The details of the life of Jesus are based on 4 primary source-historical documents: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In our first class, I listed 3 fundamental questions when preparing for a trial: 1/ can the witnesses be trusted? 2/ has the testimony been changed? 3/ is there corroborating evidence? In this class, we're gonna answer the question: can the witnesses be trusted? So, how do we know the Gospel authors were telling the truth? How do we know they were recording history, not myths? Here is the first thing I want you to see. The Gospel accounts sound like written history. Some stories, they start like this, this is going to be familiar to you "a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away..". Now, is that fact or is that fiction? Well, it's Star Wars, it's fiction! How about this one: "Once upon a time, there lived in a certain village, a little country girl, the prettiest creature ever seen". Now, is that fact or fiction? Well, it's fiction. It's Little Red Riding Hood. All the stories though, they start like this: "Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word". “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us". Luke 1:1-2. Now, does that sound like fact or fiction to you? Sounds like this is a factual account, not a fictional account. It's actually; this is how Luke starts his Gospel. You know, certain factors tip us off that that Luke means to be writing history. Listen carefully: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us". Luke 1:1-2. Luke, He starts by referring to what sounds like real historical events. These events, he said, are based on eyewitness testimony, that gives accurate information about the life of Jesus. He says he has carefully investigated everything from the beginning. He's writing the orderly account to a leader named "Theophilus". Why would he do that? So Theophilus would know with certainty the things he's been taught about the life of Jesus. Do you see the difference between Luke and Little Red Riding Hood? This writing has all the indications of what's known as ancient history. And it seeks to tell the true life story of Jesus of Nazareth. In chapter 3, Luke gives even more historical detail; he gives an exact year! He gives an exact ruler, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; Luke names the exact governor and the location! “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene". Luke 3:1. And Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch in the region of Ituraea. Luke identifies the exact tetrarchs and their locations. That's the way history is written! So, not only the Gospels sound like written history; the New Testament writers say it is written history. For example, let's look at Peter's writing: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty". 2 Peter 1:16. He is saying, he and the disciples didn't invent the accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. He's saying that "we're telling the truth". He was there. He saw it with his own eyes. Let's look at John's writing; another primary source-historical document and notice the number of senses John appeals to here: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ". 1 John 1:1-3. John heard Jesus. John saw Jesus. John touched Jesus. John was concerned with the facts not with fairy tales. So, the New Testament writers say they are written history; but the Gospel accounts also have the feel of written history. First, they include details of eyewitness testimony, they include times of day, weather condition, local customs and other minutiae that otherwise wouldn't be there. Second, the Gospel authors; they include embarrassing details about themselves. The disciples, they often come across as petty, as "slow down to stand", arrogant and often time unfaithful. Think of James and John as they rejected in Samaria, they said "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from Heaven to consume them?". And Jesus rebuked them. And then, the mother of James and John; this is in the Gospel of Matthew, she says "command that in your Kingdom (of Jesus), that these 2 sons of mine may sit at your right and one on your left". Well, thanks mom. You know, telling Jesus what to do!! How about Peter who denies Christ?! How about the women who were the first to report the risen Christ?! Why include these unflattering details if the Gospels were works of fiction? There was no motivation for the writers to lie, think about this with me. What is the basic rule about lying? Tell a lie that makes you look good or get you something. Now, I'm not telling you to lie, but don't lie and have get you beaten with rods, whipped or stoned, or crucified upside down or beheaded. That's not a good lie if you receive that from it. The earliest disciples signed their testimonies in blood. And fourthly, even critics of the New Testament believe that the Gospels are history. "You are asking with respect to the Gospels: do they actually describe what Jesus said and did? On this topic, there are some points on which Mike and I are certainly going to agree. We agree that the Gospel writers were first century authors who were writing according to the conventions and style of their day and that they had limitations that were imposed upon them, we agree on that. We agree that there is some material in the Gospels that is certainly historically reliable. There really was a Jesus. He was probably baptized by John the Baptist. He had 12 followers. He taught about the coming Kingdom of God. He told parables. He had a trip to Jerusalem. He was arrested and put on trial and executed. And in broad terms, I agree that the Gospels are giving us some reliable information. But, I don't think that the Gospels are accurate in many of the things that they say; that Jesus taught and did". Bart Ehrman, Atheist, Author, New Testament Scholar. So, our first question is: can the witnesses be trusted? And our answer is absolutely Yes. First, the Gospel accounts sound like written history. Second, the New Testament writers say that's written history. Third, the Gospel accounts have the feel of written history. And fourth, even historians who are critics, take the Gospels to be written history. But there's another question we need to ask about the evidence: what if the words in the New Testament aren't actually the words of these authors? What if the documents have been tempered with? What if the documents have been changed? Those are the issues we will answer in our next class. For more ressources, visit: (Stand to Reason) https://training.str.org/

Iranian forces are building a massive weapons base in the eastern Syrian province of Deir az-Zour, according to reports: While the U.S.-led International Coalition has begun the construction of a large military base on the eastern side of the Euphrates River, Syrian opposition website Ain al-Furat says this Iranian base will host the second largest concentration of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) troops in eastern Syria (west of the Euphrates River). The IRGC is reportedly constructing huge underground facilities to store weapons and munitions that arrive over the border from Iraq under the guise of agricultural produce or Shia pilgrims visiting sacred shrines. "And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River". Revelation 9:14.

The U.S.-led International Coalition has begun construction of a large military base in the Omar oil field on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River in the countryside Dayro Zcuro (Deir ez-Zor) 👇 "Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God. And the voice said to the sixth angel who held the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River'. Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth. I heard the size of their army, which was 200 million mounted troops". Revelation 9:13-16.

1. The Antichrist is a man-Daniel 7:24-25. 2. He will confirm a covenant for seven years-Daniel 9:27. 3. He will arise among ten kings-Daniel 7:8. 4. This ten nation union will be a revived Holy Roman Empire-Daniel 2:44. 5. He will uproot three kings-Daniel 7:8. 6. His ten nation union will merge into a world government which he will dominate-Revelation 13: 1-2. 7. He will ascend to power on a platform of peace and, will by peace destroy many-Daniel 8:25. 8. He will be promoted by a miracle-working religious partner- Revelation 13: 11-12. 9. The beast was, and is not, and yet is-Revelation 17:8. 10. The world government over which the Antichrist rules will be a red (communistic or socialistic) government-Revelation 17:3. 11. The Antichrist will be preceded by seven kings. He will be the eighth, and will be “of” the seven-Revelation 17:14. 12. He will have a mouth speaking great things-Daniel 7:8. 13. His look will be more stout than his fellows-Daniel 7:20. 14. He will be of fierce countenance-Daniel 8:23. 15. He will understand dark sentences-Daniel 8:23. 16. He will cause craft to prosper-Daniel 8:25. 17. He apparently assumes world dominating power three and one-half years after he confirms the covenant. He then will continue his reign for 42 months-Revelation 13:5. 18. The Abomination of Desolation is the event that signals the beginning of this final 42 months-Daniel 9:27. 19. He opposeth God-II Thessalonians 2:4. 20. He shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods-Daniel 11 :36. 21. He exalteth himself above all that is called God-II Thessalonians 2:4. 22. He will sit in the temple of God-II Thessalonians 2:4. 23. He claims to be God-II Thessalonians 2:4. 24. He will take away the daily sacrifice at the time of the Abomination of Desolation-Daniel 11 :31. 25. He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain-Daniel 11:45. 26. It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them-Revelation 13:7. 27. He will make war with the saints for three and one-half years-Daniel 7:21, 25. 28. This time of the Great Tribulation launched by the Antichrist begins at the Abomination of Desolation-Matthew 24:15, 21. 29. During this time the Antichrist will scatter the power of the holy people-Daniel 12:7. 30. He will rule a terrible and exceedingly strong kingdom-Daniel 7:7. 31. Power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations-Revelation 13:7. 32. His kingdom will devour the whole earth-Daniel 7:23. 33. Arms shall stand on his part-Daniel 11:31. 34. He shall honour the God of forces-Daniel 11:38. 35. He will think to change times and laws: and they will be given into his hand for three and one-half years-Daniel 7:25. 36. He shall prosper-Daniel 8:24. 37. He shall not regard the God of his fathers-Daniel 11:37. 38. He will not regard the desire of women-Daniel 11 :37. 39. The mark of the beast will be the mark of his name-Revelation 14:11. 40. The number of the beast is 666-Revelation 13: 18. 41. 666 will be the number of his name-Revelation 15:2. 42. All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, except those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life-Revelation 13:8. 43. The Antichrist will have an image-Revelation 15:2. 44. His coming is after the working of Satan-II Thessalonians 2:9. 45. He will fight against Jesus Christ at Armageddon-Revelation 17: 14. 46. He will stand against the Prince of princes-Daniel 8:25. 47. The Lord will consume him with the spirit of his mouth-II Thessalonians 2:8 48. The Lord will destroy him with the brightness of his coming-II Thessalonians 2:8. 49. The Antichrist is cast alive into the lake of fire-Revelation 19:20. 50. He will be tormented day and night for ever and ever-Revelation 20: 10. Excerpted from #Endtime & #EndoftheAge Resources (Plano, TX, © 2021. Used by permission.) . Donate to receive entire resource at www.endtime.com, watch.endtime.com, or store.endtime.com. You may also enroll in one of their Bible courses at www.JerusalemProphecyCollege.com.

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth". Revelation 11:3-4. Notice something very important, the Bible teaches us in many places that Satan will have two agents upon the earth, his political leader called the Antichrist and his spiritual leader called the false prophet. These will be Satan's two witnesses, who will be powerful, as they will control the politics, the media, the money, the religions of the world. But yet God, will have His two witnesses! At the Abomination of Desolation, while Satan reveals his two agents to the world, God will send His two witnesses to prophesy during the final 1260 days. Therefore, these final days will be a tremendous clash between the agents of Satan and the agents of God. The two witnesses of God, however, will not control the media, the money, politics, not even the religions of the world. All they will have is: GOD. The Bible tells us that these two anointed men of God will have power like no two prophets in the last 2000 years. This will be God's master plan for the end time. What will they preach? The message of the coming Kingdom of God. The Truth of the Gospel. They will preach it for 1260 days until it is finally established. They will preach with fervor and great conviction and power. Furthermore, they will oppose the Antichrist and the false prophet by addressing the eternal consequences to the common people, should they decide to follow these two deceivers. They will use the prophecies of the Bible to expose these individuals and show to the world their prophesied wicked ways. These two witnesses of God will ultimately have a worldwide Ministry and will explain to the masses the New World Order's agenda. As a matter of fact, these two prophets will know the Antichrist's plans and actions before he even knows them, because it is all recorded in the Word of God. They will frustrate the plans of this global dictator, who will become very irritated as a consequence. They will use every tool to preach to the world: internet, television, radio, etc. God will grant extraordinary power to these two men, according to the Bible: “And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire". Revelation 11:5-6. These plagues mentioned in this verse are most likely the 7 vials that will be poured out towards the end of the 1260 days. So, who are the two witnesses? There are lots of theories out there; but what we know for sure is that these two prophets are presently alive on the earth because the prophecies are now converging proving that we're very close to the time of the end. These two men will be incredibly successful in winning the souls for the Kingdom of God: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands". Revelation 7:9. "Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb". Revelation 7:13-14. This greatest revival of all times, will undoutedbly happen during the Ministry of the two witnesses who will preach for 1260 days during the great tribulation. Now, the rest of the preachers around the world will continue their calling as well, but the two witnesses will be especially used of God to ignite this end time awakening and revival. How ill it end? "Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth". Revelation 11:9-10. The people of the world will be so evil and politically correct that they will hate these two men of God, because they will not fall in line with the world dictator and his New World Order. Once the battle of Armageddon is in progress, the Antichrist and his armies will be pushing Israel back down the Jordan Valley into the gates of Jerusalem, where half of the city will go into captivity, according to Zechariah 14:2. The Antichrist will most likely get to these men when the world armies take and capture half of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount. It is possible that the two witnesses will be preaching from the Temple Mount; therefore, once the world armies take over, they will receive the order to kill them. The world will rejoice to see these two prophets dead in the streets of Jerusalem; as they had been a thorn in the side for the world community and the New World Order system. But, it's not over until it's over: “Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them". Revelation 11:11-12. These two preachers will lay dead for 3 and 1/2 days; but people that know Scriptures will know exactly what is happening. The news and pictures will go around the world like wildfire. The media will begin to make fun of the situation and the Christians waiting for these two prophets to be raised from the dead. Nevertheless, at some point, these two men of God will in fact leave the ground and head up into the air. This event is called the rapture and it is the first resurrection: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Revelation 20:4-5. The two witnesses will be caught up into the air at the same time as the rest of the Bride of Christ, according to the Bible. And when the people of the world see the catching away, they will become afraid and will give glory to God. Will you also be a part of this catching away, dear reader? Are you ready for the Kingdom of God? I certainly pray that you will be a part of the gathering of the elect. AMEN? From the book "1260 Days - The Ugly, The Good & The Glorious" - Tamara V Gozzi. Donate to receive entire resource at www.endtime.com, watch.endtime.com, or store.endtime.com. You may also enroll in one of their Bible courses at www.JerusalemProphecyCollege.com.