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A
Day That Changed America
How has it affected you?
- or has it?
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| “Jesus
answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For
many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’
and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of
wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things
must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the
beginning of birth pains.’” (Matthew 24:4-8)
NIV |
The
Infamous Day!!!
I
was sitting on the deck of my home in the mountains
of central Arizona among the pines, drinking coffee,
and reading the morning paper. I decided to go back
inside my house to watch the morning news on TV.
. .and there it was. The burning, collapsing twin
towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
I, along with millions of other Americans, sat glued
to my TV set as I watched the horrific events unfolding
before my eyes on that infamous morning. I could
hardly believe what was happening, but it was.
As
a transplanted New Yorker, now living in rural Arizona,
my mind raced back to another infamous day that
happened on December 7th, 1941. I was 9 years old
at that time.
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It
was a Sunday afternoon and my family and I were
getting into our Ford car to take a drive from our
home in Brooklyn out to the island; Long Island
that is. A neighbor asked my parents if they had
heard the news of what had happened. Remember, there
was no TV in those days. My parents had not heard
the news. The Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor
sinking several of our US ships. Even though I was
young, I can still remember wondering just how this
would affect us. The next day President Franklin
D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. We then also
entered war with the axis powers of Europe. |
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On
September 11, 2001 the destruction of the World
Trade Center coupled with the events at the Pentagon
and the plane crash in Pennsylvania have once again
awakened Americans to reality. President George
W. Bush announced that America was in a war. Not
a traditional war, if there is such a thing, but
a war with an unseen enemy, a war with terrorism.
It seems ironic that immediately after 9-11 hordes
of Americans prayed and flocked to various houses
of worship. However, we are told that within three
months the praying largely ceased and the increased
attendances at the churches and synagogues of the
nation returned to what they had been prior to 9-11.
How quickly we forget. |
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Face
of Satan in the Towers' Smoke
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What
happened on September 11th, 2001 should not surprise
Christians. There is an enemy in the world. The foremost
enemy is not Muslims, Communists, Iraq, Iran, terrorists
or even the various religionists of the world who
hate Jesus Christ, Christianity and Judaism. The apostle
Paul warned of the real enemy that the people of God
face: “For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers
of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians
6:12) NIV.
The
forces of evil have been with us since the fall of
our original parents in the Garden eons ago. This
evil opposes all that God has set in place. We, Christians,
usually refer to this force of evil as the devil or
Satan. Satan has a special hatred for the Jews.
Contrary
to what we Americans believe, our nation is not the
center of the world. Now don’t brand me as un-American
or un-patriotic. |
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center of this world’s events revolves around
that tiny strip of land in the Middle East known as
ISRAEL. Our nation is one of the few countries of
the world today that has steadfastly stood with Israel
since its birth as a modern nation in May 1948. Satan
it appears has been able to energize large numbers
of the adherents of Islam in a mounting hatred against
both Israel and our own nation. Islam is a monotheistic
religion founded in the seventh century by an Arabian
that we know as Mohammad.
Scripture
teaches that God gave a number of specific promises
to the Jews. God has not revoked nor withdrawn these
promises.
The
events that took place on 9-11 and since revolve primarily
around Israel and the Jews and around the USA because
of our support and involvement with the Jews and with
the State of Israel. The Jews and Israel are important
because of the covenants established by God with them. |
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| Covenants
with Israel |
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The
Abrahamic Covenant: reveals
that God called Abraham and promised him that from
his seed would come forth a very special people, i.e.,
the Jews. This people would come through Abraham and
Sarah’s son Isaac. Through Abraham’s other
son, Ishmael have come the Arabs. In the Abrahamic
Covenant all nations have been blessed, “Now
the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country
and your kindred and your father’s house to
the land that I will show you. I will make of you
a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your
name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will
bless those who bless you, and the one who curses
you I will curse; and in your all the families of
the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) |
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Where
do Christians Stand?
Christians are divided in their understanding and interpretation
of the Abrahamic Covenant and the other covenants. Some
Christians believe that the covenants God made with Israel
and the Jews are no longer in affect because of their rejection
of Messiah. Many churches and entire denominations teach
that the Church is the New Israel and that God has replaced
the Jews with Christians. This is known as Replacement Theology.
There are other Christians, and I am numbered with this
group, who believe that the covenants are unconditional
and remain in force. The Church is not “a” or
“the” New Israel. So-called “Replacement
Theology” held by the majority of Christendom is not
Scriptural, therefore should be rejected by biblical Christians.
I believe that whoever blesses the children of Abraham,
the Jews, will be blessed and whoever curses, i.e., is anti-Semitic,
will be cursed.
Since Yeshua [Jesus] [1] came as the Messiah those men and
women who believe in him by accepting him as Savior and
Lord become part of his spiritual body that we call the
ekklesia, i.e., the church. All believers in Christ, both
Jews and Gentiles, are automatically added to this body
upon their spiritual rebirth, i.e. are now the spiritual
seed of Abraham, “For
in Christ Jesus you are all children of God by faith. As
many of you as were baptized [spirit-baptism, not water
baptism] into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave
or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of
you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ,
then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according
to the promise.” (Galatians 3;26-29) |
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The Land Covenant: is that promise
that God gave to the Jews pertaining to the land.
It needs to be said that though the land was promised
to the children of Abraham through Isaac, this does
not mean that they are to displace the other biological
children of Abraham through Ishmael, the Arabs. Both
the Jews and the Arabs are Semitic people. However,
the land has been given specifically to Israel. Holding
this biblical position does not make me anti-Arab
or anti-Muslim. Note the promise given to Abraham
regarding the land:“The LORD said to Abram,
after Lot had separated from him, ‘Raise your
eyes now, and look from the place where you are, northward
and southward and eastward and westward; for all the
land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring
forever. |
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I
will make your offspring like the dust of the earth: so
that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring
also can be counted. Rise up, walk through the length and
the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.’”
(Genesis 13:14-17)
This
promise of the land covenant continues, “On that
day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To
your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt
to the great river, the river Euphrates.” (Genesis
15:18) The followers of Muhammad claim and therefore teach
that the promise was given to Abraham through his son Ishmael
who is recognized as the father of the Arabs. However, Scripture
emphatically teaches that the promise was given to Abraham
through his son Isaac, the father of the Jews: “God
said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall
not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will
bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I
will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings
of peoples shall come from her.’ Then Abraham fell
on his face and laughed, and said to himself, ‘Can
a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can
Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?/ And Abraham
said to God, “O that Ishmael [father of the Arabs]
might live in your sight!’ God said, ‘No, but
your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name
him Isaac [father of the Jews]. I will establish my covenant
with him [Isaac] as an everlasting covenant for his offspring
[the Jews] after him. As for Ishmael, I have heard you;
I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous;
he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make
him a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with
Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next
year." (Genesis 17:15-19, 21) See
also - Deuteronomy 30:1-10; |
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The
Davidic Covenant:
is the promise of Messiah, his coming future Kingdom
and the rebuilt Temple. The Messiah Yeshua is in the
line of David and will one day reign on the presently
unoccupied throne of David from Jerusalem. We read
of these events to come in the book of Zechariah chapters
12, 13 and 14. You are encouraged to read it for yourself.
The
following is taken from 2 Samuel, chapter 7: “But
that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan:
Go and tell my servant David. . . |
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Now
therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says
the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following
the sheep to be prince over my people Israel. . .
I
will make for you a great name, like the name of the great
ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people
Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their
own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall
afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I
appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give
you rest from all your enemies. . .
I
will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth
from your body, and I will establish his kingdom . . .Your
house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before
me; your throne shall be established forever. . .Then King
David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, ‘Who
am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought
me thus far?’ . . .Who is like your people, like Israel?
Is there another nation on earth whose God went to redeem
it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great
and awesome things for them, by driving out before his people
nations and their gods? And you established your people
Israel for yourself to be your people forever; and you,
O LORD, became their God. . .Thus your name will be magnified
forever in the saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over
Israel’; and the house of your servant David will
be established before you. . . And now, O Lord GOD, you
are God, and your words are true, and you have promised
this good thing to your servant; now therefore may it please
you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue
forever before you; for you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and
with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed
forever.”
To
no other people and to no other king has such a promise
ever been given. Presently the throne of David is unoccupied.
But the day is coming when none other than Jesus of the
line of David will return to earth to take his rightful
place upon David’s empty throne in Jerusalem to rule
and reign over the kingdom that will be established at that
point. |
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The New Covenant:
is based on Jeremiah 31:31-34, “The days are surely
coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not
be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when
I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their
husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I
will make with the house of Israel after those days, says
the LORD; I will put my law within them, and I will write
it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall
be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or
say to each other, ‘Know
the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least
of them to the greatest, says the LORD: for I will forgive
their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.”
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This
covenant has been given to Judah and Israel with the
Body of Christ sharing in its spiritual blessings.
It has been sealed by the atoning shed blood of Messiah
[Christ]. He [Jesus] was nailed to an ugly Roman cross
and crucified to bear the penalty of sin. Each one
of us is a sinner therefore each of us had a part
in our Lord’s suffering and death. During the
showing of the film “The Passion of the Christ”
by Mel Gibson many people were concerned as to whether
or not it would create a renewed vicious outbreak
of anti-Semitism. Authentic Christians know that both
Jews and Gentiles put our Lord on the cross. |
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anti-Semitism would be totally out-of-line and out-of-accord
with biblical teaching as a result of our Lord’s crucifixion
which was predetermined by God.
The
death of the Messiah was prophesied long ago in the Hebrew
Scriptures. See – Isaiah 52:13-53:12. See also Psalm
22. |
The
Lord’s Supper, i.e. Communion, is the sign of
the establishment of this new covenant, “For
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to
you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was
betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given
thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body
that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way he took the cup also, after supper,
saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my
blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance
of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and
drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death
until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
The
focal point of our New Covenant faith is not exclusively
in the passion and death of our Redeemer rather it
is in his bodily resurrection. Without the bodily
resurrection of Yeshua from the grave there would
be no completed salvation. Often when at the Table
of the Lord we proclaim: Christ has died. Christ is
risen. Christ will come again! This is the very essence
of our Christian faith. We call it the Gospel. See
– 1 Corinthians 15:1-5. |
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The
people of the New Covenant are known as the ekklesia of
God. The word “ekklesia” is usually translated
in the New Testament as “church.” It is the
Body of Christ which is made up of all those who personally
believe in and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
See – John 1:12 & 13.
But God also continues to have a special people that the
Church too often overlooks. Who are these people? |
| God's
Special People |
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Even though the majority of Jews rejected Messiah
when he ministered on earth, God has neither abandoned
nor replaced the Jews. They continue to be God’s
special people. St. Paul taught that a day is coming
when the Jews will believe in Yeshua as Messiah.
See – Romans chap. 11.
Despite numerous attempts to annihilate the Jews,
they remain. No force throughout history has been
able to liquidate them. The ungodly bloody crusades
of the Western Church and the Inquisition could
not stamp them out. Hitler’s attempt to exterminate
the Jews during the Holocaust in Germany failed.
Hitler is long gone, the Jews remain.
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plan and purpose for the Jews will not be thwarted by anyone
be it militant Muslims, misguided Christians, white supremacists,
or Satan himself; whoever and/or whatever force tries, the
Jews will remain. They
are God’s special people even though at this point
in time the majority of them continue in unbelief of Messiah.
Anti-Semitism in any form is contrary to the teachings of
authentic Christian faith. |
Exciting
Days
Many Christians believe that we are living in the Last Days.
Whether or not this is true no one can be certain of. I
am not an alarmist or a date setter. However, as a Christian
I do know that a day is coming when Christ will return.
The details of his coming are subject to debate among Christians.
The details are secondary and should not be used to divide
the Body of Christ. What is important is that Christ will
return at an undisclosed time. Each of us needs to be ready
for his coming!
Today we are witnessing an ingathering of Jews back to the
land promised to them by God. We are also seeing many Jews
coming into personal belief and relationship with the Messiah,
Yeshua. |
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Coming World Leader
At some point in the future the Jews will seek peace
at any price and will sign a treaty with a coming
world leader, i.e., the Antichrist. However, the
peace established by this leader and his cohorts
will be shattered when he comes against the Jews
and seeks to set himself up in the rebuilt Temple
in Jerusalem as the Messiah. Israel will be at the
center of what will happen on earth during this
time referred to as “the time of Jacob’s
trouble” by the prophet Jeremiah. See –
Jer. 30:7.
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It
is also known as the Tribulation in Scripture. It
will be a time of trouble and turmoil such as the
world has never experienced before. See –
Matthew 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-19; Daniel 9:27; 12:1;
Revelation 7.
Christians
are divided as to which events are literal, which
have already occurred and which are symbolic. Rather
than getting caught up in endless debate I simply
believe that God is not through with his chosen,
the Jews and their land. |
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Why
is America so Hated?
Though America is far from being a Christian and/or
a godly land, yet our nation has so far wisely chosen
to support the Jews and the land of Israel. I am
convinced that this and this alone is the chief
reason for our nation’s greatness. It is not
our military might, nor our politicians, nor our
churches rather it is our willingness to face world-wide
opposition and misunderstanding in standing with
the Jews and the land of Israel. And God truly blesses
those who bless the Jews and curses those who curse
the Jews. See – Gen. 12:3 again.
When America turns its back on the Jews, and it
will at some point in time, we as a nation will
descend into the abyss of satanic deception. Christians
must be aware of the spiritual battle that is taking
place and the events of 9-11 were simply an outcropping
of this. |
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Christians
must be faithful in praying for the peace of Jerusalem
as well as praying for both the Jews and the Arabs.
Note the following exhortation: “Jerusalem
– built as a city that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the
name of the LORD. For there the thrones for judgment
were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace [shalom] of Jerusalem: ‘May
they prosper who love you. Peace be within your
walls, and security within your towers.’ .
. . for the sake of the house of the LORD our God.
. .” (from Psalm 122) |
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is still on the Throne of heaven and God’s will, plan
and purpose will be accomplished in God’s own timing.
Hopefully the events that took place on September 11, 2001
will finally get Christians off their duffs and begin to
make some necessary changes including:
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Getting
our eyes off our easy Americanism of comfort, materialism
which has largely become the god and the goal in
life of the majority of Americans; |
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Waking
our churches up from their lukewarmness and apathy
spoken of in Revelation 3:14-20; |
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Once
and for all rejecting the false gospel and false
prophets/preachers and churches that appear to be
proliferating within Christendom. See – Matt.
7:15-23; 24:4-8; Galatians 1:6-9; 1 Timothy 4; 2
Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1-3. |
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Claiming
revival, renewal, reformation and restoration to
the faith of the apostles and the early faith before
the rise of organizationalism, institutionalism,
hierarchy, etc. See – Jude 3 & 4; 2 Chron.
7:14. |
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Restoring
prayer, praise and worship back to their proper
place in our lives as disciples of Christ |
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Raising
our eyes to the field of the world beginning with
our local communities that desperately need to hear
the Gospel of Christ. Soul-winning is not for a
previous day but is needed today as never before.
See – Mark 16:15; Romans 1:16-17. |
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Daily
praying for Jerusalem and Israel |
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Hopefully
what happened on September 11th is a clarion call
to the Church of God [2] in America to stop, look
and listen to what is happening in our world and
what we must do as believers in Christ. It is time
for we who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
to be about the business that God has entrusted
unto the Body of Christ. I believe that the next
great event on God’s prophetic calendar could
very well be the Rapture of believers. Whatever
you do, do not be asleep for our redemption is drawing
near at hand, |
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“Brothers
and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed
about those who sleep in death, so that you do not
grieve like the rest, who have no hope. We believe
that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe
that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen
asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word,
we tell you that we who are still alive, who are
left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly
not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the
Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a
loud command, with the voice of the archangel and
with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first. After, that we who are still alive
and are left will be caught up [raptured] together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore
encourage one another with these words.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) TNIV |
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biblical Christians believe that we are living in the Last
Days of the Age. As to the day and hour no one knows. However,
we do know that the clock is ticking and time as we know
it is winding down. The coming of Christ for his believing
Bride, the Church, will come as a thief in the night. |
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My
friend, are you ready? Could it be that September
11th and similar events have happened and may well
continue to happen in preparation for that trumpet
sounding forth in the clouds of heaven? If and when
our Lord calls us home are you ready? Do you know
that Christ is living in your heart and life? He
wants to live in you, “Look
at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear
me call and open the door, I’ll come right
in and sit down to supper with you.”
(Revelation 3:20) The Message Bible.
God’s
free gift of salvation is for all who will personally
accept it. Note how the apostle Paul put: “That
if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is
Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For
it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone
who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’
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For
there is no difference between Jew and Gentile –
the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who
call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)
NIV
If you have never personally received Jesus Christ into
your heart and life why not, right now, receive him as
your Savior and Lord? Messiah Yeshua wants to come and
live in you but you must personally invite him in.
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| 1]
Yeshua/Y’shua/YahShua/Joshua is the Hebrew or Aramaic
name of our Lord whereas Jesus is his Greek name.
[2]
The use of “church of God” in this instance
is referring to the entire Body of Christ and not to any
particular sect or denomination. All believers are part
of this Church which belongs to God and to his Christ.
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