God's Scribe Matthew: Chapter 24

Keep Watch!

It was the 1^st day of the final week of Jesus earthly ministry.  The Triumphal entry into Jerusalem had been completed and the shouts of Hosanna filled the air. The cries of Hosanna to the Son of David. Was Messianic adoration of Jesus. They are looking to Him for salvation, a political leader to save them from the brutal Roman rule. They expected Him to be a warrior king in the shadow of King David.  The prophets had long ago spoken of the Lamb of God, but they simply did not have ears to hear.

As Jesus approached Jerusalem for the last time with His Disciples, we see a considerable contrast to His previous pattern of avoiding publicity. He went boldly into the courts of the Temple to fulfill prophecy. Daniel pinpoints this day in the prophecy of Seventy Weeks, found in Daniel 9:24-27.

Daniel is one of the most important prophetic books in the Bible. In Daniel, God reveals the history of Daniel’s people the Jews with absolute accuracy.  The confirmation by history of the things revealed to Daniel by God leave the serious student simply in awe of who our God really is! How sovereign He is, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient.  He knows the end from the beginning. In Daniel’s day and in our own!

Remember that Daniel is written to the Jews.  In fact, all prophecy puts Israel and the Jews in the central position. Daniel is the head bookend of prophecy, with the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John closing prophecy. Revelation is written for believers. All the other major and minor prophets fill in and confirm. Combined, they prepare us for the end of the age and the birth of new Kingdom, ruled by Christ.

In Daniel’s prophecy, a week is equal to 49 years. God’s calendar is based on 360 days. By God’s command, the 50^th year was a Shemitah year, a year of rest and restoration!  Daniel 9 speaks of seven weeks and then sixty-two weeks. Jesus is crucified, and there is a gap., but when the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled, another week will take place. There is a gap when the Jews are disbursed throughout the world. But the Bible teaches us that in God’s perfect plan, they will be regathered. And then a 70^th and final week will begin. This is a horrible week, but through it, Israel will cry out to Christ, and He will come to save them. Daniel says:

“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. This command came by King Xerses to Nehemiah after the Babylonian captivity.

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. The word flood here in the original text means overwhelming deluge as the march against Jerusalem by Rome.

And oh, how good is our God!  With the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, a pathway opened for us to be adopted into the family of God! In that gap we talked about, a new nation was birthed. Neither Jew nor Gentile, but People of the Way, who would begin to be called Christians in Antioch!  But the Bible also tells us that the time of grace to the Gentiles will come to an end. At that time, Daniel’s 70^th week will begin.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

Preceding scripture tells us that as He came into Jerusalem, all of the city was affected or moved. Jesus knows that the chief priests and Pharisees are plotting to kill Him, but He comes boldly and without fear. His very first act was not that of a passive, peace at all cost Messiah. Instead, what does He do? He starts kicking cages and tossing people out of the Temple! What was the problem? Why was he so angry? As David Duzik writes in his Enduring Word commentary, Profiteers, in cooperation with the priests, robbed visitors to Jerusalem by forcing them to purchase “approved” sacrificial animals and currencies at inflated prices. They did this in the outer courts of the temple, the only area where Gentiles could come and pray. In essence, this place of prayer was made into a swap meet, and a dishonest one at that!

Guzik goes on to say, “This ruins our conception of the “Sunday School Jesus” whose only quality is a bland love. In truth, Jesus was more than a man of compassion - He was also a man of bold action. In contrast to His work of tearing away evil, Jesus proceeds to carry on God’s compassionate work in the temple. Then the blind and the lame came to Him and He healed them. After driving out the moneychangers and the merchants from the temple courts, He did not organize “The Society for the Cleansing of the Temple.” He got back to doing the business of the Messiah - showing the power of God in the context of compassion and mercy.

Matthew 21 tells us of another very significant even.  In the morning He arose early. He was hungry, and on the way, He came to a fig tree with no fruit.  The tree, full of leaves, had no fruit? It wasn’t natural. Fig trees without fruit, by their very nature, also had no leaves.  To quote again David Guzik’s commentary … In this “acted-out-parable,” Jesus warns of coming judgment upon an unfruitful Israel. God doesn’t want a people who are all leaves and no fruit.

He was beginning to tell them things they couldn’t understand. They had some tough questions, but the Master continued to teach them in parables and answer them in ways that they and we would understand soon enough. After the time of His sacrifice was complete. These faithful ones were confused. How could they understand what was ahead of them or that soon enough, they would be empowered in a way they could not imagine carrying out the Great Commission.

The Passover Feast was at hand, and Jesus was an observant Jew.  On that night, however; His followers didn’t know that He Himself would become the ultimate Passover Lamb. The innocent blood He would soon shed, meant that no innocent blood would ever again be required to reconcile man to God. Life is in the blood. It is in His blood that the price of sin was paid, and eternal life became a reality for all who choose to receive the gift of all gifts. Nor could His loved ones understand they were spending their last night on earth with Him as their teacher, their friend … the one they had come to depend upon.  

After the betrayal, they crossed the Kidron Valley over to the Mount of Olives to spend the night. As they were leaving the Temple area; Jesus would talk to them of the destruction of the Temple telling them no stone would remain unturned. They must have been in shock, minds spinning! What was He saying?

Today we know that is precisely what happened. This prophecy was fulfilled literally. There was a real temple, and it was really destroyed. The literal fulfillment of this prophecy establishes the tone for the rest of the prophecies in the chapter, indeed those already fulfilled, those in process, and those yet to be fulfilled. We should expect a literal fulfillment for the ones in process now and those very near to being fulfilled as well. And what happens next for them in the narrative is critical to understand. Because even as He fulfilled the promise of His first coming, He is about to fulfill the promise of his soon return. So many questions they had, but 2 in particular. The Bible tells us that they came to Him privately and asked him:

• Matthew 24:3 When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?

The last days were birthed at the crucifixion, and that at this point in history, the baby is about to crown. In this chapter, Jesus is leaving them and us a lesson, a mandate, a warning, an encouragement. As Jesus answers, He addresses the time of the Disciples but as with all prophecy there are layers that point to our time as well. In Matthew 16, He tells the Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times”.  Sadly, I am not so sure that America is not in the same dilemma today. So, what does Jesus tell them? What are the things He told them to watch for? The very first thing He said was…

1. Matthew 24:4-5 “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

The deceivers were active even as the faithful went forth out of Jerusalem. They’ve been active throughout history, and they remain with us today. Our world, especially our nation, is ripe with many coming in the name of Christ, misusing it, and taking bits and pieces that corrupt The Bible’s counsel to support their own blurred vision, appropriating literally the strength of the name which belongs to Him alone. Only those strong in the Word of God can discern the false prophets, the false teachers.

We need to guard our own hearts. Sadly, professors of Christ can engage in “headliners” in the church to the point that we don’t do our own diligent study. It is similar to the anchors on the news. If they say it, it must be right? The only way to know Christ fully is to know His Word and to develop relationship with Him. He is the Word. He is the Spirit of Prophecy. In Revelation 19:10 as John bows down to the angel to worship him, the angel says to John “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

It is easy to inadvertently slip into pastor worship, church worship, big name ministry worship, retreat and feel good worship, gift worship, and lots of other kinds of idol worship without even knowing it. But be sure of this …Our God is a jealous God and will not share His glory. Are you kidding me you say? So, then what does worship really mean?  Worship centers on the motivation of the heart.

Most church goers today confuse worship with music that surges the emotions, raised hands and loud expressions of our love. None of these are bad in themselves, but it is important the focus of our worship recognizes the Holiness of our God, that we aren’t so engaged in bright colorful lights and entertainment that we forget the One we worship.  As the church has attempted to draw the lost in, to be seeker friendly, my concern is that instead of bringing the lost to Jesus, we’ve brought the world to the church.

The truest definition of worship is obedience.  It is surrender. It is a constant working out of our salvation or being made more like Christ through what the Jews term, “Teshuva” or turning away from those things Holy Spirit convicts of as sin and trusting Him to help us overcome them. It is spending regular one on one time with the Lord: in study, in prayer, and in practice. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Apart from Him, we are capable of no good thing.  Jesus told us that many would mislead us.  The Word of God must always be our standard of measure! The angels before the Throne of God cry Holy! Holy! Holy unceasingly. They bow down before Him.

We’re human and will struggle. The good news is that throughout the Bible, God continuously used ordinary people, with all kinds of warts and moles, to do extraordinary things.  Our holiness is also in Christ alone.  But if we love Him, we are determined to become more like Him. And God alone knows the intention of the heart. To borrow an old phrase, our hearts should be transformed beyond what God can do for us into becoming, “Lord, what can I do for you?”

• And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Throughout recorded history, the world has never been a peaceful place, indeed man has always warred against his fellow man. Dominion and Power have always been the insatiable lust that powers the wicked. In the past 100 years plus a few, we’ve experienced 2 World Wars, and many are concerned that we sit on the cusp of a 3^rd. Some say numbers of those killed in war are decreasing since 1945, but the way we war has changed drastically. Hand to hand combat is a thing of the past. Supersonic stealth aircraft and submarines, nuclear capabilities and modern technology have become today’s methodology of war. We have drones with incredible ability and computers that generate strategies. Science is close to perfecting a robotic super soldier, fitted with artificial intelligence, capable of things unthought of just a few years ago. Scientists even work on weather warfare Our enemies no longer necessarily dress in uniform. In fact, in many scenarios, we have no idea who our enemies are until the attack.

By some reports, it would seem things are a little better??? The art of war is always dependent upon destruction. What you do not see recorded in the statistics are the multitudes of simple citizens who become collateral damage. Military/Jihadi? One factual example is that in the Middle East, Christians have been rooted in minority communities since the birth of the Church. The Times of Israel reports that their numbers are rapidly dwindling amid conflict and jihadist attacks. Today they make up only four percent of the entire region’s population, down from 20% before the First World War. The Middle Eastern Church is going underground.

Syria is another perfect example.  Having once had a strong Christian population, Syria is now being used as a pawn against Israel by Russia and Turkey… Could it be that the Oracle of Damascus (Isaiah 17) will soon take place? North Korea, China?  I challenge you to look at world news (try to stay away from American Media Propaganda) and then read Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83. Always, my friends, keep your eyes on Jerusalem. She is God’s timeclock.

•  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Verse 8 says nation will rise against nation. In the original that is ethnos against ethnos, tribe against tribe, family against family. Think on that.  What is happening in our families today? We know that famines, diseases and earthquakes have happened throughout history.  But today, the earth is incredibly challenged.  While the USGS may deny it, scientific study is showing significant increase in both number and intensity of earthquakes.  In February alone, there were 410 earthquakes >1.8. Globally, there were 589 > 4.0.

Volcanic activity triggering massive tsunamis, tornadoes in Indonesia, Ice in warm places, warmth in icy places … Even something strange happening with the earth’s north pole. Seems there is a bit of a wobble. An Australian newspaper recently reported.  A weird thing is happening to Earth’s ‘shield’. As ice retreats, ocean currents are changing course. New shipping lanes are being opened to Canada’s north. The salinity of the surrounding sea is being reduced. But it now appears there is more going on. Greenland isn’t as heavy as it was. This means the pressure it applied to the veins of magma pulsing deep below the Earth’s surface has reduced. This could account for the highly erratic shift in the position of magnetic north. But it also could give the whole planet an unexpected shake-up.

Our food has been genetically modified, and with any wide spread disaster, the ability to plant and grow could disappear but for a few. Consider, that in spite of all of our wealth and technology, there are still people starving throughout the world, people starving in America.  New deadly diseases spring up while old enemies like polio or antibiotic resistant infections resurface. And always with us is the threat of delivery of chemical warfare or deadly chemicals inserted in our water or food supplies.

Wars, disease, and famines attach to each other. Weather warfare and artificial intelligence are nothing less than frightening! China has robotic weather forecasters that look completely human. Two days ago, I read about a robot with the headline, Japan's robot deity delivers Buddha's teaching. Think on that! Elon Musk, Tesla President, recently warned about Artificial Intelligence. Robots learning who we are through social media and incorporating computerized data to the nth degree, with the capability to think. In the same way that the computer has revised our lifestyle, could this same electronic brain someday make man obsolete and unnecessary?  Fortunately, the answer is no. Jesus is coming! 

• Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

The Disciples were about to undergo persecution as they never imagined. The believers were a persecuted people totally dependent upon God for all things. Romans put believers of Christ in what they called “circuses”. Men, women, and children were the entertainment of the day as they were torn apart by lions or human predators. Believers were soaked in oil and their clothing lit on fire to become a streetlight for the night.

The Jewish Hierarchy wanted the People of the Way gone! And this forever problematic Jesus forgotten. Rome despised all Jews. Believers went underground. They cared for each other in common community, and sisters…if the Lord tarries and the rapture takes a while …that’s where true believers are headed today too.

Once strong nations of faith like Europe and the United States are increasingly abandoning the Biblical definition of Christianity. Coexistence and lack of solid Biblical discipleship and teaching has resulted in welcoming foreign gods and false teaching into our churches. Social justice has replaced the Gospel. We have stood by silently while enemies of God have successfully removed the name of Jesus from every one of the pillars of our society.

But that is nothing compared with slaughter of our brothers and sisters throughout the Middle East, in Africa, in China, in Indonesia and various places throughout the earth. We see the handwriting on the wall, but do we understand what it is saying? Do we have eyes to see or ears to hear?

Never before have I seen the hatred and hostility openly targeting people of faith, sometimes within the communities of faith! Bring up politics and see how ugly it gets. Those same folks raising hands and shouting hallelujah, without developing strong and solid Biblical roots will point to their church mates in accusation if pressure comes. Those weak in faith will fall away and deliver their friends to persecution. It happened during the first coming of Christ, and it will happen again.

•  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

We’ve already addressed false prophets to a degree. But I challenge you... How much time are you spending in the Word? Who are you looking to for answers? What teachers draw your attention? The spirit of Babylon said, “I am and there is no one but me.” That pretty much describes modern day America doesn’t it? How about our spiritual focus? Is it on us? Or is it on Jesus? Are we looking for signs and wonders to prove God? Are we looking for power? Or are we in submission to His? Good questions for a self-examination check for all of us.

•  And because lawlessness shall abound, the love of many will become cold.

This verse speaks to society’s sinfulness. But a lost and sick society is a natural outcome of a lost and sick populate. Our society represents who we are! Our values and core beliefs. Each of us will one day give account to Jesus face to face. So then … how will my values align with His teachings? How will my vote align with His teachings? How will the way I parent or love my spouse align? How will the things I choose to feed my mind align? Will my respect for authority align?

I am literally sickened by the breadth and depth of lawlessness in our country, and I personally cannot think of anything that justifies it. It is simply sin. Matthew 6:24 tells us, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon is money, possessions, fame, status, or anything that is valued above the Lord.

A teacher whose work I value greatly, Dr. David Reagan, Founder of Lamb & Lion Ministries, says, “Jesus said that society will become increasingly lawless and immoral as the time approaches for His return. In fact, He said it would become as evil as it was in the days of Noah

Paul paints a chilling picture of end time society in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. He says it will be characterized by three loves the love of self (humanism), the love of money (materialism), and the love of pleasure (hedonism). He then points out that the payoff of this carnal lifestyle will be what the philosophers call nihilism that is, a society wallowing in despair. Men’s minds will become depraved (Romans 1:28), and people will call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20).

We see these prophecies fulfilled before our eyes today as we watch our society reject its Christian heritage and descend into a hellish pit of lawlessness, immorality, and despair. Even worse, we are exporting our nihilism around the world through our immoral and violent movies and television programming. May I add pornography, child trafficking, vile organizations and more!

The Bible tells us that we are going to suffer, but oh, our precious promises. Jesus said:

• But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Did you know that the gospel has now been delivered to every continent?

Jesus exhorts them to be observant, to watch. So, they will recognize what time it is. He says of these perilous times:“Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand)

This scripture refers back to the prophet vision of a King (Antiochus the 4th Epiphanes) descended from the Greek rule, who would forbid the Jews to worship their God and slay a pig on the altar of their temple. Antiochus insisted they worship him or die. It is in Daniel, that we learn much about an Antichrist to come, who will also occupy the Temple and insist that all worship him. Today, with the move of the US Embassy back to Jerusalem, and everything ready for Temple worship, I am not at all surprised about the talk of rebuilding and the expectancy behind it.

Israel, and not the United States of America, is the core and center of all Bible prophecy. Those who have a problem with Israel, have a problem with God. It is not suggested but rather commanded that we pray for her. Those who bless her are still blessed, and those who curse her, still cursed.

She is the centerpiece of the current age. Miraculously fulfilling Biblical prophecy through her declaration as a Nation after nearly 2000 years of Diaspora on May 14, 1948, God brought her people from the North, the South, the East and the West and put them back in their own land. He restored their language, the only time ever in recorded history. Through the horrors of the Holocaust, He put the flesh back on the dry bones. She just celebrated 70 years! That’s a pretty significant number in God’s calculations! Oh, what a time we live in! The prophets yearned to see this day.

• “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Now that excites me because I see the signs all converging, and my generation is the generation born when Israel was rebirthed as nation!Jesus goes on to tell His core group not to look back when these terrible times are in full swing! He warns them, and then gives them great hope:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

•  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

From the beginning our Father God knew the precise timing of the end of this age and the establishment of a new government ruled by King Jesus. He doesn’t give us every detail in the Bible, but He gives us everything we need to know. There are 2 scriptures I especially value. They are:

That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9 and It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. Proverbs 25:2

You were created to be both a king and a priest in the Millennial Kingdom. But no matter who you are or where you are in life right now, your most important assignment is simply this.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.  

Matthew 28:18

Discipleship reaches far beyond a Bible study or sitting in sanctuary on Sunday. It is an investment in eternity! It is an investment in the lives of others. It is living the principles Jesus taught with others. It’s rejoicing with those appointed by God in our lives when they rejoice, weeping with them when they weep, and praying through with them until the answer comes. It is about sharing the good news of Christ Jesus whenever and wherever we have opportunity. It’s about sharing Abba’s desire that no man would perish but that all would come to the knowledge and saving grace of Christ.

There is no greater journey than the journey of faith with our amazing God! There is no greater blessing than to be networked with likeminded believers. I pray we never get weary in doing good. I want to encourage you to discipline yourself to the Word and to prayer. You’ll never be sorry. I want to encourage you to recognize what your gifting is and use it! Wherever you can, whenever you can. Dig deep to understand the full counsel of God! Ask your Father to lead you in greater depth and understanding. Seek to understand the Big Picture! And know this… Jesus is coming again … Sooner than we think! Keep watch! Keep your lamps filled! Be ready! Love God and keep loving each other well!

Kay Odle

I was on Facebook this morning and came across a story that just broke my heart. My home town is Sioux City IA, about 85 miles south of Sioux Falls SD. That is smack dab in middle America.

The story was about a 68-year-old grandmother and pastor’s wife who had spent most of her life traveling with her family to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

This woman wasn’t a stranger to sorrow. Kay Odle is a recent widow. Her husband died on Thanksgiving unexpectedly from heart failure.  The news story reported that she is raising a four-year-old granddaughter with special needs by herself as well.

On New Year’s Day, Kay Odle would encounter a sorrow beyond sorrows. Her son, who appeared to have a history of drug abuse would kick down her door, force his way into her home and beat her beyond recognition.

Who can fathom why? How can something like this happen?  Lord, how many people inside the church are finding themselves in similar struggles? Maybe afraid to open up?

How many of us have children who have wandered far from God, perhaps held captive as Satan’s prisoner of war through substance abuse?  Trying everything they knew to do without avail? Children who disdain and mock parents because they are people of faith?  Appearances on the surface can sometimes look good, even when a simmering caldron is boiling beneath.

My friends, we are in a battle!  And we must never forget Paul’s message to the Ephesians in Chapter 6, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Yet, while we may know who our battle is with, and while we may understand that it is the enemy who comes to kill, to steal and to destroy, we must always be diligent to be on guard. 

Matthew Chapter 10:34-39 (AMP) is one of the most heartbreaking series of verses in scripture. It says,“Do not think that I have come to bring peace on the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword [of division between belief and unbelief]. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his [own] household [when one believes, and another does not].

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me] is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], and whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].

That's some pretty hard stuff!  Whaaaat??? What is happening around us is a convergence of the signs of the times Jesus pointed out to His Disciples.  The world around us is imploding in its sin and ugliness.  But we are not a people without hope!  We know that our redemption draws near!

As we wait upon that time when Christ rights every wrong, may we diligently clothe ourselves with the Armor of God each and every day.  May we recognize that our battles are won in the Throne Room of our God, who hears our cries and petitions and who promises that in ALL things, He is working for our good.

Let us pray …

Father, in Jesus name, I want to pray for all with a son or a daughter lost and held in bondage to the enemy today.  Help us to see them through your eyes.  Help us to fight the battle before your throne instead of engaging in battle with them.  Help us trust in your promises, get out of your way, and keep eyes of faith on the road as we pray believing that our prodigal will come home.

Guard your moms and dads out there with broken hearts, and more often than not, broken homes. Set a hedge of protection around them.  Let your healing be like the balm of Gilead to restore them.  Bring them Aarons and Hurs to walk with them.

I want to pray for Kay Odle today. And her son. What the enemy would use for horror and harm, I pray you will turn into a testimony of your faithfulness. I want to ask you to heal her totally and completely. I want to thank you that Salvation is a total restorative work:  physical, emotional, and spiritual!  I want to praise you for sparing her life.  Oh Lord, bring a mighty testimony in who you are from this tragedy!

Lord, teach us to battle strategically in Holy Spirit in this hour. Draw us near to you.  Create in us faithful and obedient hearts.  In you alone is our great hope! But you are enough. We surrender. Amen.

Nick

I woke up this morning and went to Facebook to see an update on how Nick was feeling. He has been very ill, in fact much more ill than I realized.  However what to my wondering eyes should appear, but something that would affect me greatly. 

When I see something on FB that requires prayer, I try to stop right then and there and pray.  But I learned something today.  Sometimes, it is not enough to just pray “for”, I need to pray “with”.

Nick was a gift to me from God when I married his dad 26 years ago. Of all our kids, he has one of the sweetest natures and a heart that is simply pure.  Matter of fact, Don’s kids (who are also my kids now) are a whole lot easier to get along with than the ones I birthed.  I guess when I think about it, it only makes sense. Don’s a whole lot easier to get along with than I am! I love all of our kids deeply and passionately, and each is uniquely gifted and blessed, but Nick has always held a very tender spot. Nick also loves Jesus.

So, imagine my surprise when I got there and what I saw was a chastisement that suggested "I" do some rearranging of my life and get some rest. It also challenged my walk with Christ.   My first reaction was confusion, the next huffy offense … but instantly I knew in a deeper sense that this son was trying to tell me something and finding it hard to find the right words to use. I also realized it was time to get off Facebook and get on the phone.

When I got on the phone with Nick, I did indeed realize that he’d been battered by assault after assault in the past few weeks. Primarily his health, sick with Influenza A to the point that he was concerned he’d lost some short-term memory. As ill as he was, his employer insisted he come to work.  Things had been said that wounded his heart. He'd had a "physical, emotional whopping" over too many days. Nick didn’t need me to pray “for” him, he needed me to pray “with” him. And the truth is that I had failed this son I loved.

We all have those days. Those places where we deeply need a touch from Christ through the heart, hands and voice of someone with a like spirit.  Days when we need someone to go boldly into the Throne Room of God and declare the Word of the Lord over a situation or maybe many situations WITH US.  It is our battle room, the place where the General hears our petitions and sets forth strategy for victory.  The place where the armies of the Lord are engaged. The place where we can rest, knowing He has it …. All of it!!

What the enemy would have used for harm for Nick, for me, and who knows with whom else, was quickly put under the blood of Christ when we joined together to pray.  A door to the Word of God was opened in that place of prayer.  The declaration of that Word which cannot return void was made before the One who waits to set it in place!

My friends, the days are not going to get easier. They are going to get harder because the time is so very short, and the attack of the enemy is aimed at every front.  You can expect assault against your most vulnerable tender places. But know this…

Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power]. And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:2-5 (AMP)

Let us pray …

Father God, in Jesus name I pray…How grateful I am for the confidence I have in knowing that You are faithful in all things!  Throughout my life, you have consistently rewritten “my story” into a testimony of your loving kindness and faithfulness.  My story has really always been "History", the story of Christ in me. In the darkest of valleys, you have brought me through. It is not in the suffering that I rejoice,  but I rejoice in You who brings me through the suffering…always stronger, always elevated in understanding, always with a testimony of what good You have produced in the suffering, always prepared for what is ahead of me in my journey with you.

Lord, I want to thank you for the knowledge that no matter what I see with earthly eyes, you are at work for my benefit and the benefit of my children and my grandchildren.  Thank you for Nick. Thank you for your faithfulness over Nick. Bless him. Let his healing be full and complete. Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens outside your sovereign hands. You hold me and all my loved ones, and I can rest in you. 

Help me, Father, to weed out the distractions in my life that keep me from prompt obedience.  Help me recognize those times when praying "for" is not enough and praying "with" is critical.   Help me with consistency in prayer. Help me blessed Father to be in prompt obedience in all things.

In the name of Yeshua, my Messiah, I pray.

Returning

It's been a very long time since I've blogged. I've not been very faithful.  I'd start and get distracted with the busyness of work or life or even church ministry. I lost my closest friend and ministry partner.  In a sense, I think I closed my heart a little when Miki died. Regardless of the reason(s), I believe the Lord is calling me back to the venue of writing.

I am hungry for the Lord.  I am hungry to hear from Him. I am hungry to be emptied of self and filled with Him. I remember so well that unique intimacy I had with Him.  I want it back.  I want to be His friend. I want to talk with Him amidst the day with all its encounters and in the quiet places of the night.  I want to joyfully embrace the revelation He provided as I wrote.  Nothing can compare with those things.

That said, this is my very first day back.  I want to invite you to join me as the Lord takes it from here. In the days ahead, I want to do some writing about the Hebrew significance of Ayin Tet, the Hebrew Year 5779.  And I want to be open to any other direction Holy Spirit may take me.  I hope you'll share your thoughts and comments with me too.

Welcome to Grandma C's Closet.  It is a place where seeking my Savior, prayer, and obedience will help me to have a keener ear to hear with the Lord is saying in this incredible hour!