Bully Israel- and Face the Wrath of her King

There are several promises that God has given to the nation of Israel. He promised Abraham in Gen 12:3 that "I will bless those who bless you,And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed And I will curse him who curses you;  " In Joel 3, we see that at he time God restores Israel from  her diaspora, that nations would conspire to carve up her land, and that He will judge them. Is there a pattern that supports the idea that the King of Heaven judges attempts to carve up the land He calls "My Land".

There has, indeed, emerged over the past 20 years a curious pattern. A clear pattern that, As Alice would say, is getting “curiouser and curiouser.” Significant dates in the so-called Middle East Peace Process, which is basically a program to carve land out of Israel to male room for a Palestinian state, are connected to dates for some of the worst disasters in modern history.

Writing on these connections is nothing new. Numerous people have written on this. TruthorFiction.com has confirmed that this pattern has a factual basis. What I wish to do here that has not been attempted before is to assign probabilities to these events. I have chosen just six of these events to assign probabilities. The list of events larger. I examined the probabilities that major floods, Cat-5 hurricanes, tornado outbreaks, and super-earthquakes (8.5+) would happen at any given specific time and did some math.

Sources
Below are some of the sources I used. I simply added up the number of events and divided by the number of years to get the average interval between events. 1/ (average interval= number of days between events) = the likelihood that it will happen on a specific day

1900-1999 59 major floods http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_the_United_States:_1901%E2%80%932000

20010-April 2011 17 major floods http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_the_United_States:_2001%E2%80%93present

Major flood prob within 24 hours = 1/(365 * 111/76) = 0.00187

260 tornado outbreaks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_tornadoes_and_tornado_outbreaks

Tornado outbreak prob = 1/(180 * 111/260) = 0.0130

32 Atlantic cat-5 hurricanes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Category_5_Atlantic_hurricanes

14 Pacific cat-5 hurricanes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Category_5_Pacific_hurricanes

hurricane prob = 1/(90 * 111/46) = 0.0046

16 earthquakes 8.5 and higher since 1900 on anniversary = 16/365 = 0.0438

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/10_largest_world.php

Events

August 23- 24,1992 Hurricane Andrew

Hurricane Andrew occurred as the Madrid Peace talks moved to Washington DC.The talk were on trying to get Israel to give up the Golan Heights. Andrew was a cat-5 hurricane. I calculated the total number of cat-5 hurricanes, which is 46, and divided by the number of days. That gave the average number of days between cat- 5 hurricanes. The reciprocal (1/x) of that is the likelihood that a cat-5 hurricane will strike on any given day. That number is 0.0046.

August 23-31, 2005 Hurricane Katrina

Katrina was the most expensive natural disaster in American history, causing over $80 billion in damage. Between August 15-22, Israel, under pressure from US, forcibly and permanently evacuated over 8000 Jewish settlers from Gush Katif. Israel was forced to practice apartheid with the hearty approval of the world. Settlers were not evicted because they did not have valid deeds to their properties but because of their Jewish ethnicity. The day after the evacuation, Katrina was born and would grow to a cat-5. The probability of this was also 0.0046. The cumulative probability is 0.0046 * 0.0046 = 0.00002116 or about 1 chance per fifty-thousand. The calculated probabilities do not include the parallels between the Gush Katif evacuation and the evacuation of similar percentage of Americans New Orleans.

May 3 Super Tornado .

This outbreak included the most powerful tornado ever recorded. On this day Yasser Arafat was scheduled to declare a Palestinian state. That declaration was postponed. Probability of this is 0.0130. The cumulative probability is 0.00002116 * 0.0130 = 0.00000027508 or 1 chance in five millllion.

Mar 11,2011 Japan earthquake

On March 11, 2010 Japan issued a statement condemning Jews building settlements in East Jerusalem. Japan agreed with the rest of the world that apartheid based on Jewish ethnicity is OK. On the 1^st year anniversary of Japan's affirmation of apartheid, a 9.0 earthquake shook Japan so hard it moved the island 8 inches closer to the United States. This resulted in a tsunami which caused the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Since this did not happen the same day, I calculated the probability of a super-earthquake (8.5 or higher) happening on an anniversary day. (16 / 365 = 0.0438). Prob = 0.0438 * 0.00000027508 = 0.000000012048504 or 1 chance in 100 million.

October 15-22, 1998: Texas Flooded

October 15-22, 1998, Arafat and Netanyahu meet at the Wye River Plantation in Maryland. The focus of the talks was on Israel giving up 13 percent of Yesha. Starting October 17, Texas has excessive rain until the 22nd. The probability of the floods starting the second day is 0.00187 * 2 =

Prob = 0.00374 * 0.000000012048504 = 0.00000000004506140496 or 1 chance in 25 million.

12 April 2011 UN endorses statehood

On April 12, 2011, The United Nations issued a report that said that the Palestinian Territories are ready for statehood and set a timetable for a September declaration of statehood. On 14-27 April 2011 a combination tornado outbreak followed by a major flood in t5he Ohio-Mississippi Valleys followed by another major tornado outbreak. The two outbreaks ranked 2^nd and 3^rd on the list of worst outbreaks. The probability of this sequence is 0.0130 * within 2days * 0.00187 * within 9 days *0.0130 * within 15 days = 0.000085328.

Cumulative probability = 0.000085328 * 0.00000000004506140496 = 0.00000000000000384499956242688 or 1 chance in 250 trillion.

 

Proofs of the Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is  central to the Christian faith. The Bible teaches that we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection. Our sins are killed in Christ's death, and His bodily resurrection enables Him to give life to us.

If Christ is not raised from the dead He cannot conquer the power of death that operates in the body. we would still be separated from God, and without divine resources to deal with sin and do the work of God. 1 Corinthians 15 present several proofs of the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:13-14 KJV    But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:    And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

The resurrection is so fundamental to the gospel that any preaching of Christ is useless if He has not risen. If Christ cannot exercise power in His dead body, raising it, then He cannot exercise power in our bodies to empower our faith or preaching. His power in our lives is linked to His power that raised His body from the dead

1 Corinthians 15:15 KJV    Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 

Notice the text does not say only that they are false witnesses, but that the are FOUND false witnesses. If Jesus body was still in the tomb, then when the apostles preached that God raised Jesus from the dead the preaching have been quickly exposed as a hoax. The enemies of the gospel would have said something like this:

He has not risen. He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. Go there and see that His body is still there.

The Jews came up with there own version of a 911 conspiracy theory to cover up the resurrection. The had the Roman guards say that the disciples stole the body while they slept. How would the Romans know who stole the body if they were sleeping? Why would a Roman soldier commit suicide  by saying they were sleeping on duty? (Sleeping at the post was a capital offense that would result in the entire troop being executed.) If a Roman troop was vigilantly guarding the tomb how could the disciples have entered to take he the body without staging an armed rebellion, which would have drawed the wrath of Rome? The Jews conspiracy theory designed to cover up the resurrection falls apart.

1 Corinthians 15:16-17 KJV  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Man's basic sin problem is that he is separated from God. This forces man to trust in the arm of the flesh, bring sin and a curse.Christ got rid of our sins by killing those sins on the cross. This opened the way for the life of God to enter man, eliminating the need to trust in he arm of the flesh. We can now trust God. If Christ has not risen from the dead, the life of God cannot enter us. We are then still forced to trus in the arm of the flesh-and still in our sins and bad habits reinforced by the action of our flesh. If Christ is not raised, then no one would miraculously overcome the habits of the flesh.

1 Corinthians 15:18-19 KJV  (18)  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

If Christ is not raised from the dead, Nobody alive at that time would have anything to gain from perpetrating that hoax. The preaching of Christ drew deadly persecution from both the Jews and the Romans.There are two scenarios here, depending on whether the apostles were lunatics or liars. Both lead to impossible conclusions

Lunatick Scenario:
If the early eyewitnesses of  Christ's resurrection were experiencing delusions and hallucinations and the rest were gullible enough to follow them in spite of persecution, then that would prove that the early church was an insane asylum. The early Christians would have been, in fact, the nuttiest, most unstable group of people on the planet. It is absurd to think that such a group of people could have overcome all the persecution and eventually displace the existing culture.

Liar Scenario: If the early eyewitnesses of  Christ's resurrection were simply lying - attempting to perpetrate a hoax, then the preaching of Christ would involve people dying for a lie, knowing it was a lie, with absolutely nothing to gain on an level by telling the lie. This alone is absurd, but this is not the end of the absurdity. While the liars were telling the lie, they would tell it in such a way that would cause the believers in the lie to become the most honest and passionate lovers of truth to ever walk the face of the earth. The early Christian stuck to their story even in the face of torture and death.

Jesus is Indeed Risen
If the early eyewitnesses weren't liars or lunaticks, then there is only one other logical possibility. They were really eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Not only did Jesus rise from the dead, but the experience of witnessing the resurrected Christ brought a glimpse of His resurrection power into the Church. This power energized the life, faith and preaching of the early Church. Because Christ was alive again His tomb was empty,and because the tomb was empty the enemies of Christ could not point to the dead body of Christ as an argument against the gospel. God's witnesses are not found false witnesses but true witnesses.

Are the Recent Storms an Escalation of God's Judgment

As I write this I am drying out the basement at my house due to flooding. Over the past week, there have been over four storms. According to one meteorologist, there have over 1600 reports of weather emergencies. Couple this with the pandemic earthquakes in Japan and one can only conclude that 2011 has gotten off to a rocky start.

About three weeks ago, I shared a dream I had with the small group I lead. I had a dream that there would be massive flooding in the local area where I live, which is in the Greater Louisville Metropolitan area. This dream has come about. I also had a dream that a tsunami will ravage Florida. This has not happened yet, but I believe it will in the not too distant future.

The one thing no rational person can deny is that there is an escalation of tribulation. I believe that God is entering into judgment against the whole world for wickedness. We need to gather our congregations together for prayers and supplications to repent of sins ask God for mercies.

The Passion of the Christ Movie

For this Good Friday, I am watching The Passion of the Christ and thinking about what Christ did for me

The Call to Solemn Assembly - A Commentary on Joel 2

Joel 2 begins with a dire warning that I believe is relevant today. I believe that God's judgment on the whole earth is very near and that disasters and distress we are experiencing are just the beginning of birth pains.

The Day of the Lord is at hand.

Joel 2 begins with a warning that the Day of the Lord is very near. The people are warned to blow the trumpet and sound an alarm. The watchers are to warn the people of danger (Ezekiel 33). Joel 1:3-11 give a vivid description of this army. Vs 10-11 speak of the darkening of the sun and reddening of the moon as signs coinciding. This places this battle in the end-times.

Call to Solemn Assembly

In vss 12-17, there is a call to repentance- specifically a call to what the Bible refers to as a Solemn assembly. While solemn assemblies were instituted under the Mosaic law, the application of it's key component, the solemn assembly, transcends the limitations of the Mosaic law. The solemn assembly was critical to the Feast of Tabernacles. Seven days of observance is followed by a solemn assembly on the eighth day (Lev 23:36).

When the temple of Solomon was dedicated (2 Chr 5-7) it was at the time of then Feast of Tabernacles. They observed seven days and had a solemn assembly on the eighth day. During that solemn assembly, fire came down from God and the priests fell under the power of God. (2 Chr 7:1-9)

We know from the passion narratives that on the third day after Christ died, He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven 40 days later. the apostles were commanded to abide in an upper room. The apostles stay in the Upper Room where they engaged in “prayer and supplication”; this was engagement in a solemn assembly.

In Zech 14:16-21, which speaks of the time after the Day of the Lord judgment, that the Feast of tabernacles was both a regular and international Feast day.

The call to solemn assembly or sacred assembly is applicable to all legal contexts, not just the Mosaic Covenant. The call to seek God in solemn assembly for public and collective repentance is for today. We are to make prayers and supplication for redemption and revival in the context of impending doom for God to glorify himself by reviving us.

Physical Restoration

Vss 18-27 promise physical restoration, including deliverance from our adversaries. In context the adversary is the Gog coalition that surrounds Israel and breathes out murders against God's people ( Ezekiel 38-39).

Spiritual Restoration – End Time Revival.

The other promise is that of great revival. Vss 28-32 are also recorded in Acts 2 as the prophetic basis of Pentecost. In the context of Joel, this revival occurs before the End-time Day of the Lord judgments. That is why Joel's prophecy includes the darkening of the sun and reddening of the moon as signs accompanying the revival. The revival in Acts was the initial, but not complete, fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. The complete fulfillment occurs just before the Return of Jesus Christ.

The initial awakening resulted in a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit. The end-time revival will see both a continuation of the this mighty move and great manifestation of the Sovereignty of God: The sun darkening and the moon reddening followed by judgment on the nations and great deliverance of His people.

Commentary on Joel 1

The book of Joel was written to both warn of coming judgment and give promises of revival. Chapter 1 sets the stage for what is happening. Joel definitely speaks of the end times. Joel speaks of events happening today.

In vss 2-3 Joel proclaims that what is about to happen is something that has never happened before. He asks this rhetorical question as the introduction to the book “Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? ” The im plied answer is that what is about to happen is unprecedented. What follows appears to be ordinary disasters, but Jesus comments on the use of seemingly ordinary disasters as signs of the end. He likens them to birth pangs. Birth pangs start slow, but steadily increase in both frequency and intensity until childbirth. As we near the end, we will see disasters increase in frequency and intensity. In just the past ten years we have seen disasters escalate: 911, Hurricane Katrina, Tsunamis devastate Indonesia and Japan, Another hurricane devastate Haiti, so this is relevant to us.

We see the same escalation of frequency and intensity in vs 4 “What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.” One disaster is followed by a more extreme disaster until destruction is complete.

Vss 5-13 speak of economic and political ruin. Drunks are told to weep because there is “no new wine” given that people drink aged wine first, it speaks of a total loss. This loss even affects the church. Vs 9 tells us “The grain offering and the drink offering Have been cut off from the house of the LORD; The priests mourn, who minister to the LORD. ” The church has been ruined, unable to fulfill her mission. Those ministers who care grieve. Folks, this is happening today before our eyes. We are witnessing a political, economic, and moral collapse of Western Civilization. What are we to do as things go from bad to worse?

In vss 13-20, We are instructed to seek the Lord in solemn assembly. There is precedent for it in Lev 23:33-36. The solemn assembly, or sacred assembly, was about seeking God in repentance. The solemn assembly has transcended it's Mosaic context, having been a part of the practice of God's people throughout the centuries. Even today, we are to seek God in repentance as repentance is taught throughout Scripture. I will have more on this in the next installment which will be commentary on chapter 2.