August 22

I found another website which outlines all the prophesies fullfilled in (and since) 1948 when Israel was reborn. It is pretty compelling. It also references Grant Jefferies material of how it happened it exactly as predicted.
http://www.watchmanbiblestudy.com/Articles/1948PropheciesFulfilled.htm

I am reminded again in recent reading of when I was in Israel and our guide told us that in the 1800's Israel was so desolate that it prompted famous author Mark Twain to write the book, "Innocent's Abroad" in 1869 describing the deplorable conditions and profiteering in the Holy Land. I would like to read it before the next time I go there.

The other thing that really struck me in the reading was the death of Ezekiel's wife. And how tragic that he was not allowed to mourn. Many people will only listen to "God of Love" theology. And He absolutely is Love. Without Him, love does not even exist. But, because He is Holy, He is also a God of judgement and though He (as we have seen repeatedly) is very longsuffering and patient, eventually judgement does come.

I got to thinking about the reason for the judgement and how it was mostly about idolitory (and as mentioned multiple times, the people were even sacrificing their children to the god Molech). For a moment I felt relieved that we no longer had idols. But then I realized that so many of us make our own God. We even call him by the name of the God of the Bible. We pick and choose what we believe about Him and believe that He exists for our pleasure not the other way around. We make a false idol out of God.

I'm reading a book right now by John Piper called, "Don't Waste Your Life". It's major theme is that living the Christian life is a joy filled experieince but it comes through sacrifice and obedience. The price God paid for our freedom and redemption was too high to do anything but to serve Him fully. Our main goal in life is to bring glory to His Name. That may be through happy circumstance or through tragic circumstances- but the goal is the same. Ezekiel knew this better than any of ever will.