While on the Cross did Jesus address the Father as “My God? 515-1 - 5 - 4

Psalm 22 was a nearly blow by blow description of the physical Crucifixion of Jesus. Beginning with Psalm 22:1 is the complete abandonment of Jesus by God; Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” This is attested to by Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

The short version of why Jesus used my God rather than His usual salutation of Father or Abba is that God could not look upon Jesus as Jesus was sin in our place. In the days of Moses (Numbers 21) the people were again complaining so God sent fiery serpents among them many were bitten and died. God directed that a bronze serpent of brass be constructed and lifted on a pole with the promised that whoever looked at the bronze serpent would be healed of the snakebite.

The act of Moses in lifting the brass serpent was prophetic of Jesus being lifted up on the cross as our propitiation. John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” Jesus nailed our sins to the cross! Jesus, the ultimate blood sacrifice, cried from the cross, “It is finished.”

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement is/ was a day of national repentance. In the past two Goats were involved, one for the Lord and one as the Azazel, the Scapegoat. A type of the crucifixion of Jesus?

Leviticus 16:7-9, "7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering."

The High Priest fastened a scarlet woolen thread to the head of the scapegoat and it was "presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness." Leviticus 16:21-22, "21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." Note, the scarlet thread that wove/ weaves itself throughout Jewish/ Christian history.

Jesus performed the duty of the Azazel as He hung on the cross. Rather than a scarlet woolen thread fastened to His head it was a crown of thorns. Jesus not only performed the duty of the Azazel He also perform the duty of the sin offering and became sin and God would not look at Him; my God, not Abba, Father. In addition to the agony of a Roman beating and being nailed to the cross, the abandonment by God must have caused great emotional suffering.

I’ve heard it said that Jesus would have endured the cross if only for one person. I’m eternally grateful to Jesus for justifying me before our righteous God, for my very salvation. Come quickly Lord Jesus.

Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” 515-1 - 4 - 2

Psalm 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” Although Israel has often wandered far from God, God ultimately keeps His unconditional covenant with her. This guarantees me that God keeps his Word and He is my strength and salvation.  

Trusting in God rather than the strength of man and his weapons of war brings a blessing, Jeremiah 17:7, “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.”

Conversely, truthing in man’s ability bring a woe and/ or a curse.

Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”

Isaiah 31:1, “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”

In Deuteronomy Moses speaking for God warned that leaders were not to multiply horses thereby trusting in man's way for victory rather than having faith in the Lord. A added warning was against wanting to return to Egypt looking for horses, again having confidence in horses rather than God.

In another class CM mentioned 2 Kings 23:11, as perhaps another reason for a prohibition of horses and chariots. Here King Josiah removed the horses that had been dedicated to the sun and burned the chariots of the sun that the kings of Judah had used in sun worship.

“The idolatrous kings had dedicated horses and chariots to the sun, either to carry about the image of it as the heathen did, or else to sacrifice them as a most agreeable sacrifice.”

[Geneva Bible Translation Notes]

As for Israel today, many are secular and give the credit for their victories to the IDF. For now, it seems God tolerates this attitude and has less prohibitions against the use modern technology. Israel has been successful in wars with her neighbors and regained some of the land given to her by God. There is an interesting DVD series Against all Odds that undeniably demonstrates God’s hand in protecting Israel. Several of the older Israeli soldiers give credit to God.

The Six-Day War: Jun 05, 1967 to Jun 10, 1967

"By the end of the war, Israel had conquered enough territory to more than triple the size of the area it controlled, from 8,000 to 26,000 square miles. The victory enabled Israel to unify Jerusalem. Israeli forces had also captured the Sinai, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and West Bank."

[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/background-and-overview-six-day-war]

Yom Kippur War: Oct 06, 1973 to Oct 26, 1973 started on the holiest day of the Jewish faith. Israel was victorious.

In the war of 2014 the Iron Dome air defense system intercepted and destroyed short-range rockets, artillery shells and mortars. This image was posted on Facebook.

 

Israel is surrounded by enemies and her continued existence is proof that God keeps his word. Again, in Proverbs we are reminded that God has our back, Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD."

Jesus, our Kinsmen Redeemer 515-1 - 4 - 2

A Kinsman-Redeemer has to be a kinsman, able and willing to perform, and must assume all the obligations. As our Kinsman-Redeemer Jesus is our kinsman if we have a personal relationship with him. Jesus was willing to endure torture and an excreting death on the cross for His Church. As wholly man and wholly God Jesus was qualified to be our propitiation, to assume our iniquities.

Something of a surprise as I was researching the Hebrew term Goel, an equivalency to Kinsman-Redeemer. Often as I have read the Book of Ruth I never made the connection of the Kinsman-Redeemer being the avenger of blood. Boaz was the Kinsman of Naomi and loved her daughter-in-law Ruth. Here Naomi represents Israel and Ruth, the Gentile Bride. In this sweet but prophetic love story the Kinsman-Redeemer Boaz is a type of Christ but not called upon to be an avenger.

“Goel: Kinsman-Redeemer –Law of Redemption Lev 25:47-50 –Law of Levirate Marriage In Hebrew, the participle of the verb _gaal_, "to redeem." It is rendered in the Authorized Version "kinsman," Num. 5:8; Ruth 3:12; 4:1,6,8; "redeemer," Job 19:25; "avenger," Num. 35:12; Deut. 19:6, etc. The Jewish law gave the right of redeeming and repurchasing, as well as of avenging blood, to the next relative, who was accordingly called by this name.”

[http://www.dictionary.com/browse/goel]

We serve a loving God; nevertheless, He is a righteous God and will not tolerate sin. Jesus came the first time as the suffering Messiah and as our Kinsman Redeemer Jesus provided propitiation. God sees those in Christ through the purity of Jesus rather than our fallen state. Without the gift of grace from Jesus, our near kinsman, we would be condemned. Jesus was able and willing to perform even to an excruciating death on the cross thereby assuming all the obligations of sins past, present and future. On the cross Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1. God had forsaken Jesus as Jesus was the personification of iniquity.

While in His earthly walk Jesus, our Kinsmen Redeemer, quoted Isaiah 61. Luke 4:18-19, “18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Jesus stopped quoting Isaiah 61 at a comma and omitted “and the day of vengeance of our God.” At His second coming Jesus, will come as the blood avenger. Revelation 19:15, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” The sword is the Word.

Where is America in the Last Days? 526-1 - 6 - 8

Where is America in the Last Days? One possible verse pertaining to the United States is Ezekiel 39: 6, “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Perhaps the United States has simply decline as a world power? What of a great revival taking place and most of the United States’ population Raptured. Is the United states decimated in a nuclear attack?

Eight years of Obama resulted in our country reducing its military might, dumbing down of the population, selling of baby parts, government imposed sexual confusion and more. Perhaps best summed up by Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

In my opinion, our country was headed for implosion should we have another eight years of the far left in power. With the election of President Trump, we may be on the road to recovery. However, a decline as a world power by implosion is still a slight possible given the obstruction of the left and the RINOs.

A great revival, I pray so but am not very optimistic. Has America become so immoral that it is too late to be spared God’s judgment as it was for Jerusalem, Ezekiel Chapter 14. Is it too late for a clarion call to national repentance? Ezekiel 33:2-9 speaks to being a watchman and the responsibility to warn the people of their wickedness.

Is America decimated in a nuclear attack? Throughout the Cold War with Russia mutually assured destruction (MAD) allowed for an uneasy peace. Now several countries have nuclear WMD and countries such as North Korea and Iran have been open concerning their desire to destroy the United States. Hopefully MAD keep the uneasy peace as we have nuclear submarines that assure retaliation.

To quote Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” There is a clear and present danger being mostly ignored by the federal government, threats to the electric power grid are posed by cyber-attack, sabotage, a geomagnetic super-storm, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from the high-altitude detonation of a nuclear weapon.

The resent hurricanes were a preview of what would happen with an EMP. The entire population of the 48 contiguous states could be at risk of no food, water, communications, transportation and more. American would be paralyzed by collapse of the electric power grid and an easy prey to be conquered. In my opinion, the more likely scenario as no lasting damage to the land such as with nukes.

 So why the quote from Pogo? Hardening our grid is possible and at a reasonable cost. The electric power industry, represented by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is lobbying against protecting the grid. Within the government several agencies are involved depending on what might cause an EMP, a cyber-attack, sabotage, solar, and or from a nuclear weapon.

In my opinion, America not having a presence in the last days will sadly not be due to a great revival. An America decimated in a nuclear attack offers like value to our enemies. Rather the United States could simply decline as a world power after an EMP.

So, what can I do to be a watchman warning of the clear and present danger of an EMP? On a personal level, I’ve done some prepping and protecting of small electronics. I have all of CM’s Bible teachings and most of his other teachings on flash drives packed in faraday pouches as well as a solar charger and an audio Bible that is charged by solar. As a watchman, I need to be better educated concerning EMPs and to be vocal. Not unlike studying the Bible and being a witness for Jesus.

a dark night of the soul 515-1 - 3 - 6

I went through a dark night of the soul several years ago, to me like drowning in depression and being unable to quickly pull myself of it. Growing up my mother was my hero, however, as she got older she became a master of the guilt trip. I knew she would like nothing better than for me to move in with her in southern California/ modern day Sodom. For years wherever someone was needed to stay with mom 24/7 it turned out to be me. I loved mom but I disliked Southern California, home to atheists, agnostics, Satan worshipers, New Agers and false teachers.

While waiting for the other shoe to hit the floor I was enjoying a good life with wonderful Church and Bible study friends. I spent winters in my Arizona home and summers in Michigan close to family and friends. Then the shoe hit the floor and southern California called.

I was now looking at living at my mom’s place for as long as she could remain at home and my health would hold up. Her long-time care-giver continued coming in twice a week so that was a big help. Various family members gave me “Atta girls” when a little help with mom would have been far more appreciated than empty platitudes. Add to that my brother had his own health problems so no help there.

I went through a period of depression unusual for me. I prayed that I wouldn’t wake in the morning, something I never shared before with anyone other than God. Usually I can talk myself into a positive outlook and I slowly came out of my depression. The hardest part was that I had to put on a happy face when I felt like I was dying inside.

Koinonia Institute became a life-line for me. In 2012 I wrote a reply to the DQ “What is Compartmentalism and how does it work? What is the main problem with it?”

Part of my answer was, “And then there's the compartment in my life called family duty. In January of this year I gave up a fulfilling life to come and help care for my mother for an indefinite period of time. In the family duty compartment of my life I'm very conflicted between love and duty to my mother and wanting my own life back. I have to manage a positive attitude for my mother. On one hand I'm less than happy and on the other I feel very guilty for being unhappy. I suspect that this is having an adverse effect on my health. I passed the Biblical age of threescore and 10 last year and I’m a polio survivor for 65 years.”

Thankfully my mom was getting stronger every day, however, then in my early 70s my health was getting worse. Earlier I had elevated blood pressure but it climbed to where my doctor told me I was a stroke waiting to happen. Type II Diabetes finally caught up with me as did family eye disease. After a year and a half of caring for mom that last time, my cousin took over mom’s care and I returned to my Arizona home. I returned to help with mom a few times but thanks to my cousin I could return home to Arizona.

WMD past and present 526-1 - 14 - 1

I grew up in the shadow of the atomic bomb in a small town in Michigan a long way from a major airport. Few jets flew overhead so when hearing one I would wonder is this the one that's going to drop a bomb on us. Of course, we learned all about duck and cover not that it would do any good against an atomic bomb. There was a lot of talk about building bomb shelters and of course a lot of media hype and money Chasers.

Later in high school when I was taking World History our teacher told us not to worry, the enemy wouldn’t waste an atomic bomb on our small town, rather it would be more like today's bunker buster. As a World War II veteran to me our teacher was creditable.

Finally, in the 80s the wall came down and Russia came apart at the seams. Our old antagonist was far less of a threat then when our two colossal governments faced each other down and Mutual Assured Destruction kept bombs from falling throughout the Cold War. China was emerging as a world power just to add to the mix.

Now decades later we have new players either with WMD or trying to procure them. While many leaders of countries worship at the altar of global change to control the populace, clear and present dangers were/ are seemingly ignored.

The former administration not only ignored the increasing danger of Islam seeking WMD, Obama and his minions helped them. With the nuclear deal in place, Iran is moving forward. Kim Jong-un is a loose cannon with very deadly weapons. Meanwhile the Obama administration undercut our military and promoted transgender bathrooms and transgenders in the military.

A few days ago, North Korea purposely donated a hydrogen bomb. The war of words is on with the United States threatening a massive military response and Korea intimating that they might set off a high-altitude bomb that would create an EMP potentially doing inconceivable damage to our power grid and would fry electronics. Just how extensive the damage from an EMP would be as not known as decades ago the partial test-ban treaty was enacted and above-ground testing of nuclear weapons was terminated.

Should an EMP wipe out our grid and electronics it’s estimated that 90 percent of the population would die in the first year bringing the United States to its knees; we would be ripe for conquest. Another WMD going back decades is the neutron bomb which kills while doing little damage to the infrastructure of a country.

The Neutron Bomb

“The tactical neutron bomb is a nuclear weapon that maximizes damage to people but minimizes damage to buildings and equipment. It is also called an enhanced radiation warhead. The neutron bomb is a specialized thermonuclear weapon that produces a minimal blast but releases large amounts of lethal radiation which can penetrate armor or several feet of earth.”

[http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/key-issues/nuclear-weapons/basics/neutron-bomb.htm]

Currently the world seems to be balanced on a knife-edge with some such as former IDF intelligence chief reportedly recommending that the US make a preemptive strike on North Korea. 

There are dark forces at work, perhaps the "Shadow Government" and those promoting a OWG. Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." As for me, I’m a believer and I know that God is in control. Come quickly Lord Jesus. 

The Holocaust of the 20th Century, the present anti-Semitic mentality and the the future, the Time of Jacob's Trouble 526-1 - 13 - 4

Past

The Holocaust: An Introductory History

“The Holocaust (also called Ha-Shoah in Hebrew) refers to the period from January 30, 1933 - when Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany - to May 8, 1945, when the war in Europe officially ended. During this time, Jews in Europe were subjected to progressively harsher persecution that ultimately led to the murder of 6,000,000 Jews (1.5 million of these being children) and the destruction of 5,000 Jewish communities. These deaths represented two-thirds of European Jewry and one-third of all world Jewry.

The Jews who died were not casualties of the fighting that ravaged Europe during World War II. Rather, they were the victims of Germany's deliberate and systematic attempt to annihilate the entire Jewish population of Europe, a plan Hitler called the “Final Solution” (Endlosung).”

[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/an-introductory-history-of-the-holocaust]

The Holocaust was the best orchestrated attempt to destroy the Jews throughout the past. Orchestrated from Hitler’s hate filled speeches to his minions to the countries who refused Jews entrance to the builders of the ovens and more.

Present

We must never forget the Holocaust of the last century. Sadly, today there seems to be an increasing anti-Semitic mentality throughout much of the world. Perhaps Edmund Burke said it best, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”

Is History Repeating Itself? Ten ways Current Events reflect Holocaust History

“Many feel that such heinous crimes could never happen again in today’s civilized society, but we must remember that Germany was also civilized in the 1930s and 40s. Additionally, recent headlines show that the same attitudes and actions exist and are escalating now as existed at the time of the Holocaust. Here are just ten of the ways that history is beginning to repeat itself.”

[http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/is-history-repeating-itself-ten-ways-current-events-reflect-holocaust-history/2014/12/15/]

Future

The Tribulation is the time set aside for Israel to come to faith in their/ our Messiah. Israel has been regathered to part of her covenant land as foretold in Ezekiel 37, the Valley of Dry Bones. Israel’s statehood was declared in 1948 and she has ever since been at war with her open enemies and her covert adversaries.

In the future is the time of Jacob's trouble/ the Great Tribulation, Matthew 24:21, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Jesus warns, Matthew 24:16, ”Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.”

Revelation 12:14, “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” The believing remnant of Israeli will be protected in Petra.

Zechariah 13:8, “And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.” One third of the world’s Jews died in the Holocaust, sadly two thirds are prophesied to be killed during the time of Jacob's trouble.

Here again is God’s promise that a remnant will be saved. Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”