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Honoring Our Defenders

Honoring Our Defenders

            Next Monday, Memorial Day, the U.S. pauses to remember those who gave their all in our defense.

            Warfare is one of the oldest activities of mankind. Beginning with Nimrod in Babylon, rulers have used force of arms to subjugate their enemies and, often, their own people (See our Blog of 1/23/2013 “The Nimrod Spirit”). The great empires of antiquity, Babylon, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome rose and fell to the cadence of armies on the march. And the people suffered from the plagues of death, starvation, and disease which followed the armies.

            Into this world of brutal warfare God sent deliverers to his people. Abraham recued Lot, Moses defeated Egypt, Joshua defeated the Canaanites, and the Judges fought to rescue the Israelites when they repented of their disastrous turns away from God. God built a great Kingdom on the victories of King David, but the people repeatedly fell into sin and many of their Kings moved in the Nimrod Spirit. The horrors of warfare came upon God’s rebellious people, and the Israelites became slaves in the Promised Land (See Neh 9:36, 37).

            Christ came into a world ruled by the sword, but He refused to build His Kingdom by the sword. Instead, he established His Kingdom within the hearts of believers, giving them the inner strength to overcome their real enemy, Satan. Jesus was the greatest revolutionary of all time, bringing millions out of the Kingdom of Darkness. Even the mighty Roman Empire finally bowed its knee and surrendered to Christ.

            Alas, the plague of warfare was not eradicated even in the Christian Lands. The Church followed the path of Israel, falling into sinful periods and suffering divisions. New Nimrods arose, some from the Church itself, to subjugate their people. And, as with Israel, God sent deliverers, some with a Bible, like St Patrick who converted the Irish, and some with the sword, like Charles Martel who saved Europe from an Islamic Invasion.

            God has also raised up deliverers for our country, whose sacrifice we remember on Memorial Day. Jesus said “Greater Love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:14). As the Lord commends them for their love, so should we. 

            Let us then pray for our defenders as we honor those who showed the greatest love by sacrificing their lives for us.

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The Age of Pentecost

            This Sunday May 19, the Church celebrates its birthday and the infilling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday in 30 AD.

            Pentecost was one of the Seven Feasts of Israel which formed the religious calendar of the Torah and served as Prophetic signposts of God’s plan of redemption. The first three, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits look back to the Exodus, but foreshadow the death and resurrection of Christ during these feasts in 30 AD. The last three, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles celebrated the final ingathering of the Harvest (Ex 23:16) and looked forward to the Second Coming of Christ. Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Harvest, celebrated the sowing of the crops in preparation of Harvest. (See Ex 23:16), and represents the beginning of the Harvest of believers by the Church in 30 AD.

            Throughout history Christians looking for the return of Christ, as represented by the Feast of Ingathering, have thought that the Age of Pentecost, represented by the Feast of Harvest, was coming to an end. From the generation after Christ to the predictions of 1000 AD, 1844, 1914, 1988, 2000, and numerous others, people who predicted the end of the Age of the Harvest have been proven wrong. Now we have a new batch of Doomsday predictions based on the writings of an Irish monk who listed the future Popes, ending with the current Pope. Some even suggest that he may be the Antichrist.

            Just for the record, Pope Francis is a remarkable Christian who has participated in some of God’s most important movements in the Earth. As Archbishop of Buenos Aries, he supported the Charismatic Catholics, who have brought millions into the Kingdom of God, and promoted the Reconciliation Movement which is responding to Christ’s prayer for unity of believers. We wish Pope Francis a long and blessed life until God takes him home and the election of the next Pope exposes the foolishness of the “Last Pope” prophets.

            The real damage done by these false Doomsday prophets extends far beyond their foolishness and slander of a good Christian. The focus on gloom and fear is a distraction from our mission to bring good news and hope to the world. Attacks on fellow Christians are not only a form of rebellion against Christ’s command to love our brothers, but also create divisions which undermine the Gospel.

            We must leave foolish controversies behind and get about our business of making disciples throughout the world (See our Special Report “The Age We Live In”).  
            We still live in the Age of Pentecost. Celebrate it on Sunday. Live it on Monday