Dear Steve
One of my brothers confiscated your books that I had (all of them).
I do plan to place another order for them in awhile but for now could you answer two questions that I have not been able to find the answer to so far. Somewhere in one of your books I read where one of the prophecies in one of the minor prophets identified the nations of Israel in the latter days as being democracies—that their princes (leaders) are from among themselves (chosen from among the people). I remember my surprise because I had not heard that in either WCG OR CGI.
Since I must not remember the exact wording, I can’t find it in my concordance. Am I imagining stuff, perhaps? We are using your “New Look At Prophecy” in our Sabbath Bible Study.
Also, isn’t fire in the old testament often used as a symbol of war just as the sword is also used as a symbol of war ?
Several scriptures IN CONTEXT seem to be using fire as a symbol of war but I can’t find a scripture that makes a direct link—if indeed it is so. Am I imagining stuff again or what ?
You have this wonderful gift of understanding the prophecies so I know that if
anyone has questions about them, you have the answers.
Thank you so much. God bless you more.
Luv, Donna.
MYREPLY
Dear Donna,
I certainly hope that your books are returned to you! The prophecy which indicates that the latter-day nations of the house of Israel (and Judah) will be democracies is located in Jeremiah 30:21. This chapter is a prophecy about Jacob’s fate in the latter days (see verse 24 to confirm the time context). Verse 21 states of Israel and Judah: “their nobles shall be of themselves and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them…” In ancient times and in modern non-democracies, nobles and governors (governmental officials) were/are selected from those born to royal blood or from individuals selected by kings and dictators. This prophecy indicates that nobles and governors (governmental rulers) in the nations of the latter days tribes of Israel will be chosen from the “midst” of the people themselves. This can only happen in democracies where the common people can vote. Jeremiah 30:3-4 confirms this chapter’s prophecy applies to both latter-day Israel and Judah. Judah is the modern Jewish Israeli nation and it is a democracy. My books contain abundant evidence that the USA, the UK and many European and western nations are the modern ten tribes of Israel. All are democracies, as prophesied in Jeremiah 30:21. The well-known phrase about “government of the people, by the people and for the people,” used by President Lincoln in his Gettysburg address, captures the meaning of Jeremiah 30:21 very well as Lincoln was talking about the Civil War being a test of whether elective republics/democracies would “long endure” or whether they would “perish.”
Your second question is harder to answer. The symbolism of “fire” is used in the New Testament as a symbol for afflictions and trials (I Peter 1:7 and Revelation 3:18), but the word “fire” (in either testament) should always be placed in the context that each scripture gives it. Let’s look at one biblical prophecy as an example: fire could be meant as a symbol of the West’s counterattacks against Magog in Ezekiel 39:6 and 9 (since God calls on the Israelite nations to use their “swords” against the Gog/Magog alliance when it attacks the Israelite nations in the latter days), it could simply refer back to the divine fire which God Himself will send on the Gog/Magog alliance (Ezekiel 38:22) or it could have both meanings. Fire was also sometimes a consequence of warfare in ancient prophecies. Jeremiah 21:10 and 34:2 are examples of such prophecies. These prophecies were given by Jeremiah about the fate of Jerusalem after the Babylonians came to conquer it. The terms “fire and sword” are often used together in historical accounts as the burning and razing of cities was common after besiegers would take over an attacked city. However, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that fire always means warfare when used in a prophecy. It is always vital to check the overall context of a prophecy to determine whether the word “fire” meant warfare, a direct consequence of warfare or something else.
Steve
