In the mid nineteenth century, Sir Charles Wheatstone invented stereoscopy. It is also known as 3D. With our eyes, we see objects in height, width and depth. But converting these images to paper is a challenge. Wheatstone invented a process to add depth to photos. We now enjoy this in movies today. 

 Three spacial dimensions are left to right, up to down and forward backward. One can add time to this dimension as well, making four dimensions. If you live in Israel or read Hebrew, then you can add one more dimension, as the Hebrew language is read right to left.

 When people say that the land of Israel is special, it truly is an understatement. Gen. 12:2 says  “And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you…” God created Israel and made it a nation, no other nation on earth can claim this. God never made that claim about any other nation on earth. 

 Gen. 15:18 states “On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.”  God has never made an eternal covenant with any other nation except Israel. God set up the boundaries of the land. Although boundary lines have changed and land has been exchanged for peace, God promised to protect Israel forever – Psalm 121:4:

 Hinei Lo Yanoom V’lo Yishon Shomer Yisrael  

 Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 

God has protected them, He does protect them and He will protect them. Just as He identified Himself to Moses as I am that I am, His name describes His very nature. He has been, He is and He always will be. When God says He will keep a promise, He means it. His very name personifies who He is and what He does.

 Israel is mentioned over 540 times in our Bible. God gives a lot of promises about Israel. Jer. 31:35-36 says, “Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day 

And the fixed orderof the moon and the stars for light by night, 

Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; 

The LORD of hosts is His name: 

"If this fixed orderdeparts 

From before Me," declares the LORD, 

"Then the offspring of Israel also will cease 

From being a nation before Me forever." The fixed orderhas never varied with God and it never will. God’s word stands forever. If there had been no Israel, there would have been no Jew, nor would there have been no Jesus, no Yeshua. Jesus was Jewish, He was prophesied to come by Jewish prophets, He was raised by Jewish parents, He lived in a Jewish country, He lived a Jewish life.

 No where else on earth did God say He would put His name except Jerusalem,

2 Kings 21:7 “Then he set the carved image of Asherah that he had made, in the house of which the LORD said to David and to his son Solomon, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever.”  Jerusalem is mentioned at least 812 times in the Bible – no other city on earth – not New York, not Orlando, not Tokyo and so on. 

 God chose and blessed Israel because He loved Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and wanted to make a place for their descendants (Deut. 4:37-38), to drive out their enemies – the ungodly nations (Deut. 4:38) and that He keeps His promise,  "For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them (Deut. 4:31).

 Please pray about coming with us and seeing the Bible in 5 dimensions!

Barricae@gmail.com

THOUGH I WALK IN DARKNESS

Who is among you that feareth the LORD, That obeyeth the voice of His servant?

Though he walketh in darkness, And hath no light, 

Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God. 

Isaiah 50:20 JPS

If we live long enough, each of us will encounter a “suddenly” in our life. It could be the death of a loved one, a divorce, a job loss, an unexpected illness. I remember when my father died suddenly. A friend encouraged me to do a Bible study on the word SUDDENLY. Comfort came as I realized unexpected challenges and darkness come upon everybody. At times, it seems as though heaven is silent, God is silent and answers do not come. Even though our faith encourages us to believe that God can change anything, He remains silent and does not speak in the midst of our pain. Recall 2 Kings 4:27 “And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said: 'Let her alone; for her soul is bitter within her; and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.'” This woman had just experienced the death of her son, the son who had been promised by Elijah. 

The Lord has hidden His ways. Who are we to say that God should act on our behalf? Who are we to demand anything of God? Isaiah 55:8-9 notes “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” We presently see through a cloud, a veil, the dim glass. One day we will see and understand all things. However, suddenlies occur. Difficulties and disappointments are the way of life. 

Why does the Teacher always have to be silent when we take a test? Why can’t there be some word from heaven to ease our pain? Often, in the midst of darkness, I fail to see that I am going through a test. I cannot even identify the enemy, the culprit, the darkness that surrounds me. Yet the Teacher is silent when taking a test. It has to be this way. 

God sees you. For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” (2Chron. 16:9a) I don’t want to fail any of the tests the God brings my way. Am I willing to trust Him? Am I willing to trust God in the dark? 

2 Chron. 32:30 "It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David."

On a past trip to Israel, our group took the opportunity to walk through Hezekiah’s tunnel. This experience was one of the most memorable experiences of the tour. We descended down a few steps and entered a dark cave. Some had flashlights, but they were of little use. The entire journey occurred in darkness. The tunnel was just large enough for us to walk through; the tunnel was within inches of my head and on either side of my body. We felt our way along the path in total darkness. After about five minutes, I was tired of this journey. The footing was slippery and rocky. Water depth varied from inches to feet, I could feel the water level at my knees at times. How long had that water been there and how clean was it? The smell was at you would expect - stinky and rank. It was dark, dark, pitch black. If one used a flashlight, it was only to see more tunnel, and only good for a few steps ahead. We knew that the destination would take perhaps a half-hour, but I lost all sense of time. All I knew was to keep walking forward, very carefully, feeling the sides of the tunnel as I walked. I knew eventually we would reach the destination.

Some people sang; others chatted; then silence. We kept walking. It seems as though those in front of us got way ahead of us. At times, those behind us lagged way far away. I had to work at not being fearful. I had to dispel any thoughts from my mind that I would not make it. I had to not think about what was lurking in the stagnant water. I had to trust God. Yet, after perhaps thirty or forty minutes, we ended up at the Pool of Siloam.

The man born blind went and washed there, per Yeshua Jesus' instructions, and he was healed (John 9:1-12). During the last day of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, water was drawn from Siloam. Yeshua Jesus referred to this in John 7:37-38 when He said, "If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink...he who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 'From his inmost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" Siloam-- the place of miracles and blessing.

Sometimes God leads us into a dark place. He asks that we will trust Him as we walk through the valley of darkness, through the valley of the shadow of death. Proverbs 3:5 states “trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding.” If we lean on our own understanding, it is as if we are leaning on a broken crutch. We have no ability to remain upright, let alone progress forward.

It is God who clothes the heavens with blackness (Isaiah 50:3). God created evening and morning, the first day. Evening, in God’s economy, comes before the morning (Genesis 1:3, 6,9,14,20,24,31). God’s word makes note “then I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden wealth of secret places, so that you may know that it is I, The Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.” (Isaiah 45:3) I had the privilege one summer of staying with a lady who grew moon flowers. They happened to grow right outside of the bedroom window. I could not believe that such beautiful flowers bloomed only in the evening. God does give hidden treasures in darkness. Darkness might bring terrible circumstances, but circumstances are temporary and they do not define us. We might plan our ways but God directs our steps (Prov. 16:9). He is an amazing football coach and life coach.

Sometimes we just have to go through the night. We have to endure and get our praise on as Paul and Silas did when they were in jail. “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

and SUDDENLY there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened.” (Acts 16:25-26)

Dear saint, if you are in the darkness, praise Him, wait for the SUDDENLY. It will come.

"So, let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth."

Hosea 6:3A

YES