It is the only instance in the Bible where our Lord Jesus Christ used His miraculous power to destroy something in nature.  Many who do not understand the Scriptures are eager to find fault or a negative connotation in this event.  But what they do not understand is that Jesus intended for this event to be taken as a parable and it sets the stage for its sequel to be unfolded in his Olivet Discourse.

John the Baptist spoke directly to the skepticism of the Pharisees and Sadducees, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.  Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:8-10)

The principle that a tree should bring forth good fruit was taught by Jesus on several occasions.  In the parable of the barren fig tree, Jesus used a fig tree (symbol of Israel) that had not yet produced fruit for three years to represent the nation of Israel.  The fig tree in the parable had not produced any good fruit (ripe figs) during the three years of Christ’s ministry to the Jewish people.  Jesus was telling Israel that His ministry with them was drawing to a close within the next year, and their opportunity to repent and accept Jesus as their Messiah would soon pass.

“And he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none.  Cut it down.  Why should it use up the ground? And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.  Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” (Luke 13:6-9)  Since Israel did not produce good fruit (ripe figs) at Jesus’ first coming, the nation was cut down, as a tree, in 70 A.D. by the Roman army and the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed.  So, is God done with Israel?  As Paul wrote, “Certainly not!” (Romans 11:1)

Just as Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was cut down like a tree and then restored, likewise the nation of Israel, represented by a fig tree, was cut down for failing to recognize Jesus as their Messiah and not recognizing “the time of thy visitation.” (Luke 19:44)  The Kingdom of God was taken from Israel but will be restored after the Lord refines them “as silver is refined” and tests them “as gold is tested” at the end of the age.  (Matthew 21:42-44; Zechariah 13:7-9; 14:1-16; Jeremiah 30; 31; 23:3-8; Romans 11:25-26; Hosea 6:1-3; Hebrews 8:10; Ezekiel 11:17-20; 36:22-29)

JESUS CURSES THE FIG TREE

Upon His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and final week, Jesus performs and speaks the parable.  “And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.  And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.  On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.  And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it.  When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”  And his disciples heard it….And when evening came they went out of the city.  As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.  And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!  The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”  And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:11-22)

Why do you say that the parable was “intended?”  The fig tree usually produces leaves in March-April and then starts to bear fruit in June, with another crop in August, sometimes a third in December.  Our Lord was not displaying unnecessary annoyance, Jesus knew the tree would not be in season, hence “a fig tree in leaf.”  He seized this moment to state the parable, making lesson on failure to be fruitful.  The day before Jesus had chased out the moneychangers from the temple as well.  The condemning of the tree and the cleansing of the Temple were both symbolic acts that illustrated the sad spiritual condition of Israel: fruitless and corrupt.

THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE

Hours later on the Mount of Olives, Jesus is then asked by his disciples, “what will be the sign of your coming (return)?”  After sharing the general conditions that will accompany His return, Jesus then speaks a second parable of the fig tree. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and put out its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:32-34)

Practically speaking, that when you see a fig tree with branches full of sap (becoming tender) and producing new leaves, these signs mean summer is near and its full harvest.  Spiritually speaking, that when the fig tree (Israel) comes back to life, we are to know that Christ’s return is near. The generation that sees Israel come back to life will not die off until all the events involved with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ takes place.  All current and future generations were to watch for this event.  This parable could not be properly understood until Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. and the Jewish people later dispersed all over the world.

LUKE’S VERSION OF THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE

Not a contradiction, but Luke’s version of this parable gives additional insight as to what we are to watch for “the sign of your coming.”  “And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.” (Luke 21:29-32)

What are we to watch for?  “Watch the fig tree and all the trees.” (verse 29)  In other words, we are to watch the fig tree (Israel) and all the trees (Gentile nations).  When the fig tree (Israel) and all the trees (Gentile nations) come to life, this parable denotes the generation that will see the countdown to the return of Christ begin.  So how long is a “generation?” (Psalm 90:10)

For most of us, the fig tree (Israel) is identified when it came back to life officially on May 14, 1948 with the rebirth of the state of Israel and it has flourished ever since.  Ours is the generation that has witnessed the miracle of the rebirth of Israel.  But what about “all the trees?”

Just as noteworthy is the proliferation of nations during the 20^th century.  The growth of nations is a long, evolutionary process where dates of a country’s “formation” cannot always be objectively determined.  Independence dates prior to 1919 are treated with caution, for centuries there was no international body to recognize statehood.  Since the formation, expansion, division, dissolving and reorganizing of nations is subject to wars, internal conflicts and changes in leadership the number of independent sovereign states in the world has been subject to change.

But the role of the League of Nations in 1919 and which the United Nations took over in 1947 has changed all of that.  In 1899 there were just 44 countries that had achieved statehood.  The 20^th century saw 147 new sovereign states added, with many splitting off from the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Portugal and the Soviet Union.  In the first half (1900-1950) 38 new states were created while the second half (1950-2000) experienced an explosion of 109 new sovereign states!  Since 2000, only five new states have been added.  Depending on your sources, today there are 195-197 recognized nations in the world.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were spiritually blind to the signs of Christ’s first coming.  He acknowledged them for their ability to interpret the weather based on the appearance of the sky but chastised their failure to grasp “the signs of the times.”

In accordance with the words of Christ, do we recognize the “season” we live?  Have “all the trees” flourished as well?

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We have formed Carpenter Ministries, Inc. as a full-time ministry and invite your prayerful and financial support as we embark on this mission that is described in the “About” page of the blog.  You can make donations to Carpenter Ministries by hovering your cursor over “Contribute” and by selecting Carpenter Ministries you can elect one of three ways to fund the ministry.  Your contributions will not only sustain this ministry but enable future mission trips to Africa and elsewhere.  All donations are fully tax deductible as we are an approved 501(c)3 organization operating in Virginia.  

“When I was a boy I somehow got the impression that the river Jordan was four thousand miles long and thirty-five miles wide.  It is only 90 miles long, and so crooked that a man does not know which side of it he is on half the time.  In going ninety miles it does not get over more that fifty miles of ground.”  (Mark Twain, 1867)

Writing of himself, the famous author said he was known for “things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.” In actuality, the Jordan River flows southward from Mount Hermon at its source about 156 miles into the Sea of Galilee, then into the Dead Sea, divided into an upper and lower course. An important source in Israel for watering dry land, yet it runs through the Bible with an even greater spiritual status.

Eighteen miles east of Jerusalem there is a remarkable piece of geography concentrated over a few square miles of the Jordan River in which God has demonstrated His power time and again.  For some it is referred to as the “Jordan River Intersect.”  Right above the mouth of the Dead Sea and just nine miles to the east is Mt. Nebo where it is believed that Moses was buried.  It was from here that God showed Moses the “Promised Land” from Gilead to Dan, (Deuteronomy 34:1) but he would not live to go there.  The walls of Jericho were in clear view directly across the river in the Jordan Valley.

After Moses died and was buried by the Lord at Mt. Nebo, Joshua and the whole nation of Israel prepared to cross over the Jordan River having wandered the Wilderness for forty years. “And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5) The Ark of the Covenant was with them, borne on the shoulders of the priests marching down into the river; stopping the flow of water according to the Lord’s command, so the whole Israelite nation could cross over into the Land of Canaan. (Joshua 3:1-4:24)

Shortly thereafter, the walls of Jericho would come tumbling down as Joshua’s army encircled it for seven days (Joshua 6:1-27) by the Lord’s command, and this would have been clearly visible within the “Jordan River Intersect.”

More than five centuries later, it is here that Elijah crossed the Jordan with his companion Elisha, right before he was taken up. “The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?”…Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you”….Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.  Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water; and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.” (2^nd Kings 2:5-8)

In the “Jordan River Intersect” just one mile east of the Israelite’s “Crossing” is a site known as “Elijah’s Hill” where the prophet was taken up or raptured in a “flaming chariot.”  Before his very eyes Elisha watched as Elijah was taken up to heaven.  Just moments before Elisha had asked the prophet for “a double portion of your spirit on me.” (verse 9)  When Elijah was taken up in the “whirlwind” his cloak had dropped to the ground and Elisha retrieved it.  “And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.  Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.” (verses 13-14)

Map by Daniel M. Wright

This same “Crossing” site separated by one mile from “Elijah’s Hill” is also known as “Qasr El Yahud.”  It is the location believed to be where Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist.  According to all four Gospels the ministry of John the Baptist drew thousands of Jews from surrounding areas to hear his fiery message of repentance and many were baptized here in the Jordan River.  The day Jesus came to the river to commence His own 3.5 year ministry, John was there baptizing, precisely at this small location, the “Jordan River Intersect.”

Just five miles to the southwest is Qumran, where the Essenes sect lived separate and apart from the Pharisees and Sadducees whom they had sharp disagreement.  They interpreted prophecy according to the interpretation of the patriarchs handed down over the ages rather than through rabbinical commentaries.  The Essenes departed for the “wilderness” around 160 B.C. because they were anticipating the coming of Messiah based on Isaiah 40:3. “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” The English phrase “the desert” in Hebrew is translated as “Ba’Arbabah” which means “Jordan Valley.”

At Qumran the Essenes buried over 1,000 documents that have only been discovered and restored in recent decades.  Today they are known as the “Dead Sea Scrolls.”  After the Resurrection, the Essenes virtually disappeared because the vast majority became early Christians.  Incredibly, their recovered writings and understanding of Messiah as the “Son of God” closely mirror the beliefs of the early Church.  It is believed by many that John the Baptist was an Essene.  (see blog post dated Oct. 24, 2018)

Over the years I have heard many personal testimonies.  Often, I hear about lives that were broken or had suffered, before becoming the quintessential and beautiful testimony of God’s redemption.  Others, like my personal testimony, reveal an area of their lives that they kept or reserved to themselves to “lord over” only to watch it become the focal point of pressure or stress that the Lord used to draw us into His light. I am reminded that I received Christ as Savior around 2am in January next to a cold running creek in Northern Virginia.  It is a specific time and place in our lives that we seek God’s mercy, healing, power and/or salvation.  It becomes our Jordan River moment…and He delivers us.

Maybe there is an area of your life that is begging for God’s attention.  It may be an area of struggle or challenge, it could be an area of pain or suffering, it could be something that is lost or believed to be beyond recovery.  Naaman was healed of his leprosy in the Jordan River.  A cherished and needed ax head that was lost…floated and was recovered in the Jordan.  Possibly this is an area of our life that you need God’s powerful intervention.  Are you running away from a matter that might be described as your Jordan Valley or Jordan River?

I encourage you to turn around and go back to your “Ba’Arabah” or Jordan River.  Maybe you have a friend or family member in mind that you can escort there.  Go down to the valley and to the water’s edge.   Humble yourself, confess your sins, and sanctify yourself as Joshua commanded the Israelites.  God is known to part the waters and bring walls of resistance down!  Call on the Lord and seek His mercy and He will meet you in your Jordan River.

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.  Nor will the flame burn you.  For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”  (Isaiah 43:1-3a)

A riddle is a statement or a question with a hidden meaning that forms a puzzle to be solved. Example: “Larry’s father has five sons who are named Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Forty, and ? What is the name of his fifth son?” Exploring riddles can be fun, it allows you to be a solving detective.  For others, riddles can be downright exasperating.  Solutions often hide behind the assumptions people make when the answer is in plain view.  Such was the case in Jerusalem as recorded in Acts 15.  Oh, the answer.  The fifth son’s name was Larry…as in “Larry’s father.”

When Peter stood up at what is now called the “Council of Jerusalem” he used an inversion in making this statement: “And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” (Acts 15:8-11)

The subject was Gentile Christianity and some of the elders present wrongfully concluded that Gentiles must be circumcised like all Jews.  In plain view, it was obvious that male circumcision was a non-factor in those Gentile conversions and Peter was very provocative now in his use of an inversion.  In effect, he was saying, “We couldn’t live up to the Law, why should we place it on them (Gentiles)?  We should believe, just as they do!  In other words, if we play our cards right, we will be saved just like them.” 

Verse 12 describes how Barnabas and Paul then stood up and bore witness to the “miracles and wonders” God had wrought through the Gentiles that they had shared the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It says that the entire multitude went silent during their report.

There were two huge questions overhanging this important meeting, one was spoken, the other was unspoken.  First, are the Gentile believers under the Law (i.e. male circumcision)?  The Council of Jerusalem deals with this question profoundly and negates this presumption.  The second but unspoken question was this: if Gentile believers only have to believe by faith, what about the promised Messianic Kingdom?  What then will become of Israel?

After hearing the testimonies of Peter, Barnabas and Paul, it is here that James, the half-brother of Jesus, addresses this unspoken question, and makes possibly one of the most important declarations of the Dispensation of Grace anywhere in the Bible.

Filled with the Holy Spirit and recognized as the leader of the Jerusalem church, James addresses the audience by speaking the prophetic words of a “minor prophet” otherwise known as the “shepherd of Tekoa.”  Who was this shepherd? And who were the “minor prophets?”

In the Bible there are twelve minor prophets and they wrote some of the most amazing prophecies for Israel and the world.  They were not called “minor” because they were not important, but because each message was short. Their messages are not “allegorical” but play a major role in God’s great plan of the ages. Portions of their prophecies have been fulfilled but many others are in full development today

It is important to recall that the office of prophet was an exalted position directly related to a Divine calling. It is noteworthy that the first “minor” prophet in our Bible is Hosea whose name translates “Salvation of Jehovah.”  In fact, his name is the root word from which we get the name Joshua in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament.  In Hebrew his name is pronounced “Yoshua.”  Written 800 years before the birth of Christ, his name is a prophecy that reveals the very name of the Messiah-the Holy One of Israel.

But here, James quotes Amos, the “shepherd of Tekoa” and the third minor prophet.  “Men and brethren, hearken unto me:  Simeon (Peter) hath declared how God at first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down, and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.” (Acts 15: 13b-17)

If you review the quote from Amos 9:11-12, James begins by saying “After this, I will return.”  Who left and Who will return?  Obviously, it is the risen Lord Jesus Christ who has now ascended to heaven and who has promised to return.   Most importantly then, “after this” refers to the calling out of the Gentiles.

In addressing the unspoken question, James is quoting Amos and tying it to the future of Israel in terms of the eventual fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.  Paul writes further in Ephesians 3:1-6 that the postponement of the Messianic Kingdom and the calling out of the Church is a “mystery” itself.

He amplifies this “calling out of the Gentiles” all the more in Romans 11 when he writes that a “blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (verse 25)  The “fullness of the Gentiles” denotes the end of the Church Age and the Rapture.

If we interpret the Bible literally, there are several stages that are clearly identified in a sequence:

1) “After this”, the “fullness of the Gentiles” having come in, results with

2) “blindness of Israel” being relieved, and

3) the return or Second Coming of Jesus Christ will follow commencing the Millennial Kingdom.

Why this may be important today is that in recent years there has been a growing excitement and anticipation among Orthodox Jews in Israel for the coming of their Messiah, and this is now accelerating.  Many today are unaware the Sanhedrin was reconstituted in 2004 and its revival is another step in the rebuilding of a Jewish Temple.  In fact, they have recently begun reenacting grain offerings and wine libations in accordance with the Aaronic priesthood practices and have obtained government permits required for the slaughter of animals to one day be reinstated in the Temple.

Over the past 20 years a variety of Orthodox Jewish groups have simultaneously emerged in Israel that are focused on the rebuilding of the Temple. One devotes its efforts to the architectural plans, another to the training of priests, a third to the development of incenses, and yet another to the breeding of a perfect red heifer.  Much preparation has gone into plans to rebuild a Third Temple in the last 24 months and large sections of the Temple have been prefabbed or manufactured in advance.  One high ranking official of the Temple Mount Faithful estimated that the new Jerusalem Temple could be rebuilt in just one year.

The recent relocation of the American Embassy to Jerusalem and its recognition by the United States and other countries as the “eternal capital of Israel” has accentuated this fervor.   In addition, the recent deciphering of the Copper Scroll among the Dead Sea Scrolls has illumined a map or outline of many hidden Temple treasures that are secretly and currently being explored in Israel.  Several high officials in Israel have stated that the location of the tabernacle of David is now known. You can research all of these news events online.

Without any speculation as to when the rebuilding of the Third Temple occurs or its consequences, is not the thrust of this article.  We are heavily reminded that in our day we see Romans 1:18-32 and 2^nd Timothy 3:1-9 being fulfilled, and literally, sadly even in recent hours.

The fact is, that if the construction of the Third Temple is so close that it is prepped and ready to go and the tabernacle of David is possibly about to be discovered, these passages should tell us how close we may be to the day that the “fullness of the Gentiles” has come in.

Regardless, if ever there is a day that the Church should be “full throttle” and not “business as usual” it is today, showing, demonstrating and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ…and there is no riddle involved.

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In order to address some recent inquiries regarding Carpenter Ministries,

I am no longer part of the Sons of Thunder Ministries organization as Donor Relations Manager in a fundraising capacity. As CEO Jerry Beall and I both agreed two months ago, I have been called to a ministry of the Word instead and which he encourages.  However, considered still part of the “ministering family” at SOT, we remain in close contact and Jerry has invited me to visit Sons of Thunder in Zambia continually in support of the ministry there.  However, I do not receive any compensation from SOT.

Thus, we have formed Carpenter Ministries, Inc. as a full-time ministry and inviting your prayerful and financial support as we embark on this mission that is better stated in the “About” page of the blog.  You can make donations to Carpenter Ministries by hovering your cursor over “Contribute” and by selecting Carpenter Ministries you can elect one of three ways to fund the ministry.  Your contributions will not only sustain this ministry but enable future mission trips to Africa and elsewhere.  All donations are fully tax deductible as we are an approved 501(c)3 organization operating in Virginia.

By desire, I will continue to support Sons of Thunder in future articles and will continue to allow others to donate to Sons of Thunder directly through this blog.

Photo courtesy of Harris Teeter

Many of us have a favored candy bar, either a recent product or one from yesteryear that we still hold with delicious memories in mind.  Since childhood, one of those bars that I enjoyed such nice relations was a PayDay™ bar.  To this day it is still a wonderful blend of salty nuts and caramel that is just perfect.  The brand name “PayDay” is also a marketing gem in that it projects a reward or compensation for the buyer who purchases it.  Its subliminal advertising promotes the subtle but intended meaning, we long for our “reward.”

As a follower of Jesus Christ, we have a “payday” in our future as well that is also well advertised in our Bibles and yet today there are some misconceptions about the event.  But Paul is emphatic that the “payday” event he references is predicated on “kakos.”  What is “kakos?”

The Bible talks about the Judgment Seat of Christ, otherwise known as the “Bema Judgment,” and is found in three primary places: Romans 14:10-12; 1^st Corinthians 3:10-4:5; and 2^nd Corinthians 5:1-10.  It is not to be confused with the Great White Throne judgment found in Revelation 20:11-15. 

“For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done.” (Matthew 16:27)

“Judgment” Seat is translated from “Bema” Seat in the Greek.  During ancient Grecian games held in Athens, the old arena contained a raised platform on which the president or judge of the games sat.  From here he rewarded all contestants and awarded all winners.  It was the “bema seat” or “rewards seat.” But it was never used as a judicial bench in the ancient Greek games. It is in this context that Paul likens our faith walk to that of a long distance race. (Hebrews 12:1; Galatians 5:7; 1^st Corinthians 9:24-27; 2^nd Timothy 4:7; Romans 5:3-4)   

“And now little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1^st John 2:28)

This Bema Seat Judgment is the first order of business for church-age saints who are translated at the “harpazo” or Rapture of the Church.  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2^nd Corinthians 5:10).  Everyone present is saved, salvation is not the issue here.  This is the “final exam” that focuses on our fruit-bearing, not salvation. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).  Every born-again believer will stand before Christ and give an account for their service as a Christian. It is here that the saints of God will receive or lose rewards.  The Judgment of Christ will not be a judgment of condemnation nor will anyone be subject to eternal damnation if they lose rewards.

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  (1^st Corinthians 3:13-15)

As an example, Lot was vexed daily, but Abraham was not vexed; he had separated himself from the world.  God destroyed Sodom but saved Lot, “yet as by fire.”  Everything he had lived for was burned up.

“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1^st Corinthians 4:2)

So, what is the basis of our judgment?  How will Christ judge me?

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2^nd Corinthians 5:10) 

The question for most is, what is “bad?”  The English word “bad” is translated from the Koine Greek “kakos” which according to Strong’s Concordance (2556) means primarily “worthless.”  Thayer’s Greek lexicon definition of “kakos” reads as “1) of a bad nature. 1a) not such as it ought to be.”  A comparable use of this word is the rendering of a producer’s fruit brought to market as “kakos,” or worthless, that is, the fruit is deemed to have gone “bad.”  As a result, it is thrown out as unsuitable.

The believer’s works are brought into judgment, called “the things done in his body,” in order that it may be determined whether they are good or bad.  This judgment is not to determine what is ethically good or evil, but rather that which is acceptable and that which is worthless/unprofitable to the work of Christ. (Dr. Earl Toms)

This judgment is not punitive nor is it to judge believers for sin of any kind, confessed or unconfessed.  “Scripture teaches that for the believer, God’s justice has already been fully and forever satisfied at the Cross in relation to the believer’s sins.  If God were to punish the believer judicially for his sins for which Christ has already rendered payment, He would be requiring two payments for sin and would therefore be unjust.” (J. Hampton Keithley, III)

“For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more….For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (Hebrews 8:12; 10:14)

Okay, then help me understand what is considered “worthless” or “unsuitable?”

Essentially, we must give an account of what we have done after trusting Christ as our Savior.  In other words, now that you have been saved, what have you done with it?  Paul uses this brilliant analogy:

“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I had laid the foundation, and another builds on it.  But let each one take heed how he builds on it…Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and fire will try each one’s work, of what sort it is.” (1^st Corinthians 3:10,12,13)

Notice that there are six commodities listed in two groups, in descending order of worth.  Three are products of God’s creative act (gold, silver, precious stones) and three are the result of natural growth and development (wood, hay, stubble).  The first three are permanent, the last three will perish under fire.  (Think on this: you could have the largest load of wood but it would be worth less than the smallest diamond).  But remember, it is the “work” being appraised, not the person.

One day all Christian believers will stand face to face with our Lord Jesus Christ and He will judge righteously and fairly and with complete knowledge because He is God.  The Lord will look circumspect into our lives and will examine where what we did was with the right heart and right motive.  Many people perform acts of service today with wrong motivation.  They do it for competition, for compensation, for their own reputation, or even for narcissistic reasons (i.e. Facebook).  In some cases acts of service are done begrudgingly because they are forced to do it. God will look into our heart in all of these things.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shown toward His name in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” (Hebrews 6:10)

Today might be a day to take our lives under review.  What are our motivations?  I might even become distressed, not so much for sins I have committed in the past….but for times and opportunities I have wasted, for time frittered away on selfish things or foolishness….for the people I might have helped…for moments I lacked the courage to exploit for Him…..etc. etc.  But, every day the Lord affords us gives us time to prepare for “payday” and possibly change our “grading.”  Is it time for you to assess?

“Of all the words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘it might have been.’ (John Greenleaf Whittier)

Sources: Donald Perkins, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, Dr. Chuck Missler, Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Dr. Earl Toms, J. Hampton Keithley, III, Arthur Pridham

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Update:

Due to a lengthy illness I was unable to accompany any of the earlier spring missions teams with Sons of Thunder that traveled to Zambia and, at present, it does not appear that I will be returning for the remainder of this year.  As the Lord is willing, I am hopeful to return early next year.

Carpenter Ministries is a full-time ministry and if you would like to support the ministry you can make donations via the “contribute” page on the “A Carpenter’s View” blog site.  Questions you may have about the ministry might be answered in the “about” section of the blog or you can email me at the address provided there.

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12) The “Upper Room Discourse” is only found in John’s gospel account in chapters 13-16 and then concludes with Jesus’ high priestly prayer in chapter 17.  As you approach these chapters you are in the literal shadow of the cross that He will be suspended within hours. It is one of the most remarkable scenes found in the Bible.  Alone with His own and as He was facing sacrificial death, yet His concern was for His disciples.

Unlike the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) which are unifying narratives, the Book of John is more an editorial.  Almost one quarter of John’s gospel is devoted to the Upper Room Discourse.

It is here that Jesus shifts His focus from Israel to the founding of His Church and introduces brand new church age truths that they had not heard before.  “The Upper Room Discourse serves as a seed-plot of that which is found later in the epistles of the New Testament” (Charles Ryrie).  One of the New Testament concepts He formally introduces, is the Rapture of the Church.

We don’t know at what point in the Upper Room Discourse that it occurs, but they eventually depart for the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus will be arrested.   John 13:2 tells us that Satan entered into Judas and then Jesus takes off his outer garment, puts a towel around His waist and prepares a basin of water to wash the feet of His disciples, including His betrayer.   He demonstrates humility, as even in Israel at this time, a slave could not be forced to wash feet.  His act unnerved the disciples.  This lowly position showed the humility of our Lord as He laid out all He had for our benefit. Instead of a “top-down” organizational chart, Jesus calls them into a “bottom-up” organizational chart that emphasizes servitude to others first.

Our Lord declares in verse 21 that one of the disciples will betray Him and then discreetly identifies him to John as Judas gets up to leave at the end of the chapter.  “Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him” (verse 31) fully knowing that the plan of betrayal was about to unfold.

(“Iscariot” comes from “Ish Kerioth” which translates in Hebrew as “from Kerioth” or a “man from Kerioth” near the Dead Sea in Judah.  Thus, he is connected with Judah as a prototype as one of the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery.)

Jesus then says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (14:1-3)

Our Savior had told them that it was important that He return to the Father in order that the Holy Spirit would come to infill believers as our Wonderful Counselor.   And when He returned to heaven Jesus promised not only to prepare a place for each of us as believers, but that one day He would return and “receive you (us) unto myself” so that “where I am, there ye may be also.”  This is a completely different event than the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth.

Interesting, that the word “receive” in verse 3 is the Greek word “lambano” which is the same word used in Hebrews 11:5 describing how Enoch was translated or “raptured” when God “took him” to heaven. (Genesis 5:24)

Prior to the age of the supercomputer, a Mennonite theologian named J.B. Smith identified that there is only one other place in the Bible whereby the thought progression found in John 14:1-3 is replicated.  These exact same thoughts in an exact and certain sequence can only be found in 1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18.  Here is the sequence replicated:

Three times Jesus said in the Upper Room Discourse to the effect, “I have more to tell you, but you are not yet prepared (until receiving the Holy Spirit).”  That this same exact pattern is found in 1^st Thessalonians is revealing.  Paul’s first epistle was written to the Galatians prior to the Jerusalem Council.  The next two were 1^st and 2^nd Thessalonians that lays the foundation of Christian eschatology.

What we find is that the church at Thessalonika had heard about the Rapture from Paul directly but had developed a fear that their loved ones who had died would not see or participate in that day.  Paul reassures them that you will “go up” with your friends and loved ones.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1^st Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Is the Rapture of the Church one and the same as the Second Coming of the Lord?  No.

Jesus gave these 11 remaining disciples several other incredible new teachings in the Upper Room Discourse.  In addition to the Rapture, He shared in John 14:5-14 that believers in Christ will do greater works, about the New Testament ministry of the Holy Spirit (15-31), to abide in Christ, in effect living the Christian life (15:1-17), that the Holy Spirit would aid in evangelism (16:7-15), the course of the church age (16-25) and about prayer in the name of Jesus (25-33).  And in the midst, He shared that the world will hate you (us) as followers of Christ (John 15:18-16:6).  The Church has always been under persecution since its birth, but for many years in the West there has been a “peace” that is now reverting back to the “norm” as we are now experiencing a growing hatred by many for being Christ-followers.  But our motive of anticipation of the Rapture is not to escape responsibility, but simply the desire of the Bride (Church) to be with Christ.

The Word of God is infallible and perfect and harmonizes beautifully between both Old and New Testaments.  The Church is a “mystery” according to Ephesians 3:8-11 and is part of the “manifold wisdom of God.”  Nowhere else in Scripture is there a reference to a “manifold wisdom” or a many-sided, diversified wisdom of God. The fact is, the Rapture as a concept is preposterous to consider, but it is surely Biblical and irrefutable beyond any doubt.   (Take an OT view in Isaiah 26:19-21)

Our reminder today is that the Upper Room Discourse began with Jesus washing the disciples’ feet in an act of humility and servitude.  His example is for the ages and for each of us today.  The question becomes, are we “People of the Towel” or do others see us as lording with a “scepter?”  I submit to you that we are to be “People of the Towel” just as our Savior served as our example.

Sources: Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Dr. Thomas Ice, Dr. John Walvoord, Dr. Chuck Missler, Charles Ryrie, J.B. Smith

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We continue to ask for your prayers and financial support of the Zambian people who are being impacted by a severe drought.  Please go to the blog and review last week’s post.  Blessings, RC

50kg Bags of Mealy-Meal

“I am the head of a household of nine. I lost my husband 10 years ago and I have eight children to feed, including four orphans, my eldest sister’s children. I depend on farming, but there was a total crop failure this year.  We eat just one meal a day. What is it like to be hungry? Your sight is affected. Your heart runs fast. Your stomach hurts, your head hurts. You are confused and it consumes you.” -Lucia

• The drought in southern Africa has impacted a number of countries other than Zambia. Those would include Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.  In Zambia, the drought has been severely centered in both western and southern regions.  If you go to the website and find the April 10 blog you will find additional information on this climatic event.

• In Zambia, maize (corn) is the primary food staple and overall production is down approximately 20% from last year. However, in southwestern Zambia and where the Sons of Thunder Farm is located, this is misleading.   Renowned for its maize production the southern region of Zambia has seen its yield reduced from 30-50% in most areas.

• Maize (white corn) is ground into meal and sold in bags of “mealy meal.” It is prepared for “n’shema” which is the traditional porridge cooked widely for both morning and evening meals.  The cost of mealy-meal has doubled since last year and this impacts the low and middle income families of Zambia the most.  A 50 kilogram bag of mealy meal now cost K110-120 in Zambian Kwacha, the national currency.  For a family of 4-5 this would normally last 2-2.5 weeks but due to cost is now having to last much longer.

Recent Maize pricing/kilogram in Choma

• At the Sons of Thunder Farm outside of Senkobo, many people come on a weekly basis seeking handouts or the opportunity to work briefly on the farm in exchange for a few days of mealy-meal. SOT has long been generous to its neighbors but is now running out of surplus mealy-meal to provide their relief.  We need an infusion of funds from external sources to help provide relief for many people.

• In the southern hemisphere, soil preparation begins in September and planting of crops occurs in November-December. The traditional “lean season” is November through March until the main harvest, but this year the lean season is highly extended.  Hunger is widespread and prevalent.

Typical Planting Season in Zambia. Source: Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS Net)

• The elderly, children, infants and the unborn are the most highly impacted by hunger. Malnutrition is prevalent and often accompanied by change of hair color and skin discoloration.  Immune systems weaken and susceptibility to diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia increases.  Rates of mortality of children accelerates.

• At Sons of Thunder Ministries we are praying for a miracle offering from God to enable us to go and purchase large amounts of mealy-meal to provide relief for the many people near the Farm. Can you help us?  On the top menu bar of A Carpenter’s View you can make direct donations to Sons of Thunder by clicking “contribute.”

• Hungry and thirsty,
  Their soul fainted in them.
  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
  And He delivered them out of their distresses.
   And He led them forth by the right way,
  That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
   Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
  And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
  For He satisfies the longing soul,
  And fills the hungry soul with goodness.  (Psalm 107:5-9)

• As an approved 501(c)3 organization, all donations to Sons of Thunder Ministries are tax deductible. Carpenter Ministries, Inc. nor I receive any compensation from Sons of Thunder.   We are grateful for your prayers and your generosity.

Photo by Ariella Bracha Waldinger

It is a very unique chapter in the Bible, one where God is not speaking to a person, a people, or a nation.  He is actually speaking to mountains, to the land, and saying, “I will treat you better than you have ever been treated before.  And they will know that I am the Lord.”  Do you know that there are 2600 year old prophecies that lay dormant until our lifetime?

All too often we make the Scriptures more difficult than they were intended to be.  It is an anomaly that a people on a designated land for many years be deported for 70 years, return and live there for another 650 years and then be deported all over the world, only to return to the same land again 1800 years later.  Same language, same Scripture, same people.  There is nothing like this in any other facet of human history.

“Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.” (Ezekiel 36:1)   I encourage you to read this chapter in entirety.  It is here that God is not speaking to “you” or “them”, but to the mountains, the Land of Israel.  He promises that the Land would come under Jewish possession again and that this time it would be treated better than ever before (verse 11).  God says that after having been trod for centuries by Gentiles that the Land would be transformed from waste and desolation to a new period of fruitfulness.  When will this occur?  In verses 19-24 after Israel was dispersed throughout the world, God says He will “gather you (Israel) out of all countries” and bring them back to “your own land.”  The Assyrian and Babylonian captivities did not result in worldwide dispersal, so this did not occur then. Only after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and Emperor Hadrian’s crushing defeat of the final Jewish revolt in 135 A.D. led by Simon bar Kochba did the 1800-year “Diaspora” begin.  This prophecy has been and is continuing to be fulfilled today.

“Therefore, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you (the Land) desolate, and swallowed you up on every side….” (Ezekiel 36:3)

So, what happened to the Land?  There are documented quotes about the land of Israel from virtually every century since the fall of Jerusalem and they describe a land of desolation, for when the “people” are out of the land, the land lies desolate.  Flavius Josephus wrote, “what was once a garden, is now a desert.”  The historian Carl Voss said, “after the Arab conquest in the 7^th century and for the next twelve centuries, the region was laid waste.”  Under the Ottoman Empire (1517-1917) the Land was denuded of forest land due primarily to a unique tax whereby inhabitants were taxed for each tree that was owned.  Solution?  They chopped down all their trees to avoid the tax.  In fact, the Ottomans referred to it as “a cursed land.”  During the 1700s most of the land was owned by absentee landlords leaving impoverished tenants, land poorly cultivated and widely neglected.  It became a malaria-infested swamp and a wasted land that grew nothing.

In 1867 Mark Twain visited the Land and wrote that it was “a desolate country whose soil is rich but is wholly given over to weeds.  A silent, mournful expanse, we never saw a human being on the whole route.  There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere.  Even the olive and cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, have almost deserted the country.”

“But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come.” (Ezekiel 36:8)

Trees and water changes everything.  When the first trickle of Jews began returning in the 1880s, they began to drain the marshes, introduced fish to eat the mosquito larvae, and they planted eucalyptus trees to absorb the swamp water.  But many still died from malaria as they began toiling the land.

And then they began to plant trees.  When trees return, animals return, weather patterns change, moisture increases, and the topsoil comes back.  Over the last 100 years the Jewish National Fund estimates that 250 million trees have been replanted in Israel.   Most of their trees are not more than 50 years old but the revival of the land began with trees putting forth their branches, just as God spoke it, just as God promised it.  It’s as if the Land responds to Jewish sovereignty and ownership, ironically that is what the Bible says.

“And I will multiply men upon you , all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be builded.” (verse 1)

In 1909 some 60 Jewish families began building the settlement of Tel Aviv (Jaffa) on a barren beach overlooking the Yarkon River and the Mediterranean Sea.  Mule trains can be seen in old pictures bringing supplies across the sands to the settlers.  The population of Tel Aviv is now 444,000 and the city today is the number 1 high tech startup capital of the world.  It is renowned for computer sciences, electronics, genetics, optics, biotechnology, medical electronics, solar energy, electric cars and water technology.  Apple, Samsung, Google, Intel and Microsoft have major R&D centers located in Tel Aviv.  The population of Israel edged over 9 million for the first time this year.

“In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit.” (Isaiah 27:6)

What was once dead, brown and dusty is now fertile and green.  The land is reviving and producing like never before, even the desert of Israel is blooming with orchards and vineyards today.

Israel is one of the primary exporters of fruits and vegetables to the entire world and with the entry of refrigeration, this prophecy is now being fulfilled.  In 1980 Israel’s exports totaled $6 billion, in 2000 $31 billion, in 2015 $63 billion and this year it will surpass $110 billion.

Israeli agricultural and water technology is cutting edge.  Israel has pioneered desalination plants that can convert sea water to drinking water in just 45 minutes.  There are 4 desalination plants today that supply 40% of Israel’s water needs and it is estimated to provide 70% by 2050.  They have engineered precision agriculture, irrigation systems, ozone-oxygen processes, and water technology that is enabling Israel to becoming the first “drought-proof” nation of the world.  “And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the nations.” (verse 30)

Although I have never met nor corresponded with him, Doug Hershey has authored a book entitled Israel Rising, which I would encourage you to search online.  He has compiled a photographic summary of “Israel then, Israel now” pictures over the last century that capture this transformation in an extraordinarily beautiful way.

Many profound things are happening today in Israel.  It is nothing short of a miracle what has happened to the mountains and the land of Israel over the last 100 years.  Why is it happening?

Your Bible scriptures are coming to pass just as God said it would.  Israel is a signpost in many respects.  God has made promises to these people that will come to pass in tangible ways that we can clearly see.

Since the year of Israel’s rebirth in 1948 approximately 55 Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled.  I use the word “approximately” because some are in the process or are only partially fulfilled at this time.  If God is fulfilling Ezekiel 36 in our lifetime, why would all of His other prophecies not continue to be fulfilled?

Do you recognize the season?

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10)

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A Carpenter’s View is part of  Carpenter Ministries, Inc. a fully organized 501(c)3 non-profit organization operating in the state of Virginia.

When we think of horses today we often admire them as one of the most beautiful and noble creatures on the face of the earth.  Have you ever thought it strange that the Israelites never used horses in their many battles against warring nations in their conquest of the Holy Land prior to the reign of Solomon?

You will find over 188 Bible verses that refer to horses in the Old Testament, so they were well known to the Jews.  The question begs, why did they never use horses to defend themselves against the cavalry and war-horses of their enemies?  Consider how horses are described by God in the Book of Job:

“Hast thou given the horse strength?  Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper?  The glory of his nostrils is terrible.  He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.  He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.  The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.  He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.”  (Job 39:19-24)

Archeological digs consistently show that horses were commonly used by armies of the ancient nations of the Middle East, with the exception of Israel, until the reign of King Solomon around 970 B.C.

Even the Ten Commandments prohibit the Jews from coveting an ox or ass, but there is no mention of horses.  “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.”  (Exodus 20:17)

You will read in the Book of Judges that donkeys were the main mode of transportation for Israel rather than horses.  When the daughter of Caleb came to visit Othniel in Joshua 15:18 she used an ass or donkey, not a horse.  Later, we read that Saul was searching for the lost asses of his father.  Even when warring against King David, the Scriptures tell us that his son Absalom was killed by riding his mule under the branches of a tree proving that even royal princes did not ride horses in that time.

The only horses that are mentioned are those of the enemies of Israel such as the 900 chariots of cavalry of the Caananite King Jabin (Judges 4).  Even when the Philistines seized the Ark of the Covenant the Bible tells us that Israel lost 30,000 foot soldiers, but not a single mention of cavalry. (1^st Samuel 4)

Why did Israel not use horses for their cavalry when all of the foreign armies had the advantages of chariots and war-horses?  We find the answer in Deuteronomy 17:16.  “But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, ‘Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.’”

The primary reason that God forbade the Israelites from owning/multiplying horses was that it would have forced their correspondence and reliance upon Egypt, the premier provider of horses in the Middle East at that time.  God knew that Israel would be tempted to enter into alliances with Egypt by acquiring their horses much like the international trading of advanced arms and weaponry today.  In the conduct of their monopoly it was quite normal that Egypt would additionally require client states to enter into alliances or defensive treaties with them in exchange for their war-horses.  It was God’s desire that Israel would not become entangled with Egypt and other foreign alliances rather than trust the power of God alone to save her.  He also wanted to separate Israel from Egypt over concerns that they would be infected with the idolatries of Eqypt to which they were very prone.  According to the Lord, if Israel was not to return to Egypt, they must not trade with Egypt in any form.

Another important reason is that despite the fact that Israel had excellent soldiers who won astonishing victories over superior enemies, they achieved these victories through the supernatural power of God. In acknowledging that they won so many battles through God’s miraculous interventions, it was the Lord who received the glory and not the men of Israel.  Otherwise, war horses and cavalry might compel the wrongful sense of pride that it was their personal might that prevailed over the enemy.

By forcing the Israelites to fight defensive battles on foot to defend the Holy Land that God had given them also precluded them from becoming aggressive to conquer foreign lands.  War horses and cavalry would have given them that mobility to acquire foreign lands far beyond the borders of the Promised Land.  This was not God’s will for Israel, even though David and his armies had subjugated all of the world that mattered at one time. (Psalm 18:43-44)   Remarkably, Israel did not begin to acquire horses until the apostasy that followed King Solomon’s reign. (1^st Kings 10:26)

God wanted His people to rely solely upon Him.  Sadly, Solomon surely knew this, since he wrote in Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared for the day of battle: but deliverance is of the Lord.”  For concerning his compromise on war-horses, by the end of his reign, Solomon also had a substantial harem.  It appears from Scripture that his compromise on this issue began his slow separation from God.

If we are wise enough to heed to God’s word, it is these examples of compromise that we can learn.  “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)

This is a great lesson on separation from the world.  God has given us the victory and we are allowed to defend it.  The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds (2^nd Corinthians 10:3-5).  We are taught to trust the Lord for the victories and not use the world’s ways to accomplish His purposes.  We are not to use the world as a means to obtain peace of mind for “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Have you allowed yourself by commerce or conversation to be drawn into a potential sin?

Have you unwittingly entered into an “unholy alliance” whereby you have positioned your adversary to undermine you in your faith walk?

Are you making decisions based upon your “wealth” or your “might” or by what you alone have “achieved” or “acquired?”

If so, turn away from your “war-horses of Egypt.”  For if they are there, you will be tempted to return back to your “Egypt.”

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” (1^st Corinthians 10:11)

(Sources: Grant Jeffrey, Martin Collins, John Reid, Dr. Earl White)

The results would be disastrous.  Have you ever entertained the notion of releasing captive zoo animals back into the wild?  Recent studies have shown this is not only disastrous but unethical. Most zoo animals are born into captivity, and when released back into the wild they do not cope and die.  Many starve to death because they have not learned how to hunt.  Zoo-raised predators also underperform socially in the wild and do not reproduce, nor do they enjoy the protection of a pack.  Most importantly, they are not discerning of their enemies, often displaying a lack of fear of large carnivores and they do not have the experience to defend themselves.  Not surprisingly, they are often shot or poisoned because they are too trusting of human activity.

Taken out of their natural element, these captive-born animals lose their innate skills, senses and behavioral attributes.  Likewise, when the Church becomes unmoored from the Word of God, lacking knowledge of the truths of God, and lacking discernment on spiritual matters, then they are more vulnerable and susceptible to the wiles of our adversary.  Deception is very definitely here today, it is not only in the world, it is in the Church.

What we have been taught and led to believe from the Bible is now under open attack.  The truths which we have long embraced from Scripture are now in the crosshairs of society and the world-at-large.

This latter-day deception in the Church is also a direct byproduct of a lack of knowledge and Scriptural illiteracy.  Many Christians today simply do not spend any time studying their Bibles and, as a result, are open to deception and become prey of wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They are tossed back and forth with every wind of doctrine that comes along.  Satan is crafty and subtle in the way he deceives and today his efforts to deceive are intensified against the Church targeted specifically to undermine the truths of the Bible.

As just one example, simple questions today with your children about the difference between a man and a woman can invite a whole host of answers that never before would have been considered…”assignment of gender as a social construct…differences based on biased societies???”

“And Jesus answered them and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.” (Matthew 24:4)  In these last days, we need to hear this passage loudly.  Throughout the New Testament we are warned by Jesus and His apostles about being deceived.

“Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them.  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:6-11)

Although I am not in agreement with him on all issues, this quote from John MacArthur is powerful:

“…truth itself does not change just because our point of view does.  As we mature in our ability to perceive truth, truth itself remains fixed. Our duty is to conform all our thoughts to the truth, we are not entitled to redefine “truth” to fit it to our own personal viewpoints, preferences, or desires.  We must not ignore or discard selected truths just because we might find them hard to receive or difficult to believe.  Above all, we can’t get apathetic or lazy about the truth when the price of understanding or defending the truth turns out to be demanding or costly.”  (John MacArthur, quoted in The Truth War)

Many Christians today find themselves embracing the spirit of this world that is steadily turning and twisting Biblical truth into a lie.  We must understand that there is a major price to be paid when we choose deception over the truth of God’s word.  God has established the boundaries of truth and we must stay firm within those boundaries.  When we depart from established truth, we are setting ourselves up for spiritual destruction.

“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools….Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator…” (Romans 1:22,25)

We have a rebellion against God’s truth today.

Sadly, many in the Church today are Scripturally illiterate.  Genuine Bible studies are now hard to find in many churches, instead topical studies dominate.  They know their favorite football team’s record and stats, favorite celebrities, songs, enamored with emojis and memes, social media…but they don’t know anything about the Bible.  And because they don’t know, they are open to deception.

^“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2^nd Timothy 4:3-4)

Our faith comes from hearing the Word of God.  Today, the Church has become bashful about God’s word.  We can’t become bashful, we must preach it and proclaim the truth.  Powerlessness has come in part to some, because the name of Jesus Christ has been avoided by so many Christians today.

I am absolutely convinced that the reestablishment of the PREEMINENCE OF GOD’S WORD is paramount for the Church in these days. 

There are many pastors, evangelists, youth ministers and teachers who are subscribers to this blog.  I hope and pray that you will not stop preaching the Word as you have been called to do.  The Church needs a strong Word in these latter days.  If you are making your congregation squirm and uncomfortable from time to time, then that may very well be a good thing.

Lastly, I have often heard that Millennials are “unreachable” for the Gospel, and that is a lie!  Many of my generation (baby boomers) have shied away from sharing their personal testimony of Jesus Christ with this age group because they are uncomfortable with them socially.  Not only is this wrong and bearing horrible outcomes (check Pew Research data) but, despite the fact that as a generation they are bombarded with information and technological distractions like no other, they are very definitely seeking genuine truth and they want to hear it.  And they are seeking and desiring community.  The Millennials are very definitely “reachable” for the Gospel, just as any prior generation.

As Paul imparts this to Timothy, so I share the instruction:

¹¹ These things command and teach.

¹² Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

¹⁴ Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

¹⁵ Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

¹⁶ Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1^st Timothy 4:11-16)

(Burdened for this message, many sources to cite: Don Perkins, Terry James, Jan Markell, Bud Hancock, Geri Ungurean, John MacArthur, Steve Quayle)

Often, God uses small things to accomplish His greater purposes. We, on the other hand, all too often will look at something small or obsolete and render it to be useless or unimportant.  But God does not measure things the way we do.  There was such a reminder in an event recently at the Sons of Thunder Farm in Zambia.

“The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” (Exodus 4:2)  From a Scriptural perspective, it is remarkable to consider how God used the staff of Moses.  It was not just used as a prop.  Although inanimate it became a lead character as an instrument of the Lord placed in the hands of His servant.  God used Moses’ staff to part the Red Sea and defeat the pursuing armies of Egypt.  Later, Moses used the staff during a battle between Israel and the Amalekites and when it was lifted up, the armies of the Israelites prevailed in victory.

The Bible also tells us that faithfulness in the small things will lead to greater blessings.  Rahab used a piece of crimson rope and it saved her entire family.  God used a young shepherd boy to destroy the Philistine giant.  In fact, David proved himself faithful in taking care of his father’s sheep, and God gave him the whole nation of Israel to shepherd.

And who cannot recall the moment, when facing multitudes of people coming to hear Jesus speak, when a disciple turns to Him and says, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:9) All four gospel accounts tell us that Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people through only five loaves of bread and two fish.

“For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10)

It serves as an instructive reminder to us that the small things, the insignificant things, and the obsolete things are not to be despised.  For God willingly uses small things to achieve greater purposes.  On a personal basis, you may think of yourself as insignificant in God’s greater plans, but you are not.  Not only did Christ die for you but with the infilling of the Holy Spirit you are a vital part of the Body of Christ and He has a role for you to fulfill.   You may seem very small in your own eyes and this is good, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  (Proverbs 3:34; 1^st Peter 5:5-6; James 4:6-7)   But, don’t let your humility become sin by believing you can do nothing for the Lord.

For many years the old swimming pool at the Sons of Thunder Farm had been left to lay obsolete, dry and cracking under the Zambian sun.  It is estimated to have been built in the 1960s or 70s by the original farm owner before it was purchased by Sons of Thunder Ministries.  On a cost basis it was prohibitive and controversial to refurbish, for others it was an eyesore, for most it was just a wasted and unusable corner of the main compound.

However, earlier this spring after attending an agricultural exhibition in the nation’s capital of Lusaka, SOT Farm Manager Alexander Mubanga and several other men from the Farm became acquainted with the concept of an aquaponic pond for fish farming.  As you can see in the photo, the concept became reality this past month when they decided to convert the old swimming pool into a fish farm for raising tilapia fish!  Sons of Thunder dammed up one side of the pool for breeding young fish before transferring them over to the larger pool side.   An aquaponic pond specialist was brought over to train those in charge of the newly created fish farm, the first supply of fish was cast into the water, and we are now hoping to have the first harvest of tilapia in October and November of this year.

The fish will be made available for purchase by those living on the Sons of Thunder Farm and will also be used for feeding attendees of meetings and conferences at the SOT Conference Center.  An additional market may also be identified in Livingston as this story unfolds.  This is yet another small business that was seeded with a loan from Sons of Thunder as part of the micro business community that exists there.

There has been a horrific drought in southern Africa this past year and, as prior blog posts have attested, the Sons of Thunder Farm harvest this year was most productive despite the drought conditions.  More importantly, this bountiful harvest is a testimony of God’s grace to the Farm and its utility of the Farming God’s Way farming techniques.  As a source of protein, there are also chickens that are being raised both commercially and individually on the Farm, but fish has never been available until now!

Please pray for Joseph as he manages the fish farm and the efficiency of this new aquaponic system that has been introduced.  The swimming pool was considered obsolete and useless for years but having committed this project over to the Lord for His blessings, we are now very excited at the potential outcome for this fish farm.

Speaking with Alexander earlier this week, the reduced crop yields this year due to the drought has caused much hunger and suffering in the southern and western regions of Zambia.  Many continue to come and ask for food and other assistance as the Farm can provide.  But the demand is far more than Sons of Thunder is able to supply.  Your prayers and financial support are vitally needed right now to meet those suffering from malnutrition and hunger with bags of mealy meal.  On the blog menu select “contribute” for instructions to make a donation to Sons of Thunder.  It is all made possible through the support of friends like you who share the vision and passion for God’s Kingdom work.  We are grateful for your prayerful support!