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-For today’s update, I think that I’d be grossly remiss were I not to address what could arguably be the most astonishing news of this year. -What I’m speaking of is what happened at the DNC convention this last week concerning the mention of both God, and Jerusalem as well. -Among other Jewish and Palestinian issues, they sought to put God and Jerusalem back into the platform from which it was removed.

On Thursday, The Washington Examiner published a story with the headline reading; “God, Jerusalem, booing by DNC delegates not very newsworthy, newspapers say.” Here are a few excerpts from this article: “…something utterly extraordinary happened at the Democratic convention in Charlotte: hundreds of delegates loudly booed an attempt by convention chair and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to put a reference to God and an affirmation that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel back into the Democratic platform. After three attempts at doing this by voice vote, with the nays getting louder each time, a clearly shaken Villaraigosa simply gaveled the motion through, despite obviously lacking the two-thirds support the motion needed. It was an ugly spectacle, and the type of unscripted, raw moment that journalists supposedly live for when covering a campaign. Yet most major newspapers apparently deemed the incident not very newsworthy. …Stories about the incident were buried inside the papers. Most of those focus on the Jerusalem part of the dispute and downplay the booing. Several make no reference at all to the fact that a mention of God in the platform was also at issue. Here’s what you’ll find on the front of the major national newspapers today: The New York Times: Its front page has no mention of the incident, …The incident is mentioned in a story on page A 14. The Washington Post: It has no mention on the incident on its front page. A story about the incident is carried on page A10 and does not mention the booing or the “God” reference in the platform. USA Today: Their front page teases the story with, “Jerusalem, God added to platform, 6A.” …The Wall Street Journal: Their front page teases the incident in their What’s News column, “The Democrats return language in their platform calling Jerusalem Israel’s capitol.” …The Chicago Tribune: Their front page has no reference to it. The Newark Star-Ledger: Their front page has no reference to it. The Dallas Morning News: Their front page has no reference to it. The Philadelphia Inquirer: Their front page teases the story with “Platform changed for God and Jerusalem, A6.” The Los Angeles Times: Their front page has no reference to the incident. The Detroit News: Their front page has no reference to it. The Las Vegas Review-Journal: Their front page has no reference to the incident. The San Francisco Chronicle: Their front page has no reference to the incident.” http://washingtonexaminer.com/god-jerusalem-booing-by-dnc-delegates-not-very-newsworthy-newspapers-say/article/2507190#.UEumhaSe5Rc

-We need look no further as to why it is that our national debt just climbed over the 16 Trillion-Dollar mark. Simply put, God isn’t blessing us. -It’s ironic at best, prophetic at worst, that we hit this 16 Trillion-Dollar amount on the opening day of a convention without God or Jerusalem. -I’m of the belief that Genesis 12:2-3, still applies to any nation who will bless Israel, God will in turn bless, and conversely God will curse.

Genesis 12:2-3 NKJV I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

-In Deuteronomy 15:6-7, the Lord promised Israel, if she would obey the voice of the Lord, He would make her the lender, not the borrower.

Deuteronomy 15:6 NKJV For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.

-Then in Deuteronomy 28:12-13 the Lord promises Israel that He will bless them to where they lend and not borrow as the head, not the tail.

Deuteronomy 28:12-13 NKJV (12) The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. (13) And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.

-It’s interesting that this movement afoot to completely remove both the God of Israel, and the capital of Israel, is seemingly gaining traction. -What’s even more interesting is the name of God and the name of Jerusalem are not mutually exclusive in that they’re sort of synonymous. -By that I mean the name and nature of God are the same as the name of Jerusalem, which is the eternal capital of Israel belonging to God.

-Consider Deuteronomy 16:1-2 where Moses reiterates the Feast of Passover observance, and how that it’s to be in the month of Abib. Deuteronomy 16:1-2 (1) "Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the LORD your God, for in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night. (2) Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the LORD chooses to put His name.

-Instead of sacrificing the Passover lamb in their home before the Exodus out of Egypt, they would do it in the Tabernacle, then the Temple. -They do this where the Lord chooses to put His name. This is interesting for a number of reasons not the least of which is it may be literal. -The significance of this is, not only does the Lord choose to put His name on a place, He also chooses to put His name on a people too.

Numbers 6:22-27 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (23) "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: (24) "The LORD bless you and keep you; (25) The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; (26) The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." '(27) "So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

-This is what's been called the Aaronic blessing. Every time the Israelites assembled at the Tabernacle Aaron pronounced this blessing. -What's so fascinating about this blessing is that God puts His name on the children of Israel and bless them by virtue of its pronouncement. -This is how it is today in the Middle-Eastern culture. God’s name is considered the highest blessing that you can pronounce on someone. -In addition to God putting His name on the children of Israel, He’s also chosen to put His name on Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel.

2 Chronicles 6:6a But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; 2 Chronicles 12:13b ...he (Rehoboam) reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. 2 Chronicles 33:7b … in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: 2 Kings 21:4b ... In Jerusalem will I put my name.

-This begs the question of what is God’s name. In other words, while we know that “God” is His title, we may not know what is His name.

One commentator wrote; “It is generally accepted that Job is the oldest book in the Bible. It is commonly accepted that Job lived during the patriarchal age, and possibly even predated Abraham. For Job a common name for God was ‘El Shaddai.’”

Adam Clarke in his commentary wrote: "El Shaddai, I am God all-sufficient; from shadah, to shed, to pour out. I am that God who pours out blessings, who gives them richly, abundantly, continually.”

Pastor J. Mark Martin of a Calvary Chapel in Phoenix Arizona had this to say; “The Hebrew letter “Shin” is used by the Jews as the abbreviation for the name “El Shaddai”. The “Old City of Jerusalem” resembles the shape of the “Shin” making it possible that God Almighty literally put His name in Jerusalem.

-I would suggest to you that this Shin, as the abbreviation for the name of God, which is El Shaddai, is in fact, on Jerusalem as God said. -Consider these aerial images of the Old City of Jerusalem as outlined by the city walls, as we superimpose the name of God on top of it.