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Exodus Echos

In 1948, before the establishment of Israel, the 2500 year old Jewish community in Egypt numbered 80,000. Similar communities, numbering about 850,000 in total, were scattered around the Arab world.

 

After the formation of Israel, many Palestinian Arabs fled from Israel and received worldwide attention as refugees. Their demand to return, and thereby overrun democratic Israel, is a major stumbling block to Middle East peace. And the war the Arabs began in an attempt to destroy Israel in 1948 continues to this day, with almost daily terrorist rocket launches against Jewish civilians.

 

Little noticed or publicized was the fate of the 850,000 Jews living in Arab countries.

Many were attacked by mobs, burned out, robbed, and forced to flee for their lives. Today it is estimated that only 4300 Jews remain in the Arab countries, and the Jewish refugees are conveniently forgotten by Arabs demanding “justice.”

 

It was 35 years ago today that Egyptian President Anwar Sadat made his historic peace visit to Israel. The world hoped that peace could be achieved in the Middle East, but Sadat was assassinated for his efforts and by radical Muslims of the infamous Muslim Brotherhood. Since then the Jihadists seem to have only grown stronger, while hope for peace have receeded.

 

These developments do not surprise us, as we believe that a long period of war between the Arabs and Israel is prophesied in the Bible (see our Special Report “Understanding The Times”). However, as Christians we cannot turn a blind eye towards the suffering of Arabs and Jews, and we must remember that God loves them all.

 

So pray for the Palestinian and Jewish refugees of the long Middle East war. Pray for healing of their mental, emotional, and physical wounds. Pray that they find the true path of peace through Jesus Christ.

 

Above all, like the Bible says, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

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The Mystery of the Barbarian Invasions

One of the mysteries of history is why, after the Roman Empire accepted Christianity,  God allowed the pagan Germanic people to overrun Christian Western Europe two hundred years later.

 

The Roman Empire was, of course, not fully Christianized and was suffering from demographic decline and corruption.  The Empire was also weakened militarily and had shifted to defensive posture.  But the real problem was the Church, which had also adopted defensive posture and was no longer focused on taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

 

With the Church unable and unwilling to move beyond it’s borders, God had to do something.  So he allowed the barbarians to invade the Empire’s borders to bring them into contact with the Church.  Amazingly, the pagan Germanic people came to accept Christianity and became the foundation of Christian Europe.  Thus, the defeat of the Roman Empire actually led to the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

 

In America we have (so far) been spared from barbarian invasion.  God is continuing to bring people who may be otherwise unreachable into contact with the Church through immigration and student visas. For example, a Pakistani Muslim who has been prevented from hearing the Gospel in his own country can be given the good news about Jesus while working or studying in the United States.  Those who accept Christ can carry the Gospel back to their countrymen, expanding the Kingdom of God more efficiently than Americans could.

 

Recently we were presented and excellent tool to present the Gospel by a U.S. ministry,

Christ for All People. They have made Jesus film DVD’s available in many immigrant languages, allowing our immigrant friends to learn about Jesus in their “heart” language. Check out their website at www.christforallpeoples.org

 

For our part we must remember Peter’s admonition to explain our faith with gentleness and respect. (I Peter 3:15) Christ For All Peoples suggests packaging the Jesus film with other goodies as a Christmas present.

 

What better time than Christmas to help an immigrant family learn why “Jesus is reason for the season.”

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Two Days in Berlin

 

 

            The upcoming week marks the 96th anniversary of the end of the First World War on November 11, 1918 and the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

 

            The city of Berlin was the epicenter of the ideological and military wars of the Twentieth Century. Those conflicts were rooted in the Nineteenth Century, when German theologians sold out to secularism and destroyed the Christian faith of most Germans. The spiritual void was filled by a secular state region and Darwinist survival of-the-fittest militancy. It is not a coincidence that the Germans brought the ancient Temple of Zeus from Pergamum, “Where Satan has his throne” (Rev 2:13) to Berlin. And it may truly be said that Satan moved his throne to Berlin.

 

            The First World War was welcomed by the militant Germans, who expected easy victories. They did manage to defeat the Russians, but at the price of helping to establish an expansionist Communist state. However, the Germans could not sustain the war in Western Europe and they surrendered on November 11, 1918. The Peace Treaty which followed in 1919 left the Germans humiliated and bitter, but they did not give up their militaristic spirit. They hardened their hearts, missing their chance to repent, and Satan remained enthroned in Berlin.

 

            Feeding on that militaristic spirit, Adolph Hitler and his Nazis fashioned a new religion where the Germans would evolve into God like super humans. Their version of the Godhood Religion, or New Age Religion, swept through Germany and led to the Second World War. Their early success in the war led them to attack the Russian Communists and they even declared war on the United States. All the while they were murdering Jews, Christians, and others who did not fit into their super human evolutionary vision. No one could doubt that Satan ruled through the Nazis in Berlin.

 

            Judgment came to Berlin in 1945 as the Russian army destroyed the city and revenged itself on the population. Berlin, and Germany, were divided between the Russians and the Western Powers. Yet, after the war, Berlin became the focal point of Cold War tensions as the Russians tried to force the Western Powers out. Berlin became an embarrassment to the Russians as it prospered under free enterprise and democracy. Finally, in 1962, they built  the infamous Berlin Wall to keep East Berliners from fleeing the Communist police state.

 

            German Christians began to repent for their country and pray for deliverance from the Communist oppression, and God sent them a Polish Pope and an American President. The Russian tyranny simply fell apart under its own weight without a shot being fired. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 as the prayers of the Christians were answered in an unmistakable way. Apparently Satan left town.

 

            The two days in Berlin show the horrible consequences of failure to repent and the power of God to move for those who reach out to Him in repentance.

 

            As we remember these two days, let us not harden our hearts if God’s judgment does come, because the Lord sends judgment to bring righteousness (Is 26:9). Let us learn from the German Christians to repent and ask God to deliver us from our oppression.

 

             

 

     

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Ending the Scandal of Division

            October 31 is the anniversary date of Martin Luther’s nailing of his Ninety Five Theses on the Church door at Wittenberg, Germany.

Martin Luther had hoped that he would be able to reform and purify the Church. Instead, the Church split into a Catholic branch and a Protestant branch. Then came religious wars, with millions of Catholic and Protestant martyrs. Peace and some level of tolerance finally prevailed, but the division continues.

Nor was it the first such division. The Jewish Church was driven out at Nicea, the Nestorian Church at Ephesus, and the Copic Church at Chalcedon. The Orthodox East and the Roman Catholic West formally split in 1054. And throughout Church history, beginning with Clovis, Kings were sent to destroy Heretical groups. The Scandal of Division has stalked the Church from the beginning.

Today there are thousands of Christian denominations, each with its own unique set of beliefs and practices. All of them know that Christ prayed “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me” (John 17:23 b), but they do not know how to get past their doctrinal and governmental differences. So the Scandal has been allowed to continue, even at the cost of casting doubt on Jesus and the Church.

Finally, in the latter 20th Century, things began to change when Christians began to take a fresh look at Christ’s prayer for unity. Jesus prayed that, just as He was in the Father and the Father was in Him, the believers would be in Christ and thus be brought to complete unity (John 17:20-23). Our unity is in Christ, not in our doctrines, traditions or Church government. The Apostle Paul also recognized this, and urged the believers not to look down on their “weaker” brothers who had different doctrines (Ro 14:1-23).

Let no one be judged for their doctrines so long as they are in Christ. Rather let us become friends of God by keeping Christ’s command to love each other (John 15:12-14) and focus on God’s business (John 15:15)

We thank God for the outreach of Pope Francis to the Evangelical Church earlier this year (See our Blog of 3/5/14 “Pope’s Unity Message Goes Viral”) And the response of many Evangelical Leaders seeking reconciliation.

Let us end the Scandal of Division so the world will know that God sent Christ to save us.

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The Shemitah: Year of the Lord’s Favor

                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 50th 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.

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Blood Moons During the Church Age

                The Bible states that “The Heavens declare the Glory of God” (Ps 19:1), and we are told that there will be signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars of Christ’s Second Coming (Lk 21:25).

 

Signs in the Sun and Moon include eclipses of the Sun, when the Sun turns black, and eclipses of the Moon, when the Moon turns blood red. (Joel 2:31). The darkness of the solar eclipse presents a picture of judgment (Amos 5:18), but the lunar eclipse presents grace and mercy as the Moon, called the “Faithful witness in the sky” (Ps 89:37), and representing the believers, is covered with the Blood of Christ. We are also reminded that the believers overcome Satan by their witness and Christ’s Blood (Rev 12:11). Thus, while the solar eclipse represents judgment, the lunar eclipse or Blood Moon represents not judgment, but God’s grace, mercy, and the power to overcome evil.

 

Blood Moons have a special interconnection with Jewish lunar calendar because two Jewish Feasts, Passover and Tabernacles, occur when the Moon is full and a lunar eclipse can occur. Some significant events have occurred during a Blood Moon, such as the first Passover during the Exodus in 1446 BC and a Blood Moon during the Spring of 5 BC when the Chinese observed the Star of Bethlehem and our research indicates that Christ was born. However, many authorities attach special significance to groupings of four Blood Moons on sequential Jewish Feast days, known as Tetrads. We agree that the Tetrads are historically significant, and believe that they represent times of extraordinary grace and revival in the Church.

 

The eight historical Tetrads during the Church Age are outlined as follows:

 

  1. 1967-68 – Charismatic revival begins, resulting in 600 million Charismatic Christians today
  2. 1949-50– Billy Graham and tent revival movement, with Graham preaching to over 2 billion people  so far.
  3. 1493-94– Columbus begins evangelization of New World, with over 800 million Christians in the Americas today.
  4. 1428-29 Joan of Arc’s visions lead to separation of France from England, allowing England to participate in Protestant Reformation and world wide evangelization.
  5. 860-61 – St. Cyril begins missionary career which leads to Christianization of Bulgaria and Russia.
  6. 842-43 – Charlemagne’s heirs split Germany from France, with Germany turning evangelistic efforts eastward and leading to conversion of Poles, Bohemians, Hungarians, and Eastern Germans.
  7. 795-96– Charlemagne’s conquests and the scholar Acuin’s evangelistic efforts lead to conversion of Moravia, Slavs, Danes, and ultimately many Vikings.
  8. 162-63– First Charismatic renewal in Church restores prophecy and holiness to many Churches in Roman Empire, strengthening the Church to grow under persecution.

 

We have now entered the ninth Blood Moon Tetrad, in 2014-15. The spiritual turning points in the previous Tetrads were often seemingly small events with full manifestation occurring much later. Nevertheless, we have seen such historic events as the Pope’s unity outreach (See our Blog of 3/5/14 “Pope’s Unity Message Goes Viral”), and we have great expectations that a revival based on Christ’s unity prayer will be launched.

 

We urge our prayer partners to join Jesus in his prayer for unity so that the world will believe our message (See John 7:23). Let us find our Brothers in other Christian Churches and pray together for the Unity Revival to come.

 

Revival is coming. Don’t miss it!

 

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Billy Graham’s Blood Moon Crusade

 

This Week we in North America will be treated to a pre-dawn “Blood Moon” on October 8 as we look back to the October 7, 1949 “ Blood Moon “during Billy Graham’s game changing Los Angeles Crusade.

 

We are indebted to Pastor John Hagee for publicizing the historical significance of the four “Blood Moons”, or groupings of four lunar eclipses, on Jewish Feast days in 1493-94, 1949-50, 1967-68, and which will occur on 2014-15. We believe that these events marked God’s expansion of His Church (See our Blog of 4/9/14, “Blood Moon Rising”) Our Blog of 9/17/14, “Columbus and his Blood Moon Voyage “shows how Columbus’s second voyage to the New World, begun on the Blood Moon at the Feast of Tabernacles in 1494, led to the Christianization of the New World.

 

In 1949 at the Blood Moon on the Feast of Tabernacles we saw God begin another great expansion of the Kingdom of God as the Evangelist Billy Graham went from being an unknown preacher to a household name in the eight weeks of his Los Angeles Crusade. Graham stated that the Crusade “marked a decisive turning point for our ministry”. Recognizing God’s powerful movement, Graham said “Something was happening that all the media coverage in the world could not explain.”

 

Something indeed was happening. It wasn’t that the Blood Moon caused to happen, but instead the Blood Moon was a sign that God was doing something historic. Since 1949 Billy Graham has preached in all 50 states and in 84 countries on all 6 inhabited continents. He has preached to over 100 million people in person and to over 2 billion people through radio, television, and the internet. Many millions have been added to the Kingdom of God through Billy Graham’s ministry.

 

As we look forward to the unfolding of God’s plan for this series of the Blood Moons in 2014 and 2015, one aspect of Graham’s ministry stands out. He would only accept a crusade invitation if the local Church was united in its desire for Bible based evangelism. Graham was responding to Christ’s prayer for unity among the believers as foundation for acceptance of the Gospel (Jn 17:22). It was this same desire which led Pope Francis to reach out to Evangelical Leaders earlier this year (See our Blog of 3/5/14 “Pope’s Unity Message Goes Viral”), with a positive response to His invitation for Christ centered unity coming from Evangelicals and Catholics alike.

 

So let us all be partners with Christ in His payer for unity, joining Billy Graham and Pope Francis to work for unity in Christ so that we can spread the Gospel message.

 

The fields are white with harvest.