Is Damascus Another Sign?

 

The current events of Damascus and Syria are a sign to us in these end times. The prophets had important prophetic words and warnings regarding Damascus. Damascus is a sign from which we not only learn the lateness of the hour pertaining to the return of Christ, but it is also a sign to us for our own spiritual self-examination, correction, and growth.

Some of the importance of the meaning of Damascus to us, can be found in a warning that Jesus gave to His disciples.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had come to Jesus and demanded that He show them a sign from heaven (Mt. 16:1). He scolded them for their demand. He told them that they knew how to look at the sky and tell the coming weather, but they did not perceive the spiritual signs in their very midst:

"O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas..."  Mt. 16:3-4

Later, as His disciples came after Him, they realized that they had no bread with them. Jesus began to warn them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."  They thought Jesus was talking about them not having bread with them to eat. However, Jesus was not concerned that they had no physical bread. He had, after all, just fed thousands miraculously from seven loaves and a few fishes (Mt. 15:33-34). Didn't His disciples remember the miracle Jesus had shown them? This was the problem and the warning that Jesus was bringing to them: do not just look at things in the natural, and refuse to discern the true meaning in the spiritual realm. The Pharisees and Sadducees wanted to see a physical sign, while missing the greatest spiritual sign of all time-the visitation in their midst of their Messiah, their Salvation, the Son of God, who raised the dead, made blind eyes see, and made the lame walk. In the same way, the disciples were concerned about how little bread they had with them, when Jesus was speaking about spiritual "leaven", including seeking meaningless natural occurrences and understandings that obscured the spiritual signs happening all around them.

We often look at events the same way. We see the headlines regarding the political and military turmoil of the nations and leaders, including Syria and its ancient capital, Damascus, while failing to see the "signs of the times", that they represent. Damascus and Syria are not just geo-political problems in the headlines, but a prophetic trumpet blast warning that the time grows short.

Also included in the "leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees about which Jesus warned His disciples, is something we see today, even in the Church. There is a mixing of pop psychology, new age philosophies, social trends and worldly attitudes and understandings that are infiltrating the Church, and are being used to fill the current emptiness of the soul. Paul warned believers that our minds should not be corrupted from "the simplicity that is Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). It is Christ and His gospel that fills the empty soul, and nothing else will suffice.

We see this "leaven" impact all Israel as we read the history that involved a king of Israel, a priest, and Damascus in 2 Kings 16, and 2 Chron. 28. King Ahaz of Judah formed a bond with the king of Assyria, even sending him silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD. Ahaz encouraged the Assyrian king to take Damascus, and that was successful. Ahaz then visited the Assyrian king in Damascus, and saw the king making offerings to his gods on an altar there. Ahaz decided that since the Assyrian king had found favor in his conquests, Ahaz wanted an exact copy of this Damascan altar built and installed in the LORD's temple in Jerusalem, and instructed the priest, Urijah, to build it. Azah had the other worship furnishings of the temple dismantled or displaced for this false altar. Sacrifices were offered to the gods of Assyria upon this altar by the king of Judah, and the priests. Second Chronicles concludes the historic account with this comment:
"For he (Ahaz) sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus, which smote him: and he said, Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, that they may help me. But they were the ruin of him and all of Israel."   2 Chron. 28:23
All Judah, and Israel paid the price for the actions of this king and priest. The scripture says that this king's actions "made Judah naked".
Beware the "leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees. While looking at, and depending upon the natural understandings that seem good to our eyes, we fail to discern the spiritual signs. A Bible commentary by F. B. Meyer said, in part, that this incident, involving King Ahaz, was a remarkable showing of the folly of the human heart. He also noted that there was too much of the same in the present church.
King Ahaz lived during the life of Isaiah the prophet, and Isaiah had the prophetic word regarding Damascus. He prophesied:
"The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."  Isa. 17:1
This sign of Damascus would take place, according to Isaiah, during the time of harvest. The desolation of this event would cause a man "to look to his maker, and his eyes shall have respect for the Holy One of Israel". The events surrounding Syria and Damascus today are not just the headlines in the news, but they are a prophetic sign for us to discern. God demands of all nations that they should discern the prophetic sign of Damascus in the next chapter (18) of Isaiah, including a nation that might well be a prophetic picture of America. As the spiritual harvest time approaches, and this prophetic sign of Damascus is being seen by all the earth, His Word to us says:
"All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye."  Isa. 18:3

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Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior:

Jesus, I want to know You as my Lord, and as my Savior, who covers my sins, and cleanses my heart. Come into my heart, and also fill me with the Holy Spirit, who will lead me into all truth, and will teach me how to follow You. I believe that You are the Son of God, the Messiah, that You were crucified for me, and rose from the dead to give me everlasting life. I believe that You are coming again. Lord Jesus, in Your name I believe, pray, and receive all of these things. Amen.



Back To Pentecost

 

Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, is the next appointed feast of Israel on the calendar. Pentecost was necessary to the Church in order to keep the directives, also known as The Great Commission, that the risen Jesus, gave to His disciples while appearing to them. Pentecost is also the fulfillment of the prophetic promise of God as told to His prophet, Joel. As we shall see, this prophecy was for the end time, so its fulfillment is a very important event in discerning the times in which we live.

Jesus' commands to His disciples were specific, and must have sounded to their ears virtually impossible for them to achieve, as they were already struggling with doubt (Mk. 16:14):

"And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (age). Amen...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached every where, the LORD working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."  Mt. 28:18-20, Mk. 16:15-20

As we look at The Great Commission of Christ that was given to His disciples, and all of the Church, there are several important points to understand.

The directives were born out of the POWER that Christ had been given in heaven and in earth.

The disciples were to go and teach all nations, and preach the gospel to every creature. From this point on, the gospel was also to go to the gentiles, as well as the Jews (first:Rom. 1:16), and to all creation. The Kingdom of God is made up of every race, tribe, and tongue (Rev. 5:9, 14:6). Racism and prejudice do not belong in the Church, and are not acceptable in any society that claims a Judeo-Christian heritage.

The disciples were to teach what Christ had taught them-man's doctrines and traditions have nothing to do with Christ's directives.

Because the disciples were fulfilling the commands of Jesus, they would have protection in their work. This is not an invitation to put on displays with serpents and poisons, as some practice. Several incidents in scripture depict the fact that the disciples were delivered from death that would have resulted from the performing of their Commission.

The signs that would confirm the Word of Christ, would follow believers, not just those who are of a certain rank in the Church, but all who believe. This Word of the gospel casts out demons, and causes the sick to recover, not just then, but also now and forever. These signs don't follow and confirm tradition, or religion, but the Word, which is Jesus.

On the last occasion when Christ would discuss His directions, having shown Himself to them for forty days following His crucifixion, He began to reveal how these simple men from Galilee would be able to carry out this world-changing Commission that He had given them:
"And being assembled together with them, (Jesus) commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence....ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."   Acts 1:4-8 (excerpt)

The power to fulfill the Commission which Jesus gave not only to those disciples, but also to all believers, comes by the baptism with the Holy Ghost. This baptism, which the disciples must wait for, is the one prophesied and promised by God, and we will read the details of that prophecy later. Because of this description of the baptism given by Jesus, the disciples also asked Him if this meant the kingdom was being restored to Israel at that time (v. 6). As we know from history and scripture, Israel was under the dominion of the Romans. Jesus answered that it was not for them to know what the Father has kept in His own power and authority.
After this appearance by Jesus, the disciples saw Him ascend into heaven, and two men, clothed in white, appeared to tell them that Jesus would come again in the same manner that they had just witnessed Him ascending, directly from heaven (v. 10-11). This is important for us to know, because in these last days, we have heard many claiming to be a messiah figure, some even claiming to be Christ, and others will make the claim in the days ahead. However, according to these verses, the only true Christ will come from heaven through the clouds when He returns.

A few days later, on the day of Pentecost, as the disciples gathered together in one place, and in one accord, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, as promised by the Father, and assured by the Son, fell upon them. A sound (voice) from heaven, and a mighty wind filled the place. This baptism appeared as fire upon each one. The Spirit gave them the utterance of other tongues as they were filled. There were many witnesses to this supernatural event. Devout Jewish pilgrims from many nations were in Jerusalem and at the same location, because the tomb of David was located below the place where the disciples had gathered. (It is still there to this day.) All of these pilgrims from other lands heard the disciples proclaiming the wonderful works of God in all of the foreign tongues represented by the pilgrims. These witnesses were astounded because it was obvious that the disciples were Galileans, and not familiar with all of the various languages with which they spoke (Acts 2:11). The witnesses wondered how it was possible that they were hearing the gospel in their own languages.Some thought they were witnessing drunkenness.
Peter, once a frightened man who had denied Christ three times, now stood and addressed the crowd with boldness and with scriptural knowledge. He told them that what they had just witnessed was not drunkenness, but the fulfillment of the promise that God had made through His prophet, Joel:
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy...And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved." 
                                                                                            Acts 2:17-21 (excerpt)
This Holy Ghost outpouring witnessed by many that day, and explained by Peter, was also one of the signs and wonders that would precede that "great and notable day of the Lord", according to Joel's prophecy (v. 19-20).
The baptism of the Holy Ghost is not just for two thousand years ago, but is for us also. This power from heaven still enables each believer to fulfil the Commission of Christ. Signs and wonders still follow and confirm the teaching and preaching of the Word.
As we approach Pentecost, let each of us faithfully walk in this baptism. Let us seriously return to Pentecost, and pray for the unity of the faith, and the stature of Christ among us. Let us pray for our nation, and for the repentance and revival that leads to eternal life. Neither the problems of the world, nor the solutions, are political, but spiritual, and the ministry to these things is in the hands of the believers in Christ, filled with the Pentecost Spirit of God.
If you have never received Jesus as your Savior, nor the baptism of the Holy Spirit, both are available to you today. All you have to do is ask:
"Lord Jesus, I believe You Word and Your promises to me, and I ask that You come into my heart, and cleanse me from my sins. Fill me with the Holy Ghost fire from heaven, promised by the Father. Fulfill in me the Feast of Pentecost, so I can have the power to live in Your righteousness, and minister Your saving truth to others in these last days. Thank You for the precious gifts that You died, and rose from the dead, to provide for me. I ask and receive this in Jesus' name, Amen."

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What Do They See & What Do YOU See?

 

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?...He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed...we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all..."

                                                                                           Isaiah 53:1-6

This remarkable prophetic description from Isaiah of the atonement sacrifice of Christ, the Messiah, written hundreds of years before Christ's death, asks us "Who hath believed our report?". What do you believe?

After His death, and burial, Jesus' two disciples saw something in His empty tomb that caused them to believe. Mary Magdalene had discovered that the stone had been taken away from the tomb, and then ran to tell Simon Peter, and John. Let's look carefully at this account:
"And he (John) stooping down, and looking in, saw (blepo: look, be aware of) the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth (theoreo: discern, perceive) the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple (John), which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw (eido:understand, a form, shape, appearance), and believed (pisteuo:be committed unto, to put trust in, place confidence in, faith, assurance, strong conviction of truth). For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."  Jn. 20:5-9
The two disciples saw, discerned and came to an understanding, and believed with assurance, not because they knew from scripture that Jesus was to rise from the dead, but because something they saw involving the linen clothes that were left in the empty tomb strongly convinced and assured them of the fact. They didn't just see an empty tomb. They saw evidence left behind of a resurrection.
As Jesus appears on separate occasions to His disciples after His resurrection, He is focused on the fact that they are eye witnesses, who see Him, and can clearly identify Him by the wounds on His hands and side (Jn. 20:18-28). He also later scolds the disciples who did not believe the witnessed evidence of His resurrection:
"Afterward, he appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided (to revile, reproach, shame) them with their unbelief and hardness (harsh, violent, offensive, intolerable, fierce) of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen."   Mk. 16:14
As Jesus dealt with His disciples for their deliberate attitude of rejection in the face of eye witness accounts of His resurrection, we can see that He expects us, when we are confronted with firm evidence that He provides, to accept and believe the truth. As Isaiah asked, "Who hath believed our report?"
Paul also refers to the eye witnesses who could testify that they saw Jesus after His death. These eye witnesses included not only Peter, and the rest of the twelve disciples, but five hundred additional, and later James, and then Paul, himself, to whom Jesus appeared some time after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5-8).
In a very interesting letter from Paul to the Galatians, Paul reveals that the early church also had evidence that could be seen, in addition to the eyewitness testimony:
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?"  Gal. 3:1
The Galatians had seen evidence of Christ's crucifixion with their eyes, and Paul was scolding them for backing away from it. What physical evidence could they have seen with their eyes of the crucifixion, but those linen clothes that so strongly convinced John and Peter in the empty tomb?
Paul also refers to a mirror image, which is a reversed image, to the church at Corinth (the Shroud also contains a mirror, or reversed image):
"For now, we see through a glass (mirror), darkly; but then, face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known...But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."   1 Cor. 13:12, 2 Cor. 3:18
Of course, the truth of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ does not rely solely on a piece of physical evidence, like the Shroud. Scripture prophesies these events clearly. Paul said:
"...Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."   1 Cor. 15:3-4
Paul was not referring to New Testament scriptures, when he said this. The events were clearly prophesied in detail in the Old Testament. Below are some short examples:
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?...I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet...They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture...."  Ps. 22, a Psalm of David
"...and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one who is in bitterness for his firstborn."   Zech. 12:10
"I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting."   Isa. 50:6
There are those, like the disciple Thomas, who must see in order to believe. For them, there is prophetic scripture and its fulfillment, the eyewitness testimony of the hundreds who saw Jesus after His resurrection, and the physical evidence of the Shroud of Turin, believed by many to be the linen cloth from the empty tomb that impacted the two disciples so strongly when they saw it. The Shroud not only depicts the obvious ravages and wounds of crucifixion on a man, but it also shows the more subtle, yet scientifically accurate consequences of crucifixion to the body. The Shroud is not an idol image to be worshipped, but a witness to, and physical evidence of, the moment of resurrection. Jesus understands the need of some to see, in order to believe (Jn. 20:24-29), and knowing that need, He has provided the evidence to see. He also knows that there are those who will believe without needing to "see", because they feel the truth of it in their hearts.
Don't let hardness of heart keep you from accepting the evidence of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection that has been provided to you from Him.

Prayer of Salvation for all who desire to receive Jesus as their Savior:

Jesus, I want to know You as my Lord, and as my Savior, who covers my sins, and cleanses my heart. Come into my heart, and also fill me with the Holy Spirit, who will lead me into all truth, and will teach me how to follow You. I believe that You are the Son of God, the Messiah, that You were crucified for me, and rose from the dead to give me everlasting life. I believe that You are coming again. Lord Jesus, in Your name I believe, pray, and receive all of these things. Amen.

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