TRUE HOPE TIMES
Presenting The Lord Jesus Christ!
September 15, 2009
Timothy's Thoughts
The Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well!
He is still King of kings and Lord of lords ... which means that He is still greater, mightier & able to overcome any problem that you encounter in life!

Jesus tells us something that is so powerful and empowering ... if we will but consider the ramifications of His information

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
I and My Father are one."  John 10:27-30 (NKJV)

I didn't want you to miss it so I made it bigger and bolder ...
Our God is GREATER THAN ALL ELSE!

Jesus is telling us who are born-again, the children of the Most High by our faith in Christ Jesus as Lord ... we have a different reality than those who are not! 

That reality is this, because we are in God's hands, and God is greater than all, why are we overwhelmed by negative emotions and attitudes because of life's issues, situations, and circumstances?

Consider the words that Jesus says ... MY FATHER IS GREATER THAN ALL!  So no matter what you are facing, what you are dealing with, whatever is trying to conquer your faith with worry and fear doesn't stand a chance of prevailing over you!

In order for something to defeat you, it would either have to be bigger, greater and mightier than God ... or ... by your not realizing your reality!

So, since nothing is greater than God, the enemy that faces us does everything possible to cause us to forget our reality!  Divorce, bankruptcy, death of a loved one, losing your job, the economy collapsing ... in all of these (and any other negative context) the devil works feverishly to convince us that our reality is anything but that we are held in the very hands of God who is GREATER THAN ALL!

Now, does this mean that we will be untouched or unscathed by the evils of this world?  No, Jesus did not promise that at all ... but He did promise that none of these things, nor any ONE can remove us from our place in Christ nor our Father's loving care!

When we are confronted with, or pulled into, bad situations - the evils of this life - which will happen, we can either embrace God's hands in which we are held, or we can forget Whose Hands we are in and miss His glorious, divine interventions and have our minds drawn away from our true reality!

So, what, just remembering in Whose Hands we are will be enough to defeat the enemies which come against us?  NO.  But that is our starting place AND OUR STANDING PLACE!  It is our place to take our stand against the evils against us!  Of course, this means that we must deal with things God's way for our part, but let me ask you something ... in a conflict where would you rather take your stand?  

As for me, I will take my stand IN MY FATHER'S HANDS!  Really, how long do you think the enemy can remain "strong" when the battlefield is actually our Father's hands?

Something to remember!

Be blessed in Christ!

PROPHECY PROCLAMATION

Bible Prophecy - Foresight or Fraud?
Is Bible prophecy compelling evidence vindicating the Bible's claim that it is the truly inspired Word of God or is it nothing more than an elaborate hoax? How do Biblical prophecies stand up next to secular history? The Bible declares, "'Present your case,' says the LORD. 'Bring forth your strong reasons... Let them bring forth and show us what will happen... declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods... Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination'" (Isaiah 41:21-24). How does the God of the Bible stand up to His own challenge?

Bible Prophecy - The Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is a stunning example of Bible prophecy. The book claims to have been written sometime in the 6th century BC, but because of the accuracy of its detailed predictions, Daniel's critics insist that it must have been written after the events described. They contend that it must have been written sometime after c.160 BC. Nevertheless, Flavius Josephus, court historian for three successive Roman Emperors, documents Alexander the Great receiving a copy of Daniel upon his annexation of Jerusalem in the autumn of 332 BC (Antiquities of the Jews XI, chapter viii, paragraphs 3-5). Furthermore, according to both the pseudo-aristeas account and Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews XII, chapter ii), Ptolemy Philadelphus (308-246 BC) commissioned the translation of the Septuagint (a.k.a. the LXX) from Hebrew into Greek in the 3rd century BC. Daniel is included in the LXX. Daniel is also included among the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) which date from about 200 BC (the oldest Daniel manuscript, 4Q114, dating from the late 2nd Century BC).

Bible Prophecy - Daniel 11
Having established the credibility of Daniel, let's compare Bible prophecy found in Chapter 11 of that book with accepted secular history. The book of Daniel describes with incredible accuracy the fate of the Grecian Empire; how upon Alexander's death his empire would be divided into four portions, the conflicts between two of these divisions, Egypt and Syria, and the affect which these wars would have upon the nation of Israel which was situated between the two. In fact, many of the conflicts were over the control of Palestine (Israel). The Syrian kings are referred to as the "kings of the North" (that is, north of Israel, the prophecy being given from Israel's perspective); the Egyptian kings are referred to as the "kings of the South" (south of Israel). Let's go through the first 20 verses to prove the point. Each passage is followed by secular history which is included in the brackets. There are several secular online encyclopedias if you're interested in looking up any of the following information for yourself.

Daniel 11:1-2: "In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him. And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece."

[Darius the Mede was viceroy in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus II (a.k.a. Cyrus the Great, who ruled from c.550-530 BC; Note: the dates provided here and following represent a period of monarchial reign, not the ruler's actual life-span). The three kings which succeed Cyrus were Cambyses II (530-521 BC), Smerdis (521 BC) and Darius I (521-485 BC), son of Hystaspes. The fourth king, Xerxes (486-465 BC), excelling in wealth and power, launched an elaborate campaign against Greece.]

Daniel 11:3-4: "And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others besides them."

[The "mighty king" was Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) who, shortly after conquering the Persian Empire, died abruptly at the age of 32. His empire was not bequeathed to his children (who were murdered) but instead was divided up amongst his generals (the Diadochi). Four lesser kingdoms emerged from the rubble of Alexander's empire: Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.]

PART TWO IN NEXT WEEK'S ISSUE!

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True Hope Ministries Bible Institute
We are another step closer to "opening the doors" to the ACCREDITED Bible School of True Hope Ministries!

The curriculum has been determined and our application for accreditation is progressing so hopefully by mid-October the vision becomes reality for True Hope Ministries Bible Institute!

Keep our efforts in your prayers and we will keep you posted on our progress! 

In Closing ...
As always we appreciate your support and encouragement!  We are growing at the rate of about 10% per week in our Newsletter subscriptions and we are so grateful!

Until next week, may God bless you greatly as you are faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ.
In This Issue
Timothy's Thoughts
Prophecy Proclamation
Bible Institute
WEBSITE UPDATE!
Actually, we should call it a remodeling!

New look and new abilities!
New services and new resources!

We are excited about the new look and feel of  our main website ... why not take a moment and check it out?  Now it is a website you will be happy to refer to your friends!

Have a wonderful time!


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