WindowView Harmony

The Middle East: Will It’s Problems Ever Go Away?

As I write this posting, we are about to see yet another attempt to resolve the problems in the Israeli-Palistinian dilemma. Can peace come from within, this time, any time, or will we some time soon see forces bearing down from the north? Consider this …

The writings by Ezekiel suggest there will be a leader, one day in the future, to the north of Israel who will devise a plan.  That plan includes the invasion of Israel, and the result is just the opposite of what one might expect. The World will take notice. But how might we see this one coming?

The object of this northern leader’s strategy, according to Ezekiel, is to gain a prize–but what is it?  How about if we think outside the box for a minute. Is there any plausible scenario that might fit today? One comes to mind. You might be surprised, or will it be such a surprise? Read on!

Vladamir Putin might be a ‘type,’ a ’shadow,’ or representative of one who fits the description of this leader. A recent article posted on the web by singer and entertainer Pat Boone may give us a clue to completing Ezekiel’s prediction. First, we can see why Israel today may represent a ‘prize.’

Further, if you have been following Mr. Putin’s recent moves, it is obvious he likes being in the forefront, in power, in Russia.  You might say he is putting Russia back on the map in both an economic and military way.  He is also holding fast to the reins of power and the old Russian tendency to want to be a big power player … this is surfacing again … even long after the ‘Cold War.’ Might he be the leader from the north? First, consider some quotes from Mr. Boone’s article:

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Who Needs Israel Anyway?

Article by Pat Boone

Posted: July 21, 2007

1:00 a.m. Eastern

The above question, either in word or implication, is being voiced by way too many these days, as people and governments cast about desperately for lasting solutions in the Middle East.

… we all see clearly that the world needs Israel. The whole world.

… Consider:

Israel, the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world’s population, can make claim to an astounding number of society’s advances in almost every direction!

Intel’s new multi-core processor was completely developed at facilities in Israel. … [the] cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola, … Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology was pioneered in Israel.

Bill Gates calls Israel “a major player in the high-tech world”; most of Windows NT operating system was developed by Microsoft-Israel; … both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the U.S. in Israel; and, with more than 3,000 high-tech companies and start-ups, Israel has the highest concentration of high-tech companies in the world apart from the Silicon Valley.

Get this: Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U.S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25 percent of its workforce employed in technical professions, Israel places first in this category as well!

It goes on and on. …

These are only a few of Israel’s recent contributions to the welfare of the world. There are just too many to list here. Water shortage, global warming, space travel, anti-virus, anti-smallpox, blood pressure, solar power, paralysis, diabetes, data storage – these and hundreds more – are being addressed by Israel’s scientists. They’re pioneering in DNA research, using tiny strands to create human transistors that can literally build themselves – and playing an important role in identifying a defective gene that causes a rare and usually fatal disease in Arab infants!

… Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin; it has the largest number of startup companies globally, second only to the U.S.; it is No. 2 in the world for venture capital funds, financing all these advances; its $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined; and Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East. …

Simply that the very idea of eradicating or even displacing Israel from its historic home is suicidal to the rest of the world, not just her Arabic neighbors. Though there are ominous biblical consequences pronounced on those who “curse Israel,” there are also wonderful blessings promised those who “bless” her – and we’re seeing those real, practical, humanitarian blessings proliferate around the world, blessing all humanity.

Stop just for a second and imagine a world today that never knew Israel. And then go further: Given their living standards, ideologies and attitudes toward all who dare to disagree with them, imagine what our world would be like if Israel’s enemies held sway. Would you rather live in an Iran, Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan? Or an Israel?

Who needs Israel? Let’s be honest. We all do.

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The Window’s View on Looking at Current Events

Okay, so now you have considered some facts about Israel and some things that are quite amazing. It’s not just a sleepy little country filled with non-intillectuals doing not so much for the world’s technological development. In fact, Israel is not only geographically at a cross roads, it’s in the thick of being at the cutting edge.

And to many of our readers the Bible just isn’t so important. Think again. And be open minded, for the writings by Ezekiel have never had a fulfillment by any set of historic events, to date. If you are skeptical, that’s fine, just don’t forget we brought this to your attention when it’s Russia leading the troops south. Could it happen? Did the US send troops ti Iraq? Russia doesn’t need oil. Remember the laundry list of goodies described above! Israel is a prize and will be more so if time and more economic developments take place in Israel. The prize will be ever more tempting.

We’ve made our point. At Windowview we encourage our visitors and viewers to read more and to explore the depths of the issues. You can read the related passage of Scripture here (below). But if you wish to think of the really big picture that includes scientific evidence on life’s origin, issues that relate to global changes (climate and much more than that), and some scriptural evidence that fits into making a larger holistic paradigm that defines the world’s future, then we’ve got a lot to share. Putting the different pieces of the view together gives us an all inclusive paradigm. It’s a way to see where we are all headed into the future!

What Ezekiel Says Fits Today

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Ezekiel 38:1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan:

11 “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’ –

12 “to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.

13 “Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’”’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?

15 “Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.

16 “You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face.

19 “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel,

20 ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother.

22 “And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23 “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”’

39:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;

2 “and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

3 “Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.

4 “You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

5 “You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD.

6 “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.

7 “So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

Director, Windowview.org, 11/17/07

Why do the Scriptures Contain Prophecy?

A friend recently asked: “Why is there a even a need for prophecy?” The discussion had covered issues from science to Scripture. The question comes from that side of each of us that can grasp material or experiential concepts, but then the scriptural communications seem beyond our reach. So, indeed: “Why?”

A Need For Continuing Communication

Set the stage and call it Earth. Put life on the globe and spin this around a galaxy for a long time. Make the stage self sufficient and relatively stable. In fact, this may be the only such stage, ever.

Then let a story unfold. And in some ways, that’s the only explanation anyone needs. Ironically, what started the construction of the stage can easily be glossed over. The material mind wants a material explanation. The answers always tend to arrive at a scenario where we just ARE and that’s all. Physics and entropy will one day win out and the universe will grow cold, dark, and silent. Why would you even care? But your gut instinct says: “Care!”

If we communicate this story to ourselves long enough, we may just believe that’s all there is to being here–a material short story. But the storyboard includes characters, subplots, and action that brings a fuller story. There may just be more to it!

Life may be a product of something intentional. The material sciences still apply with their wonderful ways of explaining so much … but not everything. The added dimension is a story of human struggle. That gut instinct says we may have a purpose.

Today we are wrapped up in economics, global conflicts, changes that are reforming the earth’s landscape (the climate rapidly moves), and we are just so absorbed in ourselves. We see so much happening … are we going to fix it? We seem to be the cause, the effect, and the answer. But really?

Move beyond the Material World

The Scriptures pose to us the other part of the story. This is what added the other dimension and the other characters. God put on a man-suit and walked around with us for a while. Astounding. You are in the material mindset so maybe this is just beyond what you can accept. But then the text says He did a few miracles to get people’s attention and to validate His presence. Okay, so you were not there then and you still need it up close and personal.

Enter Prophecy

The storyboard includes things that will come. This is further validation. This gets to be up close. It’s coming, but frankly it’s here today. If you pay attention, study some of the details, put the forces and conditions together … then prophecy does something like never before … prophecy becomes the ongoing communication. This allows persons like you to wake up.

If you start to dig around and look through the Window, then you stand to see the lead in to the prophecy communications on the present stage. Israel and events in the Middle East, as well as a number of other related events, all create the climate and circumstances that reveal this communication.

SUMMARY: Prophecy is necessary because many of us, like you perhaps, are not listening. You see the news, see the struggle, wonder what on earth will be the answer, and then there is this communication. Connect the dots. Look at what the Scriptures say will happen. When it does, then you have the same validation as when He performed miracles to validate His presence when on stage. Now that He is off stage, the validation is still coming to you, it’s just in a different form.

In the future months the Window will add a bit more on prophecy. But if you want a real nuts and bolts link to the chronology that is linked to what comes, then we recommend you visit the last segment of the WindowView timeline. The part of the timeline outlines what will come once we hit an event horizon. The chronology is further explain in incredible detail in the “Footsteps” book that is referred to on the timeline. If you read the Footsteps book yourself, then you’ll have the blow-by-blow account for what’s about to happen.

Prophecy is what He gives us as a validation while He is not here in person. Still, it makes it all Up Close and Personal. And That’s the BIG message. Hope this helps you think about the big picture.

… more to come …

Director, Windowview.org

Extremists are Extreme

Okay, we see that there is so much political correctness that we are left to wonder: “If Islam is so peace loving why don’t they clean up the mess?” After all extreme measures leading to killing of self as well as others seems so contrary to all we are lead to believe is our survival instinct. Call that a biological or evolutionary view. But extremism is just that, extreme. And if taken to its logical conclusion, extremists don’t represent the main stream. So, what surprises might we find if we look for what is main stream within the Muslim community. Well, hang on, you may be shocked!

But In The Main Stream!

If you watch television you have perhaps come across a show or two that describes Islam and its practices. Along the way you’ll get the idea that to study the Koran is really important. Interesting as this may be, what if the Muslim community itself is missing a key point made by the Koran itself. What’s the point?

Let’s first define a term: apologetics. In simplest terms an apologetic is a defense of something. A religious apologetic then would be perhaps a Muslim defending the Islamic faith by the facts and foundation of Islam. But what if that foundation is actually an apologetic that defends something else! Surprise! What if the Koran, taken to its logical end points, defends the Gospel found in the Greek text of the New Testament. And one step further, what if that then relies on the root of the writings in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Tanach!

The Koran Says Follow The Gospel

The title is correct. You can go to an online directory for a journal that deals with apologetics. This is directed by Dr. Norman Geisler who has authored numerous volumes of apologetics. We were surprised and awakened to the reality that if you study the details as outlined in the Koran, you end up ‘being told’ to believe what’s in the Gospel. The article by Smith lays out the details (see link to “Dispelling Muslim Myths About The Gospel,” this will download a PDF file of the article). So we are left not to wonder about the extremists, but instead left to wonder why this message is not broadcast to the Muslim community at large? That’s a serious question for Muslims! And it’s the purpose of WindowView to bring together the larger picture. So really we are here to simply ask the question!

Time to Explore

Download the journal article, print it, read it, digest it, and then come to your own conclusions. But just think of the incredible implications. In some respects this would mean that the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth), would again require elevation to a Most High status. If that’s true, then wouldn’t this be the most extreme case for Islam to convey to the world. And instead of blowing up people, Muslims would in fact be turning to a peace-loving faith. It’s time to explore!

Director, Windowview.org

Where is The Harmony?

Making vital links between new and old information becomes evident by looking at details that have existed throughout time.  One link ties Jew and Gentile together.  These two are grafted together by Scripture.  The proof is in the text, not in our thinking.

Another harmony comes by identifying a key person.  However … skewed human thinking, bias, denial, and historical issues get in the way of recognizing a critical factor here — identifying a vital truth — that factor is required to validate the identification.  We’ve come to the time when the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts, the Scriptures penned by Jewish hands, now reveal an over arching harmony.  The harmony is linked to the identification of the Messiah.  Again, the proof of this is in the text, starting in the very first sections of the Hebrew, it’s not something we thought up on our own.  The text is the evidence.  We just need to explore it.

This brings us to key Harmony topics illustrated in the articles found in the WindowView Feature Area entitled “Harmony.” All the topics concern both Jew and Gentile readers.  We after all experience one and the same life experience.  But the key points are focused on the “Jew first and then the Greek [Gentile].”

What is The Overarching truth?

One way to see this is to say that Israel is now at a prime point in history to clearly recognize the identity of the Jewish Messiah — and the Internet is helping.  In some ways seeing this is as simple as pondering the single powerful question and answer provided in a single proverb (Proverbs 30:4), which we’ve known to have changed lives of those who thought the Messianic identity impossible to ascertain. Overall, in a more comprehensive fashion, the Messianic identity is easier than ever to see in the earliest texts of the Tanach (a.k.a.: Old Testament to many, Hebrew Bible to Israel for sure).  Look through the Window and see a list of these references.  But the biblical text also reveals that only a third of Israel today will clearly get it.  That is known in Scripture as the “Remnant” a portion of the peoples — from within the larger corporate grouping — that are named House of Israel. The HARMONY is only clearly seen as the references and facts assemble into a larger view.  The evidence in the historical and scriptural context have been there for ages. Our point however is simple, we’ve arrived at a crossroads of time, change, science and Scripture that bring us to the threshold.  As Israel awakens to the identity of the Messiah, we see a focal point at the crossroads.  In the spotlight is something that describes life now and the future ahead.  How it works can be modeled by a description we tag with a term: paradigm.

Paradigm … Where Is It?

WindowView.org is a web site founded on the premise that by pulling together the larger view, one can see a ‘model for how life works.’  A paradigm is thus a tool for describing how it all works together … and that we see as the ‘big picture’ within the window.  The Window View is thus a thought tool for saying we can take a look at different vantage points to describe the larger life experience we all share.  Within the Window we look at several topical areas, including thoughts on: Life’s Origin, Change Today (Global as well as Climate), Human Activity along a Historical Timeline, and a Harmony in Scripture.  If the Scriptures are on target, then all the information we see in the Window tells us something about the future.  “Where we are all headed,” is one way of saying that the Window’s purpose is foresight bound.

This first post at the ’Harmony Blog’ for windowview.org is our way of saying you can look through the window, think a while, see how different topics combine into the larger view that describe something special about living and life ahead.  Within the window there is no conflict between global events, scientific findings, and the evidence and clues that are revealed by exploring the Scriptures.  If your mind is open, so too is the window.

Take in the view.  Make a Step Up To Life!

Visit The Window for More on the Harmony in the Scriptures

At Windowview we encourage our visitors and viewers to read more and to explore the depths of the issues.

Director 010308

This weblog, or blog, is created to focus on a subset of the Window’s larger view!  Think of a window having a frame and separte panes of glass mounted within.  The window can be visualized as a metaphor for every area of life, all the topics one can imagine as viewable. 

The Window is a Thinking Place in Cyberspace

Rest your elbow on the window sill … make this a vantage point for personal thinking … and be certain to discern what is truth versus what is hype and misleading assumptions of this era.  We look here to an event horizon, a point in time ahead, when certain anticipated events will arise.  Like the sun rise in the morning, we sit at the window and view a series of topics, much like the arc of the sun throughout a day, arriving to very different views as evening apporaches.  Even then the window reveals an evening and night time landscape. 

The Winow’s Vantage Point Gives You the Bigger Picture 

All together this describes life, purppose, and something eternal.  In the context of the Harmony, it is a view to the Eternal order of things.  More than a material view, grasp the spirit of this thinking place to be swept up in the Spirit to embody a personal change.

If anything is certain in the world today, it’s change.  And a changing landscape on an historical scale is why the window includes a timeline for you to view.  More than that, change is leading all humanity somewhere, but where?  We all need to assess the direction to which we are headed.

The entire view includes scientific topics of this day, a view on global changes, and finally interesting approaches to seeing something often ignored from a scriptural perspective.  Take a look, think, and explore!

 Director 010408