A Time To Watch

“Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, “and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. “I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.”   Ezekiel 38:2-4  NKJV

“The above passage describes an invasion of Israel from the north. Later verses describe its destruction once they reach the area of the mountains of Israel. To fully understand the prophecy, one needs to identify the major players in this divine drama. In verses 1–4, Gog is first mentioned. He is described as the leader of the land of Magog. He is the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. This leader was as unknown to Ezekiel as he is to us today. We do know “Gog” is not a proper name but a title for the ruler of Magog, just as the terms “pharaoh,” “kaiser,” and “czar” were titles for rulers and not proper names. The tribes identified as Magog, Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal can be identified by Scripture and other ancient writings as peoples who once occupied the areas of modern-day Russia. Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were between the Black and Caspian Seas, which today include parts of Iran, Turkey and southern Russia.”

Russia; Looking for Spoil by Dr. Steve Elwart   
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2016/1256/

I believe any believer familiar with Biblical prophecy can see and understand the times in which we find ourselves today.  The signs are all around us that point to the fulfillment of prophecy in our immediate future, including the rapture of the Church that we have all been waiting for.  While it may be disappointing to see certain dates come and go without hearing the trumpet blow and the voice calling us upwards, we still have God’s promise that it will be done.  How I personally deal with disappointment is to continually read the promises we have in His words to us that while we may not know the day, He has said it will be done.

There are, however, prophetic events in our immediate future which sound scholarship can apply dates to with a reasonable chance for accuracy.  One of these is the Gog Magog War spoken of by Ezekiel the prophet in chapters 38 and 39 of his book.  An event that most believers are familiar with, this conflict is believed by many to occur before the tribulation period begins, in essence laying the groundwork for the enforced peace between Israel and its enemies that the antichrist proposes.  While many have tried to set dates for the possible rapture of the Church, I believe this is the event that we all should be watching for as it appears that the rapture precedes it, and as Chuck Missler was fond of saying, “when you see the Christmas decorations going up, you know that Thanksgiving is near. 

Many of you are familiar with the name Grant Jeffrery.  He wrote many wonderful books before his passing a few years ago, and one of my favorite was Armegeddon; Appointment with Destiny. In this book, he spends some time discussing this conflict and one of the more fascinating conclusions he comes to concerns when he believes the Bible tells us this war will occur.  If he is right, then the current moves we see happening today in Syria above the Golan along with Russia positioning itself in the Middle East should be a warning sign no one should ignore.

“Although Scripture does not indicate the year in which this future invasion and defeat of Russia will occur, the prophet Haggai gives us a strong indication of what the actual day may be. Haggai reveals that on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (Chisleu) of the Jewish calendar, the day before Hanukkah, God will deliver Israel as He did twice before on this day: (1) the defeat of the Syrian army and recapture of the Temple in 165 b.c. and (2) the British capture of Jerusalem from the Turks in 1917 during the closing battles of WWI.

The prophet Haggai declares: "The Word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month [Chisleu], saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother" (Haggai 2:20­22).

This description by Haggai, and the exact language of his prophecy, is uncannily like the language of Ezekiel 38 and 39 that describes Russia's defeat. The interesting point is that Haggai names the exact day of the year on which this will occur. Since so many other prophecies have been so precisely fulfilled to the day, there is a strong probability that this prophetic event will also occur on its appointed anniversary date of the biblical calendar. "Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken" (Ezekiel 39:8). God's appointment with Russia is set; it will not be postponed.”

http://www.grantjeffrey.com/article/rusisrl.htm

“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”   Isaiah 44:6-8  NKJV

Every week we are treated to more and more signs that our deliverance is close at hand.  The twenty fourth of Chisleu is only a little over two months away so my question is, are we seeing the Christmas decorations going up?  If you have never made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ I urge you to do it today.  Simply tell God you accept His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and turn your life over to His control.

 

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Keep watching.

The Feast of Ingathering

“You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. “And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. “Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice. “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed.     Deuteronomy 16:13-16 NKJV

Growing up in Southern California, I was only familiar with two seasons; warm and hot. It took a move to the Pacific Northwest to experience what four seasons was really all about and actually having four choices as to which one I enjoyed the most. It didn’t take long to decide that my favorite is the fall. Just to experience the relief from the long, hot summer, feel the weather changing to cooler, and doing yard work as the leaves change color and then fall, and looking forward to taking it a little easier in the winter all bring me a sense of enjoyment. I suppose it also brings me a sense of anticipation too as I enjoy listening to it rain, and then slowly turn to snow as I am big on winter recreation. (I traded my surfboard for skis)

The Feast of Tabernacles is the last of the seven feasts appointed by the Lord for the nation of Israel. It occurs in the fall between the 15th and the 21st of the month of Tishri, which usually occurs in late September and early October. It is also known by other names as well, some of these being Sukkot, The Season of Our Joy, and The Feast of Ingathering. It is the last of the three holidays in which all Jewish males were required to make the pilgrimage to the temple, yet as opposed to the others, the word joy (simchah) is used several times to describe it. I want to look at just a few reasons why this holiday is known as the “Season of Our Joy”, and consider the possibility it might prove to be a time we as believers need to “watch” with special anticipation.

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!     John 4:35 NKJV

Also known as the Feast of Ingathering, the Feast of Tabernacles celebrates the last harvest in Israel for the year. Traditionally there are three harvests, these being the barley harvest, wheat harvest, and fruit harvest. In the fall, after these three were completed, you would celebrate the finish of your labors for the year. Obviously it was a time of celebration for your work was done, and you could look at the results sitting in your storehouse. How often did Jesus use the illustration of planting and harvesting in His teaching while on this earth? Could the Feast of Ingathering give us a clue as to when Jesus might return for His people?

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.    John 14:2-3 NKJV

Known traditionally as the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot, this feast also serves as a reminder of the time the children of Israel dwelt in the wilderness in “temporary” dwellings before they were delivered to the Promised Land. During this feast Jews will construct “Sukkahs” or temporary shelters and will stay in them to remind them of what the children of Israel went through during their wilderness wanderings. As believers, we know that our time on this earth and in these bodies is but temporary as well. Not only do we have the promise from Jesus that He is building us a new and eternally permanent home, but will at the rapture present us with new and eternal bodies as well. Could this feast again be a foreshadowing of that coming time when our hope in Christ will be rewarded?

Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.     John 7:2 NKJV

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”   John 7:37, 38 NKJV

One of the more interesting traditions associated with this feast was the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam. Every day a priest would fill a golden vase with water known as the living water (mayim hayim) and take it to the temple where it would be poured out on a corner of the altar. In these verses from John we see that Jesus used this time of celebration to announce to the world that He was, in fact, offering mankind the water of eternal life. John also makes it clear that this occurred on the “last great day” of the feast. This in fact is a reference to the eighth day which is known as Shmini Atzeret. It is not part of the Feast of Tabernacles, but is celebrated the day after and it is then that the people would begin to pray for rain for the coming year. Water has always been at a premium in Israel, and without it the land would become desert. Yet Jesus took this day as an opportunity to announce that He had come to save the world. Is it no wonder this celebration is also referred to as the "Season of Our Joy"?

This last feast seems to be both an end, and a beginning. It is a celebration of harvest and the end of the year's work, and the beginning of a time of rest to enjoy the fruits of labor. Jesus came to earth to do the "work" it required for us to obtain eternal life. How appropriate would it be for us as believers to experience the rest we so anxiously look forward to at this time of the year? The Feast of Tabernacles begins this Sunday, and will continue until next Sunday. During this week why don't you join me in being "joyful" as we look back at the past year of hard work and pray for the coming of our Lord and Savior to take us to our "permanent" home?

It's Not a Perfect Life

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV

This is probably a very familiar verse to many who have studied the New Testament, and the subject of Paul's infirmity has been taught throughout church history. Some of the earliest writings we have from great men of the faith deal with Paul's struggle with his thorn. So although I doubt I could break any new ground by talking about it, I still felt this week that the Spirit was drawing my attention to it so today I want to share a few thoughts from my understanding of Paul's struggle.

One constant I seem to find when studying this passage is the attempt to identify exactly what the nature of Paul's thorn was. There are numerous possibilities that have been suggested and for the most part all of them seem to make some sense in light of the supposed evidence used to support them. Something to note about it though comes from an understanding of the word itself. When we think of a thorn most of us imagine a small irritating prick from a rose bush. However the Greek word used here is skolops, which is translated a “stake”, which is a whole different thing entirely. So whatever it was, it was a major problem in Paul's life, and not just a small irritation. Yet at the risk of being accused of being too simplistic, my personal opinion is that trying to identify just what it was is really a waste of time because if God wanted us to know He would have told us.

I truly believe the reason for this is that the whole purpose of this story is to help us understand that in one way or another we all will share in the situation Paul found himself in. As many blessings as he had received from the Lord, along with them God in His wisdom also allowed burdens for Paul as well. If you examine this verse in the context of the entire letter you will find that what Paul is addressing is the problem of false teachers coming into the church and boasting of their experiences and knowledge and special revelations. Paul wants to make the case that although if he wanted to, he could easily “outboast” all of these others, but because of the magnitude of God's blessings on his life, Paul was also given a “thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him humble. In essence what God did in the life of Paul was to bring balance by allowing him to be reminded that although He had chosen to use him in a very special way, Paul needed a reminder that it was by God's grace he was being used and not of anything he could bring to the table.

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 NKJV

The Greek word for tribulation used here is thlipsis, which can be translated “affliction”. Many believers seem to feel that the life of someone who has chosen to follow Christ should be one filled only with blessings, and none of the troubles that plague non-believers. There are numerous preachers today who have built huge ministries based on that exact premise, yet it is obvious that Jesus is telling us here that although we can expect blessings, we can expect afflictions as well.

Now just like Paul, when we experience trouble our first reaction is to ask God to take it away and make things better, yet also like Paul, we need to understand that there is always the possibility God's answer will be “no”.

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NKJV

As I have studied these verses over the years, one of the things I discovered which has had a profound effect on my personal life is just how God can work through our troubles, and not our blessings. You see, most of us (if we had our own way) would say that a life full of blessings from God is the perfect way to show the world God's favor on us, yet in this verse God says just the opposite. Now as I thought about that over time this is the conclusion I came to. Most of us would agree the Word teaches that we are to be different from the world around us. We are commanded to let our light shine in the darkness that surrounds us by being different than the world, and to act differently than unbelievers in the situations we all find ourselves in while living in this world. But I ask you, is there really any difference to be seen between those who believe and those who don't when it comes to receiving “blessings”?

You see, for the most part we all will react the same when we receive something we would consider a positive. Yet how we react when we receive something negative is the opportunity to show the world we are different by following Paul's example and actually being glad and rejoicing in our troubles. It is when we are presented with trials, temptations, and persecutions that we have the opportunity to let God's grace shine through us to be a witness to the unbelieving world. God uses adversity to show the world His grace by giving us the strength to endure. Job said it best in response to the advice given to him by his wife.

Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Job 2:9-10 NKJV

Job understood that the adversity he was experiencing was allowed by God for a reason. He may not have understood the reasons behind it, but his faith in God was not shaken by the introduction of trouble in his life. All to often we find ourselves expecting that God will smooth the path before us and remove the things that might cause us to stumble, while showering us with blessings and answering all our prayers. The reality shown us by Paul is that the life of the believer is anything but easy, and God will certainly balance the blessings with the burdens. All too often we forget that when asking God for something in our prayers, His answer can also be “no”.

I heard something in a sermon this week that I have heard before, but needed to be reminded of. “Have you ever looked back on your life and thanked the Lord for unanswered prayer”? Of course you had an answer, but it was no. Yet can you look back and see that it was most definitely the right answer? Paul prayed three times for his affliction to be taken away and all three times God said no. Paul quit asking because he came to understand that God could do more through his life with the affliction than He could without it.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to [His] purpose.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

Are you struggling with something you would consider a “thorn in the flesh”? Is there something in your life that can cause you to stumble if you let it? God promises us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Like Paul, are you asking God to take it away rather than asking for the strength to deal with it? It was God's intent to use Paul's thorn to demonstrate His grace and power to the unbelieving world. A balanced life will have both blessings and burdens, but the burdens should never stop the believer from serving. God allows them for a reason, so accept them and be a light to the world by relying on God's strength to deal with adversity.

Keep watching.