Emboldened Russia Moves on Ukraine

The Russian Senate has approved Putin's plan to intervene in the Ukraine. I can't help but feel this is both a power grab from a newly strengthened Russia, as well as a testing of the waters with regards to foreign reaction. With its down-sizing military and floundering economy, Putin knows the US will not stop him. But what are the political and economic repercussions Russia will face for invading a sovereign nation? I don't believe there will be much of an outcry, and Putin will be emboldened. 

Russian armor builds up for Ukraine (Debka image) 

Putin wants to restore Russia to its previous power and is trying to do so without raising "red flags". Russia continues to arm Middle Eastern nations and strengthen ties with them, wisely gaining allies and resources without hostilities. In Ezekiel 38-39, there is much talk of what many believe to be a strengthened Russia (Gog and Magog) leading Middle Eastern nations in a massive invasion of Israel in the last days. It is very interesting to observe the Geo-political landscape in that region as it lines up exactly how the Bible says it will in the end.
Pray for the safety of the innocents, and keep an eye on what unfolds in Russia's latest power grab and test of the international community.   

Article on Gog and Magog Bible Passage
Joel C. Rosenberg's Blog 
CNN Article
Debka File Article

Christian Martyr Deaths Double in 2013

I know for some this is old news already, but I felt I should share this. Christian martyr deaths doubled in 2013 across the world. A major reason for this is the uprising/civil war that has raged on in Syria. Sadly, the insurgents/freedom fighters/rebels/terrorists that are battling President Assad and have the US support in many ways, are some of the primary culprits, responsible for over 1200 murders. While Assad has certainly fit the description of a dictator, he, as a secular leader, has allowed Christians in his country to live in peace with little persecution. However, as his control has slipped away, these rebels have gained control over many cities and have persecuted Believers mercilessly in many places. The reports truly are disturbing so I will allow you to research them for yourself. 

While democracy is a wonderful thing, sadly, the Middle East has shown that it isn't for everyone. When Egypt elected a Muslim Brotherhood member as president, it became clear: a democracy is only as good as her people. This should be a solemn warning to the US foreign affairs and Christians alike. If the masses prefer violence and hate, democracy is not exactly the best option.
Pray for our brothers and sisters in the Middle East as the war rages on in Syria, unrest and persecution mounts in Egypt, and persecution continues as usual throughout the region. Also pray for our nation's leadership to have wisdom when making foreign arms support and diplomacy decisions.

God's Plan for Israel

For my Christian brothers and sisters who don't believe the return of Israel to their land is a fulfillment of prophecy, or perhaps believe God is done with Israel for good, how do you explain your position in light of Joel 3?

For context, here are some excerpts from Joel Chapter 2 that show this is regarding the last days. Joel writes about the Day of The Lord in verse one and two:

¹Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.

Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
² a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.

 

Then in verse 20, a possible reference to the Gog and Magog invasion:

²⁰ “I will drive the northern horde far from you,
pushing it into a parched and barren land;
its eastern ranks will drown in the Dead Sea
and its western ranks in the Mediterranean Sea.
And its stench will go up;
its smell will rise.”

 

Then to wrap up chapter 2 there is a passage that is also repeated by Luke in the book of Acts when the current stage of eschatology had just begun:

²⁸ “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
³² And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved;
for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors
whom the Lord calls.

 

Throughout chapter 3 it speaks of Israel being scattered across the nations, a final judgment for the offenders and that Israel will inhabit the land of Judah (Israel) forever. I will underline the scriptures that clearly outline that this event has not happened yet and I will touch on some of them below.

The Nations Judged

3 “In those days and at that time,
when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
² I will gather all nations
and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
There I will put them on trial
for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,
because they scattered my people among the nations
and divided up my land.
³ They cast lots for my people
and traded boys for prostitutes;
they sold girls for wine to drink.

⁴ “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. ⁵ For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. ⁶ You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.

⁷ “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done. ⁸ I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, a nation far away.” The Lord has spoken.

⁹ Proclaim this among the nations:
Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
¹⁰ Beat your plowshares into swords
and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
“I am strong!”
¹¹ Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
and assemble there.

Bring down your warriors, Lord!

¹² “Let the nations be roused;
let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side.
¹³ Swing the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Come, trample the grapes,
for the winepress is full
and the vats overflow—
so great is their wickedness!”

¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
¹⁵ The sun and moon will be darkened,
and the stars no longer shine.
¹⁶ The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the heavens will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel.

Blessings for God’s People

¹⁷ “Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.

¹⁸ “In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
and the hills will flow with milk;
all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
and will water the valley of acacias.
¹⁹ But Egypt will be desolate,
Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
in whose land they shed innocent blood.
²⁰ Judah will be inhabited forever
and Jerusalem through all generations.
²¹ Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
No, I will not.”

The Lord dwells in Zion!

I believe it is very clear that this passage is dealing with the last days and has not been fulfilled yet. In the passage, God is judging the nations for the mistreatment of His people, scattering them and selling them to foreign peoples. This judgment will come when God dwells in Jerusalem after He has re-established His people in Israel. In verse 17 Joel writes that never again will foreigners invade Israel. Well, Israel was invaded in 1948 and in 1973, and will be at a time yet to come (Gog and Magog invasion spoken of in Ezekiel 36-39). How could this passage already be fulfilled?

The very existence of modern day Israel after being scattered throughout the world for 2000 years and undergoing numerous attempts at her extermination is a miracle that can only be explained by God's hand. His promise endures forever.

Genesis Chapter 12:

 ¹ The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

Not only does God still have a plan for the People of Israel, he has a judgment for those who have abused her. I pray that our nation is always supportive of Israel's security needs and keeps her interests in mind. 

Washington Post Article on the Temple Mount

Recently, the Washington Post released an article that does a good job presenting the current situation surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The writer explains the issues and players that factor into the most contested and sensitive place on earth. 
Many Bible and prophecy scholars believe that the Jews must rebuild their temple in order for certain end-times events to take place (such as the abomination of desolation). Here is a compilation of bible references that imply that Israel will rebuild the temple:
Bible references to a 3rd temple

The Temple Mount as it appears today

with the al-Aqsa Mosque on top
 

Interestingly, there are preparations underway to rebuild the temple. Blueprints for the temple have been created, items to be used during priestly ceremonies have been made in accordance to biblical instruction. All that is needed now is permission from The King; no man can stop His will from being done in His timing.

The WP article touches on these preparations and more can be found at the Temple Institute web site.

Update

I will continue on with my new series as I find the time, doing the research required to write a decent article about those topics takes a lot of time. Time that I don't find very frequently. So, when I have the time, I will be writing those posts about why we can trust the Bible as true. But if and when I get snippets of time I will be posting interesting (at least I think they are) articles and videos as I stumble across them. 
Thanks for reading!

New Blog Series, Part I: God's Word is Truth

God’s word is under attack today like no other time in history. The number of churches that handle the sword (cover term for Bible, for all my military friends) correctly is dwindling. Preachers use it to push their own agenda, rather than letting it push their agenda. I constantly hear non-believers decry the bible as brutal, evil, homophobic, a bunch of fairy tales, and false. And rather than investigating the truth of the Bible for themselves, even Christians try to explain away the “unpopular” or convicting passages by all kinds of very creative and illogical means. I hear people say that there are many different ways to interpret the Bible, so why should anyone insist that a certain doctrine or teaching must be interpreted a certain way? Now, granted there are certain matters of personal discretion that the Bible affords, such as drinking. We shouldn’t ostracize other believers for drinking or not drinking but just encourage them to hold to their own personal convictions from the Lord (Romans 14). Some matters of doctrine can be divisive (not the Bible’s fault but our own) if Christians aren’t careful to treat one another with love and keep things in reasonable perspective. However, the Word is very clear on all of the major teachings and should be used as a unifying source, rather than one of division. If the Bible is not taken seriously in America, supposed by many to be a Christian nation, and isn’t even held closely to by Christians, how do you suppose it is viewed in other parts of the world or by non-believers? Christians must realize that without God’s Word this world is hopeless. There would be no instruction from our creator in how we should live, govern, treat one another, and there would be no hope for anything beyond this cruel death-stricken world. Maybe if we treated the Bible how it should be treated--by doing what it says—others would recognize it as the beacon of hope that it is.

Luke 6:49

(NIV)
^{49 “}But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

I readily admit that there are very difficult passages of scripture to interpret, but I have never come across a passage or verse that I could not find a reasonable, well researched explanation for. I see people throw out Old Testament verses from Leviticus or Numbers that at first glance can be very confusing or even disturbing to our 21^st Century American worldview. I want to touch on the 3 main categories of Bible challenges that I see thrown at us today. As I am granted time, I hope to cover the following topics in individual blog posts:

Old Testament Laws

Contradictions

Miracles and Scientific/Historical Inaccuracies

I want to be fair and not pick the low hanging fruit, so if you have had difficulty with a challenging passage, topic or teaching, feel free to suggest a topic in the comment box below or on Facebook if we are friends. Same goes for my atheist/skeptic friends out there! I don’t have all the answers, but I know I can find them.

I also hope to write a post on the evidence I hold to in knowing that the Bible is true, God’s word, and the only source of truth and hope for this world.

I pray that He will strengthen our trust in Him, and that we would show others the reason for the hope we have in Him. Above all, I pray we would hear His word and obey it, placing our hope firmly on Him as our Rock and solid foundation.

And remember:

Hebrews 4:12
(NIV)
¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Why no new Posts?

For all of my regular blog readers, I apologize for my updating in so long! I am in the military and I just received orders to move to a new base. This is exciting but also very time consuming and I have had no free time to put together any decent thoughts. Once things settle down I hope to get some new content out. Thanks for reading!