- 1 week ago
Many that claim some sort of Christian faith and even many that don’t have heard of the Biblically related “place of safety” during the apocalyptic time known as the Great Tribulation.
Millions, instead, believe that they will be raptured to heaven before this.
Bible readers have noted that Revelation 12:14-16 refers to a place to flee to that is in the wilderness--and heaven is not a wilderness.
Many people have heard that Petra in Jordan, instead, is the place you want to be during the Great Tribulation.
But is Petra the place? What if it isn’t?
Some assert that instead of a place like Petra, you will be protected right where you are? Protected right in your own home. What if you’re wrong about that? How about Bozrah in Jordan? Is that the place of safety? Should you flee to Bozrah? Wait a minute! What if you’re wrong about Bozrah?
Does the Bible give us any clues where the place of safety might be? Does the Bible give us any clues where the place of safety would not be? Do you know what scriptures to look for?
Who’s going to be protected in the place of safety? Jews? All Christians? Only Philadelphian Christians? You?
Will you know when to flee to a place of safety? Do you know for sure? Do scriptures teach that you should be gathered together before the decree to flee is issued? Did God promise to send someone to tell you when and where to flee (hint: He does nothing without revealing it to His servants)? Do you not only know what the Bible teaches on this, are you doing what you should be doing now to be protected?
Watch this video as Dr. Thiel fills in a lot of the blanks and shines the light of Biblical truth on the place of safety.
Read the full article to this video titled “Might the ‘place of safety’ not be in Petra?” at URL https://www.cogwriter.com/news/prophecy/might-the-place-of-safety-not-be-in-petra/
Millions, instead, believe that they will be raptured to heaven before this.
Bible readers have noted that Revelation 12:14-16 refers to a place to flee to that is in the wilderness--and heaven is not a wilderness.
Many people have heard that Petra in Jordan, instead, is the place you want to be during the Great Tribulation.
But is Petra the place? What if it isn’t?
Some assert that instead of a place like Petra, you will be protected right where you are? Protected right in your own home. What if you’re wrong about that? How about Bozrah in Jordan? Is that the place of safety? Should you flee to Bozrah? Wait a minute! What if you’re wrong about Bozrah?
Does the Bible give us any clues where the place of safety might be? Does the Bible give us any clues where the place of safety would not be? Do you know what scriptures to look for?
Who’s going to be protected in the place of safety? Jews? All Christians? Only Philadelphian Christians? You?
Will you know when to flee to a place of safety? Do you know for sure? Do scriptures teach that you should be gathered together before the decree to flee is issued? Did God promise to send someone to tell you when and where to flee (hint: He does nothing without revealing it to His servants)? Do you not only know what the Bible teaches on this, are you doing what you should be doing now to be protected?
Watch this video as Dr. Thiel fills in a lot of the blanks and shines the light of Biblical truth on the place of safety.
Read the full article to this video titled “Might the ‘place of safety’ not be in Petra?” at URL https://www.cogwriter.com/news/prophecy/might-the-place-of-safety-not-be-in-petra/
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00:05Greetings, friends. This is Steve Dupuis for the Bible News Prophecy Program with Dr. Bob Thiel,
00:10bringing you news and analysis of world events in light of Bible prophecy. Dr. Thiel, Jesus tells
00:17us he will protect some of his followers from the Great Tribulation. Where might that place of safety
00:22be? Well, a lot of people thought it might be a place called Petra in Jordan. But one of my
00:30questions is, what if it's not? Would most Christians flee to a different location? I don't
00:36think so. Now, someone else asked me about this place called Basra as a possible place of safety.
00:43And that got me to do some research. And I run into writing by a guy by the name of
00:47Tim McKay,
00:48it's like a decade old or so. And I'd like to read a bit of what he has. So I
00:54think he's got some
00:54good points and some questionable ideas. Okay, for example, he says, is Petra the prepared place of
01:00safety for Israel or you? He says, Petra, Jordan, was once a stronghold of the Edomites and was the
01:09later capital of the Arab Nabataeans. Will this be the number one destination for the Israelites in
01:16the end time? The most popular speculation about Petra is that Jews escaping the Battle of Armageddon
01:23are going to find refuge there. And they point to various Old Testament prophecies. On the other
01:28hand, he says, some believe that the true church, in this case, the Philadelphian Christians, would be
01:33protected in fulfillment of Revelation chapter 12. He says, both views are based on scripture. Which one
01:40makes more sense? Some think it can hold 144,000 that are mentioned in Revelation 7 and 14.
01:47Some in the old worldwide church of God thought there'd be 144,000 of their members there.
01:52He says, the Petra theory has an appeal, but is it grounded in realism? He says, you can search the
01:58Bible and you won't see the name Petra. Instead, you'll find the modern Greek name for the city
02:03or its Hebrew equivalent, Selah or Selah, and Petra, all of which mean rock. So that's one of the
02:11bases for the speculation of Petra. As far as how many people can comfortably live there,
02:18it was a small city with a population of about 20,000. So he doesn't think more than 20,000
02:26or
02:2640,000 could go there. Then he asked about, doesn't Revelation 12 say Israel is protected?
02:33And he started to go into Revelation 12 verses 1 through 5 about a woman clothed, the sun, the moon,
02:41and 12 stars gave birth to a male child. So people, some of those people think, okay,
02:46it's got to do with Israel, the nation of Israel. But then he started to cite Revelation 12 verses 13
02:53to 17. And I'm only going to read verse 17 right now. I'll get to the other part later.
02:59And from the English Standard Version, it says, the dragon was furious with the woman and left to
03:06wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God's commands and have the testimony of
03:12Jesus. So he says, okay, that eliminates this being the nation of Israel. And he's totally, totally right.
03:23And so then he asked and answered some questions. One of them was, what about Basra? He said, well, like
03:32Petra,
03:33Basra is part of Jordan. So perhaps, he says, some say, isn't Jordan a Muslim country?
03:41And he says that Jordan will be evacuated and laid waste in an attack against Israel. And he thinks
03:48that you'll need passports. And how are we going to know when to go? He says, God will send some
03:54prophet since no one knows the day or the hour. How much time do we have now? He says, I
04:00don't think
04:00we'll see the prophet until the 2020s at the earliest.
04:04What are your thoughts on Tim McHide's speculation, Dr. Thiel?
04:09Well, he's got a couple of parts right. But one, I do not believe Jordan's going to be evacuated. So
04:15I
04:15think he's wrong about that. And I do think a prophet will say it's time to go. I don't think
04:20that'll
04:20happen for the 2030s. But having said that, I'd like to read something that the old pastor general,
04:30late Pastor John of the Old Worldwide Church of God wrote, Herbert Armstrong wrote,
04:36incidentally, I know many of you have your hearts set on going soon to Petra as a place of safety
04:41during the Great Tribulation. Well, get your minds off of Petra, brethren. I've never said Petra
04:47definitely is the place of safety where God takes us. I hope it's not. One reason was that place it
04:54would
04:55be is that nobody would want to go there. It's the most unpleasant, uncomfortable, miserable place you
05:00go. There's nothing to be desired there. But just in case, God has given us some favor in the eyes
05:09of
05:09the king of there and his brother. Okay. So, so anyway, carnally speaking, people don't wouldn't pick
05:16Petra as a place to go either. Now, I do think Petra is large enough for the Philadelphian Christians to
05:23be
05:23protected. And by the way, they're the only Christians that are going to be protected
05:30from the beast, because most Christians will not be protected. And I'll read that scripture later.
05:36Now, Petra itself covers a much larger area than the rock cave carved area that most people think of.
05:42So it or possibly part of it might be the place.
05:48Does the Bible give us any hints on where the place of safety might be?
05:53Well, yeah, there's several clues in the Bible that suggest a Jordanian location makes sense.
05:59Part of this is based on where the place is not.
06:03Where might it not be?
06:05Well, some people say there's no clues in the Bible. But if you look in the scripture, for example,
06:10Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter four, verses five and six, it says, declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem
06:19and say, blow the trumpet in the land, cry, gather together and assemble yourselves. Let's go to the
06:26fortified cities, take refuge, don't delay, for I'll bring disaster from the north, great destruction.
06:33So you see disasters come from the north and you don't seem to want to be in Judea or Jerusalem
06:39and you want to go
06:40south of it. Okay.
06:43Now, in Luke 21, verses 20 to 21, Jesus confirmed that concept that people would have to flee.
06:52So if you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then notice desolation is near.
06:56Now let those from Judea flee to the mountains.
07:00Let not those who are in their midst of her depart and let them who are, don't let those who
07:06are in the country enter her.
07:07So this seems to say the place isn't Judea. It's not Jerusalem. It's not north of it.
07:14Okay. We know the Bible says to flee Babylon.
07:18And in Zechariah chapter two, starting in verse six, it says, flee from the land of the north.
07:25Up, Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon.
07:30So the Bible's telling us that's not the place.
07:34And the Bible also forecasts the near total destruction of islands in Revelation 6 and Revelation 16.
07:41So that doesn't seem to be the place of safety either.
07:44Is it possible that the place of safety could be wherever a Christian winds up being when it is time
07:50to flee?
07:51Well, some people want to claim that, but that's not what the Bible says.
07:55If you go to the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 33, we read,
08:01He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppression,
08:07he who gestures his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing a bloodshed,
08:13shuts his eyes from seeing evil, he will dwell on high.
08:16His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.
08:20Bread will be giving him. His water will be sure.
08:24And then we read in Isaiah 45, 20,
08:27Assemble yourselves and come. Draw near together.
08:31So this is talking about some place of rocks.
08:33It's not saying where you're going to be.
08:36It's just by yourself.
08:37And also as far as gathering together, we read that in Zephaniah chapter 2.
08:42Gather yourselves together,
08:44O undesirable nation,
08:46before the decree is issued.
08:48That is the decree, I believe, to flee.
08:51Before the day of the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you,
08:55seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth,
08:58who have upheld his justice.
09:00Seek righteousness. Seek humility.
09:02And it may be you'll be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger.
09:06So we're seeing,
09:07talking about you're going somewhere to be hidden.
09:10There's going to be a decree.
09:11And you need to gather together to do this.
09:13So no, God's not talking about protecting individuals just wherever they are.
09:19Now, if you stay in Zephaniah,
09:21verse 4, it says,
09:23For Gaza will be forsaken,
09:25and Ashkelon desolate.
09:27They'll drive out Ashdod at noonday,
09:30and Ekron will be uprooted.
09:33Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast.
09:36The word of the Lord is against you,
09:38O Canaan land of the Philistines.
09:40So we're talking about basically going what I call south west of Israel,
09:49Jerusalem.
09:50And these lands we're talking about here are currently,
09:53well, before the Gaza war,
09:55primarily occupied by the Palestinians.
10:00What places would that leave us that we might be safe?
10:06Well, you've got to pick a different direction,
10:08and that points you basically to the southeast.
10:11Now, David, in Psalm 27, 5, said,
10:15In the time of trouble,
10:16he shall hide me in his pavilion.
10:18In the secret place of his tabernacle,
10:20he'll hide me.
10:21He'll set me high on a rock.
10:23Okay, so it may have dual meanings.
10:28And we also see in 1 Samuel 23
10:31that David may haste to get away from Saul,
10:35and he called that the rock of escape.
10:38And that's the rock of Selah,
10:40the Petra of escape, if you want to call it that.
10:42But again, it does not have to be this particular location.
10:47And now, a Petra is a rocky outpost in Jordan,
10:52and it is in the right direction.
10:57Now, it's also possible
11:00that the actual place of protection
11:02could simply just be near Petra
11:04or part of its outskirts
11:06or perhaps in a location far from it.
11:09What about Basra?
11:11How does that fit in?
11:13Well, regarding Basra,
11:15the prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Micah
11:19wrote about it.
11:20In Isaiah 34,
11:21it talks about his sword
11:23going to come down on Edom.
11:26And there's going to be blood
11:27for the Lord has sacrificed in Basra.
11:31Okay, we'll get to that later.
11:34Then Jeremiah 49
11:36talks again about Edom.
11:39And verse 22,
11:42behold, he'll come up
11:43and fly like the eagle
11:45and spread his wings over Basra.
11:48Now, this is interesting
11:49because, you know,
11:50eagle's wings are mentioned
11:52basically in Revelation 12, 14.
11:56And we also see something
11:58in Micah 2.
12:00I'm going to read this
12:01from the Young's Literal Translation.
12:03I will surely gather you,
12:05O Jacob, and all these.
12:07I will surely bring together
12:08the remnant of Israel,
12:10and I'll set you as a flock of Basra.
12:13So some of these things
12:14sound interesting,
12:15but the issue
12:16when you get to this, though,
12:18is Edom is not the,
12:20Edomites are going to be
12:21punished.
12:23The Bible actually shows
12:24because of how the Edomites
12:26treated Israel
12:28and betrays it
12:29and attacks it,
12:30that God actually has
12:31special punishment
12:33for them.
12:34So that's why
12:35I don't think it's Basra
12:36because those Basra prophecies
12:39are more related to Edom,
12:43and so I just don't think so.
12:46And, you know,
12:47some have, you know,
12:49wondered about places
12:50like Petra,
12:52but there are reasons
12:53it might not be Petra.
12:56Such as?
12:59Well, Petra's a leading
13:00tourist destination
13:01for the country,
13:02so they might not want us there.
13:04Now, the Philadelphian Christians
13:05could go there for a time
13:06and then perhaps not stay.
13:08Now, as far as
13:09the Philadelphian Christians,
13:11in Revelation 3,
13:12starting in verse 7,
13:13Jesus talks to the Philadelphians,
13:15and then he tells them
13:17in verse 10,
13:18because you've kept
13:19my command to persevere,
13:20I'm going to keep you
13:21for the hour of trial,
13:22which comes on the whole world,
13:23the chest of the world,
13:25the earth.
13:26Well, he doesn't make that promise
13:27to any other churches,
13:28so it's only part of the Christians.
13:30And I mentioned Revelation 12.
13:32If you go there,
13:34in verse 14,
13:35you see the woman was given
13:36two great wings of great eagle.
13:39She can go to her place
13:39in the wilderness,
13:40where she's nourished for a time,
13:42time, and half at times.
13:43That's three and a half years,
13:45but notice it's the wilderness.
13:47This is not heaven.
13:49People do not get raptured
13:50up to heaven
13:50to beat the great tribulation.
13:53And I already read verse 17.
13:55It says the rest of her seed,
13:57they're not going to be protected.
13:59So not all Christians
14:00are going to be protected.
14:01There are two groups of Christians,
14:04one that's going to get protected,
14:06one that's not.
14:07In places such as Petra
14:09or in the wilderness,
14:11there's a possible location.
14:12But again, it may be
14:13there's something else near there.
14:16So while Petra might not be the place,
14:18that is one place to consider
14:20for the place of protection
14:22that Jesus promised.
14:24Thank you, Dr. Thiel.
14:25For more interviews with Dr. Thiel,
14:27in addition to written,
14:28as well as audio articles,
14:30visit our website
14:31at BibleNewsProphecy.net.
14:33This is Steve Dupuis
14:34for the Bible News Prophecy Program.
14:43The Bible News Prophecy Program.
14:44Welcome to the Bible News Prophecy Program.