FROM THE HEART OF DR. REXELLA VAN IMPE

Give Me Your Hand

In my daily Bible reading, I’ve been noticing how much is mentioned about the hands of our Lord. Again and again the Gospels relate how He reached out to people in their need and hurt and sorrow. And when He touched them, they were never the same again.

His hands healed the sick

After He began His earthly ministry, great multitudes thronged about Him wherever He went. Those who were sick, blind, and lame — even those marked for death with the curse of leprosy — came to Him seeking to be healed and made whole.

When the hands of Jesus touched them, pain and suffering ceased, diseases and infirmities were cured, and lives shattered and ruined by sickness were restored.

His hands fed the multitude

It was the hands of Jesus that fed the multitudes who followed Him out into the desert place to hear His words. When evening came, Christ’s disciples urged Him to send the people away. But Jesus saw their hunger and weariness and, in compassion, desired to minister to them.

Taking a few small loaves and fishes — barely enough for one small boy’s lunch — the Lord blessed the food. Then His hands began to break and divide the bread and fish into portions which He gave to His disciples to serve.

We’re told that 5,000 men were fed that day, not counting the women and children. And when everybody had eaten all they wanted, there were twelve baskets full of leftovers! The hands of Jesus not only provided enough…but plenty to spare.

His hands blessed the children

Loving children as I do, my heart is touched to read the biblical account of how the hands of Jesus blessed and comforted the little children. He specifically told His disciples not to prevent them from coming to Him. And in my mind’s eye, I can see the Lord sitting down and opening His arms to them. As they eagerly jostled about, perhaps He lifted a toddler into His lap, shook hands with an older lad, touched the cheek of a shy little girl. And as His gentle hands patted little shoulders and smoothed tousled hair, the Lord blessed these little ones. Somehow I think they probably never forgot that day when the hands of Jesus touched them.

The hands of the Master

No doubt the hands of Jesus were strong and powerful. Growing up around Joseph’s carpenter shop, He probably learned to hold and use various tools to shape and assemble wood into useful items. His hands knew how to work.

It was those strong hands that later would grasp a whip as an indignant Jesus drove the callous money changers out of the holy halls of the Temple. Those hands were instruments of righteousness and justice.

It was those hands that reached out to lift and save impetuous Peter who, after walking on the water toward Jesus, took his eyes off the Lord and began to sink.

There are so many other references to the hands of Jesus that we could talk about. But the single most important mention of Christ’s hands is when they were nailed to the cross.

A very dear, life-long friend gave me a beautiful wall plaque, which I have hanging in my kitchen. It says:

I asked Jesus, “How much do You love me?”
“This much,” He answered, and He stretched out His arms and died.
Greater love hath no man than this, said Jesus, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

And who is Jesus’ friend? The deeply spiritual and very religious? The learned and respectable? The proud traditionalists?

No, our Lord said that He was called a friend of…sinners! (Luke 7:34).

The Apostle Paul reminds us that Christ died for the ungodly… in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6,8).

It is strangely and beautifully significant that the first person to benefit from Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary was a thief on the cross next to His! Think of it — the first person to whom the Lord stretched out His nail-pierced hands was someone totally unworthy of His love.

Love-scarred hands

Some time ago my husband, Jack, and I were guests at a Christian fellowship dinner in another city. During the meal I got acquainted and talked with a dear little mother who sat next to me. After a while, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she leaned over and whispered the sad story of a wayward daughter who had run away from home, mounted up many debts, and fallen to the very depths of sin, even into a life of prostitution.

“I pray for her every day,” she said, “and every time I hear from her I beg her to come home. My husband doesn’t make a lot of money, so I got a job to help pay off the debts our daughter made. I’m doing everything I know how to do to help her. Please pray with me.”

When I reached out to take hold of this precious mother’s hands to comfort her, they were rough and calloused, scarred by long hours of hard work, week after month after year. Those hands were scarred by love…by a mother’s selfless sacrifice and desperate desire to reach and save her wayward daughter.

As I held those hands and prayed, I was reminded of Christ’s nail-scarred hands that also were pierced for that lost daughter…and for every lost sinner in the whole world. They were scarred for me…and for you!

Just as the hands of our Lord ministered to men and women, boys and girls, wherever He went during His time on earth, so we today can feel the touch of His hands in our daily lives. His power is still available to us today.

In our times of pain and suffering, He is still the Great Physician who lays His hands upon us and restores our bodies. Whether our healing comes through medication, the skill of a surgeon, or by the power of faith alone, we know that He is the source of all healing.

When we are hungry and experiencing a lack of supply — when we’re empty physically, emotionally, and spiritually — Christ’s hands will bless and multiply the smallest things we have to offer Him and make it sufficient to meet our need…with plenty to spare.

When we’ve tried and failed — when like Peter, we’re sinking into the depths of trials and tribulations, with no hope in sight — He will come to us, walking on the waters of our stormy sea. His hand will save us, lift us up, and lead us safely to the solid rock!

My challenge to you

Let us be challenged to reach out in His love into every man’s world with a helping hand. Let us emulate our Lord’s great example and use the resurrection power that flows through us to minister to the needs of those around us.

Never forget that for many people in the world, their first glimpse of Christ may be in you…the only hands that will touch them in love, that will comfort, lift, and bless them, may be your hands.

Reach out whenever you can, wherever you can, to whomever you can. However unlovely or unworthy the person you find may be, remember that Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient…and that He loves that individual just as much as He loves you.

Do not be afraid to stretch forth your hand to anybody. For you minister, not in your own strength and ability, but in His love. So when you reach out, it will not be just your hand that touches them, but the hand of God through you!

I love the beautiful gospel chorus that cries out

Oh, to be His hand extended,
Reaching out to the oppressed,
Let me touch Him, let me touch Jesus,
So that others may know and be blessed.

Look around you today and find someone who is hurting or needy, someone who is in trouble. Ask God to guide you to someone who needs Jesus.

When you find them, don’t hesitate or delay. Go to them with a smile filled with the light of His love and simply say…

“Give me your hand.”

A CLASSIC MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

Revelation 13: 1 – 3

This chapter introduces us to two beasts. The first one, commonly known as the Antichrist, is unveiled in verses 1 through 10, while the second beast, known as the false prophet, is revealed in verses 11 through 18. The first beast is political; the second is religious. Both, however, are energized by the power of Satan, and thus constitute an unholy trinity-the devil, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. Remember, Satan is the great imitator. The incarnation of himself in these two villains is his final attempt to wreak havoc upon earth. Knowing that he has but a short time left, he makes an all-out move to usurp God’s position and authority through his two allies- the beasts of this chapter.

Verse 1: And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

As stated earlier in our study, Bible chapters and verses came into existence in the 1500s. They are very helpful in locating passages, but they are not inspired. At times they even cloud the information being presented. Actually, verse 1 of chapter 13 should have been part of chapter 12, for the subject is Satan and his persecution of earth dwellers. Therefore, according to the original Greek manuscript, the personal pronoun should be he instead of I, because he pictures Satan standing upon the sand of the sea. Accordingly, this portion of Scripture should read, “And the dragon was wroth with the woman…and Satan stood upon the sand of the sea.”

Satan standing upon the sand of the sea pictures his control over earth’s teeming millions at an appointed time (chapter 17, verse 5, and chapter 20, verse 8). This control is established through the two satanically-inspired beasts who come out of the sea and the earth. The first beast (the Antichrist) rises out of the sea and has seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns. He is a literal man, but demon-possessed, for he (or his power) comes out of the abyss, for the beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit (chapter 17, verse 8).

The seven heads, loaded with blasphemy, also portray the five kings who had ruled up to John’s day; the sixth king who was in power at that time; and the seventh king who will reign as the Antichrist during the Tribulation hour.

Chapter 17, verse 10 confirms this: And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. Likewise, the ten horns also picture ten nations over whom the beast or Antichrist rules. The scene before us pictures the final, or seventh, world leader ruling over a confederation of ten nations during the end time.

In order to understand that the ten horns are actually ten Western nations-each of which was part of the old Roman Empire-one must study the prophecy of Daniel in chapters 2 and 7 of the book bearing his name. Let’s digress for a moment and investigate.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in Daniel’s day, had a dream. When he awakened, however, he could not recall the dream. Therefore, he called his magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers together, requesting that they both recall the dream and explain its meaning. Not one of them was able to do so, even under the sentence of death: And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven (Daniel 2:13, 16, 19).

Next we find Daniel in the presence of the king, explaining God’s vision to him in verses 27 through 36. This is one of the most important texts in the entire Bible because it reveals the history of the world from that time to our present day. Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream.

Nebuchadnezzar was astonished as his dream was revealed, and shocked as its interpretation was given. Daniel told the king that he (Nebuchadnezzar) as the leader of the Babylonian empire was the head of gold and that the two arms of silver (representing the Medes and the Persians) would soon overthrow him. Next the stomach and thighs of brass (Greece) would defeat the Medes and the Persians.

Eventually the two legs of iron (the Roman Empire headquartered at Rome and Constantinople) would conquer the Greco Empire. These events occurred exactly as God had revealed them to Daniel and as he, in turn, told Nebuchadnezzar.

Now notice something extremely important. The ten toes of iron and clay never destroyed the legs of iron-the Roman Empire! Why? Rome fell through internal corruption.

This historical fact is the subject of Edward Gibbon’s great book, The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Therefore, we see that the final world power is a union of ten Western nations represented by the ten toes of the great image. The iron tells us these nations were part of the old Roman Empire, whereas the clay speaks of a deterioration as the empire weakened over the centuries. Thus, the final world power will not be communism but a confederation of ten Western nations under the first beast, or the Antichrist.

The ten toes also coincide with the ten horns of the beast in the verse under consideration. In the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:36-44), Daniel described the toes as kingdoms, concluding with the statement, And in the days of these kings [ten of them, as pictured by the ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

For centuries Christians have prayed Matthew 6:10: Thy kingdom come. During the Tribulation hour, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists of Revelation 7:3-8 will preach the gospel of the kingdom-the good news that the King is about to return. Can you hear them shouting this exciting information in the streets? “The King is coming! The King is coming!” Finally the King is seen returning in chapter 11, verse 15, and chapter 19, verse 16, and this event of the ages takes place when a final confederation of ten Western nations has been established upon earth. Could the present European Union be a part of this picture? I believe it could be! Oh, Jesus is coming soon!

At this point we need to consider another extremely important fact. Ireland and Denmark-present Common Market members-were never part of the old Roman Empire. This apparent problem, however, is quickly resolved when one considers the information presented in Daniel, chapter 7. Here we discover that, following the establishment of a ten-nation confederacy, another world leader arises. He takes control, ousts three nations, and replaces them with two others and his own. Specifically, Daniel says, I considered the horns [ten of them], and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns [original members] plucked up by the roots (7:8). This coincides perfectly with Revelation 13:5.

Daniel continues in verses 24 and 25: And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High. Here we not only see the world leader overpowering three kings and replacing them with original members of the old Roman Empire-we also observe him fulfilling the prediction of blasphemy described in our text.

There is no doubt about it. A confederacy of ten Western nations will be formed. Then another leader will appear, remove three nations, replace them, and rule as the Antichrist until the King of kings returns to earth and destroys his evil empire. Thus, the Common Market will grow to thirteen nations, and these thirteen could eventually control all nations and finally be reduced to ten at the end when this ten-toed, ten-horned confederacy is destroyed. This is the event described by Daniel as a stone cut out without hands [breaking] in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold.

Then Daniel 2:44,45 occurs: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Yes, King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream has come to pass throughout hundreds of years of history, and the present alignment of Western nations in the form of the European Union may well be the final piece in the puzzle. Prepare to meet thy God (Amos 4:12).

Verse 2: And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

We have already discovered that (1) Babylon, (2) Medo-Persia, (3) Greece, and (4) Rome constitute the last four empires of world history. We have also learned that the revived Roman Empire, originating in 1948 in the form of a final ten-nation confederation, becomes the end-time power block. Daniel 7 pictures these four empires as (1) a lion, (2) a bear, (3) a leopard, and (4) a beast who is a combination of the previous world powers he has conquered. The beast’s empire contains a portion of each preceding empire. Actually, the only difference between the descriptions of John and Daniel is that the order is reversed in the Book of Revelation. The reason for this is simple: John is looking back to the beginning while Daniel is looking forward to the conclusion. Putting it all together, the message of the ten horns, the ten toes, and the four beasts is one and the same from different vantage points and all picture a world dictator governing ten nations at the time of the end! This ten-nation confederacy constitutes the revival of the fourth power- the old Roman Empire-as typified by the fourth monstrous animal or beast.

Verse 3: And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

The wounding of the beast is mentioned three times in this chapter-verse 3, 12, and 14. The wound produces death, but restoration to life follows. Some commentators think that this statement represents the fall of the old Roman Empire and its restoration through the ten-nation confederacy. Others believe that it speaks of the resurrection of Judas Iscariot, for he and the Antichrist are the only ones ever called the son of perdition (John 17:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3). God alone knows.

A third possibility would be that the Antichrist is assassinated or killed midway through the Tribulation hour (See Daniel 11:45). Such an event would give the great counterfeiter, Satan, the opportunity to perform a resurrection. This would prove invaluable to the prestige of the Antichrist, since the deity of the Lord Jesus was affirmed by His resurrection 2,000 years before (see Matthew 12:39, 40). Remember that the Antichrist proclaims himself God and even sits in the Temple in Jerusalem during the Tribulation (see 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Matthew 24:15). Thus, a counterfeit resurrection would assure the world that he is all he claims to be. I personally believe this to be the correct solution, because when it happens, all the world [wonders] after [him]. Mankind is literally overwhelmed by the Antichrist’s power and authority.

CHANGED LIVES-one at a time

I truly enjoy your newsletter and the hot air balloon ride was wonderful. I felt I was there with you, thank you.

A. K.

Traverse city MI

Dear Rexella, Thank you for your revealed word about the WORD of God. I enjoy every word of it. Thank you again and again.

A. H.

HIGHLIGHTED MINISTRY OFFERS

Your Eternal Home: A Heaven-centered Q&A

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