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Are Fears of a Global Food Crisis A Harbinger of Things to Come? – By Mark Hitchcock - https://harbingersdaily.com/are-fears-of-a-global-food-crisis-a-harbinger-of-things-to-come/ There is a rising concern in the world today over food shortages. Even in Europe, which is a well-fed continent, there is increasing unease about future food shortages that could spill over into a global crisis. Earlier this month, Bloomberg published an article, “Europe’s New Security Nightmare Is Food Supply.” In it, they describe a growing level of anxiety about securing supplies. This article parallels another article in the Business Standard, which reads: The combined forces of El Niño and La Niña have crippled Latin American soy output. Ukrainian and Russian grain farmers have gone to war. Indonesia has banned shipments of palm oil to Europe, while China is hungry for crops. The Mediterranean region is getting more like a desert. “Food shortage in Europe? The only question is when.” This article does not say all those things are happening now, but that they are forecasted and could occur in the future, leading to a global food crisis. The article goes on: Over two days in central Brussels last month, some 60 European Union and government officials, food security experts, industry representatives and a few journalists gathered to confront the possibility of something barely on the radar a few years ago: a full-blown food crisis. Essentially, they gathered to stress-test the food distribution system and production—especially in Europe. This was called a “wargaming” exercise for a full-blown food crisis. The article continues: The coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and disruptions on key shipping routes have disturbed supply chains and sent prices soaring. Erratic and extreme weather now regularly disturbs farming. Against that backdrop, officials are no longer asking when a food crisis may arrive, but rather how many crises they can deal with at once. In truth, few governments in Europe are prepared for managing future food crises, according to Chris Hegadorn, a retired US diplomat who co-organized the workshop. “We’ve been living in crisis for the last three years,” said Hegadorn, adjunct professor of global food politics at Sciences Po in Paris. “There’s a lot more to be done on every level. Crises are only going to come faster and harder.” Just think about this: household spending on food in Nigeria is 60%. In Egypt, where my wife and I have been the last couple of weeks, it’s 40%. There’s a fear that this kind of food shortage and calamity will spread out to different parts of the world. When I read things like this, my mind immediately goes to Revelation chapter six, which describes the four horsemen of the apocalypse. What we see here is a faint foreshadowing of what the Bible says is coming. In Revelation 6:5-6 we read, “And when he [the Lamb—the Lord Jesus] had opened the third seal [The seals are His wrath that Jesus brings on the earth], I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” What the above passage speaks of is hyperinflation and, primarily, the idea of famine. How do we know this talks about famine? Well, first of all, we know that famine often follows war. The first Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a rider on a white horse, which pictures the false messiah—the Antichrist. The second rider is the rider on the red horse, who has a sword dripping with blood, which pictures warfare. The horse is red, “pyrros” in the original Greek, the color of fire, and “power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another…” We know that famine often follows warfare. In fact, a lot of the famine we’re seeing in the world today and food shortages are because of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine is a large producer of wheat and grain. We see the same thing in Haiti, where war and chaos have brought famine. The same can also be seen in Gaza today. First comes the white horse of the Antichrist, second the red horse of war, which is then followed by the black horse of famine. Another reason we know this black horse brings famine or food shortages is because of the parallel between the seal judgments of Revelation 6 and Matthew 24 when Jesus lays out the birth pangs that will signal His coming. Matthew 24:5-8 KJV – “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” In Matthew 24, Jesus first describes false messiahs, then “wars and rumors of wars” and nation rising against nation, then finally the “famines” in various places. This is the same order as Revelation 6. The rider on this black horse holds a pair of scales in his hand—weighing out food on the scale. What we have here is the haunting phantom of famine along with runaway inflation. The food prices that are described are astronomical! It says, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny.” The Greek word translated as “penny” is actually “denarion,” which was the average day’s wages for a worker in the Roman Empire when John wrote this. It’s going to take everything a person can earn in a day to buy good food for one person or cheaper food for three people. John Walford, a great Bible and prophecy teacher, says this: “To put it in ordinary language, the situation would be such that one would have to spend a day’s wages for a loaf of bread with no money left to buy anything else. The symbolism therefore indicates a time of famine when life will be reduced to the barest necessities…” Notice that the last phrase says, “see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Oil and wine were more luxurious items of that day. What it’s saying is that while most will be grappling with famine, the wealthy will be relatively unaffected. The gulf between the rich and the poor will grow even wider during this period of time in the future. As we look around our world, we can already hear the thundering hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the distance, and we can hear them growing closer and closer. The good news for us today is that we’re going to be caught away to Heaven as the Bride of Jesus Christ before the wrath of God comes and these sealed judgments are opened. The fact that we can already hear the approaching hoofbeats tells us that the rapture of the church may be very soon. Interesting Timing: Israel Is Reportedly Getting Ready To Launch A Massive Ground Operation In Rafah “In Mid-April Or Early May” - by Michael Snyder - https://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/interesting-timing-israel-is-reportedly-getting-ready-to-launch-a-massive-ground-operation-in-rafah-in-mid-april-or-early-may/ An Israeli ground operation in Rafah is a “red line” for Hezbollah and Iran, and so once the IDF goes in the entire region could explode. Of course if Israel intends to destroy Hamas, an operation in Rafah is necessary, because that it where Hamas is hiding. Israeli officials have been telling us over and over again that there will be a ground operation in Rafah no matter what the Biden administration or anyone else thinks, and now we have a timeline. The following is from a Times of Israel article entitled “Report: Israel preparing for Rafah ground operation in mid April or early May”… Following the failure of the latest round of negotiations in Qatar, Israel is not willing to make any further concessions to Hamas and is gearing up for an invasion of Rafah after Eid al-Fitr — the three-day holiday that follows Ramadan and ends around April 12 — or in early May at the latest, according to Egyptian sources who have been in contact with IDF officials, quoted by the pro-Hezbollah Al-Akhbar daily. That is very interesting timing. If this report is accurate, we are likely to see a ground operation in Rafah shortly after the Great American Eclipse of 2024 on April 8th. According to that same Times of Israel article, the ground operation in Rafah “would last between four and eight weeks”… The ground op inside the last bastion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip would last between four and eight weeks, the sources say, and would be accompanied by an evacuation of the civilian population sheltering in Rafah, which amounts to about 1.5 million people, toward the center of the Strip along specific routes and at specific times, announced to civilians in each area of Rafah in advance. The mass evacuation would be monitored from the ground and the air to ensure that no Hamas fighters or Israeli hostages are hidden among the Gazan civilians, the Egyptian officials say. Normally, in a military conflict you would never want to tell the enemy what you are going to do or when you are going to do it. But in this case the Israelis are trying to keep events from spiraling out of control. Unfortunately, it won’t work. We are on the verge of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, and it certainly won’t take much to push things over the edge. On Tuesday, the IDF conducted their deepest strike into Lebanese territory so far… The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Tuesday another rare strike conducted deep into Lebanese territory. The strikes targeted “a military compound used by Hezbollah’s aerial unit” in the Baalbek District which is in the northeast of the country. This marks the deepest Israeli strike inside Lebanon since the war began in the wake of the Oct.7 Hamas terror attack, at more than 110km from Israel’s border. In response, Hezbollah fired a bunch of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday… Hezbollah has fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, killing one person, in response to deadly Israeli strikes on a Lebanese village. Lebanese sources said seven people were killed in the Israeli attack overnight on Habbariyeh, making it one of the deadliest in recent violence. Israel said militants were killed, including one involved in attacks on Israel. It won’t be too long before this conflict goes to the next level. But it appears that it won’t happen until after the Great American Eclipse on April 8th. Meanwhile, there continues to be a lot of talk about a coming Chinese invasion of Taiwan. This isn’t new, but right now lots of people on social media are buzzing about a military training site in a very remote area of China that is “an exact replica of the road network near Taiwan’s Presidential Palace”… The Chinese have been gearing up for an invasion of Taiwan for quite some time. Let’s just hope that they do not decide to pull the trigger here in 2024. Elsewhere, it appears that Russian intelligence has concluded that “the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people”… The director of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, said on Tuesday that the US, UK and Ukraine were behind the Moscow concert hall attack that killed at least 139 people on Friday – despite repeated claims of responsibility by Islamic State. Russian officials persisted in saying Ukraine and the West had a role in last week’s deadly Moscow concert hall attack despite vehement denials of involvement by Kyiv and a claim of responsibility by an affiliate of the Islamic State group. Since Friday’s terror attack, the Russians have been hammering major cities in Ukraine with hypersonic missiles. This actually plays into the hands of the Ukrainians, because the more destruction that is rained down on Ukrainian cities the more likely it is going to be that western troops will eventually be sent into Ukraine. And that is precisely what Ukraine wants. The Ukrainians will not win this war the way that it is going. Their only chance of winning is for NATO to intervene. But Vladimir Putin has already warned that sending NATO troops into Ukraine could lead to nuclear war… Putin noted that while accusing Russia of plans to attack NATO allies in Europe, Western allies were “selecting targets for striking our territory” and “talking about the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine.” “We remember the fate of those who sent their troop contingents to the territory of our country,” the Russian leader said in an apparent allusion to the failed invasions by Napoleon and Hitler. “Now the consequences for the potential invaders will be far more tragic.” In a two-hour speech before an audience of lawmakers and top officials, Putin cast Western leaders as reckless and irresponsible and declared that the West should keep in mind that “we also have the weapons that can strike targets on their territory, and what they are now suggesting and scaring the world with, all that raises the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilization.” On top of everything else, it looks like military conflict could soon erupt in the Balkans… Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti alleged that Serbia is planning an invasion and has deployed military units near the border. Kurti shared footage showing Serbian army movements and accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of making “open threats.” Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia maintains it as part of its territory. The situation has raised tensions, and Kurti has called for increased troop presence from NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) to deter any potential aggression. I truly believe that global war will be one of the dominant themes of 2024. And it appears that things will escalate to an entirely different level following the Great American Eclipse on April 8th. Many dominoes will start tumbling once the IDF launches a ground operation in Rafah, and the whole planet will be extremely shocked by what happens. DOWNLOAD THE PROPHECY UPDATE APP Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
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On Friday, March 22, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned that a major Rafah operation could result in global isolation and long-term security harm for Israel. On Sunday Vice President Kamala Harris would not rule out consequences for Israel if it goes ahead with the Rafah operation. Moreover, in a meeting with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, Blinken reiterated U.S. “opposition to a major operation in Rafah.” Then also on Monday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution that demanded Israel’s ceasefire for the rest of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan and the release of all hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The United States abstained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately canceled plans to send a delegation to the United States to discuss plans for an operation in Rafah after the U.N. Security Council voted to back the ceasefire and the United States failed to veto the resolution. Within hours there a worldwide geomagnetic storm occurred and at 1:30 am Tuesday morning the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship. Key was the writer of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States. The following “Purim to Passover 2024” was written by my good friend Ted Vanlandeghem, a Jewish believer in Yeshua. Over the years he has been very supportive of my “Eye to Eye―Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel.” PURIM TO PASSOVER 2024 – A CALL TO NATIONAL REPENTANCE - By Ted M. Vanlandeghem • Yesterday we awoke to the news of the early morning collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, which occurred 24 hours after the conclusion of Purim. This came on the heels of the United States’ abstention rather than veto of the United Nations Security Council’s passage Monday of a cease-fire resolution in the Israel-Hamas war and 24 hours after news broke of Vice President Kamala Harris threatening Israel in a speech with dire consequences: https://www.foxnews.com/media/harris-shameful-warning-israel-crashes-burns-online-kick-rocks-kamala • This has additional weighty significance since Francis Scott Key was the author of our national anthem, penned during the War of 1812 in the British battle for Fort McHenry in the inner harbor of Baltimore on September 14, 1814 (the day before Yom Kippur of 1814 and the last day of Yomim Nora’im 1814). • The fort where the battle took place that inspired Key to write the national anthem is right there in the inner harbor where the bridge collapsed. • Another prophetic layer is that a lunar eclipse occurred on Purim this year―and will be repeated the next two years: • 2024 also a Jewish leap year, so Purim occurs twice this year. During a Jewish leap year there are two months of Adar―Adar 1 and Adar 2―so Purim occurs twice: Purim Katan(February 23–24, 2024) and Purim (March 23–24, 2024). The point is that there is a double portion of Purim this year. Adding weight to this is the lunar eclipse pattern that started on Purim this year and continues for the next three years. Additionally, this speaks of God dealing with Iran. It’s no coincidence that Israel is currently locked in a war against Iran and her proxies―Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. But there are other pieces to this: • This year’s total solar eclipse is on April 8, which is the 1st of Nisan on the biblical calendar, or the biblical new year, coming two weeks before Passover, which takes place on the 14th of Nisan. • April 8 is also the end of Ramadan on the Islamic calendar―a prophetic convergence. • This eclipse comes seven years after the last total solar eclipse. • The two eclipses or 2017 and 2024 make an X over New Madrid, Missouri. • New Madrid is the site of two major earthquakes in the United States, in 1811 and again in 1812 (about three months before the beginning of the war of 1812). • George H. W. Bush started the peace process to divide the land of Israel in Madrid, Spain. Will judgment come upon America at New Madrid, Missouri? • The eclipse seven years ago passed over seven United States cities named “Salem,” which means “peace”― 1. Salem, Oregon 2. Salem, Idaho 3. Salem, Wyoming 4. Salem, Nebraska 5. Salem, Missouri 6. Salem, Kentucky 7. Salem, South Carolina • This year’s eclipse on the 1st of Nissan passes over and will be visible from seven cities named “Nineveh” in the United States and an additional one in Nova Scotia, Canada. • In the story of Jonah, God gave the city of Nineveh 40 days to repent: Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4 NIV). • So if this is a prophetic pattern for the United States and we are being given a 40-daywindow to repent as a nation, then the next question is “What day comes 40 days after the first of Nissan?” That happens to be a day called “Passover Sheni.” • Passover Sheni is the biblically mandated second Passover or “make-up” Passover that was given in Numbers: “Tell the Israelites: 'When any of you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body or are away on a journey, they are still to celebrate the Lord's Passover, but they are to do it on the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight’” (Numbers 9:9–11). • This second Passover was mandated by God for any of the people who were unclean or unfit to celebrate the first Passover, one month prior. If the people of God were not clean or fit to partake in the first Passover, he mandated this one―a second chance. It’s on this “second-chance Passover” that the 40-day window from the 1st of Nisan, April 8, ends! • Four days after Passover Sheni comes a Jewish traditional holiday called “Lag Ba'Omer,”or the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, in which the Jewish people in Israel make large bonfires all across the land of Israel. • Lag Ba'Omer is marked by fire . A day marked by fire follows the “second-chance Passover.” • Could it be that God is giving the United States a 40-day window to repent that concludes on the second Passover, or the “second chance Passover”? And if we do not repent as a nation―will we reap fire? What Can We learn from Jonah? - Nathele Graham - [email protected] We tend to view many of the historical accounts in Scripture as children’s stories. We see Noah and the Ark as a cute little cartoon, forgetting the serious truth of why Noah built the Ark. Daniel in the lion’s den usually shows Daniel petting the heads of friendly lions, but we forget that he was thrown to hungry lions because he would not bow before an idol, but God shut their mouths. Another “cute” account is Jonah being swallowed by a whale. There is a very serious reason for this, but we tend to water down the truth. Jonah was running from God, who had asked him to warn Nineveh of coming judgment. Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to be condemned, not forgiven. Do you think that God only began caring about Gentiles after Jesus gave His life for the salvation of the world? The truth is, God loves His creation, no matter what the ethnic background is. For many years, God focused His attention on Israel, but He didn’t forget the Gentiles. That is seen very clearly in what happened in the very evil and wicked city of Nineveh. This very large city was located in ancient Assyria, and the Assyrians were very wicked; they were enemies of Israel. One day the Lord spoke to Jonah and said “Arise, go to Nineveh that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me” Jonah 1:2. How would you react if God clearly told you to go to Baghdad and walk through the city warning of coming judgment? More than likely you would do what Jonah did and run the other way! God wanted the people of Nineveh to turn from their wickedness, and idol worship, and all the evil that was a part of their lives. “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD and went down to Joppa: and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Jonah 1:3. Jonah forgot that there is nowhere to hide from the presence of God. . It’s easy to read the story of Jonah and wonder why he ran, but I can tell you I’m thankful God hasn’t asked me to go to San Francisco or New York City or Hollywood and speak against the wickedness and evil there. What if you were asked to go spread the Gospel to Washington DC? Would you go, or would you head the other way? God was serious about preaching against the evil found in Nineveh. When Jonah got on the boat to Tarshish, God set about changing Jonah’s mind. God sent a great wind that made even the sailors afraid. Each of those sailors cried to his own god. That’s still the problem today. Too many people don’t trust God Almighty, but trust in the gods they create…god of money, god of sex, god of self, and more. Like Jonah, we try to hide from God and don’t share the Gospel with any of them. While all of the wind and fear were happening, Jonah was asleep. “So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not” Jonah 1:6. Christians, are we sleeping? There is a major storm raging all around us, a spiritual onslaught, but we act as if there’s no problem. The battle is Spiritual and evil is behind the storms we face, and we need spiritual armor to fight (study Ephesians chapter 6). What can we do? The answer is simple, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God. God needs strong Christian soldiers, fit for battle. Jonah confessed he was Hebrew and claimed he feared the Lord. “And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which made the sea and the dry land.” Jonah 1:9. If he was in fear of the Lord, why was he running? The excuses are much like the ones we use today. “I’m afraid”. “Does God really want me the preach to them?”, “They deserve judgment”, “I don’t know Scripture well enough to say anything”. Jonah knew he failed and that the storm was caused by his disobedience. “And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you” Jonah 1:12. Sometimes even a bad witness can be used by God. The sailors who all had their own gods, ended up crying out to the Lord. “Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou O LORD hast done as it pleased thee.” Jonah 1:14. What a statement coming from a group of men with no faith in God! Brothers and sisters, our silence and our joining in worldly lifestyles cause us to hold our silence, while the evil storms get stronger. We know what happened next. The sailors threw Jonah overboard, but God wasn’t done with him. “Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly, of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17. What does that remind you of? The Scribes and Pharisees wanted Jesus to give them a sign (as if He hadn’t shown many signs before), “But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:39-40. The Scribes and Pharisees wanted theatrics, but Jesus didn’t come to earth to put on a show. He was serious about His mission here. He gave His life, spent three days and three nights in the tomb, but on the third day He arose! Jonah was in quite a predicament. Almost as a last resort, Jonah prayed. “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly.” Jonah 2:1. His prayer was heartfelt “And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.” Jonah 2:10. Yuck! Can you imagine the mess he was? I’m sure he smelled pretty bad, too. It took a real wake up call to get Jonah to come around to God’s will. It would have been a lot easier on him if he would have obeyed God and headed to Nineveh rather than running away. “So Jonah arose and went unto Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey.” Jonah 3:2. Now that his troubles were behind him, off he went to Nineveh. The question is, was he sincere? How often do we find ourself in a very bad situation and pray to God for help? Oh, we make all kinds of promises. If God gets us out of the belly of the whale, we will do anything He asks. That was Jonah’s attitude, and off he went to Nineveh. “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed, and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thin:, let them not feed nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.” Jonah 3:4-8. Jonah wasn’t preaching the love of God, but rather seemed happy to preach that God would execute judgment in forty days. Jonah didn’t want them to survive. In spite of his bad attitude, everyone in Nineveh turned to God. God is always willing to forgive, but the repentance has to be real. When Solomon had finished building the Temple, he called the people together and they had a feast of dedication and everyone was joyous. After the celebration, the Lord went to Solomon by night and told him He had heard his prayer and He was pleased with the Temple. Among other things, God told Solomon “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. These words were for the Jewish people, but when we give our lives to Christ, we are known as Christian…we are called by His name. It’s time for us to humble ourselves, pray, and truly seek God. Nineveh, a pagan Gentile city, did humble themselves before the Lord. They did turn from their wicked ways, and their judgment was delayed until they returned to their wickedness. Jonah should have been very pleased. He survived a storm and being swallowed by a big fish, and his words to Nineveh were effective. They city repented. “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” Jonah 4:1. Jonah had a snit fit and he explained to God that the reason he had run away was because he knew that if he went to Nineveh, they would repent. Jonah didn’t want that. He wanted them to face God’s judgment rather than God’s mercy. He was so upset that he asked God to take his life and let him die. How would you feel if you witnessed to someone who was a very evil person and they surprised you and humbled themselves and repented? Would you be filled with joy and gratitude? What did Jonah do? Rather than being happy for Nineveh, Jonah pouted. “So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.” Jonah 4:5. Jonah really wanted Nineveh to face judgment. That isn’t the way we should approach witnessing. If Jonah would have joyfully obeyed God instead of running away, he might have been able to rejoice when the whole city repented and came to know the true God. What lesson can we learn from Jonah? There are many truths hidden in this four-chapter book. God wants everybody to come to know Him. He doesn’t want anybody to face His judgment. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9. If God asks you to speak to a friend, family member, or someone you consider an enemy, will you, joyfully, do it? Or will you do everything you can in order to get out of witnessing? If so, you should become more comfortable with Scripture. In that way, you can have answers to questions others may have. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15. If God can use a man like Jonah, He can use you. Be obedient to His word and spread the Gospel. Judgment was coming, but Jonah didn’t want Nineveh to repent. Do you want your enemies to repent? Wake up, O sleeper. Don’t be like Jonah and run, but with humility and prayer, share the Gospel. God wants everyone to come to salvation. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com www.prophecyupdate.com www.raptureforums.com All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed. If you would like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6. Daily Jot: Submitting Israel to Islam - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com The abstention by the US in the recent United Nations Security Council vote to demand a ceasefire of hostilities by Israel during the Islamic High Holy month of Ramadan has tremendous spiritual implications. In a very real sense, the UN Security Council resolution attempts to submit Israel to Islam, not only in action, but in wording of the resolution. The resolution demanded an “immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire…” If the UN’s concern for hostilities against civilians, acts of terrorism, and the taking of hostages like it says, then why not just call for a ceasefire and return of hostages without mentioning Ramadan? Herein is a possible reason. Dhimmitude. Dhimmitude is the submission to Islam of all cultural, demographic, ethnic and religious aspects of a political system. In Islamic tradition, it was the submission of a people conquered by jihad as defined in a treaty called a “dhimma.” Nowadays, dhimmitude has been expanded to a form of getting a population to submit to Islam, even voluntarily, as a strategy of jihad. Now, the UN Security Council may not have had any real idea that it was attempting to bring Israel under Islamic submission by its action. But intentionally including Ramadan in the resolution brings a certain spiritual element into play implying that the UN wanted to bring the “peace of Islam” to the situation with Israel. This was emphasized by US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s justification of the resolution: “This should be a season of peace…This resolution rightly acknowledges that during the month of Ramadan we must recommit to peace.” The “all things Islam” continuation of the Obama era is not lost on today’s White House. On March 15, Joe Biden issued a statement commemorating the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, saying, “We recognize the violence and hate that Muslims worldwide too often face because of their religious beliefs—and the ugly resurgence of Islamophobia in the wake of the devastating war in Gaza. And, we rededicate ourselves to building a world where people of all faiths and all backgrounds are free to live without fear of persecution.” National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby explained to reporters at the White House March 25 that the UN abstention was “very consistent with everything that we’ve been saying we want to get done here. And we get to decide what our policy is. The [Israeli] prime minister’s office seems to be indicating through public statements that we somehow changed here. We haven’t. And we get to decide what our policy is.” Nearly immediately after the resolution passed, Hamas used it to make more demands for the release of hostages. Submission for peace. As Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” And there are those who are held captive to do satan’s will by their own choice. Sources: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2024/03/25/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-white-house-national-security-communications-advisor-john-kirby-7/ https://www.jns.org/full-text-un-security-council-resolution-2728/ Daily Devotion: The Easy Thing? Or the One Thing? - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. —Isaiah 53:5 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-easy-thing-or-the-one-thing/ - Listen The people wanted a crucifixion, and Pontius Pilate went along with it. He sent Jesus away to be crucified. Pilate gave up everything for power and prestige. And how did it work out for him? According to history, he ultimately suffered banishment from high office to a place called Gaul. There, he was left broken and destitute, unwanted by Caesar, and all alone. And one night, under the cover of darkness, Pontius Pilate, the great Roman governor who could have received forgiveness from the Son of God, went out and hung himself. A workman found his body. His craving for popularity cost him everything. Had he chosen to, he could have believed in Jesus on the spot, and Jesus would have forgiven him. Like Pilate, some people will choose a career over Jesus. It isn’t that you can’t have both. But some, in the pursuit of success, are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to succeed. Have you ever seen a book about how to be a failure? Yet there are plenty of books about how to be a success. Everyone wants to be successful. Now, I’m not advocating failure. But you are not a success if you sacrifice greater things in your pursuit of it. For instance, if you sacrifice your integrity, your standards, your friends, your family, or even your faith to get ahead, then you are not successful. Alfred Einstein said, “Try not to become a man of success. Rather, try to become a man of value.” There must come a point in our lives when we start thinking about things that are more important than simply being successful. There must come a point when we start thinking about significance over success, when we start thinking about the purpose of our lives. Why did God put me on this earth to begin with? Why am I here? These are important questions. The Bible tells us that we’ve been placed on this earth to glorify God with our lives and to produce spiritual fruit. Of course, we have vocations, and whatever we do, we should work hard at it. We should do the best that we can. But we should never sacrifice our principles. A lot of people are trying to figure out the one thing they should be chasing after in life. Meanwhile, we can find the answer to that question in the Bible. Writing to the believers in Philippi, the apostle Paul said, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7–8 NLT). Pontius Pilate chose the easy thing over the one thing. He chose success over significance. He chose popularity over Jesus Christ. It was the trap of compromise. And compromise always will lead to ruin. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 3/28/24 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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