by Tim Buck | Dec 23, 2022 | Daniel's Prophecies, Messiah, Tim's Articles
The Prophet Daniel’s Influence On The Christmas Story12/23/22 By Tim Buck
Fotet.org
“The heavens declare the glory of God.”
Psalms 19:1
After announcing Daniel was “10 times wiser” than all the magicians and astrologers (Daniel 1:20), King Nebuchadnezzar assigned the prophet Daniel to the high office of “chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners” (Dan. 5:11). In other words, Daniel was appointed Chief of the Magi.
Why is this important?
As Christmas approaches, we see images and hear stories of the “Wise Men,” (or, as they are often called, Magi), traveling from the East, following a star in order to pay homage to the Christ-child, the newborn king (Matthew 2:1-12). Many scholars believe that these Magi came from Babylon where Daniel ministered for over 70 years.
How did Babylonians of the first century know about Jewish prophecy, and what led them to believe that this particular star was the one that would lead them to the great “newborn king” and the prophesied Messiah?
Is it possible that the teachings and stargazing knowledge 600 years before Jesus, taught and prophesied by Daniel, is what helped the wise men know when and for what star they should look for concerning Christ’s first coming?
God who has all knowledge and lives in the “eternal present,” most certainly revealed the sign of the star to Daniel. He also revealed the exact time of Messiah’s first coming to Daniel found in Daniel 9:24-27 and commonly referred to as Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy.
As chief of the Magi, Daniel’s teaching and prophecies became known throughout the ancient Near East. Even the Romans
were aware of his prophecies of a coming king of Israel (Matthew 2:3).
The wise men had been patiently waiting for this special star for a long time. They had to travel 1000 miles each way, a journey of about 4 months each way. Oh, but can you imagine what a thrilling journey it must have been as they followed the star in search of Messiah!
After the wise men found baby Jesus and worshipped Him, they were warned of God in a dream that they should not report back to Herod but were told to depart back to their country another way (Matthew 2:12).
God’s inspired Word through the prophesies of Daniel is remarkably accurate. How could Daniel, years before the fact, predict the exact time Christ would be “cut-off” (Dan. 9:26) and die? This prediction helped the wise men understand the exact time Christ would be born. How did Daniel predict that Christ would die while most Jews believed that Messiah would not die but would come and immediately set up His Kingdom on earth?
Just as amazing is that all throughout the Book of Daniel, the prophet predicts 100’s of things that are still yet to come in the last days which predictions are verified in the Book of Revelation.
Those who believe the prophecies in the Old Testament were literally fulfilled in Jesus’ first coming can have hope and confidence that the future prophesies will also come to pass and be literally fulfilled as well. That’s the God we serve who knows the end from the beginning and tells us ahead of time in order that we might believe!
The Magi of the first century would have most certainly studied the writing of Daniel and other writings Daniel referenced, such as the book of Isaiah. This connection between Daniel and the Magi helps explain why almost six hundred years later, the Magi expected a Jewish king to arrive in Judea near the end of the first century B.C.
Daniel’s unique influence on the Christmas story is simply that the Magi followed the star based on their study of the prophet’s writings.
Does What You Do Impact the World?
Think about this… dare to be a Daniel!
The life Daniel lived and the work he did for the Lord helped the Magi centuries after his death to connect the dots between a light in the night sky and the “Light of the World.”
Now, you may say, “I am no Daniel,” but you have no idea how God may use the work he has called you to do nor the impact it might have a year from now, ten years from now, or even much further into the future.
We need to rest in the knowledge that:
…we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
The work that you do for the Lord, even the most mundane thing is work not wasted if it’s done for God’s glory.
by Tim Buck | Dec 7, 2022 | Messiah, Tim's Articles
When Christmas season comes around I enjoy reviewing the people that make up the genealogy of Jesus found in the Gospel’s of Matthew and Luke.
People’s names, backgrounds
and places of birth are all important in God’s Word. God knows who we were before we were born and the number of our days is established ahead of time! Even the hairs on our head are numbered. Every person and place mentioned in His Word are there for a reason.
So it shouldn’t surprise us that God doesn’t cover up the sordid lifestyles and flawed character of those in the human genealogy of the perfect Jesus.
Ancestors With A Reputation
Listing out the human genealogy of Jesus reveals God’s grace and willingness to use sinners to bring forth the Son of God. Who were some of His ancestors?
1. A woman who slept with her father-in-law while pretending to be a prostitute.
2. A woman who was a prostitute.
3. A woman who was a foreigner and whose people served other gods.
4. Lastly, a woman who sinned with the greatest king in Israel’s history.
So, what do we gather from this?
The Savior of the world came from people that we would not even want anything to do with. The Savior of the world came from people that we would ridicule. The Savior of the world had to come to this earth because of people like His relatives. Why?
God wants us to see that through Him, anything is possible. Through Him, even you and I can be used. Through Him, it does not matter how bad our past is. Through Him, our lives can be changed although we don’t deserve it.
Tamar (Genesis 38)
Genesis 37 describes how Judah, along with his brothers, sold Joseph into slavery. In chapter 38, this namesake of the tribe Jesus would come from left home and married a Canaanite woman. His wife bore him three sons, and Judah arranged for his oldest son to marry a Canaanite woman named Tamar. But his first two sons were evil in the sight of the Lord and died. Judah convinced Tamar to remain in her father’s house until his youngest son was old enough to marry her, but Tamar came to believe that Judah was an ungodly man who would not keep his word.
So, she disguised herself as a prostitute and stationed herself along the route she knew Judah would be taking. Judah, unaware of who she was, hired her as a prostitute and left some of his possessions as a guarantee of payment. Sometime later, Judah became indignant when he was told that his daughter-in-law had become pregnant. He insisted that she be put to death for her immorality, until she produced his own seal, cord, and staff — items that were as good as fingerprints. Judah confessed that Tamar was more righteous than he.
Tamar bore twins to Judah. Her son Perez would be the one through whom the Messianic line would be continued, no thanks to Judah. Pretty interesting person, that Tamar. In spite of her sin, she is part of the Messiah’s royal family lineage. Let’s look at another woman listed in this genealogy.
Rahab (Joshua 2; 6:15-25)
Rahab is mentioned eight times in Scripture, and in six of these occurrences, her name is connected with the word “harlot” (KJV) or “prostitute” (NIV). This story wonderfully illustrates God’s grace. He is no respecter of persons. He accepts and forgives us not because of what we are, or might be, but based on whether or not we will put our trust in Him.
This also points to God’s sovereignty over the affairs of men and how He directs the steps of those who rest in His provision or are looking to know Him better. God knew Rahab’s faith and her longing to know God, and, perhaps, even to become a part of God’s people. So, God worked and brought Hebrew spies and Rahab together for their protection and her blessing.
Why was Rahab saved? Because she believed in the God of Israel. Hiding the Jewish spies was an outworking of her faith, just as many godly people hid Jews in European countries during World War II. Because she believed that the God of Israel was indeed “God in heaven above and earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11), Rahab is listed in Hebrews 11, the famous Hall of Faith chapter.
So far, we have found a woman that slept with her father-in-law and a prostitute. Top of the line, right? Let’s keep looking.
Ruth (Ruth 1-4)
Ruth was a Moabite woman. The Moabites were the race that resulted from the union of Lot and his oldest daughter. Not a good start. The Moabites were forbidden from entering into the assembly of the Lord to the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3). The Israelites were not commanded to annihilate them, and they were not forbidden to marry them.
Most of us are familiar with the story of Ruth. A famine in the land prompted Elimelech to leave Israel with his family and to sojourn temporarily in Moab. Elimelech and his sons soon died, leaving Naomi with her two widowed Moabite daughters-in-law. When Naomi decided to return to Israel, Orpah stayed behind but Ruth was determined to remain with Naomi no matter what.
When they arrived in Naomi’s hometown of Bethlehem, the people immediately recognized her and were excited that she had returned. Naomi was quick to tell them her woes, blaming her troubles on God, who seemed to have it out for her, or so she implied (Ruth 1:20-22). Ruth immediately set out to provide for Naomi’s needs. She began to glean in the nearby field of a man who “just happened” to be a near relative of Elimelech (Ruth 2:3). Boaz quickly noticed Ruth and was impressed by her kindness toward Naomi.
In time, Boaz and Ruth were married, and the child Ruth bore to Boaz was named Obed. Obed was the grandfather of David. Here we have a foreigner who somehow gets into the line of Jesus. So far, we have a conniving woman, a prostitute, and a foreigner. Let’s look at the last woman listed in this genealogy.
Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11)
It was evening, and David was just getting out of bed. If we had any doubt about why he stayed home while his army was at war, it is all gone now. The king was not catching up on his paperwork. David was goofing off! “And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in appearance” (2 Samuel 11:2).
If he had used his head, he would have gotten off of that rooftop patio pronto. But he lingered and let his eyes feast on Bathsheba’s fleshly charms until he could think of nothing but having her for himself. Bathsheba was not guiltless either. She may not have purposely enticed David, but she was immodest and indiscreet.
David found out who the beautiful bather was, sent for her, and the thought became the deed. The inevitable happened, and Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant.
In an effort to cover over his sin, David sent for her husband, Uriah. This righteous man would not indulge in pleasure while his men were at war, so David gave orders that led to Uriah’s death. The king after God’s own heart added murder to his sin of adultery.
After a short period of mourning, Bathsheba entered David’s house and became his wife. The two lovers finally had each other to enjoy freely and uninterruptedly… except for one thing: “But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27). It is interesting that in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, Bathsheba is still referred to as the woman “who had been the wife of Uriah” (Matthew 1:6).
What’s in a Name?
All of these names — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba — are important links in the genealogy of the Messiah. But there is a Name that is above all names. So, why did God declare that His Son be given the name, Jesus?
Most Israelis call Jesus “YESHU” — a name that became a curse. It’s the acronym of “May His name and memory be erased.” Satan has blinded so many from seeing their spiritual need and has caused them to do so many evil things in the name of Jesus that now, without having any understanding, Jesus has become a mere curse word in our world.
But His given name — YESHUA — is a name that comes from the word “YESHUAH,” meaning, “Salvation.” He is our salvation. In Him, we are saved. JOSHUAH (Joshua) is “Jehovah will save,” but YESHUA is salvation.
Conclusion
The day Jesus was born, everything changed. Through a broken line of sinful individuals — men and women — the “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” came to that which He created to provide eternal restoration.
“There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Because of Jesus — what He has done and what He will do in those who trust Him — we can be saved. It matters not what we were or have been. What matters is who Jesus Christ is, what He has done, and that He is faithful to all His promises. He stands ready today to pierce the darkness in your life.
by Tim Buck | Sep 20, 2022 | Anti-Christ, Isreal, Messiah, Tim's Articles, Tribulation
What You Don’t Know About The Return of Jesus May Shock You!Petra, Part 3
9/26/22 – by Tim Buck
Fotet.org
“God comes from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of His praise.”
Habakkuk 3:3
Where On Earth Will Jesus Return?
It’s been taught by prophecy teachers (including me) that Jesus will land on the Mount of Olives when He first returns at His Second Coming.
But from recent studies, I no longer feel that accurately
reflects the proper sequence of events that we read about in the Prophets showing where Jesus first arrives on earth.
There’s more to the story…
Buried in the short book of Habakkuk is the most interesting prophecy outlined above.
This prophecy deals with Christ’s Second Coming in the “Day of the Lord” and His arrival on earth at the end of the 7-Year Tribulation.
What’s fascinating is the reference to “God coming from Teman.” Teman was the capital of Edom, which is today in the southwest part of Jordan around the area of Petra. What’s that about? Why is God coming from Edom and the region of Petra?
The next line in the verse says “the Holy One came from Mount Paran,” a reference to the place close to Petra where God moved to from Mt. Sinai so the Israelites could see His glory from a distance.
“The LORD came from Sinai and dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran.
Deut. 33:2
So Habakkuk recorded a vision of the last days regarding the Lord arriving and coming from Teman (Edom) and Paran (area of Petra). But why is the Lord coming from Edom and the mountainous region of Petra? What’s that all about?
Isaiah sheds more light on this:
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength?
Isaiah 63:1
Similar to the vision of John in Revelation 19:13 where Jesus is “clothed with a robe dipped in blood”, Isaiah also sees the robe of Jesus splattered with the blood of His enemies. Where did the blood come from?
Isaiah, like Habakkuk, says at the end of the Tribulation God comes from Edom—but more specifically from “Bozrah.”
There’s an important geographic clue in the meaning of the word “Teman” in Habakkuk 3:3. Teman means “South,” as in reference to Jerusalem.
Isaiah sees a vision of Jesus, after He returns, heading toward Jerusalem from the southern area of Bozrah. This indicates that Jesus must have arrived in the Judean desert somewhere around the area of Petra. He doesn’t arrive at Jerusalem first and then go to Petra, He first goes to Petra to free the remnant and then leads His entire procession up to Jerusalem.
So if you face Edom from Jerusalem looking south is Bozrah and the mountains of Seir. And guess what is located in the middle of those mountains—the empty city today known as Petra, Jordan.
Petra, of course, means “rock” and is located in the rugged mountains southeast of the Dead Sea and near Israel’s eastern border.
Petra was the capital city of the Nabateans. This nation seems to have come out of thin air, living for a couple hundred years around the time of Christ on the earth. Then, just as mysteriously, they disappear with no trace of what happened or where they went. The Nabateans were known for their carvings into sandstone. The area where Petra is located is full of sandstone mountains with thousands of carvings straight into the soft rock in the high sandstone walls.
Is it possible that God had this city built and then permanently vacated just so it would be available as the emergency refuge for Jews escaping genocide during the second half of the Tribulation? Yes!
Is it possible that we serve such a God? Yes and Amen!
Today you can see houses with several rooms carved deep into the sandstone walls. They even carved graves, tombs, water channels and animal mangers into these walls.
After carving all this for 200+ years, it left the area dotted with thousands of caves. It’s been estimated that when fully excavated, the city could hold up to 5 million people.
So let’s tie all this together…
In Matthew 24 Jesus describes an event at the middle of the 7-Year Tribulation when the West Bank Jews must flee for their lives.
They are warned that when they see the “abomination of desolation” standing in their Temple, that’s the sign to run or be killed.
Much like God provided water and food to the Israelites who wandered in the same desert for 40 years after the Egyptian Exodus, God will similarly provide for the surviving Jews who heeded Biblical warnings to flee when they saw the Abomination of Desolation.
Isaiah again fills in some details about the area to which they fled:
Enter the rock and hide in the dust… Is. 2:10
Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground… Is. 2:19
In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs… Is. 2:21
This further confirms that the holes, caves and large caverns that we see today in Petra are where the Jews end up living for the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, protected and provided for by God.
It’s during this time when they have come with nothing but the clothes on their backs, that they begin to lose their pride, repent, and begin understanding their Biblical roots and that they crucified Jesus their Messiah!
When Jesus returns to earth He first shows up in the area of Petra. It’s in this battle where he gets His blood stained cloak (Isaiah 63; Rev. 19) from defeating the southern armies of Antichrist who have besieged Petra. In a great battle, Jesus comes with “lightening in His hands” (Hab. 3:4) to defeat Israel’s enemies and personally free His remnant. It is likely that it’s on this occasion when “they see Him whom they pierced” (Zech. 12:10) and repent and are saved.
Then from Petra, Jesus the “Cloud Rider” becomes Jesus the “Desert Marcher” as He leads His entourage of freed Jewish believers through the Judean desert toward Jerusalem.
Upon arriving and ascending the Mount of Olives the mountain splits in half making a sudden way of escape through a newly formed valley like the miracle of the Red Sea. The remaining Jews in Jerusalem who have been besieged by Antichrist’s forces will flee through the mountain valley to escape death just in time!
Antichrist and his army then make the same mistake that Pharaoh and his army made giving chase into the mountain valley and the lights go out! When God turns the lights back on, the Tribulation is over and the Millennial Kingdom begins (Zech. 14:5-8).
For more study, read Isaiah 63:1-6; Habakkuk 3; Zechariah 14; Mt. 24:15-21; Revelation 12:6, 13-17 and 19.
by Tim Buck | Apr 25, 2022 | Messiah, Second Coming, Tim's Articles, Tribulation
Witnesses For JesusIn the Last Days
April 25, 2022 by Tim Buck
Fotet.org
God posed a question to the prophet Isaiah that every Christian should consider.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” And He said, “Go and tell this people.
Isaiah 6:8-9Today, you and I are witnesses for Christ as every believer has been called by God to go into all the world and preach the gospel. As darkness increases, more than ever, the world needs to hear the Good News that Jesus died for sinners!
After the Rapture of the church and all believers are taken up to heaven, there are no witnesses left on earth! Not one! So God graciously sends 2-Witnesses (Revelation 11) to preach the Word during the first half of the Tribulation.
In the battle for Jerusalem between the Caliphate forces of Antichrist and Israel, the two Witnesses are killed and miraculously Raptured in the middle of the Tribulation.
But praise God they’ve left behind 144,000 Witnesses!
As devastating as the second half of the Tribulation will be, God will never leave the world without a witness.
This amazing team of dedicated servants becomes the unsung heroes of the last days causing millions to come to the Lord.
Our prayer is that you’ll join us for this wonderful study tomorrow evening and allow the testimony of these 144,000 Witnesses impact your life for the Lord.
by Tim Buck | Apr 21, 2022 | Messiah, Millennial Kingdom, Second Coming, Tim's Articles
The Revealing of Jesus!
Part 4
April 21, 2022 – Fotet.org
In this last article on the Cloud Rider Series, we will examine clouds in prophecy, and focus on the verses surrounding the return of the Lord.
On the last day of His public ministry, Jesus led the twelve apostles from Jerusalem up onto the Mount of Olives. After further instructing them, with no warning and right before their eyes, Jesus effortlessly lifted up off the earth in plain view of His stunned followers.
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Acts 1:9
As Jesus rose in the atmosphere a cloud enveloped Him and took Him out of their sight! This of course was no ordinary cloud. Like Elijah’s chariot, it was the supercharged vehicle to carry the Son back home to the Father.
As the apostles gazed into the sky, the angels that stood nearby gave the awe-struck followers a wonderful message of hope.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.
Acts 1:10-11
Just as the Cloud Rider ascended in a cloud; He will one day return in one. As such, this passage gives insight into the Day of the Lord when Christ returns again. Does it agree with other prophecies on this topic? Yes, it does, as Christ Himself prophesies in Matthew 24:
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:30
In Matthew 26, Caiaphas, the high priest, wants to sentence Jesus to death for blasphemy (Matthew 26:57–59). After several failed attempts, he finally challenges Jesus to answer whether He is the Christ—the Messiah—and the Son of God.
Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Matthew 26:64
Jesus’ words make direct reference to Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13 leaving no doubt in the mind of Caiaphas that Jesus is claiming to be the eternal Messiah and Son of God.
Thus, Jesus pronounced He was messiah by referring to Himself as the ‘Son of Man,’ and associating Himself as the divine Cloud Rider from the familiar messianic prophecy of Daniel.
I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
Daniel 7:13
Finally, the apostle John adds his final witness to the Cloud Rider saying that Christ will break through earth’s atmosphere at His Second Coming with power and glory “riding” the clouds for all to see:
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation 1:7
Rumble
