Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category

In Israel…

Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

Dead Sea Scrolls at APU

Dead Sea Scrolls at APU

I am leading a tour to Israel and the world-famous passion play in Oberammergau, Ger- many. It’s a great combination: all the major holy sites that make the Bible come to life, and a dramatic presentation of Jesus’ life in the beautiful setting of the Bavarian Alps!

I wish you all could be with us. At least you can come along on the Internet. We will post our impressions here from day to day (Starting Tuesday, May 25), and you can see pictures on Facebook as we go along.

What a time to be in Israel! There is constant news about the danger of war between Israel and her neighbors. If these aren’t the last days, I can’t imagine how things can get much more dramatic.

I always feel safe in Israel though. Statistically, we are much more likely to face danger in Los Angeles than in Israel. The Lord is in control of our lives isn’t He?

In the meanwhile, if you live near Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, you can treat yourself to an amazing exhibit of the history of the Bible and see their newly acquired fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls! It is almost as good as going to the Holy Land in person!

Treasures of the Bible: The Dead Sea Scrolls and Beyond!

Tour Pictures on Facebook

Is America Blessed or Cursed?

Monday, May 10th, 2010

We’re getting mixed messages from the news about how God may be feeling toward the United States these days.

Some say we are blessed because of the multiple failures of would-be mass murderers, such as the older case of the shoe bomber and two more recent botched attempts by terrorists.

Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad was apparently trained by the Taliban in Pakistan to construct a massive car bomb, but his detonation device failed to bring about the desired calamity.

Last Christmas, Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, a 23-year old Nigerian, tried to destroy a Northwest Airlines jet over Detroit, but his detonator also failed to ignite the explosives he carried in his underwear.

It certainly is possible that The Lord Himself has intervened in these failures.

On the other hand, some of my fellow prophecy-trackers have pointed out the possible correlation between the many disasters that have plagued our country recently and the weakening of support for Israel by our administration. Unusual floods, hurricanes and tornados have stricken us, sometimes coming right on the heels of disappointments to Israel by President Obama’s policies. Now a major oil spill threatens our ecology and our economy while U.S. negotiators make harsh demands on Israel’s building programs.

Which is it? Is God blessing us or cursing us? Could it be a little of both to remind us of the ancient, unchanging, covenant with Abraham? Let’s all read it again and ponder what it means for our nation in these last days.

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 12:1-3 - NIV

Why America Is Not Mentioned In Prophecy

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Prophecy students often notice that America does not seem to be mentioned in last-days prophecy. Of course Israel and her neighbors are central to the predictions of future events. A renewed form of the Roman Empire is seen in Daniel. In Ezekiel’s war of “Gog and Magog” Russia is prominent, along with an Islamic alliance including Iran and Libya. But where is the mighty superpower of the 21st Century, the United States of America?

Some have thought we are mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13 as one of the “young lions” of what might be the old British Empire. But that is not convincing today since Great Britain is not all that powerful and the United States is obviously no longer a British colony.

Others have thought America could be equated directly with Babylon the Great at the point of her future destruction in Revelation 17 and 18. But that is too great a stretch, and there are far better explanations of Babylon in the last days.

So, what happens to the United States between now and the likely near-future unfolding of the end times scenario?

There are several possibilities. One theory is that the war of Gog and Magog will take place before the rise of Antichrist’s final world empire. It could be the war of the Second Seal of Revelation 6:3-4. That series of events, described in Ezekiel 36 through 39, includes the rebirth of the nation of Israel and an attack against her once she is living in peace and safety. Israel was reborn in 1948 in magnificent fulfillment of this prophecy, but she has not yet enjoyed peace. That peace could be achieved any time now, setting the stage for the attack of Russia and an Islamic force against Israel. Ezekiel’s prophecies about this war say that Israel’s enemies will be destroyed by fire and brimstone. This, of course, could describe a nuclear exchange. What if Iran were to use a nuclear weapon against Israel? Wouldn’t the response also threaten to involve the United States in an unwanted nuclear exchange? If that did happen, it is not likely that the United States would still be a powerful world-player after that war.

Another likely scenario would be that America will have suffered a financial collapse by the time of the last days, and would still exist, but not be a super-power. That is exactly what many political and financial analysts are saying about our current course. The unconscionable spending of recent legislation, with its inevitable tax burden on future citizens could easily be the real reason for the demise of America as anything more than another cog in the European socialistic machinery that Antichrist will use for his economic dictatorship (Revelation 13).

In either of these cases, The United States will not be gone in the last days. We will just not be worth mentioning.

The Blessed Hope

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

For the past several weeks at Solid Ground Church we have been considering a series of messages from Jesus, taken from the Gospel of Luke, on the theme: “Hope in Uncertain Times.” Jesus’ teaching was filled with hope for all people, whatever trials they might face.

Because of His love for us, He provided forgiveness of sins by dying in our place. He promised direction, protection, provision, and much more to those who would follow Him. In normal usage of the word, a “hope” is something one wants to have happen, which may or may not come to pass. In the Bible, a hope is based on the promises of God. It is therefore something that is sure to happen, but its fulfillment is still future. The Bible is full of promises, and each one gives reason for a believer to expect some positive outcome.

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is the return of the Lord Jesus to establish His kingdom on earth. It is known in Evangelical circles as “The Rapture of the Church.” In Titus 2:13, the Apostle Paul called this “The blessed hope.”

We don’t believe in setting dates, but that great event is certainly getting closer all the time!

Visit the Rapture page on Prophecy Central.