Envisioning Hell

I will warn you right away that this will be my last blog for a while and therefore it is very, very long.

I am heading off to Texas again, this time to visit my son for a few days. It will be a long trip, however, as I am driving there and back. That in itself requires 7 full days being 2,000 miles in one direction alone. I will not be blogging on this trip, as I tried to do on my last trip earlier in the year. I will be taking a little sabbatical from blogging, in order to take time to hear from the Lord about a couple of things that I believe He has laid on my heart to do. One of them was birthed by the book I referred to yesterday in my post.

If you have not gone to that website (http://www.gfa.org/) and asked for the free book "Revolution in World Missions" yet, I hope that you will. You don't have to be someone that the Lord has called specifically to work in the missionary field to receive something of lasting value from the book.

I have gone on missions trips: to Kosovo (mostly Muslims)and to Mexico (mostly a superstitious mystical version of Catholicism). I plan, Lord willing, to go back to Mexico again this October. And I have a heart for those in other countries who are not saved. But I want to have a bigger heart for those in this country who are not saved, and I'm not sure my heart is where it should be in that regard. Yes, I want to see people saved, beginning in my immediate family, especially. But I don't seem to be doing a lot about it, other than praying. That is not to discount prayer. We can do nothing without prayer, without help from the Lord to whom we cry out for such help; to Him who always answers with His mercy and His grace. (Yes, always! No matter how long it takes!)

But James warns us not to be hearers only, but to be doers of what we have heard the Word of God tell us to do (James 1:22). I don't see all that much "doing" in my life in terms of the lost. And I think it is because I am beginning to lose my vision of hell.

And it's no wonder, as very little is said about hell these days, whether from the pulpits or from television and radio teachers. We want people to be drawn in to the churches because we have "loved" them in, showing the "love" of Jesus Christ to them. But Jesus spoke so much about hell, punishment, suffering….an eternity of suffering. He showed the multitudes how much He loved them by warning of the danger to come. He did not try to spare them by avoiding discussion of unpleasant things to come as we so often do in our churches today. He loved Peter even though He rebuked Peter at times. We equate love with "nice" words, rather than with truth…the WHOLE truth. And if we speak the hard parts of truth, we are accused of not speaking in love, when in fact, it is exactly because of love that we speak the hard truth when necessary. In our country and our churches, where all are comfortable and very few suffer for the kingdom, I think the time has come to speak the hard truths. Such as: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:8 -9). This is a clear case of men following men, rather than men following Jesus.

Perhaps part of the problem is that we have a difficult time understanding what hell is. This often happens when we "reason" our way around things. I believe that man's "reasoning" of the things of God is highly overrated and can actually get you to hell faster than you can say " hell". Perhaps as a result of man's "reasoning", we Christians have different views of what hell really is. We are not united in even this doctrine; and here in America many no longer believe there is such a place.

Some believe that all references to hell are not literal but metaphorical; in other words, hell is a very real but very different form of punishment than that which is actually stated in the Bible. Among the proponents of this view are Calvin, Luther, and Billy Graham. Surprised? [Calvin: "We may conclude from many passages of Scripture, that it [eternal fire] is a metaphorical expression"; Luther: "It is not very important whether or not one pictures hell as it is commonly portrayed and described"; Billy Graham: "I have often wondered if hell is a terrible burning within our hearts for God, to fellowship with God, a fire that we can never quench."]

Some believe hell to be a "conditional immortality"; in other words, souls will suffer this real place, but only for a period of time, after which God will destroy them completely and they will experience nothing. They will be annihilated by God once and for all. All others have gone straight to heaven. It is either hell (which ultimately leads to annihilation) or eternity in heaven. C.S. Lewis called hell "the outer rim where being fades away into nonentity" in his book "The Problem of Pain". An early, and very important, Christian statement of doctrine [the Didache] supports annihilation.

Many believe it to be a literal place, with literal descriptions provided in the Word of God. Their view is very black or white. They see one of two places to be occupied after death: either heaven or hell; there is no in-between or interim place. There is no possibility of suffering after death unless you are sent to hell. It is either all joy or all eternal suffering. Dante's Inferno not only envisioned everlasting torment but gave a picture of the saints in heaven relishing the torment of the wicked; not a completely unscriptural view, by the way. Jonathan Edwards, 18^th century theologian and author of the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", supports the literal view of everlasting torment.

Then there are the Roman Catholics who believe in both hell and also in a sort of "holding" place between death and the final judgment, that place being called purgatory. According to Roman Catholic theology, purgatory is the place every soul must enter at death for a period of "suffering"; the quantity of suffering to be determined by the life that was led prior to death. Those who suffered courageously in martyrdom for the sake of the kingdom will suffer little or none; those who chose not to suffer at all (what we would call "armchair Christians") will suffer very much more simply because they did not follow in Christ's footsteps, which no matter which way you look at it, must involve suffering. Augustine argued that it was better to be cleansed in this life than the next, for the cleansing process will be much more severe in the next life than anything experienced in this life. Purgatory, then, is seen as a sort of outer court of heaven where nominal Christians are prepared (purified) prior to being allowed to enter into the presence of a holy God.

Before you condemn the dogma of Purgatory completely (even though I do believe it is scripturally incorrect, a misinterpretation of the scriptures on which this dogma is founded), remember that Christian theology throughout the ages and scripture itself has always implied that after death there are rewards as well as lack of rewards that have nothing to do with hell, for they are not punishment. God does not "punish" His children, but He does "chasten" them. That chastening can be unpleasant as well, but we know that all chastening is temporary and for our good (Hebrews 12:11). Still, we could view "chastening" as a form of suffering. When a child is sent to his room in isolation from the family for an offense, does he not suffer in some way? They certainly never seem to go off to their rooms with smiles on their faces! How much more would we suffer knowing that we let down our Lord and Savior? How terrible would our regret be to know what we could have accomplished for the kingdom if we had not let the cares of this world, and our own selfish desires, distract us from being "doers" of the Word. How terrible would that regret be knowing that we cannot turn back the clock? How many of the twelve disciples and Paul will suffer from those regrets? How many of us will?

I think we will know the answer to that when the Lord returns to establish His millennial kingdom here on earth. He will be the light of that kingdom, but right on the fringe of the light there is still darkness. Will the faithful receive the rewards of living and ruling right beside the Lord for that 1,000 years, while the unfaithful are placed further and further from the Lord, out on the fringes of His light, as a temporary chastening for their "armchair" unfaithfulness?

We see examples of this in the parables of Jesus and in the words of Paul. Remember the unprofitable servant who was cast into outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30)? He was considered a servant of the Lord, but an unprofitable one…perhaps an "armchair" servant. Why is he cast into what we have always called "hell"? Or is it something other than hell? Why does the "outer darkness" put me in mind of the "outer court" of the temple?

And what about the children of the kingdom who are also cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12)? The kingdom referred to is the kingdom of God; who then are the children of the kingdom and what then would cause these children to be cast out of the kingdom? Matthew 13:38 tells us who the children of the kingdom are (they are not the Pharisees and religious leaders that Jesus so often rebuked). Is this weeping and gnashing of teeth a permanent thing or a temporary thing?

In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Paul speaks of the fire that will test each man's work. Fire, symbolic of judgment, will "prove" the works. For the man whose work does not survive the fire "he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved: yet so as by fire." What is the loss that he will suffer, and does the Word really mean "suffer"? I think it does. "As by fire" implies purging or purifying which implies some sort of discomfort at best. These are hard truths that we have to be aware of and take seriously, rather than gloss over them.

Beware of the tendency to make light of the things of God: "But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise….but when the king heard thereof, he was wroth" (Matthew 22:5-7). Even this parable again speaks of outer darkness and weeping and gnashing of teeth. Could the weeping and gnashing of teeth be caused by a terrible sense of loss and regret; of being able to see that glory of the Lord but not enjoy it for some period of time, all because they chose comfort instead of suffering? It is interesting that whenever the phrase "outer darkness" and "weeping and gnashing of teeth" occurs, it is always related to servants of the kingdom, not necessarily the lost; while other terms like the "worm that never dies" and "unquenchable fire" don't seem to be used related to servants of the kingdom, but to those who reject God completely. Perhaps the "outer darkness" is just beyond the walls of the millennial kingdom, while the "unquenchable fire" is hell.

But the point of all of this is not to determine here and now which doctrine is right; although much study should be given to these points by any faithful Christian. The point here is to recognize that our works are vitally important. That we need to have a biblical vision of hell as well as that biblical vision of "suffering loss". The first will propel us forth to reach the lost (something I confess that I have not been very faithful in); the second will propel us (as has been on my heart for many years now) to reach those in the church who are not building properly or not building at all on the foundation of Jesus they have received from God. While the Lord might have in mind for me to continue to reach those in the church who are not building with fire-proof materials, still, I believe He would have me sharpen my vision of hell for those that are lost as well. Both visions will keep us faithful in "doing" and will cause us to be building with fire-proof materials that will stand in the coming judgment.

Regarding all of these things and more, I hope to hear from the Lord specifically on my trip to Texas….and perhaps a bit longer. Signing off for a bit, but keeping you in my prayers.

Worthy to Escape

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36)

Who was Jesus talking to when He spoke the words above? It appears from what prefaces this passage in Luke that there might be many people around, not only his twelve disciples. But in reviewing corresponding passages in Matthew chapters 24 to the beginning of chapter 26, we find that in fact the twelve had come to Him privately to ask Him questions about what was to come (Matthew 24:3).

The disciples had already been told by Jesus (just before these words were spoken) that the day would come when the temple would be destroyed and not one stone would be left standing upon another. Can you imagine their shock at being told this? This great and beautiful temple was going to be destroyed? By whom and how and when and why? How they must have pondered that in their hearts for a bit before coming back to him, privately, and asking for more information.

As for me, just reading this scripture above causes me to seek the Lord also, to say what does this mean? Will I "be accounted worthy to escape", Lord? And what do you mean exactly by escape? How? By what means? And then I get deeper into the word and find other passages that speak of the same thing and I study them all and the definition of the words themselves. And here is what I have found.

"Accounted worthy": this phrase (or "counted worthy") is used five other times in scripture and in two of them it is preceded by acts of suffering or persecution, indicating that it is because of the suffering or persecution that one was "accounted worthy". Here are the five other scripture passages:

Luke 20:35: "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage." [Jesus answering the Sadducees about the woman who was married to seven brothers sequentially after the death of each preceding husband. Their question was whose wife she would be in the resurrection.]

Acts 5:40-41: "….. and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."

2 Thessalonians 1:4-5: "So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer."

1 Timothy 5:17: "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."

Hebrews 3:1-3: "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house."

Two of these scriptures speak of be "counted worthy" of either double honour (for the elders) or double glory (for Jesus) but the remaining three speak of either obtaining the kingdom or, in the case of the passage in Acts, working for the kingdom.

Now let's look at the word "escape".

Strong's concordance: escape: ekpheugo in the Greek. Means "to flee out of a place", as prisoners escape out of a prison. In other words, we will be in the midst of yet able to escape. Vine's dictionary says that in the authentic manuscripts the word "prevail" is used. So, perhaps, we will be in the midst of, but by prevailing we escape whatever will cause others to not be
"able to stand before the Son of man."

So now let's go back to the passage from Luke 21 that we began with that tells us to "watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." After looking at the three corresponding scriptures (excluding the one pertaining to the elders and the one pertaining to Jesus) in light of this passage in Luke, I don't think being "accounted worthy" is speaking about salvation which is our "justification" through Jesus Christ that allows us to approach God. It appears to me that being "accounted worthy" has more to do with our actions after we are saved.

In fact, it appears that being "accounted worthy" involves partaking in the sufferings of Christ through either physical suffering, or heavy persecution, or tribulations (those that are not brought on by our own disobedience.)

And if the word "prevail" is correct that Vines seems to indicate is more appropriate to be used in the passage in Luke, then we will be participating in those things that will come to pass (even as the disciples themselves did during the tribulations of their times).

The question is: will we be "accounted worthy" …will we be able to prevail….when those times come upon us?

We are a people of comforts. We become uncomfortable when our neighbors think we are "weird" for speaking about Jesus, so we try not to do it too often. We spend more time in the comfort of our homes and often in front of the television or computer than we do out in the world working for the kingdom. Even the poor among us manage to have a television that they can sit in front of for hours at a time. And while there are homeless people in our larger cities, they are but a tiny percentage of those of us who have a roof over our heads.

So, if being "accounted worthy" is not about being saved, but about our works after we are saved, what are we doing that causes us to be "accounted worthy? In what ways are we suffering for the kingdom of God? That is the question.

I recently read a book titled "Revolution in World Missions" by K. P. Yohannan. You can get this book for $1 on Amazon. Or you can go to www.gfa.org and get it for free. It is a good teacher of what it means to "suffer" for the kingdom. While you're on their website, look for videos about missionaries in places like Nepal and what they endure for Christ. And compare that to what you suffer for Christ, as I did myself.

Then you will have your answer.

 

 

 

 

Appointed Times – The Feast of Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles (also known as Sukkot) (Lev. 23:24): This feast occurs on the 15^th day of Tishri the seventh month (usually late September to mid-October), only five days after the solemn Day of Atonement. In the Bible it is also called the Feast of Booths as the Israelites were instructed to construct "booths" or temporary shelters (that they abide in for the duration of the Feast) made of branches of various types of trees, including the palm tree (Nehemiah 8:15-17) and it is considered a time of great joy.

The biblical requirement of this feast was for the Israelites to dwell in tabernacles or temporary shelters for seven day unto the Lord, as a reminder of their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness; a reminder of God's provision and goodness to them during the wilderness journey that was past and a time of thanksgiving for His provision of a successful harvest at the present time. This feast is one of only three feasts that require a "pilgrimage" to the Temple (the other two are the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks), many sacrifices were offered during these seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and all who came to the Temple were not to "appear before the Lord empty-handed" (Deut. 16:16-17); so tithes and offerings were brought along as well on this pilgrimage. It was during the Feast of Tabernacles that Solomon dedicated the newly built Temple to the Lord, and God responded with His Shechinah glory that descended from heaven and lit the fire on the altar of sacrifice. His glory filled the Holy of Holies. (1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 7:1-10).

Rainfall was vital to the successful sprouting of new crops at this time of year for Jerusalem and its surrounding areas; thus, part of the ceremony of the Feast of Tabernacles eventually became a visual prayer for rain – life-giving rain (I found no scripture backing this up, only Jewish tradition that says it happened so). It involved a pouring out of water onto the altar. It is fitting, therefore, that John chapter 7 speaks of Jesus' actions during the time of the Feast of Tabernacles (it would be valuable to read that chapter again after you've read this posting). It was during that time that Jesus revealed truths about the "living water" which is the Holy Spirit that was yet to come (John 7:37-39). When the Comforter arrived, along with Him came joy, such as is represented by this feast. Jewish Rabbinical writings connected the drawing of water to be poured onto the altar with the Holy Spirit:

"Why is the name of it called, the drawing out of water? Because of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit according to what is said: 'With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." (Ruth Rab. 4:7)

This final feast of the year is also known in Scripture as "the Feast of Ingathering" (Exodus 23:16) as it occurred after all the crops had been harvested and gathered. The prophetic future of this feast will be the day of final judgment when God gathers His people to Himself (Hosea 6:11; Matthew 13:30) and burns up the wicked like chaff and stubble (Malachi 4:1-2; Matthew 13:40).

The Feast of Tabernacles is mentioned in prophecy as a feast that will be kept by both Jew and Gentile in the millennial kingdom:

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain." (Zechariah 14:16-17)

Just as God dwelt in the wilderness tabernacle with the Israelites, so will His tabernacle be ever-present in the future kingdom:

"My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore." (Ezekiel 37:27-28)

"Then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain." (Isaiah 4:5-6)

But most interesting to me is that all three of the last of the feasts of the Lord, all awaiting future fulfillment by the Lord Himself, occur in the seventh month. Seven is seen biblically to be the number of completion. And with the fulfillment of this last feast, the Lord's work on behalf of His creation will be complete. Man will be restored to his proper place having dominion over the new earth and unbroken fellowship with the Lord.

Appointed Times – The Day of Atonement, Part 2

We left off, on the last posting, with a discussion about the time gap of Daniel 9:26.

It is during this gap of time that the "people of the prince" (this is an ungodly prince, therefore his people are also ungodly) destroy Jerusalem and the Temple (Dan. 9:26) which happened during the siege of Jerusalem by Titus and the Roman army in A.D. 70.

It is also during this gap of time that Hosea's prophecy (Hosea 5:15) is fulfilled: the Messiah returned to heaven to wait for the repentance of Israel. Shortly before Pentecost, during the time of the disciples, Jesus ascended into heaven, not to return again until the time of His enemies being made His footstool. In that last (70^th)week, the Lord will stand up in the great wrath of the Great Tribulation to execute His judgment upon the wicked, He will do battle against His enemies, and, at the end of the 70^th week, He will break the yoke of Gentile oppression from the neck of Israel (Ps. 2:9; Isaiah 9:4). He will establish His throne (Zech 14:9; Ps. 2:8), Israel will look on Him whom they pierced and they will repent (Zech. 12:10), the nation's sin will be dealt with, and the Lord will remember their sin no more (Isaiah 43:25; Jer. 31:34). Isaiah prophesied that spiritually the nation would be born in a day (Isaiah 66:8; Romans 11:26).

It is clear from scripture that the Great Tribulation is going to come about for the purpose of bringing the Jews to repentance once and for all. The 144.000 witnesses of Revelation chapter 7 are from the twelve tribes and will be witnessing to the Jews. There is some debate as to whether or not Gentiles will be saved during this period, or whether it will be Jews only. It may be that if the "time of the Gentiles" is fulfilled, then there might be no other Gentiles saved, for it will be once more be the time of the Jews, as evidenced by the 144,000 witnesses. Perhaps, however, it will be similar to the time of the Gentiles when the "elect" Jews were saved; perhaps only a few "elect" Gentiles will be saved during this final week. But whether or not either of these theories is correct, one thing is clear: Jews will be the ones the Lord sets out to reach during this period, regardless of whether or not non-Jews are also saved.

[Note: A key part of the Day of Atonement is that this was the only day, once a year, that the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies in order to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice upon the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. Thus, the Ark of the Covenant was seen only on Israel's national day of repentance. And we know that the original Ark of the Covenant was carried away into Babylon (modern-day Iraq) at the time of the destruction of Solomon's temple in 586 B.C (2 Chron. 36:13-21). Even the second temple ordered to be rebuilt through the decree of Cyrus (2 Chron. 36:22-23; Ezra 6:3) and restored by Zerubbabel (Zechariah 4:9; Ezra 3:6-11; 5:2), Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26), and Nehemiah (Neh. 2:5, 17-18) had no Ark of the Covenant in it. But the Word says that all of the furnishings of the earthly Temple were replicas of the true heavenly Temple (Hebrews 9:23); it is significant therefore that at the end of the 70^th week, the heavenly Temple will be opened and the Ark of the Covenant will be seen in it (Rev. 11:19).]

Thus, this final Feast of the Day of Atonement will be fulfilled by the Lord and the Jews will recognize the New Covenant that is through Jesus Christ. Israel's future Yom Kippur will occur when the nation with one heart says "Come, and let us return to the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up." (Hosea 6:1). And that will happen at the end of the 70^th week:

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)

One thing we know for sure, when Israel signs a peace agreement (the covenant of Daniel 9:27) believing that this great political and military power will guarantee the peace Israel so desperately longs for, we will know without a doubt that the 70^th week has begun.

The only question that remains for us Gentiles and the elect of the Jews that are saved already is: when will Jesus come back for His bride (the church)? Will we go through any part of the Tribulation period or will we escape it?

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36)

 

 

 

Appointed Times – Day of Atonement, Part 1

The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (Lev. 23:27): "Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls."

The scriptural "Yom Kippur" is translated into English as "The Day of Atonement"; kippur is from the Hebrew word kaphar meaning "to cover" so that atonement simply means a "covering". It is on Yom Kippur that an atonement (covering) was made for the previous year's sins. The atonement or covering consisted of a blood sacrifice of an innocent animal. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement (covering) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement (covering) for the soul." (Lev. 17:11)

While Jesus came and established the New Covenant, the nation of Israel erroneously believes that they are still, as a whole, living under the Old Covenant, not recognizing that the Old was done away with and the New Covenant of Jesus Christ took its place. The Old Covenant as suggested by the meaning of "atonement" was only a covering for sin; it was not the solution to sin. The sacrificial lambs offered on the altar of the Temple in OT days only "covered" men's sins (Hebrews 10:4); and even that was only a temporary solution and had to happen over and over again as it was not sufficient and not final. But the sacrifice made through Jesus' death was needed to be done once only (Hebrews 7:27), was eternally redemptive (Hebrews 9:12), everlasting (Hebrews 13:20), and totally sufficient (Hebrews 10:14) in that it is able to "take away" sin, not just "cover" it (John 1:29).

Except for an elected number, the Jews as a people or nation, rejected Jesus as Messiah, for they were blinded by the Lord for their disobedience (Romans 11:5-10); but the time will come when they will be saved (Romans 11:26-27).

Hosea prophesied that the Messiah (Jesus) would return to Heaven and await the day of Israel's repentance: "I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." (Hosea 5:15). This was done during the time of the disciples when Jesus ascended into heaven as the disciples looked on (Luke 24:51). His return will be during or at the end of the 70^th week of Daniel's vision (Daniel 9:24).

Daniel's vision of "seventy weeks" (70 sabbath years; or 70 years x 7 = 490 years) was fulfilled through the 69^th week. We know this because the Messiah, according to Daniel 9:26, would be "cut off" (executed/crucified) AFTER the end of the 69^th week. I found two websites that do a good job presenting different points of view concerning the calculation of this prophecy of seventy weeks. Although the first one given is the more popular one amongst the teachers I listen to on the radio or whose works I read, still the second one seems to be right to me according to a simple reading of scripture:

http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/weeks.htm http://www.biblicalstudies.com/bstudy/eschatology/daniel.htm

There is clearly a "gap" of time within the prophecy of Daniel that occurs between the time of the "cutting off" of the Messiah (which is after the end of the 69^th week) and the beginning of the final 70^th week. This is seen in Daniel 9:26. The Messiah is crucified (approx. 32-33 A.D.), but the city and sanctuary (Jerusalem and the Temple) are not destroyed til 70 A.D. That alone is a gap of over 30 years at the least (depending on the calculation methods linked to above). But still in verse 26 there is another gap of time between the destruction of "the city and the sanctuary" and the "flood" that is to come. This "flood" indicates an outpouring of God's wrath, not an actual world-wide flood, for God promised He would never do that again. The flood is still, however, highly symbolic of His wrath and judgment.

So far this gap of time or "time delay" as I think of it, is over 2,000 of our calendar years long. The delay was due in part to waiting for the nation of Israel being gathered together into the promised land where temple sacrifices could again commence (after which time the anti-christ figure will cause them to cease and will create the abomination of desolation). That Israel became a nation in 1948, gathered together from all parts of the world into their own land again was necessary. But the additional delay, according to prophecy, is that the time of Gentiles must be fulfilled (Luke 21:24). There was never a length of time specified for that; most likely because God's mercy on us in delaying His wrath is immeasurable. For once the prophetical clock begins again and the 70^th week commences, there will only be a very brief 3 and a half years** before the period known as the Great Tribulation begins.

More on the Day of Atonement in the next posting.

** The latter half of the 70^th week, or the Great Tribulation period, is seen in other scriptures:

• 3-1/2 years: Daniel 7:25; 12:7;
  
• time, times and half a time: Rev 12:14
  
• 42 months: Rev. 11:2; 13:5
  
• 1,260 days: Rev. 11:3; 12:6

Appointed Times – The Feast of Trumpets

There are three fall feasts, but today's posting will be about the Feast of Trumpets only, as there is so much to be seen in the coming fulfillment of this feast that it will occupy the entire posting.

The Feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah (Lev. 23:24): occurs on the first day of Tishri, the seventh Hebrew month (mid-September to early October). The Biblical name in Hebrew is Zikhron Teruah or "Memorial of Blowing", signifying the blowing of trumpets, whether shofar or silver trumpets, which was done in the Temple and all throughout the land of Israel. Rosh Hashanah, the name given to it in the second century AD means "The Head of the Year" and became the Jewish New Year. Scripturally, it is a one-day feast. However, since the Diaspora (the dispersing of Jews out of their land into other places) the holiday is celebrated for two days; mostly having to do with the difficulty of determining precisely the correct date of the New Moon on which the holiday is based. It is the only holiday that occurs specifically at the New Moon when the moon is obscured and only a very thin crescent of light shows. All other feast days occur when the moon is bright.

Here's one of the key points, in my mind at least: in the nation of Israel, trumpets had several uses: a) gathering an assembly before the Lord (Numbers 10:2-3), sounding a battle alarm (Numbers 10:9, Neh. 4:18-22, Ezekiel 33:3-6); and announcing the coronation of a new king (which was done with a shofar, ram's horn: 1 Kings, 1:34, 39; 2 Kings 9:13; 2 Kings 11:12-14; 2 Samuel 15:10). Trumpets were blown for burnt offerings or for peace offerings (Number 10:10). All three of which will happen at the Lord's second coming.

Here's another key point: the ten-day period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) are called, in Jewish Tradition, the "Days of Awe." It is believed that God reviews the books of judgment on Rosh Hashanah and metes out final judgment on Yom Kippur. Many believe the Lord will "fulfill" this and the remaining two feast days at His second coming. Jewish tradition holds a similar view: "In the month of Nisan [at Passover], our ancestors were redeemed, and in Tishri [Rosh Hashanah], they will be redeemed in the time to come." [Taken from Rosh Hashanah 11a of the Talmud.] This fest day is a dark day because of the New Moon. Listen to this scripture from Zephaniah 1:14-18: "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." The Lord's second coming will bring judgment. Six of the seven trumpets of Revelation chapters 8-11 bring judgment, while the seventh announces the coming King.

And, there is this: the first time God descended from heaven to Mount Sinai with Moses and the Israelites is recorded as this in Exodus 19:18-20: "Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire…and when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai." And we know that when the Lord returns He will stand on Mount Olivet and the day will be obscured – neither dark nor bright: "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley, and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south…..and it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark; but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." (Zechariah 14:3-7)

All of which will be heralded or announced with the last trumpet: "Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) "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. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

If you are like me and are watching for the Lord's return, you should be listening for the sound of the trumpet for I believe we will hear it just before He arrives, as it announces our Lord and King whose kingdom will reign forever and ever. Amen.

 

Appointed Times – Spring Feasts

There are seven Jewish holidays listed in Leviticus 23, each of which occurs annually and all of which are known as "feasts of the Lord" (Lev. 23:4); four take place in the spring months each year, three take place in the fall months. The Hebrew word translated "feasts" means appointed times, indicating that God has orchestrated both the sequence and the timing of these feasts for His purposes. The feasts are also called "holy convocations" (Lev. 23:3); meetings between God and man for "holy purposes." These holidays fall according to the Jewish lunar calendar that consists of approximately 354 days per year; meaning they do not occur on the same date each year according to our Gregorian calendar, but are dictated according to the Jewish or Levitical calendar only.

But what you might not know is that these feasts meet up with the Messiah, Jesus Christ, specifically at key events in His life and ministry on earth as well as in future events. In fact, because He fulfilled the law, and because the feasts were part of God's law to the Israelites, Jesus also became the ultimate "fulfillment" of the feasts; at least He did for the four spring feasts. The three fall feasts have not been prophetically fulfilled by Him….yet! All of which shows once more how the Old Testament, even in the feasts, points to the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

The names and descriptions of the four spring feasts are:

Passover (Lev. 23:5): occurs in spring on the 14^th day of Nisan (March/April). There was only one Passover (in Egypt) and all Passovers since then have been memorials of that one. In exactly the same way, there was only one event in which Jesus Christ shed his blood for us, dying on the cross for our sins. The Lord's Supper is the ongoing memorial of that event. Jesus thus became the ultimate fulfillment of the Passover, for He was THE Passover Lamb that the first event in Egypt pointed to; whose blood was shed to keep the curse of death away from us (John 1:29). "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7).

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6): begins the very next day after Passover, on the 15^th day of Nisan and lasts for 7 days during which time the Israelites were to eat unleavened bread, bread without leaven (what we know as yeast). Biblically, leaven represents error that leads to sin: "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees" (Mt. 16:6, 11; Mark 8:15). And it represents sin. In the case of the Corinthian church Paul rebuked and warned them of what would come as a result of sin that remained unjudged in their midst "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6). Sin is corruption of the spirit and soul resulting in death; death is a corruption or decaying of the body. But Jesus, whose body became our Unleavened Bread (Bread without sin), again became the ultimate fulfillment of this feast in that being without sin His body also did not decay in the grave as others would have. "You will not leave my soul in Hades [sheol], Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption [to decompose in the grave]" (Acts 2:27; Ps. 16:10) Seven is the biblical number for perfection and completion. Thus the 7 days of eating unleavened bread pointed to the perfection of God found in Jesus Christ, a man without sin; the perfect completion of this and of all the feasts.

The Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:10): occurs on the second day of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, or the 16^th day of Nisan, and speaks of the gathering of the barley harvest of which the first sheaf (firstfruits) is presented to the Lord in a wave offering to be accepted by Him. These first three feasts of spring are so tied in together, they almost become as one. Day 1 is the Passover, Day 2 is the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Day 3 is the Feast of Firstfruits. Let me put it another way, Day 1 Jesus Christ became the Passover Lamb for us, Day 2 His slain body was laying in a tomb but not decaying because He was without leaven or sin, Day 3 He was resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits. Jesus was the Firstfruits of the harvest of God. "But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfuits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Cor. 15:20). The bible speaks of others who were raised from the dead, but they all died again at some point. Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead, incorruptible, never to see death again. Thus Christ fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits.

The Feast of Weeks (also known as Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-16): the Israelites were to count seven weeks from Firstfruits (49 days) and then the next day (the fiftieth day) would be the feast known as Weeks, or "Shavuot" in Hebrew. On our calendar this would occur in either late May or early June. The Israelites were to bring to the temple on this day two wave loaves of fine flour baked with leaven representing, according to Paul, the Jew in the one hand, and the Gentile in the other: "for He himself is our peace, who has made both [Jew and Gentile] one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation…to create in Himself one new man from the two [Jew and Gentile] thus making peace." (Eph.2:14-15). Both having leaven for neither have yet to be fully sanctified. From the two Christ is calling out the church, which is His body. And He did this commencing on the fiftieth day after His resurrection: the Day of Pentecost (Book of Acts).

That completes the list of those feasts which Jesus Christ has already fulfilled. Tomorrow we will look at the remaining three fall feasts which are awaiting fulfillment by the Messiah.

 

The Prophetic Year of Jubilee

It has been said that there are no coincidences where God is involved. The hundreds of recognized prophecies that fill the Bible (plus how many more that we don't yet recognize as such) attest to the truth of that saying. And the Year of Jubilee, along with all the "feasts of the Lord" (Lev. 23:4) are clear examples of "appointed times" [the Hebrew meaning of the word "feasts"], and are in fact, extremely important in terms of prophetic timing of prophetic events. Tomorrow we'll look at the prophetic feasts; today we want to study the Year of Jubilee.

The Jubilee Year was also a Sabbatical year, or a year in which the land was to rest (Lev. 25:11). In its early years, the Israelites did not obey God's command to honor the Sabbath, and so Israel was sent into Babylonian exile as God had forewarned would happen if they did not obey: "then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land" (Lev. 26:34). That captivity lasted 70 years: "until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths" (2Chronicles 36:21). Thus the people, once free again and restored to the land, covenanted with God to keep the Sabbath and the Sabbath years faithfully (Nehemiah 10:31). This confirms the importance of those things God puts into place.

Concerning the Year of Jubilee, we've already seen that wonderful things happen in it: the trumpet (shofar or ram's horn) was blown to pronounce the commencement of the Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:9); all bondslaves were set free (Lev. 25:39-54) in unconditional liberty; and all land was to be returned to its original owner (redemption) preserving the inheritance of the chosen people of God (Lev. 25:13, 23-28 and Numbers 36:4-7). The Jubilee Year was initiated by God to prevent oppression in Israel; and to proclaim that God was Sovereign King of the universe, owning both the people and the land.

The only problem with the Year of Jubilee is that in our own times no one knows when it is…exactly. The Jubilee calendar began approximately 40+ years after the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, upon their taking possession of the promised land of Canaan. But the tracking of the calendar was disrupted when the 70-year Babylonian exile began. And when the 12 tribes split up (1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10) to become Israel in the north and Judah in the south, no one knew whether or not the Jubilee Year was to continue to be observed since the biblical command was for "all the inhabitants thereof" (Lev. 25:10) and those inhabitants were now scattered. The ultimate "scattering" came later in 70 A.D. (Luke 21:20-24) and even though many centuries later, Israel is "home" again, where exactly is this Jubilee year on the Hebrew calendar now? No one knows for sure. It appears to have gone the way of the Ark of the Covenant…hidden from view for the time being.

This of course brings much speculation as to how important the role of the Year of Jubilee might be in future events. Imagine, the trumpet sounds, Jesus returns, the world is delivered once and for all from evil, and God's kingdom is established permanently on the earth. Sounds like all of that should happen in a Jubilee Year; a year where oppression ends and restoration begins. But the Bible doesn't specifically say so.

Thus, there are many many different attempts going on to determine the timing of the Jubilee Year, hoping to predict the year of the Lord's return; done by those folks who just insist on ignoring Jesus' words about no one knowing when He would return, not even Himself….for only the Father knows. (Matthew 24:6)

It isn't really the timing of the Jubilee Year that is important prophetically; it is the future fulfillment of the Jubilee Year, especially as it concerns the Jews. For the sounding of the shofar will signal the end of the oppression of Israel. King David holds the title deed to the Temple Mount, but the Jews aren't allowed to worship on it, because of the domination of Israel by Gentiles as predicted by Jesus; domination that will only get worse!

Soon, an evil Gentile ruler will "exalt and magnify himself above every god, [and] shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods" (Daniel 11:36) and will bring terrible persecution upon Israel "A time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation. Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered." (Daniel 12:1)

The Messiah, Jesus, will deliver Israel, but not before Israel has repented (Romans 11 and Hebrews 8:7-13)). Then, and only then, will the shofar sound and the Year of Jubilee begin. The land will be restored to its rightful owners, the chosen people of God, and once and for all they will be free to worship the Lord on the land He provided to them: "So shall it be on that day: The great trumpet [shofar] will be blown: They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcast in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." (Isaiah 27:13).

"The Lord god will blow the trumpet…the Lord their God will save them in that day, as the flock of His people. For they shall be like the jewels of a crown, lifted like a banner over HIS LAND." (Zech. 9:14-16)

The land that God owns, the same land that God gave to Abraham and his descendants "as an everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8), will finally find Jubilee rest. And God's people will find Jubilee liberty.

"And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid:
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it." (Micah 4:3-4)

What a year that will be!

Redemption of the Land

If you read the comments at the bottom of the last posting, you would have seen those of GW, a frequent (and encouraging) contributor to this blog. She offered some very eloquent scriptures from Isaiah and Revelation that tell of future events when God would destroy those who destroy the earth leaving very few men left on it. While these scriptures spoke to the Israelites of the consequences of their disobedience to God's law, these same scriptures also speak to us of a future nuclear war.

It just so happens that my husband and I just last evening watched a movie at home titled "On the Beach" in which nuclear warfare has destroyed all of America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, in fact, everywhere except Australia. Seems someone put a nervous and hasty trigger finger on their nuclear bomb which caused all the countries to react in kind. But, in the movie, the radiation cloud is fast approaching Australia and everyone knows it. Soon, within 4 or 5 months at most, there will be no one left on earth. There is no escape. What was done cannot be undone, and there is no safe place left on earth. All will die.

Not exactly scriptural, but the movie certainly causes you to think about some things, especially as everyone was taking a little pill to end it all rather than deal with death by radiation. But then that subject would be another posting altogether; for example, about whether or not man has the right to choose which way he dies. We could take Masada as a very real example. (If you aren't aware of the events that happened at Masada in Israel, just Google "Masada" and you'll get the full story.)

But the other issue that the movie would cause us to ponder is that man is certainly capable of destroying not only himself, but the even the earth as well. In the movie, one man asks who would ever inhabit the earth again once they were all gone…and jokingly answered his own question, "Maybe men from Mars." The scientist sitting nearby gloomily responded, "I wouldn't advise it for a very, very long time."

I do believe that the nations of this world will do battle and cause the earth to be enveloped in a cloud of nuclear radiation, both the earth and its atmosphere corrupted beyond repair; which is why (possibly) God will destroy both the heavens and the earth and begin again with a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). But that really isn't what this posting is about. So let me move on.

As well as the prophecies of Isaiah and Revelation, GW also offered other scriptures (Leviticus 25:23-24) that spoke of "redemption of the land" and that caused me to dig a little deeper to understand what that phrase actually meant. So I went to the 25^th chapter of Leviticus, and read it all. And what was just before the scripture about "redemption of the land" was of vital importance in understanding the use of the terminology. So let's look at that for a moment. (I will add that even these scriptures are prophetic in nature, as you will soon see.)

Leviticus 25 tells us about both the Law of the Sabbath Year and the Law of the Year of Jubile.

The Law of the Sabbath Year:

"And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit therefore; but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed, for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you…." (Leviticus 25:1-6)

Obedience to God in this treatment of the earth that He provided to Israel would result in "meat" for the Israelites; but how exactly were they to eat if they couldn't harvest anything? To which the Lord responds:

"And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years." (Lev. 25:20-21)

In other words, be obedient to God's Word, and God Himself will take care of the rest. There is nothing to fear and nothing to worry about. Just be obedient and God will provide. Thus God, who owns the land, instruct us who are "stewards" of it, how to care for it. This scripture does, indeed, speak of "creation care". But it is not the same as "redemption of the land."

The Law of the Year of Jubile:

"And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which growth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field…." (Lev. 25:8-12)

"the land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession. But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession." (Lev. 25:23-28)

Redemption of the land, therefore, did not mean preserving mineral resources or "sabbath rest"; it meant returning the land to its rightful owner, even through another member of the family (a kinsman redeemer). Redemption was not cheap; it cost! A price had to be paid in order for the land to be redeemed. The Lord will see to it that "redemption" is paid for the land that man "sold." This is prophetic in nature as well, pointing to Jesus Christ, our own kinsman redeemer (See The Book of Ruth) who paid the price for our very lives. For not only does the land belong to the Lord, but the rightful inhabitants of the land belong to Him as well…and sovereign God that He is, He will redeem them both.

But I believe there is another prophecy within the scriptures about the law of the year of Jubile. We will look at it tomorrow.

 

Eternal Destination: Earth

There is a difference between heaven and the kingdom of heaven on earth. There are many who will actually see heaven. They will be those who meet the Lord in the air during what is known as the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) as well as any who have died (granted, of course, that they are saved). These will see heaven (Matthew 24:31). But never are we told that we will remain forever in heaven. That's because heaven is not our eternal destination: earth is. Ruling and having dominion over the earth WAS God's plan for man….and the Bible says nothing about that plan having changed.

After the battle of Armageddon, the Lord will remain on earth (the earth we know now) for 1,000 years, known as the millennial period (Rev. 20). After that 1,000 year reign, God will destroy the earth and re-create it: a new heaven and a new earth.

And on that new earth will be the continuation of the kingdom of "the God of heaven" that was begun at the first coming of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, a kingdom which will never end:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44)

Thus it is known as the kingdom of heaven, meaning it came FROM heaven, or more specifically from the God OF heaven, not that it is IN heaven.

Many want to see heaven, but the kingdom of heaven that will continue in a city called the New Jerusalem (Revelation chapter 21) will have God in it always with us here on earth, with no sun or moon needed as the glory of Jesus will be the only light. Can anything be better than that for those who love the Lord? There are books written that attempt to biblically describe what "heaven" will be like, but what we need to remember is that "heaven" will be the "kingdom of heaven" established forever more on this earth.

Knowing that earth is our destination what should our response be in terms of caring for the earth? Do we "go green"? Do we recycle and reclaim and re-create the current world into one that is a far better world for our children and grandchildren to live in?

Well, the answer to that is simple: "We ought to obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29)

In order to do that we must be sure that we "trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths," (Proverbs 3:5-6). In other words….we must find out what God has to say about the earth and what He commands us to do regarding the earth, and then do whatever that is.

So let's start with a promise of God given after the flood:

Genesis 8:22 "while the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease."

Before global warming was found to be only the creation of man's vain imagination, the Word of God had already declared it to be false. Nothing can be true that any scientist or politician or anyone else can come up with that refutes the Word of God. It's very simple. There is nothing that man can do (or not do) that will cause the earth to not have changing seasons and changing temperatures. Unfortunately for those who still cling to the global warming agenda, the earth will not cooperate with them….not according to the Word of God….which is true and can be trusted…unlike other things in this world.

Now let's look at a command of God given to Noah and his sons (therefore their descendants also which is us) concerning the earth:

Genesis 9:1 "And God blessed Noah and his sons and said 'Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth."

The second scripture gives us our mandate concerning the earth…..we are to replenish it. Now, this does not mean replenish the earth's resources. It means replenish the earth's population….something that many nations of the world (including our own) want to decrease….for the sake of the earth. Harness the people, unleash Mother Earth!

I don't think so….not according to the Most High God whom we Christians serve.

The earth that folks are trying to save is one that has been cursed by God because of man's sin:

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

The earth that folks are trying to save is the one that is destined, according to the Word of God, to die or pass away:

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea."(Revelation 21:1)

"Green" laws will be passed on earth by a certain one who seeks his own kingdom on this earth and dominion over it:

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they [the saints] shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they [the saints] shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." (Daniel 7:25-26)

But when the Most High God is done, it will be only the saints of God (the saved ones) who will have dominion forever:

"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." (Daniel 7:27)

I see the "green" agenda as an opportunity to speak forth the Word of God…stating the situation from God's perspective….an opportunity to do what we have been commanded to do way before "green" became the agenda. And that is to be witnesses of the truth of the Word of God in every situation and to every man, woman and child; the most important being the thing that was preached about at my church on Sunday last, that:

"God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:11-12)

That's the agenda we have been set free to follow….I will not be quickly or easily bound to another just to "conform" to the social politics that are encamped around me. I need more proof that it is God's command to me.

So what DOES the Word say specifically about "creation care", as it is called by one Christian theologian and author, Dr. John. R. W. Stott? I haven't finished researching the Word for myself on this matter (there are over 900 passages that contain the word earth – I've only gotten halfway through those and so far the scriptures above are all that have had any bearing on whether to "save the earth" or not. Perhaps "stewardship" would be a better word to research. I would truly like to hear from you with scriptures that you believe tell us that we are, indeed, to "go green." Whatever your thoughts are, make sure you've backed them up with scriptures for me to see, as all of us good Bereans must try our best to do!

Learning from the Holy Spirit

I am always amazed at how the Holy Spirit speaks to me and teaches me.

This morning, it was as I was wiping down the inside of the microwave. We still have house guests from Germany with us, and while the microwave appeared to be clean inside, still, I managed to find a spot or two at the back that I thought I would wipe down.

In the normal course of a normal day, I wouldn't even have noticed those small spots most likely. But because we have company who also use the microwave, I stood at the open door of the microwave for a moment longer than normal and tried to look at the interior of it with a more scrutinizing eye. And thus, I found the spots.

That's when the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said "That's what happens when you look at people with the eyes of God. They deserve more than that first impression, that casual glance. They deserve a discerning eye, God's eyes of love, with which to see both the good and the bad. You think you see it all with your own eyes, but you don't. You can't. Only with God's eyes, in the Spirit, will you see all that you need to see. And only then will you know how to respond with God's love."

What a wonderful teacher! The same Spirit of God that is teaching me, is the same Spirit of God that resided in Jesus who taught in the same way that the Spirit of God teaches: in ways that are so easy for us to understand. Truths that transcend what we know and understand, while at the same time being applied in ways that we CAN know and understand.

But to really look at someone with the eyes of God, takes time. We must spend time quietly observing, quietly asking the Lord for discernment and wisdom, and then quietly asking for the ability to love as He loves.

I remember a biographer of Andrew Murray (b. 1828-d.1917) who said that when Andrew looked at a person, Andrew's eyes squinted up and appeared to be looking so deeply and intensely into the eyes of the other fellow, as though he could tell just by looking at them, whether or not Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior. Anyone knowing Andrew Murray, a teacher of how to surrender oneself completely to God, would have squirmed easily under such a stare, but not one who knew Jesus and knew how much Andrew himself knew Jesus. I think Andrew was putting into practice the gift of looking at others through God's eyes. And for him it worked. As it can for us if we will but take the time to do so.

After all, the commandment of Jesus to us is to love one another as God loved us:

John 13:34-35; Romans 12:10 and 13:8; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4"2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; Hebrews 10:24; I Peter 1:22 and 3:8; 1 John 4:7 and 4:12.

According to the scriptures above, iIf we aren't serving one another, in honor preferring one another, having compassion one of another, being full of pity for one another, being courteous to each other, loving one another with a pure heart (no matter how unloveable they may appear to be) then we know nothing about the love of God, no matter what our words might say to the contrary. We need to check our own hearts and repent.

Ephesians 4:24 "…put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

With the "new man's" eyes of God's righteousness and true holiness, we should be able to see each other more clearly….as well as ourselves.