Dear friends and readers,
Ah Israel, the Apple of God's eye!
So many of my fellow Christians are confused today. They are seemingly in one of three categories;
1). Absolutely on fire 100% supporters of Israel (that would be me).
2). Absolutely deceived and think Israel is a man made evil invention who is purposely trying to make life miserable for the Palestinian people.
3). Could care less. Probably can't find Israel on the map and if they can, don't understand why it is called Israel instead of Palestine.
Hmmmm. Where shall I begin? How about Zechariah 2:8 (God speaking through the prophet) "For thus says the Lord of Hosts: He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; For he who touches you touches the apple of His eye"!
Or perhaps you are more into the New Testament? How about Romans chapter 11? (The Apostle Paul speaking for God), verse 1 "I say then has God cast away His people (Israel---Jews)? Certainly not"! verse 11 "I say then, have they (Israel---Jews) stumbled? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the gentiles, how much more their fullness (fullness of Israel---Jews). My emphasis added in italics.
Ok Israel has not always walked according to the Word of God and has been chastised many times because of their rebellion. Elsewhere in the Word it describes Israel as a "stubborn and stiff necked people" Exodus 32:9 sees God Himself telling Moses that they are indeed a stiff necked people. Acts chapter 7:51-60 repeats that very theme.
So we have merely repeated what the Bible says about our Jewish brethren and Israel in general. In fact they are a very long way from perfect and just like any modern nation run by bureaucrats, make tons and tons of mistakes. That does not and can never nullify the fact that God chose the Jewish people as His very own and gave irrevocable covenants to Abraham, and again to his son Isaac and once again to his son Jacob, who's name was personally changed by God to "ISRAEL"!
In fact as a pastor of 33 years I think myself qualified to categorically state that the Jewish people are almost as stubborn as many of the Christians I have had in my own churches and ministries over those long years. So let's not be stone throwers who live in glass houses.
One way or another, God does not change His mind and if you are a Christian who has been taught that somehow Israel is bad, you have been deceived. Lied to might be a more direct path to the truth and it is extremely dangerous for you to be antisemitic which will bring you one day to answer very difficult questions at the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he (or she---my emphasis added) has done, whether good or bad".
Bottom line if you are a follower of Jesus Christ you are a follower of the Messiah of Israel and He can never be separated from either Israel or His natural brothers and sisters the Jews. The church is made up of both Jew and gentile with one thing in common; They have embraced Jesus as their Messiah.
Now very many Jewish people have not done that and perhaps never will just like many gentiles will never receive Christ. That decision will cost them on judgement day but it is every persons right to make that decision. Just one more point I would like to make; When it is your turn to stand in front of the judgement seat, no one including your pastor or teacher or denominational leader can do that for you. You must do so for yourself and an excuse like "not my fault Lord, those guys over there told me---! will not cut the mustard. One simple question will be asked of you; Why did you not read and believe the Bible for yourself?
Ok, enough of that. This week several big things are happening in regards to Israel. 1). This week begins the High Holy Days (Leviticus chapter 23) starting Wednesday September 20 with the holy day of TRUMPETS (Rosh HaShanah).
Next is an announcement that Prime Minister Netanyahu, asked President Putin of Russia to guarantee that a safe zone be established in Syria including a buffer zone along the Golan Heights of 37 miles. Putin rejected this request and only guaranteed a 3 mile buffer zone and made it clear that Iranian forces are in Syria for the long haul. It might be added here that new information has been brought to light that Iran is spending 800 million every year to support the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria another sworn enemy of Israel.
This is extremely relevant because of the prophecies in Ezekiel chapters 38-39 clearly state that the eventual war of Gog from the land of Magog is made up of an invading army coming into the mountains of Israel and it is led, we believe by Russia and Iran.
Last week Israel took out a chemical weapons plant in Syria which was funded by Iran and assisted by the terror organization Hezbollah who have all by taken over Lebanon on Israel's norther boarder and who currently have an estimated 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed at Israeli cities. It is reported that Israel at this very moment is preparing for a massive war with Hezbollah.
In yet other news, for the very first time ever, the President of the United States working with the Prime Minister has authorized a small US armed forces base inside Israel. Good news and should further signal the US commitment to Israel's security.
Worst of all is the announcement that Hamas, the terror organization controlling the Gaza strip has just buried the old hatchet so to speak with the leader of Fatah, president Mahmoud Abbas who currently controls the East Bank territories of the Palestine political organization. In the past most nations have not dealt with Hamas but now this move giving political control back to Fatah will somewhat legitimatize Hamas which will now simply become the military wing of Fatah who unfortunately stalks the corridors of the United Nations. That basically leaves Israel with a very narrow corridor of land between the East Bank and Gaza.
Finally for today there is the immense elephant in the living room of the Middle East. You may remember that North Korea a few weeks ago threatened Israel. The bets are running high that North Korea has partnered at least in some degree with Iran on their future nuclear ambitions. We know now that North Korea already has nukes and probably a small but reliable ICBM arsenal. Iran has threatened the very existence of Israel since the revolution in 1979 when the Ayatollahs took power. The idea of both Iran and North Korea somehow working in concert to attack Israel one day is incredibly unsettling news.
If you are a Christian already in support of Israel, I do not need to tell you how much and important is prayer for that tiny nation. If you are a Christian who is an antisemite or even range from cold to indifferent toward Israel, all I can say is how are you going to explain that to your King?
Please remember the old adage everyone; "All it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing"!
Find it in your heart today folks to take Israel's situation in the Middle East seriously and pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6)
God bless you all today,
Pastor Rance.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Thursday, September 7, 2017
ISRAEL ATTACKS! Hot off the press, chemical weapons plant in Syria operated by Iran and Hezbollah is no more.
Dear friends and readers,
BIG TIME NEWS HOT OFF THE PRESS!
It would appear from Middle East news reports that Israel just launched a massive air strike inside Syria.
TARGET CENTRAL? A chemical weapons plant run by Iran and Hezbollah located in Hama close to the town of Masyaf. Reports coming in from both Lebanese and Syrian media Thursday morning reporting Israeli fighter aircraft flying over both countries. As the old saying goes, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is a duck. This plant being well within Syrian controlled territory is basically part of the Assad regimes continuing fantasy lie scape of denial about possessing chemical weapons. Now we know they are actually producing them and for what end? Can anyone guess? Assad has already used chemical weapons on his very own countryman so possibly using them against Israel does not take much of a leap in imagination.
Please remember that Hezbollah which is a puppet terror organization supported by Iran currently has a reported 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed at Israel from just across the southern Lebanese boarder. Not to mention a medium sized fully equipped light infantry army plus mechanized calvary units. It would not take much effort to load both chemical and biological weapons on the Hezbollah stockpile if not already done. The plant that was destroyed today manufactured both. Although totally destroyed the question is, how many of these despicable weapons are stockpiled in different areas around Syria or perhaps already in Lebanon?
It makes one wonder when the United Nations is going to wake up and stop believing blather from verified lying terrorist regimes.
The Israeli IDF refuses to confirm or deny these reports but that is long standing SOP for the Israeli's. Syria claims that two of it's solders were killed in the attack.
Israel has been reporting Syrian and Iranian attempts to expand it's authority in the region for sometime. But when Israel complains through diplomatic channels to the worldwide international community via the United Nations, all they see on the door is an "out to lunch sign"! It amazes me that Israel has been this patient for so long in view of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas stated goals of total annihilation of Israel. It should be noted that the attacks on this plant came on the heels of much diplomatic efforts by Israel which have shown no positive fruit what so ever.
At this very moment Israel is conducting the final phases of the largest military exercise of it's kind in the past 19 years and it was done on the Northern boarder literally under the noses of Hezbollah. This drill was huge and included the IDF, IAF, Navy, and IDF intelligence corps. Probably a coincidence that these war games were in perfect sink with the weapons plant attack? I doubt it and in view of the fact that Syria seems to be rattling the sword of immediate retaliation, what a better time to have so much Israeli war power within reach of Lebanon and Syria. Pre-staged you might say.
Both the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister have clearly warned previously that they will not stand for military buildup by Iran and her proxies Hezbollah on the north and Hamas on the west. There have been some recent times in which Hamas seemed to be rebelling against the Iranian yoke but just last week the newly elected head of Hamas declared that Iran is their main sponsor.
I think it very possible that failing an all out diplomatic push by the United States, this issue could develop into a very dangerous fiasco for the entire Middle East region. Some pundits are already saying that this single issue could lead to the Gog from the land of Magog war of Ezekiel chapter 38-39. I do not share that opinion although I have stated in recent past articles that the stage is definitely being set for Gog and Magog since at this very moment in time, three of the probable major players in that war are now in league to patrol (for peaceful purposes?) the boarder area between Israel and Syria which is the Golan Heights. Russia, Iran and Turkey now "providing security" is simply another way of saying "the fox has been placed in charge of the henhouse".
While I do not believe that Gog and Magog are on the immediate horizon, let us not forget another prophecy yet to be fulfilled which is written in Isaiah chapter 17. That is the total and complete destruction of the massive city of Damascus the capital of Syria. This city was first listed in the book of Genesis and has never been destroyed. The 2017 population is listed at 2.5 million people and is only about 50 miles slightly north east of Israel. Who knows what circumstances will trigger that massive event?
Watch the news in the next few days folks. I will really be surprised if this does not get out of hand rapidly. Couple that with the extremely serious potential problems with the North Korean nuclear weapons threats and throw in a continuing war of long longevity in Afghanistan. Then, two next door neighbors, Pakistan and India both nuclear powers who hate each other. What you end up with is a Middle East and Asia which are both box's of dynamite ready to explode.
The question is, where is Russia in all this? Just yesterday the assistant Prime Minister of Poland appealed to the United States and other NATO countries to be extremely vigilant because Russia is launching massive war games in cooperation with Belarus (White Russia) on the boarder with Poland. Russia already tried to take over Georgia and has gone a long way toward that end in the Ukraine. Is Poland next on their radar? Impossible you say? Well that is the exact scenario used by the old Soviet Union and many people believe President Vladimir Putin intends to reinvent that particular wheel. And by the way, what will be Russia's response if any to the Israeli attack that destroyed this chemical weapons plant?
The world is in a real mess right now folks so the question is, which shoe will drop next? Stay tuned.
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
North Korea, will it never end?
Dear friends and readers,
The guy who mucks out the winter time milking barn often say's "Winter is hanging around like a bad smell"! I could say the same about this terrible seemingly unexplainable "issue" with North Korea.
Last week I wrote an update regarding the potential nuclear problem in the "hermit kingdom". Why exactly we should be very concerned (worried would be another acceptable term), with the totally irrational actions of Kim Jong Un, the current tyrant of a generations long family dynasty who rapes and pillages it's own population while spending BILLIONS on strengthening an already huge army and threatening the world with nuclear holocaust.
What is this man trying to accomplish? It is almost like he has a death wish or is so self absorbed that he actually thinks he can thumb his nations nose at the entire world and get away with it. I made a point in a previous article that the North Koreans have been brain washed into believing that Kim is god.
If the military leaders also believe this and Kim himself is so self deceived that he actually considers himself to be god, then it is very possible that this will spin out of control. Just yesterday, the north conducted yet another underground nuclear test only this time it was the biggest and most powerful ever. The South Korean Meteorological Administration said that the explosion registered a magnitude of 5.7--6.3 on the earthquake logarithmic scale. This caused another following tremor of 4.1. How many such tests can be held before the earth takes an irrevocable hit that could conceivably permanently damage the structure of the planet?
Bad but the real problem is two fold; 1). This is now the sixth such test with each one more powerful than the last. 2). This recent test is claimed by the north to be a "HYDROGEN BOMB" which means it has far greater destructive capabilities than an old fashioned Atomic bomb like was used during WWII against Japan. This test was 10 times bigger in power and magnitude than was registered back in September 2016 which the USGS registered at 5.3. In fact this test was estimated at 100 kilotons which means it was 5 times greater than the United States dropped on Nagasaki Japan to end the Pacific portion of WWII in 1945.
This is not a small matter! Particularly when Kim Jung Un claimed that this was a warhead capable of being mounted on an ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile). Think about that wording for a moment. It means that the north is actively claiming that it can fire a huge nuclear tipped missile to strike another continent. Since Kim has threatened both the mainland United States and Israel---both of whom are nuclear nations, WITH A NUCLER STRIKE REQUIRING LESS THAN ONE HOURS FLYING TIME??? The question is, how long with either power or other nuclear nations for that matter wait to respond? Until the thing lands? I doubt that seriously.
Kim may push this thing to the point that a preemptive strike may become the only option available to stop his inevitable march toward his own personal Armageddon.
As you probably know the United States and several countries within the United Nations have voted to increase economic sanctions of North Korea. These include (surprisingly) both China and Russia who have been steadfast supporters of North Korea in the past and may even have supplied it with nuclear capabilities. So why would these two nations begin to turn against North Korea now? Perhaps because the pet lion they have had on a chain for the past 67 years, has suddenly grown so large that it has chewed the chain in two and is now snarling in the faces of it's masters.
And guess what? North Korea has never ever bowed to financial sanctions and I doubt they ever will. In the end that may ONLY leave a military option.
Russia is trying desperately to grow past the devastation wrought upon it by the sudden and catastrophic demise of the Old Soviet Union. While they are trying once again to establish dominance in the region and are trying to gobble up other nations like the Ukraine, they also cannot risk an all out war with Uncle Sam who currently fields the mightiest military on planet earth. China has tremendous military assets but like North Korea that is at the cost of developing it's own humongous population of 1,389,254,092. That's right folks, nearly one and one have BILLION people all of whom need food. China also cannot afford any kind of disruption in it's economy, particularly a war with the allied nations because they simply could not feed their population in that event. Not that it would be a "cake walk" for the allied nations either.
One way or another this situation is stacking up to be a problem of immense proportions and it would appear that there are no easy solutions. This is getting worse by the week.
South Koreas National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong stated that they are at the point of authorizing a possible deployment of THE MOST POWERFUL STRATEGIC ASSETS THAT THE UNITED STATES POSSESSES. Of course the final decision for that would be left to the Commander in Chief of the United States along with his national security council. If you have any thoughts that Congress would try and stop the President from protecting the US from a very real ACTUAL threat, think again. Even though the two great American political parties are seemingly incapable of agreeing on the time of day---in the final analysis, no Senator or Congressman wants to be the one who has to tell his constituents to "DUCK FOR COVER" and oh, by the way, you have less than one hour to do it.
We basically have three sides to this issue; Russia along with some other Warsaw Pact nations, China a kind of a stand alone self sufficient world power but with strong ties to both North Korea and Iran. Offset that with the Allied powers of Nato, the US, Great Britain, Belgium, France and many more for a total of 29, all of whom have signed a mutual defense pact. Of these the US, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia---probably Israel, (although not part of NATO), are all nuclear. Fortunately there is not one among them that actually wants a nuclear war. No crazy men here. But then you do have North Korea and Iran who are run by theological extremists and no one can predict what they will do. That makes for a very unstable region not to mention both Pakistan and India who are also nuclear and who hate each other.
Bottom line is that the world has a very real extremely dangerous mess on it's hands with zero easy answers.
I for one can make no proclamation regarding how this issue with North Korea will be resolved. But the problem is that it appears none of our foremost world leaders has any idea either. I had mentioned in last weeks up date that this situation is fraught with danger and the ultimate form of brinkmanship. After yesterdays underground nuclear test and Kim Jong Uns most recent threats, that brinkmanship just increased by a factor of 10.
Let us pray
God bless
Pastor Rance.
The guy who mucks out the winter time milking barn often say's "Winter is hanging around like a bad smell"! I could say the same about this terrible seemingly unexplainable "issue" with North Korea.
Last week I wrote an update regarding the potential nuclear problem in the "hermit kingdom". Why exactly we should be very concerned (worried would be another acceptable term), with the totally irrational actions of Kim Jong Un, the current tyrant of a generations long family dynasty who rapes and pillages it's own population while spending BILLIONS on strengthening an already huge army and threatening the world with nuclear holocaust.
What is this man trying to accomplish? It is almost like he has a death wish or is so self absorbed that he actually thinks he can thumb his nations nose at the entire world and get away with it. I made a point in a previous article that the North Koreans have been brain washed into believing that Kim is god.
If the military leaders also believe this and Kim himself is so self deceived that he actually considers himself to be god, then it is very possible that this will spin out of control. Just yesterday, the north conducted yet another underground nuclear test only this time it was the biggest and most powerful ever. The South Korean Meteorological Administration said that the explosion registered a magnitude of 5.7--6.3 on the earthquake logarithmic scale. This caused another following tremor of 4.1. How many such tests can be held before the earth takes an irrevocable hit that could conceivably permanently damage the structure of the planet?
Bad but the real problem is two fold; 1). This is now the sixth such test with each one more powerful than the last. 2). This recent test is claimed by the north to be a "HYDROGEN BOMB" which means it has far greater destructive capabilities than an old fashioned Atomic bomb like was used during WWII against Japan. This test was 10 times bigger in power and magnitude than was registered back in September 2016 which the USGS registered at 5.3. In fact this test was estimated at 100 kilotons which means it was 5 times greater than the United States dropped on Nagasaki Japan to end the Pacific portion of WWII in 1945.
This is not a small matter! Particularly when Kim Jung Un claimed that this was a warhead capable of being mounted on an ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile). Think about that wording for a moment. It means that the north is actively claiming that it can fire a huge nuclear tipped missile to strike another continent. Since Kim has threatened both the mainland United States and Israel---both of whom are nuclear nations, WITH A NUCLER STRIKE REQUIRING LESS THAN ONE HOURS FLYING TIME??? The question is, how long with either power or other nuclear nations for that matter wait to respond? Until the thing lands? I doubt that seriously.
Kim may push this thing to the point that a preemptive strike may become the only option available to stop his inevitable march toward his own personal Armageddon.
As you probably know the United States and several countries within the United Nations have voted to increase economic sanctions of North Korea. These include (surprisingly) both China and Russia who have been steadfast supporters of North Korea in the past and may even have supplied it with nuclear capabilities. So why would these two nations begin to turn against North Korea now? Perhaps because the pet lion they have had on a chain for the past 67 years, has suddenly grown so large that it has chewed the chain in two and is now snarling in the faces of it's masters.
And guess what? North Korea has never ever bowed to financial sanctions and I doubt they ever will. In the end that may ONLY leave a military option.
Russia is trying desperately to grow past the devastation wrought upon it by the sudden and catastrophic demise of the Old Soviet Union. While they are trying once again to establish dominance in the region and are trying to gobble up other nations like the Ukraine, they also cannot risk an all out war with Uncle Sam who currently fields the mightiest military on planet earth. China has tremendous military assets but like North Korea that is at the cost of developing it's own humongous population of 1,389,254,092. That's right folks, nearly one and one have BILLION people all of whom need food. China also cannot afford any kind of disruption in it's economy, particularly a war with the allied nations because they simply could not feed their population in that event. Not that it would be a "cake walk" for the allied nations either.
One way or another this situation is stacking up to be a problem of immense proportions and it would appear that there are no easy solutions. This is getting worse by the week.
South Koreas National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong stated that they are at the point of authorizing a possible deployment of THE MOST POWERFUL STRATEGIC ASSETS THAT THE UNITED STATES POSSESSES. Of course the final decision for that would be left to the Commander in Chief of the United States along with his national security council. If you have any thoughts that Congress would try and stop the President from protecting the US from a very real ACTUAL threat, think again. Even though the two great American political parties are seemingly incapable of agreeing on the time of day---in the final analysis, no Senator or Congressman wants to be the one who has to tell his constituents to "DUCK FOR COVER" and oh, by the way, you have less than one hour to do it.
We basically have three sides to this issue; Russia along with some other Warsaw Pact nations, China a kind of a stand alone self sufficient world power but with strong ties to both North Korea and Iran. Offset that with the Allied powers of Nato, the US, Great Britain, Belgium, France and many more for a total of 29, all of whom have signed a mutual defense pact. Of these the US, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia---probably Israel, (although not part of NATO), are all nuclear. Fortunately there is not one among them that actually wants a nuclear war. No crazy men here. But then you do have North Korea and Iran who are run by theological extremists and no one can predict what they will do. That makes for a very unstable region not to mention both Pakistan and India who are also nuclear and who hate each other.
Bottom line is that the world has a very real extremely dangerous mess on it's hands with zero easy answers.
I for one can make no proclamation regarding how this issue with North Korea will be resolved. But the problem is that it appears none of our foremost world leaders has any idea either. I had mentioned in last weeks up date that this situation is fraught with danger and the ultimate form of brinkmanship. After yesterdays underground nuclear test and Kim Jong Uns most recent threats, that brinkmanship just increased by a factor of 10.
Let us pray
God bless
Pastor Rance.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
UPDATE; North Korea still playing dangerous games
Dear friends,
I would like to put the North Korean issue behind me so I can concentrate on other articles. About the time I begin to think that Kim Jong Un is finally getting control of his ego and temper, he does something truly stupid---AGAIN! My computer screen is split at this moment so I am writing on one side and listening to air raid sirens in Japan on the other side.
How fool hardy of this man to shoot another missile directly over Japan? Had that missile failed in the slightest way and struck Japan's Hokkaido Island all bets would be off and bombs would be dropping at this very moment.
This is the update;
Japanese citizens ordered into bomb shelters on Hokkaido Island.
China warns that the "situation" is now at a tipping point.
Japan declares the missile an unprecedented threat.
South Korea responds with yet more bombing drills evoking more war like rhetoric from Kim Jong Un.
U.N. Security Council meeting today to try and discover a solution to a problem with no solution.
President Trump says he has received North Korea's message "loud and clear" and that ALL options are on the American and allied forces war table.
An Envoy from Pyongyang (North Korea's capital city) accused the United States of driving the Korean Peninsula towards an extreme level of explosion.
Russia was quiet which may be one of the most dire consequences of all.
The missile was fired from a launch pad just outside Pyongyang and flew 1,700 miles in just 15 minutes.
Kim has now ordered over 80 missile tests, more than both his father and grandfather combined not to mention 3 verified underground nuclear tests in recent memory.
More economic sanctions will most certainly be ordered by several nations against North Korea who has never ever bowed to such things and has escalated the threat of devastating war as a consequence.
Please remember that just one month ago (July 28) Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that traveled into the atmosphere before reentry and could have been targeted for a range of 6,200 miles putting parts of the US mainland within reach and most certainly Hawaii and Guam. It is now believed that a small nuclear warhead can be loaded onto an ICBM by the North.
A new Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile may have been tested which could easily strike Guam
which is home to two very robust United States military installations. Not to mention US bases located near Japan.
For those folks who have doubts about the North Korean capabilities to launch an ICBM? North Korea launched a rocket carrying a communications satellite into orbit over Japan in 2009. It was also considered to be a ballistic missile test by allied powers.
Now other countries leaders such as Prime Minister Theresa May are outraged by North Korea's "reckless provocations".
Not to be discounted are the effects of this reckless behavior on the worlds stock markets. Since they are now all basically interconnected, you can bet investors worldwide have noticed that the Japanese "NIKKEI" market hit a 4 month low on Tuesday immediately after the North Korean missile launch.
Folks this is brinkmanship on steroids. It will not take much more trigger happy folly by Kim Jong Un to start a shooting war of devastating proportions. Unfortunately I do not think that all the sanctions and threats in the world will make Kim back down.
Stay tuned and watch your news channels.
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
I would like to put the North Korean issue behind me so I can concentrate on other articles. About the time I begin to think that Kim Jong Un is finally getting control of his ego and temper, he does something truly stupid---AGAIN! My computer screen is split at this moment so I am writing on one side and listening to air raid sirens in Japan on the other side.
How fool hardy of this man to shoot another missile directly over Japan? Had that missile failed in the slightest way and struck Japan's Hokkaido Island all bets would be off and bombs would be dropping at this very moment.
This is the update;
Japanese citizens ordered into bomb shelters on Hokkaido Island.
China warns that the "situation" is now at a tipping point.
Japan declares the missile an unprecedented threat.
South Korea responds with yet more bombing drills evoking more war like rhetoric from Kim Jong Un.
U.N. Security Council meeting today to try and discover a solution to a problem with no solution.
President Trump says he has received North Korea's message "loud and clear" and that ALL options are on the American and allied forces war table.
An Envoy from Pyongyang (North Korea's capital city) accused the United States of driving the Korean Peninsula towards an extreme level of explosion.
Russia was quiet which may be one of the most dire consequences of all.
The missile was fired from a launch pad just outside Pyongyang and flew 1,700 miles in just 15 minutes.
Kim has now ordered over 80 missile tests, more than both his father and grandfather combined not to mention 3 verified underground nuclear tests in recent memory.
More economic sanctions will most certainly be ordered by several nations against North Korea who has never ever bowed to such things and has escalated the threat of devastating war as a consequence.
Please remember that just one month ago (July 28) Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that traveled into the atmosphere before reentry and could have been targeted for a range of 6,200 miles putting parts of the US mainland within reach and most certainly Hawaii and Guam. It is now believed that a small nuclear warhead can be loaded onto an ICBM by the North.
A new Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile may have been tested which could easily strike Guam
which is home to two very robust United States military installations. Not to mention US bases located near Japan.
For those folks who have doubts about the North Korean capabilities to launch an ICBM? North Korea launched a rocket carrying a communications satellite into orbit over Japan in 2009. It was also considered to be a ballistic missile test by allied powers.
Now other countries leaders such as Prime Minister Theresa May are outraged by North Korea's "reckless provocations".
Not to be discounted are the effects of this reckless behavior on the worlds stock markets. Since they are now all basically interconnected, you can bet investors worldwide have noticed that the Japanese "NIKKEI" market hit a 4 month low on Tuesday immediately after the North Korean missile launch.
Folks this is brinkmanship on steroids. It will not take much more trigger happy folly by Kim Jong Un to start a shooting war of devastating proportions. Unfortunately I do not think that all the sanctions and threats in the world will make Kim back down.
Stay tuned and watch your news channels.
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
SPECIAL EDITION--Will devastating prophecy be fulfilled next week?
Dear friends and readers,
SPECIAL EDITION!!!
I have become aware of an extra Biblical prophecy that seems to be an uncanny prediction of the North Korean debacle playing itself out as I type this article.
Please know that I am extremely skeptical of extra Biblical prophecies including by some of the ancient Rabbis but on the other hand have tremendous respect for some of them as well. That may surprise some of you because most of these folks do not agree with Christians about the identity of the Messiah. My respect for some of the Rabbis and particularly the ancients is based upon the undisputed fact that they have faithfully guarded the scriptures for so many centuries, without which we as believers would not have our Bibles today. Also because whether we agree on certain conclusions or not, these men are faithful and learned scholars.
Having said all of the above, I will present to you some extremely interesting and provocative information and after reading what I have to say, you decide for yourselves whether or not it is valid.
For me the jury is out until I actually see for myself the outcome of the events that are playing themselves out on the world stage at this very moment in time.
As you know there is a great deal of saber rattling going on by the leadership of North Korea. Threats to attack a United States military installation located on the U.S. territorial island of Guam. Also North Korea has just last week very strongly threatened Israel. Coupled with the verification that North Korea has accomplished both underground nuclear tests and fired varieties of ballistic missiles, these threats are being taken very seriously by the United States Government, portions of countries within the United Nations (including both China and Russia) and several allied nations within NATO.
The United States military which is by and far the most powerful in the world is primed and ready to pull the trigger of war should the North Korean dictator, Kim Jung Un decide tho follow through with his unceasing threats. I realize that many people do not believe this man would actually fire on the United States but then few people believed Adolph Hitler either, even though he clearly stated his intentions. Remember this folks, It will not really matter if Kim Jung Un actually loads a nuke on a fired ballistic missile. When fired in any direction of impending threat, the United Stated cannot wait until that missile strikes to determine an outcome. At this point if a missile is fired, my prediction is that large portions North Korea will become very large empty parking lots. That does not mean the U.S. would go nuclear but do you remember the absolutely invisible armies if Saddam Hussein? Nothing could touch them right? The entire military establishment of Iraq came crashing down in short order with their supreme leader found hiding in a hole in the ground. The same could happen to North Korea if they push this too far.
With that as a back ground, allow me to acquaint you with a long established prophecy by Rabbi Moshe ben Yisrael Benyamin in 1894.
Special note: Many will say, who cares about some ramblings by an ancient Rabbi from 100 years ago? Ok fair enough but on the other hand Jesus was called a Rabbi 2000 years ago, every single one of the New Testament writers was a Jew with the possible exception of the physician Luke. Everyone of the Biblical prophets such as Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel, Haggai, Jonah, Ezekiel and ad infinitum were all Jews. Who is to say that God did not also prophesy through other Jewish Rabbis over the centuries? You decide.
This ancient prophecy foretold a solar eclipse that occurs at the beginning of the month of Elul on the Jewish religious calendar. Scientists tell us that a huge solar eclipse is scheduled to begin this coming Monday which is August 21. The month of Elul begins at sundown August 22 which begins Elul 1. Jewish religious days such as weekly Shabbats do not begin at 0001, just after midnight. They begin at sundown and go for 24 hours. Because the eclipse is traveling eastward from the Pacific Ocean over the United States to as far east over the Atlantic ocean as North Africa, Western Europe and portions of Asia, it will transect parts of the worlds 24 time zones. Israeli time is 10 hours ahead of West coast U.S. time. Putting all that together, the August 21 eclipse will be ending approximately as Elul 1 is beginning in Israel.
An FYI: Total eclipses of the sun in any one location are rare. The last one to cross the entire United States was in 1979.
Why is Elul 1 significant? It was on that date that Moses went up on Mount Sinai and in his absence Israel sinned by building the golden calf for worship. It was Elul 1 on which Jonah left for 40 days to tell Nineveh to repent. Also It was Elul 1 when Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days. Historically Elul 1 launched a one month period of national repentance for Israel.
Apparently Rabbi Yirsael Benjamin also included as part of his prophecy, an indication that an eclipse in that time frame would signal THE SUFFERINGS OF THE KINGS OF THE EAST. That would most certainly include North Korea.
Luke chapter 21:25 sees Jesus speaking "There will be signs in the Sun and the moon, and the stars" and this portion of scripture is referring to the end times. Admittedly this is not the correct time for Luke to play out because these scriptures are speaking of the time of Christ's return to earth. But that does not diminish the fact that God will use signs in the heavens including the sun to get His point across.
An author by the name of Pastor Mark Biltz points out that one of the best known solar eclipses in history was bad news for the Western nations which include Europe. There was a total eclipse of the sun in 1914 when WWI began and the Ottoman Empire was destroyed. The date of that eclipse in 1914 was August 21, the very same date as the eclipse coming up this next Monday.
Coincidence? Perhaps.
Bottom line folks; No predictions from this writer. But, the United States and North Korea are engaged in brinkmanship of a potential nuclear variety that could very well end in disaster. Both Russia and China have moved massive troops and equipment to their boarders with North Korea. They both claim that is only to ward off or control a huge potential influx of North Korean refugees should war break out. But is that their real reason?
At this very moment, war games are being held in South Korea which include that countries military, the United States and a few other allied nations.
Normally war games are held twice each year in South Korea but now is the third this year. Supposedly the North Korean Government has "backed down" from it's threatening rhetoric. But last Monday the North once again launched two missiles into the sea between Korea and Japan to protest the new war games in the South. Every single time war games are held it drives the North Korean leadership crazy and threats ensue. Both Russia and China have suggested it would be better to call off these war games but they are going forward in the face of North Korea's increased hostilities.
The question is? How much will it take for Kim Jung Un to throw caution to the wind and push a button that cannot be stopped? I would like to make a point here. Our western nations and the people therein think far differently than either the Oriental nations of the east or for example the Muslim nations. We have a tendency to think, "why would anyone start a war like that? In North Korea the people have been brain washed to believe their supreme leader is GOD! God's can do no wrong and neither can they be defeated. If Kim Jung Un actually believes he is a god and therefor invincible then we cannot predict his actions as we would another rational world leader.
I reject some peoples thinking that a war with North Korea would begin WWIII. Although there are some massive conflicts yet to be launched according to Biblical prophecy, the only world war I see in the future is Armageddon. Still, a shooting war of this nature could well spill over into China, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, not to mention several Nato Nations that would have no other choice than to back the efforts of Uncle Sam. Anytime you have war involving several nuclear countries there is potential for disaster. It only takes one very small mistake or miscalculation by any one of the participants to begin events that spell unspeakable death and destruction.
Was this ancient Rabbi hearing from God or did he have an active imagination?
Only time will tell and if the total solar eclipse is in any way a sign from God of impending disaster, we will know within days. I sincerely hope that is not the case.
You decide for yourselves.
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
SPECIAL EDITION!!!
I have become aware of an extra Biblical prophecy that seems to be an uncanny prediction of the North Korean debacle playing itself out as I type this article.
Please know that I am extremely skeptical of extra Biblical prophecies including by some of the ancient Rabbis but on the other hand have tremendous respect for some of them as well. That may surprise some of you because most of these folks do not agree with Christians about the identity of the Messiah. My respect for some of the Rabbis and particularly the ancients is based upon the undisputed fact that they have faithfully guarded the scriptures for so many centuries, without which we as believers would not have our Bibles today. Also because whether we agree on certain conclusions or not, these men are faithful and learned scholars.
Having said all of the above, I will present to you some extremely interesting and provocative information and after reading what I have to say, you decide for yourselves whether or not it is valid.
For me the jury is out until I actually see for myself the outcome of the events that are playing themselves out on the world stage at this very moment in time.
As you know there is a great deal of saber rattling going on by the leadership of North Korea. Threats to attack a United States military installation located on the U.S. territorial island of Guam. Also North Korea has just last week very strongly threatened Israel. Coupled with the verification that North Korea has accomplished both underground nuclear tests and fired varieties of ballistic missiles, these threats are being taken very seriously by the United States Government, portions of countries within the United Nations (including both China and Russia) and several allied nations within NATO.
The United States military which is by and far the most powerful in the world is primed and ready to pull the trigger of war should the North Korean dictator, Kim Jung Un decide tho follow through with his unceasing threats. I realize that many people do not believe this man would actually fire on the United States but then few people believed Adolph Hitler either, even though he clearly stated his intentions. Remember this folks, It will not really matter if Kim Jung Un actually loads a nuke on a fired ballistic missile. When fired in any direction of impending threat, the United Stated cannot wait until that missile strikes to determine an outcome. At this point if a missile is fired, my prediction is that large portions North Korea will become very large empty parking lots. That does not mean the U.S. would go nuclear but do you remember the absolutely invisible armies if Saddam Hussein? Nothing could touch them right? The entire military establishment of Iraq came crashing down in short order with their supreme leader found hiding in a hole in the ground. The same could happen to North Korea if they push this too far.
With that as a back ground, allow me to acquaint you with a long established prophecy by Rabbi Moshe ben Yisrael Benyamin in 1894.
Special note: Many will say, who cares about some ramblings by an ancient Rabbi from 100 years ago? Ok fair enough but on the other hand Jesus was called a Rabbi 2000 years ago, every single one of the New Testament writers was a Jew with the possible exception of the physician Luke. Everyone of the Biblical prophets such as Jeremiah, Amos, Daniel, Haggai, Jonah, Ezekiel and ad infinitum were all Jews. Who is to say that God did not also prophesy through other Jewish Rabbis over the centuries? You decide.
This ancient prophecy foretold a solar eclipse that occurs at the beginning of the month of Elul on the Jewish religious calendar. Scientists tell us that a huge solar eclipse is scheduled to begin this coming Monday which is August 21. The month of Elul begins at sundown August 22 which begins Elul 1. Jewish religious days such as weekly Shabbats do not begin at 0001, just after midnight. They begin at sundown and go for 24 hours. Because the eclipse is traveling eastward from the Pacific Ocean over the United States to as far east over the Atlantic ocean as North Africa, Western Europe and portions of Asia, it will transect parts of the worlds 24 time zones. Israeli time is 10 hours ahead of West coast U.S. time. Putting all that together, the August 21 eclipse will be ending approximately as Elul 1 is beginning in Israel.
An FYI: Total eclipses of the sun in any one location are rare. The last one to cross the entire United States was in 1979.
Why is Elul 1 significant? It was on that date that Moses went up on Mount Sinai and in his absence Israel sinned by building the golden calf for worship. It was Elul 1 on which Jonah left for 40 days to tell Nineveh to repent. Also It was Elul 1 when Jesus went out into the wilderness for 40 days. Historically Elul 1 launched a one month period of national repentance for Israel.
Apparently Rabbi Yirsael Benjamin also included as part of his prophecy, an indication that an eclipse in that time frame would signal THE SUFFERINGS OF THE KINGS OF THE EAST. That would most certainly include North Korea.
Luke chapter 21:25 sees Jesus speaking "There will be signs in the Sun and the moon, and the stars" and this portion of scripture is referring to the end times. Admittedly this is not the correct time for Luke to play out because these scriptures are speaking of the time of Christ's return to earth. But that does not diminish the fact that God will use signs in the heavens including the sun to get His point across.
An author by the name of Pastor Mark Biltz points out that one of the best known solar eclipses in history was bad news for the Western nations which include Europe. There was a total eclipse of the sun in 1914 when WWI began and the Ottoman Empire was destroyed. The date of that eclipse in 1914 was August 21, the very same date as the eclipse coming up this next Monday.
Coincidence? Perhaps.
Bottom line folks; No predictions from this writer. But, the United States and North Korea are engaged in brinkmanship of a potential nuclear variety that could very well end in disaster. Both Russia and China have moved massive troops and equipment to their boarders with North Korea. They both claim that is only to ward off or control a huge potential influx of North Korean refugees should war break out. But is that their real reason?
At this very moment, war games are being held in South Korea which include that countries military, the United States and a few other allied nations.
Normally war games are held twice each year in South Korea but now is the third this year. Supposedly the North Korean Government has "backed down" from it's threatening rhetoric. But last Monday the North once again launched two missiles into the sea between Korea and Japan to protest the new war games in the South. Every single time war games are held it drives the North Korean leadership crazy and threats ensue. Both Russia and China have suggested it would be better to call off these war games but they are going forward in the face of North Korea's increased hostilities.
The question is? How much will it take for Kim Jung Un to throw caution to the wind and push a button that cannot be stopped? I would like to make a point here. Our western nations and the people therein think far differently than either the Oriental nations of the east or for example the Muslim nations. We have a tendency to think, "why would anyone start a war like that? In North Korea the people have been brain washed to believe their supreme leader is GOD! God's can do no wrong and neither can they be defeated. If Kim Jung Un actually believes he is a god and therefor invincible then we cannot predict his actions as we would another rational world leader.
I reject some peoples thinking that a war with North Korea would begin WWIII. Although there are some massive conflicts yet to be launched according to Biblical prophecy, the only world war I see in the future is Armageddon. Still, a shooting war of this nature could well spill over into China, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, not to mention several Nato Nations that would have no other choice than to back the efforts of Uncle Sam. Anytime you have war involving several nuclear countries there is potential for disaster. It only takes one very small mistake or miscalculation by any one of the participants to begin events that spell unspeakable death and destruction.
Was this ancient Rabbi hearing from God or did he have an active imagination?
Only time will tell and if the total solar eclipse is in any way a sign from God of impending disaster, we will know within days. I sincerely hope that is not the case.
You decide for yourselves.
God bless,
Pastor Rance.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
ISRAEL and the 9th of Av. Will it be bad news this year?
Dear friends and readers,
Oh, how I love thee, let me count the ways! In a nut shell, that expresses my personal view toward Israel.
I know that many of my readers share my love for Israel and show their support through various ways ranging from visits to the Holy Land, to posts on my wife's ministry Facebook group, "COMFORT ISRAEL" to the most important and powerful tool in our spiritual arsenal --- PRAYER!
I have written extensively about the Biblically Prophetic meanings surrounding Israel and the Covenant promises that were given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) by God all the way back thousands of years ago beginning in the book of Genesis. No one can come away from a thorough reading of the Bible without understanding just how important Israel and the Jewish people are in the mind and heart of God.
However, just like all of mankind, our Jewish brethren have over the centuries occasionally turned away from God (rebelled). He in turn has had no other choice than to chastise the very ones He has chosen. This is an extremely Biblical, Godly way for the Creator of the universe to interact with His created ones. Massive infusions of love offset occasionally with a good spanking. Lest you think that I am being hard on my brethren the Jews, several of whom are good friends, as a Christian pastor, I have been spanked myself on occasion (sometimes we pastors in our frustration act like sheep dogs who bite the sheep a bit too hard), and I have also had to dish out some discipline in my own congregations occasionally for various problems including the sin of rebellion.
We see an example of rebellion against Godly authority in 1st Samuel. The story of King Saul and the witch of Endor. But first, just a bit of background; big problems were happening between Israel and the people of Amalek in the 11th century B.C. God sent the prophet Samuel to tell Israel's first king (Saul), to kill every single one of these people. (Does this sound cruel to you? Well, remember that one rotten apple spoils the entire barrel).! Anyway, King Saul disobeyed and was chastised by God. In fact, so severely, that the kingdom was ripped away from Saul's descendants and eventually given over to King David and his descendants. Saul had rebelled against Godly authority. In chapter 15 verses 22-23, God makes absolutely clear what He thinks about rebellion. He says "behold, to obey is better than sacrifice---For REBELLION is as the sin of witchcraft"! He also says in Proverbs 13:24: "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly".
Did King Saul learn his lesson? No, in fact he made an even greater mistake in 1st Samuel 28:3-25 in which a supposedly Godly king consulted with a witch from Endor. Through the king's prompting, this witch brought up from the grave the prophet Samuel who had since passed away in the Lord. This time Samuel gave Saul even worse news because the very next day Israel was delivered into the hands of another enemy, the Philistines, and Saul and his sons lost their lives in the process.
Bottom line, if you do not want to be chastised by God, do not rebel against Godly authority!
Many the culture and nation has done exactly that but in every single case but one, the entire national cultures were eventually irretrievable destroyed. The sole exception? ISRAEL. Why? Because they are the only cultural people group on this planet who received an irrevocable covenant from God.
Chosen or not, over the centuries Israel has been through some very rough times. Sometimes deservedly, sometimes for the simple reason that satan hates anything that God loves. Remember the interchange in the Garden of Eden when God spoke to the serpent who deceived Eve? God said that there would always be enmity between the serpent (satan) and the seed of the woman. That seed is the Messiah of Israel (who we know as Jesus Christ), who would bruise satan's head and he in turn would bruise the heel of Messiah. That bruising comes in the form of satan doing everything in his power to destroy Israel and the natural brothers and sisters of Messiah.
I have heard so many times people who have said something like "The holocaust was brought about so Israel could once again become a nation". However to think about it in that way is to somehow give the impression that God somehow caused the horrific events of the Holocaust to set in motion a different outcome.
That is simply not true!
What IS true is that an evil dictator (Hitler) was influenced by satan to once again try and destroy the chosen people of God. Romans 8:28 describes the process. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". Let me unwind that for you. An evil man did his best to destroy God's chosen people and God in turn used what the evil man had done during those horrific events to set the stage for the eventual rebirth of historic Israel.
God used His Holy Word to prophecy very many events that would effect Israel (both good and not so good) in the future. But there are some things that have happened that defy explanation. One of those things are the very many bad things that have happened to Israel and the Jewish people on one specific date all throughout history.
That date is on the 9th of Av (also known as Tisha B'Av) on the Jewish calendar. The world including Israel uses the Gregorian calendar as a basis for all worldwide date setting, business and political events. Israel also has another calendar which is based upon a "lunisolar" rotation. Months being determined by the Lunar system and years determined by the Solar system. This is mainly for the use of religious observance. For example, today's date is July 25th in the year 2017. But it is also the date Av 2 in the Biblical year of 5777 since the creation of man. Of course not all agree with a "young earth" interpretation of the creation story but I personally do for what it is worth. :-)
The 9th of Av has signaled horrific events for Israel and the Jewish people many times since Abraham was given God's covenant promises. I for one cannot explain why this date is so incredibly monumental but I do accept that it is part of God's master plan for the complete and total restoration of Israel which will happen at the end of the 7 years of tribulation listed in the book of Revelation. For those of you who somehow think that the church must go through the tribulation years, please keep in mind what God said in Jeremiah 30:7 (speaking of the great tribulation) "Alas! For that time is great, so that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he will be saved out of it".
NOTE: For study purposes see Revelation 7:14.
Many horrible events have happened on or near the 9th of Av.
1). (Exact date unknown) Sometime after Moses received 10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai the 10 Jewish spies returned after spending 40 days in the "promised land" and discouraged Israel from entering in.
2). 586 B.C. First Jewish Temple destroyed by Babylon.
3). 70 A.D. Second Temple destroyed by Rome.
4). 135 A.D. events of the Jewish Bar Kochba revolt against Rome resulting in the Temple Mount being plowed under.
5). 1096 A.D. First Crusade killed over 1 million Jews.
6). 1290 A.D. Jews expelled from England.
7). 1306 A.D. Jews expelled from France.
8). 1492 A.D. Spanish Inquisition.
9). 1914 A.D. Key events beginning WWI.
10). 1941 A.D. Authority given to Heinrich Himmler for the final solution to the Jewish problem.
11). 1942 A.D. The German army evacuated the Warsaw Ghetto and transported all the Jews to Treblinka.
NOTE: This is a partial list and does not include Russian pogroms, other inquisitions and many atrocities during the Holocaust.
The 9th of Av just past this year on August 1st, 2017. No horrible single event happened this year but All of Israel is currently in turmoil because over 1/2 the nations of the world are pressuring Israel to give up more land plus half of the Holy City of Jerusalem.
Imagine what it would be like if the nations were demanding that Mexico give up Mexico City, Argentina give up Buenos Aires, Peru give up Lima, Spain give up Madrid or Columbia give up Bogata?
Without it's capital city, a nation looses it's identity. Jerusalem has been the capital city of Israel since King David's time in 1000 BCE.
So, what can we expect if anything next year on or around the 9th of Av? Well, for one the United Nations is once again breathing down the neck of Israel in an attempt to rip away Jerusalem as her capital. Russia, Turkey and Iran now have troops patrolling along Israel's Northern boarder with Syria (the Golan Heights).
The United States has just pressured Israel into pulling the metal detectors off the Temple Mount because the Muslims objected. Also there is vastly greater pressure being exerted against Israel to give up East Jerusalem and the West Bank which is historic Judea and Samaria.
Finally (but certainly not all), there is extreme pressure building for Israel to begin construction of a third Temple. Not a popular idea with 280 million Muslims who live in the neighborhood of the Middle East.
I do not know if the next 9th of Av will pass by with a whimper or become a very loud bang. Only time will tell, but please remember Joel 3:2 in which ALL the nations of the world will be judged by God in direct relationship to how they treated Israel. As I type this, 164 nations (out of about 200), now officially recognize the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied Palestinian territories". NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
Prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes.
Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
Oh, how I love thee, let me count the ways! In a nut shell, that expresses my personal view toward Israel.
I know that many of my readers share my love for Israel and show their support through various ways ranging from visits to the Holy Land, to posts on my wife's ministry Facebook group, "COMFORT ISRAEL" to the most important and powerful tool in our spiritual arsenal --- PRAYER!
I have written extensively about the Biblically Prophetic meanings surrounding Israel and the Covenant promises that were given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) by God all the way back thousands of years ago beginning in the book of Genesis. No one can come away from a thorough reading of the Bible without understanding just how important Israel and the Jewish people are in the mind and heart of God.
However, just like all of mankind, our Jewish brethren have over the centuries occasionally turned away from God (rebelled). He in turn has had no other choice than to chastise the very ones He has chosen. This is an extremely Biblical, Godly way for the Creator of the universe to interact with His created ones. Massive infusions of love offset occasionally with a good spanking. Lest you think that I am being hard on my brethren the Jews, several of whom are good friends, as a Christian pastor, I have been spanked myself on occasion (sometimes we pastors in our frustration act like sheep dogs who bite the sheep a bit too hard), and I have also had to dish out some discipline in my own congregations occasionally for various problems including the sin of rebellion.
We see an example of rebellion against Godly authority in 1st Samuel. The story of King Saul and the witch of Endor. But first, just a bit of background; big problems were happening between Israel and the people of Amalek in the 11th century B.C. God sent the prophet Samuel to tell Israel's first king (Saul), to kill every single one of these people. (Does this sound cruel to you? Well, remember that one rotten apple spoils the entire barrel).! Anyway, King Saul disobeyed and was chastised by God. In fact, so severely, that the kingdom was ripped away from Saul's descendants and eventually given over to King David and his descendants. Saul had rebelled against Godly authority. In chapter 15 verses 22-23, God makes absolutely clear what He thinks about rebellion. He says "behold, to obey is better than sacrifice---For REBELLION is as the sin of witchcraft"! He also says in Proverbs 13:24: "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly".
Did King Saul learn his lesson? No, in fact he made an even greater mistake in 1st Samuel 28:3-25 in which a supposedly Godly king consulted with a witch from Endor. Through the king's prompting, this witch brought up from the grave the prophet Samuel who had since passed away in the Lord. This time Samuel gave Saul even worse news because the very next day Israel was delivered into the hands of another enemy, the Philistines, and Saul and his sons lost their lives in the process.
Bottom line, if you do not want to be chastised by God, do not rebel against Godly authority!
Many the culture and nation has done exactly that but in every single case but one, the entire national cultures were eventually irretrievable destroyed. The sole exception? ISRAEL. Why? Because they are the only cultural people group on this planet who received an irrevocable covenant from God.
I have heard so many times people who have said something like "The holocaust was brought about so Israel could once again become a nation". However to think about it in that way is to somehow give the impression that God somehow caused the horrific events of the Holocaust to set in motion a different outcome.
That is simply not true!
What IS true is that an evil dictator (Hitler) was influenced by satan to once again try and destroy the chosen people of God. Romans 8:28 describes the process. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". Let me unwind that for you. An evil man did his best to destroy God's chosen people and God in turn used what the evil man had done during those horrific events to set the stage for the eventual rebirth of historic Israel.
God used His Holy Word to prophecy very many events that would effect Israel (both good and not so good) in the future. But there are some things that have happened that defy explanation. One of those things are the very many bad things that have happened to Israel and the Jewish people on one specific date all throughout history.
That date is on the 9th of Av (also known as Tisha B'Av) on the Jewish calendar. The world including Israel uses the Gregorian calendar as a basis for all worldwide date setting, business and political events. Israel also has another calendar which is based upon a "lunisolar" rotation. Months being determined by the Lunar system and years determined by the Solar system. This is mainly for the use of religious observance. For example, today's date is July 25th in the year 2017. But it is also the date Av 2 in the Biblical year of 5777 since the creation of man. Of course not all agree with a "young earth" interpretation of the creation story but I personally do for what it is worth. :-)
The 9th of Av has signaled horrific events for Israel and the Jewish people many times since Abraham was given God's covenant promises. I for one cannot explain why this date is so incredibly monumental but I do accept that it is part of God's master plan for the complete and total restoration of Israel which will happen at the end of the 7 years of tribulation listed in the book of Revelation. For those of you who somehow think that the church must go through the tribulation years, please keep in mind what God said in Jeremiah 30:7 (speaking of the great tribulation) "Alas! For that time is great, so that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he will be saved out of it".
NOTE: For study purposes see Revelation 7:14.
Many horrible events have happened on or near the 9th of Av.
1). (Exact date unknown) Sometime after Moses received 10 Commandments on Mt. Sinai the 10 Jewish spies returned after spending 40 days in the "promised land" and discouraged Israel from entering in.
2). 586 B.C. First Jewish Temple destroyed by Babylon.
3). 70 A.D. Second Temple destroyed by Rome.
4). 135 A.D. events of the Jewish Bar Kochba revolt against Rome resulting in the Temple Mount being plowed under.
5). 1096 A.D. First Crusade killed over 1 million Jews.
6). 1290 A.D. Jews expelled from England.
7). 1306 A.D. Jews expelled from France.
8). 1492 A.D. Spanish Inquisition.
9). 1914 A.D. Key events beginning WWI.
10). 1941 A.D. Authority given to Heinrich Himmler for the final solution to the Jewish problem.
11). 1942 A.D. The German army evacuated the Warsaw Ghetto and transported all the Jews to Treblinka.
NOTE: This is a partial list and does not include Russian pogroms, other inquisitions and many atrocities during the Holocaust.
The 9th of Av just past this year on August 1st, 2017. No horrible single event happened this year but All of Israel is currently in turmoil because over 1/2 the nations of the world are pressuring Israel to give up more land plus half of the Holy City of Jerusalem.
Imagine what it would be like if the nations were demanding that Mexico give up Mexico City, Argentina give up Buenos Aires, Peru give up Lima, Spain give up Madrid or Columbia give up Bogata?
Without it's capital city, a nation looses it's identity. Jerusalem has been the capital city of Israel since King David's time in 1000 BCE.
So, what can we expect if anything next year on or around the 9th of Av? Well, for one the United Nations is once again breathing down the neck of Israel in an attempt to rip away Jerusalem as her capital. Russia, Turkey and Iran now have troops patrolling along Israel's Northern boarder with Syria (the Golan Heights).
The United States has just pressured Israel into pulling the metal detectors off the Temple Mount because the Muslims objected. Also there is vastly greater pressure being exerted against Israel to give up East Jerusalem and the West Bank which is historic Judea and Samaria.
Finally (but certainly not all), there is extreme pressure building for Israel to begin construction of a third Temple. Not a popular idea with 280 million Muslims who live in the neighborhood of the Middle East.
I do not know if the next 9th of Av will pass by with a whimper or become a very loud bang. Only time will tell, but please remember Joel 3:2 in which ALL the nations of the world will be judged by God in direct relationship to how they treated Israel. As I type this, 164 nations (out of about 200), now officially recognize the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "occupied Palestinian territories". NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.
Prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes.
Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
Monday, February 13, 2017
ISRAEL, the exact center of the world... or is it?
Dear friends and readers,
Our Bible describes Israel as the center of the world. Admittedly, there is much discussion and argument about this. The anti-Bible folks say it is all posh and nonsense but the sticklers for Biblical truth are adamant. Ezekiel 5:5 states : "This is Jerusalem, I set her at the center of the nations"
Ezekiel 38:12 referring to the Jewish people states: " They live at the center of the world" . The word "CENTER" more appropriately rendered "navel" of the world. In any man''s speak that is pretty center. I do want to point out something that will make more sense further down in this article. God uses the term "NAVEL" but does that mean center in this context ?
The navel of a person is the point from which a baby receives nourishment from its mother. But the navel is not the exact center of the human body. In fact for most people, their navel is several more inches distant from the bottoms of their feet than it is from the top of their head. In fact the navel is not even the center of the trunk of the human body.
There is a point to all this so please humor me for a moment.
In doing research for this article, I came across some absolutely fascinating information that I did not previously know. It began while I was digging into whether or not there was evidence to support the idea that Israel really is the center of the world---not center of the planet, as in center of a round ball, but geographically center of the topographically face of the earth.
An interesting article by a scientist from the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) was most revealing. For those of you who do not know about ICR, it is a group of scientics who believe that the earth and all of the universe was created rather than coming into existence by some random act , other wise known as the big bang theory. I once visited the center when it was located in Southern California but it has long since moved to Dallas Texas. What a fascinating place. The founder of ICR is Dr. Henry Morris, PH.D who wrote a a fascinating article which references research done by a physicist by the name of Andrew J. Woods, M.S.
One of the central issues within this article is to point out that until the advent of super high speed computers, the science was not available to determine or verify the exact geographical center of the earth. We would all like to believe that the exact physical center of the Earth is Israel but according to Mr. Woods computer modeling that apparently in not the case. But the evidence is compelling and certainly gives us a glance into the planning of God that went into the positioning of certain places in the Middle east.
According to this research the geographical center of the earth is actually located near ANKARA, the modern day capital of the nation of Turkey. The city is slightly north of the center of that nation and south east of the port city of Istanbul which was previously called Constantinople, until renamed Istanbul in 1930. Constantinople was the Eastern capital of the Roman Byzantine Empire from 330 to 1204 and then again from 1261 to 1453 A.D. It was Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena (330 A.D.) who was the first Roman Caesar to become Christian. The result was that Christianity spread throughout the later Roman Empire probably faster than in the days of Paul and Peter in the first century.
I have in my office a huge wall map and I placed a stick pin over Ankara. Continuing to read this most excellent article, I next placed a pin over Mount Ararat which is located on the far Eastern boarder of Turkey. Continuing on I placed another over the site of ancient Babylon and yet another over Jerusalem.
According to Mr. Woods, the exact center of the geographycal earth is Ankara at Latitude, 39 degrees and longitude 34 degrees. Which as it turns out is the same Latitude as Mount Ararat and essentially the same Longitude as Jerusalem. Interestingly, the locations of these four historical sites forms a nearly perfect square. Inside that square is contained about 440,000 square miles of territory and includes the names of many ancient Biblical cities . If you look at your own map you will see that the rivers Euphrates and Tigris (Hiddekel) are within that square and the Bible states in Genesis 2:8-14 God planted a garden east of Eden and from it flowed a river and from the garden it split into four riverheads, the first being Pishon, the second is the Gihon, the third is the Hiddekel (Tigris) and the fourth is the Euphrates.
No one knows the exact course that either the Pishon or the Gihon originally took but many learned scholars believe the Pishon may have flowed south between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. If that is the case it would eventually have been deluged by the waters on Noah'''s flood and be located directly under the area where Moses split the waters of the Red Sea and led his people in pursuit of the promised land. How Divinely poetic.
Another remarkable coincidence (?) is the fact that the name ANKARA means ANCHOR. Could it be possible that this is a geographical anchor to the nearly perfect square that may have been home to the Garden of Eden and thus to Adam and Eve? That this anchor is extremely near the great city of Constantinople from which much of Christianity spread in later generations? That directly opposite the anchor, on the far side of the square is Jerusalem which is undeniable the city representing spiritual redemption for all mankind?
Remember I was speaking about the physical location of the navel on the human anatomy and that it is the area from which all newly created humans are fed and nourished? Just as our Redeemer Jesus Christ was born, gave Himself unto death and was resurrected to provide spiritual nourishment for all who will simply embrace Him? Is that the reason Jerusalem is referred to as the NAVEL of the world? I also emphatically state that since Jesus was and always will be the Jewish Messiah, one cannot separate Him from Jerusalem or Israel no matter how hard they try.
So what could be the relevance to the other two corners of the square?
As we all know, when God destroyed mankind through a great worldwide flood, He gave grace, safety and provision to Noah and his family so that mankind could begin with a fresh start and eventually spread to all corners of the earth. It is believed by many that it was Noah's 70 children and grandchildren who resettled the earth. Later of course once again because of sin, God scattered the human race and confused the languages from the ancient city of Babel . This was the Kingdom of the ancient King Nimrod which in the course of time became Babylon who''''s King Nebuchadnezzar was used by God to punish Israel and take many of the Jewish people captive for 70 years.
At the end of that 70 years, another King of Babylon, Cyrus by name who was also King of Persia issued a decree that allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and he even provided monies for them to help rebuild the Temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar .
Is there any physical or spiritual relevance to these four locations and their positioning in relation to one another?
The nearly perfect square:
1). Ankara , geographical center of the World. The "anchor", originally controlled by a great King of Roman Constantinople who spread Christianity worldwide.
2). Mount Ararat, chosen by God to begin re population of the world.
3). Babylon, chosen by God to punish Israel but also to protect a remnant of Jews and restore Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple of God.
4). Jerusalem, the spiritual navel of the world and great city of redemption from whom the redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah will eventually reign for 1000 years.
These four points on the compass surround the place where God first created mankind in the Garden East of Eden.
And what else Biblically is within or extremely near that square?
1). Damascus (Isaiah 17---future prophecy-- will be utterly destroyed)
2). Nineveh (mentioned 17 times in the King James Bible)
3).Shushan ( Susa-The home of Queen Esther)
4). Shechem (The Lord spoke to Abraham near Shechem)
5). Hebron (King David's first capital city)
6). Elam (The city of Suza was the capital of Elam)
7). Haran (Genesis 11:32 Terah, father of Abram died in Haran)
8). Parts of ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia (Persia--Iran today)
9). Ur of the Caldeans (Genesis 11:28 Abraham's father was from Ur)
10) Future locations of the great wars of Gog from the land of Magog and the battle of Armageddon.
I am certain that all four points on the nearly perfect square are still important in the throne room of God. But here on earth, the relevance of Ankara as the anchor, Mount Ararat and Babylon have become lost to history other than for those of us who love to know the Biblical answers. It being a fascinating study.
What is not lost to history is Jerusalem and the role she currently plays and ALWAYS will.
Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be the eternal home to all human beings who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile.
Jerusalem is the most hotly contested piece of real estate on the planet. Not only is the ownership of Jerusalem contested but also the very existence of the Jewish people. They have been threatened with future extinction by Iran (ancient Persia), Syria, the terror organizations, Hezbolah, Hamas, Isis, Jabhat Fatah a-Sham, Khalid ibn al-Walid Army plus several lesser known groups who would love nothing more than to wipe Israel off the face of the map. She is constantly maligned by the United Nations and accused of stealing Arab land even though the tiny spec of Israel (with 7 million inhabitants) is surrounded by massive nations containing roughly 600 million Arabs, Turks and Persians many of whom want to destroy her.
Think of this from satan'' view point for surely all these anti Semitic groups are inspired by non other than lucifer himself. If he were able to inspire the death of Israel and all Jews on the planet, (not to mention Christians) the real Messiah, Jesus the Christ of God would have no place to return to and no people to call His own. Of course that is not possible and the end of the Book (BIBLE) says clearly that Jesus and His people will eventually prevail in this centuries old battle for dominance over the human soul.
By the way, just a thought to remember; The Covenant land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants (the Jewish people), if realized today, would include a huge swath of Egypt, all of Israel, another huge swath of Saudi Arabia, all of Jordan, roughly one half of Iraq, all of Lebanon, about two thirds of Syria, and a small portion of Turkey. Our Jewish friends are stealing the land? I don''t think so.
It is no wonder God instructed us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). Interesting that this Psalm is not a suggestion, it is a command.
Question for everyone to ponder. Is the Bible merely a dusty old tome filled with inaccuracies and made up stories? Or is it Divinely inspired and written by anointed Prophets and people of God? Is it simply all coincidence? I think not.
I sincerely hope you find this article as interesting as it was for me to write.
Until we meet again,
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
Our Bible describes Israel as the center of the world. Admittedly, there is much discussion and argument about this. The anti-Bible folks say it is all posh and nonsense but the sticklers for Biblical truth are adamant. Ezekiel 5:5 states : "This is Jerusalem, I set her at the center of the nations"
Ezekiel 38:12 referring to the Jewish people states: " They live at the center of the world" . The word "CENTER" more appropriately rendered "navel" of the world. In any man''s speak that is pretty center. I do want to point out something that will make more sense further down in this article. God uses the term "NAVEL" but does that mean center in this context ?
The navel of a person is the point from which a baby receives nourishment from its mother. But the navel is not the exact center of the human body. In fact for most people, their navel is several more inches distant from the bottoms of their feet than it is from the top of their head. In fact the navel is not even the center of the trunk of the human body.
There is a point to all this so please humor me for a moment.
In doing research for this article, I came across some absolutely fascinating information that I did not previously know. It began while I was digging into whether or not there was evidence to support the idea that Israel really is the center of the world---not center of the planet, as in center of a round ball, but geographically center of the topographically face of the earth.
An interesting article by a scientist from the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) was most revealing. For those of you who do not know about ICR, it is a group of scientics who believe that the earth and all of the universe was created rather than coming into existence by some random act , other wise known as the big bang theory. I once visited the center when it was located in Southern California but it has long since moved to Dallas Texas. What a fascinating place. The founder of ICR is Dr. Henry Morris, PH.D who wrote a a fascinating article which references research done by a physicist by the name of Andrew J. Woods, M.S.
One of the central issues within this article is to point out that until the advent of super high speed computers, the science was not available to determine or verify the exact geographical center of the earth. We would all like to believe that the exact physical center of the Earth is Israel but according to Mr. Woods computer modeling that apparently in not the case. But the evidence is compelling and certainly gives us a glance into the planning of God that went into the positioning of certain places in the Middle east.
According to this research the geographical center of the earth is actually located near ANKARA, the modern day capital of the nation of Turkey. The city is slightly north of the center of that nation and south east of the port city of Istanbul which was previously called Constantinople, until renamed Istanbul in 1930. Constantinople was the Eastern capital of the Roman Byzantine Empire from 330 to 1204 and then again from 1261 to 1453 A.D. It was Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena (330 A.D.) who was the first Roman Caesar to become Christian. The result was that Christianity spread throughout the later Roman Empire probably faster than in the days of Paul and Peter in the first century.
I have in my office a huge wall map and I placed a stick pin over Ankara. Continuing to read this most excellent article, I next placed a pin over Mount Ararat which is located on the far Eastern boarder of Turkey. Continuing on I placed another over the site of ancient Babylon and yet another over Jerusalem.
According to Mr. Woods, the exact center of the geographycal earth is Ankara at Latitude, 39 degrees and longitude 34 degrees. Which as it turns out is the same Latitude as Mount Ararat and essentially the same Longitude as Jerusalem. Interestingly, the locations of these four historical sites forms a nearly perfect square. Inside that square is contained about 440,000 square miles of territory and includes the names of many ancient Biblical cities . If you look at your own map you will see that the rivers Euphrates and Tigris (Hiddekel) are within that square and the Bible states in Genesis 2:8-14 God planted a garden east of Eden and from it flowed a river and from the garden it split into four riverheads, the first being Pishon, the second is the Gihon, the third is the Hiddekel (Tigris) and the fourth is the Euphrates.
No one knows the exact course that either the Pishon or the Gihon originally took but many learned scholars believe the Pishon may have flowed south between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. If that is the case it would eventually have been deluged by the waters on Noah'''s flood and be located directly under the area where Moses split the waters of the Red Sea and led his people in pursuit of the promised land. How Divinely poetic.
Another remarkable coincidence (?) is the fact that the name ANKARA means ANCHOR. Could it be possible that this is a geographical anchor to the nearly perfect square that may have been home to the Garden of Eden and thus to Adam and Eve? That this anchor is extremely near the great city of Constantinople from which much of Christianity spread in later generations? That directly opposite the anchor, on the far side of the square is Jerusalem which is undeniable the city representing spiritual redemption for all mankind?
So what could be the relevance to the other two corners of the square?
As we all know, when God destroyed mankind through a great worldwide flood, He gave grace, safety and provision to Noah and his family so that mankind could begin with a fresh start and eventually spread to all corners of the earth. It is believed by many that it was Noah's 70 children and grandchildren who resettled the earth. Later of course once again because of sin, God scattered the human race and confused the languages from the ancient city of Babel . This was the Kingdom of the ancient King Nimrod which in the course of time became Babylon who''''s King Nebuchadnezzar was used by God to punish Israel and take many of the Jewish people captive for 70 years.
At the end of that 70 years, another King of Babylon, Cyrus by name who was also King of Persia issued a decree that allowed the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and he even provided monies for them to help rebuild the Temple which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar .
Is there any physical or spiritual relevance to these four locations and their positioning in relation to one another?
The nearly perfect square:
1). Ankara , geographical center of the World. The "anchor", originally controlled by a great King of Roman Constantinople who spread Christianity worldwide.
2). Mount Ararat, chosen by God to begin re population of the world.
3). Babylon, chosen by God to punish Israel but also to protect a remnant of Jews and restore Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple of God.
4). Jerusalem, the spiritual navel of the world and great city of redemption from whom the redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah will eventually reign for 1000 years.
These four points on the compass surround the place where God first created mankind in the Garden East of Eden.
And what else Biblically is within or extremely near that square?
1). Damascus (Isaiah 17---future prophecy-- will be utterly destroyed)
2). Nineveh (mentioned 17 times in the King James Bible)
3).Shushan ( Susa-The home of Queen Esther)
4). Shechem (The Lord spoke to Abraham near Shechem)
5). Hebron (King David's first capital city)
6). Elam (The city of Suza was the capital of Elam)
7). Haran (Genesis 11:32 Terah, father of Abram died in Haran)
8). Parts of ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia (Persia--Iran today)
9). Ur of the Caldeans (Genesis 11:28 Abraham's father was from Ur)
10) Future locations of the great wars of Gog from the land of Magog and the battle of Armageddon.
I am certain that all four points on the nearly perfect square are still important in the throne room of God. But here on earth, the relevance of Ankara as the anchor, Mount Ararat and Babylon have become lost to history other than for those of us who love to know the Biblical answers. It being a fascinating study.
What is not lost to history is Jerusalem and the role she currently plays and ALWAYS will.
Scripture tells us that Jerusalem will be the eternal home to all human beings who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, both Jew and Gentile.
Jerusalem is the most hotly contested piece of real estate on the planet. Not only is the ownership of Jerusalem contested but also the very existence of the Jewish people. They have been threatened with future extinction by Iran (ancient Persia), Syria, the terror organizations, Hezbolah, Hamas, Isis, Jabhat Fatah a-Sham, Khalid ibn al-Walid Army plus several lesser known groups who would love nothing more than to wipe Israel off the face of the map. She is constantly maligned by the United Nations and accused of stealing Arab land even though the tiny spec of Israel (with 7 million inhabitants) is surrounded by massive nations containing roughly 600 million Arabs, Turks and Persians many of whom want to destroy her.
Think of this from satan'' view point for surely all these anti Semitic groups are inspired by non other than lucifer himself. If he were able to inspire the death of Israel and all Jews on the planet, (not to mention Christians) the real Messiah, Jesus the Christ of God would have no place to return to and no people to call His own. Of course that is not possible and the end of the Book (BIBLE) says clearly that Jesus and His people will eventually prevail in this centuries old battle for dominance over the human soul.
By the way, just a thought to remember; The Covenant land promised by God to Abraham and his descendants (the Jewish people), if realized today, would include a huge swath of Egypt, all of Israel, another huge swath of Saudi Arabia, all of Jordan, roughly one half of Iraq, all of Lebanon, about two thirds of Syria, and a small portion of Turkey. Our Jewish friends are stealing the land? I don''t think so.
It is no wonder God instructed us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). Interesting that this Psalm is not a suggestion, it is a command.
Question for everyone to ponder. Is the Bible merely a dusty old tome filled with inaccuracies and made up stories? Or is it Divinely inspired and written by anointed Prophets and people of God? Is it simply all coincidence? I think not.
I sincerely hope you find this article as interesting as it was for me to write.
Until we meet again,
God bless you all,
Pastor Rance.
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