Decisions

    We all agree that making decisions is a daily fact of life. Decisions come in different sizes, some small and some large, and some XXXX large, but they all share one common ingredient; they all have consequences. Through these consequences we determine if we have made the right decisions or not. Yet in many circumstances, we have the opportunity to change our decision, no matter how bad it is. Though we still 

bare the consequences yet we can still choose to adjust and do the right thing.

   This is true when it comes to life issues, but not when it comes to crucial decisions; decisions concerning the spiritual aspect of life, such as faith and obedience, what we would call " the life and death" type of decision..

      To shed more light on the subject, ask yourself and see how would you answer these questions ? How much  of G-D occupies territory in your life?  Is He the L-RD of your life? If He is ,how much are you allowing Him to be the L-RD over? How do you relate to Him in faith issues, do you trust Him? When He gives you an assignment, do you take it and run with it the way you think it should be accomplished, or do you seek His wisdom and wait for His instructions? When He says for you to go, do you listen or do you try to find the logic in where He is sending you.

When He says wait do you obey?

Do you FEAR HIM?

Do you REVERENCE HIM?

Do you HONOR HIM?

If we take a moment and think of these questions, we will find that obedience is the key word to answer these questions.

   Rev. 16:15-16 “ Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walks naked, and they see his shame. And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

You might think that keeping your clothes on is an easy decision, yet it is more important than you think. In my opinion this decision should be under the category of crucial decisions, Why, do you ask? Well, let us read these two verses again_ slowly this time_ did you catch what the L-rd said in the second verse:” and He gathered them to

a place called Armageddon”. Yeshua is telling us that He is coming back in a time where we are not expecting, and He is taking us to a place called Armageddon, and the only advice He is giving us is to keep our clothes on.

    Every time I read these verses the one question keep coming to my mind ,why Armageddon? From all the cities of Israel, why the L-RD choose Armageddon? why not Jerusalem, G-D's beloved city ?

What do you usually think when you hear the word Armageddon?

We always connect the word Armageddon with the end of our world, the last battle where the world will cease to exist maybe through

a nuclear war, or a comet will fall on the planet, or even if you want to be optimistic you will say it is the new beginning, but even in this case the question is still out there..... the end of what, and the beginning of what? And why ? And How ?

    If you will search a little deeper you might find that there is a lot more in this word than we generally know. Ok, let us start with finding the city of Armageddon on the map, and see what makes this city stand up over all other cities in Israel. Why is it that

it came to be the place where the L-RD chose to have the last meeting place, if you will,, with us?  Armageddon is a battle field near the city of Megiddo, southeast of the modern Port of Haifa," it is a strategic location near a prominent international highway leading north from Egypt through Israel along the coast, and on to Babylon.

     Megiddo overlooks the entire plain southward toward Galilee and westward toward the mountains of Gilboa. In another word,  it is the one city that has a connected highway to any direction you choose to go.

    Many significant events of the history of the Old Testament took place in or near that city, events such: " when Saul disobeyed the L-RD, and the L-RD said:" I am grieved that I have made Saul king"  where later Saul consulted a medium, 1 Samuel 15 .

    This is also where Josiah, king of Israel, was killed. And how can we forget about Elijah who confronted 450 of baal's prophets on  mount Carmel, and had them brought down to the Kishon river " near Migeddo city" and slaughtered them there. 1 kings 18: 19- 40

     So why will Adonai gather us in such a place? Think of the reality of the location of that city that gives you the choice to wherever you want to go.

When you are there, you have to decide do you want to worship G-d or Baal? Do you want to follow Yeshua to the new Jerusalem or do you want to go back to Egypt ? Maybe you want to wonder to Babylon ?  Well, you might ask yourself saying: " Well, I know about the Promise Land and I hope one day to be there, and I know about Egypt and

I don't want to go back there, but what is in Babylon ????

  Well, I am glad that you asked, because what happened in Babylon is a clear picture of a consequence of a decision.

  The city of Babylon was the capital of the ancient land of Babylonia in southern Mesopotamia, It rests on a flat plain with the two large rivers flowing through it, the Tigris and Euphrates. Their course runs from Anatolia and Syria to the Persian Gulf. Mountains surround the East and North sides of the plain, the Zagros chain and Kurdistan, and the Syrian and Arabian deserts guard the west and south. You can see it is her great location that provided her protection that even knowing that the enemies were all around yet the people there have no worries, they thought that no one could invade their city, very high and thick walls, strong gates, food will last 20 years. King Belshazzar called for a banquet, they were having a party inside, it is described in detail in Daniel 5.   Knowing the history of Babylon and how G-D had humbled his  father  Nebuchadnezzar, neverless Belshazzar's heart rose against G-D and His authority, and  HE MADE A CHOICE, verse 2: he commanded that the goblets that his father took out from G-D's temple to be brought to him to be used in his party. In verse 5 it says: "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote". 

ME'NE, ME'NE, TE'KEL, U-PHAR'SIN.  The meaning of these words is:

ME'NE:  G-D has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

TE'KEL:  You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

U-PHAR'SIN: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

Persians

(Ancient relief of Medes and Persians)

What the hand wrote was Belshazzar’s own judgment.

  The scriptures said in verse 6: " Balshazzar's face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way". 

In his heart Belshazzar knew that with all his wealth, and power he could not withstand the judgment of G-D, he panicked and was so frightened because he knew it was his judgment . But it was too late to do anything about it, to late to even repent. 

It was just like the hand that appeared from no where in a time when no one has even imagined it could happen, but it did, so as the day of the L-RD.  Yeshua is coming back in a time that we could never expect Him to come, then you will find yourself in Armageddon, face to face with  the Almighty G-d of Israel, your judge, what will you do?

   Do you wonder what was going on in Balshazzar's mind when he received his judgment? Did he say to himself I wish I had not done that?  What about you? Are you ready for Messiah’s return? In what way does your life shows either your readiness or your lack of preparation to meet him when He comes? Is your knees going to give way from fear and freeze in your place, or with tears of joy you will run and throw yourself at His feet and worship Him?   

   My friend, that day is coming and each and every one of us will face his judgment,  even when you are in the city that leads everywhere, you can not  leave to get the proper clothes, remember it is a battle field.Have you ever seen a soldier going to the battle field with his beach clothes, or with his tux.? Your clothes are your life saver, and how you equip yourself is what will help you to stand on that day.

    G-D gave you your life, and set you apart for His purpose, be carful in using what is His. Balshazzar made a bad decision in using what had been set apart and was dedicated to G-D for his own sinful purposes, and he paid the price.  Do not follow his example, rather be wise and have on the proper garment and be ready to go to Armageddon when the L-RD calls

   Be wise and take extra oil with you like the five wise virgins in Yeshua's story in Matt. 25:1-13. May when He comes He will find us faithful. Until than keep your cloth on and keep watching.

Rita