Tag Archives: peace

From My House to Yours

24 Saturday Dec 2016

Posted by in Praises and Thanks

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

another-happy-holidays

 

From my house to yours:

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 

and a

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

 

May your New Year be filled with peace, joy, happiness, love, good health, success, and every additional blessing that God has in store for you.

myhappyholidayswishes

 
The Birth of Jesus


(Isaiah 7:10-16; Micah 5:1-6; Matthew 1:18-25)

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the City of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ~ Luke 2:1-7, Berean Study Bible

divine-reversal-haiku

On December 22, 2016, I composed the haiku poem that is in the above-illustrated haiku that I call Divine Reversal Haiku.

HAPPY Holidays 2016

13 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

holidays-haiku

 

May the peace of God be with you and your loved ones this holiday season.

May your lives also be filled with the blessings of joy, happiness, and love.

May the remainder of this year be vibrant and unforgettable.

May the new year be peaceful, joyful, colorful, fruitful, and wonderful.

 

 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 

 

happy-holidays-to-my-family-and-friends3

 

 

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! ~ Philippians 4:4-5, MSG

Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. ~ Romans 12:15, MSG

There is an appropriate time to do all things—the right time for every earthly event. However, even though this time of the year is festive and exciting for most people, there will be some individuals and/or families who will be feeling hopeless and weary. Let us always be ready not only to rejoice with the folks who want us to celebrate with them but also be ready to care for the ones who need us to demonstrate compassion for them. 

NOTE: The haiku in my illustrated Holidays Haiku is from Perfect Peace (2015)—my collection of haiku poetry.

Transformation

13 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Poetry

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Transformation

Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. ~ Ephesians 4:22-24, MSG

 

 

Sadness comes in many colors,
Depression does too—it’s not just blue.

Yellows are few and far between,
For goldfinches of happiness
Never fly where ravens of sorrow
Twitter destruction, agony, and death—
Loss of hope, peace, victory, and joyousness.

People say: “You think you’re smart,”
“A real know-it-all”; or “you’ve got some gall.”

The pall of their willful blindness
Throws shade—they err in judgment;
Can’t discern lack of confidence or fear
Of highbrows ripping apart
Everything I write or speak.
They are unable to see
Day-to-day gray mood
With companion fuchsia funk
Suffused with a purple haze
Emanating from hues of red and blue—
A reserved mix of passion and trust.

No mental assent here; it’s clear
Grace accepted; resurrected new life.

Redeemed, reborn, saved, justified,
Being sanctified: Holy Spirit filled, refilled,
Transformed, pruned, taught, nudged,
Controlled; yet, unaware of true
Natural talents or
Spiritual gifts, if any.

Transitioning between two non-colors;
In a compromise season, no rhyme or reason.

Must preserve balance and stability, but
Gray mood—not black or white—is unemotional,
Detached, indecisive, and motionless;
Makes a mature and responsible fence-sitter
Who ironically maintains status quo, with
Gray of old age—a blend of blue, green,
Pink, pale purple, and yellow
Running together;
Chronic suffering of sorts;
Praying and hoping pain will go away—
This issue of blood, a bleeding soul.

It’s now or never—produce gold, silver
Gem-stone quality deeds that endure for sure.

Survive consuming Fire’s test, or enter eternity
Without teeth or taste; no smell, sounds, sight or touch—a true reversal;
For this fact tortures very core: young no more!
Born in year of rabbit: tender, sensitive, noble,
Approachable, amorous, but conservative;
Even so, unloved and unfortunate.

Let window He opens when
Opportunity’s last door shuts
Release freedom, hope, necessities
So aging believer
With simplified faith
Can have deepest needs met:
A belonging feeling; a healing satisfied;
A place in the Son; a balanced life.

Let gray tints—sadness and depression—transform
As faith’s Author and Finisher manifests
Brightest, purest gold—love, respect, favor;
Enhanced vision, clarity of thought;
Rebuilt confidence, and restored lost
Hope, peace, victory and joyousness.
Forever and ever and ever more, amen.

~ from My Spirit’s Musing manuscript

Memorial Day (2014)

23 Friday May 2014

Posted by in Praises and Thanks

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

MEMORIAL DAY

Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, compassionate Father, God of all encouragement and comfort; who encourages us in all our trials, so that we can encourage others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement we ourselves have received from God. For just as the Messiah’s sufferings overflow into us, so through the Messiah our encouragement also overflows. ~ 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, CJB

To all of my fellow veterans:

May God’s richest blessings flow throughout your lives this Memorial Day weekend! 

HAVE A WONDERFUL “MEMORIAL DAY” 2014!

Peace . . . . . . .

~ from one United States Air Force Vietnam Era veteran . . . . .

Our Spiritual DNA: Divine Nature & Authority

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Animated DNA

The time came when the Lord God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person. ~ Genesis 2:7, TLB

When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have made— I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him!  And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels (or Elohim, in Hebrew) and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head. ~ Psalm 8:3-5, TLB; the inserted parenthetical words are this blogger’s emphasis

He told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you; and be sure of this—that I am with you always, even to the end of the world.’ ~ Matthew 28:18-20, TLB

that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead…and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms—all because of what Christ Jesus did. And now God can always point to us as examples of how very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us through Jesus Christ. Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. ~ Ephesians 2:5a&b, 6-8, TLB

 

In the blog entry, Being Changed from the Inside Out, the main point is that, even though there can be no doubt that God certainly saves everybody just as he or she is, it is evident in His Word that God never intended to leave anybody the way He finds him or her. For sure, the second a believer in Christ Jesus is born again in his or her spirit/heart, God Himself deposits in that believer’s heart or spirit His DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to His Power and His Will, the Source of which is His Holy Spirit). Therefore, it should be obvious that God’s intent always was, and still is, to begin His Holy Spirit’s sanctification process, which is what changes from the inside out each born-again believer who has received God’s Gift of Salvation.

This Divine Truth also is touched on in the blog entry, Working God’s Perfect Will Out of Us. In this blog entry, the main point is that the ultimate goal of every believer is NOT to make it into Heaven. Without doubt, the central purpose of God’s Salvation Plan is to have every one of His sons and daughters achieve Christlikeness, while he or she is living on this Earth. Now, the only way to achieve this Christlikeness objective is to work OUT of every believer in Christ Jesus everything God Himself already has worked INTO each believer’s born-again heart or spirit—for example, to work God’s Perfect Will out. It is important to note here that the Holy Spirit not only is every believer’s Source of godly Power, Authority, spiritual gifts, practical sanctification, and so forth, but also the Source of God’s Perfect Will in each believer’s born-again heart or spirit is His Holy Spirit!

This working OUT of believers what God Himself has put inside them also is addressed in the blog entry, Your Old Man Is Dead. The main point that is made in this blog entry is that through the apostle Paul’s marriage analogy or metaphor, believers are shown that just like the Jewish wife, whose first husband’s death releases her from the marriage part of the Law, believers’ new-man nature, which is married to the Lord, also has been released from the Law. In other words, the one point of Divine Truth in the apostle Paul’s marriage analogy or metaphor is this: Death removes a person from the bondage of the Law. Put differently, the reason why every born-again spirit (heart) within each believer is no longer under the Law is because every believer’s old man or sin nature no longer exists! The believer’s spiritually DEAD heart (spirit), in which the old man used to live, has become a New Creation (see Romans 6:4,6; Ephesians 2:5-6; and Colossians 2:12-13). Thus, because of God’s Grace, each believer in Christ Jesus now has new life—is a new man with a sinless nature. 

Having said all that, it now is important to mention that from the beginning of mankind God’s plan has been to put Himself inside of human beings. This Divine Truth is documented in Genesis 2:7. Furthermore, the only way that the dust God formed Adam from was able to become the structure in which the living, moving, breathing person (Adam) could exist was because the eternal Creator God filled Adam full of Himself—God breathed His Spirit into Adam. As a result, the original purpose of Adam’s body was to house his true self, which was his spirit.

Scripture says that Adam’s spirit, which is who ‘man’ is—NOT the dust God breathed His Spirit into—was  created to be a little lower than the Triune God who made him (see Psalm 8:5a). For this reason, beginning with Adam, it is clear that once human beings have inside of them God’s spiritual DNA (the God-breathed Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to God’s Power and His Will) their individual identity (true self) is then determined by that spiritual DNA that is in their own spirit, instead of by the DNA from their ethnic, cultural, or other known physical roots.

Thus, before Adam sinned, his spiritual DNA made him the highest kind of created being. Indeed, once God had filled Adam full of Himself, Adam had become spiritually bountiful, wealthy—he was holy, righteous, healthy, spiritually gifted, and etc., as well as spiritually royal and majestic; in essence, Adam was crowned with glory and honor; see Psalm 8:5b. This Divine Truth means when Adam was created, he lacked nothing!

Now the reason God filled Adam full of Himself was so that in this Earth Adam would be a visible being who was created after God’s Likeness, in His Image, and having His Nature. Then too, God also filled Adam full of Himself so that Adam would multiply God’s Likeness, Image, and Nature in this Earth—so that Adam would pass God’s Nature, Likeness, and Image (the Creator’s Holiness, Righteousness, Royalty, Majesty, Power, Will, Health, Wealth, and so forth) on to his offspring.

However, once Adam sinned, he immediately became spiritually dead. As a result, God’s DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which includes but is not limited to His Power and His Will)—God’s Holiness, Righteousness, Majesty, Royalty, Power, and so forth—left Adam.

While there can be no doubt that Adam was born to rule, born to have dominion over Satan, Adam lost control of this Earth the second he rebelled against God—the moment he sinned. Thus, because Adam spiritually lost EVERYTHING God originally had breathed into him, and because it always was God’s intent for mankind to be filled up with Him, centuries later God made the Sovereign decision to send His beloved Son, Jesus the Christ, to the Earth to be the second, and last, Adam. It is through Christ Jesus that everything God initially had given to the first Adam now had been restored.

This restored spiritual DNA is why Jesus the Christ taught the Kingdom of God was within believers, and why He stressed how important being born again was. These Divine Truths mean that the only place God not only Planned but also Willed for His Kingdom to be set up is in believers’ hearts (born-again spirits). In other words, God’s Kingdom rule begins in the heart or spirit of born-again believers. For this reason, as much as believers allow Him to rule in their individual heart or spirit is the degree to which God also is able to rule in their individual day-to-day life.

For sure, because of Christ Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, since the Day of Pentecost, after the Lord ascended from Earth to Heaven, the Lord’s centuries of disciples’ bodies have housed their true selves or born-again spirits, just like the first Adam’s body used to house his true self or spirit, before he sinned. Moreover, through Christ Jesus, God now is able to call human beings back to their true identity—back to that initial “new thing” God first did in Adam, which was to make a “man” who had God’s Spirit and His Mind housed in flesh. As a result, God’s spiritually born-again children supernaturally are able to live, move, and breathe in His presence, as well as supernaturally communicate with and worship God, spirit to Spirit, just like Adam once was able to do. 

Furthermore, since God not only has given the Lord’s disciples His Likeness and Image but also His Nature, having His Nature means that being like God will come naturally. That is to say, those parts of His “Nature” that God put inside of believers in Christ Jesus will establish their “natural” response to His Nature. In other words, just like the first Adam didn’t need to be taught how to live, move, think, or speak like God, the same is true for the Lord’s centuries of disciples. In fact, having God’s Nature also means that He should see His children’s born again new nature (spirit), their being sanctified soul (mind, will, emotions, etc.), and their being sanctified body doing what they are naturally expected to do, which is living and behaving totally Christ-like (holy, righteously, lovingly, friendly, compassionately, and so forth).

However, until the majority of today’s believers in Christ Jesus see themselves the way God sees them, the Body of Christ members never will be able to manifest in this Earth what God has put inside of each believer, which is His Kingdom—these believers never will be ready to see His Kingdom come and His Will be done on Earth the way they are in Heaven. In other words, until this 21st century’s countless believers in Christ Jesus see themselves the way God sees them, His Kingdom on Earth, which is inside each one of them, never  will manifest in the ways that resemble His Kingdom in Heaven.

Now the apostle Paul says that when God resurrected and lifted Christ Jesus up to Heaven, He also did the same for the Lord’s believers. That means that we, in our born-again spirit, right now are sitting in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 2:5-6), even though we physically are living on this Earth. Therefore, until we stop treating our outward appearance, our body in which our spirit is housed, as if that is who we truly are, we will continue to live way below our true identity. Once again, our true identity in God is His children who have been filled with God’s spiritual DNA (His Splendor, Glory, and Honor—His crowned royal, majestic kings or queens, who spiritually have abundance/wealth and the authority and power of God on the inside).

In the Kingdom of God on this Earth, we who are truly born again, saved, and being sanctified by the Holy Spirit are the only ones who have been given God’s spiritual DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to His Power and His Will), which will manifest, for example, as God’s righteousness, peace, and joy in the Earth. The people who profess to be born again, saved, and being sanctified believers in Christ Jesus yet do not manifest righteousness, peace, and joy in the Earth either do not know about (or have not accepted) their true identity’s spiritual DNA, which only can be found in their born-again heart or spirit.

Ultimately it is by the Holy Spirit, who both lives in and infills true believers with God’s spiritual DNA, that true believers in Christ Jesus literally are being changed from the inside out! Because the Holy Spirit is the only One who has been given to believers to work out of them EVERYTHING God has put inside them (to get them to manifest Christlikeness, righteousness, peace, and joy in this Earth), there is no other way for God’s circle of divine life in mankind to be perfected.

The Creator began His circle of divine life in mankind with the first Adam, intending that Adam pass on to his offspring God’s Likeness, Image, and Nature. When Adam failed, because of sin, God sent His only begotten Son to restore in mankind EVERYTHING Adam had lost, which was God’s spiritual DNA (Divine Nature and Authority, which include but are not limited to His Power and His Will). These Divine Truths are why it is only by way of the Holy Spirit that God’s Kingdom on Earth is able to manifest righteousness, peace, and joy, and this manifestation happens only when those individuals who have God’s spiritual DNA are functioning as the holy, righteous, and spiritually wealthy royal kings and queens God has raised them in Christ Jesus to be.

The bottom line is that any believer in Christ Jesus who doesn’t naturally know about (or hasn’t willingly accepted) his or her true identity in God never will have the Kingdom of God worked out of him or her so that he or she can see the Kingdom of God manifested in this Earth. A word to the wise should be sufficient. Amen!

More Than Ever Before People Need God’s Peace (His Shalom)

10 Sunday Apr 2011

Posted by in Spiritual

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

There are hurting people all of this world who are praying for the promised peace (for their welfare: health, well-being, and/or prosperity). In this sense, they are praying for the promise of physical, mental (emotional or psychological), financial, and/or spiritual healing (cf. Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24b)—the promise that Jesus the Christ’s suffering has made believers whole . . . as well as set them free from errors and sins by bringing about their salvation. Then too, there are people all of this world who, in their obedience to God’s Word, also are praying for the peace of Jerusalem (cf. Psalm 122:6)—they are praying that they will see safety, security, and tranquility in God’s holy city.

The sad truth is that even though people might experience having their body healed, their soul (mind) rehabilitated, their spirit rejuvenated, or their bank account enlarged, many of these people still have not been made WHOLE. Likewise, even though people constantly pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they still do not see any long-lasting safety, security, or tranquility in God’s holy city.

Now, in the New Testament, according to Strong’s Greek Lexicon Number 1515, the Greek word Eirene means: a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war; and peace between individuals (meaning harmony, concord, security, safety, prosperity, and felicity, because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous). Eirene also denotes the Messiah’s peace (the personality and ministry of Christ; of the way that leads to peace [salvation]); Christians’ tranquil state of their soul being assured of its salvation through Christ, and that the soul fears nothing from God but is content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; and the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.

Furthermore, the Strong’s Greek Lexicon says that Eirene corresponds to the Hebrew word Shalom. According to Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon Number 7965, Shalom means: completeness, wholeness, perfectness, fullness, safety, soundness (in body), welfare (health, prosperity, and peace), peace (quiet, tranquility, and contentment), peace (friendship, of human relationships, and with God, as in a covenant relationship), peace (from war), the absence of agitation or discord, rest, and harmony.

Additionally, the Jewish people use Shalom idiomatically as a greeting (hello) or a farewell (goodbye), or as a pleasant expression of good wishes (similar to Americans’ “have a nice day”). Shalom also means peace between man and God, and it means peace between two countries. Lastly, Shalom means restitution, as in the person who has caused a deficiency being responsible for the restoration of everything that has been lost, stolen, or taken.

The various meanings of Eirene and Shalom make it clear that God wants His children to be made WHOLE! The Apostle Paul definitely proves this last statement to be true when he prays: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Now, although the primary focus of the apostle’s prayer is on believers being made entirely holy,  which is the result of being made WHOLE through the Holy Spirit’s sanctification process, the truth is that this sanctification process is predicated on the need for God’s peace to be working in believers’ lives.

That is to say, even though the Holy Spirit is inside believers, His indwelling doesn’t automatically mean that He is sanctifying them. The Holy Spirit does not force Himself on anybody, which means believers have to submit to Him—they need to allow Him to do His work in them, which involves but is not limited to taking them beyond their positional justification. Thus, those believers whose flesh still struggles with the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:16-17) will need to cease from their rebellion and totally surrender their lives to Christ’s Lordship and to the Gospel (Word) of Christ. When this surrender happens, their sanctification process can proceed, for they now not only are living at peace with God (cf. Romans 5:1) but also they are functioning in the peace of God (cf. Philippians 4:7). Indeed, it is only when believers are at peace WITH God that they can receive the peace OF God!

This last point is why the peace (in the Greek language, Eirene) of God that Apostle Paul speaks of in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Philippians 4:7 corresponds to the Hebrew word Shalom! In particular, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul is speaking to the church in Thessalonica about the supernatural tranquility of the soul that surpasses all understanding. He makes it clear to these Christians that they must have the peace of God before their whole body, whole soul, and whole spirit can be entirely sanctified—before they can be totally healed, having nothing broken, nothing missing or lacking.

This peace of God, that is, every believer’s certainty about his or her eternal security, is not based on circumstances like Christians’ physical or mental health and world peace. For sure, God’s peace is at its best in the midst of a believer’s trials and tribulations, as well as during global pandemonium. This last reason is why it is the peace of God that must be functioning in every believer’s life before he or she can be fervent about participating in the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying process, which preserves each person’s whole body, whole soul, and whole spirit by keeping these three blameless (spotless, prepared) until he or she is ready to wear his or her glorified body when this individual meets Jesus the Christ in the air.

There is no doubt, then, that when the Apostle Paul speaks of the peace (Eirene) of God in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 he most definitely is using Eirene in the same sense that the Old Testament writers use the Hebrew word Shalom. In fact, Eirene is almost Shalom’s exact equivalent in meaning. A major difference is that unlike Shalom, Eirene describes what God has done for human beings through Jesus the Christ; for example, Eirene is defined by the good news or Gospel message, which often is about peace: peace with God; the peace of God; peace with others; and/or peace with death.

Once again, Eirene in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is that peace of God that is necessary for keeping believers’ body, soul, and spirit blameless until the Second Coming of the Lord. In other words, like Shalom, Eirene (from which the English word “irenic” [peaceful or conciliatory] is derived), means much more than the absence of the threat or act of war, or the absence of quarrels or contentions of any kind. Like Shalom, Eirene (peace of God) is that peace by which believers’ past sins are forgiven; the peace by which believers’ present trials can be overcome; and the peace by which believers’ future is secured, eternally—it is healing that brings about wholeness, completeness, perfectness, fullness, prosperity, and well-being.

More than ever before, people all around the world are crying out for physical, mental (emotional or psychological), financial, and/or spiritual healing, and they are crying out for peace from wars and all kinds of conflicts. Not only are people longing for a generic healing and for a nonspecific peace, but also the whole Earth groans for an unequivocal relief, consolation, healing, and peace from pain and suffering, as well as peace from global chaos and injustices. God’s answer is that those in need of Shalom healing must first have Shalom peace WITH Him, which is found in total surrender to Jesus the Christ’s Lordship—found in complete trust and deliberate obedience to Jesus the Christ and His Word, not just at the moment believers receive salvation, but every moment of every day for the rest of their life. As already mentioned, this trust and obedience make it possible for believers who are at peace WITH God to experience an ongoing sense of the peace OF God.

Lastly, this incomprehensible peace OF God is what causes believers, in the midst of all their problems and troubles, to rest in the strength of the Lord’s everlasting arms. This peace OF God also is what causes believers to rely on His supernatural power to meet all of their needs, especially everything they need to keep their whole spirit, whole soul, and whole body blameless, with nothing broken, nothing missing or lacking!

Christ Is More Than Our Fire Insurance

24 Monday Aug 2009

Posted by in Devotional

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

It is sad to say, but so many Christians became Christians only because they wanted to qualify for God’s fire insurance. If we are true believers, then it should be apparent to us that Jesus the Christ wants to be more to us than the ONE who provides our fire insurance.

That’s right! Jesus the Christ wants to be more to us than someone who just saves us from eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. He wants us to recognize Him not only as our Savior but also as our brother, advocate, healer, Lord, and so much more. In other words, Jesus the Christ not only wants us to have eternal life but also an abundant life right here on Earth. He wants us to live an incredibly wealthy life—a life full of God’s favor, love, and kindness, as well as a life full of the oneness and peace that are in the Lord!

That is why Jesus the Christ’s death doesn’t just reconcile and restore us back to a right relationship with God. Incontestably, by sacrificing His life, Jesus the Christ also succeeds in destroying the whole system of the Jewish Law—that system which established the wall of hostility that separated Gentiles from Hebrews. By breaking down the wall that separated us (Hebrews and Gentiles), Jesus the Christ also makes peace between us by making ALL nations/ethnicities ONE Body of believers.

Now, we who are Gentiles are no longer outsiders by birth. We no longer live in this lost world without God and without hope, because after we accepted Jesus the Christ as our Lord and Savior we became members of God’s household of faith and members of His Holy Temple for the Lord—One Body in Jesus the Christ.

Thus, our Lord’s atoning sacrifice makes it possible for us (true believers) to come to the Father through the Holy Spirit! Let us then not come into God’s presence just to thank Him for our eternal life away from the Lake of Fire. Let us also thank God for filling us with endless spiritual treasures—the fullness of His life and His power—that ONLY have been made available to us because of Jesus the Christ! AMEN.

“Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Ephesians 2:15-16, KJV; cf. Romans 6:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:22).

Lasting Peace for Israel Will Not Happen Before Christ’s Second Coming (the Parousia)

16 Friday Jan 2009

Posted by in Bible Prophecy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Will the current peace process in the Middle East yield lasting peace? The answer to this question is a resounding NO. The perilous, volatile, and troubled times in the Middle East, and specifically in Jerusalem, will not cease until the end of the age, which is the time when God has completed His dealings with mankind. However, when lasting “peace” comes at the end of the age, that “peace” will be the person of Jesus the Christ. For this reason, lasting “peace” in the Middle East, especially in Jerusalem, cannot be achieved by human interventions. The lasting “peace” in the Middle East, in Jerusalem, and in this entire world only will be possible when the prophesied King of Kings and Lord of Lords appears as the prophesied Prince of Peace.

Ironically, this Prince of Peace (Jesus the Christ) will come to this Earth revealing the Lion of Judah’s ferociousness. That is to say, when ALL of the prophecies about Jesus the Christ’s Second Coming have been completed, the “peace” in the Middle East, including the “peace” of Jerusalem, will have been achieved by a bloodbath (a horrendous scene of carnage). Indeed, this bloodbath is the ironic necessary cleansing that this entire world must experience before everlasting Shalom (wholeness or peace) can take place.

The Prince of Peace’s majestic and powerful second appearance on the Earth will be witnessed by the entire world. Christ will make His glorious appearance by riding a white horse through the clouds. At the moment Christ appears, there will be no doubt that He is the prophesied only begotten Son of God, because on His head will be many crowns. He also will be wearing a robe on which are the titles: “Word of God” and “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” The “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” title also will be written on His thigh. Following Him will be the armies of Heaven (His hosts of angels and saints) [cf. Revelation 19:11-16].

His feet will hit and split the Mount of Olives. Then, with His sharp sword that comes out of His mouth, He will destroy the nations participating in the Battle of Armageddon. Next, His angelic host will gather all of Christ’s enemies and load them into “…the great winepress of God’s wrath.” Then Christ’s enemies will be compressed “…in the winepress outside the city,” and their blood will flow from Jerusalem “…in a stream about 180 miles long and as high as a horse’s bridle” (cf. Zechariah 14:3-4; Joel 3:12-13; Revelation 14:18-20 and 19:15, NLT).

Should we pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and include in our prayers for peace the entire world? The answer to this question is a resounding YES. Clearly, when King David says in Psalm 122:6a that people should pray for the peace of Jerusalem, he is aware of what he is asking, for in Psalm 83:4 a psalmist in King David’s day writes about Israel’s end-time enemies saying to one another: “Come…let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence” (NLT). King David, thus, knew that real peace in Jerusalem could not be achieved by human means. For sure, King David knew that evil leaders would come to power who not only would call for but also would attempt to annihilate the Jewish people by wiping Israel off the map, which today’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is hoping to achieve with nuclear weapons. For these reasons, the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations’ Road Map for Peace never will work!

Furthermore, the prophet Ezekiel prophesies that the full restoration of Israel’s valley of dry bones (cf. Ezekiel chapter 37), which began in 1948 when Israel became a nation in one day, only will be completed when God intervenes and destroys those nations in which their leaders presume, during the end times, that they not only should invade Israel but also should annihilate the Jewish people by wiping the country of Israel off the map (cf. Ezekiel chapter 38-39). Therefore, if ever there was a time that people should pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for peace in the Middle East, and for world peace, that time is now.

In our prayers, however, we also should be sure to pray that God’s Will be done instead of our own wills, because there never could be any way for us to get around God’s Perfect Will. His Perfect Will is for the Prince of Peace to put an end, once and for all, to the perilous, volatile, and troubled times that not only are presently in the Middle East, especially Jerusalem, but also those troubled times that eventually will spread throughout our entire world.

Finally, only Christ is God’s covenant of peace that has been promised to the Jewish people. That is why only the supernaturally Jewish-born Jesus who also is God can be the mighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will rid God’s holy land, the Middle East, and the entire world, of the evil that makes wars. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the everlasting true “peace” that Jesus the Christ brings about only can happen through a bloody and violent conquest.