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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The consolation of Israel

Simeon and Anna were waiting for, praying for, hoping for the consolation of Israel.  JESUS, Yeshua.

How positively amazing is it that RELIGIOUS MAN has chosen to twist the whole thing upside-down and to use replacement theology, preterism, and pre-trib to push Israel to the side

If your theology does not fit into Romans 8-11 it is not the whole truth.  Period.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

argumentative

Synonyms: argumentative, combative, contentious, disputatious, quarrelsome,
Weeks ago in a conversation, I was characterized as being argumentative.
In some respects, I have been "wearing" that ever since, wanting God to make it 
clear, if there is an area that needs repentance.  Watching myself to see my
reactions.

Seeing the synonyms... being contentious and quarrelsome are without a doubt
sins and that is a very bad thing.  I feel the weight of that.

So where is the line?  
What topics are worth a 'strong defense' and what ones should be allowed to 
just "go on their way", "no biggee", etc?

I see the need to be a member, an active participant in a local body.
That is not 'optional.'
When I was first saved God dropped me into a body that had a church "set-up"
that included a collegial eldership, of men gifted in various ways by God, who
submitted to one another.  Sunday worship was led by the Spirit of God, with 
'voices' from the congregation, speaking forth words of God, during worship, and
worship leaders who were able to "flow."  When worship began to "slow down"
the elders would gather and see whose "word" for that morning most lined up
with the direction that the Spirit was leading things and that person would be the
one who would bring the message.  Since those early days in the late 1980's early
90's I have never again been a part of such a body.  Church government... is that
worth 'arguing about'?

The day of the Lord is an event spoken of in scripture a ridiculous amount of times, 
it has signs, it has precursor events, on it hinges the end of this age and the beginning
of the millennial reign of Christ... is that worth "arguing about"?

At the end of the age there is going to be a great falling away, many who had
'agape' love will grow cold, it seems to me this would coincide with believing strongly
in a view of the end times that says, "before the great tribulation, Jesus is going to
come back and get me, because He loves me to much to let me go through that"..
If you had your hopes pinned on that and it falls, there is a great danger that you would
fall too.  Is the pre-trib, post-trib debate worth arguing about?

God in total grace has chosen a people and a land, the Jew and Israel.  Preterism says
"No that plan is over"  Replacement theology, says, "No that plan is over" God says, ""While the earth remains, Seed time and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease."Genesis 8:22
 23And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 24“Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the LORD chose, He has rejected them’? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight. 25“Thus says the LORD, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, 26then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’”
In light of these two scripture passages is Preterism and Replacement theology worth arguing about?

Romans 8:13,14  for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

I must stop these musing for now.  It is my prayer that I would be living by the Spirit.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Zechariah Bible Study #9 Chapter 6:1-8

Zechariah Bible Study #9
The Four Chariots
Zechariah 6:1-8

6 lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains. 2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, 3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong dappled horses. 4 Then I spoke and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth, 6 with one of which the black horses are going forth to the north country; and the white ones go forth after them, while the dappled ones go forth to the south country. 7 When the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth.” And He said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north.”



Verse 1 - The emphasis on the chariots in this vision instead of the horses which were the focus of the first vision, demonstrates that this vision has more to do with war and judgment. “The two mountains” to a Hebrew mind at the time this was written, would have been Mount Olivet and Mount Zion. God's judgments are sent forth.
The chariots and the horses together are said to be “four spirits of heaven” in verse 5, so that saves us a lot of time trying to figure out what they are. This area of the world will be the location of God's government during the millennial reign. From it will go forth blessings and judgment. It seems that the angelic beings who were sent forth in the first vision to “report” are now being sent out in this vision to carry out the will of God.

Psalm 103:20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.

Psalm 104:4 He makes the winds His messengers,
Flaming fire His ministers.

David Baron and Calvin both agree here, “We may surely learn that it is by the will and power of God, and by His direct interposition, either by visible, natural, or by angelic agency, that empires rise and fall.” “Behind visible phenomena and all human motives and actions there is the central purpose and power of God, and the invisible active agency of His angelic hosts.” David Baron

The prophet implies that all the revolutions in the world are from the Spirit of God and are as it were, His messengers or spirits [CALVIN].

Verse 2 – Red horses=carnage, death, destruction.
Black horses=sorrow, famine.

Verse 3 – White horses=joy and victory.
Grisled or bay horses=a mixture of adversity and prosperity

Verse 4 – Every time we are seeking for the proper interpretation we need only ask the Author and await His answer.

Verse 5 – The verses from Psalms give us insight in to this realm, which we are not normally privileged to see. It is the Lord, who sends forth the causative agents of all that takes place on the earth. Sin brought death into the world, but God remains in control and is seeing His purposes worked out in all of this.

Verse 6 - The Babylonian kingdom had already be vanquished at the time of the writing so it shows up at the beginning of the vision but not at the end, in the interpretation. The red horse has done its work, Babylon is vanquished. Which leaves the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman. All these must be placed under the Messiah's feet, before the establishment of His kingdom. Psalm 110:1The Lord says to my Lord: Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
(Psalm 110 and Psalm 2 are the two most quoted in the NT) The fourth chariot, has to do with the last great world power, Roman. It starts out in its first contact with Israel from the south, but is then given 'power' to go through out the whole earth, to meet it in every place where it is established. The last power in Daniel 7:7 is seen as 'strong exceedingly' and so the 'strength' of the angel going forth is also emphasized.

Verse 8 – Since Babylon was already conquered, dealt with and judged at this point, God's spirit is quieted, His anger is completed against this power.

The cup of Providence in the hand of the Lord is full of mixture,
by these uncommon appearances and actings of providence God's wrath is executed upon the enemies of the church, and his favours are conferred upon the church, both which had long been deferred, and in both God had fulfilled his will, accomplished his word, and so quieted his Spirit. Matthew Henry

The final three paragraphs in Barons' chapter on this section will give us our ending also.
Then God's judgments shall be fully poured out, and anti-Christian world-power be finally overthrown to make room for the Kingdom of Christ, whom the Father has invested with all power and dominion and glory, “that all nations and languages served Him.” His dominion is an everlasting dominion, “ and His Kingdom shall never be destroyed.”
And this, dear reader—the establishment of Messiah's throne of righteousness on Mount Zion, that from it, and Israel as a center, His beneficent rule may extend over the whole earth and bless all peoples—is the appointed goal of history toward which all things are moving. It is the motive, also, of all God's providential dealings with the nations. “Political changes, are the moving of the shadow on the earth's dial-plate that marks the might motions going forward in the heavens”; and however conflicting and confusing to our poor human judgments, they mark but the various stages of a plan and counsel which God formed from eternity.
In reference to the four great world-powers, whose successive course was to make up the “times of the Gentiles,” we have to note that three of them have already long ago disappeared, in accordance with the clear predictions of Scripture, and the fourth, which (as also foreseen and foretold) was to drag on longest, is now, as is generally agreed by all students of the sure Word of Prophecy, fast approaching its very last phase of existence. We may, therefore, say with confidence that we are on the eve of the most solemn events in the world's history, and are very fast approaching “the day,” not only of our own final and complete “redemption” as believers at the manifestation of Christ, but the “set time,” when God shall again arise and have mercy upon Zion, and when, through the restoration and blessing of Israel, “the nations shall fear the Name of Jehovah, and all kings of the earth His glory.

My final thoughts, Rome and its “left-over” world-powers will be in control and set the stage for the final enemy, the anti-Christ to arise, but when he does arise that will signal the beginning of the end of the 'times of the gentiles' and the anti-Christ will arise from the brothers of the Jews, Islam. The Roman empire had conquered areas including the Middle East, so it is not a contradiction that the anti-Christ will arise from there. Also I have to say the “beginning” of the end of the times of the gentiles because of these two verses pointed out to me by, my friend, Reggie Kelly, Lk 21:24 , Rev 11:2. Just my opinion, and others who know more than me have helped me to continue "working it out.”


Luke 21:24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.


Revelation 11:2 Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The King and "just one more thing"

Those two simple words, stopped me short in Matthew 25 today.  "The King" of the Kingdom, Wow!
Can't really explain it, there was just a breaking in on me of the Majesty of the One that we serve.

On a personal level, God is faithfully adding "just one more thing" that causes me to "blow it."  I can be rolling along just fine in my day, giving of myself in this area and that area and starting to think, "I got this."

And then "Bam!"

I will be asked to do, "just" this one more thing and I will fall, fail, whine, moan, b_tch, and just in general make an idiot of myself.

So, today, and every day that will be today, my quest is for the grace to recognize, that I have never ever ever, "got this."
Lord I need You, Oh I need You, every hour I need You.

Friday, October 4, 2013

conviction

The most precious gift of the Holy Spirit, conviction.  This sentence from my Wed. lesson was 100% for me (although I do appreciate the dear sister who said, "Woah" out loud when it was read.)
Do you resent the needs of others or do you prayerfully ask, “Are you putting this person at my gate, Lord?”

I terribly resent the needs of others.  I have in my heart a certain amount of my time and energy that I am willing to share and beyond that you can fully expect to receive, eye rolls, evil glances, groaning, and a tone of voice that says, "I just wish everyone would leave me alone."
Death to self is the  path to life.  i confess this as sin, and pray for a renewing of the mind, and a walking by the
Spirit in this area.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Lazarus and the rich man

Wednesday night lesson at church is a video on Lazarus and the rich man.  Feel strongly from God, not to let us 'squirm' out from underneath the implications of the story.
So this will be my most simple lesson ever.

Love God, Use Money

Hardest thing in a lesson like this is to keep the main idea, the main idea. I am asking you help tonight in making sure that we use this lesson from Jesus as a mirror, to be held up to our lives and demand attention.

The Sovereign God has placed a person outside of your gate. Will you view that person as an inconvenience or as a divine appointment? Are the needs of others seen as a 'drain' on your already limited resources or as an opportunity to display the unlimited resources of love and provision from our God? Do you resent the needs of others or do you prayerfully ask, “Are you putting this person at my gate, Lord?”

I think the only God honoring way to end tonight is for each of us to get alone with God and to answer these two questions.


Who has God placed outside of your gate?




What is God saying to do about that person or circumstance?