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It’s The Fastest Growing View Of End-Times Prophecy In The Church Today, But It’s Wrong – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/8/25/3-dangers-of-regarding-the-church-as-a-kingdom
The church is the body of Christ with Jesus as its Head; it does not operate as a kingdom in this present world. And it’s most certainly not the restored kingdom of Israel. As redeemed saints, God has transferred us from Satan’s domain to His invisible kingdom (Colossians 1:13-14). This is true; we now belong to the kingdom of God. However, on earth the church functions as a body of believers with Jesus as our Chief Shepherd. The Lord never intended for His church to operate as a kingdom in this world with an aristocracy ruling over it. All the abuses of the Catholic Church that led to the Reformation stemmed directly from the errant belief that the church was a kingdom, the heir of the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament. While Reformers still rejected the restoration of Israel, their views of Scripture later caused Bible students to return to a biblical view of Jesus’ future reign, one that includes the restoration of a kingdom to Israel. Why do I bring this up now? It’s because the portrayal of the church as the kingdom replacement for Israel has reemerged and gained immense popularity during the past two decades. THE KINGDOM NOW VIEW OF FUTURE THINGS It’s likely the fastest growing view of end-times prophecy in the church today. This movement, often referred to as the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), teaches that the church will eventually gain control of the world and bring in a time of unprecedented peace, security, and prosperity during which time the church, not Jesus, will rule over the earth. As for the Lord, He will return after the reign of the church. This group goes by other names such as Dominion Theology, Third Wave, Latter Rain, and Charismatic Renewal. The NAR bases its teachings upon new revelation they claim has come through newly appointed apostles and prophets. These recent spokespersons of the church tell us that as inheritors of the kingdom promises that the Lord made to Israel, the church will prevail against the evils of this current world. They believe the church will gain control of all the structures necessary to rule over the earth. The teachings of this group not only question the sufficiency of God’s Word, but they also directly contradict what Scripture tells us about the church as well as the last days of human history. The Bible tells us that there will be a time of great tribulation on the earth before Jesus’ Second Coming and subsequent rule over the nations. It’s Jesus who defeats the kingdom of Satan and sets up His earthly rule on the throne of David. New Testament saints will reign with Jesus, not instead of Him. Click here to see my previous article recounting the many dangers of NAR theology. THE CHURCH IS GOD’S KINGDOM Many pastors and teachers see the church as Israel’s replacement, but do not go so far as to say that it will rule over the earth as do the NAR folks. This is the old amillennial view that denies a a literal understanding of Revelation 20:1-10, which describes a thousand-year reign of Jesus in-between the Tribulation and eternal state. Most of those in this camp believe that we are now in the millennium while others identify the eternal state as the reign of Christ promised in the Old Testament. Like the NAR proponents, they believe that the church has replaced Israel in God’s economy, albeit in a spiritual sense. This is replacement theology; it falsely claims that the church replaced the descendants of Jacob because they rejected their Messiah. The song Amen (Simple Gospel) by Kari Jobe sums up the beliefs of both groups that see the church as the kingdom of Israel. The following words appear later in the song: The church will arise With power and love Our cities will know The glory of God The future is bright There's nothing to fear Revival is now The Kingdom is here Even though these words proclaim NAR theology, one will find a similar sentiment in other churches that see themselves as the inheritors of the kingdom promises the Lord made to Israel. Churches of both types include Amen (Simple Gospel) in their worship services. THE DANGERS OF REGARDING THE CHURCH AS A KINGDOM I see three dangers with emphasizing that the church as a kingdom rather than the body of Christ. 1. AN UNAWARENESS THAT WE LIVE IN THE LAST DAYS Pastors that deny the prophetic significance of the miraculous reemergence of Israel typically reject all teaching that says we live in the last days of human history as we know it. They don’t see any implications in world events that point to the rapidly approaching seven-year tribulation and the fulfillment of events described in the book of Revelation. Why is this so harmful to the body of Christ? At a time when believers should increasingly let go of the things of this world in anticipation of Jesus’ imminent appearing, the message of many churches is that there’s no rush to prepare for meeting Jesus in the air. Some deny any belief in a Rapture. There’s also an apparent unawareness of the perils that abound around us and no awareness of God’s impending judgment on this lawless world. In Pete Garcia’s excellent blog post, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, he lists “nineteen existential threats to both our nation [America] and the world.” They are eye-opening to be sure. Most churches, however, behave as though all is well with the world and these threats do not exist. Entering them is like leaving a burning building and walking into Disney World. Why are pastors so quiet about the dangers of pending food shortages and the drumbeats of war that grow louder all the time? Do they somehow see the church as a bubble that’s immune to these things? Jesus may come today, but it’s also possible believers could face many and varied threats to their wellbeing and livelihood in the coming months or even in 2023. My bottom line is this: such unawareness of the perilous times in which we live leaves believers unprepared to deal with the real world that becomes more lawless and threatening each day. 2. THE LEADERSHIP SEE THEMSELVES AS AUTHORITATIVE RULERS RATHER THAN SERVANTS The mentality of overseeing a kingdom is totally different than that of shepherding a group of believers in which all are equal members of the body of Christ. In a kingdom, rulers reign with authoritarian power. However, Jesus made it clear that this was not to happen among His followers. But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. . . .” (Matthew 20:25-26) A kingdom has rulers. The Lord intended for servant-leaders to shepherd His church “with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5). I know that I struggled with pride years ago as a young pastor; I know the temptation. Should the elders of a church view themselves as those “exercising authority” over a kingdom, the functioning of body life that Paul describes in Romans 12:3-8 would go out the window. That’s why the body imagery of the church is so vital to the health of a a local body of believers; it lends importance to all the members of the body, not just to those with visible gifts that everyone recognizes. Do I think that many pastors today “lord it over” those God has called them to serve? I really do not know, but this has been my experience during the past five years as I have interreacted with many of them. 3. IT TAKES THE FOCUS AWAY FROM JESUS Teachings that exalt the church often make it, rather than Jesus, our safe refuge for the perilous times in which we live. I cannot explain how this would work on a street level because I have never heard anyone explain how the church as an organization could rise up “with power” to protect its members. Sometimes, chapter breaks occur at a most unfortunate time. Such as the case with Philippians 4 as the first verse of this chapter reveals the significance of the truths Paul wrote about in 3:20-21. It’s our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing, aka the Rapture, that enables us to “stand firm” in the Lord and not surrender ground to those that oppose us and what we believe. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. (Philippians 3:20-4:1) It’s Jesus and our hope in His imminent return that enables us to remain firm in our faith during the perilous times in which we live. The New Testament presents a clear connection between the Rapture and encouragement to remain faithful in our walk with Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 John 3:1-3; Romans 8:23-25; and of course, Philippians 3:20-4:1). This becomes all the more important as the shadows of the seven-year Tribulation grow increasingly foreboding by the day. Believers need to hear about their “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) rather than how they can have their best life now. This is why I wrote The Triumph of the Redeemed. I feel a heavy burden for those who attend churches where our “blessed hope” in Jesus’ soon appearing is either ignored, misrepresented, ridiculed, or outright denied. My desire for writing this book was to explain the biblical basis for our joyous hope and direct the attention of the saints to the many glories ahead for us, beginning with Rapture and our receipt of immortal and imperishable bodies. The preaching in churches that are watching and waiting for Jesus’ appearing stands worlds apart from pastors that see the church is the new Israel and somehow a safe haven for the saints. In the latter, there’s no recognition of the perilous times in which we live and rarely any mention of the issues that impact the people in the chairs or pews. “Do they not see what we see?” I often ask myself. Because of the passion that burns within me, I must continue to speak out against viewpoints that proclaim the church as the kingdom of Israel. I’m not sure I can endure another sermon that tells believers they will only realize their hope after they die. The message that everyone in the congregation will eventually die is not what the New Testament teaches. In fact, the Bible directly contradicts it. (Yes, I have heard pastors in Bible-believing churches say all believers will die some day.) The Bible directs our attention to Jesus and His appearing that can happen at any moment. Christ is the King that someday will sit on the throne of David. Amen!!! Until then, we glorify our Savior as a body of believers that is watching and waiting for His glorious appearing. Maranatha!! 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! Nearing Midnight: More 1,000-Year Floods – Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been hit by massive flooding. In some areas, the rainfall is a remarkable reversal given the dramatic drought that Dallas had faced for months. Several rainfall gauges had recorded more than 10 inches. A record-breaking 3.01 inches of rainfall were recorded in one hour at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The previous one-day record for rainfall in Dallas County was set in July 2004. Authorities conducted water rescues and evacuated residents from areas with ongoing flooding; cars remained abandoned, some parked on the sides of interstates, either flooded or damaged by crashes; numerous highway ramps and lanes were shut down. At the interchange of Interstates 30, 45 and 75, floodings had traffic down to a trickle in one lane. Last week’s record-setting rainfall in Dallas was called a ‘one-in-a-thousand-years event.’ Something is clearly out of whack because, in less than a month, 5 other rain events have also been classified as 1,000-year floods. Here is a list of them: Aug 7: The weather monitoring stations run by Denver’s Mile High Flood District east of downtown near the zoo measured Sunday night surged at 1.42 inches in 20 minutes, 1.3 inches in 15 minutes, and 1.76 inches in 26 minutes, National Weather Service meteorologists said. Aug 5: The driest place in North America bucked its reputation when a 1,000-year rain event dumped water onto Death Valley National Park in California. The deluge damaged miles of roadway and forced park visitors to shelter in place. NASA satellites tracked the flooding from orbit. Aug 2: Southern Illinois was drenched by 8 to 12 inches of rain in 12 hours. An area just south of Newton, Ill., recorded 14 inches of rainfall in just 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service. July 28: Rural areas of eastern Kentucky were flooded after receiving up to 14 inches of rainfall. Entire communities were wiped out. The death toll stands at around 40 people. July 26: Record-breaking rainfall caused flash flooding in the St. Louis area, trapping cars, closing roads, and causing at least one death. In the past few years, we’ve had flood events that would seem to be on a 1-in-10,000-year scale. I didn’t observe the 2018 Maryland flood that much, but I was closely watching the 2019 and 2017 floods. The Harvey floods were so bad, I asked myself how is this possible: In 2019, flooding caused devastation across the Midwest. Several states battled some of the worst floods they have ever had to experience in a lifetime. In Nebraska, every major river system in that state had record-level floods. This historic flooding was so intense that over 10 states had to seek federal disaster funds in order to recover from the damage it caused. 2018: The Maryland flood came just two years after a historic and deadly flash flood struck the region, another heavy rain brought around 8 inches in two hours to Ellicott City, Maryland, resulting in a disaster that was assessed to be much worse than the previous one. This was the second “1,000-year flood” event in two years. 2017: Hurricane Harvey affected 13 million people from Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. By October 13, 2017, at least 88 people had died from the storm. Harvey made landfall three times in six days. At its peak on September 1, 2017, one-third of Houston was underwater. Harvey caused $125 billion in damage. The term “1,000-year flood” should be considered antiquated by now because it doesn’t apply to reality. If it was true, it would warn of a rainfall event that is expected once in every 1,000 years, meaning it has just a 0.1% chance of happening in any given year. When the city of Houston said it had the third “500-year” flood in the past three years with Hurricane Harvey, something was clearly not right. I would never ever live in a flood zone. To have your house flooded is one of the most devastating experiences a person can endure. People who live near a river and are fed this 1,000-year flood nonsense will be very confused to see their yard turn into a lake. If all these floods are directly related to climate change, someone will eventually win a Nobel prize. I don’t think there is a scientific answer for the increase in floods. At best, climate change should only drop the 1,000-year floods down to 600-year events. Any meteorological factor that can explain why we are having so many devastating floods would probably predict Noah-type floods by 2050. I have always maintained that they are part of the birth pangs that Jesus warned of his return. If you are a dedicated student of Bible prophecy, you can claim to have a Ph.D. in biblical common sense. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). U.S. Food Production Just Keeps Getting Slammed By One Disaster After Another… - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/u-s-food-production-just-keeps-getting-slammed-by-one-disaster-after-another/ You have probably noticed that food prices just keep going up at the grocery store. Many people believe that this is just a temporary phenomenon, and those people would be wrong. In fact, things are really going to start going haywire when a lot of the food that is supposed to be on our store shelves in 2023 doesn’t show up. Of course the reason that food isn’t going to be there is because it isn’t being grown in 2022. This summer, food production in the United States is constantly being slammed by one disaster after another. Sadly, most Americans still don’t understand that this is going to deeply affect all of us in the months ahead. Let me start my discussion by talking about the endless drought that is scorching crops all over the western half of the nation. At this point, it is becoming clear that corn and soybean yields will be way down in 2022… Drought is shrinking crops from the US Farm Belt to China’s Yangtze River basin, ratcheting up fears of global hunger and weighing on the outlook for inflation. The latest warning flare comes out of the American Midwest, where some corn is so parched stalks are missing ears of grain and soybean pods are fewer and smaller than usual. The dismal report from the Pro Farmer Crop Tour has helped lift a gauge of grain prices back to the highest level since June. In one form or another, corn and soybeans are in thousands upon thousands of products that Americans consume on a daily basis. If the supply of corn and soybeans is way down, that means that prices will be way up. Anyone that has taken ECON 101 can figure that out. Meanwhile, the drought is also taking a devastating toll on ranchers. Many of them have been selling off their herds while they still have something to sell, and that has helped keep short-term meat prices stable. But the size of our national cattle herd just keeps getting smaller and smaller, and that is going to mean much higher beef prices in the years ahead… In response, ranchers have been forced to sell their animals early, thinning the numbers of older cows. By some estimates, US beef-producing cattle herds could be slashed by up to 20% if the ranching industry gets rid of its older, calf-producing cows. “The implications of fewer cows giving birth to calves are that over the next few years there will be higher beef prices,” said Peter Bozzo, vice president of Chef’s Warehouse, a food purveyor to high-end restaurants. Sadly, those in the western half of the nation aren’t going to get any relief any time soon. In fact, it is being reported that a sizzling heat wave will be baking the entire region throughout this week… Some of the hottest temperatures of the year are on the way for the West Coast and possibly staying dangerously hot through Labor Day as a mega heat wave builds in for the long term. More than 55 million people are currently under heat alerts from Southern California through the San Joaquin Valley and into portions of the Northwest, including 20 of the most populated cities up and down the West Coast. “Temperatures could exceed 110F in parts of the Southwest, where an excessive heat warning is currently in effect,” the Weather Prediction Center wrote. Meanwhile, we are witnessing historic flooding along the Mississippi River, and this will have a substantial impact on nearby agricultural production… Portions of central Mississippi and the lower Mississippi Delta saw more than 1 foot of rain between Aug. 21 and 25, and flash flooding will affect some agricultural commodities in these areas. At this point, nobody knows how extensive the damage is. But what we do know is that some crops that were wiped out were literally just about to be harvested… Numerous row-crop fields were saturated, and preliminary reports suggest that the crops most compromised will be early-planted cotton and soybeans that were nearly ready for harvest before the weather deteriorated. Switching gears, fish are being killed in vast numbers by an algae bloom that has suddenly erupted along the west coast. In fact, we are being told that this is the very first algae bloom that has ever been recorded in San Francisco Bay… Environmental nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper is reporting that an algae bloom is happening across the San Francisco Bay, something they believe is unprecedented in the history of the bay. Additionally, in the past week Baykeeper said it’s received an increasing number of reports of dead fish around the bay that the group suspects the algae bloom is to blame. Baykeeper reported that hundreds of dead fish were visible Sunday at the Oakland Yacht Club. On Thursday, Baykeper reported dozens of fish in the middle of the bay between Dumbarton and San Mateo bridges. Day after day, so many strange things are taking place. Why do you think this is happening? Lastly, I wanted to mention the fact that there has been yet another fire at a food production facility in the United States. This time, it was a poultry business in Montebello, California… A commercial fire burned a poultry business in Montebello Sunday afternoon. QC Poultry at 1111 W. Olympic Blvd. sustained building damage, and several commercial vehicles may also have been burned, a spokesperson for the city of Montebello said. Footage from the scene shows burn damage near the building’s windows and doors, as well as at least one unit from the Monterey Park Fire Department present to assist. As I have detailed in previous articles, in recent months there have been dozens of fires at food production facilities in the United States. But I suppose that is just another “coincidence”, eh? And all of this is happening in the context of a rapidly growing global food crisis that threatens to cause historic famines all over the world for years to come. Global leaders keep telling us that there will be food shortages in the months ahead. I am taking those warnings quite seriously, and I believe that all of you should be taking those warnings quite seriously as well. An Unmentioned Sign? - By Ed Wood - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/blog/ The Bible lists many of the signs to indicate the closing out of this age in both the Old and New Testaments. Perhaps the best presentation of them are from Jesus himself. Generally referred to as the Olivet Discourse, they can be found in Matthew 24 & 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. I’m sure most of you already knew that. Since I was very young, science has always fascinated me, particularly anything to do with outer space. This was triggered by my mother ordering a map of the solar system from the back of a hot dog wrapper – of all things! It was copyrighted in 1959 by the Rand McNally company, illustrated in rich color and along with various charts and notations. Though much of the information and the artists’ renditions of the views from various planets and moons are outdated today, it provided an early look at what was “out there.” Unfortunately, the original chart has been long gone, but I found an image of it a few years ago on the Internet and made an 8 x 11 ½ copy of it for myself which presently before me as I write this article. The 1950’s began a space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, each country trying to outdo the other. Part of it was a competition between political systems. It was the totalitarianism of Soviet communism verses the freedom of Americans had and enjoyed in the U.S. The second was based on a more realistic belief that whoever controlled the skies would ultimately control the planet. The former really wasn’t an accurate indicator of whose government was “best” as far as it concerned those living under it. It seems no one considered that Hitler’s Germany was very likely the most technologically superior nation on the planet for a time before its defeat in 1945. Truth is, the rocket technologies of the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. were greatly benefited by German rocket scientists who ended up in either country. Does that then mean that the dictatorial and brutal Nazi government was “better” than the freedom of the democratic one in America as far as quality of life for its citizens? I don’t think any clear-thinking person could possibly believe that! As for the latter, this certainly was a more realistic consideration. Any country which could successfully master the complexities of space travel could certainly use this knowledge to create a means to deliver weapons of mass destruction upon an enemy. The need to be “first and best” provided the major impetus for the push into space. Yet I suggest that the former reason, flawed as it was, was the driving force behind actually sending people up there. After all, weapons can be deployed remotely without humans actually having to launch them from a spaceship or space station. When the Soviets were the first to send Sputnik up on October 4, 1957, it shocked the free world, the United States in particular. The result from this was a retooling not only of our engineering and industrial capabilities, but of the education system as well. I was fortunate to be a part of that, and am equally saddened to see now it has it degenerated into the political football it has become today. But, let’s get back on-topic. The 1950’s and 1960’s saw an explosion of scientific and technological advances that made it possible for the first time in history for humans to live, albeit for limited periods, in a totally hostile environment just a few score of miles over their heads. Before the 1960’s such accomplishments were only achieved in the pages and movies of science fiction. By the end of that decade, American’s had gone to the moon, walked upon it, and returned safely. As I grew up in those years, the future was wide open, despite the social unrest developing in the 1960’s. Not only was envisioned a huge, rotating space station, but also permanent bases on the moon well on the way to self-sufficiency. The film 2001: A Space Odyssey is a good reflection of this mindset. (Of course, it wasn’t likely we’d encounter a super intelligent ET race out there which gave our allegedly ape-like ancestors a brain-boost and then do the same thing to Dave Bowman after pulling him into hyperspace via a star gate.) Yet how have things turned out in reality? Human missions to the moon have been impossible for decades. A big floating wheel in space has been replaced by much more modest International Space Station. China has sent up the first module of its Tianhe space station in May of 2021 and is expected to complete it this year (2022). But neither of these are even close to being self-sufficient. The big dreams of humanity not so long ago if establishing itself within decades of landing on the moon are still only themes of science fiction. Okay, by this time, I’m sure you’re wondering where all this is leading, so I’ll test your patience no further. To the best of my knowledge, the Bible indicates that the only people to escape the coming wrath of the Tribulation will be those taken away in the Rapture. This naturally leads to the conclusion that humanity will earthbound. There will be no option of riding out what’s coming off-world. Could it therefore be that the retreat of our efforts to set up independent habitations beyond Earth is actually an Unmentioned Sign of our times? What do YOU think? Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: FBI and CIA credibility - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com An August poll of 1,335 adults by Technometrica Institute of Policy and Politics (TIPP) indicated 79% of Americans believe President Donald Trump likely would have won reelection if voters had known the truth about Hunter Biden’s laptop—that it was real and not “Russian disinformation,” as intelligence officials aligned with Joe Biden falsely led the public to believe. TIPP revealed that the vast majority of those following the issue said they believe that the laptop is real, while only 11 percent still believe it was created by Russia. On October 19, 2020, 50 current and former CIA operatives wrote a public letter saying that the Hunter Biden laptop story was a Russian operation. The media believed them. Censorship followed. Technometrica President Raghavan Mayur said, “Terming the laptop ‘disinformation’ by the FBI, Intelligence Community, Congress, and the Biden campaign, along with Big Tech, impacted voters. A significant majority—78 percent—believe that access to the correct information could have been critical to their decision at the polls.” He said that in fact, 47 percent said that knowing before the election that the laptop contents were real and not “disinformation” would have changed their voting decision—including more than two-thirds (71 percent) of Democrats. The poll also found that 51 percent give the media failing grades (D or F) for their coverage of the topic of the laptop. Can anyone say “Complicit.” Enter Meta/Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who let it slip on the Joe Rogan Show that the FBI was signaling to media giants that they should be careful of information on Hunter Biden’s laptop. He said, “The background here is the FBI I think basically came to some folks on our team [and] were like, ‘Hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert. We thought that there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election, we have it on notice that basically there’s about to be some kind of dump similar to that, so just be vigilant.’” This prompted the FBI to issue a statement saying “routinely notifies U.S. private sector entities, including social media providers, of potential threat information…to help them protect their platforms and customers from abuse by foreign malign influence actors.” Translated in practical terms, this means censor information. Just the mere insinuation by the FBI that they want companies to “protect” customers from abuse by foreign actors would generate a massive censorship of anything that smacked of what the FBI was against—in this case, the Hunter Biden Laptop story. Who would want to invite the FBI or CIA wrath upon their company by carrying stories that these deep state agencies would not want them to carry? Well, these billionaire kids and leftist media were complicit in the deep state’s plan to bury the truth. And they remain so today. John 3:20 says, “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” Now the truth is coming to light. The FBI and CIA are shown to have conspired to undermine a sitting president. Those affording the CIA and FBI credibility are practicing…say it with me…Stupidocrisy. Daily Devotion: Distorting God’s Word - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ —Genesis 3:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/distorting-gods-word-2/ Listen A story is told of the comedian W. C. Fields and how, shortly before he died, he was flipping through the pages of a Bible. When asked what he was doing, Fields replied, “Looking for loopholes.” In the same way, I think the Devil has been reading the Bible for a long time, looking for loopholes. In the Garden of Eden, he twisted the Scriptures. He took God’s words to Adam, which invited him to eat from every tree in the Garden (with one exception), and he twisted them into a prohibition designed to cast doubt on God’s goodness. He said to Eve, in effect, “If God really loved you, He would let you eat from any tree you want. But because He is saying that you can’t eat from that tree, He clearly doesn’t love you.” The Devil’s first words to Eve ended in a question mark, designed to cast doubt on God’s love: Has God indeed said . . . ? He was quoting God, yet he completely twisted what God said. The same was true of Satan’s temptation of Jesus, where he said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down [from the temple]. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:6). How interesting. The Devil was quoting the Scriptures, though he left out part of the original text. Notice that with Eve, he questioned God’s Word. He didn’t deny that God had spoken; he simply questioned whether God had really said what Eve thought He had said. That is what the Devil will do with God’s Word. He will misquote it. He will mischaracterize it. And he will distort it. 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. 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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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