What are we to do when we hear of wars and rumors of wars?
Messiah Himself prophesied of the signs that will occur and increase in both frequency and intensity before His Second Coming and the end of the world/age.
As it is today, we see a worldwide convergence of these signs like never before in history!
Matthew 24:6. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English It is going to happen that you are going to hear battles and reports of wars. Take heed that you will not be troubled, for it is necessary that all these things should happen, but it will not yet be the end.
In Matthew chapter 24, Messiah describes the events leading up to His second coming and the establishment of His Kingdom on the Earth for His Millennium Kingdom. The scriptures in Revelation 5:10 New KJV And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. and in 2Tim. 2:12 if we endure we shall also reign with Him. as well as in 1Pet.2:9.
tell us that His chosen, will be kings and priests ruling with Him on earth.
This post is not a line by line study of all these verses in Mathew, rather a look at verse 6 wars and rumors of wars; and how we are to respond as His talmidim/disciples. Today there are many conflicting news reports of what is happening in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and elsewhere. This post is not a commentary on the wars in any measure, only on our response to how scripture is being fulfilled in our day and time.
We must as believers and disciples of Messiah pray earnestly for His will and plan and purpose to be established, and not what we think should be done. At times like these when distractions come and propaganda is flourishing, we should do as the disciples did and ask the Lord
what is happening,
how we should respond and
what is our role in these days.
This chapter in Matthew is doubly prophetic, in the sense that the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. after Messiah/Christ was resurrected and His ecclesia/called apart-ones/ church was established. However, it is also prophetic of events leading up to His return/ 2nd coming, when the Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
Jesus/Yeshua answered their questions and in all the scriptures we read He says we are:
to not be worried.
In verse 6
see that ye be not troubled:
Why?
Because our Heavenly Father knows what is happening
and what the final outcome will be.
Psalm 33:10-11 tells us clearly that:
8Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. 9For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
10The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. 11The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.NKJV.
We are to look to Him, Who is the author and finisher of our faith and not to the arm of the flesh.
What does this mean for us?
It means, is He really first place in our lives?
Here in Lamentations 4 there is a great example for us.
Lamentations 4:17
New King James Version Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.
Amplified Bible [And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English The Person of LORD JEHOVAH divided them, and he will not continue to gaze at them. Do not accept the persons of the Priests, and to the Elders do not show affection
Definition. to disappoint, deceive, FAIL, grow lean
Lamentations 4:17 HEB: (עֹודֵ֙ינוּ֙ ק) תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־ NAS: our eyes failed, [Looking] for help KJV: As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain INT: while failed our eyes to
New King James Version Still our eyes failed us, Watching vainly for our help; In our watching we watched For a nation that could not save us.
Amplified Bible [And as for us,] yet our eyes failed, Looking in vain for help. Watching [from the towers] we watched For a nation that could not save.
The Assyrians were ready to march on Judah and instead of turning to God for help, they, Judah, looked to the nation of Egypt to help and deliver them, yet Egypt had their own problems and would not come to help Judah. The people placed their hope of salvation in the arm of the flesh instead of the arm of the Lord.
The words..
our eyes yet failed for our help in watching…
is a sad state of affairs giving a picture of their situation.
We could say it in today’s vernacular as: our eyes have become worn out, or tired and exhausted watching for the help that never arrived.
This is reflected in our nations today.
Here in Lamentations, it is clear in what and in whom the hearts of the people were trusting; and the condition of their hearts was obvious by their behavior. We could say it’s the fruit ..it’s what is obvious for all to see.
Another Hebrew word for failed is kalah
which has the idea of:
becoming exhausted after putting
every part of your being into something.
kalah
Strongs# 3615
to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent.
Original Word: כָּלָה Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: kalah Phonetic Spelling: kaw-law’
Kalah
hey lamed kaf
כָּלָה
KALAH: Word Origin: a prim. root Definition: to be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent NASB Translation accomplish (2), accomplished (1), annihilate (1), annihilated (2), been consumed (2), been spent (1), brings to pass (1), brought (1), came to an end (1), ceased (1), come to an end (5), complete (1), completed (10), completely gone (1), completion (1), consume (6), consumed (16), decided (3), demolish (1), destroy (10), destroyed (4), destroyed them all (1), destroys (1), destruction (1), determined (1), devoured (1), died (1), end (4), ended (3), ending (1), exhausted (2), exterminated (1), fail (10), failed (1), fails (2), faints (1), feed (1), finish (6), finished (67), finishes (1), fulfill (2), languish (1), languishes (1), longed (1), make an end (1), over (1), perish (1), perishing (1), plotted (1), put an end (2), ravage (1), settled (1), spend (3), spent (5), terminate (1), use (1), used (1), vanish (2), vanishes (1), waste away (1), wastes away (1), yearned (1).
To waste away, be exhausted, fail, especially of eyes exhausted by weeping Lamentations 2:11,
strained by looking (figurative) for relief or refreshment, pine, languishLamentations 4:17;
Kalah is like waiting for that phone call that never comes, or the letter that never arrives; today it could be the unreceived text or email that would indicate our release from a stressful situation. Both Joseph and Daniel had to wait….
It’s easy to understand that both in and relying on our own strength, we would soon be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent or exhausted.
The people of Judah were unable to trust in the God they could not see. Their faith was not in His promises and the supernatural assistance He would provide.
They chose instead to trust in the strength of Egypt to help them.
In scripture, Egypt is a type of the world and its’ systems. They put their faith in the physical/tangible help that they could see and they believed that Egypts’ physical strength would save them; and yet it did not;
it failed- kalah –them.
It is the same today, for many who call themselves Christians by name, yet only pay lip service to our Heavenly Father. This is often because they do not have a personal relationship with Him; and although they say they have faith, and trust in God, when a crisis hits, they will look for an Egypt to trust in first, one that they can see to help them.
As examples, this can be in the form of people and government aid and help.
Jesus/Yeshua said of them: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. Matthew 15:8.
We must heed the warning of those who have gone before us, that if the help/deliverance is not our Fathers’ planned way of escape, then doing it our way using the arm of the flesh, it will fail.
There is a well known old song whose lyrics say:
“stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in His strength alone, the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own”.
Yes, the arm of flesh will fail you.
Why?
Because as humans, we are fickle, weak, and self-serving. We have a natural tendency to look out for our own interests. It’s not that our Heavenly Father cannot or will not use people and institutions to aid us; rather it’s who we turn to and trust in first. This is clear in His Word and even warns us there is a curse for trusting in man!
Amplified Bible Thus says the LORD, “Cursed is the man who trusts in and relies on mankind, Making [weak, faulty human] flesh his strength, And whose mind and heart turn away from the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:5 Aramaic Bible in Plain English Thus says LORD JEHOVAH: “Cursed is the man who trusts a son of man and will make a son of flesh his arm, and from LORD JEHOVAH his heart will turn away Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and will lean his arm of flesh upon him, while his heart departs from the Lord
New King James Version Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.
2 Chronicles 32:8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” So the people were strengthened by the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Psalm 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.
Isaiah 2:22 Put no more trust in man, who has only the breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? Isaiah 20:5 Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed. Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin.
The word vain comes from vanity, which we associate with pride.
Proverbs 16:18 warns us that
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
First pride, then the crash –
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
Trusting in the arm of flesh
is simply
trusting in human natural strength.
There is so much arm of the flesh available today, in the various arms of government which offer support; that people don’t need faith in God, and many simply feel entitled to all the governments so named ‘free’ handouts. These are not free as they are only available from the population who pay taxes on their earnings.
The scripture says we are to:
trust in the Lord.
WHY?
because this world and it systems have an expiration date.
Who and what do we look to for help in a crisis?
To whom do we turn first?
Whose name is the first one on our lips?
Of course we are to help each other, but as David said:
I look to the hills whence cometh my help?
and David qualified it precisely:
My help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
With all the negative news swirling around us and the uncertainties of what may happen next we are
not to be alarmed.
Don’t be troubled family.
He knows all these things are happening and is allowing them to proceed in order for all things to be fulfilled, according to His prophetic word.
Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
Our Heavenly Father is in control, no one or anything else is, whatever they may believe or tell us. The battle is spiritual first and we see the outworking in the natural realm.
But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
Nothing happens without our Fathers’ acknowledgment and agreement, it’s all in His prophetic timing.
As Yeshua/Jesus said, you could have arrested Me anytime but this is the hour given to you according to Gods plan.
When Jesus was arrested, He said to them, “This is your hour—when darkness reigns”. Luke 22:53.
Every day of Me being with you in the temple, you did not stretch out the hands against Me; but this is your hour, and the power of the darkness.”
Aramaic Bible in Plain English I was with you every day in The Temple and you did not stretch forth your hands against me, but this is your hour and of the Prince of Darkness.”
The reason is clear, the darkness is given its’ allocated hour/time..but only for a short season as our Heavenly Father allows.
Amplified Bible The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked [according to their role] for the day of evil.
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:
see that ye be not troubled:
for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
This has happened all throughout the church age, the age of grace, and is not the only signs of the end. However, with a search you’ll see many rumors in news articles that line up with the rest of the verses.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Pestilence can mean any plague/virus or natural disaster that disrupts normal life or way of living.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows (birth pains).
verses 7-8 are specific signs of the second coming, and they are similar to birth pains as they increase in intensity and frequency.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Nothing is a surprise or shock to Him.
This is why we are to
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart
Aramaic Bible in Plain English Hope in LORD JEHOVAH from your whole heart and do not trust upon the wisdom of your soul.
Amplified Bible Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
New King James Version Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
Keep our eyes on the Lord keep our hearts open to our Heavenly Father as He leads and directs us and keep our words in line with His. Don’t focus on the negative things that fight our faith, but on those things that increase and sustain it which are listed in Phil. 4:8.
Not only on what but more importantly WHO
is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise, we are to think on things that are of excellence. We are to think of our loving Heavenly Father, our Savior Who is full of mercy and truth, He is worth thinking and meditating on continuously. This faith this trust, of an absolute certainty, will never fail – kalah us.
Joshua 21:45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.
and Joshua 23:14 And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.
Romans 9:6 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them proceeds the human descent of Christ, who is God over all, forever worthy of praise! Amen. 6It is notas thoughGod’s wordhas failed.
Amplified Bible However, it is not as though God’s word has failed [coming to nothing].
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
It’s time to rise up, by forging deep roots in Him, for He is our strength and our salvation.
We are to build inner faith 1Samuel 17:36 strong in the inner man. He builds us up from the inside out where no one but Himself can see the progress. It is a pattern, a blueprint, used over and over in all His courageous Saints, who became great warriors and who won great victories.
Are we daily building inner faith?
David is one we easily recall. As a youth he was given charge over his fathers’ sheep, tending the flock making sure they were fed, watered; and protected from predators and enemies that would harm them and seek to kill, steal and destroy.
He killed the lion and the bear. Developing great courage and tactics of a fight that proved victorious; then when the giant Goliath challenged, he moved unflinchingly to confront this uncircumcised Philistine.
That which had been tested and tried when he was alone and no one had witnessed but God; became very evident to everyone present, in this moment of national crisis. It was said David was, above his fellows, and it was in this area of faith in his God; and the courage developed through experience, that his God would be his strength and work victory for him. Secret training through tests and trials, developed the secret faith, which had its’ moments of open revelation. It is our Heavenly Fathers’ Way. We are to build faith from the lesser challenges and it will be the measure of our deliverance and victory in the times of need.
During the greatest tragedies, David’s character, obedience and willingness to be a servant was proved; and he was given charge over his Heavenly Father’s flock, to guide guard and govern. To tend them and make sure they were fed, watered and protected from enemies who would steal, kill and destroy.
Our Heavenly Father tests before He entrusts. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by His Word and is also built up through our times of greatest need for the critical reason: to show us where help truly comes from….Not from the hills, but from God.
Is He really first place?
Trusting in the arm of flesh = kalah/failure
In the uncertain days we find ourselves living, when we are hearing of wars and rumors of wars
always remember that He said…
Do not be alarmed or let your heart be troubled…
…because He also said..
In Him there is NO failure..
No kalah..
NO disappointment..
and He will never deceive, grow tired or exhausted.
His eyes are always on us and will
NEVER FAIL…
so LOOK UP and
Trust in the Lord!
Shalom shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
You are loved, appreciated and prayed for
… and…
it’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Animation above shows moons shadow cast on earths spinning surface.
The previous post focused on the smallest components and patterns in the most intricate of God’s creations.
Time to look up once more.
Our worldview is rooted in our limited comprehension of the earth around us and depends very much from what vantage point we are viewing everything. Many things affect our outlook, such as the position of our dwelling place, the location and calibre of our lifestyle, as well as how we observe and process information, and interact with the world around us.
For one moment instead of thinking of ourselves standing on the earth looking up at the stars in the sky; embrace the reality that from any point on the surface, we are in fact actually staring down into the infinite abyss of the universe,with only gravity holding us to the surface of the earth.
(That’s where we instinctively reach for a seatbelt!) Every day we see the sun and almost every day we see the moon;this is because God said in Genesis 1:14 that He created the sun, (greater light) for day and the moon, (the lesser light) for night, for the seasons and for a way to measure and count the days, months and years.
After the Exodus God set the Israelites back on a lunar calendar to help them leave behind the Egyptian sun worship and solar based calendar.The size of our Earth and Moon in comparison to our Star, the Sun.
Today our calendar is again solar-based. It is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in October 1582, (which is not all that long ago). The Gregorian calendar is internationally the most widely used civil calendar. It was adopted from the Julian calendar involving a correction to the length of a year. The reform was adopted initially by the Catholic countries of Europe. The last European country to adopt the reform was Greece, in 1923.
The Gregorian reform contained two parts: a reform of the Julian calendar as used prior to Pope Gregory XIII’s time and a reform of the lunar cycle used by the Church, with the Julian calendar, to calculate the date of Passover, (Easter).
From the lunar month cycle he extended the days of each of the 12 months and it is there that we lost the Lord’s original set days which were based on the lunar moon cycle.
The orbits of the Earth and Moon around our star can be accurately forecast and thus depended upon to give those observing it a specific time each year.
Until the printing press and almanacs became available, the phases of the moon were the only worldwide source of seasonal information for agricultural/farming and planning ahead. Nowadays we hardly notice the phases of the moon as we rely so much on modern technology.ECLIPSE FEVER IS TAKING AMERICA BY STORM AND EVERYONE IS, ‘SEEING STARS’ AND IN THIS CASE our moon is PASSING IN FRONT OF OUR VERY OWN STAR, the sun.In less than a month, on 21st August, the orbital paths of the earth and moon will converge during the daytime. As the moons orbit takes it between the earth and the sun, its relative distance will block out the sun for a short period of time as its shadow transverses the surface of the earth. It will only be seen along the mapped path above. There is much excitement about the upcoming heavenly spectacle. For the first time in 100 years (99 to be exact) that an eclipse can be seen over a 70 mile wide track by people living in the continental United States.Eclipses occur more frequently than every 100 years and are seen more commonly from other locations due to the orbital path of the moon.Having experienced several, it is indeed a unique experience and very strange, as the moons mass passes between earth and the sun and blocks the suns brilliant light from reaching our planet.
Then daylight turns to dusk and the birds stop singing.
All of nature thinks that it’s night-time and there is an eerie silence.
But it doesn’t last long!
The brevity is rooted in the movement of the dark shadow of the moon known as the umbra. When you are inside the umbra, the entire solar disk of the sun appears to be covered by the dark disk of the moon.
In short the moons umbral shadow will take a leisurely trek across the USA covering 2,496 miles (4,017KM)
It will take just 90.7 minutes for the moon to pass fully across the sun, whizzing by at an average speed of 1,651 mph (2657km)/h.
During its path across the sun, the moon allows the corona of the sun to glint briefly looking like a gigantic diamond ring in the sky. A corona is an aura of plasma that surrounds the sun and other stars.
The Sun’s corona extends MILLIONS of miles/kilometres into space and is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse, but it is also observable with a coronagraph.
The word “corona” is a Latin word meaning “crown”, from the Ancient Greek κορώνη.
The diamond-ring effect occurs both at the beginning and end of totality.Second diamond-ring effect at end of totality August 11, 1999 during a total solar eclipse.
Where the last rays of sunlight pass through the valleys on the moon’s limb, and the faint corona around the sun is just becoming visible, this is when it resembles a ring with glittering diamonds.It’s a most spectacular sight, which lasts only seconds.The highly transient diamond ring effect really shows that the universe is not as static as it appears to be.
There are other stunningly visual moments during transition called Bailys Beads.In itself the eclipse is nothing more than the heavens that God created doing exactly what He set them in place to do.
They have followed His directive for millennia and have been viewed by multiplied millions of human eyes over the centuries. The Scriptures speak of them and astronomers have mapped their orbits. All the visible constellations have names and tell the greatest story of all time. His-story.
The Scriptures tell us that God put the heavens that we see in place for signs and for seasons and Jesus reminded us of that in the book of Matthew.
In 1 Chron. 12:32 The tribe of Issachar and his children were noted for their knowledge and observations of the heavenly bodies and the times and seasons that their movements indicated. Maps were made of the heavens millennia ago, for they were a living calendar for agriculture and especially for God’s people Israel to follow His Appointed Times.
The birth of Jesus was written in the starry sky and led the Magi from the East to Him as they saw ‘His star’ in the constellations and understood it’s significance. They paid attention, should we be any less interested?
Jesus Himself told us of the signs to look for prior to His return in Matthew 24.
The Revelation of Jesus to John also speaks of many signs in the skies above.
In recent years there have been many unusual sights in the heavens. During the years 2014/5 there were four ‘blood moons’ and eclipses occurring ‘coincidentally’ on exact days of the Appointed Times of the Lord celebrated during the calendar year.
There is no specific Hebrew word meaning coincidence, as all things in the Hebraic mindset and Hebrew thought are designed and orchestrated by God/Hashem. In Hebrew nothing ‘just happens’ there is no luck, no chance, it is all by His co-ordinated design and planned from before the foundation of the world.
That being so, it may behoove us to pay attention to the skies above, look to the heavens for our redemption draws nigh. We are not told to look down and at our circumstances but encouraged to look up to where our Father exists in the heavens.
Shamayim in Hebrew (שָׁמַיִם).
In the Greek ouranos οὐρανός, οῦ, ὁ.
The Hebrew word shamayim a plural form meaning ‘heights’, ‘elevations’. It is constructed of two parts: sham (שָׁמַ) derived from Akkadian samu meaning “sky” or “lofty”, and Hebrew mayim (מַיִם) meaning “water”.
In Genesis 1:6 Elohim separated the “water from the water”. The area above the earth was filled by sky-water (sham-mayim) and the earth below was covered by sea-water (yam-mayim).
The Hebrew word for the sun is shemesh. It follows the same construction, where “shem” or “sham” (Akkadian: samu) means “sky” and esh (Akkadian: ish) means “fire”, i.e. “sky-fire”.
יָרֵחַ ‘yareach’ meaning ‘moon’ Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-ray’-akh)
אָ֫רֶץ ‘eretz’ meaning ‘earth’ Phonetic Spelling: (eh’-rets)
By some scholars calculations we are in the year 5778 and other scholars say that there are some 200+ years missing from the calendar having been miscalculated by some rabbis and scribes.
If that is correct we could be nearer the year 6000-16!
It is good to remember that it’s not just 2017 years that have passed in total, that it simply the number of years since Jesus came the first time and was on the earth physically. There is some 4000 years prior to that as the story contained in scripture from Genesis began approximately 6 thousand years ago. If this is correct and we look at the reference to a day as a 1000 years; we are right in the cusp of entering the 7000th year which is symbolic of His Rest, (Shalom) indicating the start of the prophesied 1000 year reign of Messiah as He returns.
The only question is, are we ready, are we prepared for His return? Where are our hearts Focused?
It may not be in our lifetime that He returns, but what If it is?
Are these heavenly signs pointing to His soon return? Will He fulfill ‘the appointed times’ this coming September?
Even if it’s not this year, being ready and prepared spiritually is up to each individual and to make certain we have shared the good news of salvation and forgiveness through Jesus blood with everyone we can.
We looked at Israel, 70 years the nation. 50 years with Jerusalem as its capital and the significant date recently, when Jews were once again able to pray freely on the Temple Mount. We are now counting down to the first of the 3 fall Appointed Times dates and the 40 days of Teshuvah. Teshuvah is a time of repentance and soul-searching in preparation for the time of repentance that immediately precedes Rosh Hashanah.
It is always good to remember that numbers are important to the Lord and that every Hebrew letter has a numerical value. Nothing is insignificant or coincidental in God’s plan of the ages. Let as keep our eyes on the Lord and on the heavens where He is and on the apple of His eye, His beloved Israel.
Perhaps it is significant that 21st day August, day of the eclipse, is exactly one month to 21st September, which this year is Rosh Hashanah.
Jesus said no man knows the day nor the hour of his return but the Father only. Does this indicate it’s possible to know the season or the year?
All we can know for certain is what the scripture says
One thing is sure, it’s time for us to look up and away from the things that so easily draw us away from the Lord and from His presence. It’s time to focus on Him and not ourselves. We need to be as Jesus said, ‘about our father’s business’, pleasing Him by our lifestyles and our obedience to His commandments.
There’s only one sunset and its been going around the earth since God created the sun. (Gen.1:14-19)
and as you are watching that sun set…someone on the other side of the earth is watching the exact same sun rise!It takes the whole ocean and the moon to erase one footprint in the sand
and everything we eat is processed sunshine…
Your shadow is a confirmation that light has travelled nearly 93 million miles without interruption…
only to be prevented from reaching the ground in the last few feet by your presence! Consider that we have never actually been in the same place twice, as the earth and the solar system we are part of and even the entire known galaxy, are all in constant motion through space.
Not all starlight that we see is the same age, some of it possibly millions of years apart even though it reaches our eyes at the same moment.
Many of the stars we see in fact no longer exist, so we are literally looking back through time.
This being true, the night sky isn’t simply a single moment in the universe but rather a patchwork, a compendium, a compilation of countless years in the breadth of eternity. The Song of Solomon speaks of the bride as the moon but finishes by speaking of her as the sun. The final picture and mystery of the bride goes from moonlight to sunshine.The moon and the sun are two different kinds of light.
The moon is a light that shines conditionally. There has to be nothing blocking its face, nothing hiding it from the sun.
The sun shines regardless of where it’s facing, or anything blocking it, because its nature is to shine.We are the ‘bride’ and we are still in the moon phase, reflecting our Saviour’s glorious light.We’re rejoicing, but oftentimes our joy is conditional. The real victory comes when you move from the moon stage to the sun stage. Then the light of the glory of God is coming from within our being and we have completed the transition from glory to glory.
It’s when your joy moves from being conditional to becoming unconditional, then you truly praise Him, not just when things are good, but when things look terrible – at all times.You shine not just because things are shining around you, you shine because you are a light to the world.That’s what a light does – it shines.
You’re the bride, and the bride begins as fair as the moon, but ends as bright as the sun.Commit to being the light of Messiah today and shine like the sun!(The above image of a partial eclipse in 2012 was taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite.)
Final caveat.. although it’s tempting to stare at the sun during a solar eclipse, if you try to do so without protection, you could damage your eyes.
Shalom family and friends, be safe as you continue to enjoy the wonders of our Fathers Creation.
What are we to do when we hear of wars and rumors of wars?
Every day we see the sun and almost every day we see the moon;
this is because God said in Genesis 1:14 that He created the sun, (greater light) for day and the moon, (the lesser light) for night, for the seasons and for a way to measure and count the days, months and years.
ECLIPSE FEVER IS TAKING AMERICA BY STORM AND EVERYONE IS, ‘SEEING STARS’ AND IN THIS CASE 
In less than a month, on 21st August, the orbital paths of the earth and moon will converge during the daytime. As the moons orbit takes it between the earth and the sun, its relative distance will block out the sun for a short period of time as its shadow transverses the surface of the earth. It will only be seen along the mapped path above.
Eclipses occur more frequently than every 100 years and are seen more commonly from other locations due to the orbital path of the moon.
Second diamond-ring effect at end of totality August 11, 1999 during a total solar eclipse.
It’s a most spectacular sight, which lasts only seconds.
The highly transient diamond ring effect really shows that the universe is not as static as it appears to be.
It takes the whole ocean and the moon to erase one footprint in the sand
The Song of Solomon speaks of the bride as the moon but finishes by speaking of her as the sun. The final picture and mystery of the bride goes from moonlight to sunshine.
We are the ‘bride’ and we are still in the moon phase, reflecting our Saviour’s glorious light.
We’re rejoicing, but oftentimes our joy is conditional. The real victory comes when you move from the moon stage to the sun stage. Then the light of the glory of God is coming from within our being and we have completed the transition from glory to glory.
You shine not just because things are shining around you, you shine because you are a light to the world.
Commit to being the light of Messiah today and shine like the sun!
(The above image of a partial eclipse in 2012 was taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite.)
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