Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Rise of the Beast Power of Revelation - Pastor Mike Taylor -
http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2019/03/rise-of-beast-power-of-revelation.html "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."(Psalms 2:1-5) Down through the history of humans living on this earth, mankind has thought to elevate himself above God, instead of realizing the Creator as God, but made himself as a god to worship. Men in their evil hearts have tried to deny God, to blaspheme His name, and ignore Him in their daily lives. They have said "I don't need God, because I will elevate myself and humanity as my god". This has been going on since ancient times and the Tower of Babel when Nimrod thought to make a tower to heaven to challenge God for supreme position in the hearts of mortal man. It is the greatest rebellion patterned after the father of rebellion, Lucifer who became Satan. Beginning in this ancient time period, there have been men who were Anti-God and by extension Anti-Christ. We see many instances of men arising to power and denying the power that enables them to breath, to move, and have their being. But God is sovereign and men's puny attempts to deny Him or attempts to thwart His supreme plan for the redemption of mankind will fail. God is infinitely stronger than even the greatest of confederacies, and He will blow away the most extensive and vigorous efforts to overthrow His plans like so much dust. He laughs at man's puny attempts to rule without considering Him as the source of their very lives. Will He who repulsed the attacks of Satan's mighty angelic host be put in fear of mere mortal, limited men? Of course, no. God says in Isaiah 14:24 "The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: 25 That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. 27 For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"(Isaiah 14:24-27) But that does not mean that men have not attempted to deny God and to rise to power to commit heinous acts against other men according to their own free will and moral choices. They attempt to rule the earth and forever wish to be the supreme force of the land. You can see the results of men who have been a power of Anti-Christ when you look at men like Nero, Antiochus Epiphanes, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot and more recently the dictator of North Korea, Russian Vladimir Putin, or the mullahs, the leadership of Iran, just to name a few from ancient times into our more modern times. God has allowed these men to come to power and have toppled them when His plan was completed for their time. Our bible says that this time is not finished, as many Anti-Christ have come upon the scene since John spoke of them in 1st John: 18 "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."(1st John 2:18) They have been many recorded in our history, but God says there will be a coming Anti-Christ who will be the last of a long line, but will be more powerful than all the rest. 3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."(2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4) This is the man living in a modern, godless nation, who will possess the supreme embodiment of the evil of Satan indwelling a mortal man. He will arise and will subdue the whole earth as is plainly stated in Revelation 13: 7 "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."(Revelation 13:7-8) We know that this man will arise, but where will he come from? Many have tried to pinpoint his location or his arrival. It has been believed that the man known as the Anti-Christ will come from the Revised Roman Empire, and that would be Europe, or possibly the Eastern Leg located in the middle east, but let us explore a possibility that many overlook. I will attempt to hypothesize and mind you, I may not be right, but it is worth looking at this possibility, as we are told to watch, and a good watchmen on the wall takes what is about him and warns the people of WHAT MAY be coming in short order. In past messages, I was searching for the city that will become the modern fulfillment of Ancient Babylon, we have explored two other possibilities. We have looked at Rome and at Mecca as the center of the beast power, with a ruler known as the Pope, and the 12th imam, known as the Mahdi, in that order...but I wish to explore one other reigning power and city that "could" fit the definition of the end time Beast Power, and it very close to home. I have looked at this before, but with what is happening in our world right now, behooves me to focus a bright light on this possible location for the rise of the coming "Beast Power". WHERE IS BABYLON TODAY? The bible is full of historical events that have been proven to be right by discovery in archaeological digs and is written down in our history books. Events in the bible seem to go in parallels, or in circles, and keep repeating themselves, until the final episode of man's rebellion is put down in a final battle the bible calls Armageddon. The bible speaks of Ancient Babylon and goes into describing her again in Revelation as the power that will be destroyed in the end of days. Reading in passages of this last book of the bible: 8 " And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."(Revelation 14:8) We read about this great city that will arise and rule the whole world in commerce, militarily, and economically and will cause all men to bow to one supreme ruler. 2 "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."(Revelation 13:2-6) (He will be supported and promoted as the supreme ruler of this world, by another man known as the false prophet:) 11 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."(Revelation 13:11-18) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Where will these men be located and where will their base of operation be? If we look to the ancient land of Babylon, now known as Iraq, the USA completed, (prematurely, in my opinion) a war to rid the country of Saddam Hussein and hopefully instill the spirit of "democracy" into the people of the country. But what has happened just after we crossed the border with the last soldier of our military? The news was full of the news of new sectarian violence and the latest bomb blast to kill innocent bystanders. We heard about it most every week. . The country was on the verge of a civil war and the Prime Minister was inept to enforce the rule of law and prevent this violence. It looks like we spent much blood and treasure to no avail in this godless country. And now we read that Iran has virtually taken over the country and has a Middle East track to the Mediterranean. But our bible speaks of Babylon the Great, so does the bible mean the ancient site of Babylon? If you believe as I do, that the return of the Lord of glory is imminent, then this CANNOT be the center of economic and military might spoken of in God's Holy Word. Let's see if we can make any sense of what we read in our bible concerning this city. Let's look at the prophet Zechariah : 5 "Then the angel who spoke with me went out and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes and see what this goes forth." 6 I said, "What does this signify?" And he said, "This represents the ephah going forth." Again he said, "This signifies their appearance in all the land 7 (and behold, a lead cover appeared lifted up); and a woman sits inside the ephah." 8 Then he said, "This represents Wickedness!" And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening. 9 Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and two women came out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. 10 I said to the angel who spoke with me, "Where do they take the ephah?" 11 Then he said to me, "To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when we prepare it she will stand there on her own pedestal."(Zechariah 5:5-11) People look at these verses and say Babylon is in the ancient land noted in historical records, so that must be Babylon the Great. Is it really? Look to a land where Ishmael created a great nation, the land of Saudi Arabia. In the city of Mecca, we find a great cubicle known as the Black Stone, or the Kaaba. In it you will find a symbol of the female parts of a woman. Note this website: http://www.geologypage.com/2018/01/black-stone-mecca.html Is this basket, which is what this cubical represents, is sitting on a pedestal with a woman sitting inside, (or a representation of a woman), is this what Zechariah was speaking of? I believe it is, but this is in Mecca, not Babylon. Historically the land of Shinar was Mesopotamia, or the southern end of Iraq of modern days, but the whole plain might extend to the land mass between the seas of the Caspian, the Mediterranean, an the Persian Gulf. But Saudi Arabia doesn't have the might spoken in the Bible, or ports that makes it an economic powerhouse, but she can be instrumental in forming a one world religion, with the push for unity of all religions and the posible rise of an apostate religion. In one of the last two messages that was posted recently on my website, we explored the rise of the false prophet in the Catholic Church where I put forth the belief that this religion will be the agent to bring all religions into a one world religious order, including Islam for a blended apostasy called Chrislam. They are now trying to incorporate all religions to combine into an ecumenical belief that we all serve the same God. Do we all believe in the same God? Not when it comes to Islam and any religious order of Far East Mysticism, but they would have you believe that we can all be of one religion and have as our focus, one mediator on earth that will be the enforcer of this one world belief system. Who is that enforcer? Yes, the False Prophet (who well may be the apostate pope, as he is looking more and more likely) who will promote the Beast Power headed by the Anti-Christ. I think it is safe to say that this evil embodiment of apostasy will include the Kaaba inside Mecca and make it a criminal act to not follow the edicts of the Anti-Christ, his false prophet, or/and his regime. I speak of a regime and where might that regime be located? The bible speaks of a city that is the center of commerce and all the world has been made rich by her fornication. Where is that city? Is it ancient Babylon rebuilt? Again, let me repeat, if you are a proponent of the imminent return of Jesus Christ, as I am, do you see ancient Babylon being rebuilt to become a super power of commerce, with a port that is the center of all commerce in the near future? I don't. There are two reasons that I see another city that is the prophesied Babylon the Great and has been transplanted to another land, as in this time, we are not talking about a region, but the whole earth. A LAND MOST BLESSED, PASSES INTO IDOLATRY I have looked at this once before, but let us take a closer look and see if she fits. Reason #1, Revelation: 8 "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:"(Revelation 18:8-11) In this modern era, there is only one city that is the center of commerce for all the earth. The power brokers have their center in this city, all currencies are decided from her treasury, and the world standard for trade is made or destroyed in her ability to control the world's fortunes. That city is New York. No other center of world power and control of commerce is more evident than in this one city. The world markets are centered by and at large on Wall Street. If somehow the influence and the markets of New York City were destroyed, the world markets would be in a panic. The economies of this world would collapse if God took out His vengeance on this city, who many claim is a nation unto itself and controls the rest of the world. Her destruction would fit the verses quoted above. As it was in ancient Israel and the time of Solomon, Israel was the most powerful nation in the world, until her kings descended into idolatry and abominations that caused God to pour out His judgment on her and she was cast to the four winds. Now we see the USA, which started on principles built on the Ten Commandments, and the principles found in our bible. Our nation which gave honor and glory to our Creator, as the source of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been much blessed by God, (as was the nation of Israel), but the population has wandered into the darkness of idolatry and lust of the flesh. We could name many sins that has engulfed our land, starting with abortion and infanticide or the burning of our children in the fires of Molech. Her sins have to rise like a stink in God's nostrils. AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE No other city that has a port, which if Babylon was to be rebuilt would have no port, and would not have a history of controlling the world trade, as New York has done for 200 years, and even more so in the last 100 years. I submit to you that the city of Revelation that is destroyed in one day noted as Babylon the Great, is but a symbolism of a great city so wicked and perverse in her actions, that God punishes her in one swift blow that surpasses a nuclear strike performed by modern warfare. The center of power of her wealth and its control is in this city, but the center of governing this port of commerce is in her neighboring city, Washington, D.C. A city such as New York City must have a center of authority and a leader who makes and enforces economic and military power. ISRAEL ; AND THE LONE SUPERPOWER OF THE EARTH Reason #2: We, who watch for the signs of the coming of our Messiah, point to an obvious sign of the revealing of the Anti-Christ beginning with a 7 year treaty given to Israel by the leader of a superpower nation. Daniel chapter 9, 25 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."(Daniel 9:25-27) This is a reference to a treaty that was prophesied to Daniel by Gabriel, that at the end of days a 70th week will be completed or the finishing of Daniel's 70 week prophecy concerning Israel and its purification. This treaty, or some call it is"a pact with the devil", will be signed. We have studied in numerous sermons and articles on my website of wars that will lead up to this treaty beginning with a war prophesied in Psalms 83 and into Ezekiel 38 and 39. What superpower has a leader that the people of Israel would think of signing an agreement with for their protection and safety and allow them with international consent to build their temple once more? My take is only one leader, the President of the United States with a UN resolution to prevent another war that has so decimated the area and is evident that something happened that these men cannot explain. In the past, the USA has been Israel's ally and benefactor, but no more..We see right now, that POTUS Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner is trying to create the deal of the century, and many believe that the deal will be "dead on arrival", as the Palestinians don't want peace, but complete extermination of Israel as the "occupier" of the land. But what if a future president brought this to Israel as a "deal to prevent another war" and Israel looked at this man as a "political savior" promising them 'PEACE AND SECURITY"? If we take the coming Psalm 83 war and the Gog-Magog destruction of 5/6 of all their armed forces and the plagues that befall them following them back to their home countries and the devastation continues. In that scenario, the Muslims around them will be reduced to "less than a threat to Israel" anymore as God has destroyed all invaders on the mountains of Israel. Israel has wanted "peace and security" since her becoming a nation in May, 1948 and here a man of "charisma" will charm them that he has their best interest at heart and makes a deal that the leaders of the nation will not refuse. They will realize halfway through the Tribulation, that they have made a deal with the devil and not their "political messiah". For another point of view that seems to "confirm" what I am speaking of , go here: http://www.escapeallthesethings.com/60-reasons-iraq-not-mystery-babylon.htm PROBLEMS AT HOME The USA is the leader of past quartets to bring "peace" to the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians. But during this war, or wars, the Palestinians are no more, but Israel now owns most of the Middle East resources of oil and gas. In the back of their minds, the nations know that the results of those wars were won by something supernatural and Divine and the god of this world will not give credit where credit is due, nor will the men who do his bidding. The USA is now in the middle of an economic upswing, but we all know that the economy is built on a house of cards that will eventually collapse and it will only get worse, not better as past administrations tried to paint a face of recovery on a fragile situation. Already the rights and freedoms that the USA has enjoyed and prospered by are in jeopardy of being taken away, all in the name of Homeland Security and the Democratic (sic) party, our freedoms are being eroding, even as I speak this message, as it is on the daily news to take away our 1st and 2nd Amendment rights.. I shudder to think that the land that I grew up in, the land that I pledged allegiance to, and the land that my forefathers died to protect our freedom will be washed away by some lawless individual that embodies all the evil that Satan can bring about to destroy mankind. Right now, our land is led by one man who is our commander in chief of the armed forces and the protector of our liberty and he gets challenges on anything he proposes, as the left just can't believe that Hillary didn't win to continue the Obama policies that President Trump is reversing.. Now our system of government could suddenly change and we would have a dictatorship, or a defacto king imposing martial law, as some fear may be coming. Even now the "congress" that is supppose to represents us, is seeking nothing but "impeachment" and trying to insert their man, instead of the one God chose, and the people elected. As I have preached in the past, Trump is the modern day "King Cyrus" that is for the benefit of God's chosen people, the inhabitants of Israel. No one will be able to remove Trump from office unless God allows it, and He is finished with what has been a reprieve from our downhill slide to lawlessness and a coming dictatorship. But this coming leader will be the opposite of what the God in Heaven stands for and embraces the god of forces. We have seen the past "usurper in chief" overstep his constitutional bounds by "executive orders" on immigration, national security, foreign policy, or just name it and this man has either done it, or explored how to circumvent our laws created by our representatives in Congress. He did a right good job of sending this country towards a "One World Government" by pushing "socialism" and here we see it being proposed once again by leftist from New York, Vermont, and Minnesota and we stomach the first openly Muslim congresswomen in the history of our country and a former barmaid that is inept at every turn, but along with her cohorts are always in the news pushing a socialistic form of government. What is disturbing is that a poll says that "socialism" is something they would embrace, but in South America, the premier country, Venezuela has eroded from a prosperous country to a poverty stricken nation. No where in history has socialism worked for the people, save to enslave them. THE ANTI-CHRIST COMES TO POWER. 36 "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all."(Daniel 11:36-37) These verses, I believe give reference to a king who performed the abomination of desolation noted by Jesus in Matthew 24. and only happened one other time in history. That King was Antiochus Epiphanes who was a Syrian king who erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies with the likeness of his own face and defiled the temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar of God, leading to the Maccabean Wars and the Jewish revolt to drive this madman out of the Holy Land. Another evil man with the same spirit as this king will arise and will have as his god, the god of forces and total superiority in arms. Many people think, and I've had them tell me, that Barack Hussein Obama was the Anti-Christ. Was he? I don't believe he was or will be, at least I have no evidence of that fact to say one way or another, but he did oppose Christian principles and promoted Islam any chance he got. I've said it before and I will say it again, this side of the church being removed from this planet, we will not know for sure who the man called the Anti-Christ will be, but will have a pretty good idea before it actually happens. Those who are on this earth when this treaty is made with Israel, if they know the bible, or read anything on prophecy websites, will know that this is the man. He will do away with all religions that worship any god, and proclaim himself to be a god, as Satan has entered into him and wishes to be worshiped through him. He will allow worship of a one world religion for a short time, but will destroy her with fire in the middle of the Tribulation as he desires worship of himself alone: Revelation, 16 "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."(Revelation 17:16) But remember, my friend, God is in control. If this hypothesis turns out to be right and the City of Babylon is the city of New York, the Anti-Christ resides in the oval office of the president, and the false prophet is the pope in Rome that embraces Islam mixed with apostate Christianity, then we can do nothing but vote our conscience in any election and pray and repent accordingly. It will be an unholy alliance of Islam, Catholicism as Chrislam as the One World religion proclaiming the Anti-Christ, and the USA blended as the Beast Power. What can upset this scenario is if the USA is somehow dethroned as the Superpower of this earth. There are forces at work to destroy this nation from within and shift the economic might back to Europe. Will they succeed? What can we do? Is there any hope of prolonging the inevitable, if any of this be true? The only other "superpower" that is present today is "socialist/communist Russia" but will be the leader during the Gog-Magog coalition that is destroyed by God, so Russia may take a huge hit on their leaders and their people along with Iran, Turkey and other Islamic countries of the region. WHAT CAN ANY OF US DO? 14 " If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."(2nd Chronicles 7:14) I fear that this nation of immigrants that were blessed with God given freedom may be in for some rough times. We see it already beginning. We, who call on the name of the Lord as our Savior, may see the beginning of some rough times economically, but it will get exponentially worse when all hell on earth breaks loose and millions of people suddenly vanish from the face of the earth. Economically, the nation will be plunged into turmoil and marshal law will be most assuredly enacted. Riots will develop in the order of European cities that have played on your nightly news, but on a larger scale worldwide. Freedom will vanish and a police state will emerge. The past administration had been looking for a reason to suspend our Constitutionally held rights. If it's immigration, terrorism, diseases long thought eradicated cause an outbreak, or the disappearance of a major portion of the citizens of this country, then the gulags that we have heard being built for control of the masses, and the caskets for mass graves will quickly be put to use, as a state of chaos will develop and the powers that be will rush into to restore order, at whatever cost in human life. In the meantime and before this dire scenario plays out, my friend, get your own house in order. If you're playing church, now is the time to get serious about this man/God, Jesus Christ. If you think that you can skate in your beliefs and live like the devil, then you may just join Satan in his eternal home after being plunged headlong into 7 years of utter genocide of mankind. Time is growing short. Economic turmoil is right around the corner and people will suffer under a repressive regime. Men, women and children will die in the short term, but all will be required to take a mark to even live when order is restored: Revelation , 16 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."(Revelation 13:16-18) When that happens, you will take the mark, or die. To take the mark, you will live, but only temporarily as you will be condemned for all eternity and enter into a place reserved for the devil and his demons the Bible calls the Lake of Fire burning with sulfur and brimstone to be forever lost without hope and a way back to God. The signs are about us. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will come WITHOUT warning. Only the wise and the humble will submit to the calling of the Holy Spirit to receive pardon from your shortcomings, failures, and sins against God Almighty. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."(Isaiah 1:18) "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."( John 14:6) 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."(John 3:16-18) He calls you now as you read. Will you listen to that still, small voice that speaks to your spirit, or will you enter into the most horrifying experience known to mankind? The choice is ultimately YOURS. 8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:8-13) This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying God's salvation in your life through His Son Jesus Christ. If there is anything I can help you with, pray with you about, counsel you on, or just give a listening ear, then email me at [email protected] , or visit me online for more biblical lessons from the Word of God at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com , God bless you all, TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET Why 2030? - By Daniel Payne - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/03/14/2030-daniel-payne/ Have you ever wondered why certain entities that do not worship the Almighty God of the Bible have chosen the year 2030 to mark their own "world-changing" goals and predictions? Why does this exact title from the U.N. read, "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development"? (1) Why have the so-called "democratic socialists" adopted the year 2030 as the year the world will end as a consequence of so-called man-made climate change? (2) As a side note, have you ever wondered why it seems only those of us who actually believe in the ENTIRE Bible-including prophecy-are labeled as troublemaking lunatics while those mentioned above get a free pass on their own apocalyptic warnings? The only answer that fits is that Satan is the "great" counterfeiter of Almighty God. The Bible indeed describes the devil as a deceptive counterfeiter. During the Tribulation, Satan will assemble his own false trinity-himself, the beast, and the false prophet-in an attempt to counterfeit the true Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Also during the Tribulation, Satan will put his own mark on the foreheads of those who choose to follow him (Revelation 13:16) in an attempt to counterfeit the mark that God puts on the foreheads of the 144,000 Jewish witnesses of the gospel of Christ (Revelation 7:3-4), and also counterfeit the marks that were put on the foreheads of those spared from God's judgment of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 9:4). It seems that Satan may already know something of God's timetable as it relates to His administration of His earthly creation. After all, the devil has had access to the throne of God for at least thousands of earth years (Job 1:6; Revelation 12:10, etc). Satan endeavors to always stay one step ahead of God in an attempt to deceive unbelievers into following down his path of explanation for the things that are about to come to pass on the entire earth. Sometime in the not-too-distant future when people start to remember reading - or hearing in the past from believers in God and His Word in the Bible - about what they are experiencing at the beginning of the Tribulation, then the devil will be right there to wag his slick, political antichrist finger in their face, saying: "You were already warned that this would happen by my disciples who tried to bring peace and equality to the world through global partnership and teamwork. Those troublemakers who vanished should have listened to them!" No mere mortal knows if 2030 marks some monumental world-changing event in human history, but it certainly gets one thinking, doesn't it? "So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Sources: Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Cortex Says the World Will End in 12 Years Keep Christ First - Nathele Graham - [email protected] How often do we hear someone say "I don't go to church because there's too many hypocrites there"? That statement comes from a misunderstanding of what a Christian is. Simply put, a Christian is a sinner saved by grace. We are people who recognize our sin and are sorry for it, but aren't yet perfect. We've repented and asked Christ to forgive us, and even though we aren't perfect we are forgiven. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" Colossians 2:13-14. The fact that our past, present, and future sins have been nailed to the cross doesn't give us a license to continue sinning. A change in your attitude should have happened the moment you realized you needed Christ for salvation and accepted His shed blood as your once for all sacrifice to take away your sin. Overcoming the sin in your life will take time to accomplish, and while living this side of Heaven we will never reach perfection. Only the righteousness of Christ is our way to eternal life. While outsiders may see a congregation of hypocrites, God sees His children learning to obey. If we keep Him first in our thoughts it will show in our life. In order to know how to make Godly choices we need to study Scripture. Many Christians like to read the Bible through in a year. This isn't a bad thing, but Bible reading and Bible study are two different things. Reading Scripture is like a race. You rush to get through it as fast as you can. On the other hand, when you take time to study you'll learn to know God better and see how to make choices that please Him. Why was Noah "perfect in his generation" and saved through God's judgment? King David is known as a man after God's own heart, but was guilty of adultery and murder. What made him special? There are lessons to be learned from these men's lives and you won't learn if you rush through Scripture. Take time to study and you'll learn that Noah's blood wasn't tainted by the fallen angels. You will need to look at the original language (Hebrew) to understand, but you will gain a clearer understanding of God. Noah had kept himself and his family separated from the sin around him and obeyed God, not Satan. We also need to keep ourselves separated from the sin around us. David sinned, but when convicted of that sin he was heartbroken and truly repentant before the Lord. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me." Psalm 51:1-3. David wrote Psalm 51 when seeking God's forgiveness. Many people today, including political leaders, see themselves as above the law. King David's desire was to please God and when he failed he sought forgiveness. That's an example of how we should feel when we see we have fallen into sin. As you study Scripture you'll learn to see things from God's point of view and apply it to your life. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. When Paul wrote those words there was only Old Testament Scripture. If you zip through the Bible in a year you'll probably rush through Leviticus. Christians aren't under the Law, but by studying it you'll come to understand more about how God views sin and what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross. There is no longer a need for sacrificing animals to cover sin because Jesus is the once for all sacrifice that takes sin away. Because of His perfect love your sins are forgiven. Turn from the sin in your life and begin walking in the way of Christ. Old friends may call you a "goody two shoes", but when you confess Christ with your lips and you live to please Him, you won't be called a hypocrite. Rites and rituals won't bring salvation and are quite often done to make a show of holiness to other people. You're only fooling yourself if you jump through religious hoops but don't live to please God. "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." James 1:26. We all come to Christ with an insurmountable pile of sins. Those sins are forgive at the moment you first truly accept Christ's sacrifice for salvation. You confess that you're a sinner and know that you cannot save yourself...only His blood takes sin away. You repented. That means you changed your mind and you know that sin has separated you from God. You are a new creation in Christ and it's time to start over. The sins you once thought you enjoyed have no place in your life and should become repugnant to you. You've been justified by the Blood of the Lamb and it's time to begin the sanctification process. You recognize the sin in your life and pray for strength to turn from it. It could be something as common as gossiping or using foul language. Our lips should praise our Lord not use His name as a curse. My husband had quite a vocabulary of "four letter words", but the day he gave his life to Christ those words were gone. I was amazed and very thankful. Other things took a little longer, but he studied Scripture and prayed about his sin. He knew he couldn't hold onto things like anger and serve Christ perfectly. His life was a testimony, and I take great comfort knowing that the day he died he was welcomed Home by Jesus. Not because Ron was perfect, but because Jesus is perfect. Scripture lists many sins that shouldn't be in a Christians life, but it also lists positive things that should be reflected in our life. "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27. It's easy to mouth words and put on a show of being religious. That's what causes people to call Christians "hypocrites". You may be the first one to arrive on Sunday morning and sit in your special pew, but if that's where you leave your "religion" then you aren't living your faith. We need to understand the difference. James gives the example of caring for widows and orphans. Believe me, I know the problems faced by widowhood. There are many things my husband just did because he knew how. I'm not physically nor financially able to make repairs to my home, but God always provides. Because I study Scripture I know that I can trust Him in all things. If there's a widow in your congregation, you might start living your faith by asking her if she needs help. Is there a young child whose father has died? He needs the example of Godly men to teach him and mentor him. We know that it's by the grace of God that we are saved and works don't bring salvation, but our faith should motivate us to do good works. "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" James 2:20. Good works done in the name of Jesus should be a natural result of living a Christian life. Many Christians have a heart to serve God and this shows in doing acts of kindness. Many of the kind acts are done for unsaved people. This is a good thing. It shows that Christians care enough to help the needy, and those acts of kindness may bring someone to salvation. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:9-10. Study that verse. Notice that Paul says to help everyone but qualifies his words to add "...especially unto them who are of the household of faith". In doing good works, don't forget the struggles that fellow Christians face. Elderly people may need a ride to a doctor's appointment, or a widower may enjoy being invited to your home for dinner. In the congregation I attend there's a man who had some severe health issues. This winter was very cold and he needed wood to heat his home. Some members of the congregation made sure he had enough wood for the winter. What a blessing that was for the brother in need. There are probably many people in your own congregation who could use a helping hand. You'll find that true pleasure comes from letting the love of Jesus flow through you to help others. Jesus urged His followers to abide in Him. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5. Christians need to strive to live the way Christ showed us. The more we "practice what we preach", the more joy will fill our lives. Instead of looking to the ways of the world to make us happy, try serving the Lord to find true contentment. When we live out our faith our lives will bear fruit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law... If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-23 & 25. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, but He is also our Guide. He will teach us to walk in the ways of our Lord. It isn't always easy because we still have the fight between our sin nature and the ways of the Lord. We have to make choices. Don't put yourself in the way of temptation, but when temptation does come along, pray. "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." Galatians 5:24. Christ took your sins to the cross, now you need to crucify carnal lusts. That's how the fruit of the Spirit will grow and flourish in your life. We live in troubled times. As the end of time approaches, wickedness increases. We are constantly bombarded with people telling us that sin is acceptable, but with Scripture to guide us we know God's truth. His truth never changes. As you live each day be sure you keep Christ first in your thoughts. Let His ways be your ways. "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." Ephesians 5:1-2. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] www.straitandnarrowministry.com [email protected] Ron and Nathele Graham's previous commentaries archived at http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html All original scripture is "theopneustos" God breathed. If you'd like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: When the good do nothing - Bill Wilson - www.daily.com Edmund Burke is credited with the quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Certainly, we are told by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:21, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." In this case, the Greek word used for "overcome" can be interchanged with "conquer." We are not to be conquered by evil, but to conquer evil with good. So Burke's quote is quite right in the sense that if good men do nothing in the face of evil, evil with triumph. This is one of the problems we have with our political system. Year after year we elect the same kinds of people and we expect them to do what they say. We are mostly disappointed because of a lack of quality and character. People have often asked about why we have such questionable candidates running for office. The choices, they say, are subpar. The short answer is that we need to recruit better candidates. That recruitment process starts at the local level, meaning that we should be involved at the precinct or county committee level and exercise our opinions on candidate selection. But even at that foundational level of all politics, there is built into the system these days a tremendous flaw. Those who run for office may start out believing they can make a difference, but the longer they are in politics and the higher the office they seek, the less in touch they are with their original values. It really is a true formula. Over my years in politics, I saw really good people with great ideals slowly erode into minions for the party machine or other outside influences that "redirected" their thoughts and stances on issues they once held dear as non-negotiable. Moreover, the very essence of politics in today's environment would strongly discourage or even prevent a good person from running for office. Who in their right mind would subject their family, friends, business associates, or even themselves to a process that seeks as a price of entry the destruction of reputations built over a lifetime? Everything that was done by a candidate during his life is open to the twisting of half-truths or lies or worse by the opposition. In many cases-and I know this is true because I am a veteran of political campaigns-a lie is spoken on purpose to get a willing reporter to write a story. Once the story is written, it has legs that can be run through the public, then used again in negative campaign ads, and can be recycled in debates, and so on. Often these lies are proven to be lies long after the election-long after the reputation is ruined, marriages are left on questionable ground, jobs are lost. This is what our political system has become. No good person would even enter the building politic knowing this risk. Hence, evil advances. It takes a special kind of person to put all at risk to overcome this evil. They are hard to find. Daily Devotion: Work It Out - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. - Philippians 2:12 Wouldn't it be nice if you could hire someone to work out for you? When you don't want to go to the gym, you simply pay someone to do it for you. But you can't do that. You have to work out for yourself. The Bible tells us, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12 NKJV). This carries the meaning of working to full completion. We don't work for it, however; it's a gift to us from God. But there's work involved in the Christian life as we discover what God has done for us. This isn't something that someone else can do in your place. This is something that you must do for yourself. The apostle Paul gives this interesting thought in verse 12: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence . . ." (NKJV). Paul was writing to the believers in Philippi from prison. He couldn't be there with them as he had been in the past. The New Living Translation is helpful here: "Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear." Paul was effectively saying, "You need to grow up spiritually. You can't build your spiritual life on me, because it is God who works in you, not me." Sometimes we allow people to take the place of God in our lives. A husband chooses not to attend church because his wife doesn't go anymore. Or the kids don't go to church because their parents don't. You need your own relationship with God. Work out your own salvation. 
FROM THE HEART
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