Israel's History Foretold

"Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire - as you did - and survived? Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.
"He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other. He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it. Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. 38 He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today.
"So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. (Deuteronomy 4:32-39 NLT)

Any man can write a book. But only God can create a nation. God took Israel out of Egypt and wrote the history of Israel even before the Israelites crossed the Jordan river.

Moses foretold the exile and return of Israel before they crossed the river Jordan to the promised land.

Jeremiah focused on Judah's first exile, emphazising that it will last 70 years.

Daniel prophesied events within 70 weeks of years, about the coming of the Anointed One, Jerusalem and the temple. He also prophesied about the four gentile nations which interacted with Israel.

John the Apostle gave detail events of the final week prophesied by Daniel, followed by the rule of the Anointed One for 1000 years and the creation of new heaven and new earth.

Isaiah prophesied Israel's exile by Assyria and Judah's exile by Babylon. The return of Israel seemed to be merged with Israel becoming God's kingdom.

Ezekiel prophesied the return of both Ephraim (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) as one Israel, followed by the Gog and Magog war. Ezekiel also had a vision of a new Temple of the LORD in the newly rebuilt Jerusalem.

For the LORD will scatter you among all the nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods made of wood and stone! (Deuteronomy 28:64 NLT)

"Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed. For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive. There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone - gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.
"In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors. (Deuteronomy 4:26-31 NLT)

This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. (Jeremiah 25:11 NLT)

For this is what the LORD says: "When Babylon's seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:10-11 BSB)

Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. (Daniel 9:24 BSB)

Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others. (Daniel 7:3 NLT)

Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 BSB)

Training Children and Puppies

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 ESV)

Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing. (Proverbs 20:4 NIV)

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7 KJV)

Recently my son got a puppy. He trained her to pee and poo in the pee pad. If she did it in the pee pad, she would be rewarded with treat-treat. If she did it outside the pee pad, my son would strike the cane on the floor around her and she would be very frightened.

We all teach our children the same way. We want them to do good and not evil. Then when children grow up, they will realize that the world is not black and white like how they were trained. The world is full of injustice and God "causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45)". It is natural for us to be confused. Even wise philosopher like Lao-zi (老子) also realised that God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. The just may not be rewarded and the unjust may not be punished. He wrote in his book, Dao De Jing (道德經) in chapter 5 (第五章), "Heaven and Earth are not humane, and treat the myriad creatures as straw dogs; (天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗。)"

Pastors preached to us that "God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7)". Then the Bible told her that God gave the Israelites "the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for (Psalm 105:44)". So other sowed and the Israelites reaped.

But the Bible tells us that God "is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)."

Thus the mercy (which is injustice) of God often confuse people when their evil deeds bring prosperity instead of punishment.

Mercy is injustice. Grace is unfair. When all have sinned and some are punished by death in an eternal hell and others obtained mercy by the grace of God and are not punished, God becomes unjust.

for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45b KJV)

I gave you land you had not worked on, and I gave you towns you did not build - the towns where you are now living. I gave you vineyards and olive groves for food, though you did not plant them. (Joshua 24:13 NLT)

He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for. (Psalm 105:44 CSB)

When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. (Ecclesiastes 8:11 NLT)

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 ESV)

God Almighty Incomprehensible

Who can describe the mighty acts of the LORD or fully proclaim His praise? (Psalm 106:2 BSB)

No one. No one can live from the beginning of creation till the end of ages to witness glorious miracles of the LORD. No one can live multiple lives in all the possible scenarios to fully appreciate all His wonderful works to proclaim His praise.

We can only witness what we lived through and praise Him for what He did for us, which is just a tiny fragment of His great works.

The greatness of God's works cannot be comprehended by mere individuals.

God Pope and War

When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. (Isaiah 1:15 ESV)

Pope Leo XIV quoted Isaiah 1:15 and says God 'does not listen' to prayers of those who wage war.

He shall say: "Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." (Deuteronomy 20:3-4 NIV)

The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name. (Exodus 15:3 BSB NIV)

Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. (Psalm 144:1-2 NIV)

先講是非再講善惡

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV)

Many people said that all religions are the same. They all teach us to be good.

This is not true. We must first know if something is true or false before we talk about whether it is good and bad. If you do something good for what is false, you are helping to spread a lie.

The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him. (Proverbs 18:17 BSB, CSB)

Thankfulness

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. (Psalm 50:14 NLT)
Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me." (Psalm 50:15 Amplified Bible)

Doing Right

The danger
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' (Luke 18:11-12 ESV)

The rebuke
"Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel. I am God, your God. I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or for your burnt offerings, which are continually before me. (Psalm 50:7-8 CSB)

The correction
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV)