6 Responses

1. Hey Joel I just want to thank you for all that you do. You are a great teacher n I 100% agree with you. I’ve been listening to you now for 5 years n you completely opened my eyes in bible study. Thank you

2. Hello Joel: I am sympathetic with your concern for the Kurds and other innocent people in Syria who are suffering from Turkish aggression. And I agree as individual Christians and as Christian organizations we should help those people with humanitarian aid when possible. It is our duty to help fellow Christians first, but also help unbelievers when possible. But I do not believe Christians have a military obligation to rescue or create nation states or police the world. Some Christians like Pat Robertson believes our Government should create a nation state called (Kurdistan.) But that would require a continued occupation of that area to enforce it. I do not personally know if that is a good idea. But there is something you may have forgot. Turkey is a current member of NATO and ally to the USA. In my opinion we should withdraw from that relationship, but currently we are bound by that relationship. Furthermore, We have an Airbase in Turkey with many nuclear weapons. If we took a military position against the Turks over their invasions, they may (and probably would) take those weapons and hold our troops there as hostages. I know it is easy to second guess President,Trump, but I think the situation is very complex and difficult to know how to respond. President Trump must keep the “big picture” in mind. The President probably does not know a lot about prophecy, but he seems to respect Israel’s right to national sovereignty, and I think he has a intuitive sense about the danger of Islam. I personally think nonintervention is the best overall policy for the Middle East except to defend Israel. All forms of Islam are evil, and we would be wise to stay out of their internal politics. I am afraid that which every side we take will be problematic. Get out and stay out of that area.
   Roy Coker

3. Hi Joel,

   So firstly let me say I don’t see any problem with what you said. I just want to add some food for thought regarding the exchange Jesus has with the lawyer of the Law. So the question asked is initially answered by Jesus with a question. This lawyer of the Law of Moses is trying to test Jesus – the Word in regard to the Law.

   “Teacher, what shall I DO to inherit eternal life?” (emphasis mine) 26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” 27 And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE.”

   New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Lk 10:27–28). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

   The Law is the context Jesus answers with. But only Jesus our Lawyer has ever totally fulfilled the Law with his life. Paul teaches in Romans all others have fallen short. Even those without the Law, the Greek pagan has no excuse because even that which is made testifies of God. As image-bearers, we know instinctively what is right. The parable speaks to what each character does in regard to their right standing toward God and also to his neighbor. The priest is focused on his holiness so as not to become unclean and undo what HE HAS DONE as a priest, The Levite who cares for the temple moves to the other side because what HE DOES effects the priest, The Samaritan is driven by his compassion and his works is that of a good neighbor instinctively. If we could be that person to our neighbor and Love God as Lord of ALL our heart, soul and strength there would have been no need for Jesus. The last thing Jesus says is ” “Yes, now go and do the same.”

   But Paul in Galatians explains that the Law requires perfection and judges us and kills us because of that requirement. That is the dilemma Jesus was presenting to the lawyer of the Law. Go do ALL of that if you can on your own to inherit eternal life. Just being a Jew is not enough, even Israel needs a Savior. Thus the need for the Lamb of God who fulfilled the Law completely. “It is done.”

   What’s interesting is that similar to Judaism, Islam has its own works of laws to attain “eternal life”. I agree with you that Islam is a counterfeit. Paul in Galatians very pointedly shows us that Law kills us because we all fail in it. The same is true even within the laws we fashion for ourselves… such as Islam. Islam requires Jihad… and the Kurds and Eqyptians will need to come to grips with that. So as we introduce the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the Kurdish or Egyptian Muslim (the Samaritan) it frees him from Shariah, from Jihad just as much as it frees a lawyer or priest or Levite and saves them from the Law of Moses that judges them.

4. Hi Roy,

   I think when I advocate for standing with the Kurds, too many wrongly understand me to be saying that we go to war for them. I am not suggesting this. I am suggesting that we should protest our government / the President actually giving permission to Turkey to invade, failing to honor his commitment to spalls them with crippling sanction if they did, repeatedly lying about a cease-fire etc., and welcoming the dictator invader to the White House and treating him like a friend. That is standing with the dictator. I am advocating for a very different stance. Being favorable to Kurdish statehood’s a foreign policy stance. It does not necessitate going to war. It would be the right thing to do. But that is a whole other matter. For now, we stand with them in their moment of great need.

5. Joel I wanted to present an alternative interpretation of Rev 13/18 for your review. (Strongs included)

   Rev 13:18
   Here G5602 is G2076 wisdom. G4678 Let him that hath G2192 understanding G3563 count G5585 the number G706 of the beast: G2342
   for G1063 it is G2076 the number G706 of a man; G444 and G2532 his G846 number G706 is Six hundred threescore and six. G5516

   …….for it is the number of a man ?

   This is the most commonly accepted interpretation of this verse.
   But is this the only interpretation?

   There are 2 different Strongs Concordance uses of the word man G444 and thus there can be 2 interpretations of the above phrase as follows

   https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G444&t=KJV

   Strongs Concordance Examples:

   Example 1
   ==========================================================================================================================
   It is the number (of a) man –
   (“of a” is not literally included by Strongs – was it added to improve the flow of the language?)

   Mat 4:4
   But he answered and said, It is written, Man G444 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

   Note how “of a man” is not used in this example – the word man is used by itself.
   ==========================================================================================================================

   Example 2 (plural)
   ==========================================================================================================================
   It is the number of men

   Mat 4:19
   And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. G444

   Mat 5:13
   Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out,
   and to be trodden under foot of men. G444

   In fact there are quite a few instances of the G444 being used to mean “of men” (the plural)
   ==========================================================================================================================

   This translates to 2 different interpretations:

   1) The accepted (singular) interpretation:
   “For it is the number of a man”
   The common interpretation is that we should use bible numerics to add up the numerical value of each Hebrew letter of this ruler’s name.

   2) An alternative (plural) interpretation:
   “For it is the number of men”

   If the 2nd Example is legitimate then how could the (plural) interpretation be understood?

   666 is the number of men of the Beast Empire.
   This cannot mean the total number of citizens belonging to the Beast nation – who ever heard of a 666 citizen nation?
   In such a case it must refer to the number of officials in the Beast government.
   Such as Members of Parliament or Senate or maybe even ALL legislative members of government (president, prime minister, parliament & senate)

   Here is a link to the Turkish Parliament:
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27th_Parliament_of_Turkey

   Notice how the number of Ministers of Parliament are determined by Proportional Representation (population)

   In the (2011), 24th Turkish Parliament there were 550 members
   In the (Jun 2015), 25th Turkish Parliament there were 550 members
   In the (Nov 2015), 26th Turkish Parliament there were 550 members
   In the (Jun 2018), 27th (and current) Turkish Parliament there are now 600 members
   This current parliament will last until the latter half of 2022.

   In the coming years Turkey could add more MP’s as the population rises and especially if they annex Syria, Iraq, etc.. and add new representatives.
   By adding another 66 members that would equate to – 666 total members of Parliament – “the number of men” in the Turkish Government.

   (just a thought?)

6. I’ve heard some say that the Iranian-Turkish conflict, as described in the book of Daniel, could happen very soon. It seems like there are some things that still have to happen before that, which could take a while, like the rise of Mystery Babylon, the creation of the third temple and the reestablishment of daily sacrifices, etc. Do you believe these things have to happen first? Also, do you believe that Neom could be Mystery Babylon?