The Lion of Judah

Lamb of God, Lion of Judah
(Luke 22:39-44, John 28:30, Revelation 5)

In the garden begging and bleeding
The Lamb of God awaits the beating
In the cold night air as demons were leaping
His friend wandered shivering and weeping (Luke 22:54-62)
On the cross broken and bent
The Word accomplished the reason for which He was sent (Isaiah 55:11)
In a vision filled with despair an elder tells John to look
The Lion of Judah steps forward and takes hold of the book



God's word is so exciting to read. When you realize that everything that happens is pointing to a single event, it is even more exciting! Everything is pointing toward the risen and glorified Christ. The prophets tell of His coming in the old testament, and in the new testament, we are introduced to Him.

It all culminates in the book of the Revelation. In chapter 5 of Revelation, there
is, in my opinion, the most exciting scene in the bible. Here He is! The One about whose coming the prophets of old wrote about, the One we read about in the gospel accounts and the One we learn about in the letters from the apostles. This is the moment Jesus prayed about in John 17:1 when He asked that the Father glorify Him so that He may glorify His Father.

It's almost more excitement than I can bear! These events begin to link together
as Jesus enters the garden and begins to pray, knowing what is coming. He asks the
Father if there is ANY other way, then He is betrayed and then denied. Then the savage beating of our Sovereign began...the horror of it all! He was put through a kangaroo court and lead out of the city to be crucified, He accomplished His task and died.

Back to the scene in Revelation 5, He alone had earned the right, He alone was
worthy. As John was weeping, feeling such despair, our Savior, appearing to be a lamb
that was slain, stepped forward, no longer the meek lamb. The Lion of Judah now takes
the book and crushes the seal!

God is AWESOME!!

Beautiful

There is one thing about me that you should know. I have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever. None. I wish I did, though. There are so many songs that mean so much to me.
I suppose that is why I appreciate so much those who are talented and gifted with a beautiful voice and the ability to understand musical instruments and the dexterity to play them so gracefully.

There are a lot of young people at my church who have been gifted with enormous talent. I so enjoy hearing them sing and play in our church services and special programs. One of those young people sang this morning. She and her mother sang a song by Francesca Battistelli. The song is called 'Beautiful Beautiful'. It is one of those songs that really speaks to me. I've been thinking about it all day. It speaks of how God can turn your life into something beautiful. Wow.
I pondered this for a long time today.

God indeed can make something beautiful of your life. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's workmanship. The Greek word used is 'poiema' or poem. How cool is that? We are God's poetry.

In Isaiah 61:1-3 the bible tells us that God will will trade beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

In Revelation 21:1-5, we see that God is going to wipe every tear away and make all things new.

2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul tells us that, as Christians, we have been made new creations in Christ Jesus. Wow!

Best of all, in Romans 8:1, Paul teaches that for those of us who are in Christ, there is no condemnation.

Indeed, 'Beautiful, Beautiful'

God is AWESOME!

Zombie Apocalypse?

There is a new television series that we have been talking about at work. It's a show called 'The Walking Dead' on American Movie Classics. It's a show based on a comic book that came out a while back. It's actually pretty good. (If you are into horror movies, you'll like it.)

I discovered that just about any conversation can be used as a jumping off point for sharing Christ with someone.

It had to have been the Holy Spirit who brought this to mind in my conversation today. In Matthew 27:50-53, Jesus gives up His spirit. He dies on the cross. When he does, all kinds of wild stuff starts to happen. Matthew tells about dead people coming out of their graves. (Appropriate in a conversation about zombies, I guess.)

I shared this with my friend in the course of our conversation. Then Colossians chapter 1 was brought to mind. Wow! The Holy Spirit is so awesome! I told my friend that when Jesus died on the cross that day, things started to unravel because Jesus is God. He died. There was nothing holding the universe together for that moment. (Colossians 1:11-17)

God loves us so much that He would rather die and have His creation devolve into chaos than live without us. Of course, he took up His life again and restored order. He also restored the relationship that was destroyed in the garden so long ago. In doing so, He gave us (who have been restored to Him) a ministry. The ministry of reconciliation. (2Corinthians 5:17-19)

Ready to come full circle in the conversation? Those of us who believe are now alive in Christ Jesus. No longer are we the walking dead. :)

God is AWESOME!!

Fun and Excitement

I am now co-teaching a Sunday school class at church. I like it a lot.
I'm not a big fan of talking in front of people, but the people in this class are all very nice and most of them are friends that I know fairly well. That helps, but I'm still not a fan.

The part that I like most about it is the studying for class.

God specializes in blowing your mind. He can take a passage of the bible that you have read dozens of times, and show you a new layer every time. Give a new understanding and perspective on the passage and at the same time never contradict or change the meaning of what has been learned before. He just adds to it; takes it to deeper levels. It's very exciting.

One of my mentors and heroes in the faith, Mike Hasper, once discussed what it was like for him to study for a lesson. He talked about how the Holy Spirit would start teaching and about Truth spilling out of God's word.

Thank you, Father, that true understanding comes only from You and that You are the only Truth, and that Truth is absolute.

Indescribable

Lamb of God, Lion of Judah
(Luke 22:39-44, John 28:30, Revelation 5)

In the garden begging and bleeding
The Lamb of God awaits the beating
In the cold night air as demons were leaping
His friend wandered shivering and weeping (Luke 22:54-62)
On the cross broken and bent
The Word accomplished the reason for which He was sent (Isaiah 55:11)
In a vision filled with despair an elder tells John to look
The Lion of Judah steps forward and takes hold of the book


Our Sunday school class has been studying Ephesians 6:11-18. We've been looking at each part of the armor of God. It's very interesting. When we got to the part of the Sword (Ephesians 6:17), it moved me to ponder the meaning.
Every sermon I have ever heard on the armor of God, it was pointed out that the sword is the only offensive part. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
I have always assumed that 'the sword' represented the bible. The more I pondered, and the more I read, the more I am persuaded that it is not just the bible that is represented.
Read John 1:1 and John 1:14. The Word became flesh. Read Revelation 19:13. And all through Revelation, King Jesus is described as having a sharp sword coming out of His mouth.
All the other parts of the armor are protective or defensive parts. The Sword is for fighting. Of course, we have our part in the fight. We are to stand firm in our faith and our love for one another, pray and obey what we are taught in the bible. But it is Jesus...The Word of God...who fights for us. He is the one who has thrown down the accuser (Revelation 12:10-11).
It is of great comfort to me to know who it is who fights on our behalf. Who is He? He is the Great and Mighty King. Read the following passages and take comfort, be encouraged and join me in praising our Warrior King, the Lion of Judah!
Deuteronomy 32:35-43, Colossians 1:15-20, Jude 1:24, and Romans 8:26.

Inseparable

There is one thing I've noticed recently that's been on my mind. Some Christians today seem to have the idea that the New Testament and the Old Testament are separate.

I have even heard that there are some denominations who do not allow music to be played in their church services because it is not mentioned in the New Testament (not prohibited in the New Testament, just not mentioned). Seems a little odd to me.

Most of the teachings and sermons in the New Testament are derived from the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, Jesus Himself, after His resurrection, opened up the understanding of two of His disciples using the Old Testament.
Read Luke 24:13-32.

Then there is Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Check out Acts 8:26-39. In Acts 8:35, it starts with 'Beginning with the Scriptures...'

The account of the stoning of Stephen begins with Stephen preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, starting from Abraham. Read about it in Acts 6:9 - Acts 7:1-60

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached from the prophet Joel. (Acts 2:15-16)

Peter tells us in his first epistle that the prophets did everything that they did for our benefit now. 1Peter 1:10-12

The Old Testament and the New Testament are not separate. It is all interrelated...intertwined. The gospel of Jesus Christ is what binds them together. The entire Old Testament points to this one event, this one...visitation. The entire New Testament points out all that was fulfilled in Christ Jesus and teaches us how to live in Him. Together, they give us the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The salvation of our God!

Father,
thank you for the salvation we have in Your Son, Christ Jesus. Thank you that we can now have understanding. That we know that there aren't many paths to You, but One. Thank you, Most High God, that You gave Your only Son as a gift for us, that He holds out Hope to us. And that You have given us to Him.

Reconciliation

This is something that has weighed on my mind for a very long time. I just never could string the right words together that would communicate what I was feeling. It's one of those things that is clear in my mind, but gets garbled up before it can get through the vocal cords (or fingers).

I was studying for our Sunday school lesson today, and I read a passage that summed up what I had been feeling.

In John 17:20-26, Jesus is praying for us. His prayer...His deep desire is for us to be one just as He and His Father are one. If it is important to King Jesus, then it should be important to us.

In our country...in the world in general...but the United States of America in particular, there seems to be quite a bit of racial tension. A great deal of mistrust between the races. This should not be so. No one should look at any other person and judge them based on any physical characteristic. (2Corinthians 5:16-21; 1Samuel 16:6-7)

We are supposed to be as one body. A body is made up of a bunch of different parts, but all function together to achieve one goal. Sound familiar? This isn't for our benefit only. As believers in Christ Jesus, we are His ambassadors. The world needs to see something in us. We aren't meant to serve ourselves and our agendas, but Christ and His agenda. We seem to have lost sight of that.

In Ephesians 3:7-10, the Apostle Paul spells it out for us. In John 13:31-35, King Jesus commands us to love one another, and gives a reason why in verse 35. There is a bigger plan here. Something bigger than us is at work. We are invited to be a part of it, if we can get focused and back on task.

The devil has come up with some really good lies that many of us have fallen for, hook line and sinker. This idea that we are different or inferior or superior in any way to anyone else because of what color our skin is....it's one of the most vicious and evil lies ever conceived in the pits of hell. It has caused some real divisions in the body. Paul warns about this in Ephesians 6:11. It's one of those schemes.

We were given the ministry of reconciliation. We are to assist in the reconciliation of men to God through the work of Christ Jesus. We need to reconcile ourselves to one another first. Jesus Himself said that a house divided cannot stand. We need to put on our armor (Ephesians 6:10-20), get focused (Philippians 4:4-7) and stand as one vast and mighty army marching for the cause of Christ.

Lessons Learned

Often in life, things occur that are difficult to understand. Everything is going along so smoothly. Then, out of nowhere...bam! It seems so random.

We are moved to ask why. Most of the time, the answer eludes us. We are faced with a choice at that point. We can either trust that God knows what He is doing and not lean on our own understanding or we can blame God and become angry and bitter.

In John's gospel, we read about someone who, along with his family, sought such answers. Someone who was born blind. (John 9:1-3) Turns out, there was a reason for it. Not a reason anyone would have ever dreamed. Just like almost everything God does, it was something no one saw coming, something completely unexpected.

This family had a special needs child. A blind son. And all the challenges that came with it. The son grew into manhood, an outcast. A man who was not even considered a man by the society he lived in. One can only imagine his day to day life in that time and culture. Then one day, Jesus and His disciples were walking by and saw him. I wonder what went through his mind when he heard what Jesus had to say about the reason he had been born blind: "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:3)


This is something that those of us who are believers in and followers of Christ Jesus should remember in times of trouble, or when we are blind sided by a tragic event. What is happening may not be about me. God may be using the circumstance to teach someone else, or to help someone else see hope in their own situation.

It is vitally important that we know what God is telling us in His word, and that we live out what we say we believe. That we rejoice in the Salvation of our God, and are sensitive to the leadership of His Holy Spirit. That we are always wearing our spiritual armor.(Ephesians 6:13-17)

We are given a promise. We will be ready for the curve ball. We will be able to withstand a direct hit and remain intact. (Philippians 4:4-7) Wear that armor, trust in the Lord, even when we can't make sense of what is happening. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Restoration and Renewal

The power of God to forgive, restore and renew is so wonderfully amazing.

Every believer in Jesus Christ has seen it first hand in their lives.

No matter how hard we try on our own, we are going to stumble. We will have moments of weakness that will lead to days...even years of regret. King David had one of those moments. Out of that one moment of weakness, lives were destroyed and hearts were broken. A kingdom was torn apart.

God, in His great wisdom and mercy restored peace to the one who God Himself described as a man after His own heart. Out of that same moment of weakness came some of the most beautiful and healing psalms.

When we realize our sin, and are truly broken over it, and repent of it with a pure heart, God reveals more of who He is to us. A deeper understanding of God comes with deeper humility. Read Psalm 51.

Simon Peter is another person who understood more than most the restoring power of God's mercy. (Matthew 26:75) Peter had done exactly what he said would never happen. He denied he knew Jesus.
Later, after Jesus had risen from the grave, an angel had a message for the women who were going to attend the body of Jesus after the Sabbath. (Mark 16:1-7) Peter was singled out. "...the disciples and Peter..."
Read in Acts 1-9 what became of Peter after he experienced the forgiveness and was restored and renewed by the Holy Spirit of God. Wow!

Let's look at one more person who made an enormous impact on the world. Someone who, in the church, started out as a villain. He would become one of our greatest heroes of the faith. Saul of Tarsus. Of course, we know him now as the Apostle Paul. He took the gospel of Jesus Christ to the western world.
In Acts 9:1-17, Luke, a physician, believer in Jesus Christ, and traveling companion of Paul, tells of the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus.

Most of us won't lead lives as exciting as King David, Peter or Paul, but we do have one experience in common. We have been made new by our AWESOME God through the power of the life, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

Thank you, Father for this new life. Thank you for restoring me. You called me, and I turned and You made me whole. Thank you for your forgiveness! Thank you for restoring me to Yourself! Thank you, wise Father for giving me to Your Son, King Jesus. (John 17:6) Please help me to think the thoughts, say the words and live the life worthy of that calling.

No Thanks Necessary

I've been reading through the book of Luke. Jesus had a lot of teaching that takes a while to digest.
I was in chapter 17 of Luke's gospel yesterday. One passage stood out. One that has never stood out to me before. Here's what it said:

"Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at the table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'?
Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" (Luke 17:7-10)

I've learned that when a passage sticks out like that, the Holy Spirit is teaching. It's time to listen.

Here's what I have learned so far:

1) I sometimes behave as if I deserve some sort of extra credit for doing things to help others or for sharing my faith or a bit of testimony with someone. What is really happening is that I'm just doing regularly assigned work. (Eph. 2:10)

2) The eternal and more meaningful reward for my work won't be received here, so it is silly to seek any kind of recognition here.(Matthew 6:1-6)

3) I am the servant in this scenario, not the Master.

God is AWESOME!

R. I. P. Peanut

Peanut was our pug. She was 13 years old. She was given to us by a co-worker of mine who was moving and couldn't take her with him.

She was so tiny. Peanut was blind, and a little hard of hearing. She learned her way around the house fairly quickly. She was very smart, and had a wonderful personality. We loved her from the day we got her.

My wife and I made up a whole back story for her. Her real name was Wilimina, Queen of Pugland. There was a revolution happening in Pugland, so she was sent here for her own protection. She was given the code name Peanut. She would return to Pugland as soon as it had been liberated by her Royal Army.

Pugland has been liberated today. Her Majesty is gone. She will be missed.

Rest in peace, Peanut. We loved you very much. You can see now and you play in the beautiful fields of Heaven.

Hope

I enjoy talk radio. I was listening to a local talk show on my way home from work today.
A man called in and said that he spent his July 4th standing down town with an American flag to honor our military. I think that's great. Our troops should be honored for what they do and the sacrifices they make on a daily basis. They are the brave that make us free.
The man on the radio talked about how the flag is a symbol and how it is where our hope is.
That is where he and I parted company. Of course I realize what he meant by that, but on a much deeper level, I disagree.
As Christians, our hope is not found in a flag, in a country, in a government or in a man. Our hope is in Christ Jesus alone.
This world has nothing to offer us in the way of hope. We are a fallen race in a fallen world. The one who places their hope in anything other than Christ will find only disappointment, confusion and despair.
We cling to the hope held out by Christ alone. He is our only hope, our only salvation. In Him is our joy and peace everlasting. (Isaiah 9:6-7)


God is AWESOME!

Coming Attractions

I read a magazine article the other day. It was about the Inner Hebrides Islands off the west coast of Scotland. The pictures were breathtakingly beautiful.
I'd love to go to Scotland one day.
Today at work, I was outside cleaning some equipment when I noticed a large butterfly on the ground. It was beautiful. It had a mixture of dark greens and blues in these amazing patterns.
There is so much beauty in the world. Sights that one would never get tired to seeing.
I have much difficulty in understanding how an atheist could see these things and not be moved to explore the possibility of a Creator.

Father, thank You for the beauty that you have put here for us to see. Thank You that it moves us to praise You and Your glory. Thank You that Your creation bares witness to Your very existence. And thank You for the knowledge that it is nothing compared to what is to come. You are indeed awesome!

The Beast Feast

We were having a neat conversation at church the other night. My pastor had posed some very thought provoking questions concerning Jewish dietary restrictions.

The wheels in my little head began to turn, as they sometimes do. Here's what fell out:

In Leviticus 11, God sets the rules on what kind of animals are good to eat and what kind are not. This is one section of the Law of Moses that seems to have been very strictly (or religiously) followed.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and we find Peter on a roof top having a vision. (Acts 10:9-16) God is preparing Peter for something huge. Something that Peter cannot fathom. He is perplexed by his vision. In the vision, God opens a cloth that is filled with every kind of animal. He brings forward an animal that Peter knows is on the 'unclean' list in the law. God tells him to eat it. Peter refuses. This happens three times. After Peter refused three times to eat an unclean animal, God tells Peter not to call something unclean which He has cleaned. Which, by the way, seems like a typical exchange that we would see between Peter and Jesus in his disciple days.

Something happened. Something awesome happened. Once again, God provided a way. He was bringing to fruition a promise. In Hosea 2:23, God promised that He would call to Himself a people who were not His people. (Romans 9:23) He was extending His grace, holding out the hope that is in Christ Jesus to the gentiles.

But there was that law. And there was the prohibition against associating with gentiles. They had to hear the gospel, they had to be taught. Someone had to sit down with them, associate with them....eat with them.

Gentiles were not under Jewish law. They ate whatever they wanted to. The preachers and teachers were going to have to eat what the gentiles served.

God is so awesome! He made a way. He is, after all, God. He simply released His ambassadors to the gentiles (Jews) from the dietary restrictions. Genius!

God is AWESOME!

Worth Looking Into

I recently decided to start reading through the gospels again. I figured Luke's gospel would be a good place to start.

As so often happens when we read the bible, the Holy Spirit showed me something new. I have read it so many times before, but this time, it was almost as if I were reading it for the first time. The way the angel Gabriel introduced himself to Zechariah, John the Baptist's father. "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God." Wow!
I read that in such wonder. What must it be like to stand, physically, in the presence of God? How awesome that must be! An experience that we all so long for.

The Holy Spirit then reminded me of something in my pondering. 1st Peter 1:10-12.
We, the redeemed, have experienced...are experiencing...something that the angels, who we regard as such holy and mighty beings, are longing for. We have something even more awesome!

God is AWESOME!

The Power of Prayer

Just a quick blurb about prayer...

According to so many emails I've gotten, prayers really only work if you forward them to 5 to 10 people via email. And, apparently, that's also the only way to prove that you really love God.

I can't help wondering why people who claim to be believers in Jesus Christ and who claim to know what the bible says about prayer and faith bother forwarding this garbage.

If you know me, and have me on your email list, please skip me when you forward these things. It is not only annoying, it is offensive.

That's all I have to say about that. :)

Hidden Treasure

I heard a verse in one of the Psalms recited tonight. It hit me hard.

Psalm 119:11 - I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

It is so important for believers in Jesus Christ to know what His word says. Not just to protect ourselves from false teachers or to learn sound doctrine, not only so that we can teach His word and disciple others. It is important because it teaches us who God is. It teaches us who our Savior is. It will help us to honor and submit to the One in whom we claim to believe and to worship.

The bible teaches us how to obey our Father. More than that, it teaches us the depths of His love for us. It renews our minds and refreshes our hearts.

It gives the Holy Spirit something to mold us with. It gives us a way to encourage and love one another, just as our wise Father told us to.

God is AWESOME!

Seven Brothers On A Mountain

On March 12, I went on a journey with six other men. A journey that made a profound impact on my life and relationships.

We went to a beautiful place with a beautiful name. The Sky Corral Ranch in Bellvue, Colorado (www.skycorral.net). It took about 25 hours to get there in a rented van. We left on March 12, 2010 and returned on March 21, 2010. It was in between these days that some important things took place.

With Jeff Oates - our fearless leader, Stanley Sanders - our great encourager and messenger to the ones who love us and awaited our return home, Anthony Sanders - the one who kept everyone smiling, Bill Reeves - the one with the experience and needed skills, Eric Lewis - the one with boundless energy and undaunted optimism, Bunny Crocker - the All-American in basketball and great ice road hero and me.

Our journey was a long one, but a fruitful one. Fruitful in many ways. We got a lot of work done and were able to help fulfill an important ministry. More importantly, we got to know one another much better. We got to make new friends and learn more about our great God.

We attended a church service there on Sunday, March 14. We sang a song about how God's glory fills the earth. As we sang of God's glory, I looked out the window. I became overwhelmed. I was unable to speak for a moment. God is indeed glorious! His creation screams out His glory. (Psalm 19:1)

While we were there, we went to the top of the mountain. The experience left a great impression on me. While the view was absolutely breath taking, it was what I learned on that day that made it so special. As I watched the guys take in the view, I realized that we were indeed brothers in a Royal Family. Our God is more than words can describe, He is...I AM.

Offended

I said something to someone today that I'm not sure I should have. I've been thinking about whether I should apologize or not. Thinking about it got the wheels in my little head turning.

As Christians, many of us seem to have our focus aimed in the wrong direction. We see how the lost behave and look down our noses at them. We act so offended and we tend to judge. These are the very people we are supposed to be ministering to. Not sitting in judgment over. (Matthew 9:10-13, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

We were the same once. In darkness, without understanding, dead in our sins.
(Romans 5:8)

It is the ones in the church, the ones who profess Christ and exhibit profane and vulgar behavior and language. The ones who warm a pew and shout amen on Sunday morning and then are indistinguishable from the world every other day. It is these who should offend us most. Not the lost. Not those still in darkness. (1 Corinthians 5:12)

The Ancient Message

My pastor asked a question last night. He asked what might God's message for your life be.

Every once in a while, I'll hear something that I consider profound and pregnant with meaning. These things roll around in my little head for a while, and pretty soon it spills out on paper. My pastor's question inspired a new poem. I'd like to share it.


The Ancient Message


God's message since the Garden
Return to Me
I gave My all. My only Son.
Return to Me. Receive your pardon.

St. Valentine's Day

No big speeches today. Just wanted to say that I love my wife very much.

Not only do I love her, I like her too.

Marriage can be very hard work, but it's worth the effort. I like it. I get to hang with my best friend as much as I want to.

Happy Valentine's day, baby. I love you!

Friends In Need

I have a friend in Haiti. She is the daughter of one of my heroes. Her name is Annette Hala.
She is there working as a missionary in an orphanage. Her sister, April, is keeping us posted on Annette via Facebook. Annette is alright.
She and her fellow missionaries need our prayers, as do the children in their care.

Wayne Hala is Annette's dad. He was the pastor of the church I attended in Iwakuni, Japan. He is in the top 3 of my list of heroes. Please keep the Hala family in your prayers.

To Wayne, Melody, April and Annette: I love you and am thankful for you. May God bless you and keep you.

Father, thank you for my friends. Please keep Annette safe, and guard her mind and heart. Strengthen her faith. Thank you for your mercy. Comfort her family and give them peace.

Believe It or Not

There is always a scripture verse or a famous quote on the front of the bulletin we get at church every Sunday. Today, there was a scripture verse. Habakkuk 1:5.

Habakkuk 1:5 says: Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.

The context of that is that there would be a nation coming that would defeat Israel.

It made me think. If we were to have a modern day prophet come to the United States and preach that God was sending another nation here to exact His judgment on us, we would probably laugh at him and dismiss him as a lunatic. He'd be largely ignored. Nobody would believe him.

There are some things people just aren't going to believe, or don't want to believe.

In John 14:6, Jesus says very plainly that He is the only way to salvation.

That's a very unpopular thing to say in a lot of 'christian' churches today. It's a very unpopular thing to say to those who say they don't need to identify with a religion to go to heaven. "If you are a good person, and treat everyone else with respect, then you'll probably go to heaven." Sounds good and reasonable, right? This is why there are those who don't want to believe the truth. The thought that there is only one way is unreasonable to them.

We would drive ourselves insane if we tried to make anyone believe something they don't want to believe. If someone doesn't believe after already hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, chances are, they aren't going to. The Holy Spirit may draw them, God may change their heart, but apart from that, they are going to believe what they choose regardless of what is told them. (Luke:16:19-31)

But don't lose heart. There are those who will believe. For all those who refuse the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, there will be those few who are willing to receive it. Those few are worth the aggravation.

Read Isaiah 55:10-12.