The Spiritual and Physical Kingdom of God

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 

• Featured Article: The Spiritual and Physical Kingdom of God 
• Schwab's World Economic Forum Preparing The Way For Daniel's Fourth Kingdom? 
• Nearing Midnight: Constant Crisis Mode 
• Perception vs. Reality 
• Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Federal Election Commission 
• Daily Devotion: The Benefits of Being Right with God 

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The Spiritual and Physical Kingdom of God – Randy Nettles - https://www.rev310.net/post/the-spiritual-and-physical-kingdom-of-god
 
The Kingdom of God is the spiritual/earthly realm over which God (Jesus Christ) reigns as King of the entire earth. The phrase occurs 70 times in the New Testament, primarily by Jesus in the Gospels. As you know from my previous article, 70 is a very significant number in the Bible as it represents spiritual and ordinal perfection. Jesus taught his disciples and the Jewish people extensively about this Kingdom. He even sent out 70 disciples into the cities of Judah and Samaria for evangelical and missionary work. Jesus told them: “And heal the sick there, and say to them, The Kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:9).
 
Another name for this realm is the Kingdom of Heaven, used exclusively by Matthew in his Gospel account. He mentioned the Kingdom of Heaven 33 times and the Kingdom of God four times. 33 is another important biblical number as it is associated with Jesus. Jesus started his ministry at the age of 33 and was crucified in the year AD 33 (more on this later). The word ‘firstfruits’ is mentioned 33 times in the Bible. Jesus is the firstfruits of the dead to be resurrected. “ But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23).
 
“It is possible that since each of the four Gospels was targeting a different audience, Matthew’s Gospel (to the Jews) used this phrasing to impose a more practical meaning to the term. The Jews didn’t like saying or writing the true name of God. In the Tanakh, YHVH is the personal name of God. This is the ineffable name of the God of Israel. Because it is composed from the four Hebrew letters Yod, Hey, Vav, and Hey, it is also referred to as the “Tetragrammation,” which simply means “the four letters.” Https://hebrew4christians.com
 
Later in time, vowels were added to the name and it became known as Yahweh. Yahweh is most likely an incorrect transliteration since there is no “w” sound in Hebrew. For this reason, Matthew chose to call it the Kingdom of Heaven instead. Basically, it means the same thing – the Kingdom of the God of the Universe.
 
The Kingdom of God consists of two phases. First is the body of believers who are in the world but not of it. It was established at the first coming. Here is how gotquestions.org describes this first phase. “The Kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the Kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the Kingdom of God. In this sense, the Kingdom of God is spiritual. Jesus said His Kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and he preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). That the Kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5-7, where Jesus says the Kingdom of God must be entered into by being born again.”
 
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘There it is’, or ‘here it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
 
This was definitely not the answer the Pharisees was expecting. Jesus was talking about the spiritual phase of the Kingdom of God and not the physical phase. Of course the spiritual Kingdom of God was not within the Pharisees because they didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah. The word ‘within’ can also mean “in the midst of,” and the Kingdom (Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit) was in the midst of them.
 
Some Bible translations (the NIV and CJB for example) offer ‘among’ as an alternate to ‘within’ in verse 21. Jesus was the personification of the spiritual Kingdom and He was standing among them.
 
To the Pharisees, the Kingdom was only among them, but it was not within them. But once the Holy Spirit was given, the Kingdom would be within all believers. At that point, both of these interpretations would become true. The Kingdom of God is within us, even though we are still in the midst of the world. This is the spiritual, or invisible phase of the Kingdom.
 
The second phase of the Kingdom of God is the one we call the Millennium, where the Lord comes back to assume authority over all the world. Daniel, the faithful prophet of God, described it this way: “And in the days of those kings the God of Heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people (other than Israel). It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).
 
Jesus will rule and reign over his kingdom from Jerusalem. The prophet Habakkuk described life during the Millennium. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). Zechariah also described the Lord’s future rule. “And the Lord (Jesus Christ) will be King over the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and His name one” (Zechariah 14:9).
 
Scholarly opinion is divided on the question as to whether Jesus taught that the kingdom had actually arrived during his lifetime. Possibly he recognized in his ministry the signs of its imminence, but he nevertheless looked to the future for its arrival with power. He may well have regarded his own death as the providential condition of its full establishment.
 
Regarding the actual starting point (calendar year) of the first spiritual phase of the Kingdom of God, there are two theories. The first theory is that it began when Jesus began his ministry in the fall of AD 29 or the spring of AD 30. According to Luke 3:1-6, John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Tiberius began his official reign in the fall of AD 14 after the death of Augustus; so the fifteenth year would be AD 29. It is believed, therefore, that John and Jesus’ ministry began either in the fall of AD 29 or the spring of AD 30 (I believe it was in the spring of AD 30, as that would be the time for baptizing the converts).
 
There are three definite mentions of Jesus observing the Passover feast in the gospel of John: John 2:13, John 6:4, and John 11:55-57. This would account for two years of ministry, which puts us at AD 32. Many scholars suspect there was another Passover that wasn’t recorded (but implied) in the synoptic gospels, or perhaps the “feast” mentioned in John 5:1 was the fourth one. If this is the case, Jesus was crucified in the year AD 33. For more proof, see: Seven Famous Passovers in Scripture: Part 1 :: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready
 
Jesus said that his miracles were evidence that the Kingdom of God had come upon the Jews. “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28). Another fascinating scripture is found in Luke 9:27 when Jesus was talking with his disciples concerning his upcoming death. “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Kingdom of God.”
 
Eight days later, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lighting. These three disciples got a taste of the future Kingdom of God when Jesus was transfigured in glorious form before them. He was seen talking with Moses and Elijah (who also were in a glorious form similar to Jesus’) regarding his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem (Luke 9:28-31).
 
The second theory is that the Kingdom of God started with the death and resurrection of Jesus in AD 33. After Jesus’ resurrection, he spent 40 more days on the earth before ascending back to heaven and the Father. During this time, He spoke often with his apostles of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). Ten days later, on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ disciples and the Church was conceived. Many scholars believe the spiritual Kingdom of God began at this time, when the Holy Spirit began indwelling believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah).
 
So, you might be asking yourself, “What difference does it make when the Kingdom of God began?” I believe Hosea 6:2-3 is a prophetic passage regarding the return of Jesus Christ to establish his Millennium Kingdom of God. “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in His presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the latter and former rain to the earth.”
 
The latter rain appears in the spring time in Israel, thus representing Jesus’ 1st advent. The former rain appears in the fall time in Israel, thus representing Jesus’ 2nd advent. Peter said that a day to the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. (2 Peter 3:8). So, two days to the Lord would be 2000 years for us mere humans.
 
Therefore, if the Lord returns 2,000 years from the first part (spiritual) of the Kingdom of God, it definitely matters when this kingdom began. It either began in AD 29/30 during Jesus’ ministry or at Jesus’ death and resurrection (and the conception of the Church) in AD 33. If it began in AD 30, then 2000 years later would place the 2nd advent and start of the Millennium Kingdom in AD 2030. This would place the start of the Tribulation 7 years earlier in 2023 and the pre-tribulation Rapture in 2022 or 2023.
 
If the Kingdom of God began in AD 33, then 2000 years later would place the 2nd advent and start of the Millennium Kingdom in 2033. This would place the start of the Tribulation in 2026 and the pre-tribulation Rapture could occur as early as 2022 or as late as 2026.
 
IN THE MIDST OF DANIEL’S 70TH SEVEN
 
I wrote about the timing and duration of the first part (69 sevens) of Daniel’s prophecy of 70 sevens in my last article, Jeremiah and Daniel's Prophetic Calendar :: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready, so now we will discuss the last 7 years. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27).
 
The prophet Daniel is clearly referring to the last 7 years (one week/seven) on earth before Jesus’ 2nd Coming to the earth. This time period is known as the Tribulation and/or Jacob’s Trouble. Numerous Old Testament prophets referred to it as the Day of the Lord.
 
Does the term “in the midst” (in the KJV and many other translations) mean the exact middle or could it mean near the middle? There are 269 times in the Old Testament that use this terminology. Very few of them refer to the exact middle. Most of them are in reference to a close proximity to the middle or center.
 
As mentioned in my last article, Daniel is using the same prophetic calendar used by Jeremiah in determining the 70 years of desolations for Judah and Jerusalem. In this calendar, one year is equal to 360 days. If the first part (69 sevens – 483 years) of Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:25-26) used the prophetic calendar of 360 days per year, then the last 7 years must use it as well. You can not start and end it on the same date of the Jewish calendar (such as Tishri 1 to Tishri 1 or Nisan 10 to Nisan 10) as there would be approximately 2541 days in a 7 year time frame. The duration of Daniel 9:27 is for 7 calendar years of 360 days for a total of 2,520 days.
 
The in the midst event of Daniel 9:27 is known as the Abomination of Desolation and is described in Daniel 12:11 and Revelation 13:14-15. Most Bible experts believe the A.O.D. will occur exactly 1,260 days after the start of Jacob’s Trouble. But what if instead it begins 1,230 days after the start of the Tribulation? Isn’t that also in the midst of 2,520 days? It’s similar in meaning to the word ‘about’ as in Luke 3:23, “Now Jesus himself began his ministry when he was about thirty years of age.” If Jesus was born in the fall of 5 BC ( it could have been 4 BC), he would have been 33.5 years old in AD 30, when he started his ministry. Is that not about 30 years of age?
 
Daniel 12:11 gives the duration of the last part (3.5 years) of the Tribulation, from the A.O.D. to the end of the 7-year Tribulation. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11). Have you ever wondered why Daniel 12:11 is for 1,290 days instead of 1,260 days? Because of this verse, it is reasonable to assume that the first part of the prophecy is for 1,230 days and the last part is for 1,290 days. In other words, the Abomination of Desolation will occur in the midst of the 2,520 days of the Tribulation, but not necessarily the exact middle.
 
There are two theories on the duration of the two parts of the Tribulation. Let us look at these as Theory 1 (1,260–1,260 days) and Theory 2 (1,230–1,290 days). Theory 1 starts 30 days before theory 2 does. Both theories have the same date for the in the midst event known as the Abomination of Desolation. Theory 1 ends 30 days earlier than Theory 2. Both theories agree that The Tribulation will last for 2,520 days.
 
Theory 1 is similar to Theory 2 in that they both believe that the Anti-Christ’s total power over the Tribulation saints and the Jewish people will last for exactly 1,260 days or forty-two months (Revelation 13:5-7). Both theories believe that after the Abomination of Desolation, the remnant of Israel will flee into the wilderness of Jordan (Petra) where God will supernaturally protect them and sustain them for 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6).
 
Both theories agree that after the seals, trumpets, and vials judgments from God, Jesus Christ returns on a future Feast of Trumpets day at the battle of Armageddon, fulfilling the 5th Feast of the Lord. Daniel’s 70th seven ends there with theory 1 and does not really address Jesus fulfilling the 6th and 7th Feasts of the Lord. They occur after the Tribulation is officially over (7 years or 2,520 days).
 
With Theory 2, the end of the Tribulation does not end with the battle of Armageddon, but rather 30 days later. This takes into account enough time for the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles to be fulfilled by Jesus after his return to the Earth on Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah. The Feast of Tabernacles lasts for eight days until Tishri 22. Eight days later the Millennium Kingdom of God (Jesus Christ) will commence.
 
According to Daniel 9:24, the end of the 70th seven/Jacob’s Trouble will not occur until six things happen: 1) to finish the transgression, 2) to make an end of sin, 3) to make reconciliation for iniquity, 4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, 5) to seal up the vision and prophecy, 6) to anoint the most Holy.
 
With Theory 1, there is no time for all of this to happen if the Tribulation is over when Jesus returns at Armageddon. With Theory 2, there is sufficient time for the before-mentioned six results to occur. Also, there will still be enough time for Jesus to fulfill the prophecies of Matthew 24:30-31 as well as Matthew 25:31-46.
 
THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS TO THE EARTH
 
In establishing timelines for both of these theories, there is only one factor that must be met: the date that Jesus returns to the earth will be on a future Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah day. Most Bible eschatologists agree the date on the Jewish calendar for the return of Jesus Christ to the earth, at the Battle of Armageddon, will occur on Rosh Hashanah (Tishri 1 on the Jewish calendar) in some future year.
 
Because the Feast of Trumpets occurs on a new/crescent moon of fall, when there is only a sliver of the moon that can be seen (and sometimes under cloud cover), it is difficult to pinpoint the exact hour (and thus day) it appears. In olden times in Israel, there had to be two reliable witnesses that both agreed upon when they saw the moon appear. This is why Trumpets (Tishri 1 - 1st day of the 7th month) was the Feast where “no man knew the day or the hour of its beginning.”
 
“In his Olivet discourse, Jesus told his disciples, “But of that day or hour, no man knows, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:36-37).
 
Throughout the history of the Hebrew people, trumpets always were sounded when a Jewish king entered into the battle arena. It will not be different this time as well, only the trumpets will be of a heavenly origin announcing the King of kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ heavenly army consisting of resurrected and translated saints and His heavenly host, the angels, will accompany King Jesus to the earth.
 
The 5th Feast of the Lord, known as Trumpets, is the next one in line to be fulfilled by Jesus, as the first four (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost) were fulfilled by Him during His 1st advent in 33 BC. Most scholars believe Pentecost was fulfilled by Jesus sending the Holy Spirit to his followers 50 days after His resurrection (Nisan 17) on Sivan 7 of the same year, thus starting the Church Age.
 
So, whether you believe Jesus will return (2nd Coming) in AD 2030 or 2033 (or some other year), the first thing you need to do is find the date for Tishri 1 on the Jewish calendar. This is the date for Jesus’ return at the battle of Armageddon. 30 days later (1290 days after the A.O. D.), on Heshvan 1, will be the official end of the Tribulation (Jacob’s Trouble, Daniel’s 70th week) and the beginning of the Millennium Kingdom of God (Jesus Christ).
 
The next step is to find the “ in the midst” event known as the anti-Christ’s Abomination of Desolation. To find this date, subtract 1260 days from the Tishri 1 date.
 
To find the start of the Tribulation, you must deduct 1230 days from the A.O.D date. From this starting date to the end of the Tribulation is 2520 days.
Regardless of which 7 years you like for the timing of the Tribulation, we know it’s getting close. We also know when Jesus returns He will fulfill the remaining 3 Feasts of the Lord. Thus He will have fulfilled all 7 Feasts of His while fulfilling the last 7 of the 70th seven of Daniel’s prophecy.
 
Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus.

 


 
Schwab's World Economic Forum Preparing The Way For Daniel's Fourth Kingdom? – David Sidman - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5299
 
During a keynote speech on the opening day of the World Government Summit (WGS2022) in Dubai, the WEF's executive chairman Klaus Schwab called for world leaders to unite to address global issues such as climate change, trade, and economic disruption. He emphasized that this one-world government must form as soon as possible.
 
THE GREAT RESET
 
"The impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates global change in a much more comprehensive and faster way than previous industrial revolutions," Schwab said to the assembled world leaders: "Despite all the challenges, we have to uphold the responsibility we have towards the next generation through collaborations on a national and a global level. Our futures are intrinsically connected and that requires collaborative responses."
 
"The world has to overcome the damage done to our economies and societies by COVID-19. It also has to confront the repercussions of a dangerous clash between major global powers," Schwab went on to say during the session.
 
THE FOURTH KINGDOM
 
Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi of King David's Tomb on Mount Zion, noted that it was not by chance that Schwab adopted the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for the time for unifying the world governments and corporations. The rabbi cited the Book of Daniel:
 
He said this: 'The fourth beast means there will be a fourth kingdom upon the earth which will be different from all the kingdoms; it will devour the whole earth, tread it down, and crush it. Daniel 7:23
 
"Like so many before him, this person wants to rule for his own glory and from his own glory. He understands that Daniel was a great prophet, and this person, who I wish not to name, wants to pervert the words of Daniel for his purpose."
 
"I have seen great leaders come to Jerusalem over the years. The leaders who seek God's glory, who know that their mandate as a ruler comes from King David and the God of Israel, are successful and bring light into the world. Others reject Jerusalem, actually reject it, and they inevitably bring darkness into the world."
 
COVID AS AN "OPPORTUNITY"
 
COVID is a favorite subject of Schwab. He wrote a book titled Covid-19: the Great Reset describing the pandemic as a rare opportunity. 
 
"At the time of writing (June 2020), the pandemic continues to worsen globally," Schwab wrote in his book. "Many of us are pondering when things will return to normal. The short response is: never. Nothing will ever return to the 'broken' sense of normalcy that prevailed before the crisis because the coronavirus pandemic marks a fundamental inflection point in our global trajectory."
 
In 2020, the WEF was headlined "The Great Reset." At the heart of the agenda is Klaus's concept of 'stakeholder capitalism,' an idea that Schwab has been advocating for decades, which would result in allocating corporations more power over society.
 
Elected governments would be just one stakeholder in a multi-stakeholder model of global governance. Corporations would be official stakeholders in global decision-making, while governments are relegated to being one of many stakeholders. And the stakeholders in the corporations would take a back seat as the corporate executives are given full autonomy.
 
BIDEN AND THE NEW WORLD ORDER
 
Some may find it disturbing to note that in his book, Schwab coined the term "Build back better," which was adopted by President Biden ahead of his inauguration as the name of his legislative framework. Like Schwab, Biden has a long history of openly advocating for new world order and noting that Biden has a long history of advocating for a New World Order.
 
He recently went off script and called for a new world order at an address to the Business Roundtable's CEO Quarterly Meeting. The Business Roundtable is a strong proponent of the Great Reset. Biden was immediately hustled off stage by his staff.
 
Critics have claimed that Biden's "Infrastructure Bill" is about advancing The Great Reset agenda by eliminating the private use of decentralized crypto to replace it with centralized, tracked, and traced "Central Bank Digital Currencies."
 
SCHWAB: A PROBLEMATIC MYSTERY
 
In 1971 Schwab founded what would become the World Economic Forum WEF), where he currently serves as executive chairman, for which he receives a salary of about $1 million. He is frequently criticized in the media for this, while at the same time, he has declared that excessively high management salaries were "no longer socially acceptable."
 
Also, the WEF does not pay any federal taxes. The WEF is also criticized for its lack of transparency in its financial reporting. Schwab has also drawn ire for mixing the finances of the not-for-profit WEF and other for-profit business ventures, frequently for his financial benefit.
 
Schwab has stated that a globalized world is best managed by a self-selected coalition of multinational corporations, governments (including the UN system), and select civil society organizations (CSOs). He argues that governments are no longer "the overwhelmingly dominant actors on the world stage" and "the time has come for a new stakeholder paradigm of international governance."
 
He also advocated for genetic engineering. In his 2018 book, Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Schwab writes:
 
We will become better able to manipulate our genes and those of our children. These developments raise profound questions: where do we draw the line between human and machine? What does it mean to be human?

 


 
Nearing Midnight: Constant Crisis Mode – Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
 
One of the most active features of our domain has been the Rapture Index. It has been the subject of a plethora of articles by the secular media. When I started it in 1987, my simple interest was focused on the activity of end-time events. There have been times when not much was going on in relation to Bible prophecy.
 
When I was in the Air Force, there was a time when I could be sent on a 45-day deployment to the Middle East and leave the site on hold the whole time. Today, if I forget to update something on a daily basis, I get calls from friends worried about my health.
 
A couple of years ago, I realized that the Rapture Index had lost its importance, primarily due to the fact that it is constantly stuck at high levels. The index has not been below 170 in 20 years. It is amazing that the index had a low of 58 in 1993. What keeps the RI high is that we are in Constant Crisis Mode. There is always something going on that keeps prophecy-related events in the news.
 
One of my favorite drought sites is the US drought monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu. It is run by the University of Nebraska, and they track areas of the US that have received below-average amounts of rainfall.
 
The site has records that go all the way back to the year 2000. I looked at them and noticed that in most years, the average level of droughts was less than 30% of the whole US. Right now, the percentage of the US in drought condition is 60%, which is the highest reading in the history of the site.
 
Because most western states receive their rainfall during the winter months, there was much hope that this season would end the Californian drought. The first couple months of winter looked good, with California receiving large amounts of rainfall, but the rain suddenly stopped. Since very little rainfall occurs in the summer months, California is back in the red zone for drought.
 
California has been in the drought category for four years straight. I was amazed at the state record of having the largest wildfires each year. I didn’t think there was anything left to burn in California from the 2018 to 2020 fire seasons. Somehow California had the misfortune of having 2021 as the fresh record for the most areas burnt.
 
Normally when winter comes, the recorded numbers of wildfires significantly decrease because of the reduced average temperature and the increased moisture levels. A week ago, I saw a map that had at least a dozen fires burning over the state of Texas.
 
What makes the current fire season odd is that I’ve been tracking them for several years and noticed the few odd years. In 2018 we had a generally wet year. It was odd because the moisture levels made it unproductive for growing anything.
 
I’ve been monitoring wildfires for 37 years, and I don’t ever recall so many fires during the spring in the Midwest. There was one report of fires in the Smoky Mountains. The Smoky Mountains are named so because of the natural configuration of clouds. To have an abundance of moisture is very odd and dangerous.
 
The funny thing is not that we are entering into a season that is prone to fire hazards; we are approaching a season that is the kingpin of fire dangers. I know we quickly become complacent to end-time views but are at a point where we don’t understand the current reality.
 
The reason why we are experiencing constant crisis is that we are very near to the cause of these end-time events. Once we realize that God is in control of events, we can make sense of the progression of events.
 
“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?'” (Revelation 5:1-2, NKJV).
 

 


 
Perception vs. Reality - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/perception-vs-reality/
 
If you only get your news from the mainstream media, you would be tempted to believe that global conditions are relatively stable right now. Yes, there is a war between Russia and Ukraine, but the mainstream media is assuring us that Ukraine is winning that war. Other than that, the mainstream media seems to think that everything is just fine. Of course the truth is that our planet is facing a whole host of extremely challenging problems at the moment. The UN has warned that we are entering the worst global food crisis since World War II, inflation has started to spiral out of control all over the world, the war in Ukraine is making our supply chain nightmares even worse and an absolutely horrifying bird flu plague is killing millions upon millions of chickens and turkeys.
 
But if you flip on one of the corporate news channels tonight, they will be focusing on other things.
 
And you probably won’t even hear them talk about the food riots that have suddenly begun erupting around the world at all.
 
For example, a “curfew” has just been imposed on the capital of Peru after a series of extremely passionate protests that were sparked by rapidly rising fuel and food prices…
 
Peruvian President Pedro Castillo announced a curfew for Tuesday in the capital Lima and neighboring port city Callao, after demonstrations across the country over fuel prices caused roadblocks and “acts of violence”.
 
Protests had erupted across Peru in recent days due to a hike in fuel prices and tolls, during a time of rising food prices.
 
Is this the first time that you have heard about this?
 
For many of you it will be, and that is because the mainstream media in the U.S. is largely ignoring this.
 
In Sri Lanka, severe shortages of “food, medicine and fuel” have caused a full-blown economic collapse and tremendous chaos in the streets…
 
In Sri Lanka, where an economic crisis is growing, more than 40 lawmakers walked out of the ruling coalition today. That leaves the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the minority in Parliament. There have been new calls today for both the president and prime minister to step down after the entire Cabinet resigned on Sunday. Shortages of food, medicine and fuel have sparked countrywide protests, and security forces have fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters marching on the president’s home.
 
Most of you have probably not heard about that either, and that is because our largest news outlets are being really quiet about it.
 
But USA Today wants to make sure that you know about a new promotion that McDonald’s is running: “McDonald’s brings back Spicy Chicken McNuggets to select restaurants for a limited time”.
 
More than ever before, our perception of the world around us is shaped by the corporate elite. Americans get more than 90 percent of the “television news” that they consume from just five giant media corporations, and so that gives those corporations an incredible amount of influence over how our society views reality.
 
For example, far more Americans are talking about “the slap” at the Academy Awards than about the fact that North Korea just threatened South Korea with nuclear war…
 
North Korea opposes war but would use nuclear weapons if South Korea attacked, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Tuesday, in a warning that analysts said is probably aimed at the South’s incoming conservative president.
 
Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the government and ruling party, said it was a “very big mistake” for South Korea’s minister of defence to make recent remarks discussing attacks on the North, state news agency KCNA reported.
 
The war in Ukraine is not going to be the last war that erupts. I believe that China is very strongly considering an invasion of Taiwan in the not too distant future, and a major war between Israel and Iran could literally start at any time.
 
But instead of alarming the American people about such things, CNN wants you to know that Coke has a brand new flavor: “Coke’s latest flavor is here. And it’s a weird one”.
 
I suppose that we should be thankful to CNN, because I probably never would have heard about that new flavor unless they ran that story.
 
Meanwhile, the number of poultry flocks in Minnesota that have been hit by the new bird flu pandemic just doubled…
 
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health on Tuesday reported the latest outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the state is now affecting a total of 15 poultry flocks — up from seven last Friday.
 
Minnesota is the number one state for turkey production, and so this is a really big deal.
 
Overall, the national death toll just continues to climb. The first case at a commercial facility in the United States was confirmed less than two months ago, and now the death toll has risen to nearly 28 million…
 
The new cases mean that across the nation, farmers have had to kill about 22 million egg-laying chickens, 1.8 million broiler chickens, 1.9 million pullet and other commercial chickens, and 1.9 million turkeys.
 
Will MSNBC lead with this story tonight?
 
Of course not.
 
But I did find the following story on MSNBC’s homepage earlier today: “Garlic cloves up your nose? What to know about the health trends taking TikTok by storm”.
 
What a bunch of nonsense.
 
I am so grateful for the alternative media, because they often cover stories that the mainstream media never talks about.
 
For example, our friends at Zero Hedge have informed us that the price of jet fuel in New York has risen “more than 162% since mid-March”…
 
Wholesale jet fuel prices in New York have risen more than 162% since mid-March, as buyers at some of the world’s busiest airports, located on the US East Coast, anticipate dwindling supplies as Western sanctions shun Russian energy exports.
 
On Monday, jet fuel prices jumped 93 cents to $7.61 a gallon, a new record high, according to Bloomberg data going back to 1988.
 
That is crazy.
 
We are seeing so much inflation all throughout the system right now. A few hours ago, I came across a post by a supermarket employee on a very popular Internet forum that really got my attention. According to this employee, workers at this particular store were given 52 pages of price changes just this week…
 
Tyson Chicken strip jumped up $3
 
Eggs went up to $3.50 they were 2.25
 
32 pack of water went to $5.50 originally 3.75
 
There was 35 pages of price changes on the dry side and 17 pages in freezer and cooler they are planning to have that many pages or more next week also
 
A trip to the grocery store is going to become very, very painful in the months ahead.
 
But just be thankful that you don’t live in one of the poorest countries on the planet.
 
At this point, even Vladimir Putin is telling us that the food shortages that we are now witnessing are going to get even worse…
 
Putin said higher energy prices and fertilizer shortages would mean Western nations would have to print more money to buy supplies, which would cause food shortages in poorer countries.
 
“They will inevitably exacerbate food shortages in the poorest regions of the world, spur new waves of migration, and, in general, drive food prices even higher,” Putin said in a meeting on developing food production, Reuters reported.
 
A full-blown global meltdown has now begun, and it is going to go to an entirely new level in the months ahead.
 
But the mainstream media will try to distract you with stories about Will Smith, Kourtney Kardashian and other celebrities for as long as they can.
 
Personally, I don’t really care that Kourtney Kardashian just married Travis Barker in Las Vegas. What I do care about is the fact that our society is coming apart at the seams all around us.
 
The news that you get from the corporate media has been carefully designed to promote certain narratives, and these days much of it is wildly inaccurate.
 
But most of the population will continue to blindly believe whatever they are told to believe by our “professional journalists”, and that is extremely unfortunate.

 


 
Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Federal Election Commission - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) is supposed to be the guardian of election laws. Time after time, this FECkless agency has failed to protect election integrity because of its snail-paced bureaucratic methods and an almost laughable accountability system. As a former political consultant who saw numerous campaigns violate the law, the FEC was mostly ineffective in protecting elections and holding violating parties to the law. As we see with the latest headline of FEC action against the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton, if one is expecting justice when someone violates election laws, don’t look to the FEC. It has failed to pass the credibility test with its latest fines in the Russian dossier case.
 
In a March 29 letter to the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, FEC lawyer Richard Weiss stated: ”This is in reference to the complaint you filed with the Federal Election Commission on September 2, 2018, concerning the above-captioned respondents. After conducting an investigation in this matter, the Commission found probable cause to believe that the DNC Services Corp./Democratic National Committee and Virginia McGregor in her official capacity as treasurer (the “DNC”) violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5)(A) and (b)(6)(B)(v) and 11 C.F.R. § 104.3(b)(3)(i). The Commission further found probable cause to believe that Hillary for America and Elizabeth Jones in her official capacity as treasurer (“HFA”) violated 52 U.S.C. 30104(b)(5)(A) and 11 C.F.R. § 104.3(b)(4)(i).”
 
That’s all fancy language to say that there was an agreement by Clinton and the DNC with the FEC to pay fines for those violations. Clinton had to pay $8,000 and the DNC had to pay $105,000—A mere slap on the wrist when one considers the damage to the election integrity that this caused. The investigation into Donald Trump’s “wrongdoing” cost Americans some $35 million. The Democratic Party used the falsified information that Clinton and the Party schemed up to spy on Trump’s campaign, undermine Trump’s presidency, and impeach Trump. All the while, Clinton, Joe Biden and others were raking in millions from Russians on pay to play schemes and other nefarious business dealings.
 
I’m sure Clinton and the DNC were relieved to get off so easy, and that’s why they signed the Conciliation Agreement so quickly and quietly. It’s not really an admission of guilt because it did not go to court and the FEC stated in its letter that the Commission “found probable cause to believe” that Clinton and the DNC violated election laws. Meanwhile, an investigation by Special Counsel John Durham is breathing down Clinton’s neck on conspiracy with the DNC and the FBI to undermine Trump. It just never ends. And here it is 2022 for things that happened as far back as 2018. Christ says in Luke 8:17, “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed.” Those secrets are slowly coming to light. Even so, will Clinton and the DNC ever be held accountable for their election misdeeds? Not if the FEC is doling out the penalties. Say it with me…Stupidocrisy.

 


 
Daily Devotion: The Benefits of Being Right with God - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. —Isaiah 32:17
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-benefits-of-being-right-with-god/ - Listen
 
Years ago, before I began preaching, I was a graphic designer and did an album cover that illustrated this verse from Isaiah 55: “For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (verse 12 NKJV).
 
That is how God leads us. He leads us with peace, and we go out with joy. It’s the result of a relationship with Him.
 
You see, living right with God results in experiencing the peace of God. Isaiah also tells us, “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (32:17 NKJV).
 
At age 17, I heard what it meant to become a follower of Jesus and what Jesus could do for me. So I prayed and asked Christ to come into my life. And that day I remember feeling as though a massive weight had been lifted off me.
 
I realized later that it was the weight of my sin. Everyone carries a weight like that. Now, some people have sinned more than others, but one sin is enough to keep you out of Heaven. Every one of us has sinned. Every one of us has broken God’s commandments. And every one of us has fallen short of God’s standards.
 
That is why Jesus died on the cross. The Bible says, “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV).
 
God punished Jesus, if you will, in the way that you and I should have been punished. Jesus bore the weight of our sins. He was our substitution. He died in our place. Jesus came to pay a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.

 


 


 
FROM THE HEART
    
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