Thursday, August 24, 2017

Signs from Heaven

The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? Matthew 16:1-3 NASB
Have you ever admired a gorgeous sunset and thought—yes tomorrow will be a beautiful day? Red sky in the night—sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning—sailor take warning. That is just what Jesus must have been talking about when He spoke with those Pharisees and to the crowd in the scripture below.

Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, "When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, 'Here comes a shower.' And you are right. When the south wind blows, you say, 'Today will be a scorcher.' And it is. You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don't know how to interpret the present times. Luke 12:54-56.

How do you “interpret” the present times? Israel is surrounded by unfriendly Arab nations and there are conflicts between them that go back thousands of years. Prophesies have been fulfilled…the Israelis have been returned to the Promised Land and they became an independent nation in 1948. Almost seventy years ago. God has blessed them with abundant crops—where on the same land Arabs were unsuccessful at their farming efforts. The Israelis have continued to fight for their land, to establish their boundaries and borders. Terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, are a constant threat to Israel. Old Testament scripture names some of the enemy countries specifically and others geographically.

O God, do not remain quiet; do not be silent and, O God, do not be still. For behold, Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You have exalted themselves. They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones. They have said, "Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more." For they have conspired together with one mind; against You they make a covenant: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; they have become a help to the children of Lot.  Psalm 83:1-8 NASB

Keep your eyes open and watch what is happening in Israel and the nations surrounding them, particularly Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Pray for the Jews and the Christians living in Israel. God gave a great promise to Abram. A promise of blessing to those who bless him and his family—that is all of the Israelites—and lastly, a blessing on all the families of the earth. There is also the promise of a curse on those who curse them.

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3 NASB

Are you praying for the people of Israel? Do you feel blessed—as you bless them? Do you see them with red skies in the morning…or in the evening? Leave me a comment in the comment box below.

Blessings on you as you bless others.

Prayer ~ Lord God, have mercy on the people of Israel—Your chosen people. Protect them from their enemies—and give them strength to fight the battles ahead of them.

Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 51-52

© 2017 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

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