Called to Elam, Stuck in Marah

Exo 15:22-27 HNV
(22) Moshe led Yisra'el onward from the Sea of Suf, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
(23) When they came to Marah, they couldn't drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.
(24) The people murmured against Moshe, saying, "What shall we drink?"
(25) Then he cried to the LORD. The LORD showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them;
(26) and he said, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his mitzvot, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you."
(27) They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.


When Israel was led out of Egypt, they had high expectations. They had just witnessed the destruction of their enemy, Pharaoh. Now they were free! But they were in the desert. The desert has it's own challenges. It's a place where we go through stages. It took Israel 3 days to reach their first stage: bitterness.

Whenever God leads us to a new place, He often allows us to run out of whatever we have packed along with us. In Israel's case - it was water. Three days into the desert, Israel had been drinking water... from Egypt. As long as the canteens were full, they were fine and full of hope. But when the heat turned up and the water levels grew low, bitterness set in.

Notice what the Lord said. "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his mitzvot (commands), and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you, which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you." To me, this verse seemed out of place. What did this little guarantee have to do with their current plight? The plague most of us deal with - as Christians - more than anything else is bitterness. We have been offended - by man, by God, by circumstances... we carry bitter spirits.

It is not until we let God make our current bitterness sweet at Marah that we can move on to Elam.

Also take note of the numbers: 3 days, 12 springs, 70 palms. 3 days speaks to the fullness of discontent for Israel. For us, this could be any length of time that we wallow in our own unsatisfied state. The 12 springs speaks of a new FAITH, where 12 tribes 'believed' in God, and 12 disciples 'believed' in their rabbi, this signifies a realization of faith. Once we realize that God provides - even when we cannot see Him at work - we reach a place of FAITH where from that point on, we see the FULLNESS of His provision - the 7(0) palm trees.

This is a natural progression.

When Martha sent for Jesus because her brother was sick, Jesus waited. Why? Because God was letting Mary and Martha run out of what they were carrying on their own - their own expectations. They then arrived at a point of bitterness - which Jesus experienced Himself when He wept. But God threw the wood into the sprint and it because sweet. Lazarus came forth. From that point on, you can bet that the FAITH of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus was an Elam faith - one where the provision of God was perfect and full.

Do you have bitterness in your life? What do you carry with you that is still left over from Egypt?

Is Our Bread Really Unleavened?

Exo 13:6-7 KJV
(6) Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
(7) Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

The week of Unleavened Bread is a week-long festival that was instituted by God. This festival began with Passover, included the days of Unleavened Bread, and concluded with First Fruits. This was quite a week! The Jewish people took this extremely seriously, as if the above command from God left much room for otherwise. This was a time of introspection for the Hebrews. They removed all traces of yeast from their homes. They removed anything that 'might' ferment. Many even change the feed for their livestock in order to make the milk more kosher. This is serious!

The first thing we might think as western Christians is 'silliness'. Or 'what legalism!'

To me, this is what we, as western believers, have missed in our walk with Jesus. In our pious quests for righteousness, we have become more like the rich young ruler who was looking for a bare minimum requirement for inheriting the kingdom. (Matt 19:16) We put in our time and we 'call it good'. To the Hebrew, this is a flawed perspective. It fails to treat God as who He really is - Holy. Zephaniah said this:

Zep 1:12 KJV
(12) And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

The Hebrew reads this and concludes in his heart that God is not one to be trifled with. He is one who searches the hearts of men meticulously. The Christian reads this passage and might conclude that God sure had it out for Israel back then. Aren't we grateful for grace!

So we play our grace card... and go back to our lives of part-time righteousness and sin-management.

In my own heart, I find it a travesty to think that we can be saved as of by fire, living life as if God does not care while next to us stands a Jewish man who does not believe Jesus was Messiah yet strains with all his might to walk as his father Abraham did - in faith and purity - believing that God is good and Holy and will keep His promises. This is very difficult for me to reconcile. Salvation is by faith. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Somewhere, however, many of us as Christians have MISSED holiness. We should look to the examples others have set and learn from them.

About This Blog

I've had quite a few people ask me about my blogs and teachings especially related to how I study and who my sources are. I thought it might be important to devote at least one entry to this subject. I love this blog because it's an outlet for me to journal some of the really cool stuff that I learn and to share it at the same time. No, the blog doesn't have tons of followers but the ones that do read are fans of scripture and many of us chat daily about our amazement of God and His word.

I'm no genius regarding scripture. If I reveal something profound, it's because someone revealed it to me first. If the writing is particularly good - and sometimes it really is - it's God. I'm often amazed when I go back and read a good entry because often I will not recollect writing it. That's God. If it's lame, poorly constructed, and non-informative, THAT was me - forcing it. I have tried to learn to write when I have something to write, and to rest when I have nothing. Early on, especially, I forced it a lot, and it is painfully obvious. I still do, every now and then. Stay tuned.

My main source is the Bible. I try to read every day and at night before bed. Sometimes I get a nugget, sometimes not. Sometimes I have a season of 'not'. It's these dry times that I miss a lot of posts. There are also rainy seasons where I am so flooded that I can't land on a single thing to post due to being overwhelmed. Most of my friends can tell what season I'm in. I don't read many books. My personal conviction is that God can always show me more in a verse than a writer can show me in a chapter. That's me - however. I'm not knocking books.

I also listen to rabbis and teachers of various denominations and faiths, and I filter these through the inerrant Word of God in order to dig out more nuggets. If we limit ourselves to teachers that believe just as we believe, we will never think outside of the box we are in. By the way, our box can't hold Him. We can't build one that big.

If I had a single hint to offer people who want to study in a deeper way, it would be this: read suspiciously. There are no coincidences in scripture (I think Chuck Missler says this). If something appears oddly out of place in the text, pay especially close attention to that. Look at the Hebrew. Look at the Greek. Where was that used elsewhere? Once you start doing this, you find yourself on the most amazing rabbit trails. Start with Deuteronomy chapter 8, if you want a 'for instance'.

Peace and blessings to you all!

The Sabbath

Gen 2:2-3 HNV
(2) On the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
(3) God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.

Christians have misunderstood - or ignored - the Sabbath, to some extent, since the time of Jesus. We all have questions. The Sabbath is important! Keep it! Yet... it is made for man, not man for the Sabbath. What does it mean to keep the Sabbath? How can I do it without being 'legalistic'?

Questions. To boot, this all falls under 'the Law' discussion which is a HUGE gray area to most Christians. We have lost much of our Jewish understanding.

First of all, the Sabbath (Shabbat) and 'a sabbath day' are not necessarily the same thing. If a Jewish feast day (hag; holiday) falls on a week day, then that day will be a sabbath day. Later in that week, Shabbat (Saturday) comes also. Two sabbath days in the same week, but only one Shabbat. Shabbat ('the' Sabbath) is always Saturday. Shabbat is equivalent to Saturday - in the Hebrew realm.

That said, can a sabbath be observed on a Sunday? Of course!

So how important is the Sabbath?

Exo 20:8-11 HNV
(8) "Remember the day of Shabbat, to keep it holy.
(9) You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
(10) but the seventh day is a Shabbat to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;
(11) for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the day of Shabbat, and made it holy.

Obviously this is important! But what does it mean for us? We are not under the law, right?

Fortunately, we are not justified by the law (read Romans 3), but by another law of 'faith'. Does this mean we put aside the law?

I believe everyone would agree that we do not put aside 'You shall not murder' or 'You shall not commit adultery' or 'Honor your parents'. That would be ludicrous! So then, what shall we do with Shabbat?

Paul wrote,
Rom 14:5 HNV
(5) One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.

and Jesus said,
Mat 12:5 MKJV
(5) Or have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath and are blameless?

There is much I do not know about Shabbat. Do I believe it's important? Yes! Because God believed it was important. Does that mean I know how to observe it properly? Unfortunately, not really. When Jesus reminded the Pharisees that the priests in the temple were blameless even though they profaned the sabbath, He was not saying it was okay to profane the sabbath. Yet, there was MUCH importance placed on being a priest! Are you a priest before God? Anyone can be, if they are willing.

Another interesting tidbit... is that the land also was supposed to observe a sabbath. Every seventh year the land was to rest from plowing, sowing, and harvest. From the time Israel came into the Promised Land, they did not let the land rest. They ignored the land's sabbath for 490 years. After many warnings from the prophets, God told them that HE would rest the land. Since 490 years had passed, Israel owed God 70 years of Sabbaths. This was the length of Israel's captivity. For 70 years, Israel was denied a national existence.

Because of this, some teachers say that for every week we ignore a sabbath, God shortens our own lives by a day. Naturally, one cannot prove this, but in a culture where we value the 'get-ahead' mentality at all costs and above all else, this isn't such a stretch. He who dies with the most toys wins, right? Rest.

Our Daily Bread

Mat 6:9-11 HNV
(9) Pray like this: 'Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
(10) Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
(11) Give us today our daily bread.

When Jesus told His disciples how to pray, He gave them this example. Typically, if we have grown up in Sunday School, we were taught this prayer at a young age. But how many of us pray this as adults?

To ask for today's bread means we do not want tomorrow's bread yet. When we pray this prayer and mean it, we are asking for no more than what we need today. We forfeit the security of tomorrow's provision: our savings account, our college fund, our pantry, our job security, our health report... Do we really want to pray this prayer?

If we wake up some day in a situation not unlike many Haitians today, how do we react? Do we totally go to pieces and change the prayer to "Today and tomorrow, God!"?

It's not that God doesn't want us to have security - but He wants our security to rest in Him. If our security is not in the Lord today, where is it?

Close To The Flood

Joshua 3:14-16 LITV
(14) And it happened, as the people pulled up stakes from their tents to cross over the Jordan, and as the priests bore the ark of the covenant before the people,
(15) and as those bearing the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the waters (and the Jordan was full, over all its banks all the days of harvest),
(16) that the waters stood still, those coming down from above rose up into a heap, very far above the city Adam, which is beside Zaretan; and those going down by the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite to Jericho.

The Jordan during the rainy season - although not the Mississippi - was still quite the obstacle. In fact, the nature of this flooding would be multifaceted. Naturally the river would be higher and faster and muddier. But as the water came over the banks, it ran out across a flat land a few inches deep, causing a miry mess for man and animals alike. Imagine treading out across this plain after 300,000 others had just done the same. Make that.... 2.5 million, with cattle in tow.

Scholars say that the distance between the listed landmarks - the City of Adam and the Dead Sea - is about 15 miles. God parted the Jordan River - 15 miles. That means those who went across in the center did not see the walls of water standing 7.5 miles to either direction.

With news of the horrible, catastrophic events in Haiti, some questions have occurred to me. Many of us cannot see what waters the Lord has parted for us. We look in all directions and we only see our neighbor - traveling the same basic direction we travel. We have no idea what God is holding back in order to allow us to pass. We are oblivious.

Perhaps only those who are closest to the eminent destruction can appreciate what we are being saved from.

The House of the Lord

Psa 23:6 HNV
(6) Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the LORD's house forever.

Dwelling in the Lord's house... has such a great ring to it, doesn't it? When does this happen? After all, we've spent thousands of years now seeing the opposite happen - God with 'us'. Jesus was Emanuel - God with us. That seemed a complete restoration - of sorts - to what we had in Eden.

However, the Jewish people as well as many evangelicals celebrate the High Holy Feast of Succot, or Booths/Tabernacles. The premise of this feast is God sheltering man in the desert of life, just as He did Israel in the desert. God shelters us. We dwell - in Him.

Surely we are heading towards another age - one where He not only dwells within us, but where we dwell in Him. That will be the prophetic fulfillment of Succot - the final, Sabbath millennium. John has a brief description of this:

Rev 21:22 HNV
(22) I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

We will no longer enter into a temple of stone and mortar, but into God Himself - our Temple. And those who are His shall surely dwell in the House of the Lord (The House - which is the Lord) forever. Amen!

Be Dangerous

1Sa 2:18 MKJV
(18) And Samuel served before Jehovah, a child girded with a linen ephod.

From the beginning of his life, Samuel was destined to be a priest of God. He was brought up in the Temple from the time he was weaned, and learned - even from a very lame priest, Eli - the ways of God.

Samuel dealt with lameness most of his life. Saul, Israel's first king, had a problem with loving himself more than he loved God. This was something Samuel could not and did not stomach.

1Sa 15:31-33 MKJV
(31) And Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshiped Jehovah.
(32) And Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him daintily. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
(33) And Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel cut Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal.

As we can see, Samuel was a dangerous man. He was not to be trifled with. We know he was raised as a priest, but here he steps in and does what the king should have done. He operated as both priest - and king.


1Ki 18:39-40 MKJV
(39) And when all the people saw, they fell on their faces. And they said, Jehovah, He is the God! Jehovah, He is the God!
(40) And Elijah said to them, Take the prophets of Baal. Do not let one of them escape. And they took them. And Elijah brought them down to the torrent Kishon and killed them there.

Elijah was another dangerous man. He had just offered a sacrifice to God before an audience of 450 priests of Baal, 400 prophets of Asherah, and the people of Israel. This was a priestly service. Immediately afterwards, he did that which the king should have done - exercised judgment upon the false prophets.

These are two examples of the manafest power of God in men who are willing to be as God called them to be. There is not a more powerful person on earth than a king who is also a priest. Are we to go out and destroy the wicked of the world? No - that is no longer our calling. Our battle is not with flesh and blood. However, there is a serious lack of authority being thrown against the spiritual strongholds in physical places and in real people. It's time to stand and be men and women of God. Study the verses above - where did fear fit into the equation of Samuel and Elijah?

Floods In The Desert - pt2

Imagine yourself as a tree in one of these wadis. You're anchored in the rock in a bend. It hasn't rained in months. All you see in front of you is fine, white sand. When the wind blows hard enough, a few leaves fly away. It's dry. But today is different. Today there is a roar of water getting closer, and closer. Soon the torrent hits and you bend in its wrath. Despite the boulders washing through and the relentless strain, you hang on.

After a while, the torrent has become a slow, steady stream. Then it slows to a crawl. After a day or two, you notice your leaves are green. Another day passes and fruit has begun its growth on your limbs. Finally, the water is gone, and the desert wind dries the floor of the wadi, and there you stand - as before.

Only now, your leaves are green and the fruit is weighing on your limbs. The temperature a few feet above is 120 degrees and there is no sign of water, and yet you have fruit.

So what has it really cost you to bear fruit in your life? What kind of floods have you had to endure in order to be productive in your Christian walk? What kind of floods are you going through right now? God does have a plan. Although this flood is highly unpleasant, your roots will dig deeper into the rock.

Sometimes we meet people who have spent their lives in the floodplain. They are scarred up - beaten up - weathered... and they bear MUCH fruit. We see evidence of water.

Understand, simply by looking at a tree in the wadi, it is impossible to determine how deep its roots run. Outside of church, have you ever seen your pastor study his bible? Have you ever seen him on his face in prayer? If all you have seen is what has been visible at church, then you've only seen the top of the roots. You wont know how deep his roots run until the flood comes.

Floods in the Desert - pt1

In the Middle East, especially in the area around Israel, one of the greatest dangers in the desert is flooding. That sounds strange, doesn't it? But the hills and mountains around the Negev and Judean Wilderness receive quite a lot of rain on a yearly basis, while the desert itself receives almost none. To further complicate things, the soil on the mountains cannot absorb the rain it gets. The result is flash flooding - not unlike what we get in the American west.

Wadis are formed. These are dry riverbeds in the wilderness. Sometimes they are just small canyons carved out by torrents of water. These often offer shade and pools of water in the brutal 120+ degree desert. The problem comes when the rains fall - miles away. On a cloudless day the floods come without warning, washing everything away that isn't firmly rooted.

It's ironic that the wadi offers refuge from the harsh reality of life. Shade. The sun is relentless in the desert. Without shade, death is quite a possibility.

Water. Pools have formed and they do look inviting! The sheep can drink and canteens can be refilled. But this isn't the still water of Psalm 23. This is flood water.

Who knows the difference? Certainly not the sheep. The sheep are content to drink. What they don't know is the flood is coming.

As Christians, do we dabble in sin? Do we attempt 'sin management'? I have been guilty of this. I already know it doesn't work. I know that if I walk in this way... it's only a matter of time before the flood hits. It will be a cloudless day. It will be the VERY SAME as yesterday - when I got by with it. But today... my thirst for immediate gratification might just cost me everything.

Megiddo

Megiddo is a strategic hill in the Jezreel Valley in Israel. It has always been an important location, militarily, and still remains so. Today Israel has an underground airbase in the valley. In ancient times, this was a military outpost that had storehouses and a water supply. It was a city, of sorts.

The Hebrew word for hill or mountain - har - is often used when identifying Megiddo, which is where we get Har Megiddo or Armegeddon. According to historians, archaeologists have discovered seventy-seven layers in this ruined outpost - each representing a time when the city was battled for, destroyed, and rebuilt.

In ancient times, for one culture to war against and conquer another meant that the god of one culture was superior to the god of the conquered culture. Had Goliath killed David, the news on the morning headlines would have read 'Dagon Is the True God!'. In the land of Israel, there is perhaps no greater symbol of strategic possession than Har Megiddo - outside of the city of Jerusalem itself. What does this hint at?

From a Hebraic perspective... if there were going to be a final, symbolic battle to determine once and for all whose god was supreme, this battle would be fought at Megiddo. Isn't that something? Perhaps God thinks so, too! This is exactly why the last battle will be fought at Armageddon.

Rev 16:16 HNV
(16) He gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew, Megiddo.

What Shapes Your World?

In the day of Jesus, there were only so many ways to influence the world. Trade. War. Exploration. The Romans understood war, conquest, and occupation. They had a rich culture that spread to the ends of their empire. The Greeks were no different in the time of Alexander. Herod saw the opportunity to build the greatest port of his time, perhaps, at Caesarea. This he did. As a result, Jesus walked in a diverse world of many cultures. Even though His ministry did not physically effect an area much larger than 7 square miles, His message went to the ends of the earth.

Since that time, there has been a massive shift. The only peoples who are still solely effected by trade are the poorest people - those in jungles or in remote outposts. Largely our world today is effected by media, sports, and Hollywood. How have we adapted?

Are our churches setting aside funds to send its kids to seminary? Or are our churches setting aside funds to send its kids to film school? How about... Olympic training camp? Or journalism school?

It's very easy to look back - even past the time of Jesus - and wonder why the Israelites did not seize the opportunity to take control of the trade routes of the world. They could have influenced the entire world for God! But they didn't. It's not as easy to look at the here-and-now and ask the same question.

Mar 16:15 MKJV
(15) And He said to them, Go into all the world, proclaim the gospel to all the creation.

It seems worldly to focus on such things as - film school. But how are we going to influence a dying world if we cannot speak its language?

A Prophet Without Honor

Mat 13:57 MKJV
(57) And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.

Moses had grown up in the house of Pharaoh. The call on his life, however, was starting to manifest in strange ways. He saw the injustice of Egypt upon his own people. On a certain day, it was just too much. He saw a Hebrew man being mistreated and he struck the offending Egyptian taskmaster. Moses panicked, naturally, and hid the body in the sand.

One might think the would-be savior would be appreciated and welcomed. Not so.

Soon there-after, seeing an argument between two Hebrew men prompted Moses to act as a peace-maker. They acted as though they resented him, asking if he would kill them as he had the Egyptian. Afraid, Moses disappeared... for a long, long season. When he finally returned, he did so as a redeemer to his people. Sent by God, he led his people out of bondage.

This story does sound familiar. Jesus was also resented by his brethren - although it was for no wrong-doing. When the time was right, He, too, disappeared for a long season. He is going to return, though. Sent by God, He will lead His people out of this world.

Aren't you thankful for the Holy Spirit? For He can lead us out of bondage right now!

From Not Knowing... To Knowing

Have you ever done something that was risky - and you knew it? Of course! We all take chances from time to time. Sometimes it's an ordinary thing like jumping off a diving board. Do you remember the first time you did it? It seemed SO high! If you were little, you might have been terrified. But by the 20th or 30th time, it didn't seem so bad. In fact, fear had turned into fun.

That's an example of what it's like to have a fear of the unknown and to overcome it.

There is a part of the Christian walk that is similar. In fact, many would say that a Christian walk without risk-taking is an impotent venture. It lacks power. It's... dead. Faith without works... right?

But we reach a point where reaching out and sharing the Gospel of Jesus is no longer terrifying. Perhaps it becomes (as it should) second nature. Maybe even fun! I'm just using this as an example. What would scripture say about it?

Jos 5:12 MKJV
(12) And the manna stopped on the next day after they had eaten the old grain of the land. And there was no more manna to the sons of Israel, but they ate the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

Joshua was no longer in the desert. He and the Israelites were now in the Promised Land. Where had they been? They had been in a situation where they could not rely upon their wealth to get them through tomorrow. They had ONLY ENOUGH FOR TODAY! They had to rely upon God to send manna. Manna... remember, means 'what is it'.

Then comes Jericho and the Promised Land. Promised Land living affords us some security we did not have in the desert. With that security comes a responsibility. Now we can save enough food for today and tomorrow and maybe the next day. We can accumulate wealth. The manna stops. The 'what is it' goes away, meaning, there isn't a question about tomorrow any longer. It's a land of plenty. But do we forget God? Does the blessing of today distract us from He who gave it?

Even if the manna stops in the physical, we have a responsibility to continue gathering and consuming Manna in the spirit.

A good question that I heard a rabbi ask is this: Do I have what it takes to go beyond the next ten minutes - alone? I'm a sheep who has wealth. I have enough grass to last me for right now - and I have a Shepherd.

Blessed - The Man

It has been a long couple of weeks for me. South Dakota has been a very white place over Christmas, and people didn't move around much. I was shacked up with my family in a farmhouse with no cable TV, Internet, or cellular service, so God graciously afforded me some study time.

I spent quite a bit of time on this passage:

Psa 1:1-2 HNV
(1) Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
(2) but his delight is in the LORD's law. On his law he meditates day and night.

When trying to commit passages to memory, I try to take out the italicized words, meaning... the ones that were not in the original text. It's intellectually stimulating to sit on a passage that comes across as awkward in English. This one isn't so bad... in fact instead of awkward, I think it becomes more potent.

BLESSED the man - it's emphatic. Notice all the negative actions. Blessed is he who does not... and does not... and does not.

But then there is the one big positive action. The pathway to being blessed is to meditate on the law of the LORD. Do we do this? Much? Some might say... the Law has passed away - that's 'Old Testament'. Was this the stance Jesus took?

Or did Jesus say that not one jot or tittle would pass away from the Law? Yes, Jesus fulfilled the Law, but He also said that it all hung off of two commands:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and also... love your neighbor as yourself. Easy, right?

Tremendously simple! Horribly difficult. That Jesus fulfilled the Law means that to follow Him requires us to chase after these two commands.

It would be quite a feat to love God with everything you are... and your neighbor as yourself... and also to sit in the seat of scoffers, or walk in the counsel of wicked men, or stand as a stumbling block to sinners. Here is a question that we can consider rhetorical: do the biggest scoffers you know consider themselves Christ-followers?

In His Image

We were made in the image of God.

What are we doing to His image this holiday season?

Wrestling With God?

-from FoxNews

Obama arrived in Copenhagen Friday with a large American delegation in tow, hoping to pressure China and other nations into accepting a global framework for combating climate change.

Obama and an estimated 120 world leaders converged on the city in hopes of saving the long-awaited summit from ruin by hammering out a framework deal in its closing hours. But the stormy two-week conference was marred to the end by flare-ups between the developed world and developing nations.

I don't think there is anyone (with full faculties) that believes any longer that all of this climate change hoopla is truly about saving the planet. We have surpassed that bit of idiocy and have gone straight to power struggle. The world has finally found its avenue - it thinks - to falsely obtain the blessings of God. What avenue is that?

God's blessing on our nation has been unprecedented. We have blessed Him and have blessed His people, Israel, and as a result we have become the greatest empire on earth. Only that season is over. We have turned our back on God and on Israel and now the only ones laughing are our enemies. The world smells blood in the water and it endeavors to siphon off all of the wealth that God has given the United States. How does it do that?

With a Copenhagen Climate Change agreement, that's how! Only the blessings of God cannot be bought, stolen, or had in any way other than through His favor. The world cannot wrestle blessing from the hand of God. The funny thing is that we can all see where this goes prophetically. As the world scrambles for its piece of the pie, God chuckles, because the world cannot organize itself to 'get' the pie. Why? The devil as at the source of all this - and confusion is all he can muster. Look at the last segment of this FoxNews article:

"But the stormy two-week conference was marred to the end by flare-ups between the developed world and developing nations."

What is the characteristic of the last human empire?

Dan 2:41-42 MKJV
(41) And as to that which you saw: the feet and toes, part of potters' clay and part of iron; the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it the strength of the iron, because you saw the iron mixed with miry clay.
(42) And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.

The world can unite on one thing: a hatred of Truth. All other bets on international cooperation are off.

What Does The Spirit Say Today?

Heb 3:7-11 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today if you will hear His voice, (8) do not harden your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness, (9) when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. (10) Therefore I was grieved with that generation and said, They always err in their heart, and they have not known My ways. (11) So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest."

What did the Spirit say hundreds of years prior?

Psa 95:7-11 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today if you will hear His voice, (8) harden not your heart, as in the day of strife, as in the day of testing in the wilderness; (9) when your fathers tempted Me, tested Me, and saw My work. (10) For forty years I was grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they have not known My ways; (11) to whom I swore in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest.

Heb 4:11 Therefore let us labor to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of unbelief.

New Frontiers

For those of you who occasionally like to watch a good animal documentary (I know there are many of you who do...) you have probably seen one that depicts dangerous encounters. The one that comes to mind for me is the problem polar bear in some remote Canadian town. You've seen it - the authorities are shooting firecrackers and shotguns in the air to frighten the creature out of town.

The problem typically occurs when an animal becomes so hungry that its hunger surpasses its fear.

As followers of Jesus, we have to reach this point. Walking like Jesus is not easy. It's not easy to take a stand, or to be different, or to deny the flesh. But the Holy Spirit creates such a hunger in us that eventually - hopefully - the hunger trumps everything else. Then we can step into the frontier of risk.

It is difficult to separate flesh from spirit. In the scriptures, the flesh was the skin and hide, and spirit was the fat. There is a way to separate it, but it takes FIRE. It's the fire within - the hunger within - that drives us into our destiny. If we don't have that, we should be praying for it.

My Friend, You're Going To Die

John the Baptist is in prison. He is frightened, because chances are good that he is going to die. So he asks Jesus this very cryptic question.

Mat 11:3 MKJV
(3) And they said to Him, Are You he who should come, or do we look for another?

John, a rabbi, was doing something very rabbinic. He was prompting Jesus for an answer that only Jesus would give. What he actually asked was, "Are you the coming One?" This is a ramez, which I've explained in previous posts. Only this is a very difficult one to track down. We have to know where in the text Messiah was referenced to as the 'Coming One'. The reference is found in Zechariah:

Zec 9:9-11 HNV
(9) Rejoice greatly, daughter of Tziyon! Shout, daughter of Yerushalayim! Behold, your king comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
(10) I will cut off the chariot from Efrayim, and the horse from Yerushalayim; and the battle bow will be cut off; and he will speak shalom to the nations: and his dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
(11) As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the pit in which is no water.

Why was John asking this in this way? Because the Coming One would set those free who were 'prisoners', and John was definitely this. Here is his question in western English, "Jesus, are you going to leave me in prison?"

What did Jesus say?

Mat 11:4-6 MKJV
(4) Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John again those things which you hear and see:
(5) the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them.
(6) And blessed is he, whoever shall not be offended in Me.

If you do not think these men knew the text, this passage should prove to you differently. Jesus is quoting from 6 different places in Isaiah to John, who would have known all of this - by heart.

1) & 4)
Isa 42:6-7 MKJV
(6) I Jehovah have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand, and will keep You, and give You for a covenant of the people, for a Light of the nations;
(7) to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness out of the prison house.
(8) I am Jehovah; that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.
(9) Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they happen, I cause you to hear.

2) & 3)
Isa 33:23-24 MKJV
(23) Your ropes are loosened, they do not hold the base of the mast; they could not spread the sail. Then the prey of a great spoil shall be divided; the lame take the prey.
(24) And an inhabitant, the people who live in it shall not say, I am sick; iniquity is taken away.


5)
Isa 26:19-20 MKJV
(19) Your dead ones shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is as the dew of lights, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
(20) Come, my people, enter into your rooms and shut your doors around you; hide for a little moment, until the fury has passed by.

6)
Isa 61:1 MKJV
(1) The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is on Me; because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;


All of these references of the sick being made well and the ropes loosened, the lame walking and the ropes loosened, blind eyes opened and the prisoner set free, those made to hear and the prisoner set free, the dead live while the people are beckoned, and the Gospel is preached while the prison doors open. Yet Jesus tells John, "the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them." What is missing? The captive is set free. John, my friend, it is all true, but you are going to die in prison.

But blessed is he... what? That aren't offended because of these things. What things in our text are so obviously offensive? It is so very hard to know... if you don't know the scriptures. This is a personal challenge - to me.

True Discipleship

Jesus spent perhaps thousands of hours memorizing the scriptures - the Tanakh. This was what Jewish children did. By the age of twelve, Jewish boys were to have done their best to memorize Torah - the first five books of the Bible. Naturally, not every boy did. In fact, probably most didn't quite make it - although 'most' would have huge portions of the text memorized.

If the child was particularly talented and had shown an amazing capacity for the scriptures, they could advance to the second level of Jewish schooling - Bet Midrash (understanding - or explanation). This occurred at the age of 12 IF the child had all of Torah memorized. Also, as a rite of passage, the child was allowed to go to Jerusalem on that year on Passover and offer the lamb for his family.

Where do we find Jesus at the age of 12 on Passover? In Jerusalem, at the temple. If you had to venture a guess, would you think He might have been adept at memorizing scriptures?

Being a disciple of Jesus in the truest sense is the endeavor to be just like Him. That means what He found to be important, we, too, should find important. How much time did He spend in the scriptures?

It's very easy to write this off as works... or as legalism, or fill in your own blank. Truly, if one memorizes the entire bible and has not love, he has nothing. But for those of us who have love, or claim to have love, how much time do we really seek to be just like Jesus?

Not Buying Into It

Daniel was quite a guy. He made a name for himself in a pagan nation simply by being true to God and not letting circumstances shake him. With a death sentence upon all wise men - himself included - Daniel won reprieve from the king by interpreting his dream. As a result, he was named the chief wise man.

Dan 2:48 Then the king made Daniel great, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over all the province of Babylon, and chief of the prefects over all the wise men of Babylon.

As great an honor as that was, that title came with some baggage that Daniel probably didn't want. Being a wise man, according to his world's standards, was a great thing. But according to his own Godly standard, it was a compromise. Daniel didn't use sorcery or witchcraft to divine answers. He sought God. But as we see below, God didn't always get the credit.

Dan 4:9 MKJV
(9) O Belteshazzar, master of the horoscopists, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no secret troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its meaning.

He was known as a master of the horoscopists - the chief astrologer. This brings up quite a spiritual dilemma. Do we accept worldly recognition and praise and justify it as the reward of the blessed? Or do we seek the God and let the world find its own heroes? What did Daniel do?

The story shifts to Nebuchadnezzar's grandson who sees the writing on the wall. This is one of the more classic verses that truly comes (hilariously) to life in the King James translation:

Dan 5:6 KJV
(6) Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

The man... was frightened. What he needed was a good horoscopist to translate the writing on the wall.

Dan 5:10-12 MKJV
(10) The queen came into the banquet house because of the king's words, and his nobles. And the queen spoke and said, O king, live forever. Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your face be changed.
(11) There is a man in your kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And in the days of your father there was found in him light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, your father the king, appointed him master of the horoscopists, conjurers, Chaldeans, and fortune-tellers,
(12) because an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, explaining of dreams, and revealing of hard sentences, and the unraveling of knots, were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will reveal the meaning.

Here is our answer. Daniel had been the chief astrologer, but where was he now? The king apparently had never heard of him. Only the queen (the king's grandmother, Nebuchadnezzar's wife) remembered Daniel for the wise man he was. Why? Because Daniel had separated himself from the reward of the world - the titles, the prestige, the ceremonies. Reading on, we see that he truly did not care for the recognition of the king:

Dan 5:17 MKJV
(17) Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let your gifts be to yourself, and give your rewards to another. Yet I will read the writing to the king, and make the meaning known to him.

Daniel's walk with God was one of steadfastness - his eyes always locked on the Father. Daniel was perhaps the only bible persona other than Jesus Himself that never had a single derogatory remark made about him. Despite the law, he prayed. Despite the reward, he remained focused. Despite hardship, he remained thankful. He did not buy into the reward of this world.

Who Has Touched Him?

Mar 5:25-31 And a certain woman who had had an issue of blood twelve years, (26) and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and had not been bettered any, but rather came to worse, (27) having heard about Jesus, she came in the press behind and touched His garment. (28) For she said, If I may but touch only His clothes, I will be cured. (29) And instantly the fountain of her blood dried up. And she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. (30) And knowing instantly within Himself that power had gone out of Him, Jesus turned Himself around in the press and said, Who touched My clothes? (31) And His disciples said to Him, You see the crowd pressing on You, and do You say, Who touched Me?

Most of us know this story. We talk about the woman, having suffered so long and having the faith to take a risk. We talk about faith rewarded. But what about all those who had pressed Jesus? What about the many who had touched Him and had never realized.

How many times have we gone to church and left the same way we went in... distracted, annoyed, indifferent? Maybe it wasn't church. Church certainly isn't the only place to find God, although it should be a place we do find Him - without fail. Perhaps that breeze that blew through our hair was His Presence, and we simply thought the AC had kicked on, never knowing the difference.

But He knows the difference, doesn't He.

If we seek nothing, we often find it.

Ignore the Numbers

Jesus did over 90% of His teaching in the area of Galilee, which is a small triangular area cornered by the cities of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Corazin. The sides of this triangle are approximately 3 miles long.

What do you think of when you think about changing the world with the gospel message? Do you think telling people about Jesus at work has little or no effect? Do you think you have to have the website with thousands of hits? Does it have to be a tent revival that draws thousands?

Jesus spent most of His ministry teaching within a 10 square mile area (closer to 5). Do you think He had much of an effect? Most who heard Him went the other direction. Those who scriptures portray as being the most receptive were often single people in lonely circumstances: a woman at a well, a blind man, an adulteress.

Do not despise small beginnings. Rather plant when you can plant, reap when you can reap, and wait to see what God does with the Harvest.

You Are The Salt of the Earth

In the time of Jesus, people would heat their homes with small, bee-hive type fireplaces in their living spaces. Often they would use olive pressings (pits, skins) from the olive press, which was great fuel, but limited in supply. More often they would use dung from their animals - which was in 'plentiful' supply. This was a good source of fuel because oft-times animals were in the homes, especially at night when it was cold.

One thing that these people learned was that mixing salt into the dung would allow it to burn hotter, longer. After a few fires, however, this mixture would no longer do its job and the fireplace would have to be cleaned out and a new fuel 'mixture' put in. Now, listen to what Jesus said:

Mat 5:13 MKJV
(13) You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men.

Yes, we are salt. Yes, salt adds flavor and serves to preserve. But Jesus was telling us that in a world full of 'dung' we can make the fire burn hotter, longer.

Who are you, and why are you here?

Feet Like A Deer

Psa 18:32-33 LITV
(32) It is God who girds me with strength and gives my way to be perfect;
(33) setting my feet like the deer, and making me stand on my high places;

Have you ever watched the Green Planet Discover Channel series? What awesome photography and cinematography! Sometimes the information is lacking, but the production is stunning.

Did you see the one where the snow leopard is chasing the mountain goat? It's like... in the Himalaya's or some place like that - where any wrong move or mis-step means certain death. The cat chases this goat hundreds of feet up and down a cliff-face that would be unnavigable to a human. The goat escapes, somehow, and the cat is left forlorn without his dinner.

Can you imagine being able to walk on such terrain? What about 'running' on such terrain?

God says that troubles and trials will come. David had sense enough to ask of God - please Lord give me the FEET to be able to travel the paths you have set before me. After all, even for a goat - it's easier to walk across a plain than a mountain range. But when the rocks come, the goats don't sweat it. They can navigate. They can cope.

God, give us feet to navigate the roads in front of us, because we know it's not always your will to remove the road, or to send us around the other way.

Sticks and Stones

Exo 17:5-6 MKJV
(5) And Jehovah said to Moses, Go on in front of the people, and take with you the elders of Israel. And take your rod with which you struck the river, in your hand, and go.
(6) Behold, I will stand before you there upon the rock in Horeb. And you shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, so that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Looking at our Salvation story through events in the Old Testament can be so exciting. Israel represented fallen man, hopelessly enslaved in Egypt. God used Moses to bring them out, through the Red Sea. They were free from Egypt, but only physically free. Mentally they were still enslaved to bitter, selfish souls. They were in the desert.

Notice what God says: take your rod with which you struck the river. The river? The river... which river was that, Lord... because... since we've seen the Nile we've WALKED THROUGH THE RED SEA. Why has God referenced a seemingly small event of the past instead of referencing the HUGE event of walking to freedom through a sea? Here is the verse:

Exo 14:16 MKJV
(16) But lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. And the sons of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

But no. God is reminding Moses to take the rod he used when he struck the Nile River, which probably seemed eons ago. Moses had struck the Nile in Exodus 7:20 and it turned to blood.

God usually allows mankind to obtain what he pursues, doesn't he? Pharaoh was out for blood. He had decreed the destruction of all the male Hebrew babies by what means? Throwing them in the Nile... But it was the Nile that floated their salvation: Moses. Now God was giving Pharaoh what he wanted - blood.

Back to God's reference. He said, even as you took the rod and struck the river, take the rod and strike the rock.

From here, we can take what we know and apply it. The rod is the cross that struck our Rock, Jesus Christ. From Him came water to nourish us and save us in the desert we were in. Understand, too, that rods have NO CHANCE against rocks. You'd no more set out to break a rock with a stick than you would digging a tunnel with a plastic spoon. Forget it. But the Rock split and water issued forth...

The cross... the Romans... the Jews... had NO CHANCE of killing Jesus unless He laid His life down for us. That He did.

1Jn 3:16 MKJV
(16) By this we have known the love of God, because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

But the river... what about it? This same cross that was used to bring us water in the desert was also used to destroy the enemy - ultimately bringing him exactly what he wanted. Blood. The cross brings life, but the cross brings death to those who reject it.

The Promise of Firstfruits

Lev 23:10-12 Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you have come into the land which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. (11) And he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah to be received for you. On the next day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. (12) And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to Jehovah.

Firstfruits is the third high holy day prescribed by God for the Jews to observe; the first two are Passover and Unleavened Bread (a week long celebration). Firstfruits is interesting because it is initiated by the high priest and presented before God. Notice what the priest presents: a sheaf of grain and a male lamb without blemish.

We already know that Jesus was our Passover lamb, without spot or blemish. We also know He was the bread came down from heaven (John 6:33). But what about Firstfruits and what are the implications?

1Co 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruit, and afterward they who are Christ's at His coming;

Jesus was also our Firstfruits offering. He offered Himself to the Lord. When would He have done this? Immediately after His resurrection.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and Your Father, and to My God and your God.

Later on, you will recall, He tells Thomas to come feel the nail prints in His hand. Why was it okay to touch Him then? Because He had already ascended and accomplished what the priest had to do on Firstfruits!

Now to the implications. The sheaves that were waved before the Lord by the High Priest were considered holy - but because they were waved they also made the rest of the field holy!

Jesus was the Lamb without blemish that had to be presented on First Fruits, but where were His sheaves?

After Jesus died, the earth shook and a strange thing happened:

Mat 27:51-53 And, behold! The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were sheared, (52) and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose, (53) and coming out of the tomb after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Men rose from the dead! What happened to these? Did they die again? No! These were the sheaves! The would have been taken up with Jesus and presented to the Father. Why? As a down-payment that the rest of the field would soon follow. If that seems like a stretch, read this passage in Ephesians:

Eph 4:8-10 Therefore He says, "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men." (9) (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (10) He who descended is the same also as He who ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.)

The promise of Firstfruits is that we will soon follow because we were made holy by Him who was able.

Rom 11:15-16 For if their casting away is the reconciling of the world, what is the reception except life from the dead? (16) For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, also the branches.

Days of Vengeancee

Luke 21:16-22 And you shall be betrayed also by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends. And they will cause some of you to be put to death. (17) And you shall be hated by all for My name's sake. (18) But there shall not a hair of your head perish. (19) By your patience you will gain your souls. (20) And when you see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that its destruction has come. (21) And let those in Judea flee to the mountains. And those in its midst, let them go out. And those in the open spaces, let them not go into her. (22) For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

Reading a passage like this gets my attention. Jesus was speaking prophetically of Jerusalem, but as in so many cases He wasn't giving away much information. Looking at this passage, we might think this has already happened. After all, in 70AD Jerusalem was sacked and burned by the Romans and many Jews died. If I had to guess, I would say that was a direct fulfillment of verse 20. However, we then get to verse 27:

Luke 21:27 And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Somewhere in the passage... we took a time leap. Confusing. But not totally out of place within scripture. Very often the prophetic message had a early and latter fulfillment. Daniel spoke of the abomination of desolation which did occur by Antiochus Epiphenes. But the real fulfillment he spoke of will be done - again - by the antichrist. Duel fulfillment. Still confusing.

Reading again verse 27, we see that this is a reference to the 2nd coming of Jesus. Why is it the second coming and not the rapture? Because the rapture is a secretive gathering of the saints in the clouds. People will not 'see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory' during the rapture event. However, the second coming will be just this way - public and spectacular.

But to me, this might imply a 'hint' somewhere in the text. If the rapture is a hidden event, is there a hint of it in this text?

Jesus is specific about circumstances. When you have to run for it, and you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that these are Days of Vengeance. See, that is an odd description. It's a title...

Is it used anywhere else? I looked.

Hosea 9:5-7 What will you do in the day of meeting, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah? (6) For lo, they have left because of destruction. Egypt shall gather them up; Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess the desirable things of their silver; thorns shall be in their tents. (7) The days of her judgment have come; the days of vengeance have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and the great hatred.

This is the only other place I found the phrase "Days of Vengeance" used. If I look at this passage as a divine link to Luke 21 (oh... and I do!) then this makes an interesting statement.

What will I be doing during the Great Tribulation - Jacob's time of trouble? According to Revelation, I will be at a Marriage Supper of the Lamb. What does Hosea ask? "What will I do in the day of meeting, and in the day of the feast of Jehovah?" "For lo, they have left because of destruction." Who has left? Well... me... for one. "Nettles shall possess the desirable things of their silver." What else happens when millions of people disappear? They leave their riches behind. Why? Because the days of vengeance have come.

It's an interesting cross-reference. Can we be dogmatic about any of it? Probably not, but it's worth discussing.

Great Tribulation

The end times present some scary scenarios. If taken out of context, the scriptures can be desparaging. If the Tribulation period is right around the corner (or have we turned that corner already?) what does that mean for Christians? Will Christians have to go through that horrific time?

Just to clarify, what is the Tribulation? The Tribulation is another word for Daniel's 70th week. In Daniel chapter 9, the angel Gabriel gives Daniel a prophetic timeline for just how the end-time scenario is laid out.

Dan 9:24-27 MKJV
(24) Seventy weeks are decreed as to your people and as to your holy city, to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
(25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going out of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction.
(26) And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the ruler who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end of it shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined, until the end shall be war.
(27) And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and on a corner of the altar desolating abominations, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured on the desolator.

Seventy weeks are decreed that Israel owes God. That's right. Israel. It's all about Israel. That's why this time is also known as the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). These aren't just weeks of days... they are weeks of years. This 490 year period is divided up into 62 weeks (434 years) and 7 weeks (49 years) and finally in verse 27 comes the last week (7 years). From the information Gabriel gave, we know, historically, exactly when the edict was signed to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and what to add to that date in order to find out when the streets and walls were rebuilt, and then when Jesus was crucified 434 years later. Messiah 'was' cut off (crucified), but not for Himself (then for whom?). He was killed for 'us'.

Verse 27 talks about the final week which begins with a 7-year 'covenant' with Israel. Mid-way through this 7-year period this leader (the antichrist) violates his covenant and causes the sacrifice and offering to cease in the Jewish temple. This is his effort to change the Jewish customs.

Dan 7:25 MKJV
(25) And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and plot to change times and laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time.

Notice, they shall be given unto the hand of the antichrist for 3.5 years. This is the last half of the Tribulation period known as the Great Tribulation. Regarding the Great Tribulation (last 3.5 years of the Tribulation) Jesus said this:

Mat 24:20-21 MKJV
(20) But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day;
(21) for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be.

Lets start with what we know. There will be saved people during the Great Tribulation. That seems obvious from the above verses. The antichrist will 'wear out the saints of the Most High'. Also, the book of Revelation mentions the tribulation saints:

Rev 7:14 MKJV
(14) And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes, and have whitened them in the blood of the Lamb.

Dan 7:21 MKJV
(21) I watched, and that horn made war with the saints and overcame them

Rev 13:7 MKJV
(7) And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation.

Ahh it seems hopeless! We are destined to endure horrible things! Indeed... many of us are enduring horrible things every day. Followers of Jesus are imprisoned, tortured, and killed daily because of their testomonies. These are our brothers and sisters. But this is not the Tribulation, for even in the day of Jesus, men such as Steven were stoned because of his witness. Jesus, again, said "then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be."

It will be worse. But there is good news for the church.

1Th 1:10 MKJV
(10) and to wait for His Son from Heaven (whom He raised from the dead), Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.

1Th 5:9-10 MKJV
(9) For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, (10) who died for us, so that whether we watch or sleep we should live together with Him.

The church is not appointed unto wrath. Or perhaps we should ask this: at what point does anyone or anything - antichrist included - prevail over the church? At NO point!

Mat 16:18 MKJV
(18) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Isa 54:17 MKJV
(17) No weapon that is formed against you shall be blessed; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from Me, says Jehovah.

So these saints spoken of in Daniel and Revelation are those truly blessed individuals who take advantage of their last chance to receive Jesus. Are they a part of the bride of Christ, the Church? No. The bride makes herself spotless and without blemish 'now', not later.

For those of us who are God-hungry Jesus-followers, we have a duty regarding the time of the end. We must be about the Father's business of winning souls and showing the love of Jesus. But we have a prayer duty as well:

Luk 21:36 MKJV
(36) Watch therefore, praying in every season that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things which shall occur, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Zep 2:3 DRB
(3) Seek the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, you that have wrought his judgment: seek the just, seek the meek: if by any means you may be hid in the day of the Lord's indignation.

Sharing Glory with Idols

Have you ever wondered why some people experience the miraculous more than others? Does it seem as though some people have a hotline to Heaven, while others can't get a prayer through?

I'd like to address some possibilities to consider. It is very interesting to compare cultures and their response to the gospel of Jesus. Those who are poor are nearly always more apt to receive the news of Jesus than those who are rich. That appears to be an unfair statement, but in this case, experience agrees with scripture.

Mat 19:23 MKJV
(23) Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

Why is this the case? Jesus answers this as well:
Rev 3:17 MKJV
(17) Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

Rich people are just not needy people. The flesh tells a lie. It says, "All is well. Relax." And the spirit goes to sleep, not realizing the peril it is in.

But back to our question. Why does it seem as though God responds to some and ignores others?

We cannot deny that our nation has been immensely blessed. Most of this blessing has come 'after' the formation of the nation of Israel, for once it formed in 1948 we blessed their existence as a nation. As a result, God has blessed us - as He promised to do in Genesis 12:3. And He did not bless us 'just a little'. We have for decades consumed the majority of what the world has produced.

But now we turn our backs - publicly - on God and on Israel. What happens now? Hardship. Famine. Terror. Drought. Disaster. Pandemic.

Our reliance upon God is ending - as a culture. That means we rely upon other things. Idols. If we get sick, we rely upon medicines... or doctors... or science (please please please find a cure!). If we are impoverished, we rely up charity organizations or government programs. If we are lonely we look to church (ouch... that can be an idol?). If we are bored we look to sports. I'm not just pointing fingers outwardly, either. How many football games kept me up so late I didn't want to read my bible? I plead the 5th, but God knows.

Shift the focus to Ethiopia. An aids victim may get healed by a prayer of healing. A blind man might receive his sight. This stuff happens daily. Why? They have no faith that medicine will arrive, or that doctors will come, or that they could afford help if it were there. If you tell them God can heal, they believe. God doesn't like sharing His glory with idols.

This is not to say that medicine is bad. Idolizing it is. Putting it before God is.

Also notice that some nations are in continual drought or war or famine. WHY? Because if the 1% of Christians in those nations do pray for relief, 99% of the people give credit to idol gods. We are heading in this direction as a nation.

Then what should we do? Scripture says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that if God's people who are called by His name will humble themselves, pray, and seek His face, He will heal their land. But He never says He will heal 'all' the land. Just their land. It's like living in the bubble of the Lord's protection. Put your faith in the One who is in control, first. Next, look at what He might be using for your provision - be it medicine, government, or science.

Who Was That Guy?

It was the first recorded miracle that Jesus did. He turned water into wine at a wedding. His mother was there. Most-likely, His entire family was there. After all, feasts were celebrations that didn't occur every day. People didn't just pass on feast invitations - normally.

Being a wedding, there was much wine to be served, only on this occasion the host ran out. Here is what John wrote:

John 2:3-8
(3) And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
(4) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
(5) His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
(6) And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
(7) Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
(8) And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

Jesus created the wine, and the servants took it away. What many do not know is that an ancient prayer would have been said before the wine was consumed. The Jewish people still cite this prayer today before wine is tasted. It goes something like this:

Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu Melekh ha‑olam, bo're p'ri ha‑gafen.

Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD, our God, King of the universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine."

But what the servants did not know was that the man in the next room was the Lord God, King of the Universe, who had just created the fruit of the vine.

Not-So-Famous Last Words

Some people today put great stock in Mary, Mother of Jesus. Some have even gone so far as to deify her. Mary was a great woman. She was truly a blessed girl at the time the angel visited upon her the news of her destiny. She was a virgin. She was pure of heart. She loved God.

Mary, as blessed as she was, would have also lived a cursed existence in the eyes of some. She experienced a face-to-face meeting with an angel, which could have cause many of us a heart attack. The 'good news' she was given was that she was going to be pregnant - supernaturally (how will 'that' work?) - before marriage (what will Joseph think?) and at a time when being pregnant probably wasn't on her to-do list. Stress-free?

But not only that... she was to give birth to the Son of God. That responsibility might have had some weight to it. What if she fed Him bad meat? What if He gets hit by a chariot? What if...

Herod.

What if the president gives orders to kill all the male babies that are the age of MY baby? Stress free?

And... what does it mean that He will be the Lamb of God? All that lambs are good for is sacrifice. I... don't... like... the... sound... of... that...

What a blessed existence! Not. But what a wonderful woman - Mary. What a strong, strong woman she must have been! But should she be deified?

No, scripture indicates no more about this wonderful woman than she was pure - a virgin before the birth of Jesus - a caring mother and an obedient wife. But perhaps the most interesting thing I know about Mary was the last thing - chronologically - that she said:

(Joh 2:5) His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

If you are paying too much attention to Mary, then pay attention to her last instruction! Whatever HE says, do it! Whatever Jesus says.... DO IT!

Rock of Ages

Dan 2:31-35 MKJV
(31) You, O king, were seeing. And, behold! A great image! That great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before you. And its form was dreadful.
(32) This image's head was of fine gold; his breast and his arms were of silver; his belly and his thighs were of bronze;
(33) his legs were of iron; his feet were part of iron and part of clay.
(34) You watched until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image upon its feet which were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
(35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces together. And they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

What a dream! Have you ever had a dream such as this? At face value, it doesn't seem to be such a horrible dream. Certainly it's nothing like Freddie chasing you down a dark alleyway. But there was something about this dream. In verse 1, it said "Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, with which his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. "

The explanation of the dream revealed a prophecy of the entirety of the last days, beginning with the very time of Daniel. It was a visual timeline. As Daniel described, the head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Empire, followed by the Meado-Persian Empire (breast/arms of silver), followed by Alexander's Greek Empire (stomach/thighs of bronze), the Roman Empire (legs of iron), and the final empire of man, the feet of iron and clay. The statue was that of a man to represent the best man could bring.

Notice, however, that a single solitary stone strikes the statue upon its feet. The final world empire of man will be destroyed by a single stone - the Stone the Builders rejected (Matt 21:42). The destruction by this single event will be so definite, so final, that Daniel saw it as chaff being blown away by the wind. Have you ever taken a hand full of hay and thrown it up into the wind? It is perhaps one of the most inconsequential things that can be done. Chaff in the wind cannot harm even the smallest of flying insects.

Where are we now? I'd say right about the ankles. There will be no other great world empires until the empire of iron and clay comes to power.

Then this Stone, which destroyed the last great empire of man, grows until it becomes a mountain so large it fills the entire earth.

Isa 9:7 There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.

During a time when our representatives are not representing the will of those who elected them, and during a time when the highest of offices are not only pushing unpatriotic ideals but flat-out traitorous ideals, there is something that comes into my mind. There is a Stone coming your way. It's bigger than you think, and the astronomers aren't going to pick this one up in time. Get ready.

The War of Ezekiel 38-39

Have you ever read Ezekiel 38-39? It is an interesting passage. Basically Ezekiel is given a description of a last-days surprise attack upon Israel that sees God's hand move and Israel's enemies miraculously destroyed. Who will be involved?

Iran, Turkey, Russia, Libya, and Sudan (Ethiopia region) are the closest modern representations of the ancient names given. But oddly enough, these are all currently coalesced against Israel.

Eze 38:18-23 MKJV
(18) And it shall be on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah, My fury shall come up in My face.
(19) For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great quaking in the land of Israel,
(20) so that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men on the face of the earth, shall quake at My presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.
(21) And I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains, says the Lord Jehovah. Each man's sword shall be against his brother.
(22) And I will judge him with a plague and with blood. And I will rain on him, and on his bands, and on the many peoples with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone.
(23) So I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself. And I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am Jehovah.


If you have ever seen the beginning of the movie Left Behind, you might remember the scene where all of the aircraft are mysteriously falling out of the air. That seems to be an accurate and reasonable recreation of what a futile 'modern' attack on Israel might look like if God intervened. But what would it mean for the rest of us?

First of all, such a war would be instantly covered by the world media. Although most outlets would only get the aftermath of the war, it would all be about the same news: A Massive Military Operation Against the Nation of Israel Has Failed.

What would that do to Christians who have been expecting this type of conflict for a few years now? What would it do to your faith if you knew that Bible prophecy had just been fulfilled in your sight? What would that do to the faith of millions of Muslims who believe it's their destiny to occupy the land of Israel?

What about life as we know it? Gasoline prices would immediately triple. Those who could barely afford the drive to work would have to find a different option. Carpooling? Biking? Working from home? Companies would have to institute work-from-home or 4-day work weeks in order to keep their workers. Others would have to make cutbacks because of the nose-dive our economy would take. A war like this would change things.

Would church services be any more full on Sunday mornings? Perhaps. They were after 9-11... for a few weeks. We should consider these things. In the past couple of weeks, Turkey has signed agreements with Iran that make them strategic partners. This was the last missing link in the coalition of nations described by Ezekiel. Israel's attack on Iranian nuclear sites still seems eminent. Israel cannot afford a nuclear Iran. What will be the spark that sets off the war of Ezekiel 38?

When this happens, will you be prepared to witness like you have never witnessed before? Assuming we get this opportunity, we may never have a better one before the Lord's return.

Keep It Simple

Mat 11:28-30 MKJV
(28) Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(29) Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.
(30) For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.

I've been wrestling with my posting - of late. The reasons are many. For one, I have been over-inspired. Since my last posting, the prophetic time clock has moved forward. More pieces have fallen into place that have added resolution to the picture of Jesus' eminent return. There is more news screaming that it's here.... folks... it's literally time. Look up.

So, for no lack of writing material, I've written nothing because I've just been overwhelmed. Today's post is a passage that should help us in these stressful times. However, I'd like to speak about one part of the above passage.

(29) Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls.

Learn from Me, for (because) I am meek and lowly in heart. Stop. WHY is that a reason to learn from a teacher? How many teachers that you've been drawn to because they were meek? How many teachers sell their teaching because of the opposite? They are brash, they are arrogant, they are cocky, they are loud, they are ________?

Truly, in American English is it easy to read this passage incorrectly. Jesus says this: "Look at me. Do I look stressed out? Do I look afraid? Learn this from me and you will find REST." Wow! How can I do that when the economy is tanking? How can I do that if Israel attacks Iran and gasoline goes to $8/gallon?

The yoke of Jesus is simple.

Mat 22:37-39 MKJV
(37) Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
(38) This is the first and great commandment.
(39) And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

When everything is done out of love, the load gets so much lighter, doesn't it? That's why fishing is rarely considered 'work'! If we can simplify our lives, and just get back to the basic - Love - with the love the Lord gives us - then we will find rest even in these perilous times.