Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Paradox of a Righteous Lot - By Pete Garcia -
http://rev310.com/2019/02/the-paradox-of-a-righteous-lot-2 Most of us alive here in America tend to see the world with a western worldview. This worldview works fine for everyday life, but can cause the average western believer consternation when trying to make sense of certain parts of the Scriptures. All Scripture is giving by inspiration of God through the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16), but what we fail to sometimes take into account, was that the men who physically wrote the Bible, were all from the Oriental world. The Old Testament was written almost entirely in Hebrew and with a small portion in Aramaic. The New Testament was written entirely in Koine Greek (the common vernacular of the day). Nevertheless, it was Jewish men, who thought with a Hebraic mindset, which wrote both Old and New Testaments. Therefore, when we modern westerners get to certain parts of the scriptures, the text seems to be paradoxical and we often times get perplexed at the seeming contradictions. However, to the Hebrew mind, opposing ideas could be equally accepted at the same time. Patterns that formed cycles were key to understanding the fullness of the entirety of the message. The Hebrew culture (like other eastern cultures) used what has been deemed, "block logic", and in Marvin Wilson's "Our Father Abraham-Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith", he makes some interesting points about the two: The use of what may be termed block logic is another important contour of Hebrew thought. Greek logic, which has to a large extent influenced the Western world, was different. The Greeks often used a tightly contained step logic whereby one would argue from premises to a conclusion, each step linked tightly to the next in coherent, rational, logical fashion. The conclusion, however, was usually limited to one point of view-the human being's perception of reality and... The Hebrew knew he did not know all the answers. His position was 'under the sun' (Ecc. 8:17), so his words were few (5:2). He refused to over-systematize or forced harmonization on the enigmas of God's truth or the puzzles of the universe. He realized that no one could straighten what God has made crooked (7:13). All things, therefore, did not need to be fully rational. The Hebrew mind was willing to accept the truths taught on both sides of the paradox; it recognized that mystery and apparent contradictions are often signs of the divine. Stated succinctly, the Hebrews knew the wisdom of learning to trust in matters that they could not fully understand. In layman's terms, those influenced in western thought, i.e....the Greco-Roman world-view, understood things in a linear, logical manner. We try to apply logic to a problem in order to come up with the most logical solution. Applying this type of mental methodology to Bible prophecy, can often times frustrates the purpose, which then causes confusion. Marvin Wilson provides some excellent examples in which 'block logic' is used in Scriptures: The book of Exodus says that Pharaoh hardened his heart, but it also says that God hardened it (Ex. 8:15; cf. 7:3). The prophets teach that God is both wrathful and merciful (Isa. 45:7; Hab. 3:2). The New Testament refers to [Yeshua] as the 'Lamb of God' and the 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' (Jn. 1:29, 36; Rev. 5:5). Hell is described as both 'blackest darkness' and the fiery lake' (Jude 13; Rev. 19:20). In terms of salvation, [Yeshua] said, 'whoever comes to me I will never drive away,' yet no one can come 'unless the Father draws him' (Jn. 6:37, 44). To find life you must lose it (Mt. 10:39). When you are weak, then you are strong (2 Cor. 12:10). The way up (exaltation) is the way down (humility) (Lk. 14:11). 'Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated' (Rom. 9:13; Mal. 1:3). Block logic is the mindset, that one can accept two opposing ideas as both equally true... it all depends on whose perception one is looking through. Old Testament Lot Throughout the entirety of his account beginning in Genesis chapter 11, through chapter 19, Lot was always living in the shadow of his older cousin Abram (Abraham). When they arrived at Canaan, Abram gave him the choice cut of land and they parted ways. A little later on, some wicked kings kidnapped Lot and Abram had to come to the rescue. From there, the Lord and two angels visit Abraham and give him a heads up, that they were going to visit Sodom and Gomorrah, and then destroy it. Abraham, knowing Lot lived there, asked one of the most pivotal questions that sets the tone for the rest of the Scriptures: And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Genesis 18:23 Two angels were dispatched to Sodom and Gomorrah, and there Lot met them at the gate. He persuaded them to come back to his house because he knew the kind of evil that would befall these visitors should they remain out in the open. However, this did not stop the men of the city from surrounding Lot's house and attempting to break down the door to get to them. Lot does what any "red-blooded father" would do...and he offers up his two daughters in exchange for these visitors safety. The outraged mob attempt to rush Lot and the visitors... In addition, they (the mob) said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one (Lot) came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. Genesis 19:9-11 From there, the two visitors and Lot with family in tow depart the city early in the morning. Lot's wife looks back and is turned into a pillar of salt. Lot ends up in the mountains with his two daughters, and they get him drunk and seduce him so they could be impregnated. Impressed yet? Seems like Lot is always getting himself into some kind of precarious situation. New Testament Lot Lot is referenced twice in the New Testament; first in Luke 17, when Jesus referencing what the world will be like when He returns, pointed back to the wickedness of that time. The second mention is by the Apostle Peter. And here, Peter gives three different examples of the punishment in which God had served in the past to curb the wickedness in the world: the fallen angels who left their first estate and copulated with human women, the wicked people in Noah's day, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot's day... ....and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)- 2 Peter 2:7-8 WHAT?! Did I miss something in the Genesis account? Three times, Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit to call this man Lot righteous. What did we see of this man's life and actions in the Old Testament that would warrant him being addressed as righteous now? Remember that thing about 'block logic'? There is where our perception and God's, see things differently. The Church Just turn on the news or read the Drudge Report one day and you can quickly see the awful wickedness that permeates this day and age we live in. Lot's circumstance was just a microcosm of what we experience today. Both news and travel have greatly increased (Dan 12:4), and we know what's going on in the world as it happens. Since bad news sells better than good news, we are inundated with as much of it as one can take. Whether it's horrific crimes committed against the innocent, or wars, pestilence, famines, and corruption, you can be sure that no matter where you look, you don't have to look hard. For those of us who watch the signs of the times, it can make you weary and long for the Lord to return. Even now we are being oppressed by the filthy conduct that is being pressed on us to accept as normal by the "civilized" world. The issues includes: drugs, gay marriage, abortion, anti-Christian propaganda, euthanasia, apostate and false religious movements, genetic engineering, and violence perpetrated against the Church in many parts of the world. Is your soul tormented? If it's not, then your head is in the proverbial hole in the sand. Remember, we are tri-partite beings: body, soul, and spirit. Even though one is saved (revived spirit), our souls (the conscious) is being tested like never before. The floodgates of evil are being opened and we are getting just a taste of what's going to be turned loose during the Tribulation. Even now, we are weary and long to be home in heaven with our Savior. For those who don't watch for the Lord's soon return, it's just business as usual. And that attitude often feeds the frustration many of us feel when sharing the gospel with urgency we know...with the apathetic or spiritually blinded who don't know how close to the end we really are, nor do they want to know. The Pattern and the Plan According to the Strong's Lexicon, Lot's name in Hebrew means "Covering" and since he had to be removed prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, we too will be removed prior to the Wrath of God being poured out on this world. As the body of Christ on earth, we are inhabited and sealed by the Holy Spirit, overcomers chosen by God before the foundation of the world ever came to be (Eph 1:4). [The Plan] At the Rapture, the Holy Spirit's ministry of restraint is likewise removed, and God's wrath is poured out on a Christ rejecting world. When the covering is removed, God's wrath was poured out on the plains cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the Church is removed (along with the Restrainer) the wrath will be poured out. This pattern is repeated throughout the Scriptures. God does not destroy the righteous with the wicked. [The Pattern] Although we don't see much righteousness in Lot's testimony, God did. Although we don't have much to brag about ourselves, God sees us as righteous through the shed blood of His Son on the cross at Calvary. It may not always make sense to us, but it does to God. And I love it when God's plan comes together! For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:2 Why Palestinians Oppose an Anti-Iran Coalition - by Khaled Abu Toameh - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13697/palestinians-iran-coalition The Palestinians have good reason to believe that some influential Arab countries have given up on both them and the Palestinian cause. They fear that several Arab countries might even be headed toward normalizing their relations with Israel. For several weeks now, the leadership of the Palestinian Authority (PA) has been waging a campaign against a US-Polish conference that is scheduled to take place in Warsaw later this month. US and Polish officials said that the conference will include sessions on the situation in Syria, Yemen, missile development, terrorism and illicit finance and cybersecurity. A US official said that the conference will also discuss "Iran's destructive policies in the region." Why are the Palestinians so worried about the upcoming conference? Because they care about Iran or Yemen or Syria or missile development? No, the Palestinians are concerned because they have somehow convinced themselves that the main purpose of the conference is to bring the Arab countries closer to Israel. It is not clear on what the Palestinian claim is based, especially as neither the US nor Poland has mentioned the issue of normalization between Israel and the Arab countries as being on the agenda of the conference. "The PLO considers the conference a form of direct and public normalization [between the Arabs and Israel]," said PLO Executive Committee member Ahmed Majdalani. "This is an attempt to change the priorities in the Middle East so that confronting Iran would become the main issue instead of ending the [Israeli] occupation." The PLO official called on the Arab countries to boycott the conference. PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat also expressed concern over the planned conference in Warsaw; he said it was a "serious attempt to overturn the Arab Peace Initiative" that was endorsed by the Arab League in 2002. This 10-sentence initiative calls for normalizing relations between the Arab countries and Israel in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines (including east Jerusalem) and a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee issue based on UN resolution 194. The resolution states that refugees "wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so at the earliest practical date." Although Israel has expressed tentative support for the initiative, it also made clear that it cannot accept the relocation of millions of Palestinians into Israel. Such a move would mean the creation of two Palestinians states: one in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, and another in Israel, where Jews would become a minority in their country. Erekat and other Palestinian officials seem worried that the Arabs planning to participate in the conference will abandon the Arab Peace Initiative, including the "right of return" for Palestinian refugees and their descendants to Israel. They are also apparently concerned that their Arab brothers will abandon the Palestinian issue in favor of an anti-Iran coalition. Several Arab countries now consider the Iranian "threat" their main priority and believe that it should take precedence over the Palestinian dispute. "The Palestinian cause is an Arab and Islamic issue par excellence," Erekat said, echoing Palestinian fears of Arab indifference toward the Palestinians. "We have not authorized anyone to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians. The US is planning, through the Warsaw conference, to first achieve normalization between the Arabs and Israel before peace [between Israel and the Palestinians]." Even if the planned conference is aimed at creating a coalition against Iran, one would expect the Palestinian Authority to be the first to join it. In the past few years, the Palestinian leadership has repeatedly charged Iran with meddling in the internal affairs of the Palestinians, especially by supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. It seems the Palestinian leadership would rather see Iran continue to pose a threat to Arab countries than see peace between those countries and Israel. Recently, a senior Palestinian official accused Iran of being behind the weekly demonstrations that began in March 2018. "Iran is financing these marches," the official said, referring to the demonstrations being held in the context of the Hamas-sponsored March of Return. The "March of Return" is the name chosen by Hamas and other Palestinian groups to describe the weekly protests along the Gaza-Israel border. The groups say that their main goal is to force Israel to lift the Gaza Strip blockade, but by calling the demonstrations a "March of Return," Hamas and its supporters are also saying that they want Palestinian refugees and their descendants to move into Israel as part of what they consider a "right of return." Osama Qawassmeh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction, also lashed out at Iran: "Iran has not provided anything for the Palestinian people. It is shameful that some think that the economic crisis in Iran is because of its support for the Palestinians. We never heard that Iran helped build a school or hospital or university or any other developmental project." Iran's support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, he explained, does not mean that it supports the Palestinian people. "This is a huge misconception and mistake," he said. In addition, Abbas loyalists have accused Iran of supporting Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007. One official claimed that the Hamas terrorists who staged a coup against the Palestinian Authority back then had received military training in Iran and "some Arab countries." Another sign that the Arab countries have turned their backs on the Palestinians was provided by the recent convening of Arab foreign ministers in Jordan to build a consensus among Arab states on regional security issues. The Palestinians were not invited. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah should ask itself why is everyone disparaging the Palestinian cause," said Palestinian political analyst Fayez Abu Shamaleh. "Why is the Palestinian cause no longer at the center of the attention of Arabs and Jews? Even the candidates running in the Israeli election have ignored the Palestinian issue." The Palestinian fears do not seem unjustified. Several Arab countries appear completely fed up with the Palestinians, particularly the continued bickering between Fatah and Hamas. Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries have tried in the past decade to help the two rival parties resolve their differences, to no avail. Egyptian intelligence officials have devoted years trying to convince Hamas and Fatah to work together for the benefit of the Palestinians. Instead of doing so, however, Palestinian leaders are preoccupied with blocking Arab participation in a conference that could see the creation of a coalition against Iran -- the same country that Abbas and his loyalists hold responsible for the ongoing divisions among the Palestinians. Might it be possible that the Arab countries are finally rousing themselves from their long slumber and beginning to seek better lives for themselves and their neighbors? The 7,000-Year Theory - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/02/10/7000-year-theory-daymond-duck/ I watched an excellent 19-minute video at prophecyupdate.com titled "Watchman Report: God's 7,000 Year Plan," and it inspired this article on the subject. It can be viewed at https://youtu.be/JaQzallV10U Some of you may want to go to prophecyupdate.com and subscribe to receive their free daily e-mails with links to articles and videos that they post. In the Bible, the word "week" means seven. A week of days means 7 days, a week of weeks means 7 weeks, and a week of years means 7 years. When we see the word "week" in the Bible, we need to determine if it is referring to a week of days (7 days), a week of weeks (7 weeks; 49 days), or a week of years (7 years; 2520 days; see Num. 14:33-34a; Dan. 9:24-27). The Greek word "Millennium" means 1,000 years. Milli means 1,000. Annum means years. The Millennium means 1,000 years. The Jews have a collection of religious writings called the Talmud, and it contains the writings of thousands of Jewish rabbis. In the Talmud, one of the Jewish rabbis wrote that there will be a 1,000-year period of rest [a Millennium of rest in the world] after 6,000 years of history (Psa. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8; Heb. 4:4-6; Rev. 20:7). The New Testament teaches that Jesus will come back after the Tribulation Period, Satan will be bound and chained, Jesus will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem and the world will rest from war, natural disasters, etc., for 1,000 years. Those that believe this way call this 1,000-year period of rest the "Millennium." But notice that the Jewish rabbi said there will be 6,000 years of history plus 1,000 years of rest, for a total of 7,000 years. In addition to what a Jewish rabbi wrote in the Talmud, at least 3 famous early Christians taught that the world will go through a 7,000-year cycle (6,000 years of history plus a Millennium or 1,000 years of rest). Barnabus, the companion of the Apostle Paul, taught it in his writings called the Epistle of Barnabus (Chp.15). (Note: the Epistle of Barnabus is different from a fake document called the Gospel of Barnabus). Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp who was a follower of Jesus' disciple John the Beloved, taught it (see Prophecy in the News; 6/08; p.6). Justin Martyr, also a disciple of Polycarp, taught it (Prophecy in the News; 6/08; p.6). To summarize, this teaching appears in the Jewish Talmud, it was taught by the Apostle Paul's companion Barnabus, and at least two famous early Christians that were considered followers of Jesus' disciple John. The Apostle Paul wrote at least 13 books (14 if he wrote the book of Hebrews) in the New Testament, and the disciple John wrote 5, and it is difficult to imagine that their followers would be wrong on this. But that is not all. In his book Armageddon & the 21st Century, Colin Deal said he found information on this teaching in the ancient books of Enoch and Jubilees (at Enoch 33:1 and Jubilees 4:29-30; End Time Ministry, 1988, pp. 76-77,), and he found it implied in the Epistle of Barnabus (found in the Sinaiticus or Codex Aleph). The teaching begins with the belief that God created all things in six 24-hour days and rested on the seventh 24-hour day (Bible says created, not evolved). The teaching rationalizes that there must be a reason why God used six 24-hour days to create everything because God could have spoken everything into existence in the blink of an eye. The teaching theorizes that God took six 24-hour days to create everything and rested on the seventh 24-hour day because God plans to deal with humanity for six 1,000-year days and rest on the seventh 1,000-year day. The teaching uses Scripture to equate 24-hour days into 1,000-year days. First, God told Adam he would die in the day he ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17), and all the days of Adam were 930 years (almost 1,000 years; Gen. 5:4-5). Second, the Bible teaches that one day is with the Lord as 1,000 years (Psa. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8). Third, the Bible presents the Millennium (1,000 years) as a day of rest (Heb. 4:4-11; Rom. 8:22; see Ex. 20:8-11). Fourth, the Bible speaks of a 1,000-year period of time when Satan will be bound and chained and the world will rest (Rev. 20:1-9). To summarize again, the teaching says that God will deal with mankind for 6,000 years (6 God-days or 6 Millennium days), Jesus will come back, and the earth will rest for 1,000 years (1 God-day or 1 Millennium day or 1 sabbath of rest). Here is where it gets interesting. First, some scholars say about 2,000 years (2 God-days or 2 Millennium days) passed from Adam to Abraham. Second, some say about 2,000 years (2 God-days or 2 Millennium days) passed from Abraham to Jesus (probably His ascension). Third, some say about 2,000 years passed between Jesus and the present. That is a total of 6,000 years (6 God-days or 6 Millennium days). This is the point: Because it has been about 6,000 years since the days of Adam, the Second Coming of Jesus and the Millennial Sabbath could be close. God may have given us more reasons to believe that the seven 24-hour days of Creation in Gen. 1 are pictures of seven Millennium days (7,000 years) of history. First, God told Moses to select a Passover Lamb without blemish at the beginning of the year on Nisan 10 and to kill it 4 days later in the evening of Nisan 14 (Ex. 12:1-6). God selected Jesus our Passover Lamb without blemish (I Cor. 5:7) when the world was founded (Rev. 13:8) to be killed 4 days (4 God-days or 4 Millennium days or 4,000 years) later on Passover at evening time (Matt. 26:2; 27:46-50). Second, Jesus made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Nisan 10 and was killed four 24-hour days later on Nisan 14 (Jn. 12:1, 12; Luke 19:41-44) on the fourth Millennium day of Creation. Third, God created the sun, moon and stars to provide light in the firmament of heaven and on earth on the fourth 24-hour day (Gen. 1:15). Jesus came on the fourth Millennium day as the light of the world (John 1:9; 8:12). Some think the three sources of physical light (sun, moon and stars) reveal three sources of spiritual light (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Fourth, without the light that was created on the fourth 24-hour day, all life would perish. Jesus is life (Jn. 14:6), and without Him giving up His life on the fourth Millennium day, we would perish (I Jn. 5:11-13). This article is not an effort to set a date (and there are errors in the different calendars), but this teaching is a long-held, Bible-based Church teaching that people should consider because the world is very close to the end of the first six days. Many believers agree that the Church and the last days (days 5 and 6 of the 6 days that God will deal with humanity) began about 30-33A.D., and the sixth day will end at the Second Coming of Jesus. Pre-Trib believers believe the Rapture will be at least 7 years (and perhaps more) before the end of the sixth day to allow for the Tribulation Period and perhaps a gap. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] Sanhedrin Calls for Nations To Observe Sexual Purity for Role in Third Temple - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - www.breakingisraelnews.com All who survive of all those nations that came up against Yerushalayim shall make a pilgrimage year by year to bow low to the King lord of Hosts and to observe the festival of Sukkot. Zechariah 14:16 (The Israel Bible™) As part of its initiative to establish an Organization of 70 Nations to replace the United Nations, the Sanhedrin made a call for the nations to adhere to principles of sexual purity. Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the spokesman for the Sanhedrin, explained that this was extrapolated from the Rabbinic law which states that there are three sins that a Jew must choose to martyr himself rather than commit: idolatry, murder, and sexual transgression. The first two sins are forbidden as part of the Noahide code incumbent upon all of mankind. "The nations must purify themselves," Weiss explained to Breaking Israel News. "This is a process of purifying your thoughts from idolatry. It also includes removing the sin of murder from their midst, which is expressed today through abortion and euthanasia. This also includes sexual purity." The rabbi emphasized that this was a matter of survival. "Today, a person can choose to do good or evil. But in the end-of-days, only those who choose to take part in the Temple will survive," Rabbi Weiss said, quoting the Prophet Zechariah. All who survive of all those nations that came up against Yerushalayim shall make a pilgrimage year by year to bow low to the King lord of Hosts and to observe the festival of Sukkot. Zechariah 14:16 "The world is in a deep state of impurity in which marriage itself is being challenged," Weiss maintained. "The culture has become one of desire run amok. If women do not give birth in purity, in a proper manner, then the fabric of society will come apart." Rabbi Weiss noted that marriage is an issue that lies at the root of many of society's existential threats. "As single-parent homes become the norm, crime and violence rise," Rabbi Weiss noted. He emphasized that one of the battlefields for sexual purity was the internet, which he characterized as the embodiment of the sin described in the Tenth Commandment which forbade coveting. "It is no coincidence that the internet also enables the sin of slander to a level never before seen," Rabbi Weiss said, noting another phenomenon that the prophets claimed would appear before the Messiah. Ah, Those who call evil good And good evil; Who present darkness as light And light as darkness; Who present bitter as sweet And sweet as bitter! Isaiah 5:20 "This slander on the Internet is especially focused on making good look like evil and normalizing what has always been considered evil throughout human history," Rabbi Weiss said. The requirement for sexual purity is, of course, incumbent upon Jews, mandated in the Book of Leviticus. Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:2 Weiss cited Maimonides who interpreted this to mean that the Jews must maintain a high level of sexual purity. As part of the Organization of 70 Nations initiative, the Sanhedrin issued a commemorative coin featuring an image of Nikki Haley, the former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, whom they invited to serve as the organization's honorary president. Proceeds from sales of the coin are used for holding Temple reenactments, creating utensils to be used in the Third Temple, and education about the Temple. The Sanhedrin also oversees the production of olive oil, wine, and grain offerings produced under stringent conditions of purity. Several countries including Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico have already signed a pledge to take part in the organization and join Israel in bringing about the Third Temple. Coins can be purchased on the Sanhedrin's website. Daily Jot: The perils of immoral leadership - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Leadership is important. Immoral leadership reaps bad things. Psalm 29:2 says, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bear rule, the poeple mourn." There can be little rejoicing when the people have chosen men and women to represent them in Congress and in statehouses to lead this nation, and they stand for killing the preborn even as they are being born. As Psalm 94:20-21 says, "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frames mischief by a law? They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood." This is a stain on this nation of innocent blood. We must condemn it in the strongest possible terms. From Virginia to New York to many other states, Democratic Party lawmakers are writing and introducing bills to redefine "personhood," allow the murder of babies in the birth canal at full term, to promote infanticide-all in the name of protecting women's health. Democrats in the US House and Senate are supporting these efforts by blocking Republican bills to protect the preborn. It is all part of a nationwide campaign by the evil and radical NARAL, a pro-abortion organization that pumps millions into the campaigns of state and national Democrats in exchange for their support of abortion. This campaign is ostensibly in anticipation of a Supreme Court that may overturn Roe vs Wade, but we all know this is their ongoing promotion of a death culture. There are so many wrongs with this. It is against the human race. It is against minorities and people of color. It is against GOD. Yet people, time after time, seek to elect those who are pro-death and support infanticide. Leadership is important. It changes the way nations are viewed and brings peril to the righteous. Whether the righteous want to acknowledge it or not, who we elect and the leaders we choose have a bearing on eternity. Even more so for nations like the United States who have the freedom to choose who their citizens elect. We may not understand exactly the ramifications of our collective voting, but there is a connection . Christ says in Matthew 31-34, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you form the foundation of the world." We know the truth. We need to stand firm on it. For as Christ said in Luke 12:48, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." You see, leadership is important. Immoral leadership brings peril. Righteous leadership is a joy to others. Be a leader for Christ. Influence others. Choose life. Daily Devotion: The Art of Ending - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. -Ecclesiastes 7:8 The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, "Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending." And Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote, "The end of a thing is better than its beginning" (Ecclesiastes 7:8 NKJV). Samson had a great beginning. He had superhuman qualities. Physically, there was no one stronger. He was a one-man army. On one occasion he killed 30 Philistines (the enemies of the Israelites) to settle a bet. On another occasion, he killed 1,000 Philistine warriors on the battlefield with a bone that he picked up off the ground. He once ripped a lion apart with his bare hands. He wasn't a fictitious superhero; he was the real deal. For a time Samson was a mighty man of God. And for a time he was even a true world changer. But in time the world began to change him. Samson turned his back on God. He had an amazing beginning but a tragic ending. One day your life will be summed up in a paragraph or two on a bulletin that will be handed out at your memorial service. No one will care about how much money you made or how much stuff you owned. No one will care how high you climbed in your profession. Instead, they'll talk about what kind of person you were. We don't decide the day of our death any more than we decided the day of our birth. But we do determine the spiritual state we'll be in when we die. God wants us to be close to Him. God wants us in friendship and fellowship and intimacy with Him. But it's our choice whether to have a relationship with the Lord or not to have a relationship with Him. We want to finish well. 
FROM THE HEART
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