A believer in Christ will have a soft place in his heart for the Jews. Anyone who harbors hatred toward anyone is a murderer according to God, but especially the Jews.
Lord’s Love for Israel
2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob 3 but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”
When God said that He loved Jacob and hated Esau, He was not speaking of them as individuals but as nations. Jacob was the son of the promise and was the symbol of Israel as a nation and Esau was the son of illegitimacy and a symbol of the Arab nation.
The Arabs who are descended from Ishmael have been against Israel ever since Ishmael was born. They will always be against God's people, except for the individuals within that clan, that trust Christ. As a whole the Arab nations will never stop hating Israel, nor will they stop attempting to annihilate her permanently. They will not succeed, but they will never stop trying.
The miracle is that God returned Israel to her nation, even though the entire world will be against her, she will still prevail. Israel will one day trust Christ after heavy losses, but will retain their nation. They will be the ones to take the gospel to the world in the tribulation.
Zechariah 12:1-14
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Jerusalem to Be Attacked
12 The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
Thus declares the Lord who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, 2 “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. 3 It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. 4 In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘A strong support for us are the inhabitants of Jerusalem through the Lord of hosts, their God.’
6 “In that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and a flaming torch among sheaves, so they will consume on the right hand and on the left all the surrounding peoples, while the inhabitants of Jerusalem again dwell on their own sites in Jerusalem. 7 The Lord also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not be magnified above Judah. 8 In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. 9 And in that day I will ]set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 14 all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
May Israel Be Able to Say Goodbye to the Mosque
May one of the rockets leveled on Jerusalem by the Palestinians, be redirected by God to land on the dome of the rock where the mosque sits. May the Lord do Israel's fighting for her, may He protect the people of Israel as they endure the evil hatred of the Muslims.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Israel is Back in the Land to Stay
This is what God has in store for Israel!!! He performed a miracle in 1948 when He gave them back their land and He will do another one in the near future.
Isaiah 61:8-9
"8 For I, the Lord, love justice,
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their recompense
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed."
I hate robbery in the burnt offering;
And I will faithfully give them their recompense
And make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations,
And their descendants in the midst of the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the Lord has blessed."
Weep You Muslims, Israel is the Victor
Read it and weep all you Muslims who think you will one day prevail over Israel. You will not win this war against her, God has already decided the outcome and it is Israel who is the victor.
Isaiah 60:12-14
"12 “For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.
13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The juniper, the box tree and the cypress together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I shall make the place of My feet glorious.
14 “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the city of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah 60:12-14
"12 “For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.
13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The juniper, the box tree and the cypress together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I shall make the place of My feet glorious.
14 “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the city of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel."
Monday, July 7, 2014
Our Cleansing Continues Until We Are Taken Home
Any time I hear this, "God knows my heart", as an excuse to justify sin, I say "yes he does, He knows just how wicked it is and has said that what is acted out in the flesh is proof of the condition of the heart."
The heart comes first, then the actions. The actions cannot be different from the heart, they work in tandem. In fact, we can sin deeply without that sin ever becoming an action, the action may be repressed by cultural pressure, but that does not mean there is no sin.
Christ said if we so much as think it in our heart, it is the same as if we have committed it. The heart is always bad before any actions surface, by the time the actions occur the heart has already been in sin.
There are many people walking around appearing to be righteous, do the things that make them acceptable in the culture they live in, but are harboring evil in their hearts. Each one must evaluate their own hearts in light of the Word of God, asking God to reveal to them any wicked way that still remains. Anyone who thinks they are completely clean, walking in pride over their goodness, is still in need of conviction and cleansing through the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:14 :For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are (being) sanctified.:"
Matthew 5:21-22
Murder Begins in the Heart
"21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."
Romans 6:1-12
"6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."
The heart comes first, then the actions. The actions cannot be different from the heart, they work in tandem. In fact, we can sin deeply without that sin ever becoming an action, the action may be repressed by cultural pressure, but that does not mean there is no sin.
Christ said if we so much as think it in our heart, it is the same as if we have committed it. The heart is always bad before any actions surface, by the time the actions occur the heart has already been in sin.
There are many people walking around appearing to be righteous, do the things that make them acceptable in the culture they live in, but are harboring evil in their hearts. Each one must evaluate their own hearts in light of the Word of God, asking God to reveal to them any wicked way that still remains. Anyone who thinks they are completely clean, walking in pride over their goodness, is still in need of conviction and cleansing through the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 10:14 :For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are (being) sanctified.:"
Matthew 5:21-22
Murder Begins in the Heart
"21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."
Romans 6:1-12
"6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."
Today in the News Feed on Face book I saw a picture of a man with sun glasses on, sitting on a sidewalk. He had a sign in front of him declaring that he was blind and needed help. In front of him was a bowl full of money, that had been filled by compassionate people who wanted to help him. The man was in his twenties and was looking through his sunglasses, at an iphone checking his e-mail.
We used to receive calls for our little chapel at our home because no one was at the building all week. All of the calls we received were people asking for their electric and water bills to be paid. They had used their money for cigarettes, cable tv, cell phones and others things that were unnecessary.
One day I got one of these calls from a woman who was lamenting the fact that her electricity was turned off and her children were cold. I reminded her that it was August, the temperature outside was over 80 and that if she would just open her windows she could warm up the house. Yes, there are clues about the scammers and liars that we can discern easily if we can get past misplaced compassion.
Often I would tell the beggars on the phone, that they had a greater need than electricity and water, and that was the gospel, then I would proceed to tell them their need of repentance, showing them that they had just lied to me about "needing", when all they wanted was to be carried by others for their needs while enjoying pleasures with the money they had. I knew that all the callers were in this condition because I would ask them certain questions that revealed their condition.
Most of the time I never got more than a few sentences when they would hang up on me. Why do so many people think that "the church", should pay for their needs, when they are just too irresponsible to use the money they have wisely?
I never figured out this, "the church should foot the bills for me" mentality. One woman called me a devil because, after giving her the gospel, I attempted to counsel her on how to manage her money.
Manipulation is a huge part of the picture with those who will attempt to separate you or the church from your money and goods.
I will give a person a lunch, some advise and even comfort, but I do not give money if there is any hint that they are lazy and irresponsible. It is a pleasure to me to be able to help those who want to learn how to manage their money, but I have little tolerance for those who would fight against doing what is right.
We have all made mistakes in the managing of our money at times, but most of us do not go begging for someone else to bail us out, we learn from our missteps and begin again on a different and better path. Everyone needs to learn how to manage money, it is the rebellion against the learning that aggravates me.
May the Lord give us discernment in our giving, that we not enable beggers to continue in the fleecing of others. Perhaps we need to remember too that sometimes we don't give to someone to help them as much as we like to feel proud of ourselves that we did.
When we care more about the well being of others than our own good feelings, then we can rightly discern what is best for a person, not what makes them happy temporarily.
Many people in our culture do not have a need for goods, they simply manage what they have so badly that they waste away the funds that should be designated for needs in favor of pleasures.
Discernment is the key and the gospel is always needed in these cases. Never neglect to speak of the Lord when dealing with these people. Their greatest need is that they repent and trust Christ. God can fix all the ills in a person's life when they submit to Him.
We used to receive calls for our little chapel at our home because no one was at the building all week. All of the calls we received were people asking for their electric and water bills to be paid. They had used their money for cigarettes, cable tv, cell phones and others things that were unnecessary.
One day I got one of these calls from a woman who was lamenting the fact that her electricity was turned off and her children were cold. I reminded her that it was August, the temperature outside was over 80 and that if she would just open her windows she could warm up the house. Yes, there are clues about the scammers and liars that we can discern easily if we can get past misplaced compassion.
Often I would tell the beggars on the phone, that they had a greater need than electricity and water, and that was the gospel, then I would proceed to tell them their need of repentance, showing them that they had just lied to me about "needing", when all they wanted was to be carried by others for their needs while enjoying pleasures with the money they had. I knew that all the callers were in this condition because I would ask them certain questions that revealed their condition.
Most of the time I never got more than a few sentences when they would hang up on me. Why do so many people think that "the church", should pay for their needs, when they are just too irresponsible to use the money they have wisely?
I never figured out this, "the church should foot the bills for me" mentality. One woman called me a devil because, after giving her the gospel, I attempted to counsel her on how to manage her money.
Manipulation is a huge part of the picture with those who will attempt to separate you or the church from your money and goods.
I will give a person a lunch, some advise and even comfort, but I do not give money if there is any hint that they are lazy and irresponsible. It is a pleasure to me to be able to help those who want to learn how to manage their money, but I have little tolerance for those who would fight against doing what is right.
We have all made mistakes in the managing of our money at times, but most of us do not go begging for someone else to bail us out, we learn from our missteps and begin again on a different and better path. Everyone needs to learn how to manage money, it is the rebellion against the learning that aggravates me.
May the Lord give us discernment in our giving, that we not enable beggers to continue in the fleecing of others. Perhaps we need to remember too that sometimes we don't give to someone to help them as much as we like to feel proud of ourselves that we did.
When we care more about the well being of others than our own good feelings, then we can rightly discern what is best for a person, not what makes them happy temporarily.
Many people in our culture do not have a need for goods, they simply manage what they have so badly that they waste away the funds that should be designated for needs in favor of pleasures.
Discernment is the key and the gospel is always needed in these cases. Never neglect to speak of the Lord when dealing with these people. Their greatest need is that they repent and trust Christ. God can fix all the ills in a person's life when they submit to Him.
Pictures and Statues of Christ are Idols!!!!
Today I have determined to place this on every facebook in the news feed that has a picture or statue depicting Christ.
"That picture of a man is not Christ, it is an idol."
Acts 17:9 "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.""
When will believers stop looking at graven images to get their sense of closeness to Christ? May God convict them of the use of these idols. It seems to be happening more and more, in spite of the Scripture in Acts that is clear about this matter.
"That picture of a man is not Christ, it is an idol."
Acts 17:9 "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.""
When will believers stop looking at graven images to get their sense of closeness to Christ? May God convict them of the use of these idols. It seems to be happening more and more, in spite of the Scripture in Acts that is clear about this matter.
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