Palestinian Immigration (Q&A)

This question is from a comment on the post,
Cup of Drunkenness, Extended

Q: Are you out of your mind? Palestine belongs to Palestinians. Stop parroting Zionist non-sense. They will fight until they get their land back as they have done so in the past 75 years of occupation. The Palestinians are god's people.

 

A: Thanks for your passionate and pertinent question. I ‘feel your passion’. 

 

My answer: YES, Praise The Lord!!! On every perceived aspect of His long-predicted, unfolding plan for the closing of this 3^rd age of human history, I AM INDEED OUT OF MY CARNAL MIND! Moreover, I invite, even IMPLORE you to join me in this state-of-mind. Apostle Paul tells us why…

‘…For to be carnally-minded is [signifies spiritual] death, but to be spiritually-minded is life and peace.’ (Romans 8:6)

 

Like a fish swimming in the direction of ocean currents, it takes little or no effort for us to simply go with the flow of shifting cultural currents and carnal-minded trends of the world. That’s what we are typically raised, trained and formally-educated to do. But via His born-again experience, Jesus, The Lord God, ardently challenges this, by insisting that His bona fide saints ‘renew our minds’ (i.e., our soulish, culturally-stained thinking processes). Paul puts it this way…

‘…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove [demonstrate] what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

 

This essentially translates into cultivating within us, The Mind of Christ, in accordance with 1 Corinthians 2:16…

‘For who has known The Mind of The Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we [The Lord’s saints] have [been spiritually given] The Mind of Christ.’

 

Having been given that Mind, does not automatically equate to receiving it by faith, and then cultivating it to become an active part, and eventually the predominant part of our thinking process. Cultivating His Mind within us, is the quintessential, post-born-again task of every bona fide Christian. And trust me, at this time in human history, I know of no other aspect of life to which His Mind must be applied, than to His exceptionally clear, iteratively-promised, unfolding plan for the nation of Israel.

 

Any strategic undertaking requires a solid understanding of relevant base lines and the end objectives, and an approach to monitor the evolving mid-points along the developing trend line. Thus, perceiving The Lord’s Mind requires a basic understanding of His history with the Hebrews and Jews, and some clarity on His strategic end-point.

 

Here are our starting points…

1. The Earth [all land] is [belongs to] The Lord’s, and all its fullness [everything on the land], the world and those who dwell therein (Psalm 24:1), and 

2. ‘…the living [humanity] may [should] know that The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.’ (Daniel 4:17)

 

Anyone familiar with American history will know to whom The Lord gave America, both before and after Europeans arrived! Humans claiming any land as their heritage, only lasts as long as their Grace from The Lord. In Jeremiah 9:23-24, Jeremiah 17:10, and Ezekiel 14:12-23, He has clearly laid out both His strategic plan, and His implementation tactics in dealing with humans. Problem: We choose to be ignorant of, or to ignore what He said, thus we all suffer the consequences!!!

 

For his faithfulness, The Lord promised to Abraham, a huge portion of land, spanning from the Nile-to-the-Euphrates rivers. He subsequently promised this land to Abraham’s descendants through the seed of Jacob, whose name The Lord changed to Israel. In our day, much of that land is occupied by Arab nations, the descendants of Abraham’s first son, Ishmael, whom The Lord also promised to bless.

 

In Genesis 15:13-16, The Lord told Abraham his (then) small group of descendants would be removed from the land for 400 years, while He extended more Grace to the grossly sinful occupants (Amorites and Canaanites). So when His Grace to these occupants expired, they were ‘very ripe’ for The Lord’s severe judgment for their exceedingly gross sinfulness. That’s why He dispatched Moses to Egypt to initiate and complete the process of getting Pharaoh to release the Hebrew slaves – the exodus. 

 

Once they were released, The Lord ordered them to form an army, and to slay ALL residents occupying the promised lands….a spare-none GENOCIDE, reflecting the severity of their sinful condition that The Lord had tolerated for an untold number of centuries, possibly millennia! Caveat!!! Genocide was, and clearly remains on His agenda for protracted, gross, un-repented sinfulness!!! (See: Humans Rare on Earth? (Q&A))

 

Initially, the newly freed slaves refused to form an army and take over the massive amount of land promised to them. Their refusal led to them wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, until the next generation grew up, and was ready to obey The Lord’s command. But centuries after the ancient take-over began, it petered-out. Even King David was unable to, or refused to conquer ALL the lands. Thus, the Jews settled among the locals across the relatively small portion of the promised land they had conquered (in Palestine). The Lord warned the Jews that, in doing so, they would eventually begin to practice all the horribly sinful practices of the locals, sins that The Lord DETESTED, and that were the very reasons He had issued His GENOCIDE command, after His Grace to the Amorites and Canaanites had expired! 

 

Just as predicted, it happened! The Jews not only took on the grossly sinful ways of the locals (e.g., sacrificing their children in fire, to demons). They also embraced the wicked attitude, ‘this is OUR land, given to Abraham!’, while totally ignoring the conditional part of The Lord’s promise to Abraham and to them, namely, that they would be allowed to remain in, and possess the land, IF they obeyed His commands!!! And now, in our days, many of their descendants exemplify the same old, prideful attitudes that got their ancestors kicked off the land!!

 

When The Lord’s Grace extended to the ancient Jews ran out, He dispatched the Assyrian army to wipe out the 10 northern tribes (called Israel), and a century later, He dispatched the Babylonian army to wipe out the 2 southern tribes (called Judah). With both invasions, He promised to preserve and return to the land, two remnant groups of Jews (united as one nation), in order to keep His promises to Abraham, Jacob and Moses.

 

The  remnants from ancient Israel (in the north) were scattered across Eurasia and Europe, and were known as the 10 lost tribes. Shortly after Persia conquered the Babylonian Empire, most of the Judean remnant group, and their descendants, returned to Palestine from exile in Babylon, exactly as The Lord had, much earlier, promised would happen. They rebuilt Judah, and Jerusalem, its capital, according to Heaven’s plan for timing of the birth of The Lord Jesus, as their Messiah, Whom, as foretold, they would reject and slaughter on a cross just outside of Jerusalem. [His death paid the price for our sins, and provided a legal basis for the Grace of salvation to be extended to all who would embrace it by faith.] perhaps as judgment for this and many other sinful acts, Jesus, before His crucifixion, promised Judah and Jerusalem would, once again, be invaded and destroyed, and a remnant of Judean Jews would be scattered all across the world, just as the Jews from the 10 northern tribes had been scattered centuries earlier! The Lord’s prediction happened 70 years after His crucifixion - further proof that Jesus is God! These global scatterings never for a moment changed The Lord’s initial, over-arching, strategic objective for a large Jewish remnant, which He had declared in Exodus 19:6. Thus, at a time of His choosing, He remains determined to return EVERY remnant Jew to the whole promised land, not just to Palestine, the small portion ancient Jews had conquered. (See: Preparing Priestly People (Poem))

 

For centuries, these scatterings resulted in practically no substantive Jewish presence in Palestine. The establishment of current-day Israel in May 1948, initiated The Lord’s promised re-gathering process. This event likely signaled the beginning of the end of their historical, yo-yo relationship with that relatively small portion of the promised land their ancestors had conquered long ago! The re-gathering would be a protracted process, culminating at a time when: 

(a) Jews worldwide will HURRIEDLY FLEE to Israel, until there is no more room for them, spilling over into Lebanon and Jordan, per Zechariah 10:10, perhaps like they hurriedly fled from Egyptian slavery, and also from post-World War II Europe (See: The Coming Lame Blame (Poem); and later,

(b) nations across the world will willingly and very graciously aid all remaining Jews outside of Israel, to migrate to Israel. (Imagine that!) (See: Letter to 3rd Age Christians (Poem), and also Tribulation Age Journalists (Poem, Part 4))

 

In two out three times when The Lord drew Jewish remnants back to the portion of promised land their ancestors had conquered, they fought with other peoples who had occupied the land in their absence. These were when they returned from Egypt in the exodus, and when they returned from EurAsia in May 1948. I intuit the stream of conflicts and wars since 1948, will continue UNTIL either the world wakes up and realizes what’s going on, spiritually-speaking, and gets on board with The Lord’s plan (fat chance, right?), OR The Lord returns to put stark ends to the two predicted attacks in Israel, at the end of the 4th age of history, the tribulation age! (See: Human History Ages (Series) and also Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel. 

 

Some years ago, a Bible scholar determined there was, at that time, an 80% success rate of Bible predictions that had become historical facts. Based on my personal studies, I perceive there remain relatively few Bible predictions that have yet to become factual. Anyone familiar with the predicted precursors of the close of this current, 3^rd age of history, will readily recognize nearly ALL of them in Matthew 24:3-14, 2 Thessalonians 2, 1 Timothy 4 and elsewhere are now factual!!! This increases my faith that, in time, all remaining Bible predictions will eventually become historical facts. Believe what you will. 

 

In this life, I have the option of joining every other person who perceives ‘what’s really going on’, either from an ‘ant-like’ perspective, crawling across my life’s path, or to try my level best to perceive life from the highest possible perspective, from Heaven’s angle. I choose the latter, as the former did not serve me well at all! 

 

What to do if a freight train is barreling down the tracks at full speed,

and a fully-loaded fuel truck is stranded across the tracks??

 

That’s the equivalent of what I perceive re. the so-called Palestinian issue! In light of The Lord’s unchangeable, pre-determined strategic plan, and its associated warnings, the world has some stark choices to make. My proposal for Palestinian immigration to Arab nations, with pathways to citizenship, is merely one among many options that must be considered in a timely manner, in order to minimize the agonies of not choosing, or mis-choosing. Indeed, no Arab nation is currently receptive to such an out-of-the-box concept! Let’s see what happens, especially:

1. when the next series of conflicts or wars break-out; 

2. when the U.S. is once again called upon to ‘sit in the seat of ancient Israel’s military alliances’ (See: Out of My Way, USA! (Poem); and 

3. when the developed world is, once again, called upon to rebuild Gaza and/or the West Bank. 

 

So in light of the above contextual review, I now ask you…

 

WHO ARE OUT OF THEIR MINDS??

The Cup of Drunkenness, Extended! (A Proposed Concept)

 

See the Israel series here 

Listen to Seri audio version here

It is absolutely clear that The Lord promised to make Jerusalem ‘a cup of drunkenness’ for surrounding nations, and ‘a very heavy stone’ for the whole world. (Zechariah 12:1-4)

 

Ok, I say, since 1948, that box has been checked on His ‘to-do’ list. Do you agree?? And would you also agree it appears The Lord’s ‘cup of drunkenness’ notion has been considerably EXTENDED, across Israel, the Middle East, and …the whole world?! This appears to be the result of the so-called Palestinian issue.

But it is not so clear in The Bible how long such conditions would last. I made the mistake of ‘assuming’ it would last until He arrives to start His Millennial Reign. Lord knows, I HOPE I AM WRONG!!! 

 

From my nearly five decades of international economic development experience, I have learned pretty much anything can be strategically designed, and with the ‘right leadership, leverage, and proper monitoring and assessment framework, it can have a reasonable chance of being implemented, with relative success.

 

With the collective wisdom He has given us, I pray that all peace-loving international leaders, especially those across the Middle East, will FINALLY come together, and collectively determine to design, implement, carefully monitor and assess a plausible, sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue! I believe such may be within the world’s reach …NOW. The war in Gaza may well provide the world a unique, strategic opportunity to do this for the Palestinian issue, if - IF folks are willing to ‘think outside of their traditionally boxed mindsets’. 

I perceive one remote concept world, and especially Middle East regional leaders, should seriously examine is…

proportional immigration of Palestinians

into capable, receptive Arab nations, 

with pathways to citizenship.

 

I cannot imagine the gargantuan task of rebuilding Gaza from scratch, only to face the exceptionally strong likelihood of more, iterative rebuilding, given the strong likelihood of future Israeli-Palestinian conflicts and wars! Can you?!?! 

The world’s refusal to give serious consideration to the above concept, after 50 years of Israeli military occupation, too many armed conflicts and wars, may simply signal a preference for …more of the same. Retaining the Palestinian issue as a ‘global political football’ seems to be the world’s preference.

As a step of faithful obedience, I shared the above concept with President Joe Biden and key members of his senior foreign affairs team. Their strong support for a two-states answer to this issue remains strong. That literally ‘flies in the face’ of The Lord God’s long-promised plan to regather Jews back to Israel, from all across the world, in preparation for the unique roles a Jewish remnant must play in His long-promised, pending, Millennial Reign. Fulfillment of His ancient promise began in May 1948, and continues to this day. He promised Jews would eventually FLEE to Israel, spilling over into Lebanon and Gilead, in northern Jordan, ‘until no more room is found for them’. To understand His very clear, written, strategic basis for these predictions, the broader context, and how it may unfold, please see: Israel (Series). 

Yes, I fully recognize the notion of even remotely aligning global political action on any issue, contextually, with Biblical prophecies, seems ludicrous! Nevertheless, students of ancient Jewish history, and of The Lord’s past dealings with the ancient nations of Israel and Judah, will easily perceive His hand shaping/manipulating global events …to achieve His purposes, resistance to which is very evidently futile. 

Please join me in praying for the ‘right leadership’ from across the peace-loving international community, to be persuaded to perceive, and then seize upon the unique strategic opportunity the war in Gaza presents the world to resolve the Palestinian issue. This is only possible if - IF folks are willing to ‘think outside of their traditionally boxed mindsets’. 

Let’s believe for leaders ‘with the right stuff and heart’,

and for The Lord’s Hand to guide them.

He shapes the times, that shape …great leaders~

—————

See: Who will pay for Gaza reconstruction?

Post-death Consciousness? (Q&A)

 

See Bible Q&A (Series) here

Listen to Siri audio version here

Q.  What does The Bible say about post-death consciousness?

 

A. Thank you for this very deep and pertinent question. The Bible has quite a LOT to say on this topic. I will endeavor to summarize what I perceive and understand, with relevant references. Please be patient as I unfold many of its insights.

 

The Bible attests, and is abundantly clear there are two stages of our post-death consciousness:

 

     1. A temporary, post-death, pre-resurrection consciousness

     2. An eternal, post-death, post-resurrection consciousness

 

Let’s dig in…

 

1. Post-death, Pre-resurrection Consciousness

 

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells this story. The introduction is proof enough that it was not a parable, but an historical event that only He alone was equipped to share with us.

 

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ (NKJV)

 

In this dialog, the twins spirit and soul of the three deceased men were conscious, fully aware of their environment, and also very sentient. Moreover, Father Abraham was aware of the pre-death lifestyles of both the rich man and of Lazarus. The three men were experiencing significantly different post-death, pre-resurrection conditions – the rich man in hellish torment, while Abraham and Lazarus were in the protected, non-tormented region of hades. This requires some background…

 

Since the creation of man, The Lord’s highest strategic objective has been and remains …to harvest, from six ages of human history on this current version of Earth, a remnant of humans, called faithful saints, to whom He will show everlasting Grace and Mercy on a new, eternal Earth. (See: Human History Ages (Series)) Before He was born as a man to pay the price for our sins, every person who died was destined for one of two regions of hell (hades): the lower tormented region or the protected upper region. Once He paid our sin price, via His crucifixion, The Lord’s twins spirit and soul descended into hades (Ephesians 4:9-10), and preached His Gospel to deceased saints, people from the first two ages of human history who had died in faith toward God. (1 Peter 3:18-22) They were all resurrected with Him, and were very likely raptured to the new, eternal Earth that The Lord had long promised to Isaiah. (Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22) 

Apparently, Matthew 27:51-53 is the only known record of a tiny slice of this global event, as Matthew could only recount what he either experienced and/or heard about. This resurrection and rapture event was predicted in Psalm 68:18, and was affirmed in Ephesians 4:8. This event signals that Christ’s death and resurrection not only opened the gateway to Heaven for all saints who would die during the remaining ages of history. It also signals that the upper region of hell has been shut down, no longer needed! HALLELUJAH to Jesus!!! As a result, Apostle Paul was commission to write 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, affirming the location of the twins spirit and soul of every saint who dies in the remaining (3rd to 6th) ages of history. The Revelation of Jesus Christ even confirms this point in Heaven. (Revelation 6:9-11 and 7:9-17) 

 

Here are some further Bible proofs of a post-death, pre-resurrection consciousness:

 

--Though The Lord had long warned ancient Israel not to engage in séances with mediums to access the spirit world, they disobeyed. 1 Samuel 28 is an historical account of one such séance that ‘called up’ the spirit of Samuel, a deceased prophet. See what he was clearly aware of! 

--Job is reportedly the oldest Book of The Bible. I discuss the considerable significance of this in Cornerstone: Cause=>Effect (Series). Much like the first chapter in a well-written book, it literally ‘sets the stage’ for every strategic point The Lord God desires mankind to understand. Then, every subsequent book of The Bible strategically unfolds and elaborates the details of these points, with an incredible array of promises to both the good and wicked people, and wraps it all up with an amazing array of good and bad examples pertaining to each promise! Ever imagined that?? In light of that, ponder this: In Job 14:22 (read in context), does he seem to infer a type of post-death consciousness?? This question has been debated at length. What insights do you intuit The Lord wants us to derive from this curious verse, insights that are strategically unfolded and elaborated throughout …the rest of The Bible??

 

2. Post-death, Post-resurrection Consciousness

 

Christ’s resurrection from the grave is demonstrated proof of life after death. Apostle Paul declared Christ was ‘the first-fruits’ of humans who will die. We all shall live again, eternally, to experience one of only two pre-determined, conscious, sentient, full-bodied lives (spirit, soul, body): either in a glorious region on The Lord’s promised new, eternal Earth, or in His lake of fire, likely on the same Earth, in the company of every devil and demon, plus death and (get this) hell, itself. Yep, hell itself will be cast into the lake of fire, insinuating that the lake of fire must be much bigger and possibly much hotter than hell. Imagine that!  (See: Earth’s Next Versions (Series), and The Lake of Fire, A Preview (Series). See also: Revelation 20 – 22.)

 

For the coming ages of history on this current Earth (post-Christ’s resurrection), He has emphatically given us His criteria for joining Him in the glorious region on the new, eternal Earth. It is summarized in His pre-death discourse with Nicodemus, in John 3:1-21. Since then, we have found many creative ways to challenge and deny The Lord’s assertion that, we must be born-again to enter into The Kingdom of Heaven. Similarly, we have found ever creative ways to challenge and deny His personal revelation about the final four ages of human history, although on His version, He has sealed an exceptionally strong ‘copyright’. (See: Is Jesus God (Series))

 

Revelation includes 12 references to ‘elders’ who surround The Throne of God upon which Jesus sits -- one Throne, per Revelation 22:1-3. These elders wear a crown and white robes. They might possibly be either some of the people who were led out of hell and raptured into Heaven when Jesus was resurrected, or people who had been raptured directly into Heaven before His crucifixion, e.g., Enoch, Elijah, etc.

 

My conclusion: The Bible is admirably internally consistent in its core, strategic messages to humans!

What's yours?

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FYI, here’s why I refer to the spirit and soul as ‘twins’:

 

--Per Hebrews 4:12, they can be separated, thus they must not be identical.

--The Bible reveals they both (1) have the same key attributes of imagination, emotions, and the abilities to see, hear, perceive, understand; and (2) are receptive to, ‘seeds sown’ that will  produce good and evil fruits. All that we experience in this life is the result of such seeds sown… good, bad and ugly!

 

Jesus, The Lord God, created mankind in His own, personal, tripartite image: eternal spirit, soul and body. Thus, Adam and Eve were created as immortal, tripartite beings. Sin made only their (and our) bodies mortal, able to die physically. Our spirit and soul never lost their immortality. Sin only changed the eternal destination of our resurrected, immortal, tripartite being. Folks who deny this are in for …the SHOCK of their eternal lives!!!