A Message of Life or Death

I received a very disturbing comment from a reader who is very angry at my recent posts regarding the current situation in the Middle East. My message regarding the sovereignty of God in the midst of the Arab-Israeli war was not well received by this reader:

Curse your God and his "scriptures". People are suffering and all you talk about is "God's will". The world will not stand by and watch as Israel rapes Gaza. Call me Satan if you will, for even though he does not exist as an entity, he exists in the minds of the angry; and we are growing stronger by the hour. Each drop of blood spilled fills our hatred until one day, the state of Israel will burn. - Anonymous

Now I must state unequivocally that no sane person can take any solace in the death and destruction of human life. A Palestinian life lost is no less valuable than an Israeli life lost. However the issue here (as always) is what is this issue within God’s context? God’s context is always life! Not death. This blog is about putting things that transpire in our world within the context of God. The issue however is that these messages will be received in one of two ways. Here’s how the Bible puts it: But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT)

Christ died for all Palestinians, just like He died for all Jews…and for every reader of this message for that matter. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:6-8)

Ignore God and Decrease Your Birth Rates

I read a very interesting article yesterday in the New York Times on the topic of the shrinking birth rate in Europe over the past few decades. The article outlines the demographic danger facing Europe with the high likelihood that several countries (Italy, Spain and Germany among others) will see their native populations decrease by up to 40% by 2050. According to the article, the replacement birth rate necessary to maintain an equal population size from generation to generation is 2.1 children born to each woman. In Europe according to the article the rate is well below 2.0, with some countries closer to 1.5 and dropping. It is a lengthy and very interesting read that sheds some light on a phenomenon that in all likelihood will reshape the face of Western Europe within 100 years. The interesting thing about the article is that it was published after extensive research and interviews with many experts and it offers various possible explanations for why this situation has developed....

Scripture: Israel's enemies have no idea!

(Ezekiel 38:1-5 NLT) This is another message that came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others... (Ezekiel 39:1-3; 7-8 NLT) “Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows...

The Punishment of Jesus to Make us Clean

I was speaking to a friend recently about the sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us back to God our Father. It was a heavy conversation where we were both focusing on the depth of our own individual sins in relation to the price that Jesus had to pay to wipe our stains away so that we can live permanently with a Holy and Perfect God. I believe that the punishment that Jesus had to bear was that which was (or is) coming to each and everyone human being who has ever lived, for the sins that they each individually has or will commit. It’s hard to conceive rationally, or even put into words, but the level of punishment, the pain, the horror, the terror, the anguish etc. that my Lord Jesus Christ took is the exact equivalent of what I would have received if God were to have punished me for my life; then He took the same level of punishment for you; then He took the same level of punishment for your brother; then that for your sister; then that for your mother; then that for y...

Treasure In Clay Jars

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