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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Thanksgiving Note from the Editor

I was thinking to myself as the Thanksgiving weekend wraps up in 2012, who was the most thankful person in the Bible? Many characters come to mind... Abraham [God spared his son]; Jacob [God made from his seed many nations]; King Solomon [God gave him a kingdom]. Yes, the list goes on and on as many biblical characters would qualify in answering my question of who was the most 'thankful' person in the Bible.
 
Yet only one figure stands out among them... King David
 
 
Many of my readers will agree with my choice for the most thankful person in biblical terms. Not only is David mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, as well as the Old and New Testament (of the Christian Bible), but he [David] is exalted in the Qur'an as well. David, son of Jesse, was the author of many of the Psalms and when it came to the expressions of thanksgiving, David was definitely the leader of appraisal.

This is his story:

David was born into a lineage that can be traced back to Adam and Eve, and while the Bible tells us that he was the son of Jesse, there is no mention of his mother. However, the Talmud identifies Nitzevet, daughter of Adael, as David's mother. It is through his [David] royal lineage that a predicted Messiah would be born; the Abrahamic religions holds fast to this prophetic belief.

                                           Isaiah 7:13-14 New International Version (NIV)

13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."
 
From an early age David had an unprecedented awareness of the Creator's blessing, protection, presence and judgement in his life. He did not defeat Goliath without the assistance of a greater power nor did he win his many army victories alone. Even when he was inflicted with pain [caused by the Creator for his inquities], David naturally accepted the chastement and thanked [the Creator] for the correction. His words in the Psalms are concisely clear and have been preserved for all time.

Psalm 100:3-5  New International Version (NIV)

3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
 
Without a doubt, many of the Psalms gives one a glimpse into the 'thankfulness' that David experienced during his lifetime. One of the best recorded events is when King David  successfully brought back the Ark of God to its rightful place in Jerusalem [which at that time was the united kingdom of Israel and Judah]. David's first attempt to retrieve the holy Ark was met with resistence (which cost Uzzah his life). David was angry because his loyal friend had perished that day, yet sorely afraid of the Creator and left it with Obed-Edom the Gittite (from the priestly tribe of Levi). Three months later David successfully retained the Ark of God and danced joyfully in the streets with praise for the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
       
                                                            2 Samuel 6:12-15  New International Version (NIV)
12 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
 
David was thankful for many things the Creator bestowed upon him and was not afraid to show others his gratitude. David was an important figure in Judaism as he represented a coherent Jewish kingdom centered in Jerusalem and a restored kingdom that would one day usher in a messianic age by a descendant of David's. The concept of a Messiah in Christianity has already come and gone in the person named Jesus Christ, who will one day return to deliver Israel from their enemies and usher in a new kingdom on Earth. The Muslim tradition of David is that of a major prophet sent by Allah (God) who is mentioned many times throughout the Qur'an. The hadith stresses David's zeal in daily prayer, as well as his faithful fasting. The Muslims believe he had a powerful and captivating voice that had an influence over man, beast and nature alike.

King David continues to be revered by all three Abrahamic religions today.

Psalm 121  New International Version (NIV)


1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
 
 

Thursday, November 22, 2012

A Day of Thankfulness

All three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) acknowledge and give "thanks" unto the Creator in many of their scriptures throughout their sacred texts. Below is just a few of those verses. Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving from Who's ? Right.
 
Ezra 3:11
With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
 
Nehemiah 12:46
For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.
 
Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
 
Psalm 95:2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
 
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
 
Jeremiah 30:19
From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.
 
1 Corinthians 10:16
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
 
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
 
2 Timothy 1:3
[ Thanksgiving ] I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
 
[Thanksgiving] So remember Me, and I will remember you. And thank Me, and do not be ungrateful (unthankful).
 
O you who believe, eat from the good things we provided for you, and be thankful to GOD, if you do worship Him alone.
 
Quran 6:53
[Thanksgiving] Thus We try some of them by means of others, that they may say, “Are these the ones whom God has favored from among us?” Is God not aware of the appreciative?
 
Quran 7:144
 
We have made the animal offerings emblems of God for you. In them is goodness for you. So pronounce God’s name upon them as they line up. Then, when they have fallen on their sides, eat of them and feed the contented and the beggar. Thus We have subjected them to you, that you may be thankful.
 
Quran 76:2-3
[Thanksgiving] Lo! We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will).
 
 
 
 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Middle East Unrest

The ancient seers forwarned of prophetic wars that would be centered in the Middle East as various Arab nations rise up, join forces and attempt to obliterate Israel [the Jewish nation] off the face of the earth and replace it with another Arab nation (which many scholars believe will be Palestine). But this is only the beginning. The Bible also refers to the war of Gog/Magog, which will see a Russian led alliance of Muslim nations from North Africa, the Middle East and  Central Asia come against the Jewish nation. The ancient prophets warned that there would be a series of battles and wars during the End Times and will escalate into a 'Final Battle' known as "Armageddon". This will be ultimate battle during the End Times as all nations around the world get involved in the bloodiest and most horrific war  that   will occur during mankind's existence. The prophets warnings about these wars can be found in Psalms 83, Isaiah 17, and Obadiah 1. The war of Gog and Magog can be found in Ezekiel 38 and Revelation 20.
 
The Arab Spring
 
The Arab Spring, a term given to the Arab Revolution, is a recent revolutionary wave of demonstrations, protests and wars that are presently occurring in the Arab world  and began on December 18, 2010. To date, rulers have been forced from power in the countries of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Many skirmishes and civil uprisings have erupted in Bahrain and Syria; major protests are occurring in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Sudan. Then there are minor uprisings beginning in the countries of Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti and the Western Sahara. The clashes at the borders of Israel began in May, 2011 and is on the brink of escalating into a full-fledged war as of November 18, 2012.
 
Salam Fayyad
Salam Fayyad
In September, 2012 a wave of social  protests  swept Palestinian Authority, demanding lower consumer prices and the resignation of the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. The protests have shared techniques of mostly civil resistance in sustained campaigns involving strikes, demonstrations, marches, and rallies, as well as the effective use of social media to organize, communicate, and raise awareness in the face of state attempts at repression and Internet censorship. Many Arab Spring demonstrations have met violent responses from authorities,as well as from pro-government militias and counter-demonstrators. These attacks have been answered with violence from protestors in some cases. A  major slogan of the demonstrators in the Arab world has been Ash-shaʻb yurīd isqāṭ an-niẓām ("the people want to bring down the regime"). Some observers have drawn comparisons between the Arab Spring movements and the pro-democratic, anti-Communist Revolutions of 1989 (also known as the Autumn of Nations) that swept through Eastern Europe and the Communist world, in terms of their scale and significance. Others, however, have pointed out that there are several key differences between the movements, such as the desired outcomes and the organizational role of internet technology in the Arab revolutions.
 
 

For more information about the Arab Spring, please visit the following websites:
 
 
 
 
 
Israel's Right to Exist

The "right to exist" is said to be an attribute of all nations and Israel is no different in defending that right. The 19th century French philosopher Ernest Renan (1823-1892) said in his essay, "a state has the right to exist when individuals are willings to sacrifice their own interests for the community it represents." While Israel holds fast to such a testimonial, the right to exist is an attribute of states rather than of peoples and it is not recognized in international law... hence the modern uprisings in the Middle East. 
 
Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upholds his country's primary principles considered essential to any civilized government, including the maintenance of a democratic regime and the protection of human rights. But justifying such a principle, however, is only a small part of protecting the future of Israel. Relying on the claim of historical ownership is not acceptable where the sanctity of Muslim lands are concerned. The universal moral approach has not worked either. While the legal and territorial status of Israel has been disputed in the region and within the international community since its statehood in 1948, the small independent country has not backed down from its "right to exist". During the 1950's and 1960's the majority of Arab leaders did not acknowledge Israel's right to exist on Palestinian land and claimed the country never acquired legal standing, as UN regulations required. It wasn't until after the Six Day War (June 5-10, 1967) that the recognition of Israel's statehood started to be acknowledged [at least by a select few, such as Egypt and Jordan]. In September 1967, the Arab leaders agreed "the occupied lands are Arab lands and that the burden of regaining these lands falls on all the Arab States" and they therefore adopted a hardline "three no's" position in the Khartoum Resolution: no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, and no negotiations with Israel. Only Egypt and Jordan disputed this [during that time era]. Today, the uprisings in Egypt and Jordan seem to be reverting to the original questioning of true ownership, which is contributing to the current conflicts.
 
In 2009, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert demanded the Palestinian Authority's acceptance of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, which the Palestinian Authority rejected. The Knesset gave initial approval in May 2009 to a bill criminalising the public denial of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, with a penalty of up to a year in prison.
 
   Netanyahu, together with Mahmoud Abbas,
Hillary Clinton and George J. Mitchell at the start
of the direct talks on 2 September 2010.
In September, 2010, Netanyahu agree to enter direct talks, mediated by the Obama administration, with the Palestinians for the first time in a long while. The purpose of these direct talks was to forge a two-state solution for the Jewish people and the Palestinian people. The end results of the direct talks was the Israeli government approving new construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.  While the direct talks were intended to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the initative was not instituted, nor a solution found.
 
By May, 2012, Benjamin Netanyahu officially recognized [for the first time] the right for Palestinians to be allowed their own statehood; though as before, the Prime Minister declared it would have to be demilitarized. Currently the Netanyahu Administration continues to fight for its right to exist as a nation and be acknowledged as such.
 
For more information about Israel's Right to Exist, please visit:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ****** ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ****** ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
 
"A prophecy against Damascus: “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted and left to flocks, which will lie down, with no one to make them afraid. The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim, and royal power from Damascus; the remnant of Aram will be like the glory of the Israelites,” declares the Lord Almighty."
 
Isaiah 17: 1-3
 
 
 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Biblical Veterans of War

The Bible is filled with many "Veterans of War". From the beginning of time war has been a part of mankind's agenda in obliterating evil from this planet... with the majority of the battles being victorious where Israel is concerned. War is defined as "a conflict carried on by force of arms between nations and a period of armed hostility." To hear the variety of responses coming from various churches, mosques and synagogues, one would think that the Scriptures were either silent or irrevocably confused about the purpose of these holy wars. Perhaps the reason for this confusion comes from an attempt to distort a very difficult issue? Or perhaps one just does not comprehend the reason for such brutal events throughout mankind's history? Was mankind meant to understand? Or is mankind destined to continue consecrated combats in the name of the universal Creator? Who knows? And, Who's ? Right ...

A Biblical Definition of War:

The Israelites had to take possession of the Promised Land by conquest. They had to engage in a long and bloody war before the Canaanite tribes were finally defeated and subdued. Except in the case of Jericho and Ai, war did not become overly aggressive till after the death of Joshua. However, God employed the Israelites to sweep the Canaanites from the face of the earth to do away with the evil they inflicted. In the days of King Saul and King David the people of Israel engaged in many conflicts with the ancient nations that surrounded them [ie: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon]. From the first Israelite battle in the BC era to our present time, there have been few periods of peace for Israel and the Jews.

The life of the Christian is also described as 'warfare' and the Christian graces are represented as figurative pieces of armour [Eph. 6:11-17; Thess. 5:8; II Tim. 2:3, 4]. The Crusades were a series of religious expeditionary wars against Muslims blessed by Pope Urban II and the Catholic Church, with the stated goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem. Even though Muslims and Jews fought together to hold back the first of many Christian takeovers, they were unsuccessful in keeping their land.   

In Islam, major battles arose between the Meccans and the Muslims. The Battle of Badr in 624 AD was one of the most important and well-known victory for the Muslims. It is recorded in the Qu'ran that Allah sent an "unseen army of angels" that helped the Muslims defeat the Meccans. This Muslim triumph over polytheists showed “demonstration of divine guidance and intervention on behalf of Muslims, even when outnumbered".

Biblical Heroes of War:

Joshua... is a figure in the Torah, being one of the spies for Israel (Num. 13–14) and in few passages as Moses' assistant. He is the central character in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Joshua. According to the books Exodus, Numbers and Joshua, he became the leader of the Israelite tribes after the death of Moses. He led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan, and allocated the land to the tribes afterwards. At the Jordan River, the waters parted, as they had for Moses at the Red Sea. The first battle after the crossing of the Jordan was the Battle of Jericho. Joshua led the destruction of Jericho, then moved on to Ai, a small neighboring city to the west. However, they were defeated with thirty-six Israelite deaths. The defeat was attributed to Achan taking an "accursed thing" from Jericho; and was followed by Achan and his family and animals being stoned to death to restore God's favor. Joshua then went to defeat Ai. The Israelites faced an alliance of Amorite kings from Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. At Gibeon Joshua asked God to cause the sun and moon to stand still, so that he could finish the battle in daylight. This event is most notable because "there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel." (Joshua 10:14) God also fought for the Israelites in this battle, for he hurled huge hailstones from the sky which killed more Canaanites than those which the Israelites slaughtered. From there on, Joshua was able to lead the Israelites to several victories, securing much of the land of Canaan.

"Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

Deborah...was a prophetess of the God of the Israelites, the fourth Judge of pre-monarchic Israel, counselor, warrior, and the wife of Lapidoth according to the Book of Judges chapters 4 and 5. She was the only female judge mentioned in the Bible. Deborah led a successful counterattack against the forces of Jabin, king of Canaan, and his military commander Sisera. After being oppressed by Jabin in Hazor, for twenty years, Deborah prevailed upon Barak who was the head captain of the army at that time, to face the Assyrian General Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, in battle. The victory to which the Bible refers is the victory of an Israelite force of ten thousand over Sisera's force of nine hundred iron chariots. (Judges 4:10) When Deborah saw the army, she said, according to Judges 4:14: "Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him." As Deborah prophesied, the Lord gave the victory to the Israelites. Sisera fled the battle site seeking refuge in the tent of the woman Jael, who killed the enemy leader, Sisera. The biblical account of Deborah ends in Judges 5 and there was peace in the land for 40 years after the battle.

"On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him." (Judges 4:23-24)

Gideon... which means "Mighty warrior" was a judge of the Hebrews and his story is recorded in chapters 6 to 8 in the Book of Judges in the Hebrew bible. He was reluctant of God's command to destroy his enemies, but did follow through and on God's instruction, Gideon destroyed the town's altar to the foreign god Baal and the symbol of the goddess Asherah beside it. He went on to send out messengers to gather together men from the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, as well as his own tribe Manasseh in order to meet an armed force of the people of Midian and the Amalek that had crossed the Jordan River and were encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. However, God informed Gideon that the men he had gathered were too many – with so many men, there would be reason for the Israelites to claim the victory as their own instead of acknowledging that God had saved them. God first instructed Gideon to send home those men who were afraid. Gideon then allowed any man who wanted to leave, to leave; 22,000 men returned home and 10,000 remained. Yet the number was still too many, according to God. Finally with 300 men, Gideon claimed the victory over the Midianites "The Lord said to Gideon, "With the 300 men that lapped I will save you and give the into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." (Judges 7:7) Even though Gideon required signs from God before he did His will, he was a great hero of war. Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian? And they challenged him vigorously. But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided. (Judges 8:1-3) 

Samson... is the third-to-last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) and his story is related in the Book of Judges chapters 13 to 16. Samson was granted supernatural strength by God in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as wrestling a lion, slaying an entire army with only the jawbone of a donkey, and destroying a pagan temple. It was part of God's plan for Samson to fall in love with a Philistine woman [the Philistines were enemies to the Israelites]. At the wedding-feast, Samson proposes that he tell a riddle to his thirty groomsmen (all Philistines); if they can solve it, he will give them thirty pieces of fine linen and garments. The riddle, "Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet", is a veiled account of his second encounter with the lion he had killed with his bare hands (at which only he was present). The Philistines are infuriated by the riddle. The thirty groomsmen tell Samson's new wife that they will burn her and her father's household if she does not discover the answer to the riddle and tell it to them. At the urgent and tearful imploring of his bride, Samson tells her the solution, and she tells it to the thirty groomsmen... "What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion?"  Samson killed the whole lot after he found out they had pressured his wife for the answer and then murdered her. He later met and fell in love with a woman named Delilah [another Philistine] who also betrayed him and caused his death at the pagan temple. However, with the help of God, Samson was able to destroy the pagan temple before he died.

"Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines." Judges 16:20 

King David... the account of the battle between David and Goliath is written about  in 1 Samuel, chapter 17. Saul and the Israelites were contemplating a war with the Philistines at the Valley of Elah. Twice a day for 40 days, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, comes out between the lines and challenges the Israelites to send out a champion of their own to decide the outcome in single combat, but Saul and all the Israelites were afraid. David, bringing food for his elder brothers, hears that Saul has promised to reward any man who defeats Goliath, and accepts the challenge. Saul reluctantly agrees and offers his armor, which David declines, taking only his sling and five stones from a brook. David and Goliath confront each other; Goliath with his armor and shield, David with his staff and sling. Goliath the Philistine cursed David by his gods, but David replies: "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that God saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is God’s, and he will give you into our hand." David hurls a stone from his sling with all his might and hits Goliath in the center of his forehead, Goliath falls on his face to the ground, and David cuts off his head. The Philistines flee and are pursued by the Israelites "as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron". David puts the armor of Goliath in his own tent and takes the head to Jerusalem, and Saul sends Abner to bring the boy [David] to him. The king asks whose son he is, and David answers, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite." The purpose of the original story was to show David's identity as the true king of Israel.

"So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him." (I Samuel 17:50)

The Maccabees...
in the biblical narrative of  I Maccabees, after Antiochus  (ruler of the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC.) issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice in the nation, a rural Jewish priest from Modiin, Mattathias [the Hasmonean], sparked the revolt against the ancient  Seleucid Empire by refusing to worship their Greek gods.  Mattathias killed a Hellenistic Jew who stepped forward to offer a sacrifice to an idol in Mattathias' place. He and his five sons fled to the wilderness of Judah. After Mattathias' death about one year later in 166 BC, his son, Judas Maccabee, led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare, which at first was directed against Hellenizing Jews, of whom there were many. The Maccabees destroyed pagan altars in the villages, circumcised boys and forced Jews into outlawry. The term Maccabees was used to describe the Jewish army and taken from the Hebrew word for "hammer". The revolt itself involved many battles, in which the Maccabean forces gained notoriety among the Seleucid army for their use of guerrilla tactics. After the victory, the Maccabees entered Jerusalem in triumph and ritually cleansed the Temple, reestablishing traditional Jewish worship there and installing Jonathan Maccabee as high priest. A large Seleucid army was sent to quash the revolt, but returned to Syria on the death of Antiochus IV. Its commander Lysias, preoccupied with internal Seleucid affairs, agreed to a political compromise that restored religious freedom. The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple following Judah Maccabee's victory over the Seleucids. According to Rabbinic tradition, the victorious Maccabees could only find a small jug of oil that had remained uncontaminated by virtue of a seal, and although it only contained enough oil to sustain the Menorah for one day, it miraculously lasted for eight days, by which time further oil could be procured.

Mattathias calls upon people loyal to the traditions of Israel to oppose the invaders and the Jewish Hellenizers, and his three sons begin a military campaign against them. There is one complete loss of a thousand Jews (men, women and children) to Antiochus when the Jewish defenders refuse to fight on the Sabbath. The other Jews then reason that, when attacked, they must fight even on the holy day. In 165 BC the Temple is freed and reconsecrated, so that ritual sacrifices may begin again. The festival of Hanukkah is instituted by Judas Maccabeus and his brothers to celebrate this event (1 Macc. iv. 59).
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength." (Psalm 33:16)


Sunday, November 4, 2012

A Few End-Time Promises

Revelation 21:1-8 & 24-27

(King James Version)
 
21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
 
New Jerusalem
2 And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
 
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
 
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
 
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
 
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
 
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
 
Lake of Fire and Brimstone
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.   
 
 
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
 

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
 
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
 
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
 
 
Lamb's Book of Life