What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
All the great religious leaders of history have one thing in common: they are dead. Only one man has risen from a grave never again to taste death. Jesus Christ died, was buried, remained in the grave for 3 days, then was raised to life again.
Jesus is unique. He is the only one proven to be the Son of God because God validated His Kingship and accepted His payment for our sins all with one incredible stroke: He raised Jesus from the dead!
Paul opens his letter to the Romans with this evidence about who Jesus is:
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:1-4
Because Jesus Christ is very much alive, five things are true right now that wouldn’t be true if He were just another dead religious leader like Confucius, Mohammed or Buddha.
Because Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive…Prayers are answered, We can talk to Jesus 24/7
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There is no great mystery about sucking honey out of the rock because, in the Middle East where large hollow trees are scarce, bees often make their hives in rock cliffs. However, sucking oil out of flinty rock is another matter. If olive oil is meant here, then it could come only by a miracle of God. That God could perform such a miracle is beyond question. However, since honey is literally found in the rocks, then within the same context we must look for oil in flinty rocks. As geologists will confirm, crude oil from which petroleum and other fossil fuels are made is found in flinty rocks or shale..
The Oil of Sodom
Before the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the nearby towns, the Dead Sea area was a small portion of the earth left over from the pre-flood age: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar” (Genesis 13:10). The below-sea-level condition with abundant fresh water created a protected hothouse environment. This must have indeed been a beautiful place, but there was one problem—slime pits, bitumen surface pools, or seeping oil (Genesis 14:10). These oil bogs evidently figured into the route of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Edom by the kings of the north led by Amraphel, also known as Hammurabi of Babylon. A few years later, and after Abraham had defeated the kings of the north and saved Lot, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone in a catastrophic explosion which created the Dead Sea. It has been claimed by many that the mineral and chemical wealth of the Dead Sea is more than the rest of all the world. I have personally always accepted this claim as exaggeration, although the net worth of the Dead Sea chemicals indeed must be great, but the wealth of the Dead Sea is not due to sedimentary evaporation. Water that comes into the Dead Sea from the Jordan River is good for drinking and irrigation, accounting for 90 percent of Israel’s fresh water supply. Under the Dead Sea are salt and chemical deposits hundreds and possibly thousands of feet deep.
That there was a Sodom and Gomorrah that was destroyed in a terrible conflagration is beyond question. Josephus wrote in The Wars of the Jews that in his time (A.D. 70) the charred remains of the fruit from the trees was still in evidence on the cliffs of the Asphaltic Sea. The Dead Sea was in Josephus’ time called the Asphaltic Sea because it was covered with thick oil which was used to pitch ships. What happened to stop the oil from seeping into the Dead Sea is not known. There was a giant earthquake in the eighth century along the African-Syrian rift that leveled Philadelphia (Amman), Beth Shan, Jerash, and other cities. It is possible that the shifting of the fault line sealed off the oil flow. In any event, as the Bible indicates, the oil is still there.
The Spoil of Oil
We read the Word of prophecy in Ezekiel 38–39, that a huge national power to the north of Israel, Gog, will come down against Israel to take a “great spoil.” Most prophetic scholars believe Gog to be modern Russia. Aligned with Gog will be armies from Turkey (Togarmah), Iran (Persia), and Libya. We read in Ezekiel that Gog will come down for cattle and goods. I have been to Russia on missions, and the economic situation there continues to worsen. Russia today is starving, and Israel is overflowing with cattle and foods of all kinds. Ezekiel said also that God and his allies would come to take a “great spoil.”
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
—1 Thessalonians 4:16—18
Everyone acknowledges that the world is not a safe place to live anymore. These are the perilous times of the last days. The only comfort we have in the world today is the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ were to come today, would you be ready? Any unsaved person can be saved today: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Moses: God’s Instrument with Mighty Faith, Human Failings
Micah Van Huss...August 25, 2023
Few men have been as important to the story of God’s chosen people as Moses. He was God’s instrument in delivering the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery in the 15th century BC.
Though a great man and one of the few humans to converse with God, Moses wasn’t without sin. There is much speculation about his specific sin at Meribah, and it’s not clear what that sin was. He sinned nonetheless. Because of this, Moses wasn’t allowed into the Promised Land, thus causing him and the people of Israel to wander the desert for 40 years until Moses’ death.
Scripture tells us that Mt. Nebo is where the Lord showed Moses the Promised Land at the end of his life. Deuteronomy 34:1, 4 says: “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, … And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.”
Somewhere in a valley of Mt. Nebo, the body of Moses is buried. “So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day” (vss. 5–6).
This is the only time in scripture that the Lord Himself buries a human. The Lord may have done this to keep the location a secret from mankind. The Lord knew that the Israelites would build a shrine and over the years, they would likely turn Moses into an idol to be worshiped.
Moses’ story doesn’t end with his burial, however. In the New Testament book of Jude, we find a fascinating verse where Michael the archangel and Satan argue over the body of Moses. Jude 1:9 says, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” Here, Jude is likely quoting the apocryphal book, The Assumption of Moses. The book is lost to us, but Origen, a third-century Christian scholar, records that it expounded upon the story.
We see more instances of Satan attempting to claim people or their souls in scripture.
Zechariah 3:1–3 says: “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.”
This time, it’s not just Satan and an angel, likely Michael, arguing over a human, but God is there too. They appear to be arguing over who the person belongs to—God or Satan.
In Revelation, Satan is the great accuser. He stands before God, accusing the brethren day and night. In Revelation 12:9–10, John records: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
These three places in Scripture give us some insight into the spiritual realm and the struggle for the human soul.
Twice recorded in Scripture, Moses sinned. The first time was when he killed the Egyptian slave for whipping an Israelite. The second was when Moses struck the rock at Meribah in anger. Also notice that Michael the archangel says, “the Lord rebuke you.”
This story, however, begs some interesting questions:
Why were Moses and Joshua’s bodies important to spiritual beings?
Was it truly their physical bodies or their souls?
Why is Satan standing at the right hand of God? This process seems like a judgment.
Are all of God’s children judged this way or is it reserved for certain of us?
These are all questions that will be answered in another life.
‘Silent Night’ is one of the world’s most famous Christmas melodies. The story goes that the carol (originally ‘Stille Nacht’) was first performed on the evening of Christmas Eve in 1818.
Joseph Mohr, a young Catholic priest at St Nicholas Church, Oberndorf bei Salzburg in Austria, was in despair: the organ at his church had been incapacitated by mice, and the chances of fixing the instrument before the evening service were looking slim.
But young Joseph had an idea. A few years before, he had written a rather beautiful poem called ‘Stille Nacht’. So, he asked Franz Xavez Gruber, a schoolmaster and organist in a nearby town, to set his six-stanza poem to music.
That night, the two men sang ‘Stille Nacht’ for the first time at the church’s Christmas Mass, while Mohr played guitar and the choir repeated the last two lines of each verse. …
From Genesis to Revelation the unseen power of God is manifested in a divine person, the Holy Spirit. The pristine power of God is Spirit. We read in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Please note that Spirit is capitalized.
This is the first formal introduction of the person of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity. The Holy Bible reveals one God but three perfect and distinct personalities.
It has always been difficult for carnal man to understand the ministry and the mighty personal power of the Holy Spirit. Selfish man understands might and power only too well when natural elements are visibly and tangibly unleashed. But God’s Word consistently cries out, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts” (Zech. 4:6).
It seems that Elijah had few earthly friends, but one heavenly companion whose friendship he would not trade for anything that the world had to offer. If Elijah had lived in present-day society, I am sure he would have been considered an eccentric and a recluse.
But Elijah had a secret. He knew the person and power of the Holy Spirit as few living mortals have ever known Him. Elijah knew great eternal truth hundreds of years before it was recorded in the canon of Holy Scriptures—namely, that the friendship of the world is enmity against God.
The established world order of that day looked upon Elijah as an enemy, but he knew the friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Elijah served as a mighty prophet of God for about 10 years during the reign of Ahab, king of Israel. Now, Ahab was a very wicked king who introduced Baal worship into Israel and is subsequently known as the king that made Israel to sin.
One day, Elijah appeared suddenly upon this idolatrous scene and had his first meeting with Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah delivered his brief message, that for several years there would be neither rain nor dew upon the land except by his prophecy, and as suddenly as Elijah had appeared, he was gone.
The Holy Spirit not only kept Elijah hidden from the king for three years but also miraculously provided for Elijah’s needs during the terrible drought and famine.
To the world, Elijah must have seemed like a vagabond. To King Ahab, he must have seemed like a religious old fanatic.
At their first encounter, Ahab probably paid little attention to the prophet’s words, but when they met for the second time, about three years later, I believe the king must have trembled at the sight of that rugged, hairy old prophet.
This time Ahab didn’t regard Elijah’s words lightly nor try to argue the case, but immediately, he carried out his orders to the letter.
Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal is well known (1 Kings 18:25), and, of course, resulted in a mighty revival in Israel.
Not only was Elijah a mighty man of God, who when he prayed, God answered by fire (1 Kings 18:37–38), but he was also an uncanny prophet.
It had not rained in Israel for three and one-half years. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and yet Elijah advised Ahab to go eat his dinner in a hurry and make his journey back to the palace at once, or else be caught in a cloud-burst (1 Kings 18:41–46).
Elijah gave Ahab a head start and still arrived in Jezreel before him. Ahab was riding in his chariot pulled by his swiftest horses. Elijah was on foot. But the hand (or Spirit) of the Lord was upon him, and he outran the horses.
Do you need any more proof that Elijah was God’s man and knew the Holy Spirit intimately as friend? Did an angel ever cook breakfast for you? One did for Elijah! An angel not only cooked breakfast for Elijah, but dinner, too (1 Kings 19:5–7).
The Holy Spirit must have dictated the recipe. As one of Christ’s precursors, Elijah’s marathon reminds us of the temptation of Jesus when He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil 40 days and 40 nights (Luke 4:2).
When Elijah’s ministry was finished, God sent a fiery chariot, with horses of fire, to carry him bodily into heaven; and I do not believe Elijah was frightened at this awe-inspiring sight, for doubtless the Holy Spirit was driving that chariot.
From all the evidence, we must conclude that Elijah knew the Spirit of God intimately and personally. And yet, any born-again believer can know a closer walk with the Holy Spirit than did Elijah.
You say, how can this be? Since Jesus died on the cross and rose triumphant from the grave, the redeemed in Christ have a more perfect standing before God and a special relationship to the Holy Ghost. After the perfect atonement of Christ for sin was wrought on Calvary’s tree, and He had ascended back to the right hand of God Almighty, God sent the Holy Comforter in answer to the prayer of God the Son, to indwell every believer (John 14:16–-17).
Before Calvary the Holy Spirit came upon certain individuals for prophecy and mighty miracles, but He never came to abide until Pentecost.
August 14, 2023............................................................FOURTH IN A SERIES
This is the fourth in a continuing series on Abraham. In this piece, we will focus on key biblical texts that demonstrate covenantal faithfulness to the descendants of Abraham and the land God has given them. It refutes Replacement Theology and answers the question, “Who owns the land?” In this piece, we are going to look at key scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments. Indeed, the Abrahamic covenant reaches into the future.
Olam Is “Everlasting”
There are several scriptures that tell us of God’s love for His chosen people. His love is “everlasting” (olam) (Jer.32:40). Does olam really mean “everlasting,” depicting God’s eternal love for His chosen people?
God is olam. “And Abram planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God” (Gen. 21:33).
God’s Word is olam. “For ever , O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89; see also Isa. 40:7–8).
God’s covenant is olam. “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Gen. 17:7).
God’s name is olam. Scripture tells us that Moses asked God His name. God replied, “I Am that I Am” (Exod. 3:14). Then the Lord said, “this is my name for ever , and this is my memorial unto all generations” (vs. 15).
A Legacy of Blessing;
In Genesis 12:1 the Lord calls Abram to leave home and go “unto a land that I will show thee.” In verse 2, the Lord promises several things, and says, “and thou shalt be a blessing.” Abram did not realize how much of a blessing he would be. He would be a conduit of grace to untold multitudes.
When I jettisoned my belief in Replacement Theology, one of my former Replacement buddies thought I was crazy, and said: “So, now you believe that salvation is tied to genes.” It was his way of saying that now I believe that Jews are a special people that God had chosen simply because God is a racist.
Do I believe that salvation is tied to genes? Yes and no. Yes, because God chose Israel to be a special people. No, because His plan is to work through Jews to bless everyone in the whole world, Jew and Gentile. Yes, God loves Israel, but His love for Israel is not the kind of love that was intended to be limited to Jews. God would bless them in a special way so that divine love could extend to all people.
We see this in several Scriptures. Isaiah 45:22: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Matthew 4:13-16 ties this into Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, an area populated by Gentiles: “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up,” cited from Isaiah 9:1–2.
A similar truth was uttered by Simeon, who took the baby Jesus up in his arms and said, “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:30–32).
We must never forget, however, that the broadening of the scope of God’s grace to reach great numbers of Gentiles never cancels God’s plans for Israel. It is “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). “I say then,” we read in Romans 11:1, “Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
God’s Earthly Promises To Israelb]
I often challenge Replacement theologians to study Ezekiel 36. They claim we “Christian Zionists” glorify Israel’s millennial blessings which, they claim, are earthly and carnal. Let’s examine Scripture to see if this claim is correct. And I must point out that Dr. Charles Ryrie helped me see this whole question in the light of the Word many years ago.
First, we must remember how the blessings upon the Jewish people and blessings on the land of Israel are a marvelous unfolding of the Abrahamic covenant which involves: 1) the return of the Jewish people to their covenantal land; 2) the restoration of the land itself; and 3) the spiritual quickening of the Jewish people. Ezekiel 36:24–28 focuses on these points: “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Here we see the land promise, and we see a radical change of heart in the people. They will “loathe” themselves for their sins (vs. 31). I see nothing carnal and fleshly about this.
Dry Bones Will Come To Life
In Ezekiel 37, the prophet is carried in the Spirit of the Lord to a valley that is full of dry bones. Bones left out in the hot sun become bleached and white. They are dry and lifeless. Has God forgotten His promises to Abraham? Did the ritual of the slain carcasses and the pillar of fire moving between them mean nothing? Has God gone back on His unbelievably wonderful promises regarding the land of Israel and Abraham’s seed?
“And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?” (vs. 3). The natural answer is “no,” but the prophet knows the power of God: “And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.” In verse 5, God lays out His plan: “Behold, I will cause breath [ruach; breath, wind, spirit] to enter into you and, and ye shall live.”
Is this just some kind of weird dream, or is there some significance to it? “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of our graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord …” (vss. 11–14).
So what’s happening? A miracle of staggering proportions. A nation that was not a nation, and now is a nation, that is cursed by the Palestinian and Shi’ite militants, “that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden” (Ezek. 36:35).
But what about Ezekiel 38 and 39? We read about an overwhelmingly huge invasion from the north, coming upon God’s land, strengthened by allies that are Muslim and hostile to Israel. Is this the end of the Jewish State? Has God forgotten His unconditional promises to Abraham? Not at all. Yes, friction between Israel and Russia seems to be causing sparks and perhaps an outbreak of war. We can see what’s happening.
How does this Russian invasion turn out? In Ezekiel 39, the Lord promises to knock the bow from the left hand of the invaders and the arrows from their right hand. The invading armies will die in the mountains of Israel. God will feed them to the vultures and wild animals. It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies of the invaders and cleanse the land.
“And I will set my glory among the heathen and all the heathen shall see my judgment … the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward” (Ezek. 39:21–22).
God is faithful. He has not forgotten His promises to Abraham.
Larry Spargimino...May 22, 2023
“In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” — Genesis 15:18
SECOND IN A SERIES
Genesis 15:9–21 describes a rather bizarre scene—at least in modern times. Five bloody animal carcasses are on the ground, three of them split in half. But in the ancient Middle East of 4,000 years ago, a ritual involving the cutting of animals was commonly used in land-grant treaties, and various contractual (covenantal) agreements between kings.
These contracts involved an oath—a ritual promise—the purpose of which was to display the sincerity of the one making the promise. The slaughtered animals were part of a self-malediction. By walking between the parts of the slaughtered animals, the king was saying: “May this [being slaughtered and cut in half] be my doom if I don’t keep my promise made in this covenant.”
A Covenant of Central Importance
God had made some hard-to-believe promises to Abram, promises that seemed too glorious to be true. He was promised an heir, though he and his wife were far past child-bearing age. He was also promised a very large parcel of land (Gen. 15:4-7). So, Abram naturally asked, “whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (vs. 8). This ceremony was God’s way of answering Abram’s question. It demonstrated God’s sincerity in making and keeping His promise. As a “smoking furnace and a burning lamp” passed between the pieces of the slaughtered animals, God Almighty was taking upon Himself the oath of self-imprecation. “For when God made promise to Abraham,” we read in Hebrews 6:13, “because he could swear by no greater he swore by himself.”
Cutting animals in two made it possible for the pledging party to walk between the pieces, affirming that the same should happen to the pledging party if they reneged on his promise (see also Jer. 34:18-19). It is most significant that Abram did not walk between the pieces of the slain animals. He was in a deep sleep (Gen. 15:12). Abram made no promise. The abiding and eternal validity of the promise must not be questioned. God took the maledictory oath upon Himself. Hence, we can say that this is an unconditional covenant. There should be no doubt about its complete fulfillment. God doesn’t break promises.
The Apostle Paul emphatically affirms, “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (Gal. 3:17-18). This has far-reaching implications for Christians living today. We are not under the law (Rom. 6:14), yet, it also validates the abiding validity of the Abrahamic covenant for the Jewish people.
Who Owns the Land?
One of the hot-button issues today is the question: Who owns the land of Israel? Genesis 15:18 (above) tells us. It was given to Abraham and his descendants. When Abram went forth from Haran into Canaan, he came to Shechem. “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” The promise of the land is repeated in scripture in Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 17:8; 26:3; 28:13.
Moreover, the exact dimensions of the land granted to Abram and his descendants are carefully given (Gen 15:18–21). Significantly, the Bible gives both general (Exod. 23:31; Num. 13:21; Deut. 11:24; 1 Kings 8:65; 2 Kings 14:25; Isa. 27:12) and specific (Num. 14:1–12; Josh. 15; Ezek. 47:15–20) descriptions of the land given to Abram and his descendants. The dimensions repeatedly given indicate that we must not modify the land promise or its specificity.
Has The Land Promise Already Been Fulfilled?
Replacement Theology—the view that the church has inherited Israel’s blessings and future, and therefore God has no future plan for Israel and the Jewish people—argues that the land promise has already been fulfilled. Hence Zionist Christians who support the Jewish State are woefully misinformed. The Jewish State exists in occupied territory belonging to Palestinians, and, allegedly, the Jews are the occupiers.
Rest assured I am not seeking to sanitize everything the Israeli military has done, nor am I giving Israel a blank check for the future—any more than I sanitize everything America has done, such as the detention of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I am simply looking at biblical texts and seeing where they lead us.
Replacement Theology appeals to Joshua 21:43–45 to support its claim that the land promise has already been fulfilled: “And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; and the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord has spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.”
From a biased and superficial reading of this passage it looks like all has been fulfilled. But wait—it looks like Israel no longer has any enemies! “The Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.” This is simply speaking about the conquest of the land of Canaan 3,400 years ago. Israel still has many enemies. Hamas is firing rockets into Israel from the north. The Palestinians are firing rockets into Israel from the west, and Iran is hoping to destroy Israel from the east. In fact, The Times of Israel (2/8/23) reported that “The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps displayed an apparent ballistic missile with the words ‘Death to Israel’ emblazoned in Hebrew down the side, at an exhibition in the central city of Isfahan.”
But there is another reason why we must not believe that Joshua 21 speaks about the fulfillment of the Abrahamic land promise. There are several scriptures that speak of a future fulfillment of the Abrahamic land. Though the Exodus deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea was a miracle that is referenced over and over again in Israel’s religious writings, something even more spectacular is coming. “Therefore, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers” (Jer. 16:15). And, please note, it is “their land.” It doesn’t belong to the church, the Palestinians, and certainly not the U.N.
But What About the New Testament?
Michael Rydelnik gave a presentation dealing with this issue at the 2013 Pre-Trib Study Group Conference. The New Testament reaffirms that the promises presently belong to Israel, he said, citing Acts 3:25: “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” Romans 9:4–5 is similar: “Who are the Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.” Please note, the “promises” have not been dropped. They remain.
In Acts 1:6–7, the Lord had a perfect opportunity to explain to His disciples that Israel is not out of the picture and has no future promises. But that is not what He did. “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”
In the following verse we notice the Lord does not deny that the kingdom will be restored to Israel, nor does He indicate that the promise has been expanded to include the church, but simply that the time of this occurring has not been revealed: “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”
“But aren’t the promises to Israel carnal, and not fitting to the latter time of fulfillment?” Not at all.
Israel in Her Covenant Land
When Israel dwells in her covenant land, they will no longer defile themselves with their idols, and they will be cleansed. The nations of the world will know that “I the Lord, do sanctify Israel when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore” (Ezek. 37:21-28).
Ezekiel 36:22–36 shows that God’s future plans for Israel in the land will occur at the time of Israel’s national repentance (vss. 25–26, 31). Moreover, Israel’s restoration to the land and repentance rests on the highest motive possible, maintaining the honor and glory of God (vss. 22, 36). There will be rebirth and renewal. “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones” (Ezek. 37:1). These were very dry bones, left out in the sun, bleached and lifeless. “And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land.”
There is nothing carnal and unspiritual about Israel’s national repentance, nor is there anything carnal about a restored Israel living in the land God has promised the nation and people.
Next: We will examine replacement theology and its leading proponents—some of whom are quite popular in evangelical circles.
August 11, 2023.......................The Bloody Trail of “Christian” Anti-Semitism
THIRD IN A SERIES
One of my early mentors, Ernie Reisinger, loved to read and study the writings of the old-school theologians, and also the theological treatises and polemical writings from church history. However, he was always careful to remind me to “call no man master,” meaning the Word of God is our final authority, not any theologian, no matter how sound and articulate he is. Another gentle admonition was in the same vein: “The best of men are but men at best.” Martin Luther is an example of that.
Toward the end of his life, Luther wrote some of the most hateful and utterly nasty things about the Jewish people. His words are bristling with hostility and a mean spirit. Am I being harsh? You judge for yourself.
Three years before his death in 1546, Luther wrote a 65,000-word treatise titled “On the Jews and Their Lies.” He describes Jews as a “base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth.” He wrote that they are “full of the devil’s feces … which they wallow in like swine.”
In the treatise, Luther advises Christians to carry out seven remedial actions: (1) Burn down Jewish synagogues and schools; (2) refuse to let Jews own houses among Christians; (3) confiscate Jewish religious writings; (4) forbid rabbis from preaching; (5) offer no protection to Jews who are traveling; (6) for usury to be prohibited and for all Jews’ silver and gold to be removed, put aside for safekeeping, and given back to Jews who truly convert to Christianity; (7) to give young strong Jews flail [a threshing tool], axe, spade and spindle, and let them earn their bread in the sweat of their brow.
During WWII, copies of this book were commonly seen at Nazi rallies. Some believe Luther’s writings at the end of his life fueled the Holocaust.
Anti-Jewish Animosity in the Early Church
It was relatively easy for some in the early church to develop an increasing hostility against the synagogue and its Jewish worshippers. Several developments were viewed by church leaders as indicating that God was done with Israel. Jewish revolts against Rome in which Jews were savagely beaten by Gentile armies were indications to many that God had turned from His chosen people and was establishing “the new Israel,” i.e., “the church.”
In Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, written perhaps around AD 150, Justin argues his case against Trypho by stating that the Jews are getting just what they deserve, “for you have slain the Just One, and His prophets before Him, and now you reject those who hope in Him.”
Many others promoted the view that God had rejected Israel because of Israel’s rejection of Christ. In the third century, Origen wrote: “And these calamities they [the Jewish people] have suffered, because they were a most wicked nation, which, although guilty of many other sins, yet has been punished so severely for none, as for those that were committed against our Jesus.”
Animosity in Rabbinic Judaism
There were several factors that produced a growing division between Jew and Christian. For one thing, the Lord Jesus Christ did not meet the expectations of the Jewish masses who were looking for a different kind of Messiah than Jesus presented Himself to be. In John 6:15, the people wanted to make Jesus king by force, but He fled.
Secondly, the success of the church in reaching both Jews and Gentiles and bringing them together caused dismay in the Jewish religious establishment. Because the Apostle Paul championed the cause of Gentile freedom from circumcision and Jewish holy days, the door had been opened for the formation of a new and distinct religious community.
Thirdly, Jewish Christians refused to take part in the two Jewish revolts against Rome (AD 66–73 and 132–135). This led Jewish nationalists to look upon Christians with disdain. Christians were viewed as having no allegiance to the Jewish nation. Consequently, following the destruction of the Jewish Temple in AD 70, “a new Judaism emerged. Rabbinic Judaism, as it came to be called, was a separate religion and considered all Jewish Christians personae non gratae in relation to the synagogue” (Marvin Wilson, Our Father Abraham, p. 93). What had begun as a dispute within the company of believers now became a permanent breach between two opposing religious groups, Jews and Christians. It was in this context that a “new Israel,” devoid of any connection with the Israel of the Bible, began to take shape.
The Post-Reformation Era
Churches and denominations claiming to be rooted in the theology of the Magisterial Reformation (the reformation of the church is to be carried out with the help of the magistracy, the civil government) naturally promote replacement theology. They are simply trying to be true to their religious heritage, and the reformers were generally in the replacement camp. This is certainly true of historic Presbyterianism and Lutheranism. Luther, Calvin, Knox, and the other reformers did not see a place for Israel in God’s plans, nor did they acknowledge that such a place existed.
“To date,” writes Thomas Ice, “I have not been able to find any reformers who supported the restoration of the Jews back to their land in Israel” (Thomas Ice, “Lovers of Zion: A History of Christian Zionism,” a paper presented at the Pre-Trib Study Group, Dallas, Texas, Dec. 6–8, 2004, p. 4).
With the coming of John Nelson Darby and C. I. Scofield, however, prophetic conferences began to teach premillennial eschatology. Doctrines like the Pre-Trib Rapture and the restoration of Israel began to impact churches and communities. The stage was being set for a coming clash of prophetic theologies that continues into the present, a clash between futurism and preterism.
Counting the Cost
I consider myself a “Christian Zionist,” and by that term, I mean that I am a born-again believer in Christ who believes that God has given Israel a land by unconditional covenant. For some, however, “Christian Zionist” means far more than I, and others who use the term, mean.
Palestinian Christianity. “Palestinian Christianity” is a growing movement that has a number of advocates and organizations. It is strongly opposed to Zionism and what it calls “Israeli occupation of indigenous Palestinian lands.”
Dr. Stephen R. Sizer, a priest in the Church of England who has been banned from serving as a priest until 2030, is known for his opposition to Christian Zionism, which is the basis of his 2004 Ph.D. dissertation. In 2012, The Board of Deputies of British Jews lodged a complaint against Sizer with the Church of England, alleging that he had made anti-Semitic statements and published links to anti-Semitic websites. Although he did not admit culpability, at a conciliation meeting in 2013, Sizer agreed to have his online web usage monitored.
Sizer says he is convinced that: (1) God does not bless those who bless Israel; (2) the Jewish people are no longer God’s chosen people; (3) the land of Israel was not given exclusively to the Jewish people; (4) Jerusalem is not the exclusive, eternal, undivided capital of Israel; and (5) the Jewish temple must be rebuilt before Jesus returns.
Kairos Palestine is an organization primarily known for its issuance in December 2009 of the Kairos Palestine document, “A Moment of Truth: A Word of Faith, Hope, and Love From the Heart of Palestinian Suffering.” Kairos is a Greek word that means “a decisive moment.” The document claims that the Israeli occupation is a “sin against God,” and argues that any theology that tolerates it cannot be Christian “because true Christian theology is a theology of love and solidarity with the oppressed, a call to justice and equality among peoples.”
A solution satisfactory to all parties appears virtually impossible to reach. The continual barrage of rockets from the Palestinians adds nothing constructive, nor does the involvement of organizations like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran and its steady supply of munitions.
Indeed, the words of Psalm 122:6 provide a fundamental responsibility for all Christians: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
August 14, 2023..........................FOURTH IN A SERIES
This is the fourth in a continuing series on Abraham. In this piece, we will focus on key biblical texts that demonstrate covenantal faithfulness to the descendants of Abraham and the land God has given them. It refutes Replacement Theology and answers the question, “Who owns the land?” In this piece, we are going to look at key scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments. Indeed, the Abrahamic covenant reaches into the future.
Olam Is “Everlasting”
There are several scriptures that tell us of God’s love for His chosen people. His love is “everlasting” (olam) (Jer.32:40). Does olam really mean “everlasting,” depicting God’s eternal love for His chosen people?
God is olam. “And Abram planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God” (Gen. 21:33).
God’s Word is olam. “For ever , O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Ps. 119:89; see also Isa. 40:7–8).
God’s covenant is olam. “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Gen. 17:7).
God’s name is olam. Scripture tells us that Moses asked God His name. God replied, “I Am that I Am” (Exod. 3:14). Then the Lord said, “this is my name for ever , and this is my memorial unto all generations” (vs. 15).
A Legacy of Blessing
In Genesis 12:1 the Lord calls Abram to leave home and go “unto a land that I will show thee.” In verse 2, the Lord promises several things, and says, “and thou shalt be a blessing.” Abram did not realize how much of a blessing he would be. He would be a conduit of grace to untold multitudes.
When I jettisoned my belief in Replacement Theology, one of my former Replacement buddies thought I was crazy, and said: “So, now you believe that salvation is tied to genes.” It was his way of saying that now I believe that Jews are a special people that God had chosen simply because God is a racist.
Do I believe that salvation is tied to genes? Yes and no. Yes, because God chose Israel to be a special people. No, because His plan is to work through Jews to bless everyone in the whole world, Jew and Gentile. Yes, God loves Israel, but His love for Israel is not the kind of love that was intended to be limited to Jews. God would bless them in a special way so that divine love could extend to all people.
We see this in several Scriptures. Isaiah 45:22: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Matthew 4:13-16 ties this into Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, an area populated by Gentiles: “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up,” cited from Isaiah 9:1–2.
A similar truth was uttered by Simeon, who took the baby Jesus up in his arms and said, “For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:30–32).
We must never forget, however, that the broadening of the scope of God’s grace to reach great numbers of Gentiles never cancels God’s plans for Israel. It is “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). “I say then,” we read in Romans 11:1, “Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” Many Replacement theologians see it as an either/or matter—
How does this Russian invasion turn out? In Ezekiel 39, the Lord promises to knock the bow from the left hand of the invaders and the arrows from their right hand. The invading armies will die in the mountains of Israel. God will feed them to the vultures and wild animals. It will take seven months for the people of Israel to bury the bodies of the invaders and cleanse the land.
I will set my glory among the heathen and all the heathen shall see my judgment … the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward” (Ezek. 39:21–22).
God is faithful. He has not forgotten His people.
Josh Davis........................................March 3, 2023
You do not know what is best for you and your future. Your house and the stuff you own are selfishly draining the planet of precious resources. That gasoline or diesel vehicle you drive, and your unwillingness to switch to an electric vehicle, proves you are both ignorant and selfish.
The company you own or work for is selfish if it does not become part of a global solution to stop climate change and end poverty once and for all. Your hunger to consume food from grocery stores and restaurants is putting a burden on our planet that cannot be sustained.
You and your country are xenophobic and racist if you do not open your borders to the refugees who are trying to escape the impacts of climate change on their homelands. You need to open your mind and your heart as we move to a global society. Quit thinking locally and start thinking globally.
The top leaders of state, science and business are working hard to foster a global reset to solve our crises. Why can’t you just sit down, shut up and follow what is best for you as a global citizen? Trust the experts. They know what they are doing. Get on board or get left behind.
Does this sound like the wild-eyed rantings from “that liberal-environmentalist” Facebook friend of yours? What if I told you those were all part of the themes and the discussions coming out of the World Economic Forum’s 2023 conference held Jan. 16-20 in Davos, Switzerland?
Globalist-climate change extremist and former Vice President Al Gore sits on the WEF board of trustees. He passionately proclaimed the continued need for a global reset before we destroy planet Earth.
He shamed Americans for xenophobically resisting the 1 million-plus refugees seeking to enter our country, saying there will be over 1 billion people seeking refuge
in other countries because of the havoc wreaked by climate change.
Where do you think the Biden administration’s “build back better” concepts came from? They dogmatically believe a strong America hurts the world. King Charles is a British globalist-climate change extremist who is also part of the World Economic Forum. He touted the need for the world to “build back better” as he championed the Great Reset movement, led by WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.
There is a coalition of powerful elites who want to usher in a new era for the globe. Why do you think there is such a reaction to Elon Musk releasing the “Twitter Files?” The powerful elites hate it when we find out what they are really up to. They do not want us to be able to freely express our opinions on these matters. If you do not get in line with their agenda, you are the enemy. Therefore, you should be silenced and your social media accounts suspended. Do you wonder why Elon Musk doesn’t get invited to the World Economic Forum?
Ronald Reagan famously said, “The top nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” When the government gets bigger, our freedoms get smaller.
With the likes of Al Gore and Klaus Schwab sharing their globalist agenda with political and business leaders from the world, why should we be concerned? While they view their role as protectors and advancers of the planet, in reality, they are moving the world toward a one-world system, which is a highlight of the Antichrist’s rule during the Great Tribulation period, as described in Rev. 13:16-18.
Globalist-climate change extremist and former Vice President Al Gore sits on the WEF board of trustees. He passionately proclaimed the continued need for a global reset before we destroy planet Earth.
He shamed Americans for xenophobically resisting the 1 million-plus refugees seeking to enter our country, saying there will be over 1 billion people seeking refuge
in other countries because of the havoc wreaked by climate change.
Where do you think the Biden administration’s “build back better” concepts came from? They dogmatically believe a strong America hurts the world. King Charles is a British globalist-climate change extremist who is also part of the World Economic Forum. He touted the need for the world to “build back better” as he championed the Great Reset movement, led by WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab.
There is a coalition of powerful elites who want to usher in a new era for the globe. Why do you think there is such a reaction to Elon Musk releasing the “Twitter Files?” The powerful elites hate it when we find out what they are really up to. They do not want us to be able to freely express our opinions on these matters. If you do not get in line with their agenda, you are the enemy. Therefore, you should be silenced and your social media accounts suspended. Do you wonder why Elon Musk doesn’t get invited to the World Economic Forum?
Ronald Reagan famously said, “The top nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” When the government gets bigger, our freedoms get smaller.
With the likes of Al Gore and Klaus Schwab sharing their globalist agenda with political and business leaders from the world, why should we be concerned? While they view their role as protectors and advancers of the planet, in reality, they are moving the world toward a one-world system, which is a highlight of the Antichrist’s rule during the Great Tribulation period, as described in Rev. 13:16-18.
The world is being prepared to accept their solution to our complex global issues. World leaders attending these kinds of forums are being conditioned and pressured to think globally in their decisions. The Antichrist will eventually take advantage of this conditioned thought pattern as he implements and advances his agenda. With the key economic world leaders on board, the rest of the population will be forced to follow to survive. During the Great Tribulation, it’s either get on board or starve.
Would you like to understand how they think and how they want the world to think? “The basic tenet of the programme is the premise that the current crises, as serious as they are, are manifestations of larger systemic deficiencies accrued over time.” In other words, the current energy, healthcare and food crises, for example, happened because of thinking locally instead of globally.
Selfish Local Thinkers
Thinking locally is anything less than thinking globally. If you put your community or your country ahead of the globe, you are thinking locally. To them, this is selfish and small-minded.
This is further revealed in their very next statement. “They [the current crises] are also the result of a narrow vision of systems as sectors rather than true multidisciplinary, networked entities that are highly dynamic, particularly in the context of the meta trends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and climate change.”
They reason since individuals and businesses tend to look out for their own interests in their small sphere of expertise and influence, we are losing the big picture of how it is all connected. Here comes their peer-pressure: the fate of the world depends on whether we will stop being selfish and small-minded, or get with the global program.
One-World Vision
To solve every world problem, the World Economic Forum finds a globally centered solution. This aligns perfectly with Scripture about the one-world government and economy during the Great Tribulation. While the WEF believes it is doing what is best for the world, they are ultimately setting the stage for the end-times rule of the Antichrist.
Do not forget, the book of “Revelation” does not describe the enemy’s victory. It is Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, Satan and evil once and for all. The Antichrist and his fleeting one-world system will fall. Jesus’ eternal rule and kingdom will thrive in perfection forever!
Open your eyes to what is happening in our world, but fix your eyes on Jesus.
Remember His words, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).
[All quotations are taken directly from the World Economic Forum’s official website. This article is available at:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
—Jeremiah 1:5
“I can’t keep this baby.” Those were the last words Patricia said as she walked out the door. Her mother began to weep. Her heart was breaking for her daughter. Patricia was so young. She was only fourteen. She was too young to have a child, so she decided to terminate the pregnancy. Patricia’s mother tried to reason with her, “You can’t do that. It’s murder.” Patricia screamed at her mother, “It’s my body! It’s my life! It’s my choice!” Then, with hot tears rolling down her cheeks, she calmly said, “I can’t keep this baby,” and she walked out the door.
Patricia walked out into the sunshine. It was a beautiful late summer day. She put her hand on her stomach. A child was growing in there. Soon the summer would end. School started back up in a few weeks. She had to end this pregnancy before then. But could she do it? Could she have an abortion?
As she walked alone, her thoughts turned to the baby’s father, Tim. Patricia thought she loved him. She thought they would be together forever. But when she told him she was going to have a baby, he broke up with her.
Tim’s parents offered to pay for the “procedure.” They wanted the “situation” to go away. Tim had recently been named All-American Athlete and Scholar. He had a bright future. He was going to college. He was going to be somebody. A wife and a baby didn’t fit into those plans. Besides, Tim’s parents hated Patricia. She was “from the wrong side of the tracks.” They would never consider letting their son marry poor white trash like Patricia.
Patricia thought about her mother. She had just begged her not to have an abortion. She had offered to take the baby and raise the baby for Patricia.
Patricia thought about the child growing inside of her. Was it really a child, or was it just a mass of tissue? Should she have it, or should it be cut out like cancer?
Patricia thought about God. Where was He in all of this? It had been so long since she felt the presence of God. Did He care about her? Did He care about the baby?
She dropped to her knees right there on the sidewalk and prayed, “God, I need You now more than ever. I messed up and I don’t know what to do. Should I have this baby?” Patricia was startled when a voice answered, “You should have the baby.” She felt a hand touch her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see her mother. She had been following her. Patricia stood to her feet, and they embraced …
Patricia did have the baby and Patricia’s mother took him as her child. They named him … James. I am Patricia’s baby. One woman’s decision to abort instead of birthing would have altered history—at least my history.
A Divisive Problem
The issue of abortion is once again the top news story because the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to Politico, which received a supposedly leaked copy of the opinion draft. Abortion is a problem that has divided our nation between those who are “pro-life” and those who are “pro-choice.” Personally, I can’t stand the term “pro-choice.” If you are pregnant, the “choice” was made when you decided to do the act that led to the conception. “Pro-life” and “pro-death” are my preferred terms.
Since the Supreme Court decision was leaked, there have been “pro-death” protests at churches, government buildings, and even at the homes of Supreme Court Justices. However, if you read the opinion draft, abortion will not become illegal, but will instead be a decision of each individual state. So, those who are “pro-death” will just be inconvenienced by possibly having to travel to another state to murder their baby. By the way, have you noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born?
Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, there have been over 63 million aborted babies in the U.S. alone. There have been 12 billion abortions worldwide in the last 40 years. America is not the first country to deal with the issue of abortion. The Bible tells us ancient Israel turned away from God; they turned to Baal. They made a bronze idol of Baal. Parents offered up their babies on the idol and watched them be burned alive. Now, it would be hard to find anyone today who would admit to worshipping a false god, but under the spirit of Baal, we have killed over 63 million little babies.
According to the Word of God, abortion is one of the worst murders a human being can commit. About abortion, the Scripture says, “In the secret places doth he murder the innocent” (Psalm 10:8). The “secret place” is the womb of a mother. Definitely, the baby is an “innocent.” No person who is fully aware of another’s total innocence normally kills that other human being. Even wild beasts such as bears, will fight to the death to defend their young. But, today, man has made himself even lower than brute beasts by slaying innocent unborn babies.
Further, the Bible says, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). If children are a heritage or reward for parents, abortion destroys God-given rewards
A Divided People
I am amazed at how many people who claim Christ say they are also for abortion. You cannot be a professing Christian and be for abortion. God says over and over in His Word that life is precious and it begins at conception. God help any Christian who is soft on this issue. Children in the womb are not clumps of cells. They are people. They are sons and daughters. They are innocent of any crime deserving death.
Some may ask: What if a doctor recommends an abortion? There are many cases in which doctors have recommended abortion, yet the mothers delivered perfectly healthy babies. Even if God does give a family a handicapped child, does that make Him any less sovereign or loving? I can’t help but think of Helen Keller and the amazing impact she has had on this world. Every child is precious in the Lord’s sight; God makes no mistakes!
Jesus said, “And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me” (Matthew 18:5). Quoting this verse, Mother Theresa, on February 3, 1994, in Washington D.C. at the National Prayer Breakfast with President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary seated to her right, said, “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because Jesus said, If you receive a little child, you receive Me. So, every abortion is the denial of receiving Jesus, the neglect of receiving Jesus.”
A Divine Pardon
Perhaps someone reading this may be guilty of this great sin in the past. Perhaps you were not aware of the seriousness of this sin. Jesus is gracious and compassionate. Go to the Lord with a broken and contrite heart and deeply repent of your sin. It will be good if you can go to a mature and reliable servant of God for further counseling. That person may guide you in cleaning and freeing your guilty conscience. The Lord will surely forgive you and give you a new heart and a new life.
A Determined Pastor
I understand I will receive hateful, angry emails, phone calls, and letters from those who are “pro-death.” Go ahead. Send them. They will not silence me. God has called me to be His mouthpiece and the Bible says life begins at conception. The Bible says each person on earth has value—that every individual man, woman, and child, even the unborn child, should be treasured.
Human life is a magnificent thing. Every human being, no matter how small, is fearfully and wonderfully made. Every human being, no matter how disregarded, bears the image of God. And every human being, no matter how weak, will keep on living forever.
I, for one, am grateful to a woman named Patricia, who opted for life—my life …
Keep well dear lady.
October 31, 2022
Dear President Vladimir Putin:
The world has heard that you are threatening to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine. The news headlines show that many nations are taking you seriously. Headlines such as, “USA Stockpiles Anti-Radiation Drugs,” “Biden Warns of Nuclear Armageddon,” “Putin Isolated in Bunker,” “Gas Panic: Putin blowing up nuke in Black Sea would release killer poisonous gas cloud & trigger tsunamis, warns top professor.” In this latter report, we read that “the explosion could trigger a toxic cloud of killer hydrogen sulfide. … The sea is unique due to a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide.”
When the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Krill congratulated you on your 70th birthday, the Patriarch said, “God put you in power.” May I respectfully ask, sir, what god is that? Certainly not the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” What god will raise “a toxic cloud of killer hydrogen sulfide” that will destroy innocent civilians?
I have been following the war in Ukraine since it started. I know, Mr. Putin, that some groups in America claim that the death toll has been deliberately doctored by globalists to arouse people against Russian nationalism, yet the abundant testimony of observers and Christian aid workers on the ground, plus numerous satellite photos, leads me to believe that the wanton destruction of property and the targeting of civilians is real. The attack on a maternity hospital, the use of cluster munitions and thermobaric bombs that suck oxygen out of lungs, and the testimony of refugees who have escaped to Poland and elsewhere testify to the “scorched-earth” policy you are following.
Mr. Putin, some of the reports that I have read said you are ill. I don’t know exactly what kind of illness that might be, but sir, even if you live to be 110 you will have to stand before the Judge of all the earth and give an account of your murderous deeds. You will not be able to hide on the day of judgment. Our Heavenly Father’s bolts of lightning are far more accurate than any missile Russian scientists have created. There will be no escape unless you repent of your sins and flee the wrath to come by accepting Jesus into your heart and begging for mercy for the grief and mayhem you have caused.
The Holy Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit and given as a witness to the entire world says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In the original language the word “confess” means to agree with God. Confession of sins means “no excuses.” You either agree with God that you have sinned, or the confession is not true confession. Good intentions mean nothing to our holy God. Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark of the covenant which was being transported in a way not prescribed by Almighty God. Uzzah meant well, but his disobedience brought sudden death on him (2 Sam. 6:7).
I know that at a pro-war rally in March of 2022 justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine, you said, “Words from the Holy Bible come to my head: ‘There is no greater love than if someone gives his soul for his friends,’” your paraphrase of John 15:13.
You and I, Mr. Putin, and millions of Christians are grieved by the moral degeneracy in the West. One of America’s great Christian scholars, Dr. Michael Brown, a messianic Jew who loves Jesus, Yeshua, and a man filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit, believes that you are motivated by spiritual beliefs more than the expansion of NATO. He cites the speech you gave on September 19, 2013, in which you stated:
Mr. President, I sincerely wish that our own president, Joe Biden, and the political party he represents. would have the same sentiments that you express in this speech. I know, and believe, Mr. Putin, you are a very moral man and you claim that you are deeply grieved by the sins and evil deeds of all too many people in the West. Yet the Holy Bible informs us quite clearly that morality will never get anyone into heaven. Good works and noble sentiments such as you express are, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). God is so holy that even our repentance needs to be repented of.
There are those who manifest the “form of godliness,” but have never experienced its power (2 Tim. 3:5). These are they of whom the Lord Jesus spoke when He said, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name, have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:22–23). Or, in the words of Numbers 32:23, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
As a minister of the Gospel, I believe it is my solemn duty to inform you that you are in danger of hellfire, “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44–48). You are putting your faith in a mere ecclesiastical body made up of a cadre of so-called “holy men” and prelates who have no regard for the authority of sacred Scripture, a group of men where vestments and candles and ceremonies dazzle the eyes of men but are of no esteem in the eyes of the Almighty and can never thwart the wrath of God.
The eternal Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Name above every Name, said, in the Sermon on the Mount, “Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). As you well know, Mr. President, the scribes and the Pharisees were the holy men of ancient Israel, yet Jesus Christ affirms that our righteousness must exceed their righteousness. How is that possible? Where can unholy sinners like you and me, and every human being, whatever their gender, ethnicity, or status in life, find such righteousness?
The Holy Bible, the unchanging Word of God, tells us that this righteousness is in Jesus Christ, and that through simple faith in Jesus Christ, this righteousness can be imputed to us. The Jews of old never found that righteousness, but believing gentiles did. “The Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness” (Rom. 9:30–31).
Mr. Putin, it is not too late to embrace the Savior and not too late to put your wholehearted faith in the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood will wash away your sins and will provide you with a full remission of sins. God holds no one in double jeopardy. God does not expect double payment for your sins. Jesus has already paid for your sins. His death is sufficient for every human being that has ever lived, but efficient only for those who believe in His name. If you believe in Him you will never have to pay for your sins. They have already been paid for, and that holds true for all eternity.
My dear Vladimir, just look at human history—one war after another. Nothing has ever really been solved. People have died. Cities have been destroyed. Mothers have mourned the deaths of their husbands and sons. And what will the world think of you when the pictures start coming out—pictures of little children, their bodies blackened like charcoal from nuclear blasts. People with huge tumors on their necks and bodies. The same could happen even to the people of your great nation. What a tragedy! Even your friends in Beijing and Pyongyang will scorn you.
Annihilationists and cult members will keep on teaching that there is no hell. “God wouldn’t do such a thing,” they will say. Others will boast, “Hell is just a figment of the imagination,” but you Mr. President, will know the truth, the truth of everlasting fire and woe. For your own sake, swallow your pride. Go to the negotiating table. Russia is a huge country. How is it wise to expand this war to the point that even Russia will be harmed for the sake of a small stretch of land?
— Respectfully yours, Pastor Larry Spargimino, Ph.D.
Southwest Radio Church, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
According to a recent poll from the Wall Street Journal, most Americans believe their economic situation is not good. With inflation being the overriding factor, over 80% of surveyed consumers described the economy as “poor” or “not so good.” It is easy to understand why people are concerned about the economy. The cost of living has increased significantly, supply chain issues have caused massive problems, and, despite low levels of unemployment, wages have not kept up.
Currency Is Computerized
In addition to high inflation, most Americans are concerned about the national debt. The United States debt is astronomical. As I type this, it is currently at $31.87 trillion. The debt increased by one million dollars in the time it took for me to type this sentence. The answer to the out-of-control debt is to ultimately make money in a digital form because it is easier for the government to control and tax without your permission. So, in March 2022, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14067, titled “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.” This order mandates the Federal Reserve to explore the creation of a new American digital currency.
Some of America’s top economic experts, including Robert Kiyosaki, investment guru and author of the personal finance book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, have some choice words for President Joe Biden’s executive order 14067. Kiyosaki called Biden’s signed executive order “the most treasonous act in U.S. history.” He was joined by Jim Rickards, another economist, investor, and former Central Intelligence Agency official who called it a step toward the end of cash. Rickards said, “The new ‘digital tokens’ can be ‘turned off’ if the government doesn’t like what you are doing.” He continued, “I call the digital dollar ‘Biden Bucks’ because I want him to take full credit for what I consider to be crimes. This is not like the money in your online bank account. No, this is new and different. Every digital dollar will be a programmable token. When Biden Bucks are rolled out, many experts—myself included—believe they will begin an era of total government control and surveillance.” Rickards warned, “This is not hyperbole. This would dramatically expand the power and influence of the federal government … essentially acting as a new type of ‘spyware.’”
These Biden Bucks will allow the government to force you to comply with their agenda. If you do not, they can turn off your money. If the government discovers you are giving to an organization or ministry they don’t agree with, they can turn off your money. If you pay to put fossil fuels in your gasoline powered automobile instead of driving a government mandated electric vehicle, they can turn off your money. If you want to buy an AR15 rifle, they can turn off your money. Biden Bucks will essentially allow the government to control all your buying and selling......
A recent survey said only 10 percent of Americans carry cash. The worldwide movement toward electronic payments has been breathtaking. For most of us, if our bank unexpectedly froze our accounts, we would be in deep trouble. With electronic banking and digital currencies such as Biden Bucks, the technology is in place where it is possible for one person to have total control of all monetary transactions on earth.
Culture Is Cashless
The Bible teaches that there is coming a day when the final one-world ruler, the Antichrist will control all buying and selling during the seven-year Tribulation. We read in Revelation, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16–17). What does it mean that “no man might buy or sell?”
Control Is Certain
Those who refuse the mark of the beast will be shut out of the global economy. They will be unable to buy or sell anything without it (Revelation 13:17). Some will even face beheading for their refusal to accept it (Revelation 20:4). After the Antichrist enters the temple and declares himself God (2 Thessalonians 2:4), he will require everyone on earth to accept the mark (Revelation 13:16). Accepting the mark will be a pledge of allegiance to the Antichrist. All who accept the mark will display it on their right hand or their forehead (Revelation 13:16). This will make it easy for society to identify them. The world will blacklist anyone who refuses the mark. Every buying and selling transaction will be linked to it. As a result, those without it will be unable to buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:17). This will put enormous social pressure on people to accept the mark.
Think about it. Imagine if you couldn’t buy or sell anything. How would you get food to survive? How would you get shelter, clothes, and the necessities of life? The pressure for most people will be too much to bear. They will give in and accept the mark. It’s likely only committed Christians will refuse the mark. In some cases, the consequences will be worse than economic. Some people will be martyred for their refusal to accept the mark (Revelation 20:4).
Coinage Is Changing
In the midst of our current economic crisis, the United States Mint has released a new quarter. The iconic portrait of U.S. President George Washington on United States quarters has become an unwavering symbol of our nation’s strength, resolve, and economic might since its introduction in 1932. Over the years, the quarter has gone through many changes. In 1965, the quarter changed from being made of 90% silver to being made from worthless nickel-coated copper. In 1999, the eagle on the reverse of the quarter was traded for a series of new designs including states, parks, and national landmarks. However, since 1932 the image of Washington on the front of the coin has remained virtually unchanged.
Now, the unforgettable design of our first president is being tossed out of the window for something entirely new in 2022. The old portrait of Washington has been replaced with a new one. Ironically, the new quarters picture the founding father turning his back on our national motto, “In God We Trust.” While there is no clear indication that Washington’s turn from our national motto was an intentional part of the design, the symbolism is overwhelming. America has turned its back on God.
Confidence in Chaos
The official motto of the United States of America, as established in a 1956 law signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is “In God We Trust.” It is easy to say, and easy to read, but it is not always easy to live. Will you still trust God if your spouse abandons you? Will you still trust God if you get a bad diagnosis from the doctor? Will you still trust God if you lose your job? Will you still trust God as the economy continues to slide toward a depression? Will you still trust God as we move closer to the end of this age?
Despite the terrible economy, Biden Bucks, a godless culture, and the signs pointing to the rise of the Antichrist and the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation, we can still say, “In God We Trust.”
And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
The unbelievers if they take the Mark of the Beast are doomed.
If they do not take the Mark they can not buy nor sell, meaning they starve of hunger.
You can right now accept Jesus as your Lord and Savour to escape having to make this choice. Jesus loves you and died for you too...................jenny
What can we do about those people who are ready to accept Jesus as Saviour,
One demon said; we can tell them there is no God.
Satan answered; no that won't work people do know there is a God but we can tell them. Accept Jesus TOMORROW
Accept Jesus as Your Saviour today!
America is in great danger, but God is laughing. If the warnings of the Lord’s faithful servants don’t mean anything to the general population, maybe the fact that the Lord is not weeping for us but laughing at us will jolt us into national repentance. Psalm 2:4 says, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.”
Repentance would be most appropriate. I am not, however, holding my breath. Many of our nation’s leaders still don’t have a clue. A nation that consistently violates God’s moral principles will not stand. If America finds success while leaders shake their fists in God’s face, God will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah—and He is not about to do so.
Will Russia Continue to Lose Face in Ukraine?
Many commentators believe that Russia will not lose face and will regain its honor. It has suffered devastating defeats in its war with Ukraine. More than 590 tanks have been destroyed by the Ukrainians. Thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed, along with more than ten high-ranking military officers. The Black Sea flagship Moskva, a modern hi-tech marvel vessel, has been sunk. Again, Russia has been humiliated.
God wiped out the ancient world with a flood of water. Will He now use a flood of fire?
Russia has been boasting about its RS-28 Sarmat missile, affectionately dubbed “Satan-II,” which is able to carry ten or more nuclear warheads to a target anywhere on the surface of the earth. In the midst of stiff resistance from the Ukrainians in the ongoing war, and sanctions imposed by the West, Russia went ahead and tested its new Inter Continental Ballistic Missile. Mr. Putin said it would make Russia’s enemies “think twice.”
Yes, we ought to “think twice.” Is our nation’s wicked behavior bringing us to the brink of divine judgment?
For reasons unannounced, the test of “Satan-II” was rescheduled to December 2021 and then to April 2022. As reported in The Indian Express (4/30/22) the missile will have five more launches in 2022 before being officially inducted into the Russian military. That missile will be able to accomplish the task it is given.
One Satan-II missile could destroy an area the size of Ohio in one blinding flash. President Putin’s military aides have said it could turn the British isles into a pile of charred rubble. They are considering it because the UK has sent weapons to Ukraine. And so has the United States. Russia has repeatedly warned NATO: Russian soldiers are dying because of weapons supplied by NATO. Therefore NATO is now a legitimate target for Russian missiles.
George Washington Was Right
Two hundred and thirty-two years ago, President George Washington gave a sober warning that should be taken to heart by our nation: “The propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right that heaven itself has ordained.”
What will happen to a nation that does? Will God judge that nation by giving that nation leaders who are not competent to lead?
On February 9, 2022, the New York Post reported “Dozens of Republican lawmakers are once again calling for President Biden to take a cognitive test, urging him ‘to follow the example set by former President Trump.’” The 38 Republicans, led by Trump’s former White House doctor, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-MD), sent a letter to Mr. Biden expressing concern with the president’s present cognitive state. The letter sent to Biden said, “The President’s mental health is not a partisan issue.”
The letter mentioned several instances of what they categorized as “mental decline,” including when the president recently called Fox News reporter Peter Doocy “a stupid …” and when he forgot the names of states on the campaign trail.
Shaking a Fist In God’s Face
Our national leaders are making plans against the Lord and His anointed Son, Jesus Christ. They are saying, “Let us free ourselves from this slavery.” Think I’m kidding? Recently an editorial in the New York Times suggested on the eve of Passover and Easter that we need to kill off the God of the Old Testament. It’s inconceivable that any major newspaper in America would ever run an editorial suggesting that we need to kill off the god of the Koran. Are the cultural elites filled with love and devotion to the god of the Koran, or are they afraid of the riots that his followers would stage? It’s obvious that there is an ongoing war against the Judeo-Christian worldview that is the very foundation of America.
And this ongoing war has not been sudden. In a 1986 study conducted by then New York University professor of psychology Dr. Paul Vitz, the committee examined ninety social studies and history books used in U.S. public schools. The results showed that almost every reference to the early Christian influence in the United States had been removed.
Worse yet, according to Dr. Vitz, “Religion, traditional family values, and conservative political and economic contributions have been reliably excluded from Children’s textbooks.” Out of sixty textbooks amounting to approximately 15,000 pages, none “have even a single mention of people who go to church or synagogue, who worship or pray or have any religious influence on their lives or on society.”
I am glad that parents are now speaking up and speaking out at school board meetings. But in the years 1986 to 2020 there was hardly anything said that gave any hint to school boards that parents did not like the direction in which the public schools were moving. Why was the outrage so long in coming? Dare we continue to presume on God’s patience and mercy?
Most of us our unhappy with our economy, yet our president is telling us about the “U.S. economic recovery.” He said it during his first formal State of the Union address on March 2. He said it when he unveiled plans to lower gas prices on March 31. And now to really bless us, he has his new “Disinformation Governance Board.” Amid growing anti-censorship fervor, a bevy of Republicans have suggested that the initiative amounts to policing free speech. Elon Musk declared it “messed up.” Others on the right likened it to the Ministry of Truth from George Orwell’s prophetic book, 1984.
Even more problematic is the president’s new “disinformation” chief, Nina Jankowicz, who at one time wanted a singing career. A video has appeared that reveals what the world missed with her move into politics. It’s a song that is totally inappropriate. The nicest thing that can be said about it is that it is “raunchy and done in bad taste.” I won’t even print the text.
National Death By Suicide
In 1838, Lincoln gave his Lyceum Speech in which he spoke about citizenship in a constitutional republic and threats to the American way of life. He discussed, in glowing terms, the political system established by America’s founders, but warned of a destructive force from within our nation. He raised a very important question:
Where are we today? As Dr. David Reagan recently said, “America is in a free fall without a parachute.”
I cannot stress how great America’s peril is. One of the things that most people are not aware of is the fact that the population of Russia has been trained to believe that they can survive a nuclear war.
In this present hour, we must be absolutely honest. I know some will hate me for saying it but I will say it anyway: I cannot see how anyone can claim to be a Christian and vote Democrat. The Democratic Party is the party of atheism. This is the philosophy that says God’s world is nothing more than an accidental machine, including people. This is the thinking that has led to the horrors of the 20th century: the Communist Revolution, the Nazi Holocaust, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the Cambodian Genocide.
Francis Schaeffer once wrote, “If the unsaved man was consistent, he would be an atheist in religion, an irrationalist in philosophy … and completely amoral in the widest sense.” In a remarkably revealing way, the Democratic Party is made up of very consistent unsaved people.
What does the near future hold? I don’t claim to have prophetic insights into the future, but it is irrefutable that Russia is expanding the scope of this war. Government news outlets see this war not just as a war against “the Nazis” in the Ukraine, but against “the Nazis in the West.”
“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings,” we read in the closing verses of Psalm 2, “be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Ps. 2:10–12).
September 20, 2022
Editor’s Note: As Europe scrambles to wean itself off Russian oil and gas and tries to confront Russia for its use of energy to blackmail European countries, the European Union signed in Cairo on June 15, 2022, a Memorandum of Understanding with Israel and Egypt, aimed at using the energy potential of the Eastern Mediterranean to cover the shortfall in energy supplies to Europe. This, of course, angered Russian officials. So, Vladimir Putin went to Tehran, Iran where he met with President Ebrahim Raisi and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to solidify his alliance with Iran and Turkey. Will these events trigger the prophesied Gog/Magog war? Could the oil and natural gas in Israel be the spoil spoken of in Ezekiel 38:12? With Israeli oil back in the news, we thought it would be appropriate to reprint portions of an article which Noah Hutchings wrote in February of 1998.
The first place oil is found in the Bible is Genesis 11:3, where the Scripture reveals that the builders of the Tower of Babel used slime as mortar to hold bricks in construction together. Slime (as interpreted by almost any credible Bible dictionary) in biblical usage was bitumen, or asphalt, a semisolid oil residue that seeps to the surface. The Tower of Babel was constructed on the plain of Shinar, or southern Iraq, where today there are vast oil fields.
Crude oil which is pumped out of the ground is a fossil fuel, meaning that it is the decayed residue of animal and plant life. It is evident from the location of the Garden of Eden given in Genesis 2:10–15 that it was in the general area of what is now Kuwait. There is more oil under the ground of Kuwait than any other place in the Persian Gulf basin and, therefore, this area must have in the distant past been a veritable jungle of both animal and plant life, substantiating the biblical account of the Garden of Eden. Aside from Kuwait, the entire Middle East is a vast reservoir of oil. Much of the oil has been discovered and fields developed, but much of the oil in the Middle East, including Israel, has not been discovered or developed.
The Oil of Asher
The old land of Asher that extended from what is now the Haifa region northward to Lebanon along the Mediterranean Sea was in the shape of a foot attached to the part of the leg just below the knee. The foot was in the Haifa area, and it is here where oil and natural gas are being pumped. We read in Deuteronomy, “And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:24–25).
In taking our concordance and tracing all the references to feet in the Bible, we can readily understand just how important this part of the body was to the individual. A person just did not hop in his car or catch a bus or a plane to get from one place to another. The general public did not even own a camel, horse, or donkey. The most common and acceptable method of travel was on foot, and it is evident from Scripture that the feet were washed and anointed quite frequently. It appears that Judas objected to Mary, the sister of Lazarus, using costly ointment to anoint the feet of Jesus rather than using the less expensive olive oil.
To have good feet in excellent physical condition was indeed a blessing in Bible times, but this blessing upon Asher could have a double meaning, as many scriptures do, and especially could this be so considering all the encompassing blessings on Jacob, his children, and their descendants recorded in the previous chapter: “For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance … So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.
There is no great mystery about sucking honey out of the rock because, in the Middle East where large hollow trees are scarce, bees often make their hives in rock cliffs. However, sucking oil out of flinty rock is another matter. If olive oil is meant here, then it could come only by a miracle of God. That God could perform such a miracle is beyond question. However, since honey is literally found in the rocks, then within the same context we must look for oil in flinty rocks. As geologists will confirm, crude oil from which petroleum and other fossil fuels are made is found in flinty rocks or shale..
The Oil of Sodom
Before the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and the nearby towns, the Dead Sea area was a small portion of the earth left over from the pre-flood age: “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar” (Genesis 13:10). The below-sea-level condition with abundant fresh water created a protected hothouse environment. This must have indeed been a beautiful place, but there was one problem—slime pits, bitumen surface pools, or seeping oil (Genesis 14:10). These oil bogs evidently figured into the route of the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Edom by the kings of the north led by Amraphel, also known as Hammurabi of Babylon. A few years later, and after Abraham had defeated the kings of the north and saved Lot, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone in a catastrophic explosion which created the Dead Sea. It has been claimed by many that the mineral and chemical wealth of the Dead Sea is more than the rest of all the world. I have personally always accepted this claim as exaggeration, although the net worth of the Dead Sea chemicals indeed must be great, but the wealth of the Dead Sea is not due to sedimentary evaporation. Water that comes into the Dead Sea from the Jordan River is good for drinking and irrigation, accounting for 90 percent of Israel’s fresh water supply. Under the Dead Sea are salt and chemical deposits hundreds and possibly thousands of feet deep.
That there was a Sodom and Gomorrah that was destroyed in a terrible conflagration is beyond question. Josephus wrote in The Wars of the Jews that in his time (A.D. 70) the charred remains of the fruit from the trees was still in evidence on the cliffs of the Asphaltic Sea. The Dead Sea was in Josephus’ time called the Asphaltic Sea because it was covered with thick oil which was used to pitch ships. What happened to stop the oil from seeping into the Dead Sea is not known. There was a giant earthquake in the eighth century along the African-Syrian rift that leveled Philadelphia (Amman), Beth Shan, Jerash, and other cities. It is possible that the shifting of the fault line sealed off the oil flow. In any event, as the Bible indicates, the oil is still there.
The Spoil of Oil
We read the Word of prophecy in Ezekiel 38–39, that a huge national power to the north of Israel, Gog, will come down against Israel to take a “great spoil.” Most prophetic scholars believe Gog to be modern Russia. Aligned with Gog will be armies from Turkey (Togarmah), Iran (Persia), and Libya. We read in Ezekiel that Gog will come down for cattle and goods. I have been to Russia on missions, and the economic situation there continues to worsen. Russia today is starving, and Israel is overflowing with cattle and foods of all kinds. Ezekiel said also that God and his allies would come to take a “great spoil.”
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
—1 Thessalonians 4:16—18
Everyone acknowledges that the world is not a safe place to live anymore. These are the perilous times of the last days. The only comfort we have in the world today is the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ were to come today, would you be ready? Any unsaved person can be saved today: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Larry Spargimino................................May 24, 2022
Since February of 2022 the world has been shocked by the devastation the Russian military has brought upon Ukraine. While state media in Russia, and some groups in America, have claimed that the death toll has been “doctored” to deliberately arouse outrage at Russian nationalism, the abundant testimony of observers and Christian aid workers on the ground plus numerous satellite photos, leads me to believe that the wanton destruction of property and the targeting of civilians is real.
The attack on a maternity hospital, the use of cluster munitions and thermobaric bombs that suck oxygen out of lungs, and the testimony of refugees who have escaped to Poland and elsewhere testify, to the “scorched-earth” policy of the Russian military. What is Russia trying to accomplish? Are they afraid that Ukraine would join NATO? Are the Russians trying to stop the alleged “Nazification” of Ukraine? Or is there something else driving the madness?
The Real Vladimir Putin
On May 7, 2018, 65-year-old Vladimir Putin was sworn in as president of Russia for another six-year term, having been elected with 77% of the nation’s vote. The ceremony was low-key. No one realized it at the time, but Russian Orthodox head Patriarch Krill gave Putin a treasured 18th-century icon. After the ceremony, Mr. Putin attended a prayer service at the Cathedral of the Annunciation.
This would seem to be strange behavior for a communist. Aren’t they generally atheists? Is Vladimir Putin a follower of Jesus?
In a pro-war rally in March of 2022 justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Putin said: “Words from the Holy Bible come to my head: ‘There is no greater love than if someone gives his soul for his friends,’” a paraphrase of John 15:13.
In a WorldNetDaily piece titled, “Is Putin chiefly motivated by spiritual beliefs” (3/14/22), Dr. Michael Brown argues that Vladimir Putin is really not threatened by the expansion of NATO, but by the moral degeneracy of the West. In a speech given on September 19, 2013, Putin said:
“Another serious challenge to Russia’s identity is linked to events taking place in the world. Here there are both foreign policy and moral aspects. We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually redirecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilization. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even s*xual. … The excesses of political correctness have reached the point where people are seriously talking about registering political parties whose aim is to promote pedophilia. People in many European countries are embarrassed or afraid to talk about their religious affiliations.”
President Putin’s return to what he views as Russia’s Orthodox Christian faith has become increasingly more public and open in recent years. While zealots in America’s cancel culture are pulling down statues that enshrine past heroes, Russia is doing just the opposite.
On July 17, 2021, Vladimir Putin took part in the unveiling of a second equestrian monument honoring Czar Nicholas II, who is seen riding a horse and holding a Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) cross. He is called the “Last Christian Czar in Russia.” Putin is also seen dedicating a statue to Russian Christian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the man who spent a decade in the Russian gulag and who gave the reason for Russia’s decline as—“We have forgotten God. That’s why this has happened to us.” Surprisingly, Putin voiced displeasure with the Stalinist regime and called Solzhenitsyn “a true Russian patriot” who suffered “horrible abuse with millions of Russians under the gulag system.”
Pride, Patriotism and Putin
A PBS News Hour Special Report, aired on 7/10/17, quoted a Russian Orthodox priest who said, “The state and my faith are united. They can’t be separated. The values of the church and the state coincide.”
What does this all mean for understanding the Russian invasion of Ukraine? PBS reporter Nick Schifrin explained and said, “In Russia faith is patriotic. The Orthodox Church criticizes liberal Western values as heresies, while Orthodox priests bless Russian weapons and endorse Putin politically and personally. The president’s faith increases his popularity.”
This seems to be a common view. Marcel H. Vanherpen writes, “Traditional values have become the rallying cry of extreme Right populist parties, which are sponsored by Moscow in its effort to undermine Western Liberal Democracy and universal human rights.” Indeed, the Kremlin has delighted in the ideological relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and Russian Nationalism. Though the ROC is much like Roman Catholicism in many ways, it is very different in that Roman Catholicism has no specific connection with any nation or political system, whereas the ROC is Russian in every way. The Moscow Patriarchate considers Moscow as the “Third Rome,” the spiritual center for all ROC believers. To be Russian is to be a member of the Russian Orthodox Church. Anything less borders on hostility against “Mother Russia.”
“Bad Boy Zelensky”
Russia sees Ukrainian president Zelensky as a danger to traditional values. Good looking and a Ukrainian TV star, Zelensky has already had to deal with hecklers who think he is taking the country in the wrong direction and somehow receiving a payoff from George Soros.
Pinknews.co.uk printed Zelensky’s response to an angry heckler who threw a number of charges at Zelensky. His response:
“I don’t know Mr. Soros. I’m not his toadie so I can’t continue with his tasks because I have nothing to do with them, I’m not engaged in the legislation of prostitution which doesn’t exist in the country. Legislation of anything in the country can only be implemented through Ukrainian law if changes to the legislation are approved. This means by the hands of the Ukrainian parliament and by approval of laws.”
When Zelensky saw an attack on Ukraine’s gay people coming he became visibly agitated. “Regarding LGBT—I don’t want to say anything negative because we all live in an open society where each one can choose the language they speak, their ethnicity and s*xual orientation. … Leave those finally at peace, for God’s sake!”
Points For Prayer, Thoughtful Reflection and Serious Self-examination
Pray for Christian ministries in Ukraine and in European countries that are taking refugees, such as Poland. While Poland is a Catholic country, there are several evangelical churches providing food and shelter for refugees, and also sharing the Gospel.
Not everyone who quotes Jesus is doing Jesus’ work. President Putin quoted Jesus, but I do not believe Jesus is happy with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The war in the Ukraine has persuaded many people that we need a “New World Order.” Nations with weapons—especially nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons—pose definite risks to the human race. No matter how the war in Ukraine turns out, Putin’s attack on a small nation gave the world a time and motive to put aside differences and stand united against the Russian bully.