User talk:Prophetic delineation

The prophetic application of sieges.

Introduction God impressed me to study the sieges to understand what they are and to show us where we are standing in the history of the world. This event happened again and again in the history of ancient Israel especially in the destruction of the temple first in 586 BC and 70 AD. Therefore, it needs our attention, and we can do this by employing typological study of prophecy to tell us what is gonna happen in the near future. Many of us are ignorant of the events related to the close of human probation. However, God require all of us to understand them in order to prepare ourselves for those events. The current situation of the world is of great lesson to the people of God. We love discussing political issues out of prophetic view-point, we don't ask ourselves questions, what does the prophecy say about these things? We only venture upon our human observation of the scenes. What does the agitation of Sunday sacredness tell us? We perceive this to be normal issue and the prophecy is about to fulfilled. The first siege-586 BC This siege took place in 586 BC in the destruction of Jerusalem, God made it possible through Jeremiah to warn Israel in regard to the coming crisis. However, they made none effect the Testimonies of God through Jeremiah. God gave them a sign of the coming doom. Then Pharaohs army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem. KJV — Jeremiah 37:5 This was an opportunity given by God for Israelite to prepare themselves for the final siege that was coming right after that siege. There are things in our lives which act as warnings for the coming crisis. So, this siege was the warning for the coming doom. Jeremiah pleaded with Zedekiah to surrender to the king of Babylon, but he seek the counsels of elders rather than that of God. Interestingly, Jeremiah shew them example by departing from Jerusalem after he gave them warning,  And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaohs army, Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people. KJV — Jeremiah 37:11 - KJV — Jeremiah 37:12 To the end of time, men will arise to create confusion and rebellion among those who claim to be representatives of the true God. Those who prophesy lies will encourage men to look upon sin as a light thing. When the terrible results of their evil deeds are made manifest, they will seek, if possible, to make the one who has faithfully warned them, responsible for their difficulties, even as the Jews charged Jeremiah with their evil fortunes. But as surely as the words of Jehovah through His prophet were vindicated anciently, so surely will the certainty of His messages be established today. PK 442.2 The words of Jeremiah counseling submission aroused Hananiah to a daring challenge of the reliability of the message delivered. Taking the symbolic yoke from Jeremiahs neck, Hananiah broke it, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. PK 446.1 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. KJV — Jeremiah 28:15 The second siege- The destruction of Jerusalem  Then came they back for the second time,  And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire. KJV — Jeremiah 37:8 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it. 2 And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up. KJV — Jeremiah 39:1 - KJV — Jeremiah 39:2 70 AD destruction prophesied by Daniel And affirmed by Jesus Daniel 9:26 [26]And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. An obliteration of the temple and the city is here foretoldescribed. This was fulfilled by Romans in A.D 70. The Romans took blazing firebrands and deliberately set them in the interior woodwork of the temple structure, and the temple was totally vandalized. Luke 21:20-22 [20]And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. [21]Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. [22]For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Warnings were given by God in different ways Signs and wonders  Signs and wonders appeared, foreboding disaster and doom. In the midst of the night an unnatural light shone over the temple and the altar. Upon the clouds at sunset were pictured chariots and men of war gathering for battle. The priests ministering by night in the sanctuary were terrified by mysterious sounds; the earth trembled, and a multitude of voices were heard crying: Let us depart hence. The great eastern gate, which was so heavy that it could hardly be shut by a score of men, and which was secured by immense bars of iron fastened deep in the pavement of solid stone, opened at midnight, without visible agency.—Milman,  The History of the Jews,  book 13. GC 29.3 A man sounded an alarm for 7 years For seven years a man continued to go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, declaring the woes that were to come upon the city. By day and by night he chanted the wild dirge: A voice from the east! a voice from the west! a voice from the four winds! a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple! a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides! a voice against the whole people!— Ibid. This strange being was imprisoned and scourged, but no complaint escaped his lips. To insult and abuse he answered only: Woe, woe to Jerusalem! woe, woe to the inhabitants thereof! His warning cry ceased not until he was slain in the siege he had foretold. GC 30.1 False prophets deceived many The leaders of the opposing factions at times united to plunder and torture their wretched victims, and again they fell upon each other's forces and slaughtered without mercy. Even the sanctity of the temple could not restrain their horrible ferocity. The worshipers were stricken down before the altar, and the sanctuary was polluted with the bodies of the slain. Yet in their blind and blasphemous presumption the instigators of this hellish work publicly declared that they had no fear that Jerusalem would be destroyed, for it was God's own city. To establish their power more firmly, they bribed false prophets to proclaim, even while Roman legions were besieging the temple, that the people were to wait for deliverance from God. To the last, multitudes held fast to the belief that the Most High would interpose for the defeat of their adversaries. But Israel had spurned the divine protection, and now she had no defense. Unhappy Jerusalem! rent by internal dissensions, the blood of her children slain by one another's hands crimsoning her streets, while alien armies beat down her fortifications and slew her men of war! GC 29.1 Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign. When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, said Jesus, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out. Luke 21:20, 21. After the Romans under Cestius had surrounded the city, they unexpectedly abandoned the siege when everything seemed favorable for an immediate attack. The besieged, despairing of successful resistance, were on the point of surrender, when the Roman general withdrew his forces without the least apparent reason. But Gods merciful providence was directing events for the good of His own people. The promised sign had been given to the waiting Christians, and now an opportunity was offered for all who would, to obey the Saviours warning. Events were so overruled that neither Jews nor Romans should hinder the flight of the Christians. Upon the retreat of Cestius, the Jews, sallying from Jerusalem, pursued after his retiring army; and while both forces were thus fully engaged, the Christians had an opportunity to leave the city. At this time the country also had been cleared of enemies who might have endeavored to intercept them. At the time of the siege, the Jews were assembled at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles, and thus the Christians throughout the land were able to make their escape unmolested. Without delay they fled to a place of safety—the city of Pella, in the land of Perea, beyond Jordan. GC 30.2 Terrible were the calamities that fell upon Jerusalem when the siege was resumed by Titus. The city was invested at the time of the Passover, when millions of Jews were assembled within its walls. Their stores of provision, which if carefully preserved would have supplied the inhabitants for years, had previously been destroyed through the jealousy and revenge of the contending factions, and now all the horrors of starvation were experienced. A measure of wheat was sold for a talent. So fierce were the pangs of hunger that men would gnaw the leather of their belts and sandals and the covering of their shields. Great numbers of the people would steal out at night to gather wild plants growing outside the city walls, though many were seized and put to death with cruel torture, and often those who returned in safety were robbed of what they had gleaned at so great peril...... GC 31.2 Amos 3:7 [7]Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. The siege of 586 BC is the pattern to that of 70 AD, and all the events that were fulfilled were exactly repeated in the destruction of Jerusalem by Roman armies. When you observe these two great events in the history of Israel, the event intensified under the hand of Roman armies, and it clearly tell us that the one that is going to take place in the closing scenes earth history as predicted in the prophecies will be more deadly than the first two. In these two destructions God gives warnings in regard to the coming doom. Jeremiah and Ezekiel preached tirelessly to Israel the crisis that awaited them in 586 BC. However, a false prophet called Hananiah a rose and deceived many by saying that there was going to be no destruction of their city. Similarly, when man preached the doom that was awaiting Jerusalem in 70 AD, he was cast in prison, "The leaders of the opposing factions at times united to plunder and torture their wretched victims, and again they fell upon each other's forces and slaughtered without mercy." And It is pretty good to understand that whenever God warns his people in regard to what is coming before them Satan tries to counterfeit and make of none effect that warning. This has been and shall be in the final drama of this earth history. When we look at Revelation 13, two beasts are brought to view, the beast that arose out of water and the land beast. The first beast persecuted the saints of the Most High during the dark ages. This beast was fight against the sanctuary message and hence destroying the temple of God. Revelation 11:2-3 "But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth." Interestingly, God warned his people centuries before and that prophecy met it's fulfillment in the middle ages. However, this beast was wounded in 1798 and the three angel messages were proclaimed. Prophecy foretold the healing of it's deadly wound and that Period will be like midnight of the world. Revelation 13:11-18 describes a lamb like beast having two Horns that rises out of the earth, he spoke like dragon (Pagan Rome) and made an image to the first beast(papacy). He would argue all to worship the first beast that was wounded to death. This verses describe the final conflict that's based on worship and it is the issue of enforcing the mark(sign) of the beast either in the right hand or in the forehead. However, this is where God wanted to write his laws. read Hebrews 8:10, what a controversy! It's centered in the mind. Therefore, this is where we are going to make our final decision between truth and error, Christ and Satan, good and evil. The national reform movement of 1888 was the first siege Interestingly, God has forewarned his people in regard to this event thats soon going to happen. Like the Israel of old, God has instructed his people concerning Sunday law enforcement. I believe we have experienced a siege in 1888 when Sunday observance was agitated by the churches in USA. I believe this was a sign of the coming crisis, and all the people of God must be awake. As God Opens the Way after first siege The time has come, when, as God opens the way, families should move out of the cities. The children should be taken into the country. The parents should get as suitable a place as their means will allow. Though the dwelling may be small, yet there should be land in connection with it, that may be cultivated.—Manuscript 50, 1903 CL 24 - CL 24.2 The crisis is now upon us. The battle is to be waged between the Christianity of the Bible and the Christianity of human tradition. Is there not a criminal neglect in our present sleepy condition? There must be a decided advance movement among us. We must show to the world that we recognize, in the events that are now taking place in connection with the National Reform movement, the fulfillment of prophecy. That which we have, for the last thirty or forty years, proclaimed would come, is now here; and the trumpet of every watchman upon the walls of Zion should raise the alarm. RH January 1, 1889, par. 3 Last days Hananiah Ellen White extensively wrote on the subject of the mark of the beast, however, Satan is working hard to bring down the Testimonies of God word. He impresses many people with the spirit of ignorance in regard to the coming Sunday law. Our deceived brethren are being used by Satan to make none effect the Testimonies of God that he has given to us through sister. The first attack was on time setting and second one on Sunday law. Ellen White described these two subjects clearly, however, they close their eyes to the clarity of these subjects hence apostasy. Be watchful and wait, sleep not as do others because I hear the rumbling of the Roman armies, and I guess you do so. There is on going agitation now, the movement of the whole world to common good and what they term as religious liberty. But there is secret behind this religious liberty and what is so-called common good of which we can't exhaust in this document. The question that each one of us should ask himself or herself is, What shall I do to stand in that tremendous time of test? In the coming crisis this Bible text will be quoted to us, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.... The powers that be are ordained of God." Romans 13:1. Brothers and sisters worship is the center of the controversy. Another question is being asked, "What are you doing, brethren, in the great work of preparation? Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth - these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God in their foreheads. When the decree goes forth and the stamp is impressed, their character will remain pure and spotless for eternity." 5T 216.1 Now is the time to prepare. The seal of God will never be placed upon the forehead of an impure man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of the ambitious, world - loving man or woman. It will never be placed upon the forehead of men or women of false tongues or deceitful hearts. All who receive the seal must be without spot before God - candidates for heaven. Go forward, my brethren and sisters. I can only write briefly upon these points at this time, merely calling your attention to the necessity of preparation. Search the Scriptures for yourselves, that you may understand the fearful solemnity of the present hour. 5T 216.2 This is time to prepare for the future, because soon God shall retire and there will be no mercy for the impenitents of the world. He has warned us in 1888 to prepare ourselves for the coming crisis. It is also time to leave large and great cities. It is time to train ourselves hardships because those who are going to stand in this time are they who have committed themselves fully to God though it requires them giving up their lives, they can still Stand for Christ. We are to sound the alarm of the coming crisis. We have seen signs and wonders happening in our world today: famine, pestilence, pandemics, and natural disasters. What is our respond to these things? Do they compel us to do evil or good?. The night and midnight These are truths Clearly taught in the Bible and we need to mediate upon them because they clearly tell us where we are in the history of this world. God judges at night Exodus 12:12 [12]For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Job 34:25 [25]Therefore he knoweth their works, and he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed. Job 34:20 [20]In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand. It is time to wake out of sleep 11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. KJV — Romans 13 The great controversy is nearing its end. Every report of calamity by sea or land is a testimony to the fact that the end of all things is at hand. Wars and rumors of wars declare it. Is there a Christian whose pulse does not beat with quickened action as he anticipates the great events opening before us? The Lord is coming. We hear the footsteps of an approaching God. Our High Calling, 346. Mar 220.2 Watchman what of the night? The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? KJV — Isaiah 21:11 The voice of the true watchman needs now to be heard all along the line, The morning cometh, and also the night. The trumpet must give a certain sound, for we are in the great day of the Lords preparation. The truths of prophecy are bound up together, and as we study them, they form a beautiful cluster of practical Christian truth. All the discourses that we give are plainly to reveal that we are waiting, working, and praying for the coming of the Son of God. His coming is our hope. This hope is to be bound up with all our words and works, with all our associations and relationships.... Mar 15.3 - Mar 15.4 Watchman must know the time of the night The watchman is to know the time of the night. Everything is now clothed with a solemnity that all who believe the truth should feel and sense. They should act in reference to the great day of God. The plagues of God are already just upon the world, and we need to be preparing for that great day. We have not time now to spend in speculative ideas, or in hap-hazard movements. 1SAT 290.2 We are now living in a solemn day of judgment when all our words, motives, feelings, emotions, and deeds are examined and we are being weighed in the balance that's in the hand of him who make no mistake. The time is at hand when the sentence will be pronounced in the heavenly court "he that's just let be him just still and he that is unjust let him be unjust still". Therefore, this isn't a time to look at self, it is time to look at Christ the only source of life. And when we look at him and confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let us sound aloud the cry to warn our people in regard to what is coming on the earth. You are the watchmen on the wall of Zion and you should fulfill your duty. Conclusion 1 Corinthians 10:11 [11]Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. We need to learn from the past histories and events, to understand the weaknesses and strength of the people of ancient Israel so that we may not repeat their weaknesses. We should not read those things as history but we should learn spiritual lessons from them. To learn more about the national Sunday law and the mark of the beast email to philipbol008@gmail.com