Rewards and Punishments on a People

               After God established the laws and commandments that mankind should follow, He also established the blessings that the people will receive if they follow the law and the curses that would be poured upon them if they disobeyed the word of God. First, I want us to take a look at the state of not only America, but the world as a whole. The majority of the world has turned their backs on God. We have new diseases forming and spreading through the world as tourists travel. Countries have prepared for attacks from other nations with missiles and armies ready to be mobilized. The year of 2012 has been the hottest year on record in the United States and countries around the world are suffering from droughts that are drying up crops and causing shortages in usable water. Food supply is low because the farmers were not able to harvest the crops before the crops dried up. Dust storms are occurring more frequently than ever before because of the intense heat and dry conditions. Natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes come one after the other.

                Now, let’s take a more direct look at America. Illegal immigrants are coming into our nation and gaining more rights than true American citizens. They have rights to vote and they get free healthcare and schooling. The Spanish language is everyone and sometimes it is even written before the English portion. We were once a power nation when God was still in the country. Now we are weak and vulnerable. We were once a loaner nation but now we are trillions of dollars in national debt because we became a debtor nation. People are losing their sense of sanity. Mass shootings are on the rise, such as in Aurora, Colorado and at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin. People are murdering their own families for money. Foreclosed homes and abandoned farms can be seen in nearly every American city. Other countries mock us because we have a President that says we have no national language or religion. He doesn’t salute our flag and says it represents destruction. He bows down to other countries. There has been a rise in imprisonment and child trafficking still exists. Businesses are shutting down, leaving large areas desolate and causing people to relocate. Abortions are on the rise as well.

                So, now I’ll get to the point. We need to turn back to God. The Bible forewarned us about the events that would take place if we turned from God and now look at the world. It’s evident He exists. The rewards and curses seen in the books of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 may have been spoken to the Israelites but they can still apply to us. These prophecies in these two books have been nailed to the cross with Jesus but we are all descendants of God’s people and we need to remember that God can still punish us in this life..

“I will scatter you among the nations and will draw

out my sword and pursue you.”

-Leviticus 26:33

                We are those that He scattered among the nations. Everyone’s families in America have at some point migrated from another part of the world. God told us in Leviticus 26:42 that if we do repent and bring Him back to our lives He will remember the covenants He made with Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. All of the things occurring in the world are curses that were mentioned in both Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Some of the other curses are that there will be cannibalism among the people and the plagues that were the Egyptians will be upon us. Enemies will come who are uncompassionate and will steal the crops. They will take us and capture them to bring them back to their own countries. Our soldiers have been taken as prisoners of war in other countries! Animals and livestock will be stolen and a foreign king will rule the land.

                So, what rewards can we expect if we hold fast to God’s decrees and commandments?

-          Rain in its season and fruitful crops

-          Surplus of food

-          Fearless of enemies

-          Many generations to come

-          Become a power nation

-          Prosperous cities

-          Recognized worldwide as God’s holy people

-          Always be a leading nation

                You may think there is nothing we can do. But God told us what to do.

“But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their fathers-their

treachery against me and their hostility towards me,

which made me hostile towards them so that I sent them into the land of

their enemies-then when their uncircumcised hearts and humbled and they pay for their

sin, I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant

with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”

-Leviticus 26:40-42

               

Rebuilding Our Spirits

                In our Christian faith we often go through trials and tribulations. Sometimes we must start over fresh in order to draw closer to God. We need to get rid of the contaminants in our lives and rid ourselves of our former selves. We need to let go of the things that kept us from receiving Christ.

                Nehemiah, whose name means comforted by Jehovah, was from Judah. He was among the Jews exiled to Babylon. When the Roman Empire fell to the Persians, Nehemiah found himself as the royal cup-bearer in the palace of the Persian king Artaxerxes. This made it possible for him to be made the civil governor of Jerusalem at the time of their return. In the book of Nehemiah, he hears of how the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed and the gates burned with fire. Immediately he fasted, prayed, and mourned for the people of his country. He asked for favor in front of the king so that he may go and help the people of Israel.

                When the king saw him, he saw how upset he was. He asked Nehemiah to explain what was wrong and upon hearing him, the king granted Nehemiah permission to go help rebuild the walls. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, Nehemiah inspected the wall and ordered the start of the rebuilding. Certain men were assigned to rebuild each of the gates and the rest of the men built the walls. They faced opposition during the rebuilding from Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Amonites, and the men of Ashdod. They threatened to knock it down again but the Jews heard and warned Nehemiah. Therefore, he stationed men with weapons to prepare for attack and told them that God would protect them. During this time, Nehemiah helped the poor get food and the wall was completed in just 52 days. How? Because of the favor of the Lord. The exiles returned and the Israelites confessed their sins.

                In future years, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem and discovered that the Israelites had returned to their previous way of life, sinning and disobeying the laws. Nehemiah ordered the Levites to purify themselves and assigned everyone duties.

                So, how can you apply this to your life? We need to rebuild ourselves when we are broken. When we sin, God allows us to give in to the desires of our flesh and only with repentance can we fortify our spirits again. We will be judged with the fire and be destroyed. When we have backslid, we are disgraced. Have you ever noticed that when you are deep into sin, something dramatic happens that causes you to repent and draw back to God? It’s the work of God to keep His people close to Him.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in:

Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have

been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall or Jerusalem,

and we will no longer be in disgrace.”

-Nehemiah 2:17

                I will share two personal experiences that happened to me that made me realize I needed to rebuild. The first experience was in February of 2011. I had gotten caught up with the wrong people at my job and my dad, as he was supposed to, reprimanded me for it. I ran away the next day with $50 in my pocket and my car. My parents found me later that night and brought me home. I repented and started rebuilding my life and relationship with God.

                 I broke up with my boyfriend back in April. I had been so busy focusing on him that I often forgot about God. I believe that God allowed my relationship to end so that I could be drawn back closer to Him. Ever since the end of April I have been working on rebuilding my spirit, layer by layer, as Nehemiah and his workers rebuilt the wall. Have I completed the work? No. We are never finished growing in the Spirit. I continue to grow each day but God is using me for His works. Is a short period of time He has helped me progress so much. 

"Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who

is great and awesome, and fight for your

brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives

and your homes."

-Nehemiah 4:14

"Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, 

join us there. Our God will fight for us!"

-Nehemiah 4:20 

                 During the rebuilding of our spirits, we will face opposition from the enemy but he won't have a stronghold over us. If we have fear of the Lord and commit ourselves to Him, He will protect us. The enemy will not bring us down.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow

of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and

your staff, they comfort me."

-Psalm 23:4 

                     Have you gone through a period where you had to rebuild? If so, I encourage you to please comment and share. 

 

Understanding the Book of Revelation: The Antichrist and the False Prophet

The Beast Out of the Sea

                  In this segment I will be discussing Chapter 13, the Beast out of the Sea and the Beast out of the Earth. The beast out of the sea is the Antichrist. The sea is the Mediterranean Sea. When saying he will come out of the sea, it is telling us he will come from two sources: his spirit from the abyss and his body from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean. The sea signifies Gentile nations (Revelation 17:15, Isaiah 57:20). The ten horns and seven heads are those of the dragon (Revelation 12:3); the beast is therefore one with the dragon. The ten horns are the ten coming kings (Daniel 7:24) and the seven heads are the seven Caesars (Revelation 17:10). The ten heads correspond to the ten toes in Daniel 2:42-4. The Roman Empire, Antichrist, and ten kings (represented by the ten crowns) are one with Satan. The seven Caesars, symbolized by the seven heads, claimed deity and ordered their people to worship them, which is a blasphemy against God.

 

                A leopard, characterized by swift and crucial movements, was the symbol of Alexander the Great, king of Greece. The bear, characterized by its destroying feet, was the symbol of the monarchy of Medo-Persia. The lion, characterized by its devouring mouth, was a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The Antichrist will have their characteristics. He’s the totality of all evil powers in human history. Giving his power, throne, and authority to the beast, he makes the beast one with him so he can resist God and persecute God’s people on earth. Verse 3 refers to one of the Caesars who will be resuscitated, causing the earth to marvel. He is one of the Caesars who was assassinated or murdered because it says his face was slain. During the last three and a half years he will terminate all Jewish worship and service to God (Daniel 9:27), persecute the saints, and destroy Jerusalem. The saints that he will make war with are the believers that remain on earth.

The Beast Out of the Earth

                13:11 brings our attention to the beast out of the earth. This other beast is the false prophet mentioned in Revelation 16:13, 19:20, and 20:10. Since the earth signifies Israel, the false prophet will most likely come from the Jews. By saying that he looks like a lamb but talks like a dragon this verse is indicating his falsity. He is the ultimate of all the false prophets that we were forewarned about. He helps persuade people to worship the beast from the sea.  He will be able to do what Elijah did in 1 Kings 18:36-38 by bringing fire out of the sky. People won’t be able to distinguish the truth from the lies. In his being able to give breath to the statue of the beast of the sea he is doing something that has never been done before in human history. Psalm 115:5 tells us that no idol made by human hands has ever been able to speak. 

              

Because of Man's Desire

If you don't thank God after every smile why do you blame Him after every tear?

          

              Everyone is so quick to blame God when something goes wrong. Lost a job? That person is cursing God. A loved one dies? “Why would you do that God?” But then when everything is going good for them, they seem to forget who God is and don’t thank Him for what He’s done in them. We should go to Him on all occasions and rejoice at all times.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your

gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Don not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

-Philippians 4:4-6

                Some people say that God is evil because He allows evil. But He only allows evil because that is what men who don’t give themselves up to the Lord have in their hearts. They block God and the Holy Spirit from entering their hearts. Therefore, not all bad comes from God, nor Satan; it comes from the hearts of men (although we can blame Satan because they allow Him to control their thoughts and actions.) God allows the bad to happen as the punishment to mankind for not accepting Him.

“He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways

are perverse will suddenly fall.”

-Proverbs 28:18

                If you look at the story of Noah and the ark, God did not cause the great flood for no reason. There was so much sin in the world and earthly desires in the hearts of men that He needed to bring the world back to order. In the story of Jonah and the big fish, Jonah did not end up in the world by God’s own decision. God had ordered Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. But instead, he tried to run from God and boarded a ship. The sea grew rough and he knew that the only way to help save the other men was to sacrifice himself so he had them throw him into the water. God allowed the fish to swallow him so that he would not drown and perish in the ocean.

                Jerusalem and Judah turned away from God; they became traitors. In return the Lord said that He will bring disaster and oppression to them because of their own wrongdoing (Isaiah 3:4-9). He will take both supply and support from them, the hero and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, the captain and men of rank, the counselor, and the skilled craftsman (Isaiah 1-3). It wasn’t the Lord bringing unrighteous punishment. The Jews and the people of Judah brought it upon themselves by not allowing God’s will to be done and by not accepting Him as their god.

                God also allows bad to happen to test us. In the book of Job, God allows Satan to take everything in Job’s possession and give him sores all over his body. He does this to prove that Job was a faithful servant of the Lord. Job’s wife told him to curse God but Job replied, “Shall we accept good from God, and not troubles?”(Job 2:10) Three of Job’s friends kept putting down God but Job did not so in return, Job was made prosperous again and give him twice the blessings.

“God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will

be with you to keep you from sinning.”

-Exodus 20:20

“…to humble you and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.”

-Deuteronomy 8:16