What the Bible says about light and seed

The True Light "In him, (the Lord Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world,…the world didn’t recognize him." John 1:4,9.

The Good Seed and the Weeds “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. Matthew 13:24,25.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Very Cautiously Optimistic

Reposted from servehiminthewaiting.com


I’ve not been doing much writing for the past few months.  My voice is not what people needed.  I have probably posted more, but I have spend a lot less time doing it.  When I pray consistently and fervently about something, often God will eventually give me a release in my Spirit when that lets me know that my petition has been duly registered, and an answer has been dispatched.  Notice I did not say, He lets me know the answer, just that an answer is determined and will be forthcoming in His time.  I am not boasting when I say that I have spent a very significant amount of time petitioning the Lord on behalf of America for the past eight years.

I have Christian acquaintances and friends who, that I know of, do not feel that burden to pray for this nation, and instead they still cling to a belief in some invincibility they persist in attributing to this nation  Those same people will never know the magnitude of the “bullet” we just dodged.

My hope is that Donald Trump will do all he can to fulfill the promises he has made.  A businessman who is as successful as he is, doesn’t get there by failing to follow through.  He obviously has been “teachable” in listening to his advisers, and reigning in his loose cannon tendencies.  These are all good signs.

But make no mistake.  It was prayer, and God’s grace and mercy, which He prefers to extend whenever we exhibit the willingness to appeal to Him, that painted the map red last night.

I stayed up until they called it for Trump. After three a.m.  I wasn’t about to go to bed, only to wake up and see some craziness during the wee hours had snatched away the victory, and I certainly wanted to say thank you to the Lord for His mercy. I posted a video late last night before the announcement of Trumps win, that asserted the videos by Steve Piecznik were all just Psy-0ps, an attempt to mislead the vigilant and encourage them to let down their guard.  Don’t worry, it was a coup, but we’ve handled it now, so put your guns away.

Frankly, I have no idea whether it was true nor what the truth is behind so much of the filthy revelations via Wikileaks regarding Hillary.  I can tell you one thing, though.  I listened to Tim Kaine in his speech before Hillary’s concession speech.  And he is clearly as delusional as ever, as are those who sat in the audience and cried because Hillary did not win. Kaine praised Hillary’s devotion to “families and children”!  And Hillary kept right on lying when it was her turn to speak talking about how important it is that people be able to practice their religion.  All except for Christians, of course!.  Kaine used an example out of the New Testament about the vineyard owner who hired people at the last minute and paid them the same as the workers who had worked the full day. He compared Hillary to that Vineyard owner.  Who, by the way, is a “type” or metaphor for God Himself, in the way that He is generous and more than fair with us.  The irony is utterly lost on Kaine, Hillary, and all of those in the audience shouting their love to her and vowing to “keep fighting”..

Make no mistake.  This is merely a reprieve.  There is still a lot of praying to be done.  People who go to Washington end up part of the establishment eventually.  I do not expect there to be a lot of reversal of what Obama has done.  It is not the death of globalism as Ann Coulter claims.  We know this, because we look at these developments through the lens of Bible Prophecy.  The pendulum swings, and the arc may seem to go slowly, but only because it is so wide.  The wide swings may ultimately delay the inevitable just a little while, but the extremes, as we have seen these past four years, are getting lethal.  The sheer number of bizarre things that took place in these past eight years are unequivocally indicators of our having gone somewhere we as a world, we have never been previously.

But I am grateful for what feels like a moment to catch my breath, aren’t you?  I cannot imagine what the candidates feel that moment the results are verified.  Despite what any of us thinks of Hillary or Trump, the demands of the appearance schedule, the pressures and the attacks, even if things that are true, wrong, and criminally wrong, this  being exposed  all of that has to add up to exhaustion! I believe both sides were supernaturally sustained.  God allowed it.  Whether friends and associates of Hillary, or she herself were performing Spirit Cooking Rituals, incantations, calling up hoards of demons, participating in pedophilia,  God  allowed the curtain to be lifted and this glimpse into the “sausage-making procedure” of 21st Century politics in the battle of the Elites vs the rest of us, and I think it proves that Americans are not nearly as impervious nor as apathetic about the creep of immorality and debauchery and lawlessness, as television, Hollywood, Washington, and the devil himself, would like us to believe we are. Knowing or even wondering if Hillary was into pedophelia, and things demonic, apparently was deemed creepy enough by enough people, to sway them to go vote for Trump.  It’s a good sign that there is a discernable pulse of conscience left but lets not get carried away.  We all posses a dangerous (deadly) sin nature. Anyone who thinks to themselves, “I would never do anything as sick as that!”, better be careful.  If you believe that, you are exactly the person who has not yet grasped the concept of total depravity.  In us, that is in this flesh, dwells NO Good Thing!

Now, calling a spade a spade, as per the example of our illustrious new POTUS-elect, White America has been vilified.  Especially non college-educated whites, and especially white males.  I really hope that some of the rats will crawl back into their holes and just stay there for a while.  We have established a new standard, and even the rats seem to be behaving a little better today.   I don’t think many blacks are the haters some whites have made them out to be, and neither are whites the haters some blacks have made them out to be.  I think there is a hesitancy though, a guardedness, until we can figure out which way the wind blows when we meet someone who is different from ourselves. This black/white divide,  was a paradigm purposely resuscitated by the Obama administration and globalists.
Isn’t it also interesting how Glenn Beck was so prominent in the tea party days, and then after the Tea Party was co-opted, he became such a moderate and then a total anti-Trumper?

I believe God turned some lights back on in America last night.  A lot of people didn’t even know how badly they have been stumbling around in the dark.
God is the one who sets people up. As to Beck, God used a Mormon, not because he was a Mormon, but I feel that Glenn Beck really did a service to this nation in reminding us of our history, and filling in the huge gaps for those who never were taught history in the more recent generations.

God sets up rulers, and He takes them down. We did get the leader the nation, on the whole, wanted in Obama these last nearly eight years.  We are still on the same trajectory to prophetic fulfillment in relation to Israel and other nations of the Middle East.  Israel is still God’s time clock.  And Obama still has many weeks in which to lay the final groundwork for the next developments over there.  America will not instantaneously recover the influence and power she once had.  What we have possibly done, though, is slowed down the deconstruction of America, preserved a chance of retaining some religious liberty, reaffirmed the Constitution, and firmly established that there are enough people who are not on board with enough of the current administrations policies that they were simply not going to sit home and stay silent.

The map was red, ya’ll!  Not purple, not blue, Red with little patches of blue.  Even now, I don’t believe the report that Hillary won the popular vote.  But to quote herself, what difference, at this point, does it make?

I am pleased that there were no riots, no cities on fire.  I know that there were people who have dual citizenship, who viewed this election important enough to register and absentee-vote.  There probably were a significant number who voted illegally, voted multiple times, and there were probably areas where machines were rigged.  But none of that is an obstacle to God.

I also figured that even among Virginia’s criminals with their newly-restored voting privileges, and America’s Hispanics and Latinos whom the left assumed were  “in the bag” for Hillary, there were plenty of people who saw this as their best chance to “stick it to the man” or assert their autonomy by voting Donald Trump.

You know how God has judged man through the ages by the degree of the dispensation of revelation about Himself of their age?  He gave Adam and Eve perfection, and one singular temptation.  They sinned.  He gave the law, we broke it.  Right now, we are under grace, but we have surely progressed beyond Sodom and Gomorrah, and the time of Noah, yet because it is the age of grace, His cup of wrath has not yet run over.  Even during the reign of Christ, scripture tells us Christ will rule with a rod of iron, where the slightest move into or toward sin, will be nipped in the bud instantaneously without hesitation.

I sort of get the feeling this is what God is doing in America.  Proving us to ourselves for the faithless people we are.  9/11 seemed like a wake up call, but it wasn’t.  And few people will ever know the bullet we may just have dodged here in America.  So, we slowed the hemorrhage, but it is far from over.

Watchmen cannot afford to let down the guard now.  This is for you guys, and was sent by fellow blogger Jean-Louis who has frequently contributed here.
A personal perspective on blog writing and discouragement in the process
Written by Jean-Louis, circa August 2010

This is what I am supposed to do even though the reward will come later at the time of God´s own choosing.

Things, people change, circumstances and landscape will certainly change as the seasons of the year , but the gifts that God gave us remain.
It needs to be practiced, improved and even refined through difficult discipline and constant reach for excellence even though I can´t see the face, hear the voice of my readers and count on positive feedback through comments and critiques except from a few faithful and grateful friends who support me through prayer and kind words.

Another more comforting thought came to mind. That my Lord Jesus, the master teacher could be pleased with my writing. After all, most of it is a commentary of a sort, not a critique, but a way of understanding explaining, elaborating first to myself with the Holy Spirit as guide and instructor the thoughts of God that come as the form of insights with the meditating upon His Word and then sharing with my readers.

This is my part in obeying God and thinking about the most pure, true, holy, excellent of good repute things that Paul talked about in Philippians.
Think of it: God allowing me to write commentaries, notes about His Word that I cherish as my most important treasure in my life and in this world and not being displeased.
It is like a little child that wants to know and understand the secrets of life and comes to His Father to ask questions. Then, as part of the conversation, He listens to what the Father has to say and as a way of letting his Father he understand, he tells him in his own words what he heard His Father say. How patient and gracious our Father is! How full of mercy and understanding He is with us!

It is like us saying Amen! A feedback of agreement and acquiescence amplified that we acknowledge and receive the revelation of who He is in and through His eternal Word, like finding that the puzzle is taking shape all along life´s learning as the Holy Spirit reveals His wisdom, His will and His ways to us.
It gives a sense of security, of being understood and heard without the preconceived notions, the prejudices that are so prevalent in human beings without all the limitations and rules imposed by well-intentioned people to judge and control others.

When we understand that our Lord Jesus is our very best friend, even if we feel abandoned or neglected by the ones we love and at times feel the weight of loneliness, His presence in us is a reminder of His comforting words to His disciples: I will never leave you alone. Peace and joy are ours, we are complete in Him, we lack nothing, we are rich even though we own nothing that we are not going to lose or leave behind one day. Our life is hidden in Him in the heavenlies.

Then, we are not anxious about whether people love us, appreciate us or approve of us. What matters is what our Father thinks of us, whether we obey Him, whether we seek to please Him and do what He commands , whether we preach His word, serve our fellow-man, wait for His return while busy at doing His work as He commanded and being grateful and praising Him, rejoicing in the knowledge that He  “will make known to us the path of life; and that In His presence is fullness of joy; In His right hand there are pleasures forever”,  Psalm 16:11(NASB).
.May God be blessed and glorified in America again!

Saturday, November 5, 2016

After much prayer and soul-searching, I have reluctantly decided to vote for the Trump-Pence ticket. Here’s why.

Reposted from https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/

trump-pence-plane
This is not easy for me. I did not get to this point lightly. Rather, it has been a matter of intense examination of the candidates and party platforms, studying the Scriptures (particularly I Samuel 8-12; see below), and listening to many thoughtful voices in the debate.

Anyone who has been tracking my writing during the course of this campaign knows how deeply concerned I am about Mr. Trump — his lack of experience, flip-flopping on issues, and the unkind and at times even vulgar or vitriolic language he uses against his critics. I had hoped he would be defeated in the primaries. Or challenged by a plausible third party candidate. Or would drop out after the release of the deeply offensive video of him speaking with Billy Bush.

But this is where we are. Now, it is truly is a binary choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. There’s no way around it, and the moment of decision has arrived.
True, I had previously stated that I could “never” vote for Mr. Trump. So I readily concede this is a reversal. I have no doubt I will disappoint some for changing my position. But this is where I am, and I want to explain how I got here.

The heart of the matter is this: I have been going through what many Evangelicals are going through – an internal battle between competing convictions.

I could never support Hillary. Indeed, much of my professional life has been fighting the Clintons, dating back to when I worked for Bill Bennett and Jack Kemp at Empower America, and for Rush Limbaugh as director of research. So the question for me has been this: should I vote for Trump, a third party candidate, write-in a candidate, or not vote at all? For many of my friends, this hasn’t been a difficult choice. For me it’s been difficult to determine which of my deeply held convictions should be elevated as paramount, even when the others I hold so dearly are being violated.

To be sure, my vote is not more important than anyone else’s. I know many Americans are struggling the same way I am. Indeed, in writing this I’m not even trying to persuade you to agree with me. I have friends whose deepest convictions tell them they simply cannot vote for Mr. Trump, that they will trust the sovereignty of God and live with the consequences. I respect them. I don’t question their motives. I know exactly where they’re coming from.
But for those who are interested, here are ten reasons why I have decided to vote for the Trump-Pence ticket:
  1. The most important is this: Hillary Clinton must never be elected President under any circumstances. She must be stopped. As I have written, she would be an absolute catastrophe for America. Should she be elected and the Democratic Platform enacted, this dynamic would accelerate the country towards divine judgment and implosion.
  2. Hillary and her advisors may have committed federal crimes. The decision by the Director of the FBI to reopen the criminal investigation put into sharp relief for me  the gravity of the situation facing us.
  3. Electing Hillary could very well lead to a constitutional crisis that could paralyze the federal government and make us vulnerable. These were points made this week by Doug Schoen, a senior Democrat pollster and strategist who once worked for President Bill Clinton. Schoen announced that he – a long-time Hillary supporter – could no longer in good conscience vote for her. This helped persuade me that I could no longer in good conscience avoid casting a vote to stop her.
  4. Aside from criminality, Hillary is the most corrupt and flawed candidate ever to run on a major party ticket for President. Americans are exhausted by the culture of corruption and scandal that perennially surrounds the Clintons. Four more years would distract us from tackling the serious challenges facing the American people.
  5. Hillary Clinton is the poster child for “politics as usual” at a time when we need change.
  6. Yes, as I stated above, I have deep reservations about Mr. Trump. I have not sugar-coated these concerns. Rather, I have written and spoken about them throughout the campaign. In January I wrote 39 reasons why a Trump presidency would be a catastrophe (see here and here). I concede this could still turn out to be true. But it also should be noted that in the ten months since I wrote those columns, an excellent Republican Platform was drafted and approved. Also, Mr. Trump has made a series of very specific and attractive commitments. He has promised:
    1. To pursue pro-life policies at the federal level
    2. To appoint Supreme Court Justices in the model of Antonin Scalia (and has issued a specific – and impressive – list of names from which he promises to draw to make his appointments to the Court
    3. To defund Planned Parenthood
    4. To rebuild the American military
    5. To protect America’s borders
    6. To strengthen America’s alliances with Israel and our Sunni Arab partners
    7. To repeal and replace Obamacare
    8. To cut taxes, reform the tax code, revitalize American manufacturing, create jobs for Blue Collar Americans, and expand economic freedom and opportunity for all Americans
  7. Do I have concerns as to whether Mr. Trump will keep all of these promises? Yes. But I have come to believe it is worth electing him in the hopes that he will keep his word. I am certain Hillary will aggressively pursue an agenda that goes against everything I believe.
  8. I believe Governor Mike Pence would make a superb Vice President.
    1. Lynn and I know Mike and Karen and have the highest respect for them. In our personal time with them, we have been deeply encouraged by their humility and character.
    2. Mike and Karen are devout Evangelical Christians.
    3. Mike is a principled conservative and is deeply knowledgeable and experienced in economic, social and foreign policy matters.
    4. Karen is a great friend, soulmate and counselor to her husband.
    5. More recently, we spent time with them in Jerusalem when the Governor led a trade delegation to Israel. They love Israel deeply. They love the Jewish people. Mike gets the seriousness of the threats posed by Radical and Apocalyptic Islam and is serious about countering them. He has deep respect for our Sunni Arab allies and understands the importance of working together with all our allies in the Middle East to counter Iran and ISIS.
    6. Mr. Trump was wise to choose Gov. Pence to serve as Vice President and deserves credit for the choice. If this is a signal of the type of leaders he will appoint in office, this would be a good thing.
  9. Hopefully, Mr. Trump would also appoint solid, experienced conservatives to key positions throughout the Cabinet and Executive Branch. I know for certain Mrs. Clinton would appoint hardcore liberals if she is elected.
  10. Finally, I have been studying I Samuel chapters 8 through 12 as I’ve been wrestling with the question, “Can I vote for a candidate for whom I have serious reservations?” In this fascinating passage, the Hebrew judge and prophet Samuel is grieved by the direction ancient Israel is going. He is grieved by Israel’s rebellion against the Lord. They want an earthly king, someone tall and strong and decisive — rather than the Lord — to govern them, lead them, protect them and solve their problems. Samuel goes to the Lord with great anguish to protest, but the Lord tells him three times to “listen to the voice of the people.” The Lord even directs Samuel to publicly anoint and bless a seriously flawed and woefully inexperienced man named Saul to be the king. The Lord does this even though He knows that Saul will fail the people and need to be replaced. But the Lord gives Samuel one further directive: Make sure the people understand what they are doing, and how urgently they need to turn back to the Lord – not to a man – to see their nation blessed and saved. “Now then, listen to their voice,” said the Lord. “However, you shall [also] solemnly warn them.” Did God tell Samuel to support a flawed man for the highest position of leadership in the nation even though it went directly against Samuel’s conscience? Yes, He did. But Samuel was never to stop calling the nation back to the Lord until the day he died. Now I am not Samuel, and Mr. Trump is not Saul. The details are different. But the principle is intriguing, and it has been helpful to me.
Today, I live in Israel and am a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen. But I was born and raised in the United States. I am an American citizen and profoundly grateful for this birthright. Heroic men and women have laid down their lives to give me the right to vote, and I am grateful. I can’t say I am happy with the choices I have, but I am finally at peace about what I should do.

To be clear, I am not endorsing Mr. Trump. I am simply saying I am going to vote for him (by absentee ballot) because Hillary must be stopped.

In the meantime, I will continue to pray faithfully and earnestly for the Trump, Pence, Clinton and Kaine families and for their teams. I will pray the Lord has mercy on them, and mercy on each and every American.

Finally, I will also keep meditating on a sobering passage of Scripture at this critical moment — 1 Samuel 12:22-25 – and encourage other believers to do the same:
“For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself,” said Samuel to his nation. “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.”
——————
[This column is based on my personal beliefs and opinions. I share them in my personal capacity as an American citizen and an author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of The Joshua Fund, which is a non-profit organization and takes no political or legislative positions.]

Thursday, November 3, 2016

2016 10 30 John Haller's Prophecy Update "Prophecy-Leaks"



Proving the Existence of Jesus

Proving the Existence of Jesus

Reposted from gracethrufaith.com

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Know and understand this. From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until The Anointed One the ruler comes there will be seven sevens and sixty two sevens. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench but in times of trouble. After the sixty two sevens the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. (Daniel 9:25-26a)


This information was given to Daniel in 538 BC in response to a prayer asking God to release His people from their 70 year captivity in Babylon. The Angel Gabriel visited Daniel with a message that has become known as the 70 weeks of Daniel (Dan 9:24-27). The title is somewhat confusing because the Hebrew word translated as “weeks” in the KJV and “sevens” in the NIV actually describes a period of seven years. So 70 “weeks” is really 490 years, and the seven “sevens” and sixty-two “sevens” referenced above combine to equal 483 years. This passage is the single most important piece of prophecy in all of scripture because it chronicles the coming of the Messiah, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, the coming of the anti-christ and the timing and duration of the Great Tribulation. It is nothing less than the key that unlocks our understanding of the end times, and so mastering it is critical for any student of eschatology.

For our purposes today, the 2 verses of Daniel’s prophecy I’ve quoted presents us with a very narrow window of time into which we must fit the birth and death of anyone claiming to be the Messiah. This window of time can be measured in secular history, opening 483 years after the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (issued in March of 445 BC by the Persian Emperor Artaxerxes Longimonus) and closing with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Do the math and you only have a 38 year span of time. In 6000 years of recorded history with millions of lives beginning and ending, what is the probability of any man being born within this 38-year time frame? Now factor in some of the unique aspects of the Messiah’s life. He had to fulfill over 300 prophecies written about Him hundreds of years before His birth, be recognized as Israel’s Messiah by thousands of people, incur the wrath of His country’s leaders, be falsely accused of a capital crime, make no defense though innocent, and be publicly executed by crucifixion.

Where Was He Born?

To try and assess the odds against of all this happening by chance, let’s review just 3 of these 300 prophecies. How about the place of His birth? 750 years in advance the Prophet Micah learned from God that Israel’s Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) even though it turns out His family was from Nazareth, several days travel away. He also learned that this Messiah would be unusual in that His origins would be “from of old, from ancient times.” Literally translated this means His family descent is from before time and perpetual. In other words He would possess eternal life. Furthermore verse 3, the one that doesn’t make it to your Christmas card, states that because of Him Israel would be abandoned until all His brothers return to join those who’ve accepted Him.

By the way, if you don’t believe the generally accepted dating for these prophecies, consider this. The Old Testament, from which they come, had been translated from Hebrew into Greek beginning in about 275 BC and by 150 BC was substantially complete. Therefore events foretold concerning the life of Jesus were a matter of public record at least 150 years before the fact. How many years prior to their fulfillment must a prophecy be given to have validity? Remember, prophecy is God’s way of authenticating Himself for us, because only someone who exists outside the restrictions of time can describe events before they’ve taken place with 100% accuracy.   The fact that sets the life of Jesus apart from all of humanity is not that He performed miracles. It’s that so many details about His life were foretold 100s and even 1000s of years in advance.

What about His betrayal?

In Zechariah 11:12-13 we’re told that the Messiah would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver in the House of the Lord, and that the money would be used to buy a field from a potter. Though Zechariah wrote these things around 520 BC Matt 27:3-8 indicates that’s exactly what happened. Here you see the Lord’s betrayer and His sworn enemies fulfilling prophecies down to the last detail. If you happened to be born at the right time and were trying to force fit yourself into Messianic prophecy, we could understand getting your friends to cooperate, but how do you go about getting your enemies to do so? The fact that He was betrayed by a close friend during a meal was foretold in Psalm 41:9 and confirmed in John 13:18 & 26-27.

How Did He Die?

The Jews were people of the Law and their leaders prided themselves on their merciful application of justice. Yet in the case of Jesus they consciously and maliciously violated their own laws repeatedly. No one could be arrested with out formal charges being filed, yet Jesus was. It took 2 independent witnesses to convict but they couldn’t get this required collaboration, so they convicted Jesus on His own testimony, also forbidden. Trials couldn’t be held at night, but His was. Death sentences required unanimous consent of the Sanhedrin (ruling body) and a “sleep on it” rule wherein they had to come back the next day and vote again. But in His case they didn’t inform the Lord’s advocates among them of the trial thereby eliminating the possibility of a divided vote and then waived the sleep on it rule. Much of this was predicted in Isaiah 53:7-8 750 years before the fact.

Jewish law required death by stoning, but the Jews had lost the right to impose capital punishment, and so appealed to the Romans, whose method of execution was crucifixion. This was a particularly gruesome and painful method first used by the Assyrians in about 800 BC and adopted by the Romans 700 years later. But in Psalm 22, King David described in detail what it feels like to be crucified and then foretold the activities of the Lord’s executioners, down to splitting up his clothing and casting lots for His robe. David wrote this psalm over 1000 years before the fact.

So What’s The Point?

In Jesus we have someone who was born in Bethlehem though His family was not from there, and lived and died within the prescribed 38 years out of 6000. He was widely accepted as Israel’s Messiah but betrayed by a close friend and though innocent of any crime made no defense and was convicted and sentenced to death in an illegal trial. His enemies paid the prophesied amount of money for His betrayal and then when payment was returned to the Temple used it to buy a potter’s field. He was executed by a method foretold before its invention and his executioners split up His belongings just as predicted.

That’s only 4 out of over 300 fulfilled prophecies we could explore. But even with just these 4 the odds against them happening by chance are so astronomically high as to be ridiculous. It’s true, as I stated in last week’s message that these things are no longer taught in our schools, nor sadly even in many of our churches. But if you take it upon yourself to study just a few readily available reference books, you’ll find that you can prove the existence of Jesus, and that He is Who He claims to be, with greater certainty than you can prove that you are who you claim to be. No matter what standard you decide to use, rules of evidence as used by an attorney, statistical probability as used by a mathematician, or forensic logic as used by a debater, you’ll be persuaded beyond reasonable doubt. You can take His word for that: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Monday, October 31, 2016

Falso Véu - False Veil - João Alexandre



 Translation by Jean-Louis


Quem Ă© que pode te garantir
Que este teu jeito
De servir a Deus
Seja o melhor
Seja o mais leal
Um padrĂŁo acima do normal?

De onde vem tanta presunção
De ser mais santo
De ser capaz
De agradar a Deus
Crente nota dez
Superior acima dos fiéis

Pobre este entendimento
Que não vem de céu
Fraco discernimento
Frågil, falso véu
Tenta encobrir em vĂŁo
Teu lado animal
Luta, perseguição
Tanto desejo mau
ConfusĂŁo
DivisĂŁo


Se alguém quer mesmo
Agradar a Deus
Saber das coisas
Compreender
Mostre em mansidĂŁo
De seu caminhar
Ser gentil no gesto e no olhar

E a diferença que existe em nós
Poeira vinda do mesmo chĂŁo
É somente o amor
Que nos alcançou
Graça imensa
Imenso perdĂŁo
É somente o amor
Que nos alcançou
Graça imensa
Imenso favor

Who is he who can guarantee
That your own way
Of serving God
Is the best
Or the most loyal
A standard above the norm?

Where does this presumption come from
Of being holier than thou
Of being more capable
Of pleasing God
A number 10 christian
Superior above the faithful?

What a poor understanding
That does not proceed from Heaven
Feeble discernment
False veil
 Attempting in vain to cover
Your natural side
Struggle, persecution
So much evil desire
Confusion
Division

If someone really wants
To please God
To know and understand things
Show it with meekness
 In your walk
In what your body  
And your eyes communicate

This is the difference between us
Dust coming out of the same earth
It is only love
That came down to us
Abundant grace
Boundless pardon
It is only love  
That came down to us
Abundant grace
Boundless pardon

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Have you heard that Israeli leaders are urging Jews to read through the entire Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter? Amazing, but true. Here’s the latest.

Reposted from https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/

in Epicenter netanyahu-biblestudyoct2016rivlin-launching929initiative(Central Israel) — You probably haven’t heard this in the mainstream media, but Israel’s most senior leaders are urging the Jewish people to read through the Bible, the whole Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter.

Can you imagine President Obama or any other U.S. leader calling on American people to read through the Bible? Neither can I.

Given the general trend here in Israel towards secularization, this is quite a surprising yet thoroughly encouraging development. I’m sure many of you are skeptical, but it really is true. Here’s the latest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kicked off the new school year here by encouraging children to rediscover the Word of God and Biblical roots of their Jewish heritage.

“First of all, the study of the Bible,” he said in August. “Knowledge is a critical word. We want to give it [knowledge of the Scriptures] to every child in Israel, Jews and non-Jews as one, religious and secular. This is the basis of the new world, and the basis of Israel as a strong nation in the world.”
Last week, the prime minister and his wife, Sara, hosted another in a series of occasional Bible study groups at their official residence. They discussed — among other things — the Biblical connection Jews have to the Temple Mount, despite a recent U.N. vote denying Jews have any such connection.

The Netanyahus organized their first home Bible study group in December 2011, as I reported at the time. In so doing, they carried on a tradition first begun by David Ben Gurion and later by Menachem Begin but rarely repeated by other Israeli premiers. Their stated goal was to set an example for the nation and to “perpetuate a love of the Bible.” [See here and here for coverage of other Bible studies they have held.]

Meanwhile, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and several government officials have launched something they call the “929 Initiative.”

This is a wonderful and worthy effort to encourage all Israelis — even the most secular and non-religious among us — to read one chapter of the Jewish Scriptures a day, every day, until they have read all 929 chapters.

Rivlin and his colleagues kicked off the $12 million initiative in December 2014. Since then, they have been encouraging Israelis to continue reading verse by verse, chapter by chapter through the full Hebrew Bible or “Tanakh” until everyone finishes together in the summer of 2018 for the 70th anniversary of the prophetic rebirth of the Jewish State.

There is a pretty impressive and sophisticated website dedicated to the project, with Israelis of all kinds, from a wide variety of backgrounds, writing articles on what they think about the Bible verses they are reading. There is also an app that helps Israelis remember what chapter they’re supposed to read each day and help them mark their progress.

Here are several article about the initiative. I commend them to your attention.
I especially wanted to bring this all to your attention as we celebrate Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles (aka, “Feast of Booths”). Why? Because in the Torah, Moses commanded the people to read through all the Scriptures in their entirety every seven years. Sadly, this is a commandment many if not most of my fellow Jews have forgotten, or never were aware of in the first place.
10 Then Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, at the time of the year of remission of debts, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place which He will choose, you shall read this law in front of all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and [a]the alien who is in your [b]town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law. (Deuteronomy 31:10-12)

Some of my favorite stories in the Bible are when King Josiah called the nation of Judah together to hear the Word of the Lord read to them in its entirety, and when Ezra and the priests read the entire Bible to the nation of Israel after their return to the Land from Babylonian and Persian captivity.
Several years ago, we organized an Epicenter conference with the theme, “The Power of The Word.” Several of the speakers taught on this largely forgotten history of Jewish leaders calling the nation back to the Scriptures — if you’re interested in watching the videos of those and other messages, please click here.

I’m grateful to Netanyahu and Rivlin and to the other Israeli leaders who are calling our people back to reading the Bible cover to cover. Will you join me in praying that more Jews (and Gentiles) heed their call? Thanks so much, and Chag Same’ach — happy holidays from Israel!