Jealousy, Zero-to-Max (Poem)

To His own He came but was not received.

Claims of being God’s Son were not believed.

Not believing Scripture, they were deceived.

Thus, of His Son, Jesus, God was bereaved.

Their disdain for Jesus was soon transferred,

To early Christians whose faith was anchored--

Threatened, censured, expelled, beaten, murdered.

Thus, to Gentiles, saints gladly ministered!

Salvation blessings, to Gentiles offered?!

Now! Would the Jews’ attention be captured?

Nope! Nor would growth of the Church be hindered.

The Lord’s plan was that His Church …be scattered!

Since the Jews’ reception of Jesus was lousy,

God determined to win their hearts …through jealousy.

Jealousy they provoked in Him, God Almighty. ¹

Jealousy He’ll provoke in them, through you and me! ²

What?! Jews, jealous of us, and of Christianity?!

What’s that I hear? Are you’re laughing hilariously??

Just like you, I know of no Jews who’re jealous of me,

Nor of others who believe, in life, Christ is the key.

Yet for a Jewish remnant, God says, the days shall come,

By the spirit and grip of jealousy, they’ll be glum.

But on this matter, the Church and world are mostly mum.

So when and how might it, as a fact, one day become??

Ponder this…

Jews know about Jesus. They’ve  heard of His return.

They’ve heard of the rapture, Christian life to adjourn. ³

After our departure, much more they will discern.

And that’ll be just the start of their jealous U-turn! ⁴

When Christ returns, all Earth to dominate,

And every government to captivate,

Over the Gentile world, He’ll delegate,

Gentile saints, then …immortal heavyweights. ⁵

‘Occupy all Earth! Govern in My authority!

With My Rod of Iron, rule with righteous acuity!’

Gentile saints, saved from the world, sent back in for centuries, ⁶

Then authorized to lord over all of His enemies!

While it is a Messiah for Whom most Jews now look,

They will then be His subjects, according to His Book. ⁷

Jealous!!

Then servants of Jesus, Whom their forefathers forsook.

Jealous!!!

Upon us, Gentiles, saints immortal, they’ll one day look!

~~o~~

Ohhh that hearts and minds of Jews and Gentiles alike,

Will turn to Jesus Christ in a manner, childlike.

To them, He’ll give His Spirit and make them ‘godlike’,

And in us all, He will forever more ...delight.

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¹ See: Deuteronomy 32:16, 21, 1 Kings 14:22, Psalm 78:58, and Ezekiel 36:6

² ‘When you see God reach out to those you consider your inferiors - outsiders! - you’ll become insanely jealous. When you see God reach out to people you think are religiously stupid, you’ll throw temper tantrums.’ (Romans 10:19, The Message)

‘I say then, have they [unbelieving Jews] stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.’ (Romans 11:11, NKJV)

³ Adjourn for only 7-years during the predicted tribulation period on Earth, and the Marriage Supper of The Lamb in Heaven.

⁴ Do you think the world will miss us when we’re gone?

⁵ See: Matthew 25:21-23 and Luke 19:17

⁶ The Great Commission. See: Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15

⁷ ‘They shall be Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.’ (Malachi 3:17)

Justice Delayed Is (Poem)

For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
and scourges every son whom He receives.

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;

for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

But if you are without chastening, then you are illegitimate,
 not sons.

(Hebrews 12:7-8)

‘Connect discipline to undesired behavior.’

That’s good advice for a parent, tutor and mentor.

Yet if connections aren’t in a timely manner,

After all, will the discipline really matter? ¹

Discipline infers disciple, pupil,

As in following a leader’s counsel.

Whether for outcomes that are good or evil,

Everybody is somebody’s disciple!

Ahhh, the art of connecting-the-dots,

Something we humans often do not. ²

Yep! But when we do, great strides we will make,

And from bad behavior, key lessons take.

But this requires to righteousness, our minds and hearts are bent,

And that when confronted with sin, we’re willing to repent.

This applies to us whom God calls …His own.

But what of those who by Him are …unknown?

Christ-disciples learn well to connect-the-dots,

When in life, we allow Him to call-the-shots.

To us, He gives chastening ‘nudgements’.

To outsiders, He gives harsh judgments. ³

But wait! Here’s a point that is very pivotal,

One that’s undeniably unarguable!

Unsaved outsiders will not benefit,

From timely inputs before judgments hit!

Though they receive many warnings, iterative,

They’ll respond in so many ways, derogative.

To them, justice is delayed, not denied.

This is simply, to them, God’s GRACE applied.

For us all, saints and sinners alike,

Both our words and actions are seed-like.

They grow the fruits we call, ‘consequences’,

Rewards or penalties –- life dispenses.

Friend, God does not rush to chastise or judge.

If to Him you’re alive, then He'll just nudge.

If to Him you’re dead, GRACE gives time to repent,

And when you do, from judgment He will relent.

  

Whether chastening nudging -- for saints,

Or long justice delaying -- for aint’s,

For us obeying, or those disobeying,

Both are simply The Lord God’s …GRACE amazing! ⁴

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¹ See: Timing of Punishment

² See: Today's Exigency, Short-Circuited (Poem) and also America's Spiritual Boomerang! (Poem)

³ Hebrews 12:7-8 above. See also: Jeremiah 9:24

⁴ Tip: To us who are saved, Jesus took upon Himself our judgment(s). As we walk out our salvation, He lovingly disciplines us as disciples and pupils. When we are not attentive to His nudgements, He ramps up the pressure because of His love. Eventually, with enough pressure, stronger nudgements may very quickly look and feel like harsh judgments! Lesson: Be daily attentive to learn, hear and follow His voice saying, ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’ In John 10, Jesus iteratively released faith-filled words about us, His future followers, concerning our ability to learn/know, hear and follow His voice. When we align our faith, words and actions with what He says about us, the fruits of His faith-filled words will develop and manifest in our lives. As we do, we will more easily perceive and follow His nudgements, and will no longer require discipline that may look and feel like judgments. That’s spiritual growth and maturity.

Uncloaking Reality (Poem)

What do you get when you: 

Take spiritual reality,

And cloak it with physicality,

Then take this physicality,

And cloak it with time, spatially?

The results are a momentary actuality,

That belies the truth of spiritual reality.

This false perception of what’s really ‘real’,

Makes us err, and to devils’ lies to heel.

What do you get when God: 

Puts His Spirit in Jesus and calls Him, ‘God’,

And puts His Spirit in you, and calls you, ‘god’,

Then tops all this off by calling you ‘God’s fullness’,

And says only that is what He calls righteousness?

The result is [drumroll…] exactly what He calls it! ¹

Yet about these Words of God’s, some have a fit!

Carnal minds are just unable to grasp,

Spiritual things that to them are masked.

God creates perfect, righteous imaginations,

Then speaks Words with His Spirit’s insemination.

When believed, His Words uncloak what He has in mind.

To His spoken Words, physicality will bind.

He calls things that are not yet actual,

And by faith, He ensures their arrival.

This is backed up by works of His angels,

Voila! Faith filled words …and actions. ²

What if He gave us a Book, an uncloaking device,

Histories, stories and poems that convey His advice,

To peel back life’s moment-to-moment actuality,

So we can then ponder what He calls true reality??

And what if He also gave us His Spirit,

By which we could activate His holy writ,

Then assigns us His angels, helpers to sweeten the deal.

With all this, would you still be fooled about …what’s really real?

What we see and experience in this momentary life,

Is just a passing actuality, in darkness, not light.

Since what God calls reality is clearly cloaked from our eyes,

He gave us His Bible Word, so we can see …what life belies.

Ponder the link between ‘believe’ and ‘belie’.

Whatever God calls Truth, life calls it a lie.

Your mission possible, should you decide to accept it,

Is to study, learn, then practice being led by His Spirit.

Then when, like rain, actualities distort your view of Truth,

Just like windshield wipers, JoY will kick in, your spirit to soothe.

Hey, don’t be fooled.

Actualities can only rant and rail.

Your true reality lies …beyond the veil.

Spiritual reality that’s twice cloaked,

Results in lives that to lies are blindly yoked,

Unless it is to God’s Truth that we cleave --

Truth that’s only …actualized when believed.

What God calls, ‘REAL’, is our true reality,
Not our momentary actuality.

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¹ In Hebrews 1:8, God calls Jesus, ‘God’, and in Psalm 8:2, He calls mankind, ‘gods’, a point Jesus highlighted in John 10:34. Ephesians 1:22-23 reveals True (not fake) Christians are the fullness of Christ, and 2 Corinthians 5:21 reveals The Church is God’s righteousness in Christ. This refers to born again believers who enjoy an active/living relationship with God through Christ as their Savior. All that is called, ‘church’ in our world today does not necessarily fit God’s rather stringent definition of His Church. For example, see Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus’ stern message to people who are self-deceived about who they really are.

² See: Romans 4:17

Booty, Pre/Post Millennial Reign (Poem, Part 5)

(See the series here)

‘Have you gathered your army to take booty,
to carry away silver and gold,
to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’
(Ezekiel 38:13)

This key question is predicted at the start,
Of an attack on Israel, then defenseless!
Since nations at that time will be desperate, globally.
This war, the world will not be able to thwart!
Thus, this 5- nation attack will be audacious,
Unaware of The Lord's hand, moving strategically!

Against Israel, this huge war will be launched,

Sometime during the Great Tribulation.

During 7-years of massive death and destruction,

For life’s basics, desperate folk won’t be staunched.

Yet there’s gold in Israel?? Imagine! ¹

How in the world can this be? Here is my opinion.

Ways nations accumulate gold now include:

                        -Mining, whether at home or abroad

                       -Military conquest of endowed nations

                       -Donations from endowed nations, gifts accrued

                       -From ancient times, treasure finds that laud

                       -Non-moneyed commercial transactions

By all these means, ancient Israel increased her worth,

From recent gold, gas and oil finds, the nation’s wealth will soar!

Even an ancient gold treasure has been unearthed. ²

Now imagine ‘great tribulation commerce on Earth’,

Onto the ‘6-6-6 money system’, judgments down poured.

As money fails, the gold standard might be rebirthed! ³

Some time earlier, on Jerusalem’s temple mount,

The third Jewish temple will have been constructed,

Possibly via a decision of the anti-Christ. ⁴

Recall, The Bible’s detailed historical account,

The tremendous amount of gold God ‘deducted’,

From Israel’s neighbors, plus much gold that Jews sacrificed! ⁵

The incredible wealth in Israel’s first two temples,

Was >>a magnet<< for foreign army invasions,

Her wealth carried away, and some was paid as ‘tribute dictate’. ⁶

In The Bible, like puzzle pieces, patterns assembled,

Reveal God’s blessings, and judgments for infractions.

Gog and Magog troops: To the 3rd temple, ‘Come, like fish-to-bait!’ ⁷

Great wealth in gold and precious resources did freely flow,

In-and-out of ancient Israel, hear the sucking sound,

The Lord’s blessings and judgments, just as Moses predicted. ⁸

But soon, only Millennial Reign blessings will she know,

For a thousand years, GREAT wealth in Israel will abound,

And will be >>a magnet<< for the world’s final army, afflicted! ⁹

In The Bible, like puzzle pieces, patterns are portrayed,

To parade the past and predict the future,

To confound all who are fools, and advise all who are wise.

They give the faith-full great hope, but make the faithless ...dismayed.

So …for how much of God’s Truth do you hunger??

Are you prepared for what in your life His patterns surmise??

For more see: Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel

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¹ Gold and other material wealth, sufficient to trigger an unprecedented military invasion

² See: Gas/Oil Found in Israel; Gold Found in Israel; and Gold Treasure Found in Israel

³ See: Revelation 16 and 19

⁴ See: Update on the Building of the Third Temple. See also: Daniel 9:27, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and Revelation 11:1-2

⁵ See: Exodus 12:35-36, 25 – 28, Numbers 7, 31:52 (first temple); 1 Kings 6 – 10 (second temple)

⁶ See: 1 Kings 14, 2 Kings 12, 13, 17, 23, 24, 25, 2 Chronicles 12, 36, Joel 3 (wealth carried away). See also: 2 Kings 17, 23, 2 Chronicles 36

⁷ See: Ezekiel 38

⁸ See: Deuteronomy 28 and 32, and also Leviticus 26

⁹ The Bible predicts three future attacks in Israel:

(1) the 1st War of Gog and Magog during the apocalypse, desperate nations seeking life's basic needs, as described in Ezekiel 38;

(2) the Armageddon War that will end the apocalypse and start The Millennial Reign, as described in Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19:11-21; and 

(3) the  2nd War of Gog and Magog at the end of human history on this current version of Earth, as described in Revelation 20:7-10. 

Out of My Way, USA! (Poem)

See the Israel series here.

This prophetic poem was written: July 22, 2019.

Shared with President Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Sunak, March 2024.

At a time of His choosing,

the USA and ALL other military allies of Israel

will be out of The Lord’s way.

Only then, will Israel look only to Him for its protections and blessings.

These predictive/prophetic promises are literally

ALL OVER THE BIBLE.

Throughout The Bible, patterns are replicated,

Revealing what God loves, and what He has hated.

To the wise, spiritual insights are given.

So from patterns, let’s see what we can determine.

Patterns between Israel and The Church abound.

Some are clear, others are guaranteed to confound! ¹

Patterns between ole Israel and her ‘neighbors’,

Should yield insights and lessons from …yester-years’ blunders.

Out of Egypt, ancient Israel was called,

‘Be separate from neighbors by Me appalled.’

But as into secularism she slipped,

Onto neighbors’ ways, she very tightly gripped.

From out of lands to which her remnants were driven,

A foothold in the ‘promised land’ Jews were given. ²

Secular, they had left that land, two nations …exiled. ³

Secular, they have now returned, one nation …compiled.

Before they left, the sins of their neighbors they’d adopted.

Thus, over time, God’s holy people had been co-opted.

Now that they’re back, nothing much has changed, as yet.

What you see in their neighbors, is what …God gets.

Secular is as secular does.

That is how the world is, just because.

But God promises His plan for Israel shall prevail,

His people, holy and separate, and all that entails. ⁴

Among all of Israel’s past sinful practices,

Was its reliance on unsanctioned alliances.

Military deals with powerful neighbors were struck,

When out of a pickle, by God she might not be plucked. ⁵

Egypt, Assyria and Syria were the nations,

To whom Israel looked for help -- fighting men and weapons.

By these affronts, God was incensed!

In His judgments, He wouldn’t relent! ⁶

Today the USA sits in …the alliance seat,

That was once occupied by this ole …3-nations suite.

In this seat, could she be keeping Israel estranged,

From Him who has said, ‘I AM The Lord. I do not change’??

He also said,

To them who bless or curse you, blessings or curses I will mete.’ ⁷

But were their alliances ‘blessings’ to that 3-nation suite??

Now is the time to …think the unthinkable.

Now is the time to …speak the unspeakable.

Yep…

Throughout The Bible, patterns are replicated,

Revealing what God loves, and what He has hated.

For military alliances, Israel was upbraided,

And by The Lord’s severe judgments, she was later inundated.

All ‘Protect Israel at any cost’ pundits,

Please, let’s stop and reflect for just a few minutes.

God’s judgments for Israel’s ‘alliance bloopers’,

Did not just stay inside her national borders!

Out of the hands of all of her enemies,

God gave Israel deliverance trophies.

Only when in the hands of her enemies,

Did she repent of sins, and keep His decrees.

If we are content to sit in the seat of God,

Playing His declared role, by which folk have been awed, ⁸

Can anyone else here Him say:

‘Get out of My way, USA!’ ? ⁹
~~~
By the date, ‘Ezekiel 38’
The USA will be out of God’s way!!!

(See verse 13!)

Remember: His ways are not our ways...

One day, Israel will learn to ‘call and lean upon’ 

Jesus Christ,The Lord God, its rejected Messiah.

The Bible iteratively GUARANTEES this prophecy.

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¹ For examples, see Laodicean Lackadaisicalness (Series), especially Parts 4-6. Both groups are to be 'holy' or separate from worldly ways.

² In May 1948.

³ The nations of Israel (10 northern tribes), exiled to Assyria, and Judah (2 southern tribes), exiled to Babylon.

⁴ See: Exodus 19:6 and Zechariah 12.

⁵ See: 2 Kings 7:6, 2 Chronicles 16:7-8, Isaiah 30:1-3 and Isaiah 31:3.

⁶ For example, see: Ezekiel 29.

⁷ See: Genesis 12:3. Recall, Ishmael, patriarch of the Arabs, was in Abraham’s loins when The Lord blessed Abraham.

⁸ Awed at His many recorded acts to protect and judge Israel.

⁹ Bible scholars have long pondered why no international military support to Israel is recorded in Ezekiel 38, the key chapter that predicts and outlines the rationale for, and outcome of the 1st War of Gog and Magog. Read it and ponder. (See: Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel) I perceive God’s major reason for the U.S. in our world today is the propagation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, not the protection of other nations, including Israel, at any cost. If God, Who does not change, did not count Israel’s military alliances with Egypt, Assyria and Syria as ‘blessings to Israel’, it is unlikely that He counts the US-Israel military alliance as a ‘blessing to Israel’. Also, God despised, and therefore judged Israel's and Judah's reliance on their OWN weaponry to deliver them from attacks. (See: Ezekiel 33:26) It's high time to think the unthinkable and speak the unspeakable, less we, too, in the USA and other western nations, fall under His judgments.  Finally, see: Hosea 1:7.