I would suggest, MHZ that Immanuel eclipses the book and is the one "thing" needed at all times.
Is that the clay becoming the potter?
The blogger is described as an Australian pastor and church planter who in his writing dabbles in a number of fields, notably theology and culture. In this piece, Stephen McAlpine addresses the Christian and asks, "Are you prepared to stand as the systematic shunning of Christ in culture progresses from Athens to Babylon?"
The NIV isn't the book you want to be using if you are trying to figure out what the book is saying. That is for no other reason that it had to deviate from the 1611KJV in order to get it's own copyright. It is fine if 'salvation' is the topic as it confirms what it is. It won't give you the nuts and bolts how that comes about. Ge:3:15 is the key to unlocking that sequence. You then have a choice of studying one bruise or the other
Athens:
"A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him (Paul). Some of them asked, 'What is this babbler trying to say?' Others remarked, 'He seems to be advocating foreign gods.' They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, 'May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.' (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)" (Acts 18:16-21 NIV)
If you have a quote why ignore it and add your own adlib alone. A buildup is fine if it is a standalone verse but the explanation without the quote turn it into an opinion and it deprives the readers from being able to judge if the context is correct.
The 'foreign God' in the NT is the one who produced the 7 letters as those are the qualities God will use when He takes control of things in a literal version.
Athens is connected to the brass in Daniel, the little horn in Da:8 is the 500 year rule that Rome had over Jerusalem for 500 years in all. The Gospel was written during the time of the brass and the start of the time of the Gentiles was in 70AD as the result of a prophecy given by Moses. The time of the Gentiles has 42 months left to run when the two witnesses are called to preach in Jerusalem for 1260 days, the equal to 42 months. Jerusalem becomes Satan's Babylon for the next 4 days then it is destroyed.
Da:8:8-12:
Therefore the he goat waxed very great:
and when he was strong,
the great horn was broken;
and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
And out of one of them came forth a little horn,
which waxed exceeding great,
toward the south,
and toward the east,
and toward the pleasant land.
And it waxed great,
even to the host of heaven;
and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground,
and stamped upon them.
Yea,
he magnified himself even to the prince of the host,
and
by him the daily sacrifice was taken away,
and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression,
and it cast down the truth to the ground;
and it practised, and prospered.
De:4:27-31:
And
the LORD shall scatter you among the nations,
and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen,
whither the LORD shall lead you.
And there ye shall serve gods,
the work of men's hands,
wood and stone,
which neither see,
nor hear, nor eat,
nor smell.
But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God,
thou shalt find him,
if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
When thou art in tribulation,
and all these things are come upon thee,
even in the latter days,
if thou turn to the LORD thy God,
and shalt be obedient unto his voice;
(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God
he will not forsake thee,
neither destroy thee,
nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Lu:21:20-24:
And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains;
and let them which are in the midst of it depart out;
and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
For these be the days of vengeance,
that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
But woe unto them that are with child,
and to them that give suck,
in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land,
and wrath upon this people.
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,
and shall be led away captive into all nations:
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Re:11:1-2:
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod:
and the angel stood,
saying,
Rise,
and measure the temple of God,
and the altar,
and them that worship therein.
But
the court which is without the temple leave out,
and measure it not;
for it is given unto the Gentiles:
and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Prayer is how the seeking is done in the 'latter days' and in this case if it is sincere it will result in protection from being killed and that person would survive the 3 woes and see the day of the lord happen as a living witness. The 'few in numbers' is a reference to being reduced to 144,000 for all 12 Tribes so WWII does not fulfill that part of the prophecy. It does for the Rothschild version only.
Babylon:
"At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.'
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?' (Daniel 3:8-15 NIV)
There are 2 Babylons in Scripture, Neb and then Satan. Neb was acting as a servant of Gos and from the captivity until his death he was gathered by God to become a firm believer. God bestowed on Neb a few thing such as the title king of kings and he was given dominion over the beasts of the field. That plays in to when Christ comes as He is the mechanism that destroys the iron/clay kingdom that takes control of the world 3 1/2 years before the return and Jerusalem 3 1/2 days before the return.
Da:2:37-38:
Thou,
O king,
art a king of kings:
for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power,
and strength,
and glory.
And wheresoever the children of men dwell,
the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand,
and hath made thee ruler over them all.
Thou art this head of gold.
Da:4:36-37:
At the same time my reason returned unto me;
and for the glory of my kingdom,
mine honour and brightness returned unto me;
and my counsellers and my lords sought unto me;
and I was established in my kingdom,
and excellent majesty was added unto me.
Now
I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven,
all whose works are truth,
and his ways judgment:
and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
The latter time of the brass is when the 1st of 3 woes begins as that is 'tribulation' for believers when Satan has woe # 1 and woe #2 and then woe #3 is Christ and the 7 vials whose effects last 1,000 years and that earns it the title of 'great tribulation'.
"Christian, are you prepared to remain steadfast as the prevailing culture moves from marginalizing to hunting/eradicating Christ?"
If a person is stead fast it is because of prayers to God rather than sanctuary can be arranged by people alone. If the poor can make it through then stockpiling would they couldn't do that as only the rich could and the odds of them making it through by that method stands at zero.
