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Dare To Be An Enoch – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/9/27/dare-to-be-an-enoch
“Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch is a type of our future departure from the earth at Jesus’ appearing. Hebrews 11:5 tells us this about his sudden disappearance: By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. Enoch’s faith pleased God (see 11:6), but what exactly did he believe? The text does not directly answer that question; it only reveals that he pleased the Lord. Genesis 5:24 simply says that he “walked with God” before he vanished; others saw Enoch’s faith and knew the reason why no one could find him; he wasn’t killed by a wild animal, kidnapped, or lost somewhere. “God took him.” Jude 14 adds that Enoch also “prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones.’” Isn’t amazing that about six centuries before the Noahic flood, the Lord was already talking to Enoch about His Second Coming? Enoch’s faith included an understanding of, as well as a belief in, future prophecy. What does all this have to do with us? Just as Enoch gained a reputation in the ancient world for his faith despite the rampant wickedness and lawlessness, so our belief in what Scripture says about our future sets us apart from the world. Enoch lived 365 years before God took him away from the earth. From all that we know about the wickedness and lawlessness of the antediluvian world, that’s a long time to walk faithfully with the Lord. Like Enoch, we must persevere amid today's ridicule of our hope, such as the article CNN mocking the Rapture, as we eagerly await our “blessed hope.” What can help us do that? KNOW THAT THE RAPTURE IS A BIBLICAL EVENT Please understand that the Rapture is a biblical event. Consider the following quote from the late Dr. Ed Hindson, a beloved scholar whose insights into biblical prophecy we sorely miss: “If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, ‘There’s never going to be a rapture.’ No, there must be a rapture or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture.”[i] As Dr. Hindson alludes to in the above quote, there must be a time when the event, which Paul describes in numerous passages, happens or God’s Word is not true. Our hope in what we today call the “Rapture” rests upon what Scripture says will take place. It’s a biblical event that cannot be combined with the Second Coming. (Note: The Rapture will happen before the seven-year Tribulation. I have written many articles to that effect and spend many chapters in my book, The Triumph of the Redeemed, demonstrating why it must happen before this time of God’s wrath upon the earth.) The Rapture is something we read about in passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. “For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Our hope as New Testament saints consists of the following sequence of events that the Bible tells us will happen quickly, almost simultaneously: Jesus appears; He descends from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 John 3:2-3; Colossians 1:4). There’s a “cry of command” and the shout of the archangel (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The “trumpet of God” sounds (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Jesus raises the dead in Christ and joins them the souls that He brings with Him at His appearing (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:52). Believers living at the time of Jesus’ appearing receive their immortal bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:17; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54; Philippians 3:20-21; Romans 8:23-25). Jesus takes His bride, the church, to the place He’s prepared for them in His Father’s house (John 14:2-3, 17:24; Colossians 3:4). We appear with Jesus in glory. The Rapture is a biblical event. The Lord will catch us up to be with Him someday and just like Enoch, I believe that most of us will still be alive when this happens. REMEMBER THAT THE RAPTURE IS OUR GOSPEL HOPE Unfortunately, many people today divorce the Rapture from the Gospel, but this was not the case in New Testament times. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 tells us that Paul’s initial proclamation of the Gospel in Thessalonica included the fact of Jesus’ appearing to take believers away from the earth before a future time of wrath, which he later described as the “Day of the Lord:” “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” Their conversion story consisted not only of turning to God and away from idols, but also that of waiting for Jesus’ appearing (AKA, the Rapture). Pay close attention to the words in Romans 8:23-24a: “And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.” The Rapture is when we will receive our immortal bodies (hence “the redemption of our bodies”). Notice what the apostle says about our anticipation of this event, “For in this hope we were saved.” The Rapture is an essential aspect our Gospel hope. Jesus often promised eternal life to those who would believe in Him and talked about His return for us in the Upper Room as He prepared His disciples for life without His physical presence. The apostles, especially Paul, later added more details about our hope under the inspiration for the Holy Spirit. The Rapture is either described or clearly alluded to in these New Testament texts: John 14:2-3; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 3:4; 1 Corinthians 1:7, 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Titus 2:11-15; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:7-8; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 John 3:2-3, and Revelation 3:10-11a. 22:12, 20. The Rapture was hardly an afterthought in the minds of the apostles as they proclaimed the Gospel. HOLD TIGHTLY TO THE LORD FOR STRENGTH It’s not easy being an Enoch in today’s world. It requires courage to hold on to our beliefs in Jesus’ imminent appearing amid ridicule from the world and from other believers. CNN recently posted an article that mocks the Rapture by telling someone’s story about the anxiety it caused her. This woman, however, does not understand the Gospel message nor what Scripture says about our hope in Jesus’ appearing. Of course, if people think their salvation depends on their good behavior and they never hear about the glories ahead for them in eternity, teachings about a sudden disappearance from all the things they love on earth will scare them. But that is NOT the Gospel nor is it the Gospel hope that we find throughout the New Testament. One more thought about the CNN hit piece on the Rapture. Perhaps it’s an indication that Satan knows Jesus’ appearing will happen very, very soon and desires to get ahead of the curve by attacking it. All this fierce opposition to our hope means that we must continually rely on Christ for our strength as we cling to the words of Scripture. The numerous passages I cited above confirm that the Rapture in a biblical event. Don’t lose hope. I know it’s not easy waiting for the Lord to return for us; I also struggle with the wait at times. I never thought we would remain on the earth so close to the seven-year Tribulation, but here we are. The longer the wait, the more we need the Lord’s help in order to persevere in our hope of Jesus’ soon return. The example of Enoch encourages us to endure amid the opposition to our hope that we encounter at every turn. And, we will not have to wait until we are 365 years old for it to happen. Furthermore, the Lord will reward our faith despite the seemingly long, long wait. THERE’S A SURE REWARD FOR LOVING JESUS’ APPEARING God rewarded Enoch for his faith. He took him long before He judged the ancient world and included his name in Hebrew 11, a chapter that many regard as the hall of fame for faith. And, he has been with the Lord all these millennia. For those of us who dare to be like Enoch in our walk of faith, there will be special reward for maintaining our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing. In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul wrote: Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. When Jesus comes for His church, He will take all born again saints to His Father’s house in heaven just as He promises us in John 14:2-3. However, in 2 Timothy 4:8, the apostle tells us there will be a special “crown of righteousness” for those who long for or love His appearing, even if they, like Paul, die before the Rapture. The Lord will reward those who persevere in holding on to their belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture despite the wait. I realize that “dare to be an Enoch” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as does “dare to be a Daniel.” I thought about “endeavor to be an Enoch” or “emulating Enoch,” but such phrases don’t convey the boldness required to be an Enoch today. Enoch stood out in the ancient world because of his faith, which included a belief in the Second Coming of Jesus, which still hasn’t happened. We also please the Lord as we hold tightly to the Gospel message of grace and expectantly long for Jesus’ appearing to take us home. I will close with the words of Romans 1:16-17: For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Hold tightly to your anticipation of Jesus’ soon appearing. Jesus will come for us very, very soon. He will not disappoint us and He will most certainly reward us for our perseverance and endurance as we eagerly await His appearing. My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. [i] Ed Hindson, Future Glory (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2021), p. 14. Falling Into the Hands of Israel – By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/worldview-w-amir-tsarfati-falling-into-the-hands-of-israel/ Sunday evening marked the beginning of Rosh HaShanah (The Feast of Trumpets) for Jews around the world. Rosh HaShanah is the first of the fall festivals, which will find its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus returns to deliver the remnant of the Jews at the end of the tribulation. The site of tens of thousands of Jews at the Western Wall for the blowing of the shofar was quite stunning. Now listen, I know there is a lot of excitement pertaining to the five red heifers that just arrived in Israel, as if the third temple is going to be built soon. Now let me disappoint those of you who are on the edge of your seats because of this. In short, these animals do not meet the qualifications mentioned in the Bible. Furthermore, even if the Jews were on the horizon of building the next temple, it’s not something to be excited about. What it means is that unbelieving Israel is one step closer to shaking hands with death via the Antichrist. This is not something to be excited about. The Russians are continuing their offensive in Ukraine, and are even incorporating Iranian warfare technology into the mix. They’re making use of the Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drone, which has proven to be quite effective. Russia is being cited for a variety of war crimes in Ukraine, including bombing of the civilian population, multiple executions, torture, and “horrific sexual violence.” According to at least one source, Russia has plans to recruit approximately 1.2 million new soldiers – a drastic increase from the 300,000 initially reported. A source in Russia has claimed that a state of war will be declared in Russia in early October. No one likes to talk about it, but given the expanding involvement of Scandinavian countries in this conflict, this is slowly evolving into another world war. Furthermore, Russia is dealing with a massive problem following the explosion of its primary oil pipelines that run to Europe – Nord Streams 1 & 2. These lines feed from Russia to Europe under the Baltic Sea. While there are several opinions concerning who is responsible, no clear answer has been revealed. Regardless, Europe’s need for oil is now likely going to be inherited by Israel. Did you read what I just said? One of Russia’s primary means of international income is now likely falling into the hands of Israel! I strongly encourage you to view my latest Breaking News segment on this topic. Iran continues to deal with its own internal problems as the people push back against the corrupt regime. Tragically, the regime doesn’t think twice about killing its own people participating in the protests. Twenty-year-old female, Hadis Najafi, was shot six times and killed over the weekend simply for protesting against the corrupt leadership. Don’t take your freedom for granted. This won’t come as a surprise, but Iran continues to carry out attacks in Iraq via its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This week, the IRGC killed at least seven people and wounded dozens more in a drone and missile attack on Kurdish targets. The Ezekiel 38 coalition is continuing to align itself as Russian soldiers are spending time in Iran receiving training for operating drones. As I mentioned above, Russia has been using Iranian drones in its assault on Ukraine. Turkey is also imploding, as the lira has hit a new all-time low – 18.5 liras to 1 dollar. Let’s just say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s standing with his people is not increasing. Gaslighting Gog – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2022/09/29/gaslighting-gog/ Author’s note: This article was written a week earlier, so didn’t include my thinking on the most recent sabotage of the Nord Stream Pipelines that carry gas from Russia to Europe. This action adds further to the things shaping for the Gog-Magog prophecy as presented in this commentary. “Gaslighting” is considered a form of psychological abuse whereby a person or group manipulates one or more people into questioning their sanity and perception of reality. People who gaslight may intentionally or unintentionally use this form of abuse to exert power or control over others, with the goal being to manipulate them. The above is the precise definition I got from the Internet. Certainly “gaslighting” is a term used to paint those who do it in a bad…well…a bad light. We often hear it used in politics when one side accuses the other of gaslighting–through fear or intimidation—in order to gain advantage over an opponent. Manipulation is itself an unattractive thing in most cases, as it implies twisting in a deceptive way in order to get one’s way. But in the case of this commentary, I believe “gaslighting” and “manipulation” are absolutely righteous things. That is because that is exactly how I see our God is positioning one of Bible prophecy’s most heinous actors yet future in order to achieve the desired goal of that character’s judgment. Of course, I use the term sort of tongue-in-cheek, because the Gog-Magog assault described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 involves the force led by the leader possessed by the Gog spirit. And, I and others believe, the spoil Ezekiel says Gog will seek with the invasion into Israel might be well in view at this very moment. That spoil the invaders will want might well be oil–petroleum. And, of course, natural gas–thus the perhaps the not-so-clever title of this article. The Lord Himself will manipulate—will gaslight—the leader we believe will be from the land of Rosh (Russia). God will, according to the prophet Ezekiel, make manifest Gog’s evil intention. “And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.” (Ezekiel 38: 3–4) God’s Word predicts further: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.” (Ezekiel 38:10–12) Amidst all of the phenomenal things we see developing in regard to stage-setting for prophetic fulfillment, God’s gaslighting the Gog-Magog forces gathered above Israel today is most significant in my view. The fact that most all nations of Europe are facing a winter without sufficient fuel to heat homes and even to power electrical necessities is nothing short of profound in figuring all of this, prophetically speaking. And, while our God hasn’t caused this stage-setting for one of history’s most focal, end-times judgments, His omniscience has certainly controlled mankind’s sinful proclivities to the point it might be called heavenly manipulation. Russia has all but cut off Europe from critical natural gas supplies, knowing the winters are brutal and European leaders are at his mercy. Or so Mr. Putin must think… But God’s chosen nation (although they most often act as anything but these days) Israel, is also being used in a supernatural “gaslighting” way, if I might use the term again. Israel, it appears, is now on the threshold of being able to fulfill all of Europe’s needs in this regard. As of this moment there are still matters to be manipulated and worked out. But one can almost tangibly feel the setting-up of the situation that might–and I believe will—bring about that enraged attack from Israel’s north. Israel is cutting into Vladimir Putin’s money-making—power-grabbing—business. My question, of course: Will this be primary in acting as the “hooks in the jaw” of whoever will lead that Magog force over the mountains of Israel? Here are brief excerpts of developments in the matters involving Israel and European fuel needs. “Israel is not part of Europe, the theme of this issue of in FOCUS. But Israel’s trade, political and social relations to the continent are central to its thinking – and to that of Europe. As European countries – particularly Poland and Ukraine – worry about their reliance on Russian gas during frigid winters, Israel has forged an energy future that may challenge Russian leverage over European policy. “Amidst the almost unbroken gloom and doom (mostly well-justified) about just about everything in our fracturing world it is a pleasure, for a change, to write about a development that is almost entirely good news. Israel, for the first 50 years of its existence, was almost totally devoid of natural resources, with the exception of some potash exports from the Dead Sea area. This was the basis of the joke that God promised the Israelites that he would lead them to a land of milk and honey, but he neglected to mention that all the oil and gas would go to others. “Finally, in 1999, Noble Energy of the United States and the Delek Group of Israel began to plan and then carry out exploration and development of natural gas reserves off the coast of Israel. Ten years later the Tamar commercially-viable gas field was discovered and development began. Two years later the massive Leviathan field was also discovered and is now in the course of development. (Natural Gas: What it Means for Israel and Europe, Norman A. Bailey, PhD, professor of economic statecraft at The Institute of World Politics, 2018) “One of Israel’s major concessions when it signed the Camp David peace agreement with Egypt was giving up the Alma oil field in the Sinai Peninsula. Discovered and developed by Israel, the field seemed to be Israel’s only hope of becoming energy-independent. “Rather than becoming independent, Israel depended on other countries like Egypt, Russia, and Azerbaijan for oil. “Since then, Israel was known as one of the only countries in the Middle East with no natural resources. But that all changed in 2009 when a large natural gas reserve of 311 billion cubic meters (BCM) was discovered off the coast of Israel. “Today, Israel’s gas reserves are so rich that they can supply not only Israel, but Europe as well. And that’s precisely what happened on Wednesday when Israel, and the European Union signed a natural gas agreement. The agreement was forged in Cairo as Egypt as the gas will flow via Egypt’s pipelines. Signing this trilateral agreement is Europe’s solution for replacing the Russian gas imports it has relied on for decades. “Western Europe is trying to distance itself from Russia including economic boycotts. This phenomenon provided Israel with a rare opportunity to provide natural gas once provided by the Kremlin. “Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission said in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem on Tuesday: “With the beginning of this war and the attempt of Russia to blackmail us through energy, by deliberately cutting off the energy supplies, we decided to cut off and to get rid of the dependency on Russian fossil fuels, and to move away from Russia and diversify to trustworthy suppliers,” adding that “It is an outstanding step bringing our energy cooperation to the next level.” (“Israel to supply natural gas to Europe and its connection to a blessing from Deuteronomy,” David Sidman, June 16, 2022, Biblical News) There seems no other prophecy we can see developing in clearer fashion than the Gog-Magog attack. There are differing views of when it will occur. Some believe it will take place before the Rapture of the Church, some after, and some simultaneously with that great home-going. But to the truly attuned Bible prophecy observer, preparations for that assault are shaping dramatically day by day, even hour by hour, proving, to my way of belief, that this world is on the brink of the Tribulation. Before that most terrible time of history, Jesus will step onto the clouds of glory and call His bride, the Church, to Himself so His judgment and wrath can fall on the rebels of planet earth. If you want to be part of that glorious leap from the planet when Christ calls, to be taken out of harm’s way, here is how. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9–10) Prophecy Update Videos
Worse Than Katrina? It Appears That We Just Witnessed The Most Costly Natural Disaster In U.S. History By A Wide Margin - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/worse-than-katrina-it-appears-that-we-just-witnessed-the-most-costly-natural-disaster-in-u-s-history-by-a-wide-margin/ I don’t know if I have the words to describe what we have just seen. Summer just ended, and within one week we have already witnessed the most costly natural disaster in the entire history of the United States. There are some areas along the west coast of Florida that have literally been destroyed. Some have compared the devastation to the dropping of an atomic bomb, and that is not an exaggeration at all. The state of Florida has never experienced a storm quite like this before, and recovery is going to be measured in years. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, it was a Category 3 storm. Hurricane Ian had maximum sustained wind speeds of 155 mph, and that put it just 2 mph short of being a Category 5 storm. But the high winds weren’t what made Ian so horrible. What made Ian so horrible was the storm surge. Giant walls of water picked up cars, boats, telephone poles and palm trees and tossed them around like toys. According to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, what we just witnessed was a “500-year flooding event”… Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the storm caused a “500-year flooding event” and said Coast Guard helicopters were plucking trapped residents from the roofs of homes. Communities across the state were or will be swamped by the overwhelming waters, he said. “The impacts of this storm are historic and the damage that has been done is historic,” DeSantis said. “We’ve never seen a flood event like this, we’ve never seen a storm surge of this magnitude.” This storm greatly strengthened right before it made landfall, and a lot of people were caught off guard by that. It was already too late when many finally realized that they should evacuate, and it appears that there was a “substantial loss of life” as a result… “This could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida history,” Biden said after a briefing at FEMA emergency management headquarters in Washington. He said the numbers “are still unclear, but we’re hearing reports of what may be substantial loss of life.” In fact, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno says that “the fatalities are in the hundreds”… “This is a life-changing event for all of us,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno told “Good Morning America.” “I don’t have confirmed numbers — I definitely know the fatalities are in the hundreds,” he added. “So far, confirmed in the hundreds,” he said, noting that conditions were too dire for his officers and other rescuers to get a true sense of the disaster. Was he referring to just his county or the state as a whole? Someone should ask him that question. This is truly a historic tragedy, but some have decided that all of this chaos makes it the perfect time for a crime spree… Amid the chaos of Hurricane Ian, looting and other crimes have been committed in Lee County. In coordination with Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, County Commission, city managers and city councils, Dejarlais announced a 6 p.m. curfew for Lee County, which will be in place until further notice. “To be sure, and I feel safe relaying this in on behalf of law enforcement, there’s going to be a zero-tolerance policy for looting and violence in this town,” Dejarlais said. I suppose that we shouldn’t be surprised that looting is happening. Every time there is some sort of a major disaster, this is what some of us do. It truly is disgusting. This is a time when everybody should be pulling together. According to one estimate, the economic damage from this storm could be somewhere in the neighborhood of 260 billion dollars… Experts expect the damages to cost up to $260 billion, though the clean-up efforts are currently unable to get underway as swathes of Florida remain underwater. Prior to Hurricane Ian, the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history was Hurricane Katrina. According to the GAO, Katina caused 170 billion dollars in damage… Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Irma (selected hurricanes) caused costly damages and challenges for some populations in affected communities. In these communities, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated the cost of damages to be approximately $170 billion for Katrina, $74 billion for Sandy, $131 billion for Harvey, and $52 billion for Irma. These estimates include the value of damages to residential, commercial, and government or municipal buildings; material assets within the buildings; business interruption; vehicles and boats; offshore energy platforms; public infrastructure; and agricultural assets. At this point, it appears that Katrina has been knocked out of the top spot. Right at the end of September 2022, we have witnessed the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history by a wide margin. And Ian is not done yet. As I write this article, the city of Charleston is “bracing for a direct hit” very early on Friday morning… Charleston is bracing for a direct hit from Hurricane Ian with storm surges of up to 7ft as it hurtles towards the historic city after barreling through Florida leaving swathes of the state decimated and at least 13 dead. Monster tempest Ian has recharged from a tropical storm back into a Category 1 hurricane as it angles northwards towards South Carolina to pummel the state Friday morning, as well as neighboring North Carolina and Georgia. Landfall in Charleston is expected around 8am on Friday, with the surrounding states also being issued with several extreme weather warnings. When the damage to Charleston is factored in, the total economic damage from this storm could easily surpass 300 billion dollars. This is not something that we are going to be able to bounce back from easily. For years, I have been warning that unprecedented natural disasters would be headed our way. Now it is happening right in front of our eyes. The summer is over, the fall is here, and winter is coming. We have been through so much already, but the rest of 2022 is inevitably going to have even more surprises for us. Demons and Faith - Nathele Graham - [email protected] Faith is important. Our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is an eternal blessing. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. The problem is, many who make a confession of faith don’t really believe what they’ve confessed. Or, they choose to live by the standards of the world rather than by God’s standards. If you really stop and think about what Christ did for you, you might be more willing to live for Him, putting aside the selfishness of the human sin nature, to live to honor Christ who shed His blood for your salvation. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1. It is true that nothing we do is good enough to earn our right to a place in Heaven. Only faith in Jesus and His righteousness will bring salvation. I am always amazed when I read about the people in Scripture and realize there was nothing superhuman about them. The only difference between them and me, is that they put aside their fear in order to accomplish the task they knew God had asked then to do. For instance, Esther was just a young, pretty woman who happened to be Jewish. Through a series of events, she found herself married to King Ahasuerus. He was the rather temperamental king of Babylon. There were many Jewish families who had remained in Babylon after the days of the captivity were over, and a very hateful man named Haman desired to see all of them killed. His plan nearly succeeded, but because Queen Esther went to God in prayer, and stepped out in faith, she was able to thwart the plan. “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink, three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16. The king could have had her killed for coming to him on her own without being summoned. Her faith was strong, and her motives were pure. As the story unfolds, God used her in a marvelous way, and the Jewish people were saved. Esther lived her faith. The writer of Hebrews gives us a definition of faith, as well as examples of people who stepped out to serve God and make changes to the people and circumstances around them. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1. Faith is the difference between obedience to God, and failure to serve Him. Faith in Jesus Christ is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. The world around you may judge you by your works, and appearances, but Christ judges you by your faith. Our faith should show in our actions, and indeed it should affect the way we treat others and our attitudes. If you have a strong dislike for people and have no good things to say to people who annoy you, then you aren’t living your faith. If you only show disdain and anger when another human says something that you take to be demeaning to you, then you are showing selfish pride, and are far from living your life for Christ. It’s Satan who is governing your words and actions, not the love of God. You can combat this spiritual attack on your faith. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.” James 4:7-8. Double-minded? If you profess faith in Christ while speaking and acting in ways that represent Satan you are double-minded. You need to draw close to God and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Sometimes we talk so much about Jesus and His love, that we begin to think that everything we do is OK. It’s true our sins are forgiven when we truly believe in His sacrifice, but that doesn’t mean we have a license to sin all we want. If you have truly placed your faith in Him, then your life should reflect that faith. Works cannot and will not bring salvation, but if there’s no change in your attitude, maybe you need to examine your true faith. “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18. Don’t think that works only consists of helping old ladies across the street, or knocking on doors to share the Gospel. Works is anything you do trying to earn salvation. For instance, Christians should show grace and mercy to other people, for no other reason than it glorifies Christ. Pride of self should be set aside, and Christ’s love should rule your heart. Yes, that’s adding “works” to your faith, but living a Christ-like life is a good idea. “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” James 2:20. Don’t be deceived, you need to let the Holy Spirit live in you and through you. Anger, sarcastic words, and a disdain for fellow human beings are attitudes that don’t come from God. God is love and Satan is hate. Which one do you serve? It’s easy to just allow your human sin-nature rule, but by doing so you aren’t honoring Christ. That makes others question whether your faith is real. You see, you might believe in your mind that God is real, but so does Satan and his minions. “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” James 2:19 . Look at that verse carefully. Of course, the demons believe there is one God. They live in the spiritual dimension and they’ve seen Him. But does the verse say anything about their response to Him? Does it say that they’ve asked for His forgiveness? No. Does it say they’ve accepted His death as payment for their sins? No. Does it say they’ve received Him into their heart? No. Have they repented and made peace with Him? No. All it says is that they believe there is one God. If you continue in your sin after you’ve confessed faith, then maybe your confession wasn’t honest. We can look to Scripture and see that demons are real, and they can control the actions of people. We can also see that they are no challenge to Jesus. In the Gospels we read an account of a man in Gadera who was possessed by demons. We can gain much insight from studying this event. The young man was tormented by these evil beings. He was violent and an outcast from society. “And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,” Mark 5:5-6. The demons who possessed the young man recognized Jesus and ran to worship Him. The demons hadn’t repented or asked for forgiveness, but they “worshipped” (gave lip service) to Jesus. Jesus simply told them to come out of the man. He didn’t use“holy water” or fancy words, but only commanded them to come out of the man. They had to obey Jesus, and they entered into a herd of swine and ran into the sea. Demons recognize Jesus and trembled, but their worship wasn’t true worship, and they didn’t follow Him. Jesus knows the difference between a repentant soul and one that is just trying to get to Heaven. Be sure you worship Christ in spirit and in truth. Time is running out and soon Jesus will call all who have earnestly called on Him for salvation, to go Home in the Rapture. When the Rapture happens, the Church-age will be over. After that, people may come to faith in Jesus, but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit won’t happen. These “Tribulation Saints” will be beheaded when their faith is made known. They are the martyrs who won’t worship the Anti-Christ or take his mark. They will wish they had truly loved Jesus prior to the Rapture. There’s no excuse for anybody to be left behind to face Hell on Earth during the Tribulation. “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40. God doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity in the lake of fire and has given us Scripture to guide us on how to avoid eternal death. The Bible is available in any bookstore, and usually easy for most people to find a place where God’s truth is preached. If you’re a professing Christian with a bad attitude and vicious words on your lips, you may push people away from Christ instead of being the means of showing His love and drawing lost souls to Him. In Muslim nations it may be very difficult to find true Christians, but you can always pray and talk to God. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9. Those are comforting words. Faith is the key. Don’t be like the demons who give lip-service but have no true faith. Jesus entered His creation to bring salvation to mankind. He became human in order to save humans. Give Him your heart and allow Him to cleanse it. People around you will hear you say you’re a Christian, but they will also hear your lips speak evil of others and watch to see if your actions honor Christ. Don’t allow the evil in the world dictate your life. Even the demons believe and tremble. Let Jesus be your example and guide. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] [email protected] Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed. If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: Top of Mind – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com An I&I/TIPP Poll, conducted from August 2-4 among 1,335 adults nationwide, shows that 59% are “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about Joe Biden’s mental health. Just 39% said they are “not very concerned” or “not at all concerned”. Only 2% said they were “not sure.” The poll has a margin of error of +/-2.8 percentage points. These concerns are further underscored by Biden’s total lapse of mental faculty at a Wednesday event in Washington where he was asking for a dead member of Congress to thank for her support in addressing hunger issues. Biden said “Jackie here? Where’s Jackie? I think she wasn’t going to be here.” Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in a car accident in August. The exchange between a White House correspondent and Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was chilling: “Q. What happened in the hunger event today? The President appeared to look around the room for an audience member, a member of Congress who passed away last month. He seemed to indicate she might be in the room. What happened there? MS. JEAN-PIERRE: The President was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work. He had already planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday. There will be a bill signing in her honor this coming Friday. So, of course, she was on his mind. She was of top of mind for the President… “Q. He said, “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.” MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, I totally understand. I just explained she was on top of mind. You know, this wasn’t — what we were able to witness today and what the President was able to lift up in this — at this conference at this event was how her focus on wanting to deal with, combat food insecurity in America. And this is something that he was lifting up and honoring. And, again, he knows that he’s going to see her family this coming Friday. There’s a bill signing that’s going to happen in renaming a VA clinic in Indiana after the late congresswoman. He knows that he is going to see her family, and she was at top of mind.” Top of mind. There are so many times that Biden has had a lapse of memory or other cognitive issues that this should become a huge issue among the American people and members of Congress as a national security issue. Top of mind. No doubt the rest of the world also has observed Biden’s mental state, and it likely causes extraordinary concern about world security. Top of mind. This is a national crisis and the powers that be seem indifferent. Some 58% of Democrats in the previously mentioned poll say they are not concerned with Biden’s mental health—which should call into question their collective mental health. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” For those of us who have a sound mind, Biden’s mental health should be “top of mind.” Daily Devotion: Instruments in His Hands - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. —2 Corinthians 4:7 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/instruments-in-his-hands/ Listen In 2013, someone paid nearly one million US dollars for a Fender Stratocaster guitar. That’s a lot of money to spend on a Fender Strat. Why would someone pay so much for a guitar? Well, Bob Dylan played that guitar at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Dylan was known earlier for playing an acoustic guitar and the harmonica, but at that festival, he walked out onstage with the Fender Stratocaster, plugged it in, and played “Like a Rolling Stone,” a song that the Rolling Stone magazine later declared the greatest rock song ever written (at least for a while). All the folk purists became angry because they thought that what Dylan did at the festival was an abomination. So the 1965 Newport Folk Festival became a historic event, and that’s why the guitar that Dylan played there sold for almost one million US dollars. Then there was the Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played—and burned—at the Monterey Pop Festival. It sold in 2008 for roughly 337,000 US dollars. Why would a guitar be burned? Hendrix had just finished playing “Wild Thing” when he took off the guitar, placed it on the stage, poured lighter fluid on it, and set it on fire. Part of that dismembered guitar ended up in someone’s hands, and that person later sold it. The value of the Fender Stratocasters wasn’t in the guitars themselves; it was in who played them. In the same way, Jesus did not call His disciples because they were great. They were great because Jesus called them. It isn’t the instrument; it’s the One who holds the instrument. God can take you, despite your flaws and shortcomings, and use you for His glory. And to their eternal credit, the disciples whom Jesus called (later known as the apostles) left everything to follow Jesus. When He was crucified, they were devastated. But when He rose from the dead, their lives were never the same again. FROM THE HEART Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left, Count for ALL of Eternity! IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT WORTHY OF YOUR SUPPORT? One of the most reliable ways to determine if a ministry is worthy of your financial support is to examine its fruits. If Prophecy Update is keeping you informed, and if that information inspires you, and causes you to draw closer to the Lord, if Prophecy Update equips you with valuable information and knowledge to share with and encourage other believers, and open the eyes of non-believers, and if Prophecy Update keeps you connected to current events relating to Bible Prophecy, then you are partaking of the fruit produced through this ministry. None of this would be possible without the Lords blessings and your support. 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You can make a secure donation online by going to: DONATE NOW Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 We are very pleased to offer all our readers this FREE download on Bible Prophecy from the Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia - Just download and enjoy and be blessed! Feel free to share it with all your friends and family members. Click below to download! "AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING" If You Died Today, Would You Go To Heaven? Find out, visit: www.thegoodtest.net www.gotquestions.org www.wayofthemaster.com How to know God DID YOU KNOW? You can submit an article, leave a comment or praise report at email: [email protected] Maranatha! (Lord Come Quickly) "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand." "Let Us make the short time we have left count for all eternity!" YBIC-Randy
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