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2nd Esdras Part
1
Greetings Watchers!
The Mideast continues in it's
charade while behind the scenes, it's still peace that they pursue. The only
war that will happen in the Mideast will be a local war of uprooting, and
since that will be a mostly Moslem conflict, I doubt you will see Israel
involved. And, if I understand scripture correctly, it occurs after the peace,
not before. Peace is the cessation of againstness. The againstness is so great
at this time that they know that the only option is peace - or better yet, to
forestall the inevitable, that begins after three and a half years of relative
calm. Now, I know that a lot of you disagree, and that's your right. I stand
on my understanding of scripture on the subject, and I have stated my case in
my teaching. Now, it's time to watch. So, keep watching, but stay far back
from it, so you can see it all, and fit the each days occurrences into proper
perspective. That's what I'm doing right now, and while doing it, I've been
preparing a new teaching. You can be sure that when something of meaning
happens, I will be commenting on it.
Now, many of you have requested
that I teach on the second book of Esdras, which contains the prophecy of the
fourth kingdom of Daniel, Rome. Talk about a faith building study, as well as
a historical confirmation of our present day stage of history. This teaching
is in three parts.
As you know, Esdras II is not
included in the authorized version, but is in the Apocrypha. In my studies, I
have used the translation by Dr. Edgar J. Goodspeed.
One of the tragedies of the
Apocrypha is that it's not received the continued attention of men of faith
and the kind of rebuttal to higher criticism for example as the book of Daniel
has received, because it was taken out of the King James and the authorized
versions. If the criticism, by critics of Biblical inspiration had been
allowed the final word, Daniel would be the product of multiple authors,
because of the different languages in it's composition, and would have become
history, written long after the events it records, instead of prophecy. Daniel
would have been destroyed, but because it was part of the traditionally
accepted book, scholars of equal ability countered and overcame the arguments
of those critics.
Now, you will read in this
Apocrypha that Esdras was composed at some later date. The tragedy is that
when the Puritans and The American and British Bible Society took the
Apocrypha out of the authorized versions, it ceased to be defended, and
scholarship on the side of faith ceased to be applied.
Now, don't send me letters that
I'm adding or taking away from scripture by this teaching. That verse that
warns of that applies only to the book of Revelation, wherein it's written.
Besides Deuteronomy defines the test of a prophet. The only test of a prophet
is what he says, comes to pass.
Now, Esdras is but Ezra, with a
different spelling, so we are talking about the same person as is already
included in the authorized version. This is the second book of Ezra, part of
the books that were part of the books from before the time of Jesus. The
reason it's not part of scripture anymore is because it isn't proven whether
Ezra wrote it, or whether it was written by someone else who used his name. In
either case, it is agreed that it was written before the birth of Christ. So
the test, of the test of a prophet from Deuteronomy applies, and the test of a
prophet is what he say comes to pass.
As usual, the vision afforded
by hind sight is 20/20. But, first some commentary.
Ezra: "I slept that night,
and the following one, and it came to pass on the second night, that I had a
dream. Behold there came up out of the sea, and eagle with 12 feather covered
wings and three heads."
There is no similarity between
the American Bald Eagle and the eagle that was the ancient symbol of the
Hittite's, that in 202 B.C., was grabbed by the Roman forces, and made their
symbol, later to become, in their heraldry, the two headed eagle in both the
ancient German Empire and the Russian Empire. Some people think that it was
the golden eagle that inhabited large parts of middle Asia, but the American
Bald Eagle, is an entirely different bird. Don't overdo the symbols, keep the
symbols in their context. It's like the parables. Parables illustrate truth,
they don't command truth. You don't write your doctrine on parable, the
parable illustrates the doctrine.
There is a Lion of Judah, but
the ancient Lion of Babylon was Satan's counterfeit, as the incarnate Christ
is the way in which God would redeem mankind. And the seed of the woman would
bruise the head of the serpent, so, immediately Satan began his counterfeit
job with Nimrod and Semiramis, who claims that her son Tammuz, was the god
Nimrod, reborn from a sunbeam's conception. Satan imitates, and the eagle Ezra
is speaking of is not the American bald eagle.
It's important to remember to
always view these end time prophecies within their landscape, that time has
been passing over, and how hearing what they says will further our
understanding of how to recognize when those times arrive, when God returns to
complete His covenant with the Jews and Tribes.
Recall also that these
prophecies were written to them, wherein lies the benefit to those who were
grafted on to their tree. If these be the "End Times", then
suddenly, the time is within sight for fulfillment of the promise to the
Church. If Ezra is a prophet, and if he is a magnifying glass that zeros us in
closer on the time factor, as was Daniel, then we should study what he has to
say.
EZRA: I looked and there
came up out of the sea, an eagle, with 12 feather covered wings and three
heads.
Now, this is no different than
the kind of dreams that Daniel had, and yet generations of the church have
grown up listening to Daniel as scripture, and have never even heard of Esdras.
In Nebuchadnezzar's vision, the head of gold was followed by arms and breast
of silver, was followed by the sides of brass, followed by the legs of iron,
and in Daniels vision, there was the Lion followed by the Bear, followed by
the Leopard, and then the nondescript beast, not given a name because Daniel
saw no way from nature to recognize this beast for it's awesome qualities. Now
another prophet, Ezra, has a dream about that kingdom.
ESDRAS II Part I of III THE
PROPHECY
Ezra: I slept that night, and
the following one, and it came to pass on the second night, that I had a
dream. I looked and there came up out of the sea, an eagle, with 12 feather
covered wings and three heads. I looked and behold he spread his wings over
the whole earth. And all the winds of heaven blew about him and the clouds
gathered about him, and I looked, and out of his wings grew additional wings.
They became small, dwarfish wings, but his heads were resting.
The middle head was greater
than the other heads, but it was resting like them. And I looked and the eagle
flew with his wings to reign over the earth and over those who live on it and
I saw that everything under heaven was subject to him, and no one opposed him
nor any creature that was on the earth. And I looked, and behold the eagle
rose upon his talons and uttered his voice to his wings saying, do not all
watch at once, sleep, each in his own place, and watch by turns, but let the
heads be reserved for the last.
And I looked and behold the
voice did not come from his head, but from the midst of his body. I counted
his additional wings and behold there were eight of them. I looked and behold
on the right side (looking north - the viewpoint of the vision), one wing
arose and it reigned over the whole earth. It came to pass that after it
reigned, it disappeared. Even in the place where it had been couldn't be seen,
and the second arose and reigned and it ruled a long time. It came to pass
after it had reigned it also came to an end, so that it disappeared like the
first, and behold a voice was heard saying, listen, you that have ruled the
earth so long, I make this proclamation to you before you begin to disappear.
No one after you will rule as long as you have ruled, or even half as long.
Then the third wing raised itself up and ruled like the former one and it also
disappeared. And so it fell to all the wings one by one to be Emperor and then
to disappear again.
I looked and behold in due time
the additional wings on the right side raised themselves up in order to be
Emperor. There were some of them that succeeded, but immediately disappeared.
Some of them raised themselves up, but didn't remain Emperor.
I looked and behold the twelve
wings and the two little wings disappeared and nothing was left on the eagles
body except the three heads that were resting and six little wings. And I
looked and behold, from the six little wings, two separated and stayed under
the head on the right side. But, four stayed in their place. I looked and
behold, these four additional wings planed to raise themselves up and be
Emperor. And, I looked and behold, one raised itself up and immediately
disappeared. A second raised up and disappeared more quickly than the first. I
looked and behold the two that were left also planned to reign. But, while
they were planning it, behold, one of the resting heads, the one in the middle
awoke. For it was greater than the other two heads. I saw how the two heads
were united with it.
Behold the heads turned with
the one that were with it and it ate up the additional wings that had planned
to reign. Moreover, this head made itself master of the whole earth and ruled
very oppressively over it's inhabitants. It had more power over the world than
all the wings that had gone before. Afterward I looked and behold, the middle
head suddenly disappeared, just as the wings had done. But the two heads
remained and they also reigned over the earth and over it's inhabitants. And I
looked and behold, the head on the right side ate up the one on the left.
Then I heard a voice say unto
me - look before ye and think about what you see. And, I looked, and behold,
what seemed to be a lion rose out of the forest roaring and I heard how he
uttered a mans voice to the eagle and spoke saying, listen and I will speak to
you, the Most High says to you, are you not all that's left of the four
animals that I made to reign in My world, so that through them the end of my
times might come? And you are the fourth to come. You've conquered all the
animals that are past and you've held the world in subjection and great terror
and the whole earth with harsh suppression. You've lived so long in the world
with deceit. You've not judged the earth with truth. You've persecuted the
meek, and hurt the peaceable, you've hated those who tell the truth and love
liars, and you've destroyed the dwellings of the fruitful and torn down the
walls of those who've done you no harm. Your insolence has reached the Most
High, you've tried the Might One, the Most High has looked to his times, and
behold has run their course. There ended. His ages are completed. Therefore
you will surely disappear you eagles, and your dreadful wings and your wicked
additional wings, and your malignant heads and your cruel talons, and your
whole worthless body. So that the whole earth may be freed from your violence
and be refreshed and relieved in hope for the justice and mercy of Him who
made her.
It came to pass that while the
lion was saying these words to the eagle that I looked and behold, the head
that had been left disappeared. And the two wings which had gone over to it
lifted themselves up to reign. Their reign was short and full of uproar. I
looked and behold they also disappeared. And the whole body of the eagle was
burned, and the earth was panic stricken. Then because of great disturbance of
mind and great fear, I awoke and I said to my Spirit, behold you brought this
upon me, because you tried to search out the ways of the Most High. (Note: To
get the best understanding of this, go back over it and draw on a piece of
paper the description, and see what you come out with. It's interesting and
fun.)
Behold I'm still weary in mind
and very weak in my Spirit. There is not the least strength left in me because
of the great fear which I felt this night, so now I will entreat the Most High
to strengthen me to the end. And I said, Sovereign Lord, if I have found favor
in your sight, and if I am counted upright by you beyond many, and if my
prayer has indeed come up before your face, strengthen me and show your slave
the meaning and explanation of this dreadful vision so as to comfort my soul
fully, for you've thought me worthy to be shown the end of times and the last
of them.
And He said to me, this is the
meaning of this vision that you have seen. As for the eagle that you saw
rising from the sea, it was the fourth kingdom that appeared in a vision to
your brother Daniel.
Through Daniel He paints the
landscape of the entire end times, but without regard for time. Ezra now,
focuses on a specific part of Daniel's prophecy that telescopes us further
into the time when the end will come. This is what happened in between the
time of Rome, when John was writing Revelation, and our present day stage of
history.
Ezra tells us this is what
happens. Here's where we see whether old Ezra can carve his place as a prophet
of God, whether in the cannon of God's word or not, who when he says
something, it comes to pass.
EZRA: And He said to me, this
is the meaning of this vision that you have seen. As for the eagle that you
saw rising from the sea, it was the fourth kingdom that appeared in a vision
to your brother Daniel. But it was not explained to him as I now explain it to
you and have explained it.
Why?!!
Because Daniel was inquiring
about Judah, and God was going to reveal to Daniel what was going to happen to
Judah, and what would happen from that kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar through the
kingdoms that would oppress the Jews.
Ezra has a larger purpose. He
fills in some gaps. Ezra: But it was not explained to him as I now explain it
to you and have explained it. Behold a day is coming when a kingdom will rise
on the earth - (that eagle is Daniel's fourth kingdom - the nondescript beast
- the legs of iron - in Nebuchadnezzar's image.) and it will be more terrible
that all the kingdoms that were before it. Moreover, twelve kings will reign
over it, one after another, but the second who is to reign will rule longer
than the twelve. This is the meaning of the twelve wings that you saw.
In the next part, we will
bridge the gap that will enable us to use Esdras to give clarification to what
is already in God's book, and sort out a lot of nonsense.
My sincerest and humblest
thanks to those who are helping me. You know that I know who you are, and how
much I love you for it. Keep it up.
Thank you for listening and
God bless all of you.
God bless.
Humbly,
Your Brother in Christ
Sal from CHN
"The Prophecy of Daniel The Book of Revelation
The Rapture of the Church and the Mideast Today"
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