2013_ A BLESSED NEW YEAR!!

All too soon the old Year 2012 has passed into history and cannot be recalled except for the memories. It has been a special and memorable one, a year when the world experienced unprecedented disasters, including Hurricane Sandy; saw the greatest Olympic and Paralympic Games here in the UK; Palestine voted in as a non-member state by the UN; the devastating  civil war in Syria, accompanied by the plight of the  refugees who fled the war zones; massacres including that of little children in the USA;  the severe persecution and martyrdom   of Christians in many lands, including parts of Nigeria and the continued global economic crises, including Greece,  to name a few of the happenings in 2012.   

The New Year, 2013 has arrived and we give thanks to our loving Elohim for His mercies, His protection  and His grace and for sparing our lives to see this New Year. Sadly, many both young and old alike who thought they would be alive to see it, were not privileged to do so because their lives were taken due to illnesses, wars, disasters, massacres, etc.

We are now in the early days of the Year 2013 A.D. Many in the this world view 2013 with trepidation because of what they are experiencing and what they perceive is happening in the world.  This is especially so with the grave financial situations in many lands, including the USA, the mightiest of nations, of which it is said: “When Washington, the capital, sneezes, the rest of the world gets a cold”.

The disasters have begun with the severe bush fires in parts of south eastern Australia,  while  some countries are experiencing tornadoes, floods, storms, typhoons, cyclones, earthquakes and severe weather conditions including heavy snow and ice storms. Human misery  in many lands is great. This is especially so for the refugees who have fled the fighting in Syria and those suffering because of the great disasters. The massacre of Christians in Nigeria and certain other countries has continued and so have wars, piracy on the high seas, hostage takings and assassinations.

Indeed, we are living in very serious times and the outlook for many is frightening.  This is especially so as many established firms and companies close down and many continue to lose  their jobs or are made redundant. The downward financial spiral, over which there is little or no control, adds to the fear as conditions in the world worsen.

The terrible disasters in many lands, especially the severe floods, are affecting the food baskets around the world and many are suffering from  hunger and lack of clean water.  Inflation is at such a high level that many in west are unable to purchase enough food to feed themselves and their  families.  Many have to depend upon handouts to meet their basic needs. 

Global warming has caused the glaciers and ice Bergs to melt and along with the heavy rains the rivers and seas are taking over the land in some countries.  The wild animals are also suffering as they lose their natural habitats and likewise domestic animals as disasters strike.  The list of the woes are endless.  We are in 2013, and it would bring  comfort and assurance to the peoples of this world if the sufferings they are experiencing, due to the great calamities, etc, would all come to an end. 

Sadly, there is   no such assurance because these are the happenings which we read in the Holy  Scriptures would precede Yahushua’s return to this world for His children who have accepted Him as their personal Saviour from sin and death. Concerning these end-time happenings, Yahushua Ha Mashiach says:

Matthew 24: 4-14

“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”.

Luke 21: 8-11

“8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. 9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. 10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”

Luke 21: 25-28

”25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man[King Yahushua]  coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

The apostle Paul also wrote in  2 Timothy 3: 1-5:

“1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”.

These are some of the signs prophesied in the Scriptures which would be at the end of the Age prior to the return of Yahushua. There is however one passage in the Scriptures which is pertinent to His return to this planet.  It is found in Luke 21:24.  It reads:

           “…and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”.

For almost 2000 years Jerusalem was under the rule of Gentile Nations until 1967 when Elohim Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, returned it to the Jews during the Six Day War. Since that time many wars have been fought between the Arabs and the Jews to retake Jerusalem. There have been many summits and the drawing up of road maps for it and other lands to be given up.  However the old city Jerusalem is unlike any other city in this world.  It is the city our Elohim came as His own and which Matthew 5: 35 calls “the city of the great King  (Elohim Yahweh)”.

The battle  is still on for Jerusalem to be returned to Gentile rule as the Capital of the Palestinian state. The pressure is being exerted by the United Nations for it to return to Gentile rule.  The “Arab Spring” has brought the downfall of many Arab leaders, including Egypt which is now under the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood and an enemy of Israel.   The civil war wages in Syria and once it falls all sights will be on Israel to remove it from the map, as the leader of Iran has said.  The threat cannot be ignored, nor taken lightly because of the following statements:

“FIRST WE TAKE DAMASCUS, THEN TEL AVIV: The leader of the radical Salafist movement in Jordan, whose organization actively supports the Syrian rebels' efforts to topple President Bashar Assad's regime this week warned that once the Damascus opposition achieves its primary goal, it will set its sights on Israel. Abed Shihadeh, the group's leader said, "We tell Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister to get ready. The army of the Prophet Mohammad is coming your way." Shihadeh added: "Those carrying explosives in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan will find you. The next fight is between us and you." The jihadist leader pledged to take over Damascus and then head to Tel Aviv. “As far as we are concerned, Palestine stretches from river to sea, from Rafah to a-Nakura. We will not rest until Palestine is liberated."’ (Ynet) 

“SYRIAN GENERALS ORDERED TO ATTACK ISRAEL IF ASSAD FALLS: Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has ordered his military chiefs to launch ballistic missiles at Israel if he is killed by rebel forces, according to sources in Damascus cited by Israeli media this week. The online newspaper Inyan Merkazi reported Assad met with his top generals recently to express concerns he could be taken out by advanced US missiles recently provided to rebel forces, or by a mob similar to the one that violently murdered former Libyan dictator Muamar Gaddafi. Should either of those scenarios become reality, Assad reportedly told the generals to unleash Syria's considerable missile arsenal on Israel and Egypt. Syria is officially in a state of war with Israel and hosts numerous terror groups dedicated to the Jewish state's demise. Assad is angry with Egypt due to the new Muslim Brotherhood-controlled government's support for Syrian rebel groups, many of which are fellow Islamists. Last year Assad warned if his rule were truly threatened, he would ignite the powder keg that is the Middle East. That threat remains a very real concern”. (Israel Today).

Those opposed to Israel are determined to remove her from off the earth, so that all the lands of the Middle East will be under Islamic rule.  The question is:  Will Elohim Yahweh allow Jerusalem to go back under Gentile rule?  Will He allow the state of Israel to be wiped off the earth? We will see what is written in His Word about the matter.  Concerning Israel and the Israelis , it is prophesied in Jeremiah 31: 35-37:

“35 Thus saith [Yahweh] the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord [Yahweh] of hosts is his name: 36 if those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord [Yahweh], then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37  Thus saith the Lord [Yahweh]; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord [Yahweh]”.

The plan is to wipe Israel from off the map and  have a united Middle East. However, The demise of Israel as a nation, spells the demise for the world. That is not the plan of our Elohim for Israel because He keeps Israel and does not slumber nor sleep (Psalm 12: 3-8).  Therefore, in light of the preceding  Scriptures and quotes, Yahushua could return for His children  at anytime, therefore His admonition to us in Matthew 24: 44, is:

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man [King Yahushua Ha Mashiach] cometh”.

The Question is: Will Yahushua return in 2013 for His children and put this earth to rest?  The answer is unknown because no one knows the day nor the hour when King Yahushua will return and fulfil His Promise in John 14: 1-3, which says:

“1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know”.

Yahushua is sure to return and will return to this world for His children.  At that time He will  put this earth to  rest, so that she will enjoy her Sabbaths.  However, we do not know when that time will be. Therefore, it is important that we heed Yahushua’s admonition in Matthew 24: 44:

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man [King Yahushua Ha Mashiach] cometh”.

By the grace of our Elohim let us heed the admonition and be in a state of readiness to meet King Yahushua, or to go to be with Him should we die before His return.

I pray that Elohim Yahweh, our Father, Yahushua Ha Mashiach our Saviour and the Ruach Ha Kodesh will be with you, keep you in His care and richly bless you during 2013.

NB Scriptures used in the Post are taken from the KJV of the Bible