Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 22, 2026

Happy Birthday to the True Church!

The Birth of the Church

2 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1-4

As a Christian, You’re Part of a Body that is 1,993 Years Old!

On Sunday, May 24, 2026 some churches will observe Pentecost, the 1,993rd birthday of the true church; an event generally overlooked by many. It was “born” on May 25, 33 AD on the date that year of the Jewish celebration of the Feast of Pentecost.

God’s New Creation!

This was truly an amazing event as the face of humanity was changed forever! At that point a completely new type of human being came into existence, human beings who had been permanently indwelt by God, the Holy Spirit. The former type of human being was still around in great abundance but now a completely new creation, human beings indwelt by God, began living on the earth.

Before the creation of the church, the Holy Spirit had been with individuals chosen by God for special ministries but the Holy Spirit had not permanently indwelt them as He would indwell all who were born again during the church age.

Before that momentous occasion, the Spirit of God, had dwelt successively in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple in Jerusalem before the Babylonian Captivity, but had not been present in the restored Temple in Jerusalem which later came to be known as Herod’s Temple. During those earlier periods, the indwelling of God produced visible results in that the radiance of God was manifested when the Spirit of God dwelled in the Tabernacle and the Temple.

Just as the visible glory of God was hidden in the Lord Jesus Christ, the visible glory of God would also be hidden as the Holy Spirit indwelt each and every human being who received Christ as Savior regardless of denominational affiliation or lack thereof. The situation was complicated by the fact that the outward appearance was not changed at all and by simply looking at people, one could not tell whether they were indwelt by God or not.

A Hidden Change with Great Eternal Significance

Although the visible manifestations of the new creation are now hidden, the spiritual realities are profound and eternal. Long after this physical realm in which we find ourselves has been destroyed, these spiritual realities will still be in full force and effect. The eternal destiny of those who are spiritually dead is the Lake of Fire, for those spiritually alive and indwelt by God, the Holy Spirit, a future in the new heaven and the new earth as a member of the family of God.

Those who are alive are cautioned to avoid being unequally yoked with those who are dead; there is a great gulf fixed between the living and the dead which can only be bridged by faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. We who are alive are commanded to offer directions on passage over that bridge to those who are dead. Those who choose to cross the bridge can join the ranks of the living and become a part of the new creation while those who reject the offer to cross that bridge continue to live under the wrath of God.

36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. John 3:36

Happy Birthday to All Who Have Crossed from Death to Life by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 19, 2026

We Are Not Alone!

“Trump Opens UFO Files in Historic Government Release

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday opened a new government UFO portal, releasing declassified records, videos, photos and documents tied to unexplained aerial encounters as part of what officials called a historic transparency push.

The new database, hosted at WAR.GOV/UFO, includes material tied to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) through an inter-agency effort called the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters, or PURSUE.” From https://www.military.com/trump-opens-ufo-files-in-historic-government-release

The announcement of the release has created concern in some Christian communities. The May 9th issue of the Daily Mail featured an article By CHRIS MELORE, DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 17:47 EDT, 5 May 2026 | Updated: 08:41 EDT, 6 May 2026By CHRIS MELORE, DEPUTY SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

“Influential pastors are claiming that they have been told to prepare their followers for shocking revelations about UFOs which may upend belief in the Bible.”

The above statement would be laughable if it had no truth to it, but, sadly, there is likely some truth there where Christians with little or no knowledge of Bible doctrine are involved.

The Bible is very clear, we are not alone. We are, in fact, the polar opposite of being alone in the universe; we are created beings who exist by the will and power of the only true reality, the Divine Trinity! (For more on reality, see “What is Reality“)

The Bible reveals the truth of our situation, we live in a universe created by the Trinity, and are joined by the angelic creation which exists in two groups God’s angels and the fallen angels, known as demons.

There has been warfare between the two angelic groups for a very long time, but this will be brought to an end during the Tribulation. The fallen angels operate under Satan’s direction.

Gods and Aliens

The spiritual war, in which all Christians are soldiers, has been waged for thousands of years. (See “To the Soldiers in the Spiritual War” ) This war will end at the end of the Tribulation when Satan is bound for 1,000 years.

The Book of Genesis describes the first major attack on humanity in Chapter 6 where it is written:

“6 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”

The objective of this attack was the corruption of human DNA so the Messiah could not be a fully human kinsman/redeemer. The fact that all but eight humans did not have the corruption shows how close Satan was to accomplishing his objective.

I am of the opinion the mythology of the Greeks and Romans was based on this era. The first attack, the demons came as gods and devastated humanity, the second attack, they may come as aliens and deceive many!

Zeus

Zeus is the Olympian god of the sky and the thunder, the king of all other gods and men, and, consequently, the chief figure in Greek mythology. The son of Cronus and Rhea, he is probably most famous for his infidelity to his sister and wife, Hera. Athena, Apollo and Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, Heracles, Helen of Troy, and the Muses are all children of his numerous erotic affairs. Hephaestus, Hebe, and Ares are his legitimate children.
Source: https://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Zeus/zeus.html

We are, I believe, getting ever closer to the second attack by Satanic forces, but this time it may well be as aliens. What we are seeing now could be the opening move by Satanic forces. The scope of public interest in UFO’s and extraterrestrials is widespread, this could be a very persuasive deception!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | May 11, 2026

Immune to the Poison

Humanity has Been Bitten and will Die From the Venomous Attack of Satan, the “Old Serpent”!

Every human being, born of a human father, is included in this death sentence. When Adam sinned against God, all his descendants died when he disobeyed God’s one command to him. In Genesis 2:15 it is written:

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

The results of his sin is written in Romans 5:12-14 where it is written:

“12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.”

All who remain in Adam’s family will suffer eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire!

Jesus Provides the Antidote to the Satanic Poison!

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, an important Jewish Pharisee came secretly to meet Jesus at night.

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

No idle conversation here, Jesus jumps directly to the heart of the matter, “Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

There was no mention of Nicodemus’s life, of good works or bad works, just, “you must be born again!” Personal sin was not the biggest problem, being a part of Adams family was the root of the problem!

The only way to escape the judgement facing all of Adams family was to be born again into another family, God’s family! Therefore Jesus opens their conversation, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Wooden cross wrapped by snake in desert camp with tents and people at sunset

At first, it may be puzzling to discover the scripture portion chosen by Jesus to illustrate the new birth, but careful observation reveals how perfect it is as a type of the crucifixion! It is the crucifixion that makes the new birth possible!

In Numbers 21:4-9 it is written:

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

All the Israelites had to do was look at the bronze snake and they would live. Simply looking was enough! All humans are invited to look to Jesus on the cross as their Savior from sin and receive the new birth into the family of God.

I have found other parallels of interest, the Israelites were not separated from the snakes but given immunity from their bite; as Christians, we are not removed from our sinful environment, but given an immunity to its control. The Israelites did not have to provide any works or payments to live, just look to the bronze serpent. All we need to do to receive the new birth is to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 28, 2026

The Utter Foolishness of Racial Conflict!

What do you Know, the Bible was right All Along!

In Genesis 10, we find a record of the early division of humanity into nation groups:

The chapter begins with:

10 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

And ends with:

32 These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

At Noah, we all share the same lineage, at his three son we are divided into three groups. The entire 10th chapter is devoted to tracing these groups.

You are a part of one of those groups as is every human being who has lived since the flood!

WE ARE ALL ONE RACE DESCENDED FROM NOAH!

Modern scientific investigation into genetics has produced some very interesting results. An organization, https://99point9.org/index.html, offers some helpful studies on genetics.

“99.9% the Same. One Human Race.

Modern genetics has revealed a wonderful truth: all humans share over 99.9% of the same DNA. The differences we see — skin color, hair texture, eye shape — are surface adaptations, not separate races. We are one extended family. Imagine what could follow if we all lived by this truth.”

To certain groups of people, this premise challenges the very foundation of their belief systems.

From a Biblical perspective, it adds meaningless confusion to the only true issue, the matter of the new birth. I have written before concerning the true division facing the human race and that is spiritual life versus spiritual death.

Satanic Deception!

One feels compelled to ask the question, who is the primary beneficiary of this confusion and the answer is clearly Satan. Racial division takes the focus off spiritual division and the vital importance of the new birth. The new birth is open to the entire human race on an individual basis.

Satanic deception is clearly visible as various forms of racial conflict are promoted and encouraged by groups as found in the media today. Diversity of races is a social distinction, not a scientific distinction!

The Final Solution to Racial conflict

When one adopts a Biblical worldview, racial conflict is not an issue. The Bible teaches all humanity is one race, descended from one man, Noah. We all have a common problem, however, we all died spiritually with Adam in the Garden of Eden!

All of us, with a human father, enter this world spiritually dead with an Adamic sin nature within us. By God’s grace, the second person of the Holy Trinity took on human form so that he might die and offer his mortal life as a sacrifice for our sins.

We receive forgiveness and are born again into the family of God by faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior!

Photo by Patricia McCarty on Pexels.com

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | April 1, 2026

Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the Beginning of the End!

The End of What?

This Friday is the day we observe Good Friday and while that is the day we remember the crucifixion, death and burial of our Lord Jesus Christ; Easter Sunday is the occasion we celebrate His resurrection from the dead.

A historic change in man’s relationship to God had occurred; by God’s grace, the barrier between God and man that had been created by Adam’s deliberate sin of disobedience had been removed by the death of our Lord, the Second Adam from above.

You may recall in Genesis 2:15-17

“15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Unfortunately, Adam chose to disobey God and when he ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he, and all of humanity present and future died in Adam. As I’ve observed before, that means that you and I and every human born of a human father are born spiritually dead. It is the sin of Adam that created the barrier between God and man and the primary reason the Lord Jesus Christ suffered death as our kinsman-redeemer.

The Tearing of the Curtain on Good Friday

God gave us a symbol of the removal of this barrier when, at the time of the crucifixion, the curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies in Herod’s temple was torn from the top to the bottom; signifying that access to God was now open to mankind through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

By his death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ had paid the penalty for all human sin for all time; sin had been removed as a barrier between God and man. As hard as it may be to imagine, personal sin is no longer the issue; the only remaining issue requiring resolution is receiving the forgiveness of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and God.

The Good News

Because of the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the end had come for sin as a barrier between God and man. This is effectively expressed in 1 John 2:1-2 where it is written:

“2 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

The church can now proclaim a message of hope, a message of reconciliation and good news for a suffering humanity:

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE SAVED!

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 26, 2026

Palm Sunday, 2026 and its Enormous Significance!

March 29th, 2026 is Palm Sunday

This Sunday we observe and remember the entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where He had come to die. This week was to be a terrible time of testing for the Jewish nation although they had no idea of the great significance of what was to happen from that point on.

The exact date for this momentous event had been prophesied by the Prophet Daniel and that prophecy, among many others, was being perfectly fulfilled by our Lord as He rode into the city. I would say it was certain that among the tens of thousands present that day, only the Lord understood the staggeringly wondrous truths that were being put into place as that amazing prophecy was fulfilled.

Four hundred and eighty-three years had passed since the beginning of the third and final group of three 490-year periods that had been given to Israel by God. The second group had ended with the Babylonian captivity and now the third group of 490 years had been put on hold at year 483 as also foretold by Daniel; I have written on this in some detail in a three-part series, The Seventy Weeks of Daniel.

Israel was being set aside for an unspecified number of years while a mystery was revealed, the mystery of the church and the age of grace, the age in which we now live. The remaining 7 years promised to Israel would resume at a point yet future when Israel would sign a covenant with the Antichrist.

The Entry into Jerusalem

Contrary to what we customarily celebrate, the entry was on a Monday, not a Sunday and it was not triumphal for our Lord; it was a time of great sadness as evidenced by Luke 19:41-42 where it is written,

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

The particular Greek word used for wept (ἔκλαυσεν) means a loud wracking sob; our Lord’s body was shaken by His sobs as He entered Jerusalem. He is likely the only one who understood the enormity of what was happening; the Jewish nation was being temporarily set aside, their rejection of their Messiah was going to yield great suffering for centuries to come. Their judgment would be severe and is still in force today.

It is likely, in His omniscience, that Jesus saw the Jerusalem of 70 AD as destroyed by Titus and could also see the bodies of some of those welcoming Him as they lay silent in death. This was a momentous, tragic moment that was being recognized only by the Lord and the thought of what was going to befall Jerusalem and His people reduced Him to wracking sobs. I suspect His disciples were totally confused by His reaction to the sight of Jerusalem and the excited crowds.

From the Shephard’s Notes.com

There is another extremely touching aspect of our Lord’s entering Jerusalem on Nissan 10. If we examine Exodus 12:3 we read,

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month (Nissan) each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.”

This was part of the instructions given to Israel on the occasion of the first Passover in Egypt. Traditionally, the family would select a perfect lamb and place it on display in front of their dwelling so all could see they were offering the Lord their very best.

God’s Passover Lamb put on display

On March 30, AD 33, the 10th of Nissan, the Father put His Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world on display for all Jerusalem to see that the Father was offering them His very best. (In 2026 we are in year 5786 according to the Jewish calendar.

After the passing of that day, Israel had been set aside for an undetermined number of years. Today we are at year 1,993 and still counting as Israel continues to suffer judgments until the return of the Lord they rejected.

The countdown clock on the remaining seven years of Israel’s last 490 years will recommence when Israel signs a covenant agreement with the Antichrist; this event and not the rapture of the church will be the trigger that starts their final countdown and the beginning of the Tribulation.

While this was an amazing week, filled with suffering and anguish for our Lord and judgment for Israel, it was the reason our Lord took on human form; that was necessary that He might die for our sins. The moment of triumph was coming soon, the following week our Lord would rise from the dead having perfectly paid the price of our redemption.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 25, 2026

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Concluded

Calculating Dates Before the Birth of Christ

The calendar as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon: before the birth of Christ nations generally dated events according to the ruling year of the current monarch. This is seen in the dating of the Old Testament for example in Daniel 9:1-2 where Darius’ rule is used to determine the timing on Daniels discovery of the 70 years.

As one can safely assume, this greatly complicates efforts of historians to create realistic timelines before the birth of Christ. I use the work of Dr. Harold Hoehner as my primary reference and guide to Old Testament dates and the dates surrounding the birth and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. His book, “Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ” is one of the most dependable studies on the timing of several Biblical events and I recommend it highly.

I mentioned last time the starting and stopping points of the first 483 years of the last 490 years given to Israel were important as we try to relate these events to dates we can understand. Most Biblical chronologists agree on the dates to within two or three years; Dr. Hoehner has taken the position that the decree in question was made by Artaxerxes on March 5, 444 B.C. as recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8.

No Year Zero

Another important point is the length of the prophetic year which was 360 days, not 365 days; the prophetic months are 30 days in length. Converting the prophetic year to our calendar year is yet another challenge to the Biblical chronologist. An interesting detail is the absence of a year zero which means that BC 1 and AD 1 are the same year.

From the above, one can see how slight variations between Biblical chronologists might develop; as I mentioned earlier I am comfortable with the scholarship of Dr. Hoehner.

The Calculations

Using March 5, 444 B.C. as a starting point where would 483 prophetic years take us? Figuring 483 years of 360 days each would make a total of 173,880 days which would, in turn, convert to 476 calendar years plus 25 days. This would then place the cutting off of the Anointed One on March 30, AD 33 which was Nissan 10 according to the Jewish calendar. Did anything noteworthy happen on that day one might ask? The answer is an emphatic yes; this was the day the Lord Jesus Christ made his formal entry into Jerusalem.

Contrary to what we customarily celebrate, the entry was on a Monday, not a Sunday and it was not triumphal for our Lord; it was a time of great sadness as evidenced by Luke 19:41-42 where it is written, “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

The Entry into Jerusalem

The particular Greek word used for wept means a loud wracking sob; our Lord’s body was shaken by His sobs as He entered Jerusalem. He is likely the only one who understood the enormity of what was happening; the Jewish nation was being set aside, their final rejection of their Messiah was going to yield great suffering for centuries to come. Their judgment would be severe and is still in force today.

It is likely, in His omnipotence that Jesus saw the Jerusalem of 70 AD as destroyed by Titus and could also see the bodies of some of those welcoming Him as they lay silent in death. This was a momentous, tragic moment that was being recognized only by the Lord and the thought of what was going to befall Jerusalem and His people reduced Him to wracking sobs. I suspect His disciples were totally confused by His reaction to the sight of Jerusalem and the excited crowds.

There is another extremely touching aspect of our Lord’s entering Jerusalem on Nissan 10. If we examine Exodus 12:3 we read, “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month (Nissan) each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.” This was part of the instructions given to Israel on the occasion of the first Passover in Egypt. The family would select a perfect lamb and place it on display in front of their dwelling so all could see they were offering the Lord their very best.

God’s Passover Lamb Put on display

On March 30, AD33, the 10th of Nissan, the Father put His Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world, on display for all Jerusalem to see that the Father was offering them His very best. 

After the passing of that day Israel had been set aside for an undetermined number of years. Today we are at year 1,979 and still counting as Israel continues to suffer judgments until the return of the Lord they rejected.

The countdown clock on Israel’s last 7 years of their last 490 years will recommence when Israel signs a covenant agreement with the Antichrist; this event and not the rapture of the church will be the trigger that starts their final countdown.

Signs are blossoming all over the world that strongly suggests the countdown clock may be starting up very soon for those last 7 years. We may not have long to wait.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 24, 2026

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel Continued

The Great Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

We last considered the reasons for the Babylonian captivity and the times involved; now we will focus on Chapter 9 and the prophecy of the seventy weeks.

The scene in Babylon had changed completely, the Babylonian Empire had suffered the judgment predicted by God’s prophets and now the city was part of the Medo-Persian Empire under the leadership of Darius.

Daniel, at around 83 years of age, had earned the respect of Darius and was again in a high leadership position in Babylon. Despite Daniel’s incredible favor from God as a man and a prophet not all revelation was given to him.

Daniel Makes a Discovery in the Book of Jeremiah

We learn in Daniel 9:2, “in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.”

To me it is interesting to think that as I read Jeremiah 25:11 I am reading the same message that Daniel read so many years ago. It is also interesting to consider that not all revelation was given to this great prophet of God and that even he had to read the words of the prophet Jeremiah to discover a vital truth, the time frame of the captivity.

Then what did Daniel do? He prayed a wonderful intercessory pray to God for the people of Israel. What did God do by way of response? He sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel with one of the most amazing revelations given in the Old Testament, the prophecy of the seventy weeks. I believe I can safely say that is an extraordinary answer to prayer.

As you will recall I mentioned earlier that God had previously given two periods of 490 years to Israel. It was Israel’s failure in the second 490 years to observe the seventh year Sabbath that precipitated the 70 years Babylonian captivity.

A Third Period of 490 Years

Now God was telling Israel through the prophet Daniel that He would give Israel yet another, final set of 490 years to accomplish specific goals which are enumerated in verse 24, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.”

In verses 25-27 the timeframe is given, “”Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

This timeframe has an unusual feature; it is divided into two parts; a period of 483 years, (7×7=49 weeks, and 7×62=434 weeks totaling 483 weeks) and a final period of 7 years. The event that stops the countdown at 483 weeks is the cutting off of “the Anointed One.”

Another key point is the starting point of the 490 year clock and that is given in verse 25 where we are told, ” the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” will be the trigger that starts that clock ticking. So now we have the starting and stopping points of the 483 years, the decree to rebuild and the cutting off of the Anointed One.

How does that fit into history and what does it have to do with the Lord Jesus Christ? We will discuss those amazing points next time.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | March 23, 2026

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel

Palm Sunday

Sunday, March 29, 2026, we observe Palm Sunday, our observance of the entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem to die as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Prophetically, that day had a profound significance in Israel’s relationship to God!

Israel was to be set aside by God for an unrevealed period of time as God established his new agent of change, the church, the body of Christ. Israel’s restoration is certain, but still somewhere in the future.

Daniel as Prophet

The Book of Daniel is probably my favorite Old Testament book. The book is divided into two parts, the historic part and the prophetic part. The stories in the historic part are well known to anyone who attended Sunday School as a child.  Who among that group hasn’t heard about Daniel in the lion’s den or about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace?

Although these stories dramatically illustrate the remarkable faith of Daniel and his friends it is the prophetic parts that have captured my imagination as an adult. The prophecies revealed to Daniel are likely the most far-reaching prophecies given in the Old Testament about the “Times of the Gentiles.”

The Times of the Gentiles

As you may recall our Lord mentioned those times in Luke 21:24b where He says, “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” It is those times in which we are now living.

The Times of the Gentiles will come to an end at the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Church Age fits within the Times of the Gentiles and started at Pentecost and will end at the Rapture. The last seven years of the Times of the Gentiles are the same as the Tribulation, Israel’s last seven years of their third period of 490 years and will be a time of great judgment on the entire world.

Daniel in Babylon

A significant part of the story of Daniel is the reason for his living the majority of his life in Babylon. As hard as it may be to believe, his being in Babylon was Gods’ blessing on him and the other captives taken from Jerusalem in around 605 B.C. At that time Jerusalem was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, an event which was the starting point for the Times of the Gentiles.

It was God’s plan to preserve His remnant by removing them from Israel and sheltering them in Babylon as His judgment fell on Israel. In Jeremiah 24:5-10 we are told of the Lord’s plan to preserve his chosen ones by removing them to Babylon for their own good and leaving the rejected ones to suffer in Israel.

What Happened to Israel?

The next reasonable question might well be why did God do this? We are told the reason in Leviticus 25:4, “But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” For the preceding 490 years Israel had failed to observe the seventh year sabbath and God was not going to overlook that mistake.

We find in 2 Chronicles 36:21 the following statement, “The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.” This is the referenced verse in Jeremiah 25:11, “This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”

It is estimated that Daniel was around 16 years old when he was taken to Babylon and lived there until he was somewhere between 90 and 100 years old.

A New Beginning

Daniel’s devotion to God and his faithfulness are well known to most of us who attend church regularly. What may not be so well known is the remarkable prophecy he was given when he was around 82 years old, the prophecy of the “seventy weeks.”

For the record, Israel’s next promise from God included the next 490 years that God would give Israel and this period of time would be known as the Seventy Weeks of Daniel. The purpose of that time period is specified in Daniel 9:24, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.”

One of the interesting aspects of the revelation of the seventy weeks is the division of the weeks into two groups, one group of 483 years and one group of 7 years. We will start our study of the prophecy and its strange wording next time.

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Posted by: davidbowerkingwood | February 6, 2026

Is the Earth Getting Restless?

There Seems to be a Dramatic Increase in Volcanic Activity and Earthquakes!

Kilauea volcano, Hawaii – By Hawaiian Volcano Observatory January 24, 2026

For many years I have had a great interest in the earth’s geology; the tectonic plates interaction has profoundly impacted life in those areas affected. The “Ring of Fire” which includes the entire West Coast of the United States is a case in point.

The San Andreas Fault is probably the best known example of a problem created by the interaction of two tectonic plates as the North American plate moves in a northerly direction while the Pacific plate is moving in a southerly direction.

In “Back to the Future on the San Andreas Fault By Earthquake Hazards Program May 31, 2017″ they write:

“There are only two large known historic earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault in southern CA, the most recent in 1857, and before that one in 1812. With about 45 years between the historic earthquakes but about 160 years since the last one, it is clear that the fault does not behave like a clock with a regular beat.”

If the San Andreas Fault has been locked for 169 years today, it’s kind of scary to think what might happen when it finally slips!

The Ring of Fire is only a part of the seismic activity being experienced around the world today.

The Smithsonian Institution published a list of volcanoes that were erupting:

“Overall, 45 volcanoes were in continuing eruption status as of 30 December 2025. An eruption marked as “continuing” does not always mean persistent daily activity, but indicates at least intermittent eruptive events without a break of 3 months or more. There are typically 40-50 continuing eruptions, and out of those generally around 20 will be actively erupting on any particular day (compiling statistics on daily activity is in progress). Additional annual eruption data is available for recent years.”

A supervolcano, named Campi Flegrei, is not included on the Smithsonian list as it is not currently erupting. It is, however, exhibiting some very disturbing symptoms:

“Campi Flegrei, a large, active caldera near Naples, Italy, is experiencing significant seismic unrest and ground deformation, with over 500,000 residents living in its immediate hazard zone. While it is classified as a restless supervolcano that last erupted in 1538, current data suggests that while the crust is under strain, an imminent, large-scale eruption is not guaranteed, despite ongoing magma accumulation.” Google AI Overview

What is the Meaning of All This?

As with everything else in my life, I see a Biblical connection. We are told in the Bible of world conditions in the last days.

“6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:6-8

I suspect we can all agree a lot of that is going around all over the world. It would appear, the earth has started getting its own version of birth pains. Each day that passes brings us closer to the Lords return and I, for one, eagerly anticipate his return!

I encourage you to be ready to meet the Lord; you will meet him, you know, either as a member of God’s family, by faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, or as his enemy who will spend all eternity in the Lake of Fire.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior to ensure your name is written in the book of life!

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