Isaiah 11:11-12 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
Jeremiah 31:37 Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
Song of Solomon 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
In 70 AD Jerusalem finally fell to the mighty Roman army led by Titus after a long siege. To commemorate the Roman victory over the Jewish rebellion, an arch was erected in Rome known to this day as the Arch of Titus. This famous arch depicts the fall of the Temple and its artifacts paraded in a processional described by the historian Josephus’ in his account, “The Jewish War.”
The arch of Titus stands to this day, as a horrific monument to the defeat of the Jewish people. Yet history and God have a way of inverting such things since when the nation of Israel was reborn in 1948, the exact depiction of the Menorah on the arch of Titus was used as a symbol of Israel’s rebirth.
While the Roman empire has long been vanquished, the nation of Israel has remained and been resurrected despite utter defeat and decimation. How could this tiny nation survive 2,000 years of dispersion and persecution? A promise (Jeremiah 31) and a prophetic sign are indicated by this “banner to the nations” of Isaiah 11.
And just as the symbol of the menorah on the Roman victory arch has been resurrected to symbolize Israel’s rebirth, this little nation of Israel is also a banner and a sign for us. Israel is a monumental marker indicating our time in history (God’s story) and the absolute surety of God’s promises. Her resurrection signals the time of the end, the last of the Last Days, and the soon coming of Messiah for His Bride.
The Roman empire expressed terrible power and pretension with persecution and plunder, appearing victorious for a season. In these days of the final “Beast” system, the enemy of our souls is also marching, triumphantly corrupting culture and government and destroying righteous foundations. Persecution of God’s saints is increasing greatly, and we may need serious endurance. But we also have a “banner.” His banner over us is love, which endures all things and never fails.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Over the past week, the world has experienced some severe birth pangs. If you’ve been reading Worthy News, you’ve read the situation in Ukraine has intensifed with the Russians massing their troops along the border with the West condemning the referendum taking this weekend in Crimea. In Israel, scores of rockets were fired out of the Gaza Strip and rockets continue to be fired despite a "ceasefire". The Iranians continue to threaten the destruction of Israel as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander stated, "Islam has given us this wish, capacity and power to destroy the Zionist regime so that our hands will remain on the trigger from 1,400km away for the day when such an incident (confrontation with Israel) takes place." Wars and rumors of wars embrace the headlines! The world is on the brink of going over the edge!
In Israel, it’s amazing how many trees are being planted all the time. In fact, the green line that you hear about so much in the news isn’t an actual drawn borderline, but it is a visible line you can only see from the air. It’s where Israelis stopped planting trees.
Laodicea was known for its Temple dedicated to Asklepios, worshiped as the god of medicine, and associated with a renowned medical school. Most historians believe that the school developed a medicine known as Phrygian power which was used to produce eye salve.
Shabbat can help us to understand our stewardship of earthly goods as we enter a day of rest. Since everything in and on Earth belongs to the LORD, all we own and all we are responsible for belongs to Him and is under His primary care. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” [Psalm 24:1]
Driving throughout the United States we're noticing more construction sites than ever. In part, it's because we normally travel during the winter when many construction areas are not active, but now during the summer, they seem to be EVERYWHERE! Construction sites are normally messy, as wood, concrete, supplies, and equipment are strewn all over the place. Yet, it's well understood that the architect and his foreman know exactly what's going on toward accomplishing the finished product.
The word "Amen" (אָמֵן) properly pronounced in Hebrew "ah-mehn", means "so be it" or "may it be so", and also, "Yes, it is true!" Some scholars suggest a connection with the Hebrew word for truth, "emet" (אֶמֶת), because of the two similar root letters, "aleph"(א) and "mem" (מ). Truth ought to be confirmed. At the end of a prayer, saying "Amen" expresses the desire to affirm and confirm what was requested or proclaimed. Leha'ameen, (להאמין) means "to believe, trust or confide in", and all variations of this root (אמן) relate to "emunah" (אמונה): faith, belief, or faithfulness!
In connection with the Hebrew Word "Amen", meaning "faith", "truth", "belief", and "trust", consider this revealing passage in Isaiah which further amplifies the dimensions of the word in the most wonderful and comforting promise:
“He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth ["Amen" in Hebrew]. ...