Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
In Defense of Biblical Prophecy - By Jonathan Brentner -
https://www.raptureready.com/2019/05/05/defense-biblical-prophecy-jonathan-brentner/ While Christians agree on the fulfillment of prophecy relating to Jesus' first coming, such harmony quickly disappears when the subject switches to prophecies related to His return to earth. As one who has spent many decades in the midst of the fray, I can attest to the pressing need to defend our biblical hope from attacks on the part of those outside as well as within the church. Whatever the source, they all seek to undermine our expectation of Jesus' soon return, returning to earth with Jesus after the tribulation, and then reigning with Him in His millennium kingdom. Many Bible-believing pastors, teachers, and writers who oppose such things begin with a misguided view of God's covenants, one that eliminates the distinction between Israel and the church. They retrofit His promises to Israel so that they apply "spiritually" to the church. "Why does this matter to me?" you might ask, "As long as they preach the true Gospel, what difference does it make if they go astray in matters pertaining to the end times?" Those who ask these questions fail to recognize the long-term effects of how the use of allegory not only undermines our Gospel hope, but also the Gospel itself. Please stay with me as I explain how the allegorical approach to biblical prophecy . . . Leads to an Inconsistent View of Prophecy Jesus fulfilled over 100 prophecies through His birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection. Most all of those who claim that Israel has no future would agree with that statement. Yet, when it comes to the prophecies that relate to Israel's future as well as our own, they abandon literalness for an allegorical interpretation. For example, no one denies the literal fulfillment of the opening words of Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given." However, verse 6 adds this to the prophecy concerning Jesus, "and the government shall be upon his shoulder." The next verse further explains, "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom ...." These words, if taken literally, refer to Jesus ruling upon the "throne of David" and signify a future kingdom for Israel. In spite of this clarity, many look at this passage in a way that retrofits the prophet's original meaning so that it aligns with God's promises to the church. They switch from a literal interpretation to an allegorical one mid-sentence. How can such glaring inconsistencies not effect one's view of the rest of biblical prophecy? Relies on a Vague Basis for Separating the Symbolical from the Literal A related issue I have with those who employ allegory is this: What is the basis for switching from a literal interpretation to an allegorical one in the same passage? In Isaiah 9:6-7, how do they determine what is literal and what is allegory? Do they naturally assume the unfulfilled part is allegory? Or does the picture of Jesus' reigning on the throne of David not fit their preconceived beliefs about Israel? We see this same vague basis for separating the symbolical from the literal in their interpretation of the book of Revelation. Many who relegate most of Revelation 6-20:10 as allegory suddenly switch to a literal interpretation of the Great White Throne judgment, the final destruction of Satan and death, and the new earth along with the New Jerusalem. What's the basis for deciding between which events and words are literal and those that are solely allegory? The lack of agreement among those who relegate the meaning of the apocalypse to allegory demonstrates the vagueness of such a subjective approach. For example, some who reject the millennium of Revelation 20:1-10 regard the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21-22) as an actual physical city; others with the same amillennial viewpoint deny the reality of the city, claiming it's purely symbolic of God's presence. Do not such disagreements among those who employ allegory demonstrate the vagueness and subjectivity of such an approach? Absolutely! Disregards the Original Intent of the Author Of course, prophetic writers in Scripture employ metaphors, word pictures, and symbols at times. My issue is with those who use allegory to blatantly disregard the original intent of the author. The Old Testament prophets believed they were prophesying about a future glory for the nation of Israel. Their words depict a restoration of Israel when God will regather His people from all over the earth. They unequivocally point to Jesus' reign over the nations seated upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. No one can rationally argue that these things were not the original intent of their words. How else could they have understood God's promises to the Israelites that He revealed through them? The prophet Jeremiah regarded the continuation of Israel as a nation in God's eyes as something as certain as the "fixed order" of day and night (Jer. 31:33-36). The Lord further provided Jeremiah with physical descriptions of Jerusalem (vv. 38-40). The words God gave to the prophet depict a still future restoration of a glorious kingdom to Israel. Jeremiah could not have understood it any other way. What does it say about the Lord's reliability if He meant one thing when He spoke these words through the prophets and now they mean something entirely different to us? The effort to retrofit the words of the Lord to say something contrary to what they meant at the time He spoke them not only undermines the integrity of biblical prophecy, but also that of the Lord Himself. Disrespects the Understanding of the Original Audience Not only does the allegorical method of interpretation show indifference to the original intent of the author, it displays a keen disrespect for the understanding of the original audience. Can we really say that prophecy meant one thing to those who heard the Old Testament prophets preach and now means something entirely different today? I have great problems with this distortion of the words Scripture. Would the Israelites listening to Jeremiah proclaim God's promise of a glorious restoration of Israel have thought, "Okay, this does not really relate to our physical descendants, but to another group who will spiritually enjoy benefits of our promised kingdom?" There's no conceivable way such a thought would have entered their minds. They would have taken the prophet's words at face value, a solemn promise from the Lord to "restore" the fortunes of a physical Israel (see Jer. 31:35-40, 32:36-44, 33:23-26). For teachers and writers to come along 2,700 years later and say the words of Jeremiah do not really mean what they meant to the original audience not only destroys the credibility of Scripture, but also of the Lord Himself. If the Israelites could not depend on the clear words of the prophets regarding their future, does this not also undermine our security, our future hope that rests on the words of the Gospel pertaining to our future as New Testament saints? Negates God's Sovereign Purposes for Prophecy The allegorical approach to future prophecy negates God's sovereign purposes for providing us with prophecy. Isaiah 46:10 says that His design for it includes that of "declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish my purpose.'" God demonstrates His glory by declaring what lies ahead in history. When one looks at the specific prophecies Jesus fulfilled at His first coming, it brings about a sense of wonder and awe for the Lord as well as for His Word. Many have come to faith in Jesus after looking at how the Lord fulfilled prophecy with Jesus' first coming. God intends for the abundant prophecies throughout the Bible regarding the restoration of a kingdom for Israel, the Gog and Magog war, the tribulation, and the Second Coming to accomplish this identical purpose. The fulfillment of these things will further demonstrate His sovereignty over history just as Israel's miraculous rebirth seventy years ago and God's supernatural protection of them and blessing since then demonstrates the validity of God's promises in Ezekiel 36-37. If one relegates most, if not all of future prophecy to allegory, one not only negates God's purpose for revealing the future to us but also destroys its relevance for us today, which is precisely what our enemy desires. The allegorical interpretation of prophecy has led to serious errors in the past regarding prophecy and the Gospel; it will surely do so again. Those who use allegory to interpret still-future prophecies in the Bible not only negate God's sovereign purpose for prophecy, but also retrofit them to fit their faulty New Testament understanding of the covenants. In doing so they undermine the integrity of Scripture by making passages say something contrary to the original intention of the author or what those listening at the time would have understood. Jonathan Brentner Website: Our Journey Home Please consider signing up for my newsletter. Thanks! E-mail: [email protected] 'War will erupt this summer,' says Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader - By Daniel Siryoti - https://www.jns.org/war-will-erupt-this-summer-says-palestinian-islamic-jihad-leader/ Speaking to a Lebanese TV station, Ziad Nakhala issues threats against Israel and predicts a large-scale war in the coming months against the backdrop of U.S. actions in the region. Palestinian Islamic Jihad was "about to launch rockets at Tel Aviv when the ceasefire [with Israel] stopped it from happening," the terrorist group's leader, Ziad Nakhala, told the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV station on Tuesday. Nakhala, who was in Egypt when the latest round of violence between Israel and Gaza-based terrorist groups erupted last Friday, outlined in the interview how events unfolded and also issued threats against Israel. "We used sniper fire in response to [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers shooting at our innocent, demonstrating civilians," he said, adding that "we will continue until all our objectives are met. What happened in the most recent escalation was a preparation for the next major battle. From now on, the rocket fire will focus primarily on Tel Aviv and other large cities." Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhala. Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit. Nakhala, who currently resides in Beirut, continued: "The test will be during the March of Return demonstrations on Fridays, on Nakba Day and on the one-year anniversary of the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to holy Jerusalem. If there are casualties among our people, it is our right to respond and that's what we will do. We will intercept the enemy's soldiers on the border and launch long-range rockets beyond Tel Aviv. We are not afraid of the Zionist enemy. We defeated the occupation army in every round of escalation and we will do it again." The terrorist leader claimed that "Israel attacked civilian buildings and that forced us to respond strongly. There was no prior plan for it. We still insist that Gaza is under siege and demonstrators are coming under live fire during the March of Return protests. The siege must be lifted from Gaza. We are handling it. In the meantime, Israel is making promises to Egypt and isn't keeping them." Nakhala took aim at countries in the Arab world, accusing them of remaining silent in the face of what he said was U.S.-backed Israeli aggression. He also said there were numerous signs that a war against Gaza would be launched "this summer," and that his organization was prepared. Asked if he thinks such a war will entail demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, Nakhala said yes. Nakhala believes that the United States and Egypt sought the current ceasefire. According to the terrorist leader, Israel faced a dilemma: on the one hand it wanted to continue fighting, and on the other were Independence Day celebrations, set to begin Wednesday night. Hence he expects a war to erupt over the summer. In his view, it will be a large-scale war amid the backdrop of American machinations the region. Nearing Midnight: China Is Running Out of Dollars - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The People's Republic of China has had a trade surplus with the US for decades. In 2018, its surplus with America rose to a record $323.32 billion. China's total foreign exchange reserves stand at $3.073 trillion. This massive horde of dollar wealth has quickly become an illusion. In real terms, China is actually running out of dollars. The renminbi is the official currency of China. We have easily posted dozens of stories in RR news about how China has signed numerous deals with countries to trade with them in the Renminbi. All that global travel by President Xi was a huge waste of time and jet fuel. In terms of global reserve currency, the renminbi has a share of only 1.9%, in fifth place, and barely ahead of the Canadian dollar, but miles behind the US dollar (61.7%) and the euro (20.7%). Over the past two years, the renminbi has gone nowhere as a reserve currency. In March, the Renminbi had a minuscule share of merely 1.22% of international cross-border payments. Anyone who has a basic understanding of how economics works knows: when you print too much of your currency, its value should go down. The Chinese government has somehow managed to print a massive amount of renminbi without triggering hyper-inflation. Since 1952, the money supply has grown by a staggering 18,000-fold. The US has a huge national debt, but it is small compared to China's debt load. The US economy is roughly $20 trillion. Theirs is roughly $13 trillion. China's banking system is north of $50 trillion. Ours is currently at $22 trillion. Because China is a resource-poor nation, it has to import vast amounts of raw materials. No other nation on earth has imported more goods. In the past 20 years, China has consumed more cement than America has used in the past 100 years. From just 2004, its oil imports have increased four times. China imports 68% of the world's supply of iron ore. China's massive imports have resulted in a huge dollar-shortage for the Chinese banking system. That's because Chinese businesses still owe over $2.25 trillion in dollar-denominated debts that are maturing over the next couple years (by year-end 2021). For instance - The Bank of China only just four years ago had more dollar-assets than all of the other big banks. But by the end of 2018 - they now have over $72 billion in dollar-liabilities. (That's a net-change of -$128 billion in only four years.) The Chinese government has been spending huge amounts of money on its military. In 2009, it spent 400 billion renminbi on its military. By the end of this year, it will spend 1,200 billion renminbi, which is a threefold increase in a decade. With the Chinese economy now hopelessly addicted to Middle East oil and raw materials from Africa, some economists are starting to wonder if China will turn to the military option once its supply of dollars runs out. Hitler made a mad grab for resources before he turned to blitzkrieg to wipe out his foreign debts. When John the Revelator wrote about an army of 200,000 million, generations of people were mystified by the prediction. There weren't 200 million people on earth at the time. Now that we have 7.7 billion people on earth, and China has a population of 1.4 billion people, it is possible to outfit such a vast army. It is a China-explosive economic growth that is the clearest indication that the Kings of the East are about to move out. A decade ago, China had no ability to project military power on the international stage. In the past few years, China's wild spending has suddenly transformed it into a global giant. Because China only has a limited amount of time and money to maintain such a massive military force, the tribulation hour must be very near. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared" (Revelation 16:12). "Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them" (Revelation 9:14-16). Lord, Teach Us To Pray - By Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/lord-teach-us-to-pray/ A guest speaker came to our church with an interesting insight on the Lord's Prayer. Taking line by line, he showed us how to turn it from something we know by heart and can recite without thinking into an impassioned personal discussion with the Lord that can last as long as we want. You do it like this. Our Father In Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name Only believers can call God "our Father." John 1:12 says that those who believe in Jesus have the authority to become children of God. Unbelievers don't have this authority. We can't choose our earthly fathers, but through Jesus we can choose our Eternal Father. And His name is Holy, worthy of reverence and veneration. He is our Creator, and our Redeemer, our Lord and our Savior. He's the author of all our victories, the giver of every good and perfect gift. Are we spending enough of our prayer time acknowledging God's majesty, His holiness? Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth As It Is In Heaven Here we pray for our Lord's soon return and for all the world to be once again united behind His will, from our leaders to our congregations to our families to ourselves. We pray especially that His will would be the directional force in our lives, leading us in ways that draw us nearer to Him, and are pleasing to Him and acceptable in His sight. We lay before Him all our hopes and dreams and ask Him to mold them into His, to increase our desire for the things He desires for us, and decrease our desire for the things that He doesn't. We ask Him for more of an eternal perspective and less of an earthly one. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread This acknowledges Him as Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. As He fed the Israelites in the desert, as He fed the multitudes in Galilee, so He will feed us, and more than that, provide for all our needs. We may think that it's by our own strength and skill that we make our way, but who do we think gave us our abilities? (Deut. 8:17-18) And if He knows and meets the needs of the flowers and the birds, how much more will He do the same for us? (Matt. 6:33) Give Him thanks for His bountiful provision. And Forgive Us Our Debts, As We Forgive Our Debtors 1 John 1:8-10 says that if we think we're without sin we deceive ourselves, but if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. In seeking forgiveness we must also extend it. Whether justified or not, harboring anger or resentment against a brother is a sin and puts us out of fellowship with God. We can't ask to be restored to Him until we've forgiven each other. We ask Him to forgive those who've wronged us and forgive us for our anger. And Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From The Evil One James 1:13 says that God cannot be tempted, nor does He tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is dragged away and enticed. The intent of this verse is to ask for God's protection against the temptations we conjure up out of the evil of our own minds as well as those brought to us by Satan who knows just how to entice us. Ask, Seek, And Knock Each one of these sentences can be expanded from a personal request to an intercessory prayer for family members and other loved ones, business associates, church members, leaders, etc. The list is almost endless, limited for the most part by time and inclination. But that's by no means all the Bible says about prayer. Matthew 7:7-11 says that whoever asks receives, all who seek will find and to whomever knocks the door will be opened. If we who are evil know how to give good gifts to our children how much more will our Father in Heaven give good gifts to those who ask? In the Parable of the persistent widow, the Lord showed that even unbelieving and uncaring people will reward persistence, so we should keep praying and never give up. (Luke 18:1-8) 1 Thessalonians 5:17 puts it simply but powerfully. Pray without ceasing. O Ye Of Little Faith But when we pray we must have faith that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. In Matthew 21:22 the Lord made this astonishing promise. "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." This is not as simple as it sounds. Look at James 1:6-8: "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." And James also told us to consider our motives when asking: "You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:2-3) God is not some genie in a bottle who's come into our lives to make our every childish wish His command. He did come that we might have life and have it abundantly, but that doesn't mean the same as acting on our every whim. With such privilege as He's given us comes the need to act responsibly. The Great Makeover He told us to be made new in the attitudes of our minds (Ephesians 4:23) and to be transformed so that we no longer conform to the ways of the world. (Romans 12:2) Want to be free of the stress and anxiety, pulled out from under that mountain of debt and relieved of the uncertainties of your life? You can be happier, healthier, richer and freer if you just put these two verses into action. Believe me I know. I've looked at life from both sides of the equation, and there's no doubt in my mind as to which is better, and not just in the eternal sense. I'm talking about the here and now. So how should we pray? And where do we get the faith the Lord was talking about? For the answers to both questions look at Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Paul used the same word in Phil 4:4 as he did in 1 Thes. 5:17. Here it's translated always but it means continuously, without ceasing. Rejoice without ceasing. We take so many of our blessings for granted and never think to thank the Lord for His generosity. The first step to more effective prayer is learning to give thanks for everything. It makes us feel better about our situation, it pleases the Lord, and it reminds us of how often our prayers are answered. The key to building mountain moving faith is to acknowledge Him every time we ask and receive. We begin by asking for little things and as we receive them we give thanks and are emboldened to ask for bigger things. And sure enough, we receive those too. And on it goes. Thanking Him for each answered prayer builds our faith into an unshakable fortress. My favorite paraphrase of this passage reminds me to "worry about nothing, pray about everything and be thankful for anything." Following this advice makes us gentler because we don't let uncertainties fluster or frustrate us. The peace of God that transcends our situation keeps our hearts and minds at rest because we know He's answering our prayers. As someone wrote to me once, we "stop telling God how big our storm is and start telling the storm how big our God is." What Does The Lord Want For Us? No study on prayer would be complete with out a reference to my favorite verse in all the Bible: "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) To me it's the secret to getting what you need and what you want. Jesus told us that if we concentrate on seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, God would provide for all of our needs. (Matt. 6:33) We do this by becoming born again. There's no other way into the Kingdom and there's no other way to gain His righteousness. In fact Paul told us that the reason Jesus died is so that we could have the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21) It's imputed to us by faith. In Psalm 37:4 we're told to delight ourselves in the Lord. The Hebrew word translated delight means to be soft or delicate, pampered. If we'll let Him, the Lord will pamper us, He really will. The theme of the Psalm is trusting in Him instead of worrying about what happens to others. It tells us to commit our ways to Him and wait patiently for Him to fulfill our desires. To me, giving us the desires of our hearts means two things. First it means that if we let Him, He'll fill our hearts with a longing for the things He wants for us, and second it means that He'll provide them. The Lord Wants to Bless You I know you've probably been taught that the Lord tests us and disciplines us and purifies us, but if you add it all up, the overwhelming message to us is that He wants to bless us. He wants us to have an abundant life. (John 10:10) He wants us to be rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion. (2 Cor. 9:11) He wants us to have a permanent peace about us that's impossible for the natural mind to understand. (Phil 4:7) He wants us to be absolutely certain of our eternal destiny. (2 Cor. 1:21-22) He wants to take all the worry out of our lives, and to turn all of our problems over to Him. (Matt. 6:33) He wants to heal us of our diseases. (Isaiah 53:4) The list goes on and on, containing over 7000 blessings. And what does He ask in return? Let His death pay for our sins. In full. All of them. Trust Him to provide for us. Rejoice all the time. Love one another. Live in peace. Pray without ceasing. It seems like a fair exchange. Daily Jot: Progressive's own study warns against socialism - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Many in the Democratic Party are trying to appeal to younger voters by promising a universal income and free college tuition. They are playing to the data that growing numbers of Millennials and Gen Z support socialism. This is a long-game politically because polls indicate that nearly 60% of Americans believe that socialism is not compatible with American values. That same Monmouth University Poll confirmed those under age 35 are 71% neutral or negative on capitalism. The younger voters are swinging far left in their political ideology. This is problematic when there is empirical evidence that socialism impoverishes populations, and takes away rights of free speech and religious freedom. But there is more. A recent study conducted by New Economics Foundation, supported by Public Services International a pro-union organization that represents over 20 million public service workers, shows that one of socialism's basic underpinnings-universal minimum income-is an abject failure in bringing income equality and reversing poverty. The study, Universal Basic Income-A Union Perspective, surmises, "At the heart of the critique of UBIs contained in this brief is the failure of the most basic principle of progressive tax and expenditure, which can be summarized as "from each according to their ability, to each according to their need"...The estimates of funds required to provide a UBI at anything other than token levels are well in excess of the entire welfare budget of most countries." The study of 14 Universal Basic Income schemes, or what is called minimum income, revealed it's really a bad idea. It says, "Making cash payments to individuals to increase their purchasing power in a free-market economy is not a viable route to solving problems caused or exacerbated by neoliberal market economics; There is no evidence that any version of UBI can be affordable, inclusive, sufficient and sustainable at the same time; There is no evidence that UBI will help to increase the bargaining power of workers and trade unions or solve problems of low pay and precarious work." Still, the report persists, "We must not alienate the majority of UBI proponents who genuinely seek to build political power to tackle inequality, support the welfare state, deal with precarious work and fund public services." Bottom line is that socialism/communism doesn't work. We see the historical evidence of it everywhere it is tried. As William Bradford described the Pilgrim's failed socialist experiment in "Of Plymouth Plantation": "The experience that was had in this common course and condition...may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato's and other ancients applauded by some of later times; that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing, as if they were wiser than God." In ending the socialist experiment that nearly ended the colony, Bradford wrote: "...God in his wisdom saw another course fitter for them." The first commandment, Exodus 20:1 says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." That includes government. Moreover, Bradford is still right. Man is not wiser than God. Daily Jot: Witnesses to a Watching World - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Then I pressed further, 'What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?' - Nehemiah 5:9 There have been times when I've written a letter or e-mail but never sent it. I'll wait to see if I feel the same way the next day. Then the next morning I'll say, "What was I thinking? There's no way I'm sending that." Generally, anger is a bad thing, but sometimes it can be a good thing. In Nehemiah's case, it was. It was righteous indignation that led him to confront the leaders in Judah about the way they were treating their fellow Jews, those who had returned from Babylon to help rebuild Jerusalem's walls. Nehemiah said to the leaders, "What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?" (Nehemiah 5:9 NLT). If you're a Christian, realize that nonbelievers are watching you every day. What are they looking for? They're waiting for you to slip up. They want you to do or say something so they can call you a hypocrite, a phony. This is why, after David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan came to him and said, "By this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme" (2 Samuel 12:14 NKJV). On the other hand, when you live a godly life, when you bring honor to the Lord despite your suffering, when you do something kind for someone, when you forgive someone who has hurt you, it drives unbelievers insane. Nehemiah was saying, "Does it even cross your mind what the other nations would think or what our enemies would think?" I wonder if people in the church ever think about this. Do we even think about our witness . . . or lack thereof? We need to think about these things. 
FROM THE HEART
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