TITHING OUR TIME PART III

Image by David Gomes (Pexels)

    Tithing my time is a whole different level to my walk in Christ. As a Christian I belong in His presence. He is God, He is my source of everything. I go to God with everything and for everything. I do it in prayer. But His request has taken me on a journey of discovery. Believe me when I say, it has been an eye opener. I found myself asking questions. How do I spend time in His presence? Am I doing what I am supposed to do?

To find out more about my journey and the answers to my questions, you can read up on:

• How the idea of tithing my time came about 
• How to tithe time  

Spending time with God is seeking His presence. In His presence our posture is key. Our posture is our attitude. It starts with 'And I looked' (Ezekiel 1:4). Seeking is an act. We will find Him when our attitude is right. We must have an attitude of reverence.

 We have to want to find Him. This is another step to reverencing God. God looked for Adam and Eve, now we have to look for Him daily. It is very humbling but necessary to show reverence to God. We have to accept that we are only human and have a nature to sin. But we must seek His face and the knowledge of His grace daily. 

Reverencing God is the fear of God. The fear of God is pure (Proverbs 19:9). To the carnal or worldly mind, fear is a negative emotion. But to the Christian it is fear in reverence of God. We don’t ask for things now we seek His face and touch His grace. His grace is sufficient and it is His presence with us. Having awe in knowing He is all powerful and worthy of everything. Let everything that has breath praise The Lord! He is worthy of it all. 

The fear of The Lord is multiplication and abundance. We have longer and better quality life and we have wisdom and knowledge.

The fear of the LORD prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened. Proverbs 10:27

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

Knowing who God is strengthens me. I am sure of who He is and who I am. I am His people. Like a father's relationship to a child. The father tends to be stern, loving and solid. A child is sure of a father's protection.

I am made strong in His presence. Being in His presence, I become more aware of how I fit into that space, that I occupy on earth. There is no doubting when I stay in His presence. I am complete and whole. But, I have always wondered what it would be like when Jesus returns. Can I love God for eternity or stay focused on Him always?

Being the researcher I am, I looked at people who did spend time with Him. In the Book of Revelations I saw that everybody falls down. They bow down or lie down and they declare who He is. This is worship. Submitting myself to God acknowledging who He is to me. Wow! That is not difficult for me. But they are positioned in heaven already. 

What about those on earth? There are men and women of God who often speak of being still and waiting on Him. Waiting, not always asking for something. For me this is the hardest part. Not the asking part. I don't spend a lot of time asking for things. But I do spend a lot of time praising and worshipping Him. Sitting still is what I believe I have to work on (sigh). 

When I tried to push myself to sit still for longer periods, I ended up asking this, Do I really love you Lord? Then it started to unfold for me. For a relationship to work, one must want to spend time with the other person. This is how I can know if I really love God. The answer echoed in my heart, 'YES!!!'. God responded to me, He said, we will work on it, and if I burst out in praise and worship, I just have to stay focused on Him. 

A prophetess once told me to focus on His throne. I try to picture it as described in Revelations. This has been very helpful to me. Also, the prophet Ezekiel describes an amazing thing. The four creatures and the four wheels. Trying to figure that out keeps me quiet (hahaha).

Do you think you can stand in front of God without His help? When Ezekiel saw God, he fell down. He could not stand up. 

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. Ezekiel 2:1-2

When I saw the face of Jesus, I blushed and looked down. I saw me, through His eyes. I had to own up to, or face who I was. That was a very humbling and beautiful experience, like a meet cue in a movie. I had to train myself to look at Him in the face. It was a reality check for me. 

Prophet Tomi said that when you look on Him, you begin to look like Him. We are supposed to be in His image. We honour and worship by reflecting His image. Emulation is the highest form of praise. The relationship is both ways. How He sees us and how we see Him. 

God has no equal. We have to keep this as our reality or focus. Teach ourselves to reverence Him by aligning with Him. I have to make sure that what He sees in me is pleasing to Him. By living in His presence, I have to see things through his eyes. This is different to spending some time with Him or just praying. 

By tithing our time we build a relationship with God. Maybe this is not for everyone. Maybe some people can only spend one hour. But Christianity is based on a personal relationship with God. God visited Adam and Eve everyday to commune with them. This is living in His presence not just being in His presence. It was a committment.

I have learnt that the more time I spend with God the more things work out. All things work together for a good for them who are called to His purpose and love The Lord (Romans 8:28). Our purpose is why we were created. His will must be our will. His purpose is our purpose. This way we reflect Him in us. 

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Once in God's presence we must be patient and attentive. There were saints in heaven and even in heaven they had to wait on The Lord.

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Revelations 14:12 

Ezekiel worshipped first by falling down and acknowledging he was in the presence of Almighty God. His posture had to be adjusted to stand up when God wanted him to receive a message. Then his attitude was to do anything as God desired and commanded. He did not argue, reason or resist. The LORD GOD said He will send him to speak with the children of Israel. Without a right attitude God would not have done that. Compare to Jonah. Jonah had to learn the right attitude. At what stage are you? Can God send you?

I pray your posture is right for God to use you mightily in Jesus name.  

If you have not asked Jesus to be Lord over your life you can pray the following prayer and attend a full gospel church near you:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you Father.

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TIME IN THE FACE OF WAR

British government

    There has been much speculation about war all over the world. Europe has entered a preamble to war. In fact I have heard nations give a time and date for one nation to attack another. The British government even published a map showing how Russia can invade Ukraine. While all the drama is going on people are afraid and stressed out. People are confused. Let me apologise in advance this blog is a bit long. I have held back a lot of information but tried to make it understandable and compact. 

I want to encourage you to read my other blogs on the Pre-Tribulation setting, Pre-Tribulation war, rumours of wars, and potentially devastating wars in our present time. I have suggested that perhaps all three current war situations can happen simultaneously or coordinated. It would appear as they are. This is an indication of an alliance forming. Let me give some context and show you how important TIME is as a factor. 

We are witnessing a number of prophecies being fulfilled. Being a Christian I want to see God's prophecies fulfilled. I want to see how events matter in the big picture. I will not pretend it does not affect me. The world is a global village, it affects each of us. Most especially since a lot of the strong leaders have been either removed from power or have died. To be effective in prayer I must have understanding as well. I have to know what is happening as this is end times. That means things will get difficult for Christians. It is the 'beginning of sorrows' (Matthew 24:8).

At this time Christians must be mindful of the rapture. This is why we race against TIME to save lives. We praise God because He is just, and He keeps His word. He gave prophecies which we have the privilege to see the fulfilment of and to prepare for. For this blog I use the current situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine to show development in two prophecies:

• the alliance between nations that will attack Israel
• the formation of a one world government 

Why is the risk for war increased now? There has been a shifting in politics, alliances and power balance since 2021. This is usual when America changes government. But in 2021, Israel changed leadership too. Both governments have very similar policies. Both are seen by their enemies as weak. In order for other nations to rise up, the USA has to be made weak. In order to attack Israel, America has to be made weak. In our time we have witnessed this.

Since 2021 we have seen the US operate without order and without integrity in the Afghanistan pull out. There is a curious similarity between the Ukraine situation and the Afghanistan pull out. Can you guess what it is? More on Afghanistan will be published soon but for now it is enough to know that the botched evacuation affected other nations. A number of nations no longer see the USA as a superpower. This is why Iran and Russia in particular are now more bold in their actions.

China referred to the USA as a paper tiger and many memes were posted from Iran showing the USA being put out by the Taliban. Europe was left asking if they can depend on America to protect them. After decades of having support from the USA, Europe is now realising that while they were focusing on maintaining peace, other nations were preparing for war. This is why sanctions and decreasing stock values will not cause much damage to Russia. They are prepared for it.  

Since the new government took over in Israel, Russia has become more and more aggressive towards Israel. Most notably in Syria. Even if Putin is replaced, the agreement that Russia has with Iran stands as it is supposed to be for 20 years. There is a shifting power balance in the Middle East. The USA is being told to get out. Get out of Europe and get out of the Middle East.

How does this apply to prophecy? According to Ezekiel 38 & 39, there will be an unholy alliance of nations. 'Rosh' is Hebrew for 'head' or 'chief Prince'. Gog is the Prince of Rosh. Is Russia taking the lead in an attack against Israel? With America and Israel seen as weak can this alliance be formed? It is possible that with deals made behind closed doors, it has already been formed. Russia is conducting military and naval exercises in three regions currently, with Belarus, with Iran in Syria, and with China (soon). Russia is visually and literally taking on the role of a superpower. 

The allies will attack Israel 'to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder' (Ezekiel 38:12). Plunder is indicating an attitude of superiority as with a bully. It suggests that they think they already won the battle. They think all they have to do is go and take it. The conversation in Iran and Syria in particular has been about 'wiping out' and annihilating Israel. They will 'devise an evil plan' (verse 10). 

You will advance against My people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the latter days, O Gog, that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I show Myself holy in you before their eyes. Ezekiel 38:16

The prosperity of Israel is a bonus that tips the scale. Gog and Magog are in it for the spoil, the contracts 'hooks in the jaws' (verse 4). At this TIME Israel is prosperous.

The Ukraine conflict with Russia is highlighted in mainstream media and in many people's minds. This conflict has a specific agenda:

• to prove the USA is no longer a superpower or the only superpower (2021)
• to show Europe they are in no position to oppose Russia
• to show that there are three (3) nations who can be superpowers (Iran, Russia and China)
• to prove to the rest of the world that Russia has a right to annex all of Ukraine and therefore not all that bad as a world leader, Ukraine being used as a pawn 
• to weaken or break up NATO, leaving the UN as the only working international body
• to distract the world while Iran and China position themselves to achieve their own plans 
• to cause chaos which will lead people to want a one world government
  
  

To get the world to accept Russia as a superpower, President Putin has to demonstrate strength, logic, and a people personality. Opposite to Joe Biden, President of USA. Biden is constantly tripping up himself, forgetting basic facts, and  falling asleep. Putin has to show that Russia is capable of being a superpower and that Russia is unfairly demonised or made to be the bad guy. To achieve this Russia has to prove just cause for its actions: 

• 

  A kindergarten in Luhanska
  is damaged by shelling, Feb 2022
  (Operation Joint Forces/ Reuters)

  Putin made statements saying that NATO operation in Serbia was illegal. This is his reason for not trusting NATO to keep USA expansion away from Russian borders. This despite negotiations about the Ukraine not joining NATO. 
• As world leaders meet with Putin he says he does not want war. He takes time and shows patience in presenting his case to the press and to the leaders. He even sings the national anthem with thousands of Russians.
• Putin signed an agreement recognising the independence of two regions Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. This agreement specifies that the two regions can ask Russia for protection against the Ukraine government. The separatists loyal to Russia has been fighting Ukraine. A kindgergarden was hit by a shell. According to the agreement they now have a reason to ask Putin for protection. 

None of the European countries can match Russia. The rest of Europe knows this. None of them pulled out of Russia. They are providing arms and training, but they know Kiev can fall within an hour. Yet, I must point out that Ukraine was not worried about the Russian war. Not more than usual. 

Fear was generated by the USA, UK etc. Another point to consider is that Germany re-sells gas from Russia. This is winter and Europe needs Russian gas. Even if they shut down Nord Stream 2 they still need Nord Stream 1. They must regret not taking gas from Israel now! 

While everyone is distracted by Russia and Ukraine, Iran has had time to accomplish two goals. Time to weaponise the enriched uranium and time to observe USA. If USA is weak enough, Iran feels encouraged to attack Israel. If it is not weak enough Russia is prepared to engage USA under the pretext of the NATO issue or the Ukraine situation. At least Russia can distract USA (in this scenario Russia will win for two reasons). 

Another tactic to gain time is in negotiating the agreement between the USA and Iran over the nuclear weapons development in Iran. This is where diplomacy has been a failure throughout. They are already so far into development they will not back down. The delay and negotiating is giving Iran time. 

Even without this agreement Iran was bold enough to send drones to Israel directly from Iran. Previously they used proxies in other countries. Mossad responded by destroying a lot of the storage site for 'Shahed' UAVs in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in  Mahidasht, western Iran. 

Mossad response to Iranian drones

Video from the World of Telegram News

This is what happens when USA is weak. A whole shifting of power and unbalance is taking place. Who will keep Iran in check? USA will no longer be able to do it. It will be tied to an agreement. By the time anyone can find proof of Iran's mischief, Iran would have already caused chaos. Here again time is important. China wants contracts. Russia wants contracts. Iran just wants war.

Throughout 2021, Russia had been running things in Syria. Russia had been building airstrips and increasing its presence in Syria. Now in Syria is another squadron of fighter jets, heavy bombers etc. Don't forget the armada of naval ships. Putin has condemned actions taken by the USA and by Israel in Syria. There is a repeat of the scenario with the Ukraine. 

Now do you see that it makes sense when you include the Bible prophecies, time as a factor and Israel? Not confusing at all. Two key nations in the alliance in Ezekiel 38 are now working together. In the past Russia and Iran hated each other. Now they are talking about a 20 year agreement. That is a big jump isn't it? 

By pushing the world into the unthinkable life without USA as a superpower. By creating more stress and chaos, many nations will ask for peace and will give up everything for peace. This will lead to a one world government. The government will be made up of new superpowers. The idea of the one world government comes from Daniel. When NATO is weakened there will be a new government system. Sovereignty will be given up to this new system. 

As Christians we have time and opportunity now to tell the world about Jesus. His peace passes all understanding. There are beautiful people all over the world, Russia and Iran included. God wants all men to be saved, He is calling all of us. We have to be the light in this world, the ones with the solution for peace. 

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4

I pray you find the peace that Jesus offers in Jesus name.

If you have not asked Jesus to be Lord over your life you can pray the following prayer and attend a full gospel church near you:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you Father.

 Thank you Behold Israel

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TITHING OUR TIME PART II

Have you ever had stale breath? There are different types of breath other than this: coffee breath, tired breath, fresh breath, and morning breath. The Greek translation of Spirit is breath or wind, Πνεῦμα (Pneuma). The breath of God is The Holy Spirit. As long as The Holy Spirit dwells in you, you can only have the breath of life. A fresh breath or fresh anointing over your life. Do you get it? To keep it fresh and smelling good we stay in the presence of God and we feed our spirit. This blog is about what happens when we spend time or tithe our time. 

Previously I explained that we have to account for the time we spend on the earth. Time is to multiply God in our life and in the earth. We can only do that by ensuring He is in what we do. Jesus spent time in prayer and He asked the disciples if they will not spend one hour with Him. I asked God about this and His response was ‘five minutes for every hour’. I have spent days trying to figure out how to work this and to re-negotiate. It is down to this:

• 20-30 mins when I wake up in prayer with specific type of prayer to start my day
• 2 hours in the presence of God
• Read 3 chapters from the Bible 
• 1 hour in the things of God (reading and meditation on scripture, listening to a sermon, praying with others, counselling others, learning from a teacher of the word)

Everything we do and say is in the presence of God. He sees all and knows all anyway. Is the time we spend on the earth going to please Him? Will we have a fresh breath or sweet smell with us in the spirit realm? That breath that comes from Him can only be sustained by Him. It is kept as a fresh breath.

The prayer we offer to Him will identify with us. My prayer will be identified with me. Your prayer will identify with you. Because it has a scent. In order for our prayer to be effective it must have a sweet smell. 

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. Revelations 5:8

It must be guided by The Holy Spirit. He dwells in us and sustains us with all that Jesus bought for us. 

Our relationship with Him keeps us in abundant life. Only God can give us abundant life. There is no other who can do this. He is unequalled. Only Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Our life has a price that has been paid already. It is up to us to grab hold of this. It is like a wallet. Jesus gives you a wallet filled with life and truth and it gives you automatic entry to heaven. Life and truth cannot be paid for with money. 

Now what do we do in exchange for the wallet? The time must be given back to Him. Life is living in time. An opportunity not to simply exist but to live. Not to just survive but to have abundant life. Abundance comes with multiplication. We redeem our time. 

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16

In this verse, the two meanings of 'time' is used. 'Days' indicate a literal translation, 'time' has a different meaning 'opportunity'. Time gives us opportunity. There are two aspects to this; buying time and taking hold of it. In return for the opportunities made possible with time we have to pay for it. 

What I do with my time adds value to it. This is different to the popular teaching of 'making the most of time'. It is God who says to 'multiply' and offers abundant life. Living in time can only be with God. In His presence, living with Him, we grab hold of multiplication and abundance. 

Giving thanks for each day, season, moment or second. This is how we reverence God. Do you remember the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)? All three servants had the same amount of time. But the issue was about multiplying or adding value to the time. Not the amount of value because they got according to the skills they had. 

Time is gifted to us to work out our salvation on the earth. Time cannot be taken for granted so we work out our salvation in time not knowing when we will run out of time. We are grateful and time appreciates/increases in value. Time is not supposed to depreciate/ reduce in value. With time we remain refreshed by reverencing God.

To repay time with works will be risky. We can work but not have God with us. This is when we get stale breath and drink coffee then end up with coffee breath. Then we will have to come back to the fact that we need time to work out our salvation because we are too busy doing works. Like Martha in the Bible. 

It is in spending time with God that we work out our salvation. We maintain a fresh breath. Not stifling The Holy Spirit. When we quench The Holy Spirit we get stale breath. Because the contract of salvation is between you the individual, and Jesus. Each of us has to decide. Every day we make a decision, 'yes, I want to spend time with you'. By simply accepting God is not enough. Wanting to be in His presence is a first step to reverencing God. I will love to tell you more about reverencing God.

I pray that you are able to spend time with your Father in heaven in Jesus name. I pray your life has a beautiful smell that God is pleased with in Jesus name.   

If you have not asked Jesus to be Lord over your life you can pray the following prayer and attend a full gospel church near you:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you Father.

 

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MYSTERY BABYLON (AND THE MEDES) - PART I

    On January 20, 2022 daesh (Isis) captured a prison in Al Hasakah, Syria. This area is under Kurdish control. For the following two days the Kurds fought without stopping.  I am told some of the fiercest fighters from Kurdistan fought. Bullets fell like rain. They did not even stop to eat. The Kurds managed to recapture some of the escapees. The Democratic Syrian Army and US forces came to help eventually. This battle has inspired this blog.

 

Video from Abu Saleh of attack from daesh on Al Hasakah  

The more I learn about the Medes the more I am filled with wonder that they are such a huge part of our Biblical history. From my research, I conclude that the Kurds are the most qualified people to make the claim of being the descendants of the Medes, a once powerful nation. I agree that Armenians can claim that they are descendants to the Medes due to being captured by them as well. But the Kurds as a people have a stronger case.

In another blog I use Jeremiah 51 to show that God used the Medes to destroy Babylon. In Biblical history we read a lot about Babylon and although it fell to the Medes, it is still written as part of our future. In the Book of Revelations it is called Mystery Babylon. There are some believers who think that this battle between the Medes and Mystery Babylon is destined to happen. Similar to the past. 

They reason that the Medes are positioned to be in opposition to Mystery Babylon as in the past. It will happen again as if there is a Babylon then there has to be a Medes people. The question I am addressing here is this; Will the Medes have to fight Mystery Babylon? For more on the Medes people in the Bible you can click on these links:

The Medes People - Lessons to be Learnt

The Medes People - A Lesson on Favour

The Medes were descended in part from the Sumerians and before them were the Ubaid people. The Medes are a people positioned to be in opposition to Babylon. 

Prepare against her the nations,

With the kings of the Medes,

Its governors and all its rulers,

All the land of his dominion.

And the land will tremble and sorrow;

For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon,

To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.

Jeremiah 24:28-29

Babylon came on the scene between 2000-1500 BC. By 625 BC, Jeremiah saw them as a threat. But the Medes were one of four superpowers at that time. In fact to protect themselves from the Medes, Babylon allied with Persia. But Cyrus the Great, ruler of a vassal of Persia then formed an alliance with the Medes. After this the history of the Medes became corrupted.

To maintain integrity of the blog I will maintain the Biblical history as this remains less corrupted. The history is better traced from this perspective. Otherwise it is distorted by scholars who don’t know about research or people who have a sworn duty to hide the Medes from the rest of the world. 

To be clear, the Medes is different to the people from Media, Babylon, Persia and Assyria. Only from one point was Media annexed to the Medes. They are the Magi who brought gifts to baby Jesus and they were there to experience the Day of Pentecost.

 

Kurds recaptured escaped prisoners. Video from Abu Saleh 

Now that you are caught up with the basic history of the Medes. Let us look at Babylon through the eyes of Daniel. Although Babylon fell to the Medes around 540 BC, God will still judge Mystery Babylon during or after the Great Tribulation. During that time the identity of Mystery Babylon will be revealed (next blog). No one knows where Babylon exists today. This is why they are a mystery.

Why is God angry with Babylon and or Mystery Babylon? Here are some characteristics of Babylon of old:

• idolatry- Jeremiah 24:47,52
• irreverence of defiling The Temple of God- Jeremiah 24:51, 2 Chronicles 36:7, Ezra 5:14
• they enslave people- Ezra 2:1
• they trick people into thinking they want bondage- Jeremiah 40:4
• they remove people from their homeland- Daniel 5:13
• they create new identities for their captives- Daniel 1:7
• they take the best of the best and make them theirs- Jeremiah 24:1, 2 Kings 24:16

Here are the traits of Mystery Babylon who is referred to as a woman in Revelations: 

Murderer - I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. Revelations 17:6 

Fornicator - Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Revelations 17:1-2 

Blasphemer - So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. Revelations 17:3

Glorifying self - In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. Revelations 18:7-8 

Slavery and sorcery (which I write about in another blog)- Revelations 18:13, Revelations 18:23 

According to Jeremiah and Revelations the judgement of Babylon will be through the sword, through fire, through plagues and through water. The nation fell by the sword when the Medes captured them. But the fire from the mountains, the waters rising to cover her has not happened as yet. As far as I can tell the plagues have not fallen on her either. Not only will the judgement be in one hour but it is the beast with the ten horns that will do this:

And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. Revelations 10:16

Our Heavenly Father says in Jeremiah the same as Revelations 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

In answer to my question the Medes are not destined to fight against Babylon again. They fulfilled their purpose already. What is important I think is God's warning to 'Come out of her...'. 

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10

We as the children of God must not be part of the worldly thinking, and systems that continue the practices and beliefs of Babylon. We have to be careful not to join in the things that do not put God first. We must be separate from the ungodly. It takes prayer and revelation from God sometimes. Keep in mind that when God speaks of fornication there is spiritual meaning too. Idol worship is fornication. Serving other gods is fornication. Nations are judged for these things. 

One simple example is volunteering your time. Volunteering to causes tend to pull people away from God and it becomes politicised. Volunteering in the workplace becomes an expectation and taken for granted. You have to volunteer or you are not recognised. Then it is a policy that you have to give of your time. But it is about the corporate responsibility. The company takes your free work like slavery for the company to look good. In everything we have to be wise. 

I pray that God gives you wisdom in understanding what He wants you to do and courage to be obedient. I pray God opens doorways for you in Jesus name.

If you have not asked Jesus to be Lord over your life you can pray the following prayer and attend a full gospel church near you:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you Father.

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YOU HAVE TO TITHE YOUR TIME! PART I

    You might have heard about tithing on your salary so this would sound strange. First let me tell you how this topic came about. I was in a taxi. As is my usual practise I opened a conversation with the driver with the intentions of simply quoting a Bible verse about Jesus. It was a short journey. The driver decided to control the conversation. He said he believed in two things, Adam and Eve and that humans were angels in a body. He added that we have time and our conscience working for us. Have you heard of such a thing? 

I knew the time to discuss was not there. I settled to challenge him into re-thinking. I pointed out that humans will judge angels and they will need a standard to work with. If we are angels then we have no standard to use. Also, the plan of salvation started with Adam and Eve so we cannot simply forget everything since. He was struck dumb. I smiled and told him to have a blessed day.

It bothered me that he thought we had time. We don't! There are so many people dying without even having an opportunity to know who Jesus is. There are so many prophecies being fulfilled that there is no doubt that we are in end of times. Jesus is coming very soon! Even if he didn't know any of this (it is clear he does not), we do not know when we will die. Life should not be taken for granted.

Of course when I got home and started my time with The Lord I prayed for the driver. It hurts to know that there are so many people who are clueless about the things of God. He had no idea of God. Even a Hindu or Muslim knows there is a God and we have to live up to His standards.

I complained that there are so many people in denial of Jesus and not ready for the Great Tribulation. But the response was that I needed to tithe my time. We have been in negotiations on how this was to work out since then. He said He wanted five (5) minutes for every hour. I asked for a scripture to be able to explain this to you my readers. And I reminded God that it is good to test with the scripture. That is a rule of thumb.

The Lord said 'come now and let us reason together' (Isaiah 1:18). He does like this. In our reasoning, He explained that we have to occupy til Jesus comes. That He is the Father of Time as the Ancient of Days and that we have to account to Him for giving us time on the earth. This is especially important as some do not get this time. He reminded me of the parable Jesus gave of the ten talents. In this account in Luke 19:13 the business man says 'occupy til I come'. We have to do the Lord's work. 

The Holy Spirit then reminded me of an article I once wrote on the importance of time in business especially in these days. The pace or speed in which business must be done has gotten quicker. More has to be done in less time. Time today is more important. It is a race against time for all of us. Father God explained that many people ignore this. Here is part of the parable of the talents as told by Matthew: 

For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey...

Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.

After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them... Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:  

Matthew 25:14-28

They all had the same amount of time but were given talents based on their skills. This was to lower the expectations. But, the last servant did not make use of the time. The master added that he could have given it to the exchangers. He would at least have gotten interest on it. Similar to a bank savings account. He was punished.

The concept of accountability is important. However, equally important is making use of what we are given with the time we are given. Janet Jackson's song comes to mind. I can imagine Jesus singing, what have you done for me lately? 

The final argument for tithing my time comes from the very first command, 'go and multiply'. I ask myself this question. How have I multiplied? Often we interpret this to mean have a family. The Bible is so incredible. God loves to play with words too. That one word 'multiply' has many applications.

I was given life and I was given time. But I don't know how much time I have. I must multiply my life with time. I must be proactive about it because I have to make up for lost time and just in case I run out of time, I have multiplied what I had. In my next blog I will discuss how I can multiply time. Join me on my journey of discovery of what it means to tithe time and what to do when we tithe time. 

I pray God is merciful on you. I curse every obstacle in your way in Jesus name.

If you have not asked Jesus to be Lord over your life you can pray the following prayer and attend a full gospel church near you:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you Father.

 

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THE MEDES PEOPLE - JUDGEMENT OR FAVOUR?

Map showing the Median Empire as the Medes
around 600 BC (click here for original source)

     Many people do not know who the Kurds are. By most accounts there are about 30 million Kurds worldwide. This is quite surprising given the history of the people. Some scholars claim that the Medes and the Kurds are the same people. But the Armenians would argue the same. This nation shares a history with the Jews and Christians that is thousands of years old. This history includes wars, suppression, betrayal, and propaganda. 

This is where my interest lies. We do read about the Medes in the Bible. They are present at very critical points in Jewish and Christian history. I have written on the Medes as a lesson in trusting God. The lesson on favour given to the Medes has been introduced in another blog. Although I may write more on the Kurds in the future, in this blog, I hope to locate or find the Medes in the Bible as a people in history. The Biblical history of the Medes teaches us about the hand of favour from God. What is favour? It is God's kindness and mercy without a specific or known reason for it.

It is the Assyrian King Shalmanessar III (858-824 BC) who refers to the Medes  as the people of the land of 'Mada'. It is assumed that they came from the Indo-European lands (between India and Europe)  settling in the Mesopotamian plains around the 17th century BC. In this blog I will maintain the Medes as a separate group of people as much as possible. There is a lot of conflicting accounts of history. The identity of the Medes is difficult to find as they are confused with other empires, Babylon, Media, Persia, and Assyria. Added to this, the rough history of the region can make people groups simply disappeared. 

CONNECTING THE MEDES WITH OTHER PEOPLES

The Persians:

There are some who think that the Medes were Persians, assuming they were completely absorbed into Persia. This would be after Cyrus allied the two nations, the Medes and Persia. But Persia is not mentioned on the Day of Pentecost as a nation. The Medes are. Elam which was part of Persia is identified separately.

The Medians:

From a Biblical perspective the Medes and the Medians can be the same at a point in time. The group of people on the Day of Pentecost represented all the people of all the lands. If the Medians were a separate people then they would have been mentioned. Further to this, Herodontus writes that the Median empire has four tribes: the Busae, the Paretaceni, the Struchates, the Arizanti, the Budii, the Magi. It would seem as the Bible is referring to the Medes possibly including the Medians.

From the Britannica Encyclopedia I see some clarity as it states that the Armenians were 'incorporated' into the Median empire and 'annexed' to the Medes by Cyrus II in 550 BC. The references to the Median empire as the same as the Medes can only be accurate after this time. Further to this, it explains how the Armenians now identify with the Medes along with the Kurds. This is expected as in 609 Urartu in the Armenian Highlands was captured by either Media or the Medes. But by 550 BC, Urartu would be annexed or joined to the Medes.

The Armenians:

Scholars cite Herodontus (known to mix fables with fact) and Strabo (historian) in tracing the Medes as descendants of Japheth. This would mean they spoke the Aryan language which is associated with Farsi. This later is called Persis then Persian. Some scholars have criticised the integrity of Strabo. Here is the funny thing. Strabo used accounts by others when it came to Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel and the Red Sea. However, when it comes to describing customs, practices, religious differences, political statutes, industrial and agricultural activities, he gave his own information. His observations are then first hand and mostly credible.

Strabo wrote (taken from Routledge Companion to Strabo; pg 96): 

For more about Armenia click here

• the Armenians claimed to be descendants of the Medes
• the Armenians, Medes and Persians shared similar religious practices
• frontier Armenians were similar to Syrians and Arabs
• there is a distinction between those who live in the Armenian plains and those in the Armenian Mountains
• those living in the Armenian Mountains were uncivilised

Strabo's account is still unclear because he refused to use Greek geography and this affects boundaries. The Armenian Mountains he speaks off can be the Mesopotamian Mountains. Also, at the time of Strabo's travels there would have been Medes in Armenia due to the annexation. 

Some Kurds believe they are descendants of the Medes. The Kurds helped Turkey to commit genocide of the Armenians in the early 1900s. History and political influences in the ME has caused much division and enmity.

The Kurds:

It was said that the Medes made up the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East (R.J.M. Gurney.) This would be at the at the time of the prophet Daniel. If the Medes are the Kurdistan people then there is a huge flaw in how the history of the Kurds is being told and recorded. One such account that would have to be questioned would be a BBC article, Who are the Kurds? (October 15, 2019) in which it states, 'they never obtained a permanent nation state'. 

The name of Kurds came when conversion to Islam was forced on the people living in the land between the two rivers in the 7th century AD. The Medes were also the people known for living between the two rivers since the 17th century BC. But the name of the Medes completely converted to Kurds in a short period of time is difficult for me to understand. By short I mean they are referred to as the Medes up to the first 100 years AD in the Bible. This was a time when records of civilisations were being kept. That's 600 years of Medes history disappearing.  

In 401 BC, there are references to empires of Mesopotamia with names that sound similar to the Kurds or Kurdistan. 'Stan' is part of the farsi language to mean 'land of'. Kardouchoi was referenced by a Greek historian, about 100 years after the Medo-Persian alliance was formed. It would be strange to simply forget the Medes as a people even if they were absorbed by Persia. But it does raise a question for me. Are the people of the plains and those of the mountains the same? Is it possible the Medes were of the Mesopotamian Mountains and the Kardouchoi those of the plains?

The Kurds were said to come to the Mesopotamian Mountains around the 7th century AD. This would mean the Kurds are not descendants from any of the peoples living in that area. Again this is confusing since the name could be taken from the people known and recorded in the region with similar names starting with 'K'. Where did the Kurds come from then?  I have been focusing on the Medes so much that I almost missed this question. 

If the Kurds were the Medes, would it be possible to maintain a separate identity from the time of the alliance? To this day the Kurds maintain that they are different. For any group to claim to be the Medes they would have to maintain a link with them for the last 1900 years. One clear link between the Kurds and the Medes, is the occupation of the land between the two rivers. Where is the evidence showing the end of the Medes. What event marks the point where the Medes end and the Kurds begin? 600 years between are still missing.

More recently, in the early 1900s there was an issue of borders and history and land borders got more confusing. Politics played a huge part in this. It is coincidental that the Kurds are the one people group who share similarities with the Medes:

1. they live in the same region, Mesopotamian Plains and Mountains,
2. both have a history with Iran which was part of the Persian empire, 
3. they both maintained a separate identity,
4. they are known to this day as the people between two rivers. 

Today we accept the Kurds as a tribe in Turkey, in Iran, in Iraq and in Syria. This is where I get uncomfortable. Even if they were not the Medes, there was a separate Kurdish people. If the Kurds are an Indo-European people it would explain why they are said to look different to the others of the Middle East. 

In more recent years the Kurds came to our news coverage after the rising and spread of extremism. Some might know them as the resistance fighting against daesh (isis). Some would know them as a people fighting for independence in the Middle East (ME). Some may know them as forming a large part of the immigrants in Europe. Most would simply know them as believers of Islam. They are all that and much much more.

More history on Kurdistan can be found here 

The United Nations agreed to an independent state of Kurdistan in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres. But for reasons unknown to most of us, they were divided up as a people, relocated and placed under four other nations. No one seems to know how Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria ended up with such a responsibility which they proved to be unworthy off. Kurds are indigenous to the Mesopotamian plains or mountains. Why was there a 1923 Treaty of Lausanne?

JUDGEMENT OR FAVOUR?

Many times in the Bible, God specified His judgement on nations. Often academics and bloggers would write that the Medes were Assyrian or Babylonian. It has gotten very confusing and seems deliberate. When God judges the Babylonians or the Assyrians it is assumed the Medes are included. This is not true. They were not wiped out. 

Where in the Bible did He say through a prophet He would break the Medes and scatter them until they have no nation? Am I looking at this wrong? Is the exodus of the Medes as Kurds the saving of a remnant? Or even the claim by the Armenians? Is it then a blessing in disguise or a payment to the Medes from God? After all, God is not a debtor and if He can reward the king of Babylon then he will reward the Medes.

Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.  (Ezekiel 29: 18-19)

What are they being paid for or given favour for? When God is dealing with wages and payment He used tangible or physical things. When the Israelites left Egypt after being enslaved, they were told to take their wages. Even with the example of the king of Babylon above, it is with spoils that they were paid. 

The Medes are said to have been used to destroy Babylon. This was accomplished through Darius I, King of the Medes (Daniel 5:31, 9:1). 

Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple. (Jeremiah 51:11)

When do they get the wages for this? Is the favour of God in payment? Is the payment in the salvation of the remnant being Armenian and or Kurdistani people? Why is it so difficult to trace the people after the Day of Pentecost in other historical records? I say this because many times it is stated that the Kurds were never a nation and are treated that way. For sure they were a separate nation and they were given favour by God even with such treatment. As a people I find the Medes very intriguing and I would love to find out more. I think there are lessons to be learnt from them.

I pray for the bloodlines belonging to Jesus to return to Him. He is the harvestor and Lord over our lives. I pray for another Day of Pentecost when every nation and tongue will experience the gift of The Holy Spirit.

If you don't have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour you should pray the following prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I ask you to forgive my sins in knowledge or ignorance. Please forgive me. I accept Jesus as my Saviour. I ask that Jesus comes into my life as I live to be a witness for Him. Please change my life and make me into the person you want me to be. Guide me in these times so I can be used by you to help others in Jesus name I pray. Thank you.

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