ISRAEL UPDATEOctober 3, 2004 - Iran is finally in the news these past few weeks, not that their pot is not already boiling with Islamic fervor and hatred for Israel and America.
A nation with enough oil reserves to last 200 years, and yet they need to process what they call radioactive material for “alternative energy.’
Iran is just one more example of the Western world's inability to read the signs of the times in advance. They then push the “panic button” after the problem has already become practically untouchable.
This country placed our nation's Embassy under siege in 1979. They held the hostages for a period of 444 days before releasing them.
Iran is also the home of Hezbollah, the radical terrorist group that has its troops march over American flags laid on the ground in defiance of our nation.
This same Iran has used its oil wealth to export terror, along with propping up Syria financially. This is a huge threat to the nation of Israel, as Syria has occupied her neighbor, Lebanon for nearly three decades now.
Knowing and understanding this, it is inconceivable that there are those even in our own State Department that claim the threats are exaggerated and unreliable.
Think back to the Embassy siege of 1979, and the bombing of the Beirut Marine barracks in 1983. Then research the 20-odd years since and you will find once again, that Israel and America face an ominous threat on the horizon, just like Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981. What will happen next?
October 3, 2004 - Many religious leaders throughout history have boasted of having revelations from G-d, or visitations by angels giving them special insight.
However, when the word of the L-rd came to one of the Hebrew prophets, there were specific dynamics that accompanied the prophecy to establish its relevance and confirm its reality.
For example, Jeremiah 1:11-14 shows us this pattern as follows:
In verse 11, the prophet declares, “Moreover the word of the L-RD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said - I see a rod of an almond tree.”As the word L-RD comes to the prophet, he is asked to describe what he sees. He sees “the rod of an almond tree.”
G-d's response is in the affirmative - the prophet saw exactly what G-d had shown him and G-d then states, “…for I will hasten my word to perform it.”
The key here are two words . . . almond (“shaked” in Hebrew,) and hasten (“shoked” again in Hebrew,) as G-d reveals his purpose.
We see the budding branch of an almond tree “shaked,” in the promise of G-d to hasten “shoked” to perform it.
G-d did not just speak to the prophet in a vision, but Jeremiah also explained what he saw, Therefore, G-d uses visual acuity to confirm. Thus, even before the prophet gave his discourse, G-d had given the clear instruction as to what he saw. Next week we will learn why…
To be continued . . .