1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
For the past two weeks we have examined lessons from the OT account of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt in hope of avoiding the errors and attitudes of the children of Israel. This week we will draw connections between the Exodus and the prophecies in the book of Revelation.
One of the central figures in the Exodus, was the Egyptian ruler, Pharoah. The Hebrew spelling for “Pharoah” (“peh”-“resh”-“ayin”-“hey”) literally describes who the man was. The outside letters (“peh” – “hey”) spell the Hebrew word “Peh” which means “mouth” in English. The inner two letters (“resh”-“ayin”) form the word “Rah”, the name of the ancient Egyptian sun god. So, “Pharoah” in Hebrew, identified him as, “the mouth (or voice) of Rah”.
But the word “rah” has another meaning in Hebrew, that is, “evil”, “wicked”, or “bad”. Adding this meaning describes someone who speaks with “godlike” authority, yet is evil. We can see here a strong similarity to the “beast” of Revelation 13, as this “beast” was given a mouth to speak blasphemy against God; [Revelation 13:5].
The apostle John warned that antichrists are already here among us, and while we may be aware of the various manifestations of the antichrist spirit in our culture, and elsewhere, we also are expecting a final revelation of a “Man of Sin” known as “The Antichrist”. His way is being prepared that the whole world may receive and worship him.
“The whole world”, but not true believers in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ). Yet, not to be deceived as the Lord warned us, [Matthew 24:24] will require spiritual discernment. We must test the spirits, as the Apostle John instructed us: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God…” [1 John 4:1]. Our spirits and our minds must be informed by the Word of God, according to simple and true gospel of Yeshua’s death for sin, and resurrection from the dead.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; "Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus."
I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot?
We have a Christian friend who constantly talks about her problems. Every single time we talk to her she tells us how bad things are going in her life and how much she is lacking. Interestingly, in all the years we've known her and prayed for her, things have only gotten worse. Though she has come to believe in the God of victory, she is not living a victorious life. How many of us are in this boat?
During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays.
Yeshua (Jesus) began His earthly ministry by being baptized in the Jordan river. The word Jordan in Hebrew is "Yarden" and its root is "yarad". It literally means to descend, which would make sense being that the Jordan descends from over 8,000 feet from Mount Hermon to the Dead Sea which sits more than 1,000 feet below sea level.
During the American Civil War in the 1860's, a fierce battle took place at Altoona Pass. It was a key supply point for the Union Army, so the Confederate Army led by General Hood sought to take Altoona Pass which held over a million and a half rations. When Union General Sherman realized Hood's plans, he dispatched General Corse along with 1,500 men to hold the city.
Among those in the court of Alexander the Great was a philosopher of outstanding ability but little money. He asked Alexander for financial help and was told to draw whatever he needed from the imperial treasury.