In the case of the witness to the Jews, it was done (past tense) to “hurry up the End Days” and Jews were not allowed to keep the culture and history as The Chosen of God. In Asia as well as Africa, the witness to the people was done to “Westernize” them and “Anglicize” them. As a result the efforts were less than successful. Fortunately, the efforts have changed and those of Asia, in particular China and India, have created homegrown evangelists with culturally appealing motives and results. Hundreds of people are coming to the Messiah, Jesus daily. But still the efforts in America to evangelize the Jews is still grounded on the theory that it all related to the “Second Coming” of Jesus.

This is what disturbs me. The true motive should be that the Christ came first for the Jews and then the Gentiles. Westernizing them and turning them into “Good Protestants” is not in the plan of God. Jews are to come to Christ because of His Love for them as the Chosen People of the Father. We, the Western Christians have no more right in turning Jews into Anglicized Christians than we have the right to make Chinese WASP think-alike’s.

We need to let the Chosen Children of God be the people that God made and to promote the message of Jesus in context to the understanding that they are the first of His children. Somehow that is inconceivable to our superiority complex type of thinking. I know that the approach of the “Jews for Jesus” is more in tune with the biblical teaching of Isaiah and Ezekiel, yet they attract as many non-Jews as Jews to their calling. Messianic Judaism is also effective in bringing American Jews to the Lord Redeemer. But the fear of the last thousand years of persecution of the Jews by European Christians will not be erased so easily.

The conflict is still there but that does not seem to be a problem to the Chinese Christians. They and the Believers in India accept Western help but seek to put their “twist” on the Word and make it not American or British, but Asian. Korean Evangelists have been expressing the Gospel with their Eastern perspective that does not have a history of animosity toward the Jews or to the Muslims. Their efforts have shown some success in the Middle East for where ever they go to find work, they set up places of worship. India will soon be reaching out to their neighbors and will join with the Chinese Christians in spreading the Gospel westward into Asia Minor and North Africa as they also seek work ourside of India. But the Chinese are the leaders in the spread of the Good News of Jesus throughout Asia.

And they have a vision! That vision is to bring the Gospel from China along the “Silk Road” all the way to Jerusalem. Even though they suffer persecution in China, they desire to spread the Good News westward into Nations of Turmoil and adversity and plant Churches where ever they are. The goal is to plant faith based communities in every nation. Because of this effort being done under persecution, they will spread the word just as the Christians of the early church did. Their efforts will be more successful because of the persecution. Where the Western efforts show little results, their efforts will reap vast converts and I predict that through the efforts of these persecuted Christians, Jerusalem will become a Nation of Christ and still remain the Nation of Jews.

I have no Bible verses that confirm this other than the belief of Paul that Jerusalem would accept their Messiah before the Second Coming of Jesus. I do not accept some of the ideas that have been presented over the last hundred and fifty years regarding the End Days but I do hold that Jerusalem will be the center of Christian thought rather than Rome or any other Western City. It is an understanding that those who suffer for Christ are better witnesses that those of us who have no concept of suffering. The Gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire during the early years with termendous persecution. In China and India, and now North Africa, persecution of Christians is growing and the Word of God is spreading. I have a warm place in my heart for the Children of Abraham and it has always been my prayer as one adopted into the Family of God, that they would be like the prodigal son and return to the Father and seek his mercy.

So my “prophecy” is that Israel will not come to Christ by the West but by the East. The evangelical approach of America and Europe will fail because they will not trust us. They will accept the Faith of those who will come to them from the East because their motives will be pure while ours will seem to be with strings attached. Perhaps this is the message to the West; let our motives be as pure as the Message. Seek to redeem the Children for their sake and not for any other motive. Let God’s grace guide us and bless us so that we can be fruitful witnesses to His Word.

It has been awhile since I wrote on Psalm 119 and that is in part because I had written on the first verse and at the time didn’t have anything else to say at that time (see: “Lamp Unto My Feet!”, posted Oct. 29 , 2009). The power of the first verse is so great that I had to wait upon the LORD to guide me into an understanding that went beyond the opening of this stanza. Even now, I wonder if it is the right message that I should give concerning the remaining verses of the text.

The writer of the Psalm is conveying that even as those who set snares and folly in his path to prevent him from walking safely in the Law, God’s Word is the Light that keeps him safe. It shows him the pitfalls of man and the entanglements of the world so that he might avoid them. He starts with the promise to stay firm in the Word and that he is grateful to have the instruction of Moses to keep his life in order. To him, the Law of God is wonderful! For many years I was taught that as Christians, we were no longer bound to the Law, yet as I matured in the understanding of the Ways of God, I found that I was compelled to regard them with fondness because they kept the Children of God safe.

When the Children of Israel, the remnant of Judea, returned from Babylon they had lost much of their culture, religious practice and their faith as well as their language. Nehemiah had to teach them the Law all over again. The Word of God had to be explained to them in Aramaic because they had forgotten their own language, Hebrew. This is something that I did not know until just a few weeks ago. With this in mind, we can see that Nehemiah was grateful that he had retained the language, customs and history of his people and of his God. The writer tells us that he and the people of Israel have suffered much. In fact they had lost their land and their nationality and had been scattered over the empire. The only thing they have left is their Faith and their God. And with that comes the Law, the Word of God for them.

The question for us is: Does the Law of Christ give us light as we are scattered among the secular ways of the world? Do we retain our love of God’s Ways for our lives? Or have we accepted a watered down version of the Truth that lets us stumble and trip into sin? What Nehemiah wanted for his people was the promise of God restored to them. He was grateful for the blessings that they had received, the freedom to return to Jerusalem and to restore the temple. Now he wants the Faith of the people to be restored as well. This song of love, to be sung in the restored temple, was to give the people the same desire to seek the commandments of God, the Law of God’s Love for mankind. Our lives hang in the balance of God’s mercy. The very Mercy given to us by the Sacrifice of Jesus is the restoration that the psalmist prayed for yet could not conceive.

As the “Oral Law” was the Light of God given to the people, Jesus is the “Living law” given to us. The Light of the Lamp is the promise of the Testament of the Jews and we are told that Jesus is the Lamp of the World. Because we have suffered much, living in the sinful nature, when we turn to Christ, we are shown the Light and our path of righteousness is bathed in the glow of His Light. Our lives are restored in the Promise. We are dead to the ways of the Oppressor, Satan, and made alive and fresh in Christ. In this we give thanks.

Because of Jesus giving us the opportunity to be reconciled with the Father, our lives hang in the balance of His Mercy and Grace. (See Psalm 119:109). If we accept the Way of Christ as our way of life and srtive to live in harmony with the teachings of God’s Word, the balance tips in our favor. If we live outside of the will of God, teh balance it tipped away from His Love. To live as we are taught by the Love of God for us, is to live in harmony with Him. This is shown to us by the Law of Love given to us through the blood of the Lamb of God. Even as teh world sets the traps and snares before us, to trip us up into committing offenses to God, observing the commandments of Christ, given to us with the law of the Covenant of Abraham and Moses. Jesus does not give us something new but gives understanding to the Law that we may serve and obey fully the will of God.

Hosea says for us to; “Bring your petitions, and return to the LORD. Say to Him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer You the sacrifice of praise.” (Hosea 14:12). In our trials and facing the temptations of the world, we plead to God to restore us to righteousness, to renew in us a clean Heart, a right spirit, that we may be worthy of giving praise to Our King. Through Jesus, we have the forgiveness that the psalmist asks for his people. Because of the Cross we are welcomed back into the family of God. Our lives hang in the balance of God’s Mercy and His Justice. We deserve nothing from God because we have done no good thing with our lives. Yet because of Jesus, the efforts in our lives are considered good. We are able to do good things according to the Spirit of God directing our thoughts. It is because of our Love for God that we are able to accomplish great things. And as the result of the Mercy given to us by Christ, we are never to stop obeying the “Living Law” and the “Light of the World,” Jesus. His commands are the commands of the One who Loves far more than we can.

The Words of Jesus and the lessons from the Law that cause us to live in righteousness are to be held close to our hearts and be the Breath of the Spirit of God be our breath. For like the psalmist, I also am “determined to keep Your principles, even forever, to the end.” One verse that I love and stands alone is; “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men , be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV). Because of the watchfulness of the Spirit of God within us, we are able to stand firm. We can act like true men of Redemption and weather the storms of evil that try and overtake us. We can determine to avoid the traps of men and to walk in right living according to the law that is given to us by the prophets and be the examples of Christ Jesus. And in all this we give thanks to God. We thank Him that we have the trials, the persecutions and the anxieties that confront us daily.

Let the decrees of God’s justice and His desire that we have the delight of His word in our hearts, guide us every day. As we grow in Faith and Love of Jesus, be determined to follow the path of Righteousness to the fullest. Desire only what is pleasing to the Father so that the Son of God may dwell in our every action and thought. Avoid the tricks of the Oppressor and the lies of the flesh that seek to destroy faith and love of God. Even forever to the very end of our days remain faithful and confident in His Word. When Paul wrote, “Don’t you realise how kind, tolerant and patient God is with you?….Can’t you see how kind He has been giving you time to turn from your sin?” (Romans 2:4) he is seeking of those false ideas, concepts and the folly that has led us into sin even as we profess our belief in Him. Gos has been merciful and by Grace has rescued us from our sins. For this reason, we should awaken to the Love of His law and the Love of Christ’s Way. We have what the Exiled Jews did not; the ability to understand the law as it was intended. The instrument of God’s Love to preserve us as His chosen children.

Each day I read of the persecutions of Christians around the world and I read the testimonies of those who have been imprisoned. They do not weep in fear but shout out in joy that they have Christ to live for and to die for. What little do we have to complain about in our sheltered lives, protected by laws and privilege? Nothing. Yet the Children of Israel, coming back to Jerusalem after years of exile, had much to fear. They were strangers in their own land, much as were the people who returned to Palestine after WWII. Today the Christians in Burma, North Korea, Egypt, Pakistan and many other nations face the same troubles as did the Israelites. Unwelcomed in their home lands. To them, the creed of Psalm 119:105-112 is a beacon of hope and of promise. Let it also be the beacon of Promise and of the reality of Salvation for you. Let God speak His Law unto your hearts that you will strive to serve and obey out of thanksgiving and love.

This book is going to have a prominent place in my library and must be kept close at hand. It is for serious students of the Messianic Faith and an encouragement to mainstream Gentile Christians. Every Evangelical pastor should have this work in his library and it should be taught in every Christian and Jewish school. While most Christians are totally unaware of teh Messianic Jewish movement, it has been around from the very beginning. As Gentile Christians, we tend to overlook that the first churches were in Judea and all members were Jewish. We over look that fact the some of the Pharisees hear the call of Jesus and repented and believed. This book give insight as to how and why Jews chose to either accept Jesus or to reject Him. The Theology and the history of the early church and the teaching of the synagogues played an important role in the development of the early followers of Christ.

I will warn you that the book is very long (711 pages) and that some chapters need to be read in parts because of their length (130 pages), but the effort to read it is worth every word. I gave myself headaches trying to “burn the words” into my brain. If you love to learn how others came to walk in the Way of the Lord, this is the best work on Jewish Faith and Jesus.

Lake Athens Baptist Church
Little Hope Baptist Church
Tyler Baptist Church

While other churches, such as Assembly of God and Church of Christ have been hit, the main target seems to be Southern Baptist. If you would like to help or to add your prayers for these churches, you can contact them at www.texanonline.net. I am sure they would welcome your prayers.

(Read: Ruth 1:)

When I first came to Christ, I prayed for instruction on exactly what it meant to live as a Christian and after many days it was revealed to me that the best example of what God wants of our lives is found in the character of Ruth.

But before we get into who Ruth is, I want to reflect on others in the story. In the time of Judges, when the story takes place, the Children of Israel had a hard time keeping the commands of God. As a result God disciplines them with a famine. They lived reckless lives and “did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 17:6) During these times of trial and correction from God, many abandoned hope and fled Israel for foreign lands. One such man of the house of Judah, Elimelech, took his wife, two sons and himself and left the Promised Land of God and sought after the ways of man. He abandoned hope, the ways of God and His own people and fled into Moab.

Elimelech still represents the people who give up on God. Those who turn to their own understanding and flee from the Truth of the Word of God when times get tough. The children of the Promise who run from the teaching of the Bible and seek after the senseless ideologies of false teachers and who walk away from church to pursue their own solutions. Elimelech takes his family from the protection of the LORD and leaves the life of God’s choosing and he dies.

When we walk out on God and His promise the result will be the same. We are to remain in the body of belief and walk with Christ with Hope and Trust in His Way. Not only does Elimelech die, his sons also die leaving two young widows. They went against the Law of Moses and took women who were of pagan beliefs. Not only was Elimelech sinning against the God of Judea and Israel, but he had given his sons over to sin by having them marry foreigners in a strange land where the people worshiped false gods. They died having no sons of their own; that was the price of their sin.

What price are you willing to pay for your sins? Jesus died that we might have life and have it in His Abundance, yet we revoke His Love and reject His Mercy every time we walk away from His grace by willful disrespect of His Commandments. When we seek after the ways of the flesh, we are walking out on God. When we seek to justify the ways of man and support ideals that are contrary to the Word of God, we flee from His Promise. As we live in the flesh and join ourselves to the ways of the flesh, such as greed, divorce or infidelity, we worship foreign gods and forsake the God of our forefathers. And like Elimelech and his sons, we shall die.

We see by the very names of the two sons that they did not have the character of godliness. The two names, Mahlon and Kilion, mean the whiner (or crybaby) and sickly wimp (or gutless one). One son who is always complaining and not taking responsibility for his ways and one who is too weak to stand up to the wrongness of his ways. The strong people of character are first Naomi who was submissive to her husband but after the loss of her husband and her two useless sons, desired to return to the Land of her father and take her chances of having a restored life. The blessing we can see in her is that when we who are sinners repent and desire to seek after God, He welcomes us back home. We also see that Orpah, even though she desired to return to her own people, loved Naomi and cried when she made the choice not to come with her. Through the Word of God we hear Him cry out for the Children to return to Him. If they return they will be blessed. “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey His voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you….” (Deut 30:1-3).

So Ruth and Naomi decide to return to the land of Naomi’s heritage and put their trust in the Hand of the LORD. Naomi’s prayer in her heart might have been the psalm of Moses, “Return O LORD! How long? Have mercy on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:13-14). Ruth may have taken joy in the words that, “Because [she] holds fast to me in love, I will deliver [her]; I will protect [her] because [she] knows My Name. …I will be with [her] in trouble, I will rescue and honor [her]” (Psalm 91:14-15). Ruth puts her trust in the God unknown to her except by the love she has for Naomi. Her very words, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” (Ruth 1:16). The two woman go back to the Promised land, one because she seeks after the favor of her people and the law of God, and the other because of a love so strong that she will forsake the gods of her own people to live under the protection of a God who loves His people.

Ruth wants to walk on the Highway of Holiness, to live with the promise and to be ransomed by the Lord and be redeemed (see Isaiah 35:6-10). Naomi returns to her LORD “with all [her] heart, with fasting, with weeping and with mourning; and rent [her] heart.” (Joel 2:12) with hope that she will, “Eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the Name of the LORD [her] God.” Joel 2:26). Ruth and Naomi trust in the knowledge that; “The LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness [is] to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5). The Lesson is that even when things go very wrong in our lives, we can always return to God for the answers. He is the absolute solution to all our problems, if only we put complete trust in Him. Even if we have turned away from His statutes and have lived in “foreign lands” of sin, we only need to return to His love and His Promises and we will be rewarded. This is why Jesus brought the Gospel to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. We are the Ruths of the world, given the fulfillment of the Promise because we choose to believe in the One God who serves His people with absolute Love and is committed to redeem those who seek after Him.

(Read Ruth 2)

To see the Gospel of Jesus, we look to the connection of Ruth to Boaz. She is a Moabite, a widow and she dares to enter into the fields of the most prominent man of Bethlehem. I am reminded of the woman from Syrian Phoenicia who dared to ask for her daughter to be healed from demonic possession (see Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:25-30). What right does she have to enter into the field and gather up the remnants of grain? Although the law of Moses told Boaz that the poor and the widows were to be given the freedom to gather behind the harvesters, it did not readily apply to the people of Moab or other lands that surrounded Israel. Yet Ruth approached Naomi about entering the fields and Naomi encouraged her. When Paul started to preach the Gospel to the gentiles of the lands that surrounded Palestine, he offered to us the same rights that the Children of Israel were entitled to, freely, with the same grace offered by Boaz to Ruth.

This is why I look to Boaz as how to live in the consciousness of Christ. Look at how Boaz greets his workers. From the very beginning of Ruth 2, we see how God orchestrates the meeting of Ruth and Boaz. And when Boaz takes notice of her, he greets his men with the phrase, “The LORD be with you.” The response is, “The LORD bless you.” You can see that Boaz and his men are faithful to God. When we look back at how Elimelech was not faithful but left the land of his fathers and perished, and how Boaz stayed in the land and prospered, we can gather that those who remain faithful to the promises of God will be blessed. “The LORD will bless you,” is the proper thing to believe and to speak of in times of struggle.

When we see that Boaz tells his servants to leave extra grain behind and to not molest her, we can see the angels of God watching over us. As Christ sends His angels to guard over us and the Spirit of Grace to provide for us, we are akin to Ruth. God sees in us a beauty that we can not see in ourselves. While we were yet sinners, Christ saw in us a grace that entitled us to an extra portion. Boaz explains to Ruth his motives. It is because of the kindness Ruth has shown to Naomi and the fact that Ruth has given up her past and her own family to care for her mother-in-law, with the result of moving forward to a strange place with a God she has never known and customs different for her. He tells her, “May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have taken refuge, reward you fully.” When we walked into the light of God’s Kingdom, the Grace of the Holy Spirit, and chose to live in Christ’s way, Jesus extended His Blessing onto us. And we who take refuge under his protection are rewarded fully in the power of Salvation and are Sanctified.

Not only is Ruth provided for but she has more than enough for Naomi as well. When we accept the free blessings of God for ourselves, we are granted grace sufficient to bless others as well. When we accept the grace of Salvation, we are to share the gift with others, especially those who are close to us. Ruth shows us how when we take a chance on God, He takes us under His protection. Ruth is hard working, loving and kind. She moves boldly into the fields and because of her actions, Boaz takes notice of her diligence and tells her to look unto his fields to provide for her and Naomi. In the same manner, we are only to look to the fields of Jesus our redeemer for the grace and goodness He provides. We are not to look to other faiths because they will not provide us with the nourishment for our souls. The Grace of God goes far beyond just giving us substance, it gives us a life in freedom from sin. Boaz invites her to share in the food that he has provided for his own people, providing Ruth with substance with freedom with safety. She is told to sit with the company of his servants and eat of the bread they dine on, to drink of the wine they sip. Christ offers us the communion of His Holy Body and the Blood of His Salvation. As we take of communion we are reminded of this and so then as Ruth takes of the communion of Boaz, we share in the blessings offered to her. We are invited to share in the communion of God, Ruth is invited to share in the communion of Boaz. And we, as Ruth relates, say, “We are not worthy to be comforted by His Kindness.”

Like Ruth, we are invited to rest in the fields of the LORD. We are blessed by His Everlasting Kindness and we can join in the feast of His Mercy. Jesus, like Boaz, offers to us the refuge of His protection against the attacks of evil (Satan). We who were complete strangers to God, are welcomed into His fold and can gather the grains of salvation in abundance. The Grace is more than we can consume, more than we can take in, and yet God freely gives what we are unworthy to have. Great is the Grace of God! Each day we should fall at the feet of Jesus and say to Him, “Why are You so kind to me?”

>(Read Ruth 3)

My perception of the relationship of Naomi and Ruth is much as the evangelist and the proselyte. One who has walked the path and one who seeks to follow in the footsteps in faith. To the Gentiles of the world, this message is of vital importance; we have access to God by the faith and instructions given by the faithful. This is why it is important that our preachers, teachers and missions be grounded in true Faith and hold dear to their hearts the ways of Christ and the Father by the Holy Spirit before they impart on us the lessons of Faith.

Naomi tells Ruth to put on her finest garments, one such as she would have worn on her wedding day. I only have to look to Matthew 22:1-14 to see the parallel between the invitation of Christ to the Wedding Feast of Salvation and the request of Naomi for Ruth to go to Boaz. Ruth is not asked to wear her normal “working clothes” but the best she has. She then is asked to summit herself as a slave to Boaz by lying at his feet just as we are asked to summit to Christ as servants of His Mercy. She knew that by going and sleeping at the feet of Boaz, she surrenders herself to him and is completely at his mercy. Just as we, when we are to lie at the feet of Jesus, surrender ourselves to His Grace.

The statement of Ruth, when questioned by Boaz, is our expression to God as we seek His protection. “Spread your wings over your servant, for You are [the] Redeemer.” (Ruth 3:9) Place yourselves in the shoes of the woman with the hemorrhages who sought only to touch the hem of Jesus, (Luke 8:41-48) and let the grace of Jesus, Your Redeemer, touch you. Another “unclean” woman was the harlot who washed the feet of Jesus with perfume and wiped them with her hair, a woman rejected by the priests of the temple. By what right do we, the unclean and the rejected of the world have to come and rest at the feet of the Most High God? We have the right of invitation. And we are to go boldly and ask for His Name’s sake. In the submission of Ruth to Boaz, he has the right to accept her or to reject her with disgrace.

The action of Boaz is the grace that comes only from God. He does not send her away but gives her the promise of the Redemption that is given only to the Israelites. To sweeten the offer, he gives to Ruth extra measures of barley so that she may not return to Naomi empty handed and to tell her that Boaz has found favor in her character. The very words of Boaz, “…as the LORD lives, I will redeem you,” (Ruth 3:13) is the Promise that God gave to the people of Israel in the wilderness. They are the words of Jesus to the gentiles and the fulfillment of the words of the prophets and David. The Father of Creation will redeem the people of the world by the Word of God through the Son of Man, Jesus.

Looking to Boaz as the Christ representative, we see that he is a man of integrity. His yes is yes and his no means no. He is respected and honored by his servants and his word is heard and obeyed. Boaz is sensitive to the needs of others and gracious beyond measure (six measures of grain is an undetermined amount). As an Elder in Bethlehem, he is respected and given honor by Israel. His acute sense of responsibility goes beyond the “faithful” but is extended to the “foreigners” such as Ruth just as Christ offers His Salvation to us, the foreigners to the “Law” of the Torah. While the Law was given to the Sons of Israel, the Word is fulfilled for all who seek to “lie at the feet of Jesus”.

As we are challenged with the choices of the world, we can seek redemption through the blessings and acceptance of Christ even to become His brides. We can come to Him in full submission, without fear, and place ourselves at His Ever-loving Kindness just as Ruth went to Boaz. We can rely on the Promise of Acceptance and be blessed with the Grace of Salvation and be given honor among the Family of God. You can go to God knowing that, “He will shield you with His wings, He will shelter you with His feathers. His Faithful promises are your armour and protection.” (Psalm 91:4).

I want you to take note of the fact that even after Boaz discovers Ruth, he does not send her away but tells her to stay the night. Ruth should have been fearful at this time because Boaz could have taken advantage of her. But her faith in the God of Naomi was great enough that she did not hesitate, but remained there still resting at his feet. There is no fear in trusting God, nor is there any reason to doubt in Jesus. God does not abuse the faithful. God gives to us a safe haven in which we may find sanctuary and perfect Peace. The Message of Christ is “come and abide with Me, and I will give you safe habitation”. That safe habitation is not of this world but of the Kingdom of God. This is the Message that is given to the people: By the bloodline of Ruth and Boaz, JesusChrist who is the Redeemer of all men, comes that they may seek Him out and be blessed in full measure beyond their dreams. As Boiaz was faithful to the Promise of God to Moses, we enter into the same faithfulness through Jesus, the fulfiller of all of God’s promises to men.

Malaysian mob fire-bombs three Christian Churches,

35 of the 50 countries on Open Doors watch list of worst persecutors are Islamic. It is now more than ever we must be vigilant in our Faith because as much as Muslims claim to be a loving belief, its history is one of war, hate and intolerance. Now more than ever, the “radical” teachings are being brought to focus and instead of bringing Islam into the frame of peaceful existence with other faiths, the true nature of Mohammad is portrayed as the vengeance of God against humanity and the destroyer of Christians, Jews and infidels the world over.

Never before have I believed that we are in the days of the “Anti-Christ” but I am forced to believe by the actions of the Islamic radicals and the failure of World Powers to stop them that we will face a war that will end mankind as we know it. Yet in all the turmoil and strife, Christ’s church grows! Even in China, the underground churches grow daily. In India, under the persecution by radical Hindus and now attacks by Muslims, one group claims that new churches increase their numbers of new converts to Christ by as much as 700 a week.

It is the law of Islam that if a Muslim converts to Christ, he is to be killed. Even though the Koran states that Christians, Jews and Islamics believe in the same God, they still plan to rid the world of all religious beliefs other than their own. And when they rid the world of “infidels” then they will make war on each other. In fact, they do that anyway. Sunni against Shi’a, an ancient conflict, continues in Iraq and in many former Soviet nations.

In these days there is no one of the many Islamic cultures to take the lead and bring an end to the hatred because the Law of Islam is based on hate of mankind. Pray for the Christians in the persecuted land each day. Support through Open Doors, ICC or other Christian organizations the pastors and missionaries in Islamic Nations and start watch groups in your local churches to keep the world aware that Islam is not a friend of the Peace of God but a tool of Hate and injustice.

I read the passage from the bible I had with me and it is one that is thought highly of by many scholars, yet as I read it everybody went, “Huh?” It did not agree with any of their versions of the text. So when I got home, I prayed and I researched the verse form several translations. And I found that only the ESV, my new bible, read the verse in the context that I read. All other versions clearly stated something totally different and now I must find a Hebrew reader to convey to me what is right and what is wrong. Are there any out there who can help me?

Let me give you the text as the ESV has put it; “And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray,” Isaiah 35:8 This sounds like the prophet is saying that fools will walk the road of Holiness and not stray from it but even in the footnote at the bottom of the page, it says, “or, if they are fools,they shall not wander on it.” The word “astray” is a very poor choice and gives a false impression as well as being out of place in this context. At least that is how I, a simple man reads it.

Because of the wording chosen by the translators, readers are left in confusion. This is why it is so important that we research and confirm scriptures at every turn. If I had not been questioning the way the verse was translated, I would have felt that the poor choice of words were the best ones instead of the other way around. The best translation I found was from the NLT; “And a main road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-hearted people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God’s ways; fools will never walk there.” and to the point, if we continue to walk in the ways of the foolish, living sinful lives, we cannot walk in the Highway of Holiness. If we don’t walk in the ways of the LORD, we are not traveling on the path of righteousness not traveling with Christ. We can not travel on two paths at the same time. We must choose, God’s way or the way of the lost.

I would like to say more on the subject of Isaiah 8:3-10, but I have not prepared myself with much prayer and study. To the family who are moving it was a message of hope and of endurance. They are going to a new area and will continue with a new Bible Fellowship in their new home. This passage was to let them know that God has gone before them and has prepared a place for them. Because they walk in righteousness and because they are devout in their understanding of the message of God for their lives, He will stand with them. I only hope that we can continue with the Bible Fellowship here. Colleen and I are struggling with the concept that we are to lead it. At the present time, we are not confident in that charge. I would take on the endeavor, but it may not be in God’s will. We await for a new leader, one who is strong in the Spirit and who others will hear the word with clear and focused ears and eyes.

Meanwhile, I advise each of you to test the scriptures and the ones who present the Word so that you not be deceived, even by accident, as to the true meanings of God’s Testimonies. If those who have studied the Word, the languages and the histories of the Jews can make errors, who am I to think that I have a lock on the Word? It is only by the Grace of God, and the Love of His Word, that I have any voice at all. I like to think that I understand His ways but it is made clear to me that much of what I write is only an opinion and I need never be locked into a belief or understanding that someone else may find to be in error. I just express my own understanding and hope to Glory it is right with God. Let those who are truly wise in the ways of the Lord judge me and let Christ Jesus have mercy on my thinking. I want only to serve His Grace of Forgiveness and the Mercy of His Salvation. As the Word tells us, do not lean on our own understanding but the Truth of the Spirit.

p.s. Further research has shown that there are two versions of this text from older manuscripts. One does state that even the simple-minded can travel the road and not wander from it and the other reads that the foolish (e.i. wicked) cant travel on the Highway. It seems that even the ancients could not agree on the text but mainly it has to do with a lack of articles, multi word usage and phrasing that conflict with one use or another. In a new book I received for Christmas, I discovered that the Hebrew word for compassion root meaning is the same for bowel and for womb. It is now wonder that we have so many translations of the Word of God that seem to conflict with each other.

Open Doors, Mission News Network and International Christian Concerns each report on these assaults against Christ. yet in each case the Faithful grow in numbers and in the Grace of God. Pray this Christmas for the release from the onslaught of aggression toward those who seek to share the Good News of God’s Salvation in India.

While I am addressing India, do not forget that Christians in Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan are also under oppression and they need your prayers as well. Here in the West, we have no idea of how hard it is to Love the Lord of our Salvation in all of Asia and most of Africa. Yet in these places, the devote Christians may have never seen teh whole of the Bible. Their faith is based only on the few verses that they have heard and the miracle of Grace that only comes by the Holy Spirit. When we get to heaven they will have the highest place of honor because they believe with little knowledge and a lot of heart.

God’s Grace be with them and with you all. Pray unceasingly for the peace of God in the whole of the Earth.