Category: Prophecy

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History Prophecy The Last Days The World

Nebuchadnezzar’s Nightmare

Daniels Vision Featured
Nebuchadnezzar's Nightmare
Click the image to download a high-quality PDF. Image Credit: Rodrigo Quezada Reed in collaboration with Robert Rouse. Statue by PixArtAnimation.

-Daniel 2 (604 B.C.)

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post by a student in Spain.  His contribution is a true blessing.  If you have an interest in graphic design or data visualization and would like to contribute to this blog, please contact me.

The Book of Daniel, which many call the Old Testament’s Revelation, develops the story of certain captive Jews in Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon’s court. The six first chapters narrate Daniel’s historical experience there.[i] The others are visions and prophecies. Nevertheless, the vision we illustrate here is situated on the second chapter, because it was originally revealed to Nebuchadnezzar one night, in one of his dreams.

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Personal stories Prophecy The Christian The Last Days The World

Confidence and Consistency

air force medals

Air Force medals

I can recall two experiences, both of which occurred in a single afternoon, which taught me more about handling tough situations than anything else I remember.  It was during an Air Force training exercise in Japan.  The scenario was to repair a damaged runway so (make-believe) fighter jets could land.  My job was to keep track of what was happening and give updates to our commander while being interrupted by threats of chemical attacks, insurgent strikes, and whatever else the training group could invent to make things more difficult.

For one of my half-hourly updates, I changed the completion time estimate by a large margin.  Our commander immediately called to chew me out for being inconsistent, wishy-washy.  How could he trust my promise if I didn’t even trust myself?  A lot of pretend dollars and missions were at stake. If we were off by even 30 seconds, the fictitious planes couldn’t land and we would fail the training exercise.  It was the only time other than at the Air Force Academy I was severely scolded by a superior officer.  Lesson learned: consistency builds trust.

Later in the afternoon, things got more intense.  We had planes that needed to land within the hour – damaged, low on fuel – either they were going to land safely or crash when they hit an incomplete or sub-par repair.  The commander called me again: “Can we land these planes in time?”  In this scenario, the fighters were expected to arrive within a minute or two of my estimate.  We had no room for error.  None. I told him yes, we’ll get it done.  After I hung up the phone, the highest-ranking sergeant muttered: “That’s balls.”

The well-seasoned folks within earshot had done this many times before.  I was barely 22 years old.  They knew the consequences we’d face if I was wrong.  Our ability to get this right in training reflected our ability to get it right for real on our upcoming deployment to Iraq.  They also knew how much work was left.  If we hadn’t compacted the soil enough, gotten it smooth enough, secured the matting well enough…bad things could happen.  If my “yes” turned out to be wrong, that earlier rebuke from the commander wouldn’t be the one I remembered.  The next one would be far worse.

I didn’t say we could do it because I was a cocky Academy grad (which I was back then).  I didn’t say it because I was scared of telling my boss “no.”  I did it because I knew the guys out there could hustle and do it right the first time, on time.  I trusted their experience, ability, and motivation.  I was right.  They got it done.  The planes landed (on paper) as scheduled and the practice repair met all standards.  The guys I was with that day treated me a little differently from then on.  Lesson two: confidence earns respect.

These are very basic things you learn in Leadership 101. I am reminded of those lessons often as I see more and more failures of leadership in our country.  It may be a President voicing inconsistent foreign policy, a corporate executive who won’t make a decision for fear of personal ruin, or a father sitting on the couch while his family is in spiritual decline.  Yet, hope remains for a better day.

I have confidence that our trials are temporary because I believe in a God who is eternally consistent.  He keeps his promises.  He is worthy not just of respect but of worship.  He has more than earned trust; his character demands complete faith.

This is the perspective I hope to keep in focus as our sin-cursed world “groans and travails” in ever-increasing frequency (Rom 8:22) until God fulfills his promise to restore creation to its original perfection (Rev 21-22).  Remember that when you see wars breaking out in the Middle east, corrupt executives shoved into federal prison, or endure the daily struggles of a dysfunctional family.  Man’s leadership often fails.  God’s lordship never will.

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Books Hermeneutics/ Exegesis Prophecy The Bible The Last Days The Savior Theology

Isaac Newton’s Extensive Theological Writings

Isaac Newton is renowned as one of the greatest scientists of all time, but many are not aware that he spent more time writing about theology than about physics.  Now you can see digitized versions of his biblical commentaries thanks to the Israeli Library.

via JERUSALEM: Israeli library uploads Newton’s theological texts | Health & Science | CentreDaily.com.

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Prophecy The Last Days

The Immensity of the New Jerusalem

Earth Vs. New Jerusalem

The city described in Revelation 21:9-27 is amazingly vivid and also somewhat strange.  It has great walls, many gates, pure glassy gold, precious stones, and light that shines forever.  In the next chapter, Rev. 22, we find out more about God’s throne, the river of life, and the tree of life.  We are only in this world for a time; it is eternity which we must prepare for…do you know what it might be like?  In this article we’ll examine just one aspect of the New Jerusalem: its sheer size.

For some time now, I have been at a loss to imagine a golden city with twelve foundations as described in verses 19-20.  When revisiting this passage recently, it noticed that the city is described as a cube with each side being of equal length (Rev 21:16).  Its measurements are 12,000 furlongs (or stadia) on each side (Rev 21:16), which converts to around 1,380 miles.

Just how big is that?  The illustration below compares the size of this city to Planet Earth:Earth Vs. New Jerusalem

Notice the colors along each edge.  In drawing this illustration, I remembered that there are 12 of them in a cube, matching the number of foundation stones.  This is just a conjecture on my part, but it would make sense to me that the foundations are along each edge rather than simply below it.

At this point I should explain that we’re talking about a brand new place, restored to the conditions of perfection that humans once enjoyed before we rebelled in Eden.  Such a radical change to our physical world could go so far as to alter our concept of space and perhaps modify physical laws in ways we cannot imagine.  Therefore, certain aspects of this city, its construction, shape, dimensions, and more are simply unimaginable.

At the same time, God does give us some basic parameters that relate to the physical world we can understand.  As I mentioned above, we know some basic dimensions (even if we don’t know the exact shape or layout).  I soon wondered how many people might fit in such a cubical volume.  After all, its footprint won’t even cover Russia!  Is there enough room for everyone, or only the chosen “elect?”

It is a fun exercise to take a few guesses about how many people might fit in this box. Make a few guesses of your own below.

If we ignore the areas that might be taken up for public use, streets, etc. and cram every individual into a prison-cell sized room, you could fit one quintillion (one billion billion, or one with 18 zeros after it) people inside.

One estimate of the total number of humans that have ever lived on this planet puts the figure at around 106.5 billion.  For the sake of argument, if we assume each and every one gets a place in the city, that leaves enough room for everyone to have a house that’s 1,500 feet on each side, or 2.25 million square feet on each level and around 150 stories tall!  In other words, it seems there will be more than enough room for everyone.

Yet, not everyone gets to go (John 3:18-19).  There will come a day when God will judge everyone according to their works (Rom 14:10-12).  For those who have repented of their sins and believed on Jesus Christ for forgiveness, this judgment will determine our rewards in Heaven (Matt 25:21).  Everyone else will go to the Lake of Fire (Rev 21:8) along with Satan and the angels that follow him, earning the title “demon.”  Yes, even some angels will go to Hell.  In fact, Hell was originally intended for fallen angels, not for us (Matt 25:41).

Will you dwell in this place called the New Jerusalem, destined to spend eternity with the creator of all beauty?  God wants you to be there with him.  He has made it clear that he has kept a place with plenty of room for everyone, but as a perfect judge he must not allow sin to go unpunished.  If you are not 100% sure of your destiny after death, do not wait another day to put it all on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who paid this penalty on your behalf (John 3:16).  Repent.  Believe.  I hope you enjoy your future dwelling place!

Categories
History New World Order Prophecy The Last Days The World

Eye of the Phoenix

Eye of the Phoenix documents the bizarre history of the design of the dollar bill, exposing the occult activity surrounding the FDR administration. There is perhaps no other period in U.S. history when so many people were so deeply involved in the occult and held positions of power that reached all the way to the White House.

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New Age New World Order Prophecy The Last Days

Megiddo

Some men have taken dark oaths that are leading the world into self-destruction. In this technological era we’re living in, what will happen to human spirituality? What will become of us? Will we be able to find the answers before it is too late? Find some answers here.

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Alleged Errors Authority Inspiration Prophecy The Bible The Last Days

Can we trust the Bible?

This high-quality, visually engaging presentation by Mark Spence, the Dean of the School of Biblical Evangelism, gives clear reasons why the Bible can be trusted as inerrant, inspired, and infallible.

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Books Inspirations MetaV Prophecy The Bible The Last Days Visualizations

The Groundbreaking Achievement of Clarence Larkin

Clarence Larkin Revelation Chart

Every now and then people come across a classic scholarly work that for one reason or another seems to have been forgotten or at least taken out of the main stream of cultural influence although their truth is just as timeless as when it was originally produced. Clarence Larkin’s book, Dispensational Truth, is one such treasure. It is still sold in Christian bookstores and has been referenced by popular authors like Tim LaHaye, but that’s about the extent of it. His charts are available within Sword Searcher, which has a good bio. You can also get the full text and images for free at www.preservedwords.com.

To give you an idea of his influence over time, consider this: every illustration I’ve ever seen describing the statue in the vision of Daniel 2:31-45 is a variation of Larkin’s original graphic.

Larkin Chart Daniel's Vision
Clarence Larkin’s chart on Daniel’s Vision

I can identify with this particular author because, like me, he was a young mechanical engineer with some experience in drafting before being called into ministry. While a pastor, he employed his skills toward creating exacting illustrations of the Bible. The Larkin Estate indicates that he produced 205 charts and illustrations, complete with biblical references and full explanations of each. The ones I find most impressive are his works titled “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth” and “The Book of Revelation.”

Clarence Larkin: The Book of Revelation
Clarence Larkin: The Book of Revelation

As you can see, the original illustration is a black-and-white print. While Mr. Larkin did produce color charts, those he published were not, perhaps due to technology or cost limitations on producing a full-color book back in the 1920’s. I have found some colorized versions, but in my opinion they lack the original quality of his work. It has been on my to-do list for some time to make an attempt at converting at least one of these charts to a high-quality, interactive web presentation. Given the astounding detail of each chart, I’m not expecting to complete that task any time soon (any graphic designers out there looking for a project?).

He built these graphics at a time when no one had heard of the Bible being converted to a digital format. No one could yet dream of the complex visualizations made possible by advanced technology of the information age. I personally believe he was ahead of his time in creating ways to visualize related points in a unified whole that gives a consistent biblical picture.

Clarence Larkin gives due credit to the one who made such a work possible:

“With profound gratitude and thankfulness for the blessing of his Heavenly Father…in the hands of the Holy Spirit…”

Indeed, without the direction of the Spirit, no one man alone could accomplish this remarkable work. He also could not have done it if he had chosen to focus efforts on presenting and debating multiple theological views. On this point, the author states:

“[I have] sought to avoid such criticisms and to simply expound the Word of God as the Holy Spirit opened it up to [me.]”

It took three years to produce a book on just one theological view which he earnestly believed and was framed by nothing more or less than the scriptures. Had he gone beyond that into every wind of doctrine, three years would scarcely be enough to complete a discussion on the Book of Daniel alone!

Therein lies an area in which I believe it’s time to shift our thinking about the way we produce and use Bible study software. Everything available today includes a host of commentaries, versions, systematic theologies…all of which tend to have conflicting viewpoints to one degree or another. Yet, when Christians gather together for Bible study, only one such view is presented. To do otherwise would lead to confusion and be time prohibitive to boot. The same holds true for the working man or woman today who has trouble finding time to even read the Bible daily, let alone sift through a full library of data.

The teacher of such a study would wisely consult multiple resources while praying for God’s guidance, so in that sense today’s study tools are great. But, I believe that in-depth study should be made possible for everyone, not just the scholars and teachers. One way to do this is to 1) make it free to everyone and 2) limit the information to only authoritative works which agree with those of the author of said software as guided by the Spirit. While I do agree that it’s a not a good idea to limit access to multiple viewpoints, I do not agree that presenting an endless list of options to sort through accomplishes that goal. That kind of information overload actually makes good information harder to find, which is the last thing I want.

By restricting the database to a more popular-level summary based on detailed and reliable scholarship of old (such as the charts mentioned above), I expect it to be possible for one or a few godly men to produce more advanced tools quite economically. They could be used by anyone and would contain the same level of accuracy, detail, and cohesiveness of the many works of Clarence Larkin and others like him. Anyone willing to help in this endeavor is more than encouraged to pray and if you feel led to do so, contact me by leaving a comment on this blog.