….The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
….And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
John 20:1, 14
Dear Friends,
Greetings in Christ!
Christianity is unique in that it is built on the resurrection of its founder. While the founders of other religions are still in their graves (1) Jesus’ tomb is empty! Christianity is also unique in the vast amount of archeological evidence supporting the claims of Scripture. For example, in 1881, Major-General Charles Gordon found a garden at the west foot of Golgotha. After excavating and removing five feet of rubbish, Gordon found a Roman-era tomb, cut in a wall of solid rock, with a trench in front for a stone to be rolled to the door…
“The Tomb is a room 14 feet wide, 10 feet deep, 7 1/2 feet high. As you enter, there are, at the right, two graves, one next to the front wall, and one next to the back wall. … They are slightly lower than the front of the room, with a low diving wall between. The front grave seems never to have been completed. Indications were that only the rear grave had ever been occupied, and that with no marks of mortal corruption. The tomb is sufficiently large for a company of women and two angels to stand inside, with room at the head and the feet where an angel could sit (Mark 16:5; John 20:12). A window where, at dawn, the sunlight would fall on the occupied grave. … Every item fits the Scripture account.
“Further, according to Eusebius, the Roman Emperor Hadrian, in his persecution of the Christians, A.D. 135, built a temple of Venus over the tomb where Jesus had been buried. Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, A.D. 330, destroyed this temple of Venus. General Gordon, in the debris which he cleared away from the tomb, found a shrine-stone of Venus. He found traces of a building that had been erected over the tomb. Above the tomb entrance, two recesses characteristic of Venus temples.
“Further, in a vault adjoining the tomb, a tombstone was found inscribed, ‘Buried near his Lord.’
“So, all in all, there seems to be a very good basis for the opinion that this ‘Garden Tomb’ was the actual spot where Jesus was buried, and from which He came forth ALIVE.” (2)
Today, the Garden Tomb is a popular tourist attraction in Jerusalem. It stands as a testimony for all the world to see that Jesus’ grave is empty. Jesus has conquered the grave not only for Himself, but for all who believe in and receive Him. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The evidence for the resurrection has been thoroughly examined, more so than any other historical event, convincing some of the greatest legal and historical authorities of all time of its veracity. (3) He is risen!
….I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Revelation 1:18
Father, thank You for the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in his holy and precious name, the name above all names. Amen.
PS: (6/18/23) I was recently told by a learned guide in Jerusalem that the Third Wall of the Second Temple period (near the Garden Tomb) did not exist at the time of the crucifixion. Agrippa I began construction on this wall circa 44 AD. Therefore, the location of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was without the gate at the time of the crucifixion, ie beyond the Second Wall. This site was chosen by Helena, the mother of Constantine. I still take this location with a grain of salt. Helena also chose the Sinai Peninsula as the location of Mt Sinai, while the Bible clearly says it is in Arabia. (Gal 4:25)
Prophecy Update: In ancient Israel, a ram’s horn was blown by a groom to alert his bride he was on his way, coming to snatch her away for their wedding. For a Christian in the twenty-first century, the headlines of our day are like blasts from rams’ horns heralding the Lord’s soon return.
While it’s true that our situation looks bad, it looked bad for the disciples as well after Jesus was crucified. It appeared all was lost. Then just as He promised, three days later, there He was saying, Peace be unto you. In our time, all the hard-fought-for gains made over the last several hundred years in creating a civil and egalitarian society are going up in flames. Things we have taken for granted like free and fair elections, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion are being reduced to ashes. Yet the new world order continues to control the narrative. Like a stage magician who uses misdirection, their media arm carefully steers the attention of the populace in a specific direction, intentionally pitting us against each other. The powers that be are executing a classic divide-and-conquer strategy using the left-vs-right template. For example, the drama surrounding Trump is pure political theater. Trump should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity for his role in Operation Warp Speed (which has already led to the deaths of millions) but instead, we get Stormygate. Instead of focusing on real issues that have real consequences, people pick their team, left or right, and adopt an us-vs-them mentality. If we are busy fighting each other, we will never be able to focus on the real enemy.
I have been watching how this game is played long enough to see a pattern here. In the nineties, the Clinton impeachment show trial distracted from Clinton’s version of Chinagate and focused on Lewinskygate (Clinton’s affair with an intern). Fast forward to 2023 and instead of focusing on pertinent issues like Biden’s Chinagate or the vindication of the January 6 political prisoners (Not to mention catastrophes like Palestine, OH, or Sy Hersh’s bombshell about the US sabotage of the Nordstream Pipeline) we are given the Trump distraction. We are given the recent admissions that those crazy conspiracy theorists who said the COVID virus came out of a Wuhan lab were right after all; this is just another distraction to keep people from focusing on the real bioweapon — the mRNA shots. Yet the mRNA shots are just one component of the neo-feudal system they are busy constructing where everyone will supposedly ‘own nothing and be happy‘.
A Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) looks inevitable unless people resist by creating alternatives. Not likely, as we have been much too slow to respond to the threats posed by CBDCs, not to mention the crackpot sanctions that backfired and accelerated the passing of the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The Silicon Valley Bank debacle and the ensuing bank runs were in all likelihood engineered to help the new world order bolster their case for CBDCs. Many of the smaller banks affected by the runs were involved with cryptocurrencies, competitors to the inevitable CBDCs which therefore need to be stifled. (This is the same reason for the FTX Sam Bankman-Fried debacle, ie to create the perception that cryptocurrencies are bad and must not be allowed to exist.) The bigger banks that follow the rules of the new world order are hoping they will be rewarded with some sort of role in the new economy once the CBDCs are implemented, as CBDCs are designed to cut out the need for banks altogether. Ethereum users call this bankless system Decentralized Finance or DeFi. A similar model will be utilized for CBDCs. Eliminating banks may sound good in theory, but in practice CBDCs will be programmed to work in tandem with social-credit scores and digital medical IDs, ultimately leading to the mark of the beast John wrote of in Revelation 13. The snowballing national debt has the US Debt to GDP Ratio at over 120%. What that means is we are at the point where the charade is almost over and the bubble is about to burst. (Perhaps triggered by an engineered cyberattack.) This will set the stage for the implementation of CBDCs.
One development that I find particularly interesting is the phasing-in of artificial intelligence (AI) and Chat GTP. The ability of Chat GPT to answer philosophical questions and write things like articles, reports, poetry, and even advanced computer code is truly amazing. Of course, Chat GPT not only has built-in restraints and collars but it is surely nowhere near as sophisticated as the AI that the government keeps classified for its own use. One leading expert in the field has said that if AI technology is not completely shut down “everyone will die.” Regardless, I do not expect much to come from the recent call for a six-month moratorium on AI. Bill Gates, for example, scoffs at the idea. AI technology has been around for a long time so one has to ask, why is it dominating headlines now? I think this story about Romania announcing it now has an official government AI advisor may provide a clue. The PM of Romania is encouraging citizens to interact with the new AI advisor, so it can better advise the PM. Klaus Schwab of the WEF has stated that whoever masters AI technologies “will rule the world.” (Cue the antichrist.)
The US continues to send launder billions through the war in Ukraine, with a plethora of headlines screaming WWIII is just around the corner. Yet, things are changing. Just as I predicted in March of 2020, the global chessboard has been reset. China recently brokered a historic peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. US protection from Iran was the carrot that kept the Saudis onboard with the US petrodollar. Now China has taken that role in what looks like the last nail in the coffin of the petrodollar. The petrodollar’s monopoly on the worldwide oil market is effectively finished — and with it, the ability of the US to maintain global hegemony. The list of countries already moving away from the dollar includes Russia, China, Iran, Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, Malaysia, and India. The effects on a US economy that is already floundering will be devastating. China is working on a peace deal for Ukraine and Russia as well, as unlikely as that may seem. Nevertheless, the US has gone from being the undisputed world leader in international affairs to a corrupt plutocracy attempting to spread the LGBTQ+ agenda to the rest of the world. China, of course, will also fail miserably as a world leader. The disorder; the disintegration of the rule of law; the loss of faith in our institutions; it is all part of the plan of the new world order — preparation to bring in one-world government. The world is looking for a savior, but he who now letteth [hinders] will let, until he be taken out of the way. (2 Thess 2:7) “He who letteth,” or hinders the antichrist from assuming power, is the Holy Spirit working through the church. Once the church is taken out of the way, Satan can cue the antichrist. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (2 Thess 2:8) In other words, we do not know when the rapture comes but we know it happens before the antichrist is revealed. This is a key detail to remember. The great tribulation period cannot begin until we are taken out of the way.
In conclusion, I do not expect that we will have to wait much longer but if the Lord tarries we will have to exercise longsuffering accordingly (Gal 6:22). That means preparing now. The time to repair your armor is before the battle, not when you are engaged in it.
Finally, we merely painted some broad strokes here. I did not even mention the food supply issues compounded by soaring costs for farmers and a poor planting season, the fentanyl epidemic, natural disasters like the earthquake in Turkey, or the perverse sexualization of America’s children. Indeed, many believe we are on the verge of a global ‘everything collapse‘, or in other words, exactly what the Bible predicts. One thing remains certain: When we are caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, none of today’s headlines will matter. As a dream when one awaketh, they will be nothing more than a memory; even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. The Groom is preparing to blow his shofar. (1 Cor 15:52) Be ready.
For a biblical primer on where we are on the prophetic calendar, I recommend Where Did All the People GO? by yours truly.
(1) For example, Buddha’s ashes are buried beneath the Ramabhar Stupa in Kushinagar, India. Muhammad is buried beneath the Green Dome in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
(2) Halley’s Bible Handbook, p 552.
(3) Consider the case of Simon Greenleaf. Greenleaf held the chairs of both the Isaac Royall Professorship and the Nathan Dane Professorship at Harvard University. He is considered one of the greatest legal minds the United States has ever produced. Greenleaf was an agnostic who believed the resurrection of Christ to be a hoax, yet he accepted a challenge from one of his students at Harvard University to consider the evidence for the resurrection. Greenleaf set out to disprove the gospel but instead ended up concluding that any fair and reasonable court of law would rule that the resurrection is indeed a fact, based on the evidentiary rules of law. Greenleaf ended up converting from agnosticism to Christianity and wrote the classic book, Testimony of the Evangelists Examined by the Rules of Evidence Administered in Courts of Justice.
