Headquarters for a "One World Religion" Set to Open in 2022

The following article was written by Bp-News-1 on October 24, 2019. 

THE CATHOLIC-MUSLIM INTERFAITH COUNCIL CREATED BY POPE FRANCIS ANNOUNCES NEW CHRISLAM HEADQUARTERS OPENING IN 2022 THAT COMBINES A MOSQUE AND CHURCH ACCORDING TO SIGNED COVENANT. 

One World Religion - Chrislam

The announcement of the Abrahamic Family House, on the Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, follows a visit by Pope Francis to the UAE in February, the first by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula. During the trip, the pope signed a joint declaration with the grand imam of al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, that called for religious tolerance and dialogue. An interfaith council to oversee projects advancing tolerance was formed as a result of the declaration and named the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. The Abrahamic Family House is its first initiative.

The United Arab Emirates will build a new synagogue as part of a Chrislam interfaith compound that will also house a mosque and church and is reportedly set to open in 2022.

As far as advancing the end times timeline goes, 2019 has been a banner year for Pope Francis and the coming One World Religion. We told you back in February that the pope has travelled to Abu Dhabi where he met with Sunni Muslim leader Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb. There the two men signed a global peace covenant called the "Document On Human Fraternity For World Peace". From that covenant, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity was created to implement this end times religious peace treaty. Now that committee has announced that there will be a fancy new headquarters for this endeavor. The shiny, new center of global Chrislam opening in 2022.

“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” Isaiah 28:15,16 (KJV)

The end times are unfolding before our very eyes, people, things are speeding up very quickly, if you blink, you’ll miss it. This might be Chrislam, a new foundation of the coming One World Religion the Bible says will assemble in the last days. The Catholic Church might call the shots, and Islam will provide the muscle with their tens of millions of jihad warriors, now they will be martyrs for Chrislam under the command of a Roman king. But be that as it may, 

"Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." ~ 2 Timothy 2:19

UAE To Open Chrislam Interfaith Headquarters in 2022

FROM THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: The announcement of the Abrahamic Family House, on the Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, follows a visit by Pope Francis to the UAE in February, the first by a pope to the Arabian Peninsula. During the trip, the pope signed a joint declaration with the grand imam of al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, that called for religious tolerance and dialogue. An interfaith council to oversee projects advancing tolerance was formed as a result of the declaration and named the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity. The Abrahamic Family House is its first initiative.

One World Religion

One world religion refers to the merging of all existing religions, to establish a single global religion. In the picture shown above, Pope Francis meets with religious leaders from all around the world, urging them to build a future together or there will be no future at all. Many premillennialist Christians believe that the Antichrist will establish a one world religion, based on Satanism and the occult, associated with one world government. In ROME REPORTS, an article published on April 3, 2019 reveals Pope Francis speaking with an audience of Muslims, telling them that God wants a fraternity among Muslims and Catholics. “Conversion is not your mission, pope tells Catholics in Morocco”, according to an article in REUTERS. He encourages everyone to live in brotherhood with other faiths, which is opposite of what the bible teaches.

Regardless, all religions do not worship the same God, so the push for “Oneness” speaks a questionable volume.

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The following article was obtained through the website, Back to Jerusalem.

One World Religion Headquarters Set to Open Next Year                 

September 2021                    

A One World Religion Headquarters is set to open in 2022. The headquarters will be called The Abrahamic Family House and is being built on an island in the middle eastern city of Abu Dhabi.

The headquarters is being done in collaboration with Pope Francis and Sunni Muslim leader, Sheikh Ahmen al-Tayeb, after they both signed a global peace covenant called the Document of Human Fraternity for World Peace.

The stated purpose of the Abrahamic Family House is to bring understanding and tolerance among the faiths, but there are a couple of notable challenges. First, Abu Dhabi is a part of the UAE where it is illegal for Christians to proselytize and conversion from Islam is prohibited. The Pope represents Roman Catholicism where Christians are free to convert to Islam, but citizens of Abu Dhabi are not free to choose Christ.

Perhaps, like the Abrahamic Family House that promises tolerance and understanding, the UAE constitution also guarantees freedom of religion “in accordance with established customs,” but the devil is in the details. Though certain practices (like conversion from Islam) are directly prohibited, penal code for the UAE defers to Sharia Law, which strictly prohibits apostasy.

The One World Religion Headquarters will have three buildings; one building each representing the mosque, church, and synagogue. However, the church is not permitted to have a cross on the building as a method of identifying it, as it is illegal to display a Christian cross on a building in the UAE.

Though usually not enforced, teaching that Jesus is the only God is considered to be an act of insulting Allah or the Prophet Muhammad and offenders can be subject to imprisonment for five or more years, fined from 250,000 dirhams ($68,100) to two million dirhams ($545,000), and Christians may be deported.

To add to the confusion of bringing understanding and tolerance, Sunni Muslim leader, Sheikh Ahmen al-Tayeb, who is widely touted as a ‘moderate’ Muslim, strongly believes that Muslims who convert from Islam to any other religion (including Christianity) should be killed.

So, if the idea of the One World Religion Headquarters is to bring tolerance and understanding, then why build it in a Muslim country where conversion is illegal and why do it together with a Muslim cleric who teaches that Muslim apostates should be killed? Isn’t that the opposite of tolerance and understanding?

Connected to this construction project will be an interfaith council to oversee projects which aim to advance tolerance, but perhaps the tolerance will be only one directional.

In December 2020, the United Nations passed an anti-blasphemy law that most Christians are not aware of. The loosely translated law, as embraced by the UAE, prohibits any teachings against Islam, including Biblical teachings which could be considered offensive.

Most Christians understand the term “One world religion” to refer to the merging of all religions, including Christianity, into a single global religion. Many Christians believe that a “One world religion” is directly linked to the last days when the Antichrist will establish a one world religion which will be associated with a one world government and lead to the mark of the beast.

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Abrahamic Family House Animation. Adjaye Associates.

Ten ‘Jewish Facts’ You Need to Know About the New Testament

 The following article was written by Ron Cantor

As a new believer in Yeshua (Jesus), I assumed I was no longer Jewish—that believing in this Jewish man had nothing in common with Jewishness. However, after reading the New Testament, I was shocked to find out that it was a Jewish book, telling a Jewish story in Israel about Jewish people.

Check out these 10 facts:

1. Jesus’ actual name is Yeshua.

Yeshua comes from the Hebrew noun Yeshu-á, which means salvation. When Joseph was visited by the Angel, he was told that he must give the child the name Yeshua, because He would be Yeshu-á for His people! (Matt. 1:21) You miss this powerful prophetic wordplay in Greek and English.

2. His mother’s name was not Mary or even Maria.

She was not Catholic! Miriam is the same name as the sister of Moses. It is a Jewish name, and that was her name. She was an Israelite who lived long before the Vatican even existed.

3. John was not a Baptist.

No disrespect to my Baptist friends, but John was the last and greatest of the Hebrew prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. He prophesied the coming of the Jewish Messiah. He too was an Israelite calling the Jewish people to get ready for the appearance of the Lamb of God.

4. Baptism is not unique to the New Testament.

Jews, believe it or not, used water immersion for centuries before John began to baptize his Jewish followers. One of the reasons they did not resist was because it was familiar to their culture. Next to the Temple, archaeologists have discovered more than 50 immersion tanks (Mikvot) that were for those coming to be ritually cleansed before making their sacrifice at the Temple.

5. Peter was not the first Pope!

Peter, a Jew, was only the leader of the first Jewish believers for a few years. He turned over the reigns to Jacob (we will talk about him in a minute) the brother of Yeshua and began to travel, sharing the message of Salvation through Yeshua.

There is zero evidence that Peter was the Bishop of Rome or that he passed down such a mantle to anyone else. He was a Jewish fisherman who became one of the greatest communicators of Yeshua’s message of Salvation. He never stopped living as a Jew, and certainly never referred to himself as Catholic.

Oh, and the Bible states very clearly that Peter had a mother-in-law, which would lead me to believe he had a wife, and for some strange reason, Catholic priests (including the Pope) are forbidden to wed.

6. James is not the name of the fellow who wrote the Book of James or who led the first Jewish believers in Acts 15.

James would be a great name for a butler or chauffeur, or even a king…but not a Jew in the first century. His name was Jacob! The Latin for James and Jacob are very close and because of linguistic confusion, James became the English for Ya’akov (Jacob) in the New Covenant.

7. Yeshua died on Passover, rose from the dead on the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jerusalem on the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot).

These are three of the most significant days in history, and God caused each one of them to happen on the three most significant days to Jews during the spring of 30CE. It is as if God was saying, “Hey, don’t forget that this started with the Jews in Jerusalem!” And still, the Church sadly forgot.

8. Paul never changed his name.

The Bible merely mentions the fact that Saul was also called Paul. (Acts 13:9) Like most Jews, he had a name that was common to the people where he lived (Roman Empire) and a Hebrew name. The idea that he got rid of his Jewish name is unbiblical and frankly ignorant. I too was given an English name when I was born, Ron, and a Hebrew one, Chaim.

9. The entire New Testament was written by Jews.

There is some controversy about whether or not Luke was Jewish (I have heard strong arguments for both views), but every other writer was Jewish.

10. Communion was instituted at a Passover Seder.

Yeshua picked up the Afikomen, a special piece of matzah (unleavened bread) used during the Passover Seder and he lifted the third cup of four that are blessed during the Passover meal, the Cup of Redemption, and asked that his Jewish disciples continue this Jewish tradition.

BONUS: All of the original followers of Yeshua were Jewish. And once Gentiles began to believe in Him, there were many that felt that in order for non-Jews to believe in the Jewish Messiah, they had to convert to Judaism first. In the end (Acts 15), it was decided that they didn’t need to. But never did it enter the mind of the Jewish followers of Yeshua that they were no longer Jewish!

Yeshua died on Passover, rose from the dead on first fruits and poured out his Spirit on Jerusalem on Shavuot (Pentecost) — the three most significant days of the spring for Jews. Clearly this is a Jewish story. The big revelation in the New Testament is that Jesus is not only for Jews, he is for everyone!

Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part Two

Continued...

Mount Zion: Mountain of the Holy Temple

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." ~ Joel 2:32

While not exactly classified as a "mountain", Mount Zion is a very steep hill that once housed the First and Second Jewish Temples and is located just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The term "Mount Zion" has been used to describe the "City of David", the "Temple Mount", and the "Western Hill". In a broader sense, the term has also been used for the entire "Land of Israel".

According to the Book of Samuel, this sacred mountain was the site of the Jebusite fortress, which was conquered by King David. It would later be renamed the "City of David" and referred to as the "stronghold of Zion".  

During the time of Simon the Hasmonean (2nd century B.C.), the current temple mount was not the highest mountain. The original Temple site was desecrated by the Greeks during the time of the Maccabees. Simon the Hasmonean decided to remove Mount Zion and he leveled the land and threw it into the Tyropoeon and Kidron Valleys. He filled up the valley with the earth and wanted to join the upper city with the Temple. The name Mt. Zion was then transferred to the western hill and soon thereafter the city expanded to the west. 

The historian, Josephus, from the tribe of Levi, was alive during the destruction of the Herod's Temple in 70 A.D. and gave a firsthand account of its demise in Wars of the Jews. It is probable that Josephus served in the Temple and was allowed access to the high court records of the Second Temple as the historian gave precise details about its location, as well as the size and proportions of the temple. Per Josephus, Mount Zion was located between David's Citadel and the Tyropoeon Valley. This explains why the original mountain cannot be seen today. What you see now is not what Josephus was talking about.  

A few survivors of Masada wrote about the destruction of Jerusalem and stated the temple and the city were completely destroyed. They claim the only thing left standing was Antonia Fortress, which was not considered a part of Jerusalem at that time because it was outside of the city. Today, a minority of scholars and theologians believe the Western Wall was actually a part of the fortress, not part of the original Temple Mount.

Modern scholars have found the name "Zion" was not used in ordinary writing, but instead was used in correlation with religious prophecy and in poetic context (such as the Psalms). Regardless of the term's meaning and the actual location of Mount Zion, the name holds a great deal of spiritual significance.  

"Now on the north side of the Temple was built a citadel (Fort Antonia), whose walls were square and strong and of extraordinary firmness. The kings of the Hasmonaean dynasty, who were also high priests before the time of Herod, called it the Tower. It [Fort Antonia] dominated the Temple." ~ Flavius Josephus, Historian

Mount of Olives: The Mountain of David, Solomon and Jesus

"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." ~ Zechariah 14:4

Unlike the other sacred biblical mountains mentioned, the Mount of Olives location is not in dispute. It is located among three peaks of a mountain ridge which runs east of the Old City across the Kidron Valley and is situated in the middle. The mount was named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. Mount Scopus is to the north and the Mount of Corruption lies on the south side.   

Mount of Olives, first mentioned in connection with David's flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30), is frequently referenced in the New Testament.  According to the Bible, Jesus spent time on the mount with his Disciples, teaching and prophesying. The Bible records Jesus visiting the Mount of Olives three times in the last week of His earthly life, and each time something of significance happened (Luke 19:29–30; 37; 41-44).  

An apocalyptic prophesy foretold by Zechariah (14:4) states Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives [during the End Times] and the mountain will split in two - one half shifting north; one half shifting south. In one of Ezekiel's visions, the ancient prophet witnessed the glory of the Lord depart from Jerusalem and come to rest "above the mountain east of it." (Ezekiel 11:23)  

The Masoretic Text records people will flee through the newly formed valley to a place called Azal. Pertaining to geographic and linguistic evidence, Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau, a 19th century linguist and archeologist in Palenstine, theorized the valley directly adjacent to this landslide is Azal.  

According to Jewish historian, Flavis Josephus, the valley in the area of the King's Gardens was blocked up by landslide rubble during Uzziah's earthquake. Israeli geologist, D. Wachs, identified the remnant of a large landslide on the Mount of Olives directly adjacent to this area.  Today, the valley is known as Wady Yasul in Arabic and Nahal Etzel in Hebrew.  

Roman soldiers from the 10th Legion camped on the mount during the Seige of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot was first held on the Mount of Olives in ancient times. It became a traditional place for lamenting the Second Temple's destruction even unto our modern times. Immediately following Jesus' ascension, two angels appeared on the Mount of Olives and told the Disciples. "this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11).

One last interesting fact about the mount: for over 3,000 years, the Mount of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery and holds approximately 150,000+ graves today. Over the generations, the Jews have led an effort to prevent the desecration of graves on the mount.

"Christians tend to associate the Mount of Olives with the Messiah's suffering, Jews tend to associate it with the Messiah's glory. When we dig deeper, we see both, together." ~ Mark Barnes, from the article, "Mount of Olives: The Suffering and the Glory of the Messiah" (2019)

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These sacred mountains of many faiths and religions [around the world] continue to be revered by a large percentage of mankind and have been extensively researched by both ancient and modern scholars, as well as the theologians.

Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part One

Sacred mountains are a central factor to various religions and produce many wonderful legends. In reference to biblical mountains, the peak is usually symbolic because it is believed [at the top] is the closest mankind can get to a Superior Being who resides somewhere in the universe.

There are many religion-based traditions centered around sacred mountains, such as:  Mount Ararat in the Abrahamic religions and Mount Olympus in Greek mythology. Other mountains are related to famous events, such as: Mount Sinai in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In other cases, divine mountains can be purely mythical, such as: Hara Berezaiti in Zoroastrianism. Then you have Mount Kailash, which is believed to be the residence of the Hindu gods, Shiva and Parvati (which are sacred to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism). Volcanoes, such as Mount Etna, were also considered revered as [they lay claim to being] the abode of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and the forge.  

The following will focus on four different sacred mountains that are well-known throughout the world. Part One includes Mount Ararat and Mount Sinai. Part Two will include Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives.

Mountains of Ararat: Mountain of Noah's Ark

"At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." ~ Genesis 8:3-4  

For thousands of years many religious scholars have proclaimed Mount Ararat, located in present-day Turkey, is where Noah's ark came to rest, yet other biblical theologians point out Ararat is a large mountain range and Mt. Ararat is not necessarily the actual mountain in question. Since the Middle Ages the mountain range of Ararat has been identified as the resting place of Noah's ark, known as Masis. This sacred range corresponds to the ancient Assyrian mountain of Urartu, which was located east of Shinar (aka: Chaldaea or Babylonia).

According to the 1st century A.D. historian, Flavius Josephus, and quoting earlier historians such as, Berossus, Mnaseas and Nicolaus of Damascus, Josephus writes in his Antiquities of the Jews, "... the ark rested on the top of a certain mountain in Armenia... over Minyas, called Baris."

In the Latin Vulgate, Jerome of Stridon translated Genesis 8:4 to read, "... and the ark rested... on the mountain of Ararat." However, after the Second Vatican Council in 1962, the toponym is amended to the "mountains of Ararat".

The early Syrian tradition places the ark on Mount Judi in what is the southeastern section present-day Turkey in the Sirnak Province. Yet this particular association slowly faded after the Middle Ages and is now confined to Quranic tradition.

According to the Book of Jubilees, the holy mountain in question came to rest on the peak of Lubar, a mountain in the range of Ararat. 

In his book, Historie of the World (1614 A.D.), Sir Walter Raleigh implies in several chapters that in ancient times the mountains of Ararat included not only those of Armenia (east of Turkey), but also all of the taller mountain ranges extending into eastern Asia. Raleigh noted that since Armenia is not actually located east of Shinar, the ark must have landed somewhere in the Orient.

While the majority of scholars cannot pin-point the exact location of where Noah's ark landed, they do agree it was somewhere in the mountain range of Ararat.

"There is no doubt of the antiquity of the tradition of this (Mount Ararat) being (as it is sometimes termed) the "Mother of the World". ~ Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature-1894

Mount Sinai: Mountain of Moses

"Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire." ~ Exodus 19:17-18

Mount Sinai, located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, is considered by the Abrahamic religions to be the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The mountain was traditionally known as Mount Horeb in Judaism and Christianity and referred to as Jabal Musa (Mount Moses) in Islam. The sacred mountain is near the present-day city of Saint Catherine in south Sinai Peninsula. It is surrounded on all sides by higher peaks in the mountain range Jabal al-Lawz which extends into Saudi Arabia.   

According to Acts 7:29-30, Moses fled from Egypt as a young man and lived in the area of Mt. Sinai. It was here, in the same place, that God instructed Moses to return after bringing the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt (Exodus 3:12).

Early Christians identified Mount Serbal, the fifth largest mountain in Egypt, as the holy landmark’s location. This mountain is situated in Wadi Feiran in southern Sinai. 

The historian, Josephus, reported in his writings that Mt. Sinai was the highest mountain in the area where Moses once lived. And the philosopher, Philo of Alexandria, said this same sacred mount was located east of the Sinai Peninsula and south of Palestine.

There is no concrete archaeological evidence that the 7,500-foot Mount Sinai is the holy peak mentioned in the Biblical account. However, as early as the 3rd century A.D., Christian recluses living in the Sinai’s remote wilderness began to identify this particular mount as Moses' mountain, even locating what they believed to be the burning bush near the base of the mountain. 

In 337 A.D., Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine [the emperor who legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire in 313], made a pilgrimage to the site and ordered a chapel to be built around the bush. By the 6th century, when the complete departure of the Romans brought lawlessness to the region, the monastic community sought help from Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. The Byzantine emperor sent architects and masons, who from 527 to 565 built a fortified monastery complex, with 60-foot-high granite walls, to protect the community and its chapel. Justinian also sent men, most likely from Macedonia, to serve as guards. These Christians, over generations, intermarried with the indigenous Bedouin tribes and gradually converted to Islam and became known as the Jabaliya (“of the mountain”) tribe. The Prophet Muhammad visited the monastery in the 7th century and blessed it with a promise "that it would be cherished by Muslims for all time". Muhammed was convinced the monastery sat at the foot of Moses' mountain. Today, the monastery is home to a group of Greek Orthodox monks.

A small minority of scholars believe Mount Sinai is not in Egypt at all, but instead is located in Saudi Arabia. They believe that Moses traveled that way during the exile from Egypt. Another opinion, held by Emmanuel Anati - a modern archeologist - concludes that the holy landmark mountain is located at Har Karkom in Israel due to the biblical art found within the 2700-foot ridge.

While Mount Sinai’s exact location is disputed among many, it remains one of the most sacred mountains in biblical literature.

"The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code; it contained many statutes . . . of universal application-laws essential to the existence of men in society, and most of which have been enacted by every nation which ever professed any code of laws." ~ President John Quincy Adams

Click Here to continue reading, Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part Two

Biography of King Solomon: The Wisest Man Who Ever Lived

The following article was obtained through Learn Religions and written by Jack Zavada on September 11, 2019.

King Solomon. Writing Proverbs. Engraving by Gustave Doré (1832 - 1883). 

[Culture Club / Getty Images]

King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived and also one of the most foolish. God gifted him with unsurpassed wisdom, which Solomon squandered by disobeying God's commandments. Some of Solomon’s most famous achievements were his building projects, particularly the temple in Jerusalem.

A conspiracy by Solomon's half-brother Adonijah tried to rob Solomon of the throne. To take the kingship, Solomon had to kill Adonijah and Joab, David's general.

Once Solomon's kingship was firmly established, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and promised him anything he asked. Solomon chose understanding and discernment, asking God to help him govern his people well and wisely. God was so pleased with the request that he granted it, along with great riches, honor, and longevity (1 Kings 3:11-15, NIV).

Solomon's downfall began when he married the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh to seal a political alliance. He could not control his lust. Among Solomon's 700 wives and 300 concubines were many foreigners, which angered God. The inevitable happened: They lured King Solomon away from Yahweh into the worship of false gods and idols.

Over his 40-year reign, Solomon did many great things, but he succumbed to the temptations of lesser men. The peace a united Israel enjoyed, the massive building projects he headed, and the successful commerce he developed became meaningless when Solomon stopped pursuing God.

King Solomon's Accomplishments

Solomon set up an organized state in Israel, with many officials to assist him. The country was divided into 12 major districts, with each district providing for the king’s court during one month each year. The system was fair and just, distributing the tax burden evenly over the entire country.

Solomon built the first temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, a seven-year task that became one of the wonders of the ancient world. He also built a majestic palace, gardens, roads, and government buildings. He accumulated thousands of horses and chariots. After securing peace with his neighbors, he built up trade and became the wealthiest king of his time.

Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. DEA PICTURE LIBRARY / Getty Images

The Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame and visited him to test his wisdom with hard questions. After seeing with her own eyes all that Solomon had built in Jerusalem, and hearing his wisdom, the queen blessed the God of Israel, saying:

“The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard." (1 Kings 10:6-7, ESV)

Solomon, a prolific writer, poet, and scientist, is credited with writing much of the book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes, and two psalms. First Kings 4:32 tells us he wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs.

Strengths

King Solomon greatest strength was his unsurpassed wisdom, granted to him by God. In one biblical episode, two women came to him with a dispute. Both lived in the same house and had recently delivered newborns, but one of the infants had died. The mother of the dead baby tried to take the living child from the other mother. Because no other witnesses lived in the house, the women were left to dispute who the living child belonged to and who was the true mother. Both claimed to have given birth to the baby.

They asked Solomon to determine which of the two of them should keep the newborn. With astonishing wisdom, Solomon suggested that the boy be cut in half with a sword and split between the two women. Deeply moved by love for her son, the first woman whose baby was alive said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!"

But the other woman said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!" Solomon ruled that the first woman was the real mother because she preferred giving up her child to seeing him harmed.

King Solomon skills in architecture and management turned Israel into the showplace of the Middle East. As a diplomat, he made treaties and alliances that brought peace to his kingdom.

Weaknesses

To satisfy his curious mind, Solomon turned to worldly pleasures instead of the pursuit of God. He collected all sorts of treasures and surrounded himself with luxury.

In the case of his non-Jewish wives and concubines, Solomon allowed lust to rule his heart instead of obedience to God. Apparently, he let his foreign wives worship their native gods and even had altars to those gods built in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:7–8).

Solomon taxed his subjects heavily, conscripted them into his army and into slave-like labor for his building projects.

Life Lessons

King Solomon's sins speak loudly to us in our current day materialistic culture. When we worship possessions and fame over God, we are headed for a fall. When Christians marry an unbeliever, they can also expect trouble. God ought to be our first love, and we should let nothing come before him.

Hometown

Solomon hails from Jerusalem.

References to King Solomon in the Bible

2 Samuel 12:24 - 1 Kings 11:43; 1 Chronicles 28, 29; 2 Chronicles 1-10; Nehemiah 13:26; Psalm 72; Matthew 6:29, 12:42.

Family Tree

Father - King David

Mother - Bathsheba

Brothers - Absalom, Adonijah

Sister - Tamar

Son - Rehoboam

Key Verse

Nehemiah 13:26

Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations, there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. (NIV)

Outline of Solomon's Reign

Transfer and consolidation of the kingdom (1 Kings 1–2).

Solomon’s wisdom (1 Kings 3–4).

Building and dedication of the temple (1 Kings 5–8).

Solomon’s wealth (1 Kings 9–10).

Solomon’s apostasy (1 Kings 11).

Twelve Signs of the End Times

The following article was obtained through the website, jesus-resurrection.info 

Here is a summary of twelve trends or signs of the end times. We can see that events are coming together for things to wrap up soon.

1. Earthquakes: "And there will be great earthquakes in various places ..." (Luke 21:11). There are 12,000 to 14,000 earthquakes per year or about 35 per day. More and more often we see earthquakes of disastrous magnitudes that cause great loss of life and misery to affected people. See list of major earthquakes since 2001. Many people label these as "Acts of God" without realizing that it is God's character to seek to protect His children from Satan, who is the destroyer, and from the forces of nature. Earthquakes are one of the best known of the signs of the end times.

2. Environmental Crisis: In the final events of earth's history, a moment comes when "... them that destroy the earth" (Rev 11:18) are themselves destroyed. This implies that there will be people held responsible for their part in destroying the earth. While we have to live here and use some of its resources we should be doing that responsibly. However, there are people who are doing things (and knowing better) that are destroying the earth for their own financial gain or other purposes. We are, even now, experiencing environmental degradation from these actions as one of the signs of the end times.

3. Wars: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars ... For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." (Matt 24:6-7). In the last 100 years, there has been World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnamese War, the Arab-Israeli Wars, the war in Bosnia, the Gulf War, Kosovo, Ireland, wars in the Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and the Sudan and other places in Africa, wars in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan etc. Surely this is one of the prominent signs of the end times "When they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them ... And they shall not escape." (1 Thess 5:3) This verse suggests that the only thing that will end war in the world will be the end of the world.

4. Violence: "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be before the coming of the Son of Man" (Matt 24:37). One of the major aspects of what was it like in Noah's day was that: "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence" (Gen 6:11). Evidently, violence was everywhere before the flood, as it is today. Surely, this is a result, in part of people including violence in their entertainment in TV, the movies etc. By beholding we are changed.

5. Pleasure-seeking "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power ..." (2 Tim 3:1-5) .As we look at society we see this fulfilled in many areas that we are, perhaps, all too familiar with.For many people, this is one of the signs of the end times that they are so involved in that they can't discern any of the others.

6. Financial woes: "Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days." (Jam 5:3) We have seen more and more problems in the economy and these problems are the result of the greed of men who are looking out for no one other than themselves. Expect more and more troubles in the markets and wild fluctuations in reaction to world events.

7. Disease and Stress: "... distress of nations, with perplexity ... men's hearts failing them for fear ..." (Luke 21:25-6). People are stressed-out everywhere, are much to busy and are not taking responsibility for their own health. Heart disease (the number one cause of death) and other chronic disease are rampant. Pain (see my other website: www.natural-pain-relief-guide.com and suffering in so many forms are everywhere. Mostly, these problems are a result of our own poor choices. If Satan can keep us so Busy Under Satan's Yoke that we can't see the signs of the end times, then he has got us.

8. Medicine/pharmacy: "... for by thy (speaking of Babylon) sorceries were all nations deceived." (Rev 18:23). The word "sorceries" is translated from the Greek work "pharmakeia" from which we get the word English word "pharmacy." There are major drug companies (with government involvement) who are promoting drugs as the only cure of disease, even fighting against God-given, natural, simple remedies and making enormous sums of money doing it. This has the effect of controlling people and making them dependent on "the system." This is perhaps one of the least known of the signs of the end times but it is an important tactic of the enemy as he seeks to so weaken our physical and mental powers that our will to resist will be defeated.

9. Knowledge: "But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan 12:4). Knowledge is now said to double every few years. As we look at the world of technology and the amount of information that is available to anyone via the internet, we can see that this surely is true. The question is what are we doing with it and are we bothering with knowledge in the most important areas that will influence our eternal destiny? Along with all the other increased knowledge, is there an increase of knowledge of the signs of the end times?

10. False Religious Teaching: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2Tim 4:3-4) Revelation predicts a world-wide religious system called "Babylon," which means "confusion." Babylon, near the end, falls "... because she made all nations drink of the wine (false doctrine) of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev 14:8). Also, false Christs will abound: "Many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matt 24:5). It makes sense that some of these religious teacher's would also teach false signs of the end times.

11. The Mark of the Beast: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Rev 13:16-7). We can see the beginning of this now as the whole world is being amalgamated into one system of finances, there is more talk of one-world government, a new world order etc. The world is shrinking, people are expected more and more to conform to the norm, to go along with the system. Fashion and entertainment and so many areas of culture dictate what is expected. We are being groomed to take the Mark of the Beast in opposition to the Seal of God.

12. Preaching of the Good News: "And this gospel shall be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come" (Matt 24:14). With all of our modern means of communication and, lately, the internet, availability of the message of salvation and the truth about God's character is rapidly spreading across planet Earth. The question is: will people leave the pleasures and business of their lives long enough to pay attention to it?

So there are twelve signs of the end times with a little detail of each. Rather than being scary, signs of the end times should encourage us.

"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28)