Prophecy Update Newsletter
March 1, 2017
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Marriage of Christ to His True Church - By Gary Boyd - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/02/28/the-marriage-of-christ-to-his-true-church-by-gary-boyd/
It seems many do not understand nor want to get the idea of Jesus coming in the Rapture for His true Church. Meaning the Church born at Pentecost, gestated for 2000 years and is about to be called home in the ensuing Rapture has always been what the true Church has indeed craved. The living in Christ will be called up to heaven at the last trump as the Rapture is coming very soon-as the world sinks into depravity, chaos, and confusion. In many New Testament passages the relation between Christ and his true Church is revealed by the use of the figures of the Bridegroom (Jesus) and the Bride (Church). Revelation 19:7-8 states, "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." At the translation of the Church, meaning when we are changed into the eternal state, Christ is appearing as a Bridegroom to take his Bride unto Himself, so that the relationship that was pledged might be consummated so that the two might become one. The time of the marriage is revealed in Scripture as falling between the translation (eternal state) of the Church and the Second Coming. Prior to the Rapture the Church is still anticipating this union. According to Revelation 19:7 this marriage has taken place at the time of the Second Coming, the end of the Tribulation seven years later. The declaration is: "the marriage of the lamb has come." This marriage is seen to follow the events of the Bema Seat of Christ, inasmuch as when the wife appears (Church) she appears in the "righteousness of the saints" (Revelation 19:8), which can only refer to those things that have been accepted at the judgment seat of Christ. Thus the marriage itself must be placed between the judgment seat and the Second Coming. The place of the marriage can only be in heaven. Inasmuch as this follows the judgment seat of Christ, which has shown to be in the heavenlies and it is in the air when the Church comes when the Lord returns Revelation 19:14, " And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses." The marriage must then take place in heaven. No other place would fit a heavenly people. "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). The participants in the marriage are Christ (Lamb) and the true Church (Those who are alive at the Rapture). Read Daniel 12:1-3, a prophecy of the end-times: "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And]they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." So the resurrection of Israel and the Old Testament saints will not take place until the Second Coming of Christ. Revelation 20:4-6 makes it perfectly clear that Tribulation saints will not be resurrected until that time also. The Saints Reign with Christ 1,000 Years "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4-6). While it would be impossible to eliminate these groups from the place of observers, they can not be in the position of participants in the event itself. The Difference Between the Marriage of Christ and the Marriage Supper: In this connection it seems necessary to distinguish between the marriage of the Lamb and the marriage supper. The Marriage of the lamb takes place in heaven while the marriage supper involves Israel and takes place on earth. The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matthew 22:1-14) "And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.' But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.'" Parabolic Picture The wedding supper, then is, a parabolic picture of the entire millennial age, to which Israel will be invited in the Tribulation period. That invitation many will reject and so they will be cast out. Many will accept and be received in. Because of the rejection the invitation will likewise go to the Gentiles so than many of them will be included. Israel, at the Second Coming, will be waiting for Christ to come from the wedding ceremony and invite them to the wedding supper, at which time the bridegroom will introduce his bride to his friends. Read Matthew 25:1-13: The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." In review, the marriage of the Lamb is that event in the heavenlies in which the Church is eternally united to Christ. The marriage feast is the Millennium to which Jews and Gentiles will be invited that takes place on the earth during which time the Bridegroom is honored through the display of the Bride to all his friends who are assembled there. Conclusion The Church, which was God's plan for the current age, is now seen to have been translated to the eternal state, resurrected, presented to the Son by the Father, and had become the object through which the eternal glory of God is manifested forever. The present age will thus witness the inception, development, and completion, of God's purpose in "taking out" a people for his name. Read Acts 15:14, "Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name." May God bless you for reading this to the end. Maranatha... Gary Boyd [email protected] 
Will You Be Attending the Marriage Feast of the Lamb? - Dr. David Reagan - http://christinprophecyblog.org/2017/02/the-marriage-feast-of-the-lamb/
I have been surprised in recent years to discover that several well known Bible prophecy experts whom I highly respect have started teaching that the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, which is recorded in Revelation 19:7-9, will be held on earth after the return of Jesus - despite the fact that this event is clearly pictured as being held in Heaven before the Second Coming. Relevant Scriptures Their argument seems to be based primarily on a statement in Luke 22:28-30 where Jesus promises believers that they will "eat and drink at My table in My kingdom..." This statement certainly leaves the impression that the feast will be held after the Lord returns and establishes His kingdom here on this earth. Additionally, some point to Luke 13:28-30 where Jesus says that the saved will one day "come from east and west, and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God." They conclude their argument by pointing to Isaiah 25:6, which is a Millennial setting and which refers to a "lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain" - referring to Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:23). One or Two Feasts? As you can see, the argument in behalf of the Marriage Feast being held here on earth is certainly grounded in the Scriptures, but I believe the conclusion is unwarranted. That's because I believe the Bible is prophesying two great feasts in the end time. The first will be the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in Heaven when Jesus will celebrate His union with His Bride, the Church. The second banquet, which I call The Zion Feast, will take place here on earth in Jerusalem after the return of Jesus. It will include Old Testament Saints and Tribulation Martyrs as well as Church Age Saints. Its purpose will be to celebrate the Lord's return and the inauguration of His Millennial Kingdom. A Third Feast There is a third end time feast that is prophesied in the Scriptures. It is mentioned in Revelation 19:17-18. This feast is one that no one should hope to be a part of. It will occur at the Second Coming of Jesus, when He returns to this earth to pour out the wrath of God on those who have rejected His grace, love and mercy. The passage says that an angel will cry out in a loud voice for all the birds to "eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great." This feast is referred to as "the Supper of God." In other words, those who participate in this feast will be the meal themselves! Such will be the terrible fate of unbelievers when Jesus returns. Which feast will you be invited to attend? The Marriage Feast of the Lamb where you will be the honored guest of the Bridegroom, Jesus, or the Supper of God where you will be the meal? Personally, I have an invitation to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb because I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. My prayer is that every person who reads this article will also put their faith in Jesus so that they can join with me in the greatest feast and celebration the cosmos will ever witness. 
The Arab Summit may bury hatchet with Assad - http://www.debka.com/article/25944/The-Arab-Summit-may-bury-hatchet-with-Assad
Secret contacts currently underway ahead of the Arab League summit later this month may bring about a sea change in the Arab world's relationship with Syrian President Bashar Assad, debkafile's sources report. On Saturday, Feb. 25, Egypt's parliamentary committee for Arab affairs called for the return of Syria to the Arab League. This step symbolized an initiative launched by a number of leaders to invite Syrian President Bashar Assad to the March 29 Arab Summit in Amman - five years after Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League over the savage civil war then at its height. Three leaders are spearheading the moves for Assad's reacceptance by the Arab community, whether together or separately: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sissi and Jordanian King Abdullah. All three hope to see a historic handshake and greetings between Assad and Saudi King Salman. This would signify the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia which backed the Syrian rebels, and the Assad regime. But for Assad, it would mark collective Arab recognition of his personal victory, when few expected him to come out alive from the nearly seven sevens of cruel warfare, first sparked by the Arab Spring of December 2010. Putin's interest in this epic event is self-evident. When he launched a major Russian intervention in the Syrian war in September 2015, President Barack Obama predicted that the Russian army would sink in the Syrian quagmire. The Russian leader proved him wrong, and his reputation in the Arab world would soar if he could persuade King Salman to accept Assad's return to the Arab summit. The plan is for the Syrian ruler to arrive in Amman armed with a Russian safe-conduct guarantee, aboard a Russian military aircraft which would fly him there and back from Russia's Syrian military base at Hmeimim debkafile's intelligence and Middle Eastern sources report a flurry of arrangements for the event, with military officers and intelligence agents from Russia, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria flying back and forth between Cairo, Riyadh, Amman, Damascus and the Russian command in Syria. Our sources also disclose that US officials have hinted in informal contacts with these parties that President Donald Trump is not averse to the initiative, although his public position on the subject must await the final determination of his Middle East policy at large. The US president scarcely mentioned the Middle East in his speech to Congress Tuesday night, Feb. 28, but for a reference to Iran's ballistic missiles, because his policy his still a work in progress. Putin may well take advantage of this lacuna for a more far-reaching project, enlisting Iran to the Arab peace process with Assad, and expanding it to include a patching up of the quarrel between Tehran and Riyadh. That was the object of the intensive comings and goings this week in the region, which saw Kuwaiti and Iranian officials talking quietly in Tehran, visits by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Kuwait and Oman on Feb. 15, and the trip by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir to Baghdad on Feb. 25, when he sat down with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. They were all playing their part in a ploy for making Saudi reconciliation with Assad a halfway mark towards making peace between the oil kingdom and Iran as well. 
God's Grace Descends Upon Southern Israel as Rain Revives Eilat Desert - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/84392/gods-grace-descends-upon-southern-israel-as-rain-revives-eilat-desert/#SX2YpRtzKz0kywWZ.99
"Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit." Leviticus 26:4 (The Israel Bible™) Israel's arid southern region was revived as half its annual rainfall fell in just a few hours overnight on Wednesday. This sudden drenching is a last minute blessing, helping the desert bloom. Eilat, the southernmost city in Israel, was hit by a sudden end-of-season storm, bringing massive amounts of rain and hail that shut down the airport and stranded travelers. More than half of its annual average of 1.18 inches fell in just a few hours overnight, flooding many roads. The rain was accompanied by thunder and high winds, and officials were forced to close the airport due to flooded runways and poor visibility. Coin-sized hail, an unusual phenomenon, pelted many areas in southern Israel. Seasonal rain in Israel is specified in the Bible as a sign of God's favor, affecting Israel's relationship with the other nations. Hashem will open unto thee His good treasure the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand; and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow. Deuteronomy 28:12 This winter, the first rain fell in late October, one week after Jews began praying for rain during the holiday of Sukkot. The seasonal request for rain is inserted into the thrice-daily benedictions called the shmona esrei (eighteen). Jews will stop praying for rain at the beginning of Passover on April 10, and begin praying for dew. Though Passover is still an auspicious time to pray for rain, the Talmudic sages ruled that Israel should pray for the pilgrimage festival to be dry to increase the joy of the holiday. Over 130 high-school students and hikers were stranded by a flash flood that cut off the parking area from the main road. Camping out in tents in the mountains overlooking the city, they were awakened in the middle of the night by a hail-storm. Teachers and guides led them to higher ground, where they waited for the buses to arrive. The buses and civilian four-wheel drive vehicles were unable to navigate the flooded roads, and rescue teams were called in. Flash floods are a mixed blessing, with the ability to turn an arid region into a blooming garden almost overnight, but they can also bring disaster. The clay soil does not absorb water well, and massive walls of water can come thundering down suddenly on hikers miles from where the rain actually fell. In 2007, four hikers died while rappelling in a gorge near the Dead Sea. The extreme weather is expected to continue for the next several days all over Israel, clearing up before the Sabbath. March is typically the wettest month of the year, so more rain can be expected. 
Nearing Midnight: Censorship Attack - Todd Strandberg - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
There is a tremendous battle over the right to freely share information in public and private places. Liberals are banding together to block conservatives and Christians from sharing their views. On various campuses, the liberal establishment has banned anyone who would dare speak positively of Donald Trump. Because they define Trump as evil, school administrators feel they have a green light to trample on the liberties of others. Something has gone horribly wrong when you have the younger generation screaming "Fascist," yet have become the very thing they claim to loathe. A mindset of intolerance has been normalized amongst the left, promoted by the media, even accepting violence in order to "stomp out" those who are targeted as "hatemongers." The liberal media has become so convinced that it's their job to tell the public what to think, those very words are starting to come out of their mouths. In a discussion about fears that President Donald Trump is "trying to control the media," MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski slipped up and said that controlling "exactly what people think" is her job (and that of the rest of the media). There is such a suppression of freedom in this country that can find themselves in instant trouble for the most casual remark. Comedian Steven Martin was recently criticized when he posted the following note in the wake of Carrie Fisher's death: "When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well," said Martin. His sin was failing to match up her beauty and wittiness. Offending other people's cultures is another depravity that will force celebrities to issue apologies. Hilary Duff and Chris Hemsworth both had to beg for forgiveness when photos showed each of them dressed as Native Americans at costume parties. Justin Timberlake was accused of cultural appropriation after sending a tweet praising actor Jesse Williams' BET Awards speech. The pettiness of the left puts the average citizen in danger. A Florida Teacher was "reassigned" after she praised Trump's Immigration police on Facebook. Liberal groups have been trying to get L.L. Bean to remove Linda Bean from the company's board of directors just because she donated $30,000 to a pro-Trump Political Action Committee. It is disgusting to have arrived at the point where people can't freely express their political views without being confronted by Nazi stormtroopers. Web-based organizations are also under attack from the left. The Gatestone Institute is a non-partisan think tank that's dedicated to educating the public about what the mainstream media fails to report. Last week, the president of GI sent out a letter that described the opposition with which the organization was having to deal: Gatestone Institute has recently come under smear campaigns from both extremist websites and the mainstream media. Facebook has repeatedly obstructed Gatestone content - sometimes with outright acts of censorship. Google has restricted our access to its Google News platform, and banned us from using its advertising platform. I've noticed suppression from Google against Rapture Ready and many other prophecy sites. In the past couple months the rankings for prophecy sites has been dropping. If you type the word "Rapture" in the search window at Google, the top results are now general references and old news articles. Rapture Ready should be in top three like it is on Yahoo and Bing. Chris of Rapture Forums told me his site was listed on page 12. It should be in the top 20 sites. Alex Jones has posted several videos on the censorship attack against conservative sites. He created a site to fight to protect the First Amendment. It's called the Coalition to Defend Free Speech. What I found interesting is that the Coalition to Defend Free Speech does not show up on Google. You have to go to Yahoo or Bing to find it. The website NaturalNews.com has been totally blocked by Google. I don't agree with some of this site's views, but I don't think a search engine should be able use monopolistic powers to set itself up as an Orwellian arbiter of truth. Mike Adams runs NaturalNews and he has created a Petition page that will be used to get the attention of the White House. Please sign-up and make your voices heard. Here is the link: Petition to Ban Google's Blatant Suppression of Free Speech. It is ironic that the company founded under the mantra "Don't be evil" is now doing the devil's bidding. If Google is going to block people from finding accurate search results, it will find soon itself as the K-Mart of search engines. When President Trump said the media are the "enemy of the people," he was absolutely correct. I truly believe that Satan spends more time in the media headquarters of New York than he does in the political capitals of Washington D.C. If the American people fail to rise up and put the media in its place we're going to eventually find ourselves living in a North Korea type dictatorship. About 99 percent of the North Korean citizens believe that (fat boy) Kim Jong-Un is a god because that's all they hear from the state controlled media. The American press has already poisoned the minds of 50 percent of the country. They are dead set on getting the other half. If the Rapture occurs soon, they may get their chance. "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:11-13). 
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 
Transhumanists and The Quest For Godhood - By Eric Metaxas - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=1051
What do cyborgs, vampires, and bowhead whales have in common? History tells us that when victorious generals in ancient Rome returned home, they would hold triumphal processions through the streets. Singers, dancers, and adoring citizens would shower the general with effusive praises. But to guard him against getting a big head, a slave stood behind him to whisper in his ear, "Remember, thou art mortal." It's a reminder each of us could use every day. But some entrepreneurs on the cutting edge of the tech world see their mortality and humanity not as realities to accept, but as hurdles to overcome. Take billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder, Elon Musk. As I told you back in October, Musk puts the odds that we're not living in a Matrix-like computer simulation at one in a billion. Now he says it's time for humans to merge with machines, or risk becoming irrelevant in the age of artificial intelligence. "Over time I think we will probably see a closer merger of biological and digital intelligence," he told the World Government Summit in Dubai. Musk thinks we'll have to add a new layer to our brains--an implant, perhaps--that will allow us to tap into artificial intelligence and think at the speed of computers. He admits that so-called "deep A.I.," "smarter than the smartest humans on earth," strikes him as dangerous. But he seems to believe that combining our wetware with hardware is the answer to human limitations. CNBC uses the word "cyborg" to describe the concept, but Musk's musings sound tame in comparison with fellow Silicon Valley billionaire and PayPal co-founder, Peter Thiel. A self-proclaimed "transhumanist," Thiel already takes human growth hormone to prolong his life, and says he hopes to achieve immortality by "uploading" his consciousness into a computer. And last year, Jeff Bercovici of Inc. magazine published an interview in which Thiel described a new plan to extend his life: injecting himself with the blood of young people to reverse the aging process. The procedure is called "parabiosis." And yes, of course many have already made the obvious comparison to vampires. Referring to death, Thiel remarked that "You can accept it, you can deny it, or you can fight it. I think our society is dominated by people who are in denial or acceptance, and I prefer to fight it." He's not alone. In 2015, BBC Future reported on research to identify the slowest-aging animals to discover the secret to their longevity. So far bowhead whales, which may live over 200 years, along with naked mole rats and certain bats, show the most promise. Of course, much of the work being done to delay aging and overcome our human limitations is good. Lifespans in the developed world have drastically increased in the last 200 years mostly because of improved medicine and nutrition. But the transhumanist impulse--the urge to not only delay death but beat it and become like gods--is lurking in the background, not to mention in Silicon Valley. "Aging," declares the BBC article, "is not an inevitable fact of life." But folks, it is. "Dust you are, and to dust you will return," God told humanity when sin entered the world. If Jesus tarries, you and I will die. All of us. Accepting that is crucial to living a meaningful life. Even so, as the Apostle Paul wrote, death is "the last enemy to be defeated." Our longing for immortality is good! It was put there on purpose. We were meant--from the moment of our creation--to live forever. And the secret to eternal life is in Someone else's blood. But it won't happen the way some people think. That means Christians can accept death, knowing that He Who is the "resurrection and the life" has already defeated it. 
Daily Jot: Blind opposition vs the promise of hope - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
Proverbs 23:7 says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." And Jesus said in Luke 6:45, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Words and actions mean things. The State of the Union speech delivered by President Donald Trump provided Americans with both words and actions to discern the hearts of those elected to represent us, and what the future holds. In the text of Trump's address are words of hope, encouragement, restoration, protection, safety, order and greatness. In the actions of those in the chamber are the battle lines of blind opposition. Trump delivered a marvelous vision of a new old America-a vision where our Constitutional Republic represents Americans, puts our nation first, is aimed at creating jobs, stirring enterprise, treating all equally and just under the law. He said in his opening, "Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice-in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present. That torch is now in our hands. And we will use it to light up the world. I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my heart." The chamber of Congress often erupted in applause and a standing ovation throughout the speech, except for the Democrats, who sat with scowls. Trump encouraged Americans with the hope of job creation, public safety, law and order, representing Americans not the world, reaffirming our commitment to Israel, fighting "radical Islamic terrorism," protecting our businesses with fair trade as well as free trade, immigration reform and protecting citizens from violent illegal immigrants, rebuilding the American infrastructure, improving our military, supporting our veterans, improving our school systems, repealing/replacing socialist healthcare, and more. Trump painted a positive and hopeful vision for America. The Democratic Party representatives sat stoically, even hissing at the president and giving him a thumbs down. Democratic Party women wore white to protest Trump's plans to defund Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. Wearing white to promote death. Wow! Trump said, "Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed. Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can find healing, and hope. Our citizens deserve this, and so much more-so why not join forces to finally get it done? On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country, and for the good of the American people...When we have all of this, we will have made America greater than ever before. For all Americans. This is our vision. This is our mission. But we can only get there together. We are one people, with one destiny. We all bleed the same blood. We all salute the same flag. And we are all made by the same God." From the Democrat side--again nothing. In their hearts, they disagree with this mission and vision. It's blind opposition, the sightline into their hearts. 
Daily Devotion: How Sin Affects Your Prayer Life - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. -Psalm 66:18 Habitual sin in the life of a Christian can bring his or her prayer life to a screeching halt. That is not to say we have to be sinless to pray. If that were the case, none of us could ever approach God. The Bible even says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). It also tells us that when we sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (see 1 John 2:1). The Bible makes allowances for sin in our lives and offers God's mercy and forgiveness to us, but unconfessed sin certainly can hinder our prayers. The psalmist said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" (66:18). Another way to translate the word regard would be "hold on to." In other words, if we cling to iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us. There is a difference between sin and willful sin. There is a difference between stumbling, being sorry for it, and turning from it, and continually, willfully, and habitually sinning. If you are sensing God's conviction and know what you're doing isn't right, that is God's Holy Spirit lovingly trying to wake you up and warn you of the perilous path you have put yourself on. Hebrews 12:6 says, "Whom the Lord loves He chastens." To loosely paraphrase, "Whom God really loves, He spanks." Because He cares about you, He applies the "board of education" to your "seat of understanding." Some of us need a trip behind God's woodshed. When that happens, don't recoil and complain that it's unfair. Instead, rejoice that God loves you enough to deal with you as a father deals with his son or daughter. 
FROM THE HEART
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