Mighty & Glorious by Paul Wilbur
Monthly Archives: January 2014
Signs and Patterns
In the passage of Scripture Exodus 18:1 through 19:25, there are two quick observations we would like to make mention of. First, the ‘signs’. There were signs for the ‘believers’ – the people of Israel –and there were signs for the ‘unbelievers’ – those of the nations.
And the ultimate sign – everything happened just as it was spoken by Abba. He ‘declared the end out of the beginning’ . . . Isa 46:10
The concept of different ‘signs’ for different groups is an original concept founded in the Torah and the Prophets. And the trend continues. In Paul’s first letter to the congregation at Corinth he describes two types of signs – one for the believer and one for the unbeliever. God is consistent. He establishes patterns and then works within them. Mostly for our benefit. We are supposed to pick up on the ‘pattern’ and then, hopefully, know what to look for.
Secondly, ( no pun ) we speak of a ‘2nd Exodus’. Actually, a 1st and 2nd Deliverance might be more accurate, but even in this we see ‘patterns’.
For instance, in Exodus 19:4 Father God speaks of the ‘eagle’s wings’ by which He brought His people out. Lo and behold, in Revelation 12:14 He speaks of bringing His people out on – you guessed it – on eagle’s wings. Remember what Paul tells us . . . “ Now these things happened to them as examples and our written down for our admonition on whom the end of the ages comes. 1 Corinthinans 10:11
What other lessons are there for us from the account of the 1st Deliverance ? They might just come in handy during the 2nd Deliverance . . . birth pangs of which have already begun.
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem . . .
Pray your flight will not be in winter or on Sabbath . . .
Pray you will be found worthy to stand before the Son of Man at His coming . . .
Shalom to you and yours –
Laughter is good Medicine . . .
Sometimes we just need a good laugh. This came to us from some good friends in CO.
Hope you laugh a little outloud as we did. shalom –
Aside
Can Israel say ‘No’ to the US? Yes, we can!
By Michael Freund, The Jerusalem Post
Reprinted by permission from Moshe Kepinski of Shoreshim Updates, Jerusalem, Israel
January 7, 2014
Believe it or not, there are some things that are more important even than American goodwill. Survival, I dare say, is one of them. Amid reports that US Secretary of State John Kerry is applying mounting pressure on Israel to make significant concessions to the Palestinians, there is an increasingly common refrain that has seeped into our political dialogue which needs to be exposed for the fallacy that it is.
Israel, we are told by various pundits and politicians, has no choice but to go along with American demands.
After all, our relationship with Washington is our greatest strategic asset and we cannot allow anything to get in its way. Hence, whatever America wants, the Jewish state must more or less accept.
Needless to say, such an approach is not only short-sighted and misguided – it is oblivious to history and perilous to our destiny.
And the sooner we expose it for the misleading oversimplification that it is, the better off we will all be. To begin with, Israel is not a vassal state, an American overseas territory or a serf that must cower before his feudal overlord.
We are a sovereign independent nation with our own national and security interests, and while we must surely take into account what our friends and allies have to say, we cannot and must not lose sight of our right and obligation to determine our own fate.
And regardless of how short our memories might be, the fact is that on numerous occasions Israel has defied and resisted, flouted and even disregarded American demands when it came to matters that went to the core of our very existence.
Take, for example, the Reagan plan.
On September 1, 1982, US President Ronald Reagan delivered a nationally-televised address in which he called for a “fresh start” in the Middle East peace process. He laid out a series of proposals which included a construction freeze on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and a transition period leading to “self-government by the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza in association with Jordan.”
Astonishingly, the plan was drawn up in consultation with various Arab leaders, while Israel was kept in the dark until right before Reagan’s speech.
But Jerusalem reacted quickly and with resolve.
On September 2, then-prime minister Menachem Begin interrupted a vacation in Nahariya, returned to Jerusalem and convened a special cabinet meeting, which lasted for three hours.
Afterwards, the government issued a communique that was striking in its audacity. It contained a point-by-point rebuttal of Reagan’s speech, stating that, “The positions conveyed to the Prime Minister of Israel on behalf of the President of the United States consist of partial quotations from the Camp David Agreement or are nowhere mentioned in the agreement or contradict it entirely.”
It went on to state that, “the positions of the Government of the United States seriously deviate from the Camp David agreement, contradict it and could create a serious danger to Israel, its security and its future.”
And guess what? The sky did not fall in, the sun still rose the next morning, and Israel and the United States continued to be friends, even if there was tension in the relationship.
Several days later, Begin went even further, sending a personal letter to Reagan which should be required reading for every Israeli diplomat and statesman lacking a backbone.
With a mixture of grace and determination, Begin made clear to the leader of the Free World that as much as he valued the ties between Israel and the US, he would not compromise his core principles or Israel’s national interests.
“Dear Ron,” wrote Begin, “What some call the ‘West Bank,’ Mr.
President, is Judea and Samaria; and this simple historic truth will never change. There are cynics who deride history. They may continue their derision as they wish, but I will stand by the truth,” he said. “And the truth,” insisted Begin, “is that millennia ago there was a Jewish kingdom of Judea and Samaria where our kings knelt to God, where our prophets brought forth the vision of eternal peace, where we developed a rather rich civilization which we took with us, in our hearts and in our minds, on our long global trek for over 18 centuries; and, with it, we came back home.”
After spelling out his objections to Reagan’s peace plan, Begin concluded with a paragraph as piercing as it was heartfelt. “Mr.
President,” he stated, “you and I chose for the last two years to call our countries ‘friends and allies.’ Such being the case, a friend does not weaken his friend, an ally does not put his ally in jeopardy. This would be the inevitable consequence,” Begin asserted, if the president’s proposals were to become reality. “I believe they won’t,” the prime minister concluded, before quoting from the prophet Isaiah: “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.”
Other Israeli leaders, both before and since, have stood up to American pressure and had the courage of their convictions, just as Begin did. Confident in the justness of Israel’s cause, Begin, Golda, Ben-Gurion and others were willing to buck Washington for the sake of Israel’s future.
So, I ask you, can Israel afford to say “no” to Kerry’s proposals? Of course! Or, to borrow a phrase from President Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign: “Yes we can!” Sure, there will be consequences, and strains in our bilateral relationship. But Israel has said “no” before and should not be afraid of doing so again. We cannot put our security at risk and forgo parts of our ancestral homeland, simply to win favor with the powers that be in the White House.
Israel must stand firm and reject any further withdrawals or retreats, regardless of what Mr. Kerry has to say. We cannot return to the 1967 borders or allow a hostile Palestinian entity to arise next door.
Believe it or not, there are some things that are more important even than American goodwill.
Survival, I dare say, is one of them.
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Will prophecies be fulfilled by our hand ?
4) US-Brokered Deal ‘Just the First Stage’ in Israel’s Demise
abbas zaki
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Reprinted by permission from Moshe Kepinski of Shoreshim Updates, Jerusalem, Israel
Article By Ari Sofer
Senior member of Mahmoud Abbas’ party reiterates his organization’s stance: destroy Israel ‘in stages’.
As US-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) continue, amid pressure for further territorial concessions by Israel, a senior Palestinian Authority official has told Syrian TV that any agreement will simply be the “first stage” in eradicating Israel altogether.
Abbas Zaki posted a clip of the interview – which was promptly translated and circulated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) – onto his Facebook page.
In response to concern expressed by the interviewer that any US-imposed deal would be “deficient”, insofar as it would “only” require Israel to cede Judea and Samaria, a smiling Zaki urges calm.
“You can relax. We find ourselves united for the first time. Even the most extreme among us, Hamas, or the fighting forces, want a state within the ’67 borders [sic]. Afterward, we [will] have something to say, because the inspiring idea cannot be achieved all at once. [Rather] in stages,” he responded.
Zaki is a senior member of the central committee of Fatah – the Arab nationalist party which dominates the PA, and is headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
The strategy to eradicate the Jewish state “in stages” via a combination of terrorism and diplomacy, as opposed to in a single military conquest, has been voiced by many PA officials in the past, who note that Israel cannot be destroyed in one fell swoop.
The strategy to eradicate the Jewish state “in stages” via a combination of terrorism and diplomacy, as opposed to in a single military conquest, has been voiced by many PA officials in the past, who note that Israel cannot be destroyed in one fell swoop.
Palestinian Media Watch has exposed a string of such statements by senior officials in the past, casting serious doubt over the viability of the Obama administration’s recent attempt to impose a solution to the conflict.
Earlier this year, in a speech attended by Mahmoud Abbas, the PA’s Religious Affairs Minister explained that any treaties with Israel should be viewed as another “Treaty of Hudaybiyyah” – a reference to a “temporary” deal signed by Islam’s founder Muhammed, which was promptly broken as soon as the Muslim armies were strong enough to achieve victory.
Earlier this year, in a speech attended by Mahmoud Abbas, the PA’s Religious Affairs Minister explained that any treaties with Israel should be viewed as another “Treaty of Hudaybiyyah” – a reference to a “temporary” deal signed by Islam’s founder Muhammed, which was promptly broken as soon as the Muslim armies were strong enough to achieve victory.
In another interview in 2011, Zaki was even more explicit:
“While the agreement is on the borders of June 4, the President [Mahmoud Abbas] understands, we understand, and everyone knows that it is impossible to realize the inspiring idea, or the great goal in one stroke,” he explained to Al Jazeera.
“While the agreement is on the borders of June 4, the President [Mahmoud Abbas] understands, we understand, and everyone knows that it is impossible to realize the inspiring idea, or the great goal in one stroke,” he explained to Al Jazeera.
However, he continued, an agreement which would see the destruction and ethnic-cleansing of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria would itself prove strategically fatal for the Jewish state in the long-run.
“If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, if Israel uproots the settlements, 650,000 settlers, if Israel removes the (security) fence – what will be with Israel? Israel will come to an end.
“If I say that I want to remove it from existence, this will be great, great, [but] it is hard. This is not a [stated] policy. You can’t say it to the world. You can say it to yourself.”
Could this be true ?
The following is a reprint by permission from Shoreshim Updates , Jerusalem, Israel.
By Ari Yashar
Govt. sources reveal that Kerry is responsible for EU boycott threats, keeps them in check during talks, ready to escalate if talks fail.
First Publish: 1/7/2014, 6:54 PM Governmental sources report that US Secretary of State John Kerry is behind the European boycott threats on Israeli products and companies operating in Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.
The EU published its guidelines last July, boycotting Israeli companies operating over the 1949 Armistice lines.
At the moment, Kerry is making sure the threats stay in check, but as soon as the peace talks fail he intends to open the floodgates and spur on full-blown international boycotts on Israel, reports Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio).
Palestinian Authority (PA) officials reported last September that Kerry was putting pressure on the EU to delay boycotts so as to give him an opportunity to push Israel into peace talks. That report also appears to support the new revelations regarding Kerry’s manipulation of anti-Israel boycotts.
Defense Secretary Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday that Israel was trying to extend the peace talks beyond the determined 9 months.
“It is clear to us that there are large gaps [between us] – and this is not new – but it is certainly in our interest to continue negotiations and to continue to work to stabilize the situation in the relationship between us and the Palestinians,” remarked Ya’alon.
Meanwhile for the PA’s part, a senior official recently was interviewed on Syrian TV admitting that any agreement will simply be the “first stage” in wiping Israel out completely.
Israel has not been consistent in confronting the threat of boycotts.
While Israel initially warned it might boycott the EU Horizons 2020 research program over the boycotts, eventually the government compromised by attaching a section to the program agreement saying the declared boycott guidelines are not recognized by Israel as legal precedent.
Former MK Aryeh Eldad, head of Professors for a Strong Israel, accused the government in mid December of inviting more boycotts, such as that of the American Studies Association (ASA), by caving in on Horizons 2020.
“Do they expect that if we continue to give in, then the boycotts will stop?” remarked Eldad, noting that leftist professors in Israel have been active in encouraging international academic boycotts.
“Israel has been negligent up until now and dragged its feet when the first signs of a boycott of products from Judea and Samaria emerged. It declined to indict those factors who called for the boycotts, and now we are paying the price,” charged Eldad.
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Christmas . . . or Truth . . . in the Crosshairs. The Conclusion
This will be the third, and as far as we know the final installment in our response to the article ‘Christmas in the Crosshairs’. We want to begin by standing with Nathan and his family as we praise our Lord with them for the good report concerning Nathan’s health. In Yeshua’s Name – Amen.
We have come to understand that every born-again, blood-bought believer is a son or daughter of our Father, regardless of what pew, building or denomination in which they sit. We have also come to understand we need to be careful ‘throwing rocks’ at each other since Abba is not always happy about his children throwing rocks at each other. On the other side of the coin, we must balance this against the scriptural mandate to speak the truth to each other because we love one another in the Lord. Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Ephesians 4:15 “ . . . speaking the Truth, in love, that we may all grow up into Him in all things, Him being Christ the head . . .”
The following lines are direct quotes from the original article.
“Loving your neighbor means that you have to love them even if they celebrate Christmas.
Loving your neighbor does not mean that during Christmas time, the stoning should begin!”
We agree completely with these two statements. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. But we are not to leave our brother in a place that he should not be. Am I my brother’s keeper ? Most assuredly “YES” . If I am to pull my neighbor’s donkey out of hole, should I not be willing to do the same for my neighbor ? It is not my place to stone my brother, but sometimes what is perceived by one as ‘throwing stones’ is actually ‘speaking the hard truth’ by the perceived ‘rock-thrower’. Truth is not in the eye of the beholder. But sometimes ‘venom’ can be. Jesus was never hateful or vengeful yet both He and John referred to the leadership of their day as vipers and serpents. Were they, Jesus & John, being hateful and ‘throwing stones’ or were they speaking the plain truth to those that needed to hear in the hopes that some might be brought back from the brink of a place they should not be ? You be the judge.
Another quote from the article.
“My friends, our faith is not determined by the outer garment.”
No, but the ‘outer garment’ is the evidence of the faith professed and the inward ‘circumcision of the heart’.
And finally, this quote from the article.
“ How about Colossians 3:17?
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” “
With all due respect, this is being taken out of context. This passage must be taken in the context of what is considered proper, acceptable behavior and practice by Father God for His children as outlined in the foundational truth of Torah and the Prophets and reiterated and expounded upon in the Apostolic Writings. Outside of that context, this passage, taken on it’s own, will do nothing but get us all into trouble. There are things that God and Yeshua do not want us doing, in their Name or anyone else’s.
The ministry to which we have been called is to teach and speak the Truth of the full counsel of the Word of God, undiluted and unashamed. We are not here to transform a Baptist into a messianic or a Methodist into a ‘hebrew rooter’ ( ? ) or transform anyone into anything for that matter. Transformation is not our job, it is His. The only axe we have to grind is the Word of the Living God in these last days . . . to teach His people the difference between the Holy and profane, the Clean and the unclean. ( Ezekiel 22:26, 44:23 )
Blessings to you and yours in Yeshua’s Name – J & R
Passing of an Icon . . . Prophetic ?
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, ‘Lion of God’, passed this life saturday after lying in a coma for 7 years. Born of russian parents in 1926,he is most likely the most controversial and iconic figure in modernIsraeli history.
Prophetic ? At the death of Rabbi Kaduri, the rabbi left behind a sealed
envelope to be opened at the one year anniversary of his death. In the envelope
were basically two statements. One, the rabbi had seen the Messiah of Israel and
His Name is Yeshua. Two, at the passing of Ariel Sharon, the Messiah
is soon to appear. What is soon ? Probably sooner than most think ?
Shabbat shalom.
Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim . . . pray for the Peace of Jerusalem . . . The Spirit and the bride say ‘come quickly ‘ . . .
Righteous Judgement ?
As we read the article below, two words stood out in this report from Jerry Golden and resonated in us, for they are the same ‘words’ Rhonda received from Abba on Shabbat during worship – ‘righteous judgement’.
In Jeremiah 46 Father God reprimands us. ‘If I, He says, am willing to bring judgement on the land that bears My Name, where do you get off thinking I will not bring judgement on the other nations and peoples.’
In Revelation Israel in general and Jerusalem in specific is referred spiritually as ‘Sodom and Egypt’.
These same terms can easily be applied to the United States. We are a picture of an ‘Egypt’ in these days, both in our relationship to Israel and our national idolatry, and dubbing us ‘Sodom’ should be a no-brainer for
anyone awake with our acceptance and promotion (even in the church) of abortion and homosexuality.
Blessings to you and yours in these days as we pray for one another for mercy and discernment. – J
Was it a Dream or a Vision? You be the Judge.
1-10-2014
It was 5 AM, my usual time to take my dog outside. But when I tried to get out of bed I couldn’t move, nothing worked my legs and arms. My first thought was that I had died and was drifting away on a beautiful cloud. A kind of white I had never seen before as if it was somehow a color I could feel, touch and breathe.
I told myself; you are not asleep this is really happening, you have died, yet I knew that I was not dead. This may sound so insane, but I am trying to tell it like it was.
Even now I am asking myself; why share this? No one will understand. Yet I feel I must tell you about this for there is someone who needs to hear this and others that will know what it really means.
It seemed that in an instant, the blink of an eye, I could see the sins of many as they lived for self and greed, killing babies and spreading homosexuality across the land. At first I thought it was America I was seeing, but then I knew it was Israel I was being shown. It was Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem where God was given no thought and sin and lust ruled the streets. It was then I heard the voice I know so well. Not audible but somewhere inside my soul in a very spiritual way say to me, this is my Land and they are My people yet they mock Me. Before I bring judgment to other lands that are coming against Jerusalem I will bring judgment in this land. For the time has come for righteous judgment on all of mankind.
It was then I began to see places along the Mediterranean Sea Coast, some were places I have been – others were new but somehow the locations were made very clear with directions and detailed descriptions of certain buildings. Inside there were groups of very frightened people and it became obvious they were Jews – many with frightened and crying children. “They will come to know Me and the sacrifice made for their salvation, they will praise Me and I will bring them home for I Am their God”.
I wanted to speak and say “God the little we have done seems so small in the face of the many that will need our help in the days before us”. But I was unable to say anything. Then I heard in my spirit God say “I know your thoughts and your heart, it is time for many to hear my voice and save my precious Jewish people”. It was then I knew there was nothing for me to worry about. It was God who is, and has always been, in control.
Slowly the feeling came back into my arms and legs. My little Boston Terrier was sitting beside me on the bed with a look on her face that said ‘I’ve been waiting’. It was then I knew I had not died and it was all a dream. Or was it a vision? I’m not sure, but I have to send this out to those who can discern the Spirit of God and be moved to love Him more.
Shalom, Jerry Golden
Hidden things . . .
Hidden things . . .
“It is the glory of God to conceal things, and the glory of kings to search
them out.” Proverbs 25:2
He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. Daniel 2:22
Things hidden belong to Yahweh our God, but things revealed are ours and our children’s forever, so that we can put all the words of this Law into practice.’ Deuteronomy 29:28
As we take a look at the passages in Exodus 13:17 – 17:16, let’s examine one aspect of the account of the crossing of the Yam Suph ( Red or Reed Sea ) and the destruction of the Egyptian military. Now try to envision this in your mind’s eye – the entire Israeli horde ( more than a million strong and all their livestock ) situated on Nuwevi Beach on the Egyptian side of the Sea, the sea in front of them, the Egyptian army behind them and straight-up rock faces on both sides. Talk about being between a ‘rock and a hard place’ . . . no place to go but up . . . or so they thought. And then God says to Moses ( this is our amplified version ), “ what are you waiting for . . . go on.” I wonder if Moses was thinking ‘go on where ?’ Then Abba instructs him to stretch out his hand and the waters part revealing a path through the waters. You think Father God knew that path was there? All HE had to do was dry it out for them ? Obviously the answer is ‘Yes’. But let’s take a look at the name of the place.
The Scriptures tell us the name of the place before them was ‘Baal-Zephon’, ‘baal’ ( which is NOT a bad word ) meaning ‘lord or master’ and ‘zephon’ being translated ‘north’ or having to do with ‘winter’. Curiously, if you study out the word ‘zephon’ it comes from a root, according to the Strong’s, carrying the concept of ‘that which is hidden’. What was hidden ? According to archealogists today, there is a land bridge at the very spot of the crossing. At either side of that land bridge the depth of the water extends to over a mile, while at the place of the crossing the depth is 400 feet or less. I wonder Who put it there ? Who is the Lord of that which is hidden ? Hopefully we all know the answer to that question. According to the passages at the beginning of this little ditty, it is El Shaddai, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
You notice He did not take His people through the land of the Philistines ( Gaza, Asdod, Ashkelon and Ekron – which is still the land of the philistines today ) because He knew there would be a fight, so He took them to a place where HE had everything prepared, ‘hidden in plain sight’ if you will, where HE would fight for them.
God fights for His people still today. Yet we have our part to play. Had the people not obeyed and walked not according to His directions, they would have wound up in the wrong place at the appointed time . . . not good . . .
Obedience has always been key. Even more so in the last days.
Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
6 “And he will restore the hearts of the fathers ( Abraham, Isaac & Jacob ) to their children ( us ) , and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.”
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