Friday, December 29, 2017

FUTURE: Ezekiel 38 & 39

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. My family had a great time. My children were over abundantly gifted - their recently purged rooms are a bit full again. The Christmas decorations have come down. Family has returned home. And looking forward is a new year. Celebrations, return work/school, very cold weather (possibly snow again!).

There is a degree of certainty and uncertainty in the year to come. We anticipate:

  • my husband graduating from the police academy
  • paying off as many bills as possible
  • fixing our fence and electrical issues
  • all of us getting a year old
The questions we have going into the year ahead:
  • how far Brock will go in the department
  • how our church will continue to grow beyond the walls of the building
  • will our children accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior (pretty sure Abigail is close)
  • will the LORD return this year
On November 29, 1947 the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181, which formally established a Jewish nation in the land.  War broke out immediately between Jews and Palestinians, which culminated in the establishment of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948. On this date, Israel was re-established as a nation.

Let us look at the parable of the Fig Tree: Matthew 24: 32-41

32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.



There is general agreement that the Parable of the Fig Tree that Jesus told His disciples in His Olivet Discourse was a prophecy of the rebirth of Israel because the fig tree represents national Israel in Scripture.

The immediate context of the parable was the Time of Jacob's Trouble, also known as the Tribulation. In other words, the generation that sees Israel reborn and the fig tree "put out its leaves" is the same generation that will see the completion of the Tribulation and the return of Jesus Christ.

The fig tree withered during Jesus' first coming because the nation rejected their Messiah. The Jewish people put to death their own King:



Verse 34 of Matthew 24 says this generation will not pass away. A biblical generation is 70 years, and we are coming upon that this coming May. If you have read my blog for some time, you know I believe we are in the very last seconds of the Church Age. I believe and yearn for the return of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Emmanuel - God with us. I have studied Revelation, and know that His return for His bride is glorious for her (the Church), but that it triggers a minimum of 7 years of wrath, judgement, and woe on those who have not accepted Him. And that makes me mourn. For only God, Yaweh, knows that hearts of man, and knows who will be raptured and who will remain. There is grace in the time of Seals, Trumpets, & Bowls, salvation can be had, but at a much heavier price than in all times before.

But recently I became aware of a prophecy that must take place first, before the Church hears the trumpet call and is united with her Groom. There will be a war. All nations will turn against Israel, all. The stage has been set with the Trump administration. He is challenging every nation that doesn't stand with Israel, calling them out. North Korea is unstable (the nation and its leader) and is war of words with our President, which everyone believes will spill over onto the world stage. 

I believe that those that stand with Israel will be wiped out, or so decimated that they will be unable to defend Israel, who will then be attacked. 

But, Israel will not be defeated in this attack. The leaders of that attack though, will suffer loss unlike any other. Ezekiel 38 & 39 outline this war, and the outcome. This scripture has not come to pass yet. The prophecy will happen I believe in the months to come. Please read it below, see what is to come, and prepare your hearts. Friends the Church will be on earth for this, but I believe after this war, sometime soon after, the trumpet will call, and the bride will see her Groom.


Ezekiel 38 (NASB)
Prophecy about Gog and Future Invasion of Israel
38 And the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. 4 I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; 5 Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you.

7 “Be prepared, and prepare yourself, you and all your companies that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them. 9 You will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, 11 and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, 12 to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world.’ 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?’”’

14 “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On that day when My people Israel are living securely, will you not know it? 15 You will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a mighty army; 16 and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog.”

17 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days through My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? 18 It will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “that My fury will mount up in My anger. 19 In My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will call for a sword against him on all My mountains,” declares the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 With pestilence and with blood I will enter into judgment with him; and I will rain on him and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire and brimstone. 23 I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”’

Ezekiel 39 (NASB)
Prophecy against Gog—Invaders Destroyed
39 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4 You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5 You will fall on the [d]open field; for it is I who have spoken,” declares the Lord God. 6 “And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety; and they will know that I am the Lord.

7 “My holy name I will make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Behold, it is coming and it shall be done,” declares the Lord God. “That is the day of which I have spoken.

9 “Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them. 10 They will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the forests, for they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the spoil of those who despoiled them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them,” declares the Lord God.

11 “On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the valley of Hamon-gog. 12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. 13 Even all the people of the land will bury them; and it will be to their renown on the day that I glorify Myself,” declares the Lord God. 14 “They will set apart men who will constantly pass through the land, burying those who were passing through, even those left on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. 15 As those who pass through the land pass through and anyone sees a man’s bone, then he will set up a marker by it until the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. 16 And even the name of the city will be Hamonah. So they will cleanse the land.”’

17 “As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every kind of bird and to every beast of the field, “Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice which I am going to sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats and bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 So you will eat fat until you are glutted, and drink blood until you are drunk, from My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. 20 You will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war,” declares the Lord God.

21 “And I will set My glory among the nations; and all the nations will see My judgment which I have executed and My hand which I have laid on them. 22 And the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God from that day onward. 23 The nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity because they acted treacherously against Me, and I hid My face from them; so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and all of them fell by the sword. 24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I dealt with them, and I hid My face from them.”’”

Israel Restored
25 Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name. 26 They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. 29 I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.

Once last thing, if you have time, I recommend you read this book. 

Epicenter 2.0 by Joel Rosenberg

I found it a great book on what has happened in the middle east for the past decade and what is still to come. If you have followed me for some time, you know that I am a fan of Joel Rosenberg. Him and Anne Graham Lotz have a phenomenal series on the Book of Joel that you can find on YouTube (search harbingers).

God Bless & Happy New Year friends.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Emmanuel and the Innocence of Children

Two things I am confident about:

  • The innocence of childhood is a precious gift
  • Human nature is to always go astray
It is the Christmas season, and as with most everything this year, 2017, it is unique. The year of our Lord, 2017 really has been different for the world and for the area I live in:
  • Houston hosted the Super Bowl
  • A solar eclipse
  • Hurricane Harvey
  • Houston Astros won the World Series
  • Donald Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel
  • Snow
SNOW! Yes friends, we in South East Texas had snow last week! Thursday night, early Friday morning snow fell in our area. Our house did not get dusted until after 11 pm on Thursday, I know this since I went to bed finally.

Last week was the Singing Christmas Tree put on by my church - the yearly Christmas program. My husband ended up being selected to portray Jesus through the drama, and I was in the choir (row 7 by the start of it). Every night last week my husband was at church, I was there every night but Monday. Through Wednesday we were in rehearsals, then Thursday thru Sunday we had the performances with audiences. Long nights, a crazy week, no true schedule. My kids did awesome. They did get tired, they did get cranky. But they did great. And Friday morning they got a wonderful surprise! 

SNOW!

I have never seen my Abigail sprint out of bed so quickly! And sweet Stone, he was so excited. And though they were tired, at 6 am they went outside. Abigail just walked and touched it, before making two snow angels. Stone instinctively made a snowball and threw it at his sister. My husband made a small snow man with the snow on my car. I joyfully documented their expressions, enjoying their joy! And there was still a small amount left when we got home - and is now nicely tucked inside a Tupperware container in my freezer.

Facebook was filled with pictures and videos of everyone's joy and excitement. School wasn't the smoothest last Friday. Honestly, I think us adults were just as excited as the children. And throughout the entire day, as I and others did get to work, my thoughts always went back to my children and how they responded, and the joy I had in their experience that morning.
yenu
It is Christmas, and thankfully I have just a handful of stocking stuffers to purchase. And hope to do so this weekend! We do not go over the top with gifts, we do three gifts, some larger, some small. But very thought out. Abigail is getting a Farmer Barbie (2016 Career's Collection) because the Barbie has a chicken. If you know my Abigail, you know she LOVES the chicken our friends own. I truly believe she will love this Barbie (I will be disappointed if she doesn't). Stone is getting a TNMNT mask and sword -the boy is action and weapons. I have given much thought to the items we have bought them. I have considered personalities, preferences, likes, dislikes, etc. And then God gave my children SNOW! Abigail has asked to see it for a few months now, since a friend of hers moved to Avocado (lol, Colorado) and told her he would see snow. This verse comes to mind:


Matthew 7:7-11
Ask, and It Will Be Given
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

God's gifts are always better than anything I could possibly ever give. He gives eternal life. And that is "dayenu" - that is enough, sufficient. I am not going to stress over the gifts I give, because my Heavenly Father is in control. So I am going to enjoy the memories of the innocence of my children as they played in the snow. The running around, the gasps, the massive (though slightly awkward) snowballs. That morning will always be with me.

All this brings me back to what God is trying to remind me of these days. And it is simply this:


God with us. That right there, is dayenu. That is enough. That is all I need to know. God is with us. He is with me. In my struggles, fears, tears, hopes, frustrations, dreams....He is with us. Oh friend, find comfort. If you are His, He is with you.

I love this time of year due to all the songs. Secular and Religious actually - both have wonder, joy, and spirit to them.The songs we sang at the Singing Christmas Tree were a nice mix. There is one song, that my sweet Abigail almost memorized, that lets you know who the god that is with you is. It is called, "You are Worthy" and here are the names/attributes we lifted up in praise!

HOLY
RIGHTEOUS
ROCK OF AGES
MOST HIGH
SAVIOR
SHEPHERD
FATHER
MY STRONG TOWER
COMFORT
MIGHTY WARRIOR
GREAT JEHOVAH
AWESOME HELPER
MY REDEEMER
HEALER
SOVEREIGN MASTER
MY CREATOR
GOD

That is the God who is with you.
EMMANUEL

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Not Our Home

Sometimes, the big lessons God wants to teach us, He teaches us through children. And just because those lessons come from a child, does not mean they are to be discredited (the child or the lesson). Remember, 1 Timothy 4:12 (ESV), tells us, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

Tomorrow my oldest turns 5 years old. A whole hand old. I am trying to come to grips with this new reality. She is into Barbie, hair, makeup, drawing and coloring. Also, she likes to play at the park, swing as high as she can, look for rollie pollies, and tease her baby brother. With our schedule, and childcare arrangements for my son, her and I get at least 1 hour a day together, while driving. We have started turning off the music/news and we talk, or we sit in each others presence. It is a beautiful time together, and I am cherishing it. Many days she chatters on about nothing, or an event in her day. Most days she asks questions: when is such and such event, how many days until x, y, z, will you sing a song with me, etc.

I have thought, more than a handful of times, that she is semi prophetic. There have been times, in her few years, where she has matter of factly declared something, and is insulted if you question it. And a few times she has been right. Having worked with children for numerous years, I do recognize that children are way smarter than they are given credit for, and pick up more than we could want them to. The words that come from my children, are a mirror of my heart at times - and sometimes, that is not a pretty sight to see (hello road rage...I need to work on patience). More importantly, my relationship with both of my children, reminds me of my relationship with the LORD. Our heavenly Father is perfect, but I am far from it. But I do try to offer grace, mercy, love, and compassion to my children. And because I am a parent I also have to give discipline and correction when needed. Being a parent means being frustrated when one of my children continues to not grasp a concept of our life that they need to (bedtime, potty before bed and right after wake up, eating dinner when it is before you). In those moments, I can't help but think of how many times I have frustrated God with my continual disobedience, reluctance to follow the path He is outlining for me, talking to the person He has placed on my heart.

The LORD this week used my daughter to remind me of a few important facts. If you know me, or am around me for more than 5 minutes, you know that I am ready to be with Jesus. I long, an aching longing in my heart, for the LORD to return. Heaven is waiting, Jesus is there, no more pain, no more tears, no condemnation. And oh so much more!You also know that while I long for this, i.e. the rapture, the trumpet call, I do so understanding what it will mean on earth. And that always has me...accepting the tarrying of my LORD and Savior, because each day that we are on earth, is an opportunity for the lost to become saved, and to join the flock of the Great Shepard.

John 10:1-18 (ESV) I Am the Good Shepherd
10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

So I long for Jesus, but I accept the waiting, because God is not done with this generation yet. He is giving grace, time, so more hearts will accept Him.

Earlier this week my heart though was aching. The USA and North Korea look like they are leaping (no longer inching) towards war, children are being abducted, parents are killing their own children, people are stealing from each other, and so much more. I feel the brokenness of the world, I feel the sin looming over every part of life. And these thoughts were in my heart and on my mind while driving home, after having picked up my son, Abigail was in the car already. Our local Christian radio station was on, and at this time of year they play a mix of Christian music and Christmas tunes. I am able to listen more to them at this time of year due to the mix. Rest of the year I prefer news and sermons.

The song, Where I Belong, by Building 429 was on.

Sometimes it feels like I’m watching
From the outside
Sometimes it feels like I’m breathing
But am I alive
I won’t keep searching for answers
That aren’t here to find
All I know is I’m not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong
So when the walls come falling
Down on me
And when I’m lost in the current
Of a raging sea
I have this Blessed Assurance
Holding me
When the Earth shakes I want to be found in You
When the lights fade I want to be found in You

As this song was playing, all of a sudden, my daughter cried out, "Mommy, why aren't we in Heaven?" I looked back at her, surprised by the question. Before I could answer (not sure what I was going to say), she continued, "I keep praying to God, but He isn't answering me. I am asking, why won't He answer me!"

I was caught off guard, but then came to, and replied, "Honey, it isn't time. When God is ready for us to be in Heaven, He will make it happen. Until then, keep praying. He will answer when the time is right." I reached behind me and held her foot for a while (a gesture I do when I am trying to connect with her, and reassure her. She smiled at me, then turned to look out the car window.

The rest of the drive my heart pondered what she said. Here are my take aways:

  • My daughter talks to God, without my promptings for/in prayer. 
  • She knows enough about Heaven to know that is where she wants to be.
  • She understand that God doesn't always respond.
Folks, this earth, this world is not our home. Scripture makes that abundantly clear, and the longing in our hearts tell us there is something more. There will come a day when we will be in our eternal home. Hold onto that longing. Seek God's word, pray. Don't lose sight that how things are is not how they will always be. And each day, wake up, and use the day to the glory of the LORD. Invite people to church, share verses that speak to you. In this holiday season, remember who Jesus is: 


Matthew 1:22-23, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us)."

God is with us. He is with us! We should rejoice, we should sing, we should dance! God is with us. In this broken world, in this time of despair, God is with us. So while this world is not our home, our Messiah came down from Heaven, dwelt among us, and still is with us. Take heart, one day soon we will be with God in Heaven, and things will be right. However long it takes it takes, each day we wake still on this earth means that souls are still be redeemed, and the wrath of God is not yet poured out on humanity. 

Christmas Blessings

The Homeschooling Wife

Eleven months ago, my husband and I settled that the current school year (22-23) would for now be our kids last year at their school. Going ...