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With Only Weeks Away, Experts Urgently Warn WHO Pandemic Treaty Will Usurp US Sovereignty – By Ben Johnson – https://harbingersdaily.com/with-only-weeks-away-experts-urgently-warn-who-pandemic-treaty-will-usurp-us-sovereignty/
Americans stand just weeks away from handing over massive amounts of taxpayer funding, protective equipment intended for U.S. citizens, and an incalculable amount of influence over U.S. policy to the World Health Organization (WHO), critics warn. The global governance body will resume meetings to revise the WHO Pandemic Agreement on Monday. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), established to draw up the text of the agreement in December 2021, will hold its ninth meeting from April 29 to May 10. That provides just over two weeks before the 77th World Health Assembly meets from May 27 to June 1 in Geneva, Switzerland, to ratify the final document. The most recently updated version of the “Proposal for the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” amended on April 22, would redistribute wealth and protective equipment away from the U.S., establish a global governing board with little accountability to U.S. citizens and, critics say, water down U.S. sovereignty over how it responds to future pandemics. The latest version of the agreement calls on nations to adopt “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches” to pandemics, “including the private sector and civil society.” Governments should carry out so-called education programs that will suppress competing narratives about the pandemic, as the U.S. government did during COVID-19. Nations must also conduct research to determine what forces “hinder or strengthen adherence to public health and social measures in a pandemic,” such as mask and vaccine mandates. WHO makes clear it intends to involve itself far beyond the physical aspects of the outbreak. The latest agreement invokes the “public health impact of growing threats such as climate change, poverty and hunger.” Fighting pandemics, it states, requires nations to “achieve greater health equity” by taking “resolute action on the social, environmental, cultural, political and economic determinants of health.” This includes adopting a controversial “OneHealth” approach, which attempts to “balance” the “health of people, animals and ecosystems” as though all were equally valuable. Nations have the right to “adopt legislation” only “in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the WHO Constitution and the principles of international law, and their sovereign rights over their biological resources.” They also may not make reservations that are “incompatible with the object and purpose of the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” as determined by the WHO. Aside from incursions onto national prerogatives spelled out in the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the document establishes a “Conference of the Parties,” a group of unelected officials empowered to adopt new resolutions that will be legally binding upon signatories. The text makes the WHO pandemic arrangement easy to get into but hard to leave. Once a nation signs onto the accord, it “shall not be discharged” from any “obligations which accrued while it was a Party to the WHO Pandemic Agreement,” even after it withdraws. The controversial document mandates that all nations assure “real-time access by WHO to 20%” of all “products that are needed for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”: “10% as a donation” and 10% at “affordable prices.: WHO, in turn, will create “a mechanism to ensure the fair and equitable allocation and distribution of the pandemic-related health products” globally. Nations will agree to “prioritize sharing through” the WHO’s newly-established “Global Supply Chain and Logistics Network … over bilateral donation agreements” adopted with allied nations. Every nation “shall” also create a “global health emergency workforce deployable to support [other signatories] upon request” of WHO. State-to-state foreign aid amounts to wealth transfers to “up-and-coming young oligarchs in smaller nations,” journalist Jim Roguski told “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” on Wednesday. As a result, wealthy nations will “put a lot of money into building out the pharmaceutical hospital emergency industrial complex in poor nations — not to give that money or support to poor people in poor nations, but to give it to wealthy people in poor nations so that they can jab them the next time around.” Family Research Council has concluded that the WHO Pandemic Agreement puts in place the beginnings of “a turnkey totalitarian state.” FRC’s official comment filed with the U.S. government warns the WHO Pandemic Agreement, as written, “could authorize funding and support for abortion.” The agreement obligates nations to assure the provision of “essential health care services during pandemics,” and critics say, abortion can be held up as an essential service. Observers warned readers against viewing the newest text as a modestly less intrusive document than some previous versions. “In desperation, watered-down versions of the proposed international health regulations and pandemic treaty were floated over the past few days. Don’t be fooled! The WHO still wants experimental vaccines rolled out, still wants liability shields, still wants to impose censorship, and still plans to use ‘One Health’ to control humans, plants, animals, and ecosystems, all in the name of health,” said independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday. The undemocratic mechanisms written into the agreement did not surprise Roguski. “Back in 2022, they pretended to adopt amendments to five articles, but they never bothered to vote” on them. Yet, despite the lack of a vote, those amendments will take force on May 31, he said. “The good news is that they are having a difficult time,” Roguski told Perkins, breaking out high-pressure sales tactics for nations to sign onto the accord. “Pressure to act swiftly or risk missing out on the treaty’s promise effectively warns LMICs [Low- and Middle-Income Countries] that this is their sole opportunity, insisting they must conform to the timeline,” wrote Sarah Hodges, professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at King’s College London. “However, this rapid pace raises concerns about what we refer to as ‘time equity’ –– the fair allocation of time and resources for deliberation and decision-making among all stakeholders.” WHO officials are also pumping up fear about deadly, but hypothetical, future outbreaks. Kate Bingham and Tim Hames of the WHO warn in a new book, “The Long Shot,” that a theoretical “Disease X” could become the next pandemic and wipe out 50 million people worldwide. WHO has smeared its opponents as purveyors of misinformation and disinformation. In March, former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown — who is now WHO ambassador for global health finance — insisted, “It is time for countries to expose fake news disinformation campaigns by conspiracy theorists to torpedo a much-needed accord.” Brown warned that “governments must work to disavow them with clear facts,” and doing so “will be a test of our ability as a global community to resist the fragmentation of our world and instead cooperate on global problems that need global solutions.” The potential toll to privacy from a global pandemic order could be real and stigmatizing, Roguski contended. “They want paperwork that says you’ve been injected with some substance, and if you don’t meet those requirements, you are suddenly dangerous to your fellow man or woman,” Roguski said. Others around the world feared the impact of the WHO once emboldened to act with greater authority. “Once approved, the WHO will have total powers and control over matters to do with health [and] climate change,” said Kenyan politician Steve Mbogo. “The depopulation [a]genda is wide and clear.” Despite the WHO’s claim to act as the global authority, newly published data prove that lockdowns worsened other health outcomes. WHO recently revealed the number of children vaccinated against other diseases, such as diphtheria, plummeted by six million between 2018 and 2021 and remained 2% lower than prepandemic levels in 2022. “You’re in the battle of your life to crush this attempt” to erode “our sacred right to be in control of our own body, make our own health decisions,” said Roguski. Because of the short time line, conservatives feel “a sense of urgency to bring awareness to the issue before the WHO meets,” Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots told American Family News. Advocates of U.S. sovereignty have introduced numerous avenues for Americans to oppose WHO’s usurpation of their unalienable rights. Legislatively, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) has introduced the WHO Withdrawal Act (H.R. 79), and Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) has introduced the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act. The Biden administration allows Americans to send written comments to with the subject line, “Written Comment Re: Stakeholder Listening Session for WHA77.” The comment deadline is Friday, May 3, 2024. FRC has drawn up a model comment for those seeking additional guidance. Roguski said Christians should not overlook one additional resource available to them: “Pray for the outcome that you desire, which is for these negotiations to fall apart and for a vote never to even happen.” Similarly, Senator Johnso told Perkins last week, “Pray for a Tower of Babel within the World Health Organization.” Rapture Delayed? – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/04/29/rapture-delayed-3/ Author’s note: This article was posted originally on Raptureready.com on March 7, 2016. It is re-posted here because some of the same concerns as back then are being expressed through emails and in other ways. My response remains the same because God’s Plan in regard to the Rapture hasn’t changed. We have looked a number of times in this column at those who mock the end-times message and the Rapture in particular. Because those who scoff have been of the abrasive, unbelieving variety for the most part, there is a standard Bible verse reply I’ve usually employed in response. The scriptural reply has most often been intended to let those mocking know that they are, in actuality, fulfilling Bible prophecy. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4). As of late, however, such a reply doesn’t quite fit that which should compose an appropriate response. That is because the questions are coming weekly from genuine believers in the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Church. These Christians are worried–some very worried. These look around them, and on every side they see and feel the satanic pressures from this fallen sphere closing in. Issues and events –the very ambience in which they find their lives engulfed–generate thoughts that their circumstance is beginning to look much like the Bible’s description of the Tribulation itself. To illustrate the growing angst, I’ve chosen the email of one such Christian brother who wrote this past week. His words pretty much get right to the point of the many other emails expressing like emotion. Here it is in its entirety: Why is the Lord delaying the rapture? It should have happened years ago. We would be in the millennium now enjoying true peace and prosperity without the suffering. I don’t get it. It’s God’s call, of course, but 58 million aborted babies in the US since 1973, Christians tortured and murdered worldwide, people who believe in Jesus longing for his return suffering immensely. I don’t get it. Where is our Lord and Savior? The emailer didn’t use any soft nuances of greetings or any other niceties. He just laid his spirit-distressed emotions right out there. You don’t answer such gut-wrenching concern with the apostle Peter’s prophecy, as given above. This child of God is worried. He is puzzled; he is perplexed. It’s the kind of questioning I’ve heard in my own kids’ anxieties when they were young and felt disappointed for one of my failures or the other to keep a promise. “Dad should never let me down like that” is the tone. Only this perceived unkept promise isn’t from an imperfect human father. I say “perceived unkept promise” because the promise isn’t unbroken whatsoever. The error is in the question of the imperfect child asking it. His Perfect Father will, as always, be one hundred percent faithful to keep every promise made. The Lord Jesus, Himself, in His ascended position, said the following to John the Revelator: “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” (Revelation 3:10). Jesus said it, and that means the Heavenly Father said it–promised it! Jesus said that He and the Father are One. They are inseparable–one and the same–the first and second Persons of the Godhead–the Trinity. God cannot lie, the Scripture tells us. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God keeps His promises. So, this brother in Christ, like all the other believers who look to the “blessed hope” of Titus 2:13, who are in fear and worry while watching this fallen world closing in, need an answer from the Word of God. The Heavenly Father gave the answer to Peter to pass along to us, just a bit farther on in Scripture. The answer to why the Rapture hasn’t occurred as soon as almost all of us wish it would occur is, at least in part, wrapped up in the following: “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). The Tribulation that will follow this Age of Grace will be filled with horrors that even John, under divine inspiration, had trouble describing. The Lord wants to provide every moment possible during this present dispensation for those lost in their sin to come safely into the shelter who is His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. God wants this for the lost because, following the Rapture, making the decision to accept Christ for salvation will be more difficult by a multiple of factors. Facing beheading is but one of those factors! That is the reason–or at least a primary reason–the Rapture hasn’t yet occurred in this generation, according to God’s Word. That said, I must take notable exception with the emailer’s contention that God is “delaying” the Rapture. You can take this to the bank–well, to the banks the way they used to be–God is not delaying the Rapture. It will happen precisely in the twinkling of the eye at the moment the Father has determined. Jesus said: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36). God knows exactly the instant He will send His Son to get His Bride, make no mistake. There is no delay. On that note, issues and events closing in on us show that we are almost certainly very near that exhilarating moment of instantaneously finding ourselves face to face with the Lord Jesus. Just how near we are to the Rapture–if we could indeed know–would likely allay all fears. I’m excited to tell you that my new book, Rapture Ready … Or Not: 15 Reasons This Is the Generation That Will Be Left Behind, is at present being prepared within the publishing process. Because of the lateness of the prophetic hour, I sense to a degree never experienced before that this is a book I’ve been commissioned to write. We will be able to tell you more soon, Lord willing. Authors note: That book, published in 2016, is available on Amazon. 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DONATE HERE Your can also mail your support to: Prophecy Update PO Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384 Debunking Popular Lies About the Pre-Tribulation Rapture – By Jonathan Brentner - https://harbingersdaily.com/debunking-popular-lies-about-the-pre-tribulation-rapture/ One of the most unpopular beliefs among Christians today is that of the pre-Tribulation Rapture. Many not only scoff at our expectation of meeting Jesus in the air, but also ridicule those of us who believe it could happen at any moment. The resulting silence in most pulpits today regarding our “blessed hope” has opened the door for a great many misconceptions about it to flourish. For many, social media and Internet searches have replaced sound biblical teaching regarding our “blessed hope.” Below are five popular lies about the Rapture. 1. Belief in The Rapture Began With John Darby Despite clear and overwhelming evidence to the contrary, most Christians remain convinced that belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture began with John Darby. They claim that since no one in the church held this viewpoint prior to the nineteenth century, we shouldn’t ascribe to something no one believed before the time of Darby. This assertion is blatantly false. In AD 180, Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies to refute the errors of Gnosticism. In Book 5, Chapter 29, of Against Heresies he wrote these words: And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be Tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.” In the above quote, this early prominent early church theologian used the same Greek word for “caught up,” harpazo, that Paul used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, a favorite Rapture verse of many. He clearly had this passage in mind. While his words don’t specify a pre-Tribulation Rapture, they do reveal Irenaeus’ belief that the event portrayed in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the harpazo, would come before a time of extended Tribulation on the earth as presented in Matthew 24:21ff during which time the church would be absent from the earth. His words also confirm an early belief in Jesus’ appearance for His church that’s separate from the Second Coming. He didn’t combine the two events as most do today. In my book, The Triumph of the Redeemed, I document beliefs similar to that of Irenaeus in the following documents or writers: The Shepherd of Hermas (about AD 140) Cyprian (AD 200–258) The Apocalypse of Elijah (Third Century AD) Ephraim the Syrian (AD 306–373) Morgan Edwards (1722–1795) Each of the above examples, which predate John Darby by an exceptionally long time, express the belief that Jesus would remove His church from the earth before a period of extended judgment upon it. Ephraim clearly believed in a pre-Tribulation Rapture although Morgan Edwards placed it at the midpoint of the Tribulation. Ongoing research into the history of the church continues to uncover more occurrences of a belief in the removal of the church from the world followed by a time of tribulation and after that, the Second Coming. In his book, Dispensationalism Before Darby, Dr. William C. Watson devoted an entire chapter to instances of belief in the Rapture during seventeenth century England. In a few of the cases, writers used the word “Rapture” while others referred to some who would be “left behind.” Church history is full of references, long before the time of Darby, that place Jesus’ appearing for His church before a time of tribulation that precedes the Second Coming. 2. There’s No Mention of It In Scripture Many scoffers of our hope like to point out that the Bible doesn’t contain the word “Rapture.” Such an assertion deceptively implies that there’s no such event described in Scripture, which again is totally false. The late Dr. Ed Hindson, former professor at Liberty University, acclaimed Bible scholar, and author, put it this way: If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, “There’s never going to be a rapture.” No, there must be a rapture or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture. It’s true that John Darby helped popularize the application of the word “Rapture” to the event that Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, I Corinthians 15:50-55, Philippians 3:20-21, and Titus 2:11-14. However, giving it a name is far different than creating it. The event we refer to as the “Rapture” occurs in the Bible; it’s just not labelled as such that in our English translations of Scripture. 3. Belief in The Rapture Is Escapism Another falsehood used to discredit the Rapture is that its proponents just want to escape tumultuous times on the earth. In other words, we are just seeking to avoid the tribulation that Jesus said would be the experience of His followers. First, there’s a significance difference between the persecution and affliction that we experience because of our faith and the outpouring of God’s wrath during the Day of the Lord. Second, our belief stems from what Paul wrote about Jesus coming for us before this awful period of Tribulation begins (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10). I love the response of John Walvoord to such criticism: Is it an unworthy motive to desire to escape the Great Tribulation? Actually, it is no more so than the desire to escape hell. The point in either case is not our desire or wishes but the question as to what the Scriptures promise. Pretribulationists hope to escape the Great Tribulation because it is expressly a time of divine judgment on a world that has rejected Christ. But the Scriptures also reveal the Great Tribulation as a time of satanic wrath against Israel and believers in Christ who are living at the time. The Great Tribulation is a time of both divine wrath and satanic wrath. Our hope for missing the Tribulation period rests on the words or Scripture rather than our desire to escape trouble. And as Walvoord points out, how is our desire to escape God’s wrath on earth any different than that of wanting to avoid it in the lake of fire? 4. Those Who Believe in The Rapture Don’t Care About The Current World This falsehood is more of an attack on us who believe in the Rapture than against the teaching itself. Again, the idea that we don’t care about this world or its inhabitants is simply not true of the majority of those who daily watch for Jesus’ appearing. Scholar and author, Dr. Grant R. Jeffrey, wrote the following concerning the myth-based assertion that belief in the Rapture causes us to cease caring about this world and its people: For the past two centuries, churches that enthusiastically taught the literal premillennial and pretribulation return of Jesus have been at the forefront of the worldwide medical missions as well as missionary efforts to reach the lost. Of course there will be exceptions, but from what I see, there’s no lack of compassion for the hurting and lost among those that wait expectancy for Jesus’ appearing. Belief in the Rapture, if anything, accelerates the desire of most to give generously to help the poor and support the spread of Gospel. 5. Jesus Doesn’t Intervene in Our World Until The End Of The Age Those that believe the preceding falsehoods pertaining to the Rapture say the next event on God’s prophetic calendar is an end-of-the-age return of Jesus to initiate the eternal state. Many pastors convey such a scenario by preaching that all believers today will someday die. I have heard this proclaimed several times from the pulpit in churches that I have attended in the past. Such teaching directly contradicts the New Testament; Paul tells us there will be saints alive at the time of Jesus’ appearing (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). The New Testament belief in Jesus’ imminent appearing doesn’t place an end date on this expectancy, but asserts that it could happen at any moment. The abundance of signs pointing to the soon arrival of the Tribulation period tell us that it’s likely that most believers today will meet Jesus in the air before they die. Though not a certainty, it’s a viable expectation for the day in which we live. A careful study of the words in the texts describing Jesus’ appearing and the Second Coming reveal that they cannot be the same event. At the time of the Rapture, Jesus raises the dead saints immediately; it’s the very first thing He does (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). When He returns to the earth, several major events take place before He raises His followers (Revelation 19:17-20:4); it’s likely that the resurrection doesn’t happen the same day because of the many intervening events. A careful study reveals an abundance of other stark differences between the two events that make it impossible for one to say they happen at the same time. Prominent early church theologians such as Irenaeus and Cyprian wrote that Jesus would come for His church before a time of Tribulation on the earth, Jesus’ Second Coming after that. Some “post-Tribulationists” such as Robert Gundry place the bowl judgments in-between the Rapture and Jesus’ return to the earth. Why do so many Christians cling to falsehoods about the Rapture? It’s because they start with beliefs regarding the end times that make such an occurrence impossible. The most popular views regarding Bible prophecy claim that most of the book of Revelation is symbolism, code exclusively for first century AD saints, or past history (fulfilled prophecy). These widely accepted viewpoints presuppose that there cannot be a Rapture, which explains its unpopularity in most churches. Eternity Is a Choice - By Nathele Graham - [email protected] We make choices every day. Some are easy, but some take study. For instance, do you get up in the morning and go to work, or do you choose to stay in bed and lose your job? That’s one of the easy choices… go to work! A choice that takes a little more study is buying a car. Which is the most gas-efficient and which is safer? Some choices aren’t all that important, like which color shirt do you buy. Some choices are life-changing, such as who do you marry. The most important choice of all is where do you want to spend eternity. It is your choice. Many people think that when you die, that’s it; there’s no afterlife. They are wrong. Others think that if you’re a good person and if you’re kind to others, then you’ll go to Heaven. They are also wrong. So, is there an answer? Absolutely. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). Everybody will live eternally, but each individual makes their own choice as to where eternity will be spent. Let’s look at some facts so you can make a wise choice. Sin separates us from God. We are born sinners, and we have Adam to thank for that. God doesn’t want anybody to be separated from Him, and at the very beginning, He did all He could to keep Adam and Eve near to Him. Like us, they had a choice. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying. Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). God had provided everything Adam needed to survive in the Garden of Eden. The only thing missing from Adam’s life was a mate… a woman. God understood and cared enough to provide a mate for Adam. Adam was put into a deep sleep, and God took Eve from Adam’s side. The Garden was a perfect place to live; it had food, water, animals, a man and a woman. God had given Adam the command not to eat the fruit of knowledge prior to Eve being brought into being, and Adam had the responsibility to be sure Eve understood the rule. Unfortunately, she chose to talk to that evil liar who was in the form of a serpent, and he convinced her that God was afraid that if she and Adam ate the fruit, they would be like Him. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Not much has changed over time. God gives us rules to protect us, but Satan makes sin look like fun. It might be fun until you wake up in the morning with a pounding hangover, wondering what you did the night before, or when the doctor tells you that you have AIDS because you chose to live a lifestyle that is in opposition to God. Maybe you just found out that you’re going to have a baby, and your lover won’t leave his wife. When consequences of sin mess up your life, remember that you chose to sin and cannot blame God. “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14). Eve chose to listen to Satan instead of God, and Adam chose to join her in sin, and Paradise was lost. God had a plan. An amazing plan that seems just too easy. Easy for us, but it cost God dearly. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). That is perfect love. There was no other way for sin to be forgiven but through the blood of Jesus. Because Adam chose to defy God and eat the forbidden fruit, we have inherited sin. When a baby is born, that infant only knows to cry for help… change my diaper, feed me, love me. As they grow, they have to learn to share and be kind to others. A good parent will teach their child to respect others. More importantly, an excellent parent will teach their child about God. “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). God understands that a child cannot be accountable for their choices because they don’t know right from wrong. Parents need to take the responsibility to teach their children about God. Don’t trust public school to teach morality. There comes a time in life when we become accountable for our own choices. What age is that? It’s hard to say. Some never reach it. If a child is mentally unable to understand right from wrong, they cannot make a choice. I have a granddaughter who is 22 years old and is not mentally able to make a choice. It’s sad that she cannot walk or carry on a conversation, but she also cannot make a choice to sin or not to sin. Her sisters and brother have a choice, and I’m very thankful they have all chosen wisely to accept Christ. We are responsible for our own choices, and the choice to follow Christ must be made while living on this side of eternity. Let’s take a look at our options. If we choose to live sinful lives and reject Christ, this life will be filled with trouble. No matter what your thought on eternal life is, if you have rejected Christ, then you have chosen Hell. The Old Testament talks of the grave or the abode of the dead (Hebrew term is Sheol), which was where souls went to await their future judgment. It had two compartments. One side was known as Abraham’s Bosom. This was a place of comfort where people went who died knowing there was a coming Redeemer. Job looked forward to his Redeemer: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25-26). The other side of Sheol was a place of torments. This is where those who had no faith in the coming Redeemer and cared nothing for God went to await the final judgment. When Jesus, the Redeemer, died on the cross for our salvation, He released those in Abraham’s Bosom to go with Him to Heaven. Today, anybody who has truly accepted Christ for salvation will go to Heaven upon death. When writing to Christians, the Apostle Paul wrote, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Those who reject Christ go to torments and will be judged at the Great White Throne judgment at the end of the Millennium. “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:11-12). That judgment will be very sad. It will be dependent upon your works, and works cannot bring salvation. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Amazing grace! How sweet the sound. You can’t earn salvation. Jesus gave us a very clear view of the afterlife when He told of a rich man who didn’t live a life that honored God, and a poor man who had nothing but lived a life of faith: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom; the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented., and beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (Luke 16:22-26). The rich man made a choice while living in the world, and his choice was to reject God. He received the wages for his sin. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). On the other hand, Lazarus was a poor beggar, but he honored God. His reward was to be carried by angels after death to a place of comfort. The rich man told Abraham to send Lazarus to his family to tell them how to live so they would be saved from torments. Abraham told the rich man that his family had Moses and the prophets. Scripture is still our guide today for us to make a wise choice for eternity. This account reveals quite a few facts. First, Scripture is our guide. Next, our choice has to be made on this side of the grave. Third, we learn that there is no purgatory where you can work your way to Paradise. It also tells us that the dead remember loved ones and recognize acquaintances, but the dead cannot return to warn the living. If you think that a loved one has come back with a message for you, don’t be fooled. They cannot return. How can we avoid the place of torment? We all have a choice. This is the most important choice you’ll ever make. None of us are “good enough” to spend eternity in Heaven. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). We cannot do enough “good works” to earn a right to enter Heaven. Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the choice we must make. There is no other way. Your faith must be real and not just an intellectual “I believe” mumbled at an altar. Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again to see God. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). When Nicodemus asked about being “born again,” Jesus told him he had to be born a first time from the womb (born of water), but the second time is being born of the Spirit. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Jesus Christ was God incarnate. He stepped into His creation and gave His life for our salvation. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). We must make the choice of faith for ourself in order to find salvation. We must admit that we are sinners with no chance of eternal life by our own merit. Only true faith in Jesus can take our sin away. When we truly believe, we are born again. The choice must be honest and true, not brain knowledge but life-changing heart knowledge, which includes repentance. That means you’ve changed your mind about sin, and your life is changed. A very important point to understand is that God does not send anybody to Hell. We make a choice. If we accept Christ for salvation, our eternity is bright. If we reject Him, then we will spend eternity in the burning lake of fire with the rich man. There are only two choices, so choose wisely. This life is temporary, and we need to look at the “big picture.” Sin may look inviting, and you may think that living a Christian life is boring, but you’re wrong. Eve believed Satan’s lies, and Adam joined in her sin. Sin wasn’t a pleasure at all. It still isn’t. When you realize that you’re a sinner and that your sin separates you from God, repent. Repent means that you’ve changed your mind about sin, and it no longer controls you. The questionable pleasure you got from drinking alcohol until you’re in a stupor no longer is appealing. Hangovers are no longer a problem. Scripture is our guide to living a life that honors God. Read it, study it, apply it. Don’t put off making your choice. Death is just one heartbeat away. The Rapture is also drawing near. All Christians will be taken Home to Heaven in the twinkling of an eye. You don’t want to be left on earth to face the Great Tribulation. There is an urgency for you to give your life to Christ. God has given plenty of warning and instructions for eternal life. God doesn’t send anybody to Hell. It’s our choice. 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. Daily Jot: Turkey, Iran, US advance Ezekiel 38 prophecy - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com It appears that Turkey and the United States had a hand in approving Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel. In the week leading up to the attack, diplomatic backchannels were used to green light the Iranian operation that included US Secretary of State Antony Blinkin, Turkish Foreign Minister Haka Fidan and Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Piecing together reports from Reuters, the Jerusalem Post, and PJ Media, a conclusion can be reached that the Biden Administration actually approved Iran’s missile barrage on Israel “within certain limits.” This revelation exposes how Turkey and Iran, two end time apocalyptic players, are working together—unfortunately, with US assistance. Reuters reported on April 14, “Iran informed Turkey in advance of its planned operation against Israel, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday, adding that Washington had conveyed to Tehran via Ankara that any action it took had to be “within certain limits”…The Turkish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had spoken to both his U.S. and Iranian counterparts in the past week to discuss the planned Iranian operation, adding Ankara had been made aware of possible developments…”Iran informed us in advance of what would happen. Possible developments also came up during the meeting with Blinken, and they (the U.S.) conveyed to Iran through us that this reaction must be within certain limits,” the source said.” Biden had been warning for two days that Iran was going to attack Israel, yet when this report came out, the Biden State Department denied its veracity, saying the US didn’t know about the attack ahead of time. Matt Margolis, writing for PJ Media, summed it up: “I’ve said before that, despite his public support for Israel, Biden has not been a friend to the Jewish state. And this report proves that. Joe Biden publicly told Iran not to attack Israel. When it was clear they didn’t give a hoot what he said, the Biden administration basically said it was fine to attack Israel as long as the attack was “within certain limits.” While this observation is very troubling about the ethics and integrity of Biden, it is also disturbing from a prophetic viewpoint. Ezekiel 38 prophesies about an end-time “Day of the Lord” battle where a coalition of nations invade Israel. The coalition, led by the antichrist figure “Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (v 38:3),” is comprised of Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Magog, Gomer and Togarmah. Ancient history and maps confirm that Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah are located in modern Turkey. Persia is modern Iran. Libya is Libya and Ethiopia is likely modern Sudan. For this coalition to come against Israel, Shiite Iran must submit to and unite with Sunni Turkey. This latest attack on Israel by Iran clearly demonstrates Turkey and Iran are scheming against Israel as prophesied. Even worse, a US president is collaborating with them behind the scenes while publicly saying he supports Israel. Another prophecy in Zechariah 12:9 comes to mind where the Lord says in the Day of the Lord, “I will seek to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem.” Daily Devotion: The Limitless Love of God - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. —John 4:3–4 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-limitless-love-of-god/ - Listen No Orthodox Jew ever would go to Galilee by way of Samaria. In fact, Jews went out of their way to avoid it altogether. The Jews did not want to associate with the Samaritans, and the Samaritans did not want to associate with the Jews. This prejudice had been passed on from generation to generation. Jesus, however, had to go to Samaria. He had an appointment with a lonely, hurting, and searching woman, and He was about to bring God’s love to her. The love of God knows no racial, economic, or sinful boundaries. It had been determined long before, in eternity, that Jesus would meet with this Samaritan woman on that day. We see from the example of Jesus that we must go where people are. We need to go into our culture and be salt and light to the people with whom we have contact. Each of us has a sphere of influence. And in that sphere of influence, we can touch people in a way that no one else can. As Christians, we should seek to share the gospel in an authentic, loving, culturally relevant way without compromising the integrity of it. We want to let people know who Jesus is. And we need to care about the people we speak to. People can tell whether we care. No one is beyond the reach of God, no one should be left out, and no one should be written off. The Samaritan woman was surprised to see a man sitting at the well that day when she came to draw water. And she was even more surprised when she saw that He was a Jewish man. She probably braced herself for a confrontation at that point, believing it was only a matter of time until He said something insulting to her. Perhaps she could tell from His clothes that He was a rabbi. The legalism of the day dictated that when a rabbi saw a woman, he had to cover his eyes. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for some of them to bump into walls or trip and fall because they didn’t want to make eye contact with a woman. This wasn’t from God. It was cold, dead, legalistic religion. And just to show you that Jesus wanted nothing to do with it, He went out of His way to reach a Samaritan—and not only a Samaritan but a woman (and an immoral one at that). She was someone to whom you’d never expect Jesus to speak. And it’s why the disciples were shocked when they came back from town with food and saw Jesus talking with her (see John 4:27). But Jesus loved her. He was reaching out to her and would appeal to her curiosity, her inner spiritual thirst. Are you willing to leave your comfort zone and take the gospel to someone? Are you willing to go to people who are different from you and tell them about the love of Jesus Christ? That is what Jesus modeled for us. Every generation needs regeneration. Ours is no exception. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 4/30/24 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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