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God Is Restraining the Wars, Lawlessness, And Chaos… Until One Day He Doesn’t – By Jonathan Brentner - https://harbingersdaily.com/god-is-restaining-the-wars-lawlessness-and-chaos-in-our-world-until-one-day-he-doesnt/
A few years ago, a pastor used a rubber band as an illustration of the nearness of the Rapture. Just as one can only stretch it so far before it snaps, so world events could only continue so long before the chaos of the Tribulation period erupted across the earth. At the time, it appeared as though the horses and riders of the apocalypse were about ready to ride across the earth spreading deceit, wars, famine, and much death in their wake (Revelation 6:1-8); things that happen after Jesus appears and takes us out of the world. Today, we seem even closer to the chaos that will mark the start of the Day of the Lord, yet we remain earthbound. What’s going on? The Apostle Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, tells us that what we see today is the work of the Restrainer, the Holy Spirit, who is currently working through the Church to block the revealing of the antichrist and restrain the lawlessness that will accompany his unveiling to the world: “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” The many signs pointing to the onset of the seven-year Tribulation are unmistakable. However, the Restrainer is also at work delaying the events of Revelation 6 until we are safely with Jesus in Heaven and He opens the seals. Our world is currently full of conflicts that have the potential to lead to a world war far more deadly than the ones of the past century. As Ukraine, with NATO expertise, equipment, and training, continues to strike deep into its territory, Russian leaders continue to warn that such actions will lead to a nuclear war, which would contribute to the enormous death toll that we read about in Revelation 6:7-8. Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently warned America that its participation in its war with Ukraine was “like small children playing with matches.” I believe that the hesitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to respond with nuclear weapons comes from the Holy Spirit’s restraint rather than his benevolence. A great many people, including me, expected a major war to occur in the Middle East weeks ago, but so far, the fighting hasn’t reached that level. Author and Bible prophecy expert Joel C. Rosenberg addressed God’s restraint in the Middle East in a recent article: Has God supernaturally thwarted Iran & Hezbollah from launching apocalyptic missile attacks against Israel? Or is the attack still coming? Another writer, Mark Hitchcock, in a piece that appeared on Harbinger’s Daily, considered the possibility that God had used a recent earthquake in Syria to thwart an all-out attack on Israel. Long ago, Ezekiel predicted that an alliance of nations would invade Israel in the end times (chapters 38-39). The players are aligned exactly as he prophesied, but the time has not yet come. In recent weeks, Putin has become increasingly vocal of the need for a two-state division of Israel, which perhaps speaks to his future involvement in the Gog-Magog war. I’m of the opinion that this invasion will happen soon after the Rapture, but it’s possible we might still be here when it happens. Another place where the rubber band should’ve snapped long before now lies in the area of the economy and what John witnessed – the “black horse” and its rider (Revelation 6:5-6). How much longer can a nation that’s thirty-five trillion dollars in debt keep rewarding millions of illegal aliens with vast amounts of money that it must borrow? I’m convinced that the globalists are attempting to cause a catastrophic depression upon the U.S., one that will lead to economic devastation throughout the world. According to what I learned while pursuing my MBA degree at the University of Iowa thirty-six years ago, the U.S. should already have arrived at a time of severe hyperinflation. The increases in the cost of living during the past few years have been substantial and quite painful for many families, but even so, they are relatively mild compared to what lies ahead for America. For those of us who already belong to Christ, now is the time to be watching, knowing that His appearing to take us home is imminent. From our perspective, we are already living on borrowed time. The rubber band has been stretched beyond what we thought possible, and perhaps very soon, the “sudden destruction” of the Day of the Lord will fall upon those left behind after our departure. As we wait, is it not encouraging to know that the seeming delay we see in world events is itself the fulfillment of prophecy? Apart from the Restrainer, how else can we explain the current lack of a leader who is able to make globalists’ dream of world dominance a reality? The Russians Are About to Lower Their Threshold for Nuking the West. What Does That Mean for Us? - by Michael Snyder - https://endoftheamericandream.com/the-russians-are-about-to-lower-their-threshold-for-nuking-the-west-what-does-that-mean-for-us/ If you are determined to push a bear into a corner, you better know what you are doing. Right now, Ukraine is begging the Biden administration to allow it to use long-range missiles provided by the United States to strike targets deep inside of Russia. Since the Ukrainians have eventually gotten just about everything else that they have wanted from us, they will probably get approval for this at some point too. So how do you think the Russians would respond if missiles that are provided by the United States start falling in their major cities and killing innocent civilians? Do you think that the Russians may consider us to be responsible? Right now, the Russians are reviewing their rules for using nuclear weapons, and it is expected that they will “lower the threshold for their use”… World War 3 fears have exploded with Vladimir Putin set to change Russia’s doctrine for nuclear weapons that could see him lower the threshold for their use. Russia’s nuclear weapons policy, devised in 2020, says that Moscow can use their weapons if they are attacked by an enemy or the existence of the state of Russia comes under threat. Needless to say, this would bring us even closer to nuclear war. Once the first nuke is used, it is just a matter of time before there is a full-blown exchange between the United States and Russia. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the work to update the rules for using nuclear weapons has reached “an advanced stage”… Putin said in June the doctrine was a ‘living instrument’ that could change depending on world events, and now Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov appears to have confirmed that work on a new document outlining adjustments is underway. ‘The work is at an advanced stage, and there is a clear direction to make adjustments, which are also conditioned by the study and analysis of the experience of conflict development in recent years,’ Ryabkov said in comments carried by Russia’s TASS news service yesterday. ‘This includes everything related to the escalation course of our Western opponents in connection with the ”special military operation”.’ This certainly doesn’t mean that a nuclear war is imminent. But we are heading in that direction. Vladimir Putin has made it very clear that if the Russians believe there is an existential threat to “Russia’s statehood”, they will strike… Putin meanwhile, has warned that defeat for Russia would mean “the end of Russia’s statehood” – possibly a subtle justification for the use of nuclear weapons. He added: “It means the end of the 1,000-year history of the Russian state. I think this is clear to everyone… Isn’t it better to go all the way, until the end?” As I have documented repeatedly, the Russians very clearly understand that whoever strikes first will have the best chance of surviving a nuclear war if one becomes inevitable. In recent years, the Russians have been feverishly preparing to fight a nuclear war. The Sarmat is the most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile in the world by a very wide margin, and it is now on combat duty… Vladimir Putin today put the world’s most powerful Armageddon nuclear rocket dubbed Satan-2 on combat duty. The ‘unstoppable’ 15,880mph intercontinental missile system, known to Russians as Sarmat, is the size of a 14-storey tower block. The announcement came from Yury Borisov, head of the Russian Space Agency. ‘The Sarmat strategic complex has been put on combat duty,’ he told students at an educational event. A single Sarmat missile can carry enough firepower to wipe out an area the size of Texas. And we don’t have anything that can stop it… The U.S.’ Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation said that ‘despite decades of research, development, and testing, there remains no reliably effective anti-missile system to counter intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)’. Existing missile defence systems, such as the U.S. Patriot system, can target incoming short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles whose threat is localised to one region, but cannot effectively protect against nuclear-capable ICBMs such as the Sarmat that can deploy warheads across vast areas. Meanwhile, the core of the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal is made up of hopelessly outdated Minuteman missiles that first went into service in the 1970s. If we were to fire those missiles at Russia, we would be praying that they could get past the most advanced anti-missile systems on the entire planet. In particular, the brand new S-500 anti-missile system that the Russians have developed was specifically designed “for intercepting and destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles”. Most people in the western world still assume that we are protected by the magical doctrine of “mutually assured destruction”. But are you sure that doctrine still applies in an environment where the balance of power has shifted so dramatically? Our leaders seem quite confident that the Russians will never use nuclear weapons, and so they are allowing the Ukrainians to provoke them in all sorts of ways. For example, the Ukrainians are now actually using large drones to drop thermite on Russian soldiers. Much more importantly, the Ukrainians desperately want permission to use long-range U.S. missiles to strike targets deep inside of Russia… Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has revealed to CNN that the Zelensky government has presented a list of significant targets which lie deep inside Russia to the Biden White House for approval to strike. His words in the new CNN interview come as Kiev is engaged in intensive lobbying with Washington to get President Biden to greenlight the use of US missiles for longer range attacks. Ukraine has also been begging to receive long-rage missiles toward that end. This is literally insane. Of course the Ukrainians have already been using drones to strike targets that are very far from the front lines… Ukraine especially wants all current restrictions on ATACMS systems’ range and use to be lifted. It argues this is crucial for protecting Ukrainian civilians. At this point in the war, Ukraine has been sending weekly and near daily drone strikes against Russia, targeting especially oil depots and energy facilities. Several more have been reported struck and damaged on Sunday, including sites in the Moscow region. So far, the Russians have shown a great deal of restraint. But one of these days the Ukrainians could push the Russians a bit too far. If the Russians use even a single tactical nuke against Ukraine, NATO will get directly involved in the conflict. And that would put us literally one step away from nuclear war. This is a far bigger story than most people realize. Unfortunately, most of us are still in a deep state of sleep as our leaders continue to drag us toward a point of no return. PROPHECY UPDATE VIDEOS
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DONATE HERE Your can also mail your support to: Prophecy Update PO Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384 Coincidence and Christ’s Coming – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/09/01/coincidence-and-christs-coming/ “There is no such word as ‘coincidence’ in God’s vocabulary.” Hal Lindsey is the one I first heard say this. Perhaps others said it before him, but I’ll just give him credit for that truth. And truth it is. Nothing that happens occurs without God knowing. As a matter of fact, He knew about it—whatever it might be—since as far back as eternity goes. And this gives me great confidence that when the Lord Jesus says our redemption is drawing near when we see things He foretold begin to come to pass (Luke 21:28), we can be sure those things we see are not coincidences. Jesus is the very Word of God (John 1:1). So the things His Word tells us we should look for to determine the nearness of His return to “redeem” or “rescue” God’s children can’t be mere coincidence. We know these are bona fide indicators that His return is on the very brink. Jesus said great deception and deceivers would be on the scene as the time nears for Him to intervene in the wickedness of humankind. He said there would be great tumult within the seas of humanity, and there would be great ethnic turmoil. Things, He said, would be like they were in the days of Noah and of Lot in Sodom. He said there would be wars and rumors of wars. Through the Apostle Paul, Jesus warned that the times would be perilous as the end of the age nears. People would be fierce. They would be without natural affection, meaning, I take it, that humankind would be going after “strange flesh,” as Jude described the greatly increased ungodliness. They would, like in Lot’s day, be engaging in homosexual activity and abortion, both of which are as far from “natural affection” as any society or culture can get. Do we see great deception today? Just consider the way the American political process the deceivers, with the assistance of the mainstream news media, blatantly display this end-times characteristic. Is there tremendous tumult among the peoples of earth, with ethnic strife ramping up to the point that there are great rumors of war, and, in fact, major wars that threaten much wider conflict? Are things like they were in the days of Noah and of Lot? Is there ever-increasing violence, with homosexuality seemingly becoming the norm rather than aberrant? Are there indicators today that, like Jude points out, this world is filled with ungodliness and incorrigible wickedness that is deserving of God’s judgment and wrath? How about, as a prime example, the slaughter of babies by the multi-millions in their mothers’ wombs? Any believer filled with Holy Spirit discernment can testify that we see all these end-of-days’ characteristics and activities in every direction. But, to go deeper into where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline, let’s examine up close things taking place that cannot be mere coincidence in showing the nearness of Christ’s soon, sudden involvement in the evil affairs of fallen humankind. In my thinking, the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is an astonishing indicator of Heaven’s direct reach into this wicked time. That the candidate for the presidency was providentially protected is nothing short of miraculous. Yet the matter has been totally washed over by a lack of mainstream coverage. The prince of the power of the air turned all the right devices of control to influence his broadcasting minions to ignore what surely was one of the most overt acts of Deity in history. Mainstream media, after twenty-four hours or so of semi-coverage, relegated the near assassination, the murder of another, and the near-fatal wounding of two others to being nothing more than coincidence. But it was not coincidental. The intervention was on full display before the entire world. It was God making a statement. He is now showing His great right hand of omniscience and omnipotence at this late hour of the quickly fleeting Age of Grace. Our God has reached down to make such statements before in recent times. These, too, have been treated as coincidence by mainstream media–and subsequently they have deceived their mass audiences. You might recall that one memorable event took place several years ago as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was voting to approve a “social statement on human sexuality” designed to open the way for congregations to be led by openly homosexual ministers and to make way for ELCA to perform same-sex marriages. A fierce storm described by many as a tornado unexpectedly ripped through downtown Minneapolis, where the ELCA convention was taking place. The storm damaged the convention center, along with the ELCA church across the street—even knocking over the church’s steeple in a bizarrely symbolic occurrence. The tornado touched down near the outskirts of the city and made its track directly to the church, where it struck precisely at 2 p.m., the exact time the vote on the matters involved was to begin. The Washington Post reported on the event in a joking way, calling it a coincidence and chiding mockingly those who attributed it to anything other. Jesus said through the prophets that His return to intervene into the affairs of humankind would involve the nation Israel at the center of the turmoil that would be raging at the time. There is great turbulence at this moment in the Middle East. And Israel is at the center–not only of the troubles in the Middle East, but of the entire world of diplomatic chaos. Those diplomats are crying “peace and safety,” wanting to force Israel to bring to an end the ongoing conflict against Iran and its proxy terrorist entities. Israel, because of the October 7, 2023, assault that killed 1,200 people, has directly attacked Iran, killing one of the top terrorist leaders in Teheran. Iran’s supreme leader has vowed to make Israel pay for the attack. This, the diplomatic sorts fear, could spark all-out war–even one that might go nuclear. But just as everything pointed to this expanded war taking place, another “coincidence” has taken place. My friend Dr. Mark Hitchcock frames the incident: The main story I would like to highlight surrounds the earthquake that took place recently in Syria. There’s an article in the Jerusalem Post about this fascinating development. The headline of the article says, “Heaven sent: Is Lebanon’s earthquake a testament to divine protection?” Here is some intriguing information the article included: Hezbollah’s underground ambitions may now lie buried, turned to ashes before they had any chance to harm us. In our collective memory, Tisha B’Av has always been a solemn day, marked by the destruction of the First and Second Temples. To provide further context, Tisha B’Av is a day of sorrow and reflection, which usually falls on our calendar in early August. It marks the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC and the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. Those events happened on the same day. That’s not an accident—that’s divine providence. It was the hand of God showing the Jewish people that He was behind these destructions that took place because of their disobedience to Him. The article continues: This year, however, the day bore witness to what many of us view as a modern-day miracle—a testament to divine intervention that could not have come at a more crucial time. Reports confirmed a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Lebanon, profoundly impacting the region. This was not just any seismic event; it may have served as an unanticipated yet divine act that thwarted a grave threat against the Jewish nation. (“Tectonic Shifts: Did God Use an Earthquake in the Middle East to Thwart an Attack on Israel?” “Marking The End Times,” August 18, 2024) The collapse of those tunnels filled with munitions meant to be fired into Israel is profound proof of God’s hands-on control. I believe we will see God’s mighty hand of control continue to reach into our world of wickedness the nearer we come to the time when Jesus calls all believers to Himself in the Rapture. I implore you to be part of that divine rescue and avoid the terrible judgment and wrath that will then befall all rebels left on earth. Here is how to go to the Lord when He calls all believers living and who have died: That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10) No One Knows the Day Or The Hour - By Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/prophecy/no-one-knows-the-day-or-the-hour/ Those who ignore the study of end times prophecy are fond of quoting this famous line which appears in various forms in Matt. 24:36, Matt. 24:42,44, Matt. 24:50 and Matt 25:13 as their justification. But earlier in the same passage, the Lord had admonished all who would read His words of prophecy to understand them (Matt 24:15) and elsewhere the Apostle Paul wrote that the events leading up to the end of the age should not take believers by surprise (1 Thes 5:4) implying that we should have done enough homework to see them coming. Since the Bible cannot contradict itself, these passages must have been aimed at different audiences. And sure enough, a closer look reveals that to be the case. In Matt. 24:36, Matt. 24:42,44, Matt. 24:50 and Matt 25:13 the Lord was only speaking to people remaining on Earth at His Second Coming, while in Matt. 24:15 he was issuing a warning to those who would be living in Israel early in Daniel’s 70th Week. We know this because He mentioned a Temple which doesn’t exist yet. Of course in 1 Thes 5:4 Paul was addressing the Church. What Paul was saying is that while we won’t know the exact timing of things, we should understand the sequence of events leading up to the Day of the Lord. And perhaps no event in the sequence is more important than the Rapture of the Church, especially as it relates to the Great Tribulation. That being the case, it seems to me that the first thing we should do in trying to understand all this is to clarify two things. One is the purpose of the Great Tribulation, and the other is the nature of the Church. The Purpose of the Great Tribulation The phrase Great Tribulation makes reference to a defined period of time, not a general condition. While the Lord warned the disciples that tribulation (trouble) would be characteristic of life in this world (John 16:33), He clearly identified the Great Tribulation as having a specific beginning and end. It will begin when the abomination that causes desolation predicted by Daniel is erected in the Temple (in the middle of the last 7 years of history) and will end just prior to the Lord’s return, three and one half years later (Daniel 9:24-27, Matt. 24:15-21). Daniel’s prophecy is pointedly Jewish in its perspective and so is the Great Tribulation. Until the Lord coined its New Testament name in Matt 24:21 it was referred to as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble in the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is where its purpose is explained. In Jeremiah 30:1-11 the event is foretold and in the last verse its purpose is explained. “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.” The idea is that Israel has to be purified to receive their coming King, and the nations who rejected the King and persecuted His people must be destroyed. The timing of the passage is also made clear. It will take place after Israel is re-gathered in the land, and will result in David becoming their King again (Jere. 30:8-10). There have been two re-gatherings since the passage was written, but the first, beginning in 535 BC, didn’t result in David becoming their King. In fact they have had no legitimate King at all since about 600 BC. Neither were all the nations completely destroyed then. The second re-gathering began after World War 2 and continues to this day. Though the population of Israel keeps growing, so do the Jewish populations of all the nations to which the Jews have been scattered. In fact there are about as many Jews outside of Israel as there are in the land. All that will change when the Lord calls all His people to return to their Promised Land following His victory in the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39 (see Ezekiel 39:28). Because of this amazing victory the Jewish people will restore their national covenant with God, build a Temple in which to worship Him, and Daniel’s missing 70th week will begin. So the purpose of the Great Tribulation is twofold; discipline (purify) the people of Israel so they’ll be prepared for the coming Messiah, and completely destroy the nations to which they had been scattered. The Nature of the Church According to Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, the Church is nothing less than a new race of mankind, coming from among both Jews and Gentiles but sharing a destiny with neither. (Ephe. 2:15-16) The problem had always been that God could not dwell in the midst of His creation. The sins of the people eventually drove Him away. At the cross, He reconciled all things to himself, things in heaven and on earth (Col 1:19-20). This meant that He can now be at peace with His creation for the first time since the Fall of Man. He accomplished this by paying the price for all the sin of mankind. Now, for anyone who would accept it, a full pardon for behavior past, present and future is available, free for the asking (Matt. 7:7-8). Accepting this pardon qualifies any person, young or old, Jew or Gentile, good or bad to become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). And it permits God to look upon this person as if he or she is without sin altogether; and in fact as if he or she had never sinned to begin with. It also required the division of mankind into three groups: Jew, Gentile and Church. (1 Cor. 10:32) It’s critical that we understand God’s perspective. To Him the Church is without sin, holy and blameless, and has been since the cross (Ephes. 5:25-27). Whatever sins we as individuals have committed (or will commit) have been forgiven and forgotten. It’s as if they never happened (Ephes. 1:4-8). At the cross, the Church became as pure and holy as God Himself (2 Cor 5:21), so finally God has a people with whom He can live in peace. What’s the Point? First, not needing purification, no purpose is served by the Church enduring the Great Tribulation. Second, the focus of the Great Tribulation is Israel and God’s focus seems to be either Israel or the Church, never both. (This was explained by James in Acts 15:12-18.) If you take the view that the Battle of Ezekiel 38-39 occurs before Daniel’s 70th Week begins, and realize that one outcome of that battle is that Israel turns back to God, (Eze 39:28-29) then you know the Church’s days on earth are numbered. Then there are passages of Scripture that indicate the Church won’t be present for any of the end times judgments. Look at these examples: In Romans 5:9 and 1 Thes 1:10 Paul promised that the Church will be rescued from God’s wrath. The Greek preposition translated “from” in both these verses means “from the time, place or any relation to the event. ” Jesus Himself confirmed this in Rev. 3:10. Speaking through the Church in Philadelphia, He said, “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.” 1 Thes 5:9 says the Church was not appointed to suffer wrath, and with the seal judgments of Rev. 6 His wrath will have begun. Therefore the rapture of the Church will have to precede Rev. 6. Also, the 2nd letter to the Thessalonians only makes sense if Paul had taught them the pre-trib rapture view. A careful reading shows that they had received a forgery claiming the Day of the Lord had come (2 Thes. 2:2) . If Paul had taught a post-trib view their response would have been something like, “The next 7 years will be very difficult, but then the Kingdom will come.” Instead it was alarm, such as they would feel upon learning they had missed the Rapture. And if they had missed the rapture, that would mean they weren’t saved. That would certainly be cause for alarm. Other Hints of a Pre-Trib Rapture The period of the Great Tribulation is the most thoroughly documented from a time standpoint of any Biblical event. From various verses it’s described as 3 and 1/2 years, or 42 months, or 1260 days long. These are all equivalent times. It begins the day the anti-Christ stands in the Temple in Jerusalem and proclaims himself to be God and it ends 1260 days later. How do you have a “secret rapture” at the end of the Great Tribulation when any knowledgeable believer will be able to mark the day of its end on his calendar? The Sheep and Goat Judgment of Matt 25:31-46 clearly portrays events following the Second Coming as the Lord establishes His Kingdom on Earth. The sheep are symbolic of believers and the goats of non-believers. The judgment concerns people who have survived the Great Tribulation. Sheep go into the Kingdom (Matt. 25:34) and goats go into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). There couldn’t be any sheep on Earth for this judgment if all believers had just been raptured, but if the Church will be raptured before the end times judgments begin, then there will be at least 7 years for a new crop of believers to be born again. Some of them will survive the Great Tribulation to become the sheep of the Sheep and Goat judgment. In Summary There are sound theological reasons why God keeps the exact timing of the Rapture secret. But He has given us plenty of evidence as to its general timing to prevent us from being taken by surprise at the end of the Age. A recent panel of prophecy experts agreed that the most important sign that the end is near is not that any specific Biblical sign is evident, but that all the signs the Lord told us to look for are in some stage of fulfillment. A bus stop only draws a crowd as the time for the bus to arrive draws near. Then people come to watch for the bus, expecting it to arrive, and wait for it, because they know its arrival is near. Having given us several signs of His return the Lord instructs us to watch, expecting Him to arrive, and wait for Him, knowing that His arrival is near. And since His arrival is near, the rapture is even nearer. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. Daily Jot: Ballot integrity key issue in upcoming election - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Three areas will control whether your vote counts in the upcoming presidential election: Whether voter identification is required to vote; if voter rolls are up to date; and if ballots can be authenticated. In non-voter ID states and those allowing ballot drop boxes, the prohibition of updating voter rolls is comes into play. Unqualified voters—such as illegal aliens and dead people—can pose as someone and cast their votes without authentication. States leaning or voting for Democratic Party presidential candidates have these methods written into law. However, Ohio, Virginia, Alabama and Texas are taking initiative to purge voter rolls, but they only represent 79 of the 270 electoral votes needed to be president. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced August 26 that the state has “removed over one million people from the state’s voter rolls, including people who moved out-of-state, are deceased, and are noncitizens.” The list consisted of dead people, noncitizens, felons and other unqualified registrants and thousands had voting histories. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican, announced August 7 that the state had removed nearly 80,000 dead voters and 6,303 noncitizens from the voter rolls. Alabama’s Republican Secretary of State has removed over 3,500 noncitizens from the voter rolls. In May, Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose directed county board of elections officials to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls. So far 137 have been removed. Efforts in each of these states are ongoing. Currently, there are 15 states that do not require voter identification to cast a vote for president. They are: ME, VT, MA, NY, PA, MD, NJ, IL, MN, NM, NV, CA, OR, WA, HA. These states comprise 207 of the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency and they traditionally vote for Democratic Party presidential candidates. In addition, there are 27 states and the District of Columbia that allow ballot drop boxes. Most of those states vote or lean Democratic. States won by Democrats in the last three of four or all four of the last four presidential elections are MI, WS, CO, VA, NH. They represent another 51 electoral votes. Twelve states specifically prohibit ballot drop boxes. Interesting, those states vote or lean Republican. Mail-in and voter roll issues in Georgia, Arizona and Washington, DC during the last election, enabled Democrats to gain another 30 electoral votes, bringing the built-in electoral vote advantage to 288 of the 270 needed to elect a president. It is no coincidence that states leaning or voting for Democratic Party presidential candidates have written into law no voter ID, no purging of the voter rolls, and ballot drop boxes. This is how they game the system to give Democratic candidates an advantage. Voter ID, up to date voter rolls, and ballot security are paramount. They are all compromised in Democratic Party-controlled states, making it nearly impossible for a Republican to win the presidency. Christ said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” At least some states are trying to do what is right—all under Republican leadership. Daily Devotion: Temporary Division - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. —Romans 5:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/temporary-division-2/ - Listen In Matthew 10 we find one of the more controversial statements of Jesus: “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household!’” (verses 34–36 NLT). This must have shocked His listeners. After all, on the night of Jesus’ birth, didn’t the angels appear to the shepherds and say, “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased” (Luke 2:14 NLT)? Is Jesus not the Prince of Peace? What is this about? It all fits together when we see the big picture. Yes, it is true that Jesus has ultimately come to bring peace. But before there can be peace, there must be the end of war. And in a war, someone has to win, and someone has to lose. Before we become Christians, we are in a war with God. We’re opposed to Him. But when we, by His grace, come to our senses and surrender ourselves to Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. As Romans 5:1 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (NLT). Where we once were divided from God, we now have peace with God. Yet Jesus said He came “not to bring peace, but a sword.” And this is a double-edged sword. Though it’s true that it cuts, it also gives life. What initially wounds ultimately heals, much like a surgeon with a scalpel. We don’t feel the pain of the surgeon’s scalpel until the anesthesia wears off. But when we realize our life was prolonged because of surgery, we recognize that what temporarily caused us pain ultimately extended our lives. In the same way, Jesus comes with a sword. Yes, it brings temporary pain when we realize that we’re separated from God. But what temporarily causes pain ultimately brings eternal life. The same is true when you’re seeking to live a godly life and it causes division in your family. Don’t lament. Instead, think of it this way: It’s better to temporarily offend someone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ with a convicting message of the gospel and see them ultimately come to faith than to never offend them in any way and see them go into a Christless eternity. Now, we shouldn’t unnecessarily offend family members with our witness. Sometimes this happens, especially with believers who are very new in the faith. They lack something called tact, and they’re persecuted not because of their faith but because they’re obnoxious. We must also remember that if we’re going to be true disciples, it may bring temporary division. It may even cause temporary pain. But ultimately it could bring the greatest harmony of all. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 9/3/24 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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