Lynchburg, VA Revolutionary, Civil War cemetery - Walk with me, Steve Martin

The Unknown & The Known - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

The Unknown & The Known

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know." (John 14:1-4, NKJV)

Billy Graham went home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on February 22, 2018, from his earthly home in Montreat, North Carolina. Those who are believers know that is where he went. He himself knew this destination beforehand, whereupon at his death, at this appointed time when he crossed over from this life to the next, he would be with the Lord. He based it on his belief in the Lord Jesus’ promise of resurrected life.

Those who do not believe in Jesus, in heaven, in that glorious life hereafter, have no such hope. The unknown brings fear as death is faced. But they can know.

Since his acceptance of the Lord’s offer of salvation and forgiveness when he was 19, Billy Frank Graham knew where eternity would find him. In the 80 years that followed, he never let go of that eternal promise, to be there also where the Lord had prepared a place for him. In faith, he too was faithful to share that promise to over 200 million worldwide. The ones who also believed in the Gospel message will join him there someday if they haven’t gone on already.

Billy didn’t make it to heaven based on his good works. He too had to acknowledge that sin keeps us from the God the Father, and only through the sacrificial shed blood of Jesus on the cross is there forgiveness of the multitude of sins each of us have committed. Though we may not fully comprehend this chosen way of the Lord, in order to cross over into His heavenly realm, we must believe that what the Bible says holds true, even to this day.

“Now, brothers, we want you to know the truth about those who have died; otherwise, you might become sad the way other people do who have nothing to hope for. For since we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, we also believe that in the same way God, through Yeshua, will take with him those who have died.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, Complete Jewish Bible)

Whenever I can, I like to visit gravesites and read what is written on the tombstones. The short inscriptions typically reveal whether the person whose body lies in the grave had eternal hope or not. What they professed on earth is often, or not, memorialized in granite, and engraved in a few words. My spirit rejoices with those who proclaimed the Lord as Savior and Lord. I can only hope that the others met their Creator in mercy and forgiveness here, before they met Him on the other side. For it is true that each of us will face our Maker for judgment.

Ruth Bell Graham, Billy Graham Library  Charlotte, NC

Settler's Cemetery, uptown Charlotte, North Carolina

 Derek Prince gravesite in Jerusalem, Israel May 2017


(All photos by Steve Martin)

At times like these, when a person known to us dies, it is good to stop and confess our eternal hope, reaffirming our belief in the known. No fear of death, no doubts of that beyond the grave need to reside with those of us who believe. Along with those who have gone on before, we too can look forward to the time when our glorious reward awaits us in our heavenly home.

See you there Billy!

Shalom and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).

Now think on this,

  

Steve Martin

Founder/President

Love For His People, Inc.

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Now Think On This #343 - in the year of our Lord 02.22.18 – “The Unknown & The Known”, Thursday, 1:15 pm

Picture a Day - The Holy Land Revealed. Israel's History - a Picture a Day - Remembering the Indian Soldiers Who Helped Liberate Jerusalem 100 Years Ago

Indian Lancers guarding Turkish prisoners in Jerusalem in December 1917

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)

Remembering the Indian Soldiers Who Helped Liberate Jerusalem 100 Years Ago
Posted: 08 Aug 2017
A version of this article appeared in the Jerusalem Post on July 5, 2017

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)
Remembering the Indian Soldiers Who Helped Liberate Jerusalem 100 Years Ago


Welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and thank you for the sacrifices made by your country’s soldiers who saved the Jews of the Land of Israel 100 years ago and eventually led to the Jewish state’s creation.

An idyllic fenced park is located in the middle of the Talpiot neighborhood in Jerusalem, just a four-minute Waze-directed detour from Hebron Road. This cemetery, which I visited for the first time last week, is the burial site for 79 Indian soldiers who died here fighting for the liberation of Jerusalem in 1917. Another cemetery for the Indian soldiers is in Haifa.


Cemetery in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem for fallen Indian soldiers

More than one million Indian troops fought with the British Army in WWI, at the Western front in Europe, in Africa, Mesopotamia, and the Middle East. On the Sinai-Palestine front, 95,000 Indian combatants served; approximately 10 percent were killed. In the 1914-1918 period, they fought the Turkish-German armies at Gallipoli, the Suez Canal, through the Sinai and Palestine and finally Damascus, with crucial battles in Gaza, Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa, Nablus and Megiddo.

The Indian soldiers joined other troops in the Sinai-Palestine campaign from Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, as well as the Jewish Legion. These auxiliary forces relieved British troops badly needed on the Western front in Europe.

The Indian troops served in the cavalry, camel corps, infantry and logistics units. A large number were Muslims, and the Turks attempted to weaken their resolve with religious appeals. Except for a few cases, the Turkish propaganda failed. The importance of Muslim soldiers was understood by the British commander Edmund Allenby. After capturing Jerusalem, he cabled to London, “The Mosque of Omar and the area round it has been placed under Moslem control, and a Military cordon, composed of Indian Mahomedan officers and soldiers, has been established round the Mosque. Guards have been established at Bethlehem and on Rachel’s Tomb. The Tomb of Hebron has been placed under exclusive Moslem control.”

Allenby’s respect for the Indian soldiers can be seen in his receiving their salute as they marched past him outside of Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem on December 11, 1917, when Allenby entered the city.


General Allenby on his horse saluting the Indian troops outside of Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate on December 11, 1917 (Library of Congress)

The war ended in 1918, but British and Indian troops remained to police the British Mandate and put down Arab disturbances. Their photographs can be found in the Library of Congress’ American Colony collection, the British Imperial War Museum and other archives.


Muslim Indian soldiers (on the right) guarding the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. On the left is believed to be a contingent of Algerian soldiers from the French army. (Library of Congress, 1917)

After capturing Jerusalem and Gaza, the British Army, supported by Indian and ANZAC troops, advanced to the north, eventually taking Damascus on October 1, 1928. A key battle was at Megiddo in September 1918, in what may have been the last great cavalry charge in military history.


Indian lancers charging Turkish lines in the Megiddo Valley, September 20, 1918. Painting by Thomas Cantrell Dugwell. (UK Imperial War Museums)

Later this year, a large Australian delegation will visit Israel to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the gallant ANZAC capture of Beersheba, which opened the way for the liberation of Jerusalem weeks later.

The author is a former Israeli diplomat. He is author of American Interests in the Holy Land Viewed in Early Photographs and the forthcoming World War I in the Holy Land Viewed in Early Photographs.

In Honor of Those Who Have Given Their Lives - Memorial Day Weekend - USA 2017

In Honor of Those Who Have Given Their Lives

 - Memorial Day Weekend - USA  2017

(Photos by Steve Martin)

Grave sites in a South Carolina church cemetery
Civil War, World War II, Vietnam War

 

Photos below from Crown Memorial Park

Pineville, NC

May 27, 2017

Gabriel the Archangel

Bugler Boy with US Armed Services Flags

Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard

My Dad's (Louis James Martin) grave site

- Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Louis James Martin (my Dad) grave site in Pineville, NC. - Video greeting to all of his/my family.

Louis James Martin grave site 

(Video greeting to all of his/my family. - Steve Martin)

Crown Memorial Park cemetery

Pineville, NC. Memorial Day weekend 

Saturday, May 27, 2017

 

 Mom (Lila Martin Parker) keeps flowers nicely on the grave. Thanks Mom!

There was a red fire ant mound on the left side. I scraped it away. And I had just written my Now Think On This blog message on red fire ants the day before. 

Read here: Persistently Consistent - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Re-Thinking Goliath: Archaeologists Shed New Light on the Philistines - CBN News Julie Stahl

Re-Thinking Goliath: Archaeologists Shed New Light on the Philistines

07-14-2016

CBN News Julie Stahl

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ASHKELON, Israel – For the first time ever, archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered a Philistine cemetery that could shed light on the origins of that ancient people named as an enemy of the Israelites in the Bible.  

Archaeologists found the cemetery while digging in Ashkelon – one of five ancient Philistine cities.  

"Now we have a major cemetery right next to one of these five cities of the Philistines," said Daniel Master, professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College.  Master is co-director of the site and has been excavating there for 25 years.  

"So we're sure we've nailed it. We're sure we have a cemetery of the Philistines," Master told CBN News.

A Great Way to End

After 30 years of digging in Ashkelon, archaeologists say finding the cemetery was an astounding way to end the Leon Levy Expedition.  

New finds from the cemetery and artifacts from the 30-year excavation are on display in the Israel Museum in an exhibit called, "Ashkelon: A Retrospective, 30 Years of the Leon Levy Expedition at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem."

The excavation represents about 5,000 years of various civilizations at the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon.  

"The name Ashkelon actually comes from the root "shekel" so S-K-L, which means to weigh. The shekel, the New Israeli Shekel, is also from there so the name Ashkelon automatically connects us to commerce and basically to trade," said Nurith Goshen, co-curator of the exhibition.

Goshen says most of the burials were in skeleton form.

"What we're trying to display is different types of burials we have in the cemetery," Goshen told journalists. "We have a cremation set."

"Some of the deceased were adorned with jewelry," Goshen added. "There was one burial that we can identify as a warrior burial."  

For years, archaeologists and scholars searched for clues as to the origin of the Philistines.

"One of the things about Ashkelon is that we're one of the few sites that can tell the story of the Philistines from beginning to end," Master said.

"So we've studied the Philistines from the 12th century (B.C.) as they arrived we think from the world of the Aegean," he said. "We've been able to see their development over time, from the 10th, the 9th, the 8th century (B.C.) and then at the end in the 7th century we see a brief renaissance and then we see the final fiery destruction."

Thousands More

Master said the cemetery houses thousands of remains of which more than 200 have been recovered.

Now, tests on bone samples from the cemetery that dates from the 11th to the 8th century B.C. could confirm what many long believed:  that the Philistines were mariners, or the "sea people" of the Bible and traders who migrated to ancient Israel from the west.

"This is going to allow us to see the Philistines face-to-face and to tell their stories not through the texts of their enemies – as the stories been so often told – but now we'll be able to tell the story from the standpoint of the Philistines themselves," Master said.

Lawrence Stager is the Dorot professor emeritus of the Archaeology of Israel, at Harvard University and the original director and now co-director of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon. He has been overseeing the work at the site, which takes place mostly during the summer, since 1985.

He noted most biblical references to the Philistines pit them as bitter enemies of the Israelites.

"Most of the portrayal you get in the Bible is the negative one because they want to compare an Israelite against a Philistine. They are the uncircumcised, you know, we are the circumcised. We don't eat pig. They did," Stager told CBN News.

Flawed Interpretation

In the Hebrew Bible the Israelites often referred to the Philistines as "uncircumcised" and that came to mean today "uncultured."  But that wasn't the case.

"Philistine has the idea of uncultured or unsophisticated, but what we find was that the Philistines were plenty cultured and plenty sophisticated and they were quite a cosmopolitan people, international people," said Master.  

That means "we have to re-evaluate the question and say, what was it about the Philistines that the writers of the biblical text didn't like," he added.  

Other scholars say "uncircumcised" likely referred to the fact they were idol worshipers and had no connection to the God of Israel.

The Philistines lived in Ashkelon for about 600 years.

"That's a long time when you think about it in terms of even the United States and how long we've been there. And then finally they were destroyed in 604 B.C.," Stager said.  

According to historical texts, King Nebuchadnezzar completely destroyed the Philistine city of Ashkelon in 604 B.C. That was about 20 years before Nebuchadnezzar carried away the Judeans to exile in Babylon as described in the Book of Jeremiah.

Watch CBN News report here: Philistines

Memorial Day 2015