El Shaddai Ministries

Pastor Mark Biltz: Let's begin. We're going to dig deeper into the Gospels. I want to start with Mark chapter 9 and look at verses 30 and 31. Here they departed and they passed through Galilee, and he would not that anyone should know he's the Messiah. It says he taught his disciples and he said to them, "The Son of Man is delivered into the hands of men, and they're going to kill him. After he's killed, he'll rise the third day."

Look what it says. They did not understand and they were afraid to ask him. They did not know who the Son of Man was. He didn't say, "Hey, I'm the Son of Man and I'm going to be killed." He said, "The Son of Man, this is what's going to happen to the Son of Man." Not only did they not know, why would they be afraid to ask him? It says he's going to be killed and rise the third day, but they were completely afraid. Let me show you something on the screen. Who is this Son of Man?

If you look at Daniel chapter 7, verse 13—I don't think these are on your notes, but you can write it down—Daniel sees in the night visions, "Behold, one like the—who?"

Guest (Male): Son of Man.

Pastor Mark Biltz: He's coming with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. The term Son of Man is a Messianic term. When he is saying the Son of Man, he is saying the Messiah. You have to understand, just like you could be father, dad, mother, mom, there are different names. We can be an aunt, we can be an uncle, we can be a brother, we can be a sister.

The term "the Son of Man" is a Messianic term. But he's also known as the Son of David. Look at Matthew 12:23. And all the people were amazed and said, "Is not this the Son of David?" David existed a thousand years before. So when they use the term "Son of David," what are they saying? This is the Messiah. It's a Messianic term. If someone's called "this must be the Son of David" like it says here, they're saying this must be the Messiah.

So, Son of Man is the Messiah. Son of David is the Messiah. How about Son of God? Look at John 1:39. John says, "I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God." This is not only the Messiah, but this shows his divinity as well. It's very important that you understand the term Son of Man and Son of David is referring to the Messiah or it's a Messianic term.

Let's look at Mark 9:33 through 37, the next few verses in that chapter. They come to Capernaum. Remember where Capernaum is on the northern shore of the Galilee. It says that he was in a house and he asked them, "What was it that you were disputing among yourselves by the way?" Think of this. Go back to the previous verse, Mark 9:30 and 31. He talks about the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men who are going to kill him, and they were afraid to ask. Wouldn't you think you'd ask, "Who's the Son of Man?"

That would be the first thing you'd ask if you didn't know who the Son of Man is and Yeshua is telling you the Son of Man is going to be killed. I sure would have asked, "Well, who's that?" if I didn't know. But how often do we not want to appear stupid and so we don't ask the questions that really need to be asked? They were afraid. Why were they afraid? I think they were afraid because they didn't want to look dumb. Much of Christianity doesn't want to look dumb and so they're not asking the questions that need to be asked.

Now, think of how many of you were ever talking to someone and you felt like they weren't listening? Has that ever happened? Can you imagine? You're telling someone, "I've got cancer," and they say, "Oh, hey, let's go have some fun." They weren't even hearing. Or maybe they heard you, but they didn't hear you. Here, he just got done saying the Son of Man is going to be killed and their response is, "Hey, who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Yeshua knew that and he's asking them. He said, "What were you guys arguing about?" They weren't even hearing him saying the Son of Man is going to be killed. They held their peace because they were disputing among themselves who was going to be the greatest. That tells you where their mind was. It wasn't on listening. Sometimes even in church, you can be in God's presence and not hear a single thing that is being spoken.

We pat ourselves on the back because we were there, but you have no clue what he said and you're afraid to ask about it. So he sat down and what does he do? He calls the 12 and he says to them, "Look, if anyone wants to be first"—because he knew what they were thinking even though they didn't tell him—he's explaining, "If you want to be the first, then you have to be the last and the servant."

What does he do? He takes a child and he sets the child in the midst. When he had taken him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever will receive one of these children in my name receives me. And whoever receives me receives not just me, but also the Father." He's trying to tell them if you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven, you need to serve one another.

What happens in Mark 10:1? He arose from there, comes to the coast of Judea by the farther side of Jordan, and the people resort unto him again. As he went, he taught them again. Now look at this in Mark 10:13 through 16. They brought the young children to him. I've got this little picture. All the kids are running to Yeshua and what do the disciples do? It says his disciples rebuked those that were bringing the kids.

He just got done telling them the day before that you've got to be like little kids, and if you want to be first, let the little kids come. But no. When Jesus saw it, he was very upset and he said, "Let the little children come to me and don't forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, whoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he's not going to enter." He took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

What is going on here? Let me ask you something. Do children have any wealth? Do children have any power? Do children have any authority? The disciples are thinking, "We're going to build our church, we're going to build, and we don't need these little kids. Little kids can't help us. Little kids have no wealth, no power, no authority. Get rid of these kids. We want rich young rulers."

They want the people who have the bucks who can help build this kingdom. We're trying to build this kingdom for God and so we need to get all of this money. We need people who have wealth and power in our congregation. That's what it's all about. What do these little kids do? They don't have any wealth, no power, no authority. They just cause problems.

That's what's going on here. Now look at Mark 10, verse 17. Now as he was going out on the road, one came running and knelt before him and said, "Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" How many of you have heard of the Pharisees? Did you know there were seven different types of Pharisees that all had little different beliefs? I will tell you what they were.

One of the Pharisees is one who's always asking, "What is my duty now?" That's what this guy was. He was the type of Pharisee who says, "What am I supposed to do right now?" Then there's another Pharisee who says, "Tell me what I've done wrong so I can compensate it with a good deed." Can you find anything wrong with me? If you do, I'll compensate.

Then there was one called "the shoulder Pharisee." The shoulder Pharisee is someone who's always looking over their shoulder wondering if anyone is watching him do his good deed. "Is anybody watching me? I'm not going to do my good deed until somebody's watching." Then there was "the blind Pharisee." He is the man who refuses to look at women, so he squints his eyes and bumps into walls until his head bleeds.

I've been in Jerusalem many times, over 20 times, and there was one of these Jewish guys there in a coffee shop or something. A woman walked in and all of a sudden he closes his eyes and he turns around and he just starts walking and bumping into things. I couldn't help but laugh thinking of this is the attitude. There's another Pharisee who serves God out of fear.

There's another Pharisee who always announces, "Wait for me while I go perform a good deed." Then lastly, there's the Pharisee who serves God out of love. I just wanted you to know there are different types of Pharisees. But this guy here wants to know what he can do to inherit eternal life. Look at verse 19 and 20 of that chapter. What does he say?

He says, "Well, you know the commandments. Do not commit adultery, do not kill, steal, bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother." And he says, "Master, all of these I've observed from my youth." He says, "Then I'll tell you what you're lacking. Go your way and sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and then you'll have treasure in heaven. Then come, take up your cross, and follow me."

But he was very sad at that saying and he went away grieved and upset. Why? Because he had great possessions. Why is the rich young ruler grieved? The problem is all of us find our identity in something. He found his identity in his great possessions. If he got rid of his great possessions, he'd lose his identity. Well, that's part of the problem with many of us. We find our identity in what we do.

For example, if you've been a teacher all your life and then all of a sudden you're not a teacher anymore, you feel like you've lost your identity. Or a couple, they've had kids and then all of a sudden the kids leave the house and it's an empty nest. It's just the two of them and all of a sudden it's like, "Our relationship is changing because I found my identity in the kids and now the kids aren't there." There's a lot of reason why people find their identity in what they do rather than in who they are.

That's very important to understand. Now watch what happens. This is the second time in Mark 10:32 through 37. They've already had the whole thing with the kids. Jesus tells them one day, "Let the kids come to me." The next day, they chase the kids away and he says, "Let the kids come to me." He tells them that the Son of Man is going to die.

Now here's the next day and now they're on the road going up to Jerusalem. They were down in Jericho and they're going up to Jerusalem. Yeshua was going before them and they were amazed. As they followed, they were very afraid. He took the 12 aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to him. He says, "Behold, we're going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes, and they're going to condemn him to death, deliver him to the Gentiles. They're going to mock him and scourge him and spit on him and kill him."

Were they listening? Let's see. It says then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him saying, "Hey teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." And he said, "What do you want me to do for you?" And they said, "Grant us that we can sit on your right hand and on your left hand." He just got done saying, "I'm going to get the bejesus beaten out of me and I'm going to be killed."

He used the term Son of Man and they didn't even recognize that he's saying, "I'm the Messiah and this is what's going to happen to me." Their concern is, "It's all about me." It's not about him. Even though they may not have known who the Son of Man was, you'd think they'd at least be concerned for whoever is the Son of Man and ask who it is so that we might prevent this. But no.

And these are the 12 disciples closest to him. I believe in the church today, the vast majority always want Jesus to do something for them. They never want to do anything for him. And he said, "Well, what do you want me to do for you?" "Oh, we want to sit on your right hand or left hand." Now here we have the little kids with no wealth, no power, no authority, and the disciples chase them off.

Then we have the rich young ruler and the disciples say, "Come on in. You're rich, you're young, you have authority, power, wealth. Come on, let's go after Jesus." But this guy turns away and wants nothing to do with it because he doesn't want to give away his possessions. Then the Lord tells them he's about to get the bejesus knocked out of him and they don't even listen. They want to be the greatest.

Then what happens? Now we come to Blind Bartimaeus. This is so important. All these are in the same chapter. What God is wanting us to see is what I'm telling you is going on. Now look at Mark 10:45 and 52. Yeshua says, "Even the Son of Man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many." And so they came to Jericho and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, Blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the highway begging.

Now, here's one thing I want to point out historically you may not know. Jericho was a city of priests. This is where the priests lived historically in Jericho. Now, what does Bartimaeus mean? I just told you, son of Timaeus. Bar is son. But what does Timaeus mean? Unclean. "Hi, I'm son of unclean. How are you doing?" Not so great of a name.

And here this son of unclean is dirt poor and he's blind. Who wants him to join our ministry? He has no money, he has no wealth, he has no power. So just like when the little kids who don't have anything, the disciples pushed him away. Blind Bartimaeus, who needs you? Get out of here. They're chasing him away. But watch this.

He sat by the highway begging and when he heard it was Yeshua of Nazareth that was coming, he began to cry out and he said, "Yeshua, you Son of David! Son of David!" That means all the seeing disciples didn't recognize he's the Son of David, but the blind man saw that he was the Son of David. Here this blind guy who's begging knows it's the Son of David when he heard it was Yeshua.

The disciples who have been with him all the time had no idea. And it says here, many charged the guy that he should shut up. But he cried out even louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" So Yeshua stood still and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man and they said, "Be of good comfort. Rise, he calls you." And what does he do? What's the first thing he does?

He casts away his garment. That is huge and I'll tell you why. He cast away his garment, he got up, and he came to Yeshua. Yeshua answered and said to him the same thing he said to the two disciples, "And what do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said, "Lord, I just want to see." Yeshua said to him, "Go your way, your faith has made you whole." In other words, your belief that I'm the Messiah is what made you whole. And immediately he received the sight and what did he do? He followed Yeshua in the way.

Let me explain Jewish history from 2,000 years ago. If you were a beggar, you had to have a permit. You had to have a permit to beg. And what was your permit was a garment that you would wear so everyone would know that you are governmentally approved to beg. Otherwise, you couldn't be begging.

So what does this guy do that has no money? He's a poor, he's a beggar, he can't even see. He hears Yeshua, he casts off the only source of income that he has. The rich young ruler wouldn't get rid of even half or none of it, but this poor man who's a beggar and blind, the first thing he did was get rid of his only source of income.

That's why Yeshua says, "Oh my goodness, you've got such great faith. You know I'm going to be healed, which is why you got rid of that. If he wasn't sure, he'd have held onto it just in case Yeshua didn't heal him, because this is my only source of income." He didn't find his identity except through the Messiah. His identity wasn't in, "I'm always going to be a beggar, I'm always going to be poor, I'm always going to be this or that." He wasn't whining, he wasn't complaining. He says, "This isn't me. That's not who I am."

To me, that is just incredible. Whenever he went out to beg, he'd be required to put on the mark of his identity, the beggar's cloak. So here we have Bartimaeus, which means the son of unclean, throwing off his old identity, discarding the cloak of his disability, the identifying mark of his blindness as if to say, "Look, Yeshua is calling me. I don't need this anymore. It's not who I am."

He was willing to give up his only source of income even before he was healed. But the rich young ruler doesn't want to give up any resources and he chooses not to follow the Lord. It's amazing that the disciples didn't realize he was the Son of Man, but the blind guy knows more than that. He knows he's the Son of David. He knows he's the Messiah.

That's why we can't, as an organization, only look to those who have money, who have authority, who are rich or famous or something like that. Who cares? We're all the same in Messiah. Now here's another thing I want to bring up in Romans chapter 12, verse 3. It says, "I say through the grace that was given to me, everyone among you, don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think."

Wow, that's important. That ties right into what we were just talking about. And then it says, "but to think reasonably as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith." So I have here on my PowerPoint the little measure of faith. How much faith does he give? Does he give the same measure to everybody or does he give different measures to some people?

Look what happens in Luke chapter 17, verse 5 and 6. The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." But the Lord says, "Look how little a mustard seed is. Look how little a mustard seed, a little tiny mustard seed." And he says, "Well, if you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you can tell this tree to be plucked up and be planted in the sea and it would obey you."

Did Messiah answer their question then? Everybody that has gone to a Christian church has heard about the mustard seed faith, but they've all misinterpreted it. Right here, did he tell them how to increase their faith or what? He didn't, did he? What he's saying is you're asking the wrong question. I don't need to increase your faith. I don't need to increase your faith because the faith as small as a mustard seed could do all of this.

That's what he said. So what does he really say? You don't know how to operate it. That's your problem. I can bless you with a big computer with all kinds of memory. You can come to me and say, "Increase my memory." I said, "You're not using any of it now anyway." The problem with the disciples, you don't ever need your faith increased. You've got to know how to operate the little faith you have.

That is what makes the difference. A little tiny faith, a little mustard seed size of faith, you could move mountains. So our question should not be for the Lord to increase our faith. Our question should be, "How do we operate it?" Does that make sense? Okay, so let's watch. He tells them how in the next verses, but nobody ever connects the two.

Look what he says in verses 7 through 10. He says, "Which of you having a servant plowing or feeding cattle will say to them when they've come in from the field, 'Why don't you go and sit down to eat?' and will not rather say, 'Make ready wherewith I can eat and gird yourself and serve me till I've eaten and drunken, and afterwards you shall eat and drink'?"

Does he thank that servant because they did what was commanded them? I don't think so. So likewise, when you will have done all those things which are commanded you, say, "Hey, we're just unprofitable servants. We've only done what we were told to do." Okay, so here we go. Let's say you're out, you're a servant and you're out there plowing the field or, let's make it easier, you're just feeding the cattle.

All you have to do is go feed the cattle. The master says, "Go feed the cattle." "Okay, I'll go feed the cattle." And then he says, "And then come in and serve me. And then after you serve me, you can eat," right? What is he saying here? Well, let me explain how you operate your faith. Get a load of this.

Look at 1 Corinthians 13:1 through 3. "If I speak with the languages of men and angels, but I don't have love, I'm a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and have all knowledge, and if I have all faith, I can remove mountains even, but I don't have love, I'm nothing. If I even give away all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned and I don't have love, it profits me nothing."

Oh my goodness. You would think if you gave your body to be burned and all of this that you love that person, but that's not always the case. Love has to be the motivating factor for everything we do. A lot of people will sacrifice and do things, but it's so they get attention, so they get recognized. It's got nothing to do with glorifying God. It's glorifying me.

So here we see this person has all the faith to move mountains, but it doesn't profit them anything because they're not loving toward one another. Now thinking about this picture here for a minute, if you're paying someone at a restaurant, you can be nice and thankful, but that's their job. If you're the boss and you ask someone an employee to go do something and they come back, are you supposed to—I mean, it's always good to be a nice boss and say thank you, but for the most part, you've just done your job. That's what I'm paying you to do.

But we have to go and do our job, but we do it as unto the Lord and it's not, "Hey, I've only done what I've been told to do. That's all I've done." And so we have to have the right attitude along this. But watch as this goes. Look at 1 Corinthians 13:13. It says, "Faith, hope, and love remain these three, and the greatest of these is what?"

Guest (Male): Love.

Pastor Mark Biltz: Why? Here is the whole answer. Galatians 5:6. In Messiah Yeshua, neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which operates through love. Wow. Here we have this operating system, but we don't know how to run it. Here we have all this faith, but we don't know how to run it. It's run through being a love slave, being a love servant, serving people just because you love serving people.

If you love someone, your faith and trust are about the same thing. If I don't trust this chair, I'm not going to sit in it. I'll let you try it first. Just kidding. But the main thing is faith and trust. You love someone you trust. It all comes down to trust and if you really want to serve someone, you're going to want to trust them and then you're going to love them.

So what God says, "If you love me, you'll do what I say and then I can trust you and we can trust him." So the whole thing always comes down to relationship. So really, their question should not have been increase our faith, it should have been increase our love. Well, how do you increase love for someone? In all seriousness, sometimes we're supposed to love our enemies. But how do you increase your love for someone?

Anybody have a guess how to increase your love? Yeah, pray for them. Yeah, I think praying for them, that's huge. That's huge. To have a relationship. Do you know why God had the sacrifices? Who loves who more? Does the parent love the child more than the child loves the parent, or does the child love the parent more? No, the parent loves the child more.

Why? Because they're always putting into the relationship. They're always serving them. They're taking care of them. The baby feels like the king or queen because everything's being done for them. That's why God instituted the sacrifices so we have to take something of ours and give it to him. The more we do things for him, the more we love him.

That's how it works. That's why he wants the tithe, not because he needs money. He doesn't need another cow. He wants the sacrifices because he wants us to sacrifice and put something of ours into the relationship and that's how you love someone by putting something into that relationship, spending time helping that person. Does that make sense? That is what is so important.

Now look at this. Galatians 5:13. "You brothers were called for freedom, but don't use your freedom for gaining to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another." So right here it's telling you the whole plan of increasing our faith is by lovingly serve someone other than yourself. Most people, it's all about money, power, control, and the world exists for them.

But that's not the way it's supposed to be. We're supposed to be out of the world. Now let me give you another example. Look at Luke 9:57 through 62. Here they're going along the road and someone says to him, "I'm going to follow you wherever you go." And Jesus says, "Well, guess what? The foxes have holes, the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."

And guess what? We don't hear from this person again. He's out of here. And then look at this. Then he turns to someone and he said, "Hey you, follow me." But the guy said, "Lord, me first. Let me first go and bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead. As for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Yet another one said, "I'm going to follow you, Lord, but let me first"—how do you say Lord and then say me first? "Oh, you're Lord, but me first. Say farewell to those at home." And Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Now, what does he mean by let the dead bury their dead?

Does anyone know? I will tell you from the Jewish aspect historically what that meant. But what do you think it means let the dead bury their dead? Here's the deal. In Judaism, they always had two burials. When the person died, they would take them and they would put them in a tomb, and then a year later when it's just bones, they would do the second burial and take the bones and put them in an ossuary or something and put them somewhere.

This guy's dad had already died, and he wanted to wait for the second burial. And he says, "What do you mean? Let those who are dead bury the dead." But this guy wanted to wait for the second burial. And that's why he's saying that. Of course he wants you to honor your father and bury your father, but for heaven's sake don't have this belief or think that following God isn't as important as burying a dead person who's already been dead for a year.

Does that make sense? So now you understand what that verse was talking about. Okay, then Luke 12:54 through 56. Here's where it's going to get good. Yeshua says to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west and you say at once a shower is coming, and it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'Oh, a heatwave,' and it happens. You hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

What time is it? Christians need to know what time it is. Otherwise, you're planting at plucking time and plucking at planting time. So let me explain what time it is. Joel 3, verse 2. God says, "I'm going to gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat." If you've been to Israel, that's the Kidron Valley.

And God says, "I'm going to plead with them there for my people, for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and parted my land." Do you know right now, right now, Israel is being besieged by all the nations saying they need to create a Palestinian state? The big problem right now is who's going to control the Gaza Strip. They want the war to be over, hostages released, which is all good, but who's going to be in charge of the Gaza Strip now?

Well, guess what? Israel does not want Hamas back and they don't want the Palestinian Authority. So who is going to run it? Israel doesn't want to run it either. It's a real mess right now over who's going to run the Gaza Strip. And the United States and the EU and everyone's telling Israel they have to allow Hamas back or the Palestinian Authority back, but they cannot control Gaza, they say. It has to be another entity.

So right now is this prophecy being fulfilled where they want to part Israel and divide it into two entities? And then look what it says the next verses in 9 and 10. God says, "Proclaim to the nations you better prepare for war. Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up, beat your plowshares into swords."

This is not the beating your sword into plowshares. This is beating your plowshares into swords because the tribulation is about to begin. And after the tribulation, before the millennial reign, then he says, "Take your swords now and beat them into plowshares." But for now, it's a time of war. So you're taking your plowshares and you're making them into swords, your pruning hooks into spears, and let the weak say, "I am strong."

So right here in Joel 3:1 through 10, we see someone, a group of nations, are trying to divide the land of Israel. And so God says, "Okay, prepare for war." Look at Joel 3:13 through 15. It says, "Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, get down, for the press is full, the fats overflow, their wickedness is great. Multiples, multitudes in the Valley of Decision. Here it is. The Day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision. The sun and the moon will be darkened."

This is what happens over the next several years I'm talking about. And the stars will withdraw their shining. Well here, it's just got the thing in Joel to put in the sickle because the harvest is ripe. This is talking about the grape harvest. And look at Revelation 14:18. Another angel comes out from the altar, had power over fire, cries with a loud voice to him that had the sharp sickle and he said, "Thrust in your sharp sickle, gather the clusters of the vine of the earth for her grapes are fully ripe."

We're entering harvest time right now, guys. We're entering the time when they're trying to divide the land of Israel. We're entering the time of war. We're entering the time of the grape harvest. And look at Genesis 49:10 through 12. It talks about the kingship or the scepter won't depart from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until the Shiloh come, which is a reference to the Messiah, and to him will the gathering of the people be, binding his foal to the vine and the donkey's colt to the choice vine.

Now look at this. He washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of the grapes. So this is talking about the grape harvest again. His eyes are red with wine, his teeth white like with milk. Well, let's go back to Joel 3:18. It'll come to pass in that day, the mountains will drop down new wine and the hills will flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah will flow with waters, a fountain will come forth of the house of the Lord and water the Valley of Shittim. That is down by the Dead Sea again, where we were just reading earlier.

But look at Joel 3:19 through 21. Egypt will be a desolation and Edom—Edom is Amalek. Edom is Esau. Amalek came from Esau. This is even referring to this day about Amalek. And look at this. "For the violence—or the Hamas—this is Hamas in Hebrew where for violence is Hamas. The violence against children of Judah because Hamas has shed innocent blood in the land. But Judah's going to dwell forever, Jerusalem from generation to generation, for I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed, for the Lord dwells in Zion."

Now look at Amos 5:7 and 8. Remember wormwood in Revelation? Look at Amos 5:7 and 8. "You who turn judgment to wormwood and leave off righteousness in the earth, seek him that makes the seven stars and Orion." What is he talking about, the seven stars and Orion? Here the Bible is talking about the seven stars and Orion. Orion everyone knows because there's the belt, right?

He's talking about biblical astronomy. Here is Taurus the bull. I don't know if you can see it, that's his horns. Here's the seven stars. The seven stars is the Pleiades. You've heard of the Pleiades before. It means the seven sisters. They refer to the seven churches of Revelation. It's tied to this and it's in the bull, Aleph, God.

And here Orion is coming after Aries the lamb. And so the bull, Aleph God, is protecting the lamb from Orion. And the lamb, Aries, is always seen in Israel and Egypt in March/April. That's why they thought that the great god lamb was going to save Egypt. This battle takes place in March/April. That's when this is seen. In Joel when it talks about these seven stars and Orion, they are seen in Israel and Egypt in March/April, which is what I'm saying this Amalek war could very well take place.

And look at this. Revelation 8:10 and 11. The third angel sounded and there fell a great star from heaven burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and the fountains of waters, and the name of the star is what?

Guest (Male): Wormwood.

Pastor Mark Biltz: Wormwood is the name of a star. And here we just got done reading in Amos 5 about judgment turning to wormwood and the seven stars and Orion. This is referring to the book of Revelation and the seven churches and what's coming. And the third part of the waters became wormwood, and many died of the waters because they were made bitter.

So there is a war like a game of chess. Chess began in Persia, in Iran, but this is the Palestinian flag colors against Israel. And right now we are at the time when they're trying to divide the land of Israel and create a Palestinian state. But the book of Joel says God is going to come against every nation that tries to divide his land.

And if we right now are pushing to divide the land, guess what? We get the Amalek experience that Israel got. Now one thing I want to say too as well that is just amazing to me, going back to my book—this book is going to be a tabletop book that you'll always want to have next to you when you read the paper or read your Bible.

But let me show you why. Here again is the 77th Jubilee, and this is when Yeshua starts his ministry in 26-27 AD. Now look at this. It was the 541st Shmita year that Yeshua started. That's why he was able to open the book of Isaiah and he read about proclaiming liberty because it was a Shmita year, a time to proclaim it. And Messiah said he only came for the house of Israel, right?

Well, look at this. Israel, when you add up the numerical value, is 541. And here it's the 541st Shmita that he starts his ministry, and it's for the house of Israel. That's why this is an amazing thing. I don't know anyone in history who has ever created a Shmita Jubilee calendar that has all the Gregorian dates matched up to it.

So you can go to any encyclopedia, you can go to any book or look up anything throughout all of history and see if it fell in the Shmita year, a Jubilee year, and what's the significance of that. But my whole goal is to get people on God's calendar because I want everyone to know what time it is, and right now the time of this year is going to be a time of war. So we've got to be ready. With that let's stand.