Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
We cruised along the Alaskan coast to Tracy Arm, where we saw this waterfalls, a glacier and mountain goats. Aug. 4, 2015
Photos and video by Steve Martin
(More videos can be watched on YouTube at loveforhispeopleinc. Also over 900 photos of the entire cruise on my Facebook page martinlighthouse and Love For His People.)
Alaskan Cruise with Gaither Vocal Band - Aug. 2015
Bill & Gloria Gaither, Steve & Laurie Martin
Laurie and I were blessed to join her sister, Linda and husband Dick Skaggs, on the Gaither Vocal Band Alaskan Cruise Aug. 2-9, 2015. We flew from Charlotte to Seattle, where we boarded the Holland America Amsterdam with about 1500 others. Stopping at the port cities of Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, Alaska, along with Victoria, British Columbia Canada, we enjoyed the seven-day trip.
In concert each day, along with the Gaither Vocal Band, were The Martins, The Isaacs, Angel Primm, Buddy Greene, Charlotte Ritchie, Russ Taff, Gene McDonald, Wesley Pritchard and more.
We saw the Lord's creation of glaciers, whales, eagles, sea lions, otters, and King salmon.
I shot over 900 photos and 20 videos, which can be seen on my Facebook page (martinlighthouse) and You Tube (loveforhispeople).
Blessings!
Steve & Laurie
Singers included The Martins, The Isaacs, Ladye Love Smith, Charlotte Ritchie and Angela Primm.
The Martins - Jonathan, Joyce and Judy
David Phelps, of the Gaither Vocal Band
Mountain goats along the Tracy Arm route
Humpback whale near Juneau, Alaska
Glacier at Tracy Arm
King Salmon preparing to spawn in Sitka, Alaska
Orca Point near Juneau, Alaska
American Eagle at Raptor Center in Sitka, Alaska
Steve, Laurie, Dick and Linda enjoying fresh salmon.
“The sun shall turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, prior to the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” (Joel 3:4)
April 2014 Blood Moon. (Photo: Anne Dirkse/ Wiki Commons)
Blood moon enthusiasts around the world are eagerly awaiting the appearance of a final blood moon of a special four-moon cycle, known as a tetrad, on September 28, 2015. What makes this particular tetrad unique is that each blood moon occurs during a Jewish holiday, making it a very rare historical occurrence.
In a recent talk he gave in Jerusalem, Rabbi Mendel Kessin, a rabbinic scholar, spoke about the connection between the appearance of blood moons on Jewish holidays and historical events that bring the ultimate redemption closer. At the 36-minute mark, Rabbi Kessin introduces the history of blood moons to his Orthodox Jewish audience and explicitly connects the blood moons to redemption.
Kessin begins by explaining that a lunar eclipse occurs when the earth is between the sun and the moon, turning the moon dark. Lunar eclipses happen approximately every 12-18 months, according to Kessin. Rarer than an ordinary lunar eclipse, he continues, is a blood moon, which turns the moon red instead of dark.
Rarer still are tetrads – sequences of four blood moons six months apart. And extremely rare, happening only four times in 500 years, are tetrads that fall on the significant Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot [Feast of Tabernacles]. These sequences included the years 1492, 1948, 1967 and 2015.
It is commonly known that in 1492, Columbus discovered America. What is less well-known is that, on July 30, 1492, the entire Jewish community of Spain, approximately 200,000 individuals, were expelled by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Columbus’ discovery of America provided the Spanish Jews with safe harbor. As Kessin teaches, the discovery of America softened the exile of the Spanish Jews and, in that way, moved redemption forward. According the Kessin, the exile of the Jewish people began to ease up as far back as 1492.
The next tetrad falling on Jewish holidays happened in 1948, when the State of Israel was founded. The third extremely rare tetrad on Jewish holidays was in 1967, when the city of Jerusalem was reunited. Now, in 2015, the final blood moon of the current tetrad is scheduled to fall on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
In addition, the blood moon this Sukkot will occur just two weeks after the end of the current Shemitah year. This is significant because the Talmud, the most important collection of rabbinic teachings in Judaism, suggests that the the messiah will come in the year following a Shemitah year.
Speaking to Breaking Israel News, Kessin said, “Each one of these is a messianic advancement. There are incredible events that predate the messiah.”
Why would God make blood moons a sign for the Jews? Traditionally, as recorded in the Talmud, a lunar eclipse is a bad sign for the Jews, who mark time with the moon.
Describing the Blood Moons in Hebrew, courtesy of v871.com
On the other hand, the Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot are considered nights of the greatest protection of the Jews. The first night of Passover is referred to in Hebrew as leil shimurim, a night of guarding. Additionally, the outdoor booths in which Jews dwell during the holiday of Sukkot are meant as reminders of the fragile huts that protected the newly freed slaves during 40 years in the desert after the exodus from Egyptian slavery.
In essence, Kessin explains that the presence of a blood moon, which would otherwise have been a bad omen, is a good omen for the Jews whenever it falls in this sequence. “Every time a blood moon happens [on a Jewish holiday tetrad],” said Kessin, “there is messianic advancement.”
Kessin reminded Breaking Israel News that the threat from Iran is also messianic, which he says can be clearly seen from the 13th century Biblical rabbinic commentary known as the Yalkut Shimoni. Rabbinic scholar and author Rabbi Nachman Kahana translates the relevant section of the 800-year old commentary:
Paras (Persia-Iran) will be the dread of humanity. The world’s leaders will be frustrated in their futile efforts to save what they can, but to no avail. The people of Yisrael will also be petrified by the impending danger. And HaShem will say to us, “Why are you afraid? All of this I have done in order to bring you the awaited redemption. And this redemption will not be like the redemption from Egypt, which was followed by suffering. This redemption will be absolute, followed with peace.
“We have now entered the countdown to the messiah, which is unbelieveable,” Kessin told Breaking Israel News. “Based on the [verse from the Book of Joel cited above], based on what’s happening, something awesome seems to be in the works. Fascinating!”
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/46098/upcoming-blood-moon-messianic-advancement-jewish-world/#TwwBqyKbhmburDB7.99
The Prophetic Significance of the Messianic Temple to Every Christian
The Messianic Temple still matters. (Menorah Books)
Sometimes when traveling and speaking in churches throughout the US, I remind my friends and audience that Jesus was an orthodox Jew in Israel in his day as I am an orthodox Jew in Israel today. We share the same holidays, read the same Scripture, and live our lives through the prism of Jewish values, culture and society. Sometimes I'll add, tongue in cheek, that one of the main differences is that he was able to bring offerings to the Temple where he worshiped, and I can only pray to do so. Strangely, as an Israeli Jew, I am prohibited from praying on the Temple Mount where the Temples once stood due to Muslim sensibilities.
Though nearly 2000 years have passed since Jesus walked, worshiped, and taught in the Temple, and we still wait and pray for it to be rebuilt, the Temple is no less significant in my life today as it was in his then. Indeed, for every year between then and now, tens of millions of Jews have prayed for the restoration of the Temple, literally in our daily liturgy and in many aspects of our culture. For instance, it's common when building a new home to leave a section incomplete, recognizing that our lives are not complete until the Temple is restored. When saying blessings after a meal, the prayer to rebuild Jerusalem is invoked. Even during the happiest of occasions such as weddings, we remind ourselves that our lives are not complete until the Temple is rebuilt.
No season in the Jewish calendar is more resonant of this huge missing piece in our lives than that which we have just observed. For three weeks on the Jewish calendar, beginning on the 17th of the month of Tammuz (when the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem in the year 70), and culminating with a national day of mourning on the 9th of the month of Av when the Temple was destroyed, we are especially mindful of our actions and the sincerity of our prayers so that we will merit the return of the Temple as the center of our lives physically, not just in our prayers.
The 9th of Av, Tisha B'Av in Hebrew, is a day of mourning and fasting not just for the destruction of the Second Temple in 70, but on the same day the First Temple was also destroyed, adding to our awareness that there are no coincidences when it comes to God. A number of other calamities befell the Jewish people on Tisha B'Av, making this a day of deep introspection, and praying that we will live to see the Third Temple rebuilt.
I used the opportunity of the Shabbat preceding Tisha B'Av to reread an in depth and thorough book that was given to me as a gift, The Messianic Temple. The book is engaging both because of how detailed it is, and that it adds photos and illustrations to help the reader see what is being discussed.
The Messianic Temple is based on the prophesy of Ezekiel, and a detailed analysis of the Scripture of Ezekiel 40-48. The original Hebrew text is balanced by an English translation, and followed by a line by line explanation of the text using a variety of sources.
Preceding the Scripture, the author, Rabbi Chaim Clorfene, provides dozens of pages of background for context and understanding who Ezekiel was, why the Third Temple, the Messianic Temple, is so significant, a timeline offering the Biblical significance, and scores of footnotes and sources. In a less serious book, one could come away with the heading, 'everything you wanted to know about the Third Temple but were afraid to ask.' It's that detailed and comprehensive.
I was particularly pleased that my son came into the room and asked what I was reading. I shared it with him happily. He responded enthusiastically, grabbing the book from me and studying some of the pages and illustrations. He was really engaged which told me that the subject and presentation really does hit the nail on the head. Having grown up in Israel with Hebrew as his comfort language, he asked me if I could find the book in Hebrew. Not only will I try, it's a meaningful enough investment if only one of my children is brought closer to the understanding of the history, significance, and centrality of the Temple in our lives, albeit that it does not stand today, yet, and our role to be active players in realizing God's promise to rebuild the Temple one final prophetic time.
I wouldn't call The Messianic Temple a page turner. That suggests a level of excitement that one can't wait to get to the next page. In fact, it's the opposite. The detail is so great that one can spend lots of time on each page, wanting to gain insight and understanding from every nuance and thought. For me at least, it was a slow read, enriching and inspiring in every page. Having the presentation of the Scripture as well done as it is, preceded with ample historical references, makes this an outstanding source and resource for anyone who, like me (and Jesus), live our lives on the centrality of the Temple, and for anyone who prays for it to be rebuilt soon.
So may it be His will.
Jonathan Feldsteinwas born and educated in the U.S. and immigrated to Israel in 2004. He is married and the father of six. Throughout his life and career, he has been blessed by the calling to fellowship with Christian supporters of Israel and shares experiences of living as an Orthodox Jew in Israel. He writes a regular column for charismanews.com's Standing With Israel. You can contact Jonathan at firstpersonisrael@gmail.com.
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A group of several hundred deliver petitions to the U.S. Capitol in support of the Iran Deal. This generation of believers will not join the church if all they hear is gloom, doom and panic about the future. (Reuters)
It never fails: If the office goes quiet for more than five minutes, I start to look around. If everyone's missing, I have a slow sense of panic that creeps along my spine.
"The Rapture," I think to myself. "It's happened. Uh oh." And then my brain proceeds to remember every terrifying moment of the 40 Kids Left Behind books I read growing up.
As a Christian, Pentecostal millennial, I feel like I am floating between two worlds: One world begs me to look at what's going on in current events—the Iran Deal, ISIS, earthquakes, gay marriage—and take an attitude of godly fear as I steel myself for what's ahead.
The other world takes those same events and begs for an intrinsic analysis: How does the Iran Deal affect my politics and voting choices? Should I send money to help relief work in Nepal? How can I let my gay friends know that I don't hate them for their choices but want to show them the love of God?
It's hard to balance both. On the one hand, I look at the earth literally trembling and think to myself, "Well, won't be long now!"
But on the other hand, I remind myself that persecution and natural disasters have happened for millennia, and we're just more aware now because of the advent of the Internet and social media.
Imagine being alive during the Roman reign, Spanish Inquisition, Bloody Mary, slavery, any of the World Wars—I'm pretty sure those felt like the end of the world to Christians then.
Yet, we remain. We move on as countries, as people. We build our families and live our lives.
However, I'm from a generation that's looking to our future, and days to come can be intimidating when the headlines are full of despair. The more stories I read about the gut-wrenching attacks against Saeed Abedini, unborn children, Coptic Christians or even U.S. citizens who didn't want to bake cakes for someone they didn't agree with, the more I wonder just how close we are to Christ's return.
Tack those observations on to the blood moon and Shemitah patterns, and my head starts to spin.
Whether or not we are in the end of times, what I do know is bemoaning the state of affairs without an appeal to Heaven with a sense of hope will do nothing to improve our condition.
When we talk about end times, I think there's a sense of fear mongering that exists in the form of warnings. Someone close to me once confessed she grew up believing she would never get married, have children or live to even to her 20th birthday because the Antichrist was coming.
Trust me when I say this friend is alive and kicking, well past those milestones and looking forward to many more. But until she conquered her fear and realized that Christ is still on the throne, she couldn't live the life He planned for her.
When we live in a state of fear about the future, we hinder ourselves from celebrating what Christ can do in the now and how we can affect the future for His glory.
Are we so caught up in warning about the downfall of the American church and the eventual return of Jesus that we forget to serve the poor, to encourage one another, to spend time just loving on the Holy Spirit? The early church was founded on these attributes, and it transformed the world and enabled the gospel to spread further than anyone could imagine!
The beautiful thing about the millennial generation is our tenacity, our desire to work to make the community we live in better. We aren't looking at the coming days with a sense of trepidation or fatalism about the downfall of America.
Rather, we're looking for answers to reconstruct the building blocks of society. Some may call us spoiled, ungrateful, addicted and selfish. But those "weaknesses" can also be strengths, because we've seen the good and want to improve upon it.
We don't settle for tradition because someone told us to. Instead, we're searching for answers, and that includes diving into the Bible to fill that God-shaped hole in our lives.
When Christian headlines scream about the negative, we tune that out because it doesn't enhance the world we live in. Christians have an incredible opportunity to walk out their lives like Christ did. Yes, Christ got angry, but He sought justice in His indignation. We need older generations of Christians to show us how to do this.
If we are in the end times, I think I would rather have a mentor guiding me to show others how they can be one with Christ rather than someone who goes, "There were signs! Look at the signs!"
Let's take those signs and turn them into practical steps, sharing the gospel so that none shall perish, as is God's wish in 2 Peter 3:9.
If all millennials hear about the future of the church is gloom and doom that's decaying because of society, how can we expected to join the cause? Just like a flower will not grow if you yell and stomp on it, saying, "Look at all these thorns, you won't be able to survive these attacks," you can't tell this generation of believers that we won't survive what's to come.
In such a time as this, I feel called to be a peacemaker. I want to be known by my fruit—by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—not by my fear.
The first thing a messenger of the Lord will tell those he visits is "Fear not." In all this talk of the end times, I feel like we've forgotten that element, and in doing so, we are scaring off believers who want the simplicity of the gospel: For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son.
In such a time as this, it is vital that we seek first the kingdom of God, as the Bible says, and His righteousness. Then, and only then, will our clarity come.
Jessilyn Justice is the assistant news editor for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor's family in Alabama, she went to Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She's passionate about the church, jogging, news and cupcakes—not necessarily in that order. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.
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World representatives participate in the Iran negotiations. (Reuters)
This is part two of a two-part series. For part one, click here.
Do not hear what I'm not saying. I teach and live a reasonable work/life balance, keeping healthy priorities while staying engaged with the issues facing us today. What I am appealing for is a purposeful refusal to withdraw from the cultural battle in light of the cascading string of defeats we've been experiencing with this present presidential administration. Stay in faith that "where sin increased, grace abounded much more" (Rom. 5:20). God has plans for those who remain steadfast in this urgent hour of history and purpose to look not at that which is seen but rather that which is unseen (see 2 Cor.4:18).
My longtime friend Mike Bickle recently texted me that I'm a "son of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chr. 12:32). I want to be able to help people. I invite you to join me.
Here are six realities that should keep us sober and engaged while the Lord outworks His purposes. The situation is too serious to clam up, shut down and simply hope Jesus comes back quickly. Look what's happening! People need the gospel and biblical truth to counter these occurrences. There's just too much at stake for us to unplug. We have got to stay informed and vigilant.
1. About $500 million of our tax dollars support Planned Parenthood as both an abortion mill and retail outlet of human baby body parts. This is gruesome, barbaric and reprehensible. Their president openly lies on national television while Hillary Rodham Clinton defends the factual video expose as an "attack on a woman's right to choose."
2. President Obama celebrates a deal with Iran allowing them to eventually have the nuclear weapons he promised he would never allow. Comparing himself to Ronald Reagan who dealt decisively with the Soviet Union as an "evil empire" that would end up "on the ash heap of history," President Obama accommodates the world's primary state supporter of terrorism that regards us as "satanic" and deserving of being eradicated along with Israel to usher in the Islamic "messiah" and global domination. This "deal" places us on a path to the destructive holocaust prophesied in Revelation 6, where a third of mankind is killed—over 2/3 of a billion people.
3. Our illegal immigration debacle escalates to staggering proportions with sanctuary cities brazenly violating federal law, while states like Virginia (from which I just returned) is being transformed from 1 in 100 Virginians born outside the US in 1970 to now 1 in 9. Stats on illegal aliens' crimes in Texas from 2008–2014: 611,234 crimes, 2,993 homicides, 7,695 sexual assaults! Over 175,588 criminal aliens were booked into Texas jails in this period. Obama administration executive actions shield more than 80 percent of the 11.3 million aliens from deportation. Astonishing and alarming! (See PJ media.com).
4. African leaders strongly beseech President Obama not to push gay and lesbian issues in his visit to their nation but respect their biblical values on marriage and family. He defies the Christian Kenyan President Kenyatta with veiled threats, lecturing on the LGBTQ theme and forces the Kenyan president to correct our frowning President in a tense press conference. Globally, Christians lament our President's conduct among the precious African Christians trying to stop the spread of AIDS coming primarily from homosexual activity.
5. A lesbian senator and a gay congressman have introduced what is being called "the next gay rights fight" for America, the "Equality Act." It specifically prohibits claims of religious belief under the "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" as a defense for "discrimination" against gays. The Heritage Foundation stated that this measure would "endanger" constitutionally protected religious freedoms and free-speech rights. The real agenda all along was not bringing equality in marriage to homosexuals, but a satanic one of marginalizing Christians by legally exposing them to persecution if they follow their faith. Remember what the pattern was with the Jews in Nazi Germany?
6. After 105 years upholding godly standards and boys reciting an oath to remain "morally straight," the Boy Scouts of America leadership caved to welcome adult homosexual scout leaders. For the present time, church-sponsored units can have an exemption (until the inevitable lawsuit comes to obliterate even this provision). Parents and grandparents, pay close attention as a "news junkie" on this one (see article by this author on this topic at larrytomczak.com).
Conclusion
Over 30 years ago, Francis Schaeffer said, "We can expect the future to be a further disaster if the evangelical world does not take a stand for biblical truth and morality in the full spectrum of life... we represent the last barrier against the breakdown of our culture. And with the final removal of this barrier will come social chaos and the rise of authoritarianism in some form to restore order."
In this urgent hour, we need all hands on deck. We must remain prayerful and informed biblically to winsomely speak the truth to those in our sphere of influence. Consider what was shared recently by a former pastor and one of the Republican presidential candidates, former governor Mike Huckabee.
"There are 80 million evangelicals in America. Those registered to vote—half. Those who voted in the last presidential election—half of that number. Those who voted in the off-year election—half of that number. If just 4 percent had voted differently in the last presidential election, we would have a different Administration in office today."
Here's the deal: Don't retreat. Stay in the game! Remain a responsible and reasonable news junkie so you can pray intelligently and engage people effectively as a "salt" and "light" Christian prior to the Return of Jesus Christ.
"An uninformed populace is in danger of slavery." - George Washington
Larry Tomczakis a best-selling author of eight books with 43 years of trusted ministry experience. He is a cultural commentator whose weekly articles appear on sites reaching 26 million monthly. Connect and view short video commentaries atlarrytomczak.com.
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And Jeremiah said to all the princes and to all the people saying, "The Lord sent me to prophesy concerning this house and concerning this city all the words that you have heard."
va-yo-mer yir-m'-ya-hu el kol ha-sa-reem v'-el kol ha-am lay-mor a-do-nai sh'-lakh-nee l'-hi-na-vay el ha-bai-yit ha-ze v'-el ha-eer ha-zot ayt kol ha-d'-va-reem a-sher sh'-ma-tem
The name Jeremy comes from the name Jeremiah which in Hebrew means, “Lord, raise me up.” Jeremiah's strength was to speak the truth, even in the face of those who were not willing to hear it. Discover your essence and learn the Hebrew meaning of your name with our beautiful Hebrew Name Certificates.
This past Sunday on Tisha B'Av, Netanyahu viewed a 2,000-year-old scroll of the Book of Lamentations, the text that is read each year to commemorate the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem.
Stay connected to your biblical roots by wearing your Hebrew name proudly! The ring is made from real silver with your personalized name. Don’t know your Hebrew name? No problem! Many English names derive from Hebrew names in the Bible, and the rest have etymological or spiritual cousins in Biblical sources. Just type in your English name and we’ll find the Hebrew name in the Bible that’s most closely connected to yours.
Mist on the mountains of Safed (Tsfat in Hebrew) by Boruch Len. The Holy Land is blessed with a number of stunning mountains and hills which greatly inspired the Prophets.
Hello, I have been to Jerusalem and it is a beautiful city. I'm from British Columbia, Canada. All your news letters are very newsy. Thank you. And I stand with Israel! -Barb Engels
Thank you for keeping us all informed in Israel. Much of our media doesn't convey what you can living there. God is an awesome God, His will, will come. Blessings to all.- Fay King
Since 2000, a prayer movement labeled "The Call" has gathered hundreds of thousands of people across America for times of prayer, fasting, repentance and worship.
The Call co-founder Lou Engle says his expectations for coming years are higher than ever and he's asking the church to join him in faith.
Engle is believing for what he calls "stadium Christianity," an outbreak of revival that will bring believers to stadiums across the country to worship and experience a new power in the Holy Spirit.
His dream is to hold "The Call" in Los Angeles Memorial Stadium on April 9, 2016, on the 110th anniversary of the Azusa Street Outpouring, which kicked off the Pentecostal/Charismatic renewal in the United States.
"Can you believe with us that denominations will unite, that the races could come together, that God could make us one, as the antidote to the terrific division in our day?" Lou asks.
"Could you believe with us for 'stadium Christianity' where signs and wonders are breaking out and mass evangelism explodes across our country?" he continued.
Watch CBN's Wendy Griffith's interview with Lou Engle and hear his passion and desire to see God bring about a 'Third Great Awakening" in America. Watch here: Lou Engle on CBN
