A TRUMPET IN THE WILDERNESS

 

Jack Hunter, Editor

Newsletter 44 

December, 2006

Blow a trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm on My Holy Mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble for the day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near. Joel 2:1

 

 

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 1752

Denton, Texas 76202

Telephone:

(940) 479- 2653

Internet:

trumpet1@airmail.net

www.atrumpetinthewilderness.org

 

 

 

OUR MISSION

We have a Gentile and Messianic-Jewish focus. We are calling the Church to be holy, and prepare for the Great Tribulation, for it is at hand.  

We will trumpet out warnings of wickedness in the Church, our nation, and the world.  We ask the United States to stand by the nation of Israel and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  We stand by our brothers and sisters in the persecuted Church and warn that persecution is rapidly approaching this country. We will focus on the cross life and living the life that reflects the life of Yeshua.  We will proclaim the Word of God, calling all mankind to come to the cross and be washed in the blood of Yeshua.

Do You Believe - I Mean Really Believe?

Part 1 of 3

One morning you will wake up and find your country and your world has drastically and dreadfully changed.

America and the church have suffered from somnambulism for years and instead of waking up they appear to be merging more into a comatose condition.   It’s the church that must be the bastion and vanguard if the United States is going to survive as a nation. We have more than our share of enemies. Iran may be the most formidable of all. Iran is a parent of Hezbolah, and the only thing they are better at than blowing up buses, buildings, and babies is blowing up the minds of individuals by somehow getting many to think it’s Israel’s fault. According to the mindset of many, if Israel goes away, so will all the troubles in the Middle East; but it’s because of Israel the Middle East is still together.  It was Hezbolah who murdered over 240 Marines while they were still in their barracks; this ghastly deed took place in Lebanon when President Reagan was still in office. They also murdered the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon and tortured a CIA agent stationed in Lebanon before they murdered him. The Twin Towers, the Pentagon, planes, decapitation of the innocent, is an integral, but vehement part of their behavior.

Radical Islam is far different than any enemy we have ever faced, and the main thing that sets them apart is that they believe.  I mean they really believe in their cause- as wrong as it is, and as wrong as they are, they do believe.

We had better set our agenda to start believing - I mean really believing, or we do not stand a chance to survive.

Radical Islam is not the real enemy. The real enemy is none other than satan and our own selves, i.e. our own minds.

 In this three part article I will address such things as unbelief in general, contingent belief, double-mindedness, believing in the wrong god,  callow belief, due to feel good teaching, and  believing in a church-house god. All of these are really types of unbelief. Also I will address causes of unbelief and how to believe. In this section - part one I will take a brief look at what I call "selective belief"

I want to submit to you that many churchgoers and those claiming to be Christian do not believe - I mean really believe. At best they have a callow and myopic belief. The Children of Israel faced tests in the wilderness; in fact, they had ten tests and failed them all. This whole thing about the wilderness, this entire experience, was about getting His chosen people to do one main thing. Do you know what that was? Believe!

            Selective Belief

 If we really believed we would not do the things we do. By really believing I am not talking about some banal, protean “fit my life style” pseudo   type of belief, but an intractable, unshakable, trust and sureness! In trying to write about belief I found I was just at the nascent stage, not only in my writing, but practically as well.  

Let’s get real basic! Do you remember that little song that said “be careful little eyes what you see and be careful little feet where you go…” well the repeating verse says: “For the Father up above is looking down in love…” I want to let that verse unlock the door to everything I am trying to say.

The Bible says that God is even aware of a sparrow that falls from the sky and our very hairs on our head our numbered. (Matt. 10:29-30) God is omnipresent. If we really believe that God our heavenly Father was aware of everything, we would not do some of the things we do. At best selective belief says: LORD, we believe; just not right now!

What about that deal made in the office, although legal, but not ethical?  What about the muttered words when that car pulls out in front of you, the ribald joke to the young office girl at the water cooler, the thoughts just prior to falling asleep next to your spouse? What about that R-rated movie, that CD or tape you play just every now and then? Then there is internet porn. Millions of self proclaimed believers spend sometimes hours per day surfing the web and viewing the grossest of porn sites.

By the way I am going to write a major article on man’s integrity and internet porn.  I hope to bring a teaching on this subject next year to a gathering in Oklahoma. While we are at the end of the end times, satan has formed a tool that has cut into the minds and hearts of millions, and if that tool is to be ripped from satan’s hand it must start with openness and honesty from   his would be victims.   I have spoken of my own battle and know that satan will never be stopped until those trapped speak out, repent, and rip this deadly tool from his hand, and slash his own throat with it!!

Many have selective belief - for if we really believed God was watching us watch some of the things we watch, would we watch them? The answer is a resounding NO!

The question is: Do we believe all the time, or do we have a part time belief? Part time belief is “selective belief.” We believe when we choose to.  It may depend on what we are doing. If we do a great spiritual deed, discover a deep spiritual truth, preach a Holy Spirit -preach a Spirit inspired sermon,  say something profound and God-like,   give a large amount of money to a church or ministry, fast for 40 days, or even write an inspiring newsletter, then we believe God knows and will acknowledge our conquest. But what if we do the aforementioned or other things we’d rather God not know – that is selective belief which is another word for unbelief. I see selective belief different than double mindedness. Double mindedness is trying to believe two contrasting thoughts at the same time, opposed to single mindedness The Children of Israel certainly demonstrated both, including out-right un-belief, but more times than not I believe they had selective belief. God is either God, or He is not. He does not work part time and we can not have a part time belief or a selective belief

David was indeed a great and powerful man of God, but he had a weak moment – he had selective belief.   That detour into flesh gratification cost him dearly. Not only did he lose the child that was conceived, but his family was shattered. Selective belief will justify sexual sin and the consequences of sexual sin can last a life time.  Selective belief is dangerous, damning and deceiving - it can cost us everything.

We must excommunicate selective belief out of entire our makeup! Brothers and sisters,   do you believe - I mean really believe? I pray you do because your very survival on earth and where you will spend eternity depends on it. 

I will move from the rudimentary teaching of belief and enter into the heart of the word in the next two newsletters.

Now may the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless you through His Son Yeshua.

In His Service,

Jack Hunter

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem

Note: This writer does not capitalize the name "satan". Although I know it's grammatically incorrect not to do so, I refuse to give him any more recognition than necessary.

The following is from my website

Be Careful Where We Draw The Line.

If I had to put myself in a box I would describe myself as one who is a believer and follower of Yeshua, one who believes we should keep all the Biblical Feasts, and study and obey the Torah.  In other words I am in the Messianic Jew camp.  However, I attend no Messianic services, but trust someday when the LORD gives me leeway and I acquire more knowledge to have some kind of services in our home. 

Let me give a behavioral definition of whom and exactly what I am addressing. I am writing to mainly, but not exclusively, my Messianic brethren.  In addition I am writing to the millions who are not necessarily under the Messianic umbrella but who have traced the origin of Christmas out and are on a campaign to ban it altogether.  

I am not addressing those throngs of people crowding the malls, overspending their credit cards, caught in traffic, adhering to blaring advertisements, trapped in the hullabaloo of burying gifts, sending cards, eating candy and participating in the frantic frenzy.  I am addressing a simple yet profound and majestic event of observing the birth of the Messiah.

I am fully cognizant of the fact that December has absolutely nothing to do with the birth of Yeshua (Jesus).   Most will agree that shepherds were not in the fields in December; it was usually around the middle of October when they stopped keeping watch over the sheep. Yeshua was most likely born sometime in September. All scholars and perhaps most of you reading this article will agree that December 25th was not the birthday of our Messiah, Yeshua.    There is strong evidence in which I concur that Christmas is certainly Pagan in its roots and there is certainly no command to celebrate it as there are commands to observe the Biblical feasts and holidays. I understand where many of you are coming from and I either completely agree or agree in part with what you are saying about the "paganness"   of Christmas. There is also much that we have attached to this holiday that is wrong; everything from Christmas trees to mistletoe can have their own handle of perversion and even "occultist" origins. There have been some very good teachings on how we have perverted this whole handling of the birth of the Messiah. But we need to be very careful where we draw the line. While we are trying to point out all the evils of this time we call Christmas, we very well may be giving ammunition to the enemy.

On March 2, 1707, William Pitt, speaker to the House of the Lords said: "There is something behind the throne greater than the King himself." What's really behind the throne? It's partially correct theology. We must open our eyes and see there's a myriad of things behind the throne. There are the diabolical schemes of satan to blast Yeshua not only out of Christmas but out of our schools, the public square, and out of society in general.  As I write this article there is a well calculated attack by the likes of Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and other liberal anti-God organizations to take Christ not only out of Christmas but everything else.  If you do not feel like you should commemorate this holiday because you realize many of its problems, then don't celebrate it; but at the same time be aware of what is happening in our schools, our work sites, and in other places as the result of this well planned attack. This evil movement is affecting the milieu of the country in a most devastating way. This demented lunacy is sweeping its flood of poison not only to Christians celebrating Christmas, but Christians in general. Schools in New York are allowed to put up Muslim symbol (the crescent) and the Jewish Menorah, but no Christian symbol. This is done in the name of political correctness. By the way Hanukah or Chanukah is a wonderful celebration, and I hope you will observe it. Hanukah commemorates not just the physical, but spiritual victory of the Jews over the Greeks more than 2000 years ago. Although it's not a Biblical feast or holiday I believe Yeshua observed it and I hope you will as well.

 Oh, don't you see what I am trying to communicate? There are those trying to destroy anything decent in our country and replace it with the very antithesis of decencies. These miscreant leftists with uncircumcised hearts are using Christmas as the means to destroy you and me. If it's not Christmas, it's the Ten Commandments, or it's prayer in school, the homosexual agenda, rewriting history, or a myriad of other issues that revoke the name of Yeshua (Jesus) that they want to destroy. The draconian lawyers from the ACLU and their evil relatives are hell-bent on taking the name of God and especially Jesus out of the public arena, and when we yell out certain historical theological information, we may be the precipitating factor that breaks the back of all that is decent! We had better know where we draw the line - If we point our theologically correct finger at someone who wants to praise the LORD, by singing "O Come Let Us Adore Him" and having prayer and Communion, then it’s not only possible, but quite feasible, that we are in greater error.

I call not only on Messianic Jewish believers, and well informed Gentile brethren, but also on religious Jews in general to join with me and thousands of others to raise a firm and strong hand to this injustice. Two Jewish voices heard over hundreds of radio stations and whom I respect greatly, Dennis Prager and Michael Medved have seen this evil and have voiced their concern over it on the airways with great articulation. 

Sometimes having a little truth can make one not only "holier than thou" but mean-spirited and even dangerous.  I will never forget a meeting Barb and I attended several years ago in Dallas, Texas.  It will be imbedded in my mind until the grave, but it's something I'd rather forget.  There was some God called men who spoke that night, but not all. Near the close of the meeting a bashing session occurred.  They bashed all those who observed Sunday instead of the Sabbath with their mordant satire. Now I believe we should observe the Sabbath. Many of you reading know this and have known this truth for years.  Some have more light in one area than do others. If you and I have a little more light in this area, then we must give glory to the One who gave us the light, for it did not come from our own intellect.  There are millions who have no idea the Sabbath should be observed, but many of them are closer to God than me and many of you will ever be.  Being a strict theological martinet without love will always do more damage than good.  I see this same attitude with those belittling those who want to observe a Holy Christmas. Many sincere believers sing, pray, and have Communion.  Is this so wrong?  Is this an evil thing? I strongly warn you in the Name of Yeshua, be careful where you draw the line. Be very careful in your rebuke of these, for your rebuke may be a hand of encouragement to the evil that is trying to bring all that is decent into the mire.

I remember a man telling me a few years ago how he was making a strong stand of faith. He said some family members had invited him to a Sunday night Christmas praise service.  He said that he told them he would not participate in such a pagan ritual.  I asked him basically what they were going to do.  He said they were going to have Communion, sing Christmas songs like "Joy to the World", "Silent Night", and so on and so forth.  I sarcastically said, "Oh, you can't participate in such sin".  He thought I was serious until I explained my sarcasm.  Today that man has no contact with family members and has now declared himself to be a prophet of God.

Brothers and sisters, this unholy move in our country to take anything to do with Yahweh God and Jesus out of our vocabulary is accelerating at an alarming speed.    While many of you want to abolish this holiday in the name of correct theology you need to make sure you are not helping the cause of those who want to destroy what you actually believe. This evil agenda wants to murder not just anything to do with the birth of our Messiah, but the Messiah Himself. This is King Herod's mindset revisited! We need to make sure we are not loading the shotgun to help blast Yeshua (Jesus) out of our society.  Yes, Christmas does have a pagan origin, and we are heading back in that direction at alarming speed. If my Jewish friends and my Messianic and Gentile brethren jump on this wagon to destroy Christmas, then they better look at who is driving the wagon. The teamster is no other than satan himself, and whether we are Jew, Messianic believer, or Gentile believer, we had better abandon the wagon, for it's headed for hell.  If you wish to ignore Christmas altogether, then do it - but I would ask you to consider an equitable approach.  Don't bash those who celebrate it.  (I mean those who observe this time as the birth of the Messiah - Yeshua - the Son of God and true Savior of all mankind.)  Beware of the chicanery of satan and pray = as correct as you may be on the origin of Christmas - that you are not deceived yourself by helping blast Yeshua out of the country!

We better pray for discernment. It's time to be wise and prudent for only sagacious heads will prevail. Unless we see what egregious schemes the enemy is devising, we are not only going to be defeated, but help bring that defeat about. If we continue to travel this road of political correctness, we will be left with the offal of our fruitless labors, and our companions will be the very ones who are trying to destroy us.

No, I will not put up a Christmas tree, I will not teach my grandchildren about Santa Claus, and I will not get caught up in the frantic guilt ridden gift buying,  but I will have Communion, I will sing praises to my Lord and my God for the birth of Yeshua. I will thank the Father for the birth of His Son. If that is a sin, then so be it for I have sinned. 

I urge all of you to be careful where you draw the line, for in drawing the line at the wrong location, you may find that you are on the wrong side of that line, and realize you are fighting against the very things you so deeply cherish. The more we take Christ out of something the more anti-messiah we become.  Be careful where we draw the line!  I

If I should be caught in a store between now and December 24th and some robotic clerk looks at me and smiles and says "happy holidays" I will look at them also with a smile and say "Blessed Christmas".               

Note: I wrote this article a couple of years ago but I have updated it several times. My last update was a few days ago. I believe this is a strategic article in exposing what satan is doing to try to kick God out of anything public in this country.