Stand Your Ground

The George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin trial and controversy has dominated the news and kitchen tables of America for months. The unprecedented insertion of comments by the President, along with the words of those who have a vested interest in inflaming race relations, prolonged the story far past the normal news cycle. And I, like most Americans, quickly wearied of it all. That is until I received a spiritual ding to consider that God might be using the controversy to say something to His people. One of the elements of the story is the controversial Florida law of "stand your ground." Although it played no actual role in the trial since Zimmerman rested his case on self-defense, nevertheless the 'stand your ground" law was continually pointed to as a key factor. The ding came after listening to one of my favorite songs, "I believe," by Josh Waller. The question asked in the song is, "Where do I stand concerning Israel? A question that could be applied to numerous challenging issues today, starting with homosexuality, abortion and Islam in the world arena. Or in the fellowship arena, whatever Biblical truths the Lord may have revealed to you that might run counter to traditional church theology. I believe our Father in heaven is drawing a line in the sand. He is saying the time of easy believing, especially in America, is coming to an end. It will soon begin to cost us majorly to stand for what we believe. It will be a time of testing to see if we are a true believer or not. When confronted with the loss of social acceptance among our peers, longtime friendships, career, income, family, freedom, or life itself - will we stand our ground? Or will we buckle? For God has promised to give us the grace to stand if we have the courage to do so. "Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). Nevertheless, I fear we will see a dramatic reduction in our ranks in the days ahead. And this must be so. For it is just as in the days of Yeshua on earth who realized he had many followers who only followed because it was comfortable to do so. But as the opposition grew, and Yeshua's words become more difficult to defend (see John 6:59-65) they fell away. They never were God's people to begin with. Let us determine to be part of the remnant of Israel - come what may. God grant us the grace to be today's Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego!

America has Spoken

I believe America has pledged a new allegiance as a result of our latest election. Especially since it seems around 20% of the so-called white, evangelical, Protestant community voted for the man who promoted such policies as homosexuality and the killing of the unborn, policies completely opposed to God's commands. In addition, an even higher percentage of Catholics and black Christians voted contrary to what they said they believed! So it can no longer be said we are "one nation under God." We have just witnessed a new American revolution in which we overthrew our acknowledged sovereign, Almighty God, and replaced Him with an administration that looks no higher than itself to determine the rule of law. Those of us who still acknowledge God as supreme lawgiver must now see we are "strangers in a strange land." That we are in exile. The real shock for true Christians, as well as for the Jews, is realizing we have always been in a foreign land living under a foreign power. Our situation is very much like the family of Jacob who fled to Egypt to survive a drought, dwelling prosperously under the benevolent reign of their brother Joseph. But then, after many years, awakening to a new sovereign. One "who knew not Joseph." A king who had no tolerance for this foreign people with their foreign God. Likewise, America with its benevolent constitution provided a safe and prosperous haven for God's people. We got so comfy cozy we thought this was the Promised Land. And our godly constitutional form of government akin to the government of God. But the truth is America has always been just one more gentile nation that comprises man's corrupt world system. This is not the land specifically promised to Abraham and his chosen seed. Nor is it the promised theocracy to be ruled over by the “son of David." Our American form of government may have been the best mankind has ever devised to try and stem the tide of evil – but it too has failed. Its constitutional protections have been breached. Our good law, like all law, inevitably exacerbated the problem of the sin embedded in mankind and produced more lawlessness. “Sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced coveting of every kind; for apart from the law, sin is dead.” But there is good news in all this. Because this election tells me we're getting close to the time for God to bring us home. "Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand, the remnant of His people, who will remain" (Isa. 11:11). It is not time to double-down and try to restore America to its former greatness. Pray for her, yes. For she still can do much good. But I believe America's time as a refuge for righteousness has passed. It is time to see that God is now "restoring the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6). Therefore, we need to begin to ready ourselves mentally, spiritually and emotionally to leave "Egypt." For “how can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” Evil is now on the ascendancy, and times will get very stressful. That must happen so evil can be eliminated forever. Jesus warned us it would occur just before he came back to rescue us (Matt. 24:21). The prophets Daniel (Dan. 12:1) and Jeremiah (Jer. 30:6,7)sounded the same warning with the same assurance of salvation. We need to wait patiently for it. There is a hope for our future. The kingdom is coming. “For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one (on earth). Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:14-16).

We need a Christian Hanukkah

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

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

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

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

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.