By Francis Frangipane
There had not been a prophet in Israel for more than 400 years. Now, in the spirit and power of Elijah, John the Baptist stood in the Judean wilderness. Lightning flashed from his eyes as his message thundered across the terrain of human souls before him. The storm of God had returned!
Historians tell us that John's penetrating ministry brought nearly one million people to a baptism of repentance. It was an unprecedented beginning to a time of visitation. It was into this electrified atmosphere of awakened faith that Jesus came, bringing miracles previously unseen in Israel's history. The presence of the living God was flowing through Christ; His message was unparalleled: the kingdom of heaven was at hand!
From Visitation to Habitation
When God Responds to Israel's Repentance
By Francis Frangiapne
Both the Old Testament and New Testament reveal that God's purposes are irrevocably intertwined with the return and restoration of Israel (Ezek. 37-39; Rev. 7). For those who believe the church has replaced Israel, the Bible tells us that the Jews are God's covenant people, and that as long as the sun, moon and stars exist, the Lord's covenant with Israel shall stand (Jer. 31:35-36). Of course, through Jesus Christ, Christians receive a better covenant with better promises, but God has not broken His covenant with Israel. Nothing will thwart the promises of God, as centuries of persecution, Hitler's ovens and, in time, Muslim terrorists will all testify before God in eternity. Be assured, Israel's full restoration will come to pass in its time.
The Way You Talk Gives You Away
By Francis Frangipane
Over the last years, I've watched spiritual deterioration occurring among many in the church. We talk and sound no different than the world. Our words are mean, without grace, without love, angry at this and upset with that. It is as though we have no revelation of the power of our words. Yet, our words are the reality-seeds of our tomorrows. In other words, we are living today what we were talking yesterday.
Our words are trailblazers, the pioneers which affirm and establish reality. Some feel words are not that important. But there is a weightiness to words, a spiritual cargo that conveys either life or death to those who receive them. Consider: if I wrote a string of profanities and curses, each word could touch your soul with uncleanness. Indeed, words themselves are often the vehicles of satanic infiltration. As the Scripture asks, "To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you?" (Job 26:4).
Over the last years, I've watched spiritual deterioration occurring among many in the church. We talk and sound no different than the world. Our words are mean, without grace, without love, angry at this and upset with that. It is as though we have no revelation of the power of our words. Yet, our words are the reality-seeds of our tomorrows. In other words, we are living today what we were talking yesterday.
Our words are trailblazers, the pioneers which affirm and establish reality. Some feel words are not that important. But there is a weightiness to words, a spiritual cargo that conveys either life or death to those who receive them. Consider: if I wrote a string of profanities and curses, each word could touch your soul with uncleanness. Indeed, words themselves are often the vehicles of satanic infiltration. As the Scripture asks, "To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed through you?" (Job 26:4).
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