Tag: Israel
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God is Our Refuge, Strength and Help
What are we to fear when Immanuel, God with us, dwells among us? Nothing! Not even wars and the worst economic crisis in history are to shake our foundations… In that heavenly city of God, there will be no more wars and no more economic crises.
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“Good News in the Year of the Lord’s Favor”
When Christ first came preaching good news, he inaugurated “the year of the Lord’s favor.” When will this “year” end? When he returns from heaven to usher in the eternal Sabbath rest, the eternal jubilee of rest.
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“The Glory of the Lord has Risen Upon You”
In the midst of our difficult pilgrimage in this present darkness, look expectantly to the brightness of the coming Light of the world, Christ who will bring everlasting righteousness, justice, peace, and glory to all believers who persevere with rejoicing in the faith to the end.
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Why Obey the Voice of the Lord
In many evangelical churches, pastors invite unbelievers to become Christians so that they may reap material blessings from God. Very few call on the congregation to listen to the voice of God and to seek after righteousness given by Christ.
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Two Prayers, Two Answers, and an Ominous Ending
How did God hear Hezekiah’s prayers for forgiveness and salvation? Only through the fulfillment of God’s promise to his father David: the Son of David who would sit on his father’s throne forever, whose kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom. Jesus the Messiah would teach us that he is the One who saves his people from…
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Why Trust in Egypt?
Isaiah 19:23-25 anticipates the time when Assyria and Egypt will represent all people from all nations who will turn to God. All three nations will be connected by a “highway†through which God comes to his people and by which he leads his people to himself. Jesus, is the “new and living way†to God’s…
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The Glorious Eternal Kingdom of the Lord
Isaiah 11:9 precludes sinners in the age to come. No one “shall hurt or destroy in all my holy mountainâ€â€”the new earth—deeds that only sinners are able to do. And if “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the seaâ€â€”indicative of universal righteousness—during the millennium, how could…
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A Sinner Before a Holy God: “Woohoo!” or “Woe!”
Isaiah’s encounter with God is unlike that of most evangelicals—unbridled irreverence in sensual hip-swaying, discordant and noisy music, woohooing, shouting and clapping. For Isaiah, a direct encounter with God meant death and judgment. Why would an encounter with God evoke such terror? What did Isaiah see and hear?
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The Unfruitful Vineyard in the Hands of an Angry God
Jesus told the Pharisees that God will evict the Jews, the old tenants, and bring in new tenants into the vineyard. The Jews perceived what Jesus meant: God will take the kingdom away from the Jews as his chosen people, and his new kingdom will now be expanded to include the Gentile nations. Psalm 118:19-24;…
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Stand Firm Against Deceivers Concerning the Second Coming
Do not fear when others proclaim the end of the world is near, because of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan and the war in Libya. All of these are part of God’s unshakable plan for the eventual redemption of his elect from sin, death, and Satan. As David says, “I shall not…