Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Prince and Power of the Air - by Pastor Mike Taylor -
https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-prince-and-power-of-air.html "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."(Isaiah 14:12-15) The bible speaks of a powerful angelic being that was called, in the beginning, Lucifer. The bible describes him as a most beautiful and powerful being that God had ever created. He was covered with the most precious of stones and his brightness was called "son of the morning." 12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."(Ezekiel 28:12-14) Lucifer was one of the main cherubs and was a powerful member of the Ark Angels, Gabriel and Michael being the other two mentioned in the Bible. He was an angel with great authority and possibly the most powerful of the three that served in the Temple of God. It was, until Lucifer became consumed with his own beauty and pride entered into his heart. Lucifer was (as we are) agents of free moral choice. Lucifer was the ruler of this earth, before our creation. His world was the one we now live on. What this earth was like before creation of Genesis 1, is not known, but the fossil records show that there was a world in times before our time, that was much different that what we experience now. The bible speaks of a war breaking out in heaven as Lucifer convinced 1/3 of the heavenly host under his charge to rebel against God the Father, the Ancient of days with a deception "that God wasn't fair, or we deserve better", or some other lie that we can only theorize, but many angels followed him in war. Revelation speaks of this war: 7 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.(Revelation 12:7-9) "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child."(Jesus Christ)(Revelation 12:12-13) Unfortunately, Lucifer now renamed Satan (the chief evil spirit; the great adversary of humanity; the devil. ), has been cast down to earth, his former abode and it is the same home that we reside in. Some people don't believe he really does exist and it is one of Satan's master strokes of deception, that he doesn't exist. Some blame him for everything, or the "devil made me do it" if you remember in times past, of Flip Wilson used to say as "Geraldine', or in the other extreme, they totally ignore him as any consequence in their lives. The bible gives ample proof that he is more than an adversary for the typical human being that is outside the protection of God the Father, through Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit as protectors. Satan is a destroyer of men's souls. It appears that the more carnally educated a person is, the less Satan is regarded as real, and vice versa, the less educated a person is, the more the devil is blamed for everything. In reality, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. Satan is called our "adversary." Who is this angel that the masses fail to recognize as their adversary and the corrupter of their souls? RULER OF THIS PRESENT AGE I'm going to lay a foundation from the scriptures so that we will understand more of what we are dealing with. "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars [notice stars] of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. . . So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan [there he is identified], who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."(Revelation 12:3-4, 9) Stars are used in this passage and is a word used for angels. This was a major battle in heaven and the rebelling angels lost it and were cast out of heaven. "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.....(II Peter 2:4 ) These are the angels or the "sons of God" that came down and mated with human women creating the Nephilim (evil giants of half human and half demon) that caused evil to be unabated and God destroying all of mankind, save 8 souls, to start all over again. These corrupting angels were chained in a bottomless pit, awaiting final judgment from God for leaving their first estate. Here we continue on our explanation of what has occurred on this earth long before us. Another step is clarified in regard to the positions that the angels (or demons, if we want to call them that) are holding at this time. There is some debate over the word used in Greek here that Peter describes as "chains", but might be interpreted as a pit, or silo which we know is a long cylinder dug in the ground in ancient time, or above the ground to store grain in modern times, but is used here to denote a place of darkness, restraint, or prison. The word "Hell" here in the English versions comes from the Greek 'tartarus' and it means "a place of restraint." "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day."(Jude 1:6) So this horde of demon angels who has as their chief commander, Lucifer, Satan the Devil leading them , had many of them cast into a pit called Tartarus which was a place lower than Hades or the grave, and chained until judgment is brought upon them. How many demonic spirits does Satan have to do his bidding? The Bible speaks of God's throne room, thousands upon thousands administering to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before Him in a vision given to Daniel chapter 7 of the throne room of God. Of the 1/3 of all angelic host that fell to the earth, it would be millions of demonic forces that attack mankind daily to tempt them to do evil, or come against them physically or spiritually. God gave each of these angels led by Lucifer dominion over this earth, and the responsibility to tend to the earth, as their domain, but they left it and rebelled, so God chained them to the earth in utter darkness, meaning no light of the Word of God, or the Father's presence that brought them life. They were totally and forever separated from the love of God because of their rejection of His authority and His righteousness. Jesus said Satan was a murderer and the father of lies........He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."(John 8:44) In summary up to this point, it's clear how all of this fits together now, especially with those verses that we saw in Peter and in Jude; how clear it becomes when putting this together with Revelation 12, that what occurred was that God assigned the angels to the earth, that they were under their commander, Lucifer, who was the sum total of all that God could create by fiat and cram into a created being; that he was perfect in his ways until iniquity was found in him. We see a picture of a being of awesome beauty, of awesome power, of tremendous intelligence, also though a creature of free moral agency. We are not given a full description of what Satan looked like as Lucifer, if he was human looking, or what his shape was, but he was a created being of incredible beauty and brightness. But what was totally perfect, evolved by his own mind and actions into something totally perverse, totally wicked, and committed to destroying God's creation of mankind, as they were given the promise of being the Son's of God and entering into God's Family. 11 "Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."(Isaiah 14:11-15) Can you picture in your mind, what might have been the reaction that Satan took when he realized God's plan to make Man in His own image? I'm only thinking out loud, as I have no idea what went through this angelic beings thought process, but it would explain why and how he felt that God was not fair, that God was putting these frail humans before Lucifer and his host of angelic beings. He was not satisfied with his station in the plan of God. He wanted more, more power, more authority, and rejected being submissive to any other power other than his. He wanted to be God. WHAT ARE WE UP AGAINST? I think that it's necessary for us to deal with the reality of one aspect of the situation. I don't think that God wants us to hide from these things. Once you begin to see what is arrayed against us, you are going to know that it is by grace that we are saved. If we had to fight Satan and his demons without God being on our side, we would lose in the blink of an eye. It would be that one-sided. We live in a physical realm, but there is a spiritual realm that we cannot see with the human eye. It is a war that is being fought all around us, and it is for the souls of men and the defeat of God's perfect plan. If we were able to see this war found in the spiritual realm, it would frighten us to where we could not function in this physical world. But God will win, and Satan will ultimately loose, and he knows that and is trying desperately to prevent it. Satan is described as a roaring lion .... "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:( 1st Peter 5:8) A lion cares not for the prey, but to destroy the prey for food, to conquer it, to overpower the prey, and to kill. So the analogy of Satan as a roaring lion gives you some idea of his intent. He cares not for you, he stalks you, he desires your destruction, and he desires to make God out a liar at your expense. AN ARMY OF MINISTERING SPIRITS In the book of Daniel, it gives you an idea of how powerful this force called Satan really is. Daniel had been praying for Israel for weeks, and the Messenger of the Lord came to him: 10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia"(Daniel 10:10-13) This King of Persia in interpreted to mean probably Satan himself fought against this Messenger, which was most likely Gabriel and it required Michael to come to his aid as the Messenger has "wrestled" with the angel for 3 weeks in a spiritual battle to keep him from answering Daniel's prayer. Can we get an idea of the power that this being that withstood the Messenger of God? There is really a great deal of encouragement that comes from this section in Daniel 10. You can understand why the Apostle Paul and also the psalmist said that the angels are ministering spirits. They are ministering to the heirs of salvation. My reader these ministering Spirits are our protectors. This happened without Daniel even knowing what was taking place to prevent an answer to his prayer. These Ministering Spirits stand between us and certain annihilation, as that is Satan's plan, to destroy every human being that he can convince to reject God and His free offer of grace found in His only begotten Son. He wishes to destroy you physically and ultimately spiritually for all eternity. He wishes you to join him in sure destruction in a fire burning with brimstone and sulfur that was designed not for men, but the devil and his angels. 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:16-19) Satan's plan is to blind you, to deceive you and convince you that you do not need a Savior...that you are able to handle your own affairs in this life, and the life that is coming...problem is...we are not, as no one can stand before a Holy God on our own merit...we are sinners, and only if we are clothed with righteousness of His Son, through faith in His death, burial and resurrection, can we hope to become part of the family of God. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."(Isaiah 64:6). Filthy rags are equated to a woman's discarded menstrual cloth. So we are unclean as it is unclean. ANGELS IN CHARIOTS OF FIRE Mankind is fighting a huge army of demons that have been cast down to earth to do the bidding of their chief captain, Satan. But our army, the army of God, is much stronger than the army we fight for all who believe. When Elisha prayed for his companion to see what was with them was stronger than what was surrounding the camp, as his servant was scared to death: "And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."(2nd Kings 6:15-17) God struck this army with blindness and the army was defeated. So our army of 2/3 of the heavenly host are on guard to protect his chosen people, the elect, the children of God. But it is not enough just to believe that there is a God, you must do more. WHAT MUST I DO? "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble!"(James 2:19) The demons believe in a most powerful God, who is our Father, our Creator and they tremble at the very thought of Him. They know God's awesome power and they, unlike man, tremble! Maybe the better English word would be shudder before God! They recognize His power. They are terrified at the thought of God. They are thoroughly convicted that God is! This verse goes a long way toward helping us to understand that saving faith is not the intellectual acceptance of a theological proposition, that is, that God is, but rather a belief that expresses itself outwardly in a changed life. Do you understand what I said? The demons believe. They tremble in fear, but they will not obey God. We, too, can believe that God is. We give intellectual assent to a theological proposition. "Yes I believe that God is." But we may not even shudder and most assuredly, most of mankind will not submit. Satan is most assuredly very real. To deny his existence is to put yourself most vulnerable to his evil ways, his temptations, and the wiles within his power to destroy each and every one of you. His most distinct focus and deception is for you to deny he lives for if he doesn't exist, then you erroneously believe neither does God. So why would you need the One, when the other doesn't exist? But the bible proves that he does exist and is called the prince and power of the air, or god of this world, but God has made a way to defeat him: 1 " And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast."(Ephesians 2:1-9) To fight the good fight with must have the right armor, we MUST believe in the only begotten Son of God, in whom is the only Hope of defeating this most powerful adversary, Satan the devil. Don't ever under-estimate his power. 8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."(Romans 10:8-13)" If you realize that Satan is a real power in this earth, then how can we fight such a powerful force that shows its evidence all around our world today, in wars, famine, suffering, and men doing unspeakable things to one another? I spoke of armor, what armor? 11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"(Ephesians 6:11-18) If you have not believed in the the Way, the Truth, and the Life, then you are already defeated. Satan has you exactly where he wants you. You can believe there is a power called Satan, or you can ignore him, because to him, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't believe in his ultimate defeat, Jesus the Messiah. END OF THIS AGE IS UPON US Satan does not want you to believe in the only Hope you have to avoid the coming Tribulation. Because if you enter into the coming 7 years of the near complete destruction of mankind, then chances are, you will join Satan in the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone and sulfur. Satan is getting extremely fearful that he is loosing, and quite honestly he has already lost, because of Calvary and the saving sacrifice of the blood of Jesus. 31 "So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."(Luke 21:31-36) Take a good look around you, my reader. Has not the prophesies that fill your bible being fulfilled right now? If you compare what Jesus said, what Paul wrote and what John the Apostle saw, you know that Jesus coming is right at the door. Metaphorically, His hand is on the door knob waiting for the command from ABBA our Father God, to take His bride, and return with His children in hand. The countdown of His imminent return began when Israel was made a nation again in May 1948. Remember Jesus said that this generation will NOT pass away till all things be fulfilled. 31" And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect (Tribulation saints )from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:31-36) Verse 31 speaks of when Jesus comes to rule and reign for 1000 years during the Millennium , But He also speaks of when He will come rapture His church before His wrath begins...that generation described in Psalm 90 is 70-80 years since Israel was brought back to her own land. Israel is now 72 years as a nation....how much longer do we have.....signs are telling us, NOT MUCH LONGER. 17 'Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O Lord. 18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."(Isaiah 26:17-21) If you have believed, then live a life that testifies to that fact, waiting for our Blessed Hope to break through the clouds and cry out "COME UP HITHER". 13 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."(1st Thessalonians 4:13-18) Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him be your protector, your shield, you buckler, your high tower, and the only true God in your life. Until He comes for us who have believed in Him by Grace through Faith. . With His grace and mercy along with multiple millions of Ministering Spirits, he can defeat the wiles of the devil that only wish to destroy you, because my friend, Satan is indeed, very real. This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for God's salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, to be a part of your life. If I can help you in any way, pray with you, counsel you, or just lend an empathetic ear to your cares, then drop me a line to [email protected] ,God bless you all, till we meet at Jesus Feet. Nearing Midnight: The Cheerleaders of Destruction - Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The liberal media have more power and hold greater sway over the national political conversation than any other organization. Their bias can transform the culture, shape elections and destroy reputations. Unregulated, they are a menace. The liberal media have been able to conduct their destructive mission by simply claiming they are only covering the news. Since they control access to a majority of news outlets, they get to decide what is the lead news story of any given day. The fear of being blackballed by the left has caused most conservatives to play nice with their political enemy. The situation has gotten so bad, there no longer needs to be any type of civility between the two sides. The liberal media believe they are entitled to control and block all forms of free speech that disagree with their agenda. Twitter has been going after small fish for months, and Trump has finally decided to lock horns with the site. This came after Twitter placed fact-check labels on two of his tweets for the first time. Here is what he posted on his account: "Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservative voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can't let a more sophisticated version of that... "...happen again. Just like we can't let large-scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!" The Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google. The Administration is working to remedy this illegal situation. Stay tuned, and send names & events. The covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that the press are cheerleaders for any disaster that can be used for political gain. Because they see the death toll as a positive thing for their side, they welcome the angel of death that propagates this virus. Ryan Lizza of Politico asked the sick but predictable question during last Tuesday's media briefing, "What would - what does the White House view as having - by Election Day, what does the White House view as the number of dead Americans, where you can say that we successfully defeated this pandemic? Is there a number?" asked Lizza. It is unlikely that Hydroxychloroquine will turn out to be an effective drug against covid-19. Most treatment drugs fail to make it past the trial phase. I think it was valid for President Trump to hold out hope that early research showed the drug could help people recover from the virus. The liberal media hate the idea that Hydroxychloroquine could possibly be a cure. They are trying to find anything of evidence that the drug was dangerous. There are even reports of people getting sick from eating fish-tank cleaner that contained the Hydroxychloroquine compound. Rush Limbaugh has recently said that lung-cancer treatment sapped his energy and, 'I Have Been Virtually Worthless.' His health has received continuous interest from the media because they want him to die. They would rather have his audience of 25 million listening to one of their liberal voices. I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an evil saint in the abortion camp, but I don't pray for her death. The liberal media are now watching Rush like a hungry wolf shadowing a wounded deer: "I got several emails ... with questions about my physical condition, and it's one of the reasons I didn't divulge a whole lot of detail. There are many reasons why I don't do that: a) privacy b) media doing investigations," he said. "I'm still here, and that's all that's important," he said. "I can't and don't want to divulge any more than that. If I were to go into much greater detail, you know, the media would start researching everything I said." Rush's brother David Limbaugh is a devout Christian, and he is likely working overtime to witness to him. Rush has been a tough case, but he seems to be coming around to reality. Last week he praised the power of prayer. If Rush should die, I think it would be something very negative for the nation. God is clearly pulling out people who stand for good. If the left gains full control of America, their wicked nature will cause the same calamity that destroyed all other leftist paradises. The Nation columnist Katha Pollitt has declared that she would support Biden "if he boiled babies and ate them." She is so rigid and fanatical in her beliefs, the truth does not matter: "Whether or not you believe Tara Reade ... you should vote for Joe Biden if he is the nominee. ... We do not have the luxury of sitting out the election to feel morally pure or send a message about sexual assault and #BelieveWomen. That will not help women at all. Or anyone else," she said. One way I help maintain my sanity is by realizing that the left is working to buy all believers a ticket out of this lunatic asylum. Their extreme levels of depravity beg for God's wrath. Since they are excelling in the six things that God hates, the tribulation hour must be very near. "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19, KJV). Signs of the Times - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-6-3-2020/ This year, planet earth has been taking a stroll through Matthew 24 - the famous chapter where Jesus laid out for His disciples some of the signs to look for as the time of His return approaches. The most obvious sign right now is "pestilences." COVID-19 has been dominating the lives of people around the world. But it hasn't come alone. London's Daily Star reported recently on an "Apocalyptic swarm of deadly mutant ticks" that have invaded Russia. Massive locust swarms are still ravaging parts of Africa and Asia. The world is battling pestilences almost everywhere. And if you think the present pandemic is bad, look out. Shi Zhengli is the deputy director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology and one of the world's leading scientists specializing in viral transmissions from bats. She said the current coronavirus pandemic is "just the tip of the iceberg." Jesus also spoke of "lawlessness." We've been seeing lawlessness all over television in recent days. It started with lawlessness among four law enforcement officers. Then some of those protesting that lawlessness went full rogue themselves - looting, burning, and finally injuring and even killing police officers who had nothing to do with the death of George Floyd. As Jesus foretold, these are also days of unprecedented "deception." Technology has given us more ways to communicate than ever before. Your telephone is a TV studio and global broadcast station packed into something small enough to put in your pocket. And with every new way to communicate comes another opportunity for deception. I'm not talking about occasional mistakes that honest journalists make from time to time. I am talking about blatant lies meant to deceive and mislead. And it's everywhere. I could speak of wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, persecution, and the other things Jesus told us about. But in the present turmoil, I want to focus on a phrase found in Matthew 24:7 - "nation will rise against nation." The word translated "nation" is the Greek word "ethnos." The English derivative is "ethnic." Racial prejudice and divisions are a direct fulfillment of this prophecy. The events from Matthew 24 that I have been describing are hard to watch. But it's important to realize that the Lord told us about them two thousand years in advance. He likened the world in these times to a woman going through labor. Birth pangs follow a pattern. They increase in frequency and intensity right up to the time of birth. That's what's happening now. We look forward to the Lord rescuing us from this world. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). In the meantime, we will see heartbreaking things. We can best help people by sharing the Gospel in every way possible. And while we're here, remember the power of prayer. 1 Timothy 2:2 gives us an amazing motive to pray for those who are in authority - "that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." This not the time for timidity or fear, but for love, wisdom, work, and prayer. The Voice of the Good Shepherd - Nathele Graham - [email protected] "For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory. The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! For they have rewarded evil unto themselves." Isaiah 3:8-9. God is patient and He withholds His judgment as long as possible; He gives plenty of warning before letting people reap what they sow. The above passage was one more warning to the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom had already fallen to the Assyrians because of their wicked ways. They embraced paganism and turned against God. Elijah the prophet had been sent to warn them, but the nation ignored the warnings and fell deeper into sin. King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel led the nation deeper and deeper into sin. They followed false prophets who told them what they wanted to hear rather than listening to the voice of God. It wasn't cool to follow the path of righteousness, so they chose to follow Satan. After they died, the kingdom continued down the wrong path, and soon there were no more chances. The Northern Kingdom fell because of their refusal to follow God Almighty. The Southern Kingdom should have learned from the mistakes of the Northern Kingdom. They didn't learn a thing. They rebelled against God and refused to honor His commands. God had blessed them abundantly, but when they had abundance, they forgot the ways of the Lord. We might wonder how God's chosen people could turn against Him after all He had done for them. Well, Christians, look in the mirror. Unless we follow the voice of the Good Shepherd, we are following the path of destruction. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. Christians aren't perfect. We sin every day. The difference between us and the nonbelievers around us is that we should know better. We have Scripture to guide us. Let's take a survey. Raise your hand if you read Scripture daily? If you do read it, do you think it applies to you or everybody else? "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Scripture shows us God's ways. We can learn from the history of the Old Testament and know where we are in history by studying prophecy. The New Testament tells us about Jesus and how we should live. We learn that embracing the sin of Sodom will lead to destruction. There's no excuse for embracing sin while professing to follow Christ. Scripture sets our feet on the right path and if God's ways matter to you, you will pray for His help in overcoming the sin in your life. If you choose not to study Scripture then you might ask yourself if you really care what God has to say. If you don't care what He has to say, can you truly love Him? Are you saved? These are important questions to figure out the answers to now. With all that's happening in the world, now isn't the time to ignore God. Now is the time to listen to His voice and follow Him closely. He is our Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. Christians need to live our life for Him. God doesn't want His people to be ignorant of His ways, so He gave us Scripture. It's been said that B. I. B. L. E. stands for "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth", but who reads instructions, right? It seems to be human nature to put a bookshelf together or build a model airplane by relying on our own knowledge rather than reading the instructions. When our efforts fail with a bookshelf, we can always buy another and try again, but in life we can't do that. "Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." Psalm 25:5. The only way to follow the path that leads to eternal life is to follow God's instructions. Set your heart on following the voice of the Good Shepherd. Today we're being led down a very wrong path. Many Christians listen to the false prophets found on CNN, MSNBC, and other fear-mongers rather than God. We have to isolate, stay home, don't touch, wear masks, etc. These "facts" are fed to us by people who want to control and feed our fear. Brothers and sisters, we need to heed the voice of the Good Shepherd. Scripture tells us to gather together. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25, but we allow ourselves to be banned from assembling as Christians. If you're sick, stay home and call for the elders to come and pray. "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James 5:14-15. Christians are told to greet one another warmly with brotherly love. "Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss." 1 Thessalonians 5:26 (shaking hands or hugging by today's tradition). Here's some facts you won't hear on the liberal news: Yearly influenza cases worldwide are more than 35.5 million with over 34,000 deaths, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths a year (41,000 from second hand smoke) in the US alone; well over a million people die each year from AIDS worldwide and millions more are infected but aren't quarantined and possibly infecting other people; abortion causes 40 to 50 million deaths around the world yearly. Do we see any isolation because of these avoidable deaths? No. "...and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not..." Isaiah 3:9. On the other hand, it's a known fact that the statistics for the coronavirus are padded. When someone dies of heart disease or cancer, the hospital will get thousands of dollars if that death is called COVID-19. Cancer deaths don't create panic, but if it's called COVID-19 then the hospital gets rich, the flames of panic are fanned, and we're one step closer to the new world order. We need to use logic. Stay home if you're sick or have a compromised immune system. You can still support ministries or use the time to study Scripture and pray. Christians are told by our Lord to share the Gospel with every creature, but we cannot share with the lost or support fellow Christians if we keep our distance. God's law is higher than man's law. When you decided to give your life to Jesus, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit. "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:12-14. He lives inside of you and will guide your way, but you need to listen to Him and follow His lead. You can choose to listen to other voices...those of the world which is ruled by Satan...but those voices will lead you away from God. That's what the Northern Kingdom of Israel did. They allowed Ahab and Jezebel to bring their idol worship into the nation. The Southern Kingdom also stopped obeying God, which led to its 70-year captivity in Babylon. We can choose to follow Jesus or ignore His voice. "Quench not the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 5:19. If you choose to listen to the voice of the world, you'll soon only hear Satan's voice. There are many false teachers and the internet is full of them, from Rick Warren to Joel Osteen, and many others who aren't so well known. If you don't study Scripture you run the risk of following a false prophet who leads the flock astray. Study Scripture to know the path to follow. Scripture tells us how to live life to honor Christ and how to worship Him, we need to pay attention. When we listen to the world, we will fail. The events of the past few months have pushed us along the prophetic timeline by a big jump. That's how Jesus said it would happen. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12. The world "quickly" is from the Greek word "tachy" and means without delay...quickly and speedily. The birth pains are growing stronger and coming closer together. Did you know that the United Nations has a website regarding the new world order (unnwo.org)? Its motto is "Let's take our planet back"? When you read what they're about it says: "The United Nations New World Order Project is a global, high-level initiative founded in 2008 to advance a new economic paradigm, a new political order, and more broadly, a new world order for humankind, which achieves the UN's Global Goals for Sustainable Development by 2030, and the happiness, well-being, and freedom of all life on Earth by 2050". It promotes things like "happytalism". What's that, you ask? "Happytalism is a new economic paradigm which places happiness, well-being, and freedom at the center of human development models, systems, and all life". Scripture tells us that God is to be the center of our happiness...He gave His life for our redemption and that makes me happy. There's much more disclosed on that website and it all sounds very much like the stage is being set for the appearance of the Anti-Christ. The panic caused by the coronavirus has moved Satan's agenda along. If you're a Christian you have nothing to fear. Things will continue to worsen, but the Rapture will occur prior to the Anti-Christ appearing on the scene. We will see a lot more things like famine and pestilence happen before then. Christians must listen to God and share the Gospel with the lost before it's too late. Listen to God and don't quench the Holy Spirit's guidance by ignoring Him. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." John 10:27-28. If you're following any voice other than the voice of Jesus, then you need to get back on the right path. Study Scripture and obey what it says. Brothers and sisters, we will all leave this world one day, but only what we do on earth for Jesus will last for eternity. If we close our ears and our hearts to Him, we will find ourselves following false prophets and going down the wrong path. Study His word and be led by the voice of the Good Shepherd. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] www.straitandnarrowministry.com [email protected] Ron and Nathele Graham's previous commentaries archived at http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html All original scripture is "theopneustos" God breathed. If you'd like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: Matter of the heart - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Over the past week, there have been a lot of comments coming to my in-box about race, racism, the problem, how to fix it, or just that it is not a problem. Opening dialogue on this issue is a good thing. I stand with Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." The context of this verse is that when we are baptized into Christ, we put on Christ, and in that there essentially is one race-the human race as one in Christ. I get that. Once we accept Christ, however, our lives change. In that change, we have a higher standard that applies to our lives. For me, Galatians 3:28 informs how we are to view and treat others. In my emails, I have read explanations of the statistics of police brutality and fatalities caused by police action. I have read about what police experience in high crime areas. I have read remarks about black on black crime. I have read about many other issues pertaining to people of color. All of these are from those who are Christian. It seems to me that these topics are justifications that indicate bias. I'm not judging, don't get me wrong. It is good to have open discussions without incrimination. But I will say that unless you have walked a mile in a man's shoes, you do not know what he endures. Many white people just do not understand what is behind the black man's plea. We get all wrapped up in the politics of the matter. Throughout the black community there is great concern, it is a form of soft tyranny, really. One example of the concern, or anxiety, or worry is that when their child leaves the house, whether by foot, by car or with friends, that they don't know if he/she will come back again. You may say, "Well, that's just not reality, statistics don't back that up." Don't be hard-hearted. This has happened enough times over the course of decades that it has left an indelible impression. And every time there is a George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, or Breonna Taylor, it tears the scabs off of old wounds and reinforces the anxiety. This is real. Most of us do not know what this is like because we don't live it day to day. This is just one example. There are more. When there is such a death, how do you think it looks when people try to explain it away? What happened to listening and hearing? What happened to empathy? There is a cry coming out from the wilderness from our hurting brothers and sisters. Do we have ears to hear? More importantly, do we have hearts to receive? Can we begin to listen with compassion? Can we at least try to understand? This is not the time to turn a deaf ear, or to look the other way. As Christians, we are to love one another, and love our neighbor. How else can the message of Christ lead to salvation and unity, if first we do not have love for one another? This is not about statistics or politics or painting all with the same brush; it is a matter of the heart. Daily Devotion: One of the Most Effective Ways to Share Your Faith - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. -Revelation 12:11 You have an amazing story to tell. Now, you may not be an apologist or a theologian or a Bible scholar, but you're an expert on your own story. And one of the most effective ways to share your faith is to begin with your personal story. As believers, it's one of the most effective tools we have in our evangelistic toolbox. After all, people can argue with you about what the Bible says and argue with you about other things, but they can't argue with your story of how Christ transformed you. They can't argue with what God has done for you. It's called a personal testimony. In Revelation 12 there's an interesting verse that says, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death" (Revelation 12:11 NKJV). This describes Christians who are in Heaven and have overcome the powers of evil. How did they do it? One of the keys is "by the word of their testimony." Of course, one of the best ways to go forward in the Christian life is by constantly learning more about Christ, digging into the Word of God, and being part of the church, but it also includes making a stand for Christ in your home, workplace, and neighborhood. Do people know you're a Christian? Does your family know you're a Christian? Do people in your workplace know you're a Christian? Do people in your neighborhood know you're a Christian? The moment you own it, the moment you take that stand and say you're a follower of Christ, people will be watching you (and secretly hoping you'll mess up). Yet you may be the only gospel some people will ever read. 
FROM THE HEART
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