Revelation Revealed by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 
 

• Featured Article: Revelation Revealed by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ 
• Anticipating the Antichrist 
• This Economic Depression Has Left Very Deep Economic Scars All Over America 
• God shed His grace on us, now we need His mercy 
• Daily Jot: No US vaccine passport–don’t be so sure 
• Daily Devotion: The Heart of the Problem 

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Revelation Revealed by Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ - by Pastor Mike Taylor - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2021/04/revelation-revealed-by-our-lord-and.html
 
1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Revelation 1:1-3)
 
Of all the books of the Bible, the book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse is a most mysterious book to some, but just reading these first few verses tells the reader that the book is designed to “reveal” to the reader what is going to happen in the future. Many people look at this Book of the Apocalypse and feel that it is just too hard to understand. They see verses with what appears to by symbolic passages and just avoid reading this book, as it just confuses them. Note this will be an abbreviated version, as to interpret all of the imagery we find, would take many messages in several different parts, but let us make some observations.
 
YOUR PRIEST OR PREACHER WILL TELL YOU WHAT IT MEANS?
 
In the past, denominations warned their followers that this was not a book for them to read, and if they wanted to know anything that was written in the Bible, especially this much misunderstood book, to come to them, and they would tell them what it means. Problem with that, is the person doesn't know if the information given to them is the truth, or designed to keep them under control of the religion they profess to follow. It was that way for the last 1700 years, when a Gnostic church rose to power and prevented the masses from even reading their bible, let alone to understand what the verses meant. But is the book of Revelation a book that is not for the average Christian, or is it just too complicated to comprehend all the perceived imagery? The answer to that question, is NO....it is a book of revealing, not concealing, as our Savior wanted us to know the “Time of the end” and what will come upon the earth...Let us take a journey into the pages of this book and see if we can make sense of a book that many just avoid.
 
THE GLORIFIED SAVIOR REVEALS HIMSELF TO JOHN
 
Our Glorified Savior opens this book by showing the image of His glory and dictates to the apostle concerning the 7 churches of Asia. These were real churches in Asia Minor, but was also used to illustrate the 7 stages of the progression of the church down through the whole of the Church Age. Each church illustrates what happened in a specific time period that many would be future to the Apostle. Our Lord proceeds to dictate what He finds acceptable and unacceptable issues that our Savior and Lord have with each of these churches, until He comes to the last two churches, of the Church of Philadelphia and the Church of Laodecia. As I have preached in the past, these two final progressions of the church have overlapped one another, as the Church of Philadelphia was the missionary and revival of following the Great Commission that Jesus gave His 11 apostles, (as Judas had already committed suicide) which will continue until she is taken out of this world, and Church of Laodecia who would be the luke-warm church of the falling away, or apostasy that Jesus prophesied would be a sign of the end of days and being thrown headlong into the coming tribulation. As a reader progresses through these first three chapters, our Lord makes a promise to those who populate the earth and His church at the end of the Age of Grace, the Church Age.
 
10 “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.
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.” (Revelation 3:10)
 
I believe this promise is made to the Church of Philadelphia that would endure the worldly pull with its temptations, and repent of her sins and stay true to the Lamb of God who took away their sins...But note what the verse says. In plain English, Jesus proclaims that because you have kept my commandments, followed in my footsteps, accepted my payment for your sins, that Jesus would keep them from the hour of temptation. What temptation is Jesus talking about?
 
Jesus proclaims what other parts of the Bible speaks of, that there would come a strong temptation to follow after another god on earth. Namely, the coming Anti-Christ who will demand worship from all people on earth, and will show signs and wonders that would, if possible, fool the very elect.
 
“ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24)
 
But notice something that I have revealed before, and I stress the point here as well. The statement Jesus makes of the phrase “keep thee from” in verse 10 of Revelation 3, in the original Greek that the Bible was written in, reveals to us that the original word in Greek for this phrase is the word “ek” which literally means to “take out of, or remove from .” As some people erroneously believe, God will “take us out of” not through the coming Tribulation.
 
SHIFT IN BIBLE PROPHECY
 
After speaking with John about all the ages of the Church, Jesus stops His narrative and dictating to John what to write, and immediately, John is transported to a heavenly realm in vision, and in His Spirit and records what he sees...it reminds me of when Paul was taken to the third heaven and heard things that are not lawful for a man to hear. As Paul was spirited away to another plane of existence, so John was also taken spiritually into another realm to witness the throne room of God.
 
"After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.” (Revelation 4:1-2)
 
As you read, John describes the throne room of our Living God the Father sitting on a throne surrounded by 24 elders clothed in white raiment and crowns of gold on their heads. This description has confused many people, as some have tried to explain who they “think they are” as being angels, or non-humans, or being totally baffled and just read right over it.
 
4 “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” (Revelation 4:4)
 
But look at the description, and note where John has been, and where he is right now. He had just come from the explanation of the church ages, and in now in the throne room of God who shows him elders sitting on thrones. Their description gives them away. One, they are elders, so they would be those who are reigning with God and have great authority, as 24 is a symbol in Biblical terms as a sign of government, as 12 is this sign, and it is doubled here. They are clothed in White Raiment, and if you do a search, as it is found in the same book in Chapter 19, that white raiment is a sign of the saints. See, they are seated, so their work is over on earth as they have conquered, and on their heads are crowns of gold. Where have we read about having crowns of gold for the sign of the saints?
 
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12)
 
13,”Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14, If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.” (1st Corinthians 3:13-14)
 
These seated saints, who have overcome, have received their rewards, they are clothed with a sign of the saints, and they sit on thrones in God's government. To me, it is a clear sign that the Church, those who are now “born again” into God's realm are now forever in God's presence and have been removed from this earth, as the book of Revelation is a near chronological book of events which I will briefly outline how the symmetry of the Word of God in this book is laid out.
 
The first three book are the Ages of the Church, up to and including the age we are now in.
 
the fourth and fifth chapters reveal the rapture of the church, the HARPAZO that Paul spoke of in 1st Corinthians and 1st Thessalonians....we have been snatched away from the coming wrath, by force and changed into immortal beings.
 
Beginning in chapter 6, the bible is divided into component parts. The next 6 chapters speak of the Tribulation, that begins with Jesus opening the 1st seal of the scroll which is the title deed of all creation that Jesus has bought with His own blood, and now will reclaim it, and begin cleansing it for His reign and rule.
 
Then right in the middle of these chapters, we see a description of the players in this human drama with Israel being the focus of the Tribulation in chapter 12. The whole of this chapter is about Israel, just as Matthew 24 is focused on Israel and has nothing to do with the Gentile church in both chapters that many think He is talking about the church, which He is not.
 
The next 6 chapters of Revelation 13-18 can only be summed up to be the Great Tribulation when the Beast power and the Anti-Christ are on a rampage to bring worship to the Satan indwelled son of the devil, the false Christ.
 
Chapter 19 is the beginning of the reign of Christ, as He comes to put down all rebellion on earth, and throw the false prophet and the Anti-Christ into the Lake of fire alive.
 
The next three chapter describe the Millennial Kingdom, the loosening of Satan for a season, and the Great White throne Judgment leading into eternity.
 
That's a quick outline of the book of Revelation, but let us return to a few points concerning those of us who are looking for the soon return of our Lord Jesus in the clouds for His church, and the cry “come up hither”.
 
JESUS BEGINS HIS GREAT WRATH
 
Note that in Revelation 6, Jesus opens the first seal of the coming Tribulation. Some try to say that the first part of the tribulation is the wrath of Satan. Only here, it is our Lord Jesus who opens these seals in succession, and how fast, we don't know, but I believe it is the first 5 seals that are the first half of the Tribulation and Jesus reveals the Anti-Christ and allow him to come upon the earth and immediately the four horseman are revealed that bring war, death, pestilence, and diseases that destroy millions. Some try to say that the wrath of God starts with the opening of the 6th seal, but Jesus is the One who is “engineering” the results and bringing them to pass. Each seal brings a crescendo of calamity that mankind knows who is responsible for the devastation that has fallen on the earth, when they cry in this future chapter:
 
15 “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”(Revelation 6:15-17)
 
Up to this point, the imagery has been most incredible, as death and destruction is all around the people of earth. God has been using evil men to fulfill His judgment on earth to this point, just as He used Assyria and Babylon to bring judgment on an idolatrous Israel. Men are being slain, now rising into the billions, and continue near unabated, as the environment itself is not safe for anyone, as plague after plague will fall on the inhabitants that dwell on the earth. But this is just the first half, as the second half is much, much worse.
 
In the ensuing chapters, we see the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelist that preach the Gospel to all the earth. They have come to believe in Jesus due to the events of the rapture of millions, some of them, possibly their own loved ones, the preaching of the two witnesses outside the Temple which some postulate they could be Elijah and Moses, as they were the two that joined Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Note that they are doing the preaching, and even an angel in other verses is preaching the everlasting Gospel. But the question must be here...”If the church is still here, then why are others preaching the Gospel and not us? Are we not compelled by the great Commission to spread the Gospel throughout the earth?” Logical explanation and another sign, is that the church can't preach anymore, as she is not here. That is left to others.
 
WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN.
 
 
As I mentioned, chapter 12 just drops down into the narrative to identify the players in this spiritual drama and then continues with the plagues and destruction leveled upon the earth. Even though mankind is being persecuted by the Anti-Christ and his cronies that are controlled by the false religious prophet, (that even now is trying to unite all religion into a One World Religion), it is nothing compared to the Divine environmental catastrophes that are coming down upon all mankind …..that is the difference between the times past that all men have been persecuted down through the ages for their beliefs and not following a singular ruling theocracy bent on power and control, but now is the WRATH OF GOD, that in no time past has had this level of destruction. This begins in Chapter 6 and continues after chapter 12, and the 6th seal is opened that can only be compared to the Great Tribulation.
 
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27)
 
Because of the defiling of the Temple of God and the edict to destroy the Jews, much like in the book of Esther and the madman, Haman, God's Wrath is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. Those on earth who have taken the Mark of the Beast have pledged allegiance to another so called "god".
 
9 “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11)
 
JESUS COMES AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT
 
Note from the time of the Anti-Christ entering into the Holy of Holies and proclaiming himself to be a god, that you could pinpoint the return of Jesus Christ almost to the day. As John told us in Chapter 12, that Israel will be protected, a remnant from the serpent for 3.5 years.
 
“But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.” (Revelation 12:14)
 
And the prophet Daniel confirms this information in his prophecy:
 
'And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Daniel 12:11)
 
Two problems that come up with those knowing the almost exact time when Jesus will come, and those who believe in a post-Tribulation coming of our Lord for His church.
 
Problem #1:
 
Jesus said “ "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
37, But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:36-3
 
If we know to near the exact date of the return of Christ, and knowing that it will NOT be as in the days of Noah, as the population will only be interested in survival mode, and no one will be living life as normal by any stretch. So if the truth of God's Word says that no one knows the hour and day, and it can't be as in the days of Noah, drinking, eating and giving in marriage, there must be an alternate time that Jesus speaks of and to fulfill another set of verses.
 
Problem #2;
 
If the Post Tribulation model is correct (and I proclaim it not to be), then when Jesus comes in the 2nd coming, the dead in Christ are raised to life, the living changed into immortal Spirit Beings, and the rebellion of mortal men who have followed the Anti-Christ and dare come against our Lord to do battle at Armageddon, which included all who have taken the mark of the beast, (as there will be no gray area, you are either in one camp or the other, either with Jesus or with the Anti-Christ.) who is it that goes into the Millennium as mortals? See the problem? The answer is no one will be alive in their mortal bodies to enter into the Kingdom of God. Only the Pre-Tribulation model makes any sense and aligns with God's Word.
 
Problem #3:
 
2 “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (1st Thessalonians 5:2-5)
 
Every one who falls under the wrath of God will have signs in the heavens that announce the coming of our Lord Jesus. It will be a time of intense suffering, death and destruction, for as Jesus said:
 
'And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:22)
 
It will be the most destructive and dangerous time in all the history of the rule of mankind. Anyone who reads these verses along with what Revelation speaks of, can see that this will not be life as usual. Men and women will be dying by the millions into the billions in 7 short years and the rule of Satan found in the Anti-Christ will be beyond anyone's imagination.
 
THE RETURN OF THE SAINTS OF GOD
 
Note as you read these verses and try to contemplate what is coming to pass, and the destruction leveled at all mankind, that the church has not been mentioned one time. Some try to say that the saints are the church, but that is not possible. Why? Because Jesus gave each of us a deposit of God's Holy Spirit that dwells within each of us. Remember what Jesus said? While Jesus was still on the earth 2000 years ago, He said:
 
“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)
 
As long as we are in the world, and have Jesus as our Comforter, found in His Holy Spirit residing in the Church, Satan cannot overcome us, as long as we stay close to God. But that is another problem for those who are Post-Tribbers. If Satan can't overcome us, then how does the Anti-Christ overcome the saints during the Tribulation? And if I be a Christian and the Holy Spirit has been drawn back as 1st Thessalonians 2:7-8 testify, then Jesus lied to us, as He said He would never leave us or forsake us...since Jesus is not a liar, then why am I alone in the Tribulation without Him when I need Him the most? Easy, the church is not there.
 
“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (Revelation 13:7)
 
More easy explanations, as the Bible cannot contradict itself. The saints of Revelation 13 is not the Church. And those who Jesus speaks of in John 16 are the church, but they are both saints, just not the same group of saints. Those in the Tribulation are NOT sealed as the 144,000 Jewish evangelist are, but although they have accepted Jesus, God does not seal them, meaning they CAN loose their salvation, if they take the dreaded Mark of the Beast. So the verse that says “He who endures to the end, shall be saved” applies here.
 
JESUS RETURN TO RULE AND REIGN
 
The perils of the tribulation come to an end in chapter 19, as John sees the bride of Christ being called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
 
7 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.” (Revelation 19:7-8)
 
I want you to focus on the description of the Bride of Christ and what she is dressed in. “fine linen, clean and white” which is a sign or righteousness of the saints. She is called to the Marriage supper, but a few verses later, we see an army coming with our Lord Jesus riding on white horses.
 
11 “ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”(Revelation 19:11-14)
 
Note again the description of those who come with Jesus to make war with the last of the rebellion on earth. “clothed in fine linen, white and clean” again a sign of the saints. Where have the saints been? This is the church, and she has been with Jesus for the last 7 years in heaven and now comes back to watch Jesus finish the destruction of all rebellion, as His vesture is dipped in blood, which is not His blood, but the ones He has been slaying in the wine press of His fury for the last 7 years.
 
THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM AND THE GREAT WHITE THRONE
 
As we read these chapters 19 and 20, we see Satan bound, the 1000 year reign of Jesus, and the unleashing of Satan for a little season. Enough time to cause another rebellion on earth that is destroyed by fire coming out of heaven by God when they surround the Holy City and think in their madness they can confront the King of kings, and Lord of lords. Thus begins the Great White throne judgment of all unsaved mankind. They are gathered from wherever they died and are raised to immortal life, but their life is short lived as they are judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire, as their name is not written in the Lamb's book of life. You will not find a passage that says that anyone who has ever lived are given another chance to accept Jesus as their Savior.
 
This life was designed just for that. “What will you do with the Man/God, Christ Jesus?” Will you accept His free gift of salvation or reject it? Some say, what about those who never heard of the name of Jesus and didn't get a chance?. To that, I say....that is God's Sovereign will. I am not God, but He has not revealed to us what will happen to them, or if they are forever lost. Who in their right mind would turn around and say no to a free offer of salvation, the choice of heaven or hell and not accept Jesus as Savior, who is standing right in front of them? You say, no one? You would be right. Only a madman would reject a free gift. But that is exactly what men are doing right now, because they must have proof. They must have something to believe in that is tangible....not some invisible Divine Being.....Jesus told us when He spoke to doubting Thomas who must put his finger into His nail scarred hands and His side to believe.
 
20, “ Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)
 
It is called faith, and it is something given only by God's Holy Spirit to even accept that free gift of His mercy and grace. But men do reject that calling of His Holy Spirit to their everlasting destruction if they meet God after this life.
 
I want to close with something that many miss at the very end of Revelation, when the Bride and the Groom of Jesus Christ beckon to those who will listen.
 
16 "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Revelation 22:16-17)'
 
The Bride of Christ and the Spirit beckons to all who will hear, to come and join them. The Bride of Christ has been known from the foundation of the world. God wrote down each of those who belong to Him, in the Lamb's book of life. Now we, as the Bride of Christ beckons to others who will hear. Those can only be the guest who go through the Tribulation and survive, or are slain for the Word of God by being beheaded. That would include Gentiles that have believed and endured to the end, and Jewish people, but a remnant of either, even though they are a great number, many will die without Jesus in their hearts and be condemned.
 
Conclusion:
 
I have given you a brief description of the judgments of God as revealed in Scripture and the proof that the Church is not destined to be included in this time. As many bible passage proclaim that we are not appointed to receive any of God's wrath..There is a difference between now and then, and that is God's Wrath. Men have always been evil and persecuting other men, but God NEVER, EVER has subjected His people who call upon His Name to the endurance of His wrath. To believe that the church must endure the wrath of God and be purified along with Israel (Malachi 3:3) and endure the torment of such a time, is to embrace the concept of a Catholic purgatory that says that the blood of Jesus was just not quite good enough to save us utterly. I'm here to tell you...Jesus saves....past, present and future sins and the Church being in the Tribulation serves no purpose according to God's Word. Isaiah 26:19-21 tells us that Jesus has prepared a place for us, and to hide ourselves in our chambers till His indignation has past. He also reaffirms this fact in John 14:2-3 that He is preparing a place for us, and that where He is, there we will be also...He is coming to receive us to Himself. Will you be ready for that event?
 
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only beotten Son, that whosover believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)
 
8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.(Romans 10:8-13)
 
Believe today, because the signs says that the tribulation is close at hand, if it is close, then the coming of our Lord Jesus is even closer for those who believe in Him, by faith...
This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying you are ready when Jesus comes..soon....if you need prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, email me at [email protected]. God bless you all. TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET

 


 
Anticipating the Antichrist - by Jan Markell – www.olivetreeviews.org
 
Oh, how America is preparing for the Antichrist with a Godless mindset.
 
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times and Yahoo News is headlined, “Why America’s Record Godlessness is Good News for the Nation.”
 
In part, it reads, “The secularization of U.S. society—the waning of religious faith, practice and affiliation—is continuing at a dramatic and historically unprecedented pace. While many may consider such a development as a cause for concern, such a worry is not warranted. This increasing godlessness in America is actually a good thing, to be welcomed and embraced.”
 
Are you serious?
 
As recently as 1976, nearly 40% of Americans said they believed that the Bible was the actual word of God—to be taken literally. Today, only about a quarter of Americans believe that. More believe the Bible is a collection of fables, history and tales written by men.
 
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) recently proclaimed that God’s will was of no concern to this Congress. First, the liberals kicked God out of the Pledge of Allegiance and then out of their Democrat National Convention in 2012. Until recently, they did not make an effort to force the rest of the nation to also abandon God.
 
The Consequences
 
Secularization has consequences. Check out nations that have experimented with it: Japan, Scandinavia, Australia, the U.K. and parts of Eastern Europe. How is society functioning in Godless China and Russia? Once God is gone, repression almost always follows.
 
The article heralding America’s new Godlessness said that now society can embrace abortion, socialized medicine, euthanasia, and gun control.
 
It reads, “The organic secularization we are experiencing in the United States is a progressive force for good, one that is associated with improved human rights, more protections for planet Earth, and an increased socio-cultural propensity to make this life as fair and just as we can—in the here and now—rather than in a heavenly reward that fewer and fewer of us believe in.”
 
Does this not foreshadow the words of Luke 18:8: When Christ returns, will He find any of faith??
 
Government Becomes God
 
For one hundred years, there has been an effort to make government god. Starting in 2020, an element was added that furthered that agenda—fear. Fear of a pandemic. It became the perfect storm.
 
Author and blogger Jonathan Brentner writes, “The combination of fear and the great deception of our time have made vast numbers of people willing to submit to the government, which they now regard as the protector of their health. As a result, they have willingly given up many of their rights and freedoms for the sake of remaining healthy, a trend sure to continue.
 
“The New World Order (AKA the beast) cannot exercise its dominion over people apart from their willingness to submit to dictates of a government they trust for their well-being and health. People wear masks without questioning their effectiveness.
 
“And, very few pastors stand up against the restriction regarding the freedom of religion imposed on them by socialist governors.
 
“In order for the elite to achieve their ultimate goal of a one-world government, they must convince people of the need for more government control of their lives. This explains their devotion to the contrived climate emergency and why they will not let go of the increased control over our lives that they have achieved through the China virus.”
 
Given Over
 
Four of the most terrifying words in the Bible are “God gave them over” (Romans 1:24-28). Because man rejected God, He gave them over to foolish idolatry. We find the same principle in 2 Thessalonians 2, but this time in terms of delusional beliefs: Those who reject God’s truth will end up following the Antichrist. They will run pell-mell into his arms.
 
The stage is being set.
 
Just 50-100 years ago, our churches were filled on Sundays. Even though the Mainline Protestants were in decline, still faithful Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists joyfully sang hymns. The evangelical church was exploding in reaction to the liberalism that had invaded the church.
 
The thought of a prominent U.S. Congressman stating that our government was not concerned with God’s will was unthinkable!
 
But 50-100 years ago, we were not so late in the game! Few were even thinking about the Antichrist, much less knowingly or unknowingly heralding his coming. Now he is on the horizon. So are the Four Horsemen.
 
Evil is on its way. So is the return of the Lord in what is known as the Rapture of the Church. That’s the good news in the midst of this sad story. He’s coming soon whether the church today talks about this event or not. Nothing can stop it. It is imminent. Any minute.
 
Perhaps today.
 
Are you ready? “All who call on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
 
One-hour Video:
 
When These Things Begin to Happen
 
Jan Markell spends the hour with Dr. Ed Hindson. Our times have never been so desperate with the spirit of Antichrist loose. They also focus on more uplifting things to come including the Rapture, the Millennium, the New Heavens and New Earth, and more.

 


 
This Economic Depression Has Left Very Deep Economic Scars All Over America - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/this-economic-depression-has-left-very-deep-economic-scars-all-over-america/
 
The last 12 months have been pure hell for the U.S. economy. According to Oxxford Information Technology, approximately 4 million U.S. businesses permanently closed their doors in 2020. We have never seen that many businesses wiped out in such a short period of time in the entire history of our country. Meanwhile, we have seen a tsunami of unemployment that has been absolutely unprecedented. More than 70 million new claims for unemployment benefits have been filed during the pandemic, and the number of new claims each week continues to hover at a level that is about three times as high as we witnessed before the pandemic. Currently, the Economic Policy Institute is telling us that “25 million American workers are either unemployed, underemployed or have pulled out of the workforce entirely”. This economic depression has already been extremely painful, and many experts believe that a whole lot more economic pain is still on the horizon.
 
If you are doing well in this economic environment, you should be very thankful for your blessings, because millions of other Americans are suffering greatly. One of those Americans that is deeply suffering is named Denitra Pearson…
 
One hundred and forty days have passed since Denitra Pearson lost her job caring for the elderly in their homes. Forty-two days have passed since she, her husband, and children lost all their belongings after a fire engulfed their house on a snowy winter night.
 
They’re now living in a hotel.
 
Denitra has six kids to care for, and the only “job” that she has been able to find is low-wage work vaccinating people at a local clinic…
 
Pearson, a New Haven mother of six, has an associate’s degree and two job certificates but only one of the dozens of applications she’s filled out has led anywhere, landing her another low-wage job at a local clinic vaccinating people against COVID-19. Her husband, who was a chef at a nearby university before the pandemic disrupted the college campus, is still looking for work.
 
This economic depression has pushed millions of formerly middle class Americans into poverty, and for many of them life will never be the same again.
 
At this point, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that a whopping 2.4 million Americans have been unemployed for 52 weeks or longer…
 
Nearly 2.4 million Americans were unemployed 52 weeks or more in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 
That’s almost double the number in February and is about 1.6 million more people than in March 2020.
 
Could you imagine being out of work for that long?
 
Almost one-fourth of all of our unemployed workers have been out of a job for at least 12 months, and one economist that was interviewed by CNBC is calling that fact “pretty breathtaking”…
 
“I think that number is pretty breathtaking, that nearly a quarter of unemployed workers have been unemployed for over a year,” said Heidi Shierholz, director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute and former chief economist at the Department of Labor from 2014 to 2017.
 
“It really shows that even as the economy is recovering, you have a lot of the same people who have been unemployed throughout this whole damn thing,” she added.
 
I feel particularly bad for college students that are graduating in this sort of environment.
 
Many of them went in with such high hopes and dreams, but now the job opportunities that they were promised are not materializing.
 
College senior Bao Ha will be graduating this year from Macalaster College in Minnesota, but he hasn’t even been able to land an interview even after applying for more than a hundred jobs…
 
The job market is starting to roar back, but for anxious college seniors like Bao Ha, it’s a different reality altogether.
 
“I’ve probably applied to like 130 or 40 jobs or something,” Ha says. “I have not gotten even an email back, or an interview.”
 
College graduate Erica Schoenberg is in the same boat.
 
She hasn’t been able to find a full-time job after a year of searching, and so she is still living with her parents…
 
Erica Schoenberg would know.
 
She was a member of the class of 2020, which had the misfortune of graduating in the brunt of the pandemic.
 
A year after Schoenberg watched her virtual graduation ceremony from Trinity University from her living room couch, she’s back at her parents’ home because she can’t find a full-time job.
 
During this pandemic, the percentage of Americans that are living with their parents reached the highest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
 
That is crazy.
 
But there is some good news.
 
The good news is that we are in a temporary pocket of time in which economic conditions have stabilized. Things are certainly a lot worse than they were before the pandemic, but at least we are not seeing the same sort of rapid deterioration that we did throughout much of 2020.
 
Of course this temporary pocket of time will not last, and that is the bad news.
 
If anyone out there believes that Joe Biden is going to save the U.S. economy, they are just being delusional.
 
The stimulus money that Americans are being showered with right now will help in the short-term, but all of the borrowing and spending that our government is doing will just make our long-term problems even worse.
 
We should be thankful for the relative stability that we are currently enjoying, but this is not a time to party.
 
Instead, we should be using this time to prepare for the troubled times that are ahead, because the truth is that our long economic nightmare is just beginning.

 


 
God shed His grace on us, now we need His mercy - By Allen Jackson - https://www.christianpost.com/voices/god-shed-his-grace-on-us-now-we-need-his-mercy.html
 
I think it’s fair to say that God has shed his grace upon our nation. The blessings our country has enjoyed cannot be understood solely as the result of good leadership, or unique natural resources. We are the inheritors of something far more significant. God Himself has been involved in our nation’s emergence and sustained success.
 
I woke up recently with an old song on my mind. The first stanza probably sounds familiar:
 
‘O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee. And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea!
 
God has blessed America. That is our story.
 
I know very well that God is not an American. Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is Jewish. The world is filled with people who have hearts for God and who live in beautiful places. But America represents something unique. The freedoms, the opportunities, the access to the Word of God, the teaching about God — they’re not duplicated anywhere else. Our children have opportunities other children in the world simply do not have.
 
If you need more evidence of our uniqueness, pay attention to our southern border. There are tens of thousands of people gathered there today because they understand it’s porous again. They endure a great deal to enter our nation, because the United States represents the promise of something better.
 
There are those who tell us our country is not great, and our history should not be celebrated. They say only selfishness and greed fueled the emergence of our nation. I would suggest that they are projecting upon history what’s in their own hearts.
 
Our story is far from perfect. The human race is deeply flawed; it’s why we need a Redeemer. Nevertheless, I believe the United States is a nation called into existence by God for His purposes. We have received a sacred trust. If we accept the grace, and refuse to follow the Lord wholeheartedly, we are a rebellious and ungrateful people. What will our generation say, in response to the grace that’s been poured upon us?
 
I believe God is using the disruption of the past year to present us with an opportunity to realign our lives. We may not have chosen Him as fully as we could have. We may have strayed from His path. But as God is calling us, opening our awareness, and giving us new insight, we must declare before God and one another: We will not stop!
 
We must not be like the Exodus generation. They did stop. They decided they’d followed as far as they wanted. God had asked too much of them. The demands were too great. They were tired, and they refused to believe God had a plan for their good. They accepted God’s grace, and received his blessings, then said, “We won’t follow you any longer.”
 
From our position, it’s hard to believe they could have lived, on a daily basis, with the supernatural provision of God, and still said no to Him. I didn’t understand it. In fact, I mocked that group of people until I walked through this season of COVID-19.
 
You see, once they left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, the Hebrew people never again had a day that matched the routines that had defined their lives for generations before. There were no familiar recipes; no familiar habits; no familiar routines. Every day they were learning new things about following God: Priesthood, dietary rules, rules for community life, the ten commandments.
 
We haven’t gone through a transformation that is anywhere near that drastic, but I think you’ll agree early 2021 feels a lot different than early 2020. The habits and routines of our lives a year ago don’t feel within reach of our lives today. It leaves us unsettled, and frustrated, and agitated. We long to go back to where we were.
 
These are the exact same things we hear expressed from the Israelites. Their heart condition robbed them of God’s best for them. I don’t want that for my life, nor do I want it for yours. We need fresh strength, and a new determination.
 
I would submit to you that if we wholeheartedly pursue the things of God, He will bring deliverance and victory. If he can stop the Jordon River and shake the walls of Jericho, we shouldn’t be terrified of our circumstances. We must continue to pray for those in authority over us — that they would make choices that bring God’s blessing to us. We must pay attention so we can pray informed prayers. We want our leaders to make decisions that let the name of Jesus be exalted in our nation, and that bring the blessings of God upon ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.
 
Historically, it’s clear God has poured his grace out upon our nation. Today, we need his mercy. As we watch, listen, think, pray, and act, God will lead us through the season ahead. He will establish our path. Our hope for ourselves, and our hope for our nation, rests in God alone.

 


 
Daily Jot: No US vaccine passport–don’t be so sure - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
While White House press secretary Jen Psaki made worldwide headlines Tuesday with her emphatic statement that the “government is not now, nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a [vaccine] credential,” Americans need to pump the brakes on their relief. The entirety of Psaki’s statement raises the very real possibility that the government knows it cannot require a vaccine passport, but that corporations are more likely to bypass Constitutional privacy rights by requiring proof of vaccination for various services. Just as this Administration relies on corporate media to censure dissent through propaganda and social media platform control, so too, is the intent on vaccine passports.
 
Let’s look exactly at the question asked in Tuesday’s press briefing and the response. Question: Is there any thought being given to a federally organized vaccine passport of some kind? Does the President see that maybe as some kind of tool that could be used, or would he lean more on the side of people who have raised objections over privacy and so on? Psaki responded, “The government is not now, nor will we be supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential. There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.”
 
Psaki then pivoted to the private sector, “As these tools are being considered by the private and nonprofit sectors, our interest is very simple from the federal government, which is Americans’ privacy and rights should be protected, so that these systems are not used against people unfairly. There is a movement, as you know, in the private sector to identify ways that they can return to events where there are large swaths of people safely in soccer stadiums or theaters. And that’s where the idea originated, and we expect that’s where it will be concluded. We will be providing some guidance, which will look like an FAQ, a frequently asked question; I hate acronyms, but that provides important answers to questions that Americans have, in particular around concerns about privacy, security, or discrimination, soon.”
 
Referring to vaccine passports as “tools” that the private and nonprofit sectors can use, means these passports can and may well be required by the private sector with the government’s blessing. Are your rights to free speech being violated when a social media platform kicks you off for something you said? You may think so, but technically, it’s not the government repressing your speech, it’s a non-government entity with which you signed a contract to use the platform. Same issue will apply with proof of vaccination. If you want to use the service or attend the event, you will comply. This is eerily like a “grooming” for the end times, an example of how Revelation 13:17 can happen very quickly: “that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Be discerning. Be aware.

 


 
Daily Devotion: The Heart of the Problem - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. —Colossians 3:5
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-heart-of-the-problem/ - Listen
 
The last of the Ten Commandments is the hardest of all to keep, I think, because it’s a matter of the heart.
 
Here it is: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17 NKJV).
 
Coveting doesn’t simply desire something that someone else has. Rather, coveting is when the desire for something that isn’t yours devours you. In the Bible, the word covet can be translated as “to pant after something.”
 
Think of a dog panting after his food. When you put the food into his dish, you’d better not touch that food, because it’s his food. It also brings to mind the film series The Lord of the Rings and the character Gollum, who was obsessed with getting the ring from Frodo. He called the ring “Precious,” and he had to have the ring. He was obsessed with it.
 
That’s what coveting is like. The eyes look at something, the mind admires it, the will goes over to it, and the body moves in to possess it.
 
For instance, you might admire your neighbor’s new car and buy one exactly like it. That isn’t coveting; it’s copying. On the other hand, when you admire your neighbor’s car, ask to take it for a spin around the block, and then never come back, you’re coveting. You’re also committing grand theft auto.
 
You saw what someone else had and decided you wanted it for yourself, no matter the cost.
 
It isn’t a sin to want to be successful and make a good living. But when you become obsessed with something, when it’s the most important thing to you in life, then you’re coveting. And it can destroy your life.

 

 
FROM THE HEART
    
Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left,
Count for ALL of Eternity!

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