Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Rapture: How Soon Is Soon? - By Ron Ferguson -
https://www.raptureready.com/2020/07/05/the-rapture-how-soon-is-soon-by-ron-ferguson/ One of the readers asked me if we could tell how far away the Lord's coming for His Christians might be. It is a very valid question, and I thought about "How soon is soon"? That became the title of this article. In John 14:4 Jesus promised He would go away and then come again. There is considerable evidence the early disciples expected Jesus to return in their lifetimes. Near the end they knew that was not going to happen, especially Paul. John closes Revelation with, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." In the second century, the church was being racked by persecution. The disciples were hanging in there, and as time went on, there was a door shut on the emphasis of the imminent return of the Lord. In the 4th century the Nicene Creed just lumped any return into one in this statement - "He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead." The Apostles' Creed ends in the same way - "He ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead." Both these creeds had moved away from the Rapture; and things remained that way, with a few exceptions, until about the 1820s when the Holy Spirit revived the hope of the Lord's coming for His Church. Students of Bible prophecy were gifted by God to understand eschatology (doctrine of the last things), and so we have now a clear understanding of future events. From the early 1800s there was an expectation of the Rapture, and it was generally believed it could be any time. It is a constant expectation of the Church that the Lord will come to take His Bride away. Charles Wesley wrote a beautiful hymn called "Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending" in which he seems to deal with both future comings of the Lord. Stanza 1 is His Second Coming, and stanza 4 suggests the Rapture. I quote both stanzas. "Lo! He comes with clouds descending, Once for favored sinners slain; Thousand, thousand saints attending, Swell the triumph of His train: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God appears on earth to reign. Now redemption, long expected, See in solemn pomp appear; All His saints, by man rejected, Now shall meet Him in the air: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! See the day of God appear!" Having said that, where do we stand in 2020? Are there any obstacles to delay the Lord's coming? How soon is soon? I will answer it this way: 1. There are no prophecies relating to the Rapture-ones that have to be fulfilled first. There are hundreds of prophecies relating to the Second Coming. The closest we can get to, with some guidelines, are the "last day" prophecies of the Church age in 2 Tim 3:1-5, and those features we see in our world today. Some people say, "But we have always had those things." The point is that it is the intensity we have to look at. Are these things getting worse? The answer most assuredly is that they are growing in intensity. The "difficult/perilous times" have worsened so much over the last few years. I am amazed with what has changed in the world just in 2020. I don't know if you saw my article, "The Signs of the Times: Part 1," posted previously where I touched on these things, but I will expand on a couple. Christians who lived 100 years ago likewise believed the Lord could come in their lifetime, but there was one essential element missing. Consider this verse - Matt 24:32 "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near." The fig tree in scripture is always symbolic of Israel, a type of Israel, and this is an important verse. Israel, as the fig tree, has remained leafless for about 1,900 years; but at last it began to sprout, and in 1947/48 became a nation. It has leaves but no fruit. The fruit will not appear until Israel is saved in the Tribulation when this passage will apply (this time another symbol is used for Israel, that of the olive tree): Rom 11:24 "For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more shall these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?" Rom 11:25-26 "Brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and thus all Israel will be saved just as it is written, 'The Deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.'" Paul speaks of this transition from Jew to Gentile and then back to Jew. The Jews were the olive tree, but its branches were cut off and the Gentiles grafted in. We are right near the end of that when the Gentile branches will be removed in the Rapture and the olive tree shoots out everywhere with saved Jews in the Tribulation. What I am saying is that the Jewish nation firstly has to be formed and in their land ready for God straight after the Rapture. They have been there for 72 years and in place. That is a strong indication that the Rapture must be very close. Israel is God's time clock, and currently we are in the times of the Gentiles; but the clock, prophetically speaking, has only a few seconds to go before the alarm sounds, the Church goes, and God again turns to Israel for its salvation. Lawlessness. What we have been seeing all over the world is now uniform whereas it was once spasmodic. It is not just confined to one nation. The World Leader/Antichrist is called "The Man of Lawlessness," so increasing lawlessness in the world will be the garden he grows in when he comes. That "garden" is here now, and there is so much hostility towards Jew and Christian from people. Another indication the Rapture must be nearing. The beast/Man of Sin. He is the one who comes with the opening of the first seal in Rev 6:1. The Church is in heaven in Rev 4 and 5; the Tribulation starts in chapter 6 and goes right through until chapter 19. This one (World Leader/Antichrist) comes on a white horse but there is no war, just a bloodless conquest and acceptance by the people of the world. I believe the corona virus will weaken the world so much financially and in other ways that it helps prepare the scene for the Antichrist's arrival. He is seen as the savior of the world and will fix its problems. The current world is sinking in financial problems and debts so huge that no nation will be able to pay them. The world is looking for a person right now to fix all the problems. They will accept the beast with open arms when he appears. In all likelihood he is alive today. Also, when the rapture happens, it will cause a lot of problems like chaos on the roads and in business when people just disappear. The Drug Culture. There is a very significant verse in Revelation - Rev 9:21 "And they did not repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their immorality, nor of their thefts." This summary closes chapter 9, where just before we read - Rev 9:18 "A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths." This is the terrible time of God's wrath on the earth when mankind is powerless to do anything about stopping God's wrath. What man needs to do is repent, but note what verse 21 said. They refuse to repent. Do you see the word "sorceries" there? Sadly, all Bible versions have the wrong translation, or maybe they are partly correct. The Greek word translated "sorceries" is φαρμακεία = pharmakeia. It means the use of medicine, drugs or spells and is the word from which Pharmacy comes. I do not know why translators translate as "sorceries" rather than "drugs." Of course, in 1611 when the KJV was translated, they had no idea of the pandemic of drugs as we have in the modern world, and they associated drugs (correctly) with the practice of sorcery and casting of spells. Sorcery or witchcraft often uses drugs as part of the enchantment and altered states of mind; so, in a way, it is understandable why the KJV would consider sorcery as the translation. What we can deduce from this is that the time of the Tribulation will have a drug-functioning culture in its satanic worship of the Beast and False Prophet. Satanism is the religion of the Tribulation. In the world today we have an out-of-control drug epidemic and a great rise in Satanism, paganism, eastern religions and new-age beliefs. You see how close this is to what is coming. The seeds of it are here today, and they have germinated. I suppose one might ask, "How long can this deterioration continue before the Lord intervenes?" But when the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit goes at the Rapture, the depravity of man will explode, and drugs and Satanism will increase exponentially. Communication. 100 years ago, how quickly could you communicate with someone overseas? Well, you could have used Morse Code invented in the 1830-1840s and the subsequent development from that with the telegraph, but only from one sender to a receiver, not to the public universally, or to the whole world. One could use a computer to send things after about 1975, but it was impossible to send messages and pictures to people anywhere on earth before the universal usage of the cell/mobile phone aided by many satellites. In fact, before 2010 only some of the world had this coverage; but today with saturation from satellites, the whole world can send and receive messages one to another. Why is this important? Well, it has to be because of this passage - Rev 11:3 "I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." Rev 11:7-11 "When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. "Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them." This is the record of the two witnesses who will come, I believe, exactly halfway through the Tribulation and witness in Jerusalem for three and a half years. (Some believe they're here for the first 3 1/2 years; some believe in the middle, overlapping both the beginning and the end.) Enoch and Elijah are those two witnesses. It cannot be Moses because he has died, and the Bible says very clearly in Hebrews 9:27 "Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." When these two prophets are killed by the World Leader/Antichrist, THE WHOLE WORLD WILL SEE IT IN REAL TIME. In verse 8, "The peoples and tribes and tongues and nations" means all nations and languages (dialects and tribes) - in short, everyone - and this can only be possible because of the universal cell/mobile phone coverage. I read not too long ago in a survey that 68% of people sleep with their phones in the bed or under their pillow. Social media seems to control people's lives like an addiction. Things go viral all the time. We are right at the stage now where an event in the city square in Jerusalem in a coming day can be viewed universally and the entire world will rejoice because God's prophets Enoch and Elijah have been killed. What horrible days! For centuries, skeptics mocked this Revelation passage, scorning the fact that no one could see anything outside of the immediate vicinity. They dismissed the Bible as a fairytale. CONCLUSION: In my article, "The Signs of the Time: Part 2," some extra points on the nearness of the Lord's coming were explored. 50 years ago when I was speaking on these prophetic subjects, I remember saying, "There is not one thing that has to be put in place before the Lord can come for us. Everything is ready." Now, in hindsight, I see that was not the case. Just to cite two items from the material above - the drug culture and phones! I think now I can say there is nothing whatever now. It is just a matter of how quickly conditions might continue to decline and how bad and depraved it might become before we hear, "Come up here!" and the Lord takes us home. The virus has damaged the world. Financial problems are now a concern. Violence is increasing. The world seems incapable of repairing itself. False prophets and liberalism and humanistic theology are very widespread, along with "easy believe-ism." We must be right at the end of the Church age. The Rapture is most certainly close, but how close? How soon is soon? We are not to worry about that. We keep our eyes on the Lord and patiently wait. Following increased pressure, Tehran 'could respond, make mistakes,' says ex-defense official - By Yaakov Lappin - https://www.jns.org/following-explosions-tehran-could-respond-make-mistakes-says-ex-israeli-defense-official/ The Iranian regime is facing growing pressure on multiple fronts, which could, together with the latest series of mysterious blasts and fires, push it into responses and mistakes, a former Israeli defense official has said. Col. (res.) Ehud ("Udi") Evental, senior research fellow at the Institute for Policy and Strategy, at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, told JNS on Sunday that it seems reasonable to believe that the July 2 blast at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility was a deliberate attack, and that the same could possibly be true regarding the June 26 fire near the Parchin military complex at a site linked by some reports to missile production. Evental has served in a range of roles during his years in the defense establishment, including former head of the Strategic Planning Unit of the Political-Military and Policy Bureau of the Israeli Defense Ministry; Israel's intelligence attaché in Washington, D.C.; and multiple positions in the Intelligence and Planning directorates of the Israel Defense Force. In an assessment he published on Monday, Evental wrote, "Until today, the leading assessment was that Iran will not take extreme steps before the U.S. presidential elections in November. Tehran hopes that the Democratic candidate, [former Vice President Joe] Biden, will win. He has declared his intention to return to the nuclear agreement. At the same time, the diplomatic pressure steps on Tehran-combined with the major distress of the Iranian regime due to the unprecedented economic and health crisis, and strikes in the cybernetic and covert domains-could push Tehran into response maneuvers and mistakes on pressure, and this could create surprises." The diplomatic arena remains key to watch, said Evental, since it is there that the Iranians are most comfortable, and they could take steps to challenge U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "But, of course, they could also escalate kinetically [physical strikes] in the Gulf. They have a range of response options." Other options include cyber-attacks on Israel; disrupting the oil supply by U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf; attacks on Israel or the United States from Syria or Iraq; or terror attacks overseas, he added. 'The sending of messages' Iranian authorities have released accusatory statements regarding the incident at the Natanz site, where Iran was building faster, more advanced centrifuges. Meanwhile, The New York Times cited an unnamed Middle Eastern intelligence official as saying that Israel was behind the July 2 explosion, describing it as a bomb blast. But Iranian officials wrote off the fire near Parchin as an accidental gas explosion. Iran has seen several additional incidents in recent days, including fires at two power plants-one in Shiraz and the second in Ahvaz. Iranian authorities claimed that the Shiraz fire was caused by a transformer malfunction, while the Ahvaz fire is being investigated. "All of the signs point to the blast in Natanz being a deliberate attack," wrote Evental. According to Evental, allowing Iran to develop advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges is one of the most severe failings of the 2015 nuclear deal. "The development and production of advanced centrifuges that have 40 to 50 times more output than those installed today will grant Iran an ability to produce enriched uranium at a fast pace and in big quantities, through a lower number of centrifuges, which will be easier to hide," he cautioned. Speaking to the 103 FM Israeli radio station, Professor Uzi Rabi, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University, said the timing of the reported strikes on sites in Iran is linked to the fact that "Iran has recently increased the pace when it comes to advanced centrifuges, missile launch silos and increased ranges for ballistic missiles." He added that "attempts by authorities in Iran to supply pinpoint explanations for every incident and to place it in a local context add up to nothing, and even regime officials in Iran are formulating a different explanation, which points an accusatory finger at Israel and its capabilities in the cyber domain." Rabi said "when it comes to Iran, run by the ayatollahs and the Iranian Republican Guards Corps, there is no other way to deal with it but through the sending of messages like these, produced by a penetrating hand that embarrasses the Iranian regime and exposes to it [and no less, to its opposers] the gaps in the ability to function and the information at its disposal. In light of the existing information, we have no choice but to assume that this will be continued." Nearing Midnight: Masking and Unmasking - Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The admission must be made up front in this commentary. As an American who has just celebrated Independence Day, I can barely contain the anger that builds within. It will be a fight with my sin nature to keep that rage contained as I write. I recently heard one of the two presumptive presidential candidates for this year's election say, "I will do all within my power if elected president to mandate that everyone wears a mask at all times when in public." Being blind, I can no longer see, of course, but if I could, my vision would no doubt have reddened with blood-pressure elevation upon hearing that declaration. Dear people, the statement is but a tiny example of the degree of attempted controls that will be forthcoming if this candidate or a candidate they choose to take his place wins in November. At stake is whether we will suffer implementation of governmental dictatorship the founding fathers worked so hard to assure never come to pass. We have seen recently how issuance of executive orders is dealt with by the entrenched powers that be-the judges and their panels who are more and more exerting god-like authority. I refer your memory to the current president issuing an executive order to do away with the previous president's executive order in the matter of the so-called dreamers-the children of illegal immigrants. Mr. Trump wants policy that restores the right to control illegal immigration. He wants this in order to provide security within the homeland and to assure that jobs for citizens of this nation won't be taken by those who are here illegally. Within his executive order were safeguards against inflicting undue hardships on the young, illegal residents whose parents brought them here through no fault of their own. The judges who ruled in an unprecedented-some say unconstitutional-way on the executive order said the president can't change the executive order of the previous president. So it's okay for President Obama to issue the executive order allowing illegals to come and overwhelm the job market and even endanger all of us through increased criminal activity with their numbers, but it is not okay for President Trump to issue an executive order that makes sure jobs for American citizens rather than for illegals are preserved. This is the way the entrenched DC judicial system works. They exert a quasi-judicial prerogative at best, and in my opinion, an illegitimate one. So, if President Trump loses in November and the new president-a DC swamp creature of the first order-as he has declared, issues an executive order that we all will wear masks from now on while in public, I, at least, have no doubt, we will be wearing masks or will face fines and jail time. That same entrenched DC agglomerate evil has shown their intention to control us at every level. In being specific, I will stay within our theme surrounding the subject of masks. The nation has for the past four years, and even previous to that, gone through the anti-constitutional process of enduring an attempted coup d'état. One early step in that attempted coup was the unmasking of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. The intelligence community, with the almost certain knowledge and orders of President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, set General Flynn up through FBI agents. Flynn, in order to avoid his son being dragged into the illegal prosecutorial action, pleaded guilty to a lesser process crime. It was a technicality concocted and perpetrated by the so-called deep state. The unmasking in order to pursue criminally charging the general was done through what have now been proven to be unjustified FISA warrants-i.e., warrants in order to engage in surveillance on Flynn that had no legal basis. It is thought by General Flynn's attorney, Sidney Powell, and by most who truly understand the evil done to the general that this was done in order to try to get Flynn-the incoming national security advisor-to flip on the new president. That is, the frame-up was perpetrated in order to have Flynn give false information on Trump so a case for impeachment could be built. Another reason for the frame-up of Flynn, according to Ms. Powell and others, including radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, was to get rid of Flynn because he would have been in position as national security advisor to get to the bottom of the coup attempt the intelligence services were conducting. He had to go, as the saying goes. With all that has gone on-and we have been subjected to this wickedness by the minions, both human and demonic, in high places for almost five years-is there any doubt that there are nefarious reasons behind their wanting us to wear masks? Reasons far beyond the COVID-19 matter? Americans are being frightened into believing that a virus that nowhere near exceeds annual flu statistics in terms of numbers of deaths makes it mandatory that we follow government dictates that rob us of our civil liberties one incremental step at a time. And make no mistake, this is why the same cabal that has attempted this coup d'état wants the American public dumbed down and made to follow orders like lemmings so this nation can be brought into the globalist order they are determined to establish. It is actually Satan, the father of lies, who is behind the machinations we are witnessing. So, James, you are a Bible prophecy pundit, some would accuse. Why are you so into the politics of all this? Believe me, I would rather veg out and drink my coffee and "watch" WW II documentaries-which I love to do. This, and ignore what is coming upon this world at such a pace it is hard to keep track. However, you can't achieve obtaining transparency with blinders on-or while wearing a mask that enslaves. The Christian in these prophetic times should put down the coffee and romance movies-and even the documentaries and other entertainments-and watch, as the Lord instructed (Mark 13: 37). Blind physically though I am, I can see that the same evil that would do anything, including breaking the law by ignoring the Constitution, thus framing a battle-honored, highly decorated soldier like General Flynn, will go along, without hesitation, with enslaving us all. The same evil operatives that brought us the coup d'état hoax are of the same ilk that would dictate that we will wear masks because of an enormously exaggerated virus. This lawless ideology will use-and is currently using, in my view-the anarchy, arson, tearing-down of America, and yes, even the so-called coronavirus pandemic, in order to establish the absolute power they crave over a formerly constitutionally protected people. Bible prophecy is the unmasking of this evil. God, Himself, has ripped the mask from Satan's plot-for example, in Psalm 2 and throughout chapters of Daniel and Revelation. God has given true transparency into the matters we are facing in these upcoming hours so near the end of this quickly fleeting age. The more that is revealed through observing these times, the greater the comfort Christians can take from God's prophetic Word. 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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) Violent Crime Is Surging Dramatically In Major Cities All Over America - By Michael Snyder/End of the American Dream - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=4156 What we are witnessing all over the country right now is incredibly sad. In the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd, it would have been wonderful to see the entire nation unite behind an effort to make our society less violent, more just and more peaceful. But instead, we have seen a tremendous explosion of violence and lawlessness that doesn't seem likely to end any time soon. Violent crime rates are surging in major city after major city, and the 4th of July weekend was particularly bad. At least 41 people were hit by gunfire in New York City during the holiday weekend, and this continues a trend that we have seen throughout the first half of 2020. Just check out these numbers... According to figures released by the New York Police Department, for the first six months of this year, there were 176 murders, an increase of 23 percent on the 143 killed during the same period last year. The number of shooting victims has gone up 51 percent to 616 this year. In June alone, there were 250 shootings compared to 97 in the same month last year. Month-on-month, burglaries are up 119 percent and car thefts up 48 percent. I don't know which one of those numbers is the worst, because they are all quite horrific. A tremendous amount of money has been shifted away from the NYPD budget, and that certainly isn't going to help matters. For years, the hard work of the NYPD had helped to make New York safer than many of our other major cities, but now that is changing at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking. In fact, one British news source is now referring to the city as "lawless New York"... Two bullet-ridden bodies lay sprawled on bloodstained concrete steps. Alongside, relatives of the victims are wailing and collapse to the ground. In another part of the city, a gang of youths use spray paint to disable security cameras before robbing a corner store. Later, video footage captures police officers sitting helplessly in their patrol car as a baying crowd hurls glass bottles at them. This is lawless New York - a city that was once America's glittering crown jewel but which risks descending into mob rule. Of course New York still has a long way to go if it wants to rival Chicago. According to authorities, there are more than 100,000 gang members living in Chicago at this point, and the violence never seems to stop. Sadly, the last couple of days have been particularly bad. Over the 4th of July weekend, at least 67 people were hit by gunfire in the Windy City... At least 67 people were shot, including 13 fatally, over the Independence Day weekend in Chicago, according to authorities. Nine of the weekend's victims were minors, and two children died, officials told Fox32. That includes 14-year-old boy who was among four people who were killed in the South Side neighborhood Englewood on Saturday evening. But instead of blaming the criminals, the Chicago Sun-Times seem to think that "cutting funding for police could lead to a better and safer Chicago". Seriously? Do people actually believe such nonsense? Philadelphia is another major city that is seeing a massive increase in violent crime at the same time funding for the police is being cut back... Shootings are up 67 percent. Victims of armed violence are up 29 percent. Homicides are up 25 percent. So of course it makes sense to defund the Philadelphia PD by $19 million. Most Americans desperately want their neighborhoods to feel safe, and this could be the one issue that could rescue the Republicans from a potential disaster in the November election. Right now, most Democrats are extremely hesitant to speak out against the violent protests that we have been witnessing all over the nation, and that is a huge mistake. And we definitely witnessed more alarming violence during the political protests that were held over the past few days. For example, protesters in Portland were launching projectiles and shooting fireworks at police officers in Portland for hours. If Democrats want to win over independent voters, they cannot be seen as siding with such violence. By engaging in such utter lawlessness, these radical protesters are actually hurting their own cause, because it is only going to help President Trump. The more violence that we see, the more the American people are going to want it to stop. If tens of millions of voters believe that "Joe Biden's America" is an America filled with rioting, looting and violence, that could potentially be enough to push Trump over the top in November. So Joe Biden's unwillingness to strongly call for law and order may turn out to be his Achilles heel. The way national elections are won in America is by winning over the millions of confused people in the middle, and right now the images of these protests that those confused people are viewing on their television screens are definitely not helping Democrats. For example, over the weekend protesters in New York were burning American flags as they chanted "America was never great"... FAR left protesters have burned American flags outside Trump Tower and the White House. Video shows the Stars and Stripes being burned just outside the White House as the demonstrators chanted "America was never great". Does anyone out there actually think that such stunts will make the confused people in the middle more likely to vote for Democrats? Right now, Trump is way behind in the polls, but if he makes these protesters the central issue of the campaign over the next several months he may still have a chance of winning. But no matter who wins in November, it appears that we have now entered a new era of violence and rioting in this country. Many of our major cities already resemble war zones, and what we have experienced so far is just the beginning. Daily Jot: Are we a rapture ready nation? - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Psalm 33:10-12 says, "God brings nothing to the plans of nations, he foils the plans of the peoples. But the counsel of God stands forever, his heart's plans are for all generations. How blessed is the nation whose God is God, the people he chose as his heritage!" Recent headlines are showing just how far this world has fallen, and continues to fall away from the precepts of God. A lot of folks say that if the rapture occurred, America would be like Sodom and Gomorrah because all the Christians would be gone. My question is, "What does America look like now?" Point is, the moral high ground has been taken by the immoral, and it happened without any rapture. Oh, it could be worse, but, really, who are we fooling? What we need in this country is an honest look at why things are as they are and how we can impact them by a return to the ancient paths of our Lord; a revival of understanding of, and relationship with, the one true God, and his son Jesus the Messiah. This revival is not the showy mega church version of revival. It is a revival of the heart-a return to the gospel and the scriptures in their traditional form and meaning. If we became a nation of Christians so passionate in our relationship with God, we would be described like the apostles and disciples in Acts 17:6 "These who have turned the world upside down are come here also." We would be as Christ described in the Sermon on the Mount, "salt of the earth." I've heard many say, "Who cares, we'll be out of here and with the Lord when we are raptured?" My answer is that we should be better than that. I believe the Lord expects better than that. The Great Commission says that we are to make disciples. Romans 12:1 says that we are to "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:21 says, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Throughout the scriptures are calls to action for those who believe. We are not supposed to be a royal priesthood sitting around a rapture waiting room, but rather showing "forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." First and foremost, we need to get right with and have a close personal relationship with God and Christ. In that relationship we will be inspired to be more than just members of an exclusive club waiting for the blessed hope. We will be a living testimony to the one true God, and by our example and actions, we will make disciples. These disciples will organically begin to change the nation from its current state to one whose God is truly the one true God. This is far different than sitting in a church pew listening to self-indulgent, extra biblical, out of context concepts disguised as Christianity. Let us be an Acts 5:29 people where we "obey God rather than men," and in our obedience present a true rapture ready nation whose God is God upon the Lord's return! Daily Devotion: All Dressed Up for Dinner - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org But Moses protested to God, "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt? -Exodus 3:11 An excuse is what we offer when we don't really want to do something. It's the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Or, as someone put it, an excuse is a fancy lie all dressed up for dinner. No matter how we define them, we've all made excuses. Even Moses. Forty years had passed since he fled Egypt for the back side of the desert. He probably thought he was done. After all, he had taken matters into his own hands and killed an Egyptian slave driver. In some ways he was a has-been, a failure, an embarrassment. Even worse, he was a murderer running from the law. So, when the voice of God came to him through a bush that wouldn't stop burning, Moses basically said, "Not me. I don't think I'm the right guy." But God was saying, "I think you're just the right guy I can use at this moment." At 80 years old, Moses was more cautious. He said, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' they will ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?" (Exodus 3:13 NLT). God told him, "I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you" (verse 14 NLT). I love that. Moses was effectively saying, "Who am I?" And the Lord said, "I am who I am." In other words, "It is not about you, Moses. It's about Me. You have all of Me, and I will be with you." Before God tells us what we're supposed to do, He tells us who He is. He will work through us. And He will give us what we need, when we need it. 
FROM THE HEART
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