Friday, Jun 12, 2009

6-12 The Sun Must Refuse to Shine!

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So who would Jesus torture? My nephew Kevin asked me that  His comments on facebook always stimulate lively discussions! One of my questions is “what do you mean by torture? Define it for me.” I don’t believe in torture, although Hell isn’t going to be a cakewalk! Am I mixed up here? I’ll let you sort that out. But while I’m thinking about what Jesus would do, torture and Hell, it brings up the broader question of “What should Dennis be doing?” In light of an eternity of “torture” in Hell, shouldn’t Dennis be putting every possible energy he has into letting people know What I know Jesus Did? He was tortured in our place on a cruel cross, so that we could trust in Him to receive a free pass from eternal torture. His torture for our freedom! Pass it on.

Today's Scripture reading is 2 Samuel 9; Jonah 3; Mark 15:21-47
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.podbean.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Jeremiah 31:31-37 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah …I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people… 35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): 36 "If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever." 37 Thus says the LORD: "If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD.

Has God abandoned Israel? Are they no longer “His Chosen People?” Has he cast them aside forever? That is the question Paul asked in Romans 11:1. The principles of prophecy hinge on this question! Some people believe that Israel has been set aside in God’s plan and replaced by the church. So when we read “Israel” we now mean “church.” That completely changes the way we read the future. Either it is right or wrong, true or false. If it is true, our world view philosophy changes racially and our prophetic view changes with it. How can we ignore such sweeping statements like Jeremiah 31:37. Here are the conditions for casting off Israel for all the wrong things they have done. Our sun must first grow old and die or explode! No more sunshine, no more Israel. Our moon and stars have to wink out at night forever. No moon, no stars (no universe!) no chosen people. The ocean needs to be drained dry, or at least down far enough so we can take a bath in it without making waves. At that point Israel will also cease from being God’s chosen nation. Are these just terms of exaggeration or does God really mean this stuff? Based on the three covenants (Abrahamic, Davidic, Palestianian) we would say that God is serious about one prophetic assertion: Israel is central to his plan for the future. Now enter a fourth covenant: “The New Covenant” of Jeremiah 31. This is the plan by which God intends to restore Israel to a nation He can govern with pleasure. Under the New Covenant, God will write his law on every one of their hearts! He will take away their unruly and hard hearts and replace it with a heart for God! No longer will they wander away from Him as they have done since day one, instead they all will follow Him and love Him wholeheartedly! The New Covenant will make a marked and stunning change in the way the nation and individuals behave! It is a fundamental change of human nature! Our societal tendency to sin will be gone, and Israel will one day be “the ideal nation.” That’ll be the day! That’s why Paul emphatically says “absolutely not! God has not cast away His people!” Romans 11:1 & 2

Dear Lord! Thanks for the promise of the New Covenant. I could use a change of heart right now! Please change me and make my heart acceptable to your heart. I want to love you wholeheartedly. I want to obey you sincerely. I cannot do it on my own. Thank you for Jesus who makes that possible.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:44 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

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