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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Saved, But Missed the Rapture - Joseph Chambers -
http://www.pawcreek.org/saved-but-missed-the-rapture/ Matthew 24 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. It's heart breaking to think of missing the Rapture.
This chapter opens with the entire earth filled with the wrath of the Father and the Lamb against sin and wickedness. Satan, the enemy of all that is holy, has produced his greatest imitation of religion in human history. Blasphemy against the Creator and all that is holy has filled the earth. A war in the heavens has cast Satan to the earth and his time is short. He and his unholy trinity will fight to the finish and the world's armies will join his struggle. It's a Doom's Day scenario. As we study the Book of Revelation, chapters six through eleven, we must remember that the time frame of this story is the exact same seven years as the time frame of chapters twelve to nineteen. Accordingly, chapters six and seven are approximately the same time as chapters twelve and thirteen. Satan has been cast out of heaven to earth and is on a rampage against all truth and all that believe and obey truth. The wrath of God and the anger of Satan, along with his false trinity, are everywhere. Men are dying like flies. It's doom's day to the fullest extent. The Father and the Lamb must judge everything of sin before they can redeem the earth. The evil trinity has been reduced to a very short timeframe to mount their offense against the kingdom of God Darkness is at its greatest level, yet, there is a rainbow of brilliant color above the Father's throne and mercy is extended. The throne of God is the backdrop of this entire seven years of tribulation. The rainbow over His throne must never fade from view as we behold the scene of redemption and judgment. The Father is sovereignty holy and full of grace but perfect in judgment of sin. This book is as literal as every other book of the Bible and every scene of mercy and grace must be defended. The view that states that this book and its story is all darkness and sorrow has done great injustice to this masterpiece. The one word that rises above all others is the word redemption. This earth and all of God's universe is experiencing the final moments of purification, cleansing, and renewal that will end in a world fit for nothing but the Holy God and His holy family, a world of kings and priests. This seventh chapter of Revelation is clearly a brief moment where the great God and the Lamb stop everything that is occurring to reveal the extent of their mercy. Within this one chapter, the Jewish world and the Gentile world both witness the unfailing love of God. This chapter has the appearance of occurring in the middle of the seven years of the Great Tribulation. There is no finality to that, but it does fit the overall scheme of events. In the First Testament, the prophets of Israel call this period of seven years a time of Jacob's Trouble. At least two-thirds of all the Jewish race will be killed or die. "And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God." Zechariah 13:8-9. The book of Revelation was written for and to the church, but we see the Lord's kinsmen and all the promises to them surface several times. The twenty-four elders place the redeemed of Israel in their proper order. The twenty-four elders represent both First Testament saints and church age saints. This chapter makes it clear that Israel is not forgotten, and chapters fourteen and fifteen put a remnant of Israel in His presence that were saved out from the troubles of the Great Tribulation. The twelve Gates of Pearl in New Jerusalem place them in the midst of the Bible as part and lot of the whole of His chosen. They will possess the whole geography of God's promises to Abraham during the thousand years of His reign on earth and the ancient city of Jerusalem will be the joy of the earth. This book, though written to the church, does not forget Israel. We will see the multitude that have been saved, converted, and redeemed out of the Gentile world as the judgments of God fill the earth and the masquerade of Satan reveals his evil design. Never has the population of the earth been privileged to see the contrast of God's hatred for sin and Satan's true nature of sin so clearly. The greater multitude will refuse to repent, but those that do will not be forgotten. A great company will find repentance impossible and will serve Satan and his Antichrist, while they believe that he is the true God. To suggest that salvation will be easy in this dark period would be a disservice to truth and to the great mob that will be desperate for direction. Salvation will depend upon a person's willingness to be a martyr and to be hated many times worse than the hatred experienced in this present day. The world will finally see that the Jehovah God of Holy Scripture is the only true God. The choices will be simple because God's judgments will be known by the whole world. 1 Samuel 10 18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: 19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands. "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. Revelation 7:1-3 This pause in the proceeding of judgments is remarkable. The world is under great wrath from the Father and the Lamb. They are also under an assault from Satan and his horde at the same time. It's like everything comes to a standstill as the angels of God manifest their incredible powers. Even Satan's activities must be stayed. All the elements of nature will suddenly be calmed and the earth's population will be filled with a sense of a divine encounter. His angels, probably Cherubim in this case, are awesome creatures. When they manifest powers as great as suggested in this text, a foreboding of their great emotions will touch all creation. "Holding the four winds of the earth," will create a hush or calm that strikes incredible fear. These angels were already on a mission to disrupt the processes of nature. Their activities were in motion so that the sudden calm was like the eye of a hurricane with a storm raging on both sides. It is apparent that this action to seal the servants of God from the nation of Israel suggests that the effort by the Antichrist to massacre the Jewish race is well underway and the Lord is acting to preserve the remnant. This also suggests that the abomination of desolation had been erected in the temple and Israel had learned of their mistake when they made a covenant with the Antichrist. One third of Israel will be preserved and saved. This action by the Lamb guarantees their future in His plans. The sealed saints will be His witnesses among the remnant. "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand." Revelation 7:4-8 This great action by the Lamb to set aside a fixed number of His kin for witnesses to Himself is quite amazing. They have already been thoroughly converted after the Rapture. They are called "servants of our God" and were probably faithful orthodox Jews that were busy preparing for the Messiah before they learned of the Rapture and realized they had missed this grand event. No one can be saved apart from the Lamb's blood and this seal confirms his or her faith in Christ. Please note that this seal is called "the seal of the Living God" to distinguish from the seal of the Antichrist. The tasks of these faithful believers from among the Jews and their protection while they are His witnesses would suggest several things. They will become powerful witnesses to Jesus Christ's messiahship to the entire Jewish world. They will certainly prepare all of Israel to be converted in one single day when the Son of Man arrives in Jerusalem after He wins the Battle of Armageddon. His one hundred and forty-four thousand will be caught up to the Lamb before the seven years of tribulation is over and will likely be guests at the wedding event and supper already underway in Heavenly Jerusalem. They also may help prepare Israel for the coming kingdom of Israel during the Millennium. This large number of protected Jews will certainly have a wonderful part in Israel's future, both before they are caught up, and when they return with Christ to reign on earth. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." Revelation 7:9-10. This multitude of Gentile believers are never called the church and never given a reference to suggest the church. The saints in chapter four are symbolically numbered twenty-four elders, which clearly connects them to the First and Second Testaments. That was the First Testament saints and the Second Testament church that was raptured up together to meet the Lord. There is little room for debate on that fact. This new multitude is unique and arrives while the church is celebrating her victory in Heaven and the Lord's elders are helping direct the proceedings of tribulation and redemption on earth. The saints that became elders were seated on thrones but these victorious saints have only palm branches. They had certainly won a victory but not the same victory. Both companies are clothed in white robes, but the Pre-Tribulation saints had crowns on their head. That is a distinctive difference. Mark 13 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. This company of Tribulation saints will never be a part of the Bride but could well be guests of the Bride at the Marriage Supper. Reference was made to the martyrdom of saints on earth in chapter six in the opening of the fifth seal. Already a great number had been killed but were told to wait while others suffered the same death. The devil and his false trinity will direct their main offense against any reference or connection to the Bible and the beloved of the Lamb. While Satan will offer great support to the one world church, he will stamp out any idea of the truth. One of the most dangerous locations after the Rapture will be a Bible-believer's meeting. The multitude that will be converted will be too large to hide and their readiness for martyrdom will certainly give boldness to stand up for Christ. When death will be welcome because of the great sorrows and suffering, the converted will no longer fear the consequence of the boldness of their faith. When they arrive in the heavenly Jerusalem, they will break forth in worship that will excite the elders, angels, and the Cherubim to a fresh time of praise. These Tribulation Saints will immediately be welcomed to the throne of God and the presence of the Lamb. They will cry with loud voices, "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb." Every fresh arrival into the City of Jerusalem will proceed to the throne because the Father is the focus of the city. The Son of God will always be in the presence of the Father and will be equal in receiving the praise and adoration belonging to our Creator and Sovereign God. "And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." Revelation 7:11-12 The great host of elders, the great multitude of angels, and the living creatures or Cherubim break forth in another time of worship that has always been the culture of Heaven. The pleasure of Heaven will be the worship of our triune God that are now revealed to His victorious elders and Tribulation Saints. Everything is in the proximity of the throne. This vast multitude fell on their faces to be careful to give all honor to the Father and the Son. This is certainly victory worship because of the salvation of this multitude out of the Great Tribulation. This is not a light thing because these saints had paid the ultimate price. If angels rejoice over one sinner saved in our present world, can you imagine the glory of a great number being saved in spite of the devil's vengeance. God the Father and the Lamb are receiving the great praise and many acclamations because redemption has been won by the sacrifices of the Lamb. Their praise and their word offering, "Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might," show that this is no ordinary event. Mercy has come at a terrible price. This world was on a fast track to total oblivion, but the Father and His Son have manifest all the glory that belongs to divinity. They divested themselves of the privileges of their divine right as God the Eternal and God The Son, to redeem a fallen race and now to redeem a depraved world. This worship is going to be forever and ever. "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Revelation 7:13-14 The question asked by this elder is the same we hear today in many theological circles. This great multitude has been a mystery to many because the world thinks of the Antichrist and his dark invasion without remembering Jesus Christ and His powers to save. The Bible declares, "...for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:9b) This earth is going to face such a revelation of God's righteous judgment that great numbers of the earth's population will turn to the Heavenly Father and wash themselves in the Blood of the Lamb. The Book of Revelation must be understood as a book of redemption, not a book of annihilation. God is not going to destroy this earth, but He is going to destroy sin and all its ugliness. The salvation of this multitude is proof of the positiveness of this book. There can be no doubt that this is a Mid-Tribulation "catching away" of martyred converts. The same elder that asks the question answers the question. The question was asked of John and John answered him, "Thou knoweth." This elder was part of God's team so he knew what was occurring on earth. His answer is clear, "These are they which came out of the Great Tribulation." The Son of God identifies the Great Tribulation in His discourse on the mountain, which was called the Olivet Discourse. He called it the Great Tribulation and clearly tied it to Daniel's seventh weak. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand)." (Matthew 24:15). Revelation 7 13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Revelation 7:15-17 The promises to this multitude of redeemed Tribulation Saints are great but clearly different from the elders that were raptured before the seven years began. When this beautiful truth is understood, it clearly solves the debate of the times of the Rapture. Yes, there is a Mid-Tribulation catching away apart from and in addition to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. How can you call this "catching away" of these Tribulation Saints be anything other than a Rapture? They never are called elders as in chapter four and they never sit on lesser thrones. They do not receive crowns, but they enter into all other glories of the redeemed. They "serve Him day and night" and "hunger no more, neither shall the sun light on them," because, now, He and the Lamb are the light of all the redeemed. The Lamb will be in the midst of them and will lead them into life everlasting. We can see that they have glorified bodies and are free forever of the tears and fears of this life. Conclusion This is a marvelous chapter and it closes the way it opened for the Tribulation judgment to begin again. No chapter in this book reveals mercy and forgiveness more beautifully. The Great Tribulation is an event planned from the day that darkness fell in the garden. The Father never doubted that He would redeem His world and that mercy would win for eternity. The presence of the one hundred and forty-four thousand converted and sealed out of the nation of Israel brings all the hope of the First Testament into the middle of this masterpiece. The fact that the world is not cut-off from salvation during His judgment shows us this forgiveness of sin that gave us His Son in the first place. Our God is holy, but love is His greatest emotion. Brexit and Daniel's Final World Empire - By Britt Gillette - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3047 For several decades, Christians have speculated on whether or not the European Union is the final world empire outlined in the Bible. The Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation point to a revived Roman Empire that will appear in the end times (Daniel 7:23; Revelation 17:10). Since World War II, prophecy watchers have paid careful attention to the slow and steady unification of western Europe. Along the way, the effort has faced numerous roadblocks. These include squabbles over a single currency, trade protections, debt bailouts, and other issues. One of the latest is an effort to leave the Union. In a June 2016 referendum, United Kingdom voters opted to leave the European Union. The media labeled the British exit vote "Brexit," for "British exit," and many quickly announced the death of the European Union, believing the vote would lead other nations to leave as well. But is this the most likely outcome? No. If anything, Brexit is just another indication bible prophecy students are correct when they compare the EU to Daniel's revived Roman Empire. The Latest News on Brexit Almost three years after the UK shocked the world by voting "yes" to leaving the EU, they still haven't left. For months, the British parliament has rejected Prime Minister Teresa May's Brexit package. Some anti-Brexit politicians believe they can indefinitely delay a deal to leave the European Union or engineer another referendum. If so, the United Kingdom might not ever escape the orb of the giant European super state. But even if they do, it doesn't mean the EU isn't the revived Roman Empire mentioned in the Bible. While some people think Brexit is a step backward for bible prophecy, I think it's just the opposite. To me, Brexit is yet another reason to believe some form of the EU will become Daniel's prophesied final empire. Why? Because the EU's characteristics match those of the empire Daniel describes. For instance, the Bible says this final world empire will be a kingdom: * Of ten nations (Daniel 2:41, Daniel 7:7) * From among the ancient Roman Empire (Daniel 9:26-27) * Made up of weak and strong nations (Daniel 2:42) * Of nations trying to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other (Daniel 2:43) * That fails to hold together or "gel," just as iron and clay don't stick together (Daniel 2:43) * Divided (Daniel 2:41) A Global Empire As I write this article, no empire rules the world. And that includes a global empire of ten nations or ten kings. So the EU in its present form is not the global empire foreseen by Daniel. However, this doesn't mean it won't become that empire. Most likely, it's an early stage of what will become the Antichrist's global empire. Why? Again, it fits every one of the characteristics outlined above. The Antichrist's empire will be: 1) A Revived Roman Empire - The global empire from Daniel's vision is built on the ashes of the ancient Roman Empire. Why do I say this? First, the ruler of this global empire is the Antichrist. According to Daniel, the Antichrist will arise from the nation whose armies destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Daniel 9:26). That nation was Rome. So the global empire's ruler will come from Rome. Second, when explaining Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel described five empires that will rule Israel before Jesus returns. Those empires were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and a ten nation alliance (Daniel 2:36-45). He describes each successive kingdom, but he makes no distinction between the fourth kingdom and the ten nation alliance (Daniel 2:40-43). In other words, the ten nation alliance will be a new form of the fourth kingdom - Rome. Later, Daniel has another vision. This time, he sees four beasts, each representing a world power that will conquer Israel (Daniel 7). We know the fourth beast is Rome because it conquers the third beast, Greece (Daniel 7:6). But we also know it will come back. Why? Because it "will rule the whole earth" (Daniel 7:23), and it will be ruled by the Antichrist (Daniel 7:24-25). Rome neither ruled the whole earth nor was it ruled by the Antichrist. Also, this empire is yet again described as a ten nation alliance (Daniel 7:20), and the ancient Roman Empire never took the form of a ten nation alliance. Today, the EU sits on the ashes of the ancient Roman Empire. Ancient Rome occupied nearly every part of the current EU member nations, including Italy - home to Rome itself. 2) An Alliance of Weak and Strong Nations - The global empire Daniel described will be a group of weak and strong nations. Does this describe the EU? Yes. As I write this, the EU contains the world's 4th, 5th, and 6th largest economies (Germany, the United Kingdom, and France). It also contains the world's 98th, 102nd, and 124th largest economies (Estonia, Iceland, and Malta). When it comes to military spending, the EU contains the world's 6th, 7th, 9th, and 12th largest militaries (France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy). Yet, it also contains the world's 80th, 87th, 91st, and 93rd (Bulgaria, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia). Alone, not a single EU nation is a world power. Together, they are the world's greatest economic power. Combined, their military spending is second only to the United States. In fact, several European politicians have called for an EU army. Don't doubt it - the EU is a superpower. It's a revived Roman Empire made up of weak and strong nations. And this is what the Bible says will exist just before Jesus returns. 3) A Divided Alliance, Loosely Held Together - The global empire Daniel described will also be divided (Daniel 2:41). It will struggle to hold itself together, just as iron and clay struggle to hold themselves together (Daniel 2:43). Do we see this type of alliance when we look at the EU? Absolutely! Since its inception, the EU has been an odd collection of politicians, governments, economies, currencies, and militaries. From the Schuman Declaration in 1950 to the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, the rise of the EU has been marked by a struggle to agree on important issues. These include arguments over a single currency (the United Kingdom and Denmark opted out), disagreements over how to handle debt crises (the Greek bailouts), and disputes over open borders (the Syrian refugee crisis). Each step along the way, the EU struggled to survive. And this is where Brexit comes in. Critics point to Brexit as evidence the EU is not the coming global empire. But the exact opposite is true. Brexit is just the latest example of the EU's struggle to stay together, "just as iron and clay don't hold together." In the June 2016 referendum, citizens of the UK voted to leave. Almost three years later, they still haven't left. Will they ever leave? I don't know. Does it matter? I don't think so. Because Brexit is a perfect example of why the EU is a "divided alliance" (Daniel 2:41). It's a union of weak and strong nations struggling to bond together (Daniel 2:43). This is exactly how the Bible described the final world empire. What Now? A formal British exit from the European Union was scheduled to occur on March 29. After the British parliament failed to agree on an exit plan yet again, members voted to delay withdrawal until June 30. But it isn't that simple. Unless the EU agrees to an extension, the March 29 deadline will still apply. This means the UK could leave the EU without an exit deal in place. Such a scenario could wreak havoc on the UK economy and, quite possibly, the world economy. Because of the threat of economic disaster, some politicians are calling for a new referendum or even a parliamentary vote to overturn the will of the people. If they get their way, Brexit could be cancelled altogether. All this volatility makes it more likely the EU is an early phase of the alliance Daniel described. It's the mirror image of the revived Roman Empire the Bible says will appear in the last days (Daniel 2:40-43, Daniel 7:23-24). It's made up of weak and strong nations (Daniel 2:42). It's divided against itself (Daniel 2:41), and the effort of these nations to come together and strengthen themselves is volatile and unstable (Daniel 2:43). These bible verses sound a lot like the EU, don't they? I sure think so. Brexit isn't the end of the EU. It's just the latest event pointing to the rise of Daniel's global empire. It's another sign Jesus is coming! Nearing Midnight: Modern Monetary Theory - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ During the past several years, the Federal Reserve has been managing our growing national debt by using a series of financial terms. The shell game started with the Fed taking on the role of our rich uncle and did Quantitative Easing. The Fed reinflated the stock market by loaning the Treasury $3.5 trillion. Then came Operation Twist in 2011 where the Fed sold short-term Treasury securities and bought long-term Treasuries. By selling a two-year bond and buying a 30-year bond, the Fed was giving Washington 28 years to balance its financial books. Next came Quantitative Tightening where the Fed would sell off the bond it had on its balance sheet. When Wall Street had a negative reaction to the actual unloading of bonds, the Fed said our credit is so good, it would end the program and hold onto the bonds forever. The new term that is becoming popular in Washington is Modern Monetary Theory. The core teaching of MMT is that a nation with the ability to print its own money can never go bankrupt. It can always fund its spending by printing more money. The nation's deficit can be managed by simply printing money to pay for the shortfall. MMT can trace its origins back over 100 years, but it has gained renewed popularity in recent months thanks to freshman Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and economist Stephanie Kelton. When people add the cost of her proposed Green New Deal to an insane $22 trillion-dollar national debt, AOC said we can use MMT to pay for her program. Some would argue that the Federal Reserve would never fall for MMT, but former head Ben Bernanke has already laid out the framework for how MMT could work. Bernanke traveled to Tokyo in July 2016 and suggested a way to stimulate the Japanese economy. He said the Ministry of Finance, Japan's equivalent to our Treasury, should issue non-marketable perpetual bonds with a zero-coupon that the Bank of Japan would buy with printed money. The Japanese government could then use the money from these bond sales to pay its bills. A perpetual zero-coupon bond means the principal never has to be repaid, and no interest payment is ever due. Bernanke was basically suggesting the issuance of a new form of currency. Cash never matures, and you do not have to pay interest for holding it. He should have just said that Japan should print vast amounts of yen. Abraham Lincoln once posed the question: "If you call a dog's tail a leg, how many legs does it have?" and then answered his own query: "Four, because calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one." Abe would have felt lonely on Wall Street. MMT is simply the printing of money for the purposes of funding government spending. It has been tried hundreds of times and has always led to massive inflation. The Treasury Department is currently using "extraordinary measures" to prevent the US from breaching the debt ceiling. As of the 9th of March, the US officially hit the debt ceiling, capping the national debt at just over $22 trillion. The Treasury can fund the government until late September or early October by using an array of bookkeeping tricks. The US is not the only nation that is allying MMT to its government spending. Last month, China unleashed a massive credit expansion. In what was dubbed the Shanghai Accord 2.0, the People's Bank of China announced it had flooded the economy with a gargantuan 4.64 trillion yuan in various new forms of debt. Injecting nearly $700 billion in credit in one month was more than the GDP of Saudi Arabia. In the past 40 years, Beijing has increased the money supply by an amazing 10,000-fold. Since assuming the premiership in 2013, President Xi Jinping has been a consistent critic of the large-scale stimulus that their predecessors launched in response to the 2008 financial crisis. It is dumbfounding to traders that Xi complains about the dangerous increase in debt by others, and then does the same thing himself. In a normal world, any attempt to implement MMT would mean instant financial disaster. The same basic financial rule has worked for thousands of years. If you print too much of your own currency, its value will collapse. The ability of the world's central banks to throw all cares to the wind is not the result of some new economic miracle. I am convinced that the rapture is the reason why such reckless spending is going unpunished. Everything is to remain calm right up to the moment the Church is removed. To reach the irrational level of MMT spending, it tells us that the end must be very near. "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Mat. 24:44). Purim Supermoon: Countdown to Messiah - By Adam Eliyahu - www.breakingisraelnews.com Before the great and terrible day of Hashem comes, I will set portents in the sky and on earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke; The sun shall turn into darkness And the moon into blood. But everyone who invokes the name of Hashem shall escape; for there shall be a remnant on Mount Tzion and in Yerushalayim, as Hashem promised. Anyone who invokes Hashem will be among the survivors. Joel 3:3-5 (The Israel Bible™) After reading the Book of Esther for the holiday of Purim on Wednesday evening, Jews leaving the synagogue will be greeted by the sight of a supermoon overhead, a phenomenon to which some rabbinic experts ascribe great import. A supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with the perigee - the closest that the Moon comes to the Earth in its elliptic orbit - resulting in a larger-than-usual apparent size of the lunar disk as viewed from Earth. A full moon at perigee appears roughly 14% larger in diameter than at apogee and appears up to 30 percent brighter. Supermoons usually appear 3-4 times each year. The Purim supermoon will be the final in a series of three consecutive full-moon/ supermoons. The next appearance of supermoons will also be a triad, culminating on the night before Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year). Purim also coincides with the vernal (spring) equinox when the Sun crosses the celestial equator - the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth's equator - from south to north. On the equinox, the day and night are each about 12 hours in length everywhere on Earth. Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson, a Bible codes expert, placed special significance on the appearance of the Purim Supermoon. In his video on the subject, Rabbi Glazerson used a Torah program to search for equidistant letter sequences in the Bible. His revelations were focused on the 38th chapter of Genesis where he found interspersed in the text the term ירח ענקי (huge moon), פורים (Purim), תשובה (repentance), משיח (Messiah) and יד אדר (fourteenth of the Hebrew month of Adar, the day on which Purim is celebrated). The name יוסף (Joseph) appears four times in the graph. "This is not surprising," Rabbi Glazerson said in the video. "There are a lot of similarities between the story of Esther and the story of Joseph. They are both stories of Jews outside of Israel beginning the redemption in hidden ways." The rabbi also found the word ישראל (Israel) near the word התראה (warning). "Israel is always compared to the moon," Rabbi Glazerson explained. "Now the moon is shining, very large. This is an indication that Jews really should begin to shine now. Israel can complete redemption this Purim but this is a warning that it can only happen if they repent." The rabbi emphasized that one of the essential elements of the Purim story was the unity of the Jewish people in the face of adversity. This was a message he gave in a video last month, in which he stated that this upcoming holiday of Purim was auspicious and bore with it the possibility of bringing the Messiah. In the video, he stated that there is "a process of Messiah that started in 5776." The appearance of Moshiach in the current year is "dependent on repentance. Only if Jews would keep the Torah, keep the Sabbath, keep everything which God wants them to keep." Rabbi Glazerson gave an end-date, a point at which even if the Jews do not repent the Messiah will appear. "There is an end of days. This is the end of days - 5781." This means that according to Rabbi Glazerson's Bible codes, the process of redemption began in 2016, continues this year and, even without full repentance, will end in 2021. Daily Jot: Apologetics and atheism - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com My son Christian and I have been having an ongoing discussion about witnessing to atheists. He feels called to apologetics so we have been talking a lot about Christ's Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" and in Mark 16:13, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Christian believes that we have to equip ourselves to witness even to those who refuse to believe so we might fully exercise the Great Commission. In other words, be ready in season and out to make the case for Christ. We have these deep talks about just how far one can go with someone who refuses to believe. Christian, who recently finished law school, witnesses to several people who want to argue the "logic" behind their agnostic or atheist belief about God. I keep pointing out that logic alone will not win the case for God because there is always the spiritual part that people who are not of faith cannot accept. AFP reports that 60 -ear old Brazilian-born theoretical physicist Marcelo Gleiser has received the Templeton Prize, which annually recognizes outstanding contributions to affirming life's spiritual dimension. Gleiser believes that science and religion are not enemies. In fact, he says, "Science does not kill God." Gleiser told AFP, "The first thing you see in the Bible is a story of creation." He says, whatever your religion, "everybody wants to know how the world came to be." This fundamental curiosity unites science and religion, though each provides very different answers: science has a methodology, where hypotheses are eliminated. Gleiser says, "Science can give answers to certain questions, up to a point. This has been known for a very long time in philosophy, it's called the problem of the first cause: we get stuck. We should have the humility to accept that there's mystery around us." Gleiser says "It's extremely arrogant from scientists to come down from the ivory towers and make these declarations (against faith) without understanding the social importance of belief systems." Gleiser said, "When you hear very famous scientists making pronouncements like ... cosmology has explained the origin of the universe and the whole, and we don't need God anymore. That's complete nonsense. Because we have not explained the origin of the universe at all." Herein is where the chasm widens because pride often prevents someone from seeing the realities of faith. Christians are accused of closed-mindedness when the unbelievers, themselves, are closed off to the possibility of faith. To my son's point, however, as Christians we need to know why we believe what we believe, and we should be able to explain it. Otherwise we are doing the Great Commission a disservice. Something to think about, for sure. Daily Devotion: Think About What You Think About - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. - Philippians 4:8 When you sit down to eat, you have to think about how the food will affect you. For instance, I love spicy food. But I have to think about when I eat it. If it's eight or nine o'clock at night, there's no way I'll eat spicy food, because I know it will disturb my sleep. So I have to make other choices. In the same way, we have to think about what we think about. Philippians 4:8 tell us, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8 NKJV). If you want personal peace, it involves the heart and the mind. Isaiah 26:3 says of the Lord, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (NKJV). We need to ask ourselves, "This show I am going to watch on television-what kind of effect will it have on me?" "This movie that I'm about to go to-what effect will it have on me?" "This music I am going listen to-what effect will it have on me?" If you want personal peace, it comes down to right thinking and right praying. And it comes down to guarding what you put into your mind, because when you stop and consider it, most temptations you have faced have come first to your mind. The mind is command central. With it we reach to the past through memories and to the future through imagination. We want to learn how to think biblically, not emotionally. Apply the Scriptures to everything that you're facing in life. 
FROM THE HEART
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