God Made All Things & At Times Uses Then to Fulfill His Prophecies
Part 4
December 9, 2013
http://www.tribulationperiod/com/
Matthew 28:18 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
God created the hydrological water cycle and, when he desires, will intervene in elements associated with its operation, such that it fulfills his prophecies.
Acts 14:15 – And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
James 5:17,18 – Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
I Kings 18:41-46 – And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. [42] So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, [43] And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. [44] And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. [45] And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. [46] And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. [1] And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. [2] Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. [3] And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. [4] But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. [5] And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. [6] And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. [7] And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. [8] And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
Revelation 11:3-7 –And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. [4] These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. [5] And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. [6] These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. [7] And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
ARCHIVE EXPOSITION OF THE TWO WITNESSES – PART 9
October 28, 2009
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
The abilities of the two witnesses, to carry out the work they have been given the authority to accomplish by the testimony of God, is outlined in Revelation 11:5,6. Please bear in mind that these abilities, according to the Greek text, does not necessarily infer that they will use them. It simply states they have the abilities and authority to use them, if they so desire. The President of the U.S. has the authority and ability to unleash atomic weapons, but he may never choose to do so. It is the fact that he has both the authority, and the ability, to do so, which has kept our enemies from launching them against us.
Revelation 11:5 – And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Kenneth Wuest’s translation of this verse gives the best understanding I have yet encountered.
Revelation 11:5 – And if, as is the case, anyone desires to injure them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and indeed consumes their enemies. And if, as is the case, anyone shall desire to injure them, it is a necessity that in this manner, in the nature of the case, for him to be killed.
The “fire” coming out of their mouth, used as a figure in the Old Testament as “fire” coming out from the lips of a prophet, does not mean literal fire will flow from their lips like a circus flamethrower. I believe this “fire” used in Revelation 12:5 is of the same character as the “fire” from the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet.
It refers to the word of God from their mouths foretelling what terrible fire is to come down upon the enemies of Israel.
Jeremiah 5:14 – Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Jeremiah 23:28,29 – The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord. [29] Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
I rather suspect the two witnesses, as prophets located in the Negev with Israel, will be warning their enemies that if they launch weapons of fiery mass destruction again Israel, they will do the same to them. The brimstone and fire that comes down so often from heaven, following the sixth seal, is an unleashing of natural phenomena by God from His creation, and this is the 1260 day period of the testimony of the two witnesses before Armageddon. The two witnesses will, at times, ask God to produce volcanic eruptions in specific areas in response to the actions of Israel’s enemies.
Revelation 11:6 – These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.
James 5:17-18 – Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. [18] And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Just as it was absolutely necessary for Jesus and His first disciples to perform miracles to show they were from the God of Israel so will it be necessary for the two witnesses to do the same to prove they come from the same God. The happenings of verses five and six are limited to 1260 days, according to verse three, so the elimination of rain from the atmosphere will happen in this time period. I suspect the rain will be stopped from Dan to Beersheba, where the armies of Antichrist will be located. However, it may be stopped over the entire earth, or in many selected areas. Also, the future plagues are likely to be made up of earthquakes, famine, and pestilence. It appears God will advise the two witnesses before these plagues occur, then they will pass it on as His word to the occupants of the world. The miracles listed in verse six were actually performed by Moses and Elijah during their lifetimes. In the vast majority of miracles performed by Moses and Elijah, God let them know beforehand what was going to be done to their enemies, and they went and told them the word God had given them. Although some of these things may be as often as “they will,” I suspect most of them will be announcements of what God has already told us in his Word what he is about to do.
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