Peter begins this chapter by reminding his brothers and sisters in the faith of what both the prophets during the Old Testament and also the Apostles of the Lord and Savior in the New Testament have spoken: “knowing this first”, that scoffers [among even the people of God] will come in the last days, living according to their own lusts, and saying that there are no indications/signs that the Lord is coming; nothing has changed since the creation of the world. If Christians and Jews do not believe in their heart that the Lord and Judge is coming, why should we expect others to take the matter seriously?! If believers are not praying the last prayer of the Bible – “Even so, come, Lord Jesus”! – why should we expect Israel to say “Blessed are you, Lord Jesus/Yeshua, who comes in the name of YHVH!”? Continue reading “2Pt 3: The Day of YHVH Is Coming”
Messiah Has Come!
What joy and hope this gave to those who heard the good news/glad tidings when the angels sang, and the Israeli Jewish shepherds in the field heard the joy of the Father in Heaven over the birth of His only-begotten Son, Yeshua, the King of Israel! And what comfort and expectation it gave to those who were waiting for the long-anticipated Messiah whom God first spoke of to our first father and mother in the Garden of Eden! In the sovereign wisdom of God, this expectation and hope were not fully fulfilled at the birth of the Lord, or even during His life and death and resurrection; no, that fullness of the Law and the Prophets waits for the return of this same Yeshua/Jesus to return in great power and glory, to be Lord of every man, and to whom all must confess that He is YHVH! What a glorious day that will be, and the new song to be sung by the saints and the angels! Continue reading “Messiah Has Come!”
New Moon of 7th Month: God Remembers His Covenant With Israel
(Collage by Connor Madison)Ps 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
Num 29:1-6
The New Moon celebrations were given by YHVH to Israel to commemorate, both under the Law of Moses and also in the future Millennial Kingdom (Lev 23:24; Num 10:10; 28:11-15; Ezek 46:1-8). The New Testament tells those who are now believers in Yeshua/Jesus not to make too much of days, months, seasons, years, festivals, New Moons, Sabbaths – all of these things being shadows of things to come, but the substance is Messiah. (Gal 4:9-11; Col 2:16-17)
The Lord has told us that all of the Scriptures are written about Him, and we know that all of the sacrifices and holidays/appointed times are also fulfilled by Jesus in the entirety of His first coming, and in the anticipation of His coming again to fulfill all that is written in the whole of the Bible, which still waits for the Kingdom of God to come. God has given His set holy-day times to remember who He Is, what He has done, and what He will do. Even the Lord’s Supper/Communion serves those purposes. (1 Cor 11:26; Mt 26:26-29) Continue reading “New Moon of 7th Month: God Remembers His Covenant With Israel”
Nachalat Yeshua (Yeshua’s Inheritance) Vision and Mission
Rev 20:4-6 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5) But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.
Mat 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority is given to Me in Heaven and in earth. (19) Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen. Continue reading “Nachalat Yeshua (Yeshua’s Inheritance) Vision and Mission”
The Kingdom of God: Significance and Expectation of the Physical Return of the Lord
Ps 45:1 A love song. My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition for the
King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer!
Prophecy is not given just so that we can know facts about the future. Many can give facts, but not know the God who is giving them. Many can know them, but their lives are not impacted. Consider the Pharisees who knew that the Messiah was supposed to be born in Bethlehem, in answering Herod, but yet had neither fear nor joy that the event might just have happened! Every detail will be fulfilled! Neither did they include the part that His goings forth are from everlasting! Prophecy is given us by the Spirit of God through the Word of God, telling us God’s heart and mind concerning future things. And knowing and loving and believing Him who is telling us whom He loves, they are supposed to affect our lives today: in hope, in anticipation, in learning what He loves and plans to bless, and what He hates and plans to judge – and to adjust our lives accordingly. We love God because He first loved us, and Yeshua has come to demonstrate that love by dying on the cross for the atonement of our sins. We love Jesus/Yeshua because He loves us. Continue reading “The Kingdom of God: Significance and Expectation of the Physical Return of the Lord”
More on Jerusalem as Capital of Israel – 15 Dec 2017
The whole issue revolves around whether someone believes that Israel is a legitimate sovereign nation or not. Jerusalem has always been Israel’s capital whenever there was a recognized Jewish nation in the land, including following the Babylonian captivity and during the Roman period at the time of Jesus and the apostles. Jerusalem was never declared the capital of any other country when controlling the land: not during the long Islamic occupation and the Ottoman Empire, and not during the years that Jordan and Palestinians controlled what is East Jerusalem from Israel’s independence in 1948 to the Six-Day War in 1967. The heartbeat of Jewish people everywhere throughout the generations of exile has been, “Next year in Jerusalem!”.
If someone — whether Christian, Jewish, or other — accepts Israel as legitimate under international Law (Balfour Declaration in 1917, San Remo Conference in 1920, League of Nations in 1922, United Nations in 1947) — then Jerusalem as the capital should not be so difficult. If for religious and other expediencies some one or some nation chooses to “trample Jerusalem under foot until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled”, then they are more likely to avoid the obvious reality. For those who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return from Heaven to the earthly Jerusalem and establish God’s Kingdom on Earth, then even more so should we be able to acknowledge the capital of Israel which King David founded at the Lord’s leading and revelation. While present Jerusalem may have the spirit of Sodom and Egypt (Rev 11:8), it is nonetheless destined to be the city of the great King to which all nations must go up during the Feast of Tabernacles to worship Him.
Jerusalem, Allenby, Trump, and Time of the Gentiles – 8 Dec 2017
At the beginning of this year, in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s election victory, and his campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem in recognition of it being the capital city of the State of Israel, I wrote the following: Continue reading “Jerusalem, Allenby, Trump, and Time of the Gentiles – 8 Dec 2017”
The Kingdom of God Streaming Through History
God has always been Sovereign King – Sovereign Lord – over His creation, both in the Heavens and on the Earth. He made His plan for Creation and for Redemption before the beginning of time, space, and matter. All things that exist were created and made by YHVH God. Nothing exists apart from Him, and it is by Yeshua/Jesus, through Yeshua/Jesus, and for Yeshua/Jesus that all things were created, visible and invisible. (Col 1:15-17) And Yeshua/Jesus is the King that the Father has ordained to inherit and to rule over all that is. In other words, Yeshua/Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God; therefore, He will be the King of Israel, and the King of the nations, and the King of the angels. He is God of gods, King of kings, and Lord of lords! (Ps 136:1-3; Rev 15:3-4; Ps 2) Continue reading “The Kingdom of God Streaming Through History”
The ANZAC Beer Sheva Charge – Oct 31, 1917
This Oct 31 marks the 100th anniversary of the heroic victorious charge of the Australian Light Horse Brigade of between 500-800 horsemen against the entrenched Ottoman Turkish forces in Beer Sheva. The stakes were high: Continue reading “The ANZAC Beer Sheva Charge – Oct 31, 1917”
Take Heed; I Have Told You All Things Beforehand
The Scriptures are written for us living at the end of the age. That is why they are still relevant to us today – not only as a guide for wisdom unto salvation, and for righteous living, but also as a guide for knowing the will of God: Jesus Christ is going to come back to take back the world that the devil and human beings have usurped for themselves, and He will establish the Kingdom of God (YHVH) forevermore. Continue reading “Take Heed; I Have Told You All Things Beforehand”