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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Departure of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2019/10/11/the-departure-of-2-thessalonians-23
I realize that one look at the title may cause you to hit the snooze button. Why examine the translation of one word? We do so because it has the potential to greatly strengthen our conviction that the church will miss all of the coming tribulation. In recent years, the Greek Word apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 has received heightened attention. The traditional view is that it refers to a falling away from biblical faith as we see in all our modern English translations, but this has not always been the case. The earliest English versions of the Bible translated the word apostasia as “departure” such as in a physical exit from a location.[i] The translators of the King James Bible, however, changed this; they viewed apostasia as a spiritual “falling away” and translators ever since have followed their lead. However, do sound reasons exist to go against the prevailing thought on this matter? Can we justify translating the word as a physical departure such as would indicate the rapture as the sense of this verse? Although always a strong advocate of a pretribulation rapture, in the past I have been quite reluctant to regard 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as referring to anything else but a latter day apostasy in the church. My recent study, however, has changed my mind on this matter. THE WORD APOSTASIA CAN REFER TO A PHYSICAL DEPARTURE In his book, The Falling Away, Dr. Andy Woods provides solid evidence for regarding the word apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as a physical departure rather than a falling away from the faith. The Greek word “apostasia simply means to ‘to stand away from’ or ‘to depart.’ Only by examining how this word is used in its immediate context will determine what the departure is from, whether it be a spiritual or physical departure.”[ii] In other words, the context must decide if apostasia refers to a departure from the faith or a departure from a physical location as the word can describe either of these scenarios by itself. New Testament writers used the verb from of apostasia fifteen times. As Dr. Woods points out, “. . . only three times does it mean a spiritual departure. The remaining twelve times it clearly means a physical departure. For example, Luke 2:37 says, ‘and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four, she never left the temple.’”[iii] The root verb form of a word provides much substantiation that apostasia can refer to a physical departure. The context thus tells us how to translate the word. THE CONTEXT SUPPORTS A PHYSICAL DEPARTURE The overall context of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 indicates a physical departure as the sense of apostasia. The rapture is the main subject matter of both books that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians; the apostle refers to it in every chapter of 1 Thessalonians it was clearly on his mind as he wrote the second epistle to them. Dr. Woods writes, “Since the ‘context is king’ in determining the meaning of the apostasia and the larger context of the Thessalonian letters pertain to the return of Christ, interpreters should be open to a physical departure understanding of the word. Thus, the larger context of these two books does not favor spiritual departure interpretation of the apostasia, but rather it favors the physical departure view.” [iv] Strong evidence for a physical departure also comes from the immediate context. 2 Thessalonians 2 begins with these words, “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him . . .” (v. 1). Paul introduces the entire passage, verses 1-12, with a reference to the rapture. It certainly follows that he still has the Lord’s appearing to take us home on his mind two verses later. The use of apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as our physical departure via the rapture is wholly consistent with the immediate and overall context. The idea of a spiritual departure from the faith cannot be found anywhere in the context of the verse; Paul never refers to it in either 1 or 2 Thessalonians. PAUL IS REFERRING TO A DEFINITE EVENT Paul’s use of the definite article in front of apostasia tells us he has a specific event in mind, either a particular instance of apostasy or a definite occasion such as the rapture. If apostasia refers to a spiritual falling away from the faith, how do we distinguish it from many such times in the history of the church when it has abandoned biblical teachings? Much of the organized church today has departed far away from the beliefs handed down from the Lord through his apostles. Could the apostasy associated with the start of the day of the Lord be much worse than what we see in today’s church? The definite article tells us the apostle has a definite event in mind, one that his readers would readily recognize. However, Paul never refers to spiritual apostasy in either of his epistles to the Thessalonians and offers no additional clarifying information. The only departure of which his readers would recognize is that of the rapture. PAUL DOES NOT MENTION SPIRITUAL APOSTASY UNTIL MUCH LATER IN HIS MINISTRY Notice what Paul says in verse 5 of this passage, “Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?” As we look at 1 and 2 Thessalonians, we see repeated references to the rapture, but Paul never mentions a falling away from the faith in the letters. If Paul is referring specific latter day apostasy about which he had previously instructed his converts in Thessalonica, we would expect Paul to have mentioned it somewhere in these books along with his emphasis on the return of Jesus for His church, but he does not. Why would Paul mention a specific spiritual departure from the faith as a key indicator of the day of the Lord with no other mention of it in either book he wrote? And if he had not yet mentioned it to them, we would expect some sort of explanation regarding it, but that is not what we see. As Dr. Woods points out, Paul does not even refer to the spiritual apostasy of the church in the latter days until much later in his ministry, near its end.[v] And when he does, the apostle adds much supporting detail (1 Tim. 4:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:3-5). THE SENSE OF PHYSICAL DEPARTURE IS CONSISTENT WITH VERSES 7-8 In 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 Paul writes, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.” These verses tell us that the revealing of the antichrist cannot happen until the restrainer is taken out of the way. The evidence points to the Holy Spirit as the restrainer and thus to the rapture as the time His special restraining presence leaves the earth. Just as the Holy Spirit descended in a unique way on the day of Pentecost, so His restraining presence will leave with us when Jesus takes His church to His Father’s house in heaven (John 14:2-3). Note the parallels with verse 3 if we assume apostasia refers to a physical departure. In verse 3, Jesus removes His church via the rapture; in verses 7, the Lord takes away the restrainer that keeps the antichrist from making himself know to the world. In both verse 3 and 7, the antichrist is revealed after the removal of the Holy Spirit’s presence in the church. If apostasia refers to a physical departure in verse 3, we find an exact parallel in the context in verses 7-8, which provides us with more evidence favoring the rapture. THE RAPTURE IS CONSISTENT WITH THE EXPECTATION OF THE THESSALONIANS The young believers in Thessalonica expected the Lord to come for them before the start of the day of the Lord. Their response to an errant message telling them this time had already begun confirms this. They panicked when they heard the news. In response to their frayed nerves at receiving this false communication, Paul told them “not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed” (2 Thess. 2:2). “The verb shaken denotes a rocking motion, a shaking up and down, like a building shaken by an earthquake . . .”[vi] To be “alarmed” signifies a feeling of “fright” with its usage here conveying a “state of alarm, of nervous excitement.”[vii] The news that the day of the Lord had already begun visibly rattled the Thessalonians; Paul pictures them shaking like a building during an earthquake. Isn’t it amazing these young believers, already enduring intense persecution, became so shaken with this news? They regarded this time as much worse than their current dire circumstances. Paul’s main purpose in 2 Thessalonians 2 was to assure the Thessalonian believers that the day of the Lord had not yet started. If we regard apostasia in verse 3 as a physical departure, does it not confirm this? It also fits with the promise of 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul had previously told the Thessalonians Jesus would come for them before the start of the wrath of the day of the Lord. It makes much more sense that Paul is reminding his readers of this promise rather than introducing the idea of a spiritual apostasy of which we find no mention in either book he wrote to them. CHURCH HISTORY EXAMPLE We have an example from history of a key church leader referring to the Rapture as a “departure.” Cyprian, a bishop in the city of Carthage during the third century AD, said this, “We who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. Do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an early departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent?” Cyprian (AD 200-258) used the words “depart” and “early departure” to refer to the Lord’s appearing to take his church away before a time of “shipwrecks and disasters” on the earth. Is it not more than a little significant that we see the Rapture referred to as a “departure” before a time of turmoil on the earth at such an early date? I believe so. Additionally, this provides considerable support to our interpretation of apostasia as a reference to the Rapture in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, our physical departure from the earth. SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? So what’s the big deal in regarding apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as a physical departure rather than spiritual apostasy? It adds considerable support for belief in a pretribulation rapture, one that occurs before this period of God’s wrath upon the earth. It confirms that Jesus must come for His church before the world knows the identity of the antichrist, which we know occurs at the beginning of tribulation, if not before. This substantiation of the pretribulation rapture does not come from wishful thinking, but it’s the result of a careful study of the context of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that provides strong evidence for regarding apostasia as a physical departure and hence a reference to the rapture. Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks!!! [i] The Wycliffe Bible (1384), Tyndale Bible (1526), Coverdale Bible (1535), Cranmer Bible (1539), Breeches Bible (1576), Beza Bible (1583), and Geneva Bible (1608) all translated “apostasia” as a physical departure. [ii] Andy Woods, The Falling Away – Spiritual Departure or Physical Rapture? (Taos, NM, Dispensational Publishing House, Inc., 2018), p. 19. [iii] Ibid. p. 23 [iv] Ibid. p. 27 [v] Woods, p. 13 [vi] Hiebert, D Edmond, The Thessalonian Epistles (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 301. [vii] Ibid., p. 302 Why does Hamas insist Israel-Gaza ceasefire include Jerusalem? – Khaled Abu Toameh - https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/why-does-hamas-insist-israel-gaza-ceasefire-include-jerusalem-analysis-668449 Hamas’s insistence on including the issue of Jerusalem in any ceasefire deal with Israel is the main reason why efforts to end the fighting have thus far been unsuccessful. Hamas started the fighting because of Jerusalem and cannot afford to end it without an agreement that includes the city. Hamas needs to show the Palestinians that its attacks on Israel, which it refers to as “Sword of Jerusalem,” were not in vain and that it managed to force Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians on issues related to the city, particularly al-Aqsa Mosque and the controversy surrounding the planned eviction of Arab families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. As far as Hamas is concerned, any ceasefire agreement that ignores Jerusalem will make it appear as if the Gaza-based terrorist group did not score any significant achievement as a result of the fighting with Israel. Hamas wants to appear as the “defender” of Jerusalem and its Palestinian residents and holy sites. That’s why Hamas last week initiated the rocket attacks on Jerusalem. Any ceasefire deal that mentions Jerusalem, on the other hand, will be seen by Hamas and other Palestinians as a major victory. If that happens, Hamas will score points with the Palestinians for having forced Israel, for example, to halt the eviction of the families from Sheikh Jarrah or end visits by Jews to the Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount. Hamas leaders said in the past few days that their “conditions” for agreeing to a ceasefire with Israel include “a withdrawal of the occupation from the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque, ensuring freedom of worship for Palestinians [at the site] and halting plans to evict the families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah.” Including Jerusalem in any ceasefire deal will also allow Hamas to show that its actions and policies are not restricted to what happens in the Gaza Strip and that it can impact events in Jerusalem. Hamas wants to be a major player not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in Jerusalem, the West Bank and even among Israel’s Arab citizens. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas put the issue of Jerusalem on the table when, in late April, he delayed the Palestinian general elections on the pretext that Israel did not allow the vote to take place in Jerusalem. In his announcement, Abbas accused the Israeli government and “settlers” of waging a “violent onslaught” against the Palestinians in Jerusalem. He also praised the Palestinians in the city who allegedly forced the Israel Police to remove its security barriers from the entrance to Damascus Gate. By holding Israel responsible for “hindering” the Palestinian elections and strongly condemning Israeli practices in Jerusalem, Abbas succeeded in diverting attention from his controversial decision. He also succeeded in directing the anger and frustration on the Palestinian street toward Israel. Hamas could not afford a situation where Abbas and his ruling Fatah faction appear to be the only Palestinians who care about al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Jarrah and Jerusalem. That’s why Hamas swooped in and hijacked the protests that erupted in Jerusalem between Palestinians and the Israel Police, turning them into rallies in support of the Gaza-based group and its leaders. Photos of Hamas leaders and flags have become part of the scenery in some areas of east Jerusalem, including the Aqsa Mosque compound. Hamas is now hoping to reap the fruits of its rocket attacks on Israel by making Jerusalem the main theme of any ceasefire. Such a deal would allow Hamas to claim that it was worth sacrificing the lives of hundreds of Palestinians for the sake of defending Islam’s third-holiest site and preventing Israel from carrying out its purported scheme to “Judaize” Jerusalem and control al-Aqsa Mosque. Accordingly, any concessions to Hamas on the issue of Jerusalem would be bad not only for Israel, but also for Abbas, for Jordan and for other Arab countries that do not wish to see the Islamist group throw its weight around in the city or be part of any arrangements at al-Aqsa Mosque. If Everything Is Going To Be Just Fine, Why Do The Shortages Just Keep Getting Worse? - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/if-everything-is-going-to-be-just-fine-why-do-the-shortages-just-keep-getting-worse/ They keep telling us that economic conditions are improving, but if that is true why are the shortages worse than ever? For a moment, I would like to take you all the way back to 2019. Before the pandemic came along, we didn’t have any shortages. If you wanted something, you just went to the store and got it or you ordered it online. Prices were low, global supply chains were functioning smoothly, and to most people it seemed like it would stay that way for the foreseeable future. But then the pandemic hit, and “panic buying” caused short-term shortages of certain items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It was understandable that people would want to hoard those things, because there was a lot of fear in the air. But we also knew that those shortages were only going to be temporary. Now here we are in 2021, and we were told that things would be getting back to normal by now. But instead, there are severe shortages everywhere around us. In fact, the shortages are far worse than anything that we experienced in 2020. For example, did you know that dozens of important drugs are in short supply? According to the official FDA website, there are shortages of more than 100 drugs in the United States right now… If you found yourself in a situation like this, you can check the FDA’s drug shortage tracking system. Right now there are currently about 120 drugs listed as having a shortage. On the website, if you type in a drug name in the database search field you can see if and why it’s in short supply. You can also see whether it is scheduled to be discontinued, and when the supply may start flowing again. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Shortages just continue to get worse for the home building industry as well… “Builders are delaying starting new construction because of the marked increase in costs for lumber and other inputs,” said Mike Fratantoni, senior vice president and chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association, in a report Tuesday. He added that supply shortages for appliances are also putting a damper on new home building activity. Just over our northern border, the shortages have gotten really severe. In some cases, the construction of homes “is months behind schedule” because the shortages have gotten so bad… Home builders across Canada are getting hit by a string of supply-chain disruptions, resulting in widespread product shortages and explosive costs for the industry. In some cases, home construction is months behind schedule as developers struggle to source everything from lumber to PVC pipes, insulation to windows. Builders are also holding back on presales, unable to accurately price their homes too far in advance, given that material costs can fluctuate wildly on a daily basis. When asked about these shortages, one home building executive said that “it’s getting worse and worse every day”… “The whole supply chain is out of whack,” said Matt McCurrach, president of Homex Development Corp. in Kamloops, B.C. “It’s getting worse and worse every day,” added Sue Wastell, president of Wastell Homes in London, Ont. “Literally every day, we’re finding out something else is not arriving when it was scheduled to. … We’ve never seen anything like this.” Of even greater concern is the global shortage of computer chips. This is something that I discussed extensively in my recent article entitled “A Severe Computer Chip Shortage Will Last ‘A Few Years’, And This Could Plunge The Global Economy Into Utter Chaos”. Just about every industry that you can name is extremely dependent on equipment that uses computer chips, and CNN is telling us that this shortage “is going from bad to worse”… The shortage is going from bad to worse, spreading from cars to consumer electronics. With the bulk of chip production concentrated in a handful of suppliers, analysts warn that the crunch is likely to last through 2021. According to Goldman Sachs, 169 US industries embed semiconductors in their products. The bank is forecasting a 20% average shortfall of computer chips among affected industries, with some of the components used to make chips in short supply until at least this fall and possibly into 2022. Actually, as I pointed out the other day, many executives now expect the computer chip shortage to extend into 2023. For automakers, this is rapidly becoming a complete and total nightmare. During the first quarter, global auto production was down by about 10 percent due to the chip shortage, but Ford has announced that production in the second quarter will be down by about 50 percent… Investors have heard plenty about the current state of capacity problems for months. Roughly 2 million cars—or about 10% of quarterly global automotive production—weren’t built in the first quarter because of no chips. Ford Motor (ticker: F), one of the auto makers feeling the shortage most acutely, said in late April that it expects to lose about 50% of planned second-quarter production. A 50 percent decline in production? That is nuts! If automakers can’t make vehicles, then they will have to start laying off workers. Unfortunately, that is precisely what just happened at one factory in northern Illinois… Some 1,600 jobs are being cut at a Jeep Cherokee factory in northern Illinois as automakers continue being plagued by the global shortage of semiconductors. The U.S. arm of Stellantis, formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, said Friday it was cutting one of the two work shifts at its Belvidere Assembly Plant as of July 26. That could result in the layoffs of 1,641 workers, company spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said. The economic optimists keep telling us that better days are right around the corner, but those better days never seem to materialize. Instead, employment is still way below pre-pandemic levels, global supply chains are in a state of complete and utter chaos, and we are facing severe shortages of just about everything… Copper, iron ore and steel. Corn, coffee, wheat and soybeans. Lumber, semiconductors, plastic and cardboard for packaging. The world is seemingly low on all of it. “You name it, and we have a shortage on it,” Tom Linebarger, chairman and chief executive of engine and generator manufacturer Cummins Inc., said on a call this month. Clients are “trying to get everything they can because they see high demand,” Jennifer Rumsey, the Columbus, Indiana-based company’s president, said. “They think it’s going to extend into next year.” The difference between the big crunch of 2021 and past supply disruptions is the sheer magnitude of it, and the fact that there is — as far as anyone can tell — no clear end in sight. Big or small, few businesses are spared. Europe’s largest fleet of trucks, Girteka Logistics, says there’s been a struggle to find enough capacity. Monster Beverage Corp. of Corona, California, is dealing with an aluminum can scarcity. Hong Kong’s MOMAX Technology Ltd. is delaying production of a new product because of a dearth of semiconductors. If this is the “recovery”, what will things look like when the next severe economic downturn hits us? In my entire lifetime, I have never seen such widespread shortages. Those that are running things keep insisting that they have everything totally under control and that things will eventually get back to normal. You can believe them if you want, but millions of others are preparing for a future in which their optimistic assessments of the future turn out to be very, very wrong. Keep Praying for the peace of Jerusalem - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com As of this writing, the violence in Israel continues to rage. Hamas has rained thousands of missiles on Israel. They don’t just fire those missiles at military targets, but at civilian population centers. Their indiscriminate missile barrage is not a tactic of modern war, but of old-fashioned terrorism. Meanwhile, they condemn Israel because it responds with precision attacks on military targets. The Israeli Defense Forces warn occupants of buildings before the attacks begin. The Israeli military has made mistakes, and civilians have been killed as a result. But the intent on both sides is obvious. Hamas wants to kill all Jews. Israel wants to degrade Hamas’s ability to kill. Most of the world’s nations have made statements in support of Israel’s right to defend itself. But most of the world’s media seems to be siding with the terrorists. On May 15th, the Israeli Air Force destroyed a building in Gaza known to be a center of operations for the Hamas military. They gave everyone in the building a heads up about an hour before the airstrike. The building was taken down with extreme precision, as if done by a demolition crew taking it straight down to minimize collateral damage. No one was killed. No one was even injured. But because the building also housed the Gaza offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, the world’s media elites were incensed. Reporters working in conflict zones have a dangerous and difficult job. It is also an important job. To the extent that they stay fair, they give us eyes and ears in places few of us would want to be in person. But if one of their buildings is used to shelter the enemy, that building ceases to be neutral and becomes fair game. On May 17th, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he asked Israel for evidence that the AP building housed Hamas. Maybe he should talk to US intelligence sources. Better yet, maybe he should read an article written for The Atlantic by former AP reporter Matti Friedman. After Hamas and Israel fought in 2014, Friedman wrote, “Hamas understood that reporters could be intimidated when necessary and that they would not report the intimidation... The AP staff in Gaza City would witness a rocket launch right beside their office, endangering reporters and other civilians nearby — and the AP wouldn't report it, not even in AP articles about Israeli claims that Hamas was launching rockets from residential areas.” The Associated Press has been in that building for 15 years. In 2014, their own reporter wrote that Hamas launched missiles from “right beside” it. But AP refused to report it. Their own reporter said that Hamas used intimidation to affect AP’s coverage. The Associated Press knew that bias through intimidation had been introduced in their Hamas coverage, but they would not allow their reporters to say so. Secretary Blinken is right when he says that we need independent journalists reporting from conflict zones. But we do not need news organizations that allow intimidation to bias their reporters’ coverage. If the AP altered its stories because their reporters were being intimidated, that reporting was worse than no reporting at all. War is horrible. But on those rare occasions when Palestinian leaders allow their citizens to vote, they vote for terrorists. They choose the kind of men who put military installations in schools, hospitals, mosques, and in the center of civilian residential areas. They do this knowing that Israel will be held accountable for civilian deaths, and that they — the men who put those civilians at risk — will not be held to account, except by the Israeli military. A few weeks ago, as all this was starting, I encouraged Christians to heed Psalm 122:6, and “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” Don’t stop now. These are crucial hours and days. Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Space Force Space Kadet – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Back in college there was a young lady who was really out there. I mean she wore funky clothes, said crazy things and had a far-away look in her eyes. Most of what she did and said didn’t reflect any common sense. She earned the nickname Space Kadet—with a “K” for extra Krazy. She was very intelligent, but, boy, was she different. Fast forward to today when the United States has officially entered the realm of having a Space Force. The mission of the Space Force is to fly, fight, and win. The website talks a lot about preparing for the 22nd Century and defending “our way of life on earth through our interests in space.” There must be a lot of confusion among leadership about who they are defending. CNN reports that Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier joined The Steve Gruber podcast to discuss his new book, “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military,” which alleges that Marxist ideologies are becoming widespread within the armed forces. He said, “Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be. That wasn’t just prolific in social media, or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the United States military. And I had recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature.” He said that far-right political movements in the military are harshly punished, and that far-left movements and ideas deserve the same treatment. The Washington Times reports he argued that leftist ideas and practices embraced by the government, academia, the media and now the US military are proving a divisive force in the ranks and that the Defense Department should take steps to return to a more “politically nonpartisan” course. When asked exactly what he meant, Lohmeier pointed to the New York Times 1619 Project, as “anti-American…that at the time the country ratified the United States Constitution, it codified White supremacy as the law of the land.” Lohmeier said, “If you want to disagree with that, then you start (being) labeled all manner of things including racist.” Not only that, but you could lose your job. And Lohmeier did. Military.com reported that Lohmeier was relieved of his post May 15 by Lt. General Stephen Whiting, head of Space Operations Command “over a loss of confidence in his ability to lead.” The decision was based on his podcast comments. The infiltration of Marxism in the US military is a threat to national security, especially since it has a Constitutional duty to protect against all enemies foreign and domestic. Communism, socialism, fascism are all cousins of the same Marxist family and should never be allowed in our military. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Marxism is an enemy within that can destroy our nation. General Whiting has earned the title Space Kadet—with a “K”–for extra deceived. Say it with me…Stupidocrisy. Daily Devotion: No Safer Place - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org The just shall live by faith. —Romans 1:17 Everyone has and lives by a form of faith. Now, someone might say they’re not a person of faith. But everyone has faith. Everyone applies faith. Even the atheist has faith, even though it isn’t faith in God. Actually, I think it takes more faith to be an atheist and to not believe there is a Creator or someone who is in control of all the things around us. Everyone has a measure of faith. Everyone has faith in something. Maybe it’s faith in themselves, which will be disappointing. Maybe they have faith in a political system, which will be even more disappointing. But they have faith. I think the problem is that we make faith so mystical when, in fact, we act in faith every day. For example, when you go to a restaurant and order, you have faith that the food will be fresh and will be prepared properly. When you board a 747 that weighs more than 300,000 pounds, you apply faith that it will somehow get up into the air and take you to the place you want to go. When you step into an elevator, you’re applying faith that all the cables are working and that maintenance workers have done their due diligence. When you go to the pharmacy and to fill your medications, you’re trusting the pharmacist knows what he or she is doing and will put the right pills in the right bottle. But when someone comes along and says, “Have faith in God,” people will think that’s insane. Yet the Bible tells us, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17 NKJV). It doesn’t say, “The just shall live by emotions,” because sometimes we’re up emotionally, and sometimes we’re down. So let’s believe the Word of God regardless of our emotions because there’s no safer place to put our faith than in God Himself. FROM THE HEART Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left, Count for ALL of Eternity! IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT WORTHY OF YOUR SUPPORT? One of the most reliable ways to determine if a ministry is worthy of your financial support is to examine its fruits. If Prophecy Update is keeping you informed, and if that information inspires you, and causes you to draw closer to the Lord, if Prophecy Update equips you with valuable information and knowledge to share with and encourage other believers, and open the eyes of non-believers, and if Prophecy Update keeps you connected to current events relating to Bible Prophecy, then you are partaking of the fruit produced through this ministry. 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We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey 1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack. 2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others. 3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks! Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. You can make a secure donation online by going to: DONATE NOW Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 We are very pleased to offer all our readers this FREE download on Bible Prophecy from the Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia - Just download and enjoy and be blessed! Feel free to share it with all your friends and family members. Click below to download! "AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING" If You Died Today, Would You Go To Heaven? Find out, visit: www.thegoodtest.net www.gotquestions.org www.wayofthemaster.com How to know God DID YOU KNOW? You can submit an article, leave a comment or praise report at email: [email protected] Maranatha! (Lord Come Quickly) "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand." "Let Us make the short time we have left count for all eternity!" YBIC-Randy
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