of heaven, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Portions of verses 7, 8, and 9). “And I heard a loud voice. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame hum by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Rev. 12:10-11).

            We then see the devil as cast down to the earth having great wrath for he knows he has but a short time. “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed (the church remaining on the earth during the tribulation), which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”(Rev.12:17).

            The purpose of this series of blogs is again to clarify and explain the extreme confusion in the church on the subject of resurrection and end time events in general. And,also, in the case of the ‘man child’ a translation (catching up of living and faithful saints into the heavenly kingdom) prior to the three and one-half year tribulation to establish the spiritual ground to bring in the kingdom.

             It is recognized by the writer that this account of the text in Revelation is very likely entirely new to almost everyone who will read it. Obtain my book These Prophets and the Revelation for an entire exegesis of end time prophecy. It is added to the previous seven blogs to provide a reliable overview of end time prophetic events coveres in the Book of Daniel.

David Lance Dean              website,booksandblogs:authordavidlancedean

Daniel's Prophesies: Great Tribulation

                Our previous consideration was on the subject of the abomination of desolation which leads almost immediately into the great tribulation. Daniel provides us with a significant commentary on the subject. This prophetic commentary begins at Daniel 11:30 and follows through to the end of chapter twelve. In view immediately in the context of the abomination of desolation is the fact of great deception utilized against those who “do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt by flatteries” Corrupt in the passage means ‘to cause to dissemble’ whereas the word for flatteries in the Hebrew means deception. These two word definitions combine to help us understand what happens to one who succumbs to the abomination of desolation.

                But immediately we see in verse thirty three that those who are not overcome by deception shall come under the wrath of the satanic powers.  “And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil many days. By way of interpretation we see two major issues being brought forth in the verse. First, there is the extreme persecution including martyrdom, plunder, and captivity all of which will continue throughout this three and one-half year period. We also see that the truth will be spread abroad by these persecuted Christians to the ends of the earth.  Jesus confirmed these realities in Matthew twenty four and announced that the gospel of the kingdom was to be preached throughout the world before the end would come. Moving ahead in the passage we find the following in verse thirty-five: “And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even unto the end; because it is yet for a time appointed.”  The tribulation is a time ordained by the Lord for the necessary purification of believers who have not yet come to the spiritual stature required by their Redeemer. These persecutions and potential martyrdoms are spoken of earlier in Daniel at the hands of the fourth beast who hates Christ and anyone who proclaims him as Lord. Consider Revelation 11:7: "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit shall make war with them, and shall overcome them, and shall kill them.”  The beast here is that system of the fourth beast of Daniel’s prophesies which represents the final world empire which is to be centered in the nation of Israel as they move to the status of a “Greater Israel.” The persecuted ones are those who were not measured as worshiping in the temple as seen in verses one and two of the text.  The temple or sanctuary of God is the spirit of a man who is abiding in Christ.These are hard things to be  understand and stand in direct opposition to  the concepts taught in today’s modern church where we have been  assured that the church will be  safely “raptured” prior to any difficulties, trials or persecutions connected  with the tribulation period.

                Moving on through the text of chapter eleven we find some descriptive words describing the person of the son of perdition. “And the king (antichrist) shall do according to his will: and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”  The indignation spoken of here includes anger, wrath, defiance and a vehement hatred of God and Christ, and his people thus all are employed in opposition to the testimony of truth, but the purpose of the Lord in all of this is the cleansing of the sanctuary or said another way the purification of his people. The Calvinist “security” doctrine is nullified by these realities.

                Speaking further of Antichrist we see the following: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers (that is to say he is Jewish for the word for God is translated numerous times in the O.T. in reference to the true and living God), nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honor the god of forces;  and a god who his father’s knew not shall he honor with gold and silver, and with precious stones, and precious things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory….(i.e., this is Lucifer or Satan) (verses 38-39).

                In verse forty we observe the ongoing regional conflict represented by the king of the south and the king of the north. “…and he shall come to rule over many (the son of perdition- the king of the north, i.e. Israel) and shall divide the land for gain. At the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots and horsemen, and many ships; and shall enter into the countries, and overflow and passover. He shall also enter into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.” (Verses 39-43). We are here observing great military conflict and it is to continue.  “But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain (Zion); yet shall he come to his end, and none shall help him.”(verses 44—45).  It must be understood by the reader that these conflicts are regional in the Middle East and the purpose is a complete conquest of all of the territory which encompasses the land of promise given to Old Testament Israel. It includes Lebanon, Jordan, upper Saudi Arabia, most of Syria, the lower half of Iraq, and much of Egypt. These conquests are clearly set forth in the Oded Yinon plan for Imperial or “Greater Israel” drafted and proclaimed in 1982. Those O.T. promises were completely fulfilled.

                Now we must move forward to chapter twelve. “And at that time  shall Michael standup, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation up to that same time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Comp. Rev. 20: 13-15). “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:1-3). The “time of trouble: encompasses a period of three and one-half years as is verified as confirmed in verse seven. “And I heard the man clothed in linen (this is the man described in detail in chapter ten. It is the Lord Jesus Christ), see chapter 10), which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and left hand into heaven, and swore by him that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; (three and one-half years) and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” (comp. Rev. 10:5-6).

                “And I heard (Daniel speaking to the Lord) but I understood not: then I said I, O my Lord what shall be the end of these things? “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are sealed till the time of the end, Many shall be purified; but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”(Verses 8-10).

                This concludes the prophesies of Daniel taking us to the very end of the age and the time of the resurrection of the saints after the tribulation. However, there remains an important event and concept that is not covered by Daniel and so we must go forward to the Book of Revelation and chapter twelve. So one more blog posting is necessary to cover that prophetic ground.

                What becomes so obvious as you study and understand the prophetic ministry of Daniel is that it absolutely destroys the popular theology of the day, i.e. dispensationalism which has captured and deceived the modern day evangelical church!!  It dispels the erroneous pretribulational ‘rapture’ of the entire church as well as the teaching of a seven year tribulation. But the critical and most important lie that it exposes is that the notion that the nation state of Israel stands in the favor of the Lord and it is to be restored as a principle part of God’s plan when it fact the very opposite is true as it will be revealed to be the icon of the enemy to deceive the world and if it were possible even the very elect. If you are interested in knowing all of the details of this deception perpetrated by the counterfeit Jews who have hijacked Orthodox Judaism, adopted the occult Babylonian Talmud as their guide book and have managed to put in place a counterfeit nation of Israel I would highly recommend that you order my book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It is entitled The Israel Deception. If you have missed any of my previous postings in this series you may find five of them posted in February. All you need to do is go to theseprophets.blogspot.com and click on the month of February.

David Lance Dean                                 See my website for two other books on related subjects:

                                                                      authordavidlancedean.com

Daniel's Prophesies (Part 6) The Abomination of Desolation

             A spiritual truth which is not at all understood by evangelicals and probably the great majority of those who would claim to embrace Christianity is an understanding of the abomination of desolation, which was first spoken by Daniel the prophet. This subject must be a part of any biblical investigation of prophetic truth because it will play a very important role at the end of days just prior to the beginning of the great tribulation.

              Let us begin our search for this understanding of that prophesied event with the words of Jesus. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place whoso readeth, let him understand.” (Matt. 24:15). So our understanding of the abomination is necessary by the words of Jesus himself. He has referred us to Daniel to help us to begin to understand the truth of this important prophetic event. Daniel makes mention of the abomination in two passages of his prophetic revelations. First, we find at Daniel 12:11 where we read: “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred an ninety days.” (Take note that in the King James translation of the Bible that the word sacrifice is in italics which means that there was no Hebrew word to translate. The translators just assumed that the word sacrifice was necessary as they were viewing the Old Testament practice. This is extremely important because it leads to a wrong interpretation of the verse as an animal sacrifice is not in view in the abomination). This verse tells us that the abomination will take place exactly thirty days before the onset of the tribulation which  is 1,260 days, 42 months or 3 ½ years in duration as is established by both Daniel and John in the Book of Revelation (five times in chapters  eleven and twelve). Never do we find the tribulation to be identified as seven years as declared by dispensationalists. Also it becomes clear that the abomination is yet future and not as taught by dispensationalism that it was fulfilled in the past by Antiochus Epiphanes when he is alleged to have sacrificed a swine on the altar of the temple. This is a Jewish fable and has nothing to do with the truth.

            Examining she passage beginning at Daniel 11:31 we read: “And arms (i.e. force or power) shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily (sacrifice), and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt with flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” At this point the foregoing two verses require interpretation and then we will move to the New Testament book of II Thessalonians to establish its confirmation.

            In view here is the power of satanic deception. The word flatteries means to deceive. The Antichrist will have the power of deception and those who are not in an absolutely committed relationship with Christ (i.e. “such that do wickedly” will be deceived by “strong delusion” that they might believe a lie. (Comp. II Thes. 2:10-11). While those “who do know their God will be strong and do exploits”. The powers of darknesshave not only have the power to deceive, but demonic influence can capture the mind but also the spirit of a person. This is what is in view in the “abomination of desolation”. Jesus warned us solemnly of false teachers and false prophets in Matthew 24 that will deceive many and were it possible even the very elect. This is why we must know the truth and tenaciously cling to all truth. The paradigm presented to us by dispensational theology is a series of lies and is designed to deceive. Israel after the flesh is NOT God’s “chosen people”.  They are the Israel of God, a spiritual seed in Christ. The old covenant has been conpletely abrogated.

            We now need to go to the New Testament and examine the abomination of desolation in light of the truths of the new covenant. For its application is not to the old. “Now by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that you be not son shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter from us, as that is the day of Christ at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin, the son of perdition be revealed.  For he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God.” (IIThes. 2:1-4).  Interpreting the above we find the following: First, the coming of Christ and our gathering together unto him, i.e. the resurrection does not happen until after the tribulation. Secondly, the day of Christ refers to the Lord’s judgment to be executed after the resurrection. Third, the man of sin, the son of perdition must manifest himself and be revealed at the onset of the tribulation. Fourth, there will be a great falling away which precedes the revealing of the son of perdition. He will sit in the temple of God which is not a building or physical edifice; although he may also inhabit a rebuilt third temple to emphasize the deception. His entrance is into the true sanctuary, the minds and spirits of  people who are in denial of Christ as well as those who are not abiding in him. “Howbeit, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool, what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what id the place of my rest? (Acts 7:48-49).

          The abomination of desolation is a spiritual phenomenon realized when the enemy invades the minds and even the spirits of people for this was intended to be the sanctuary inhabited by the Holy Spirit. It is an entrance to bring worship to himself and ultimately to Satan.It is an abomination which brings desolation.

            Beware all who may have been indoctrinated in dispensational theology because it is mythology, not theology and not truth. You have been deceived by doctrine carefully crafted by the enemy of your souls. Much of it will center in The Israel Deception (see my book). Also all of these doctrines and prophesies are thoroughly covered in my book Christian Zionism and the Scofield Reference Bible.

David Lance Dean               See my blogs and books: authordavidlancedean.com          

Voices of the Prophets Daniel andThe End of Days

               Moving forward progressively in this seven part series interpreting the Book of Daniel we are ready to look at chapter ten and the preparation for what is to follow. It was at the time of Cyrus king of Persia in his third year. “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I also ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh or wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.” (Daniel 10:2-3). Daniel was deeply in fasting and prayer.

            “Then I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed with linen, whose loins were girded with the fine gold of Uphaz: His body was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightening, and his eyes as lamp of fire, and his arms and his feet like the color of polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”  (Daniel 10:5-6). Daniel has seen a vision of the Person of the Lord himself in preparation for the revelations which are to follow in chapters eleven and twelve of Daniel’s recorded writings. The description of the person in the vision is a theophany. This description can be compared to two like descriptions found in the Book of Revelation as experienced and recorded by the Apostle John. (Comp. Rev. 1:13-15 and Rev. 10: 1). The presence of the Lord had an overwhelming effect of weakening Daniel in his body and physical state and caused him to fall prostrate before this awesome Person.

           The balance of the chapter is consumed with this revelation of Christ and its effect on Daniel. Reading the final verse of the chapter we see it to be a preparation for what is yet to be revealed in the final two chapters. “….when I am come forth, lo,the king of Grecia shall come. But I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that standeth with me but Michael your prince.” (Daniel 10:20-21) (Compare Daniel 12:1-2 with Rev. 12:7-8 for Michael’s further role in the conflict).

            We proceed to chapter eleven and begin a historical chronology which will carry us forward to the end of days. In verse one we see Darius the Mede being established and confirmed as king and following in verse two we find that there will follow three more kings from among the Persians. This in turn is followed by the conquest of Alexander the Great (Grecia) displacing the Medio-Persian Empire. After Alexander’s rapid conquest of the region he dies prematurely at a young age but not in battle. In verse four we see the confirmation found in chapter eight that his kingdom is divided into four parts towards the four winds. These four divisions were reined over by Alexander’s four generals.

            Now there begins a chronology necessary to carry us forward to the end of days.  What we will discover is the emergence of a world ruler who obtains power and dominion through his allegiance with Satan who seeks to be worshipped universally and displace the God of heaven.  The icon he will use is the “little horn” of Daniel seven and eight. This will prove to identify the now relatively small nation state of Israel. Empowered by Lucifer he (the Antichrist) will go forth conquering and to conquer (see Revelation 6:1). The immediate objective is to recover the territory designated under the old covenant as the “Promised Land”.  (See my book The Israel Deception). The further objective is to obtain world dominion extoling and honoring the god of this world and bringing about a spiritual apostasy that will result in “all the world wondered after the beast”(Rev. 13:3). The lengthy chronology in Daniel chapter eleven leads us up to the time of the revelation of the son of perdition. Unrevealing all of those preparatory scriptures in the chapter are not necessary to capture the end of day’s scenario.  In my view those developments related to his revelation begin at verse twenty one in Daniel eleven. But in preparation for that event which is described in scripture as the abomination of desolation it would prove more profitable to bring us to focus on developments in the world at this present time. Yes, we are now approaching the end time’s events which will ultimately lead us into the great tribulation. That does not mean that they are likely to be at least a few years yet future in time.                   

            I believe the world to be in a stage of preparation and the signs of this include “wars and rumors of wars” as prophesied by Jesus in Matthew chapter twenty-four. Also in evidence is the great apostasy spoken of by the Apostle Paul in II Thes. chapter two. If you focus on the Middle East beginning with the first gulf war against Iraq this was the beginning of conflicts in the region. Saddam Hussein was resistant to the outcome and did not submit to the international effort to destroy his kingdom and wealth. This fact led to the necessity of a further war that lasted eight years and the dictator’s death. Also paralleling this war was the invasion of Afghanistan allegedly to destroy the terrorists that were responsible for the World Trade Center attack. The ‘false flag’ event of 911 was the rationale for these invasions but there was in play another agenda. Ongoing conflicts have been continuous in the entire region including the “Arab Spring” which involved numerous Muslim nations throughout the same region. Then there was the overthrow of Gadhafi’s Libya and we witness the ongoing conflict in Syria. Now there are war drums rattling against Iran which is a hated enemy of Israel. America is the proxy military power being used in all of the above and it has not come to its conclusion but will be ongoing until the entire region has been destabilized by the Zionist cabal which is orchestrating the entire regional operation on behalf of Israel. Israel is to undergo a military expansion in the region as we will investigate further in our series on Daniel. The initial goal is to recover what they believe to be their “Promised Land”.  When that has been accomplished the grounds for the revelation of the Antichrist, the Jews false messiah will be complete. The fourth beast of Daniel’s prophesies  presented in chapters seven and eight will emerge as an expression of the satanically planned New World Order. This much lays the groundwork for the next blog which will reveal the true meaning of the abomination of desolation. Keep your eyes upon Israel as it is not what the religious world believes it to be.In fact it is the exact opposite  of what is percieved by today's apostate church.

David Lance Dean               See my blogs and books at   authordavidlancedean.com

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Voices of the Prophets: Daniel's Seventy Weeks

            Moving forward in our study of Daniel we will expound on one of the key passages in Old Testament prophesies as it is found in the ninth chapter of Daniel.It is reordered at the time of the end of the Babylonian Empire and the onset of the rule of the Meads and Persians specifically at the beginning of the reign of Darius the Median king. Daniel has awareness that the end of the captivity would correlate with the end of a seventy year period and that fact is discovered in the writings of Jeremiah and specifically at Jeremiah 25:12.

            Because of Daniel’s burden for Jerusalem and the testimony of the Lord he entered into a period of fervent prayer and fasting on behalf of his people mainly focused on a humble supplication for forgiveness and restoration. This covers the majority of chapter nine and the result was the revealing to him the  mind of the Lord for the future of Israel and it is covered concisely in the four verses at the end of chapter nine and those being verses 24-27. Our object now is to break those four verses down verse by verse and provide an accurate interpretation which is the all-important matter.

            “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon the holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end to sins, and to make reconciliation, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Verse 24). The seventy weeks are understood as weeks of years, that is to say that one week equals seven years and so the seventy weeks are 70  x 7 years or 490 years.(Comp. Lev. 25:12). So in view in the first verse of the passage is the advent of Messiah and his ministry of reconciliation which seals the words of the prophesies of the Old Testament; his anointing which took place at the time of his baptism in the Jordan River including the decent of the Holy Spirit upon him and he was then carried forward in a ministry to the people of Israel being consummated with his death on the cross.

            “Know ye therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto  the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”(Verse 25). So there came a decree at a point in time after the captivity was complete that included the complete provisions for rebuilding the city, the temple and the wall. It is to be realized that work on the temple began first with many returning from the captivity to Jerusalem. The work was hindered and preceded slowly with intervals of time. To pinpoint the time of the decree to completely finish the work you may read of it in the seventh chapter of Ezra. It was given by Artaxerxes the king of the Persians. Also the book of Nehemiah will provide the details of the rebuilding of the wall in troublous times for there was much opposition. But all the work was completed and worship was reestablished through the ministry of Ezra the priest and the efforts of Nehemiah.

            “And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary and the end thereof shall be with flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined,” (Verse 26). The verse includes the cutting off of Messiah, i.e. his death on the cross after three and one-half years of ministry. The Jews demanded his death at the hand of the Roman government. It also includes the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD by the Roman legions under Titus. This event happened outside of the seventy weeks which were determined to be explained in verse twenty seven, but was nevertheless prophesied ""desolations are determined".

            “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even till the consummation, and that determined shall be poured out upon the desolate.” (Verse 27). The verse covers a seven year ministry to the Jews. The first 3 1/2 years by Jesus himself leading up to his crucifixion. Then for 3 ½ additional years his disciples were commissioned to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel”. (Seven years equals one week). The desolations determined represent the judgment that fell upon a disobedient and gainsaying people.  The end of the last week of the seventy came at the time of Stephen preaching to the Jewish Sanhedrin—he seventy elders which represented the ruling authority spiritually of the people.  Stephen was stoned to death at the end of his sermon representing the formal determination and rejection of the nation concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.

            The seventy weeks were all completed and fulfilled consecutively beginning with the decree of Artexerxes (Ezra chapter seven) concerning the completion of the building of the city and the wall and running through to the stoning of Stephen in Acts chapter seven. The ‘gap’ theory propagated by dispensationalists is a theological myth with no support in Scripture.

            A footnote to the interpretation is made necessary by the fact that millions of Christians primarily evangelicals believe that the seventieth week comes at the very end of the age in the form of the tribulation and a returning of God  to the Jews which they believe will be saved nationally. This heresy was propagated and spread wide with the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909 and several subsequent publications thereafter completely invading and destroying the truth of the Scriptures both doctrinally and prophetically. There is no support in the Bible for the restoration of Israel collectively whether nationally or according to their ethnicity. God’s covenant and dealings with them ended in the advent, crucifixion and subsequent rejection of their promised Messiah; but allowing  them 3 ½ more years to grasp and understand the message  and embrace  by faith the  redemption spoken to them by the disciples.

David Lance Dean              visit my website and follow my blogs:                                                                                 authordavidlancedaen.com

Voices of the Prophets: Daniel's Vision

              We are proceeding progressively through the Book of Daniel and his prophetic revelations which lead us ultimately to world developments at the very end of the age and the coming in judgment of Jesus Christ. This posting will cover the prophetic truths contained in the eighth chapter of Daniel.

            Occurring in the third year of Belshazzar king of Babylon we discover the following: This is Daniel’s vision on the occasion. “Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward, so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” (Daniel 8:5).  This again is a representation ion of the kingdom of the Meads and the Persians (two horns). The higher one which came up last are the kings of Persia, but the kingdom was a coalition of the two peoples.

            “And as I was considering, behold, as the goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes, and he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing at the river, and ran into him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones towards the four winds of heaven. “ (Daniel 8:6-8)  Here we see again as in chapter seven the vast kingdom of Alexander the Great. He is the notable horn on the he goat. When he died after his conquest there were four notable ones which came up towards the four winds of heaven. These were the four principle generals in Alexander’s army which prevailed with him in victory.

            We would take note here that there is a centuries long gap in the chronology of the secular history because the Roman Empire is not covered even though it was represented in the legs of iron in the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The significance of this fact is to illustrate that all of the other kingdoms are Middle Eastern in origin including the final one which we will cover next.  The Roman Empire was centered in Rome and extending to the regions of Europe. Where history began it will end.

            We came now to the final beast which resulted from the dividing into four parts the great kingdom of Alexander’s Empire. “And out of one of them came forth a title horn, which waxed exceeding great towards the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land (Israel): and it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down of the host (believers) and the stars to the ground and stamped upon them. Yet he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, (Jesus Christ) and by him (Antichrist) the daily sacrifice was taken away and the place of his sanctuary (believers) was cast down. And an host was given against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered.” (Daniel 8:9-12) Now everything for the people of God becomes extremely difficult. The title horn which waxed exceedingly great is the nation state of Israel expanded to a "Greater Israel." It is destined to become a vast empire recovering the territory they believe to be the “Promised Land” at the very end of the age and leading into the time of the  great tribulation period (3 ½ years-not seven). Under the auspices and power of Satan the Antichrist will even exalt himself to the Prince (Jesus Christ) of the host (the people of God). It will be difficult for multiplied millions of Christians to grasp these truths because they speak of both persecution and martyrdom of the saints and they are of the belief that they will be marvelously “raptured” before the time of trouble. The fact is that there is no pretribulational rapture for the entire church prior to the onset of the tribulation. We must now move forward to the next segment of the prophecy.

            “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” (Daniel 8:13-14).This stated period encompasses the vast purification and martyrdom of the sanctuary.( i.e. the people of the Lord). That is to say those among them who are committed and faithful. Many will not endure, but rather will fall away through the craft and deciet of the enemy as we will discover later when we reach chapter eleven. The Calvinist doctrine of ‘eternal security’ will not stand in that day as it does not stand now. Only the faithful saints who “endure unto the end will be saved.”(Jesus said it at Matt. 24:13).

            These passages do not comport to the popular theological systems of today’s churches as they would embrace Calvinism and particularly dispensationalism as popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible. These passages in Daniel’s prophesy cannot be understood from those popular paradigms and so they remain a mystery to almost all who claim to be Christians.

         We intend to continue to enlarge on these truths as we advance through the remainder of the Book of Daniel because the true paradigm of end time prophetic truth stands in stark contrast to what is general being taught today.

David Lance Dean                 website and blog access: authordavidlancedean.com

Voices of the Prophets: Daniel's Dream

                 We will continue progressively through the revelations of Daniel the prophet of God in chapter seven. Most of the early chapters of Daniel are history recording the experiences of Daniel as a captive in Babylon but also demonstrating his favor with the king allowing him to function freely. You may want to read chapters one, three, four, five and six to gather the context for the prophetic portions beginning in chapter seven and carrying forward to the end of the book in chapter twelve.

            “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.” (Daniel 7:1).

            “Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the haven strove upon the great sea and four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse from one another.” (Daniel 7:2-3).

            “The first was like a lion and had eagle’s wings: I beheld until the wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made stand upon on its feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” (Daniel 7:4). Depicted in this verse is the Babylonian Empire and its first king Nebuchadnezzar. It was as a lion in its power and dominion and as an eagle being very lofty and lifted up. But its wings were plucked and its king who had seen himself as godlike was dealt with by the Lord as is recounted in chapter four, and he was greatly humbled and came to acknowledge the Lord God as the Almighty. His wings were plucked and he was brought down to worship the King of heaven. Take the time to read the account in chapter four.

            “And behold another beast, a second, like a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, arise, and eat much flesh.” (Daniel 7:5).  In view here is the kingdom of the Meads and the Persians which was a coalition of these peoples. It raised itself on one side is a reference to the Median kings being dominant originally and later the Persian kings became dominant.  The  bear had three ribs in its mouth signifying that it had swallowed up the residue of the three previously dominant kingdoms which were specifically the Egyptians, the Assyrians and the Babylonians. This kingdom was divided into 120 provinces and prevailed in the region for over two hundred years. Of consequence during this time a remnant of Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. (See the book of Esther).

            “After this beheld, and lo I saw another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a foul; the beast had four heads; and dominion was given unto it.” (Daniel 7:6).This is the kingdom of Alexander the Great who as s very young man set forth with his armies from Macedonia and Greece moving from West to East and in a short few years conquered the region overthrowing the Persian Empire. The four wings and the leopard speak metaphorically of rapid flight and very quick stealth as his conquest was carried out. The four heads represent his four capable generals. Alexander died shortly after his world conquest was completed and there was a division of power and control taken by his four generals. He brought Hellenism, that is to say, Greek culture and language to the entire region.

            We take note here that the Roman Empire has been left out in the chronology. It seems to me that the reason this was done by the prophet is that he is focusing on the empires which originated in and controlled that region  of civilization we know as the Middle East and thus the fourth beast fits that description as we shall see. The Roman Empire does not fit this categorical definition having originaataed in Europe.

            “After this I saw in the night visions a fourth beast dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and breaks in pieces, and stomped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it: and it had ten horns. (Comp.  Rev. 13:1). I considered the horns, and, behold there came up among them a little horn (this is the state of Israel), before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold in this horn were eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.”(Daniel 7:8-9). This is a representation of a “Greater Israel” envisioned by the world Zionists with an agenda for world government centered in Israel and empowered by Satan and the Son of Perdition, i.e. the Antichrist. This conception of the destiny of modern Israel is exactly opposite to that held by the evangelical world for they think that upon the return of Christ he will reign from Jerusalem. We will be enlarging on this concept of “Greater Israel” and Antichrist as we proceed through to the end of Daniel’s prophesies. In this regard I recommend my book The Israel Deception.

            “I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne as the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”  (Daniel 7:9-11)  These are the saints redeemed by the blood of the Lamb found written in the book of life..(Compare also Rev. 20:12-15).

            “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever.

David Lance Dean              See my books and blogs at: authordavidlancedean.com

           

Voices of the Prophets: Daniel Nebuchadnezzer's Dream

                        We need to move on to the prophet Daniel to examine several prophetic

portions revealed in the book that he was responsible for authoring. Before we actually begin moving through the texts of the book it will be helpful to understand some things about this man greatly used by God. Daniel was subjected to the Babylonian captivity at a very young age probably in his teen years. He spent virtually his entire life in Babylon spanning the seventy years of Judah’s captivity.  A little more than half of the Book of Daniel is prophecy. The remainder is history to provide context for his prophetic dreams and visions. So we will be looking at some of the historical aspects but featuring the amazing chronological revelations of prophecy. Before we begin I would like to recommend my book These Prophets and the Revelation which brings together the Books of Daniel and Revelation and places them in context of revealing current world developments both political and economic which are bringing us ever closer to the fulfillment of Daniel’s inspired revelations.

            Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had a dream. It was a dream that greatly troubled him although he was unable to remember much of its content and its meaning completely escaped him. He called for the magicians, sorcerers, and astrologers to provide him with the content of his dream and more importantly its interpretation. The wise men in Babylon included some of the Hebrews including Daniel. The Chaldeans failed the king’s request and were not able to provide him either the content or the interpretation. In anger the king decreed a sentence of death upon the wise men of Babylon. Daniel, who was in favor with the king heard of the matter and was called upon by the king and he assured him that God was able to provide him the content of the dream as well as its interpretation. He petitioned for mercy upon the members of the king’s counselors who had failed him and they were spared at Daniels’s behest.

            “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dreams, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these.  As for thee O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what would come to pass hereafter: and he that  revealth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.” (Daniel 2: 28-29). What Daniel is about to reveal to the king is a summary of future world history from the standpoint of kingdoms and empires.

          “Thou, O king, sawest and beheld a great image: This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his  breast and  his arms of silver, his belly and  his thighs of brass,  his legs of iron, and his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and break them into pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floor: and the wind carried them away that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof to the king.”(Daniel 2:31-36).

            “Thou, O king art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And whosesoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fouls of the heaven hath he given into thy hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of Gold.”(Dan 2:37-38).

            “And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, (This we discover through scripture to be the Medio-Persian Empire) and another third kingdom of brass, (The Kingdom of Alexander the Great), which shall bear rule over all of the earth.”(Daniel 2:39).

            And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron:(The Roman Empire)for as   much   as iron breaketh in pieces and subdoeth all things and as iron breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.(Dan 2:40).

            “And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter’s clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be  of the strength of iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as for the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of miry clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave to one another, even as iron is not mixed with miry clay (Dan. 2:41-43).(We will cover this fourth and final kingdom in detail as we move through the book of Daniel).

            And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall not be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” (Dan 2:44).

            “Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it break in pieces  the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof cure.”(Dan 2:45). 

            What has been summarized for us is the projected history of the kingdoms of this world which will ultimately all experience judgment and destruction, and will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.

David Lance Dean                          website,book availability and blogs:

                                                            authordavidlancedean.com

P.S. Because Daniel’s prophecies carry us to this present day we will post a series of seven blogs focusing on the end of the age.

Voices of the Prophets: Jeremiah The Revelation of Babylon

                   We have previously established that Jeremiah’s prophesies spanned a period of about forty years leading up to the time of the captivity and into the time of its inception. There exists much detail in the fifty two chapters. Our objective in these recent posts has been to provide an overview pointing out and expounding on some of the more important topics covered in these Scriptures.

            In concluding this brief series summarizing Jeremiah’s comprehensive revelations it has seemed incumbent that we discuss this entity known as the Babylonian Empire because it goes beyond just an imperial power with great military might. So while its military might was powerful and very destructive resulting in the death of many in Judah and thrir captivity as well as the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; its own judgment and destruction is prophesied.

            “The word of the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldees by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish and conceal not: say Babylon is taken, Bel (the Babylonian Baal—i.e. Lucifer) is confounded. Merodach (a Babylonian idol) is broken in pieces.  Her idols are confounded; her images are broken in pieces. For out of the north there cometh a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.” (Jer. 50:1-3).And so is prophesied the destruction of Babylon which will be accomplished after the seventy years of the captivity of Judah. This will be from the north by the emerging kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. To be understood is the fact that Babylon was a mighty military force which became dominant for a brief period, but also it was a totally pagan people who subdued Judah with their pagan religion and culture which had a permanent effect on them from a spiritual perspective. This chapter and chapter fifty-one are not only a commentary on the defeat and captivity of a people physically but also had long term ramifications to the identity of a people spiritually. This portion of prophecy can be projected through the centuries and has application to this present time and will continue even much more so as we move to the end of the age. This, of course, will require further explanation.

            “Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven her away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, even as I punished the king of Assyria.”(Jer. 50:17-18). These successive  judgements by of the Lord are executed by the powerful hand of the Lord upon his people for their wickedness and idolatry;  but in turn these pagan empires are also brought under judgment.

            The spiritual seed for Israel and Judah’s destruction were planted and harvested with the Jews as is evidenced by the ‘oral tradition’ held by the Pharisees and their violent  hatred of Christ leading to his crucifixion.. In view in the prophesies are not only the judgment and destruction of  Jerusalem and the temple in that day; but they take us forward to the very end of the age and the revelation of Mystery Babylon as is discovered in chapters seventeen and eighteen of Revelation.

            This dual application of Babylon is confirmed by comparing portions of Jeremiah’s prophesies with those of the Apostle John in Revelation.  “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut of in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; he will render unto her recompense. Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand that made all of the earth drunken; the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore are the nations mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed…”(Jer.:51:6-8). Comparing this passage with verses in Revelation where we read: “And upon her forehead was a name written; MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMIATIONS OF THE EARTH, And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…(Revelation 17:5 and 6 in part). “And the woman arrayed with purple and scarlet….and having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” (Rev. 17:4).”And I heard another voice from heaven, saying Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and ye receive not of her plagues.”(Rev. 18:4).So there exists a parallel between the two covenants. As a remnant from Judah returned to rebuild the temple and the city under the old covenant; so a remnant will escape from spiritual (mystery) Babylon to recover the rue testimony of Christ. There will be a remnant in the church which will discover  the truths that will  alow them  toescape their spitual captivity in MYSTERY BABYLON.

             So we have observed some of the parallels of Jerimiah’s prophesies, first as they related to the captivity of ancient Judah and then at the consummation of the age as they relate to the people of God. There was a physical Babylon and there is now a spiritual Babylon identified as Mystery Babylon. It is a vital and overriding  satanic  force in today’s world. It is Luciferian in its nature and content. It finds its dogma, its wickedness and the power of its deception in the Babylonian Talmud which has birthed Talmudic Judaismand Zionism. It has taken captive the world at large and it will find its final prophesied destiny in a NEW WORLD ORDER to be centered in Jerusalem and the modern day State of Israel and it will be ruled by the Antichrist as Satan’s representative. Recognizing that much of this may not be discernable to Christians in this modern day apostate church I recommend my book The Israel Deception.

David Lance Dean              blogs and website @authordavidlancedean.com

Voices of the Prophets: Jeremiah Promise of a New Covenant

            “At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.” (Jer. 31:1). In order to understand the first verse of this chapter in Jeremiah we must come to a clear understanding of the term Israel as it is defined under the tenets of the New Covenant in Christ for it is not the same as Israel under the Old Testament. In Christ the meaning of the term undergoes a great expansion to include all who truly embrace Christ in his work of redemption and then continue in faithfulness to the covenant. Let us examine this concept as it is expressed in the epistle first in Romans, and then in Galatians. “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which are of Israel: Neither because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but in Isaac shall the seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” (Rom. 9:6-8). “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds as many; but as of one, And thy seed which is Christ. And this I say, that he covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made…… (I.e. Jesus Christ).Gal.3:16-19.

            So we see that this new covenant promised by Jeremiah not only extended and included a multitude of people form among the Gentiles but it also abrogated the old covenant of law “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 8:11-12).Jeremiah had a commentary prophetically to verify exactly what is stated above: “Behold, I will bring them from the North Country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travailith with child together a: great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein the shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel (this is not speaking of Israel after the flesh, but rather the true Israel of God, the spiritual seed of Abraham), and Ephraim is my first born.”Jeremiah 31:8-9).

            So let us define it specifically from the words of Jeremiah all of which can be verified by the Hew Testament account of the work of Christ and the advent of the Holy Spirit too abide in a people of faith and commitment to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah sets it forth as follows: “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man their neighbor, and every man his brother saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer. 31:31-34).

          The covenant is rehearsed in the New Testament book of Hebrews in chapter eight and verses 8-12.The letter to the Hebrews was directed at Jewish believers who were very familiar with the tenets of the law and was given to them by Paul for instruction and encouragement as concerns the completed work of Christ.

            So within Jeremiah’s prophesies were many details of what was to befall Judah at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar along with multiple warnings and with explanation of the cause of that severe judgment at the hand of the Lord. But he also assures them that God is not finished with his work and will not be until Jesus Christ is manifest as Redeemer and Advocate.

            God’s covenants are always conditional requiring a response of faith and after that a performance of faithful obedience.

David Lance Dean                          website and blogs: authordavidlancedeancom

Voices of the Prophets: Jeremiah - The Breach of Covenant

             The Lord deals with people on the basis of covenant. Whether it is Old Testament or New Testament your comprehension of the testaments and arriving at sound doctrine will always rest on a right understanding of the meaning of the operative covenant. It must be understood that a covenant is a contract or agreement between two or more entities. A covenant is always conditional in nature.  That is to say there must be a performance as the condition on the part of all parties to the covenant. It must be ratified by agreement and then performance. The essential caveat on the part of people who the Lord has engaged in covenant is the obedience of faith. Clearly we understand that the Lord is always faithful to perform his part in the covenant whether it is the old or the new covenant in Christ. With this background for our understanding let us look at the eleventh chapter of Jeremiah.

            “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say you unto them, thus saith the Lord God of Israel; cursed be the man that obeyeth not the word of this covenant. Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, obey my voice and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God: That I may perform the oath (covenant) which I swore unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, so be it O Lord.” (Jer. 11:1-6). Is it not clear that the commandment of the Lord is definite and conditional?

            “Yet they obey obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked everyone in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of the covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not. And the Lord said unto me , A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquity of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah  have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and then shall they cry out unto me, I will not hearken unto them.” (Jer. 11: 8-12).

            So we see and conclude through these two passages recorded as spoken by the prophet Jeremiah that the covenant which the Lord mad with them was conditional in nature. Their continued blessing was conditioned upon their continued obedience to the precepts of the covenant which the Lord made with them. Disobedience over time resulted in judgment coming from a righteous God.  The Babylonian captivity was indeed devastating to Judah as the Assyrian captivity had been previously to Israel (the Northern ten tribes). The Lord is longsuffering.

            Today’s compromised and apostate Christian  church should take heed from the lessons learned from these passages in Jeremiah. Because as the old covenant with Israel was conditional to the Israelites so is the new convent in Christ to the church.  It is totally conditional in nature. The conditions imposed by the new covenant are a continuance in faithfulness, obedience end endurance to the very end.  The popular doctrines taught in most churches today is that we have been ‘unconditionally elected '‘i.e., ‘saved ‘and that we are covered by a doctrine they refer to as ‘eternal security’. These two corrupted doctrines provide  the individual with a false sense of security and it is obviously ‘another gospel’ which Paul and the other apostles did not preach. These false doctrines were prevalent u in the reformation period in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and they have prevailed unto this present time.  They were also adopted by those who adhere to dispensational theology, i.e Scofieldism. They are totally unsupported by the scriptures. (See my five part series on Calvinism posted on my blogsite in April of 2017 for a complete appraisal of them as well as other points of Calvinism).

David Lance Dean                           website and blogs: authordavidlancedean.com