Coming out of Babylon

“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”  Rev 18:1-5

Evil tidings and the upright

Today is my last day in Colorado; we are going home to Florida tomorrow. I have not read the news the whole time I have been gone on vacation, but I have heard of things. That evil men are still trying to thwart God and work evil in the world, is what it boils down to.

This past week in the Torah I read of Balak's hiring of Balaam to come and curse Israel, and how that all worked out for the king of Moab. It was the same thing we are facing today: evil men trying to thwart God and work evil in the world. The bottom line of that history, is that God has blessed Israel; what God has blessed cannot be cursed, or destroyed, or done away with; and when men attempt to withstand God and His people, to thwart His blessing and His people's well being, He will withstand them until He has either their cooperation or their death.

The Psalm that accompanies that Torah portion is Psalm 112:

Psa 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. Psa 112:2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Psa 112:3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever. Psa 112:4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. Psa 112:5 A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion. Psa 112:6 Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. Psa 112:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Psa 112:8 His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies. Psa 112:9 He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor. Psa 112:10 The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked shall perish.

Just as the nation whose God is the Lord is blessed, the man whose God is the Lord is blessed. Evil tidings may come, the wicked may try to do wickedly, but the blessing of the Lord on the head and the house of the upright cannot be removed or withstood. Notice God's definition of the upright: the man who fears the Lord, and who delights greatly in His commandments. We have had uprightness imputed to us by the blood of Yeshua; but let us also not despise the gift of righteousness, and let us fear the Lord and walk in His commandments (His covenant), now that we have been made clean and free from sin.

Then, let nothing shake us, for nothing can shake us out of the good hand of our Father, our King, and our God.

Bible study discussion group

I have been thinking about doing this for some time. I want to start a Bible study email group. We would read one chapter from the Bible each day (it would take about three years to go through the entire Bible), and I would begin a discussion on it, either how that Word that we read applies practically to our lives today, how it applies to current events or controversies, or discussing a point of theology, or whatever the Spirit leads. My hope is that it could grow into a real discussion list, where I would not be the only one talking. On this blog, I feel so much like the only one talking, LOL, and I sometimes get so tired of listening to myself, LOL.

Of course this blog would not stop. This is the place to do topical studies, such as the Revelation series, what the Bible says about parenting, the relationship of Torah to our lives as believers in Yeshua, and all that.

So if a Bible study discussion group sounds like something you would be interested in, please send an e-mail to christinesbiblestudy [at] gmail [dot] com, and we will begin in a few weeks (to give people a chance to sign up.) I am going to leave this post on top until we start. :)

P.S. If anyone knows how to set up blind e-mailing in gnail, could you e-mail me at christinesbiblestudy, the above address, and let me know? I know it is possible, but haven't been able to figure it out yet. Thank you!

The beauty that is today

I was thanking the Lord that today was Pentecost, or Weeks, a day holy (holiday) to the Lord. In Lev 23, the days which are holy to the Lord are described, and the Hebrew word used to mean "feasts" is moedim, which means, an appointment. On the days which are holy to the Lord, God has made an appointment with His people. An appointment to do what?

The last time I read through the Torah, for some reason I decided to look up the phrase "tent of meeting" in Hebrew which occurs hundreds of times in the books of Moses. The tent of meeting was the place, the tabernacle, where Moses met with the Lord and talked to Him face to face. Imagine my surprise when I discovered what the Hebrew word was for "tent of meeting" was: moed. So the appointment God has made with His people, on His holy day, is an appointment to meet together.

To be together. To be in each other's presence. To talk together. And I was thinking, how church people resist this notion of setting aside the holy days, such as Sabbaths (Saturdays) and the seven special feast days, to rest and focus on the Lord on those days, because they are loathe to obey a Law.

But I think if we see it as nothing more than obeying a Law, we are missing something beautiful. We are missing that GOD DESIRES US, that He desires to be with us, to meet with us, to communicate with us. And to facilitate that end, He has provided appointments, rest days, where we can shut out the clamor of the world and its obligations, and come away with Him, and soak in the pleasure of His presence. Where we can minister to each other; where we can pour out our love for Him in praise and worship, and He can pour out to us, whatever it is that He desires to give.

Don't miss out on something beautiful today!

Pentecost today!

According to the Scripture, Pentecost is a harvest festival. Three of the seven feast days of the Lord are harvest festivals. Harvest always symbolizes the ingathering of souls, the salvation of people who are freed from the chains and bondage in which they were kept in the kingdom of darkness. On the first harvest festival, Firstfruits, Jesus rose from the dead. He was the first to be freed from death.

The third harvest festival is Tabernacles, which is the huge celebration, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which occurs at the Lord's return. Of course we can see how that festival represents freedom from death, because at the Lord's return, He will take up His kingship, and the entire earth will be subject to Him for one thousand years. But His reign will be a reign of life and peace. The enemy will be kept in prison and unable to work for that whole time. It will be the millennium of rest, after six millennia of man lording it over man in the kingdoms of this world.

So that just leaves Pentecost, or Weeks, the lonely harvest festival in the middle of the two, between the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on one side, and the Return of Jesus Christ on the other side. What harvest of souls, what freedom from death, is occurring between Christ's Resurrection and His Return? That is us, people! The Church! The Bride! Pentecost celebrates her new life, her deliverance, her translation from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His dear Son, her empowerment by the Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life, her sanctification!

Memorials in time

It was Memorial Day earlier this week, and I have been thinking about memorials since the weekend; the things we do as individuals and as a nation to make sure we never forget the things that are vital for us to remember.

We make memorials of places - like Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Constitution was drafted, debated, and approved - and we make memorials in time - like July 4th, the date the Declaration of Independence was signed and published. The Lord is the same; He makes memorials of places and times also, whose purpose is to make sure we never forget something vital for us to remember.

An example of a memorial of place which the Lord established, would be Temple Mount in Jerusalem. On that spot, Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac in obedience to the Lord, foreshadowing by type that one day the Father would sacrifice His Son of the Promise to free His people from their sins. Also on that spot, when David interceded for the people of Jerusalem, a deadly pestilence was stayed from proceeding further (another foreshadow of deliverance from death through the ministry of Messiah, of David's house). And Solomon built the Temple, the place where the name of the Lord dwells forever -- yet another foreshadow of the Messiah, the Son of David, building the Temple without hands where God Himself will dwell with His people forever!

Every Sabbath and feast day is also a memorial in time which the Lord has established from the foundation of the world. They remind us of important historical events which we cannot afford to forget, which foreshadow future realities. The Sabbath reminds us that God is our Creator and Lord, and that we owe Him worship and service -- Creation Week is the historical event. But it is also a promise that the millennial reign under the kingship of Messiah will be a millennium of rest -- that is the future event, as Messiah's millennium will be the 7th millennium in the history of the earth.

The memorial in time coming up this weekend is a very important one indeed, but it seems to get lost between the big spring festivals of Passover and Firstfruits, and the big fall festivals of Trumpets and Tabernacles. Sunday May 31st is Pentecost, or Shavuot. It is the second of three harvest festivals in Israel. Firstfruits is the first harvest festival of the new year, when the barley comes ripe. The barley is the first "fruit" to rise from the dead of winter, you might say; just as Jesus is the firstfruits of those who rise from the dead. Tabernacles is the third harvest festival, when the fruits such as olive, grapes, and figs come ripe. Tabernacles is the largest harvest festival, the one that closes the agricultural year; and the large harvest of its fruits of all kinds is like the abundance of the nations which will come in faith in Messiah at the very end, at His return.

And then there is Pentecost, or Shavuot, sitting off by itself in between the two. The wheat is harvested at this time in Israel. On this day in history, moreover, God gave the two tablets inscribed with the Law to Moses from the top of Mount Sinai; and it was also this day, when the Holy Spirit was poured out onto the Church in Acts chapter 2. God linked together forever the giving of His Law and the giving of His Spirit by the memorial in time of Pentecost. I believe it is because Ezekiel says:

"Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God." Eze 11:19-20

Because it is only by the indwelling of the Spirit of God, by the new man with a circumcised heart, that God's people can walk in His statutes and keep His commandments and do them.

So what is the spiritual harvest that the wheat harvest festival of Shavuot or Pentecost foreshadows? I believe it is us. We are the harvest, we have been born again with new life, for the life we now live, we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. We are the ones between: we are between the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Firstfruit, and the realization of the great harvest which will come in for God at His return. We are between worlds, because we live in this world but are not a part of this world. We are between realities, with our dead flesh constantly at war with our born again spirits.

On teenage rebellion, part four

Previously: On teenage rebellion, part three

The Lord tells us in Ephesians 6:4:
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

I believe parents, particularly fathers, are instructed to do this, in order to model to their children what the Heavenly Father is like. When the children are grown, they will have a visual aid so to speak, to help them in understanding the Lord's heart toward them, and what a relationship with Him might entail. So what does it mean to bring a child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Bringing our child up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is more than just taking our children to church so they can learn about God. Let's talk about nurture today, and we can discuss admonition tomorrow.

So if we think how the Lord treats us in love as our Heavenly Father, we begin to get an idea of what the Lord's nurture looks like. He is never too busy for us - He wants to spend more time with us, most likely, than we are spending with Him. He does not put us lower on His priority list after golf and volunteering in church. He welcomes us into His presence when we come to Him. He is great, and holy is His name, and yet He is humble and lowly in heart. So He does not make us feel small in order to satisfy a need to feel big (as some do who are in positions of authority over others). He is God, King, and Lord, yet He does not "lord over" us.

He sacrificed Himself for us - His interests and His prestige, didn't He. He assesses our needs, and provides for them, even before we have asked in most cases. Emulating that requires paying attention to our children and not being too wrapped up in self or just accomplishing the stuff of daily life. He gives to us generously without reproaching us for having a need. He forgives us freely when we come to Him and confess our sin.

There is a start on what the nurture of the Lord looks like, and I can think of many examples that human parents do which are the opposite of that. I've done some of them too, with my children. When we human parents do the opposite of the nurture of the Lord, we provoke our children to wrath.

They know they have been sinned against, even if they have no idea how or how to articulate the distress in their hearts it causes. Then we parents create an open door for the flesh or the enemy to come and sow resentment, anger, bitterness, rejection, and discouragement in the hearts of our children, which, when full grown (i.e. teenagehood) can produce the fruit of rebellion.

To be continued ...

Death and life in the power of the tongue

I was reading in Proverbs 18 today, and this passage stood out to me:

20 A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

I was thinking about this study that I had read a few months ago, that compared strong marriages and failed marriages. The strong and failed marriages went across all income levels. Strong marriages did not have less trouble or crises than failed marriages, nor were partners in strong marriages better human beings than the partners in failed marriages. The difference was, partners in successful marriages overlooked faults, extended patience and forgiveness, and in general concentrated on the good in each other instead of the bad in each other. While failed marriages did just the opposite: couldn't let go of faults, focused on problems, and were negative about each other.

This wisdom was in the Bible long before man did a study, and Proverbs 18:20-21 is where you find it. Think of it this way: what we say with our mouths has an effect, words are not meaningless. God used words to create the universe and everything in it. And then He made us in His image. That means, we create life for ourselves or death for ourselves by the words of our mouth.

With our mouth, we can express thankfulness to our God every day, we can bless our family and edify our household, choosing by love to cover over, to overlook transgressions, and the fruit of that thanksgiving and that blessing and that edification will be life. Or, with our mouth, we can express complaints to our God every day, we can criticize our family and tear down our household, choosing with bitterness and resentment to dwell on transgressions and problems, and the fruit of that complaining and that criticizing and that cursing will be death.

Prepare for the global day of prayer

On teenage rebellion, part three

Previously: On teenage rebellion, part two

If teens are rebelling against parental authority, they rebelled against divine authority first. It is God who said, "Honor your father and mother." Rebellion against God is not just a teen problem, but a human nature problem. Often at the root of rebellion, there is a deeply- held belief in the heart, which, it often turns out, the enemy nourishes and strengthens over the years with more lies. The lie at the root of rebellion is that man is independent and can make his own decisions; he is not accountable to God, and God is not (or does not have the right to be) King over his life.

This lie, modern American society and culture feeds into the general population. We Americans value our independence! And often in movies or television, the underdog who overthrows imposed authority is a common and popular plot theme, and the independent rebel or the smart mouth is the hero.

There is a difference, however, between overthrowing usurped, tyrannical, and unrighteous authority (which is a good thing, such as defeating the Nazis in World War II) and overthrowing God's right to be King over mankind (which is a bad thing) - a difference which modern culture does not make.

A child fed a steady diet of the Word of God from the earliest age, both Old and New Testaments, will understand the distinction, and will recognize God's right to rule as King over mankind. The lie at the root of most rebellion will have difficulty taking root in his heart.

A child not fed a steady diet of God's Word is not without hope, however - God's Word is a sword of truth which will bring down strongholds of lies established in our hearts. Begin a steady diet of the Word of God, especially Torah, Psalms, and Proverbs; especially Isaiah and Jeremiah, and I think Job would also be great. The New Testament of course would also be good, but sometimes people ignore the Old and go straight for the New. In this case, it is detrimental for the Old to be ignored (and I think, in every case). The Old specifically lays a foundation of God as our Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge. One of the fruits of meditation in it, is the fear of the Lord, a good thing - the beginning of wisdom. :)

Corollary lies which may accompany the man is independent lie, are God is not my Creator - especially fostered by evolutionary doctrine taught in our schools and universities, and preached in the media. Another related to it, is that the Word of God is flawed or not authoritative. Both are lies, and both serve to feed the Man is independent lie, and to encourage rebellion against God.

The influence of any lie can be destroyed by the Word of God, even if the person does not believe what the Word is saying is true, at first. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The truth from the Word which is opposite the lie needs to be said aloud so that the ears can hear it, over and over again, for faith (belief) in that truth to be produced in the heart. It would be helpful if the lies could be blocked at the same time. No popular culture for a while. And there is more that can cause rebellion ...

Update: continued in On teenage rebellion, part four

On teenage rebellion, part two

Our God reigns

I did not mean to be absent all week - this turned out to be a very busy week for me, so I apologize. But before I turn off the technology and finish my Passover preparations, there is something that I have been thinking on all week, that I would like to share:

I don't read the news much anymore - it is depressing for me, to read how far we have come from our foundation. It is discouraging for me. My husband and I have been praying diligently for our president and all his staff, and all who serve in our government. We have been repenting ourselves for our country, that we have abused our freedom and chosen our leaders unwisely. We have been praying for mercy on our nation, and for truth and conviction of sin and righteousness to be upon us and our leaders. We have been praying for a spirit of repentance and revival to engulf us once more, and to bring us back to our foundation and our God, and to cause the name of Jesus Christ to be lifted up and glorified.

So if you too are dismayed at the headlines, there is something we can all do - we are not powerless. We can repent ourselves, and seek the Lord's face every day, and begin to OBEY THE COMMANDS OF GOD and the WORD OF JESUS, and throw ourselves on the mercy of our great God!

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry;
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth." Ps 34:14-16

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases." Proverbs 21:1

And then a friend of mine sent me something interesting this morning, a quote from a news article:

"Tonight at the White House, President Obama will host the first Passover Seder in the history of our nation."

May You bless our president with truth, light, conviction, repentance, and salvation, and may the elements of the lamb, the bread and the wine, and the bitter herbs bring home a revelation of the glorious gospel of Messiah Yeshua to his heart! And may your holidays be blessed, in the name of Yeshua.

Love Christine

Our Passover celebration

Passover, the Week of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits holidays are all coming up later this week. I have been working on my menus over at Christine's Kitchen, and I have a new menu index up of unleavened desserts to choose from to serve during this holiday week.

As the years go by, we follow less and less the traditions of the rabbis, and make our focus remembering, praising, and glorifying the Lord and His mighty works on our behalf. So this Friday night, all our family in this area is coming to our house for the Passover dinner. We are providing the lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread, and everyone else is bringing appetizers or desserts or side dishes. It will be a feast in the truest sense of the word!

Before the dinner begins, we will read the story of the Exodus. I am dividing the Scriptural account into portions and printing it out, one portion for each person there who can read. That way everyone gets a chance to participate in remembering the mighty works of the Lord, even if they are new to feast keeping.

Then we will eat, I think, without stopping to drink wine at certain points and so on. We will just explain the significance of the proscribed menu items: the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread.

Then when dinner is over, but before communion and dessert, we will read the Crucifixion story, divided into portions as before. Then we will have our communion. It is our plan to have a time of corporate worship and thanksgiving. We are just going to play this worship service from our church in Colorado through our TV. But if any families have members who can lead or accompany worship, so much the better!

I am expecting the Lord's presence to be with us in some wonderful way, so depending on what happens, that will in part determine how the rest of the evening will go. But after we have remembered and glorified the Lord for His love and His mighty works, we will serve dessert and break out the games! (We are a game playing family). One year when we have made the acquaintance of more Messianic believers who can teach us, I would love to have the joyful Hebrew dancing too. :) I have heard that in Israel, during the high holidays like this, the feasting, singing, and dancing can go on all night. That sounds really fun to me.:)

Then on Sunday, the Feast of Firstfruits, we are meeting with our church family here in Florida on the beach at sunrise, to praise and worship the Lord for His resurrection and the new life He has imparted to each one of us! We will be hanging out at the beach the rest of the day, after that, and will bring a cooler for our Feast of Firstfruits picnic. I am really anticipating this weekend with joy and can hardly wait!

Now, I need to tackle my spring cleaning this week and sweep out every last trace of leaven from the house by Friday! Have a wonderful Passover and Firstfruits!

Spring has arrived, Passover is coming!

I received an e-mail notification from Israel this week, that the search for barley in its head has been successful. They do this every year as the 12th biblical month is ending, to see if the barley has ripened enough to say that spring has arrived, and that the next new moon can mark the 1st biblical month of the year. Because a year of 12 lunar months is shorter than a solar year, sometimes the end of the 12th biblical month is out of sync with the solar year. In other words, spring has not truly arrived yet, since the agricultural year is slower than the accumulation of lunar months. When that happens, they add an extra lunar month, a 13th month to the year, and the 1st biblical month and Passover then waits for one more month.

Last year they had to add a 13th month, so it was pretty certain they would not need to this year. But it never hurts to be certain, just in case. Now the new moon might be visible tonight, a very thin sliver hanging over the western horizon after sunset. My husband and I will be looking for it this evening. If all goes according to prediction and plan, then that means the Passover feast will be exactly two weeks from tonight, on Friday evening April 10th, and the week of Unleavened Bread will run from Saturday April 11 through Friday April 17. Hooray for a new year of keeping the Lord's appointed times in remembrance of Him and in expectation of Him!

On stockpiling

I know the received wisdom is to store up money, food, and other necessities in case everything goes to hell in a handbasket. Well, I don't want to discourage anyone from saving up for a rainy day. That is wisdom! But I just can't help but think that no matter how much someone manages to save up, will it be enough to see them through the crisis that may or may not be coming? At some point the supplies will run out. He who saved up much will maybe last longer than he who saved up little. But then what? Both he who saved up much and he who saved up little will need to trust in God to meet their needs. At some point, the arm of flesh will fail. And then the God who supplied manna from heaven for His beloved will be the only One who can meet our needs according to His riches in glory! And the exciting thing is, He is able and willing to do so!

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Mat 6:19-21

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Luke 9:1-6

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

The torah of discipline

It seems as if it was not so very long ago when I was a new mom myself, asking the Lord, my mother, and all my married friends for advice on parenting and discipline. And now that my daughter is a mother herself, and our grandchildren are in varying toddler and young child ages, she is facing the same questions.

There are so many parenting advice books out there, it is hard to know which has the best information. But you can't go wrong by following the torah of discipline, God's way of parenting and raising children, found in the Scriptures. The last time I studied Genesis, I found a pattern which the Lord employed in dealing with both Adam's sin and Cain's sin. Repeating patterns is one of the literary devices employed in Torah, and the purpose of the repeating pattern is to draw our attention to it so that we can learn from it. Here is the repeating pattern:

1) DEFINE. The law which was not to be transgressed was made very clear beforehand. The consequence for breaking the law was made very clear beforehand. (Gen 2:16-17, Gen 4.3-4 - assuming that Cain and Abel knew the torah of bringing offerings).

2) TRAIN. Understand that sin desires to rule over you, but you must rule over it. In other words, a child needs to understand that temptations come, and when it does they will WANT to disobey mom and dad, or break the rule, but that they are able to exercise self- control and choose to do right (Gen 3.1-6, Gen 4.7). I know I am much better prepared to say "no" to the chocolate chip cookie when I have a strategy of what I will do when the cookie calls, LOL. Let's not deny our children the same useful tool of knowing what to expect and having a plan of action.

3) CONFESS. God asks the one who sinned, Where are you? or Where is your brother Abel? or What have you done? He gives an opportunity to confess (Gen 3.9-13, Gen 4.9-10).

4) EXPLAIN. God explains what the transgression has been, and the consequence or punishment for the sin (Gen 3.14-19, Gen 4.11-12).

5) ENFORCE. God enforces the consequence or punishment for the sin (Gen 3.23-24, Gen 4.16).

6) COMFORT. And although you do not see it in Genesis, you do in Isaiah, the principle of comfort after discipline. For the first half of the book of Isaiah is judgment for sin, but the second half is Comfort, comfort, O My people.

Obama got you down? Take heart

He just named a notorious pro abortionist governor to the Cabinet for Heath and Human Services. If he was purposely trying to slap his constituency (that's us) in the face, he could have hardly chosen better. He plans to rescind a Bush administration protection for health care workers who personally object to abortions.

But even though he is the most powerful man in the world, and "king" of the most powerful nation in the world, he is still under authority. He may try, but cannot succeed in overriding the King of kings. And if Obama is not wise in his dealings, the King of kings certainly is. The King of kings raises up, and pulls down, all so that His good, just, and merciful plans come to pass.

The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.
LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more. Ps 10:16-18

The LORD sat enthroned at the Flood, And the LORD sits as King forever. Ps 29:10

Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us, And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us, The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah
God has gone up with a shout, The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with understanding.
God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted. Ps 47

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. Ps 103:19

Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. Jer 10:6-7

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Tim 1:17

He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. 1 Tim 6:15-16

The significance of the new moon

Tonight I am going to be looking for the new moon hanging in the western sky after the sun sets. I have a nice feast meal planned (which I really need to begin cooking once I am done with this blog post, LOL). I celebrate the new moons because it helps me keep track of the biblical year. This new moon will mark the beginning of the 12th month according to God's calendar. That means the next new moon will mark the beginning of the 1st month, if the barley is in its head in Israel. And that means that Passover will be just around the corner.

God established the heavenly bodies (including the moon) for signs, seasons, days, and years. The Hebrew word for signs is "oth," and it means a witness, an identifying mark. It is the same word used to mean a mark on the hand or the forehead, to indicate that one is either the Lord's, or the antichrist's. In this passage in Genesis, it might mean mark as in the way the star of Bethlehem marked, or witnessed, to the fact that the Messiah had been born.

The Hebrew word for seasons is "moed," and it means literally an appointment. It is the same word used to mean a feast or holy day of the Lord in Leviticus 23. So the heavenly bodies do more than just serve as a giant cosmic clock or calendar. They let us know when God has established appointments with man, in a way that no human dictator or antichrist can alter.

And God did establish appointments and holy days with man, and told us what they were in His Torah, and commanded us to keep them. A characteristic of the antichrist is that he will also try to establish holy days. And they will be in opposition to the Lord's holy days. For in Daniel it says concerning him:

‘ The fourth beast shall be
A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time." Daniel 7:23-25

One of the characteristics of the antichrist will be that he will seek to change the times and law. That is, he will seek to change the times, or according to Strong's, the appointed times or seasons, and law, or according to Strong's, the established decrees and law. It is God who established His appointments or seasons with man, and they are described in Leviticus 23. They are prophetic concerning the first and second comings of the Messiah. It is God who has given us His decrees so that we will know what is righteousness and what is not. And actually, many of those decrees are also prophetic concerning the Messiah, come to think of it.

And yes, the 4th beast, whom all commentators across the board say is the Roman beast, did seek to change God's appointments. Even though Jesus and all the apostles rested on the seventh day and celebrated the feast days of the Lord, as can be easily ascertained by reading the Gospels and Acts, eventually the Roman church made it a crime to do so, and changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, and replaced Passover with Easter, and the Feast of Tabernacles with Christmas, whose roots stretch back to the Tower of Babel rebellion against the worship of the Lord God Almighty.

So I mark the new moons, and celebrate them, and make a feast on their day, so that I can know when the Passover is, and all the other feasts of the Lord which are subsequently determined by Passover. Because I have rejected the change in the times and the law instituted by the antichrist, and am bowing my knee to the Lord my God, Creator of heaven and earth.

To be continued ...