Sept 5

Ezekiel's visions of the Temple. Trying to explain all this will be a bit like trying to understand the book of Revelation. If you have followed my blog for any time you know I rarely come down on one school of thought and get dogmatically tied it. Even if I did, I don't see it as my role to convince you of any theories that I 'like'. But I like to throw out some ideas and point you in the direction of some theories that I think are valid and have you learn more on your own.

Here are the main points as I see them: this is a real temple (in the future, it doesn't match anything that has ever been), not just a figurative one (hense all the measurements etc). Israel, as you may have heard me mention has been in the planning stages of building a 3rd temple for quite some time. They have the furnishings, the priests, the garments etc. What they don't have is 'real estate' a place to build it (Temple Mount is of course under the control of the Muslims) and they don't have a red heifer which is required for temple worship (that's a whole different topic- they have been close a couple times, but then the heifer sprouted a white hair here or there and was disqualified). I do believe that Israel may experience some degree of success in building this 3rd Temple and that it is all tied in with prophesies related to the Anti-Christ. But the temple described in Ezekiel seems to be far beyond what could be accomplished in earthly terms and leads me to believe that it is describing something that will be present in the millenium (1000 year reign) after Christ's Second Coming. I've also heard it said of Ezekiel's temple that it will be built at Shiloh a few miles from Jerusalem where the Tabernacle of Moses stood for 369 years. We should be learning more about this temple from other minor prophets and then maybe we will be able to make conclusions. Until then, we will learn together. If anyone has other theories they know of or have heard, feel free to share.

Sept 2

This is one of the most interesting and contraversial prophesies in scripture....and as the author points out, it has not been fulfilled yet. I don't feel I know all the arguments well enough to even remotely comment on Gog of Magag etc........ But I do like to look at all the different theories. If you believe as I do that we are living in or near to the end times, then you believe that prophesy has great relevance for us today. But it is a very difficult subject

One thing I like to keep in mind is that although the Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah coming were available for hundreds of years and men spent their lives studying them, to my knowledge there is not one single person who studied all these ahead of time and said "AH HA! I've got it. I know how all these can fit together. A young virgin from Nazereth will conceive, she'll give birth in Bethlahem, flee to Egypt............. ." You get where I'm going. BUT when these events started happening, if they 1) knew the scriptures 2) had an open mind (got their human preconcieved ideas of having a political leader/earthly king out of the equation)  3) prayed for spiritual guidance (the only ones who had a clue were Anna and Simeon who had been shown in the spirit that this was the Messiah), THEN they would have recognized the time of His coming.

There is a ton on info out there about the battle of Gog of Magag. I suppose the most common theory is that they are from the Russian area. I'm not even sure I think that it is refering to a people or people group. The thing that struck me was refering to Gog as 'cheif prince'. This reminded me of language used in Daniel 10:13 (which we haven't read yet) when the angel who is speaking to Daniel tells him he was delayed:

But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

This is all clearly refering to a spirit world that we know little about. Personally, the similarity in language makes me think that this is refering to a spiritual world also. It may have some real life physicial implications however (wars etc).

There are lots of interesting theories to study- just google :)

One thing I have heard people say is that if this is taken to be a literal place and people (like Russia) that invades Israel in the future and people read this passage, they (US and other Israel allies) will say, 'Oh well, no need to help them, God will save them'. The Bible (which always has to be considered as a whole) says that "God will bless them who bless you and curse those who curse you". So keep all these things in mind as world events unfold. Study the scriptures primarily, the theories of prophecy scholars secondarily but my advice is not to marry yourself to any one theory. Like the beautiful and unpredicatable story of the First Coming- know enough to recognize it when you see it, but don't try to figure out too much ahead of time or you might be so stuck on your own idea that you miss something big.

Addendum Aug 28

I feel like there are some things in me that just need to come out....nothing to do with the reading...just randomness. I just finished reading a blog of a woman whose husband and son in law both have cancer (the son in law being my nephew). It is filled with such extreme faith and hope. It is beautiful. But it makes me want to scream....of course not at her- I would never be that insensitive (I hope). But it concerns me when people 'have so much faith' that the only 'option' is for them to be healed. Make no mistake, I absolutley, positively believe that God CAN heal and God DOES heal. But does He ALWAYS? No. Where does that leave the people that God doesn't heal? Did they lack faith? I don't think so. Faithful saints have been both being healed and not being healed since Christ walked the earth. God has a different plan for all of us. Look at the 'big 3' disciples. Peter, James and John. James was martyered right off the bat, Peter later and John died at a very old age.

Perhaps I'm super sensitve having lost my best friend to cancer this last year. No, God does not always heal. Sometimes, the cup does not pass from us. But we do have His promise that He will always be with us, He will never forsake us and eventually, we will live forever and ever in a place prepared just for us by the One who loved us enough to give His very life for us. That is ultimate healing. As for physical healing in this lifetime? Maybe. I hope so. I'm signed up and on the prayer chain. I know God is able.

Aug 28

Of course, everything that God had told the prophets is now coming to pass. It is beautiful how Jeremiah is saved from all the mess. It was interesting to me that he was in chains, bound and on his way to Babylon when God saved him. Jeremiah could have just been freed in Jerusalem but he was on his way to 'hell' when the 'saviour' found him, freed him, gave him provisions, and a gift. I don't think I'm reading too much into it to say that this is a picture of our salvation. And the gift, of course, is the Holy Spirit.

I'm blessed to sit under the teaching of teachers who always encourage us to look for the deeper meanings of the scriptures. I don't think I would notice half of what I do if not for the great teachers we have in our church.

It is also interesting that we are coming up on Lamentations, where Jeremiah laments for all that has been lost and God's plan ruined by sin. The beautiful city of Jerusalem, desolate and ruined by sin. I know that I do not 'lament' as much as I should over sin or the lost. As you read portions of Lamentations coming up, let it challenge us. I also remember when I was in Jerusalem, at the place where Jesus wept over the city, that the speaker challenged us to think of people in our own lives who are lost and not seeing God's plan and to weep for them as Jesus did.

This was a terrible and desperate time in Israel's history. But God provided for the faithful. I've seen that provision in my own life recently and can't help but rejoice in it. We think times are hard- and they are...but people have survived so much worse. And we don't know what it coming next- better or worse.......but whatever it is God will take care of us. We have His Word on it.

Aug 23

I got hung up on today's reading. It took me a while to search out my answers, which I'll come to in a moment. But after my search, I re-read the passage. And I realized that I missed some really beautiful passages the first time around while I was stuck on one passage. First the gems:

The New Convenant: Of course, with the benifit of looking from this side of history, we now know what the New Convenant is. Luke 22:20 THIS is the New Convenant IN MY BLOOD. I've heard those words thousands of times at communion and other time. But it really struck me in a new way today. With God, a convenant is ALWAYS, sealed in blood (remember Abraham walking between the two halves of the animal). Of course, I've known that for a long time also......but it just really struck me today. I wonder how many times the disciples (who also knew exactly how a covenant is made) wondered afterward: "How could we have not seen what was going to happen?" (the upcoming crucifixion). It also struck me in the passage this is also a conenant TO ISRAEL. I've written before about the mistake of 'replacement theology' (that God has 'replaced' Israel with the church). This is THEIR convenant and we have the extreme privelage of being grafted in to it them (Rom 11:24)

Israel Will Always Be Special: Jeremiah 31:35-37  I love this passage. Esecially since we've been hearing so much about Israel's rebellious ways. It seems to come at just the right spot to reconfirm His love for them. Praise God that many Jews are now embracing Yeshuah (Jesus) as the Messiah. By the way, the word we use "Christ" is not part of His 'name'. It  is His title- The Annointed One (or Messiah)

Now to the troublesome passage- Jeremiah 33:16-17. Obviously, in the previous verses, the "Righteous Branch from David's line" is Jesus, and the explains verse 16 of how "David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne......" What confused me was verse 17 about the Levites never fail to have a man to stand before him to offer continual sacrifices (since obviously, they have no temple and have not sacrificed in 2000+years)

I don't know if I'm 100% satisfied with the answers but I did come up with 2 "best answers".
 1) In verse 18 the priests, who are Levites, represent true Christians, who sacrifice their wills as well as bring others to God by preaching the Gospel. 1 Peter 2:9 calls these Christians a royal priesthood. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
2) There has never been a failure of Levites eligible perform sacrifices (even though they have not done it continually). This is true even today, as they make preperations to build the 3rd temple. Of course there is more to being 'elibible' than just being from the tribe of Levi. But the fact that there are Levites still in existance and ready to serve is miraculous.

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.

Israel's rebirth prophesied

Nearly the exact day of Israel's rebirth as a nation in 1948 is fortold in the Old Testament.

This is the blog that I have been waiting to write. It is pretty fascinating to me.

 I got caught up in summer activities and strains has kept me from blogging for a while and I apologize.

The first time I heard what I am going to share, I thought it was fascinating....but I didn't retain much of it. The second and third times a little more 'stuck'. Still I had to research the web to get more details. I didn't keep the reference of the site I used, but it referenced "The Signature of God" by Grant Jefferies. Many who 'follow' this line of thinking declare this prophesy to be 'to the exact day'. Since we don't know the exact day that Israel returned from captivity in Babylon, I'm a little too skeptical to be able to say we can PROVE it to the exact day (although knowing God, it certainly is possible). But the return of Israel to the land was prophesied with, if nothing else, dramatic accuracy. I'll try to outline the facts as simply as possible.

• Ezekiel was a prophet in exile in Babylon. He was a priest that God called to prophesy along with his contemporaries, Daniel (also in Babylon) and Jeremiah (who was still in Jerusalem with the people not yet exiled).
• Jeremiah prophesied that the captivity in Babylon would last 70 years.
• God told Ezekiel (Ezekiel 4:3-6) that he was to lie on his left side signifying punishment for Israel for 390 days (a day for each year) and 40 days (years) for Judah's sin  (remember that there were two major divisions, the southern tribes-Judah, and the northern tribes-Israel after king Solomon) Clearly this is a prophesy that extends beyond the Babylonian captivity prophecy of Jeremiah
• God declared in the OT that a punishment could be multiplied by 7 for continued disobedience"After all this, if you do not obey me then I will punish you seven times more for your sin (Leviticus 26:18, Leviticus 26:21, 23-24, 27-28)
• Since the majority of Israel did not repent after their Babylonian captivity the period of punishment would be 2520 years (390+40-70 (subtracted for years served in Babylon) x7)
• A Biblical year (or 'prophetic year') is based on 360 days not our current 365.25. If you are curious why, google it
• 2520 year x 360 days= 907,200 days (divided by 365.25 to convert to our 'modern years'=2483.8 years)
• Babylonian captivity ended in the spring of of 536 BC or 536.4 BC
• 2483.8 years added to 536.4 is 1947.4.
• Add one year to account for the fact that there is no year "zero" between 1BC and 1AD and you get: 1948.4 

On May 14, 1948, the Jews proclaimed the independence of the reborn state of Israel.  On May 15, 1948 the British Mandate officially ended and Israel became an independent nation for the first time in over 2000 years. For other related fullfilled prophesies such as the Hebrew language being revived and the 'desert blooming' see this website:
http://www.layevangelism.com/bastxbk/sections/sect-7/sec7-6c.htm

Just to let you all know, I have never blogged before. Aside from informal discussions with friends, I have never discussed my spiritual views. With that disclosure, I will attempt to express my thoughts on our recent scripture readings. I've noted how God's own people have repeatedly and persistently practiced paganism and worshipped idols. How easy it is for me to judge them as being absolutley ungrateful for all God has done for them. We live in a community of Christians. We know who our Lord is and would never worship things of wood or metal, made from our own hands. We don't do that. Or do we? We don't blatantly worship with Asherah poles or golden calves. However, when reading about objects of worship made of wood and metal, I can't help but think of two very basic items in our own lives: houses and cars. These are wood and metal objects manufactured by our own hands; two examples, but the list could go on. We live in a society where too often we want bigger and better. Some call this conspicuous consumption, others call it keeping up with the Jones. God has blessed us with prosperity. We no longer spend our lives just trying to survive. We have disposable income for discretionary spending. Depending on the amount of our disposable income, we can buy everything from designer purses, jewelry, the latest fashions, the newest electronic gadgets, the best golf clubs, speed boats, airplanes, additional homes...you get the picture. The fact that ours is a consumer driven economy speaks to the society in which we live. I'm not saying that these things in and of themselves are bad. If we can acquire them, then we have certainly been blessed. But, as Christians we have an important role to fulfill. We need to be mindful of the value we place on our material goods. We are stewards of the blessing we receive. What do our possessions mean to us? We have been so well fed. Are we feeding the orphan and the widow?

July 3

Happy birthday tommorow America!! This will  be my last  blog for a while. I am going on a mission trip with our church to the Czech Republic. It was a little bit random that we were able to go.....I never thought I'd be able to go overseas twice in one year, but God has worked out the details (money, vacation time etc). I am very excited. We will have a couple days to explore Prague and it is supposed to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our church supports a missionary there who, as an outreach to the community, helps run an English camp. We will helping her with this as families come and seek to improve their conversational english. I must admit that compared to some trips I've been on that this one sounds pretty easy. But I have really been stirred to pray more and more as I realize that any time that you seek to represent the Lord, that you are indeed going into 'enemy territory'. So, I would appreciate your prayers to prepare us to witness for the Lord in whatever way He sees fit, that hearts would be prepared and that we would be obedient to participate in any miricle opportunities that He sets up for us! I may be able to get online periodically over there, so I'll keep you posted.

The book of Issaiah is a treasure chest- enjoy and by all means discuss it on the board.

July 1-2

In doing a little 'google' work to sort out which nations are which in the text these last couple days, I found a lot of information about End Times. And of course, many prophesies do have two fulfullments, a 'near one' (which was fulfulled or partially fulfilled shortly after the time it was written and a later fulfillment, often in what we refer to as End Times or the time leading up to Christ's Second Coming). Even though I sit under the teaching of a good friend who is quite the End Time's expert, I will freely admit to you that my brain just does not retain this stuff. So for the most part, I'm not going to even attempt to explain any of the End Times implications of these passages, except to ask you to read it with that idea in mind: that much of it has already been fulfilled shortly after it was written, but much of it still has future implications for us.

I do think that we should be educated about which nations we are talking about, wheather we are talking about past fulfilled prophesy or future prophesy, it's good to know who the 'players' are (this is to the best of my understanding and googling- I'm not an expert)  Assyria (not to be confused with Syria) was an empire which had as it's capital Babylon. A lot of it would be in modern day Iraq. Damascas in Syria, not too far from the northern border of Israel and it has been a enemy to Israel for centuries. Edom is southern Jordon area (Jordon being east of the Jordon River and Dead Sea from Israel). Tyre is in Lebonon which, like Damascus Syria, is near Israel's northern border. According to Forerunner Commentary: Tyre was the New York City of its day, and here God is prophesying of its defeat. Though it would survive, it would be brought into line with God's purpose for Israel. He depicts the commercial merchandising system of this heathen city as harlotry. Tragically, Israel adopted these heathens' attitudes and ways of doing business. Israel has a proclivity for taking an idea or concept from others, refining it, and making it work better than it did for its originators—yet in so doing she rejects God's economic systems.
The ships of Tarshish may have been a 'generic term' for all distant sailing vessles around the Mediterainian. That's not every country/city mentioned, but I think you get the idea that it mostly refers to all who are physically surrounding Israel and the whole Middle East.

I'm not sure what the 'seventy years' (at the end of July 1's reading) refers to (near or distant prophesy or both?) but I know that 70 is an extremely important number in prophetic literature. For now, I am not going to get bogged down in End Times stuff....I'm just trying to get things straight and in order in my head so that I can study more deeply at another time.

A breath of fresh air at the end of July 2 reading- a King who followed the Lord!! Hezekiah. He removed the high places and ((finally)) tore down the Asherah Poles (the wooden poles to honor Asherah, the fertility goddess).