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Don’t Mess With the Book of Revelation – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/8/31/dont-mess-with-the-book-of-revelation
The last book in the Bible begins with these words: “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” From beginning to end, the prophetic account magnifies the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s all about His glory, sovereignty, and power. Revelation is all the more relevant as we watch many of its prophecies came into sharper focus. Conditions are set for the four “horsemen of the apocalypse” to begin their trek through the world; it’s just a matter of time. Unfortunately, the numbers of those disputing the message of the book of Revelation continues to grow, even in churches that claim to believe in the inerrancy and inspiration of Scripture. Those willing to mess with its message seemingly increase by the day. Many appear content to ignore the fact that no other book comes with both a promised blessing for those who read it (1:3) as well as a severe warning for those who mess with it by adding to or subtracting from its words (22:18-19). THE BLESSING: JESUS’ EXALTATION IS ALSO OUR VICTORY Revelation magnifies Christ from beginning to end. Here’s a sampling of how it glorifies the Lamb upon the throne. 1. JESUS AS THE HEAD OF HIS CHURCH Chapters 1-3 display Jesus as the Head over His church. These chapters show the Lord in charge of His people just as Paul described in Ephesians 1:22-23. Revelation 3:10-11a contains a promise of the Rapture through which Jesus will take us out of the world before the wrath of the day of the Lord descends upon “those that dwell on the earth.” Chapters 4 and 5 exalt the Lamb as the only One worthy to open the seals binding the title deed to this world. The ensuing seal judgments begin the process of the coming King wresting the kingdoms of this world out of Satan’s grasp. 2. THE LORD JUDGES THE EARTH IN PREPARATION FOR HIS KINGDOM Chapter 6-18 proclaim the Lord’s supreme power and sovereignty over the kings of the earth, history, nature, and all the forces that now rebel against Him. They depict the testing that Jesus said would come upon “the whole world” (Revelation 3:10). Jesus will prove the righteousness of His Name as He destroys the kingdom of the antichrist along with its lawlessness, deception, and exceedingly great wickedness. Heaven will roar with praise for Him (Revelation 19:1-5) in anticipation of His return with us to the earth and thousand-year rule over the earth seated on the throne of David. 3. JESUS WILL REIGN FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AND THEN FOREVER Jesus’ ultimate display of glory to the earth happens at His Second Coming. He will then destroy the armies of the world gathered against Jerusalem, lock up Satan, and establish His rule upon the earth (19:11-20:6). After putting down a final rebellion, He will judge the world and forever eliminate death and sin (20:7-15). Revelation 21-22 describes the glorious eternal state of the new earth and the New Jerusalem. Jesus last words to us, His church, are these, “Surely I am coming quickly!” The exaltation of Jesus finds its fullest expression in all of the events recorded in the book of Revelation. And His victory will be ours someday. THE WARNING: DON’T MESS WITH THE MESSAGE! You’ve likely heard the phrase, “Don’t mess with Texas!” The consequences of doing that might be dire, but they are nothing compared to messing with the book of Revelation. Consider the warning that occurs in its last chapter: I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19) I believe these strong words occur here because Revelation . . .
Those who scoff at the book’s message of hope do so to their own peril. Teachers, pastors, and scholars mess with the message of Revelation in the following ways: 1. ALLEGORY Many regard the book of the Revelation as allegory, or just symbolism, rather than an eyewitness account of what John actually saw and heard. This is the most popular way that the scoffers take away from its message of victory and hope. Allegory began long ago as a way to combine pagan Greek philosophy with Christianity, especially that of the pagan philosopher Plato who believed that only the spiritual realm was good. He believed the material world was inherently evil. Augustine, the one who firmly established allegory as the way to approach biblical prophecy, said the idea of a millennium “would not be objectionable” if somehow “the nature of the millennial kingdom was a ‘spiritual one’ rather than a physical one.”[i] Augustine modified his beliefs regarding Jesus’ future thousand-year reign on the earth in order to make them comply with the teachings of Plato. Augustine’s hatred of the Jewish people also factored into his theology of dismissing the biblical promises regarding the future restoration of Israel. There are many reasons to reject the allegorical approach to the book of Revelation:
2. IT’S APOCALYPTIC A pastor once told me that the book of Revelation was “apocalyptic” thereby suggesting that this gave him license to interpret its words other than the way that the Lord inspired them. It came as no surprise to me that he had a unique view of biblical prophecy and the future of Israel, one I had never heard prior to meeting with him. The word “apocalyptic” is translated “revelation” in verse one of Revelation. Contrary to how we regard the English equivalent of the word, in the Greek it signifies an unveiling or revealing. In other words, this term introduces the final book of the Bible as the unveiling of Jesus and His glory, which is precisely what it does. 3. IT’S PAST HISTORY The preterists tells us that John wrote the book in AD 65 and that the Lord fulfilled all or most of the words of the book of Revelation in AD 70. There are many problems with this errant approach:
The preterist approach makes the book of Revelation all about the church with prophecies that would have happened long before the majority of believers living at the time would have seen the book or even known of its existence. The preterist view exalts the body of Christ above its Head. 4. IT’S A SECRET CODE FOR FIRST CENTURY BELIEVERS Another popular approach states that John wrote the entire book of Revelation in code for the suffering saints who lived during the first century AD. All the arguments against the errant use of symbolism apply here. John recorded future events as he saw them and wrote down the words spoken to him by the Lord and by angels. And since Revelation was written in AD 95, the majority of believers living at the time would not have even seen the book until well into the second century AD. DON’T MESS WITH REVELATION I’m convinced that the book of Revelation is future prophecy and as such glorifies Jesus from beginning to end. Those that discredit its message do so at their own peril. Those that regard the book for what it claims to be receive a blessing when they read it (1:3). There are verses in the book of Revelation that I do not fully understand. However, other passages have come into sharper focus as the day of their fulfillment rapidly approaches. For example, the advancements in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in the past two decades now make it possible for one man, the antichrist, to control the buying and selling in all the earth. Revelation fills me with hope for what is to come. Since we see its account of future judgments rising rapidly on the horizon, how much closer must the Rapture be that happens before they hit “those who dwell on the earth.” We truly live in biblical times! My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. This book provides a great deal of biblical support regarding the restoration of a kingdom to Israel. It’s the basis of our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing to take us to the place that He’s preparing for us. Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/ . It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks! [i] Allen, D. Matthew, Theology Adrift: The Early Church Fathers and Their Views of Eschatology, a paper published on the Bible.org website, chapter 5. Mideast Review: The New Global Natural Gas Cartel – Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/mideast-review-w-amir-tsarfati-the-new-global-natural-gas-cartel/ Despite Russian warnings, Israel has been very busy in Syria this past week. An airstrike a week ago caused major damage in Tartus on the Mediterranean coast and in Masyaf farther inland. Both destroyed Iranian targets, and in the Masyaf strike a warehouse in the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) was hit, annihilating thousands of medium-range, surface-to-surface missiles. Then, last night as I mentioned above, Israeli airstrikes slammed the area around the Aleppo and Damascus airports. In the Aleppo strike, four Israeli rockets were fired hitting the military airport and weapons depots. According to a pro-Iranian Iraqi news source, the attack on Aleppo was designed to prevent the landing of an Iranian cargo plane. The aircraft diverted to Damascus, but before it could land there that airport was bombed, too. The potential for another Iraqi civil war is increasing. Within the country’s Shiite majority, there are two camps. One is pro-Iran and is very militant. The second larger faction doesn’t want Iranian interference. This camp is led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Rumors began to surface last week that an Iranian hit squad was looking to assassinate al-Sadr. Then, suddenly, on Monday al-Sadr unexpectedly stepped down from politics. Seeing Iranian strong-arm tactics behind his decision, al-Sadr’s supporters took to the streets in protest. They stormed the presidential palace and the green zones. Violence soon erupted between the angry mobs and Iraq security forces leaving more than 20 dead. As al-Sadr tries to calm his supporters, Iraq has declared a curfew, the US is airlifting its officials out of the green zone, and Iran has closed its borders with the country. With the possibility of Iraq falling into Iranian-proxy hands with this outbreak of violence, the de facto leadership of Iran in Syria is even more concerning. The desire of the Islamic regime in Tehran is to create a “Shiite Crescent” through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and down to the border with Israel. With this swath of the Middle East under their control, the transportation of weapons of any kind will be no trouble for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the threat of the radical regime in Tehran to annihilate Israel becomes that much more real. As Iran continues to grow in strength, much of its opposition appears to be wilting under the overwhelming desire to sign a new nuclear deal. The IAEA is unable to check up on Iran’s nuclear facilities, so Tehran keeps spinning their centrifuges. Europe just wants the deal over and done with so that they can move on to more important issues like how they are going to heat their homes this winter. US President Biden has already lifted many sanctions and appears ready to lift many more. And even as America kowtows to Iranian demands, the regime in Tehran continues to issue threats against the nation, demanding that they remove themselves from Syria and the region. A US Navy (USN) Saildrone Explorer, an unmanned drone ship used to monitor weather and the ocean, was a victim of an Iranian kidnapping on Tuesday. The USN spotted an IRGC support ship towing the water drone by a cable, and they quickly intervened. Dispatching a coastal patrol boat, as well as an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter (the navy’s version of a Blackhawk), the USN sought to help the IRGC understand that stealing someone’s drone ship is both illegal and kinda rude. Four hours later, the cable was disengaged and the Iranian ship had left for friendlier waters. Much of the mainstream media is portraying great strides by Ukraine in their war with Russia. Not surprisingly, the media is being intentionally deceitful. As sad as it is to say, Russia has this war firmly in their grasp right now. German media even reported that Russia is now transferring tactical nuclear weapons into Crimea. Not that everything is going perfectly for them. The Russian military had anticipated upping their weaponized UAV game, buying a huge drone arsenal from Iran. Now it turns out that many of the unmanned aircraft are defective. When it comes to Iran, you definitely get what you pay for. Maybe even more successful than their conventional war against Ukraine is Russia’s energy war against Europe. This winter energy prices in many parts of Europe will increase ten-fold. Gazprom, the Russian gas giant, just informed France that due to problems in their contract they will not be receiving all the gas they have been expecting. Europe set themselves up for this very scenario despite a certain previous US president’s warnings. I’m guessing that the diplomatic elite who snickered behind his back at his “foolishness” are no longer laughing. It’s going to be a long, cold winter for many people. Even as Russia has Europe twisting in the wind, they are shoring up their own energy strength by aligning with Iran. The two countries are creating a new global natural gas cartel, essentially a Gas OPEC, which will be able to significantly control energy prices in coming years. Once again, we draw nearer to the Ezekiel 38 scenario. What if the little gas giant Israel stands up against the price machinations of this new Russia/Iran cartel by increasing their output to the European nations that Gazprom is now squeezing? For some reason, I don’t believe the Kremlin will look too fondly on that. Battles between two controlling administrations in Libya have left dozens dead. The nation’s economy is on life-support and its infrastructure is nearly non-existent. Many are afraid that this is the beginning of a new bloody civil war in the already barely-functioning country. After days enduring a “monster monsoon”, nearly one-third of Pakistan is now under water. Over 1100 people have been killed, and billions of dollars worth of homes, crops, and infrastructure have been destroyed. This is a catastrophic event, the effects of which are only going to increase in magnitude as the days go by. Let’s Talk About The Current State Of Public Education In The United States - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/lets-talk-about-the-current-state-of-public-education-in-the-united-states/ America’s public schools have never been worse than they are right now. Test scores are falling, and many of our kids cannot read, write, speak or do basic math effectively. As a result, each level of education has had to be “dumbed down”, because each year the next incoming class has been woefully unprepared at the previous level. This is one of the big reasons why many tests these days require only answers that are true/false or multiple choice. Our kids are simply not equipped to handle much more than that. Sadly, this is true even at the college level. I spent eight years earning three degrees at a couple of the best public institutions in America, and the level of education that I received was exceedingly poor. Even at that time, the family pet could have passed most of the “college courses” that I was forced to endure. Of course things have only gotten far worse since then. This week, we learned that test scores for our 9-year-olds have declined dramatically since the beginning of the pandemic… Test scores for the country’s 9-year-olds suffered significant declines early this year when compared to early 2020, according to federal data released Thursday that will reinforce the worries of educators and politicians over Covid-19’s impact on children. Students who took National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend tests this past winter scored an average of seven points lower in math and five points lower in reading when compared to 9-year-olds who took the same federal exam in 2020 — just before the pandemic was declared a global health emergency and physical classrooms shuttered. Those results mean notably fewer students could carry out simple reading tasks or understand texts, or handle arithmetic and early math problem solving. Whatever we are doing, it is clearly not working. Over the past couple of years, there has been a mass exodus out of the public schools. And that is actually a really good thing, because we have gotten to a point where homeschoolers substantially outperform public school students on standardized tests. There has also been a mass exodus of good teachers, and as a result many public schools around the nation are now facing severe staffing shortages. For example, in Arizona they have actually been importing teachers from the Philippines in order to plug the gaps… Situated between Phoenix and Tucson, Casa Grande has struggled to find teachers for years, hiring roughly 30 from the Philippines each year to fill the gap. But that alarming trend is hitting a more dire point. Jennifer Kortsen, a district spokesperson, says, in her 29 years here, she’s never seen a shortage like this. “I’ve never had a school year start where we’ve had so many vacancies, and it’s really sad,” Kortsen said. “We have it posted, we’ve gone to job fairs, and there’s simply no teachers out there to be had right now.” After two years of weathering pandemic health concerns, learning loss, and tense public scrutiny, teacher burnout is surging nationwide. But this is what we get for allowing the left to completely take over our system of public education. They have done things their way, and now we have a giant mess on our hands. Instead of teaching our kids to read, write, speak and do basic math, these leftists are relentlessly pushing their twisted social agenda. Let me give you a perfect example of what I am talking about. In California, one school district is now teaching high school students that there are eight different gender identities and 10 different sexual orientations… A California district called Newport-Mesa’s health education textbooks claimed there are over 10 sexual orientations and eight genders, Fox News Digital has learned. A textbook ordered by the Newport-Mesa district called “Comprehensive Health Skills for High School” claims that there are eight different gender identities, including androgynous, bygender, gender-nonconforming, gender questioning and nonbinary. The Newport-Mesa school district’s curriculum also said that there were 10 different sexual orientations including androsexual, polysexual, skoliosexual, demisexual and gynesexual. Are you kidding me? I had no idea what “skoliosexual” means, and so I had to look it up. Apparently it means “attraction to people who are transgender or nonbinary”. When they were asked about the textbooks, this is how the school district responded… Newport-Mesa Unified School District responded to the report, stating “We follow the state-adopted standards for health education, which includes sexual health. We use a state-approved health curriculum with select modules, taught by credentialed teachers.” In other words, they are saying that this is perfectly okay because the same curriculum is being used all over the state. Isn’t that wonderful? And as this radical social agenda is being pushed, there is often a tremendous amount of pressure for students to conform. For instance, one professor at Texas A&M University is offering an extra credit boost if every single student in the class “properly wears a surgical grade mask during the entire class session”… A Texas A&M University- Texarkana fall course syllabus, obtained by Campus Reform, shows an instructor is offering students 15% extra credit if the entire class wears a surgical face mask for the whole lecture period. “If the entire face to face class – everyone – properly wears a surgical grade mask during the entire class session (over the nose and mouth, not taking it off to talk) there [will] be a 15% extra credit boost (1 percentage point per week). If 19 out of 20 students do it? There will be no extra credit,” the American Film History syllabus reads. I was stunned to hear that this is happening in the state of Texas. But of course the far left has taken over our public universities even in the reddest of the red states. And in the blue states, the level of indoctrination has reached extremely bizarre levels. At the University of Michigan, there are now 126 diversity bureaucrats, and they collectively make 15.6 million dollars each year… How is this even possible? This is one of the reasons why tuition costs have soared into the stratosphere, and most Americans have no idea that this is going on. Of course many parents will just continue to ship their kids off to such schools so that they can get a “good education”. One of the themes that I keep writing about over and over again is the fact that our culture is rotting right in front of our eyes. And our absolutely horrible system of public education is one of the biggest reasons why it is rotting. This is a crisis that we must address, but right now there is not much short-term hope on the horizon. When the Credit Card Comes Due - By Rob Pue - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/08/27/when-the-credit-card-comes-due-by-rob-pue/ Imagine with me, if you will, what it would be like to live next door to a family with the fanciest house in town. In fact, the fanciest house in the country. These next-door neighbors of yours have everything: they live in a mansion, drive the world’s most expensive cars, have a fleet of private jets, and eat like kings. Yet, they don’t really work. On paper, they work less than half the days in a year, but even when they’re working, their performance is so poor that any employer paying any amount of attention would have fired them years ago. Still, they continue to hold their so-called “jobs” and are never held accountable for failure after failure. One day, these neighbors of yours come begging at your door, hat in hand, with a very sad story about how they’re about to have their mortgage foreclosed. They admit to you that they’re utterly broke and that unless you help them, they’re going to lose their home and everything they own. But they’re very sneaky in the way they present their plea. In fact, before they leave, they have you convinced that they’ve actually come to HELP YOU! You’re a conservative Christian, and you work every day from sun-up to sun-down. You’ve been very fiscally responsible. You work hard to pay your bills on time, you drive a 15-year-old car, and you watch every penny, giving freely to Christian ministries and those in need. As a result, you have a small “nest egg” put away for a rainy day when your family may run into trouble. Being the most generous Christian on earth, you give your entire savings to this next-door family, which leaves your own savings account now at zero. “I can always start over again,” you tell yourself. “This family is in need, and I will help them.” Immediately, however, you notice something amiss. Your neighbors start throwing huge parties at their house. Upon investigation, you find they haven’t spent a single penny you gave them toward their mortgage payments. Instead, they’re spending it on parties, lavish vacations, prostitutes, drugs — and they’re giving much of the money to wicked organizations that you, as a Christian and a conservative, vehemently oppose. They’re donating to Planned Parenthood, Marxist/Communist groups, the LGBTQP+ movement, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation, and they’re actively supporting a radical transgender curriculum in your local public school. A month goes by, and your neighbors are back at your front door, weeping openly about how they have no money. They’re completely, utterly broke, and deeply in debt. But this time, they show up with a pre-approved credit card application good for $100,000, and they’ve already filled it out and signed your name to it. They just came to your door to show you what they’ve done, assuring you that they desperately need the money in order to keep their household running. They tell you they’re sending the application in and that the credit card will arrive in the next two weeks — to THEIR house, in their name — but the bills will be sent to you. And somehow, once again, they convince you this is for your benefit. Another month goes by, the same as the first time. They’re still not paying their bills but continue spending with reckless abandon. And now you’re getting notices in the mail that the credit card has exceeded the limit, and you’re liable not only for the $100,000 but also for the 25% interest rate as well as the over-limit and late fees accruing daily. By now, it’s gotten to the point that YOU are bankrupt, yet your neighbors continue living their high lifestyle. They still only bother to show up for work less than half the time, and they’re still the worst employees imaginable, yet they still keep their jobs for which they rake in more in one year than you would ever earn in ten. But they’re still broke. You then find out they’ve done the same thing to everyone else in your neighborhood, yet they’re not even attempting to pay so much as the interest on the debt they’ve racked up. Then, you discover they’re actually traitors, working hand in hand with our enemies and selling out our country. Some in this family are even dealing drugs now, engaging in child sex trafficking, and routinely sponsoring or attending sadistic satanic rituals — all the while collecting huge sums of money and lining their own pockets with it. They still don’t have their financial house in order, they’re deeply in debt beyond anything you could ever fathom, and they just don’t care. You also learn they’ve been illegally printing counterfeit money, and every law enforcement agency in the country knows about all of their many crimes, but this family is “untouchable.” There’s no longer a court in the land that would ever even consider their crimes, much less convict them. They own everyone. Because of that, they’re now emboldened to do whatever they wish, with no accountability to anyone. There’s no limit to the evil they will do and get away with. Then, one day, you wake up and find they’re at your door with a long list of rules, which they say you must obey or go to prison. Handing over most of your hard-earned paycheck is among the least of these rules. They also announce that you will need to pay them for virtually everything you do. If you drive your car, you’ll be forced to pay them for the privilege. You were diligent in paying off your own mortgage, but you’ll still be forced to pay huge amounts of money each year to live there. If you buy food, clothing, or anything else, you’ll be forced to pay for those privileges too. When you take your dog out for a walk, you’re reminded that you’re being forced to pay for the privilege of having a dog in the first place, as well as for the sidewalk you’re walking on and the shoes you’re wearing. Then, one day, they call you up and tell you you’re not allowed to open the business you started from scratch and worked so hard over the years to build up. Others in your family are no longer allowed to go to work either. But it’s ok… they’re going to give you a small allowance to live on until you’re allowed to work again. But if you’re a business owner and if the company you built goes under after being forcibly shut down, it’s not their problem. The next day, they come over and tell you that now you’ll be forced to wear a dog muzzle in order to be allowed to go out in public. If you don’t wear one, you have to stay home. They’ve now partnered with just about every “privileged” company in the country as well; so those companies now take their orders from your next-door neighbors, who have now become so rich and powerful that they literally control everything from the food you eat, to the home you live in, to the thoughts you are allowed to express in public. Then, they declare that you are to be stabbed with a shot that has a very good chance of permanently injuring you or killing you. YOU have no choice. These neighbors continue to tell you that everything they’ve been doing is for your own good, and most of the town believes them. Oh, and not only do they control everything you do — they also openly spy on you, listen to your phone calls and private conversations, and they even claim ownership of your DNA now. But they’re not really rich. In reality, they’re poor, blind, and naked, but they don’t have the sense to realize it. They’ve been living on credit all this time — in more ways than one. But now, having spent all the money that you and others in your town once had, they’re now using the credit cards issued by our country’s worst enemies. But our enemies are not so weak and far from forgiving. They’re demanding payment, but the neighbors are still broke. So they make some backroom deals with our enemies. They hand over control of massive amounts of farmland and ports of entry and then start selling off private homes — just to pay the interest on their debt. They’re so desperate to keep the wolves away from their own front doors that they’re willing and eager to do whatever our enemies tell them to do — to US. For now, they’re not suffering at all. In fact, they’ve exempted themselves from all the rules they set for the rest of us. What’s more, they’re piling up even more “monopoly money” given to them by our enemies — for themselves, off the books, of course — while the official balance sheet has been in the red since long before you were even born. Then the people of the town begin to wake up and start to say “enough is enough.” One day, the townspeople hold a massive rally to demand justice. But now, it’s too late. Hundreds are arrested and jailed — for daring to challenge the injustice. Others are persecuted and prosecuted for thinking illegal thoughts or having illegal opinions. And the neighbors next door continue to host wild parties, eat and live like kings and thumb their noses at the “law” while imposing new restrictions and unjust laws on not just your town but the whole nation. After all, they’ve learned they can easily get away with it, and now that they’ve tasted power, they’ll do literally anything to continue to imbibe. In 1981, at Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address, he stated, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.'” Indeed. Nothing the government does is efficient, cost-effective, or helpful to American citizens anymore. Our greatest enemies have become our so-called “public servants” — who enter politics with a modest net worth but somehow become multi-millionaires or billionaires within a year or two of their so-called “service.” Meanwhile, our country mourns. I believe we’ve passed the point of no return. Short of a revolution in this nation, I see no way we’ll ever reclaim our God-given rights enshrined in our country’s founding documents and engraved on the very walls of the chambers where our “servants” strip us of those rights and load us down with ever-increasing, heavy, bone-crushing burdens. Our servants have now become our masters, or perhaps better stated: the inmates are running the asylum. Now we have the “Inflation Reduction Act” — with a price tag said to be $740 billion. There’s no doubt that it will cost much, much more than that. Analysts across the board have stated that this new move by Congress will do anything BUT reduce inflation. Even those who imposed this monstrosity upon us are no longer talking about “inflation reduction.” Instead, they’re referring to it as “climate change” and “healthcare” relief. But friends, lies are lies. Climate change and the whole agenda that goes with that is a lie, and so is our healthcare system. Our “justice” system is equally beyond repair as the innocent are imprisoned while the worst of the worst criminals walk free and continue to party on. Among the many things charged on this latest credit card are 87,000 new IRS agents. And not just any IRS agents. The new recruits are going to be hand-picked, and they must be willing to undergo firearms training and be willing to use deadly force against US citizens in their new careers with the “SS.” It was said these agents were only going to be looking at tax-cheaters who earn $400,000 or more a year. But you don’t need 87,000 new agents to accomplish that. They’re coming for you and me, friends. And now, they’re planning to come armed… even as they work hard to remove all our defenses. Couple this with the now fully compromised FBI — which has steadfastly looked the other way regarding the crimes of Obama, Hillary Clinton, Jeffery Epstein, and the Biden Crime Cartel, to name just a few; our Department of Defense, which has now been authorized to use force to inject citizens with the Monkeypox stab — or any other stab of their choice; the CIA, which continues to perpetrate black ops and then roll out the “official narrative” to the public via the mainstream media, as they’ve been doing for years — and it’s obvious to anyone with eyes to see that our government is absolutely, totally, and completely corrupt to the core. How do we rescue ourselves from such despotism? The answer is, we don’t. God can, and maybe He will, if we will sincerely repent of our national hedonism and apathy and the lukewarmness among professing Christians. But I believe we’re too stiff-necked as a people to ever bow the knee to the Almighty — until that Day when the “credit card” comes due and ALL knees will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: Hay in the barn - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com There are a lot of stories about haying season when you grow up on the farm. Putting up hay is a lot of work. It’s hard work. It’s dirty and dusty work. You sweat a lot. You drink a lot of water. You get blisters. Sometimes it’s miserable. And there is always the weather. Those beautiful cumulous clouds over the hayfield working with the sun to dry up the morning dew on the windrows of freshly raked hay can become your enemy with afternoon rains. There were so many times we were fighting the elements to get hay in before it rained. In fact, it’s a tremendous mixture of science and good fortune to predict just when to cut the hay, rake it, dry it, bale it, and get it in the barn without getting it wet. Which was dangerous. The reason you wanted your hay to be well-dried and certainly not wet when it was put in the barn was spontaneous combustion. Damp or wet hay bales stacked on each other is known to get so hot that it can combust and burn the barn down. Being the smallest, I was generally the stacker. I would ride on the hay wagon while my brothers or Dad would toss the bales on the wagon. I would drag them across the wagon and stack them, usually about five or six layers high. I have no idea why or how I was chosen for this task, except like on most farms, everybody got a job. Once it was stacked on the wagon, the journey across the field and to the barn was the next dangerous step. If I didn’t stack well, the hay could fall off the wagon. If you were riding on top of the hay, you went down with the ship. I remember one time my know-it-all cousin Bobby from Phoenix said he was the best stacker and told me to get off the wagon. Yep, he stacked them all right. We lost half the load before we got out of the field. No more Bobby-stacking. He took revenge on me by feeding the bales into the hay loft on the elevator so fast that I could hardly keep up with them. But, I thought it would be fun to build little tunnels in the loft and rooms as I stacked. This is something that is also very dangerous because the hay would be known to collapse on kids like me playing in the tunnels. Dad expressly forbid it. But… My cousin Steve and I would play in the mow, going to the top, and sliding down the tunnels I secretly built. It was great fun, until Dad caught us and we both got a good lecture and I had to fill in the tunnels. At least we didn’t get crushed under a cave in or suffocate—like what happened to some other kids. It was big news. I just kind of cringed when Dad and Mom were talking about it at the supper table, laying on me a passive aggressive guilt trip. I got the message. It seemed to work out that we would often finish getting that last load of hay into the barn just as the rain started coming down hard. Sometimes we would go under the downspout to wash off once the hay was in and it was raining. Other times it was washing in the horse watering trough. Still other times, Mom would hose us down with the cold water from the garden hose. Once all the hay was in, there was a traditional treat of cold A & W root beer from gallon jugs, accompanied by that certain worn out satisfaction of a hard job done. Haying season was one of those dreaded times, but also a time that created great memories of comradery, teamwork, and celebration. Psalm 126:5 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” Hay season was sowing with sweat and sometimes tears, and it was always a joy when it was finished. Daily Devotion: Made for Something More - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Jesus replied, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice." —Luke 11:28 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/made-for-something-more/ - Listen Some people spend their entire lives chasing happiness, trying to find the ultimate pleasure, the ultimate experience. But the Bible says this about God: “For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased” (Revelation 4:11 NLT). God created us for His pleasure. And how do we give God pleasure? We enter into a relationship with Him, a friendship with Him. When we begin to communicate with God and hear from Him, we will find the pleasure we’ve been looking for—not from seeking it but from seeking God Himself. Psalm 19:8 tells us, “The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart” (NLT). Jesus said, “Blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice” (Luke 11:28 NLT). Keeping the word of God will make us happy. So, if we want to be happy, we must study the Bible and memorize and obey God’s word. This can help us have happy lives without sin, such as drugs, alcohol, or sex outside of marriage. God is not out to ruin our lives. The happiness that God gives doesn’t stop when the party’s over. It’s an entirely different approach to life. In fact, the Bible tells us the meaning of life: to know the God who created us. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end” (NLT). Deep inside, we know we’re made for something more and what we’re really longing for is not a new possession or a new experience. Even a relationship with another human being can’t fill the void within us. What we’re longing for is a relationship with God Himself. 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. I believe where the Lord guides, the Lord provides, and most of the time He provides through the willing and generous hearts of believers just like you and me. Humbly Seek Your Support Prophecy Update has no corporate sponsors. This ministry is paid for and prayed for by readers and supporters. Without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update, Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter - thanks! If ever there was a time to invest in God's Kingdom, it's now! What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake? "Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!" "Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey 1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack. 2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others. 3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks! Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. 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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