Joel 1

Joel 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

Joel:  Jehovah is God
Pethuel:  vision of God

Joel 1:2-4 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?  Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.  That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

Palmerworm, locust, cankerworm, caterpiller are all different stages or kinds of locust.  One infestation after another is going to leave the land (the people of God) barren and stripped of ability to nourish (with Truth)

Joel 1:5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

Those used to having Truth available and on tap whenever they get around to thirsting for it will be deprived of the blessings they have taken for granted, having been eaten out from under them The devourers, the strippers of the land have seen to it that the land, the Fathers children, are left barren of the fruitful vines and trees. Those asleep (in spirit?) will awaken to lament the loss of their teachers and those who they took for granted thinking they would always be available. The new wine, Truth, Jesus, the Word of God is stripped away by the locust army.

Joel 1:6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

nation- this word is also used of a swarm or a massing together
my land – the LORD here identifies the ravished land as HIS land (the land of HIS people) .

These are not just toothless governors, they rally with them a swarm of voracious devourers to remove the traces of the old vineyard. This army is sufficiently equipped to overcome all of their obstacles. They are capable of great damage and quick take down of unsuspecting prey.

Joel 1:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

Nearly all of the Old Testament occurrences of ‘fig tree’ also contain reference to the vine as well.  In the New Testament, the vine is often representative of Jesus and His disciples the fruitful Christians.  The bark is removed from the fig tree and the branches of it are left bare and dry.  Made white is also used to signify purification through trials.

Joel 1:8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

Christ (the Truth) is the husband of her youth.  She now lives in a land stripped of Truth

Joel 1:9-12 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD’S ministers, mourn.  The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.  Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

Husbandmen, vinedressers – priests, pastors, teachers
The joy and fruitfulness which is a blessing of the Father is removed.

Joel 1:13-15 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.  Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,  Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

This prophecy will happen in the last days.  Men live their lives self absorbed and thankless.  The destructive army is an army of the Almighty to bring His people to repentance.

Joel 1:16-17 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?  The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

The seed appears to be planted but is rotting away.  Is it for lack of water or maybe for lack of interest in the fertile soil?  Even the barns and storehouses appear to be unused and abandoned.

Joel 1:18-20 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.  O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.  The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

trees of the field – often refer to nations, nations of refuge
In Revelation, the wilderness is where the woman (the children of Israel) was flown to (having been given two wings of an eagle) where she is nourished for 1260 days.
The beasts and cattle here, are those who are used to being filled with the blessing of God.  They will be crying out in hunger and thirst.  Any work they do is in vain, being devoured by the locust army which occupies the land.

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We now live in a time when the land has been stripped of most of it’s reliable (true) pastors and shepherds. The people sleep through their blessings and are unaware or don’t raise concern over the decay of our nation. Yet even at this late hour God will deliver to Truth those who seek after it The winter’s not here yet.

Could you image what life would be like with no Bible, no scripture anymore to open and read. There are many places on this planet that don’t have the luxury of having God’s Word laying around or even available. But now, at all levels of the education system in America the Bible is frowned on and God is mocked. Even the churches don’t provide meat for the congregation.

The locust army will probably have many ranks: ranging from the recruits looting and burning the streets of Ferguson, those preparing themselves for hell in our ‘higher education’ systems all the way up to the highest leaders and judges of the land. They essentially either deny God or they unwittingly fault Him as being unjust because of their unhappy lot in life. At all levels of our government they strip our nation continually, 700 billion bailout here, a trillion bailout there.

The same aimless uninformed cattle that elected them into office then blame them for doing what they, by their nature, campaign to do. Sweet dreams Israel, the hangover is soon upon you.

Recognize the remedy. Pray that your trials purify you by the Grace of God.

Value Truth!

Who Is The Daughter of Zion – Zechariah 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 is an under-discussed and poorly understood but very interesting prophecy which Jesus fulfills revealing who the daughter of Zion is and maybe also the daughter of Jerusalem:

Zech 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. 

Now compare this with the passages in the beginning of Matt 21 where Jesus fulfills this prophecy (partially, at least):

Mat 21:1-7
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.  All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.

Notice that in Mat 21:5 (and also in John 12:15) only the “daughter of Sion” is addressed but the “daughter of Jerusalem” is left off.  Zechariah’s prophecy is addressed to both the daughter of Zion and the daughter of Jerusalem.  Doesn’t this indicate that Jesus intended that the prophecy only be partially fulfilled?

This is not the first occurrence of Jesus quoting but leaving off a portion of a prophecy right in the middle of it’s message.   See the following story in Luke 4:

Luke 4:16-21 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.  17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,  18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Luke 4:21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

Here, Jesus leaves out the second half of Isaiah 61:2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; Since Jesus did not “declare the day of vengeance” at His first advent, we can understand why He left off that portion of the prophecy at that time.  That scripture was, by His own instruction, only fulfilled up to that point that He indicated.

Now, in Matt 21, upon His entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, many present who, upon seeing this entry, accepted and proclaimed Jesus to be their Savior and King.  Matthew makes it abundantly clear that those who saw or learned of this (humble and lowly as it appeared) accepted Jesus as their King and Savior, and that the same are the ‘daughter of Sion’.

Also, slightly off subject but interesting and not to be overlooked, it seems that there were some, if not many, present who were expecting such a great event to happen at this time.  Else why would there be one in the village who would have an ass and colt prepared and waiting for this moment.  Mark 11 made it plain that the disciples were questioned upon the taking of these animals by people who seemed to have known that they were not the owners.  Never the less, they were not detained when they offered their simple explanation that “the Lord hath need of them“.  It seems very obvious that a man of faith had prepared those animals for the moment.

The Jews do not recognize Jesus as their king and savior, even to this day.  Let’s face it, it was the Jewish leaders who wanted Him put to death.  I realize that a few accept Christ as their king but by and large they reject Christ.  But keep in mind that the ‘daughter of Jerusalem’ was not mentioned in the fulfilling of the prophecy at this time.  It is fair to suggest that the Jews represent the ‘daughter of Jerusalem’ and that they were not mentioned at this time because it was known that they wouldn’t accept Jesus, His kingdom and His salvation.  Although, we know that the ‘daughter of Jerusalem’ one day will see their King as foretold by Zechariah in that same verse.

Though the Jews don’t accept Him as their King and Savior, Jesus’ fulfillment of this prophecy wasn’t in vain.  What a misunderstanding upon those who thought that it went unfulfilled at that time.   There were those who saw and believed, even in that day.  Since it wasn’t the ‘Jews’ of that day, nor the ‘Jews’ of modern time, then you have to ask yourself:  Who in the world today accepts He who rode into Jerusalem that day on a colt as their King and their Savior? To my knowledge in the world, then and today, this belief is unique to the Christian.  Now since the fulfillment is directed to the ‘daughter of Sion’ then the daughter of Sion is the believing/accepting Christian.  (Yes, there are people who claim to be Christian though they should not to be confused with those who truly believe having the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.) 

Most teachers and Christians today believe that Jesus was sent to the Jews to be their King and Savior.  Yes, Jesus is the Savior of Israel and for the whole world (Jews and Gentiles as well whether they like it or not).  But don’t overlook who Jesus Himself was careful to say that He was sent unto –

Matthew 15:22-28
And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.  But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.  But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.  But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.  And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.  Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
(Let that be a lesson to those who fail to fully appreciate the power of FAITH to move upon the will of our Father!  In fact, it is a gift of Him!)

Jesus Himself said “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  And most will then say, ‘Well the Jews and the house of Israel are the same thing!‘  But that’s not quite true.  The Jews are Israelites, yes.  But not all Israelites are Jews, only a small fraction of them.  Just as the Illinoisans are Americans but not all Americans are Illinoisans.

Here is a prominent misunderstanding among (un)believers:  That the Jews of today are the chosen people and that they have chosen to reject the Son (Word) of God up to this point.  While it is apparently true that the Jews largely reject the Word of God, they are not the chosen of our Father.  The chosen of our Father are those who have Faith in His Word.  Being a chosen child of God is a result of Grace through Faith in His Word.  Ask Abraham if you don’t believe that.  He was obviously never a Jew but it was Abram that received the blessings and covenants of God.

So, when Christ Himself says that He was ‘sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel‘, and the Jews don’t accept Christ as their king, neither as their Savior, then did Christ as yet fail His own stated mission?  Only the true unbeliever thinks that. So then WHO is the house of Israel to whom HE says that He was sent?  Well, ask yourself this- “Who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior arrived humble upon an ass and colt?”  The Christians.  How simple is that!  So, who are the lost sheep of the house of Israel then?  The Christians (in a general sense) are the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  In fact, they are so lost that they don’t even recognize who they are.  Why do they not recognize who they are?, because so many of them do not study nor do they understand the Bible, which is Truth (the Word) of God.  The same are so unfamiliar with the Bible that they don’t even know or understand who Israel is nor the difference between Ephraim and Judah

I could tell you to read Genesis 48 and 49 to see a few of the blessings inherited by the various tribes of Israel, but honestly, if you need that information, then you probably need to begin your study of the Bible from the very beginning anyway.  Pray and petition our Father for guidance in understanding His Word, it is absolutely necessary.  And follow that up by beginning to study His Word.  That is, after all, the formula for Grace through Faith as set forth in Luke 11:1-13.

Getting back to the prophecy fulfilled by Christ when He rode upon the ass.  The prophecy of Zechariah goes on to state in the next verses –

Zechariah 9:10-13
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.  Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;  When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.

Notice that it appears that Ephraim in verse 10 corresponds to Zion of the previous verse and that Judah corresponds to Jerusalem.  Those who have an elementary level understanding of scripture will recognize that Ephraim is the name often used in the Bible synonymously with the “house of Israel”.  If you don’t yet understand the difference between the house of Judah (the Jews) and the house of Israel (the other 10 tribes of Israelites) then this should be a very clear signal to you that you are not possessing a basic, fundamental understanding of the Word of God.  Essentially, you miss out on understanding the prophets and prophecies of the Old Testament.

Also, clearly in Zech 9:13, God is comparing Judah (House of Judah) as a bow which will He bend, and Ephraim (House of Israel) as the arrow.  He will also open the eyes (awaken) of Zion (Christians) and make them as a sword of a mighty man!

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• Daughter of Zion – 2Kings 19:21 , Psalm 9:14 , Isa_1:8, Isa_10:32, Isa_16:1, Isa_37:22, Isa_52:2, Isa_62:11, Jer_4:31, Jer_6:2, Jer_6:23, Jer_8:19, Lam_1:6, Lam_2:1, Lam_2:4, Lam_2:8, Lam_2:10, Lam_2:13, Lam_2:18, Lam_4:22, Mic_1:13, Mic_4:8, Mic_4:10, Mic_4:13, Zep_3:14, Zec_2:7, Zec_2:10, Zec_9:9,
• Daughter of Jerusalem – 2Kings 19:21 , Isaiah 37:22, Jeremiah 4:11, Lam_2:13, Lam_2:15, Mic_4:8, Zep_3:14,  Zec_9:9
• Zion (which means ‘waymark’ or ‘guidepost’) is representative of Jesus (and His church?).
• Zion’s daughter would recognize the arrival of their King ‘riding upon an ass and a colt, the foal of an ass.‘ (Zechariah 9:9)  The daughters of Zion are the true followers of Jesus and seek Truth (often represented as those not already married to another or as virgins or brides in waiting).
• Jesus arrived ‘riding upon an ass and a colt, the foal of an ass‘. (Matthew 21:5)
• The Christians are the only ones who recognize Jesus as their King, their Lord and Savior.  So the Christians are the daughter of Zion.
• In Zechariah, Zion is also referred to as Ephraim (one of the thirteen tribes of Israel and the leading tribe of the ‘house of Israel) and Ephraim is a name synonymous with the house of Israel (the 10 lost tribes).  So Zion may also represent more specifically the lost house of Israel depending upon the context of the scripture. (Zechariah 9:10-13)
• It is worth mentioning that Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin made up the western encampment of the tabernacle.  If the location of the encampments around the tabernacle were not important, why would God articulate that?

The daughter of Zion is the Israelites, Jews and Gentiles who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I suggest that you don’t take anything I tell you on my word.  Verify what you’re told by others.  If concerns scripture, check it out for yourself, it doesn’t take long.  If you only listen to other people teach or discuss the Bible then you need to question the leaven that may be introduced by them.  Failure to check it out for yourself is only your fault.  Most importantly, always ask our Father for proper understanding of His word and for the leading of His Spirit.

Live in Truth.

Intro -old

People tend to communicate in sound bites these days.  Endless bombardment of pointless information leaves people short on attention span.  The way I see it you’ve got less than a minute to grab a persons interested enough to stay with you for any extended length of time.  And that is pretty difficult because the world today is a distraction, an endless treadmill designed to keep you willfully preoccupied until you breathe your final tax return.  Public education leaves it’s disciples numb and spiritless, and, if that’s not bad enough, the church offers little assistance for the wandering or stranded soul.  Some will undertake a search for Truth.  Alas, if God doesn’t open your eyes and ears though, no amount of investment will override His Will for the soul of a man.(Mat 13:13)  But with any problem, God provides a blessing if only you will have it.  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph 2:8)

My first post and as always, when I begin a Biblical topic, I have trouble finding a good starting point.  I suspect very few people have read the Bible or retained much of what they’ve read.  This can make for many short lived conversations about spiritual matters since nearly no one is interested in God or in keeping with the Truth.  How many people would need more than about 2 or 3 sheets of paper to write down all they know about the Bible?  Not just all that they understand, but all that they remember/retained.  ALSO, nearly everyone has been taught their whole lives essentially the same false teaching from the churches.  What better way to put a person spiritually to rest than to expose them early on to the sanctuary of a modern world church.  Unfortunately, like a mental tattoo, some of their doctrine is very difficult to dissociate your mind from.

Examples:

• The confirmed (and then broken) ‘seven year covenant’ of the antichrist – This comes from Daniel 9:27.  Does satan make and confirm covenants?  Read it carefully again and consider if ‘He who confirms the covenant’ is an evil one or if it is Jesus whom God sends in fulfillment of the covenant that He made with Abraham.  Keep in mind that chapter 9 is a prayer to God for the salvation of Israel and God’s message to Daniel in response to that prayer.
  
• God’s chosen people are the ‘Jews’ – Who are the Jews?  Are they synonymous with the Israelites?  Why are they at war with the house of Israel in the Old Testament?  Why so many references to the house of Israel being among the chosen people along with the Jews and the house of Judah?  Yes, the Jews are among God’s chosen, yet it is Ephraim who God considers His firstborn.  If the Bible said so, would you believe it?  Look it up!  Don’t let your fear of offending God and His Word prevent you from even reading it with understanding or a searching/questioning spirit!
  
• The ‘rapturing’ away of the church – essentially the belief that the ‘church’ will flee from tribulation like cats from a can of garbage.  Why?  Is it necessary?  Is our Father able to protect us in heaven?  Is He any less able to protect us here on earth if He wills it?

Many of these doctrines, teachings and beliefs become foundational in their nature.  That is to say, a wrong understanding of many of these Biblical teachings will lead you to a conception of truth, prophecy, history, and reality that metastasizes to something that is increasingly far removed from what is actually true, historic or real.

People beliefs are generally based upon underlying fundamentals which were uploaded into them.  This is a troubling thought when you consider our educational system today.  Without getting reliable fundamentals (Truth) in place, everything built on your foundation will eventually fail.  It may not seem like a big deal right now but but when faced with death, the important (and often neglected) matters in life can leave you with a terrifying realization of a life spent stranded in vanity and last moment regrets.  The less Truth you have in your life, the less you’ll be able to pass along to your children and they to their children.  What kind of world can you expect after a few generations without reliable information (Truth).  In short, what you wind up with is the world we have today.  If you’re not sure what I am getting at then you are likely one of these people.  I hope you aren’t permanently offended, but if so I pray for your awakening.

Isn’t it the mission of the church to reveal Truth to those who desire it?  But take away the booze and the dance floor from the previous night and you have the Sunday morning ‘worship’.  Everyone is all dressed up, waiting to be entertained by the talent show that kicks it off and the singers /speakers that follow.  And if done properly, everyone, who wants, eventually gets a chance to hold the microphone.  I gotta admit I was never a churcher.  This is mostly because of I don’t like to go hungry.  Now I’m not saying that I don’t feel weak in spirit now and then, just that I don’t want to stay that way.  And the church buildings have a way of dragging slowly on an hour at a time, week by week and rarely quenching the desire for Truth, which is an essential gift of the Spirit.  If you still have that, thank God for it, I think some people eventually lose it or wind up fast asleep in the world.

I suspect that the real work of the church is done on the other six days of the week, if at all.  Church burnouts become so by giving up hope in understanding, starving in their church.  For some, giving up church might be the first step in the right direction toward God.  Haven’t we all seen churches where atheism would be a logical response to the doctrine being taught there.  But abandoning a false message should be like abandoning a bad investment.  You don’t have to do a total reset on all your wealth.  Well, it’s the same with the truth.  Brush away any garbage that was bundled with it and consider it a victory.

Every honest person seeks the Truth honestly.  That is, they are honest with themselves when evaluating everything.  Truth is that which is reliable, unchanging.  So any time you discover something to be true, it automatically enters into your foundation.  It may even expose material that you need to remove or rethink.  Wouldn’t it be great to have a collection of Truths to turn to?

Those things which remain reliable forever are of God just as God is forever both past and future.  Look for those things which are reliable and unchanging (Truth) and there you will find yourself in the presence of God.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Mat 7:7-11

So talk to your Father and exercise faith in His Word.  He is merciful and happy to be bound by His Word.(Mal 3:10)  Pray for the Spirit to draw you to the Truth.  Pray then that God opens your eyes and ears to understanding the Truth.  Then open the Bible and begin reading.  Reading Truth is rewarding and faith building.  Taking actions based on the Truth is called faithing in God’s Word.   Faithing in God’s Word results in grace and pleases your Father who created you.

What honest person, if offered a collection of “Truths” wouldn’t be interested in examining it.  It’s pretty logical, if God exists, then His Word is Truth.  Seek Truth.

Intro

The world today is, spiritually speaking, a distraction, an endless treadmill designed to keep you willfully preoccupied with essentially vain and valueless pursuits until you breathe your final tax return. The purpose being to destroy or numb the spirit. Our battles are spiritual and distractions of every sort are the weapons being used against us. Most don’t even recognize the battlefield as all the while they are living in it. In a sense, we are too close to it to see it. Me too, I get caught up in it regularly, too regularly.
‘Don’t worry, I will never bow to the seven headed dragon and I will refuse the mark of the beast when they try to place it in my forehead.’
If only it were that easy and obvious then none of us need concern ourselves over the enemy being as he is so obvious and hideous. The fact that we devote our time to useless, empty, temporary endeavors is sufficient to snuff the spirit.
Eph. 6:12 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.

People tend to communicate in sound bites these days. Endless bombardment of pointless information leaves people short on attention span. If I were guessing, you’ve got less than a minute to grab a persons interest enough to stay with you for any extended length of time. Having a conversation with someone is further complicated if the person has little awareness or interest in the reality of the situation that we exist in. Were we always so out of touch with reality or is this crept in recently over the last couple of centuries? I dunno but I think the same battle has always been fought.  If you’re going to have an important communication with someone about things that actually are important then you’ll have to first persuade them to see the value of having that conversation.  And in the world today, what is deemed important in society almost automatically precludes the possibility of discussion of spiritual / worthwhile matters.

Obviously public education is a primary anesthetic. It leaves it’s disciples numb and spiritless, and, if that’s not bad enough, the church, like a vanishing mirage, offers little assistance for the wandering or stranded soul. Most people will be left to undertake a search for Truth on their own. Alas, if God doesn’t open your eyes and ears, no amount of investment will override His Will for the soul of a man.(Mat 13:13) But with any problem, God provides a blessing if only you will have it. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph 2:8)

My first post and as always, when I begin a Biblical topic, I have trouble finding a good starting point. I suspect very few people have read the Bible or retained much of what they’ve read. This can make for many short lived conversations about spiritual matters since nearly no one is interested in God or in keeping with the Truth. How many people would need more than about 2 or 3 sheets of paper to write down all they know about the Bible? Not just all that they understand, but all that they remember/retained. ALSO, nearly everyone has been taught their whole lives essentially the same false teaching from the churches. What better way to put a person spiritually to rest than to expose them early on to the sanctuary of a modern world church. I won’t say that there aren’t any worthwhile churches, there are, but most of them are dangerously comforting and misleading. Unfortunately, like a mental tattoo, some of their doctrine is very difficult to dissociate your mind from.

Examples:

• The confirmed (and then broken) ‘seven year covenant’ of the antichrist – This comes from Daniel 9:27. Does satan make and confirm covenants?   Keep in mind that chapter 9 is a prayer to God for the salvation of Israel and God’s message to Daniel in response to that prayer.  Read chapter 9 again carefully and consider if ‘He who confirms the covenant’ is an evil one or if it is Jesus whom God sends in fulfillment of the covenant that He made with Abraham.
  
• God’s chosen people are the ‘Jews’ – Who are the Jews? Are they synonymous with the Israelites? Why are they sometimes at war with the house of Israel in the Old Testament? Why are they so frequently spoken of as separate and distinct peoples in the Bible?  Yes, the Jews are among God’s chosen, yet it is Ephraim who God considers His firstborn. The Jews are only a fraction of the people of Israel.  If the Bible said so, would you believe it? Look it up! Don’t let your fear of offending God and His Word prevent you from even reading it with understanding or a searching/questioning spirit!
  
• The ‘rapturing’ away of the church – essentially the belief that the ‘church’ will flee from tribulation. Why? Is it necessary? Is our Father able to protect us in heaven? Is He any less able to protect us here on earth if He wills it?

Many of these doctrines, teachings and beliefs become foundational in their nature. That is to say, a wrong understanding of many of these Biblical teachings will lead you to a conception of truth, prophecy, history, and reality that metastasizes into something that is increasingly far removed from what is actually true, historic or real.

Peoples beliefs are generally based upon underlying fundamentals which they were taught from childhood and by observation. Most of this was absorbed through the public school system.  This is a troubling thought when you consider our educational system today. Without getting reliable fundamentals in place, everything built on your foundation will eventually fail. It may not seem like a big deal right now but when faced with death, the important (and often neglected) matters in life can turn into a terrifying realization of a life spent stranded in vanity and last moment regrets. Imagine your life after 40 or 50 years with no reliable structure or a generation of children seeing no reliable structure in the lives of their parents or grandparents. What kind of world can you expect after a few generations without reliable information (Truth). In short, what you wind up with is the world we have today. If you’re not sure what I am getting at then you are likely one of these people and I pray for your awakening.

Admittedly, I’ve never been a church goer. Church is such a slow process of exposure to God’s message that I personally am much better off devoting my time to praying to our Father and reading the Bible for myself or researching it online. I just get a lot more fulfillment from my time spent. There are other good reasons to attend a church but for now, I don’t.

Desire for Truth is an essential gift of the Spirit. If you still have that, thank God for it, I think some people eventually lose it or wind up fast asleep in the world. Church burnouts become so by giving up hope in understanding, starving in their church. For some, giving up church might be the first step in the right direction toward God. I’ve seen churches where atheism would be a logical response to the doctrine being taught there. In fact, you have to give them credit, at least the atheist is often honest enough to reject a false message.

Every honest person seeks the Truth honestly. That is, they are honest with themselves when evaluating everything. Truth is that which is reliable, unchanging. So any time you discover something to be true, it automatically enters into your foundation. It may even expose material that you need to remove or rethink. Wouldn’t it be great to have a collection of Truths to turn to?

Those things which remain reliable forever are of God just as God is forever both past and future. Look for those things which are reliable and unchanging (Truth) and there you will find yourself in the presence of God.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Mat 7:7-11

So talk to your Father and exercise faith in His Word. He is merciful and happy to be bound by His Word.(Mal 3:10) Pray for the Spirit to draw you to the Truth. Pray then that God opens your eyes and ears to understanding the Truth. Then open the Bible and begin reading. Reading Truth is rewarding and faith building. Taking actions based on the Truth is called faithing in God’s Word. Faithing in God’s Word results in grace and pleases your Father who created you. Faithing in other than God’s word is act of vanity.

What honest person, if offered a collection of “Truths” wouldn’t be interested in examining it. It’s pretty logical, if God exists, then His Word is Truth. Seek Truth.

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