Monday 24 March 2014

How do we know the coming of Jesus is very near?

There is one simple answer. Look what is happening in the North part of the globe, Russia and Crimea and look at Israel! Scattered through the nations for centuries, they have never died out, as they cannot, if God is to keep His word.

Dormition Church, situated on the modern
Dormition Church, situated on the modern "Mount Zion" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In our own generation, they have started to go back to their land. In 1967 they took back Jerusalem, or Zion, their ancient capital. And now their enemies are gathering against them. The scene is set for the Deliverer to come to his throne, for God to set His king upon His holy hill of Zion. The signs are all there to strengthen our faith. The God who keeps His covenants to a thousand generations is unbaring His arm again. 

But let us remember that it was told we would come to a time where  elope would stand up against each other, first in the land of Euphrates and Tigris (war of Iran and Iraq), several natural disasters would become more intence and regular (earthquakes, sunamis) brothers and sisters would get up against each other and religion would fight other religions. Does that not sound familiar with all the Hindus, Muslims, Christians a.o. fighting against each other?
 
Let us finish with a lovely passage, which sums up this great Hope of Israel that we have been thinking about so long. We said it can give us comfort, direction, and courage to face all the storms of life. This is just how the Apostle puts it in the Letter to the Hebrews:
"When God made a promise to Abraham . . . he swore by himself, saying, 'Surely I will bless you and multiply you'"
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Swallowing up Crimea, who is next

Vladimir Putin has delivered a swift and uncompromising blow to the imposition of US and EU sanctions by signing a decree recognising Crimea as an independent state, paving the way for him to acknowledge a request from the breakaway region to join the Russian Federation. Ignoring Western threats of a new Cold War and a “far-reaching” economic blockade, the Russian president will on Tuesday address both houses of the Russian parliament on the crisis, and is expected to welcome Crimea into the fold. The formal process of absorbing the peninsula could be completed within weeks. The Kremlin announced that Mr Putin had signed a decree recognising Crimea as an independent state, after it voted overwhelmingly on Sunday to leave Ukraine and join Russia. The US and the European Union responded by issuing targeted sanctions against several key players in the escalating crisis.

Events have moved amazingly quickly. Just a few weeks ago Crimea was part of Ukraine. In less than two weeks Russia has moved in and annexed the region and brought it under the Russian Federation. Mr Putin has seen his personal approval ratings soar to a three-year high after his decision to send troops to Crimea. Crimea was invaded by Russia in the 1870s and then handed to Ukraine in 1954. It remained with Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But Putin has said that the greatest geopolitical catastrophe was the collapse of the USSR. He has now begun the process of rebuilding that empire. The Russian juggernaut is on the move. Almost all commentators say that we are returning to a new Cold War. In Ezekiel 38 we read of Gog being “turned back”. This literally means “to be returned”. Putin himself (Gog) was returned to power and is now turning the whole of Russia back to Cold War days….

And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen                                                                                                              “I will turn thee back” literally means “I will return you” or “I will restore you”.

Two almost simultaneous signatures Friday on opposite sides of Europe deepened the divide between East and West, as Russia formally annexed Crimea and the European Union pulled Ukraine closer into its orbit. In this "new post-Cold War order," as the Ukrainian prime minister called it, besieged Ukrainian troops on the Crimean Peninsula faced a critical choice: leave, join the Russian military or demobilize. Ukraine was working on evacuating its outnumbered troops in Crimea, but some said they were still awaiting orders. With fears running high of clashes between the two sides or a grab by Moscow for more of Ukraine, the chief of the U.N. came to the capital city Kiev and urged calm all around. All eyes were on President Vladimir Putin, as they have been ever since pro-Western protests drove out Ukraine's president a month ago, angering Russia and plunging Europe into its worst crisis in a generation.

The division of Russia and Europe is made clear in the Bible. It begins with the 2 legs of Daniel’s image representing East and West. It is further detailed in Daniel 7 and 8. Daniel 7 tracks the West and the power of Rome. Daniel 8 tracks the East and the latter day power of Russia. Daniel 11 from verse 40 shows the conflict between East and West through the latter day powers of king of the north and king of the south. There are two distinct wars at the end. Ezekiel 38 is a war led by Russia (East). This war is about power and spoil.  Then there is a religious war (Revelation 17) led by Europe / Rome.

the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold— The stone = Christ returning. The metals of the image  = different world empires.  The fact the stone grinds all worldly kingdoms to powder does NOT mean all the metals are united as one at the end. They remain divided. (Daniel 2:45)

- Andy Walton in Weekly World Watch

 

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Please do find also:
  1. Mother of Ukraine or Crimea
  2. Ukrainians should be free to shape the future of their country
  3. Battling Borshct in Ukraine
  4. When Crimean people made their choice
  5.  

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  1. Chess in a Minefield: The Global Implications of the Ukraine Conflict
  2. West is Impudent – This is like the Fall of Rome 
  3. Crimea: A Microcosm of East-West Conflict 
  4. The Social-Psychological Roots of the Ethnic Problems in Crimea
  5. Christianizing Crimea: Shaping Sacred Space in the Russian Empire and Beyond
  6. Why Crimea, Soviet ‘Gift’ to Ukraine, Remains Strongly Russian
  7. Crimea Votes for Greater Freedom from Ukraine Self-Determination in Black Sea…
  8. Ukraine as it happened: Putin says ‘threat of ultranationalists’ forced him to intervene

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Saturday 22 March 2014

The one who set the standard

With the writings on this site and some of our others sites, like Stepping Toes, the Brethren in Christ and our ecclesia site, we would love to bring more people to come to know Who took care of all the beautiful things we can see around us and what promises where given to humankind.

With the postings you shall be able to find on this site and on the above mentioned, we do hope you and many other readers coming along here, shall come to see what a beautiful message is given to humankind.
In the past many men of God told about the wonders which came and still shall come onto the people who are willing to recognise their Creator.

On this and the other mentioned pages we do hope to give an idea of the many promises which also can become a reality for us. All of us can find a hope which is set before all of us. We only should be willing to come to see it and believe those things which have been told in the past.


Once you begin to appreciate the Hope God sets before us in His Word, you want to know how to lay hold of it. You realize as you read more, that He sets a standard for men to follow which you have not begun to reach. If you really want to please God, you will feel the need, like those men in Jerusalem, to have your conscience made clean. The way God has prescribed for us is to be baptised into the Lord Jesus, symbolically washing away in the waters our old life, and starting again as if we were newly born, members of God's holy people. Then, the New Testament insists, we shall be heirs of those promises of the Kingdom of God:
 "For in Christ Jesus", writes Paul, "you are all sons of God, through faith" (Galatians 3:26). 
Imagine that! What a privilege, to be called sons and daughters of God!
"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3: 27-29).
All that Jesus inherits -- the land, the throne, the blessing-all will be ours. How exciting and moving it is, to think what God offers us. It is as if we are being introduced already to the new covenant God will make with His people. God's law is written on our heart, our sins are washed away, and we are enrolled for a place in that age when war and famine, sin and sorrow will be banished for ever from the earth. 

Paul uses another figure in Romans 11. He says we Gentile believers are like sprigs of a wild olive tree that have been picked up by God the gardener and grafted into the stem of the olive tree of Israel. We share the rich sap that keeps the life flowing, and we will be there in the time of harvest.
"I want you to understand this mystery brethren",
he says, as he explains the long gap between the two Comings:
"a hardening has come upon part of Israel".
He means that only a minority of the Jewish people accepted the good news Jesus and the apostles brought; the hearts of the rest were too hard for the good seed of the Kingdom to grow.
But Israel's hardness of heart is not for ever.
 "Until the full number of the Gentiles come in", he continues, "and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written"
  
-- and he quotes from one of the 'Messiah' passages in Isaiah -- 
"the Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them",
 he adds, repeating the passage we read from Jeremiah 33,
 "when I take away their sins" (Romans 11:24-27). 
Notice the time period-when the full number of the Gentiles has come in. It has not come in yet. God is still calling us to come into His family. But one day, soon, perhaps very soon, the door will be shut. The Lord Jesus will be here with power to rule over the nations, and bring men to judgement for despising God's laws. 

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Together tasting a great promisse

Lots of things are happening in this world by which we can ask questions. Certain events seem like we have heard already about them. Some of the disasters and wars have been spoken off already long before we were born. We can find them in the Book of books, but not many are really interested to read those very old books.

In those books we also can find that the best of the covenants of promise God made still lie in the future. We do not know precisely when they are going to be fulfilled. The majority of people who have believed and hoped in God's promises are already in the grave, and there is a chance we shall die, too, before Jesus comes again. Yet the glorious truth is that even if we die, we can still taste the joy of God's Kingdom. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his death cell, we can be brought back to life again, to receive
 "the crown of righteousness which the Lord", he said, "will award me on that Day, and not only to me, but also to all who have loved his appearing". 
When the Messiah shall return to the earth we do not know. But what we do know is that we shall receive signs which are declared before. Those signs are having been spoken off in the Book of books. Perhaps not all will recognise them at first. But some will clearly see them and could and should help others to see them too. This site would like to help to find the words leading up to such a wisdom that can be given to us, for free, and which can open doors for us all, for free.

From the Bible we do know that a great tribulation will come over the world and that the Messiah shall return and will raise from the dead all those who have died in faith, and give them a strong, immortal body like his own. Abraham will certainly be there, and so will David, and Paul. We can be there, too. 


Israel 5 009.Jesus Christ Walk of Tears on the...
Israel 5 009.Jesus Christ Walk of Tears on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
And it is all possible through the blood of Christ, which has brought us near to God. For whether we are Jews or Gentiles, we are sinners. We break God's laws, and deserve nothing but death. Jesus' death, the offering of his sinless self in sacrifice, broke the power of the grave for all who join themselves to him. Thus the two Comings are inseparably linked. 

In a few weeks time we shall remember the day Jesus was for the last time at the table with his disciples. It was that night in the upper room he established the last covenant. Some hours later he found his death at the wooden stake.

His dying preceded the crown; the suffering servant became the king of kings. And the same land where Abraham waited in his tent and Jesus walked with the good news of the Kingdom, is given to them both with their family around them, to enjoy for ever.
When Peter stood up in Jerusalem at Pentecost and began to explain the mystery of the two comings, he had an urgent message for the people. Let us look at his words again: "Repent therefore", he cried, "and turn again" (Acts 3:1 9). He was exhorting his hearers to prepare themselves for the coming of Jesus by changing their lives, turning round and going a different way. Earlier that day when the crowds had asked him what they should do, he said to them:
 "Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (2:38).
What do you want to do, where do you want to go to. Have you chosen to go on your own or with others?

Today we do invite you to come and join us and to go together with us on the road to that Kingdom of God. Be a sojourner with us and share your thoughts and prayers with us.

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Friday 21 March 2014

Nieuwe naam een feit


Voor hen die op zoek waren naar "Christadelphian World" en hier terecht kwamen op "Our World" wil ik gerust stellen dat zij op de juiste plaats zijn terecht gekomen. De voorgaande dagen heeft er namelijk een "aardverschuiving" plaats gevonden en hebben veranderende omstandigheden er toe geleid dat er bepaalde beslissingen zijn genomen om nieuwe wegen of andere wegen in te slaan.

Oorspronkelijk is dit blog uit een MSN groep gegroeid die bij de sluiting van die groepen overgegaan is in Multiply. Bij de sluiting van Multiply zijn de twee blogs Bijbelonderzoekers en Christadelphians samen gevoegd en was het de bedoeling in Christadelphian World de Christadelphians beter kenbaar te maken aan het grote publiek.

Op Christadelphian World zou er kennis gegeven worden van het reilen en zeilen van de Christadelphian gemeenschap. Zo werden hier aankondigingen geplaatst van Bijbel klassen, Bijbel weekends, Bijbel weken of stages en Bijbel kampen, die door verscheidene Christadelphian ecclesiae of 'kerken' werden gegeven. Door dat bepaalde groepen niet met anderen wensten geassocieerd worden en verzochten de artikelen van deze site weg te halen, bleef er niet veel echt nieuws te vertellen over die Christadelphians. Daarom kon men zich afvragen of dat woord in de naamdraging nog relevant kon genoemd worden.

Nog steeds worden alle Christadelphians uitgenodigd om mij hun activiteiten te laten kennen voor publicatie, en zal ik deze graag op deze site en andere kenbaar maken, zodat de wereld getuige kan zijn dat wij wel degelijk een gemeenschap zijn die over de gehele wereld verspreid is en actief is.

Maar vanaf nu zal ik op deze site ook terug meer aandacht geven aan andere kerkgenootschappen en andere gebeurtenissen in de wereld die ons omringt. Graag hoop ik u, lezer, een boeiend aanbod te geven van nieuwsberichten, met hier en daar een toets eigen opinie en vanuit het christelijk oogpunt dat ik met mij mee draag.

Ik hoop van ganser harte dat ik mijn christelijke visie met u zal mogen delen en dat wij samen op stap kunnen gaan in deze wereld.  Hopelijk zullen er boeiende onderwerpen onder onze ogen mogen vallen en deze aan onze kritische blik mogen onderworpen worden.

Nu deze site niet meer het "embleem" "Christadelphian" draagt, hoeft de focus niet meer zozeer op die wereld van Christadelphians te liggen maar zal u nu hier een veel bredere kijk mogen verwachten, met meerdere onderwerpen waarmee de wereld in het algemeen geconfronteerd wordt.

Dit maakt dat u nu op politiek en cultureel vlak terecht kan om mijn persoonlijke webstek "Marcus's Space" terwijl voor religieuze en spirituele onderwerpen "Stepping Toes" meerdere stemmen zal laten spreken van uit verschillende invalshoeken. Zo wel "Stepping Toes" als "Our World" zullen proberen in te spelen op de actualiteit. Op dit platform hoop ik bij de tijd te zijn en de actualiteit te kunnen opvolgen van dag tot dag zoals ik het tegen kom, terwijl op Stepping Toes iets verder zal uitgebreid worden of diepgaandere artikelen zullen voorgesteld worden door meerdere auteurs.

Hopelijk mogen wij u ook op die nieuwssites aantreffen.

U veel leesgenot toewensend,

Marcus Ampe

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English justification: New name a fact

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New Name a fact





In case you where looking for "Christadelphian World" and came onto "Our World", you are at the right address.

I did not manage to create a new blog with a new url and title, so I shall keep the old url http://christadelphianworld.blogspot.be/ but chose for the title "Our World".

In the past most articles on this site were written to promote the Christadelphian views and have people get to know the Christadelphian teachings.
In a certain way I would love to continue to let others know the Christadelphian community and  the teachings which follow the biblical teachings of the Nazarene Jew Jeshua, better known as Jesus Christ. Today there is not so much to see of the previous announcements for Bible Classes, Bible Weekends, Bible Weeks and Bible Camps from different Christadelphian ecclesiae or 'churches', because the last few months several Christadelphians asked me to take away those articles. Because several did not wanted to be on the same site or pages as some other groups.

I invite all the Christadelphians to let me know their activities and will be glad to announce them on this site, no matter from which group they come from or with what organisation they may be connected with. For me they all are part of one community in the Body of Christ.
I personally let others know that I am a free Christadelphian, not bounded to any other organisation than the Body of Christ.

Previously the main focus of "Christadelphian World" was on the Christadelphian community, but from now on I will look again at the world from a more open vision, following also what is going on in other Christian denominations or what gets the actuality.

On my personal site Marcus's Space I also look already on the world, but from a very personal viewpoint, and mostly on matters of environment, politics, economy and culture.

I also keep presenting the lifestyle magazine "Stepping Toes" I formed a few years ago on Xanga and restarted recently on WordPress from scratch. There you shall also be able to find articles on what is in the actuality or gets attention in the media (in Belgium).

Since March this site got a dip in viewers but I do hope we shall be able to regain some confused readers and shall get more new readers, interested in the more extensive material I shall hope to offer on this site.

Please be welcome on my and your world => Our World

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Please do find related:
Looking from different perspectives

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Thursday 20 March 2014

Russian take-over of Crimea

The Ukrainian capital, Kiev, erupted in violent demonstrations and street clashes in late January, culminating with the removal by Parliament of President Viktor Yanukovych. Tensions mounted in the Crimea region, where additional Russian troops and armoured vehicles were reportedly deployed.


English: Ukrainian Presidential Election Octob...
Ukrainian Presidential Election October 2004 - Viktor Yanukovych (First Round) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The last few days we saw how how the Crimean people could only give two votes in Sunday's referendum of which we can question if it was legally installed. The referendum in which 96.8 percent of Crimean residents voted in favour of the secession could also been seen as a voice of the majority. The voter turnout in the referendum stood at 83.1 percent. Those who did not turn up to give their vote in a certain way can now not complain.
It for sure did not resolve in Ukraine the country’s ongoing political crisis.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Monday, March 17 the proclaimed independence from Ukraine, will further worsen the situation around Ukraine. 


Ban Ki-moon is “deeply concerned and disappointed” that this weekend’s Crimea secession referendum will only exacerbate an “already complex and tense situation.”

Since the beginning of the crisis, the UN chief has urged all parties to avoid “hasty steps” that could exacerbate tensions.
“He encourages all parties to work for a solution that is guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter, including respecting Ukraine’s unity and sovereignty,”
 said Mr. Dujarric.

What we in the West hear is only that most Tartars stayed at home and did not go to vote. So you could wonder if they now can complain. Looking at the results,in case they where received honestly the majority of the voters in Crimea overwhelmingly supported leaving Ukraine and joining Russia. The referendum caps months of political unrest, triggered by the Government's decision last November not to sign an agreement on broader European integration. The Ukrainian capital, Kiev, erupted in violent demonstrations and street clashes in late January, culminating with the removal by Parliament of President Viktor Yanukovych. Tensions mounted in the Crimea region, where additional Russian troops and armoured vehicles were reportedly deployed.

In his statement today, the Secretary-General condemned the violence which occurred over the weekend in eastern Ukraine and which resulted in injuries and loss of life on all sides.
“The Secretary-General once again urges all parties to refrain from violence and to commit themselves to de-escalation and inclusive national dialogue in the pursuit of a political and diplomatic solution,”
 said Mr. Dujarric, adding:
“A deterioration of the situation will have serious repercussions for the people of Ukraine, the region and beyond.”  

The UN chief also urged all parties in Ukraine and those with influence to avoid any steps that could further increase tensions.
“Above all, the Secretary-General urges all concerned to intensify their efforts and engage constructively toward a peaceful solution to this crisis, with the aspirations of all the people of Ukraine foremost in mind,”
said Mr. Dujarric, adding that Mr. Ban remains ready to work with all parties to resolve this situation.


Moscow and Kiev are on the brink of conflict following a breakdown in relations in the wake of last month's overthrow of Ukraine's former Kremlin-backed president Viktor Yanukovych.
On Tuesday, Putin signed a treaty absorbing the Ukrainian region of Crimea into Russia and on Wednesday pro-Russian troops stormed a Ukrainian naval headquarters on the peninsula.
 

Much of the international community, including the United States and the European Union, rejects the annexation of Crimea as illegal, but Moscow in turn refuses to recognise the Ukrainian government. 

The Secretary-General will travel to Kiev on Friday, where he will hold talks with top Ukrainian officials, members of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission and representatives of civil society.
The statement said the visit was "part of (Ban's) diplomatic efforts to encourage all parties to resolve the current crisis peacefully". Key elements of the charter include respect for fellow U.N. member states' sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the peaceful resolution of international disputes.

The Christadelphian brothers and sisters in Kiev, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson and Crimea thankfully can report that they are all well, and unaffected so far by the protests and the Russian take-over of Crimea. However their cost of living will increase as the grivna devalues against foreign currencies, and imports cost more.

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