Reasons To Believe, Spokane Chapter

January, 2004 Newsletter

Chapter Meeting: Sunday January 18, 3-5pm.

We invite you to attend our monthly meeting. A presentation is offered to the group, followed by discussion and questions, and we conclude with snacks and a little club business. This time we'll begin a series based on Fred Heeren's video series, "How to Talk to a Skeptic. We always try to start and end our meetings right on time. If you need directions, don't be afraid to call the phone number below.

Date: Sunday, January 18
Time: 3-5 p.m.
Hosts: Dan and Cathy Bakken
Location: 13003 N. Miami Ct, Mead
Phone: 466-2693 (for directions, etc.)

Dan Bakken to Speak February 8 at Messiah Lutheran Church

Dan Bakken, president of our chapter, will speak during the Sunday school hour on February 8 at Messiah Lutheran at 9:15a.m. (This is the event from November that had to be postponed.) He'll speak on proof for God from science.

Location: 4202 N Belt St. That's on Belt, 3 blocks north of Garland.

Questions? Call Cathy Bakken, 466-2693.

Israel in Prophecy: Miracles in Our Time!

This month's article is about a topic that I've been doing some research on for another project. I hope you enjoy it! - Cathy Bakken, Newsletter Editor.

The Old Testament tells us accounts of Gods' mighty works. We read about David and Goliath, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, Gideon with his 300 men wiping out tens of thousands of troops and we say, "it would be easy to believe in God if those kinds of things were happening today".

But actually, we are in a better position than the Jews in the days of David. The Old Testament contains several hundred prophesies about the Jews' second return to Israel, to reform their nation as a theocratic state. In the 20^th century we have had the opportunity to see these prophecies fulfilled.

The History of Israel in a Nutshell

Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, and they flourished for a time. Then, because of their disobedience, God cast them out and they were sent to Babylon. They remained there for 70 years, and then were brought back to their homeland and the nation flourished again. Then Titus and his roman legions came in 70 AD and crushed Israel, and deported the Jews. The Israelites lived without a homeland for hundreds of years, before returning to reform their nation in the 20^th century. All this was prophesied in the Old Testament.

Moses' Prophecy

Moses gave a sweeping prophecy of all of these events before he brought the people into the Promised Land. Moses, writing 3500 years ago, gave the complete sweep of 4,000 years of future Jewish history. This prophecy is given in Deuteronomy 28, 29, and 30. In Deuteronomy 28 Moses told the Jews that God would send them out of the land twice as a judgment against them.

The first casting-out would last a relatively short period of time. Jeremiah and Isaiah give us the details - that Babylon would take them as captives out of the land, that this captivity would last exactly 70 years, and then they would be returned to Israel. The second dispersion would be by a nation from far away, and that the destruction and suffering would be much worse.

The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the LORD your God is giving you. Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you. Deuteronomy 28:49-54.

Moses said that everyone would be taken away and sold as slaves in Egypt in such huge numbers that they would become worthless.

The LORD will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you. Deuteronomy 29:68.

After the second dispersion, the Jews would be dispersed in nations all over the world. And Moses said, "You will never be able to find rest."

Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods-gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. Deuteronomy 28:64-66.

Moses made it clear that this dispersion would last a long time, because "later generations" that visited the land of Israel would see that it had become ruined, desolate and despoiled.

Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it. The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur-nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger. Deuteronomy 29:22-23.

Hosea told the Jews that they would have no king, no sacrifices, no temple and no ephod for many generations - not until the last days. There would be no revelations from God to the Jews during their very long dispersion.

For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days. Hosea 3:4-5.

Yet God meant that the Israelites would survive despite scattering and persecution.

Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return. Zechariah 10:9.

It is a miracle we cannot not deny - that the Jews have survived as a distinct people and a distinct religion, given all their persecution and scattering and chasing from nation to nation, over 1900 years.

The Jews to Return to Israel

Moses said that God would show his favor upon them one more time and bring them from all those nations all over the world and bring you back into their land of Israel.

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever the LORD your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. Deuteronomy 30:1-4.

There are other fascinating prophecies about the return of the Jews to Israel. Here are a couple of them.

Valley of Dry Bones

Ezekiel's prophecy of the valley of dry bones is well-known, but is always striking.

Then he [the Lord] said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD , when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD .' " Ezekiel 37:11-14

Photographs of valleys of bones and bodies of Jewish victims of the Holocaust were common in newspapers in 1946-47. The valley at Auschwitz stands out, because it contained a million and a half Jewish skeletons.

At that time, headlines proclaimed the death of Zionism - the movement of the Jews to return to Israel. Why? Because the Zionist movement was primarily in Poland and surrounding east European nations, where six and a half million Jews were wiped out. Yet within a year of those headlines, Israel was reborn as a nation.

Israel to be Victorious in Battle

God promised to fight with and for Israel Himself.

"All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish... Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you," declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 41:11, 14

Israel has indeed defended itself against the simultaneous attacks of multiple enemies around it, despite being outnumbered and outgunned every time. Israel has not been wiped off the face of the earth as its enemies have desired.

We can truly say that God has had his hand on Israel. Despite its being a tiny country, Israel has loomed large on the world stage for decades, and according to the Bible, will play an enormous role in future events on the earth. -End

Report on Chapter Activities - and More

You may recall from the November newsletter that Dan Bakken was scheduled to speak at the Messiah Lutheran Church. Unfortunately, we had to cancel, because Dan fell and had to have about 20 stitches in his face. He wasn't able to speak very clearly, and looked kind of - well, scary. We will reschedule this event for some time in January. Thanks for your prayers for Dan, everyone. His infection is ended, and most of the stitches are out.

Dan was also scheduled to speak at an evangelistic youth camp. Fortunately, charter chapter member Ray Luse was able to take his place and give the talk, which was about evidence for God from astronomy.

We'd like to ask for your prayers for Ken Samples, a staff member of Reasons To Believe working at their headquarters in California. He has been having serious health problems, involving both his brain and lungs.

Resources To Know About:

Reasons To Believe’s Web Site: www.reasons.org. Many useful documents are available, as well as their daily new “reason to believe” from the latest scientific research.

Watch (or record) the "Reasons To Believe" television show. Airs on Thursday mornings, 2:30 A.M. Pacific time on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). An archive of recent shows is also available at www.reasons.org.

Listen to the Creation Update Web Cast on the Internet

Who We Are and What We Do: Your Local Reasons To Believe Chapter

We're here to answer your questions and help local Christians and churches get more answers about science and the bible issues.

Our monthly meetings enable training and dissemination of new reasons to believe.
We help people access Reasons To Believe resources, including the Apologist Training Program.
We offer trained apologists to speak at local churches and other events to share these exciting discoveries.
We provide a forum for members to discuss the latest scientific discoveries.
We bring national speakers into the area to promote the scientific reliability of the Bible.
We build alliances with churches, ministries, and groups to share the Reasons To Believe message.
We help Christians overcome their fear of science and equip them to use it as an effective tool in spreading the Gospel.
We reach out to skeptics and non-believers with gentleness and respect, encouraging them to evaluate their worldviews.

Local Chapter Contact Information:

For more information about the Reasons To Believe Spokane chapter, contact:

Phone: Ray Luse (509) 465-8562
Email:
Web Page: www.reasons.org/chapters
Newsletter Questions? Cathy Bakken, editor, cgbakken@yahoo.com