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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Great Catch: Part II - By Randy Nettles - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/02/13/the-great-catch-part-ii-by-randy-nettles/
The Holy Spirit Promised On the same day Jesus ascended back to heaven, he met for the last time with his apostles. “He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which, He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now'” (Acts 1:4-5). Jesus commissioned his apostles as witnesses to His ministry, resurrection, and coming ascension and to spread the gospel throughout the world. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus Ascends to Heaven “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11). I believe this is a prophecy by two angels in regard to the Rapture and not the Second Coming. There are two reasons for this view.
The Upper Room Prayer Meeting “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:12-14). Matthias Chosen as the 12th Apostle “And in those days [a day or so before Pentecost] Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry” (Acts 1:15-17). Peter went on to discuss the reason why they should cast lots for a replacement for Judas amongst the 120 disciples. After praying, they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And Matthias became the 12th apostle. There were two qualifications for being a member of the twelve apostles according to Acts 1:21-22. The first qualification was the man had to have been a witness of Jesus’ ministry from the beginning of John’s baptism of Jesus to the day he was taken up. The second qualification was he had to be a witness of Jesus’ resurrection. The 120 disciples mentioned in Acts 1:15 were all men that were followers and believers of Jesus and met the qualifications mentioned above. They were probably a core group of the 500 eyewitnesses whom Jesus appeared to after his resurrection, as mentioned by Paul. Matthias and Joseph (called Barsabbas) were probably among this group. Other disciples might have included the brothers of Jesus, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathaea, and some of the 70 disciples mentioned in Luke 70:1. Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all [12 apostles] with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them [12 apostles]. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4). During the Feast of harvest known as Pentecost, Jews from all over the known world came to Jerusalem, as it was one of the three annual Feasts of the Lord where all adult males were required to attend. Of course, the Jews spoke the language of the nation, kingdom, or tribe where they resided. When these Jewish pilgrims heard the great sound of the Holy Spirit, the multitude came together and was confused because every man heard an apostle speak in his own language. It was like a reverse Babel incident. Instead of separating the people by making them speak different languages, this time, God brought them together by allowing them to speak the same language. This was done so the apostles could better communicate the gospel of Christ with the Jewish pilgrims who had dutifully gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Lord, known as Pentecost. I was always led to believe that the Holy Spirit filled 120 disciples that day, but after carefully studying and meditating on the book of Acts, I now realize the Holy Spirit filled only the 12 apostles. There are several reasons for this belief.
The Church of Jesus Christ is Born “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.’ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them” (Acts 2:38-41). This was the fulfillment of the great catch of fish (153) caught by Jesus, Peter, and the apostles on that day before the resurrected Jesus ascended back to heaven. Peter cast his net preaching the word of God under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the 3,000 souls caught on that Pentecost day were a great catch indeed. The Church of Jesus Christ was born on this day, almost 1,988 years ago. This is 12 years shy of the benchmark age of 2,000 years (since Jesus was last on the earth). Of course, 12 is one of the perfect numbers of God and signifies governmental perfection and all that has to do with rule. It is especially significant regarding the children of Israel. After the Rapture, God’s focus will shift from the Church to the Jewish people (all 12 tribes) before Daniel’s prophecy of the 70th seven resumes. The Greatest Catch of All – The Rapture When the Rapture occurs, it will be the greatest catch of souls ever in the history of mankind. This supernatural event will be the end of the church age as we know it, for Christians who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth. The Holy Spirit’s role upon mankind will change after the Rapture. Here is how the late Bible teacher, Jack Kelley, explains it: “After the Rapture, I think the Holy Spirit will return to earth in a ministry similar to His Old Testament assignment. He’ll convict people of their sins and bring them to the Lord as He always has. He’ll be with believers and come upon them in power when needed, but He won’t be sealed within them to guarantee their salvation. That blessing belongs to the Church alone. Revelation 14:12 and Revelation 16:15 give hints that post-rapture salvation will be contingent upon obedience and faithfulness like it was in Old Testament times.” {1} Romans 11:25 says that when the “fullness of the Gentiles” (a term for the Rapture) has come in, then Israel’s blindness will be removed. What is the number of this fullness? No human knows, but the number is huge. Consider that the world’s population is currently at approximately 7.8 billion people. It is estimated that there are 2.5 billion Christians in the world. That is 32-33% of the population. I personally believe this percentage is greatly exaggerated as many of these so-called “Christians” are Christians in name only. Let’s be a little more realistic in our estimation and drop the percentage by 13% (number for rebellion and apostasy). That would place the percentage at 19-20% of the world population or approximately 1,530,000,000. If you break it down into a mathematical format, it looks like this: 153 x 10^7. If you believe this number of Christians to be raptured is still too high, you need to remember that all the young babies/children and those who don’t have the mental capacity to make a qualified decision for Christ will also be included in the Rapture. This great number of souls only accounts for the living believers being taken up but doesn’t take into consideration the dead in Christ. They will be resurrected with a new heavenly body and will meet the living believers (who are translated also) in the air where Jesus will be. The dead in Christ consists of all those believers who have died since Sivan 7/May 22, AD 33, on the day of Pentecost, and up until the moment of the Rapture. The living and dead in Christ, who will meet the Lord in the air at the Rapture, will be an astronomical multitude of souls. They will come from every nation, race, color, age, Christian denomination, and ethnicity. This multitude will include males and females, rich and poor, young and old, free and slaves from every age (1st century to 21st century) and background you can imagine. The one thing every one of them has in common is: “they obeyed the Lord their God and believed in the One He sent.” All of the redeemed will have new spiritual bodies made for eternity. Jesus Christ will then take his betrothed bride, the Church, to their new home in heaven, the New Jerusalem, and we will be with the Lord forever. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Randy Nettles [email protected] Endnotes: {1} www.gracethrufaith.com Renewable Energy Fails the Test – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2021/2/19/renewable-energy-fails-the-test The polar vortex along with the ice and snow storms that swept through most of the United States during the past couple weeks tested the electrical grids in many states up to their breaking point. Even so, millions lost power while a great many others experienced periodic outages. According to NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez, officials with the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) acknowledged that the Texas power grid was “seconds or minutes — not hours — away from catastrophic failure.” ERCOT implemented rolling blackouts to stop the situation from becoming far worse that it would have otherwise been. At the height of the power emergency in Texas, nearly half of its wind turbines froze as the result of the ice and snow. No one is placing all the blame on frozen wind turbines for the many power grid problems during the recent outbreak of winter weather. However, they were clearly a significant contributing factor to the power outages that occurred. Frozen wind turbines and solar panels covered with snow tells us these sources of “renewable energy” can never replace traditional sources of power such as coal and natural gas that do not require favorable weather conditions in order to provide electrical energy and heat for our homes. FROZEN WIND TURBINES While wind turbines can add needed megawatts to the power grid, they failed the recent test of reliability. The problem, however, is deeper than just a failure to operate under severe winter conditions that occur each year in the U.S. In an article by Christine Favocci, published February 15, 2021 in The Western Journal, she wrote this about the fact that wind turbines actually drain power from the power grid in severe weather: The conservative think tank Center of the American Experiment has revealed that wind turbines in Minnesota and North Dakota built by Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power and Xcel Energy will not only stop producing electricity but may also start consuming it. In order to prevent damage to the motor, the turbines are heated to keep the components and their fluids from freezing. During the 2019 polar vortex, that safeguard drew 2 megawatts from the power grid. Even for solar panels, which actually perform better in colder temperatures, the problem of ice and snow blocking out the light with no efficient way to clear each panel could render them useless. During outbreaks of severe winter weather, wind turbines can actually use up needed electrical power just to keep them operational for future use. When one considers the energy needed to create the parts for the windmills, transport them to the location, and establish a foundation for them, it’s quite likely that a wind turbine requires more energy to produce and put in operation than it will ever produce in its entire lifetime of twenty years. Mark P. Mills, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a McCormick School of Engineering Faculty Fellow at Northwestern University, provides the following details of what id needed for one wind turbine:
To put one windmill in operation requires 900 tons of material as well as a considerable amount of fossil fuel for the trucks to bring all the materials and components to the site. The processes of making the steel and the concrete for the windmill also emit a great amount of carbon dioxide.[ii] Mark P. Mills in his article, What’s Wrong with Wind and Solar, said this about the usefulness of windfarms to provide energy, “Building a single 100-megawatt windfarm, which can power 75,000 homes requires some 30,000 tons of iron ore and 50,000 tons of concrete, as well as 900 tons of non-recyclable plastics for the huge blades.”[iii] Are not fossil fuels used in the production of plastics? Once in operation, the windmill’s gearbox requires sixty gallons of oil in order to remain operational and someone must change the oil on a periodic basis. Once in place, each windmill remains dependent on fossil fuel requiring six hundred to one thousand gallons of oil each and every year. THE PROBLEM WITH CAR BATTERIES What about electric cars that run on batteries? Does this hold the promise of getting rid of fossil fuels? No, they also fail the test of sustainability. What would have happened in Texas if there had been millions of battery-operated cars also plugged into the electrical grid? Would that not have tipped the electrical grid in Texas far into the realm of catastrophic failure? Sara Burrows, in a February 8, 2021 articles called The Spiraling Environmental Costs of Lithium Batteries Could Rival Fossil Fuel, wrote about her concerns with the Lithium needed for car batteries: As we move into the era of “renewable” electricity, let us remember that the minerals used to make the batteries, used to store that electricity, are not renewable… or recyclable. And the number of batteries we are going to need to meet the electricity needs of 8 billion people (16 billion in 50 years or so at the current population doubling rate) is enormous. Every electric car battery requires around 25 pounds of lithium. And renewable energy grid storage systems for our homes and workplaces will require much more. Every smartphone, tablet, laptop and other battery powered device is also reliant on the “white gold.” “Demand for lithium is increasing exponentially,” Wired reports. It doubled between 2016 and 2018, and is expected to be 8 times higher by 2027.[iv] Besides lithium, car batteries that weigh 1,000 pounds also require cobalt and nickel. These items require massive mining activities in other parts of the world. Mark Mills wrote this about the need for materials in the production of car batteries, “At least 100 pounds of materials are mined, moved and processed for every pound of battery fabricated.”[v] THE DEVASTATING ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF “RENEWABLE ENERGY” The so-called green pathways to “renewable energy” also fail the test of preserving the environment. Sara Burrows wrote this about the great environmental damage that comes from mining the ingredients needed for car batteries: Lithium mining inevitably harms the soil, pollutes the air, and especially pollutes the water, according to a report by Friends of the Earth. “Like any mining process, it is invasive, it scars the landscape, destroys the water table, and pollutes the earth and local wells,” says Guillermo Gonzalez, a lithium battery expert from the University of Chile. In Tibet, it is becoming commonplace to see masses of dead fish, yaks and cows floating downstream of a lithium mine on the Liqi River. . . . And, although it’s the most abundant, lithium isn’t even the most problematic ingredient of lithium ion batteries. Cobalt and nickel are quickly becoming the new “blood diamonds” of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both are extremely toxic when pulled from the ground, often using child labor without protective equipment. And, to top it all off, lithium-ion batteries are not recyclable, leaving their toxic contents to leach into landfills and ground water.[vi] Wind turbines also fail the test of preserving the environment. Besides the thousands of birds killed during the lifetime of wind turbine farms, the matter of disposing of worn-out parts from windmills has also become a significant problem across the world. Windmills wear out and create a huge need for landfill space in which to dispose of them as seen in the picture below. Those who proclaim that “green energy” is good for the environment either do not recognize the fallacy of such a statement or seek to purposely deceive others regarding its significant damage to the world’s ecology. A RETURN TO THE STONE AGE Climatologist Dr. Pat Michaels says eliminating all fossil fuels would reduce the average earth temperature by .14 degrees Celsius. “That’s a very small change for putting humanity back in the Stone Age.”[vii] He understands the disastrous and deadly impact of the Marxist agenda behind those leading the charge for the elimination of fossil fuels. In order for to supply food for just the population of the United States, we would need lithium batteries for the millions of trucks that deliver food from the farm and later to the stores. Not only that, but we now have millions of farm tractors and harvesters that use fossil fuel. How is it even conceivable to replace batteries in all the trucks and farm equipment upon which we depend for food? Not only is it impossible to place lithium batteries in every car, truck, and piece of farm equipment with batteries, the process itself would wreak havoc on the ecology of the earth with the vast amount of mining that would require and vastly increase the cost everything involved in getting food to our grocery stores. The radical agenda behind the Green New Deal in the United States and the UN’s Agenda 2030 would greatly increase fuel costs, which has already begun since Joe Biden took up residence in the White House. Such policies will also send food prices through the roof, which would devastate the lower class in America and virtually eliminate the middle class. If fully implemented, the Green New Deal as espoused the radical left in America would become a financial bonanza for the rich and powerful. For everyone else, it would become an economic nightmare that would only get worse with each passing year. I believe Dr. Pat Michaels is correct in saying this and the Agenda 2030 espoused by the UN would push us toward the “stone age.” The environmental policies of the left will disproportionately harm the poor and those on fixed incomes while providing the rich with much more wealth and a great deal more power. THE URGENCY OF OUR DAY The climate alarmists tell us that we must act now in order to save our planet; John Kerry recently said that we only have nine years left, which ties in rather nicely with Agenda 2030 of the UN. In 2007, Al Gore told us that by 2014 , the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets would completely vanish along with the artic polar cap. These events, he claimed, would cause sea levels around the world to rise twenty feet. Just like all similar predictions of impending environmental doom that we have heard since 1970, Gore’s forecasts of doom proved to be utterly false. Do you know that the first warning of impending flooding for coastal cities due to climate change appeared in the Washington Post on November 2, 1922? Warnings of environmental doom are not new and have a long track record of being false. The urgency of our day does not arise from any impending climate emergency or even from COVID-19. The urgency of our time is that of Jesus’ soon appearing, which will precede a horrible time of death and destruction on the earth that the Bible calls the tribulation. All other “emergencies” pale greatly in significance when compared with the nearness of this time when God pours out His wrath on a Christ-rejecting world. For those outside of Christ, now is the time to place your faith in Him. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Just hours before His death on cross in our place, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). I love the simplicity of the Apostle John’s words in 1 John 5:11-12: “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Knowing Jesus as your Savior equals eternal life. Please do not delay; call upon Him now! Tomorrow may quite literally be too late to avoid the terrible time of death and destruction that may arrive sooner than anyone can imagine. For those securely in the arms of the Savior, now is the time to recognize you may soon be with Jesus in paradise via the Rapture. Please place your hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing to take us to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:1-3). Our bright hope in world overshadowed by deception, evil, and violence is 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] Mark P. Mills and Alexander Akley R. A/, “Destructive Myth of Green Energy: If you Want ‘Renewable Energy” Get Ready to Destroy the Environment.” August 6, 2019, from the International Chronicles website [ii] Ibid. [iii] Ibid [iv] Sara Burrows, The Spiraling Environmental Costs of Lithium Batteries Could Rival Fossil Fuel, at: https://returntonow.net/2021/02/09/the-spiraling-environmental-costs-of-lithium-batteries-could-rival-fossil-fuel/ [v] Mark P. Mills, 41 Inconvenient Truths on the "New Energy Economy,” at: https://fee.org/articles/41-inconvenient-truths-on-the-new-energy-economy/ [vi] Sara Burrows, The Spiraling Environmental Costs of Lithium Batteries Could Rival Fossil Fuel [vii] John Stossal, “Climate Myths” from November 20, 2019 on the Stossal TV Website @ https://www.johnstossel.com/climate-myths/ Nearing Midnight: Israel in End-Times Spotlight – Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ While the globalists, world media, and the American political deep state wind up another unsuccessful effort to bring down one man, the spotlight of Bible prophecy focuses on exactly where it should be at this late hour of the age. Israel shines brightly as the number-one signal of where this generation is on God’s prophetic timeline. We begin to understand that this is true by considering that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, faces much of the same sort of globalist deep-state hatred and attempted destruction as former President Donald Trump. In this way, the student of Bible prophecy who looks at things from the pre-Trib view again comprehends the Heaven-directed linkage between His chosen nation and our own very special republic founded on Judeo-Christian principles. Both men, intensively in the world’s spotlight for the past number of years, seem an almost joined-at-the-hip representation of this God-directed connection. America was instrumental in Israel again springing to national existence on May 14, 1948, as we know. This, despite great objections from the American State Department. Looking at the history, we can see the hand of the Almighty as He moved in the lives of President Harry Truman and his one-time haberdashery partner, a Jewish man named Eddie Jacobson. Jacobson prevailed upon his friend, then president, to intervene on behalf of the drive to give the Jews a homeland in ancient Israel’s geographical location. This Truman did, overriding objections by his secretary of state and all other naysayers’ objections. It is obvious, even to skeptics, that America has been immensely blessed through championing modern Israel’s right to exist. Just as when Barack Obama became president and showed disrespect and even disdain for Netanyahu and Israel, the new president, Joe Biden, has opted to put America’s relationship with the Jewish state in question. As a matter of fact, his treatment is seen by many as rude at best and disdainful at worst. The following gives a glimpse of the current president’s attitude. President Joe Biden is the first American leader in 40 years not to contact Israel’s leaders as one of his first actions in the White House, setting up what could be four years of chilly relations between America and its top Middle East ally. Biden has already phoned multiple world leaders, including Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping, but during his 23 days in office has yet to speak with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu—making Biden the first president in modern history to punt on bolstering U.S.-Israel relations during his initial days in office. Every president going back to at least Ronald Reagan in 1981 made contact with their Israeli counterpart within a week of assuming office, according to a review of news reports. Congressional foreign policy leaders slammed Biden’s Netanyahu snub, prompting a flurry of questions for White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who has declined to disclose when or if Biden will call the Israeli leader. Psaki also said on Friday the White House would not list Israel as a U.S. ally when asked about the relationship during her daily press briefing. (“Biden Makes History: First President in 40 Years to Punt on Contacting Israel – White House doesn’t list Israel as American ally,” Washington Free Beacon, February 14, 2021) The report gives facts about Israel’s ties to America. For example, modern presidents going back to Reagan have almost on the day of assuming office made calls or gotten in contact with Israel. Almost without exception, the messages have included that the US would stand firmly with Israel and its right to nationhood. Biden’s obviously intentional disrespect for Netanyahu and for Israel comes at a time when Israel faces increasing terrorist threats and a bellicose Iran that threatens to produce and use nuclear arms within the very near future. The report also informs that Biden “also has hired several individuals with a background in anti-Israel activism, including Maher Biter, a top White House National Security Council official who spent his youth organizing boycotts of the Jewish state. The State Department’s Iran envoy, Robert Malley, also has been a vocal critic of Israel.” When thinking on the growing anti-Semitism across the world and the fact that Iran seems on the brink of becoming a nuclear power, the observer of prophetic stage-setting for soon fulfillment can’t miss the signposts. Israel is indeed in the spotlight of God’s omniscience. His chosen nation is moving swiftly and exactly into the position prophesied by Zechariah millennia ago. In his prophecy is a dire warning for all in authority as heads of nations–including the president of the United States. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12: 3) The Miracle Before Us - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-2-20-2021/ The State of Israel may seem normal. But it’s not. It is no more normal than the restoration of a withered hand or the parting of a vast sea. Israel is not normal. Israel is a miracle! The nation’s existence feels normal to most people today partly because it has been there for 73 years. They forget that for two millennia, Jews were once scattered across the whole globe with no place to call home. In all that time, they continued to revere the law of Moses. They kept on celebrating Passover. Their culture did not disappear into the dominate cultures of the places they landed. They adapted to a variety of civilizations, but at their core, they remained the same. This is unique in human history. They did not achieve this because of their virtue or courage. We can admire generations of brave Jews standing up to bullying, persecution, and even mass murder. But they remained a unique people because God promised that they would. Through Moses and the other prophets, He had warned them that certain behaviors would cause them to be dispersed across the earth. But even in His warnings, He promised to bring them back to the land He gave them. He brought them back in order to uphold His word and the honor of His name. In Ezekiel 36:22, God says to the nation, “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake.” In verses 24-25 of that chapter, God said, “I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.” Notice the word at the beginning of verse 25 — “then.” He promised to first bring them back to the land, THEN cleanse them of all filthiness. He’s been bringing them back for the last hundred years and that process continues. During the tribulation period, an awakening will take place among the people of Israel. They will turn to Jesus suddenly and in overwhelming numbers. Today, Israel may look like other nations. It faces all kinds of problems — everything from mundane problems to existential threats. Its leaders make mistakes. As a nation, it often embraces political correctness over the morality spelled out in God’s word. There are pockets of corruption. Like so many other democratic nations in the world right now, some are trying to use the courts to unseat political opponents that they cannot defeat at the polls. Israel is doing better than any other nation in the world at getting its population vaccinated. But, as with other nations, Covid-19 has given Israel a very rough time. The nation has allies and enemies. In the second half of the Trump Administration, many old enemies reversed course and became friends. Against all odds, they have a thriving economy and under their care, we have seen the desert blossom, just as God said it would. But that’s not the biggest miracle. The biggest miracle is that Israel exists! And it exists in the ancient land God gave the Israeli people through Abraham almost four thousand years ago. God said He would do it and — against all human wisdom — He did. Israel exists today as a living testimony that God will do everything He prophesied. Israel proves the Bible! That’s why so many nations and people rage against Israel to this day. So, when you read about the Jewish state’s high-level trials, her elections, economy, and fight against the pandemic — remember that Israel’s existence is not normal. It is a miracle! Daily Jot: SCOTUS Shirks – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com The Supreme Court declined to hear the challenges to the election. Clear and simple. This brings up a very salient point: The news media has said from day one that President Trump lost the election and that charges of stealing the election were baseless. The Trump campaign has said from the very beginning that President Trump won the election because of election fraud. The Supreme Court apparently is saying there were not enough illegal ballots to change the outcome of the election. Failing to consider is a disservice to the American public. Denying the challenges without explanation is shirking responsibility to the people on a very highly-charged and national issue. Enter dissenter Justice Clarence Thomas. Before people jump the gun and declare the “truth,” the “real,” the “absolute proof,” of all sorts of conspiracy theories about the election, they should take a few minutes to read the dissent by Justice Thomas. Thomas, who has a sense of dedication to his country and obligation to the people he serves said, “That decision to rewrite the rules seems to have affected too few ballots to change the outcome of any federal election. But that may not be the case in the future. These cases provide us with an ideal opportunity to address just what authority nonlegislative officials have to set election rules, and to do so well before the next election cycle. The refusal to do so is inexplicable.” Thomas wrote: “Changing the rules in the middle of the game is bad enough. Such rule changes by officials who may lack authority to do so is even worse. When those changes alter election results, they can severely damage the electoral system on which our self-governance so heavily depends. If state officials have the authority they have claimed, we need to make it clear. If not, we need to put an end to this practice now before the consequences become catastrophic.” In a footnote, Thomas writes: “We are fortunate that many of the cases we have seen alleged only improper rule changes, not fraud. But that observation provides only small comfort. An election free from strong evidence of systemic fraud is not alone sufficient for election confidence…” He concludes: “By doing nothing, we invite further confusion and erosion of voter confidence. Our fellow citizens deserve better and expect more of us. I respectfully dissent.” Thomas appears to believe that there was not systemic fraud. He also concludes that rule changes at the state level likely did not result in enough ballots to change the election, but they shouldn’t have been allowed. Notwithstanding, Thomas believes the Court should have settled it for the American public. This further tests the divider between truth and believing what you want to believe. Someone has lied here and the Supreme Court could have at the very least settled rather than shirked. To the rest of us, we must discern, for as Christ said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Daily Devotion: The Gift of Today - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. —Psalm 90:12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-gift-of-today/ - Listen I have a smartwatch that periodically tells me to breathe. It even reminds me when I’m working out. But I think there’s actually a very good message there. That breath you’re drawing right now is a gift from God. There might be someone in a hospital today struggling, hoping for his or her next breath, so we should never take it for granted. Every day of our lives is a gift from God. Every single heartbeat is a blessing. So don’t take your health for granted. And don’t take your family for granted. The Bible reminds us in Psalm 90, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (verse 12 NLT). When our son Christopher was killed in an automobile accident at age 33, it was crushing. It was devastating and life-altering. I wondered if I would even survive it. It felt like time stood still for all of us. I felt as though I could die, literally. But in my time of weakness, I called out to the Lord, and He was there for me. He sustained me on that day, and He sustains us all to this day because the Bible says that He’s the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3 NKJV). Sometimes things happen in life that are unfair and tragic, and we want answers. But if God told us, we wouldn’t be happy. If God said, “All right, I’m tired of your asking why, so I’m going to tell you. Are you ready? Here’s why. . . .” We wouldn’t like it. It wouldn’t make sense to us this side of Heaven. So instead of asking why, turn to the Lord and cry out to Him. Bring your pain to God. Bring your sorrow to God. We live on promises, not on explanations. So we shouldn’t spend too much time wondering why.
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