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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.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Reviving Ancient Biblical Practices ✡ "A Thread of Blue"
Return of the Giants: Biblical Story of Goliath Proven True
Return of the Giants: Biblical Story of Goliath Proven True
Remains of the city wall of the Philistine city of Gath. (Photo: Prof. Aren Maeir/ Bar Ilan University)
The return of giants is mentioned in various Jewish teachings as part of the process of redemption. A recent archaeological discovery indicates that Biblical stories of these famed beings are no longer mere myths.
Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered what they believe to be the enormous gates of Gath, the city of Goliath. The story of Goliath the Giant (1 Samuel 17) is a Bible classic with a clear message for young and old. However, equally important and less studied, is the role of Goliath and the Philistines as the physical and ideological enemies of David and the Messianic dynasty.
A Bar Ilan University team of archaeologists estimate that the remains of the ancient Philistine city dates back to the 10th century BCE. Two inscriptions discovered at the site ad names similar to Goliath, giving more weight to their theory. The modern site, known today as Tell es-Safi, has been occupied almost continuously for nearly 5,000 years and is the focus of continuous archaeological excavations since 1899. Until now, it was not known that its iron-age remains were so extensive.
“We knew that Philistine Gath in the tenth to ninth century (BCE) was a large city, perhaps the largest in the land at that time,” excavation leader Professor Aren Maeir told Live Science. “These monumental fortifications stress how large and mighty this city was.”
Most scholars believe that Gath was besieged and laid to waste by Hazael, King of Aram Damascus, in 830 B.C., Maeir said.
The newly discovered gate is being hailed as one of the largest of its kind ever found. The gate is part of enormous and extensive fortifications, indicating the importance of the city. Archaeologists also found ironworks and a Philistine temple near the monumental gate, with some pottery. Examination of the pottery revealed both Philistine and Israelite influences, indicating there was more interaction between the two cultures than previously thought.
“This mirrors the intense and multifaceted connections that existed between the Philistines and their neighbors,” Maeir said.
As if the discovery of the giant gate wasn’t enough, archaeologists also found indications of a catastrophic earthquake in the 8th century BCE, in what the team says could be the disaster mentioned in the Book of Amos.
Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/46930/giant-discovery-israel-uncovers-proof-goliaths-rule-jerusalem/#jgzBKZE5kQAsF8Qq.99
COMMENTARY: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance - ISRAEL TODAY
COMMENTARY: A Time to Mourn and a Time to Dance
Sunday, August 16, 2015 | Charles Gardner ISRAEL TODAY
There is a season for everything under heaven, according to the wisdom of Solomon. And I’m specifically thinking of his dictum that there’s “a time to mourn and a time to dance”. (Ecclesiastes 3.4)
Black clouds of impending doom are swooping down upon us all, and especially on God’s ancient people, but the rainbow of ultimate peace also lies ahead, and we should not be too downhearted.
On September 14 there will be much rejoicing as Jews everywhere celebrate their New Year in a month set to witness some quite extraordinary, even alarming, events connected with the future of Israel. I will look at these in a moment.
We have just marked a time of mourning for Israel – a date known as the 9th of Av in the Jewish calendar (July 25 this year) which brings back bad memories of a past which has seen so many attempts to annihilate the Jewish nation.
For it was on this date that the First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. And it was on the very same day 656 years later – in 70 AD – that the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. The Jews subsequently rebelled against their occupiers, but were brutally butchered in 133 AD – again on the 9th of Av – after which they were dispersed to all four corners of the earth.
This included England, from which they were expelled in 1290 AD – on the 9th of Av. Then in 1492 they were expelled from Spain and given four months to put their affairs in order and leave the country, the deadline for which was the 9th of Av.
Then came World War II and the Holocaust, said by historians to have been the long drawn-out conclusion of World War I, which broke out on the 9th of Av. And, it is said, the first gas chambers were put into use on the very same day of the year!
Understandably, the Jewish people have much to mourn. And our duty as Christians, grafted into the Olive Tree of God’s chosen people (Romans 11:11-24), is to love them, stand with them and pray for them.
A series of significant events are scheduled for September, starting with the New Year celebrations perhaps. The Pope will be visiting the White House to meet with the President on the holiest day of the Jewish Year (Yom Kippur, September 23). And a super-sized blood-red moon will shine over Jerusalem on September 28 during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). This will be the last of four successive blood moons (known as a tetrad) to coincide with the main Jewish feasts of Passover and Sukkot in 2014 and 2015, a rare occurrence last witnessed in 1967 when, as a result of the Six-Day War, the Old City of Jerusalem came under Israeli control for the first time in 2,000 years.
In addition, the United Nations are said to be planning to declare a Palestinian state without Israel’s consent or input and there is also, of course, the ongoing threat of Hamas and Hezbollah along with that of a potentially nuclear-armed Iran whose leaders have made no bones about their intention to “wipe Israel off the map”. The recent deal negotiated with the big powers is, at best, only putting off the evil day rather than neutralizing a dangerous rogue state.
In the light of this, an 800-year-old rabbinic commentary is most revealing. Known to the Jewish world as the Yalkut Shimoni, it has been translated by Rabbi Nachman Kahana, a specific portion of which says:
“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 (the Lord) 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 by peace.”
Various Jewish rabbis are now sensing that their Messiah is soon to come. The day is surely not far off when beleaguered Israel will recognize the One who has loved them with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31.3) and who is destined to reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years of perfect peace (Revelation 20.4).
Jesus told his disciples that his coming would follow an unprecedented period of distress after which “the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light”. (A total solar eclipse occurred in the midst of the current tetrad of blood moons).
“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory,” he said. (Mark 13.24-26)
I am indebted for much background to David Soakell of Christian Friends of Israel and to Kolyah, a correspondent in the know who wishes to keep a low profile for security reasons.
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Saturday, August 15, 2015
Perception - Now Think On This by Steve Martin
Perception
- Now Think On This
by Steve Martin
“Beware
of the false prophets! They come to you wearing sheep’s clothing, but underneath
they are hungry wolves! You will recognize them by their fruit. Can people pick
grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every healthy tree
produces good fruit, but a poor tree produces bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot
bear bad fruit, or a poor tree good fruit. Any tree that does not produce good
fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire! So you will recognize them by their
fruit.” Matt. 7:15-20 CJB
As a kid growing up Roman Catholic in Cedar Falls,
Iowa, I tried to make the morning Mass before grade school as often as I could.
St. Patrick’s Church was just a block away from the St. Patrick’s Grade School
where I went for eight years, and so I’d go to the 7:30 am Mass before class
started at 8:15 am.
Part of me wanted to get closer to the Lord; another
part wanted to skip a lot of years in Purgatory, for so I was taught back then.
“Mass a day kept the years away!” Not until I personally received Jesus as my
Lord and Savior years later did I realize you can’t get to heaven by good
works, but only by accepting the saving grace and redemption of Jesus’ sacrificial
work on the cross, suffered on our behalf.
Often in the early morning hours, before and after
the Mass started, I would see an old lady cleaning the altar, moving around
quietly and without hype. Dressed in what looked like a long black robe, with a
black head covering, I perceived her to be rather weird and and even spooky. As
a 10-year old boy, having watched a few too many TV shows such as the Twilight
Zone and such, what I “saw” and what was reality didn’t match up.
One Saturday morning, being brave enough to check
things out further, I followed her home as she slowly walked, stooped over, to
her house a few doors down the street from the church. (Going to Mass on a
Saturday especially took off a lot of Purgatory years!) The old house where I
discovered she lived was probably older than her. With two wooden stories, having
creepy shaded windows, and needing a paint job bad, it fit perfectly with my
perception of the inhabitant.
What I didn’t expect was for her to stop, turn
around, and smile at me when she discovered my following. She then spoke,
asking me how I was doing. Being dumb founded and totally surprised at her kindness,
I briefly replied, and headed quickly home to my house. Thinking back now, in a
way this moment reminded me of when Scout Finch met Boo Radley for the first
time in the movie, Too Kill A Mockingbird.
What she had expected and what was reality was about the same as the understanding
I then received too.
Jesus often said that we would know people by their
fruit – what they did rather than by what they said, or what they wanted you to
think who they were. Getting a proper perception of one’s character cuts out
any false image that one may try to convey. The biblical truth remains - a bad
tree will not produce good fruit.
In our world today, there are many personalities and
organizations that “advertise” as being one thing, when in reality they are the
complete opposite. Stripping away the glitz and glamor, removing the falsehoods
put out in deception, reveal the actuality that lies below the surface. Planned
Parenthood’s murderous abortions are one prime example. Another are politicians
who say one thing repeatedly, but then are proven wrong when the actual truth, later
caught on tape or revealed in previously undisclosed documents, exposes their
real tree’s fruit. We need to develop good perceptions, so we are not among
those who fall for the lies of the devil himself.
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. In
many instances that is true. Wrapping words around a fancy digital image needs our
closer inspection. Same holds for what we see, hear and feel if we don’t have the
spiritual eyes needed to see the truth. Being sensitive in allowing the Holy
Spirit to show us what He sees will enable us to know what is right and wrong,
going beneath the outward appearance to see what really lies under the surface.
Many will be deceived by the lack of integrity,
honesty and humility in these times. Preparation for the revealing of the false
messiah, and the anti-christ is growing rapidly. We need the proper perception
to understand and act accordingly in our daily lives. The Holy Spirit will be
with us to give us that, as we draw near to Him, and spend time with Him daily.
Our lives will depend on this.
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People. Inc.
Love For His People,
Inc. is a charitable,
not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love
of the Father in the nations.
If these messages
minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and
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Todah rabah! (Hebrew
– Thank you very much.)
Please share Now
Think On This with your friends.
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Now Think On This #175
“Perception” by Steve Martin
Date: In the year of
our Lord 2015 (08.15.15) Saturday at 9:30 am in Charlotte, NC
All previous editions
of Now Think On This can be found on this
Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This
Friday, August 14, 2015
Incredible Aerial Video of Caesarea ✡ "And You Shall Bring the Poles"
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