Christian

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The World Doubts the Miracle of Re-Birth

 

 By GF Herrin

I have marveled recently at the media slander that U.S. Republican presidential candidate, Dr. Ben Carson has endured. Carson, a humble, intelligent and godly man who thinks before he speaks, has written in his autobiography of how he had a violent temper when he was a teenager before he committed his life to the Lord. Skeptical that such a humble man could ever have a violent streak in his past, numerous media outlets have cast doubt on his story and raised the possibility that Carson made the whole thing up.

The toughest thing for any unbeliever to admit is that God actually exists, is active in the world today, and can make a difference in our personal behavior. Many anti-supernatural skeptics paint anyone who professes belief in a personal God as a freak or fanatic. In most cases, however, the unbeliever’s decision to not believe in a righteous, holy God is not an intellectual decision, but instead is one that comes from emotion. The unbeliever may have had an encounter or experience with someone who professed belief in God, but treated him or her badly or unfairly. Or maybe the person experienced tremendous pain or hardship in his life as a result of the loss of a loved one and blames God for the event. Often, the unbeliever just cannot admit that God exists because it will force him to make a lifestyle change upon admitting that God’s will is more important than his own.

The Bible is clear that in order to have a personal relationship with God, a change must take place. This lifestyle change is the result of being born again.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8).

The reason that the world (including Donald Trump) has a problem in understanding how a man like Ben Carson could change from an angry and violent man into a thoughtful, wise, intelligent, peaceful surgeon, is that they do not understand what it is to be born of the Spirit. The world continually fails to believe that Christians are of one family all united by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. His indwelling is the reason that I can talk to a Japanese merchant, a seminary student from the Congo, or a Hispanic refugee from hurricane Katrina and know that they are all my brothers. From their personal relationship with Jesus Christ comes a common way of approaching life. It is a bond that goes beyond race or nationality.

Then His (Jesus’) brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35)

Being born again into the family of God makes irrelevant the world’s classifications, biases, limitations and discriminations.  A Christian may not be free from the world’s judgments or biases against his belief in Christ as the Way, but he is truly free from being burdened by them.

Have you been freed today?

 

 

 

 

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Eye on the End Times

The Double Standard against the People of Israel

By GF Herrin

It was a rare occasion, momentous even. Anytime a leader from another country gets an opportunity to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress, people take note and generally listen with an open mind. One particularly open minded listener noted the similarities of the importance of Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3rd speech to an address given by Winston Churchill to Congress in 1941 just after the United States’ entry into World War II. Churchill, of course, was a stalwart bulldog who stood up to the tyranny of Nazi Germany. He was perhaps the single most important person of the 20th century and was known for his courage in exhorting both the British people and the U.S. to not give up the fight against Germany and the evil Adolf Hitler.

Another congressional address that comes to mind is one given by Nelson Mandela, shortly after he was released from prison in South Africa. In 1990, in the midst of violence in his country, brought on by clashes between the South African government and those who so longed to see apartheid abolished, Mandela spoke on his passion for his cause. “We went to jail because it was impossible to sit still while the obscenity of the apartheid system was being imposed on our people. It would have been immoral to keep quiet while a racist tyranny sought to reduce an entire people into a status worse than that of the beasts of the forest.”

So it was with courage and morality that Jewish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to an American congress in an effort to warn them about the potentially catastrophic impact that an agreement with Iran might have on Israel and possibly the U.S. Transcript for Netanyahu’s speech If you look at the situation from a rational perspective, Netanyahu is simply a Prime Minister who is a steward of his country. As part of his stewardship, he is and always will be responsible for guarding the nation of Israel from any potential outside attack. From the Prime Minister’s perspective, Iran could easily be the attacker that either destroys them or propels them into its next major war. With all these things in play, any reasonable person would listen to what Netanyahu has to say with an open mind.

However, an open mind was the last thing on display by certain members of congress, such as Nancy Pelosi who literally turned her back on the Prime Minister during his speech. Can you imagine if Senator Bob Dole or Representative Newt Gingrich had turned his back during the speech of Nelson Mandela or any other foreign dignitary in 1990? The press would have been outraged. Dole probably would have been accused of committing atrocities and encouraged to resign! Yet, when the highly visible former speaker of the House of Representatives, Pelosi, and the sitting president of the United States refuse to pay proper respect to a trusted ally and friend, no one shouted out in disgust at the lack of courtesy and diplomacy extended. This slight serves notice that this is a spiritual battle going on in which these folks’ eyes have been blinded by the god of this world.

Netanyahu brought up several bad scenarios that a current proposed agreement with Iran could bring about. The first and foremost scenarios could occur as a result of lifting economic sanctions against Iran. It is a given that ultimately, the agreement would not guarantee  nuclear development will not continue in Iran. Also, Netanyahu pointed out that, “Iran’s neighbors know that Iran will become even more aggressive and sponsor even more terrorism when its economy is unshackled and it’s been given a clear path to the bomb.”
Netanyahu also made it plain in his speech that right now, and going forward, Iran could be hiding nuclear facilities that we don’t know about. “As the former head of inspections for the IAEA said in 2013, said, ‘If there’s no undeclared installation today in Iran, it will be the first time in 20 years that it doesn’t have one.’ Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted. And that’s why the first major concession is a source of great concern. It leaves Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and relies on inspectors to prevent a breakout. That concession creates a real danger that Iran could get to the bomb by violating the deal.”
Netanyahu also made the following points:

“But the second major concession creates an even greater danger that Iran could get to the bomb by keeping the deal. Because virtually all the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program will automatically expire in about a decade.

Now I want you to think about that. The foremost sponsor of global terrorism could be weeks away from having enough enriched uranium for an entire arsenal of nuclear weapons and this with full international legitimacy.

And by the way, if Iran’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program is not part of the deal, and so far, Iran refuses to even put it on the negotiating table. Well, Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far-reach corners of the earth, including to every part of the United States.

Before lifting those restrictions, the world should demand that Iran do three things.

1) Stop its aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East. Second…

2) Stop supporting terrorism around the world.

3) Stop threatening to annihilate my country, Israel, the one and only Jewish state.”

There has been a harsh reaction within our country and even Israel to Netanyahu’s address. In  fact, there are even anti-Netanyahu demonstrations  that have taken place in Tel Aviv, Israel. One wonders if these demonstrations are being sponsored by the candidates opposing the Prime Minister in the upcoming national election to be held on March 17th. Ultimately, this appeal to Congress by Netanyahu could backfire against him politically and cost him his office. If that happens, it stands to reason that one of Israel’s most devoted patriots will not be able to defend them anymore.

Churchill, a known supporter of the Jewish people once wrote, “The Jews are the most formidable and the most remarkable race that has ever appeared in the world”. Ultimately, it is not their ability that has set them apart but the supernatural hand of God that has blessed, led, and protected them from certain destruction throughout time.  Yet, It is certain from biblical prophecy that a storm is coming to Israel. It is only a question of when it will come. The Books of Daniel (9:27;12:7),Revelation (12:6, 13-17), and Zechariah (13:8—9) foretell of the Tribulation during which two thirds of the Jewish population will be wiped out. I have to wonder if this latest turn of events will allow a weaker leader to become prime minister of Israel. Ultimately, a less courageous leader might make concessions that will make the Jews more vulnerable to a “bad deal” that will lead to a covenant with many that ushers in the “abomination of desolation” (Matt. 24:15).

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Old Testament Prophecies with Personal References to the Messiah

The Old Testament (Hebrew Bible), which was completed at least 400 years before the Messiah, Jesus, was born, contains many prophecies that predicted His coming. References to His physical birth to a virgin, His life, suffering, and death for mankind’s sins, along with references to His personality, mission, and future earthly Kingdom are all contained in these prophecies.

Several  are shown below.

Much of this information is taken from J. Barton Payne’s book, The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, 1973, pages 665-670.

*Denotes prophecies that will be fulfilled at Christ’s Second Coming

Scripture Prediction Text
Genesis
3:15 Jesus will reconcile men to God, at painful cost. He will be a man, springing from the seed of a woman crushing Satan, casting him down, and eventually destroying him “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
9:26 He will come from the Semitic branch of humanity And he said: “Blessed be the Lord, The God of Shem, And may Canaan be his servant. “
22:18 Within this branch, His descent will be through the family of Abraham “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
49:10 He will come from the royal tribe of Judah and receive the obedience of the peoples The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Numbers
24:17* As a star of Jacob, He will strike down all defiance (at Armageddon) I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
Deuteronomy
18:15 He will be a prophet, like Moses, speaking the words of God The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
32:43 The angesl of God will worship at His birth Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.
1 Samuel
2:10* God will strengthen His anointed (the first use of the term Messiah for Jesus) for His rule The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed.”
2 Samuel
7:13 He will descend from the line of David as an eternal king He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
7:14 God will be His father, and He will be His Son “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. “
23:3* His rule will be righteous and good, in reverence toward God The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.
Job
17:3 As the divine Angel of Yahweh, he will ransom men and restore their righteousness Now put down a pledge for me with Yourself. Who is he who will shake hands with me?
19:25* He will come again and stand over the dust of the righteous, to resurrect them For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
Psalms
2:1 Gentile rulers will unite with Jewish people against Him at His trial Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
2:2 He will be anoointed, in gladness above al others The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
2:4 He will break the nations with a rod of iron at Armageddon He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
2:6* God will install Him on Mount Zion as king over the nations “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”
8:3 He will ascend to the Father’s right hand, gloriously crowned When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
16:10 God will not allow His holy One to see corruption For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
22:1 He will be forsaken of the Father while bearing men’s sins To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘The Deer of the Dawn.’ A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
22:6 Men will wag their heads in mockery at His crucifixion But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
22:10 He will trust in God the Father, from His birth onward I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.
22:11 He will suffer from thirst and pierced limbs, as men gamble for His clothes beneath the cross Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.
22:19 But God will answer Him after His sufferings and receive Him But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
22:22 Shortly thereafter He will honor God in the midst of the church I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
22:27* Men will pray for Him continually and give worship to God All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.
40:6 He will delight to do the Father’s will Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
72:7* He will come down like showers upon the earth and cause abundance In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more.
72:8* He will rule from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
72:12* He will have a particular concern for the poor For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper.
72:17* His years will have no end His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.
89:4 He will be the everlasting seed of David Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’ ” Selah
89:26 He will be God’s Son, His firstborn He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
110:1 He will be deity, “Lord” even to King David A Psalm of David. The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
110:3* In the day of His battle (Armageddon), young people will offer themselves to Him Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.
110:4* He will be a priest, after the manner of Melchizedek The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
110:6 He will strike down the Antichrist over a wide land He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.
Isaiah
2:4* Kings will arise before His exalted presence, and princes worship He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
7:13 He will be born of a virgin Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also?
7:14 He will be Immanuel, God with us, the “Mighty God” Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
7:15 He will experince moral growth, although in an oppressed land Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
8:17* He will wait for Yahweh to convert Israel again to Himself And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; And I will hope in Him.
9:1 He will bring the light of His ministry to those in Galilee Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.
9:4* He will proclaim the day of vengenance of our God For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
9:6* He will govern the world For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
9:7* He will sit on the throne of David and be swift to execute righteousness Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
11:1 He will be a neser: a “branch” from David, living in Nazareth There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
11:2 He will be anointed by God’s Spirit, for preaching the Gospel The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
11:4* He will decide with equity for the poor and the meek of the earth and will slay the wicked, the Antichrist But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
12:1* He will furnish His people with joy and praise And in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
24:16 He will be a Light to the Gentiles, with worldwide salvation From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I said, “I am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.”
26:21* The victorious Redeemer will come to Zion For the Lord will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon– That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.
40:3 John will be His forerunner: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God.
42:1 He will come as the prophetic Servant of Yahweh “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
42:2 His ministry will be unpretentious He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
42:3 He will be gentle toward the weak A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
42:6 He will embody God’s redemptive testament “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles,
49:1 He will be called before His birth to be God’s Servant “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar! The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.
49:7 He will be worshipped by Gentiles Thus says the Lord, The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, To Him whom man despises, To Him whom the nation abhors, To the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, Princes also shall worship, Because of the Lord who is faithful, The Holy One of Israel; And He has chosen You.”
52:15 His death will serve as an atoning sacrifice to justify many So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.
53:1 He will be rejected by Israel Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
53:4-6 He will take on Himself the sins of the world Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
53:7-8 He will voluntarily submit to suffering He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
53:9 He will receive honorable burial in the tomb of a rich man, Joseph or Arimathea And they made His grave with the wicked– But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
53:10 He will triumph over death Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.
53:12 He will be exalted Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors
Jeremiah
23:5 God will raise up out of Israel an eternal Branch of David and He will execute justice and righteousness in the land “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
23:6* He will be called “Yahweh (is) our righteousness,” as men live in safety In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
30:21 He will pledge His life in priestly mediation for God’s people Their nobles shall be from among them, And their governor shall come from their midst; Then I will cause him to draw near, And he shall approach Me; For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.
Ezekiel
17:23 He will be an offshoot of David, through Jehoiachin and Zerubbabel On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.
21:27* Yahweh will grant the Davidic throne to the One whose right it is “I also will beat My fists together, And I will cause My fury to rest; I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Daniel
7:13* The son of man will come with the clouds of heaven I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.
9:25 His Coming as Prince will be in 32 A.D., 483 years after King Artaxerxes gave the decree to Nehemiah to re-build Jerusalem Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
9:26 He will be cut off (crucified) after the 69th week is completed And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Hosea
1:11* The Jews will seedk the Davidic King, whom they accept as their head Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel Shall be gathered together, And appoint for themselves one head; And they shall come up out of the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel!
6:2 After two days, i.e. on the third day, He will be raised from the dead After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
Joel
3:16* Through Him, Yahweh will “roar” from Zion and judge the attacking nations The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
3:17* Representing Yahweh, He will dwell on Zion the holy mountain “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.”
Amos
9:11 In Christ, God will raise up the booth (humbled house) of David On that day I will raise up The tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old;
Micah
2:13* As the “Breaker” of restraints, He will move befre His people The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, Pass through the gate, And go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the Lord at their head.”
4:3* He will be great unto the ends of the earth He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
5:2 The future ruler will be born in the little town of Bethlehem. Yet, He will have been with the Father from all eternity and brought forth by a woman, through childbirth “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
5:5* He will deliver His people from the Antichrist’s attack from Assyria And this One shall be peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land, And when he treads in our palaces, Then we will raise against him Seven shepherds and eight princely men.
Zephaniah
3:15* The King of Israel, of the essence of Yahweh, will be in Jerusalem The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more.
Haggai
2:9 In the temple rebuilt by Zerubbabel, God will give peace, in Christ The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”
Zechariah
2:5 God will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem as its glory For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ “
3:8 The Lord will bring forth His “Servant”, who is the One called the “Branch,” out of David ‘Hear, O Joshua, the high priest, You and your companions who sit before you, For they are a wondrous sign; For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
3:9 He will remove the iniquity of the land in one day by His counsel of peace For behold, the stone That I have laid before Joshua: Upon the stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave its inscription,’ Says the Lord of hosts, ‘And I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. ‘
6:12 The Branch will grow up, where He is, through childhood Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the Lord; “
6:13* But He will bear glory and sit and rule upon His throne Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.” ‘
8:3* The Jews will look upon Him as He return to Zion as He resides in Jerusalem, as deity present “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
9:9 His kingship will be one of justice. He will be granted saving help from God and will enter Jerusalem humbly, riding on a donkey “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.
9:10* His dominion will be from sea to sea ” I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
11:12-13 He will be betryaed for 30 pieces of silver Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”–that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.
12:1* He will go forth and fight against the nations gathered at Jerusalem The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:
12:10* At His return, the Jews will mourn for Him and accept Him. God will identify the Savior with Himself as deity, “My fellow”. The Good Shepherd will be smitten and “pierced”. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. “
13:7 He will bring back His hand over “the little ones” of His flock (the disciples) and regather them to Galilee “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones. “
14:4* His feet will stand in that future day upon the Mount of Olives And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south
14:5* He will be accompanied by a host of holy ones, angels (or saints or both) Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.
Malachi
3:1 His way will be prepared by a messenger, John the Baptist. As deity and as redeemer, “the Angel of the Testament”, He will come to His temple “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.
3:2* At His second coming, none will be able to stand before His refining power “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderer’s soap. “
3:3* He will purify His people who serve as Levites He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.
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The Coming Storm

 

By GF Herrin

8/2/14 – 2014 has brought lots of changes…Both personally and prophetically, things have been swirling for me lately…I began a new job in Charlotte, NC in January and that has cut into my time available to write…Also, 7 years of  my web site content was laid to waste recently when my pages were deleted off of my web site provider’s server and I have had to start over…This has caused me to re-consider the mission of Lamp-Light.com…Its mission has always been to assist in activities of spreading the Gospel that Lamp-Light Ministries is focused on. But, I believe that the time is short now and we are truly living in the End Days.

I believe there are certain things that are occurring prophetically right now especially with regard to the Nation of Israel…I am a friend of Israel and always have been…I believe that the Blood Moon lunar eclipses that will occur on 4 Feast Days over the next two years portend a very important time for  both Israel and this world. The Gaza war that began on July 8th after some 1200 missiles had been fired by Palestinians into Israel could be a crucial event on the prophetic clock..The Bible is clear that in the last days Israel will be looked at as a “heavy stone”  (Zechariah 12:3) by all the nations who would rather it not exist than have to deal with the Jews.  All peoples will be forced to answer for how they have treated Israel (Matthew 25:31-46 specifically deals with the judgment that will occur for people in how they have treated Jewish Believers who come to faith during the 7 year Tribulation period to come), including individuals such as Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama who have pressured Israel over and over to both give up land and concede to the demands of Hamas.

So, with the knowledge of how Israel and Jews have been treated throughout time (over 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust alone), I will begin a more vocal support of God’s chosen people.  The Bible is clear that many Jews will come to faith in the Tribulation (Zechariah 12:10). Bible believing Christians are called to support Israel and to call those in this country and others who do not.