THE INTERESTING INFORMATION CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
CONFIRMING BIBLICAL TRUTH
11/29/2023
SECTION 1 – INTERESTTING INFORMATION WEEKLY ARTILCLES
SECTION 2 – SUMMARIES/BOOK REVIEWS/SPECIAL ARTICLES/CHRISTIAN LINKS
Blue Letter Bible: http://www.blueletterbible.org/
INTERESTING INFORMATION MINISTRY
11/29/2023
The following material is provided for information purposes only. Any conclusions or opinions formed should be based on the principles as outlined in Acts 17:11. The material is intended for use as a witnessing tool and to keep you informed so you will not be unaware (Luke 21:34) of what is happening according to Scripture’s
DE
Ezekiel 34:2 “Shepherd, feed the flock”
“WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH” (LUKE 18:8B)
DAY 50: ISRAELI SPECIAL FORCES FLOOD LONGEST TUNNELS WITH SEAWATER! THOUSANDS OF MILITANTS DESPERATE
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus.” – Max Lucado
INTERESTING ARTICLES SUMMAR
· Interpreting terrible atrocities on Earth with Heavenly lens
· Praying for peace and justice in the Holy Land
· Hundreds of Gaza report Jesus appearing to them in dreams
· Revealed: Your own identity carries divine “Name of God”
· LIVING BY FAITH
INTERESTING ARTICLES
INTERPRETING TERRIBLE ATROCITIES ON EARTH WITH HEAVENLY LENS
The Christian Post – Nov. 9, 2023 -- When we witness terrible atrocities on earth, we must interpret them in light of the heavenly reality. Heaven is a palace from which God rules sovereign over all, and heaven is a temple where he is worshiped as he ought. This is the reality.
How, then, do these visions of God in his heavenly palace/temple impact our understanding of what happens here on earth? What is essential to recognize is that when God created the heavens and the earth, He intended for this reality of the palace/temple of Heaven to be extended to the earth. As Psalm 104 states, God stretched out the heavens like a tabernacle. God created the heavens to be a tabernacle of his presence. Further, as Isaiah 6:3 states, it is not just the heavenly temple that is filled with the glory of God, the whole earth is full of his glory. God created the earth not only as the kingdom realm of the sovereign King, God created the whole earth to be His holy temple, filled with His glory.
The garden sanctuary
Consequently, a biblical understanding of the nature of heavenly worship and its relationship to God’s plan in history must be situated in God’s intention for mankind as articulated in the creation narrative. On the sixth day of creation, God created man in His image, and God blessed him, saying,
"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
This blessing given to mankind at creation crowned him with rule over the earth, granting man the privilege and responsibility to subdue and have dominion over all things. “Subdue” (kābaš) and “have dominion” (rādāh) are royal terms, the former term later used to describe Israel’s subduing of the land of Canaan (Num 32:22, 29; Josh 18:1), and the latter term used to describe the Messiah’s future reign (Ps 110:2). Made in God’s image, man is given the role of God’s regal representative on earth. As Eugene Merrill notes, “Man is created to reign in a manner that demonstrates His lordship, His domination ... over all creation.” God is sovereign king over all creation, but He formed man in His image to be His vice-regent on earth. This is what David later describes when he says in Psalm 8:4–8,
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
The realm of this kingdom over which man was to rule as God’s regal representative was a garden God planted as his earthly palace (Gen 2:8). God placed the man whom He had formed in His palace, adorned it with rich food and gold, and put Adam to work:
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it"(Gen 2:15).
Yet here the language shifts from royal language to priestly language, revealing a second role man was to play in the garden realm. The phrase “work it and keep it” signifies much more than the duties of a gardener; rather, as Allen Ross explains,
In places where these two verbs are found together, they often refer to the duties of the Levites (cf. Num. 3:7–8; 8:26; 18:5–6), keeping the laws of God (especially in the sanctuary service) and offering spiritual service in the form of the sacrifices and all the related duties — serving the LORD, safeguarding his commands, and guarding the sanctuary from the intrusion of anything profane or evil.
In other words, the four verbs in Genesis 1–2 that describe man’s purpose in the garden indicate that God created man, not only to be his kingly representative but also to be his priestly representative. The garden was not only God’s earthly palace but also his earthly temple. God was present with His people in the sanctuary as He “walked” with them in the cool of the garden (Gen 3:8). Notably, the verb for “walked” (hālǎḵ) in Genesis 3:8 is used later to describe God’s presence in the tabernacle (Lev 26:12; 2 Sam 7:6–7). Man was supposed to “keep” the palace-sanctuary, that is, to guard and protect its purity, preventing those who would attempt to usurp God’s reign and defile His temple.
Thus, what God intended for man in the garden was that he serve as a perfect king/priest within what Meredith Kline describes as a “holy theocracy,” a perfect union between kingdom and cultus, between reigning and worshiping. I am using the term “cultus” here, of course, to refer to the public acts of worship performed by a religious community. Man’s regal work and his priestly work were unified in one kingdom/cultus, an earthly manifestation of the heavenly reality.
However, we know what happened. When the author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 8, which claims that God has put everything under the feet of man, he says in the next verse, “At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (Heb 2:8). Adam failed. He disobeyed God’s command to have dominion over creation by allowing a creature, the serpent, to be king. He failed to guard God’s garden sanctuary by allowing Satan to defile it. As the representative of all mankind, Adam failed to be God’s perfect king/priest, and he was exiled from the palace-sanctuary of God’s presence.
Adam’s failure did not end the universal sovereign reign of God over all things, of course, and many of the passages in Scripture that speak of God ruling over all refer to that continual, never-ending cosmic reign of God on his sovereign throne that Isaiah and John witnessed. All aspects of the universe still fall under the sovereign rule of Yahweh. Even Adam’s failure was part of God’s sovereign plan.
Nevertheless, Adam’s failure did end his role as king/priest, and God pronounced a curse upon Adam and Eve and all creation. Yet as part of his curse upon the serpent, God provided a glimmer of hope:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Gen 3:15).
God promised that one day a seed of the women — a Second Adam — would accomplish what the First Adam failed to do. He would crush the usurper’s head and cleanse the defiled Sanctuary, fulfilling the God-given role of the perfect king/priest.
PRAYING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN THE HOLY LAND
Charisma News – Nov. 23, 2023 -- As the horrific Hamas-Israel War is now well into its second month, one Messianic congregation in Jerusalem is asking for other believers in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and Savior of Gentiles, to join them in prayer for "our government... safety of our soldiers... the release of hostages... and the safety of innocent peoples affected by this war."
The radical Islamists of Hamas in Gaza decry the Jews as usurpers of the land "from the river to the Sea" (i.e. from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea). While shouting "Allahu Akbar" (an expression meaning "the God ALLAH is greater") during their barbaric assaults, they claim to acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as a prophet, but not as the eternal Son of God.
These terrorists have little tolerance for the "people of the book," who pray for peace and justice in the Holy Land. Instead, they threaten atrocious assaults--like Hamas committed on Oct. 7, 2023--"again and again and again" until Israel is destroyed and every Jew is eliminated.
Jesus of Nazareth is the Sacred Son of God
The name Jesus is Yeshua in Hebrew and means "Yahweh is Salvation," as the angel told Joseph, the future husband of Mary, Jesus' birth-mother: "Son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son and you shall call His name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20b--21, NKJV).
This is the gospel message of the apostle John: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...he who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:16-18).
Jesus boldly declared that He is the sole avenue of salvation. "...I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
Peter, the primary fisherman-disciple from Galilee, explained to the people gathered at the temple area in Jerusalem, at the Jewish Feast of Pentecost: "There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12; NKJV)."
Jerusalem is the City of Peace
From the times of the Jewish King David, Jerusalem has been considered a sacred site to the Jews. There, Solomon built the first Jewish Temple and there the Jews and proselytes to their faith worshiped the God of heaven and earth with sacrifices and offerings.
At Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified, buried and raised from the grave. From the Mount of Olives, just east of the city, Jesus later ascended to heaven and angels affirmed to His disciples He would come again (literally and physically) to that site, "in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
There, in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the assembled disciples when they were "all with one accord in one place...and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). As Jesus had told them before this, they became witnesses to Him "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Jerusalem is also revered by Muslims, as the place to which Mohammed supposedly rode some mystical, winged, horse-like animal on a fanciful night-time journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, as described in their holy book, the Quran. The present Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock, located on the previous platform site of the Jewish Temple, commemorate these claims.
This is also the place where Jews and Christians are urged to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" (Psalm 122:6). Christ Jesus is our peace, "who has made both [Jewish and Gentile believers] one, and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility [between God and mankind]" (Eph. 2:14-16; ESV).
Through Him, we have access by one Spirit to the Father! Let us boldly come to Father God, through Jesus, His Son, in regular intercession for peace and against the hatred and horrors around our world!
The God of Justice
We can have confidence that our sovereign God will ultimately right all wrongs in our world, because He is the God of Justice. It is an attribute that naturally flows out of His righteousness and holiness and all sin must be justly accounted for.
Sin separates us from our holy God. Romans 3:23 reminds us we all have fallen short of His glory and His holy designs and desires for us. Yet, later, Paul explained "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (6:23). Through the death of His Son, He has made possible the free gift of our forgiveness.
For justice to prevail, we deserve the consequences of the sinful wages we have earned. However, our God is "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (3:26). Because of our confession of sins and faith in the righteous results of his death, burial and resurrection, He has aligned us with His holy purposes and made us right (or "justified") in His sight.
Now, we must live as agents of this God of justice and focus our thoughts on those things which are true, honorable and right [just]. We must fill our minds with those things which are pure, beautiful and full of commendation--rather than condemnation (my version of Philippians 4:8).
There are occasions when our God of Justice must exercise His wrath. "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord, in Romans 12:19. Sometimes His wrath must be carried out in "just wars" through civil governments ("God's minister") to punish wrongdoers and re-establish right and justice (v. 13:4).
But first, "let us pursue the things which make for peace..." (14:19) and continue to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
HUNDREDS IN GAZA REPORT JESUS APPEARING TO THEM IN DREAMS
Charisma News – Nov.23, 2023 -- In the war-torn region of Gaza, a remarkable story is unfolding, echoing the biblical prophecies of the end times. According to Christian professor Michael Licona, more than 200 Muslim men have experienced life-altering visions of Jesus in their dreams, leading them to embrace Christianity.
Licona, a New Testament Studies professor at Houston Christian University, shared this extraordinary account through a Facebook post:
Quoting a report from underground Christian ministries in the Middle East, Licona revealed, "Last night, Jesus appeared to more than 200 of them in their dreams! They have come back to us to learn more from God's Word and are asking how to follow Jesus."
This miraculous event parallels the biblical accounts of visions and dreams during the end times. Acts 2:17 says: "In the last days it shall be,' God declares, 'that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.'"
These conversions are not isolated incidents, as similar reports surfaced before the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack. Assemblies of God missionary Dick Brogden emphasized the significance of dreams, stating, "Dreams are contributing to revelation ... the process of evangelism and conversion."
These spiritual events serve as a reminder of the biblical teachings about the end times. In Matthew 24:42, Jesus instructs, "Watch, therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord will come."
As believers, it is crucial to remain vigilant and faithful, sharing the message of salvation through Jesus. Despite the ongoing conflict, the transformative power of these dreams demonstrates that God's grace, love and mercy can reach even the most challenging circumstances.
Licona, expressing his perspective on the Israel-Hamas conflict, urged prayers for the war's end and the liberation of Palestinians from the oppressive influence of Hamas. This aligns with the Christian call to seek peace even with those who do not believe, as stated in Romans 12:18: "If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men."
In times of uncertainty, these visions serve as a beacon of hope, reinforcing our faith in the redemptive power of Christ. As we navigate the complexities of the end times, we can draw inspiration from these conversions and continue to share the love and teachings of Jesus.
REVEALED: YOUR OWN IDENTITY CARRIES DIVINE 'NAME OF GOD'
Mind-blowing biblical truth reveals not just your present, but glorious future
WND – Nov. 18, 2023 -- Answering ordinary questions such as "Who are you" or "What's your name" may seem trivial and mundane, but millions of people have little or no idea they're actually voicing the divine name of God when they utter the answers.
The fascinating subject was probed recently on the popular Bible TV show "Shabbat Night Live," as host Scott Laird interviewed Joe Kovacs, author of the new bestseller,
The pair investigated people's ultimate identity, and how every human being has a divine proclamation.
"Who are you? We all want to know who we are, our identity," explained Kovacs.
"And if somebody asks you, 'What's your name?' or 'Who are you?,' You would say 'I am Scott.' I would say, 'I am Joe.' It's a very simple thing, and everybody in the audience can insert their own name there. But the point is, that when you say your own identity, you are saying God's name first.
"Because you are saying, 'I am ... whatever your name is.' You're saying God's name first because God has used that phrase, 'I AM' to identify Himself.
"'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say ... I AM has sent me to you. ... This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation (Exodus 3:14-15 CSB).
"So, it's a memorial for how we remember God because you're saying it every time you say your name. Your own identity is already attached to God."
Kovacs went on to explain that God's presence in people's identity goes far beyond the present time, but extends into everyone's future.
"Not only is it attached to God now," he said, "once we're resurrected from the dead and become members of God's family forever, we're going to have God's name on us forever. Jesus says that. 'I'm going to write on them the name of my God (Revelation 3:12) ... and my 'Father's name,' (Revelation 14:1) because it's another way of saying that we're going to become on the divine level as children of God."
Laird agreed and then brought up the custom of women often changing their names at wedlock.
"And when we change our names for marriage purposes, there's something in there too, isn't there?" Laird asked.
"Absolutely," said Kovacs.
"Women change their name all the time when they get married and you might wonder how did this start. God started it because He is broadcasting the end from the beginning. I cannot overstate this Scripture enough. Isaiah 46:10, God says He's 'declaring the end from the beginning.' He's telling you the conclusion of the story right from the start. And the conclusion of our story, is that we, the bride of Christ if you want to think of it that way, the wife of God as Revelation calls us, we are going to be married to God.
"And so, we are going to change our name from human beings here in the flesh, to the very family name of God. That's when the name change comes. That's why brides change their name to the family name of their husband. God is our husband. He says in the Old Testament, 'I am your husband,' "I am married unto you" (Jeremiah 3:14).
"All these phrases are in the Old Testament and again they're previewing the very famous marriage, the most important marriage because we are the spouse of God. So, we get a name change from human beings to God beings. It says in the Old Testament, Psalm 82:6, 'I said, "You are gods,'" that phrase is in the Bible, you are Elohim. Because He's telling us the end right now."
LIVING BY FAITH
Do you struggle with doubts about God’s power? If so, the reason is probably because He hasn’t answered prayer as you expected. But that doesn’t prove He’s unable to do what you desire; it just demonstrates He had a different plan in mind. Living by faith isn’t a matter of expecting God to do what you want but of trusting Him to do what He desires.
Sometimes we may feel like the man in today’s story, whose son was possessed by an evil spirit. He struggled with doubts about Christ’s ability to heal people even though Jesus had repeatedly proven that He could. We can all identify with the father’s response, “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
At times even Christians experience some uncertainty regarding God’s ways, truth, or ability. Thankfully, when that happens He is gracious to us in our weakness. Yet lingering doubts can be a spiritual hindrance. Scripture says a doubter is “double-minded” and “unstable in all his ways” and should not expect to receive anything from the Lord (James 1:6-8).
To overcome doubts and walk confidently by faith, we must learn to know our Father’s character, ways, and desires through His Word. Then we will have a foundation for trust even when our requests seem unanswered.
In Touch Ministry
PRIOR ISSUE
INTERESTING INFORMATION MINISTRY
11/22/2023
The following material is provided for information purposes only. Any conclusions or opinions formed should be based on the principles as outlined in Acts 17:11. The material is intended for use as a witnessing tool and to keep you informed so you will not be unaware (Luke 21:34) of what is happening according to Scripture’s
DE
Ezekiel 34:2 “Shepherd, feed the flock”
“WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH” (LUKE 18:8B)
IDF RELEASES NEW FOOTAGE OF HAMAS INFRASTRUCTURES IN CIVILIAN POPULATIONS IN GAZA
REVELATION: ISRAEL-HAMAS END TIME MYSTERY
CHRISTIAN MUSIC VIDEO
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK – “We add to our problems when we fail to count our Blessings” – Our Daily Bread
INTERESTING ARTICLES SUMMAR
· 10 Blessings that will enrich your Thanksgiving
· Why Thanksgiving was never meant to be a one Day Holiday
· God’s power for restoration is for everyone
· Archaeologists uncover mosaic showing five loaves and two fish near sea of galilee
· Light before the sun
· AN ENDURING LIGHT
INTERESTING ARTICLES
10 BLESSINGS THAT WILL ENRICH YOUR THANKSGIVING
The Cristian Post – Nov. 22, 2022 -- With the avalanche of anxiety-producing stories in the news, aren’t you glad we can pause this week and express gratitude to God for our manifold blessings? Let’s consider 10 areas often overlooked that can cultivate the attitude of gratitude we need personally and in our families.
First, living in our increasingly secular society, it's important we remind ourselves and our families of the pertinent facts concerning Thanksgiving.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwells in Heaven."
The first Thanksgiving holiday was a joyous event celebrated by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims who enjoyed a plentiful harvest after their prayers and hard work redeemed a very difficult first year in America. Remember that the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact stating their purpose in leaving England to come to America was for religious freedom, not selfish greed.
As California passed Prop 1, many people expressed tremendous joy over this decision, but in reality, this joy over death is a jarring spiritual indictment against America. Imagine applauding the slaughtering of the innocent.
That purpose is clearly stated: "For the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith." Subsequently, they joined together for three days of prayerful thanksgiving to God for the harvest and the blessings He bestowed upon them.
It's important to review these facts with family members and guests, lest we fall prey to thinking this is just a day off for feasting, football, and Friday shopping prep!
As Christians, we always want to cultivate thankfulness in our lives. Recall how Jesus healed 10 lepers yet only one came back to say thank you. God gives us a directive, not an elective: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thess. 5:18). We need to develop the habit of giving thanks "in" everything, not necessarily "for" everything that comes our way.
Ten bestowed blessings
1. Thank God for sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life and then died the death we deserved in our place.
2. Thank God for the gift of freedom upon which America was uniquely founded. Ours is the nation that was established on the principle that "all men are created equal" and enjoy certain rights that do not come from a dictator, king, or government but from the living God.
3. Thank God for all the bountiful varieties of food we enjoy every single day. Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world. Fifteen million children die yearly, and 21,000 die daily because of this. One-third of the world is starving while one-third is underfed. Imagine if we had to search garbage cans for specks of nourishment to feed ourselves and our children.
4. Thank God for our health, medical technology, and personnel who keep us healthy. In the 90s, more than 100 million children died from illness and starvation alone. Yearly, more than 1 million children die from preventable diseases, like diarrhea and pneumonia, because they lack treatment we easily take for granted.
5. Thank God for our eyes and the phenomenal gift of sight. Jesus called the eye "the lamp of the body." Cover your eyes for a moment and imagine what it's like to live in darkness like some do. Would you take $1 million for your eyes?
6. Thank God for our parents and the promise that God gives: "Honor your father and your mother ... that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you" (Deut. 5:16).
7. Thank God for clean running water available in our sinks, washing machines, dishwashers, and toilets. More than one billion people lack access to clean drinking water, which yields sickness and complex problems.
8. Thank God for policemen, firemen, garbage collectors, 911 first responders, and others who protect us — especially men and women in the military.
9. Thank God for the wonderful gift of electricity. More than one-quarter of the human population does not have access to any electricity. What would life be like without the multitude of items in our homes powered by electricity?
10. Thank God for our teachers and education, whether it's public, private, or done at home. One out of every four children in America grows up without the ability to read. Sixty percent of inmates in prison are illiterate. What a blessing to have teachers and the gift of learning.
Here's the deal: It is so easy to take things for granted and to grumble and complain unless we catch ourselves and intentionally cultivate thankful hearts. The Thanksgiving holiday affords us a tremendous opportunity to nurture an attitude of gratitude. “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below.” Happy Thanksgiving!
WHY THANKSGIVING WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A ONE-DAY HOLIDAY
Charisma News – Nov. 2022 -- Thanksgiving is perhaps the most classic and well-loved of all American celebrations. It holds the annual reminder that thankfulness is the appropriate and necessary response to all we have been given.
What a rare delight that people across the nation pause for a rare moment to speak forth words of heartfelt gratitude! I don't know what your Thanksgiving table will look like this year, or who will be gathered around it, but would you allow me to barge in uninvited and share with you a few revelations that God has been sharing with me?
Thanksgiving is not a single day on the calendar. It was always meant to be a lifestyle; this amazing lifestyle is the unique and unmatched manner in which we are able to access the presence of the Father.
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise" (Psalm 100:4).
Perhaps you, like me, will savor the paraphrase of Psalm 100 in the Message Bible:
"On your feet now—applaud God! Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn't make him. We're his people, his well-tended sheep. Enter with the password: 'Thank you!' Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him." (Psalm 100:1-4, MSG).
Thanksgiving was never meant to be an annual celebration identified by pilgrims, pies, football and stuffing, rather it was intended to be the most accurate demonstration of an intimate relationship between humanity and their heavenly, generous Father. The only possible response is, "Thanks, Dad!"
And we must not wait for a month, or a day on a calendar to provoke this heartfelt thanksgiving!
Thanks-speaking is the language of the Father's family. We don't speak with words of complaining, in the tongue of lack or with the accent of griping. We are to be thanks-speakers every day of every year:
o I am thankful for my home, family and job.
o I am grateful for food, heat and a car.
o I am so thankful for friends who make me laugh, who keep me humble and who challenge my thinking processes.
o I am thankful for my Bible, for worship music, for prayers both answered and unanswered and for YOU, my Father!
Thanks-singing is yet another delightful discipline. It has the joyful ability to turn the dry and barren wilderness into a fruitful and lush garden of life. But, if you wait until you "feel" like singing, you will likely never sing again.
Feelings don't determine the frequency of our song, the depth of the harmonies, or the breadth of its audience. The song that fills the days of our lives is birthed in the heart of the Father's love for us. He loves me completely and unconditionally! He loves me extravagantly! That gives me something to sing about every day of every year!
When the arctic winds of January are wailing...God gives a song! When February 14th comes around, and relationships remain difficult and demanding, or your heart shivers from perpetual loneliness, He sings a love song into personal darkness and pain.
When winter stubbornly lingers into March and April, He sings of His vibrant power and we join bravely in the defiant duet with Him. Regardless of the changes that seasons might bring or the circumstances of life that knock on our door, the song remains steady and strong as the children of God sing with the saints of the ages,
"Great is Thy Faithfulness! O God, my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee! Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not. Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me!"
And finally...Thanks-living is what life is all about! The only reason you and I are still alive this year is to give Him more thanks, higher praise, and louder worship. We do not live for selfish ambition or for personal gain but we live to worship Him. We breathe for the singular reason of singing a love song to Him. We exist to write a new song of wondrous thanksgiving and glorious worship.
When you sit down at the Thanksgiving table this year to indulge in the laughter of family, the bounty of provision and the delight of memories, don't forget why you were created. You must sing the song that the pilgrims of faith first sang with gusto and with wholehearted joy. You are here to join in the symphony of praise of those who have gone before but who served with thanksgiving at their moment on eternity's calendar.
Our lives are the song that our good, good Father has been aching to hear this year.
GOD'S POWER OF RESTORATION IS FOR EVERYONE
Charisma News – Nov. 17, 20230 -- In the middle of life's busyness and chaos, it can be easy to miss out or believe that God's plan for our lives has been forgotten about or abandoned. What can be even worse is when we face tragedy or hardship, and the Lord seems to stay quiet. And yet, through the silence we can begin to see God do miraculous works so long as we stay still and allow Him to do what only He can do.
In the Bible, there are two stories in particular that show God's restorative power as He took two very broken people and brought healing and redemption to their lives. The first is Naomi's story from the book of Ruth.
Naomi, an older Israelite woman living in the foreign nation of Moab, lost her husband and later both of her sons. She told her sons' widows that they no longer must stay with her as she returns back to her hometown of Bethlehem. However, one of her daughter-in-laws, Ruth, refused to leave Naomi's side.
Instead, she pledged to stay with her and worship the one true living God, only allowing death to separate them. So, Ruth went back home with Naomi where she found favor with one of Naomi's relatives, Boaz, who allowed her to glean the grain from his field, while promising her safety among his young men and women. Eventually, Ruth and Boaz married, preserving Naomi's family line. Ruth and Boaz's son, Obed, was the grandfather of David, the lineage of which the Messiah would come to the world.
Sometimes when we cry out because of the circumstances we face, we have little to no idea of what God is about to do. Instead, He just needs us to act out in faith and believe that He will use all things together for our good. Naomi lost her family, yet God was able to not only restore her, but use the circumstance to bring the Savior to the world.
Another story we see in Scripture about the power of redemption and restoration is Job's story. Job was a man who was completely devoted to the Lord in every way. In fact, Scripture refers to Job as a "blameless and upright man who feared God."
Yet, Satan told God that the only reason Job was faithful was because God had blessed him. Knowing Job's heart, God allowed Satan to test Job. Job ended up losing everything—his family, his livestock, his physical appearance—everything that you can imagine. Job experienced pain at the highest level. He was tested beyond belief with His experience. He felt suffering and the reality that God had allowed this kind of turmoil to happen. And through all of these losses, Job repented before the Lord. He knew God was the creator of all, and His divine wisdom far exceeded Job's own human knowledge.
God used the pain and brokenness of Job's circumstances to draw him in. God gave him a new family, a new life, and he was blessed after this repentance. Scripture says that: "Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons and their sons to the fourth generation. So Job died, being old and full of days," (Job 42:16-17).
While we all experience tragedy, pain and heartbreak, the Lord is still good, He's still on the throne, and we can still trust that His sovereign will is perfect.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER MOSAIC SHOWING FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISH NEAR SEA OF GALILEE
Koenig’s Int’l News – Ju l30, 2020 -- Archaeologists working on the site of an early Christian church near the Sea of Galilee have unearthed a mosaic depicting five loaves of bread and two fish.
The mosaic was uncovered in the so-called Burnt Church at the Hippos-Sussita dig in Gennesaret, known today as Lake Kinneret, overlooking the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel, Haaretz reports.
One of Jesus' most famous miracles is the feeding of the 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish.
Alongside the bread and fish, the design of the mosaic incorporates pomegranate motifs. The Burnt Church was discovered by a team of archaeologists in July and has since yileded up some ceramics dating the construction of the building to the fifth century.
The building is referred to as the 'Burnt Church' because it fell into ruin after being ravaged by fire. In a stroke of good fortune, however, it was the layer of ash that protected the mosaic flooring over the following centuries from sun damage.
Dr Michael Eisenberg, co-director of the Hippos-Sussita excavation, is working at the site alongside Arleta Kowalewska. Both are from the Zinman Institute Archaeology at Haifa University.
Speaking of the site's close connection to the early followers of Christ, Dr Eisenberg said: "Looking down, they must have thought of the miracles and works of Jesus around the lake just below."
Mosaic floors have been uncovered in the nave, the apse and the side-aisles. Thanks to the ash layer, their colours remain vivid today.
The loaves depicted in the mosaic are all different colours, something Dr Eisenberg said may have signified different types of bread.
"There are definitely five loaves, not three or six. Their colors may reflect different types of flour, wheat and barley. Then there is the pair of fish on the mosaic in the apse," he said.
"The association that came to mind was the miracle of the loaves and fish."
LIGHT BEFORE THE SUN
Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
Creation Moments – Mar. 29, 2022 -- A frequent objection to the truth of Genesis 1 is as follows: If the Sun was not created until Day Four, what was the source of light on Day One?
As is so often the case, the answer to the question is not the first issue to be addressed. The first issue is always to see if there is a false presupposition behind the question. And there is! The assumption is that the light on Day One required a source.
Even today, light can exist without a source. Light is so fast, that we are used to thinking that a light turns on immediately when a switch is thrown and is extinguished instantly when the switch is opened. This is not the case. Light actually has to travel, but does so very, very fast. The speed of light is often measured by firing a laser at the Moon to reflect this intense light off one of the mirrors placed for that purpose by Apollo astronauts. The light takes about 1.5 seconds to return to Earth but does not need to be left switched on all that time. A sharp pulse a fraction of a second will suffice. The laser is then switched off, but the light continues traveling without a source.
On Day One, God set the light waves moving. He did not require help in doing so, and there is no problem understanding that He chose to place a source for that light on Day Four.
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
God's Word helps us clearly see where we are—and where we need to go.
Look at a light pollution map on the International Dark-Sky Association’s website, and you’ll quickly see how difficult it is to find complete darkness. But in the premodern world, people spent much more time in darkness. So today’s promise—that the Word can be a lamp and a light—would have had far greater impact before the advent of electricity.
God’s future kingdom is light-filled—“its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). As dim as our world sometimes seems, we need God’s light both to understand where we are and to see where we’re going. That dual sense is present in today’s passage.
God’s Word is a “lamp to [our] feet.” A lamp illuminates the area around it. Likewise, the Bible is essential for seeing and interpreting our emotions, relationships, and circumstances. Our own perceptions may be incomplete or unreliable, but the lamp of God’s Word reveals everything.
We also, however, want to move forward. The Word shines a light on the path, showing us where we’re headed. With God’s help, we may move in discernment, using the “wisdom from above” (James 3:17).
Whether you face difficult circumstances or have a decision to make, let the Word serve as a lamp and a light. You can trust God to help you see more clearly and move ahead without fear.
N Touch Ministry
THE GRACE THAT WE STAND IN IS MORE THAN WE DESERVE
SECTION II - SPECIAL ARTICLES/ BOOK REVIEWS
IN THIS SECTION:
· WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE? (WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS)
· WHAT’S IN A NAME?
· "BOB PIERCE - THIS ONE THING I DO" - A BOOKREVIEW/SUMMARY
· "THE HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE" - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
· "SIGNS OF THE TIME” - A BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE?
By D.E. Davis
For Christians, we are told in Scripture in 2Cr 5:8 that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. For those who turn away from God, we are told that they are eternally separated from God and go to a place called Hell. Rev 14:11 says that the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.
The question that everyone ponders is: What really happens after we die? Do we just lay dormant until the Lord takes us to be with him or until judgement is handed out at the Great White Throne as called out in Rev. 20:11? Are we conscience? Do we feel, touch, think, recognize loved ones, know what is happening around us? All questions that we have ask ourselves, no doubt, at some time in our life.
My own personal review of the Scriptures has led me to believe that after we die, even though our body may be dead and buried, our Spirit is alive and fully conscience. Chuck Missler likens this state of conscienceness to the software that runs the Computer; once the hardware goes, the software remains intact and available for further applications.
There are two illustrations in the Bible that makes it clear as to what happens after death, when we're in the spirit.
The first one is illustrated in the Luke account of Lazarus and the rich man in Chapter 16. After death, Lazarus, a man of God, is escorted into Abraham’s Bosom, a holding compartment in Hell for the Believers prior to the Cross. The non-believing rich man was "buried" and went into a separate compartment in Hell (Hades), apart from Abraham’s Bosom, where he was in Torment according to Scripture. Both were in a Spirit state; yet by the account, they could see each other and speak to each other.
The second account is in Revelation, where John is taken (in the Spirit) to Heaven to see those things that shall come to pass prior to the return of Jesus Christ to the Earth, or Second Coming (not the Rapture).
I had to conclude from the study, based on the following Scripture, that all of the senses we have here on earth will be with us throughout eternity, even unto death.
· THE ABILITY TO LOOK/SEE - Luke 16:23;Rev. 1:12;4:1,4; 5:1,2; 6:1,2,8,9; 7:1,2; 8:2; 9:1,17; 10:1,5; 13:1,2,3;14:1,6; 15:1,2; 16:13; 17:3,6; 18:1; 19:11,17,19; 20:1,4,11,12; 21:1,2,22; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO HEAR - Rev. 1:10; 4:1; 5:11; 6:1,3,5,6,7; 7:4; 9:13,16; 10:4,8; 12:10; 14:2,13; 16:1,5,7; 18:4; 19:1,6; 21: 3; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO BEHOLD ( to obtain knowledge of: understand: perceive) - Rev. 5:6,11; 6:5,8,12; 7:9; 8:13; 13:11
· THE ABILITY TO REASON - Luke 16:30
· THE ABILITY TO CRY (even though there will be no more crying in Heaven) - Rev. 5:4,5; Luke 16:24
· THE ABILITY TO SPEAK - Rev. 5:13; 10:9; 21:6,15; Luke 16:24, 29,30,31
· THE ABILITY TO FEEL/TOUCH - Luke 16:23, 24,25
· THE ABILITY TO REMEMBER - Luke 16:25
· THE ABILITY TO WONDER - Rev. 17:6
· THE ABILITY TO WRITE - Rev. 1:11; 10:4; 19:9
· THE ABILITY TO QUESTION - Rev. 7:13
· THE ABILITY TO TAKE (THE BOOK/ROD) - Rev. 10:8,9,10
· THE ABILITY TO FALL (ON KNEES) - Rev. 19:10; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO STAND - Rev. 13:1
· THE ABILITY TO WORSHIP - Rev. 19:10; 22:8
· THE ABILITY TO PERFORM TASKS - Rev. 11:1
God has promised in 1 Thess 4:16 and 1 Cor. 15:52,53 that one day, we shall be reunited with Him in body and will be transformed and conformed to Him - in the twinkling of an eye. We are also told in Scripture that we shall see Him face to face- see the Lamb that was slain for you and me. We know by His Word, that we will Praise Him, Worship Him and Rule with Him.
One thing in the study that I found extremely fascinating was the difference in treatment between Lazarus and the non-believing rich man. Scripture says that Lazarus was escorted to Heaven by an Angel, but there is no indication in Scripture about how the rich man arrived at Hell. Could it be that God had a specific purpose why He chose not to tell us in Scripture?
Finally, knowing that others may have varying interpretations of these Scriptures, I strongly urge you to review the Scriptures yourselves to determine what you find as the truth according to God’s Word.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
For those who wish you had some other name because you don't like the name you were given, you had better think twice. It is most likely that the name your parents picked out for you was not their choice but God's choice. Let’ s face it, the word of the Lord is true. That's why in Eph. 1:4, God proclaimed that He had chosen us from before the very beginning of the world.
If you follow the Genealogy of Adam in Genesis, Chapter 5 (*) you will receive an insight into what importance God put in names - It's an exciting message:
Genealogy Meaning
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enosh Mortal
Kenan Sorrow
Mahalalel The blessed God
Jared Shall come down
Enoch Teaching
Methuselah His Death shall bring
Lamech The Despairing
Noah Rest, Comfort
Now let us look at God’s Plan for Redemption:
"Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (but) the Blessed God shall come down teaching (that) His death shall bring (the) despairing rest."
Let us now look at the Genealogy of Abraham (*):
Genealogy Meaning
Abraham Predestination
Isaac Called
Jacob Justified
Joseph Glorified
(*) Source: Chuck Missler’s Briefing package: “A Walk Thru the Bible”
WELL YOU SAY! BUT THAT WAS ALL OLD TESTAMENT AND WOULDN'T BE APPLICABLE FOR TODAY - WOULD IT?
Well, let us see.................. As a Christian, did God not choose you by name at the same time he chose Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph - before the very foundation of the world? If God had a purpose for their name, would you expect anything less for your name since He chose you at the same time?
As a Christian, You ought to thank God daily that you, by your given name, was written in the Lamb's book of life before the very foundation of the world and that you will be a partaker in all the promises of Rev 21:27.
Within the last couple of years, researchers have found many startling discoveries through the use of super computers, specifically, hidden codes that God supernaturally placed within the Hebrew text of the Bible. Over 2000 years ago, the names of historical and current leader’s names were placed in the Bible. Such names as Adolph Hitler, Eichmann, Arafat, Peres, Rabin, Rabin's murderer Amir, Ben-Zion Netanyahu, Saddan Hussein, George Bush, Schwarzkoph, Peter Arnet (CNN), Timithy McVeigh, Bill Clinton.
Do you think that God would limit His calling out to just those who had a highly visible historical impact on this world? There is no doubt that He had a purpose in doing this, if nothing else, just to get your attention that He is the Creator; that He alone knows the beginning from the end.
It is my firm belief that as we advance further with our computer technology and peel back the layers of the Hebrew text of the scriptures, we will make many more startling and exciting discoveries. One being that God has written each and every one of our names in His Word.
HERE IS WHAT GOD SAID: Isaiah 66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain."
BOOK REVIEW by D. E. Davis (September 1997)
BOB PIERCE -"THIS ONE THING I DO"
By Franklin Graham with Jeanette Lockerbie
It is amazing the worlds that open up to an individual, once the Power of the Holy Spirit comes upon him. Just three years ago, where once I was blind to Missions, to all the inspired men and women God has called to service and the multitude of people all over the world who have been saved, new worlds are ever opening to me to see how awesome the power of God is in our Christian lives.
Such was the power and strength of faith Bob Pierce had in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is difficult for me to even attempt to assess where God has put Bob along with other past great men of the faith, but from what I read about his life with Christ, he certainly had his eyes focused on Jesus! I personally feel inadequate and humbled to even put in words, my thoughts about this man. Bob was a man Blessed by God. I feel sad that I never had an opportunity to know him, but look forward to meeting him one day in heaven.
If ever there was a verse of scripture that represented Bob Pierce, it had to be the title of this book as taken from Philippians 3:13,14 ".......this one thing I do,....I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ."
Bob was raised in Los Angeles and at the age of 12, gave his life to Christ and was baptized in the Nazarene Church. "God simply called me to give my heart to Jesus, and I followed Him." He died in 1978 of leukemia but lived his life for Christ in between in between those dates as if Christ was coming tomorrow and he still had to witness to the whole world before dawn broke. Throughout his career, he dedicated his life mainly to Missions and over the years was responsible for founding such World re-noun programs as "World Vision", an organization dedicated to meeting the emergency needs in crisis areas such as Korea after the Korean war. During that time of need, he established a Korean Orphanage, serving over 30 thousand Korean war orphans. Bob was also responsible for starting the World re-noun Korean Orphan's Choir. As an outgrowth of "World Vision" he founded "World Medical Mission" which covered all emergency medical needs in countries all over the world which had no medical facilities. He was also founder of "Samaritan's Purse" and organization dedicated to funding World emergency need, no matter where they were. These organizations are still meeting the needs of those in crisis today.
If his work through these organizations was not enough, he became a United Nations War Correspondent during World War II; was Co-founder for "Youth for Christ"; and became a Motion Picture producer/Radio program host, author and a lecturer, but first and last, he always considered himself an evangelist! Even though Bob knew that he was "extraordinarily gifted by God, he was never impressed with himself - he considered himself just an earthly vessel, available at all times for the exclusive use of the Lord".
In his own words, he had "many flaws, failings but had abundant faith in God who lives and cares about people."
If I had to pick four areas of the Christian life that I feel truly represented Bob Pierce, they would be 1) Unwavering Faith, 2) Compassion for others, 3) Obedience to God and 4) Commitment to accomplish the Will of God in his life.
From the Beginning, Bob knew his calling was for Missions to the Asian Countries. His first mission led him through Hawaii to Hong Kong and eventually to China. Getting to China was his first big test of faith - he had no money, even for the first leg to Hawaii. Bob held the opinion that God knows ones needs already and if He has called you to a task, He will provide and enable you - just move out! He did just that and went to the L.A. airport that day without any money in his pocket. His faith paid off as God provided the funding for each leg of his trip just at the moment he needed it. This was the norm rather than the exception throughout his career as an evangelist. What ever it was, where ever it was, if God called, Bob would act no matter what the circumstance......he knew that God would always provide.....and He did!
Bob had a compassion for the spiritually and physically suffering of the world. "He was the friend of the little people, the forgotten, the hurting, the maimed, the unheard and the unsung". Bob's theme was "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God". It was Bob's personal belief that "wherever you find men and women who really love Jesus Christ, you find the compassion of Christ spilling out of them to meet human need." Over the years World Vision, Samaritan's Purse and other organizations like them; one in particular, Mission Aviation Fellowship Pilots (MAF), who flew Missionaries around the world in crisis situations, helped so many helpless and needy men, women and children. They knew first hand the healing power of God.
Bob dared it all to be obedient to the Lord's call. Once he had in focus the mission that God wanted him to accomplish, he followed in Faith to bring the unsaved to Christ. It was his opinion that " If you are an ambassador, act like one!"- no matter where you are. Bob would bring to memory how other great men of Faith were obedient even in the face of death. During World War II, a young South Korean Pastor, Mr. Im was mistaken for a North Korean Communist and imprisoned. During his internment, he would go around camp singing "Jesus Loves Me" and other Christian songs. He not only uplifted and inspired other fellow Christian prisoners to come together, he brought many more to Christ. Together he and another prisoner, Chaplain Voelkel, established a Bible Study where over 6,000 prisoners finished a six month Bible Study. Six Hundred (600) of those finishing the Bible Study became pastors and came back to Korea to preach the Gospel. In another instance, he related how a Korean school teacher was put to death in front of his students because of his faith and obedience to the Lord.
To be an ambassador for the Lord "is one of the greatest things that could ever have happened to anyone - to let God put a fish hook into you so deep that there is no way of ever getting off the hook."
"Bob did one thing all of his life, and that was to lead people to the foot of the Cross where they would put their faith in a risen Lord Jesus Christ. He lived every minute completely amazed that God could use him. No matter how much he was able to do in how many places, it was never enough." This was the kind of commitment Bob made to Jesus; "to commit yourself, give yourself away to God irrevocably, forever. Say to Him, go ahead and burn me up. Spend me. Eat me up. Use me for you Glory." And that's exactly what he did.
Being a man of God was not always easy for Bob and he paid a high price. In one measure or another he had to forsake his wife, his family, his Mother and Father, his brothers and sisters and other worldly possessions to follow Jesus. He not only lost his health, he lost his Daughter, Sharon, to death.
Committing your life to Christ in a Godless society is never easy; many times you feel like you may be the only one putting your life, your self image, your social acceptance on the line. As Bob came to realize, ". Someone has to go and pay that humiliating price of literally letting your ego be stomped on- not just pushed in and suppressed, but laid out there for people to stomp on. We need to do this by the grace of God with love and patience: sow the seed on rocky soil, nurture it, and maybe never be applauded."
Committing your life to Christ really comes down to this; What really matters
to you in Life?
On his death bed in the City of Hope, Bob left us this one message - "I don't care what you have attempted. What you have succeeded at, or what has been your work in Christ's name while you are here on earth - only one thing matters when you have reached the last step before you go to stand before Christ:
- Did you tell men and women who Jesus is?
- Did you bring them to some comprehension of His redeeming love?
- Did you make it plain to them that He alone can pay their way to heaven throughout His atoning death on the cross?"
Such was the life of a man of God, Bob Pierce.
HIDDEN CODES OF THE BIBLE
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ACT 17:11 - Exhorts you to daily review the scriptures to see if what is being said is true
References: Grant R. Jeffrey - "The Signature of God"- RECOMMENDED READING
Other reading: "The Hebrew Factor" by Yacov Rambsel
Prepared by D. E. Davis
Daniel 12: 4 - "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
Here is undeniable proof, the third in the series, that every word, every letter and every punctuation in Bible text was put their by the inspiration of God. It gives new meaning to the words "increase knowledge". It's just one of the many signs, and without a doubt, the most exciting revelation that God said he would reveal to man in the "end time". As you will see, God has put his signature throughout the Bible, has revealed History before it ever happened, all through hidden codes that were supernaturally placed into text which was written over 2,000 years ago; which could only be found with today's computer technological advances. The codes are found in what scholars call "Equidistant Letter Sequences" or ESL. That is, each sequential letter in an encoded word or phrase was found the same distance apart numerically; The exact interval designed by God.
Actually, the discovery of hidden codes in scripture dates back to before WWI and it was not until 1988 that the use of computers were able to detect a significant amount of coding in scripture. Since then, the research that Grant Jeffrey and others have done has just exploded and new discoveries are happening every day.
Here is a summary of what has been found and outlined in Grant's book, referenced above. It is my understanding that he is in the process of writing another book to tell what he has found subsequent to "The Signature of God".
Luke 21:15 - " For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay (refute) nor resist."
Proverbs 25:2 - "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter."
THE SIGNATURE OF GOD
What follows is what most of the human race would find hard to believe. It unfathomable to think that the Hebrew Bible, containing 304,805 Hebrew letters, written by 40 individuals could contain hidden messages that if one letter was taken out of the text, one word was removed, the hidden message could not be revealed......yet the message has been sustained for over 2,000 years and has been revealed to man just as Jesus said it would be. Jesus has actually placed His name and other messages about Himself into text which proves he is the creator of all; King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
GOD'S SIGNATURE
God has personally signed scriptures throughout the Old and New Testaments in various ways. For example in the Old Testament, he has encoded his name, Jesus, in the following scripture:
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD FROM ANCIENT TIMES UNTIL TODAY
God has also encoded unbelievable detail about many of the things we read about and which touch our lives daily. For example, he outlines:
PLACES AND THINGS
· Gen. 2: 4-10 - The key word "Eden" was spelled out sixteen (16) times in the span of 379 Hebrew letters. The letters were all equidistant from each other.
· Gen. 2 - In this chapter which deals with the garden of Eden, scientists found encoded in the Hebrew text, Twenty-five (25) names of trees that were in the
Garden of Eden.
· Gen. 1:1 - Starting with the first appearance of the Hebrew letter "Tav", the word "Torah" was found every 50th letter.
· Ex. 1: 1 - Again, starting with the first appearance of the letter "Tav" and counting every 50th letter, the word "Torah" was spelled. Num./Deut. - In the book of Numbers the word "Torah" was found spelled backwards every 50th letter. In the book of Deuteronomy, "Torah" was found again spelled backwards, but this time every forty-ninth (49) letter.
NAMES AND EVENTS
· Holocaust
· Deut. 10: 17-22 - Beginning with the second to last appearance of the Hebrew letter "bet" in this passage, they found every Thirteenth (13) letter, the phrase "b'yam marah Auschwitz" which means "in the bitter sea of Auschwitz." Also encoded in this passage were the names of the other Nazi Concentration camp, "Belsen".
· Deut. 33:21 - Beginning with the letter (resh) that appeared in the Hebrew word "Yisreal," and counting every twenty-second (22) letter from the left to right they found the phrase "re'tzach alm" discribing the Holocaust, which when translated, means "a people cry murder, slaughter."
· Adolph Hitler
· Deut. 10: 17-22 - The word "Hitler" spelled out in Hebrew was found every twenty-second (22) letter.
· Deut. 33:16 - Beginning with the first appearance of the Hebrew letter "mem" and every two hundred and forty-sixth (246) letter from left to right you find that the coded letters spelled out the phrase, "Melek Natzim," which translates as the "king of the Nazis."
· Eichmann
· Deut. 32:52 - Beginning with the appearance of the first letter (aleph) and counting from left to right every six hundred and seventy (670) letters, the name "Aik'man" is spelled, which is the Hebrew form of the name "Eichmann."
· Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
· "Sadat occurred together with the name of the leader of the Moslem Brotherhood assassinating team that killed him.......it contained the year of his assassination, 1981, and the words "president," "gunfire," "shot'" and 'Murder".
· Desert Storm
· Beginning in Gen. 1:7 and continuing through the rest of Genesis, Grant Jeffrey indicated at the Prophesy Conference in Irvine,Ca. on 27 Sept. 1996 that they had recently found information in hidden code in scripture relating to Desert Storm. I believe more details will be available in Grant's next book.
· The French Revolution
· Gen. 39,41 - "Another passage in the Book of Genesis revealed a cluster of encoded words that deals with the French Revolution. The following words are clustered ogether" "Mapecha HaSarfatit" which spells "the French Revolution" in Hebrew, "Louis," the name of the French king, and the word "Beit (house of Bourbon,") his royal dynasty. In the same cluster were the following words: "Hamarseilles" (the name of the French anthem) and the word "Bastillia" (the infamous French prison for political prisoners........"
OTHER HISTORICAL INFORMATION
· Word pairs - "In their initial experiment, .......the scientists arbitrarily chose three hundred (300) Hebrew word-pairs that were logically related in meaning, such as hammer and anvil, or tree and leaf, or man and woman." ".....the researchers were astonished to find that every single word-pair had been located in Genesis in close proximity to each other."
· King David's Ancestors
· Gen. 28 - " Every one of the five Hebrew names of these ancestor of King
David (Pharez, Zerah, Boaz, Obed, Jesse) were found encoded at forty-nine (49) letter intervals, hidden within the text of Genesis 38".
· Famous Jewish Rabbi - "The Jewish people celebrate the memory of their famous sages by commemorating their date of death. Incredibly, the computer program found every single one of the sixty-six names of these famous rabbis embedded in the text of Genesis paired at significantly close proximity with their actual date of birth or their date of death."
IS THE HEBREW BIBLE UNIQUE TO GOD' S INSPIRED EMBEDDED CODES?
Grant points out that "The researchers attempted to reproduce these results by running the computer program on other religious Hebrew texts outside the Bible, including the Samaritan Pentateuch. .......the researchers could not detect word pairs in the Samaritan Pentateuch or any other Hebrew text outside the Bible. In fact, an exhaustive analysis reveals that no other Hebrew text outside the Old testament contains these mysterious codes, not even the Hebrew apocryphal books written during the four hundred years before the birth of Christ"
A WORD OF CAUTION
"No one can search the Torah using these codes to foretell future events. The reason is that it is impossible to extract the encoded information unless you already know what the future facts are." "The prophet Isaiah warned against false prophets and declared that only God can Prophesy future events accurately
(Isa. 46: 9,10).
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"Computer tapes are now available so that anyone with a computer can personally verify the existence of these codes beneath the text of the Scriptures.
As Christians, we can stand firm in the word and shout for joy. God has given us "the words and the wisdom that none of our adversaries will be able to refute or contradict", no matter how much they try!
PRAISE THE LORD!
SIGNS OF THE TIME
References: Grant R. Jeffrey - "The Signature of God"- RECOMMENDED READING
Prepared by D. E. Davis
June 10, 1997
Prelude
How do we know that Jesus is the one true God when there are so many religions, cultures and cults that claim that they serve the one true god? How about Buddha, Allah?
Scripture says that God alone knows the beginning from the end. The way that God establishes His authority is through Biblical Prophesy. There are over 500 prophesies that were prophesied over 2,000 years ago that have all come to pass. There are still some Old Testament that have yet have to be fulfilled (Daniel Ezekiel), but there has never been an event prophesied that has not come to pass in it’s time. 100% accuracy tells us that the God of the Bible is the only true God. No one else in the history of the world, living or dead, can make this claim.
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In Matthew 24:3, just before Jesus' ascension into heaven, the disciples of Jesus ask Him what would be the sign of His second coming. Over the centuries various groups have attempted to guess when Christ would return to the earth to claim His inheritance as promised throughout scripture. As we know, no one has been right yet!. God clearly states in Matthew 24:36 that no man, not even the angels, know the day or the time when Christ will return. Only God the Father knows.
This summary is clearly not another attempt to forecast this event. This summary does, however, attempt to provide an awareness of what is happening around you so that you will not be caught unaware. (Ref. Luke 21:34 and Matthew. 24:42).
ACT 17:11- Exhorts you to daily review the scriptures to see if what is being said is true.
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----------------------THE SIGNS OF THE TIME-------------------
Grant Jeffrey has done a wonderful job of providing critical information about events that are happening in this generation that all Christians need to know; Events that were prophesied over 2,500 years ago. Approximately 90% of the material contained herein was extracted and summarized from Grant's book. I highly recommend reading this book as it contains so much more that you will want to know.
THE REBIRTH OF ISRAEL
The rebirth of Israel was prophesied in several scriptures throughout the Bible. Isaiah 66: 8 predicted that Israel would be born again in "one" day. Ezekiel 4:3-6 and Levitcus 26:18 foretold the exact number of days that it would take Israel to re-establish themselves as a nation in the last days. ( The exact calculation can be found in Grant Jeffrey's book referenced above). On May 14, 1948, the Jews proclaimed their independence of the reborn state of Israel.....The exact day that was predicted over twenty-five (25) centuries ago.......No other ancient nation ever ceased to exist for a period of centuries and then returned to take its place on the stage of world history."
PRESENT ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
In Psalms 83:2-8, God inspired King David to predict that upon Israel's rebirth as a nation it would be immediately surrounded by their enemies. The modern names of those nations named in scripture include Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria....the nations that have now joined the Palestinians in their attempt to destroy Israel.
In Gen. 12: 3, God has promised to punish those nations that come against Israel. "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
RESTORATION OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE
When Israel was captured by Nebuchadnezzar in approx. 562 B.C., Israel was no longer allowed to speak the Hebrew language, but had to learn the language of the Chaldeans. The Lord predicted, however, through Zephaniah 3:9, that he would restore a pure language to Israel so that they may "serve him with one consent". It was in the early part of this Century that the Hebrew language was revived from the dead language. Today, Hebrew is a living language to over 5 million Israelis.
THE FERTILITY OF ISRAEL
In Isaiah 27:6; 35:7 and Joel 2:23, the Lord prophesied through these prophets that the deserted, unproductive, barren land of Israel would once again become productive in the last days and that Israel would experience tremendous increases of rain. Ever since Israel has returned to the land, they have flourished in the land and now supply over 90 percent of the citrus fruit consumed in Europe. Rainfall has increased by more than "10 percent every decade for the last century and Israel has planted in excess of two hundred (200) million trees and transformed the complete environment of the Promised Land." According to the United Nations, Israel is now "the most agriculturally efficient land on earth."
THE UNWALLED CITY
Ezekiel 38:11 speaks of the future invasion of Gog and Magog (Russia) saying "And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of un-walled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates". Grant explains that "even army bases and Israel's settlements in the West Bank and Gaza have no walls today.........How could Ezekiel have known twenty-five centuries ago that the development of modern weapons such as bombs, airplanes and missiles, would have made walls and gates irrelevant for defensive purposes in the last days. In the ancient past even small villages as well as cities depended on walls for defense against invading armies."
PLANS FOR REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE
Revelations 11:1, 2 foretells of Israel rebuilding the Temple in the last days. There is much controversy between the Israelis and the Muslim's because the Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa Mosque) it is believed, sits on the very spot where the Temple is suppose to be built. In recent years, however, aerial Infra-red photography shows that this may not be the case. Ezekiel 44:14-18, tell about the sacred vessels and linen robes that must be used in the Temple. "The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has already prepared over 75 of the objects, vessels, and linen garments required for future Temple service.......over 500 men from the tribe of Levi have already been trained to fulfill the duties of Temple worship and sacrifice."
Update:
Just recently in the Washington Post on May 28, 1997, it was reported that a 10 month old heifer named "Melody" is the first red heifer to be born in Israel in over 2,000 years. "In ancient times, the ashes of a red heifer were mixed with spring water to purify high priests before they entered the Temple."
THE REBUILDING OF BABYLON
We know that the old city of Babylon (now called Iraq) will be built again in the end times because Isaiah 13:6, 19 foretells of its destruction. In Isaiah 34:8-10 it is prophesied that the rebuilt City of Babylon will burn for ever.
"As unlikely as it seems, the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein has spent over one billion dollars rebuilding the ancient city of Babylon and intends that it will become the center of their future renewed Babylonian Empire. Interestingly, the whole city of Babylon was built over an underground lake of asphalt and oil."
THE ANOINTING OIL
The prophet Daniel prophesied in Dan. 9:24 that the when Jesus returns, that the most Holy of Holies will be anointed with the anointing oil. "One of the five ingredients, afars' mon, was thought lost forever, when the Temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and the only two groves of afars'mon trees in existence were burned
to the ground. Incredibly, several years ago, archeologists in Israel found a clay flask buried near the Dead Sea caves filled with the ancient oil of anointing. Scientists confirmed that the oil is two thousand years old and is composed of the precise ingredients described in Exodus 30:25,26."
PESTILENCE/FAMINES/EARTHQUAKES
Matthew 24:7 prophesied that in the last days "For nation shall rise against nation and Kingdom against Kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilence, and earthquakes, in divers (various) places." Grand Jeffrey writes regarding these matters:
· Pestilence - In 1991, the Central Intelligence Agency produced a report which "concluded that up to 75% of the population of Africa living in the area south of the Sahara Desert may become infected with AIDS over the next 12 years. This will mean the death by AIDS of over three hundred million people in Africa alone. In July 1991, the South African Medical Journal reported that a staggering 47% of black male and female blood donors tested positive for AIDS during 1989."
In Nov. 1996, the Associated Press reported that "Sexually transmitted diseases are diagnosed 12 million times a year in the United States - including a staggering 3 million cases among teen-agers".
· Famine - The United Nations today "claim that over thirty million in Africa are now at risk of dying from the most devastating famine in this century. The UN estimates that one billion people are in danger of starvation while another billion lack proper nutrition. North American food reserves (grain and corn) are at the lowest level in sixty years."
· Major killer earthquakes – “Major Killer earthquakes (7.2 or greater on the Richter scale) occurred only once per decade throughout history until our century. However, since A. D. 1900, the growth in major earthquakes has been relentless. From 1900 to 1949 it averaged three major quakes per decade. From 1949 the increase became awesome with 9 killer quakes in the 1950's; 13 in the 1960's; 56 in the 1970's and an amazing 74 major quakes in the 1980's. Finally, in the 1990's, at the present rate, we will experience 125 major killer quakes in this decade."
WORLD WIDE COMMUNICATION
In Revelation 11:9,10, it is prophesied that during the tribulation period, the antichrist will have the two witnesses that God sent killed and their bodies will lay in the street for three and a half days while the whole world watches.
Did not the whole world watch Desert Storm on CNN television? With all the technological advances in telecommunications, including the recent opening of the World Wide Net to our computer industry, any event happening in any part of the world can now be viewed while it is happening. The prophesy of the two witnesses could literally be fulfilled today. This could not have happened just 10 or 15 years ago.
INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AND TRAVEL
Daniel 12:4 prophesies how much knowledge and travel will increase in the end time. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the Book, even to the time of the end: Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased."
Today, it is estimated that "Human knowledge is growing so quickly that it literally doubles every twenty-four months." With the discovery through the use of modern "Super" computers by Grant Jeffrey and other researchers of the hidden codes that God supernaturally designed into the original Hebrew text of the Torah describing not only the history of the world in advance, but also verifying his Authority through His personal signature throughout his scripture, we realize that God chose this generation to reveal this unique aspect about himself.
It is also amazing that in this century, we have gone from horses to cars, from cars to supersonic spacecraft; not only can we now travel the world in a matter of hours, but in the case of the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery, we can now travel at speeds in excess of eighteen thousand miles per hour.
REVIVAL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Daniel 2:40-44 predicts that the old Roman Empire will be revived in the end times into a ten Nation alliance. We currently see the foundation being laid today through the European Economic Community. "In 1957, six (6) Countries signed the Treaty of Rome laying the foundation for the future United States of Europe.............Since then the Maastricht Treaty consolidated the fifteen (15) Nations of the European Union into the worlds first superstate." All it will take is the re-shuffling and/or the consolidation of Nations to bring this prophesy to a literal fulfillment.
ODDS THAT THESE PROPHECIES WERE FULFILLED BY CHANCE IN THIS GENERATION
"In the Bible there are several types of generations. One generation is defined as the length of life of the average person - seventy or eighty years. However, a generation of governing is usually defined as forty years,...........During the last two thousand years since the days of Christ, there were fifty such forty-year generations. Therefore, the odds are one chance in fifty that any one of these specific prophecies happened by chance in our generation rather than some other generation."
"The odds that more than one event happening in our life time are:
"Another way of looking at this is that the chance that the prophets of the Bible correctly guessed these prophecies is also one in 97,500 trillion............in other words, it is simply impossible that men alone could
have written the Bible without the supernatural assistance and inspiration of God."
Matthew 24:32-35 - "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
Luke 21:28 - "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."
ANTI-CHRIST TO BE REVEALED
As of today, no one knows who the Anti-Christ is, but we do know what God has told us about him:
Many people try to spiritualize or say the events prophesied in the Bible are just symbolic. Any doubt about how God handles these prophetic events should have been erased on May 14,1948. God is literally fulfilling scriptural prophesy before our very eyes. Can we expect anything less for those few remaining prophesies for which He has promised the world; 1) the removal of the one who restrains the man of lawlessness/Sin (the rapture of the Church), 2) His second coming to take possession of His inheritance, 3) The millennial kingdom and 4) the new heaven and new earth.
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Ezekiel 33:6 - "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand."
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