Like Men Of Issachar

    Well this has certainly been a long study. It has taken me far longer than I expected to complete this work. As I look at it I am stunned not by how much I have covered but by how much I have missed.

     The prophets are so expansive. They have  much to say regarding the days in which we live, much to say about the lives we lead and take for granted.

     To boil it down into a few sentences I have learned:

1. We are a people facing judgment.

2. Even the godly will be affected by judgment when their nations come under the hand of God’s fury.

3. That God works all things together for good when Christians trust Him.

4. Many Christians will fall away in the days ahead.

5. That trials have the potential to draw us closer to the Lord.

6. That the future of the sinner is fearful.

7. That the future of the Christian is beyond glorious!

    Much has change in my life since I began this study. I can say the judgment of God has begun to lap the shores of my personal island. Yet as I walk forward haltingly into the future God has prepared I am not dismayed. I am hopeful.

     “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Tim 1:12 KJV

      What have you committed into the hands of God?

       Where will you stand in the judgment to come?

Pastor Wrinkles Corner: The Messiah Comes

Let’s Review:

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We have already discussed how the stage of world ____________ was set for the coming of Messiah.

The time had come and the story of his coming is the stuff of legend.

Now In your groups:

Name 10 things you know about the real Christmas story:

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Question: why do you think God sent Messiah to Mary and Joseph? List at least five reasons.

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Come back together and share your answers.

The Branches of Men Part 2

     My son is taking a Victorian Novels class in college. So when he calls we often talk about the latest book he is reading. He just started Tess Of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Somehow today as we got talking about the class we went off track to discuss our blogging and ended up in a conversation about J.R.R. Tolkien (heady conversations really).

     Anyway that led  us to the topic of the future race of men you and I have been talking about in these last few blogs. Tolkien’s books discover many races of creatures: elves and  orcs, dragon and hobbits and oh yeah three kinds of men. The wizards or the Maier are a race of immortal humanoids. The Dunedin are a race of men, mortal but very long-lived. Finally there are the race of “middle men” ordinary men with shorter life spans.

     I see three races of men in the Millenium. Those who rule and reign with Christ, we spoke of in our first blog on this subject. These men and women will have glorified human bodies immortal and filled with power.

    But there is a second group of men, alluded to in Scripture, which corresponds to Tolkien’s Dunedin.

     “No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands.” Isa. 65:22 NIV

     I believe something is going to happen in the Millenium which restores mankind’s ability to live long and prosper, so to speak. Something in the atmosphere changes, something in the water…something to make it like it was in the beginning. You know Adam lived 828 years. Methuselah lived to be 969. I believe that there will be a race of men who while not immortal will have lives that go on for centuries and centuries. Why do I believe it? Well because the Bible says there will be such a race  in Isaiah 65. Now this is one of those fun-house mirror things I talked about three blogs ago. We can’t really tell for sure what we are looking at. The image is kind of blurry but I really don’t think Isaiah is talking about the people who come back to rule and reign with Christ in Revelation 20:4,because those people will have been resurrected and its pretty clear according to I Cor. 15 they will then have incorruptible and immortal bodies. How can something immortal and incorruptible die? I don’t think it can.

    So who are these long-lived mortals? Hmm not really sure… Maybe they are people who lived through the Tribulation but didn’t take the mark of the beast or end up getting whacked by an earthquake or a hundred pound hail stone. Maybe they are children born to those who rule and reign with Christ (can they still have kids?)

    Anyway what we do know about them is that they are blessed.

    “They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. ” Isa. 65:23,24 NIV

      The mysteries of the Millenium intrigue me. I long to discover that day for myself and see if what I have thought all these years on this side is really how it will be or will it look entirely different?

     Now for the third branch of the race of men? Can you guess who they are?

Daniel: The God Of Fortresses

       The final act has well begun. The characters strut about the stage playing out the parts God wrote for them in the beginning. Meanwhile waiting in the wings is the shadowy figure of the arch-villain waiting to be revealed.

     Who is Antichrist? Until the final events are set in motion, I am convinced we shall not know. Daniel does reveal that he is heavily involved in Middle Eastern and Eastern European politics (Daniel 11). The prophet also reveals that this “king” will worship a god of fortresses and will even believe himself to be god. He will trust in superior military might and will honor no god above himself.

      “He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.” Daniel 11:37-39

    In ancient times the idea that someone would not believe in God or gods was patently ridiculous. The idea of a spirit realm was universally accepted and everyone was tied to some spirit being. So the thought that a king would appear on the world stage and say that he worshipped only himself and that all other gods were not worth honoring was pretty radical.

     Today though we live in a culture that is ripe for a king who will not serve any god. Religious pluralism and even the rise of humanism and atheism have made the world stage a veritable hot-house for the Antichrist mentality. The religious scene is well set for Antichrist to walk on stage. No one doubts that. The political blocking is almost complete. His entrance is prepared.

     But I have something to say to Christians  who realize that hour is late and the entr’acte is about to begin. If Antichrist serves a god of fortresses, so do we. In fact “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run into it and they are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NIV

        Our fortress is secure and the name of the Lord is  our defense in every situation. Even as the world stage gets set for the coming of the man of lawlessness the power of prayer in the name of Jesus will never fail. When Jesus comes he will find a church that is operating still in the power of the Holy Spirit and seeing prayers answered supernaturally where no natural means of answer exist!

     “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14: 12,13 KJV

     You see Antichrist may serve a god of fortresses. But we serve our God who is himself a Fortress!

Pastor Wrinkle’s Corner: Messiah 2

Let’s Review:

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God promised the people of ___________________ a Messiah.

The Israelites expected a ________________ who would fulfill the ________________ covenant.

God does promise that one of Messiah’s roles will be to _________________ on the throne of His father David.

But God also promised this:

My servant grew up in the LORD’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected–a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed!

 This prophecy of Messiah does not sound like a conquering ________________. But it does sound like what happened to ________________.

The way this promise works out is that Messiah comes twice to Earth.

The first time he _____________________ for sin. and dies.

The second time he comes as a _________________________ king.

“It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!” Acts 1:9-11 NLT

We need forgiveness of sin so that when He returns we will be able to go _____________ Him to His Kingdom of ________________.

Now in Your Groups:

1. Why do you think Jesus didn’t just take over as King after he rose from the dead? Can you come up with Scriptures to prove your point?

2. Why do you suppose Jesus had to suffer so much. Why could he just have a quick death like getting shot by an arrow?

3. Isaiah 53 says Jesus was a man of sorrows. What do you think were some of Jesus’ sorrows while he was on Earth? Do you think He is still a man of sorrows?

Question of the Week: When Jesus returns as Conquering King what do you think he will say to America? What do you think He will say to you

Pastor Wrinkles Corner: Messiah 1 The King

Let’s Review:

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During the time of the divided kingdom God began to raise up ________________. These were men who spoke for God to the _______________.

They urged people to _________________ of their sin and turn to God. Which means to stop sinning and live the way God wanted them to.

They also reported that if the people would not _________________. God would send a judgment on them and destroy their country.

But a third and ___________________ theme was about  the man the Jews called the ______________. God told the Jews he was going to send this man to:

1.__________________ people from their sin.

2. Restore the _________________ of Israel.

3. Judge the _________________.

Let’s find out a little bit more about this man.

1. He would be a great ________________.  Isaiah 9:6-8

2. He would be born of David’s family line in the city of _________________. “ But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.

3. This King would make all the nations ______________.  Isaiah 60:3

Now In your groups:

1. The Bible tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and He is a son of David’s line. But he did not claim his kingship when he was on earth. Why do you think He didn’t do this?

2. What do you think Jesus meant when he told his disciples “the kingdom of God is within you?” How do you feel about the kingdom of God being in you? Do you believe it? What does it mean?

Question of the week: What does it mean to you that Jesus is King? Does his being king effect you personally? Should it effect you more? Why or why not?

Pastor Wrinkles Corner: Bargain Breakers Part II

Let’s Review:

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After David’s death his son _______________________ comes to the throne.

What do we know about Solomon?

When Solomon dies his son ____________________ comes to the throne. One of Solomon’s generals ____________________ opposes Solomon’s son and civil war breaks out.

The Kingdom is divided into ___________________ called Israel and South called ___________________.

There is war for the next 200 years or so.

Israel very quickly departs from the worship of God and becomes a __________________ society.

Pluralistic-

Jeroboam convinces his people to begin worshipping a golden _________________ in Samaria or in Bethel.

Judah continues worshipping in the temple but they also become ___________________ and at times over the next few hundred years they actually shut down the temple.

God raises up _______________________.

Prophet:

A List of the prophets:

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The prophets tell Judah and Israel to stop _________________ but they won’t. So God judges both North and South. Israel is conquered by _______________ and deported. Judah is conquered a hundred years later by ___________________. The sons of Ham conquer the sons of ___________________.

God deports Israel for 70 years and then raises up a king _________________. Who sets them free and allows them to return and rebuild _____________________and the temple.

During this time God begins to speak to the people about the coming of a man God calls the _________________ which means savior of Israel.

Now In Your groups:

1. Read I Kings 11:41- 12: 33.  Which of these two kings do you think was a better leader?Why? What do you think God wanted to be done here? Why?

2. The prophets of Israel were often seen as trouble makers. Elijah was one of these prophets.  Read I Kings 18:1- 19: 2. How do you think the king and queen should have reacted? Why did they act the way they did? What does this say about them?

3. Question of the Week. God let the Israelites live in sin worshipping other gods for almost 200 years before judging them and sending them into captivity. Why do you think He waited so long? Did men have anything to do with his decision? What does that say to us today as our nation faces judgment?

Pastor Wrinkles: To Bargain With a King

Let’s Review:

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As the period of the judges ends God raises up one last judge _________________. Samuel has a  triple anointing

1. Judge

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3._____________________

Samuel leads Israel as judge and __________________ through a very dark time of warfare.

The war for the Ark in brief:

I. Samuel raised in ________________ house.

II. Eli’s sons ____________________ and get God’s wrath.

III. God kills Eli’s son and turns the _________________ of the Covenant over to the Philistines

IV.  Twenty years pass. _____________________ gathers the people for war at _________________ and they win.

V. Samuel leads the people until he is old.

When Samuel becomes too old to lead the people they ask for a ____________________.

Samuel at first rejects this idea but God breaks in: “And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king….Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.” I Sam 8:7,9 NIV

Israel’s first king is ________________.

He loses the throne through ______________.

God chooses another King ______________________. David unites Israel.

While the story of David has many twists and turns, once David brings the country under his power God comes and makes a bargain with him. It is called the ________________________ covenant.

“And now the LORD declares that he will build a house for you–a dynasty of kings! For when you die, I will raise up one of your descendants, and I will make his kingdom strong.He is the one who will build a house–a temple–for my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him. But my unfailing love will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed before you. Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me, and your throne will be secure forever.’ ” 2 Sam. 7:11-16

Promises of the bargain:

1. David’s son will be a great king who will build a __________________.

2. If David’s son sins God will __________________ him .

3. David’s dynasty will never _____________. Their will always be a member of David’s family sitting on the _______________ of Israel.

Now in your groups:

1. Read I Sam. 13:1-14. This is the story of why God rejected Saul as king. How would you have felt if you were Saul in this situation? What should Saul have done from this point on?

2.. God calls David “A man after my own heart.” That is why God chose David as king. Read the following Scriptures and describe what you think God saw in David.

I Sam 17:25-50/ I Sam 22:1,2/ I Sam 24/ Psalm 1 /Psalm 51

Question of the Week:  God promised to put one of David’s descendants on his throne forever. There currently is no throne in Israel (it’s a democracy). What does that mean?  Who will be the king?

Pastor Wrinkles: Bargain Breakers

Let’s Review: What are the “God Bargains” we have talked about so far?

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After Moses died God raised up a new leader for the Israelites, ___________.

He was Moses junior officer and had been groomed for the position.

God told Joshua that it was his job to take the land of Canaan which God had promised to his great-great-great and so forth grandfather ____________. Through Joshua the God Bargain with Abraham would begin to be fulfilled.

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them–to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” Joshua 1:1-3 NIV

Joshua and the armies of Israel went into ___________ and conquered much of the land but not all.

When Joshua died the people many of the people walked away from __________ and entered into sin.

They began to follow what pastors call the sin cycle:

Step 1: ____________

Step 2: Get _____________

Step 3: _____________

Step 4: Get God’s ____________ back

Step 5: Go and ____________ again.

This happened all through the next hundred or so years and God began to raise up _______________ who would help Israel to get out of trouble whenever they sinned and then _____________.

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The judges themselves were a mix of ____________ and ___________.

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Now in your groups:

1. Read Judges Chapter 4. What do you think of Deborah? What do you think of Barak?

2. Read Judges 7: 1-7 Why do you think God cut down Gideon’s army so much?

3. Read Judges 16 What does Sampson and Delilah teach us about relationships? How could Sampson have done things better?

Question of the week: In Judges Chapter 4 Deborah gives a prophecy. Does the way it gets fulfilled surprise you? What does this prophecy and the way it was fulfilled teach us about prophecy today?

Pastor Wrinkles Corner: The Burning Bush Bargain

Let’s review: What did we discuss last week

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We discussed that ________________ was sold into slavery by his _________________.

The story of Joseph in a nutshell

1. Sold to _______________

2. sent to ________________

3. Interprets _______________.

4. Pharoah has a ______________.

5. Joseph interprets it . He predicts __________ years of ____________.

6. Pharoah makes Joseph vice Pharoah

7. In the _____________. Joseph’s brothers move to ____________. Family is put back together. They all move to Egypt!

BUT

When Joseph dies a new Pharoah ______________ the Israelites.

400 years go by.

_____________ is born.

He is raised in Pharoah’s house. But flees Egypt as an adult for the crime of _____________.

He lives _____________ years in the wilderness.  Then God meets him.

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight–why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey–the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.  So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:1-10 NIV

Moses after some convincing _____________ to go.

But Pharoah will not let the Israelites go.

God send 10 plagues through Moses.

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Pharoah agrees to let them go.

At the Red Sea Pharoah makes one last attempt to ___________ the Israelites.

The Miracle of the parting of  the __________  ___________

In the wilderness God meets the ___________ at Mount Sinai and gives them the ______________  ______________.

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This is called the ___________ and God says anyone who can follow it perfectly may enter Heaven. However if you cannot follow it you must _______________. For sin can only be forgiven through the shedding of blood.

Now in your groups:

1. The Bible says Moses was schooled in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was a learned man? Yet in Exodus 3 he says to God he is slow of speech and could not possibly be a good choice for a spokesman. What do you think made Moses lose his confidence? What do you think of God’s reaction to Moses lack of confidence? read Exodus 3 again.

2. Read Exodus 14: 1-12/ Exodus 15:22/  Exodus 16: 1-3/ Exodus 17: 1,2  What do you think of the Israelites? Did they have a point? Would you have been like the Israelites? How would you have done things differently

Question of the week: Have you ever known anyone who could keep the 10 commandments? How do you think our culture is doing at keeping these commandments? What does that mean about our closeness to God?