Ecc. 1:5-6;9 The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
This week could be a prophetically significant week as events are unfolding throughout the world.
Last week, an Iranian ship in the Red Sea was hit supposedly by Israel whereby Iran has threatened retaliation. On Sunday, a power outage at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was caused by an act of “nuclear terrorism” Iranian officials claimed and reserved the right to take action against the perpetrators. Over the past week, Russian troops have been massing on the border of Ukraine in a region increasingly threatened by war. Meanwhile, in the United States, a major court case is being decided in Minnesota that could unleash riots throughout the country. It’s safe to say, we need to be watching carefully as these events are unfolding!
The writer of Ecclesiastes was aware of cycles in nature, how they repeat themselves. Some have noticed another interesting historical cycle that awakens our awareness at this time of year. The dates April 15th-21th contain an interesting pattern. This is a time frame that has seen the birth of much havoc in the world. Historically this is when the birth of Rome and the Roman empire took place, the birth of Napoleon, and the birth of Hitler and Nazi Germany occurred. Currently, in our day, Iranians will celebrate the birth of their leader Ali Khamenei who has called for the annihilation of the Jewish state on April 14th.
This time frame is also key in American history as these dates mark times when wars have begun; among them, The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish-American War.
Historically, this time frame also includes when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the Titanic sank, America abandoned the gold standard, the Waco Branch Davidian debacle, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Columbine High school massacre, the Virginia Tech shootings, the Boston Marathon bombing, and finally, the ecological disaster of BP Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Anniversaries can be positive, and awaken joyful memories, or…they can recall difficult moments which cause us to brace inwardly and wonder if some kind of trouble will arrive once again. God is the Lord of history and His purposes stand for our good in any case, so we needn’t fear the future under His care. During this season when much trouble has been seen in history, let us be watching and ready to stand in the gap and to unleash prayers as the need arises — for truly it is the season for believers to standing on the wall.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When I studied Isaiah 53 earnestly in the ancient Hebrew, I was taken back by the Hebrew word for “afflicted” (me-u-neh). In modern Hebrew this word means “tortured”. When I was young, and first learned what torture actually involved, my soul was shocked that this could happen to people; in fact that it was happening to people. That a person could be kept alive for the purpose of intentionally causing him intense agonizing pain was an astounding enigma for my young soul. It really frightened me; and I think that fear of torture is probably the greatest fear that humans can experience. We read about people who have been tortured, with a kind of horrified awe. And quietly we wonder inside, “How can this be?” And, “Could this ever happen to me?”
I love this story! Peter was sitting between two guards and suddenly an angel of the Lord comes to him and frees him — and he thinks it’s a vision! He’s not sure if he truly believes it.
“Exhausted but still in pursuit…” Well, now we know why the angel of YHVH addressed Gideon the way he did. With his small three hundred man army he had just decimated the army of Midian — but the victory wasn’t complete, and so the Jewish general and his small, exhausted, hungry, band were determined to cross the Jordan and take care of 15,000 additional Midanite enemies and their leaders, Zebah and Zalmunna.
His nightmares began each day when he awoke. James Stegalls was nineteen. He was in Vietnam. Though he carried a small Gideon New Testament in his shirt pocket, he couldn’t bring himself to read it. His buddies were cut down around him, terror was building within him, and God seemed far away. His twentieth birthday passed, then his twenty-first. At last, he felt he couldn’t go on.
On January 1st 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which proclaimed freedom for all slaves in the ten states which were in rebellion. At the time, when U.S. Secretary of State Seward took the document to the President to sign, Lincoln took a pen, and held it for a moment. He then removed his hand and dropped his pen. Lincoln turned to Seward and said, “I have been shaking hands since nine o’clock this morning and my right arm is almost paralyzed. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” He hesitated, then took the pen, and without wavering, took the document and boldly signed it!
For nearly 2000 years the Jewish people were scattered across the world without a homeland. In one day, according to the meticulous preparation of God, on May 14th 1948, the nation of Israel was restored. As millions of Jews were returning to their homeland they began rebuilding the ancient cities that were destroyed, restoring the desolations of many generations, and fulfilling Biblical prophecy…
As we celebrated Shavuot last night, we’re looking at the promise given 2000 years ago: that normal people will lead extraordinary lives; that disciples, who were terrified on the night of Yeshua’s (Jesus) death, were transformed into bold saints of God; and that fishermen, tax collectors, and housewives – normal everyday people – became empowered, and turned the Roman Empire inside out and upside down!