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10.30.2013
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Are the Blood Moons a legitimate end times sign? About five years ago a Messianic rabbi in Tacoma, Washington, by the name of Mark Biltz, began to teach that the Second Coming of the Messiah would likely occur in the Fall of 2015. He based this prediction on the pattern of an astronomical phenomenon that he had discovered. His speculation was picked up immediately by the Bible prophecy sensationalists who specialize in playing around with such matters. The result was that Rabbi Biltz's theory became an Internet sensation. The basis of his theory — and not his conclusion — has now been given legitimacy by the publication of Pastor John Hagee's book,Four Blood Moons (Worthy Publishing, 2013). Red Flags But is the Mark Biltz's theory really legitimate? The first red flag of caution that must be considered is the source of the theory. Mark Biltz is not a mainstream Messianic rabbi. Instead, he is involved in what is called the Hebrew Roots Movement. This is an anti-Christian, Judaizing movement that has many of the characteristics of a cult. Its members have done everything they can to de-legitimize the teachings of the Apostle Paul. They consider him to be an anti-Semite because of his teaching that the Law of Moses was invalidated by the Cross. The second red flag is that Biltz is involved in date setting.Both Matthew 24:36 and Matthew 25:13 state that we cannot know the day or hour of the Lord's return. With regard to the parable of the wise and foolish virgins contained in Matthew 25:1-13, Biltz dismisses Jesus' warning in verse 13 that no one can know the day or hour of His return. He does this by arguing that it is directed at the foolish virgins, and not the wise ones. Yet, there is nothing in the parable to substantiate this conclusion. With regard to Jesus' similar statement in Matthew 24:36, Biltz tries to explain it away by saying it is a reference to the Feast of Trumpets because although there is a yearly date for this feast, no one knows for certain when it will actually begin because its beginning is dependent on the sighting of a new moon. Again, there is no justification in the context of this verse for such a bizarre interpretation. A third red flag is the fact that there is no way the Second Coming could occur in the Fall of 2015 because there are too many prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Lord's return. To name a few:
To his credit, John Hagee does not set a date for the Lord's return in his new book, Four Blood Moons. Instead, he simply takes Biltz's discovery and argues that it is an omen of a major development that will take place — a development that will most likely have a significant impact on the Jewish people.
Special Discussion of Blood Moons on TBN
Friday, November 1 | 9-11pm CST Join Dr. David Reagan, Pastor John Hagee, Bill Salus and other Bible prophecy experts as they discuss the Blood Moons on TBN!
Red Moons
So, what is this omen that Biltz and Hagee have in mind and which they refer to as "the four blood moons"? A "blood moon" is the name that has often been assigned to a complete lunar eclipse, which occurs when the earth comes between the sun and the moon, putting the moon into a complete shadow. Such a moon often (but not always) appears to be red in color because of the way light bends around the earth's atmosphere, scattering short wavelength light (green through violet) and leaving longer wavelength light (red, orange and yellow). It's why sunsets and sunrises generally are red. Complete or total lunar eclipses are relatively rare. During the 20th Century, there was a total of 229 lunar eclipses of all types, but only 81 of these were total eclipses (completely obscuring the moon in the earth's shadow). The rest were partial eclipses. In this century there will be 228 lunar eclipses of all types and 85 total eclipses. What is rarer is what is called a "tetrad." This is a series of four total lunar eclipses in a row over a two year period of time.Since the time of Christ there have been a total of 87 tetrads, including the last one that occurred in 2003-2004. In this century, we are scheduled to experience 8 tetrads, the most that can occur in a century's time (some centuries have had none at all).1 Even rarer is a phenomenon that Mark Biltz discovered. Of the 87 tetrads that have occurred since the time of Christ, only 7 have fallen on Jewish feast days. Those seven occurred in the following years: 162-163, 795-796, 842-843, 860-861, 1493-1494, 1949-1950 and 1967-1968.2 For an example of what is meant by a tetrad falling on Jewish feast days, consider the tetrad of 1967-1968:3
Biltz and Hagee both make much of the fact that the last three tetrads that fell on Jewish feast days occurred at times when significant events were happening among the Jewish people:
Notice that two of these tetrads followed the significant events. Only one (1967-1968) served as a partial precursor of the event. And notice that there was no significant event in Jewish history that was related to the first four tetrads that fell on Jewish feast days.
A Legitimate Omen? So, what about it? Is the tetrad of 2014-2015 the herald of some major event that will impact Israel in particular? It could well be. The Bible makes it clear that God speaks through signs of nature, including signs in the heavens. The very first chapter of the Bible affirms this fact: "Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years...'" (Genesis 1:14). As for blood moons, the Bible refers to them several times. Some of the references only imply a blood moon when they speak of the moon being "darkened" (Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Joel 3:15, and Matthew 24:29). Others specifically mention a moon "turned to blood" (Joel 2:31 and Revelation 6:12). But the one thing all these verses have in common is that all of them refer to the Second Coming of the Messiah, and since that cannot occur in 2015, the tetrad of 2014-2015 — if it has any prophetic significance — cannot be a sign that the Messiah is going to return to earth at that time. It must have some other biblical significance, if any at all — as John Hagee argues. A Caution I think we should be very cautious about emphasizing signs like the Jewish feast tetrads. Such "signs" usually end up as prophetic embarrassments. Consider the mania that occurred in 1982 over the "Jupiter Effect." This line-up of the planets was supposed to cause giant earthquakes and tsunamis. The year came and passed with no such significant events. Since that time, we have had to deal with similar manias concerning the Hale-Bop Comet in 1997, the Y2K computer "crisis" of 2000, and the Mayan Calendar in 2012. We should focus instead on the precise end time prophecies of the Bible that have been precisely fulfilled in our day and time — clearly indicating that we are living in the season of the Lord's return. One other thing — the signs in the heavens mentioned in the Bible that will accompany the Lord's return may not be natural astronomical occurrences at all. Instead, they may prove to be supernatural in nature, provided by God to herald His Son's return. That's what I believe happened at the First Coming of the Messiah. I don't believe the "star" that guided the Wise Men to Bethlehem was, in fact, a star. The actual word translated star in the Greek text of Matthew 2:2, (aster) can mean "radiance." I believe this guiding radiance was the Shekinah Glory of God. How else could it have guided them and then stood still over Bethlehem? (Matthew 2:9). | |||||
Thursday, 31 October 2013
"ARE THE BLOOD RED MOONS A LEGITIMATE END TIMES SIGN" BY THE EXCELLENT DAVE REAGAN OF LAMB AND LION MINISTRIES!
By 
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
"BIBLE PROPHECY AND THE ISLAMIC ANTICHRIST" VIDEO BY THE EXCELLENT WALID SHOEBAT.
Video: Walid Shoebat On Bible Prophecy And The Islamic Antichrist
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
MORE GREAT STUFF FROM TODD STRANDBERG AND TERRY JAMES AT "RAPTURE READY"!!
Is America about to Get Fired as the Leader of the Free World?
The Pope, the Pen, and Peace
This month will likely go down as the worst ever for diplomatic relations between America and the rest of the international community. The Obama Administration has presided over an endless series of financial and intelligence missteps.
We started October with a deadlock over the federal budget, which made several nations nervous about the safety of holding dollar denominated securities. The Chinese, with $1.3 trillion of our debt, made the rare occasion of openly criticizing Washington D.C. for allowing the financial crisis to take place. Xinhua News Agency, China’s leading government-controlled news outlet, said the rest of the world should start to “de-Americanize” away from U.S. financial dominance:
“The world is still crawling its way out of an economic disaster thanks to the voracious Wall Street elites. Such alarming days when the destinies of others are in the hands of a hypocritical nation have to be terminated.”
Thanks to the standoff, President Obama was forced to cancel a trip to the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation). What resulted was an incredibly embarrassing picture of all the world leaders standing on a stage at the meeting, and the U.S. only represented by John Kerry—who was forced to stand in the back row—and far off to the side. Beforehand, the person representing America was always front, and center.
Some of the worst diplomatic bad blood resulted from revelations that America has been spying on some of its closest friends. There is a general understanding that allies, spy on each other. What is unforgivable is allowing this information to get into the public. Four times last week we had nations calling our ambassadors and other representatives onto the carpet for invading the privacy of their citizens.
1. A French newspaper reported that the NSA had swept up 70.3 million French telephone records in a 30-day period. The French government issued a formal complaint and put the issue of personal data protection on the agenda of the European Union summit.
2. In Italy, major media outlets reported that a parliamentary committee was told the U.S. had intercepted phone calls, emails and text messages of Italians. Premier Enrico Letta raised the topic of spying during a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State.
3. Germany was shocked to learn from data provided by NSA leaker, Edward Snowden, that the mobile phones of German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been a target of the U.S. government. Merkel called President Barack Obama to confront him on the matter, saying it would be “A serious breach of trust” if confirmed. The White House refused to admit it had been eavesdropping on Merkel’s calls, but promised it wouldn’t happen in the future.
4. In Mexico, it was made known that information NSA collected to fight drug traffickers was also used to spy on the emails of two Mexican presidents: Enrique Pena Nieto, the incumbent, and Felipe Calderon. The Mexican government called the targeting of the presidents, “unacceptable.” Pena Nieto has demanded an investigation.
The most troubling rift in U.S. diplomatic relations occurred with Saudi Arabia, and it had nothing to do with spying. The Saudis have come to the point where they are unhappy with the alliance between Washington and the kingdom.
Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi intelligence chief, told European diplomats that the United States had failed to act effectively against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also said the kingdom was unhappy with Washington growing closer to Tehran, and its failure to back Saudi support for Bahrain when it crushed an anti-government revolt in 2011. Prince Bandar promised there would soon be a “major shift” in relations between the kingdom and the United States.
If it gets to the point where the Saudis decide to move away from the petrodollar monopoly, it will be disastrous for the U.S. economy. Over a trillion dollars worth of Middle East oil is transacted in US currency. A switch to a new system would collapse the dollar and cripple our standing on the world stage.
There can be little doubt that America is well on its way to being fired as the leader of the free world. The only wonderment in my mind is why has it taken this long for America to be given the boot.
America’s absence from Bible prophecy would seem to confirm that our dominance will continue to fade. Since the Antichrist is predicted to become the undisputed leader of all inhabitants on earth, our decline may indicate how close we are to the Tribulation hour.
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword, and did live” (Revelation 13:14).
--Todd
The Pope, the Pen, and Peace
Jorge Mario Bergoglio--Pope Francis, 266th pontiff of the Catholic Church--seems to be taking the world by storm, as they say. He is, of course, the 112th pope since twelfth-century Irish Bishop, St. Malachy, “prophesied” that the last pope would be number 112 from the time he made the “prophecies,” as we’ve all learned about by now.
Obviously, he hasn’t overtly taken the official name “Petrus Romanus,” Peter the Roman, as Malachy predicted would be the moniker of the final pope who would preside over the Catholic Church during an era of the greatest time of trouble in its history. Let’s think again briefly upon what Malachy said he foresaw. Malachy’s biographer, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, reported in Life of Saint Malachy that St. Malachy wrote briefly, in Latin, on each succeeding pope of the future, and then gave the document to Pope Innocent II, who had it placed in Vatican archives, where it remained for several centuries. It was rediscovered in 1590 and published.
Some scholars who have studied these predictions carefully claim that Malachy was remarkably accurate about succeeding popes right up through Pope Benedict XVI, who abdicated his papal throne in 2013. Others who have looked into these things have found that in most cases regarding the Malachy prophecies, the bishop’s predictions were too oblique, too veiled, or couched in esoteric description to be validated as having been fulfilled to any great extent. Our bottom line conclusion must be that, while most of Malachy’s “prophecies” about the popes are questionable as to absolute proof that the bishop was accurate in every case, there is little doubt that the 112th pope from the time he wrote the predictions is a strange pope to be sure.
The world at large literally loves the guy. His popularity really jumped on a global scale–and especially in the view of national and international mainstream media, when he implied that there might be many ways to God and Heaven, and declared that Christians must be more tolerant of things we don’t embrace or understand. At least, that was the gist of his statements.
The pope made it clear in a number of statements in various speaking forums that the Catholic Church and all of Christendom must cease condemning and excluding from God’s kingdom homosexuals and those who hold other religious views than those that are Jesus Christ-centered.
That sentiment, even among a growing number within so-called Christian churches, is a visceral part of all of humanism’s elite and their mouthpieces. The Christian Bible and its harsh, restrictive, “one way to God” is intolerant, bigoted, homophobic, and bordering on fundamentalist insanity that desires to bring the world to Armageddon. (The pope didn’t say that; I did, based upon the pontiff’s stance of recent days that has won him great accolades.)
America’s current president is perhaps the most recent of the global leaders to express this pope’s elevated standing in his opposition to biblical restrictions. Barack Obama said recently: "I have been hugely impressed with the pope's pronouncements." He described Pope Francis as "somebody who lives out the teachings of Christ [who, by the way, claimed He is the only Way to God, the Heavenly Father]. Incredible humility--incredible sense of empathy to the least of these, to the poor."
In his interview with the CNBC business news channel, Obama was asked about Francis' recent comment that the Catholic Church has become too "obsessed" with issues like gay rights and abortion. Obama said:"[Pope Francis is] somebody who is--I think first and foremost--thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away; how to find what's good in them as opposed to condemn them…And that spirit, that sense of love and unity, seems to manifest itself in not just what he says, but also what he does. And, you know, for any religious leader, that's something--that's a quality I admire” (http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2013/10/02/obama-pope-francis-cnbc-abortion-gay-rights/2911067/).
Sure sounds good, doesn’t it? Unity–that’s the ticket for the coming Antichrist system. Unity means to embrace all belief systems as acceptable to God’s prescription for living on planet Earth, according to the globalists elite. This is the route to “peace.”
We are to embrace those religionists who behead women for having been raped. We are to accept as brothers those who murder anyone with whom they don’t agree.
Pope Francis met a week or so ago with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. He wasn’t prepared to give the Israeli prime minister an audience, however. Yet, he is pushing the peace process so Palestine can have its statehood on Israel’s tiny land mass.
The pope gave the Palestinian leader a special pen. He said when handing it to him, "Surely, you have a lot of things you have to sign."
Abbas responded, "I hope to sign a peace treaty with Israel with this pen."
My thought was, upon reading about the pope’s generosity, the first beast of Revelation chapter 13 will have a sidekick who will–like Mr. Big himself--push the peace that will be the covenant made with death and hell (Isaiah 28:15, 18).
--Terry
SYRIA - THE NATION IN CHAOS - YET THEY REJECT PEACE TALKS TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEMS!!!
Syria: ‘Religion Of Peace’ Rebels Reject Peace Talks As 115,000 Now Reported Dead, 50% Of Population In Poverty
Monday, 28 October 2013
THE GLOBAL SLAUGHTER OF CHRISTIANS, AND THE SILENCE OF THE CHURCH THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS!!!!
The Global Slaughter of Christians and the Silence of the American Church
Friday, 25 October 2013
LANCE LAMBERT, AND HIS LATEST MIDDLE EAST UPDATE.
Lance Lambert’s Middle East Update for October 2013
By Lance Lambert.. This is Lance Lambert speaking, and this is my Update for October 2013. The world scene continues to be grim. It is good to know the Lord in all that is happening. Flood and fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and terrorism claiming so many lives in different places. For instance, Nairobi, Kenya, 67 dead; in Pakistan, a whole assembly of Christians, 80 dead, in one week 132 dead in Pakistan; in Nigeria, 50 students shot whilst they were sleeping, just to name a few of the incidents. A few weeks ago here in Israel, we celebrated the new Jewish year of 5774. This is the year of the red moons, beginning the first day of Passover and the first day of Sukkot. We face whatever it all means with the Lord, and we remember the Scripture in Isaiah 26:3-4 – “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace (in Heb. shalom-shalom) whose mind (or imagination) is stayed (or fixed) on thee, because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for the Lord, even HaShem, is an everlasting Rock.”
I will read a few more Scriptures – in Psalm 121:3-8, those wonderful words – “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep thee from all evil: he will keep thy soul. The LORD will keep thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and for evermore.”
To that I would like to add in the prophecy of Zechariah, Chap.12:1-4 – “The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus saith the LORD, who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it be, in the siege against Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the peoples: all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded, and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with terror, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the peoples with blindness.”
Lastly I would like to read yet another Scripture in Psalm 20:1-5 – “The LORD answer thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Grant thee thy heart’s desire, and fulfil all thy counsel. We will triumph in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners.”
In this Update I will seek to cover the following matters: What is the crux of the problem? What is the heart of the matter? What lies at the root of the problem that we have in the Middle East, and in particular, in relation to Israel? Then I want to speak about the Middle East and the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. Thirdly I would like to speak about the condition of Israel at present, and the so-called Peace Talks between Israel and the Palestinians. And finally I will talk about Sukkot, which we have just celebrated, and its essential meaning.
Middle East
WHAT IS THE CRUX of the matter? Please remember that these Updates are about Israel and the Middle East in particular, and Israel and the world in general, IN THE LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD. They are not merely a news update of Israel and the Middle East and the world – it is to do with the light of God in His Word helping us to understand the Middle East and the world situation as regards Israel. Is the Word of God truly and in reality God’s Word? Or is it a jumble of ancient records put together to justify a particular people’s history, records that could have been tampered with to make them more amenable to a particular people? Is it therefore a mixture of God’s Word and man’s input? If it is that, we have to sort it out & seek to rectify it. Where it is politically incorrect, we must bring it up to date and make it politically correct. Where it involves customs of the ancient world, we must make it more up to date, more contemporary, more in line with modern thought. We must bring it up to date and make it politically correct. Where injustices have been done as a result of what many would call the ‘so-called word of God’, we must rectify those injustices.
In my estimation, the Bible is the Word of God Himself. Of this Word, which lives and abides forever, I have been born of God. His Word, by the Spirit of God, leapt out of the book and into my darkened soul, creating living faith, and I was born of God. So were most of you who hear my voice today. It was the same Word of God which created the universe and this planet on which we live. We are told in the Gospel of John that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…” And it goes on to say: “All things were made through him…” that is John 1:1-4. If we who have been redeemed and born of God are witnesses to the reality of God’s Word, so also is the presence of Israel in the Middle East, an incredible and solid evidence of and witness to the authority, the inspiration and the relevance of God’s Word. This Nation twice exiled through sin & twice returned to its original homeland – the first time for 70 years, the second time for nearly 2,000 years – is unique. There is no other instance of it in world history. And through it, God is speaking.
Consider Jeremiah 31:10 – “Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, & declare it in the isles afar off, & say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, & keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.’” And again, in Isaiah 11:10-12 – “And it shall come to pass in that day that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek: & his resting place shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign (a banner) for the nations, & will assemble the outcasts of Israel, & gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
Israel is an ensign. Now, for those of you who do not live in a kingdom, an ensign normally flies wherever the king or queen is resident, which means that Israel is a sign of the presence of God in world history. The promise to Abraham & to his seed still stands inviolate, no matter what people say, including some churches. Those who bless them will be blessed, & those who curse them – the two Hebrew words are different, though in English we have only one word, a ‘curse,’ but the first ‘curse,’ to demean, belittle, devalue or negate; but those who do that will be ‘cursed’ – & that is a strong word, a terrible word of judgment. The Almighty has chosen Israel, as yet unsaved, as the powerful evidence of the simple fact that His Word is HIS WORD.
Mandate for Palestine-Israel left over size
It is therefore unthinkable to dismiss the covenants which God has Himself made. Those covenants are eternal, everlasting covenants, so described. To dismiss earlier covenants & to keep the covenant spoken of in Ezekiel, the new & eternal covenant which God had promised He would make with His own is ridiculous. Abraham & his seed, through Isaac, not Ishmael; through Jacob, not Esau – God made covenant, a covenant which is eternal. In Psalm 105:7-11 it says – “7 He is the LORD our God: His judgments are in all the earth. 8 He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, (by the least reckoning, 40,000 years) 9 The covenant which he made with Abraham, & his oath unto Isaac, 10 And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, 11 Saying, ‘unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance.’” (ASV)
Map of Israel
The Almighty has chosen Israel, as yet unsaved, as the powerful evidence of the simple fact that His Word is HIS WORD. If we dismiss these covenants, we bring judgment upon ourselves & upon our nations.
The division therefore of the Promised Land into two states, seemingly living side by side in peace & love, will bring untold trouble to all who lend their hand to it. Mark carefully my words – it does not matter who, whether the President of the United States, or the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, or their Foreign Secretaries, or any other national leader – it is a blatant rejection of God’s Word & the covenants He made with Abraham. The fact that He has brought back this people from the ends of the earth to their homeland, to the very land from which they were exiled, & has defended them in every one of the ten wars since the founding of the State in 1948, speaks volumes.
And there is much more to come. See how Zechariah, prophesying concerning the last stages of world history, some 2,600 years ago, spoke of the siege against Jerusalem, & expressly stated that the Almighty Himself will work miracle after miracle for Israel in that phase of history. Hear the Apostle Paul’s words in his Roman letter, inspired by the Spirit of God – Romans 11:28-29 – “28 As touching the gospel, they (the Jewish people) are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election (that is, the fore-ordinate power & counsel of God), they are beloved for the Patriarchs’ sake. 29 For the gifts & the calling of God are irrevocable.” (ASV) There is no way you can get round that simple clear Word in the New Testament.
The real crux then of the whole situation in the Middle East, & increasingly, in the Western world, is the authority, the reliability & the relevance of God’s Word. It will become clearer & clearer that this is the heart of the matter.
Many look upon the Bible as people look upon Shakespeare – unbelievable genius, with gems of insight, but still only humanly inspired. It can be ignored or negated in the quest for peace. Moreover it should be underlined that many Jews in the Diaspora, & also in Israel itself, hold this view & do not believe that the Bible, in its entirety, is the Word of God Himself, & that covenants recorded in it, are binding or even relevant to the 21st Century. They can be changed, or brought up to date, or made more politically correct.
Some Israeli leaders, & prominent Jewish leaders in the Diaspora, fall into this category. Such leaders tend to believe that peace is more important than territory, & that any sacrifice to obtain that peace is worth it. If these views become actions, judgment will also fall on Israel.
Is this sought-for peace really peace? I say it is not, not while Satan exists. It is ‘Peace, peace where there is no peace.’ Witness what has happened – when we withdrew from South Lebanon, what did we get? We stabbed the Christians – who had gathered in the south of Lebanon for safety from their Muslim neighbours – we stabbed them in the back, and we have now got Hezbollah, the most weaponized militia in the Middle East. Witness what happened in Hevron – we gave Hevron back, and Hevron now is a hotbed of problems. We gave back Gaza, & we have had 50,000 missiles or rockets since.
We need therefore to pray that God will have mercy upon us. I remember the Scripture that I, & those with me in my home in Jerusalem, often stand upon – it is in Psalm 33:10-11 – “the LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nought (now Nought is NOUGHT! zero!); & makes the strategies or devices of the peoples to be ineffectual. 11 The counsel of the LORD, that shall stand fast for ever, & His strategy to every generation.” (ASV) I believe that we can stand upon that Word in prayer, that God will bring all these suggestions & manipulations of the various nations to nought – He has done it again, & again, & again, & He will do it again.
NOW LET ME SAY SOMETHING about the Middle East & the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. A new wind blew through the Middle East last year. It was dubbed by the world media – the ‘Arab Spring’. It seemed that a new era was dawning, with the promise of democracy & social uplift, a spring that would lead to a glorious summer. It is now being dubbed by many in the Arab countries, the ‘Arab Autumn’ leading to an ‘Arab Winter’. In Egypt for instance, the Muslim Brotherhood, led by Morsi, won the election by a narrow number of votes, & he became President. It soon became clear that he was imposing a totalitarian system on all Egypt. He took huge powers to himself, spoke of imposing Sharia law on the whole country, & spoke of Jerusalem as the spiritual capital of Egypt.
The result was predictable. Coptic Christian churches were burnt down or vandalized, Coptic Christians, & other Christians, were murdered. According to one rumour, a Coptic Christian young man was crucified in front of Morsi’s home. The result of all this was huge demonstrations for & against President Morsi. Then the Egyptian Army stepped in, took on the Muslim Brotherhood, deposed and imprisoned President Morsi, and arrested a whole number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders. There is little doubt that the majority of Egyptians are supporting the army & its actions.
What is extraordinary is the fact that there is a complete misunderstanding of the Middle East nations on the part of the Western nations. President Obama, in his foreign policy matters, has gone from disaster to disaster, first backing Egypt & urging them to get rid of Mubarak, & openly supporting Morsi. Now the United States is in a fix as to what to do – & particularly Obama. He cannot very well openly admit that he has made a colossal mistake. The US Government and many of its leaders then backed an immediate cessation of all funds to the Egyptian army, as well as much else. It was not only the United States which took this stand, but also the United Kingdom & the European Union. Then amazingly – it is hard to believe – Saudi Arabia stepped in with $12 billion for the Egyptian army. They obviously were going to replace what the Americans were not going to give.
The fact of the matter is simple – many of the oil sheikhdoms, as well as Saudi Arabia, have little or no time for the Muslim Brotherhood. They fear it, & saw its victory in Egypt as a disaster. At the present juncture, the Muslim Brotherhood has been declared by an Egyptian court a banned organization. It is interesting that there was not a single Arab country in the Middle East that did not ban the Muslim Brotherhood. It was banned in Iraq, Syria, the Yemen, Egypt, and Tunisia – everywhere – for the simple reason that the governments of those countries feared its revolutionary character.
The truth again is simple. Democracy in the Western nations developed over centuries, & went through many changes until it finally reached its final form. It is impossible to foist democracy upon nations with no previous experience of it. When I heard all the noise made by Western leaders over Morsi’s deposition, I could not help but think of Adolf Hitler, who used democracy to destroy German democracy, & impose a totalitarian system on Germany, with all its bitter & evil consequences.
THEN I COULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT Syria. There is the Syrian situation with 150,000 Syrian citizens killed, & millions of Syrian refugees destabilizing neighbouring countries, such as Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan et cetera. And it must also be said that there are millions of Syrians displaced, without homes or jobs, in Syria. The Syrian situation is dangerous to a degree, with rebel factions fighting each other, as well as Assad’s regime. The Russian plan to destroy all of Syria’s chemical weapons must be good for the Middle East. It is however fraught with enormous dangers.
A Syrian general who has defected to the West, said that Bashir Assad will NEVER surrender all his chemical weapons. He says that there are certain areas & locations in Syria where these weapons are stored & have not been exposed.
LET ME SAY SOMETHING ABOUT Tunisia. Tunisia has also known much trouble. That election was won by what was dubbed by the world media a ‘moderate Islamist party’. Since then two prominent Tunisian Opposition leaders have been assassinated & there has been much unrest in Tunisia. Tunisia was always understood to be the most moderate of the Arab nations, & it was in Tunisia that the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ began.
One could also mention Libya – there has been a breakdown of law & order in Libya; Lebanon, divided with much death, & trouble & fighting; the Yemen – the same condition – all of whom have seen much trouble & unrest.
THEN, IN SPEAKING ABOUT THE Middle East, I have to mention Iran. Iran has a new President, Rouhani, who has set about to give Iran a new face to the world. His ‘charm offensive’ has certainly affected the United States, the European Union & the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, underneath all the smiles are the same clerics, who rule Iran with an iron fist. Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain the same, & notwithstanding Rouhani’s claim, the nuclear program progresses whilst the nations dither. It cannot be too long a time before we awake to a testing of a nuclear device. This will change the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates are all as apprehensive as Israel of what is happening in Iran.
Let me say something about the present condition of Israel. In the midst of the Middle East, in what many have called a tough neighbourhood, Israel remains amazingly calm, considering the circumstances. It is true that when Syria threatened action against Israel, there was a run on gas masks, to a point where the government ran out of them. Nevertheless, Israel has remained poised.
The dangers however, are all too real for Israel. Zechariah speaks of the siege against Jerusalem, when prophesying about the last stages of world history, & speaks of miracle after miracle, which the LORD Himself will work for Jerusalem & Judah. Each promised, divinely worked miracle is introduced by the words – “in that day.” You will find them in Chapter 12 of Zechariah, verses 3-4, 6, 8, 9-11, & in Chapter 13:1.
There is in my mind, no doubt that we are passing into this period prophesied by Zechariah some 2,600 years ago. We see all the scenery being set in place – the Muslim Brotherhood is in all the nations around Israel. It cannot but augur evil, since the Muslim Brotherhood & militant Islam believe in the final elimination of Israel.
Furthermore, there is an alarming growth of anti-Semitism in the Western nations, & even in the denominational churches. This anti-Semitism will influence national policies of those nations in regard to Israel, ending in boycotting goods from Israel, in sanctions, & a refusal to support her in any way; and in the end, in actual conflict.
It will be then that the LORD will arise to fight for Israel & defend her. There is NO WAY you can eliminate Israel, any more than you can eliminate God the Almighty, or His Word. It has been Satan’s goal from the beginning, to remove & to negate the LORD & His Word – negate the LORD & His Word from the whole universe. That goal includes the redeemed of the LORD, Israel, & the true & living Church. He will fail.
The so-called Peace Talks between Israel & the Palestinians – in the midst of all this conflict & mayhem, Israel & the Palestinian Authority have been conducting Peace Talks. So great has been the conflict in the Middle East that those Peace Talks have hardly been mentioned. Seemingly they have had to take a back seat. But so far there has been little progress.
It is hard to see how anything approaching genuine peace could be reached, especially with what lies in the constitution of the Muslim Brotherhood, & indeed of Militant Islam anywhere. Mahmoud Abbas is looked upon by the world at large as a moderate man, a man with whom Israel could make peace. However, behind those looks there is another man. He obtained his Doctorate with a thesis denying the Holocaust; he insists that not a single Jew will be allowed to live in the State of Palestine – it will be Jude free; he will allow no Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley, & he insists on dividing Jerusalem. All this, with the return of all Palestinian refugees – some 6 million of them – is the death knell of any durable & lasting peace.
Nobody could tell me that this Palestinian state will not become a larger Gaza, with rockets & missiles & everything else. If Israel were to agree to this, it would be the end of Israel. Mahmoud Abbas wants the destruction & elimination of Israel as much as Iran, Hezbollah, HAMAS & the Muslim Brotherhood – only, they all want it with one single blow, he wants it by stages. The aim is the same; the manner in which it will be achieved, different. PRAY for the true & genuine peace of Jerusalem.
FINALLY, LET ME SAY something about Sukkot. We have just kept the Festival of Sukkot for the seven days as decreed in the Word of God, when all the fruits of the land have been gathered in. For seven days we are commanded to dwell in booths, to remember all the way that the LORD led us through the Wilderness & into the Promised Land.
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For all those forty years the LORD provided manna every day, & on the sixth day a double portion, covering the Sabbath. He provided water from a Rock which followed them in all those years, & a change of diet from time to time with quails. He led them in a pillar of cloud by day, & a pillar of fire by night. Their sandals did not wear out, nor did their clothes, and they not suffer any of the diseases of the Egyptians. The journey could have taken some two weeks; instead, it took forty years. A whole generation died through unbelief. But a new generation, with the living faith of Joshua & Caleb, went over into the Promised Land, & by faith inherited it.
Sukkot is to remind us that the LORD NEVER FAILS. He always finishes what He begins. He always fulfills His purpose. Let me read to you two verses at the very end of the Bible – interesting really, it’s at the end of the Bible – first of all at Revelation 21:6 – “And he said unto me, ‘They are come to pass. I am the Alpha & the Omega, the beginning & the end.’” (ASV) And then in Revelation 22:13 – “I am the Alpha & the Omega, the first & the last, the beginning & the end.” (ASV)
Sukkot is therefore filled with joy, it is filled with the certainty that what God has planned & purposed, He will complete. With genuine expectancy we can therefore face the future. If we will follow Him with faith & obedience, He will neither fail nor forsake us, & we will not fear nor be dismayed by all that faces us.
From: http://www.lancelambert.org