Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Covid-19 and the New World Normal - Todd Hampton - http://toddhampson.com/is-that-a-wrap/
Is That a Wrap? I try to write a thoughtful post at least once a month, where I take time to research and vet various developments that relate to Bible prophecy. As I was looking over past articles something hit me. In terms of Bible prophecy and end-time developments, I believe that we will watch and wait in a new way. We will think in terms of "before Covid-19" and "after Covid-19." And there is a major difference. In the world of TV and feature film production there is a tradition followed by the main crew once principle photography (shooting all the scenes) is done. After the last shot of the final episode (or the final movie sequence) is done, time is taken to honor the crew, the project, and the friendships formed. The director will typically bring everyone together and individually acknowledge each person by name-followed by the phrase, "that's a wrap." Finally, after each person's contribution is acknowledged the director will state the name of the project (whether TV show or movie) and say, "that's a wrap." It is an extremely emotional moment for all involved in the production. At this point, there is still much to be done before the show airs or the movie is released. All of the editing and post-production still needs to be done, but the key content is shot and "in the can". Every one of the critical "must-have" milestones has been reached. I sense that is where we are on the prophetic schedule of things. The health, economic, and globalist effects of Covid-19 have moved us into a new (and perhaps final) era of the birth-pain period Jesus talked about in Matthew 24. In that chapter, Jesus responds to his disciples' questions about the timing of Jerusalem (and the temple) being destroyed, the end of the Church age, and the return of Jesus. After describing the chronology of the temple destruction of AD70 (24:2), and the bulk of church history of which Jesus said "the end is still to come" (24:4-6), he shifts gears to a time period known as the birth pains (24:8). I, and many other prophecy teachers, believe we are nearing the end of this birth pain period before the world is "delivered into tribulation (24:9)." In between the birth pain period and the tribulation period will be the rapture of the church. Everything related to Covid-19 has me thinking, "that's a wrap." I'm not saying the rapture will happen tomorrow. No man knows the day or hour. But I am saying that all principle photography has been shot. In other words, all of the conditions for the tribulation to start are in place-right now. Whether those conditions are geopolitical, cultural, spiritual, technological, or biblical/prophetic-everything is "in the can." We're now (using a video production term) in post-production. It's only a matter of time before the end of the church age. The number of examples I could give-specifically as a result of Covid-19-are overwhelming, so I'll stick to just three specific developments with strange numbers. Once you see how these are connected, it should get your attention. Let me request from the outset, don't take my word for these. Vet them yourself. They are 100% true and legitimate, but I don't want you to take my word without looking into them yourself. Agenda 2030 This UN manifesto of sorts was ratified and adopted on September 25, 2015. It calls for (and has been forcefully moving toward) radical plans that will affect everything by the year 2030. Of course it sounds fluffy and nice, but If you read between the lines (and if you understand human nature and the God-less foundations of the UN) you'll see that it is the culmination of a decades long push toward a Global Government and a New World Order. This is not a hidden agenda. It is out in the open. Many globalists over the past 10-20 years (and longer) have openly, publicly used those specific terms. Again, take some time to research this for yourself if it sounds far-fetched. Here's the 2030 website to begin your research: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld ID2020 Bill and Melinda Gates pledged $10 billion in a call for a decade of vaccines. That is the title of a press release from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation website. So, what's wrong with that? If you're like me you have always known Bill Gates as the Microsoft computer genius who competed head-to-head with Steve Jobs and Apple. Bill is a globalist. His dad was a globalist. Again, vet what I am saying. Last year Bill stepped down from Microsoft to pursue his new initiatives-among them ID2020 that seeks to give everyone on the planet a digital ID, and vaccinations. Neither of those are evil in themselves, but when you look at the big picture, the world view of the players, and what the Bible says will happen in the future tribulation period-everything is lining up. So, let me connect a few dots. Bill Gates (a computer entrepreneur) has been heavily involved with the UN and the W.H.O. (the global health arm of the UN) for quite some time. The UN officially adopts a plan to change everything by 2030 with the promise that "no one will be left behind." Bill Gates pledges a "decade of vaccines" that culminates in the year 2030, and a the same time funds ID2020 with a manifesto that says (among many other things), "Everyone should be able to assert their identity across institutional and national borders, and across time," and that they want to provide "an alternative to individuals lacking safe and reliable access to state-based systems." In other words, vaccines and digital ID are merging together. But how? Enter quantum dot technology. This new technology is well known, freely discussed in various online tech articles, and is the next step beyond microchipping. As I understand it, visible and invisible ink can be tattooed on someone as they are receiving a vaccine. Embedded in this tattoo is digital technology that verifies they have had said vaccine. Presumably, this could also be technology used to give everyone/anyone a permanent digital ID. Again, please vet what I am saying. Research the terms: quantum dot vaccine; quantum dot technology. https://www.sciencealert.com/an-invisible-quantum-dot-tattoo-is-being-suggested-to-id-vaccinated-kids http://news.mit.edu/2019/storing-vaccine-history-skin-1218 Also, here are a few websites (from the sources) to help you begin to vet what I shared above: https://id2020.org and https://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2010/01/Bill-and-Melinda-Gates-Pledge-$10-Billion-in-Call-for-Decade-of-Vaccines WO/2020/060606 Now, here is the third-and strangest-number I want to bring to your attention. A short time after Bill Gates stepped down from Microsoft's board of directors, the company filed an international patent for a "cryptocurrency system using body activity data." In layman's terms this means, "a cashless financial system connected to individual people." Some argue that this could just be a patent for technology which allows for smart phones, smart watches, and other wearable technology to connect with a cashless payment system. Of course, that is one logical application. But, when you look at this in view of end-time Bible prophecy, one can't help but connect a few dots. The bottom line is it is a technology that connects individual humans to a database and a cashless system. That is a fact. The future mark of the beast described in Revelation and implemented at the mid-point of said period, necessarily requires a cashless system, a data-base driven digital tracking capability, and a mark "on" the skin (not embedded underneath it) that seems to have health/DNA effects associated with it. Think of that in light of everything mentioned above. In my view all of these details are converging and accelerating due to the global effects of Covid-19. Now here's the rub. And you can vet this for yourself. The patent number is WO/2020/060606. Many have suggested it stands for World Order, 2020, 666-which is of course, the specific number mentioned in the passage in Revelation regarding the mark of the beast. Coincidence? I think not. Before you call me a conspiracy theorist for even mentioning those details, let's look at the possibilities of how this number came about. Possibility 1-The number generated was completely random. I don't buy this, but even if it were true, what are the chances that a technology that closely mirrors the biblical mark of the beast would have three sixes in a row? Not to mention a number that is the same year as Gates' iD2020. Possibility 2-The patent applicants requested this specific number to mean something specific. I tend to believe this is the case. When connected to someone as globally powerful as Bill Gates, this is not far fetched. And if this number was requested, it obviously has meaning to those who filed the global patent. Possibility 3-The patent applicants requested this specific number to poke fun at Christians and to intentionally get Bible prophecy teachers all bent out of shape. If this is the case, it still fits into end-time Bible prophecy when mockers will abound (2 Peter 3:4) and raises additional concerns. The bottom line of all of this is that due to Covid-19, the end-time convergence of signs and conditions has been shifted into overdrive. The birth pains described by Jesus in Matthew 24 are increasing with frequency and intensity-globally-right before our eyes. We have yet to see the full effects of the virus upon the world's health, wealth, freedoms, and fall out. We should be ready for-not just a new normal, but a new world normal. If "it's a wrap" and all we're waiting for is a heavenly trumpet sound-let's sprint to the finish line, occupy until He returns, patiently serve Jesus and others, and share the Gospel as far and wide as we can while there is time. Even so, come Lord Jesus! Whether the Lord returns in our lifetime as we suspect or not, we have nothing to fear and should be full of hope, joy, and courage. Our new normal is just as secure as it has always been. God is still on the throne and his Word is true. Palestinians, Israel and the Coronavirus - by Richard Kemp - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15978/palestinians-israel-coronavirus Coronavirus has turned the world upside down. One Through the Looking Glass moment was the UN's praise for Israel over "unprecedented cooperation on efforts aimed at containing the epidemic". Those of us who follow the Middle East know that any judgement on Israel apart from outright condemnation is unprecedented for the UN. What is not unprecedented is cooperation between Arabs and Israelis such as we see today. One hundred years ago, a Jewish microbiologist, Dr Israel Kligler, led the fight to eradicate malaria from this land. For centuries, the territory had been ravaged by the mosquito, decimating the people that tried to live there, leaving it barren and sparsely populated. Shortly before Kligler's war on malaria, British General Edmund Allenby, speaking of his 1917-18 fight against the Ottoman Empire in Palestine, had said: "I am campaigning against mosquitoes". His battle plans against the Turks were shaped above all by the need to overcome the murderous effects of malaria on his own forces. Like Coronavirus, malaria did not differentiate between Jews and Arabs, and both communities learnt the need to work together against a disease that had for so long caused devastation to both their peoples. Despite violent efforts by Amin al-Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, to prevent his people from cooperating with the hated Jews, Kligler's endeavors enabled the land to be cultivated, populated and developed, and eventually to the total elimination of the disease in the area. Like al-Husseini, some Palestinian Arab leaders today seem to prefer that their own people succumb to disease rather than cooperate with Israel. While Palestinians and Israelis on the ground pull together against Coronavirus, Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh says: "Some soldiers are trying to spread the virus through the door handles of cars. It is a case of racism and hatred by people who hope for the death of the other." More Alice in Wonderland fantasy. A PA spokesman accused the Israeli authorities of "racist and inhumane" behavior and articles in official PA publications assert that Israel is deliberately spreading the infection and trying to contaminate Palestinian prisoners, using Coronavirus as a biological weapon. Of course, Israel-haters in both mainstream and social media are only too eager to amplify such defamatory and divisive outbursts. Meanwhile Israeli and PA health departments meet regularly to coordinate action and share vital information. Troops from the IDF's Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) are organizing joint training for medical teams. Israel provides test kits, laboratory supplies, medicines and personal protective equipment for Palestinian health workers. COGAT is also working to coordinate safe transit for Palestinian Arabs from their homes into places of work across the Green Line in Israel. Their earnings put food on the table for tens of thousands of Arab families. Authorities ensure these workers observe the same social distancing as Israeli citizens and are equipped with the same protective equipment. Unprecedented arrangements have been made to allow them to remain in Israel for extended periods to avoid cross-contamination. Despite that, PA leaders maliciously accuse Israel of using their workers, who are so vital to the Palestinian economy, to transmit infections back into Arab areas. The IDF is closely cooperating with local authorities among Israeli Muslim communities, providing testing and medication and evacuating the sick to hospitals and hotels. Across Israel, they have established discrete isolation facilities in 21 hotels, tailor-made to specific communities, including strictly kosher for Orthodox Jews and halal for Muslims. The IDF have distributed more than 100,000 food packages to Israeli Muslims in places where there have been significant outbreaks, and are supplying groceries for those who are unable to leave their homes. IDF uniforms inside Muslim villages are often seen among locals as provocative. In places where the Ministry of Health identifies hotspots, deployment of Muslim IDF soldiers and careful messaging and coordination with village leaders have so far helped prevent incidents. In some cases, Muslim civilians carrying out official roles have donned fluorescent vests with IDF Home Front Command markings, something normally unheard of and indicative of understanding the need to pull together. A recent Coronavirus op-ed in the Washington Post demanded that Israel "lift the siege on Gaza". Predictably, the author ignores the fact that Israel's lawful blockade of the Gaza Strip -- also imposed by Egypt -- is in place for one reason only: the regime there remains intent on using Gaza as a base for terrorist attacks against both Israel and Egypt. But even in Gaza, a form of cooperation has been achieved. The Washington Post article goes on: "Israel must immediately lift restrictions on supplies and equipment entering Gaza and ensure Palestinian doctors and nurses have the resources they need to ensure the health and safety of their patients." Israel-haters don't want to know this, but what the author calls for is of course exactly what has been happening since the Coronavirus outbreak. Israel has continued, as usual, to supply essential aid to the people of Gaza, including electricity and water. COGAT facilitates unhindered all international aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, including testing equipment, protective garments, disinfectant, medical stocks and other humanitarian supplies provided by WHO, the EU, UNRWA, Qatar, Norway and other countries. Last week alone this included 197 tons of medical supplies among the 2,563 truckloads of goods that crossed from Israel into Gaza. Despite scaremongering in the Washington Post and other papers, the Gaza health authorities report very low levels of Coronavirus, and restaurants re-opened last week. Hamas seems to have been managing the crisis effectively, no doubt anxious to avoid unrest that could destabilize its regime. The cooperation between Israel and Palestinian Arabs will enable Coronavirus to be contained and perhaps eventually eradicated there. But will it lead to improved long-term relations between the two sides? If history is any guide, the answer is unfortunately no. Despite the extraordinary mutual benefits achieved by cooperation against malaria in the 1920s, which literally enabled life to flourish throughout the land, the obsessive hatred stirred up by Amin al-Husseini and his henchmen prevailed, leading to relentless conflict from that day to this. Despite the insight into Israel's true nature gained by many ordinary Palestinians in this crisis, it looks likely that al-Husseini's modern-day successors will continue to betray their own people as he did, with the same self-destructive animosity and aggression. First Plague, Now Famine - Is the Perfect Storm Brewing? - By Michael Snyder/Economic Collapse Blog - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=4027 Could it be possible that the stage is being set for horrific famines that the Bible has been warning us about for nearly 2,000 years? A few years ago, any talk of "coming famines" would have seemed absolutely ludicrous to most people in the western world, but the events of the last several months have changed everything. Now, the UN is openly warning that famines of "biblical proportions" could be on the way, and the head of the UN World Food Program is telling us that we could soon see 300,000 people literally starve to death every single day. Nightmarish droughts, African Swine Fever, COVID-19 and armies of locusts in Africa the size of major cities have combined to create a "perfect storm", and global food supplies are becoming tighter with each passing month. As conditions continue to deteriorate, many are starting to wonder if certain prophetic passages in the Bible are starting to come to fruition. For example, in Matthew 24:7 Jesus specifically warned us that there would be "famines" in the days immediately preceding His return... For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. We can also find very similar warnings from Jesus in Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21. So if we actually are living during the time just before the return of Jesus, we should expect to see horrifying global famines start to emerge, and that is precisely what we are witnessing at this moment. In Revelation 6:8, we are told that "hunger" will eventually be a major factor in the deaths of a large portion of the global population... And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Of course we aren't at that point yet. But are we starting to move in that direction? David Beasley is the executive director of the UN World Food Program, and he recently stated that we are heading directly into "the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two". Hunger is rapidly rising all over the globe, and he believes that if dramatic intervention does not happen quickly we could see an astounding death toll. According to Beasley, we could soon see 300,000 people around the world starve to death every single day, and that figure doesn't even factor in the effect of this coronavirus pandemic... "If we can't reach these people with the life-saving assistance they need, our analysis shows that 300,000 people could starve to death every single day over a three-month period", he upheld. "This does not include the increase of starvation due to COVID-19". As fear of COVID-19 pushes us into an unprecedented global economic downturn, how much worse will that make our rapidly growing global food crisis? Of course in the western world we are much better off than most of the rest of the planet for now. Famine is definitely not an immediate concern for us, but thanks to COVID-19 we are now wrestling with significant food shortages. Because meat supplies are so tight, approximately one-fifth of all Wendy's restaurants have taken burgers off their menus. When I first read that, I was absolutely stunned. Of course Wendy's is not the only one dealing with strained supply chains. Costco has started limiting the amount of meat that each customer can purchase, and Tyson Foods has announced that their capacity to slaughter hogs has fallen "by about 50 percent". Time Magazine is warning us that the meat shortages "could last for months", and they could stretch even longer than that if this coronavirus pandemic doesn't start to subside. Meanwhile, farmers all over America are seeing their hard work go to waste because broken supply chains have made it impossible to sell what they have produced. One industry expert is actually claiming that "billions" of dollars worth of crops have gone to waste as a result of this crisis... Crops planted months before based on pre-pandemic demand spoiled without buyers. Billions of dollars' worth of produce went to waste, much of it tilled back into the soil, said Cathy Burns, CEO of the Produce Marketing Assn., which represents produce companies. I have a feeling that eventually we will greatly regret allowing so much good food to go to waste. Sadly, most of the rest of the world is actually in much worse shape than we are right now. Long before COVID-19 came along, crazy weather patterns were playing havoc with harvests all over the world. For instance, Australia is traditionally a major exporter of wheat to the rest of the world, but unprecedented droughts have forced Australia to actually start importing wheat... Australia, which made a rare purchase of Canadian wheat in the current marketing year, is expected to continue buying more wheat in the 2019-20 marketing year (October-September), as weather conditions remain difficult in key states, market analysts say. Australia's wheat output dropped 45.6% to 17.3 million mt in the 2018-19 marketing year from a record high of 31.8 million mt in 2016-17, owing to prolonged drought conditions, data from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics shows. This forced the country to import wheat for the first time in 12 years. In addition, another plague of "biblical proportions" has been killing off pigs in unprecedented numbers. When I tell people that African Swine Fever has already killed off half the pigs in China and one-fourth of all the pigs in the entire world, a lot of people don't believe me. So let me give you a quote that comes directly from New Scientist... A quarter of the world's domestic pigs have died this year as a virus rampages across Eurasia, and that may be just the start. Half the pigs in China - which last year numbered 440 million, some 50 percent of the world's pigs - have either died of African swine fever (ASF) or been killed to stamp out the virus. ASF comes from East Africa. In 2007, it reached Georgia in the Caucasus in contaminated meat, and in infected wild boar. Now, it is all over Russia and eastern Europe and infected wild boar have turned up as far west as Belgium. It is also spreading in east Asia, killing many pigs in Vietnam and elsewhere. And if you don't believe them, just do a Google search and you will find countless mainstream news sources telling you the exact same facts. This is actually happening, and the death toll is rising with each passing day. Meanwhile, a new generation of locust armies that is being described as "20 times bigger" than the last generation is destroying countless farms all across Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. The following comes from one of my previous articles... Even before COVID-19 became the biggest public health crisis to hit the globe in decades, enormous swarms of locusts the size of major cities were devouring crops throughout eastern Africa, across the Middle East and even in some parts of Asia. Now a new generation that officials are describing as "20 times bigger" has emerged, and the devastation that this new generation of locusts is causing is extremely alarming. These colossal locust swarms can travel up to 90 miles a day, and as you will see below, when they descend upon a field they can literally eat everything there in as little as 30 seconds. This new generation of locusts has been spotted as far south as Congo, as far north as Iran and as far east as India. In other words, the food supplies of billions of people are at risk. Never before have we seen so many catastrophic threats to the global food supply emerge at the same time. It appears that "the perfect storm" is now upon us, and I anticipate that global events will continue to accelerate in the months ahead. Of course we still have quite a way to go before we get to the type of famines described in the Scriptures, but it certainly looks like the stage is being set for severe hunger on a global scale. But Jesus didn't warn us about these things so that we would live in fear. God knew about all of this in advance, He is in control, and He has a plan. Hounds From Hell - By Grant Phillips - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/05/05/hounds-from-hell-by-grant-phillips/ "Hounds from hell" is a term coming from Greek mythology, but that is the farthest thing from my mind. I simply sometimes use this terminology to describe those of mankind and the spirit world that Satan uses to advance his own purposes. We often also call them 'minions,' which means followers, gofers, slaves, assistants, cronies, etc. Those of the spirit world are not visible to the naked eye, but they are just as real as any human we can see. The apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit, speaks of them in the book of Ephesians. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). All of the garbage that is going on around us in these last days is being advanced by these evil followers of Satan. They have always been around, but I believe they were especially active during our Lord's first advent and are now revving it up again because they know their time is growing short. Daniel is one of the Old Testament books that reveal much about the last days. Actually, to understand the book of Revelation, one must first study the book of Daniel. In the following verses we can easily see an example of the war taking place in the spirit world by God's angels and those who followed Satan (Lucifer). "Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, 'O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.' While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, 'Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come'" (Daniel 10:10-14). I am of the opinion that the spiritual war also intensified during Daniel's lifetime. I do not think Satan wanted us to know what God had Daniel write since it is so applicable to us today. If you recall, God told Daniel to seal the book because it wasn't meant for man to understand these words until the time of the end. However, at the time of the end, man would understand what Daniel could not understand at that time. "Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, 'My lord, what shall be the end of these things?' And he said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand'" (Daniel 12:8-10). Folks, that time is now. We are in the last days of the Church age. We are fast approaching the "time of the end." The hounds from hell are very active. Any true Christian who is attuned to God's Word can easily see that the days we are in are abnormal, to say the least. Israel is again a nation, 72 years and counting. This would have been impossible, humanly speaking. There are so many signs today pointing toward Daniel 9:27, which is the final seven years due Israel we commonly call the Tribulation. "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate" (Daniel 9:27). Additionally, there are so many signs today pointing toward the Tribulation, they are almost too numerous to count, and they are all converging together. Is it no wonder the 'hounds from hell' are so busy? The war has escalated so that many humans have joined Satan's team. We see them every day fighting anything that has to do with Almighty God. They're not just the political, judicial, and entertainment crowd, but all who oppose Jesus Christ and hate His message of salvation. Their hearts have been cauterized with the precision of Satan's lying tongue. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:18-32 exactly what they would be like and God's judgment against them. Three times in these verses, it is stated that God gave them up. Without question, these verses fit this generation to a T. There could not be a better fit than what we see today. These folks laugh God off and hate His bride, the true Church, but one day soon Jesus will call us upward, and they will be left behind. I dare say they will rejoice when the Church is gone, but quickly the judgment of the God they mocked will fall. We may get very irritated at the actions of these people who are so blatant in their hatred for Jesus Christ, but we need to remember one thing. We know what is ahead. They do not. We must pray for them that somehow they open their eyes before it is too late. Grant Phillips Email: [email protected] Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: Gold Mine - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Growing up on a horse and cattle farm in Northeastern Ohio had a lot of benefits. It taught me the value of life, the sorrow of death, work ethic, and shaped my character. We had a lot of work to do on a place that was about 150 years old. We worked hard, but there were also times where we played hard. I can remember the warm summer days getting up early before the deer flies were bad, saddling up, and going for a ride in the woods. There was a natural road that had been built who knows how long ago that divided the property. Just before it dipped down into a small creek was a left turn toward where you could gallop through a grove of trees. And then it got a little mysterious. Legend had it that the Indians had tied down those trees making an archway leading to a sacred place (which I imagine were the several mounds in a low area leading down to the creek). The other side of the sacred place led back to the creek. There, my dad had dug out a ramp where he could change truck beds or load livestock. The dirt from that was piled up right beside the creek. We could canter on back to the main road, circle through the woods and come back to the barn, keeping a tight rein on whatever horses we were riding because they always wanted to run like Triple Crown winners back to the barn-another set of stories! That was just one fun ride on the 100 acres if the deer flies weren't biting too bad. If that mound of dirt could talk, it would tell a lot of stories. My best friend Sonny and I labeled it the Gold Mine. In Sonny's own words, "We had many adventures at the gold mine! You were the Lone Ranger. And with all my Indian blood, I was Tonto!! Sometimes we switched and I was the Lone Ranger and you were Roy Rogers! We always shot straight not to kill but capture the bad guys. Justice always won and we got our man. At the end of the day we were hungry, dirty and tired. Your mom would tell us to clean up and get ready for supper. After supper it was time to watch the Green Hornet on TV. Those were good times especially because good always defeated the bad." To Sonny and me, it was a place where many adventures took place-sword fights, gun fights, sinister hidden plots that were revealed, bad guys captured, fortunes made. Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, Cheyenne, Matt Dillon and more played out their exploits there in our imaginations. To the naked eye, that high place that overshadowed the creek was just an old pile of dirt. But to us it was a gold mine! Like in Isaiah 45:3, "I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel." There were many times and secret places on that farm where Sonny and I were thankful for the hidden riches God gave us when we were growing up into the men we would become. Daily Devotion: The Gift of Prophecy - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. -Romans 12:6 I'm a little suspicious of someone who claims to be a prophet of God because sometimes I've seen abuse in this area, especially during crises. The Bible also warns there will be false prophets in the last days. However, there is a spiritual gift of prophecy where someone speaks for God, and God speaks through them. In Romans 12 the apostle Paul shares a partial list of spiritual gifts, and prophecy is the first spiritual gift that he identifies. Prophecy has been defined in different ways both in the Old and New Testaments. For example, it can mean to speak for another as a representative of God. However, the prophet always must be held accountable to the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, God raised up certain prophets including Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Jonah. In some instances, these prophets foretold the future. Daniel foretold the future in graphic detail. So did Isaiah and Ezekiel. The New Testament mentions prophets as well, such as Agabus. In Acts 21:10-11 we read that he predicted the future for the apostle Paul. Also, we should note certain phrases that Paul used in his mention of these spiritual gifts: So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. (Romans 12:6-8 NLT, emphasis added) Every follower of Christ has a spiritual gift. Whatever our gift may be, we need to start developing it and using it for the glory of God. 
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 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 
|
|