Sign of Jonah

A beloved brother spoke about Jonah on the pulpit this morning - how the prophet of God turned from Resistance to Remembrance, then from Repentance to Relevance. He jokingly (though rightly) points out how we often run away from God, resisting His will for our lives - especially when He calls us to difficult endeavours, for example, witnessing to ISIS.

As a newsman, he'd have done his homework, but the depth of his passing remark might have been missed by many.

The fact is that ISIS has now taken Mosul as its capital. Mosul was Nineveh, and Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire. Tradition holds it that Jonah was buried in Nineveh - and when ISIS took over Mosul, they destroyed his tomb. The Assyrians were pioneers of terrorism. Burning people alive, beheading, impaling bodies and displaying them publicly - oh sounds so familiar! Did you really think there was anything new under the sun? I hope that makes it clear why Jonah ran away. It was not a matter of wilfulness. It was fear!

Jonah feared for his life! Why would God ask any man to go speak with some of the most violent and merciless men in the world? People whose hearts have been hardened by warfare and blood - of what use is it to speak with such men? So you must imagine Jonah's shock, revulsion and despondency to have received such an impossible mission - it is in every sense, a suicide.

More than 150 years after Jonah's preaching had turned around Nineveh, the people of Nineveh returned to their wicked ways - so then a dog returns to its vomit. By the time of the prophet Nahum, it was again a "city of bloodshed".

So then, when the Lord Jesus says, "an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah" - it comes extremely loaded. Jesus explains the literal meaning in the subsequent verses - how he, like Jonah, will be in the belly for 3 days and 3 nights, and rise again. Like Jonah who was sent to men of violence, so was Jesus sent to men of violence. Jonah preached to hardened hearts, and people came to repentance - so likewise, Jesus came and preached to hardened hearts, and people came to repentance. But that's where it stops. God delivered a sulking Jonah from the hands of violent men and revealed to Jonah His heart of mercy even unto those who were undeserving; but when it came to His own Son, who came willingly for the undeserving - God did not spare him.

Jonah's name means "dove". When Jesus said, no sign but "the sign of the prophet Jonah" - did He also mean the sign of the dove? Did not the Holy Spirit descend like a dove on Him when He was baptised? Was not a sign already given and no one believed?

In our generation, the sign of Jonah (the Holy Spirit) was given, and I can only pray this generation receives it before the day that must come, when the Son of Man returns on this earth, and all these will be suddenly clear, all hearts will believe, all knees will bow and all tongues will confess, He is Lord.

Passing of an era

I awoke in a fluster on Monday morning, 4.30AM. It was pitch dark and raining lightly outside. My breathing was heavy and I was disoriented. It took me a while to focus and get back to bed. However, my sleep was disturbed and as dawn approached, I gingerly got off the bed, unable to bear the inexplicable sense of heaviness.

Then as I began reading the flurry of messages off my phone, I realized Mr Lee Kuan Yew had passed on. For the next several minutes, I knelt by myself in the living room in the tranquility of the morning, praying and trying to sort out what it was that I felt. My eyes teared as I lifted my prayer. 

Like many Singaporeans, my family and I joined the queue to pay or final respect to Mr Lee at the Parliament House. No queue was too long, no sun was too hot, no rain was too heavy, no wait was too inconvenient for the man who dedicated more than 60 years of his life to build this country we call home.

As the week of mourning went on, I was pensive - taking in all the eulogies that poured forth from near and far, from friends and strangers; observing the groundswell of emotion from supporters and detractors alike. It was heartrending in many ways, and I was struggling to put to words the depth of emotion that was stirring inside.

I saw the Singapore spirit revived - the camaraderie that galvanized the nation when it was birthed in the 60s. I saw a people who cared, and thought beyond themselves. I saw the determination that made Singapore great.

I also saw Mr Lee's unfinished work - the unsightly trail of empty bottles and packaging when the trash bin is not far away. I saw people joining the priority queue who were neither old nor handicapped. 

But what worried me most, was the unthankfulness I saw. In mild cases, it was a casting of doubt on the nature of Mr Lee's achievements and motivations, not so much a denial of Mr Lee's contributions. In other cases, it was beyond contempt and disdain - as exemplified by the incredibly haughty Amos Yee - which brings to mind Apostle Paul's warning that in the end times, we will find people who will be lovers of themselves, boastful, proud, blasphemers, ungrateful, slanderers, without self-control, reckless, and swollen with self-conceit. Yet there are many Amos Yees, just less vitriolic.

Make no mistake about it - many young people, who have barely lived life and known suffering, do what they do, and say what they say, because their parents have either imbued this hatred or simply failed to guide them. While some pity Amos Yee's parents for having an offspring as him, I do not pity them as much as I pity him - for he is a product of his environment.

As Mr Lee's wake comes to a close, I begin to realize that what saddens me, is the ending of an era - an era where men lived for a cause. In that era, men were greater because of the vision they carried. 

In that era, it was not a fight for the material things of this world as much as it was a battle of ideology, a battle for the minds of men. It was about the organization of society - whether Marxism, Communism, Socialism, or Democracy. It was a fight for human equality - to advance irregardless of race, language or religion. It was a fight for truth - to see it materialized in society. 

In that era, it was romantic. It was a time of living dangerously. It was the era of Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, Gandhi, Nehru, Sukarno, Ho Chi Minh, Mao Tse Dong, Pol Pot, Mandela - all these people, even if history has judged them as villains, they lived with a cause. 

That era is passing and coming to a close. An era where men fought for what they held to be truth, where they fought for their values and vision. That era is now passing. What do we fight for today? What is the purpose of our labor? If our labor and our energies are directed to mere material gain, we would have lost it.

I am saddened by the departure of a great man, but perhaps more so, I am saddened that an era is passing and coming to a close - an era where men could be greater because they fought not for greater wealth but for higher truths, hard as they may be.

May we continue to fight for truth, to strive for righteousness, with the same tenacity and passion as Mr Lee's.

  

What is "God's glory"?

No man can fully describe the glory of God. Yet for those who know it, it is only in part, darkly through a glass, and we desire the day we shall see the King of Glory face to face, knowing Him even as we are known.

Explaining the glory of God is a near impossible task, for His glory is not only multi-faceted, it is infinite in its manifestations. It is in all creation, both visible and invisible. 

Scripture tells of God's visible glory being revealed to Moses, of His glory accompanying the children of Israel as they traversed the wilderness.  

We can also see His glory as we gaze upon the stars -- their multitude (and yet He knows them by name), their scale (and yet He is greater) and their majesty (and yet it is only a pale reflection of His own majesty). For indeed, the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows forth his handiwork. 

Not only in the heavens, but the whole earth is full of His glory. There are the visible aspects of His glory - the beauty which we can behold. There are also the invisible aspects of His glory - the intelligence that weaves together everything - from the most minute particle to the greatest inter-stellar formations; the wisdom that sets all things in harmony. While the perfection in the unseen design of Creation is not perceived by the eye, it is perceived by the mind. 

There are also many other aspects of the created order which are His glory. The prophet Isaiah cries out, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory". His Holiness is also an aspect of His glory. For He is set apart - He is unlike any other - He is in a class of His own. 

Man is created to reflect the glory of God - for we are designed in His image. In ourselves is the glory of God. Every human being reflects the glory of God - even in his fallen state. We have been made "a little lower than the angels" and yet God has crowned us "with glory and honour", and been set over the works of His hands. 

Man is unique in all of God's creation because he has a spirit. While all creation reflects the glory of God, only man can emanate a different kind of glory. When man obeys and is in a relationship with the living God, he multiplies the glory of God, like nothing else can.

Man is made for glory -- His glory. We glorify God by our will and action. When we are saved, and confess the Lord Jesus, there is glory. When we choose to walk in obedience, there is glory. When our children love God, there is glory. When we love one another, there is glory. When we suffer for righteousness' sake, there is glory.

As we behold the glory of God, let us also be changed, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord.

Little Children

Elizabeth, my three year-old tot, came up beside me and patted me on the arm to get my attention. Then she made a preposterous request.

"Daddy, can I have 10 sweets?" she asked, raising all ten fingers. 

"No," I fired back.

She did not seem to hear me and continued to press on like a good telemarketer, "Can I have 10 sweets, please!"

"No," I said again, not losing my patience, but a little amused how she thought she could get away with 10 sweets when I usually deny her even two.

"But I really want", she went on - and soon, it graduated to "But I really really want", and ending with a crescendo of "But I really really want it NOW".

Elizabeth eventually settled for two, and she went away with great joy, having got what she wanted.

Here is an example of childish and childlike faith at work. Childish because she was not asking for things of the father, but her own. Things which gave her pleasure, but may or may not have been good for her. Childlike because she is comfortable approaching the father to ask for anything she wants, and even when denied, continues to press on until it is given to her.

Many believers of Jesus Christ remain little children. They remain both childish and childlike.

Childish because they ask not for things of the father, but their own. A Ferrari, Bentley, Jaguar or perhaps a more modest BMW. A GCB along Dempsey, a penthouse on Grange Road, or perhaps a more modest condominium along East Coast. Becoming an MD, CEO or SVP, or perhaps a more modest GM. For their children to top the nation, school, or class, or perhaps more modestly, just to pass. Things which give them pleasure, but may or may not have been good for them.

They do not ask first for the wisdom that is worth more than silver, bringing more profit than gold, that is more precious than rubies and nothing can equal it. They do not seek this wisdom, which God has promised to give liberally to all who should ask, but instead seek their own things which they do not know if God would even answer. 

Childlike because they are comfortable approaching the throne of grace with all boldness to ask for anything they want. Even if the Father has said "no", they do not seem to hear it and continue to press on like a good telemarketer. They will ask for it again and again tirelessly, and with greater intensity until it becomes almost heartbreaking.

While God is pleased with childlike faith, He will enjoy it more when His children are asking for things on His heart. He is probably amused at some of the things His children ask for, and hopes that they will grow up one day. Children hear only what they want. They do not hear "the love of money is the root of all evil", "godliness with contentment is great gain", but they do hear "God wants to bless you". 

Let us walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, and examine the contents of our prayers. Do we pray and ask for our things or His?

Under-rested

There are many genuinely overworked people, but most people are not so much over-worked as they are under-rested.

I have heard many a gung-ho manager dismiss the idea of work-life balance, and I can empathize with the disdain to some extent. For some, it is an amorphous idea spawned by lazy smart alecks who have a disproportionate sense of entitlement - bummers who want to get away with minimal work and yet enjoy all the benefits made possible by those who toil. For others, it is a ploy of the devil - after all, it is "unbiblical" - God rested only one day on Sabbath. Nowhere in Scripture do we see the call for 5 days of work, or 4 days of work. Working less than 6 days is already a form of "concession". 

There is a fundamental misrecognition of work. "Work" - as in work that generates income - has become so large a part of modern life, it has become the protagonist of modern living. We live in a fundamentally work-centric society - so much so that we perceive of our lives as between "work" in the marketplace and "life" in the private spheres, and that they are anti-thetical to each other. We think as if none of "life" constitutes work.

When we pay a bill, buy our groceries, send our kids for class - it is work, not rest.

Do you wonder why you are tired on a Saturday off-day? Notwithstanding the lack of sleep and rest, Singaporeans actually work a lot on Saturdays and Sundays - catching up on personal and family matters that they have postponed during the weekdays. We end up fighting the crowds for a parking lot, queueing for our hair cut, navigating an overloaded shopping cart through the supermarket maze, chasing our kids to finish homework. All these are work, not rest - the form and purpose of such work is different, but that does not change its very nature. It is a mere change of location and goal, but it is work. We work on our finances, our children, our parents, and our house. 

So, are we really resting? Rest is ceasing from work - and that includes work for personal and family matters. When God calls us to Sabbath, we are to do no work - not even lighting a fire! If we bear this standard in mind, it is not difficult to see how even a 4-day work week does not necessarily help us become rested if we do not purpose ourselves to rest. Let's be honest - how often do you take a holiday and are not rested (especially if you travel with children). 

Most people work seven days and do not know it, and wonder why they are tired. Are you under-rested?

The Red Heifer

Two weeks ago, the Temple Institute publicly confirmed for the first time with video footage that they have found (and taken) a red heifer.

It was "a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke" - all in accordance to Numbers 19. To many, it was a nondescript event; but to those waiting for the re-building of the Third Temple and prophecy watchers, it is perhaps one of the most exciting confirmation where we are on God's timeline. After all, Israel hasn't had a red heifer for almost two thousand years and a pure red heifer is a rare anomaly. 

The red heifer is a picture of Christ - perfect and without blemish - who was slain "outside the camp", and through his death (ashes) comes the "purification for sin". So important was this ritual, God said "it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever".

Without the red heifer, there is no purification of sin - and Temple Service cannot re-commence. The Temple Institute has re-created virtually all that is necessary for Temple Service - the priestly garments, the Menorah, the incense and even the blue-print for the Temple; Levites are being trained to serve in the coming temple. Even now, they have "enough people" to man the temple. 

More than 800 years ago, while the Jews were yet scattered, Maimonides (a revered Jewish rabbi) taught that the coming (tenth) red heifer "will be accomplished by the King, the Messiah". The Jews are excited, because it is confirming that God is dealing with Israel again. The dry bones have come alive, many have been gathered from the four winds, the desert is blooming, the former and latter rains have returned, and now, the heifer is come - only the re-building of the Temple is left. God is preparing His people - and they are about to cry out, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord", and great is their desire.

Let's pray along for Israel and Jerusalem. Exciting things will be unfolding this year and next, and we, of all generations, have a front-row view as prophecy unfolds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byAoFbA6cr8

Barbs

Struthof was the only concentration camp the Nazis operated on French soil and remains a solemn reminder of the Holocaust and its brutal insanity. 

As we walked the camp, I could not help noticing the trees lining the paths. These were trees of old - I could tell because the bark has formed over the rusty barbed wire that ran through them. Almost immediately, I was caught by the power of this haunting image. 

We are like trees, and the barbed wires are the hurts inflicted on us over time. From time to time, some barbs hurt us really deep, and eat into us. They not only leave their mark, but literally become part of us.

Often, we gloss over these barbs, rationalizing that "it's no big deal", and as time passes, we begin to heal, and get over these unpleasant moments of our lives. The wounds, the pain, the rust, the unforgiveness are all swept under. We appear to have healed - new bark has grown over where the puncture was. On the surface, everything looks fine - but the reality is that, the barb is now inside us. 

Should anyone tug the barbed wire (whether intentionally or unintentionally), they pull at the barb within us, and the pain becomes excruciating. If any one attempts to pull the wire out, it will destroy a good part of ourselves. All the bark that had grown over would be torn open again. The clean-up will be messy. 

It is certainly easier to have treated the wound years ago when it was yet fresh. The longer we leave it, the more difficult it is to be completely healed. If any one needs to be forgiven, forgive them today. 

Reclaiming Christmas - When was Jesus born?

Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was of the priestly line of Abijah (Lk 1:5), and while he was serving in the temple, an angel of the Lord told him that his wife, Elisabeth, would conceive. The priesthood was divided into 24 courses, of which the line of Abijah would be the 8th course (1Ch 24). Jewish temple practice was such that each course will serve a week twice a year. Since there are three major feasts at which all Jews must gather in Jerusalem, there are three times in a year when all priests would be needed to serve together. 

For a moment, let's just assume this is the first time in the year that Zacharias is serving. The religious new year begins on Nisan 1 (being the "first month" which approximates to March). Zacharias' course would have started on Iyar 27 (in April) - and the following week would be the Festival of Weeks (Shavout). This explains why the "whole multitude of the people were praying" outside -- because the Torah requires all Jews to be in Jerusalem to celebrate Shavout. After the Festival of Weeks, Zacharias returned home and Elisabeth conceived John (Lk 1:23-24). This means John would have been conceived no earlier than the month of Sivan (which is around May). 

It is very likely that John was conceived two months later ("after those days") in the middle of Av (about July). Following a 39-40 week pregnancy, John would have been born on Passsover (Nisan 15) -- which is in March. It is important to note that traditionally, Jews expect Elijah to return on Passover -- which is the season of redemption. Christ himself said "Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would" (Matt 17:12, Mk 9:13), thereby confirming John, for he did come in the "spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him" (Lk 1:17). 

This brings added significance when John proclaims "Behold, the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world". For John was himself born on Passover, and his first introduction of Jesus was as the true sacrifice Lamb of God.

Gabriel appeared to Mary when Elisabeth's pregnancy was into the sixth month (Lk 1:26). This will put Gabriel's visit in the month of Shevat (which would be around January). Mary then hurried to Elisabeth's house, learning that she is pregnant (Lk 1:39).  Arriving in January, Elisabeth would have been in her third trimester. Seeing both Zacharias and Elisabeth are old, Mary stayed on to help them. This was especially needful as the baby would be full term around Passover and Zacharias would have to serve in the temple. Mary stayed on with Elisabeth until John was born in March -- thereby staying with Elisabeth for "about three months" (Jan - Mar) before she "returned unto her house" (Lk 1:56).

If Mary conceived when Gabriel visited her (in January), Jesus would have been born in late September / October. More precisely, Jesus would have been full term around the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). All Israel would gather in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles to remember how the LORD had brought them out of Egypt and tabernacled among them in their journey to the Promised Land. This explains many things. (1) It is a convenient time to tax people - all Israel will all be gathering in Jerusalem anyway -- no wonder "there was no room for them in the inn" (Lk 2:7) (2) It is not yet too cold - travelling in winter just to get taxed may just trigger another revolt -- the memory of the Hasmoneans was still fresh; (3) the cool (but not freezingly cold) climate also explains why shepherds can still be out tending the sheep. 

Immanuel came down on the Feast of Tabernacles to literally tabernacle with Man. God the Father made sure, when Jesus came, the whole of Israel was gathered to honor that day (whether or not they knew the true significance). What more, in Lev 23:36, the LORD declares that during the Feast of Tabernacles, "seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you." 

All Jewish boys have to be circumcised on the eighth day (Lev 12:3). Therefore, on the day the LORD has declared a "holy convocation", Jesus was circumcised in the Temple. 

By the above chronology, everything (logic, common sense, Jewish tradition, and the Law) all begins to converge and make sense, and it is mind-blowing to know that God has ochestrated all these strands together. Indeed His thoughts and His ways are higher. 

Satan's Breast Plate

We often wonder if there is any significance in the mind-boggling details often found in the Old Testament.

For example, when describing Satan, Ezekiel wrote "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold." (Eze 28:13a).

Why did Ezekiel bother describing the nine stones set in gold? Because of our unfamiliarity with Jewish temple practices, we fail to see the relationship with the High Priest's garments. In Exodus 28, Moses describes the High Priest's breast plate.

Exo 28:17  And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. Exo 28:18  And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. Exo 28:19  And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. Exo 28:20  And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings.

Had we known Exodus 28, it will be immediately clear that the stones are identical. However, Satan has 9 stones on his breast plate, while the high priest has 12 - one representing each tribe of Israel. Therefore, Satan actually has 3 "missing" stones -- all from the third row: ligure, agate and amethyst. To find the "birth stone" of each tribe, we simply order the tribes according to their birth order, starting from Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah ... all the way to Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. Through doing so, we find that the 3 missing stones correspond to the tribes of Gad, Asher and Issachar.

Only then, can we ask the "right" question -- why are these three stones / tribes missing from Satan's breast plate?

To answer this, we have to look at Genesis 49, where Jacob prophesizes about his sons. Gad is an overcomer who  shall "overcome at the last" (v19) and have the final victory. Asher is a royal servant, whose "bread shall be fat" and serve "royal dainties" to the King (v20). Issachar is a burden carrier - a strong ass who lifts burdens. 

Satan is an imitator. Like Judah, he is a lion, but a roaring lion that "walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1Pe 5:8). Like Dan, he is a serpent - "the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" (Rev 12:9). Like Simeon and Levi, "instruments of cruelty" are in his habitations (Gen 49:5). Like Napthali, he uses goodly words, but to deceive. Like Benjamin, he is a wolf, who scatters the sheep.

When God created Satan, he knew what Satan would be. However, there are three things Satan would never be. (1) Satan will never be a burden carrier. Only Jesus carries all our burdens. (2) Satan will never be a royal servant. It is not in him to serve. But Jesus is the Servant King. (3) Satan will never overcome. He will never have the final victory. Jesus will.

--

How amazing it is, that "mere" stones should contain so great a mystery. How deep, how vast, how unsearchable is His wisdom. 

A testimony unto all the nations

Jesus gave many signs about the End Times in Matt 24. Many of them can be fulfilled multiple times - e.g. false teachers (v5), wars (v6), famines and earthquakes (v7), persecution (v9), false prophets (v11) - and that is one reason why people disagree over "fulfillment". After all, they had happened in the past - and what gives us surety that the circumstances we now face are signs of "the End"?

There is however, one verse, which cannot be fulfilled multiple times.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.

Matt 24:14

Preterists may claim it's been fulfilled in the first century, but "the whole world" is the whole world. There is no need to give a discount to an omnipotent God. In the modern age, with satellite and communications technology, we've finally come to the point where we do know every nation on the globe. 

Perhaps then, the simplest question we can ask (for which there is a definite answer) is whether the Gospel of the Kingdom has been preached in "the whole world" (to every nation)?

Benny Prasad has taken the gospel to every single nation on earth. On 22 Nov 2010, he completed his "world tour" in Pakistan, and set a world record. Where he goes, he has preached the gospel of the kingdom.

References

http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/travel/fastest_time_to_visit_245_countries_Benny_Prasad_set_world_record_112047.html 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Prasad

Danger

It is amazing how vulnerable the human young is.

In all of God's creation, the human is probably the only species whose young will not survive the initial years without a primary caregiver.

Little Elizabeth was trying to do no more than to reach for the slipper on the floor, while on the bed. It wasn't that she was seeking masochistic thrill or being deliberately willful. She was just being singularly-focused on the one object of her desire, and she knew not how reaching out for that could be in anyway dangerous. It is not that the object of her desire is good or evil - it was simply how she tried to have it.

As she extended her hand, she arched forward. Before anyone could react, she had tipped over and went tumbling head down; and of course, she wailed. 

As I meditated on the matter, I realized parenting is God's gift so that we can understand and experience God's perspective. Indeed, we are all like children. We sometimes focus so much on the objects of our desire that when we reach out for them, we place ourselves in danger. It is not that we are self-destructive, or that we are being willful in our pursuit - we just do not know what really lies ahead. Danger is not apparent to us. What we pursue may not be evil (though it may not necessarily be good either) - but whatever it is, it was simply how we tried to have it that endangers us.

For the same reason, Paul admonishes Timothy that the "love of money is the root of all evil" (1Ti 6:10), not money itself. It is often not because of what we want, but how we want things that God denies them ti us. Too often, we simply desire them in the wrong way. When God denies me what I want, may His Spirit also search me, and reveal if there be any wicked way in me. (Ps 139:23-24)

Watching the Fire

Sardis is the slumbering church. It has but a name, and is in reality, dead. Jesus warned that He will "come as a thief" on those who are not watching.

In Leviticus 6:8 - 13, the LORD commanded how the burnt-offering was to be kept. The burnt-offering was to be on the altar "all night unto the morning", and He commanded that "the fire on the altar shall be kept burning thereon" (v9). The fire was so important that the LORD emphasized it again in verses 12 and 13.

"the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out" (v12),

"the fire shall ever be burning on the altar; it shall never go out" (v13).

We so often focus on the offering that we forget the fire. We think the offering is the important thing, but somehow, the LORD placed more emphasis on the fire - that it must not go out.

When the priests were serving in the Second Temple, they were sometimes guilty of not watching the fire and allowing it to go out. The High Priest would randomly make his rounds to make sure that the priests were performing their duties and faithfully watching the fire as the LORD commanded. When the High Priest discovers a sleeping priest, he would set fire to the priest's garments. In no time at all, the sleeping priest would be running around amok and naked in the temple, and all the other priests on duty will see his shame. The High Priest is therefore also nicknamed the "thief in the night".

Jesus says "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Rev 16:15). Jesus is our Great High Priest (Heb 4) and we are the royal priesthood (1Pet 2:9). When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth? Will He have to set fire on our garments that we awake from our slumber? Will we be caught sleeping and not watching the fire?

To those who are slumbering and not watching -- He comes as a thief, and we will not know the hour of his visitation; but we are not in the darkness, that the day should overtake us as a thief (1Th 5:4). Let us therefore do what the LORD has commanded -- to watch the fire of our offering that it does not go out, even in these times. When the Son of Man returns, my fire will be strong and I will be found watching for His return.

If any man thirst

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

John 7:37

It was the Fall feasts and the whole nation of Israel was gathered at Jerusalem. Having observed the Feast of Trumpets and Atonement in the last two weeks, the Fall feasts was drawing to a close with the Feast of Tabernacles. On the last day, the Levites were at the Pool of Siloam -- the only pool in the city with living waters. They drew the water into a golden goblet and brought it up to the temple, pouring it into one of the two silver basins adjoining the altar; and in the other basin, they poured wine. As the procession went on, the Jews were chanting from Isa 12, a commeoration of water being drawn from the rock as the nation of Israel wandered through the desert.

And as they chanted "with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation" (Isa 12:3), Jesus stood up in the midst of the people, and cried, saying "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink".

And as they chanted "God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation" (Isa 12:2), little did they know, the one standing in their midst was truly their salvation incarnate! And the Jews chanted "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee" (Isa 12:6) -- and it was true - the Holy One of Israel was right there in Zion, in their midst!

As the choir sang the hallel from Psalm 118, they would have come across "the LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation" (v14), "I will praise you, for you have heard me, and are become my salvation" (v21), and yet when their salvation stood in their midst, and they did not recognize the significance of that moment.

The one whom they have been longing for and singing about was standing in their midst, and they did not see! Moses wrote "the LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation" (Ex 15:2). The Law (Torah), the Prophets, and the Psalms all proclaimed God's salvation, and year after year, God had the nation of Israel to rehearse the feasts, so they would remember His promises and at the coming of His anointed, they would truly sing and shout.

Pray for the nation of Israel. That they may receive the Spirit of God and thirst no more.

Grace at its end

Almost 200 years after Israel was scattered by the Assyrians (722/721 BC), Daniel stood in a faraway land and cried out unto the LORD. Confessing the sins of his people, he pleaded with the LORD for His mercy and lovingkindness. Remembering how his people, from both the house of Judah and the house of Israel were scattered throughout the nations, he supplicated (Dan 9:7):

"O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day;to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee."

It was in response to Daniel's intercession that the arch-angel Gabriel responded thus: "seventy weeks are determined upon your people and upon your holy city..." (Dan 9:24). i.e. God is promising Daniel that there is an end to the scattering of his people, and He will bring Israel back into Jerusalem -- however, this would be at His appointed time -- "the time of the end".

Therefore when we see the Jews re-gathered in Israel, we are to know the parable of the fig tree - and the fig tree has been symbolic of the nation of Israel. Jesus says when you see the fig tree putting forth leaves, you should know that summer is nigh, that "this generation [genea] shall not pass away until all these things are fulfilled".

Many interpret Jesus to mean "this age shall not pass away". But in Matthew 28:20, Jesus says, "Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age/world [aeon]" - therefore, seeing the difference between genea and aeon, we know that Jesus literally refers to the [physical, human] generation witnessing the fig tree putting leaves. i.e. the generation which witnesses the re-birth of Israel and the Jews re-gathered in Jerusalem is "this generation" which will not pass away until all the signs in Matt 24 are fulfilled.

In Romans 11, Paul states that the "blindness [of the Jews] in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom 11:25). i.e. when the fulness of the Gentiles is come, the blindness of the Jews wil be lifted, and they will finally understand Jesus is the Messiah.

Standing by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus invited the disciples to drop their nets and join Him to become "fishers of men". However, a fishing ban has been imposed in Galilee since March 2010 because of the rapid depletion of fish. The quantity of fish has fallen below replacement level, and this has never happened before.

Perhaps, this is God's way of hinting that the "fulness of the Gentiles" is drawing near -- and along with that, we shall expect to see the remainder of the signs in Matthew 24 to be played out in full - for verily, the Lord has said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away".

Psalm 90:10 says "the days of our years are threescore years and ten" - if a generation is 70 years, then we are 7 years away from the 70th anniversary of Israel's rebirth. The days of Grace are at its end. Let us join the psalmist also, saying "Who knows the power of your anger? even according to your fear, so is your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (90:11-12)

References

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135666

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/7548606/Fishing-banned-on-the-Sea-of-Galilee.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8675076.stm

Come out of her

We had expected Elizabeth to arrive earlier than her Expected Delivery Date (EDD) because virtually every baby in Singapore comes earlier due to the better nutrition. In fact, the week before her EDD, Stella’s gynaecologist commented that our daughter was already full term and could come “any day” now.

The week passed uneventfully, and we became anxious. Elizabeth had become past due. The diameter of her head was already more than four inches, and if she tarried any longer, she would have difficulty coming out.

We prayed and trusted. God has given her to us to add to His glory – and so He will deliver.

And sure enough, four hours past the 26th of April (the EDD), the water bag burst. Sleepiness fled, and I immediately drove Stella to the hospital – thankfully, there were only a few cars on the road at 4 a.m.

Stella’s labor progressed rapidly and I was hoping it would be a quick delivery. But, just as the baby’s head showed, she went back into the womb. A tug-of-war soon broke out. The gynecologist was trying to grip the baby’s head. Stella was pushing with all her strength. I was shouting into her ears. The baby came out a little more, and went back again. This went on for almost half an hour, and the gynecologist looked at us solemnly.

It was too late into the labor, and if Elizabeth still does not come out, her life would be at risk. The womb which had nurtured her for forty weeks was no longer a safe haven. If she had continued staying there, she would die.

A decision was made to resort to the forceps – but there was only one chance. Stella had already expended so much energy in the previous attempts, she could only muster enough strength for one last burst. If it failed, it would be an immediate cesarean. Time was running very short.

I prayed like never before – for a life was at stake.

As Stella pushed, the gynecologist gripped Elizabeth’s head with the forceps, and with a slight thug, her head finally came through the strait and narrow way. It was then we realized, she had the umbilical cord around her neck – that pulled her back in every time she came out. It was ironic. That which gave her life, would almost kill her.

And as I ruminated on these things, I reflected on God’s message.

Jesus said, “narrow is the gate, and troublesome is the way that leads to life, and few, are they that find it” (Matt 7:13). The passage into spiritual life is like unto birth. Elizabeth made it through the narrow gate, and the way was truly fraught with peril.

Many people are not so fortunate. The world is like a womb, and they die in it and are never born into the spiritual realm. For some time, the world has nurtured us, but when it comes to the fullness of time, we must come out – if not, we will die in it.

Spiritual birth is often preceded by a period of maturation when our hearts and minds are made ready, a period of (intense) labor when we struggle between the world and the world that lies beyond the strait and narrow way. If we get entangled with the world – the cord around our neck – we will vacillate endlessly between the two worlds – and we will die in the world.

"Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev 18:4)

The Beginning of Sorrows

The end times has often been likened to childbirth, and the world in tribulation is likened to a woman in travail. In Matt 24, Jesus described the things that must happen before the coming of the Son of Man.

False teachers will arise – saying that Jesus is the Christ – yet leading people astray. Nations will rise against nations and peoples against peoples. There will be famines (economic hardship) and earthquakes in “divers places” – which is in Greek, topos , which means occupied places (not wide open uninhabited spaces).

All these are already happening right in our midst.

Yet, Jesus says, when we see these things, the end is not yet and “all these are the beginning of birth pangs” (Matt 24:8).

If the world from its creation until the beginning of birth pangs is the period of pregnancy, and the tribulation is the period of labor, we should ask ourselves – how long would the “beginning of birth pangs” last? For after these "beginnings", the actual labor – the tribulation will begin.

If we know we are already witnessing the “beginning of birth pangs” – how much longer is it? Would it be another generation – for a thousand years is as a day unto the LORD; or would it be 10 – 15 years, or fewer?

God has designed all things to manifest His glory, His sovereignty, His power, His immutability.  From the beginning of the world, He has already seen and known the end – for He is the alpha and the omega. If God has used childbirth to describe the coming of Christ, and it is an experience common to mankind in all parts of the world, in all times, it is because God is fair. Even without the Bible, we should know something is about to come.

“For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse” (Rom 1:20)

The contractions can begin 6 to 12 hours before the actual labor even begins. 40 weeks would be 280 days or 6720 hours. If the 40 weeks correspond to the 6,000 years the earth has been around, then 6 hours would be 5.35 years, and 12 hours would be 10.7 years.

Therefore, from the beginning of sorrows to the onset of labor (tribulation), is not a generation – it is only 5 to 11 years. If this is true, how precariously close we are right now.

Forty

Elizabeth traveled with strange companions.

On her arrival home, she brought along with her, sleeplessness. Much as we disapproved of her strange company, we received it just as we have received her. Sleeplessness is now a shameless squatter in our lives.

Truly, receiving a newborn is a life-changing experience; and perhaps I trivialize its significance by calling it a “life-changing experience”.

Forty has a special significance in the bible, and it is instructive to understand pregnancy and parenthood in its light. “Forty” first appeared in Genesis 7 as God decided to “cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights”.

After the 40 day and 40 night deluge, the rain stopped. Although the waters would remain unabated for some more time, something was already different. The world which Noah knew was utterly gone. It was still the same earth, but a brave new world now confronted him.

When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, he stayed up the mount for 40 days and 40 nights. When Moses returned with the two tablets in his hands, it was not simply a change in lifestyle – it was far more than that – the entire order of things is now different. What was previously permissible, is no longer so. Their conduct used to be regulated by their conscience.  But now, every deed was judged against the Law. It did not merely effect a change of lifestyle – it created a new social order, and their old way of life, was completely no more.

Before the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, they wandered 40 years in the wilderness, being made ready for the task that was too great for them. When they finally stepped foot into the land of Canaan, it was not a change of abode – it was far more than that. It was not simply changing where they live, but how they live. Where they used to wander nomadically in the wilderness, they are now to stay put, to conquer, and to flourish. It is once again, a new social order. They did not need to fight in the 40 years of wandering, but now they must. Warfare was something they had never known, but they are to become warriors and conquerors. The lives they once knew – was no longer.

Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights before he commenced his public ministry. For Jesus, it was not just a change of vocation – it was far more than that. It was not about putting down his tools and changing them for “something new”.  After the 40 day and 40 night fast, Jesus’ life was under public scrutiny. Every word he spoke, every deed he did, would be scrutinized by the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Romans, the Gentiles, and every Jew. The countdown to his destiny on Golgotha began. His life was not just changed – it took on a new character. He could no longer act in His private capacity – He is a public figure, He acted with authority. All eyes are on Him now, and He knows, every word He says, and everything He does, will be recorded in Scripture. The Satan will attack Him like never before – and so he did,immediately after the 40 days and 40 nights. His life was no longer His, but it had to be lived for everyone – the nations and the generations. It was not a change of vocation; it was a change of life – so fundamentally changed, they cannot be compared.

So then, 40 weeks of pregnancy and then parenthood. It is not to be a mere change of lifestyle or vocation (although it encompasses that). Just as it was for the children of Israel, Moses and even Jesus, the close of the 40 days/weeks/years ushers in a fundamentally new order.

My life has not been the same. It was not just a change of lifestyle – bathing in five minutes, dinner in three minutes, leaving the house earlier – it was a change in the order of things. When I was single, my world simply revolved around my needs. When I married, I stopped living for myself alone, but it was still possible to negotiate my world. When Elizabeth came, my world can no longer be negotiated. God is teaching me to surrender my life – not to the strong, but to the weak – that I may learn to be great. Where else can you better learn servant leadership, than to serve one who does not even reckon your authority over her?

It was not just a change of vocation – taking on new responsibilities such as changing diapers or calming the infant to sleep – my life took on a new character. What I say, what I do, would influence Elizabeth more than anything else; I must strive to live wisely and godly, for my life is under scrutiny.

Her arrival was quite simply, like Noah’s encounter. It seems almost as if, the heavens have passed away, and a brave new world is come.