It's taken me a bit to recover from the election and some personal wounds inflicted (not here)- but I want to finish this. Whether or not you agree, some of you said for me to go on! :-)
Because so much of this was included in my previous posts on Israel, I will try to be brief.
Amir Tsarfati:
2Pe 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
Prophecy is spoken (and understood) through the Holy Spirit; do not believe that you cannot understand- especially in this age when things which were hidden are being revealed, and that which was sealed is being unsealed!
Dan 12:9 "And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end."
Things to keep watch on:
Russia: broke, and looking for money- ie. they are selling weapons to whomever will buy them.
Completing Naval Base in Syria- will have 30 warships next to Israel.
US: People want change- don't care what kind.
Syria: Starting work on another nuclear reactor and purchased from Russia a missile defense system.
Iran: Have been pursuing nuclear capability (despite what the world is told) since 1992.
Will have nuclear capability by the beginning of next year, with Russia's help.
Turkey: Forming relations with Iran, since their attempts to become "western" have been rejected. Depending on your interpretations of Eze. 38, (Magog as Russia or Turkey?) players are moving into place.
Encouragement: It is apparent that the US is not a key player in the end times. America could fall as a result of ecomonic, political, or wartime disaster, but if you consider the very conservative estimate that if 10% (not 48%!) of 300 million people (our pop.) were raptured, that is 3 million Americans gone- including key players at high levels of government. Look at any other country: There is none other that would collapse as a result of the rapture. A hopeful possiblity!
Israel: We can learn from history, including the Word: Either God will provide a way for Israel to defend themselves, or He will defend it Himself. In light of Iran's iminent nuclear capability, Israel is not worried. (In 1979, they stopped Iraq; in 2007 they stopped Syria.) We should expect an attack on Iran's plant, with or w/out the US's blessing, and the world will condemn Israel for it.
Showing posts with label Strategic Perspectives '08. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strategic Perspectives '08. Show all posts
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Do Not Fear - Read slowly.
To Abraham, do not be afraid!
To Isaac, Do not fear!
To Jacob, Do Not fear!
To Rachael in Labor, Do not Fear!
To Joseph's brothers, Do not be afraid!
To Moses, Do Not be Afraid
To Israel in Egypt, Do Not Fear!
To Israel fleeing Egypt, Do not be Afraid!
To the Armies of Israel, Do not be afraid! Do not fear! Do not fear!
To Joshua, Do Not be Afraid! Do not fear!
To the children of Israel, Do not fear them! Do not be afraid! Fear not!
To Gideon, Do not Fear!
To Ruth, Do not be afraid!
To the people of Israel, Do not fear!
To David, Do not fear!
To Mephibosheth, Do not fear!
To Solomon, Do not Fear! Do not be afraid!
To Elisha's servant, Do not be afraid!
To Jehoshaphat, Do not fear!
In the Psalms, The Lord is on Your side! Do not Fear!
The Psalms, I will not fear!
To Isaiah, Do not fear!
In Isaiah, Do not fear, nor be afraid!
To the righteous, Do not fear!
O Israel, do not fear!
My servant Jacob, do not fear! Do not fear!
To the dispersed house of Judah, fear not!
To the fearful hearted, Do not fear!
To the widow woman, Fear not!
In Joel, to Israel, Fear not!
To the beasts of the field, Do not be afraid!
To Daniel, Do not be afraid!
To Jerusalem, Do not fear!
In Lamentations, Do not fear!
To Israel, in Haggai, Do not fear!
To the house of Judah and the house of Israel, do not fear!
In Matthew, do not fear!
To Zacharias, Do not be afraid!
To Isaac, Do not fear!
To Jacob, Do Not fear!
To Rachael in Labor, Do not Fear!
To Joseph's brothers, Do not be afraid!
To Moses, Do Not be Afraid
To Israel in Egypt, Do Not Fear!
To Israel fleeing Egypt, Do not be Afraid!
To the Armies of Israel, Do not be afraid! Do not fear! Do not fear!
To Joshua, Do Not be Afraid! Do not fear!
To the children of Israel, Do not fear them! Do not be afraid! Fear not!
To Gideon, Do not Fear!
To Ruth, Do not be afraid!
To the people of Israel, Do not fear!
To David, Do not fear!
To Mephibosheth, Do not fear!
To Solomon, Do not Fear! Do not be afraid!
To Elisha's servant, Do not be afraid!
To Jehoshaphat, Do not fear!
In the Psalms, The Lord is on Your side! Do not Fear!
The Psalms, I will not fear!
To Isaiah, Do not fear!
In Isaiah, Do not fear, nor be afraid!
To the righteous, Do not fear!
O Israel, do not fear!
My servant Jacob, do not fear! Do not fear!
To the dispersed house of Judah, fear not!
To the fearful hearted, Do not fear!
To the widow woman, Fear not!
In Joel, to Israel, Fear not!
To the beasts of the field, Do not be afraid!
To Daniel, Do not be afraid!
To Jerusalem, Do not fear!
In Lamentations, Do not fear!
To Israel, in Haggai, Do not fear!
To the house of Judah and the house of Israel, do not fear!
In Matthew, do not fear!
To Zacharias, Do not be afraid!
To Mary, do not fear!
To Joseph, Do not be afraid!
To the sheperds, Do not be afraid!
To Simon, Do not be afraid!
To Jairus, Do not be afraid!
To the disciples, do not fear! Do not be afraid!
To the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be afraid!
To the disciples on the boat, do not be afraid!
To the disciples, let your heart not be afraid!
To the women at the tomb, do not be afraid!
To the disciples running from the tomb, do not be afraid!
To the sheep, from the sheperd, Do not fear!
To Paul, Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid!
To the Romans, Do not fear!
To those who suffer, do not be afraid!
To the Hebrew Christians, fear not!
To John, Do not be afraid.
In Revelation, DO NOT FEAR!
Fear Not, For I AM the Lord your God. I am with you always, until the ends of the earth.
To the disciples on the boat, do not be afraid!
To the disciples, let your heart not be afraid!
To the women at the tomb, do not be afraid!
To the disciples running from the tomb, do not be afraid!
To the sheep, from the sheperd, Do not fear!
To Paul, Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid!
To the Romans, Do not fear!
To those who suffer, do not be afraid!
To the Hebrew Christians, fear not!
To John, Do not be afraid.
In Revelation, DO NOT FEAR!
Fear Not, For I AM the Lord your God. I am with you always, until the ends of the earth.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Debrief, Part Three... Israel, Part Me
Israel. Since it's such a hot topic. ;-) And I am going to mention-- because I really really had a struggle today-- I had Gabe read this to make sure I didn't screw anything up, and I now have instructions to stop being so apologetic for my beliefs. So, if you don't like this, then prove it with a biblical discussion. Look it up! The Bible is opinionated, and it is right!
The statistic is that 90% of churches preach Replacement Theology, if they preach on Israel at all. I do not believe that the church has replaced Israel in God's program. No way.
As I understand it, Israel refers to all Jews worldwide in general, but also to the political state. I don't see how we can include one and exclude the other, in regards to the Biblical promise of blessing? Note: I will include a partial list of "what" Israel refers to in the Bible in my second section on Israel- this is already too big in my head for one post! ;-)
But, "I will bless those which bless thee, and I will curse those who curse thee." Gen 12:3 Is there any other nation or people group in which we are promised curses if we are on the wrong side? A quote that deserves consideration: the "only reason God has not released judgement on America is because we continue to support Israel." Not just be neutral, but support. But our position is changing quickly. (Side note: A really thought-provoking study: God's Wrath in relation to how we treat Israel. Did you know that Hurricane Katrina formed on the exact day the US completed with "assisting" the removal of 8500 Israelis from the Gaza Strip? There are NUMEROUS other examples I would encourage you to examine. We first heard it from Dave Reagan and Bill Koenig at Steeling the Mind '06.)
Take a logical look at the nation itself.
"Given the circumstances surrounding Israel's birth as a nation, and the odds against its survival, Israel should not exist as a nation today. Yet it not only exists, but seems to thrive in spite of its adversaries and in the face of circumstances that defy logic and reason... Not all attribute their military victories to divine assistance, but everyone agrees that the odds for Israel's survival through the turbulent twentieth century have defied all reasonable logic....Why did an unstoppable armada of Syrian tanks bound for Tel Aviv at the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, suddenly stop just north of Tiberius and simply wait for the Israeli army to arrive so they could surrender without a fight? When an Israeli tank commander found himself and his men in the middle of a mine field, how was the prayer of one of his men suddenly followed by an unprecedented wind that blew away nearly a foot of topsoil and then just as suddenly stop, revealing the hiding places of thousands of mines so the soldiers could escape unharmed? Why, during the war for independence, did a battalion of Jordanian soldiers approaching the position of a handful of Israeli soldiers defending Mt. Zion without ammunition, suddenly shout "Abraham" and turn and flee? How could three dozen teenagers, survivors of the Holocaust, walk right past a company of Egyptian soldiers in the Negev without being seen?" (Against All Odds)
God wants them there. Let me get past my humanist education and point out that it is their God-given right to exist on that specific piece of property. In actuality, a much larger piece of property, but I'm guessing that just ain't gonna happen until their rightful King returns!
Do not assume I think we should not bless and love everyone else- Of course we should! It is one of our greatest responsibilities! I am not "against" all the rest of the Arab or Palestinian nations. We should pray for all of them! For example, our church supports missionaries in Israel whose main ministry is Palestinians, most of them Muslim and Greek Orthodox. We are accountable to ALL nations. But the promise is attached to Israel!
One of the points made at the conference was that because of our western media, we assume that everyone is the same "culture" or "people group"over there. (Other than Sunnis and Shiites, of course.) But the true Arabs, who are actually a smaller people group that most would assume, are enduring great persecution by the rest of the Palestinians, not to mention the rest of the world. I can't begin to reiterate the list that was given, but I found it discouraging how we refer to them as one group, but we are terribly deficient in our understanding.
Now I am going to get unpleasant.
The Bible is not "nice." When Israel was sent to purge the Promised Land, they were often instructed to kill every man, woman, and child. No regard for "innocent" life. In fact, when they did not do as commanded, it repeatedly came back to bite them in the butt. Revelation states that huge portions of the world's population will perish during the Tribulation. It is not going to be pretty! But it is God's plan!
Respect for innocent life is a theory, not a common practice. Especially in times of war. And Israel is at war- fighting for the right to exist. I don't like death and war, but there's a lot of things I don't like and can do absolutely nothing about. I live in a country which, in practice, believes it's ok to murder babies which are socially inconvenient. Even though I fervently disagree with this, I still live here. We are to be responsible with the abilities given us; to make the difference He inspires us to make. I can't change the fact that "innocent" people will die. But I can support with my prayers and finances the missions who minister in Christ's name.
An odd thought I had- it could be argued from a Biblical perspective that those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem are praying for the destruction of 2/3 of the worlds population. Because before True Peace will come, the false peacemaker must come, and with his false treaty, the wrath of God. But we are still instructed to do so! Psa 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Hermeneutics dictate that how you choose to interpret the Bible makes all the difference in your beliefs. Gabe and I have chosen to educate ourselves under teachers and scholars who interpret the Bible literally. We don't take everything we are taught straight to the bank; many good scholars disagree on the details! If you've ever tried to understand the different legitimate views, much less the crazies (!) you know that it takes a while to prayerfully sort out the details and let the Spirit work discernment. We are on a long road, but so excited to be here, making progress step by step as He leads us.
Isa 46:9-13Remember the former things of old, For I [am] God, and [there is] no other; [I am] God, and [there is] none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times [things] that are not [yet] done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' ... Indeed I have spoken [it;] I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed [it;] I will also do it... I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.
The statistic is that 90% of churches preach Replacement Theology, if they preach on Israel at all. I do not believe that the church has replaced Israel in God's program. No way.
As I understand it, Israel refers to all Jews worldwide in general, but also to the political state. I don't see how we can include one and exclude the other, in regards to the Biblical promise of blessing? Note: I will include a partial list of "what" Israel refers to in the Bible in my second section on Israel- this is already too big in my head for one post! ;-)
But, "I will bless those which bless thee, and I will curse those who curse thee." Gen 12:3 Is there any other nation or people group in which we are promised curses if we are on the wrong side? A quote that deserves consideration: the "only reason God has not released judgement on America is because we continue to support Israel." Not just be neutral, but support. But our position is changing quickly. (Side note: A really thought-provoking study: God's Wrath in relation to how we treat Israel. Did you know that Hurricane Katrina formed on the exact day the US completed with "assisting" the removal of 8500 Israelis from the Gaza Strip? There are NUMEROUS other examples I would encourage you to examine. We first heard it from Dave Reagan and Bill Koenig at Steeling the Mind '06.)
Take a logical look at the nation itself.
"Given the circumstances surrounding Israel's birth as a nation, and the odds against its survival, Israel should not exist as a nation today. Yet it not only exists, but seems to thrive in spite of its adversaries and in the face of circumstances that defy logic and reason... Not all attribute their military victories to divine assistance, but everyone agrees that the odds for Israel's survival through the turbulent twentieth century have defied all reasonable logic....Why did an unstoppable armada of Syrian tanks bound for Tel Aviv at the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, suddenly stop just north of Tiberius and simply wait for the Israeli army to arrive so they could surrender without a fight? When an Israeli tank commander found himself and his men in the middle of a mine field, how was the prayer of one of his men suddenly followed by an unprecedented wind that blew away nearly a foot of topsoil and then just as suddenly stop, revealing the hiding places of thousands of mines so the soldiers could escape unharmed? Why, during the war for independence, did a battalion of Jordanian soldiers approaching the position of a handful of Israeli soldiers defending Mt. Zion without ammunition, suddenly shout "Abraham" and turn and flee? How could three dozen teenagers, survivors of the Holocaust, walk right past a company of Egyptian soldiers in the Negev without being seen?" (Against All Odds)
God wants them there. Let me get past my humanist education and point out that it is their God-given right to exist on that specific piece of property. In actuality, a much larger piece of property, but I'm guessing that just ain't gonna happen until their rightful King returns!
Do not assume I think we should not bless and love everyone else- Of course we should! It is one of our greatest responsibilities! I am not "against" all the rest of the Arab or Palestinian nations. We should pray for all of them! For example, our church supports missionaries in Israel whose main ministry is Palestinians, most of them Muslim and Greek Orthodox. We are accountable to ALL nations. But the promise is attached to Israel!
One of the points made at the conference was that because of our western media, we assume that everyone is the same "culture" or "people group"over there. (Other than Sunnis and Shiites, of course.) But the true Arabs, who are actually a smaller people group that most would assume, are enduring great persecution by the rest of the Palestinians, not to mention the rest of the world. I can't begin to reiterate the list that was given, but I found it discouraging how we refer to them as one group, but we are terribly deficient in our understanding.
Now I am going to get unpleasant.
The Bible is not "nice." When Israel was sent to purge the Promised Land, they were often instructed to kill every man, woman, and child. No regard for "innocent" life. In fact, when they did not do as commanded, it repeatedly came back to bite them in the butt. Revelation states that huge portions of the world's population will perish during the Tribulation. It is not going to be pretty! But it is God's plan!
Respect for innocent life is a theory, not a common practice. Especially in times of war. And Israel is at war- fighting for the right to exist. I don't like death and war, but there's a lot of things I don't like and can do absolutely nothing about. I live in a country which, in practice, believes it's ok to murder babies which are socially inconvenient. Even though I fervently disagree with this, I still live here. We are to be responsible with the abilities given us; to make the difference He inspires us to make. I can't change the fact that "innocent" people will die. But I can support with my prayers and finances the missions who minister in Christ's name.
An odd thought I had- it could be argued from a Biblical perspective that those who pray for the peace of Jerusalem are praying for the destruction of 2/3 of the worlds population. Because before True Peace will come, the false peacemaker must come, and with his false treaty, the wrath of God. But we are still instructed to do so! Psa 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
Hermeneutics dictate that how you choose to interpret the Bible makes all the difference in your beliefs. Gabe and I have chosen to educate ourselves under teachers and scholars who interpret the Bible literally. We don't take everything we are taught straight to the bank; many good scholars disagree on the details! If you've ever tried to understand the different legitimate views, much less the crazies (!) you know that it takes a while to prayerfully sort out the details and let the Spirit work discernment. We are on a long road, but so excited to be here, making progress step by step as He leads us.
Isa 46:9-13Remember the former things of old, For I [am] God, and [there is] no other; [I am] God, and [there is] none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times [things] that are not [yet] done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' ... Indeed I have spoken [it;] I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed [it;] I will also do it... I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Debrief, Part Two
Cuba and Miami: 'cause it's short, and I don't have a lot of time today.
I learned this from a college prof, who had a student from Cuba: this occurred within the last decade.
Did you know that Cuba sends it's extra bad or annoying criminals to the US? Specifically, obviously, to Miami. Isn't that nice of them? The student of this teacher was "exported" to Florida, along with his father, leaving the rest of their family, for stealing - twice.
I just thought this was an interesting piece of trivia, and wonder why it has never been addressed.
I learned this from a college prof, who had a student from Cuba: this occurred within the last decade.
Did you know that Cuba sends it's extra bad or annoying criminals to the US? Specifically, obviously, to Miami. Isn't that nice of them? The student of this teacher was "exported" to Florida, along with his father, leaving the rest of their family, for stealing - twice.
I just thought this was an interesting piece of trivia, and wonder why it has never been addressed.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Conference Debrief, Part One
Ok, so maybe the whole Medianites joke was a little difficult? Here's a clue:
Midianites: Basically, bad guys in the Bible. There are differing opinions as to how many groups there were, but originally they were descendants of Abraham through Keturah (his wife after Sarah died). Several times they were oppressive to Israel, or tried to exterminate Israel, and God gave Israel victory over them. Basically - bad guys.
Medianites: CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, take your pick of any media that doesn't seem to be objectively reporting the facts. like, at all. ;-)
And I repeat, "isn't that awesome?" (In my opinion, and I'm guessing yours, because no matter who you're voting for, you can't excuse what the media has shamefully done with this election.)
********************************************************************
Anyway, since no one introduced any good questions, (and probably didn't really know what to ask, I'm guessing) I will start with a little something that made me cry. Because validation always does-- does it make you cry too?
Lately, in light of the election, I have been pretty frustrated. By many things, but basically because I do not understand what educated American, possibly add in here "Christian," could be "undecided" about who to vote for. And as this has gone on, it just seems like if you do your research and don't let the Medianites do it for you, you would know who your choice was. But during my prayer time of questioning, I just really felt like God was telling me that He is in Control. (I know we understand that God sets up kings and governments, but this was something more) And during the conference, this was validated. That God is in control, but this very well could be the beginning of the fall of America. Possibly that our judgement has already begun. Not even looking at what all else can and will send us reeling into a tailspin, the partisanship of the media and the difficulty of finding real answers as voters is enough to make me wonder "What is going on?" But we will get what we want, and we will reap what we sow. Haven't we been hearing the saying for years - that if God doesn't judge America, He's gonna have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah?
Anywho-- He just totally gave me that gift in my prayer time, and then through many of the speakers, validated that I am not weird in my (gift of) understanding-- If certain things continue to happen, plus all the Perfect Storms that are brewing within and without, America as we know it is over. And, it's ok. We should pray and fast, and possibly gain a reprieve, but His End Game is coming, and America, with or without us (!) will fall.
Ok, further topics: Israel, the AntiChrist/Mahdi, the Slovanian group behind us, Cuba and Miami, Do Not Fear, More Election Stuff (not a lot, just a little, but I just have to share), or the Perfect Storms.
Let me know what you want to hear, because I just have the hardest time picking what to say next.
Midianites: Basically, bad guys in the Bible. There are differing opinions as to how many groups there were, but originally they were descendants of Abraham through Keturah (his wife after Sarah died). Several times they were oppressive to Israel, or tried to exterminate Israel, and God gave Israel victory over them. Basically - bad guys.
Medianites: CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, take your pick of any media that doesn't seem to be objectively reporting the facts. like, at all. ;-)
And I repeat, "isn't that awesome?" (In my opinion, and I'm guessing yours, because no matter who you're voting for, you can't excuse what the media has shamefully done with this election.)
********************************************************************
Anyway, since no one introduced any good questions, (and probably didn't really know what to ask, I'm guessing) I will start with a little something that made me cry. Because validation always does-- does it make you cry too?
Lately, in light of the election, I have been pretty frustrated. By many things, but basically because I do not understand what educated American, possibly add in here "Christian," could be "undecided" about who to vote for. And as this has gone on, it just seems like if you do your research and don't let the Medianites do it for you, you would know who your choice was. But during my prayer time of questioning, I just really felt like God was telling me that He is in Control. (I know we understand that God sets up kings and governments, but this was something more) And during the conference, this was validated. That God is in control, but this very well could be the beginning of the fall of America. Possibly that our judgement has already begun. Not even looking at what all else can and will send us reeling into a tailspin, the partisanship of the media and the difficulty of finding real answers as voters is enough to make me wonder "What is going on?" But we will get what we want, and we will reap what we sow. Haven't we been hearing the saying for years - that if God doesn't judge America, He's gonna have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah?
Anywho-- He just totally gave me that gift in my prayer time, and then through many of the speakers, validated that I am not weird in my (gift of) understanding-- If certain things continue to happen, plus all the Perfect Storms that are brewing within and without, America as we know it is over. And, it's ok. We should pray and fast, and possibly gain a reprieve, but His End Game is coming, and America, with or without us (!) will fall.
Ok, further topics: Israel, the AntiChrist/Mahdi, the Slovanian group behind us, Cuba and Miami, Do Not Fear, More Election Stuff (not a lot, just a little, but I just have to share), or the Perfect Storms.
Let me know what you want to hear, because I just have the hardest time picking what to say next.
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