The Prophecy in the Upper Room, Parts 1 & 2

TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 

• Featured Article: The Prophecy in the Upper Room, Parts 1 & 2 
• Food and the Tribulation 
• Where’s the Bed of Roses 
• Daily Jot: The Great Reset Part 4 Issue Hierarchy 
• Daily Devotion: A Condemnation-Free Life 

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The Prophecy in the Upper Room, Part 1 - By Dr. Donald Whitchard - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/05/21/the-prophecy-in-the-upper-room-part-2-by-dr-donald-whitchard/
 
Summary: Questions abound as to whether the Lord Jesus was referring to the Rapture in John 14:1-3 and later taught by the apostle Paul in his letters to the churches at Corinth and Thessalonica. It is an issue worth examining.
 
The Synoptic Gospels, the writings of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with their similarities in content and narrative, all present the apocalyptic teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ as He met with His disciples across from the city of Jerusalem upon the Mount of Olives. Each Gospel tells of troubling and horrific days to come which will affect the whole world. It will be a visible and unmistakable display of God’s wrath and power to wicked humanity and also that the Lord Jesus Christ will return as the conquering King of Kings to rule and reign over a new redeemed world for all time.
 
The fourth Gospel, written by John, known as the “beloved apostle,” takes an entirely different course in his recollection of the Lord Jesus. He is not just the Promised Messiah but is God Himself who came to this world in order to bring salvation to His people.
 
John 1:1-4 presents Jesus’ Divine nature as the Creator of all things (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:16-18) and was with God the Father and the Holy Spirit from eternity past, with no beginning and no end. As the Divine Creator, He is outside of space, time, and matter and needs nothing to sustain Him. He is self-sufficient yet displays perfect love, demonstrating the love of the Father and doing the work that the Father expects of Him in the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
John gives the account of eight miracles that showed the Divine nature of Jesus, yet he also writes of other miracles that he did not record, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (20:30-31). The written miracles start with the turning of water into wine (2:1-11), the healing of the nobleman’s son (4:46-54), the healing of the man at the pool of Siloam (5:1-9), the healing of the man born blind (9:1-7), the raising of Lazarus from the dead (Ch. 11), and the quantity of fish caught in the disciples’ nets (21:1-6).
 
Bible scholar and pastor John Mac Arthur gives John’s overall reason for writing his gospel:
 
“John is the only one of the four Gospels that contains a precise statement of the author’s purpose (20:31). His objective was both apologetic (defending the faith) and evangelistic. In keeping with his evangelistic purpose, he used the verb “to believe” nearly one hundred times; twice as much as the Synoptics, emphasizing that those who believe in Jesus as the Savior will receive eternal life (3:16; 4:14; 5:24, 29-30; 6:27, 33, 40, 47-48, 54, 63, 68; 10:10, 28; 12:50; 14:6; 20:31). John’s evangelistic purpose is inseparable from his apologetic purpose, showing the true identity of Jesus, that of God Incarnate (1:1, 14; 8:23, 58:10:30; 20:28), the Messiah.”
 
(Source: The Mac Arthur New Testament Commentary: John 1-11, Chicago, Moody Press, 2006, p.9)
 
From this point on, attention will be given to the last night Jesus had with His disciples before He was to face betrayal, abandonment, a sham trial, and a horrific death on the cross that would serve an eternal purpose.
 
This account took place in what has been referred to as “the Upper Room” (Mark 14:14-15), and John devotes a large portion of his Gospel to this one event (Chapters 13-17). It would be in this room that Jesus demonstrated the nature of service, told of the arrival of the Holy Spirit as their Teacher and Comforter, and declared that He and He alone was the only way to the Father. He described Himself as the True Vine by which they would bear fruit, look to Him in prayer for their needs in the future, love one another as He loved them, and concluded with the High Priestly prayer on their behalf and for those who come to believe in the future. He also told them that He would come back again at a future time to “receive them to Himself” and take them to heaven (14:1-3):
 
“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (NASB).
 
Bible teachers like Dr. MacArthur, the late Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Dr. John Walvoord; Dr. Tim LaHaye, Dr. Ed Hindson, Dr. Mark Hitchcock, Dr. Thomas Constable, and others believe these verses spoken by the Lord Jesus are referring to the event known as “the Rapture” or the sudden “snatching away” of the true church (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), also known as “the Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:11-15).
 
This promise from Jesus is in the minds of many Christians as they observe the events occurring around the world and the powder keg of the Middle East and the nation of Israel specifically. If things go the way many of us believe, the promise of His arrival is going to be a lot sooner than expected, and we all need to be ready by being certain that we have come to Jesus Christ in faith and a repentant heart (Psalm 51; Romans 10:9-10; 2 Peter 1:10). Much has been written about prophecy and the events to come before Jesus’ return, and it is worth the time and effort to examine, like the Bereans, “whether or not these things are so” (2 Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11).
 
Friend, no amount of reading or studying the subject of Bible prophecy will do you any good if you do not know the Savior. I ask you this day to repent of your sins and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to save you (Psalm 51: Romans 10:9-10). Like the Prodigal Son, now is the time to come to your senses, get out of the world’s pigsty, and come home to the loving embrace of the LORD (Luke 15:17-24). I want you to be ready when He comes back to take us all home. 

 


 
The Prophecy in the Upper Room, Part 2 - By Dr. Donald Whitchard - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/05/21/the-prophecy-in-the-upper-room-part-2-by-dr-donald-whitchard/
 
Summary: The Lord Jesus gave a promise to His disciples and those who would come to Him for salvation that He would return for them (John 14:1-3). These verses are considered to be His teaching on the “Rapture.” Are we correct in this interpretation? We will look at the evidence.
 
On the night before He was to undergo the trial of the crucifixion and the redemptive work it ensued on behalf of fallen humanity, Jesus had given the disciples the assurance that even though He would soon leave them, He also promised that He would return and “receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (v.3). He made the promise of returning from heaven to take believers there. It would seem, therefore, that the most logical and simplest explanation is that He was referring to an eschatological bodily return (Acts 1:11).
 
Though the disciples undoubtedly did not realize it at the time, Jesus was speaking of His return for them at the Rapture rather than His return at the Second Coming. In reading these verses, can we be certain that this interpretation is sound and based on evidence from not only Scripture but also from other men of God who have devoted themselves to the study and preaching of the Word? (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16, 4:1-5; 2Peter 1:19-21)
 
The first thing we need to examine is the origin of the word “rapture.” There are both skeptics and believers who will argue that the word is not in Scripture and, therefore, some kind of erroneous teaching. We need to do a word study in order to establish that this teaching is factual. The word “rapture” that we refer to in our English Bibles is derived from the original language in which the New Testament was written, that of “koine” Greek, the universal language of the Roman Empire. The word is “harpazo.” It means, “catch,” force,” “pluck,” “pull,” “snatch,” “take,” or “yank” in a rapid manner. (Source: An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W.E. Vine, Chicago, Fleming H. Revell Publishers, 1966, p.299).
 
Jesus will come and suddenly ‘snatch away” His true church, taking us to His dwelling place for all time. He also referred to His return as being quicker than a flash of lightning (Matthew 24:27). Paul defined this “harpazo” as being quicker than an eye takes time to blink (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
 
The second issue is whether any other event in Scripture apart from the obvious future tense described in John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:54, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 can be found anywhere else. In looking at the rest of the New Testament, we see that the term “harpazo” is used a total of fourteen times (Matthew 11:12, 12:29, 13:19; John 6:15, 10:12, 28-29; Acts 8:39, 23:10; 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4; Jude 23; Revelation 12:5). There are two specific cases recorded in the Old Testament example that describe the process of being “snatched away,” known in the Hebrew as the word “laqach.” It applies to both the patriarch Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-11).
 
Both of these men, each known for their godly nature, were received into God’s presence in their natural bodies. It may be that they are the two witnesses spoken of in Revelation 11 who are given miraculous powers to show the world the power and holiness of God. It should be noted that the two witnesses, after their execution by the Antichrist, will be raised back to life and taken in the air to heaven as a sign of God’s authority over the wicked world.
 
New Testament instances of the “harpazo” event apart from the future references are the Lord Jesus Himself at his Ascension (Acts 1:9-11); the evangelist (and probable apostle) Philip (Acts 8:25-40) when he encountered the Ethiopian official, leading him to faith in Christ; and Paul’s journey, where he was “caught up” to “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:1-5), seeing things that were not to be mentioned, and was given an undescribed “thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble about the experience.
 
At the close of the first century, the last living apostle John was a prisoner on the penal island of Patmos, undergoing persecution for the sake of the Gospel. It was there that he received the “unveiling” (apocalypse) of Jesus Christ, who allowed him to “come up” to heaven (Revelation 4:1) in order to assure not only John but all believers then and now that He is in control of the events of the world, and that He is going to return in glory and majesty one day to rule over a new heaven and earth free from the curse of sin (Revelation 19:11-21, 21:1-7).
 
Let us now return to the original question of correctly interpreting John 14:1-3 as a reference to the “Rapture” by the Lord Jesus. I want to present a brief list of Bible teachers who believe that these words spoken by the Lord are the foundation for what He will do in the near future. The first of these is Dr. John MacArthur, whose works were mentioned in the previous sermon dealing with this topic. In his book One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus, he states that John 14:1-3 does indeed teach the Rapture event:
 
“His departure would be for their advantage since He was going away to prepare a heavenly home for them and will return to take them so that they may be with Him. This is one of the passages that refers to the rapture of the saints at the end of the age when Christ returns. The features in this description do not describe Christ coming to earth with His saints to establish His kingdom (Revelation 19:11-15) but taking believers from the earth to live in heaven. Since no judgment on the unsaved is described here, this is not the event of His return in glory and power to destroy the wicked (Matthew 13:36-43, 47-50). Rather, this describes His coming to gather His own who are alive and raise the bodies of those who have died to take them all to heaven.
 
After being raptured, the church will celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-10), be rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10), and later return to earth with Christ when He comes again to set up His kingdom (Revelation 19:11-20:6).” (MacArthur, John. One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus. Nashville, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2012, p.412).
 
Charles Swindoll, in his ‘Insight” New Testament Commentary Series, writes the following:
 
“Jesus reassured His disciples that His going away had nothing to do with any of their personal failures, past or future. His purpose for going away was to secure their eternal future. His metaphor of home construction refers to His going to the cross on behalf of all humanity in order to secure eternal life for those who believe. He said that His leaving was necessary, and His return is assured. Jesus used the metaphor of an ‘abode’ to illustrate our future relationship with the Father. Jesus’ promise to ‘come again’ refers to both His resurrection and the rapture of the church in the end times.” (Swindoll, Charles R. Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on John. Grand Rapids, Zondervan Publishers, 2012, p.243).
 
William MacDonald writes in The Believer’s Bible Commentary (Thomas Nelson, 1989):
 
“John 14:3 refers to the time when the LORD will come back again into the air, when those who have died in faith will be raised, when the living will be changed, and when all the blood-bought throng will be taken home. This is a personal, literal coming of Christ. As surely as He went away, He will come again. His desire is to have His own with Him for eternity.” (p.1545)
 
This is only a small listing of the numerous material available both online and in print showing the promise of Jesus’ return, and I again encourage you to do your own research, as did the Bereans who examined even the teachings of Paul to see whether what he taught was of God according to the Scriptures (Acts 17:11).
 
Prophecy is not making a checklist of times, signs, and seasons in order to make an eschatological point or win an argument but is the complete and perfect fulfillment of the promises made by the Sovereign Lord God Almighty that in the end, Jesus wins, the devil loses, and a new world will emerge free from the curse of sin and death. Share that with someone who needs to know that this world is coming to a conclusion and heading for certain judgment and to look to Jesus Christ for salvation and true peace that this world cannot provide or promise.
 
We serve a victorious God, and He desires that all be saved. Let us get to work with the message of eternal life in Christ while there are still hours in the day. 



 


 
Food and the Tribulation - by Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/food-and-the-tribulation/
 
There will come a day, probably sooner than later, when Satan will have achieved his goals on planet earth. He will no longer need the Democrats, liberals, atheists and those with Biblical perversions to spread his pathetic misery.
 
Yep, the time will come when Satan can operate without the Holy Spirit's Restraint, causing death, disease and destruction of most of the humans on earth. This time begins right after the "big boom" ...our exciting exit!
 
Boy, will all the non-believers be in for a shock both from the Rapture and the immediate results following the Rapture!
 
Just after the Rapture, in quick succession, Jesus begins breaking seals of destruction and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are first to appear.
 
The Four Horsemen
 
Rev. 6:2 - 1st
World leader conquers with drugs(1)
 
Rev. 6:3 - 2nd
World war and chaos
 
Rev. 6:5 - 3rd
Economic calamity
 
Rev. 6:8 - 4th
Death and hell on earth
 
The result of the first three horsemen—the drugs, war and economic calamity—is the 4th horseman, who brings massive death worldwide totaling roughly two billion people (1/4 of the earth).
 
Famine is specifically mentioned:
 
Authority was given to them [Death & Hades] over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Rev.6:8b
 
One out of every four people on the earth will die in the first months of the Tribulation, mainly from mass starvation.
 
Few will have access to enough food and water to keep themselves alive and will die a horrible death. Or they can't afford to purchase food due to severe inflation (Rev. 6:5).
 
All the Satanic liars who have wrecked our great country will get their due. They won't be exempted from the billions who die in just a matter of months. All death will be equal across the board.
 
Satan Wants Death
 
Satan wants death and misery for everyone—the unsaved Republicans will fare no better than unsaved Democrats.
 
The unsaved church-goers will fare no better than the unsaved atheists. Those with Biblical perversions can't whine and demand they get food.
 
All those who told the Lord to take a hike and all those who thought they were Christians will now be in the same starvation mode.
 
They'll be scrambling for anything to eat and willing to do anything to get food. Ultimately food becomes more valuable than gold.
 
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! James 5:1-3
 
A person needs sleep, food and water to survive. Ultimately the lack of food causes a person's mind to be obsessed only with food. Sleep and water seem less important, which hastens their death.
 
Those outside of major cities will fare better in the short run as they will initially survive the food riots. But in the long run, it doesn't really matter, God's wrath has arrived. No one will escape.
 
A Silver Lining
 
The silver lining in all of this mess is that all the death listed in Rev. 6:1-8, the first four seals released by Jesus, is followed by an uncountable number who are martyred for their faith.
 
After these things [The Four Horsemen] I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; Rev. 7:9
 
This is exciting because we all know people who seem to understand and be knowledgeable about the Gospel but never connected the dots to Believe by faith that results in a salvation experience.
 
But after the Rapture they'll know exactly what's happened. They'll refuse to serve the New World Order to survive. Rather, they'll Believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ and therefore have their sins washed away—even if it costs them their lives.
 
Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Rev. 7:13-14
 
This is confirmation that our witnessing today, during this ramp-up to Rapture, could be a lifeline to our family, friends and co-workers who miss the departure.
 
Maybe some of our bright blue Millions Missing booklets will come in handy! 🙂 (2)
 
And as I've said many times, the only thing that ultimately matters in this life is who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. A LOT of people will recall our words of warning, and we'll see them again in heaven!
 
For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Rev. 7:15-17
 
So as we get more and more confirmation that God's wrath is getting closer, we can be comforted that Jesus' rescue is near.
 
Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1Th. 4:18
 
CQLJ!
 
BP
 
1) https://compass.org/a-bow-without-arrows/
2) https://compass.org/product/millions-missing-16-page-paper-booklet/

 


 
Where’s the Bed of Roses - Nathele Graham - [email protected]
 
Life can often become very disheartening. We see people around us prospering and enjoying excellent health. Or so it seems. We never know what lies behind the smiles. We don’t see that the apparent prosperity has come with a pile of credit card bills. We don’t see that the excellent health isn’t all that excellent. Troubles and trials affect everybody, but too often Christians think we should be exempt from all the hardships in this life. That just isn’t the way it works. You can search the Scriptures for years and never find that God promised a smooth and easy life once we give our life to Him. When Adam sinned, Paradise was lost and life in this world has been a struggle ever since. Of course, God told Adam what would happen if he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He chose to eat the fruit and death became a reality. Still, God loves His creation and gave us the only solution to eternal death caused by sin. “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be sure your sin is forgiven and that you spend eternity in the presence of God. That’s where real peace is to be found, not on earth. In this life we make many choices, and often those choices cause us pain and suffering. If you choice is to follow Christ in spite of the temptations of this world, you still will face difficult situations, but serving Christ with a joyful heart eases the pain.
 
From Adam on, life has been a struggle. Disease, rebellion to God, and death, have plagued humanity for thousands of years since Adam’s disobedience. He knew the consequences of his actions, but ate the forbidden fruit anyway. We choose to sin, too, knowing full well the consequences. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. Much of the unhappiness and disease in our life is caused by our own choices. Is diabetes an issue in your life? Have you followed a healthy diet, or do you live on junk food? That’s a bad choice. Do you have lung disease? Do you smoke? Smoking isn’t a wise choice. Do you have a socially transmitted disease? Do you disobey God’s rule about sexual activity only being within a one man/one woman marriage? If so, then you’ve made your own choice. God will forgive the sin if you repent and turn away from it, but the consequences He may not heal. Scripture reveals that we are to make wise choices. Jesus chose to enter His creation knowing He would shed His blood for our salvation. In Mark chapter 8, we see Jesus explaining this to His disciples. “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31. Jesus chose obedience and submission to God the Father. His human side knew the pain He would face, but the God side of Him knew it was the only way to redeem mankind. Peter rebuked Him; Peter didn’t understand. Can you imagine rebuking God? I’m sure Peter had all the best intentions, but rebuking God is a bit arrogant. Jesus was stern with him. “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not, the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” Mark 8:33. I think we can understand Peter’s thinking at the time. He had no idea why Jesus had to die and Peter was very comfortable being a rebel to the Jewish leaders, as long as Jesus was there with him. It would make sense by human understanding that Jesus should have an easy life because He was God and shouldn’t have to suffer. Peter forgot to read prophecy and he forgot to trust Jesus. “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:34-37. Jesus didn’t describe a bed of roses for His followers. Taking up a cross was a very graphic picture of death and everyone listening knew what it meant. Today, Jesus might have said “Stand before a firing squad” or “Sit in the electric chair”. Still, there was more submission involved in taking up a cross. Jesus did it by choice, and we need to choose to surrender our favorite sins and nail them to the cross in order to honor Christ.
 
I’m sure there must have been a few of those first Christians who didn’t seem to suffer in order to follow Jesus. Barnabas comes to mind. “And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus.” Acts 4:36. He must have been an interesting man. He was a Christian, and for a Levite that was a big step. What did he give up to become a Christian? Because he was a Levite, he was to attend to the Temple, a very honorable Jewish profession. We also know that he was a man who had property in Cyprus, which he cheerfully sold in order to aid fellow Christians in need. “Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Acts 4:37. Many Christians were in great need because they had chosen to forfeit everything in order to follow Christ. Most no longer had jobs, family had rejected them, and there was a great need. Christians are supposed to help fellow Christians, and Barnabas is an example of giving with joy. He sold what he had in order to serve Christ while serving others. It was also Barnabas who first befriended Paul, then accompanied him in the mission field. Yes, Barnabas must have been a very happy man, in spite of hardship. What all he did, he did to glorify Christ.
 
Speaking of Paul, was there ever a more faithful servant of our Lord than Paul? He certainly didn’t have an easy life after he met Jesus. Paul surrendered his entire self to Christ. He walked away from his high standing in the Jewish community, any wealth that had been his was forfeited as he served Christ. He travelled the mission field, not lodging at five-star hotels, but quite often sleeping in jail cells. He was beaten, dragged out of town to die, he was shipwrecked, snake bit, and generally suffered much loss and discomfort. In spite of it all, he spread the Gospel with joy. He loved the people he brought to salvation, and he collected money to help Christians during times of drought and trouble. Paul didn’t really enjoy the pain he endured in serving Christ, but accepted God’s will. “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. Maybe you’re missing the bed of roses because you only see the thorns.
 
Jesus told us how to ease the thorns in life by showing love to others even if we are mistreated. “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.” Matthew 5: 44-45. Sun and rain make roses grow in spite of the thorns. If we choose to respond with anger to everyone who offends us, we end up with a bed of thorns instead of roses, and a life that doesn’t reflect Christ. Roses have thorns, so if we happen to have an easy life, it’s because we choose to see the roses, not the thorns.
 
In life we make choices. We can choose to see the roses or see the thorns. We will see more roses if we choose to cheerfully submit our life to Christ, and glorify Him in all we do,
 
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
[email protected]
[email protected]
 
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
 
All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.
 
If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know.
 

 


 
Daily Jot: The Great Reset Part 4 Issue Hierarchy - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
The WEF’s website uses a lot of wonderful, esoteric, altruistic words and images to promote its vision of “transforming” the world economy to the benefit of all. WEF’s three areas of focus are healthcare, climate change and technology, and beneath this hierarchy of issues, the global cabal gains more control with each issue-related crisis, a classic “order through chaos” scenario. The concept is to create such division among people that they are so busy fighting over morality and rights issues that they ignore the most pressing agenda, the clear and present threat to the very freedoms guaranteed by Constitutions and laws. All issues can map to the healthcare, climate change and technology hierarchy.
 
Again, COVID provides the reset example. Chief Academic Officer for American Scholars Michael Rectenwald identifies the crux of how issues play in the Great Reset agenda: “Other developments that advance the Great Reset agenda have included unfettered immigration, travel restrictions for otherwise legal border crossing, the Federal Reserve’s unrestrained printing of money and the subsequent inflation, increased taxation, increased dependence on the state, broken supply chains, the restrictions and job losses due to vaccine mandates, and the prospect of personal carbon allowances. Such policies reflect the “fairness” aspect of the Great Reset—fairness requires lowering the economic status of people in wealthier nations like the U.S. relative to that of people in poorer regions of the world.” Each has a control factor.
 
Mobility control is attained through travel restrictions, vaccine passports, mask mandates, lockdowns, contact tracing, social scores—the ever-present reminder that one is restricted in some way. Financial control is implemented through data mining where tech companies and government partner to monitor purchases, habits and transactions. Inflation, for example, doesn’t hurt multinational corporations. They just pass the higher costs along. Inflation harms the working class and the poor. The COVID crisis caused millions of small businesses to shutter their doors while the WEF members raked in profits. Psychopathic violence such as school and race-motivated shootings and increased violent crime rates serve to advance gun control and create more dependency on the government.
 
Corporate-government promotion of abortion, LGBTQ+ sexual grooming of school children, Critical Race Theory, defunding the police, demonizing and labeling conservatives and Christians all pit various people groups against one another. When moral and ethical differences are weaponized under the Issue Hierarchy of healthcare, climate change and technology crisis occurs and control incrementally increases. This is not a situation where we fight either one issue or the other. This is both/and. The most pressing issue ahead for your freedom of speech and religion is to stop the WEF agenda AND stand for righteousness on these other issues that nip away at our freedoms and morals. Herein Galatians 5:1 has relevance: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Part 5 will discuss putting two and two together.
 
Sources:
 
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/business-leaders-at-davos-how-to-deliver-esg-promises-sustainability-reporting-standards/
 
https://www.weforum.org/great-reset
 
https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/what-is-the-great-reset/

 


 
Daily Devotion: A Condemnation-Free Life - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! —2 Corinthians 5:17
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-condemnation-free-life/ - Listen
 
She had been caught in the act of adultery, so the religious leaders brought her to Jesus. (Incidentally, I wonder where the man was? He apparently got away scot-free.)
 
They said, “This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” (John 8:4–5 NLT).
 
Without a word, Jesus stooped down and started writing in the dirt with His finger. Then He stood up and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (verse 7 NLT).
 
That cleared the room rather quickly. I wonder what Jesus wrote? I don’t think He was playing tic-tac-toe. Maybe he looked at one of the men and then wrote down his name and the number of the commandment he was breaking. Whatever Jesus did, it brought them under conviction, and they all left.
 
Then Jesus turned to the woman and said, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
 
“No, Lord.”
 
“Neither do I. Go and sin no more” (see verses 10–11 NLT).
 
It was at that moment she believed, and Jesus saw that she believed. As a result, there was no condemnation because “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NLT).
 
The Bible tells us, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).
 
A Spirit–led believer lives a condemnation–free life. It doesn’t mean there won’t be failures. It doesn’t mean there won’t be inconsistencies. But the Bible says there is no condemnation.
 
God sees us for what we will become, not just what we are. We see the past; God sees the future. We see the end; God sees a new beginning. 

 


 


 
FROM THE HEART
    
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