An Inconvenient Truth
Luke 13 provides the right perspective on good and evil from Yahweh's perspective.
I have been quietly contemplative over the last three weeks as I process the events in the Middle East and reflect on the reactions of the many writers, Christian and not, on the Substack platform.
Already the mainstream media have relegated Isaac v Ishmael to the middle of the bulletin. It is now that ongoing skirmish between the Arabs and the Jews with the Arabs receiving all the compassion for the brutality of the response from Israel to the inhumane animalistic pure evil they suffered at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
For most writers, and our Christian brothers and sisters on Substack, it is business as usual. We write; you read; you comment; we re-stack; we check our stats; ….Ho Hum.
We have a fantastic propensity to move on even after the most significant spiritual event of the Age of the Gentiles. We must produce, we must remain on task, we must fulfill our dreams, and our goals must be attained.
I say bullshit to all that……..
We are truly in the last days of our man-made physical comfort…..
There is one and only one perspective that will suffice spiritually speaking….
And that is a repentant heart of spiritual brokenness fully submitted to the love of Jesus.
We find the heart of Yahweh for today in Luke 13:
Luke 13:1-5 ESV There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. (2) And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? (3) No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. (4) Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? (5) No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
We hear all day long the indignant cries of the Jewish people as they process the outrageous events of October 7. Now we hear the cries of the residents of Gaza as they are being obliterated from the planet by the revenging Jewish national military.
We continue the grave error of processing these events through the darkened eyes of mankind without shedding the light of Jesus.
Let me make it clear. I am a grafted virtual Jew by nature of my submission to Jesus. As such I stand with the nation of Israel in full knowledge that most of my Israeli brothers and sisters will not have their names in the Book of Life on the day of judgment.
Those repentant Messianic Jews killed on October 7 and afterward can look forward to life eternal with Jesus. Those unrepentant Jews sucking the marrow out of life in the natural can look forward to the fiery lake, just like their assailants.
Let us not kid ourselves that the Jewish people are somehow special and will “dodge the bullet”. Israel is an apostate nation, as is the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and most Western democracies.
But Yahweh’s promise to Israel through Abraham stands. There will be a remnant of 144,000 Messianic Jews saved, 12,000 from each tribe according to Revelation 7. There will also be a remnant of the Gentiles saved, those of the Churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia according to Revelation 2 and 3.
Smyrna is the Church of the Dead in Christ and Philadelphia is the Church of the Living, those repentant indwelt believers “clothed in sackcloth”.
We see a reference to these two categories of humans in Revelation 11:
Revelation 11:3-4 ESV And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.
The two olive trees are a reference to the Jewish remnant and a direct quote from Zechariah 4:
Zechariah 4:11-14 ESV Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” (12) And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” (13) He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” (14) Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”
Let us take a deeper look into Verse 14 above. I believe this verse is mistranslated. I believe “stand by” should be “stand against”. The Hebrew word translated as “by” is the word ‘al, and it is used 2,327 times in the Old Testament, translated as “against” 541 times, “over” 414 times, and “on” 355 times. This mistranslation is a result of the assumption that “Lord of the whole earth” is a reference to Yahweh, when we know clearly from Genesis 3 that Satan as the victor of the deception of Adam and Eve, was granted authority over the Earth. This was reinforced in Job 1 and Luke 4.
This mistranslation was followed in the New Testament in Revelation 11:4, quoting Zechariah 4:14, as “standing before the Lord of the earth”. This should read “standing against the Lord of the earth”.
The two lampstands of Revelation 11:4 are a reference to Smyrna and Philadelphia, the only two Churches that did not have their lampstands removed from the seven Churches of Revelation 2 and 3.
After each letter to each Church, Jesus says:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
But only those with spiritual ears will hear the message.
What is the Spirit saying to the churches today?
Repent and believe the truth. Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only life.
Get used to it….
From now on the darkness accelerates…..
Your indwelt spiritual slave to Jesus (Gal 2:20 KJV)
Excellent work! Thanks!
It is my pleasure Keith. I credit the Holy Spirit in me, you and Dr Phinney for much of my renewed mind.