Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Satan's Greatest Deception - by Pastor Mike Taylor -
http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2019/07/satans-greatest-deception.html 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 14:12-15) Last week I spoke of a real place called hell and the Lake of Fire. Let us talk about the angel that is working hard to send you there. 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." SATAN CAST OUT 12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre,(Satan) and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God: "You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15, You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you." 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire."(Ezekiel 28:12-16) God cast out Lucifer as spoken of in the five "I wills" found in your Bible and opened this message. 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. That prior world was destroyed by Satan's wrath when God defeated him. 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:12:7 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 12:9 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 Devil, has been cast down to earth, his former abode and it is the same home that we reside in. The timing of this was before man was created, but note that in Job, Satan came in with the sons of God into the very throne room of God. 6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?(Job 1:6-8) Do I understand how Satan was allowed to enter and speak to God? No, I do not, but Job being the oldest of the Old Testament books, speaks of Satan wandered around the earth seeking those who he could devour and was able to enter heavens realm, as spoken of in this ancient book....There will come a time, when Satan will be bound to this earth, most likely during the Tribulation and he will know that his time of judgment is about to begin and his damnation is sure. We know the the fallen angelic host were wandering this earth and when mankind from Adam brought forth human women, these angelic host saw that they were fair, and took wives of them creating the Nephilim which were before the great flood of Noah. Those were cast into the pit of darkness and chained for leaving their first estate with the intention of corrupting mankind. "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, 2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. 3 And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. 5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:1-5) Those angels were cast into a pit of darkness for their attempt to corrupt mankind, but that leaves many more demonic angels that are still on this earth. SOME PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE SATAN EXIST. 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" as Flip Wilson used to say as "Geraldine' in a comedy sketch, 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 ) 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 'tataroo' and it means "a place of restraint."6 "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 , but many of them were cast into a pit called Tarturos which was a place lower than Hades or the grave, and chained until judgment is brought upon them, as mentioned above.. How many demonic spirits does Satan have to do his bidding? The Bible speaks of thousands upon thousands administering to God our Father, 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. 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. Satan is described as a roaring lion .... 8 "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: "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. 7 "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?(Hebrews 1:7, 13-14) All this was happening 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. 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 and who was with them was stronger than what was surrounding the camp, as his servant was scared to death: 15"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."(II 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. This is but one example of God's protection to the believer. 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. 2:8 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?"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, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 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. If you have believed, then live a life that testifies to that fact. Embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him be your protector, your shield, your buckler, your high tower, and the only true God in your life. 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. How do you overcome this angelic powerhouse? It starts at the cross of Calvary.... 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."(John 3:16-18) 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. Full-Frontal Assault - By Jim Towers - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/09/full-frontal-assault-jim-towers/ There was a time when we thought we had all the time in the world to repent, and some of us thought we could do so at the very last minute... not so today. Today we face a full-frontal assault on our mores, laws and the very existence of God Himself. America and the world have given themselves over to a reprobate mind and are blind to the dangers that exist in doing so. Now it's every man for himself. Now we can only TRY to stem the tide from reaching our loved ones. Never in our wildest dreams could we Christians foresee these prophetic things coming to a head so soon. People who used to say, "The end times have been in play for over two thousand years. Where is the sign of His coming?" 2 Peter 3:4, KJV "And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." The Apostle Paul warned that this would be the case, as Satan would be cast from the heavens to the earth. Knowing that his time is short, he will launch the full-frontal assault we are experiencing today. Satan, having pulled out all the stops, his demonic hordes are free to intimidate and encourage others to join them in their vile perversions. Ephesians 2:2 "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." How true are the final words of this passage; indeed, these demonized perverts ARE "children of disobedience." Satan is the prince of the power of the air; and he and his demons walk among us, wreaking havoc, working in the hearts of those who willfully disobey God. On 7/4/2019, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit southern California about 200 miles from Los Angeles. And two days later, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck in the same location. This, along with other signs of Christ's coming to redeem His own are happening throughout the world. Along with that, weather patterns are changing violently and without warning. Hail five feet deep in places hit in Mexico the other day, and temperatures highs are breaking records everywhere while severe flooding is taking place in other parts of the world. Violence rules the day with innocents being slaughtered indiscriminately. The Bible also says, "There shall be Wars and rumors of Wars." Look how close we've recently come to war with Iran as war drums continue to sound. Corruption in high places? Can you say Congress? The book Throw them All Out by Peter Schweizer will tell you of their methods to get rich quick. The Bible says in First Thessalonians that there will be a great falling away of the church in latter times, and we all know it's happening before our very eyes what with apostasy expanding across the globe. Also, with pedophilia and bestiality on the rise, and sound biblical doctrine on the decline, many churches are closing their doors or giving way to Mosques. There's a rise of Devil worship, and there's such a lack of modesty (it doesn't exist anymore), it seems to be stricken from the English Lexicon. Wickedness prevails in our decadent society. I listened to pastor J.D. Farag last night on the internet, and he makes a lot of sense when declaring that the rapture (or Harpazo - which means snatching away in Greek) is imminent and just may coincide with an act of war. He went on to say that this act could be an EMP attack from which we would never recover. Indeed, if we were hit with this Electromagnetic Pulse high above the earth, it would cripple our electronic grid which would quickly cripple the nation. Imagine our country without lights, the internet, phones and even transportation because the brains (ECU) of our cars and trucks were fried. (Incidentally, there are advanced Russian vessels stationed near Cuba capable of firing EMPs over the United states - even as we speak.) I was encouraged by the Fourth of July festivities in Washington, D.C. Watching young people marching and waving the American flag was uplifting to see. This made me wonder if the far left had hoodwinked us into believing that they are in control, since they only constitute a small percentage of society. But because much of the media is owned by them, they can manipulate the news and make it appear that we are in the minority. In truth, we Christians are in the majority with mostly all others being closet Christians, with fence- straddling agnostics and even atheists making up the rest of society. The peace plan for the Israelis and Palestinians is apparently falling apart, with confrontations and skirmishes becoming ever more common. But remember this passage, "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." So, it appears that the peacemaker has his work laid out for him and has yet to achieve or broker a peace deal. How this will be achieved is yet to be revealed. There was a time when I thought Obama was that man; but even though he is a Muslim, the true Muslims only laugh at him and his efforts to be one of them because he is black. But as time goes on, it may have been thought on false assumptions. Nevertheless, there is a man who will broker this peace deal, and he walks among us. It could be that he doesn't even realize his important role in life. Although, I now believe he may be an atheist, liberal or both who denies his Creator-the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is so sad that a person could be so deluded and blinded by Satan. With time running out, those straddling the fence will have to come down on one side or the other, but that will take place during the Great Tribulation, a very hard time to do so since your very life will depend on which you choose. Many will be beheaded. Jesus said He is "the way, the truth, and the life; for there is salvation in none other." Therefore, "How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?"...... There is no escape. YBIC Jim Towers Write me at [email protected] or www.propheticsignsandwonders.com and visit www.dropzonedelta.com . as well. Kushner reassures evangelicals today: Israel's security a priority in Trump peace plan - Amir Tibon - https://watch.org/node/53351 Jared Kushner met with Christian evangelical leaders as part of a week-long effort by senior officials to shore up support for Trump among evangelical pro-Israel activists The meeting, which took place at the White House, was the final note of a week-long effort by senior administration officials to shore up Trump's strong support among evangelical pro-Israel activists, who constitute an important part of the president's political base. Kushner hosted dozens of religious leaders and activists affiliated with Christians United for Israel, which describes itself as the largest pro-Israeli organization in the U.S., and which is strongly identified with evangelical Christian churches. The organization held its annual conference in Washington this week, and no less than five senior Trump advisers spoke at the conference. The meeting with Kushner, which took place at the White House, was more intimate than the organization's thousands-strong general sessions. Kushner spoke to the leadership group that met with him for approximately half an hour, and also took questions from the participants, according to two sources who attended the conversation. Kushner thanked those in attendance for supporting Trump's policies in the Middle East. Evangelicals have advocated policies adopted by Trump for years, such as moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. In the 2016 election, Trump received approximately 80% of white evangelical votes, and his political advisers believe a similar level of evangelical support will be necessary in order for him to win re-election next year. For many evangelicals, Trump's Israel policies are a main reason for supporting him, second only to his appointment of conservative judges who want to restrict abortions and LGBTQ rights. Some evangelical supporters of Israel have, however, expressed concerns about the contents of the administration's Middle East peace plan, which could be published before the end of the year. Many evangelicals are strong supporters of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and oppose any Israeli territorial concessions as part of a future peace deal. Kushner did not provide new details about the peace plan during Wednesday's meeting, according to the sources who spoke with Haaretz. He did, however, reassure the group that the plan takes Israelis security needs into consideration, and that Israel's security is a major priority for the administration. The plan's economic chapter was published last month in English and Arabic, while the political chapter is expected to come out only after the September 17th Israeli election. Until then, the administration is keeping the details of the plan confined to a very small group of advisers, which includes Kushner and his close aide Avi Berkowitz, as well Trump's Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Greenblatt and Friedman also gave speeches at the CUFI conference this week, as did Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, both of whom are evangelical Christians. Pompeo said during his speech that "Israel is a majority Jewish nation, but the government doesn't force Jewish beliefs on others" - a hint to the existence of a Christian minority of Israeli citizens. His statement, however, ignored the fact that the Israeli government refuses to recognize non-Orthodox Jewish weddings and forces secular citizens to go through Orthodox religious authorities in order to seek a divorce. Pence said during his speech that "we stand with Israel because her cause is our cause, her values are our values." Pence also referred to the Biblical story of a promise made by God to Abraham that "I will bless those who bless you," stating: "we stand with Israel because we cherish that ancient promise that those who bless her will be blessed." President Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, also addressed the conference. Bolton said that "Israel's security is central to the stability of the Middle East" and that "the relationship between the United States and Israel, under President Trump, is stronger than ever." While CUFI defines itself as bi-partisan, during this year's conference only Republican senators spoke from the stage. The organization also shared some tweets by members of Congress who met with CUFI activists on Tuesday and Wednesday - almost all of them from the Republican Party. The only Democrat who appeared in one of the tweets meeting a delegation of CUFI activists was Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York. Prime Minister Netanyahu sent a video greeting to the conference from Jerusalem, devoting his remarks to the recent tensions and threat of military escalation with Iran. "We should stand up to Iran's aggression now," Netanyahu said. "It's important to respond to their actions by increasing the pressure, not by reducing the pressure." Netanyahu also said that he applauds Trump for pulling out of the Iran deal last year. Show Me Thy Ways - Nathele Graham - [email protected] "Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths." Psalm 25:4. When we meet Jesus and trust Him for the redemption of our soul, that encounter should be a life-changing encounter. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9. True faith in Him secures our salvation, and works don't make us any more saved. Works on earth done for the Glory of God do earn crowns in Heaven and they also serve as a witness to others. If we desire to serve Jesus, He will teach us. It takes a lifetime of lessons to learn His ways, and applying the lessons He gives will mold us into more trusting followers who live by faith. If we are willing students, He's a willing teacher. Saul, also known as Paul, is an example. He was an angry man who hunted the Jewish converts to Christianity with vengeance. "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem." Acts 9:1-2. He met the Messiah while travelling to Damascus and all that changed. His encounter with the risen Lord left him blind. For a man of action that must have been frustrating. There's no record of Paul encountering Jesus prior to the crucifixion, but he must have heard about the miracles. Paul had studied under the most revered rabbi of the day, Gamaliel, who had certainly known of Jesus' ministry. When Peter and James disobeyed an order to stop preaching about Jesus, the Pharisees wanted to kill them. It was Gamaliel who was the voice of reason. "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." Acts 5:38-39. Gamaliel admonished his fellow Pharisees to have patience and allow this new faith to just die out on its own. It's been over 2,000 years and it hasn't died out yet. The remnant may be few, but our faith is strong. Like so many people, Saul had "book learning" but he had no real knowledge. His first encounter with Jesus left him blind, and that's when God's teaching began. "And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus." Acts 9:8. The gang of thugs Saul travelled with had no idea what had happened, so they led him to Damascus and abandoned him. Old friends may abandon you when you meet Jesus, but don't allow that to hinder your new faith in Jesus. Move forward and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. God has bigger plans for you than continuing in sin, and if you learn His ways you can be a witness to those who you once called friends. "And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink." Acts 9:9. In truth, we're all blind when we come to Jesus. Our first encounter with Him will show us just how blind we have been. Past prejudice and mocking of Him will turn to understanding of just how precious salvation through Jesus Christ is as the scales fall off of our eyes and we see Him in a new light. Even though we don't understand everything, our encounter with Jesus should begin to change us. From that moment we should desire to learn His ways. "Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths." Psalm 25:4 should be the desire of every Christian. Saul's idea of Christians was that they were blasphemers who opposed the Jewish Law established by God, and thus needed to be put to death. There are people today who have misconceptions about Christians. Muslims are required to do what they can to destroy us because we won't worship their false god. The loony left also desires to destroy Christianity because Biblical moral values stand in the way of their pagan decadence. Gay pride parades turn into orgies, but if you try to help these people out of their sin, you are the law-breaker. Though Saul had been highly educated, once he met Jesus his real education began. He had to wait, which was a lesson in itself. His personality was such that he desired to jump right in with both feet and start serving Christ, but first he had to be shown the ways of the Living God. His blindness gave him time to think. He could do nothing, so for three days he was left to consider what had happened. I often wonder what went through his mind during that time. Surely he had heard of the blind men whom Jesus healed, but now his encounter left him blind. Did he think about his life and recognize his own sin? Most likely he prayed, but still there had to be some fear of what would happen to him. When God teaches lessons they aren't always easy. If we continue trying to live life on our own terms we will miss the value of what God would have us to learn. There were more lessons to be learned through that encounter than what, Saul was being taught. Even people who've been Christians for many years have lessons to learn. "And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord." Acts 9:10. Ananias was probably on the list to be arrested. He had no idea what Jesus would ask him to do, but he was willing. The details of God's mission frightened him. He was to go to find Saul and heal his blindness. Could Jesus have healed Saul's blindness without the help of Ananias? Yes, but He usually chooses to work through His followers. By stepping out in faith we learn the lesson of trust. In this instance, Ananias wasn't sure he had heard correctly. He knew who Saul was and the mission he was on, so he mentioned this detail to Jesus. It's OK to ask questions, but we cannot allow questions get in the way of obedience. Jesus assured him that Saul was chosen to serve Him. "But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my names sake." Acts 9:15-16. It's a blessing to many generations that Ananias obeyed and went to Saul. The change in Saul, now known as Paul, was evident. Because Ananias stepped out in faith and Paul was willing to be taught, Paul's mission work changed from hatred to one of love and spreading the Gospel. Because of his enthusiasm for serving Jesus, we have his Holy Spirit inspired letters to teach us lessons. Every day we have lessons to learn. Do you still hold on to the old friends you had before meeting Jesus? If so, they are stunting your growth in Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, Peter had given a Holy Spirit inspired sermon and thousands gave their lives to Jesus. They didn't hang on to old habits, but embraced their salvation. "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42. Was Ananias one who heard on that day? Whatever prompted his faith we are shown evidence that he wasn't stunted by old ways and sinful habits. His obedience to God led him to approach the man most feared by Christians. That obedience began a work by God that continues today. Every one of us will have failures in our walk with Christ. That's when we learn lessons. If you've been controlled by anger, learn to give that anger to Christ. Is your life ruled by lies and deceit? If so, you need to ask for forgiveness and learn the Christian way of truth. No matter what sin may stumble you, there is always forgiveness through Jesus, but you need to ask. If you don't recognize your sin then God is hampered in showing you His ways and teaching you lessons. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. That's a blessed promise from God. How do we learn the way to handle lessons from God? He has given us a precious gift. We have Scripture to guide us. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Timothy 3:16. The Bible contains lessons in life and how to react in a Godly way when we are tempted to sin. The book of Judges teaches us that if we don't follow continue God we will continue to repeat the same mistakes over and over. Read the Psalms for lessons in overcoming fear, being broken over sin and repenting, and also singing praises to God. The book of Esther is a lesson in courage. The Gospels show us Jesus and how much He loves us. He shed His blood for our salvation. The New Testament letters give lessons in day-to-day Christian life. If you neglect studying your Bible then you're missing many lessons that God wants all of us to learn. Then, when a test of your faith comes along you will fail. Allow God to show you His ways and apply them to your life. "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. 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: Suspending your disbelief of the American coup - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com While I know you are probably tired of hearing about it, the Lord has impressed upon my heart to cry out to you each day this week about the ongoing coup. We must be aware. What does Hosea 4:6 say?, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" In John 8:32, Christ says, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Sometimes we need to suffer the truth to remain free. Please endure the truth in these Daily Jots about this ongoing coup. We need to pray and act to turn the tide of what is occurring in this country. This is a Christian issue because the attacks are currently and will be against freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and especially freedom of religion, mainly Christianity. Our ministry partner William Agbeti has survived six coups in West Africa, and he is foreseeing one here in America. Here is what he sees as an "algorithm of a coup d'etat in the US": "Coup plotting mainly begins with one of three happenings: 1) The ruling government of the plotters suddenly loses an election against popular expectations; 2) The incumbent government with socialist leaning fails to deliver on its numerous promises, and splinter groups start engineering popular revolts for an ouster; or 3) External influences from leading socialist blocks or major socialist players, culminating in offers to help the losers win back power." Agbeti's thoughts: "In the US, carefully orchestrated public protests will increase and spread to major cities, as many groups and individuals get access to sources of questionable funds in the hands of previous government operatives or their cronies in business. Appointments, rejection of appointments, high status resignations and open clashes with government policies or presidential stands on policies will mount up. For example, democrats have always supported abortion and open immigration. They will use all these traditional stands to whip up a popular crash down on reforms at all fronts, most especially legal fronts. Highly sensitive security matters will become a major thorn in Trump's flesh, as more and more key security operatives refuse to furnish him with vital information owing to their lack of trusting him with sensitive information. "This seems to be the bait, with particular reference to the Russian equation, that will be thrown at the people to launch a coup. Coup plotters in the US may build up widespread dissension to culminate with an election, then they open up old wounds! Highly powerful plans that the coup plotters in the US are using and will repeatedly use are fake events or fake flags, including fake news! What could likely be responsible for the "big day" for a coup in the US? The enemies of state currently are clearly making it impossible for Trump to govern. This means government machinery may grind to PLANNED halts. Trump may be declared unfit to rule, there will be calls for his impeachment, fake pollsters will continue to churn out unscientific research findings on his unpopularity and image ratings." Agbeti says that a key event, such as a security crisis or natural disaster, may propel the shadow government to strike hard to unseat Trump through popular revolt and reinstatement of their rule. It is easy to say to ourselves, "This could never happen here." But understanding the machinations of a bloodless coup and how conditions may be ripe for such an event is the first step to knowing how to fast, pray, and act to prevent it. Suspend your disbelief for the destroyer is patiently waiting. You can make a difference. Daily Devotion: A Better World Ahead - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! - 2 Corinthians 4:17 Deep inside us, there is a sense of something more in life that drives us on. No matter what experiences you've had, no matter how wonderful they were, they were just a glimpse of what is still ahead. You are really homesick for a place you have never been before, and that place is Heaven. You were wired this way. The Bible says that God has put eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). This simply means there is a sense inside of us that there is more to life. That is what keeps us moving forward. It is sort of like the homing instinct we see in the animal kingdom, like the salmon making their way upstream with such determination. We see it in the way the swallows return every year to San Juan Capistrano. It's a homing instinct that drives them. We have the same thing, but it is a homing instinct for a place we haven't seen yet. It is a homesickness for Heaven. Until that day, there is nothing that will completely satisfy our lives. No matter what happens to us on Earth, it pales in comparison to this great hope. The apostle Paul wrote, "For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT). This is the hope of the Christian-the hope of a place called Heaven. There is a better world ahead. There is something greater than what we're experiencing now. 
FROM THE HEART
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