Greener Grass on the Other Side

Driving down a Texas country road is an interesting experience. You can pass large manicured ranches, trailer homes that have seen better days, old barns that must have been beautiful at one time, oil rigs, hay bales, and much more. The interesting terrain is adorned in a variety of ways, but the land is often occupied by livestock - horses, sheep, deer or cattle.

On one such drive, I observed an interesting situation. A Texas longhorn - a very large Texas longhorn - had forced his head through a fence in order to eat what seemed to be the greener grass on the other side. Whether he had done this before or not, I don't know, but I wondered how he was going to get his head back through the fence once he was through with his snack. It certainly must have been easier to put his head through the fence than to back it up again.

I guess I will never know his trick as we didn't wait until he was through to see how he did it. I knew that if he had problems, I wouldn't be able to help him. I am not comfortable around a large steer and could possibly get injured in the process. It would have taken someone who knew how to handle such an animal to assist him if he needed help.

People are a lot like that Texas longhorn. We often don't think of the consequences when we see something we want. It appears to be there for the taking. The grass seems greener on the other side.

Like that Texas steer, reaching out to take what we want may lead to complications. Once the decision is made, we may discover that it was not good for us after all. It is possible to get stuck in the fence, having to call on others to help us, possibly injuring ourselves and them in the process.

That is exactly how sin began. Can't you imagine that Adam and Eve wished they had left that forbidden fruit alone? On their own, they could not get back to the place where they had been before they sinned. They lost their place in the Garden of Eden.

God knew how to restore His relationship with man. He sent His Son, who was injured and died in the process of helping us, to bring us back where we need to be - safe and secure on God's side.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate, and she also gave it to her husband... and he ate... therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6-22-23).

Corrie ten Boom - The Roots of the Jerusalem Prayer Team   Unspectacularly Supernatural   Walking After Emptiness   

Persistence Pays Off

I heard a story about a man who for some reason could not get a flight out of a certain city so he went to a hotel where he frequently stayed. He asked the receptionist about a room; when she checked for a vacancy she told him that there were none, he asked her to check again and again she said that no room was available. He called for the manager and the manager checked for a room then told the man that nothing was available. The men said what if the president called and ask for a room would you find one for him? the manager said, yes we would, then the man said, well it is not likely that he is coming so can I have the room. The point of this story is persistent pays off.

The word persist means to go on resolutely in spite of difficulties and that is what Jesus want us to do because He knows that our persistence will pay off. In fact He told a story about persistence in Luke 18:2-5 He said there was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man, now there was a widow in that city and she came to him, saying get justice for me from my adversary and he would not for a while but afterward he said within himself, though I do not fear God nor regard man; yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. This woman did not give up until she had what she wanted; the judge's no answers did not stop her because she was determined to get what she wanted.

We may not get what we want immediately, in fact we might be turned down many times but we still should not give up on our hope and dream. If we would continue to believe we will see the desire of our heart manifested. Proverbs 13:12 read hope deferred makes the heart sick but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Defer means to yield to opinion or wishes of another. We might have to yield our heart's desire temporarily but that does not mean we give up; we keep going in spite of what was told to us.

Opposition of our heart's desire can come from within our own home and mostly likely it will especially if others do not share our dreams but do not get discouraged about that because God is bigger than any oppositions that we might face just continue to pursue the dream. He will bring it to past.

Hebrews 10:23 and 35-36 read let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful. Therefore, do not cast away your confidence which has great reward for you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. The Lord spoke a word to me twelve years ago; I am still waiting for it to be manifested. He spoke something to me about three years ago; I am still waiting on that also. Concerning the twelve years thing, once I was letting go of it but the Lord sent a man from New Mexico or Mexico to my church and this man really encouraged me in fact, he talked on Hebrews 10:23 and it was as if he was speaking directly to me. His message got me back on track and I have been there every since that day.

Some time persistence is to just wait on the Lord and do nothing but thank Him for it, this is certainly the case with me about the twelve year thing. Some time the only thing that God wants us to do is wait and even in that, we persist. We are not out of His will when we do nothing but that can be hard to do at first because our mind is accustomed to doing things.

All the promises of the Lord is yes and amen but that does not mean it will be revealed at once but if we have received His promise, we should not let it go no matter of the time space or oppositions that will come. We should endure everything until we see the fullness of it.

We live in a world of great inventions but these inventions did not occur over night; those who thought of them had to endure oppositions; they had failures and other people told them no but none of that stopped them, they persist until they received what they wanted and most of them were not God minded but they got what they wanted anyway because they persist. How much better would it be for us having God on our side along with our persistence? It would be a lot better because we have one thing that the world does not have and that is peace of mind with confidence that our desire will be seen.

Corrie ten Boom - The Roots of the Jerusalem Prayer Team   Unspectacularly Supernatural   Walking After Emptiness   

And He Brought Us Out

"And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers."

As the Lord brought Israel out of bondage and gave them a land of their own for an eternal inheritance, the Lord has also promised all who believe in His Son to bring us all out of bondage and into a land flowing with milk and honey, an eternal Land, a kingdom of everlasting joy and peace.

Salvation is appropriately in theology, the redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death, and the conferring on him everlasting happiness. This is the great salvation.

The Bible tells us this commandment, which is a repeated theme in the New Testament; Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

In the fear of the Lord and judgment and trembling as child who knows the power of their Father. Rejoice in trembling never forgetting that it was Christ by His Fathers will, that He gave His life to save us all from the bondage of sin. Wherefore, in either the presence of man or in solitude, remember that the Lord knows all, sees all and records all that a man does in this life.

As the Lord heard the cries of the children of Israel, under bondage by the Egyptians, He heard the cries of the gentiles that were under bondage of sin and Satan. There was no salvation, no deliverance for us until God sent His Son to offer Himself as a sacrifice for all men, a lamb without spot or blemish, blood without sin. This is not to say that gentiles were without a judgment by God, on the contrary they were judged on their works, whether they were good or evil as stated by Paul in Romans 2:12 and 1st.Corinthians 9:21.

And He brought us out... that He might bring us in. He has brought out many who will believe in His word and His Son, out from the weight and burdens of sin, sin that was destroying our bodies, minds and souls, sin that cared not for man nor has concern for our welfare or well being. Sin destroys a mans ability to think rationally, sin destroys man by deception.

The Lord can bring us out of the bondage to alcohol, out of the bondage to drugs, out of the bondage to homosexuality, out of the bondage to adultery, out of the bondage to greed, lust, pride, and even demon possession, yes demons really exist and have taken over multitudes with deception and false doctrines.

Remember the old song, "Just as I am"? Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidst me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. This song reminds me of the reason that the Lord sent His Son, without one plea, no excuse or reason for our sin, our iniquities, our unrighteousness, no reason that we should receive a pardon or forgiveness, we have no excuse to present before God that He would accept, for even the Lord says; "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin."

The Lord can bring us out of the bondage because of the blood shed by Jesus upon the cross. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before God and we are able to enter into His kingdom, through Christ because acceptance of the Lords great salvation cloths us in Gods righteousness, as it is written, not by works but through faith.

Each and every man living upon this earth has at one time or another heard the word of God and for this reason no man will have excuse. The enemies of the cross of Christ have been mobilized against all aspects of Christianity and Gods word. They have sought to silence it from the beginning and will continue to do so until the time of Christ return, when Christ will eliminate all false religions, doctrines and Gods, for it is written that He shall rule the nations with a rod of iron.

Many today have fallen victim to false doctrine and the influence of anti-Christ. They have divided the church body, being now called liberal and conservative, in Christ there is no division, we either believe in Christ or we do not, we either believe in Gods word or we do not, we either stand on the truth or we fall into darkness.

When the Lord brings men out of bondage many times men will once again set themselves up to once again being in bondage as spoke of here; " For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."

We are set free from our bondage of this world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son and only begotten Son of God. This statement will, if men have their way will become unlawful to say, but the true followers of God, who have been set free from bondage, will not fear what man can do to them.

In these end days many shall return into bondage of sin because they have forgotten who they were before they were saved, forgotten who they were to serve and follow, forgotten what the Holy Spirit had taught them about the truth of Gods word, forgotten all the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven that that they were enlightened into, they have forgotten God.

And He brought us out of sin, forgiven, sanctified and justified... that He might bring us in, into His kingdom, His rest and His family.

Corrie ten Boom - The Roots of the Jerusalem Prayer Team   Unspectacularly Supernatural   Walking After Emptiness   

Mystery of Melchizedek Revisited

In any bible study on the epistle to the Hebrews, there is, inevitably, the figure of Melchizedek, who may not be quite mysterious in the epistle, due to the epistle writer's interpretations. To unravel who this figure is, in the Hebrew bible, where he originates, is not quite as easy a task. Some have commented, and even concluded, that the mystery of Melchizedek is finally solved. These solutions, though, are interpretations, not exegesis of the original material.

I am revisiting the mystery hoping to shed more light on the emergence of this character, in order to understand the retrospect picture presented through interpretation or even hermeneutics. This presentation and revisit is not intended to refute those interpretations but rather seeks to elucidate on the picture seen by the pre-New Testament readers.

Melchizedek in the Hebrew Bible

There are two references to Melchizedek in the Hebrew bible - once in Genesis and the second time in Psalms.

In Genesis 14:18 we read the following: "And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High". In verses 19 and 20 Melchizedek blessed Abraham - then he was still Abram - with these words: "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" Then, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

The Context:

In a battle of four kings against five in the Dead Sea valley, "the four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food;... They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot, and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom" (Genesis 14:11-12). Abraham, aided by 318 of his trained fighters went out to rescue his nephew.

Upon his return, Abraham was met by the king of Sodom in the Valley of Shaveh, also known as the King's Valley. It was at this point that Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abraham and pronounced the blessing.

Five Points to consider:

There are five points we need to observe closely. All of them have been interpreted in the epistle to the Hebrews or in light of it, but here we are trying to see their significance to Abraham and in later interpretations of the Hebrew bible

1. The name Melchizedek literally means "king (melech) of righteousness (tzedek). This meaning would have been obvious to Abraham, that "my visitor's name is king of righteousness". The question I am raising here, is: what, in fact, did Abraham associate with the name of his visitor? Did he interpret anything at all from the name?

2. Salem: Salem here is Jerusalem, and it means "peace". This is the only reference in the whole Torah - Pentateuch - where Jerusalem is mentioned by name. Furthermore, as a descendant of Shem, Abraham received from Melchizedek the blessing in the place that will ultimately become the religious and royal center of the people of Israel.

3. God Most High is the translation of El Elyon the name for God used forty five times in the Hebrew bible, twenty of those in the Psalms. The usages of this title are, most of the times, very closely linked to temple service.

El Elyon emphasizes exaltation and absolute lordship and thus combines priestly service with monarchical lordship. These nuances are well interpreted in the epistle to the Hebrews with regard to the High Priest and the Messiah.

4. Bread and wine: From the perspective of the New Testament and Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, Melchizedek bringing out bread and wine is understood in retrospect. The question I pose is: What, if any, was Abraham's interpretation?.

In Exodus 25:30 we read about the bread of the Presence, or holy bread. There are more references in 1 Samuel 21:4, 6 where we read: "The priest answered David, 'I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread... So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence... ". This holy bread was actually twelve loaves placed before God as a sacrificial offering every Sabbath, to be eaten only by the priests

5. Melchizedek in Psalm 110:4

It was pointed out above that the only other reference to Melchizedek in the Hebrew bible is in Psalm 110:4 where we read as follows: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek". What we can gather here is that Melchizedek becomes the founder of a royal priesthood distinct from the later Levitical priesthood.

Based on this text, the Epistle Reading for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (Hebrews 7:23-28) makes the following interpretation: "For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever" (verse 28).

Conclusions:

Without the New Testament, and especially the epistle to the Hebrews, the figure of Melchizedek remains very mysterious indeed. Later, the Essenes assigned him an eschatological interpretation in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The early church, on the other hand, found a typological interpretation.

For additional reading see:

Melchizedek in Theological Dictionary of the Bible, edited by Walter A. Elwell.

Corrie ten Boom - The Roots of the Jerusalem Prayer Team   Unspectacularly Supernatural   Walking After Emptiness   

Melania the Younger

Her grandmother was Melania the Elder who came from the illustrious patrician family of Antonii. After the death of her husband Valerius Maximus and the two of her three children Melania the Elder was one of the first Roman matrons to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where she met Paula of Bethlehem and Jerome, whose friendship she enjoyed. Melania's son, Valerius Publicola, did not accompany his mother who stayed as a nun in Palestine, but was brought up in Rome and became a senator. His wife Albina gave birth to a daughter whom we know as Melania the Younger.

Her full name was Antonia Melania; she was born to the immensely rich Roman family of Valerii. Their palace was huge; the estate she inherited comprised the territory of several modern countries. Despite all this, the girl felt strong inclination towards ascetic life. Nevertheless, at the age of 13 she was married against her will to her cousin, Valerius Pinianus, who was 17 years old. Melania implored her husband to live together in celibacy, but the young man convinced her that they should have two sons first. Within seven years of their married life they had a girl and a boy, but the children died young. As a result, both Melania and her husband devoted themselves to asceticism and deeds of charity.

This family organized one of the most large-scale philanthropic programs in history: they aided thousands of poor and sick, pilgrims and captives in many lands; they gave donations to many churches and monasteries in Europe, Palestine, Egypt and Syria, sometimes buying entire islands for that. Melania and Pinianus not only spent their income on charity; they were ready to give away the very substance of their riches. During two years they freed more than eight thousand slaves, but the most of them refused to be freed and went to Pinianus' brother.

It was obvious that Melania intended to give away everything she had. Her relatives, especially her mother Albina, a widowed daughter of a heathen priest, opposed to this "mad" plan. They appealed to the emperor so that he should forbid the noble patrician girl doing so, but Honorius sided with Melania. Finally, Albina accepted her daughter's ideals and lifestyle. Pinianus, Melania and Albina left Rome to live in their country estate which was now turned into a great center of religious life and charity. Thousands of people came there looking for aid and comfort.

In 408 Visigoths ransacked Rome and the charitable family moved to Messina, Sicily. Their home was too valuable for any buyer and was burnt in 810 during the next, more violent Visigoth invasion. Very soon Sicily was no more secure. Melania, together with her husband and mother, decided to go to Northern Africa. Accompanied by the elderly priest Rufinus and some of their former slaves, they were shipwrecked but finally were able to reach their estate in Tagaste. Their sanctity was soon famous throughout Numidia. Both Augustine and his friend Alypius were close friends of this family. Melania and Pinianus founded monasteries of which they took charge, living there in great austerity.

By 417 all their riches were spent on charity. Now poor, the family made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt, and then visited Jerusalem, where Melania the Elder lived as a nun: she introduced her granddaughter to the circle of virgins in Bethlehem who were guided by Jerome, including Paula, her cousin. Melania the Younger decided to settle in Jerusalem forever.

In 431 Albina died. Melania founded a monastery on the Mount of Olives and commissioned her husband to find novices for this new institution, but a year later Pinianus fell ill and died. Melania spent four years near his tomb and continuously prayed about her deceased mother and husband. She grew famous and attracted multiple disciples who imitated her holy way of life. Her pagan uncle Volusianus wrote to her from Rome and tried to convince her that she should be married to the emperor Valentinian III. When Volusian was sent as ambassador to the court of Theodosius II, she converted him. In 438 she also met empress Eudoxia, wife of Theodosius, during her visit to Jerusalem. It should be mentioned that Melania played a considerable role in the conflict with Nestorianism.

The holy woman spent her last Christmas with Paula in Bethlehem and died five days after the feast of St. Stephen. Before her death Paula cried and Melania consoled her.

Melania the Younger was almost unknown in the West until Cardinal Rampolla has found her biography in Latin in the Escorial at Vatican in 1884, and later another one, in Greek, in the Barberini library. To be sure, this was a precious discovery for all who are interested in Church history.

Corrie ten Boom - The Roots of the Jerusalem Prayer Team   Unspectacularly Supernatural   Walking After Emptiness   

Prophecies of the Antichrist: Who the Devil Could the Antichrist Be?

The various prophecies of the Antichrist seem to lend itself to sharp differences of opinion among theologians and laymen prophecy students alike. The divergence of views is divided into two main categories. On the one hand you have the view that puts the Antichrist in the distant past, while the other view regards his advent as a future, end-time fulfillment. The purpose of this article is to propose a solution by which you can unravel the difficulty with understanding end-time prophecy and identify this last-day enemy of Christ.

The best way to understand the different utterances from the various prophets, especially Daniel and John, is to coordinate their testimonies and identify the points of convergence. By the coordination of the different end-time prophecies the Bible has always made itself plain in its description of the Antichrist. Here are some of the specifications of this individual:

• He speaks against God (Rev. 13:6) • He persecutes the saints of God (Dan. 12:7) • He change the laws of God (Dan. 7:25) • He has no desire for women (Dan. 11:37) • He will rule for 1260 days (31/2 years)(Rev. 13:7) • He will deny that Christ is come in the flesh (2Jn. Vs. 7) • He will exalt himself above every god and all that is worshipped (2Thess. 2:3, 4)

Having religious authority Among the things that are clearly implied in the prophetic word in relation to the Antichrist is the fact that he will be a religious leader exercising religious authority. It is through the exercise of this authority that the world will be plunged into apostasy. It will be on account of his supremacy that the mark of the beast is issued and the image of the beast set up. This will be a new religious system that will be foisted upon the world in the latter days.

The Antichrist's association with Mystery Babylon In the seventeenth chapter of the book of Revelation, we are told about a woman sitting on a seven-headed beast. This woman is clearly a symbol of a church system. Woman as a biblical symbol represents a church, but since this woman is said to be a whore, she must be an apostate church. The association of the Antichrist with Mystery Babylon seems to be a clear indication of his spiritual leadership on the global scene imposing this apostate religion on the world.

Who then is the Antichrist The reference to Mystery Babylon as that city that sits upon seven mountains is a clear identification of the city of Rome, which is the only city in the world that fits that description. It, therefore, means that the Antichrist will not only come from Rome, but will be a close associate of the religion of Rome! Are we not told in the parallel prophecies of Daniel that Rome will be the final world kingdom before the Second Coming?

So who is this end-time enemy of Christ? Here are the four major specifications that will help you to unravel the prophecies of the Antichrist:

• He has no desire for women; he is celibate. • He is a religious leader. • He is associated with the religion of Rome. • He assumes titles that belong only to God.

Who is he? I leave it up to you to make you own judgment.

Corrie ten Boom - The Roots of the Jerusalem Prayer Team   Unspectacularly Supernatural   Walking After Emptiness