A Retired Prophecy Blog: Links

Showing posts with label Links. Show all posts

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas relevant posts of this Blog

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Isaiah 17, past or future?

I've been on the Isaiah 17 is about modern Syria's political turmoil bandwagon since before it was a Bandwagon, as far back as at least 2004 saying it on IMDB message boards. I was with it before it was popular.

But I've read an article that makes important points arguing that it is already fulfilled. The people behind this article might be Preterist in general which I would disagree with, I'm not very familiar with the site.

What's important is how the "it can't be already fulfilled" arguments are strongly linked to a Translation error that has it's origin in the Septuagint. Because I've argued that the Septuagint is a problem before. [And now I would argue Aion doesn't mean forever either.]

I certainly agree that Damascus won't cease to be a City "forever" since Ezekiel 47&48 clearly has Damascus existing in the New Heaven and New Earth. Babylon is the only City permanently destroyed forever, and Edom the only entire nation.

And what is pointed out here about the "Day of the LORD" terminology can be good for weakening the flawed logic of Post-Tirbbers and Pre-Wrathers and others who want to garble the chronology of Revelation. And those who insist that day must be a literal 24 Hour day.

That Isaiah 13 is in the future is something I will not be shaken on however.

What I don't get is this article not addressing how the end of the Chapter describes a FAILED invasion of Israel by the nations, not the Northern Kingdom's fall.

Indeed the second half of the Chapter has everything sounding rather Millennial to me. I've talked before about how I don't view the Millennium as a Utopia. Also my view that there is more time between the end of the Millennium and the Gog and Magog invasion then most people assume.

Friday, September 25, 2015

Tiny URL Link for This Blog

Unless I can find a way to change the URL without killing the old links, I'll have to keep using TinyURL to promote this on Facebook and Twitter.

http://tinyurl.com/ChronologicalRevelation

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ChronologicalRevelation

I'll be adding links for specific parts of the Blog in time.

http://tinyurl.com/September25th2033

http://preview.tinyurl.com/September25th2033

Thursday, June 18, 2015

We should follow the Karaite reckoning rather then the Rabbinic calander

There is no call in The Bible to try and predict in advance when various days will fall.

The first of Nisan is the only new year that is Biblical. And it should always be the first New Moon after the Barley Harvest in Israel starts. When the Barley Harvest happens in Adar (or second Adar if they have one) then the Rabbinic calendar happens to be right. And the Karaite reckoning does wind up corresponding with the Rabbinic calendar more often the Samaritan Calendar does.

If the Barley Harvest happens late and i doesn't occur in Adar, then that is when you do a second Adar, whether or not it was expected. And if the Barley harvest happens in first Adar, then there shouldn't be a second Adar whether or not the Rabbinics had planned one.

http://www.karaite-korner.org/holidays.shtml

Likewise for the months. The Rabbinics have complicated way of counting things, and because of that even when the month is right Tabernacles often doesn't fall on the true Astronomical Full Moon. If the New Moon happens sooner then expected then that months ends early, if it happens latter then expected then that months has an extra day or two.

Now today we can predicts New Moons and Full Moon pretty accurately with our astronomical sciences that the Ancient Hebrews didn't have. How nature cooperates for the Barley Harvest is not as dependable however.

Christians who think The Biblical calendar still has significance, should start as soon as it's February looking for the Barley Harvest in Israel.

Karaites aren't Christians, but they are the Protestants of the Jewish world in terms of Sola Sicprtura. Some may at times be like many Protestants who pay lip service to Sola Sciprtura while attacking Catholics but then just build traditions of their own. But it looks from the website I linked to that they have a pretty solid understanding of the Biblical reckoning of the times and seasons.

Update Jan2016: Knowing that the Rabbis are doing can still help predict some basic things, the New Moons are not likely be off by any more then 2 days. And from there using Stellarium from a view point in Israel can maybe help one predict if the New Moons will be off. The Rabbis are expecting 2016 to have a Second Adar. And with Shevet beginning less then half way into January I think it's likely there will be one for the Karaites too.

Some Karaites have chosen to outright identify themselves with the Sadducees and deny the Resurrection of the Dead The Afterlife and a coming Messiah. But not all take that position.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Cyaxares II was said to be a king of the Medes whose reign is described by the Greek historian Xenophon. Some theories have equated this figure with the "Darius the Mede" named in the Book of Daniel. However, the fact that he is not mentioned at all in the history of Herodotus, nor in the very different history of Ctesias, has caused many scholars to debate whether such a king ever actually existed.

According to Xenophon's Cyropaedia, Cyaxares II followed king Astyages to the throne of the Mede Empire, and was also brother of Mandane, Cyrus the Great's mother. He describes the Persian Cyrus as cooperating with his uncle, Cyaxares, in order to conquer Babylon in 539 BC. However Cyaxares was by then an old man, and because Cyrus was in command of the campaign, the army came to regard Cyrus as king. Cyrus thus received not only the king's daughter (his first cousin), but his kingdom, as dowry, and the aged Cyaxares became Cyrus' viceroy in Babylon for two years until his death, when Cyrus seized that kingdom as well.

"4. That Darius the Mede was Cyaxares II, the son of Astyages. Compare the statements in (Prophets and Kings 523, 556, 557) concerning Cyrus as the nephew and general of Darius with Xenophon’s claim that (1) Cyrus, Astyages’ grandson through his mother Mandane, had become acquainted with his uncle Cyaxares during the years Cyrus spent at the court of his Median grandfather (Cyropaedia i. 3. 1; 4. 1, 6–9, 20–22; 5. 2) ; (2) that Cyaxares followed his father on the throne as king of Media, after the latter’s death (i. 5. 2); (3) that when Cyrus had conquered Babylon he visited his uncle with gifts and offered him a palace in Babylon; that Cyaxares accepted the presents, and gave Cyrus his daughter as well as the kingdom (viii. 5. 17–20). Although the details of the story as given by Xenophon cannot be accepted, it is possible that the Greek writer preserves correctly the tradition that Cyaxares was the last Median ruler, and that he was Cyrus’ father-in-law as well as an intimate friend of the great Persian. If these points can be accepted as historical facts, it can be assumed that Cyrus, upon rebelling against Astyages, permitted Cyaxares to rule as a shadow king to please the Medes. At the same time everyone in the kingdom would know that the actual sovereign was Cyrus, and that Cyaxares was a mere figurehead. In that case Darius the Mede may be identified with Cyaxares II, who, presumably, had come to Babylon at Cyrus’ invitation to act in an honorary capacity as king. That Cyaxares II was advanced in age at the time of the fall of Babylon can be shown as follows, assuming Xenophon to be correct: Cyaxares II was the father-in-law of Cyrus. Cyrus himself was most likely at least 40 years old at the time, as is evident from the fact that his son, Cambyses, was mature enough to represent him in an official position during the next New Year’s Day activities. Hence Cyaxares II could have been 62 years old at the fall of Babylon, the age Daniel assigned to Darius the Mede. His comparatively advanced age—in a time when most people died young—may have been responsible for the fact that he did not survive the fall of Babylon very long. This would explain why Daniel mentions only his first regnal year. Xenophon reports nothing further concerning Cyaxares shortly after the conquest of Babylon. Daniel’s statement that Darius was the “son” of Ahasuerus should probably be understood as meaning that he was the “grandson” of Ahasuerus. That the Hebrew word for “son” may mean “grandson,” or an even more remote descendant, can be abundantly demonstrated (see on 2 Kings 8:26). The English form Ahasuerus is from the Heb. ’Achashwerosh, which might possibly be a rendering of Uvaxshtrah, the Old Persian spelling of Cyaxares I, but not of Astyages. If after his arrival at Babylon, Darius became a special friend of Daniel’s, it is understandable that the prophet would date the visions received during this brief reign in terms of Darius’ regnal years ( Daniel chs. 9:1; 11:1), rather than of the regnal years of Cyrus. However, after the one year credited to Darius, Daniel dated events in terms of the years of Cyrus’ reign (Daniel chs. 1:21; 10:1). Contemporary evidence that might shed light on this reconstruction of the history of Cyaxares II is ambiguous and meager. There is a possible reference to Cyaxares in the Nabonidus Chronicle. Since it is certain that Gubaru lived for many years after the conquest of Babylon, whereas Ugbaru died soon after, and a state mourning was provided for some high personage during the same month, it may be possible to see Cyaxares II in the Ugbaru of the Nabonidus Chronicle. Or, the name of Cyaxares may have been in the broken line which speaks about the death of a distinguished individual for whom a nationwide mourning was held. However, there seems to be an error in the first mention of Ugbaru in the Nabonidus Chronicle. Either the name Ugbaru is a scribal error for Gubaru, or the title “governor of Gutium” was by mistake transferred by the author of the tablet from Gubaru to Ugbaru. A second possible piece of contemporary evidence may lie in the double mention of a Cyaxares in the great Behistun inscription of Darius I (on the Behistun inscription see Vol. I, pp. 98, 110). Among the several pretenders to the throne against whom Darius I fought were two who claimed to be of the family of Cyaxares. The Cyaxares in question may have been either Cyaxares I, the father of Astyages, or possibly Cyaxares II, the father-in-law of Cyrus, and last shadow king of Media. The foregoing summary makes evident that there are still many obscure factors in the solution of the problem of identifying Darius the Mede from historical and archeological sources. All things considered, however, this commentary favors the fouth view."

Nichol, Francis D.: The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary : The Holy Bible With Exegetical and Expository Comment. Washington, D.C. : Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1978 (Commentary Reference Series),

Monday, January 26, 2015

Other Mid-Trib websites

They are rare, but I've found some.

I've mentioned Nomadic Ministry on this blog before. I have also now found two other sites.

The Spiritual Solider

Hope To The End

I also found a video on YouTube supporting a form of Mid-Trib Rapture.
Daniel's 70th Week - According to Revelation

All three sites have things I disagree with them on, not just on other eschatology issues but also how to define a Mid-Seventieth Week Rapture. The Youtube video makes mistakes on Revelation chronology common to Post-Trib and Pre-Wrath.

There is a tendency to confuse Mid-Trib and Pre-Wrath, so I had to pay careful attention to make sure these two sites weren't doing that.

Still, it's important since I believe this view is the correct timing and yet is the least popular that we make an effort to support each others.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Mid-Trib discussed by another supporter.

Nomadic Ministry

This is another online Blog that supports the Mid-Tirb position. Since we're a small position I feel we should support each other. But I have a lot of Doctrinal disagreements with Nomadic Ministry on a lot of other issues. Including his version of Dual Covenant Theology, and lack of support for the full inspiration of Scripture.

In one of his other posts he chooses very mistakenly to agree with the Pre-Tirb crowd that Matthew 24 isn't describing The Rapture. I view that as very unfortunate.

I also have Political disagreements with him. He tends to be Neo-Con on foreign policy, while I'm a Ron Paul Libertarian.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

The Kurds have been in the News Today

I of course believe the view that they are the Eschatological Medes of Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 50-51. I'm going to share here some links on the subject.

I disagree with plenty of other Prophetic views in some of these articles. I've spoken elsewhere on why I reject Turkey being part of the Gog and Magog alliance. And Either way I see it as Post Millennial. And Because Isaiah 13-14 is relevant, the usual mistakes about Satan's fall which I've sought to correct elsewhere come up.

And sadly many I'm sure were written by typical Republican Evangelicals, who support Neo-Con foreign Policy. I find it amusing how Perry Stone talks about the huge mess in Iraq and how it might be paving the way for The Antichrist. But refusing to accept that Bush's foreign policy is what made that mess.

First is a link not bringing any Biblical Prophecy or modern Politics into it. Just about the reasons why The Kurds can claim to be the modern Medes.

http://www.kurdistanica.com/?q=node/78

I realize there are other scholars skeptical of the view. And they're not the only people who can claim some Medean descent, and more then just the Medes contributed to their ancestry. But they're the ones in The right Biblical place. The way the controversy brings Turkey and Iran into it also fits. Jeremiah also refers to locations in western Turkey and northern Iran when he speaks of Ashkenaz and Ararat and Minni in 51:27.

These Links are on the modern situation without bringing in Prophecy.

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2...us-turkey.html#

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defe...remium-1.601997

http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la...0629-story.html

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-d...soon/1563466334

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2...7321568960.html
This last one is a liberal source critical of Israel supporting the Kurds. Ignoring that Jordan was created to be a state for The Muslims of the "Palestine" region.

The following links are on The Medes role in Isaiah and Jeremiah's prophecies.

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2014...region-of-iraq/

http://www.cuttingedge.org/News/n2150.cfm

http://blogs.christianpost.com/geopolitics...prophecy-14247/

http://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophe...n-of-the-medes/

I should add that I personally think this conflict involving The Kurds, Iraq, Turkey and Iran may be the crisis that is the "tidings out of the east and out of the north" that bother the Willful King in Daniel 11:44 after he conquers The King of The North (Syria) which looking at things right now may be I.S.I.S.

Some people speculate on The Kurds possibly having Lost Tribes ancestry, I talk about why that more here. It makes sense because many of the deported northern Israelites were taken to the cities of the Medes.

Update: The Linguistic evidence is the main argument, the Kurds are pretty much the only speakers of the only surviving Northwestern Iranian Languages, meaning the languages that descend from the Median Kingdom of Isaiah and Jeremiah's times.

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