Category Archives: Prophecy

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Beyond Covid-19: Is There A Word from the Lord? Part 05 Prosperity During Crisis

 

 

Crisis: It is not a happy, ‘feel good’ word, and we would prefer not to even hear about it. Yet, as the maxim goes: When you understand the nature of a problem, you are halfway towards a solution.

Yet there is more. While for some, crisis can mean the ‘end of the world,’ for others, it can be the womb of opportunity. Biblical greats faced serious crises, in some cases, insoluble by human means. When God was all they had, they wonderfully discovered that God was all they needed.

 

With bush fires, droughts, pandemic, lockdown, riots and recession, is it even possible to even contemplate surviving, even succeeding, where others struggle or fall?

The answer is ‘Yes.’ It is possible to prosper during crisis.

Here is a prime example. It comes from the Book of Genesis.

Genesis 26: If you think our challenges are great, spare a thought for the Biblical characters. The patriarch Isaac dwelt in the promised land, as God commanded him, yet his faith was being put to a severe test. The ‘land of milk and honey’ was afflicted with drought and famine.

What do you do?

The normal response was to do what everyone else was doing – Go to Egypt. His father Abraham, and his son Jacob ended up doing that very thing and for the very same reason – famine. In that great land the mighty Nile River provided the water and fertile soil to make it a breadbasket. As the holy family found out in Matthew 2, Egypt was also a refuge from danger. However, if we are going to prosper in crisis, we have to go beyond the ‘good idea’ and embrace the ‘God-idea,’ even if we are the only ones doing it.

The God-Idea: This comes by ‘waiting on the Lord’ and ‘hearing the Word of the Lord,’ since God speaks (Hebrews 1:1-2). In Isaac’s case, God told him to do the exact opposite that everyone else is doing. God said to ‘Dwell in the land’ (Genesis 26:2-3). Isaac wisely chose to ‘follow the cloud, not the crowd.’

Promise for obedience: God promised to bless, cause Isaac to inherit the land, see Abraham’s covenant fulfilled, plus bestow on him many descendants and be a source of universal blessing. Remember, that New Testament believers have also been given many promises and they are all ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). However, God expects our full cooperation for this to come to pass.

Response: Jesus often said that, ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ (Matthew 22:14). What makes the difference between ‘many called’ and ‘chosen few?’ The ‘chosen’ say, ‘Yes’ when God calls. While Isaac’s verbal response was not recorded, his actions spoke louder than words. (26:6): So Isaac dwelt in the land. He was truly chosen.

Reap: (26:12) Isaac chose to obey and dwell. This verse gives a remarkable point: Isaac sowed in the land and in the same year he reaped 100-fold – and the Lord blessed Him. He prospered with flocks, herds, and servants. Remember, this sowing and reaping was in a time of drought and famine. Yes, it is possible to prosper in crisis, but one must do as Isaac did.

When a person comes to Christ, they are not just part of their earthly family – they join God’s family. At the new birth, they become dual-citizens of their native land but also of God’s kingdom. And, remember this, the person of faith is not just tied to the local, national, and global economy; if they obey Biblical principles of finance, they are stakeholders in God’s ‘recession-proof’ economy.

Next time, we will explore this topic more, as well as how to handle opposition.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

2020 US Presidential Election: Watch & Pray

 

The US Presidential election will be held on Tuesday 3 November 2020. It is clearly the most unusual US election in history. It has been defined and limited by a pandemic. There was no big party convention with 1000s in attendance. Many events have been virtual. One candidate is hardly on the campaign trail at all, preferring to stay in his basement. Who could have imagined such a scenario, even a year ago?

One of the big concerns for the 2020 election is that voters will be looking at personality rather than policy. This is a big mistake. Serious governance is influenced by personality but ultimately guided by policy. There are serious issues at stake and we need to focus on them.One of the big concerns for the 2020 election is that voters will be looking at personality rather than policy. This is a big mistake. Serious governance is influenced by personality but ultimately guided by policy. There are serious issues at stake and we need to focus on them.

The Economy

This is often the Number One concern of most voters. In normal elections, the health of the economy can make or break an incumbent leader. Again, the situation is unusual: at the beginning of 2020 the US economy was in great shape in most areas (the federal deficit being the exception). Then the pandemic came, the economy was partially closed down, growth stagnated and many lost their jobs.

While there has been a partial reopening and rebounding, unemployment is an still and issue and also the US federal deficit. There was a stimulus bill of 2 trillion (two times a million dollars a million) earlier this year and there is the plan to run up another 2 trillion, with around $25 trillion currently.

Do we really want to pass on this debt to our children and grandchildren?

And if we demand fiscal responsibility and restraint, the government will turn around and ask: which federal programs do you want to cut first? Let’s start with ‘kosher food,’ and get rid of the pork ….

Questions: Do the candidates promise a tax cut? Or a tax increase? Will they retain tariffs on steel and China, or will they lift them? (Remember: tax cuts can stimulate business, which brings more revenue. Higher taxes are not necessarily applied to the deficit – usually, they go to fund new programs).

Foreign Affairs

As a superpower, US national elections are never exclusively about the United States. Its role as a military and economic leader influences what happens in the rest of the world. While there have been some peace breakthroughs in the Middle East, there are challenges ahead: UK and Brexit, negotiating a trade deal with the European Union and USA; Iran, its nuclear program and EMP capability (which they claim could affect 90% of the US population); the Iran nuclear deal JCPOA; the rise of China, its economic and military ambitions, and Covid-19;

Questions: What are the candidates policies on Iran and China? Do they want to send troops to the Middle East or withdraw them?

The Judiciary

The Trump administration has appointed literally 100s of judges at different levels, including two confirmed to the US Supreme Court. His appointment of ‘conservative’ justices is not necessarily a political thing, but constitutional: they take the constitution as it is written, which advocates limited government, separation of powers, balance of powers. ‘Liberal justices’ look at the Constitution as ‘living, breathing,’ and have been able to find ‘rights’ to socially progressive issues that are nowhere mentioned in the Constitution. This is called ‘judicial activism,’ or legislating from the court bench. This is a breach of the separation of powers and balance of powers principles of the Constitution.

Questions: Do the candidates want originalist conservative justices or judicial activists? Do they want to ‘pack’ the Supreme Court?

Moral Issues

This covers several areas but especially abortion, which continues to be a ‘hot-potato’ 47 years after the US Supreme Court legalised it. The court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was considered a compromise which was meant to put the issue to rest. Instead, it has been seething for decades; the most contentious American issue since the abolition of slavery 150 years ago. The two presidential candidates diametrically opposite positions on this issue.

Questions: Where do the candidates stand on abortion?

National Sovereignty

Immigration, legal and illegal, is a big ticket item throughout the western world: Europe, Australia, Israel, and the United States. Do you want border enforcement?

Style and Size of Government

Do you look to the government to meet your needs? Do have health care funded by the government called ‘Medicare for All?’ A Green New Deal? Or do you want limited government, which maximises freedoms?

Gun Control

For non-Americans, it is hard to understand the emotion attached to gun ownership in the United States. It is an indisputable right of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. There has been far more heat than light on this issue, but the bottom line is this: Should the Second Amendment be honoured or should there be even more stringent control on guns than there already is?

Religious Liberty

America has always been a beacon of religious freedom, starting with the English Puritans who sailed from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower and established the Massachusetts colony exactly 400 years ago. Yet, there are ominous signs that the New Left deliberately aims to curtail religious freedom for the sake of ‘equality,’ ‘tolerance,’ and ‘social justice.’

Questions: What priority, if any, do the individual candidates have on religious liberty? It is a high priority for you? Or it is expendable in order to advance the rights of sexual minorities?

Power in prayer

Whether you are American or not, you all have a vote. It’s call effectual fervent prayer with avails much (James 5:16b). With the stakes so high, be informed and prayer without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

It’s time to ‘watch and pray’ (Matthew 26:41)

A NOTE ON RESOURCES:

For the sake of being informed, here are some resources:

Intercessors for America offer a plethora of information on all sorts of issues. You can find them at:

https://ifapray.org

The Democratic Party platform can be found here:

https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf

The Republican Party, because of the limitations of the 2020 convention, decided not to adopt a new platform, but continue to use the 2016 America First agenda. You can read the 2016 here:

https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/docs/Resolution_Platform_2020.pdf

A comparison of the policy positions of the Democrats and Republicans can be found here.

https://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF18H05.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

THE COMING US SUPREME COURT BATTLE: WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

 

If 2020 were not eventful enough – Covid, lockdown, economic downturn, wild-fires, hurricanes, and a rowdy presidential campaign – the temperature is about to burst out of thermometer. Now there is a vacancy in the US Supreme Court. If you thought that the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings were turbulent … put on your seatbelts for a potentially wild ride.

 

Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS), Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female justice, died on the 18th of September. Known affectionately as RBG, she had a sharp mind, steel determination, and was universally respected by leftists and conservatives alike. She successfully fought for women’s right in the workplace. Her philosophy was autonomy for women, equality with men. As a left-of-centre judge, she sided with the liberal wing of the court consistently. Since Trump’s presidency ‘RBG’ became a cultural icon to the Left.

What happens next is that the current US President Donald Trump nominates a new justice to fill the empty seat, and it must be confirmed by the US Senate. In times gone by, this was a normal Constitutional procedure but the culture war has converted this process for an apolitical position into a political storm. The clouds are rolling in.

PURPOSE OF SCOTUS

Like other western democracies, sound governance requires independent branches of government: the executive, legislative, and judiciary. With the appropriate ‘checks and balances’ and ‘separation of powers,’ no one gets too much power and the wheels of government move smoothly for the benefit of all.

The Supreme Court, consisting of nine appointed justices-for-life, are meant to be an non-partisan constitutional umpires. They are supposed to determine the constitutionality of any given legislation, and nothing more.

LEFT TURN

From the 1950s, if not earlier, SCOTUS started to turn left and drift from its original purpose. Justices no longer stayed in their box by measuring laws according to the Constitution. Instead they became activists for ‘social justice’ and ‘left-wing causes.’

The results of this included banning prayer and Bible study in public schools, permitting porn novels, allowing a confessed a raptist-murderer released on a technicality because he wasn’t told his right to a lawyer when questioned; enabling other murderers to get off lightly because ‘they did poorly in school.’

THE TURNING POINT: ROE VS. WADE 1973

Of all the rulings in the 20th Century, the most notorious of all was Roe vs. Wade on 22 January, 1973 (the very day former President Lyndon Baines Johnson died). This ruling changed everything. In a 7-2 ruling, SCOTUS decreed abortion rights be given to women across the United States.

The justices took the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, meant to preserve ‘life, liberty and property,’ and used it to create a ‘woman’s right to privacy.’ No where is there an explicit or implicit mention of such a right. Even if the Constitution did point to a right to privacy, how does it justify abortion? In essence, SCOTUS created the right to abortion out of thin air. The Constitution was totally irrelevant.

Roe vs. Wade changed everything. Justices were now dictating public policy from the court bench. The seven unelected judges had become de facto super legislators. Roe overruled the laws of around 30 US states with the stroke of a pen. From 1973 onward, SCOTUS would continue to interfere with states rights, religious liberty, sanctity of marriage, and the list goes on.

Make no mistake about it: no single-institution, be it academia, the media, Hollywood, or the Democratic Party – has had the single-most radical impact on society during the current culture war than the Supreme Court. Don’t be fooled – just because a person wears a black robe does not make them a paragon of traditional values and conservatism. SCOTUS has greatly contributed to the long march towards a progressive utopia.

Over the decades conservatives watched in dismay as SCOTUS made decision after decision that departed from the Constitution, eroded the checks and balances in government, and undermined Judaeo-Christian values. The US Framers of the Constitution would be shocked at how the Supreme Court has evolved. This central document is not a mere suggestion; it is the law of the land.

What’s worse is that Republican Presidents would nominate seeming conservatives or moderates, only to have them drift to the Left. This happened with William Brennan, nominated by Dwight Eisenhower; Warren Burger, a Nixon appointee; David Souter from Bush 41; and the current Chief Justice John Roberts, nominated by Bush 43. Every one of these justices cast off judicial restraint and joined the leftist wing of the court.

Why did this happen? Possibly they succumbed to pressure from the White House, Congress, or both. Of course, that’s not how it should happen to co-equal independent branches of government.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

RBG, of Jewish heritage, died on Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. The symbolism of ‘new year, new beginnings’ is amazing: Her replacement will be a woman, something she would have approved of. And there is more ….

President Trump and the Republican Party have a golden opportunity – the first time in over 50 years – to create a conservative majority in SCOTUS, which could continue for decades due to life tenure. This comes by appointing justices who takes the US Constitution as written, as well as employ a balanced common sense view. Such issues as abortion, the 1st and 2nd Amendments, and religious liberty, have an excellent chance to be properly adjudicated and/or restored.

A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS?

As per the Constitution, the sitting President is to make a nomination to the court and have it confirmed by the Senate. Many of these nominations have been in an election year. President Trump has announced his intention to do precisely that.

For such a routine constitutional procedure, the opposition Democratic Party is going ballistic. They are highly incensed that Trump would nominate a justice so close to an election. However, nominating a judge in what is meant to be an apolitical Supreme Court shouldn’t matter – the seat needs to be filled.

The Democratic Party and its supporters have threatened the following:

1.        Pack the Court: Add more seats to the court and fill them with activist judges. The last time this was proposed was 83 years ago by FDR, after his landslide election win in 1936 – he failed. Even RBG disapproved of court packing.

2.        More Senators: Democrats want to give statehood to Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, thus adding 4 senators;

3.        Filibuster: They want to abolish the filibuster, which affects the confirmation process.

4.        Remove the electoral college: This mechanism in the US Constitution is to balance states rights with the people’s vote – a circuit breaker against mob rule;

5.        Protests and riots: Threats of even greater unrest are being promised if the President even dares to nominate a justice, even a female.

6.        Mobs: They are gathering in protest in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s home, and other prominent Republicans.

7.        Impeachment: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not ruled out impeaching President Trump for merely fulfilling his constitutional duty.

This rhetoric, even if not acted upon, represents a potential constitutional crisis. Any or all of these actions could undermine the checks and balances of the Constitution, putting the union in peril.

Why all this angst and unhinged behaviour? It has to do with Roe vs. Wade and the right to an abortion. Mind you, if Roe was overturned, abortion would not disappear in the United States. If would simply return the issue to the states, who can decide on their own. With such a hot potato issue as abortion, it should be left to each individual state.

CONFIRM A JUSTICE NOW

Senator Ted Cruz gave the best reason for a nomination and confirmation for the next SCOTUS seat, as soon as possible. In normal times, it need not be a rush – but these are far from normal times and the culture war is at fever pitch.

Do you remember the 2020 US Presidential election? Vice-President Al Gore won the popular vote by 300,000 out of 100 million. However, his opponent Governor George W. Bush claimed victory in the electoral college by winning Florida by only  500 votes. Gore refused to concede, contested the election results, and demanded that there be a recount. Eventually SCOTUS got involved and voted to let the Florida results stand. Bush was declared President. This process took 6 weeks and it involved only one state.

Joe Biden has hired 600 lawyers to contest the election outcome in several states, even before one vote has been counted. He is being urged to not concede an election loss ‘under any circumstances.’ Should the election results go to the Supreme Court, like in 2000, an even-number of Supreme Court justices could render a tie vote 4-4. This nightmare scenario would subject the nation to gridlock for weeks and months. Nancy Pelosi, as the 3rd highest official ranking politician in the country, would become the acting President.

America needs an odd-number of justices – all 9 of them – to prevent a possible tie. In essence, this is not just a routine constitutional procedure – it is a national security issue. With so much at stake on so few, it is time to pray for God’s hand of mercy on the United States and for a quick and decisive election result on November 3rd.

 

 

 

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

The Middle East: An Outbreak of Peace

 

It is the biggest news for peace in over 25 years! Especially in a region where peace is in short supply. Two Gulf Arab countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, agree to to sign a peace treaty and normalise relations with Israel. The accords were signed at the White House on 15 September 2020.

Of the 21 Arab nation-states, the UAE and Bahrain are the third and fourth countries after Egypt and Jordan to make peace with the Jewish State. The last time this happened was in 1994 when Bill Clinton was US President. There is an expectation that other Arab countries will follow the UAE and Bahrain’s lead.

The agreement, brokered by the administration of US President Donald Trump, is called the ‘Abraham Accords’ as a sign of the mutual interest that Israeli Jews and Muslim Arabs have in common with the Biblical patriarch. On 31 August the first-ever direct air flight was conducted from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.

Status Quo in Danger

The Abraham Accords is big news. It reflects that a peace-resistant, change-resistant region is slowly moving on. To understand the change, bear some points in mind.

Normalisation: The Arabic word is tatbi’e, and when applied to Israel it means to recognise the Jewish State and cooperate with it. Since 1948, the mindset of the Arab world was that tatbi’e with Israel was nothing short of anathema. As far as the Arab world was concerned, not only did Israel not have a right to exist, but it did not exist.

Maps of the Middle East had ‘Palestine’ written where Israel was located. When an Israeli delegate spoke at the United Nations, the Arab delegates stood up and walked out in unison; after all, since ‘Israel did not exist,’ the delegate at the podium was somebody who was nobody speaking about nothing. Might as well go out and have a coffee. Westerner with an Israeli stamp in their passport were not allowed entrance into an Arab country.

Arab resistance to normalisation was summarised in the Arab League Summit Khartoum Declaration on 1 September 1967, issued after the disastrous Arab military defeat in the June (Six Day) War. When asked if they would like to negotiate with Israel for the return of captured territory, the answer were the ‘Three No’s:’ No negotiation with Israel; No recognition of Israel; No peace with Israel. Israel remained ‘taboo’ for many years to come. Tatbi’e was as remote as ever.

Palestinian Issue: The Arab world also made the Palestinian issue a centrepiece of their foreign policy. The narrative went like this:

1.      The plight of the Palestinian Arabs is the central issue in the region; failure to resolve it means war is more likely than peace. This is a serious challenge in an oil-rich, strategically located region. Lack of resolution could adversely affect the entire world

2.      Resolution involves recognition of the Palestinian right of self-determination in Palestine;

3.      Self-determination involves the establishment of an independent Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; the repatriation of 1948 and 1967 refugees back to Palestine and even Israel, called ‘right of return;’ and Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. (Question: would this be the final status or merely an interim agreement?)

Many western and world governments, especially the European Union and UK, accepted these premises, virtually without question. They were embedded in their own foreign policies – for decades.

The Middle East is Changing

According to the United Nations-sponsored Arab Development Report (2002, 2009), the Arab world was going backward in all areas. Even developing regions like Africa were doing better. Since these reports, the situation has deteriorated further. The Arab Spring of 2011 has brought little democracy. Syria has been tortured by war since 2011, Libya and Yemen are also flattened by conflict. Iraq and Lebanon are in serious danger of becoming failed states. Iran, where the grand Persian Empire once stood, has the goal of Shia and regional hegemony. Turkey, which has had several empires on its soil, is evolving from a secular western-orientated NATO ally to an Islamist entity.

Sunni Arab countries feel threatened by both Turkey and Iran. Economic troubles, the struggle with Covid-19, the failure of the Palestinians to accept an agreement with Israel (not to mention the irreconcilable rift between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian National Authority (PLO) in Ramallah, West Bank), has caused second thoughts by the larger Arab world.

Reaction to the Abraham Accords

When Anwar al Sadat of Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979, under PM Menachem Begin, the world rejoiced; they even gave both men a Nobel Peace Prize. But the reaction of the Arab world and Iran was unanimous condemnation. Diplomatic relations were broken and Egypt was expelled from the Arab League, even though the headquarters were in Cairo (all of this has changed since then). Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

This time around, the world seems distracted and the Arabs and Muslim reaction mixed. Iran and Turkey, the ambitious regional powers, roundly condemned the accords, even though Turkey has diplomatic relations and direct flights with Israel. Qatar, Tunisia, and Jordan are muted. In the latter’s case, this is understandable due to the large Palestinian population in the Hashemite kingdom.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have predictably condemned the accord and have voiced their vehement displeasure at the UAE. The Emiratis response: “We did not betray anyone. We have a wise leader who has decided to do what is good for his country, the Palestinians and all

Arabs and Muslims. You Palestinians need to get rid of your corrupt leaders.”https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16431/uae-palestinians

(Speaking of Palestinians, say a prayer for the Palestinians stuck and in danger is Syria and Iraq, with no one to rescue them).

However, Oman, and Egypt support the accords and Saudi Arabia tacitly does so (otherwise they would not have allowed the Israeli jet to fly over its airspace).

Why is the world reaction muted? There is Covid-19, lockdowns, possible recessions, and the UK and EU, plus some in the US Congress, are concerned that the ‘two-state, two-Jerusalem’ solution is not yet implemented.

The UAE has embracedtatbi’e brings access to Israeli technology, and know-how, as well as a counterbalance to the menace of Iran. As this author learned long ago, in the Middle East, expect the unexpected.

Articles, Bible, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Beyond Covid-19: Is There A Word from the Lord? Part 05

 

Prosperity During Crisis

Crisis: It is not a happy, ‘feel good’ word, and we would prefer not to even hear it. Yet, as the maxim goes: When you understand the nature of a problem, you are halfway towards a solution.

Yet there is more. While for some, crisis can mean the ‘end of the world,’ for others, it can be the womb of opportunity. Biblical greats faced serious crises, in some cases, insoluble by human means. When God was all they had, they wonderfully discovered that God was all they needed.

With bush fires, droughts, pandemic, lockdown, riots and recession, is it even possible to even contemplate surviving, even succeeding, where others struggle or fall?

The answer is ‘Yes.’ It is possible to prosper during crisis.

Here is a prime example. It comes from the Book of Genesis.

Genesis 26: If you think our challenges are great, spare a thought for the Biblical characters. The patriarch Isaac dwelt in the promised land, as God ordained, yet his faith was being put to a severe test. The ‘land of milk and honey’ was afflicted with drought and famine.

What do you do?

The normal response was to do what his father Abraham, and his son Jacob, ended up doing. When there is a famine in Canaan, they went to Egypt. In that great land the mighty Nile River provided the water and fertile soil to make it a breadbasket. As the holy family discovered in Matthew 2, Egypt was also a refuge from danger. However, if we are going to prosper in crisis, we have to go beyond the ‘good idea’ and embrace the ‘God-idea,’ even if we are the only ones doing it.

God-Idea: This comes by ‘waiting on the Lord’ and ‘hearing the Word of the Lord, since God speaks (Hebrews 1:1-2). In Isaac’s case, God told him to do the exact opposite that everyone else is doing. God said to ‘Dwell in the land.’ Isaac wisely chose to ‘follow the Cloud, not the crowd.’

Promise for obedience: God promised to bless, cause Isaac to inherit the land, see Abraham’s covenant fulfilled, plus give him many descendants and be a source of universal blessing. Remember, that New Testament believers have also been given many promises and they are all ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). However, God expects our full cooperation for this to come to pass.

Response: Jesus often said that ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ (Matthew 22:14). What makes the difference between ‘many called’ and ‘chosen few?’ The ‘chosen’ say, ‘Yes’ when God calls. While Isaac’s verbal response was not recorded, his actions spoke louder than words. (26:6): So Isaac dwelt in the land. He was truly chosen.

Reap: (26:12) Isaac chose to obey and dwell. This verse gives a remarkable point: Isaac sowed in the land and in the same year he reaped 100-fold – and the Lord blessed Him. He prospered with flocks, herds, and servants. Remember, this sowing and reaping was in a time of drought and famine. Yes, it is possible to to prosper in crisis, but one must do as Isaac did.

When a person comes to Christ, they are not just part of their earthly family – they join God’s family. At the new birth, they become dual-citizens of their native land but also of God’s kingdom. And, remember this, the person of faith is not just tied to the local, national, and global economy; if they obey Biblical principles of finance, they are stakeholders in God’s economy.

Next time, we will explore this topic more, as well as how to handle opposition.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Take Your Rest: The Fourth Commandment Part 04

The Sabbath and the Christian

 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it — Exodus 20:8-11

In our last article we looked at the importance of the Sabbath to Jewish people. According to Exodus 31:16 it says ‘the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath … for a perpetual covenant.’ The next verse, 17, reiterates that it is a sign between God and the children of Israel for ever. From all appearances, the Sabbath in the Torah was meant to distinguish Israel from all the other nations. It served as a memorial to creation. Today, observant Jews have the day off, enjoy a special Sabbath dinner, and spend the time with family and in the synagogue.

The Sabbath to the Christian

In Christendom, there has been much disagreement of how similar, or different, our understanding and practice of Sabbath should be. Some wanted to replicate Jewish practice, while others said it was for ‘Israel only.’ 

Here are some guidelines:

1.      Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Jesus is Lord even of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5). So His principles should supersede anything found in the Old Testament or by rabbinic tradition.

2.      Council at Jerusalem: In Acts 15, the Mother Church in Jerusalem, which was predominantly Jewish, had to decide what to do with the many Gentiles in the Diaspora who were coming to faith in Jesus. This especially applied to the growing Gentile church in places like Antioch, where the disciples were first called ‘Christian’ (Acts 11:26). Were Gentiles obliged to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, including Sabbath? In other words, did Gentiles have to become Jews before they could become a Christian? Short answer: No. Salvation comes from grace through faith, not works (Acts 15:11). The Council at Jerusalem gave Gentile believers four simple principles, all to do with heathen worship: Gentiles were to abstain from fornication, eating blood, strangled meat, and meat offered to idols. That’s it! Not a word about circumcision or Sabbath-keeping was mentioned.

3.      Sabbath-keeping needs to be of personal conviction: Romans 14:5: One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

4.      First-day of the week: This is Sunday and may also be the Lord’s Day referred to by the Apostle John in Revelation 1:10, when he received the revelation of Jesus Christ on Patmos. Sunday was the day that the empty tomb was discovered. In Acts 20:7, the disciples at Troas (Troy) gathered to break bread and hear the preaching of Paul on Sunday. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, as believers gather together, to also collect the offering at that time, implying that Sunday meetings were common. The logic of moving the day of rest and worship from Saturday to Sunday very early in church history involves several things: Jewish Sabbath was a memorial of creation; Christian Sabbath memorialises the new creation in Messiah; Jewish Sabbath remembers the creation of the first Adam; Christian Sabbath remembers the resurrection of the second Adam. Jewish Sabbath ends the week, the Lord’s Day begins it.

5.      Colossians 2:16-17: The purpose of this epistle was to combat an insidious local heresy involving a medley of eastern mysticism, Greek philosophising and Jewish legalism. The antidote was by highlighting that Jesus Christ is Number One in all things. It has this strict warning about not allowing anyone to judge a Colossian believer in the matter of food, drink, holy days or sabbath days. These things are the shadow but Christ is the substance. Our focus should be Christ, not becoming bond-slaves to mandatory Sabbatarianism.

Colossians 2:16-17: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

6.      Saturday Sabbath for Christians: There are some Christian groups that demand Saturday Sabbath observance. The problem with this position is that it is never a ‘stand-alone,’ ‘ala carte’ option – it is a package deal. Such insistence leads to other forms of Old Testament observance which quenches the Holy Spirit and leads to unhealthy legalism. This includes mandatory observance of other Old Testament feasts, double and triple tithing, and religious circumcision. All this is in violation of the teachings of the New Testament, particularly Galatians and Colossians.

In summary, for Christians the general principles of Sabbath are good: a day for rest, refreshment, family, and worship. We should make every effort to practice and enjoy this.

In his book Christ in the Sabbath, Rich Robinson, a Jewish believer in Messiah, writes about his Jewish experience of Sabbath-keeping. After examining this topic from every angle, his conclusion is that for the Christian, ‘Sabbath’ need not be any particular day. We agree.

In our next article, we will see Sabbath and the bigger picture of Hebrews 4. It will be worth the wait.

 

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

US Presidential Election: Prayer Points

 

On Tuesday, 3 November 2020, the people of the United States will go to the polls to elect the President. The two candidates are current Republican US President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger former Vice-President Joe Biden. The US ballots will have more than just 2 names: All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, one-third of all senators, and several state governorships are up for grabs. 

It is a great thing that the American people, like all citizens in the free world, have the right to choose their elected leaders in free and fair elections unlike the sham elections or no elections of autocratic nations. Unlike Australia, voting in the United States is not compulsory.

Yet, we can also agree that this particular election is very unusual and highly charged. The party conventions were mostly virtual. Joe Biden is rarely on the campaign trail, spending his time in his Delaware basement. At the time of this writing, the much anticipated  presidential debates are still ‘ON’ but there is pressure from key Democrats to cancel them.

How Should We Respond?

First of all, it is important to make an informed decision of where to cast your vote. The Democratic Party platform can be found here:

https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf

A comparison of the policy positions of the Democrats and Republicans can be found here.

https://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF18H05.pdf

On top of all this, there are serious pointers to potential election interference.

Pre-Election Challenges

1.       Foreign hackers: There are concerted attempts to interfere, through cyber-space, with the US election. This could come from anywhere but the key countries being nominated for this dark activity include Iran, China, and Russia, not to mention potential domestic hackers.

2.       Mail-in Ballots: Distinguished from absentee ballots, these are offered to people with minimal or no identification, making the possibility of multiple voting, ballot harvesting, or non-citizens voting all the more real. Can the already stretched US postal service even handle millions of ballots in a timely manner?

3.       Big Tech: There have been serious allegations that social media giants could meddle in the election by manipulation the information people see; they have already been accused of censoring conservative voices. Though they are meant to merely serve as platform and not as editors of information (thus exempting them from liable suits), there have already been a congressional investigation and a Presidential executive order on this issue.

4.       Media: Sound journalistic practice, in televised and print-media, has been in decline for a while. With a few exceptions, media workers act like political activists with a newspaper column and verified Twitter account, rather than professional journalists. But the current undisguised bias, ideological bent, failure to properly report the news (e.g. Israel & UAE peace agreement), and obvious hatred and fury, is doing the US a great disservice.

Post Election Challenges

The Biden campaign has hired 600 lawyers to contest results in the event of a close result, especially in key swing states. They want to prevent the Republicans from ‘stealing the election again,’ though there was no proof of this in the recent past.

https://spectator.org/mail-in-voting-voter-fraud-2020-presidential-election-biden-600-lawyers/

The last time there was a contested US Presidential election was in 2000 between Al Gore and George W. Bush. The final results were only announced after 6 weeks and was decided by a ruling of the US Supreme Court.

In the event of a contested election, especially with 600 lawyers, the case could go on much longer. If it is unresolved beyond 20 January 2021, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, would become temporary President until the final results are announced. This would be damaging to an already polarised society

How Shall We Pray

Here are some prayer points:

1.       Election integrity: That attempts at cyber or non-cyber election interference, by foreigners and/or Americans, will not succeed.

2.       Proper balloting: That voters can and will vote in-person, and to minimise or eliminate potential voter fraud;

3.       Big tech: Pray for social media giants to do the right thing and allow for fair and uncensored information to be made available as a public service;

4.       Informed electorate: That the American people will be accurately and sufficiently informed about the candidates and issues that they will make a wise decision.

5.       Proper journalism: That the media can go from political activism to professional journalism: get the true story, present the facts, and let the people decide;

6.       Pray against the strongholds:which are clearly manifest in America at this time (2 Corinthians 10:4-5):

1.       Rebellion,

2.       Lawlessness,

3.       Hatred,

4.       Fear,

5.       Violence,

6.       Division,

7.       Deception,

8.       Cancel-culture,

9.       Marxism,

10.   Anarchy,

11.   Jezebel.

7.       Decisive vote: Pray for a decisive result on 3-4 November.

Whether you are an American or not, you have a vested interest in the outcome of this election. Effectual fervent prayer in the heavens is the most powerful vote of all.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

From Meltdown to Mountaintop: Why Study the Book of Habakkuk Part 02?

 

In Part 01, we had a survey of recent history and the meltdowns it has brought. In 2001, there was a major terrorist attack called ‘9-11.’ In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was a major natural disaster that destroyed the American city of New Orleans. In 2008, the world economy had a heart attack called the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). 

Just in 2020 alone, there has been drought, bush fires (wild fires in the USA), Covid-19, lockdowns, Covid-19 fascism, economic downturn, protests and riots

How do we respond when ‘the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vine?’ How can we survive and thrive in the midst of crisis?

How do we go from ‘meltdown to mountaintop?’

We get our cue from Habakkuk. He teaches us to have serious, honest dialogue with the living God. We are enlightened by that transformational verse (2:4), The just shall live by his faith,’ which spawned the Protestant Reformation. Vision, faithfully waiting for its fulfilment, drawing strength from God, putting on the deer’s feet, walking on the high places, and rejoicing in all circumstances are part of the priceless legacy this prophet left to the world.

 Here in Part 02, we will continue and conclude the introduction to this key prophetic book. 

HEBREW NAME OF HABAKKUK

“Habaqquq”UNUSUAL, FROM habaq meaning ‘embrace’ or ‘cling.’ As Jonah ran from God, Habakkuk is the prophet who ran to God to embrace and cling unto Him.

AUTHOR OF HABAKKUK 

Calls himself a prophet from the kingdom of Judah and possibly served as a priest in the Jerusalem temple. Apart from this, we know nothing more about him.

PORTRAIT OF CHRIST IN HABAKKUK

God is our strength and hind’s feet (3:18). Salvation is used 3 times (3:13, 18). This salvation ushers in the promise of chapter 2:14 ‘For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.’

THEME OF THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK

God’s ways may not make sense to the natural mind, like using the Chaldeans to chasten the Judeans, but you can ‘believe and trust’ Him to do what is right. The key word is ‘faith.’

At the end of the book, we also learn much about victorious living. When everything goes wrong, rejoice in the Lord, draw strength from God, and He will give you hind’s feet to walk upon the high places.

KEY VERSES OF HABAKKUK

2:4: Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

3:17-19: Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

SUMMARY OF HABAKKUK

Considering these tragic events, Habakkuk wants to know how God can be holy and yet patient in the face of such evil from Judah. God replies that He will judge Judah by the Babylonians. Habakkuk is shocked that God would use a thoroughly unrighteous nation like Babylon to judge a much less unrighteous nation like Judah.

The prophet learns that judging evil–in His own way and time–is God’s sovereign business. Our business is to live by faith. God’s justice decrees that Babylon will be judged. Judah will be revived and restored, because of God’s promises in the covenants. Habakkuk asks for mercy and learns that through faith, rejoicing, and God’s strength, he can catapult from valley bottom to mountain top (3:17-19)

OUTLINE OF HABAKKUK

I.           Meltdown of Habakkuk (1:1 – 17): Question & Answer

 

A.    Habakkuk’s First Question: Why Hasn’t God Judged Judah’s Sin? (1:1-4)

 

B.     God’s First Answer: Judah will be Chastened by the Chaldeans (1:5-11)

 

C.    Habakkuk’s Second Question: Why Use Wicked Chaldeans to Punish Less Wicked Judah? (1:12-17)

 

D.    God’s Second Answer (2:1-20)

1.      The Just–Who Live By Faith–Shall Be Preserved (2:1-5)

2.      The Chaldeans will be Judged (2:6-19)

3.      God is in Control (2:20)


II.        Mountaintop of Habakkuk (3:1-19): From Vision to Ascent

A.    Habakkuk Prays for Mercy (3:1-2)

B.     The Glory of God Revealed (3:3-4)

C.    The Power of God Revealed (3:5-15)

D.    Habakkuk Humbled (3:16)

E.     Habakkuk Promoted … to the Mountaintop (3:17-19)

 

 

 

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Take Your Rest: The Fourth Commandment Part 03

 

The Jewish Sabbath 

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it — Exodus 20:8-11 

In many ways, the fourth commandment is a wonderful thing: it is meant to be benign, beneficial, and refreshing. It is God’s way of telling you – in short – to ‘take your rest.’ In the busy beehive world we live in, what a wonderful gift this is.

Yet, as we learned, the blessing of Sabbath was marred by man-made rules and regulations that made it more a burden than a blessing. Many interpretations, and home-cooked traditions distorted the Sabbath beyond recognition. When Jesus of Nazareth came to the scene with the true interpretation and practice, He was accused of Sabbath-breaking and His opponents were so bent out of shape by His conduct that they wanted to kill Him over the Sabbath.

Even until now, a few Christian groups have adopted the same legalistic mindset. They teach that unless you strictly keep the Sabbath on Saturday, you are in danger of hell-fire. Another demand, though slightly less dramatic, is that Saturday Sabbath-keeping, like religious circumcision for male infants, is not an ala carte, ‘pick and choose’ cafeteria-style proposition. It is a package deal: you are duty-bound to keep all the law of Moses, which is a flagrant violation of the liberty principles found in Galatians and other New Testament epistles.

What should our present day attitude towards the Sabbath be? How does it apply to Jews and Christians?

To The Jew First

A very important passage on Israel and the Sabbath is found in Exodus 31:12-17. Verse 16 it says ‘the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath … for a perpetual covenant.’ The next verse, 17, reiterates that it is a sign between God and the children of Israel for ever.

From this passage alone, we can infer that the Sabbath, as originally instituted at Sinai, was made for Israel. It is what marked them as God’s peculiar people. One of its key purposes was as a memorial to creation, where God ‘rested’ and was ‘refreshed.’

While there are various ideas and practices among the Jewish community regarding Sabbath, it is universally recognised as a ‘day off,’ ‘day of rest,’ ‘a time with family,’ a morning or evening at the synagogue, and the much loved Sabbath-meal that commences with candle-lighting. In most cases, it is doubtful that they view it as necessary for salvation; it is simply part of recognised Jewish practice, along with other commands of the Torah, which they have done for centuries.

Of course, in modern Israel, it is a national day off. As expressed before, it is amazing to see a bustling nation come to a grinding halt – seemingly suddenly – and remain that way for 24 hours. There is a lesson in this for us all.

In our next article, we will see how the Christian should respond to the Sabbath.

 

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Beyond Covid-19: Is There A Word from the Lord? Part 04

 

Be Strong in the Lord

As this service has declared repeatedly, the year 2020 has been the most unusual, eventful, and downright crazy year in living memory (for most of us, at least). It will be hard to forget.

Multiple challenges, like waves crashing against the rocks, have buffeted the world as a whole. Take Australia for example: it has had crippling drought, wide spread bush fires, Covid-19 lockdown, reprieve, and then Melbourne was hit with another major lockdown, with curfews and police knocking on the door.

The United States has been hit with Covid-19, with the world’s highest death rate. Then there was lockdown, in various degrees according to which political party runs the state. Then there’s the ‘George Floyd riots,’ meant to protest police brutality. Yet, how does burning Bibles in Portland Oregon have anything to do with George Floyd, a struggling but professing Christian, or police brutality?

The protests, much which emanate from the Left, have reproduced themselves on cue across the western world, including Britain, Australia, and even Israel. The culture war, which this service has discussed for many months, is being displayed in full view. The two sides are the secular humanist/cultural Marxist/progressive, who want a globalist socialistic pantheistic utopian world of equality, inclusion, and tolerance — without God, of course (hence the burning of Bibles). The other side has a worldview of nationalism, exceptionalism, personal liberties, limited government, and for many, the motto ‘In God We Trust.’ The stakes are for the survival of the western civilisation as we know it.

The pandemic, lockdown, unemployment, closed schools and sporting events, have created the ‘perfect storm’ for the unrest in the summer of 2020. The rhetoric and actions of the culture war have become more inflamed, including ‘cancel-culture,’ which has been facilitated in part by Twitter. Remember, however, this most important point: the roots of this problem are spiritual and the solution is equally spiritual.

Is There A Word from the Lord?

Of course! God is always speaking, the question is ‘Are we listening?’

Here are two words: I Chronicles 12:32f: And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do …. We will know what to do when we have ‘understanding of the times.’

Second word: Ephesians 6:10-13: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The key phrase for us in all this is ‘be strong in the Lord.’ Since the multiple challenges we face can be strength-depleting, wisdom decrees that we go to a great source of power. Psalm 62:11 declares that ‘power belongs to God,’ as well as mercy and steadfast love (verse 12).

How, then, do we become ‘strong in the Lord’ and in the ‘power of His might?’ Recognise the following:

1.          Strength is a decision to obey God: Ephesians 6:10 is not a polite suggestion; it is actually a command. ‘Be strong in the Lord.’ When you are strong in the Lord, you are strong indeed. And remember, don’t be fooled by size. Often we are tempted to gauge strength by the size of a person or even their athletic prowess. Yet, it is the person who is spiritually strong that has the greatest strength of all, regardless of physique or size.

2.          Strength is according to God’s might, not yours: God is the source of all power and it is limitless. Therefore, the spiritually strengthened person is drawing strength from God.

3.          Invisible spiritual foes: Christian charity decrees that we have an entirely different attitude to people who oppose than Joshua and his armies had to the Canaanites. We are to love, pray, and bless all people, since they are made in the image of God and Christ died for them, too. They are not our real or front-line enemies. In fact, the real enemy is the one you can’t see. Ephesians 6:12 describes these adversaries as principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. Such enemies are far more powerful than any human foe.

4.          Spiritually weaponry: The good news is that God has equipped us with spiritual weaponry that is more than able to inhibit, stop, or turn back spiritual foes. Here in Ephesians we have the ‘whole armour of God’ and are commanded to put it on. These include the gospel of peace on our feet, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, shield of faith and sword of the Spirit. There’s more: Jesus overcame the devil in the wilderness by confessing the Word of God; we can do the same. Praise and worship won a tremendous victory for King Jehoshaphat against 3 kingdoms (2 Chronicles 20).

5.          Spiritual empowerment: In addition to the free gift of the gospel and salvation in Christ, the New Testament teaches us about the baptism and fulness of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit in poured out, the believer receives power and boldness (Acts 1:8). Therefore, prayer in the Spirit is highly encouraged as part of your devotional life and spiritual weaponry. Jude 20 says you build yourself up in your most holy faith as you pray in the Holy Spirit.

 Finally, if you want strength from God, follow the practical exhortation of James 4:7-8f: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Strength comes by submission, surrender (to God), resistance (to the devil, who will flee from you). As you come closer to God, He will come closer to you. Do these things and you will never run out of power.

 Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength — Isaiah 26:4