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Somehow we have made it to the end of September without seeing any of the catastrophes predicted in the blogosphere.

The dreaded Shemitah dates passed with no financial or other collapses. The Doomsday predictions were, in our belief, based on bad economics, bad arithmetic, and failure to understand the blessing intended for the Shemitah years. We are in a Stock Market correction, but there is no 7 year economic collapse cycle. The actual Shemitah years tracing back to the Exodus occur in 2011 and 2018, and the Jubilee years are 1991 and 2040. Shemitah is the Year of the Lord’s Favor, setting us free from bondage to worship the Lord. As Christians, we can enjoy the benefits every year (See our Blog of 9/2/15 “The Shemitah: Year of the Lord’s Favor”).

Similarly, the Blood Moons passed without disaster. To those who predicted that the Pope’s visit to the U.S. would start one world government and religion, the Pope delivered an eloquent refutation at Independence Hall, championing religious freedom, individual rights, limited government, and appreciation for diversity. The Blood Moons actually picture an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, revival, and overcoming evil by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We are, we believe, entering into a revival based on unity in Church which will let the world know that God has sent us (See our Blog of 9/23/15 “Blood Moon Revival”).

This is not to say that we do not live in troubled times. Revival often comes out of trouble, as people realize that their sins have caught up with them and begin looking for answers. But we must be ready with the Gospel message of hope and love, not judgement, if revival is to become a reality.

Our sister organization, The International Star Bible Society, has written a book detailing the history and the hope of the Blood Moons, The Mystery of the Blood Moons. The book, published by The Creation House arm of Charisma Media, is available at Amazon and other bookstores.

This is not a time to be hiding in our cellars eating bean sprouts. We must rise to the challenges of our times and work with God as He calls us to the Harvest.

Let us pray for repentance and revival. And let us go forth in boldness to offer salvation to a lost and frightened generation.

Next week as we celebrate Yom Kippur, the Hebrew Day of Atonement, we should also remember the miracle of the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

After their miraculous victory over the Arabs in the 1967 war, Israel had become complacent and confident in its military superiority. Its 1967 enemies, Egypt and Syria, seethed with resentment and desire to avenge their humiliating defeat. Together they developed a plan to attack Israel in the Sinai dessert and the Golan heights using new tactics and new technology. The attack was set to take place on a date which would hit the Israelis when their preparedness was at its lowest point, the Yom Kippur Holy Day.

The Israelites were taken completely by surprise. Worse, the Egyptians inflicted defeats on Israel tanks and air power using their new Soviet technology while the Syrian tank forces overwhelmed the few scattered Israeli tanks on duty. Israel was days away from a total collapse, but the Egyptians outran their technical protections and the Syrians were stopped by a handful of Israeli tanks. Miraculously the war turned around, resulting in a massive defeat of the Egyptians and Syrians. As a result, Egypt entered into a momentous peace treaty and Israel’s borders remained secure. God had turned disaster into security.

In the years since the Yom Kippur miracle the hand of God can be seen as He has watched over Israel. The terrorist Palestinian Liberation Organization has been defeated and rendered impotent in the West Bank. Saddam Hussein, who wanted to take Jerusalem, attacked his Kuwaiti bankers instead and he and his threat to Israel have been eliminated. Another anti-semetic terrorist, Gadaffi, has been overthrown in Libya.

The so-called “Arab Spring” brought instability and new threats to Israel, but God’s protection continues to be manifested. For a while it appeared that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt would wage war on Israel, but the Brotherhood was overthrown and its ally, the Hamas terrorists in Gaza, has been cut off from Egyptian support and defeated by Israel in a 2014 invasion. Syria has fallen into a full scale civil war where Israel’s enemies Iran and Hezbollah are fighting Israel’s other enemies Al Queda and ISIL, and leaving Israel alone for now. Thanks to God, the miraculous peace won in the 1973 Yom Kippur war is still holding.

This is not to say that Israel is not still threatened.  We believe that Israel is in the middle of a 150 year war which is described in Revelation 9:1-11 (See our Blog of 5/13/15 “The Peace of Jerusalem”). But we also know that God watches over Israel.

Let us thank God for His continued miraculous intervention on behalf of Israel.

And we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

            Next week we celebrate the Jewish Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashanah.

The Feast of Trumpets is one of the Seven Feasts of Israel established in the Bible. It was set on the first day of the seventh Lunar month and celebrated by the blowing of Trumpets, a sacred assembly, and a special sacrificial offering. The Jewish Rabbis stated that the Trumpet blasts were to bring Israel into remembrance of the Lord, to confound Satan, and to call men to repentance by awakening their slumbering spirits. Rabbinic teaching also holds to the idea that on the Feast of Trumpets the books were opened and those whose names were in the Book of Life were kept alive, those in the Book of Death died, and a third group were given the chance to repent and be Judged on the Day of Atonement 10 days later

At some point the Feast of Trumpets also became celebrated as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish civil New Year. Some say that Moses established this custom, although Moses also recorded God’s instruction that the religious year would began in the Spring. Others believe that the custom began during the Babylonian exile. And still others think that the Civil New Year was set in the Seventh Month because of a Jewish tradition that the world was created in the seventh month. Our research indicates that the Jewish New Year date was set to conform to the year adopted by the Greek rulers of Israel in the third century B.C.  In any event, the day was celebrated along with the Fest of Trumpets, with special benedictions for the Kingdom of God, the remembrance of God, and the blowing of the horns.

For Christians the Feast of Trumpets and the Seven Feasts of Israel are a prophetic picture of God’s plan for redemption. The first three feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits, celebrate the atoning death and resurrection of Christ which occurred during those festivals in 30 AD. The Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the beginning of the harvest, was the birthday of the Church Pentecost in 30 AD. Trumpets, with its emphasis on repentance and judgment, is equated with the trumpet sound at Christ’s Return (See 1 Cor 15:52). Some think that the awakening of the dead at Trumpets is the source of the saying “Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph 5:14b).

But the feast of Trumpets is more than a prophetic picture for Christians. The Church needs to hear the trumpet call to remember God, confound Satan, and repent, just as the Israelites did. We need to awaken our slumbering spirits as the Israelites did with their trumpet blasts, and remember God and His Kingdom as we come into a New Jewish Year.

Let us pray that the Church will hear the clarion call of the Trumpets and awaken from her slumber.

                Recent writings about the Shemitah, the Hebrew name for the Years of Release, or Sabbath Years, which occurred every 7 years, have created the impression that the Shemitah Years are times of fearful judgment. We disagree.

During the Shemitah Years, Hebrews were forgiven from all debts and released from slavery. The land was also to lie fallow as the Hebrews lived off of the prior year crops and the “volunteer” produce. After 7 Shemitahs, or 49 years, the first year of the new 7 year Sabbath (the 50^th year) was the Year of Jubilee when slaves were freed, debt was forgiven, and the land was returned to its original owners.

According to Alfred Edersheim’s authoritative book The Temple, the Rabbis held that the first Shemitah Year began 21 years after the Hebrews entered into the land, or 1385 BC. Following through on the math, the last Shemitah Year was 2011 and the next will be 2018. The last Jubilee Year was 1991 and the next will be 2040.

There are a number of significant ancient Shemitah Years which seem to have the common thread of God’s presence in the land. His presence came to Solomon’s Temple in 958 BC and departed it in 586 BC when Solomon’s Temple was destroyed. He came to the Second Temple in 516 BC, miraculously aided its rededication at Hanukkah in 167 BC, and moved on Herod to renovate the Temple in preparation for the coming of the Messiah in 20 BC. Christ came to the Land in 5 BC and returned to Heaven 30 AD. The promised Holy Spirit came to the land, and the believers, in 30 AD, bringing the permanent presence of God indwelling all believers thereafter.

Some have thought that Shemitah Years are flash points for judgment based on the judgment which fell on Jerusalem during the 587-86 Shemitah Year. However, it should be remembered that the 70 years of Sabbaths for the land which followed (See 2 Chr 36:21) represented centuries of increasing apostasy. The cycles of Judgment we see in Israel’s history are the result of denial of God and sin, not a 7 year Shemitah cycle. The same is true in the modern world as the “Business Cycle” is really a cycle of godlessness, sin, and judgment, followed by repentance brought on by the judgment.

Instead, the Shemitah is a time to worship God with our land (or Finances) and receive freedom from financial, personal and other bondage. The Shemitah and the Year of Jubilee were used by Jesus to describe His ministry (See Luke 4:18-19 quoting Is 61:1-2). Shemitah Years remind us of our freedom in Christ and the “Year of the Lord’s Favor”.

As Christians, every year is a year of the Lord’s favor, not just one in seven.

Shemitah Years are times of freedom, release, and God’s favor. They are not times of judgment and fear.

On August 20, 1619, the first African slave was brought to Virginia. Along with him came the curse of slavery.

The slave trade is as old as humanity, with African slaves being sold to Arab slavers long before Europeans appeared. The Europeans, however, took slave trading to a whole new level as they used Africans in the New World to replace the Native American populations who had been decimated by European diseases. By the time African slave trade had been brought to an end, almost 10 million Africans had been brought to the New World. Millions more died to in the passage.

The curse of slavery fell hardest on Africa. The work of catching and selling slaves was done by local African kings and traders. In exchange they received European goods and weapons, enabling them to expand their power to catch more slaves. However, the incessant warfare depopulated and destabilized both victors and victims. Ultimately the African kings were subjected by the Europeans. Even today, much of the poverty in Africa can be traced back to the slave trade and its aftermath.

European slavers also suffered greatly from the slave trade. Since they had no immunity to African diseases, over half died in their first year in Africa and only 10% made it back alive. The slave ships took yellow fever and other African diseases to the New World, creating deadly disease zones in the jungles of Central and South America. Areas like the Amazon River Basin, which had supported large Native American populations, became virtually uninhabitable. Only in modern times has science rolled back the areas dominated by the deadly African diseases.

The Americans also fell prey to the curse of slavery as the institution undermined American values and then divided the country. The American Civil War was fought to end slavery, and one American died for each slave brought into the country. Even today, race relations remain strained because of the curse of slavery. Every so often we get a reminder of our past, as we have with the racial riots in Fergusson, Missouri and Baltimore.

Some have tried to use the Bible to support slavery, but they twist the Scriptures to do so. Slavery was a fact of life in the ancient world, but God established Israel with laws that forgave debts and gave liberty to slaves every 7 years. Our modern bankruptcy laws come from God’s debt forgiveness laws.

Slavery, like its modern cousins Socialism and Communism, is a manifestation of the Spirit of Money, or Mammon, which steals the labor of its victims. Make no mistake, God wants to see people set free from bondage.

Let us pray that the curse of slavery will be banished from our world. We must ask and give forgiveness so that God’s blessings can bring healing, and reverse the curse.

The Terror Tactic

            As our Congress debates the proposed nuclear deal with the largest sponsor of terrorism, Iran, we are reminded that terrorism continues to be a tactic of choice for Islamic extremists.

The terror tactic has a long and tragic history. Military historians tell us that the worst terrorist of all time was Genghis Khan, whose armies destroyed the agricultural hinterlands of their enemies, drove the peasants into the cities, and then destroyed the cities without mercy. Second to the Mongolians were the Romans, who merely destroyed the cities without mercy. Modern examples abound, from the London Blitz to the 9/11 attack.

As a military tactic, however, terrorism is a double edged sword. More often than not, it backfires on to the terrorists. Thus, the London Blitz steeled British resolve and in the end it was the cities of Germany that were reduced to rubble. Palestinian terrorist intifada attacks brought swift retribution and isolation behind the Israeli wall. The 9/11 perpetrators were tracked down and their Afghan sanctuary was overrun by Americans. It turns out, according to military historians, that terrorism only works for militarily dominant powers like Genghis Khan and Rome. For weaker opponents the terror tactic only leads to destruction.

Even so, terrorists inflict much suffering from their self destructive path. There is also a spiritual battle, as terrorists hope to paralyze their enemies with fear and goad them into overreacting in order to create more terrorists. This is truly spiritual warfare, and we must use our spiritual weapons to defeat the terror tactic of the ultimate terrorist, Satan.

We must first learn to pray blessings on our enemies. Not blessings for their violence, but blessings that their eyes be opened and that they will be satisfied with good things and desire to live in peace. Judgment still belongs to God, and it is for Him to avenge, not us. At the same time, God wants our enemies to come into His Kingdom, and we must not let bitterness or unforgiveness set us against God’s purposes. Instead we must deploy the powerful spiritual weapon of love to stay in step with God.

We must also turn back the spirit of fear which has been sent against us. We know from the famous 91^st Psalm that our protection comes only from God, and that He will be with us in our trouble. Yet we also know that we can overcome the evil one if we do not love this life more than the next (See Rev. 12:11). Let us live fearlessly in faith as God intended, looking forward to the day when we will be called home to Heaven.

Yes, we mourn for the victims of these cowardly terrorist attacks, and pray that God will comfort them. But we will not quit loving our enemies and living by faith.

And, just as the terror tactic is a losing strategy for weaker opponents in the natural world, so is the terror tactic futile against the most powerful kingdom on Earth, the Kingdom of God.

            This week marks the anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, when Germany declared war on France.

Before the war, the ten European colonial powers effectively ruled the world. They stood at the pinnacle of an era of incredible technological innovation. Trains, autos, steamships, radio, gasoline, steel, electricity, and many other inventions of the industrial revolution transformed the lives of First World citizens. Trade and prosperity reached record highs and most imagined that the human progress would climb ever upward.

This week also marks the anniversary of the final stage of the world wars which began in 1914, when the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Japan. The short span of 31 years from 1914 to 1945 had seen the overthrow of the European hegemony and the emergence of only two powers, the U.S. and Russia. Third world colonies of the great powers gained independence, and the nation of Israel was reborn. Prosperity finally returned to the First World and those new nations which had avoided the traps of socialism and communism. We have seen great technological advances and now, as in 1914, most imagine that human progress will continue its upward climb.

The Bible speaks of a time when the world would be ruled by “Ten Kings” (see Rev 17:12). Those ten nations, the European Colonial Powers, were used by God to break up the dominance of pagan religions in the world and create an opening for the Gospel to be preached (See Rev 17:16). From this opening has come the powerful revivals we see in Africa, Asia, and South America today.

Sadly, the ten nations have not participated in the Christian revival. Instead, most embraced secularism and attacked or marginalized Christianity. Believing themselves to be wise, they left their Christian belief and values behind. The result was a descent into brutality, atrocity, genocide, and destruction. Because they lost their faith, the Ten Kings also lost their place.

The message for America today is to be on watch lest we lose our way and lose our place. Our faith is the foundation of our place, and without our faith we can fall backwards into depravation as the Ten Kings did.

Let us pray for Christian awakening and a realization that our foundations must be restored if our nation is to survive.