Grace to you and peace this new year for the glory of the NAME of the Lord! (What is His Name? Surely you know! – Prov 30:4)
Beer Sheva, with all of Israel, has received already a good start of the Winter with rain. I do not remember when we started so well here in the northern Negev so early in the season, but we have already had several good and heavy rains, and have already surpassed by more than double the average rainfall for the season. We have also had some very strong winds accompanying the rains, that we also don’t remember (is it just an aging thing?). As always with such rains and winds, there is also damage, loss of life and of properties that are not “blessings” for those persons and localities personally affected. It’s not exactly in our hands to always be able to protect against that, nor to simply be blessed.
While world leaders speak out of both sides of their mouths about peace, they are all preparing for war. No one trusts anyone, even though they make alliances based on “common values”. What common values do an Islamic, or Communist, or Judeo-Christianized culture and civic polity have with each other? They may use the same words, but mean entirely different things. Ask them what “love your neighbor as yourself” means to them. Ask them what “mercy” means. Ask them what is truth, or is it okay to lie. Ask them who is God, and what He is like. Ask them what God’s Name is. Ask them what their hope is in this life, and after this life. They may all say that they want peace; what does that look like to them? It says in Daniel, with respect to the end-times, that the “vile person” (Antichrist), the king of the north, and the king of the south both prepare for war, but lie to each other at the same table. The antichrist believes in a god of fortresses, not like the God of his fathers. (Dan 11:21-39) “Might and power, rather than meek and humble by the Spirit of YHVH”. Today we can see that all of the world powers and their leaders are opposed to the true gospel and to the God of gods’ plan and intentions that He has in mind for the rule of this world and for the well-being of mankind.
This is an election year in Israel, scheduled for October, but, as usual in Israeli politics, it may be sooner. It’s not like the US when elections are held on time, regardless of the governing party or coalition. As much as the current government has real issues of righteousness to answer for, the opposition has little to offer other than to topple the current Prime Minister and his ruling coalition. That is why I left politics a long time ago for solving, and resolving, the problems of the world, or even of our own country. Thank God for Jesus/Yeshua, who is going to come back in due time to bring back and restore YHVH’s Kingdom to Israel, and over all of the nations, and throughout the entire Universe, with HIM being the King of the Kingdom! Until then, whatever we do or do not do as pilgrims and sojourners in this world — even in service to God — we are to be proclaiming the gospel to any and all, and to sanctifying our selves, both of these in expectation of the hard things coming along the way towards the return of the Bridegroom for His holy and spotless Bride.
Our Father wants His own household in order before He judges righteously those outside. Deception is crafty, and we do not always realize that we are deceived (that goes for me, too); and when that’s the case, then we will deceive others along with us.
This year we want to be more doers of the word, and not just hearers. According to the Messiah Himself, this will make us wise, and also demonstrate that we love Him and are His friends. This involves all aspects of our lives according to the Word of the Lord. If we are humble and repentant, the Holy Spirit will help us in becoming more like Jesus/Yeshua. May that be for me, and for any of you who still fall short of the glory of God.
