 TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
People That Ignore This are Doing so at their Own Peril! – Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/07/29/your-own-peril-by-daymond-duck/
Again and again, Jesus told His people to watch for the signs of His coming, but there is silence in many pulpits. Most of those in the pews are not watching, and if someone tries to alert them to what is going on, there is a big chance that they will remind us that Jesus said, “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father in heaven” (Matt. 24:36). While I do not believe that anyone knows the day and hour, I sometimes wonder if that is the only thing they know about the subject. When it comes to Matt. 24:36, there is good reason that Jesus was saying no one knows the day or hour that Heaven and earth will pass away (Matt. 24:35), not no one knows the day or the hour of His Second Coming. Concerning those that choose not to watch, it is important to remember that Jesus (He gave the Book of Revelation) said, “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Rev. 3:3). On July 16, 2023, the Assistant Editor of The Christian Post, Leah Klett, interviewed well-known pastor, author, TV preacher, and Bible prophecy expert David Jeremiah. Pastor Jeremiah urged Christians to be ready for Jesus to come for His Church (the Rapture). He talked about some of the things that Jesus told Christians to watch for, and He warned that those that are ignoring the reality of current events (signs) are doing so at their own peril. I cannot put words in Pastor Jeremiah’s mouth, but it sounds to me like he was telling Christians that there could be consequences to disobeying Jesus. Some of the consequences might be loved ones left behind, no crown of righteousness (II Tim. 4:8), fewer rewards in Heaven, embarrassment when one stands before the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Cor. 5:10), etc. It is sad that so many pastors and church members are ignoring 25-40% of the Bible, and those that are doing it are doing it at their own peril. Here are some recent signs that we could be getting close to the Rapture: One, concerning the ashes of a red heifer without spot or blemish (a requirement for cleansing priests who build or serve at a rebuilt Temple): last week, I mentioned that the Jews are building a tourist and research center at Shiloh (where the tabernacle stood for about 300 years after they returned to the Promised Land from Egypt). I mentioned that on July 16, 2023, it was reported that the Jews had moved a 22-month-old red heifer to the facility and that they would soon move two more there so visitors can view (but not touch) them. Since then, I have seen another article that said those three red heifers are pure and without blemish. If just one of them remains unblemished until early next year, it can be sacrificed, and priests can be cleansed to build and serve at the next Temple. Two, concerning a cashless society and the tracking of all buying and selling: on July 20, 2023, the U.S. Federal Reserve activated its FedNow service. The service began with about 35 banks and credit unions, and more are expected to sign up with each passing day. As I understand it, FedNow is a system that converts cash into a digital currency that can be instantly transferred electronically. According to my understanding, at this point in time, it is a voluntary system with a few nice features (fast, convenient, will not need germ-laden cash, cheaper than printing money, good for the economy, etc.) that will be promoted to get people to sign up. Those that are wondering if they should sign up for all these goodies should know that critics say FedNow is a first step to a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The next step will be to require bank customers to have a digital ID (with face scan, hand scan, or whatever), then FedNow will be replaced by a CBDC, then the government will know what any individual is buying and selling, be able to control how much they spend, control what they buy and sell, shut down or seize their bank account, etc. (This will be a major step toward the Mark of the Beast, but it is not the Mark of the Beast.) While FedNow is coming on the scene and getting banks and people to sign up, bank customers will have two options: cash or digital money. But after enough people get a digital ID, digital money will be the only option, and customers will have no choice. Next, CBDCs will be merged into a global platform or a global currency. Finally, people will be required to take the name, number (666), or Mark of the Antichrist if they want to buy and sell. Simply put, the ball has started rolling downhill toward the Mark of the Beast. The Rapture will happen a minimum of three and one-half years before society gets there. People that ignore this are doing so at their own peril. Have you got that:
(Note: I am not an expert, but I get a lot of e-mails asking, “When, etc.,” and this is my understanding. But remember that the fulfillment of Bible prophecy will get faster and faster at the end of the age, and these steps could happen very fast.) (More: Understand that we are transitioning from more than 190 sovereign nations to a one-world government. The transition went into effect with the Sustainable Development Goals on Jan. 1, 2016. The original goal was a 14-year transition—2016 to 2030—but there will be a meeting on Sept. 18-19 to try to speed it up. The five steps above are steps in that transition. Globalists thought it would be next to impossible to go from more than 190 nations to a one-world government in one day. They decided to do it in steps, and we are now more than halfway through the transition. They were also afraid that people would be more likely to riot if they tried to transition too fast. They want to ease into it as much as possible.) (My opinion: Even if the UN agrees on Sept. 18-19 to speed up the transition to a world government, it will still be a while before the Antichrist confirms it and rises to power. Why? Because Ten Kings must appear before the Antichrist appears.) Three, concerning signs in the sun and moon (Acts 2:20), it is not clear what those signs are, but on July 20, 2023, it was reported that the earth has been struck by unusually powerful eruptions on the sun over the last two months. The sun goes through cycles, and scientists were expecting an increase in solar activity in 2025 but not in 2023. The question is will the eruptions worsen between now and 2025? Just know that the Bible says there will be signs, the eruptions are unusually strong, they are early, and they are probably impacting Earth’s climate more than cows passing gas. (More: Golf ball to tennis ball-size hail broke through the roof of a Walmart store in Rice Lake, Wis., striking customers and scattering hailstones on the floor.) (More: On July 21, 2023, it was reported that more than 95 million Americans were under heat watches and warnings from Florida to California. Many records were broken, and the temperature in Phoenix, Ariz., reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more for 21 days in a row.) (More: On July 24, 2023, the water temperature at a buoy in Manatee Bay, Florida, was 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Several surrounding buoys verified this record-setting number by reporting temperatures above 99 degrees.) (Question: With record-setting temperatures in the ocean at the same time that there are powerful eruptions on the sun, why do some politicians and so-called scientists blame climate change on the cows and farmers using too much fertilizer? Are they mentally challenged, pushing an evil globalist plan, or what?) Four, concerning famine at the end of the age: on July 20-21, 2023, with millions of people near starvation in Africa, Russian missiles destroyed grain storage facilities and 60,000 tons of grain on Ukraine’s Black Sea Coast. Five, concerning the turmoil in Israel since Jan. 2023 over the Reasonableness Standards Bill that will allow the elected officials in Israel’s Knesset to overrule controversial decisions by unelected liberal judges and possibly change Israel’s future from that of a secular nation to that of a religious nation: as of July 24, 2023, key parts of the bill have passed votes in the Knesset three times, and the bill is now the law of the land. Israel will be more religious and conservative in the future than it has been in the past. (FYI: I am not saying rebuilding the Temple and resuming the animal sacrifices is a good thing, but I am saying the Word of God must be fulfilled, and this is a major step in that direction. According to Scripture, Jewish priests will rebuild the Temple, resume the animal sacrifices, the Antichrist will defile the Temple and stop the animal sacrifices at the middle of the Tribulation Period, the Jews in Judea will realize they made a mistake, flee into the wilderness, and turn to Jesus at the end of the Tribulation Period. The Reasonableness Standards Bill that just passed is a move in that direction. They must rebuild the Temple and go through the Tribulation Period before they get saved.) (My opinion: To be honest, Satan is using the issue to try to weaken and destroy Israel and prevent the Second Coming. He does not have a chance.) (More: More than a thousand pilots threatened not to show up for duty if the Reasonableness Standards Bill passed, and readers have expressed concern about the safety of Israel if the Battle of Gog and Magog broke out. Know that God is the true Defender of Israel and not the pilots. The weaker Israel is when that war takes place, the more glory He will get; Ezek. 39:1-7.) (More: There are a lot of gays in Israel that are terrified that Israel will go back under the anti-gay Law of Moses. There are many Muslims and others that are afraid that the religious Jews will demand that Israel gets all the Promised Land, and that would start a war. I believe we are watching a major shift in Israeli politics and religion.) FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6). Finally, are you Rapture Ready? If you want to be rapture ready and go to Heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. [email protected] Twelve undeniable signs globalists are engineering the end of humanity - Mike Adams - https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-07-30-undeniable-signs-globalists-engineering-end-of-humanity.html It's no longer taboo to publicly talk about depopulation. Even many who once dismissed the concept as a conspiracy theory are now publicly acknowledging the reality that global efforts are under way to drastically reduce the human population on planet Earth. Mainstream media now frequently talks about "climate lockdowns" as a good thing -- to cease human activity on planet Earth in order to "save the planet" from so-called climate change, a wholesale fabrication and fake science fraud rooted in the lie that carbon dioxide is somehow bad for life on the planet. (Without it, there would be no photosynthesis, no plants, no animals and no humans.) Now, corporate media is openly calling for climate blackouts and lockdowns, the rationing of air conditioning and possibly even banning the use of electricity to cool homes and buildings during hot weather days. This is all being positioned as necessary to save the planet, of course. The Los Angeles Times, for example, recently published a story asking whether an "occasional blackout" might "help solve climate change." As Slay News has correctly pointed out: Green agenda alarmists in the corporate media are now calling for widespread electrical grid blackouts for “the greater good” of “solving the climate crisis.” In an article from the Los Angeles Times, the establishment media outlet argues that it would be “easier and less expensive to fight climate change” if the public would “be willing to live with” blackouts. We are past the point, in other words, of the controlled corporate media saying that engineered blackouts and climate lockdowns are just a conspiracy theory -- even though NPR still claims that the push to get people to eat bugs is a conspiracy theory, not long after NPR promoted insects as the next great food source. Now, the controlled media is openly claiming that the functioning of human society will destroy the planet. Therefore, they imply, the only way to save the planet is to take down the food and energy infrastructure that keeps humanity alive. The current population of human beings on planet Earth, of course, is a function of affordable food powered by affordable, abundant energy (mostly in the form of fossil fuels). Ending this -- which is now the admitted goal of climate cultists, Democrats and the same "science" community that told us COVID vaccines were safe and effective -- will inevitably result in global depopulation of the human race. No fuel = no farms. No farms = no food. No food = no people. This is the openly admitted goal. Here, I list twelve undeniable signs that globalists are actively seeking the extermination of the human race from this planet. Note that all twelve of these signs are readily verifiable and not even mere theories. Most of these are openly bragged about by the establishment media, WEF and globalist narrative pushers who no longer even pretend that they are on the side of human sustainability or genetic integrity. They unabashedly seek the annihilation of the human race, and they only make the slightest effort to conceal that end goal by wrapping their planetary genocide agendas in the language of "climate lockdowns" or "vaccine mandates." Underneath the lies, the fake science, the rigged elections, the government-controlled censorship and the transhumanism mRNA injections, you'll find the real agenda: Planetary-scale genocide targeting the human race. Here are the twelve signs you can't miss. The twelve undeniable signs of globalist-engineered planetary genocide against the human race #1) They are terraforming the planet through planetary-scale atmospheric alterations - Large-scale efforts are under way right now to alter the chemistry of planet Earth in order to make it inhospitable to human life by removing CO2 from the atmosphere through "carbon sequestration" efforts. Since CO2 is necessary for all photosynthesis -- which drives the web of life on planet Earth -- this effort would collapse all food crops, rainforests, marine ecosystems and more, ultimately killing off virtually all animals and human beings on the planet if not stopped. Without CO2 in the atmosphere, there is essentially no recognizable life on planet Earth, and yet the entire "climate cult" machine (and nearly all Democrats, media propagandists, government regulators, globalists, etc.) are at war with CO2 and are trying to completely eliminate it from Earth's atmosphere. 2) The biometric inventory of the human race (WorldCoin) has begun, and all humans will be “inventoried” so that globalists can properly track their depopulation milestones - The WorldCoin effort to scan everyone's eyeballs and create an encryption key based on their biometrics is actually a "human inventory" scheme to digitally record all the human beings known to exist on the planet. This step is necessary to track human depopulation milestones and identify anyone who has not been inventoried by the system... "Unscannable!" from Idiocracy, in other words. 3) They've given up on educating young people to be prepared for a productive future - Notice that government-run schools no longer teach anything resembling practical skills, independent thinking or even basic knowledge needed to carry out jobs in a productive society. This is because there is no plan to deploy the younger generations of human beings in any productive activity whatsoever. The plan is to exterminate them, and when you are planning to exterminate a population, you don't need to bother teaching them skills or knowledge. The abandonment of education -- a scheme now fully endorsed by teachers' unions, by the way -- is a proxy for the abandonment of any hope in the future of the human race. 4) Controlled demolition of energy infrastructure that drives human economies - As discussed above, the planned take down of the energy infrastructure is engineered to cause both economic collapse and food scarcity leading to mass starvation. Without affordable, abundant energy, no civilization can thrive. As energy is deliberately cut off, civilizations implode and die. Even though we live in a world with abundant energy, the fascist governments of the world -- i.e. western nations like the USA, Canada, Germany, etc. -- are prohibiting access to that energy on purpose. The outcome of this is not in question: The collapse of western civilization. 5) Governments are funding, developing and deploying anti-human genetic bioweapons - As if engineered starvation and economic collapse weren't enough by themselves, western governments like the United States of America are continuing to fund genetic bioweapons that target the human race. The spike protein is one such weapon, and it was engineered into both the covid plandemic and the mRNA vaccines which are designed to maim and kill as many human beings as possible. The US Dept. of Defense is the instigator of these bioweapons, and they have a long history of running illegal bioweapons laboratories in countries like Ukraine (and various African nations as well) while actively developing self-replicating bioweapons which feature ethnic targeting based on genetic differences in biology. 6) There is a coordinated, global effort to destroy seed diversity and make crops unable to reproduce - To make sure that free people can't grow their own food, a global effort is also under way to control the seed supply and to collapse seed diversity while transitioning agriculture to toxic, genetically engineered seeds that grow crops which synthesize pesticide chemicals right into the crop itself (such as with GM corn). Seed giants like Monsanto (now Bayer) have bought up many smaller seed suppliers over the years, wiping out seed diversity and nearly monopolizing the agricultural supply chain for crop production. This centralization of food production into the hands of a few, powerful corporations is one of the necessary steps to weaponizing food scarcity and using engineered famine as a tool for social control and mass compliance with government demands. 7) Rapid rollout of automation robots to replace blue collar workers and transport drivers - Laborers are about to be made obsolete, thanks to a slew of automation robots that are about to be unleashed into the workforce. Warehouse workers will soon be replaced by bipedal warehouse robots that can handle nearly all the same tasks, and commercial drivers (who work for UPS, Fedex, USPS and various trucking companies) will soon find themselves obsolete and out of work. In agriculture, it won't be long before crop-picking robots replace the migrant laborers, and even in construction, robots will gradually take over many tasks currently handled by humans. 8) Rise of AI systems to replace white-collar workers: Journalists, artists, coders, writers and more - If you thought your job was safe because you're a white collar workers, think again: Regenerative AI systems like ChatGPT are on the move and will soon replace journalists, writers, coders, business managers and much more. This is especially true if you are carrying out a job in a routine way, requiring very little innovation or original thought (i.e. you work as a script-reading propagandist for CNN or the Washington Post). It's easy to see that AI will replace NPCs very easily, in other words. (Non-Player Characters, meaning people who just follow scripts and have no original ideas.) 9) The CDC is rolling recommendations for annual covid injections until you die - The new CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen is of course an obedient pharma shill. According to The Blaze, she plans to push for annual COVID shots just like annual flu shots -- neither of which are effective, by the way. From that story: "We're just on the precipice of that, so I don’t want to get ahead of where our scientists are here and doing that evaluation work, but yes, we anticipate that COVID will become similar to flu shots, where it is going to be you get your annual flu shot and you get your annual COVID shot.... That's where we're going to," she continued, and added, "We're not quite there yet." So she's already decided that annual COVID shots will be approved, even before the scientists have concluded anything on it. As with everything else at the CDC, the politics of Big Pharma drive the science, and Big Pharma's politics are all determined by profit. So of course annual mRNA injections will do wonders for Big Pharma's bottom line, and whatever people are oblivious enough to allow themselves to be injected with these experimental jabs will accelerate their trajectory into an early grave. 10) Geoengineering-driven global famine to unleash mass starvation - While we already covered CO2 sequestration and terraforming operations above, this point refers to geoengineering weather control that guides water mass dispersion to produce flood, droughts, storms or anything else that can damage crops and cause widespread food scarcity and food inflation. 11) Infertility chemicals are being placed in the food supply (atrazine, glyphosate, hormone disruptors) to reduce population sustainability - It's true that atrazine, the No. 2 most common herbicide in our food supply, is a chemical castrator that "turns the frogs gay." In doing so, it also causes loss of reproductive viability, leading to population reduction. We currently test for atrazine in our mass spec food science laboratory, and we can confirm that we are seeing atrazine in the human food supply. We also test for glyphosate and heavy metals, among other things, and we see a lot of contamination of the food supply chain. 12) Globalists are preparing to initiate the end of debt-based economics that have driven cheap food and affordable growth of human populations - Cheap food comes from cheap energy. Cheap energy is easier to come by when you have cheap money... i.e. artificially low interest rates and lots of money printing stimulus to prop up a zombie economy. The economics of MMT (Magical Monetary Theory, where delusional economists thinking money can be printed to oblivion without causing any problems) are disastrous in the long run, and when the global debt pyramid of US dollar debt comes to an end, it will unleash a black hole-like monetary vortex that will destroy businesses, wealth and entire economies in record time. This global fiat currency "rug pull" is all being engineered and timed for maximum destructive impact, and it is drawing closer by the day. Soon, globalist banks will ditch dollars and call for a global switch to a CBDC system where they can surveil and control all your income sources and expenditures. Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
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The Lucifer Syndrome – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2023/07/30/the-lucifer-syndrome/ It is the thing termed “iniquity” that bends our finite minds beyond understanding, the infinite mystery that makes one ask: How can a God whose every facet is framed by perfection have allowed such a thing as iniquity to exist? That mystery brought into the world sin, thus death and all the subsequent evil involved in the separation of people from their Creator. Iniquity is on the rise in this world now, operating as powerfully as it did when it engendered rebellion in the Garden of Eden and during antediluvian times. The introduction of its appearance is found in the following: Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (Ezekiel 28:14–16) God’s Word further chronicles the effects of iniquity upon the once-magnificent created being called Lucifer: How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:12–14) Throughout the eons, this creature–perhaps the most glorious of all creatures before God made humans in His own image—has infected all of the created order we’re aware of. Iniquity runs rampant amongst the globalist, would-be gods–the human minions within the “powers and principalities” of Ephesians 6:12. These, under Lucifer’s (Satan’s) guidance, are striving with all the wealth and power they have to, like that old serpent himself, usurp God’s authority. They’re attempting to change God’s order of things at every turn. They are at the center of the rebellion found within the entities that want to change the biological order—i.e., they say a person can be the gender of their choice rather than the one they were born. These declare that man can relate to man and woman to woman sexually just as during the days of Lot in Sodom. Such anti-God thinking promotes more and more the sexual exploitation of children in ways too egregious to detail here. This is what I term “the Lucifer syndrome.” They are of their father, the devil, as Jesus put it. They believe and practice the lies Lucifer still foists upon humankind just as he has done since he, as a serpent, entered the pristine Garden of Eden and told Eve and Adam they could be like God Himself. The Lucifer syndrome is infecting and affecting all who want to assume authority over this judgment-bound planet. They have invented the term “climate change” in pursuit of establishing their control. We’ve witnessed their nefarious doings, especially over recent months and years. Their Agenda 30/Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is currently scheduled to be put on the fast track to implementation this September. Climate change, is, of course, at the heart of their plans to create crises sufficient to cause global panic. Thus, they intend to force all to come within their Great Reset blueprint, thereby bringing about changes of their own making rather than keeping things as God has determined. There are reports that they’re doing things like putting a screen of sorts between the sun and the Earth to cut down on global warming and other “harmful effects,” as they believe. In reading reports of weather-induced disasters, it seems God is allowing the geophysical elements to feed their frenzy. The SDG sorts, in their Lucifer-syndrome, reprobate thinking, believe all the volatile weather is caused by such things as an increased carbon footprint wrought by people’s abuse of the planet. However, I’m convicted it is the Words of Jesus that are being played out with all the truly ramped-up, weather-related events we are seeing. (A quick review of Rapture Ready News and the reports from around the world bears this out, to be sure.) Jesus said the following to the Judaizers who tried to get Him to silence those who were praising Him as He entered Jerusalem on the donkey: And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Luke 19:40) We are witnessing, I’m convinced, much of humankind turning their backs on God. The very elements–the created order—therefore are speaking out in witness to His glory. The anti-God forces–those infected by the Lucifer syndrome—want to usurp God’s throne. They, whether wittingly or not, are, like their father, the devil, spreading and perpetuating the lie that man-made climate change will destroy the planet. They want all people to follow their lies down the broad way that leads away from the Savior. This all means, I believe, the Lord is quickly setting the stage for the man of sin and his regime of control. –Thus to, through God’s judgment and wrath, bring about the end of the rebellion that began long ago when iniquity first entered the thoughts of Lucifer. It means, more importantly for believers of this Age of Grace, that the Lord Jesus is about to call His Church into the clouds of glory in the twinkling of an eye. Here is how to go to Jesus when He makes that call: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10) Judgment Is Coming: Mistaking God’s Mercy For Inaction – By Hal Lindsey - https://harbingersdaily.com/judgment-is-coming-mistaking-gods-mercy-for-inaction/ It makes some people angry to think of God becoming angry. Psalms 145:8 says, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy.” Even so, it gives them great wrath to think of God ever having any wrath at all. But why wouldn’t He have wrath? He sees the chaos, strife, and confusion that our society now intentionally sows into the hearts and minds of its little ones. Why shouldn’t He respond with anger? When He sees cruel bullying of people who do not conform to the new and ugly norms, why wouldn’t this stir Him to wrath? When you hear about child abuse, doesn’t it outrage you? Why shouldn’t God feel the same way? People often ask why God allows evil to continue in our world. But when they blame God for allowing evil, they are really blaming God for allowing human choice. They expect choice for themselves, then become angry with God when others make bad choices. Be assured that what the Old and New Testaments refer to as “the day of the Lord” is coming. That means judgment is coming. Evil will be stopped in its tracks. And He won’t just stop part of it. He will stop all of it — including the evil which jaded humans have decided to stop calling evil. In the meantime, He waits. Why? 2 Peter 3:9-10 explains it like this. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come.” He waits to allow time for repentance. He waits because of His gracious love. As he waits, we Christians have a key role in the world. We are salt, a preserving agent. In Genesis 18, Abraham interceded with God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. In verse 26, God said to Abraham, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” At Abraham’s request, God reduced the number all the way down to ten. There is an important principle at work here. God often withholds judgment on everyone for the sake of the righteous among them. And if you are in Christ, then you have been made righteous in Him. Even 10 righteous could not be found in Sodom, and God carried through with judgment. But even then, He preserved the righteous. God did with Lot and His family what He had long before done with Noah and his family. He took them out of danger before judgment began. God took His people out of harm’s way. Noah and his family entered the ark. Angels led Lot and his family out of Sodom. That’s what He will do for us, also. In Luke 17:26 and 27, Jesus likened “the days of Noah” and “the days of Lot” to the time near His return. In both instances, God removed His people from the place where judgment was about to fall. These events are types of the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes the rapture saying, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Verse 18 adds, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” So, be comforted. When God Fights the Battles - By Nathele Graham - [email protected] “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Can we understand God? To our puny human minds, God is beyond our imaginations. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). We need to understand that and let God be God instead of trying to fit Him into our own understanding. He loved us before time began. He sent His Son to be the final sacrifice for our redemption. The door to salvation is open to anyone who will accept the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We might say, “I’m a Christian,” but do you cave in to the enemy at the first sign of trouble? It’s easy to fear people and what they think but harder to trust Jesus in all situations. We read many accounts of God’s love and power in Scripture but think that His protection was for then and not for us now. There are many, many battles described in Scripture, and I want to take a look at just a few. Let’s look at a couple of the battles which Joshua fought. He was a man who trusted God, and his faith was strong. That’s something to keep in mind as we fight our own battles in life. If we have faith in God and trust Him, we can’t lose. Joshua was one who had no fear of entering the Promised Land because he knew that God would defeat the Nephilim giants found there. It was the fear of people with less faith that caused the Israelites to wander for 40 years. During those wanderings, there were battles, but when Israel had faith in God, He brought victory. Joshua was a great military leader because he trusted God. Sometimes God seems to choose some very odd ways of fighting battles. When it was time for Israel to finally enter the land that God had promised to them, the first battle was at Jericho. There had been many heathen and demonic tribes building strongholds in the land, but God had given the land to Israel. It still belongs to them. The first thing Israel had to do in order to be fit to fight was to get right with God. That’s the first thing everyone should do. While they wandered, they had ignored the Law that had been given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and they had to get back into a covenant relationship with God. We cannot expect God to defend us against enemy attack if we live life on our own terms, making our own rules. “At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time” (Joshua 5:2). Circumcision was the first covenant that God made with Abraham. They also kept the Passover. Their hearts were once again tuned to God’s truth, and He would bless their battles. When they were ready to fight, they had to cross the flooded Jordan River, but God was with them. Just as when they crossed the Red Sea, God stopped the Jordan River so that His people could safely pass through. We often liken crossing the Jordan to entering into God’s peace. The truth is, the battle was just beginning. What was the battle plan? How were these people going to win against the formidable army in Jericho? “And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him” (Joshua 6:2-5). God had already seen that the battle was won, but that’s an interesting plan of action. God’s ways aren’t our ways, and even if we don’t understand why or how it’s always to follow God’s plan. The Israelites followed the plan, the walls fell, and Jericho was conquered. The battle was won, but more battles were ahead. During one battle with the Amorites, God gave Joshua assurance that he would be victorious. “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee” (Joshua 10:8). We need to pay attention to this and not fear our battles because our enemy has already been defeated. Jesus defeated him at the cross, so what do we have to fear? There is victory in Jesus. Interesting that “Joshua” means “Jehovah is salvation,” and the name “Jesus” is the Greek/English form of Joshua. Jesus is salvation. In the battle against the Amorites, Joshua needed more time in order to win the battle. “Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon” (Joshua 10:12). I love Joshua’s faith. He knew God would give him victory, so he had no doubt that God would give him the time he needed. “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:13-14). God will always protect His people. And one day, the nation of Israel will turn back to Him and ask God to fight. He will, and Christians will come with Him. Until then, God will continue to miraculously keep Israel from destruction. It must be noted that Joshua wasn’t praying for personal gain. His prayers were in line with God’s will. On the surface, these battles seem as if the war is between two groups of people. It is, but that’s just the physical manifestation of a spiritual battle. Satan and his minions have always come against God by trying to destroy people who serve Him. All of the battles in Israel, including modern ones, have their roots in Satanic evil trying to destroy the nation of Israel. Let’s look at another battle. This one obviously between those who served demons and a man who served God. Israel had been divided into two nations. The Northern Kingdom rejected God and began worshipping false gods… demons. Eventually, King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel ruled over that kingdom. They are very symbolic of evil. One prophet of God stood against them. That prophet was Elijah. Of course, he was vilified, and they wanted to kill him. During a meeting between Ahab and Elijah, Ahab asked if Elijah was the one that troubled Israel (the Northern Kingdom). I really admire Elijah’s answer: “And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim” (1 Kings 18:18). That’s the problem in nations today. National leaders have rejected God and worship demons instead. Laws protect a lifestyle that thrived in Sodom, and demon worship that involves human sacrifice. God will not overlook this behavior for long. In Elijah’s time, there was a showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21). That seems much like Christians today. We like dabbling in the evil of Baal, living a life of sin during the week but very piously sitting in our pew on Sunday. How long will we live this way? We need a man like Elijah who calls out the purpose-driven, New Age, seeker-friendly, politically correct worship of Baal within our congregations. The showdown began on Mt. Carmel. Elijah was one man standing firm upon God’s truth, while there were 450 prophets on Baal’s side, and the people watching favored the prophets of Baal. Very sad. The challenge was to offer a sacrifice. “Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, it is well spoken” (1 Kings 18:23-24). And so the challenge began. The false prophets tried and tried to get their demon god to light a fire. Elijah mocked them, asking if their god was asleep and needed to wake up. Finally, Elijah took his turn at sacrifice. He took 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and built an altar. He made a trench around it. He placed the wood on the altar, cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood. Then, three times he called for four barrels of water to be poured on the burnt sacrifice. Then Elijah prayed. “And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again” (1 Kings 18:36-37). Elijah glorified God, not himself. That’s when the fire from God fell and consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and evaporated all the water. The people were amazed and worshipped God. The false prophets were captured and executed. Even King Ahab was brought to his knees. Christians, let us stop fearfully accepting the evil that is being thrust upon us. Let us stand up for God and glorify Him. Let’s look at one more Old Testament account of a battle against evil. Elisha was the successor of Elijah. He continued to speak against the evil in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the leaders were angry with him. Elisha had managed to turn the King of Syria against him. The king learned Elisha was in the city of Dothan. “Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about” (2 Kings 6:14). All of that to capture one man. Political tactics haven’t changed much. As I watch the evil that is being hurled against Donald Trump, I see the same evil happening in America. In the morning, Elisha’s servant got up early. When he went outside, he saw the army and was afraid. Elisha’s words are ones we all need to take to heart. “And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Then Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant so that he could see God’s protection “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). Elisha was protected because of his absolute faith in God. We are all in a Spiritual battle, and our faith in God protects us. Jesus knew this spiritual battle well. Every time the Pharisees tried to come against Him, they spewed the words of spiritual warfare. They had no faith and only wanted Him out of the way. When He allowed Himself to be crucified, Satan lost the war. By faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:10-15). That means that sin is forgiven by faith in Christ, and Satan has no more rights to you. The principalities and powers He spoiled at the Cross are the demonic powers that have always been the spiritual enemy. Paul also tells us, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). We battle the same enemy that Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha all fought. We need to put on the full armor of God. He will protect us in our battles. We are in the same spiritual battles as Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and many others from creation. Why, then, do we fear the enemy and seem to fail in our battles? Plain and simple, we lack faith, and we listen to the false prophets of today. The Gospel is watered down to the point that it’s a different Gospel than found in Scripture. We allow fear to stop us from fighting, and the enemy’s temptations seem good. The end times are here, and Paul gives a very good description of today’s world. “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:2-5). Brothers and sisters, first, we must get right in our walk with God, and then we must pray, put on God’s armor and fight. The battle rages; Christians must do our part to fight against the powers and principalities that come against us and against God. We must fight with uncompromising faith in Jesus. When God fights the battle, He will not fail. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] [email protected] Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed. If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: Stick like glue - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com After God brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, he taught them his ways. Most of all, he wanted the Israelites set apart, or holy, unto him. The book of Deuteronomy gives specifics on what that meant to the Israelites. It is a book where Moses teaches the people how to live in the new land they were about to enter. He exhorts them not to add to, or subtract from what he is saying, and tells them that they are alive today because they have “stuck” with the Lord. The Hebrew word “devakut” means “cleaving” in reference to communion with God. The word comes from the root word “davak,” meaning to “cling” or “stick.” A good metaphor to define our relationship with the Lord is to stick to Him like glue. Deuteronomy 4 is a pivotal chapter of God’s plan for a people to become a nation and live by the laws and standards of God with promises that if they stick to God, God will protect and prosper them even unto salvation. Moses tells the people that if they keep the LORD’s laws and rulings, the people of the nations will see them, “as having wisdom and understanding,” and “What great nation has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah that I am setting before you today?” Moses asks in verses 7 and 8, “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” At no other time in history then or now has God established a nation such as this—a nation of people set apart to live by His administration. The United States formed its government using many of the same precepts found in Deuteronomy, but it still falls short because God’s will is not being done. Founding Fathers like John Adams emphasized that the US Constitution was “made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Likewise, James Madison wrote that the Constitution requires “sufficient virtue among men for self-government” or “nothing less than the chains of despotism can restrain them from destroying and devouring one another.” They are saying essentially the same thing found in the teachings of Deuteronomy. The human element of sticking with God is essential. It is that human factor, however, that falls short. The bright light of God’s precepts grows dim over the generations as parents become lax in teaching the statutes and commandments of God to their children. We see this in the example of both Israel and the United States. Notwithstanding, God brought us into his holy nation through the salvation of Christ. We are grafted in and as Peter says we are a holy nation, a peculiar priesthood to “show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Wherever we live, whatever nation on which our feet are planted, we are of the holy nation of God. And we enjoy the benefits of citizenship in God’s kingdom as we “davak,” or stick to Him like glue. Daily Devotion: What Confession Really Means - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. —1 John 1:9 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/what-confession-really-means/ - Listen It’s important that we know what it means to confess our sin, because our very forgiveness hinges on our understanding of it. The Hebrew word for “confess” means to “acknowledge.” In the New Testament we could translate it “to agree with someone” or “to say the same thing as another.” We find the term in 1 John 1:9: “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (NLT). This is essentially saying that if we will agree with God about our sin, if we will acknowledge it for what it is, not make excuses for it, see it as God sees it, and turn from it, then we will be forgiven. But here’s the problem. Some people believe they’ve confessed their sin when they really haven’t, because they think confession is merely acknowledging their sin. For example, they’ll sin, get caught, and then say, “Okay, I confess that sin. That was a bad thing. I won’t do it again.” Later, however, they go out and do it again. So they say, “I did it again. I confess that sin.” That isn’t confession. They’re simply acknowledging their sin. They’re recognizing what is obvious. Confession, on the other hand, means to see sin for what it is, be sorry for it, and turn from it. There are people who think they’ve confessed their sin and that God has forgiven them when, in reality, God hasn’t forgiven them at all. That’s because they haven’t done it God’s way. They must take that sin to the cross and recognize that it’s offensive to a holy God. Then they must turn from it, stop making excuses for it, and be sorry enough to change. If you’re willing to do this when you’ve sinned, then God will forgive you.
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