Is there anyone who thinks they do not need anything?  With Christmas in 3 weeks’ time, the younger one’s especially are thinking of the things they need and that it would be good to receive!  

Our readings today in Hebrews say, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” [10 v.36]  Are you enduring?   

    We live in a world, at least in this country that is very impatient.  It is said, this is the ‘NOW’ generation. Until recently it was easy (and still is to some extent) to get what you want ‘NOW’ – and pay later. The folly of living beyond ones’ income is becoming more evident. Some countries, especially in Europe are learning this and are having to endure the pain of austerity. 

But the Letter to Hebrews is about something entirely different. Paul tells them, “do not throw away your confidence which has great reward” [v.35].  We throw or give away the things we do not need!  

But confidence!? What do you and I have confidence in?   Do we have confidence in God’s knowledge and oversight in all that happens as a result of the “freewill” he allows? What confidence do we have in what will happen in the future! God has oversight of that and can intervene as he chooses, as our readings frequently reveal – often we puzzle to know more exactly what they are alluding to – Zechariah 12 v.1-3 being an example in the light of Middle East events now – and in recent years.  

We saw lessons illustrating his oversight in individual lives in our readings in Job and Jonah; both men had, at least temporarily, lost sight of the will of God working out a pathway in their lives. Are we any better?  But if we really commit ourselves to be children of God and more and more  live for him in faith – then we will sense more clearly His purpose in the things he allows (or causes) to happen in our own lives and in the world.

Take special notice of how our Hebrews chapter (10) ends, “my righteous one shall (aim to) live by faith, and if he  shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him (or her).  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” [v.38-39].  Wise men have written about “the power of positive thinking” but Hebrews reminds us of the words of Jesus himself, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  [Matt. 24 v.14]  Let us try harder to see the “need of endurance” and put what we see into practice. 

God ashamed!! What is this verse saying?  What is it about? Today’s reading in Hebrews is that well known chapter 11 on FAITH.  We should all be familiar with the words, that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” [v.1]  What are the things we are convinced about – things that give reality to our future expectations – going far beyond the things we hope to achieve in this life?  

Verse 6 is often quoted as a powerful personal challenge to us, “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God, must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”   It is sad that so few have a real genuine conviction that there is a God – and more than that – that we can and must have a personal relationship with him, leading to a totally meaningful prayer life. 

What a contrast with most of the Jews in the days of the prophets; they only had a relationship with him as part of a chosen nation and not in a personal sense; nevertheless they were proud of being “children of Abraham.” (John 8 v.33) and this satisfied them.  Is not this similar to ‘christians’ for whom membership of a church creates a sense of ‘relationship? Yet, as individuals, they and ourselves are without excuse if that is all our relationship consists of! 

    The Psalms of David are outstanding, if we will meditatively read them and see the reality of a personal relationship with God that can be developed – and when developed to the full, how wonderful it is, as David reveals in so many Psalms.

Verses 13 to 16 in today’s chapter cause us deep meditation.  In the midst of naming significant men and women and the particular acts of faith in their lives, we read, “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised …”  Abraham is the greatest example of this. Such men and women of genuine faith “acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”   Such people found it impossible to fit in with ‘ordinary’ humans although they might attempt to, as Jacob did at times.  Verse 16 makes the point “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”  And that city is the new Jerusalem! (see Rev. 3 v.12 – the heavenly city to be established on earth)  

Because of this, those with real faith desire something infinitely better than what this world offers – a world which is ‘empty’ of any vision of the future so that the people in it just live for the present. 

But those with real faith, live so as to develop a real relationship with their Creator and the Saviour he provided and as a result “God is not ashamed to be called their God.”   Make sure you develop that faith.

# Summary

The PRESENTATION discusses the significant events in Israel over the past 15 months, particularly following the October 7th incursion. It reflects on God's influence throughout history, the current political landscape in Israel, and the prophetic implications of recent events. The speaker divides the talk into six sections: exploring God's plan, the current situation in Israel, scriptural prophecies, the Vatican's influence, and the importance of personal reflection in light of these events. The presentation aims to provide clarity on Israel's future and the role of faith in understanding these developments.

# Highlights

- 📅 **Historical Context**: The presentation begins by examining the intersection of God's 6,000-year plan with current events, emphasising that God's purpose is unfolding in Israel.

- 🇮🇱 **Current Political Landscape**: It highlights the divisions within Israeli society, particularly between right-wing and left-wing factions, and how these divisions impact national policy and security.

- 📖 **Scriptural Prophecies**: The speaker discusses biblical prophecies regarding Israel's future, particularly the significance of the Goan invasion and the eventual salvation of the nation.

- 🏛️ **Vatican Influence**: The presentation posits that the Vatican plays a significant role in opposing Israel, contrary to common beliefs that Arab nations are the primary adversaries.

- 🙏 **Personal Reflection**: The speaker encourages listeners to reflect on their lives and spiritual commitments, emphasising the importance of serving God in light of current events.

- 🎺 **Feast of Trumpets and Atonement**: The significance of Jewish feasts in relation to the return of Jesus and the future of Israel is explored, particularly the implications of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.

# Keywords

- Israel

- Prophecy

- Spiritual Reflection

# Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

01:30 - Overview of events in Israel since October 7

05:00 - God's plan and purpose in historical context

10:00 - Current political divisions in Israel

15:30 - Examination of scriptural prophecies

20:00 - The Vatican's influence on Israel

25:00 - Importance of personal reflection for believers

30:00 - Discussion on Jewish feasts and their significance

35:00 - Implications of the Feast of Trumpets

40:00 - The Day of Atonement and its relevance

45:00 - Concluding remarks and encouragement to serve God

50:00 - Final thoughts on the future of Israel and faith

Today we started reading the book of Job, this is one of the most challenging books of the Bible for us to understand.  Today’s chapters are the only ones in which the word satan occurs and the ESV Bible we use has a footnote that in the Hebrew this word means “the adversary” and one can find many verses in the Old Testament where it is translated that way. ( For eg. 1 Sam.29 v.4; 2 Sam. 19 v.22; 1 Kings 5 v.4; 11 v.10,23,25 &c and the adversary is named – it is a specific human being)

We are inclined to agree with those who see this book, although based on a real historical person and event, as written as a drama or play to teach a spiritual lesson.  We will be reading it for the rest of this month and its climax in the last chapter relates back to the first 2 or 3 chapters and we need to see this to get a full and balanced picture of the message this holy book has for us. 

This adversary, says to God, “all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face”[2 v.4,5] But ‘Satan’ is wrong!  Then Job’s wife, in a sense, becomes an adversary telling him to “Curse God and die”. But he says to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil.” [v.9,10]

We can perceive that God allows the bad experiences in life on occasions to test us out, to shape our character.  No sailor learns to sail if the sea is always calm. Think of the mixture of events that shaped David’s character after his great faith in slaying Goliath. 

    When we come to the end of the book (Ch. 42 v.1-6) we see the events of the first 2 chapters in their total context with the early ‘disasters’.   In the end Job has dramatic contact with God leading to a deep appreciation of his position before God and a relationship with God that he never previously possessed.. 

All he had lost is restored to him – and more.  We see this as a picture of the blessings in store after the resurrection.  If life is all smooth sailing, with no challenges to our faith, we will not develop an urgent sense of the need to develop a full relationship with God and His Son.  Also, we will not achieve a true sense of humility and submission to God’s will  Can we say to God, like Jesus did, “not my will, but yours be done” [Luke 22 v.42]  The book of Job has valuable lessons for the really diligent reader: hopefully that includes you.

Jesus spoke of “the sign of the prophet Jonah”  [Matt. 12 v.39-40] as being a sign of great significance. Jonah came forth alive from “the belly of the great fish”.  [Jonah 1 v.17], We believe it was a special fish, one of a kind, not a sort of whale.  The text says, “the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah” . 

We conclude that ”the great fish” was a special creature God brought into being and God saw that this special creation was in the right place at the right time. This remarkable event foreshadowed the death and resurrection of Jesus,  The time came when “the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon dry land.” [2 v.10] – not just a damp sandy beach!

    Jonah was then ready and willing to do what the LORD commanded and hastened to preach at Nineveh (3 v.3) – there is a parallel here with the disciples of Jesus.  After Jesus came out of the grave he gave them a renewed preaching commission; it was now “ … to the end of the earth” [Acts 1 v.8] and then ascended to heaven; today that commission is nearing completion, “but the labourers are few.”[Luke 10 v.2].

But there is a further lesson too –  note the impact the sudden cessation of the storm had on the sailors. With great  reluctance they had thrown Jonah overboard.  They had not wanted to do this, they “rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous …” [1 v.13]  Initially “each cried to his god.” [v.5]  But before they threw Jonah overboard, “they called out to the LORD” to Jonah’s LORD! They said, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood”   When they threw him overboard “the sea ceased from its raging.”  How awesome was this experience.  “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.” [v.15,16]

We are not told any more about these sailors, but surely this changed the rest of their lives. We can see a parallel here with at least one Centurion and the Roman soldiers who witnessed the awesome events at the death of Christ, one said “Truly this man was the Son of God” [Mark 15 v.38]?  Some had been aware of his power to do miracles, eg Luke 7 v.2,3.  The first Gentile convert was a Centurion! (Acts 10).  

We have the testimony of the Roman historian Tacitus (c. 110-120) that Nero put to death hundreds of Christians in Rome – and that happened in AD 64!  We conclude that many Roman soldiers and not a few Centurions, when they finished their service in Israel returned home convicted of the one and only real faith – and shared that faith – truly “then they feared the LORD”  – And us?

In our readings in Hebrews Paul is telling his fellow Jews about Jesus, that he is their one and only high priest.  Priests had held important posts, playing a significant role in the life of Israel and had done so since the time of Moses, even when they were in captivity.  All this was to be destroyed for  their nation and its temple were about to cease.

Paul’s message was, “since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have  a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses …” [4 v.14,15]  He understands and sympathizes because “in the days of his flesh … he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him …” [5 v.7-9] 

Jesus set the example for us, he knew what it was like to be human.  But at the same time as being human his mind was ‘alive’ to what God had caused to be written, he saw the real meaning of the God-inspired words of the prophets.  This perception is behind Paul’s lament that his fellow Jews “have become dull of hearing” [5 v.11] – and today the same thing has happened to all nations despite the fact that God’s word is available in all language: but the final ingathering (Matt. 13 v.30) is taking place – and we sense it is nearly complete.. 

There is a near total failure today to appreciate how “the word of God is living and active …” [4 v.12] and provides “solid food … for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”  [5 v.14] – nearly everyone, then and now had become “dull of hearing.”      Paul also complains they are “unskilled in the word of righteousness.” [v.13]  Let neither of these things be said of those who read and reflect on God’s word every day.