Mondo Gonzales

Two objections from Scriptural texts are often used to automatically discount the Shroud of Turin's authenticity. Was the beard of Jesus actually ripped out? Was He marred beyond recognition? An examination of the Hebrew of these passages along with the LXX and Dead Sea Scrolls provides linguistic evidence for why these objections should be rejected.

This topic is one that can often be overlooked, but is very important for a variety of reasons. First, this group of twenty-four (24) seemingly comes out of nowhere in comparison with other throne room scenes found in the Bible. Second, if we can understand the identity of this group, it should provide some information which would influence our grasp of the timing of the rapture. Third, personally for the Christian, the uniqueness of this group has the potential to provide tremendous encouragement and comfort. While we must remember that the text does not give an explicit identity for these 24 elders, the book of Revelation gives many descriptions of this select group. Therefore, if we examine the various ways in which John writes concerning this group, the answer will become evident.

There are four main interpretive scenarios when it comes to describing the tribulation period and the wrath of God (Pre-trib, Mid-trib, Pre-wrath and Post-trib). It's not the point of this article to review all of these. Those reviews can be found elsewhere (one place is pre-trib.org). We maintain at Prophecy Watchers that the Pre-tribulation rapture/rescue is the most consistent theological perspective. This view teaches that the rapture/rescue happens some time prior to the 7-year tribulation period. We also see this entire 7-year period as being synonymous with the wrath of God and "day of the Lord" as found in the Old and New Testaments. This article will show the biblical evidence for this position as well as the wrath of God beginning at the first seal that Jesus opens in Revelation 6:1. Wrath of God Definitions The New Testament affirms quite clearly that the believer is justified by the blood of Jesus and will be saved from the wrath of God through Him (Romans 5:9). Paul taught that the church is to wait for the Son from Heaven who rescues us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Later, in the context of the day of the Lord, Paul says that the church is not destined to wrath, but to obtain deliverance (salvation) through the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The question naturally arises, "which wrath are we going to be spared from?" Examining the theology of the entire Bible reveals that there are at least six different types of wrath. God is holy and His wrath against sin is justified (Isaiah 6:3; Rev 16:7; 19:2). The first wrath we see was the personal wrath against disobedience that happened in the garden when God kicked out Adam and Eve (Gen 3:23-34). This wrath is often tempered by God's mercy, but other times it gives out immediate justice (Acts 12:22-23; 5:1-11). The second wrath is often described as cataclysmic wrath such as what happened with the worldwide flood (Gen 6-8) or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19). The third type of wrath is the type that Paul describes in Galatians 6:7. It is the wrath of the principle of sowing and reaping. When people sow to the flesh, they reap the wrathful consequences. The fourth type of wrath is known as the wrath of abandonment. This is when people spurn the grace and mercy of God so stubbornly that He abandons them to their own sinfulness. He removes His

There are generally two perspectives when addressing the question of whether Jesus discusses the rapture in the Olivet Discourse (hereafter "OD"). One line of thinking is that the OD (found in Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21) does not address the rapture, nor the church, but is exclusively in reference to the nation Israel during the final 7-year tribulation (the 70 th week of Daniel). The other interpretation notes that Jesus does indeed address Israel, but His language in the OD addresses a far broader audience not only in topic, but also in those events which affect the entire world including the church. Notice the universal cosmic language of Luke 21:25-26, "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (compare also, Matthew 24:14, gospel being preached in the whole world). These are just a couple of examples that Jesus's teachings in the OD are much broader than just Israel alone. There are excellent Bible teachers on both sides of the debate and this article is intended to provide evidence that the rapture is indeed addressed in the OD. It is offered in a spirit of gentleness and respect with those who might have a different perspective (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). I will address some parallel passages that shed light on the OD as well as examining the ways in which the descriptions of the tribulation period in the book of Revelation provide a background for understanding the consistency of end time prophecy.

Those who are watching prophecy closely will discuss often that we are looking for the arrival of the antichrist and most believe that he is alive today. This is fruitful, but we must remember that before the antichrist comes on the scene, he is preceded by what the Bible labels as ten kings. Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate and to be on the lookout for these ten figures. I read an article recently by Gary Stearman from his November 2020 monthly magazine where he spent time, not discussing the antichrist figure, but instead asking whether his audience was looking for these ten kings which he called oligarchs. He wrote a paragraph which I think is extremely important to ponder: Oligarchs are in a constant competition for world domination, and the old political ties of the twentieth century are being steadily altered to fit a "New World Order." That's an old term, but now, it is buttressed by high-level digital technology that was only a dream a decade ago. (emphasis mine) There is quite a diversity of opinion about the role and nature of these ten kings. Here are the main verses that I think are appropriate for this discussion. Daniel 7:19 "Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates." (NASB) Daniel 7:24 "As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings." (NASB)

There has been much written over the past few decades concerning the identity of the "sons of God" and the Nephilim as found in the Bible. Additionally, there have been some speculations as to the exact process of the recurrence of the Nephilim as found in Numbers 13:32-33 which is long after the flood. I would like to share in this article some of the answers that I think might have been overlooked concerning these questions. As we go along, I want to provide a few opportunities for the reader to delve further through several well written essays or commentaries on this topic.

From Letter #7, 1 st paragraph. "We are really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve in our existence, we lose all he pleasing results of direct terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and sceptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalise and mythologise their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, belief in us, (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to belief in the Enemy." (The spelling of emotionalize and mythologize follows the British spelling written by Lewis) Commentary This is truly brilliant thinking by Lewis and has only become more relevant in the 80 years since he wrote the letters. When we examine this in the present cultural context of a worldwide pandemic, we often see politicians or others simply appealing to "science" as an absolute authority in trying to advocate their particular agenda. Regardless of one's perspective, the appeal to "science" has been attempted to be used to demean or shame others who are subsequently labeled as "ignorant" or "unscientific." In fact, a preliminary understanding needs to be established.

From Letter #7, 1 st paragraph. "We are really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve in our existence, we lose all he pleasing results of direct terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and sceptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we shall learn in due time how to emotionalise and mythologise their science to such an extent that what is, in effect, belief in us, (though not under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains closed to belief in the Enemy." (The spelling of emotionalize and mythologize follows the British spelling written by Lewis) Commentary This is truly brilliant thinking by Lewis and has only become more relevant in the 80 years since he wrote the letters. When we examine this in the present cultural context of a worldwide pandemic, we often see politicians or others simply appealing to "science" as an absolute authority in trying to advocate their particular agenda. Regardless of one's perspective, the appeal to "science" has been attempted to be used to demean or shame others who are subsequently labeled as "ignorant" or "unscientific." In fact, a preliminary understanding needs to be established.

This topic has been on my mind for quite some time. I am referring specifically to whether the apostasy spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is an apostasy of the Christian church or whether it is an apostasy of the national Jewish nation. In this article, I present evidence that linguistics, context, and theology point that the apostasy of 2:3 is that of the Jewish nation with the antichrist and that this covenant is THE act of apostasy which starts the tribulation period. In addition, it coincides with Daniel 9:27 and John 5:43. There are various ramifications that come from getting this section of Scripture accurately interpreted (2 Thessalonians 2:1-5). It contributes to our understanding of the timing of the rapture, the nature and start of the Day of the Lord (DOTL), the arrival of the antichrist, the coming apostasy, and navigating the waters of potential pre-tribulational church persecution. In addition, there are some technical details in the Greek that contribute to where someone lands when understanding the transition between the church age and the start of the tribulation. Before jumping into 2 Thessalonians 2, it would be good to review the context and history of Paul's interactions with the church at Thessalonica in order to have confidence in the interpretation of this section. After Paul was beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, he departed and came to the city of Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-12). He preached for only 3 sabbaths. So, this could be as little as 15 days or as much as 27 days of teaching the Thessalonians about the gospel which included prophecies related to Jesus's second coming. The important element here is to recognize that after Paul founded the church, he was not there very long. Even in the short time Paul was sharing the fundamentals of the gospel, he believed teaching eschatology was so vital that he taught them many complex details of the nature of the antichrist and the future tribulation period (2 Thess 2:5). This should speak volumes to those pastors that do not feel eschatology is important enough to teach new believers. Understanding the frame of mind of the Thessalonian believers is important. The founding of the church was surrounded by controversy and resistance from the beginning. Paul, having just been physically assaulted and imprisoned in Philippi, came to the synagogue at Thessalonica preaching about Jesus. Many of the Thessalonians who came to believe did it under the threat of persecution themselves, which they eventually suffered. We know this is true because not long after Paul left Thessalonica, he wrote his first epistle to them. Paul writes, "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess 1:6). We learn also that Paul was concerned about their new faith and sent Timothy back to check on them. Paul reminded them to stay true in the midst of trouble. He instructs, "that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know" (1 Thess 3:3-4; see also 2:14; 3:7). When we come to his second epistle, we learn that their afflictions and persecutions were still happening. Paul says, "Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring" (2 Thess 1:4). It is fair to say that two of the biggest themes in these two epistles are understanding the prophetic end times and also how to persevere in suffering/affliction. This leads us to understanding specifically the background of 2 Thessalonians 2.