Slow and Steady

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."  Isaiah 40:31  NKJV

I have mentioned more than once that I participated in athletics from a very early age.  Physical fitness has always been a priority in my life and in one way or another I have kept that commitment throughout my lifetime.  Yet as anyone of a certain age will tell you, growing older presents challenges that in all honesty, most do not anticipate.  The body I now possess simply bears little resemblance to the one I had in my youth.  Although I have never abandoned working out, it seems that change is inevitable.  This past January I embraced a new approach to my personal fitness that while relatively simple, has produced some very encouraging results.  I do, however, have one complaint and that is that this program can best be described as “slow and steady”.

I am happy that I have begun to lose weight but having to wait 6 months to see results is hard for someone as impatient as I am. Lose 10 pounds in 10 days!  Truthfully, how many times have you seen an ad like that and looked to see what the miracle method might be?  The unfortunate reality most of us have found in life is that just about any endeavor we embark on will take time to accomplish if we want the final product to last.  Trying to speed up the process or looking for shortcuts only serves to either weaken the end result or cause us to give up because of our impatience to see results.

According to the author of my fitness program, the only way to not only achieve, but maintain the progress I am making is to think long term and be satisfied with slow and steady progress. If we choose to apply this approach to spiritual fitness, I would have to say that I believe this advice to be very appropriate.  In order for believers to grow and maintain their level of spiritual gains and to become the strong disciples the Father wishes us to be, choosing a method that uses the slow and steady approach will produce the lasting results we desire.

I have posted the following study a couple of times in the past, and truthfully have taught it often during my ministry because it contains what I believe to be the basic principles of spiritual growth necessary for all of us.  Any exercise program that promises to transform your look will contain certain steps that they believe are necessary to insure you get the results you are looking for.  Believe it or not, the Word of God does the exact same thing by teaching us the steps we need to follow to transform our spiritual bodies into the shape God has intended them to be.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."     Romans 12:1-2  NKJV

So we choose to give our bodies to God as a gift, and as Paul tells us, it needs to be holy and acceptable. But just how do we accomplish that? Well according to Paul, it is by transforming. The Greek word for "transformed" used here is "metamorphoō", from where we get the word "metamorphosis", which means “to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure”.  I thought today we might look at how transforming our spiritual bodies could follow some of the same principles as transforming the physical.

One of my favorite memories of raising daughters was the time one of them looked at some pictures of me taken when I was an athlete in college. Rather than saying how good I looked or what a fine example of physical fitness I was, her comment was; "why don't you look like that anymore?"  So it was at that tender moment I decided maybe I should pay a little more attention to my personal exercise and fitness program. Of course, coincidently at the same time this happened I was busy teaching about Paul's advice to new believers and as I began to lay out my own fitness program, I couldn't help but notice that the rules I came up with for physical fitness were very applicable for spiritual fitness. So let me share with you my three steps to getting in shape, spiritually first of course, but then the physical as well.

Desire. Now I know this might seem to be at first glance a simple, if not entirely logical first step, but I would like to make the point that it depends entirely on how you define desire. I rather like the biblical definition myself.

"as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,"       1 Peter 2:2  NKJV

The word used here for "desire" is "epipotheo" which is translated “to long for, or to pursue with love”. Most importantly, however, is the fact that it is a verb. Now I would be the first to admit I have forgotten most of what I learned in English class, but I do remember what a verb is. It means action, doing something. To desire something in the biblical sense is not to just sit on the couch and wish for it, but to act upon that desire and pursue it. You have to make the effort. This is our first step to spiritual fitness; to truly desire to transform ourselves. What is it that we should desire? Paul says it is the "milk of the word", which to us as believers is knowledge of the scriptures, the word of God. This brings us to the second step.

Acquire. In order to begin to grow spiritually, we need the raw material which will make us strong. Just as our physical bodies need protein as part of our diet, our spiritual muscles need the protein we get from the word of God.

"Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding."   Proverbs 4:7  NKJV

Solomon tells us that as believers we need to "acquire" wisdom and "understanding". The Hebrew word used here for "get" is the verb "qanah", which means “to get, acquire, obtain”. Anyone who has ever tried to get in better physical shape understands the need to carefully monitor what we take in for nutrition. Certain things will help us grow the way we want, just as certain foods will help us grow as we don't want. The Bible makes it clear that in order to get in spiritual shape we need to acquire the knowledge and wisdom to be found in the word of God in order to become stronger believers.

Taking in the right spiritual food, though, won't help us accomplish our goal without the third and most important part of our program.

Perspire. Unfortunately this is the part of the program most people fail at when trying to transform their appearance. It starts out with exercise every day, then three days a week, then one, then "I just don't have the time". Exercise is an absolute when trying to get into shape, and it is no different when it comes to spiritual fitness.

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;"     Philippians 2:12  NKJV

You will never guess just how hard I had to look to find the words "work" and "out" used together in the Bible, not to mention the fact that they are two words and not one? Believe it or not, in the Bible it is one word translated as two and it is the Greek word "katergazomai", which means “to work out”, or “to do that from which something results.” When Paul tells the Philippians they need to "workout" their salvation, he is simply telling them that as believers, it is time for them to stop relying on his (Paul's) help since he has left them, and to begin to rely on God's help through the power of the Holy Spirit to live their lives in such a way as to glorify God. And, as you should have expected by now, the word “workout” in the Greek is also a verb.

In order to transform our lives into a gift to God which He will find pleasing, we must embrace the concept of action. The Christian life is a life of doing, not wishing. I looked at a number of different programs to get in physical shape before settling on the one I now use, and my primary criteria was answering the question, can I do this without burning out?  When embarking on your personal spiritual fitness journey I believe it important to ask the same question.  Set achievable goals and choose a program you will stay with over the long haul.

Desire, acquire, and perspire. Three verbs, three steps to becoming the believer God expects us to be. I will admit that my own spiritual fitness journey has been a long one yet without question it has been rewarding and well worth the effort I have put in to it.  Although there have been times when it became more difficult, the slow and steady progress has always been there thanks to the encouragement I received from God along the way.  

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.   1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NKJV

God made the choice to save us, but it is up to us to make the choice to accept it. My prayer for you today is that if you have never made the decision to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, you would choose to do it right now. Invite Jesus to come into your life and forgive your sins, and begin to experience the joy that comes from having a relationship with a living God, and the knowledge that He has promised us eternal life with Him in Heaven if we only believe.  Pray this prayer and accept the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Father in heaven, I believe in your son Jesus. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins, that He rose up from the grave, and that my sins are forgiven.  Forgive me of my sin, help me to walk with you, and thank you for saving me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Awful and Wonderful 2

"Then the elders of the congregation said, “What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women of Benjamin have been destroyed?” And they said, “There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. “However, we cannot give them wives from our daughters, for the children of Israel have sworn an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the one who gives a wife to Benjamin.’ ”Then they said, “In fact, there is a yearly feast of the LORD in Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah.” Therefore they instructed the children of Benjamin, saying, “Go, lie in wait in the vineyards, “and watch; and just when the daughters of Shiloh come out to perform their dances, then come out from the vineyards, and every man catch a wife for himself from the daughters of Shiloh; then go to the land of Benjamin. “Then it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, that we will say to them, ‘Be kind to them for our sakes, because we did not take a wife for any of them in the war; for it is not as though you have given the women to them at this time, making yourselves guilty of your oath.’ ”And the children of Benjamin did so; they took enough wives for their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they went and returned to their inheritance, and they rebuilt the cities and dwelt in them."      Judges 21:16-23  NKJV

Forgive me if I mention this too often but I love studying the Old Testament and the stories it contains.  I’m sure it has much to do with my fascination with history but I can still remember grade school where I was a terrible student who spent most of his time staring out the window until the teacher got around to the subject of history.  At that point in time I became a model student with the attention span of an adult.  Yet my love of the Old Testament goes beyond just enjoying the stories, but also ties directly to my study of eschatology in the Bible.

“Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”  1 Corinthians 10:11. NKJV

The apostle Paul wrote these words about the children of Israel during Old Testament times and states plainly that we should heed those events as we live in what many believe is the end of this age.  I also recall listening to Chuck Missler teach from the Old Testament and often say that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.  He quite often brought up this point when talking about the rapture being hidden in the Old Testament.

To reiterate, those of you who are familiar with this site should be aware that I am a firm believer in the doctrine of imminency, or the belief that the rapture could occur at any time and is not reserved for a certain date on the calendar.  That said, one can’t ignore the fact that there are certain days on the Jewish calendar where events have happened throughout history which seem to exhibit a certain “rapture” connection.  One of these also occurs in the month of Av and I for one find it an extremely interesting holiday and since last week we spoke of the “awful” part of Av, today we will look at the “wonderful” part.

I think most believers would agree that our hope, the event for which we are all watching and waiting is the rapture of the Church. I'm sure most of us too, are familiar with the Church being referred to as the “bride” of Christ. Many of you are also probably aware of how the events surrounding the rapture follow precisely the pattern of a Jewish wedding. Since Jesus is Jewish, it is expected that His wedding to His bride, the Church, will follow the pattern and traditions associated with Jewish weddings. But there is one question I personally have always had with this idea and it is this; does it matter at all in this picture that we the Church are not, strictly speaking, Jewish?

Years ago when I first met Chuck Missler and began to listen to his teachings, another thing he said which has always stuck with me was “pattern is prologue”.  While there are many examples of this throughout scripture, it is probably never more obvious than when applied to the relationship between Christ and His Church.  Many of Jesus’ parables referenced the Jewish wedding ceremony and Paul refers to the Church as the bride of Christ.  Taking all these things into account, I had to wonder if there was a point to be made about a wedding between Jesus, a Jew, and the Church, a gentile?

I don’t recall exactly when I first began studying the Jewish feast days, but I do know it was quite some time ago.  Yet it wasn’t until 2010 that I first became aware of the holiday in Israel called Tu B’ Av, and wrote my first article about it. Quite often it is referred to as an unknown holiday because most have never even heard of it; much less understand the traditional beliefs associated with it.  It isn't even listed on my Jewish calendar along with all of their other holidays, which makes me wonder why it is so "forgotten"? If you look it up on the internet, you will find that most sites call it a "minor" holiday in Jewish culture, but for reasons I want to share with you, I think it's entirely possible this might be the most important holiday for the Church that you've never heard of.

First of all, Tu B'Av was declared a celebration by the first generation after the forty year wilderness wandering from Egypt during the Exodus. If you recall, God commanded that an entire generation must die because of their sin before a new generation could enter the Promised Land. After forty years, seeing the full moon told the new generation that the appointed time had passed, and they were able to enter the land that God had led them to. Remember the Jewish calendar is lunar, so the months are calculated by observing the phases of the moon, and the full moon always occurs on the night of the 14th (don't forget the new day starts at sunset). So this new generation declared this day a new day of celebration.

Secondly, the Jewish Talmud, which is a collection of ancient Rabbinic writings, teaches that on this day, Tu B' Av, the tribes of Israel were allowed to intermarry. The rest of the year, it was required that you marry only within your tribe, but on this one day every year, women were free to marry whomever they wished from any tribe. For this reason, and because it also marks the end of the wheat harvest in Israel, many believe this is the day that Ruth married Boaz. If you remember that story, Ruth was not a Jew, but a Gentile. Yet as a distant relation, she and Boaz, who was Jewish, were allowed to marry. Their marriage occurred at the end of the harvest, and since on this day, marriages to others were allowed, it’s entirely possible that this was the day of their wedding.

Third, as a result of a civil war between the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of Israel, only 600 males survived the conflict. The leaders of Israel decided they would allow these men to take wives from "the daughters from Shiloh". It seems there was a celebration at the beginning of the grape harvest at Shiloh where the daughters would go into the vineyards and dance. The surviving men were told they were to hide in the vineyards and catch themselves a wife from the girls who came out to dance. In later years this day became known as a traditional day of love and courtship, where girls would exchange white clothing so that prospective husbands would not know who was rich or who was poor.

Fourth, Tu B' Av is the last holiday of the year in Israel. Since the New Year begins on Rosh Hashanah, which is roughly just a month and a half after, this is the last holiday as well as the last harvest of their calendar year. Being the last of the holidays, it is a time of celebration both in looking back, and looking forward to the New Year that is approaching. This day is also considered to be the time where planting of crops or trees was to end for the year. During the time of the Second Temple, Tu B' Av was proclaimed as the beginning of the grape harvest which continues until Yom Kippur.

Fifth, prophetically speaking, Tu B' Av could well picture the future marriage of Christ with His church.

"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

In the Jewish culture, after the engagement the groom goes to prepare the home in which he and his wife will reside, and it is up to his father to decide when the home is ready and the son is allowed to return for his bride.  Another interesting fact is that the full moon is considered to be an auspicious time for a wedding and as we already know, Tu b Av does indeed occur on a full moon.  

So now we understand there is a holiday in Israel that many outside of Israel are unfamiliar with which is a traditional day celebrating love. It is a day many choose as their wedding day, and historically is the only day that Jews were allowed to marry outside their own tribes. It comes at the conclusion of the wheat harvest at the end of summer, and along with being the last celebration of the year, because of the allowance to intermarry it also perfectly pictures the future marriage of Christ with His Church.  Taking all of these things into consideration, I think it appropriate to label Tu B’ Av as a wonderful holiday.

Many look at this day as a perfect time for the rapture of the Church to occur, and in all honesty, I would have to agree. But as we all know, God has His own timetable and as far as we know, He hasn't made it crystal clear. Yet with all the clues we do have, and all that has been happening lately in the world, many are convinced that this truly could be the day. Who knows, but since Tu B' Av starts the evening of the fourteenth of Av at sunset, which this year occurs Tuesday evening the 28th of July, I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to be watching the skies more than usual. The day is approaching when we will be taken to be with our Lord forever. I'm praying it will be soon.

Tisha B’ Av and Tu B” Av are two extraordinary days on the Jewish calendar which just happen to occur during the same month.  Awful and wonderful just one week apart.  Am I predicting something to happen in the next couple of weeks?  No, yet one can’t escape the obvious conclusion that something may likely occur at some point in the future, especially on these two days.

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner,  be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control  your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;

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.

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The Most Awful and Wonderful Month

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'The fast of the fourth [month], The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.' Zecharaiah 8:19 NKJV

My longtime readers will recognize todays subject as one I have shared before, however some things just bear repeating and this, in my opinion, is one of them. This coming Tuesday evening, the 14th of July, ushers in one of the most interesting months on the Jewish calendar and that is their fifth month called Av.  I choose to call it interesting in that I can best describe it as both the most awful and yet wonderful month in Jewish history.  If that seems rather odd, I can assure you that I also felt the same way when I began to study the events which have occurred during this month yet I came to the conclusion that it has demonstrably proven itself to be one of the most active months in their year.

Many are familiar with the seven feast days appointed by God for the children of Israel to observe, but not all are aware that He also created four days of fasting to commemorate tragedies that occurred during Israel’s' history. Zechariah goes on to say that when the Messiah comes, these fast days will become days of celebration and feasting, but for now they are still days of mourning. One of these fast days seems to stand out from the rest by virtue of the number of tragedies that have occurred on this exact day throughout history. In the passage from Zechariah, it is called the fast of the fifth month.  Just in case you are not familiar with this particular fast day in Israel, I thought I would talk a little about it today.

Called Tisha B'Av, this day of mourning and fasting reminds Israel of the day that the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Jews taken back to Babylon in captivity. This day has become, however, one of the most significant days in Israel's history due to the astonishing "coincidence" of numerous national disasters occurring on this exact day since its inception. These are:

...1312 BC... Spies return from 40 days in Israel with evil reports of the Land of Israel. Jewish people cry in despair, give up hope of entering the Land of Israel.

...587 BC... Destruction of First Temple by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezar. About 100000 Jews killed during invasion. Exile of remaining tribes in southern kingdom to Babylon and Persia.

...70 AD... Destruction of Second Temple by Romans, under Titus. Over 2,500,000 Jews die as a result of war, famine and disease. Over 1,000,000 Jews exiled to all parts of the Roman Empire. Over 100,000 Jews sold as slaves by Romans. Jews killed and tortured in gladiatorial "games" and pagan celebrations.

...71 AD... Turnus Rufus plows site of Temple. Romans build pagan city of Aelia Capitolina on site of Jerusalem.

...135 AD... Bar Kochba revolt crushed. Betar destroyed - over 100,000 killed.

...1095 AD... First Crusade declared by Pope Urban II. 10,000 Jews killed in first month of Crusade. Crusades bring death and destruction to thousands of Jews, totally obliterate many communities in Rhineland and France.

...1290 AD... Expulsion of Jews from England, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property.

...1492 AD... Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminates in the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tisha B'Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil. Families separated, many die by drowning, massive loss of property. With funds provided by Ferdinand, Christopher Columbus, a Messianic Jew, sets sail to locate the land which will become a Jewish refuge.

...1914 AD... Britain and Russia declare war on Germany. First World War begins. First World War issues unresolved, ultimately causing Second World War and Holocaust. 75% of all Jews in war zones. Jews in armies of all sides - 120,000 Jewish casualties in armies. Over 400 pogroms immediately following war in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

...1942 AD... Deportations from Warsaw Ghetto to the Treblinka concentration camp begin.

...1989 AD... Iraq walks out of talks with Kuwait.

...1990 AD... The First Gulf War begins in and as a result Saddam Hussein launches missiles into Israel

...1994 AD... The deadly bombing the building of the AMIA (the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina) which killed 86 people and wounded some 300 others.

Now I would think that any reasonable person who looked at this list would conclude that this is much more than just coincidence. It is obviously a day throughout history where God in His infinite wisdom has chosen to send a message to the nation of Israel. I also believe it is fair to say that considering the prophecies in the Bible concerning Israel's future we could reasonably speculate that there is more in store for Israel on this particular day at some point in time. My question to you today though is does it appear that the potential for another national tragedy seems to be increasing as we speak? 

The Ninth of Av, this year, is a date I feel we should circle on our calendars. With all that seems to be happening in the world today, one can't help but wonder if this is the year to pay special attention to these dates to see if God will again allow something to happen in Israel just as He has done in the past.  Although I have no way of being sure, I suspect the coming months will accelerate events surrounding the temple mount, and the desire of many in Israel to worship freely as they once did.  Of course, I also couldn’t help but notice the Ninth of Av has also been a day where the temple has played a part in Israel’s history.

It is also important to realize that the coming world leader, who enforces a peace treaty between Israel and its enemies, will along with that allow Israel to rebuild its temple.  I believe, however, he does this not because he feels Israel deserves a temple but rather that he has plans for it three and a half years later when he enters it to declare that he is God.  I have long thought that one of the most visible signs of the nearness of the rapture will surround the temple and its rebuilding.  Rebuilding this temple is not something that can be accomplished without much advance planning, and as we talked about last week, it should come as no surprise that the process is well on its way today.

Another major prophetic event that we are told to watch for is the Destruction of Damascus described in Isaiah 17.  It also makes sense that although this is the prophetic sign we should expect to see, there will also be signs which will lead up to its occurrence.  I have no doubt that this is what we are witnessing today in the Middle East, especially if you consider that the Bible makes it clear that Persia/Iran is the instigator in all of what is to come.  That said, the next question you would expect to hear would be, do we know when this event might take place? Know? No. Speculate? Why not?

Iran plans to attack Israel on Tisha B’Av - the Jewish day of disasters, Western intelligence says

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-813044

Although this article is from two years ago, I believe what is telling is that it makes perfectly clear that Israels enemies know all about their calendar and history and have no hesitation to use it to their advantage if they believe it appropriate.  You may recall that in 1973 a coalition of Israels enemies launched a surprise attack on the holy day of Yom Kippur, knowing that the majority of Israel’s armed forces would be home to observe the holiday.

My question to you today though is does it appear that the potential for another national tragedy seems to be increasing as we speak?  Iran has no intention of changing its ways and from events this past week it seems obvious that something major could easily occur in the coming days. What hasn’t occurred to Iran, obviously, is the fact that God has protected and delivered His people time and time again and any attempt to completely destroy them is fruitless.  Ezekiel 39 makes it perfectly clear what the future holds for those who wish to destroy the nation of Israel.

“And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”    Ezekiel 39:6  NKJV

Somehow I am of the opinion that those who choose to watch as Jesus commanded will not be taken by surprise when these coming events  occur, unless of course, we are not here to witness them. By that I refer to an event called the rapture. I'm not in the prediction business, but I am in the “watching” business. God has revealed to us through the Bible what the future of Israel is, and we as His followers should be watching for the signs He has told us to look for. As I have said before, why would God tell us to watch and then not show us anything? I believe it’s entirely possible the month of Av may prove to be an “awful” month as it has so often before.  Next week, however, I will talk about the “wonderful” part of Av and the possible ramifications for us as believers.  

If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner,  be willing to turn away from your sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control  your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;

Jesus 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.