Book One the GENERATION Series, was Generation LAST, on why we are now in the last generation of history as we know it. The conclusion expounded Isaiah 60 and the glory of Yehovah given to His people at one of the darkest hours of world history. Glory is expressed some 15 times in the first five verses of Isaiah 60 as arise, shine, glory seen, and even the word light.

Perhaps the most important key word is radiant, found in verse 5. We do not simply reflect God’s glory, we radiate His glory: Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart will swell with joy; Isaiah 60:5.

Jesus is the light of the world. Generation LIGHT reveals His glorious light expressed in supernatural power enabling us to swim against the rising tide of the enemy of our souls. The result is not only survival, but also an overcoming authority: to heal, to save, and to set captives free. This is the day of resurrection power as exemplified first in Elisha, then Jesus, and finally in the last generation, through Israel and the Church. While this book accentuates “seeing” as the prerequisite LIGHT, the GENERATION Series concludes with Book Three, declaring the resurrection power released in this last generation. Generation LIFE is coming this Spring (Lord willing).

Exploits!

Yehovah God let the prophet Daniel see today’s news, over 2,500 years ago. What was Daniel’s revelation about the 21st Century? He was not seeing only destruction, but victory. Many Christians have heard at least something about the great vision of history that God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It was interpreted by Daniel. God revealed the major kingdoms of history, even including the kings of the last generation. But just look at the result: God’s King and Kingdom fill the whole earth!

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Daniel 2:44

That gives us the big picture, but what about the personal view? How will each believer act in the end times? We have already talked about being children of light, not surprised as the world will be, when Jesus returns as a thief in the night. But Daniel gives us another piece. When the antichrist is in power, He will deceive many by his flattery. Yet this will not be the case for believers who know God.

Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. Daniel 11:32

The Hebrew word translated great exploits means function or do. In other words, believers will be able to function when the world becomes dysfunctional with fear and panic at the unfolding events. That is certainly good news and a reason for our hope. We will be watching, sober, awake and functioning even at the worst of times. We have read the end of the Book. Jesus wins! And He lives in us! Christ living in us is our hope of glory.

I am praying that we all see what God sees with “Elisha Eyes” and radiate His glory and His joy! This is the only way to function effectively in today’s dysfunctional world.

Les Lawrence – Voice of Christian Zionists      (READ MORE)

In this country, we worry that gasoline may reach five dollars a gallon. In Muslim lands under Sharia Law, people fear for their lives. Women have virtually no rights or freedoms. My commentary today titled: The Right to be a Human Shield, is because I want to highlight the plight of women in those countries. A second point cries out, however. Where are the feminists speaking out about this women’s rights issue? Liberals and this Administration attack Israel for building houses in their capital city, but are silent about life and death women’s issues in Hamas ruled Gaza and other Muslim areas.

God speaks clearly His judgment of such wickedness:

And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien–Because they do not fear Me,” Says Yehovah of hosts. Malachi 3:5

This is such a contrast with the Christian view:

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

Pray for the salvation of many in Islam, that they may see Jesus as the Son of God.

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists      (READ MORE)

A picture is worth a thousand words. (Thanks, Gladys).

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Best News of 2012: Pay $15 Trillion US debt in Full!

1. We have enough oil (as well as natural gas and coal) to become nationally debt free. Consider Steven Moore’s Wall Street Journal interview with Harold Hamm, the Oklahoma-based founder and CEO of Continental Resources, the 14th-largest oil company in America: Mr. Hamm calculates that if Washington would allow more drilling permits for oil and natural gas on federal lands and federal waters, “I truly believe the federal government could over time raise $18 trillion in royalties.” That’s more than the U.S. national debt, I say. He smiles. This was also featured in The Blaze.
   
2. We know about offshore and Alaska oil, but the greatest new find is in North Dakota, Montana and Saskatchewan. Although the total amount of oil contained in the Bakken shale could be several hundred billion barrels, the oil is trapped within the shale itself, and is consequently hard to extract.
3. Environmentalists are doing everything they can to block US drilling. Their agenda is another story, but they are totally dominating the present administration. Part of the solution is to work passionately to elect a President and Congress willing to tap our abundant resources to completely solve both our jobs and debt problems.
4. The practical solution hinges on the discovery of a new method of extracting oil from shale developed in Israel that is different from the controversial “fracking”  now used. According to Dr. Harold Vinegar, Chief Scientist of Israel Energy Initiatives (“IEI”), the company in charge of the project, Israel may possess as much as 250 billion barrels of oil, nearly equaling the 260 billion barrel Saudi reserves…Vinegar stressed that IEI’s approach to shale oil production is designed to protect the environment and does not involve “fracking” at all, the method most often used today to extract fossil oil and gas from shale.Harold Vinegar, 63, who was chief scientist at Royal Dutch Shell until 2008 explains that he has helped develop a cleaner method of extracting oil shale that is less polluting. This method consists of extracting the oil shale using heat rather than huge quantities of water and chemical which is involved in ‘fracking’. The company hopes to start a pilot by the end of the year to demonstrate that Vinegar’s heating method works and has ‘no negative effects on the environment’. The article adds that the ‘process is not supposed to release any poisonous gases, and the oil produced will be very easy to refine.’
5. Biblical prophecy predicts Israel will ultimately gain great wealth through the blessings of God. This is seen already with huge reserves of natural gas offshore, and now oil. This explains the motive for the great invasion of Ezekiel’s prophecy:
   Thus says the Lord Yehovah: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan:  You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” Ezekiel 38:10-13
6. There is only one catch for America. Our prosperity is irrevocably linked to God’s blessing and our  Judeo-Christian heritage.Contrary to man’s narrative, God’s trending story concludes with Israel being restored to world prominence. Rather than the US helping Israel, the only hope for America is if Israel helps us. Or more explicitly, if we stand with and bless Israel. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3
7. This commentary was inspired by a financial message by my friend, Pastor Jim Sink of Covenant Church International. He taught on the widow Elisha prayed for who received such abundance of oil that her debt was paid with plenty left for retirement. My wife, Doreen, made the connection that the oil God has placed in America, enough to pay off our national debt, is like the provision for that widow. May it be done for us, Yehovah God, according to your word. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists    (READ MORE)

You nations, come here and listen; you peoples, pay attention! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that comes from it. The LORD is angry with all the nations– furious with all their armies. He will set them apart for destruction, giving them over to slaughter. For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a time of paying back

With the provocations against Israel from her neighbors and the turmoil within the neighboring nations making them politically desperate there is an anticipation of conflict.  It just seems like the battles prophesied in Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38 and 39 are all about to be fulfilled.

There is a prophecy in chapters 34 and 35 of Isaiah where the Lord is against the nations who have been against Israel. He says that their lands will become barren and that He will give those lands to the desert creatures including the hyenas, wild goats and screech owls. He even guarantees those critters will have possession of the land in (Isaiah 34:16). Search and read the scroll of the LORD: Not one of them will be missing, none will be lacking its mate, because He has ordered it by my mouth, and He will gather them by His Spirit. But to Israel he guarantees blessing even in the Arava (desert), maybe especially there. It is located just across the Dead Sea Valley which will make the contrast of the curse to Edom and the blessings to Zion stand out. The photo of the tomatoes is just one of many that can be found in photos of the Arava, along with watermelons and lakes. “The Arava valley stretches from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea and is part of the Syro-African rift, and much of the region is below sea level. 65% of the fresh vegetable export from Israel and about 13% of the cut flowers comes from the Arava where the most advanced farming methods are used.” (Caption from Arava photos) From a local super market I just purchased “Sharon Fruit” which is a seedless persimmon fresh from Israel. They come out each year during January and February.

Let me share a few verses to show the miracle of an agricultural desert. The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. It will blossom abundantly and will also rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. (Isaiah 35:1-2) Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the parched ground will become a pool of water, and the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt of jackals, in their lairs, there will be grass, reeds, and papyrus. (Isaiah 35:6-7)

Already the plants of the more fertile areas of Carmel and Sharon grow in the Southern Negev Desert. Israel’s deserts are the only deserts in the world that are shrinking as the deserts of their neighbors grow and become more desolate. There are places where water is in abundance and there are even fish farms with Tilapia (St. Peter’s fish) and other varieties in the desert.

There is a place in Israel called Makhtesh Ramon (the world’s largest box canyon referred to as the Grand Canyon of Israel). A man a few years ago asked the Israeli government to drill for water on one of the plateaus there but was refused. So he used his own money and drilled and hit water that gushed 192 feet in the air. Today, at that site, dates, pomegranates and grapes grow next to a lake. (Jerry Golden’s news) These prophecies have been and continue to be fulfilled in our day. As one preacher often says, “What a wonderful time to be alive.”    Shalom. Pastor Bruce Johnson www.reedycreekonline.com

Thanks to my good friend Pastor Bruce Johnson (Reedy Creek Baptist Church) for today’s guest post.

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists    (READ MORE)

K T McFarland, FOX News’ National Security Analyst,this morning called 2012 the year of reckoning for Iran. I agree with her and would expand that pronouncement to include the United States and the Arab states that touch Israel.

First, with President Obama signing legislation on New Year’s Eve blocking Iran’s banking system, Iran is finally going to feel real pressure. Just in the last two days, hyper inflation has begun as a result, according to McFarland. This is in the context of missile tests and war games around the Straits of Hormuz. Forty per cent of the world’s oil passes through that narrow (50 miles wide) channel from the Persian Gulf. Even though Saudi Arabia has agreed to pick up the slack, it will impact world and US oil prices dramatically. Then add in the very real inevitability of a military strike by Israel or the US on Iran’s nuclear program. Yes indeed, 2012 is a year of reckoning for Iran.

Second, we in the US are not out of the economic woods yet, either. With Europe still teetering on the brink of collapse and our recession continuing, we are being weighed in the balances. We deserve the judgments of God for our corruption, immorality, abortion, anti-marriage and anti-family realities, just to name a few. This year’s presidential election may be our last chance to reverse direction. If we the people reject ungodly leadership and vote godly men and women into office for Congress and for President, perhaps God will extend one more season of national mercy. For faithful believers, there is extraordinary favor coming even in the midst of judgment. But for the wicked there will be no rest. 2012 is certainly a year of reckoning for our dear blessed United States of America.

Third, the Middle East is reaching the flashpoint. We have spoken often of the Psalm 83 War, which in one sense began in 1948. However, the end of that war between Israel and her immediate Arab neighbors will see Israel in control from “the river of Egypt, to the great river Euphrates.” Egypt has fallen. Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual head of Egypt’s Muslim brotherhood, (and the most influential Sunni Islamist in the world), has declared that Egypt must break its peace treaty with Israel. Syria’s Assad is near his fall from power and will be followed by a Sunni Muslim brotherhood coalition. Jordan has just accepted Mashaal, the head of Hamas from Damascus, relocating to Jordan. As a result the MB has held demonstrations in numerous Jordanian cities which will eventually lead to the overthrow of the friendly monarchy of King Abdullah. Finally, we include the destruction of Damascus prophesied in Isaiah: The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap.” Isaiah 17:1

Certainly, in 2012, the day of the Psalm 83 reckoning is also near. These are days of anticipation and watchfulness. This is not a time to sleep or bury our heads in the sand. This is the time to rise up and stand for Jesus. Speak up for the truth. Don’t be intimidated by persecution, but embrace it. Remember the word that I said to you, “A servant is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:20

For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says Yehovah. Jeremiah 33:2-11

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists      (READ MORE)

This is what Yehovah says –  Yehovah who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is Yehovah: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. For this is what Yehovah the God of Israel, says: You have torn down the houses of this city and even the king’s palace to get materials to strengthen the walls against the siege ramps and swords of the enemy. You expect to fight the Babylonians, but the men of this city are already as good as dead,  for I have determined to destroy them in my terrible anger. I have abandoned them because of all their wickedness.

“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.

“This is what Yehovah says: You have said, ‘This is a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ Yet in the empty streets of Jerusalem and Judah’s other towns, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to Yehovah. They will sing, ‘Give thanks to Yehovah of Heaven’s Armies, for Yehovah is good. His faithful love endures forever!’

For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says Yehovah. Jeremiah 33:2-11

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists      (READ MORE)

Another example of why Yaakov Kirschen, an Israeli, is my favorite cartoonist.

Les Lawrence,Voice of Christian Zionists      (READ MORE)

… TO … all my Jewish friends and to all my Christian friends. So, why should Christians celebrate this Jewish holiday? Is it given to us like all the Biblical feasts of Yehovah in Leviticus 23? No, actually it is not. Why then, should we celebrate?

I know two good reasons. First, it has genuine historic significance that changed the course of nations and fulfilled prophecy. My wife, Doreen, wrote a children’s story book called How Hanukkah saved Christmas. Had the Greeks under Antiochus succeeded in killing all the Jews and destroying the temple, Jesus could not have come. You see, He must be born a Jew, a descendant of King David. No Jews left; no Messiah. He also had to come into the temple. No temple; no fulfilled prophecy.

The second reason to celebrate has to do with the traditional miracle oil that was enough to light the temple menorah for one day, but lasted eight days, allowing time to sanctify (or dedicate) new oil. Thus the references to Hanukkah as the Festival of Lights, and Feast of Dedication.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication, and it was winter   (John 10:22).

At Jesus’ last visit to Jerusalem before His death He announced several times, leading up to the Festival of Lights, that He was the Light of the World. That generation and that Jewish culture could make no mistake about what He claimed. That is one reason He was charged with blasphemy. They knew exactly what He meant. He claimed to be the Son of God, Yeshua ben Yehovah!

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

Finally, today’s Israelis celebrate with nine candles instead of  a regular seven candle menorah. Why nine? Eight makes sense because of the eight-day miracle. But why nine? The ninth one is usually offset a bit and is called the shamash, or, servant/attendant candle. Its purpose is to light the other candles. What a great object lesson for the purpose of Jesus as the Light of the World. He brings the Light of His Father, Yehovah to all who receive Him.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Les Lawrence, Voice of Christian Zionists     (READ MORE)

What was so profound about this birth? Contrary to the common view, it was not all about the later life of that child. The miracle was that this child was the Creator of the Universe formed as an infant and submitting to the indignity and complete helplessness and dependence of living in His mother’s womb for His first nine months on planet Earth. It continued to the inglorious transition through the mother’s birth canal to emerge as an even more helpless newborn with no ability to survive without the loving care and nourishment of motherhood and fatherhood. As He grew physically, He learned the carpenter’s trade from His adoptive father who trained the young apprentice to functionality as a man. Adopted children in our day learn that He was adopted, too. In a sense, all we who believe in Him are adopted as well, into the eternal family of our Heavenly Father Yehovah God.

This is the miracle of Christmas. How did God the Father Yehovah manage to transform His eternal Son into that tiny seed placed in the willing young woman’s womb? That, indeed, is the mystery of God becoming man. It is the incarnation, God becoming flesh. We know more about why He did it than how He did it. In this traditional time of year to remember His birth, we should pause and let the real miracle part of His birth sink into to our inner consciousness, the spiritual part of our being. Take a break from the hectic external pace of this over-commercialized season and just say “Thank you, Jesus, I am very glad you came.”      Selah.

This miracle baby was the Son of God, Yeshua ben Yehovah. He came  for us broken and corrupt sinners, to make the Way to the Father. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the only God Who is a Father. All other gods are impotent imposters.

May you be blessed and thankful as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Messiah during this season and throughout the year.

Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know? Proverbs 30:4

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. Psalm 2:12

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

For an explanation of this great miracle, please read this link: Colossians 1.

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