August 7
“Then Pilate said to Him, ‘Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" Jesus answered, ‘You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin," John 19:10-11.
The clearest examples of enemies of the church are often found in established religious and governmental leaders. In Christ’s day, these leaders were men such as Caiaphas who was the high priest as well as men among the Pharisees and Sadducees, Pilate, the Herods, and others of their ilk who willingly cooperated in persecuting believers.
This is still true in our day. Civil governments and false church leaders are yet among the true church's most dangerous adversaries. But we who are the Lord’s need not fear the power wielded by the forces that desire nothing less than to destroy the Church of the Living God.
As Jesus informed Pilate, He also informs us, the only power these governmental and religious entities possess is ultimately authority from God. The authority they have would not be theirs if God did not allow them to wield it.
Proverbs 21:1 adds an important aspect to this truth: "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." The Living Bible states it thusly, "Just as water is turned into irrigation ditches, so the Lord directs the king's thoughts, He turns them wherever He wants to."
If the thoughts of a king—representing the supreme power of a nation—are in God's hand, and He has the power to influence his decisions toward the outcome that pleases Him, are not all human governors completely under the sovereign control of our God?
Indeed, God has the power to move all history in the direction He wishes it to go. As Paul says in Romans 13:1-2, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Consequently, to resist governmental and spiritual authority is to resist the power that God has allowed to reign for a season.
God reveals that in the final analysis, all civil magistrates, from the emperor on down to the lower authorities—and religious authorities as well—owe their right to govern ultimately to the Almighty Himself.
In John 5:17, Jesus affirms the source of all human authority when He says, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” God's continuous ruling over the affairs of men is made evident in this statement. He is always actively involved in bringing His purpose to pass.
It is His will that authorities maintain order, encourage good conduct, and punish wrongdoing. Of course there are times when those whom He appoints overstep their bounds. Indeed there are times when they allow themselves to become instruments of the evil one, yet even if they do, they will be in power only as long as the Holy One allows.
When that day of His appearing breaks forth, all men of high and low degree will find their works “tried by fire,” I Corinthians 3:13, and only that which has been done in accordance with the will of the Father shall stand. May we and our endeavors be found among those that survive the fire of His judgment.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Christ's Sole Desire
August 6
“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers,” Acts 2:41, 42.
It is astounding how many people are receiving the good news of the Gospel of Christ today. Nations that have been virtually cut off from the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and His propitiatory life, death and resurrection are coming to the Lord in record numbers. And it isn’t because the regions of the world in which they live have softened their policies on evangelism.
Missionaries are still barred from the areas of our planet that have long been closed to the activities of missionaries and Bible societies. The occasional clandestine outreach may have some small measure of success, but there is a methodology in play for reaching the lost in the darkest regions of the world that is far more effective than anything that has yet been done in these parts of the globe.
The Lord Himself is visiting people who have not known Him through visions and dreams and signs and wonders. Jesus is busily “drawing all men,” even as He said He would in John 12:32. He has been lifted up and the risen Lord is introducing Himself to people around the world who have not been allowed to be introduced to Him via traditional means.
One visitor to a ‘closed’ country tells of being in one of two lines at a local post office in the city where he was visiting. He tells of a man in the other line who heard God’s voice speak to him that he should move into the second line and speak to the man who was described to him. When he approached the man with the story of his message from the Lord, the man eagerly shared the gospel with him. They met together several times before the foreign gentleman had to depart the area and much was accomplished through their encounters.
Another newly saved individual tells his amazing story of being awakened in the night by a brilliant beam of light at the opposite side of the room from his bed. When he looked at the light, a figure began to take form within it and then to emerge from it. The figure of light sat beside him on his bed and introduced Himself as Jesus. He told the man He loved him and had died for him and desired him to live eternally with Him in heaven. The man gave his life to the Lord in that moment.
When people receive the Gospel through such extraordinary means they are bold and fearless in their proclamation of the word to those around them. Once they have heard the voice of the King of kings, no edicts of earthly potentates can intimidate them. Once they have sat in the presence of the Holy One, no mere mortal can dissuade them from sharing the good news with whomever they encounter.
Once they receive the Truth that sets them free, they gladly become baptized and willingly devote themselves even unto death to the sharing of the Word and to the purpose of the Christ whose sole desire is that men be set free from the perils of sin and become alive in Him forevermore.
“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers,” Acts 2:41, 42.
It is astounding how many people are receiving the good news of the Gospel of Christ today. Nations that have been virtually cut off from the message of salvation through Jesus Christ and His propitiatory life, death and resurrection are coming to the Lord in record numbers. And it isn’t because the regions of the world in which they live have softened their policies on evangelism.
Missionaries are still barred from the areas of our planet that have long been closed to the activities of missionaries and Bible societies. The occasional clandestine outreach may have some small measure of success, but there is a methodology in play for reaching the lost in the darkest regions of the world that is far more effective than anything that has yet been done in these parts of the globe.
The Lord Himself is visiting people who have not known Him through visions and dreams and signs and wonders. Jesus is busily “drawing all men,” even as He said He would in John 12:32. He has been lifted up and the risen Lord is introducing Himself to people around the world who have not been allowed to be introduced to Him via traditional means.
One visitor to a ‘closed’ country tells of being in one of two lines at a local post office in the city where he was visiting. He tells of a man in the other line who heard God’s voice speak to him that he should move into the second line and speak to the man who was described to him. When he approached the man with the story of his message from the Lord, the man eagerly shared the gospel with him. They met together several times before the foreign gentleman had to depart the area and much was accomplished through their encounters.
Another newly saved individual tells his amazing story of being awakened in the night by a brilliant beam of light at the opposite side of the room from his bed. When he looked at the light, a figure began to take form within it and then to emerge from it. The figure of light sat beside him on his bed and introduced Himself as Jesus. He told the man He loved him and had died for him and desired him to live eternally with Him in heaven. The man gave his life to the Lord in that moment.
When people receive the Gospel through such extraordinary means they are bold and fearless in their proclamation of the word to those around them. Once they have heard the voice of the King of kings, no edicts of earthly potentates can intimidate them. Once they have sat in the presence of the Holy One, no mere mortal can dissuade them from sharing the good news with whomever they encounter.
Once they receive the Truth that sets them free, they gladly become baptized and willingly devote themselves even unto death to the sharing of the Word and to the purpose of the Christ whose sole desire is that men be set free from the perils of sin and become alive in Him forevermore.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Without Qualification
August 5
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ,” Galatians 3:27-28.
When our Father God looks upon His human family, He does not see us as distinguished by our nation of origin or by our skin color or by our financial acumen or our social standing or our political clout. Our Lord does not restrict His gift of salvation to one location on the globe or to one segment of the world’s population.
Our Savior has opened His loving arms to all mankind and His edict has gone forth which says, “Whosoever will may come, and whosoever will may drink of the water of the river of life freely,” Revelation 22:17. There is no pre-qualifying requisite; there is no limited number that may respond.
The only restrictive factor is a man’s own will. “Whosoever will…” makes it clear that not everyone who’s ever born will be born again. It is only those who desire to be reborn of the spirit and the blood who will allow themselves to be “washed in the blood of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world,” John 1:29, who will know the cleansing power of Calvary’s flood.
As John 3:16 states clearly, “God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus Himself said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” John 3:3. He goes on to expound this thought in John 3:7-21:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell from whence it comes or where it goes. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit.
“Nicodemus answered and said to Him, 'How can these things be?'
“Jesus responded by asking, ‘Are you a master of Israel, and know not these things? Verily, verily, I say to you, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you will not receive our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
“And no man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes into the light, for fear his deeds should be found out and reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are patterned after the heart of God.”
This makes it quite clear that “God is no respecter of persons,” Acts 10:34. No man is disqualified from eternal salvation on any basis but his own volition. Only his will can prevent him from becoming a blood-washed child of the Living and True God. Should we not all receive this free gift as it is given—without qualification!
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ,” Galatians 3:27-28.
When our Father God looks upon His human family, He does not see us as distinguished by our nation of origin or by our skin color or by our financial acumen or our social standing or our political clout. Our Lord does not restrict His gift of salvation to one location on the globe or to one segment of the world’s population.
Our Savior has opened His loving arms to all mankind and His edict has gone forth which says, “Whosoever will may come, and whosoever will may drink of the water of the river of life freely,” Revelation 22:17. There is no pre-qualifying requisite; there is no limited number that may respond.
The only restrictive factor is a man’s own will. “Whosoever will…” makes it clear that not everyone who’s ever born will be born again. It is only those who desire to be reborn of the spirit and the blood who will allow themselves to be “washed in the blood of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world,” John 1:29, who will know the cleansing power of Calvary’s flood.
As John 3:16 states clearly, “God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus Himself said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again,” John 3:3. He goes on to expound this thought in John 3:7-21:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell from whence it comes or where it goes. So is everyone that is born of the Spirit.
“Nicodemus answered and said to Him, 'How can these things be?'
“Jesus responded by asking, ‘Are you a master of Israel, and know not these things? Verily, verily, I say to you, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and you will not receive our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and you believe not, how shall you believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
“And no man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light, neither comes into the light, for fear his deeds should be found out and reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are patterned after the heart of God.”
This makes it quite clear that “God is no respecter of persons,” Acts 10:34. No man is disqualified from eternal salvation on any basis but his own volition. Only his will can prevent him from becoming a blood-washed child of the Living and True God. Should we not all receive this free gift as it is given—without qualification!
Monday, August 4, 2014
Covered by the Blood of the Lamb
August 4
“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,” Revelation 6:15.
"They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily," Isaiah 2:19
“Say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'"Hosea 10:8.
In that amazing day when the wrath of God is poured out, men and women of every origin, status, race and creed—from king to slave—will flee for the caves under the mountains in a vain attempt to hide themselves from God and from the “wrath of the Lamb,” Revelation 6:16.
They are attempting to avoid God’s judgment by finding a refuge of safety but this would be an unsuccessful mission, for their intent to secure a place to hide from the Holy One must fail. There is nowhere that the eyes of the Holy One cannot see. Instead of hiding in the clefts of the rocks, they should be hiding in the arms of the Lamb, but they refuse His call, "Come unto Me," Matthew 11:28 .
Perhaps we see a parallel today when terrorists creep into Israel through tunnels with the intent of wreaking havoc upon the Israeli population. When they are discovered, they flee back into their tunnels, which, it is reported, have their entrances in the homes of Palestinian civilians.
Their cowardice in hiding behind the skirts of women and the toys of children should be a source of shame to them but they despise the Jews with such intensity that they cannot comprehend the injustice of their exposing their own children to retaliation. Their end, killing the Jews, justifies any means in the single focus of their hate-filled eye.
The peace for which the world searches vainly will only come, in the words of Golda Maier, "When they love their children more than they hate us."
Perhaps this is a foretaste of the way it shall be at the end of time when the wrath of the Holy One comes upon the rebellion of men. From the lowliest of men to the most high born, they shall flee to the mountains to cover them from the impending doom of God’s judgment.
That avenue of escape will not be viable on that day, however. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “Behold now is the accepted time; behold today is the day of salvation,” II Corinthians 6:2.
If man hopes to escape the wrath of God when His fury is unleashed against sinful mankind, he must not turn to the mountains or the rocks to cover him but to the blood of the Lamb of God that was poured out for his salvation on Mount Calvary (see Matthew 26:28.)
“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,” Revelation 6:15.
"They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, from the terror of the LORD and the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth mightily," Isaiah 2:19
“Say to the mountains, 'Cover us!' and to the hills, 'Fall on us!'"Hosea 10:8.
In that amazing day when the wrath of God is poured out, men and women of every origin, status, race and creed—from king to slave—will flee for the caves under the mountains in a vain attempt to hide themselves from God and from the “wrath of the Lamb,” Revelation 6:16.
They are attempting to avoid God’s judgment by finding a refuge of safety but this would be an unsuccessful mission, for their intent to secure a place to hide from the Holy One must fail. There is nowhere that the eyes of the Holy One cannot see. Instead of hiding in the clefts of the rocks, they should be hiding in the arms of the Lamb, but they refuse His call, "Come unto Me," Matthew 11:28 .
Perhaps we see a parallel today when terrorists creep into Israel through tunnels with the intent of wreaking havoc upon the Israeli population. When they are discovered, they flee back into their tunnels, which, it is reported, have their entrances in the homes of Palestinian civilians.
Their cowardice in hiding behind the skirts of women and the toys of children should be a source of shame to them but they despise the Jews with such intensity that they cannot comprehend the injustice of their exposing their own children to retaliation. Their end, killing the Jews, justifies any means in the single focus of their hate-filled eye.
The peace for which the world searches vainly will only come, in the words of Golda Maier, "When they love their children more than they hate us."
Perhaps this is a foretaste of the way it shall be at the end of time when the wrath of the Holy One comes upon the rebellion of men. From the lowliest of men to the most high born, they shall flee to the mountains to cover them from the impending doom of God’s judgment.
That avenue of escape will not be viable on that day, however. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “Behold now is the accepted time; behold today is the day of salvation,” II Corinthians 6:2.
If man hopes to escape the wrath of God when His fury is unleashed against sinful mankind, he must not turn to the mountains or the rocks to cover him but to the blood of the Lamb of God that was poured out for his salvation on Mount Calvary (see Matthew 26:28.)
Sunday, August 3, 2014
He Will Not Let You Fall
May you be blessed at the point of your need, for Jesus is faithful, and He will not let you fall!
Purchased and Set Free
August 3
”For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception who must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—for the sake of dishonest gain…To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good,” Titus 1:10, 15, 16.
Paul is emphatic—false teachers must be stopped! The Apostle is not speaking of violence here, rather, he is insisting that each believer be steeped in the knowledge of the truth so he will be able to refute the insidious seeds of corruption of the faith that these rebellious teachers sow among households who are not grounded in truth.
Those purveyors of falsehood are not among the pure, to whom all things are pure but instead disbelieve the truth they profess to share and allow their corrupted minds to twist and distort the truth of Christ into a detestable product of deception and darkness. Their intent is to scatter their evil seeds of demonic distortion in order to lure the unwary away from the truth that has the power to set them free.
The worst of these false teachers are among the congregation of the faithful. Upon first notice, they seem to blend in, they appear to be ardent students of the gospel of Christ and fervent sharers of the truth and its power. It is upon closer scrutiny that their duplicity becomes clear to those who know the truth and who have been set free by the truth.
But to the babes in Christ who are not anchored in the Word, their subtle distortions of the ministry of Christ to the lost becomes a path of deception that leads them away from the truth that sets men free into the quagmire of false doctrine that causes the unwary to be bound by lies to the doctrines of devils.
Besides false teachers in the congregation of the righteous, we also have persons of their ilk among people of prominence who impact our schools and social institutions and governmental agencies with their pseudo knowledge and scheming distortions that have the power to turn multitudes from pursuit of true faith to embrace of subtle deception.
May the Lord help us to extol the truth that makes us free, to expound the word that is forever “yea and amen in Christ,” II Corinthians 1:20, and to encourage others to anchor their lives for time and eternity to the only true and living God who has purchased us so He can set us free.
”For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception who must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—for the sake of dishonest gain…To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good,” Titus 1:10, 15, 16.
Paul is emphatic—false teachers must be stopped! The Apostle is not speaking of violence here, rather, he is insisting that each believer be steeped in the knowledge of the truth so he will be able to refute the insidious seeds of corruption of the faith that these rebellious teachers sow among households who are not grounded in truth.
Those purveyors of falsehood are not among the pure, to whom all things are pure but instead disbelieve the truth they profess to share and allow their corrupted minds to twist and distort the truth of Christ into a detestable product of deception and darkness. Their intent is to scatter their evil seeds of demonic distortion in order to lure the unwary away from the truth that has the power to set them free.
The worst of these false teachers are among the congregation of the faithful. Upon first notice, they seem to blend in, they appear to be ardent students of the gospel of Christ and fervent sharers of the truth and its power. It is upon closer scrutiny that their duplicity becomes clear to those who know the truth and who have been set free by the truth.
But to the babes in Christ who are not anchored in the Word, their subtle distortions of the ministry of Christ to the lost becomes a path of deception that leads them away from the truth that sets men free into the quagmire of false doctrine that causes the unwary to be bound by lies to the doctrines of devils.
Besides false teachers in the congregation of the righteous, we also have persons of their ilk among people of prominence who impact our schools and social institutions and governmental agencies with their pseudo knowledge and scheming distortions that have the power to turn multitudes from pursuit of true faith to embrace of subtle deception.
May the Lord help us to extol the truth that makes us free, to expound the word that is forever “yea and amen in Christ,” II Corinthians 1:20, and to encourage others to anchor their lives for time and eternity to the only true and living God who has purchased us so He can set us free.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
I Will Bless Those Who Bless You
August 2
“I will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, and I will be the glory inside the city.” Zechariah 2:5.
The God of Creation loves His people Israel. It is His intention to do them good and to bless them. Though they have suffered sore trials through their long spiritual journey, they have never been abandoned by the Lord who always delivers them from their distress. He will not abandon them today.
He will “never fail them nor forsake them,” Hebrews 13:5. That thought was not original to Paul, for Moses had spoken it originally in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
In Isaiah 41:10, the Lord says to His people, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will help you, I will strengthen you; I will hold you up with My strong right hand.” As we see turmoil that appears virtually endless swirling around Israeli soil, the rest of the world should be mindful of God’s promise to His people.
It is prophesied that in the Last Days, “…all the earth shall be gathered together against Israel,” Zechariah 12:3. In fact, the prophet introduces the verse by saying that the Jews will be “a burdensome stone” to all the people of the earth. The events that are unfolding in the Middle East at this juncture in time give us reason to contemplate the words of Zechariah 12:
“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, says the LORD, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
In that day, says the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.’
In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”
As with the entirety of prophecy, it becomes clearer as the time of its fulfillment draws near. This seems far more relevant to us today than it did to even our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, for today there is a restored nation of Israel that has emerged from the wasteland. We see how the Jews have, through their diligent effort and ingenuity caused “the desert to bloom like a rose,” Isaiah 35:1.
As we search the scripture to find more evidence of the Lord’s hand of power and protection over His ancient people, may we become resolute in our determination to speak in their behalf among the gathering nations that desire their destruction, knowing that the Holy One has said, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you,” Genesis 12:3.
“I will be a wall of fire around Jerusalem, and I will be the glory inside the city.” Zechariah 2:5.
The God of Creation loves His people Israel. It is His intention to do them good and to bless them. Though they have suffered sore trials through their long spiritual journey, they have never been abandoned by the Lord who always delivers them from their distress. He will not abandon them today.
He will “never fail them nor forsake them,” Hebrews 13:5. That thought was not original to Paul, for Moses had spoken it originally in Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
In Isaiah 41:10, the Lord says to His people, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will help you, I will strengthen you; I will hold you up with My strong right hand.” As we see turmoil that appears virtually endless swirling around Israeli soil, the rest of the world should be mindful of God’s promise to His people.
It is prophesied that in the Last Days, “…all the earth shall be gathered together against Israel,” Zechariah 12:3. In fact, the prophet introduces the verse by saying that the Jews will be “a burdensome stone” to all the people of the earth. The events that are unfolding in the Middle East at this juncture in time give us reason to contemplate the words of Zechariah 12:
“The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, says the LORD, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him.
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.
In that day, says the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness.
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.’
In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.
The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.
And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;
All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”
As with the entirety of prophecy, it becomes clearer as the time of its fulfillment draws near. This seems far more relevant to us today than it did to even our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, for today there is a restored nation of Israel that has emerged from the wasteland. We see how the Jews have, through their diligent effort and ingenuity caused “the desert to bloom like a rose,” Isaiah 35:1.
As we search the scripture to find more evidence of the Lord’s hand of power and protection over His ancient people, may we become resolute in our determination to speak in their behalf among the gathering nations that desire their destruction, knowing that the Holy One has said, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you,” Genesis 12:3.
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