Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
THE WAR WITHIN EACH OF US - By Pastor Mike Taylor -
http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-war-within-each-of-us.html 1 "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.3 So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man."(Romans 7:1-3) I almost receive daily emails and pleas for help with the sinfulness of the person writing. Most of these people profess Jesus Christ, but can't figure out why they continue to fail when it comes to living a righteous and holy life. They lament that "How can God forgive me for such a sin that I have committed?" For the type of sin, just fill in the blank where sin is mentioned. Many people cry out for forgiveness and feel they are worthless. How could God love them? How could He forgive what they have done?I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans the 7th chapter and when a person who is remorseful and beating themselves up for being a sinner, I remind them of Paul. I tell them, "Welcome to the human race." Let's go there to what Paul was speaking of and see if there is a lesson to learn. Paul makes an interesting analogy of being married to a husband, and a lot of people take this to mean that as long as a husband is alive, they cannot remarry. Is this what Paul is saying? I believe what Paul is speaking of, is that as a sinner we are condemned by the law, as the law defines sin. When we accept Jesus Christ as personal savior and follow the Lord in baptism, out of sheer obedience in the latter, we symbolically die to the law having any affect on us. One example of the marriage covenant (the law and it's penalty) has died, as we have died and are buried with Jesus Christ and are free to marry the One who wishes to spend eternity with us. The law condemned, but Jesus has saved us by grace. But are we suddenly changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ from that moment forward? Obviously, we are not. Continuing in Romans:4 "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."(Romans 7:4-6) In Romans chapter 6:v. 14, Paul uses the same word to describe our relationship with sin. "For sin shall not have dominion over you." Here he shows how our past sins have been forgiven, and we have access to Christ's atoning grace for forgiveness of future sins. Therefore, sin no longer has the power to condemn us to death. In these opening verses, Paul explains how the law has power over a human being only as long as he is alive. The law has power over us, but when we a buried with Jesus Christ and raised to new life and a new creature, the laws power has been broken. The penalty for sin has been paid, and the law cannot condemn us. But does the ability to sin stop there? Let's read on and see what Paul had to say about sin and the flesh and being condemned by the law.7 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.8 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.9 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me."(Romans 7:7-11) This is where I believe Paul is speaking of a child that has no knowledge to understand evil and good, but when a person reaches the age of accountability, and each of us reach it according to our maturity, then that person is responsible for their own sin, and the law has condemned them. In the end, without the blood of Jesus Christ, each of us will stand before the judgment seat of God and give an account for the lives we have lived on this earth. What will we be judged by? That is correct, the Word of God and His standard of righteousness found in His commandments. Can anyone live up to the high calling of God found in your Bible? No, not one! Paul explained this clearly in a prior chapter of Romans: 10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."(Romans 3:10-12) Further down in the same chapter, Paul writes: 23 " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"(Romans 3:23-25) To the Christian is who is honestly trying to live for Jesus Christ it is a daily struggle. The Bible is our play book for the rest of our lives, but we fail. Why? Let's read on. 12 "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." (Romans 7:12-15) We carry a cross, much like Jesus carried a cross that was His instrument of death. He that committed no sin took upon Himself the instrument of His death, for us. That cross is symbolic with something that we carry with us everywhere. What is the instrument of our death? SIN!. Sin lodges in the mind and in the heart of man. The apostle Paul says in Romans 7 that he found sin still within him. Here is a converted man, an apostle of God, long after he was called, yet sin still lived in him. Every once in awhile, it would get control over him, and he would find himself under its domination once again. That cross that we have to bear and carry with us right to the grave is our own mind laden with sin! Sin lies at the door. It is at the door of our minds all the time. God has given us an interesting challenge: Everywhere we go our cross is with us. It is sobering. In these passages, notice we are talking about one of the main writers of the New Testament. Paul was a follower of Jesus Christ. A man who had seen our Lord up close and personal and it blinded him. This was a man that, I believe, was taught directly from Jesus Christ and Paul was His student. He says that he received this revelation from Jesus Christ as he wrote about it. Not that Paul is our example, because our example is Jesus Christ and Him alone, but can you see that a person who walked, talked and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the known Gentile world and wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, if he had to deal with sin in his own life, then how much more do we? Let's read how Paul lamented his struggles. Romans 16, "If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.(Romans 7:16-23) Paul was not living the life of sin, as he was before having the Holy Spirit of God cover his life, after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, but being a man of God, and understanding the requirements of the commandments of God, that no one can keep, he was mindful and could see the nuances of sin and the carnality that still lurked within him. To Paul, this disgusted him, groaning and yearning and prayed to be released from it. Paul gives us the answer to this struggle. 24 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.(Romans 7:24-25) Let's move onto the companion chapter in Romans 8, which should really be no interruption, as Paul deals with the same theme. Paul reveals that we are delivered by grace: 1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."(Romans 8:1-4) Here God the Father wants us to know that He has accepted us, because of His Son, Jesus Christ. He loves us, and He will keep us and wants us to grow to be a part of His family, but my brethren, it is a struggle. We must be prepared for what is coming: 11 " Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."(Ephesians 6:11-13) Going back to Romans chapter 8, Paul gives a warning in the next few verses: 5 "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."(Romans 8:5-7) There is a continued struggle between the self and what God has shown to be the way of the Spirit. Man wars within himself to follow his own self indulgence or to follow after God's Spirit. We must decide who is our Master. Will you submit to His leading? It is a lifelong struggle. 8 "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8:8-15) Notice how Paul turns the direction of the passage to hope. He shows that our life here on earth is subject to futility. We become discouraged, we may stray, or we may doubt God, but we must not take our eyes off of our Savior, as hopelessness builds. We must put our faith and trust in the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. His will is that we rely on Him. He asks you a simple question "do you believe Me?" He wants you to put your faith in Him and Him alone. The expression of hope is clarified in the following verses: 16 " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: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.20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."(Romans 8:16-29) When we don't know what to ask of God, we get on our knees or get alone with God and let God do the talking, as He knows what we need and will meet our every need when He knows that we are weak and need His strength. The Spirit will make known and help us in our request before Almighty God. The next verses of this chapter are the most beautiful of these two chapters, in my opinion, and shows how God is with us. It is a passage that it would behoove the Christian who struggles for faith and strength to memorize. 28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.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.31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"(Romans 8:28-31) Wow, if that doesn't make you see that you are not alone, then I don't what will. Whatever comes our way, no matter how the flesh wars with the spirit, and no matter what Satan throws at you to make you give in to hopelessness and try and diminish your faith, this should increase your faith, your hope in Christ Jesus. We are a work in progress. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is working to conform us to the image of His Son. No matter how we fail, and no matter how many times Satan tries to beat us up and say we are worthless, God finds worth in each of us, because of the plans He has in store for us.9 "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.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 2:9-10) Then ending this beautiful thought in scripture, Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God, NOTHING!32 "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."(Romans 8:32-39) Do you see that He will never leave or forsake you? He knows that you are still human. He knows that you will still sin because of your flesh, but as time and maturity and being conformed to the image of His Son, sin will be less and less, but never completely overcome. Being a follower of Jesus Christ, speaks of relationship. That relationship is the one we have with the Creator of the universe. He wishes to be the center of your life. When we fail, we confess our sins: 9 "If we confess our sins, He faithfully and righteously forgives us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."(1st John 1:9) As I told my brethren who ask what they should do and how should they respond to this hopeless feeling they have, I have to say, "Forgive yourself, God has." 12 " as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.13 As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear him.14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.(Psalms 103:12-13) It's a War, my brethren. Not that are we given a pass to sin so grace will abound, as that was an Agnostic belief that Paul fought in his day, time and time again. We are not to continue to sin, thinking that God will give us the ability to repent, so why don't do what we want and repent afterwards? Only to go out and do it time and time again. We are looking to become more like Jesus everyday, but we still live in mortal flesh and we will fail, because of it. It will last as long as you live on this earth. Decide now that you will follow after Him in Spirit and in Truth, as His Word is truth. Because until we are changed into immortal beings, in the twinkling of an eye, at the Last Trump or raised from the dead, the Spirit shall war with the flesh. Begin here: 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) And confess before men that you have been forgiven and seek to spread that Good News to all who are around you: 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) This is Pastor Mike Taylor, wishing God's Salvation in your life through His Son, Jesus Christ. If there be anything you wish counsel on, prayer about, or just a listening ear, drop me a line at [email protected] , or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com , God bless you all, till we meet at Jesus feet. Russia & China Warn War With The United States Is Coming - By Michael Snyder - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2684 Could it be possible that the U.S. is heading for a major war? If you ask most Americans that question, they will look at you like you are crazy. For most people in this country, war with either Russia or China is not something to even be remotely concerned about. But the Russians and the Chinese both see things very differently. As you will see below, Russia and China both seem to be under the impression that war with the United States is coming, and they are both rapidly preparing for such a conflict. Let's start with Russia. After repeatedly slapping them with sanctions, endlessly demonizing their leaders and blaming them for just about every problem that you can imagine, our relationship with Russia is about the worst that it has ever been. And when the Trump administration announced that it was withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, that pushed things to a new low. In the aftermath of that announcement, Russian official Andrei Belousov boldly declared that "Russia is preparing for war"... He said: "Here recently at the meeting, the United States said that Russia is preparing for war. "Yes, Russia is preparing for war, I have confirmed it. "We are preparing to defend our homeland, our territorial integrity, our principles, our values, our people - we are preparing for such a war." Here in the United States, there is very little talk of a potential war with Russia in the mainstream media, but in Russia things are very different. Russian news outlets are constantly addressing escalating tensions with the United States, and the Russian government has been adding fuel to that fire. For example, the Russian government recently released a video of a mock nuclear strike against their "enemies"... Russian submarines have recently carried out a mock nuclear attack against their "enemies." The Russian government has released footage of the atomic strike and it is sparking fears that the third world war is quickly approaching. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has published shocking videos that show a range of nuclear missile drills including a submarine carrying out a mock atomic strike. These videos are the latest in a series of escalating war-games ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to The Express UK. I'll give you just one guess as to who the primary enemy in that drill was. And what Russian President Vladimir Putin recently told the press about a potential nuclear war was extremely chilling... If any nation decides to attack Russia with nuclear weapons, it may end life on Earth; but unlike the aggressors, the Russians are sure to go to heaven, President Vladimir Putin has said. "Any aggressor should know that retribution will be inevitable and he will be destroyed. And since we will be the victims of his aggression, we will be going to heaven as martyrs. They will simply drop dead, won't even have time to repent," Putin said during a session of the Valdai Club in Sochi. Under normal circumstances, Putin would never talk like that. But these are not normal times. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is ordering his military to focus on "preparations for fighting a war"... China's President Xi Jinping ordered the military region responsible for monitoring the South China Sea and Taiwan to "assess the situation it is facing and boost its capabilities so it can handle any emergency" as tensions continue to mount over the future of the South China Sea and Taiwan, while diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing hit rock bottom. The Southern Theatre Command has had to bear a "heavy military responsibility" in recent years, state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying during an inspection tour made on Thursday as part of his visit to Guangdong province. "It's necessary to strengthen the mission ... and concentrate preparations for fighting a war," Xi said. "We need to take all complex situations into consideration and make emergency plans accordingly. "We have to step up combat readiness exercises, joint exercises and confrontational exercises to enhance servicemen's capabilities and preparation for war" the president-for-life added. So who are the Chinese concerned that they may be fighting against? Needless to say, the United States is at the top of the list... The president instructed the military to ramp-up opposition to 'freedom of navigation' exercises being undertaken by the US, Australia, France, the UK, Japan and others through the waterway through which arterial shipping lanes have grown since the end of World War II. Tensions over the South China Sea have been increasing for several years, and starting a trade war with China in 2018 has certainly not helped things. At this point, even many U.S. analysts can see the writing on the wall. For instance, just consider what Harvard Professor Graham Allison recently told Steve LeVine... He said, if history holds, the U.S. and China appeared headed toward war. Over the weekend, I asked him for an update -- specifically whether the danger of the two going to war seems to have risen. "Yes," he responded. The chance of war is still less than 50%, but "is real -- and much more likely than is generally recognized." Of course we didn't get to this point overnight. Tensions with Russia and China have been simmering for quite a while, and both of those nations have been rapidly modernizing their military forces. For much more on this, please see my recent article entitled "Russia And China Are Developing Impressive New Weapons Systems As They Prepare For War Against The United States". Sadly, the vast majority of the U.S. population is utterly clueless about these things. But those that are serving in the military have a much better understanding, and one recent survey found that about half of them expect the U.S. to be "drawn into a new war within the next year"... Nearly half of all current military troops believe the United States will be drawn into a major war soon, a jarring rise in anxiety among service members worried about global instability in general and Russia and China in particular, according to a new Military Times poll of active-duty troops. About 46 percent of troops who responded to the anonymous survey of currently serving Military Times readers said they believe the U.S. will be drawn into a new war within the next year. That's a jarring increase from only about 5 percent who said the same thing in a similar poll conducted in September 2017. Those numbers are jarring. Some major stuff must be going on behind the scenes in order to go from 5 percent to 46 percent in a single year. We truly are living in apocalyptic times, and our world seems to be getting more unstable with each passing day. We should hope for peace, but throughout human history peace has never lasted for long. Major global powers continue to edge closer and closer to conflict, and that is a very dangerous game to be playing. Nearing Midnight: Prophetic Fine Tuning - Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ Theological academicians-primarily seminarians-sometimes accuse those who look at issues and events of the hour in light of Bible prophecy of engaging in newspaper exegesis. By this, I presume they mean that such practice is improper because one cannot discern Bible prophecy unfolding based upon such examination. While it is prudent to proceed with caution in such examination, it is commanded by the greatest of all prophets to understand the prophetic times. Jesus' words to those who failed to discern the prophetic times are as follows: He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? (Matthew 16:2-3) I would much prefer being accused by those with the theological doctorates of engaging in newspaper exegesis than to stand one day before my Lord and know that I failed to understand these times. And, these are indeed prophetic times! Looking at the wide view of the times in which we live under the microscope of God's prophetic Word, it is a staggering vista to be sure.
Israel, we can see in our broad view of prophetic development, is rapidly becoming the cup of trembling and burdensome stone of Zechariah 12:1-3. Many, many other prophetic developments are front and center each and every hour of every news cycle. So, through a broad, sweeping examination of developments in considering today's issues and events, discernment should be forthcoming. Any Christian, each of whom is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, should be able to understand these times so near the dénouement of the Church Age (Age of Grace). Now, back to the matter of Turkey-ancient Togarmah, as presented by Ezekiel the prophet in Ezekiel, chapter 38. As I wrote above, Turkey is in the process of leaving NATO, the Western alliance that has long been a policing force against the bad actors, particularly the aggressive sorts among those of the Eastern hemisphere. This is where the microscope of Bible prophecy can be used to focus more sharply, looking closely at the issues and events of our time. I like to call it prophetic fine-tuning. We are all familiar by now with the assassinated journalist who was somewhat involved with the Muslim Brotherhood. He worked for the Washington Post and was, it is alleged by most pundits, murdered by forces from Saudi, Arabia. The murder occurred within the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The ramifications have been profound. The bottom line of the matter, for my purposes here, is to express my contention that the mainstream news media and the Democrat Party-and much of the Washington, D.C. establishment-have tried to use the murder to destroy President Trump's relationship with the Saud royal family. That relationship is one that was negotiated because the Saudis need American military equipment and support to fend off a growing threat from Iran. Difference in the Islamic sects, one Sunni and the other Shiite, is at the heart of the hatred between Saudi and Iran. It is a schism that has driven the royal family to ally with the west in many ways. Now that alliance is threatened because of the journalist's murder. Trump is expected to severely sanction the Saudis, thus threatening to destroy the relationship. Many billions of dollars in sales to Saudi and more than 6,000 jobs are at stake. In fine-tuning the prophetic picture because of being able to discern the times, I'm confident in predicting that, ultimately, the relationship between the Saudis and the Western alliance won't be destroyed. Why? Because of Ezekiel the prophet's foretelling: Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13) Many scholars hold that Sheba and Dedan here are in reference to the Arab areas that today constitute the Saudi Kingdom. If this is the case, the Saudis will be aligned with the Western alliance-which those scholars believe are referenced in the rest of Ezekiel 38: 13-at the time of the Gog-Magog assault. This is prophetic fine tuning. Such examination of issues and events through the prism of Bible prophecy can help the spiritually attuned Christian discern the times-as the Lord obviously expects of those who are His. Did Brazil's Election Signal the First Stage in Building the Third Temple? - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com Behold, the coastlands await me, With ships of Tarshish in the lead, To bring your sons from afar, And their silver and gold as well - For the name of Hashem your God, For the Holy One of Yisrael, who has glorified you. Isaiah 60:14 (The Israel Bible™) Brazil's election of Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing president, highlights a significant shift in thought, moving away from left-wing socialism while unabashedly embracing an approach to Christianity that supports Israel. It may be that this marks the beginning of the Third Temple, which some believe will be initiated in South America in a process that has already begun. A former Captain in Brazil's army, Bolsonaro entered politics by getting elected city councillor in Rio de Janeiro by the Christian Democratic Party. Religion is a large part of Bolsonaro's appeal. In a 2017 speech, Brazil's new president stated, "God above everything. There is no such thing as this secular state. The state is Christian and the minority will have to change, if they can." A controversial figure, he won the second round of voting with 55 percent of the votes after failing to achieve the required 50 percent in the first round. So divisive was the election that Bolsonaro was stabbed in September at a campaign event. His political positions are identical to those of right-wing politicians in the U.S. (pro-life, pro-gun, anti-same-sex marriage). He also opposes immigration, particularly from Haiti, Africa and the Middle East. He openly praises President Trump, to whom he has been compared by the media, and, like Trump, he is frequently lambasted in the media for his off the cuff remarks. Bolsonaro's emulation of Trump led him to make a campaign promise three months ago that, if elected, he will transfer his country's embassy to Jerusalem. And similar to Trump's closing of the PLO Mission in Washington DC, Bolsonaro also vowed at the time to close the PLO's office in his country's capital. Though these decisions seem purely political, they may have motives deeply grounded in visions of the Third Temple. Under the previous Brazilian administration in February 2016, the Palestinian Authority inaugurated its embassy in Sao Paulo. The modest building had a striking design: an octagon, the structure was topped with a gold dome. The architecture bore an unmistakable message: the PA's mission in Brazil was to lay claim to the Temple Mount. The message was not lost on Brazilians who are no strangers to Temple Mount imagery. Sao Paulo is home to a church built as a four-times larger-than-life $300 million model of Solomon's Temple that can seat 10,000 worshipers. If the recent election signals a shift in Brazilian politics towards Israel, it could be that the body best poised to connect with the Bolsanaro's administration is not the Israeli government but, rather, the nascent Sanhedrin. Rabbi Weiss emphasized that a pre-Third Temple connection to South America appears in prophecy as the first stage in establishing a Third Temple. With ships of Tarshish in the lead, To bring your sons from afar, And their silver and gold as well - For the name of Hashem your God, For the Holy One of Yisrael, who has glorified you. Aliens shall rebuild your walls, Their kings shall wait upon you... Isaiah 60:9-10 Rabbi Weiss explained that Tarshish is Spain, or the Spanish speaking world. "The first ones to come and recognize Jerusalem for the purposes of the Messiah and the Third Temple are the Spanish speakers," Rabbi Weiss said. He noted that later in the chapter, the prophet referred to them in terms that seemed to describe the Spanish Inquisition. Bowing before you, shall come The children of those who tormented you; Prostrate at the soles of your feet Shall be all those who reviled you; And you shall be called "City of Hashem, Tzion of the Holy One of Yisrael." Isaiah 60:14 "The New World was opened up to Spain and Portugal as a result of the Inquisition by Christopher Columbus, who was a descendant of Anousim (Jews forcibly converted to Christianity)," Rabbi Weiss said. "This aid the descendants of the Inquisitors will give to build the Third Temple is their tshuva (repentance) for what they did during the Inquisition." The Sanhedrin is already working to bring about this final tikkun (fixing) to open the way for South America to take their place in building the Third Temple. In September, the Sanhedrin hosted the Creation Concert, inviting all the nations of the world to come and praise God in Jerusalem. As part of the concert, the Sanhedrin invited the nations to establish a new international body based on the Bible. On hand were representatives from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico who all signed a declaration of intent to play their prophetic role in helping Israel bring about the Third Temple. This opened up relations between the Sanhedrin and those countries which are ongoing. Last month, the Sanhedrin sent a letter to Guatemala on the occasion of their national Independence Day, praising them for being the first nation to accept their prophetic role. "We now pray that all of the lands in which Spanish and Portuguese are spoken will become connected with the return to Zion, the physical and spiritual repentance and return," the letter read. "Among your people are those of our brethren, members of the Ten Lost Tribes of Jews who escaped the Inquisition and whose descendants live in your lands. Also the tribes that have undergone strict ritual conversion like an entire Peruvian tribe which immigrated to Israel and now live full Jewish lives in Judea and Samaria." These prophecies relate directly to you. They speak to you, of you, to show that you have been chosen as pioneers and groomsmen to this entire prophetic awakening. "We offer our blessings for great success for your country in responding to this divine wish, and for a just and true peace among all of your peoples and your neighboring countries. We pray that you will make annual pilgrimages to Israel to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles." "As for all 70 Nations from around the world, just as your hearts are turned toward the God of Israel and His people and the Land of Israel and His Temple, God will uplift them to their proper place with the laws of the Bible." "We call on you to establish an organization of states in Jerusalem, 70 states, that will administer justice and righteousness together with the Sanhedrin to fulfill the saying "from Zion will emerge the Torah, and the word of God from Jerusalem." The letter was signed by Rabbi Zvi Idan, President of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Joel Schwartz, Leader of the Court for the Sons of Noah, Rabbi Dov Stein, Secretary of the Sanhedrin, and the Spokesmen of the Sanhedrin, Rabbi Yishai Ba'abad and Prof. Hillel Weiss. Daily Jot: Discerning deceit as a prophetic people - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Christ said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you." Ephesians 5:6 says, "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." In reviewing the headlines and news stories of the past few days, deceit is in the air. As a prophetic people living in a prophetic time, you must be able to recognize deceit otherwise you can and will be deceived. There are certain techniques to deceit: Lying outright; mixing a little truth with a lie to get a better lie; Using experts to propagate a lie; accusing others of what the accuser is doing; repeating the lie until it is believed. These are all occurring everyday in the news. The news media is going crazy over a sitting president saying that their fake news is an enemy of the public. President Trump Monday tweeted, "There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news. The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly. That will do much to put out the flameof Anger and Outrage and we will then be able to bring all sides together in Peace and Harmony. Fake News Must End!" Thus, the media stepped up its attacks on the president and conservatives who disagree with the liberal agenda. How did they do it? By bringing in "unbiased experts" to comment. These so-called "experts," however, are committed liberals there to convince Americans that Trump and conservatives are the cause of all the violence in America. Examples: MSNBC: Leftist Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank said Trump was giving license to the perpetrators of mail bombs being sent to political figures and the synagogue shooting. Political analyst John Heileman said, "The president is obviously a racist... He obviously condones anti-Semitism, stokes up nationalist hatred." Joe Scarborough said, "I can't even call him president, this demagogue, this nationalist, he refused to even try to temper his crowds." CNN: Billionaire Democratic Party donor Tom Steyer said that Trump created the atmosphere of "routine, systematic lawlessness." GQ Magazine's Julia Ioffe said Trump had radicalized more people than ISIS. Did you even hear that 26 were shot and 5 killed last weekend in liberal- and gun-controlled Chicago? I didn't think so. The major networks also repeatedly quoted and analyzed Democratic Party Leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer saying Trump condones violence, and other liberals saying conservatives are radicals, extremists, deplorables, dregs and more--All this, repeated infinitum hour after hour to make people think they are obviously right. Breitbart's John Nolte has tracked leftist violence against conservatives since Trump took office in January 2016-over 620 incidents, 40 in October alone--including death threats, harassments, assaults, vandalism, the sending of a "ricin-like" substance to conservative officials, and the latest-four shots fired into the Volusia County, FL Republican Headquarters. There is little mainstream media coverage of these events. Who is inciting and perpetrating violence? Discernment is key for a prophetic people. Daily Devotion: Four Words for Men on Marriage - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13:8 The four words that will change your marriage are "Husbands, love your wives." And how are husbands to love their wives? As Christ loves the church. The apostle Paul wrote, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25 NKJV). It's kind of a tall order, isn't it? God would never ask us to do something that He wouldn't give us the strength to do. If a husband would just concentrate on this single truth, it literally would change his marriage. Many marriages, if not most, are failing because men are not doing what God has called them to do. How did Jesus love the church? Sacrificially. Jesus laid His life down for us. He served people. On one occasion He got down on His hands and knees and washed the feet of His disciples, which included Judas Iscariot. Jesus was a servant, and that is what we are to do. We are to love, but I think one of the problems is that we get our ideas about love from things like ridiculous movies. We need something better than that. We need God's love. The definitive chapter on love, 1 Corinthians 13, tells us what love does: "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (verses 4-8 NKJV). Don't wait for feelings. Don't wait for the emotion of love. Just do loving things, and in time your emotions will catch up. FROM THE HEART
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