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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Two Popes & Pietro, The Roman Curia Boss - By Cynthia Nuara - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/07/two-popes-pietro-roman-curia-boss-cynthia-nuara/
Pietro (Peter, in English) Parolin is the head of the Roman Curia in the Vatican as its secretary of state. He has been called "papabile, a candidate to succeed Francis as pope." An April 2019 article on the Catholic website, Crux, stated that Pietro Parolin has become "more powerful than you can possibly imagine." And the new constitution for reforming and governing the Roman Curia would make this obvious. The Crux article ends with "...within the Roman Curia, everyone will now know who's boss: The Cardinal Secretary of State." I will be using Catholic websites in this writing to make the point that there are many Catholics dissatisfied with this pope. What is this New Catholic Constitution About? Summary from the Catholic News Agency (CNA) website: Analysis: New Vatican constitution to centralize power in state secretariat: A long-serving curial official said, "...This is just the total centralization of power in the office of the Secretary of State. Nothing can be done without the pope's approval, and nothing gets to the pope except through [Cardinal Parolin] - it's the creation of a vice-regency." An archbishop, currently serving in a senior curial role, said, "It is an essentially Soviet model. Lots of meetings, lots of discussion, but in the end the Secretary [of State] decides what will happen." Several curial staffers from different departments told CNA that their congregations had returned "pages of suggested revisions," and expressed deep concerns about the document's proposed centralization of curial operations.... Summary from Crux: New Vatican doc displays simplified, decentralized curia: In its new mega-department for evangelization, the feminine genius, it says, must be promoted in the church... as well as for the faithful who, in certain cultures, live in polygamous relationships. Publication of the document was expected in June, but due to the vast response to the text of over 200 pages, publication is now tentatively set for September. The Vatican's former Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, has strongly criticized it. He said "the teaching of the Faith is being mentioned as merely one random task of the pope among many others, and most importantly, now to be subordinate to his secular duties." The Cardinal points out in this new constitution a "wrong and deviant use of fundamental notions of Catholic theology..." He warns against a "secularization of the concept of the Church," as if she is "to be run like an international company" and as if "it is about a balance of power" between a mother company and subsidiaries. Fr. Thomas Weinandy, a member of the International Theological Commission who was removed as an adviser to the US Conference of Catholic bishops in 2017 after his criticisms of Pope Francis, said there's "no problem with making Evangelization as the primary pastoral work of the Church," but not if it means not telling others of the "Mysteries of the Faith." Without doctrine and moral teaching, "there is no evangelization," he continued. Those "mysteries of the faith" of the Catholic church are indeed mysteries; for you'll find lots of doctrines of man in that system, but not many of its beliefs in the Bible. More on that shortly. Secularizing the Catholic Faith It sounds like this new constitution, besides giving Peter Parolin power over all the workings of the Catholic church, will increase the Vatican's focus on trying to join different belief systems to the "Mother Church" as it calls itself. The Vatican deal with China in September 2018 allows the Communist government to recommend bishops of the Catholic church. Why agree to such a blatant secular compromise? The agreement states that China will recommend bishops before they're appointed by the pope, and stipulates that the pope can veto bishops that China recommends, within limits. Francis, as part of the deal, lifted the excommunication of seven bishops who had been appointed by China without papal approval. Also, under the deal, two Vatican-aligned Chinese bishops recognized by the pope have been asked to resign in favor of state-sanctioned prelates. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the Chinese government is only going to select bishops who are loyal to the Communist Party. Meanwhile, the persecution of Chinese Catholics has continued, and of Protestants. From America Magazine: Cardinal Parolin defends Vatican-China agreement amid criticism: At the symposium, "Stand Together to Defend International Religious Freedom," Parolin defended the Vatican-China agreement, saying, "We signed this agreement to help advance religious freedom, to find normalization for the Catholic community there, and then for all other religions to have space and a role to play..." Francis, Parolin and previous popes have shown they're Marxist, Socialist, or Communist themselves and/or have bowed to countries with those systems, secularizing in order to keep seminaries open and "fatten up the Catholic church." You can read about this on the Catholic website Tradition in Action. Catechism #841 states that Muslims worship the same God as the Catholic church; therefore, both Francis and Parolin call them brothers and sisters. But the Muslim god is not the God of the Bible. And then there are the Vatican prayers alongside Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, and reverence for their precepts and teachings, claiming they "reflect a ray of Truth which enlightens all men." At the Second Vatican Council in 1965, the Catholic church declared its attitude to other religions in a document called Nostra Aetate (which means 'in our time'). Here is an excerpt: "In her tasks of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, [the Church] considers above all what people have in common and what draws them to fellowship. (n.1) Also, The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. (n.2)." All this is building towards the one-world religion. No false religion will have a role to play in salvation. Christ is the only way, the truth and the life. No one comes to our Father in heaven except through Him (John 14:6). The Bible, as we know, tells us in Revelation 17 about "Mystery Babylon, the Mother of Harlots." (Babylon refers to the root of all false religion.) The woman dressed in purple and scarlet who sits on seven hills is drunk with the blood of the saints (martyrs for Jesus who refuse to bow to false doctrine). This Mother church will be aligned with the Antichrist in the Tribulation until he has finished using her to gain power with his ten-nation confederacy; then he will have her destroyed. Two Popes at the End of Days? Speaking of that destruction, Francis' namesake prophesied centuries ago about the time of the end when two popes are alive, one having stolen the throne from the other - a time when the church of Rome will be destroyed. We're not to give extra-biblical prophecy the same credence as the God-inspired Bible. But this prophecy and another that applies here, which will also be discussed, only bear mentioning since they appear as though they're coming to pass...but only in part! Satan knows Bible prophecy too. What better way to keep people deceived by mixing truth with lies?! The first prophecy I'm referring to is the one by Francis of Assisi. Some claim this prophecy was made up by dissenting members of the 13th century Franciscan order and attributed to Francis of Assisi. No matter, for it doesn't deflect from what we see happening today. Keep this in mind, though: when revealing this prophecy, Francis of Assisi still held to the false belief in what he called the true pope and the true church, including Mary worship. Not long before he died in 1226, Francis of Assisi gathered the members of his order and warned them of great tribulations that would befall the Catholic church in the end of days just before Christ's return. Here is an excerpt: "The devils will have unusual power; the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation, a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death. [Two popes alive at the end of days.] "Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God... "Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer." - from Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1882], pp. 248-250. You can read the entire prophecy here, along with the article on the Catholic website that discusses the two popes in the prophecy and speaks against this pope. Is Francis a Valid Pope? Interestingly, rumor has it that the papal throne was usurped from Benedict with help from elitists including Obama and others that wanted the Marxist Bergoglio (Francis) to be pope, who would be in line with their leftist values. From Gloria.TV: Wikileaks: Clinton, Obama, Soros, Overthrew Pope Benedict in Vatican Coup: George Soros, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton orchestrated a coup in the Vatican to overthrow the conservative Pope Benedict and replace him with radical leftist Pope Francis, according to a group of Catholic leaders citing evidence from various sources, including WikiLeaks emails. This would make Francis not canonically elected. The canon law of the Catholic church says a pope's resignation is valid only if he makes the decision in full freedom and without pressure from others. Supernatural Signs in the Conclave? I still remember the words of Cardinal Schönborn in speaking about how Francis unexpectedly became pope. From The Telegraph: Pope Francis elected after supernatural 'signs' in the Conclave, says Cardinal: Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna, said the surprise election of Pope Francis came about because of a series of supernatural "signs" in the conclave, including one which he could not speak about. He said he felt two strong signs that Bergoglio (Francis) was "the chosen one." Cardinal Schönborn went on to say that he's sure many cardinals "received similar signs during the Conclave." He said that without such signs, "It wouldn't have been possible to have this election so soon and so rapidly... It is as if he would say to the world 'come home, I wait for you.'" The Schism in the Catholic Church Today Even cardinals are calling for Francis to step down. Is he grooming his cohort in case he steps down OR just wants to focus on other things and allow Parolin to lead the sheep? Or something else. Did Francis usurp the throne from Benedict? Will Pietro, the Roman Curia boss, usurp the throne from Francis? Oh well, let's move on. A March 2019 article by Julia Meloni on the Catholic website OnePeterFive, provided some interesting insight. Here is a summary of that article titled, Cardinal Parolin: The Next Pope? Last year, Archbishop Viganò alleged that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Francis's handpicked secretary of state, was complicit with him in covering up the allegations of decades of sexual abuse of minors, seminarians and young priests by Cardinal McCarrick. Despite this, Antonio Socci, a leading conservative Vatican-watcher, says meetings of cardinals about a possible conclave have been taking place, with Parolin as the clear frontrunner. A year ago, Parolin was named as likely successor to Francis in reports about a "plot against the pope." Socci says cardinals once loyal to Francis are so concerned about a schism that they're planning to appeal to him to step down. Their favored candidate for replacement is understood to be Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Why Parolin? According to Marco Tosatti, Parolin is a progressive diplomat with ties to what is referred to as the Vatican's St. Gallen mafia, which wields a lot of power. Other Vatican-watchers call him a clear "reformer" - a "pastor open to dialogue," in line with Francis's "winds of change." Parolin is said to be a revolutionary without the wild liability of Francis. To stay papabile, he's been distancing himself from some of the questionable aspects of Francis's reign. He's been likened to a fireman, carefully controlling the blazes of this pontificate with his diplomatic prowess. Parolin supposedly was shipped off to Venezuela after a falling out with Cardinal Bertone, Benedict's secretary of state. Francis, who spoke positively about Parolin before becoming pope, soon replaced Bertone with Parolin - who began loyally implementing Francis's will. The pope, in turn, lavished Parolin with power. Francis indulges him, and power has drained from other Vatican departments toward this secretary of state. It was Parolin who moved to suspend an external audit of the Vatican's finances. Cardinal Zen says it's Parolin who pushed Francis towards the deal with Communist China to allow that government to recommend Catholic bishops, which critics say betrays Chinese Catholics. He calls for Parolin's resignation over this betrayal. He says Parolin "got rid" of him, and calls Parolin "arrogant and despotic, interested more in diplomatic (worldly) success than in the triumph of the Faith." In Wikipedia's article on Parolin, a quote from Cardinal Zen said Parolin "is dangerous." Parolin seems alarmingly friendly with cultural Marxists and other worldly elites. In 2018, he was the first Vatican official to ever attend the secretive Bilderberg Meeting, the summit of globalists with an agenda of open borders and a one-world government. Parolin also joined Francis in promoting the U.N.'s menacing globalist agenda. Although Parolin says the agenda must respect life in "all its stages," pro-life leaders warn that the Vatican's collaboration with the UN will extend abortion, smuggled into the agenda via coded language on "reproductive health." In 2017, Parolin further cemented his revolutionary credentials, asserting that Vatican II initiated an "irreversible" process. He quoted a theologian who boasted: "Absolutely nothing will be as it was before!" Parolin praised the new "seeds" of "synodality" - a term that, under Francis, has become synonymous with permanent revolution. Parolin is the only whispered-about candidate for pope with any real chance of being elected; he is the smooth revolutionary, the master collaborator with worldly powers. "I don't think he has faith. He is just a good diplomat in a very secular, mundane meaning," Cardinal Zen says of Parolin. Another interesting article from the Catholic website Lifesite News, speaks of Francis' and Parolin's promotion of Bishop Robert McElroy in San Diego. "Although McElroy says no clerical "gay subculture" exists in his diocese, he is pro-homosexual, having defended a diocesan employee in a same-sex "marriage," told priests to embrace "LGBT families," and has been accused, along with Francis and Parolin, in knowing about ex-Cardinal McCarrick's serial sexual abuse of seminarians and ignoring the matter." Peter, the Roman Now to the one you may be wondering about since reading the title of this article. I'm sure many of you have heard about Malachy's prophecy of the popes. He gave the prophecy in Latin, and the name he gave of the last leader of the Catholic church was Petrus Romanus, which translates Peter (Pietro, in Italian) the Roman. There is also what may contain truth in Malachy's prophecy, but deception as well. Satan knows about the Mother of Harlots church in Rome described in Revelation, yet this prophecy appears to draw one in with its uncanny accuracy in the descriptions of the popes, including the last pope or one who leads the Catholic church in the Tribulation. There is no mention of the false religious system that it has been and will continue to be. Terry James said in his book review of Petrus Romanus by Tom Horn and Chris Putnam, "Neither Tom Horn nor Cris Putnam-nor I, as your reviewer of this book-claim that St. Malachy was a God-inspired prophet in the sense of an Old Testament or New Testament prophet. He was not. However, I will tell you without reservation that the little-known and sometimes previously undiscovered facts these researchers have uncovered and constructed into an enthralling picture of the one who will likely be the last pontiff are absolutely spellbinding." Hal Lindsey reported on Malachy's prophecy before Francis became pope. He said, "I'm not saying that this man's prophecy rises to the same level of detail and accuracy as those in the Bible. However, it does contain some remarkable predictions that seem to have been fulfilled across the centuries and may bear relevance for today." Hal mentioned that some claim it's a forgery, but he pointed out that - if it were made up by an anti-Catholic Protestant, how does one explain away the fact that it has been kept under guard in the Vatican archives since it was discovered in 1590? [Some claim the author was Cardinal Girolamo Simoncelli who lived from 1522 to 1605]. Regardless, it can't be dated any later than 1590 no matter who would have written it. Malachy, a 12th-century bishop of Armagh in what is now Northern Ireland, purportedly had a vision in which he foresaw all of the popes from the death of Pope Innocent II until the destruction of the church and the return of Christ. It is said that he gave an account of his visions to Pope Innocent II, but the document remained unknown in the secret Vatican Archives until its discovery in 1590. Malachy was obviously held in high esteem as he was canonized as a saint by Pope Clement III on July 6, 1199, 50 years after his death. Here is his prophecy of the last leader of the Catholic church: "In extreme persecution will sit Peter the Roman (Petrus Romanus), who will pasture his sheep in tribulations; and when these things are finished, the city of seven hills [i.e. Rome] will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge his people. The End." In Conclusion: "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). This new Catholic constitution is called Praedicate Evangelium (Proclaim the Gospel). Yet Francis criticizes Protestants for evangelizing, or proselytizing, as he put it. But that's because he doesn't like the competition. And we don't accept the man-made doctrines of the Catholic church - at least not those of us who are Bible-believers - and we haven't joined the broad-way, emergent-divergent so-called "ecumenical" bandwagon that promotes global unity among all religions under the guise of tolerance and cooperation. Many Protestant pastors are guilty of the same thing in these days of apostasy. The most crucial error among many that the Catholic church teaches is the following: According to the RCC's Canon 12, Council of Trent, "If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified... let him be accursed." Yet, God's Word tells us that justification/salvation is by faith: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5). "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "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). From Dave Hunt: "For the Catholic, salvation does not come through personally receiving Christ as Savior but is a lengthy process that begins with baptism and thereafter depends upon one's continued relationship to the [Catholic] Church. Salvation comes through participation in the sacraments, penance, good works, suffering for one's sins and the sins of others here and/or in purgatory, indulgences to reduce time in purgatory, and almost endless masses and Rosaries said on one's behalf even after one's death. Catholic evangelism is by works, the very antithesis of "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts:20:24). - excerpt from A Woman Rides the Beast, 1994 This reminds us of what Christ said to the Pharisees and Scribes in Matthew 15:6-9: "...So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God... 'teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'" Though the extra-biblical prophecies may contain partial truth concerning certain events we see unfolding before us, there is only one source - the Bible - that has proven to be 100% true. And it tells us of a coming one-world false church and one-world Antichrist government. It speaks of rampant wickedness, wars and rumor of wars, alignment of end-time nations against the Jews who are back in their land of Israel, etc. The wildly insane weather we're seeing is not climate change; it's God's warning to turn back to Him and accept His free pardon. We brethren can rest in "our Blessed Hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). We who put our faith in Christ alone for our salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) will be caught up in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52) to meet Jesus in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and escape the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10). As the late Jack Kelley would say, "We can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah." Right from Wrong: Iran, Iran, Iran and Netanyahu - Ruthie Blum - https://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=596824 In a Fox News interview with Mark Levin in March 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defined the three greatest threats to his country as "Iran, Iran and Iran." This was by no means the first time that Netanyahu had pointed to the perils posed by Tehran's race to acquire nuclear weapons, nor would it be his last. Indeed, Netanyahu has been warning the world about Tehran's global terrorist reach for so long that his speeches on the issue, both at home and abroad, have become a source of ridicule. Accusing him of fear-mongering as a ploy to stay in power, his detractors berate him for comparing the mullah-led regime's evil hegemonic aspirations to those of the Nazis. Yes, the very enemies who think nothing of comparing Netanyahu and his ally in the White House to Hitler have been downplaying the concrete danger that has been emanating from the Islamic Republic since its establishment 40 years ago - a menace that has escalated to alarming levels. Thanks to the "appeasement deal of the century," otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, pushed forth by a coalition of ostriches, led by former US president Barack Obama and his criminally negligent, if not outright criminal, administration. Netanyahu's repeated appeals to the so-called "international community" not to enter into a nuclear agreement favorable to Iran initially fell on deaf ears. But it did not deter him from his two-pronged approach: gathering and exposing intelligence about Tehran's spinning centrifuges on one hand while launching limited military strikes against Iranian and proxy Hezbollah targets in Syria on the other. Due to Israel's policy of "strategic ambiguity," which in the age of the Internet is widely considered to be obsolete, Netanyahu and members of his government occasionally allude to IDF cross-border operations without being specific. Take Wednesday morning's missile attack on Tel Al-Hara, a military base in southern Syria believed to contain Iranian militias. Everyone assumes that Israel was behind it, and with good reason. Nevertheless, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi was raked over the coals this week for "explosive comments" he made on Sunday during an interview with KAN News Radio. When asked by host Aryeh Golan whether he was concerned that Washington's mild response to Iranian aggression against a British tanker in the Persian Gulf bode ill for US support in the event that "our little Israel" were to encounter a similar problem, Hanegbi replied that he was not worried. "For two years now Israel has been the only country in the world killing Iranians," he said. "We have hit the Iranians hundreds of times in Syria. Sometimes they admit it, sometimes foreign publications expose the matter, sometimes a minister, sometimes the chief of staff. But everything is a coordinated policy. The Iranians are very limited in their responses, and it's not because they do not have the capabilities, but because they understand that Israel means business. We are very firm on issues of national security." NATURALLY, NOBODY in the Hebrew or foreign press bothered to put Hanegbi's words in context, preferring to report that he had "boasted" about killing Iranians when what he was actually saying was that Israel does not rely on the help or approval of outside powers to deal with its own security and defense needs. Iran understood this message full well but took the opportunity to engage in a Twitter war over it, with its state-run Press TV posting a meme of Hanegbi's quote and a caption reading: "This is how Israelis are freely and proudly talking about killing Iranians! Just imagine what would happen if it was the other way around!" Hanegbi fired back, tweeting: "I saw that the murderous regime in Iran did not like that I mentioned this morning that the IDF has been exacting from it a heavy price for its unrelenting aggression against Israel. [Supreme Leader] Khamenei and [President] Rouhani were very insulted. So I thought of a creative idea that could ease Iran's sensitivity: You will stop placing surface-to-surface missile batteries, UAVs, bases of Shi'ite militias and terrorist infrastructures on Syrian territory aimed at killing Israelis. You will stop arming Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad with deadly weapons systems aimed at killing Israelis. When that happens, we will no longer have to destroy Iranian terrorist arrays and there will be no more Iranian casualties. Deal?" Hanegbi's radio and Twitter remarks were simply a nutshell summation of Israeli policy vis-à-vis Iran. Furthermore, they followed two statements made by Netanyahu earlier in the month - one aimed at Tehran and the other at Brussels - voicing a similar sentiment. On July 9, while visiting the Nevatim Air Force base and standing next to an Adir F-35 jet, he said, "Iran has threatened recently to destroy Israel. It is worthwhile for them to remember that these planes can reach everywhere in the Middle East, including Iran and Syria." Less than a week later, on July 15, Netanyahu reacted harshly to the European Union's insistence that Iranian violations of the JCPOA were not severe enough to warrant a reimposition of sanctions. In a Hebrew video clip he said: "The response by the European Union to the Iranian violations reminds me of the European appeasement of the 1930s. Also then there was someone who buried his head in the sand and didn't see the approaching danger. It seems that there are those in Europe who won't wake up until Iranian nuclear missiles fall on European soil and then, of course, it will be too late. In any case, we will continue to do everything necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons." Luckily for Israel, Netanyahu has a friend in US President Donald Trump, who not only withdrew from the JCPOA - partly as a result of the trove of Iranian documents seized by a daring Mossad raid on a nuclear archive in Tehran - but has increased sanctions on the regime. Though necessary, these moves are not sufficient, however, as Iran has been illustrating. This is why the close ties between Netanyahu and Trump are just as beneficial to the United States. THAT BRINGS us to a key reason that Netanyahu just broke the record, previously held by Israel's first premier, David Ben-Gurion, as the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history. Though Israeli "Bibi-bashers" would have the world believe that Netanyahu's political longevity is due to a ruthless and bottomless hunger to "hang on to his seat," and that he stops at nothing to guarantee the fall of his rivals and opponents, they fail to acknowledge the traits and accomplishments that have led to his repeated reelection. In doing so, they cast aspersions on the electoral system and the voters simultaneously. Ironically, many of such nay-sayers wouldn't have a shot at being in the Knesset in the first place if it weren't for Israel's "parliamentary democracy on steroids," as the current campaign by tiny parties headed by swelled-headed politicians proves. As for the voters, well, some of us struggle with the dilemma of casting our ballots for the party that most closely represents our ideological positions, or opting instead to back the big party most likely to form a coalition that best reflects our will. Then there are those who are more focused on ousting Netanyahu than on articulating or holding any particular views. Many such floaters are supporting the Blue and White Party, headed by Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, who have a rotation agreement. At a surprise gathering in honor of his lengthy leadership record thrown for him on Monday by his family and members of Likud, Netanyahu took an apt jab at his defamers in general and the Blue and White chiefs in particular. "If not for the actions we've taken, Iran would have had a nuclear arsenal a long time ago, and its coffers with which to take over the Middle East would have been even fuller. We've blocked it up until now but it hasn't been permanently blocked. No one knows what will happen... the Iranians are banking on it being only a little while more until they're free of [us].... The Iranians are just waiting, they're waiting for our opponents. Who will stop [them]? Benny Gantz? Yair Lapid? [Those] who said we mustn't walk away from the [nuclear] deal? That it was alright?" Though it was clear that Netanyahu was using the celebratory event as part of his campaign to win again on September 17, he was right to stress his point. Even one of his vocal critics, TV personality Avri Gilad, recently expressed "anxiety" about the "day after" Netanyahu, whenever that might be. The effort to portray him as a crazed and corrupt Captain Queeg ranting and raving about "Iran, Iran, Iran" has thus been futile so far, due to his deft stewardship of "our little Israel" through ayatollah-infested waters. Putting Social Media Giants Into Biblical Perspective - By Michael Brown - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=3360 As I write this article, I am awaiting the verdict of my appeal to YouTube after receiving the first strike in our channel's history. Yet, in my heart, I do not feel that I am being tested. I feel that YouTube is being tested. Allow me to explain. It's common to refer to the social media giants -- Google and YouTube and Facebook and Twitter and their associates -- as the "masters of the universe." (From another angle, we could add Amazon into this mix.) They have incredible reach and power, and they can make you or break you at their whim. They can bring down (or promote) individuals or organizations. And, if Dr. Robert Epstein's congressional testimony is accurate, they have the potential to influence presidential elections. That is power. That is influence. That is dominance. Their Time of Testing Right now, my ministry relies heavily on social media to get our message out to millions of people every week. This includes our daily radio show (which we also livestream on YouTube and Facebook), our daily op-ed pieces, our latest videos, our gospel tweets, and more. Shut down one of these outlets, and we feel it immediately. At present, we have been banned from livestreaming on YouTube for one week, as well as from uploading new videos. If we receive two more strikes, we will be banned from YouTube for life. Yet, to repeat, I do not feel that our ministry is being tested. I feel that YouTube/Google is being tested. Will they do the right thing in God's sight? Will they act righteously and equitably? In terms of our situation, for the second time in two weeks, we have been punished for exposing antisemitic hate speech. That's right. For exposing hate speech, we have been disciplined for hate speech. And rather than dealing with the antisemitic videos that we confronted, YouTube removed our video. Naturally, I was shocked to receive the notice from YouTube, and I immediately submitted an appeal. (I have no desire to see the other videos censored. I simply want our video restored and the strike removed.) And, from a human, earthly perspective, YouTube's mishandling of its own community guidelines is frustrating. (Thousands of other YouTube creators are also dealing with YouTube's massive inconsistencies.) It's also frustrating that, for weeks now, without explanation or communication, Twitter marks most (or, all) of my attachments as "sensitive," blocking others from seeing them. (I could attach a sports score, and it would get marked as "sensitive.") And it's been frustrating when Facebook pulls one of our viral memes for violating their guidelines when, in reality, our meme was confronting the hateful words of others. And it's been frustrating to have hundreds of our YouTube videos demonetized and every single video flagged for review. But, again, all this is from an earthly, human perspective, and as followers of Jesus, Scripture tells us that, spiritually speaking, we are seated in heavenly places. We have a higher view of things, an eternal perspective. With the Lord, we look down at things on earth. We recognize that there is a God over all, and, in His sight, the biggest of these companies is not even like a grain of sand. Dust on the Scales While praying about the latest YouTube incident, these verses immediately came to mind: "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust. Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness." (Isaiah 40:15-17) If whole nations are "like a drop from a bucket," then what is Google? How big is YouTube? If whole countries are "accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness," how are companies like Facebook or Twitter or Amazon accounted by him? Massive empires that once ruled over large swaths of the earth are ancient memories today, the subject of archaeological textbooks in dusty libraries. But they were once so powerful! And when it comes to getting our message out to the world -- which is the whole reason we utilize these social media outlets -- the Lord has the power to open a door which no man can shut (see Revelation 3:7). If these current doors shut in our face because of censorship and discrimination, it will present a whole new set of challenges for our ministry. Yet I'm confident that if one door closes, a bigger, more effective door will open. And if our message reflects God's heart and lifts up Jesus, the Lord will promote that message to the world. Twenty-five hundred years ago, Haman sought to destroy the Jewish people, even erecting gallows to hang his enemy Mordechai. Yet God miraculously intervened and Haman was hung on his own gallows, while the Jewish people were delivered and Mordechai was exalted. So, I await with interest the verdict of our appeal to YouTube. Yet I await the verdict with confidence, knowing that every stumbling block put before us will, with God's help, become a stepping stone for greater ministry service. I also await the verdict wondering, "How will YouTube fare in the end?" They are being tested more than me. I Wish - By Grant Phillips - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/17/wish-grant-phillips/ There is a poem that's been around a long time that says: Star light, star bright, The first star I see tonight; I wish I may, I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight. It has a nice jingle, but is certainly nothing to be taken seriously. I can assure you I won't be peering at the sky tonight looking for a bright star and quoting this poem. A few weeks or so ago I was driving down the road and just began thinking how nice it would be if some things in this world were different. I found myself almost saying out loud, "I wish there were no trash." (Someone had thrown trash out on the road.) Then other things came to mind, such as: Wouldn't it be nice if there were no sicknesses? How about no death, no evil, no blight, no bad tempers, no lying, no crooked politicians, no hurtful words, no pot holes, no hunger, no wars, no jealousy, no hate, no commercials, etc. I suppose we could continue page after page making a list of all the things we could do without. There is a day coming when it will all be true. None of these things I mentioned, and many I didn't mention, will exist. It is a period of 1,000 years known as the Millennium. If the Rapture would occur today, it is possible that it could be as close as seven years away. Wow! 1,000 years of total bliss, and then it continues into eternity. If you really think about it, we really don't have to put up with all the negativity that comes from a fallen world very long. Yes, it has been going on now for about 6,000 years, but I've only been around for a very short time. How about you? My 70 plus years is even less than a drop in the bucket when we look at it from this angle. Hmmm. I feel better already. As I've said, repeatedly, I do not know when Jesus will come back for His bride (Church) and remove us (Rapture) from this earth, but I strongly feel we are in the season of His return. Please don't ask me to define "season." Let's just say I'm getting a crick in my neck looking up. I do believe He could come in my lifetime, what's left of it, but I could be wrong. It may be in our children's lifetime or our grandchildren's lifetime. I don't think it will be that long, but then again, I'm not God. So, if I'm not alive for the Rapture, that's okay. I'll just pick up my new body and meet you in the air as we travel upwards. Before we arrive at that glorious 1,000 year period the world, exit the Church, will suffer terribly. As bad as things are now, the Tribulation that follows the Rapture will be seven years of pure hell on earth. I don't think anyone at that time will be concerned about trash or commercials. It will all be about survival. There was another time when our first parents were upon the earth (Adam and Eve), when everything was just perfect, and then guess who showed up? This fallen angel called by so many names has really made a mess of things. From the time Adam and Eve fell to temptation, everything has been going south. Now here we are saying, "I wish." I say "I wish" with tongue in cheek, because I know we also have so much to be grateful for. If you think about it, we could actually use a lot more paper listing all the things we have to be thankful for than the things we wish were different. God has been very good to us, and it reached a pinnacle upon the cross. One wonders how God could have so much love for us when we have been so very unloving toward Him. Even those of us who are His children, can be very unappreciative at times. Yes, it would be nice to see good triumph over evil. (That day is coming.) It would be nice to have no more immorality, suffering, fear, evil of any kind. (That day is coming.) I look back over the years of my life and see a change in society that is so extreme, it is almost unbelievable. No, for many things we face today, it isn't just "almost," it is unbelievable. For those who are younger, I guess all I can say is, "You had to be there," to see the contrast between yesterday and today. I see and hear things today that would never have been made public when I was a young lad. We see and hear things today that would never have entered the mind of man a mere 70 years ago. It has become so obvious many are realizing that what God said through Isaiah has actually come to pass in our day. "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight." (Isaiah 5:20-21) I have been pleasantly surprised to hear of those who I thought were not paying attention, are actually realizing that society is doing exactly what God said they would do nearly 2,800 years ago. I believe there are millions of my fellow Americans today who are also saying, "I wish" to all the satanic uprisings we are witnessing today. You too are tired of the satanic garbage that is being dumped on us from every side. "I wish" is being bellowed out to the heavens in exasperation. Amongst our anxiety comes a voice from Heaven reminding us of Jesus' words: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." (John 14:1-4) Grant Phillips Email: [email protected] Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html Daily Jot: Prophetic times: The world in headlines - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com If we were visiting from another place in time and just heard the headlines, what would we think? If we were voting for an election, and look at what people said who are elected or running for office, would we vote for them? Let's just look at some of the headlines of only today, who said them, and how foolish or sad they are. Think about the agenda of the people behind them, what they are trying to portray, and at whom they are aimed. Think about the long-term consequences of what these headlines could mean for you, your family, your community, your state, and your nation. Think about how the Lord perceives them and how Christ might respond to them. CNN Editor Mohammed Elshamy resigns over anti-Semitic tweets, including celebrating the deaths of Jewish pigs...Trump calls Mueller investigation treason-should never happen again to a president...Democrat presidential hopefuls rush to oppose revival of federal death penalty...Comedian and actor D.L. Hughley say President Donald Trump's supporters are morally inferior to devil worshippers, asserting that "you could worship the devil and be a better human being"...Bette Midler: Trump paying black people to create 'Background' at rallies...Ilhan Omar trashes America-again-in New York Times Op-Ed...Omar tells Al-Jazeera 'Our country should be more fearful of white men' than Islamic terror... Boko Haram kills 16-year-old Christian schoolgirl in captivity for refusing to renounce her Christian faith...Joe Biden: Christians made a 'Faustian Bargain (sold their soul to)' with Donald Trump...Despite disastrous Mueller testimony 2020 Dem hopefuls still call for impeachment...Biden: Trump close to treasonous...Trump schedules executions for 5 child killers, Dems oppose... Actress-comedian Sarah Silverman says Trump would be behind bars if he wasn't president...Google has almost total control over key elements of elections...Buttigieg quotes scripture to shame Trump for cutting food stamps...Elijah Cummings begs Americans to pay attention to Trump accusations in Mueller report... This is what you are barraged with every single day. People are experiencing news fatigue with depressing results, and in reading just one day's worth of headlines, we can see why. The foolishness of this world and the people who are running it far outweighs the wise in the balance of these headlines. As the prophetic end times draw nearer, this nonsense will keep increasing. Just remember these verses in Proverbs and Psalms: Proverbs 18:7 says "A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul." Psalms 14:1 says, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Be wise. Be blessed. Be joyous in the Lord. Daily Devotion: What Jesus Prays for You - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. - Hebrews 7:25 Scottish minister Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference; He is praying for me." The Bible says of Jesus, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV). What does Jesus pray when He intercedes for us? This is important to know, because in finding the answer to that question we can discover God's plan and purpose for us. And that is the objective of prayer: to align our wills with the will of God. In John 17 we have the greatest prayer ever prayed, which is Jesus' prayer for us. In verse 11 Jesus prayed, "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are" (NKJV). Jesus prayed for our preservation. God wants us to be strong spiritually. God want us to cross the finish line with flying colors. We all know people who have made a profession of faith and were growing so much spiritually that we may have even looked up to them as spiritual leaders. But then one day they crashed and burned. They simply walked away from the faith. We think, "If someone like that could fall, then maybe I could fall, too. Am I next?" The answer to that question may surprise you: it's entirely up to you. God wants to keep you, and God will keep you. He will keep you to the end. The question is whether you want to be kept. 
FROM THE HEART
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