elizabethprata

UPDATED–Arizona haboob dust storms: rare, or regular?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by elizabethprata

UPDATE: Saturday July 21 there was a dust storm (AKA haboob) in the Phoenix Arizona area. There is another one going on in Phoenix now, July 23, 2012. It was a quickly developing storm that took weather forecasters by surprise. The photo immediately below does not depict the July 21 storm.

In learning that the average amount of these dust storms are two to three for any given summer season, the tally as of this moment is currently five. Just 12 hours ago it was four. Freak weather happening faster and faster. Today’s storm: (source)

————————–end update—————————-

On July 21, 2012, a massive dust storm hit Arizona. There are dramatic photos and videos of this storm event making the rounds on the internet. The July 21 storm was particularly harsh, and it knocked out power to thousands. These storms are called haboobs, from an Arabic word that means ‘blown.’ Winds can reach up to 50 miles an hour, and can obscure visibility to nothing in a matter of seconds. They can last a few minutes or up to three hours. The photos that are posted after the storm hits are often dramatic and eye-catching. Like this one at Huffington Post via AP from July 2011–

I’ve seen these photos for a couple years now. I got to wondering if haboobs are usual or unusual. (Usual). They happen in the summer, during what Arizona strangely calls their monsoon season, from June to September. They occur because there is a huge valley and air gets pushed down and thunder…well, you can read the explanation from a certified meteorologist here if you want.

I wrote about the July 2011 storm, here, in hopefully a straightforward, unspeculative manner. However, that storm, while occurring in normal manner at a normal time of year for haboobs, was especially ferocious. There were elements of that storm that seasoned weather forecasters had never seen before. One meteorologist is quoted in that article,

“But yesterday’s haboob was more like something you’d see in the Middle East or other arid regions around the world, said Ken Waters, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix. It was mind-boggling, just absolutely amazing,” Waters told OurAmazingPlanet. “I’ve been a meteorologist for years and I’ve not seen a wall of dust like that.””

We see prophetic events coming on us faster and faster now. We see the many earthquakes happen and we ask if they are happening more frequently now. (Yes). We see so many volcanoes erupting and we ask if there are more volcanoes erupting now. (Yes). So we always need to place an event in context and look at it from all angles before declaring that a single dust storm may be an omen of the Apocalypse. Are the events being described rare, or regular? Even if the event is common, were there elements of it that were unusual? What do people with knowledge say about the event?

We should do this so that we can share reasonable information with people. And the more reasonable we are the more credibility we’ll have. The more credibility we have, the more (perhaps) a lost person will listen. That is the goal.

Let’s take a look at haboobs of Arizona to see whether there is anything special to remark about.

We have established that haboobs are a regular feature of summer season in Arizona. The next question is, how many haboobs usually occur during the season? The Weather Channel’s Sean Breslin answers the question “Summer Arizona Haboobs: Rare or Regular?” saying that each season the area will see “a couple.” He noted that last year’s July 5, July 18 and August 18 storms were par for the course.

This article says that there are on average about three dust storms per year. OK, so a couple to three.

2012 has already produced four.

May 9, June 26, June 27, and July 21

That is one thing I look at, sheer numbers. Secondly, the haboob season is usually June to September and the first one this year already occurred outside the normal boundaries of the season. Then, look at a particular event to determine if there were unusual things about it. Last year’s July storm was particularly nasty, containing elements that meteorologists have not seen before, such as the height of the dust stretching into the atmosphere. Also the speed of the wind. And third, that storm produced more damage than usual.

This season there have been four already and the season is only half over. Also, there was an unusual event in that two of the haboobs occurred a day apart, back to back. As we go on with summer monsoon season in Arizona, now you have some background to let us know if more haboobs occur, it will be above the norm. It already is.

iron sharpens iron, sharp, word

The Word is the whetstone

Posted on July 22, 2012 by elizabethprata

We have heard it said, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

We have heard it said, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

The Lord Jesus is the whetstone. It is HE who keeps us sharp. How? He is the Word!

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

“In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:16)

What am I trying to say? Read your bible. It keeps you sharp. If you don’t whet your sword, it becomes dull.

“For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ (Acts 28:27)

Sharpen your mind with the Word so you can turn around and sharpen another person. And we have heard it said, “As iron sharpens iron…”.

apocalypse, beasts, famine, judgments, pestilence

God’s Four sore judgments- Introduction

Posted on July 22, 2012 by elizabethprata

Part #1: Sword
Part #2: Famine
Part #3: Pestilence
Part #4: Beasts
—————
The rapture is an event that has no signs associated with it. It is based on the completion of the full number God has in mind to make up His church (Romans 11:25) and when that is reached He will tell His son to go get His bride. A trumpet will sound and with the voice of archangel, true believers will be instantly translated to an incorruptible body, meeting the dead in the air who shall rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16).

After this; “Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’” (Acts 15:14-17)

The remnant of mankind in my opinion in this verse are those who were not ready for the Lord when He called, being part of His bride, the global Church of born-again believers. This time is called The Tribulation (Matthew 24:9) or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), The Great Day of Wrath (Revelation 6:17), That Day (Joel 1:15) etc.

The bible has much to say about That Day. We are given graphic depictions of what will happen in it, for example, “their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” (Zechariah 12:14b). “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.'” (Revelation 19:17-18).

The rapture has no sign, it will be a sudden supernatural interruption of man’s life on earth. After this, the judgments will start. If we can see the set-up for the judgments happening, how much closer is the rapture? That is the only sign by which we may be able to tell the season of the Tribulation is closing in and thus that the rapture is even closer. “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4)

That is what this blog entry is about. So many people can clearly see the signs coming together for the Tribulation that we know and understand that the rapture is even closer. It is the season. It is the month. We don’t know the day or hour but it seems truly to be the metaphoric month, in other words, near. The return of the Jews to the Land in 1948 was a HUGE HUGE sign, and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 was also huge. How close are we? Only God knows. The point is, be ready.

Therefore the judgments are near also. The fire circle is cleared, the stones are laid, the wood is placed, the tinder is on top and the match is lit. All that needs to happen to trigger the judgments is the lit match to be put on the tinder.

God judges and in so doing He has different judgments He dispenses. He has a set of four that He considers especially severe. Ezekiel 14:21 lists them: sword, famine, pestilence, and the beasts of the earth.

“For thus says the Lord GOD, “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!”

Wesley’s notes on Ezekiel 14:21 say, “How much more – If they could not be able to keep off one of the four, how much less would they be able to keep off all four, when I commission them all to go at once.”

During the Tribulation, in Revelation 6:8, the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse, the fourth judgment seal, lets loose these four sore plagues all at once.We will take a look at what the biblical application of these individual judgments were in the past and what the news shows us is the nearness of all four today.

Part 1 will take a look at “Sword” in the context of the final judgment, the Tribulation. Part 2, “Famine”. Part 3, “Pestilence.” And part 4, “Beasts.”

theology

Aurora Shooting: Christian mom who was there testifies to the Goodness of God

Posted on July 21, 2012 by elizabethprata

This Christian mom of two teenagers was in Theater 9 on Friday, July 20, 2012 when James Holmes opened fire on the audience in the United States’ worst mass shooting. She testifies to the goodness of Jesus through the massacre. It is a must read.

So you STILL think God is a merciful God?!
“So, you still believe in a merciful God?” Some of the comments online are genuinely inquisitive, others are contemptuous in nature. Regardless of the motive behind the question, I will respond the same way.

“Yes.”

“Yes, I do indeed.”

“Absolutely, positively, unequivocally.”

Read on to hear why. [Ht Kim at The Mystery of the Ages]

bible, comfort, inspired, joy, peace

How the bible’s word can comfort you

Posted on July 20, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

When times are good and nothing bad is happening, we can take anything, any philosophy or biblical doctrine, and in our leisure time we discuss it and mull over every minute detail. This is OK in the case of biblical doctrine. The Lord gives us time to examine the details. That’s good, to go deep.

But when tragedy comes, we don’t have time for close examination and hyper-detailed discussions over tiny threads of doctrine. Take the Titanic sinking. If I was in the water and someone threw me a life ring, I would not stop to discuss whether it was made of fiberglass or polyurethane or cotton. I wouldn’t have a discussion in the water with the next survivor over the fact that the ring is round and rather should be square. I would simply grab it and cling to it.

When tragedy comes, I run to the bible. I don’t study it. I don’t mull over the lexicon and the different word definitions. I don’t read the parallel verses. I don’t study the overview of the writer and his audience and the message’s purpose.

I just read it.

How does just reading the bible help when tragedy strikes? The bible is a supernatural book. It is from Heaven. It is not just words on the page. It is a heavenly sent Spirit-breathed and God-inspired book. One definition of the Doctrine of Inspiration states of the bible: “It is God superintending human authors, so that using their own individual personalities, experiences, thought processes and vocabularies they composed and recorded without error His revelation in the original copies of scripture.”

As John MacArthur restated it, “God spoke through men without violating their thought processes and their own vocabularies, and yet they were able to produce scripture without violating His truth.”

Thus, the words of God pierce the soul sometimes in ways we cannot articulate, but nonetheless speak truth to us. Here is a beautiful example of that.

I was teaching the first and second grades on Wednesdays night. I had a good-sized group of 6 and 7 year olds. Mostly boys. Active boys, lol. It never failed to impress me and the other leader ladies in the room how the children stilled to hear the bible lesson. Anyway, as we got ready this particular night to start the lesson, one thing the kids had to do was open their bibles and turn to the page of text from which the curriculum was to be taught. Because their fine motor skills were immature, they had a hard time with this. It took a few minutes to get all 12 kids opened to the right page and their finger on the right verse. Some kids got there faster than others.

I had one second grade boy who had turned to the verse very quickly and being in second grade, was able to read well. It was from Psalm 100:1-5

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

This boy re-read the first line by himself, in a quiet voice. I was watching him and listening. “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands…” He stopped. He played with his shoelace and was quiet for a minute. Then he whispered aloud to no one,

“I like that. I don’t know why I like that. But I like it.”

THIS is why reading the bible on days of national tragedy or personal stress can help us. Mark 10:15 says, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”

This boy allowed the Spirit to apply truth and beauty to his heart. He let the Holy inspired words wash over him and rest there, with no ability to articulate why it had blessed him, but he understood it was a blessing and he acknowledged it!

Romans 14:17 says that “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

To me this means not a joy we manufacture or feel on our own, but the joy in Him that the Spirit brings forth to us through His word. I don’t see supernatural things in the world today like the ancient peoples did, of rivers drying up or Red Sea parting or a plague of frogs raining down, but I do see the supernatural. This boy accepting with joy and peace the truth of the Spirit-inspired word to his heart and soul was a visible supernatural event of the Spirit’s work of comfort.

In the trying times, race to the bible. The Spirit wants to comfort you. Let Him. Read it as if it is the Titanic’s life ring surrounding your body, buoying you up over the cold waters that swamp you. Because, it IS.

aurora, shooting, theater

UPDATED- Aurora Colorado shooting

Posted on July 20, 2012 by elizabethprata

Many tears this morning for our evil, sinful dying world, and the people affected by the tragic and wanton shooting in Aurora Colorado. The only Light of this world is Jesus. ‘When the darkness closes in I will still say Blessed be the name of the Lord’.

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
(Habakkuk 3:17-19)

—————Update————–

OK I’ve had time to cry, pray, mourn, sing, run to the bible, and pray some more. That’s what I do on tragedy days.

Jesus is Good. How so, one might ask? Well, how many angels did He send to tend to the people who love Him? “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). If we were blessed with spiritual eyes being opened as Elisha’s servant was, (2 Kings 6:17) and God allowed him to see the myriads of chariots in the spiritual realms standing at the ready for battle, we might see legions of angels sent from on high at the command of God, to minister to those in pain and anguish in Aurora Colorado this morning.

He is Good because though the evil stain of sin and hate overspread the Mall in Aurora, His victory will out pace all that satan can do or ever thought to do. Satan is a loser and all his schemes and plans will fail. The Holy God of Israel has won! Take heart even in the darkness because He is the Light! He has the victory.

Therefore who can say how many miracles were given in grace to the people at the shooting location? Who can say how many medical miracles He effected through the hands and minds of the paramedics, nurses, and doctors? Who can say who many miracles were effected by His own hand, directly? Because He is good and loves us, we can have assurance that His eyes were on the situation.

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9a)

What else is Good? We do not know how many people who were threatened with death at any second will re-think their time on earth and finally repent to Jesus unto salvation. He sends Gospel seeds which flower, and do so ever more when there is darkness and sin. This is so He can be glorified ever more brightly.

He is Good because He will accept true repentance from all who come to Him, even the shooter himself. His mercies are so far above us, we cannot conceive of a loving God such as this. Yet He does love us. He is Good because of this, caring for and redeeming a sinful humanity.

It is satan that is bad. But we are not unaware of satan’s schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11) and we persevere in love so satan will not steal the joy, even on a dark day such as this. My love for Christ does not depend on positive circumstances. Let our love for Him and our faith that He is working in this situation just as He always has in every situation, ever since He said, “in the beginning…”

chemical weapons Syria, drought, freak storm, middle east

News out of the Middle East today: chemical weapons Syria, drought, freak storm, and Bulgaria bus

Posted on July 19, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Here is some of the recent news for you.

MIDDLE EAST

Do you remember just two months ago Israel’s largest-ever coalition government was created, when the party leader for the Kadima party Shaul Mofaz became Vice Prime Minister as part of a deal reached for a government of national unity with Binyamin Netanyahu and the Likud party? Well, all that’s over now.

Mofaz Quits Israeli Government: Why he did it, and what it means.
“Some Kadima members, and political analysts, believe Mofaz decision could effectively destroy the party, which is already bleeding public support. With Kadima out of the government, Netanyahu’s government still retains a healthy majority of 12 seats in the Knesset. But this upheaval could lead to new elections by the end of the year, or possibly in early 2013. It could also complicate the PM’s decision to launch a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities. I believe Netanyahu is seriously considering a strike against Iran this fall, before the U.S. elections. But if his governing coalition falls apart, or if his approval ratings drop significantly, this could impede his ability to garner domestic Israeli support for such a strike.”

Washington Post

It is a shame that Mofaz led his party away from the unity government this week. Just a few days later Israeli youths were the target of a horrific terrorist act of blowing up a bus full of Israeli citizens at the Bulgarian airport at Bursa. “A suicide bomber with fake US identification carried out the attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists in Bulgaria yesterday, according to Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov,” reports Christian Science Monitor.

Reaction from Israel’s highest echelons has been swift and fierce. Between rocket attacks on Israeli soil, some of them occurring just yesterday, instability in neighboring Syria, especially the pivotally important Golan Heights, and now this attack abroad, Israel is well and truly fed up. The strongest language yet has been issues forth in a harsh speech: “Netanyahu Vows ‘Forceful Response to Iranian Terror‘” and is quoted as saying, “Iranian terror continues to strike at innocents. Israel will respond with force to the Iranian terror,” he said.”

Of course today the Israelis are backing down from that promise of a forceful response, that it won’t rush to retaliate. It is surely a time of wars and rumors of wars, as Jesus said the time of the end would be (Matthew 24:6)

If the Unity Government had remained intact it certainly would make it much easier to obtain an affirmative vote for military action. As it is, we will see what will happen next. For now, in looking at the photo array from Washington Post, tears come to my eyes in searching the faces of these victims…

Resolve in the face of this Paramedic

Anguish in this young woman. You notice her shoes were blown off, and her feet are bandaged. Likely she had to walk over broken glass to get to safety.

Despair in this elder’s face.

We have the hope of His coming. We cling to prophecy as a promise through which we can be comforted about our future with Jesus. But that doesn’t diminish the anguish of the now. He said that at the time of the end “there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity…” (Luke 21:25a). The distress of the nations is our distress. These things must be. Prophecy even explains how and why, and in that way, our brains are satisfied. But our hearts ache.

IRAN

Ex-Iran Revolutionary Guard member Reza Kahlili (not this real name) has been warning us for a little while now that the flavor of terrorism will change. He has been saying that the face of terrorism as the US citizens and Israeli citizens have known it will change from brown to white. Muslims have been working hard at setting up terror cells in Mexico, working with the Mexican drug cartels. They have been busy in South America and the US and/or recruiting people from heretofore unassailed racial groups. Terrorists doing Hezbollah business could be brown or white, Hispanic, Caucasian or anything in between.

As a matter of fact the Jewish Press article from yesterday states, “In Norway, for example, an ethnic Norwegian convert to militant Islam who has received terrorist training from al-Qaeda’s offshoot in Yemen, is awaiting orders to carry out an attack on the West, officials from three European security agencies said on June 25. European officials have confirmed that the man is “operational,” meaning he has completed his training and is about to receive a target.”

USA Today has an article noting the connection between Dearborn Michigan, and the fact that this white, lanky, American-ized suspect entered Bulgaria on a fake US driver’s license. “Officials were using DNA samples to try to establish his identity. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov told reporters that a Michigan driver’s license was retrieved, but he said U.S. officials reported that “there was no such person in their database.” Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab communities in the U.S.”

Dearborn is home to THE largest US mosque, too. Dearborn of late has been host to an influx of Middle East immigrants. Wikipedia: “Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs have also immigrated to the area. Since then, Arab immigrants from Yemen, Iraq, and the Palestinian territories, most of whom are Muslim, have joined them. Lebanese Americans are still the most numerous group. The Arab Muslim community has built the Islamic Center of America, the largest mosque in North America.”

Iran is still belligerent. And ready.

Ex-Revolutionary Guard member: Iran ready with terror plans to hit U.S. if Israel attacks
“Kahlili says, in the event of an Israeli airstrike, Iran is prepared to up the ante, not by responding militarily, but with a global campaign of terror attacks.” Should it become an all-out war, then they will definitely respond on the world stage by terrorist attacks within the U.S., in Europe, and against America’s interests, against Israel’s interests,” Kahlili says. Intelligence officers believe Iran has already done the pre-operation surveillance for a series of terrorist attacks. There’s plenty of evidence that Tehran has scoped out targets, taken photos and written plans for terrorist strikes in the Mideast, Europe, South America, and even the United States.”

SYRIA

Yesterday saw one of the largest battles in Damascus Syria. (Isaiah 17:1). The situation is increasingly unstable. The blast near Parliament killed the core of the Syrian Security elite. Syria is in chaos after the attack on the regime

Everybody is eyeing those chemical weapons that could be up for grabs if the regime falls. See this next article-

Israel and the US reportedly discussed attacking Syrian weapon stockpiles in light of the situation in Damascus
“Against the backdrop of the Syrian instability, the New York Times is reporting that Israeli and US defense officials have discussed the possibility of destroying the weapon stockpiles of the Syrian army. The move is considered as a means of preventing the weapons from falling into the hands of terror elements, such as Hezbollah.”

WEATHER

Crazy, crazy, crazy. These photos at the Daily Mail are astounding! I’ll post just a few. The Daily Mail’s pics are very large and you will get a real sense of the power of God when He uses weather if you go there to see them all.

More at Daily Mail. Here is The Guardian’s take on the “Freak Summer Storm Hits NYC“.

That storm might have broken the heat in NY but it is still going strong in the US Midwest, and is killing the corn. The heat is forecast to linger for the rest of the summer. The worst drought in 25 years has brought about the devastation of the corn crop, and likely soybeans too. This in turn has already caused food prices to rise. “Vilsack revealed that 78 percent of U.S. corn and 11 percent of soybean crops had been hit, and compared the situation to a 1988 drought that cut production by 20 percent and cost the economy tens of billions of dollars.”This will result in significant increases in prices for corn. We’ve seen a 38 percent increase since June 1 in the price of a bushel of corn — it’s now $7.88. A bushel of beans has risen 24 percent,” he said.” (Revelation 6:6, Matthew 24:7).

Drought spreads, boosts corn to record price

Stunted corn grows next to a cattle feed lot in Springfield,
rural Omaha, Neb. on Tuesday. The drought gripping the United States
is the widest since 1956. (Nati Harnik/AP)

Remember that drought, the big drought, AKA the Dustbowl?

“For eight years dust blew on the southern plains. It came in a yellowish-brown haze from the South and in rolling walls of black from the North. The simplest acts of life — breathing, eating a meal, taking a walk — were no longer simple. Children wore dust masks to and from school, women hung wet sheets over windows in a futile attempt to stop the dirt, farmers watched helplessly as their crops blew away.” [source]

Here is a drought map from today, July 19, 2012, from National Atmospheric and Oceanographic Administration. (NOAA). 55 of the contiguous 48 states are suffering drought conditions.

“The 1936 North American heat wave was the most severe heat wave in the modern history of North America. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and caused catastrophic human suffering and an enormous economic toll. The death toll exceeded 5,000, and huge numbers of crops were destroyed by the heat and lack of moisture.”

It would be interesting to compare the 1936 Depression heat wave with the current heat wave. The 1936 heat wave information from Wiki was last updated in 2007. I am sure the comparison would be illuminating, as would a comparison to the drought and crop failures. But you would have to be a better man than I. My heart aches enough as it is.

Keep praying and keep looking up!

glory, jesus, rest

Encouragement: Preparing a place for us

Posted on July 19, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

There is such inexpressible and perpetual activity in the holy realms, it is breathtaking to think of. All heaven is working under command of our Holy God to ready for the Time. What time? The time when God says to Jesus, “Go get your bride!” And His deposit of our inheritance will be redeemed in full! (Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:22). All of time, history, prophecy, and Holy Sovereign Decree has been moving toward the time of fulfillment of the promises of Jesus to His Bride and the promises of God to His people the Jews. Everything.

If you have ever been involved in a project, you know the cycles you go through. There’s the initial excitement, the middle part slow slogging, then the hurry up, ‘oh my goodness the deadline is approaching!’ feeling. I lived on a sailboat for two years, and the few days before we launch is a hectic rush of never-ending activity to get all the provisions on board. The deadline to leave port is hard and fast, one which liveaboard cruisers and Navy personnel know the feeling well. If you ever have opened a restaurant, or built a house, or sold a house and had to move, gotten ready to graduate, gotten married…you know that the activity to prepare for the event by the deadline is never ending and increases the closer the deadline comes.

We do not know the day or hour the Father will tell His Son to go get His bride, but we can sense the deadline nearing. There is a massive amount of activity, some of it seen and some of it unseen.

But back to the bible’s pictures of activity. Didn’t Jesus say, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” (John 14:2).

Things are being prepared, right now. Our lodging in New Jerusalem. Our feast. The temple perhaps. I don’t know, but He is preparing. He is engaged in activity to ready for the moment when a flood of redeemed souls enter glory to dwell with Him forever.

He is also preparing for the moment when His promises to his people the Jews come to fulfillment and the Kingdom Comes. Here is one specific glimpse of that preparation:

Jared Hollier drawing

A Vision of a Man with a Measuring Line
“And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length.” (Zechariah 2:1-2).

Zechariah had been awakened and was shown a series of 8 astounding visions all in one night. One of them is that God sent a surveyor (likely The Angel of the LORD, Jesus) to measure the place where the final Jerusalem will be, its exact size and placement! Rejoice O Jerusalem! “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her;” (Isaiah 66:10).

Right now Jerusalem is called Egypt and Sodom, (Revelation 11:8), but someday it will be cleansed, and it will become the holy city God intended it to be.

Look! He is so gracious, He showed Ezekiel also! “In the visions God brought me to the land of Israel, set me on a high mountain in which there was a structure like a city on the south. And he brought me there and behold there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze with a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed and he stood in the gate.” (Ezekiel 40:2).

Measuring … preparing … So much activity:

Wm Blake, Jacob’s Ladder, from Wiki

“And he [Jacob] dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” (Genesis 28:12).

Going and coming … ascending and descending … Not just in the Old Testament but the activity continues in the New:

“He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51).

The Sovereign God, His Perfect Son, and the Holy Angels are working to bring about the fulfillment of all the glorious promises of the bible. I know we know the judgment promises will come true. The world and the heavens will be UNcreated in a reverse orderly progression that mirrors the 6 days in the Creation. Mountains will crumble. Rivers will dry up. Sun will blink out. Stars will fall. People will die.

But to the positive, He is also readying His universe for the new heavens and the new earth, for the moment when the Father says, “Son, it is time for you to be married. GO GET YOUR BRIDE!”

Is there any doubt that the preparations will have been completed and the glowing glorious heavens will be inexpressibly beautiful? No, no doubt.

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:2-4)

Our Savior who Saves by grace, our Father, the architect of the earth and the universe, the author of our faith, the redeemer of souls, the Chief of all the Holy Hosts, is preparing…for us.

ben ari, israel, messiah, messianic jews, new testament

Israeli MK Ben Ari tears up New Testament and throws it in trash

Posted on July 19, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Missionaries in Israel proclaim the Gospel just like they do everywhere else on other mission fields. The issue is sensitive in Israel, though, and some laws have been passed to hinder distribution of mission materials, including the New Testament.

There is much tension regarding Christian missionaries who are proselytizing in Israel in and among Jewish people. After all, Israel is the only nation in the world to have been established (again) on the basis of their religious heritage and not race, geography, economics or any other attribute.

This news article from June 2012 states,

“Yad L’Achim Gets Missionary Ad Pulled from Israel Radio‘: ‘Quick action by Yad L’Achim forced Israel Radio to pull a cleverly disguised missionary ad from its Russian-language programming.”

Therefore there’s much open hostility by Jews against Christians, particularly against “Messianic Jews.” Sometimes Messianic Jews are targets of terrorism from Jews just as much as Jews are targets from Muslims.

There is an enormous amount of suspicion and hostility leveled against Christian missionaries and evangelists. The website at Jewish Israel makes this statement:

“Due to the numerous political, economic and security hardships facing both Israel and the Diaspora, large sectors of the Jewish community in Israel have become dependent upon evangelical Christian political influence and charity. While much of this support appears to be benign and benevolent – and some is indeed sincere – Israel’s embracing and accepting of Christian fundamentalist sponsored activities and philanthropy has been exacting a serious cost and adversely affecting both religious and secular individuals and groups throughout the private and public sectors of Israeli society. Our Jewish values and heritage are being compromised.”

As most Christian Missionaries walk a fine line between hostility and acceptance, and as each mission field is fraught with its own particular demands and challenges to proselytizing, so it is in Israel.

In this article from the Israel daily newspaper Haaretz from 2010, we read of an “Aggressive Missionary Campaign in Central Israel“

Note the language the reporter uses. It is snide, sneering, biased, and he makes frequent use of journalistic tricks like “scare quotes”. Here is a sample:

“Jews for Jesus” in Israel brags that it has launched a missionary campaign in “an area that has never had a significant evangelical activity since 1948” – namely, Tel Aviv’s satellite cities.” Uses the word brags.

“Different groups spoke Hebrew, English, or Russian, providing their “services” for all sectors.” The word services is in scare quotes.

“The missionaries’ latest gimmick is the placing of thousands of “traffic tickets” on cars”… the word gimmick is a bias word.

“Deceptive tactics of this nature have become the accepted protocol in the evangelical Christian movement, writes Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz”…deceptive and tactics are both heavily biased words that leave a taint in the reader’s mind.

“Rabbi Shalom Lifshitz said, “Now is the time to demand a change to the missionary law, and to put a stop to this wild, criminal missionary activity that leads to tragic results.”’

Needless to say, Christian Missionaries in Israel have a hard row to how.

And that brings us to the laws Israel has instituted to control, limit or even prevent missionary activity. Although the laws at present there appear to be only two laws being enforced which limit missionary activity in Israel:
1) No one can offer a material inducement for someone to change their religion
2) No one can discuss changing religion with a minor (under 18 years of age) without their parents’ permission,

…the facts on the ground are that there is much discrimination and hostility against missionaries and Christian materials. Make no mistake, when it is stated that there are laws and guidelines against missionaries, the focus is really on the Christian Evangelicals.

With this context in mind, here is an article reporting on how new testaments mailed to the Israeli Congress (Knesset) were reacted to. While most ‘quietly dispose’ of the materials, one Minister of Knesset reacted violently. This happened three days ago. Jerusalem Post reports.

“Many MKs opened their mailboxes on Monday morning and were appalled to find a New Testament inside, sent to them by a messianic organization. The Bible Society in Israel, a messianic Judaism institution for research, publication and dissemination of holy books, sent a “Book of Testaments,” which combines the Tanach and New Testament in one, leather-bound volume, published with references in Hebrew for the first time.”

Gasp! In Hebrew!

One MK in particular had a more violent reaction than others. He is Michael Ben Ari, acknowledged to be an extremist- on the Jewish side. The Hebrew daily newspaper Maariv reported Tuesday that Knesset (Parliament) member Michael Ben Ari deliberately tore up the New Testament and threw it in the trash. He posed for photos while he did it and then posted the pictures.

According to Maariv, the shipment of the “Christian holy book sent to all members of the Assembly with a blessing caused uproar. “MK Michael Ben Ari tore the pages of the book in protest and said: “This is a provocation. … He explained it: “This abominable book, motivated murder of millions of Jews Bainkoosetzih and centers of car-da-fe.” claims “a provocation of the Church missionary ugly, no doubt the place of the book and his handlers into the trap of history.”

That last excerpt was Google translated from the article. Google had a hard time with the Hebrew. But you get the idea. MK Ben Ari believes that Christian holy materials are a desolation to their religion, the catalyst for Jewish persecution, and a threat to their nation.

On Wednesday, there began the expected outrage against Ben Ari’s outrage. MKs are calling for Ben Ari to be censured. Israel has been battling perceptions of their low tolerance for Christian Missionaries for a long time (a perception that may indeed be warranted) that Ben Ari’s action only serves to highlight.

So why this hostility to the Christian witness? Usually the case is because of 2 Corinthians 4:34 which says, “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

So it is satan who has blinded the non-believer’s mind. However, it is a little different for the Jew. In this case, it is GOD who has blinded them!

Paul wrote in Romans 11, “What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,

“God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” (Romans 11:7-10).

He continues the thought in verse 25- “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25).

Individual Jews can come to saving knowledge of Christ, as anyone can. Joel C. Rosenberg is a prominent example of one man with a Jewish heritage could accept by faith that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah. However, because they are partially hardened, Jewish individuals accept Jesus through massive odds. Widely, and as a nation, not at all. Not yet.

Source, public domain bible clipart

God is not finished with Israel. He will return His attention to them when the full number of the Gentiles is fulfilled (Rom 11:25) and deal with His rebellious but beloved people. In the end of the end of the Tribulation they will cry out to Him and accept Him as Messiah. (Zechariah 12:10). Jesus proclaimed, ““For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’” ” (Matthew 23:39). They do, and He comes!

All Israel will be saved at the appointed time: “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;” (Romans 11:26).

Blessed is our Lord who is mighty to save, mighty to preserve, mighty to remember. Until that time, the road ahead for Jews, Christians, and everyone else will be fraught with hostility and rising persecution and divisions. One thing we can do is be aware of the tensions, we can pray for missionaries in Israel, we can pray for the zealous but mistaken Jews like Ben Ari. We can pray for men like Ben Ari who hold in their hands the key to eternal life, the New Testament story of Jesus the Messiah, but continue to reject the Good News. We can praise Him for the missionaries who constantly attempt to get the News in front of all people in Israel using all methods at their disposal, whether spoken or written. We should plead with God to make these materials more widely distributed and more available. Because…they will soon need it.

and when necessary use words, live the gospel, Preach the Gospel at all times

What is the Gospel? Can you "live the Gospel"?

Posted on July 18, 2012 by elizabethprata

The clip is from Voddie Baucham Ministries. I agree with his preaching here. It drives me crazy to hear people say “Live the Gospel.” Essentially, people who say that are saying that people will come to repentance for their sins and saving faith in Jesus on the basis of having watched their sparkling personality for a period of time. LOL, NOT! Here is Pastor Baucham on the subject:

“The Gospel is News. The word for Gospel, euangelion, it means announcement, it means News. The gospel is news. By the way, we do not “live the Gospel.” We cannot live the Gospel. OK? That’s foolishness. You don’t live news. For me to say, ‘I’m going to live out the gospel, is to say I’m going to live out the front page story in the newspaper yesterday. And if I came to you saying, ‘hey, man, I’m going to live out the front page story of the newspaper’, wouldn’t you say to me, “Actually, that’s news that happened yesterday. You can’t live it out.'” You don’t live the Gospel. And so, somebody walks up to you, …you know what St. Francis said, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words,” you look at them and you say, ‘he didn’t know what the Gospel is.’ Obviously. Because nobody who knows what the Gospel is would say such foolishness. You have to use words to preach the Gospel. Whether they’re written words or they’re spoken words, you have to use words. Why? Because the Gospel is NEWS! That would be like saying, “Give the news at all times, and when necessary, use words.” You turn on the television and there are a bunch of people out there living their lives. And you look at it and from that somehow you’re supposed to determine what the news is. … You can live in light of the Gospel. You can live because of the Gospel. But you cannot live the Gospel.” …

… “You don’t need the news about Jesus. Just watch me.” Ouch. There’s more on the clip

What IS the Gospel? Bible.org says, “The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia summarizes the gospel message this way:

“The central truth of the gospel is that God has provided a way of salvation for men through the gift of His son to the world. He suffered as a sacrifice for sin, overcame death, and now offers a share in His triumph to all who will accept it. The gospel is good news because it is a gift of God, not something that must be earned by penance or by self-improvement (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:8–11; II Cor 5:14–19; Tit 2:11–14).”

The Gospel in a Nutshell
“In 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, the apostle Paul summarizes the most basic ingredients of the gospel message, namely, the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. Note the four clauses introduced by that in bold type in verses 3-5 below:”

“15:1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 15:2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 15:3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 15:4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve…[NET bible]”

“These verses, which were an early Christian confession, give us the heart of the gospel and show the that the resurrection is an integral part of the gospel. Note that Paul described this as “of first importance”—a phrase that stresses priority, not time. The stress is on the centrality of these truths to the gospel message.”

“Actually, the central ingredient of the gospel message is a two-fold confession: (1) Christ died for our sins and (2) He was raised on the third day. The reality of these two elements can be verified by the Scriptures (cf. Ps. 16:10; Isa. 53:8-10) and by such awesome historical evidence as the empty tomb and the eye witnesses. Thus, the other two elements mentioned here accomplish two important facts regarding the gospel. The fact that He was buried verified His death, and the fact that He appeared to others verified His resurrection.” ——-end bible.org——-

So go on out there and live for Jesus, live according to biblical precepts, live in His light, go on with your living. But don’t forget to speak the News to those who are dying.