Do you ever get bored in history class? Have you ever gotten bogged down in all the history God chose to include in the Old Testament?
I remember little boys who sat in our church years ago here in Texas, went to our Sunday school, and learned all the verses in Awana. All those weird names like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, and Antiochus Epiphanes who believed he was great came up in the old bible stores. As boys it was easy for them to care less. Who cares about all those ancient kings, about their plots and assassinations, and about their campaigns to decide who would be king of the mountain for a few years?
Then some of these little boys grew up and found themselves at Paris Island. Before they knew it they were standing on the border between Syria and Iraq with a M-16 in their arms trying to keep insurgents from penetrating the border. It was disillusioning to find out that even some of the political leaders who made the decision to send them into the Middle East didn’t know much about history or about Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds.
Some of the boys and girls who grew up in our church have now returned from seeing their buddies killed in family and tribal feuds that they still don’t understand and what was supposed to be an easy planting of an American style democracy in the heart of ancient Babylon has turned into a police operation trying to keep tribal lords, modern politicians, Islamic sects, and a tiny minority of Christians from murdering and being murdered.
After seeing the horror, the ceaseless fighting, the victories, and the defeats, it’s easy to come back to the U.S. and forget what you learned about Jesus, the Promised Messiah, and instead try to find a little comfort on the weekend watching the Super Bowl with frequent shots of Jack Daniels to dull your memory.
Before you resort to this false remedy, take a look at just one Old Testament passage--Daniel 11. It reminds us that God wants us to learn about the world and its history. It also tells us that the God and Father of Jesus Christ knows all about the blood on battle fields, the promises of diplomatic peace, the breaking of promises and the renewed warfare. God also tells us that He has the last word. Alexander, Antiochus the Great, and Antiochus Epiphanes strut their stuff briefly on stage, but then they die and are forgotten. So will the world leaders of today.
You've got to decide whether you will be among the wise (Daniel 11:33) –among those who listen carefully to Daniel’s predictions and who believe his promises of a future resurrection (Daniel 12:2).
The wise live for God’s promises, obey His instructions, and submit to His Lordship. They are willing to be teased by their friends, lose jobs because they will not cheat, and even die because of their commitment to Daniel’s God. The book of Revelation, like the Book of Daniel, promises that there will be those who come out of tribulation. There will be those who wash their clothes in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14), those who allow the forgiveness of Christ’s death and the power of His resurrection to transform their character.
In the midst of our disappointments, crises, and struggles against human pride, duplicity, murder, and death, let’s join Daniel and trust the Messiah. I guarantee that the Spirit of Jesus will sustain, comfort, and guide us through all the battles and land us safe in God’s kingdom of peace in the end.

HAMAS VS ISRAELIS--IS THERE A SOLUTION?

Israeli vs. Palestinian--The Core Problem
January 11, 2009 Daniel 9:20-27

Imagine that instead of arguing over the NCAA Football championships Oklahoma and Texas were engaged in hot combat. Sirens constantly screamed in Mckinney—not warning of tornadoes but of incoming Katyusha rockets from Norman. Children huddled underground in shelters and tried to learn their ABCs.
How long do you think Texans would allow this kind of assault to go unchallenged? So we invade and discover that this is exactly what our enemies wanted. As we counter their rockets with our jets, the escalating civilian deaths move world opinion against us. Our enemy is a terrorist organization that shoots rockets at civilians and uses human suicide bombers. They are also a humanitarian social organization feeding and providing medical supplies and a court of justice in a formerly bribe invested, hopeless population.
This gives you only an initial feel for the issues that fuel the present Gaza War as Israel and Hamas lock down in deadly struggle. Anyone want Clinton’s job as the next Secretary of State with this as the first item of business on the table?
The economic analyses describe the stench of poverty and corruption that plagues Gaza. Political analysts sift through the history and catalogue the attempts at peace in the Middle East, but the angry cries to fight to the death continue. Few ask the deeper question raised by a first century Jew named James, “What causes conflicts and disputes among you? Where do they come from?”
The prophet Daniel answered this question in Daniel chapter 9. He knew all about threats against Israel. He saw his land and Temple destroyed. He himself lived in Captivity, yet as he prays, he does not look for political or economic solutions. He agrees with the answer that Jesus’ step brother James gave. ““ Do they not come for your cravings that are at war within you? (James 4:1)
Down on his face Daniel confessed his sin and the sins of his people. God responded and sent Gabriel, a powerful angel, to reveal God’s answer to the problem of Jerusalem and His Jewish people. If you want to discover what God revealed to Daniel about who would actually do something about the core issue that causes humans to murder each other, listen to the message of January 12th at www.truthencounte.com.