Finish Strong By Following in His Footsteps!
In the final chapter of John's gospel, following the account of the 153 fish (representing the full number of Gentiles gathered up at the end of the Church age; Rom. 11:25; cf. Matt. 13:47–50), Jesus gives us a prophetic glimpse into Peter's future:
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you were girding yourself and were walking to where you willed, but when you are old, you will stretch forth your hands, and another will gird you, and will carry [you] to where you do not will”; and this He said, signifying by what death he will glorify God; and having said this, He says to him, “Follow Me . . . (Jn. 21:18–19, LSV)
John reveals that Jesus' words to Peter signify the manner of his death, “...you will stretch forth your hands...” The phrase “stretch forth” is a single verb in the Greek text, ekteino (Strong's 1614). The first occurrence of this term is found in Matt. 8:3, where Jesus compassionately extends, or stretches out, His hand to heal a leper. In the majority of instances within the synoptic Gospels, this particular verb is used in reference to Jesus extending His hand in love and compassion toward someone in need (or vice versa, someone is extending their hand toward Jesus for help and healing). However, there is a curious exception found in Matthew's account:
...Then having come near, they laid hands on Jesus, and took hold on Him. And behold, one of those with Jesus, having stretched forth [ekteino] the hand, drew his sword, and having struck the servant of the chief priest, he took off his ear. Then Jesus says to him, “Turn back your sword to its place; for all who took the sword will perish by the sword; do you think that I am not able now to call on My Father, and He will place beside Me more than twelve legions of messengers? How then may the Writings be fulfilled, that thus it must happen? (Matt. 26:50–54, LSV).
Interestingly, the same John who writes that Peter will stretch forth his hands in death is also the only one to out Peter as the offending disciple who physically and forcefully tries to save Jesus from being arrested and put to death (Jn. 18:10). Ouch!
Now then, fast forward about 30 years after these humbling scenes from the Gospels. Peter, the same person who once stretched forth his hand to strike down the authorities coming to arrest Jesus and fulfill Scripture, is older and wiser—a seasoned elder, in fact (1 Pet. 5:1). Far removed from the impetuous actions of his youth, Peter provides wisdom from experience in his first epistle to a broad Gentile audience. And in Week 4 of the 1 Peter series, we are going to discuss our response as God's servants to unjust governing authorities—yes, even the extremely vile and repulsive kind (like Nero).
In order to truly fulfill our calling, finish strong, and follow in the footsteps of Christ (1 Pet. 2:21), we must listen to and heed these words from Peter about keeping our prideful flesh in check, submitting to governing authorities, and entrusting everything to the Father, knowing that He will avenge and dole out justice on His terms and in His time (1 Pet. 2:12, 17, 23).
Follow along as we walk through 1 Peter 2:11–25:
It’s difficult to blame Peter for trying to defend the One he loved more than any other. Yes, he did deny Him three times, but he never left Him, except to weep bitterly over his actions.
ReplyDeletePeter not only denied knowing Jesus, but did so with "cursing and swearing" when a servant girl recognized him. The only one near the foot of the cross when Jesus hung there was John. In fact, Jesus had warned Peter that Satan had requested to sift him as wheat. Peter's weakness was his pride -- before Jesus was arrested, he boasted that even if all the other disciples denied Christ, he would never do so. Jesus had already warned them that they would all fall away (see Mark 14:27). His concern was that their faith would not fail, and that they would turn back again (see Luke 22:32).
ReplyDeleteFaith is not about proving yourself or your love for God, but receiving and relying on God's love and faithfulness toward us. We love Him because He first loved us. That is the new covenant of grace.
The greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart, mind and soul, and to love your neighbour as yourself. These sum up the requirements of the Law under the old covenant. But how many of us are able to do so? No one, except for Jesus, which is why He had to come and fulfil the Law on our behalf.
Now, as Christians, we look to Christ and His sacrifice for our salvation, and not our works e.g. our ability to love God.
Don't be surprised that when Israel is negotiating for peace between Russia and Ukraine, that this war will explode into a much larger war between Russia and the whole NATO itself and between Israel and her enemies. When the antichrist will confirm a peace treaty with Israel, a devastating war is necessary, otherwise there will be no reason for a peace treaty.
ReplyDeleteFormer MI6 Chief On the Ukraine & Russia Conflict | Oxford Union
ReplyDeleteAn interesting interview with Sir Robert John Sawers, British intelligence officer, diplomat and civil servant. He was Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6, a position he held from November 2009 until November 2014. He was previously the British Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2007 to November 2009. Sawers was a key opposition figure against the UK government’s decision not to intervene to a greater degree in Syria during his tenure.
ABOUT THE OXFORD UNION SOCIETY: The Oxford Union is the world's most prestigious debating society, with an unparalleled reputation for bringing international guests and speakers to Oxford. Since 1823, the Union has been promoting debate and discussion not just in Oxford University, but across the globe.
Interesting presentation. Also interesting, was a segment on MSNBC this morning about “how the crisis in Ukraine could turn the EU into a superpower”. So much is changing so quickly at the moment. Although many rightly suspected weeks ago that Russia would likely invade, it’s safe to say that scarcely anyone could foresee these overall developments. The degree of unanimity on sanctions and the harshness of them, is amazing and unprecedented—and I’ve followed such things closely for a long time. The bold fingerprints of prophecy in action is unmistakable. Building blocks for the near future are clearly evident.
DeleteDW
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteA good and necessary message for us in these days!
PR
Totally agree!!
DeleteHi All,
ReplyDeleteLiving in the days we are, do you believe the 2 witnesses are already in this world? Are they coming directly from heaven and the appointed time?
Thx for your help :D
Israel365News: https://www.israel365news.com/267179/purim-2022-persia-irans-nuclear-plot-to-annihilate-israel-could-be-foiled-by-russia-ukraine-war/ "Purim 2022, Persia: Iran’s Nuclear plot to annihilate Israel could be foiled by Russia-Ukraine war" and https://www.israel365news.com/267177/israel-calls-to-wage-war-against-iran-now-before-nuclear-deal-signed/ "Israel calls to wage war against Iran ‘Now’, before Nuclear Deal signed".
ReplyDeleteIsrael attacking Iran's nuclear facilities is becoming increasingly likely now. When that happens, WW III will be a reality. The ongoing war in Ukraine is distracting the world so much that Israel sees the perfect opportunity to attack Iran.
I agree Purim is an interesting time - wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate Passover with our Savior?!? God A Minute has a great video about date speculation… Seems like the next several weeks should be interesting watching! :)
ReplyDeleteDr Barry and Bones are watching for Passover- that would be great too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4xC81WVUsc&t=266s
March 17th Purim Harpazo Rapture Or War? Eyes Up
@dean 3/08/2022 10:37 PM:
Delete"March 17th Purim Harpazo Rapture Or War? Eyes Up"
I think the war in Ukraine escalating and spreading to NATO member states and to the Middle-East.
I have been crunching some numbers and have come up with a theory. Tell me what you think. Here is my post on another website:
ReplyDelete***Please note. This is just a theory.***
***This is not a Thus saith the Lord.***
****I am a fallible man and I don’t know everything and I seek to please the Lord ***
Please, please, please do not sell your house or neglect to pay your bills. Also, do not throw rocks at me if this turns out to be totally wrong.
All glory to God, in any case.
With that in mind and hopefully made clear, here goes.
My theory is that there will be 6,000 years of human history and then 1,000 years of a Millenium for a total of 7,000 years. So, providing that the Pre Trib Rapture is true (and I believe it is) it should come approximately 7 years before the 6,000 years are up. So, in other words, the year 5993.
Any theory is tempered by the assumptions one makes. If the assumptions are wrong then the whole theory should be pitched.
My primary assumptions are that, using Ken Johnson’s theory, the creation date was Nisan 1, 3925 BC. I have assigned that date as the Vernal Equinox of March 21, 3925 BC. Next, I assume that the earth used to have 360 day years (there is plenty of evidence for this) up until 701 BC when it changed to 365.2422 day years. If I add up the 360 day years plus the 365.2422 day years we will get a sum of years.
Here comes the math. Please feel free to check if I have made any errors or unwarranted assumptions. I use this website to calculate the amount of time passed:
https://www.calculateconvert.com/calculators/date/history.php?era2=bcbce&month2=03&day2=20&year2=701&era=adce&month=04&day=01&year=2022
So, from March 21, 3925 BC to March 21, 701 BC is 3224 365.2422 day years. I believe that they are actually 360 years so we need to change that. Therefore: ((3224 × 365.2422)/360 = 3270.94681 360 day years.
Next, we shall go from March 20, 701 BC (I believe you descend when calculating BC dates) to April 1, 2022 using 365.2422 year days. Therefore: Using that website, we have 994,209 days. (994,209 ÷365.2422 = 2722.05402 365.2422 day years.
Now simply add them together. Therefore: (3270.94681 + 2722.05402 = 5,993.00083 years. The fraction .00083 works out to about .3 of a day.
Therefore, April 1st or close to that date could possibly be the the start of year 5993. Perhaps when Yeshua said if the days were not shortened that no flesh would survive was in reference to the 360 day years at the start of creation until 701 BC.
Anyway, *whew* Please tell me what you think and help refine this theory.
According to Ken, Creation Day is Sunday not New Year's Day. New Year's Day, Spring Day of Remembrance, would be the Wednesday closest to the Equinox, which in this case you're saying is March 21st. If so and taken with a grain of salt, according to the Casio Ke!san Online Calendar, March 21, 3925 BC was a Wednesday. That would make this the Spring Day of Remembrance on the Essene Calendar and what we would otherwise consider New Year's Day. Creation Day would be the preceding Sunday and the first Sabbath would be the following Sunday. The Spring Day of Remembrance (New Year's Day) would equal the fourth Day of creation when the Sun, Moon and stars were hung in the heavens and thus the beginning of the calendar.
DeleteThe Essene Calendar is made up of 30 days a month with a leap week every few years to account for drift. The new moon does not mark the beginning of the month as it does with the Pharisee calendar. The Essene calendar is keyed to the Equinox so it does a good job of time keeping and keeps the Sabbath where it should be.
I have not checked your maths yet but assuming that it checks out then according to my Essene model of this coming Ecclesiastic New Year -- Friday, April 1st, 2022 is M1D10, tenth day of the first month. This is a SIGNIFICANT DATE for us!
M1D10 is not only the day that the Priests would go to Bethany to select the unblemished lamb of the first year for the Passover and return it to Jerusalem, it is also the day Jesus travelled from Bethany to Jerusalem at His triumphant entry. It is also the day G-D stopped up the waters of the Jordan River allowing Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land on dry ground.
Dear reader, I will let you dig on the Bible references for these events as a point of personal study. Happy hunting! But I wholly agree that Friday, April 1st, 2022 is an interesting watch day on the calendar!
PR
Oh! And lest I forget that 10 Nisan is Shabbat HaGadol or the Great Sabbath. Part one of a two part Sabbath that bookends with Shabbat Shuba (The Sabbath of Return) found during the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe) on the Sabbath between Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).
DeleteThe Great Sign (R12S) was on Shabbat Shuba, 2017.
More Jewish studies for your consideration.
And while you're on your way there -- may I suggest this study with Ken Johnson on an ancient Essene commentary of (Psalm 37) as a DEEP DIVE study,
Dead Sea Scroll DSS 4Q171 and the Messiah
Prepare to have your mind blown!
...and M1D10 is 12 days after the Spring Equinox which so happens to occur at 3:33pm UTC. This year, 2022, the Spring Equinox falls on Sunday, March 20 so by way of the Essene Calendar is equivalent to Creation Day I as per Ken Johnson's studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essene Calendar.
DeleteThe plot thickens?
Hmmm...
Thank you Pastor Rich,
DeleteI don't know if March 31st, 3925 BC was a Wednesday or not. I chose it because I could not find information on Ken Johnson's website or any videos (nor find his E-mail to contact him :()I have watched of his to date. I did the numbers blindly and was quite impressed that it landed on Nisan 10 of the Essene calendar, which I agree is quite significant.
If it wasn't on March 21st then the final date would need to be shifted by a few days.
Trying to nail this down but so far it is like jello. Thank you for your detailed replies. I really appreciate it.
BTW, anyone is free to monkey around with it or improve on it. :)
Shalom and God Bless, Arthur
Hi Arthur,
DeletePleased to meet you and welcome to UNSEALED.ORG! The way the Essene calendar works is the first day of the year is always a Wednesday and the Wednesday closest to the Equinox. It may be the Wednesday before, if for three days prior, or the Wednesday after. Again, which is closest to the Equinox.
The Spring Equinox is almost always on the 20th of March. Sometimes it's on the 19th and once in a while it's on the 21st. If the Equinox falls on Sunday then that aligns with Creation Day I. New Year's Day is always the fourth day of Creation as that when we were given the Sun, Moon and stars (as mentioned above). This day is classically called the Spring Day of Remembrance and always falls on Wednesday.
This is one way that the Essene calendar is easy to use. It differs from what you'll find at Chabad.org so don't try too much to compare them. Better to hit Scripture to get the feast days in there right. Otherwise I look for data from sources like NASA to pin the Equinox. Ken thought that was a good idea.
If you want to connect with Ken the first place I can suggest is through his website at BibleFacts and/or join in his YT membership to chat with him directly during his Monday night live studies.
That above lengthy comment was by me. My name in Arthur and I originally posted it on RITAN. I am looking for critiques on my theory. Shalom and God Bless. ^^
ReplyDeleteI read a report that Poland a member of NATO might be getting involved in the conflict. If true that means that things are escalating and could get out of control quickly. Kiev is being surrounded and Ukraine will soon surrender. That is the best case scenario but it looks like that might not happen. Come quickly Lord Jesus.
ReplyDeleteAlso the fool known as our 46th POTUS has just cut off all oil exports from Russia. Get ready for 10$ a gl. gas.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Arthur,
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff….I’m always fascinated by this topic too. But I do have a few questions now:
1. The 3925 BC date….where did that come from? Bishop Usher I believe used 4004 BC as the creation date…and there have been others.
2. Do you use the day of creation, or the day of the fall of Adam? Is this where the 3925 date came into play?
3. You did your calculations based on two different length of years….360 days and 365 days. If God has always used 360 day years (see the book of Revelation, which is using 360 days all throughout) on what basis would you change it to 365 days after 701 BC? Should they all not be calculated on God’s year (360)?
I ask a lot of questions that I’ve struggled with too.
Thanks and Shalom,
TM
Hello Tennis,
ReplyDeleteKen Johnson uses 3925 BC because, I believe, there was a unique astronomical event that year. However, I can't remember what it was. I would ask him myself but I don't have his E-mail. :P
3974 BC is the year that we see a similar sign to the Great Sign of Revelation 12. This was documented here several years ago and is an interesting celestial arrangement considering it is 30 years after Archbishop Ussher pinned Creation (4004 BC). That may be what you're thinking about...
DeleteFor your consideration,
DeleteAncient Post Flood History- Johnson Ken
Quoting using search term, "3925" in Ken's manuscript,
For your general information, the Exodus is thought to have been about 1453 BC and the Flood about 2250 BC. Even with a give or take of 100 years, we can reshape our history into a much more accurate system than the evolutionists do, who try to expand history into thousands and millions of years. Other important dates on this timeline will be the birth of Abraham in 1948 AM and the fall of the Tower of Babel in 1993 AM. For an approximate BC date, just take the date given in this book and subtract 3925 from it. For Example: the Flood was 1656 AM. Subtract 1,656 from 3,925 and you get 2,269 or 2269 BC. One Final Note: There are those who side with the Greek dating system of Creation, beginning at 5500 BC. They reason the Jews deliberately altered the Hebrew text to force the Scripture to point away from Jesus coming as Messiah 2000 years ago, and that the Greek writers kept the correct dating system. As we have seen, there is no Greek version of Jasher or any other secondary version with a different dating system. So there is no reason to assume that the Hebrew text was altered in ancient times. However, in more recent times the Hebrew text was altered. Scholars have long debated why the Jewish calendar is missing 167 years during the reigns of the Persian kings. The Seder Olam reveals exactly how a rabbi named Yose caused this to occur (see above). The Talmud takes Rabbi Yose’s theory and adds to it that Darius the Mead, Cyrus the Persian, and Daruis’ son, Xerxes, were all the same person. This misinformation became the first tampering with the timeline. Until apostasy hit the Jewish nation in the first century, no tampering with the calendar was done. There are enough quotes from very ancient Jewish sources to prove this. So, we do not have to worry about premeditated timeline alterations in the first 3000 years of history. The following chart compares the dates given in various manuscripts for the time from Creation to the Flood, by showing the age of the father at the birth of his son. Adam was created in the year one and Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old. The chart continues until Noah was 600 years old when the Flood came. The correct set of numbers is in the Hebrew version of Genesis. Chart of Years (Creation to the Flood) Hebrew Book of Jasher Greek Genesis Name Genesis Adam 1 1 1 Seth 130 130 230 Enos 105 105 205
We need to look at three dates to come to a conclusion. Secular history records the Assyrians captured Israel (Samaria) in 721 BC. The Babylonians destroyed the first Temple in 587 BC, and Pharaoh Shishak invaded Judah between 921 BC and 936 BC. The difference between 721 BC and 587 BC is 134 years. The Seder Olam and the Talmud give the dates of 3205 AM for the fall of northern kingdom of Israel and 3338 AM for the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the first Temple, a difference of only 133 years. This is only a one year difference from secular history. The invasion of Shishak is given at 2969 AM. If we conclude that the dates for the fall of Samaria and the destruction of the first Temple are more accurate than the invasion of Shishak, then 3,338 years added to 587 BC would put the year of creation at 3925 BC. If we believe the invasion of Shishak, ranging from 923 BC to 936 BC, to be more accurate, then 2969 added to these dates would place Creation between 3892 BC and 3905 BC. I believe that we should take the fall of Samaria and the destruction of the first Temple for our
calculation because they are closest to our time and the most attested to. That would place creation at 3925 BC, the Flood at 2269 BC, the Exodus at 1477 BC. This is why some scholars place the Flood at approximately 2250 BC and the Exodus at approximately 1450 BC, but we will use the Jewish calendar for all the dates in the rest of this book.
Excellent. Thank you, Pastor Rich. That was very helpful.
DeleteShalom and God Bless, Arthur.
Hello TM,
ReplyDeleteThe 360 day years were used because all ancient calendars used 360 years. This changed right around the time the sun went back 10 steps in 701 BC. (2 Kings 20:1-11) I had watched a video by Chuck Missler about planetary catastrophism and the theory was that Mars used to have a very different orbit and it used to have close flybys of Venus and Earth.
Anyway, that is my line of reasoning.
Shalom and God Bless, Arthur
Yes, that was an interesting presentation and I agree that there were catastrophes that shifted the axial tilt of the earth, thus changing the seasons, and perhaps changing the rotation of the earth. Barry Setterfield discusses these in his studies on the topic of disasters that occurred during the time of Job (Jobab). Such events do beg to make one wonder how much shift has occurred in the orbital dynamics of our home and how this has changed what we see in astronomical software today?
DeleteUnknown Arthur
DeleteMy question is, what needle are you and others looking for through this haystack of information?
Hello Gregg,
DeleteIf our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ returns in the 6,000th year then the Tribulation would start 7 years prior around the year 5993. There is a possibility (I could be wrong) that the 5993rd year is about to start.
The idea is that the whole of human history will be like a week. 6 days and then a Sabbath rest. So, 6,000 years and then 1,000 years for the Millennial Kingdom.
Shalom and God Bless,
Arthur
Agreed.
DeleteEspecially given that we are in the season of Pentecost, fifteenth day of the third month (153) when the first trumpet was blown on Mt Horeb at the giving of the Law. Pentecost, 2022 (Shavuot) per the Essene calendar falls 77 days after the 3:33 PM (UTC) Spring Equinox of Sunday, March 20th and the Equinox itself a day that corresponds to Creation Day I on the Ecclesiastic calendar. Shavuot sits 888 hours after the next bright morning star appearance of the Bethlehem Star on 4/30/22 which itself is 888 hours after the Essene Spring Day of Remembrance or what we would call New Year's Day which corresponds to Creation Day IV in the Bible.
Given that the first trumpet was sounded at the giving of the Law at Mt Horeb -- is it a stretch consider the last trumpet as being blown on the same day in the future?
The first is the last. The alpha is the omega. The aleph is the tav.
Jesus is the first and the last.
A Shavuot Rapture certainly makes a lot of sense. The Church Age starting on Shavuot and ending on Shavuot. If we go through April, Shavuot is my next high watch date. :)
DeleteShalom and God Bless,
Arthur
The first trumpet was sounded at Mt Horeb at the giving of the Law to call the congregation of G-d (Israel). Knowing that the LORD is the beginning and the end, the first and the last; is it a stretch to consider the last trumpet to occur on the same day as the first?
Delete18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped
in smoke because the LORD had
descended on it in fire. The
smoke of it went up like the
smoke of a kiln, and the whole
mountain trembled greatly.
19 And as the sound of the
trumpet grew louder and louder,
Moses spoke, and God answered
him in thunder.
20 The LORD came down on
Mount Sinai, to the top of
the mountain,. And the
LORD called Moses to the
top of the mountain, and
Moses went up.
(Exodus 19:18-20 ESV)
Pentecost. We'll see...
Hello Tennis,
ReplyDeleteHere is an article by Chuck Missler about planetary catastrophism:
https://khouse.org/articles/2012/1099
If links are not allowed then just do a search on "Chuck Missler planetary catastrophism".
Shalom and God Bless,
Arthur
THIS STORY TOUCHED MY HEART
ReplyDeletePRAYERS OFFERED TO THE LORD FOR THEIR MARRIAGE AND THE PEACE OF UKRAINE AND RUSSIA
The bride wore fatigues. The wedding party carried rifles and RPGs.
Quoting, The Washington Post,
KYIV, UKRAINE — The groom wore a helmet. The bride wore fatigues.
So did the priest and the wedding party, with comrades in the Ukrainian defense forces who lined up for the marital procession carrying shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades and antitank missiles.
Other guests included Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who wore a bulletproof vest and took a selfie with the bride, and a throng of journalists invited to watch the spectacle of a wedding next to a checkpoint in the midst of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Despite the surreal nature of Lesya Filimonova and Valeriy Filimonov’s marriage in the Ukrainian capital on Sunday, the moment in some ways offered a glimpse of normality amid the conflict. It showed, the mayor said, that “life continues and the people live and their love helps the war.”
The bride in fatigues sounds about right to me
DeleteSo very weary
Are we certain that Gog comes out from Russia, and not Ukraine?
ReplyDeleteIMHO, Gog comes out of Turkey. Magog has wrongly been attributed to Russia.Rosh is a title and not a nation.
Deletehttp://www.newscientificevidenceforgod.com/2012/02/debunking-russiawar-of-gog-and-magog.html?m=1
Russia may still be involved in the Gog Magog invasion, though.
Shalom and God Bless,
Arthur
Oh, and while reviewing my model for the New Year I was reminded that it is fifteen weeks and three days (15-3) from Shavuot to Yom Teruah this year.
ReplyDelete1-5-3 eh?!
Hmmmm....
Now The End Begins: https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/zelensky-asks-for-russia-ukraine-peace-talks-to-be-held-in-jerusalem-israel-end-times-bible-prophecy/ "Ukraine Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky Asks For Peace Talks With Russia To Be Held In Jerusalem In Stunning End Times Development On Saturday".
ReplyDeleteVery prophetic.
Just some further information for your consideration - T W Tramm has a great article on his website about Jubilee years which also point to 2022.
ReplyDelete