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Archive for May, 2010

How Quickly Can Humans Forget? –Part 3

31 May

We’ve been in the story of the Exodus and the focus is on how quickly man can forget the awesome Hand and works of God.

The Israelites were at the Red Sea and complaining to Moses.  As we know God parts the Red Sea in another awesome miracle.  The Israelites cross over and do a dance and sing songs for the Lord.

Immediately they have no water in the desert and they come up to Marah.  The water was bitter.  It doesn’t indicate that people asked Moses to ask God to make it drinkable.  It says they grumbled against Moses.  Once again, Moses went to God and God had him throw in a piece of wood and they could drink of it.

Not even few small paragraphs later we have them complaining of …… Food.

Then God rains down Manna.  Do they obey God concerning  Manna?  Of course not.  Don’t get me wrong, many of them did.  The others, well they were going to try and store some the next day and it was rotting, just like God said.  Others went out to find some on the Sabbath and there was none, just like God said.

We look at the Israelites and we think,” Are you blind?  Do you not hear and see the Hand of the Lord?”

Trust me on this one.  Nothing has changed.  The time period changes, but humans don’t change.  When they are trusting God and following Him and his Word, they are blessed.  When they are not, destruction comes.

God does get tired of man not obeying Him.  Plagues were set off on the Israelites who continued to grumble.  Plagues were set off on those who chose the idol over the Ten Commandments.  The whole assembly that came out of Egypt, besides Joshua and Caleb, died in the desert.  They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.  Why, because they wouldn’t listen to God.

The next generation listened to God and they began their conquest of the Promised Land.  Who were they conquering?  Nations that were evil in God’s eyes and that weren’t obeying Him.

How quickly can humans forget?                                     

We were once a great nation.  Why?  This nation served God and overall was an ally of Israel.  Not always strong and shame on us when we weren’t, but guilty enough that their neighbors aren’t fans of ours.

Now this nation worships money.  It’s over $12 Trillion down and that’s the conservative estimate.  It has been fighting since 1962 to throw God out of everything. 

Make sense?  Actually, when one gets to know the Word of God and the sinful fall of man, it does. 

Study God’s Word nonstop.  The only sanity, in an insane and out of control world, is God and His Word.

 

How Quickly Can Humans Forget? –Part 2

30 May

Yesterday we spoke of the ten awesome plagues that God put on the Egyptians.  The Israelites witnessed it all.  After the Plague of the Firstborn, the Egyptians begged the Israelites to go and even gave them their goods, silver, and gold, when they were asked by the Jews.   

In another mighty act the Lord led them in the form of a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

In Exodus 13:17 the Israelites are on their way out of Egypt.  God has just delivered them singlehandedly from a strong dominant well to do nation.  How many versus does it take for them to lose heart?  About 15 versus it seems.  Pharaoh has a change of plans and decides he wants his slave labor plan back along with everything that was just plundered from them.

Exodus 14:5-9 – 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

I don’t think Pharaoh’s heart needed to change much nor needed a lot of persuasion from God to harden.  So with one miracle after another, day upon day from the Lord, how did the Israelites respond?

Exodus 14:10 – 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.    

Crying out to the Lord is the good part.  We need to cry out to the Lord for deliverence, but were they crying out to the Lord in confidence?

Exodus 14:11-12 – 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

Now I don’t know about you, but when they were upset during captivity when the Egyptians took away the straw and still wanted the same number of bricks, I can understand whining to Moses that more hardship was being brought on by Moses’ boldness.  At that time they were trying to go with the flow and they were being beaten for something they weren’t prepared for.

That was before the Hand of God led them out of Egypt.  Now after witnessing God’s mighty strength, are they praying to Him stating, “please God, help us again!?”

No.  They’re complaining to Moses asking him if it was because there were no graves in Egypt that he brought them out into the desert to die.

They were asking Moses if “he” brought them out of Egypt to die?  I’m pretty sure we read that Moses was very careful to explain to the Israelites that it was God that delivered them out of Egypt. 

My, how quickly man forgets!  I emphasize the human race, as the Israelites are just the example in this story.

We could stop right there and wrap it up, but there is so much more.  We could use another day and let’s make that tomorrow.

 

How Quickly Can Humans Forget? –Part 1

29 May

Moses was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

No generation of people has seen the direct mighty Hand of God at work more than this one.

They witnessed 10 plagues that were sent upon the Egyptians to help set them free.  Those plagues weren’t only to help set them free, but to display the awesome power of God also.

One by one they witnessed them.

The Plague of turning the Nile to blood.
The Plague of Frogs.
The Plague of Gnats.
The Plague of Flies.
The Plague of Livestock dying.  Yet not the Israelites livestock.
The Plague of Boils.
The Plague of Hail.
The Plague of Locust.
The Plague of Darkness.
The Plague of the Firstborn.

The Plagues were a strong judgment on a nation that had enslaved and suppressed God’s chosen people.  Not only were the judgments awesome in their severity, but just to make sure there was no mistake, the Israelites were warned and spared of the judgments.  This way, no one could pass it off by unfortunate circumstances.

Were the plagues bad timing for the Egyptians?  No, they came right after God told Moses to tell them they were coming if they didn’t let the His people go.

Did this generation of people (Israelites) as a whole, straighten up and live unwavering from this day forward?

Let’s discuss more on this tomorrow.

 

Daniel 12: 9-10 – End Time Prophecy

28 May

Daniel 12:9-10 – 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

I said I was only going to do one end time prophecy at a time, but verse 10 actually has two prophecies in it.  One is an end time prophecy and the other has been going on for 2000 years and is still happening in the last days.

 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined….  Now this portion of scripture can only be referred to Jesus’ work on the cross and the victory He has shared with all those who make Him Lord.

What can wash away my sin? What can make me whole again?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.  Thank you, Robert Lowry who wrote us such a blessing of a song in 1876.

1 John 1:7,9
7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Only the blood of Jesus makes us pure in God’s eyes and refined.  All of us are sinners and are anything but pure or refined without Him.

So this prophecy is still going on today and as long as people are willing to accept the Lord, it will continue.

Now let’s look at the next half of the scripture.

……but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

We’re in the last days and look around you.  Signs are happening left and right and there are people pointing it out to the wicked.  They don’t see it.  Most of them don’t want to see it.  They don’t want to look towards the Light, because evil is more comfortable in the dark.  Wisdom comes from the Lord.

I’ll be doing many posts on the scriptures on the evilness of man in the last days so I don’t want to repeat it here. 

The last part of the scripture states – but those who are wise will understand.

Friends, we are blessed today to have many wonderful teachers who have dedicated their lives to understanding the second coming of Jesus.  My favorites are Grant Jeffrey, Chuck Missler, Hal Lindsay, and Jack Van Impe.  But there are others such as Jimmy DeYoung who appears on John Ankerberg’s show.  Dr. Ed Hinson on the King is Coming.

You have to be careful and search the scriptures because some others will tend to either have an agenda or appear to get off base.  All of the above have my endorsement and I encourage you to read their material and watch their shows.  Their website links are in the right column of this website.

As always if you do not know the Lord and would like you to ask Him to be Lord of your life, please go to the upper right hand column and click on the “How to Accept Jesus as Savior” page.

 

We Need To Be A Light On A Hill

27 May

John 8:12 – 12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

What is darkness?

Well by reading the scriptures, most of the time it refers to a lost place you don’t want to be or it describes evil.

Darkness happens when one gets away from God.

When one walks blindly in the dark they stumble, fall, can walk off the edge and get seriously hurt, or die.  Their acts many times are considered evil by God, even when they aren’t trying to be that way.  Because when you’re in the dark, you can’t see the problem unless someone else sheds some light on it.  Ah, great saying and I think you know where we are going with this.

Who is the light of the world?

Jesus is the light of the world.  This is what Jesus has to say to all those who have accepted him as Lord.

Matthew 5:14-16 – 14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

So the Light of the World just got done telling us what he expects from those who have accepted Him and love Him.  Jesus is stating you now need to be a light on the hill because you are a part of Him.

Are you hiding your light under a bowl?  You need to really answer that question.  If you are, Why?

Would you like it if a so called friend ignored you every time someone else came along.  Let’s imagine you are walking along with a guy named John and you bump into Bob.

John: “Hey Bob how’s is it going?”

Bob:    “Hey John, I’m doing great.  Hey who’s you friend here?”

John:  “Who?”

Bob:     “The guy you appear to be walking with, Him.”

John:    “Oh yeah, him.  You know he’s a personal friend.  We talk sometimes when no one else is around.  But now you’re here and frankly I just don’t feel comfortable in introducing him to you.”

Bob:    “Oh, are you upset with him or ashamed of him.”

John:   “No!  Are you kidding me?  He’s everything to me.  It’s just that it takes me out of my comfort zone to introduce him.  You know?”

Is this a friend?  This is the way many treat their so called important friend Jesus.

There is nothing in the Bible that I recall that states if you’re shy don’t worry about sharing Jesus with the world.  Nothing that says if sharing God and Jesus takes you out of your comfort zone, don’t worry about it.

Anyone can be a light on a hill.  Anyone can share what the Lord is doing in their lives.  This world is full of hurting people that are constantly put in our paths and you can be a light to those people.

Jesus has another verse that comes to mind.

Matthew 10:32-33 – 32“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

I’m not saying that this verse is aimed at a timid Christian who doesn’t share the Lord with others.  But this verse does point out how important it is to Jesus that you acknowledge Him before other people.

Be a light on a hill for everyone to see.  The world is full of darkness and it needs Jesus.

 

The Truth Isn’t Based On What You Want It To Be

26 May

We live in a time period when nobody wants to step on toes. 

Confrontation constantly is not a good spirit, but to avoid the facts all the time has lead to a society that has no belief in truth.  We are all taught from a young age, you believe your way and I will believe in mine.  Ironically that is changing today and media is using some tactics to get people to think a certain way, but most of us were raised to think for yourself and if it makes you happy and doesn’t hurt anyone, you’re fine.

There is one problem with this philosophy when it comes to your belief of truth versus factual truth.

One example is that 2 + 2 = 4.  Now you can believe 2 + 2 = 5.  You can look at someone and you can say I have always believed it was 5, I was taught it was 5 before most of you could even count to 5.

This may be so, but it’s not the truth.

Most of the time truth is just a matter of really adding something up, looking into it deeper.  It’s not about finding someone telling you what you want to hear, but really wanting to know the real answer.

John 8:32 – 31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 14:6 –  6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus’ words are truth, but seek to know why.  He invites you to seek. 

Matthew 7:7 -8-  7″Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Look at the promise he has for you in verse 8.  Everyone.  Everyone who seeks finds.  Everyone. 

The key is, you can’t be seeking what’s best for you or some special agenda you have.  You have to seek truth .  If you are open to the Lord revealing the truth, you will find it.

Seek Truth and you will find Jesus, but don’t take my word for it.  Seek.

 

Rapture – The Different Time Period Theories

25 May

The rapture is basically broken down into three different time periods.

The Post-Tribulation theory which is the belief that Jesus comes back at the end of the seven year tribulation period.  The theory is also known as Post-Trib.  Those who believe in the Post Tribulation period are known as Post-Tribbers.

The Mid-Tribulation theory is the belief that Jesus comes back in the middle of the seven year tribulation period.  The theory is aslo known as Mid-Trib.  Those who believe in the Mid Tribulation period are known as Mid-Tribbers.

The Pre-Tribulation theory is the blief that Jesus comes back anytime before the Tribulation begins.  The theory is also known as Pre-Trib.  Those who believe in the Pre Tribulation period are known as Pre-Tribbers.

So all the theories use the Seven Year Tribulation period as its guide.  The Seven Year Tribulation is the contract signed between Israel and the Antichrist.

Daniel 9:27 – 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

The theory I believe based on scripture that is correct is the Pre-Trib position.  I will spend many posts using one reason at a time on why I feel this best describes this time period.

I will write a post on the Mid-Trib theory that I myself acknowledge is a tough one.  However, I will also explain why I am still Pre-Trib even after quoting those scriptures.  

I will do my best to read up on the mid-trib and post trib theories so I can list them in upcoming posts.

Starting next week I will be running through the scriptures that I have been taught by my favorite teachers on why I believe in the Pre-Tribulation Theory.

 

Do Not Love The World

24 May

1 John 2:15-17 – 15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

 Roman 12:2 – 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 James 4:4 – 4You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 

The above scriptures pretty much sum it up.  Living in America hasn’t made it easy on the fallen human.  Those scriptures are strong words to adhere by.  We need to separate ourselves from the world.  

How do we do that?  The best start is to pick up the Bible and find out what God’s Love Letter has to say to you about many things.

 
 

Eternity Is A Long Time

23 May

For my Christian brothers and sisters in the Lord, I want this post to touch your spirit.  I want it to put urgency in your soul. 

For those who haven’t accepted Jesus Christ I want to point out the urgent situation of your future.  I want to do this in most direct but loving way possible.

I have been saved now for thirty years.  It has been just recently that God has been allowed to put in my heart the love of not wanting anyone to perish.  I say allow, because God never wants anyone to perish and wants us to feel that too.  

In theory I have never wanted anyone to go through eternity in hell away from God.

Since I have opened up to God more lately, He has given me a real heartfelt emotion on not wanting anyone to perish, especially my friends and family who haven’t accepted Jesus.

On the flip side I want you feel the same way about your friends and family.

The two scenarios I’m about to use in themselves can be pretty generic so I really want you to take them to heart.

You have a friend and he is walking towards a cliff that is 1000 feet high.  He’s blinded for whatever reason and isn’t seeing the danger.  Maybe they are distracted by things.  What are you going to do?

Are you going to sit back and think to yourself, well if I tell them they’re going to fall to their death they might think its offensive.  I don’t want to step on their toes.   I’ve hinted once before the cliff is there, so now that’s enough.

No!  If it is a friend or family member you need to scream, yell, and tackle them before they do.  At least you should.

Another friend is walking into a burning building.  I say walking because he hasn’t gotten there yet.  Once again, are you going to let them just walk in to the building without giving it your best effort to stop them from doing so?

We’re not just talking about death.  We’re talking about DEATH ETERNAL.

We’re not talking about just being separated from you and God forever, but forever in torment.  This is an urgent matter.  Satan has had too much victory in the average American Christian life.

We need to pray and ask God to soften their hearts.  We need to pray that God gives us that nugget of gold that may reach them.  Pray that God gives you that spirit that cares more about your friends and families destination than rather than how they might receive it.

I promise you, if you sincerely love those people and make it known to them, they’re not going to be offended.  Nobody is offended about being cared for by a loved one.  A stranger on the street corner may get tired of you or agitated, but a friend or family member that knows you love them will not.

If they’re closed minded at first, keep praying.  I can’t emphasize enough the power prayer.  Pray that God gives you the right things to say, or puts you there in the right circumstance.  People have built some pretty big walls, but were human and since God made us, those walls they built have the potential to be breached. 

 Matthew 9:37 – 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

If you’re a Christian brother or sister, don’t go into eternity without doing all that you can for your loved ones.  Don’t stand in front of God without knowing you did all that you could.

If you don’t know the Lord and you want to accept him now or learn more about him I have put pages in the right upper column that will help you with this.  If you’re still not ready to accept him please at least look it over fully before you die.

Eternity is an awfully long time for Joy or for Torment  (click for bible example) because you rejected God and his free gift of salvation.

 

Reflection- King Solomon

22 May

King Solomon was the wisest man of his time and one of the wisest of all time.

He had 700 wives and 300 concubines?

Man,  I can’t wait to get up into Heaven and ask him “What were you thinking?”  🙂