Author Archives: admin

Prophecy = Promise
When God makes a promise, it will come true. Therefore, all his promises are prophecy because they will always come true, and all prophecy comes from his promises.

God explains: “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” Isaiah 55:11

Through faith, we understand the entire universe was framed by the word of God, and that the things we see now didn’t come from anything that can be seen.

Words are really important to God. And when he makes a promise it is focused, driven by love and ignited by faith. Faithful friends are important to God and he protects them.

Elisha was a terrific friend and prophet who went where God asked him to go and did what God asked him to do. Because of his great faith, God was able to perform many miracles through him.  

I want to tell you about the woman from Shunem in case you haven’t heard of her. Clearly, she wasn’t important enough to get her name mentioned, but she was faithful and honored God every day. It is how she lived her life. This is her story:

One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.

She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God.  Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”

One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest.  He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

“No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”

Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?”

Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”

“Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”

“No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”

But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.

One day when her child was older, he went out to help his father, who was working with the harvesters.  Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!”

His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother.”

So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died.  She carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and left him there.  She sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.”

“Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.”

But she said, “It will be all right.”

So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, “Hurry! Don’t slow down unless I tell you to.”

As she approached the man of God at Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming. Run out to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything all right with you, your husband, and your child?’”

“Yes,” the woman told Gehazi, “everything is fine.”

But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.”

Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? And didn’t I say, ‘Don’t deceive me and get my hopes up’?”

Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel; take my staff and go! Don’t talk to anyone along the way. Go quickly and lay the staff on the child’s face.”

But the boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I won’t go home unless you go with me.” So Elisha returned with her.

Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.”

When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet’s bed. He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord. Then he lay down on the child’s body, placing his mouth on the child’s mouth, his eyes on the child’s eyes, and his hands on the child’s hands. And as he stretched out on him, the child’s body began to grow warm again! Elisha got up, walked back and forth across the room once, and then stretched himself out again on the child. This time the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!

Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. “Call the child’s mother!” he said. And when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!” She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs. 

Sometime Later….

Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

After the famine ended, she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, “Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done.” And Gehazi was telling the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land.

“Look, my lord the king!” Gehazi exclaimed. “Here is the woman now, and this is her son—the very one Elisha brought back to life!”

“Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.

Death of Elisha
Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the body they were burying into the tomb of Elisha. Just as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!  2 Kings 13:20-21

Faith + Obedience = PRICELESS!

God protects those who love him faithfully
and delight in his word.

Fear not; for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; you won’t even smell like smoke. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:1-3

I will be your God throughout your lifetime – until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.
Isaiah 46:4

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 will not forget you. I have engraved you upon the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
Isaiah 49:15-16

The righteous pass away; the godly often die before their time. And no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. For the godly who die will rest in peace.
Isaiah 57:1

The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what the Lord requires: to do what is right, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

On the sixth day of creation, Adam and Eve were created and were called to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth with people.

In those days, the earth was not tilted on its axis and it had never rained.  There was a protective covering around the earth, similar to a greenhouse effect, with waters above the covering and beneath the earth, but no oceans as we have them today.  A mist that came out of the ground watered the entire earth.

Because of this special protective covering, people were able to live much longer lives.  Adam lived to be 930 years old; his son, Seth, lived to be 912 years old, his son, Enosh, lived to be 905 years old; his son, Kenan, lived to be 910 years old; his son, Mahalalel, lived to be 895 years old; his son, Jared, lived to be 962 years old; his son, Enoch, was translated by God directly into heaven at the age of 365, his son, Methuselah, lived to be 969 years old; his son Lamech, lived to be 777 years old; and his son, Noah, lived to be 950 years old.

During this time, every sin imaginable was being performed to the max.  God was so disgusted with the people that he said he was sorry he had ever created them.  He was very angry and wanted to destroy them all – except Noah.  Noah had found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  He was a perfect man in God’s eyes.  This didn’t mean that he didn’t sin, but Noah’s heart was right with God.  His intentions were pure and righteous.

Finally, God had had enough!  He told Noah to build an ark, a floating house, that was approximately the size of a football field and about three stories high.  There would be three floors in this ark to house and feed two animals of every kind, plus animals for sacrifice after the flood.

Noah followed God’s instructions, spending much time each day walking and talking with him.  Like the prophets in later years, Noah preached righteousness to his friends and neighbors for countless hours, days and years, but, with the exception of his wife and three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, not one person listened.  One hundred twenty years passed while Noah built the Ark, and no one listened to Noah except his family.  Very few of us would keep the faith under those circumstances, but Noah did.  He just kept holding on to God’s promises.  When everyone started laughing and throwing tomatoes and eggs and teasing and ridiculing his children, Noah just leaned on the Lord.

Throughout the Bible, and our history since its writing, we find that of all the animals on the earth, humans are the only ones that disobey when God calls them.  When the ark was completed after 120 years of building, God called all the animals to get on board and they did so.  But the human beings just mocked the ark that Noah built.  Noah preached the saving grace of God, but no one was interested.  They had never seen rain and had no reason to believe Noah’s claims that they would drown in the flood for their disobedience.

After all the animals were on board, Noah gathered his wife and three sons and their wives into the ark.  God closed and sealed the door.  For seven days they waited, giving thanks to the Lord for his protection and salvation.  On the seventh day, the greenhouse covering around the earth was destroyed.  The rains from the heavens poured down and the fountains of the deep were broken up and it rained for forty days and nights.  The continents were separated, and the oceans were formed.  The earth was tilted on its axis, forming the north and south poles, quick-freezing all animals and vegetation in those areas.

Noah was saddened by the loss of life from the flood.  His neighbors, friends and relatives were gone, totally destroyed in the flood.  Were there any words he could have said to convince them?  Was there anything he could have done to influence their commitment to God?

One year after the rains began, God called Noah, his family, and the animals, out of the ark onto dry land.  Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings of every clean beast and fowl unto the Lord.  It was a sweet smell unto God and he promised Noah he would never again destroy all the earth with water.  The token of the covenant between God and Noah was the rainbow, which God placed in the sky.

Noah discovered that even though man mocked his face and paid no attention to his warnings, God had provided a way through for the righteous man.  His way was not easy, nor painless, but he was greatly rewarded for his steadfast grip on the Lord’s hand.

“Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good.  Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong!  Christ also suffered.  He died once for the sins of all us guilty sinners, although he himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that he might bring us safely home to God.  Long before in the days of Noah, people refused to listen to God, though he waited patiently for them while Noah was building the ark.  Yet only eight persons were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.”
From I Peter 3

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden.
Genesis 2:8

The 7 days of creation were complete. The laws of nature were established. Then God planted a garden.

In this garden, the Lord God planted trees. He planted every tree that is beautiful and good for food. The Tree of Life was in the middle of the garden along with the Tree of Knowledge.

At that time, there was no rain on the earth, but there went up a mist from the earth and watered the ground.  A river went out of Eden to water the garden and from there it became four rivers:

• Pishon in the land of Havilah where there is gold, bdellium and onyx stones
• Gihon in the land of Cush (Ethiopia)
• Hiddekel that goes toward Assyria (Tigris)
• Euphrates

The Lord God put Adam and Eve in the garden and told them they could eat freely from every tree except the Tree of Knowledge, warning them that if they ate from that tree they would die. But the evil serpent persuaded Adam and Eve to go ahead and eat from the Tree of Knowledge, so they did.

Because Adam and Eve broke God’s covenant, he sent them away from the garden. The Lord God said, “man has now become like one of us, to know good and evil; and cannot stay in the garden because he might also eat from the Tree of Life”. Therefore, God guarded the Tree of Life with cherubim armed with flaming swords.

But that’s not the end of the Garden story. The following is found in the book of Revelation, chapters 2 and 22:

• To him that overcomes I will give him permission to eat from the Tree of Life which is in the middle of the paradise of God.
• And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal; proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street (the street will be pure gold) and on either side – there was the Tree of Life. It bore 12 kinds of fruit and the leaves of the tree were for healing the nations.
• Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the city.
• And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there.
• Blessed are they that wash their robes and have the right to the Tree of Life and may enter in through the gates to the city.

PROPHECY

Sometimes we overlook the fact that God planted the Garden of Eden after he created it. He loved mankind so much he wanted to take the best care of us. He wanted to build an eternal relationship with man. He planted trees for food, for healing, for knowledge and for life.

God had a plan. He made a covenant with Adam and Eve to protect them from death, but they broke the covenant and listened to the serpent instead. From that time on, the rules changed. There was a limit to how long people could live before they would die. If Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Life after having disobeyed, they would have been trapped in eternal sin with no one to take their place or teach them grace.

About the 4 rivers. Prior to the flood, the land mass was in one piece. You can easily see how this worked by looking at a globe. If you remove the oceans and seas, you can see how the continents originally fit together. Without this bit of information, the placement of the 4 rivers doesn’t make any sense.

At the flood, the protective covering of the earth came off, and the earth was tilted on its axis causing the north and south poles to freeze very quickly. The fountains of the great deep broke up and the windows of heaven were opened – and it rained for the first time.

But God did not give up on mankind. He moved the Tree of Life to Paradise. He built a nation to lead us to his promises, his covenant and his blessings. Along the way he teaches and guides, comforts and heals. He continually extends his hand of grace and mercy to those who will accept his covenant and follow him. His vision of a perfect Garden will return.

Prophecy is the ability to tell the future before it happens.

Wisdom is the ability to choose the right hand for the journey.

Theory or Fact?

Severe weather occurrences are certainly taking place daily world-wide: earthquakes, flooding, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and more. Perhaps these disasters are the result of global warming, or is it Godly warning?

The Book of Job contains mere glimpses of God’s authority, power and control relative to weather. God really let Job have it to the point Job decided to keep quiet (Job 40:3-5). That’s called wisdom. Whether or not you believe God is fully in control, Job did. If you’re not fully convinced, please see the weather reactions to America’s push for Israel to give up the land at the end of this post.

JOB

We know Job lived prior to the flood because in Genesis 6:3, God documented, “My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, they will live no more than 120 years.”  Prior to the flood, people lived as long as 969 years. Job lived 140 years after God allowed Satan to test him, putting him well above the 120-year limit.

In the beginning of the Book of Job (located in the Old Testament just before the Psalms), God was bragging to Satan about Job’s faithfulness, and Satan said, ‘Why wouldn’t he be faithful? You give him everything!’ God allowed Satan to test Job but warned Satan not to kill him. The frustrating story continues in the subsequent chapters as Satan destroyed Job’s great wealth, his sons, his daughters, and inflicted Job with disgusting boils all over his body. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die, but Job continued to defend that it is the Lord who gives and that it is his right to take it all away; Blessed be the Lord. Throughout the Book of Job, Job’s friends sharply chastened him because they thought Job’s sins created his circumstances. After God’s chat with Job and his friends in the final chapters, God restored Job’s health and gave him twice as much as he had previously.

This record of Job’s faith reveals a peek into the spiritual world and highlights the sin of misinterpreting situations we don’t understand. God’s response to Job reveals not only his desire to participate in our lives and build a strong relationship with him, but also intimately defines his power.

The following quotes documenting God’s authority over weather are from The Book of Job unless scripture references show otherwise.

Job said,
“These are some of the minor things he does, merely a whisper of his power.”  

CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS

DAY, NIGHT – God Said…

• Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends of the earth to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? For the features of the earth take shape as the light approaches, and the dawn is robed in red. The light disturbs the haunts of the wicked and it stops the arm that is raised in violence.
• Where does the light come from, and where does the darkness go? Can you take it to its home? Do you know how to get there?
• Where is the path to the origin of light? Where is the home of the east wind?
• God created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundaries for day and night.

HEAVEN – God Said…

• Can you hold back the movements of the stars? Are you able to restrain the Pleiades or Orion? Can you ensure the proper sequence of the season or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth?
• He made all the stars – the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the southern sky.
• The foundations of heaven tremble at his rebuke. God stretched the north over the empty space and hung the earth on nothing.
• Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name – and his son’s name? Tell me if you know. Proverbs 30:4
• God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath and life to everyone in all the world. Isaiah 42:5
• It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name!  Amos 5:8

SNOW, HAIL, ICE, FROST– God Said…

• Have you entered into the treasuries of the snow? Have you seen where the hail is made and stored? I have reserved it for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.
• Who is the mother of ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.
• God sends snow like white wool; he scatters frost upon the ground like ashes. He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against his freezing cold? Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws. Psalm 147:16-18
• Reminder: Hail was one of the plagues God sent specifically to persuade the Egyptians in Exodus 9.

OCEAN, TSUNAMIS – God Said…

• Who defined the boundaries of the sea as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, ‘Thus far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’
• By his power the sea grew calm.
• Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you walked about and explored their depths?
• Do you have no respect for me? Why do you not tremble in my presence? I, the Lord, am the one who defines the ocean’s sandy shoreline, an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the bounds I set.  Jeremiah 5:22

RAIN, DEW, FLOODS – God Said…

• Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? Who makes rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends the rain that satisfies the parched ground and makes the tender grass spring up?
• Does the rain have a father? Where does dew come from?
• Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct it? Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven, turning the dry dust to clumps of mud?

FOUNDATION – God Said…

• Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?
• Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!
  
  

Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and storm, wind and weather that obey him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, reptiles and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them all praise the name of the Lord. His name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! Psalm 148: 7-14

WISDOM – God Said…

“Did you give beautiful wings to peacocks, or wings and feathers to the ostrich, who leaves her eggs in the earth, and warms them in the dust, forgetting that a foot might crush them, or that a wild beast might break them? She is hardened against her young, as if they were not her own. Her labor is in vain without fear, because God deprived her of wisdom.”  Job 39:13-17 

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and does not discriminate, and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, because he that waivers is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed about by the wind. Do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from God.” James 1:5-7

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. It will be a time of violence as the leaders fight against each other; and there shall be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. Matthew 24:7

God is loving and gentle. Until you mess with his kids.

God’s promise to Israel: “I will bless those who bless you and I will curse those who curse you.” (Genesis 12:2) “To your descendants I give this land…” (Genesis 15:18) “an everlasting possession.” (Genesis 17:8).

The following timeline highlights God’s reaction to America’s actions. In Genesis 12, God promised Israel he would bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel. Therefore, anyone pushing or encouraging Israel to give up the land God gave them will get a push-back warning from God.

10/18/91 – President Bush initiated 1^st bilateral peace conference between Israel & Arab neighbors, launching an American-initiated proposal for peace in an effort to force Israel to give up its land.
10/20/91 – Firestorm in Oakland, CA, resulting in over $3.5 billion dollars in damages, the worst fire since the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906.

10/30/91 – President Bush, & Secretary of State Baker initiated the Madrid Conference – seeking Israel’s exchange of land for peace.
10/30/91- An enormous tropical low combined with a tropical cyclone became a hurricane so unusual in its components that it was quickly labeled The Perfect Storm.  President Bush’s home and vacation compound was severely damaged by the storm as waves as high as his three-story house filled the house with sea water; Across the compound, the storm could be seen to have taken a toll on virtually every aspect of Bush’s life at what has become his summertime White House. 

8/24/92 – US convened the 6^th round of Bilateral Talks called to force Israel to give up its land.
8/24/92 – Hurricane Andrew smashed into the US – the most destructive natural disaster to hit America up to that time.

2/26/93 – Senator Warren Christopher was returning over the Atlantic to Washington DC from Middle East efforts to move Israel in the peace process.
2/26/93 – Car bomb exploded in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in NYC.

Summer 1993 – Oslo Accords (US pressure on Israel to trade land for peace) negotiated from April 27 to August 20, 1993, signed at White House on September 13, 1993.
Summer 1993 – Midwest Flooding with over 38 inches of rain in some areas: 200%-350% more than normal. North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

Oct 1994 – Treaty brokered by Clinton between Israel & Jordan.
Oct 1994 – Worst flooding in Texas history; 17 dead and $1 billion in damages.

11/8/95 – Signing of treaty by Clinton Administration between Israel and PLO over West Bank and Gaza; Clinton continually pushed treaty for months prior.
10/3/95 – Hurricane Opal hit Florida; 27 dead and over $3 billion in damages; July 12-16 heat wave in Chicago resulted in 600 heat-related deaths.

1996 – Netanyahu was elected Prime Minister, Israel.  Netanyahu honored God and refused to discuss exchange of land for peace.
1996 – No Natural Disasters in USA.  No hurricanes; no fires; no floods.

1/20/98 – Clinton unable to move Netanyahu to surrender to peace negotiations; Clinton abruptly terminated meeting, sent Netanyahu out of the Executive Mansion unfed and diplomatically insulted.
1/21/98 – The Washington Post broke news about Clinton’s affair with Paula Jones.

12/12/98 – Clinton to Israel to pressure Netanyahu to withdraw from Israel Territory; Netanyahu refused.
12/19/98 – President Clinton impeached by the House of Representatives.

8/29/01 – President Bush agreed to come out publicly to push for a Palestinian State.  A big roll-out was planned for the week beginning Monday, September 10.
9/11/01 – Al-Qaeda attacked America.

8/23/05 – Completion of the forced eviction of Israelis from Gaza and Samaria.
8/23/05 – Tropical depression formed near the Bahamas, soon upgraded to a Tropical Storm named Katrina.

2006 – No public efforts to pressure Israel to abandon its real estate.
2006 – No Natural Disasters in USA.  No hurricanes; no fires; no floods.

1/12/07 – Condoleezza Rice flew to Israel for 4 days of meetings to discuss the peace process.
1/11/07 – Starting January 11 and lasting until January 16, a massive ice storm hit the US leaving 500,000 without electricity in New York.  The ice storm from Maine to Texas was one of the worst the region has ever seen. Oklahoma was declared a state of emergency.  The storm hit California leaving icicles hanging from oranges, destroying 75% of the citrus crop for a billion-dollar loss.

1/17/07 – Rice left Israel and met in Germany to solicit European support.
1/18/07 – Germany was hit with winter storm Kyrill, with 3 tornadoes from Brandenburg through Brachwitz and Kemnitz. The strongest (F3) in Lauchhammer, leveling massively built barns and snapping high-tension poles. This twister tracked a distance of about 21 miles.  Europe was pounded by storms; 44 casualties. During 2007 there were 1,092 confirmed tornadoes in the U.S.  with 81 fatalities.

2/2/07 – “Diplomatic Quartet” (US, Russia, EU & UN) pressured Israel to give in to US and Palestinian demands to give up land.
2/2/07 – Florida hit with 2^nd deadliest series of tornadoes in its history. Four Groundhog Day tornadoes in central Florida, 1,345 homes destroyed, killed 8.

9/16/08 – Bush administration planned to announce its ‘Two State Solution” in NYC.
9/15/08 – Stocks on Wall Street NYC tumbled; resulting in a devastating financial and economic crisis.

Global Warming? Godly Warning?

“Choose you this day whom you will serve;
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15

Let go, my soul, and trust in him; the wind and waves still know his name!
See Job 38

In 874 BC, Ahab became King of Israel when his father, the wicked King Omri, died.  King Ahab loved the feel of money and authority and the power he had.  He became so engrossed in his love for himself, his money and his power, nothing else mattered to him.  He had nothing to do with God and had no compassion for the people of Israel.  He built idols and did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.  And, if that weren’t enough, he married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, King of the Sidonians, and they served Baal, the weather god.

God had been patient, but judgment was coming. God sent his prophet, Elijah, to warn Ahab that due to his wickedness, there would be no rain for three years.  Even though Ahab was very wicked, God loved him and wanted to give him one more chance to choose good over evil. One more chance to change the direction of his future. Would he listen?

King Ahab became angry and wanted to kill Elijah, so God told Elijah to go to Cherith, a brook by the Jordan, where God would tuck him under his wing and protect him from King Ahab.  God commanded ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah every morning and every evening and he drank from the cool, clear brook until it began to dry up from the drought.  

When the brook dried up, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath and stay there where a widow would take care of him.  When Elijah got to the gate of the city, he found a woman gathering sticks and asked her for a drink of water.  She got him a drink of water and the he asked her for some bread.  The widow didn’t have any bread.  All she had was a handful of meal and a little oil in a cruse and she was gathering sticks for a fire to bake one final meal for her son and herself before they were to die.  Elijah told her to fix him a little cake first; God would provide for them. She trusted him.

God was faithful.  As the widow baked the cakes, no matter how many cakes she baked, there was still plenty of meal and oil left to make more.  The three of them ate plentifully from a barrel of meal and a cruse of oil that miraculously never became empty.

But then the widow’s son became sick and died and her heart was torn with sorrow.  She could not understand how God could so carefully provide food to keep them alive and then allow her son to get sick and die.  She asked Elijah why he had come.  She had been prepared to die of starvation (physically and spiritually), but after being saved by of God, she was awe-struck that he would have allowed her son to die.  Elijah went to the dead boy and asked God to restore his life to him and the boy began breathing again.  When her son came running to her, the widow knew that Elijah truly was a man of God and, once again, she was comforted and protected by the hand of God.

In the third year of the drought, the Lord told Elijah to show himself to Ahab and tell him that God would send rain.  Three years is a long time to go without rain, and things were getting tough for everyone.  The crops had turned into dust, food was scarce and water was very hard, if not impossible, to find.  People were starving; animals were dying.  There had been plenty of opportunity for King Ahab to think about his disobedience and the connection between his wickedness and the drought, but he didn’t repent.  He wasn’t on his knees before God.  Instead, King Ahab had been on a search and destroy mission for that “evil Elijah” that had caused so much trouble.

While King Ahab didn’t care anything about the condition of his people during this drought, he and his servant, Obadiah, had divided the land between themselves and set out to find some grass and water to save the king’s animals.  Shortly after Obadiah left on his journey, he met Elijah.  Elijah told Obadiah to tell King Ahab that he wanted to see him.  So, reluctantly, Obadiah left and gave King Ahab the message, and the King came to Elijah – this man who was causing so much trouble for him.

Elijah reminded King Ahab that he was the one causing trouble with his disobedience of the Lord’s commandments and his blatant idol worship.  Elijah told King Ahab to bring everyone in Israel to Mt. Carmel, including all 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of idols, for a showdown of power between the gods of Ahab and the God of Elijah.

On Mt. Carmel, Elijah stood before all the people of Israel and made it clear to them that they could no longer sit on the fence.  They would have to choose one side or the other.  If the Lord is God, then they must follow him. But if Baal is god, they must follow him.  Two bulls would be offered on separate altars to their respective gods.  They were to be cut in pieces and laid on dry wood without any fire.  Then the Ahab’s prophets would call on their god, and Elijah would call on his God. The god who answered with fire for the sacrifice would be the god they would all follow, and all the people of Israel agreed.  After all, Baal was the weather god — the one who sends lightening bolts — should be easy!

The prophets of Baal circled the sacrifice and called on Baal to light their sacrifice with fire.  They called from morning until noon.  Elijah prodded them a little.  He suggested they shout a little louder.  Maybe Baal was talking and didn’t hear them, or maybe he was away on a journey, or maybe he was asleep.  The prophets went wild!  They were dancing, leaping, shouting at the tops of their lungs.  They even cut themselves with knives and swords to draw attention from their god until the evening, but no fire.

Then Elijah gathered twelve stones (one for each of the of the 12 tribes of Israel) and he built an altar in the name of the Lord.  He dug a trench around the altar, stacked the wood on the stones and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood.  Then he asked for four barrels of water and drenched the sacrifice three times.  It was time for the evening sacrifice when Elijah said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at your direction.  Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that your people may know that you are the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.”

Then fire from the Lord fell on the sacrifice and not only burned the sacrifice, but also consumed the wood, the stones, the dust and the water.  All the people fell on their faces, proclaiming the Lord is God.  Then Elijah ordered all 450 prophets of Baal to be killed.

Elijah went to King Ahab and told him to get something to eat and drink because it was getting ready to rain.  While King Ahab went to eat, Elijah began earnestly seeking God and praying for rain.  He sent his servant to go look toward the sea for rain clouds.  Nope – nothing! He sent his servant again seven times.  Finally a very small cloud appeared over the sea, and Elijah sent his servant to tell King Ahab to get on his chariot and get out of there because a mighty storm was coming.  So Ahab jumped on his chariot and headed for Jezreel, about 15 miles down the road.  The hand of the Lord was on Elijah and he ran before King Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

When King Ahab arrived in Jezreel, he did not tell his wife, Jezebel, what God had done, but instead he told her Elijah killed all 450 prophets of Baal.  This infuriated Jezebel and she issued a death warrant on Elijah.  When Elijah heard about the death warrant, he ran for his life.   Suffering from deep depression, he went into the wilderness – hiding – and praying that God would take his life.

Why the sudden change in faith? 
Elijah had experienced miracle after miracle first-hand!

• God provided food at the brook Cherith twice a day, brought by ravens
• God provided an endless supply of meal and oil for the widow
• God brought a boy back from death into life
• God sent fire to consume a water-drenched sacrifice
• God gave Elijah super-physical running power

Elijah knew God and the power that is only his.  Yet when one godless, wicked woman made a threat on his life, he ran.  Why?  King Ahab had threatened to kill him for three years, but Elijah didn’t pay any attention to his idle threats.  He obeyed God.  Why was this time different?

Elijah was worn out – stressed out.  Beneath all the blazing conviction of service to his Lord, Elijah was a fragile man, tired and weak in his human nature.  But God didn’t get upset.  He sent an angel to Elijah – to minister to him and feed him for his journey.

Elijah sought refuge in a cave and listened for that still, small voice that was God’s.  God kept asking him, “What are you doing here?”  But Elijah was afraid for his life.  Elijah’s strength failed him.  His body had passed into overdrive and his physical weakness overcame the heroic temper of his spirit.  Elijah felt like a failure.  His perseverance had run out.  So God sent him to anoint Elisha in his place as prophet.

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel met tragic, violent deaths.  King Ahab was stabbed to death in battle and the dogs licked up his blood.  Queen Jezebel was later thrown off the wall of Jezreel, trampled by horses and eaten by dogs.

Elijah had been a faithful servant and prophet of the Lord.  He was only weakened by his physical limitations.  He had been strong, but the emotional and physical stress of all that was going on – the pressure that he felt on his shoulders and in his heart – became like a dragnet, entangling him in its capture.  He was complaining that the salvation of the whole world was on his shoulders.  He even told God he was the only one who was righteous among all the people.  Even though God knew better, Elijah was bending under the pressure of stress.

God was saying to him, “Hold on, Elijah.  Let’s just sit for a minute and review the circumstances.  Who is in control?”  It might have been wise for Elijah to have had a pocket version of the third Psalms with him in that cave.  “Lord, how are they increased that trouble me!  Many are they that rise up against me.  Many there are who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.  But thou, O Lord art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of mine head.  I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.  I laid down and slept; I woke up; for the Lord sustained me.  I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, who have set themselves against me round about.  Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God; for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone; thou has broken the teeth of the ungodly.  Salvation belongs unto the Lord; thy blessing is upon thy people.”

God understands our humanity.  He knows we are created of dust.  He loves us in spite of ourselves.  He was proud of Elijah’s accomplishments and his faithfulness to him.  And when Elijah had properly trained Elisha to take over for him, God sent his finest chariot and horses to carry Elijah right up into the heavens to be with him.  We serve a first-class God!

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shines in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”

Dear Lord, help me to find precious moments of silence alone with you each morning.  Show me how to slow down and focus on your plan for my life. Help me to understand the effects of too much stress on my body and my spirit, and direct me, Lord, to seek protection under the shadow of your wings.

Take a look at this prophetic breadcrumb! 

God is powerful and deliberate in building links between physical things and spiritual things with compelling evidence to draw us to him. One of them is blood. 

Our heart is a physical pump and if it stops pumping blood, we die. Our spirit is also connected to God through blood. In Genesis 15, God made a promise to Abram and sealed it with a blood covenant. In Exodus 12:23 God provided the blood of a lamb to save the life of the oldest son in every Israelite family before they left Egypt. In Colossians 1, when God hung on the cross in the form of a man, he offered his own blood so each one of us could belong to him. God loves us and wants to connect our heart to his.

BLOOD

Blood is the direct pipeline for nourishing every body part. When a person becomes sick or has symptoms of a disease, what is the first thing medical professionals check? The blood.

Blood knows exactly what you need and reacts accordingly. When you’re running, your heart beats harder and faster to provide more blood and oxygen to your muscles. If you get an infection, your blood automatically increases the number of immune cells in that area to to fight off vicious germs, then cleans and restores the blood completely. 

The condition of your physical blood determines
the direction of your life. 

What makes blood so special? It’s made up of liquids and solids. The liquid part is called plasma and is made up of water, salts, and proteins, and makes up over half of our blood. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to living cells and takes away waste products. 

The solid part of blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Blood is precious. It’s called ‘red gold’ because the cells and proteins it contains can be sold for more than the cost of the same weight in gold.

Observe the links between the components of physical and spiritual blood.

RED CELLS

PHYSICAL PROTECTION:

• Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, the protein that carries life-giving oxygen to your body, and carry carbon dioxide from your body to your lungs for you to exhale.

SPIRITUAL PROTECTION: 

• Christ’s blood brings eternal life to your soul and removes sin through the process of repentance. 

WHITE CELLS

PHYSICAL PROTECTION: There are 5 types of white cells to fight off foreign bodies.

• Monocytes. They have a longer lifespan than many white blood cells and help to break down bacteria.
• Lymphocytes. They create antibodies to fight against bacteria, viruses, and other potentially harmful invaders.
• Neutrophils.They play important roles in our innate immune system. They circulate around our body in the bloodstream, and when they sense signals that an infection is present, they are the first cells to migrate to the site of the infection to begin killing the invading microbes.
• Basophils. They’re part of your immune system and play a role in its proper function.
• Eosinophils. These are immune system components responsible for combating multicellular parasites and certain infections in vertebrates.

SPIRITUAL PROTECTION: The blood of Christ not only fights off evil influences infecting your mind and soul, but also heals physically “… and by his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

PLATELETS

PHYSICAL PROTECTION: 

• Platelets are critical in causing blood to clot. They can form a plug in a damaged blood vessel to prevent blood loss.

SPIRITUAL PROTECTION: 

• Christ’s blood keeps you whole, protecting you from the destroyer and preventing damage to your soul. 

PLASMA

PHYSICAL PROTECTION: 

• Plasma is mostly water and is the transportation vehicle for dissolved proteins, glucose, clotting factors, electrolytes, hormones, carbon dioxide and oxygen.
• The main role of plasma is to take nutrients, hormones and proteins to the parts of the body that need it.

SPIRITUAL PROTECTION: 

• When Christ gave up his blood for you, he provided a vehicle for the Holy Spirit to carry spiritual nutrients to your body and soul through the dunamis power of God’s word and the blood of the Lamb.

The condition of your soul is determined through
your acceptance of the blood of Christ.
It will protect your life throughout eternity. 

“For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.”  Leviticus 17:11 

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.  Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.” Hebrews 2:14-15

“And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Romans 5:9

“But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”  Ephesians 2:13

“For God in all his fullest was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.”  Colossians 1:19-20 

“Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”  Hebrews 9:14

“…let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

“God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.”  1 Peter 1:2

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:26-27

Question: God said, “Let us make man in our image.” So, who is “us”? To whom was God speaking in the beginning? This isn’t a mistake in interpretation. He’s revealing the powerful elements of the gifts you have been given from creation.

YOUR IMAGE

God left breadcrumbs to create a path for you to follow. Through his Word, he has not only shown the potential within you, but also mapped out his plan with specificity. This path will plant your feet on the strong foundation he has created and established within you. In effect, he is putting prophecy into your hands. You have the power to reflect his image.

“We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. God knew from the beginning those he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son, that he might be the firstborn of many brethren.” Romans 8:28-29 

God has documented that the Spirit, the Word, Jesus the Christ, and Wisdom were all with God in the beginning. More importantly, he reveals that you were created in their image and have inherited these attributes: creative, planner, ability to discern good from evil, wisdom, power, holy, organized, faithful, loving, trusting, merciful, gracious, eternal, accountable, steadfast, sincere, committed, empowered to speak life-changing words, passionate, peaceful, orderly, fruitful, forgiving, obedient, giver.

What does this mean to you? You have inherited great things from God. You have the inherit right, the choice, to give yourself an upgrade. For instance, Romans 4:17 reveals you have the gift of ‘calling things that are not as though they were,’ so that they will be. This is an image of God. For instance, if you don’t feel well, you have the ability to either make yourself better or worse. Your body, in essence, obeys your words. You say, “I feel awful.” or “I just need some rest and I’m going to feel terrific.” Does this make sense? It works. Pay attention to your words and watch what happens. And then there’s the gift of prayer. Develop your relationship with God through prayer and discover the treasure he has for you.

“We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

SPIRIT OF GOD

The Spirit of God shattered the waters. Continually throughout scripture God connects the Holy Spirit of God with water.

 “And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2

 “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring; and they shall spring up as among the grass, like willows by the water courses.”  Isaiah 44:3-4

“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:” Mark 1:10

“And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me, upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”  John 1:33

Crucifixion was cruel and extremely painful, taking 3-4 days for death to occur. However, Jesus laid down his life after only a few hours. Normal practice was to break the legs of those being crucified to hasten the process, but when they came to Jesus and saw he was dead already, they didn’t break his legs; but “One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.” John 19:34 

“And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are in one”.  1 John 5:8

“This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.”  1 John 5:6  

“Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8

“And the Spirit and the bride [Christ] say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. and let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”  Revelation 22:17

God provides a strong correlation between the Spirit and the water many times in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The above references are only a few.

WORD OF GOD

Within the creation story in Genesis, we know God created everything, except man, with his words. He called everything into being by his words. Each word was very powerful and was filled with life.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. and the light shines in darkness; and the darkness overcame it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”  John 1:1-5, 14

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that things that are seen were not made out of things that appear.”  Hebrews 11:3

In Ephesians God connects the sword of the Spirit to Jesus, who is the Word. “Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… and pray.” Ephesians 6:17

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” Psalm 33:6

“For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the splitting of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live.”  Deuteronomy 8:3

“Truly I say to you, Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 18:18

“And I saw heaven opened and, behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called, The Word of God.”  Revelation 19:11-13

JESUS

Colossians 1:15-23 – “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.  He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme overall creation.  Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth.  He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – kings, kingdoms, rulers and authorities.  Everything has been created through him and for him.  He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.  Christ is the head of the church, which is his body.  He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything.  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.  This includes you who were once so far away from God.  You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends.  He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.  But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly.  Do not drift away!”

Hebrews 1:1-4 – “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who, being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the Word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

WISDOM

“I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.  The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.  When there were no depths, I was brought forth – when there were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before the hills, was I brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.    When he prepared the heavens, I was there; when he set a compass upon the face of the depth; when he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep; when he gave to the sea its decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment; when he appointed the foundations of the earth, then I was by him as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.” Proverbs 8:12, 22-30

“… Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”  Colossians 3:10

“You, you alone, are the Lord. You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are in it, the seas, and all that is in them, and you preserve them all; and the host of heaven worships you.”
Nehemiah 9:6

See Also: Accept Christ

“And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Genesis 1:2

PRECIOUS MOMENT

God introduces his Spirit in the 2^nd verse of the first chapter of Genesis. In Genesis 1:1 it is already noted that Christ was with God in the beginning. God was not alone.

“Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see… Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began and he holds all creation together.”  Colossians 1:15-17

During my junior/senior high school years, I argued a lot about things in the Bible. I had developed a very personal relationship with God and, while I didn’t tell anyone about it (and didn’t really know much about the Bible), I questioned everything that was contrary to what I knew personally. My Sunday School teacher, Uncle Clark, took the brunt of it, of course. So I asked him when was the first time the Holy Spirit appeared in the Bible – Old Testament or New Testament? He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, and probably said to himself, ‘oh no, here we go again.’ Yes, clearly that wasn’t in his lesson plan. But, instead of rebuking me for trying to get him off course, he was actually trying to come up with an answer without disrupting the class. It was clear he wasn’t sure, so he told me he’d do some research and get back to me. I brought it up again in a couple months and asked if the first appearance of the Holy Spirit was when Jesus was baptized and he agreed. A few years later I decided to actually read the Bible and started with Genesis 1. God had begun to teach me to study more and argue less. Precious Moment.

“Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor has taught him? With whom did he take counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?”  Isaiah 40:13-14

At one point, God provided a job for me with access to a Men’s Bible Study, which subsequently became the Downtown Bible Study. An amazing man of God, John Price, led the study, which was mostly Old Testament. He taught book-by-book, verse-by-verse. His wife once told me he spent 6 hours each week preparing for this study, at no charge, which fit perfectly into my budget. I shared as much of his teaching as I could, to whomever would listen.

John taught us the Hebrew word for “moved” in Genesis 1:2 is “shattered”. This Holy Spirit wasn’t a gentle hovercraft moving gently over the waters as I originally pictured. This was a powerful act of creation.

“When you send your Spirit, new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.”  Psalm 104:30

Following are some precious moments in times past when God sent his Holy Spirit to “step in”. As you explore the power released in the following verses, consider if you could use such power in your life.

There is a story in Genesis about Joseph, a young man sold into slavery by his brothers, radically accused unjustly, thrown into prison, then years later summoned to interpret the Pharaoh’s dreams. It’s a must read. All the while, Joseph’s brothers had meant to get rid of their father’s favorite son. Joseph, however, kept his heart true to God. In the end, Pharaoh took off his ring and gave it to Joseph, making him the #2 ruler in all Egypt, “And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?’” Genesis 41:38

As God set up his Tabernacle in the desert, he sent skilled Spirit-filled craftsmen to Moses. “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘See, I have called Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.’” Exodus 31:1-3

When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, they started intermarrying with the prior tenants and began worshipping their idols and gods. “Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim, king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushanrishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.” Judges 3:7-11

Jumping ahead a bit we find the story of Samson from the Book of Judges, chapters 14 and 15. When the Spirit of God came upon Samson, he picked up the jawbone of a donkey and killed 1,000 Philistines with it.

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him [David] in the midst of his brothers: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.” I Samuel 16:13-14

As Jesus was preparing his disciples for his death, he gave them very specific instructions: “If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Holy Spirit, whom the world cannot receive, because they can’t see him nor know him: but you know him; for he dwells with you and shall be in you.” John 14:15-17

“In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, ‘Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, ‘Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?’ He replied, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”
Acts 1:1-8

“The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Galatians 5:22-23

Balance again. God documents the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is an amazing source and resource of power to greater things. Power I can actually use to change the course of my life and others. Precious Moment.

Creation. I wasn’t there. I can only share the promises I’ve found in his Word. He loves you. If you are looking for an opportunity for your own personal prophecy, God provides clues. If your life could use some renewal, you can simply ask.

“And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.”  Philippians 1:6

The first verse of the Bible is separate from the second verse. I was taught it was simply a summary of the verses that followed (2-27), which are a more detailed account of the 7 days of creation. But maybe there’s a deeper, more defining purpose, or prophecy.

The Bible is written in two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Originally, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. While there are multiple Bible translations and interpretations, most versions begin Genesis by saying,
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1

However, in Hebrew, it is written, “Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’arets.”

Breaking it down looks like this:

1. Bereshit = First, beginning, best, chief, choice part
2. bara = to create, shape, form from nothing
3. Elohim = God
4. et  = Aleph Tav. These 2 characters are Aleph (e) and Tav (t). They’re not translated into any other language. Normally the Aleph Tav would be a type of conjunction pointing to the direct object, but not in this instance. There are hundreds of places in the Bible where the Aleph Tav sits there by itself without a direct object. Most interestingly, in each of these places, the Aleph Tav refers to what we know as the Alpha & Omega, Jesus the Christ (Rev 1:8,18 – “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, said the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. I am he that lives and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hades and of death.”).
5. hashamayim = the visible heavens: sky (1^st heaven); visible universe (2^nd heaven); heaven where God lives (3^rd heaven)
6. ve’et = conjunction, e.g. (and, therefore, then, also) plus et, the Aleph Tav
7. ha’arets = land, earth; whole earth as opposed to heaven

In Paleo Hebrew it looks like this:

Notice there are 7 words in the first verse. Not an accident. There are 7 days of creation. The seven 24-hour days of creation also represent a 7,000-year plan.  We’re entering the 7,000^th year now according to Biblical history.

The middle word, the 4^th word, is et, the Aleph Tav. When was Jesus born? Messiah was born in the 4,000^th year along with the kings and prophets. In Genesis 1:14 we learn the sun, the moon and the stars were created the 4^th day. Here in the middle of the first verse of the Bible, we find reference to Christ’s existence prior to creation. God arranged to mention him – put him right in there – as the 4^th word. Not an accident.

What’s the connection between the 4^th word, the 4^th day, and the 4000^th year?

“I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word, the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:2-9

Hint: God is seriously amazing. It’s like he’s behind a curtain dropping breadcrumbs for us to munch on. Here in Peter’s letter, God happens to drop a big clue. He reminds us that while it seems like a long, long time since he promised the Messiah would return, it’s all happening according to his plan. The big breadcrumb here is – ‘a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day’.

Since God mentioned Christ in the 4^th word of the first verse of the Bible – revealing he existed before creation – we can also connect him to the 4^th day (or 4^th 1,000 year period), because Jesus was born in the 4000^th year along with the kings and prophets (the sun, the moon and the stars to rule over the day and night).

And if we find reference to Christ’s existence before the world was created in the first verse of the Bible, we need to confirm in the New Testament that he existed before creation, which we find in Paul’s letter to the Colossians:

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – kings, kingdoms, rulers and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began and he holds all creation together. Colossians 1:15-17

Now, look at the last 3 words of that first verse. The 5^th and 7^th words are ‘heaven(s)’ and ‘earth’.

The 6^th word is ve’et. The ve in Paleo Hebrew can be a picture of a hook or connector or a nail with the et referring to Christ. Also, notice God put this 6^th letter right between the 5^th and 7^th letters. The Aleph Tav (Christ) will connect the earth and the heavens by the nails in his hands on a cross. The whole plan of salvation is hidden in the first word of the Bible.

Rico Cortez took the Paleo-Hebrew letters for Bereshit (the first word of the Hebrew Bible) and sort of played Scrabble.  By using only the “Scrabble” words from the Paleo Hebrew word “Bereshit”, he came up with an amazing prophecy:  The Father created a house, appointed a son, who was a teacher. He will judge by the strength of YHVH (Yahveh). He will bring forth judgment with fire. We will recognize our shame. On the first of Tishri we will look up with awe and fear and by the seal of the cross with fear repent and return to the desire and integrity and restore the covenant of fire observing the Shabbat.
(For a deeper dive, Google “Rico Cortez Aleph and Tav”. It is an amazing study.  https://wisdomintorah.com/mystery-of-the-Aleph-tav-wisdom-in-bereshit/)

The whole plan of salvation – the first word of the Bible. Just the beginning.

“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” – Isaiah 46:9-10