The Story of Samuel

Copyright © 2016 Daniel C. Juster, Th.D.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-3751-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-3750-9 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/13/2016

CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction

Chapter 1 Four White Baseballs

Chapter 2 Samuel Peter -- From a Dream to Age 12

Chapter 3 Fire! Fire! -- The Alarming Shout

Chapter 4 Prayer Mobilization

Chapter 5 Our Cul-De-Sac

Chapter 6 How Should We Pray?

Chapter 7 Three Hours at the Bedside and After

Chapter 8 Preparation at the Cantor's

Chapter 9 The Services

Chapter 10 The Prophetic Aftermath

Chapter 11 Divine Appointments

Chapter 12 Israel, the Church, and the Last Days

Chapter 13 Some Theological Issues

Chapter 14 The Future Kingdom

Appendix I

Appendix II

Appendix III

DEDICATION

R ECENTLY I WAS WORKING ON AN outline of my book Mutual Blessing: Discovering the Ultimate Destiny of Creation . Mutual blessing is a key to understanding the Kingdom of God and Scriptural theology. I will dedicate that book to the memory of my dear son Samuel. However, this present book is dedicated to those leaders and intercessors that stood with us during the great trial of the passing away of my son Samuel.

First, I want to thank the leaders of the Tikkun related congregations and ministries. I cannot imagine that any leader ever had more support and commitment to spiritual warfare than was given by these leaders. Secondly, there are the leaders in the churches of Montgomery County, Maryland. They stood in faith to the extent that they could for Samuel's recovery. Then there are the leaders of Messianic Jewish congregations worldwide: UMJC congregations, MJAA congregations, Israeli congregations, and Russian congregations. There are more than can be named. Then, there are the leaders of churches at a distance who called upon their members to take this seriously: Brownsville Assembly of God; Abundant Life Assembly of God in Owings Mills, Maryland; Belmont Church in Nashville; Rock Church in Baltimore; Metro Christian Fellowship in Kansas City; and Spring Harvest Church in Colorado Springs.

We especially want to thank: Michael and Patricia Bryan, who administrated the organization from the hospital for international contacts and local communication; Jason Galey, whose cell phone was constantly a world link; Katrine Galey, who gave constant care and encouragement from the time of the morning at the site of the fire and through the whole week; and all the many others who assisted us. Also, Beth Messiah Congregation engaged in service and prayer at an amazing level. We want to thank Michael Enos who networked prayer via the internet to spur world-wide intercession. How can we adequately thank David C. Rudolph, my colleague who was in constant contact with us from Ethiopia -- praying, getting congregations to pray, and helping lead our prayer effort with our Discipleship Training Program young adults from Messiah Biblical Institute. We believe that what we experienced was a pattern for world networking for the spiritual warfare of the last days. Patty and I believe that we have seen a level of true radical commitment in these many friends. We will never forget.

INTRODUCTION

L OSING MY DEAR SON SAMUEL IN a fire in 1998 is the second most devastating trial I have ever experienced. Samuel was a youngster in the battle. It was a battle for his heart -- a battle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. With all of our weaknesses, we were fighting and winning this battle. As Samuel approached and then turned twelve, we saw one victory after another. No, the work was not yet complete, but how sweet was the change! Our love for Samuel was abundant. The struggle made our love and compassion all the more pronounced.

Samuel was full of life. We all enjoyed his vibrant personality so much. Samuel would not walk the dog, but he would rollerblade with our yellow lab. We swam, skied, played basketball, gardened, mowed our lawn, played wonderful baseball, and attended many little league games where Sammy's natural athletic ability was quite evident. We even played tennis, went fishing, and shot BB guns -- all of this within his last few months.

Patty was homeschooling Sammy that last year. On Sabbath we worshiped together, prayed blessings, and were also involved in training him for his Bar Mitzvah. The whole family, including our beloved boarders (truly members of the family), gave their love to Samuel and gave themselves for his progress. Then suddenly he was gone -- our child of prophetic destiny. How could it be? Did we leave open doors? Was this the devil? Yes, but is not God in ultimate control of the devil? His ultimate purpose will not be thwarted.

This was not my most difficult experience, but the second hardest. Just before Thanksgiving vacation in 1966, I experienced the worst nightmare of my life. As a sophomore at The King's College in Westchester County, New York, I awoke one morning with a devastating hollowness and deep anxiety. I thought I no longer believed in God or Jesus or the Scripture as God's revelation. As I tried to read Isaiah, the voices in my head kept saying, This is a myth; this is not believable. This is made up by man. I was an evangelical Christian and was preparing for a life of ministry. I know now there were many factors that led up to this terrible morning, yet I was out of touch with the slippage. From a person of radical commitment and faith, I became a skeptic -- terribly depressed, and even subject to suicidal thoughts. This skepticism lasted almost four years. As a result of this crisis, I transferred to Wheaton College in Illinois to study philosophy and religion. My dear spiritual father, Chaplain Evan Welsh of Wheaton College, was the most significant key to my recovery. His life, along with his great tenderness and love born out of much suffering in his past, became a key to my perceiving God again. Yes, the loss of faith in God is the greatest of all blows. The loss of Samuel was deep and painful, but not as painful as that experience in 1966. The pain of that time was due to deep anxiety as to whether or not there is any meaning or purpose in life. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:19 -- If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Since that time in 1966, my life has been consumed with the question of the meaning of life. I taught apologetics in Deerfield, Illinois at Trinity College and later wrote a text book on this subject. Jewish ministry is filled with meaning; for the existence of the Jewish people shouts to the world that there is meaning, purpose, and design to our lives that comes from a personal, infinite Creator. I came to the conclusion that there are only two possibilities in life -- nihilism or Scriptural faith, since to me it was clear that the Scriptural faith was the best among various worldview options. In choosing the latter, we seek to find God's meaning or purpose in all things, even seemingly tragic things. Life is either absurd, or we constantly seek meaningful interpretation. We can seek meaning superficially and engage in our own myth-making. However, either my son's death has real meaning and purpose, or we give ground to the view that existence is absurd. In the midst of the quest for meaning, we know the presence of God.

Thankfully, we have been given significant consolations and meaning in this event, more than most who suffer such loss. Too many mature prophets and intercessors have confirmed this meaning independently. Yet, as a dad, I naturally found myself vacillating between the consolations of a purpose for Sammy's passing to heaven and the utter feeling of nakedness -- the ache for my son's physical presence, and the awful sense that part of my heart no longer existed. Dear Samuel, sometimes how I would give up all for the experience of tossing a baseball with you again! How carnal I am, for God gave his only Son, but I do not want to give mine. Yet I must decide to give him as a sacrifice post facto (after the fact).

The Scriptures say in Colossians 1:24 to fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Messiah. We know that martyrdom does this. Martyrdom is a sacrifice of intercession that releases awesome power for the progress of the Kingdom of God. What about when a disciple of Yeshua loses a child? What does it mean? Yes, they graduate to heavenly service. However, we need to see that we can make the loss of a child (or a spouse or a sibling) a sacrifice that releases great power for the advance of the Kingdom. Who knows the greater eternal joy that will be in store for those who have suffered such a loss? However, it is our worship and confession of faith in the goodness of God in the midst of such a loss that makes our loss a sacrifice that releases power and is like martyrdom. Maybe it is even more, for it is easier to give up our own lives than the lives of our children.

The word martyr means witness. For example, if parents lose a child in tragedy, as Yeshua taught of His own death in John 12, the grain of wheat which dies and is buried bears much fruit. However, because the child does not usually voluntarily give up his life, it is the parents that make up that which is lacking in the Messiah's sufferings. By their praise, worship, and faith affirmation in the midst of tragedy, they water and fertilize the seed. In so doing, this becomes a sacrificial offering that releases great power. Meaning and purpose become triumphant over tragedy; absurdity is defeated. Every believing parent who suffers loss can see this triumph by the grace of God. It is the faith response through our tears and suffering that brings great gain. Thus, in the Jewish tradition we praise God in the midst of tragedy and say, Glorified and sanctified be God's great name in the world which He created according to His will (the ancient Jewish prayer -- the Kaddish).

Soon after Samuel's body was laid to rest, we received an urgent email from a mission leader in Indonesia. He reported that Chinese Christians were being terribly abused. Young daughters were publicly raped and killed by fanatics. The leader cried out for prayer and noted his concern for his own daughters. He would not mention the religion of the persecutors for fear of his own life and the life of his family. Surely our affliction is light compared to the unspeakable horrors others have suffered. So this book in no way is meant to extol my faith or even to praise Samuel for his life, though we certainly do thank God for Sammy. Rather this book is a testimony to what God has done in using the life of one Messianic Jewish leader's son to spur intense and focused world prayer and concern.

I share all of this because the story of Samuel is as yet being written. It still has effect on all who were involved. In addition, it is a story that continues to affect the city of Gaithersburg and the larger region of Montgomery County, Maryland. These are all precious people for whom Yeshua died.

CHAPTER 1

FOUR WHITE BASEBALLS

O N MONDAY MORNING THE SECOND WEEK in June, Patty and I were driving to Richmond. I was planning to teach for a week in Richmond at the Youth with a Mission (YWAM) Jewish studies program. Patty