The WeekEnder
for Bible Prophecy Today
January 4-9 2010
F
Marking Time for a Happy New Year ~ Bible Prophecy Today
In His infinite wisdom, the eternal God marked time and counted the days as He created this world. He is not bound by time, but we, His creation, are. Think of the movies depicting prisoners locked away in solitary confinement or castaways stranded on a desert island. They always seem compelled to mark the days with hash marks on a stony wall. Those marks express a need to bring about order, to exercise knowledge of and perhaps a feeling of control over the passing of time.
In a way, the drama of marking the New Year is a not unlike the hash marks made by those prisoners or castaways. We feel compelled to divide life into manageable, organized segments in order to make sense of it and to order our days. It’s time to put up that new calendar. It’s time to start that diet and exercise program. It’s time to plan to do the things we didn’t get done last year. The passage of time has a way of prodding us to look backward and forward all at once, to remember and to hope, to celebrate and to sorrow.
Recently, my best friend had to put his father into a nursing home. His dad has Alzheimer’s disease and whereas he had been deteriorating for quite some time, no one expected his sudden need for full-time professional care to come so quickly. On the one hand it was a day like any other, but the day his dad went into that nursing home is now burned in the memories of my dear friend and his family. It was the day that his father’s death became a reality, though painfully suspended. Anyone who faces such a moment knows that you never forget that moment in time. You see, my friend’s father doesn’t know the Lord.
My friend has taken special care to share his faith with his dad. This man has heard the gospel many times, but has never opened his heart to Jesus. Who knows? Maybe one day he will regain a moment of lucidity, hear the gospel again and, this time, believe. Or maybe he is now merely marking time until he meets his Maker.
In a way, the current state of my friend’s father is a metaphor for the way many people live their entire lives. They’re marking time, oblivious to its true meaning, unable to comprehend the connections between the past and the present — or the present and the future.
Some celebrate the New Year like it is just one more occasion for frivolity — the kind that promotes forgetfulness. When people don’t have much to live for beyond this temporal plane, they may celebrate the moments when short-lived bliss throws a temporary blind over the emptiness of a life that will soon be over. Many people live their lives this way, but I never want that for myself or for you. Drinking is not the only form of dissipation. If we’re not careful, it’s all too easy to slip into a spiritual stupor.
Dear Jews for Jesus friend, you may have guessed that I am more than a bit sober and somber as we enter 2010, and I hope you will forgive my reflective tone as I think aloud about this passage of time. It is easy to allow the pressures of life, the sorrows and joys that fill our days, to dull our hearts and minds to the greater realities of both the temporal and the eternal. The Bible tells us,
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
Most of the “time” I struggle to believe the days really are evil. I know there is evil in the world, but I do my best to see the good in life, to enjoy life’s blessings as much as I can—and yes, there are many blessings to enjoy. But when disappointment or sadness or death comes and grabs me by the throat and shakes me to my core, I am reminded of this truth.
Yes, the days are evil. So then how can we say, “Happy New Year”? It is because when we walk circumspectly we can still enjoy the pleasures of life in God, without ignoring the evil around us. We can be truly alive and yes, happy, because the evil doesn’t overwhelm us when it presents itself to us in all of its lurid colors and rancid smells. We aren’t surprised by it. We were expecting it and we can live life without being controlled by it.
It is impossible not to be impacted by evil. Sorrow, illness and death are all around us. They sometimes mark the passage of time more profoundly than life’s joys and celebrations. But evil can’t overcome us, because we know that this life is only for a moment and then comes eternity. To live is Christ. To die is gain. We are not to live out our lives just marking time, but we are to make the most of each day. That is a difficult and complex challenge that requires us to be both joyous and sober.
As missionaries with Jews for Jesus we understand that “we exist to make the Messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide.” God has given us that special purpose and it helps us to focus, to prioritize, to make the most of the time He has allotted us. To see life in all its joys and disappointments through the prism of God’s purpose and calling for us is to walk circumspectly.
For what purpose do you believe that you exist? I can think of no better way to mark the beginning of a New Year than by reflecting on this essential question. Living circumspectly means living life in light of God’s purpose for us today and His plan for our forever. We can’t live without time, but neither should we be controlled by it. When we realize God’s eternal purposes for us, we can mark the start of a New Year with a renewed sense of joy and meaning. Then we can discern the priorities for making the most of the time God gives us. That would surely be something to be happy about in this New Year.
A couple of months ago, I visited our Jews for Jesus founder, Moishe Rosen, in the hospital. He had been having a rough week, not only because of the metastatic cancer he is enduring, though that is pain enough. He had developed a blockage in his lower intestine that required an emergency surgery and it took a huge toll on him. As he lay in that hospital bed for two weeks, he regularly slipped in and out of consciousness with moments of pain-filled lucidity here and there. But when I walked in the room he opened his eyes and said, “Hello, David Brickner.” I knew he was alert.
“Hi Moishe,” I said, “how are you feeling today?”
“I’m disappointed. I didn’t get my invitation.”
“What invitation is that, Moishe?”
“My invitation into the presence of the Lord.”
I paused to compose myself. “Well, I guess that means the Lord isn’t quite ready to welcome you yet. And there are quite a few of us that would be happy for Him to take His time.” He smiled and closed his eyes. A few days later we marked a good day when he was discharged. What a relief it was for him to leave the hospital, to go home and sleep in his own bed, surrounded by what is familiar and comfortable.
But Moishe isn’t really home. Not yet. None of us really is. God has given us many good gifts and many reasons to rejoice during our time on this earth. Still, He doesn’t intend for us to make ourselves too much at home — not yet. But with each passing day and each New Year we can make the most of His purpose for our lives, as we mark the time that happily brings us just a little closer to our true home.
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The Language of Love ~ Bible Prophecy Today
Language is one of the greatest gifts God has given man. And language is most beautiful when it is clear. That’s why Hemingway and Steinbeck are two of my favorite writers. I have an aversion to flowery writing; that’s just a personal preference.
So I am reminded of all this whenever I get into a conversation with someone who misses (or refuses to see) the obvious fulfillment of predictive prophecy. And just like Georgia was on Ray Charles’ mind, Israel is always on my mind.
The beautiful country, the nation of destiny. Through the language of the Bible, we see that God has loved Israel with an everlasting love. We find this in Jeremiah 31:3. And just before that, the last sentence of Chapter 30 states:
“The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he has done it, and until he has performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”
The context of all this is the latter days. Israel will be reborn.
Today, I visited with a friend via email; she lives in an Israeli community near Ariel. Her home is near the ancient dwellings of the Hebrews.
The Jews are back in accordance with the prophecies that place them where they are, in the last days.
Why is this so difficult for preterists and skeptics to grasp? What is difficult about the language?
Earlier in Jeremiah 30, I read one of my favorite verses: 14. It is the chilling declaration that in the last days, all the friends Israel had — such as they were — would be gone, abandoning the Jews.
We see this exact thing happening today. As noted in Israeli media this past week, the Obama administration’s incredibly stupid and shortsighted marginalization of Israel has emboldened the Tinkerbells in Europe, who become brave when everyone else does something; then they follow. If the world’s only superpower (fading) gives the cold shoulder to the Jewish state, so will Europe.
But this plays into the Lord’s hands, because He has most certainly plotted His revenge against those who hunt His people, the Jews.
In Jeremiah 30:16, He declares that all who had sought to devour the Jews would themselves be devoured. Do you have any idea how many terrorists the Israel Defense Forces has pulverized? The IDF sends its sons deep into enemy territory to strike at psychotic enemies.
And if it isn’t IDF Special Forces popping up out of nowhere to surprise a roomful of greasy terrorists, it is the IAF or army doing the job. Believe me, the Arabs fear the Israeli army.
So God’s language on such matters is clear. He said the Jews would come back to their ancestral land, not without opposition, and that He would protect them. My friends, all these things are happening at this very moment.
A preterist critic of Bible prophecy/Israel will attack only on select points on the battlefield: a personality quirk of a prophecy teacher, or an ill-advised prediction made by a prophecy teacher. Things like that.
But if you point out a very simple, straightforward verse — and can back it up with a specific instance of Israel being planted again in the land (think Shiloh built on ancient Shiloh!), well, you’ve at least given the old boy something to think about. Remember, preterist criticism of Bible prophecy personalities has zero to do with real predictive prophecy.
And let’s back up further to reflect on how the language of God’s love in the books of the prophets continues to confirm the supernatural quality of predictive prophecy.
In Jeremiah 24:9, we read:
“And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.”
What do you think the dispersions from the land of Israel in the first and second centuries were all about? The Romans booted the Jews out of the land, and within a fairly short time, they had moved from the countries around the Mediterranean basin to literally fill the earth. There were Jews in Madrid, Japan, Alaska, Australia…
What is this if not the use of heavenly language to communicate truth to people on Earth?
I’ll tell you this: when I see how God has loved His people with an everlasting love, I know that He also loves me. It becomes a personal thing.
God’s promises to the Jews — irrevocable because they were promised during an unconditional covenant (Genesis 15) — are truly the language of love.
One day all the Replacement theologians and preterists and skeptics will find that out.
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The Israel Test ~ Bible Prophecy Today
In his new book, "The Israel Test" (Richard Vigilante Books), George Gilder has written a superlative defense of capitalism and how it relates to Israel becoming the world's most advanced nation in the development of the new technologies, second only to the United States. Tiny Israel, barely the size of New Jersey, with a population of more than seven million, now has more brain power than all of Europe.
While every ethnic group has its geniuses, the Jews have much more of them than any other group. According to Charles Murray, "The proportion of Jews with IQs of 140 or higher is somewhere around six times the proportion of everyone else." Indeed, Gilder writes: "The source of anti-Semitism is Jewish superiority and excellence. ... Hostility toward Jews stems not from any alleged legal violations or untoward violence but from their exceptional virtues."
What infuriated Hitler most was the Jews' mastery of capitalism, their ability to build great department stores, newspapers, investment banks, publishing houses and many other great enterprises. Gilder bemoans the fact that Hitler's destruction of six million Jews deprived future Europe of the best brains and talents on the continent. And, ironically, it was Jewish scientific genius that helped the allies win World War II.
We shall never know what great enterprises, what great works of genius the six million would have produced for the benefit of mankind. There is no telling how much wealth their talents would have created.
Gilder is highly critical of the left's perverted and repugnant vision of how wealth is created by excellence-inspired capitalism: "With wealth seen as stolen from the exploited poor, the poor in turn win a license to dispossess and kill their oppressors and to disrupt capitalist economies. This is the foul message of Frantz Fanon, Hamas, al-Qaida, Hezbollah, and the academic coteries of Chomsky, Zinn, and a thousand Marxist myrmidons across the campuses of the world."
These are the two sides that describe America's present political civil war: economic freedom versus socialism. To Gilder, the survival of Israel is the key to success or failure in this gargantuan global struggle. He writes:
"Regardless of flaws – and Israel has fewer flaws than perhaps any other nation – Israel is the pivot, the axis, the litmus, the trial. Are you for civilization or barbarism, life or death, wealth or envy? Are you an exponent of excellence and accomplishment or a leveling creed of troglodytic frenzy and hatred?"
Israel recently passed Canada as the source of the most foreign companies on the NASDAQ index, launching far more high-tech companies per year than any country in Europe. And Gilder provides fascinating interviews of Israeli entrepreneurs and scientists who have made this economic miracle possible.
Ironically, the early Jewish settlers in Palestine were utopian socialists who wanted to create perfect communism. They rejected all of the talents that made Jews some of the greatest capitalist entrepreneurs in Europe. And, of course, their utopia had to fail just like any other in history.
But it wasn't until 1990 that Israel, under the leadership of market-oriented Benjamin Netanyahu, dismantled much of the socialist infrastructure and adopted a market economy. The result has been an economic miracle. Israel now creates many of the most powerful new technologies that go into personal computers, iPods, cell phones, medical breakthroughs and anti-missile defenses.
In 2008, Israel produced 483 venture-backed companies with just over $2-billion invested. Germany produces annually about a hundred venture-backed companies. Germany, with very few Jews, is apparently no match for Israel's almost six million Jews.
"The Israel Test" ought to be required reading for everyone in the United States government, including President Obama and his cabinet. Because of its financial conservatism, Israel has suffered far less in the global financial crisis than so many other countries, and its recovery will be faster than the rest of the global economy.
Gilder's book clearly defines what's at stake in this dangerous world. In the apocalyptic struggle between capitalism and socialism, it clearly indicates why we must unequivocally pass "The Israel Test."
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