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| Evangelist Al Gist and wife Sandy
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reMEMber!
Just because you have pains doesn't mean you have to be one! | |
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Babylon Is On the Rise
Bible Propecy sholars have debated for years about the identity of "Babylon" in Rev. 17&18. A literal interpretation requires that it be the same city as the ancient capital of King Nebuchadnezzar on the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq. Some interesting developments recently seem to support this interpretation and point to the city's soon rise to prominence as prophesied in the Bible!
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Artist rendering of ancient Babylon. |
I Some of the ruins of Babylon reconstructed by Saddam Hussein were this portion of Nebuchadnezzar's palace.
I will eventually get it like I want it. Anyway, thanks for Another view of the same.pa
A facsimile of the Ishtar Gate leading into ancient
Babylon was constructed by Saddam Hussein. tie
nt with me.
Close-up of the northwest corner of the eastern sector of ancient
Babylon. Number 1 is one of the many presidential palaces built by Saddam Hussein. Number 2 is the remains of Nebuchadnezzar's palace. Number 3 marks the location of some guest houses. (Taken from Lamplighter magazine, July/Aug., 2009 issue)
In Christ,
Al Gist
Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries
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Babylon Is On the Rise
According the July 2 issue of "Stars and Stripes" military newspaper, "...soldiers with the 172nd Infantry Brigade are exploring the ruins [of Babylon] as part of a U.S.-Iraqi effort to preserve the ancient city and plan for the return of Western tourists. Members of the brigade's 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment escorted a group of U.S. heritage tourism experts to the ruins last week for the first of several visits to develop a preservation and tourism plan for the area." (1) (emphasis mine) So, plans are being made now in a joint US-Iraqi effort to restore some of the ruins of Babylon and implement a plan to draw tourists to the area.
Before the removal of the Saddam Hussein regime, millions of dollars had been spent by the dictator to restore many of the ruins of the ancient city. But since the invasion of the US-led coalition, the head of the British Museum's Near East department has criticized the soldiers for "damaging and contaminating artifacts" there. So now, with $700,000 allocated by the US State Dept. and the World Monuments Fund, a plan is being developed with the Iraqi government "to preserve the site and develop a local tourism industry". (emphasis mine) No doubt, with that "tourism industry" will come hotels, restaurants, souvenir stores, etc., the beginnings of a viable city.
The Bible teaches that Babylon, as the capital city of the Antichrist, will one day develop into a worldwide center of commercial trade and the center of the last days one-world religion (Rev. 17, 18). But near the end of The Tribulation, God will utterly and completely destroy it, reducing it to a place of uninhabitable rubble (Isa. 13:20-21, Jer. 50:13, 39-40). Isaiah 13:20 and Jer. 50:39 tell us that from the time of that destruction, it will NEVER be inhabited again. So complete will the destruction be, that it will be like Sodom and Gomorrah... no recognizable ruins... no aritfacts... not one single piece of evidence that it ever existed... just like Sodom and Gomorrah today. Isaiah 13:19-20 says,
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
So even though the Bible says that it will become a great commercial and religious center of the world before God destroys it, it certainly is NOT that thriving metropolis YET. BUT, we may be witnessing the beginnings of its revival!
Opponents of this interpretation usually point to the United States, Rome, or some other city as the "new Babylon" spoken of in the Bible and not the actual city situated on the Euphrates River sixty miles south of Baghdad, Iraq. They interpret Rev. 17 to be speaking of Babylon symbolically to actually mean some other city. And, they would certainly say that these recent attempts to restore the ruins of Babylon are to only create a tourist attraction, at most... hardly the great metropolis described in the Bible.
It is true that Babylon is not presently a great city. But again, what we're seeing there now is only the beginning. But even as a tourist attraction with only a very small population, it is NOT the uninhabitable ruins that Isaiah and Jeremiah said it would become forever. So, any previous "destruction" of Babylon does NOT fit the Biblical description. In fact, history shows that even though Babylon was defeated, it was never utterly destroyed. It simply fell into centuries of decline and insignificance after the Medo-Persian Empire defeat of the Babylonians in 539 BC.
With the political changes in Iraq in the last six years and now the beginnings of the restoration of Babylon, the stage is being set for the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy! Babylon is on the rise again!
(1) http://www.stripes.com/article.asp? section=104&article=63495
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2009 La. Bible Prophecy Conference
"The Blessing and the Curse"
God told Abraham that He would "bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee". That promise was extended to Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, the Jewish people. History has well documented God's fulfillment of His promise by the destruction of those nations who have tried to destroy the Jews. It's a mater of choice... one can choose to be under God's "blessing spout" or His "curse spout".
Today, anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide and the United States government is pressuring Israel to give up her homeland to those who want to destroy her, to stop ALL construction in the "settlements", and to divide Jerusalem, their eternal capital by giving the eastern half to the Palestinians. Will these actions bring the curse of God on our nation? Without a doubt, with the Iranian threat, the Palestinian and terrorist threat, and the anti-Semitism of the international community, Israel is under the threat of destruction unlike any other time in her short national history.
Be sure to join us at this year's "2009 La. Bible Prophecy Conference" to hear the prophetic voice of God from some our nation's foremost Bible Prophecy scholars as they speak on "The Blessing and the Curse"!
August 14 (6-9 PM) - 15 (9 AM-5 PM) 2009
at
First Baptist Church of Broussard, LA (337-837-1125)
Speakers: Dr. Dave Reagan (Lamb and Lion Ministries)
Bro. Bill Salus (Bible Prophecy author and radio talk show host)
Bro. Don McGee (Crown and Sickle Ministries)
Bro. Al Gist (Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries)
Music: Mackey Willis Family
Bro. Bill Earl
"Ready for the Rapture" Choir led by Dr. Don Crosswhite
Call the First Baptist Church of Broussard (337-837-1125) or Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries (337-725-6209) or go to our website at maranathaevangelisticministries.com for additional information.
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A New Ministry
About a month ago, Sandy and I felt led of the Lord to host a Friday and Saturday "Bible Prophecy Retreat" here in our home and ministry offices. We were not sure how well this would work, but we wanted to be obedient to the Lord's leadership. Well, needless to say, when the Lord is in something, it's always right! And this retreat was no exception. The people had an awesome time!
In addition to the several lessons of Bible prophecy that I taught, we had a great time of prayer, fellowship, fun and games and bountiful food. The attendees simply could not say enough about how much they were blessed. When it was time for them to leave, most of them were weeping with joy over what God had done in their lives (and also because they were so sad to have to leave).
So, it appears that God is opening this new door of ministry for Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries. And as time goes along, we will be working to provide the very best accommodations available to our guests. In addition to "Bible Prophecy Retreats", Sandy would like to also host "Ladies' Retreats".
Presently, we can accommodate about 15-16 people, with about half of those sleeping in bedrooms with regular beds and the other half "bunking" on inflatable beds in our large ministry room.
We will provide all the food (meals and refreshments), teach all the lessons in our spacious ministry room, and lead in all the fun, games, and fellowship. As with all of our ministry, the retreats will be financed on a "love offering basis" from the group.
At this time, we only have one available date open for this year... Nov. 13-14, but 2010 is fairly open.
If you would like to schedule a small group Bible Prophecy Retreat at Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries, please call us soon. As a God-called Evangelist, our first priority will continue to be revivals, conferences, teaching series, etc. in the churches. But we would like to start hosting a few Bible Prophecy Retreats here throughout the year. Dates will be set on a first-come-first-served basis.
Please pray with us that God will use this new retreat approach to educate and inform God's people about our Lord's imminent return.
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Health Update
On May 19, while power-washing the metal roof of my house, I slipped, fell off the roof and broke my back. The surgeon said I suffered a "burst fracture" of the L1 Lumbar vertebra. He also said that I was fortunate that my spinal cord was not injured, which could have left me paralyzed. Thank God for His merciful watchcare! Being in a wheel chair for the rest of my life would have been really hard.
It does not appear that I am going to have to have surgery, but I will have to wear a back brace for a total of twelve weeks (I just completed the first six weeks). The first week after the accident was pretty rough, but since then, I've seen a little improvement each day. I had to have pain meds for the first couple of weeks, but have been able to get by without them for the last few weeks. I have progressed from walking with a walker, to using a walking cane, to now walking without any aid. In fact, I started my own walking exercise program a few weeks ago and I am now up to about 2 miles a day. I plan to resume preaching in another two weeks. I know it will be difficult to stand and preach, so I may have to begin by preaching while sitting on a stool. (I'll fit in with the new postmodern preachers!)
So, for all of you who prayed for me, THANKS A MILLION! And for those who didn't know about my accident, you can start praying now that God will restore me to even greater strength and physical endurance in order to be able to do MORE for Him! Time is short... And whatever we're going to do for Jesus, we MUST get on with it! Don't stop now, we're too close to the end. As Bro. Step Martin says, "He that fails before the finish was probably faulty from the first!"
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Great News!
Our daughter, Regina, and her husband, James, are scheduled to have her fourth child, our fifth grandchild, a girl, by C-Section on August 28. Praise the Lord!!!
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Our Upcoming Schedule
July 12-17 - Teaching adult VBS at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Elizabeth, LA; Bro. Danny Perry, pastor.
July 19-24 - Teaching adult VBS at Reeves Bible Church in Reeves, LA; Bro. Glenn DuCharme, pastor.
July 26-29 - Bethany Baptist Church in Prentiss, MS; Bro. Tommy Broom, pastor.
Aug. 2-7 - Teaching adult VBS at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Perry, FL; Bro. Danny Lundy, pastor.
Aug. 14-15 - 2009 La. Bible Prophecy Conference at First Baptist Church of Broussard, LA; Bro. Weldon Moak, pastor.
Aug. 23 - Berean Baptist Church in Rayville, LA.
Sept. 13-16 - Jones Creek Baptist Church in Augusta, GA; Bro. Donny Crosswhite, pastor.
Sept. 20-24 - Teaching adult VBS at Mt. Hope Baptist Church in Oakdale, LA; Bro. Kenny Blackwell, pastor.
Sept. 27-30 - Lighthouse Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA; Bro. Tommy Allen, pastor.
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Would You Pray About Joining Our Ministry?
Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries has a program for ministry partners. For a contribution of $20 a month, folks can join our "Maranatha Partners" team. We send a monthly update letter to our Maranatha Partners. And, from time to time, to show our appreciation, we will provide CDs, books, and other materials to help in your personal Bible study. Will you pray and ask the Lord if you should be a part of this work of preaching about the soon return of our Lord Jesus?
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| About Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries
"reMEMber" is a bi-monthly newsletter of MARANATHA EVANGELISTIC MINISTRIES, a Bible-based, pastor-oriented, Christ-centered ministry of faith, proclaiming the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
224 Al Gist Road
Longville, Louisiana 70652
Phone: 337-725-6209
website: maranathaevangelisticministries.com
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