The Sovereign's Symphony

While listening to several National Public Radio (NPR) reports about the recent rediscovery and satellite mapping of the entire Roman road network, I was reminded how those ancient routes once carried, not only soldiers and merchants—but also the earliest messengers of The Gospel. The thought stirred this reflection on how The Lord has conducted the rise and fall of hegemon empires, each ‘playing’ its part in His unfolding ‘composition’.

 

Like an expert orchestra conductor,

On His cue, The Lord directed empires,

For ‘lead section roles’ in His strategy.

For each one, He pre-composed unique parts,

To facilitate His ‘musical score’.

Thus, on the world scene, right on cue, they rose!

He Twice Said, 'Shortly!'

Curiously, The Book of Revelation opens and closes with the phrase, ‘…things which must shortly take place.’ That was written circa AD 95. Since then, over 22 centuries, the world has been waiting…or not, for some evidence of the veracity of the prophecies in that book. Most people may have thought, ‘bah humbug’, and have moved on with their lives—those prophecies totally out of mind!   

 

God gave the contents of those prophecies, to Jesus, The Lord God, for Him to show them to us, His servants. (Revelation 1:1) Jesus concluded John’s visionary presentation with the words, ‘I am coming quickly…’. Again, ‘bah humbug’, the likely reaction, not only from the world at large, but I imagine perhaps by many, if not most Christians over the past 22 centuries!

 

Since neither God nor Jesus is capable of lying, then the onus is upon us, to whom these prophecies were sent, to decode their words, shortly and quickly. What if most of us may have just dismissed these words altogether, and thus may not benefit from insights they intended us to perceive? 

Worship or Warfare? (Part 2, dominionists)

See the series here

 

In Part 2, we saw that The Lord’s overt objective for the exodus of ancient Hebrews from Egypt was for them to form an exceeding army:

 

     (a) to be His ‘battle axe’ against the Amorites, a grossly sinful people in Canaan, to whom He had extended another 400 years of Grace, and who were then ready for His judgment (Genesis 15:6); and

     (b) to initiate the much longer set of military campaigns to capture the entirety of the land He had promised to Abram’s descendants—from the Nile-to the-Euphrates rivers—through Jacob, whose name The Lord had changed to Israel. (Genesis 15:18).

 

The exodus was planned to initiate a massive, qualified land deed to the ex-slaves, one with a faith proviso!  As a nation, they would be required to demonstrate sufficient, sustained faith to believe The Lord would ensure their success through a lengthy set of invasions across that wide swarth of land that was fully occupied! Their faith would be demonstrated and tested in the extent to which they would keep His laws. We know ‘the rest of the story…’.  

And Today? 

Missed Insights About Genesis 12:3 (Part 3)

See the series here 

‘I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
and in you, all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.’

Genesis 12:3

 

Perhaps ever since The Lord inspired Moses to pen this pivotal promise, people who read it likely had significantly different understandings of who would be the you in it. Abram, whose name The Lord changed to Abraham, is ‘the father of many nations’. So the possible choices are many across his vast line of descendants—Ishmael’s Arabs, Esau’s Edomites, Jacob’s Hebrews and Jews, and only God knows which others! The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and selected his to be the descendant line through which He would be born as a man, to pay the price for all sin. In light of this, Christians generally interpret the you in this verse, as Jews and governments of Israel. Yet The Bible reveals The Lord’s significantly different choice. 

 

Let’s conclude our exploration of Genesis 12:3, and finally learn who are the descendant you that are thrice referenced in this prophecy. Who gets to ‘claim the prize’ of The Lord’s blessings throughout history??

Worship or Warfare? (Part 1, exodus rebels)

See the series here

When most of us picture the exodus, we see miracles, freedom, Sinai, tablets, and a nation learning to worship. True enough. But what was The Lord’s immediate objective? The classic read is devotional. The Lord’s repeated demand—‘that they may serve Me’ (Exodus 7:16)—is taken as a summons to worship, covenant loyalty, religious festivals, and a tabernacle-centered life. Israel would be forged into a holy (set apart) nation at Sinai; the wilderness would become a classroom of faith; and Canaan waits until the Hebrews become spiritually fit. This perspective coheres with the giving of The Law and the charge to be a kingdom of priests.

 

A second view (as modern voices echo it) highlights timing: Genesis 15:16 states ‘the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.’ Thus, The Lord deliberately delays judgment of the Amorites. The four centuries Hebrews spent in Egypt aren’t merely about Israel’s growth. They allow Canaan’s corruption to ripen to the threshold where judgment is indisputably just. The exodus then becomes the moral regulator of timing: Genesis 15:14, ‘Not yet!’, then 4 centuries later    ‘… NOW!!!’

Missed Insights About Genesis 12:3 (Part 2)

See the series here

‘I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

and in you, all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.’ 

Genesis 12:3

Many Christians may casually quote Genesis 12:3 without asking who this verse addresses over time. They may treat it as a blanket promise of blessing for supporting Jews and/or modern Israel. That is the result of a rather myopic focus on one verse, out of context of the message across the entire Bible! Moreover, as noted in Part 1, they completely side-step the considerable blessings The Lord pronounced on Ishmael, Abraham’s first son, and on his descendants—Arabs.

In Part 2, let’s explore why the ‘you’ in this verse is neither Jews nor Israel. Brace yourselves as we continue with my 4th point in this series. What follows is not ethnic condemnation, but aspects of divine chastening within covenant. This is not a blanket indictment on any people, but a careful reading of how God disciplines within covenant. Please read prayerfully, not defensively.

Tips to Understand The Bible (Part 1)

See Part 2 here

 

I grew up among faithful saints whose education was limited, but whose love for The Lord was real. They passed on what light they had, and I will always honor them for it. Yet I have since discovered that much of what they taught was lifted out of context — single verses detached from their chapters, concepts colored by their socio-economic struggles, and moments divorced from the long sweep of The Lord’s strategy.

 

Sadly, many teachers today may be doing the same or similar things. They may read The Bible with a relatively narrow, religious mindset, for example:

A Cup of Drunkenness and Heavy Stone

 

Readers, 

This is ‘the back and forward story’ of how, when and why Jerusalem is like a cup of drunkenness for surrounding nations, and a HEAVY STONE for the whole world! 

In Zechariah 12:2-3, The Lord inspired the prophet to pen His following intentions:

 

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for ALL peoples; all who would attempt to heave it away will surely injure themselves, though all nations of the Earth are gathered against it.

 

Many, if not most Bible teachers think this applies to the tribulation age, the last half of which will feature the apocalypse and Armageddon. History proves the veracity of this prophecy, and global news reports, daily confirm its continued unfolding. However, history actually demonstrates it began to unfold much earlier—as a repetitive pattern! 

Missed Insights About Genesis 12:3 (Part 1)

See the series here

See the Missed Insights series here

We seriously missed the key points in this verse! 

‘...I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

and in you, all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.’

Genesis 12:3

 

To achieve Heaven’s plans to redeem humans from the eternal curse of our sins, The Lord selected a people lineage through whom He would be born as a man to sacrifice Himself, physically and spiritually, and thus pay our unpayable price. That lineage is Jews, born through Jacob, whose name The Lord changed to Israel. From Heaven’s perspective, their selection, first hinted in Genesis 3:15 and later in Genesis 12:3, was intended as an incredible blessing! An eventual righteous remnant of that lineage will be appointed to serve Him as immortal priests in the global capital city of a promised, new, MASSIVE, eternal Earth. (Exodus 19:6) How exciting! Yet...sadly, their, and our collective sinfulness has flipped many aspects of this script.  

 

Many Christians might be conflicted about Genesis 12:3, possibly thinking it narrowly means: ‘Bless Israel, or The Lord will curse you.’ If only we would s-l-o-w  d-o-w-n and perceive the Biblical, historical and spiritual contexts of this verse, we might comprehend it in a much wider, sharper, and more ‘unsettling ‘light’ than our religious mindsets may allow. ¹ 

Foresaw, Seeing, Foreseeing: America's Decision Crossroads

America’s so-called forefathers who drafted the Constitution, ‘foresaw’ an authoritative executive who would run roughshod over the Constitution, and trash core values enshrined therein. Remember Ben Franklin’s quote, ‘A republic, IF you can keep it’. That was in response to the question, ‘What kind of government was created at the Constitutional Convention?’ The person/people who asked that question is/are long gone. We today have become the ‘you’ who apparently couldn’t keep it. Because we returned to the executive, someone who promised to fulfill just about everything those forefathers foresaw, we now see what they foresaw. 

To My Jewish Kinfolk (Letter)

See the Hasty Jewish Migrations series here

See the Israel series here

Framed in The Lord’s voice, 

as He impressed upon me in prayer.

 

My Dear Jewish Kinfolk,

 

I am Jesus Christ, The Lord God, and soon-to-be-revealed Jewish Messiah. 

 

I recently inspired my servant, J!, to sharpen his focus and understanding about the 9 Hebrew/Jewish migrations historically and prophetically noted across the pages and ages of My Bible. He pointed out that 5 of those migrations were/would be hasty, 3 of which are historical, and 2 remain as prophetic. I write this letter through Him to accentuate the 2 pending hasty, global, Jewish migrations I have ordained.

 

Some Bible teachers are correct in comparing the 4th pending migration to the exodus of your ancestors out of ancient Egypt. Yet their comparisons have missed a few, key, strategic points worth clarifying. Hence this letter.

First, Long Silence, Now, Compressed Age! (Letter)

See the Letters series here

Dear Lord, 

 

When Judeans began to return to Palestine from their exile in Babylon (circa 538 BC—the 6th century BC), You allowed them about 400 years to re-establish, in Palestine, the Jewish language, lifestyle, culture, 2nd temple, and covenantal life—touted as 400 years of silence from Heaven.

 

My heart once trembled at the thought of such a long delay after the AD 70 exile ended in 1948, when Israel was re-established as a unified, modern nation. As Jews’ return from Babylon was strategically in preparation for Your first coming—Your birth as a man, Scripture is abundantly clear that their 1948 return is strategically in preparation for Your return as Earth’s global king—Your promised second coming.

Hasty Jewish Migrations (Climax, Part 4)

See the series here. 

 

As the plight of Palestinians 

Play out across Palestine,

The Lord’s plans, for Jews assigned:

Two more hasty, global migrations! ¹ 

 

The first one, penned by Zechariah,

Will be before The Lord’s return— ² 

‘Set-up’ for attacks led by Russia, 

Following its ‘Ukraine pattern’?? ³

The First and Last Hegemons

Psst…. Hey there,

What do you think might be Heaven’s reason for establishing and allowing hegemony among the nations of the world? ¹ Might we intuit answers by examining the Grand Marshall and Special Entry in history’s parade of hegemons—typically the first and last entries of a parade?

 

Biblically, nations emerged after the flood (Genesis 10–11); historically, our earliest, clear nation-state patterns appeared post-Tower of Babel. But why nations? Why were certain nations allowed to grow to the point that they could/would dominate other nations across a range of sectors? And why have they ultimately collapsed under their own weight—successively corroded in morality and coherence?

The Bible indicates nations were a post-Tower of Babel development, in response to The Lord’s command for people to multiply and fill the Earth. Post-flood humans had a better idea than to scatter a thin population across the vast, empty Earth! We know who won that argument! After He confused their languages, they spread far and wide, grouped by languages. That led to the development of unique cultures and social arrangements. It also led to eventual competition, as each nation developed differently, according to its culture, social arrangements, and especially available NATURAL RESOURCES! But I intuit Heaven may have had other, more strategic, ‘story-telling’ purposes in this progression.

Freedom of 'Seasoned' Speech (Poem)

Freedom of speech, an intended Grace,

Some governments give to citizens.

But with traps, it is heavily laced,

Turning some folks into …‘shitizens’!

 

You see, with Graces to us given,

We have a natural tendency,

To ‘hog’ it for ‘us, and our chosen’,

And restrict others’ dependency.

Leadership 'Inversality' (Poem)

In choosing leaders to serve,

The Lord God displays His Hand,

Giving to any people,

Leaders He knows they deserve.

He thus achieves His Grand Plan,

That’s revealed in His Bible. ¹

 

History echoes this pattern,

From ancient, to modern times.

We could see it if only,

Into folks’ hearts we could discern.

Yet there is a paradigm,

That shows it to us clearly! ²

 

Though He gives us ‘freedom of choice’,

He knows what we’ll choose in advance,

His foreknowledge plus our freedom,

Synergistically form ‘a voice’.

So what we think happens by chance,

Is that voice, shaping His outcomes! ³