ECCE

         This past week marked the Memorial of the Holocaust. Despite undisputable evidence, there are those who deny that the holocaust ever occurred. On October 7th, another attempt was made to destroy God's chosen people. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. We need to remember that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi, and God sent His Son through the seed of David to die for all people.       The prophet Jeremiah reinforced God's covenant promise to bring His people back from the nations to return to and possess the land that God gave them (Jer. 30:1-3). We saw the nation of Israel re-established in 1948, as God promised. After this return to the land, Jeremiah prophesied about a time of trembling and fear, and not of peace: "Alas! for that day is great, so that there is none like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble ; but he shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day...that I will break his yoke from off thy neck...and strangers...

     There have been discussions lately in the media of how to keep our children safe in increasing danger, such as shootings at schools. All of the "talking heads" are trying to deal with the symptoms without considering the root causes of these terrible events. The Word of God not only identifies the root causes, but also the solutions. The prophet Micah gives us a good look at our society: "He (the LORD) hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights? For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth." (Mic. 6:8-12). The LORD lists six things which He hates, and seven that are abo...

      The Hebrew names of people and places in scripture have important meanings. Some of these meanings give us great insight into what the scriptures are telling us. Yod-Hey-Vaw-Hey are the four Hebrew letters of the name translated as "LORD" in scripture. In the ancient pictographic Hebrew language, each of those letters has its own meaning that contributes to the understanding of the Name. Translating each letter gives us the meaning "Behold the hand, behold the nail" as making up that Holy name: LORD. Most Christians have no idea of the revelation found in the Hebrew language. The prophet Hosea wrote: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame." (Hos. 4:6-7). The people of ...

      We have begun a new year. When considering what to expect for the new year, far too many are focused on the world and the agenda of men, rather than the Word of God. As we look at scripture this week, many of them will have a twenty or a twenty-four associated with them.      Psalm 20 is a song in which David asked the LORD: "Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reigns and my heart...I will wash my hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD...I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men." (v. 1-9, excerpt). Our lives are to line up with God's Word as Paul wrote in Rom. 12:1-2 . We are living in the time of "Jacob's Trouble", and we need to be following 2 Chron. 7:14 , turning to God, seeking His forgiveness, and the healing of our land. This was David's attitude as he sought the LORD.      In Mt. 24 , Jesus is asked ...

     Because we will be discussing the Ekklesia , it is necessary to define it. The Greek word ekklesia , which is translated as "church" in the New Testament, really means "the called-out assembly of God's people".  The Ekklesia is called out of the world and into God's Kingdom. This is New Year's Eve and the world will be celebrating as it usually does, but what is the goal of the Ekklesia for this new year?       Jesus described for His disciples the conditions that would exist in the last days before His return. He said that no man would know the day nor the hour of His return, only the Father in heaven knew this. Because of this uncertainty, when the day and hour comes, it would be as in the days of Noah when the time of the judgment flood drew near. At that time, Jesus said, life went on as usual with the people going about their daily tasks and being completely unprepared for what was about to come. Although they would have witnessed the ...