Only 25 percent of Americans believe the media “rarely” or “never” deliberately report fake news.

In other words, only one-quarter of the country believe the media are not guilty of intentionally spreading lies to mislead the American people.

The partisan breakdown is even more revealing…

A full 92 percent of Republicans believe the media intentionally mislead the public. Independents are not far behind, with 79 percent. Even a majority of Democrats, 52 percent, agree, with only 46 percent disagreeing.

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"Justice Kennedy’s retirement is the biggest event in U.S. jurisprudence in at least 15 years"

- Jack Goldsmith, WaPo

...Without Kennedy, the court will be split between four liberal justices who were appointed by Democratic presidents and four conservatives who were named by Republicans. Trump’s nominee is likely to give the conservatives a solid majority and will face a Senate process in which Republicans hold the slimmest majority, but Democrats can’t delay confirmation.

With the opioid crisis still in full swing (and researchers reporting on Wednesday 70,000 opioid-related deaths that were not added to official statistics over the past 20 years) The Department of Justice announced on Thursday the conclusion of a year-long crackdown on opioid overprescribers that led to the indictment of more than 600 people - including 76 doctors - on health-care fraud charges.
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This may be the most powerful interview with Harley Schlanger that you've ever heard. Harley says there has been a rebellion, and it's global. From the #GreatAawkening in the United States with the election of Donald Trump to the turmoil in the EU as the unchecked power of the bureaucrats in Brussels is being challenged - and increasingly ignored. In Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and even in Germany people are reaching their boiling point. It's this grass roots revolution of ideas that the elite fear the most, a complete rejection of their Marxist new world order agenda.

Last Thursday, July 19, a storm having near hurricane winds hit Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, capsizing a “Duck Boat” and killing 17 people. There were 31 on board, including 2 crewmembers and 29 passengers.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/20/branson-duck-boat-accident-what-happened/806195002/

While the event was certainly tragic, I did not understand it as a prophetic sign until this morning as I was waking up.

The Fifth Sign in John is the Storm

Recall that every year we watch July 15-22, because it is a type of the feast of Tabernacles on our western calendar (7/15 to 7/22). Tabernacles is also a revelation in the book of John, where Jesus’ eight miracles were “signs” (semeion) to manifest His glory (John 2:11). John records 7 signs before Jesus’ death and resurrection, and 1 final sign afterward. The point is that these signs represent the 8 days of Tabernacles (7 plus 1).

Each sign represents one of the days of Tabernacles. The fifth sign is where the storm arose on the Sea of Galilee, threatening the 12 disciples. Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm. The story is recorded in John 6:16-21 and also in Matt. 14:22-34 and Mark 6:45-53.

The point is that July 19 is the fifth day of Tabernacles, linking the storm in Branson to the storm in Jesus’ day. The difference is that Jesus did not come to save the people on the duck boat in Branson. Yet 14 people were delivered out of that situation. The number 14 is the biblical number for deliverance or release. (See my book, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty.)

A Sign of Deliverance (14)

For example, the Passover lamb was killed in the 14th day of the first month for the deliverance of the people. This released them from Egypt the following day.

Another example is where the storm hit the ship that was taking the Apostle Paul to Rome. The ship was destroyed, but the people were delivered on the 14th day (Acts 27:33). Other examples are given in the book.

Insofar as the Branson tragedy is concerned, most of our attention is given to the 17 people who died. However, that is only half of the story, because 14 people were delivered—13 passengers and the captain, who were pulled from the lake. (The driver died, but the captain survived.)

In the biblical story, there were 12 disciples in the boat, and then Jesus joined them in the middle of the lake, making a total of 13 who made it to shore. In this case we would have to picture the captain as taking on the role of God Himself, and the passengers representing Jesus and His 12 disciples.

A Sign of Victory (17)

The number 17 is the biblical number of victory, yet they died, being swallowed up by the waves. The storm itself prophesies of tribulation. When Jesus sent the disciples across the lake after feeding the 5,000, it prophesied of the church being sent into tribulation until the second coming of Christ. Feeding the 5,000, as explained in John 6:26-71, was a revelation of Christ’s broken body (death) and His subsequent resurrection (gather the fragments that remain). That was the fourth sign in John, picturing the climax of Jesus’ ministry on earth before sending the church into tribulation.

The biblical number of victory, as seen in various biblical examples, is not always a happy outcome. In my book on numbers, I write this example:



In other words, Jeremiah’s victory of answered prayer was a matter of faith, because the Babylonian army was about to take over the land. There is no evidence that Jeremiah himself ever was able to live on the property that he had redeemed for 17 shekels of silver. The victory was to be seen on another level.

In fact, because Judah and Jerusalem had rejected the law of God and the kings had usurped the throne of God, judgment was coming upon the land. In the conflict between God and Judah, God won the victory by leading the Babylonian army! Just because Judah was defeated by Babylon does not mean there was no victory. One army’s victory is another army’s defeat. Which side are you on in this battle?

The Two Jerusalems

The 17th time that Jerusalem is mentioned in Scripture is in 2 Samuel 5:5, where we read that David conquered Jerusalem, the Jebusite city. Prophetically speaking, this refers to our own time, where the old Jerusalem is conquered by the forces of the New Jerusalem. The Jebusites had usurped the rule of Melchizedek, the founder and builder of that city.

The power of flesh had taken over the city, even though the kings of Jerusalem had retained Shem’s original title: Melchizedek, or “Adonizedek” (Joshua 10:1). These two titles are synonymous. One means King of Righteousness; the other means Lord of Righteousness. Yet the king of Jerusalem ended up fighting Joshua (Jesus). The same has happened with the old Jerusalem, first in Jesus’ day and now in our own time.

That is why it is important to understand the difference between the two Jerusalems. Victory for the New Jerusalem means defeat for the Old Jerusalem. The Hebrew name for Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, which literally means “Two Jerusalems.” Most people do not distinguish between the two, and so they do not correctly interpret the biblical references to Jerusalem.

John understood these things, however, and in Revelation 21 he quotes Scriptures about “Jerusalem” to mean “New Jerusalem.” Just because the prophets speak of Jerusalem it does not mean that the prophets were speaking of the earthly city.

Nothing Can Separate Us

For the 17 who died in Branson, the Scriptures also have a word of comfort. In Romans 8:35-39 there are 17 things that are unable to separate us from the love of Christ. Paul lists the first 7 of these in verses 35. Then he interrupts himself in Romans 8:36, 37, saying,

36 Just as it is written, “For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Paul then continues with another 10 things that cannot separate us from the love of Christ. The 17 who died in Branson represent the overcomers who have been killed during the past 2,000 years in the tribulation. These overcomers died, but they conquered even in death. So also the 17 who died in Branson were not defeated; they testify of a great conquest, even if the world considers them to be “sheep to be slaughtered.”

In fact, the account in Matthew 14:28-31 tells us that Peter went out to meet Jesus, walking on the water. That, of course, is a sign of the overcomers going out to meet Christ at His second coming in the midst of tribulation (turmoil). But there is another side to this, because Peter also sank into the water before Jesus delivered him.

That suggests baptism, broadly speaking, which in turn suggests death and resurrection. The 14 who were pulled out of the water were fulfilling the role of Peter, whom Jesus pulled out of the water, while the 17 who died were fulfilling the role of Jonah, who was swallowed up by the great fish to picture death and resurrection.

In the context of the Branson tragedy, it suggests that Peter represented two groups of overcomers. Most of the overcomers die and must be raised from the dead; but some will be changed or transfigured without dying (1 Corinthians 15:51). Either way, victory is assured.

I have also taught that Peter was a New Testament sign of Jonah. Peter was originally named Simon, son of Jonah (Simon barjona in Matthew 16:17 NASB). Just as Jonah was a type of Christ in His death and resurrection experience, so also was Simon bar-Jonah a New Testament parallel of Jonah when he got out of the boat and when he was baptized in the sea.

Though Jonah ended up in the belly of the great fish, he was an overcomer who was required to obtain victory through death and resurrection. So also the 17 who died in Branson fulfilled the sign of Jonah and Simon bar-Jonah; whereas the 14 who were delivered were a sign of the living overcomers at the end of the age who will be “changed” without dying.

July is like September

Recall the old revelation from about 1980 that “July is like September.” July 19 is therefore like September 19, which happens to be the Day of Atonement this year. The Day of Atonement is the day of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:13, which He did “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). In other words, Jesus fulfilled the law of baptism found in Leviticus 14:5, combined with the Day of Atonement prophecy in Leviticus 16:34.

I have taught about those laws in my book, The Laws of the Second Coming.

The point is that the duck boat tragedy in Branson on July 19 points to September 19, the Day of Atonement. Therefore, the “baptism” at Branson on July 19 points to Jesus’ baptism on the Day of Atonement (September 19).

At the same time, by a different calculation, July 19 is the fifth day of Tabernacles, which correlates with the fifth sign in John, where Jesus walked on the water and where Peter got his baptism in the sea (in Matthew’s account).

It is complex, but each viewpoint is another witness pointing to the importance of this as a sign, as well as foreshadowing September 19 as a watch date.

The duck boat tragedy in Branson follows the prophetic sign of baptism, and this alone points to numerous biblical patterns of death and resurrection. The numbers involved (14 and 17) also help us to interpret the event, as I have shown.

As for the timing of the event (July 19), it is only understandable by knowing that the feast of Tabernacles begins on 7/15 and ends 7/22. On our calendar, 7/19 is the fifth day of the feast, which correlates to the fifth miracle-sign in the book of John. The storm in John 6:18 was duplicated in the Branson event, so one would have to study the meaning of the Scriptures in order to interpret the Branson story.

Understanding signs can be difficult or even impossible, because few people have studied the Scriptural patterns to that extent. Further, most people have never heard the 1980 revelation that “July is like September.” So they do not know that we can link July 19 with September 19, a date which happens to be the Day of Atonement in 2018.

This year it happens that another layer of timing is added to the mix, because the Day of Atonement falls on 7/10 (Hebrew calendar). But 7/10 on our calendar is July 10—the day that the Thai resurrection sign took place. Once again, we are seeing that resurrection sign linked to the overall revelation. July 10 links with September 19, which in turn links back to July 19.

As I wrote two weeks ago in my weblog about the 12 boys saved from the cave in Thailand, July 10 is a type of the Day of Atonement, and is linked to September 10, which is Rosh Hoshana, the feast of Trumpets (New Year). So in 2018 we have a rather unusual overlay of feast days, where Trumpets and the Day of Atonement are overlaid on each other.

The meaning of this is yet unclear. At the present time we are seeing the Day of Atonement being set forth in the theme of baptism, death and resurrection. Trumpets itself is the prophesied feast where the dead will be raised “at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52). Hence, both Trumpets and the Day of Atonement have the resurrection theme in common.

But what does it mean? I think we will learn more when we go to Branson for our conference on September 7-9. That conference ends the evening of September 9, which, by Hebrew time, is the beginning of September 10, the feast of Trumpets. If it were up to us, I would vote for the resurrection of the dead. But, of course, we have learned that it is not our will but His that is important. By seeking His will, we remain observers and participants in His plan—not our own.


Table Rock Lake

Perhaps the Table Rock Lake in Branson is significant, since the duck boat sank in that lake, not far from where the Chateau on the Lake is located (our meeting place for the conference in September). Does this suggest the two stone tables (or tables of stone) on which the law was given? Is it not on account of the law that all sinners are sentenced to death?

Perhaps, then, the Chateau, situated on a hill overlooking the lake, points to resurrection.


Tornado in Pella

On the same day that the storm struck the lake in Branson, a tornado struck Pella, Iowa.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/...ouds/804326002/

Some of you may recognize the name, because there is company called Pella that makes doors and windows. It is headquartered in Pella, Iowa.

Pella is also the name of the city where the early Christians went just before Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. The war began in 66 A.D., and the Roman army was about to capture the city late in the year 66, but they mysteriously retreated. That was a “mistake” on their part, because they did not get back to Jerusalem for a few years. Meanwhile, the Christians remembered Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24:16-20, so they left the city, settling in Pella.

The story is told by Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea in the early 4th century in his Ecclesiastical History III, 5,



So what is the significance of having a tornado in Pella at the same time that the storm was hitting Table Rock Lake in Branson? This was the same storm system.

First of all, Pella has a connection with Jerusalem’s destruction. Second, it seems to be a sign to the church. If Pella was the place where the Jerusalem church fled before the destruction of the city, then Pella was their city of refuge at that time. Now it appears that the tribulation (tornado) is coming to the church (Pella). Perhaps the church should consider evacuating from its spiritual location—that is, its understanding of the situation with Jerusalem.

Much of the church has relocated to Jerusalem, spiritually speaking. Whereas they ought to have found refuge in the New Jerusalem, they have returned to the earthly Jerusalem, which is the bondwoman (Galatians 4:24) and the place of bondage. When people consider the earthly Jerusalem to be their “mother” (i.e., the “mother church”), they testify that there are of Hagar, the bondwoman and are not “children of promise” (Galatians 4:28).

The early church had the same problem. Most did not really understand the New Covenant, and this was a source of conflict between them and the Apostle Paul. They were tied to their past culture and the temple and their Old Covenant viewpoints. It was only when Jerusalem persecuted the Christians that they were scattered (Acts 8:1), so that they could fulfill the Great Commission. It was only when Jerusalem was finally destroyed that the church was able to break ties with their fleshly mother.

However, in recent decades, much of the church has again reverted back to its high expectations of the earthly Jerusalem, thinking that it is the focus (mother) of the Kingdom. One’s view of prophecy in this regard is sufficient evidence of this. So I take this tornado as a divine warning that the church should once again evacuate from Jerusalem, not only the city itself, but (more importantly) the Old Covenant mindset that comes with being a spiritual Ishmaelite.

Correlating Kevin Peters’ Word from July 21

Kevin Peters received a revelation while in Palestine, Texas on the morning of July 21, 2018. I wrote about it here:

https://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/...day-from-kevin/

The first part of the word was this:



In the past few days, some of you have sent your insights into the meaning of this. There are many layers of meaning of this, and no doubt it has a different significance to each person. To me, of course, it speaks of the Hezekiah Factor (2 Kings 20:10), which tells me that we must look back 10 years to the year 2008.

The most significant event in 2008 was the near collapse of the world banking system in mid-September 2008. It is quite possible that we will see a similar event occur in September of 2018, perhaps this time involving Deutsche Bank, which is even now a zombie bank near the point of collapse.

The Hezekiah Factor was part of God’s answer to King Hezekiah, who had a very bad infection (“boil”). In 2 Kings 20:7 we read,

7 Then Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

Hezekiah’s problem was an infection, and the solution was “a cake of figs.” What do the figs represent? What was the spiritual problem in this prophetic story?

Recall that when Jesus cursed the fig tree in Matthew 21:18, 19, he was conducting spiritual warfare against the nation of Judah. This is made clear when Jesus applied the prophecy to Jerusalem and Judah in Matthew 24:32-34.

So the way I interpret the story of King Hezekiah, I see that Hezekiah, who was a genuine believer, still needed some adjustment in his thinking—perhaps about 10 degrees of adjustment. Immediately after he was healed, we read about the problem in 2 Kings 20:12-19. Ambassadors came from Babylon, and Hezekiah showed them his treasury. The Babylonians never forgot this, and a century later it was enough to motivate the Babylonians to lay siege to Jerusalem. Isaiah, of course, prophesied this in 2 Kings 20:17, 18.

So Hezekiah’s spiritual problem contributed to the destruction of Jerusalem and of Solomon’s temple a century later. The literal figs may have resolved the king’s physical problem, but the deeper problem was also involved figs. The prophecy is deliberately left vague, but once we understand that Judah was a nation represented by the fig tree, and see Jesus’ actions in Matthew 21, it is not hard to conclude that the church needs to understand figs.

Jeremiah 24:2 tells us that there are good figs and evil figs. The difference between the two types of Jews (Judahites) is important to understand. The New Testament story of Jesus’ ministry was largely a conflict between good figs and evil figs. The evil figs refused to submit to Rome, and they were thus responsible for bringing upon themselves the wrath of Rome, resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem.

Kevin received his revelation in Palestine, Texas on the 9th of Av, the anniversary of Jerusalem’s destruction. In fact, Jerusalem was destroyed on 9 Av in the days of Jeremiah and again in 70 A.D. For this reason, that day has been a public day of mourning in Judaism for many centuries.

The timing of a revelation always has something to do with its fulfillment. Kevin’s revelation came on 9 Av in Palestine, Texas. Need I say more?


Helsinki and Jerusalem

However, someone pointed out that Helsinki, Finland is 10 degrees longitude west of Jerusalem. The longitude of Helsinki is nearly 25 degrees East. The longitude of Jerusalem is just slightly over 35 degrees East.

This, I think, is significant, in light of the Pella event and its connection to Jerusalem.

US President Trump and Russian president Putin held a peace summit in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. Somehow, this is connected to the fate of Jerusalem. I believe that the evil figs, having the same spiritual problem as described in Jeremiah 24, will again bring destruction upon the city. I suspect that these evil figs oppose any US-Russia peace initiative, even as the Democratic Party opposes it in America.

Their call to war and their insistence upon making Russia the enemy of America will eventually bring about the destruction of Jerusalem, as prophesied in Jeremiah 19:10, 11. For this reason, the church needs to have a 10-degree adjustment in its thinking and to apply the fig-principle to its inner “boil.”

In my view, Zionism itself, which is fixated on the earthly Jerusalem (“Hagar”), is what needs a 10-degree adjustment by the “spirit of judgment.” As with the early Jerusalem church, even believers in Christ need to adjust their thinking, so that they can claim Sarah as their spiritual mother and thus be inheritors of the promises of God.

For a full study on this, see The Book of Galatians: Paul Corrects the Distorted Gospel.