Posts filed under ‘israel’
Author Dan Brown’s New Concept of God Isn’t New
Dan Brown’s assertion that God will become fully antiquated and outmoded due to science and the growing area of artificial intelligence is a comment made by a man who is offering absolutely nothing new. What he ultimately espouses – cosmic consciousness – is something that has been around since nearly the dawn of time. It is New Age, the belief that all human beings are interconnected and if we could simply understand this “truth,” we could then become “one” in spirit and ultimately, in consciousness. Once this is achieved, there is nothing that humanity could not do.
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 2
Clearly, the angel’s words (who simply reiterated what the Lord was saying), point to the future when the Lord’s words will find fulfillment. If we look at Israel since the time of Zechariah, there has been no time during which the above texts has found fulfillment. Yes, we can look at Israel today and understand that there are many unwalled villages (kibbutz), where there appear to be communal gardens and vineyards shared by people living in homes nearby. However, if we take the two verses as a while, the full force of the meaning of these verses has not been, nor is in effect. There is a constant danger against the people living in Israel from outside forces who wish to see that nation destroyed.
Zechariah’s Near and Far Visions, Pt 1
In the Bible, a “horn” is normally understood to mean “power,” whether from an individual, a group of people, or an empire. Commentators of course disagree on the exact meaning, with some believing the “four horns” represents all Gentile powers (v. 21), to the four corners of the earth, while others believe these horns are representative of Babylon, Medes-Persians, Greece, and Rome (from Daniel 2, 7). Regardless of the exact meaning, it likely refers to Gentile powers that God used to scatter the Israelites from their Land after continued rebellion. However, as is always the case, God holds these “horns” responsible for the way they treated His peculiar people.
Habakkuk Comes to Terms with God’s Sovereignty
There are three chapters to Habakkuk. If you have not read the book in a while, please do so. We see the prophet go from frustrated, to confused, to understanding, to acceptance, to a greater awareness that God is fully sovereign. The prophet was humbled (which is the natural outcome of grasping the truth of God’s sovereignty), because God stooped to reveal to Habakkuk what he needed to know. That knowledge was not simply for Habakkuk alone or God would not have told him to write it down. It was for Habakkuk’s Jewish contemporaries, as well as Jews who came after them, and it is for us today.
Why Does God Use Other Nations to Oppose Israel?
Whether we’re dealing with a minor prophet like Micah, Nahum, Joel, or another, the truth is very clear. God will use whatever He chooses to use in order to purify and perfect the nation that He created and whose original leaders entered into an irrevocable covenant with Jehovah Himself. God originally dealt with Israel’s leaders who set things in motion. All who are born into that nation share the responsibility (and the guilt when falling), of carrying on that covenantal relationship. God is certainly very much aware of the fact that at some point, His promises to Israel will be completely fulfilled. All nations who seek Israel’s harm will be dealt with by God, in His way and in His time.
Revelation 12: What is It Really About?
Revelation 12 says nothing about the timing of the Rapture or start of the Tribulation. It is not even addressing Christians at all in nearly the entire chapter. It is about Israel and it is the best, most concise summary of Israel’s history anywhere in God’s Word. Notice we did not need to go outside of the Bible into the area of constellations and horoscopes to ascertain the meaning of Revelation 12:1-6. This is not to say that we can never look outside the Bible to help us better understand the Bible. In this case however, it is very clear that the true meaning of the text is clarified in other portions of God’s Word.
Continue Reading September 19, 2017 at 12:45 PM Leave a comment
Prophet Steve Fletcher is Wrong Again…
The sad truth is that these men are either guided by their own minds, by demonic entities, or both. When God speaks through a genuine prophet – as He has done so many times in the past – the words spoken always come true! It is that simple and that plain, but too many refuse to see it because they prefer to lean into the ethereal, regardless of the source.
Revival, Revival, Revival
It is not revival through emotionalism that is needed today. It is for Christians to take their commitment to God in Christ seriously by obeying. We need to obey regardless of the cost. While that does not “earn” salvation (it cannot be earned; Ephesians 2:8-10), obedience brings us closer to God and “revives” our hearts.
Continue Reading September 13, 2017 at 10:39 AM Leave a comment
Does God Know or Does He Not Know?
But if God sees all, why do we read portions of Scripture where it appears – at least on the surface – that God doesn’t have a full or complete understanding of a particular situation and because of that, needs to actually come down to the physical location of earth, walk around, and see things for Himself? What is the true meaning of that?
Known by Their Beliefs and Works
Like Hillary, Elizabeth Warren believes herself to be a Christian, yet her belief in salvation is clearly anchored in works (“The sheep are going to heaven because they fed the hungry, ministered to the sick.”). This is terribly tragic because salvation cannot be earned or purchased. It is a gift freely given through faith in Jesus and His sinless life, death, and resurrection. He paid the price for our sin, which originally placed us under God’s judgment. Our faith in Christ’s finished work forgives our sin, and imputes to us Christ’s righteousness. This is what grants us salvation.
StudyGrowKnow 