Category Archives: End Times

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)

Well, the Mayans let us down, and the world did not end as predicted on December 21, 2012.  Now we have 2013 for which to look forward, and if any credence can be given to the media, the prospects are not too promising.  As I write this, Congress has yet to arrive on a budget agreement that will keep the nation from going over the fiscal cliff.  The real unemployment rate is hovering around 17%, the housing market is in the tank, and it looks like we are headed for another recession.  The European Union is on the verge of financial collapse.  The Middle East is on fire.  Israel fights for its existence as Hamas rains down rockets on the Israeli population.  Iran is bent on developing atomic weapons for the sole purpose of destroying Israel.  North Korea continues test firing rockets that will have the potential of reaching our shores.  Russia continues to supply Iran with the raw materials and technology to develop their atomic weapons.  Meanwhile their nuclear ballistic missile submarines are patrolling our coastal waters as an act of defiance to the perceived impotence of our governmental and military leadership.  Happy New Year!

On the surface, there seems to be little hope.  Even so, the prospect of a new year always comes with the glimmer of hope that things can be better.  The New Year is a step forward into the unknown.  There is no way of knowing what is up ahead; there is only hope.  In our passage above, the Children of Israel had completed their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness and were preparing to enter the Promise Land.  Moses, who had been the only leader they had ever known, was dead.  In his place, Joshua had been commissioned to lead the people in the conquest of their new homeland.  Forty years before, he had been one of two of the twelve spies that returned with a good report about the land God had given them.  The other ten only saw the strength of the enemy and their own weakness and were fearful of taking on the challenge.  Now, they were once again at the frontier of the Promise Land.  The enemy they had feared forty years earlier was still in the land; nothing had changed.  They would still have to enter, fight for and conquer the land.  Even if their circumstances had not changed, neither had the promise of God changed.  “And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD” (Exodus 6:8).  It had always been so; the inheritance was theirs for the taking, but they had to take it, and God was their guarantee.  So here they were once again at the precipice of the unknown, but they carried with them the promise of God: “the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9).

So, we are faced with another new year with an uncertain future.  No matter what that future may hold, we can rest on that same promise that the LORD our God is with us wherever we go and in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves.  We can trust that “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).  We can know that God is always at our side and “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

God’s blessings on you and yours in the coming new year; may you have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the Lord.  (Nehemiah 1:4)

Nehemiah was chief steward, butler or “cupbearer” for the Persian king Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:11).  His position was one of great confidence before the king.  One of his main functions was to taste the king’s food and drink before serving it to him to ensure that it was not poisoned (Nehemiah 2:1).  Nehemiah would be comparable to the secret service agents that surround our President today and are willing take a bullet for him.

One can imagine that with a position of such great responsibility, Nehemiah was well compensated and had not a care in the world as far as material possessions are concerned.  His job was secure, and he probably enjoyed all the finer things in life.  Materially speaking, Nehemiah had nothing for which to be sad (Nehemiah 2:1).  But news from Judah wounded his spirit deeply so that he “wept and mourned” for several days.  The people of Judah were “afflicted” and defenseless (Nehemiah 1:3), and while Nehemiah was far removed from problem, he could identify with and relate to the problem of what he considered to be his nation.

Nehemiah was deeply grieved for his nation and his people, but he did more than weep and mourn over the situation.  He “fasted and prayed before the Lord.”  He interceded “for the children of Israel.”  He confessed “the sins of the children of Israel” and acknowledged “we [all of Israel] have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house” (Nehemiah 1:6) – he did not exclude himself.  He reminded God of His promise to “scatter you abroad among the nations: But if ye turn unto me … I will gather them from thence …” (Nehemiah 1:8-9).  Nehemiah did not stop there.  He committed himself to be used of God personally to affect change in his nation: “prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man [Artaxerxes]” (Nehemiah 1:11).

At the time of this writing, a heavy, dark cloud looms over our beloved nation.  Like the children of Israel, we have been so richly blessed by God.  Now, after more than 236 years, we have cast God aside and have forgotten Him.  As a result, we are reaping what we have sown as a nation.  Yet, while life remains, there is hope.  As children of God, it is up to us not merely to weep and mourn the erosion of our liberty, but like Nehemiah, we must fast and pray acknowledging our sin in confession.  Then, when we have fasted and prayed for several days, we must assume personal responsibility and take action to rebuild the walls and the gates that have crumbled by the decay of neglect.  The America of our Founders Fathers no longer exists, and we may never again see the America of only 50 or 60 years ago, but as Christians, we are citizens of “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10) and we “desire a better country, that is, an heavenly [country] … for [God] hath prepared for us a city” (Hebrews 11:16).   The current state of that city here on earth is in dire need of repair, and whereas we may not be able to affect that state of our nation, we can still rebuild the crumbling walls of our faith.  We need to pray for and work toward revival in our nation, regardless of the powers that be.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shi’loh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. (Genesis 49:10)

This is readily recognized as Messianic prophesy identifying the coming Messiah as a descendant of Judah.  The scepter, the rod indicating the king’s authority, was assigned to the tribe of Judah, never to depart until the coming of the “One Who Brings Peace” (the meaning of Shiloh).

It is interesting that Israel’s first king, Saul, was not from the tribe of Judah, but rather from the tribe of Benjamin.  First Samuel 12 records the ascension of Saul, Israel’s first king.  Saul was the people’s choice, not God’s.  “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ra’-mah, And said unto him … make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:4-5).  Failure is assured when God’s people try to pattern themselves after the world, and once that route is chosen God will often stand back and let it happen.  “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).  We are all guilty of that at one time or another.  We do not want God ruling over us, so instead we opt for the fallacious idea of “self-rule.”  The idea of self-rule is fallacious because no one is truly a free agent, but I digress.

The wisdom of the world is never optimal.  By the world’s standards, Saul was “a choice young man, and [handsome]: and there was not among the children of Israel a [handsomer] person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2); but whereas “man looketh on the outward appearance … the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Israel’s choice was nothing like what God had planned for Israel.  “Behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! And, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you” (1 Samuel 12:13).  Note that even though Saul was the people’s choice, God assumes the responsibility for setting him up.  This is something to keep in mind in the upcoming election.  No matter who wins, ultimately it is God who will set him over us.  Even after God allowed Israel’s poor choice, He still shows mercy toward them.  “For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it has pleased the LORD to make you his people” (1 Samuel 12:22).  It is comforting to know that even when we make poor choices, God will not abandon us.  We have the promise that “The One Who Brings Peace” will come and reclaim His creation, and from Him “the scepter shall not depart.”