Heartbeats

We need a Christian Hanukkah

2011-12-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

What do I mean? Let me start with some background. After the death of Alexander the Great his empire was divided up among his four generals. One of the four, Antiochus Epiphanes, took control over the land of the Jews and began to impose the Greek culture upon them. In 167 B.C. he stepped up his campaign by issuing a series of draconian decrees that virtually prohibited the Jews from practicing their religion under penalty of death, and forced them to worship Greek gods instead. He then defiled the temple by sacrificing a pig in the Holy of Holies to the god Zeus.

Finally, the Jews rebelled under the leadership of the Maccabees and overthrew the Greeks. They then cleansed the temple and their culture from the Greek defilement and restored their God-given religion. Their victory is celebrated today in the Jewish holiday known as Hanukkah (meaning “dedication”).

What I now realize is that we who are part of the New Covenant assembly of believers need to rise up and do the same thing. Not physically, but spiritually. Because the same Greek culture has also defiled our worship and hindered our service to God as defined under the New Covenant. The defilement began shortly after Jesus went up into Heaven. It came mainly by way of the so-called early Church Fathers whose teachings were heavily influenced by pagan Greek philosophers, such as Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. And also with the help of a Jew named Philo who lived around the time of Jesus. His writings almost undid the work of the Maccabees in his attempt to re-Hellenize Judaism, insisting Moses was the source of much Greek philosophy.

In time, the Church Father's teachings evolved into the approved doctrines and religious practices that became known as Roman Catholicism. Although the Reformation introduced many important reforms, it was never able to fully delver us from Catholicism itself. This is evidenced by our continuation of the Catholic hierarchical system, the division of the body into clergy and laity, the unscriptural holy days, and the construction of earthly temples spoken of as “God’s house.”

But most egregious of all were the doctrines formulated in the third and fourth centuries that declared under penalty of death that Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was a Triumvirate, a committee of three. And that Jesus was part of this Greek concept of God.

But just as God did in the time prior to Messiah’s first coming, He is planning to deliver His people again from this ungodly Hellenistic defilement and cleanse His temple, the Body of Messiah. Father God, who is Yahweh, must be restored to His rightful place as our one and only God. And Jesus must be restored to his rightful place on the throne of David. He needs to be recognized as our virgin-born Messiah, our sinless savior, mediator and high priest – but not Yahweh. He was proclaimed in the Bible to be the son of God, but never God the Son.

I know this war cry will be challenged by many who have lived their whole Christian lives under the Greek influence (as I did), and now cannot abide by any other teaching. Just as many Jews resisted the DE-Hellenization of their religion in the days of the Maccabees. But the yoke must be overthrown and the temple cleansed.

What particularly intrigues me is that Antiochus IV is often said to be a foreshadowing of the anti-Christ. Given that so many Christians adamantly believe Jesus is Yahweh, or some part of Yahweh, I can see that the false Messiah, however he is manifested, could easily “take his seat in the temple [the deceived false institutional Church] displaying himself as being God” (1 Thess. 2:4). In fact, a couple of Popes have already done just that.

Tabernacles

2011-04-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

Three months ago I shared how I felt that God was about to do "a new thing"(Isaiah 43:19). And that it was all somehow tied into Isaiah's many words about "streams in the desert." Since then my understanding of the dynamics surrounding this "new thing" has grown tremendously.

It is clear to me now that this "new thing" is the fulfillment of the last of the three great Mosaic feasts in the body of Messiah, the Feast of Tabernacles. Passover was fulfilled with the death and resurrection of Jesus on the very date of that feast, and is experienced by the new birth. Pentecost also was fulfilled on the actual day of the feast with the coming of the Holy Spirit, and is experienced by the infilling of the spirit. But Tabernacles has never had its' spiritual fulfillment in the New Covenant believer - until now.

When Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles just before his death, he prophetically declared: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' But this he spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive" (John 7:37-39). He was speaking of a blessing that the Church has still not fully received.

I'm sure this last-days outpouring of God's Spirit on His Church will occur on some soon-coming Feast of Tabernacles (celebrated in Sept./ Oct.), just as the other feasts were fulfilled on their dates. It will be the "latter rain" outpouring that has been so anticipated. ( I just saw that Bob Dylan will be in Israel and will sing his hit song, "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Prophetic.) But the rain I'm speaking of won't be from the sky, but will come out "of our innermost beings" - our spirits - as "rivers of living water." And the effect on us and on Israel and onthe worldwide community will be dramatic.

I believe when this happens we will be imbued with the power and authority to finally put Satan under our feet. The power we often sing about but have rarely experienced. The power prophesied by David long ago when he said: "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet...Your people will volunteer freely in the day of your power; in holy array, from the womb of the dawn" (Ps. 110:1,3). This manifestation of heavenly power will fulfill the words of Jesus, that "he who believes in me, the works I do, he will also do; and greater works than these he will do because I go to the Father" (John 14:12). And in the process we will become unified as never before, as Jesus prayed: "May they all be one, even as You, Father, are in me and I in You, that they may be one in us, SO THAT THE WORLD MAY BELIEVE THAT YOU SENT ME" (JOHN 17:21).

So not only will new energy, power and authority be given to his people on that day, but we will experience new unity with Jesus and the Father. And when this body of believers is unified, the glory of God will suddenly fill His temple - just as the glory filled Solomon's temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (2 Chron.5:3; 7:1,2). I believe this glory will literally radiate out from our bodily tabernacles so we become like glow sticks. It will be Jesus revealing himself through us so that the world will know God truly sent him - "when he comes to be glorified in his saints on that day" (2 Thess. 1:10). For the mystery of the Church is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).

When we receive this outshining of his presence from within us, this prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled: "Arise shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold darkness will cover the earth [already happening], and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will rise upon you, and his glory will appear upon you" (Isaiah 62:1,2).

The darker the world gets, the brighter we shall shine.

Head for the Highway

2011-01-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

There have been many great awakenings in the course of church history, especially here in America. But if I am hearing the Lord correctly, none will equal the size, scope and longevity of the one that is coming. Because I believe this will be the wave to carry us home. And I'm not talking about heaven.

As the calendar flipped to 2011, these words of Isaiah caught my attention: "Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things from the past. Behold I will do something new, now it will spring forth, will you not be aware of it? I will make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert" (Isaiah 43:18,19).

For weeks I had been drawn to this recurring theme in Isaiah about streams in the desert, and a roadway in the wilderness, which he calls a "highway of holiness" (chapters 35, 41, 43,44). What could it all mean? Slowly I began to see it.

Although applicable to all ages, Isaiah is primarily prophesying about a time at the end of the age when God's people would be spiritually bone dry. Like the dry bones of Ezekiel 37. His people would be apathetic, backslidden, and powerless;His church as carnal as the world around. But in His mercy God would send His spirit to revive us once again.

"I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My spirit on your offspring and my blessings on your descendants. And they will spring up among the grass like poplars by streams of water" Isaiah 44:4,5).

This awakening will terminate the church age as we've have practiced it for the last 1800 years. For God has been trying to deliver us from the religious mindset that imprisoned us in the second and third centuries. He kept sending us anointed men like Tyndale, Luther, Whitefield, Edwards, Finney, Seymour, Graham and countless others to pull us out of our fallen states of spirituality. But once awakened we would just alter our theology a bit and march right back into our religious ways and the cycle would repeat itself. We'd soon wither and die, requiring yet another emergency rescue by God's spirit.

But when this revival hits, the cycle will end. It will no longer be church as usual. This time the old wine skins will not be able to contain the dynamic power of the spirit about to be unleashed. A whole new kind of wineskin will be needed to handle the throngs of awakened joyous believers who will spring up like poplars. And this time we won't have to submit our wine to those who would rather cork it than dance with us.

That's where the highway comes in. When Isaiah mentioned the "something new" he first reminded us of the supernatural dry road God made through the Red Sea (43: 16,17). But this time it would be different. It would not be a dry road through the sea, but a spirit-soaked pathway through the wilderness.

I believe he was saying this future revival would be our final goodbye, as when He delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. But this deliverance will be from Satan's entire world system, which is rapidly reaching critical mass, before His judgment falls.

Like the Israelites who discovered they were still within Pharaoh's grasp at the Red Sea, we too still live in Satan's Kingdom. Although we're not of this world, we are still in it. And "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one" (1 John 5:19).

But just as God opened a super highway to save His people then, He will do so for us. As Isaiah described it: "And a highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called 'the highway of holiness'; the unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way. And fools will not wander up on it....And the redeemed of the Lord will return, and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away" (Isaiah 35:8,10).

So get excited and be expectant, knowing "we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" ( 1 Peter 1:5).

The real problem with Christmas

2010-12-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Every year the controversy over Christmas grows more intense. In this country (America), there is the uproar over secular attempts to replace the greeting of "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays." And the removal of manger scenes from public property.

Even among Christians there is the seasonal angst over the emphasis placed on materialism, over-indulgence of our children, wasteful, unaffordable spending, and a fictional Santa.And worse still is the sad realization that the holiday itself, which falls on December 25th, has more to do with the continuation of the pagan celebration of the winter solstice than biblical truth. For as most Christians know, the date of Jesus birth is not mentioned in the Bible.

However, all of this controversy is but a distraction from the real problem with Christmas. The real problem is the misguided focus it causes us all to put upon the birth of Jesus, rather than upon the message he came to deliver through his life and death. That message is summed up in one of the most quoted verses in the Bible: "For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son..." (John 3:16)

The true message of Jesus is not found in his miraculous birth, but in his pointing us to the great love God has for His children, which was articulated through Jesus' death and resurrection. For if we believe his death atones for our sin, we gain victory over man's greatest enemy - death. And we receive the most sought after treasure in the world - eternal life. It assures us we will be awakened from the sleep of death to live forever with Jesus in the kingdom of God.

I'm certain the reason God didn't put the date of Jesus birth in the Bible was because He knew we'd make it a religious holy day. Under the New Covenant, the requirement to celebrate religious holy days was rescinded. When the early disciples in Galatia were coaxed into celebrating the Jewish feast days, which God did ordain under the Old Covenant,Paul scolded them, saying: "How is it you turn back again to the weak and and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you" (Gal. 4:9-11).

The problem with celebrating unauthorized holy days like Christmas and Easter, even though they may include some biblical truths, is they take on a life of their own. Their observance soon becomes a substitute for living lives of faith and obedience to the glory of God, and separating ourselves from the contamination of this world.

Jesus said the only way to worship God is "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23). Therefore, the more we separate ourselves and our families from the contaminated mixture of religious holy days like Christmas (Christ's mass) and Easter (from the goddess Ishtar), the more we separate ourselves unto God.

The God of Fire

2010-12-14T07:45:00.000-08:00

This insight relates to Israel's recent terrible fire in the northern Carmel region near Haifa. I am a bit reluctant to write this because of the many lives lost in the fire. Yet I cannot escape the "coincidences" surrounding it. First, Carmel is the area where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal to a test of fire in the midst of a three-year drought. The drought itself was a judgment brought upon Israel through the prayers of Elijah for their idolatry (James 5:17).

I didn't think more deeply about it until a brother pointed to the words of Elijah's challenge to the Baal priests: "The God who answers by fire, He is God" (1 Kings 18:24). Which quickly begs the question: "Is God speaking again through this fire?" And if so, what is He saying?

Israel was again in the midst of a drought, the worst in their 90+ years of recorded history (a judgment in itself?). So for "coincidences" we have the drought, the fire, the words of Elijah, and the site of the Carmel region.

As to what God's message might be, I think we can rule out Baal worship. But what about faithfulness? If you recall, the real issue was Israel's double mindedness. "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him" (1 Kings 18:21). It is reminiscent of the warning by Jesus: "I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,I will spit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15,16).

There is no question Israel is again torn between two opinions. Either appease the Arabs and world opinion by surrendering its ancestral lands to create another Palestinian State (Jordan was the first). Or believe that God has miraculously brought them back to the land after 2000 years of exile to fulfill the promises to their forefathers. The promise as stated to Abraham was: "And I will give it to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God" (Gen. 17:8).

It's true Israel was out of the land for centuries(though a remnant always lived there),and many other powers ruled over it. Still it never became the nation of another people. It remained a God-forsaken, barren territory called Palestine, a name referring to Israel's arch enemy the Philistines, that the Romans slapped on it as an insult.

But now they've returned and the land is again prospering. And even though the Jews were officially recognized as the rightful owners by the League of Nations (1920),there has been a continual international drumbeat demanding they relinquish more and more land to their sworn enemies.

So if the one "who answers by fire" is God, then Israel's leaders might want to take more notice before offering to give away any more land. The next conflagration might be even worse.

God's unfrozen chosen

2010-11-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Reading how the Israeli government is being pressured by the whole world to impose another building freeze in Judea and Samaria, I sensed God might be saying something to us. World events almost always carry some communication from Father if we bend our ear a bit.

As I prayed about this racist policy, which is designed to ultimately make the Jewish heartland judenrein,I wondered if it was connected to another "freeze." One that has encased all God's chosen people for two centuries, but especially the Jewish people.

Isaiah had prophesied that Messiah would become to "both houses of Israel, a stone to strike, and a rock to stumble over" (Isa. 8:14). And Jesus did just that. The first house, the house of Judah,who are the Jews,rejected him outright in the first century in fulfillment of another word from Isaiah. He prophesied, "The Lord has poured over you a spirit of sleep; He has shut your eyes" (Isa 39:10). Paul even includes that verse in his olive-tree explanation.

So for 2000 years the freeze on Judah's heart has been in place.He was offended by the gospel and would have none of it.Which is how God arranged to get it to us.But God did promise that a day would come when Judah would thaw out and get a second chance.And when he did, "then all Israel would be saved" (Rom. 11:25,26).

That brings me to the freeze on the other house, the descendants of the house of Israel, who we call "Christians." Namely, us. We might have had a moment of wakefulness granted us when we understood the gospel and got saved, but generally speaking most went right back to sleep. For we were soon lulled into accepting a religion that nullified our faith in Jesus and signed us up for a religious program of works righteousness.

But as the Psalmist wrote, God has set His alarm clock to wake us all at the right time. "His set time to favor Zion" (Ps. 102:13). And God's clock is waking up the whole house right now!

Christians are rubbing the sleep from their eyes to discover the Hebraic roots of their faith and reaching out to love and encourage their still sleeping brother, Judah. And as a result, Judah is stirring. He is looking at those who he once considered his mortal enemies, and for good reason,and seeing a new loving attitude. And his heart is melting.

So just as this awful building freeze will be lifted and life will resume, so too will it happen for the Israel of God. Soon we will see all the prophecies about returning to the land fulfilled, when the peace of God will reign, and the promised Son of David has vanquished all our enemies.

I just hope the Israeli government also realizes the Ice Age is over and stops talking about freezing anything.

Ready for finals?

2010-08-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Consider this a heads up. I believe the church is about to be given a final exam as far as the Jews are concerned. As you know, we have not done very well on this subject in previous tests. When asked if we loved and respected the Jewish people before, a people who we'd been taught were "beloved by God for the sake of the fathers," we answered with Replacement Theology, the crusades, the Inquisition, pogroms, expulsions, and a turning away during the Holocaust. And although a number of our coreligionists rose to the occasion during those trying times and shone brightly, as a group we failed miserably.

But for those who have since learned from the mistakes of prior generations and repented of our former anti-Semitism and bad theology, we'll have a golden opportunity to show new wisdom in the days ahead.

Because it doesn't take a genius to see that Israel and the Jewish people will soon be the most hated people on earth once again. They have already been accused, tried and convicted by world opinion of having stolen the Palestinian homeland. And blamed as the number one disruptor of world peace for fermenting Islamic hatred against the West. It won't be long before another Islamic-inspired war with Israel breaks out, which will no doubt interrupt oil supplies and bring catastrophic economic hardship upon the world.

And when that happens, will we stand alongside the Jews? Will we raise our voice against the angry mobs demanding that the Jewish homeland be sacrificed for world peace? Or will we once again be swept along in a sea of anti-Semitic malevolence?

If you're not sure how you will answer the question, or even how important the right answer is to getting a passing grade, let me show you something from the word of God.

After raising the question of how Gentile believers in Jesus should treat those Jews who had rejected Him as Messiah, Paul warns: "Do not be arrogant towards the natural branches [who had been broken off for unbelief]; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you [...] Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell severity, but to you God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again" (Romans 11:18-23).

In other words, Paul reminds us that we got into this tree of His chosen people only by the kindness of God (we were saved by His grace, not just by faith). But if we don't continue in His kindness, as evidenced by our treatment of the Jewish people, He will withdraw His kindness and we will be lopped off.

These are sobering words of warning that every Christian should take to heart. Which is why I'm sure the Jewish question will be on the final exam. So get our your Bible and study yourself to be approved. Finals are right around the corner.

Rest: God's Growth Hormone

2010-03-02T07:05:00.000-08:00

A brother was commenting on the advice he'd given his teenage son to put aside his worldly music before going to bed for the night, and instead read his Bible. He told him, "The body needs rest at night to grow."

Immediately I got a Holy Spirit flash that what is true in the natural is true in the spiritual. Therefore if we rest in God and the truth of His word it will cause our spiritual man to grow. And as we grow, so does the whole body of Messiah. "For the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love" (Eph. 4:15,16).

But the key is rest."There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore, let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall through following the same example of disobedience [as those in the wilderness].For the word of God is living and sharper than any two-edged sword." (Heb. 4:8-12).

In other words, God commands us to cease from all our labors and enter into His Sabbath rest. He is not speaking here of the 24-hour Sabbath rest of the Old Covenant,but our resting in Jesus and His covenant promises 24/7. And the work we are to rest from is not our physical labor, but all the dead works of the flesh in which we try to continue to earn a salvation that has already been freely given to us. Or to secure ourselves in this world after we've been told to "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness [through faith], and all these things [food, clothing, shelter, security] would be added to you" (Matt. 6:33).

If we sense we are not growing in the Lord as we should, maybe it's time to check how well we are resting. Are we exhausting ourselves running to church, and doing good things to make the world a better place to live? Are we working feverishly to pay our bills and provide for our family, instead of committing our financial, emotional, and physical well-being into the hands of the One who has promised to meet all our needs "according to His riches in Messiah Jesus" (Phil 4:19).

If we see we are not where we want to be, Jesus bids us to lay it all down and, "Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will GIVE YOU REST" (Matt. 11:28).

Like everything else with Jesus, His rest is a gift, also. And His rest is the growth hormone we need to develop spiritual muscles and grow strong in the Lord.

God's Bomb Shelters

2010-02-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Lord just showed me from the Bible He will be providing the equivalent of secure bomb shelters for His people during the coming tribulation. I know many Christians are hoping to be raptured out before the feathers hit the fan, but that is not what I see the Bible teaching. Rather He will be protecting and nourishing His people here on earth during the time when His wrath is being poured out on the evil of this world. It will be as in the days of Noah when he was protected from the flood. And Israel when she was sheltered in the land of Goshen while the plagues were devastating Egypt.

The Scripture the Lord used to show me this was Revelation 12. "Then she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that she would be 'nourished' (GK: trepho - pampered w. food) for one thousand two hundred and sixty days" (Rev. 12:5,6).

The woman is Israel. And the male child is Jesus, who was taken up into heaven 2000 years ago where He is seated at the right hand of the Father "until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet" (Acts 2:34,35). But since the "church" is also Israel, we see that all the chosen followers of Israel's Messiah alive at the time, both Jew and Gentile, are included in the "woman." And all these, I believe, will be protected in God's bomb shelters until the night is over and the day dawns. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, food and water and shelter from the elements will be supernaturally provided. It is during this time of supernatural protection that Psalm 91 will come into play. Isaiah also foretold of these shelters, saying, "Come My people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while, until indignation runs its course" (Isa. 26:20 & 21).

So the only thing we have to do is make sure we get to the bomb shelters, which I believe are foreshadowed by the "cities of refuge" (Deut. 19). Whether there will be one or three or ten thousand of these "cities," the Lord will show us as we get nearer. And where they are. (It could even be Israel.) But when the time comes we must be ready to leave everything - country, family, home, jobs, church, everything - and go! Otherwise we will be counted among the five foolish virgins who were not ready and "the door was shut" (Matt. 25:10).

The consequences for us if we aren't ready are chilling. We will be left behind to be at the mercy of Satan's anti-christ. We will either have to bow to his "666" system to survive or we will be killed (Rev. 13). And martyrdom will be the only way we will be able to save our souls. But as Satan crushes the remaining believers, God will be crushing him and his kingdom and his fifteen seconds of infamy.

One last thing. The last verse in the twelfth chapter gives us a clue what will be the deciding factor whether you will escape or not. "So the dragon was enraged with the woman [who he couldn't get at because she was protected] and he went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 12:17). Who are these? I believe they could be Christians who were not walking in faith righteousness, but in self-righteousness. That is they gave testimony that they trusted in Jesus, but actually relied more on their religious works, either church attendance or the practices of the Mosaic Law. We need to get free of all such double-mindedness - NOW!

When I Was a Child

2010-02-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

It is becoming increasing clear to me that the biggest problem in the church today is we have not left our childhood religions behind. Remember Paul's admonition? "When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11) So why have the majority of us, both Jewish and Gentile believers, carried over our respective childhood religious ideas and practices into our "adult" walk with Christ.

What do I mean?

Take non-Jewish believers first. Most of us have been going to some sort of Christian church our whole life. Even before we came to know the Lord's love and forgiveness in a personal way. So what are we doing now that we have experienced our life-changing, miraculous rebirth in Christ? Exactly what we were doing before. Going to church every Sunday, maybe singing in the choir, maybe ushering, just trying to keep our noses clean and live as good Christians. Nothing has really changed has it? Except now we pay a little more attention to pastor's message, act a little more serious about our commitment, and maybe tithe. Because we know it's for real now.

And what about Jewish believers? The same thing. Most have attended synagogue, at least until the Bar-Mitzvah was done at age twelve. Most have celebrated the Passover seder and watched mom scrub the house of all traces of leaven, have fasted at Yom Kippur, and have honored the Sabbath. Most know dairy and meat should never be served together (even if they never got that crazy with it themselves). So what has changed since they have invited Messiah into their lives and been reborn? Not much. In fact, most Jewish believers, who call themselves Messianic Jews, are probably under even more pressure now from certain quarters to commit to living a "Torah-compliant lifestyle."

But is this what Messiah Jesus (or Yeshua) has called us to do? No way! "It is for freedom [from all religious law] that Messiah set us free, so keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal 5:1). If we received Him by faith, by faith we must now live our lives! "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). All mandated religious practices, whether Christian or Jewish, can not please God because they do not require faith. They are expressions of law. And law is the opposite of faith. So why do we bother?

To continue to practice the same religions we did as children that couldn't save us then, and can't save us or keep us saved now, is to "still think, speak, and reason like a child." This childish behavior is not only destroying our own personal walk of faith with the Lord, it is separating us into two groups. And Jesus shed His blood to make us one flock, with one Shepherd.

Easy For You to Say

2009-10-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Remember the puzzling question Jesus asked the scribes after he told the paralytic his sins were forgiven? The man had been brought to him for healing, but instead Jesus had forgiven him of his sins (see Matt. 9:5) This sent the scribes to murmuring, "Whom does he think he is? Only God can forgive sins?" Since Jesus knew what they were thinking, he asked them this question: "Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk?'"

For years I wondered why he asked that question. Clearly it was no more difficult to speak six words instead of four. So the difficulty couldn't be about the words. For him it was not any harder to forgive sins than heal the man. I was perplexed.

Well, I realized recently that the answer to the question is, "It is easier to say, 'your sins are forgiven.'" Why? Because there's no visible proof anything has taken place. Anybody can say, "Your sins are forgiven," because you can't disprove it. That's why Jesus went on to say, "But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, arise, take up your stretcher and go home.'" The healing was visible evidence he really did forgive the man's sins. So that we could all believe him when he said he had that authority from God.

I believe this is an encouraging word for us today. Because one of the cries of the church for so long has been to walk in the authority that the Bible says Jesus gave to his body. To not only do the miracles of healing and deliverance Jesus did, but also the greater miracles he said we would do someday. Nevertheless, except for a few individual ministries who always seem to be in far off corners of the world, this demonstration of God's authority on earth has been noticeably lacking.

Well, get ready. I believe the Lord's power is about to wash over the body of Christ like a tsunami. Believers have been telling folks for 2000 years that Jesus was the son of God who atoned for our sins. They have heard the message over and over and over again. Many have believed, but most have remained skeptical, even cynical. So in order that they may know "that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins," he will soon be empowering his body to say - "Arise, pick up your stretcher and go home." And they will!

Pretty soon, His weak and battered body of believers will arise with a new confidence in who we are and the authority we have in Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God. Like the Continental Army following a defeated winter in Valley Forge, we will come forth as the Army of God. "For the Lord says to my Lord, sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet" (Ps. 110:1) We are His feet! That's why Paul told us, that at the right time, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom 16:20).

The Body of Anti-Christ

2009-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

It became fairly obvious over the 2008 election period that objective reporting has virtually disappeared in America. It's now all about promoting ideology. From newspapers (like the N.Y. Times) to TV networks (like MSNBC) to other news media, only the news that fits their political viewpoint is presented. Stories that don't are just not reported, or slanted until they do fit, either negatively or positively.

And it's not just the news media. The same thing is happening in our educational system, government, judiciary, entertainment, and corporate world. There's a concerted effort to promote only one intolerant, politically-correct viewpoint with no thought for the truth or respect for other points of view. And as I'm sure you've noticed, the biblical world view is the least tolerated of all.

What's going on? I believe I know. It's the distorted mirror image of what's happening in the body of Messiah ("Christ," if you're into Greek).

For centuries the body of Messiah, which is the ecclesia ("Church," if you're into Gallic), has been a divided people. We got sold a bill of goods a long time ago that the body was made up of laity and clergy and that we were the laity. Our lifetime assignment was to go to work Monday to Friday (with Saturday off for good behavior for some) and focus all our attention and energies on our secular calling. It was not expected, nor encouraged, that we apply our Christian faith at our job, much less minister to anyone. We were to leave the ministering to the professionals. Sunday was the time when we could come out of the closet and be Christians.

Well that has been changing. The Holy Spirit is waking up more and more believers to discover that we are all ministers in Messiah. And that our area of calling is whatever occupation or location the Lord puts us in. And that calling is a seven-day affair, not just on Sunday. As a result, we are becoming single-minded, focused on advancing the coming Kingdom of God. And in the process we are "being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2;22). His body is coming together.

But so is the body of anti-christ. The spirit of anti-christ is causing those who are his to become single-minded, and to work together for a common purpose, also. They are not to be divided in their lives any more, either. They are to see their careers, whether newscaster, teacher, judge, bureaucrat, or film star, as opportunities to advance the kingdom of the evil one. They are to passionately promote his agenda and not be side-tracked by personal pursuits or fairness to the other side, which is seen as being counter-productive.

Sadly, they don't even notice they are being manipulated by this evil spirit to walk, talk, and think alike. That they are becoming slaves to a satanic drum beat that is driving them forward faster and faster in their arrogant indignation and purpose, as they slowly surrender their individuality and human dignity for the good of the cause.

"And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness" (2 Thessalonians. 2:11.12).

The tower and the city of Babylon is being rebuilt. And as the Lord observed the last time it was tried, if its inhabitants were allowed to continue to work together, "Then nothing [no evil] which they purpose to do will be impossible for them" (Genesis 11:6). That's why they and all their work will be destroyed again.

"But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth" (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

A Wind from the East

2009-05-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

There is a torrid wind about to blow in upon the West. The Arabs call this wind the Sirocco. Hot and gusty, laden with sand and dust, it occurs most frequently in May and October. It is the punishing "wind of the wilderness" that knocked down the house that killed Job's sons (Job 1:19), sank the ships of Tarshish (Ps. 48:7), and metaphorically drove the northern kingdom of God's people out of the land in judgment (Isaiah 27:8; Hosea 13:15).

It is no doubt the wind James was referring to when he said, "For the sun rises with a scorching wind, and withers the grass; and the flower falls off, and the beauty of the appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away" (James 1:11).

In Israel, it is the winnowing wind that helps the farmers separate the chaff from the wheat.

I believe the Lord is going to use this east wind to judge our self-indulgent Western world. And also to purify His people by separating us from all that is not based on the Word of God, namely our religious traditions that carry no weight in His Kingdom.

The wind is Islam.

I received this insight when asked to speak recently at a Philadelphia synagogue about the threat of the growing worldwide jihadist movement before a small crowd of Christians and Jews. The Lord told me to tell His people not to fear, that He would deliver them, if we would just trust in Him completely. That this coming invasion is what was prophesied in the Book of Joel. It is the army of locusts whose "appearance is like the appearance of horses...that will make the sun and the moon grow dark" (Joel 2:4,10). If you recall, it was the east wind that brought the locusts to Egypt in the eighth plague (Exodus 10:13). And this same east wind of judgment is headed our way.

This invasion, which introduces the Day of the Lord, will be so frightening that there will never be, nor has there ever been, a time like it. But just when it looks like nothing can withstand the onslaught of this army, the Lord will intervene and deliver His people: "I will remove the northern army far from you. I will drive it into a parched and desolate land, and its vanguard into the eastern sea and its rear guard into the western sea" (Joel 2:20).

"And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who will escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls" (Joel 2:32).

P.S. After posting this blog, I received this confirming e-mail from a believer who ministers in Israel:
"Wow bro! Right on target with the East Wind blog I just read from your site! I do not know if you know this but last week we had the most strange (even for local Israelis') a scorching East wind blow in that choked out the sky with dust and sand from the Eastern deserts....it was wild and tormenting!

The Millennial Reign of Messiah

2009-04-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

This blog came out of a recent phone conversation with a believer who did not think there would be a thousand-year reign of Christ (Messiah) on this earth. He believed that the solitary reference of such an event in the Book of Revelation (Chapter 20) was not enough to convince him it should be taken literally. That instead it should be understood spiritually, which meant seeing that the reign was already taking place now through the life of the believer.

Now I have never been able to keep all those theologies straight that are described as postmillennialism, premillenialism, dispensational premillennialism, and amillennialism. In restudying them last week, I decided the two premillennial viewpoints came closest to my understanding that Jesus would reign over the world for a 1000 years with Jerusalem as His capital, which would then be followed by the new heaven and the new earth. The view of my believer-friend on the phone was closest to the ammillennial and postmillennial view that dispenses with the visible reign altogether. Of the four view, the postmillennial one is the least attractive because it sees the world getting better and better through the influence of the gospel, culminating in the final judgment and new heaven and new earth. But one look at the world today shows you that ain't going to happen.

Anyway, the Lord just showed me this morning that contrary to popular understanding, the 1000-year-reign of Messiah is not just found mentioned in the 20th chapter of Revelation. Rather it is found throughout the Bible, only it is called "the Day of the Lord." As we know, the apostle Peter informed us that, "One day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). We are just so used to thinking of the "Day of the Lord" as a time of judgment, that we forget the judgment is just God's way of cleaning up the world to get ready for the new Day when he will bring in the promised times of worldwide blessing through His nation Israel. Of which all those in Messiah are included.

In addition to the "Day of the Lord" references, the "restoration of the Kingdom of David" in the promised land is one of the most prophesied events in the Old Testament. That's why the apostles asked Jesus just prior to His ascension, "Is it at this time that you are restoring the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). Clearly they were hoping it was, understanding that He was the promised son of David who would sit on that throne. However, it wasn't time for the kingdom to be manifested fully yet. The kingdom had come, but it would remain hidden within the hearts of those who were called to be His loyal citizens - on that point, I agree with my telephone friend - until all the lost sheep of Israel had been found and brought home. Then will the kingdom come - with a bang!

Paradigm Shift

2009-04-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is the first of what I hope will become many sharings from the heart.

I titled this blog "Paradigm Shift" because I believe an extraordinary milestone has been reached that will propel us soon into a dramatic new move of God. There is a movie playing in American theatres now entitled, "The Cross." It tells the story of Arthur Blessitt, the man whom God told to carry the cross literally to every island and nation in the world, preaching the gospel as he went. I myself, my wife, brother-in-law and his wife (girlfriend then) encountered him in Los Angeles in 1977 where he led both my b-i-l and s-i-l to the Lord! But as astounding as his 40-year walk (just completed) was, it is the prophetic significance of that feat I find even more incredible. For I believe it signifies the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14, where Jesus declared, "And this gospel shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to the nations (Gentiles), and then the end shall come."

For nearly 2000 years the gospel has been preached all over the earth. But never more so than in the previous century thanks to the introduction of televison, radio, advanced travel, film, hi-speed printing and the Internet. But the question has always been, how will we know it has officially reached all the nations of the world to the satisfaction of God so that it can be declared finished? We know now because we know Arthur Blessitt did it!

That tells me the grace given to us who are chosen from among the Gentiles to receive the gospel is now being withdrawn. But as this door shuts, and before this corrupt age is brought to an end and the kingdom of God arrives, another door of grace must open. This one to the Jewish people who, by God's design, have been blocked from seeing Jesus as their Messiah all these centuries. For Paul told us, "From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God's choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:28,29).

But Paul also told us a day would come when that block would be removed and the grace denied them so long would be given to them also. The event that would signal this transition would be the completion of the gospel to the Gentiles. "I do not want you brethren to be uninformed of this mystery, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel [the nation as represented then by the Jewish people], until the fullness of the Gentiles had come in [to Israel], thus all Israel [now represented by Jew and "Gentile" believer]will be saved" (Romans 11:25,26).

Therefore, if Arthur Blessitt's odyssey means what I think it means, then the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And we can expect a new Pentecostal outpouring of God's Spirit - the often prophesied latter rain - to deluge the Jews around the world to recognize their Messiah. Could it begin this Pentecost? When it starts to happen, and all those chosen from among the Jews awaken and join us in Messiah, then "all Israel" will then experience the salvation we have long awaited.