A New Beginning?

Well, here we are in 2020. Will it signal “a new beginning” or will it signal “the beginning of the end”.

You know, as we joyfully wish one another a Happy New Year, we probably shake in our boots too when we think of what could happen now that the Iran/America conflict has moved to a dangerous new level with the American killing of the Iranian General Soleimani and Iran declaring that military action has to be answered by military action. Yet, their response against Iraqi military basis, no matter how symbolic, is something to worry about. Soleimani was an accused terrorist responsible for hundreds of American deaths and if this was so, then like Bin Laden’s killing a few years ago, it should have been welcomed by Americans. Yet, the divisions in the nation are so pronounced that much of the media and the political opposition cannot or will not see any good in the President’s decision. Time will tell who is right but regardless, the divisions in America, and in almost all the Israel countries, are causing such pain that the Satanic game plan seems to be taunting True Israel and the God who made us great in the first place. Sadly, the pain must run its course.

So, 2020 promises to be much different than all the other years we personally have experienced, you might even say “scary”, even though 2019 was disastrous in so many ways. For the true Christian, there seems a sense of expectancy in the air; that perhaps the forces of evil are marshalling together for a final battle against God Almighty. The strides Evil has made in discrediting our Great God, the Lord Jesus Christ, over the past four decades, have been nothing short of astonishing and today, they can say anything they want against Him without fear of backlash. His enemies know that if they can destroy the very foundation of our faith, then the last hurdle for control of the western world will be overcome. Why should this be? Well, as the Apostle Paul said, “How shall they hear without a preacher,” meaning, of course, someone who will proclaim the truth. We have political, economic and theological leaders who talk about God, who profess to believe in Jesus Christ, but in the main, their actions prove otherwise. Most of them are just masquerading and the sheep of our nations are ignoring the wonderful words of the Lord, when He said, “… by their fruits ye shall know them…

It is so sad to think that with one or two exceptions, there are no so-called giants in our leaders today, like a Churchill, an Eisenhower, an Elizabeth 1st, an Andrew Jackson and others of the now long-ago past. Nevertheless, and looking at the Media each day this statement will be unwelcome, but based on what he has achieved and said so far, it does appear that Donald Trump might ultimately be looked upon as one of them. Perhaps the majority of those political, corporate or theological leaders who hate him are simply minions of the adversary and if so, then “Ouch”, the fate outlined in James 5:1-6 awaits them. But what of the vast numbers of our brethren, who have been taken in by the unscrupulous leaders and have abandoned the Lord God Almighty, or, accepted a new reality of the faith, or, simply recognize life without a higher power, is there hope for them? How can we ever make them realize that Psalm 1 describes two very opposite paths? The first path, of course, is the righteous way where we are urged to seek happiness by following God’s Law and to meditate on God’s teaching. And if we do, ultimate success is certain. This first path, of course, leads us to a life in Christ and is a ticket to the glorious Kingdom of God. The other choice the Psalmist writes of, is “the wicked way”, where we can be swept away like wind or merely drift to ultimate destruction. Why anyone would choose this path certainly escapes me.

There is only the one way, of course, and that is through our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, a great World War II leader, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, once said, “let us remember when all these things are said and done the one great fact, the greatest fact, remains supreme and unassailable. It is this. There are in this world things that are true and things that are false; there are ways that are right and ways that are wrong, men good and bad. And on the one side or the other we must take our stand: one, or the other, we must serve. A great commander [Joshua] once dismissed his troops after a long campaign in these words: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve….as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

So, hopefully, the majority of true Israelites, who have banished Christ and Christianity from their lives and opted for the things the world has to offer, will someday soon come to their senses and serve the Lord. As the Apostle Paul counselled, “We must do everything we can to proclaim the truth”. Israel Truth magazines, like this one, “Thy Kingdom Come”, are but one way the truth is shared and hopefully, all the readers of the magazines are passing them along to brethren Israelites; if nothing else but to at least sow the seeds of truth.

And what of our own lives. A reader confided the struggle he was having ridding his mind of an evil thought pattern. He wrote that he ultimately succeeded because of his constant prayers to God. Perhaps all of us have some mind struggles that burden our lives but the psalmist tells us to meditate on God’s teaching. Our reader’s story reminded me of what must have been struggles in the mind of the great evangelist, John Wesley. Perhaps it encouraged him to put his thoughts to words, so they may inspire those of us who need reinforcement. We published his words a few years back but maybe you would like to read them again.