Prophecy Update Newsletter
October 14, 2016
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Devil as a Roaring Lion - Alf Cengia - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8322
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8 I've made mention more than a few times that I was once a New Age seeker. When I was into that scene, I'd experiment with different meditation techniques, and other unmentionables. A friend of mine at the time shared these interests. We collaborated on our experiences. They were fun and exciting and ranged from psychic to physical manifestations. What wasn't so much fun was what I call "the visitations." These seemingly happened out of the blue. It's embarrassing to admit that a nightly excursion to the bathroom could be interrupted by a feeling of dread over an invisible presence. There was no sound of chains dragging out of a hellish dungeon - just a primal fear. Even though I was agnostic regarding the Devil, I instinctively called on Jesus Christ for help. My fear abruptly vanished. I was never going to admit the incident to my gym-rat friends. They wouldn't have understood. No one would, unless they'd experienced it personally. Interestingly, my friend had these "visits" as well. I now understand that our ignorant experimentations were analogous to leaving your front porch light switched on during Halloween night. I had literally opened the door to the demonic. You may assume that once one leaves all the occult stuff behind that it would spell the end of demonic attacks. You'd be wrong. For a few years I coasted along without incident. I became a Christian. Then I began to detect little patterns of oppression. The first time was after an article I'd written about the New Age. Sometimes these also manifested when I wrote about anti-Semitism. I'd suddenly feel grumpier than usual and have restless nights. My skepticism could easily compartmentalize this into a psychological bucket, or even a sense of self-importance. It gets a little trickier when family members also experience these incidents. During one particular night one of us experienced a terrible nightmare. Another woke up afraid because of some presence and was led to desperately pray for deliverance from it. The third couldn't sleep because of an abnormally acute and uncharacteristic anxiety. These events occurred at approximately the same time. Then there was the time when I was hit with a concentrated dose of oppression. It began on a Sunday night and reached its crescendo the next morning. I'm never at my best on a Monday morning but had never before experienced such irrational thoughts and self-doubting. Suddenly I imagined I wasn't good enough to write the article I'd been working on. Not good enough to be married to my lovely wife. I didn't want to be on this earth etc. I retired back to my bed a thoroughly defeated man even after trying to pray it through. It was via my wife's private intercessory prayer that God shined His light over the darkness which was oppressing me. The resulting difference in answer to her prayer was profound. I'm comforted by the fact that this also happened to Pastor Chip Ingram (The Invisible War). In one of many incidents, Ingram recounts the time when he began his day in a perfect way. His wife was gracious to him and he had had a meaningful time with the Lord. Yet just before he was about to teach that same day, a "black curtain" dropped over him. He was quickly engulfed with thoughts such as: he didn't want to live anymore; he didn't want to teach anymore; that he was a terrible person etc. It eventually dawned on him he was scheduled to teach on spiritual warfare. He was being attacked. The Devil doesn't like intrusions into his territory. Are you still skeptical? Ingram drew from practical experiences based on his ministry in Santa Cruz, which is steeped in paganism and Satanism. He also draws from the sober writings of Charles H. Spurgeon and William Gurnall (The Christian in Complete Armor). In Prayer & Spiritual Warfare, Spurgeon noted: My soul is in prayer, so it would be unnatural that I should then blaspheme, yet then the blasphemy comes. Therefore it is clearly satanic and not from my own mind. If I am set upon doing my Master's will but a cowardly thought assails me, that idea, which differs from the natural bent of my mind and thoughts, may be at once ejected as not being mine and may be set down to the account of the Devil, who is the true father of it. (p 539) Has it ever happened to you? It happened to me and to my wife. Alesia had been praying one night when a blasphemous thought entered her mind. When she prayed over it she also heard an inner cackling giggle. These aren't isolated cases. Why do random concerns and thoughts suddenly intrude in the quiet stillness of the morning when you're trying to pray and worship the Lord? How is it that the house can be quiet and still, yet as soon as you begin to pray, a stink bug decides to buzz the room and distract you? What about that scratching noise in the fireplace that wasn't there a second ago and stops when you've finished praying? Yes, there are coincidences. We shouldn't be hunting for demons in every dark corner. However, Chip Ingram identifies five occasions when Christians ought to expect attacks: 1) When Christians are "taking significant steps of spiritual growth." Satan wants to keep us ineffectual. 2) Invading enemy territory. Are you witnessing to the lost or considering a mission trip? As mentioned above, the Devil jealously guards his terrain. 3) Exposing the enemy. Satan likes to work behind the scenes. Expose him and he will retaliate. 4) When you are breaking away from the world. The world is Satan's domain and he wants to keep you in it. 5) Blessings to come. As Ingram puts it, sometimes spiritual opposition is an indicator that one is "worthy of attention of the kingdom of darkness." He writes: Unexplained spiritual opposition can be an excellent indicator that God has something very special around the corner. (p 134, The Invisible War) Charles Spurgeon is known as the Prince of Preachers. Yet he was dogged by depression and health issues. Moreover he was the target of personal attacks from the secular world and within Christianity as he routinely defended God's Word against atheism and liberalism. He knew a thing or two about Spiritual Warfare. The Apostle Paul identified the Christian's opposition as not against flesh and blood but rulers and powers (kosmokrator) of this world and spiritual forces in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12). He admonished Christians to put on the Armor of God and wield the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. See Dr Paul Henebury's article The Christian's Warfare and Armor. He writes on the need for prayer: A man can be watchful, whether he is armed or not. Prayer keeps us spiritually alert. By continual communion with God, and by making requests of Him (i.e. supplication) we can maintain an awareness of the needs of both ourselves and of others. We are to look out prayerfully for all saints. It was my wife's prayer which broke the dark spiritual funk I was in. We ought to pray for others, particularly pastors and missionaries. We should also seek to join with our brothers and sisters in weekly prayer meetings. It is better to do battle as a team than alone, especially during these challenging times. Finally it's important for us all to remember Christ's victory over Satan. We should not feel defeated: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1John 4:4 (Also 1 John 5:3-5) And this: But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1Co 15:57-58 (See also Romans 8:31-39) The Lord is our victory. Maranatha! Netanyahu leads angry denunciations of 'absurd' UNESCO decision - http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-leads-angry-denunciations-of-absurd-unesco-decision/
UN body's motion ignoring Jewish link to Temple Mount draws scorn from across Israeli political spectrum, including charges of anti-Semitism Furious Israeli politicians accused the UN's cultural arm of anti-Semitism Thursday in the wake of a resolution approved by UNESCO that erases the Jewish connection the Jerusalem holy sites. Lawmakers from both the right and left of the political spectrum said the decision, which refers to the Temple Mount and Western Wall only by their Muslim names and condemns Israel as "the occupying power" for various actions taken in both places, was ill-befitting of UNESCO. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision "absurd," while President Reuven Rivlin called it an "embarrassment" for UNESCO. The Executive Board of UNESCO is next week set to approve the resolution, which passed Thursday at the committee stage. Culture Minister Miri Regev slammed the resolution as "shameful and anti-Semitic," and Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel called for Israel to increase the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount, a flashpoint site governed by a tense status quo, in response. "To say that Israel has no link to the Temple Mount is like saying that China has no link to the Great Wall or that Egypt has no connection to the Pyramids," Netanyahu said, adding that "with this absurd decision UNESCO has lost what little legitimacy it still had." He also said UNESCO was ignorant regarding the Bible, and accused the body of taking part in a "Theater of the Absurd." Twenty-four countries voted in favor of the resolution Thursday afternoon, six against and 26 abstained, though ambassador Carmel Shama-Hacohen praised the diplomatic effort that had changed several no votes in a similar resolution in April into abstentions this time around. it was "a significant accomplishment," that countries like France, Sweden, Argentina and India, which had earlier supported the declaration, now abstained, he told Army Radio. "It's not pleasant, "he said, "but I'm pleased by the decision, relatively, because it was clear the decision would pass but we didn't know which countries would support it. We had the goal of gaining back French support and our friends in Europe," he said. (Voting in favor were: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chad, China, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Vietnam. Voting against were: Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States. Abstaining were: Albania, Argentina, Cameroon, El Salvador, France, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, India, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Paraguay, Saint Vincent and Nevis, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and Ukraine. Absent were: Serbia and Turkmenistan.) Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was "outraged" over the decision "which denies thousands of years of Jewish connection to Jerusalem's Western Wall." "Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca," he said in a statement. Opposition chief Isaac Herzog accused UNESCO of betraying their mission. "Whoever wants to rewrite history, to distort fact, and to completely invent the fantasy that the Western Wall and Temple Mount have no connection to the Jewish people, is telling a terrible lie that only serves to increase hatred." Fellow Labor Party lawmaker Eitan Cabel called it "anti-Zionist, shameful and embarrassing." "You can try and throw the innumerable testimonies (of a Jewish connection) into the trash, the evidence, the prayers and the archaeological discoveries. You can try and throw into the sea the millions of Jews who have touched this place with their hands and hearts," he wrote on his Facebook page. "It won't help you." MK Merav Michaeli, also from the dovish party, said the resolution was the result of Netanyahu refusing to appoint a foreign minister and holding the position for himself for political capital. The left-wing Emek Shaveh organization, which says it seeks for archaeology to be decoupled from politics, said the resolution would only make a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict more difficult. "Now that an international, professional entity like UNESCO has disregarded the deep relationship of the Jewish people to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, they've only made it easier for the Israeli right to convince the Israeli public that Jerusalem is in danger," the group said in a statement. Indeed, lawmakers from the right-wing Jewish Home party called on Netanyahu to use this opportunity to increase Jewish activity on the flash-point holy site. "Especially now, it's on us as a government to act in defiance of these decisions and to strengthen the Temple Mount and the Jewish presence on the site holiest to the Jewish people - the Temple Mount," said Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel. Rivlin, speaking at an event before the vote, said UNESCO was making a mockery of itself with the vote. "No forum or body in the world can come and deny the connection between the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and Jerusalem - and any such body that does so simply embarrasses itself," Rivlin said at an event in his Jerusalem residence. "We can understand criticism, but you cannot change history". In the US, Congressman Ted Duetch called the motion "dangerous." Iran wishes to replace the US as the regional hegemon, at the America's expense - By Caroline B. Glick - http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1016/glick101416.php3
Off the coast of Yemen and at the UN Security Council we are seeing the strategic endgame of Barack Obama's administration. And it isn't pretty. Since Sunday, Iran's Houthi proxies in Yemen have attacked US naval craft three times in the Bab al-Mandab, the narrow straits at the mouth of the Red Sea. The Bab al-Mandab controls maritime traffic in the Red Sea, and ultimately controls the Suez Canal. Whether the Iranians directed these assaults or simply green-lighted them is really beside the point. The point is that these are Iranian strikes on the US. The Houthis would never have exposed themselves to US military retaliation if they hadn't been ordered to do so by their Iranian overlords. The question is why has Iran chosen to open up an assault on the US? The simple answer is that Iran has challenged US power at the mouth of the Red Sea because it believes that doing so advances its strategic aims in the region. Iran's game is clear enough. It wishes to replace the US as the regional hegemon, at the US's expense. Since Obama entered office nearly eight years ago, Iran's record in advancing its aims has been one of uninterrupted success. Iran used the US withdrawal from Iraq as a means to exert its full control over the Iraqi government. It has used Obama's strategic vertigo in Syria as a means to exert full control over the Assad regime and undertake the demographic transformation of Syria from a Sunni majority state to a Shi'ite plurality state. In both cases, rather than oppose Iran's power grabs, the Obama administration has welcomed them. As far as Obama is concerned, Iran is a partner, not an adversary. Since like the US, Iran opposes al-Qaida and ISIS, Obama argues that the US has nothing to fear from the fact that Iranian-controlled Shiite militias are running the US-trained Iraqi military. So, too, he has made clear that the US is content to stand by as the mullahs become the face of Syria. In Yemen, the US position has been more ambivalent. In late 2014, Houthi rebel forces took over the capital city of Sanaa. In March 2015, the Saudis led a Sunni campaign to overthrow the Houthi government. In a bid to secure Saudi support for the nuclear agreement it was negotiating with the Iranians, the Obama administration agreed to support the Saudi campaign. To this end, the US military has provided intelligence, command and control guidance, and armaments to the Saudis. Iran's decision to openly assault US targets then amounts to a gamble on Tehran's part that in the twilight of the Obama administration, the time is ripe to move in for the kill in Yemen. The Iranians are betting that at this point, with just three months to go in the White House, Obama will abandon the Saudis, and so transfer control over Arab oil to Iran. For with the Strait of Hormuz on the one hand, and the Bab al-Mandab on the other, Iran will exercise effective control over all maritime oil flows from the Arab world. It's not a bad bet for the Iranians, given Obama's consistent strategy in the Middle East. Obama has never discussed that strategy. Indeed, he has deliberately concealed it. But to understand the game he has been playing all along, the only thing you need to do listen to his foreign policy soul mate. According to a New York Times profile published in May, Obama's deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes is the president's alter ego. The two men's minds have "melded." Rhodes's first foreign policy position came in the course of his work for former congressman Lee Hamilton. In 2006, then-president George W. Bush appointed former secretary of state James Baker and Hamilton to lead the Iraq Study Group. Bush tasked the group with offering a new strategy for winning the war in Iraq. The group released its report in late 2006. The Iraq Study Group's report contained two basic recommendations. First, it called for the administration to abandon Iraq to the Iranians. The group argued that due to Iran's opposition to al-Qaida, the Iranians would fight al-Qaida for the US. The report's second recommendation related to Israel. Baker, Hamilton and their colleagues argued that after turning Iraq over to Iran, the US would have to appease its Sunni allies. The US, the Iraq Study Group report argued, should simultaneously placate the Sunnis and convince the Iranians of its sincerity by sticking it to Israel. To this end, the US should pressure Israel to give the Golan Heights to Syria and give Judea and Samaria to the PLO. Bush rejected the Iraq Study Group report. Instead he opted to win the war in Iraq by adopting the surge counterinsurgency strategy. But once Bush was gone, and Rhodes's intellectual twin replaced him, the Iraq Study Group recommendations became the unstated US strategy in the Middle East. After taking office, Obama insisted that the US's only enemy was al-Qaida. In 2014, Obama grudgingly expanded the list to include ISIS. Obama has consistently justified empowering Iran in Iraq and Syria on the basis of this narrow definition of US enemies. Since Iran is also opposed to ISIS and al-Qaida, the US can leave the job of defeating them both to the Iranians, he has argued. Obviously, Iran won't do the US's dirty work for free. So Obama has paid the mullahs off by giving them an open road to nuclear weapons through his nuclear deal, by abandoning sanctions against them, and by turning his back on their ballistic missile development. Obama has also said nothing about the atrocities that Iranian-controlled militia have carried out against Sunnis in Iraq and has stopped operations against Hezbollah. As for Israel, since his first days in office, Obama has been advancing the Iraq Study Group's recommendations. His consistent, and ever escalating condemnations of Israel, his repeated moves to pick fights with Jerusalem are all of a piece with the group's recommended course of action. And there is every reason to believe that Obama intends to make good on his threats to cause an open rupture in the US alliance with Israel in his final days in office. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's phone call with Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday night made this clear enough. In the course of their conversation, Netanyahu reportedly asked Kerry if Obama intended to enable an anti-Israel resolution to pass in the UN Security Council after the presidential election next month. By refusing to rule out the possibility, Kerry all but admitted that this is in fact Obama's intention. And this brings us back to Iran's assaults on US ships along the coast of Yemen. Early on Sunday morning, the US responded to the Houthi/Iranian missile assaults by attacking three radar stations in Houthi-controlled territory. The nature of the US moves gives credence to the fear that the US will surrender Yemen to Iran. This is so for three reasons. First, the administration did not allow the USS Mason destroyer to respond to the sources of the missile attack against it immediately. Instead, the response was delayed until Obama himself could determine how best to "send a message." That is, he denied US forces the right to defend themselves. Second, it is far from clear that destroying the radar stations will inhibit the Houthis/Iranians. It is not apparent that radar stations are necessary for them to continue to assault US naval craft operating in the area. Finally, the State Department responded to the attack by reaching out to the Houthis. In other words, the administration is continuing to view the Iranian proxy is a legitimate actor rather than an enemy despite its unprovoked missile assaults on the US Navy. Then there is the New York Times' position on Yemen. The Times has repeatedly allowed the administration to use it as an advocate of policies the administration itself wishes to adopt. Last week for instance, the Times called for the US to turn on Israel at the Security Council. On Tuesday, the Times published an editorial calling for the administration to end its military support for the Saudi campaign against the Houthis/Iran in Yemen. Whereas the Iranian strategy makes sense, Obama's strategy is nothing less than disastrous. Although the Iraq Study Group, like Obama, is right that Iran also opposes ISIS, and to a degree, al-Qaida, they both ignored the hard reality that Iran also views the US as its enemy. Indeed, the regime's entire identity is tied up in its hatred for the US and its strategic aim of destroying America. Obama is not the only US president who has sought to convince the Iranians to abandon their hatred for America. Every president since 1979 has tried to convince the mullahs to abandon their hostility. And just like all of his predecessors, Obama has failed to convince them. What distinguishes Obama from his predecessors is that he has based US policy on a deliberate denial of the basic reality of Iranian hostility. Not surprisingly, the Iranians have returned his favor by escalating their aggression against America. The worst part about Obama's strategy is that it is far from clear that his successor will be able to improve the situation. If Hillary Clinton succeeds him, his successor is unlikely to even try. Not only has Clinton embraced Obama's policies toward Iran. Her senior advisers are almost all Obama administration alumni. Wendy Sherman, the leading candidate to serve as her secretary of state, was Obama's chief negotiator with the Iranians. If Donald Trump triumphs next month, assuming he wishes to reassert US power in the region, he won't have an easy time undoing the damage that Obama has caused. Time has not stood still as the US has engaged in strategic dementia. Not only has Iran been massively empowered, Russia has entered the Middle East as a strategic spoiler. Moreover, since 2001, the US has spent more than a trillion dollars on its failed wars in the Middle East. That investment came in lieu of spending on weapons development. Today Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft missiles in Syria reportedly neutralize the US's air force. US naval craft in the Bab al-Mandab have little means to defend themselves against missile strikes. The US's trillion-dollar investment in the F-35 fighter jet has tethered its air wings to a plane that has yet to prove its capabilities, and may never live up to expectations. Israel is justifiably worried about the implications of Obama's intention to harm it at the UN. But the harm Israel will absorb at the UN is nothing in comparison to the long-term damage that Obama's embrace of the Iraq Study Group's disastrous strategic framework has and will continue to cause Israel, the US and the entire Middle East. The Hook in the Jaw - By Mike Ecklund - http://raptureready.com/soap2/ecklund13.html
By now, the many readers who frequent the Rapture Ready site are familiar with Ezekiel prophecy about Russia and her European and middle-eastern allies attacking Israel. The players are aligned at present; the troops are moving into place. The "hook" with which God uses to forcibly bring them into war has now become obvious. Wars are as much fought because of economic reasons as opposing ideologies. In the case of Russia and its allies, it will be a combination of political and religious differences of her middle-eastern allies and a desire to plunder the newly found natural gas wealth of Israel. Russia relies heavily on gas exports to Europe and other countries such as Turkey, all of which are in negotiations to import the newly found Israeli gas that will cut into Russian shares. Central to those hopes are plans for new a pipeline, the East Mediterranean Pipeline proposal presented by the Greek Public Gas Company (DEPA) as well as an interest in building from Turkey. It would bring gas supplies from Israel to Cypress and eventually into Europe. After Turkey shot down a Russian military jet in November of last year, it was painfully reminded of its dependence on Russian energy resources after which it subsequently began negotiations with Israel. Reconciliation depends on Israel easing restrictions on Gaza and supplying Turkey with weapons to fight PKK rebels in its southern regions and protect the borders from ISIS rocket attacks. However, reconciling Hezbollah, Gaza or Iran (Russia's newest BFF) to Israel is in fact an impossibility because they have all decided long ago that they would be satisfied with nothing short of Israel's complete obliteration. It is with this scenario that Turkey will accept an offer to join Russia in simply taking the Israeli gas fields by force; a solution that will make all parties happy; accept for Israel and her few allies. As the war in Syria continues to erode the USA's influence in the region and relations with Russia, the chief antagonist identified as Tarshish and her allies Sheba and Dedan (Saudi Arabia, Oman and others) in Ezekiel 38:13 are also apparent. (See my previous article "Judgment Day for the USA"). It is clear that Russia and her armies are destroyed by God, leaving only a fifth part to return. It is also a very real possibility that those whom God rains fire on that "dwell securely in the coastlands" includes a nuclear strike against the United States and Britain. The power vacuum left after our demise leaves the European Union out of necessity, united into the revived Roman Empire. The Antichrist, who should arrive shortly there-after signs the peace agreement with Israel to secure her from future attacks. The other main power sphere, the Kings of East led by China are like-wise in place for the last seven years until Christ's return. The thought of such horrors occurring to us in the near future is sobering. We might deny such a thing is possible; that God would allow Christians who live in an otherwise ungodly country to suffer with the rest. One only has to read the Old Testament passages regarding Daniel and other prophets who were led away to captivity with their countrymen when Israel failed to heed warnings to turn back to God. In present history, Christians are being persecuted, displaced and murdered in several countries around the world. Should we have to face what so many of our brothers and sisters have already endured, let us do it with the light of God shining through us and the words of the gospel message coming from our lips that salvation may yet come to those around us. For those of you reading this article who have not yet grasped the truth of what is happening before your eyes, the Bible was written to testify to the love and grace that God gave us. He made THE WAY of reconciliation to himself by the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ for our sins against Him. The only thing you must do is acknowledge that you have sinned (sin is not relative to what you think it is; that is why he wrote them down) and turn away from them. You simply accept that Jesus paid for that by dying in your place and trust that He will raise you to be with Him forever. We don't know how much time we have left on earth. We only see that it's now much less than it was before. Even so, come Lord Jesus! [email protected] On this week's "Hal Lindsey Report" - Hal Lindsey - www.hallindsey.com
Wow! In my lifetime, I cannot remember an election season like this one. One where the stakes have been higher or the choices so -- shall I say -- unexpected. I know that many of you feel the same way. I know, too, that some of you are so discouraged by the situation, and by what is obviously a stacked deck, that you are considering sitting out this election. I certainly understand, but I pray you will change your mind. Like it or not, one of these candidates will be the next President of the United States. He or she will play a direct role in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren. He or she may well determine whether our republic survives a while longer or quickly becomes merely a territory or region under the rule of a global regime. There is no perfect candidate. There never has been. There never will be. As voters, we must do our best to discern between the choices we are presented. We are admonished in Romans 13 to be good citizens of the land in which we live. In a republic, good citizens vote. We are also instructed to be good stewards. And stewardship does not extend merely to money. As Christians, everything we have comes from God. That includes not only money, but also our time, talent, and influence. I believe your vote comes under the heading of "influence." It is influence that God has entrusted to you. He expects you to use it faithfully for Him. In Matthew 25, Jesus spoke of three men who were made stewards of various amounts of money for their master. Two of them were good stewards. They took the money into the marketplace and multiplied it. They were rewarded. But the third dug a hole and buried the money in the ground to avoid losing it. He was punished. Don't bury God's gift of the right to vote. Be a wise steward and use it. Remember, also, that there is more to be determined than just the next President. There are many important statewide and local races that need your participation. Crucial political, constitutional, and moral issues are often decided at the state and local levels. So prayerfully consider all of the issues and the qualities of the various candidates. Pray earnestly for God's guidance and vote the Bible. Then trust the outcome into God's hands. And just when we think we've seen it all, it turns even more bizarre! As of last week, the United States of America is officially accusing Russia of trying to sabotage this year's U.S. presidential election. The Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a joint statement accusing Russia of stealing "e-mails from U.S. persons and institutions, including from U.S. political organizations.... (that would be the Democratic National Committee) These thefts are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process." Well, first, Russia insists that they didn't do it. Second, no one in the government seems to be concerned about the shocking revelations of corruption, collusion, and criminality that these hacked e-mails reveal about the "U.S. persons and institutions...." (and especially) the "U.S. political organizations (once again, that would be the DNC)." I don't know how all of this will eventually turn out. But I do suspect that the government, the DNC, and the mainstream media will push the Russian theory to the hilt to distract from the content of the hacked e-mails. Which are shocking. I also suspect that the rhetoric will heat up substantially. I pray that it will not reach the point where the President attempts to suspend the election because of alleged "Russian tampering." I do know that not since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the "end" of the Cold War has the rhetoric and anger between the two nuclear superpowers been as heated and dangerous as it is right now. Not only is this alarming in its own right, but in light of Bible prophecy, too. Remember that Ezekiel predicted that in the last days Russia (not the Soviet Union, but Russia) would rise in world prominence. He also predicted that Russia would join with Iran to invade Israel. As a result of the contentious relations with the U.S. over the civil war in Syria, Russia has recently announced that it is making its air base at Latakia (Syria) permanent. The Associated Press is also reporting that the Russian military is now looking at re-establishing its Soviet-era bases in Cuba and Vietnam. As I said recently, folks, this is not just Bible prophecy, this is Bible reality! In view of the breathtaking pace at which the world is shaping up just as the ancient prophets foretold for these final days, I want to take a deeper look this week at our "blessed hope." That is, the return of Jesus Christ to snatch away all true believers before the terrible Great Tribulation unfolds upon this earth. If everything you are seeing happening around you makes you afraid of the future, don't be. If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior; if you have accepted the free gift of pardon for your sins that He died to purchase for you, then you are not going to be here when all hell breaks loose on this old world. If you haven't accepted that gift of pardon, then you need to hear what I am going to tell you this week. And you need to make certain your family, your loved ones, and your friends hear it, too. Folks, time is short, very short. There are no remaining prophecies that need to be fulfilled before Christ returns for His Church. As the Word of God warns us, now is the time, today is the day of salvation. Get ready. Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com . Check your local listings. Watch this week's Report before it airs! 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My Review of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Over the last 35 years, I have literally read hundreds of books on Bible Prophecy and End Time signs. I especially enjoy books on the Rapture, and I have read almost every Rapture-related book published. In all those years, devouring thousands of pages, and millions of words, I have not read a better book on the Rapture than, Rapture Ready...Or Not? Terry James might be physically blind, but he is spiritually sharp and well discerning beyond most authors. In "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Terry has nailed the pre-trib Rapture, and removed any doubt what so ever about the Church going through the Tribulation. With great insight and Godly discernment, Terry explains with simple, yet profound words, why and how that he has come to believe the ways he does about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the End Times scenario. I think after reading "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" you too will believe as Terry does, and be Ready for the Rapture like never before! - Randy Thomas - Publisher / Editor - Prophecy Update For more information and or to get your copy of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" use this link: http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book35.html Watchman Warning: Peace in Our Time - By Hal Lindsey - http://www.hallindsey.com/ww-10-14-2016/
Members of the psychiatric profession tell us people in the United States are feeling especially anxious about this year's presidential election. Both sides fear an economic collapse if the other wins. Both sides are convinced that a win by the other means the rich will get richer and the poor poorer; and that terrorism will flourish. Both sides are concerned about the moral character of the other side's candidate (and maybe their own). An unusual number of people fear that if the other side wins, America will be unrecognizable in four years. Slate Magazine called the 2016 election a "national nervous breakdown." Core supporters of each candidate are convinced that America will enter a new era of prosperity and peace if their candidate wins. And they are horrified at the thought of a fantastic, glorious opportunity being thrown away by their fellow voters. The hardcore people follow, not just the big polls, but also the daily tracking polls. Every shift makes them giddy or throws them in the dumps. One thing the polls seem to all agree on is that most Americans are not happy about this election. The majority doesn't feel completely comfortable with either candidate. San Francisco psychotherapist, Fiachra O'Sullivan, said, "People are scared. People are distressed, and it's affecting... their relationships with their significant others." Nancy Molitor, a clinical psychologist in the Chicago area, said that in her 26 years in practice, "I've never seen this level of stress and anxiety over an impending election." Elaine Ducharme is a clinical psychologist from Connecticut. All her patients are feeling anxiety over the election. She said, "I can't think of a person I've talked to (who) does not feel anxious about this." There have been no formal studies on the subject as far as I know, but the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. People are reporting headaches, jitters, tightness in the chest, and even difficulty breathing - all caused by election fears. According to Fox News, many therapists are telling their patients, "Stop reading the news and take up yoga." For some, "Stop reading the news" may be a good idea. Anyone obsessing over the election should take a step back from it. Don't stick your head in the sand, but don't think that by reading the polls every day you can somehow change them in your candidate's favor. Here's what I can tell you from scripture. Don't place your hope in a man or a woman. We've had some great presidents and they made huge differences in all our lives. In some cases, they helped save our lives, and in some cases, they helped save our way of life. But they were all merely human. These days, we need help from a Higher Source. America is beyond the simple need for good governmental policies. It needs a revolution of the heart. Passing a new law won't turn things around, but recognition of God's laws can. The only real hope for America today is for large number of Americans to repent of their sins, and turn to the saving grace of Jesus. What about you? And if you have children or grandchildren, what about them? What kind of world will they inherit? Should you be afraid? No. Through Isaiah, God warned of some terrible things coming on the nation of Israel. But it was also through Isaiah that the Lord said, "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear!'" (Isaiah 35:4 NKJV) 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you."(NASB) Worried about the kids? Trust them to Him. Psalms 103:17 says, "The lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children." (NASB) The Psalmist also said, "When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee." (Psalms 56:3 NASB) Jesus warned us that we would face great persecution, but He said not to worry. He spoke it as a promise, and also as a command. He said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27 NASB) Daily Jot: Separating the noise and finding clarity - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
As predicted, this election has fast gone to the gutter. There is so much attention on the bad behavior of these candidates that the real issues of the campaign and what faces us as a nation are being drowned out by character issues. Listen, with these two candidates there are going to be character issues. In my opinion, there is one who has far less character than any average American. One candidate is expert at projecting her deficiencies onto the other and fixing blame for the very things she does. The other candidate has said and done things that should have never been said or done, but he does not have a near criminal record following him. But more important are the issues and how these candidates will govern. We do not know how Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will govern. We do know that he has promised to appoint pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-Constitutional judges to the Supreme Court. We know that he has repeatedly said he would promote freedom of speech and religious freedom. He has promised to improve the tax code by lowering taxes. He has promised to cut red-tape and unnecessary regulation on businesses. He said he would reset and improve relations with Israel. He said he would not continue the weak foreign policy of the current Administration against Islamic terrorism. He said he would secure the nation's borders, and try to stop terrorist infiltration through immigration. We know how Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will govern. We have seen her since the 1970s beginning with her Watergate prosecution scandal. There has been scandal after scandal with Clinton-big stuff, the kind most of us would go to jail for if we did it. She says she would appoint progressive, pro-choice judges to the Supreme Court. She wants to crack down on religious free speech, especially criticism of Islam. She will raise taxes by $2 trillion. She wants to effectively eliminate the Second Amendment. She will continue the current foreign policy, never effectively ending terror threats or Islamic persecution of Christians. She wants open borders and increased Islamic immigration. Her tough talk against Russia may lead to war. Her plans would increase government spending and the national debt. This election will decide the direction of America for decades to come in Supreme Court picks alone. Your vote may be the deciding one. Not voting, voting for a third-party candidate that cannot win, or voting based on the noise rather than the issues could have disastrous impact on you, your children, your grandchildren, your great grandchildren. Generations depend on your vote. It is your duty and responsibility. While the news media promotes smut and tries to take attention off of the real issues, it is clear how a godly person should vote based on the issues. We are not electing a pastor, we are trying to turn our country from destruction. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Make a decision to vote from the spirit of a sound mind. Daily Devotion: What God Has Joined - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
And he said, "This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together. -Matthew 19:5-6 We live in a culture that not only gives allowances for adultery, but in many ways encourages it. There are even websites to help people get away with being unfaithful to their spouse. But sexual immorality is a big deal to God. When the Pharisees tried to test Jesus on the subject of divorce, one question they asked was, "Why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?" (Matthew 19:7). Jesus told them, "Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery-unless his wife has been unfaithful (verses 8-9). An allowance is given for divorce, and it is sexual immorality. It violates the oneness between a husband and a wife. The apostle Paul said, "And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, 'The two are united into one'" (1 Corinthians 6:16). Having said that, adultery is not only grounds for divorce, but it is also grounds for forgiveness. I have seen marriages survive it. I have seen marriages flourish in its aftermath. However, I am in no way rationalizing it. Adultery is never a good thing. Trust is broken, and it will take years to get it back. Adultery is very damaging, but a marriage can survive it. If you are married, you may be tempted to violate your vows. But don't entertain those thoughts. Instead, with the power of God working in your life, make an effort to keep your marriage strong and to make your spouse your best friend. FROM THE HEART
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