Good morning on this Saturday, July 25th. Last week's sermon dealt with God's promise to Israel through Abraham of the Holy Land. However, Abraham had two sons, one through Hagar the Egyptian handmaid of his wife, Sarah, named Ishmael and the other through Sarah in her old age named Isaac. How do we know that the promise of the land to Abraham and his descendants was intended for Isaac's linage and not Ishmael's? The Apostle Paul deals with the subject in the New Testament book of Galatians 4:21-31. Referring back to the original account in Genesis chapter 22 where Isaac is called Abraham's only son (22:2,12,16), Paul says that Ishmael was born of the flesh through the slave woman but Isaac was born of the Spirit and was the heir born of the promise (Galatians 4:29). He mentions that Ishmael persecuted Isaac and adds, "even so it is now." In verse 30 he continues, "Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." He uses the conflict between Ishmael and Isaac to illustrate the conflict between the flesh and Spirit as they struggle against each other. But in Genesis 21:11-13, God assured Abraham about the future of Ishmael because he was Abraham's seed, and in 21:14-21 after providing for Hagar and Ishmael in the desert, God told Hagar that from Ishmael would come a great nation. Next week we'll explore the relationship between the descendants of Abraham, their history and future. Tomorrow's sermon is the second in the Prophecy Update series. I hope to see you there.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this Saturday, July 18th. Tomorrow I will begin a series of messages on Biblical prophecy called, Prophecy Update 2009. I try to follow current events which have any possible bearing on prophetic predictions on a regular basis, but do so with more intensity as I prepare for my periodic prophecy messages. I am particularly excited about sharing this year's messages because of the changes taking place on the world stage which seem to be moving us on a more rapid trajectory toward the fulfillment of prophesied events. Technological developments and applications, alignments and activities of nations, monetary policies and their consequences, and changes in the Middle East especially in Israel are of particular interest. In this Sunday's message we'll focus on the bull's eye on the target of Satan's intent and God's purposes. This message is so important because it will set the stage for all of the future messages by laying the foundation upon which they will rest. We'll also provide a brief overview of future events to review God's prophetic plan. Of all of the messages I preach, the messages on prophecy seem to create the greatest interest. Join us and invite friends and family to come with you - many will respond because they are curious about what the Bible says about future events. I'll look forward to seeing you each Sunday during this series.
Mel Brown

Good morning on this lovely day, Saturday, July 11th. I'm resuming my blog after traveling on vacation to Maryland to visit my twin brothers and their families and enjoying some fun-filled time on the shores of Ocean City. Both of my brothers work at national intelligence agencies in the DC area. As usual our conversations are interesting, informative, and helpful as I prepare for my upcoming series of messages on Biblical prophecy. I've said many times that neither can ever reveal anything forbidden to be disclosed, but can talk about anything already reported in the press. Although I scour the news on a regular basis to stay informed on all pertinent news articles, it is impossible to be aware of every article or piece of information contained in the news on a daily basis. The technological advances alone which are occurring on a continuing basis are formidable and the developments within each country which will be involved as players in the future fulfillment of prophecy is as well. European and Asian geopolitical events can be highly significant, and even minor incidents can have far-reaching implications. All-in-all, these are incredibly exciting times to be alive, especially if you are a student of Biblical prophecy. In future weeks we'll highlight some of them for you.
Tomorrow's sermon is the sixth in the series on relationships and is entitled, Resolving Resolvable Conflicts. I hope I'll see you there. Also, if you missed last week's patriotic sermon on the 4th of July weekend entitled, Freedom is Not Free, I hope you'll listen to it online or get a copy of it on CD.
Mel Brown