Saturday, February 23, 2008

GLORY IN FIRES

From the book of Exodus to the book of Revelation the glory of the LORD is mentioned. One definition of glory in the concordance is "a severe heaviness-to be made even heavier in richness and honor."


Exodus 40:34,35 says "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle."


Revelation 15:5 says "And the temple ( in heaven ) was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled."


In the account of the announcement of the birth of Christ the glory of the LORD shone around about and great fear fell on the shepherds. This severe heaviness, this great weight of richness and power is something mankind apparently cannot fathom or handle in our present state.


Even the wisest man who ever lived apart from Christ Himself, King Solomon, was not able to function when the glory of God filled the temple he built per God's instruction. 2 Chronicles 7:1,2 says " Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD'S house."


In times past I have treated the glory of God as something I could possibly turn on and off like a light switch. If I had the time, I may spend some time on my knees or read a passage or so of Scripture. Maybe even listen to two or three sermons during the course of a week. I have been guilty of taking His glory for granted, if it was even His glory to begin with. Was it something I just made up in my mind? In the context of the Scripture's above, yes, it has been made up in my mind. God has accused others of thinking He was just like they were. Guilty as charged.


He is not like me! But, by His grace and power, there is a day coming when I will be like Him. The process to get me there is not going to be pretty. Here is one of the processes He uses -


Isaiah 24:15 says " Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea." From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, He says His name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense (prayer) shall be offered unto My name, and a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 1:1)


In the fires I will learn to glorify God.


God says "As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. (Numbers 14:21) and "And blessed be His glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen and Amen." (Psalm 72:19)


I have read these Scriptures. I know that I am His, by His grace. I know in the near future, I feel in my lifespan, will probably see the fulfillment of all things prophecied. What am I to do in the meantime regarding His glory?


I have read what Moses did. He interceded for the children of Israel. The one man whom God spoke to face to face, the one who was the meekest man on planet earth, reminded God of His promises to the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He followed through with what God asked Job to do; present your case, reason with me, lets examine the issues, lets talk!


God was ready to totally destroy the children of Israel in the desert. He told Moses He would raise up a great nation from Moses; basically start all over again. Numbers 14:12-19-

"I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land; for they have heard that Thou LORD art amont this people, that Thou LORD art seen face to face, and that Thy cloud standeth over them, and that Thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night."


"Now if Thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying, Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which He sware to them, therfore He hath slain them in the wilderness. And now I beseech Thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. "


"Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou has forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."


"And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word; But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD."


Who is interceding for us? What is known as the established church on the earth has been as guilty, even more so, than the Children of Israel in Moses' day. The church has the Old Testament Prophets. The Children of Israel did not. The church has the New Testament. The children of Israel did not. The church has the very Holy Spirit of God promising to live in us. The children of Israel did not. We are thousands of times more guilty that the Children of Israel.


Who is interceding for us? Jesus!


It is important to become familiar with the glory of God; to desire it, to think of it, to want it more than anything on this planet. He will put the hunger in my heart and fulfill the wish. Like the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem, the desire of God has always been to dwell in this bodily tabernacle as I yeild and allow. To have a dwelling place on earth, as He has in the heavens.


In the fires to come, I feel much more space for Him will become available.

Monday, February 18, 2008

REJOICE NOT-MINE ENEMY

No matter the mistakes and sin in my past life. As long as I realize that God has forgiven and has determined to reverse the mistaken course I have taken in the past, He is faithful to forgive, restore, and repair. The promise below is for Israel, and for those who are of spiritual Israel, after repentance of past sin. Yes, we reap what we sow, we will sit in darkness for a season, the Scripture below explains the process:


MICAH 7:7-9

" Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against Him, until He plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness."


With Israel, both natural and spiritual, MICAH 7:15-20 promises:


"According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt (my life of rebellion and unbelief)
will I show unto him marvellous things. The nations (Satan and evil forces) shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf."


"They (the enemy) shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee. Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retaineth not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy."


He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities: and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depts of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth of Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which Thou has sworn unto our fathers from the days of old."


These ancient attributes of our Father are as real today as if they were published just yesterday. God changes not. As Believers in the God of Israel we have the right and duty as His children to remind Him of His promises. I use them in prayer on a daily basis.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

GRACE

JRPeacher - mtzion@hughes.net


Exhorting each other in the spirit of love, grace and peace is of utmost importance during these troubled times. Messiah said that we would be known by the love that we show. The Apostles often proclaimed and opened their letters exhorting the Spirit of Grace; may He be upon you and exhibited in all that you do.


In that context, some personal thoughts if I may, (and these are personal observations of my 53 years):Each of us were raised in different environments. we each have different backgrounds and parents. We all attended various houses of worship. We read the Bible according to our backgrounds and it is up to the Spirit, the Word that was in the very beginning from the creation of this planet to enlighten our hearts and minds.


My background was in an evangelical denomination, the Assemblies of God, my father was a pastor there for many years. But, I have attended many other houses of worship and they are very different from my upbringing. All worshiping the Father in the way they understand; according to their background.


Churches in Africa worship the Father playing the instruments of their culture. Their understanding of God is in direct relation to their upbringing. Churches in Latin American nations worship with an upbeat, latino beat and instruments. Churches in Asia use the instruments of their cultures. All arise up into the Heaven of Heavens where God is and if done in truth and through the Spirit, have to be a sweet aroma to Him.


God established the boundries of the nations; if I remember correctly according to Scripture there are 70. Each, although different, are humans created in the image of God. Body, soul and eternal spirit.


There is one culture that is arising to the forefront, Hebrew Messianic Believers who are drawn once again, and soon in mass to the God who has called them out from the nations. In my reading of this issue, they are going through what the Church has gone through over the centuries. It has taken the Church 2,000 years to arrive to its present position; the Messianic Believer Congregations are having to go through the same thing in a few short years what has taken the Church 2,000 years to achieve. Quite an accomplishment and the turmoil, the misunderstandings, the doctrines are being put through the grinder in a time warp that is unimaginable to the human mind.


In this process of God bringing the Bride of His Son into maturity, and the unbelievable pressures He is putting us under, we must remain full of His grace, His love, His understanding and His patience. It is not humanly possible but through our obedience in allowing the Spirit of Grace to work in and through us anything is possible to those who believe!
When disagreements arise, as they will, while reading this morning I came across PROVERBS 30:33 which says:


"Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter; and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood; so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife."


In his writings to the churches and other believers, he quite often admonishes, "May grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." He opens up his letters with this salutation to the Corinthians,the Galatians, the Ephesians, the Colossians the Thessalonians and the Philippians.


How much more should we as Believers do the same in our conversation, although electronic in 2008 be of the same spirit, which Paul says come from God; the spirit of grace?


In the context of different upbringings, households, and cultures, I am comforted when I read PSALM 46:4 -
"There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High."


This river that makes great gladness has many streams. We are all connected and flow into that great river He has created. Let us joy in our different cultures and how we apply our beliefs as our individual circumstances require. Messiah is LORD of the earth; we are His creation. Our basic believe is in Him. He is the cornerstone, He is the head, we are His body. Great and marvellous are His works in us as individuals, just and true are His ways. He sits as a Refiner of silver and gold. And as the end approaches for human kind as we know it, He will produce gems and precious stones as only He knows how. We will be those stones He has set for His signet ring in the Heaven of Heavens.


So, fear not, do not be dismayed, He who has started a good work in us will complete it in His way, in His time, and for His purpose!


Praise His glorious Name!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

BRUISING HEEL AND HEAD-Rev. George Whitfield

THOUGHT FOR TODAY FROM REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD: (19TH CENTURY)


SUBJECT - Satan bruising heel of seed of woman and seed of woman bruising head of Satan.


“ This promise was literally fulfilled in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan bruised His heel when he tempted Him for forty days together in the wilderness; he bruised His heel when he raised up strong persecution against Him during the time of His public ministry, he in a especial manner bruised His heel when our LORD complained that His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, and He sweat great drops of blood falling upon the ground in the garden; he bruised His heel when he put it into the heart of Judas to betray Him; and he bruised Him yet most of all when his emissaries nailed Him to an accursed tree and our LORD cried out,


“ My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"


“ Yet in all this the blessed Jesus, the seed of the woman, bruised Satan’s accursed head; for, in that He was tempted, He is able to succor (comfort) those that are tempted. By His stripes we are healed. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. By dying, He destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. He thereby spoiled principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them upon the cross. “


“ The Children of Israel, the more they were oppressed, the more they increased in Egypt. The torturer of the saints of years gone by compared the Church in his time to a mowed field; the more frequently it is cut, the more it grows. The blood of the martyrs was always the seed of the Church. Martin Luther said that “ If it were not for persecution, I should not understand the Scripture. "


“ Fear not devils; you shall get the victory even over them. The Lord Jesus has engaged to make you more than conquerors over all. Plead with your Savior, plead; plead the promise in the tent. Wrestle, wrestle with God in prayer. If it has been given you to believe, fear not if it should also be given you to suffer. Be not any wise terrified by your adversaries; the King of the church has them all in chain; be kind to them; pray for them; but fear them not. The LORD will yet bring back His ark; though at present driven into the wilderness; and Satan like lightening shall fall from Heaven. "

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

CONTROVERSY OF ZION

For the first time in US history a President of the United States has announced that the Land of Israel will be comprised of two states; one Palestinian and one Jewish. I fear that this will bring severe judgment upon the United States. 2008 may be the beginning of day of the LORD'S vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion.

Consider past actions and events. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon unexpectedly evacuates Jewish settlements in and around Gaza after US pressure to do so. It has been estimated that over 80,000 Israeli's were dispossed of their homes in the process. Shortly thereafter, Hurricane Katrina forms in the Gulf of Mexico and strikes US coast causing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of American citizens.

Before this, when the first President Bush, under pressure by James Baker, then Secretary of State refuses to agree to a 20 billion dollar loan guarentee for Israel, Hurricane Andrew sweeps through Florida causing over 100 billion dollars in damage.

If these things happened in the past, what on earth is in store for the United States of America considering our new demand on Israel regarding the division of Jerusalem?
This may very well lead to our demise as a functioning nation in control of our own destiny.

It is time for Believers everywhere to prepare for the worst, and to realize that God is still in total control. If we hold the things of this earth too close to our hearts, terror will arise upon our spirits. If we stay close to Him during this time of tulmult, He will give His comfort, grace and peace of heart.

As in the day when judgment was about to fall upon Jerusalem, God had angels go throughout the city to put a mark on the foreheads of those who were His; they were not destroyed during the judgment. Before the exodus the Jews were instructed to put the blood of a lamb over their doorposts. They were saved during the night of terror for the Egyptians.

As Believers in Christ and His conquest of the principalities and powers of darkness and their power over our fates, we are covered and marked as being His. We can take great confidence in this and will need to remind ourselves of this fact in the coming days. He now holds the keys of death and the grave. He has told us to fear not, He is with us, be not dismayed, He is our God. He will guide us through the waters so that we do not drown; lead us through the fire so we are not burned.

The coming fires will just burn off the bondages and shackles of this world for us. Like the three Hebrew children in the burning furnace in Daniel's day, their bonds were consumed with fire and fell off, but they did not even smell of smoke! And there were four men walking about the flame. I wonder what they were talking about? I will have to ask them when I see them! We will have much to talk about also about this day in which we live.

He knows the way we take. He has established our paths. He is our guide, our protector and our shield. He is our Father! Fear not!

Monday, February 11, 2008

EZEKIEL 38-HE WILL!

This morning I have been thinking, again, of the prayers of King Jehoshaphat when he spoke of going to the temple of God during times of great distress, famine, or pestilence. This blog entry of 2008 continues along that same vein. It matters not where we have been driven because of our disobedience or lack of faith; God will, for the sake of His Name, gather us up, wash us and make us clean to serve His purposes; not ours.
Whom He has called He will refine. Those who are His from the foundation of the world will be purified; even as gold and silver are refined. It is not an easy process but very necessary to achieve His purposes, not ours. As we go through the fires He will be glorified and we will be purified. He will not allow anything to remove us from the palm of His hands. Christ said those whom the Father has given Him are His; He will lose none.
As Jeremiah said, it is because of His great mercies that we are not consumed; He remembers that we are but dust. His Spirit will quicken us and bring His word to remembrance as we go through His processes. His Word is truth; it existed before the foundation stone of this planet was laid.
Never forget, as the mountains are round about Jerusalem - so the LORD is round about His people. Those who believe in Christ are of the seed of Abraham; these promises are ours because of our belief in Messiah. We are one with natural Israel; grafted into the vine.
May we bear much fruit in the closing days of this age of Grace.
Have a wonderful Sabbath thinking upon Him. jrp (07.31.2010)

EZEKIEL 36 - HE WILL!

Read this passage in the context of God’s dealings with Israel, this is who it was written to. Put in into context of those who believe that the church has replaced Israel; A belief that in error. This passage shows the ways of God and His dealings with those who say they are His. What idols have I set up before God?

“Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.”

“Therefore, I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed on the land because they had defiled it with their idols.”

“Also, I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According to their ways and their deeds I judged them.”

“When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, “These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.”

“But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.”

“Therefore, say to the house of Israel, “Thus says the LORD God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the LORD God “when I prove Myself Holy among you in their sight.”

“For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

“And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.”

“Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, that you may not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.”

“Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. I am not doing this for your sake, declares the LORD, let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!”

Thus says the LORD God, “ On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. And the desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passed by. And they will say, “This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. “

"Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it.”

"Thus says the Lord God, ”This also will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them; I will increase the men like a flock. Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”


When troubles come into my life my first reaction should be to examine, immediately, my relationship with God. If it is an attack from the enemy, He will give strength to go through the difficulty successfully, if it is God, He will show me and repentance should be immediate.

LETTER TO PRESIDENT CARTER


John R. PEACHER
2592 Eagle School Road
Martinsburg, WV 25404-0627
December 17, 2007

JIMMY CARTER
THE CARTER CENTER
ONE COPENHILL AVE.
PO BOX 47626

RE LETTER FROM CARTER CENTER AND JIMMY CARTER COMMENTS THEREIN

Dear President Carter:

Your efforts to alleviate the suffering of the less fortunate around this nation and the world are commendable. You and your wife set an excellent example for all former Presidents and government officials to emulate during their career, and more so, after retirement.

With all due respect, a specific area your efforts are misguided and in serious error regard the misguided, and hopefully mistaken appeasement to the enemies of freedom loving persons in regard to Israel. Six billion persons inhabit this troubled planet and your actions have equalized the playing field between entities whose stated goal is the elimination of the State of Israel. You have exhibited an ability to actually sit and negotiate with the Devil in that regard. Talk and diplomatic niceties are an affront to a people that are under a constant rocket barrage and face violence and the possibility of murder and injury every day, as the Israeli population does.

The statement in your letter to me dated November 19, 2007 requesting support saying “The Carter Center has received the support of former Senator Sam Nunn, Secretary of State James Baker, Colin Powell, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former President Gerald Ford…” and many others is further confirmation of how deceptive the enemies of peace are in their ability to muddy the waters and the distinction between right and wrong, evil and good, light and darkness. The list of supporters you provide in your letter is most troubling when taken in context with efforts to further divide the Land of Israel to appease terrorist governments and entities.

The efforts of the Carter Center to house the destitute, feed the hungry, clothe the poor confirm that your heart is in the right place in that regard. But I cannot support a Center that will further divide the Land of Israel as part of its agenda. If I did so, I would also be obligated to send support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard or Hamas.



As troubling to me is that as a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher and deacon, how can stand in front of people quoting Scripture and represent these anti Semitic ideologies given the stated word God has spoken in regard to His people and His land?
Consider Zechariah 8:11-15, for example:
“But now I will not be unto the residue of this people as in the former days, saith the LORD of hosts. For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.”
“And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing; fear not, but let your hands be strong. For thus saith the LORD of hosts; As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked Me to wrath, saith the LORD of hosts, and I repented not; So again have I thought in these days to do well unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah; fear ye not.”

In this context The Carter Center and your extensive list of supporters have come down on the wrong side of the fence on this important issue. If you take Zechariah chapter 12 as further proof of God’s plan for Israel, your stand is directly opposed to His will and thus, is doomed to failure; just as the Holocaust failed, the pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe failed, the Crusades failed, and the Spanish Inquisition failed, and as assimilation of the Jews failed over the several thousand years to wipe out the memory of Israel from the earth.
I recommend a reading of Psalm 83. The list of nations, tribes, organizations and powerful entities that had gathered against His people is also quite extensive; but none the less, God filled their faces with shame and they perished; as will all who gather against His stated will in this new millennium of 2000 AD and beyond.

The Jesus, the Savior, you speak of in Sunday School and in your Church is called the Son of David; He will sit on the Throne of David in an undivided Jerusalem and rule in righteousness and eternity. Given this Biblical fact, which you apparently accept as a self proclaimed born again Christian, how can you advance the forces arrayed against Israel? If God changes His mind regarding Israel, then theoretically He could possibly change His mind regarding salvation; we both know neither will happen because He does not change.
I beg of you to reexamine your theology in regard to this issue, and I wish the Carter Center much success in support of the poor, the needy, and the oppressed; and only in those areas.

Regards,

JOHN R. PEACHER

JERUSALEM

ZECHARIAH 12:2,3

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling (poison) unto all people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut to pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."


At this writing the Secretary of State of the United States is ready to travel back to the Mideast to get the peace track back on schedule. Rockets are still being fired into Israeli towns and territory. It was reported this weekend in the Jerusalem Post that Omert, the Israeli Prime Minister is having talks regarding the division of Jerusalem.


How do we as a nation and as individuals come down on this issue. I believe the passage of Scripture above gives direction. Our nation is treading on dangerous ground in this regard. But God is in total control. The United States is being weighed in the balances and I fear we are coming up short on this issue of eternal importance.


Jesus said the time of the Gentiles (the nations) will draw to a close when Jerusalem is recaptured (Luke 21:24). Jerusalem came under Israeli juristiction on June 1967 after 2000 years of captivity to the nations.


The United States of America is on the wrong side of this issue. Six million Israeli's surrounded by hundreds of millions of people seeking her destruction. The nation in which we live is beholden and addicted to Arab oil. It is the fluid that makes our economies, our power plants, our cars and modes of transportation run. The oil crunch of the 1970's is an example of what an oil embargo can do to a nation. I remember sitting in gas lines in Frederick, MD and only able to get a limited number of gallons of gasoline, every other day.


This in itself is a sign from the heaven of heavens of God's ways on this earth. It seems to be the way God does things; even in the lives of Believers who are not of natural Israel. We are boxed in and put in such difficult circumstances that decisions that seem to determine our very survival must be made.


Who boxed us in? God has. As the time of the Gentiles (nations) has ended, Israel is once again the center piece of the history of mankind on planet earth. In the spiritual realm, tens of thousands are believeing in Christ daily around the planet. I feel this will continue until the moment just before Messiah returns. But, the center piece has been placed on His table in His dealings with mankind and the feasts for the birds (demonic forces) is being prepared. Those who come down on the wrong side of this issue will be cut to pieces, as ZECHARIAH says.


The enemy of our souls and the nations gathers in anticipation of the great feast and destruction. The birds of the air swarm in anticipation of the feast. But, the Father will hide His chosen ones from the storm just as He hid Noah and his family in the Ark. Our Ark is Christ.


Like Noah and his family, the waters from below and above will fill all that surrounds us and drown everything that we are familiar with. The higher the water rises, the closer we get to Heaven, where God is! There is nothing to fear. He knows where we are; He knows the number of hairs on our head. We must be confident of this no matter how difficult the days become in the near future.


We have come down on the wrong side of this issue. We must not be party to the further division of Israel or Jerusalem. Sadly this seems to be the path we have chosen. As Believers we must prepare for what is coming to our nation if we do not change course. If God's Word is true, the effect of our national policy in regard to Israel will be disasterous. It is time to pray for our leaders.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

MY HOUSE

2 SAMUEL 22:1-5

" Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and His word was in my tongue."


"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just,ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain."


"Although my house has not been so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure; for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He make it not to grow."


I can say with King David that my house has also not been so with God. Imagine the humility of the greatest earthly king Israel has ever had. Consider, Messiah will sit on the throne of David when He returns.


David realized he had failed in important areas. He was repentant of these failures. And most importantly, he had a picture of the forgiveness, mercies, and grace of God in spite of those failings.


The sweet psalmist of Israel, from whose writings we receive multitides of promises, inspiration and guidance of the ways of God, also fell short on occasion. There is much to learn of David's desire to know the heart of God.


Hope springs eternal when I consider this marvelous grace of my Father in Heaven. There is no shadow of turning with Him. He is the same today as He was in King David's day. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. May His face shine upon us today.

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL-PSALM 83

PRAYER FOR ISRAEL
PSALM 83
"Keep not Thou silence, O God:
hold not Thy peace,
and be not still, O God."
"For lo, Thine enemies make a tulmult;
and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head.
They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people,
and consulted against Thy hidden ones."
"They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;
that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
For they have consulted together with one consent;
they are confederate against Thee:
The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ismaelites;
of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;
the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Assur also is joined with them;
they have helped the children of Lot." Selah.
"Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera,
as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
Make their nobles like Oreb,
and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah,
and as Zalmunna:
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
O my God, make them like a wheel;
as the stubble before the wind."
"As the fire burneth a wood,
and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
So persecute them with Thy tempest,
and make them afraid with Thy storm."
"Fill their faces with shame;
that they may seek Thy name, O LORD.
Let them be confounded and troubled for ever;
yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
That men may know that Thou,
whose name alone is JEHOVAH,
art the most high over all the earth."
NOTE: It is interesting to study the people the Psalmist speaks of. Zebah and Zalmunna were slain by Gideon. We know from Biblical history that the children of Amalek are hated by God because of their hunting down and killing the elderly and those who fell behind during the Exodus from Egypt. The Midianites were defeated by angels, over 180,000 of them were killed in one evening.
In context of PSALM 83, where do the United States and Europe fall in regard to the forcing of Israel to secede more land and the possible division of Jerusalem? Government's and individuals tread on dangerous ground as far as God's Land is concerned. They are making a tulmult, they have taken counsel against His People. The result of such action can be nothing but disasterous.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

DAYS OF DARKNESS

God discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death. (Job 12:22)


And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear;but let not God speak with us, lest we die.


And Moses said unto the people, Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 18-21)

Thought For Today~

We are entering days of darkness regarding the economy, the war on terrorism, the division of Israel, and the moral decline of Western Societies. Many wonder when the next terror attack will occur. Many are worried about losing the homes they have worked so hard to attain. Some face physical ailments that no pill or drug can cure, myself included in that number.


But through it all, there is a God in the Heavens who sees in and through these dark, troubling days. Darkness is as the noon day sun to Him. He is never taken by surprise. He has given us promises we need to remind Him of in our daily times of prayer. For example:


But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:9)


Why do we go through dark days and dark times in our lives? Isaiah tells us:

"I (God) will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel."


There are treasures that can only be found in the darkness. Like many things in nature, the most beautiful gems on earth went under the most intense pressure in the most darkest of places. He is making us His gems to bring glory to Himself at the end of the age and for all of eternity.


"I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things." (Psalm 45:7)


The ten commandments that have served as the foundation stone of Jewish and Western Civilization were given out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of thick darkness. (Deuteronomy 5:22) Moses was drawn to that darkness! What a strange character he was.


The people saw the darkness and withdrew; Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was (Exodus 20:21)


We have a promise from our Father in Heaven concerning personal days of darkness. One of them is in Psalm 112:4-

Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness;
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.


There are important lessons to be learned in this regard. Fear not, He is an excellent teacher.