Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Syria and Psalm 83
From the April 02, 2013 eNews issue
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While most literate Christians have heard of the "War of Gog and Magog" in Ezekiel 38-39 there is another passage that might be closer on our horizon. Psalm 83 describes a confederacy of countries surrounding Israel who come together for one purpose.
Psalm 83:1-8 (NKJV)
Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.
They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
For they have consulted together with one consent;
They form a confederacy against You:
The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
Verse 4 states this purpose: "They have said, 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.'" In other words, this confederacy wants Israel to be destroyed.
It is interesting that Iran has been very vocal in its desire to accomplish just this. For instance, a World Net Daily article on February 5, 2012 describes how the Iranian government "has laid out the legal and religious justification for the destruction of Israel and the slaughter of its people." This is not an isolated sentiment; it’s well known that most of the Arab nations surrounding Israel would like nothing more than to see it gone.
The confederacy described in Psalm 83 uses the ancient names of surrounding nations. An article on the TrackingBibleProphecy.com is one of several sites that has analyzed the names and made a map of the surrounding nations.
One nation that seems to be set apart in the list is Assyria. The Psalm says Assyria has "joined" and "helped" these other nations. That would seem to indicate that Assyria is able to somehow enable the other nations in their effort against Israel. As if there is some special power behind Assyria.
Assyria does not exist today, but the nation which occupies that land today is the nation of Syria. There have been a number of recent events concerning Syria. The current Civil War in Syria is becoming bloodier and more violent by the second, as a World Net Daily article discusses.
Another article from the same site discusses how Iran and its terrorist arm known as Hezbollah have effectively taken over Syria. The author, F. Michael Maloof, even goes so far as to say "Syria no longer exists."
With Iran controlling Syria (Assyria of Psalm 83) it would have significant influence and power; enough to "help" the other nations of Psalm 83.
Iran also brings nuclear weapon technology to the table. Additionally, Syria has chemical weapons of mass destruction, as documented in an article from NBC News.
A judgment upon Damascus, the capital of Syria, and surrounding areas is documented in both Jeremiah and Isaiah.
Isaiah 17:1–3 (NKJV)
"Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city,
And it will be a ruinous heap.
The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
They will be for flocks
Which lie down, and no one will make them afraid.
The fortress also will cease from Ephraim,
The kingdom from Damascus,
And the remnant of Syria;
They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,"
Says the Lord of hosts.
Jeremiah 49:23–27 (NKJV)
"Hamath and Arpad are shamed,
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
There is trouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
Damascus has grown feeble;
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor.
Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy?
Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets,
And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the Lord of hosts.
"I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad."
The language here is something that has never happened to Damascus in its history; it is a future judgment. Israel must take the situation seriously, as a bordering country controlled by people who want to destroy them also now have means to do it. Psalm 83:2 is clear that the confederacy of surrounding nations is the enemy of God and hates Him. The judgment detailed in Jeremiah and Isaiah could come at the hands of Israel. God has often used nations as agents of His judgment.
Related References
• The Great Middle East War - trackingbibleprophecy.com
• Ayatollah: Kill All Jews, Annihilate Israel - WND
• Syrian Violence Threatens To Terrorize World - WND
• “Syria No Longer Exists” - WND
• “Suffocating In The Streets”: Chemical Weapons Attack Reported In Syria - NBC News
Friday, April 12, 2013
Genesis 41-45
Notes compiled from my BSF group and Bible study with Pastor Damian Kyle
JOSEPH DECIPHERS PHARAOH'S DREAMS (Genesis 41)
God gives Pharaoh a dream that only Joseph could decipher (Genesis 41:1-8)
No one could interpret the dream because it was not given by dark magic but through God. Pharaoh's magicians knew only dark magic, and they had not the powers to understand God's message. Also, God intended the dream to be interpreted by Joseph only, as a way to bring Joseph up.
The chief cupbearer remembers Joseph (finally!) (Genesis 41:8-13)
Finally, the time had come for Joseph to be brought up. And just when everyone thought no one could decipher Pharaoh's dream, the chief cupbearer remembers Joseph who had once correctly interpreted his dream.
Inspiration: God puts people in our paths and is simply an amazing chess player. Who gave the chief cupbearer a dream so that Joseph could decipher? God. Who gave Pharaoh a dream that only Joseph could decipher? God. And the chief cupbearer just happened to serve Pharaoh? The way the events all pan out clearly shows God's hand in all of it.
Joseph reveals God's message to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:14-32)
As Joseph readily gave the glory to God, it was God who revealed to Joseph the meaning behind both of Pharaoh's dreams (Genesis 41:25).
1. Both dreams had the same message
2. Both dreams were from God
3. 7 good years of abundance were ahead
4. 7 years of famine would follow the 7 years of abundance
Joseph tells Pharaoh how to prepare for the coming years (Genesis 41:33-40)
1. Put a discerning and wise man in charge of the land of Egypt
2. Appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance
3. Store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food
4. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt
Pharaoh places Joseph in charge to lead Egypt through the famine (Genesis 41:41-57)
Many may think Joseph wasted all that time under Potiphar and while sitting in Jail. However, if Joseph had not been with Potiphar or conquered through jail, where would he have gained the practical wisdom needed to now guide Egypt--an entire nation!--through a severe famine?
Through those past years, Joseph also developed a deep relationship with God. Joseph learned that God was always with him and could completely lean on God through any difficulty. Now, faced with the coming severe famine, Joseph could lead fearlessly because he knew he was backed by God!
JOSEPH TESTS HIS BROTHERS (Genesis 42-43)
Jacob sends his sons to Egypt for food (Genesis 42:1-5)
The famine years had come just as God had revealed, and the famine had spread to Jacob's family. Jacob thus sent all his sons--except Benjamin--to Egypt for food.
Joseph meets his brothers (Genesis 42:6-25)
Genesis 42:6
And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.
God's prophecy to Joseph (Genesis 37) came true.
When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them immediately. His brothers didn't recognize Joseph probably because Joseph would have appeared Egyptian, with a shaved head and Egyptian makeup. Further, the brothers thought he was dead (Genesis Genesis 42:22).
Genesis 42:23
But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.
Joseph showed extreme discipline and restraint here. Despite the difficulty of taking his brothers through all of the tests for Joseph (Genesis 42:24), Joseph maintained his composure while in the presence of his brothers, even speaking through an interpreter.
Joseph truly showed great leadership and maturity in God in dealing with his brothers. He would not reveal himself until he had two questions answered:
1. What were their intentions for their youngest brother, Benjamin?
2. What were their attitudes toward their father?
Joseph wanted to test his brothers to see if they had truly changed, catching them not just on a good day but also on a bad day and heavily pressured.
Throughout the rest of his interaction with his brothers, Joseph would put his brothers through a series of tests to determine if they had changed from their evil ways.
Joseph gives his brothers a taste of their own medicine (Genesis 42:9-26)
Genesis 42:7
Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them.
Joseph begins his test of his brothers' character.
1. Joseph accused his brothers of being spies and put them in jail (Genesis 42:17)
Just as his brothers trapped Joseph down in a pit and sold him as a slave
2. Joseph retained Simeon in prison in exchange for Benjamin (Genesis 42:19-20)
Genesis 42:24
He took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes
Joseph kept Simeon because the eldest, Reuben, had made it clear that he had nothing to do with the evil plot to get rid of Joseph. The next oldest would then take his place as "hostage" for responsibility.
Joseph learned from his conversation with his brothers that Benjamin, his brother from the same father and mother, was still alive. He wanted to see Benjamin and to test if his brothers were jealous of Benjamin as they were of him and if they mistreated Benjamin just as they mistreated him.
3. Joseph returns his brothers silver (Genesis 42:28)
Joseph knew the famine would last 7 years, but his brothers didn't. They certainly wouldn't know to ask for enough food to last at least 7 years. Joseph gave them just enough that they would have to return within 7 years, just in case they were okay with leaving Simeon in jail for good. Even if no one came back for Simeno, Joseph could always ask Simeon to take him to Jacob. Joseph didn't know whether they had the money for the return trip, so he left them some silver.
4. Joseph gives Benjamin 5 time more food (Genesis 43:34)
Joseph was trying to provoke jealousy in his brothers. As Jacob's favorite, Joseph knew how uneasy that sat with his brothers. In fact, he was mistreated and sold as a slave because of his father's favoritism. As a continuation of his test of the brothers' character, he tried to see if his brothers still had the same murderous jealousy that they had for him. We see that his brothers did change. They ate merrily with him and Benjamin, completely okay with Benjamin being the favored son.
5. Joseph insists on keeping Benjamin (Genesis 44:1-17)
To test whether his brothers would leave Benjamin behind just as they left Joseph behind to die, Joseph planted his silver cup in Benjamin's sack and made a strong case to hold Benjamin behind.
Joseph's brothers were changed men (Genesis 44:18-34)
Judah comforts his father (Genesis 43:8-10)
Judah--the same brother that suggested selling Joseph for 20 shekels of silver, faking Joseph's death, and lying to Jacob about the whereabouts of Joseph--had really changed, becoming a different man. He showed an understanding of what Jacob was going through. And although he was well aware of Jacob's continuous favoring of Joseph and Benjamin, Judah was no longer bothered by that fact. He now stood up for his family, committed to do whatever was the best for the family, not just for himself.
The brothers tore their clothes in mourning when they discovered the silver cup in Benjamin's sack (Genesis 44:13)
Unlike what they did to Joseph, the brothers' heart broke when they understood what finding that silver cup in Benjamin's sack meant. They could have easily said, "Good luck, Benjamin. We'll see you when we see you!" But, they didn't. Instead, they were so heart broken upon hearing this news that they ripped their clothes in mourning. They loved Benjamin as their own, proving they have changed a lot since the days when they hated on Joseph!
Judah steps up (Genesis 44:16-34)
Judah made a promise to his father that if he did not return with Benjamin, he would take the full blame. We see here that Judah took full responsibility of his promise. Judah stepped up to take the blame.
All the brothers knew Benjamin was Jacob's favorite. The difference between their attitude toward Joseph and Benjamin was that they now accept their father's favoritism without jealousy. Changed men!
JOSEPH RECONCILES WITH HIS BROTHERS (Genesis 45)
Joseph saw his life through the eyes of God (Genesis 45:5)
The brothers did not know if Joseph would still be mad at them for what they had done to him. However, Joseph went on to comfort them, because he had already dealt with his horrific circumstances through God. He could have lived bitterly given his situation, but he didn't. He did not drown in sorrows, but rose with God's plan for him because he remained open to God's Word.
Genesis 41:51
For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.
At a certain point in time, we need to hand over to God our pain and toils. There is no more good that can be done by us, going over it again and again.
Joseph was a great man. Here, he reconciled with his brothers by extending grace. He basically said to his brothers, "If you want to do something great for my heart, please do not hold this against yourselves."
Where does this kind of amazing grace come from? Joseph didn't slip into bitterness because he had processed the past 22 years of living in exile between him and God, not him and his brothers! People may do what they want to do to take advantage of us, but we do have a choice in rising above it all and go with God.
Joseph knew what his brothers did was wrong. However, he also saw the grand picture that could only be seen through God's eyes: that God works all things to His will. His brothers might have sent Joseph away to be rid of him, but God sent Joseph to Egypt ahead of his brothers to prepare for the famine! (See the highlighted verses of God)
Joseph's brothers share love for each other and repent of their sins
Genesis 42:21
We are truly guilty concerning our brother
As they were being tested by Joseph, the brothers' first thought immediately went back to their mistreatment of Joseph, feeling the deep guilt even after all these years.
Genesis 42:14-15
Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them.
LESSONS LEARNED
From Joseph, we learn that when others wrong us, God will right those wrongs. We do not need to hold a grudge over other people, because God will judge them and give us righteousness. Even if we are wronged, as long as we continue to follow God, to do God’s will, God will redeem us.
From Joseph’s brothers, we learn that it's never too late to change. When we are younger, we may do irresponsible things and make wrong decisions. However, as long as we admit our sin and turn toward God, God will embrace us and take us to new successes.
From Jacob, we learn that failures follow us when we depart from God. Unlike Joseph, who bravely followed God despite all that life had thrown at him, Jacob shrunk in his sorrows.
Genesis 42:36
Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.
When we can't see God's perspective, we can easily be overwhelmed by our current circumstances. However, once reunited with his sons, including Joseph, perhaps he also adopted the view that Joseph never lost: God was working behind the scenes to fulfill His Will.
When we face difficulties, when we feel our situation could not get any worse, we should remember that as long as we remain faithful in God, God will deliver us--even if we can't see the bigger picture! Nothing is ever against us. God works all things toward our good!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Titus 3
Bible Study with Pastor Terry Gray
3 PRINCIPLES TO LIVE AS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS
1. Understand the Grace of God (Titus 3:3-8)
Allow the Grace of God to guide us in doing good things.
Picture of those who are not saved (Paul includes his past self): Titus 3:3-4
Foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and addiction. Non-Christians stand condemned before God, guilty. Their future is judgment.
Picture of those who are saved (Titus 3:5):
All sins are washed away and forgiven. Those who are saved are renewed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, justified by faith.
How do we go from being unsaved to saved?
Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
Not by our own works! There is nothing we can do to move ourselves over. We can never earn it. We can never be good enough. This isn't just some low-confidence mumble jumble. God has set a standard for righteousness. The Law was given to us to illustrate just how strict that standard is.
James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
When we say, "we can never be good enough," that is a FACT. One unclean thought, and we fall short of God's standard. The ONLY human who did not fall short was the god-man, Jesus Christ. This is why only Jesus' blood has the power to cleanse us from our sins. This is why we cannot depend on ourselves to reach salvation.
God in his grace sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins. Good people don't go to Heaven. Only sinners whose sins have been forgiven by God's grace through faith go to Heaven!
Titus 3:8
... those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good
We are to maintain good works. Why? We are motivated by the grace of God. We do good works because God is AWESOME to us. He saved us from eternal condemnation. He changed our lives. He changed our destiny! We are saved by the grace of God. We should also live by the grace of God.
1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.
Be mindful of grace of God continuously. Let God's grace be our motivation to excel.
2. Strive for unity and harmony in the Church (Titus 3:9-11)
Jesus prayed for us to be one in him! There are teachings that can come into the church and destroy the unity and cause in-fighting, bickering. This was true in the early church, and this is true today.
Titus 3:9
Avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless
Back then, early Christians fought over trivial things like genealogy. There are people today who continue to argue over such details. Some studying Hebrew myths and fables claim that genealogies must be studied because God was putting together a new Hebrew tribe.
Then, there were those who were obsessed with the Law, etc.
Paul says arguing over these topics are useless and unprofitable.
For example, Christians today fight over whether we can dress a certain way, whether we can dance, etc. Even churches become divided over such issues--such LEGALISTIC issues!
What was Jesus' two commands for us? Love God. Love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).
If our heart is not with God, then it doesn't matter whether we dress a certain way or remove ourselves from the dance floor--or whatever else we prevent ourselves from doing. If our heart is not with God, then anything we try to do to bring ourselves closer to God is hypocritic--very much like the Pharisees who kept themselves ritualistic clean on the outside but remained spiritually unclean on the inside.
When our heart is not with God, and all we do is bicker over legalistic details, we cause a rift in the Church. We all have our own convictions, including how to dress, how to read the Bible, how communion should be conducted, becoming overly obsessed with semantics rather than staying true to the Word, focusing on one portion of the Truth in the Bible rather than ALL of the Truth, etc. If these convictions are neither supported nor refuted in the Bible, and these convictions help some of us in our walk with God, great. Follow through with these convictions, but keep them to ourselves; don't force them onto others. Do not cause strife in the Church over legalism. That is simply not the heart of God.
Titus 3:10
Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.
Two. That is the number of chances Paul suggests we give to people who aim to divide. At a certain point, a line must be drawn to keep divisive people out, especially when such people show no will to stop or to work WITH the body of Christ (as opposed to against it). A good shepherd keeps the lambs safe from the attacks of wolves. No good shepherd would invite wolves into his flock!
3. Get excited about God's work and get practically involved (Titus 3:12-15)
Titus 3:14
Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.
Maintain good works.
Paul surrounded himself by a team of lawyers (Zenas) and other godly men (Apollos). All were flexible, ready to do God's work, especially where God has positioned them in life, be it a lawyer or a preacher. There was a lot to be done back in Paul's day, and there continues to be a lot to be done today.
As God's people, we should all get practically involved. As mentioned above, it is not that good works save us, but rather, we do good works because we are saved. Doing good works is a part of our growth as Christians and maintains our walk with God. And just as Paul surrounded himself with Christian men and women, we, too, should get involved with a Christian community. It is easier for Satan to attack those who isolate themselves. It is much harder to attack a group of strong Christian men and women!
Ezekiel 6-7
Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler
REVIEW
Five years after his captivity (Ezekiel 1:2), in 593 BC, Ezekiel received his call to be a prophet (Ezekiel 1-3).
Ezekiel has a unique two-part ministry
Between 592-586 BC his messages contained warnings about Jerusalem’s destruction (Ezekiel 4-32).
Ezekiel 4-24: God’s Judgment on Jerusalem (Given before the siege of Jerusalem)
Ezekiel 25-32: God’s Judgment on the Muslim Nations (Given during the siege)
Ezekiel's last message of this era was delivered in April 585 BC, just after Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed.
For the next 13 years, Ezekiel remained silent. Then, in April 571 BC, Ezekiel took up a new ministry, one of hope, promise, and comfort for the exiles (Ezekiel 33-48).
Ezekiel 33-48: The Restoration of the Jews (Given after the siege)
Ezekiel 33-36: They return to their land
Ezekiel 37: They experience new life and unity
Ezekiel 38-39: They are protected from Gog and Magog
Ezekiel 40-48: The Millennial Kingdom
Ezekiel’s task was to confront Israel with her sin and warn her of impending destruction (Cf. Ezek 3:17). Ezekiel employed several means to focus on the people’s need for judgment. These included: signs (Ezekiel 4-5); sermons (Ezekiel 6-7), and visions (Ezekiel 8-11). In each case the emphasis was on sin and its ensuing suffering.
Zechariah 13:8-9
"In the whole land," declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"
In the book of Ezekiel, this is exactly the theme: That Israel will know "The LORD is our God."
EZEKIEL 6: God pronounces judgment against idolatry
Ezekiel 6-7 are messages or sermons, explaining the object lessons Ezekiel acted out up to Ezekiel 5. Up to this point, Ezekiel had acted God’s judgments out. From this point on, Ezekiel turned his attention to the whole land of Israel: judgment was going to come upon the entire land.
Ezekiel was with the second delegation of people who were taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar. They were taken as slaves of the government of Babylon working in the agricultural area by the river, Chebar, the great canal running off the Euphrates River. Most of the Israelites, however, were still back in the land, and Jerusalem had not yet been devastated.
False prophets continued to assure the people that everything was going to be fine and that the captives would be able to return shortly. Meanwhile, Jeremiah was prophesying that the captivity would last 70 years, but no one paid any attention to him. The people listened to the false prophets, because their message was more pleasing to the ear…
"Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel; prophesy against them" (Ezekiel 6:1-2)
This verse opens the first of the two messages; the second message in Ezekiel 7 begins in a similar tone. Both of these messages also conclude in the same manner with,
Then they will know that I am the LORD."
2 Corinthians 5:11
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
The Mountains of Israel (Ezekiel 6:3)
These mountains formed the chief topographical feature of the land of Israel.
Ezekiel’s tone here shows that he had given up on his people. Rhetorically, he prophesied against the mountains because of idolatry (Cf.1 Kings 13, where the prophet spoke to the altar rather than to King Jeroboam). Under the new kingdom, the Ezekiel would portray the felicity of the mountains (Ezekiel 36:1-15).
Seriousness of Idolatry (Ezekiel 6:4-14)
The role of Jerusalem and Israel was to be a witness to the rest of the world of who God is and His love for all people. However, time after time, the Israelites continue to fall into idolatry. Idolatry is a serious sin that resulted in death. God brought the nation heavy judgments whenever it sinks into idolatry. These judgments even included cannibalism (Ezekiel 5), which vividly illustrates for us the severity of idolatry! The sieges and abuses on the Israelites by their conquerors were also brought about as God’s judgment of idolatry (Leviticus 26:30-33; Hosea 4:13; Isaiah 65:7; Jeremiah 3:6).
High Places
High places were in Canaan before Israel arrived, and God commanded Israel to destroy them (Numbers 33:52). Israel was to worship only at the tabernacle, placed at Shiloh (Deuteronomy 12:2-14; 1 Samuel 1:3).
After the destruction of Shiloh (probably by the Philistines) and before the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, Israel had no central place of worship. The altar and tabernacle were relocated at Gibeon (2 Chronicles 1:1-3), and the Ark was taken to Kiriath Jearim (1 Samuel 6:21-7:1).
After the temple in Jerusalem was completed, worshiping at high places was once again discouraged. Most high places remaining in the land were dedicated to false gods (1 Kings 11:7-10).
The conflict between true worship and false worship often centered on these high places. The course of idolatry had been checked in Israel by leaders such as Samuel, David, Asa, and Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:3-4). Manasseh did not follow God and re-introduced many types of pagan worship (2 Kings 21:1-6). Josiah had engaged in a far-reaching reform in 622 BC (2 Kings 23:8-9), but his successors did not continue his work (2 Kings 23:13-20).
"You will know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 6:7)
This statements sets the main theme throughout Ezekiel.
Levitically, contact with a dead body was considered defiling (Num 9:6-10; 2 Kgs 23, et al.). That is why the grave sites were whitewashed at the time of Passover, so that strangers coming to celebrate would not inadvertently stumble on the graves and become ceremonially defiled so that they could not celebrate the feast. Since the ground God wanted to have sanctified was defiled by the idols, He was defiling that ground with their bones. It’s ironic that the temple incense was being replaced by foul smell of decomposing dead bodies.
The Remnant (Ezekiel 6:8-10)
A "remnant" is again mentioned.
Isaiah 1:9
Unless the LORD Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.
Sodom and Gomorrah were completely wiped out, and obviously here, Israel was not totally wiped out (cf. Isaiah 20:20-22; Jeremiah 43:5; Zephaniah 2:7; Zechariah 10:9, 12:2-3, 12:9-10; Romans 9:6-13, 11:5-25).
There were some among these people who remained faithful to God. The nation as a whole went away from God, but there was a believing remnant. We should be encouraged in that God takes note of His faithful ones.
Idolatry is spiritual fornication
All through Scripture, especially in the Book of Revelation and the Old Testament prophecies, the concept of unfaithfulness theologically was idiomatically identical with the concept of unfaithfulness in a sexual sense.
Just as a wife can be unfaithful to her husband, Israel was viewed as being unfaithful to YHWH. So the concept of the faithless woman was an idiom, poetically speaking, that God used to speak to Israel.
God instructs Ezekiel to amplify this message (Ezekiel 6:11-14)
Judgment will come not only on Israel but on idolatrous Israelites wherever they are (Ezekiel 6:12).
The Cult of the Fertility Goddess (Ezekiel 6:13; Hosea 4:13)
Ezekiel 6:13 refers to the cult of the fertility goddess. The "oak" (Ezekiel 6:13) was the terebinth tree. It is a deciduous tree common to Palestine and grows to a height of 35-40 feet. The Elah Valley, where David slew Goliath, probably received its name because of the abundance of these trees (1 Samuel 17:2, 19).
EZEKIEL 7: Four Oracles of Doom (Ezek 7:1-13)
Ezekiel 7 is the climax to Ezekiel 4-6.
Four short oracles of doom open the chapter with the recurring theme
• "The end has come" (Ezekiel 7:2-4)
• "Evil has come" (Ezekiel 7:5-9)
• "The day has come" (Ezekiel 7:10-11)
• "The time has come" (Ezekiel 7:12-13)
"The end has come upon the four corners of the land!" (Ezekiel 7:2)
No portion of the Land would escape God’s judgment. This prophecy is restricted to Israel (Ezekiel 7:1, 3, 7; Amos 8:2; Jeremiah 10:22).
"I will repay you for your conduct" (Ezekiel 7:3-4, 8-9)
Those who professed to know Him by other names (Genesis 22:14; 33:20; Exodus 17:15) would now know Him by the name YHWH.
"The end has come! The end has come!" (Ezekiel 7:6)
Disaster had been predicted for Jerusalem by Micah, but that prophecy had remained unfulfilled for over 100 years (Micah 3:12). Now Jerusalem’s end was about to come.
This is a lamentation. In the English, it sounds repetitive, almost like a song or poem. However, in the Hebrew, they reveal puns of sound (homonyms) as well as ironies of thought.
This is an emotional closing to this section of the book. The English translation doesn't do it justice, but it does convey a sense of an emotional lyric.
"The day is near…" (Ezekiel 7:7)
In popular thinking, "the day" means the victory of Israel over its enemies (Cf. Isaiah 9:3; Hosea 2:2; Ezekiel 30:9), but the prophets stressed its aspect of judgment on Israel (Amos 5:18; Isaiah 2:12; 13:9; Jeremiah 30:7; Ezekiel 7:19; 13:5; 36:33; Malachi 4:1). A later development assigned to "the day of YHWH" was the overthrow of heathenism (Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 30:2; 38:10, 14; 39:8, 11, 13; Zechariah 14:3) and the ushering in of the new order, the rule of God (Ezekiel 39:22: Mal 4:2).
"… the rod has budded" (Ezekiel 7:10)
Ezekiel’s imagery could be drawn from Aaron’s rod that budded (Numbers 17), or he could have been familiar with Jeremiah’s picture of an almond tree in blossom (Jeremiah 1:11-12).
If the allusion was to Aaron’s rod, the point would be that just as its budding indicated God had selected him for service, so the budding of Israel’s rod of arrogance indicated God had selected Jerusalem for doom.
If the allusion was to Jeremiah’s almond tree in blossom, the point would be that just as the budding of the almond tree indicated God’s judgment was sure to follow so the budding of violence in Israel indicated God’s judgment would follow.
"The seller will not recover the property that was sold—as long as both buyer and seller live" (Ezekiel 7:13)
Possessions would be confiscated and property owners torn from their land and carried to Babylon.
The buyer who normally rejoiced over a good business deal should not be happy because he would not be able to possess the land he had purchased. And, one forced to sell his land should not grieve because he would have lost it anyway.
When land was sold in Israel, the transaction was always temporary. Every 50 years, during the Year of Jubilee, the property reverted to its original owners (Leviticus 25:10, 13-17). However, God’s coming judgment would prevent original owners from reclaiming their properties; they would be in exile along with the buyers.
Final Scenes of Desolation (Ezekiel 7:14-27)
• The uselessness of defense (Ezekiel 7:14-18)
• The wealth of the city becoming a prey to the invader (Ezekiel 7:19-22)
• The stupefaction seizing all classes of people (Ezekiel 7:23-27)
The city (Ezekiel 7:14-15)
The king (Ezekiel 7:27)
The Temple (Ezekiel 7:20-22)
The enemy (Ezekiel 7:24)—are all referred to in enigmatic fashion.
There is no escaping God’s judgment (Ezekiel 7:14-15)
Those who sought escape outside Jerusalem’s walls were hunted down and murdered by Babylon’s armies. Those who sought protection within the city walls faced the dual enemies of famine and disease. The majority of the people would die, and even those who survived would pay a price.
Those who survive will mourn and repent (Ezekiel 7:16-18)
To "put on sackcloth" was a sign of grief or mourning and repentance (Genesis 37:34; 1 Samuel 3:31; Job 16:15; Jeremiah 6:26; Isaiah 58:5; Daniel 9:3-4; John 3:5-9; Matthew 11:21).
"Shaved heads" were used to lament disaster (Ezekiel 27:31; Isaiah 15:2-3; Jeremiah 48:37) and to mourn the dead (Genesis 37:34; Jeremiah 16:6; Micah 1:16). The Hebrews were forbidden to make tonsures for the dead (Leviticus 21:5; Deuteronomy 14:1; Ezekiel 44:20).
"… their gold will be treated as a thing unclean" (Ezekiel 7:19)
"Unclean" speaks of the ceremonial impurity of menstruation (Leviticus 15:19; Ezekiel 18:6) or of touching a corpse (Numbers 19:13, 20, 21) and here, especially of idolatry (Cf. Ezekiel 7:20, 36:17).
"Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them" (Ezekiel 7:19)
Items deemed precious and priceless by Israel (and the world) would have little value in God’s eyes.
"… it has caused them to stumble into sin" (Ezekiel 7:19)
What was "it"? Idolatry. Worshiping of jewelry that was made into idols.
Idolatry was the stumbling block that led to the ruin of Israel (Cf. Ezekiel 14:3; 18:30; 44:12).
"I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners" (Ezekiel 7:21)
Israel's wealth, including the Temple, would be plundered by foreigners—This was fulfilled when the Babylonians overtook Jerusalem.
"The place I treasure" refers to the Holy of Holies.
"Prepare chains!" (Ezekiel 7:23)
This was a symbolic action, speaking of captivity.
"I will bring the most wicked of nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the mighty, and their sanctuaries will be desecrated" (Ezekiel 7:24)
This verse pretty much characterizes the land from that period of history until General Allenby entered Jerusalem in 1917 to deliver it from the Turks. It was under Islamic rule for more than 1200 years!
The scope of what Ezekiel talks about often broadens from a specific focusing on the Babylonians coming to execute God’s fury. Sometimes we see glimpses in the text where he goes far beyond that to the End Times (Cf. Exodus 28).
There will be a famine of the Word (Ezekiel 7:26)
When God gave Israelites prophets of His Word, no one would listen. Upon His judgment, there would thus be a famine of the Word. Amos also talked about a famine of the Word (Amos 8:11).
"Then they will know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 7:27)
This phrase was emphasized 70 times in the books of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel closes Ezekiel 6 and 7 by amplifying, commenting, and elaborating on the object lessons of the two previous chapters. Divine justice is one of the evidences of the living God. Just as the Lord announces through Ezekiel that retribution upon the wicked leaders of Israel will convince them that He is the Lord, so in the final judgment of the wicked the ultimate justice of God will leave no doubt of His reality (Revelation).
IDOL WORSHIP TODAY
What God would have us do, as we wade through Ezekiel and get this perspective of God’s judgments on those ancient peoples, is to recognize that there are elements of their problems in our own lives that probably offend God no less than Israel offended God 2500 years ago.
Idol worship in a classical sense is still going on today. If astrology and the occult were simply superstitions and harmful only because they represented ignorance, then God would have dealt with them accordingly; but the Bible deals with those things as capital crimes!
Those of us who are in any way drawn or attracted to Ouija boards, or similar things, we should recognize that we are toying with something very serious. We need to realize that these communication portals open up both ways. We may be able to get a glimpse of the "other side," but spirits from that side may also be able to penetrate into our world. If we don’t know what we’re doing, think really hard before committing to the act.
We need to listen to what God is teaching us through these words. While we might not light candles to some carved image, we can inadvertently make idols of other things in our lives, whether it be a person, or a company, or a hobby, or some other material objective. Any kind of excessive preoccupation with something other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, can become a form of idol worship.
SUMMARY: EZEKIEL 1-7
Ezekiel 7 wraps up the second major section of the prophecy of Ezekiel. In this division of the book, the complete captivity of Jerusalem and Israel became a reality, and the glory of the Lord departed from the Temple in Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 1-3: Ezekiel received a vision of God
Ezekiel 4-5: Ezekiel acted out four signs
Ezekiel 6-7: Ezekiel was given two messages on God’s coming judgment for Israel
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Understanding the Emergent Church
From the March 26, 2013 eNews issue
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Many Christians have heard of the Emergent (or Emerging) Church but have no idea what it is. In understanding the Emergent Church, it's necessary to understand a cultural trend in Epistemology. Epistemology is a fifty-cent word meaning "the study of truth or how we learn truth."
Through the history of man, we can discern three major trends in Epistemology: Premodernism, Modernism and Postmodernism. Each is tied to a time frame and is extremely general. There are many exceptions within each group. The focus here will be on Premodernism.
A Premodern epistemology assumes that God exists and knows everything. Our knowledge and ability to learn truth depends on divine revelation from God Himself. In other words: truth begins with God. Premodernism was the first known epistemology and lasted up until a bit after 1600 AD, during the Enlightenment period of history. René Descartes is generally attributed with the shift to Modernism.
Modernism assumes that truth can be found through the senses of man. What we can feel, see and measure becomes the focus of how truth is learned. This is where science plays a much more important role in society. Science, after all, just seeks truth through what man can observe. While an existent God is compatible with Modernism, we see the focus shift from God being the source of truth to man being the source of truth.
Modernism has lasted up until just the last few decades. Indeed a vast number of people hold to a Modernistic Epistemology but something called Postmodernism has begun to take hold over the past thirty years or so.
Postmodernism is not an easy thing to define, however there
are a few general trends that can be understood.
Postmodernism denies that absolute truth can be known, or even that it is desirable that it should be known. The process of learning or discovery is the important thing to postmodernity; the end point of this process should never be reached.
Jim Leffel, director of The Crossroads Project, an apologetics ministry designed to equip Christians to understand and effectively communicate in our postmodern culture, summarized the main tenants of postmodernism with these five points:
1. Reality is in the mind of the beholder. Reality is what’s real to me, and I construct my own reality in my mind.
2. People are not able to think independently because they are defined—"scripted," molded—by their culture.
3. We cannot judge things in another culture or in another person’s life, because our reality may be different from theirs. There is no possibility of "transculture objectivity."
4. We are moving in the direction of progress, but are arrogantly dominating nature and threatening our future.
5. Nothing is ever proven, either by science, history, or any other discipline.
Postmodernism also denies that any story or written word has an absolute message. The author’s point or intent is not important, only what the reader receives has value. The written word only has meaning in how the reader interprets it. Here we can see that the focus of truth has moved from man to the individual, each who may define his own truth.
The Emergent Church can be thought of as a marriage of the Church with Postmodernism. There are many leaders in the movement, but each of them seem to share a dissatisfaction with the conservative evangelical churches from where they usually came. The stated goal is to reach the Postmodern society, but the means to this are to become Postmodern themselves. Thus absolute things such as sin, hell and judgment are not talked about. Instead members are encouraged to find God and their own truth through a number of means including many things that the evangelical Christian community (and the Bible) would call occultist.
Obviously this description does not do the movement justice. Books have been written on the various aspects of the Emergent Church.
The stated goal to reach our changing society is certainly a good one. Jesus gave the Great Commission in the end of Matthew 28.
Matthew 28:19 reads "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:20 starts with "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you."
Verse 20 follows verse 19 by a comma; it is the method Jesus says to make disciples. Christians are not supposed to make disciples by telling people to find their own truth. Disciples are to be made by teaching them to observe all the things Jesus commanded.
Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Each person finding his own truth is not compatible with this. Jesus is the one and only truth.
Instead of becoming Postmodern to reach the Postmodern, the example of Paul should be followed in Acts 17 when encountering the philosophers in Athens. Paul didn't become a Stoic or Epicurean; rather he understood their philosophy and spoke the gospel of Jesus Christ to them in terms they would understand.
The "emerging church" movement may urge us to concentrate on telling people about God’s love for them, but if we fail to warn them of the need to repent of their sin and believe the gospel, they will die—and God will hold us accountable for the Holy Spirit tells us in Ezekiel:
"If I should say to a certain wicked person, 'You wicked man, you’re certainly about to die,' but you don’t warn him to turn from his wicked behavior, he’ll die in his guilt, but I’ll seek retribution for his bloodshed from you." (Ezekiel 33:8, ISV)
Related Links
• Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church - Zondervan
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Antibiotics and Immunity to Evolution
From the March 12, 2013 eNews issue
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Creationists often argue against evolution by noting that we cannot observe evolution occurring on a grand scale today. In response, evolutionary scientists like to point to bacteria.
Many scientists argue that evolution is happening all the time in bacteria. Bacteria, with their brief life cycles and their ability to reproduce vast multitudes of generations within a nice, short, observable time frame, give scientists a chance to demonstrate "evolution in a Petri dish." The ability of bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics has been trumpeted as evidence of the driving force of evolution and the ability of gene swapping and mutations to make these organisms better able to survive.
However, while bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a reality, it falls far short of demonstrating the theory that all things descended from singlecelled organisms billions of years ago. In fact, bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics often do so at the cost of their "relative fitness" and can lose pre-existing cellular functions.
Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics in several ways:
Natural resistance
Bacteria already naturally have some degree of protection against antibiotics, which they need when they run into these enemies, like penicillin, out in the great big world. This resistance only goes so far, and most bacteria will be killed off when faced with large doses of antibiotics for a significant period of time. The bacteria with the greatest resistance ability sometimes survive, though, going on to reproduce and make a plethora of antibiotic-resistant offspring. This is why doctors warn patients to take their entire antibiotics prescription and not stop halfway after the symptoms go away. Failing to take the entire course can allow the strongest germs to stick around and reproduce, paving the way for the superbugs we see today.
Of course, the resistance is already present in the bacterial gene pool. While these super strong bacteria offer a basic survival-of-the-fittest demonstration, their resistance to antibiotics is not an essentially new development and therefore doesn't prove evolution in a grander sense.
Horizontal gene transfer
Bacteria have a tremendous ability to swap genes with each other. This is vital for the health of the organisms, since they reproduce by binary fission (dividing into two parts) and do not benefit from the recombination of genes found in sexual reproduction.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can exchange their genes with other bacteria, and thus pass on the ability to thumb their bug noses at modern medicine. Once again, the resistance is already present in the bacterial gene pool and is not an essentially new development.
Mutations
Mutations occur in bacteria in a variety of ways, including copy errors in the bacterial DNA and exposure to mutagens (chemicals or ionizing radiation) that affect bacteria’s genetic material. Mutations have also enabled bacteria to resist antibiotics or chemical cleansers in some interesting, but not necessarily truly beneficial, ways.
For instance, some bacteria naturally produce the enzyme penicillinase, which they use to inactivate penicillin when they run into it in nature. If a bacterium has a problem with the gene that codes for shutting off the production of penicillinase, that bacterium will just keep producing the enzyme. This is great for the bacterium in the presence of a penicillin-based antibiotic regimen; in a human body filled with penicillin, this organism can survive to reproduce while the normal bacteria around it die. In normal life, though, the bacterium has a problem. It’s putting a lot of energy into producing penicillinase, and because it can’t turn the valve off, so to speak, it will have trouble getting other things on its list done. It will eventually penicillinase-produce itself to death.
Many bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics because something has gone wrong and they simply are not functioning properly. The loss of regulatory proteins is a big one. Some bacteria also lose full functioning in transport proteins. Transport proteins are necessary for bringing certain items into the cell. Bacteria that are resistant to Kanamycin get that way because they aren't correctly producing a transport protein, and therefore the Kanamycin can’t get through the cell membrane into the bacterial cell to destroy it. If a transport protein is not functioning, something is wrong with the cell, even if that lack of function does protect the bacteria from Kanamycin.
In short, broken genes can help bacteria survive in some circumstances, but we always find they do so at the expense of the general health of the bacteria. In a normal environment, these bacteria die off much more quickly than their normal, healthy relatives.
Gaining An Ability? Citrate in E coli
In 2008, evolutionary biologist Richard Lenski of Michigan State University in East Lansing found that a population of E coli, after thousands of generations, had begun to struggle with metabolizing glucose and instead had started to metabolize citrate. This was a big deal, and was touted as an important evolutionary step for the E coli.
As New Scientist put it, "…But sometime around the 31,500th generation, something dramatic happened in just one of the populations - the bacteria suddenly acquired the ability to metabolise citrate, a second nutrient in their culture medium that E. coli normally cannot use."
To the common reader, that sounds as though E coli mutated a brand new trait out of thin air.
Especially since New Scientist goes on to say, "Indeed the inability to use citrate is one of the traits by which bacteriologists distinguish E. Coli from other species."
Discovering exactly what happened to "up" this ability was up to Dr. Lenski’s team. He had samples of E coli populations from thousands of generations over the years, and he should have been able to pinpoint the specific changes that led to make E coli’s already existing citrate carrier expand its horizons.
We just find it interesting that these citrate-munching E coli have also lost a lot of their ability to eat glucose, their normal food.
Evolutionists argue that evolutionary change doesn't always have to be a drive upward. They say that evolutionary change can offer benefits at the same time as losing other useful functions. That's fine. At the same time, we never see examples of truly upward change. If there is a new or improved ability in an organism, we have invariably discovered that it was always tucked away there in the genetic code. Otherwise, "new" traits tend to come with a loss of information, a loss of function, a mistake, an error that might temporarily offer some benefit to the creature at hand, but harms it in the long run. The man with no esophagus will have a hard time getting sick from a foodborne illness, but few people will argue that living by feeding tube is a long-term beneficial "adaption."
Evolutionists keep trying to argue that similar losses or defects offer beneficial traits, but ultimately, we see in these mutations a net deterioration.
In all this, we find that bacteria are still bacteria. They are not developing new organelles that were not previously present. They do not magically erupt with a nucleus to package up their genetic material. For good or bad, fully functioning or not, they continue to behave just like bacteria. Aside from thousands of years of genetic weakening, it appears they are still doing what God designed them to do.
Related Links
• Bacteria Make Major Evolutionary Shift In The Lab - New Scientist
• The Escherichia Coli Citrate Carrier CitT - Journal of Bacteriology
• Is Bacterial Resistance to Antibiotics an Appropriate Example of Evolutionary Change? - Creation Research Society Quarterly
• SuperBugs Not Super After All - Creation.com
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