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In the Beginning: Why Study the Book of Genesis

Genesis: It is not just the first book of the Bible – it is the foundation stone on which the remainder of Biblical revelation rests. The Hebrew name, Bereshith, is also the first three words of the Bible; it means ‘in the beginning.’ This says it all.

Genesis is indispensable. Without it, we would not know the following fundamental issues:

  • God as Creator of the world and universe;
  • The beginning of history and the world;
  • The beginning of humanity;
  • Introduction of sin and death into the world;
  • The beginning of God’s plan of redemption starts in Genesis 3:15;
  • Genesis is the foundation of all Biblical revelation; the Bible is the house, and Revelation is the roof.

A Book of Firsts

Just in the first four chapters, we learn about the first mention or origin of the following (this is a partial list):

  • God (1:1);
  • Heaven and the creation of space (1:1);
  • Earth, the creation of matter (1:1);
  • Seas (1:10);
  • Starts (1:16)
  • Male and female (1:27);
  • Marriage and wife (2:24);
  • Sin (3:6);
  • Judgment and more (3:14)
  • First Messianic prophecy (3:15);
  • Tree of Life (3:22, 24);
  • Paradise lost (3:24);
  • Sexual relatio (4:1);
  • Pregnancy (4:1);
  • Birth (4:1);
  • Murder (4:8);
  • Prayer (4:26).

Genesis in Summary

Genesis is remarkable in every way. It devotes 11 chapters to the beginning of the world, including how sin and death entered into God’s good creation. Then, the last 39 chapters are devoted to one man, Abraham, and his family, Isaac (son), Jacob (grandson), and Joseph (great-grandson). Almighty God becomes known as the ‘God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’ (a phrase used 5 times in the New Testament: Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 3:13; 7:32). The remainder of the Bible, all the way to the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation, looks at God’s dealings with this family and how it was used to bless the world.

After the early history of the world is recited, Genesis focuses on Abram of Mesopotamia. Though he came from a heathen place and family, Abram responded to the call of God to leave his country and kindred behind and to proceed to the place He called him. Abram wisely obeyed God and became famous for two things: 1) His faith (15:6); and 2) His friendship with God (2 Chronicles 20:7; James 2:23). 

Then God does something remarkable: He makes an unconditional covenant with the renamed Abraham, promising to give him 1) The land of Canaan; 2) Unlimited seed (descendants); and 3) That through him and his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Thus Abram, whose name means ‘exalted father,’ becomes ‘Abraham,’ ‘father of many nations.’ The purpose of the covenant was not favouritism towards Abraham but redemption for the world.

All three patriarchs learn invaluable lessons of faith. Though they held on to the promise of many descendants, Abraham’s wife, Sarah was barren; Isaac’s wife Rebecca was barren and Jacob’s favourite wife Rachel was likewise barren. Their faith under fire passed the tests and their wives conceived and gave birth.

Of the 3 patriarchs, Jacob was clearly the most colourful of the clan. He hoodwinked his brother Esau twice, fled for his life as a penniless bachelor to Uncle Laban up north in Padan Aram. Jacob married two wives and their handmaidens, sired 12 sons, and returned to Canaan as a rich man. 

The story of Joseph dominates the last quarter of Genesis. The son of Rachel and favoured by Jacob, he has dreams of supreme leadership. But like the other patriarchs, his vision will be tested by adversity. Betrayed by his brothers, and sold into slavery in Egypt, after years of captivity, he catapulted from prison to palace in one day. He became prime minister of Egypt, saved the nation and his family from starvation, and brought his father and brothers to Egypt, where the family went from a large family to a great nation in 400 years.

Though highly regarded for centuries, some modern scholars have called the book ‘mythology’ and ‘unhistorical.’ The creation narrative, the flood of Noah, and even the existence of Abraham have been heavily questioned or rejected. Born-again, Bible-believing Christians must remember that Jesus, Who always takes a high view of Scripture, accepted Genesis at face value. Christ spoke of creation, Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4-6), the flood of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39), and the Patriarchs (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:28) as historical events or historical figures. Jesus has credibility in this area, especially because He rose from the dead (Romans 1:4). 

Outline of Genesis

  1. Four Events
    1. Creation (1-2)
    2. The Fall of Humanity (3-5)
    3. The Flood (6-9)
    4. Table of Nations (10-11)
  2. Four Patriarchs
    1. Abraham (12-25)
    2. Isaac (26)
    3. Jacob (27-36)
    4. Joseph (37-50)

Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained

Cursed World (Genesis)

Eternal State (Revelation)

Cursed ground (3:17)

No more curse (22:3)

Daily Sorrow (3:17)

No more sorrow (21:4)

Thorns and thistles (3:18)

No more pain (21:4)

Sweat on the face (3:19)

Tears wiped away (21:4)

Eating herbs of the field (3:18)

Twelve manner of fruits (22:2)

Returning to the dust (3:19)

No more death (21:4)

Evil continually (6:5)

Nothing that defiles (21:27)

Coats of skins (3:21)

Fine linen, white & clean (19:14)

Satan opposing (3:15)

Satan banished (20:10)

Kept from the Tree of Life (3:24)

Access to the Tree of Life (22:14)

Banished from the Garden (3:23)

Free entry to the city (22:14)

Redeemer promised (3:15)

Redemption accomplished (5:9,10)

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

The 2025 Los Angeles Fires: The Bigger Issues

The new year had barely begun when New Orleans was rocked by a jihadist car ramming attack on the 1st of January. In Las Vegas, there was an explosion in front of the Trump hotel. Then, on the 7th of January, what arguably could be the most destructive fire in American history commenced. They are called the Los Angeles fires.

Thousands of homes and businesses have been burned to the ground. Prestigious suburbs like Pacific Palisades or working-class Altadena look like war zones. Thousands of acres and buildings in America’s second-largest city have been destroyed and dozens have lost their lives or are recorded missing.

People were told to evacuate their homes. Many abandoned their cars along the way because of the impasse. Thank God, they made it out alive but they lost everything but the clothes on their backs. It is a humanitarian crisis of the highest order.

Like Australia, Southern California is dry and prone to fires. With the history and technology, there should have been prudent action to prevent a fire or mitigate one that does happen. How could America’s largest and most wealthy state, with the seventh-biggest economy in the world, end up being so flat-footed?

Was it Due to ‘Climate Change?’

Some voices have declared that these fires were caused by ‘climate change,’ (as well as the strong and fierce Santa Ana winds) as if to say that this explains everything. Please consider – climate change does not explain:

  1. Why Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut $17.6 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) just a few months ago;
  2. Or why she was overseas when she was warned repeatedly that fire danger was high and imminent;
  3. Or why Los Angeles reservoirs and fire hydrants were empty;
  4. Why record rainwater and snowpack were not sent by aqueduct to water-starved Los Angeles but allowed them to flow into the sea, supposedly to save a small fish called the Delta Smelt;
  5. Why there was no ‘back-burning’ (as they call it in Australia) of the undergrowth in the Hollywood Hills and Pacific Palisades, which should and could have been done; this is a successful fire inhibitor;
  6. Why were cultural Marxism programs like Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) prioritised at the LAFD over training to prevent and stop fires?
  7. Why many – possibly most – firefighters were hired based on identity rather than on qualifications?
  8. Why reservoirs in Los Angeles that residents approved of a decade ago were not built?;
  9. And finally, climate change did not light the arsonist’s match or wield a blowtorch.

Is this really a natural disaster? Or is it a political disaster? Surely a state with all the wealth and resources of California could prevent or stop these fires early. What we are seeing is the breakdown of society in the face of a natural disaster, something you would expect in a third-world country. 

Consider this: Pacific Palisades is one of the wealthiest, prestigious, and exclusive suburbs in the world. If it could run out of water and burn to the ground, is there anywhere on Earth that is truly safe?

A classic example of societal collapse was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 which destroyed the city of New Orleans. The flood protection system, known as ‘levees,’ had serious flaws and poor maintenance that contributed heavily to the death toll of 1,400. New Orleans was covered with floodwater for many days while the damage bill totalled $125 billion. But that’s not all. The government response, particularly FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) was highly criticised for a weak or incompetent effort. In addition, a tribalism set in where looters callously took advantage of victims and some people were firing guns at first responders sent to help them. Like the BLM riots of 2020, Katrina exposed a glimpse of civilisational collapse.

Respected scholar and California resident Dr Victor Davis Hanson (when Hanson writes, this author reads) described the Los Angeles fires of 2025 as ‘a combination of DEI plus Green New Deal hydrogen bomb, something out of Dante’s Inferno.’

California, known as the ‘Golden State,’ has become a ‘deep blue,’ far-left one-party state run by progressive Democrats. Part of the reason for this is that conservative evangelical Christians, which constitute 15 million people out of 40 million in the state, are not registered to vote or do not vote on election day. If they did, California would become golden again.

Hanson not only comments that water management is poor but so is fire management. California’s timber industry is nonexistent because recent fires destroyed 60 million trees. California governor Gavin Newsom has not only allowed this to happen while simultaneously ‘saving the smelt.’ But there’s more: he bragged how he blew up four dams on the Klamath River – water that could have been used for generating power, irrigation and flood control.

Add it all up and the lack of proper systems of water acquisition, storage, irrigation, fire prevention, forest management, and reforms in the insurance industry, mixed together, constitutes Hanson’s ‘Green New Deal-DEI hydrogen bomb.’

The Larger Issue

Western Civilisation consists of the twin pillars of Judaeo-Christianity and Greco-Roman. Though not perfect, the West has given the world so many good things like parliamentary democracy, human rights, freedom of speech, rule of law, industrial revolutions, free market economics – and more. The 2025 LA fires show the vulnerability and decline of the West.

The West has been under attack for decades. It is as if its enemies, which include the Far-Left, cultural Marxists, radical Islamists and ‘the woke,’ want to turn back the clock to a pre-civilisational, pre-industrial, and pre-Christian era (without saying so). Yet there is hope. The causes of the potential civilisational collapse are spiritual and the solution is equally spiritual: revival, reformation, restoration, and renewal. 

How should we respond?

  1. Be situationally aware: In our interconnected, globalised world, what happens in Hong Kong, Cape Town, and New York, can affect the rest of the world. You do not have to master every detail but, like the LA fires, know what is happening and why, just like the sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32).
  2. Respond appropriately: When Nehemiah, living in royal splendour at the Persian court, heard that his people in Judah were demoralised and the walls of Jerusalem broken down, what did he do? He prayed to God and then took action; he courageously asked the king for a leave of absence. 
  3. Invest in your spiritual life: This is the most important step of all. No matter how informed and clever you may be, you cannot control everything that comes your way. Come close to the God who – in the Name of Jesus – is your Saviour, Redeemer, Healer, Refuge, Guide, Protector, and more – who has everything you need. Uncertain times like these are more spiritually opportune than in the ‘good ‘ole days.
  4. Los Angeles – where Hollywood is located – means ‘the angels.’ It is home to the 1906 Azusa Street, where the Pentecostal revival was born and spread to the ends of the earth. The charismatic movement and Jesus Revolution were based here, too. May the horrible fires of 2025 compel the Angelenos to drink the deep wells of living water where they will never thirst or lack for water again (John 4:14).

(Photo Courtesy of Adobe Stock)
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THE SOUND OF ONENESS – a Word to the Nation and the Bride

Katie Dunstan – This was the word the Lord gave me to release as we presented the gift of the Clap Sticks to the TRIBES AND NATIONS GATHERING MALAYSIA: NOVEMBER 2024:  KATIE DUNSTAN: GOMEROI TRIBE: AUSTRALIAN FAMILY JOURNEY  THE LORD has been speaking to me about our Indigenous clap sticks. and He has highlighted to me a portion of scripture … Continue reading →

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

45/47: Will Trump 2.0 Be Different from 1.0?

The 2024 United States presidential election is over, and the President-elect has a unique vantage point: He is also an ex-president. This is only the second time in US history that a man served two non-consecutive terms (the other was Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President 1885-1889; 1893-1897). 

The winner, Donald Trump, is in a class of his own. Colourful and controversial, a ‘street fighter in a suit,’ few people are neutral when he is the topic of conversation. It is important to ask the question: Will a second Trump administration be markedly different from the first? This article will offer some reflections.

The road to obscurity: It has been said that Trump’s reelection is the greatest political comeback in American history. It is hard to argue against this point. Four years ago, Trump was heading into the political wilderness. Though he had some stunning successes in his first term, like a roaring economy, appointing a third of US Supreme Court justices, and four Middle East peace treaties, these were discoloured by the dark shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by a disputed 2020 US presidential election where Trump alleged widespread cheating by the Democrats. The election controversy culminated with the dark day of January 6th 2021, when Joe Biden’s election was certified by Congress. A protest of Trump supporters turned into a riot on Capitol Hill; 100s were arrested and detained, and many are still imprisoned; some have yet to go to trial. 

The results for Trump were contempt, ostracism, cancellation, and continued political and personal harassment, even out of office. A laundry list of incidents in and out of the White House includes ‘the Russian collusion’ and ‘Hunter Biden’s laptop’ hoaxes, two impeachments, and a raid on his Mar A Lago home by a SWAT team. Trump was hit with five civil and criminal lawsuits with the goal of crippling him economically, politically and personally. One trial ended in his conviction, earning him the label ‘convicted felon.’

During the 2024 US presidential campaign, at least sixteen states tried to remove his name from the Republican primary ballot. He butted heads with biased moderators in the presidential debates. For months his opponents incessantly called him a fascist, nazi, and even Hitler himself. And if that were not enough, there were three known attempts to assassinate him (including Iran). Grover Cleveland did not go through anything like this.

2024 A successful political campaign: Trump remained defiant in the face of furious opposition and lawfare (the weaponisation of the legal system to persecute political opponents). Trump represented an America-First platform known as MAGA (Make America Great Again). Though a very wealthy man, he knows how to connect with everyday working-class Americans. His son Donald Junior once quipped that his father was a ‘blue-collar billionaire.’ 

Many gravitated to his political promises, which included closing the open southern border, arranging for mass deportations of illegal aliens, especially criminals, targeting the scourge of inflation and dealing with the rising crime rate. He would tackle ‘woke’ ideological strongholds like gender, sexual, and race-based identity politics, cut the size of big government, deal with the ‘Deep State (the DC-based bureaucracy) and beef up America’s armed forces to serve as a deterrent against foreign aggression. 

Then there was the messaging through imagery: the Atlanta ‘mug shot,’ the defiant lifting up his fist at the Butler Pennsylvania rally where he was almost assassinated and shouting ‘Fight,’ the pictures of Trump serving french fries at MacDonald’s, and standing by the garbage truck. These images became iconic, showing yet again that Trump knew how to control the narrative. The message stuck with millions of Americans.

Trump began to build alliances with influencers like Robert F. Kennedy Junior, a lifelong Democrat; Elon Musk of Twitter/‘X’ popular podcaster Joe Rogan, and Tulsi Gabbard – all Biden supporters in 2020 and not known for being conservative. Trump invited them to come over to MAGA. Three of them will be part of his new administration. 

In addition, he persuaded traditional Democratic voting blocs like African Americans – including young male blacks – plus Hispanics to join MAGA. Even though Trump is known for being pro-Israel, he even convinced Muslim Americans to ditch the Democrats and vote for him. As a result, on November 5th, 2024, Trump won all seven battleground swing states, the popular vote, and the electoral college with an impressive 312 (he needed 270 to win). In addition, he forged a new political constituency.

Trump 1.0 (2017-2021) vs. Trump 2.0 (2025-2029): Will It Be Different?

There is every indication that the second Trump term will differ from the first.  One is a change of style: the first Trump was known to be brash, boorish, and downright insulting (just like many of his opponents). People were not used to a President who communicated to the public via ‘mean tweets.’ One pundit told him bluntly: ‘Tweet Presidentially.’ To borrow a phrase from George HW Bush, we are now seeing a ‘kinder, gentler’ Trump compared to 1.0.

More significant was the substance of his first term. Trump 1.0 was in an utterly unique position. He came to office with zero political or military experience. Dr Steve Turley of Turley Talks said that Trump was in a unique position, a third-party candidate who won a major party nomination and the Presidency; this was an unprecedented situation.

So he arrived in Washington DC in January 2017 with no natural allies, scorned and distrusted by establishment Republicans as well as Democrats. The former, often called RINOs (Republican In Name Only), worked very hard to undermine Trump at every turn. They were determined to ‘run him out of town’ and, come January 2021, they got their wish.

Despite his status as ‘former president’ and the object of intense lawfare, Donald Trump has never totally gone away since 2021. He, in essence, became a shadow president during Biden’s tenure. During Trump’s first term in office, followed by the wilderness years, he learned much about the presidency, how Washington, DC, runs, and the pulse of the American electorate. 

Americans discovered during Trump’s four-year hiatus how deep the government and media corruption really was. Instead of relaxing and letting Trump do all the fighting by himself during a second consecutive term, many stepped up to the plate at a local level. Americans learned to personally contend for traditional American values themselves: at school board meetings, in public forums, and even going into politics itself. For people of faith, the last four years, even eight years, have done wonders for their prayer life. 

This second Trump term will be different because the Republicans have the White House and majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate. MAGA as a political philosophy is no longer on the fringe: it has taken over the Republican party. Furthermore, the most vocal and fervent GOP ‘Never Trumpers’ are gone. Unlike his first term, Trump’s cabinet nominations are fiercely loyal to their boss, to MAGA, and ready to push through. Trump himself is battle-hardened and ready for the upcoming fight.

And a fight is looming despite all the positive outcomes. There is ‘the resistance’ that will do anything they can to prevent Trump’s inauguration on January 20th, 2025, like hindering his congressional certification on January 6th or having some economic, cultural or political ‘surprise,’ etc. There could be resistance to mass deportations and balking at the Pentagon over Trump’s position on Ukraine. 

If you weigh it all up, Trump’s political comeback is nothing short of a political resurrection, as one pundit quipped. Now, the real work – and fight – begins. And it starts with the prayer closet (1 Timothy 2:1-14). Intercessors will save the world. Prayer takes us beyond politics, and it changes situations and empowers people in a way that nothing else can.

Elections are good, but no matter who wins, they cannot solve all our problems or save us. These needs are met through revival, reformation, restoration and renewal; prayer and obedience are keys. So it is time, O child of God, to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

END

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

We Bring You Glad Tidings: The Christmas Story in Harmony

It is the most celebrated holiday on the Western calendar. It is popular even in nations where Christians are in the minority. Christmas is one time of the year when you get the best opportunity to tell the story of Christ. The following article tells the Biblical story in harmony, drawing from the birth narratives of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

The Great Announcement (Luke 1:26-38)

For centuries, the Israelites waited for the promised king from the lineage of David. Like the shepherd king, this God-sent man would fight their battles, overcome their foes, and lead them to liberty and a ‘golden age.’ That special person heir of David was known as The Messiah: The Anointed One (Greek: Christ).

God kept His promises – He always does – but not in the way they expected. The Lord sent no one less than the angel Gabriel, who stands in God’s presence, to a teenage girl named Mary (Hebrew: Miriam). She lived in an obscure Galilean village of no more than three hundred residents called Nazareth. 

Gabriel greeted Mary with much favour and fanfare, and she was startled. After the introductions, he announced that she was blessed among women because she was appointed to give birth to a Son named Jesus. She would be the mother, but who will be the father? Luke 1:32 makes another startling announcement. Messiah will have two fathers: 1. God – He shall be called Son of the Highest; 2. God will give Him the throne of ‘his father David.’ He will rule the house of Jacob forever in a never-ending kingdom. After this overwhelming experience, Mary submitted herself to God and His will.

Introducing Joseph (Matthew 1:18-26)

Mary was espoused to a man named Joseph. He also lived in Nazareth but was a Judean and a descendant of King David. When he discovered that Mary was pregnant – not from fornication but by the Holy Spirit- he respectfully and discreetly went to put her away. 

An angel spoke to him in a night dream not to do it. Mary is your wife – take her. The child came from the Holy Spirit, not another man. The angel said the child would be named Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua), meaning Saviour, because He will ‘save His people from their sins’ (1:21). 

Joseph complied and took Mary as his wife. Again, a thoughtful God-fearing man, he ‘knew her not’ until after she gave birth to the child, whom He named Jesus. In essence, Joseph became the ‘third father’ of Messiah, who was legally known as the ‘son of Joseph.’

Silent Night? 

Micah 5:2 is a famous prophecy dated seven centuries before the birth of Jesus. It predicts that Messiah would come from Bethlehem, the city of David. The holy couple lived in Nazareth, a four-day journey by foot to the north. They rarely – if at all – went to Bethlehem. Under these circumstances, how could this prophecy be fulfilled? 

The Roman emperor Caesar Augustus authorised a census of the occupied population for taxation purposes. Everyone was compelled to return to their city of origin to be counted and taxed. This imperial decree was for everyone; no one was exempted, not even a near-term pregnant woman. So Mary and Joseph made the arduous journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. If they travelled due south, they would pass through unfriendly Samaritan territory. If they detoured through the Jordan Valley, they would tackle great heights and depths of the Rift Valley, plus ascend the robber-infested Jericho-Jerusalem road.

Mary was about to give birth. Problem: there was no home to stay in; the Inn and the town were full. The couple ended up in a cave, where the livestock found shelter. At least it protected them from the weather. There, the King of kings was born in absolute obscurity and humility. His first bed was an animal feeding trough, which is euphemistically called a manger.

The first people to meet the newborn king were not leaders, the high and mighty, or the rich and famous. The witnesses came from the lowest caste:-they were shepherds. God chose them to be the first to meet the King. The angel of the Lord came, also with a glorious and frightening entrance, and announced the good news of great joy for all people: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).

The announcement was accompanied by the heavenly host’s choir, and they were singing 

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men (Luke 2:14). 

After recovering from the initial shock of glory, the shepherds decided to meet their King. They found Him just as it was described: A child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Once visited, they spread the good news to everyone everywhere – a precursor to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

A Visit to Jerusalem (Luke 2:22-39)

Mary and Joseph were observant Jews. According to Leviticus 12, she was ritually unclean for seven days. As per Jewish law, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day. After thirty-one days, Mary was no longer ritually unclean and was free to go to nearby Jerusalem and Herod’s temple to make the prescribed offering of two pigeons or turtledoves. 

There at the temple, they encountered elderly Simeon who was promised by God that he would live to see Christ – though an infant. They also received added confirmation of the special nature of their Son through the words of Anna the prophetess who affirmed that this infant would bring redemption to Jerusalem.

When they had completed their religious legal duty, Joseph and Mary returned to Galilee and their own city Nazareth (Luke 2:39).

The Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12)

At this point, many will be tempted to ask: What about the visit of the wise men? We are used to Christmas cards and public Nativity Scenes that have the local Bethlehem shepherds and the foreign wise men standing side-by-side near the manger. In all probability, the wise men did not meet Christ on the day of His birth and possibly not in Bethlehem either. Yet their visit is still part of the birth narrative of Jesus (Matthew 2:1) 

Matthew says that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the King (known as Herod the Great, the founding father of the Roman-endorsed Herodian dynasty), the wise men came from the East to Jerusalem. They visited the paranoid monarch at his Jerusalem palace by Jaffa Gate.

They had a burning question: where is He who is ‘born king of the Jews?’ They may not have realised, but this was a sore point for Herod. The Romans installed him as their puppet king. He was a good manager and a master builder but utterly ruthless, even to his own family. Herod, also a ‘half-breed’ Idumean (part Jewish, part Edomite), was spurned by his Jewish subjects. Even building them a legendarily magnificent temple in Jerusalem was not enough to win their love. To add to his insecurities, he now learned that a ‘true’ and ‘Biblically-based’ ‘King of the Jews’ was born nearby. Herod tolerated no rivals to his throne, including his own sons. This young King must go. But he had to find him first.

Herod assembled the chief priests and theologians to tell him where the Messiah would be born. Without hesitation, they answered Micah 5:2.So Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem, asking that they report back to him when they finished so he could come and worship Him also. 

It was a lie. Herod’s intention was not to worship but to kill the young king. Fortunately, the wise men heard from God and returned home another way. Having been mocked by his foreign guests, and since he could not identify the specific child, then he would target all children. Imagine the absurdity: The high and mighty king in his palace was threatened by a child who was born and lived in lowliness.

The mad monarch went on a rampage and killed all the male toddlers of Bethlehem region, two years old and younger. This vile event is called ‘the slaughter of the innocents,’ and it was a fulfilment of prophecy (Jeremiah 31:15).

The wise men were led from their country to Jerusalem by the Star from the East. When they departed from Herod’s palace, the Eastern Star appeared again to guide them to the Christ-child. Like a heavenly GPS, the Eastern Star stopped at His exact location. Matthew 2:11 says they entered the house. Then, with great joy, they worshipped the child and presented their gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After this historic visit, the two parties went their separate ways: the wise men returned home to the East, and the Holy Family, instructed by an angel, departed for Egypt. The land of Israel was too small for them and a murderous King Herod. It, too, was a fulfilment of prophecy (Hosea 11:1).

Where did the wise men meet Christ? While Bethlehem is the popular choice, the problem was Mary was not in a house or inn when she gave birth to Jesus; in fact, they had no house at all in Bethlehem. 

So where was ‘the house?’ Very possibly in Nazareth, which they returned to after thirty-one days when Mary was ritually purified. Remember, Herod was not looking to slay only infants, but those males from two years old and under, ‘according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men’ (Matthew 2:16). Chances are that when Jesus was two months old, he was living in a house in Nazareth and continued to do so for the next thirty years.

We cannot know conclusively where the wise men met the young Jesus. This we do know: 

  1. When the meeting took place; 
  2. It happened where the Star stood and shined over the house;
  3. It was tied with the birth narrative of Christ; 
  4. The wise men saw Jesus after the shepherds and not concurrently;
  5. The visit made history.

This is the Christmas story in harmony. Like Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men, we have seen His glory. With grateful hearts, let us join with the heavenly choir and worship Him, singing:

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will toward men. Luke 2:14

 

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Join us at Flagstaff Gardens 12.12.24

Victory on Higher Ground This is an open invitation to those who God calls on this national assignment on Thursday 12.12. 24 at the Flagpole in the Flagstaff Gardens in Melbourne’s CBD, 309-311 William St, West Melbourne Victoria. We will gather in preparation from 11:00am and commence at 12:00pm. BYO rugs, sunshield, water, loaves & fish. Toilets & takeaway food are available at the … Continue reading →

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Jesus is Coming to Stay: An Amplified Look at Zechariah 14

 

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‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ — Matthew 6:10

The King and the Kingdom Are Coming

We recite this line every time we say the Lord’s Prayer. Do we understand what it means? We are asking … and declaring … that God’s kingdom is coming to earth, and that God’s will can override the will and ways of temporal earthly rulers. Just like it is in heaven. 

Yet you can’t have a kingdom without a king. So in praying for the ‘kingdom to come,’ we implicitly ask for the Lord to come, too. Finally, you have to have a capital headquarters for the king and kingdom. Without question, it can be only one place: Jerusalem, the City of David, the City of God, and the City of the Great King (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35). 

Scripture is clear that God is coming to the earth. Psalm 96:13: ‘Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.’ God is going to judge the earth but not from His heavenly throne. He is coming down and judging Earth from Earth.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity — Psalm 98:8-9.

While God is a master delegator, using angels and anointed people to carry out His will, there are some things in life that wisdom decrees cannot be delegated at all. Scripture teaches that God is personally coming to earth to fight, win, judge, and reign. In these roles, He cannot and will not delegate to another. 

His coming is more than a courtesy call; He is coming to stay.

God’s Coming Equals Jesus’ Coming.

One potent passage of Scripture about the personal return of the Lord to earth is found in Zechariah 14. A parallel passage is Revelation 19, where the ‘coming of the Lord’ equates to ‘the coming of Christ.’ 

If you recall, in Zechariah 12, God would make Jerusalem a ‘cup of trembling’ to the surrounding nations and a ‘burdensome stone’ for all people. A humble city of stone at the fringe of the Persian empire during Zechariah’s day, the prophet foresaw 2,500 years ago that the holy city would become an international obsession. Modern history has borne this out. Indeed, the nations will turn against ‘Judah and Jerusalem’ and attack them militarily. 

Yet the prophecy has a sober warning: all who burden themselves with Jerusalem will be cut into pieces (Zechariah 12:3) and the invaders will be struck with astonishment, madness, and blindness (12:4). The message: don’t mess with the burdensome stone, you will greatly injure yourself.

Zechariah 14 starts with the phrase: ‘Behold, the day of the LORD cometh’ (14:1). This special day represents the transition from the rule of man to the reign of God, culminating in the Lord’s coming to earth. Jerusalem will be the centrepiece.

‘For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle’ (14:2). Just as God put a hook in the jaw of Gog and brought him forth to his swift demise (Ezekiel 38:4), so the Lord will gather the nations to battle against Jerusalem, and it will be their undoing. The continuous and growing global antagonism –  and anti-Semitism – against modern Israel will turn into military action. While the notion of international political and military action against Israel would have seemed unrealistic in the past. Now, it is becoming more and more plausible. 

For example, a September 2024 Palestinian-sponsored United Nations General Assembly resolution was passed, saying all territories Israel captured in the Six-Day War of 1967 are ‘illegally occupied.’ This includes the West Bank, Golan, and East Jerusalem, including the Old City, the Jewish Quarter, and the Western Wall. The resolution commands Israel to evacuate these territories within twelve months and threatens boycotts. Though military action is not implied here, things could change. When they do, according to Zechariah it will be a bloodbath. 

Anti-Semitism is the oldest and most irrational hatred known to man. It exists even where there are no Jews. In tandem with this is anti-Christian persecution. Both are on the rise in our day. One wonders why. In many ways, it is no mystery at all. We can call it the ‘clash of kingdoms. There are the earthly (and often) ungodly kingdoms of this world. Then there is the kingdom of God. Read Psalm 2 and see this clash for yourself.

Satan and demon powers are stirring up the unredeemed to resist the coming of the King. Since they cannot attack God directly, they channel their rage against those who represent the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – the People of the Book. That’s why we must pray and advocate for persecuted Jews and Christians wherever we can. 

The Battle To End All Battles

‘Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations,

as when he fought in the day of battle’ (14:3). This is a remarkable scenario: first, the Lord will gather the nations to attack Jerusalem, which they do; then, He personally comes down and fights against those same nations. The Lord knows how to fight and win. 

During the Israelite conquests of Canaan under Joshua, the Lord promised to be with them, go before them, and fight on their behalf. On the day that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still at Gibeon and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, it says in Joshua 10:14: ‘And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.’ In like manner, God promises to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (12:9).

  • Could it be that preceding the divine intervention in the battle for Jerusalem, the people of the city will receive the spirit of grace and supplications, look upon Him whom they pierced, and mourn for Him as their only son (12:10)? 
  • Could this be the time Jesus foretold that Jerusalem would not see Him again until it said, ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord’ (Matthew 23:39)? Is this the time that the City of the Great King meets the Great King … for the second time?
  • Is this the time that ‘And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob’ (Romans 11:26; Isaiah 59:20)? As Joseph made himself known unto his brothers, Jesus and Israel as a nation will reconcile.

How will the King Return?

We must be clear about this answer. Christ will not quietly return to earth. He doesn’t sneak in through a rear door and silently sits in the back row. Matthew 24:30 speaks about Christ coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The Greek word parousia (Greek παρουσια) means ‘coming’ and then subsequent ‘presence’ after coming. Just as Jesus Christ bodily, visibly, and personally ascended to heaven, so He will return in the same manner (Acts 1:11). He will not be a ghost, wind, or breathe, but a literal person clothed in a human body. Yes, it is a glorified body that will never die again, but it is still a human body.

Preceding His coming, the voices of many people were heard singing the Alleluia song. Part of their gratitude was based on the defeat of the horrible ‘harlot of Babylon.’ It was also in thanksgiving for the upcoming ‘marriage of the Lamb.’ 

Revelation 19:11-21 speaks of heaven opening up and revealing the Man on a white horse, whose name is called ‘Word of God,’ ‘Faithful and True, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. He will be accompanied by the armies of heaven clothed in clean, fine linen, representing the righteousness of the saints. 

In contrast, the armies of the Antichrist are destroyed by the sword of His mouth. History’s last great battle that starts and Armageddon will be completed at the Valley of Jehoshaphat near Jerusalem. Antichrist’s armies will be routed and destroyed. The bloodletting will be so great that it equals 1,600 furlongs or 320 kilometres by 1 metre high. Birds of the air will have a great feast from the armies of the Antichrist that are slain. When it’s all over, Messiah makes his victory ascent on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4a).

Both the beast – Antichrist – and the false prophet will be cast alive in the lake of fire and burning brimstone. Satan will be bound and sent to the bottomless pit, sealed for a thousand years. Christ the King will take His place from His throne in Zion and will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:15).

Then the most amazing things happen. After the Lord stands on the Mount of Olives: 

  • Great topographical changes occur: the mountain splits in two (14:4)
  • From the Mount, living water flows westward to the Mediterranean and eastward to the Dead Sea (14:8). 
  • People will flee like in the aftermath of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, ’and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee’ (14:5).
  • It shall be a unique day, not the normal day and night cycle, for light will shine in the evening (14:6-7).

Then, the most important event happens. It is the answer to all our prayers, hopes, longing, and desires. ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever’ —Revelation 11:15. No more crime, corruption, royal commissions, heavy tax burden, abuse of power, unrighteous rule. The Lord’s prayer has been answered, because: 

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one (14:9)

God the King and His kingdom have come … to stay.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Jesus Christ – Coming to Stay: A Look at Zechariah 14

 

‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ — Matthew 6:10

We recite this line every time we say the Lord’s Prayer. Do we understand what it means? We are asking … and declaring … that God’s kingdom is coming to earth, and that God’s will can override the will and ways of temporal earthly rulers. Just like it is in heaven. 

Yet you can’t have a kingdom without a king. So in praying for the ‘kingdom to come,’ we are also implicitly asking for the Lord to come, too. Finally, you have to have a capital headquarters for the king and kingdom. Without question, it can be only one place: Jerusalem, the City of David, the City of God, and the City of the Great King (Psalm 48:2; Matthew 5:35). 

Scripture is clear that God is coming to the earth. Psalm 96:13: ‘Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.’ God is going to judge the earth but not from His heavenly throne. He is coming down and judging Earth from Earth. See also Psalm 98:9. 

While God is a master delegator, using angels and anointed people to carry out His will, Scripture teaches that God is personally coming to earth to fight, win, judge, and reign. His coming is more than a courtesy call; He is coming to stay.

One potent passage of Scripture about the personal return of the Lord to earth is found in Zechariah 14. A parallel passage is Revelation 19, where the ‘coming of the Lord’ equates to ‘the coming of Christ.’ If you recall, in Zechariah 12, God would make Jerusalem a ‘cup of trembling’ to the surrounding nations and a ‘burdensome stone’ for all people. A humble city of stone at the fringe of the Persian empire during Zechariah’s day, he foresaw 2,500 years ago that the holy city would become an international obsession. Modern history has borne this out.

Zechariah 14 starts with the phrase: ‘Behold, the day of the LORD cometh’ (14:1). This special day represents the transition from the rule of man to the reign of God, culminating in the Lord’s coming to earth. Jerusalem will be the centrepiece.

‘For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle’ (14:2). Just as God put a hook in the jaw of Gog and brought him forth to his swift demise (Ezekiel 38:4), so the Lord will gather the nations to battle against Jerusalem, and it will be their undoing. The continuous and growing global antagonism –  and anti-Semitism – against modern Israel will turn into military action. It will be a bloodbath.

‘Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations,

as when he fought in the day of battle’ (14:3). This is a remarkable scenario: first, the Lord will gather the nations to attack Jerusalem, which they do; then, He personally comes down and fights against those nations. The Lord knows how to fight and win. During the Israelite conquests of Canaan under Joshua, the Lord promised to be with them, go before them, and fight on their behalf. On the day that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still at Gibeon and the moon over the valley of Ajalon, it says in Joshua 10:14: ‘And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.’ God promises to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem (12:9).

  • Could it be that preceding the divine intervention in the battle for Jerusalem, the people of the city will receive the spirit of grace and supplications, look upon Him whom they pierced, and mourn for Him as their only son (12:10)? 
  • Could this be the time Jesus foretold that Jerusalem would not see Him again until it said ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord’ (Matthew 23:39)? 
  • Is this the time that ‘And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob’ (Romans 11:26; Isaiah 59:20)?

Then the most amazing things happen. After the Lord wins the battle for Jerusalem:

 

  • He makes a victory ascent on the Mount of Olives, just east of the Old City. Great topographical changes occur: the mountain splits in two (14:4)
  • From the Mount, living water flows westward to the Mediterranean and eastward to the Dead Sea (14:8). 
  • People will flee like in the aftermath of the great earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, ’and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee’ (14:5).
  • It shall be a unique day, not the normal day and night cycle, for light will shine in the evening (14:6-7).

Then, the most important event happens. It is the answer to all our prayers, hopes, longing, and desires. ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever’ —Revelation 11:15. No more crime, corruption, royal commissions, heavy tax burden, abuse of power, unrighteous rule. The Lord’s prayer has been answered, because: 

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one (14:9)

God the King and His kingdom have come … to stay.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Who Pulled the Trigger?: The Real Meaning of the Sixth Commandment – Part Two

With the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on 13 July 2024 in mind, it caused questions: Who is really responsible for this? Was it only the shooter? Or were others involved? What does the sixth commandment mean when it says, ‘You Shall Not Murder?’

In Part One, we named three of the four issues that lead to murder.

Killer One – The Shooter: 

The person who wields the weapon is normally responsible for murder, but not always. The executioner is not the ultimate killer. The army of Rabbah Ammon killed Uriah the Hittite but David the king was rightly blamed for his murder.

Killer Two – Hateful Rhetoric: 

‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’ — Proverbs 18:21. Hate in words can lead to harmful deeds.

Killer Three – Fallen Human Nature: 

Lust and greed lead to dangerous attitudes and actions.

To read Part One, click here: http://majdali.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-shooting-of-donald-trump-whos-to.html

In this article, we will discuss killer number four:

Killer Four – The Worst in the World – The Devil

The devil, also known as that old serpent, the great dragon, and Satan (Revelation 12:9). He is a textbook case of a rebel who lusted for power, lied his way through everything – and lying leads to lawlessness – and ended up being a murderer, thief, and destroyer (John 10:10). He is allergic to the truth, leery of life, and hostile to love. Lying is his mother tongue. 

Jesus says that the devil was a murderer from the very beginning (John 8:44). Thank God He is our  Good Shepherd, Who came to this planet to give life and give it more abundantly (John 10:10).

New Testament Perspective – Are We All Guilty of Murder? 

Exodus 20:13: The law of Moses is very clear. The sixth commandment says you shall not murder. This means the unethical, immoral, hardhearted ungodly taking of human life – whether premeditated or impulsive – without legal or moral justification. Can a person kill another person and not be guilty of murder? Yes but under minimal circumstances: Exceptions include self-defence in war or peace and applying capital punishment after due process of law (not everyone agrees with capital punishment).

As usual, Jesus goes further and deeper. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:21-23, He reminds the listener that if you are angry at your brother without justification, you are in danger of going to judgment. This means a trial at their local synagogue. And there is more: if you call your brother ‘Raca’ meaning an ‘empty-headed’ or ‘vain-fellow’ – in other words, you hatefully insult your brother – is in danger of going to the Great Council of Seventy, also known as the Sanhedrin. Then there is the ultimate: if you call your brother ‘a fool’ you are in danger of hellfire.

Some context, please: Paul called believers ‘O foolish Galatians’ (Galatians 3:1). Jesus called the two disciples on the Emmaus Road ‘fools’ because they were slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken (Luke 24:25). The Book of Proverbs uses the word ‘fool’ liberally. 

So what qualifies a person for hellfire by calling another person a ‘fool?’ 

It has to do with attitude. Jesus, Paul, and Proverbs address people that they love as ‘fools’ as a form of attention-getting and correction. The ‘fit for hell’ person uses it out of hatred and contempt. John makes this clear in his first epistle 1 John 3:15: Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. In summary, we kill with our attitude, thoughts, words and eventually actions. From God’s perspective, all of these are part of murder.

Pathway to Murder: Covetousness, hatred, defamation, lying, and stealing can lead to murder in the heart. 

Hatred in the heart can lead to murder with the hand.

So in short, a person who covets, hates, slanders, lies, and steals, is potentially a murderer. However, if that same person learns to love, pray for and forgive enemies, they are a peacemaker who is known as a child of God (Matthew 5:9) who receives eternal life and is a source of life to all whom they meet.  

Remember 1 JOHN 4:7-8: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

To summarise, hate leads to murder and love begets life. You never start to live until you learn to love … God’s way.