The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Revelation 12:13-17, “And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth,
he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly
into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half
a time, from the presence of the serpent.
15 And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he
might cause her to be swept away with the flood.
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the
river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.
17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest
of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

In the previous Letter, we cited the war that is fought in Heaven between the angel
Michael and the dragon and his angels (Rev. 12:1-12)

“…and they (the dragon’s angels) were not strong enough, and there,
was no longer a place found for them in heaven” (Rev. 12:8).

The woman is Israel; and it is she who through Mary gives birth to the Christ Child,
Jesus. The others with whom the dragon (devil) is enraged, are alighned with the
LORD God.

What we are seeing today storming in the Middle East is an operation of Satan and his
allies thundering rage aginst the Jewish people and all who would support them. No,
Israel is not a Christian nation; yet, they are the people of God. They are the nation
that “gave birth” to the Messiah, whereby we Gentiles can be saved.

Note well the Psalmist’s directive:

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.
May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.
For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ‘May peace
be within you. For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will
seek your good’” (Psa. 122:6-9).

Please, add Israel and her allies to your prayer list. Israel is our friend; she is also a
close, historical friend of our LORD Jesus Christ. These are not kind and gentle days.
They are days of extreme cruelty and bloodshed, days of inexplicable evil and cruelty.
Yet, they are the days that preclude ultimate victory for our LORD Jesus Christ and
His people, Israel. You will sleep; yet, such will not be the benefit of Israel until all this
Is over! “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Revelation 12:7-11, “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his
angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged
war,
8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place
found for them in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is
called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was
thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation,
and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His
Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown
down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and
because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life
even when faced with death.”

It’s not news to say that all-out war exists now in the Middle East.
Hamas, for whatever reason (none of which is relevant here), launched
an all-out attack upon Israel but a few days ago. Everyone except
Israel was surprised.

Three words for “war” (milchamah, tsaba, ???????) are, in aggregate,
mentioned 303 times in the Bible. While there are several instances
in the Scriptures of women, who actively killed men, killing is usually
the activity of a man.

Strange as it may seem, the first war that ever occurred was waged
in Heaven. The Archangel Michael and his angels, waged war with
the dragon…and there was no longer a place found for them in
heaven” (Rev. 12:8).

While that war is a great time and distance removed from us today,
it is the primary battle that undergirds every battle throughout all of
humanity. So, when we sense the urge to “do battle” with anyone
over anything in any manner, that urge is tracable to that first battle
in Heaven.

We learn to live in harmony with others when we commit our
neighborly differences to the LORD. Most battles would never
occur, but for that first shot in anger. Human defense is as normal
as human offence.

Thus, when the opportunity for argumentation floats itself over us,
may the LORD assist us in refusing to “do battle.” Of course, that
other guy is flatly wrong, especially when he thinks the same of us!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Exodus 6:1-7, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Now you shall see
what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go,
and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.’
2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, ‘I am the LORD;
3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty,
but by My name, LORD, I did not make Myself known to them. I
also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of
Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.
5 Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel,
because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.
6 ‘Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, “I am the LORD, and I will
bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will
deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an
outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7 Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and
you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you
out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”’”

When was the last time you witnessed a tragedy and wondered
whether anyone would truly survive? How long since you last read redemption in the Bible? Assuming (if I may) that you have either experienced for yourself, or witnessed in the life of another, the
LORD’s redemption.

“I have heard your need,” He says. “I will deliver you…buy you back,
take you for My people, and I will be your God.” It is a divine promise!
There is no one who can promise more. Yet, how are we to attract His
attention? We don’t need to do so. He witnessed your tragedy before
you even thought to cry out to Him.

I have a friend currently in hospital. He just survived a very serious
surgery. We might say, “The surgeons found the problem just in time.”
Yet, we, who know Him, could more honestly say, “The LORD directed
the surgeons to the needy area.” I ask doctors if they are Christians!
The LORD already knows whether the are. Truth be told, He knows
everything about everyone, before or whether they know it themselves.
Just think about it! What a mighty God we serve! You do serve Him,
don’t you?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We may never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Numbers 1:1-5, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of
Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second
year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
2 ‘Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their
families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names,
every male, head by head
3 from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in
Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
4 ‘With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head
of his father’s household.
5 ‘These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you…’”

Is war ever popular? Moreover, is war ever right? Is it ever within the will
of God that His people (Jews or Christians) engage in physical, deadly
war with those who are not aligned with the LORD?

It is as far as our text above reveals. It is quite specific as the LORD names
the tribes and everything except the individual names of those selected to
be warriors in the fight.

There is always a time to fight! Read the following from Ecclesiastes 3:

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a
time for every event under heaven–
2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and
a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and
a time to build up.
4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and
a time to dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time
to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to
keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to
be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time
for peace.”

Our problem seems to be selecting the times that suit us instead of the
times elected by the LORD Himself. Jesus Himself never drew a sword
on anyone. In fact, he rebuked Peter when he cut off the ear of the
servant of the High Priest (Mat. 26:52). The LORD forbade the use of the
sword, and instead sent hornets to drive out the kings of the Amorites
(Josh. 24:12).

It would seem that we’re too anxious to defend the LORD when we
ought to be promoting Him to those in spiritual need. Often, we are
hindered through a lack of faith in ourselves and in our fear of others.

Yes, there is a time to attack and a time to refrain from attacking. Living
close to Christ will enable us to know what to do and when. How close
to Jesus are we? Do we live in His Word? Do we attend His church?
Do we pray for His pastors? Do we seek out lost people with whom we
can share Him? Somewhere in the midst of those questions, we can
find ourselves. To act without His order is disastrous! To fail to act
when He gives the order is sin. May the LORD teach us which is right!
And may we be quick to learn; for time, it would seem is running out

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Psalm 33:16-22, “The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior
is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by
its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those
who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we
have hoped in You.”

Taking these few words above to heart, we admit our utter weakness.
Salvation in every sense of the word comes only from the LORD! No
one is freed from the ravages of war without the LORD’s intervention.

Wars, of course, come to us under a variety of circumstances. As I
write, the nations of Israel and Hamas struggle in one of the most
atrocious and brutal wars known to modern mankind. Yet, the strength
required is ever from the LORD.

Throughout the world, hundreds of persons lie in hospital beds, fighting
for their lives; yet their strength for survival lies not within themselves,
but in the LORD.

All of our human undertakings belie our own strength. The Word says,
“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him…” It is the
LORD alone who delivers our souls from death; therefore, it is He upon
whom we must ever and always rely.

Whatever your circumstances, however overwhelming they may seem
to be, may our faith and trust rely upon the LORD, who loves and
delivers all His children from the throes of fear and death.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; “May they prosper who love you.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom