Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
KINGS AND PRIEST TO ALMIGHTY GOD - By Pastor Mike Taylor - http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2018/10/kings-and-priest-to-almighty-god.html
"You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ ... 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."(2nd Peter 2:5-9) I had a dear sister ask me what will we be (the saints borne of God) during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ ? She understood that we will be given duties by our Lord and Savior, but her question was "will we rule over the people still living after the tribulation? Besides what will we be? Will there be mortals able to sin during this time?" Good set of questions and those that I feel need further exploration by looking at scripture to get an idea of just what we will be and our task during this 1000 year reign of Jesus. This will be after the rebellion during the great tribulation is put down by our King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Let's start in Romans on our journey to identify our future destination and responsibilities that our Lord will impart to all that are found in Him at His coming. Paul speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit reveals what we will be: 17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." (Romans 8:17-19) Can you fathom what these verses means? It is almost too glorious to ponder and beyond our immediate comprehension of its full implications. Verse 17 says we will be "joint heirs" of our Savior Jesus Christ. Heirs of what? Simple answer is that all that He is in a spiritual body, in Spiritual matters, in the ability of our mind to comprehend, and in the inheritance that He, our Savior Jesus Christ has, we will be given the same inheritance. We will be just like our Savior as He will be our Husband, and we will be His spiritual bride in a family setting of the family of God. I am reminded of what the apostle John wrote: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1st John 3:2) Oh, how glorious that will be! We have been adopted into the Family of God Almighty, our Father in Heaven. Our God and our Savior will be the source of all of our glory and power upon this earth during a time when the earth is restored to its former glory as during the Garden of Eden. It will be a perfect environment with no war, no inclement weather, no disease, and no tempter of the nations. Satan will be given his forced Sabbath rest of 1000 years from being the source of all temptation and lies and chained in a bottomless pit. It will be a near perfect world, but sin will still be around. We, the Saints of God, will be sinless, immortal and of the same new body of the God kind. We know that we will be able to do what Jesus was able to do when He was upon this earth after His resurrection. He was able to walk through walls, but be handled and able to eat, but disappear at will. He had a new glorious body, and we will have the same body as He does. Jesus explained this to Nicodemus when he came to Him in the night: John chapter 3, 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This totally confused Nicodemus as the following verses after this show that he did not understand what Jesus meant. Jesus went on to explain of being borne of the Spirit and of water (baptism that shows that a man or woman understands in their heart and mind, that they are buried with Jesus Christ and are dead to the world, but raised a new creature in Him, by obediently following His footsteps in this life) a man cannot inherit the Kingdom of God or enter therein unless he is born again. He then said something that many overlook what we will be when He changes us into His likeness: 7 "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." (John 3:7-8) Did you catch that? We will be as the wind. We see the effects of the wind through the trees, but we cannot see the wind,, but its effects on the material world. Spiritual bodies will come and go much as the wind, but appear at will to whomever we decide to let see us. It's the ultimate description (to illustrate something we can comprehend) of our bodies when Captain Kirk on Star Trek says "beam me up, Scotty." Our bodies will move at lightning speed without aid of some transporter as on some popular outer space program. We will be filled with the Spirit of God. SAINTS RECEIVE THEIR REWARDS When Jesus comes for His saints, there will be an awards banquet in heaven. The Bible calls it the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Here Jesus will impart to each of His saints a measure of ruler-ship by the deeds they have done for Him in this life. Paul speaks of the revealing of what we have done in the body in this life, and what we have done for Jesus Christ and its eternal rewards: 9 "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (1st Corinthians 3:9-15) What we have done in this life for Jesus Christ will stand and for that we will receive a reward, much like the following parable given by Jesus. Note the parable of the talents as Jesus spoke to His disciples: 25:14 "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods" (Matthew 25:14) Jesus is this man, who has gone to heaven and is sitting beside God the Father in Heaven and delivered unto us the servants, His goods. What goods? Let's read on in the same chapter of Matthew 25. 15 "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey." (Matthew 25:15) In ancient times, a talent was a measure of gold. It was the most precious of all possessions. I ask you, what is the most precious possession our God has given us, besides His only Begotten Son? I tell you plainly, it's HIS WORD! It is His instructions for living, for His reaching us and teaching us by His Holy Spirit unto repentance and using that same Word to reach others. 16 "Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. (Matthew 25:16-17) Each of these servants added to what he was given, by sharing that Word with the world around him. What did each gain? They gained souls of men by sharing the Word with other men. How much of an impact does that Word have on the world? We may never know fully till it be revealed to us at this Marriage Supper, but we are commanded to share it with all who will listen. 18 "But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents." (Matthew 25:18-28) This unfaithful and unprofitable servant hid His Masters goods, His Word, away and shared it not with those around him. Woe to those who fail to follow the command of our Lord Jesus. 29 "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."(Matthew 25:29-30) Did this man believe or just mouthed the words? Many in our day and age profess a religiosity, but deny the power thereof. Oh, they go to church, warm a pew, give money to the church, but their faith is shallow. They believe in their church, but not the One who built that Church. Only God knows, but to hide away what we have been given determines our reward or our lack thereof. Each of these faithful servants were given a reward. They were made rulers over many things! Listen to what Jesus reveals to John the Beloved in Revelation: "To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. . . . I will give power over the nations. . . . I will grant to sit with Me on My throne." (Revelation 2:7,26, 3:21) "You have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth."(Revelation 5:9-10) "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son."(Revelation 21:7) Note verse 9 of Revelation chapter 5 says we will be kings and priest before God. We have established that we will rule on this earth in the coming Kingdom of God according to our deeds done in this life for our Lord and Savior, but what about priest? What will be our duties as priest? Jesus Christ embodies all that is royal for a King, but is also our High Priest. He calls us kings and priests. If priest, then who will we be ministering to? In ancient Israel, the priest were the ministers of God. They provided direction to the people and point them to God. They did the sacrifices given by the people for the atonement of their sins daily. Although the nation of Israel became blinded by the ceremonies of sacrifices in the Temple being a forerunner of the Supreme Sacrifice in the body of our Lord and Savior, they were the keepers of the oracles of God and were to be a priestly nation to shine before the Gentile world and lead them to God. We know that they failed miserably in their departure from following after God in spirit and in truth. They knew scripture inside and out, but failed to glean the central message when their Messiah was standing right before them. PRIEST BEFORE GOD There are four things that we can learn here about a priest, and actually three of them are spin-offs of the first one, which is this: 1. A priest has access to God, as did the priest in Ancient Israel that other people did not have. Now because he had access to God, we therefore understand that the priest served God personally. Think of this in relation of the life that's coming, but do not detach it from today. Remember, you are a royal priesthood. 2. The priest ministers to others. 3.The priest was actually ministering to the average Israelite who came to him whenever he represented him before God in the Old Testament and we will minister to the mortals who need still a Savior. 4.He therefore had to have something to give. He had to have something to give to the Israelite, and he also had to have something to give to God. So it will be in the Millennium. We will be our Lord Jesus ambassadors, priest of the Most High God and preach the everlasting Gospel to those who still need a Savior. Each will know our Lord in their minds, but need it in their hearts. The price Jesus paid for sinful mankind will extend to those born during this time. You ask, "are mortals in the Millennium"? That was one of the questions needing to be answered. During this time of blessed peace and security that comes upon the earth, there will be people that will enter into the Millennium as mortal men and women. The Bible speaks of them in Isaiah, 20 "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."(Isaiah 65:20-25) Verse 20 speaks of the sinner? Yes, men will still have a mortal sin nature, but not to the extent as in our world now, as the tempter has been locked away for a 1000 years. We will be the teachers of the ways of God as spoken in Isaiah: 30:21 "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. " We, as priest, will teach them the Way of the Lord and point them to the cross. Understand, Jesus will be known to all, as the sea covers the earth. 10 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. 13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:10-13) The above verse tells me that the mortals in the Millennium will be mostly Jewish/Israelite by birth, even though some Gentiles may survive the Tribulation. As I have said in the past, many that will be supernaturally saved from the Anti-Christ have found safety in the Jordanian Fortress found in Petra and repopulate the earth during this 1000 year reign of our Lord Jesus. All people on earth, either Jewish or Gentile, will be subject to the righteous rule of Jesus Christ as He sits on the Throne of David and all the earth will know Him.....in their mind they will know, but in their heart they still possess a sin nature. How many people will enter a 1000 year reign of righteous rule by our Lord Jesus Christ? The number is unknown, but remember that out of 8 souls that were saved out of the flood during the life of Noah, the whole earth has been populated. How many souls can be borne in a thousand years, coupled with the fact that men will live extremely long lives, as it was in the days of Methusaleh who lived almost a thousand years, pre-flood. So the population will grow exponentially. Millions/billions can be born in that amount of time. That's where we come into our responsibility. As priests and kings of the King of Kings, our job, our commission is to be rulers, yes....priests to the people to point them to the Savior, most definitely. We are being instructed in righteousness right now, on this earth, in this time we have left. True Christians are being instructed by God from their Bibles and the work of the Holy Spirit in all who have been called unto repentance. It is a mortal attempt to being conformed to His likeness in this life, but we take on His likeness when Jesus comes and we will be perfected, as we have been changed into His glorious likeness. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed (you are changed), but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."(I Corinthians 6:9 - 11) 25 "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence." (1st Corinthians 1:25-29) God has chosen the humble, not the proud. He has chosen the poor, not the rich. He has chosen the weak, not the noble or strong. He has chosen a select group of people of this earth that you would not consider leaders in this life, but by the Holy Spirit, God calls: 11 "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (1st Corinthians 6:11) We are being changed into His likeness, one day at a time. We are being sanctified, as He also justified us by His blood. 29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." (Romans 8:29) We have an appointment with the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, very soon. One of these days in the near future, Jesus will break out of eternity into our time and say "come up here." And we will be changed in an instant in the twinkling of an eye. 49 "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 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, 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1stCorinthians 15:49-54) You ask, "how do I become one of these kings and priest?"It's so simple, that a child can do it. Want to know the secret to obtaining such a high honor of a king and a priest in God's Kingdom? 28 "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."(John 6:28-29) Believe with your heart and ask Jesus to come into your heart and life, and by example, live as He lived, as humanly possible. YOUR ETERNAL FUTURE IS IN YOUR GRASP And so my reader, thus will begin your eternal destination of being a king and a priest before our God, to lead other men who enter the Millennium to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We will rule righteously and give the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the living mortals who still have their free moral will to accept or reject the message. We will not coerce anyone to believe and accept, but as Jesus does by His Holy Spirit now, we will point them to the same cross that we came to know, and the same perfect sacrifice that we accepted upon our own lives for the remission of sins, our Lord, Savior and soon coming King, Jesus Christ. So come Lord Jesus, yes, Amen. Come my Lord. We await our reward of being kings and priest before You. That is our glorious future of all who believe on His name, by faith and obedience to His call. Will you be counted as being changed into the likeness of Almighty God? Or will your future be different, because you have rejected His call, rejected His payment for your sins in His own blood. Today, not tomorrow, is the time to make your future sure and set in stone. In comes down to the object of the whole writing of Holy Writ, your bible, in this one passage in your bible, the point of the whole Bible: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. 17,God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved. 18,He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) 8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:8-13) It is that simple...believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, crucified for your sins and mine, raised from the dead, and lives forevermore, and waiting to return for His Bride, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. Accept Him by faith into your heart and soul, with a simple prayer of repentance for being a sinner and needing a Savior for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Then turn from your worldly, sinful ways and follow the Savior of the world. That Savior, is Jesus my Lord. Oh, won't you join us, those who have already accepted Jesus as personal Savior? It will be most glorious, and unimaginable to contemplate what God has in store for us who believe on Him by faith. " But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."(1st Corinthians 2:9) This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying for your salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord. If there be any need for prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, email me at [email protected] , or visit me online at my blog, www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com , for more biblical lessons for Christian living and the soon return of our Lord Jesus. GOD BLESS YOU ALL, TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET How Palestinians Lie to Europeans - by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/13112/palestinians-europeans-lies The Palestinian Authority (PA) says it wants the international community to exert pressure on Israel to "halt violations against the Palestinians and international law." The demand was relayed to members of a delegation from the European Parliament who met on October 8 in Ramallah with PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. At the meeting, Hamdallah also renewed the PA's call for providing "international protection" for the Palestinians. Hamdallah's appeal to the European Parliament representatives should be seen in the context of the PA leadership's ongoing campaign of lies and incitement against Israel. The appeal also smacks of hypocrisy and deceit. Hamdallah is apparently referring to Israel's defensive measures along the border between the Gaza Strip, where thousands of Hamas supporters have been staging violent demonstrations since March 2018. As part of the Hamas-orchestrated protests, which are sometimes called the "March of Return," Palestinians have been infiltrating the border with Israel and hurling firebombs and explosive devices at Israeli soldiers. They have also been launching arson kites and booby-trapped balloons towards Israeli communities near the border with the Gaza Strip. Hamdallah and his boss, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, believe that Israel has no right to defend itself against the campaign of terrorism waged by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip. In their eyes, it is fine for Palestinians to throw explosive devices and firebombs at soldiers, but it is completely unacceptable for the soldiers to defend themselves. According to the twisted logic of the Palestinian leaders, it all started when Israel fired back. Those who sent the Palestinians to clash with the Israeli soldiers along the border with the Gaza Strip are the only ones who bear responsibility for killing more than 150 Palestinians and injuring thousands of others. The Hamas-engineered "March of Return" is nothing but a declaration of war on Israel. It is another phase in the Palestinian campaign of terrorism to force Israel to its knees. When suicide bombings and rockets do not achieve their goal of forcing Israel to submit, the Palestinians resort to incendiary kites and balloons, and to stabbings and shootings to achieve their goal. The goal the Palestinians have in mind is to see Israel gone. All of it. Abbas believes he can achieve this goal by waging a diplomatic war against Israel in the international community -- one that is aimed at delegitimizing and demonizing Israel and Jews. His rivals in Hamas believe that Israel could and should be destroyed through terrorism and other acts of violence. The PA prime minister's strategy of crying foul against Israel is part of a long-standing Palestinian tradition of rallying the world against Israel. In fact, it is in keeping with the famous Arab saying: "He hit me and cried, he raced me to complain." This saying reflects the state of mind of the Palestinian leaders, according to which the perpetrator pretends to be the victim. However, this is more than just pretending to be the victim. The approach of the Palestinian leaders is not only fraudulent, but also extraordinarily hypocritical. While Hamdallah was complaining about Israeli "violations," his security forces in the West Bank were continuing their daily assaults on public freedoms, including freedom of the media. Just as the meeting was taking place in Ramallah, a Palestinian group published a report about large-scale human rights violations committed by Hamdallah's and Abbas's various security forces. As the meeting was underway, Palestinian Authority security forces arrested yet another Palestinian journalist in the city of Hebron: Amer Abu Arafeh. The journalist, who was released 24 hours later, said his Palestinian interrogators tried to force him to give them the password to his Facebook page. The European Parliament delegation were not made privy to a report about this latest assault on the Palestinian media during their meeting with the PA prime minister. This is not something that concerns them or the EU because the journalist was not targeted by Israel. Why should they open their mouths about arrest of a Palestinian journalist if Israel is not involved? Nor did the European Parliament delegation hear about the report published by a group called The Committee of Families of Political Prisoners in the West Bank. The committee consists of families and relatives of Palestinians who are regularly and systematically targeted by the PA security forces, largely because of their affiliation with Palestinian opposition groups, including Hamas, or for openly criticizing Palestinian leaders. The report, which was made public while the EU officials were taking in Hamdallah's accusations against Israel, charges the PA with intensifying its assaults on public freedoms in the West Bank. This is not the kind of account that Hamdallah would be interested in sharing with his European guests. In its report, the committee says it has documented 685 assaults by the Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank on public freedoms just during the month of September. The assaults include, among other things, massive arbitrary arrests and detentions, summons' for interrogation, raids on homes and confiscation of property. The report pointed out that this marked a dramatic increase in human rights violations compared with previous months. According to the report, the PA security forces arrested more than 100 Palestinians in the days before Abbas delivered his speech at the UN General Assembly on September 27. Abbas devoted large parts of his speech to condemning Israel, which he accused of "suffocating" the Palestinians and "undermining our serious efforts to build the institutions of our cherished state." Abbas, however, refrained from mentioning to the UN General Assembly that while he was speaking, his security forces were waging a massive crackdown on his critics and opponents in the West Bank. As far as Abbas is concerned, this is not something that the world should know about. The evil he and others see is only on the Israeli side. Back to the report, which neither Abbas nor his prime minister cares to share with the world. According to this report, among those arrested or detained during September are 37 university students, eight school teachers, seven journalists, 55 university faculty members and lecturers, five engineers and 23 merchants. The report also revealed that four Palestinian detainees have gone on hunger strikes in Palestinian prison to protest their illegal incarceration. So, we are again witnessing an act of fraud and deception on the part of Abbas and his senior officials in Ramallah. Palestinian leaders have convinced themselves that they can continue to spread their lies to the world while hiding the truth about what is happening within their repressive and corrupt regime in the West Bank. They believe that, because of the world's silence, they can continue to lie to everyone all the time. The question, again, remains whether the international community will ever wake up to realize that Palestinian leaders are playing them for fools. The European Parliament delegation that visited Ramallah is a good test case: What message will its members convey back at home: the truth about the ruthless and repressive PA, or the lies that were spoon-fed to them by Abbas and his friends? Biometric Database Growth: Plans To Track, Trace & Database All Humans Beings - By Nicholas West - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2632 Does anyone remember that it used to be considered a conspiracy theory to warn people about biometric databases? Well, now that it is an accepted reality, we should be looking even farther down the slippery slope for new signposts indicating even greater plans to track, trace and database all human beings. Apparently it is neither sufficient -- nor efficient -- to have the myriad databases currently at the disposal of agencies like the Department of Defense, FBI or Homeland Security. According to a release from Biometric Update, these agencies currently use different computer languages that have difficulty communicating with each other as seamlessly as the U.S. government desires. The U.S. Defense Department, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security are planning to establish a new standard in 2019 to allow their biometric databases to communicate seamlessly, DoD officials told an audience at the AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) Federal Identity Forum in Tampa, Florida, SIGNAL reports. The Electronic Biometric Transmission Specification (EBTS) version 4.1 will enable the DoD's ABIS, DHS's IDENT, and the FBI's NGI (next generation identification) system to communicate natively, "in their own language," according to DoD biometrics program chief engineer Will Graves. DHS is preparing to upgrade from its IDENT system to the new Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) in order to handle scale and capabilities far beyond those it was originally designed for. "Hopefully we'll be able to close the transactional and interoperability gap between DOD and DHS," he says. Perhaps most notable is the apparent conflation of military systems and U.S. national justice systems into one overall sharing network. While the military is supposed to be restrained by Posse Comitatus from showing up on American soil to police the public, things appear to be more malleable where data collection systems are concerned. The FBI is already mired in controversy for its role in attempting to suppress information about the domestic NGI database cited in the quote above. Activist Post reported about this massive database that contains fingerprints, palm prints, iris, voice, and face scans, as well as other biometric data of millions of non-criminal Americans. As Derrick Broze wrote: In early May the U.S. Department of Justice released a proposal which would exempt the FBI's biometric database from public disclosure. Specifically, the proposal would exempt the Next Generation Identification (NGI) System from provisions of the federal Privacy Act, which "requires federal agencies to share information about the records they collect with the individual subject of those records, allowing them to verify and correct them if needed." The proposal is open for public comment until June 6, 2016. Although the database does contain biometric data on convicted criminals, it also contains information on individuals who were only suspected or temporarily detained under the suspicion of a crime. The system also features data from people fingerprinted for jobs, licenses, military or volunteer service, background checks, security clearances, and other government processes. Essentially the FBI is arguing that it will prevent individuals from knowing if their information is in the massive database if the release of information would "compromise" a law enforcement investigation. Jeramie Scott, a national security counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, told NextGov that the proposal "would set a worrying precedent in which law enforcement has significant leeway to decide what information to collect without informing the subject." One can only assume that the military's Automated Biometrics Identification System (ABIS) is even more immune from transparency. Nevertheless, this fact, in addition to the usual privacy and security concerns raised daily about what happens to our data after collection, also appears not to be an impediment as, "Modernizing the DoD's biometric system, which is at least five years old, may include moving the ABIS to the cloud." My emphasis added. As I noted with the latest news that India's national biometric ID database was ruled constitutional by its highest court, are Americans right to assume that its own constitutional protections will not be violated even as the evidence continues to mount that a similar system is being designed? ARE YOU AN OSTRICH? - Nathele Graham - [email protected] An ostrich is jokingly said to hide from danger by burying its head in the sand. The danger may be real or it may be imagined, but instead of facing the danger or looking for a way to avoid it, they hide. That's just an amusing legend, but that describes the actions of many people. They shut their eyes to truth and ignore what's happening around them. They stay ignorant, the danger is real and can overtake them as a thief in the night. This should never be a part of a Christian's life, but many choose to live in ignorance rather than being aware of the danger around us. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2 Timothy 3:1-5. We truly live in perilous times. All of the things listed in these verses are happening today. If your head is in the sand you'll say that these things have always gone on, but those of us who aren't afraid to look know that it's never been as perilous as it is today. Biblical prophecy is becoming clearer each day, or at least it is if you don't have your head in the sand. There are various ways to be an ostrich and one way is to watch network news. If you do that you'll believe that evil is good and good is evil. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20. The liberal agenda is promoted and Godly values are mocked. Deviant lifestyles are pushed, abortion is considered a woman's right instead of murder, wickedness among politicians is accepted as long as they are liberal, and Christian values are considered hate. Stop being an ostrich and get your head out of the sand. Listen to conservation radio or watch the many conservatives who are speaking out on You Tube. A couple of programs that will open your eyes is The Hagmann and Hagmann Report and L.A. Marzulli. These men look at what's happening in the world from a conservative perspective and will open your eyes to just how perilous the times are in which we live. You'll be amazed that there are Christian voices out there who aren't afraid to take a stand for Jesus and to uphold God's word. Who aren't afraid to call evil what it is...evil. If you still want to be an ostrich, consider ignoring Biblical prophecy. There are many news stories that will bring fear upon you. God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of His power. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7. By studying Biblical prophecy you will begin to understand that God knew exactly what would happen and told us about it in order to calm our fears. God's word also assures us that no matter what happens, He wins in the end. If you keep your head in the sand and don't open your Bible you won't understand His peace that passes understanding. It's been jokingly said that if you can keep calm when all those around you are in panic you don't understand the situation. I beg to differ. If you can keep calm in the storms of life then you know the peace that only comes from knowing Jesus. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7. Get your head out of the sand and be aware of what's happening in the world, but pray and trust Jesus to see you through. Prophecy is a study that every Christian should take seriously. Most preachers don't speak about it, but those same preachers usually don't preach line upon line through the Bible. The shepherd doesn't want to upset the sheep so he leaves them wide open for the wolf to destroy the flock. Prophecy is given by God so we can be aware of the times in which we live and to act appropriately. "And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." Luke 12:39-40. Good resources to learn about prophecy being fulfilled today is by listening the Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel, JD Farag from Calvary Chapel in Kaneohe, Gary Stearman from Prophecy Watchers, and Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries. If you're an ostrich you just don't care or are too afraid. If you're wise you'll study prophecy and become a watchman who is able to read the signs of the times and defend your faith. The wickedness we see in the world is just a sign that the end times are upon us. People say that things have always been bad and each generation has thought they were the last. That may be true, but there has never been a generation that has seen what we are seeing today. A major sign is that Israel is once again a nation in the land that God gave them eons ago. It's their land, but many nations want to take it away...just as prophecy reveals. The proposed peace agreements will never accomplish what humans want. How do I know? The Bible tells me so. Oh, there will be a pseudo peace, but there's a very evil man who will come against God and the Jewish nation. "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." Daniel 9:27. There will be a seven year time period, known as Daniel's 70th week or the time of Jacob's troubles, which will be the final years of the earth as we know it. The events of that time period are hard to imagine, and the last 3 1/2 years will be filled with horrors that an ostrich with their head in the sand denies is rapidly approaching. To find out what that week will entail, read the rest of Daniel and Revelation beginning in chapter 6. There are many things that "science" is developing that no previous generation could imagine. These "advances" will make it very easy for the man of sin to use technology to control all people. Technology of today is making way for every human to be tracked. Do you have a cell phone? Find out how it's tracking you. How can every human on earth be tracked? Look into artificial intelligence. Listen to Pastor Billy Crone and get your head out of the sand. For Christians this knowledge shouldn't be frightening. The Rapture will take place soon. Very soon. Maybe even before you finish reading this. As we see the signs of the times which Jesus, as well Daniel and John, spoke about we can know for sure that the "Church Age" will soon end and God will turn His attention back to Israel. Those last seven years will begin after the Rapture and will eventually turn the nation of Israel back to God. It has nothing to do with Christians. Since we will be raptured prior to that last week we won't face God's wrath. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:9. There will be people who come to know Jesus during that time of God's wrath, but it won't be easy for them. No date can be set for the Rapture, but we have the God-breathed promise that we will be saved from His wrath. "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." 1 Thessalonians 1:10. The time to accept Christ is now. You don't want to be here when the man of sin (the Anti-Christ) comes to power. When Paul wrote to the congregation at Corinth he had strong words concerning sin they embraced. They were Christians but weren't living in a Christian way. Paul confronted their sin. That's what we are to do. Sinful lifestyles are permeating our congregations today and, like the Corinthian Christians, most pastors, elders, and deacons ignore it. Homosexuality? Adultery? Fornication? It isn't judging to use the Word of God to discern sin within the congregation and bring the unrepentant Christian back to a right walk with Christ. It isn't judging when you take your head out of the sand to help a fellow Christian out of sin. It's a sign of the times that few people confront sin in themselves or in fellow Christians. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:3-4. Paul wrote those words to Timothy who was a young pastor in Ephesus to warn him to stand firm on God's truth. In these final days, don't bury your head in the sand and ignore the sin within your congregation. We all sin, but what if the Rapture happens and finds us embracing sin? When Paul confronted the sin in Corinth, he also gave hope. God sees a lying as sin just as He sees murder as sin. People tend to think that a lie isn't as bad as murder, but Jesus didn't pick and choose which sins His blood would take away. When you truly accept Him for salvation all your sins are forgiven, but you need to let Jesus change you and move away from sin. When Paul spoke of the Rapture to the sin-filled congregation in Corinth he gave them hope. "Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1 -Corinthians 15:51-53. Paul says that we won't all die (sleep) but we will all be changed. Only the blood of Christ takes away all of your sin. If you're a Christian you'll be raptured, but if you openly live a sinful life then the first question is whether you have truly accepted Christ, and the second question is will you be ashamed to stand before Jesus? It's time to get your head out of the sand and understand that time is short. If you're a Christian then live for Him. If you haven't accepted Him yet, don't put it off. Time's running out. Are you an ostrich? Brothers and sisters, it's time to get our heads out of the sand and face the truth. We need to understand the times in which we live and share the Gospel with as many people as you can today. Tomorrow may be too late. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] www.straitandnarrowministry.com [email protected] Ron and Nathele Graham's previous commentaries archived at http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html All original scripture is "theopneustos" God breathed. If you'd like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: Discernment in an era of deception - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Hillary Clinton was one of the Democratic Party spearheads against the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. The hypocrisy should have been obvious. According to Attorney Larry Klayman, who represented many of Bill Clinton's accusers, Hillary Clinton started the "war room" during her husband's 1992 campaign " o destroy any woman that would challenge Bill Clinton...she had to destroy the women who she knew were gong to come forward and reveal the alleged sexual harassment and rape, and intimidation...to keep them quiet." Yet, when it's politically expeditious, Clinton says accusers "have the right to be believed." But this is just a small part of her legacy as the face of the Democratic Party. Let's take a short inventory-the lies about the Benghazi killings being sparked by an anti-Muslim film; uranium sales to Russia that resulted in $145 million contributed to the Clinton Foundation and her husband's $500,000 speech in Moscow; Her campaign manager John Podesta receiving $35 million from an energy deal with Russia; the FBI report that she and Russian officials were involved in a bribery kickback scheme; the Saudi Arabia pay to play scheme resulting in over $20 million in donations to the Clinton Foundation; the Saudi prince admitting he funneled some $42 million in illegal campaign donations to the Clinton presidential campaign...this is just the short list. And then there are the State Department emails. When Clinton was Secretary of State she conducted government business over an unsecured email server housed in her closet. This resulted in the hacking of those emails, many of them classified, revealing not only secret information, but also the Democratic Party's dark underbelly of dastardly deeds against opponents and the American people. It demonstrates that Clinton and the Democratic Party were poor stewards of sensitive information and, therefore, too incompetent to hold the office of the Presidency. Second, they revealed the extent of the institutional graft and corruption of Clinton and the DNC. Clinton has fought to keep secret the information in those emails and even tried to delete them to prevent them from falling into the hands of FBI and Justice Department investigators. Now, Judicial Watch, a government watchdog group, is calling on the Justice Department to open a new criminal investigation into Clinton and the emails because of the discovery of several thousand more documents, many classified, that Clinton tried to destroy or hide from investigators. Don't be surprised if someday the entire Russia investigation turns on Clinton and the Democratic Party for doing just what they accused Trump of doing. It is the DNA of corruption and revolution running deep in the socialist movement against America. From Kavanaugh to pay to play to many other terrible dealings, these things are exposed, but rarely amplified and often covered up. So when you hear accusations, have discernment. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you." Daily Devotion: Do What You Can While You Can - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. -1 Corinthians 3:7 If you ever feel that your evangelistic efforts aren't going well, remember Noah. Noah was a witness for God, yet he went 120 years without a single convert. The Bible calls him "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5 NKJV), although he never reached anyone except his own family. He didn't reach thousands. He didn't reach hundreds. He didn't reach tens. But he reached his own family, and they believed. Hebrews 11:7 says, "It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before" (NLT). Noah's family knew that he loved God. They knew that he was a man of integrity. God has given Christian parents the responsibility to raise their children in the way of the Lord. Parents, don't fail in this mission. Don't say you're too busy. Don't say you don't have time. Make time for what matters, because time passes quickly. Soon they'll be older. Let's understand that our job is to preach the gospel; our job is not to convert people. I have never converted anyone. Neither can you. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes my job is just to sow the seed. Sometimes my job is to water a seed that someone else has sown. Occasionally I have the privilege of reaping where others have watered and sown. I'm simply called to be faithful. Be faithful with what the Lord has set before you. God will not hold you accountable for what He has called me to do. He will not hold me accountable for what He has called you to do. But He will hold you accountable for what He has called you to do. Do what you can while you can. FROM THE HEART
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