CHRIST’S RESURRECTION WAS NOT ON SUNDAY...ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES...

Christ’s Resurrection Was Not on Sunday

Did Jesus rise from the grave on Sunday morning? Had He been there for three days and three nights? He said this was the only sign (Matt. 12:40) that He was the Messiah! Does—can—this sign coincide with the tradition of a Good Friday crucifixion near sunset and a sunrise resurrection on Easter Sunday?

What proof did Christ offer that He was the Messiah? The Pharisees challenged Him on this very point and He gave them an answer—His sign that He was true: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:39-40).

How, then, does the “Good Friday-Easter Sunday” tradition fit? Can 72 hours (three days and three nights) be made to fit into a period between late day Friday and early Sunday morning? Why do so few even seem to question this only sign that Christ said He would give that He was the Messiah? Could He have been wrong on this single great proof of who He was and still have been the Messiah?

Since no one directly witnessed His Resurrection, we must examine the only available authority on this great event—your Bible! The apostle Paul said to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thes. 5:21). The Bible is the revealed Word of God. It is His written revelation to mankind. Prepare to be shocked at what the Bible does and does not say on this vital point!

While professing Christians willingly accept the common traditions of men, true disciples (learners, students) of Christ want to know what HE says. Christ warned, “In vain do they worship Me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:7-8).

What standard will you use? Will you accept the recorded facts of history found in God’s Word—or continue with the familiar, comfortable traditions of men?

The Tremendous Importance of His Sign

Is it any surprise that Satan the devil would want to deny that Christ was the Messiah? Is it any surprise that he would seek to relegate the story of Jonah and the “whale” to folklore, myth, symbolism and superstition? If this miracle never occurred, then Christ’s sign, based entirely upon it, is nothing more than hollow and pointless allegory.

Consider what is at stake in Jesus’ statement in Matthew 12:39-40. Jesus placed His entire identity on the line with His sign. If He failed His only sign, then He is not our Savior and nothing He said can be trusted. In effect, if His prophecy of this sign failed, then He must be considered a false prophet. He would be a fraud and should not be followed—and mankind has no savior!

Do not confuse the fact of the resurrection’s occurrence as being the sign, with the question of “how long”—the precise length of time—He would be in the grave before His resurrection took place. This was the test of His sign.

Be under no illusion about the position of Bible critics—sometimes known as “higher critics.” While it is embarrassing to watch them try to explain away Christ’s only sign, they really have no choice. If Christ’s sign remains intact, the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition would be exposed as groundless—false—and collapse in a heap!

Some Bible commentaries nearly leave one breathless in astonishment when they assert that three days and three nights, in the Greek language, can actually mean three periods of time—either day or night. Friday night, Saturday daylight and Saturday night are portrayed as these three “periods” of time.

At least some are honest enough to acknowledge that the Friday-Sunday tradition is, in fact, only about half the length of time that Christ said He would be in the grave.

What Are Days and Nights?

Can we know for certain or must we speculate on the meaning—the definition—of a day or the meaning of a night? Does the Bible leave this definition open to opinion—with one man’s opinion as good as another?

Jonah 1:17 plainly says, “And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Here, scholars face a dilemma when they explore the phrase “three days and three nights.” Some of these same “scholars”—who are actually critics—acknowledge that the Hebrew language must mean a 72-hour period of time. There is no room for any “periods of time” theories in the Hebrew.

Here is the problem! Christ said His time in the grave would be “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the great fish’s belly…” The word “as” sets the standard of comparison. It leaves no room to “negotiate” the meaning of the Greek. The margin of Jonah 2:2 even compares Jonah’s time in the “great fish” to “the grave.” In this verse, the Hebrew word translated “hell” is sheol. It literally means “the grave.” The comparison of Christ to Jonah—in a grave—becomes complete.

Did Christ understand the length of a “day” or the length of a “night”? He did! In John 11:9-10, He asked, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?…But if a man walk in the night, he stumbles.”

The Bible mentions in several places that Christ rose “the third day.” How long was this? The first half of the creation chapter, in Genesis 1:4-13, plainly says that God “divided the light from darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were the first day…And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] were the second day…And the evening [now three periods of darkness called night—three nights] and the morning [now three periods of light called day—three days] were the third day.”

This is the Bible’s definition of the length of time accounted for within the phrase “the third day.” It spanned three periods of darkness and three periods of light. We have proven that each of these periods is twelve hours. Six times twelve hours equals 72 hours! What could be more plain?

The Source of the Problem

We have now established the exact duration of Christ’s time in the tomb as a 72-hour period. He was there for three days and three nights “as Jonah was…” We will shortly examine four additional scriptures that prove the same thing.

In Mark 7:13, Christ strongly warns against “making the word of God of none effect through your tradition.” How is it that intelligent, well-educated Bible scholars seem to “know” that Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday? What is it about Christ’s clear, straightforward sign that they cannot accept? The answer lies in the comfort of long-held but clearly false traditions!

One of the most important rules of Bible study is to gather all of the scriptures on a subject to get the complete picture of that subject. There are other scriptures that prove the 72-hour duration of Christ’s time in the tomb.

John 2:19-21 states, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…But He spoke of the temple of His body.” Clearly, the use of the phrase “in three days” means that Christ’s time in the tomb could not exceed 72 hours—or it would not be within the three-day period.

Conversely, Matthew 27:63 establishes Jesus’ time in the tomb as not less than three days, or 72 hours, for it says, “After three days I will rise again.”

Examining two additional verses in Mark’s gospel account proves the same parameters of John 2 and Matthew 27. Notice Mark 8:31: “And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” A late Friday afternoon entombment means a late Monday afternoon resurrection. It is as simple as counting one, two, three! Finally, in reference to this verse, if it stood alone without other scriptures to qualify it—it must be plainly admitted that Christ’s use of the word “after” does not, by itself, limit His time in the tomb to 72 hours. He could still be there longer. He just could not be there one bit less than 72 hours. This much should now be clear.

We are now ready for Mark 9:31: “They shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day.” This verse presents another limitation on Christ’s time in the tomb. Consider! This verse, if taken by itself, places His time in the grave between 48 and 72 hours. The phrase “the third day” caps the duration at 72 hours—but it also creates a minimum of 48 hours—or the period would be somewhere in the second day! Again, if this verse is to be taken alone, a Friday afternoon crucifixion requires a resurrection somewhere after late Sunday afternoon and no later than late Monday afternoon.

Establishing the Time of the Resurrection

The following fact should be clear. The exact moment and time of day when Christ was placed in the tomb had to coincide with the exact time of day of His Resurrection. We must establish precisely when Christ was placed in the tomb. We will then know precisely when He left the tomb. Plainly, any time of day or night—morning, noon, afternoon, evening, midnight, etc.—that Christ would have entered the tomb would have to be the very same time He would depart it by His resurrection!

While on the stake, after “the ninth hour” (three o’clock in the afternoon), Jesus “cried out” (Matt. 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46) and died. Luke 23:44 also makes a reference to “the sixth hour, and there was darkness in all the earth until the ninth hour.” The sixth hour is six hours after sunrise—or noon! This would make the ninth hour three o’clock.

These events occurred on the day before “the Sabbath”—the day called “the preparation” (Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54). We should recognize that the Bible counts days as the period from evening to evening (Lev. 23:32) or sunset to sunset. Recall Genesis 1: “…the evening [night or darkness] and the morning [day or light]…”

John 19:42 explains, “There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day.” Jewish burial law (vs. 31) forbade the bodies of the dead remaining unburied at the outset of any Sabbath day or feast day. Remember, Luke 23:46 explained that Christ died at, or shortly after, three o’clock in the afternoon. He would have been buried soon thereafter—prior to sunset.

We have not yet established the day of the week that the crucifixion occurred. However, our previous computation and comparison of related scriptures reveals that Christ must have risen sometime after three o’clock in the afternoon—on whatever would have been the day that was three days later.

A brief summary is in order at this point. Again, Christ’s Messiahship is at stake. Based on when He was buried (sometime between three and six o’clock on the day of His crucifixion), His sign as our Messiah was that He must—I repeat He must—rise at the same time 72 hours later. Otherwise, He is an impostor and a fraud, and we have no Savior. Unless we wish to make “the word of God of none effect through [our] tradition,” we must now admit that a popular, great tradition has crashed in a heap of rubble. Some honest questions remain.

The Crucifixion Preceded a Sabbath—But Which Sabbath?

We have now reached the important issue of when to start counting the 72-hour period of Christ’s sign. It involves the Sabbath. But which Sabbath? Could this question lie at the heart of why people assume a Friday crucifixion? We have already proven from all four Gospels that the day of Christ’s crucifixion was called “the preparation.” John 19:14 explains “it was the preparation of the Passover.” However, verse 31 goes further by stating, “for that sabbath day was an high day.” What does this mean?

What is a Sabbath that is a high day?

Any Jew will tell you that a “high day” is a feast day or an annual Holy Day! Leviticus 23 describes seven of these days that the nation of ancient Israel was commanded to keep year by year. A simple review of this chapter (verses 24, 26-32 and 39) reveals that God considered these days to be Sabbaths. Notice that Leviticus 23:2 refers to all of these Sabbaths as “the feasts of the Lord” and “even these are my feasts.” This same verse also calls them “holy convocations”—meaning commanded assemblies. These days do not fall on the same day, year after year, any more than do the common pagan holidays that most people observe today.

Matthew 26:2 states, “You know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” (Leviticus 23 shows that the Passover was the one feast that was not also a Sabbath, wherein work was prohibited.) There is no doubt that Christ was crucified on the Passover.

The original Passover is described in Exodus 12. A lamb was slain and the blood of this lamb was struck over the doorposts of all the Israelite houses. It was this blood that caused the death angel to pass over any particular house, thus saving the firstborn of that house from death! Hence, the term “passover.”

The Old Testament Passover always preceded the annual Sabbath called the first Day of Unleavened Bread. This day was a high day or a feast day to be celebrated each year, again, on the day immediately following the Passover. Notice Numbers 28:16-17: “And in the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month is the feast.” This feast was the first Day of Unleavened Bread.

Jesus Christ was slain by crucifixion on the exact same day that the Passover lamb had been slain every year. While the above referenced booklet will take the reader into greater detail on this point, suffice to say that I Corinthians 5:7 plainly states, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” John the Baptist called Christ “the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Christ was crucified on the Passover and this day then would automatically be a preparation day for the feast day, or annual high day Sabbath—which was to begin almost immediately after His burial.

As mentioned, annual Sabbaths could occur on any day of the week. Tuesday and Thursday are more common than any other day for the first Day of Unleavened Bread, following the Passover. Thursday is probably the most common of all. For instance, in the thirty-six years (counting inclusively) between 1998 and 2033, the first Day of Unleavened Bread occurs on a Thursday 12 times, and on a Tuesday 10 times. All other days are less often during this period. In the year of Christ’s crucifixion, according to the Hebrew calendar, the Passover occurred on a Wednesday! This means that the annual Sabbath had to be one day later—or Thursday! It was, in fact, this sabbath that was approaching, thus requiring the swift burial of Jesus’ body prior to its arrival. The weekly Sabbath, or Saturday, was to occur two days after that.

Which Was the Day of the Resurrection?

If Christ’s Resurrection was not on Sunday, then when was it? The world commonly believes that it was Sunday morning. Does the Bible say this, or have millions made an assumption?

John 20:1 says, “The first day of the week comes Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and sees the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” Compare this verse with Mark 16:2 and Luke 24:1.

It is now very early Sunday morning (it is still dark) and the tomb is open. Do these verses supply the supposed proof for the Sunday resurrection tradition? Do they support “Easter sunrise services”? A problem already presents itself. Christ is gone from the tomb before sunrise!

Now notice Luke 24:6. Mary Magdalene, and the others with her, are described as finding two angels standing before them. These angels stated plainly to these women, “He is not here, but is risen.” Also see Mark 16:6 and Matthew 28:5-6.

Christ was GONE—He was already risen! Notice the past tense of the two angels’ statement.

We can now establish the day of Christ’s resurrection. We have already established the time of day of His death and the burial soon thereafter and, therefore, also the time of His resurrection. It was late afternoon, between 3 and 6 p.m. Obviously, Christ was already risen, by this time, in the darkness of Sunday morning—because He had been gone from the grave since late afternoon on saturday! Let us state this plainly. Christ died on the late afternoon of a Wednesday Passover and was resurrected three days later on the late afternoon of the very next Saturday.

Thus, the resurrection did not even occur on Sunday—period!

Christ’s Sign Fulfilled

Who will you believe? Will it be theologians, scholars, higher critics and other traditionalists, who love to profess Jesus, but reject the sign that He gave? Or will you believe the words of your Bible—that Jesus Christ rose from the dead exactly as He said He would?

It is now time to read a different Gospel account of the two angels’ statement to the women at the tomb. This time notice Matthew 28:6. It states, “He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.” This would be impossible if Christ had been in the grave one second more or one second less than 72 hours. The One who said, “Are there not twelve hours in a day?” was well aware of exactly how long His sign required that He remain in the “belly of the earth”—the grave.

Not only did Christ state that He would fulfill His sign but it was also established by the mouth of two witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15), who happened to be mighty angels of God.

Paul adds a final, great, corroborating proof that Christ did spend three entire days and three entire nights—from late Wednesday afternoon until late Saturday afternoon—in the tomb. In I Corinthians 15:3-4, Paul validates the words of Christ and the two angels who witnessed His fulfillment. Notice: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that 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.”

Further, the prophet Daniel gave a prophecy he described as “seventy weeks” (Dan. 9:24-27). In this prophecy, the Messiah was foretold to be cut off “in the midst of the week.” Wednesday is literally the fourth, or middle day, of a seven-day week. So then, it was in the “midst of the week” that Christ was “cut off.” (It should be noted that this prophecy in Daniel was a foretelling of Christ also being “cut off” in the midst of His ministry—after 3 1/2 years [Fall A.D. 27 to Spring A.D. 31]—if the biblical application of “a day for a year” is properly applied to the seventieth week of that prophecy.)

Are There Other Questions for Examination?

Some will say, “But what about this scripture or what about that scripture or this point or some other point?” Are there other questions that should be examined?

Some ask about Mark 16:9. Certain people suppose that this verse proves the Sunday resurrection theory. Does it? Simply reading the verse makes plain that it does not say Christ “was rising” but rather He “was risen” from the grave. Take time to read the verse. It uses past tense because, as we have seen, Christ had been gone from the grave for about twelve hours (since late Saturday afternoon) by this time on Sunday morning.

But what about Luke 24:21? It states, “…and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.” The phrase “these things” is a reference to all the events related to the crucifixion. Verses 18-20 describe the particulars of “these things” to be Christ’s delivery to Pilate, His trial, His crucifixion, His beating, His death, up to the setting of the seal and the watch over His tomb, which occurred the following day—Thursday. This discussion occurred on Sunday, and Sunday was the third day since all of “these things” were completed (on Thursday) with the setting of the watch on Christ’s tomb. Therefore, this is not a verse which can be used to set aside everything that all of the other scriptures on this subject have proven.

A Final Proof

Matthew 28:1 contains an important statement that bears examination before this subject can be laid to rest. Notice that this verse begins with the phrase “In the end of the sabbath.” Most versions render it this way, but some use the phrase “After the Sabbath.” The Ferrar Fenton translation correctly renders this phrase. Fenton translates this phrase with “after the Sabbaths” (plural). Fenton is possibly the only translator to note that the original Greek has the word “Sabbaths” in the plural. This is important. We will see why.

Notice Mark 16:1: “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices.” Their purpose was to anoint the body of Jesus. They were not able to buy their spices until after the Sabbath was passed. Yet Luke 23:56 explains that they prepared these spices “and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.” While this may appear confusing, it need not be if these two passages are studied carefully.

Only one possible explanation emerges. It is that these women bought and prepared their spices on Friday, after the Thursday annual high day Sabbath—or the first feast day of Unleavened Bread—and then rested on the weekly Sabbath, which was Saturday according to God’s plain command found in Exodus 20:8-11.

Mark 16:1 and Luke 23:56 must refer to two separate Sabbaths of that crucifixion week—with a day in between, Friday. Any other explanation creates a contradiction of scripture and the Bible never contradicts itself.

Sunday is Not “The Lord’s Day”

There is another very important reason why theologians and many others must conclude that the resurrection was on Sunday! Sunday is commonly referred to as “the Lord’s Day.” While the true Lord’s Day of the Bible is actually the Day of the Lord—the day of his wrath (Joel 2:1-11; Rev. 1:10; 15:1, 7)—the term “the Lord’s Day” has come to be synonymous with Sunday. But why? The reason is simple. If Sunday can be established as the day that Christ was resurrected, it can be a means of validating and “authorizing” the keeping of Sunday by the churches of the world, in place of God’s true Sabbath.

You have already seen references to the Sabbath day in this booklet. Exodus 20:8-11 shows that the keeping of the Sabbath is the Fourth Commandment! It was always the seventh day of the week and God never authorized Sunday—which would be keeping the first day instead. God hallowed it at creation—long before there were any Jews or Israelites to keep it (Gen. 2:1). The Sabbath was to be kept “forever”—“continually”—and “throughout the generations” of Israel, God’s intended model nation (Ex. 31:12-17). Christ kept it (Luke 4:16) and said that He was Lord of it and that it was “made for man” (Mark 2:27-28). He did not say it was “made for the Jews only.” Paul observed it (Acts 13:42, 44; 17:2; 18:4).

The subject of keeping the Sabbath as God’s command for true Christians is a big subject requiring its own book to explain it. Therefore, more than the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition collapses if Christ was in the grave for 72 hours instead of 36. The largest single reason for the unscriptural tradition (recall Mark 7:7) of Sunday-keeping collapses at the same time. God has always said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). He has never said, “Remember Sunday to keep it holy—and just call it the Lord’s day!” The reader is left to ponder this.

What is the Source of Your Beliefs?

Herbert W. Armstrong concluded his booklet THE RESURRECTION Was NOT on Sunday with:

“For proof of the pagan origin of such long-cherished days as Easter and Christmas, request our free booklets on those two subjects. The shocking truth is that nowhere can you find sanctions for those two holidays in the Bible. It is time we discovered the source of our religious beliefs and found out whether we ought to observe them.”

TRUHEAT GOSPEL HIP HOP ARTIST CD TRUHEAT: "SWAGGA LIKE JESUS"

Truheat: "Swagga Like Jesus"

Hip Hop Gospel Artist Truheat

HALLELUYAH (HALLELUJAH) MEANS 'PRAISE YAHWEH, YAH' IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

“AHleleuYAH” (praise be to YAH) is the oldest and only spoken phrase which has never been mispronounced in over 5000 years”!

“AHleleuYAH is the only human phrase unchanged by 4000 languages over the past 5500 years”.
HalleluYah (Hallelujah) means 'praise Yahweh, Yah' in the Holy Scriptures

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.(Psalms 68:4NKJ)

Hallelujah (Please see blog on the letter 'j')

 

Halleluyah and the Latin form Alleluia are transliterations of the Hebrew word (Standard Halleluya, Tiberian Hall?lûya-h) meaning "Praise Yahweh (from the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton YHWH) " and is similar to the Arabic phrase Alhamdulillah, used by Muslims and by Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians. 

 

Hallelujah is found primarily in the book of Psalms. The word is used in Judaism as part of the Hallel prayers, and in Christian prayer, particularly in the Catholic Mass. It has been accepted into the English language and has a similar pronunciation in many other languages.

The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (mainly in the book of Psalms, e.g. 111–117, 145–150, where it starts and concludes a number of Psalms) and four times in Greek transliteration in the Christian Book of Revelation.

The word hallelujah occurring in Psalms is a Hebrew request for a congregation to join in praise. It can be translated as "Praise Yahweh, you people", and is usually worded in English contexts as "Praise ye the LORD" or "Praise the LORD". This is not a direct translation, as Yah represents the first two letters of YHWH, the name for the Creator, and not the title "lord". To give fuller meaning in this context, Hallelujah could rightly be translated "Praise Yahweh", or "Praise Jehovah" (signified by Jah).

In the Hebrew Bible hallelujah is actually a two-word phrase, not one word. The first part, hallelu, is the second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal. However, "hallelujah" means more than simply "praise Yah", as the word hallel in Hebrew means a joyous praise, to boast in God, or to act madly or foolishly. The second part, Yah, is a shortened form of Yahweh YHWH, sometimes rendered in English as "Jehovah". 

The Septuagint translates Yah as Kyrios (the LORD). In Psalm 150:6 the Hebrew reads kol han'shamah t'hallel yah; the final word "yah" is translated as "the LORD", or "YHWH". It appears in the Hebrew Bible as and . In Psalm 148:1 the Hebrew says "hallelu yah". It then says "hallelu eth-YHWH" as if using "yah" and "YHWH" interchangeably. The word "Yah" appears by itself as a divine name in poetry about 49 times in the Hebrew Bible (including hallelu yah), such as in Psalm 68:4–5 "who rides upon the deserts by his name Yah" and Exodus 15:2 "Yah is my strength and song". It also often appears at the end of Israelite theophoric names such as Isaiah "yeshayah(u), Yahweh is salvation" and Jeremiah "yirmeyah(u), Yahweh is exalted".

Halelujah appears in Revelation 19 in Greek transliteration as "hallelouia", the great song of praise to God for his triumphant reign. This transliteration also appears in the Septuagint.

Usage by Christians

For most Christians, "Hallelujah" is considered a joyful word of praise to God, rather than an injunction to praise him. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, and in many older Protestant denominations, the Alleluia, along with the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, is not spoken or sung in liturgy during the season of Lent, instead being replaced by a Lenten acclamation, while in Eastern Churches, Alleluia is chanted throughout the Lent in the beginning of the Matins service, replacing the Theos Kyrios, which is considered more joyful. At the Easter service and throughout the Pentecostarion, Christos anesti is used in the place where Hallelujah is chanted in the western rite.

Among many Protestant Christians, the expressions of Hallelujah and Praise the LORD are acceptable, spontaneous expressions of joy, thanksgiving and praise towards God, requiring no specific prompting or call or direction from those leading times of praise and singing.

HalleluYah is a Hebrew word meaning "Praise Yah".

(Please see the blog on God told us His name, God's name in the Hebrew is Yahweh Elohim which means the Eternal One God and the name of Jesus in the Hebrew is literally {Yahweh's} 'Salvation').

HALLELUYAH

Encyclopedia of Judaism:
Hallelujah

Biblical expression found only in the Book of Psalms and meaning "Praise the Lord!" (halelu-Yah). An exclamation of joy, praise, or thanksgiving, it occurs in 13 psalms either as the opening word (111, 112), or the closing word (104, 105, 115-117), or both (106, 113, 135, 146-150). Its original purpose, in Temple times, was to signal that a congregational response should be given to the levitical choir. Each verse of the Hallel psalms was likewise answered by halelu-Yah (Suk. 3:10), and this may also have characterized the sequence culminating in the "Grand Hallelujah" (Ps. 150). Like Amen, the Hebrew term entered the Jewish prayer book and also became part of the Christian tradition, finding its way into many languages.

HALLELUYAH

Bible Guide:
Hallelujah, Alleluia


A cultic expression meaning "Praise Yah, i.e. "Praise the Lord". It was probably used as a shout or prayer at a point of great joy or rejoicing. The phrase appears in 16 psalms beginning with 104:35 where it closes the hymn (also Ps 105; 106; 113; 115-17; 135; 146-150); while it serves as an introduction to Psalms 106; 111-13; 135; 146-150. Psalms 146-150 are known as the "Hallelujah Psalms". The Greek and Latin versions do not translate the expression but simply transliterate it as a single word, "hallelouia" from which it passed into European languages. It also appears in the Book of Revelation in chapter 19.

Concordance
Ps 104:35; 105:45; 106:1,48; 111:1; 112:1; 113:1,19; 115:18; 116:19; 117:2; 135:1, 21; 146:1, 10; 147:1, 20; 148:1, 14; 149:1, 9; 150:1, 6. Rev 19:1-6

HALLELUYAH

 
Columbia Encyclopedia:
Hallelujah
Hallelujah (ha(l'?lu-'y?) or Alleluia (a(l-) [Heb.,=praise the Lord], joyful expression used in Hebrew worship; cf. Pss. 104-6, 111-13, 115-17, 135, 146-50. Christian liturgies make wide use of it, particularly at Easter time (please see blog on the Passover, for Christ is our Passover).

HALLELUYAH

Dictionary:  
hal·le·lu·jah   (ha(l'?-lu-'y?) pronunciation
interj.
Used to express praise or joy.
n.
   1. An exclamation of "hallelujah."
   2. Music. A composition expressing praise and based on the word "hallelujah."

(Hebrew hall?lû-ya-h, praise Yahweh : hall?lû, masculine pl. imperative of hille-l, to praise + ya-h, Yahweh.)

The Lord works with each one in a different way and in His perfect timing; for He knows all things. God began by showing us that His commandments (righteousness) has not and will not be abolished....mainly the Sabbath which has always been under attack by Satan.

Then God showed us the same thing in regard to His 7 Annual Sabbaths (Holy Days, High Days, Feast Days—NOTE: if  we cannot understand those we cannot understand the only sign the Messiah gave that He was indeed the true Messiah--3 nights; 3 days in “the heart of the earth”).

Then God began to show us the paganism that exists even in the names that are being used (from His name, to His Son’s name, to the names of the days of the week and the months even).

GOD'S NAME IS HOLY; HIS SON IS HOLY ; HIS COMMANDMENTS ARE HOLY; HIS SACRED CALENDAR IS HOLY AND HIS DAYS ARE HOLY, WE HAVE TO COME OUT OF ALL PAGANISM ALLOWING THE LORD TO LEAD.

The letter ―J‖ is only 500 years old in English (see Webster‘s Dictionary). ―J‖ does not exist in YAHUWan, Ibrew (Aramaic) or ―Hebrew.‖ ―Jesus‖ never occurs in The Original Scriptures or even ―near-original‖ texts. The first 4 editions of The King James Bible (1611-1627) carried the Catholic Vulgate‘s invention of ―Iesus.‖ In 1628, ―Iesus‖ was slightly changed in the KJV to ―Jesus.‖


What we need to remember is that the Lord is Alpha and Omega, He knows what names are being used to reference Him in every language, from the beginning of man's rule (1st 6,000 yrs of man--i.e., not the earth for the earth & angels were created some millions of yrs before mankind) until the end (when the Messiah returns) when we will all learn the truth. Satan has filled the earth with so much confusion and there is a lot of error but God knows this and one day the earth will be full of His truth & peace. This is what we look forward too.

For there is nothing that is done that God cannot and will not turn around in His people's favor for His glory....'nothing the Lord allows is in vain, but has a purpose rather it is revealed to us now, later or never we can trust in that. Think about how many times every week or even every day you hear the names Jesus Christ and God being used in an inappropriate way (in vain)...ie  "Oh my G--", "Christ no", & so on, movies, music, casual conversations??? So if the world had access to the true names on a wide scale think of the constant blasphemy (transgression of the third commandment of God's Royal Law) there would be.

Jesus Christ (Y'shua the Messiah) simply told us to say "Our Father" when we pray. Does it matter if we call our earthly father {sir, dad, daddy, poppa, father, etc.}....does he know who we're referencing? Does it matter if someone else calls him John, Johnnie, Mr. Smith, do we still know who's being referenced? Of course we do, he does too and our understanding doesn't even compare to that of the Lord's.

If Christ, through the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, revealed (in Revelation to John) the Greek and Hebrew names of Satan, the devil, the "poisonous" serpent, once known as Lucifer. (Revelation 9:11) Why would we not want to know the “original” names of the Lord given by the Lord? For He reigns!

Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. (Psalm 68:4 NKJ)


Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' "  (Isaiah 12:2 NKJ)


Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.   (Isaiah 26:4 NKJ)

Jesus' name in the Hebrew (Y'shua) means Salvation, we should want to know that. Just as the Creator and Father God's name in the Hebrew is Yahweh (YHVH, YAHUWAH ) Elohim which means "The Eternal One God", we should want to know that. This is the name by which He revealed Himself to Moses and the physical children of Israel. He had previously revealed Himself as El Shaddai "Almighty God" to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose name was changed by God to Israel). (Gen 32:28)

And God said to him, "Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name." So He called his name Israel. (Genesis 35:10 NKJ)

Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' (Exodus 3:15 NKJ)


THE HISTORY OF THE LETTER "J"

J is the 10th letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet used today, it was the last of the 26 letters to be added.

Its name in English is pronounced “jay”.

Letter J - The tenth letter in the English and Hebrew alphabet, in the latter of which it is equivalent to y, and i, and is numerically number 10, the perfect number (See Jodh and Yodh), or one.

CONVIENENT TIMING: KJV TRANSLATED 1611? LETTER "J" ADDED 1634? The first English-language book to make a clear distinction between I and J was published in 1634 (Ref). Its use in the English alphabet followed, the letter J was the last of the 26 letters to be added to the English Alphabet.

It's vitally important that you recognize some significant information about the letter "J". Please note that in the original 1611 edition of the King James Version of the Bible there was no letter "J" used. The letter "J" did not even exist in common usage within the English language. James was spelled Iames. Jesus was spelled Iesous.

It's predecessors were the letter "Y" and the letter "I". Each of these was "morphed" (altered) into the letter "J" at some point, based on human traditions. This was mankind's alteration of YAHWEH's Word. This involved a virtually complete rejection and replacement of the Hebrew letter "Y". In the Hebrew alphabet there is no letter “J”, and no “J” sound.

The references below demonstrate very clearly that biblical names beginning with "J" are a corruption of the Hebrew "Y" and its accompanying sound.. Unfortunately, using the letter "J" creates a perversion of The Scriptures because of the way we use that letter today. If we would pronounce them as a "Y" we would be closer to the correct sound. But few people today even recognize that this is a possibility. As a result, they are misleading, and cause confusion when trying to properly understand The Scriptures. We would do well to change them to "Y"'s, which would more then follow the original Hebrew letters used in these words.

This is most certainly true in the case of "Jehovah" and "Jesus". Both of these words are improper transliterations of the original Hebrew. The proper personal names are YAHWEH, for the Father, and YAHSHUA, for the Son. Jehovah and Jesus should be corrected to these proper names. As they stand now, they are corruptions of the original. If we are going to truly “honor and praise the NAME" of The Creator, we need to know His correct name. The same is true of His Son. Once we know the proper personal names of YAHWEH and YAHUSHUA we need to use them as they were intended to be used. This is also true of every other name in The Scriptures that begins with the letter "J" in our modern bible translations.

The Encyclopedia Americana contains the following on the J: The form of J was unknown in any alphabet until the 14th century. Either symbol (J,I) used initially generally had the consonantal sound of Y as in year. Gradually, the two symbols (J,l) were differentiated, the J usually acquiring consonantal force and thus becoming regarded as a consonant, and the I becoming a vowel. It was not until 1630 that the differentiation became general in England.

And what happened to the Y? After the Roman conquest of Greece in the first century B.C., the Romans began to use some Greek words. They added the Greek Y to the Latin alphabet to accommodate these new additions to their vocabulary. But the sound value given to Y by the Greeks was unknown in the Latin language; when the Romans used it in adopted Greek words it took on the same sound as the letter I.

The letter J has a history that is linked with the history of the letter I. The Romans and their European successors used I both for the vocalic i and for the consonantal y (as in the English word yet). The English letter J did not come into existence until the end of medieval times, when scribes began to use a tailed form of i, with or without the dot, next to the short form of i.

J originated as a swash character to end some Roman numerals in place of i. There was an emerging distinctive use in Middle High German. Gian Giorgio Trissino (1478–1550) was the first to explicitly distinguish I and J as representing separate sounds.

English J, acquired from the French J has a sound value quite different from /j/ (which represents the sound in the English word "yet"). Latin pronunciation, as taught, was changed and the letter j, representing consonantal i, as it had been introduced to the language, was no longer pronounced as soft g, but as y. As a result of this and other pronunciation changes which were introduced, Iulius (or Julius) Caesar was no longer pronounced jooleeus seezar but yuleeus kizar.

So basically, it is probably incorrect to say that j is exactly the same as i in both ancient and medieval Latin. More correctly, there was simply no such letter as j. The letter j made its appearance  in other languages to serve different purposes. In modern Dutch, the combination ij is used to indicate the long i sound, so it is being used as a vowel. As in all vernacular languages, spelling was not standardized in the medieval period and a range of variants appeared.

The only words in Italian beginning with j are 20th century modernisms like jazz or jet. The soft g is rendered with gi in such words as giustizia. In Spanish, j represents an h sound, but in written form the words may appear closer to their Latin roots than the Italian. French, of course, uses j for the very soft g sound in such words as je and jeune.

The word je in a late 14th century French document in a cursive hand shows j as a large letter which resembles a capital.  In a late 15th or early 16th century French language book of hours, the word je is written with an i for j.  French was also spoken and written as a vernacular in England, albeit one which was diverging from the French of France. This word jours from a late 14th century French language document from England also uses i for j. The letter j is not particularly common in English. In late medieval writings it might take the form of a minuscule i or a capital I, in which case words beginning with i were often also adorned with a capital.

The letter j can be seen to be a Johnny-come-lately of the medieval alphabet, and had not quite established itself by the end of the period we are looking at here. It came to represent different sounds in different vernacular languages.

Letter I. - The ninth letter in the English, the tenth in the Hebrew alphabet. As a numeral it signifies in both languages one, and also ten in the Hebrew (see J), in which it corresponds to the Divine name Jah, the male side, or aspect, of the hermaphrodite being, or the male-female Adam, of which hovah Jah-hovah) is the female aspect. It is symbolized by a hand with bent fore-finger, to show its phallic signification.

The letters I and J follow each other in the alphabet and look a lot alike. So it comes as no surprise to discover that our ninth and tenth letters started out as the same character.

In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever. Selah 

(Psalms 44:8 NKJ)

I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever. (Psalms 45:17 NKJ)

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." ‘(Revelation 2:17 NKJ)

And I looked, and, lo , a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. (Revelation 14:1 KJV)

In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:6 KJV)

And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called THE WORD OF GOD. (Revelation 19:13 KJV)

And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.  (Revelation 22:4 KJV)

And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in His name, saith the LORD.  (Zechariah 10:12 KJV)

His name shall endure for ever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed . (Psalms 72:17 KJV)

 

And ye were now turned, and had done right in My sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before Me in the House which is called by My name: (Jeremiah 34:15 KJV)

 

For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

(Micah 4:5 KJV)

 

And in His name shall the Gentiles trust. 

(Matthew 12:21 KJV)

“AbraYA” rather than “Hebrews. ―AbraYAHUW‖ whyrba means ―AbrAHam‘s seed who worship YA/YAHUW/YAHUWAH.‖

 

“YAsarel” rather than “Israel” or “Yisrael”. ―YA-sar-el‖ means ―Almighty YA reigns/ is The Ruler.‖

 

“YArushalem” rather than “Yerushalom” or “Jerusalem” ―Shalem‖ means complete or fully, ―Shalom‖ means ―peace,‖ ―ru‖ is for ―ruwm‖ meaning exalted. So who is exalted, ―YA‖ or ―Ye‖ or ―Je‖?
 

AmaniYA (We trust in YAHUWAH)….instead of Amen.

• Exodus 15:2 CJB

  Yah is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. This is my God: I will glorify Him; my father's (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--Israel) God: I will exalt Him.
  

• Exodus 17:16 CJB

  and said, "Because their hand was against the Throne of Yah, ADONAI will fight 'Amalek generation after generation."
  

• Psalms 68:4 CJB

  Sing to God, sing praises to His name; extol Him who rides on the clouds by His name, Yah; and be glad in His presence.
  

• Psalms 68:18 CJB

  After you went up into the heights, you led captivity captive, you took gifts among mankind, yes, even among the rebels, so that Yah, God, might live there.
  

• Psalms 77:11 CJB

  So I will remind myself of Yah's doings; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
  

• Psalms 89:8 CJB

  ADONAI Elohei-Tzva'ot! Who is as mighty as You, Yah? Your faithfulness surrounds You.
  

• Psalms 94:7 CJB

  They say, "Yah isn't looking; the God of Ya'akov (Jacob--Abraham's grandson) won't notice."
  

• Psalms 94:12 CJB

  How happy the man whom you correct, Yah, whom you teach from your Torah (Holy Scriptures),
  

• Psalms 118:5 CJB

  From my being hemmed in I called on Yah; He answered and gave me more room.
  
  

  
  
        Yah is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.
  (Psalms 118:14 CJB)
   
  
  
       
        I will not die; no, I will live and proclaim the great deeds of Yah!
  (Psalms 118:17 CJB)
   
  
  
      
        Yah disciplined me severely, but did not hand me over to death.
  ( Psalms 118:18 CJB)
   
    
       
        Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter them and thank Yah.
  (Psalms 118:19 CJB)
   
   
  
  
        Yah, if you kept a record of sins, who, Adonai (Lord), could stand?
  (Psalms 130:3 CJB)
   
  
  
       
        praise Yah, for ADONAI (The LORD) is good; sing to His name, because it is pleasant.
  (Psalms 135:3 CJB)
   
    
       
        For Yah chose Ya'akov (Jacob--NAME CHANGE TO ISRAEL BY GOD) for Himself, Isra'el (THE CHILDREN OF JACOB--INCLUDING 'JUDAH') as His own unique treasure.
  (Psalms 135:4 CJB)
   
  
  
       
        [She] Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, passion (jealousy) as cruel as Sh'ol (the grave); its flashes (coals of fire) are flashes of fire, a most {vehement flame}, [as fierce as the] flame of Yah.
  (Song of Solomon 8:6 CJB)
   
  
  
  
  
        "See! God is my salvation. I am confident and unafraid; for Yah, ADONAI is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation!"
  (Isaiah 12:2 CJB)
   
    
  
  
        Trust in ADONAI forever, because in Yah ADONAI, is a Rock of Ages."
  (Isaiah 26:4 CJB)

  
  

BIBLE AUTHORITY....THE AUTHORITY OF GOD'S WORD (HIS WRITTEN WORD AND HIS SON)

Bible Authority...Can It Be Proven?

The Bible is the number one best-seller of all time. Is it mere superstition—the uninspired work of men? Or is it simply Hebrew and Greek literature—perhaps only useful as a history book? The Bible purports to be the Word of God. Must its authority be accepted on faith? Can its divine authority be demonstrated? Here is proof of the Bible!

The Bible has been called the Book of books and has long been the world’s best seller. Most people have one—and the “family Bible” is a cherished possession in many households. Our family Bible dates to the mid-to-late 1700s.

Then why does this best-selling book remain a mystery to so many—with few even professing to understand it? And why is it that most Bibles are used as a showpiece, lying unopened, gathering dust? Many actively try to discredit the Bible, while others treat it with passive indifference. Still others hold it in awe—believing “on faith” that it is divinely inspired. They seem to require no proof of this, yet lack the necessary conviction to truly believe and practice its words in times of great stress and personal trial.

But can one actually prove the Bible? This is a huge question! Just as most never seek to prove the existence of God, most never concern themselves with proving the authority of the Bible. They either have no interest in such proof or they assume there is none—that it cannot be done!

What about you? Have you taken the time to seek actual, tangible proof of the Bible’s authority? As with the existence of God, have you been taught that you must accept it “on faith”? Most people are never challenged to find real proof that the Bible is the inspired record of a Supreme Being. Circumstances rarely force people to undertake such a task. This is probably the single biggest reason that most never do. While I regularly “went to church” when growing up, I was never required, nor felt compelled, to prove either that God exists or that He authored the Bible. Nor was any proof of these ever given or offered to me! And not one person ever suggested to me that I should even be concerned with proving the answers to these two looming questions.

Stop and think for a moment! Let’s apply basic logic.

What kind of God would write an Instruction Book about how to live, command that it be followed as His Word and then offer no proof that it is? It insults whoever is God to even believe Him capable of such inconsistency—and unfairness! On what basis would He—or even could He—require obedience to such an Instruction Book, if He left no proof that it was authentic?

The apostle Paul wrote in the Bible, speaking on behalf of the One who claims to have authored it, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (I Thes. 5:21). If God wrote the Bible, and He tells you to “Prove all things,” then surely He would not make proof of His authorship of the Bible an exception. It states, “ALL things.” In other words, would God require you to prove what the Bible teaches about all other points of doctrine or practice, but not expect you to prove whether an all-powerful God stands behind its authorship, requiring you to then obey it—adhere to its teachings? What sense would that make? God would never exempt from the need for proof (thus making them towering exceptions to this command) the questions of His own existence and His authorship of the Bible!

We must take this instruction at face value. If God says to “Prove all things,” and also, “Prove Me now herewith…” (Mal. 3:10), then He means it. And if God did not make the answers to these questions provable, He is setting Himself up to be discredited. On the other hand, if the Bible is the inspired Word of a great living God, then it is the standard by which you will be judged. Then dare you delay any longer the process of proving its all-important authority in your life?

Most spend their entire lives worried about what people think and say. Few concern themselves with what God thinks or says. Be honest and consider yourself. How much time have you spent trying to prove either the existence of God or that the Bible is His Word?

So then, the answer to both of these questions is that they can be proven. And you will notice, as we summarize the first great proof of the Bible, that it is also inseparable from proof that God exists. In fact, each different proof that the Bible is the Word of God is also its own proof that there IS a God!
 

The First Proof—Evolution Disproved?

No discussion about the Bible’s authorship would be complete without addressing the subject of evolution. It represents, perhaps, the first proof, in overall priority, that should be examined.

Most people have been taught from childhood that mankind evolved through a long process. While the theory of evolution is commonly accepted throughout the Western World, it has never been more than an unproven theory. Yet, to believe in the biblical Creation account is considered unfashionable, un “chic” and even unintelligent. And, of course, if the theory of evolution is true, then the Bible is a flawed book. At best, it is a mixture of truth and error. If the Bible can be so wrong, on a matter as important as the beginning of all life on earth (“Genesis” means beginning), then it cannot be trusted on any other point. If evolution occurred, the entire Bible collapses like a house of cards.

If evolution can be disproven, and the Creation account firmly established, then a great proof of the Bible’s authority has also been established.

Make no mistake! all of the Bible purports to be the Word of God. It all stands or it all falls together. Either the Bible is a book of truth from start to finish—and mankind should tremble before it—or, if evolution is true, the Bible must be judged false. It would thus stand as the greatest fraud ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting mankind!

We have carefully prepared a booklet, Does God Exist? It is a companion to this booklet and establishes, irrefutably, through many proofs, the absolute existence of God. Again, this question is inseparable from that of whether evolution occurred. It also firmly establishes the utter impossibility of evolution, leaving no doubt why the God of the Bible states, in several places, “Only the fool has said in his heart, There is no God.”

Space does not permit repeating that entire booklet here. However, it covers proofs from astronomy, the laws of thermodynamics, the fossil record gap, the concept of “irreducible complexity” as per DNA and cells, the presence of “tiny engines” inside cells, the law of biogenesis, the extraordinary complexity of the human mind, the amazing human eye, the nature of Australian termites, the impossibility of certain kinds of fish and birds having evolved—and the staggering mathematical improbability that even one planet like earth could have appeared anywhere in the universe by chance. These proofs establish not only that God does exist, but also that the Genesis Creation account is the only plausible explanation for the origin of life.

The evidence is plain, emphatic and irrefutable—and establishes the biblical account beyond question! The fact that certain “fools” (God’s choice of terms, not mine) might ignore, reject or seek to discredit them is irrelevant to their validity. I ignore such people because I am instructed in Proverbs to “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like unto him” (26:4). People who reject absolute proof are foolish and ought not to be dignified with an answer to their foolishness. This booklet has been written for those who seek—who want—the truth!

Evolutionists invariably use terms like “We suspect…We are coming to believe…What may have happened…We may theorize that…It is our opinion…What probably occurred…We do not know…,” etc. These terms do not inspire much confidence. The dogmatic statements of the Bible do! The God of the Bible never speaks in such uncertain terms. He does not have to. He not only knows He created mankind, but that it also can be proven. Thus, He speaks boldly—with authority—about what He has done!

Consider further. Evolutionists do not know the purpose of life. They do not know why they were born. And they reject the authority of God’s Word because they do not want Him “sticking His nose” into their lives. If they can discredit the authenticity of His Word, then they need not obey Him.

I cannot make you accept the proofs of God’s existence. These are decisions you must make. I cannot force you to act upon proofs of the authority of His Word. I disproved evolution thirty-eight years ago and had no choice but to act on this knowledge, if I were to remain an honest seeker of truth.

Remember, it is in the Bible that the six-day Creation account of God creating all plants, animals and man himself is found. If evolution is disproven, it is the very Bible account that is verified—validated—established—as the true record of how all life on earth came into being. We have now established the first great proof of the Bible. However, until you have read Does God Exist?, this proof is not complete. Take time to read it. (And also read our brochure Evolution – Facts, Fallacies and Implications, which thoroughly disproves evolution.)

The Cause and Effect Principle

We are now ready to examine the important proof of the principle of cause and effect.

Most people live their lives completely unaware of why things either “go right” or “go wrong.” They seem unable to comprehend that what they do, or do not do, has a direct effect on their lives. Most do not recognize that for every cause there is an effect, or conversely, for every effect, there is a cause. Scientists understand this principle in physics, but mankind is unaware that the same is true spiritually.

Consider a few basic points. Let’s reason together. Exactly how does cause and effect work in one’s life? Some simple examples bear examination.

If you routinely eat too much, what happens? You will get sick, or fat—or both! There is no mystery to this.

If you drink too much alcohol, you will become intoxicated. This could lead to a next-day headache, being arrested, or even an auto accident that could result in injury or death to yourself or others. Again, there is no mystery to this.

If you break laws, you could go to jail or prison. This will affect your family, employment opportunities and your entire future. Once again, no mystery.

In this way, the law of cause and effect impacts your life—and the life of everyone on earth—in endless ways.

If industry pollutes the environment, the result is polluted air or water, or even the much-debated problem of global warming. If countries go to war, the result is economic upheaval, disease, famine and general misery for all involved. If parents neglect the proper rearing of their children, or children do not obey their parents, the result could be poor performance in school, drug addiction, criminal conduct or worse. None of this is hard to understand.

But the Bible is also a book about cause and effect! It contains literally hundreds of different laws, each carrying the power of cause and effect for those who keep or break them.

Whether one identifies and knows all the laws of the Bible is not relevant to whether breaking them will bring punishment. Just as speeding can result in a ticket, whether the driver knew the speed limit or not, so those who break the laws of God reap penalties—whether they know they are violating specific laws or not!

Look at the world around you. It is filled with confusion, poverty, disease, ignorance, war, chaos and misery. Have you ever asked yourself why? What is the reason mankind has never been able to solve these problems? Why do they only grow worse with the passing of time? Because the laws of God are being routinely broken by earth’s billions of human inhabitants.

The One who claims to have written the Bible states that His great law, the Ten Commandments, is “holy, just, good and spiritual” (Rom. 7:12, 14). Again, consider your basic understanding of cause and effect. When those laws are obeyed, it can be proven that they bring blessings, benefits and good things into the lives of those who obey them. Mankind has rejected the Instruction Book that would reveal to him the cause of all his problems and misery.

Space does not permit that this booklet cover, in precise detail, the many laws of God, and how they are related to cause and effect. However, throughout the Bible, its Author promises blessings, benefits and good results to those who take each particular promise at its word.

God promises to heal all those who keep His laws and exercise faith in His power to perform the healing (Ex. 15:26; Jms. 5:14-15). He promises to greatly bless all those who obey His Sabbath (Isa. 58:13-14; Mark 2:27-28). He promises good health to all those who obey His many health laws. Each promise involves employing a right cause (obedience) to achieve a right effect (blessing or benefit).

In each of these cases, and in many others, God describes a cause and effect relationship that proves the inspiration behind His instructions. But it will only work for those who are willing to take Him at His Word!

While the determined skeptic will reject the reasoning described here—and do it to his own great hurt, because he thinks he can defy the law of cause and effect—the one who is willing to take the Author of the Bible at face value will find an almost endless series of proofs that the Bible is not a book of men. However, this booklet is not written to, and cannot help, the closed-minded skeptic. But it certainly can help you, if you remain open to the powerful proofs that await examination.
The Gospel Goes Around the World

Before covering one final and most powerful proof of the real authority behind the Bible, one additional proof needs to be examined. It requires a brief, special explanation.

God called Herbert W. Armstrong in the fall of 1926. He was baptized in 1927, and ordained in 1931. By early 1934, he had begun a radio broadcast and had written the first issue of The Plain Truth magazine. That humble beginning, in Eugene, Oregon, was the start of the fulfillment of a stunning Bible prophecy. It foretold the restoring and preaching of the true gospel of the kingdom of God as a witness around the world, just prior to the Return of Jesus Christ.

The world has believed a false gospel about the person of Jesus Christ. Until Herbert W. Armstrong was raised up to powerfully take the true gospel around the world to hundreds of millions of people, the knowledge of Christ’s soon-coming, world-ruling government had been lost for nineteen centuries.

Mr. Armstrong wrote two booklets proving the authority of the Bible. The following quote concludes his later booklet, entitled The Bible SUPERSTITION OR AUTHORITY?…and can you prove it? It appeared under the subhead “A Present Day Proof” and expanded the above story:

“There is a present day proof of the existence of God and the authenticity of the Bible. It concerns this very booklet before your eyes this minute, and the work that produced it.

“The central prophecy given by Jesus Christ himself is found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. These are three accounts by three inspired writers writing on the same theme.

“I refer to Matthew 24:14, ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.’ Jesus was speaking.

“He was replying to a question by the apostles, ‘What shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the world?’ (Verse 3). This is the only place in the Bible where the words ‘end of the world’ appear.

“Jesus was speaking to his disciples atop the Mount of Olives, facing Jerusalem from the east. The gospel of Christ, the only gospel he proclaimed and taught, was the kingdom of God. In verse 11 of this same speech Jesus warned them that many false prophets would arise. In verse 4 Jesus warned these apostles: ‘Take heed that no man deceive you.’ He was speaking to them. He had preached to and taught them the good news of the kingdom of God. In verse 5, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘For many shall come in my name,’—every place in the Bible when people came in the name of Christ they were appearing as his representatives or ministers, ‘saying I [Jesus] am Christ, and shall deceive many.’

“That happened. Within a very short period after the Church was founded on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 31, a violent controversy arose concerning whether the gospel to be proclaimed was the gospel of Christ—Jesus’ own gospel that he proclaimed and taught, or a gospel about Christ. Jesus had come as a messenger bearing a message from God about the kingdom of God. That message was his gospel. But soon many were ignoring Jesus’ gospel—the kingdom of God—and preaching merely that Jesus was the Christ, preaching about the messenger, ignoring his message or gospel. That is still continuing today. In Galatians 1:5-6 we learn they were, only 20 years after the Church was founded, turning to another gospel than that which Jesus taught.

“For 1,900 years this went on. Then, beginning 1934, the true Church of God started the…World Tomorrow program, for the first time in 1,900 years proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom! Meanwhile, during the years we have been proclaiming this gospel, the weapons of mass destruction have been produced that can erase all humanity. The end of the world—of this age—is near!

“That very fact is another proof of the authority of the Bible!

“Yes, it truly is time you knew the truth!”

The Restored Church of God continues to fulfill this prophecy by carrying on the Work God began through Mr. Armstrong.

The Proof of Prophecy

With the previous quote, we have begun to demonstrate the most powerful—and perhaps the single most convincing—proof of the authority of the Bible. It stands undeniable.

Everyone wants to know what the future holds. In ever-increasing numbers, people are seeking psychics, “channelers,” tarot card and palm readers, fortunetellers, crystal ball gazers and every other medium to tell them what is going to happen. And they pay for this “service.” Yet, few go to the one infallible source, which foretells all the important events that will soon come upon the entire world.

Few understand that nearly one-third of the Bible is prophecy—that it is a history book written in advance of the history that it records.

If I offered to tell you of major, soon-coming events, and could offer proof to you that they were absolutely certain to happen, what would you do? What would you say if I could cite specific, detailed trends and events that would affect every country upon earth? Then what if I told you that I would not bill you for it—that I would offer it to you free of charge? Would you be interested?

Well, let me tell you that is exactly what I can do! I can even show you where and how you can learn it for yourself! And afterwards, I tell you that you can rest assured that what you have learned will occur—and is no less certain than tomorrow’s sunrise. And when you have completed reading the balance of this booklet, it will be clear that you need never again doubt the authority of anything found in the Bible—including all matters discussed in its remaining two-thirds!

God’s Own Challenge to Disbelievers

Consider the following great challenge—or dare—from the One purporting to be the God of the Bible. It is quoted from the Moffat translation of the Bible: “Now, the Eternal cries, bring your case forward, now, Jacob’s King (God) cries, state your proofs. Let us hear what happened in the past, that we may ponder it, or show me what is yet to be, that we may watch how it turns out; yes, let us hear what is coming, that we may be sure you are gods; come, do something or other that we may marvel at the sight!—why, you are things of naught, you can do nothing at all!” (Isa. 41:21-24).

Who dares to take God’s challenge?

Fulfilled prophecy proves the divine authority of the Bible. No human can foretell events, let alone in great detail, to occur hundreds or thousands of years beyond his own lifetime. No person can affect the course of cities, states or kingdoms for centuries to come. For this reason, it has been said that prophecy is the challenge that the skeptics dare not accept! How true!

God taunts all such skeptics in the above verses.

The One who authored the Bible states in Isaiah 46:9-10: “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand…” Only an Omnipotent Being has the power to actually carry out events that span centuries or millennia of time. Only God can create or destroy nations or pronounce sentence on an entire civilization and bring it to pass!

Yes, prophecy is a great proof of God. We will now examine the longest single prophecy in the Bible.

Prophetic Role of the Middle East

Events in the Middle East carry far greater significance than most even begin to understand! It has been said that every eight years the Middle East suffers another war. Recent history bears the truth of this statement. This geographical area has been a bubbling caldron of unrest, contention, terrorism and failed attempts at peace for ages. Its problems defy a simple solution—and this booklet will prove that only God can bring the peace that all there long for.

The whole world is tied to the Middle East in a remarkable way. The problems there will not go away, nor can the world pretend they will by simply looking the other way!

The Middle East is at the center of a great prophecy of which the world is ignorant. But for individuals who want to know God’s Plan, this need not be. The facts of this wonderful plan can be known. The great God, who made the heavens, the earth—and you—holds the key to both knowing and solving the “Middle East problem.” You need not be ignorant—you can know His solution.

Daniel’s Amazing Prophecy

God is working out a great Plan on earth. Most people are completely unaware that there is a purpose for mankind—let alone what it is! The present and future of the Middle East play a large role in God’s Master Plan for humanity, and this region is at the center of an astounding prophecy that will affect the lives of all people on earth before this age is finished.

Over 2,500 years ago, God inspired Daniel to record a great prophecy involving many fascinating twists and turns throughout history. This prophecy will culminate with tremendous events that will occur in our time! These amazing events will stun and impact all nations—and yet they have been sealed, closed until this age!

Some Bible prophecies are general. Others are highly specific. Some involve single events that occur at specific moments in time. Others are fulfilled slowly over many years—or even over many centuries or millennia. Daniel’s prophecy involves many smaller prophecies that we shall examine one by one, until we arrive at the modern age.

Nearly all theologians almost eagerly offer their opinions about the Bible’s many prophecies—and they “interpret” them as they see fit. The true Bible student must always let the Bible interpret the Bible! We are about to examine one long chapter in the Bible. It will become clear that there is only one way to explain each of the forty-five separate verses in this chapter. The fulfillment of each verse is not subject to human reasoning, opinion or interpretation!

Many of these prophecies have been fulfilled exactly as God foretold, and have taken their place in history. They are now facts that can be examined—and are powerful proofs that a Supreme Being foretold them and then brought them to pass!

This long prophecy is found in Daniel 11. In chapter 10, Daniel is left astonished—completely shocked and overwhelmed by what God revealed would happen “at the end,” or in the last days. Chapter 12 plays a part in concluding the lengthy prophecy of chapter 11.

Open your Bible and read each verse beside the text of this booklet. No other approach will have the same impact. Also, bear in mind that men inserted all chapter and verse divisions of the Bible. While these are often helpful to Bible students, they can also inadvertently break up long stories, thoughts or, as in this case, prophecies. The true meaning and scope of the subject matter are often obscured or lost from view.

Two Prophesied Great Kings

God gave Daniel this prophecy during the third year of the reign of Cyrus, the king of the Persian Empire (10:1). Daniel recorded that two powerful kings (actually competing kingdoms) would play a large role in Middle Eastern events, until the time of the end. These kings set the stage for the unfolding of vitally important future events, which culminate before Christ returns!

Two key verses set the stage. In Daniel 10:21, the archangel Gabriel speaks to Daniel: “But I will show you that which is noted in the scripture of truth.” Chapter 11 introduces the time setting. Verse 2 continues, “And now will I show you the truth.” When God foretells events, He speaks the truth! They are certain! They will happen! Since no scripture can be broken (John 10:35), neither can any verse of this prophecy!

Consider the following verses: “Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will” (Dan. 11:2-3).

Who are these four kings—where the last is greater than the first? And who is the “mighty king”? Daniel was speaking of kings Cambyses, Smerdis and Darius of Persia as the first three, with Xerxes being the greatest and richest of the four. It was Xerxes who “stirred up” war with Greece.

We must now study several verses in Daniel 8. Alexander the Great’s father, King Philip of Macedonia, created a master plan to conquer and defeat the Persian Empire with a Greek army. But Philip died before he could execute his plan. His son invaded Persia in his stead, and Alexander the Great’s army fought the Persian army at the famous Battle of Issus in 333 B.C. (Daniel 8:2, 5-6).

Two years later, in 331 B.C., in a second battle at Arbella, Alexander completely defeated the Persian Empire. Having already conquered Egypt shortly before this, he followed this battle with the destruction of everything from the Middle East to India. This happened precisely as prophesied!

Daniel 11:4 says this of Alexander: “And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.”

Numerous historical authorities acknowledge that Alexander died suddenly, at age thirty-two, when he was “Cut off unexpectedly in the vigor of early manhood, he left no inheritor, either of his power or of his projects” (Rawlinson’s A Manual of Ancient History, p. 237). Alexander’s kingdom did break into four separate kingdoms, because he had no son to take his place. Prophecy was fulfilled just as God foretold.

The following four of Alexander’s generals represent the “four winds of heaven”—or directions to which his kingdom was divided: (1) Lysimachus ruled Asia Minor, (2) Cassander ruled Greece and Macedonia, (3) Seleucus ruled Syria, Babylonia and all regions east to India and (4) Ptolemy ruled Egypt, Judea and part of Syria.

From this point, the prophecy tracks two of these four kings or divisions of territory. The Syrian kingdom represents the “king of the north.” The Egyptian kingdom represents (vs. 5) the “king of the south,” because Egypt is generally south of Jerusalem. (Jerusalem is the central focus of all prophecy and, therefore, directions are always established by identifying locations in relation to this city.) These two kingdoms often fought back and forth across Palestine—the Holy Land and Jerusalem—with possession of this area constantly shifting, depending on the outcome of the last battle.

Ptolemy I, named Soter, established Egypt as a far greater, more dominant power than when Alexander was alive. Seleucus also became very strong. By 312 B.C., he had established an equally powerful kingdom in Syria. These two kingdoms became and represent, respectively, the “king of the south” and the “king of the north,” mentioned throughout this prophecy. Daniel 11:5 states, “And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.”
 

Amazing Fulfillment of Verse Six

Verse 6 is a specific and truly remarkable prophecy. Notice: “And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement [notice the term used in the margin, “rights,” meaning marriage union or rights, in this case]: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.”

Fifty years later, Antiochus II (called Theos) was the king of the north, ruling at Syria. His wife, Laodice, carried great influence in the kingdom. But Theos divorced her and married Bernice, the daughter of the king of the south. Bernice was to lose the “power of her arm.” Her husband, the king of the north, was prophesied to not “stand,” and she and her father (“he that begat her”) were both prophesied to be “given up.” These three did come to a bad end.

An amazingly detailed, precisely fulfilled prophecy ensues from verse 6. Rawlinson states that “Her [Laodice’s] influence…engaged him in a war with Ptolemy Philadelphus [king of the south], B.C. 260, which is terminated, B.C. 252, by a marriage between Antiochus and Bernice, Ptolemy’s daughter…On the death of Philadelphus [“he that begat her”], B.C. 247, Antiochus repudiated Bernice, and took back his former wife, Laodice, who…doubtful of his constancy, murdered him to secure the throne for her son Seleucus (II) B.C. 246…Bernice…had been put to death by Laodice” (pp. 251-252).

We now examine the longest prophecy in the Bible, verse by verse.
Control of the Holy Land Shifts Repeatedly

Notice verse 7: “But out of a branch of her roots [Bernice’s parents] shall one [this is her brother who would take the throne in his father’s stead as the king of the south] stand up in his estate [“in his office,” margin], which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail.”

Rawlinson states, “Ptolemy Euergetes [the III, eldest son of Philadelphus, and therefore Bernice’s brother, a branch of her roots] invaded Syria, B.C. 245, to avenge the murder of his sister Bernice…In the war which followed, he carried everything before him” (pp. 252, 272).

Verse 8 speaks of the king of the south carrying silver and gold vessels, with captives, back to Egypt (vs. 9) after a successful invasion of the north. In fact, Ptolemy III did conquer Syria, the Port of Antioch (capital of the kingdom) and Seleucia. He took a vast amount of spoils, including the return of 2,500 idolatrous vessels and molten images that, in 526 B.C., the northern king, Cambyses, had taken from Egypt.

The passage also states that King Ptolemy III would rule longer (“more years”) than the king of the north, Seleucus II. Seleucus died in 226 B.C., and Ptolemy III reigned four years longer, until 222 B.C.

At the death of Seleucus II, his kingdom was ruled successively by his two sons. Seleucus III reigned just three years (226-223 B.C.), while his brother, Antiochus III, also called “the Great,” reigned for 36 years (223-187 B.C.). Each established great armies to fight Egypt, recover their port city of Seleucia and avenge the defeat of their father.

It took twenty-seven years for Antiochus to recapture Seleucia and conquer Syria and the area from Judea to Gaza. Verses 10 and 11 state, “But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return and be stirred up [“be stirred up again,” margin], even to his fortress. And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.”

Ptolemy IV fulfilled verse 11 exactly. After gathering an army of 20,000, he did “move with choler [anger]” against Antiochus the Great. He fulfilled verse 12 because he did “cast down [kill] many ten thousands.” However, he retreated too soon to Egypt, having made too hasty a peace with Antiochus, and wasted the substance he had gained, hence the phrase, “but he shall not be strengthened by it” (i.e., his victory over Antiochus in 217 B.C.).

Twelve years later (205 B.C.), Ptolemy Philopator, king of Egypt, died. His baby son, Ptolemy Epiphanes, was given the throne. Thus, Egypt became vulnerable to attack. Antiochus took advantage of this vulnerability “after certain years” by defeating Egypt. Verse 13 explains, “For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.”

Soon thereafter, Antiochus formed an alliance with Philip of Macedonia to attack Egypt and retrieve Phoenicia and Southern Syria from Egypt. The famous Jewish historian, Josephus, states that a large number of Jews joined Antiochus in this campaign. Verse 14 describes this. Again, you should try to carefully read each verse from your Bible as this outline of history is laid before you.

Next, Antiochus laid siege all the way from Egypt to Sidon, eventually seizing control of Judea in 198 B.C., at the Battle of Mount Panium. Notice the reference to the Holy Land (Judea) as “the glorious land” (vs. 15-16).

At this time (198 B.C.), Antiochus arranged to have his daughter, Cleopatra, and the now little boy king, Ptolemy Epiphanes, marry. But this plan to control and possess Egypt, through deceit, failed, because Cleopatra deceived her father, Antiochus, and did not help him take control of Egypt (vs. 17). (This was not the same Cleopatra as the famous Egyptian queen of 31 B.C.)

This caused Antiochus to focus on defeating and taking control of the coasts of Asia Minor, including the islands around it (197-196 B.C.). However, in the Battle of Magnesia (190 B.C.), Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, the Roman general, defeated him and destroyed his army (vs. 18).

Daniel records, “Then he shall turn his face toward the fort [fortresses] of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.” Antiochus, after redirecting his concerns toward his own fortresses, was killed in 197 B.C. while seeking to consolidate his assets by plundering the Oriental Temple of Belus in Elymais (vs. 19).

Heliodorus, the “raiser of taxes,” was sent by Seleucus IV Philopator to raise money throughout Judea. However, Heliodorus poisoned Seleucus IV, who consequently reigned only eleven years—187-176 B.C. (vs. 20).

Seleucus IV had no heir, so his younger brother (Epiphanes or Antiochus IV) won control of the kingdom by flattery (“flatteries”) and deceit. As the next verse states, this man was an extremely “vile,” contemptible person and his aid, Eumenes, did come to assist him. Rawlinson states that “Antiochus [Epiphanes], assisted by Eumenes, drives out Heliodorus, and obtains the throne, B.C. 176, he astonishes his subjects by an affectation of Roman manners and good-natured profuseness [flatteries]” (vs. 21).
The Role of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes)

The next verse pictures an effort by Antiochus Epiphanes to remove the Jewish High Priest (“prince of the covenant”). Antiochus’ purpose was to install someone who would be loyal to him. Some misunderstand the term “prince of the covenant” to be a reference to Christ. However, it is not (vs. 22).

The next three verses are an insight into Antiochus’ character and manner. He started with a small group of supporters, yet through flattery and deceit he slipped into greater power and secured greater numbers of followers. Although his ancestors granted favor to the Jews, he swept into Lower Egypt and Galilee, thereby alienating the Jews. Rawlinson states that the Jews “were driven to desperation by the mad project of this self-willed monarch” and “Threatened with war by the ministers of Ptolemy Philometor [the then king of the south], who claim Coele-Syria and Palestine as the dowry of Cleopatra, the late queen-mother, Antiochus marches against Egypt” (pp. 255-256, 277-278).

This occurred in 171 B.C. It was then that his nephew (Ptolemy Philometor) attacked him with a “great army.” However, Ptolemy’s officers betrayed him to Antiochus and he lost the battle (vs. 23-25).

In 174 B.C., Antiochus had joined his young nephew Ptolemy at a feast. Antiochus feigned support for Ptolemy against his brother, Euergetes II, in a case of mutual deceit (vs. 26-27).
The Abomination of Desolation

Next, Antiochus decided to attack and slaughter as many Jews as possible. Upon returning from Egypt in 168 B.C., with “great riches,” he sacked the Temple at Jerusalem and took the golden vessels from it—all as part of his planned genocide of the Jews. He turned back toward Egypt, this time without similar success, because Ptolemy Philometor had secured assistance from Rome (vs. 28-29).

The Roman commander, Popillius, brought his fleet of ships to attack Antiochus. Popillius secured surrender on his own terms, which included leaving Egypt after returning Cyprus to Egypt. This caused Antiochus, once again, to vent his anger against Judea (the Jews) as he was returning to Antioch. This “indignation against the holy covenant” offered favor to any Jews who would renounce their beliefs and practices (vs. 30).

Antiochus dispatched troops to Palestine one year later, in 167 B.C., with terrible results for all who fell in his path. He destroyed the Temple and its sanctuary—doing away with the daily sacrifice (described in Daniel 8:11, 24), while setting up an image, the abomination of desolation, directly on the altar of the Temple—thus defiling it, or making it desolate! (There are those who attempt to portray this verse as having been fulfilled at the time the Dome of the Rock was built on the Temple site, over eight centuries later, in the seventh century A.D. For this to be true, all of the verses that have been explained to this point would require some other equally plausible explanation to “work” with the precision we have seen every step of the way thus far. This would also apply to all the verses that follow verse 31.) Antiochus Epiphanes placed the “abomination that makes desolate” in the Temple in 167 B.C. (vs. 31).

Antiochus’ prophetic fulfillment of this verse is a great “type” of a latter day fulfillment to occur in our time. Luke 21:20 makes plain that Jerusalem will be left in “desolation” by “armies” that will “surround” and destroy it. The gravity of this prophecy will be addressed in more detail at the end of the booklet. However, it is important for the reader to recognize that God often uses duality to show the world, through prior similar events, exactly what He intends to do again—to repeat—usually in a far greater way, in the future.

This is an absolutely vital key to understanding the meaning of all Bible prophecy!
Christ and the Apostles Enter the Prophecy

The first part of verse 32 describes Antiochus’ attempt to destroy the Jewish religion. He actually outlawed both the daily sacrifice and the daily ministration of the Temple through a system of flattering (with favors) any Jews who would renounce their beliefs.

It is critical to understand that, from the middle of verse thirty-two, the prophecy shifts forward to the time of the New Testament Church. We have watched each step of this prophecy unfold through two centuries of time. The time setting now fast-forwards approximately 200 years to depict true Christians, “even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed” (vs. 35). Notice that verse 32 speaks of “people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits [great works].” Verse 33 continues, “they that understand among the people shall instruct many.”

At this point, many theologians and commentaries note that the highly detailed, precisely-fulfilled, verse-by-verse story appears to come to an abrupt end with this verse. But this is not true!

These two portions of verses picture two entirely different time settings—the first being a type of the latter. Certainly Antiochus did “corrupt by flatteries” a great many Jews. The latter part of verse 32 speaks of the time of the Maccabees, who resisted Antiochus’ pattern of corruption and slaughter. They represented a type of what Christ and the apostles would begin to do when Christ built His Church (Matt. 16:18).

Christians are supposed to be “strong” and should always be prepared to “instruct many”—because they “understand” what God is doing in His Plan on earth! Of course, Christ and the apostles certainly fulfilled these verses toward many.

Daniel specifically records that at the time of the end (12:10), “none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” The entirety of Daniel 12 is a continuation of this end-time setting—established from here forward. (Our booklet Are These the Last Days? discusses this in greater detail.)

The latter part of verse 33 is a picture of the martyrdom of Christ and all of the apostles except John. For true Christians, persecution and martyrdom continued into the Middle Ages. (For those who have grown lukewarm, this will occur again before Christ returns.)

Verses 34-35 are a clear, powerful description of the path of God’s true people from the time the New Testament Church was founded all the way to the present. Notice: “Now when they shall fall, they shall be [helped] with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” (This verse should be compared with Revelation 12:6, 11, 13-17.)

Verse 36 describes the king of the north during the early centuries of the New Testament Church. From 65 B.C. forward, the Roman emperor (king of the north) controlled the Holy Land (Judea). Each Roman emperor certainly did “exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god,” by requiring all his subjects to worship him—and he even required sacrifices to be offered to him, like he was a god! Roman emperors did act as though they were gods. They did speak against the true God and persecuted His true servants—Christians—for many hundreds of years.

Verse 37 shows how Roman kings, prior to A.D. 476, had worshipped idols. History records that Roman emperors required their subjects to worship them as gods!

Verse 38 describes how the entire Roman Empire did “honor the god of forces [margin, “munitions”].” The Roman army did develop into the most powerful war machine in history to that time, and the empire amassed gold, silver, jewelry, etc. From Justinian’s reign, in A.D. 554, when the “deadly wound” of Revelation 13 “was healed” (after a 78-year period from A.D. 476, when three northern barbarian tribes had swept into and temporarily controlled Rome), the civil emperors in Rome did begin to honor (with power, gold and silver) a god that had been unknown to their ancestors or “fathers.”

This “god” held a high religious office and received great deference from Roman emperors.

Through these emperors, this high religious office controlled or “ruled over many” and had great power and wealth given to it. Carefully compare this portion of the prophecy with Revelation 17:4-5 and 18:3 and 16, where this religious power is described as “babylon” and “the mother of harlots” who “fornicates” with the “kings” and “merchants of the earth” (vs. 38-39)!

The Time of the End

Verse 40 plainly uses the term “at the time of the end.” It then makes reference to “the king of the south shall push at him,” while it explains that “the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind…” What does this mean? Who are these kings? Who is this end-time king of the south?

Anciently, it was Egypt. Rome seized Egypt and made it a province. Today, Egypt does not have a king and is a modern republic. During the intervening centuries, there has been no great king of the south. However, recall that Ptolemy III Euergetes did seize part of Ethiopia, as the king of the south in Egypt, in 247-222 B.C.

Both Rawlinson and the Encyclopedia Britannica (11th edition) explain that Egypt and Ethiopia were governed together several different times. Ethiopia was the only part of the territory controlled by the king of the south that remained independent until the twentieth century.

The King of the South is Ethiopia

Once again, only Ethiopia continued and remained independent in East Africa from the time of the Roman Empire. Therefore, no other country or government could fit as the king of the south—i.e., by having been a part of the ancient land controlled by the “king of the south.” Remember, verse 40 explains that the setting is the time of the end. The king of the south “push[es]” toward the north—or Rome. This occurred in 1895. At that time, about 10,000 men, under the Ethiopian King Menelik, came against the Italian army led by General Baratieri. It should be noted that Eritrea (north of Ethiopia) belonged to Italy, while southeast of Ethiopia was Italian Somaliland.

One year later, in 1896, the Italian General Baratieri attempted to defend Eritrea against the Ethiopian attack. Over 11,000 people were either killed or taken prisoner. The greatly outnumbered and inexperienced Italian army was virtually destroyed in a battle fought over rugged, mountainous terrain.

Italy never forgot this defeat and vowed revenge.

In 1927, Mussolini determined that he would attack Ethiopia in eight years (1935), at a point forty years after the defeat. He followed through, and this did occur in 1935! Again, notice verse 40, in its reference to Mussolini’s attack: “…and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.”

A whirlwind is the equivalent of a tornado, which is a powerful storm that drops out of the sky. Mussolini did, in fact, bring a large air force to attack Ethiopia. Of course, his “chariots” were modern tanks and other armaments. The “many ships” were part of an armada carrying over 100,000 soldiers to the battle. Verse 40 ends with an amazing statement—it describes this great force as “pass[ing] over.”

Just as God foretold, Mussolini withdrew and did not completely finish his attack. This is because God has reserved one final great leader who will arise in Europe and complete this prophecy! We have now arrived at our precise point in time when the verses that follow verse 40 are those that are yet to be fulfilled—while all verses preceding and through verse 40, are already fulfilled and have become established facts of history!

May all who read the next five verses understand their message for our time!
Final Coming Revival of The Roman Empire

Many Bible prophecies reveal that there is yet coming one final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire—when a final king of the north will seize the world stage for a short period prior to the Return of Christ. The world is now moving toward this final terrible time of great trouble. This dictator will gather ten other kings (Rev. 17:12-13), who will give their power and allegiance to him, in this last revival of the Holy Roman Empire.

Verse 41 says of this king, “he shall enter also into the glorious land.” This entrance into the glorious land, or Holy Land, has not yet happened! The prophecy continues, “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.” (Incidentally, Moab and Ammon comprise the modern Middle Eastern nation of Jordan. Many prophecies indicate that God may spare this region as a place to protect His true servants.)

Since verse 42 says, “Egypt shall not escape” this time, Egypt could not be the king of the south. Then, verse 43 says, “the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” The king of the north will, once again, control these two countries, which Italy lost control over at the end of World War II.

Verse 44 makes reference to “tidings [news] out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him.” Russia and the Orient lie north and east, respectively, from where the final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire will be established in the Middle East.

Remember, prophetically, God uses Jerusalem as the geographic point from which to reference any direction. The king of the north will hear some troubling news and Russia, coupled with many nations from the east, will join the war, centered in the Middle East.

Verse 45 summarizes the end of this longest of all Bible prophecies. The king of the north (the final ruler over the last revival of the Holy Roman Empire) will sweep into the modern land of Israel, “the holy mountain,” to establish his religious headquarters. Another prophecy, in Zechariah 14:2, says “the city [Jerusalem] shall be taken.” The rest of this verse must be read to fully understand the horror that occurs when Jerusalem is taken and conquered.

Take a moment to read Luke 21:20, where Jerusalem’s desolation comes from armies that surround it. Zechariah 14:3 continues, explaining what ultimately happens: “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east” (vs. 4). In the end, Christ destroys the armies that destroyed Jerusalem!

When speaking of the final beast and false prophet, Daniel 11:45 concludes, “Yet he [the beast] shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Zechariah 14:3 explains that Christ will deal with him—as well as with the false prophet. Revelation 19:19-20 and Zechariah 14:12 give more explanation to the terrible end that will come to these two infamous people!

Examining what has already been fulfilled in Daniel 11 would have been incomplete without also examining what it warns is yet to occur before the Return of Jesus Christ. If God has consistently and accurately foretold already-fulfilled events, prior to their fulfillment, then we must not ignore all of the other events and trends that His word foretells in advance. What HAS happened on schedule carries enormous implications in regard to what will yet happen in the future—and right on schedule!
 

One Final, Unusual Prophecy

There is one last prophecy that needs to be examined. It is God’s personal challenge to you on a specific matter wherein He says that you can prove Him. It is the remarkable prophecy concerning the biblical principle of tithing found at the end of the Old Testament.

The prophet Malachi asks, “Will a man rob God?” (Mal. 3:8). Be careful that you do not say that this is an Old Testament scripture with no effect today.

Did you realize that the New Testament Church is built directly on top of the prophets? I never heard this in Sunday school or in the church of my youth. Ephesians 2:19-20 says, “fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.” There it is—the Church stands directly on a foundation that includes the prophets! What is written in the prophets is instruction to God’s New Testament Church!

We can now read a powerful series of verses. The first two set the stage for a verbal exchange between God and His people. Notice: “For I am the Lord, I change not…Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, says the Lord of hosts” (Mal. 3:6-7). The exchange then shifts to a rhetorical question from the people to God: “But you said, Wherein shall we return?” Now God answers with His own question: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me.” The context returns to another rhetorical question from the people: “But you say, Wherein have we robbed You?” God’s answer is: “in tithes and offerings” (vs. 7-8). When people do not pay God His tithes—and do not give Him His offerings—He considers them to be robbing Him. Robbing is thievery—stealing! Not only is it stealing, but it is stealing from God!

Few things could be more serious!

Stealing from God brings consequences. In the next verse, God continues, “You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.” This statement is directed to all the modern-day nations that descended from the twelve tribes that comprised ancient Israel. Generally, these nations are the democratic nations of Western Europe, and the primarily English-speaking nations of the world—the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

These nations are under a growing curse for their sin of stealing God’s tithes. Remember that Abraham and Isaac were not Israelites, yet were required to pay tithes. Therefore, all nations suffer from the curse of not obeying God’s financial laws.

This world is based on the “get” way rather than the “give” way, which is God’s way! People constantly strive to “get” more for themselves. This violates the Tenth Commandment, which forbids coveting. Notice what God says of His people, and of all nations, in a prophecy directed to those alive at the end of the age: “For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one deals falsely” (Jer. 6:13).

Two chapters later, there is an almost identical statement, except that God also warns of the horrific punishment He will bring because of this worldwide attitude.

The subject of Malachi is God’s coming punishment on the entire world during the Day of the Lord—called the Day of God’s Wrath. This theme is found in nearly all of the Minor Prophets—the last twelve, short books of the Old Testament. See Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-14; 3:1-21; Amos 5:18-20; and Zephaniah 1:7-18, among other places. Malachi continues the theme of the Day of the Lord and actually pictures tithing as the key to a repentant attitude.

Consider!

How could God punish the nations of the world for robbery, if the tithing law is not in effect today? This would make no sense and would make God terribly unjust if He did this.

The context of Malachi continues with an offer from God. It is directed both at the modern peoples of Israel and to any single individual who chooses to take God at His word. Notice: “Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (vs. 10).

This is a promise! Pay God His tithes and He will bless you beyond what you have room to receive! Will you believe this?

Jacob believed God and this is what he expected, once he began to pay His tithes. Jacob was prepared to tithe—if God would provide for, bless and guide him. His life became a testimony to the fact that God keeps His Word, if men obey Him. (Read our free booklet End All Your Financial Worries, to learn more about tithing.)

Paying God’s tithes works! As shown, there is a cause and effect relationship that the tithepayer has come to understand. I have seen demonstrated, as have a great many others, the powerful proof of tithing. It is a law as surely as is the law of gravity. It “keeps” those that keep it and “breaks” those that break it. Granted, this is not acceptable proof to the avowed skeptic, who is not willing to “prove” God—and who would never part with what he thinks is his money. Since he has no interest in obeying God on any other point, the skeptic is certainly not about to give ten percent of his income to enter into a test he has no interest in proving correct!

Will you prove God on this point? Are you willing to see if paying God’s tithes “pays off”? This extraordinary proof of prophecy is one that you can understand by looking at conditions in the world around you and one where you can run your own test in order to come to your own conclusion.

A Final Quote

You have seen many different proofs of the Bible. This booklet conclusively establishes its divine authority, just from prophecies that have been fulfilled exactly as foretold. They represent the greatest single proof that the One who purports to have inspired the Bible actually did so.

The following quote comes from the conclusion of Herbert W. Armstrong’s first booklet proving the Bible’s authority. He entitled it The Proof of the BIBLE. It summarizes the sobering implications of fulfilled prophecy (all emphasis his):

“NOT ONCE did the prophecies fail!

“There is no other such book! No human writing like this. NOT ONE of these prophecies ever failed! NO PROPHECY EVER WILL FAIL!

“These prophecies prove the divine inspiration of the Holy Bible!

“They PROVE the existence of GOD!

“But now finally what is the true significance of all this? Simply this: One third, approximately, of the Bible is prophecy. Only about one-tenth of the prophecies pertain to these cities and nations of old—prophecies already fulfilled! NINE-TENTHS of prophecy is devoted to world events NOW to happen IN OUR TIME!

“Think of it! Almost one-third of your Bible is devoted to revealing to us, today, in advance, what WE are going to live through…!

“WE live in the exciting TIME OF THE END! The ‘end of the world’—of this age—is upon us. Understanding of these prophecies is being opened! Knowledge of such things is being increased—made available! It behooves you…to come to understand, and to know your BIBLE!”