The most debated and controversial topic - Armageddon

Reviewing  the signs of the coming of “The Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord” (Old Testament Only)


This study represents scripture prophesy on the things to look for as part of the Second Coming;





FULFILLED

Malachi 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

The Hebrew phrase for “my messenger” is the same as the meaning of Malachi’s name (Malachi 1:1). Yet Malachi is predicting a future individual. Malachi 4:5 further identifies this special messenger as “Elijah the prophet.” The New Testament shows this prediction is fulfilled. The Gospel of Mark begins by declaring John the Baptist as this messenger (Mark 1:2-4; cf. Isaiah 40:3-5;Luke 1:17;7:27). In Matthew 11:13-14 Jesus states, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

Malachi 4:5-6
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”

Joel 2:28-32
28 "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 29 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. 30 I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 32 And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

YET TO BE FULFILLED

Zechariah 10:5-7
…5"They will be as mighty men, Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle; And they will fight, for the LORD will be with them; And the riders on horses will be put to shame. 6"I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back, Because I have had compassion on them; And they will be as though I had not rejected them, For I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. 7"Ephraim will be like a mighty man, And their heart will be glad as if from wine; Indeed, their children will see it and be glad, Their heart will rejoice in the LORD.…

D&C 38:28-31
 28 And again, I say unto you that the enemy in the secret chambers seeks your lives.
 29 Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.
 30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.
 31 And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless—

D&C 45:31-35
31 And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.
 32 But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; but among the wicked, men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.
 33 And there shall be earthquakes also in diverse places, and many desolation's; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.
 34 And now, when I the Lord had spoken these words unto my disciples, they were troubled.
 35 And I said unto them: Be not troubled, for, when all these things shall come to pass, ye may know that the promises which have been made unto you shall be fulfilled.
 36 And when the light shall begin to break forth, it shall be with them like unto a parable which I will show you—

Zechariah 12:2-3, 8-9
2 “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
8 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the LORD going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.
Zechariah 14:8
8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

Ezekiel 47:1, 8-9
47 The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.


SECRET COMBINATIONS
See also Cain; Gadianton Robbers

An organization of people bound together by oaths to carry out the evil purposes of the group.

The father of lies stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations:2 Ne. 9:9;

I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness:2 Ne. 10:15;

Judgments of God did come upon these workers of secret combinations:Alma 37:30;

Gadianton did prove almost the entire destruction of the people of Nephi:Hel. 2:4–13;

Satan put it into the hearts of the people to form secret oaths and covenants:Hel. 6:21–31;

The Lord worketh not in secret combinations:Ether 8:19;

Nations that uphold secret combinations shall be destroyed:Ether 8:22–23;

They did reject all the words of the prophets, because of their secret society:Ether 11:22;

From the days of Cain, there was a secret combination:Moses 5:51;

WILL BE FULFILLED WHEN THE SAVIOR COMES

Zechariah 14:3-5,9,12-13
 3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold everyone on the hand of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor.

Zechariah 12:10, 13:2 & 13:6
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”

2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

D&C 88:96-98
 96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
 97 And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven—
 98 They are Christ’s, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.

Malachi 3:13-18, 4:1-3
13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? 14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? 15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.
16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.

Why Reincarnation is not True

Throughout the ages debate on reincarnation has taken its place as one of the most controversial spiritual questions. I too once believed it was possible because of my past spiritual impressions. I had a vision of a princess or Queen with a baby in her arms in the courtyard of the Heidelberg castle in Germany when I was 8 years old. She was standing there when a man on a horse came and picked her and the baby up. He placed them on the horse and road off together.

There was a feeling that it could have been me in a past life but no direct knowing it in fact was so. Throughout my life and spiritual growth I grow greater in the understanding how such impressions are sent to us, beginning in very young years. I’ve also learned to question much because of the powers of darkness and how they intend to misguide us or lead us off the road of righteousness.

Many religions on this planet adopt reincarnation as truth but I have come to realizes it was our ancestors inability to discern lesser spiritual impression on us verse GOD’s truth. Why would we look to a man, a philosopher as having a higher truth than GOD himself?

Upon research I found the below text on this issue;

God/Nils/Reincarnation and Christianity

Indian reincarnation. First a worldly life, then a scientist, and then an enlightened yogi.

Reincarnation is the religious or philosophical belief that the soul or spirit, after biological death, begins a new life in a new body that may be human, animal or spiritual depending on the moral quality of the previous life's actions.

Wikipedia: This doctrine is a central tenet of the Indian religions and is a belief that was held by Pythagoras, Plato and Socrates. It is also a common belief of pagan religions such as Druidism, Spiritism, Theosophy, and Eckankar and is found in many tribal societies around the world, in places such as Siberia, West Africa, North America, and Australia. Although the majority of Judaism, Christianity and Islam do not believe that individuals reincarnate, particular groups within these religions do refer to reincarnation. In Judaism, the Hasidic tzadik was believed to know the past lives of each person through his semi-prophetic abilities. In recent decades, many Europeans and North Americans have developed an interest in reincarnation. Some university researchers, such as Ian Stevenson and Jim B. Tucker, have explored the issue of reincarnation and published reports of children's memories of earlier lives in peer-reviewed journals. Skeptics have stated that more reincarnation research is needed. Between 20 and 30 percent of persons in western countries believe in reincarnation. (...)

Though the major Christian denominations reject the concept of reincarnation, a large number of Christians profess the belief. In a survey by the Pew Forum in 2009, 24% of American Christians expressed a belief in reincarnation. In a 1981 Survey in Europe 31% of regular churchgoing Catholics expressed a belief in reincarnation. Geddes MacGregor, an Episcopalian priest who is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a recipient of the California Literature Award, and the first holder of the Rufus Jones Chair in Philosophy and Religion at Bryn Mawr, demonstrates in his book Reincarnation in Christianity: A New Vision of the Role of Rebirth in Christian Thought, that Christian doctrine and reincarnation are not mutually exclusive belief systems.

Wikipedia (de): The major Christian churches and, accordingly, most theologians reject the idea of reincarnation. However, there are mainly in the esoteric literature of the past decades, numerous biblical interpretations in which quotations from the New as well as the Old Testament are interpreted as evidences for reincarnation. This is supported by the Protestant theologian Helmut Obst: "In the Bible exists no clear teaching of reincarnation. But there are a few passages which contain statements that can be understood in terms of reincarnation. In particular, the Elijah-Baptist-issue in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark make it impossible to say that the New Testament know not at all the idea of ​​reincarnation. It is about John the Baptist, known as the returned prophet Elijah (Matthew 11:13-14 EU)."

Wikipedia (de): Reincarnation research examines memories that have been interpreted as such from a previous life. It examines whether this cases can be explained as fraud, deceit or by psychological, psychic or spiritualistic assumptions. For so not explicable cases the reincarnation research thinks the existence of an actual reincarnation is possible.

http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/God/Nils/Reincarnation_and_Christianity

This reference of Matthew 11:13-14 as possibly being some mention of possible reincarnation and the return of the prophet Elijah made me consider what I do know. That when Christ returns to Earth with the Father they will be spiritual lightbodies being both made in flesh and light.

The return of Elijah is also mentioned in Malichi; I found the following also from wikiversity;

The Christian End of Elijah in Malachi

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse."

— Malachi 4:5–6

While the final mention of Elijah in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Chronicles, the Christian Bible's reversal of the ordering of the books of the Hebrew Bible in order to place the Book of Malachi, which prophesies a messiah, immediately before the Gospels, means that Elijah's final Old Testament appearance is in the Book of Malachi, where it is written, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord." That day is described as the burning of a great furnace, "... so that it will leave them neither root nor branch." (Malachi 3:19) Traditionally, in Judaism, this is taken to mean the return of Elijah will precede the Messiah. In Christianity it is traditionally believed that Elijah's appearance during the transfiguration of Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Additionally, these verses are believed to represent Elijah having a role in the end-times, immediately before the second coming of Jesus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elijah

I firmly believe that Christian scripture is not discussing reincarnation but rather Elijah also returning with Christ and the Father also as a lightbody; As part of the 144,000 of YHWH’s army.

We know as Christians that JESUS came to be with us to show us the way to live; that is to be fully immersed into our Fathers will and lead a life according to his will, which is loving one another and joyfully helping and giving to one another as part of the whole world brotherhood. Some ancient theologians have some very dark world views about humanity and most of this was the extension of the gloom of life that was present in their day, GOD bless their hearts! As an example below is a doctorial essay on this very topic, though it never really answers the question if reincarnation is true or not, it defiantly has a fine historical outline;

Historia: the Alpha Rho Papers

 The Argument over Reincarnation in Early Christianity

Elizabeth Jenson -

 is a senior at the University of Utah where she majors in history and plans on attending graduate school in the fall. Elizabeth is a member of the Alpha Rho chapter of Phi Alpha Theta.  

 

 It is believed that in 553 A.D. during the Second Council of Constantinople the idea of reincarnation was found to have no place in the Christian Church. Although reincarnation was not officially rejected at this council, those early Church Fathers who were accused of teaching the idea of reincarnation had their works banned. 553 A.D. did mark the end of the debate on reincarnation within the Christian community. Observing the fact that reincarnation is not a doctrine typically taught within Christianity today one might assume that this council was called to settle an argument about reincarnation and its supplemental ideas between Christians and non-Christians. This was not the case.

Although the idea of reincarnation was rejected by the Christian Church as a doctrine because it was believed to contradict the doctrine of corporeal resurrection and undermine the need for Christ’s redemptive sacrifices, it was a belief held by many early Christian theologians such as Valentinus and Basilides of Alexandria. However, many Christian theologians in the first several centuries of Christianity, such as Saint Justin Martyr, did not believe in, or teach about reincarnation. There were also those early Church Fathers, like Origen of Alexandria, who were conflicted by the idea, and this internal conflict has been observed throughout their writings. To better understand how some of the early Church Fathers could teach reincarnation and still consider themselves Christian, it is imperative to understand where their belief in reincarnation came from.

Many of the early Christian theologians who believed in the idea of reincarnation were taught their religious beliefs at, or near Alexandria, Egypt; these are theologians including Basilides, Valentinus and Origen. Christian and non-Christians alike that were living in or near Alexandria were still greatly influenced by the ideas of Plato. Plato is well-known for his writings in science and philosophy. Plato also saw himself as a spiritual man and had many ideas on religion and theology.1 First and foremost, Plato believed in reincarnation. He taught that human souls had previously existed in a perfect world and there enjoyed the presence of God. Somehow these souls committed some sin and fell from God’s presence and were placed into physical bodies on Earth as a punishment. The purpose of life is to correct the soul’s initial mistake and to return to

 Based upon Plato’s belief that the human body was a prison of punishment and that souls were on earth to gain a level of knowledge that would take more than one lifetime to learn, we can see why he believed in reincarnation. Plato’s writings are dated between 430-347 B.C., well before Christ’s ministry, so Plato had no known opinions on the mission or reality of Jesus Christ. Theologians who lived after Plato and studied from his teachings would run into conflict as they tried to align their newly acquired Christian beliefs with the Platonic ideas that they had already come to accept. These men would eventually be referred to today as Christian Platonists.

Two theories have been inferred from his surviving works: the first being that Christ was sent to save the gentiles from Jewish domination, and the second, that Christ was sent to save all people, both Jew and Gentile, from human religion. Neither of these ideas involves Christ making redemptive sacrifices for all mankind, and both describe Christ merely providing earthly redemption. We can see from these beliefs why Basilides was able to believe in reincarnation and still consider himself a Christian believing in some aspect of Christ’s Godly mission on earth. To Basilides, Christ offered no way for repentance to occur in this life, so punishment and repentance for sins must occur in the next life through reincarnation cycles. Basilides was not the only early Christian who blended the beliefs of Jesus Christ and Plato. He had many followers and it is believed that Basilides himself may have taught a man name Valentinus.

 From this we can see why Valentinus’s belief in reincarnation does not limit Christ’s redemptive powers like it did to other Christians. That is not to say that Valentinus and his followers did not believe that Christ’s mission was sacred, but that it provided a sacred example and not a sacrifice.

 Based upon this particular writing the contemporary author Elizabeth Prophet concluded, “There is no denying that here Origen is implying his belief in reincarnation by God assigning bodies based upon previous sins.”

 He was influenced by the ideas of Plato because of where he grew up. Despite being raised in Alexandria, his spiritual education was Christian in nature from the beginning and not completely based upon Greek philosophy. Yet he still struggled to decide for himself whether or not the idea of reincarnation was true. Origen’s internal conflict shows how relevant the argument of reincarnation was during early Christianity despite its lack of prevalence in today’s Christian churches.

Based on this idea we can assume that Origen was trying to come to a conclusion on the reality of the reincarnation while trying to implement orthodox doctrines. We know from the differing opinions discussed so far that orthodox Christian doctrines cannot be taught harmoniously with the idea of reincarnation despite that so many early Christian tried. This could be why Origen was so conflicted while trying to find an answer. As each early Christian theologian’s ideas are studied we can see that their beliefs on Christ were the deciding factor on their belief in reincarnation. That is not to say that those who believed in reincarnation were not Christian, but that similar to today’s religious societies, being a Christian means something different to each person claiming the title.

[PDF]The Argument over Reincarnation in Early Christianity

epubs.utah.edu/index.php/historia/article/download/578/448

So Plato was the Father in which reincarnation began to rise, being schooled in a highly Pagan society we can clearly understand why he felt the way he did. The rise of Christianity in Rome lead way to a complete new understanding, that if we lead a life according to Fathers will ,these pagan ideas of reincarnation and karma no longer apply. Forgiveness replaces Karma and living  life according to GOD’s will represents mankind in one lifetime can achieve the spiritual growth necessary to obtain the keys to the higher realms.

Many walk around on this planet today that do not realize that lower vibrations souls want to dwell in the midst of mankind and implant impressions and influences that are outside GOD’s truth. These lower vibration souls, lesser gods or entities attempt to attach themselves to people at a very young age and manipulate you, your thoughts and even your actions.  The only way to overcome them is to lead a life with a good, caring and loving soul and remaining focused on our Father YHWH  (IAM) and the Holy Spirit as your only guidance. Every psychic or spiritual reader outside the prophets of the church are following the influence of their attachments which only have one agenda, to manipulate and misguide you on your life path.(we lovingly call these demons)

The Creator , Father EL SHADDI did not create life and this world to dwell in darkness but rather everlasting light as the original blue print from the Garden of Eden. We still have this garden within us if we keep our eyes on Christ, the Father and Holy Spirit. AMEN

How “not to tame” the Rabbit

In this age of rising cults and metaphysical agenda’s and in efforts to “increase their kingdom” many are being mislead about Reiki, Kundalini, Kabbalah and physic gifts. First we must realize that these religious traditions are used often in witchcraft. The metaphysical concepts of visualization to manifest in reality soon lead to concepts that we are gods.

So what we have in this age are occult groups rising up and claiming the embrace Christ as an ascended Master but in reality are more metaphysical and leaning towards witchcraft. Some of those groups are the Ascended Masters and Rosicrucian's;

 

The Rosicrucians are an occult sect originating in either the 15th or 17th century, depending on which account you accept. The latter is the more plausible and involves the 1610 publication by Johann Valentine Andrea of a work called Fama Fraternitatis, which purported to be a history of a society of mystical healers begun by the German scholar Christian Rosenkreuz. Though this "history" was later admitted to be a complete fabrication, the concept of a brotherhood of men interested in science, medicine, and occultism was a fashionable one at the time and took root in Germany; the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross spread also to England.

The history of this movement becomes vague after the end of the 17th century, and little is known of it until 1866, when modern Rosicrucianism was organized as a branch of Freemasonry. It spread from England to the United States and then back to Continental Europe, and by the end of the 19th century, Rosicrucians had established numerous lodges, colleges, and regional headquarters throughout the Western world.

Rosicrucian theology is vague and undefined. It has borrowed certain Christian concepts while rejecting others, viewing "all things as complicitly and ideally in God" and tending toward a kind of pantheism. Here there are similarities (unsurprisingly) with the occultic religion of upper-level Freemasonry. Despite their name, the Rosicrucians are not a Christian denomination, nor even a quasi-Christian sect; a Catholic should have nothing to do with them.

There are many other occult groups out their including, Actuaries’, Pleiadians, Sirius and Orion’s who are also parts of these magical cults. Some others included Ascended Masters and Vril Occults etc.

It’s important to understand the full impact of what this means, first if you’re a Christian your enemy number 1 with the exception of Ascended Masters. Along with these paths comes mystical divination via tarot cards, clairvoyance and large amounts of witch craft arts. Channeling spirits, angels etc.

Some of these occult groups are pure Black Arts which is Luciferian. This means you will be entertaining demons and other underworld creatures. The Dark side of Magic also has clairvoyance.

 http://www.crystalinks.com/clairvoyance.html

This means those who practice dark arts will connect with you physically and attack you, they use all these skills to project negative results. They speak to you in your thoughts, also they come as a twin flame and alchemy wedding. This will be used to initiate you into their cult and well, you become a Satanist.

One must be very careful about participation in these paths, you don’t know who has performed Kundalini on you. Apparently those practicing the dark arts don’t seek your permission.

In all things one must recognize the path of our Father and those that are designed to lie to you and lead you into something you really don’t want. The children or God also experience visions and dreams and spirit language from true angels and sometimes the Holy Spirit, Christ and GOD themselves. One must stay very grounded with the armor of GOD otherwise dark energies will try to derail you. If you remotely suspect negative coming at you, know higher consciousness does not have negative aspects. I would increase my amour in God by fasting, doing temple work and baptism. This has actually been going on for ages where Black Witches use Psychic skills against others and via projected images and clairvoyance attempt to be as demons.

 

The last thing you want to do is give into this psychic warfare, they will play on every aspect of your personality trying you and looking for a weakness in which they want to convince you that you are god and there is no GOD and all of Christianity is some grand lie. This is the game, they are lying and trying to move you away from the true light. DON’T give in or they will convince you that you are bound to them. I can assure you Christ and God know exactly what’s going on and people like myself need to speak up. Many people feel they can’t win this or get away from this, this is not true. Read “Dante’s Devine Comedy”. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8800/8800-h/8800-h.htm

I was lead to this scripture;

Ezekiel 4:9-17

9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and millet, and fitches,  and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof. 10 And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. 11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. 12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. 13 And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. 14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. 15 Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. 16 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: 17 That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.

Why did God instruct Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

First, let’s explore the customs and traditions of ancient times and their sacrifices.

Human sacrifice was not unknown in the ancient Near East, though early examples of it are rare. A "substitute king" seems to have been sacrificed in Mesopotamia at the end of his brief "reign." Prisoners or foreigners were sacrificed at the dawn of Egyptian history, but the practice died out early. While skeletons of infant children have been found buried in the floors of Palestinian houses, this doesn't prove child sacrifice. But human sacrifice does seem to have been practiced by the "Sea Peoples" who settled along the coast -- Phoenicians and Canaanites. In the sanctuary of Tanit at Carthage, archaeologists have discovered urns containing burnt bones of lambs and goats, and more often, of children, where the sacrifice of the finest children is attested in 310 BC. Two steles from Malta from the seventh or sixth century BC indicate that child sacrifice was practiced. Philo of Byblos says that the Phoenicians had an ancient custom -- "they offered their dearest children in a way full of mystery" when danger threatened the nation. In Bible times, the King of Moab offered his son as a burnt offering when his capital was under siege (2 Kings 3:27).

This Canaanite and Phoenician practice came into Israel under apostate kings when Ahaz "made his son pass through the fire" (2 Kings 16:3) and Manasseh did the same (2 Kings 21:6). The custom was probably fairly widespread, since it prompted condemnations of the practice in the Bible (Leviticus 18:21; 20:2-5; Deuteronomy 18:10; 2 Kings 17:17; 21:6; 2 Chronicles 28:3; 23:10; Psalm 106:37-38; Jeremiah 19:4-5; 32:35).

But Abraham didn't have the benefit of God's revelation to Moses and the prophets, of the Old Testament scriptures. All he knew was that child sacrifice was practiced by some of the Canaanites. Instead of being morally incensed by the practice (as we are, with our knowledge of God's revealed will), Abraham had no option but to believe that God seriously demanded that he sacrifice his son as a "burnt offering," that is, a sacrifice that is fully consumed by the fire upon the altar.

And so Abraham prepared to go to "the region of Moriah." In the only other occurrence of this place name in the Old Testament it refers to Jerusalem, a city built upon several hills on the ridge of the north-south mountain chain.

"Then Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. It was on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David" (2 Chronicles 3:1).

We're not sure what the name Moriah means, but it may be something like "my teacher is Yah" or "the land which is the king's."

You can read further about ancient practices of human sacrifice here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice

Further many occultist still practice this abomination, you can read about this crap here: http://usminc.org/humansacrifice.html

Not only do we have a clearer picture of what the world was like in this age but we also can obtain a higher understanding of what a truly loving God was facing in his attempts to bring his children of the world to a higher walk in compassion.

So the actual sacrifice is recording as follows:

Abraham is living near a well at Beer-sheba on the edge of the Negev desert at the southern extremity of Canaan (20:33-34; 22:19). Here in Beer-sheba he had "called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God" (21:33) and here in Beer-sheba God speaks to him a fearful word.

"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!'

'Here I am,' he replied.

Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.'"

There is no mistake about who this is who is speaking to him. Abraham has heard God's voice many times during his lifetime. He knows the voice. It is not the voice of an enemy, but a friend. But the message must have brought agony to Abraham's heart. We'll discuss the word "tested" (Hebrew nāsā) in verse 1 in a few minutes.

"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." (Hebrews 11:17-19)

But this was no play-acting for Abraham, no "slam-dunk." He fully intended obey God -- but at the same time there were those promises pointing to Isaac. Somehow, he hoped and prayed, God would intervene.

Isaac was old enough to sense something amiss.

"Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, 'Father?'
'Yes, my son?' Abraham replied.
'The fire and wood are here,' Isaac said, 'but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?'
Abraham answered, 'God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.' And the two of them went on together."

 After preparations are made by establishing the sacrifice alter Abraham reaches for the knife. "Slay" (NIV, KJV) or "kill" (NRSV) is the Hebrew verb shāhat, "kill, slaughter." Rabbinic sources indicate that an animal to be sacrificed was killed in "the swiftest and most painless way possible, by cutting horizontally across the throat in an uninterrupted movement." In a moment, that is exactly what Abraham will do -- to his son!

But just before that point, the angel -- who now speaks with the voice of Yahweh -- stops Abraham.

"But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, 'Abraham! Abraham!'
'Here I am,' he replied.
'Do not lay a hand on the boy,' he said. 'Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.'"

God stops him from sacrificing Isaac on the altar, but not from worship:

"Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide (Yahweh-yir’eh). And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.'

Traditionally theologians equate this with God testing Abrahams faith so that Satan could not undermine him.  God also tests us in order to show off our character to others. Job doesn't understand why he was suffering, but in God's eyes, his faithfulness is a showpiece of character that Satan's attacks cannot undermine.

However if I have learned anything, the omnipresence of our Father and wisdoms are beyond ages and time, this event and words spoken would be eternally pregnant with omni-resonate meaning.

Here are several meanings which have grown from within me;

1.)    The first actual voice which commanded Abraham was not the voice of God but rather Satan or a lesser god which roamed the land attempting to manipulate Abraham and Gods promise of his seed, thus Gods voice again telling Abraham later to not slay Isaac.

2.)    Another view is that God used this opportunity to show Abraham that in fact he was a loving and merciful God and did not want human sacrifice like the other pagan gods demanded throughout the world.

3.)    Finally I resolved that the great I AM hated the sacrifices all together because he created all things including the animals and the sacrifice of Isaac was an illustrations of how one would feel if their own children were sacrificed, that it would not be pleasing but rather disturbing and disheartening. I have to lean to this truth within the event as well since the mission of Christ himself was to be the final sacrifice and end all sacrificial rituals.

So as you can see, logically all these lessons are present in this one event. May God bless you and may you achieve his profound wisdom in your heart!

ARC of the Covenant

Many eons have passed and the mystery of the Arc of the Covenant remain. For centauries many have attempted to find this mysterious arc with its ornate golden cherubim know to contain the “ten commandments pillars” inside. But what of the arc was not an object at all, what if the object or container itself was not really the arc but just a symbol of the event. The event when Moses spoke to God. What is the name referring to by using the word “arc”? Was it the “arc” the cherubim formed while GOD was speaking to Moses?

I believe the true arc of the covenant is something completely different and something no one expected though clues have been written.  I found the following information while doing a topical study;

According to one midrash (is the body of homiletic stories told by Jewish rabbinic sages to explain passages in the Tanakh. Midrash is a method of interpreting biblical stories that goes beyond simple distillation of religious, legal, or moral teachings. It fills in gaps left in the biblical narrative regarding events and personalities that are only hinted at.) , it would clear the path for the nation by burning snakes, scorpions, and thorns with two jets of flame that shot from its underside (T. VaYakhel, 7); another midrash says that rather than being carried by its bearers, the Ark in fact carried its bearers inches above the ground (Sotah 35a).

The relationship between the Ark and the shekhina (means literally to settle, inhabit, or dwell)  is reinforced by the recurring motif of clouds. God's presence is frequently seen in the guise of a cloud in the Bible (Ex. 24:16), and the Ark is constantly accompanied by clouds: When God spoke from between the Cherubs, there was a glowing cloud visible there (Ex. 40:35); when the Jews traveled, they were led by the Ark and a pillar of clouds (Num. 10:34); at night, the pillar of clouds was replaced by a pillar of fire, another common descriptor of God's appearance (Ex. 24:17); and when the High Priest entered presence of the Ark on Yom Kippur, he did so only under the cover of a cloud of incense, perhaps intended to mask the sight of the shekhina in all its glory.

The Shekhinah is a Talmudic concept representing God's dwelling and immanence in the created world. It is through the Shekhinah that humans can experience the Divine. God's Presence, Kingdom.

Revelation 11:19 ESV / 36 helpful votes

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 ESV / 9 helpful votes

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.

Hebrews 9:1-28 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Daniel 12:1 ESV / 1 helpful vote

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

 

I believe the actual “ARC” of the covenant is an arc of light that acts as a barrier against all outside forces while GOD is communicating with his children. Those who have entered the promise of a covenant and are faithful and true to the promises made unto our father can and will be able to meet out Father face to face. His face will manifest in the clouds or some other type of creations nature.

I say this out of experience from an event that happened to me back in the year 2000, while outside praying I entered a state of immense joy, the kind of joy where your smiling from ear to ear and don’t even know you’re doing it. When I looked up in the clouds I saw an ARC of light over me, in the clouds I saw and image of GOD familiar with those images on earth where artist have depicted Gods image. While in this “arc” I was communicating without Father, there were no words but rather just “knowing” what was being communicated. What was shown to me at that time I thought was personal but as this event continued to grow and resonate (as any communication with GOD would for he is omnipresent) I realized it was for the whole world. This language of knowing prompted me to look to the right. When I did I saw a face of what would appear to be like a villain from and old movie, I accepted that as “evil” being after me. I didn’t seem to care about that evil for I knew that GOD was with me.

I believe we are at an age in time that all of us must be cautious about this villain consuming us on earth. Reach higher family of angels, be conscious of yourselves and do your best to make this a better world for all.

GOD has spoken.