Tag Archives: Revelation

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Amir’s Bible Bites: Who Really Controls the Middle East?

 

So, are you blinded…or do you see?  It is perhaps the most important question you have ever answered.  So be certain of your answer!

Jesus said:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
~Revelation 22:13

For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’
~Isaiah 46:9-10

I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
~John 14:6

If you don’t know Him personally, now is the time!  He, and He alone, can save us from our sins, as well as from the wrath that is to come.

Find out how.

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…and the Shofar Blows!

 

This evening at sundown the shofar will blow, signaling the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish civil New Year.  Jewish people around the world will celebrate one of the most joyful days of the year.

Biblically speaking, though, it is the Feast of Trumpets…also a most joyful time!  If you follow this blog, or have heard Biblical teaching regarding the seven major feasts of Israel, you know that each feast points to Jesus, the Messiah…and Jesus fulfills each one.

But consider this: the four spring feasts…Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of First Fruits and Pentecost…have already been fulfilled.

  • Jesus was the Passover Lamb, sacrificed for our sins.
  • Jesus was striped, bruised and pierced for our transgression, symbolized by unleavened bread.
  • Jesus was the First Fruit, raised from the dead to redeem us from the curse of death.  We will follow Him in resurrection.  (Keep reading to understand!)
  • Jesus ascended to heaven, leaving us the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Yes, Jesus has fulfilled those feasts!  However, the feasts of Israel are God’s calendar, so we need to examine what comes next.

The Feast of Trumpets, the celebration of which begins at sundown, is highly significant.  The Bible tells us:

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
~1 Corinthians 15:51-57  (Emphasis mine)

Dear friends, when that trumpet sounds, we (believers) will be snatched out of this world to meet Jesus in the air. (That is called the rapture.)  Death has no reign.  Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so we who die before the rapture will be resurrected to eternal life.

God’s calendar is 100% accurate.  Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb, He was pierced and bruised for our transgressions, He was the first to raise from the dead (preparing the way for us), and He left the promised Holy Spirit to guide us.  We are awaiting the next event…the trumpet, signaling the rapture!

If you are reading this and do not know Jesus as your savior, today is the day.  We don’t know when the rapture will occur, but it could literally be any moment.  It is the next thing on God’s calendar, and those who miss it will be left to endure the tribulation…hell on earth, followed by eternal hell in a place beyond what can even be imagined.  Don’t miss your opportunity.

The Bible says:

There is someone reading this RIGHT NOW who is struggling to find meaning in life.  If that is YOU, stop what you are doing and read each of the verses linked above.  Then, pray this simple prayer, inviting Jesus to be your Savior:

Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.  Amen

Those words are not magic, but if you prayed sincerely, asking Jesus to do those very things, you ARE now a child of God!  Welcome to the family….and keep your ears open for that trumpet sound!

PS: The best thing you can do now is tell a Christian friend, or go to a Bible-teaching church and let them know that you prayed that prayer.  We all need help to grow in our new lives and that’s where you will find it!

Be blessed my friend!

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Israel Facing Worst Drought in Almost 100 Years

Image result for sea of galilee droughtIsrael is entering the 6th year of a major drought, with no relief in sight.  As a result, the Sea of Galilee, Israel’s primary source of water, is approaching a 100-year low.  In fact the water level is dangerously close to the level in which intake pipes of water pumps will be above the water line, making it impossible to pump needed water out of the Galilee to neighboring farmland and orchards.

Fortunately, about 70% of Israel’s drinking water now comes from desalination plants along the Mediterranean Sea.  If not for that fact, Israel would quickly be out of water.  Regardless, water needs are such that authorities are warning residents that water consumption may be limited within a year or so.

I am reminded of a time when water will not be an issue!  Zechariah 14 describes that glorious day when, after gathering the nations against Jerusalem, Jesus steps foot on the Mount of Olives to take care of business!  A mighty earthquake will split the Eastern Gate wide open and He will enter.  Then, notice:

And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.
~Zechariah 14:8

Plenty of water will flow from Jerusalem (of all places!)

However, today’s drought is real, and I hope you will join me in praying for the Lord to bless Israel with significant rainfall.  But there is a greater need.  Jesus described Himself as “Living Water” in John 4:7-14.  Then, in Revelation 22:17, He says:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

A greater drought is occurring in the heart and soul of the Jewish people.  Spiritually, they are thirsty, and we (the bride of Christ) join with the Spirit of God, saying “Come…drink from the Living Water!”  God will take care of physical drought conditions, but only Jesus can rid the spiritual drought.

As we’re “about our Father’s business” in these last days, let’s engage in the task before us.  Let’s pray for Jews and Gentiles alike, who are experiencing spiritual drought.  We know the solution!  Are we sharing it?

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A Deeper Look at Psalm 122: Verses 2-3

PFTPOJ

A song of ascent, Psalm 122 was recited (or sung) by the Jewish people as they made the trek to Jerusalem three times a year for the feasts.  They were anxious to go “up to Jerusalem” for those special times of fellowship with God.

We’re studying Psalm 122 this week and focus on verses 2-3 today:

2 Our feet are standing
Within your gates, O Jerusalem,
3 Jerusalem, that is built
As a city that is compact together

“…a city that is compact together” is an interesting phrase, translated many different ways: “joined together,” “bound together,” “knitted together,” “compact together,” and “solidly joined.” But a literal translation is: “joined to itself together.”  The Hebrew word “חֻבְּרָה” appears only once in the entire Bible – here.

It is a word that means “friend,” and has the connotation of joining together.  Just as Exodus 26:11 indicates the curtains in the tabernacle were joined together as a single unit, so Jerusalem is joined together.  Not to something else, but to itself!

If Jerusalem is joined or compacted together, there must be two parts! Jerusalem must have a “friend” or “companion!”  Might that companion be another Jerusalem in heaven?

There is basis for that in the Hebrew language.  Transliterated, YerushalAYIM = Jerusalem.  Notice the suffix “AYIM.”  It is plural!  There is a Jerusalem here on earth, but also a new Jerusalem to come (Revelation 21:2).  Two Jerusalems…”friends/companions!”

But here is another interesting tidbit regarding the joining together of Jerusalem to itself.  The UN designated Jerusalem an international city in 1947.  Yet, the war of 1948 resulted in Jordan taking control of East Jerusalem, leaving only West Jerusalem to the Jews.  In 1967, however, Jerusalem was reunited when Israel won the Six Day War!  Once again joining Jerusalem to itself!

Today, the battle continues to rage over Jerusalem.  There is a constant “tearing” of the city, yet it is God’s Holy City and will ultimately not only be joined to itself on earth, but will be joined together spiritually with the new Jerusalem!

Pray for that city, dear friends!

See you tomorrow when we look at the next portion of Psalm 122!