"Armageddon"

As we all now know, a major prophetic event did not take place last Saturday as predicted by some people. Revelation chapter 12 twice talks about "Great Signs Appearing In Heaven" followed by events which will take place prior to the last great battle on earth called "Battle Of Armageddon." An extraordinary alignment of stars did align themselves over Jerusalem on September 23rd but no prophetic event happened.

However, there are a number of events that when they take place will be signs that the world as we know it could be coming to its end fairly soon. Matthew 24:15 says, "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place." This describes the Anti-Christ, who has not been identified to date, standing in the holy place or the rebuilt temple declaring he is god. This event obviously is in the future since a temple presently is not on the Temple Mount!

Prior to the last Great Battle of Armageddon, Israel will be involved in at least one more war as illustrated in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Ezekiel 38:14-16 describe Gog, believed to be the leader of Russia, leading a number of nations including Iran in a battle against Israel. However, our Lord God wins this war for Israel as described in Ezekiel 38:21 and Ezekiel 39:4. This battle has not taken place to date!

Probably, the most important sign for us to look for prior to the return of Jesus to earth is described in Matthew 23:37-39. This short section is entitled "Jesus Laments Over Jerusalem." Jesus declared that He wanted to gather the people in Jerusalem "Like A Hen Gathers Her Chicks." This did not happen because most did not know Jesus as their Messiah. Then Jesus says, "You shall see me no more till you say, 'blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord!'" They will not see Him again until they recognize Him as their Messiah as explained in Zechariah 12:10-14.

When we start to hear about very, very large numbers of Jewish people receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior and Messiah, this could be the most important prophetic sign of all. Bless His Holy Name!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Each Day,

Frank 

"Fall Feasts"

Today is the start of the first fall feast of Our Lord God known as Rosh Hashanah or the start of the Jewish New Year. This fall feast day is also referred to as the Feast Of Trumpets. Possibly as a born again Christian you might think these are Jewish Feast Days since our Lord God presented them to His Covenant People in Leviticus Chapter 23. However, in verse 2 our Lord God refers to these feasts as "My Feasts." Christians can also keep these feasts and learn from them.

Rosh Hashanah starts a ten day period known as the "Days Of Awe" which is a time of reflection of our sins. This is a solemn time leading up to the Day Of Atonement but also is a time of hope as people wish each other a Blessed New Year. This can also be a time of repentance for Christians while at the same time thanking their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is forgiving all their sins each and every day.

After the ten Days Of Awe is the Day Of Atonement when the High Priest would enter the Holy Of Holies and sprinkle the blood of animals on the Mercy Seat containing the Ark Of The Covenant. He also confessed the sins of Israel over a goat that was then sent into the desert to remove the sins. Thus the sins were atoned for but only once a year.

Someday there will be a great Day Of Atonement for Israel as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10 and 13:1. At that time the entire nation will mourn over the Messiah and accept His atoning death. The Apostle Paul looked forward to that time when he stated, "All Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:26.) This was discussed in detail in our last three messages referencing Jeremiah 31.

The last Fall Feast of our Lord is called The Feast Of The Tabernacles. Jewish people throughout the world build booths in their yards or on their apartment balconies. They construct the roof so they can see the sky and for seven days they either live in these booths or only eat their meals. This process is a way of giving thanks to God for the protection He provided them when he brought them out of Egypt.

Yes, Christians can participate in God's Fall Feasts all the time thanking and praising Him for sending His Son Jesus Christ to earth to become The Sacrificial Lamb for all peoples.  Hallelujah!   

Jeremiah 31 - Continued

Our message this week will be the last in a series addressing Romans 11:26 which states that "All Israel Will Be Saved." We have discussed the logistics of this event but could not answer whether "ALL" in this verse means 100% or a very large number.

This week's message will answer how will Our Lord God save all of Israel? The answer revolves around two verses of scripture, "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says The Lord: I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, 'know The Lord, for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says The Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.'" Jeremiah 31:33-34.

The new covenant has already been established through the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ! Before we examine the ingredients of this new covenant, we will take a moment and look at the old covenant that was replaced. Our Heavenly Father outlined the old covenant for the Israelites at Mt. Sinai by presenting it to them through Moses in Exodus chapters 20 to 23. Exodus 24:7 shows the people accepting the old covenant that was totally based on obedience.

When we look at the new covenant as outlined in Jeremiah 31:33-34, we see a different and better covenant. Our Lord God says, "They all shall know Me." How is this possible? When Jews and Gentiles receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them facilitating an intimate relationship with the Heavenly Father. Notice also that "ALL" will know Him!

Also, Our Lord God will forgive their sins that He will not remember anymore. This is one of the provisions of the new covenant which makes it better than the old covenant! Hebrews 10:4 explains this very clearly, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins." Hebrews 10:9 also says, "Then He said, 'behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.' He takes away the first that He may establish the second." 

As we have studied Jeremiah 31, we have learned Our Lord God is The God of Israel, His love is everlasting, He will bring joy again to His people, He is bringing His people back to Israel from all over the world and through the establishment of the new covenant all peoples can receive salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. HALLELUJAH!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank 

Jeremiah 31 . . . Continued

Last week's message was the start of a three week series looking at Jeremiah 31 in an attempt to clarify the phrase "All Israel Will Be Saved" from Romans 11:26. We learned that this critically important event will take place on the Day Of The Lord believed to be at the end of the Tribulation Period. The question was raised does the phrase "All Israel Will Be Saved" mean that all of the Jewish people alive at that time will be saved or a very large number. Some day we all will know!

Possibly you are wondering how can a large number of God's Covenant People be saved on the Mount of Olives while observing Jesus as their Messiah and the one whom they have pierced? This is an appropriate question when large numbers of them are scattered throughout the world. The answer is simple in context but very complex in implementation. The solution to all this is that the Jewish people currently not living in Israel will move back to Israel. This mighty move of God known as "Making Aliyah" is already in process. Recently, it was announced there are more Jewish people living in Israel than in other parts of the world. Is anything too difficult for The Lord?

Jeremiah 31 validates this concept numerous times. "Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth . . . A great throng shall return there." Jeremiah 31:8. Our Lord God will gather them from the ends of the earth and their number will be A Great Throng which again is that very large number to be saved. 

"He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd does his flock . . . And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he . . . Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion . . . And they shall sorrow no more at all." Jeremiah 31:10-12. Our Lord God will gather them as their Shepherd and will ransom them from one stronger. They will come singing and sorrow will be no more. Hallelujah!

"And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in the future that your children shall come back to their own border." Jeremiah 31:16-17. They will come back from the land of their enemy and come back to their own border with hope. Yes, the Jewish people are making Aliyah and the numbers are larger each year just as Jeremiah 31 proclaims and over 700 additional verses of our Lord God's Word. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

Jeremiah 31

Last week's message addressed the question of whether the total eclipse was a prophetic event. Since distributing that message we have learned that one million people were saved world wide in connection with the total eclipse and pictures taken during the event showed white crosses over the total eclipse. Whether this was a prophetic event I do not know, but our Lord God used it for His Glory! Hallelujah! 

The timing of the return of Jesus Christ to earth was also addressed last week as Romans 11:11 was mentioned which says, "All Israel will be saved" at approximately the same time. Does the word "All" in this verse mean that every Jewish person living at that time will be saved? This has always been open for interpretation since all in Hebrew is not necessarily one hundred percent but a large number.

This also raises the question how will they be saved? Two verses in Zechariah answer this question. Zechariah 14:4 shows Jesus coming back to earth and is standing on the Mount of Olives. At the same time, Zechariah 12:10 illustrates this large group of God's Covenant People recognize Jesus as their Messiah and the one they have pierced. It is believed that this is their salvation moment whether it is one hundred percent of them or a large number.

Discussing the return of Jesus Christ to earth can be challenging to understand. As a result, our next three messages will be a study of Jeremiah 31 that revolves around God's Covenant People and their future recognition of Jesus as their Messiah. 

"At the same time," says The Lord, "I will be The God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people . . .  For there shall be a day when the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, arise, and let us go up to Zion, to The Lord our God . . . For thus says The Lord; sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nation; proclaim, give praise, and say, 'O Lord, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!'" Jeremiah 31:1,6,7.

Our Lord God declares to Israel that He Is Their God And They Are His People! Also, the day is coming when God's Covenant People will declare Let Us Go Up To Zion! They will sing with gladness and praise their God and say, "O Lord Save Your People, The Remnant Of Israel." Will this remnant be the large group of God's Covenant People to be saved?

Stay Tuned! Bless His Holy Name! 

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

Prophetic Event?

Last Monday was the first total eclipse over the United States in 99 years. For those who witnessed this in certain areas of the United States, I am sure it was an event they will remember for the rest of their lives. I also found it very interesting that many people tried to turn this special event into a prophetic event. Some believe that following the total eclipse there will be 4o days of God's Judgement. Others believe that with the moon and the sun growing dark this is a sign of the soon return of Jesus Christ to earth.

We all need to be careful in trying to predict the timing of the return of Jesus to earth which God's Word calls The Day Of The Lord or In That Day. Only Our Lord God Almighty knows when His Son Jesus will return to earth!

There are signs indicating how close we might be to this extremely important event. Matthew 24:27-31; Mark 13:24-27 and Joel 3:14-15 all address various signs which will surround the return of Jesus to the earth. All mention the sun and the moon appearing dark or not giving light so you can see the prophetic interest in the total eclipse.

However, probably the key sign indicating when Jesus will return to earth was spoken by Jesus Himself when addressing the Pharisees and His Disciples in Matthew 23:37-39 that says, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of The Lord!'"

In effect, Jesus was addressing His covenant people and showing them He will leave this earth but will return again when they call Him "Blessed" or recognize Him as their Messiah! Currently, the majority of God's covenant people cannot recognize Jesus as their Messiah. Why is this? Romans 11:8 says, "God has given them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear, to this very day." 

This is a temporary situation! Romans 11:11 says, "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles." Additionally, and most important, Romans 11:26 says, "And So All Israel Will Be Saved."

Once again, we see how vitality important it is for us as Born Again Christians should support, pray and bless Israel and the Jewish people. Pray specifically each day for more and more of them to recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank 

"Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem"

The title verse from Psalm 122:6 is very familiar for all those who love and support Israel. Most commonly it is interpreted that we should pray for God's hand of protection over Israel and the Jewish people world wide. This certainly is a correct interpretation but I have learned the "Hebrew" interpretation is much broader. The Hebrew definition of peace in this verse encompasses all aspects of a Jewish person's life to include their moral, spiritual, emotional wellbeing in addition to their physical safety.

An intriguing headline in the news last week quoted Governor Eddie Calvo of Guam as his island country has become part of the nuclear threat from North Korea. Governor Calvo said, "Like Israel, we have had a lot of practice here."

Governor Calvo's comment was illustrating that Israel lives everyday with constant threats from enemies surrounding them and living in Israel. These constant threats have caused Israel to build a wall in Jerusalem to prevent Palestinian terrorists from entering Jerusalem from the West Bank. Also, an underground wall is now under construction along Israel's border with Gaza to prevent Hamas terrorists from entering Israel through tunnels. The Israeli military and police are always on high alert and plane passengers traveling to Israel are questioned thoroughly about their reason to visit Israel and their itineraries. 

Well, how do Israelis respond to living with the constant threat of their enemies? Overall, and this might surprise you, they respond with love and generosity to those who are hurting around them even their enemies. Through "Operation Good Neighbor" the Israeli Defense Forces have extended humanitarian aid to Syrians including medication, clothes, fuel and food. Since August, 2016 more than 110 aid operations of various kinds have been conducted.

Israel even reached out and granted political asylum to an Iranian journalist facing the death penalty. Neda Amin had the boldness to write a column for an Israeli media web-site. As a result, she was facing the death penalty for co-operating with Israel in Iran. Amin said, "I was in danger and the State of Israel saved me."

These examples illustrate how important it is for all of us to "Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem" each day for the total well being of all Israelis. Bless His Holy Name!

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank