Focus Point # 21

I remember the experience as if it had happened just yesterday. Her name was Reba Vaughn. She had cancer in both breasts which had been removed. However, the cancer was still in her right shoulder and arm. I walked into her room in a Kaiser facility in La Mesa, CA. It was probably in 1967 or 1968. I was shocked almost to the point of turning around and walking out of the room. An emotional adjustment was needed. She was bed-ridden, of course, with her right arm supported on a ramp-like board with her hand about 5 inches elevated above her shoulder. Immediately she said, "Don't touch the bed Brother Bob." Tears flowed to the pillow but a smile stayed on her face. The open cancer covered part of her breastless chest area, over her shoulder and almost to the bicep area on her right arm. Her arm looked to me like it could just fall off. Almost all of the area was covered with a white powder. When I asked her what the white stuff was, she told me it was powdered sugar. They found that instead of eating at her body, the cancer was feeding itself on the sugar. Soon after that Reba died. Her soul and spirit went directly to Heaven. Her cancer was buried in a grave along with her dead body.

I reluctantly relate that true story to you because it reminds me of another cancer destroying life in our world today. And sad to say, all we're doing is applying the white powdered sugar. Oh, here and there we treat it aggressively with a form of radiation, chemo and sometimes even surgery. But I often wonder at the inconsistency of the treatment. After 9/11/01 we got out the knife and started operating on the cancer in Iraq and Afghanistan. Send in the troops! We didn't then and aren't now throwing sugar over there. But for the last 60 years we've been pouring on the white powdered sugar. Where? Just guess. Iran? - Yeah, right! Iraq? Wrong again. You know by now it's the small, democratic lighthouse in the Middle East - Israel, the strongest allies of the United States. And what do we do? We send them money and then tell them to capitulate and grovel to the PLO! If the UN and the USA would have given them the support they needed when they were recognized as a bon-a-fide national entity, the pot wouldn't have been boiling over for these last 60 years. Everybody, and I mean by that, every nation sitting in the UN knew, they'd been told that the surrounding Arab nations were going to come down on Israel with a vengeance as soon as they were born. And what did the UN do? They turned on CNN and watched. They didn't even get out the powdered sugar!

In 1947 the UN promised a piece of land to Israel and by the time the final agreement was reached it was less than the size of the State of New Jersey! In 1948 there were 600,000 Jews living in the land. The Arab nations surrounding Israel were Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Population - 80 million! And the first words out of their mouths - "We're going to push you into the Mediterranean Sea!"

On May 14, 1948, Truman signed the official recognition of the new Nation of Israel and on May 15, 1948 (one day later) several hundred thousand militant, radical Jihadist Arabs attacked Israel (64,000 Jews) from the North, East and South. That's tantamount to pitting the Super Bowl winning New York Giants football team against our Ray County, MO Pop Warner all star team! On October 15, 1948, the battle was over. And the Giants lost!!! The war stories out of that struggle were and still are nothing short of miraculous! And what did the United States and the United Nations do? They didn't even send any powdered sugar! One would think that after such a humiliating thrashing, the Muslims would know better. But no! They had to learn it all over again. After some pseudo peace overtures, other battle fronts continued to break out, like in the Sinai Desert and much to the chagrin of the ancestors of Pharaoh (you'd think they know better) the Egyptian army ran home, humiliated by the rag-tag bunch of Jews! Finally on February 24, 1949, the War of Independence officially ended.

Then on Monday, October 28, 1956, about 7 years after the War of Independence ended, the 8 Day War broke out. Only this time Israel started it. And the reason they did was, they watched a tremendous build-up of troops and equipment along their borders. So they beat the enemy to the draw. This was a critical time in history when many thought Armageddon was the next biggie. Egypt sunk ships and closed the Suez Canal. Israel and much of Europe's trade stopped cold. But the UN troops took control of the Suez Canal and tempers cooled off. Just after that scare, John Foster Dulles pulled the United States forces out, along with the left over UN troops. That turned out to be a big mistake. But at least Israel saved herself from yet another threat of total defeat.

From 1957 to 1966, few border scuffles took place, mostly Arabs agitating the Israeli villages. In the meantime, the Israelis did not sit on their hands. They built up a tremendous Army and Air Force. Egypt again got big ideas. The big agitator was Nasser in Egypt. He had dreams and hopes of being the primary spokesman for all Arab countries. With a Russian backed Syria and King Hussein of Jordan, a huge Arab troop build-up alerted the leaders in Israel. That 1966 battle lasted - get this - six days! The Israelis increased their land area from 8,000 square miles to 26,500 square miles! That was war #3 in 20 years! 679 deaths and 2,563 wounded. One would think the Arabs would learn. But by now the motives for war added another facet. Yes, their hatred was and still is satanic. And yes, they wanted to gain a victory over the Jews and benefit from the billions of dollars in improvements Israel had made in the land. Now, after 3 humiliating defeats, they seethed with revenge. The other bad thing about these 3 victories was Israel became over-confident and arrogant. So, whether by design or by accident, the Arabs kept Israel on the edge with military build-ups and then a lull. And for Israel to mobilize for war it would cost them millions of dollars every day. These were expensive false alarms for Israel.

In September of 1973, in one week, the United States sent Israel three warnings of another Arab attack. But at so many millions of dollars a crack just to alert and get ready, Israel paid no attention. So, on a high Holy day, Yom Kippur, October 6 - war broke out - big time! At 2:00 a.m., Egypt to the South, Syria in the North and East, with the largest troop numbers since World War 2, they were at it again. On the Arab side were 838,000 hate filled troops. On the Israeli side273,000 Jews. Again human logic and only human resources cannot and will never explain the outcome. On October 25, the war came to a merciful end. It was only the influence of the USA and UN that saved Syria and Egypt. Israel had fought their way to within 20 miles of Damascus and the Syrians were in total disarray. In the South the Jews had crossed the Suez Canal and could have gone all the way to Cairo. Again the UN saved the day for the Arab Egyptians. Sometimes it appears as though the US and UN throw powdered sugar on Israel. Duh!

Some years later Bettie and I were on a cruise ship, along with some Lemon Grove friends, that carried the Egyptian Ambassador from Egypt to Israel to sign a peace treaty between the two countries. You'll remember Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president, died. He was shot and killed on a public platform as a result of negotiating with the Jews. The trigger man was not a Jew, but a fellow Arab. To this day the treaty holds. Egypt is not the threat to Israel that their fellow Arabs are. That says to me that it is possible to deal with the Arab people in such a way that Jews can live in relative peace with them. I'm sure there are still the nut case radicals in Egypt. They can be dealt with, but not with powdered sugar. The problem is, we deal with the Jihadists and the Hezbollah with real severity in one place and cow-tow down to them in another.

I repeat, all non-Muslim people in the world are considered infidels and according to the Koran, "All non-Muslims must be considered the enemies of Allah." The prime targets are the Jews and Americans. Why in the world any right thinking, freedom loving American would give an ounce of credibility to Jimmy Carter's headline grabbing trip to the Middle East is beyond my wildest imagination. Of all the known terrorists, Yasser Arafat was for sure an activist most, or all of his adult life. And what does our former president do? He honors his name by placing a wreath on his grave. That's right Jimmy Carter! Throw powdered sugar on....Israel!

I know I've gotten long winded here, but an overview of these last 60 or so years is vital to understand what's going on today. Don't get me wrong, Israel is not, nor has it ever been, guiltless and snow white clean. They are now and they are going to continue to be under divine discipline. And just like throughout the Old Testament, God is using an anti-Christ religion and culture to bring it all about to His honor and glory without ever compromising any of His divine attributes. Glory to His Holy name.

Until next time,

Blessings,
Bro. Bob Kleinschmidt

Focus Point # 20

The story I'm about to tell you is true. I believe it to be one of the most significant, bonifide miracles in the post New Testament time. First, a little biblical background information.Jesus had been crucified, buried and resurrected from the dead. The tomb was emptied. He had been walking, visiting, eating and drinking with His disciples and other believers for some 40 days. The subject of many of those conversations could be summed up in just two words: "What's next?" Wouldn't that be what you'd want to know? Acts 1:3 says they talked about "The Kingdom of God." Jesus told His disciples to go back into the city (they were on the Mount of Olives, just to the East of Jerusalem). Go there, he said, and wait for the Holy Spirit whom He had promised He would send. (John 14-17)Their question then was, "Are you going to, at this time, restore again the Kingdom of Israel?" A very specific question, right? And His very specific answer was: "It's not for you to know the times (chronos, the sequence or the successions of events) or seasons (Kairos, the nature, the kind of era) Acts 1:6 & 7. Now notice and mark it well, Jesus did not deny that the Kingdom of Israel would be restored. He just said they would not know the when, nor would they know the nature, the kind of restored Kingdom. Most of you who are reading this Focus Point have studied the Bible and are aware of the coming Kingdom, but those disciples didn't know. Not long after that Mount of Olives experience, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman army (70 A.D.) The great dispersion, the dispora, took place even prior to 70 A.D.. God purposely scattered the believers. One reason was to spread the gospel, another reason was so the Jewish believers wouldn't all die in Jerusalem destruction (70 A.D.). So from that time on, for hundreds of years, the Jewish people were to be without a land, without a Temple, without a government, without a military, without a currency and without a language.They were scattered all over the world, literally, for the next two thousand plus years. They were and are, hated, abused, molested, persecuted, maligned and murdered. Their beloved homeland? Well, here's the sad history:1. The Roman Period (A.D. 70-325) - 255 years2. The Byzantine Period (325-614) - 289 years3. The Persian Period (614-634) - 20 years4. The Arab Period (634-1072) - 438 years5. The Seljuk Period (1072-1099) - 27 years6. The Crusaders Period (1099-1291) - 192 years7. The Mameluke Period (1291-1517) - 226 years8. The Turkish (Ottoman) Period (1517-1917) - 400 years9. The British Period (1917-1948) - 31 years10. The Independent (Jewish) Period (1948-until middle of Tribulation)If you'll notice, there's no so-called "Palestinian period" on that list. That's because there has never been such a thing as a Palestinian nation or government. The thought or idea of such an entity was not even heard of until after the six day war between the surrounding Arab states and the little fledgling Nation of Israel (June 5-10, 1967).As you well know, during the late 1930's and well into the 1940's, Hitler and Stalin had a mandate from the devil himself to totally annihilate every last Jew they could find. Even after the war, Jewish people were hated and abused, being pushed around like orphaned waifs! The doors of England and the United States were locked tight! Not so today. The gates are opened to all! At least to the Muslims in England.Meanwhile, back at the ranch, during the Ottoman and British periods, Jerusalem and many other Judean cities were occupied with both Arabs and Jews. Then, known as Palestine, Jews and Arabs lived as friendly neighbors. Their kids played with one another, they worked side by side, they celebrated weddings and other happy events with one another. But - now here's the biggie! When talk of a British pull-out and the efforts of the Jewish people to petition for a homeland came, the Arab leaders stated to stir things up. In 1939 the British drew up a document called the "White Paper." The White Paper stated that Palestine would become an Arab state with a Jewish minority limited to 30% of the population. Well, without tredging through the details, that White Paper, in one stroke, broke the promises of the previous document called "The Balfour Declaration." Things got so bad between the Arabs and Jews, the Brits said, "We're out of here!" So they planned to leave - date set: 1948. That meant the Jews and Arabs would have to duke it out on their own. Total chaos? Yes and no.Here's the story: In Washington, D.C., God was at work through the upbringing and integrity of one Harry S. Truman. While in the U.S. Army, WW1, Harry met a fellow soldier, working with him in one of the supply units. This man was a Jew and they decided when they got out of the service they would open a haberdashery in Kansas City, MO. The store was located at 104 W. 12th in downtown Kansas City. It lasted two years and closed, but they remained close friends.President Truman brought to a quick and merciful end, WW2. But the Middle East was festering up again. (When has it done otherwise?) Some of the Zionist Jews were in America trying to raise dollars for the support of the Jewish people. Among them, Golda Meir and Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann. Eddie Jacobson, the president's long time friend, army buddy and business partner, boldly went to Washington D.C. to see the president. He pleaded with President Truman to see and talk to Chaim Weizmann for the purpose of drafting a formal and official recognition of a new State of Israel. Mr. Truman met with Chaim Weizmann and at first was opposed to such a move, but promised he would discuss it with his Cabinet. He later became convinced that he should honor their request. He held a very heated meeting in the Oval Office. Three were adamantly opposed. They were Gen. George Marshal, Dean Rusk and Clark Clifford. Three others were rather moderate. In the end, President Truman stood alone and signed the document!Someone had given the president a little sign about 8 or 9 inches long. it reads, "The Buck Stops Here." Of all the heroic things he did and stood for, none shines brighter in the annals of history than his signing of that document, without which the Nation of Israel would not have been born when it was.....May 14, 1948. Sixty years ago this coming May. That simple historic document reads:"This government has been informed that a Jewish state has been proclaimed in Palestine and recognition has been requested by the provisional government thereof. The United States Government recognizes the provisional government the defacto authority of the new State of Israel."Three days later Russia signed on. So, for the first time since September 8th, 70 A.D., the Holy Land, by official Gentile action, the United Nations and two supporting, standing governments, recognized the Land of Palestine as belongin to the new State of Israel. Think of it....after one thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight years, most of us reading this Focus Point, saw, we witnessed the beginning of the rattling of Ezekiel's vision in the Valley of Dry bones. That vision was given to Ezekiel in B.C. 587.Ezekiel Chapter 37.From B.C. 587 to 1948 A.D. you have 2,535 years. From 1948 A.D. to 2008 A.D. you have another 60 years, for a total of 2,595 years! Almost 3,000 years ago from Ezekiel's prophecy until now. And to think....we saw it happen. What a day we're living in.And my mind can't help but wonder - supposing that whole scenario hadn't taken place when Harry S. Truman was president? He was an ordinary kid, raised in a Baptist home in the Midwest with some real iblical values and an appreciation for a down-trodden, beaten up, abused race of people called the Jews.Supposing George W. had been the president. Or supposing it was Hillary, or a Liberal Palestinian supporting peanut farmer! And supposing it was none other than Barach Obama? Wow! Talk about God's perfect timing. Do you really think any of these people if they had been the president back in 1948 would have the guts to put their name on that document? I don't think so!I have no idea how many times down through the centuries the Jews have come close to extinction. Probably more than most of us think. And will it ever end? The latest? We don't have to look too far. It seems that the Israeli spy organization located the where-abouts of a long sought after enemy. One named Imad Mughniyah. Both the U.S. and Israel blamed him for bombings, kidnappings and highjacking over the last 25 years. He was one bad dude! So when the Mossad (Israeli CIA) found him....pow! Toast! Well, Imad, you live by the sword - you die by the sword. Now the Hezbollah, the guys wh live at the Arab end of Bush's "Road to Peace" are saying to the Zionists, the Israelis, "So you want war do you? Well, we have a right to defend ourselves and so we will."And here we go again. Jesus told His disciples, "It's not for you to know the times or the seasons." And they didn't. But we do. Not because we watch T.V. or read the newspapers. We have the Word of God.

Blessings,

Bro. Bob Kleinschmidt

Focus Point # 19

Well, just about the time when I think Focus Points ought to be put to bed for good, more requests come my way asking, "When are you going to send #19? Why, just a month or so ago another request came pouring in! Seriously, I don't want to just dribble on and on with no meaningful contribution to point out that the war on terror is just another phase of the angelic conflict - that conflict being the battle from eternity past, the conflict between God and Satan. I know little or nothing about the political dog fights that are now going on. Who really knows? I know less about the long term significance of the latest market plunge or the housing markets. Pay the mortgage payments, that's what I know. But I do read my Bible everyday and I have for almost 65 years. And as I compare what I read in that precious Book with what I read in our liberal Kansas city Star and the rest of the media, I am shocked and amazed.At the outset, let me tell you I love and pray almost daily for my President George W. Bush. I believe he is a believer, a child of God, a born again Christian. I remember reading of his conversion experience in a book written by a Christian author. I can't recall his name, but I looked up the web site of the man who led George W. Bush to Christ. That man's name is Arthur Blessitt. I met Arthur in Los Angeles and San Diego on several occasions. You may have heard or read about his "cross carrying" experiences in either all or almost every country in the world. Believe me when I say, Arthur preaches the Gospel! Well, anyway, a friend of George W. asked him to attend a meeting where Arthur was preaching in Midland, TX. George W. declined because he was the president's son. However, he did call Arthur and said, "Arthur, I do not feel comfortable attending a meeting, but I do want to talk to you about how to know Jesus Christ and how to follow Him." They did meet and the then future President of the United States bowed before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You can read it for yourself if you go to Google, type in "Arthur Blessitt" and read from his diary - April 3, 1984. That's why I believe the president is on his way to Heaven.But like the rest of us, he is sure running into some big pot holes and detours along the way. And now I think he's really out in the boonies! He's flying all over the place on Airforce One telling his Arab, Muslim counter parts that he prays to the same God they pray to. NO WAY! I think our president is on very dangerous ground that might well be described as blasphemy. I can tell you on scriptural authority that God does not tolerate people taking His name in vain, let alone putting Him on the same level as so-called "other gods." Think of it - his exact words were "I believe in an almighty God and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian or any other religion, prays to the same God."My first observation is - the president may be going to church regularly but he's not getting any Bible doctrine and the second is - you'll never hear a Muslim or Jew say "we all pray to the same God." Not a practicing Muslim or practicing Jew. I give you a quote from Cal Thomas in "Human Events" dated 10/19/07: "Whatever else his critics say of him, no one can fault President Bush for failing to go the extra mile in his efforts to show that neither he, nor the United States is opposed to the Islamic faith, or to Muslim nations."Last week the president and Mrs. Bush hosted their seventh Iftaar dinner, the celebration that breaks the Muslim fast during Ramadan. Immediately after 9/11, the president visited a Washington, D.C. mosque and proclaimed Islam a "religion of peace." He has frequently said that terrorists are not real Muslims, any more than people who proclaim to be Christian and engage in violence are genuine Christians."The president is the most openly evangelical Christian and faithful church-goer since Jimmy Carter. And the evangelical community has mostly embraced him and twice voted for him in overwhelming numbers. But that constituency is likely to be troubled over something the president said in an interview with Al Arabiya Television. In an official transcript released by the White House, the president said... "I believe in an almighty God and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God." Later in the interview the president repeated his statement: "I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality." No way, Mr. Bush. We're Gentiles, not Jew, not Arabs. We all came from Adam, not Abraham!"To paraphrase a remark often attributed to the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moyihan, everyone is entitled to his or her own faith, but everyone is not entitled to define the central doctrines of that faith. The doctrines of what is called Christianity not only stand in stark contrast to Islam, they also teach something contrary to what the president says he believes."It is one thing to try to reach out to moderate and sincerely peaceful Muslims. It is quite another to say the claims of your own faith are of no greater importance than the often contradictory claims of another faith. If we all worship the same God, the president should answer the call of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Osama bin Laden, convert to Islam and no longer be a target of their wrath. What difference would it make if we all worship the same God?"Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (carm.org) has created a useful chart that shows the conflicting claims of classic Christian belief and Muslim doctrines. It is worth studying, whatever one's faith."The central doctrine of the Christian faith is that God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for sinners and by repenting of sin and accepting Christ as Savior, one is "saved" and is guaranteed a home in Heaven. Muslims do not believe God had a son and, therefore, no atonement for sin is necessary. Muslims believe simply telling God one is sorry and repenting of sin is enough, if one also lives up to the five "pillars" of Islam. Furthermore, accoding to Muslims, Jesus did not die on a cross (as Christians believe); instead, God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and it was Judas who was crucified. "Evangelical Christians believe the Bible is God's Word and is without error in the original manuscripts. Muslims respect the word of the prophets, but claim the Bible has been corrupted (mostly by Jews) and is only correct insofar as it agrees with the Koran."God calls Himself "I Am" and says He is one, but with three personalities. Muslims believe God's name is Allah and reject the Trinity."How can the president say that we all worship the same God when Muslims deny the divinity of Jesus, whom the president accepts as the One through whom all must pass for salvation? Do both political parties have the same beliefs? Are all baseball teams equal? Clearly not, because only two will go to the World Series.The president can be commended for sincerely reaching out to Muslims, but he should not be commended for watering down his beliefs and the doctrines of his professed faith in order to do so. That's universalism. There are "churches" that believe in universalism. His Methodist church does not. No Christian who believes the Bible believes in universalism. And no Muslim who believes the Koran believes in universalism."President Bush is wrong - dangerously wrong - in proclaiming that all religions worship the same God." (end quote by Cal Thomas)And that brings me to another pot hole George W. has run into. Why would a man as smart and intelligent as our beloved president is, sit at the "peace table" with all the Jew hating, racially prejudiced, ruthless, war mongering, terrorist loving leaders of their so-called holy war? I think I found the answer to the question. At least to me it is the most logical explanation.On November 27, 2007, I received an email from my much beloved son, Donald. The author of the article is Pat Buchanan whom I respect and whose articles I love to read. Read it! It's important:"Ideology Was Bush's Undoing"... by Patrick J. Buchanan"Over lunch, a liberal friend expressed puzzlement. Citing the title of Tom Oliphant's new book about the Bush administration, "Utter Incompetents," he wondered aloud....'Like him or not, Bush is not an unintelligent man and he is a principled and energetic executive. As for Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and the others, almost all had long resumes of accomplishment in politics, government and business. Why, then, do they seem to have failed so dismally?'"In my new book, "Day Of Reckoning," published this week, I offer an answer. If there is a one root cause to the Bush failures, it has been his fatal embrace of ideology."Ideology is a substitute religion, a belief system based on ideas that are often contradicted by history and common sense. Yet men will adhere to ideologies with a zealotry that borders on fanaticism."Marxism, fascism and socialism were, are ideologies, gods that failed. So, too, is democratism, the gospel of George W. Bush."Democratism is a belief that all men are equally endowed with a desire for freedom and an aptitude for democracy. All can be uplifted and all brought to see that democracy is the one true path to peace in our world. In democracy lies our salvation."This conviction lay behind the invasion of Iraq, Bush's crusade to democratize the Middle East and his "global democratic evolution" to "end tyranny in our world." And as Woodrow Wilson's crusade "to make the world safe for democracy" gave us Lenin, Stalin and Hitler, Bush's crusade for democracy is leaving us with asses in our mouths." (end quote by Patrick J. Buchanan)I believe you can see from these two rather long, but informative quotations, the angelic conflict is growing more intensified everyday. From a biblical perspective (mine) we have a Bible believing president who either does not know of the demonic hatred of radical Islamists, or, if he knows, he must be of the persuasion that they will someday change their minds and admit that their terrorist movement is doomed for failure and they will embrace a democratic free society. Yeh right! When pigs fly!Our president, along with the State Department, has taken the initiative and the lead in trying to bring about the "Annapolis Road Map To Peace." This plan, to be completed by the end of 2008, will officially recognize a PLO government and nation with its Capitol to be located in the City of Jerusalem. This holy city, along with other parts of the Nation of Israel, is to be given to the PLO. Of course, this ruthless, fraud land deal stipulates that the holy sites are to remain open to all Jews and Christians. (I see more pigs flyin' here.).To my knowledge there is not one Arab, Islamic terrorist nation that does not want a bonified, recognized, sovereign nation of Jews pushed into the Mediterranean Sea! Not one! And the Jews are supposed to give over the Golan Heights, the Gaza Strip and the City of Jerusalem....for the hope of peace. Speaking of those Jew hating nations, Mr. Bush, on his last "good will" trip to the Middle East, has agreed to sell to Saudi Arabia two hundred billion bucks worth of military equipment. I wonder who they intend to use that stuff on. I doubt they'll ever use it on any of their Arab buddies.I sound almost hateful don't I? Well, when you hear about some of those radicals strapping explosives to the bodies of mentally retarded women and marching them into the public square of Baghdad to kill innocent men, women and children, and when you see them training grade school aged kids to become ruthless terrorists....no wonder Im skeptical about a road to peace.We're still in a war on terrorism and 99.99% of the enemy are radical Islamists. And I hold no hope for any political or military good to come from the enemy. Nor am I hoping for any good to come from the "Road to Peace" in 2008! Why? Well, just look at Gaza, a portion of Israel given over to the Arabs and the Palestinians to live in and self control. So what do they do week after week? Lob rockets at the Israelis! The Israelis moved their people out (we watched that on TV) and got nothing but misery when it was supposed to bring peace. Now Gaza is self controlled. Yeah, right! The official government? Hamas! Can you believe we, the USA and other "free world" powers send military aid to Hamas to protect themselves from Jewish terrorists and aggression? No wonder I sound hateful! Read just one short passage from the O.T. That's "Old Testament" just in case someone from the State Department is checking blogs.In Zephaniah 2:4-7 we read of Gaza's coming destruction: "For Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day and Ekron shall be rooted up. Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the Nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines (Palestinians?), I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon. In the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity."This looks like a place on the map to me. As a matter of fact....it is! It's Gaza. I'm glad my eternity is in the hands of a loving God and not the Democrats or the Republicans.

Blessings,

Bro. Bob Kleinschmidt

Focus Point #18

Years ago while studying the Word of God under the guidance and influence of Colonel R. B. Thieme of Baracha Church in Houston, TX, he introduced to me the four laws of Divine Establishment. These four laws, or principles by which God set out for the human race to follow, have been and are now, in my opinion, becoming more and more relevant everyday. I am including in this Focus Point a summary of this doctrine.

DEFINITION - A divine institution is a principle of divine operation directed toward the human race for its orderly direction and preservation.
DIVINE INSTITUTION #1 - VOLITION
God gives every human being the choice to be independent of God or to live and act with dependence upon Him. Every individual has the right to make his/her own decisions and to be responsible for those decisions. The authority in Divine Institution #1 is God. Gen. 1 and 2.

Side note: Several months ago a friend sent me via email, a speech given by Herb Meyer, who, at one time, held a high office in the CIA. It is one of the most interesting and relevant emails I have ever received. The following is a quote from Herb Meyer's speech:

"There are three major monotheistic religions in the world: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In the 16th century, Judaism and Christianity reconciled with the modern world. The rabbis, priests and scholars found a way to settle up and pave the way forward. Religion remained at the center of life, church and state became separate. Rule of law, idea of economic liberty, individual rights, human rights...all these are defining points of modern Western civilization. These concepts started with the Greeks but didn't take off until the 15th and 16th century when Judaism and Christianity found a way to reconcile with the modern world. When that happened, it unleashed the scientific revolution and the greatest outpouring of art, literature and music the world has ever known.

"Islam, which developed in the 7th century, counts millions of Moslems around the world who are normal people. However, there is a radical streak within Islam. When the radicals are in charge, Islam attacks Western civilization. Islam first attacked Western civilization in the 7th century and later in the 16th and 17th centuries. By 1683 the Moslems (Turks from the Ottoman Empire) were literally at the gates of Vienna. It was in Vienna that the climatic battle between Islam and Western civilization took place. The West won and went forward. Islam lost and went backward. Interestingly, the date of that battle was September 11. Since then, Islam has not found a way to reconcile with the modern world. Today terrorism is the third attack on Western civilization by radical Islam. To deal with terrorism, the U.S. is doing two things. First, units of our armed forces are in 30 countries around the world hunting down terrorist groups and dealing with them. This gets very little publicity.

"Second, we are taking military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. These are covered relentlessly by the media. People can argue about whether the war in Iraq is right or wrong. However, the underlying strategy behind the war is to use our military to remove the radicals from power and give the moderates a chance. Our hope is that, over time, the moderates will find a way to bring Islam forward into the 21st century. That's what our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is all about." (End of quote).

It is interesting to note that, of these three major monotheistic religions, it is Islam that, by design, tries to not only deny volition and the right to choose, but they intend to destroy those who will not submit to that so-called "Belief system." If ever Satan had a massive weapon with which to war against God, it's Islam! Plus, along with their message of "Submit to Allah, or else," they are infested with the most hateful anti-Jewish , destroy Israel at all costs attitude, now and throughout world history. Obviously, I think Herb Meyer's hopeful scenario of ever bringing Islam into the 21st century is a hopeless dream. It ain't going to happen! Never! Neither is President Bush's hope of defeating terrorism and establishing democracies in the Middle East.

DIVINE INSTITUTION #2 -MARRIAGE
This is the basic organization of the human race. It is the institution God established for the orderly function and reproduction of the human race. It is a civil institution - not a Christian institution. People are considered married or unmarried according to their civil law. If the laws of a nation state that a marriage is constituted with the exchange of wheat or goats or property, then they are married. Old Testament marriages were arranged by the parents. (This would never do today in politically correct USA).
In a biblical marriage the husband is the initiator, aggressor and the authority but remember, marriage is for believers and unbelievers. When this institution is neglected, the nation can be destroyed. Genesis 2:18-25. Admittedly, most marriages leave much to be desired, even in "Christianized countries" but where does the religion and life-style of radical Islamic Jihad fit in this Divine institution? Not even close! They are instructed to marry four women and they, the husbands, are to scourge any or all of his wives when they disobey him! (Quran 4:34)
DIVINE INSTITUTION #3 - FAMILY
This institution is set up to raise and train children in areas of respect for authority, respect for the rights of others, the privacy of others, the respect for common law, the property of others (public and private). Genesis 4 through 10, in particular 4:1-15; 5:1-3. Authority....parents.
In the institution of family, the child is to be taught how to live life and to function in a community of others, i.e. family, at play, at school, at work, etc. Key words? - love and discipline. And, oh yes, respect for authority. Obviously, the hard core Islamic Jihad, the holy war that many of them are waging is not in the Divine design!
DIVINE INSTITUTION #4 - NATIONALISM
This is the means of protecting and preserving the human race from evils such as Hitler and Stalin. No segment of the human race gets enough power so as to destroy or control the rest of the human race. To have no nations is internationalism. This is the target of Satan for the world system. The design of nationalism is to provide protection for the individual, giving him the freedom to live according to his own volition. The authority in nationalism are the national leaders according to the laws of the nation.

I can't imagine any greater threat to any people in any nation than the presence and control of the Islamic Jihad. Just the massive influx of the Islamic people in Europe and Great Britain is just a foretaste of the coming changes. Laws are being flaunted. Life-styles are being altered and changed - all against the wishes of the people. It seems as though even though the people and leadership are against these changes, they are almost powerless to slow it all down or to stop it.
Just think of the changes that have swept over our beloved country in the last ten to fifteen years
as a result of "political correctness." Add to that, our unprotected borders are an open door invitation, not only to the poor man or woman who wants a better life (who can blame them for that?) but it leaves the gates open for the terrorists and those with their own political agenda. My friend, we are in some deep trouble.
That's why Divine Institution #4 is so vital. Each country is designed by God, to be free to develop its own political structure, its own economy and tax system, its own military and its own laws. And listen to this - there is not one human being on the face of the earth with the intellect, the humility, the honesty and compassion to lead this world into a period of the freedoms and liberties that God has designed for the human race.

It's obvious, at least it is to me, that when God moved upon the prophets in the Old Testament, He led them to write of an age, a period of time when the Messiah would rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They wrote of a time when men would beat the swords into plowshares and the lion would lie down with the lamb and of His Kingdom, His rule, His reign, there would be no end.
I don't see that coming out of the "United Nothings" - I mean the United Nations. I don't see that coming out of the Islamic Jihad, nor do I see that coming from the Democrats or the Republicans!
I'll tell you where I do see it. I see it in the verses and chapters that make up The Book of The Revelation of The Lord Jesus Christ.
"If you read this prophecy aloud to the Church, you will receive a special blessing from the Lord. Those who listen to it being read and do what it says will also be blessed. For the time is near when these things will all come true." Revelation 1:3

Blessings,
Bro. Bob K

Focus Point # 17

The angelic conflict is what it is and it will never be anything else. It is the greatest battle of all time and all eternity. It is the conflict between God and Satan. God is the essence of love, light and truth. Satan is the exact opposite. He is the essence of hate, darkness and deceit. God is infinite and He is without limits regarding any and all of His attributes. Satan, on the other hand, possesses none of God's attributes. Not one! He is a limited, created being.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one in essence and three in personality. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit love the Son far beyond any and all comprehension. God the Holy Spirit, during Jesus Christ's human journey, found no greater purpose than to glorify the Son. In the Gospel of John 16:14, Jesus said, "He (the Holy Spirit) shall glorify Me in that He will show you who I Am." And remember, it was God the Holy Spirit who led the Apostle Paul to write in the Book of Philippians 2:9-11 - "The Father gave Jesus a name which is above every name" (V.9) and in V. 12 He said, "The Father will receive the ultimate glory when every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord!" That means that every angel was created by God to glorify the Son. That's why Lucifer was created in the first place. He and every other angel. Angels, in their un-fallen state, had a volition, a capacity to choose, given them by the Creator. Why? I think the answer is obvious: What glory comes from a heart that has no choice? So the Eternal God created angels with the capacity to choose to love and honor the Son. Lucifer chose not to obey God. He wanted the glory for himself.

Obviously, God did not and could not, by virtue of His own nature, allow Lucifer, the angel of light, to stay in His presence and to continually not love and glorify His Son. So the "angel of light" was cast out of the presence of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. He then became the prince of darkness! He, along with those angels who chose to follow him.

Okay. Then why Adam and Eve? Why Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Why Pharaoh? Why Hitler? Why Saddam Hussein? Why Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Why Paul? and why Billy Graham? Why was Billy created? And Mother Theresa, she was about as humble and sweet as they come. Why was she born? Why did God give her life? Why you? Why me? Why the human race? One answer fits all! To believe in Jesus Christ as our only substitute, dying to pay the penalty of our inherited sin nature and all of our sinful deeds and to give us eternal life. And....here's the biggie: To give glory, praise and love to JESUS CHRIST, confessing Him to be the Lord of our life, all as a result of our hearing the Good News and of our own free will, believing in what He did for us, He did out of love!

Does Jesus Christ really deserve all of the love and glory that God says He deserves? Of course He does. But that's a choice every soul must make. Some say "Yes, He does" and some say "No, He doesn't."

Still looking at the big picture, how do we humans know when we're doing the right thing in this angelic conflict issue? Well, it varies. It depends upon who you are and at what point in time we're talking about. Take the Old Testament Jewish people. God singled them out from all the other people in the world. He gave them a set of laws and rules whereby they could know when they were obedient and when they were disobedient. (What about the rest of the human race? We'll get to that in a moment.) Along with those laws, God gave to the Jewish people phenomenal, marvelous, awe inspiring miracles to verify His own existence and His love for His people. Did God give those laws to other people? No, He didn't. Did He do those miracles for other people? No, He didn't. He gave the Law (Mosaic) to the Jews only. (Deuteronomy 4:8 and Romans 2:12-14) Did other people, did Gentile people see those miracles? Yes, the saw many of them, but not all. So, suffice to say, the Jewish people knew, they were told what to do to honor God. If they, the Jews, obeyed the Law, honor would come to the Son of God, the One to Whom the Law pointed and spoke of. Amazing!

The other group, the vast amount of people that God has given explicit instructions to as to what they should be and do to love and honor the Son, is the Church, those who believe and obey the Bible record as to why it was that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, grew up and lived the perfect life and died on the Cross for the sin of the world. To those people, the Church, who make up "The Body of Christ," God has given another set of instructions as to how they should love, worship and give honor to the Son. Those instructions are found in the Bible from the Book of Romans to the last Book, the Book of the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the hundreds of millions of people in the world who do not believe in or love the Lord Jesus Christ, those 22 Books, from Romans to The Revelation, are a complete and total mystery. Included in this group are those Jews who do not believe in, they do not love and trust the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Messiah. In this group there are some great, moral, good, fine people, but not believers. Not "Christian." And also in this group there are some very bad, evil people.

Now the question I want to lay on the table is: Has God given to these hundreds of millions of people any instructions, any so called laws or standards of behavior whereby they could know what God, down through the years, has expected of them? Yes!

DIVINE ESTABLISHMENT, or LAW #1 is the establishment of VOLITION. Every soul born into this world, unless, of course, they are retarded or mentally handicapped, every soul, every person is capable of making choices. Some believe in God and some don't. Every soul born into the world is born with a GOD CONSCIOUSNESS. That is, in their soul there is an awareness that there IS a God. If they choose to continue to believe, I believe God will continue to give them additional information which will someday lead them to the message of the Gospel. Unfortunately, some, many take that inbred knowledge of God with which they are born and hide it in their own unbelief and thus never worship God or come to the knowledge of the truth - the Gospel. They do not love and glorify the Son. And God has given to them other rules and laws to obey. The one law that stands out is - No one is to murder another. When that happens, the perpetrator denies the VOLITION and the life God has given to the victim.

The next DIVINE INSTITUTION is MARRIAGE. The third is FAMILY and the fourth is NATIONAL ENTITY. All these we will take up the next time. In the meantime, fight the good fight of faith and honor the Son.

Blessings,
Bro. Bob

Focus Point # 16

Well, is there or is there not? Some say there is and some say there is not. I'm one, among many, who say there is and there are many more who say there is not. What do you think? And about now you're thinking, "I don't even know what the question is."

The question is, "According to the Bible, is there a future land, a place promised by God for the Jewish people?" Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm one of those who believe there is. I believe the Bible teaches that what Isaiah wrote as a prophecy, as a literal coming event, will come true. Among other things promised in Isaiah 9:6 & 7 is that Jesus will return to earth to sit upon the Throne of David, where He shall rule the whole world with justice and righteousness. If my memory serves me correctly, that will be the Throne in the City of Jerusalem.

And look at this in Isaiah 49:13-16. V 13 - the instructions from God "sing O Heavens and be joyful O earth and break forth into singing O mountains for the Lord hath comforted His people and will have mercy upon His afflicted. V 14 - But Zion, (the Land of Israel, the city of David) said the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me. But God says through His prophet in V 15 - can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget (but I won't) yet will I not forget thee. V 16 - Behold, I have engraved thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls (the City of Jerusalem, your dwelling places) are continually before me.

Generally speaking, the folks who believe that the Jew is no longer in the picture are called A-Millenialists. The prefix "A" meaning NO Millennium, no one thousand year rule of King Jesus on David's Throne in Jerusalem.

Another name, or moniker, for this thinking, is Replacement theology. They believe that when Israel, the nation, the leadership and general population rejected Jesus as Messiah, God wiped His hands of that whole plan and ended His dealings with the Jewish people. Therefore, to their way of thinking, there are no unfulfilled prophecies for the Jewish people and there will be no future restoration for the City of Jerusalem or any other part of the land! they believe (and I don't) that when the Jews rejected the Messiah, all of God's covenant promises were transferred to the Church! Or to put it another way, all of the great promises and unconditional covenants made to Israel came to an end at their rejection and Israel was replaced by the Church!

Well, well! What about all those promises, those prophecies that speak of a world wide re-gathering of the Jewish people? Their answer: These promises are not to be interpreted literally, but allegorically. These promises are now directed to the elect, being brought into the Church until the Church is complete. (Remember, an allegory is a story in which people, things or happenings really have another meaning). Wow! That sure lets a loving, sovereign, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable God off the hook!

If the behavior of the people called Jews is the criteria as to whether or not God keeps His promises, the Church is in big trouble. The way I read Church history, we haven't done any better than the Israelites did. As a matter of fact, considering all of the divine operating assets we've had compared to theirs, our hopes are in the tank! And, on top of that, from what I see in the direction the Church seems to be taking, our hopes of assuming all of those promises are getting dimmer by the hour. Thank the Lord, most of His promises are based upon who He is and what He did and is doing....and not on us!

Let me give you another name or designation that ought to be familiar to you. The term is "dispensationalist" or to be more specific in the area of Bible prophecy, "pre-Millennialist." I am a
pre-Millennial, pre-Tribulation, dispensationalist (whew!) And, oh yes, I am a Baptist. A Southern Baptist. I think there will be a Rapture, a catching away, of the Church (true believers) before a 7 year Tribulation period. And I believe Jesus Himself will rule the world, sitting on the Throne of David for 1,000 years prior to the total destruction of the whole world. This will happen due to global warming. Not a hole in the ozone, according to Al Gore, but a total, complete bon fire. II Peter 3:10. "........the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are in it shall be burned up." Generally speaking, a ton of Southern Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Church of God, Methodists and a whole bunch more do not believe what I just told you...what I believe. I don't want you to think I'm the only one who believes what I have just spelled out. Not by a long shot! I am in a camp of hundreds of thousands. But in sheer numbers, the A-Millennial view out rank the pre-Millennial view. And that means most of all Christendom, people who call themselves "Christian" do not believe there is a place in Bible prophecy dealing with the Nation of Israel.

Many in this "There ain't no unfulfilled promises to the Jews" camp are main line liberal denominations and they not only side with the poor peace loving, displaced Palestinians, but they have also taken the anti Israel, anti Semitic stance where it hurts big time! Out of their billion dollar strong savings and retirement funds, they have put a restriction on those investment companies. They have designated that none of their investments should ever be used to serve the purposes of Israel. That is: If the Caterpillar Corporation sells any of their construction equipment to Israel - pull the funds out of the Caterpillar Corporation.

That's the result of the Jimmy Carter lie, saying that Israel is the blame for the apartheid actions against the Palestinians. And that, my friend, is a big fat lie!

From what I've read and studied, when you look at the 5.5 million Jews in the Promised Land today, only 4, 5 or at the most, 6 thousand of them are believers in Jesus as their Messiah. And on top of that, most of the unbelievers are not orthodox, that is, they classify their religious position as atheist or agnostic. To be sure, there are some strong Christ honoring, Bible teaching ministries in the Land, but Israel is a far cry from what they will be like when the Lord Jesus returns to sit upon that glorious Throne. That means, of course, morally, politically, they're not what they should be. But hey, look at Washington, D.C.

Do yourself a favor. Pull out your bible and take a stroll down into one of our dear Father's luscious vineyards and read Deuteronomy chapter 30; Isaiah 27 and Ezekiel 39:25-29. And may the Lord honor His Word in our hearts as we stroll.

Blessings,
Bro. Bob

Focus Point #15

First let me thank those of you who have written or called to thank Bettie and me for our time and efforts to bring to you, via email, what we think is a biblical perspective of what's going on in the Middle East. I well realize that I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but at the same time, let me brag about those whose books I've read and studied under. They are the "sharp" ones! Most of the views I try to pass on are not original with me. I've never tried to hide the fact that I didn't want the churches where I was privileged to serve to suffer under my originality! So here we go with #15.

I'm sure that the accounts of some of the experiences that Adam and Eve had were passed on to their kids. These people had walked with the Lord Himself in the cool of the day. They had to have shared some of those things with Cain and Able. Those boys knew that their parents lived in the Garden of Eden and they knew what caused their eviction from that first address. Noah just had to have talked about what went on before he got on that boat with his family. They didn't talk about TV, politics or sports. They talked about why people rejected his preaching for 120 years.
They talked about the satanic, negative to God attitude of the people. You'll never convince me that Abraham didn't explain to his son, Isaac, why his mom and dad didn't have their first son until so late in life. (Abe was 90 when Ishmael was born and Sarah was 80, though she was not Ishmael's mother..Hagar was). Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born and Sarah was 90. I don't profess to know what they said, but you know they talked about it. There was far more said than was written in the Bible.

Likewise, when God made that covenant, that UNCONDITIONAL covenant with Abraham, surely God told Abraham what He had done while Abraham was in his "deep sleep." God told Abraham that his seed would go into a land of strangers and become slaves for 400 years. That's a literal 400 years (count em') and then that nation (Egypt) would be judged. (Most of them died in the Red Sea.) Just ask Charleton Heston....he was there! What's more, God told Abraham that after 400 years in slavery, they would come out rich, and they did.....literally!

I think God told Abe how He Himself, in the form of that smoking furnace and burning lamp, passed between those animals. And then - get this - He, God, laid out the boundaries to the Promised Land. Literal, identifiable boundaries. Check it out, it's easy. It's in Genesis 15:19,20 & 21. Why is all this so important in this angelic conflict? It's important to me because I believe that a large group of Christians, way more than just one denomination, have come to so interpret the Word of God, that it has led many to a very subtle and deceiving anti-Semitic attitude.

But before we deal with that issue, let's go to the next major passage that deals with this "unconditional covenant" issue. This next passage of scripture is the record of God's promise to David that his kingdom would last forever; that someday the children of Israel would occupy the "Promised Land" and that they would move no more and those who afflicted them would hassle them no more...never! The scripture is II Samuel 7:8-17. It's called "The Davidic Covenant," the unconditional agreement, or promise that God made to King David.
After David died, his son Solomon became the king..II Samuel 7:13. "He (Solomon) shall build a house (the Temple) for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Now tell me, how can you misinterpret that? How can you twist, turn, reverse or make that to mean any other than what it says without purposely changing the obvious meaning? Let me insert right here and give you the most widely accepted rule of interpretation in the Bible believing, evangelical world: "When the plain sense of the scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense. Therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate text, studied in the light of related passages, axiomatic and fundamental truths indicate clearly otherwise.! (Author, David L. Cooper)

Why am I making such a fuss about these very important Covenants? Well, as I said, there are those Christians, and there are many, and make no mistake about it, I do believe many of them are believers and I think they really love the Lord, but I, along with many other Christians, believe they have made and are making a terrible mistake in what they believe and preach. They have, and they are taking literal statements made in the Word of God and giving them an entirely different meaning.

I'll give you one illustration of just how far these guys will go, just how much liberty some of them will take to change the Word of God just to make it fit their thinking.

From the Broadman Commentary (Southern Baptist Convention) published in 1969. These were bad years for our Convention. Anyway, you well recall that God told Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to the Lord. Obedient Abraham and his obedient son, Isaac, did just what God told them to do, even to the point where God told Abraham to tell his son, Isaac, to lay down on the altar...and he did. God told Abraham to take a knife and slay his son...and he did....almost! They claimed in the commentary that the reason Abraham offered Isaac was..."The climax of the psychology of his life." What gobble-d-gook is that? When anybody takes so much liberty and freedom in interpreting the Word of God, no wonder they do so much glossing over and cover up when it comes to the literal fulfilling of literal prophecies concerning Israel. It winds up being pure anti-Semitic rhetoric.

Let me suggest one book, by one well known author, Jimmy Carter and his most recent fictional novel (it's not intended to be, but it is fiction) "Palestine;Peace, Not Apartheid." It has so many misleading, untrue statements in it that some of his most ardent supporters and board members of his organization have resigned. Some have even challenged him to a public debate! Make no mistake - Jimmy believes what he wrote because that anti-Israel attitude has been deeply engrained in him, even in his church life. For many years he belonged to a liberal church whose theology has no place for Israel. None whatsoever! So what did that old peanut farmer write that was so bad? Here's one thing he wrote that's a flat out lie. Jimmy believes that Yassir Arafat has never advocated the annihilation of Israel! Man, that was the gas in Arafat's tank! That's what kept him running...that was his life! That, and stealing money that was meant for his starving followers. And another thing - he said that in the so-called Camp David peace accords that Israel would withdraw to the 1967 border on the West Bank! Baloney! The real truth is "The negotiations concerning the West Bank and Gaza will resolve among other matters the location of the boundaries." No, my friend, Jimmy comes from a long line of Southern Baptists who believe there are no scriptures that teach any future for the Jewish people. They believe that because the Jews rejected the Messiah, God took the promises He made to Israel and gave them to the Church. How do you like them apples?

According to that line of thinking, what's to keep God from changing His mind about John 3:16 or I John 3:2? Don't even let it enter your mind!

More next time.
Blessings,
Bro. Bob

FOCUS POINT #14

"Greetings, without meetings." That's the good news. You don't have to attend yet another meeting. The bad news is, we can't sit down with a cup of coffee or a coke and just chat and visit awhile.

I want to write about a VERY IMPORTANT fact concerning the Angelic Conflict, the biggest war, the greatest battle in the history and the future the world has ever known or ever will know. If you're interested you can read this Focus Point. If not, hit "delete." You can do either because I believe you have a free will - you can read or not read.

In this and the next one or two Focus Points, I want to go down this road and deal with a very important issue. The question, the issue is: Did God, in the Old Testament, make promises to the Jewish people that could be nullified or revoked if they didn't keep their end of the bargain? The answer is a resounding yes! Just read through chapter 26 of Leviticus. Read the "ifs" in verses 3, 14, 18, 21, 23, 27 and verse 40. As you read those "ifs," those conditions, you will also read God's responses. God says, in essence, "If you will, then I won't." Or, "If you don't, then I will." Some of the promises in the Old Testament are conditional. In these contracts God says, "This is what I'm going to do regardless of what you do or don't do. It makes no difference."

I want to give you and identify for you one of the major covenants between God Himself and the Jewish people. An unconditional covenant. This covenant is so huge and so relevant that it was made over 4,000 years ago and we have yet to see just how God will go about to keep every detail of this promise to the people we call "The Jews."

First, a little background. After the fiasco at the Tower of Babel, Terah took his three sons and went to the area of Ur among the Chaldeans, a real first class, low life bunch! They tried to think of wrong things to do and be everyday. Terah, the father, the patriarch, had three boys, Haran (who died in the move), Nahaor and Abram. Nahor was the father of Lot (the loser.) You remember Lot who moved his family to Sodom and Gomorrah. He never got Ur out of his mind. But get this - look at II Peter 2:7. I'll do it for you. "And delivered just Lot." That doesn't mean that Lot was the only one that got away. It means that Justified, or righteous Lot was delivered out of that blankety blank bunch of losers in verses 5 & 6 of II Peter 2.

Well, back to Abram (Abraham). Terah, Abram and his kid brother Nahor are now living in one of the most anti-God slime pits in the world and God Himself comes to Abram and says (my own impression as to how this all went) "Abe, you don't know me, but I know you. I am God and I'm going to tell you where I want you to go and what I want you to do. Will you believe me?" Abe says, "Yes sir, I do believe you and I will obey you." (Sort of like the way God dealt with Paul (Saul) on his way to Damascus to kill a few Christians). Right there on the spot, right there on skid row, God then says to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 (1) "I will show you a land" (the present land of Israel). (2) " I will make of you a great nation." (3) "I will bless you, make your name great, and you, Abe, though you are now living in the slime area of the worst neighborhood, you are going to be a blessing to the whole world." (4) "And I will bless all of those who bless you and I will curse all of those who curse you. And on top of that Abe my boy (get this), in thee, in YOU shall all the families of the whole earth be blessed!" Now listen!! God never said that to Caesar of Rome or the King of England or the President of the United States. He never said that to the Southern Baptist Convention, the Episcopalians, Catholics, Reformed Presbyterians, unreformed Presbyterians or anyone else! He said that to the FIRST JEW who ever walked on the face of this earth. Period! And what's more, there are NO ifs, buts or maybes in this UNCONDITIONAL PROMISE!

And then, just to show the rest of the human race that He meant what He said and said just what He meant, God has Moses, years later, record an experience that Abraham had with God Himself. You MUST READ CAREFULLY Genesis chapter 15:7-21. I'm going to just mention the highlights.
(verse 7) "Abe, I'm going to give you, the father of the Jewish race, the land" - spelled out in verses 18-21.
(Verse 8) - Abraham says, "Lord, how do I know or how will I know you'll do this?"
(verse 9) - God said, "Abe, take a heifer (young cow), a she goat, a ram, a dove and a young pigeon. Slice the heifer, the goat and the ram (not the birds) those three animals down the middle." Ugh! He did it....and waited. While he waited, some vultures and birds of prey landed on the carcasses and started pecking away. But Abe shooed em' away. Finally, when the sun started to set, Abe got sleepy, went into a deep sleep and dreamed a bad nightmare. God spoke through his dream and told him just exactly what was going to happen. And would you believe?....it happened! Yes, what God promises, He performs! Maybe not by our clocks and calendars, but in His own time. Remember my friend, God's delays are not denials. Well anyway, you well know that what God promised and prophesied in Verses 13 - 16 happened. They were slaves in Egypt for 400 years.

Then in verse 17 God revealed Himself in the form of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. God passed between the divided carcasses of the heifer, she goat and the ram! This was a Far Eastern custom. The sealing of a covenant or contract, an unconditional agreement was the two parties passing between both sides of the divided animals, looking at the slain animals and saying "May what happened to these animals happen to either one, or both of us if we do not keep this covenant! So God, NOT ABRAHAM, God alone passed between the carcasses and said to Abraham, "MAY WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE ANIMALS HAPPEN TO ME IF I DON'T KEEP MY WORD AND KEEP THE PROMISES I MADE TO YOU." Abraham was in a deep sleep when God said this. Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-5 and Genesis 15:13-21.

How can any frail, limited, finite human being make the claim that GOD CHANGED BECAUSE ISRAEL, THE JEWS FAILED? Neither the success nor the failure of the Jews has ever been a part of this covenant. W. E. Vine says the verb form of this word means "To cut, to divide." Abraham may have done the cutting, but he was "out cold" when GOD SIGNED the deal and to the best of my knowledge, I can't find one verse in the Old Testament or the New Testament that nullifies, cancels out or changes this UNCONDITIONAL covenant.

Until next time, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Shalom! Oh yes, remember MALACHI 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I CHANGE NOT, therefore ye sons of Jacob are NOT CONSUMED.

Blessings.....Bro. Bob

Focus Point #13

Well friends (and others) if you've been reading your Bible and if you've been reading the newspapers for the last 50 or 60 years and if you've been watching the TV news, you just might be convinced that after all they've been through, God still has a plan and a purpose for the Jewish people and the Nation of Israel.

Let's see, first there were the Egyptians. Isn't it strange how the critics of the Word of God try to tell us that where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea it was a shallow area called "The Sea Of Reeds." (Their way of explaining away the greatest miracle in the Old Testament). I wonder how they explain that shallow area being the same waters where the Egyptians and their horses all drowned?

After the Egyptians, came the Amalekites. They're gone! Then the Assyrians, then Syria, then Phoenicia, then the Philistines and then....Rome! The whole bunch - history!

Rome was the big shot, smart aleck bunch that could do no wrong in their own eyes. (yeah, right!) They ruled the Jews from 63 BC until 320 AD - 383 or so years. Guess what took them out? Their own rotteness, filth and debauchery. Along came the Byzantines. They were from the area of Turkey, and the Greek Orthodox church. Many of the religious sites in Israel date back to these people. Finally in 636 they were defeated by the Arabs. They held control of the land until about 1070. The Arabs were then defeated by the Seljuks, also Turks, but from a different "flock of turkeys." (tee hee.) They lasted only about 30 years when along came the famous Crusades. I should say the "Christian Crusades." These Christian Crusaders were nothing but a bunch of unemployed marauders who headed for the Holy Land, killing and raping on their way to rid the land of Palestine of the Arabs, the infidels. How many Jews they raped, robbed and murdered on the way will never be known this side of Heaven. When they arrived on the scene in Israel in about 1099, they rounded up all the Jews they could find, put them in the Synagogues, locked the doors and gates and set the places on fire. Men, women and children! Burned alive! They, my friend, were the so called Christians, cleaning up the Holy Land. They held control for about 100 years and the Turks came back strong and mean.

From the time the Turks came back until the return of the Jews, not one group of people - not one - none of those controlling groups had ever formed a government with laws, financial structure, all of the entities that make up a government. No infrastructure was known. No military. Not until the Jews did it in 1948. To be exact, Friday, May 14th, 1948. All during those previous years - the 17, 18 and 1900's, there was no Palestinian government. And get this, they don't have one now. (Getting close.) The land we now call Israel was never without Jews living in the land. Can you even imagine the treatment they received all during those hundreds of years? Again, we'll never know this side of Heaven.

We also know some about what happened to the Jews who lived outside of those God promised borders.
In 1096....over 12,000 were killed in Germany.
In 1290....all Jews banished from England.
In 1306....all Jews thrown out of France.
In 1492....110,000 expelled from Spain. They wanted Spain to be 100% Catholic. (The infamous inquisition)
And to cap off this tragic list ....Hitler - six million destroyed! 6,000,000! The Holocaust. (Greek word "Holos" (WHOLE) "kaustos" (BURN)
Just think of it! All those countries, nations that hated and tried to destroy the Jew. All of them either defeated or destroyed. They are no more! But NOT God's chosen people. They remind me of that little battery operated rabbit....still going. But that's all history!

The real hard core evidence of God's future plans for the Jew is not in any of the things I've mentioned. The real evidence is in the Word of God and it's found in the verses that deal with the events that still lie ahead.

But before we go there, let's go back two thousand or so years and look at the Messiah Prince, the Son of the Jewish carpenter and his virgin mother, Mary. Jesus had no more made His arrival in the world - in the world HE had made (Colossians 1:16) and immediately the Jews were attacked in the angelic conflict. There reigned in the City of Jerusalem, a Satan infested man named Herod, who, because he had heard that a king was born in Bethlehem, had all male children two years and under brutally murdered. These senseless murders took place not only in Bethlehem, but in the whole surrounding area. Well, that didn't work. Joseph and Mary won a free trip to Egypt, paid for with the gifts the Wise Men gave them.

The next shot Satan had at Jesus was when - get this - the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted in His humanity by the Devil himself. This was after Jesus had fasted for forty days. But Satan failed. It wasn't long after that when Jesus had started His public ministry in His home town, in the City of Nazareth, when the crowd got angry with Him and His message and tried to throw Him off a cliff! But it was not to be. Luke 4:30 "But He, passing through the midst of them, went His way." Obviously, we could go through the life of Jesus and trace the angelic conflict blow by blow and count victory after victory by our precious Lord. He NEVER FAILS - and He won't!
But Israel - that's a "whole nuther" story. She not only failed in the Old Testament, but she failed during the earthly ministry of our Lord, even as the chosen people of God. She has failed for these last 2,000 years and she will continue to fail. She failed in Egypt - but God didn't. She failed in the Sinai while Moses was on the mountain - but God didn't. She failed under the Judges - but God didn't. She failed under the leadership of Saul, David and Solomon - but God didn't. She failed in Assyria and in Babylon - but God didn't. She failed during the closing years of the Old Testament and the 400 years in between the Old and New Testaments - but God didn't.

The Lord Jesus Christ made His entrance into the human race - but Israel failed to see it! Wise me saw it, shepherds saw it - but not Israel - she failed!

Israel failed to see the ministry of the prophets, failed to hear their message, failed to see their miracles and failed to observe their fulfilled prophecies...but God didn't fail. His own family failed Him. His disciples failed Him.....BUT JESUS DIDN'T FAIL!

Until next time,

Blessings,
Bro. Bob

Focus Point # 12

When thinking of the Angelic Conflict and the never ending struggle that goes on between God and Satan, we know who will be the Victor. None other than our Heavenly Father and His Glorious Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But in time, in the historic past, there has been and there will continue to be, incidents and periods of history that will test our faith and loyalty to God and His Word.

Herewith is a true story (study) to encourage your faith and, I hope, cause you to rejoice at just one of the main victories of the Lord our Righteous (Jehovah Tsid-Kenu) Jeremiah 23:6.

As you read and study the Old Testament you discover the divine protection of the family and royal lineage that will eventually bring the Lord Jesus physically into the world. A good illustration of this was when the kingdom was divided by the sons of Solomon. Jeroboam took the ten tribes to the north and Rehoboam led the two tribes that stayed in the south. The two tribes in the Southern Kingdom were Judah and Benjamin. Eventually both kingdoms came under divine discipline. The Northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrians in BC 722. The Assyrians immediately scattered those ten tribes all over the area. For the most part, not all, but most of them lost their identity with the tribe clans.

Not so with the two southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin. They were carried off to Babylon in BC 586, 136 years later. But nevertheless they were carried away in divine discipline for 70 years. But to protect that royal lineage and blood line, the Tribe of Judah stayed in tact. God made sure of that! Had the Devil had his way, it would have been just the opposite. He wanted that royal line out of David and Solomon fouled up! Why? To nullify and discredit the promise of God that the Messiah King would be out of the seed of King David and that He would someday sit on His throne in the City of Jerusalem.

Well, that did NOT happen in those two captivities. Satan didn't get it his way. But later on, it ALMOST happened. And that brings us to the story of "The Jechoniah Curse." Now remember, Satan does not know the future - only as it's revealed to him in the Word of God. He can only control events and conditions to the extent that human beings allow him to control, or influence their lives.

If you'll read through Jeremiah 22, in verse 13 you'll read about Jehoiakim. This guy is about number 11 or 12 in the royal family line of Solomon (Matthew 1:11). He, Jehoiakim, was the son of Josiah who was a godly man and a great king. Just the opposite of his son Jehoiakim and his grandson Jehoiachin, also known as "Jeconiah" and also "Coniah."

Jehoiakin was a wicked man and God said of him, "He shall be buried out where they bury dead jackasses" (Jeremiah 22:19). But if you think he was a louse, look what God said about his son, Jehoiachin (or Jeconiah or Coniah)...whatever! Read what God said about him through the pen of Jeremiah in verses 24-29. But go slow through verse 30! "Write this man (Coniah) childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days; for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the Throne of David and ruling anymore in Judah." When it says "he'd be childless," it didn't mean he would never have any kids, it meant that as far as royalty on the Throne of David was concerned, it was over for Coniah and all of his male children to follow. Wow! But God promised and God prophesied through Isaiah, Jeremiah and others, that the Seed, the Messiah, the Eternal King of the Jews would come through the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren..etc., etc. of David. And just to underscore that biblical prophecy, read carefully in the next chapter of Jeremiah 23:5-8. (Living Bible) For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will place a Righteous Branch upon King David's throne. He shall be a King who shall rule with wisdom and justice and cause righteousness to prevail everywhere throughout the earth. And this is His name:
The Lord our Righteousness (Jehovah Tsid-Kenu). At that time Judah will be saved and Israel will live in peace. In that day people will no longer say when taking an oath "As the Lord lives who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt," but they will say, "As the Lord lives, who brought the Jews back to their own land of Israel from the countries to which He had exiled them."

Is there any doubt as to God's clear intentions to keep His promises? I hope not! But it appears as though Satan has thrown a gear stripping wrench into the works. On the surface it appears as though the Devil has scored a real victory and that God's will has been defeated. It appears as though God makes a promise He will be unable to perform.

Don't let it even cross your mind!! After the Jews return to the land of their forefathers, after the 70 years of captivity under the Babylonians, they return. But not as a sovereign, independent nation with a king sitting on the throne. They are always under the rule of somebody else. From the defeat of the Southern Kingdom, when they were carted off to Babylon, to this very day (as I write this on January 7, 2007), there has been no divinely appointed king out of the family of David ruling Israel. And there won't be! Not until Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings returns in His glorified body to occupy that literal throne, in a literal Jerusalem.

But Jesus, when He was born, was called on many occasions, the Son of David. Question: How can that be since He was in the family line of wicked Jechoniah? Well, let's go back to those confusing calendar days of about 20 BC to about 4 or 5 AD.

Two young people both just happened to live in the City of Nazareth. They went to the same Temple school and maybe even the same Temple. Obviously, they knew one another, took a shine to each other and probably suggested to their parents that they just might be compatible should their parents like to set a marriage in motion. And so it was arranged. But before the date could even be set, Mary became pregnant. But not by Joseph! Obviously, I don't have to repeat any details, real or imaginary. You know the story.

The Holy Spirit impregnated Mary with whatever was necessary to bring about the birth of a male child without the involvement of another human being. Mary's intended husband was visited by an angel and was told what had happened to Mary. Joseph, by faith, believed the messenger, the angel, and married Mary and did not touch her until after the birth of Jesus.

Now get this! Joseph was of the lineage of David and Solomon. He was in line physically to be on of the kings in Israel. But Israel had no king and hadn't had for years. And besides, in Joseph's family line was none other than Jechoniah, the guy God told that none of his "kin" would ever sit on the Throne of David. But now...get this! Jesus was born in the family line of David, not through Joseph - but through Mary! But Mary was not in the line of royalty. Her kin was Nathan, not Solomon.

After the marriage, Joseph adopted the virgin born Jesus and Jesus became the legal son of Joseph...but NOT born in the family line of Coniah...by-passing the curse! Thus, the only human being ever born into this world with the legal right to occupy the Throne was...none other than JESUS. But...they crucified Him! Well then, Joseph and Mary had other sons. Yes, but they were disqualified because of the Coniah curse and they would be of the seed of Joseph. That leaves ....only Jesus. Not another human being is physically and legally qualified. But wait! He's in the grave. But wait! Three days later He's alive again! Resurrection! Hallelujah. But wait! He's gone back to Heaven for lo these 2000 plus years. But wait! He's coming back...and as Yogi Berra says..."it ain't over 'till it's over!

Until next time,

Bro. Bob

Focus Point # 11

We know from Job chapters one and two, that Satan has had an access to the throne of God for lo these thousands of years. We also know from two other Old Testament passages that, at one time, he was a beautiful, created angel serving closer to the throne of God than any other angel. But then pride took its toll and Lucifer, the "angel of light" was cast out of Heaven, along with other angelic created beings who were given a choice to cast their lot with Lucifer or continue in their heavenly angelic ministry to serve God. Those two Old Testament references are Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:11-19. Revelation 12:4 indicates that Satan, formerly Lucifer, took 1/3 of the angelic realm with him.

When you read Job 1 and 2 you'll learn that Satan could do evil against Job, but he could not take his life. He could not kill him at will. Satan is a liar. He lies! He's a killer! He kills when he is allowed to do so. He is a hater, not a lover. He hates all but himself.

In this angelic conflict, in the eternal battle between good (God) and evil (Satan) he would kill every human being alive in the world today. But thank the Lord, God, the Father, is sovereign and He alone is the giver of life and the ruler of death. You and I are alive today because He, God, wants us to be alive. It's His will. We who are the recipients of this gift of life would be wise to give Him our thanks and praise.

Of all the people who have this gift of physical life, who are the prime targets of Satan's death list? That's an easy question. The answer is - the Jewish people. And the reason is, God has made hundreds of promises to the human race that there would someday be a wonderful period of peace, tranquility and bliss. This period, called the Millennium (Latin for 1,000) is spelled out in Revelation 20:2-7.

Involved in these hundreds of promises is first of all His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the premier figure. He will be the King, the Lord of Lords who will rule. It is His rule, His control, His laws that will produce this time of maximum peace.

Also involved in these promises, were and are, the Jewish people. God used them to provide the human channel through which the Savior King would be born. And when Jesus rules in this golden age of peace, when He rules during this 1,000 years, this Millennium, He will be known as Jesus, The King of the Jews and He will sit on King David's throne in the City of Jerusalem. Sounds like a Jew to me! No wonder the Devil hates the Jews! No wonder he's the big chief of the anti-Semites. Just make sure you're not part of his tribe (in more ways than one.)

As I've said before, the Devil possesses none of the attributes of God. God is omnipotent, He's all powerful. Satan is not. He's limited and God alone has set his limits. God is omni-present, there is no place He is not, unless He chooses not to be someplace, like in the heart of an unbeliever. Satan, on the other hand, can only go where God allows him to go. And, of course, God is omniscient. He knows all there is to know. But not the Devil. He has to learn as he goes along.

For instance, when those two million plus Jewish people walked away from Pharaoh and his slave keepers, when they walked out of camp with their alive "first born" and all of the borrowed loot God told them to ask for, don't you know that he, the Devil, slipped up to old Pharaoh and whispered, "You idiot! Why did you let them go? Don't you know they'll be a burr in your camel saddle the rest of your life? Saddle up, call out the chariots and go get em'...kill em' all."

Satan for sure thought this was going to be the last of his nemesis! When he saw those Jews trapped by the sea, the mountains and the Egyptian army, he had no idea that he was going to see the most phenomenal sight he'd ever seen. He had no idea what God was going to do. God said to Moses, "Lift up your rod, stretch your hand over the sea and divide it!" Moses did what God commanded and the sea divided. Satan had to watch this whole thing unfold right before his eyes (if he has eyes).

That day on that seashore, God was controlling Moses and Satan was controlling Pharaoh. I love Exodus 14:30 & 31: "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore."
"And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His servant Moses."

From there, from that place along the Red Sea, God led them, not northeast but south! South into the desert. There are two reasons for this desert journey. One is, had they gone to the northeast, they would have marched right into one enemy territory after another. And, as a young race of people, not even an organized nation, they were not ready. And two, God wanted them to learn and grow by the tests that He would send them. And so, the bitter water, the no water and other negative experiences. Forty years of wilderness journey. Had they gone to the northeast, it would have been about 50 miles to the borders of the Promised Land - two or three day's journey. Instead, it took them 40 years. You can be sure during that 40 years they came close to total defeat on many occasions - some of their own doings, others, efforts by Satan to wipe them out.

Little by little as you red through the Old Testament, the target narrows down. First it's all the Jews, then it's the Tribe of Judah and then It's David and then the family of David, in particular the line that flowed through his son, Solomon.

This is Saturday morning, December 30, 2006. Yesterday one of Israel's greatest enemies died on the gallows! Oh, to be sure, there are more hateful, evil, vile anti-Semites lined up to take his place. Probably the next in line is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.

More next time. Until then, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Bro. Bob

Focus Point # 10

How shallow we Americans are, who profess to be Christians, when it comes to the current war on terror and our application of the Word of God and these current events. We get most of our information and viewpoints from people who don't even recognize the Bible as a source of information.

We ought to hold the Word of God as the only reliable source of truth and judge world events by what God says. Instead we look at events through the eyes of the Democrat or Republican party. Just imagine, born again people, Christians, if you will, rejecting, or worse, not even knowing the Word of God and listening to...get this...politicians! Or, if that's not bad enough, just imagine Christians getting their world view from such sources as ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Rosie (what's her name?)
or Oprah.

I'm sure there are many Christians who profess to be Bible believers who rarely think of Bible prophecy until some skirmish breaks out between Israel and some radical faction in the Arab world. Even then, if it doesn't make the evening news, it's not relevant. Just look at what's happened to the war on terror. The last political campaign, along with mainstream media and the very intelligent, elite academia, no longer treat terrorism as a world wide struggle against godless, evil forces. Now it's just a difference of opinion between the Democrats and the Republicans! You get the impression that 9-11-01 was just a single incident that accidentally happened because of a weakness in our own covert intelligence agencies. It wasn't the terrorists' fault. It was OUR fault for not preventing it. Duh! How dumb is that? In this last election, to hear some of the politicians, you get the idea that terrorism is just a condition that exists to help us determine how to vote or whom to vote for! But I remind you again, the world is in a terrorism mode and it won't be solved in a voting booth.

The world is on terrorism alert, or at least it should be. This battle is and always has been focused on the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. Now I realize as much as anyone that George Bush or any other leader cannot take a platform and identify this whole situation as a spiritual conflict between God and Satan. Every newspaper and major network would label them as the biggest nut case on earth. I seem to recall that President Bush just threw out a hint referring to Armageddon and the media response was shock, shock, shock! You talk prophecy to the Press and they don't know what to say or print. Why expect anything else from them? The world system doesn't believe in divine creation! What makes you think they would give divine prophecy the slightest possibility? They don't believe in the angelic conflict or in prophecy that deals with Satan's goal to destroy the Jewish race.

I remember playing golf some years ago with some preacher friends. Now remember, this was years ago. We were discussing the world events going on at that time which involved...what else? Israel and the one of many wars they faced with the Arabs. One of the guys standing over his golf ball on the green said, "I think God is no more interested in Israel than He is in this putt I'm about to make!" I knew he was not speaking of the individual souls of the Jewish people, but the people, the nation. That may be what Oprah or Rosie think, but that's not what God thinks. That may be what Ted Turner thinks and that may be what a lot of seminary professors believe, but that's not what God's Word teaches. Look at what God's prophet Zechariah wrote in his Book, 12:2-3: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it."

Many hold that that time, that circumstance has already happened. Well, you might just glance over those verses and conclude, "Man, that's already happened so many times to Israel, it's just another skirmish or another border war." To a degree that observation is true, but when you really look at what God says through this Prophet and you read the last part where it says, "Though ALL the people of the earth shall be gathered against it" - that circumstance or condition has never yet come to pass. Someday Satan will lead the WOLE WORLD to war with God's chosen ones.

Did you know that the subject of Israel and Jerusalem has taken up more time in the League of Nations (now defunct) and the United Nations (also now defunct) than any other part of the world? Indeed, Jerusalem is a cup of trembling! I've read that more than 60,000 - and that's a 6 with 4 zeros, more than 60,000 votes have been cast in the UN...ALL against Israel! Russia hates Israel! China hates Israel! Europe hates Israel! And even hundreds of thousands of Americans question and oppose the pro-Israeli stance. The Democratic Party has not been, at least in recent years, the strong supporters of Israel as is the Republican Party. The last time I checked, far more Jews vote Democratic than they vote Republican. That, to me, is not only a negative reflection of Jewish people voting against their own nation, but it's also a poor, anti-biblical stand for the Democrats to hold.

Just remember what God said to Abraham, "I will bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee!"

Until next time,
Blessings,
Bro. Bob

Focus Point # 9

It didn't take long for Satan to recognize God's next move. God moved in a man who lived in....Yep, the Ur of the Chaldese. That had to be about the last place on earth to find a man of faith, a spiritual leader, the father of the Jewish race. A new race of people! Up until Abraham everybody was Gentile, including Abraham himself. One day he woke up as a Gentile and that same night he went to bed as a Jew! What brought about that miracle change? One word: FAITH!

Now remember, faith, as far as God is concerned, is non-meritorious. All people are born with faith. It's a part of our everyday life. We express faith in the food we eat, the medicine we take, in the drivers of the "other car," in the airplanes we ride and we express faith that either there is a God or there is not a God. Evolutionists believe in the "Big Bang." Creationists believe in "intelligent design." All of us have faith. No one will be rewarded because he has faith.

When God, in a very wicked, evil and perverse environment revealed Himself and His will to Abram, Abram said, "I believe you Lord, I'll do your will." God counted, or reckoned that faith as righteousness and right there on that day Abraham became a man that pleased God. And on that day he became the one God would use to be the father of the Jewish race. (Read Romans chapter 4)

If Satan had any question as to who his target should be, that question was answered loud and clear when God appeared to Abraham, recorded in Genesis 12:1 - 4a. Seven promises:

ONE.........A land - Verse 1
TWO........A great nation - Verse 2
THREE.....God's very own blessing - Verse 2
FOUR......A great name - Verse 2
FIVE........A blessing to others - Verse 2
SIX..........A blessing to those who bless him (and his Seed) and a curse to those
who curse him (again, his Seed)
SEVEN.....And in Thee (the coming Lord Jesus) shall all the families of the earth
be blessed.

Satan probably had a much greater insight to these promises than Abraham. Certainly Satan had some clue about the "Seed" of Abraham and the Seed of the women in Genesis 3:15. He's no dummy!

There's not a shadow of doubt in my mind that all through the Old Testament anti-Semitism is satanic and evil. But one of the most interesting things about this divine revelation to Abraham was the fact that anyone, any person or even any nation that curses Israel will be cursed by God Himself. And believe you me, there are many nations who have taken an active roll in cursing Israel who have yet to experience the curse of God. As that great preacher R. G. Lee preached so many times, "Payday Someday" - every nation will be cursed. when? I don't know the date, but the literal seven years of Tribulation, I think, will be the time!

But back to the Old Testament. The life of Abraham was the birth and infant stage of the Jewish people. All during those forming years they were more or less nomads with no land or no borders. The experiences of Abraham were tests from God rather than temptations from Satan. Tests from God are circumstances and experiences God wants us to have to help us to grow and mature. Temptations from Satan are things he (Satan) puts before us to get us to fail and loose.

As you read through Genesis you read of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and of course Esau. The conflicts between Jacob and his kids and Esau and his kids set the stage for the conflicts that still exist today. Israel was a nomad race of people and were until Joseph was sold into slavery and became the Prime Minister of Egypt. After Joseph is gone a Pharaoh arises who "Knew not Joseph" and the Jews are held in bondage.

Their numbers were growing under the care and protection of the Egyptians. What better protected place for God to put them until their numbers swell into the millions! True, they were slaves, but that was the protection God used to keep them from being wiped out by other nations.

Satan saw a chance to wipe them out - once and for all! In slavery they were multiplying like crazy so the Pharaoh said, "If we get into a war, the Jews are numerically strong enough to join with the opposition. So we will weaken them slowly into extinction with a massive abortion campaign." (Exodus chapter one).
Pharaoh told the midwives to kill all the male babies at birth. That's when Moses became a "basket case" and his mother floated him up the Nile. Moses was found, of course, by Pharaoh's daughter.

Well, Satan is thwarted again. But you know him and you know he will never give up! Was the intense hatred for the Jew born in the hearts of Islam? No, no, a thousand times no! It's satanic - and let that be a warning to all of us. Anti-Semitism is an evil act against the divine will of God.....period!

Blessings,
Bro. Bob