Posted in encouragement, God, hannah, polygamy, thunder

Hannah who loved and Peninnah who thundered

Posted on by elizabethprata

Hannah and Peninnah…two women married to the same man (Elkanah) all living in the same house. This never really goes very well- and in Hannah and Peninnah’s case we shall see that it didn’t. The Hebrew word tsarah means ‘one who vexes’ and its synonym is ‘a rival wife’.

Polygamy was started by Lamech, son of Methuselah and father to Noah. The world was so corrupt in Genesis 4 that Lamech’s two wives, Adah and Zillah I’m sure were a bundle of envies and jealousies too. We know that Rachel was jealous of her sister Leah (Genesis 30:1). Two or more wives for one man at the same time is not God’s will.

In Hannah’s case we read that indeed Peninnah was torturing Hannah because Hannah had not produced a child. In the days of the Hebrews, it was tantamount to keep the race going and to keep it ethnically pure. Hannah had failed at what women were supposed to do, bear progeny. What Hannah did not know is that God closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5). God had a purpose in mind. Anyway, Peninnah had been successful at giving Elkanah an heir, and she never let Hannah forget it.

He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. (1 Samuel 1:2)

Hannah was barren, for the LORD had closed her womb. CC photo

Now see this:

And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. (1 Samuel 1:6-7)

Look at the words provoke, grievously, and irritate. The word for ‘irritate’ is a denominative verb from raam meaning thunder, or roar). Remember this. Peninnah ‘thundered’. It seems there was a lot of sinning on Peninnah’s part and it certainly must have been a stress for Hannah to live under those conditions.

It’s like, but worse than when you go to Thanksgiving at your mother-in-law’s house, and you know your cousin will be there, and she always lobs those loaded barbs at you.

“That’s a nice outfit, for the selections available in your size.”

“Your daughter seems to be doing well at her piano lessons, though Julliard is obviously out of the question.”

“Now that we’re moving to our new house, be sure to visit us, it won’t be as cramped as when we come to your house.”

“It’s so nice you’re not embarrassed driving a big car in these days of expensive gas.”

The Thanksgiving meal seems like it’ll go on forever with all the provocations coming out her mouth. All you want to do after ten minutes is throw the gravy at her. Hannah’s provocations were worse because they were intentional with malice. Peninnah was loud and proud about her provocations. They struck at Hannah’s very womanhood, and raison d’etre of a woman in those days. They cast salt on a wound, for what woman who wants children isn’t mournful when she doesn’t have them. Peninnah heaping salt on the wound was just insensitive and hard-hearted. Peninnah must have made life very hard for Hannah. This went on every day, “year by year.“

Alma-Tadem, Unconscious Rivals 1893

As we see how upset Hannah was-

Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. (1 Samuel 1:7b)
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. (1 Samuel 1:10)

But Hannah had a choice.

–She could succumb to Peninnah’s level and lob some barbs back,
–She could become demanding like Rachel did in the face of Leah’s fruitful child-bearing,

“When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” (Genesis 30:1).

Note Jacob’s response to Rachel in the next verse, “Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” (Genesis 30:2)

Becoming demanding and angry and petulant only perpetuates anger and strife in the home. Elkanah remained loving and supportive of his wife Hannah. Hannah gave Elkanah no cause to kindle his anger against her.

Elkanah loved Hannah so much. 1 Samuel 1:5 says “But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb.”

Elkanah was publicly showing his love for Hannah by giving her the best portion, double, to illustrate to one and all that though she bore no children, he loved her anyway, and loved her best. Would he have loved her if she had succumbed to bitterness and rivalry with Peninnah, trading barbs and making more strife in the home? Hard to say. But Hannah’s attitude of obedience the LORD and love for her husband went a long way to maintaining a loving relationship with both her husband and her God.

So Hannah did not succumb to the temptation to rival Peninnah back. Instead, she did what she did,

–seek the LORD,
–remain humble,
–love her husband

Ultimately the LORD rewarded Hannah, not Peninnah. Though Peninnah was given children first, and after a while Hannah was too, Hannah’s child became Samuel, the great prophet of God and Judge of Israel.

But Hannah’s patience, self-control and intercession prevailed and she became the mother of Samuel who was “more than a prophet” Source

Hannah’s patience, forbearance, loving and submissive attitude is pleasing to God. God heard Hannah’s prayer and answered it.

Hannah prayed a beautiful prayer of thanks to the LORD. It is long and sensitive and humble. In verse 10, you note Hannah said the following:

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (1 Samuel 2:10)

Remember above, Peninnah thundered against her rival, Hannah? Well, all the while God thundered against Peninnah from heaven! Yes, the word ‘thunder’ in Penninah’s verse and in Hannah’s thanksgiving verse are the same, raam.

Illuminated manuscript of Elkanah and his two wives, c.1430

Whatever you are going through, God knows, He hears, He sees, and He remembers. He thunders at our rivals in heaven. Our job is to remain submissive to His will, be loving to our family and friends and even our rivals. We should pray like Hannah did. Whether we pray bitterly or we pray joyfully like Hannah did, she prayed honestly. She poured herself out before the LORD and sought Him at all times.

Stay strong! In Hannah’s case she was strong in devotion to God. She continued to love her God, her husband, and her life. She was unhappy, but the more she was unhappy, the more she sought God. It’s hard to stay loving when you’re sad, heartbroken, and bitter. But Hannah remained consistent in her attitude. That’s strong.

O, take heart! Your rival will come to naught, our God hears! He thunders against our enemies, He loves His children.

For the director of music. A psalm of David. The king rejoices in your strength, LORD. How great is his joy in the victories you give! (Psalm 21:1)

Posted in ezekiel 38, ezekiel battle, gog and magog, jesus, malaysia 17, prophecy

"Every white flag represents a body part"

Posted on by elizabethprata

The facts of the terrible tragedy of the downed Malaysian flight #17, a civilian airliner allegedly destroyed by a Ukrainian/Russian missile, are still coming public. But the cleanup and the investigation has quickly begun. And just as quickly, the Ukrainian rebels have disallowed entry to the area, and are doing all they can to stall and impede.

Nonetheless, here is an ABC photo by Kirit Radia. I saw it on Twitter. He wrote: “Every white flag represents a body part”

Source

It reminds me of a time when, unbelievably, there will be worse tragedies. Ezekiel 39 records it. An alliance of nations will form, including Russia and the Baltics, to come against Israel. Israel will be dwelling peacefully in the land at that future time, and this attack will be a total surprise. (Ezekiel 38:14). Without the LORD’S direct, supernatural intervention, Israel would be obliterated. God does this for the singular purpose of letting the world know He is the LORD. (Ezekiel 38:16 & 23). He will vindicate His holiness before the eyes of those who dwell on the earth.

Ezekiel 39 spends time giving the specifics of the battle and its outcome. All who come against Israel in that day, Russia, Turkey, the Baltics, Armenia, and the rest, like a cloud covering the land, hordes of them, five-sixths of them will be smote.

Fire will be sent, earthquakes will happen, missiles will be duds, and every plane will fall out of the sky. (Ezekiel 39:1-6).

Two hundred and ninety-eight people fell from the sly when Malaysia flight 17 went down. What will it be like when hundreds of planes fall? There will be so many! Like clouds covering the land! It will take seven months of constant cleansing to bury these hordes. And they will start with flags.

Normandy being supplied, Wikipedia historic photo

“On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord God. They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make their search. And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. (Hamonahe is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land. (Ezekiel 39:11-16).

There will be so many they have to mass bury them in a place whose name translates to “Multitude”. Imagine how many flags. Each one represents a soul gone down to Hades. On that day, Hades will swell with souls flooding in.

Normandy invasion aftermath, Wikipedia historic photo

I try to bring the specificity into it regarding the flags so people will KNOW what the Tribulation will be like. Soft and Easy Christians following their Jesus and talking of love refuse to gain biblical knowledge about God’s other attributes: His vindication, His wrath, His judgment. It isn’t pretty- for those who rebel. It is bloody and awful and destructive. The soft and easy Christians think they will go through the Tribulation (which they will but not because it is a post-tribulation event, but because many of them aren’t saved. Matthew 7:21). They think their love for Jesus will float them through. They haven’t a clue.

Other Christians, sad to say, are saved but don’t spend time looking ahead. They don’t study prophecy, for whatever reason. Many pastors weren’t taught it in seminary so they don’t preach it in church. Other Christians think they are superfluous doctrines, not for edification or practical application to today.

The fact is, the Tribulation will be gross and horrific and bloody and terrifying. The Holy Spirit will not be restraining sin any more! (2 Thessalonians 2:6). Jesus said it will be the worst time there shall ever be, from the beginning of the world to the end, and will ever be again. (Mt 24:21).

 Knowing these things in such detail helps us

–be grateful for His grace in rapturing His Bride before these things happen
–be urgent about pursuing holiness as a result of our gratitude
–witness in word and in deed to the lost, who, unless they repent first, WILL go through it.

In the ABC News photo by Kirit Radia I counted three flags. In the Valley of Hamon Gog, there will be untold thousands, perhaps millions.

I long for the Day when God vindicates His holiness before the world. I mourn that day too, for many will perish. Living with the joy of anticipation and the heartache of certain death for many is bittersweet. It is joy mixed with pain and regret; regret that they didn’t do the one thing required: repent of their sins and make Jesus Lord.

Yes it is that simple. Difficult, but simple.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Repent while there is time, Jesus is the way.


Posted in babylon, glory, ISIS, jesus, jonah, Mosul, Nineveh, prophecy

"Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum," Prophecy and Mosul/Nineveh

Posted on by elizabethprata

God said ‘Jonah, arise and preach to Nineveh.’ (Jonah 1:1-2)

Jonah outside Nineveh’s gate. Rembrandt

We know the rest of the story. Initially Jonah refused, and ran in the other direction. He boarded a ship and sailed away. God sent a storm and overboard Jonah went. As Jonah contemplated his options on the way down to the bottom of the sea, he relented and acknowledged the sovereignty of God. He accepted the call to preach repentance to Nineveh. God had appointed a big fish and the fish swallowed Jonah and then spit him up back to where he began. Hoisting his toga, Jonah set off for Nineveh, heeding God’s call.

It was ‘an exceedingly great city’ some three days’ travel in breadth. Some historians calculate that as many as 250,000 lived in Nineveh. For several decades it was the largest city in the world. When Jonah preached, all the Ninevites repented, from the king on down to the lowliest peasant. All of them. It surely was a great move of God and a great shower of grace upon the many people of Nineveh.

Nineveh’s Adad gate exterior entrance. Wiki CC

God’s move was so powerful and so amazing that even till this day Eastern Orthodox churches of the Middle East commemorate the three days Jonah spent inside the fish during the “Fast of Nineveh”. There are streets named after Jonah in the Middle East and monuments to him. There are even several places claiming to be his tomb. He is known to Muslims as Nabi Yunus, and Prophet Jonah is mentioned in the Q’uran. Therefore we see that God’s move was SO GREAT that the vestigial memory of it rests in the hearts and minds of even the most blinded and spiritually distant from God.

Unfortunately, the Ninevites’ repentant attitude was not permanent and Prophet Nahum records Nineveh’s end. One hundred years later, they had gone back to their ways. Nahum says that it was a city full of blood, lies, and plunder. God said He would make an utter desolation of the city and He did.

The city was so obliterated by 400BC the city of Nineveh itself had passed into history. Even the very name was forgotten. The city was buried so well it was never re-discovered until 1842.

In 1842, French Consul General at Mosul, Paul-Émile Botta began to search the vast mounds that lay along the opposite bank of the river. The Arabs whom he employed in these excavations, to their great surprise, came upon the ruins of a building at the mound of Khorsabad, which, on further exploration, turned out to be the royal palace of Sargon II, which was largely explored for sculptures and other precious relics. Wikipedia

Today’s Nineveh overlaps Mosul. Mosul is in Iraq, or what used to be Iraq, now that the ISIS group has taken over and established “The Islamic State”. You might know that the goal of the Caliphate is to have 100% of all residents in it compliant to Allah. If someone is not a Muslim, they must pay jizya, a religious tax to the dhimmi (community). Or convert. Or die.

Nineveh’s Mashki gate from the west. Wiki CC

The leaders of ISIS issued an ultimatum recently to that very effect. Before the war in Iraq in 2003, there were about 65,000 Christians living there. That is according to official records. However, spiritually, most of those are not Christians, because they adhere to an Eastern Orthodox religion, which is false. Personally I cannot say that the numbers were so large, but we do know that at out of 65,000 claiming Christianity, least some are true Christians.

Remember, Iraq is also home to Baghdad, AKA Babylon, the first city which Nimrod built and future history’s (almost) the last city; a city which will be the prophetic focus of the Tribulation. It has been said that the bible could be subtitled “A Tale of Two Cities: Jerusalem and Babylon.” What I’m saying is, the area has a long, loooong spiritual history. Moreover, and future history will dwindle down to events in this exact region.

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq about half the Christians left. After ISIS came, 10,000 more left. Suffice to say that life for a true Christian in this war-torn, spiritually hostile ground zero place would be hard. And this week, it just got harder.

Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum

Iraqi Christians are fleeing Mosul after Islamist militants threatened to kill them unless they converted to Islam or paid a “protection tax”. A statement issued by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) was read out at the city’s mosques. It called on Christians to comply by midday on Saturday or face death if they did not leave the northern city. Isis has control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and said last month it was creating an Islamic caliphate. The ultimatum cited a historic contract known as “dhimma,” under which non-Muslims in Islamic societies who refuse to convert are offered protection if they pay a fee, called a “jizya”. “We offer them three choices: Islam; the dhimma contract – involving payment of jizya; if they refuse this they will have nothing but the sword,” the Isis statement said.

This is very similar to the upcoming ultimatum that the antichrist will issue. The antichrist will locate headquarters in Babylon. At the Tribulation, the antichrist will force all to worship him by accepting a mark on their hand or forehead. Or be excluded from the economy and unable to buy or sell, and then to be beheaded. (Revelation 13:16-17).

In addition to the hostility against perceived Christians, the ISIS people also took a sledgehammer to “Jonah’s tomb” in Mosul.

Shocking moment ISIS militants take sledgehammers to Mosul tomb of Prophet Jonah

Donning balaclavas and black coats, they swung sledgehammers into the tombs, causing pieces of dust and stone to fly through the air. One of the devastated tombstones belonged to the Prophet Jonah (Younis in Arabic) and was revered by Muslims and Christians alike, according to Iraqi authorities. Speaking of the latest attack, Ninevah official Zuhair Al-Chalabi, told IraqiNews.com: ‘The elements of ISIS [have] controlled the mosque of the Prophet Younis in Mosul since they invaded the city.’  

It should be noted that there are also alleged burial sites for Jonah in Hebron, Lebanon, and Galilee in addition to Mosul.

We should:

1. Pray for the true Christians in the Middle East. As Joel Rosenberg calls it, it is “the epicenter” because geologically the epicenter is the point on the earth above the center of the earthquake. It aptly describes Israel, Jerusalem, and the countries surrounding her. Geographically, God considers Israel the center of the world. (Ezekiel 5:5) as Rosenberg explains here. Spiritually, it all comes down to God and His people, and history’s last events will be located in Jerusalem and surrounding environs.

From this moment forward, whenever you are reading this, life will only be harder for Christians there. Jews also. Every day will be harder than the day before it.

2. Pray for the rapture. (2 Timothy 4:8). It is spiritually all right to pray for a time of deliverance, in so doing, acknowledging your citizenship (heaven), identifying yourself with the promises of Jesus, and wanting to be where there is no more pain.

3. Be strong in the word. Persevere, and in so doing, being the Light of Hope within us. Let it shine, your patience, calm, and hope will be a balm to those around you.

4. Study scripture and memorize it. Even in America, the time is coming and might already be here when we will need to rely on memory for scripture- as possessing a bible may soon be not-possible. The noose is tightening daily. Apostasy is rising and as John MacArthur said, “Cultural Christianity is dying at warp speed.” I’ll do another blog post later today about that. Therefore we should be aware of what is happening in the world and in our nations, and in that way we can be responsible to our duties as Christians on behalf of the glory of God.

5. Always shine the glory back to Him, He is the originator of the world, the sustainer of the world, and the King, Lord, and Judge of the world, He deserves all glory and acknowledgement in all we say and do. At the very moment that attitude is becoming more rare, is when we need to display it the most.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further reading:

Topical Bible: Nineveh

Posted in Christ follower, discernment, Jesus follower

Why I am not a Jesus Follower…

Posted on by elizabethprata

…as opposed to the term “Christian.”

“and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:26)

Yes the term was given to us by a contemptuous world. Adopting a new name will never escape that derision. Further, we should not try. Peter said,

“However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.” (1 Peter 4:16)

Do not be ashamed of the name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Further Reading

Liberals change word meanings with intent to deceive

Posted in discernment, false teachers, God, joel osteen, spirit

Joel Osteen talked about Jesus how many times?

Posted on by elizabethprata

In a recent blog essay I’d mused,

“I used to wonder why it is that so many of the false teachers tend to speak freely of God but not so much of Jesus. They rarely say the name of Jesus when they are teaching but instead they often say “God.“

Joel Osteen

You’ve seen it too, I’m sure. So many pastors, teachers, lay-people will freely say God but not Jesus. Well, someone else was wondering that too, and he quantified it. Here are his results:

Joel Osteen Likes God…He just doesn’t like Jesus [A Twitter Survey of @JoelOsteen]

I often talk about the Christ-less Gospel of Joel Osteen. Whenever people ask me what I mean by that, I always tell them this; Joel Osteen does not talk about the Christian Gospel.

That being said, there is something very important to understand about Joel Osteen: He does talk about God. A lot. You cannot accuse the man of not mentioning him because he’s all over that. Here’s the thing though- Its never really in a personal sense. Joel talk about God, but its always in a vague amorphous sense. There is certainly nothing distinctly Christian or Biblical about it. There’s nothing doctrinal or theological about the way he talks about God. Rather is an ethereal, shapeless, formless, customizable, singular being thing that is out there called God that functions like a cosmic vending machine whose sole purpose is seemingly to bless you and make your life better. Even when he mentions God, it’s not ABOUT God, but it’s about what God can do for YOU.

Why do I say “singular being”? Simple. While mention of a “God” may be plastered all over his twitter feed, Jesus is Not. Joel Osteen rarely, if ever, mentioned Jesus. He rarely, if ever, mentions Christ. This is true when you listen to his sermons, read his tweets, and listen to him on whatever talk show he’s touring. Let me give you some basic numbers

Just for kicks I did a quick survey of all Joel Osteen tweets in the last year. I can’t go further back, so we’ll stick with going back to July 8, 2013, which is a little more than a year ago. Out of Joel Osteens 806 tweets, not including any of his replies to other people, he mentions “God”…

Go to the link to read the numerical results. In my essay, I’d proposed a reason why so many of the false teachers speak of God but not of Jesus when they are teaching,

“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3)

If they don’t have the Holy Spirit they can’t teach Jesus is Lord because they can’t say it. Like when Jesus said at the Last Supper that one of them will betray Him, all 11 of the Disciples said Is it I, Lord? but Judas could not say that because he was apostate and he said “Is it I, Rabbi?” (Matthew 26:21-25)”

Here is John MacArthur explaining part b in the 1 Corinthians 12:3 verse I’d put above,

Now let’s go to the positive in verse 3. I was going to get through verse 11. Can you believe that? Verse 3… yes, you can believe that. Verse 3, And the other side…here’s the positive test…”That no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.” This is the positive. When somebody comes into your midst with all of his faculties, and with all of his mind, and with all of his heart, and with all of his being, says, “Jesus is Lord,” you know that’s of the Holy Spirit. Now it isn’t simply the words, it’s the commitment. No man can say…and the word say here doesn’t just mean to pair. A skeptic can say, “Jesus is Lord.” You can pay a guy ten dollars and say, “Would you say Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Lord. Here’s your ten dollars.” That isn’t the point. It’s not quite that simplistic. No man can truly say, no man can truly confess, no man can truly acknowledge, “Jesus is the Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. When that deep conviction of genuine understanding about who He is comes forth it is of the Spirit. … So the Spirit prompted confession is distinguished from the counterfeit, by the acknowledgement that Jesus, the Man, is, in fact, God.

Just food for thought. As a person who loves to quantify things I appreciated the Twitter survey! In discernment it is not only what a person says, but what he doesn’t say. And noticing an absence takes time and skill. Listen for what a person fails to speak of as much as you’re listening to what they do say.

Posted in gaza, ground war, IDF< Israel, malaysian plane, prophecy

Israel begins ground invasion of Gaza’ "imminent amphibious landing"; Missile shoots passenger plane down over Ukraine

Posted on by elizabethprata

It is a big, big news day. Any time Israel becomes involved in a ground war it puts me on prophetically high alert.

Israel Defense Force twitter stream:
BREAKING NEWS: A large IDF force has just launched a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. A new phase of Operation Protective Edge has begun. The new phase follows 10 days of Hamas attacks on Israel by land, air & sea – and repeated rejections of offers to deescalate the situation.

Twitter, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Channel 4 News Jonathan Miller: “All we are evacuating our hotel as are all #gaza beach hotels. Warned of imminent amphibious landing. #c4news”

Jerusalem Post:
Netanyahu’s office says purpose of mission is to destroy terror tunnels and seriously harm the infrastructure of Hamas and other terrorist organizations in Gaza. Prior to the commencement of the ground invasion, the IDF launched a massive wave of combined air and artillery strikes on Thursday night. The IDF said that the operation will involve infantry, engineering corps, and tank units combined with air force and naval support and intelligence.

Analysis from a week ago, which turned out to be accurate.

“…the longer Hamas fails to stop firing rockets, the greater the likelihood for a ground incursion becomes, perhaps even as soon as within “the next 1-2 weeks,” Nisman said. He further noted that, “This would be a much larger ground offensive than Hamas is anticipating,” and that the operation, “would first aim to cut the Gaza Strip into different sections, then take control of peripheral areas which are used to launch short and medium range rockets.” Former IDF officer Dror Markus echoed this analysis, in a separate interview, indicating that if Hamas fulfills its goals of inflicting casualties on Israeli civilians, “Netanyahu will be left with no choice other than a limited ground military incursion.”

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The Ukraine and Russia are also nations who will be active in the prophetic years, AKA the time just before, during, or after the rapture, as per Ezekiel 38-39

WSJ: U.S. intelligence confirms surface-to-air missile fired at Malaysian jet but are divided over origin

PASSENGER MALAYSIAN AIRLINER #17, allegedly shot down by Ukrainian rebels. 295 souls aboard.

Foreign Policy magazine
What We Know So Far About the Passenger Jet Allegedly Shot Down in Ukraine
A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington declined to comment on charges that pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine shot down a Malaysian Airlines plane. “Why should we comment on allegations?” the official said. The spokesman did however point to an article published by the Russian news service RIA Novosti suggesting that the Ukrainian military shot down the aircraft, not the rebels.

Airspace in Eastern Ukraine is now closed ‘until further notice’
Eurocontrol, which directs air traffic across Europe, said that since the crash, all airspace in eastern Ukraine had been closed “until further notice” and that the European Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell had been activated to deal with the closure.

Obama is golfing.

In other news, GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL.  He has kept His had over the fuse that will eventually light the Middle East and He may do so again today. Or He may not and this particular series of events may be the ones which lead the fuse to the rapture. Or it may be that a series of wars began today which the church will be seeing from earth’s vantage point. We simply don’t know, but His plan is perfect and His sovereignty is never in doubt.

I pray for the families of the souls aboard the downed plane. While heaven’s gate was likely opened to receive some, more likely Hades’ mouth was enlarged to receive even more. Hundreds of families are at this moment in shock and mourning at this senseless and tragic act that has rendered children fatherless, wives into widows and families torn by grief..

The Israeli soldiers fighting on behalf of a frightened citizenry should also be prayed for, as well as the leaders on both sides.

For perspective’s sake, I offer to you from 2005 John Piper’s essay, “Ten Aspects of God’s Sovereignty Over Suffering and Satan’s Hand in It“

The impetus for this conference comes from th ultimate reality of God as the supreme value in and above the universe. God is absolute and eternal and infinite. Everything else and everybody else is dependent and finite and contingent. God himself is the great supreme value. Everything else that has any value has it by connection to God. God is supreme in all things. He has all authority, all power, all wisdom—and he is all good “to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25). And his name, as Creator and Redeemer and Ruler of all, is Jesus Christ. In the last four years, 9/11, Tsunami, Katrina, and ten thousand personal losses have helped us discover how little the American church is rooted in this truth.

In other words, our vision of God in relation to evil and suffering was shown to be frivolous. The church has not been spending its energy to go deep with the unfathomable God of the Bible. Against the overwhelming weight and seriousness of the Bible, much of the church is choosing, at this very moment, to become more light and shallow and entertainment-oriented, and therefore successful in its irrelevance to massive suffering and evil. The popular God of fun-church is simply too small and too affable to hold a hurricane in his hand. The approach I am going to take tonight is not to solve any problem directly, but to celebrate the sovereignty of God over Satan and all the evils that Satan has a hand in.

You should click here to read in full the ten things we celebrate in our Almighty and Sovereign God. He is still on the throne, praise Him. Here are some highlights

1. Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s delegated world rule.
2. Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s angels (demons, evil spirits).
3. Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s hand in persecution.
4. Let us celebrate that God is sovereign over Satan’s life-taking power.

It is a time to mourn, but it is also a time to celebrate.

A Time for Everything

1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)