Here is a thought for you; Is the book no longer being written? Have the final chapters been brought to their conclusion? Or is the story still being written in our day and age?
I am speaking about G-D's book. Jews see the ending of the book at about 400 years before Jesus and Christians have it somewhere after John writes revelation, but is that true? Have the final chapters been written or is G-D, even as I write this, getting ready to write some more words into the book?
What is history after all but literally the History of G-D and mans interaction with Him? What makes us think that the book is finished? History is still going on, writers are still writing, events large and small are still going on and G-D and the enemy of our souls are still putting their pieces into play, so what makes us think that the story is done?
Who can say that 1000 years from now someone out there won't be reading the very things that we have written about or have spoken of and consider those very things to be the words of G-D spoken again through man.It's just something to make you think, but I would humbly submit keep it in mind as well.
I don't think that the world as we know it will be here in a thousand years , we seem to be so stupid that we are bent on our own destruction, but just for the sake of argument lets say it did and that you knew for sure that the book was still being written. What would you say? What HAVE you said already? What thoughts and opinions have you expressed on paper or cyber space that you might not want people to remember you for? Kind of makes you think doesn't it.
Ask your self this; How many of the writers of the Bible knew that their words were going to be practically put on stone for future posterity? Most of them were writing as G-D told them to write, but what about the Psalms? David and others were expressing them selves, but did they know that it would all be there for all generations to see? Would they have written differently had they have known?
This is just some thoughts, weird things that I think about in the wee hours of the morning when I should be sleeping.
So how do you want to be remembered? Careful how you answer that , it's likely being recorded!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
What If We are Wrong ?
Back in the dark ages when I was a Marine, we always had this saying "It's the other guys fault!" I was in communications and it was real easy to get your connections screwed up. It didn't matter how well you planned something out, at some point something was going to go wrong and so when that happened it became the other guys fault. Now that wasn't always true, but if you could blame someone else for the problems at hand, even while your trying to fix the problem on your end, you at least could make yourself look good. The problem with this,as you can probably imagine, is that as long as everyone was pointing at each other saying that "they " are wrong and "we" are right, the truth of the matter wouldn't come out and communications would stay down.
So whats the point? Here is a simple question for you; What if "they" are right?
What do I mean? For most of my life I have listened to people argue and say that the Jews have it all wrong, that they missed the Messiah and then in the end they will recognize him and all will be saved, I am paraphrasing a a lot here, but the question remains the same; What if they are the ones that are right?
The other day I made a comment, thinking that I was correcting an error, that a Jewish person posted on line and I was blasted in all directions by those who were correcting me for my error! I must say that one lady there did come to my defense, she had gone to Catholic schools as a child so she knew where I was coming from, but everyone else jumped all over me. I was told everything from Jesus wasn't a real person, he wasn't G-D, to he was nothing but a religious metaphor,a story told to erring Jews to keep them in line! I was a bit humbled to say the least, to me I was correcting what I thought was an error in thought only to be put in my place!
So for the sake of argument, I did a google search and just typed in "Is Jesus real"
and I had many multiple hits saying that he wasn't real, or that he was real however he wasn't considered to be G-D until after the council of Nicea, and this being the time that they started adopting pagan holy days as well. The amount of material out there was somewhat staggering! Now I realize that you can find pretty much anything that your looking for on line, and like all forms of communications you have to look and see if someone has an agenda when they are writing, but does it make them wrong?
What I find to be interesting is that many Christians believe that the people of Israel are still G-D's children but still believe that they are wrong in their beliefs. Many understand the center of the world is not the USA but instead is the land of Israel and most will agree that the ushering in of the New kingdom and the Messianic age will happen in Israel. Yet will continue to say that they have it all wrong. Again my question; what if they are the ones that are right? What if it's us that have our communications all screwed up and while G-D has still blessed us, we are the ones that don't have it right?
Consider the history of the Jewish people. According to the Old Testament,they threw themselves at the foreign god's to the point of where G-d put them into captivity and spread them out all over the world. In finally returning to Israel they have become very pointed about only serving G-D. They have gone from a multiple god people to a one G-D people. What makes us so sure that we are right and they are wrong? We speak of a 3 in 1 G-D as a way to explain the Father, Son, and Holy ghost yet Jesus himself told his disciples to worship the Father and even told them how. The "holy Spirit came upon his disciples at Pentecost and they received power from G-D to do amazing things, but no one worships the Holy Spirit, So it comes back to worshiping one G-D. Again the question is asked; How is that they are wrong?
Here is a couple of text as well that might get you to thinking.
Zech. 8:23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days 10 men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-D is with you.
Jeremiah 16:19-20 O Lord my refuge and strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say; Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?
What do you suppose is meant by these verses and others like them? I tend to believe that it is we who are going to discover that we are wrong and we will turn to them and to G-D for the truth.
I am leaving you here, at this sort of awkward point. I am not here to make decisions for you and I don't have any cute cliche's to go with this. I just want you to think.
What if we are wrong and they are right?
Shalom,
Ignacio
So whats the point? Here is a simple question for you; What if "they" are right?
What do I mean? For most of my life I have listened to people argue and say that the Jews have it all wrong, that they missed the Messiah and then in the end they will recognize him and all will be saved, I am paraphrasing a a lot here, but the question remains the same; What if they are the ones that are right?
The other day I made a comment, thinking that I was correcting an error, that a Jewish person posted on line and I was blasted in all directions by those who were correcting me for my error! I must say that one lady there did come to my defense, she had gone to Catholic schools as a child so she knew where I was coming from, but everyone else jumped all over me. I was told everything from Jesus wasn't a real person, he wasn't G-D, to he was nothing but a religious metaphor,a story told to erring Jews to keep them in line! I was a bit humbled to say the least, to me I was correcting what I thought was an error in thought only to be put in my place!
So for the sake of argument, I did a google search and just typed in "Is Jesus real"
and I had many multiple hits saying that he wasn't real, or that he was real however he wasn't considered to be G-D until after the council of Nicea, and this being the time that they started adopting pagan holy days as well. The amount of material out there was somewhat staggering! Now I realize that you can find pretty much anything that your looking for on line, and like all forms of communications you have to look and see if someone has an agenda when they are writing, but does it make them wrong?
What I find to be interesting is that many Christians believe that the people of Israel are still G-D's children but still believe that they are wrong in their beliefs. Many understand the center of the world is not the USA but instead is the land of Israel and most will agree that the ushering in of the New kingdom and the Messianic age will happen in Israel. Yet will continue to say that they have it all wrong. Again my question; what if they are the ones that are right? What if it's us that have our communications all screwed up and while G-D has still blessed us, we are the ones that don't have it right?
Consider the history of the Jewish people. According to the Old Testament,they threw themselves at the foreign god's to the point of where G-d put them into captivity and spread them out all over the world. In finally returning to Israel they have become very pointed about only serving G-D. They have gone from a multiple god people to a one G-D people. What makes us so sure that we are right and they are wrong? We speak of a 3 in 1 G-D as a way to explain the Father, Son, and Holy ghost yet Jesus himself told his disciples to worship the Father and even told them how. The "holy Spirit came upon his disciples at Pentecost and they received power from G-D to do amazing things, but no one worships the Holy Spirit, So it comes back to worshiping one G-D. Again the question is asked; How is that they are wrong?
Here is a couple of text as well that might get you to thinking.
Zech. 8:23 Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days 10 men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that G-D is with you.
Jeremiah 16:19-20 O Lord my refuge and strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say; Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?
What do you suppose is meant by these verses and others like them? I tend to believe that it is we who are going to discover that we are wrong and we will turn to them and to G-D for the truth.
I am leaving you here, at this sort of awkward point. I am not here to make decisions for you and I don't have any cute cliche's to go with this. I just want you to think.
What if we are wrong and they are right?
Shalom,
Ignacio
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Face Of G-D
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Have you ever REALLY looked at your own face ? If I asked you to describe yourself what would you say? I know for myself that I wouldn't be very nice in the process of describing myself, I would point out all my flaws and scars and my thinning graying hair. I wouldn't be very kind in my own description and I would imagine neither would you. But what if I asked you to describe a small child or a baby? I would be willing to bet that the compliments would be flowing. Even the ugliest of babies are beautiful in our eyes, yet as that baby grows up the descriptions get a bit less kind.
Here is the real question though; If I asked you to describe a homeless person sleeping on a park bench what would you say, or a prostitute or your worst enemy, How would you describe them? It's easy for us to make judgement calls on people who are different from us or who don't fit in with what we perceive to be right and wrong, but
what if I told you that you were looking at the face of G-D?
In Genesis 33 we have a story of reconciliation between Jacob and Esau. G-D tells Jacob that it is time for him to go home and he packs his bags and family and he leaves. When he finally sees Esau, after much prayer and literal wrestling with G-D, the brothers meet and fall on each other weeping. Here is the real kicker though, while Jacob is urging his brother to accept the gifts that were being given to him he says to him "...inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of G-D and you were pleased with me..."(Gen.33:10) He said that seeing Esau was like seeing the face of G-D! This was the man that Jacob had spent the last 20 years being afraid of. What should that say to us?
What would happen if instead of labeling everyone, we simply saw G-D's face on everyone we see?
As a friend of mine once put it, our faces are a reflection of what G-D saw on His own face when were born, in other words we are a reflection of G-D in that moment that he created us.
In the beginning of Genesis we are told that we have been made in the image and likeness of G-D. We can argue the semantics of whether or not that was a physical or spiritual thing, but what I would humbly submit to you that no matter which way you look at it , when you are looking at someone else you are looking at G-D's image reflecting back at you and as such we should be treating others that we see as if we were indeed in the presence of G-D. What a difference that would make in this world.If Jacob could do it when faced by the man who had threatened to kill him 20 years earlier, there is no reason that we can't.
G-D's commandments can be broken down to two very simple commands the first is to love Him with all our being, with every ounce of strength that He has given us and the other is to love our neighbors as ourselves. G-d never said our neighbors would be our friends or that they would be pretty, but He makes it easier for us to do by reminding us that His image is seen in the face of that neighbor.
Jacob did it and through the grace of G-D who lives with in us as well, we can say to our neighbor, or whoever,....I have seen you face as though I had seen the face of G-D!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Here is the real question though; If I asked you to describe a homeless person sleeping on a park bench what would you say, or a prostitute or your worst enemy, How would you describe them? It's easy for us to make judgement calls on people who are different from us or who don't fit in with what we perceive to be right and wrong, but
what if I told you that you were looking at the face of G-D?
In Genesis 33 we have a story of reconciliation between Jacob and Esau. G-D tells Jacob that it is time for him to go home and he packs his bags and family and he leaves. When he finally sees Esau, after much prayer and literal wrestling with G-D, the brothers meet and fall on each other weeping. Here is the real kicker though, while Jacob is urging his brother to accept the gifts that were being given to him he says to him "...inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of G-D and you were pleased with me..."(Gen.33:10) He said that seeing Esau was like seeing the face of G-D! This was the man that Jacob had spent the last 20 years being afraid of. What should that say to us?
What would happen if instead of labeling everyone, we simply saw G-D's face on everyone we see?
As a friend of mine once put it, our faces are a reflection of what G-D saw on His own face when were born, in other words we are a reflection of G-D in that moment that he created us.
In the beginning of Genesis we are told that we have been made in the image and likeness of G-D. We can argue the semantics of whether or not that was a physical or spiritual thing, but what I would humbly submit to you that no matter which way you look at it , when you are looking at someone else you are looking at G-D's image reflecting back at you and as such we should be treating others that we see as if we were indeed in the presence of G-D. What a difference that would make in this world.If Jacob could do it when faced by the man who had threatened to kill him 20 years earlier, there is no reason that we can't.
G-D's commandments can be broken down to two very simple commands the first is to love Him with all our being, with every ounce of strength that He has given us and the other is to love our neighbors as ourselves. G-d never said our neighbors would be our friends or that they would be pretty, but He makes it easier for us to do by reminding us that His image is seen in the face of that neighbor.
Jacob did it and through the grace of G-D who lives with in us as well, we can say to our neighbor, or whoever,....I have seen you face as though I had seen the face of G-D!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Saturday, December 5, 2009
A Warning From Obadiah
Have you ever read the book of Obadiah? It is a short book in the Tenach only 21 verses long but it is packed with a powerful message of warning that is very appropriate for today. This warning is for "Edom" in particular but for the world in general, more specifically the world and people of Edom who rejoice over all the evil that has befallen Israel.
Who are the people of Edom? They are the children of Esau, Jacob's brother. It is the Arab and Muslim world that follow Islam, it is the so called Palestinians, it is all those people in the east who want nothing more then the destruction of Israel.
The "Nations" speaks for itself, Just look at the UN and all those nations that want nothing more than the destruction of Israel as well. Every time that Israel tries to defend itself from her enemies she has been roundly condemned at all levels. Sadly that would now include the United States that has been trying to divide up Israel and make it compromise her security. To try and make her give up the very land that G-D Himself gave to them.
Here is all 21 verses,
The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom
(We have heard a report from the LORD,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
“ Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):
2 “ Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the LORD.
5 “ If thieves had come to you,
If robbers by night—
Oh, how you will be cut off!—
Would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If grape-gatherers had come to you,
Would they not have left some gleanings?
6 “ Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!
How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!
7 All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap[a] for you.
No one is aware of it.
8 “ Will I not in that day,” says the LORD,
“ Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau?
9 Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed,
To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.
10 “ For violence against your brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover you,
And you shall be cut off forever.
11 In the day that you stood on the other side—
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
Even you were as one of them.
12 “ But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
In the day of his captivity;[b]
Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Nor should you have spoken proudly
In the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
In the day of their calamity.
Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity,
Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped;
Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained
In the day of distress.
15 “ For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near;
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.
16 For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.
17 “ But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the LORD has spoken.
19 The South[c] shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Shall possess the cities of the South.[d]
21 Then saviors[e] shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.
The warning from G-D through Obadiah says it all I am not going to try and elaborate on them, but I will say to all take heed of what is written in this book because it is a direct warning to all of us and to all nations that would try to trample on G-D's chosen people, Israel.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Who are the people of Edom? They are the children of Esau, Jacob's brother. It is the Arab and Muslim world that follow Islam, it is the so called Palestinians, it is all those people in the east who want nothing more then the destruction of Israel.
The "Nations" speaks for itself, Just look at the UN and all those nations that want nothing more than the destruction of Israel as well. Every time that Israel tries to defend itself from her enemies she has been roundly condemned at all levels. Sadly that would now include the United States that has been trying to divide up Israel and make it compromise her security. To try and make her give up the very land that G-D Himself gave to them.
Here is all 21 verses,
The vision of Obadiah.
Thus says the Lord GOD concerning Edom
(We have heard a report from the LORD,
And a messenger has been sent among the nations, saying,
“ Arise, and let us rise up against her for battle”):
2 “ Behold, I will make you small among the nations;
You shall be greatly despised.
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
Whose habitation is high;
You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’
4 Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down,” says the LORD.
5 “ If thieves had come to you,
If robbers by night—
Oh, how you will be cut off!—
Would they not have stolen till they had enough?
If grape-gatherers had come to you,
Would they not have left some gleanings?
6 “ Oh, how Esau shall be searched out!
How his hidden treasures shall be sought after!
7 All the men in your confederacy
Shall force you to the border;
The men at peace with you
Shall deceive you and prevail against you.
Those who eat your bread shall lay a trap[a] for you.
No one is aware of it.
8 “ Will I not in that day,” says the LORD,
“ Even destroy the wise men from Edom,
And understanding from the mountains of Esau?
9 Then your mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed,
To the end that everyone from the mountains of Esau
May be cut off by slaughter.
10 “ For violence against your brother Jacob,
Shame shall cover you,
And you shall be cut off forever.
11 In the day that you stood on the other side—
In the day that strangers carried captive his forces,
When foreigners entered his gates
And cast lots for Jerusalem—
Even you were as one of them.
12 “ But you should not have gazed on the day of your brother
In the day of his captivity;[b]
Nor should you have rejoiced over the children of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Nor should you have spoken proudly
In the day of distress.
13 You should not have entered the gate of My people
In the day of their calamity.
Indeed, you should not have gazed on their affliction
In the day of their calamity,
Nor laid hands on their substance
In the day of their calamity.
14 You should not have stood at the crossroads
To cut off those among them who escaped;
Nor should you have delivered up those among them who remained
In the day of distress.
15 “ For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near;
As you have done, it shall be done to you;
Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.
16 For as you drank on My holy mountain,
So shall all the nations drink continually;
Yes, they shall drink, and swallow,
And they shall be as though they had never been.
17 “ But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance,
And there shall be holiness;
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18 The house of Jacob shall be a fire,
And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble;
They shall kindle them and devour them,
And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,”
For the LORD has spoken.
19 The South[c] shall possess the mountains of Esau,
And the Lowland shall possess Philistia.
They shall possess the fields of Ephraim
And the fields of Samaria.
Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the captives of this host of the children of Israel
Shall possess the land of the Canaanites
As far as Zarephath.
The captives of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Shall possess the cities of the South.[d]
21 Then saviors[e] shall come to Mount Zion
To judge the mountains of Esau,
And the kingdom shall be the LORD’s.
The warning from G-D through Obadiah says it all I am not going to try and elaborate on them, but I will say to all take heed of what is written in this book because it is a direct warning to all of us and to all nations that would try to trample on G-D's chosen people, Israel.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Grab It Like You Mean It
Back in the dark ages, when I went through boot camp for the Marines, we used to do what is known as "Manual of Arms" That was when the Drill Instructor would call out commands about how to hold the rifle and what position to put it in things like that.
An example would be that if they said to us "present arms" we knew to bring the rifle up to our fronts in a very specified manner and if we didn't we were "corrected" until we got it right!
One of the other commands was "Inspection Arms" and you would go through a process that would allow you to make sure that the weapon was empty and then the Drill Instructor would be able to inspect your weapon to make sure that it was clean to his satisfaction. One of the things that they taught us was that when it was time for the inspection, when the Drill Instructor reached for the weapon we were to let go of it just before his hands touched the rifle thus causing a rather pleasing "pop" when they grabbed it. Then once they were done inspecting it, they would hold it out in front of them and you were to take it back from them, however there was a small catch; You had to grab it back from them like you meant it! It wasn't enough to just grab it from them, you had to bring that left hand up hard and furious like you were angry, which might not be far from the truth by the time they got done with an inspection,and grab that weapon like you really meant to grab it! They wanted to hear the "pop" of your hand hitting the hand guard clear across the parade deck, "grab it like you mean it"!
So why tell you this? Simple really; Have you grasped a hold of the word of G-D like you really mean it? Have you hit your knees so hard on the floor that it echoed through out your house? Have you sought G-D with an intensity that would make a Drill Instructor smile? Have you grabbed a hold of G-D like you mean it?
Jer.29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think towards you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. AND YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME, WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
Drill Instructors didn't want wishy washy recruits they wanted men and women who would put their hearts into it and G-D is the same. He doesn't want people who just kind of go through the motions of prayer and worship, He wants people who will seek him with all their heart and mean it so much that the "pop" of their heart will be heard around the world. Like a recruit grabbing his rifle like he means it, grab a hold of the things of G-D like you mean it and let your "pop" be heard.
Shalom,
Ignacio
An example would be that if they said to us "present arms" we knew to bring the rifle up to our fronts in a very specified manner and if we didn't we were "corrected" until we got it right!
One of the other commands was "Inspection Arms" and you would go through a process that would allow you to make sure that the weapon was empty and then the Drill Instructor would be able to inspect your weapon to make sure that it was clean to his satisfaction. One of the things that they taught us was that when it was time for the inspection, when the Drill Instructor reached for the weapon we were to let go of it just before his hands touched the rifle thus causing a rather pleasing "pop" when they grabbed it. Then once they were done inspecting it, they would hold it out in front of them and you were to take it back from them, however there was a small catch; You had to grab it back from them like you meant it! It wasn't enough to just grab it from them, you had to bring that left hand up hard and furious like you were angry, which might not be far from the truth by the time they got done with an inspection,and grab that weapon like you really meant to grab it! They wanted to hear the "pop" of your hand hitting the hand guard clear across the parade deck, "grab it like you mean it"!
So why tell you this? Simple really; Have you grasped a hold of the word of G-D like you really mean it? Have you hit your knees so hard on the floor that it echoed through out your house? Have you sought G-D with an intensity that would make a Drill Instructor smile? Have you grabbed a hold of G-D like you mean it?
Jer.29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think towards you says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. AND YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME, WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART.
Drill Instructors didn't want wishy washy recruits they wanted men and women who would put their hearts into it and G-D is the same. He doesn't want people who just kind of go through the motions of prayer and worship, He wants people who will seek him with all their heart and mean it so much that the "pop" of their heart will be heard around the world. Like a recruit grabbing his rifle like he means it, grab a hold of the things of G-D like you mean it and let your "pop" be heard.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Deer and The Danger
Once upon a time in the great North woods of Arkansas there was this Doe, a humble Doe by all accounts and very young at heart if not in age. I can only assume age based on her size and ,of course, it's not polite to ask ANY woman her age so that part is pure assumption, not to mention that had I actually asked and received an answer, I would probably be in a padded room somewhere. This Doe probably started the day like most any other day, some coffee and perhaps some toast perhaps a good dose of OJ, OK again I am exaggerating I mean where are you going to find OJ out in the deep woods? Right?
So where was I... O yes.. so this Doe probably started the day like all deer do and had some breakfast and then looked for a bit of water to drink, then as the day was warming up started looking for a bit of a warm spot to sit and soak up some rays. What this Doe did not realize is that danger and possible death was lurking in the woods!
This danger and possible death, did not come in the form of another animal or dressed in black robes and a carrying a scythe, but rather came in the form of a man dressed in Mossy Oak camouflage, with the appropriate hunter orange, and carrying a large caliber rifle.
Do you feel the tension building yet?
The hunter in question had been out since early morning looking for the big brother to that Doe and hadn't seen much that morning except for a few tails and hind legs heading for the underbrush! Something about trying to be quiet while walking on dry leaves just wasn't working so the hunter tried something just a bit different, he thought he would sit for awhile and try using his deer call.
Meanwhile the Doe had been enjoying itself getting a tan and enjoying the birds and the squirrels doing their thing and was totally oblivious to the fact that danger was not far away, she had heard some unusual sounds, but because it was so warm and peaceful she saw no reason to be concerned. Then she heard the sound of a bleat....
The hunter had found a likely deer path and got himself all comfortable and then proceeded to use the Doe bleat call, feeling a little foolish, having never really used it that much,but low and behold he started to hear some shuffling sounds that sounded a whole lot different then squirrels, (which as any hunter knows is one of the most annoying creatures when one is hunting)and his adrenaline level started to pick up a bit at the thought of actually seeing something more then the hind end of his intended prey. But then it got quiet again.
This went on for a bit so I will spare some of the details but needless to say that eventually the doe and the hunter meet and this is truly the heart of the story.
The hunter stepped out onto the dirt trail and watched the edge of the woods and sure enough out comes the doe! She had been curious enough about the sound to step out of the woods where she was perfectly safe, the woods were thick ,very hard to see through, out onto the path to be seen by all predators including the hunter.
The hunter and the doe looked at each other, but rather then run away from the danger, she looked at the hunter and sniffed the air, couldn't smell him because he'd used stuff to kill his smell, stomped her foot on the ground to see if she could get this strange looking thing to move,and nothing happened. She did the drop the head and lift it quickly thing and still nothing happened, but still she stood there not 25 feet from something that would bring her death and decided that if it didn't threaten her directly then it must be safe! Eventually she moved off into the woods on the other side of the path and disappeared.
What that Doe didn't know was that if it had been three days earlier it could have been shot and the threat and danger would have been very real and short lived.
How many of us are like that Doe? G-D puts in a restful place, he feeds us and gives us laws to keep us safe in Him and yet at the first sound of something that sounds strange we go out to investigate, ignoring everything that G-D has shown us, and we chase after strange things ,never realizing that it is putting us in danger. And to make it worse, even when we see the danger we don't recognize it for what it is and just stand there and look. The only thing that saved that Doe was the Law that said that it was 3 days to late to kill it. The enemy of our souls has no such restrictions, especially when we put our selves in his path. Our only safety is in G-D and His law, His Love and Grace. Where ever you are find your rest in Him. Ignore the call of the strange things of the world. The danger is real and it is deadly, but there is no reason why you need to go out and test the hunter.
Shalom,
Ignacio
So where was I... O yes.. so this Doe probably started the day like all deer do and had some breakfast and then looked for a bit of water to drink, then as the day was warming up started looking for a bit of a warm spot to sit and soak up some rays. What this Doe did not realize is that danger and possible death was lurking in the woods!
This danger and possible death, did not come in the form of another animal or dressed in black robes and a carrying a scythe, but rather came in the form of a man dressed in Mossy Oak camouflage, with the appropriate hunter orange, and carrying a large caliber rifle.
Do you feel the tension building yet?
The hunter in question had been out since early morning looking for the big brother to that Doe and hadn't seen much that morning except for a few tails and hind legs heading for the underbrush! Something about trying to be quiet while walking on dry leaves just wasn't working so the hunter tried something just a bit different, he thought he would sit for awhile and try using his deer call.
Meanwhile the Doe had been enjoying itself getting a tan and enjoying the birds and the squirrels doing their thing and was totally oblivious to the fact that danger was not far away, she had heard some unusual sounds, but because it was so warm and peaceful she saw no reason to be concerned. Then she heard the sound of a bleat....
The hunter had found a likely deer path and got himself all comfortable and then proceeded to use the Doe bleat call, feeling a little foolish, having never really used it that much,but low and behold he started to hear some shuffling sounds that sounded a whole lot different then squirrels, (which as any hunter knows is one of the most annoying creatures when one is hunting)and his adrenaline level started to pick up a bit at the thought of actually seeing something more then the hind end of his intended prey. But then it got quiet again.
This went on for a bit so I will spare some of the details but needless to say that eventually the doe and the hunter meet and this is truly the heart of the story.
The hunter stepped out onto the dirt trail and watched the edge of the woods and sure enough out comes the doe! She had been curious enough about the sound to step out of the woods where she was perfectly safe, the woods were thick ,very hard to see through, out onto the path to be seen by all predators including the hunter.
The hunter and the doe looked at each other, but rather then run away from the danger, she looked at the hunter and sniffed the air, couldn't smell him because he'd used stuff to kill his smell, stomped her foot on the ground to see if she could get this strange looking thing to move,and nothing happened. She did the drop the head and lift it quickly thing and still nothing happened, but still she stood there not 25 feet from something that would bring her death and decided that if it didn't threaten her directly then it must be safe! Eventually she moved off into the woods on the other side of the path and disappeared.
What that Doe didn't know was that if it had been three days earlier it could have been shot and the threat and danger would have been very real and short lived.
How many of us are like that Doe? G-D puts in a restful place, he feeds us and gives us laws to keep us safe in Him and yet at the first sound of something that sounds strange we go out to investigate, ignoring everything that G-D has shown us, and we chase after strange things ,never realizing that it is putting us in danger. And to make it worse, even when we see the danger we don't recognize it for what it is and just stand there and look. The only thing that saved that Doe was the Law that said that it was 3 days to late to kill it. The enemy of our souls has no such restrictions, especially when we put our selves in his path. Our only safety is in G-D and His law, His Love and Grace. Where ever you are find your rest in Him. Ignore the call of the strange things of the world. The danger is real and it is deadly, but there is no reason why you need to go out and test the hunter.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Monday, November 16, 2009
Jeremiah 16
This Morning I ran across this text in Jeremiah 16 that I thought I would share with you , perhaps as way to give some real hope in a very troubling time in our world and to show that G-D knows whats going on but He has made a promise that some day people will see where they have gone wrong and will return to Him.
Jer.16:19-21 O LORD, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“ Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?
21 “ Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,
I will cause them to know
My hand and My might;
And they shall know that My name is the LORD.
First you have Jeremiah acknowledging the fact that G-D is his refuge strength and fortress. We all need to remember that when is all said and done, that with G-D the biggest armies in the world can not prevail against us, they can threaten, they can make life tough but they cannot do anything to us that G-D does not allow.
But the next part is really the best when it speaks of the Gentiles coming to G-D. Why? Because they have come to realize that what they have been taught has been nothing but a pack of lies and they are longing for the real truth of G-D.
They have come to realize that the god's that their fathers have been worshiping were nothing but false god's and they are looking for the truth! Things will turn around at some point, people will start looking for the real G-d of Abraham and G-D says that He will cause them to know Him! Why? Because they realized the truth that what they had been taught was nothing but a lie and because they came seeking G-D.
G-D can still be found by those who seek Him. Never give up on anyone!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Jer.16:19-21 O LORD, my strength and my fortress,
My refuge in the day of affliction,
The Gentiles shall come to You
From the ends of the earth and say,
“ Surely our fathers have inherited lies,
Worthlessness and unprofitable things.”
20 Will a man make gods for himself,
Which are not gods?
21 “ Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know,
I will cause them to know
My hand and My might;
And they shall know that My name is the LORD.
First you have Jeremiah acknowledging the fact that G-D is his refuge strength and fortress. We all need to remember that when is all said and done, that with G-D the biggest armies in the world can not prevail against us, they can threaten, they can make life tough but they cannot do anything to us that G-D does not allow.
But the next part is really the best when it speaks of the Gentiles coming to G-D. Why? Because they have come to realize that what they have been taught has been nothing but a pack of lies and they are longing for the real truth of G-D.
They have come to realize that the god's that their fathers have been worshiping were nothing but false god's and they are looking for the truth! Things will turn around at some point, people will start looking for the real G-d of Abraham and G-D says that He will cause them to know Him! Why? Because they realized the truth that what they had been taught was nothing but a lie and because they came seeking G-D.
G-D can still be found by those who seek Him. Never give up on anyone!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Friday, October 23, 2009
Pizza and a Bag of Gold
Have you ever been given a gift from a total stranger? Your having a bad day, everything seems to be going wrong. The light at the end of the tunnel is the proverbial train. You want to scream at the top of your lungs but you are so tired that you can't think straight and then out of no where you are given a gift that just suddenly changes everything.Nothing huge, but just enough to change your day. What goes through your mind when that happens? Do you see it as a gift from G-D or do you ask; whats the catch?
I remember a day when my car broke down. I had brought my brother to the train station and was getting ready to leave and I couldn't get my car to start. I was not a happy camper. This was before cell phones, so I had to find a phone and give my brother in law, Jason, a call to see if he could help. He was a bit more mechanically minded that I was at the time so I figured he might know. He picked up my wife on the way to me and then the 3 of us pushed and pulled and wiggled everything that we could think of to get it to work and nothing happened. The short side of this is that it wound up being something minor but we were stuck in this parking lot all afternoon while we tried various things, it was hot and we were hungry and tired. We finally got to the point of where we thought we knew what it was and Jason headed off to the parts store to get what we needed. But there we sat, getting hotter and hungrier by the moment and there was nothing we could do. To make it worse there was a Pizza place near where we were parked and we could smell the food but we had no money on us, we had given Jason what we had so all we could do was smell. Then the oddest thing happened. A man approached us and handed us a twenty dollar bill and simply said I thought you could use this, you look mighty hungry and tired. I'm not even sure we said thanks because we were so surprised, but here a total stranger blessed us with a gift and we were able to eat and refresh ourselves in the Air conditioning while we were waiting. The man apparently had no other agenda other then to see us blessed and I am guessing that in the end He will be blessed as well.
What made me think of this was is the story of Joseph's brothers when they returned to Egypt to buy more food. Remember that they had gone home the first time and not only did they have all the food that they had bought , but they also had all the money still in their bags. That scared them so so much that when they returned ,along with Benjamin,they brought all of that back plus more money to by food and they brought gifts as well. They didn't know how the money got there but they wanted to make sure that they were not considered to be thieves and they wanted to make it right. Upon their return however Joseph has them taken to his house and they assume the worst.They approached his steward and explained to him what had happened and that they were clueless as to how the money got there but they had brought all that back plus more to buy with. It's what the steward said to them that got my attention.
Look at Gen.43:23 But he said, Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your G-D and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.
What is interesting here is that the Egyptian steward was likely the one who had put it there under Joseph's orders but rather then tell them that, he speaks peace to them and then he tells them that it was a gift from G-D.
How do you handle gifts from G-D? Do you recognize them for what they are or do you panic and tremble in fear? I think that many times we don't even see the gift because we have been so programmed to think that we are so low on the Totem pole that G-D would not take the time to bless us. I am sure that this is what the brothers felt, they knew what they had done to Joseph and they had 20 years to think about it an wallow in their guilt. So when Joseph had them taken to his house they believed that this was now going to be the time that they paid for their sins. Surprise! They were blessed instead.
I don't know whats going on in your life, but please understand that G-D is waiting to bless us and many times he does it in small ways that we don't even recognize, other times it may be something big. Perhaps it will be $20 so that you can have a pizza and cool off or it may be a bag of gold, but rather then fear and tremble, rejoice in the gifts that He has blessed you with and then go out and bless others.
Shalom,
Ignacio
I remember a day when my car broke down. I had brought my brother to the train station and was getting ready to leave and I couldn't get my car to start. I was not a happy camper. This was before cell phones, so I had to find a phone and give my brother in law, Jason, a call to see if he could help. He was a bit more mechanically minded that I was at the time so I figured he might know. He picked up my wife on the way to me and then the 3 of us pushed and pulled and wiggled everything that we could think of to get it to work and nothing happened. The short side of this is that it wound up being something minor but we were stuck in this parking lot all afternoon while we tried various things, it was hot and we were hungry and tired. We finally got to the point of where we thought we knew what it was and Jason headed off to the parts store to get what we needed. But there we sat, getting hotter and hungrier by the moment and there was nothing we could do. To make it worse there was a Pizza place near where we were parked and we could smell the food but we had no money on us, we had given Jason what we had so all we could do was smell. Then the oddest thing happened. A man approached us and handed us a twenty dollar bill and simply said I thought you could use this, you look mighty hungry and tired. I'm not even sure we said thanks because we were so surprised, but here a total stranger blessed us with a gift and we were able to eat and refresh ourselves in the Air conditioning while we were waiting. The man apparently had no other agenda other then to see us blessed and I am guessing that in the end He will be blessed as well.
What made me think of this was is the story of Joseph's brothers when they returned to Egypt to buy more food. Remember that they had gone home the first time and not only did they have all the food that they had bought , but they also had all the money still in their bags. That scared them so so much that when they returned ,along with Benjamin,they brought all of that back plus more money to by food and they brought gifts as well. They didn't know how the money got there but they wanted to make sure that they were not considered to be thieves and they wanted to make it right. Upon their return however Joseph has them taken to his house and they assume the worst.They approached his steward and explained to him what had happened and that they were clueless as to how the money got there but they had brought all that back plus more to buy with. It's what the steward said to them that got my attention.
Look at Gen.43:23 But he said, Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your G-D and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.
What is interesting here is that the Egyptian steward was likely the one who had put it there under Joseph's orders but rather then tell them that, he speaks peace to them and then he tells them that it was a gift from G-D.
How do you handle gifts from G-D? Do you recognize them for what they are or do you panic and tremble in fear? I think that many times we don't even see the gift because we have been so programmed to think that we are so low on the Totem pole that G-D would not take the time to bless us. I am sure that this is what the brothers felt, they knew what they had done to Joseph and they had 20 years to think about it an wallow in their guilt. So when Joseph had them taken to his house they believed that this was now going to be the time that they paid for their sins. Surprise! They were blessed instead.
I don't know whats going on in your life, but please understand that G-D is waiting to bless us and many times he does it in small ways that we don't even recognize, other times it may be something big. Perhaps it will be $20 so that you can have a pizza and cool off or it may be a bag of gold, but rather then fear and tremble, rejoice in the gifts that He has blessed you with and then go out and bless others.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Friday, October 2, 2009
Feast of Tabernacles
This evening at sundown starts, what is known in the Jewish world as the Feast of Tabernacles otherwise known as Sukkot.This is the time of year when all of G-D's children are to remember the 40 years of G-D's care in the wilderness by building booths or Sukkot to "dwell in" for 7 days.It is a time of many services but it also a time of great rejoicing. This time not only reminds us of G-D's deliverance but it also marks the end of the time of Judgment which began with the feast of trumpets. When I say it is a celebration, I mean it is a celebration! I can't help but wonder what the world would be like if we all celebrated the blessings that G-D has given us. I think we'd be so busy praising Him that we wouldn't have time to fight with each other.
Last year was our first time of doing this and we were able to do it with a group and in so doing we learned a lot from them. Unlike most Christian Holy days, this was a time of music and dance and lots of food and drink. We had a huge bonfire going most of the time we were there and we praised G-D constantly and slept out in the cold and loved every minute of it! On the last Sabbath we also had a wedding and the way it was done was to symbolize how G-D will someday come to receive His bride, His Holy people, it was wonderful.
This year we are on our own but we are going to do it anyways. I have been told that you can use what ever material is at hand as long as you use branches for the roof, so we are using a canopy frame and some rope ( to hold up the branches)and will be using tarps as walls. Ill be using a camp chair and bed along with a card table for furnishing and will spend as much time in it as possible during the next week.
No it won't be comfortable and yes I might get wet, but the whole point of it is to remember G-D's deliverance and His blessings we should all do this.
Here are a few passages for you to consider: Lev. 23:33-44
33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD.
39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.’”
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Duet.16:14-16
3 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.
And lastly Zech.14:16-19. This one is really interesting because it speaks of the time after G-D has set up His Kingdom here on the earth and it is speaking of all the nations that are left of those who came up against Israel as well. This , along with the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath, will be celebrated in the Kingdom to come.
Kind of strange that most of the world ignores these Holy days when G-d makes it clear that they will be for all eternity.
Zech.14:16-19 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
So there it is, nothing fancy, just the straight word from G-D. I would suggest we get in the habit of doing it now, because in the time to come we will be doing so why wait? The blessings are already in place.
Just a quick note, on sunset of our last day ,last year, it rained!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Last year was our first time of doing this and we were able to do it with a group and in so doing we learned a lot from them. Unlike most Christian Holy days, this was a time of music and dance and lots of food and drink. We had a huge bonfire going most of the time we were there and we praised G-D constantly and slept out in the cold and loved every minute of it! On the last Sabbath we also had a wedding and the way it was done was to symbolize how G-D will someday come to receive His bride, His Holy people, it was wonderful.
This year we are on our own but we are going to do it anyways. I have been told that you can use what ever material is at hand as long as you use branches for the roof, so we are using a canopy frame and some rope ( to hold up the branches)and will be using tarps as walls. Ill be using a camp chair and bed along with a card table for furnishing and will spend as much time in it as possible during the next week.
No it won't be comfortable and yes I might get wet, but the whole point of it is to remember G-D's deliverance and His blessings we should all do this.
Here are a few passages for you to consider: Lev. 23:33-44
33 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. 35 On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it. 36 For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it.
37 ‘These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day— 38 besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD.
39 ‘Also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the feast of the LORD for seven days; on the first day there shall be a sabbath-rest, and on the eighth day a sabbath-rest. 40 And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees, branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41 You shall keep it as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All who are native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.’”
44 So Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.
Duet.16:14-16
3 “You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, when you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. 14 And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates. 15 Seven days you shall keep a sacred feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice.
16 “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.
And lastly Zech.14:16-19. This one is really interesting because it speaks of the time after G-D has set up His Kingdom here on the earth and it is speaking of all the nations that are left of those who came up against Israel as well. This , along with the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath, will be celebrated in the Kingdom to come.
Kind of strange that most of the world ignores these Holy days when G-d makes it clear that they will be for all eternity.
Zech.14:16-19 16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
So there it is, nothing fancy, just the straight word from G-D. I would suggest we get in the habit of doing it now, because in the time to come we will be doing so why wait? The blessings are already in place.
Just a quick note, on sunset of our last day ,last year, it rained!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Day of Atonement
Shalom and greetings once again from Arkansas. My family and I have had a very busy summer and have spent a lot of time on the road and now that we are settled I thought I might try my hand at the writing once again.
Tonight at sunset marks the beginning of the Day of Atonement or as it is called in Hebrew: Yom Kippur. It is by far the most Holy of days on the Jewish calendar and a day that we should all consider.
This is the day when the High priest would go into the Most Holy Place in the temple to offer sacrifices for not only himself but for all the people of Israel.I won't go in to detail here of all that was involved but it was not a short process, when they called it a day they were not kidding, there were many offerings to be made and much sacrificing and it all boiled down to one thing; Would G-D accept their offerings and forgive their sins?
The other part of this day was that it was, and still is, a day of fasting and prayer.
This is a day when the people of Israel believe that G-D opens up His books and determines the fate of everyone for the next year. Who lives, who dies, how they live or die. Who gets blessed who is cursed....the list goes on. This is also the time where it is believed that the nations are judged as well, which ones will rise and fall,which ones will prosper and which ones will suffer.
I don't know if that is true or not but I humbly submit for your consideration that this day is so solemn that fasting and prayer for this day still go on even if there is no temple for the sacrifices. I can also tell you that come sunset tomorrow there will be a lot of people breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating as they head towards the Feast of Tabernacles, but I have to wonder to myself if that might not be a bit to premature,especially for those of us who live in the USA. Our President very point blankly attacked Israel in front of the whole world body at the UN telling Israel what the USA will accept and not accept.We are having the nerve to tell G-D's chosen people where they are to build and live in the land that G-D Himself gave them? This is not meant to be political, but I would remind everyone to go and read what G-D said to Abram in Gen.12:3 and then ask yourself these questions; What happened to Egypt? Where is the Babylonian empire? What happened to the Medes and the Persians, how about the Assyrians? All these empires tried to rule over Israel and in some cases made slaves of them and now they are all gone or relegated to insignificance. In our own time it was Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Where are they now?
I don't know what G-D has in store for us, I can only point out to you what has happened in the past and leave that as a warning for the time to come,. If we continue down this path of tossing aside G-D and then attacking His people, we will quickly either find our selves destroyed or rendered insignificant and quite possibly both.
So as you read this consider the Day of Atonement and all that it means and remember to pray for our nation and our leaders that G-D will forgive us and them for our many sins.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Tonight at sunset marks the beginning of the Day of Atonement or as it is called in Hebrew: Yom Kippur. It is by far the most Holy of days on the Jewish calendar and a day that we should all consider.
This is the day when the High priest would go into the Most Holy Place in the temple to offer sacrifices for not only himself but for all the people of Israel.I won't go in to detail here of all that was involved but it was not a short process, when they called it a day they were not kidding, there were many offerings to be made and much sacrificing and it all boiled down to one thing; Would G-D accept their offerings and forgive their sins?
The other part of this day was that it was, and still is, a day of fasting and prayer.
This is a day when the people of Israel believe that G-D opens up His books and determines the fate of everyone for the next year. Who lives, who dies, how they live or die. Who gets blessed who is cursed....the list goes on. This is also the time where it is believed that the nations are judged as well, which ones will rise and fall,which ones will prosper and which ones will suffer.
I don't know if that is true or not but I humbly submit for your consideration that this day is so solemn that fasting and prayer for this day still go on even if there is no temple for the sacrifices. I can also tell you that come sunset tomorrow there will be a lot of people breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating as they head towards the Feast of Tabernacles, but I have to wonder to myself if that might not be a bit to premature,especially for those of us who live in the USA. Our President very point blankly attacked Israel in front of the whole world body at the UN telling Israel what the USA will accept and not accept.We are having the nerve to tell G-D's chosen people where they are to build and live in the land that G-D Himself gave them? This is not meant to be political, but I would remind everyone to go and read what G-D said to Abram in Gen.12:3 and then ask yourself these questions; What happened to Egypt? Where is the Babylonian empire? What happened to the Medes and the Persians, how about the Assyrians? All these empires tried to rule over Israel and in some cases made slaves of them and now they are all gone or relegated to insignificance. In our own time it was Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Where are they now?
I don't know what G-D has in store for us, I can only point out to you what has happened in the past and leave that as a warning for the time to come,. If we continue down this path of tossing aside G-D and then attacking His people, we will quickly either find our selves destroyed or rendered insignificant and quite possibly both.
So as you read this consider the Day of Atonement and all that it means and remember to pray for our nation and our leaders that G-D will forgive us and them for our many sins.
Shalom,
Ignacio
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