Every child loves a treasure hunt.  And my grandchildren are no exception.  So last week when they had a “sleep over” at my house, I planned one for them, complete with pirate map and clues. We had great fun, and as usual, the time flew by, and before we knew it, we had to say “goodbye”.

I see many similarities between this and how we should approach the Bible.  First, we should be “child like”, leaving our preconceived ideas behind.  Then, we should expect to find treasure hidden in God’s Word and follow the clues, from one point to another. If we do, our time in the Word will not drag or be a stiff exercise, but will fly to the point we lament that we can’t stay longer.

God’s Word is a treasure trove, full of gems to be discovered on many levels.  Take for instance Daniel 3: 1-27.  It tells the story of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, who had a huge statue of gold made, then issued orders that all in his kingdom must bow before it. When three young Hebrew men refused, he had them thrown into a furnace, a furnace which he commanded to be made seven times hotter than normal.  But instead of dying, the young men walked around the blazing fire unharmed, with another man, who had suddenly appeared, and whose form Nebuchadnezzar said was “like the Son of God.” And when they came out of the furnace neither their clothes nor hair were singed, nor did they smell of smoke.

Just taking a quick look at it we can see, on the first level, God working a miracle and preserving his faithful servants in the midst of trials.  On another level, we can apply this to ourselves and say since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, he will be in the midst of our trials, too, and that no furnace, no matter how hot, is too much for the Son of God to overcome on our behalf.  And on another level, we can see that Nebuchadnezzar is a type of the Anti-Christ, for the Bible tells us that Anti-Christ will also make a statue and demand that everyone bow before it. And because Nebuchadnezzar commanded that the furnace be made seven times hotter, we can see how this tells us the seven years of Tribulation, which the Bible talks about, will be exceedingly difficult, much more so than any time before it. But again, the Son of God will be there walking in the midst of his people.

Of course this passage in Daniel would take pages and pages to really expound, but one can get the sense, in just the short paragraph above, how chock-full of wonderful truths the Bible holds for us. And if we are like children, open and receptive, and ask the Holy Spirit to help us follow the clues, God will reveal treasures we can’t even imagine.

Until next week,

Sylvia

Political correctness has made monkeys of us all; a sort of reverse Darwinism (which I refute) where increasingly we are losing our ability to think for ourselves.  It permeates everything: our schools, our news, our politics and sadly, even our churches. I must confess, in some ways, it has even seeped into my thinking. And that’s the area I’d like to address, because I know other Christians have been affect, too, and that includes many pastors. In some ways, the Church has come to believe that the “unpardonable sin” mentioned in the Bible is “offending someone.” And because of this we hesitate to speak out.  We don’t talk about sin or God’s viewpoint of the world—that it’s fallen and needs a savior.  In fact, sin is often dismissed as a lack of self-esteem rather than a violation of God’s law. In this politically correct world, where we are so concerned about offending someone, it seems the only one we don’t mind offending is God Himself.

It’s hard to image anyone more politically incorrect than Jesus who called the religious leaders of His day “vipers” (Matthew 12:334) and “whitewashed sepulchers full of dead men’s bones.” (Matthew 23:27) And Christians are to emulate Christ.  But are we not to walk in love, one might ask?  Yes, we are commanded to do so.  Indeed, God is love.  It is the one characteristic that perhaps describes Him best.  But He is also Truth.  Thus, love and truth must, of necessity, go hand and hand. Love without truth becomes sloppy sentimentality. And truth without love is rigid legalism.

We all have an idea of what love is.  But what is truth, exactly?  Simple. It is what God says it is. It is what He has laid out in His Word.  In essence, it is Jesus Himself, the Word made flesh. And Jesus confirms it in His statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) On the other hand, truth is not what prevailing “political correctness” dictates. For today, those things the thought police deem correct, may very well be incorrect tomorrow. Jesus, on the other hand, never changes. He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Based on this it is easy to see that most times political correctness is neither love nor truth. Because it often borders the extreme and ridiculous, and flies in the face of common sense, it is incapable of offering us a true compass to which we can set our lives. Nor can it give us peace of mind or heart.

The Bible offers a stern caution.  It says, “Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil.” (Isaiah 5:20).  It also says that “a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)  We are called to have the mind of Christ. Not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12: 2)  I know I could use a little renewing right about now.

When the apostle Peter was told by the religious leaders not to speak in the name of Jesus, (Acts 4: 1-24) he asked them what is better, to obey man or God? And what were they ordering Peter to do, exactly?  Well, they were saying stop telling everyone who Jesus is, and what He did.  In short, stop proclaiming the message of salvation.

As more churches concentrate on entertainment and mocha lattes and watered down feel-good messages, we Christians must answer this same question for ourselves: Is it better to obey man or God?

Until next week,

Sylvia

I was planning to write something lighter on my blog this week until I heard about the June conference in Volos, Greece, hosted by the World Council of Churches.  One of its missions: to discuss the growing problem of how Christians in Muslim countries are being slaughtered by Muslims, and their churches and property destroyed.

The conference attendees were a mixed bag of church representatives—both Protestant and Catholic, social scientists, politicians and theologians.  Their conclusion: that Israel was responsible.  What? And not only that, but the Jewish state was declared a “sin”, and a Christian had the duty to resist this “offensive” Jewish existence.  Wait. Do I have this right?  The reason that all these Christians are being slaughter by Muslims in their own countries (and much of it provoked by the Muslim Brotherhood who hopes to take over the Middle East, purge the land of all non-Muslims and institute a caliphate and sharia law) is because of the Jews in Israel?

When organizations take facts and reality, and willfully twist them to conform to their misguided theories or agenda, and to accomplish hateful purposes; and when Christians begin to twist some scriptures while ignoring others for the same purpose, and then ascribe these hateful beliefs and theologies to God, then we are on thin ice as Christians, as a nation, as a world. And that’s what happened at this conference.

The pronouncements that came from this group are so far from anything you can find in the Bible. Like Hitler, who essentially proclaimed the Jews non-human so he could discriminate against them, then ultimately exterminate them, so-called Christians are declaring Jews no longer the “chosen” race through the false teaching of the Dominionist  Movement and Replacement Theology that says the church has replaced the Jews in both God’s plan and covenants, thus making it easier to discriminate against them and eventually close their eyes and ears to the Ahmadinejads of this world who want to ultimately exterminate them.

The Bible says that in the last days the whole world will be against Israel. Sadly, we are seeing this prophecy begin to unfold. But make no mistake, the same demonic force that was behind the anti-Semitism of Hitler’s Nazi Germany is the same demonic force that is behind today’s new rising global anti-Semitism.  Satan hates the Jews.  It was to the Jew that God gave His law and revealed His word.  The entire Old Testament was written by Jews.  And all the New Testament, with the exception of Luke, was written by Jews.  The “seed” of the woman promised in Genesis 3:15, the one that would crush the head of the serpent, was a Jew.  His name was Jesus, and he came as Messiah and Savior, and all his apostles were Jews. But it doesn’t end there. According to the Bible, New Jerusalem will have twenty four names inscribed on it, and they will all be Jewish! Revelation 21:12 talks about the twelve gates into this city and says, “and names written thereon (the gates) which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” Still describing New Jerusalem, it goes on to say in Revelation 21:14, “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles (all Jewish) of the Lamb (Jesus).”  Finally, when Jesus returns He will rule and reign not in Washington D.C. or London or Brussels, but in Jerusalem. And He will take His rightful place on the throne of David, a Jewish King.

It’s a dangerous thing to spit in the face of God.  If any group of people should love the Jews it should be Christians, for we owe them so much. While others stand on thin ice, let us stand on the sure, solid word of God where in Genesis 15:18-21 it clearly defines Israel’s borders; and where in Genesis 17:7-8 it clearly seals these borders as a non-revocable, everlasting possession and covenant.

Until next week,

Sylvia

I love young people.  They’re so full of enthusiasm and vitality.  And this week at our church’s youth conference there was plenty of that. When some shared their experiences during Sunday service I was struck by the tone. It wasn’t all about goose-bumps and spiritual highs.  It was more serious.  It was about connecting with Jesus; about getting ready for what’s coming next in these end times; about concentrating on the Kingdom of God, and sharing it with others while there’s still opportunity.

We can learn from the young.  I think the conference is proof of that.  Too many of us who have gone by the name, “Christian”, for years need a wake-up call. No matter what our theology is about the end times and the tribulation, one thing we should all be able to agree on is that we are living in unusual times. Something is happening and it can be described in one word: change.  Everything is changing: the weather, governments, world stability, finances, families, and long held concepts of morality. And in order to survive these changes we’re going to need to visit the mountaintop, to spend time with Jesus and get our priorities straight, and to get our hearts and minds prepared for whatever comes.

These young people weren’t afraid. They were excited about the opportunities God was about to give them. Opportunities for God to show Himself strong in their lives.  Opportunities to touch a hurting world with His love.

Now that’s an example I’d like to follow.  

Until next week,

Sylvia

Recently my cat became infested with fleas even though he was on one of those popular monthly flea meds.  I ignored the signs: his scratching, the thinning of hair around the ears.  Surely it was just a case of dry skin that a few doses of flax meal should ease. I mean, he was on medication. So it couldn’t be fleas. Right? Not exactly. Apparently his fleas had become immune to the medication. 

His infestation spread throughout the house and before I knew it I had a full blown problem on my hands.  The fleas were everywhere! Now what? For my cat, a shave, flea bath and a new prescription med. For my house, the big guns had to be called and the house turned upside down while the exterminator treated every nook and cranny. But I had bites too, so in addition to slathering myself with Benadryl, every day I had to vacuum, wash my bedding, wear socks to keep my ankles from getting chewed until suddenly it all seemed like a . . . well, like a war. It was me against a tiny irritating enemy.

“How could something so small inflict such chaos?” That was the question I kept asking myself.  Now that the war is over and my cat is fine and I have my house back, my reflection is less tainted with frustration and I see a larger principle here. Flea bites are annoying. But they also hurt and can cause disease. And we all have fleas in our life; those irritating things that keep pricking us, things that are nearly invisible or appear too small to warrant our attention.  Things like the annoyance we feel over our boss never saying “thank you”; or those disrespectful looks and words our teenager dispenses whenever we offer correction; that rough shove of a spouse during a disagreement; that extra glass of wine at dinner.  All seemingly minor but, if not dealt with, can grow into larger issues like not doing your best at the job or quitting it before you get a new one thereby leaving your family in a lurch; like a teenager suddenly out of control; like that occasional shove turning into spousal abuse; like that extra wine becoming a full blown alcohol addiction.

We need to deal with the issues in our lives while they are still small. And apply remedies where needed. To ignore them or pretend they don’t exist is not an answer for they can grow until, to our regret, they turn our life upside down.

Until next week,

Sylvia

America is a great nation.  I think it’s the greatest in the world.  By blood, sacrifice, and perseverance it gained and sustained its freedom.  By innovation, hard work, and ingenuity it gained and sustained its greatness.  And its people are among the friendliest and most generous in the world.

Oh, there is so much to be grateful for here in America, even in these hard times!  And as we celebrate our Independence Day, let us remember all those who have sacrificed so much and continue to sacrifice to keep our nation secure.  And let us remember the Creator Who gave us the inalienable rights we cherish: “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

Over and over again, despots throughout the ages have tried to stamp out personal freedom and liberty. And yet they won’t yield. “The greatest gift that God in His bounty made in creation, and the most conformable to His goodness, and that which He prizes the most, was the freedom of the will, with which the creatures with intelligence, they all and they alone, were and are endowed. (Dante Alighieri, The Devine Comedy)"  May we not take it and our God for granted.

Happy 4^th of July!  And God bless America!

Until next week,

Sylvia

Last week my daughter and I, along with other “helpers” all brought our sewing machines into my grandson’s school in order to sew dozens of quilts for his class.  Each child had been working for days on their fabric squares, painting pictures of their families, their favorite toys, their hobbies, and now these squares had to be sown into individual quilts. Oh, how proud the children were when their quilt was finally stitched and ready for viewing!  And their eager faces told you they could hardly wait to bring them home to show their parents.

After looking at all the quilts, I was amazed how different each was, and how the squares exposed so much about the young lives they represented so like the patchwork of our own lives.

We are all working on our quilts, and our squares reveal who we are and what is important to us by the pictures we are painting.  They also reveal disappointments, heartbreak, and failures, too. But at the end we will be left with an indelible tapestry which will be examined by our Heavenly Father.  What will it say about us? Will we be excited to show Him?

Something to think about.

Until next week,

Sylvia

Okay, before I crawl out on this limb let me just say I’m NOT a sci-fi enthusiast.  I don’t follow UFO sightings, don’t subscribe to weird science magazines, don’t believe in aliens. But when the Vatican publically says it’s fine to believe in UFOs then releases their UFO files; and when more than 20 countries, which include France, Great Britain, Japan, Russia, and Spain, begin releasing their previously classified UFO files; and when the UN installs in their “Office for Outer Space Affairs,” a certain professor Mazlan Othman to “conduct negotiations with the first extraterrestrials that might come to this planet”; and when I hear that reports of alien abductions, new crop circles, animal mutilations, and UFO sightings have risen sharply, then I feel the need to do some investigating.

And what did I find?  I found that the Bible is as relevant today as it was when first written.

One of the things Jesus said when talking about the signs of his second coming was that it would be “as in the days of Noah” (Matthew 24:37).  So what was going on in the “days of Noah”?  Well, not only were they “eating and drinking” and going about their life totally clueless that a catastrophic flood was soon to come, the land was also full of violence and every man’s thoughts were continuously evil (Genesis 6: 5-13). 

But if you look just a few verses up at Genesis 6:1-4 we see something else, too, something that most churches never talk about and that, quite frankly, isn’t considered very intellectual even in the Church, and that’s the subject of the Nephilim.  In these four verses of Genesis 6 we see that the sons of God or angels, did something they had no right to do.  They cohabitated with human women and produced giants (Nephilim).  These offspring, according to the Jewish historian, Josephus, were the basis of Greek mythology, and were, in fact, the reality behind the mythical Titans. The Book of Enoch, possibly the oldest book ever written and a well respected tome even up through the seventh century of the Church, goes into even greater detail and tells of these fallen angels taking human wives and having offspring, then, seeking forgiveness, they ask Enoch—the man the Bible says walked with God and who was Noah’s great grandfather—to plead with God on their behalf. In the Bible, Jude 6 also alludes to this when he talks about how the angels who did not keep their “first estate” are now chained in darkness.

So something unusual was going on in the days of Noah; fallen angels were interacting with men. And if they did it then, we can assume it will happen again in the last days.  And that’s what I think is happening now, and it’s just the beginning.  We are being programmed to accept the concept of UFOs and aliens.  And I have to ask, “why?”

I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, and when that happens how is the world going to explain the disappearance of millions of Christians? Well, some in the New Age movement think that in the near future the masters of the universe will remove from the earth all those whose karmas prevent the world from living in peace.  From my point of view these masters are nothing more than fallen angels. So my question is this: Is this how the world will explain the rapture, when God’s people will be removed from the earth?  Will they say the Christians have been taken by UFOs so the world can evolve into what the so-called masters of the universe envision?  Will this be part of the “lying signs and wonders” the Bible talks about?  Could this be the “lie” God says everyone will believe?  Just something to think about the next time you hear of another UFO sighting.  And if you want to know more, few make this case better than L. A. Marzulli or Tom Horn in their numerous books on the Nephilim.

Some may think this is all foolishness, but I think we must consider the possibility that we are in the process of being invaded not by space aliens but by a demonic horde whose purpose is not only to prepare the world for the big “lie” but to turn the attention of believers from the things of God to “lying signs and wonders.”

Until next week,

Sylvia

Sheep have to be among the silliest of God’s creatures.  They simply cannot survive by themselves.  If left on their own they would return to the same overgrazed and pollute pastures, unable to find new ones upon which to feed. They would become sickly without the saltlicks and other trace minerals the shepherd provides.  They would drink from polluted holes unless taken to a source of water that is pure. Or they would drown if not kept away from swift running streams. Their eyes have to be constantly cleaned and medicated to prevent blindness from infections caused by flies. And they need sheltering during harsh inclement weather for they don’t know enough to shelter themselves. And when a sheep becomes “cast” or ends up on its back unable to scramble back on its feet, it would die unless the shepherd picked it up. In addition, sheep are utterly unable to protect themselves from predators and must rely solely on their shepherd for protection.

It’s no accident that the Bible compares us to sheep for we are just as foolish and incapable of caring for ourselves. And it’s for this very reason we need The Good Shepherd.  For it is the Shepherd that keeps us from pollution by providing His word for us to feed on.  He is the living water that keeps us refreshed.  He is the salve that keeps us from spiritual blindness.  He is our provider, our shelter, our protector.  His utter care and commitment is all encompassing.  He is tender and loving, ever mindful of our weaknesses but never repulsed by them. He picks us up when we fall, and carries us when we are weak. He has laid down his life for us, the sheep. He has held nothing back.

In this time of uncertainly and upheaval, isn’t it wonderful that we have such a Shepherd?  We need not fear, but only allow Him to lead, guide and protect us. And we, His sheep, can remain in perfect peace, if we follow His leading.

Until next week,

Sylvia

As the saga of Egypt unfolds many are wondering what this means for Israel.  My own opinion: in the short term, not much.  In the long term, added danger.  Israel has become the whipping boy of the world.  Anti-Semitism is rampant throughout Europe, while in the Middle East it continues to ratchet-up—all dangerous, but not necessarily for Israel.  To be sure, the Old Testament talks of the day of “Jacob’s Trouble” while the New Testament calls it the “Tribulation”, a seven-year period when the world will be turned upside down, and all because of the tiny state of Israel.  And while it will be a difficult time for Israel, it will be even more disastrous for the world.  How do I know?  It’s all in God’s Word.

In the meantime, more and more churches in America are buying into “replacement theology” which claims that the church has replaced Israel and that God is actually finished with Israel altogether. It’s a belief that twists scripture as well as ignores end-time Bible prophesy where Israel, not the church, is the central figure. This new theology is dangerous because it is dangerous to abandon Israel, and I’m talking spiritually.  God promised Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob (God later changed Jacob’s name to Israel) that He would bless those that blessed him and curse those who cursed him (Genesis 12:3).  He also promised him a certain land. “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to they seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:7-8.  Notice the word everlasting was used twice and it means just what is says.  God intended this covenant and possession to be forever, non-revocable and not predicated on the faithfulness or performance of Abraham’s descendants, unlike some of the other covenants God made with the Jews which were.  God also calls Israel the apple of His eye and that when we hurt Israel we are poking Him in the eye! (Zechariah 2:8)  Space does not permit the documentation of how God responded to those who have hurt Israel in the past, but if you want more on this, read John McTernan’s book, As American has done to Israel; a sobering work to be sure.

In spite of all God’s warnings, the Bible tells us that in the end times Israel will stand alone, that the whole world will be against her.  We are beginning to see it.  Even our government is cooling towards its best Middle Eastern ally. It’s important to note that Israel is the only nation in the world where God Himself set up the boundaries (Deuteronomy 11:24; Joshua 1:4) and they encompass far more land than Israel claims today. Even so, the politicians say Israel must give up more land in order to solve the Palestinian problem, and that once this problem is solved there will be peace for all, including Israel. Well, if you repeat a thing often enough, even if it’s a lie, people eventually begin to believe it.  The sad, desperate plight of the people in Gaza is due to their own leadership.  Over the years, billions in aid have poured into the area, and instead of being used to build roads, hospitals, schools, improve sanitation, etc., it has gone to line the pockets of people like Yasser Arafat or to purchase more weaponry to use against Israel. Add to that this fact: In 1922 75% of the land promised the Jews in the Balfour Declaration was taken away and given to the Arabs as their state, a state set up east of the Jordan River called Transjordan, later renamed Jordan.  The land west of the Jordan River was to be used for a Jewish state.  A promise was given that the Jews would never again be asked to give up any more land. So much for promises. 

And what of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?  The Moslem world would like nothing better than to bar all Jews from it because they claim it is so holy to Islam. Really? Then why is Jerusalem never mentioned by name in the Koran while in the Bible it is mentioned over 800 times? And that doesn’t count the times it is called by other names such as Zion or Salem.  You would think a site so holy to Muslims would be mentioned at least once in their scriptures.  And while the Dome of the Rock is, indeed, a holy structure to Muslims, the Jews have had two temples on the Mount, and the first one, Solomon’s Temple, was built over 1,600 years before the first stone of the Dome of the Rock was ever laid.

So why all this phony uproar and illegitimate claims against Israel’s land?  Because it’s a spiritual issue, and limited space prevents me from doing justice to the subject. But here’s the reason in a nutshell: Israel is God’s land.  Jerusalem is where Jesus, the Great King, will return to set up his earthy kingdom, where He will rule and reign for a thousand years, therefore it is the very place where Satan vies to set up his.  And for a brief period during the tribulation, Satan will succeed, when his man, the Antichrist, declares himself god in the new Jewish Temple (Oh, yes, there will be another Jewish Temple!) So while there is a great physical struggle going on over Israel and the Temple Mount, it only mirrors the spiritual struggle going on behind the scenes.

So, as a result of the world sticking its finger into God’s eye, what can we expect in the future, according to the Bible? Here are but two examples: Damascus (an ancient city continuously inhabited for over 4000 years) will become a “ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1) The coalition army of Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, and Turkey that will eventually go against Israel will be decimated by God Himself. (Ezekiel 38) And it will take Israel seven years to burn their battle implements (Ezekiel 39). 

I fear we are entering perilous times, times when we need, more than ever, to press closer to God and to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  They will prosper that love thee.” Psalms 122:6

Until next week,

Sylvia