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Thursday, October 27, 2016

Zion Defiled?

Zion Defiled?
Prophecy - Signs
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Wendy Wippel

If you spend much time on the vast wasteland known as the internet, you’re bound to see lots of supposed indications of the imminence of the rapture: genetic modification, apostasy, global government, strange conjunctions of heavenly bodies, realtime global communication. No argument. But the real reason to believe we’re almost there is in Malachi. And nobody’s mentioning that one.

A lot of internet prophecy buffs -- and, frankly-- a lot of Christians in general, brought up in the Word, (who should really, therefore, know better) are perennially in error on prophetic topics because they fail to recognize a critical truth about the Scriptures: there are essentially two different audiences that come to the Word for truth.

First, the chosen people (aka the nation of Israel), and second, everybody else. Which includes me. And I would assume, most of you reading this. We are grafted into the nation of Israel-- sort of adopted-- when we believe . Understanding the distinction between Jew and Gentile in Scripture—particularly with respect to the times set aside for God to deal with each group separately—is important. Really important.

Here’s a secret: the tribulation is a time specifically for the Jews.

Which really shouldn’t be a secret because God, through Daniel, made that point clear.

Daniel assumed because of Jeremiah’s writings, that God was about to give Israel the Messiah and the kingdom of their own that was promised – if Israel repented. Sincerely. And from the passage it’s pretty obvious that Daniel is going to make dang skippy sure that Israel repents sincerely even if he has to do it all by himself. So he gives it his best shot. And since, (after all, he’s Daniel), it’s a darn good try.

But the response isn’t really all he hoped for. No.

What happens is that Gabriel shows up and tells him that he’s been sent by God to straighten him out. Something like; “Danny Boy, I think you’re a mite bit confused. Here’s the scoop.”

Daniel’s account goes like this;

He made me understand., speaking with me and saying, “O, Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.

Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to Messiah the prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. The street shall be built again, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty- two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the Prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood. And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Translation: Daniel, it’s not going to be in your lifetime that Messiah comes. In fact it’s going to be quite a while.
continued here

and it's good too!

blessings...Yaddy

Monday, October 24, 2016

Noah and the great flood!


In Gen,6 v 11 we read; "Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

The flood of Noah devastated the world Noah once lived in.

After the  waters receded, and Noah and his family left the Ark, God commanded the  survivors to "spread out, and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:7 KJV). 
Unfortunately, the people of the day chose not to obey God.
Nearly two hundred years after the flood, the descendants of Noah began to multiply in great numbers.

From the time of the flood to the great rebellion against God at the tower of Babel, 300 years had passed.
 
While 300 years may seem like a long time, one has to take into account that Noah lived 350 years after the flood.


Gen 7 v 6 we read: " Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth."

Gen 9 v 28-29 "Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood.
So all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died."



 NOAH WAS STILL ALIVE WHEN NIMROD REBELLED AGAINST GOD!

That really surprised me....I had just "assumed" that Noah would have died a long time before that....but, as I said, 300 years might seem a long time to us, but Noah lived for another 350 years after the flood.
 
Can you imagine how Noah must have felt? All the people who were alive were his descendants.

They had all heard of the great flood, if Noah was still alive his three sons would have been too.....they would have told their children over and over how God had saved them from “the great flood”

Noah's grandson Cush was one of these early patriarchs; the one who  became a leader of many.

He did not want to follow God's commandment of "fill the earth," but strove for the opposite - he wanted to bring all of the  people together. He began to unite everyone into one huge nation; Even though he had heard the story of the great flood and why.....
 
He still wanted to be in charge - all centred at the Tower of Babel. The Bible gives us little information about Cush, Nimrod, and the Tower itself. (You'd think he would have learned his lesson, from the flood, as to what God could and would do)

We don't read too much about him though, As we read in Genesis 10:8, Cush was the father of Nimrod - and that's about all.
We all worry about our children and or grandchildren, following the world as it were.....but like Noah and lots of others
in the Bible, we have to trust God with them all.
It happened so soon after the flood.....Noah must have been very disappointed.
Blessings...
Yaddy

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Where did the water come from?

We first read about Elijah in 1 kings 17 v 1...

"Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” So there was to be no rain....a drought instead. At the end of the three years, Ahab, the king of Israel was desperate.

There was no water to be found. Farms and ranches were in foreclosure because the crops and cattle were dying. In a last ditch effort to save the nation’s economy, Ahab went in search of a bailout.

He sent his top financial advisor, actually,(what would be equivalent to his chief of staff), a man named Obadiah, in one direction and Ahab went in the opposite direction.

They were in search of water for their cattle. Verse 5 of 1 Kings 18 says: "Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grass to keep the horses and mules alive so we will not have to kill any of our animals." 6 So they divided the land they were to cover, Ahab going in one direction and Obadiah in another."

(Although archeological clues are absent, it has one point in its favour because it has a spring, from which water could have been drawn to wet Elijah's offering, and secondly there is a sea view, where Elijah looked out to see the cloud announcing rain. But then again in the Bible text it says that Elijah had to climb up to see the sea.)

It was a big problem and God wanted to show them just how big!

They......the people.... had left God and were following Baal, so Elijah met up with Ahab and told him to call all the people so they could have it out, once and for all. They were to meet him at Mt Carmel.

1 Kings 18: 21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."

But the people said nothing.

No one spoke.

Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men.

Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it.......

and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.

Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord,my God..... and the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people said, “That is a good idea.” [Note Elijah gave the other prophets first choice]


If we have read the story we know that the baal prophets danced and yelled and Elijah made fun of them and the prophets cut themselves and yet...

nothing happened.

In verse 26 we read that they went on like that from morning till noon.... and still nothing had happened...and still they continued on until the evening sacrifice...So they were virtually at it all day......nothing happened.

I wonder how the people of Israel were feeling?

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.”

So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down...[ a long time ago]

He took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”

So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.

Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.

We read he purposely dug a trench around the altar.

And then Elijah spoke to the people again....Verse 34: “And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.”

And he said, “Do it a second time,”

and they did it a second time.

And he said, “Do it a third time,”

and they did it a third time.

The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

Where did the water come from?

They had not had any rain for 3 years and the animals were almost starving, as we read before....even the king was out, looking for the stuff.
And why does it matter where the water came from?

Well.... now.....suddenly the people where no longer watching.

They were involved.

And not involved in singing..... or praying..... or any other religiously approved worship activities.

They had to get involved with what mattered most to them.

It hadn’t rained in almost three years. The only water anyone had was what they had carefully, even sacrificially saved.

I can probably imagine.........well,......

they were probably not exactly ignoring Elijah.......just doing other things.

Elijah stood still, in front of the altar, facing the people, waiting.

We have gone through droughts, we know what it is like to be very low on water....

(Now, o me, this seems a bit like a pump, it needs priming before you can get more water, much as you want to use what's there, by priming, you get a lot more....)

and you have to trust.....

to believe.... that the priming of the pump will work...

I imagine this would be kind of like “priming” for the people of Israel....

He got his water..... in four jars..... but then he said....”Do it again”

and after that 2nd time he says, “Do it again.....12 jars of water, ( maybe one for each of the 12 tribes?)

They would have had some for special occasions and had to give that up as well?

It would no longer be Elijah they had to trust.

It would be God.

And they did it.
They gave the last water they had.....in faith.

These spectators at a show had become intimately involved participants.

The climax of the story......fire from heaven, takes on new meaning, as God responds to his people’s trust, obedience and sacrifice.

The third round of jars had been poured out, then everything was drenched.....


and the fire of God took it all. Verse 39: “When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -he is God! The LORD -he is God!"

There was nothing left to do but wait.

Elijah prayed.....he was exhausted. He sat down with his head on his knees and told his servant to go look at the ocean and tell him what he saw.

Seven times he went...

Minutes ticked by.

Finally, the servant saw a cloud the size of a fist form over the ocean.

Elijah needed no more. Verse 44: Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'
V45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came.

That is the whole story, not of Elijah and the prophets of Baal,

but of God and his thirsty people.
Blessings yaddy



Bill & Gloria Gaither - Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior [Live] ft. Allen As...



Just so beautiful....enjoy
Blessings
Yaddy

Monday, October 17, 2016

Mid-East Prophecy Update – October 16th, 2016

good message again, this week! Blessings
Yaddy

Monday, October 10, 2016

Mid-East Prophecy Update – October 9th, 2016

A lot of important stuff here....very good listen.

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Monday, October 3, 2016

Should I?....


“Should I reach out to the guy out walking his pit-bull, or will his dog be too much of a distraction for a gospel conversation?” I thought to myself.

I couldn’t know until I tried, so I asked if he had time for an interesting question.

When he – Rob - found out I was asking about his beliefs in life after death, he said “Cool, I’m all about that!” while his dog jumped up on me, licking my hands.

Rob started to answer the question by sharing his enthusiasm for using hallucinogenic mushrooms and shamans to discover spiritual truth. He described how the mushrooms heightened his senses, so he saw details and thought things about God in ways he never had before.

Of course as a Christian I was concerned that he was opening himself up to all kinds of demonic influences and the lies of the enemy of our souls. But it was too early in the conversation to give any sort of push-back or challenge to his beliefs. I needed to show I was willing to listen and find some common ground......

but how?

What was something positive I could say in response?

We actually did have a few things in common.

I told him “So you believe there is another, spiritual realm of existence, and you believe in God or a higher power of some sort, and that there is truth to discover about life after death.”

“Oh definitely” Rob said. He put his dog in his car and we settled into a much longer conversation.

So what was the sort of truth he had “discovered” from his psychedelic experiences?

Rob said he was more aware of the needs of people around him and what he can to help them.
As a result he sees himself as a sensitive, caring individual.

No new revelations, just the same lie that claims the good deeds we ought to do can outweigh the bad things we ought not do.

We went on to talk about God’s awesome magnificence as Creator, and I related back to the detailed descriptions of the intricacies of creation from his drug experiences.

I also talked about how God reveals Himself through the Bible and not just our imagined perception of Him, even if it is “enhanced” by psychedelic drugs.

Eventually, Rob wanted a full explanation of the Gospel.

He had some questions about the trustworthiness of the Bible and in the end was excited when I gave him a copy of “More Than a Carpenter” and invited him to further conversation.

This would not have happened if I had shut him down with criticism at the first mention of “magic mushrooms”.

If we want to share our faith, we need to be tolerant enough to at least listen to what others believe.

Jeff Reiman

That is wonderful Jeff, Thanks for sharing so many of your conversations. It's a great encouragement to me. I'd really like to witness to people like you do. Hearing from you about your encounters helps to make me want to do more to share the gospel with people.

blessings Yaddy