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Alpha News Daily

Weekly News Update

3/18/08

To Readers: If your e-mail comes through 'unstyled' with characters like "%$#* in the headlines or links, go to:

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This weekly news update is being sent because the Bible tells us to know the prophecies and to "watch" for their fulfillment (which can only be done by learning and knowing what is going on around the world) ... yet, many churches and synagogues today ignore and deny Bible prophecy (which in itself is a major fulfillment of Bible prophecy) ...

Now, a short Bible prophecy lesson to help show how close we are ...

+ Israel back in the Land as a nation (this started the clock ticking ...)

+ Iran and allies threatening war against Israel

+ Russia rising ... and acting as a 'guard' for Iran

+ China armed with weapons capable of quickly destroying 1/3 of mankind

+ Nations of the ancient Roman Empire (Europe?) reuniting and rising in power

+ Teachings of false 'Prophets' leading many

+ A Generation 'morally corrupt' and 'filled with violence'

(The Bible uses the word 'corrupt' - like smelly, rotting meat)

+ 'The falling away'... churches and synagogues no longer teaching or enduring sound doctrine

+ Israel and Jerusalem . . . trouble, troubles, and more trouble

+ All nations turning against nation Israel . . .

= The Generation of the ... Rapture ... the 'Apocalypse' ... Armageddon ... and Messiah's Return.

For the first time in history this prophetic 'equation' is nearly complete . . . and all in this generation!!!

That Tiny Red 'Dot' is Israel ... God warns, 'Israel is His'...'Allah' and his vast armies (green) keep trying to prove Him wrong

The 'God of Israel' and the Bible . . . or . . . 'Allah' and the Koran . . . The Bible Warns One Is True . . . and One Is False

The coming Battle of Armageddon ('Hill of Megiddo') . . . Armageddon lies right in the center of that tiny Red 'Dot'

"I (God) will bless those who bless you (Israel) and will curse those who curse you". . . (Genesis 12:3)

Top Stories . . .

(Click on the headline for the full news story ... Click on the blue link for the Bible prophecy)

Russia's (New President) Medvedev And Putin With Zhirinovsky and Duma Chiefs Discuss Russia Development ...

--Itar-Tass (Russia) (Prophecies...Russia, Iran, and allies will go to war and will invade Israel)

Russia's Putin, Medvedev, and Zhirinovsky in Meeting - Moscow Times

Earlier: Russia's Zhirinovsky Calls For A Nuclear Attack Against Japan and Re-Occupying Alaska ...

--Moscow Times (Prophecies...Russia and allies will go to war and will invade Israel) (Prophecies: The coming 'Apocalypse')

Chinese Security Forces Swarm Tibet...

--Drudge/AP (Prophecies...China and allies will destroy 1/3 of mankind) (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war)

Chinese Troops Parade Tibetan Prisoners In Handcuffs ...

--Drudge/TimesOnLine (Prophecies...China and allies will destroy 1/3 of mankind) (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war)

Pentagon Official Warns China May Already Be At "Cyberwar" With the U.S. ...

--World Tribune (Prophecies...China and allies will destroy 1/3 of mankind) (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war)

Murderous Mayhem In Mexico ... At Least 3,008 Killed During Brutal Crime Wave In Just 15 Months

--WND (Prophecies warn the Generation of Armageddon will be morally "corrupt" and "filled with violence")

After Finding Parts Of 6 Dismembered Bodies Mexican Cops Find 36 Bodies in Border City Backyard ...

--Koenig/Fox News (Prophecies: Generation of Armageddon will be "filled with violence") (Brutal Islamic tactics now being found in Mexico ...)

Note to Readers: "Easter"... "Feast of Firstfruits"... "Resurrection Day"... following this week's News Headlines below (and under the photos) you will find remarkable prophecies of the Messiah written by the prophets in the Tanakh (called the Old Testament by Christians) hundreds of years BEFORE the birth of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) ... so, when you see people around the world celebrating 'Easter' (a non-Biblical term) this coming Sunday, consider how accurately (and literally) all these prophecies (concerning Messiah's first coming as 'the Passover Lamb of God') were fulfilled ... although it may seem a little long ... whether Jew or Gentile you will find it fascinating and worth the effort to read . . . and remember God warns all the prophecies found in the Bible (including the few listed on this page) will be fulfilled just as accurately (and literally) . . .

"Surely the Lord God does nothing,

unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets ..."

(Amos 3:7) (Especially concerning His promised Messiah ... see the special prophecy section after the Weekly News Headlines)

"Search from the Book of the Lord and read:
   Not one of these (prophecies) shall fail.
   Not one shall lack her mate.
   For My mouth has commanded it . . . ."
   (Isaiah 34:16)

This Week's News Headlines . . .

(What to do in times of trouble ... Trust in the Lord, draw near to Him, earnestly pray for His guidance and direction, and seek His Will in your life.)

Finding Hope and Comfort ... For Those Going Through Difficult Times

--Alpha News Daily (Finding Hope and Comfort in Times of Trouble ...) (God's Promise ...)

Weekly News Update ... with Weekly News Archives ... (More Added)

--Alpha News Daily (Read earlier "Weekly News Updates" from Alpha News Daily)

Levitating Woman ..."Clear-Cut Case Of Demonic Possession"

--WND (Prophecies ... The coming Antichrist) (Who is Satan?) The book (and movie) "The Exorcist" was based on actual case studies ...

There are at least two other classes of creatures (created beings) described in the Bible ... angels and demons. We are warned never to call on, pray to, or worship angels. It appears these two creatures are different (I could be wrong) ... for we find in the Bible angels can sometimes appear to look just like "men" (Genesis 19:1-15 ... Hebrews 13:2) ... while demons always seem to require a human body (or in one case a herd of pigs ... Matthew 8:28-31) to enter into and dwell within. Nowhere does the Bible say these creatures (or creature if they are both forms of angels) have the same three-dimensional space limitations as Man (physics and math majors with understand the significance of this), or are bound to Earth like Man. We are told at some point (around the time of Armageddon) Satan and his angels (which we are told number one-third of all angels) will all be cast down to Earth (Revelation 12:3-4 ... Revelation 12:9). We are also told that Satan now has access to God and Heaven (read Job 1:6-12 plus many passages throughout the Bible) and he is called our "Adversary" (or enemy) and also is called the "Destroyer" ("Abaddon" in Hebrew and "Apollyon" in the Greek ... Revelation 9:11).

Believing Christians are told not to fear him because "He who is in you (the Holy Spirit ... through Jesus Christ ... Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) is greater than he who is in the world (Satan)" ... 1 John 4:4). Remember, the Bible tells us Satan was created and is a created being (Ezekiel 28::13 ... Ezekiel 28:15), and the Bible also tells us Messiah (Jesus Christ ... Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) created all things in Heaven and on Earth (including Satan) ... Colossians 1:16 ... Revelation 4:11 ... John 1:1-3). Yet, we do pray always the Lord will protect us, guard us, shield us, defend us, and deliver us from the attacks, the snares, the traps, and the temptations of the "Evil One"... this mighty "Adversary"... Satan.

We are also told Satan (this "Great Red Dragon") is at war with Israel ... (the "woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars"... Revelation 12:1-8 ... also see Genesis 37:9) ... and will try to destroy Her... because Israel brought forth the Messiah ... and will be instrumental in His return ... Revelation 12:1-8. The news we are now watching as the world slowly turns against God's people and Land of Israel has far greater implications than we might think. (Prophecies: The coming 'Apocalypse' and Armageddon) (Prophecies of Messiah's Return) (Prophecies ... The coming Rapture)

Archbishop Kidnapped By Islamics In Iraq Found Dead ...

--WND/AP (Prophecies describing the 'Generation of Armageddon') (A note on Islam ...) ("Allah"... the ancient Babylonian Moon god)

Islamics Cut Off Fingers Of US and Austrian Hostages In Iraq ...

--Fox News (Prophecies describing the 'Generation of Armageddon') (A note on Islam ...) ("Allah"... the ancient Babylonian Moon god)

Rabbi Blasts His Father's Political Party ... "Jewish Party (Shas) Sold Jerusalem For $138 Million"

--WND (Prophecies...Israel and Jerusalem after becoming a nation)

Then: How St. Patrick Changed History ... After Escaping His Druid Captors He Returned To Teach Them God's Word

--WND//William Federer (The most important Bible prophecies ... Heaven or Hell ... the final separation)

Now: Vicar Beaten in UK ... Attackers Taunt "This Should Not Be a Church, This Should Be a Mosque"

--WND/London Daily Mail (Prophecies ... Christians will be hated) (A note on Islam ...) ("Allah"... the ancient Babylonian Moon god)

The New Martyrs ... "Christian Pastor Gunned Down And His Wife Shot As Their Young Toddler Looks On"...

--Koenig Int'l/Washington Times (Prophecies ... Christ (Messiah) and Christians will be hated) (Prophecies: The Generation of Armageddon)

Why To Believe In The "Resurrection"...

--DavidHocking.org (Prophecies of Messiah's Return) (The most important Bible prophecies ... Heaven or Hell ... the final separation)

Photo: free-stockphotos.com

Prophecies Fulfilled . . .

God warned He would one day make a 'New Covenant' (translated New Testament) with the children of Israel . . .

"Behold, the days are coming   (meaning this was a prophecy)
   when I (God) will make a NEW COVENANT (testament)
   with the House of Israel
   and the House of Judah ..."
   (Jeremiah 31:31)

And Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) fulfilled this when He said ...

"This cup     (representing the third cup of Passover which He was drinking)
   is the NEW COVENANT
   in My Blood ..."
   (1 Corinthians 11:25)

The Cross was part of God’s Plan to provide the way to save us from our sins and from Hell ...

"Yet it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him;

put Him to grief,

make His soul an offering for sin . . ."

(Isaiah 53:10 ... KJV paraphrased)

(The sacrificial Passover "Lamb of God"...once and for all ... prophecy fulfilled ... the Temple sacrifices were no longer needed )

Prophecies Fulfilled . . .

The Bible warned Messiah would be despised by the world ... and rejected by Israel

"The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,

To Him whom man (the world) despises,

To Him whom the nation (Israel) abhors."

(Isaiah 49:7)

"He was despised,

and we did not esteem Him."

(Isaiah 53:3)

The Bible prophesied He would be Crucified . . . a torturous and agonizing death

"All My bones are out of joint . . .

My tongue clings to My jaws;

They pierced My hands and My feet,

They look and stare at Me."

(Psalm 22:14, 15, 16, 17)

The Bible warned He would be mocked during His time of suffering and death . . .

"A reproach of men and despised of the people,

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying

‘He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;’"

(Psalm 22:7-8)

The Bible predicted they would divide His garments and cast lots for His clothes . . .

"They divide my garments among them,

and for My garments they cast lots."

(Psalm 22:18)

Don't blame the children of Israel ...

the Bible warned Messiah would be beaten, bloodied, and would die for our iniquities (sins)

so we could escape the judgment . . . the darkness and torments of Hell

"But He (Messiah) was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities (sins);

The chastisement (punishment) for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes (whip lashes) we are healed.

And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity (sin) of us all."

(Isaiah 53:5-7) (The Hebrew noun used for 'He' was singular and cannot refer to the whole nation of Israel ...)

Photo: free-stockphotos.com

Prophecies Fulfilled . . .

The Bible warned Messiah would be buried in a rich man's grave . . .

"He (Messiah) was buried like a criminal in a rich man's grave;"

(Isaiah 53:9)

The Bible promised Messiah would be quickly resurrected (raised from the dead) . . .

"For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (Hell),

Nor will You allow Your Holy One (the Messiah)

to see corruption (decompose)."

(Psalm 16:10)

And Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) explained . . .

"These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that all things (prophecies) must be fulfilled

which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets (the Tanakh ... Old Testament)

and the Psalms concerning Me."

And He opened their understanding,

that they might comprehend the Scriptures."

Then He (Jesus-Yeshua) said to them,

"Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ (Messiah)

to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

and that repentance and remission of sins

should be preached in His name to all nations,

beginning at Jerusalem."

(Luke 24:44-47) (Messiah was also given "as a Light unto the Gentiles"... Isaiah 49:6)

University Of Virginia Newspaper Mocks God and Mary With Obscene Vulgarities ...

--WND (Prophecies ... Christians will be hated) (Prophecies warn the Generation of Armageddon will be morally "corrupt" ... will mock and blaspheme God and Jesus)

The "I-Hate-America" Democrats ...

--WND/Joseph Farah (Prophecies describing the 'Generation of Armageddon' includes "traitors")

Weather Channel Founder Wants To Sue Al Gore for Fraud...

--Drudge/Fox News (The Bible warns one-day during the coming "Apocalypse" the sun will scorch the Earth ... Rev 16:8-9)

Democrats In Congress Have Already Prepared To Increase Our Taxes Significantly!

--NewsMax

New York Governor Spitzer (Democrat) Resigns In Wake Of Prostitution Scandal ...

--Fox News (Prophecies warn the Generation of Armageddon will be morally "corrupt")

Soon After Being Sworn In, The New Governor Paterson of New York Admits To Having Sex With Another Woman For Years ...

--WND (Prophecies warn the Generation of Armageddon will be morally "corrupt")

Male Aide To Democrat New Jersey Governor McCreevy Discloses Three-Way Sex With The Governor and Wife ...

--WND/New York Post (Prophecies warn the Generation of Armageddon will be morally "corrupt") (Clinton, Spitzer, Barney Franks, McCreevy, etc., etc., ... not since the deepest depravity of ancient Rome has a nation lifted up such immoral leaders ...)

"Perfect Storm" Hits Parents Who Want To Protect Their Children From California Public Schools ...

--WND (Homeschooled students tend to score higher academically than public school students and are better adjusted ...)

Dutch To Legalize Homosexual Sex In Public Park ...

--WND/London Telegraph (Bible Warnings: Homosexuality and Abortion) (Prophecies ... The 'Generation of Armageddon' will mock God's Word)

Swiss Suicide "Factory" Reopens Next To Brothel ... Clients Walked In Front Door ... Then Carried Out In A Box

--WND/Guardian (UK) (Prophecies warn the Generation of Armageddon will be morally "corrupt" and "filled with violence")

Obama's Pastor Theology: Destroy "The White Enemy"...

--WND (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war ... "ethnic against ethnic") (Prophecies ... Churches and church leaders will be corrupted)

Contradicting His Denial, Report Shows Obama Did Attend "White Arrogance"... "Hate America" Sermon

--NewsMax (Prophecies ... "In the last days ... "deceiving (lying) and being deceived") (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war ... "ethnic against ethnic")

Obama's "Minister" Says, "God Damn America ... US To Blame For 9/11"...

--WND/ABC (Prophecies: The "falling away"... Churches and church leaders will no longer 'endure' sound doctrine)

"Beware of false teachers (prophets),

who come to you in sheep's clothing, (they will look like Christians and will have religious titles)

but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." (Many spiritual lives will be lost because of false teaching in the churches)

(Matthew 7:15) (The most important Bible prophecies ... Heaven or Hell ... the final separation)

"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you

concerning our common salvation,

I found it necessary (compelled) to write to you

exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith

which was once for all delivered to the saints.

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, (church leaders)

who long ago were marked out for this condemnation,

ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness . . .

(who corrupt, twist, ignore, deny, or refuse to teach God’s word in the Bible)

But I want to remind you, though you once knew this,

that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt,

afterward destroyed those who did not believe." (God's Word ... the rules are the same for every generation.)

(Jude 1:3-6)

"Now the Spirit expressly says

that in latter times some (church leaders)

will depart from the faith,

giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons

speaking lies in hypocrisy,

having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,

forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods . . ."

(1 Timothy 4:1-3)

"For the time will come (and we are now there)

when they (many men and women who call themselves "Christian")

will not put up with (endure) sound doctrine. (What the Bible teaches ...)

Instead, to suit their own desires,

they will gather around them a great number of teachers

to say what their itching ears want to hear.

(who will only tell them what they want to hear and not what the Bible says)

They will turn their ears away from the truth

and turn aside to myths. (Such as the 'DaVinci Code')

But you (simple, believing Christians)

be watchful in all things,

endure hardship, (for many "Christians" and church leaders today no longer want to hear what the Bible says ...)

do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

(2 Timothy 4:3-5)

Presidential Candidate Barack Hussein Obama Feels Comfortable With "God Damn America??"...

--WND/Hal Lindsey (Prophecies describing the 'Generation of Armageddon' includes "traitors") (This church is a front for something very unBiblical ...)

"Nation of Islam" Leader Farrakhan Says Democrat Barack Hussein Obama Is The 'Hope of the Entire World'...

--Drudge/AP (Prophecies describing the 'Generation of Armageddon') (A note on Islam ...) ("Allah"... Is the ancient Babylonian Moon god ..."Sin")

US Ambassador To Israel Warns, "US Concerned Over (Jews) Building In Jerusalem"...

--Jerusalem Post "I (God) will bless those who bless you (Israel) and will curse those who curse you"... (Genesis 12:3)

"Worthless"... JP Morgan Buys Bear Stern In "Fire Sale" As Fed Widens Credit To Avert Economic Disaster

--Drudge/Wall Street Journal (More "curses" ahead as our ungrateful nation turns its back on God and God's Word ...)

From Russia: Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice Come to Moscow For Nothing ...

--Pravda (Russia) (Prophecies...Russia, Iran, and allies will invade Israel) (The days of "negotiating" with Russia are over ... Russia senses victory)

Our World: Germany's "Pro-Israel" Power Play ...

--Jerusalem Post/Caroline Glick (Prophecies...Israel after becoming a nation) (Prophecies...Russia and allies will go to war and will invade Israel)

Notable Israeli Political Figure Moshe Feiglin Responds to Being Barred from England ...

--Koenig Int'l (Prophecies...Israel and Jerusalem after becoming a nation)

Israel To Hold Massive National Emergency Drill ...

--Jerusalem Post (Prophecies...Israel and Jerusalem after becoming a nation) The time draws near ...

Turkish Court Takes Up Demand To Ban Ruling (Islamic) Party ...

--AFP (France) (Prophecies...Russia, Iran, Turkey, and allies will go to war and will invade Israel)

Hamas Offers Israel Deal On Cease Fire ...

--DavidHocking.org (Prophecies...Israel and Jerusalem after becoming a nation) (Prophecies ...'Gaza shall be forsaken")

Strategic Intention and Mass Man ...

--JR Nyquist (Prophecies...Russia, Iran, and allies will go to war and will invade Israel) (Prophecies...China and allies will destroy 1/3 of mankind)

Patrick Henry College ... Introducing The New Harvard

--WND (Ivy League quality with a Biblical foundation ... scholastic powerhouse with mostly home-schooled students)

Israel's Annual Intelligence Report ...

--DavidHocking.org (Prophecies...Israel after becoming a nation) (Prophecies...Russia, Iran, and allies will go to war and will invade Israel)

Military Officers Welcome Admiral Fallon's Resignation From CentCom ...

--WND/Wash Times (Say he did not protect our troops by failing to stop foreign fighters and weapons from entering Iraq ...)

Euro Tops $1.55 For First Time ...

--BBC News (Prophecies ... 10 nations of the Roman Empire will reunite and rise in great power) (Prophecies ... The coming Antichrist)

How Russia's Putin Got His Grip On Russian Oil and Energy ...

--Moscow Times (Prophecies...Russia and allies will go to war and invade Israel) (Track the rise in oil prices after Putin took control over Russian oil ...)

Switzerland To Sign Huge Gas Deal With Iran ...

--Jerusalem Post (Prophecies...Russia and allies will go to war and will invade Israel)

5.9 Earthquake Reported Off Oregon Coast ...

--AFP (Prophecies ... Earthquakes in diverse places)

Alarm Over Venezuela's Arms Buildup ...

--WND/Business Week (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war)

Our World: As Musharraf Surrenders Pakistan to the Taliban ... So Goes The US With Gaza

--Jerusalem Post/Caroline Glick (Prophecies...Israel after becoming a nation) (Prophecies...Russia and allies will go to war and will invade Israel)

From Israel: Attention Turns to Israel-Arab "Fifth Column"...

--Israel Nat'l News (Prophecies...Israel after becoming a nation) (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war)

'Israel Threatened To Attack Damascus' ...

--Jerusalem Post (Prophecies ... Damascus-Syria will be utterly destroyed) (Prophecies ... Wars and rumors of war)

The following Bible prophecies of the Messiah were written in the Old Testament (Tanakh) many hundreds of years BEFORE Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) was ever born ... and were also translated into Greek (in the Jewish 'Septuagint' Bible) over 250 years BEFORE Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) was born. . .

"For I am God, and there is no other.
   I am God, and there is none like Me,
   Declaring the end from the beginning,
   and from ancient times
   things that are not yet done . . ."
   (Isaiah 46:9-10)

The Bible told us Messiah would ride triumphantly into Jerusalem . . .

Meek and lowly . . . riding on a donkey

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (Israel)!

Behold, your King (Messiah) is coming to you;

He is just and having salvation,

yet He is lowly and riding on a donkey."

(Zechariah 9:9) (A remarkable mathematical prophecy was also fulfilled on this day ... the book of Daniel's prophecy of the Messiah)

He would be betrayed by a friend

"Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who

ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me."

(Psalm 41:9)

They would set a price on Him of 30 pieces of silver . . .

which would then be thrown into the potter's field

"So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’ -

that princely price they set on me."

(Zechariah 11:12-13)

The Messiah would be despised and rejected . . .

He would deeply feel the pain of rejection

"He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief."

(Isaiah 53:3)

People would turn their backs on Him

"And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;"

(Isaiah 53:3)

The Messiah would be despised

"He was despised,

and we did not esteem Him."

(Isaiah 53:3)

The Messiah would be despised by the world and rejected by Israel

"The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,

To Him whom man (the world) despises,

To Him whom the nation (Israel) abhors."

(Isaiah 49:7)

He would suffer . . . brutally beaten and bloodied

"So His appearance was marred more than any man"

(Isaiah 52:14)

The Messiah would be beaten, bloodied, and would die for our iniquities (sins)

so we could escape the judgment . . . the darkness and torments of Hell

"But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes [whip lashes] we are healed.

And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity [sin] of us all."

(Isaiah 53:5-7) (The Hebrew noun used for 'He' was singular and cannot refer to the whole nation of Israel ...)

Yet, as the Passover Lamb of God, He would remain silent during His ordeal

"He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth."

(Isaiah 53:7)

He would be Crucified . . . a torturous and agonizing death

"All My bones are out of joint . . .

My tongue clings to My jaws;

They pierced My hands and My feet,

They look and stare at Me."

(Psalm 22:14, 15, 16, 17)

He would have stakes . . . nails . . . driven through his hands

"And someone will say to Him,

‘What are these wounds in your hands?’

Then He [Messiah/Christ] will answer,

‘Those with which I was wounded

in the house of my friends.’"

(Zech 13:6)

He would be mocked during His time of suffering and death

"A reproach of men and despised of the people,

They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying

‘He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;’"

(Psalm 22:7-8)

They would divide His garments and cast lots for His clothes

"They divide my garments among them,

and for My garments they cast lots."

(Psalm 22:18)

He who knew no sin would be made sin for us . . .

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"

(Psalm 22:1 . . . also see Matt 27:46)

Note: With these words from the Cross, Jesus-Yeshua was pointing the Jewish leaders to Psalm 22 . . . The Jewish leaders who were gathered around the Cross knew the Scriptures well. Psalm 22 is a detailed prophecy foretelling the death of the Messiah, Jesus [Yeshua] on the Cross, written a thousand years before the Cross and written centuries before this form of execution was even invented - written when the Jewish form of execution was stoning.

The Messiah's side would be pierced

"Then they will look upon Me whom they have pierced;

they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son,

and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn."

(Zech 12:10 . . . this is also a prophecy of His Return)

He would be buried in a rich man's grave

"He was buried like a criminal in a rich man's grave;"

(Isaiah 53:9)

He was innocent . . . without guilt . . . without sin

"But he [the Messiah/Christ] had done no wrong,

and he had never spoken an evil word."

(Isaiah 53:9)

The Messiah would be quickly resurrected (raised from the dead) . . .

"For You will not leave my soul in Sheol (Hell),

Nor will You allow Your Holy One (the Messiah)

to see corruption (decompose)."

(Psalm 16:10)

The Jewish Messiah [Christ] would be a savior to all peoples,

including Jews and non-Jews alike . . . thus fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant

"I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles [non-Jews],

That You should be My salvation

[saving people from the darkness, loneliness, and torments of Hell]

to the ends of the Earth."

(Isaiah 49:6)

The Messiah [Christ] would be the Sacrifice [payment] for all our sins . . .

The only burden He asks us to carry is to accept it and believe it.

"And He (Messiah) bore the sin of many . . ."

(Isaiah 53:12)

The Cross was part of God’s Plan ... so all who receive Jesus (Yeshua) as their Lord can be washed clean of all their sins through His innocent blood ... and spared from the darkness and torment of Hell

"Yet it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him;

put Him to grief, make His soul an offering for sin . . ."

(Isaiah 53:10 paraphrased)

God (Messiah/Christ) would then return to His place in Heaven, until . . .

(remember Messiah is God who placed His Spirit in the form of Man ... inside a living Tabernacle)

"I [the LORD] will return again to My place

until they [Israel] acknowledge their offense.

Then they will seek My face;

in their affliction [the coming Tribulation]

they will diligently seek Me" . . .

(Hosea 5:15)

Note: For the LORD to return to His place means that He had to have left His place. One requirement that must be met before He can return to Earth is for the children of Israel to "acknowledge their offense." (Notice that the word offense is singular, not plural, and it is specific.) This means that Israel must acknowledge their rejection of the Messiah and pray, as a nation, for His return. We are told this will be fulfilled at the very end of the Tribulation. God will fulfill all of His promises and covenants with the nation Israel ...

The children of Israel are a royal line (we should bless them, support them, and help them in any way we can) and (amazingly) the tiny nation of Israel will one day rule over all the nations of the world under Her Messiah and King, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach in Hebrew) . . . after He returns to save them from their enemies at the battle of Armageddon.

Awesome: When God's Word and the prophecies became one . . .

"Now when they had fulfilled

all that was written concerning Him,

they took Him down from the tree

and laid Him in a tomb.

But God raised Him from the dead.

He was seen for many days by those

who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem,

who are His witnesses to the people."

(Acts 13:29-31)

And Jesus-Yeshua said . . .

"These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that all things [prophecies] must be fulfilled

which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets [the Old Testament]

and the Psalms concerning Me."

And He opened their understanding,

that they might comprehend the Scriptures."

Then He [Jesus] said to them, "Thus it is written,

and thus it was necessary for the Christ [Messiah]

to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

and that repentance and remission of sins

should be preached in His name to all nations,

beginning at Jerusalem."

(Luke 24:44-47)

The Torment of the Cross.

The first prophecy found in the Bible is spoken by God to Adam, Eve, and Satan

in the Garden of Eden . . .

"I will put enmity [hatred]

between you [Satan] and the woman [Eve],

And between your seed [the Anti-christ] and her Seed [the Christ];

He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

(Gen 3:15)

This first prophecy is a prophecy of the Messiah. It also sets the stage for Satan’s hatred against mankind.

In this prophecy we are told the seed of the woman, the Messiah (the Christ), would have his heel bruised. If you study the physical trauma associated with Crucifixion, you soon find it was designed to cause extreme pain and torment before death. The word "excruciating" comes from the root word "crucify." Crucifixion was a cruel, slow, agonizing, and tortuous form of execution designed to kill through slow suffocation. The shoulders of the person being crucified would dislocate and separate. The only way the person nailed to the Cross could breathe (or speak) would be to gather as much strength as they could and try to stand up on the nail or the spike that had been driven through their feet. The feet were severely bent forward and pressed together in order to nail them to the Cross. When the feet were nailed securely to the Cross, one heel would be pressed tightly against the wood of the Cross. So, in order to breathe or to speak, the person nailed to the Cross had to put all of their weight on the heel and the large spike that had been driven through the feet in order to stand up far enough to gasp for breath. This incredibly tortuous process would painfully bruise that heel. Also, we are told that Jesus was scourged by the Romans before He was crucified. These "stripes" He took on His back were another form of cruel punishment derived by the powers of the day. The Roman "whip" used for scourging was small with pieces of metal and bone attached. The prisoner’s back was stretched tight as He, in this case, Jesus, was tied to a post. The Roman whip was designed to dig into the skin of the back and then tear the skin away from the bone. By the time Jesus was crucified the skin of His back that had been torn from the "stripes" would have been hanging loosely off of the bone like a tattered cloth. Take a moment to consider the amount of pain shooting through the body of Christ as He struggled with dry, parched lips and gasping for breath to stand up by pressing down on that heel which was nailed to the Cross, causing His tattered back with its exposed bone to rub against the roughly hewn wood of His Cross in order to clearly speak those words . . . "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Note to Christians: It is wrong and a blasphemy against God and Jesus to ever blame the Jews for Jesus’ death. As one pastor put it, "If you are going to blame anybody blame me, for it was because of my sins that the Messiah stepped forth from Eternity and took on the form of Man, as the Son of Man . . . the Son of God, to suffer and die.

Believing Christians are taught in the Bible to help Israel and her people . . .

"Cursed be everyone who curses you [Israel],

and blessed be those who bless you!"

(Genesis 27:29)

"I (God) will bless those who bless you (Israel) and will curse those who curse you". . .

(Genesis 12:3)

God has a covenant with Israel that will never be broken. He has revealed a destiny for Israel which will soon be completed.

God has declared a new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31 above) and destiny for a people to be drawn from the whole world, through His Messiah, including the children of Israel who recognize their Messiah from Scripture. This new covenant is a promise for all who believe in Him and accept Him.

The Messiah would come forth from the line of King David . . .

"The book of the genealogy of Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus Christ) the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob,

and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar,

Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.

Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon,

and Nahshon begot Salmon.

Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth,

Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.

David the king begot Solomon by her *who had been the wife of Uriah.

Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah,

and Abijah begot *Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.

Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.

Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot *Amon,

and Amon begot Josiah.

Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers

about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel,

and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud,

Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.

Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.

Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.

And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary,

of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ (Messiah)."

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations,

from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations,

and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations."

(Matthew 1:1-17)

Another ancient prophecy pointing to the Cross . . .

Here, we find another prophetic "foreshadowing" of the Cross in the book of Numbers, one of the five books of Moses . . .

"So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people,

and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, ‘We have sinned,

for we have spoken against the LORD and against you;

pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.’

So Moses prayed for the people.

Then the LORD said to Moses,

‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole;

and it shall be that everyone who is bitten,

when he looks at it, shall live.’

So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole;

and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone,

when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived."

(Numbers 21:6-9)

In the Bible, the serpent is used as a symbol for "sin," and bronze a symbol of "judgment," because bronze could withstand the fire. We find in this verse that once the people acknowledged their sin, they only needed to look upon the serpent on the pole to be healed and saved. We are told Jesus "became" sin, like that "fiery serpent" on the pole, for us . . .

"For He made Him who knew no sin [Jesus on the Cross]

to be sin for us, that we might become

the righteousness of God in Him."

(2 Cor 5:21)

Jesus (Yeshua) points to this prophetic model of the serpent on the pole . . .

And Jesus-Yeshua said,

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish [in Hell]

but have eternal life [in Heaven].

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish [in Hell],

but have everlasting life [in Heaven].

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn

the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

[Saved from the second death . . . the agony and torment of hell]

(John 3:14-17)

It is interesting that after hearing the story of the serpent in the wilderness, the ancient Greeks adopted this sign of the serpent on the pole as their symbol for healing. The symbol is still used by our medical profession. You might note there is only one serpent on this ancient symbol, not two.

So, as those who looked upon the fiery serpent in the wilderness were saved from their sins, so will all who believe in Jesus on the Cross be saved . . . and welcomed into His Kingdom of Heaven, forever.

The Promise of the Cross is available to everybody. The offer is extended to all. The early church included all - Jew, Roman, Ethiopian, Greek, rich and poor, men and women, centurion and rabbi, together, as one. They saw . . . they heard . . . they believed!

It was only after the Jews rejected their Messiah that the good news of this new covenant of God’s grace would be offered to all people around the world. Christ died for all who believe, from Israel and from all the the nations and people of the world.

The Scriptures tell us there are two roles the Messiah must fulfill:

First, as the Passover Lamb of God . . .

The 'Atonement' for sin whose blood shed on the Cross saves us from the utter darkness and torment of Hell

Second, as the Lion of Judah . . .

As King of kings and Lord of lords ... to save Israel from the armies of the world which will someday soon come against Her ... and then He will restore the Earth in peace and beauty

The Scriptures also tell us the Messiah will return . . . twice:

First, "as a thief in the night" . . . For those who have waited in faith . . . the "Rapture."

[To remove the faithful believers from Earth to shelter them (like Enoch and Lot) ... before the coming "Apocalypse."]

Second, "every eye shall see" . . . With those who have waited in faith.

[He will return to establish His just and fair Kingdom over the whole world ... after the 'Apocalypse']

Remember . . .

As followers of Jesus/Yeshua the Messiah, we are to be a separate people - a people of honor, strength, and courage. To obey Him, we must take the heart of a servant and be meek (the word meek means the opposite of 'revenge'), humble, patient, gentle, kind, willing to forgive, willing to help and serve others, even our enemies. This requires much strength. This is strength. We must pray for His strength. Hold fast and endure in faith. God watches us, hears us, and knows our hearts. He is the God who lovingly offers a second (and third and fourth) chance. He waits patiently for us to return to Him, and will forgive us when we sincerely ask.

The Bible says there is no other way into Heaven . . .

Jesus knew what was about to happen when He prayed, "If there is any other way" three times in the garden the night before He was crucified. If there was, or is, any other way to gain entrance into Heaven other than believing in the One who paid our debt, then Jesus suffered and died needlessly and in vain, on the Cross. He lovingly laid down His life for you and for me.

"The Lord is my shepherd . . ."

(Psalm 23:1)

And Jesus graciously tells us,

"I am the good shepherd.

The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep."

(John 10:11)

It is interesting to note the only prophecies found in other religions are either based on prophecies already found in the Scriptures, or point to a powerful leader who someday will rise. The Bible warns to beware of this false messiah who will soon rise and will deceive many. God also makes it very clear there would be only one real Messiah. If you are approached, or belong to a religion which denies Jesus is the Messiah, humbly ask them to show you the prophecies preparing the way and describing their prophet . . .