UMBRA

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 
 

• Featured Article: UMBRA 
• Obadiah and the Gaza War 
• Thoughts On The “New Normal” And The Things That We Are Losing As A Society… 
• The Spiritual Warfare—from Beginning to End 
• Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: The wagon and life 
• Daily Devotion” Be the Example 

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UMBRA – Pete Garcia - https://www.rev310.net/post/umbra
 
UMBRA. In the annals of intelligence, no word is more associated with secret government intelligence reports, especially those produced for policy-makers based on raw intelligence. UFO reports in the 1950s. The most brittle reporting on Soviet leadership intentions. Intercepted phone calls between Chinese and Pakistani nuclear officials. Way back when — at least since middle of the 1950s — the intelligence community used the UMBRA code word to inform the reader of a certain report that the original source for the intelligence was of the most sensitive category. At the NSA, back then, there were three levels of source sensitivity. UMBRA was the five-letter code word used for Category III sources…If a document was stamped TOP SECRET UMBRA at the top and the bottom, you'd know that the agency went to great lengths to obtain the embedded information.
 
Something curious has happened recently that has a lot of bible prophecy watchers both perplexed and excited. The US Government has finally come out of the UFO-denial closet and admitted something the general public already knew and had been saying for decades.
 
UFOs are real.
 
Up until about three years ago, the US government had been vigorously hiding information (via classification systems) about the existence of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) s as they are now known, from the general public for at least 70 years. The government routinely found itself in a major catch-22. On one hand, the government either refused to comment on it publicly or if/when it did, chose outright denial. On the other, it was simultaneously maintaining any and all information about the subject at the highest levels of security classification, which really meant, they do have relative information about the subject to keep from the public.
 
Let’s be honest here, if UFOs weren’t a real thing, they wouldn’t have anything to classify right? I mean, does the US government have classified information on Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Decepticons? I’m guessing they don’t, largely because these are all imaginary entities. However, by that same standard, why would the government keep information about UFO’s/UAPs at the highest classification level they could keep it at if they weren’t a real thing?
 
Nevertheless, the fact that everyone already knows the government keeps this “secret” has become one of the longest-running jokes in pop culture history. In fact, it has spawned an entire conspiracy theory genre (i.e. G-men, men in black, etc.) which had been popularized by television shows like the X-Files and Fringe, as well as movies like Independence Day, Men in Black 1-3, and Star Gate. These popular shows have themes centered on the government’s full knowledge (and full denial) of dimensional portals, extra-terrestrials, interstellar travel, and other deep-fringe topics.
 
All the same, it is not as if the public needed the federal government to admit that something spooky is happening in our atmosphere for them to believe. There is simply too much evidence of it already out there (video, photos, eyewitnesses, etc.) floating through the ether-sphere. With the rapid advent of technology, this evidence has evolved somewhat spectacularly. It isn’t just the grainy 8MM footage caught by some loner with shaky hands on a dark country road anymore. It’s CCTV footage from the International Space Station. Its declassified Apollo mission footage, showing aircraft (or something) flying out of the moon. Its military and FAA radar and Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) camera footage from elite military aircraft. It is eyewitness testimony from reluctant, but freaked-out, airline pilots.
 
However, the US government’s recent admissions of funding top secret initiatives to study these supernatural events is finally removing the stigma and doubt many have had regarding the issue. One might liken it to the floodgates being opened.
 
Last year, Senator Marco Rubio (R, FL) Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, quietly included an interesting committee clause into the 2020-2021 Senate Intelligence Authorization Act, which was signed into law by then-President Trump. This clause, directs the Department of National Intelligence (DNI), in partnership with the Department of Defense and other agencies, to prepare a declassified brief to the Senate Intelligence Committee no later than June 25, 2021, with their assessments on the subject of unidentified anomalous aircraft. The premise for the clause centers on our national security, and whether or not the numerous reports of unidentified anomalous aircraft flying unchallenged over the US and its territories, pose a threat to it. Speaking to this…
 
John Ratcliffe, who served as director of national intelligence under former President Donald Trump, was asked on Fox News by host Maria Bartiromo what he knows about unidentified flying objects that have captured people's imaginations for generations.
 
"There are a lot more sightings than have been made public," Ratcliffe said. "Some of those have been declassified. And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engage in actions that are difficult to explain. Movements that are hard to replicate that we don’t have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom."
 
After saying that there have been sightings all around the world, Ratcliffe insisted that reports of "unidentified aerial phenomena" already in the public eye are only part of the bigger picture.
 
"When we talk about sightings, the other thing I will tell you is, it's not just a pilot or just a satellite, or some intelligence collection," Ratcliffe said. "Usually we have multiple sensors that are picking up these things, and ... some of these are unexplained phenomenon, and there is actually quite a few more than have been made public." (Source)
 
The truth is OUT there
 
Since at least the late 1970s, increasing public pressure has been building for the government to either release the information it has on the subject, or at least, publicly acknowledge its existence. There were even a few court cases where people and organizations sued the government Vis the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to get them to disclose the truth.
 
The truth is that there are a great many things operating over our nation’s airspace that the collective “we” don’t understand. Although a great deal of sightings can be explained or debunked, there are still many sightings that defy explanation. This pressure, and in some cases, sheer curiosity, has also funded NASA ventures like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence).
 
In 2007, then-Senate Leader, Harry Reid (D, NV) had appropriated funds ($22M) and approval to begin the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) to further investigate the same things Senator Rubio is attempting to get after nearly 12 years later. The program officially ended in 2012 when the funding priorities shifted to other things, but unofficially, continued until 2017. Lue Elizondo, a former intelligence officer and the director of Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) from 2007-2017 has since come out of the shadows and has spoken rather candidly about the existence of all this, and has arguably, moved the needle on the discussion from kook-fringe, into the mainstream (watch this). Thus far, he has been interviewed by 60 Minutes, CNN, Fox, and dozens of other news and media agencies.
 
He would, admittedly, rather not discuss who these things are, or what their intentions might be, but rather simply discusses the capabilities these “aircraft” demonstrate that seemingly defy our laws of physics. He’s seen multi-sensor reports that show these aircraft travel at speeds up to 15,000 mph and make 90-degree turns at these same great speeds without deceleration. This far exceeds any known technology anyone has on planet earth as of 2021. By our laws of physics, this is an impossibility given the limitations we face with mass, inertia, g-forces (gravitational forces- positive, negative, and linear), structural limits, etc.
 
Setting aside the aircraft for a moment, the pilots of these crafts (if they biological entities) would still be affected by gravitational forces (g-force). According to the tolerance levels as described in “Bioastronautics Data Book,” NASA SP-3006, 1964 “G Tolerance in 4 vectors,” the average human (without a special suit and training) can usually only withstand 6Gs (positive gravitational forces-i.e., the feeling of pressure in a turn) before losing consciousness. An F16 can withstand up to a little over 10Gs before structural damage begins to occur. Many of these UFO crafts have been observed doing 300-400Gs, well beyond any technology we humans possess. Given such advanced capabilities, these other-earthly flying objects have exhibited, if movies like Independence Day, Avengers, Transformers, and War of the Worlds were true (many without a Biblical worldview believe they are), then these statistics are truly frightening. So great a difference in technology appears that would be like sending our modernized 101st Airborne Division back in time with all of their modern equipment to fight in the Civil or Revolutionary War. It wouldn’t even be fair.
 
However, Luis Elizondo went on to clarify the seeming contradiction in what eyewitnesses are seeing, versus what we know as the truth about our present physical reality. Speaking to the seemingly law-defying feats these trans-medium aircraft (meaning they function at the same level of efficiency whether in air, space, or water) operate at-
 
“They’re not breaking the laws of physics, there just seems to be an understanding of quantum physics in a way that we have not yet been successfully been able to apply, specifically as it relates to Einstein’s “space and time..” We are all used to Newtonian Physics that came about at the end of the Renaissance. Sir Isaac Newton, presented the physics we are all comfortable with, gravity, an apple falling from the tree, Force = Mass x Acceleration, etc., etc. Then came along last century, a guy with crazy hair named Einstein, who proposes that there is actually a different model for the universe. In fact that while Newtonian Physics is true, there is an overlaying physics called Relativity where space-time is actually connected, not separate, and that space-time is flexible, you can compress it, and you can stretch it. In fact, mass does it, mass perturbs space-time. Then, of course, forty years ago, Quantum Physics really begins to come out and rock science on its heels…It turns out that Quantum Physics has some very elegant solutions for the things we are seeing for this phenomenon." Luis Elizondo, the Basement Office Interview (paraphrased)
 
If this is true, and these other-worldly visitors understand Quantum Physics like we understand Newtonian Physics, then we are the Aztecs, and they are the Spanish Conquistadors. Perhaps our government understood how woefully underprepared we were to fight this (if it ever came to that) and decided to shield the public from this terrible truth.
 
That of course, is a fair argument to make on behalf of the government. However, its refusal to acknowledge these bizarre phenomena has only added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire. Thus far, the government’s ability to shield itself against lawful requests via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), by layering and labeling its information with strata of classification labels, seems to finally have run its course. Has full disclosure finally seen its day? Or will the government double down on returning to the 1950s-level Project Blue Book by throwing the baby out with the bathwater on every sighting, regardless of how credible?
 
I suppose on June 25th, we will all find out.
 
UFO sightings and the like, at least from the 1950s-1980s, were largely labeled UMBRA, which begs the question as to why? For instance, if the earth is being visited by other celestial beings, whose technology, presumably, far exceeds our own, how does keeping it a secret help the collective good? If there was an imminent alien invasion, wouldn’t we better off if everyone knew and could prepare? Or was it better that everyone is caught off guard? Put another way, if aliens wanted to come to take over our planet, and they clearly have the technology to do so, why keep it a secret if that lessens our species chances of survival?
 
The obvious answer would be to prevent the public from panicking…right?
 
~Granted, the public of 1950 probably would have panicked. The public of 2020, however, not so much. These days, they would be throwing Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind parties and starting dating apps for other-worldly visitors before they even got here.
 
How about protecting national security?
 
~How does denying the reality that there are things out there which defy or bend our laws of physics, help our national security? I liken this to the “whistling past the graveyard” technique.
 
 
How about good old fashion denial?
 
~This is probably closer to the truth. The problem isn’t that there isn’t enough credible evidence. The problem is, skeptics don’t care about truth- they care about protecting their worldview. Admitting there were things science or human secularism couldn’t explain would be disastrous for them. Now, this group might be in the minority, but they currently still hold the “we are the experts” card, and routinely love to put the kibosh on anything they can’t explain away with some advanced math problem or academic theory.
 
The government’s admittance of this other-world phenomenon is beginning to remove all the stigma and doubt that something is seriously amiss in the skies above our world. This obviously has spiritual ramifications that would need to be dealt with. However, with the popularity of ideas like the “multiverse” and dimensional gateways becoming common movie themes, it’s probably whittled away at the hard edge the humanists experts had firmly put in place since the days of Darwin.
 
Nevertheless, too much credible proof and eyewitnesses have come forward in recent years to put the lid back on Pandora’s Box. There is some hope that light can be shed on this issue that is different from efforts done previously in the past. For one, the world has become far more complicated now than in years past (advances in technology, smart devices, artificial intelligence, and information platforms). The evidence is becoming too widespread. The government tasked the Pentagon to get serious about this and established a Task Force to deal with the issue of UAPs.
 
Establishment of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force
 
AUG. 14, 2020
 
On Aug. 4, 2020, Deputy Secretary of Defense David L. Norquist approved the establishment of an Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) Task Force (UAPTF). The Department of the Navy, under the cognizance of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, will lead the UAPTF.
 
The Department of Defense established the UAPTF to improve its understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs. The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security.
 
As DOD has stated previously, the safety of our personnel and the security of our operations are of paramount concern. The Department of Defense and the military departments take any incursions by unauthorized aircraft into our training ranges or designated airspace very seriously and examine each report. This includes examinations of incursions that are initially reported as UAP when the observer cannot immediately identify what he or she is observing. Source
 
Conclusion
 
“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Luke 21:25-26 (emphasis added)
 
For the believer who takes his or her bible seriously, there is little doubt as to what these so-called “extra-terrestrial beings” really are- they are demons or fallen angels (depending on how you interpret their nature). They employ what is known as ‘trans medium travel’ meaning these vehicles possess the ability to travel through multiple environments with seeming ease (space, high earth orbit, low earth orbit, the varying atmospheres, and even water).
 
The truth is, these crafts are interdimensional in nature, which is why they either do not have to obey our laws of physics or understand it so much better than we do. In his book, Fallen: Sons of God and the Nephilim, Tim Chaffey addressed how the demonic activity has changed thru the centuries, and how that deception seems to morph with how fast humanity advances. If we were to go back to Europe in the Dark Ages, large populations claimed to have seen sylvan, elves, and fairies. Fast-tracking to our modern era, these same sightings are now sophisticated and unexplainable aircraft. These supernatural sightings, always seem to coalesce with the technology available at the time.
 
For example, if a 15th-century peasant had seen a silvery, disk-shaped UFO with blinking lights whizzing through the sky, it would have made zero sense to him, because there was nothing he could compare it with (aside from birds). Therefore, the supernatural had to be relatable to the times in which they live in order for the deception to be relevant (hence, the fairies and werewolves, etc.) Similarly, this is why instead of seeing massive reports of fairies and werewolves in the 21st century, we see UFOs and other strange phenomena. Ever-present but just outside the grasp of 100% rock-solid verification. Furthermore, given the immensity of our universe, why do these almost always hover around the earth or our moon? Surely, if there were life outside of earth in other places, they would surely be more exciting than our complicated, little, blue rock.
 
For those who have had close contact of the fifth kind (i.e. personal contact) with these beings, almost all of these cases somehow have some “new-age” message to bring to these hapless earthlings. These aliens seem very keen on dissuading everyone the contact, to avoid Jesus (and Christians) at all costs. My question was always if Jesus wasn’t who He said He was (i.e. God in the flesh), then why should they care? Why should they care about some Jewish messiah wannabe who lived and died nearly 2,000 years ago? Why don’t they warn people about Buddha, Mohammed, or Joseph Smith?
 
Because these men are dead and gone onto their final, eternal destination.
 
Also, the enemy never attacks the fakes. They are no threat to him.
 
Now, what, as believers, are we to do with all this information?
 
Jesus stated that one of the markers of the last days would be that the world would see signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Do these signs include demonic deception in the heavens? It sure seems like it is part of it. Now, if we correlate this idea with the ongoing desensitization we are being exposed to from godless Hollywood (and have since the 1940s), and knowing both seem to serve the same master, Satan, it seems much more likely.
 
Since the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948, Satan realizes he is living on borrowed time. More to the point, he realizes the Rapture of the Church could happen at any moment, and thus, has taken off the ‘kid-gloves’ and is waging an all-out deception campaign to introduce as much confusion and doubt into the Rapture as possible.
 
You might be asking, what does the Rapture have to do with UFOs and aliens?
 
Well, seeing that in a majority of the close encounters where humans have either been visited, or abducted by these strange grays, seem to all come back with the same or similar messages from these “heavenly” visitors.
 
Dr. Leo Sprinkle, a Ph.D. “Professor Emeritus” of Counseling at Wyoming University summarizes the experiences by saying that, “UFO contactees have been chosen … no UFO contact is accidental … and that the manifestations are designed to influence the worldview of contactees…What follows is a summary of these claims about UFO experiences and related conditions:
 
1. UFO contactees have been chosen; no UFO contact is accidental. 
2. Contactees are ordinary people, who exhibit a caring or a loving concern for all humankind…
4. UFO experiences include paraphysical, parapsychological, and spiritual manifestations which are designed to influence the “world view” of contactees.  
8. Contactees are programmed for a variety of “future” activities, including awareness of their own contacts and desire to share their messages and knowledge with other contactees. 
9. The lives of contactees move in the direction of greater self-awareness greater concern for the welfare of planet Earth, and a greater sense of Cosmic Citizenship with other beings in the universe. 
10. The personal metamorphosis of UFO contactees is the forerunner of a social transformation in human consciousness, which now is leading to changes in the economic, educational, military, political, and religious institutions of nations of the Earth: the “New Age” of true science and spirituality.”
 
 – R. Leo Sprinkle, quoted in Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters, pg. 136-140, Ronald D. Story, Editor
 
 
The above hyperlink is chock full of hundreds to thousands of abductee testimonies. Now, even if we dismiss their testimonies as them physically being taken up into a spaceship and probed on/in, what stands out to me, is this consistent theme these ‘deceiving spirits’ impart to those they harass. In parenthesis, I have added the likely reason why they are saying these things.
 
1. Adam and Eve were not the only ones- there is life on many planets (You are not unique, Jesus is not unique)
 
2. They (the aliens) put Adam and Eve here, and/or sped up the evolutionary process by planting Adam and Eve in the Garden (Their attempt to disconnect the creation from the Creator)
 
3. They are here to either preserve the world from destruction or to shepherd the survivors of the coming apocalypse (nuclear/environmental- not biblical)
 
4. Many people will be taken to seed life on other planets (possible Rapture explanation)
 
5. Humanity was about to have another huge evolutionary step forward (the mark of the Beast could be sold as enabling this)
 
As Christians, we know Satan is a defeated enemy. We also know how this all ends. For us, the beginning of the end is our glorious ‘catching up’ at the true top-secret event, the Rapture of the Church. Since the Holy Spirit, working through the Church, serves as the Restrainer of evil in this current dispensation, we can assume that after our departure, this restraint against deceiving spirits will be lifted and there will be some sort of full-scale “invasion” by these beings. Now, I’m not going to be dogmatic about exactly how that plays out, but the Rapture itself will be a supernatural event that will shake the world’s understanding of reality, to its core. What we should take note of, we are starting to see this deception campaign ramp up like never before. If we are seeing what is necessary for after the Rapture, then just how close are we to the event itself?
 
Those left behind will want, no, need to make sense of what just happened, and in this moment of great crisis and calamity, a man will come forth who seemingly has the answers. I think simultaneous to this, will be some large-scale disclosure happening during this gap in time between the Rapture and the official start of the 70th Week of Daniel. All those events that transpire, exceeds the scope of this brief, suffice it to say, these beings will somehow make contact, and give their full endorsement and supernatural backing to this coming Man of Sin. To this, the Apostle Paul writes-
 
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 (emphasis added)
 
Additional Sources:
 
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html
 
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously
 
https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1394289253895577603
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1qzZ5lr_8I
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVKkAluLS7o
 

 


 
Obadiah and the Gaza War – Ken Johnson - https://prophecywatchers.com/obadiah-and-the-gaza-war/
 
As I am writing this, the nation of Israel has just had its seventy-third birthday. As many of you know, recently Hamas, who is the governmental / terrorist group in Gaza, started a war with Israel by launching thousands of rockets. As of this morning, there have been over 3700 rockets fired at Israeli cities. I believe that this event could be a part of the Biblical end time prophecies. Let’s begin by looking at how the prophecies said this would start.
 
The Beginning
 
The prophet Obadiah wrote about the end of Edom from verse 1 to verse 14. The rest of the book is about the end times. Some scholars think this first part is referring to just the ancient Edomite empire started by Esau, Jacob’s brother. Although this does fit, the Dead Sea Scrolls teach that the major and minor prophets teach about the events that happen leading up to, and including, the millennial reign of the Messiah. Several of us who study the biblical prophecies think this first section (verses 1-14) may also refer to Mystery Babylon. But for now, let’s focus on how the nation of Israel and the Gaza strip were supposed to form. The prophecy says,
 
“For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon My holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.” Obadiah 1:15-16 KJV
 
Verses 15-16 say that the following events will begin before the start of the seven-year tribulation. It is when the Day of the Lord is near, not upon you. This is the time period ranging from the return of the nation of Israel, which was in AD 1948, to the beginning of the seven-year tribulation. During all of this time the Gentile nations (Muslim nations) have performed their rituals on the Temple Mount. This practice will stop and be like it never happened.
 
“But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken it.” Obadiah 1:17-18 KJV
 
Verses 17-18 say that there will be a time when Israel returns to their land. The remnant of the house of Esau would be still living in the land; today we refer to them as Palestinians. Israel will be like a fire is to kindling, which means highly successful. This is exactly what happened. In AD 1948, Israel was reborn as a nation. Within hours many Muslim nations attacked. The attacking nations told the Muslim inhabitants that they should flee until they had wiped out all the Jews, then they could return to life as normal. However, by the war’s end the Jews had won and gained even more of their ancient territory back. Those who fled were displaced. Obadiah correctly reveals the result of the 1948 war.
 
“And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau; and they of the plain the Philistines: and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria: and Benjamin shall possess Gilead.” Obadiah 1:19 KJV
 
Look very carefully at verse 19. The state of Israel was created in the middle of the land and those who fled from there went to three places: the “mount of Esau” which is southern Jordan, the “fields of Samaria” which became known as the West Bank, and the “plain of the Philistines” which became known as the Gaza Strip. What has not happened yet is the tribe of Benjamin returns to the land of Israel and possesses ancient Gilead. The land of Gilead is currently part of north western Jordan. There are several prophecies on what will happen to the Golan Heights, Gilead, and Jordan, but for now let’s continue with Gaza. Through world pressure, Israel was talked into granting Gaza its autonomy. That proved to be a major mistake. A terrorist organization rose up in Gaza calling itself “Hamas.”
 
Hamas
 
The word “Hamas” means “violence” in Hebrew. Most of the time the word “Hamas” should just be translated “violence.” But there are a few Old Testament passages that speak of this “violence” being a group of people who are anti-Israel. For instance, this group seems to be headquartered in the ancient area of the Philistines. Today we call this area the Gaza Strip. Remember Samson delivered the Children of Israel from the Philistines in Judges 15. Back then the capital was Gath, today it is Gaza City.
 
“Cross to Calneh and see; and from there go to the great Hamath; then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are they better than these kingdoms, or their border than your border? You who put the evil day far away, and cause the seat of violence [Hamas] to come near” Amos 6:2-3 LITV
 
Hamas arises when the Day of trouble is near. So, this is not during the seven-year tribulation but before it. They are wiped out and not even other Muslim nations object. This is probably because Hamas holds allegiance to the extremely radical Muslim nation of Iran. Most Muslim nations are afraid of what Iran might do to them. When God arises to judge Hamas, it will be a complete judgment, none of them shall remain.
 
“The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. Now will I shortly pour out My fury upon thee, and accomplish Mine anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all thine abominations. And Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth. Behold the day, behold, it is come: the morning is gone forth; the rod hath blossomed, pride hath budded. Violence [Hamas] is risen up into a rod of wickedness: none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs: neither shall there be wailing for them.” Ezekiel 7:7-11 KJV
 
Retaking of Gaza
 
That brings us to the current Gaza War. We must carefully analyze Obadiah 20 piece by piece. The prophet says,
 
“And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites…” Obadiah 1:20a KJV
 
The ancient land of the Canaanites was on the west coast of Israel and extended southward all the way to the Sinai Peninsula. In the beginning Hamas fired rockets without advanced guidance systems, so most of the time they did not hit their intended targets. It was dangerous for Israel to allow this to go on, but intense political pressure prevented them from permanently stopping the attacks. Hamas is backed by an extremely radical Iran. This means that even though Muslim nations want to see Israel destroyed, because of what their religion teaches, they are content to say nothing at this time if it means Israel might end their Iranian threat. And they do. That prophecy is recorded in Jeremiah 49:34-39. Jeremiah predicts that Elam, the coast of Iran, will be destroyed by fire and the entire coast contaminated so that the people living there have to flee to other countries (sounds like the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant located on the cost). After this event Iran becomes a godly nation. 
 
Presently, with the political pressure off, and Hamas obtaining missiles with more advanced guidance systems, this prophecy might be in the process of being fulfilled. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying that Israel will return to the ancient laws. Any nation that attacks them will be driven out of that area and that land will be annexed. Enemy land will become part of the sovereign nation of Israel. Now if an Israeli politician decides to give the land back to the anti-Israel Palestinians five years from now, then this whole process will start all over again and this will have been just a dress rehearsal. But since “Hamas” is mentioned by name in Scripture, I think this just might be the complete fulfillment of Obadiah’s prophecy.
 
The Next War – Hezbollah in Lebanon
 
What happens afterward? Obadiah continues.
 
“And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath…” Obadiah 1:20a-b KJV
 
Not only does Israel permanently take the Gaza Strip, but they take control of the coast all the way up to the ancient city of Zarephath. That is where the prophet Elijah healed the widow’s son. What was Zarephath is close to the modern town of Sarafand, Lebanon. Zarephath is located about eight and a half miles south of Sidon and fourteen miles north of Tyre. Think about this for a moment. During the Millennial Reign, the northern border of Israel will be in Syria, far north of Zarephath and the current northern border of Israel is south of Zarephath. This means that this battle is truly before the Day of the Lord and in our very near future. Also notice when this takes place the Lebanese city of Sidon will still be in Lebanon, but the ancient city of Tyre will be Israeli land.
 
The Negev Colonized
 
Verse 20 ends by saying,
 
“and the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the south.” Obadiah 1:20c KJV
 
This means that the Jews that were dispersed from Jerusalem to Spain (Sepharad) will return and colonize the Negev. Those who fled to Spain became known as Sephardic Jews. In AD 1492, the Sephardic Jews were given an ultimatum. Their three choices were to convert to Roman Catholicism, leave Spain, or die. Many left and some of these are now ready to return to Israel. When God grants Israel victory over their enemies and the land of Israel expands, these Jews will return and colonize the Negev just as Obadiah predicts! You can study these predictions and many others in my book Ancient Prophecies Revealed.
 
Conclusion
 
We will see the permanent retaking of Gaza and southern Lebanon by Israel. We are even told where the new borders will be. We will also see the Iranian threat neutralized and Iran becoming a godly country. We need to spread the word of the Biblical prophecies, the love of God, and the message of the Gospel now! When these prophecies come to pass, and skeptics remember that we told them about it in advance, many of them will come to the Lord. This also means that we should look up, for our redemption is drawing near.

 



 
Thoughts On The “New Normal” And The Things That We Are Losing As A Society… - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/thoughts-on-the-new-normal-and-the-things-that-we-are-losing-as-a-society/
 
The last two years have greatly shaken America, and our country will never be the same as a result. If you would have told someone two years ago that in 2021 millions of people would run around wearing masks all day and that the federal government would be relentlessly pushing a large scale mass injection campaign, that person probably would have thought that you were nuts. But now this is the “new normal”. Our freedoms and liberties have been permanently eroded, and now that they have gotten away with pushing the envelope so dramatically, government entities on all levels will be ready to flex their muscles again once the next major crisis comes along.
 
You could argue that we should just vote out the politicians that are running things on the state and federal levels, but exactly how are we supposed to do that?
 
After what we witnessed last November, tens of millions of Americans won’t believe that our system of choosing leaders is legitimate ever again.
 
Of course those that are currently running things could attempt to restore faith in the system by getting rid of all the voting machines and by instituting real reforms that would make the process as transparent as possible, but we all know that they will never do that.
 
The last couple of years have been extremely painful for our economy as well. More than 70 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last year, homeless encampments started popping up like mushrooms all over the country, and countless numbers of small businesses shut down permanently. In fact, most Americans say that they have lost a favorite local business as a result of the pandemic…
 
Few people have escaped the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic and that’s especially true for local ‘mom and pop’ shops. A new study finds half of Americans have witnessed their favorite local businesses close down because of COVID-19.
 
A survey of 2,000 people reveals 68 percent personally know a local business owner impacted by the pandemic. According to respondents, the most commonly impacted businesses include cafes (62%), retail shops (58%), gaming shops (55%), and book stores (54%).
 
On Thursday, we learned that another 444,000 Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week.
 
In 2019, such a number would have been considered catastrophic.
 
But in the “new normal”, that number is actually considered to be “good news”.
 
Our politicians have tried to make everyone feel better by sending out waves of huge government checks, but that has just created rampant inflation and widespread shortages.
 
We are also losing the peace on our streets. Murder rates were way up in major cities all over America in 2020, and in most of those cities they are even higher this year.
 
And it isn’t just men that are shooting men. Today, I came across an article about an “eight-woman brawl” that resulted in a pregnant mother being gunned down…
 
A pregnant mother was shot and killed while she sat in her car close to an eight-woman brawl that erupted in gunfire.
 
The deadly confrontation took place just before 6pm Tuesday in the 1200 block of Valencia Avenue in Hemet, which is located 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
 
Family members identified the 27-year-old who had been shot in the head and died after being flown to a county trauma center as Tamika Haynes.
 
What in the world is happening to us?
 
You would have never read about such a thing happening on the streets of America in 1950.
 
These days, we seem to be losing control of just about everything, and that even includes the technology that we have become so dependent upon. Hackers are causing nightmares for large entities all over the U.S., and in many cases absolutely enormous ransoms are being paid out…
 
CNA Financial Corp., among the largest insurance companies in the U.S., paid $40 million in late March to regain control of its network after a ransomware attack, according to people with knowledge of the attack.
 
The Chicago-based company paid the hackers about two weeks after a trove of company data was stolen, and CNA officials were locked out of their network, according to two people familiar with the attack who asked not to be named because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
 
Criminals seem to have the upper hand on the Internet, in our streets and in the halls of power in Washington and on Wall Street.
 
In previous times, we could rely on law enforcement to restore order, but now law enforcement authorities are being relentlessly demonized in our society.
 
In fact, it has gotten so bad that large numbers of law enforcement officers are permanently walking away from their careers. For example, it is being reported that nearly 20 percent of all police officers in Seattle have quit over the past year.
 
Police departments all over the nation are having an exceedingly difficult time recruiting replacements for those that are leaving, and that is going to continue to be the case as long as we are treating police officers like human garbage.
 
Speaking of human garbage, just check out the bill that was just passed in the Wisconsin Senate…
 
Wisconsin senators approved a bill earlier this week allowing dead bodies to be dissolved in a chemical bath and disposed like sewage.
 
The bill, Senate Bill 228, authorizes a practice called alkaline hydrolysis, or “water cremation,” which liquifies the human body using a mixture of water, heat, and chemical agents, leaving only bones behind. The liquid is then dumped into the sewage system or boiled off, and bones can be crushed and deposited in an urn.
 
You have got to be pretty sick to want to liquify Grandma and Grandpa before dumping their remains into the sewer.
 
But that is who we are.
 
On all levels, we no longer respect life, and that is because as a society we are abandoning our faith. Just check out these numbers…
 
The American Worldview Inventory (AWVI) 2021, an annual survey that examines the perspectives of adults aged 18 and over in the United States, found that while 57 percent of Millennials (born 1984-2002) consider themselves to be Christian, 43 percent “don’t know, care, or believe that God exists.”
 
Comparatively, 70 percent of Generation X (Gen X) Americans (born 1965-1983), 79 percent of Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964), and 83 percent of the Builder Generation (born 1927-1945) consider themselves to be Christian, while 31, 28, and 27 percent, respectively, “don’t know, care, or believe that God exists.”
 
America no longer resembles the nation that our founders sacrificed so much to establish, and if we stay on the path that we are currently on there is no future ahead for us.
 
But even though voices such as mine have been crying out for change for years, most of the population continues to sprint in the other direction.
 
We have already lost so much, and the “new normal” truly is horrible, but if America does not wake up things are only going to get worse.

 


 
The Spiritual Warfare—from Beginning to End - By Gene Lawley -
 
When we look at the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, we see a time frame of continual warfare. It can be traced to that confrontation between God and Satan that has its beginning in Genesis 1:1a, “In the beginning, God created the heavens….” All that is included in “the heavens” that God brought into being had to be all of the angels and the planets, stars, moons and the whole universe. In Genesis 1:1b-2, then, He continues those initial revelations:
 
“…and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”
 
This is an important example that nothing happens until God makes it happen. Even though God’s creation of the top angel of all of that host, Lucifer, was given the freedom to disobey by choice, along with a third of all the host of heaven, he could do nothing creative. The earth remained without form and void, even though Lucifer—Satan—had determined to replace God on His throne and rule over the universe. Note that declaration in Isaiah 14:12-15:
 
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.”
 
That prophecy was established long before it was recorded by Isaiah, and it reaches into the future until Lucifer, now known as Satan, is finally cast into the pit of hell’s everlasting fire, reported in Revelation 20:10-15, along with the Antichrist and false prophet and all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life.
 
That warfare between God and Satan is the foundation for all of the controversies of mankind over the centuries, past and future, for that spiritual enemy has no letup. Peter describes him as a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
 
And the Apostle Paul tells us that Satan can also present himself as an angel of light with his powers of deception (2 Corinthians 11:14). Then John, in John 10:10a, reveals a great truth about that thief, Satan, that he “only comes to steal, kill and destroy.” Note that it says he ONLY comes to create devastation and destruction. There is not one tiny bit of goodness in that one.
 
His purpose is set forth in that passage above from Isaiah 14:12-15, that he intends to take over God’s throne and demand that all worship him as God. But how can the creature rule over the Creator; it will never happen. God is the only one who can rebuke that evil one and his followers, and He, God, is the One who is restraining the onslaught of evil we are seeing as the “falling away” spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7. In that context, we are told that his advanced deceiver, the Antichrist, will personify Satan, bring defamation into the Jewish temple, and demand that all people worship him.
 
In that spiritual warfare now increasing, Satan is attacking God’s greatest creation, those whom God created in His own image–mankind. How many times do we see in the Scriptures when the plan of God was attempted to be overthrown by some diversion by Satan? One notable time was when Peter rebuked Jesus for His declaration that He was headed for death on the cross in Matthew 16:22-23:
 
“Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.'”
 
Note how subtle that contradiction to God’s plan came, even through Peter. It highlights for true believers how careful one must be in rightly dividing the Word of Truth in the positions we take on the doctrines of Scripture.
 
Theologians have well established that God is complete in Himself, that He does not need anything to fulfill a lacking, for He lacks nothing. As Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Thus, if He had a need, He could create it. Instead, He created all things for a different purpose.
 
A question then comes to mind. Does God need glorification? Does He glorify Himself, in a selfish manner? The answer must be “no,” for He is totally complete in Himself. Why, then, are we busy about glorifying God, and essentially so? I submit that it is a strategic issue in that real-time spiritual warfare with Satan.
 
That passage in Isaiah 14 quoted earlier tells of Satan’s desire and driving purpose to dethrone God and sit on His throne. That will never occur, but it is God’s glory that constantly reminds Satan that his cause has long been canceled, and He is doomed, just as that passage tells us. He will be cast into the lowest place in the pit of hell.
 
Likewise, the glory of the Lord must be constantly before the world to remind all peoples that God reigns in the universe. Therefore, glorifying the Lord is an ongoing desire in the hearts of true believers. That first and great commandment, and the first four of the ten commandments, reflect that concept of the ultimate supremacy of the God of the universe. Look at that great commandment and note its all-compelling demand for mankind’s complete submission to Him, the giver of all life:
 
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself'” (Luke 10:27).
 
Finally, we see the end of that warfare at the end of Revelation 20 when Satan is cast into that eternal lake of fire, as always was the fixed plan of God. And we see in the prayer of Jesus in John 17:21 the purpose and intent of God for those who have believed in Him:
 
“…That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
 
Contact email: [email protected]

 


 
Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: The wagon and life – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
Things on the farm usually fell into about three categories: the easy, the hard, and the fun. There were various combinations of those as well. Hard is when it was wheat harvest and Dad’s ancient John Deere combine broke down while farmers were waiting to get their wheat out of the field. He would lay under that combine trying to cobble together whatever it was that was broken, sometimes spending hours. He would ask me to find a wrench. I could never find anything he wanted. He would say it was in a bin in the milk house. That bin had every tool in the world except that wrench. After 20 minutes of waiting for me to find it, he would show up, look down in the bin and pick up the wrench.
 
Often Dad would be banging on equipment with a hammer or a wrench trying to get a round peg to fit in a square hole and then wrap it up with bailing wire and duct tape in hopes it would last another day. We could have drove 16 miles into Ravenna and got the part, but, no, that would cost money and we didn’t have time for that. So he would bang away and hours later finally get it fixed for another day. The next day, there would be another problem and the process would start over again. To this day, I do not know how Dad was so patient with me as I could never find that tool where he told me it was, and he always found it after waiting forever for me to bring it to him. Those were the hard things. There were many of them. It wasn’t easy transitioning from a Depression-era mindset to a modern time when stores had inventory and parts.
 
Then there were the easy things. Yes, the easy things. Those easy things…Then there were the fun things, which were also often difficult. One time, Dad bought an old horse-drawn wagon from a retired blacksmith who was selling out down the road about eight miles. The wagon was not updated to be pulled by a tractor or a truck. So we had to improvise. A log chain hooked to the back of the old 1948 Farmall M would do. We headed out to fetch the wagon, Dad driving and me awkwardly standing on the drawbar, hanging on as we sped down the road in fifth gear. It was tricky getting the wagon chained to the tractor, and we had to go home at horse speed so as to not damage the metal wheels.
 
Mom and I weren’t sure why Dad wanted that old wagon. But he loved hitching a team of horses to it and doing work around the farm. One time, a friend gave him an old bathroom built on a house trailer. We hitched up the team to the wagon and after about a five-mile journey, we loaded that bathroom on the back of the wagon and took it to the campground in our woods. With some modifications, it became my new cabin. When we had visitors, Dad would often hitch up a team and give rides around the farm. That wagon was a lot of fun and of good use. 2 Timothy 2:6 says, “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the fruits (of his labor).” Dad was hardworking and he shared the fruits of his labor with others. We didn’t always understand why he did what he did, but it usually came out well. Good life lessons. 

 


 
Daily Devotion” Be the Example - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. —Ephesians 6:4
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/be-the-example/ - Listen
 
I heard the story of a father and his young son who were climbing a mountain. They came to a very difficult place on the trail, and the father was thinking about which way he should go. As he was deliberating, he heard his son’s voice behind him, saying, “Choose the right path, Dad. I’m coming right behind you.”
 
The primary spiritual responsibility for raising your children doesn’t belong to the church. It doesn’t belong to Sunday school or a Christian school. It belongs to you. It takes place in your home. You be the godly example, the godly leader. You read the Bible to your children before they go to bed at night. Pray with them and model what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
 
The Bible says, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4 NKJV).
 
Put parameters in your children’s lives and use strong standards to raise them. And start early, because it’s a lot easier to build a child than it is to repair an adult.
 
Parents have a direct influence on their children. Moms and Dads, your children are watching you. Little eyes are watching, and little ears are listening. They listen to what you say, but more importantly, they watch what you do.
 
Let’s say, for example, that parents drink in front of their kids. Then one day their kids have a problem with alcohol and they wonder why. Or a couple argues in front of the kids, sometimes even asking them to take sides in the argument (which is always a horrible idea). Then they’re shocked when their children have the same issues in their lives.
 
Live a life with the Lord that will make your child desire the same relationship with Jesus Christ. Be a good example. 

 


 


 
FROM THE HEART
    
Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left,
Count for ALL of Eternity!

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