activated october 2003

8/14/2019 Activated October 2003

1/16

THEDESTINATIONWhat dream are you chasing?

THE GREEN DOORIs Hell an extension of this life

for some?

ENDTIME INSIGHTSThe 70 weeks of DanielPart 1

CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE YOUR WORLD.


2/16

Personally speaking

For a wide range of books and audio

and video productions to feed your soul,

lift your spirit, strengthen your family,

and provide fun learning times for your

children, please contact one of our

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EDITOR

Keith Phillips

DESIGN

Giselle LeFavre

ILLUSTRATIONS

Etienne Morel

PRODUCTION

Francisco Lopez

VOL 4, ISSUE 10

October 2003 2003 Aurora Production AG

All Rights Reserved. Printed in Thailand.

www.auroraproduction.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all

Scripture quotations inActivated are

from the New King James Version of the

Bible 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

When other versions are quoted, some

typographical changes have been made

for the sake of clarity and uniformity.

Life is made up of choices, ranging from mundane to mind-boggling. What should I wear today? What do I want for breafast? Who should I marry? What career should I pursue? Big ansmall, our choices work together to order our days, dene who are, and largely determine our levels of happiness and fulllme

Ironically, its the little choices that often get more than theirshare of our time and attention, while the most fundamental

choices, the ones that matter most and could make the biggestdifference, get overlooked or put off. What do I want out of lifeWhat kind of person do I want to be?

Its possible to go through life without ever tackling those biquestionsmillions of people dobut that approach to life is famore likely to end in disappointment and regret than in genuineaccomplishment and happiness. As someone cleverly put it: If ydont know where youre going, youll probably end up some-where else. Dont let that happen to you. Find what matters mosto you and go for it.

Jesus said, The kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant

seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearlof great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it(Matthew 13:4546). How many others, do you suppose, hadseen that pearl before this merchant but hadnt realized itsworth? How many others wanted it but had already squandertheir resources on things of far lesser value?

Whats your pearl of great price? What other things are yoprepared to sacrice in order to make it yours? Those are deci-sions only you can make, with Gods help, but we hope that thiissue of Activatedwill get you thinking in the right direction. MaGod bless you with His best!

Keith Phillips

For the ActivatedFamily

activated VOL 4, ISS


3/16

THE AMERICAN BUSINESSMAN was at

the pier of a small Mexican coastalvillage when a small boat with justone sherman docked. In the boatwere several large yellown tuna. TheAmerican complimented the Mexican

on the quality of his sh and askedhow long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, Only a little

while.The American then asked why he

didnt stay out longer and catch moresh.

The sherman said he had enoughto support his familys immediateneeds.

The American then asked, But

what do you do with the rest of yourtime?

The sherman said, I sleep late,sh a little, play with my children, and

take a siesta with my wife Maria. ThenI stroll into the village each eveningwhere I sip wine and play guitar withmy amigos. I have a full and busy life,

seor.I am a Harvard MBA, the Ameri-

can scoffed. I could help you. Youshould spend more time shing.

With the proceeds you could buy abigger boat. With the proceeds fromthe bigger boat you could buy severalboats. Eventually you would have a

eet of shing boats. Instead of sellingyour catch to a middleman you wouldsell directly to the processor, eventu-ally opening your own cannery. You

would control the product, process-ing, and distribution. You would needto leave this small coastal shingvillage and move to Mexico City, then

Los Angeles, and eventually NewYork City, where you would run your

expanding enterprise.

The sherman asked, But seor,how long will this all take?Fifteen or twenty years.

But what then, seor?The American laughed and said,

Thats the best part. When the timeis right you would sell your company

stock to the public and become veryrich. You would make millions.

Millions, seor? Then what?The American said, Then you

would retire and move to a smallcoastal shing village where youwould sleep late, sh a little, play withyour grandchildren, take siestas with

your wife Maria, and stroll to the vil-lage in the evenings where you couldsip wine and play your guitar with

your amigos.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

AH, THESIMPLE LIFE!

activated VOL 4, ISSUE 10


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HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT the

choice Moses had to make when heforsook Egypt? That choice is whatmade Moses great. Solomon is known

for his wisdom, Daniel for his vision,David for his psalms, and Peter for hiszeal, but Moses was great because ofthe choice he made.

We read in Hebrews chapter 11

that Moses is included among theheroes of faith in Gods hall of fame:By faith Moses, when he was come toyears, refused to be called the son of

Pharaohs daughter; choosing rather

to suffer afiction with the people o

God, than to enjoy the pleasures of for a season; esteeming the reproacof Christ greater riches than the

treasures in Egypt: for he had respeunto the recompense of the reward(Hebrews 11:2426 KJV).

Moses, whom as a babe Pharaohdaughter had found in a basket in ta

reeds along the Nile River, was rearein Pharaohs palace in wealth andprivilege. But when he came of age,he had to make a choice. He was a

Hebrew, not an Egyptian: Would he

The Choice

BY

VIRGINI

A

BRANDT

BERG

4 activated VOL 4, ISS


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true to Egypt and wear the crown ofthe pharaohs, or would he choose hisown people?

What a crisis it was for this youngman, Moses! Imagine him climbingto some high place and looking at thelights of the palace as they twinkled

from the imperial citythe palacewith all its riches and beauty, thethings that he had been used to allhis life. Then he looked south toward

the pyramids, where his own peopleworked as slaves of Pharaoh, makingbricks. As they worked to the sound ofthe slave drivers whip, Moses heart

burned within him. They were hispeople, but if he chose to be one of

them, he would have to forget all thecomfort and luxury he had always

had; he would wear the despised garbof the slaves and renounce forever hisfoster mother, Pharaohs daughter.But he made his choice, as Gods Word

says, to suffer afiction with thepeople of God [rather] than to enjoythe pleasures of sin for a season.

Now these pleasures of sin were

more tempting than one might thinkfrom this simple statement, becauseEgypt at that time was the most

attractive spot on earth. Her granarieswere bursting with grain, and thewealth of the world poured into hertreasuryand Moses could have been

heir to it all!Moses had been educated in all

the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts

7:22), so he knew exactly what sucha choice would mean: turning fromthe possessions of the mightiestempire on earth to slavery. But he wasnot only educated and wise, he was

farsighted; he was willing to sacricepresent pleasure for future gain. Hehad respect unto the recompense ofthe reward. In other words, he knew

that the pleasures of sin were only

for a moment, but Gods reward forchoosing rightly was for all eternity.

Moses understood that without

Gods favor a millionaire is only apauper. The apostle Paul wrote ofJesus, Though He was rich, yet foryour sakes He became poor (2 Cor-

inthians 8:9). This is the choice thatMoses made too.

Moses choice entailed poverty asuffering and terrible humiliation,

but he decided he would rather bethe least of Gods children here andwear a crown forever in Heaven(James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). And s

he took a stand with Gods childrenthat he might stand with them befo

the eternal King.Standing with Moses on the steps

of the palace it may have looked likea foolish choice, but standing on thesteps of the throne of God in Heavenas Moses looks back, what a wise an

glorious choice it was! He became oof the worlds greatest leaders, and hinuence reaches to this very day.

So many today are short-sighted

when they make their choices; theycan see only the present. They sellout the future for the present. Theyr

blind to the reward that could havebeen theirs.

What about your choices? Do yousuffer from short-sightedness of the

soul, spiritual myopia, where youreliving mostly for the present? Or doyou keep your heart and mind on th

great reward God has promised tothose who put Him and His kingdomrst?

Are pleasures blinding your visionto the great reward God has in store

for you? The realities of eternity arepleasures forevermore! God loves yoand has great plans for your life, butHe leaves the choice to you. Make th

right one.

If he chose to

be one of them,

he would have

to forget all the

comfort and

luxury he had

always had.



6/16

BY JOE NICHOLSON

THERE I STOOD, atop a breathtakingsnow-covered mountain peak. Theworld below me glistened in the sun-light of a perfect day. A breeze swept

across my face and sent a stream

of energy through every ber of mybeing. I mentally charted the route ofmy descent, positioned my goggles

over my eyes, dug my ski poles intothe snow, and ew forward. Could lifeget any better than this? The American

dream was achievable! There I was, aself-made millionaire, able to do any-thing, travel anywhere, be anything

Beep! Beep! Beep!My alarm clock.

Reality set in.By day I was an exhausted, over-worked 18-year-old taking six coursesin college and working 45 hours a

week as a sauce-and-fry cook in thelocal Mexican restaurant. By night Irelived in nightmares my daytime life.Dreams of ski adventures were rare.

One day in the university librarysomeone handed me a uorescentorange business card that read: I amlooking for people who want to escape

the rat race forever. I stared at thewords rat race. Deeply in debt withtuition, monthly car payments, insur-ance payments, rent, and other bills, I

had no trouble picturing myself withfur and a tail, working frantically butgetting nowhere for the rest of my life.

I contacted the man who had given

me the card, and at our rst meeting

Jeremy laid out a multilevel market-ing scheme for a telecommunicationscompany. Do anything. Go anywhere.Have anything your heart desires. This

plan can make that dream a reality! It

sounded too good to be true, but I wastired of being metired of seeing thesame failure stare back at me when-

ever I looked in a mirrorso I boughtinto it.

I was attending a seminar given bythe companys millionaire director

when he picked me out of a crowd of200 and asked, What kind of car doyou want, son?

A Toyota, I answered. The crowdmoaned in disappointment at myinexpensive choice, but erupted in acheer when I added, Supraa fully

loaded Toyota Supra!Then go down to the Toyota deal-

ership and tell them you want to testdrive that car. You need tofeelyour

dream!Immediately after the seminar, I

did. That day greed started to poisonmy soul.

Over the next couple of months Ibecame increasingly pushy and arro-gant. I went to malls, passed out mybusiness card, and got the telephone

number of anyone I could. I evenpressured my family to buy in to myscheme. Quotes like If you want it, getit inspired me to chase that dollar bill

It happened to me

THE DESTINATION >



7/16

a little harder each day, but the harderI tried the more elusive it proved tobe. Discouragement gave way to disil-

lusionment.My lack of success prompted an

early morning call from my mentor,

whose income depended in part onmy own. Why arent you out makingmoney? Jeremy wanted to know.You cant stop until you get enoughmoney to have whatever you want.

You need to constantly think and liveand breathe your dream!

Yeah, whatever! I said as I hungup.

I spent the next few days wonder-

ing if I really wanted to keep goingdown this road. Would riches reallybring me happiness? For the rst time

in a long time I cried out to God andasked Him to show me the way.

A few days later I spotted a youngman in his early 20s pushing his

broken-down motorbike along theside of the road. Thinking I might beable to recruit him into my business,

I pulled over and offered him a ride.Grateful, he put his motorbike in theback of my pickup truck and jumpedin. When we arrived at his house, I

gave Peter a sales pitch on the com-pany I worked for. He was polite butnot interested.

Once that was out of the way, he

showed me pictures of his work with aChristian volunteer group called The

Family, and asked me if I wanted to gofor a cup of coffee later that evening. I

wasnt any more interested in religionor missionary work than he was inmultilevel moneymaking schemes,but for some reason I said yes.

That evening I told him all aboutmy troubles with my family, my work,and school.

Do you want to go to Heaven?

Peter asked. It wasnt a question Iheard every day, but somehow itdidnt seem out of place.

Yes! I quickly replied.Do you know if youre going

there?

I dont think so, I answered.Well, you can know for sure thatyou are, Peter said matter-of-factlyJust ask Jesus into your heart.

I gave him a look of disbelief.

Its not some dead religion, hesaid, and its not some Utopian pipdream either. Its just Jesus!

Just Jesus?Okay.

When I look back on my life beforI found Jesus, it all seems so empty,

two dimensional. My two lives hap-pened on the same planet, but thatsabout all they have in common.

Since I joined The Family as a

full-time missionary ve years ago, Ihave traveled from West to East (theU.S. to Vietnam) and South to North(South Africa to the Middle East). Th

Lord has never failed to supply all mneeds or give me joy and fulllmentwhatever corner of the world I founmyself.

Along the way I also learned thatwhile most roads lead to the samedestinationmomentary happines

through self-graticationits a lonlonesome, miserable journey and feif any, of the folks who actually makit there are truly happy. The second

destination is much easier to arriveat and vastly more satisfying: simpletruths, eternal values, and genuineaccomplishment through Jesus! Its

not some dead religion or Utopianpipe dream, either. Its just Jesus!

(JOE NICHOLSON IS A FULL-TIME VOLUNTEERWITH THE FAMILY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.)

>

Would riches

really bring me

happiness? For

the rst time

in a long time

I cried out to

God and asked

Him to show

me the way.



8/16

I HAD A VERY UNUSUAL DREAM thatreminded me a little bit ofAlice inWonderland. I still dont know how

got down there in that awful place! think maybe I was out walking andfound a passageway that I wanted texplore. It was almost as if Id wan-

dered into Hell by accident and was

supposed to be there.It was completely underground

with brightly lit hallways, almost lik

a hospital, as it had very nice polishoors. I wandered along, looking atthings and trying to peek in the rooto see what was in them.

In each room there were peopledoing a different thing, but it seemelike everything they were doing was

totally futile and a waste of time. Thwere all very, very busy but accom-plishing nothing, getting nowhere.

Scientists conducted endless expiments that never bore any useful

results. They shot rockets into spacthat either never got off the groundnever went anywhere.

A soldier was on the battleeld,

while bombers zoomed overhead.

With shells screaming and landing around him, he seemed to be goingthrough the endless hell of war, jus

like he had been on earth.A fugitive politician was running

from a screaming crowd that wanteto lynch him, and he was running a

running, trying but unable to hide.Everything moved at a very slow

pace, but there was no stopping.

Workers never stopped working,soldiers never stopped ghting on tbattleeld, scientists never stoppedexperimenting. Whatever people wdoing, they did it all the time, conti

uously, and yet they never seemed taccomplish anything or get anywhe

As I looked in all those rooms, I

had this terrible apprehensive feel

The Green DoorA Dream of a Polished HellBY DAVID BRANDT BERG



9/16

ing. I thought, Wow! This must beHell! What could be worse than that?Everything was an extension of the

same meaningless, purposeless,fruitless, painful, sad existence thatthese people had on earth. As theBible says, There is no peace for the

wicked (Isaiah 57:21).

They keep doing the same thingsand going through all that agony andsuffering and painthe private hell

of their former existencebut nowabsolutely useless and without reliefor surcease or any hope of it everending. It was terrible!

It was similar to how many peoplelive today. They get up in the morning,go to work, do the same things every

day, come home, go to bed, and getup and do it again. What do they everaccomplish? What do they ever get outof life?

I never thought of Hell being like

that. It was a very neat, well-organizedplace, but there was no end to themisery, no peace, no rest, and no oneknew what was the truth. Thats about

the worst thing I can imaginenot

just burning up with literal ames,but constantly burning with that fruit-less re of endless, useless endeavor,

ceaseless struggle, pointless pain, andseemingly endless sorrow and suffer-ing!

It was just the opposite of the

ecstasies of life in Heaven for thoseof us who know Jesus and are saved.Heaven will be an extension of the

present happy life we now have.Though well still have work to dothere, well be even happier then, withlots of mobility, accomplishment,progress, variety, travel, and freedom.

The afterlife will be thrilling andfascinating for us. It will be an exten-sion and amplication of the joy and

exciting lives we now leadour pres-

ent happiness multiplied many timeover and with manifold blessings wecan only imagine now!

In the dream I exited that polisheHell through a stairwell that led up ta dark green, weed-covered, grave-lhole in the ground. It reminded me

a song that was popular a number o

years ago, The Green Door. The sowas about a fellow who was wondering what was on the other side of a

green door, and it turned out that thgreen door was the grave!

So watch out for that green door! may lead to a realm where you dont

really belong and certainly wouldnever want to be! Be sure youve gotyour name written in Heaven and

your reservation conrmed for one those mansions in Gods heavenly cinstead (Luke 10:20; John 14:2; Rev-elation 21:27). Thats the place wheryoull be happy forever with Jesus. If

you receive Him now, you can enjoyHim and Heaven forever. Then youwont have to be afraid when it comyour time to die. Youll know which

direction youre goingnot down to

a polished Hell, but up to a happyHeaven!

Jesus said, He who hears My Worand believes on Him who sent Mehas everlasting life, and shall notcome into judgment; but is passed

from death unto life (John 5:24KJV). Receive Jesus forgiveness foryour sins and get your free pass to

HeavenJesus gift of eternal lifebsimply praying the following:

Dear Jesus, I know Ive done wronand dont deserve Heaven, but I

accept Your sacrice on the cross fomy sins and receive Your love, forgivness, and salvation now. Please cominto my heart and give me Your gift

eternal life. Amen.

Everything was

an extension

of the same

meaningless,

purposeless,

fruitless,

painful, sad

existence that

these people

had on earth.



10/16

IN 1870, DURING ONE

OF HIS EXPEDITIONS inthe heart of Africa, theBritish explorer and

missionary doctor,David Livingstone

(18131873), was notheard from for some

time and his welfarebecame a matter ofinternational concern.He was eventually

found by a searchparty led by thejournalist Henry M.Stanley, who greeted

the explorer with thenow-famous remark,Dr. Livingstone, I pre-sume? Later, Stanley

wrote:I went to Africa as

prejudiced as the big-gest atheist in London.

But there came for mea long time for reec-

tion. I saw this solitaryold man there and

asked myself, Howon earth does he stophereis he cracked,or what? What is it that

inspires him?For months after

we met I found myselfwondering at the old

man carrying outall that was said inthe Bible: Leave allthings and follow Me.

But little by little hissympathy for othersbecame contagious;

my sympathy was

aroused.Seeinghispiety,

hisgentle-

ness, hiszeal, his

earnestness,and how hewent about his busi-ness, I was converted

by him, although hehad not tried to do it.

What wasit thatinspired Livingstone?

Thirteen years earlier,at a student gatheringat Cambridge Univer-sity, he had answered

a question he wasfrequently asked: Whyhad he sacriced apotentially lucrative

medical practice andthe comforts of home

for the hardships anddeprivation of being a

medical missionary tothe unexplored Africaninterior?

For my own part,

I have never ceasedto rejoice that Godhas appointed me tosuch an ofce. People

talk of the sacrice Ihave made in spend-ing so much of mylife in Africa. Can that

be called a sacricewhich is simply paidback as a small part of

a great debt owing to

Only one life

our God, which we can

never repay? Is that asacrice which bringsits own blest reward

in healthful activity,the consciousness ofdoing good, peace ofmind, and a brighthope of a glorious des-

tiny hereafter? Awaywith the word in sucha view, and with such a

thought! It is emphati-cally no sacrice. Say

rather it is a privilege.Anxiety, sickness, suf-

fering, or danger, nowand then, with a for-going of the commonconveniences and

charities of this life,may make us pause,

and cause the spirit

to waver, and the soto sink; but let thisonly be for a momen

All these are nothingwhen compared witthe glory which shalbe revealed in andfor us. I never made

sacrice.What are you doi

withyourlife? Will i

last forever for Jesusand others? He is n

fool who gives whatcannot keep, to gain

what he cannot lose

1 Jim Elliot (19271957

martyred missionary

to the Auca people of

Ecuador.



11/16

V

A

LUE

SNothing truly valuablearises from ambitionor from a mere senseof duty; it stems rather

from love and devotion

towards men.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Mahatma Gandhi

identied the seven sins

in the world as wealth

without work, pleasure

before conscience,

knowledge without

character, commerce

without morality, sciencewithout humanity, wor-

ship without sacrice,

and politics without

principle.

We must understand

spiritual truths and apply

them to our modern life.

We must draw strength

from the almost forgot-ten virtues of simplicity,

humility, contemplation,

and prayer. It requires

a dedication beyond

science, beyond self, but

the rewards are great

and it is our only hope.

CHARLES LINDBERGH

Measure wealth not

by the things you have,

but by the things you

have that you wouldnt

sell for money.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

An individual has

not started living until

he can rise above the

narrow connes of his

individualistic concerns

to the broader concerns

of all humanity.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Life in time remains

without meaning if it

does not nd its mean-

ing in eternity.

NICOLAI BERDYAEV

The greatest use of life

is to spend it for some-

thing that outlasts it.

WILLIAM JAMES

Happiness is not so

much in having as shar-

ing. We make a living

by what we get, but we

make a life by what we

give.

NORMAN MACEWAN

If life be short, then

moderate your worldly

cares and projects; do

not cumber yourselves

with too much provision

for a short voyage.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

The person who tries

to live alone will not suc-

ceed as a human being.

His heart withers if it

does not answer another

heart. His mind shrinks

away if he hears only

the echoes of his ownthoughts and nds no

other inspiration.

PEARL S. BUCK

The best and most

beautiful things in the

world cannot be seen

or even touched. They

must be felt within the

heart.HELEN KELLER

Life becomes harder

for us when we live

for others, but it also

becomes richer and

happier.

ALBERT SCHWEITZER

Ours is a world of

nuclear giants and

ethical infants. We kno

more about war than

we know about peace,

more about killing tha

we know about living.

We have grasped the

mystery of the atom an

rejected the Sermon o

the Mount.

OMAR N. BRAD

Jesus said, Take

heed and beware of

covetousness, for onelife does not consist in

the abundance of the

things he possesses

(Luke 12:15). Living,

the real thing, doesnt

consist of things at all,

because things cannot

truly satisfy. They may

temporarily satisfy the

body but they can nev

satisfy the soul or the

spirit that cries out to

God its Father for the j

and happiness and the

eternal fulllment that

only God can give.

D.B

TRUE

VALUES



12/16

BY JOSEPH CANDEL

The ninth chapter of the book of

Daniel contains one of the most out-standing prophecies in the Bible, as itdeals with both the rst and secondcomings of Jesus Christ.

The chapter opens with Daniel

praying fervently on behalf of hispeople, the Israelites, who at that time(about 538 BC) were relocated captivesof the Persian Empire. The archangel

Gabriel appears and informs Danielthat he has come to give Daniel skilland understanding. Then Gabrieltells Daniel to understand the matter,

and consider the vision.Seventy weeks are determined for

your people and for your holy city[Jerusalem], to nish the transgression,to make an end of sins, to make recon-ciliation for iniquity, to bring in ever-lasting righteousness, to seal up [fulll]

vision and prophecy, and to anoint theMost Holy[Jesus] (Daniel 9:24).

The Hebrew word translatedweeks in the King James Bible andsome other versions is shabuwa,

which literally means seven. StrongsGreek/Hebrew Dictionarygives thisdenition: literal, sevened, i.e. a week

(specically, of years). So these 70weeks are actually 70 times 7 years.Some modern versions of the Biblestate this 70 weeks in simplest

terms: 490 years. As we read the restof the prophecy and understand itsfulllment, it becomes obvious that 7years is the correct interpretation of

week in this passage.Know therefore and understand,

that from the going forth of thecommand to restore and build

Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince[Jesus], there shall be seven weeks[49

years] and sixty-two weeks[434 years];the street shall be built again, and thewall, even in troublesome times. Andafter the sixty-two weeks Messiah shallbe cut off, but not for Himself (Daniel

9:2526a).Eighty-ve years after Daniel

received this prophecy, in 453 BC,Artaxerxes I Longimanus, king of

Persia, gave his trusted Jewish ser-

vant Nehemiah permission to go toJudah to restore the fortunes of hispeople. Artaxerxes appointed Nehe-

miah governor of the province andgave him authority to rebuild the citywalls (Nehemiah 2:19). This was thecommand to restore and build Jeru-

salem. Several other proclamationswere made by Persian kings to releasethe Jews from captivity and let them

return to Israel to rebuild the temple,but the principal proclamation torebuild the city of Jerusalem itself wasmade by Artaxerxes I in 453 BC.

According to the prophecy, from

the time of that proclamation untilthe Messiah would be cut off wouldbe 69 times 7 years, or 483 years.Counting from 453 BC, this brings us

to 30 ADthe exact year that JesusChrist was crucied!

It is also signicant that the totalnumber of years is given in two

gures: 7 weeks (49 years) and 62weeks (434 years) because it took49 years to rebuild the walls of Jerusa-

lem, and from the time that work wascompleted until Jesus was cut offwas 434 years.

The prophet Isaiah, writing in

ENDTIME INSIGHTS

The 70 Weeks of DanielPart 1

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13/16

about 700 BC, explains how it would

be that the Messiah would be cut off[killed], but not for Himself: For Hewas cut off from the land of the living;for the transgressions of My people

He was stricken. When You makeHis soul an offering for sin. Myrighteous Servant shall justify many,

for He shall bear their iniquities(Isaiah 53:8,1011). Jesus died forus, to atone for the sins of the wholeworld, not because He Himself was

guilty of any sin or crime.Returning to Daniels revelation,

the angel continues:

And the people of the prince who isto come shall destroy the city and thesanctuary. The end of it shall be with aood, and till the end of the war deso-lations are determined (Daniel 9:26b).

Forty years after Jesus was cruci-ed, in 70 AD, the Roman legions

under general (and future emperor)

Titusa ood of ungodly men(Psalm 18:4)burned Jerusalem antook the Temple apart stone by stonto get the gold leaf that had melted

and run into the cracks, just as Jesushad prophesied of the Temple in 30AD: Not one stone shall be left here

upon another (Matthew 24:12).There seems to be a discrepancy,

however, between the gures given Daniel 9:24 (490 years) and the verse

that immediately follows (483 yearsWhere are the missing 7 years?

One pivotal clause in verse 24 wa

notfullled when Jesus was cruci-ed: to bring in everlasting righ-teousness. One look at the worldtoday and it is obvious that everlasting righteousness has not arrived.

When Jesus died on the cross Hemade an end to sin for those whobelieve and receive Him as theirSavior, but everlasting righteous-

ness will not reign on earth until

after Jesus returns, beginning withHis initial 1,000-year reign knownas the Millennium. The last of the

70 weeks of Daniel, the last 7 year(also known as the 70th week), is yeto be fullled, and will be soon. Dobe left in darkness or caught unpre

parednd out when and how!

(TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OFACTIVATED.)

Not one stone

shall be left

here upon

another


14/16

A:Yes, it is possible to do all

three of those thingsand its notas hard as you probably imagine.

The rst step is to assess yourvalues and goals in life. Put pen to

paper. Be honest.To seek rst the kingdom of

God means to bring your priori-ties in line with Gods, so the next

step is to know what Gods priori-ties are. What would He like to seeyou do? Many people stop herebecause they expect God to ask

something impossibly difcult orsacricial of them. They wouldprobably be pleasantly surprised

if they knew how simple andclear the Bible is on that, and howattainable it is:

What does the Lord require of

you but to do justly, to love mercy,and to walk humbly with yourGod? (Micah 6:8). For this isthe love of God, that we keep His

commandments. And His com-mandments are not burdensome(1 John 5:3). The entire law issummed up in a single command:

Love your neighbor as yourself(Galatians 5:14 NIV).

Yes, living for those things isntalways easy and may involve some

initial sacrices, but they aresacrices that are soon more thanrepaid. Give, and it will be given toyou: good measure, pressed down,

shaken together, and running overwill be put into your bosom. Forwith the samemeasure that

you use, it willbe measuredback to you(Luke 6:38).

Its alsoimportantto clear up

another common misconcep-

tion: While its true that the Bibledoesnt dene success in terms omaterial comfort and gain, Godisnt against material success; it

what people do with their succethat matters to Him. The Bibledoesnt say that moneyis the rooof all evil, as 1 Timothy 6:10 is so

often misquoted; it is the loveomoney thats to blame. God wilbe more than happy to bless youmaterially if you will use those

blessings to do justly, love mercwalk humbly with your God, anlove your

neighbor asyourself.In fact, theBible prom-

ises, Delightyourself in the Lord,and He shall

give you thedesires ofyour heart (Psalm 37:4), and Ngood thing will He withhold from

those who walk uprightly (Psal84:11).

And what about the third partof your question: Can you still

be you?Yes, only youll be ahappier, more focused, and morfullled you. God made you to bunique expression of His love. H

not going to spoil that, but ratheimprove on it!

ANSWERSTOYOURQUESTIO

NS

Q: Jesus said that

the way to be happy

and successful in life

is to seek rst the

kingdom of God, but

how is that possible

today? How can I lead

a God-centered life,

do more than survivein this materialistic

world, and still be

me?God wants to give you not just the good life,

but the bestlife there is! Its within His power togive it to you, but youve got to want it too. Whenyour values are in line with Gods values and you

let His priorities become your priorities, its awin-win situation!



15/16

MADDASH

A commentary on

life in the 21st century?

First published in the

Saturday Evening Post(USA), 1949.

THIS IS THE AGE

OF THE HALF-READ PAGE

AND THE QUICKHASH

AND THE MADDASH.

THE BRIGHTNIGHT

WITH THE NERVESTIGHT.

THE PLANE HOP

WITH THE BRIEFSTOP.

THE LAMP TAN

IN A SHORT SPAN.

THE BIG SHOT

IN A GOOD SPOT.

AND THE BRAINSTRAIN,

THE HEART PAIN,

AND THE CAT-NAPS

TILL THE SPRINGSNAPS

AND THE FUNSDONE!

FEEDING READING

Simplicity

The Lord has given us a simple plan for

living right.

Deuteronomy 10:12

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Micah 6:8

Galatians 5:14

James 1:27

It is folly to be wise when worldly

wisdom contradicts Gods truth.

Ecclesiastes 1:18

Ecclesiastes 12:12

Romans 1:22

1 Corinthians 3:1920

Colossians 2:8

1 Timothy 6:20b21a

Simplicity is a key to faith and the thing

of the spirit.

Psalm 119:130

Luke 10:21

Luke 18:1617

Its wise to be simple.

Psalm 131:1

Matthew 6:22

Romans 16:19b1 Corinthians 3:18

1 Corinthians 8:1b

2 Corinthians 1:12

2 Corinthians 11:3

PRAYER FOR THE DAY

Jesus, sometimes I feel lost in the

forest of my daily life, not knowing whiway to go or what my priorities should

be. Thank You that this causes me to se

You, and that when I do, You help me

make the right choices and follow the

right paththe path of loving service t

You and others that leads to happiness

and fulllment and Your greatest

blessings.


16/16

FROM JESUS WITH LO

Stay simpleI spoke great truths, profound words that changed

lives and continue to do so. But I also spoke to thechildren. I was simple, I was clear, and I didnt lose

My appreciation of little things. I stopped to enjoy the

owers. I cooked for My disciples.

Its when you cant nd joy in the everyday things of

life that you become complicated and lose the human

touch; you exchange depth of character for a labyrinth of

complex thinking, a heart that is sensitive to the thingsof the spirit for mere head knowledge.

Simplicity is a gift. Everyone starts out with it, but as

some people grow up they discount this gift because they

associate it with ignorance, naivet, immaturity, and a

lack of sophistication. They prefer to weave a web of

complexity to cover it. But did I not say that unless you

have childlike simplicity to believe in the impossible

and the unseenMe, the One who died for you and rose

to life again so you could have the wonderful but simple

gift of eternal lifeyou cannot enter the kingdom of

Heaven? The gift of simplicity remains for those who

have the humility and wisdom to value it and claim it

as their own.

There is much to discover throughout life and even

more in Heaven, but you will always nd that the most

profound truths, the greatest beauty, and the most

outstanding wisdom are expressed simply.

activated october 2003

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