24/11/12

Desolation after the seventy years captivity

Daniel 9:2 - In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.


In the book of Daniel, the dreams which Daniel had and which the Lord explains to him came when he was meditating on the Word given through Jeremiah and the other Prophets.

In today's message the Lord brings our attention to the seventy years of captivity of Israel in Babylon.

Before I get to the message we need to get some thing clear, that the things of the Old Testament are the shadow of the greater things in Christ.

Like the Passover in Exodus was the shadow of the real Passover - the death and resurrection of Christ. Pentecost (Feast of Harvest) was the shadow of the new Pentecost - the Birthday of the Church - the day the Holy Spirit was given to the congregation - Church.

Also in the Old Testament the Lord says He will be the shepherd of Israel His people and this was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is called the Good Shepherd who leads the real Israel - the Christians who follow His Word.

In the book of Daniel when Daniel read the words of Jeremiah and realized about the 70years of exile into Babylon, he went into prayer, fasting and repentance for the sake of Israel and after 70 years of exile Cyrus gave orders for the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

Like other cases also this Babylon of the Old Testament is the shadow of the greater Babylon which is noted in the book of Revelations as the Mother of all Harlots and Abominations - the Great Mystery Babylon.

One of the greatest deceits which we Christians are under is assuming Catholics are Christians. I came out from the Catholic Church when I realized as a Catholic I was not a Christian. Like Islam believes in another Christ so also the Catholics believe in another Gospel. Their Christ is not our Christ, for their Bible is not our Bible, their Jesus is shown as an incomplete sacrifice, a helpless infant, a man void of authority. These people have added and subtracted to the Word of God and mutilated the Word of God such that salvation to a devote Catholic is near impossible even more than to a Pharisee.

It is only when we get this registered in our heads we will realize the amount of work we have on hand, we will get the real picture of how few among all mankind are Christians and how narrow the gate to Heaven really is.

The Lord had prophesied in the Bible how the real Church would be driven to wilderness for 1260years and that was exactly what happened. This was fulfilled in the shadow as well as the real. Israel return to the Jerusalem exactly after 1260 years of destruction of Israel (688AD from Dome of the Rock to 1948AD when Israel was recognized a nation).

With the greater Israel also that prophesy was fulfilled. The Christian Church took exactly 1260 years after the formation of the Catholic Church to again come to existence by the Word of God which came back to the Church after 1260years.

The Catholic Church was officially declared in about 300AD and the Protestant reformation happened in 16th century (300 - 1560 approximate dates, although Martin Luther protested in 1517AD but the real movement took form only around 1560AD with people like John Calvin, Theodore Beza and others).

What shaken me was the role of this church in the end days. It is time Christians wake up to the real Babylon and like Daniel take action spiritually and actively so that souls do not get destroyed by deceit in exile.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You warned throughout scriptures of the great deceit yet your people are blind to it. They are ignorant of the days ahead because of the void of understanding of scriptures. Satan has kept them looking at the shadow while the real evil has been growing strong. Lord, we pray by your Word this darkness is also brought to light and souls saved...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Jeremiah 25:11-14
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
14 For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

Jeremiah 29:10 - For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

Revelation 12:6 - And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days.

Daniel 8:14 - And he said to me, To two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

Daniel 12:11 - And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)