Prophecy Update Newsletter
February 14, 2017
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Seek Ye First His Kingdom - A Bible Study by Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/seek-ye-first-his-kingdom/
The Lord wanted His people to trust in Him for their security, not in their material possessions. Had man permanently adopted these laws as his own, there would be very little poverty in the world today, and almost no war or oppression... The folly of becoming obsessed with material gain is mentioned often in Scripture. In fact, the Levitical System included laws specifically designed to discourage it. Money was loaned without interest. (Exod. 22:25) Every seven years all debts were canceled (Deut. 15:1-2), and slaves were set free and given a stake to help them start over. (Deut. 15:12-14) Land that was lost due to foreclosure had to be redeemed by family members, (Lev. 25:25) and every 50 years all land that had been sold, or lost and not redeemed, was returned to its original owner. (Lev. 25:8-17) There was simply no motivation for empire building in God's economy. The intent was clear. The Lord wanted His people to trust in Him for their security, not in their material possessions. Had man permanently adopted these laws as his own, there would be very little poverty in the world today, and almost no war or oppression. In fact, while giving the Israelites these instructions, the Lord concluded with: "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today." (Deut. 15:4-5) Why was the preoccupation with acquiring wealth discouraged? Having created man with incredible talent and ability, didn't the Lord want him to use it to make his life better? Here's His answer: When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deut. 8:10-14, 17-18) Obsession With Possessions Notice that the Lord wasn't speaking against acquiring wealth as such. By the use of when instead of if in the passage above we know His intent was that they would all become prosperous as one way of demonstrating the benefits of being in a relationship with Him. But He wanted them to remember that it was a blessing from Him, so He warned them not to become proud of their prosperity, and not to start thinking they had earned it on their own. He knew that this kind of pride would foster feelings of self-determination, replacing their trust in Him with a trust in themselves. That, in turn, would lead to greed and dishonesty and finally an obsession with material possessions. He designed His laws to prevent this, and when they refused to obey, He took everything away from them to humble them and bring them back to Him. (2 Chron. 36:20-21 & Jere 25:8-11) Who Are You Working For? Psalm 39:6 is a good example of the folly we're talking about. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. It reminds me of the parable of the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21. Having acquired too many goods to fit into his storage barns he decides to tear them down and build bigger ones that will hold everything, so he can relax and take life easy. But he had no sooner made that decision when he got a visit from the Lord. "You fool," He admonished him, "This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" (Luke 16:20) After telling His disciples the parable, the Lord went on to teach them how to live. And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. (Luke 12:29-31) How far we've fallen from that advice! In America. For example, we've created such a materialistic society that it's taken on a life of its own. It's cheaper for the auto industry to give us rebates and low-interest loans, so we'll buy more of the cars they've already built, than it is to shut down some of their assembly lines and make fewer cars. The system demands a certain level of production, whether people need new cars or not. The advertising industry motivates, manipulates, and cajoles us to spend, spend, spend to keep our economy moving. As a nation, we're spending money we don't have to buy things we don't need. (note: as of 2016, US citizens owe 747 billion dollars in credit card debt.) Marriages fail, children are all but abandoned and bankruptcies are skyrocketing. The idea of trusting the Lord for our security vanished from our culture long ago, and our dependence on material possessions as a substitute has caused many of us to become two and three income families just to fund our debt-ridden lifestyles. We've become slaves to this system in every sense of the word, with no chance of ever getting free by ourselves. Where's the security in that? Our only hope is to ask the Lord to help us begin downsizing right now, and that means terminating our illicit love affair with materialism and asking Him to forgive us for our unfaithfulness. This is not consigning ourselves to a life of poverty and deprivation, by the way. He has always promised prosperity in exchange for faithfulness, and you can read story after story about people who are happier, healthier, and leading richer, fuller lives after downsizing than they ever could have imagined before. But the history of God's people shows that if we don't choose to do this voluntarily, we'll eventually be required to do it forcibly. Here Is Wisdom Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart, says Psalm 37:4. If poverty or economic enslavement were meant to be the lot of believers on Earth, this verse is at best misleading and at worst downright cruel. So if that's what we're experiencing, maybe we've ignored the first part of the verse in our preoccupation with the second. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:9-10) Giving Him the 10% that's His is a good way to show your delight in Him. It says, "Thanks for the other 90%." Do it, and He'll soon make your remaining 90% bigger than your old 100% ever was. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Luke 6:38. As we give so shall we receive. Are we skimping on His share? If so we're only hurting ourselves. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:8,10,11) Rich in every way includes prosperity without debt. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4) The lesson is clear. The Israelites failed to obey the Lord in these matters and wound up losing everything. The Lord is patient, but His patience is not inexhaustible. Eventually, He has to put a stop to such disobedience because if He doesn't we'll totally destroy ourselves and He loves us too much to let that happen. Out With The Old, In with The New? But most of that's Old Testament stuff, you say, ignoring Paul's teaching from Romans 15. Please remember that regardless of what you've been taught, the only consequence we, as New Testament believers, escape when breaking God's law is the loss of our salvation. His law was never revoked and carries no expiration date. Thieves and murderers still get caught and go to prison. Adulterers still destroy marriages and families. And excessive debt in our quest for material gain still brings untold stress and even loss of the very possessions we coveted. All this is irrespective of our beliefs. But because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) No matter what happened yesterday, we will always have a future with Him, and because of the cross our past sins can be forgiven and forgotten. (1 John 1:9) The moment we decide to start over and return control of our life to the Lord our slate is wiped clean and it's as if we never sinned. Plus, we get the benefit of having the burden lifted off our shoulders as He takes over. He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt 11:28) Combining the Lord's guidance with our obedience in a guaranteed solution we can implement now to escape the economic oppression that has enslaved us. Remember, He came so that we could have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) Selah 
What should we watch for when Trump & Netanyahu meet this week? - Joel C. Rosenberg - https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/what-should-we-watch-for-when-trump-netanyahu-meet-this-week-here-are-five-crucial-questions-that-need-answers/
Here are five crucial questions that need answers. As I write this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is flying to Washington for his first official meetings with President Trump. The men have known each other for years, and there is a good chemistry between the two. They met last fall in Trump Tower (see picture above) and have spoken several times by phone since then. There is, therefore, a great deal of optimism among Americans and Israelis that a new, warmer, closer friendship can and will be forged after the deep strains of the Obama-Biden years. Yet there are also concerns regarding just how the Trump relationship with Netanyahu and his government will play out. What exactly should we be watching for this week? Here are five crucial questions to which I'm looking for answers. 1.) HOW WILL THE TWO LEADERS PREVENT IRAN FROM GOING NUCLEAR? - No issue on Netanyahu's agenda is more important than undoing the damage of the nuclear deal President Obama cut with Iran, the deal the Israeli premier famously called an "historic mistake." Most of the GOP candidates during the primary vowed to rip up the deal if they were elected president. But candidate Trump never did. He has certainly blasted the deal as terrible, but rather than scrap it he vowed during the campaign to "police" it and punish Iran the moment they violate its terms. In recent weeks, numerous Trump cabinet officials and advisors have reaffirmed that the President won't scrap the deal. (See here, here, here, here and here.) During an Oval Office call with Saudi King Salman last month, President Trump vowed to "rigorously enforce" the Iran deal. Interestingly, since the election Netanyahu has not actually urged Trump to scrap the deal but to "tighten the noose" around Iran's neck with punishing new sanctions. The Prime Minister has publicly suggested he has at least five additional options the new President could consider vis-à-vis Iran, though he has not explained what those are yet. The big question then is this: Can Trump and Netanyahu agree on a unified strategy to contain the ayatollahs of Iran and prevent Tehran from building nuclear weapons and further testing long-range ballistic missiles, and if so, what exactly will that strategy involve? 2) HOW CAN THEY CONTAIN THE CRISIS IN SYRIA? - Here in Israel, we are watching a modern Arab state implode before our very eyes. More than 500,000 people are dead. Chemical weapons have been used by the Assad regime, and by the Islamic State. The militaries of Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and Turkey are all operating in the Syrian theater. The refugee crisis is enormous. Millions of Syrians have poured into Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey. The big question now is this: Can Trump and Netanyahu map out a unified approach to contain the crisis in Syria and prevent it from causing: A) a new war to erupt with Israel; B) a flood of terrorists to spread out into the U.S., Israel, Europe and the Arab world; and C) the destabilization of Jordan and/or other Arab allies? 3) HOW CAN THEY ADVANCE RATHER THAN UNDERMINE THE EMERGING STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH THE SUNNI ARAB WORLD? - As I have been writing about for the last several years (see here, here, here, here and here), a quiet but dramatic shift is taking place in the epicenter. The existential threats posed by Iran and the Islamic State - and the vacuum caused by President Obama's foolish insistence on retreating from the Middle East - are causing Sunni Arab states to discreetly drop their intense hostility with Israel. Indeed, they are working closely - increasingly closely - with the Jewish State to protect themselves from common enemies. Every few weeks, I'm hearing of more high-level contacts between current and former Israeli leaders and current and former Sunni Arab leaders. The big questions now are these: Can Trump and Netanyahu agree on an approach that might deepen and broaden the relationships between Israel and the Sunni Arab states from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates to Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco? Is it even possible to help some of those Sunni states step forward and sign peace treaties with Israel, as Egypt and Jordan have already done? (Yes, this would have seemed fanciful just a few years ago, but it doesn't seem crazy anymore.) 4) WILL THEY ACTUALLY MOVE THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM, AND IF SO HOW, AND WHEN? - It looked like it was going to happen fast. Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, just told Politico that his impression was that the Trump team initially wanted to move the embassy to Jerusalem in the first moments after the Inauguration. Candidate Trump insisted he would make the move quickly. A law passed in a bipartisan fashion and signed by President Clinton in 1996 fully allows President Trump to make the move. President Trump has appointed a new U.S. Ambassador to Israel - David Friedman - who fully supports moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. An excellent new report by Rob Satloff, the executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, explains how to make the move in a way to strengthen rather than undermine America's position in the Mideast. However, America's Sunni Arab allies, and surely the Palestinian leadership, have warned President Trump not to be hasty. They argue such a move could cause a serious backlash against the U.S. on the Arab street and disrupt or even derail the significant progress that is being made behind the scenes in terms of Israeli-Sunni relations. To his credit, the new President has slowed the process down somewhat. He is rightly listening carefully to a range of counselors on the matter. In the end, this is certainly the President's decision alone to make. I do hope he moves the U.S. Embassy to West Jerusalem. This would correct an historic injustice when Washington refused to recognize Jerusalem as Israel capital dating back to 1948. I can't think of another national capital in any country around the world that America doesn't recognize and have an embassy located there. Everyone knows that, at the very least, West Jerusalem is going to be Israel's capital even if and when a peace deal with the Palestinians is completed. Congress and President Clinton agreed on a bipartisan basis to move the embassy to Jerusalem twenty years ago, and we should make good on this commitment. But yes, we should do it wisely, and in close communication and cooperation with our allies. I encourage the President to move forward, to wisely weigh every issue carefully, and to make sure he does not accidentally step on a proverbial landmine in the process. The big question now is this: Will Trump and Netanyahu agree that this should be done, and if so how, and how quickly - or will they conclude that such a decision regarding the embassy should be slowed down to put more attention on building a global coalition to contain Iran and finding new ways to strengthen the U.S.-Israel-Sunni alliance? 5) HOW WILL THEY STRENGTHEN ISRAELI SECURITY AND IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PALESTINIANS EVEN IF THE PROSPECTS OF A PEACE DEAL ARE MINIMAL RIGHT NOW? - President Trump sees himself as a deal-maker par excellence. He would love to be the guy who solved this problem where no other American president could. He wants to appoint his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to focus on make a peace deal. That said, most observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict see no way to make a comprehensive peace deal any time soon. Here are a few reasons why:
Meanwhile, as the world tries to pressure Israel to focus on a two-state solution, Israeli leaders on the center-right are increasingly calling for the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and even the annexation of part or all of the West Bank under Israeli sovereignty.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, is cautioning his governing coalition not to overreach and expect the Trump administration to give Israeli leaders everything they want. The big question now is this: In the absence of a clear path forward in the peace process for now, can Trump and Netanyahu agree on a strategy to improve Israeli security; improve the lives of the Palestinian people by encouraging economic growth, job creation, and the building of new factories, schools, hospitals, roads and other critical infrastructure; and do so in a way that doesn't undermine - and may even enhance - the quiet alliance emerging between Israel and her Sunni Arab neighbors? These are big questions. I'm as curious as you are to see what answers emerge. Let's be praying for wisdom for the two leaders as they and their advisors meet this week. 
Bennett: If Trump and Netanyahu discuss Palestinian state the 'earth will shake' - Gil Hoffman, Tovah Lazaroff - http://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=481260
Sources close to Netanyahu responded by calling the statement and others like it from the Right unhelpful, saying it could harm the meeting. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must give up his support for a Palestinian state in his meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett and Likud activists urged him on Saturday. Netanyahu endorsed a Palestinian state in his June 14, 2009, address at Bar-Ilan University following a meeting with then-president Barack Obama, who pressured him to take that step despite his party's opposition. Now, with Trump as president, leaders of the Right expressed hope that Netanyahu will reverse that endorsement. In a Facebook post titled "The test of Netanyahu's life," Bennett promised Netanyahu the Right's support if he tells Trump he no longer supports a two state solution, and a national nightmare if he continues backing a Palestinian state. "If in their statements after the meeting they mention, for the first time in Trump's term, their obligation to forming Palestine or two states in one way or another, we will all feel it in our flesh for years to come," Bennett warned. "The earth will shake. International pressure, boycotts, reports against Israel, missiles, freezes, tying the hands of our soldiers in the fight against terrorism - all this will continue and intensify." Bennett called Trump's election an historic opportunity for Israel that cannot be missed. He urged Netanyahu to take advantage of it by telling the Trump administration, "We tried Palestine time and time again, and we got 1,000 dead on the streets of Israel, Hamistan in Gaza and a deterioration in our international image." Sources close to Netanyahu responded by calling the statement and others like it from the Right unhelpful ahead of the meeting with Trump, saying it could even harm the meeting. The prime minister is also facing pressure from inside the Likud, whose hawks are to conduct a rally at the Knesset on Monday during which Netanyahu is to be urged to annex Judea and Samaria. Ahead of the meeting, more than 300 Likud central committee members signed a petition calling on him to maintain the values of the Likud and quoting from his book A Place Under the Sun, in which he praises Judea and Samaria. Settlers fear Netanyahu will endorse a two-state solution in his meeting with Trump and argue for a plan that promotes the settlements blocs while freezing the more isolated communities. In preparation for the trip, Netanyahu has held security consultations with the IDF chief of staff, as well as with the heads of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the Mossad and Israel's Atomic Energy Commission. Israel's Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer was in Israel last week to help prepare for the trip. The Foreign Ministry also presented Netanyahu with a number of position papers. Among the topics the two leaders plan to discuss are Iran, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli officials said Netanyahu plans to tell Trump that Israel will not agree to any kind of an Iranian presence in Syria. Netanyahu also plans to discuss his talk with Trump at Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting. In advance of the Netanyahu- Trump meeting, the US president gave an interview to Israel Hayom, in which he said advancing settlement activity is not helpful to peace. In the brief excerpt of the interview, which Israel Hayom published on Friday, Trump walked a fine line between refusing to condemn Israel while putting forward his belief about what is helpful and not helpful to the peace process. The new president also hinted at the possibility of a regional peace deal. "Israel has had a long history of condemnation and difficulty. And I don't want to be condemning Israel. I understand Israel very well, and I respect Israel a lot, and they have been through a lot. I would like to see peace and beyond that. And I think that peace for Israel would be a good thing for the Israeli people, not just a good thing, a great thing," Trump said. "I want to see peace happen. It should happen. After all these years... Maybe there is even a chance for a bigger peace than just Israel and the Palestinians. I would like to see a level of reasonableness of both parties, and I think we have a good chance of doing that," he added. Referencing the West Bank, he noted that there is a limited amount of land and expanding the settlements eats away at the remaining territory. ""They [settlements] don't help the process. I can say that. There is [only] so much land left. And every time you take land for settlements, there is less land left. But we are looking at that, and we are looking at some other options. We'll see," Trump said. "I am not somebody who believes that going forward with these settlements is a good thing for peace," he continued. Trump underscored his desire to make a deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "So many people think it cannot be made. I have very smart people that... say a deal can't be made. I disagree with them. I think a deal should be made, and it can be made," he said. The president added that he has always liked Netanyahu and believes he acts in Israel's best interests and wants peace "We've always had good chemistry, and he is a good man. He wants to do the right thing for Israel. He would like peace; I believe that he wants peace and wants to have it badly. I have always liked him," Trump said. Regarding the possible relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he said that he is still studying the matter. "It's not an easy decision," he said. In speaking about the agreement Iran reached with the six world powers during the Obama administration, Trump said the deal is a "disaster for Israel." 
Nearing Midnight: Trump and God's Purpose - Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
Mention has been made many times through opinion that goes something like this: Trump isn't a godly person, yet neither was Nebuchadnezzar and other kings and leaders the Lord chose down through the centuries to do great things-to serve great purposes. So, God can use Donald Trump to accomplish what the Lord wants accomplished. Considering the 180-degree course change this nation has embarked upon in this presidential election, it is, I believe, an understatement to say that God must be up to something big with the election of Donald J. Trump-that is, to something profound. The abrupt turning away from advocating for the homosexual agenda and other forms of aberrant behavior, and toward championing protection of moral values and Judeo-Christian principles upon which the nation was founded, is amazing to say the least. No one would have imagined strongly, during the early days of the just past election season, that the Christian faith would so soon come under the protective hand of a presidential administration. Especially this was unthinkable because the previous administration adamantly embraced the Muslim faith in ways that baffled those not a part of the extreme political left. That political left just mentioned has been completely driven to acting in maniacal ways by the Donald Trump victory. It is astounding that the fever-pitch of the enragement continues to build with each succeeding day Trump is in office. Psychiatrists and psychologists who study mass hysteria conclude for the most part that such a level of rage is impossible to maintain over an extensive period of time. Yet we daily observe the opposite. The absolute furious, even lunatic, behavior continues and even grows over anything and everything that involves President Donald Trump. Anyone who demonstrates the slightest support for this president has the political hounds of the netherworld descend upon their lives. It is astounding to witness. And, as often as not, it is somewhat amusing, so long as the insane rants are kept to the verbal and not the physical level such as the violence that took place in Berkley and surrounding other universities. The corporate world is infected and affected by the lunacy. CEOs, such as that of Starbucks, for example, climb eagerly onto the anti-Trump hate-wagon at the risk of alienating half their customer base or clientele. Amidst all the silliness, clothing designers refuse to design the new first lady's clothing. The fashions produced by the president's daughter are ripped from the fashion lines of clothiers. In the halls of government we have the likes of Democrat Senator Charles Schumer weeping on the Senate floor. He tells sobbingly how it breaks his heart that the few people are detained at the airports because of President Trump's temporary ban of people coming in from the seven nations Schumer's own Democrat President Obama put on the banned list several years ago. The senator, himself, wholeheartedly backed the banning of such entrants into America under Obama's executive order. We watch the Democrat committee members throw temper tantrums, refusing to attend the cabinet committee hearings and undertake other childish actions to hold up proceedings. We listened to the attempted grilling of New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady about why he was friend to President Trump. They ignored relevant football questions in anticipation of the upcoming Super Bowl and went for the jugular in order to, hopefully, score hate-filled political points, in my view. But, all this theater, both entertaining and troubling to the process of our representative democracy-our republic- pales in comparison to the intrigues to be analyzed on the international level. The new president's breathtaking movement toward fulfilling campaign promises makes clear in my own thinking that the Lord of Heaven put Trump in place for developments that are going to stagger the world. Prophetic fulfillment -rather, preparation for the fulfillment of Bible prophecy- is, of course, much more significant than the just mentioned fulfillment of campaign promises. We can, if attuned to God's Word on the wind-up of the age, see things developing that, as I said, will stagger the world. One example is the fact that the enemies of Israel who had curried favor with the Obama administration are dumbfounded that their position relative to having the favorable attention of the U.S. president has drastically and abruptly changed. Speaking to Newsweek last week, Saeb Erekat, go-between for PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas in dealing with both Israel and the U.S. found a totally different relationship is now in effect. Indicating the PLO is almost in panic, he said, "I don't know any of them [Trump's advisers]. We have sent them letters, written messages. They don't even bother to respond to us." Trump is at the same time apparently considering movement of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -a thing that many say will cause an immediate Islamist uprising. The president, additionally, has installed a thoroughly pro-Israel ambassador within the U.N. and has reached out warmly to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Third only to the change in attitude toward Christianity and return to constitutional sanity and the 180 degree turn around on treatment of Israel, are the actions President Trump is undertaking toward restoring America as leader of the free world. Trump's geopolitical and fiscal aggressiveness thus far shown is affecting global alliances militarily. The new president's actions are having profound effects on the world economy. My own thinking on all of this causes wonder over whether we might be seeing a specific stage-setting given by Jesus, Himself. Again, that prophecy is found in Matthew 24: 36-42 and Luke 17: 26-30. The question: Are we on the verge of witnessing an economic boom, in the midst of which the Rapture of the Church will occur? Something big is up. One can sense it in one's spiritual bones. God has Trump here and at this time for some great purpose. 
We Must Start Building Third Temple Today, Says Temple Experts - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/83576/stop-waiting-third-temple-come-heaven-start-building/#rmL9YM5h0iiM56VX.97
"Thus saith Hashem of hosts: Let your hands be strong ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the Neviim that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Hashem of hosts was laid even the temple that it might be built." Zechariah 8:9 (The Israel Bible™) A recent video from the Temple Institute concluded unequivocally that the Third Temple will not simply descend from Heaven, begging the question 'Why don't Jews begin building today?' The man in charge of organizing the Third Temple construction thinks he knows what it will take to jump-start the process. Last week, the Temple Institute released the second video in their "Holy Temple Mythbusters" series, titled "Falling from Heaven". Rabbi Chaim Richman, the institute's international director, opened the video with the question, "The Bet Hamikdash (Temple) is supposed to come down from heaven: true or false?" Using rabbinic methodology, Rabbi Richman said that it is a Biblical commandment to build a Temple, as clearly stated in the Bible. And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 Like any other commandment, it is incumbent upon the Jews to perform it themselves, and not to wait for God to perform it for them. Rabbi Richman's conclusion is a challenge to those who maintain that the Third Temple will descend from Heaven, but it is a strong vote of confidence for those who advocate Jews move forward in this endeavor. As the chairman of the Temple Movement, Yaakov Hayman, is organizing the controversial effort towards building the Third Temple. By profession, Hayman manages building projects. This is the practical way he perceives the Third Temple: a construction project accomplished in stages. He described the conflict between the two opinions, the Temple coming down from heaven versus man-initiated construction, as evolution versus revolution. "I don't believe the Temple will suddenly appear," Hayman told Breaking Israel News. "It needs to be a steady evolutionary process." Hayman believes the first stage in that process is within reach. "What we need now is for more Jews to go up to the Temple Mount," Hayman urged. "When that happens, when thousands of Jews start going up to the Mount every day like what happens at the Kotel (Western Wall), prayer will just naturally happen. No one can stop that. It is a natural evolution from where we are now to where we need to be to build the Temple." Both Rabbi Richman and Hayman believe in man-initiated construction, but with God playing an integral part in the process. Rabbi Richman cited the Prophet Zechariah, who stated that God himself will remedy the destruction of the Second Temple by building the Temple with fire. For I saith Hashem will be unto her a wall of fire round about and I will be the glory in the midst of her. Zechariah 2:9 Rabbi Richman understands this to mean that God will be a part of the process, but it in no way exempts man from taking a proactive role. To illustrate his point, Rabbi Richman gave a powerful example of man's action bringing about the divine will. In 1967, Israel faced a vastly superior collection of enemy forces bent on destroying the Jewish State - and defeated them. Rabbi Richman described this miraculous victory as analogous to God sending down fire to light the wood on the altar in the Temple. "Just as the fire of destruction was man-made but divinely sanctioned, so too the fire of rebuilding could be manifest in the very human but divinely sanctioned 'fire' of the artillery of the 1967 Six-Day War." Rabbi Richman cited this as a major principle of the Torah. "Hashem's blessings come about when first we do our part." When applied to the Third Temple, Rabbi Richman sees it as any other Torah commandment incumbent upon the Jews. "First Israel must fulfill God's commandment and build it themselves, and only afterward, God brings about the final spiritual touches onto the structure that they have created with their own hands, with the resting of the shechina (God's presence)," Rabbi Richman concluded. Hayman warned that building the structure is not the end of that process. "Unlike the first two temples, the Third Temple will be eternal," Hayman said. "There has to be a divine element added at the end to make it so." Hayman believes that the Jews who object to constructing the Temple do so in order to advance a political agenda, and not for religious reasons, even if they claim religious motivations. "There is a political agenda not to build the Temple, but there is no question about what the Torah commands us to do regarding the Temple Mount," Hayman said, giving a painful example of when this happened last in Jewish history. "It is similar to the rabbis in Europe who said it was forbidden for Jews to come to Israel before the Holocaust. They didn't want the Jews to be part of the Zionist political enterprise." "Also today, there is no question that the Torah tells us to go to the Temple Mount and to build the Third Temple, but political and social agendas lead people to say otherwise," Hayman concluded. 
My Review of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Over the last 35 years, I have literally read hundreds of books on Bible Prophecy and End Time signs. I especially enjoy books on the Rapture, and I have read almost every Rapture-related book published. In all those years, devouring thousands of pages, and millions of words, I have not read a better book on the Rapture than, Rapture Ready...Or Not? Terry James might be physically blind, but he is spiritually sharp and well discerning beyond most authors. In "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Terry has nailed the pre-trib Rapture, and removed any doubt what so ever about the Church going through the Tribulation. With great insight and Godly discernment, Terry explains with simple, yet profound words, why and how that he has come to believe the ways he does about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the End Times scenario. I think after reading "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" you too will believe as Terry does, and be Ready for the Rapture like never before! - Randy Thomas - Publisher / Editor - Prophecy Update For more information and or to get your copy of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" use this link: http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book35.html 
Time - By Grant Phillips - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/02/03/time/
From January 1st to December 31st our calendars encompass holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, church events, vacations, doctor appointments, business meetings, school days, athletic events, work days, week-ends, parties, celebrations, funerals, weddings, and much, much more. From the sound of the morning alarm clock until the time it's heard again the next morning, our calendar days are divided up into time segments. Regardless where we live on this globe we call earth, we are all affixed to 'time.' It's time to go to school. It's 'quitten' time! It's time for your medicine. It's time to eat. It's time for your test. It's time to go on vacation. It's time to go home. How about this one; it's time to think about eternity, where there is no time, or is there? "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22:2) Time is not bad. Most of the verses of Genesis chapter one speak of 'time' and the days, consisting of time, were declared by God to be "good." Time was here before the Fall (Adam and Eve's original sin), and will be here from now on. Someone may mention that Revelation 10:6 says, "... that there should be time no longer," but this should have been translated "that there will be delay no longer." "Time" is not our problem. "How we handle time" is our problem. Scarlett O'Hara, in "Gone With The Wind," would say, "I'll think (or worry) about that tomorrow." Some folks like to say, "Put off today what you can do tomorrow." A lot can happen in a day's time. How many times have lives been irretrievably changed in one second? God warns us about that. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." (Proverbs 27:1 NIV) "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." (James 4:14 NIV) The difference between "time" on earth, in our fallen state, and time in eternity is that there are good times and bad times in the here and now, in our fallen state on earth. In eternity with the Lord, all time is good. For example, on earth in our fallen state: * It's Bible study and prayer time. (Good time) * It's almost time for my date with the woman I'm going to marry. (Good time) * It's time for church service to start. (Good time) * It's almost time for my root canal. (Bad Time) * It's almost time for the test I didn't study for. (Bad time) * It's time to sentence the prisoner. (Bad time) Literally, from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year, we all live on a time schedule here on earth. God knows exactly, to the second, how much time we each have to live in this body. We do not know from second to second, minute to minute, etc. how much time we have left. Therefore, we should all spend our time wisely. Some folks live by the seat of their pants when it comes to arranging their time. To the other extreme, some have a schedule for everything. The best plan is whatever works for you. Just make sure that it works. Are we forgetting to do things? Maybe we should write them down. What do we consider important enough in our lives that we wouldn't want to forget it; the job interview, the exam, date night with our spouse? Normally, those things we consider to be important in our lives, we remember and we make time for them. Have we set aside time for Jesus Christ, the Son of God? How many appointments have we broken with Him? He stands at our heart's door and knocks (Revelation 3:20). Have we answered? If we have, have we spent time dining with Him, or have we allowed other matters to interfere? There are so many exciting things He wants to share with us. What a pity, if we allow those other matters to hinder our time with Him. The greatest news He wants to share with us is His willingness to save any who will put their trust in Him. He wants to give us eternal life, where all those times in eternity will be 'good times.' He wants to adopt us into union with God. He wants us to rule with Him, and that's not all. He wants us to be looking for Him. Jesus said in John 14:1-3 that He will come back from Heaven and take all who are His back to Heaven. He had the prophets and the Apostles tell us what the 'times' would be like prior to and when His wrath is poured out on earth. According to His own Word, the Bible, that time is fast approaching. He first will come and retrieve all who are His, those who have died and those who are still living. This is called the Rapture. Afterwards, seven years of Tribulation will be poured out on earth as His wrath consumes the nations and as He cleanses and draws His people Israel to Himself. Time is running out. The people of earth have always lived in a time that provided a Savior (Jesus), who they could call on to be saved and be with after death, with the added bonus of avoiding hell. Today, that is still true, but there is something else to consider also. One can live without Christ and miss the Rapture and then be thrust into hell on earth (Tribulation). If you think life is bad now, it's a cake walk compared to the time of the Tribulation. Anyone who has seriously studied prophecy should be keenly aware of the approaching time of God's judgment upon this earth. Yes, Jesus will snatch out (Rapture) His own before His wrath falls, but if you have not come to Him by faith alone, you will be left to suffer during that terrible time (Tribulation). Many will be saved during the Tribulation, but millions more will not. Many will be saved and lose everything they own, including their life, in the process. God has set a time for all these things to happen. When will that be? I do not know, but I believe with all my being that time is fast approaching. I base this belief not on feelings, or what someone else says, but strictly upon God's Word, the Bible. The world is running out of time, and most of those who belong to the world are letting time slip through their fingers like water running through a sieve. Even many true Christians are oblivious to the tick-tock of God's clock running down. He has a timer set for us, and it could ring at any moment. At any moment the Father could say to the Son, "Go get your bride." (Rapture) After that, the gloves are off. Time is an awesome thing. Not so if you are in prison of course "doing your time," but even there, if you belong to Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter where you are, only who you are. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are a child of God and the bars will not hold you when He comes for us (Rapture). If you are not a child of God, thank God for every minute He has given you, and by all means, do not waste another second in getting your life right before Him. Call upon Him to forgive you and save you from your sins, and He has promised to do so. Listen to the soft knocking at your heart's door and let Him in. Time is running out. 
Daily Jot: Why the "Church" must stand NOW - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The latest report on the unconstitutional shadow government is an article in Foreign Policy magazine by Rosa Brooks, former Pentagon advisor in the previous administration, now working for the George Soros-funded New America Foundation. Brooks suggests a military coup to oust President Donald Trump. Brooks wrote, "One possibility is one that until recently I would have said was unthinkable in the United States of America: a military coup, or at least a refusal by military leaders to obey certain orders." This, combined with an army of usurpers 30,000 strong in the ex-"president's" Marxist Organizing for America group, and a court system stacked with progressives, is a dangerous marker for America. Why is this an important prophetic time for the "Church"? Christians, through their lack of participation as responsible citizens by not voting, were the one block that allowed two terms of the most communistic and Islamic "president" America has ever seen. During his tenure, religious rights and free speech were repeatedly attacked. It is fully documented that Christian churches, businesses and organizations were singled out and demonized for their beliefs. National security documents attacked religious freedom by suggesting that those who believe abortion and homosexuality is wrong were extreme radical threats to our country. While all along Islamists were killing people in the US in the name of allah. The "Church" apparently had enough of this foolishness in 2016 and rose up, voting as a block and defeating the Islamic Marxist globalist candidate. This action alone fomented a nationwide temper tantrum by the malcontents. They have labeled Christian conservatives as Nazis, bigots, racists, homophobes, xenophobes and whatever else, while they themselves are acting out the very traits of their accusations. Meanwhile, it appears the "Church" has once again disappeared. The "Church," you and me, must resist every temptation to withdraw from society, thinking that a strong, conservative-minded President will do our bidding. He alone cannot. There is organized, lawless and Godless opposition. Our country, the foremost beacon of religious freedom in the world, is faced with a revolution aimed at taking away our Constitutional freedoms. First will be freedom of religion and of speech. Next will be the right to bear arms. This is the pattern in every country that allows Marxism and/or Islamism. It moves from anarchy to despotism in short order, muzzling people, replacing God with government, and disarmament. Take heed "Church." You must stand NOW, not stand down. We must pray. We must be vocal. We must tell the story of righteousness and Godly sense. We must act courageously. Or we are going to face a dark and violent future. As Romans 13:12 says, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." Answer this prophetic and clarion call. 
Daily Devotion: The Deepest Need of All - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. -Romans 12:12 Nebuchadnezzar had conquered most of the civilized world. And when there were no more wars to fight, he turned his energies to Babylon. With all the wealth he accumulated and the slaves he acquired from carrying people away from their homeland, Nebuchadnezzar had unparalleled opportunities to do whatever he wanted to do. Some of the world's architectural wonders were in Babylon. At 350 feet high and 87 feet wide, Babylon's city walls had enough room for six chariots to race side by side. The city's 100 gates were made of burnished bronze, and a single palace covered 11 acres. One banquet hall seated 10,000 people. It was a very impressive place. Yet despite the fact that Nebuchadnezzar was safe behind his towering walls and massive gates, with guards at his beck and call, God penetrated it all and got to his heart. Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by a dream. Some of the hardest people to reach are those who are at rest in their house, those who, because of all they have, may not see their real spiritual condition. I think it's a mistake to appeal only to unhappy, lonely, and empty individuals when we share the gospel. Not everyone is unhappy, empty, and lonely at every given moment. There are some people who will have bursts of happiness. Their life will be going relatively well. I'm not saying that Jesus doesn't reach out to unhappy, lonely, empty people. But we must go to the deepest need of all: their eternal destiny. What is true of every person at any given moment is that he or she will go to one of two places beyond the grave. The thing to remember is there is no person, regardless of how famous or powerful they are, who is beyond the reach of prayer. 
FROM THE HEART
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