Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Division: When is it Good or Bad? - By Ronda Lane - http://www.raptureready.com/2018/03/18/division-good-bad-ronda-lane/
In this day of Orwellian obfuscation whom can we believe? The term "fake news" is thrown about freely, yet the meaning of the word seems to have two different and opposite meanings, depending upon who is using the term. Have you noticed? The population of the world seems to be choosing up sides. This is seen predominantly in the political realm, but even that can easily be dissected into moral values. For instance: One political party accepts and approves of abortion, while the other political party rejects it for the truly immoral murder of innocent babies that it is. This article is not intended to stump for a particular political party here in the US (or elsewhere in the world), as all political parties have been infiltrated by some very bad actors. However, when voting or choosing a candidate to vote for, we should be making that selection based on Biblical values if we are believers. The point is that we are being divided. Many would say that's a bad thing. The phrase or motto "United we stand, divided we fall" has been quoted more often in this past half a decade than ever before. But whom do we want to be united with? Should we just go along to get along? Appease? Be tolerant? Live and let live? Some would even attempt to claim that is a Biblical concept. I dare to disagree. Let's look at the scripture which you may not see as relevant, but I would like to show you how very relevant it truly is. "What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh" (1 Cor.6:16). On the surface this seems to be speaking of marital or pre-marital relations. The verse prior (v.18) tells us to "flee from fornication." So one might assume that this is what verse 16 pertains to. However, in studying the entire chapter, we see that this is not merely about physical relations, but also about our relationship with the Lord. In fact, the verse prior makes it very clear: "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid" (1 Cor.6:15). In fact, there are numerous passages of scripture in the Old Testament where God's word likens both adultery and fornication with spiritual adultery and spiritual fornication. When we study Old Testament scripture, we see that God's word likens this condition to adultery and even prostitution (Ex.34:14-16; Lev.17:7; 20:5-6; Num.15:39; Deut.31:16; Judges 2:17, 8:27, 8:33; 1 Chron.5:25; 2 Chron.21:13; Psalm 73:27, 106:39; Ez.6:9, 23:30; Hosea 4:12, 9:1). Those are but a few of the numerous times God's word called out Israel specifically for "whoring after" idols and false gods. An entire book in the Bible is devoted to using a man's life as a case in point, a parallel or symbolic picture story of what happens to those who join themselves with a harlot. The book of Hosea is a mystery to those who do not see this symbolic picture-story example as the basis. Hosea was told to marry a prostitute, Gomer. As expected, she was unfaithful to him. "...And the Lord said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord" (Hosea 1:2). In that same verse, not only do we see the mandate to Hosea to marry this prostitute, but also WHY: "for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord." You can read the entire book of Hosea and the account of what happened there in this picture story - this concept in action. Hosea was filled with heartache and heartbreak due to all the unfaithfulness Gomer committed against him. Yet the Lord mandated to Hosea to buy her back, after Gomer had left Hosea and was living in immorality and wickedness (Hosea, chapter 3). God was making a point that He wanted Israel to remain separate from the other nations, to keep herself pure from the evils and practices of those other nations who worshiped false gods. Some of those evil nations would commit hedonistic sexual practices, orgies, and all other unnameable sexual sins and perversions. They were even sacrificing their own babies to the false god Moloch. God wanted to show clearly two points. First, the example: that sexual relations were for the marriage bed only - that fornication, adultery, and other sexual sins and perversions led to heartache, woe, and broken families. Second, the lesson: Just as these things destroy relationships between spouses, so too does spiritual harlotry erode the relationship between the Lord and ourselves. The Lord saw this wickedness and was not pleased. He pleaded with Israel to return to Him, to purify herself. Yet, often times Israel "played the harlot" (Jer.2:20, 3:1, 3:6, 3:8; Ez.16:15-16, 16:41, 23:5, 23:19, 23:44, and numerous times in Hosea). "For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot" (Jer.2:20). God likened Israel's spiritual condition to "playing the harlot" as being a prostitute to false gods. Today some may not be able to readily recognize the ways of the unsaved world. Why? They have infiltrated the body of Christ so much so that some sins are so commonplace. Even worse, often those sins aren't even looked upon with disdain. So too have some become numb to the tactics of the devil's warfare in the use of the word "division." Some would proclaim that we (here in the US) must remain united as one people; otherwise, a nation divided cannot stand. After all, they have a point, right? They even use some scripture to back this up. Let's look at that scripture now. "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand": Notice the colon at the end of that verse? It is a continuous thought interrupted by the colon. How does the thought continue? What is the rest of that statement? The very next verse... "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" (Matt.12:26). Let's look at the book of Mark to see how it is worded there as well. "And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end" (Mark 3:24-26). Jesus had been accused of doing something horrific; they had accused Him of being led of the devil! But He truly was led of the Father and His Spirit! The point we may miss here is that we (as believers) are united in the body of Christ; we can stand firm in God's word and with His Spirit! However, if we are joined or united to the spirit of evil, the minions of the devil, we will be tainted as they and will not be able to stand. In other words: spiritual harlotry. Truth is found in God's word. There is very little truth to be found in either public schools, colleges, or mainstream media. Those alternative medias that have sprung up are problematic to those who wish to squash truth. They're labeled as alt-right and then given the erroneous designation of either pro-KKK or Nazi, when 99% of all peoples with actual belief in right/conservative ideologies are in no way, shape, or form Nazi or pro-KKK, but are in fact the opposite. It's the Orwellian rabbit hole where good is called evil and evil is called good. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). I can remember vividly in the spring of 2016 being censored on Facebook. For what? For daring to quote a Bible verse. It wasn't even a Bible verse about the sins of sexual perversion. Nothing that would even seem to be controversial (not that I would shy away from such scripture as Romans 1:18-32, but that wasn't the case this time). It was Isaiah 5:20 (quoted above this paragraph). Others openly mocked and ridiculed me (some still do), claiming I hadn't been censored at all. Why? Because they, themselves hadn't been censored; and so their 'normalcy bias' had convinced them that if it wasn't happening to them, then it wasn't happening to anyone. Some of them have come back to apologize to me for doubting my account of what had happened when Facebook had censored me. Why? They've now either been censored themselves, or know of others who have. That was just the beginning of censorship in full, though. I noticed that Facebook wouldn't take down a Bible verse if I posted it on my own FB page or if I posted it in Christian groups, as these have limited reach. Apparently this (at the time) wasn't threatening to the powers that be on Facebook. This tactic now has a name; it's called "Shadow-banning." It looks to the one who posted the comment as if it were made public, but in fact the Facebook algorithms make sure that the post is only seen by a very limited number of viewers. But the alleged crime (and subsequent censorship) occurred if I dared to post a Bible verse in the comment section under a FOX news post, or any other well-known conservative media posts on Facebook; it would often get censored with a warning or just disappear without a warning. The viewership on a FOX page (for instance) could have much more impact, and likely be seen by far more eyes than a mere post on my own page or in a Christian group page, with limited numbers of viewers. The censorship got worse. Later, after the election that year, under President Trump's posts, if I posted either a Bible verse OR if I made a truthful comment supporting a conservative stance, THEN is when the censorship on Facebook really rolled into full swing. I'd have posts removed and warnings given. It hasn't gotten any better. Facebook (I now refer to often as FASCIST-book or FaKebook) isn't the only one doing these things. Now big names in both conservative and libertarian voices are being censored as well. Hundreds of Twitter users were recently purged from the site. "Coincidentally" they were all conservatives! (I no longer believe in "coincidences," do you?) YouTube is also in on the censorship and banning action. They used to just pull videos down here and there. Now? They are pulling entire channels. If you think this doesn't affect you as a Christian - if you think that by not ever espousing a political viewpoint on social media or video platforms - that this will keep you 'safe' from censorship, you'd better think again. Some pastors have had their entire YouTube channels REMOVED. Years' worth of sermons and videos disappeared overnight. Over a decade worth, in some cases. Just GONE! If this doesn't concern you as a Christian, maybe you'd better reevaluate. The strange part of this Orwellian censorship is that what those on the left accuse others on the right of doing is, in fact, what they, themselves, are guilty of. It's the Saul Alinsky "Rules for Radicals" playbook, combined with actual Hitler tactics that the far left uses to slander the right with. They call conservatives Nazi's when they themselves (the leftists) are using actual Nazi tactics! Those same names and idioms they attack the right with are the same tactics the far-left is guilty of. The upside-down world. Far worse than any fictitious novel like "1984." Far more nefarious than 'room 101' where they sent people for 're-education' and to be indoctrinated into 'double-speak', as the Orwell novel spoke of. News flash: That novel was supposed to be a work of fiction! Yet the uncreative left loved the thought of having power over others' speech so much that they've adopted many of the tactics for themselves. I can remember (as can most of you) a time not far in the past when the leftist party at least pretended to stand for the common working class in the USA. They publicly rejected far-leftist ideology. They've thrown off all pretense of that now. Even their main actors and figureheads openly contradict themselves by embracing the complete opposite ideologies than they claimed to have espoused in the past. You can still find a few videos of certain political figures speaking and claiming to espouse one ideology and one stance just a few short years ago; these same people are now claiming to espouse the exact opposite stance today. The flip-flopping is so overt that it is a slap in the face to the intelligence of any who can remember what was said just a few years ago. Who knows how much longer these videos will even exist since the far leftists control, not just mainstream media, but have bought out social media, search engines, video platforms, and even payment processors. In case you haven't noticed, the left isn't the same party of the past now. They are far-leftist, Marxist, Darwinist, globalist, radicals now. They no longer even tolerate (in their own party) those who won't get on board with the globalist agenda. Now they demand complete allegiance to very far-leftist, globalist ideology. No wonder that party is losing lifelong members in droves. The party heads even openly admit that they cannot win an election fairly now without the help of illegal tactics. Using illegal aliens is but one of the numerous evil tactics they employ. They no longer care about US citizens. Only those who've been indoctrinated in public schools and colleges with far-left ideology buy into their dystopian rhetoric. Those few who are either too young (or too ignorant) to know factual history are the easiest to manipulate. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on. What does it take to decipher this plan? Merely a born-again believer who actually has read and studied scripture! Those are the most dangerous to the evil agenda afoot. We know that the books of Revelation and Daniel clearly define and detail a coming global government. This government will form (at the inception) with 10 kings/horns/toes as described in Daniel and Revelation. The antichrist will rise from the midst of them; they will give their power over to the antichrist. Eventually he will subdue three of the ten. The antichrist will go full speed ahead into complete control over all of mankind. Thankfully, his time for full control over the masses is limited to only the last 3.5 years of the 7-year tribulation. It's no wonder that the Lord Jesus Himself said this: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt.24:21-22). This is where it's all headed, folks. God's word foretold it all. What's sad is that the unsaved world doesn't even want to be warned about it. They laugh, sneer, ridicule, and mock us believers for trying to warn them. They don't even realize that they, themselves, are fulfilling Bible prophecy by doing so. "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Pet.3:3-4). "How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit" (Jude 1:18-19). Pay careful attention to verse 19 of Jude. "These be they who separate themselves" is a very telling clue to what is occurring today. The antichrist, globalist agenda is being force-fed into society around the globe. They cannot pull their wicked desires off without first taking down the national sovereignty of all nations. They do want to divide and separate us. But seeing these tactics for what they are, should we unite with them? NO! It would be as though joining with a harlot. The world is in a battle right now. But pay careful attention to the remainder of that verse (Jude 1:19) as to WHY "having not the Spirit." These folks who are sold out to the devil's antichrist, globalist agenda are truly demonically led. This is a spiritual battle. No doubt about it (Eph.6:12). We who have the Spirit of the Lord should never cave into the wicked desires of the unsaved worldly. We shouldn't appease them, we shouldn't go with the flow - go along to get along. And we should never unite with them. No. We must stand firm on TRUTH. We must stand firm on God's word. We must not "play the harlot" with the world. Just as the Old Testament gave us hundreds of examples of what this leads to, even more so today is the wicked agenda to drag away captive believers to appease the devil's agenda. We cannot do so. In the last few years, I've often quoted 2 Tim.3:1-5 concerning the characteristics given for society in the "perilous last days." If you are unfamiliar with them, please look up the scripture now. But what often gets overlooked are the next two verses. Allow me to quote them now: "For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim.3:6-7). Why are these so relevant today? Why would scripture show us this picture of "silly women laden with sins" and being "led away with divers lusts"? Ask yourself why that would come right after the characteristics noted in verses 1-5? Without Old Testament background, many may misinterpret this as to being physical fornication or adultery. But what have we learned about how God's word uses this description of harlotry, whoredom, fornication and adultery? It is spiritual fornication the word is speaking of. We even see in the next verse (v.7) what the outcome of such is. "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim.3:7). Even more, we see the verse ahead (v.5) which warns of how this condition occurs. Why would they be tempted to fall into spiritual fornication? "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Tim.3:5). Many of these folks even claim to be 'Christians'. Yet they push ecumenicism-the joining of all false religions into one. They reject God's word; they reject the truth that Jesus alone is the only way of salvation (John 14:6, 1 Cor.15:1-4, Rom.6:23, John 3:16-18 and so many others). They are trending towards the antichrist's one-world religion. They claim the lie that all paths lead to God. They also often try to claim the moral high-ground, claiming to merely want to 'help' refugees and give them aid and comfort. But the true agenda here is to bring in millions of illegal aliens, those who are not just anti-American, but anti-Christian. Bring in more division. There are many nations from which they procure these illegal immigrants, but predominantly they want to bring in Muslims, because Islam is totally incompatible to not just our US constitution, but to Christianity. They are taught to violently torture, rape, enslave, and yes, even murder any who won't convert to their demonic religion. Worse? Many powers in government, those who've bought into the far-leftist globalist agenda, desire to wipe out not just the constitution, and to wipe out free speech, but Christianity as well. They want to eradicate both Jews and Christians from the face of the earth. The evil Quran promotes this. The children growing up in Islam are indoctrinated with this hatred from birth. Yet to hear mainstream media speak of Islam as the 'religion of peace' is ludicrous. It hasn't even been two decades (not even 17 years) since Islamic terrorists hijacked airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York. But apparently some people have the memory of a fruit fly. They can't honestly expect anyone older than 30-35 to NOT remember this, right? This again is the 'divide and conquer' strategy from the far left. They know we remember this, but they also know that many under the age of 30-35 have been propagandized and indoctrinated in the public school system. The harlot that rejects God's word and espouses Darwinian evolution. The same harlot that tells them Islam is a "religion of peace." This is but another divisive tactic. Pit the young against the old - those who remember factual history against those who've never experienced or learned of factual history. The left is also pushing race war. In fact, those are just a couple of examples. They are using every divisive tactic that they can find to use. It's working. But why is it working so well? Because it's a spiritual war. It's spiritual warfare as we were forewarned of in Eph.6:12. There are less true believers now than there used to be here in the US. If you doubt this statement, look at the moral values of the nation: abortion; same-sex marriage; erosion of freedom of speech (including and especially the censorship of Christian speech); booting God and His word out of the public forum, schools, courtrooms, and society. So should we join in, unite to save the nation? Unite ourselves with a harlot in hopes of appeasing? NO! We can't trust the mainstream media. Today the media claims false allegations, without sources, and calls them facts. The "who, what, when, where, and how" formerly taught in journalism classes has evaporated. The mandate to source all documents and news with credible, truthful sources has gone out the window as well. Truth in media disappeared. It's no wonder that those who desire to hear the truth about any given matter are seeking out alternative sources for news. But now? Those same alternative news sources are being censored and threatened. Many are being hit by multi-pronged, frivolous lawsuits that can't stand up in any honest court of law. They hope to bankrupt those who must defend themselves against such outrageous lawsuits. Of course the left is also banking on many compromised judges who are loyal, not to truth and the rule of law, but loyal only to the globalist, far- leftist agenda. It's hard to tell how negatively this will affect the alternative and truthful media venues. But they are certainly under attack, as are many pastors as well. We need to pray for those who are speaking truth. Anyone speaking truth now is made a prey by the far-left globalists. Let's look to scripture to see how the Lord looks at corrupt judges and corrupt governments: "And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment" (Isaiah 59:14-15). "That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up" (Micah 7:3). There is more scripture devoted to this topic, yet we can clearly see that the unsaved world is begging for God's wrath. He will not allow this God-hating and Christ-rejecting world to continue on unpunished for long. Since we can readily see by scripture where this is headed, we also should note the hour in which we live. It's more than apparent that the devil is champing at the bit to get the tribulation started. We can see these things aligning. But the devil should know that not one thing can happen before the Lord Himself allows it, as foretold. For the Lord's divine purposes, and in His appointed time... not a moment earlier! We must recognize these trends and actions for what they are... the beginnings of the globalist, antichrist system. Yes, it's rapidly forming. But we believers need not panic or worry that the Lord has forgotten us. NO! Jesus has promised to deliver us from the wrath to come (1 Thes.1:10, Rom.5:9, 1 Thes.5:9). He even tells us how He will deliver us (1 Cor.15:59-53, 1 Thes.4:13-18). The rapture! We recognize how near the rapture must be due to the fact that tribulation events are lined up as well as prophetic scripture concerning Israel (such as Isaiah 17, Ezekiel 38-39 and more). The rapture is imminent. It could happen at any moment, any day, any time. That is truth. The rapture could happen today! It may not happen for a while, although a far distant rapture isn't conceivable due to the prophetic scripture being aligned. Yet we know the rapture MUST occur before the tribulation commences and God's wrath is poured out upon this evil world! The weight of scripture proves the pre-trib rapture. While we recognize these things, we must also recognize the plot of the devil. Yes, he wants to divide and conquer. BUT does that mean we should just go along with the far-leftist, globalist agenda, give up our US constitution, freedoms, and rights as Christians? NO! We must stand firm on God's word. Let's look again at division. While division within the body of Christ is not a good thing (1 Cor.12:12, and others), we cannot confuse that with uniting with those who pervert, twist, or omit God's word, even if they call themselves "Christians." Even listening to the TV 'evangelists' (those wolves in sheep's clothing) for five minutes gives us a huge clue to where the ecumenical one-world religion of the antichrist will spring forth from. Even more so, we cannot unite with unbelievers to appease them, to join in with them. Otherwise, we are doing exactly what God called Israel out for hundreds of times in the OT. Joining with the evil practices of the world is as if we were joining our bodies to a harlot/prostitute in adultery or fornication! And allow me to reiterate these verses of scripture dealing with SPIRITUAL fornication and adultery one last time in closing. Think about it. Would the Lord have you join in or even appease those whose main platform includes abortion... the murder of innocent babies in the womb? Tearing them apart limb by limb, crushing their tiny skulls and harvesting their organs? (And if you think a baby in the womb is just a clump of cells, you need to educate yourself with truth! Jer. 1:5, Psalm 139:13, et al.) Or would the Lord have us appease and cave into those who desire to bring in unchecked masses of illegal immigrants whose main desire is to first subdue us, eradicate Christianity, destroy the constitution, remove all freedom of speech as well as all Christian freedoms? Should we join ourselves to these harlots, become united in one flesh with them, to keep the nation united? NO! Would the Lord have us join with false cults who reject God's word yet try to deceive others by claiming His name? No! "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh" (1 Cor.6:15-16). Is division a bad thing or a good thing? According to God's word, that all depends on whom you are uniting with. To have fellowship with other true believers is a good thing. We are one in the body of Christ (Rom.7:4, 12:5; 1 Cor.12:12, 12:27; Eph.5:23; Heb.10:10, et al). But to be joined to a harlot? False religion? The unsaved world that desires the antichrist, global system? No. Choose wisely, time is short! Let's also remember that the Lord Himself is going to do some dividing of His own. First when He removes us grace/church-age believers from this God-hating and Christ-rejecting world (1 Thes.1:10, 1 Cor.15:49-53, 1 Thes.4:13-18, et al) and delivers us from the wrath to come! And later, at the end of the tribulation, He will do more dividing again (Rev.14:9-20, Matt.25:31-46, Rev.19:11-21). Those who have rejected Christ will be cast into the winepress-the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God! Those who accept the mark and/or worship the image of the beast will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. Given the lateness of the hour, we likely know people today who will be those very people spoken of in this scripture, those who will soon be entering the tribulation-the foretold time of God's wrath and the wrath of the Lamb upon this evil God-hating and Christ-rejecting world. After the rapture, those who enter the tribulation are going to suffer far worse things than has ever occurred in human history prior. Yes, those unbelievers who are left behind at the rapture will still be able to come to Christ for salvation during the tribulation; but it will cost most of them their lives and heads for doing so (Rev.6:9-11, 20:4). Half of the world's population will be killed even before the second half of the tribulation begins (Rev.6:8 - 1/4 are killed; Rev.9:15 - another 1/3 of the world's population is killed). Then comes the mid-point when the antichrist takes control. Far more horrific than our minds can comprehend. We likely know people today who will soon be going through these events. I pray that YOU are not one of them. I pray that you have believed on Christ Jesus for salvation, now before the rapture occurs and before the tribulation begins! Many will be dead before the mid-point of the tribulation. Some will survive into the second half of the tribulation and will wish they hadn't. Considering how near these events are, I ask you...Do you want to unite with the "harlots, prostitutes, and whores" forewarned of in scripture which desire to cause spiritual harlotry? Or do you intend to stand firm in God's word, trusting in His promises? Sharing the gospel with the lost even if we are censored, ostracized, or even worse? The next time you hear the 'unite at all costs' speeches, no matter how ear-pleasing they sound; consider what God's word says about whom we unite with. Choose carefully; time is short! Maranatha! Drumbeats of Ezekiel 38: Erdogan's 'Army Of Islam' Plot Against Israel - By Alon Ben-Meir - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2113 Less than a month ago -- in advance of the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul -- the Turkish daily Yeni Şafak, which is considered one of the mouthpieces of Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), published an article entitled "A Call for Urgent Action." The same article was also published on the newspaper's website with the more explicit title: "What if an Army of Islam was Formed Against Israel?" The article openly called on the 57 member states of the OIC to form a joint "Army of Islam" to simultaneously attack Israel from the east, west, north and south. According to Israel's Shin Bet, the source of the article appears to be the Turkish company SADAT, which among other sinister plots, is aiding Hamas with funds and military gear to create a "Palestinian" army to join in the fight against Israel. The idea of creating an "Army of Islam" to destroy Israel was accompanied by an interactive map providing formation of military forces for a joint Muslim attack on Israel. It also provides details on military forces based in various locations. Yeni Şafak further explained, "If the member states of the OIC unite militarily, they will form the world's largest and most comprehensive army. The number of active soldiers would be at least 5,206,100, while the defense budget would reach approximately $175 billion." This article provided additional details of the scandalous plan, stating that, "It is expected that 250,000 soldiers will participate in the first of a possible operation. Land, air and naval bases of member states located in the most critical regions will be used. Joint bases will be constructed in a short period of time. ... It is possible for 500 tanks and armored vehicles, 100 planes and 500 attack helicopters and 50 ships to mobilize quickly." Regardless of how absurd and troubling this suicidal plan may seem, Erdogan did not disavow the report. In fact, he has reiterated on several occasions his ambition to resurrect the Ottoman Empire, in which context he wants to create the "Army of Islam." The Ottoman Empire he speaks of is the same one that committed genocide against more than one million Armenians in the wake of the Ottomans' defeat at the end of World War I. Therefore, no one should dismiss Erdogan's yet hidden illusion to commit genocide against the Jews in Israel. Erdogan is dangerous because he is insane enough not only to think in these incomprehensible terms, but to act on them on numerous fronts, as he is now doing. In recent years, Erdogan has been busy establishing military bases in Qatar and Somalia, and most recently reached an agreement with Sudan to acquire a Sudanese island in the Red Sea to be used as forward military base. Meanwhile, he is throwing his brash and bearish weight on the Caucasus and former Soviet states such as Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and others to follow his dictates. He has repeatedly threatened to invade Greek islands in the Mediterranean, not to mention his recent incursion into Syria for the express purpose of establishing a permanent presence in the country under the guise of fighting Kurdish terrorism. Recently, at the commemoration ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II at the Yildiz palace in Istanbul, Erdogan stated: "The Republic of Turkey, just like our previous states that are a continuation of one another, is also a continuation of the Ottomans." Erdogan further stated, according to Bloomberg, that, 'Too many Turks, misled by the West, have cut the country off from its Ottoman roots.' "History isn't just a nation's past, it's the compass for its future." MP Alparslan Kavaklıoğlu, a member of the ruling AKP and the head of the parliament's Security and Intelligence Commission, recently stated: "The Muslim population will outnumber the Christian population in Europe. This... has increased the nationalistic, xenophobic and anti-Islam rhetoric there. Hence, marginal, small parties have started to get large numbers of votes... But there is no remedy for it. Europe will be Muslim. We will be effective there, Allah willing. I am sure of that." To promote the revival of the Ottoman Empire and his ambition to become the leader of the Muslim world, Erdogan exploits Islam as the common cause around which all Muslim states can rally. He uses religion to prevent questioning either his motive or the nature of his mission, and acts as if it were all ordained by God. No one should be surprised if Erdogan soon announces that Sharia law is the law of the land. He exploits Islam for personal and political gain, uses Islamic symbols and precepts to indoctrinate the public, and promotes Islamic studies in schools to cultivate a new generation of devout Muslims loyal to him. Although Erdogan still pretends to govern an Islamic democracy, the truth is that Turkey in no way resembles a democracy under his dictatorial reign. He is steadily making Turkey an Islamist state that stands by and supports Islamic extremist groups, such Hamas and ISIS. Since the publication of Erdogan's outrageous plan, not a single US or EU official has condemned it. The US and the EU must demand that Erdogan disassociate himself from the ideas reported by Yeni Şafak and reject them in the strongest terms. Moreover, the US should put Erdogan on notice that further promulgation of his Ottoman revivalist ideology will be dealt with as a threat to the US' and EU's strategic interests, and will bear severe consequences. No one, especially the US and EU, should dismiss Erdogan's outrageous anti-Western scheme, which poses a major security threat. It's time for the EU to permanently and publicly close the door to Turkey's prospective EU membership. No American administration should allow Turkey to threaten the destruction of one of its closest allies -- Israel. No leader who is silent about the creation of an Islamic Army should be trusted and treated as a legitimate head of state, but must be dealt with as a traitor who is inviting disaster onto his country and people. No country that cozies up to and buys weapons from the West's enemy -Russia -- and buys oil from the Islamic State should remain a member of NATO. And no head of state who has dismantled every democratic pillar in his country and is transforming it into an extremist Islamic state can be a trusted as an ally -- especially one who is interfering in the domestic affairs of many countries and undermining the international order. Indeed, how many more sinister steps can Erdogan take before the EU and the US recognize that he is a threat against Western strategic interests? He must be stopped from blackmailing the West while destroying the country that was envisioned by its founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. A Summary of the Future - By Sean Gooding - http://www.raptureready.com/2018/03/21/summary-future-sean-gooding/ Zechariah, Chapter 13: 7-9 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,' Says the Lord of hosts. 'Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones. And it shall come to pass in all the land,' Says the Lord, 'That two thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one third shall be left in it: I will bring the one third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is My people;' and each one will say, 'The Lord is my God.'" We talked last week about how important it was for the Lord's people to be discerning. There is a deliberate lack of doctrinal teaching in many churches. There are churches that work hard at doctrinal teaching, but it is not readily received by those listening. Because there is a lack of honest doctrinal teaching and an emphasis in some churches, too many, on entertainment, the door for false prophets and teachers has been swung wide open. We are warned that in the 'last days,' people will want to hear nice things and not have hard doctrines taught. The Bible puts it this way in 2 Timothy 4:3, "The time is coming when people won't listen to good teaching. Instead, they will look for teachers who will please them by telling them only what they are itching to hear." I don't often use the Contemporary English Version, but that verse above is as clear as it can be. They only get teachers that tell them what they want to hear. The listeners already know what they want to hear, and they only hire leaders that teach these things. They do not care about truth, sound doctrine and Biblical precepts; they care about feeling good and appearing successful. This plague of false churches has become a blight in our times. People are not being challenged to be like Jesus, to sacrifice and be sacrifices for the cause of the Gospel. There is no transformation and no hatred for sin. No call to repentance and no challenge to beat the flesh into submission so as to obey the Lord. These are the things of Christianity, the things that destroy the Old Man and help the New Man to thrive. But this is hard work filled with failure, shame, confession of sin and painful self-discipline. This makes the Christian walk sound hard and harsh; it can be at times. But as the person of Christ is formed in us, we become the jewels in His crown that we were intended to be, not just legends in our own minds. Sometimes we will not see the victories in this life, but one day we will be called faithful servants like Samson and David, like Samuel and Moses, because of what GOD did in us - even when we could not see it. Today we will explore a summary of the future of the nation of Israel right up until and beyond our time. We have seen two of the three prophecies in these three verses fulfilled and being fulfilled in front of our eyes. The third prophecy is yet to come in its full fruition, even though we see some parts of it happening around us. Strike the Shepherd, verse 7 In Matthew 26:31, the prophecy of this verse was fulfilled. Jesus told us that it was being fulfilled, so there is no question that this was it. On the night when He was betrayed in the Garden, Jesus confirmed that this was the fulfillment, "Then Jesus said to them, 'Tonight all of you will run away because of Me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'" Zechariah wrote this prophecy about 500 years before Jesus was even born. That night in the Garden we are told that the disciples all fled as Jesus was arrested. They were afraid, and it was not until the resurrection that their courage came back. Once they saw Jesus alive and well, able to eat, be held, able to speak and to bodily walk through walls, they were emboldened and went out to change the world. Two Thirds of Israel Destroyed, verse 8 Over the 2,000 years since the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Jews have been killed and slaughtered in just about every corner of the globe. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, about 1.1 million Jews were killed in the Roman war of 70 AD. Some think he was over estimating, but many other historians seem to have a similar number. We do know that when the Jews came out of the wilderness under the leadership of Joshua, they had an army of over 600,000 men between the ages of 20 to 50. This would peg the population at somewhere in the range of 1.8 to 2 million persons, including women, children and the aged. In WW2, the German military executed over 6,000,000 Jews in the gas chambers, not to mention the many killed before that and during the war. Today the population of Israel is about 8 million; this is 70 years later after they regained their homeland. So, from what appears to be almost extinction, the nation has recovered well. But we can see that throughout the years there has been a deliberate and targeted destruction of the Jews. This is no accident; Satan knows that Jerusalem is the place of God's earthly government; and if he can eliminate the Jews, just maybe he can stop the plans of God. Silly Satan! He is, if nothing else, a determined soul. He certainly has not given up on his plan to be like God. But he will never be God. He will never destroy Israel, but try he will. In the book of Revelation, Satan will try to invade Israel and will kill millions once again. About one third of Israel will escape and will be the remnant that Jesus will use to rebuild the nation in the Millennial kingdom. There is yet a future slaughter of the Jews coming at the hand of the nations of the world. The enemies of Israel from the ancient days will rise up against her. Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Libya, Syria and others will form alliances and come against her to destroy her. Some of these alliances are taking formation right now. The destruction of the Jews that is coming will make the previous murders look like hiccups in the course of history. In Matthew 24: 9-14 we see these words, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." Verse 9 makes it clear to the Jewish men Jesus was talking to that they will 'kill you.' Jesus was not very PC. He was so blunt and lovingly in your face, but no one could have ever accused Him of being vague. Many of the Jews have been killed over the years, and there is a lot more killing to come. Lord, help them. This is My People, verse 9 Soon the nation of Israel will come (as will we all) face to face with God. The remnant that is left will be put through some hard times, lots of suffering and fear, and they will have no refuge but God. He is their refuge, as He is yours and mine. Once they have been purified and prepared, God will remind them that they are His people, and they will return his greeting with 'The Lord is my God.' It is no accident that Israel is front and center in the news and in the affairs of the governments around us. It is no accident that the USA has declared Jerusalem the capital city of Israel in these, the last days. It is no small matter that the very enemies mentioned in Ezekiel 38: 1-6 are surrounding and actively engaged in war in the surrounding territories of the Middle East. "Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops-many people are with you." Persia is known today as Iran, but we have nations that we know that will come to destroy Israel. This time of purging will drive the Jews to God again. They will call for a Messiah, and He will show up; and they will know that He is the Lord. He will claim them and they Him. Some hard things will happen here on Earth while we are waiting for this revelation. But make no mistake; this conversation between God and Israel will happen. God makes it very, very clear that Israel is His people. The church age is coming to an end, and an abrupt one at that. The restoration of Israel is near, maybe nearer than you think. I pray that you are the Lord's people and that you recognize and regard the Lord as God. He is! We are blessed in this the Gentile church age to have the full power of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and convict our hearts when the truth of the Word of God is preached. Bless the Lord oh my soul! Missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca Ancient Jewish Sources Indicate Trump Will Pave Way for Third Temple: Prominent Rabbi - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/104682/ancient-jewish-sources-indicate-trump-will-pave-way-for-third-temple-prominent-rabbi/#ShD27PZV1r1Ds6t8.99 "Our mouths shall be filled with laughter, our tongues, with songs of joy. Then shall they say among the nations, "Hashem has done great things for them!" Psalms 126:2 (The Israel Bible™) Rabbi Yosef Berger, the rabbi in charge King David's Tomb on Mount Zion, revealed to Breaking Israel News a 600-year-old Jewish source stating that the Third Temple will be prepared by descendants of Edom as a "reparation" for destroying the Second Temple. Additional hints from esoteric sources indicate that US President Donald Trump has already begun this process. "It sounds illogical that the Third Jewish Temple will be built by non-Jews," Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News. "But Rabbinic sources state explicitly that this is what they must do to fix the historic wrongs that were committed." As the son of the "Mishkoltz Rebbe," a revered Hasidic leader with thousands of followers, Rabbi Berger is well-versed in Jewish literature and based his conclusions on several classical sources.The rabbi began his explanation by using the 11th chapter of Leviticus that delineates the laws pertaining to animals that are fit for Jewish consumption. For an animal to be designated as Kosher, it must have split hooves and chew its cud. Despite the explicitly stated rule, four animals are specifically mentioned as being forbidden in a manner that seems textually redundant. The final animal specified as being forbidden to Jews is a chazir (pig). And the swine-although it has true hoofs, with the hoofs cleft through, it does not chew the cud: it is unclean for you. Leviticus 11:7 Citing Midrash Rabba, a collection of homiletic teachings believed to have been compiled in the fifth century in Israel, Rabbi Berger explains this apparent redundancy by stressing that the four animals are compared to the four major kingdoms that mistreated Israel. Of these impure species, a chazir is compared to the nation of Edom, which literally translates as 'red,' referring to the redness of Jacob's brother, Esau. In Rabbinic literature, Edom refers to Rome, which largely comprised of Esau's descendants. Edom has also come to mean Christianity which first flourished in Rome. "The comparison is not flattering, but the implications are enormous," Rabbi Berger told Breaking Israel News. "Many times in the Bible we find that the greatest spiritual light comes from the most hidden of sources." "Midrash Rabba asked, 'why is edom compared to a 'chazir'? The answer Midrash Rabba gives is based on the root of the word chazir, which literally means 'to return,'" Rabbi Berger continued. "Midrash Rabba stated, 'in the future Edom will return the glory to its former status.'" Rabbi Berger also quoted Rabbi Bahya ben Asher ibn Halawa, a 13th century Spanish Biblical commentator also known as "Rabbeinu Behaye." The medieval scholar wrote that "the first and second Temples were built by the descendants of King David, but in the future, the Third Temple will be built by descendants of Edom." Rabbi Berger emphasized that these sources state explicitly that the Third Temple will be built by the descendants of Rome, i.e. Christianity. "Rabbeinu Behaye explained this is a tikkun (reparation). Rome destroyed the Second Temple so Rome's descendants, the Christians, are going to amend this by taking part in bringing the Third Temple." Rabbi Berger believes that President Trump's election has already begun this process. The rabbi noted that Donald Trump's name in Hebrew (דונלד טראמפ) in gematria (numerology based on Hebrew letters) equals 424 - which is the same numerical value of the phrase, "Moshiach (Messiah) from the House of David (משיח בן דוד)." "But Donald Trump is not righteous enough or knowledgable in Bible to actually be the Messiah," Rabbi Berger noted. "Trump's connection to the Messiah is that he will play a role in one of the major functions of the Messiah. He will pave the way for building the Third Temple." "Trump will not personally merit building the Temple," he continued. "Like Cyrus, he will pave the way for men who will begin the construction, and when the time is right, the Third Temple will descend from heaven." Rabbi Berger claims that Trump's actions since his inauguration have already shown this prediction about the Christian role in the Third Temple to be true. "No leader in history has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jews and Israel," he pointed out. "He has already created a great tikkun (reparation) for the Christians through his unprecedented relationship with Jerusalem. Trump is the representative of Edom that will perform that final historic reparation for his entire nation by building the Temple." Rabbi Berger however, believes that despite strengthening the connection between the two countries and recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, continuing the process will be more difficult but will yield much greater results. Daily Jot: Spend, spend, spend - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Congress averted another shutdown of the government by passing a $1.3 TRILLION resolution that funds the government until the mid-term elections, according to Associated Press. This whole idea of having to fund the government to avoid a shutdown to avoid backlash from taxpayers who don't want the government shut down is fiscally irresponsible and a Biblical example of a lack of good stewardship. If the government wasn't the largest employer in America, maybe there would be more sanity to the process, more accountability. The government is too big, too overreaching and too irresponsible, but Congress is at fault-it doesn't operate as the Constitution prescribes by establishing a yearly budget. It's the Continuing Resolution trap. These smart people we voted into office have figured out a way to operate lawfully while at the same time get all the tax-funded projects they want by passing Continuing Resolutions. Continuing Resolutions are based off of an original budget bill and modify that bill often based on a formula. They are passed when the President and Congress cannot agree to a fiscal budget. According to the Congressional Research Service between fiscal year 1977 and fiscal year 2015, Congress only passed all twelve regular appropriations bills on time in four years - fiscal years 1977, 1989, 1995, and 1997. So you can see Congress has operated without a budget a lot. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time." The Constitution also requires the House of Representatives to originate the budget. Usually, the President sends his budget to the House, which then crafts an appropriations bill for consideration and voting. The Statement of Accounts clause has been interpreted that there must be an annual budget. In recent years, neither the President nor the House has originated a budget so we have had these candy stores of pet projects loading up Continuing Resolutions that perpetuate the reelection of Congressmen with favors using your hard-earned tax dollars. The stick in this bait and switch game is that if Congress doesn't pass a Continuing Resolution, the government shuts down and we can't have that because the largest voting block in America would be upset. So it is better to be fiscally irresponsible with everybody's money, secure reelection with endless projects and favors, and kick the can down the road. This has resulted in a Federal debt of $21 TRILLION. Your share as a taxpayer is $173,549. Yet we keep reelecting these bums who keep spending your money on their projects. There were 90 House and 24 Senate Republicans who voted against this last bill. All others should be booted. It's bad business. Psalm 37:21 says, "The wicked borrow and pay not again: but the righteous show mercy and give." And that is where this is all headed unless We The People do something about it. Daily Devotion: A New Relationship - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'" -John 20:17 On the morning of the Resurrection, Jesus didn't allow Mary to touch Him. He was essentially saying, "It's not going to be the way it used to be. You can't hold on to Me in the old way. It's a new covenant." Then He made a radical statement: "Go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God'" (John 20:17). For Jesus to call God His Father was one thing. But He said, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father. . . ." In other words, "He is your Father now too." If you came from a fatherless home, God can be the Father you never had. Jesus opened up a new relationship for us through His death on the cross and His Resurrection from the dead. No longer must we go through a high priest to seek atonement for our sins, because Jesus became the final sacrifice for our sins. And He has given us free access to God the Father, to whom we can come in times of need. Do you know God as your Father? Or does He seem like some distant force? If that is the case, I have good news for you: God is not some mere force or distant power somewhere in the universe. He is personal, He is caring, and He loves you. And that is why He sent His Son to die on the cross in our place. 
FROM THE HEART
IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT Prophecy Update has no corporate sponsors. This ministry is paid for and prayed for by readers and supporters. Without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update, Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter - thanks! If ever there was a time to invest in God's Kingdom, it's now! What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake? "Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!" "Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey 1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack. 2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others. 3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks! Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 Prophecy Update is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt - non-profit organization, and all your donations are tax deductible. If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. You can make a secure donation online by going to: DONATE NOW Or Visit our website: http://prophecyupdate.com/donations/ Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 
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