Saturday, 31 October 2020

As Philadelphia Burns, Biden Promotes Transgender Bathrooms

 


looting
 
As Philadelphia Burns, Biden Promotes Transgender Bathrooms
 
Philadelphia is burning, 14 more officers were injured, and what is Joe Biden talking about? Transgender bathrooms.
 
election
 
Businesses Board Up Around The Nation In Preparation For Election Storm
 
A storm is coming in, and soon it will envelop the entire nation. We are accustomed to seeing businesses board up their doors and windows when they are about to get hit by a hurricane, but I can't think of another time when businesses all across America have been boarding up their doors and windows all at the same time.
 

early

 
What The Early Voting Numbers Tell Us So Far
 
Based on the numbers that we have so far, are there some clues that we can glean about who is winning the race for the White House? Up to this point, more than 75 million Americans have already voted, and that blows away anything that we have ever seen before.
 
 
culture
 
The Intersection Of The Gospel, Culture & Politics
 
Is the American church today too caught up in the culture wars and politics? Is this a distraction from our real gospel mission? And if we are, in fact, off track, at what point does the gospel intersect with politics and culture?
 

Emperor Worship | Revelation 2

Uncertain Times? Not At All

God Sends Earthquake as The Evil Erdogan Of Turkey Prays to Baal

 


Erdogan Prays to Baal in Another Christian Church

God Sends an Immediate Earthquake Upon Turkey Today


When Will They Worship the True God?

Today two major events occurred in Turkey--the land that will give rise to Gog.  Erdogan ordered authorities to cover images of Jesus Christ and mosaics in the monastery of Christ the Savior in Chora, as he led the first Islamic prayer service there to honor Baal (B'Allah).  This ancient building which was recently converted into a mosque at the instigation of President Erdogan.  God responded with an earthquake today.  Listen to the warnings from Jesus.  Worship Jesus.

WHO IS BAAL?
Baal is also called Bel.  It was originally pronounced B'Allah.  Baal (Allah of the Qur'an) is the beast of Revelation (Revelation chapter 13), Bel of Babylon punished (Jeremiah chapter 51), seeking to be God and sent down to Sheol (Isaiah chapter 14), the wicked woman trapped in the basket with the lead cover (Zechariah chapter 5), the Man of Lawlessness "restrained and held back" at the time of Christ on earth (2 Thessalonians chapter 2), later released from the Abyss (Revelation chapters 8, 9 and 13), entered the heavenly temple of God (2 Thessalonians chapter 2), proclaiming himself God to cause a war in heaven (Revelation chapter 12), kills God's two witnesses (Revelation chapter 11), revealed to Mohammad (Revelation chapter 13), and actively worshipped until the very Day of the Lord (Zephaniah chapter 1).


ZEPHANIAH SAYS BAAL (B'ALLAH) IS WORSHIPPED UNTIL THE VERY DAY OF THE LORD

ERDOGAN HONORS BAAL
Today on for Friday October 30, when the Byzantine building will be open to the faithful of the false prophet Mohammad, completing its transformation into a Muslim place of worship. Following the presidential decree that provides for the transformation of the Chora museum to a mosque, the images of Jesus, frescoes and icons that testify to its Christian roots were covered with a white curtain.

Kamala Harris Says She And Joe Biden Will Restore Funding To Palestinian Liberation Organization Terror Group And Reopen Office In Washington

 

New post on Now The End Begins

Kamala Harris Says She And Joe Biden Will Restore Funding To Palestinian Liberation Organization Terror Group And Reopen Office In Washington

by Geoffrey Grider

joe-biden-kamala-harris-reopen-office-plo-palestinian-liberation-organization-hamas-terrorists-restore-funding

Joe Biden would give Palestinian Liberation Organization hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars per year without any commitment to stop rewarding terrorism or to renew negotiations. He would restore the U.S. Consulate in West Jerusalem without any concessions from the Palestinians, and reopen the PLO office in Washington in defiance of U.S. law.

For those of us old enough to remember, the modern-day Palestinian people began life under the banner of something called the PLO, which stood for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and it was run by Muslim terrorist Yasser Arafat who was married to a Roman Catholic woman. Built right into the charter of the PLO was the call for the destruction of the nation of Israel. These are the people that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are pledging to help should they win on Tuesday. Your vote will help them do that.

"Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion." Psalm 129:5 (KJB)

When Barack Obama was president, he and vice president Joe Biden had nothing but love for the PLO, and gave them hundreds of millions of dollars which went straight to Hamas, who then in turned used that money to fire endless barrages of rockets down on Israel. In fact, Obama's very last, official act as president was sending $221,000,000 to the PLO, and he did it with a smile on his face. Don't let Joe Biden and Kamala Harris pick up where he left off.

Kamala Harris: Restore Aid to Palestinians, Reopen U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, PLO Office in D.C.

FROM BREITBART NEWS: Democrat vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) made an unannounced stop in Metro Detroit, Michigan, last weekend and followed up with an interview with Dearborn-based Arab American News published Wednesday, where she shared her support for reinstating aid to Palestinians in Israel, and for reopening the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) mission office in Washington, DC, and the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem.

Harris said of herself and Democrat presidential candidate former vice president Joe Biden:

Joe and I also believe in the worth and value of every Palestinian and every Israeli and we will work to ensure that Palestinians and Israelis enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and democracy. We are committed to a two-state solution, and we will oppose any unilateral steps that undermine that goal. We will also oppose annexation and settlement expansion.

“And we will take immediate steps to restore economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reopen the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, and work to reopen the PLO mission in Washington,” Harris said.

As Breitbart News reported, both Harris and Biden are wrong about the U.S. consulate being in Eastern Jerusalem:

The U.S. consulate in “East Jerusalem” was not even in “East Jerusalem,” but in the Western part of the city, near downtown, on the Israeli side of the 1949 armistice line (also known as the 1967 border). Its old functions still exist, and are handled by the U.S. embassy — of which the old consulate building is now an annex.

And neither Harris nor Biden have asked for anything in return for restoring aid to the Palestinians, as also noted in the same Breitbart News report:

Joe Biden would give Palestinians hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars per year without any commitment to stop rewarding terrorism or to renew negotiations. He would restore the U.S. Consulate in West Jerusalem without any concessions from the Palestinians, and reopen the PLO office in Washington in defiance of U.S. law. His stance on restoring funding also implies the repeal of the Taylor Force Act, which is not only meant to protect Israelis but to deter and punish Palestinian terrorists for attacks on Americans.

Moreover, as Breitbart News reported, there was good reason for Trump to stop funding the Palestinians:

The Trump administration closed the Washington, DC, office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 2018 because, as the Jerusalem Post noted at the time, “it was congressionally obligated to close the diplomatic facility should Palestinian officials target Israel at the International Criminal Court” (ICC). The Trump administration was obligated by law to close the office once Palestinians announced plans to take Israeli officials to the ICC. The fact that the Palestinians rejected peace talks was an additional reason for the closure.

Harris also said a Biden administration would increase the number of legal migrants and decriminalize illegal immigration:

We will also raise the annual refugee admissions target to 125,000; protect Dreamers and their families and reverse the public charge rule so we can make sure that permanent resident status isn’t contingent on household income. And we will protect civil rights and root out systemic racism across our society, confronting discriminatory policies that target Arab Americans and cast entire communities under suspicion.

The Arab American News reported that the interview was not conducted in person but via email, “Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Senator Kamala Harris visited Metro Detroit last Sunday, making a notable, unannounced stop in Dearborn to grab dinner at the Khalaf Grill. The visit by Joe Biden’s running mate was just one of several visits by both prominent Democratic and Republican candidates in the last few weeks ahead of the critical upcoming general election. Michigan is often considered a battleground state in presidential elections and Harris’ visit to garner support from mostly Arab American voters in Dearborn is a testament to their importance in this election.” READ MORE

Facebook Censorship Nazis Now Hitting Christians And Patriots With ‘Complex Entities Interactions’ Ban Lasting Two Months For First Violation

 

New post on Now The End Begins

Facebook Censorship Nazis Now Hitting Christians And Patriots With ‘Complex Entities Interactions’ Ban Lasting Two Months For First Violation

by Geoffrey Grider

facebook-censors-roll-out-complex-entities-interactions-ban-lasting-two-months-targeting-christians-conservatives-trump-voters-2020

The social media purge we've been talking about has taken the action up a notch on Facebook with a draconian 2-month suspension of posting privileges entitled the 'complex entities interactions' ban.

I am been on Facebook now for nearly 15 years off and on, and never have a seen a posting ban lasting for 60 days for the first violation, presuming of course it was a violation because in true Nazi style, you are not told your crime, only the punishment. Then just to rub salt in the wound, Facebook offers you a box to click if you feel that you have 'received this in error', of course when you click it the new box says 'this action could not be completed'.

“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” George Orwell, '1984'

It will only be a short time until I go from today's 'complex entities interactions' ban on Facebook to being completely blocked like I am on Pinterest and LinkedIn, having committed the two things that the social media Nazis cannot abide - Christian and Trump voter. The true election meddling and interference has nothing to do with Russia or China, not by a long shot. The real interference and disinformation campaign is being waged by Facebook and Twitter.

jack-dorsey-mark-zuckerberg-twitter-facebook-interfering-with-elections-shield-joe-biden-new-nazis

FORGET ‘RUSSIAN COLLUSION’, BOTH FACEBOOK AND TWITTER ARE INTERFERING 

WITH OUR ELECTION AND ATTEMPTING TO RIG IT IN FAVOR OF DEMOCRAT JOE BIDEN

pre-election-social-media-purge-of-christian-conservative-voices-has-begun-censorship-liberals

NTEB PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: WE TOLD SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BEGUN 

SHUTTING DOWN CHRISTIANS AND CONSERVATIVES RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION

Pennsylvania National Guard Arrived On The Streets Of Philadelphia Friday After 4 Nights Of BLM And ANTIFA Riots

 

New post on Now The End Begins

Pennsylvania National Guard Arrived On The Streets Of Philadelphia Friday After 4 Nights Of BLM And ANTIFA Riots

by Geoffrey Grider

national-guard-deployed-philadelphia-after-4-nights-riots-black-lives-matter-antifa-domestic-terrorists

The Pennsylvania National Guard arrived on the streets of Philadelphia Friday after four nights of protests, riots, and looting. Governor Tom Wolf (D) promised to mobilize hundreds of troops on October 27.

As we told you was going to happen, the closer we get to the election on November 3, the more violent things are going to get. This morning, we showed you how in major cities all across America, the downtown sections have already begun boarding up doors and windows as they await the election night purge. It's coming.

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8 (KJB)

We are right now getting a taste of what the coming Tribulation will be like for those who will be left behind, just a taste, mind you, but it sure is bitter and goes down hard, don't it? I am so glad my seat on Flight #777 is reserved, but it's going to be a bumpy takeoff.

IF YOU’RE LEFT BEHIND AFTER THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH, YOU MAY NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET SAVED

IF YOU’RE LEFT BEHIND AFTER THE PRETRIBULATION RAPTURE 

OF THE CHURCH, YOU MAY NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET SAVED

Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Deploys National Guard After Four Days of Riots Ravage Philadelphia

FROM BREITBART NEWS: Fox 29’s Steve Keeley reported that members of the Pennsylvania National Guard arrived on the streets of Philadelphia late Friday morning. The Guardsmen are being deployed to help state and local law enforcement officers maintain peace after protests, riots, and looting broke out Monday night. The violence on the streets of Philadelphia following the police shooting of Walter Wallace, Jr, after he chased them with a knife.

After the first night turned violent, Governor Wolf promised to send in the state’s National Guard to help keep the peace, Breitbart News’ Joshua Caplan reported. A statement issued by Lt. Colonel Keith Hickos said:

At the direction of Governor Wolf, and PEMA, the Pennsylvania National Guard is mobilizing several hundred members in support of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management and assist local agencies in protecting life, property and the right to peacefully assemble and protest. Assisting civil authorities during times of need is one of our core missions in the National Guard and our Citizen Soldiers and Airmen are well-trained and well-prepared to assist our commonwealth and our communities in any way we can. We are able to conduct operations in support of civil authorities to enhance local law enforcement’s ability to provide continued public safety and critical infrastructure security.

However, as city-wide looting of stores and other businesses took place on Tuesday night, the National Guard was nowhere to be found, Breitbart’s Kristina Wong wrote. Throughout the night, looters ransacked stores large and small — almost with impunity. Between October 26 and 30, Philadelphia police officers made 214 felony or misdemeanor arrests, Keeley tweeted. The charges centered mostly on burglary and assault on police. The nights of chaos left 58 officers injured — one remains hospitalized with a broken leg after being run over by a pickup truck. City officials report a total of 443 looting incidents and 22 ATM explosions.

Former Philadelphia Mayor John Street (D) told CBSN Philly the shooting of Wallace was a “failure of leadership.”

“I think this is a failure of leadership,” former Mayor Street told the reporter. “We take nine months to train someone to be a member of the Philadelphia Police Department. We spend tens of thousands of dollars. It is inexcusable for those police officers to be there without the proper equipment.”

The two officers involved in the shooting were not equipped with or trained in the use of an electronic control weapon (Taser).

“The only person that you can hold responsible is the leadership of the city,” Street stated. “That situation should of never have happened.”

On Friday, city officials and Wallace’s family agreed to the release of police bodycam videos. READ MORE

Anti-Semitic BLM Mob Attacks Jews at Protest, Reject Their Support

 


WATCH: Firebomb Attacks on Israelis Light Up the Night; Those Who Bless Israel will be Blessed! CLICK for Latest from Israel!
United with IsraelBahrainis 'All Excited’ About Peace with Israel; The Eternal Promise: Those Who Bless Israel will be Blessed! American Student Leader Ousted for Anti-Semitism; What Makes a Man Great?
Anti-Semitic BLM Mob Attacks Jews at Protest, Reject Their Support
WATCH: Bahrainis Are 'All Excited Here’ About Peace with Israel!
WATCH: Firebomb Attacks on Israelis Light Up the Night in Samaria

French Jewish Leader: ‘Islamist Barbarians are Waging War on Us’

 

World Israel News
French Jewish Leader: ‘Islamist Barbarians are Waging War on Us’
Israel’s Ministry of Health OKs Reopening of Synagogues
UNDER THE RADAR: What You Probably Missed This Week but Shouldn’t Have

Friday, 30 October 2020

THE RETURN OF JESUS IN THE RAPTURE - IS IT IMMINENT?

 Is Jesus Return in the Rapture, Imminent? - by pastor Mike Taylor 

 

 
47 "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.
 
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
 
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
 
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
 
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
 
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
 
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
 
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1st Corinthians 15:47-54)
 
The above opening verses describe a reality that many of us will experience, I believe soon in this time of the end of this age. It describes the 'Harpazo" or the forceful removal of the church from this earth in a instant, or the twinkling of an eye. Some people just cannot wrap their minds around such a concept. Many don't believe what the Bible shows us to be truth.
 
Paul was the first to make this known to the world, as it had never been taught before Paul called it a "mystery" or something not revealed in the past. The prophet Isaiah approached the doctrine in chapter 26, when he described the coming of the Lord to those in his time period.
 
19 "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
 
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
 
21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." (Isaiah 26:19-21)
 
I've noticed that as you read Isaiah, much of the words the prophet writes lines up with the prophecy that John wrote in the final book of your Bible or Revelation of Jesus Christ. But until Paul fleshed out the concept and actually addressed the coming of the Lord for His church, then many people who read the Old Testament couldn't see what Isaiah was saying.

In Major Cities Across America, Businesses Begin Boarding Up Store Windows In Anticipation Of Election Day Riots By ANTIFA And Black Lives Matter

 

New post on Now The End Begins

In Major Cities Across America, Businesses Begin Boarding Up Store Windows In Anticipation Of Election Day Riots By ANTIFA And Black Lives Matter

by Geoffrey Grider

businesses-washington-dc-los-angeles-begin-boarding-up-stores-for-election-night-riots-radical-left-black-lives-matter-antifa

Businesses throughout major cities in America, particularly in California and Washington D.C., are bracing for what is expected to be a chaotic Election Day full of protests from ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter.

We have been telling you for months now that election day in America will bring riots the likes of which we've never seen, and when you consider what has already happened so far in 2020, that's really saying something. Businesses in places like Los Angeles and Washington DC are already beginning the process of sealing up store and office windows with plywood barriers, they know what's coming.

No matter who wins on November 3rd, it will be chaos. If you live in a city run by Democrats, you can expect that the Democrat mayors and governors in those cities will allow election night riots, and in fact will be encouraging them. If I were you, I would make sure my insurance premiums were up to date, and then I would get in my car and leave for at least a week. Go to a safe state like Florida where we don't tolerate that crap. But whatever you do, get out of the major Democrat-run cities now while you can. Darkness is coming.

Los Angeles & DC Businesses Brace for Election Day Chaos, Board Up Windows

FROM BREOTBART NEWS: Bill Melugin, a journalist for Fox 11 Los Angeles, shared photos to Twitter on Thursday that showed concerned business owners boarding up their windows to avoid damage from protesters and looters on Election Day.

“Driving through downtown LA…so many businesses boarded up & in the process of boarding up,” Melugin wrote.

Driving through downtown LA...so many businesses boarded up & in the process of boarding up. Same thing happening in Beverly Hills & Santa Monica in anticipation of election night. All 3 areas hit hard by looters & rioters during George Floyd unrest. pic.twitter.com/wxrfs3ErDN

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) October 30, 2020

Beverly Hills Police Chief Dominick Rivetti announced earlier this week that the famed Rodeo Drive will close on Election Day in an effort to combat expected violence and destruction. Rivetti also stated that the Beverly Hills Police Department would be on “full alert” from Halloween and throughout the election day cycle.

Other photos shared on Twitter throughout the last week have shown business owners in Washington, D.C. preparing for civil unrest on Election Day as they board up their storefront windows.

Given what we experienced over the course of the spring and the summer, we can’t presume that what’s going to happen … is going to be peaceful. We are preparing for the worst. So what we’ve been doing is a lot of drilling, a lot of making sure that we break down barriers, that no one part of election security is operating in a silo.

A confidential document obtained by Breitbart News revealed Thursday that a coalition of left-wing groups in Minnesota who fear a Trump victory are preparing for post-election mass unrest while planning to execute wide-scale “strategic disruption.”

Several violent protests have broken out across America in recent days, including major demonstrations in Philadelphia and New York. Those demonstrations led to the looting of a Walmart located in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia.

The destruction caused by Black Lives Matter protesters in Philadelphia also led to the looting of a Black entrepreneur’s boutique.

“We as Black people really need to reunite and come together,” said Jameelah Scurry, owner of La’vanter Boutique in North Philadelphia. “Destroying and tearing down our own people is not the answer.” READ MORE

Prophecy Update - Say Hello to the New World Order

Exodus - Chapter 7:1-13 - The Spiritual Battle Begins

Biblical Archaeologists In Jerusalem Discover Rare 2,000-Year Old Ring Engraved With Image Of The Sun God Apollo Shedding Light On Idolatry

 


New post on Now The End Begins

Biblical Archaeologists In Jerusalem Discover Rare 2,000-Year Old Ring Engraved With Image Of The Sun God Apollo Shedding Light On Idolatry

by Geoffrey Grider

biblical-archaeologists-find-2000-year-old-ring-engraved-greek-god-apollo-jerusalem

Discovery of a rare 2,000-year-old signet ring engraved with the Greek sun god Apollo gives new evidence of a pluralistic Jewry walking the streets of ancient Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, archaeologist Eli Shukron told The Times of Israel.

In various places in the New Testament, we read about the open idol worship that was taking place in First Century Jerusalem, something that the apostle Paul had to deal with on a regular basis. So with that in mind, it is fascinating  that biblical archaeologists have found a ring engraved with the image of the Greek god Apollo.

"But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?" Acts 19:34,35 (KJB)

The counterfeit of the Devil has always existed alongside the real thing from God, and right up to the Second Advent, it always will. Many cultures have a flood legend, a madonna and child legend, and the list goes on and on. Jesus Christ created His Church at the cross 2,000 years ago, and the Devil created his fake church in the declining years of the Roman empire 300 years after that. Nice to see that 21st century researchers are finally catching up to the dusty, archaic, old King James Bible.

Biblical Archaeology

CLICK TO SEE THE EXCITING DISCOVERIES IN THE LAND OF 

ISRAEL RELATED TO BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY

In 2,000-year-old Apollo seal, a sunny glimpse of pluralism in ancient Jerusalem

FROM THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: “It allows us to see a Jerusalem that wasn’t some kind of ultra-Orthodox city, it was more pluralistic,” Shukron said, who is convinced the ring would have adorned a Jew’s finger. The fact that a Jew chose the symbol of a Greek god, “shows the wide variety of practices in Jerusalem. Everyone was a Jew, but there were different groups and perspectives,” he said. he dark brown jasper gem sealing (intaglio) was recently discovered at the Archaeological Sifting Project at Tzurim Valley National Park during the wet sifting of earth taken from ongoing City of David excavations of the foundations of the Western Wall.

Shukron said there is absolutely no doubt that it is Apollo who is engraved on the tiny, oval-shaped, 13 millimeter-long, 11 millimeter-wide, and 3 millimeter-thick sealing. It would usually have been used as a signature stamp on beeswax to seal contracts, letters, wills, and goods or bundles of money, according to a City of David press release.

The profile of Apollo has long flowing hair spilling over his sturdy neck. He has a large nose, thick lips, and small prominent chin, according to the press release. The styled hair is braided above his forehead, with long curls reaching the shoulder.

All of this adds up to the god Apollo in the eyes of a trained archaeologist. “You cannot miss it,” Shukron said. The question then arises, what is a nice Jewish neighborhood such as 1st century CE Jerusalem doing with a pagan Greek god?

According to Shukron, there are already a handful of archaeological artifacts dated to the Second Temple period in which Apollo plays a starring role: Two other Apollo gem sealings were discovered at Masada and another two were found in Jerusalem, one also from the Western Wall drainage tunnels excavations and one in a tomb on Mount Scopus. Shukron noted that whereas during the Roman period, other members of the Greek and Roman pantheon make appearances, for the centuries surrounding the turn of the Common Era, only Apollo has been found. The god symbolized light, health and general well-being and success — something everyone generally aspires to, he said, which is why the symbol was considered “kosher” for these Second Temple Jews.

“It’s important to see that Jerusalem is more than conservatism, there are people like this who [as evidenced by his adoption of a pagan symbol as his signature] would have had more freedom in their thinking,” said Shukron. What is also clear, through his very public use of the symbol, is that there would have been a group of Jews who accepted this usage as well.

Expert of engraved gems Prof. Shua Amorai-Stark made an assessment of the sealing and noted that “at the end of the Second Temple period, the sun god Apollo was one of the most popular and revered deities in Eastern Mediterranean regions. Apollo was a god of manifold functions, meanings, and epithets. Among Apollo’s spheres of responsibility, it is likely that association with sun and light (as well as with logic, reason, prophecy, and healing) fascinated some Jews, given that the element of light versus darkness was prominently present in Jewish worldview in those days,” he said. READ MORE