Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Last Trump Rapture - By Pete Garcia -
https://www.rev310.com/2020/08/last-trump-rapture For those who have followed my writings over the years, know, that I am not prone to wild speculation, date setting, prophecy crazes, or any other sort of unbiblical theology. This will be a little different. So, let me caution you and preface this article with several points of consideration. I do not know the 'day or hour' (Matthew 24:36). You will not find me saying here, on such and such date, the Lord will Rapture the Church. I'm simply giving a likely window of time that I feel, He could return. Do not take my speculation here as Gospel. IOW, don't quit your job, sell the farm, leave your spouse, or any other life-changing decisions based on what you read here. Do not lose hope if my theory is wrong, and we are still here after ____ date. You can fault me, but don't fault Scripture. I am errant, Scripture is not. Do keep looking up. Do remain excited about our Lord's soon coming. I may be wrong by months and year(s), but I believe we are very close. As believers who earnestly desire the return of the rightful King of Kings to the earth, thinking upon these things should bring joy, peace, and excitement. We should be excited about the return of Christ. With that said, let me break this down into six major points before I give you my conclusion. 1. Knowing But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 (emphasis mine) The Apostle Paul introduces us to the mystery of the Rapture (Greek-harpazo) for the first time in his first letter to the Thessalonian church (1 Thess. 4:13-18). He reinforces the idea of hope again in chapter five. Remember, chapter and verses were not added to Scripture until 1560 (Geneva Bible), so in the original Greek, all of this (1 Thess.4-5) would have just been flowing narrative. Here, Paul reiterates that there is some expectation by God that we should be able to look around, see the prophetic signs, and know we are near the season of His return. Jesus had a similar expectation of the Pharisees and Sadducees of His day when He rebuked them for either not knowing or purposely ignoring them. Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed. Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees and Sadducees came demanding Jesus do parlor tricks to prove who He claimed to be. He already knew in their hearts that they didn't believe Him, even if He did do signs for them. They had already accused Him of doing miracles through the power of demons-Matt. 9:34, 12:24. This is in part why he accused them of being wicked and adulterous and would only get the sign of the prophet Jonah through His three-day death, burial, and resurrection. The other part of their wickedness was due to their hypocritical dismissal of the prophecies that had already been given to them via the Old Testament prophets. They had already written about WHEN the Messiah would come (Dan. 9:24-27), where He would be born (Numbers 24:17, Micah 5:2, Matt. 2:3-6), and WHAT He would be like (Genesis 49:10, Deuteronomy 18:18), and what He came to do (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22). Therefore, the Biblical expectation is that when we see the super-sign of the last days (i.e., the rebirth of national Israel) we SHOULD KNOW we are in the season of the Lord's return. We know this is the super sign because of the numerous prophecies concerning her rebirth as a nation again in the last days (Deut. 30, Amos 9:14-15, Isaiah 11:11, Jeremiah 30:7-11, and Matt. 24:15-21, 31-35, Romans 11:25-27, etc.). Again, we know what Jesus stated in Matthew 24:36 about not knowing the day or hour. However, those were not Jesus final word's on the subject. Here, in the letter to the church of Sardis (the dead church), He notes a peculiar command: Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. Revelation 3:3 Translation: "If you will not watch....you will not know." The opposite of that translation is..."If you will watch...you will know." Summary: We are commanded to watch and be aware of the times in which we live. It would be impossible to watch if we didn't know what to watch for. Therefore, if we are watching for our Lord's return, we should be able to know the season with some reasonable expectation. (See also: Mark 13:32-36, Luke 12:38-40) 2. The Third Day Time is a finite resource and each of us are only appointed so many days to live our lives. Likewise, the human race also has an end-date; humanity will not continue on indefinitely. If humans were meant to live in perpetuity, then God could have created mankind billions of years ago. However that is not the case. A biblical perspective shows a very limited window for the entirety of human history approximating around 6,000 years. According to Genesis 1-2, God created our universe in six days, and on the seventh day He rested. Thus, biblically and historically, we know there was- 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham + 2,000 years from Abraham to Jesus + 2,000 years from Jesus to today + The 1,000-year millennial reign of Christ (still future) = 7,000 years, which were meant to mirror the seven days of Creation. Here is what the prophet Hosea wrote back in the eighth-century BC. Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Hosea 6:1-2 Historically, we know Israel was conquered by the Assyrians around 720BC. Judaea/Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians the first time around 605BC, and then repatriated around by the Medo-Persians around 538BC. This was their first regathering. They were then conquered and dispersed a second time in 70AD by the Romans. Now fast-forward 1,878 years, and Israel and Judaea were now restored a single nation (Ezekiel 37) for a second time in 1948. Most people would start Hosea's time clock from the AD70 date, however, given the Messianic overtones in the Hosea passage and Matthew 27:25, we should start in 33AD. Therefore, if we use the 33AD date to begin Hosea's two days, we know there was 1,915 years from 33AD to 1948. If we add 70 years to 1,915 years (from 1948), we get 1,985 years and the year 2018. If we add another 10 years (see Psalm 90:10), then we are at 1,995 years and the year 2028. Not to get too into the weeds on this, but in the year 2020, we are two years away from the 2,000 year time-stamp God has used in previous ages. Gregorian calendar: Add 70 years (lifespan) = 1,985 years = AD 2018 Add 80 years (lifespan) = 1,995 years - AD 2028 However, the Gregorian calendar is 5.2422 days longer (in a calendar year) than the 360 day prophetic calendar. The 360 day calendar will accumulate more calendar years than the Gregorian calendar, given enough time; because of this fact. Thus, we must add 29 years to the total. 360 day prophetic calendar: Add 70 years (lifespan) = 2,014 years = AD 2047 Add 80 years (lifespan) = 2,024 years = AD 2057 Summary: So we are either right at the cusp, or we are in extended over time depending on how you measure it. For those who would think I am reading too much into Hosea 6:1-2, keep in mind, it is not just hyperbolic language. We have two accompanying passages that also equate time from God's perspective as being very different from our own understanding of it (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). 3. Feast Sequence Christ fulfilled the Spring Feasts in His death, burial, and resurrection. The church was then conceived at Pentecost and we have been in the spiritual incubation/maturation phase ever since. Since the rebirth of national Israel, we have been witnessing a rapid development of the birth pangs spoken of in Matthew 24, 1 Thess. 5, 2 Thess. 2, and so forth. Some might argue these are not birth pangs, but call them what you will, they are either Braxton-Hicks contractions, or the real deal. The Spring Feasts
~These are then separated by the long summer months The Fall Feasts
If a consistent prophetic model can be applied here, the past 2,000 years would represent the summer months separating the spring and the fall feasts. The next feast (prophetically speaking) is the Feast of Trumpets. These are the dates for the next few years: 2020: Sept. 19-20 (US Election Year) 2021: Sept. 7-8 2022: Sept. 26-27 2023: Sept. 16-17 2024: Oct. 3-4 (US Election Year) Summary: While I have never been dogmatic in attempting to align the Rapture with a particular Jewish Feast day, I thought I should include them given their prophetic significance in the life of Christ as we understand it. IF there is a correlation between the Feasts of the Lord and the Rapture of the Church, then the Feast of Trumpet's is the most likely candidate, because it is in keeping with the chronological sequence as the next Feast date requiring fulfillment on the prophetic calendar. 4. Apostasy or Apostasia? As many seasoned Christian's have told me on numerous occasions, every generation has had their "antichrist." The Reformation Era had largely concluded that the Popes were the Antichrist. The 19th-century likely thought Napoleon was the antichrist. The WWII generation likely concluded that Hitler was the antichrist. To their credit, each generation were correct to a degree. They were antichrists, but none of them were THE Antichrist (i.e., the lawless one, the son of perdition, the rider on the white horse, etc.). Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul tells us in 2nd Thessalonians 2 that we (Christians) cannot know who the Antichrist is, because we will be removed from the earth by way of Rapture, before He is revealed. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 2 Thess. 2:3-8 I hold to the interpretation that the words 'falling away' (Greek-apostasia) speak to both a spiritual falling away, as well as a literal, physical departure from the earth. I believe there are very many good reasons to believe that (see here) and will not restate them all save one. If the "falling away" (apostasia) only meant a religious falling away, as in apostasy, then, which apostasy? For those who only believe this word apostasia only applies to wide-spread apostasy, I would argue that there has always been wide-spread apostasy going back to the second century Gnostics and onward. From there we get about a thousand years of Roman Catholic domination over what was then, Christendom. From there we get a brief period of Protestant fire, but that is quickly drowned in tradition, creeds, dogma, and dead religiosity. There were brief periods of time in which revival in the west and around the world occurred (e.g., the Great Awakenings, missionary movements), but for the most part, true Christianity has always been the faith of the remnant. Jesus states in His final letter to the last church, Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) that they were lukewarm and nauseating, and He would spew them out of His mouth. Now, if these Laodiceans were truly Christians in the first place, this would be in direct conflict with dozens of other NT passages showing that when we first believed, we were sealed and indwelt by God the Holy Spirit, and new creations in Christ. In other words, it would be highly contradictory for Christ to spew out Christians who were sealed by God the Holy Spirit and also part of His body for falling away. Rather, these were people pretending to be Christians but were noncommittal in their faith, and thus, had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof (2 Tim. 2:5). These were people playing church, but were not THE CHURCH. This is why in this letter, Jesus is standing on the outside, knocking on the door. They thought their wealth and their works were enough to save them, but they were really wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. This does not sound like a description of true, born-again believers. So how could they be apostate, if they were never really Christians in the first place? We have been watching this happen on steroids to the western churches since 9/11. It began when liberal theology invaded the seminaries back in the early 1900s and began denying the fundamentals of our faith. It spread from there to anti-Zionism, and later, anti-Semitism. It then began to embrace liberation-theology and various forms of Socialism. The next surrender was to the pagan death cult of Islam. Then it was the capitulation to the perverse homosexual and sexually confused agenda. Next, the Laodiceans have moved into Critical Race Theory, Marxism and other new world order socialist agendas. Finally, and mark my words, we will see the inclusion of Pagans, Satanists, and pedophiles into the final stage of this nauseating Laodicean movement. It has been one capitulation after another to some form of ungodliness. Like a tsunami of wickedness, we have witnessed wave after wave of godlessness crash our churches and leave nothing but rubble in the wake. Summary: I believe that is why Paul was instructed by the Holy Spirit to use the word apostasia as he did. It speaks both to the rapid decline of Christianity in the final moments just before the Rapture (spiritual departure), as well as, to the actual event of the Rapture (physical departure). Without our physical departure, the Antichrist could not be revealed (2 Thess. 2:7-8). The elections of Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump, have only increasingly agitated and solidified the sides for which Christians now stand, at least, in this country. IOW, God is shaking off the fence-sitters and forcing people to choose sides. 5. Prophetic Shelf-Life And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:24 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25 Bible prophecy is not some open ended concept with no definitive conclusion. The late Chuck Missler used to say, bible prophecy was just history written in advance. Bible prophecy has a shelf-life because it must find its fulfillment in its specified time and place. Keep in mind, God is always precise in the execution of His plan. While I support the idea of imminence, I do not support the idea of imminence as being random or unplanned. Let me explain.
For everything we've seen in Scripture, from the six days of Creation, to the Flood, to the sacrifice of Isaac, to the exodus, and the arrival of His Son to the earth- there was always a rhyme to the reason. There was always a shadow or type it was meant to convey. When Moses sinned by striking the rock twice at Meribah Kadesh, he was judged harshly for breaking typology and was not allowed enter into the Promised Land. So while I could be wrong in stating that imminence (in the strictest sense of the word) is not in keeping with God's nature, it could also be that the Rapture happens on a day we don't yet fully understand. However, if we are going to have that view, we must also then apply that same level of fairness to things like the Blood Moon Tetrads and the September 23, 2017 'Revelation 12' sign. Perhaps those things meant something, but we just don't understand their significance yet either. Setting imminence now aside, we have come to the execution of God's prophetic plans by the players involved. For example, we see the nations as mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39, lined up exactly as God said they would. For 2,600 years, the nations of Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Libya have always been at odds with each other. Turkey had been an ally of the west for most of the 20th-century. Libya had been ruled by a washed up despot for decades. Russia was focused on their own national identity crisis with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Only Iran (who had been an ally of Israel and the West until 1979) remained singularly focused on destroying Israel. These nations are now allied for a variety of reasons (economic, political, scientific, and militarily). However, their alliance will not remain indefinitely. All of these countries are facing significant economic and cultural-stressors at home that for now, are forcing them to unite against the West. However, these same stressors (sanctions, declining populations, political instability, etc.) do not afford them the luxury of time. Secondly, for 2,000 years, the technology the Bible mentions, in places like Revelation 11 and 13, did not exist in the world. It has only been since the late 1980s, that satellite television came into being. It has only been since the late 1990s and early 2000s, that digital currency was even possible. From then until now, we are increasingly living in a world where the Beast technology is becoming a frightening reality. In fact, it is becoming so obvious at this point, that even non-believers are joking (half-heartedly that is) about things like the mark of the beast. We are in that weird in-between stage now where half the people are waking up to the prophetic reality that we are living in the last days, while the other half are becoming conditioned to accept it as the new normal. As my friend Matt Ward once wrote, the technology of Revelation is the technology of now, not the technology of 2040. All of the technological aspirations that corporations like Google, Apple, IBM, Bill Gates, etc., want to take mankind, go beyond what Revelation where Revelation says we will be. Summary: Thus, we must conclude that the geopolitical arrangements, as well as the technological limits, will come to some form of 'fullness,' but go no further. Man will not download their souls into computers. Man will not colonize Mars. Man will not invent time machines. As much as man desires to do these things, and could (see Gen. 11:6), God will not allow it any more than He allowed the tower of Babel to be finished. 6. The Last Trump In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Cor. 15:52 (KJV) I am not a KJV-onlyist, nor do I think one translation is superior to all the rest. I will say though that the KJV is the most well-known and most-read translation ever written. With that said, isn't it divinely ironic that the most popular translation of the Bible ever written, uses the word "trump" in its translation instead of "trumpet." From the 1611 version- "In a moment, in the twinckling of an eye, at the last trumpe, (for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.)" Some may smirk at the association I am making, but if for nothing else, the term "trump" has been associated with this passage and the Rapture for around 400 years now. The miraculous victory Donald Trump had in 2016, just so coincided with the 70th anniversary of Israel. President Trump had every excuse in the book to do like every president before him had done, and ignore the recognition of Jerusalem as the true and undisputed capital of Israel. He could have kept the tradition of keeping the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, but he didn't. After declaring Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel (December 2017), many in Israel's Sanhedrin began comparing Trump with Cyrus. If you look at Donald Trump's family tree, it was Trump's German grandfather (Friedrich Drumpfe) and grandmother (Elizabeth Christ) who adopted the anglicized version (Trump) sometime between the years 1885 and 1904. In 1905, they gave birth to their son Frederick Christ Trump (Donald Trump's father) in New York. The name Frederick in the Germanic tongue, means, peaceful ruler. Frederick's father, Friedrich, would later die in 1918 due to the Spanish Flu. Frederick, however, would carry on the family name and industrious success in the real estate and construction business and later pass it on to his son, Donald. Summary: We must remember that it is not unprecedented for God to name names in Scripture. God, through the prophet Isaiah, named the Persian King Cyrus (another friend of Israel) some 150 years before his rule (see Isaiah 45). Is it possible that God has been signaling to us that there is a connection between the Rapture and Donald Trump's time as leader of the free world? Conclusion With all the things I have provided above, it is my estimation that we are now between four and ten years away from the Rapture of the Church. Now, if all of my reasons above prove wrong and we are still here beyond 2030, then, by all means, give me flack. However, I feel ten years is a reasonable estimation, especially given all we are seeing now. Granted, it would be much easier (and safer) if I came out and said the Lord will return by the year 2050. That is a safe, no-risk answer, because, well, most of you reading this now, won't be here in 2050. Many of us would have already graduated into glory by then should the Lord tarry. Heck, I would be 76 if I lived that long. But 2050 (using the Gregorian calendar) holds no special significance to either Israel or to Scripture. If Jesus' Parable of the Fig Tree is to be understood reasonably, then the phrase this generation shall not pass away, is the generation that sees the rebirth of Israel. The rebirth of Israel happened in 1948. Israel's 70th anniversary happened in 2018, two years into the Trump presidency. And since there is no consistent specification from scripture as to how long a generation is exactly, we are left to conclude that a generation is the length of a man's life. This length then, according to the only Psalm written by Moses, is between 70-80 years long (Psalm 90:10), and then we "fly away." So what does the 2020 election and Donald Trump have to do with all this? Well, as I've stated in previous articles, the world's leaders are desperately seeking a global crisis of such magnitude that they have an excuse to put us all under one governmental system. They are so desperate that they've even drummed up our present "crisis" in an attempt to stop Donald Trump from winning reelection. We know that according to Ephesians 6:12, spiritual forces are presently at work, behind the scenes, attempting to carry out their dark and wicked machinations. They do this often times, through their human agents, who seem to now (since 2016) to be working overtime to stop Donald Trump. But why? What is Donald Trump to them that they would throw every political caution to the wind, and openly commit: treason and spying, spend three years and $30M on a hilariously hoaxed Russian-collusion investigation that they created, then drumming up a pointless impeachment over his investigation over crimes they actually committed, while simultaneously destroying the economy with a fake pandemic and tearing this nation apart with anarchy and violence, and now attempt to steal the election through mail-in ballots? Seriously, when you say it all together like that, the left and their demonic overlords, REALLY DO NOT want Trump to win again. Nevertheless, knowing we are right at the 6,000 year-mark of human history; that the election of the highest office, of the most powerful nation in human history, is timed in the fall; at the same point in time where Christendom is abandoning the faith in record numbers; while our geopolitical enemies are growing desperate and anxious; while a man named Trump is our president, I would say, it looks like we have arrived in the season of our own fullness of time. I suspect, and I could be wrong here, but Trump has more of a connection to the Rapture than even we know. As a point of fact, if the Rapture happened sometime between now and 2024, then the Rapture would happen at the last Trump. Maranatha! The Coming Monetary Collapse & Rise Of A New Economic Order - Britt Gillette - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=4235 Since the arrival of COVID-19 and the subsequent decision to lockdown entire cities and nations, world economic activity has significantly decreased. When normal recessions strike, they typically involve only one nation or a single region. But the COVID Recession has hit the whole world at once. This is the first time every nation has simultaneously seen a decline in output since the Great Depression. Despite the scale of this economic disaster, many economists are calling for a quick V-shaped recovery once the coronavirus is brought under control. But is this likely? No. Even if the virus disappears tomorrow, we won't see a V-shaped recovery. Why? Because of central bank policies and unrestrained government spending. The world's central banks (the U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, and others) have made reckless policy decisions for decades. But their bad policy decisions kicked into overdrive following the Great Recession of 2008-2009. After September 11th, central banks pushed out artificially low interest rates. These low rates, along with other poorly thought out government policies, blew a massive housing bubble. When the bubble burst, central bankers and politicians rewarded corrupt and incompetent bankers and business executives with huge bailouts. Unrestrained by a gold standard, they created new currency to fill the holes created by bad decisions, mismanagement, and misallocation of resources. They propped up a broken financial system and blew yet another asset bubble in the process. When COVID popped that bubble, we saw a new round of bailouts and central bank schemes to elevate financial markets and avoid the inevitable. We also saw direct government payments to individuals in the hope of "stimulating" the economy. This is only possible because governments can create new currency at will. The U.S. dollar and every other national currency in the world is a fiat currency. This means they aren't backed by anything but a government promise. They only have value because governments say they do. They're nothing but pieces of paper or ones and zeros in a computer, and that means governments can create as much currency as they want to with the click of a button. Fiat currencies don't have the value of those backed by gold, silver, or other hard assets. This means politicians and central bankers can create new currency out of thin air to fund an endless array of stimulus programs, welfare benefits, and schemes to bailout and enrich their friends. For decades, and especially since the Great Recession, these politicians and central bankers have done everything in their power to avoid the pain of a recession or even a protracted stock market decline. But no matter how hard they try to avoid the inevitable, a day of reckoning is coming. They've distorted the free market, and they can't hold off the consequences forever. The bill will soon come due. COVID didn't cause the coming crisis. It only accelerated it. The Road Before Us All these foolish government policies have put the global economy in a no-win situation. As a result, only two options are left: Option #1): Deflation - The Great Depression is the most famous example of economic deflation. In a deflationary spiral, credit contracts and the overall money supply shrinks. People cut spending, and workers lose their jobs. Debt levels become a massive burden. Businesses fail and bankruptcies rise. Unemployment spikes and breadlines form. A deflationary spiral is a painful event for all of society. It foments riots and calls for revolution. The pain of deflation is necessary to clear the economy of bad debt and poorly managed companies. Nevertheless, central bankers and politicians try to avoid deflation at all costs. Why? Because the temporary and necessary economic pain threatens their power. Option #2): Big Inflation or Hyperinflation - The Weimar Republic gave us the most famous example of hyperinflation. Crushed under a mountain of post-war debt and reparations, the German republic printed more and more currency to meet its obligations. The result was a massive loss of purchasing power for Germany's currency - the mark. Prices rose quickly to reflect the new reality. A 160 mark loaf of bread at the end of 1922 cost over 200 billion marks less than a year later. In one story from that time, a woman carried a wheelbarrow of marks to the bakery just to buy a loaf of bread. When she went into the bakery, a thief stole her wheelbarrow, but he left the pile of worthless marks. That's how quickly the currency lost its value. All this happened because an unrestrained government vastly increased the supply of its currency, and basic economics says when supply increases without an increase in demand, price falls. In other words, the citizens of Germany quickly figured out that what they thought was "money" was nothing more than worthless pieces of paper. The mark wasn't anchored to gold or silver or anything of real value. Once this reality came to light, the world lost all faith in the mark, and its purchasing power plummeted. Eventually, it became worthless. In the last few months, central bankers and politicians have flooded the world with trillions of dollars in new currency. Their answer to every financial problem is to throw more and more currency at an ever-expanding list of government aid programs and targeted bailouts. Like Weimar Germany, the world is simply printing more and more currency to in an effort to solve its financial problems. At best, the result will be a 1970's-style stagflation with high unemployment and runaway inflation. At worst, we'll see a total collapse of the purchasing power of all fiat currencies relative to gold, silver, and other hard assets. Once again, it will cost wheelbarrows of dollars, euros, or yen to buy a single loaf of bread. Unsurprisingly, the Bible says such a time will come - a time when an entire day's wages will buy nothing more than a loaf of bread (Revelation 6:6). Which Road Will We Choose? Politicians and central bankers will never accept Option #1. This is because deflation poses an immediate threat to their power and position. Clearing the system of bad debt is necessary for a healthy economy. However, the pain it creates will lead voters to demand new leadership. That frightens the politicians and central bankers who love their positions of power and prestige. Faced with a deflationary spiral, Option #2 will seduce them. They'll buy into the belief they can "engineer" a recovery while managing and controlling inflation. However, history has proven central planning doesn't work. In the end, they'll lose control, and all the world's fiat currencies will collapse. We're already seeing the early stages of this crisis. As governments around the world call for bailouts of businesses, local governments, and the unemployed, we see the cost of their big government policies reflected in the surging prices of gold and silver. The chances of a global Weimar-style hyperinflation are much more serious than the public believes. What's Next? Once the world experiences a massive inflationary spiral, the current monetary system (in place since 1971) will come to an end. A new monetary system will rise from the ashes. What will it look like? We don't know for sure. But in all likelihood, it will be built upon some sort of digital currency. Already the world's central banks are lining up to launch their own cryptocurrencies. China is currently testing its own state-sponsored cryptocurrency, and dozens of other nations have already announced plans to launch their own. Just last week, news broke of the U.S. Federal Reserve partnering with MIT to develop its own digital currency. If government cryptocurrency replaces paper currency, individual freedom and liberty will disappear. Governments will be able to "turn off" an individual's cryptocurrency. That means if you do something the government doesn't approve of, they'll be able to shut down your ability to buy and sell. This shouldn't surprise you either. The Bible says this is precisely what will happen in the end times. The Antichrist will establish a global system of commerce. His system will play a part in every economic transaction on earth. It will be so dominant, no one will be able to buy or sell anything without approval from the Antichrist (Revelation 13:17). We're fast approaching a time the prophets warned about. We're in the midst of a global pandemic (Luke 21:11). Israel is back in the land (Jeremiah 23:7-8). The Jewish people are back in Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28). And the Gospel is being preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14). The end times are drawing near. The tribulation, the Antichrist, and global government are part of the world's immediate future. But don't despair, this also means Jesus is on the brink of return (Revelation 22:20). He will establish an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 2:44) with no more death or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). So keep your eyes fixed on Him! As the Day Approaches - By Hal Lindsey - https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-8-20-2020/ Global plagues and pestilence... rumors of war... earthquakes in "diverse places"... men crying "peace and safety"... lawlessness... persecution of Christians... growing Antisemitism... increasing violence... a worldwide mental health crisis... Iran's alliance with Russia and Turkey... apostasy in the churches. These are all biblical signs of the soon return of Jesus, and they're heating up as never before. The technology the Antichrist will use to rule the world economy has been invented and is being implemented right now. An atmosphere of desperation has made the world ripe for the Antichrist's plucking. The signs go on and on and on. The accuracy of Bible prophets in talking about our time is nothing less than miraculous. And yet, most evangelical churches refuse to point it out. It's too controversial. Christians don't want to hear about it because they have placed their hopes and dreams in this world. They don't spend their time thinking about the things of God. They prefer to think about what they're going to do when their lottery ticket hits - the homes they will own and the cars they will drive. Sometimes they selflessly dream about what they will do for others. But the center of those dreams is not Christ and His eternal kingdom, but the earth and its pleasures. Most Christians today don't want to think about the Rapture because they like it here. They can't yet say with the Psalmist, "Thy lovingkindness is better than life." They can't yet say with the Apostle Paul, "Chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my course with joy." (Acts 20:23-24) The Bible repeatedly says to watch for the Lord's coming, but it's hard to watch when you're intentionally looking the other way. When Peter said, "Scoffers will come in the last days," who would have thought he was talking about Evangelicals? But he was. 2 Peter 3:3-4 says, "Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 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 creation.'" He told us what the scoffers' last days argument would be. Today we hear almost these exact words from cold pulpits every week and cold Christians every day. In verse 10 of that same chapter, Peter quotes Jesus saying, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3, Paul also quoted Jesus. "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, 'Peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." They were speaking prophetically about us - about this generation and our time. But for those who know Christ, the teaching does not stop there. Verses 4-6 say, "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober." That's why Jesus laid out signs by which to know His return is near - so we won't be in the dark, and so that the day will not overtake us like a thief. We will not know the precise time of the rapture until we hear the trumpet from on high, but we can know when we have entered the general time frame. And, friends, we're there! In recent years, large numbers of Christians allowed themselves to be lulled into complacency. But the events of this year have changed the calculus. It's easy to see that you can no longer trust the world and its systems. The fragility of our cities, constitutions, courts, militaries, financial systems, etc. grows more obvious by the day. If you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior. Don't waste time. Do it now. And if you have trusted Him, realize that you will never be at peace if your hope is in this world and its institutions. Now is the time to "crack the faith barrier." Put your complete hope and trust in Christ. Hebrews 13:5 tells us why. "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'" You can put your full weight on Him! The Shepherd Psalm Trilogy - Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/topical-studies/spiritual-life/the-shepherd-psalm-trilogy/ The diligent student will discover glimpses of the Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Many of these require the insight gained from the New Testament to be recognizable, but a reasonable amount of study will enable most students to give a persuasive presentation of the Messiah using Old Testament passages exclusively. This is the way Messianic believers convert their Jewish brethren, since Jews don't recognize the New Testament's authority as Scripture. Perhaps their most often used passage, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, is actually the last of the four so-called Servant Songs of the Messiah. The other three are Isaiah 42:1-9, 49:1-7, and 50:4-9. These four passages present as complete a picture of the Messiah as you'll find anywhere in Scripture, Old Testament or New. But my favorite selection of Old Testament Messianic Scripture is the Shepherd Psalm Trilogy, Psalms 22, 23, and 24. In these three Psalms, we find the three specific roles of the Messiah, cast in terms of the Shepherd's responsibilities. The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) In Psalm 22 we see a picture of the Good Shepherd, giving His life for the flock. Psalm 22 is the clearest description of what it's like to be crucified anywhere in Scripture and is the most often quoted Psalm in the New Testament. Written by David 1000 years before the fact, it reads like a first person account of the pain and humiliation that form of punishment inflicted upon its victim. Surprisingly, it opens with the first words our Lord spoke from the cross and closes with His final ones. You have to read the Psalm in Greek to get this last tidbit, because in English the last phrase of verse 31 reads "He has done it." But in Greek it's is the same word John used in documenting our Lord's last statement from the cross, translated "It is finished" in John 19:30. The Greek word in both cases is tetelestai a legal term in Jesus' day that usually meant paid in full and was written across a paid invoice, for example. Upon his release, it was also written across the bill of charges for which a criminal had served time. The ex-convict carried this document with him as proof that he had paid his debt to society so he wouldn't be charged with the same crime again. Used this way, the legal implications of the Lord's last words are staggering, and are explained in detail in Colossians 2:13-15. The bill of charges of which Jesus was convicted were actually the charges God has filed against us-our sins. With His last words, Jesus in effect declared, "Paid in full!" indicating that all our sins past, present, and future were paid for, our record exonerated, and we can never be charged with them again. "Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Hebr. 10:12-14). By the way, some of the modern translations omit a key phrase from Psalm 22 at the end of verse 21. It's proof that the Father had heard and answered the prayers of His Son. If your Bible doesn't have the phrase "You have answered me" at the end of the verse, add it. It's there in the King James and in the Hebrew interlinear. It also leads the reader from a graphic description of the most painful form of execution ever devised to a declaration of God's faithfulness and a song of praise only possible if the One being executed was also resurrected from the dead. So this Psalm begins with the Lord on the cross and ends with His resurrection. The Great Shepherd (Hebr. 13:20) Psalm 23 describes our Lord's role today as the Great Shepherd who tends His flock. It's by far the most popular among believers and is quoted even by those who couldn't give you another passage from Scripture if their lives depended upon it. It begins with His promise to be with us always and everywhere we go, and ends with the Rapture of the Church as He takes us to dwell in the house of the Lord forever (John 14:1-3). Psalm 23 promises that we are beyond the reach of our enemy while here on Earth, and have no cause to fear even though we find ourselves in his proximity. It is the basis for Paul's admonition to rejoice in the Lord always (lit. without ceasing) regardless of circumstance, and thereby receive the peace that transcends human understanding (Phil. 4:4-7) as well as the goodness and mercy that are the rewards of the faithful, for "when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies live at peace with him" (Prov.16:7). The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) In Psalm 24 the Chief Shepherd rewards His Flock. It begins with a reminder that the Earth is the Lord's and everything in it, and ends with the Messiah in Jerusalem as King of the whole Earth (Zech. 14:9). The Lord created the Earth, He redeemed it, and He has come to take possession of it. Those with clean hands and pure hearts may now ascend to His Holy place and receive vindication and the blessing of the King of Glory. Clean hands and a pure heart are traits unknown to the human condition (Jer. 17:9). Nothing less than a complete re-creation can qualify us, but if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. For God made Him who had no sin to become sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:17-21). There you have it. In His first visit to Earth, our Lord came to die for His people, to take away all our sins. His resurrection is proof that accomplished His mission. During the time since His ascension, He is keeping His people spiritually secure even though we wander in the valley of the shadow of death, until He takes us to be with Him forever. After that, He will return to Earth as the King of Glory to establish His Kingdom and vindicate and reward His people for their faith. Who is He, this King of Glory? The Lord Almighty - He is the King of Glory. Our Creator, our Savior and our Redeemer, our Lord and our God. He is the King of Glory. Selah Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: The Stampede - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Growing up on a 100-plus acre farm, there were a lot of opportunities to camp out. Camping out in the summer time was something my best friend Sonny and I always looked forward to. We spent a lot of time in the woods making entire adventures ranging from the early days of settlers and pioneers to the Revolutionary War to the War between the States to Cowboys and Indians to World War II and almost anything in between. Those old 1800s wagon frames back of the barn could be covered wagons, stage coaches, caissons, cannons, or Army jeeps-whatever and where ever our imaginations could take us. We had a special fort we build and even a tree house that we used like Swiss Family Robinson. There was a place in the middle of the farm that was a natural clearing. In the early 1800s, it was home to an old sugar shack, long gone, but where my ancestors processed sugar from maple syrup collected in the stand of woods to the east. There was a centuries-old oak tree on the edge of the clearing, seeming to stand guard over the entire area. Behind it was a low area where there were several mounds, which we imagined, and quite possibly they were, made by the Indians who roamed the area when the sons of David Wilson, revolutionary war veteran from Enfield, Connecticut, claimed the land after the war. It was near that old Oak that Sonny and I first started camping. By the time we were ten or so, we were pretty experienced campers. I had an old canvas tent, still have it today, that slept two. It smelled like an old Army tent, kind of musty, and we would roll it out, stake it down and make it our home for sometimes Friday and Saturday nights. We dug a pit out in front of it, carried some cinder blocks from behind the milk house, and found an old grate from a rusted-out grill. That became our kitchen. We would start a fire, cook some hot dogs and hamburgers and down them with a couple of Diet-rite sodas. Maybe have some potato chips and top it off with some candy that we borrowed from the dish that served as a centerpiece to the kitchen table. But we were not always so sophisticated. One of the first times, maybe the first, that we decided to camp out, it took us hours to set everything up. Hot dogs, burgers, roasted marshmallows-life was good. Until we tried to sleep. We heard rumblings. And the ground even vibrated. And our imaginations took over. Maybe the cattle were stampeding, or the horses. We lit out of that tent like there was no tomorrow. Ran back to the barn as fast as we could. It was about a half mile. It was late and we didn't want to wake up my parents, so we decided to sleep in the hay. By the time we built our little cabin out of the bales, it was almost daylight. Not having any sleep, we went back to the campground. We were happy the "stampede" missed our camp. Everything was in place just as we had left it. Psalm 30:5 became our object lesson: "weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning." That is, if you are not too exhausted to embrace it. 
FROM THE HEART
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