
God has been everything to me, even when I wasn't paying attention. I've followed a path that happily led to my Holy Spirit

God has been everything to me, even when I wasn't paying attention. I've followed a path that happily led to my Holy Spirit

Hello, my name is Mike, I apologize for my writing style, But ...........
I NEED TO GET YOUR ATTENTION !!!!!!!!!!
In mid-March of this year, 2025, I had the enormous pleasure of being joined by my HOLY SPIRIT also called HOLY GHOST. In my excitement, I began to tell family and friends. The reaction to my great, good news was unexpected. Nobody believes me, and sadly NOBODY, NOBODY, NOBODY has their Holy Spirit. That is terrifying, you need your Holy Spirit to get into Heaven.
John 3:5 Jesus tells Nicodemus " ... Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
I must admit, I have been studying the Bible for three or four years now, and until March, I thought my Holy Spirit was just my conscience. Wow, was I ever wrong. It's a good thing that I was doing all that studying.
I am disabled from an accident in 2014, and bedridden 85% of the time. So, lots spare time to read the Bible and make sure I'm covering all my bases.
The accident would have killed me if God had not performed a miracle. I figured he let me be bedridden for a reason. Now I know the reason. The things that God wanted me to learn. I thought about something that I read in Revelation; Rev 21:12 "And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." Also Rev 21:14 "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Do I see a pattern here? After the end times, we will all go to live in New Jerusalem. God will honor His Favored People with Jewish tribal names above the gates and foundations that bear the names of the twelve Jewish apostles. Remember John 4:22; " ....for salvation is of the Jews." So, we know the Jews are expected to make it to New Jerusalem. Do you see any signs of Gentiles being honored or welcomed? So, what are the Jews doing different from the Gentiles? I can think of TWO really BIG THINGS. Eating only CLEAN MEATS. And honoring the SATURDAY SABBATH, which God sanctified in Genesis.
Because I had a beautiful Jewish girl friend in college, I decided to explore the idea behind Christians eating unclean meats. I mean, God spent almost two chapters of the Bible telling everybody what to eat and what not to eat. Deuteronomy and Leviticus. And, in the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles never eat unclean meats.
QUESTION for you, don't you dislike people lying to you, especially when it comes to your beliefs?
QUESTION number two, don't you like catching them at it?
Please go to your search engine, type in ' biblehub, Mark 7:19 '
Notice almost all the listed Bibles have this verse ending with the suggestion that all foods are made clean. The exception is the King James Version.
Now, search engine, type in ' biblehub Matthew 15:17 '
Notice all the same words as in Mark, but no suggestions.
Somebody obviously wanted to add something to influence your beliefs. But they didn't notice that the same story was in the book of Matthew.
You see, I believe that God's warnings about false prophets and Satan's demons trying to trick all of us into something that would keep us from Heaven. Having 95% of Christians eating abominable foods would be a great victory for the prince of darkness. The first known Christian to sanctify unclean meat was in Rome in or about 175 A.D. Bishop Eleutherius issued a decree stating that " no food should be repudiated by Christians strong in their faith," This is from the Liber Pontificalis, Catholic Book of Popes. So, Satan didn't have to convince every Christian for thousands of years, just one weak bishop in the second century. Bacon? anyone? Ahhhhh, smells like swine.
Suggested Plan of Action.
The only way to believe is to make it happen
It was easy for me. I am disabled and spend 22 hours a day in bed.
So, I don't work on Saturday, I don't eat out, and I can make sure all my delivered groceries are Kosher.
Happily, the accident that stuck me in bed also saved my immortal soul.
First, discuss this with friends or family, and see if anyone wants to give it a shot.
Second, don't let everyone try it.
Each group should pick a volunteer that can follow the new rules without ruining their life.
When your Holy Spirit joins you, it'll all be worth it.
MOST IMPORTANT
MUST BE SAVED WITH JESUS CHRIST
The part of your program concerned with
clean meats may take up to a year. It depends how much unclean debris is in your body, and on how often you cheat.
Limit your trips dining out. It is hard to determine if restaurant food is unclean. Go to my Kosher Shopping page for hints on buying clean foods.
The clean meats phase can take months, according to your previous food choices. Your body can only clean out the debris of one unclean animal at a time. I believe that the more you pray, the faster it goes. Remember, God wants you up in Heaven as much as you want to be there.
To honor the Sabbath you
Must be able to not work on Saturdays/that's a deal breaker.
also, on the Sabbath, there 5 or 6 more rules. Go to my Sabbath Rules page to learn these other rules.
Hello
Readers; glad to have you onboard. As I stated earlier, I had been physically clean on the inside because of a couple of years on the clean-meat diet. Since I was experimenting with my religious practices, I decided to go ahead and honor God and the 4th Commandment, by honoring the Sabbath on the seventh day.
I'll get to the rules that I followed in a moment, I just want to rehash the reason why Saturday is the Sabbath chosen by God.
Genesis 2:2-3 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
Exodus 20:8-11 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."
Exodus 34:21 "Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest." (Earing time is plowing time.)
Exodus 35:2-3 "Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the Sabbath day."
Jeremiah 17:21-22 "Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers."
There were a lot of rules of the Sabbath set forth by the Pharisees, like limiting the distance you could travel, but it wasn't from God, so I think it's safe to break that one. I am disabled and bedridden about 22 or 23 hours a day, so I followed that rule anyway.
REMEMBER, I have my Holy Spirit and I believe that reversing the two rules were a factor. That would be the Sabbath on Saturday, and only clean meats to eat.
When you believe that your Holy Spirit has joined you, send me an email, and we'll compare out initial experiences.
Oh, almost forgot, the Sabbath is sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. One of the websites that I read suggested to start honoring the Sabbath 18 minutes earlier than the official time you see either online or in the newspaper. Also extend Sabbath worship an extra 18 minutes on Saturday evening. Some forecasters count the sundown when the edge of the Sun touches the horizon, and others count the sundown when the Sun has totally disappeared. There is an 18 minute difference in the two times.
When I was first learning to follow the rules of the Sabbath, I would accidentally receive an Amazon order on Saturday, or watch an m-rated movie on my streaming services. I would pray to God to forgive me, and I never did it again.
No shopping, no chores except caring for pets. No shopping lists for the next week. No cooking with any type of heat. No stove, oven, or outdoor grill. No microwave, no coffee pot, even if it is electric. No laundry, no yardwork, do not wash your car. I would watch movies on Hallmark and American Pure Flix. One of my Holy Spirit's strictest rules is not to even HEAR profanity especially when our Lord's name is mentioned.
So, make the Sabbath a holy day, call and visit friends and family. Watch clean movies, listen to clean music, read your Bible by hand or on the internet. I use the internet a lot because of my physical problems. And I GOT MY HOLY SPIRIT.
Good Luck !!!
I have a very interesting proposal for one or more mature Christians who happen to be reading this. I say "mature" because to test my theory, you'll need some steady Faith. The theory involves how I got joined by my Holy Spirit in March of this year, 2025. I had always thought that my conscience was my Holy Spirit, just silently keeping me on the right track. When my real Holy Spirit showed up, it was unmistakable and Very life-changing. In a matter of hours, I changed so many parts of my life that I was doing wrong. My Holy Spirit cleaned out a lot of things that would have kept me from Heaven, sinful things that I no longer pursue,, but still had memories of. I feel so much cleaner now, and I see a better person looking back at me in the mirror. So, I'll explain a little about what I was doing that brought my Holy Spirit to me. At least, I think it did. That's why I need someone to verify my actions. It's free, just involves adding two Jewish laws back into your worship.
Both of these laws were practiced by Jesus and the apostles.
The first one that I added to my life was the idea of eating only Clean Meats from the Mosaic Dietary Laws given to Moses by God. Then, much later, quite recently, I might add, I added the Fourth Commandment. I studied the Jewish rules about observing the Saturday Sabbath. I am still making small mistakes, but I immediately apologize to God whenever I get something wrong.
So, I started studying the Bible to make sure that I got it right. During my younger years there was a lot of sin, legal but immoral. Now I'm in my 70's/still wondering how I made it this far. I'm very glad of the 2014 accident that has left me with enough time to study the Bible, learn how the Jewish people are absolutely making it to Heaven, and I have learned about the two biggest things that Jews do differently from us
We surely
know that God has eternity planned out for His Jewish guests, the names over the gates, the names engraved on the foundations, and the many covenants. I'm a Gentile, will He be happy to see me? Since my Holy Spirit joined me in March, I'm pretty sure I'll be escorted right in. Our Holy Spirit is our escort to New Jerusalem. He's been quiet lately, after the first few days of frantic cleaning. He was showing me all the stored sordid info that was in my head, and putting cabinets around anything that would offend God.
So, I made a quick run-through of the Bible, and any time a stranger was sojourning with the other group of people, it was always a Gentile staying with some Jews. And the guest would adopt the ways of the host. The Gentile would learn the ways of the Jewish people.
Deuteronomy 12:30 "Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise."
Jeremiah 10:2 "Thus sayeth the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of Heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them."
Numbers 15:14 " And if a stranger sojourneth with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do."
The chapter continues Numbers 15:16 "One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you."
The way I see it, in New Jerusalem we Gentiles will be the guests, and we will be expected to follow their laws and ceremonies. So, I already do the clean meats and the Lord's Sabbath
It seems clear to me, everyone has some work to do. Except of course, I got my Holy Ghost.
When I'm writing this, I feel really sad, thinking about how almost everyone will not change their ways. My sister is one of the ones that I worry about most. She keeps responding with "I'll stick with what I learned in church."
I try to explain, honoring the Sabbath on Saturday will give praise to God and you can still go to church on Sunday honoring Jesus. There's no downside.
And she can give up pigs and shrimp. So, she eats more chicken. I've tried to tell her that pigs eat their own excrement and dead pigs. And the shrimp thrive best when they are closest to human sewers. Oh yummy. Oh, honey, have you cleaned the toilet bowl? Bring me the sponge, it tastes like shrimp. I'm not sure about the veracity of that last line. I don't eat shrimp or sponges.
This section will feature an article by Douglas S. Winnail of the Living Church of God
This section will show an article written by a scholar in the Living Church of God
Thank goodness that God is okay with using our human imagination to picture an unknown
When I was considering writing a website, I was getting subtle signals that I was doing a good thing. So, I started with my other website www.eternalchoice.info My thought was to earn extra credit with God, since my previous 45 years was not very sin-free. So, my www.eternalchoice.info website was about the Mosaic diet of "clean" meats. And it took about 5 years to get all the unclean meats out of my body and my diet. It is a great feeling to be so clean. And God is so much closer now.
Jesus told the "Woman at the Well" many things. For this conversation, this verse is important; John 4:22 "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews." So, Salvation Is Of The Jews. Perhaps, some of the Jewish beliefs are in accordance with God's wishes and we Christians have veered off the correct path. Remember: Matthew 24:11 " And many false prophets shall rise and deceive".
How do we know that the Jewish people are doing something right? Revelation 21:12 speaks of the 12 gates of New Jerusalem (our eternal home). And above each gate is the name of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. And Revelation 21:14 speaks of "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.". All of the apostles were Jewish. It is like having their names engraved on the ultimate trophy.
The Bible is telling us who is doing everything correctly. Read on and you'll find out how the Jewish people come to recognize Christ as their true Savior, and guarantee their place in Heaven.
Saturday Sabbath
Eat Only Clean Meats
Leadership and God's 7 Hatreds

Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made."
Genesis 2:3 "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
Many Christian leaders say that the Saturday Sabbath is meant only for the Jews. But, the Saturday Sabbath was sanctified by God in Genesis 2:3 Just after all things were created. The 12 tribes of Israel are first mentioned in Genesis 49:28. And the word "Jew" is first mentioned in 2 Kings 16:6. So, the Sabbath was sanctified by God before Jews ever showed up. The Saturday Sabbath is for everyone.
The only explicit Sabbath prohibitions mentioned in the Bible are:
Exodus 20:10 “But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:”
Exodus 35:3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.
Other verses mention no wood gathering, no plowing, and no harvesting, but these are all covered by the prohibition against any type of work.
Therefore, as Christians, we should be able to follow the 4th Commandment easily.
Genesis 6:9 "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation, and Noah walked with God."
Genesis 7;2 "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and the female; and of the beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female."
Genesis 7:3 "Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth."
As with the Sabbath, many Christian leaders say that the Mosaic dietary laws are only for the Jews. So, how did Noah know about it hundreds of years before the Jews arrived on the scene?
The Devil finds ways to lead most Christians away from these laws. In 170 A.D. Bishop Eleutherius decreed that all foods were considered clean, and Christians are obligated to eat everything. Then, in 321 A.D. Roman ruler Constantine declared Sunday a day of rest and worship. Then, around year 365, at the Council of Laodicea, the Catholic Church made it illegal to "Judaize", or be idle, on the Saturday Sabbath. So, the Catholic Church Seems to have assisted Satan in his deception of the Christian faithful. Do not be mad at anyone doing the deceiving, we are all human and subject to the temptations of the Devil.
Now, we have most Christians breaking Commandment 4 every week.
Matthew 19:17 " If you would enter life, keep the commandments"
And by eating unclean meat, Christians are not allowed to enter Heaven
Revelation 21:27 " But nothing unclean will ever enter it (Heaven), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life"
First, a little bit of ancient history about the enslavement of the Jewish people by Assyria, starting in 734 B.C.E. This article is from thetorah.com:
In 722 B.C.E., Assyria conquered the kingdom of Israel, and deported many of the residents of Samaria and its surroundings to other Assyrian provinces, . . . . .
Mass deportations and resettlement of conquered peoples served as a fundamental tool of statecraft, economic organization, and imperial control, in which rivals from the Assyrian core and the elite and craftsmen from defeated polities alike were grouped together and deported.[1] By isolating these groups within larger local populations, the Assyrian kings ensured loyalty to the state and minimized the likelihood of resistance among the common people, who were left without their traditional elite.
The most famous such expulsion was the deportation of the Judahites to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar. This was done in two waves: first the elites were exiled in 597 B.C.E. and resettled in Babylonia,[2] while about a decade later, in 586 B.C.E., the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, including its Temple, and exiled the many of the city’s inhabitants, resettling them in Babylonia as well (2 Kgs 25, Jer 52).
The Assyrian conquests of Israel, more than a century earlier, involved various exiles as well. They began under Tiglath-Pileser III, when he conquered the north and east of Israel in 734–732 B.C.E . . . . . וְאֶת חָצוֹר וְאֶת הַגִּלְעָד וְאֶת הַגָּלִילָה כֹּל אֶרֶץ נַפְתָּלִי וַיַּגְלֵ . . . . .
2 Kgs 15:29 In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, the entire region of Naphtali, and he deported the inhabitants to Assyria. This left Israel with only its core territory in the Samarian hill country. Not long afterwards, Israel rebelled against its Assyrian overlords, and the kingdom was conquered entirely and, in 722/720 B.C.E., the inhabitants of Samaria were exiled:
2 מלכים ב יז:ו בִּשְׁנַת הַתְּשִׁיעִית לְהוֹשֵׁעַ לָכַד מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶת שֹׁמְרוֹן וַיֶּגֶל אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אַשּׁוּרָה וַיֹּשֶׁב אֹתָם בַּחְלַח וּבְחָבוֹר נְגּוֹזָןוְעָרֵי מָדָי.2 Kgs 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, at the River Habor, at the River Gozan, and in the towns of Media. . . . . . This helps to explain why many Judahites remained loyal to their collective identities in Babylonia, and eventually returned to their native land, whereas the Israelites who were exiled mostly disappeared, becoming the “ten
lost tribes".
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[ ( So, why did God withhold his protection of the Jewish people? Let's go to the Bible: ) ]
Hosea 8:1-4
2Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee.
3Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.
Hosea 9:1-3
2The floor and the winepress shall not feed them, and the new wine shall fail in her.
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[ ( The people of Israel were sinning against God. God Hates 7 things: ) ]
Proverbs 6:16-19
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Take a good long look at our country, the United States of America.
Look at our leaders, how many of them do not walk with God and Jesus?
1. Their proud looks on stage and TV, "Look at me, Look at me"
2. A lying tongue. How many of our leaders have absolutely no qualms with lying?"I will not pardon him." "I have undeniable proof of their guilt"
3. Hands that shed innocent blood. A woman can be forgiven an abortion, but we vote for leaders who authorize millions. How do we ask for forgiveness for such a huge sin? Maybe we can't, again, look at our nation, such violence, sin, such killing of innocents.
4. An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. The movies, the crime, the murders. Our country has more wickedness that Rome at the time of the Caesars, causing the fall of the Roman Empire.
5. Feet that be swift in running to mischief. Politicians funding Iran, knowing that the result will be terrorism, open borders leading to unnecessary American deaths. Who elects such leaders?
6. A false witness that speaketh lies. Most of our leaders lie, enough said.
7. He that soweth discord among brethren. Once again, our leaders cause sensational scandals among themselves, which has nothing to do with them serving The People.
I am open to speak about politics, I'm in my 70's, and I have NEVER voted. I just stand on the sidelines, watch, and be appalled. Also, it all makes me so sad. I have such great memories from the 70's and 80's.
But, we can change individually, and if enough people change, we can change our country to what it once was, when we all loved God and Jesus, and followed their Commandments and laws. Actually, I think it is much too late for that.
Hosea 14:1-9
1.O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.
4I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.
5I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
6His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.
There is no downside for extra worship
God wants Jews and Gentiles to work together
Jews will ask Jesus for Salvation

Ask yourself: if Mike (that's me) is doing all the good stuff in the Bible and living with Jesus, will it hurt Mike's chances of pleasing God and going to Heaven if Mike does "Jewish Things" also?
And, if Mike is right, and these rules from God are meant for everyone, might it hurt YOUR chances of pleasing God and going to Heaven if YOU omit these rules?
Jesus told the "Woman at the Well' many things. For this conversation, this verse is important; John 4:22 "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews." Other verses show that God wants everybody.
Numbers 15:13-16, ALL that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. AND if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord; as ye do, so he shall do. ONE ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.
Isaiah 2:2-3, AND it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. AND many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 56:6-8, ALSO the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; EVEN them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. THE Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
I had always felt bad that the Jews are still waiting for their Messiah to arrive on Earth and bring them everlasting life. They have been through so much for thousands of years, in God's good grace, and sometimes, not in God's good grace. I was watching a documentary by Dr Jimmy DeYoung, "Revelation Walk-through". Dr DeYoung cites scripture to point out facts that I never knew.
Rev 12:6. (KJV) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hatha place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Rev 12:13-17. (KJV) 13; And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14, And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15, And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16, And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17, And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Zechariah 13:8-9. (KJV) 8, And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9, And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and thry shall say, The LORD is my God.
God will protect millions of Jews during the Tribulation
The story of the Jews' escape to Petra during the Tribulation


This article was written by a professor at Liberty University in May 2009
May 2009
God's Purpose for Israel During the Tribulation
Thomas D. Ice
Liberty University, tdice@liberty.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/pretrib_arch Recommended Citation Ice, Thomas D., "God's Purpose for Israel During the Tribulation" (2009). Article Archives. 122. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/pretrib_arch/122 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Pre-Trib Research Center at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Article Archives by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact scholarlycommunications@liberty.edu.
GOD’S PURPOSE FOR ISRAEL DURING THE TRIBULATION
Tom’s Perspectives by Thomas Ice
I recently engaged in a debate (May 26, 2006) against preterist Gary DeMar on the topic of “The Great Tribulation: Past or Future?” One of the points I made in favor of the tribulation as a future time was that one of the biblically defined purposes for that seven-year period, as it relates to Israel, did not occur in the first century. So just what is God’s purpose for Israel during the tribulation? PURGING OUT THE REBEL
One of the major Divine purposes for the tribulation in relation to Israel is the conversion of the Jewish remnant to faith in Jesus as their Messiah. This will take place throughout the tribulation, but by the end of the seven-year period the entire number of the elect remnant will become converted to Jesus. That number is likely a third of the Jewish people as noted in Zechariah 13:9. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” As part of the process of bringing the Jewish remnant to faith Zechariah 13:8 speaks of a purging out of the non-elect Jewish element from the nation. “’And it will come about in all the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it.’” The Old Testament prophets speak frequently of the purging out of the Jewish non-elect during the tribulation. Ezekiel 20:33–38 is a major passage that speaks of a Jewish regathering to their ancient land, which must take place before the tribulation, in preparation for the purging of the non-elect Israelites called in this passage “the rebels” (Ezek. 20:38). “’As I live,’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you. And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I shall enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,’ declares the Lord GOD. ‘And I shall make you pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me’” (Ezek. 20:33–38a). The phrase “to pass under the rod” is one of evaluation and separation. The purging process will result in removal of the rebel, leaving the believing remnant who will then be brought “into the bond of the covenant” (Ezek. 20:37). In a similar vein, two chapters later, Ezekiel receives another revelation about a future regathering of national Israel (Ezek. 22:17–22). This time, the Lord is “going to gather you into the midst of Jerusalem” (Ezek. 22:19). Like the metallurgist, the Lord will use the fire of the tribulation to purge out the unfaithful. The Lord is going to “gather you [Israel] and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you will be melted in the midst of it” (Ezek. 22:21). In this passage, “My wrath” depicts the time of the tribulation. It also follows here that the nation must be regathered before that event can take place. The outcome of this event will be that the nation “will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you” (Ezek. 22:22). Israel is back in her land, awaiting the purging fire of the tribulation that will remove the non-elect and reveal the remnant
Again we read of “the time of Jacob’s trouble” in Jeremiah 30:7. It is said to compare to the sorrows that one faces in childbirth (Jer. 30:6), “but he will be saved from it” (Jer. 30:7, 11). The remnant will be saved through this time of trouble, which is clearly the tribulation. The Lord will chasten that nation of Israel during this time. “Only I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished” (Jer. 30:11). This chastisement will result in Israel’s conversion: “And you shall be My people, And I will be your God” (Jer. 30:22). Jeremiah says that these things will occur “in the latter days” (Jer. 30:24). The prophecies of Daniel 12 are set within the timeframe of the tribulation (Dan. 12:1). “Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand” (Dan. 12:10). We see in this passage the continued theme of purging out the non-elect Jews during the tribulation but also see the rescue or salvation of the elect. These events are said to occur during “the end time” (Dan. 12:9). A number of other passages speak of the need to refine the Jewish people, often in association with the city of Jerusalem (Isa. 1:22, 25; 48:10; Jer. 6:27–30; 9:7; Mal. 3:2–3). Arnold Fruchtenbaum tells us, “As a purified, believing nation, they will then turn to the Lord. Here again he speaks of worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for a specific future judgment, but the purpose of the judgment is to bring them to national repentance.”
THE CONDITION FOR THE SECOND COMING
Many Christians are surprised to learn that the second coming is a rescue event. Jesus will return to planet earth in order to rescue the believing Jewish remnant that is on the verge of being destroyed during the Campaign of Armageddon. I think this is what Paul speaks of in Romans 10 when he tell us, “’Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:13–14). In other words, the Jewish people are going to have to be Believers in Jesus as their Messiah in order to be rescued by Him at the second advent. This is exactly what will happen. The Old and New Testaments teach that before Christ can return to earth for His millennial kingdom the nation of Israel must be converted to Jesus as their Messiah and call on Him to save them. This is taught throughout the Bible (Lev. 26:40–42; Jer. 3:11–18; Hosea 5:15; Zech. 12:10; Matt. 23:37–39; Acts 3:19–21). Hosea 5:15 tells us, “I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” “Until” tells us that the nation will one day turn to the Lord, as does the following context. Jesus Himself spoke an important “until” to the nation in Matthew 23:39 when He said, “For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” The Apostle Peter tells the Jewish nation that they will not see Jesus again until they: “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” (Acts 3:19–21). “This, then, is the twofold basis of the Second Coming; Israel must confess her national sin.” explains Fruchtenbaum, “and then plead for Messiah to return, to mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son
THE NATIONAL CONVERSION OF ISRAEL
The Bible teaches that one day the nation of Israel will return to the Lord their God. This will occur by the end of the tribulation and is the purpose for the time of Jacob’s trouble. Many passages teach the future conversion of the Jews to Jesus as their Messiah (Psa. 79:1–13; 80:1–19; Isa. 53:1–9; 59:20–21; 61:8–9; 64:1–12; Jer. 30:3–24; 31:31–40; 32:37–40; 50:4–5; Ezek. 11:19–20; 16:60–63; 34:25–26; 36:24–32; 37:21–28; Hosea 6:1–3; Joel 2:28–32; Zech. 9:11; 12:10—13:9; Rom. 11:25–27). Hosea 6:1–2 is one of the most interesting passages on the future conversion of the nation of Israel. “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him.”
CONCLUSION
The Bible clearly teaches that the time of Jacob’s trouble (the tribulation), in which the non-elect Jews are to be purged out and removed, while the remaining believing remnant will the saved (both spiritually and physically), did not occur through events relating to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Sorry Mr. DeMar, but try as you might, through your naturalist interpretations, you cannot not ram, cram and jam these supernatural events into the first century. These texts of Scripture just do not fit! Instead, they require a future fulfillment for a literal nation of Israel. Fruchtenbaum says, “Only by faith in the Son of Man can Israel be regenerated. Only by calling upon the Name of the Lord can Israel be saved spiritually. Only by the return of the Son of Man can Israel be saved physically.” Yet, that is exactly what will occur in the future in the tribulation.3 The Lord is setting the stage for these future events since He has brought His chosen people back to their land in anticipation of both the purging of the non-elect and the redemption of the elect. Maranatha!
ENDNOTES
1 Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003, [1982]), pp. 101–02. 2 Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps, p. 312. 3 Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps, p. 345
Hi, this is Mike again. I found this fascinating article while online. it is from www.angelsonassignment.org, and is title "Israel's Flight to Petra & then Home Again".
March 24, 2010
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
“And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
Revelation 12:6 12:14
Introduction
Dear brother,
Pardon me for not getting back to you sooner, but I was gone all day yesterday and just found your email this morning. Hey, if I do the Petra teaching and you are not going to bother me again, then I’m not going to do it. I like hearing from you Ha! Ha! Just joking! You are a blessing to me and I always look forward to hearing from you.
Dear brother, I have mentioned Israel fleeing to Petra many times in my studies, but I don’t think I have ever written out a study solely on the subject. I could be mistaken, for I could have written about it in my old newsletters when I was putting them out monthly years ago. Anyway, let’s see if we can find some Scriptural light on the subject…..
Identifying the Subject
Almost all who teach on this subject go directly to Revelation 12:6 and 12:14, and then half apologetically start trying to convince those they are teaching that the woman is Israel, and “they think” that the place the woman flees to is “probably” Petra. Pathetic!
If there is so much doubt about it in their own minds, then it is no wonder there is so much debate about it by others.
The woman IS ISRAEL and the place the Jews flee to IS PETRA! There need not be any question or confusion about it at all. All that is needed is a little serious Bible study. The problem here is that few of these people ever bother to study the subject beyond Revelation 12. Almost no one goes to the Old Testament to see what it has to say about it. The truth is, the Old Testament Scriptures nail it down beyond all question.
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word, “sela,” is the equivalent of the Greek word, “petra,” in the New Testament. This Hebrew word, “sela,” occurs some 60 times in the Old Testament. If you want to carefully study the subject, you will need to look in your concordance and find the Scriptures where the word is used, for it is almost always translated as “rock.” A few times it is translated as “stone” or “stronghold.” Three times the word was brought over into the Old Testament untranslated. In other words, it was just left as “Sela” instead of being translated. This is a fascinating study that will be very enlightening and a blessing to anyone willing to devote their time to it. But now let’s just look at some of the highlights in a brief outline…
The Time Element…..Mid-Trib
Every serious student of Bible prophecy should already know that the flight of Israel will come at the middle of the Tribulation when the “abomination of desolation” is set up in the courtyard of the Jewish Temple. This is exactly the time period which the Lord Himself warned the Jews about in Matthew 24:15-21 and Mark 13:14-19. This warning given by the Lord perfectly harmonizes with the time of their flight as set forth in Revelation 12. If any reader has never studied this truth, I will be glad to send my study on The Abomination of Desolation to any reader requesting it.
A Key Passage
Now, let’s look at Isaiah 16:1-5. In these verses the prophet was inspired to condense the entire last half of the Tribulation into just five verses. Isn’t the Lord amazing? In these five verses the Lord declared to Isaiah and to Israel “the end from the beginning,” just as He always does when giving His people His prophetic Word, Isaiah 46:9-10. By this statement I mean that verse 1 speaks about the Lord returning from “Sela” [Petra] to “the mount of the daughter of Zion” [Jerusalem] at the end of the Tribulation, and verse 5 speaks about Him establishing His millennial Kingdom following His return. Verses 2, 3, and 4 set forth details about Israel’s flight to Petra before the Lord returns to establish His kingdom. Now let’s take a close look at…
The Flight to Petra
In Isaiah 16:2-4 the Scriptures state, “For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.
Take counsel, execute judgment; make Thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.
Let Mine outcasts dwell with Thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.”
In these verses the Lord is primarily talking to “Moab” [modern Jordan] about the Jewish people. Verse 2 reveals that the Moabites [modern Jordanians] are also fleeing. This is a truth that seems to be commonly overlooked or ignored by prophecy teachers, even though it is explicitly prophesied in Jeremiah 48.
I suspect little attention is given to this prophecy in Jeremiah 48 about Moab, because most of those who write the “commentaries” assume that since Moab was destroyed in ancient times Jeremiah 48 has already been fulfilled. So much for assumptions! Sic!
In order to believe the assumption of the commentators, serious Bible students have to ignore the Lord’s explicit command for Moab [modern Jordan] to flee into “the wilderness” in 48:6, which is the exact same place the Lord said that He would bring the Jews to when they flee in Ezekiel 20:35-36. Coincidence?
In order to believe the assumption of the commentators, serious Bible students have to ignore the fact that “the spoiler” [a term for the Antichrist] is referred to three times in Jeremiah 48:8; 48:18; and 48:32. This is the same “spoiler” also mentioned in Isaiah 16:4, 21:2, Jeremiah 6:26, 15:8, and 51:56. Coincidence?
In order to believe the assumption of the commentators, serious Bible students also have to ignore the Lord’s explicit command to Moab [modern Jordan] to “…..leave the cities, and dwell in the rock [Sela…Petra], and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth,” 48:9; 48:15; 48:28. Compare this statement with the Song of Solomon 2:14. Coincidence?
In order to believe the assumption of the commentators, serious Bible students also have to ignore the Lord’s explicit statement that He is going to send “wanderers” to Moab [modern Jordan] “….that shall cause him to wander....,” 48:12. This is the exact same term used in Isaiah 16:2-3 in reference to the Jewish people. Coincidence?
In order to believe the assumption of the commentators, serious Bible students also have to ignore the warning given to Moab in 48:43-44. These exact same statements are made in Isaiah 24:17-18, a portion of Scripture that is explicitly talking about the future “day of the Lord [Tribulation]. Coincidence?
Finally, in order to believe the assumption of the commentators, serious Bible students have to ignore the Lord’s prophecy in 48:47, “Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord…” This verse just explicitly states that Moab [modern Jordan] will be functioning as a nation and people “in the latter days.” Another coincidence? Well…??
If any reader thinks all of these Biblical truths are just “coincidences” please contact me at once, for I have a “wonderful deal” for you on some sea coast property in Kansas.
Why don’t God’s people just admit that many of the prophecies set forth in Jeremiah 48 have not been fulfilled in spite of what the “commentators” claim? It is obvious to any serious Bible student that the prophecies mentioned will not be fulfilled until the last half of the Tribulation period, exactly as also set forth in Isaiah 16:2-4. Hello!
Tracing Israel’s Flight
The Lord explicitly warns the Jewish people in Matthew 24:15-16 and Mark 13:14, that when they see “the abomination of desolation” standing in the courtyard of the Jewish Temple, they should immediately “flee to the mountains.” There are mountains here and there throughout the land of Israel to which the Jews will flee, but most of the rugged mountainous terrain which would offer the most protection is on the EAST SIDE of the Dead Sea extending southward all the way to ancient Edom. But who controls that EAST SIDE today? The nation of Jordan!
Is it then just coincidence that the nation of Jordan is one of the two Middle Eastern nations which has a peace agreement with Israel today? Well…??
Is it then just coincidence that the Lord explicitly speaks to Moab [modern Jordan] in Isaiah 16:4, admonishing them, “Let Mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab…”?
What this amount to is that when the Jews flee at the middle of the Tribulation, most of them will flee across the Jordan river into the rugged mountainous terrain on the EAST SIDE of the Dead Sea. In other words, they will flee into the nation of Jordan. Isn’t this amazing that the Lord placed these exact details in His Word some 2,600 years in advance? Glory! What a wonderful God we serve. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Once the Jews have fled into Jordan, then they will continue to flee southward toward Petra, for Petra is the exact place where the Lord told the Moabites [modern Jordanians] to flee to, Jeremiah 48:28. There is no question in my mind that the Lord will put it into the hearts of the Jordanian people to help the fleeing Jews and allow them to dwell with them in Petra.
As the Jews are fleeing the ancient “shekinah” cloud of the Lord will cover them again [Isaiah 16:3], just as it covered the Jews when they fled from the land of Egypt 3,400 years ago, Exodus 13:17-22. Glory to God! Praise the Lord! The cloud will cover the entire Middle Eastern area with such a thick blanket of clouds that it will be impossible for their enemies to locate the fleeing Jews to destroy them, even with man’s boasted “modern technology.” Sic! Almighty God is still in charge! Glory to God!
I don’t know how long it will take the fleeing Jews to arrive at Petra, but the Psalmist wrote centuries ago that the Lord Himself will lead the Jews into the safety of Petra, “Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom? Wilt not Thou, O God, WHO hast cast us off? And wilt not Thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies,” Psalm 108:10-13. There in Petra the Jews will be sheltered, fed, and protected during the last half of the Tribulation. See Isaiah 2:10, 16:3-4, 26:20, and Revelation 12:6 and 12:14.
You might also want to compare Matthew 25:31-46. This deals with the judgment of the Gentiles who survive the Tribulation period. Notice that the way they have treated the Jews is a definite factor in their judgment; verses 40 and 45.
Betrayal and Consequences
Sadly, during the last half of the Tribulation the Jordanians [descendants of Ishmael and Esau], in spite of being explicitly warned by the Lord in Isaiah 16:3 not to reveal or betray the Israelites to their enemies, at some point they are going to betray the Israelites. When they do, the Lord will protect the Jewish people, just like He protected Jacob and his family from Esau so long ago. But their betrayal will seal the doom of the descendants of Ishmael and Esau forever. Read Jeremiah 49:17-18, Ezekiel 25:15-17, 35:1-15, and Malachi 1:1-5. Whether men want to believe God’s Word or not, Genesis 12:3 is still in the Bible and it still works. To God be the glory!
Going Home!
Finally the last half of the Tribulation will end with the Lord’s return back to this earth again. The details of the Lord’s return are set forth quite clearly in God’s Word, in spite of the fact that many of God’s people have failed to carefully study them, or have chosen to ignore them. I want to set before you and our readers some of those details which I consider to be important to any believer
wanting to know the whole truth.
The Route of Return
Isaiah 16:1 explicitly states, “Send ye the Lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.” In essence, here is a prophecy that tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God [John 1:29; Revelation 5:5-6], is going to return to Jerusalem “from Sela” [Petra] by way of “the wilderness” [the same “wilderness” Israel wandered in 3,500 years ago when they left Egypt]. The fact that the Lord will return by this exact route is verified by such passages as Isaiah 63:1-6, Ezekiel 20:33-38, 39:11, Micah 2:12-13, and Habakkuk 3:3. The mention of Edom, Bozrah, and Teman in these passages is highly significant. Petra was the southern capitol of the ancient land of Edom, and Bozrah was the northern capitol of ancient Edom. Teman was an area in ancient Edom comparable to what we living today refer to as a “state” or “territory.” All of these places are located in modern JORDAN today. All of these passages make it clear that this is the exact route the Lord is going to follow when He returns to Jerusalem at His actual second coming.
Objections…
Oh, but what about Acts 1:11 and Zechariah 14:4? Yes! What about them? I’m not trying to be unkind or obstinate but some folks just don’t read very carefully….. I believe both of these passages literally. But what do the passages actually say?
The passage in Acts 1:11 explicitly says, “…..shall so come in like manner…” This doesn’t speak of the exact place that the Lord will first return to at all. It speaks of the “manner” of His coming. What was that? It is clearly stated that “…He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight,” Acts 1:9. This was His “manner” of leaving, and the Scriptures are quite explicit that when He comes again He will come “…with clouds…,” Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7. The very same “manner.” Isn’t this plain enough?
But the passage in Zechariah 14:4 says His feet will stand on the mount of Olives. So He must first return to the exact place that He left from when He comes back to the earth. Right? WRONG! Such an idea is “read into” the Scriptures, but never stated anywhere.
Will the Lord return to the mount of Olives? Most assuredly! Any reader who will trace the route set forth in these passages can easily see that the Lord will be following the same route that Joshua and the children of Israel followed 3,500 years ago when they entered the promised land. This route took Joshua [a type of Christ] and the Israelites around the EAST SIDE of ancient Edom, then they proceeded through the “wilderness” up the EAST SIDE of the Dead Sea to the northern end of the sea, Numbers 20:14-21. This is exactly the route the Lord will follow when He returns. Anyone who is serious about studying the prophecies can take a map and see that if one crosses the Jordan at the north end of the Dead Sea and then goes to Jerusalem, this route will bring them into the city directly over the top of the mount of Olives, thus fulfilling Zechariah 14:4 to the letter. Hello!
The Scriptural Scenario
When Christ returns to this earth at or towards the end of the Tribulation, He is first going to the Jews in Petra. There He will reveal Himself to them “face to face,” Ezekiel 20:33-38. This is where Zechariah 12:10 and 13:6 fit into the prophetic picture.
The first passage clearly states, “…and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” See also Revelation 1:7.
Now why should the Jews go into mourning when they finally look upon the Lord? Because the religious Jews even today who do believe the promises of a coming Messiah set forth in their Torah [Deuteronomy 18:15-19], do not know the identity of their promised Messiah. While they believe the promises of God in the Old Covenant, and are actually “looking for” their Messiah to come, they DO NOT believe that their promised Messiah is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of New Testament believers. What a shock it will then be to that Jewish remnant in Petra when the Lord appears in their midst, “And one shall say unto Him, What are these wounds in Thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends,” Zechariah 13:6. Compare John 15:12-15. The Jews will then finally realize that their Messiah is the very same Lord Jesus Christ whom their Jewish forefathers rejected and crucified so long ago.
When that realization soaks into their minds and hearts, they will begin to mourn as the Jews have never previously mourned. The realization that the whole nation could have been saved some 2,000 years ago, and that throughout all these centuries the Jewish people died without knowing their Messiah and Savior, will cause such grief and mourning and repentance in their hearts as they have never previously known in their entire history. This mourning on their part will fulfill Jeremiah 6:26 to the letter. But keep in mind that our gracious and merciful and loving Lord also promised them, “…..for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow,” Jeremiah 31:13. Read the whole passage; 31:10-14.
Heading for “Home”
After the Lord has identified Himself to the Jews in Petra and comforted them somewhat in their sorrow, using a little “sanctified imagination” I can almost hear the Lord say to them, “Heads up everyone! Let’s go home!” Glory to God!
The Lord will then lead those Jews out of Petra headed back for their homeland, and their beloved city of Jerusalem, exactly as set forth in Micah 2:12-13. This is a wonderful passage in the prophetic Word, usually overlooked or ignored by most students of Bible prophecy.
Verse 12 plainly speaks about the Jewish “remnant” being gathered to the land of ancient Edom [Bozrah or Petra] in much commotion. Compare this with Isaiah 16:2-4 and Psalm 108:7-11.
But verse 13 speaks about them leaving Petra headed back home. Notice the marching order clearly set forth in this verse. The Lord Himself will lead them out of Petra, “the Lord on the head of them.” Compare Psalm 108:11. Immediately following the Lord will be “their king.”
Whoa! Wait a minute! Israel doesn’t have a king! No, but they will! The so-called “democratic” form of government they have today will be discarded on or before the middle of the Tribulation, and the whole nation will be led by KING DAVID during the last half of the Tribulation. Yes! I do mean “the King David” of the Bible. If any reader has never been confronted with this truth before and desires to study it for themselves, I urge you to read my study on The Davidic Covenant. I will be glad to send it to any reader requesting it.
As the Jews leave Petra, they will follow “their king” out of Petra who will follow the Lord Himself. This is clearly stated right here in Micah 2:12-13. Read it for yourself! This is the marching order in which the Jews will leave Petra.
Garments stained with Blood
When the Lord steps out from “the cleft in the rock” [the narrow valley] exit from Petra opening on to the desert floor, immediately He will be confronted with the hordes of wicked men who will have assembled there to overwhelm and destroy the Jews in Petra. The battle will begin!
The prophet Isaiah saw this battle in a vision given to him centuries ago by the Lord.
“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? [Compare Revelation 14:19-20].
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was none with Me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. [Compare Revelation 19:11-13].
For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come. [Compare Isaiah 61:1-3].
And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine own arm brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me.
And I will tread down the peoples in Mine anger, and make them drunk in My fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth,” Isaiah 63:1-6.
This mighty battle against His enemies and the enemies of Israel will be fought by the Lord all the through “the wilderness” right up the EAST SIDE of the Dead Sea. Compare Ezekiel 38:21-23, 39:1-8, Zechariah 14:1-15, and Revelation 19:11-21.
That this will be a real, literal battle is proven by the fact that when Isaiah saw the Lord, he marveled that His clothing was stained “…red…..like him that treadeth in the winefat…” The Lord Himself said, “…..their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment.” This truth is also verified in Revelation 19:13. The Lord in giving mankind His Word, always practices what He preaches. Read Deuteronomy 19:15 and 2 Corinthians 13:1.
This same Jesus…
Little details about this final battle can be found in many other Scriptures in God’s Word if people would study the Scriptures carefully.
For instance, Psalm 110:5-7 speaks about this same final end-time battle, even making this observation, “He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head,” 110:7. A look at a map of that area, will reveal that about half way up the EAST SIDE of the Dead Sea is the Arnon river. This Scripture tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ will pause at that river and “…drink of the brook in the way…,” and that when He drinks of it He will be refreshed. Now why would the Lord need to be refreshed? Because He is coming back to this earth as the Kinsman-Redeemer; the heir of Adam, and is therefore coming back as a MAN. Hello!
Some believers seem to think that when Christ arose from the dead with a “glorified” body He ceased to be a “man.” They couldn’t be more wrong! Many years after the Lord had ascended back to the Heavenly Father, the inspired Apostle wrote, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5. Folks, to this day our Savior and Mediator is still “Emmanuel;” God in flesh; the Divine Man. The glorified body of Christ is simply a different “species” of mankind, that is, “a new creation,” just as are we New Testament believers, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Read James 1:18. The Lord’s human body has already been “glorified,” while we believers are still waiting to “put on” our “glorified” bodies, Romans 8:18-23, 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; Philippians 3:20-21.
I am laboring this truth to emphasize to God’s people that “…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven,” Acts 1:11. After His resurrection, didn’t He still have the scars in His hands and side from being crucified? Read John 20:25-27. Won’t He still bear those same scars when He returns? Read again Zechariah 13:6. Praise God!
As one of the precious old hymns of the saints so aptly says,
“I shall know Him; I shall know Him;
When I see Him, I shall know Him,
by the nail prints in His hands.”
Back to Jerusalem
The Lord, just as Joshua did some 3,400 years ago, will lead the Jews through “the wilderness” on the EAST SIDE of the Dead Sea and back to their beloved homeland. When they arrive at the north end of the Dead Sea, the Lord will then turn due west and lead them across the Jordan river. Some 3,400 years ago when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant stepped into the waters of the Jordan, it parted and the Jewish people passed across the Jordan on dry land. Read the account for yourself in Joshua 3 – 4. I would remind our readers that the Ark of the Covenant was the symbol. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the reality. I highly suspect that when the Lord steps into the Jordan, it will part again just like it did 3,400 years ago and the Jewish people will once more cross over on dry land. Glory to God! Hallelujah! How great is our Savior! Praise the Lord!
The Lord will then lead the Jews from the Jordan westward on towards Jerusalem. This will bring the Lord, King David and the Jews, and their whole company back into Jerusalem directly over the top of the mount of Olives, fulfilling Zechariah 14:1-15 to the letter. Read the whole account for yourself. At that very time…..
Another “remnant” of Jews who did not flee to Petra will be backed up against the mount of Olives fighting for their very lives, about to be overwhelmed and destroyed by the armies of the Antichrist. At that precise time the Lord Jesus Christ will come over the top of the mount of Olives. Can you even adequately visualize the scene? Those embattled Jews will look up and see their promised Messiah coming to save them, and will cry out with a mighty shout, “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord,” Matthew 23:39. At that exact instant the entire mountain will split wide open, creating a valley and an escape route for those embattled Jews. They will flee through the valley to safety, while the Lord rages into their enemies, trampling them under His feet and filling the Kidron valley with their blood “…even unto the horse bridles…,” Revelation 14:20.
Once Jerusalem has been secured by the Lord and those who are accompanying Him, the Lord will then proceed right on northward through the valleys of Jezreel, Achan [Achor], Jehoshaphat, and Megiddo, slaughtering His enemies all the way until He emerges right out on to the plain of Megiddo. Finally…..
There on the plain of Megiddo the last shot ever fired in battle, the last command of the war mongers, the last scream of the wounded and dying, will for ever fade away as the blessed SILENCE OF PEACE settles over the whole bloody scene.
“And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many peoples: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANY MORE,” Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Glory to God! Thank the Lord that HE who is “…the desire of all nations shall come,” Haggai 2:6-7. Praise and glory to our precious Lord!
-by an unnamed pastor from Missouri