Have you’ve ever wondered about the connection between Christianity and the Jewish people?  Obviously Jesus himself was a Jew, as were all 12 of his disciples.  So the Christian church was started by Jews in Israel and spread out from there.  But the church also felt a disconnect because most Jews (especially most of the religious leaders) rejected Christ and, of course,  had him crucified.  And what’s interesting to think about is that Jesus said he came to his people.  And if you read through the New Testament, you see that because Jesus was rejected by most of his own, the Gentiles adopted into Christ’s church.  But what’s even more interesting is that God has not abandoned the Jews.  Gentile believers have been grafted in to the God’s tree, but Daniel 9 helps to reveal that God has not forgotten his promise to Abraham, and still has big plans for the children of Abraham.  But because Jesus met with so much resistance from his own, he has turned his attention to everybody else, and is hoping to use Gentile believers to entice the Jewish people back into the plans that God has to bless them.  And once those plans kick back into gear, there are going to be big things happening in the world!

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It’s amazing to me to think about how accurate and detailed biblical prophecy is.  As we’ve been going through the book of Daniel and discovered how God revealed details of coming kingdoms and rulers and, most importantly, the Messiah, it’s so intruiging to be able to look back at our ancient history and see how the things God said would happen, took place exactly like he said.  But then again, God invented time.  All the things we measure time with–the rotation of the earth, it’s revolution around the sun, the vibrations of a quartz crystal.  God created all those things and put them into place.  So I shouldn’t be surprised that God can set a date for something centuries and even millennia  down the road and guarantee that it will come to pass.

But I’m still pretty impressed by it.

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The cool thing about Bible prophecy is that it gives you the key for understanding it within Scripture.  Of course it’s a huge help to be filled with the Holy Spirit, because God himself is the best teacher and guide for understanding his inspired Word.  But there are so many practical cross references and connections throughout the Bible, that pretty much anybody who really wants to can use ordinary common sense to understand what God wants the world to know.

In the prophecy of Daniel 9 there is a lot going on, but if you see the 66 books of the Bible as a whole, you can glean how the interconnectedness helps us to see God’s plans for the world–both the prophesy that has already been fulfilled, and that which has yet to happen.

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Love can move mountains.  The question is, can love move you?  God has shown so much love already.  Has your heart been touched?

Click on the link to hear a little bit more about the power of love.

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Do you pray?  What do you usually pray for?  Have you ever thought about how your motivations and even your attitude about prayer could make a big difference in your prayer life?  Maybe it’s worth considering.
Click the link to enjoy a free message about prayer.

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Have you ever noticed that it’s kind of an unusual event when somebody confesses to a crime?  People don’t like to admit to being wrong.  You can see some wonderful examples of that in our own government lately.  But all sorts of people do this.  The problem with that though, is that you can’t solve a problem that “doesn’t exist.”  You have to admit there is a problem before you can fix it.

So since we live in a culture of “It’s not my fault” and “Don’t judge me” and “Nobody’s perfect”, nothing ever gets any better because people hide behind excuses.  Daniel gave a great example of beginning the healing and restoration process for his whole nation, by first admitting that they had totally screwed things up and that it was their fault and that they need God’s help to get right again.

If you’d like to see healing and restoration in your own life or your marriage or family or even country, this pray of Daniel is a good example to follow.

Click the link to hear what he was praying about.

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Do you pray?  What’s your prayer life like?  Do you feel power in it or is it more like you’re talking to the ceiling?  Would you like to know the power of prayer?  You’ll find it in the will of God and his goodness.

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There’s an art that the church in America has lost.  We have churches across the country that can put on a good show.  They have talented musicians and excellent speakers and top notch sound and lights and presentation.  They offer everything from childcare to counseling to laundry and hairstyling.  But as the services have become like professional shows, the prayers have lost power.  These days we pray for things we want, we pray to get healthy if we’re sick, but I don’t hear a lot of prayers that are simply to honor God and commit our lives to serving him.

The core of the church is found in a real connection to God.  It really doesn’t matter how good the presentation is, if the relationship with the Lord is lacking.  So the church in many ways looks good on the outside, but it’s kind of empty on the inside.

How about you?  Can you identify with that.  If you’d like to know what a good prayer life is like, Daniel provides an excellent example to follow.

Click the link to listen to the message.

note: I noticed that the audio in this one is on the quiet side.  So you might have to turn your volume up a bit to hear it well.

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I know lots of people who really get into the “end times” kind of stuff–and so many who want to know who the antichrist is–is he alive now, and what is he up to?  We’ll we reveal in this message who the antichrist is.  We know his name and where he’s from.  We even know how he comes to power.  So if you just gotta know now, and can’t stand to wait.  Just take a listen!

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A lot of times when people think about prophecy, it’s generalities and possibilities that might be misinterpreted.  But one of the cool things about the prophecy in this chapter of Daniel is that an angel explains exactly what is going to happen centuries before the actual events!

Take a listen and see what I mean…

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