The Tomb

Of all the miracles and acts of God in the Bible, the Virgin Birth and Resurrection have, through the centuries, been the most attacked, denied, and vilified.  In recent years, Creation has joined that august company of “doctrines to be denied”.  But ultimately, since the occurrence, the Resurrection stands alone as the most maligned miracle of the ages.

While it is not the purpose of this message to defend or explain the Resurrection, the Tomb is of little consequence without some knowledge, evidence, and belief in the resurrection.  It is somewhat akin to the city of Bethlehem.  Not much more than a small Village in the Judean hills a few miles from Jerusalem; it has very little to commend itself as a major tourist attraction today.

The story of Ruth and Naomi, Boaz and the place of King David’s birth give it some significance.  But the major reason Bethlehem is known worldwide, and continues to be a major destination of tourists and travelers, is because Jesus was born there.

If it were not for one singular event, Bethlehem may only exist today as an archaeological site, sifting for evidence of King David.

In the same way, the Tomb owes its importance and popularity to one singular fact, it is the place where Jesus arose from the dead.  Take that away and the tomb is just another cave in one of the many hills that make up the city of Jerusalem.

But this we can say with authority, it does not matter if you believe this one is the place or another – the pure fact is we have stood in two of them and they are just plain empty!  The Resurrection is the foundational doctrine of the New Testament.  It is the miracle on which all other miracles rise or fall.  It is mentioned or discussed 104 times in the New Testament.

The Resurrection makes Christianity the only major religion in the world with a living Originator.  Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism; etc. - all their originators and founders.  All are dead and gone!  Only Christianity has a living founder.  The apostle Paul said, “if the resurrection is not true, then we Christians are of all men most miserable” (I Cor. 15:19).

But we need not be miserable, for He is risen! Jean & I can personally attest to the fact that the tomb is empty and no one can find his bones!  God has given us “man infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3) of its reality.  The best news the world ever received came to us from a graveyard.  The resurrection of Christ is the Amen of His promises!

Without the Resurrection, we would have little evidence for placing our unconditional trust in Him.  Even the Gospels cannot explain the Resurrection;  it is the resurrection that alone explains the Gospels.

In Acts 1:3 we read, “To whom also he showed himself after His passion by many infallible proofs”.  Were there skeptics?  I think I might have been one that Easter morning.

The body was missing.  Of all the attempts to disprove the Resurrection, no one has ever claimed that the body was present and accounted for in the Tomb.  It is just the opposite.  It is the undisputed fact that the body was gone, that gives the skeptics such a difficult time (Matt. 28:6; John 10:1-10).

The most anxious to recover the body, never found it.  (Nat. 28:12-15).  The elders would have spared no expense or effort to locate and display the corpse of Jesus.  We can be sure they left no stone unturned in their search – but to no avail.

Jesus in body was seen – He was alive and well.  As one preacher said, “The victim of Calvary is loose and at large.”  In 1 Cor. 15:5-8, Paul gives us an account of that morning when Jesus came forth from the grave.  He said Peter saw Him, Peter the one who followed at a distance, as they took His Lord from the Garden to Caiaphas house. Peter saws the tears in his Lord’s eyes and wept.  After the Resurrection Jesus asked Peter, Do You Love Me? (John 21:15).  A question we need to ask ourselves. 

The grave cloths are also infallible proof.  John says they were ‘lying’.  The Greek word is keimai.  It is used in Luke 2:12 and 16 of Jesus “Lying in a manger”.  The word means outstretched like a person who is lying down.  The clear implication is that the grave cloths were positioned as if Jesus’ body had passed through them, only they were empty.  How long would it take to unwrap the body, then re-wrap the cloths without a body to give it a form and why would someone do that?

If someone were stealing a body, I suspect they would not take the time to rewrap the burial cloths and lay them neatly on the slab in the tomb; and the face napkin specifically placed. And what about the guards? And the seal?  Were they sleeping?  Sleeping would have been an offense punishable by death.  More likely they we playing a game of darts or dices.  Is it possible, with guards on duty, that someone came with oxen and donkeys and rolled back the stone?

Perhaps the most infallible proof of all is the disciples themselves.  The Bible, history, and tradition indicate the followers of Jesus (except John) all died painful, martyr’s deaths for teaching the Resurrection.    If they would have had any knowledge that Jesus did not raise from the grave, they would have been in line to say so.  Few people are willing to die for the truth, let alone a lie. 

Regardless of the infallible proofs, and many more could be cited, it has not kept the skeptics from proposing some of the most preposterous explanations imaginable.  Most of them hinge on what is known as the “swoon theory”.  They are variants on concept that Jesus did not really die but simply passed out from the loose of blood and beatings and later resuscitated.

In his book Resurrection Hank Hanegraff list a number of such theories:  One elaborate hoax has Jesus manipulating His crucifixion so that he would be on the cross the day Passover was to begin, knowing that He would be taken down from the cross before the onset of Sabbath.  A second was He took a drug that made him appear dead and was taken down from the cross by Joseph Arimathea and other believers.

A third written by D. H Lawrence (author of the Lady Chaterly’s Lover) concocted his own swoon theory.  In his fanciful account, Jesus survived and ends up in Egypt where He falls in love with a priestess named Isis.  Problem- Isis was a mythological goddess of Egypt, not a priestess.

It gets worse. One account has Jesus imbibing in snake poison to fake His death.  At least two accounts have him married to Mary Magdalene (like the plot of the Da Vinci Code.  Another says Joseph of Arimathea as His uncle. One even had our Lord as a defender at Masada where He died fighting the Romans.

In light of today’s world events, it is of interest to note how the Muslims explain the Resurrection.

They place Jesus as second, only to Mohammed, as a prophet.  There are several variations to the central view, which is that Jesus was never crucified – thus, no need for a Resurrection.  The more popular thesis is that God made someone to look like Jesus and that person was the one who was put to death.

A variety of names are offered as to who the unfortunate substitute was: from Judas Iscariot, to Pontius Pilate, to Simon of Cyrene, and even to one of His inner circle.  However, the majority contend that Jesus escaped the cross by being taken up to heaven and that one day He will come back to earth and play a central role in future events.

Based on some of the alleged sayings of Mohammed, Muslims believe that, just before the end of time, Jesus will come back to earth, kill the Antichrist, kill all pigs, break the cross, destroy the synagogues and churches, establish the religion of Islam, live for forty years, and then He will die and be buried beside Mohammed…..  And now you know the rest of the story.

Our litany of theories is endless.  I have belabored the point to show how shallow and ludicrous men’s philosophies are in regard to the dynamic truth of the Word of God.  In addition to that, it helps us appreciate what God has revealed about the Tomb in which Jesus was buried.

There is one indisputable fact – the tomb is empty.  I know, because I stood in the empty tomb and No one has facts to prove differently!

HE IS RISEN!!!!

Blessings,

Gramps

When All These Things Happen, Look Up - The Final Epistle

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall l always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:16-18).

Hey Gang:    And so I come to the end of the Kermit’s list of the more subtle Signs of the Times.   If you recall, in the very first one of - When All These Things Happen Look Up- I mentioned the twenty- two   prophecy gurus who listed the number one sign for this day as “convergence”, the converging of all the Signs of Times that are listed throughout God’s Word.   The gurus also mentioned the fact that not only are all of the signs coming into view but they are coming with such speed that one wonders if Jesus is not preparing His troops for the final battle.

As I have mentioned before, I receive a weekly update from Bill Koenig, a White House Correspondent, and in his recent opening dialog he wrote these words that we need to place on our bathroom mirror and refrigerator,  “His future comments will be based on such words as “unpredictable,” unprecedented,” “record-setting,” apocalyptic” and “biblically significant” that will appear in 2016”.  I believe we have seen many examples of this in 2015, but his feeling is “we ain’t seen nothing yet!” 

The end of the year was a rich time for study, with reports of fulfillments of prophecy in the past year and predictions for the coming year.   It is interesting to me that in past year, if you received two predictions, one was a Felix the Cat-type prediction and the other biblically based with credibility.  If I were to put a one-word description of a growing problem that exists in many of the writings that are being spread around the internet, it would be “non-truth or deceptive.”.  In essence they are predictions of the human brain, not based on what God has placed in His word so that we will not be misled.

There are a lot of so-called authorities, according to their personal opinions, that are leading many folks down the “Prime Rose Path”.   But that should not be of any great surprise to a Bible believing Christian.  Jesus made it abundantly clear that in the last days there would be great deception- even in the church- that will lead to apostasy.

So, I have chosen as my tenth and final subtle Sign of the Times “convergence”.  You might look at that as a bottomless barrel that you can keep dumping things into and it never fills.  That is not a bad description of trying to stay up to speed in the areas of ‘What is Happening, Man?’ 

The following items were also reported in the Koening report and  are worthy of you placing in your think tank.  So What is Happening Man?  Now!

Item One:   Predictions have been coming in from the four corners of the earth on the dangers that lurk in the shadows on the economies of the world.  In 2016 we will have the Biblical Jubilee Year ending when Yom Kippur begins at sundown on October 11.  There are major concerns with the world’s economies and financial markets, a major impact, El Nino, is expected to cause famine, which also fits the 40-year-crisis-cycle; a disruptive U. S. president in his final year in office is determined to use executive orders to get his way on immigration, climate-control and refugees; and other areas known and unknown.

Item Two:  A major migrant crisis in the European Union will worsen, along with a refuge debate in the U.S.  Christians will remain under attack in the Middle East, and around the world.  Major actions by the leaders of Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sunni vs. Shiite caliphates, and the United States and EU will affect and influence the course of 2016. 

Free Speech will come under further attack in the U.S.  In December, Democratic members of Congress introduced, to the House Judiciary Committee, House Resolution 569 - condemning violence, bigotry and the hateful rhetoric towards Muslins in the United States for consideration.  It is suggested that ministers will have to be very careful what they say from the pulpit!

These are just a few but, be advised, if I were to choose to do another ten subtle prophecies that have been fulfilled or in the process of being fulfilled, I would have no problem choosing my subjects and it would take some picking and choosing for there are many more than ten.  But I do want to alert you to one last danger that is gaining rapid attention around the world.

The term El Nino, which means Christ Child, has been around for many years but never in the context it is being used today.  It is predicted by the U.S. Space Agency NASA that the effects of the current El Nino weather phenomena could be as bad of those of 1998, the strongest on record.  The current El Nino has been linked to several floods and unusually warm conditions in the Northern hemisphere. 

The current El Nino weather phenomena is the biggest and most powerful it has ever been since records have been kept.  The cycle of warm and cold temperatures – which is caused by warm water from Australia spilling out across the Pacific Ocean – has already caused havoc across the world this year including in America.

It is reported by the scientific world that if this El Nino continues to accelerate in power it could cause hunger, drought and disease to millions of people.  In the 1997-98 El Nino 20,000 people were killed and caused almost $97 billion worth of damage as it caused floods, droughts, fires, cyclones and mudslides around the world.

Well, my friends and neighbors, if that does not fire you up to make sure you are a member of God’s “In Gang” and that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you best get serious about your salvation and commitment to the Lord.  He said “Go”.    So my young friends keep in mind that one day you will stand before the Lord and answer the question “What did you do with My Son, Jesus?

I pray this series has built a fire in your heart for the lost souls all around you.

Blessings,

Gramps

P.S.  As mentioned, we will be reducing the number blogs from this point on.  We have set up a file to share very special reports that come across our computer.  If you would like to be included on that list send name and web address in the comment section or send an email to me.

If you are reading this and not a part of grampsmorningthoughts.blogspot.com, the 2 missing pieces are on the that blog on the last 2 Fridays of January 2016.  WE found that 4 & 5 blogs a week was too much at this time.

When All of These Things Happen, Look Up Part 11

Jesus instructed His disciples to "watch" (Matthew 24:42) and always "be ready" (verse 44). Watch what? Not global events, but themselves. Peter said: "Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you" (2 Peter 3:14-15). That is what it means to watch and be ready. Are you watching? Are you ready?

Hey Gang:  In the last blog, we looked at war and rumors of war as in a world context.  In this blog which I will title Sign Eight, I will restrict my comments to the “apple of God’s eye”- the center of what is happening in our world today – Israel.  To set the stage for this we need to turn to a book that was written between 520 and 489 B.C., the Book of Zechariah, which, I believe, was designed by God for this very hour.  

In verse two and three of Chapter Twelve, God gives us a perfect description of what is happening in our world at the moment.  Notice: “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah”.   Notice; “they will become like a cup that causes reeling”  (Zech. 12:2).

It is reported that a very large percentage of the business considered in the United Nations centers on Israel.  Unfortunately, the United Nations is largely controlled by the Arab Nations; therefore, most of the actions are prejudicial against Israel.  In a recent meeting of the UN they passed seven resolutions condemning Israel for their savage treatment of the terrorist who were trying to kill them; nothing about ISIS or Iran or Russia.  

In verse three, God continued painting a picture that has appeared loud and clear since Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948: “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured.  And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it”.   All the nations?  Yes, tragically all, even the United States that has been Israel’s friend and support for many years has, under this President, turned against the “apple of God’s eye”. 

Notice, I did not say their “savior” for only God can be their Savior.  In verse eight we read: “In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants lf Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them”.   I like that promise that even “the feeble among them in that day will be like David”.    At 82 one tends to be a wee bit feeble.

We need to look at one other verse before getting into the subject of current wars and rumors of war and how it effects God’s chosen people and land.  It is found in Psalm 83:3 and clearly states the intent of the sons of Ishmael’s heart in past, present and future.  You need to read the entire Psalm, but here I am going to restrict our reading to verse 3 and 4:  “They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones, They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation that the name of Israel be remembered no more.”  

For most of my growing up years it was the general agreement on the part of many Bible Prophecy guru’s that the next great event to come is the Gog – Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39.   I fell in line with this teaching and belief until one day a light went on in my head.  The light – does it not seem odd that if Gog-Magog is the next big event in our world why are there no current neighbors that butt up against Israel listed in the confederacy of Gog?

The Scripture tells me that God is going to put a hook into the jaws of the prince of Rosh, Meshach and Tubal and will bring them out splendidly attired horse and horsemen with shield and buckler and swords in hand.  Where are the tanks, and missiles, the jet fighters and bombers, the foot soldiers with their modern devices of destruction and killing?  Now many would argue that God is using symbolic language here and did not have such words for this modern killing devices.  To that I say “hogwash”.  Read on.

My dear mentor, Jessie, would say, don’t try and put words into God’s mouth.  If the Word says horse, horseman, buckle and shield and sword, that is precisely what he means! That did not make a lot of sense to me until a few years back when I first learned about the power grid and how hostile nations were seeking ways to attack the power grids of the countries they hoped to defeat.  Could that be another of those subtle signs of the times that few people know anything about.  If a nation can destroy another nations power grid, that nation would be without power.  My dear friends, everything in this world runs on power, including the armaments of the world.

Ezekiel 39:1 tells us: “Thus says the Lord God, “Behold I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel”.   Now getting back to the question of why there were none of Israels’ neighbors mentioned in the Gog Magog confederacy.  Would Lebanon not have to be part of that confederacy since it is a huge menace waiting to blow its cork with Hezbollah, armed with a huge stockpile of missiles aimed at every city and hamlet in Israel ready to fire.  Is that not something to chew on?

Well my friends I have done it again – run out of space and time.  I pray you will alert me when you have had your fill of What’s Happening Man.  I am very biased and a firm believer that you can set the table for a non-believer to become a believer by showing them clearly that it is Jesus’ desire that none should be without understanding.

When you can take a prophecy out of the Word and lay it down beside the news article that states it has been fulfilled exactly as God said it would be it can open the eyes of the non-believer.    Next time, I will try and tie some knots and clarify the points that I have left dangling.

Blessings,

Gramps

When All of These Things Happen, Look Up Part 9

“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and our holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.  Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cutoff and have nothing and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.  And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war, desolations are determined.  And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate” (Daniel; 9:24-27). 

Hey Gang:  As I mentioned in the beginning of this series, in this day when everything is being shaken so that only those things that cannot be shaken will remain, it is more than essential that we stay  up to speed about the signs that God so graciously gives us and continues to give on a daily basis.  Example:  Could there be a stronger sign than what occurred on the steps of the Michigan State Capital on 22 December as reported by Dan Godwin as follows:

“While America’s court system is working overtime to rid America of God, prayer and Jesus, while targeting Christians as “extremists, “We in Michigan just experienced our first “State-sanctioned” Satanic Ceremony in history! On December 19th, 2015 the Satanic Temple of Detroit held a ceremony on the steps of the Capitol in Lansing, Michigan- making it their first ever State Sanction Satanic ceremony. In it the Satanists hail Satan, raise their blackened American flags, and vow to bring their Satanic practices into American Schools, businesses, and to the White House!” 

How could that happen to a nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles?  Franklin Graham has vowed to preach repentance on the State Capital steps of all fifty states beginning on January 5 at Des Moines, Iowa.  He has titled his crusade “Decision America”.  Make sure you pray for safety for he and his contingent.  Satan is not going to be very happy with his commitment to turn the tide of our nation away from his agenda to God’s agenda.  For those who have signed up to be his prayer covering he prepared a Prayer Journal for each. 

Above, I asked the question, ‘How could that happen?’  In Franklin’s Prayer Journal he tells his warriors that only twenty-six percent of Michiganders, attend church, pray and open God’s word in any given week.   He also gave us the depressing news that thirty-eight percent of the people have either left the church or have never been involved in a church.  To put that in very easy to understand terms, that is Satan’s playground. 

Now that is one of those “I just don’t understand issues?”  I happened across a neat little illustration that will help clarify what I am trying to say here and, perhaps even cut a page from the dissertation.  It seems two scientist believed they had created life.  I haven’t a clue why man is so bent on creating life – it is reported by those folks who are in the know on how many folks this planet can support and we are nearing that point so why do we want to create more.  And if we do want more folks on the earth, why are we killing millions babies and mega people through our other perfected killing devices?

Getting back to the story, they came to God and told him they had created life so He was not needed anymore.  God’s response, “Show Me!”  They reached down and picked up a handful of dirt and God stopped them and said “Get your own dirt!

Now as I read it in Genesis 2:7 “God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”.   It is my firm belief that one of the great attributes of God is He is unchanging.  He got it right in the first place, so why should He change it.  It is man who believes he is some kind of super being that knows better. 

If God breathed life into the first man, is it not wise to assume it is He who breathes life into every human being?  Are we so arrogant to believe that we can control the climate?  Are we so arrogant as to believe that, if we turn our backs on the One who breathed life into us, we will pay for our stupid ways?  Getting back to the Lansing Capital Satanic Ritual.  Were they not worshiping a spirit?  Is Satan not a spirit?  Is God not a spirit?

When I read the fringe packages provided by both, I wonder what goes through the minds of people who actively and willfully choose the Lake of Fire rather than the paradise that Jesus referred to on the cross.  I believe that at birth God breathes life into us and equips our bodies with an electrical system.  Somewhere along life’s path we come to that point where we choose which power source we will plug into, God’s or Satan’s. 

One last point, before I close this epistle for the day.  Strong’s concordance tells me there are 33 columns of 114 each of the word “will” in the Bible.  I certainly have not researched them all but have discovered many.  Ezekiel is a rich book with the “I wills” of God.  One day I want to do a blog on the fringe packages of God and the evil one so have accumulated more than a hundred promises in just several chapters of what God says “I will do”.  So why are so many saying “No thanks I will go my own way”?

I will try and get back on track for the next What’s Happening Man, but things are happening so fast trying to choose what is most important is a real chore. 

Blessing,

Gramps

Isaiah said Israel's Fruit Would Fill the World Part 8

 “In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit” (Isaiah 27:6).

Hey Gang:  My sixth Sign of the Times is really a spin-off of number five because it, too, is dependent on the miracle of drip irrigation.  Now here is a piece of trivia that most folks are unaware of – every crop that can be grown in the world can also be grown in Israel.  How can this be?  Because of the difference in elevation and terrains.  From the eight thousand plus feet elevation of Mt Herman in Northern Israel to the 2000 plus feet below sea level of the Negev, and Arabah in Southern Israel, provides all of the conditions needed to grow all of the crops of the world.

In Isaiah 27:6, the prophet said Israel would one day blossom and fill the world with fruit”. This prophecy has been at least partially fulfilled, literally and symbolically. Today, the land of Israel, which had been barren for centuries, is a leading producer of agricultural products, exporting food to many countries. Their new and innovative ways for agriculture and forestry are being copied by many of the nations of the world. 

Isaiah’s prophecy foretells the glory of these deserts, which will be like the “glory of Lebanon” (Isa. 35:2).  Lebanon is a mountain range area, which can store water in solid form as snow.  This is mentioned in Jeremiah 18:14.  In between the mountains is a valley, rich in agricultural product.  The cedars of Lebanon appear often in the Scriptures, and this fine wood was used in building Solomon’s Temple in Israel (I Kings 4:6).

The thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah is especially known, not only for this prophecy of the desert blooming as a rose, but also the wonderful conditions that will be established for the work of God’s kingdom.  First, evil must be subdued.  This task will be the mission of the church, and her Lord.

Will the church be able to complete this mission?  Yes, because Satan will no longer be a factor, he will be chained and stowed in a pit someplace on earth for a thousand years.   Would it not be neat to be sitting on the fifty-yard line rooting for the angel that had chain in hand and Satan by the neck preparing him for thousand years of darkness. 

Think about that for a week or two!  During those years, of  Satan in chains, the Savior’s mission as the “Sun of Righteousness” will be to rise with “healing” in His wings” (Mal. 4:2).  Abraham announced that “all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).  Notice the second half of Malachi 4:2, ”And You will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall”.  It has been a spell since my body has sent messages to me that is ready, willing and able to do much skipping about like a young energy filled calf.” 

Having dedicated my life to throwing out shirt-tails, to hang onto, to hurting young people who were not blessed with daddies - I mean a daddy that they could crawl up on his lap and feel his arms of love and reassurance around them.  Verse six of Malachi 4 has always been a super special prophecy for me: “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the heats of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse” (Mal.6:6).  I pray every day that I will see that happen before I am called home. 

Isaiah prophesied that one day, “In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit” (Isa. 27:6).  Ladies and gentleman, been there and seen that, and done that.  I have gotten my hands dirty picking tomatoes- and eight to ten tomatoes would fill a five-gallon pail.  We have been blessed to see the Negev and Arabah bloom like a rose and have seen the products of the desert cover the entire earth with gifts of food blessed by God.

You may not be able to go to Israel and get your hands dirty, but we are also giving very specific instructions that we are to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psa. 122:6).  Notice the second half of that verse “May they prosper who love you.”  In Genesis 12:3 we are given an irrevocable promise by God: “And I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse, and in your all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 1:3).  Does this work?  Malachi says “test me now in this!” (Mal. 3:10).

Blessings,

Gramps  

When All These Things Happen, Look Up Part 7

“I will open the rivers on the bare heights and springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water.  I will put the cedar in the wilderness, the acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress,  that they may see and recognize and consider and gain insight as well.  That the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it” (Isaiah 41:18-20).

Hey Gang:  My fifth ‘Sign of the Times’ is one that most folks tend to overlook and is found in Isaiah 35:1: “The wilderness and the desert will be glad and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like a crocus”.  When the Jews began to return to the land of their heritage there was no great outcries that they were occupying someone else’s land.  Why?  Because it consisted of swamp lands and desert and broken down buildings.  There are those who say the Jews literally stole the land from the Sons of Ishmael who owned it but did not occupy it.  Such is not truth – they bought the land from the Arab owners and payed a dear price for every inch that they bought.

On our first trips to Israel we worked on a Kibbutz in the Arabah called Ir Ovot.  I would describe, what we saw the first time we drove into the Kibbutz, but it was indescribable.  It was a dessert-swamp that produced one crop – mosquitos that asked your blood type before they attacked.  But over in the one corner of the kibbutz we found long rows of plastic that were suspended from hoops in the ground; under the plastic were rows of half inch hose that were suspended above the plants that had been placed in the ground.  We learned that it was a new irrigation system, designed by a Jewish farmer, that allowed growing crops in the desert called “drip irrigation”. 

Simply stated, there was a head over each plant that provided a steady drip of water on the plant.  Keep in mind that the Arabah consist of the Plains of Lot that were very fertile grounds during the days of Abraham and Lot.  Lot, when given the option to choose the location where he would settle his flocks, chose the lush valley that covers portions of the Arabah.  If you picked up a hand full of soil, it would feel like a dry, very sandy substance; but, when water was added, it became some of the most fertile soil of Israel.

So, how does that fit in with the above prophecy that the desert will bloom like a rose?  We made eight subsequent visits to Israel, six of which were spend on the Ir Ovot, (now Tel Tamar), Kibitz.  On each subsequent trip we watched a literal transformation of the desert from a bleak, sandy desert to beautiful fields of vegetables, flowers, tree plantations, tropical fish and Peter’s fish plantations.  Today flowers, vegetables and other products that are raised in the desert are shipped around the world.

In Isaiah 41:18-20, the prophet's talk of a future restoration of Israel coincides with an occurrence in modern Israel - the construction of a vast irrigation system to improve farming. The lack of available water, including rain, is one reason why Israel had been a desolate, unproductive land, during much of the past 2000 years. But, during the 1900s, when many Jews returned to their ancient homeland, they built a network of irrigation systems. And during the past century, more than 200 million trees have been planted in Israel.

We have been truly blessed to watch the blossoming of the Arabah both from the standpoint of the beauty of the country side, but also from the beauty of God’s words and the fulfillment of His promises.  Another sign that He is preparing to come soon for His children.  Are you watching? 

BLessings,

Gramps

When All These Things Happen, Look Up! Part 6

“Because Iniquity will abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12). 

Hey Gang:  The ship arrived at the dock after its five-day journey across the sea.  When it docked the old missionary heard the band playing and the people singing their praise of someone who was on the ship with him.  For a moment he hoped it was for him, who had sacrificed more than fifty years of his life to plant the seeds of love and redemption in the hearts of a remote tribe in Africa.  But reality quickly set in when he saw the sign saying, “Welcome home President Roosevelt”. 

He turned to his wife with saddened eyes and hearts and said, “For fifty years we have served the Lord with gladness in our hearts. One would think that He would have had a brass band and a crowd of glad hearts for the services we gave to the Lord.”  For several weeks the old missionary was despondent and cried out frequently to the Lord, “Why, Lord, was there no reward awaiting our return?’ But that still small voice whispered in his ear, “I have not passed out my rewards, yet.  You are not home yet!”

The title I have given to what I have chosen to be my fourth Sign of the Times is “The Destruction of Love”.  As   mentioned in the last blog, I believe The Destruction of Love is the bottom line of all of the evilness that is taking place in or world.  As I thought of The Destruction of Love, three verses popped into my mind. 

The first of which I have always had a hard time understanding - Self esteem - has always been a problem for me.   I have always been plagued with the attitude that I am not worth very much.  When I read John 3:16 and the words that He, Father God, sent His only begotten Son to earth to walk in my steps -runs head on into the feelings of inadequacy.  I mean He, Jesus, was in the perfect place with Abba Father where there was no sin; He chose to come to earth with the full intent to one day carry the very cross they would use to crucify Him on to a hill called Calvary - to set me, and all who choose to follow Him as Lord, free from the bondage of sin.   

The second verse “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), and the third “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:37-40). 

We go back to the first words of verse one and find the very foundation and essence of love, “For God so loved”.  We find the foundation and essence of what love is not in Isaiah, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isa. 53:8a).   John made it clear that there is one source of love when he wrote, “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love”. A few verses later he emphasized this point when he wrote, “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (I John 8/16).

Question?  Are we entering post-Christian America? Or are we already there?  Daniel 12 speaks of a period when “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was nation”.   He was also told to close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.”   The angel said to Daniel, “When the time comes to open the seal the world will be in utter confusion but the wise will know and understand”.  Our world is certainly in a confused state but I wonder how many of the ‘wise of the world’ understand that God is preparing to take back His creation.

Why has the world chosen the more gross things of the world?    Are there not God’s people in the world?  Yes, but we also have apostasy breaking out all around us.  You see evilness overtaking the land; you see a new morality that seeks to eradicate faith in God.  Many are falling in behind the leading of the evil one. Are we not seeing a returning image of Antiochus Epiphanes, who proclaimed himself to be god.  Does that sound familiar?   Suddenly Christmas has become taboo.  It is now ‘Winter Recess.’  Manger scenes spark lawsuits by atheists, and courts rule in favor of the atheists.   

Did you, in your wildest imagination, believe that in our lifetime we would see a manger scene be considered dangerous and even evil.  It is no longer a celebration of the Messiah, a personification of all that is good and love, but now is a celebration of Black Fridays and happy winter holidays.

The spirit of antichrist seeks to remove God from every corner of the culture and many are doing all in their power to make that happen.  The Bible and prayer were removed from schools in 1960’s.  The Ten Commandments have been removed from the government buildings and Hate Laws have been passed in many cities- making it a crime to say anything that paints homosexuality and gay marriage in a negative light. 

Jonathan Cahn, Author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah wrote the following, “Charlie Brown Christmas, which aired on network television for the first time in 1965, featured Linus walking on stage in a Christmas play and giving a dramatic retelling of the Christmas story straight -from the pages of Luke’s gospel.  Fifty years later it remains so popular that the networks continue to show it.”   But as Cahn pointed out a Linus program of this type would not receive funding in Hollywood today.  The only reason it is still shown is public demand!  And that is true for most religious films that are produced – the public craves wholesome programs that shows the love story over and over again.

Well, my friends, I apologize for getting so long -but I fear for our nation, if we do not get the message  across- that there is only one way out of the pit we have allowed our country to sink to -and that is for God’s people to humble themselves before Him, pray diligently and with fervor, seek Good until we find Him and put away the nonsense of this world (2 chronicles 7:14).

Blessings,

Gramps

One last comment that has come across my computer screen in recent days, many Muslims and non believes in the Middles East, China, Russia and other nations have become followers of Yeshua in recent years.  The reason most given for their seeking Jesus as Lord is Jesus is love and they craved love