Seven Things You Have To Know To Understand End Times Prophecy Part 1

Seven Things You Have To Know To Understand End Times Prophecy Part 1
Table of contents for Seven Things
1. Seven Things You Have To Know To Understand End Times Prophecy Part 1
This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley

With all the killer storms, earthquakes, wars and disease dominating our news, it’s not surprising that people are becoming more interested in End Times Prophecy. Even non-believers are wondering if the end is near. What is surprising is how little most Christians actually know about prophecy, especially since by some accounts it comprises nearly 40% of the Bible’s content, more than any other topic.


With few exceptions seminaries don’t teach it, so preachers don’t preach it. And therefore Christians don’t learn it. In all my years as a denominational Christian, I never once heard a message explaining the importance of prophecy to a believer’s walk with the Lord. And yet the Bible devotes more space to End Times Prophecy than it does to all the teachings of Jesus.
When Christians are asked why they don’t study prophecy more seriously the most common reasons given are 1) because it scares them, and 2) because it confuses them. Both responses are borne out of a lack of understanding. For the believer, prophecy is neither scary nor confusing but the key to understanding God’s plan for man.


The purpose of this series is to provide a solid foundation for further study. When the foundation of a building is stable and solid, the entire building is stronger, able to withstand powerful forces that would otherwise weaken or even topple it. So it is when the foundation of our study is solid. Powerful arguments from scoffers and unbelievers cannot shake us or weaken our faith. Let’s get started.


Seven Things You Have To Know
There are seven pieces of information that are essential to understanding End Times Prophecy. These seven things are the building blocks for the strong foundation we want.
They are, 1) The Sequence of Major End Time Events, 2) The Destiny of the Three Components of Humanity, 3) The Purpose and Length of the Great Tribulation, 4) The Purpose of the Rapture, 5) The Conditions Surrounding the 2nd Coming, 6) The Purpose and Length of the Millennium, and 7) Eternity.
Once you’ve learned them, these seven things will help you avoid the mistakes that have thrown others off the track. Call it perspective or overview or whatever you want, this combination of facts will give you the ability to put all the prophetic verses in the Bible into their proper context. Let’s get started.


1) The Sequence Of Major End Times Events


First is knowing what happens and when. The study of prophecy gets really confusing if you don’t know the sequence in which major End Times events will occur. Actually their order is very logical, and once you learn it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it before. The best way to figure it out is to perform what the business world sometimes calls a back scheduling exercise. It involves going to the very end of a process and identifying the final outcome. Then you list all the things that have to happen to produce that outcome. Then you put them in reverse order, backing into the present. It’s simpler than it sounds, and much simpler in prophecy than in business because there are many fewer events to organize. We’ll list the major events first, then we’ll organize them.


Almost everyone knows about the 2nd Coming and Eternity, and many also have heard of the Rapture of the Church and the Great Tribulation. But there’s also the Millennial Kingdom, Daniel’s 70th Week, and the Battles of Ezekiel 38-39, Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17; a total of nine major events yet to come. Now let’s organize them, beginning with the final outcome and working back toward the beginning. As it is with most lists, the order in which some events will occur is obvious while others are less so, and at first some don’t seem to fit any place at all. We’ll order the obvious ones first.


What Are We Waiting For?
We all think of Eternity as the final outcome, and so starting at the end means we begin there. But the last major event described in any detail in the Bible is the Kingdom Age or Millennium. It’s the Lord’s 1000 year reign on Earth, which is distinguished from and precedes Eternity. The very last chapter of Revelation describes trees on either side of the River of Life bearing a different fruit every month. That means time still exists, and Eternity by definition is the absence of time. We’ll talk more about that later. For now let’s just say that Eternity can’t happen till the Millennium is over.


The Millennium obviously can’t begin till after the Second Coming, because that’s when the Lord returns to establish it. And according to Matt. 24:29-30 the Second Coming won’t happen till the end of the Great Tribulation. And that can’t happen till the anti-Christ stands in the Temple in Israel declaring himself to be God. (2 Thes. 2:4) That’s the event Jesus warned Israel to look for as the Great Tribulation’s opening salvo. He called it “The Abomination of Desolation” in Matt. 24:15-21. Daniel 9:27 indicates it will happen in the middle of the last seven year period, which scholars call Daniel’s 70th Week.


But the Abomination can’t happen until there’s a Temple. There hasn’t been a Temple in Israel since 70AD and there won’t be one until the Jews officially decide they need one. They won’t need one until God reinstates their Old Covenant relationship because the Temple’s only purpose is to worship Him according to Old Covenant requirements.


This will signal the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week. The 70th Week can’t begin until the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39 is won because God will use that battle to awaken Israel and reinstate His covenant with them. In Romans 11:25 Paul said Israel has been hardened in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in, a reference to the rapture of the Church, after which Israel will be saved. That means the rapture has to happen before the Battle of Ezekiel 38.

You Got That?
So far when we put the Sequence of Major Events in its proper order, it looks like this:
The Rapture of the Church,
The Battle of Ezekiel 38,
Daniel’s 70th week begins,
The Great Tribulation,
The 2nd Coming,
The Millennium,
Eternity.


To those who read Scripture as it’s written, only two of the events in this sequence are subject to debate as to timing. These are the Rapture of the Church and the Battle of Ezekiel 38, the first two on our list. They’re the ones I said are less obvious.
So lets find out why they have to be where I’ve placed them in the sequence. Maintaining our back schedule mentality, we’ll begin with Ezekiel’s battle and work back to the Rapture.
“And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward.
Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.” (Ezek 39:21-22, 28-29)


The Lord has declared in no uncertain terms that He’s going to use Ezekiel’s battle to spiritually awaken His people and call them to Israel from all over the world. This will result in the reinstatement of their Old Covenant relationship, reviving Daniel’s long dormant “70-Weeks” prophecy for its final seven years and requiring that a Temple be constructed. Without one there’s no way for them to keep His covenant.
This was proven once before in history during the Babylonian captivity. When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the 1st Temple, Israel ceased to exist. But as soon as Cyrus the Persian defeated Babylon and freed the Jews, they returned to Israel and began building a Temple before they did anything else. Without a Temple there’s no sacrifice for sin, and without that sacrifice, Jews cannot approach God.


Both the Old and New Testaments refer to a Temple in Israel at the End of the Age. The only reason for a Temple is to perform Old Covenant ordinances. But building one today would cause such an uproar that no one in his right mind would consider it.
Only a unified demand from the people of Israel accompanied by quiet acceptance from their Moslem neighbors would make the construction of a Temple even thinkable. Sound impossible? Ezekiel’s battle results in both a Jewish nation re-awakened to the presence of God in their national life and an utterly defeated Moslem attack force in no position to resist. The perfect conditions will finally exist to start building. For these reasons, Ezekiel’s battle has to take place on the threshold of Daniel’s 70th week. Now why does the Rapture of the Church have to precede Ezekiel’s battle?


Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Romans 11:25)
According to Ezek. 37:7-10, Israel would be reborn first in unbelief. Paul said they’ll remain partially estranged from God until the gentile Church reaches its full complement (predetermined number) and arrives at its destination. (The Greek word translated “fullness” in Romans 11:25 was a nautical term often used to describe the full complement of crew and cargo necessary to accomplish a ship’s mission. The ship couldn’t sail till those requirements were met. The one translated “come in” means to arrive at a designated place.)


Then the veil will be pulled back as God reveals Himself to them again. As we saw above, He will use Ezekiel’s battle to begin this by renewing the Old Covenant with them, later transitioning Israel from the Old Covenant to the New toward the end of the Great Tribulation (Zech 12:10). Remember, if they didn’t go back to the Old covenant first, they wouldn’t need a Temple. He’s picking them up where they left off.
After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ (Acts 15:13-18)


It was about 20 years after the cross. The controversy of the day was whether Gentiles had to become Jews before they could become Christians. And if not, what would become of Israel? In effect, the Lord’s brother James explained to the Apostles and others present at the Council of Jerusalem that Israel was being temporarily set aside while God focused on the Church. After He had taken this “people for His name” (Christians) from among the Gentiles he would return and rebuild His Temple. The Greek words translated taken means to carry something away or remove it from its place, so the passage implies that He would take the Church somewhere and then come back to rebuild the Temple, restore Israel, and give what’s left of mankind one final chance to seek Him.


These three Bible prophecies make it clear that as the End of the Age approaches, God will begin preparing Israel to be His once more. But He won’t be exclusively focused on them until He has finished building the Church and has taken us to our appointed place. And where is that? In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3) (He didn’t promise to come back to be with us here where we are, but to take us there, where He is.) After that He would see to Israel’s reawakening and the construction of their Temple.


Throughout Scripture, the Lord seems to be involved with either Israel or the Church, but never both at the same time. James bears this out in his pronouncement regarding the Church in Acts 15. All the leaders of the early church now knew that once God had accomplished His goals with the church, He would turn again to Israel, and that would signal the end of the Church Age.
There are two critical points to remember here. The first is that the Church didn’t end the Age of Law, but only interrupted it 7 years short of its scheduled completion. Those seven years, called the 70th Week of Daniel, have to be fulfilled to complete the Old Covenant. And the second is that the Old and New covenants, as practiced in Israel and the Church, are theologically incompatible, and therefore the two can only be on Earth at the same time while Israel is out of covenant. For Israel to return to the Lord, the Church has to be gone.


For this reason, the rebirth of Israel in 1948 and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 are seen as the most important signs of all that the End of the Age is upon us.
Also, there are two events we haven’t put into the sequence yet, and that’s because they aren’t easy to locate there. These are the battles of Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17. When Israel wins these two battles all their next door enemies will be defeated and they’ll enter into a brief period of peace that sets the stage for Ezekiel’s Battle (Ezekiel 38:11). They’re called battles instead of wars which means they’ll be of short duration and can happen within a fairly short span of time. They can come either before or after the Rapture but do have to happen before the Battle of Ezekiel 38 takes place.


The Sequence of Major Events is only the first of “Seven Things You Have To Know To Understand End Times Prophecy.” Next time we’ll cover The Destiny of the Three Components of Humanity, The Purpose and Length of the Great Tribulation, and The Purpose of the Rapture. 07-09-11

The Joshua Tree - A Desert Parable

THE JOSHUA TREE A Desert Parable (Final episode) 

To read the preceding chapters,starting with chapter I 

click Here

Jesus said: "Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:25

"He must become greater; I must become less." John the Baptist. John 3:30

John 10

The True Guide - The Good Shepherd and his sheep - The True Gate.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (or kept safe) They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.



Dear reader, do you remember the Scripture passage mentioning Joshua in the very first chapter? Joshua represents a type of Jesus in the Old Testament. The similarity between these verses attests to the fact. We have here a true prophecy announcing the coming and ministry of the Lord Jesus.  
 

In Numbers 27:15,18 Moses told the people: “May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd”. So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

THE TREE OF LIFE

The Dream
 Early the following morning, after breakfast, Theophilus took leave of his new found friend, thanking him for his kind hospitality.
Thus, day after day, he encountered Joshua’s brothers who helped him recover from his ordeal. His sight was improving and his hope to finally get out of the desert gave him an increase in courage and a new direction towards a definite goal. He was eager to meet this Master who caused the blind to see and healed the hardened hearts.

One shared his light, the other the coolness of his shade. Another listened to him patiently and attentively. All of them shared what they had received with gladness and unselfishness. The peace that ruled in their hearts, the words of wisdom and encouragement , the fidelity to their beloved Master went beyond any human value that he had know in his world.
He learned that his name meant “friend of God”. What a contrast with the life that he had lived until now!

One night after an interesting conversation, he had a very different dream from those that usually haunted his conscience. He found himself, unconscious, almost dead in an operating room surrounded by a team of nurses in white coats.

Next to him, another man about thirty years old was lying on another table just beside him with an intravenous needle in his arm connected to another needle inserted in Theo´s arm. The blood in the man’s arm was turning into a liquid light when going into Theo´s vein, washing his heart that started beating again. His brain became filled with the light that was spreading throughout all the parts of his being through the system of arteries and veins irrigating his lifeless body. A breath filled his chest and he opened his eyes.

The Tree of Life
  Waking up with tears of joy flowing from his eyes. 

Theophilus became the astounded witness of an amazing and unforgettable scene.

There in front of him, stood up a Joshua tree, majestic and radiant that bore an uncanny resemblance with the man from his dream whose blood transfusion had revived and restored his as good as dead soul. He fell down, prostrate on his face against the hot desert sand. He knew without the shadow of a doubt that he was in the presence of the Master of the Joshua Trees. He didn’t dare move from his position such was the power emanating from the glorious appearance. An indescribable ripple of healthy fear coursed through his being.

"Rise, Theophilus and look at me, the master spoke finally after a few minutes of gracious silence allowing Theophilus to recover from the unexpected awesome encounter.

 ." The imperious tone of voice was enough to make him obey. He was reluctant at first to lift his gaze directly into the eyes of the Master. Lifting his head up slowly, he saw the pierced feet, then, the pierced wrists. He gathered enough courage to focus on the chest where a scarlet wound in the shape of the tip of a lance or the eye of a needle remained from a cruel wound.
  
"Don’t be afraid, look at me. I am Yeshua, the Master of the Joshua Trees. What is your quest? Why do you want to meet me?"

While the Master was asking these questions, his eyes whispered softly words Theophilus never heard before, words of love that penetrated deep in his heart.

"Master, I am looking for the desert exit door. Your trees told me that you possess the keys that open the door leading to life and that a word from you can set the captives free, can give sight to the blind, make a poor man in spirit rich, and heal the afflicted and broken hearted. You can also give knowledge and understanding to the ignorant who think they are wise, and you can clothe with your pardon and righteousness the fearful nakedness caused by sin which I try to cover with my religion and good deeds."

"All you have spoken is true and correct the Master acquiesced. But you have too big a notion of yourself to be able to go through this door. First, you must answer a few questions."

"Yes, master, as you wish, Theophilus replied respectfully."

"What is your name? Who are you, the Master challenged the docile pilgrim?"

"Well, Master, before, they used to call me Theophilus, but I will accept whatever name you wish to call me."

"Where do you come from, followed the next question by the inquisitive Master?"

"Alas, Theophilus responded in a despondent, hesitating fashion: 'From the land of deadly illusions and appearances, a world filled with violence and deception'."

"Good, the Master continued, still probing. Are you rich, or do you intend to be?"

"Well, Theophilus admitted with a conscious delay, realizing the gravity of the moment whereas until now, his hope had been carried through with a buoyant exhilaration toward a fortuitous hoped for end of his quest. Master Yeshua, before being made aware of the desert deceiving landscape, I had credit cards, bank accounts, a good and profitable business, cars, a beautiful house, but all that didn’t help me very much. To tell you the truth, I will accept gratefully whatever you want to give me, for I heard that you are a gracious and generous giver."

All the while, after the quaint exchange with the Master, Theophilus was feeling his body shrink little by little. What a strange sensation!

The Master continued: "What about your reputation?"

" Alas, Master, people are mesmerized by appearances. But I can sense that you already know me and my desire is to become what you want me to be."

"What do you hope to gain from me was the next incisive question from the Master?"

 
Theophilus cried out spontaneously as if the thought jumped out  directly from his heart to his lips bypassing the meandering of the rational processes in his head "Freedom from the chains that keep me tied up and hinder my walk, and then for a good measure, understanding truth and knowing which way to go."

"You have answered well from your longing heart. The Master was pleased and shared it with encouraging words.  Theophilus, I certainly can do that for you. But what will do once you are free if I give you the key to the door?"

"Master, I want to belong to you and serve you, for you are the one who saved and healed me."

Each of Theophilus’ responses was followed by a change in his size until at last, the Master's stature appeared gigantic in comparison although without overwhelming him. Then, the Master bent forward and catching him tenderly in the palm of his right hand, he lifted Theophilus up to his chest and hugged him close against the wound shaped like the tip of a lance or like the eye of a big needle.

While on his way up, Theophilus was helplessly watching on the screen of his memory the video from his first meeting with the touchstone at the crossroad of his destiny, the first step of a stairway which leada to the royal capital of the heavenly kingdom, illumined by the eternal light. He seemed to possess a law of gravity defying lightness, with no desire to resist the attraction propelling him towards a universe of unconditional freedom. Being transported on this celestial stairway, the bridge between two worlds without any effort on his part, he was about to enter a territory invisible to the human eye and yet so real.

Instantly, going through the open door at a breathtaking speed, Theophilus found himself standing on the desert floor that he had just left.
"Welcome to the kingdom, announced the master in a warm tone of voice. Open your eyes and look at yourself."

His eyes opened by the voice of his Master, Theophilus looked at his legs, his trunk, his arms and discovered that he had turned into a Joshua tree with soft scars in the place of the usual armor of thorns . Joshua, Yeshua spoke to him solemnly: 

"From now on your name will be Joshua Theophilus O’Call because I called you to my service and you responded with good will."

Tears of joy mixed with gratitude flowing from his eyes, Theophilus answered:
"Master, where do you want me to serve, the newly transformed Joshua Theophilus inquired, eager to know his first assignment?"

 
The command from Master Yeshua was clearly delivered in the caring tone of voice of a father who sends his son on an important and difficult errand.
 

"Right here in the desert along side your brothers working as a team to guide those who have lost their way or those who have wandered from the way of truth and need help in finding me."

"Yes, Master. I gladly accept the charge. But if I may ask,how do your trees find food and drink? There is nothing in the desert, but inhospitable sand, rocks, vipers, scorpions,  a lot of deceiving mirages with here and there a few enduring beautiful flowers and refreshing oasis as refuges for weary pilgrims "

Yeshua touched his eyes and now he could very clearly watch a fantastic scene through the desert floor as if it were made of transparent crystal. From the feet of the Master, roots full of a sap that resembled light amber honey extended all the way under the feet of the Joshua trees and fed them constantly night and day.

"Please, Master, what do you want me to call you?"

"Call me Lord Jesus, for I am both Savior and King." I will, thank you, my Lord and Savior, replied Joshua and humbly inquired:

"Lord, I can see the trees, the roots, the leaves and the cactus flowers, but where are the fruits?" 

The perfect explanation ensued from the king´s lips which delighted and satisfied Joshua´s heart who had finally found the meaning and the purpose he had been searching for all his life.

 "Every time one of my servants extended to you love, kindness, goodness, patience, they shared their fruits with you. When you enjoyed their light, their protective and refreshing shade, their peace, their wise words of counsel, comfort or encouragement, those are the fruits that grow from the source of life that I give each one of them."

Eden Restored
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

This is what the LORD says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,

who draws strength from mere flesh

and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;

they will not see prosperity when it comes.

They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,

in a salt land where no one lives.

7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in him.

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.”

9 The heart is deceitful above all things

and beyond cure.

Who can understand it?

10 “I the LORD search the heart

and examine the mind,

to reward each person according to their conduct,

according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:5-10 

Dear reader and listener, if you have been touched by this allegory and can identify in some way with Theophilus, I invite you to meet the Lord Jesus, the Savior of fallen humanity, the One who has the keys to the Kingdom of God, the One who is the Door that leads to true freedom, to the knowledge of the Truth, to Life abundant and eternal and the only Way to the Heavenly Father. Without Truth we cannot know the Way to the Door of the kingdom and to the Life in Jesus without whom we are reduced to a mere existence without hope.

To discover how you can be born again of the Spirit, 

Click:
http://thelightseed.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-can-i-be-born-again-spiritually.html

Thank you for your visit. Have a good and safe journey.
Jean-Louis.

EGYPT, ASWAN AND THE COMING FLOOD

Egypt, Aswan and the Coming Flood from Gary Stearman on Vimeo.

The Churches Against Israel

The Churches Against Israel

"The Joshua Tree" A Desert Parable - Encounters on the Path

THE JOSHUA TREE A Desert Parable (continued)

To read the preceding chapter,

click: http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable_06.html


Photo found on a Facebook page. Origin unknown

Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.
 When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,” they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. 
Deuteronomy 29:18,19

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God

and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrews 12:15
 From now on let no one cause trouble for me, 
for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus. Galatians 6:17

Fourth Episode
 ENCOUNTERS ON THE PATH

After having spent a few hours under the shade of the Joshua tree in a sleep free of nightmares to which he was used, Theophilus felt invigorated.
 

"Are you hungry or thirsty? This question from Joshua who had watched kindly over his sleep brought him back to reality."

"What do you think? Of course, I am hungry and thirsty. But I don’t see any Starbuck or McDonald around here, retorted Theophilus who, in spite of the desperate situation he was facing, was indulging in sarcasm."

"Yes, you are right, answered Joshua without any defensive tone in his voice. This is why I am a guide; I have all the resources needed to help castaways like you survive in the desert."

"Oh yes, and how so?"

"It’s simple. Put your hand over the scar in the middle of my chest and press hard enough to make a syrup with the taste of honey come out. It will satisfy your hunger and quench your thirst. Thus you will be able to be on your way until you find one of my brothers who will help you to pursue your goal."

"Thank you, answered Theophilus who found this cactus more and more peculiar, because as he got closer to Joshua, his barely opened eyes could make out a soft scar where usually cacti have long and dangerous needles."

"Tell me, Joshua why all cacti have thorns, but you have scars instead?"

"Well, my friend it’s obvious. How could you get close to me enough to feed yourself? And besides, those are the marks of my Master."

"Satisfied with this response for now, Theophilus followed Joshua’s instructions and felt his strength coming back. However, he still had a pressing question."

"I know that some people remove cat’s claws or genetically produce thorn less roses, but I think it‘s against nature. How do you defend yourself against attacks that you didn’t even provoke?"

"Well, it’s a little difficult to understand. It’s my Master’s handiwork, He is a very good surgeon, you will discover. But don’t worry, my brothers will explain everything to you. Have a good trip."

"Still wondering about his conversation with Joshua, Theophilus continued on his way with difficulty, but with a growing glimmer of hope. The sweet tasting syrup had calmed his worries and a strange feeling invaded his being in spite of the many questions bouncing off the walls of his skull."

He was regaining a little of the lucidity he had experienced as a child when life used to be simple, pleasant and without worries. Without even realizing how much of his journey he had accomplished, since his mind was so absorbed in his new adventure, Theophilus arrived at his next touristic stop bathed in the light of a sunset as can be watched only in the desert.

Once the fire ball cursed by the desert Bedouins had ceased lighting his path, he was able to distinguish a luminous shape strangely similar to the first Joshua tree. This discovery filled his mind with the reassurance that he hadn’t lost his way. Nevertheless, he was wondering how he could have not deviated from it in this unknown immensity.

 

A Light in the Desert

"Good evening and welcome." 

The comforting voice reminded him of his first encounter with the Joshua tree. Though this time, it had lost a little bit of the surprise effect, all the more since the voice was coming from a figure strangely resembling the other Joshua.

He felt at ease and sat down surrounded by the only light emanating from the cactus. It spread all around them and provided a heat that felt welcome against the night’s cold settling as a companion to the surrounding darkness. That night, he met Joshua’s brother, himself named Joshua who offered him food, drink, light and heat. However his morning query that was left unanswered was still bothering him. So before falling asleep against the Joshua tree’s thorn-less trunk, he asked him this question:

"Tell me Joshua, this morning your brother told me that you would reveal to me the mystery of the absence of thorns and the presence of the soft scars. Also, he vaguely insinuated that there was something wrong with my heart. I don’t see how."

"Well, actually a lot of people have this problem. Do you remember when you were young and felt abandoned, confused and lost in a merciless world without understanding why? Then growing up, the injustices, abuses and deep wounds that left their marks on you, the thorns bushes that you encountered at the turning point in your family, professional or social life that you didn’t know how to deal with? It’s normal, people defend themselves the best way they can."

"The sad part about it is that these thorns find their way to their heart and become encrusted producing a poisonous infection without a chance of healing. These thorns appear on the surface and multiply each time another thorn thrown at us penetrate the sensitive skin of our fragile ego and with time form a stone-hard and cold callous building a self-inflicted protective prison. The only antidote to this poison is a radical change of heart that only the Master of the Joshua Trees can provide with his healing power. He is the only one who can help you by giving you a new life so that you do not have to keep those ugly thorns that harden your heart, darken your vision and poison your life and that of the people around you."

"Yes, I begin to understand, answered Theophilus who remembered that the first Joshua had mentioned a horned viper whose poisonous bite weakened its victims and rendered them blind and incapable of recognizing their true spiritual condition. So, that explains the absence of thorns on your skin, doesn’t it?"

"Exactly, my Master teaches us how to reject the thorns and to not let them penetrate our hearts. He will reveal it to you when you meet him soon. Your made a lot of progress. Tomorrow, after a good night’s rest , you will be on your way. Keep hoping because you are about to meet our Master."

My friends, I shall see you soon for the next and last episode of our desert adventure.

To read the next and final episode  click: Here
 http://thelightseed.blogspot.com.br/2011/07/joshua-tree-desert-parable_15.html