Signs of the Times – Wars and Rumours of Wars…

Matthew 24:6:

New International Version
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

New Living Translation
And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.

Russian-Ukraine War This current war is uppermost in our minds –– Speaking about some of the details…

IT is now nearly five weeks since Vladimir Putin started his wicked war with Ukraine. And he is losing.

His best troops are being defeated and his young conscripts are dying in large numbers — 16,000, we are told — at the hands of hard-fighting Ukrainian troops.

Plus, the countless Ukrainians who have been killed, injured and displaced!

What about other forgotten wars… It is a bit hypocritical to only focus on this latest current war.

•What causes wars? •Is War ever justified? •Biblical wars… •Life changing and defining wars •Augustine’s Just War theology… •The Last Great Biblical War in Prophecy… •The End of War? Is that possible?…

An Abstract

St. Augustine’s just war theory – It involves eight principal elements: • 1/ a punitive conception of war, • 2/ assessment of the evil of war in terms of the moral evil of attitudes and desires, • 3/ a search for authorisation for the use of violence, • 4/ a dualistic epistemology which gives priority to spiritual goods,

[“epistemology” > the theory of knowledge epistemology, the philosophical study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge. The term is derived from the Greek epistēmē (“knowledge”) and logos (“reason”), and accordingly the field is sometimes referred to as the theory of knowledge].

• 5/ interpretation of evangelical norms in terms of inner attitudes, • 6/ passive attitude to authority and social change, • 7/ use of Biblical texts to legitimate participation in war, and • 8/ an analogical conception of peace. It does not include non-combatant immunity or conscientious objection. A contemporary assessment of the elements is offered.

Just war theory

[From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia]

Just war theory (Latin: bellum iustum)^[1][2] is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. The criteria are split into two groups: “right to go to war” (jus ad bellum) and “right conduct in war” (jus in bello). The first group of criteria concerns the morality of going to war, and the second group of criteria concerns the moral conduct within war.^[3] There have been calls for the inclusion of a third category of just war theory (jus post bellum) dealing with the morality of post-war settlement and reconstruction. The just war theory postulates the belief that war, while it is terrible but less so with the right conduct, is not always the worst option. Important responsibilities, undesirable outcomes, or preventable atrocities may justify war.^[3] Opponents of the just war theory may either be inclined to a stricter pacifist standard (which proposes that there has never been nor can there ever be a justifiable basis for war) or they may be inclined toward a more permissive nationalist standard (which proposes that a war only needs to serve a nation’s interests to be justifiable). In many cases, philosophers state that individuals do not need to be plagued by a guilty conscience if they are required to fight. A few philosophers ennoble the virtues of the soldier while they also declare their apprehensions for war itself.^[4] A few, such as Rousseau, argue for insurrection against oppressive rule.

The historical aspect, or the “just war tradition”, deals with the historical body of rules or agreements that have applied in various wars across the ages. The just war tradition also considers the writings of various philosophers and lawyers through history, and examines both their philosophical visions of war’s ethical limits and whether their thoughts have contributed to the body of conventions that have evolved to guide war and warfare.^[5]

• The Last Great Biblical War in Prophecy…

Armageddon

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia)

According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (/ˌɑːrməˈɡɛdən/, from Ancient Greek: Ἁρμαγεδών Harmagedōn,^[1][2] Late Latin: Armagedōn,^[3] from Hebrew: הַר מְגִדּוֹ‎ Har Məgīddō) is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, which is variously interpreted as either a literal or a symbolic location. The term is also used in a generic sense to refer to any end of the world scenario. In Islamic theology, the Armageddon is also mentioned in Hadith as the Greatest Armageddon or Al-Malhama Al-Kubra (the great battle).^[4]

The “mount” of Megiddo in northern Israel is not actually a mountain, but a tell (a mound or hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot)^[5] on which ancient forts were built to guard the Via Maris, an ancient trade route linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia. Megiddo was the location of various ancient battles, including one in the 15th century BC and one in 609 BC. The nearby modern Megiddo is a kibbutz in the Kishon River area.^[6]

• The End of War? Is that possible?…Some are holding to the belief that the Ukraine war led by Vladimir Putin is the fulfilment of Biblical prophecy –– Is there any justification for holding to such theories? History is littered with religious sects and sub-sects in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism that have all had groups that have attempted to convince folk that the end of the world is neigh!

• Don’t be deceived…

New Living Translation
And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately…

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Straight Talking: Yeshua’s Love

Different Kinds of Love Explored – Divine Love is that Pure Love of God as manifested in an through the Life of Yeshua – listen and enjoy!

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“You are My Witnesses.”

What is a witness? And how can we be a witness?

A witness is someone who saw something –– so what did we see, hear, and experience? Having spoken of the fact “He is there, and he is not silent,” in my last programme, –– I was attempting to establish that the evidence of God’s existence is possible to comprehend. This is a philosophical question that many individuals have endeavoured to explain. Proof and comprehension are not the same, and this difference is important explain. In the medical profession, there are different branches of medicine –– There are general practitioners who have the overall ability to diagnose medical issues, but then there are specialists who fulfil the vital role of firstly diagnosing an illness and then prescribing the treatment. A broken arm or leg is easy to treat, however, and internal illness is another matter –– The is a whole branch of Internal Medicine, that is totally dependent on diagnostic techniques.

The reason is that to effect the suitable treatment that is required is not as straightforward and treating a visible problem such as that broken leg or visible wound. When it comes to attempting to prove that God is there it is much more like internal medicine that has to depend on the symptomatic evidence than a visual matter.

So what is the evidence? Eye witness accounts are the most important, for the testimony of those who were actually contemporary with Yeshua will count for the most.

Internal and external accounts –– In 1 John we read,

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. ⁴ We write this to make our^[a] joy complete. We need to take a closer look at what John has said,..

“which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it,”…

• Heard –– So what did they hear? His words; the words of others; the words of the prophets; and most of all the word of the Father –– “this is my beloved Son, hear him/listen to him!”

• Seen –– So what did the see? The saw Yeshua in the flesh –– as a Jewish, first century person; they saw his works, his betrayal, death, and subsequently his resurrection and ascension.

• Touched –– So what or who did they touch? The had physical contact with him over a three year period –– his warm embrace, etc…

A Quest for the Historical Jesus/ The Jesus Quest/ A Quest for The Jewish Jesus! –– It is not so easy to reconstruct an event that took place two thousand years ago!

So how can we do it? This poses a huge challenge that is part of my quest, and which I continually attempt to answer – but let’s not lose sight of my subject at hand ––

“You are my witnesses!”

A personal testimony is in order. How did I become a convinced and dedicated witness of Jesus/Yeshua? My journey to faith was a process that developed and took many years to unfold.

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THATHAT: Talking About Yeshua –– Straight Talking

THATHAT: Talking About Yeshua –– “Straight Talking”

I recall some years ago on talk radio there was a conversation concerning a group of faith leaders –– and the subject of sharing the Good News arose. On the panel of four, three of the members were tying themselves in knots concerning the validity of preaching, when a certain evangelical minister spoke up in the midst of the discussion –– “Tell them about Jesus and tell them for 20 minutes.” The other three were full of doubtful disputations, bar the one who had the courage of his convictions, and he wan’t afraid to say so!

The Scripture declares, if our message is veiled, then how can anyone know what we are trying to say!

Straight talking is often in short supply –– there are numerous reasons why folk don’t want to talk about Jesus/Yeshua: So why are people afraid to talk about faith and particularly, about faith in God through the mediation of Yeshua the Messiah?

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Tikkun Olam – Heal the World

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So let’s make a start! The other evening during a Zoom meeting, a Messianic Jewish friend said during our discussion on what its means to be a Messianic Jews, he said that, according to Judaism its not so much a question of correct doctrine like Christianity so often insists, but to quote him, “it is much more about orthopraxy––putting into practice our faith.” We who claim that Yeshua is the Messiah should not only believe the things he said, but equally we need to do the things he did. One without the other will lead to an unbalanced faith that will result in the many thing that we will fail to do. 1. If the reason we claim that Jesus/ Yeshua is the Messiah, the how can we help make a difference in life?” Bob Dylan’s song “Everything is Broken,” says it all. The universe is broken, meaning that imperfection has effected every aspect of life––From our viewpoint the brokenness of humankind lays at the foundations of the one of the main causes for the chaos that we experience. 2. Tikkun Olam –– “Heal the World or Repairing the World” This phrase with kabbalistic roots has come to connote social justice. Please don’t have a fit that we are advocating the esoteric aspects of the Kabbalah––not everything in the Kabbalistic writing is about magic. It contains a lot of good moral teaching that we can learn from. “Tikkun Olam”  ” (Hebrew for “world repair”) has come to connote social action and the pursuit of social justice. The phrase has origins in classical rabbinic literature and in Lurianic kabbalah, a major strand of Jewish mysticism originating with the work of the 16th-century kabbalist Isaac Luria. He was an ascetic and their were many very constructive things that he taught and we find some of them very similar to Eckhart Meister the great Catholic German ascetic, whose teaching led towards the development of German Pietism.This subsequently resulted in the development of the Holiness movement and subsequently to the development of Protestant piety out of which grew the Evangelical expression of the Christian faith. Roots of the Term The term “mipnei tikkun ha-olam” (perhaps best translated in this context as “in the interest of public policy”) is used in the Mishnah (the body of classical rabbinic teachings codified circa 200 C.E.). There, it refers to social policy legislation providing extra protection to those potentially at a disadvantage — governing, for example, just conditions for the writing of divorce decrees and for the freeing of slaves. In reference to individual acts of repair, the phrase “tikkun olam” figures prominently in the Lurianic account of creation and its implications: God contracted the divine self to make room for creation. Divine light became contained in special vessels, or kelim, some of which shattered and scattered. While most of the light returned to its divine source, some light attached itself to the broken shards. These shards constitute evil and are the basis for the material world; their trapped sparks of light give them power. While this viewpoint does concur with a Gnostic view of creation and the fall of humankind, we should not reject all of this out of hand as being completely wrong, and of no use at all! Let’s weigh it in the balance and see what we can learn? While I reject the Gnostic/Lurianic view of creation and the fall of humankind, what I do concur with is the understanding that the universe is broken. However, Isaac Lurie’s raises some very useful ideas concerning how to address the question of fixing the world. According to the Lurianic account, the first man, Adam, was intended to restore the divine sparks through mystical exercises, but his sin interfered. As a result, good and evil remained thoroughly mixed in the created world, and human souls (previously contained within Adam’s) also became imprisoned within the shards.The “repair,” that is needed, therefore, is two-fold: the gathering of light and of souls, to be achieved by human beings through the contemplative performance of religious acts. The goal of such repair, which can only be effected by humans, is to separate what is holy from the created world, thus depriving the physical world of its very existence—and causing all things return to a world before disaster within the Godhead and before human sin, thus ending history. In contrast as Messianic believers we believe that it is in and through the redemption of Yeshua that we are able to address how we might get involved in the desperate need ‘to help fix things.‘ It is not through the gathering of light and of souls, to be achieved by human beings through the contemplative performance of religious acts. There is salvation in and through our trusting in Yeshua who is ‘the light of the world.’ Religious acts within themselves may be good, but they alone do not deal with the sin problem that is the cause of the brokenness that we witness within ourselves and in the world in general. Tikkun Olam Today “Tikkun olam” has become such a commonly used term in liberal Jewish circles that it is the basis for a joke, in which an American Jew visiting Israel asks her guide, “How do you say tikkun olam in Hebrew?” While contemporary activists also use the term “tikkun olam” to refer to acts of repair by human beings, they do not necessarily believe in or have a familiarity with the term’s cosmological associations. Their emphasis is on acts of social responsibility, not the larger realm of sacred acts — and on fixing, not undoing, the world as we know it. The phrase “tikkun olam” was first used to refer to social action work in the 1950s. In subsequent decades, many other organizations and thinkers have used the term to refer to social action programs; tzedakah (charitable giving) and gemilut hasadim (acts of kindness); and progressive Jewish approaches to social issues. It eventually became re-associated with kabbalah, and thus for some with deeper theological meaning. The phrase “tikkun olam” remains connected with human responsibility for fixing what is wrong with the world. Contemporary usage of the phrase shares with the rabbinic concept of “mipnei tikkun ha-olam” a concern with public policy and societal change, and with the kabbalistic notion of “tikkun” the idea that the world is profoundly broken and can be fixed only by human activity. Tikkun olam, once associated with a mystical approach to all mitzvot, now is most often used to refer to a specific category of mitzvot involving work for the improvement of society — a usage perhaps closer to the term’s classical rabbinic origins than to its longstanding mystical connotations. A Messianic Response This may be equated to the concept of how we as believers may approach the healing of the world. We need to make a start with ‘repairing humankind!’ This is because human beings are one of the major contributors to ‘breaking the world,’ in the first place. 5 Marks of Mission • To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom. • To teach, baptise and nurture believers. • To respond to human need by loving service. • To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation. • To help restore our world and working together with nature More items… The 5 Marks of Mission We as Messianic believers need to assert that we have an important role to play as part of God’s Mission in the world––helping to repair the world. We are to be signpost to the reality of God’s Kingdom and God’s Kingdom Values. We are: • To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom • teach, immerse (baptise) in the name of Yeshua, and nurture believers • To respond to human need by loving service transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation • To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth References https://www.anglicancommunion.org/mission/marks-of-mission.aspx, accessed on 29th August 2019. https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/MTAG%20The%205%20Marks%20Of%20Mission.pdf Yeshua said, “If you love me you will keep my commands.” Helping to Fix The World: As Messianic believers we have a God––given mandate to begin to address some of the issues that impact upon our personal world. For each of us that will be different depending on our context. Are from a Jewish heritage background? Are we from a Gentile background? Are one of your parents Jewish and the other Gentile? Where do you worship? Are you a member of a Messianic fellowship? A Christian church? Which denomination? Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant? These ‘Five Marks of Mission,’ should be part of our attempting ‘heal the world.’ One of the most important issues is that we need to recognise that it is only in and through the saving grace of God, in Yeshua Ha Mashiach that the beginning of the ‘fixing’ can begin. Not Just a Band Aid Strip is Needed! The sticking plasters solution is only of temporary use––we need to dig into the wound of what is hurting to find a more full-time solution. Yeshua said: ‘the truth will set you free, and you will be free indeed!’ No more telling lies or half-truths will do. Don’t tell people what they want to hear, and fail to tell them the truth because we are afraid that they may not like what we have to say. Don’t try and fix everything all at once –– choose one aspect from the Five Points of Mission, and explore how you may attempt to address that point of focus. One step at a time and trust God to give you wisdom and lead you onward. Amen. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Please make a Charitable Donation to Help with the Running Costs of this Blog: https://paypal.me/hotrodronisblogcom Shalom Radio UK –– MTMI –– Messianic Teaching Ministry International –– http://www.hotrodronisblog.com



A Veil Over Faces, Hearts & Minds

Why do people use veils?

In different cultures veils fulfil numerous religious, social and cultural significance and are still very important in many parts of the world.

Women and the veil

Subjugation, honour, dis-honour, respect and decorum are some of the reasons that women wear the veil. Sometime women don’t have a choice, this is particularly in strict Islamic countries.

Moslem women with veils

Marwari Bheel women in India and Pakistan

Jewish bride wearing a partial veil covering her hair on her wedding day

Some religious reasons for wearing veils

It does appear that the Koran does not stipulates that the veil must be warn by women, but it is imposed upon them by the men within their culture. One of the reasons given is to prevent men for lusting after a women. Notwithstanding, this has become a means of abuse and subjugation of women. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan recently, the wearing of the veil by all women outside of their homes once again became mandatory.

Within Judaism, religious Orthodox Jewish women are required to cover their heads––this is due to the fact that a married women’s hair is considered her ‘crown of glory,’ that only her husband should see. Young girls and single women are not required to cover their heads.

The Marwari Bheel women also veil themselves before strangers and when outdoor as a sign of decorum––they are mostly found among the low cast Hindus and Moslem women.

Men and veils

Why do men wear veils? This appears in the Biblical narrative and this tradition began with Moses when he had been in the presence of God:

QUESTION…

Why did Moses have to wear a veil?

ANSWER

When God…

...Gave the Torah to Israel, He did so accompanied by an overwhelming atmospheric display of thunder and lightning, smoke and fire, and the sound of a trumpet on the top of Mt. Sinai. This was to warn the people that He is holy and should not be approached. Anyone who tried to come up the mountain would be killed. (See Exodus 19 and Hebrews 12:18–19.)

When God delivers the Ten Commandments, the people are so frightened that they are afraid to have God speak. They ask that Moses deliver the Torah instead (Exodus 20:18–21). So Moses approaches God and receives the Torah in Exodus 21–23. He delivers it to the people who are called to affirm their willingness to obey in chapter 24.

After the sin of the Golden Calf had been dealt with, God invites Moses to come back up the mountain to receive the Torah again, engraved on new tablets of stone. Moses goes up the mountain alone and meets with God. There he begs for pardon for the nation. God forgives and renews the covenant with Israel and once again provides a summary form of the Torah, the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 34:1–27). Moses spends 40 days and nights with God on the mountain, and during that time he did not eat or drink (verse 28). It seems that the glory of God sustained him.

After spending this extended amount of time with God, Moses comes down the mountain, and his face is shining with the glory of God (Exodus 34:29). We don’t know exactly what this would have looked like, but it was frightening to his brother, Aaron, the high priest; and to all the rest of the people. Because everyone was afraid to come near Moses (verse 31), he wore a veil over his face to shroud the glory (verses 33–35).

The story of Moses’ veil as recorded in the Tenach (OT) is pretty clear. But Paul’s mention of the veil in the New Testament has caused some to take a second look at the reason Moses chose to wear a veil. Second Corinthians 3:13 says, “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.” This makes it sound as if Moses put the veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing that the glory was beginning to fade. When 2 Corinthians 3:13 is read in the context of Paul’s argument, we find that it says nothing about Moses’ motive for veiling his face.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul is contrasting the glories of the First and Renewed Covenants, and he concludes that the Second/Renewed Covenant reveals a more glorious future for the People of God.

• The First Covenant was written on tablets of stone; the Renewed Covenant is written on the heart (verse 3).

God goes to a deeper level with his revelation to all his people of the Renewed Covenant!
• The First Covenant has a glory that is renewed and the glory grows brighter shining in the face of Yeshua HaMashiach! (verses 10–11).

We as ministers of the Renewed Covenant –– like Moses, we become ministers proclaiming the unfading glory in a bold manner.

Why did Moses wear a veil?

The main focus is that of the First Covenant is renewed by the unfolding revelation of God––While the shining of Moses’ face did fade, when the individual turns to God through Yeshua the Messiah––just as on the Mount of Transfiguration so too the believer goes from one degree of glory to another!

The “veil” prevents anyone who does not yet have faith from seeing the true glory of God. The veil is only taken away when they turn to Messiah! (2 Corinthians 3:14–16).

The veil in Jewish and Christian understanding

Alas this aspect of the veil over hearts and minds is not desirable and perpetuates old hatreds and animosities –– Jewish spiritual blindness and Christian blindness more full explored…

Removing the veil –

How do we assist in removing the veil?..

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