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Jesus’ Promise: The Rapture Is A Biblical Event And Good News For Weary Saints – By Jonathan Brentner - https://harbingersdaily.com/jesus-promise-the-rapture-is-a-biblical-event-and-good-news-for-weary-saints/
As high watch times come and go, weary saints sometimes ask, “How much longer, Lord? Why not now?” The convergence of signs gets our hopes up; this must surely be the season (and it surely is). But still we wait with the assurance that at some point, the Lord will reward our patience (2 Timothy 4:8). It feels like the Tribulation is so close we can almost reach out and touch it. Some speculate that it has already begun because they see so many of the conditions described in Revelation 6:1-8. These, however, are mere precursors to a time that will be far, far worse than anything we currently see. They are the Lord’s way of warning people of what lies ahead. At times like these, the words of Scripture bring the most comfort to me and I suspect they do the same for you. We endure because the words on the pages of our Bibles ring out with the good news that Jesus will take us home to glory before the start of the Tribulation. Let me explain why I’m so confident of this hope. The Rapture Is A Biblical Event The Rapture is biblical event. The late Dr. Ed Hindson, former professor at Liberty University, Bible scholar, and author put it this way: If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, ‘There’s never going to be a rapture.’ No, there must be a rapture or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture. We also find references to this same event in John 14:2-3, 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, Philippians 3:20-21, Romans 8:23-25, Titus 2:11-14, John 3:2-3, and Colossians 3:4. Putting these passage together, we have a chain of events that describe Jesus’ appearing during which time He raises the “dead in Christ,” catches believers that are alive to meet Him in the air, and gives all His saints immortal resurrection bodies. If the words of Scripture mean what the author intended, there must be a time when Jesus comes for His Church as described by both Jesus and the apostles. However, this alone doesn’t tell us the timing of the Rapture in respect to the Tribulation. For that, we must dig deeper. The Rapture Is A Unique Event When we compare Bible passages that describe the Rapture with those of the Second Coming, we recognize that they cannot be the same event. Our “blessed hope” is a unique event that must happen at a time before Jesus’ return to earth at the end of the Tribulation. The many differences tell us they must be separate events. I list a few of those below. At Jesus’ appearing, He raises the “dead in Christ” first (1 Thessalonians 4:16). When Jesus returns, the resurrection of the Tribulation saints occurs after several other events (Revelation 19:17-20:4); it likely happens several days later. The timing of the resurrection alone makes the Rapture unique. The participants in the resurrection are also different. At the Second Coming, Jesus only raises a specific group of believers, but with the Rapture He raises all the “dead in Christ” before catching us up in the air with glorified bodies. In addition, the two events must be separated by a period of time in order for believers to enter the Millennium in their natural bodies. A sizeable gap in time must exist after the Rapture for those left behind to come to faith in Jesus and survive until He returns. Imminency In Philippians 3:20–21, Paul wrote: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” The Greek word for “await” in verse 20 points to an “intense anticipation” or an “excited expectation” of a future event. Luke used the same Greek word for “await” in Acts 17:16 to describe Paul’s restless “waiting” in Athens for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him. After the apostle’s distressing experiences in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, we know he intently watched and longed for a reunion with his fellow laborers. This is the same passionate yearning of the soul with which the apostle characterizes the waiting of the Philippians for the Lord’s appearing. Such an eager anticipation of the Rapture only makes sense if it can happen at any moment. Expectations Why did the Thessalonian saints grieve for members of their church that had died (1 Thessalonians 4:13)? If it had been a matter of doubting their resurrection with immortal bodies, the response of Paul would have been similar to that in 1 Corinthians 15 where he addressed that topic. Instead, the apostle emphasized the prominence of the “dead in Christ” in the Rapture. The Thessalonians grieved because they believed their loved ones would miss out on Jesus’ appearing. Not only was there a sense of imminency regarding meeting Jesus in the air, but they believed it could happen during their lifetime and felt despondent for those they thought would miss it. Surprise In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, Paul wrote that the “sudden destruction” of the “day of the Lord” would come as a surprise to people; it will arrive when many are saying “There is peace and security.” The “Day of the Lord” is an Old Testament term for a time when God pours out His wrath on the entire world. About 45 years after the apostle wrote to the Thessalonians, the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation in which he described the judgments of this time in greater detail (see chapters 6-18). Since we know that this day will begin as a surprise, when in the series of seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments is that most likely to happen? For it to come without any warning, it must start before the seals bring death to nearly two billion people. And that’s exactly what the Lord promises us through the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” The “wrath” is that of the “Day of the Lord,” which includes the entire Tribulation. The Rapture must happen before the start of the Tribulation. Jesus’ Promise Jesus made this remarkable promise to the church at Philadelphia: Revelation 3:10 KJV – “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Let’s explore Jesus’ promise to see how it relates to our hope of placing the Rapture before the start of the Tribulation. What is the “hour of trial?” We first see that it impacts the “whole world,” which identifies it as something far different than what would impact the local church at Philadelphia. “The period of distress that John describes in Revelation 6–18 fits especially well with the coming “hour of trial” that Jesus refers to in Revelation 3:10.” Next, we notice that this “hour of trial” is specifically for “those who dwell on the earth.” Looking at how John uses this expression later in Revelation, we see that the description either refers to either people impacted by the Tribulation or to those refusing to repent of their sins during that time (Rev. 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8–12, 14; 14:6; 17:8). Jesus confirms His promise to keep us out of this time with His words in Revelation 3:11a, “I am coming soon.” (The Greek word for “soon” more accurately denotes an event that takes place “quickly” such as the Rapture.) The Church’s Absence Evidence of the Church’s absence during the Tribulation is seen in the fact that John never mentions it during his eyewitness account of the judgments that hit the earth (Revelation, chapters 6-18). Why would a book addressed specifically to seven churches not mention them in its description of the Lord’s wrath on the earth if they were meant to endure it? Perhaps even more significant is the presence of other witnesses during this time. If the Church is still present on the earth with the task of proclaiming the Gospel, why does God place two witnesses in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1–13)? In Revelation 14:6–7, John writes about an angel who will share the good news of salvation during the time of the Tribulation. If the Church was still present on the earth, why is this necessary? The 144,000 Jews whom God will “seal” or protect as the world experiences God’s wrath (Revelation 7:1–8) will act as evangelists. Besides the fact that this is now the task of the church, this setting apart would contradict what we read about it in the New Testament. In Colossians 3:11, Paul wrote about the Body of Christ: “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” In the current church age, it’s impossible to have a group of Jewish men that are distinct from the Church. This can only happen after Jesus removes us from the earth. Church History We must base our belief in the Rapture on the words of Scripture; this is the apostolic faith that we have in our hands, our Bibles. I refer to church history below only to point out a couple errors that the scoffers repeatedly make in attacking the Rapture. First, please know that Bible teachers during the past two centuries didn’t create a new doctrine, but simply applied the word “Rapture” to an event thoroughly described on the pages of the New Testament. In the words of Ed Hindson, “. . .there must be a rapture or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).” Second, contrary to what the scoffers claim, many writers in the early centuries of the church believed that Jesus would come for His saints before a time of extended tribulation on the earth. In AD 180, esteemed early church theologian, Irenaeus wrote the following in Against Heresies, Book 5, Chapter 29: And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be Tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.” Irenaeus used the same Greek word for “caught up,” harpazo, that Paul used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 for the Lord catching up living believers to meet Him in the air. Irenaeus placed this event ahead of the time of “tribulation” that Jesus referred to in Matthew 24:21. In my book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times. I cite several other references from early church history demonstrating a belief in what we today refer to as the Rapture. Sanctified Groaning The biblical basis for the pre-Tribulation Rapture is rock-solid because it’s based on the words of the New Testament. We know Jesus is coming for us before the start of the seven-year Tribulation. It’s difficult to wait amid personal pain, the wickedness all around us, and our awareness that a much, much better day awaits us once the trumpet sounds. Jesus could come for us today, but it’s also true we might need to wait while the world grows darker and more foreboding for us. Two times, Paul refers to our groaning ahead of the receipt of our immortal bodies (Romans 8:23-25; 2 Corinthians 5:4-5). It’s rather doubtful that the apostle was referring to complaining. The Greek word depicts a sighing because of grief and can even denote a quick inward prayer in the midst of discomfort. Jesus is coming for us soon and it can happen at any moment. In the meantime, we look up knowing that the completion of our redemption is ever so close. In the meantime, perhaps a little sanctified groaning is appropriate as we compare our current circumstances to the overwhelming joy that awaits us when Jesus appears. The good news is that we have a sure hope of immortal bodies and meeting our Savior in the air and it will happen suddenly, perhaps in the near future. Extraordinary End-time Birth Pangs - By Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/09/20/extraordinary-end-time-birth-pangs-by-todd-strandberg/ In recent days, there have been several dozen end-time warning signs that show we are getting very close to the tribulation hour. One of the greatest dangers is for us to become desensitized to them. Lately, some birth pangs need to be given special recognition for their rarity and magnitude. Firestorm in Lahaina, Hawaii It has been a little over a month after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century leveled the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii. Governor Josh Green said that the number of missing has dropped to 66, the confirmed death toll remains at 115, and authorities will soon escort residents on visits to their property. The firestorm was the result of three key ingredients: the area was suffering from drought conditions, there was a strong high-pressure area to the North, and a strong cyclone in the south of the island. The resulting 90 mph wind sent flames through the area like a blow torch. Fires in Eastern Canada I lived in Nebraska and Iowa for over 40 years of my life. I don’t ever recall smoke coming down from Canada to blanket the two states. Normally eastern Canada is too wet and cold to allow for massive fires. A record-breaking 59,000 square miles have burned across Canada this year, forcing nearly 1 out of every 200 Canadians to evacuate their homes and smothering vast parts of North America in choking smoke. There’s no let-up in sight for Canada’s worst wildfire season. In the previous two years, the U.S. had its worst seasons for forest fires. “The increase in intensity, that’s what worries me the most,” Flanigan says. At home in Kamloops, British Columbia, he coughs as smoky air from local fires wafts through the room. “Having that increase in intensity means we’re seeing more fires we cannot manage with direct attack. Just about 3 of Canada’s fires—usually the most intense ones—cause nearly all the damage,” Flannigan points out. My current home state of Arkansas has escaped the clouds of smoke. We did not escape 2023 without suffering our own birth pang. Little Rock was hit by a monstrous tornado. Morocco Earthquake A magnitude 7.2 quake, Morocco’s deadliest in more than 60 years, struck in the High Atlas mountains late on Friday night. The death count currently stands at 3,000. The ground shaking associated with the earthquake resulted in the total collapse of many dwellings near its epicenter, a great number of which were traditional mud brick constructions. Rockfalls and landslides have buried villages in the remote, mountainous region. About a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that several months had passed without the occurrence of a major quake with a large loss of life. I was not surprised by the news of the Morocco Earthquake. If you live in an earthquake zone, you need to stay prayed up. The next quake-related birth pang could easily involve you. The Libya Floods After sweeping Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria with severe flooding that killed more than 20 people, it formed into a “medicine” over the Mediterranean – a relatively rare type of storm with similar characteristics to hurricanes and typhoons. Storm Daniel was the deadliest and costliest Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone ever recorded, as well as the deadliest cyclone worldwide since Cyclone Nargis in 2008. The current death count is around 11,000, and it may quickly rise to over 20,000. Many bodies that are deeply buried or have been washed out to sea may never be recovered. Some areas received as much as 16 inches of rain in less than 24 hours. In a normal year, their annual rainfall would only be 2 inches. One of the hardest-hit areas is the coastal city of Derna, which had entire neighborhoods swept away by a giant wall of water. I’ve seen many floods in desert locations, but I’ve never seen a video of even the ground being washed away. Southern Lebanon Powder Keg Israel’s U.N. Ambassador has described, “The Middle East is a Powder Keg.” The terrorist group Hezbollah has around 250,000 rockets aimed at the Jewish state. The Israel National News website reported that “Israel’s defense establishment is preparing for the worst-case scenario during a war on the northern border, which would include days-long blackouts, hundreds dead, and thousands wounded.” Israel faces potentially thousands of rockets fired against her on the first day, with as many as 6,000 rockets coming in on the first few days. As time progresses, the number would drop to “about only 1,500 to 2,000 rockets a day.” In recent months, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile toward Israel and allowed Hamas, another internationally designated terror group, to launch more than 30 rockets at Israel from Hezbollah-controlled territory. Israel has bombed areas around the Damascus airport 28 times this year. Only the staying hand of God can explain why a massive war has not erupted in the region. Earth has become a world that is so dangerous, evil, and crazy that I now only see myself as a visitor. It is frustrating that we don’t have a date for when our Lord is coming for us. Knowing that heaven is a much better place gives me the strength to endure the wait. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
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DONATE HERE Your can also mail your support to: Prophecy Update PO Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384 This Is The Worst Global Food Crisis In Modern History, And It Is About To Go To An Entirely New Level - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/this-is-the-worst-global-food-crisis-in-modern-history-and-it-is-about-to-go-to-an-entirely-new-level/ Hundreds of millions of people are desperately hungry all over the world, and by the time you are done reading this article more children will starve to death. Earlier this year, CNN actually admitted that we are in the midst of “the worst food crisis in modern history”, but because the mainstream media rarely features images of the tremendous suffering on the other side of the globe most Americans don’t even know that it is happening. Here in the western world, the primary way that the global food crisis is manifesting is through significantly higher prices at the grocery store. Those higher prices are certainly painful, but we can deal with that. But when you don’t have enough food to feed your family on a consistent basis, that really is a nightmare scenario. According to the official UN website, 735 million people were in a “state of chronic hunger” last year… By 2022, approximately 735 million people – or 9.2% of the world’s population – found themselves in a state of chronic hunger – a staggering rise compared to 2019. This data underscores the severity of the situation, revealing a growing crisis. In addition, an estimated 2.4 billion people faced moderate to severe food insecurity in 2022. This classification signifies their lack of access to sufficient nourishment. This number escalated by an alarming 391 million people compared to 2019. The persistent surge in hunger and food insecurity, fueled by a complex interplay of factors, demands immediate attention and coordinated global efforts to alleviate this critical humanitarian challenge. We have never seen numbers like this before. And the final numbers for 2023 will inevitably be even higher, because crops are failing all over the planet. For example, this has been a catastrophic year for rice crops in India… Satish Kumar sits in front of his submerged rice paddy in India’s Haryana state, looking despairingly at his ruined crops. “I’ve suffered a tremendous loss,” said the third generation farmer, who relies solely on growing the grain to feed his young family. “I will not be able to grow anything until November.” The newly planted saplings have been underwater since July after torrential rain battered northern India, with landslides and flash floods sweeping through the region. The government of India responded to this crisis by banning the export of non-basmati white rice, but this has created a massive problem for the dozens of countries that rely on rice exports from India… Last month, India, which is the world’s largest exporter of rice, announced a ban on exporting non-basmati white rice in a bid to calm rising prices at home and ensure food security. India then followed with more restrictions on its rice exports, including a 20% duty on exports of parboiled rice. The move has triggered fears of global food inflation, hurt the livelihoods of some farmers and prompted several rice-dependent countries to seek urgent exemptions from the ban. More than three billion people worldwide rely on rice as a staple food and India contributed to about 40% of global rice exports. Please read that last sentence again. Without rice exports from India, the number of people that starve in poor countries in Africa and the Middle East will soar. Some impoverished nations are literally begging India to start exporting non-basmati white rice again, but so far the government of India is not budging. So the price of rice has been surging all over the world, and supplies are getting tighter and tighter. Let me ask you a question. What would you do if your child was wasting away from malnutrition right in front of your eyes? In Somalia, that is actually happening to half of all children under the age of five… In Somalia, families are currently facing a catastrophic food crisis. This is the result of a severe and prolonged drought and decades of conflict that have destroyed crop production and made it almost impossible for herders to find food for their animals. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable are children, with 50% of children under five in the country experiencing acute malnutrition. Here in the western world, our children are not starving. So we should be thankful for that. But the lines at our food banks are getting longer. Here is an example from the state of Ohio… Kam McKenzie, SNAP outreach manager for the food bank, said the Liberty Street pantry is seeing 940 more families per month since the end of February, when COVID-era SNAP benefits were halted. “So now we’re averaging maybe a little over 300 families a day coming into our Liberty Street pantry to shop for groceries,” said McKenzie. Based on the amount of food given out by Freestore, she estimated the demand on the pantry is up 27% compared to June of 2022. And we are experiencing problems with our crops too. In the middle of the country, seemingly endless drought conditions have greatly affected corn crops this year… Lack of rain has hit crops hard: In Missouri, for example, 40% of the state’s corn crop was classified as poor or very poor, according to the drought monitor. Iowa, the nation’s top corn producer, is in the midst of its worst drought in a decade with about 80% of the state in some measure of drought. Prolonged drought has even reached the banks of Lake Superior: Parts of Wisconsin have the most severe drought designation for the first time since the 1999 inception of the U.S. Drought Monitor, said Dennis Todey, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Midwest Climate Hub. “It’s the severity of the drought and the length of the drought that are causing some confounding issues right now,” he said. Unfortunately, we are still only in the very early stages of this new global food crisis. Multiple long-term trends will combine to make it impossible for us to feed everyone on the planet in the years ahead. Our politicians know this, but they are being very quiet about our rapidly growing food crisis because they don’t want to alarm the general population. But there will be no escape. Hundreds of millions will not have enough food to eat tonight, and it won’t be too long before the number of people that are facing chronic hunger exceeds a billion. Choosing Christ - Nathele Graham - [email protected] Christians live a double life, but we aren’t to be double minded. Physically we are in a world filled with sin, temptation, and evil. Old friends tempt us to return to old ways, but since coming to faith in Christ, the old ways must be put away and we need to concentrate on our true Home. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8. Temptations will happen as long as we live on this side of Heaven. It’s important that we willingly stay away from the things that tempt us to sin. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:7-8, Every Christian has a past, and temptation can easily pull us back into worldly ways. Satan doesn’t want you to draw close to God. If you do, you may influence your friends to do the same. Old friends and unbelievers around us don’t know, nor do they really care, that we’re trying to please God instead of people. They may mock us and think we’re acting strange when we reject old sinful lifestyles, but we must please God and be an example to the people around us. We are also an example to fellow Christians. If a babe in Christ sees you embracing sin, getting angry, and generally dishonoring God, then that person may think it’s just fine to sin as long as you profess to be a Christian. God will forgive, but true repentance will change your mind about sinning so temptations will lose their power over you. We have to live in this world until God decides to take us Home, but living in the world is different than living like the world. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2. Christians need to live for Christ, not for the world. If we allow ourselves to be influenced by the old lifestyles we should have left behind, we can get very frustrated. It’s a choice we make daily. Actually, it’s a minute-by-minute choice. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4. When you surround yourself with true Christian friends, it’s much easier to stay on the strait path that pleases God. Old friends may tempt you to return to old habits of behavior, but that’s not the way to find true joy in life. When you go to work each day, the same co-workers who you have known before you met Jesus are there and expect you to be the same as you always were. Do you join in on the office gossip, or do you choose to pray for the people that the gossip is hurting? Which choice would Jesus want you to make? When you go home at night, do you choose to sit and watch television to “unwind” or do you spend time with your family? You are the example for your children to follow. They’ve been under the influence of secular teachings all day, and you need to lead them to follow Jesus. Instead of television, why not have a family Bible study. This will strengthen your own faith, and that of your family. Christians are ambassadors of Christ to this fallen world. An ambassador represents his nation in a foreign land. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20. That’s a great responsibility, but Jesus will help us if we allow it. The Holy Spirit is sealed within us from the very moment we truly believe, and if we listen to Him, we will be better fit to resist temptation. The Holy Spirit will never lead you away from God’s truth. If you “feel” as if you should do something for Christ, like witness to a friend about what Jesus has done for you, then that prompting is from the Holy Spirit. Don’t let fear stifle the voice of God working in you. “Quench not the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19. On the other hand, if you “feel” you need to angrily chastise someone, or get even with them for a wrong they may have done to you, that isn’t the voice of God. We are supposed to pray for our enemies, and show God’s grace and mercy in our actions. Is that easy to do? Not at first, but with God’s help it gets easier. A good way to learn to forgive wrongs done to you, is to think of what Christ sacrificed for your redemption. Think of the wrongs He suffered. We all sin, and need to humbly ask forgiveness. If we want God to forgive our sins, then we must forgive others. “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.” Luke 11:4. If you study your Bible rather than sit in front of the television, you’ll clearly see that God says we are to forgive others. We need to model our actions after Jesus, and remember what He did for us on the cross. Sin comes very easy for most of us. A little “white lie” doesn’t seem so bad, but God sees sin in a much different way than people do. God says that even our thoughts are sinful. “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28. The Apostle Paul wrote to the congregation in Corinth to encourage them to turn from the sin that was being brought in to their midst. He knew that actions begin as thoughts, so we need to control our thoughts. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds:) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Unless you give your thoughts to God, sin will take control of your thoughts. Be sure to keep an active prayer life and talk to God about your sin. Ask Him help you control your thoughts and actions. Humbly ask Him to forgive you when you sin. He will always forgive, but you need to earnestly repent and turn from sin. Many people get mad at God and say “Why should I trust God. What has He ever done for me”. That’s a question that comes from pure ignorance. Instead of believing God’s truth, many people seem to go out of their way to believe some pretty ridiculous ideas. For instance, some think we die then come back over and over again until we get it right. Maybe we come back as a bug, or a mouse. I wonder what standard of perfection is required and who determines it. There are some who think that we were planted here by aliens from a distant planet. People will come up with many fables in order to avoid truth. God created everything. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:1-4. Why is that truth so hard to accept? Our sin separates us from God, but that’s not what God wants. He wants us to be with Him for eternity. We cannot work for eternal life, but we must have faith in Jesus. Faith in who He was and what He did. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. Remember that God took on human form and gave His life so by faith we can live eternally with Him. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18. Don’t misplace your faith. Believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you’re one who wants to know what God has done for you, you need to also ask “What has the World done for me lately?” In the world you have death, disputes with people, trouble, illness, and no hope. Faith in Jesus doesn’t take the troubles away, but through Christ there is hope beyond this life. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Jesus entered His creation because of His perfect love for us. Jesus chose to step down from the glory of the Heavenly Realm, and live in this fallen world because He loves us. He was fully God. He had to be God in order for His blood to be untainted by sin that began with Adam. We are redeemed by His blood. He was also fully human. His mother was a mere human just like any other woman. Her blessing came because she was obedient to God in spite of what it would cost her, but still she was just a human. That meant Jesus was human and a kinsman to all humanity, no matter what color your skin, or size of your bank account. His pure blood was shed to take away the sin that has condemned everyone since Adam chose to sin. John the Baptist described Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. If you reject Jesus, then you condemn yourself to Hell. Time is quickly slipping away. Each day that passes is one step closer to eternity. The soul lives forever in either Heaven or Hell. Either you will die and pass from this mortal life, or the Rapture will happen and you will either be taken to be with Jesus, or you will be left to face Hell on earth. The signs are showing us that the Rapture could happen at any moment. Make your choice to choose Christ today. God doesn’t want anybody to spend eternity in Hell, and He provided the only way for eternal life…choosing Christ today is a must. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com Daily Jot: Pushed into a corner - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Those who hold to a Judeo-Christian worldview are being pushed into a corner. Biblical values are increasingly being characterized as racist, bigoted, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, misogynist, climate deniers, election deniers, and just plain hate-filled. Whatever the topic, if there is a biblical worldview discussed, it is labeled as something detrimental to society. More and more, the biblical worldview is being pushed into a corner. Bank accounts of Christian organizations are being closed by big banks because the banks don’t agree with pro-life stances or that homosexuality is sin. False narratives are being pushed about Christians settling this country to proliferate slavery. It just never ends. If you are a parent concerned about public school-sanctioned sexual predation on your children, you are labeled homophobic or transphobic. The public schools should be allowed to teach, groom, and recruit your child into a lifestyle that has the highest suicide rate in the country, and you are a hatemonger if you don’t comply with it. Never mind that the inerrant and infallible Word of God tells us in many places that these sexual practices are an abomination. They say Christians are haters because they just don’t understand that suppressing perceived gender rather than promoting birth gender is what really causes suicidal thoughts. Parents are being pushed into a corner where the immoral assume they are holding the high ground. Even the Biden Administration is trying to paint these parents as domestic terrorists. The news media goes after Christians at every turn. As an example, The Media Research Center reported September 7 that MSNBC Guest Robert Jones went on “The Reid Out” and called Christianity a religion that justifies slavery and genocide. Jones was claiming that the Catholic church’s “Discovery Doctrine” from the “highest power of the Christian church” in the 1400s empowered Christians to “occupy, conquer, kill, steal” and put people in “perpetual slavery.” Host Joy Reid agreed and stated that this document motivated the landing on American shores and is still practiced today. This is just false. The Pilgrims, for example, recognized the evil in these doctrines, separated themselves from it and were escaping religious persecution in Europe. There is nothing in their documents that justifies slavery and genocide—quite the opposite. Any “Christian” doctrine—implied or otherwise–that would justify stealing, killing, enslaving, and that non-Christians have no human rights is a doctrine of satan. God is the God of freedom. As is written in Galatians 3:28,”There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” When we are to preach the gospel to all creatures, these precepts must convey to all. Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” Using what evil men did in the name of Christ to paint all Christians with the same brush is wrong. Those who mock God and believe that the biblical worldview is hateful are pushing good people into a corner unjustly. The question is, how are we going to stand? Daily Devotion: Worse Than Before - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. —2 Peter 2:20 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/worse-than-before/ - Listen When we’re sharing the gospel with our friends and family, we must always remember to pray, because a spiritual battle is raging. Once Satan has taken hold of a life, he does not want to let go. So when he sees people making advances toward Jesus Christ, he will do everything in his power to stop them. And he’s always on duty. The Bible warns, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NLT). In the parable of the sower, Jesus described the seed of God’s Word being scattered on the ground, which represented human hearts. He said, “The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long” (Mark 4:15–17 NLT). Sometimes people say they have become Christians, but in a month or two, they return to their old ways. They claim they “tried” Christianity but it didn’t work for them. No, they never really found Christ. Because if they really knew Him, they wouldn’t go back to their former way of life. They went through the motions, but Christ never really became part of their lives. It just may be that many of the people who claim to have been converted never have been converted at all. And often they end up worse than they were before. Jesus said, “When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe—until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings” (Luke 11:21–22 NLT). The strong man Jesus was speaking of is Satan. He gets a foothold in a person’s life, and he wants to guard his investment. And all the religion and rituals in the world won’t drive out a demon power. There is only one hope, and that is when “someone even stronger” comes in, according to Luke’s Gospel. That Someone, of course, is Jesus Christ. We need His help. When people make a few moral changes, they start to feel better about themselves. They begin to trust in their own morality and the changes they’ve made. And in their smugness, they don’t think they need God. In essence, the devil has them right where he wants them. And in the end, he has a firmer foothold in their lives than he originally had. The Bible says, “And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before” (2 Peter 2:20 NLT). We must have Jesus Christ take residence in our hearts and lives, changing us from the inside out. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 9/21/23 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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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