So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life.
Mark 10:29-30 NKJV
This verse is one I remember learning in Sunday school when I was just a little guy memorizing verses in order to get a prize. Anyone else out there experience that? Funny to remember what my motivation was back then, only to find that I have never forgotten those verses I memorized. In a way though, while my motivation for learning was in expectation of a reward, I did in fact learn a lesson that has stayed with me for all of my life and that is that God promises us that our sacrifices will be rewarded.
Now while I may not have sacrificed much back then other than the time it took to memorize those verses, as I grew older I began to realize that my decision to follow Christ could cost me in other ways. I have no doubt all of us who choose to believe have experienced not only the loss of something we may have held dear, but have also at one time or another probably had the thought cross our mind that maybe it really isn't worth it? Have you ever hesitated to do something you know God wanted you to do because you were unwilling to give something up?
The passage above is from the story of the rich man who was unwilling to give up all his riches and follow Christ. You probably remember the story of how he came to Jesus and asked how to gain eternal life, and was told that the final thing he needed to do was give up all that he had and follow Christ. When Jesus told him that, we are told he couldn't find it in himself to make that choice.
But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Mark 10:22 NKJV
Now when I first read this passage my thought was simply that he wasn't willing to pay the price by giving up all he had, but if you look closer at the passage Jesus tells us exactly what his shortcoming was.
Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Mark 10:23-25 NKJV
You see, the key word here is “trust”. When Jesus first says that it's hard for the rich to enter the kingdom, I think the disciples reaction was much like mine in thinking it was just an unwillingness to give up. So Jesus clarifies His statement by saying it is the rich person's “trust” in his riches that prevents him from entering the kingdom. Of course, you have to love the reaction of the disciples to Jesus' words here.
And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"
Mark 10:26 NKJV
I think their reaction and question gives us insight into just what Jesus was saying because the question they ask does not differentiate between rich and poor. Their question seems to imply it's impossible for “anyone” to be saved. I think it's safe to say that the message here is about the difference between trusting in our own efforts to provide for our needs, and trusting God to provide for our needs. It all really comes down to an attitude of trust. We often think what we have is a result of our own efforts, rather than considering that God has engineered the circumstances that provided what we have.
The disciples were in a perfect position to experience that, yet I'm curious if they even recognized what was going on while they were with Jesus? Have you ever wondered how thirteen men traveling around the country without jobs managed to live? Think about it. Where did the food come from? Where did the money come from? If thirteen homeless men came to your door today could you feed them? Would you even have enough food to make them a meal? Yet Jesus and His disciples did just that for three years! Did the disciples never marvel at the fact that they managed to eat every day, and somehow no matter where they went they were provided for?
I personally believe up to this point they might not have, but now Jesus makes His point by using this situation as an example in order to teach the disciples the lesson.
But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."
Mark 10:27-28 NKJV
I like the phrase here where it says “Peter began to say”. In other words, he didn't get a chance to finish his thought because Jesus interrupted him. It's in the back of my mind that what Jesus was saying is something like “thank you for making my point for me, Peter”. You see, the disciples had left all for Jesus' sake, and they were always provided for by Him. Was it at this point that they finally realized that it was because of their decision to give all away that their needs were being taken care of on a daily basis?
Right now we are living in what many consider desperate economic conditions where much of what we have invested over the years is disappearing at an alarming rate. Every day seems to bring more bad news about the economy and words like recession and depression are everywhere. Yet I find many believers are smiling and happy in spite of these things, and it seems clear they are not concerned with the doom and gloom so prevalent in the news. How is that possible? I believe it is because those believers have truly placed their trust in God and His promise to provide. After all, what we already have was provided by God in the first place wasn't it?
The key to this entire story is trust. Trust is an attitude of believing so much in the promise of God to provide all that we need that we have no hesitation at all to give up what we may already have! The rich young man in this story trusted only in what his riches could provide. The disciples gave all they had away in order to follow Jesus and trust in Him, and He provided everything they needed. Is your trust in Him? Do you truly believe God will not only provide for your needs, but do so “ a hundredfold”? I suggest you try Him and see!
Keep watching.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Know What You Believe
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
1 Timothy 4:1 NKJV
The dictionary defines the word doctrine as; " a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated".So let's bear this in mind when we read what Paul has to say to Timothy about believers that live in the "latter times". In this passage he says that just before the return of Christ some believers will "fall away from the faith" and "pay attention" to the "doctrines of demons". As hard as this is to believe, since God said it would happen, maybe we should examine what the "doctrine" of demons is.
Since it is always best to start at the beginning, let's go back to Genesis where man first encounters Satan and is introduced to what he teaches.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:1-5 NKJV
Here we find Satan appearing to Eve with the intent to lead her astray. Satan is described as a serpent, but in truth, this is a poor translation of the Hebrew word. The word is "nachash" in the Hebrew, and it literally means "to shine" or the "shining one". So although the serpent may represent Satan, whatever form that appeared to Eve was a shining one, or with great attractiveness.
Next we see he is described as "subtle", which is translated crafty or cunning, and we are also told he is more cunning than any other creature. This alone should give us plenty of warning about how formidable an opponent he really is. Finally we are introduced to his "doctrine" when his first words to Eve are in the form of a question concerning what God has specifically said. In other words, the first thing Satan did was to question God's word, and the authority that went along with it!
So if we compare what we know about what Satan believes and teaches with the statement in Timothy about believers in the last days, what God is telling us is that believers are going to begin to question God's laws and the authority of His word. Taking into account that Satan is also described as cunning, his arguments are going to sound very logical and appear attractive to us in some sort of way. Does this not sound familiar to you right now?
Have you noticed the fact that many people in general are looking everywhere else but to God for the answers to the worlds' problems, and are in God's own words becoming "fools". Now that might be something we expect from non-believers but here we see that God tells us that even believers are going to start to fall away from Him, accepting Satan's argument that it is okay to question God's laws and His authority to make them.
It is no secret that today there are huge churches in America that are wildly popular because they in fact teach that very thing. These churches espouse doctrines such as parts of the Bible are irrelevant in this day and age, or we can change the world through social programs instead of evangelism. Spreading the gospel to an unbelieving world has taken a back seat to being politically correct, and practicing tolerance and acceptance of any religion or lifestyle.
It doesn't matter that God's word tells us different, because as Satan has led us to believe, God isn't always right now is He? This is the same line he used on Eve in the garden. On the one hand we could say Satan isn't very original but on the other hand, the same argument he used then still works now, and believers are buying into it.
If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
1 Timothy 6:3-4 NKJV
Paul says it best in this passage when, if you look closely at the meaning of the words in the Greek, he tells us that those who advocate a different doctrine are "conceited and understands nothing". What's more, he says that these people have a "morbid interest in controversial questions". So do you know anyone like that?
Unfortunately there are too many people in the church today that are more interested in trying to stir up trouble by questioning what the Bible has to say, rather than accepting God's authority and doing what we are here to do; evangelize. This of course is exactly what Satan wants. His plan is for believers to be distracted from doing the work God has for the church because they are too busy questioning what God has told us in His word.
How do we as believers avoid falling into the trap that Satan has for us? Well, first we need to know what to look out for, and that seems to be evident in what we have talked about today. God's word is truth, and anyone who says different is falling for Satan's big lie. The Bible is our authority for any and all questions, and we can know what it says only by investing time and effort in studying it to know what Gods' positions are for whatever concerns come our way. I hope you have already set aside time every day to read and study God's word.
Of course, the most important question that we must ask ourselves is “am I truly a believer”? “Have I committed my life to serving Christ” or am I listening to what the world is saying about there being many different roads to salvation? If we use the Bible as our authority as we are instructed to do, that question is answered in Paul's response to his jailer while in prison in Philippi.
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:30-31 NKJV
If you have never made the decision to ask Jesus to come into your life and accept the gift of salvation He has offered you I urge you to do it right now. Simply pray to Him and confess that you are a sinner in need of salvation, and then ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Tell Him you believe that He died on the cross to take your place and because of that you want to turn your life over to Him. If you do that you have His promise that you are saved.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
John 1:12 NKJV
Keep watching.
1 Timothy 4:1 NKJV
The dictionary defines the word doctrine as; " a particular principle, position, or policy taught or advocated".So let's bear this in mind when we read what Paul has to say to Timothy about believers that live in the "latter times". In this passage he says that just before the return of Christ some believers will "fall away from the faith" and "pay attention" to the "doctrines of demons". As hard as this is to believe, since God said it would happen, maybe we should examine what the "doctrine" of demons is.
Since it is always best to start at the beginning, let's go back to Genesis where man first encounters Satan and is introduced to what he teaches.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Genesis 3:1-5 NKJV
Here we find Satan appearing to Eve with the intent to lead her astray. Satan is described as a serpent, but in truth, this is a poor translation of the Hebrew word. The word is "nachash" in the Hebrew, and it literally means "to shine" or the "shining one". So although the serpent may represent Satan, whatever form that appeared to Eve was a shining one, or with great attractiveness.
Next we see he is described as "subtle", which is translated crafty or cunning, and we are also told he is more cunning than any other creature. This alone should give us plenty of warning about how formidable an opponent he really is. Finally we are introduced to his "doctrine" when his first words to Eve are in the form of a question concerning what God has specifically said. In other words, the first thing Satan did was to question God's word, and the authority that went along with it!
So if we compare what we know about what Satan believes and teaches with the statement in Timothy about believers in the last days, what God is telling us is that believers are going to begin to question God's laws and the authority of His word. Taking into account that Satan is also described as cunning, his arguments are going to sound very logical and appear attractive to us in some sort of way. Does this not sound familiar to you right now?
Have you noticed the fact that many people in general are looking everywhere else but to God for the answers to the worlds' problems, and are in God's own words becoming "fools". Now that might be something we expect from non-believers but here we see that God tells us that even believers are going to start to fall away from Him, accepting Satan's argument that it is okay to question God's laws and His authority to make them.
It is no secret that today there are huge churches in America that are wildly popular because they in fact teach that very thing. These churches espouse doctrines such as parts of the Bible are irrelevant in this day and age, or we can change the world through social programs instead of evangelism. Spreading the gospel to an unbelieving world has taken a back seat to being politically correct, and practicing tolerance and acceptance of any religion or lifestyle.
It doesn't matter that God's word tells us different, because as Satan has led us to believe, God isn't always right now is He? This is the same line he used on Eve in the garden. On the one hand we could say Satan isn't very original but on the other hand, the same argument he used then still works now, and believers are buying into it.
If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
1 Timothy 6:3-4 NKJV
Paul says it best in this passage when, if you look closely at the meaning of the words in the Greek, he tells us that those who advocate a different doctrine are "conceited and understands nothing". What's more, he says that these people have a "morbid interest in controversial questions". So do you know anyone like that?
Unfortunately there are too many people in the church today that are more interested in trying to stir up trouble by questioning what the Bible has to say, rather than accepting God's authority and doing what we are here to do; evangelize. This of course is exactly what Satan wants. His plan is for believers to be distracted from doing the work God has for the church because they are too busy questioning what God has told us in His word.
How do we as believers avoid falling into the trap that Satan has for us? Well, first we need to know what to look out for, and that seems to be evident in what we have talked about today. God's word is truth, and anyone who says different is falling for Satan's big lie. The Bible is our authority for any and all questions, and we can know what it says only by investing time and effort in studying it to know what Gods' positions are for whatever concerns come our way. I hope you have already set aside time every day to read and study God's word.
Of course, the most important question that we must ask ourselves is “am I truly a believer”? “Have I committed my life to serving Christ” or am I listening to what the world is saying about there being many different roads to salvation? If we use the Bible as our authority as we are instructed to do, that question is answered in Paul's response to his jailer while in prison in Philippi.
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:30-31 NKJV
If you have never made the decision to ask Jesus to come into your life and accept the gift of salvation He has offered you I urge you to do it right now. Simply pray to Him and confess that you are a sinner in need of salvation, and then ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Tell Him you believe that He died on the cross to take your place and because of that you want to turn your life over to Him. If you do that you have His promise that you are saved.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
John 1:12 NKJV
Keep watching.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Growing Our Fruit
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4 NKJV
I may have mentioned before that for the first time in many years I decided to plant a garden this past spring. It has been a very enjoyable experience to cultivate, fertilize, water, and then observe all the seeds germinate and grow to become healthy plants. I have, however, learned something about gardens that I think has a very good application to our lives as believers, and a situation we all face at some point in our walk with God.
I was excited to see that everything I planted this spring grew, and like anyone who plants a garden I waited patiently for the fruit to appear so I could get to the business of harvesting and eating. Two things I planted were broccoli and cauliflower, and I was amazed at how big those plants can get. Imagine my surprise though when it began to become apparent that in spite of how large and healthy these plants appeared, not one of them ever produced any fruit! They gave the appearance of being healthy and mature, but they never did what they were intended to do, which was to produce their fruit for me to eat.
The book of James has rightly been called a book about becoming mature as a Christian. In it James describes not only what we as believers can expect from this life, but also what is expected from us. It may sound a little strange, but as I studied this passage this week my thoughts also went to my garden and the experience I had in watching most of the plants produce their fruit, but two not. In the passage above, James tells us that as Christians, the expectation is for us to become “complete”. How we do that is a result of a process which begins, unfortunately, with testing.
Now nobody I know likes to be tested. I used to dread tests in school because it always seemed that they were intended to show not how much I knew, but how little. Yet here James tells us that the “test” is necessary because it “produces”. In other words, without testing we would be like my plants that didn't produce any fruit. We might look pretty, but without the opportunity to produce, no one would ever see our fruit. So the way I see it, trials are the fertilizer that helps our faith grow, and as a result produce the fruit which others can see.
Now as our faith grows, it produces “patience”. In the Greek, the word for patience is hypomonē: 1) steadfastness, constancy, endurance. Patience is the fruit that everyone around us can see, and in essence, it is what everyone around us is looking for. We often tend to think that trials are sort of an “internal” self check of our faith when in reality we are being told that trials are a way for others to observe our fruit, or lack of it. Endurance relates to a process which is ongoing and takes some time, so the picture here is that the fruit of patience is something that is ongoing, and not just a one-time event.
Now it would be nice if this were a process that just happened naturally without any choice on our part, yet we now come to the part of this passage that explains why many believers, like some of my plants, produce no fruit. Notice the words “but let”. You see, here we find that although we are told that trials are a part of every believers life, we must make the choice to “let” the patience produced by those tests do it's work and help us mature into what is described as being “perfect and complete”.
It took several months for my garden to produce, and I think the idea here is that the trials we will face will last for a time as well. It takes time for growth to occur, and there aren't any shortcuts. We often try to find ways to “end” our tests as quickly as possible, or avoid them altogether when we are told here to simply let the process produce the fruit. We are told ahead of time what the result of the process will be, but we still need to make the choice to let it take it's time and bear fruit at the end.
Is it really worth it? In the Greek, the word for complete is holoklēros: 1) complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole. I don't know about you, but I figured out pretty early in life that things don't work very well when a piece is missing. What James is telling us here is that we make the choice to endure trials and let them produce patience so we may be complete. Do you really want to try and walk as a believer in this life with some parts missing?
As Christians, James tells us here that the mark of a mature believer is one who exhibits their fruit by embracing the trials that come with patience and endurance knowing that God has provided what we need to do just that. Fruit is something that others can see, and I think the point James is making here is that when we make the choice to mature as believers the fruit that will be produced is for others to see. Believers are to look different than the rest of the world and how we deal with trials is one of the best ways for us to do just that. Is it worth it? It is according to James.
Blessed [is] the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:12 NKJV
Keep watching.
James 1:2-4 NKJV
I may have mentioned before that for the first time in many years I decided to plant a garden this past spring. It has been a very enjoyable experience to cultivate, fertilize, water, and then observe all the seeds germinate and grow to become healthy plants. I have, however, learned something about gardens that I think has a very good application to our lives as believers, and a situation we all face at some point in our walk with God.
I was excited to see that everything I planted this spring grew, and like anyone who plants a garden I waited patiently for the fruit to appear so I could get to the business of harvesting and eating. Two things I planted were broccoli and cauliflower, and I was amazed at how big those plants can get. Imagine my surprise though when it began to become apparent that in spite of how large and healthy these plants appeared, not one of them ever produced any fruit! They gave the appearance of being healthy and mature, but they never did what they were intended to do, which was to produce their fruit for me to eat.
The book of James has rightly been called a book about becoming mature as a Christian. In it James describes not only what we as believers can expect from this life, but also what is expected from us. It may sound a little strange, but as I studied this passage this week my thoughts also went to my garden and the experience I had in watching most of the plants produce their fruit, but two not. In the passage above, James tells us that as Christians, the expectation is for us to become “complete”. How we do that is a result of a process which begins, unfortunately, with testing.
Now nobody I know likes to be tested. I used to dread tests in school because it always seemed that they were intended to show not how much I knew, but how little. Yet here James tells us that the “test” is necessary because it “produces”. In other words, without testing we would be like my plants that didn't produce any fruit. We might look pretty, but without the opportunity to produce, no one would ever see our fruit. So the way I see it, trials are the fertilizer that helps our faith grow, and as a result produce the fruit which others can see.
Now as our faith grows, it produces “patience”. In the Greek, the word for patience is hypomonē: 1) steadfastness, constancy, endurance. Patience is the fruit that everyone around us can see, and in essence, it is what everyone around us is looking for. We often tend to think that trials are sort of an “internal” self check of our faith when in reality we are being told that trials are a way for others to observe our fruit, or lack of it. Endurance relates to a process which is ongoing and takes some time, so the picture here is that the fruit of patience is something that is ongoing, and not just a one-time event.
Now it would be nice if this were a process that just happened naturally without any choice on our part, yet we now come to the part of this passage that explains why many believers, like some of my plants, produce no fruit. Notice the words “but let”. You see, here we find that although we are told that trials are a part of every believers life, we must make the choice to “let” the patience produced by those tests do it's work and help us mature into what is described as being “perfect and complete”.
It took several months for my garden to produce, and I think the idea here is that the trials we will face will last for a time as well. It takes time for growth to occur, and there aren't any shortcuts. We often try to find ways to “end” our tests as quickly as possible, or avoid them altogether when we are told here to simply let the process produce the fruit. We are told ahead of time what the result of the process will be, but we still need to make the choice to let it take it's time and bear fruit at the end.
Is it really worth it? In the Greek, the word for complete is holoklēros: 1) complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole. I don't know about you, but I figured out pretty early in life that things don't work very well when a piece is missing. What James is telling us here is that we make the choice to endure trials and let them produce patience so we may be complete. Do you really want to try and walk as a believer in this life with some parts missing?
As Christians, James tells us here that the mark of a mature believer is one who exhibits their fruit by embracing the trials that come with patience and endurance knowing that God has provided what we need to do just that. Fruit is something that others can see, and I think the point James is making here is that when we make the choice to mature as believers the fruit that will be produced is for others to see. Believers are to look different than the rest of the world and how we deal with trials is one of the best ways for us to do just that. Is it worth it? It is according to James.
Blessed [is] the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
James 1:12 NKJV
Keep watching.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Signs?
"Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. "[It is] like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. "Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning-- "lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. "And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
Mark 13:33-37 NKJV
In this passage, Jesus tells His believers to “watch” for His return, yet He also makes it clear that the reason they are to do so is that they do not know when He is coming back. Now many have debated the subject of which return Jesus is referring to here, the rapture of His church or the Second Coming, but rather than joining that debate I would rather address something else that I believe is important here. Notice the last sentence? “What I say to you I say to all”? I think it's safe to say that we are part of the “all” that Jesus is addressing this command to.
So what does it mean to watch? The Greek word for “watch” is agrypneō: 1) to be sleepless, keep awake, watch, 2) to be circumspect, attentive, ready. Now when I read this definition and then look closer at the passage where it is used, the part that really stands out to me is the part that says to be “attentive”. Now I am not much of a hunter, but there are two seasons I choose to partake in every year and that is pheasant hunting and duck hunting. Now although hunting with me is often described as “entertaining” by my hunting partner, there is something I have learned from it, and that is the importance of being “attentive”.
Why? Because most often I can hear them long before I see them. My partner is one of the best duck callers I have ever seen, and probably the only reason he takes me with him is that I can usually hear them long before we ever see them and then he does his thing and calls them in. It probably looks funny to others but as we sit in our blind and he and everyone else is looking, I have my eyes closed and am listening.
What has this to do with Jesus' command to watch? To me, I believe many are too focused on watching for certain specific events to occur rather than being “attentive” to anything which might be a clue to the nearness of His return. It seems to me that Jesus is telling us He wants us to be aware of everything that is going on around us rather than just focusing on particular events as a sign of His return. It is my belief that if we adopt the attitude of being aware of everything that is happening around us we might just see clues we would otherwise miss.
If you study the event we call the rapture, one of the first things you learn is that when it occurs, it is accompanied by the sound of a trumpet. This particular trumpet is called a "shofar". Are you familiar with what they look like? If not, I have (hopefully) included one for you to see. I also included a picture I took on Thursday afternoon of a cloud in the sky which to me, at least, seemed to look a lot like a shofar. A sign from God? Well, I will let you decide but to me personally, why not? After all, who am I to tell God what signs to give His children? God can speak to each of us any way He so chooses, and if I am to be "attentive" as Jesus commanded, I at least should consider the possibility.
I want to repost a study we did last year about this time concerning the rapture of the church. Hopefully it will encourage you to read a little about what we all are waiting and watching for.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 NKJV
One of the things I enjoyed most when teaching young people were the questions I often got from them concerning the things we were studying in the scriptures. One of my favorites, and one I got repeatedly when teaching the rapture of the Church is if we will know or be aware that we are being raptured, or do we simply find ourselves suddenly in heaven without a clue that it was about to happen? That really is a great question and one I think many of us have thought about at one time or another, so I thought we might take a little time this morning to look closer at the event we call the rapture.
This verse in Thessalonians is probably the best one we can use in describing exactly what God says will happen on that day. If we look closely at what it says, we find that we are told there are actually three distinct things which will occur in sequence when Jesus returns for His Church. These are a shout by the Lord Himself, the voice of an archangel, and the sound of the trumpet of God. So let's look closer at each of these three and see if there is a clue to the answer to our question “will we know”?
The Shout. In this verse we are told this shout is from the Lord Jesus Himself. Now at first, it would seem understandable that Jesus might want to shout since He has been waiting over two thousand years to come get His bride, yet there may be more to it than that. We are also told here that “the dead in Christ will rise first”. So there is a sequence of events, and the first is the resurrection of the bodies of those believers who have already died to be reunited with their souls which went to be with Lord at the time of their death.
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:8 NKJV
When a believer dies, his soul goes to be with the Lord in Heaven while his body is left behind. At the time of the rapture, the Lord apparently commands their bodies to rise from the grave just as He did with Lazarus.
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"
John 11:43 NKJV
So the first thing to happen at the time of the rapture is the resurrection of the dead in Christ. Like one of my kids said during Sunday School, “dude, would it be cool to be in a cemetery when that happens?” We laugh, but I just wonder if he is right?
The Voice. The only angel in the Bible to receive the title of archangel is the angel Michael, so I think it is safe to assume that is who is being talked about here. As opposed to the Lord's “shout”, we are told that we only hear the “voice” of Michael, so we are left to wonder exactly what his role here is. If you have studied this passage, or study it further, you will find there are a few opinions as to what might be going on. Although any of them might be right, I am going to go as far as to suggest a new one which may or may not be accurate, but feels the most comfortable to me. As I sat and thought about why Michael might be involved, I decided to look at the other occasions where he is mentioned in the Bible. A very interesting place I found is in the book of Jude where we are told this;
Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Jude 1:9 NKJV
Now I certainly found it curious that here we find a situation involving Michael that, along with the account of the rapture, is concerned with a body belonging to a believer. In this account in Jude, the only explanation that makes any sense is that Satan was disputing “possession” of the dead body of Moses. We can find an account of this in the non-canonical Book of Enoch, which Jude is obviously referring to. In that account Satan laid claim to the body for two reasons. The first was that Moses was a murderer because he took the life of an Egyptian, and the second was that Moses body was buried on earth, and he, Satan, is the lord over the things of this world. So my thoughts are these; if Satan has in the past disputed over the ownership of the body of one believer, just what will his reaction to the resurrection of all dead believers bodies be? If in fact this is what happens, doesn't it make sense that the same scenario will repeat itself and the voice of the archangel is Michael again saying “The Lord rebuke you” to Satan? As I said, there are other ideas concerning this portion of the verse, but since both of these accounts of Michael concern the ownership of believers bodies, to me this seems to be a logical conclusion.
The Trumpet. Actually, we are told here that what we hear is the "trumpet of God". Just what exactly is this trumpet sound and what if anything makes it special? In another account of the rapture, Paul tells us this;
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:52 NKJV
Here Paul refers to this trumpet as the "last trump". This helps us identify it for from studying rabbinical sources we see that this use of the term "last trump" means it is the shofar, or ram's horn which is being used. The shofar is related to the account of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, and rabbinical tradition regards the left horn as the "first trump" and the right horn as the "last trump". There are two ways to blow the shofar, with the first being a series of short blasts which signify an alarm or bad news, and the second being one long blast which is meant to signal victory or good news. It is this last long blast which is identified as the "last trump". According to rabbinical sources the "last trump" or "tekiah gedolah" lasts as long as the blower has the lung capacity to blow. In this case, where the "trumpet of God"is being blown, one has to wonder just how long the blast will be? My personal opinion is very, very long.
The shout of Jesus calling for the resurrection of all dead believers bodies to rise, Michael rebuking Satan in the Lord's name for possession of the bodies, and the tekiah gedolah which lasts as long as the blower has breath, certainly gives rise to the thought that the answer to our original question might well be; yes! Yes we will know that the rapture is occurring because there is a sequence of three events which must take place before we go. I suspect the last trump will last long enough for all believers to know and understand that the time has come for the bride to go with the bridegroom and to rise and meet Him in the air. Come quickly Lord Jesus!
Keep watching. (and listening)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Coming Soon? (updated 8/30/11)
One of the questions I get asked the most in relation to current events in the Middle East is what, if anything, does the Bible say about what is happening right now? My response is that I am extremely concerned with the events in Syria, especially as they relate to the prophecy given to us in Isaiah 17 where we are told that at some point in time, Israel will destroy the city of Damascus.
As I have studied prophecy and how it relates to the current situation we see in the Middle East today, I believe strongly the destruction of Damascus is the next major fulfillment of biblical prophecy that the world will see. Because of that belief, and the unrest in Syria today, I thought it might be helpful to explore the subject of this prophecy a little today. At the end of this blog there are also links to a couple of articles published just this weekend that you may wish to read which are very relevant to this discussion as well.
Many might say that since the establishment of the state of Israel, although attacked often and with increasing intensity, Israel has responded with notable restraint. Certainly many would state emphatically that Israel is a peaceful nation, simply defending herself and wishing only to be left alone, living securely without the fear of attack. However, since it would appear that its neighbors have been reluctant to embrace that position, and seem determined to be preparing for another conflict, the logical question that must be asked is how would Israel respond to the ultimate attack; an attack with the use of weapons of mass destruction?
It should surprise no one by now that the intent here is to explain why I believe Isaiah 17 tells us exactly how Israel would respond to such an attack, and that it seems very clear that the result is the total and complete destruction of the city of Damascus, the capital of Syria. So let's first look at what the Bible has to say and examine the clues that might lead us to such a conclusion. The seventeenth chapter of Isaiah begins by stating;
The burden against Damascus. "Behold, Damascus will cease from [being] a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.
Isaiah 17:1 NKJV
So here we learn about "The Burden of Damascus". Now if we look up "burden" in the Hebrew dictionary we find it's the word "massa" which is defined as "a doom, prophecy, tribute, prophetical speech of a threatening nature". From that definition, the obvious conclusion is that what we are about to read is not going to be pleasant to the inhabitants of Damascus for God says that He is about to reveal a prophecy of the future doom of Damascus. Why future? Simply explained, if you research the city of Damascus you will find that all resources will tell you that it is the "oldest continually inhabited city" in the world. From that it is easy to conclude that there has been no time in the past when this prophecy could have occurred, because if we read the next sentence in Isaiah 17, we see that the prophecy states that "Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap".
Now I think it would help if we look at some of the individual words contained in this prophecy, because as I have studied the Bible I have often found that it helps to understand the "what and the why" if you do. There are two words in this sentence I think are important for us to examine in order to understand what is happening here. The first is the word "taken". In the Hebrew, "suwr" is defined as to "depart, lay away, pluck away, remove", and by that it would certainly seem to imply the removal is involuntary. The second word is "ruin", or "mappalah", which means "something fallen, ruin, (from "naphal"-fallen by judgment)". Now there are a couple of ideas that come to me as I think about these two definitions. One is the idea of to "pluck away", which to me at least, gives the impression of happening very quickly, even instantaneously. Two, Damascus ceases to be a city because, according to this definition, they receive a judgment from God. Most people understand the principle that God judge’s wrongdoing, so we are left to wonder what Damascus does in order to bring Gods judgment down on them in such a complete and total way.
In the book of Amos, we may just have the answer to that question. This passage also talks about the judgment that will fall on Damascus, and it says;
Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its [punishment], Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
Amos 1:3 NKJV
What we are told here specifically that the judgment is received in response to four "transgressions" against "Gilead". Again we should look closer at these words in order to better understand what is actually being said here. Transgression, or "pesha" in Hebrew means "sin, or trespass", and Gilead, although at certain times refers to a specific location, most often is used in a general sense to refer to the region east of the Jordan River, which as most people know would include the city of Jerusalem.
Now if you recall we have said previously that Syria has gone to war against Israel three times since 1948 when the modern state of Israel was established. Is it possible that what God is telling us here is that the destruction of Damascus will be His judgment upon them for attacking Israel the fourth time? I believe it’s not only possible, but likely considering all the other factors we can take into account concerning the situation we find in the Middle East today. I believe there are several other conclusions we can safely arrive at here by looking closer at these two passages. If God tells us this judgment is a result of something Damascus has done, I think it's safe to assume that Syria is the aggressor here, and that what occurs is in response to their actions. Also if Damascus is the city that receives the judgment, regardless of what form the aggression takes, Israel obviously believes that whatever decisions are made must originate there. So we are left to conclude that Syria moves on Israel in one form or another, and God judges them by allowing Israel to destroy Damascus. Now let’s look at how God might accomplish that event given what we know about Israel and its military capabilities.
It should not surprise anyone that given its history of being surrounded by hostile countries, and having to endure not only several wars of aggression but incessant terrorist attacks as well, not to mention the holocaust of the second world war, its hardly a surprise that Israel would pursue defensive technology that would insure the upper hand in any future conflict. As early as 1949, Israel began searching for uranium reserves in the Negev with an eye to beginning a nuclear program. In 1952 the Israel Atomic Energy Commission was created, and its chairman publicly said the best way to avoid a repeat of the holocaust was the possession of nuclear weapons. By design, however, not very much is known about Israel’s nuclear capabilities for from the beginning, Israel has pursued what has been called a “policy of nuclear ambiguity”. This of course, is simply a fancy way of saying that they aren’t about to tell anybody if they have nuclear bombs or not, they simply refuse to “either confirm or deny”. But from the beginning, we know much about their pursuit of nuclear technology because they needed help from other countries that already had the knowledge and expertise.
Sometime in the mid-1950’s, France agreed to help Israel construct a nuclear reactor and processing plant located outside the Negev city of Dimona and by1964, with their assistance, the facility was completed and production of plutonium began. In the mid-1960’s, several countries shipped materials to Israel for use at Dimona, and the most interesting one might be a shipment of highly enriched lithium-6, used to boost the yield of fission type thermonuclear devices. However it wasn’t until 1986 that the world discovered Israel’s possession of bombs thanks to information released by a former employee at Dimona, Mordechai Vanunu. In response to his revelations, Vanunu was convicted of espionage and treason, and sentenced to 18 years in prison. As far as nuclear weapons are concerned though, Israel has never admitted to possessing any, and no proof of their existence has been revealed, as to the world’s knowledge, Israel has never tested one.
There have been, however, incidents that could have been small tests of the different parts needed for a bomb, such as the trigger device, and others. Also there was an incident in September of 1979 off the coast of South Africa which may have been an underwater nuclear explosion conducted jointly by Israel and South Africa. Israel has publicly declared that they will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the Middle East; however, Israel has also never signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which would require them to submit to inspections. World opinion though, is that there is more than enough circumstantial evidence to not only confirm their existence, but to also have a fairly good idea of what kind, how many, and most of all, the conditions that would provoke their use.
It has been widely reported, and generally accepted that Israel possessed approximately 100-200 nuclear devices by the 1980's, and could deliver them with their Jericho missiles. By the year 2000, that number had risen to about 400. It is also known that Israel has submarines equipped with both U.S. "Harpoon", and Israeli "Popeye Turbo" missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead within a distance of up to 2400 kilometers. This effectively gives Israel not only a "first strike" capability, but a "second strike" one as well, which should be sufficient to deter anyone interested in attacking them. The world at present is more than a little concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and the possibility that it is really seeking to produce its own nuclear weapons. No nation is more concerned than Israel, for as most know, Iran’s president has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.
As they move closer to achieving their goals, speculation is rampant that either the United States or Israel will strike Iran’s facilities with a pre-emptive strike aimed at crippling their program. There have been repeated calls in Israel by both politicians and the media to act quickly and decisively by striking Iran, and interestingly enough, these calls advocate the use of Israel’s own nuclear weapons in the attempt. In February of 2007, then President Chirac of France made the following statement concerning Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and what Israel might do if Iran were so foolish as to try to launch one at Israel. Speaking of Iran he said; "Where will it drop it, this bomb? On Israel? It would not have gone 200 metres into the atmosphere before Tehran would be razed". So although Israel has never gone public with any of the details of their nuclear capabilities, the world knows they have them, and more importantly, would use them if sufficiently provoked. But this raises the obvious question, what would it take to provoke Israel to use them, and are they really prepared to do so? The answer to this question can be found by examining what the world has come to know as the Sampson Option.
Most people are familiar with the story of Sampson found in the Old Testament, and the fact that in the conclusion of the story, rather than give in to his captors, Sampson was willing to commit suicide if the result was also the destruction of his enemies as well. The term "Sampson Option" is one of the terms the Israeli Defense Force uses in planning for their worst case scenarios, and what their response might be. So make no mistake about it, Israel is prepared to use its entire nuclear arsenal on its enemies even if it results in its own destruction. Is it really possible that Israel would use its nuclear arsenal on an attacker? Consider then the occasions that intelligence agencies know for sure that Israel has actually armed the devices and declared a nuclear alert. The first time was at the beginning of the Six Day War in 1967 when, reportedly only possessing two devices, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol ordered them armed and prepared for use.
The second time was during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. An attack by Israel’s enemies when most of the Israeli Army was on leave to celebrate their most holy day resulted in the swift overrunning of Israel’s front lines. Their enemies were advancing so rapidly that Prime Minister Golda Meir directed that the nuclear strike force of jets at the air base at Tel Nof, as well as the Jericho missiles located at Hirbat Zachariah be armed and ready for launching. The third time was in 1991 on the first day of Desert Storm, when as American forces attacked Iraq, seven scud missiles were launched at the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. Fortunately these missiles carried only conventional warheads, because Yitzhak Shamir, Israel’s Prime Minister was reported to have threatened an Israeli response if any of the scuds contained chemical warheads. Many believed this was a declaration of intent to use their nuclear option as those forces were on alert for the duration of the war.
So if Israel has a nuclear capability, and has a plan to use it if sufficiently provoked, does the passage in Isaiah provide us with a modern day scenario that would accurately describe such a conflict? Take note that Isaiah says that Damascus will be "taken away from being a city", and also says that "it shall be a ruinous heap". Many would claim this accurately describes the effects of using nuclear weapons, because not only would the city be destroyed, it could not be rebuilt and repopulated due to the radiological contamination. Now you might ask the question, "wouldn't the contamination spread to Israel or other unintended locations"? That is certainly possible, and probably a cause for concern to many in Israel's government should the use of such weapons be considered. There is, however, a way around that as well, and that is by use of a neutron or enhanced radiation bomb.
These bombs are different from a typical nuclear bomb in that the neutrons are released at the time of detonation, as opposed to being contained inside and enhanced which occurs in a conventional thermonuclear device. Using this technology, the "blast effects" are smaller, but the effect on the population is deadly. In a normal nuclear explosion, the population is killed by heat and blast effects, where in a neutron detonation the population is killed by intense ionizing radiation which though lethal, is quickly absorbed by the air with no radiological fallout left behind. A common misconception, however, is that a neutron bomb kills the population but leaves the buildings intact. This effect is possible if a very small device is used, such as those intended for use in a battlefield environment. But as you increase the yield of the weapon to enlarge the killing zone, you begin to produce more heat and blast effects. There are now neutron weapons reportedly in the kiloton range, which would probably be enough to reduce any structures in the lethal range to rubble.
Does this technology answer the questions raised in Isaiah when he describes the destruction of Damascus? It would certainly seem to, because if Israel were to be attacked by Syria with a weapon of mass destruction, they could respond with a weapon of their own without the fear of collateral damage to themselves caused by the proximity of Damascus to Israel proper. It is known that by 1995, Israel possessed neutron bombs, but the type, size, and yield are unknown. Would Israel resort to using this technology if attacked? Would they risk offending the entire civilized world by using nuclear weapons on another country?
I think Isaiah answers that question quite emphatically when he states that sometime in the future, Damascus ceases to be a city. If that isn't enough to get your attention, a close reading of this oracle shows we have one more part that we need to examine, for it states there is another location that suffers from the effects of this conflict. This may be the most controversial part of this story for, according to some, what it describes is possibly the prophetic future of the United States.
I hope this helps your understanding of the prophecy of Isaiah, and as always, I encourage you to keep watching.
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-warns-regional-crisis-syria-falls-144739788.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ambassador-oren-israel-is-very-concerned-about-syrian-wmds-1.380979
8/30/11
http://debka.com/article/21255/ ...note the last paragraph!
As I have studied prophecy and how it relates to the current situation we see in the Middle East today, I believe strongly the destruction of Damascus is the next major fulfillment of biblical prophecy that the world will see. Because of that belief, and the unrest in Syria today, I thought it might be helpful to explore the subject of this prophecy a little today. At the end of this blog there are also links to a couple of articles published just this weekend that you may wish to read which are very relevant to this discussion as well.
Many might say that since the establishment of the state of Israel, although attacked often and with increasing intensity, Israel has responded with notable restraint. Certainly many would state emphatically that Israel is a peaceful nation, simply defending herself and wishing only to be left alone, living securely without the fear of attack. However, since it would appear that its neighbors have been reluctant to embrace that position, and seem determined to be preparing for another conflict, the logical question that must be asked is how would Israel respond to the ultimate attack; an attack with the use of weapons of mass destruction?
It should surprise no one by now that the intent here is to explain why I believe Isaiah 17 tells us exactly how Israel would respond to such an attack, and that it seems very clear that the result is the total and complete destruction of the city of Damascus, the capital of Syria. So let's first look at what the Bible has to say and examine the clues that might lead us to such a conclusion. The seventeenth chapter of Isaiah begins by stating;
The burden against Damascus. "Behold, Damascus will cease from [being] a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.
Isaiah 17:1 NKJV
So here we learn about "The Burden of Damascus". Now if we look up "burden" in the Hebrew dictionary we find it's the word "massa" which is defined as "a doom, prophecy, tribute, prophetical speech of a threatening nature". From that definition, the obvious conclusion is that what we are about to read is not going to be pleasant to the inhabitants of Damascus for God says that He is about to reveal a prophecy of the future doom of Damascus. Why future? Simply explained, if you research the city of Damascus you will find that all resources will tell you that it is the "oldest continually inhabited city" in the world. From that it is easy to conclude that there has been no time in the past when this prophecy could have occurred, because if we read the next sentence in Isaiah 17, we see that the prophecy states that "Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap".
Now I think it would help if we look at some of the individual words contained in this prophecy, because as I have studied the Bible I have often found that it helps to understand the "what and the why" if you do. There are two words in this sentence I think are important for us to examine in order to understand what is happening here. The first is the word "taken". In the Hebrew, "suwr" is defined as to "depart, lay away, pluck away, remove", and by that it would certainly seem to imply the removal is involuntary. The second word is "ruin", or "mappalah", which means "something fallen, ruin, (from "naphal"-fallen by judgment)". Now there are a couple of ideas that come to me as I think about these two definitions. One is the idea of to "pluck away", which to me at least, gives the impression of happening very quickly, even instantaneously. Two, Damascus ceases to be a city because, according to this definition, they receive a judgment from God. Most people understand the principle that God judge’s wrongdoing, so we are left to wonder what Damascus does in order to bring Gods judgment down on them in such a complete and total way.
In the book of Amos, we may just have the answer to that question. This passage also talks about the judgment that will fall on Damascus, and it says;
Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away its [punishment], Because they have threshed Gilead with implements of iron.
Amos 1:3 NKJV
What we are told here specifically that the judgment is received in response to four "transgressions" against "Gilead". Again we should look closer at these words in order to better understand what is actually being said here. Transgression, or "pesha" in Hebrew means "sin, or trespass", and Gilead, although at certain times refers to a specific location, most often is used in a general sense to refer to the region east of the Jordan River, which as most people know would include the city of Jerusalem.
Now if you recall we have said previously that Syria has gone to war against Israel three times since 1948 when the modern state of Israel was established. Is it possible that what God is telling us here is that the destruction of Damascus will be His judgment upon them for attacking Israel the fourth time? I believe it’s not only possible, but likely considering all the other factors we can take into account concerning the situation we find in the Middle East today. I believe there are several other conclusions we can safely arrive at here by looking closer at these two passages. If God tells us this judgment is a result of something Damascus has done, I think it's safe to assume that Syria is the aggressor here, and that what occurs is in response to their actions. Also if Damascus is the city that receives the judgment, regardless of what form the aggression takes, Israel obviously believes that whatever decisions are made must originate there. So we are left to conclude that Syria moves on Israel in one form or another, and God judges them by allowing Israel to destroy Damascus. Now let’s look at how God might accomplish that event given what we know about Israel and its military capabilities.
It should not surprise anyone that given its history of being surrounded by hostile countries, and having to endure not only several wars of aggression but incessant terrorist attacks as well, not to mention the holocaust of the second world war, its hardly a surprise that Israel would pursue defensive technology that would insure the upper hand in any future conflict. As early as 1949, Israel began searching for uranium reserves in the Negev with an eye to beginning a nuclear program. In 1952 the Israel Atomic Energy Commission was created, and its chairman publicly said the best way to avoid a repeat of the holocaust was the possession of nuclear weapons. By design, however, not very much is known about Israel’s nuclear capabilities for from the beginning, Israel has pursued what has been called a “policy of nuclear ambiguity”. This of course, is simply a fancy way of saying that they aren’t about to tell anybody if they have nuclear bombs or not, they simply refuse to “either confirm or deny”. But from the beginning, we know much about their pursuit of nuclear technology because they needed help from other countries that already had the knowledge and expertise.
Sometime in the mid-1950’s, France agreed to help Israel construct a nuclear reactor and processing plant located outside the Negev city of Dimona and by1964, with their assistance, the facility was completed and production of plutonium began. In the mid-1960’s, several countries shipped materials to Israel for use at Dimona, and the most interesting one might be a shipment of highly enriched lithium-6, used to boost the yield of fission type thermonuclear devices. However it wasn’t until 1986 that the world discovered Israel’s possession of bombs thanks to information released by a former employee at Dimona, Mordechai Vanunu. In response to his revelations, Vanunu was convicted of espionage and treason, and sentenced to 18 years in prison. As far as nuclear weapons are concerned though, Israel has never admitted to possessing any, and no proof of their existence has been revealed, as to the world’s knowledge, Israel has never tested one.
There have been, however, incidents that could have been small tests of the different parts needed for a bomb, such as the trigger device, and others. Also there was an incident in September of 1979 off the coast of South Africa which may have been an underwater nuclear explosion conducted jointly by Israel and South Africa. Israel has publicly declared that they will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the Middle East; however, Israel has also never signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which would require them to submit to inspections. World opinion though, is that there is more than enough circumstantial evidence to not only confirm their existence, but to also have a fairly good idea of what kind, how many, and most of all, the conditions that would provoke their use.
It has been widely reported, and generally accepted that Israel possessed approximately 100-200 nuclear devices by the 1980's, and could deliver them with their Jericho missiles. By the year 2000, that number had risen to about 400. It is also known that Israel has submarines equipped with both U.S. "Harpoon", and Israeli "Popeye Turbo" missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead within a distance of up to 2400 kilometers. This effectively gives Israel not only a "first strike" capability, but a "second strike" one as well, which should be sufficient to deter anyone interested in attacking them. The world at present is more than a little concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and the possibility that it is really seeking to produce its own nuclear weapons. No nation is more concerned than Israel, for as most know, Iran’s president has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel.
As they move closer to achieving their goals, speculation is rampant that either the United States or Israel will strike Iran’s facilities with a pre-emptive strike aimed at crippling their program. There have been repeated calls in Israel by both politicians and the media to act quickly and decisively by striking Iran, and interestingly enough, these calls advocate the use of Israel’s own nuclear weapons in the attempt. In February of 2007, then President Chirac of France made the following statement concerning Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and what Israel might do if Iran were so foolish as to try to launch one at Israel. Speaking of Iran he said; "Where will it drop it, this bomb? On Israel? It would not have gone 200 metres into the atmosphere before Tehran would be razed". So although Israel has never gone public with any of the details of their nuclear capabilities, the world knows they have them, and more importantly, would use them if sufficiently provoked. But this raises the obvious question, what would it take to provoke Israel to use them, and are they really prepared to do so? The answer to this question can be found by examining what the world has come to know as the Sampson Option.
Most people are familiar with the story of Sampson found in the Old Testament, and the fact that in the conclusion of the story, rather than give in to his captors, Sampson was willing to commit suicide if the result was also the destruction of his enemies as well. The term "Sampson Option" is one of the terms the Israeli Defense Force uses in planning for their worst case scenarios, and what their response might be. So make no mistake about it, Israel is prepared to use its entire nuclear arsenal on its enemies even if it results in its own destruction. Is it really possible that Israel would use its nuclear arsenal on an attacker? Consider then the occasions that intelligence agencies know for sure that Israel has actually armed the devices and declared a nuclear alert. The first time was at the beginning of the Six Day War in 1967 when, reportedly only possessing two devices, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol ordered them armed and prepared for use.
The second time was during the Yom Kippur War of 1973. An attack by Israel’s enemies when most of the Israeli Army was on leave to celebrate their most holy day resulted in the swift overrunning of Israel’s front lines. Their enemies were advancing so rapidly that Prime Minister Golda Meir directed that the nuclear strike force of jets at the air base at Tel Nof, as well as the Jericho missiles located at Hirbat Zachariah be armed and ready for launching. The third time was in 1991 on the first day of Desert Storm, when as American forces attacked Iraq, seven scud missiles were launched at the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. Fortunately these missiles carried only conventional warheads, because Yitzhak Shamir, Israel’s Prime Minister was reported to have threatened an Israeli response if any of the scuds contained chemical warheads. Many believed this was a declaration of intent to use their nuclear option as those forces were on alert for the duration of the war.
So if Israel has a nuclear capability, and has a plan to use it if sufficiently provoked, does the passage in Isaiah provide us with a modern day scenario that would accurately describe such a conflict? Take note that Isaiah says that Damascus will be "taken away from being a city", and also says that "it shall be a ruinous heap". Many would claim this accurately describes the effects of using nuclear weapons, because not only would the city be destroyed, it could not be rebuilt and repopulated due to the radiological contamination. Now you might ask the question, "wouldn't the contamination spread to Israel or other unintended locations"? That is certainly possible, and probably a cause for concern to many in Israel's government should the use of such weapons be considered. There is, however, a way around that as well, and that is by use of a neutron or enhanced radiation bomb.
These bombs are different from a typical nuclear bomb in that the neutrons are released at the time of detonation, as opposed to being contained inside and enhanced which occurs in a conventional thermonuclear device. Using this technology, the "blast effects" are smaller, but the effect on the population is deadly. In a normal nuclear explosion, the population is killed by heat and blast effects, where in a neutron detonation the population is killed by intense ionizing radiation which though lethal, is quickly absorbed by the air with no radiological fallout left behind. A common misconception, however, is that a neutron bomb kills the population but leaves the buildings intact. This effect is possible if a very small device is used, such as those intended for use in a battlefield environment. But as you increase the yield of the weapon to enlarge the killing zone, you begin to produce more heat and blast effects. There are now neutron weapons reportedly in the kiloton range, which would probably be enough to reduce any structures in the lethal range to rubble.
Does this technology answer the questions raised in Isaiah when he describes the destruction of Damascus? It would certainly seem to, because if Israel were to be attacked by Syria with a weapon of mass destruction, they could respond with a weapon of their own without the fear of collateral damage to themselves caused by the proximity of Damascus to Israel proper. It is known that by 1995, Israel possessed neutron bombs, but the type, size, and yield are unknown. Would Israel resort to using this technology if attacked? Would they risk offending the entire civilized world by using nuclear weapons on another country?
I think Isaiah answers that question quite emphatically when he states that sometime in the future, Damascus ceases to be a city. If that isn't enough to get your attention, a close reading of this oracle shows we have one more part that we need to examine, for it states there is another location that suffers from the effects of this conflict. This may be the most controversial part of this story for, according to some, what it describes is possibly the prophetic future of the United States.
I hope this helps your understanding of the prophecy of Isaiah, and as always, I encourage you to keep watching.
http://news.yahoo.com/iran-warns-regional-crisis-syria-falls-144739788.html
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/ambassador-oren-israel-is-very-concerned-about-syrian-wmds-1.380979
8/30/11
http://debka.com/article/21255/ ...note the last paragraph!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Fruit Means Harmony
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22,23 NKJV
As we have been talking about the Holy Spirit and what effect it has on those who believe, like many of you my thoughts turned to this passage with which I am sure most of us are familiar. I even have a framed print of it hanging on a wall in my home to remind me of what is expected from me as a believer. “Expected”? Yes, if we accept the fact that being filled with the Holy Spirit is a choice, as we discussed last week, then it follows that producing the fruits of the Spirit is also a choice. In other words, the ability to produce the fruit of the Spirit is in us, but we must also choose to exhibit them.
Now if you think about it, I am sure you will realize that we as believers sometimes stumble and exhibit fruits not of the Spirit. I am also sure that at one time or another you have observed someone who claims to be a believer act or speak in a manner which does not show any of the fruit listed in this passage. I am not suggesting that those who do not exhibit the fruits of the Spirit are not true believers, but rather that just as being filled with the Spirit is a choice, producing the fruit of the Spirit is a choice as well. It is one thing to go to church, study, fellowship, and grow as a believer, but it is another thing entirely to choose to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.
This year I decided to do something I haven't done in many years, and that was to plant a garden. Now I would be the first to tell you I had no idea what I was doing other than putting seed in the ground and watering with the hope something other than weeds would appear. Imagine my surprise when absolutely everything I planted came up! I have enjoyed watching these plants grow and mature, even to the point of taking a picture or two and sharing them with my kids. Yet now that we are approaching harvest time, there is something odd that I have noticed about some of my plants. You see, the plants are huge, and apparently very, very healthy, yet there is absolutely no “fruit” to be found on them! Even though they have arrived at the “maturation” date given on the package of seed, and the plants are huge, no fruit.
As I considered the subject of the fruits of the Spirit this week, I quite naturally looked at my garden and wondered how many of us sometimes look like these plants. We appear quite healthy and mature as believers, but upon closer examination there is no fruit to be found. What I think God expects from us as believers is to approach every decision we make every single day with the thought of “how do I show others the fruit of the Spirit in this particular instance”? So often we believe that if we arrive at a certain level of maturity in our walk with Christ the fruit will appear “naturally” in everything we do. However if we take a good look around, especially in the body, I think we can see that may not be the case.
If you have followed my blog for long you know I encourage you to always examine scripture in the context in which it was written. If you look at the context of this passage on the fruits of the Spirit you might be surprised by what you find. You see, Paul was writing to the Galatian church because a problem had arisen between the members of the church. It seems there was a disagreement on doctrinal issues that had resulted in a lack of harmony in the church body. It is in this context that Paul gives us this list of fruits of the Spirit, so in essence, although certainly applicable in our relationship to unbelievers, Paul is really telling believers how to act towards other believers with whom they may disagree.
Jesus also had something to say about this subject.
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves". You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? . “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 7:15-17 NKJV
Obviously we can learn something from the fruit we observe. Personally I have had, over the years, discussions on doctrinal positions with many of my fellow believers and I can certainly attest to the differences in the fruit I have had occasion to observe. Fortunately the majority have been good, frank, and profitable discussions that were presented with all the fruits of the Spirit manifested. If no agreement resulted from these discussions, the decision was made to lovingly agree to disagree. There have been, however, a few times where a person felt so strongly in their belief that their attitude towards those who chose to disagree exhibited none of the fruits listed in the passage from Galatians. Their attitude then led to hard feelings and disharmony among the body. This is what was happening in the church at Galatia, and Paul makes it clear God does not condone this type of behavior. Understandable too, if you look at this next passage.
These six [things] the LORD hates, Yes, seven [are] an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness [who] speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.
Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV
Sowing “discord among brethren” is something God “hates”. Strong words would you agree? You see, harmony between believers in the body of Christ is of utmost importance if we are to perform the work that God had set before us. The fruits of the Spirit are part of what we have obtained from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but as always, we must choose to use them in order to live the Spirit filled Christian life. Are you exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit? May I suggest you check your relationships with others in the body in order to find out.
Keep watching.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Being Filled is a Choice
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
Ever notice there are certain subjects that either get little attention from the pulpit, or when examined are given such light treatment that conclusions are rather unclear and open to interpretation? As I grow in my spiritual life, it appears to me that one of the subjects high on that list would have to be a study of the Holy Spirit. At times it almost seems that teachers are afraid to broach the subject, yet my personal opinion is that it is probably the most important one we need to understand in order to perform the duties of a true believer.
A couple of weeks ago we spoke about the Holy Spirit as a person, and not just a power, coming into the lives of all believers at the time of their decision to ask for forgiveness from their sin and turn their lives over to Christ. We are told that at that time we receive power as a result of the Spirit's “indwelling”, a gift we are given in order to get the help we will need to live our lives according to His wishes.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Acts 1:8 NKJV
Now one of the first things I learned when I first began to study the Holy Spirit is that there is often confusion between what is known as being “indwelt” and in being “filled” with the Holy Spirit. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells believers that they should be filled with the Spirit.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:18 NKJV
Many people teach and believe that to be “filled” with the Spirit is a separate and different experience than the “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the time of our conversion. Yet the problem I and many others see in that position is that it infers that what we receive from God when we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit is somewhat inadequate, or that there is something more to get.
The best way I know to try and understand what Paul means here is to look closely at the word filled, and examine how it is used in other passages in order to understand what we are being told. The Greek word for filled used here is plēroō, which is a verb that means to be full in the sense that we are completely full of something.
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
1 John 1:4 NKJV
In other words, what Paul is saying is that we have what we need inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit, but we also need to make a choice to use that resource when the need arises. The problem occurs when we choose to try and use some other resource rather than the one we have already been given. I look at it this way; my life is a glass full of water. I am full to the brim with what I need, but if I choose to add ice, it displaces some of the water and I am left with a mixture of what God has given me, and what I have chosen to add. How often do we make that choice in our lives? We feel we have what it takes to solve a problem, make certain choices, or live a certain way. When we choose to utilize our own resources rather than the one that God has given us, we are making the choice to not be “filled” with the Holy Spirit. Ray Stedman put it this way;
Now here he touches the great secret of real Christianity, the possibility of being filled with the Spirit. I am sure all of you know that when you became a Christian, when you believed in Jesus Christ and received him as your Lord, the Holy Spirit came to live in you. You have the Spirit, but the interesting paradox is that, though all Christians have the Holy Spirit, we constantly need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is the momentary taking from him of the resources you need for the situation in which you are. It has nothing to do with an experience, or a feeling or a crisis; it is a quiet drinking again and again of an inner supply of strength. (Ray Stedman, “Watch How You Walk”Ephesians 5:15-20. www.raystedman.org)
This idea makes more sense if you also consider this next passage.
Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 NKJV
So although we are filled with all that we need, it also is possible for us to choose not to use those resources, and in essence “quench” the Holy Spirit and the help He has for us. The word for quench in the Greek is sbennymi which means to extinguish, as in putting out a fire. Does it not make sense that if you choose to rely on something other than the Spirit, it is the same as putting out His fire in your life?
I believe the only problem most of us would have with this is that quite obviously if we are in need of filling it seems the fault is our own. God has given us all that we need to live the spirit filled life, but it is a choice we must make to utilize the power we have been given by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? To me, it means I need to understand fully all that is available to me and that comes as a result of study, becoming as familiar as I can with the power of the Holy Spirit.
In my present job at a automobile dealership I am sometimes asked to travel and drive back new vehicles that we have purchased. Lately I have found that it is not just as simple as getting in and turning the key, like it used to be. New vehicles are so complex that it is a requirement that you look at the manual and learn all the systems in order to access all the functions and information needed to utilize all the car can do. This is the mistake I believe many make about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They know He is inside, but they don't do the study necessary to become familiar with all that He can do for us. That leads many to try and look elsewhere for the help they need to deal with the challenges that life can present.
Being filled with the Spirit is a choice. Look to Him for the help and power and answers to all that life can throw at us. Study to “show thyself approved”, and begin to live the powerful life available by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Keep watching.
Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
Ever notice there are certain subjects that either get little attention from the pulpit, or when examined are given such light treatment that conclusions are rather unclear and open to interpretation? As I grow in my spiritual life, it appears to me that one of the subjects high on that list would have to be a study of the Holy Spirit. At times it almost seems that teachers are afraid to broach the subject, yet my personal opinion is that it is probably the most important one we need to understand in order to perform the duties of a true believer.
A couple of weeks ago we spoke about the Holy Spirit as a person, and not just a power, coming into the lives of all believers at the time of their decision to ask for forgiveness from their sin and turn their lives over to Christ. We are told that at that time we receive power as a result of the Spirit's “indwelling”, a gift we are given in order to get the help we will need to live our lives according to His wishes.
"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Acts 1:8 NKJV
Now one of the first things I learned when I first began to study the Holy Spirit is that there is often confusion between what is known as being “indwelt” and in being “filled” with the Holy Spirit. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells believers that they should be filled with the Spirit.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
Ephesians 5:18 NKJV
Many people teach and believe that to be “filled” with the Spirit is a separate and different experience than the “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit which occurs at the time of our conversion. Yet the problem I and many others see in that position is that it infers that what we receive from God when we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit is somewhat inadequate, or that there is something more to get.
The best way I know to try and understand what Paul means here is to look closely at the word filled, and examine how it is used in other passages in order to understand what we are being told. The Greek word for filled used here is plēroō, which is a verb that means to be full in the sense that we are completely full of something.
And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.
1 John 1:4 NKJV
In other words, what Paul is saying is that we have what we need inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit, but we also need to make a choice to use that resource when the need arises. The problem occurs when we choose to try and use some other resource rather than the one we have already been given. I look at it this way; my life is a glass full of water. I am full to the brim with what I need, but if I choose to add ice, it displaces some of the water and I am left with a mixture of what God has given me, and what I have chosen to add. How often do we make that choice in our lives? We feel we have what it takes to solve a problem, make certain choices, or live a certain way. When we choose to utilize our own resources rather than the one that God has given us, we are making the choice to not be “filled” with the Holy Spirit. Ray Stedman put it this way;
Now here he touches the great secret of real Christianity, the possibility of being filled with the Spirit. I am sure all of you know that when you became a Christian, when you believed in Jesus Christ and received him as your Lord, the Holy Spirit came to live in you. You have the Spirit, but the interesting paradox is that, though all Christians have the Holy Spirit, we constantly need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is the momentary taking from him of the resources you need for the situation in which you are. It has nothing to do with an experience, or a feeling or a crisis; it is a quiet drinking again and again of an inner supply of strength. (Ray Stedman, “Watch How You Walk”Ephesians 5:15-20. www.raystedman.org)
This idea makes more sense if you also consider this next passage.
Do not quench the Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 NKJV
So although we are filled with all that we need, it also is possible for us to choose not to use those resources, and in essence “quench” the Holy Spirit and the help He has for us. The word for quench in the Greek is sbennymi which means to extinguish, as in putting out a fire. Does it not make sense that if you choose to rely on something other than the Spirit, it is the same as putting out His fire in your life?
I believe the only problem most of us would have with this is that quite obviously if we are in need of filling it seems the fault is our own. God has given us all that we need to live the spirit filled life, but it is a choice we must make to utilize the power we have been given by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How do we do that? To me, it means I need to understand fully all that is available to me and that comes as a result of study, becoming as familiar as I can with the power of the Holy Spirit.
In my present job at a automobile dealership I am sometimes asked to travel and drive back new vehicles that we have purchased. Lately I have found that it is not just as simple as getting in and turning the key, like it used to be. New vehicles are so complex that it is a requirement that you look at the manual and learn all the systems in order to access all the functions and information needed to utilize all the car can do. This is the mistake I believe many make about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They know He is inside, but they don't do the study necessary to become familiar with all that He can do for us. That leads many to try and look elsewhere for the help they need to deal with the challenges that life can present.
Being filled with the Spirit is a choice. Look to Him for the help and power and answers to all that life can throw at us. Study to “show thyself approved”, and begin to live the powerful life available by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Keep watching.
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