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The Fullness of Sin: Part 3 - By Randy Nettles - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/11/21/the-fullness-of-sin-part-3-by-randy-nettles/
Toward the end of Solomon’s life, God told the prophet Ahijah to seek out Solomon’s servant, a mighty man of valor named Jeroboam, and give him a message. Jeroboam was from the northern tribe of Ephraim (a descendant of Joseph). This was the word from the Lord to Jeroboam: “Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David” (1 Kings 11:31-33). Ahijah told Jeroboam that the Lord would not do this during Solomon’s life but would take the kingdom (ten tribes) out of Solomon’s son’s hand and then give it to him. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, would keep one tribe (actually two tribes – Judah and Benjamin were counted together) for David’s sake and the promise that God made to him. The Lord also gave Jeroboam the same conditional promise that he made to Solomon: “If you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you”(1 Kings 11:38-39). Israel’s second wave of fullness of sin began after Solomon died and Rehoboam became king. All of Israel met in Shechem for this event. Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you” (1 Kings 11: 4). Rehoboam did not listen to the sage advice of his father’s older counselors but instead listened to his young friends who now counseled him. Foolishly, Rehoboam told them he would make their yoke even heavier and that he would chastise them with not only whips but scourges! Naturally the 10 tribes of the north rebelled at this and set up their own kingdom. They called it Israel, with Jeroboam as their king, just as the Lord had spoken to him through His prophet Ahijah. The southern kingdom was called Judah. Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim and dwelt there. He immediately ignored God’s word and started sinning against the Lord, as he made two molten calves of gold. Jeroboam sinned twice as much as the children of Israel did in the wilderness (during the exodus), as he made two calves of gold to worship. Jeroboam said to the people, “Do not go up to Jerusalem: behold your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (1 Kings 12:28). By this statement, Jeroboam claimed the golden calf was the god who delivered the children of Israel from Egypt instead of the one true God, Yahweh. You can’t get much more evil than that. I believe Satan, the father of lies, put him up to this, as this was indeed a whopper! Jeroboam set one god in Bethel and the other in Dan and offered sacrifices in these places (instead of the temple in Jerusalem}. He also made priests of the people who were not of the sons of Levi, another great sin against the Lord. About that time, Jeroboam’s son became sick. Jeroboam had his wife go to Shiloh and ask the prophet Ahijah what would become of their son. Ahijah told her to tell Jeroboam, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back – “Therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken! Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die” (1 Kings 14:7-12). The author of Hebrews had this to say about God’s wrath: “For we know Him that has said, Vengeance belongs unto me, I will recompense, says the Lord, And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31). Of course, everything the Lord told Jeroboam’s wife came true. As soon as she came to the threshold of their house, the child died. Jeroboam ruled Israel for 22 years and then he died. His son Nadab became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. “And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin” (1 Kings 15:26). Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him and killed him at Gibbethon. “When Baasha became king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone that breathed, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 15:27-30). Throughout the 186 years of Israel’s (northern kingdom) existence, there were 20 kings across 10 different dynasties starting with Jeroboam and ending with Hoshea. All of them were evil and did not obey God’s statutes and commandments. God sent many prophets to these kings to warn them of judgment to come if they did not repent and follow the Lord. None of them listened. Many of these evil men became kings by killing the previous king. Here is a brief history of the kings of Israel and the fullness of their sins as recorded in 1st and 2nd Kings: Jeroboam (1) rebelled against Rehoboam. After he died, his son Nadab (2) became king of Israel. Baasha killed Nadab and all of Rehoboam’s family and then became king. After Baasha (3) died, his son Elah (4) became king. Zimri, a captain of the king’s chariots, killed Elah and all of his male kinsman and friends. Zimra (5) lasted 7 days as king before Omri, the captain of the host, came against him. Zimri committed suicide by burning down the house of the king around him, and so he died. At this point, the people of Israel divided into two parts: half of the people followed Tibni (6) and made him king, and half of the people followed Omri (7) and made him their king. Tibni died two years later, and Omri reigned over all of Israel. Omri built the city of Samaria in northern Israel. After Omri’s death, his son, the wicked Ahab (8), became king. “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:31-33). Just as the children of Israel did, in the time of the Judges (and also King Solomon), Ahab did likewise by worshipping the false god/idol Baal. Baal worship was rooted in sensuality and involved ritualistic prostitution in their temples of worship. At times, appeasing Baal required human sacrifice, usually the firstborn of the one making the sacrifice (as per Jeremiah 19:5). They would usually burn the babies with fire to their death. The word of the Lord came unto the prophet Elijah the Tishbite, who was from Gilead, to confront Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah’s first appearance in 1 Kings 17 was to challenge the evil reign of King Ahab by declaring a three-year drought. He then tells Ahab to gather all Israel, including the priests of Baal and the groves, to Mount Carmel. “And Elijah came to all the people and said, How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, then follow Him; but if Baal, follow him. But the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21). ‘He challenges the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:18-19) in the ‘mother of all showdowns’ to see which God could supernaturally send fire down from heaven to burn up their sacrifice. After thoroughly destroying their credibility as prophets and their false gods by God sending fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice, he then had all 850 of them put to death by the Jewish people who came to watch. Afterwards, he declares an end to the drought, but a scorned Jezebel puts a bounty on his head, and Elijah flees for his life. God supernaturally protects and strengthens Elijah and sends him on several more important errands.‘ {1} The word of the Lord came again unto Elijah to give Ahab a message (prophecy) after Ahab and Jezebel had Naboth the Jezreelite killed so they could steal his vineyard. Elijah told Ahab, “Thus says the Lord, Have you killed, and also taken possession? In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your blood, even yours. You have sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall [male descendants], and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith you have provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. And of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dies of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dies in the field shall the fowls of the air eat” (1 Kings 21:17-24). ‘Not long after this, Elijah was ‘taken up’ by a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). This was the second rapture that is recorded in the Bible, although totally different from Enoch’s. Elijah’s disappearance was about 180 degrees opposite of Enoch’s. First, he and everyone with him knew when his rapture was coming (2 Kings 2:1-5). Second, aside from the timing, Elijah’s rapture (or manner of departure) was not a mystery. He knew he was going up to heaven, although he may not have known exactly what that would look like. Last, his deliverance upwards was not some instantaneous translation from mortal to immortal. In fact, there is no mention of Elijah’s physical transformation at all. Instead, he is taken up in an over-the-top chariot of fire, which becomes a whirlwind of fire that could be seen from a distance’ (2 Kings 2:11).‘ {2} The rapture of Elijah (in front of credible witnesses) served as a warning to the idolatrous kingdom of Israel that God’s judgment would be forthcoming (when the fullness of their sins was complete) unless they changed their evil ways. It was also a reward for the righteousness of Elijah, that he should not see death. Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years and died in battle while in his chariot. His body was brought back to Samaria for burial. “Then his chariot was washed in a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken” (1 Kings 22:37-38). Ahab’s son, Ahaziah (9) then became king. Ahaziah died from complications of an injury due to a fall. Ahaziah’s brother Joram (Jehoram) (10) then became king of Israel as Ahaziah had no son. During the reign of Joram (grandson of Ahab), Elisha the prophet called a fellow prophet and sent him on a mission. Elisha was an apprentice of Elijah and was now his successor as prophet extraordinaire to speak the word of the Lord to the evil kings of Israel. Elisha told the young prophet to go to Ramoth-gilead and find a captain of the host named Jehu and pour anointing oil on his head and tell him, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. And you shall smite the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood, of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisses against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: and I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: and the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her” (2 Kings 9:1-16). Elisha’s message fulfilled Elijah’s prophecy that he made 20 years earlier. Jehu was the weapon that God used to make this prophecy come true. Jehu killed King Joram and all of Ahab’s male descendants in Jezreel, as well as all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left none remaining. Jehu went on a killing spree at this point. He had all the priests of Baal put to death. Jehu also killed Ahaziah the king of Judah and all his brothers. He then had Jezebel thrown from a window of a tall house to her death. Some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trampled her under foot. He then told the people to bury her as she was a king’s daughter. “And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands, Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: and the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel” (2 Kings:33-37). Thus, Elijah’s prophecy was completely fulfilled just as the Lord had spoken. Jehu (11) became the next king of Israel after he killed Joram. Although he destroyed the idols and priests of Baal, Jehu continued the idolatrous ways of Jeroboam and worshiped the golden calves that were in Bethel and Dan. “And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because you have done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and have done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, your children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin” (2 Kings 10:30-31). This is basically what the Lord said about all the evil kings of Israel. He said they sinned in the manner of Jeroboam. He did not mention Solomon, who sinned in like manner, because he did not make molded images or idols like Jeroboam did. Also, Solomon repented before his death, and I believe God did not mention him out of respect for King David. After the death of Jehu, his son Jehoahaz (12) reigned in his stead. Jehoahaz followed in the footsteps of Jehu and Jeroboam. During his reign, Israel was nearly wiped out by the Syrians, “and had made them like the dust by threshing.” Jehoahaz died and was succeeded by his son Joash (13), who was evil but a capable military man who recovered the cities of Israel from Syria. Jeroboam II (14), the son of Joash, was the next king after the death of his father. He also followed in the footsteps of his evil father. He was one of Israel’s most successful rulers and was able to almost completely restore Israel’s borders to where they had been under Solomon. Jeroboam II died, and his son Zachariah (15) became the next king of Israel. Zachariah was the great, great grandson of Jehu. He also departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. His reign lasted only six months. Shallum (16) the son of Jabesh conspired against Zachariah and slew him, and reigned in his stead. “This was the word of the Lord which he spoke unto Jehu, saying, Your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass” (2 Kings 15:12). Shallum ruled in Israel for a full month before Menahem (17) came to Samaria and slew him, and reigned in his stead. Menahem reigned ten years in Samaria and was another evil king, as were all before him. He was king during Assyria’s assault on the land and had to pay tribute to their king to keep them at bay. Assyria was becoming a world power at this time (approximately 743 BC). This was the first of three Assyrian invasions into the land of Israel. Menahem died, and his son Pekahiah (18) became king of Israel. A captain of his named Pekah (19) conspired against Pekahiah and smote him in Samaria, and killed him, and took over the kingdom. In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria and took many cities and lands of Israel. He also carried many captives back to Assyria. This was the second invasion of Assyria into Israel. Hoshea (20) made a conspiracy against Pekah and slew him, and reigned in his stead. Hoshea the son of Elah reigned in Samaria over Israel 9 years (9 is not a good number for Israel -see: https://www.raptureready.com/2019/07/14/dog-days-summer-randy-nettles/ ). He was the last king of the northern kingdom of Israel. “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel that were before him” (2 Kings 17:2). Can you imagine putting that on your tombstone: He wasn’t as evil as those who came before him? Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it. This was the third invasion of Assyria into Israel, and the siege lasted for three years (725 BC to 722 BC). You know what they say: The third time is a charm! In the 9th year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and destroyed Israel completely, carrying away most of the people and resettling the land with foreigners. Interestingly enough, in the same year of the siege of 725 BC, Jonah the prophet went to Nineveh, the capitol city of Assyria, and reluctantly preached the message of repentance from wickedness that the Lord had commanded him. This was after the great fish incident as recorded in the book of Jonah. “Jonah cried out to the people of Nineveh and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them” (Jonah 3:4-5). Even the king believed and issued a decree saying, Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not: And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not” (Jonah 3:8-10). Of course, this repentance by the Assyrians only lasted for a few generations, as Nineveh and the might of the Assyrian Empire was overthrown by the Babylonians in 612 BC. However, it’s strange indeed that the enemy of the Jews which destroyed Israel would repent from their wickedness (even for a short time) while the supposed people of God would not. That is why God allowed for the people of the ten kingdoms to be destroyed or removed from the land. The Lord God spoke through one of his prophets (possibly Jeremiah), and he summed up the fullness of Israel’s sins as recorded in 2 Kings 2:17. “Yet the Lord testified against Israel (and Judah), by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn you from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God. And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed worthless idols, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about the, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them. “And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven (demons), and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only” (2 Kings 17:13-18). Next time: The fullness of sin of Judah will be examined. Randy Nettles nettlesr@suddenlink.net Endnotes: {1,2} https://www.rev310.com/2019/05/three-raptures-elijah Hezbollah's Great Diversion - by Khaled Abu Toameh - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/16845/hezbollah-great-diversion More than four months have passed since the huge explosion at the port of the Lebanese capital of Beirut, and many Lebanese are demanding answers to role of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization in the port "massacre." They are also demanding an end to Iran's occupation of Lebanon. On August 4, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Beirut port exploded, causing at least 204 deaths, 6,500 injuries, and $15 billion in property damage. An estimated 300,000 people were left homeless. Many of Hezbollah's political and civil opponents blamed the terrorist organization for storing the dangerous chemicals. A commission of inquiry set up by the Lebanese government has so far failed to provide satisfactory answers, prompting many Lebanese to call for an international probe. Denying responsibility, Hezbollah this week threatened to sue those who have accused it of being behind the explosion. Hezbollah's denial, however, has failed to convince many Lebanese, who are saying they are fed up with the terrorist organization's lies. On December 5, Lebanese demonstrators took to the streets, chanting "Hezbollah the terrorist" and asking questions about its role in the explosion. "We, Lebanese, should do to [Hezbollah Secretary-General] Hassan Nasrallah the same thing Libyans did to [slain Libyan dictator] Gaddafi: Step on his face and crush it.," The Beirut Journal wrote on Twitter. A hashtag named "Hezbollah is Terror" that has recently been trending on Twitter and other social media platforms accuses the terrorist organization of hijacking and destroying Lebanon to serve the interests of Iran. The hashtag further accuses Hezbollah terrorists of beating and intimidating peaceful demonstrators in various parts of Lebanon. "What has Nasrallah done to the Lebanese people?" asked Lebanese social media user Martine J. Zaarour. "1. Killed our people. 2. Stolen our money. 3. Destroyed Beirut. 4. Placed on the terrorist list 5. Made war with Israel. 6. Prioritized Palestinians and Syrians. 8. Threatened us with illegal weapons." Some Lebanese citizens scoffed at Hezbollah's threat to sue those who hold it responsible for the port explosion. "If Hezbollah is resorting to the judiciary, this means that it trusts the Lebanese state," remarked Lebanese political activist Charbel Frem. "So why does Hezbollah not surrender its weapons to the state?" In response, Nizar Salloum, also from Lebanon, wrote: "Hezbollah trusts the judiciary it controls with its weapons." Although the Lebanese government has set up a commission of inquiry into the port explosion, many Lebanese are wondering why the results have not been published yet. They are convinced that the Lebanese government is afraid to point the finger of blame at Hezbollah. "Four months have passed," noted Larissa Aoun, a Lebanese reporter for Sky News Arabia. "Where is the investigation? Where is justice? Who is responsible? We will not forget." Alarmed by the growing criticism of Hezbollah's presence as a state-within-a-state in Lebanon and allegations over its responsibility for the Beirut explosion, the terrorist organization has begun berating and intimidating journalists who dare to speak out. One victim, Maraim Seif, was recently attacked at her home by Hezbollah terrorists for her repeated criticism of the terrorist organization. "Hezbollah's 'resistance fighters' have officially turned into thugs," commented Lebanese anchorwoman Dima Sadek. "These resistance fighters attacked the activist, journalist and friend Mariam Seif and her family, beat them and threatened to kill them. Mariam was assaulted for articles she wrote attacking Hezbollah." Sadek herself was targeted by Hezbollah thugs for supporting protests against the terrorist organization. She recently resigned from Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International after receiving threats from Hezbollah. "Lebanon is ruled by an armed militia and a corrupted mafia," said Serge Dagher, Secretary-General of the Lebanese Kataeb party. "No change can be achieved in this country expect with holding parliament elections, changing the ruling authority as a whole as well as the mafia and militia that has been prevailing over the country for the past period." He blamed the Lebanese government for mishandling the Beirut port explosion and pointed out that none of the Lebanese officials has taken to the streets and supported the people. The failure of the Lebanese authorities to reveal the identities of those responsible for the explosion has led several Lebanese politicians, political activists and journalists to call for the intervention of the international community. Samir Geagea, Chairman of the Lebanese Forces, a Christian political party, threatened to resort to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the Lebanese government's investigation into the port explosion does not reach clear results. "We will go to the International Criminal Court to uncover the truth and the circumstances surrounding this crime," he said. In an apparent attempt to divert attention from the port explosion, Hezbollah claimed on December 5 that one of its unmanned aerial drones flew over the Galilee in northern Israel. The claim came as Lebanon is facing a deep economic crisis and amid growing outrage in the country over Hezbollah's responsibility for the disasters that have befallen the Lebanese people in the past few decades. The Lebanese are naïve in the extreme to believe that the international community is going to listen to their grievances or interfere to stop Hezbollah and its masters in Iran from destroying Lebanon. They are also painfully naïve if they believe that anyone in the international community cares about the assaults and threats against Lebanese journalists and activists who criticize Hezbollah or call for an end to Iran's occupation of Lebanon. The international community has more pressing issues on its mind: Israel. Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly approved five pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli resolutions. The Lebanese who have lost their loved ones or their homes in the port explosion could not care less about Israel. In fact, such resolutions are harmful to the Lebanese because they keep the world's attention focused only on Israel. The UN is not going to provide relief or answers to the families of the victims of the Lebanon explosion because its members are busy passing resolutions day and night against Israel. The only step left for the Lebanese is to revolt against the terrorist organization that has turned their country into a military and political base for the mullahs in Tehran. World 'perfectly suited for the Antichrist to come' amid COVID-19 chaos - By Leah MarieAnn Klett - https://www.christianpost.com/news/john-macarthur-world-perfectly-suited-for-antichrist-to-come.html?clickType=link-most-popular Grace Community Church Pastor John MacArthur has warned that today’s world is “perfectly suited for the Antichrist to come” amid the chaos and “lawlessness” stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. MacArthur, whose Sun Valley, California-based church has repeatedly sparred with authorities over COVID-19 worship restrictions, said on Sunday that world governments “have done something that's never been done in human history” by making the pandemic issue and the response “global.” “Now we are a global world. And that is a setup that we've been waiting for through redemptive history since the Lord promised that there would come, in the future, an Antichrist who would have a global government,” the 81-year-old pastor said. “We literally have such power over people globally that we can shut them down so they can't function,” he said. “This suits the world of Antichrist. As you look at the book of Revelation, there's the mark of the beast, the number, and if you don't have that, you don't buy, you don't sell, you don't exist. Everything about you, they know — the people who have access to all your data. They know all of it. You can go out of existence virtually any moment [and] somebody decides that. This is the kind of world that appears to be perfectly suited for the Antichrist to come, bring a certain amount of peace, [and] the world falls at his feet.” MacArthur, who also runs a syndicated Christian teaching radio and television program, described the Antichrist as the “instrument of Satan,” adding: “And of course, all hell breaks loose, and in that time of the Great Tribulation, God's judgment comes, at the end of which Christ returns.” The pastor said that while he’s not predicting that “the Lord is coming soon,” the unrest seen today reflect those prophesied in Scripture. “The Bible says in the End Times there will be lawlessness. And there is lawlessness [today] and an escalating lawlessness and an effort to create more lawlessness by taking restraints away,” he said. “This is a world that could find itself in such absolute chaos that the right satanic leader who promises to fix everything could be given the title of king of the world. That Antichrist, aided by the false prophet, is what we see in the book of Revelation. “We have the kind of weaponry that could destroy a third of the population, a fourth of the population, as you see in the book of Revelation,” he continued. “We have the kind of technology that can literally erase people out of existence. So, it's just up to us to be sure that we're looking at the signs of the times.” MacArthur and his megachurch have made headlines in recent months after the church decided to resume in-person services in violation of California’s ongoing public health and court orders. "I’ve been here 50 years; the church is 63 years old, and this church has never had any kind of mandate from the government to close," MacArthur said in an interview with Billy Hallowell in August. "So when they came up with this mandate it seemed to be so rare and so unusual that we were listening." Upon hearing dire predictions about the death toll, MacArthur said it was "enough to make anybody with common sense" pause and take steps to ensure no one was endangered. The church initially moved to a live stream model and closed down in-person services — but within a few weeks, MacArthur said parishioners started showing up again. Despite facing the prospect of fines and the threat of jail time as a result of his refusal to comply with coronavirus regulations, MacArthur has maintained that it’s the church’s biblical responsibility to stay open and hold worship services. “Of course, my biblical hero apart from the Lord Jesus Christ is the Apostle Paul,” MacArthur said in September. “And when he went into a town he didn't ask what the hotel was like. He asked what the jail was like because he knew that's where he was going to spend his time.” “So I don't mind being a little apostolic — if they want to tuck me into jail, I'm open for a jail ministry,” he continued. “I've done a lot of other ministries and haven't had the opportunity to do that one. So bring it on.” Churches across the U.S. have grappled with how to operate amid ever-changing circumstances presented by state government lockdowns in response to COVID-19. Ed Young, founding and senior pastor of Fellowship Church, told The Christian Post that the spiritual ramifications of refusing to meet outweigh the hype of the coronavirus pandemic. “Look at our culture. There is so much going on right now spiritually, especially among young people facing depression, anxiety, and attempting suicide,” Young, who leads the evangelical megachurch in Grapevine, Texas, said. “I have counted the cost of not opening our church versus opening, and I believe that risk and faith go hand in hand. It’s critical to reopen churches.” But Christian geneticist and U.S. National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins recently advised most churches to postpone in-person services due to COVID-19 until at least summer 2021, when most Americans are expected to have had the opportunity to get vaccinated. “I know people are tired of hearing these messages and having to be acting upon them, but the virus does not care that we are tired. The virus is having a wonderful time right now spreading through this country, taking advantage of circumstances where people have let their guard go down. We need to be just absolutely rigorously adherent to things that we know work. But they don’t work unless everybody actually sticks to them faithfully without exception,” Collins said. “Churches gathering in person is a source of considerable concern and has certainly been an instance where superspreading has happened and could happen again. So I think most churches really ought to be advised, if they are not already doing so, to go to remote, virtual kinds of services. That’s the way I’m having my experiences as a churchgoer,” he said. Two Alike Controversaries Centuries Apart - By Gene Lawley - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/12/11/two-alike-controversaries-centuries-apart-by-gene-lawley/ The likeness of President Trump’s ongoing controversy with the “deep state” of embedded bureaucrats in the capital city, Washington, DC, has several comparisons with that horrid resistance of the Jewish leadership against Jesus Christ. Donald Trump was an outsider, not a politician, and certainly not like any of those whom he labeled as members of “the swamp,” which he promised to drain. That did two things, at least. It infuriated the establishment and created fear that he would, indeed, reveal truths about the insider deals that no one has known about. The leftist Democrats hated him intensely and had no shame about letting the public know of their hate. Even before his nomination and election, they tried every possible ruse to expose him as an infidel, mentally unfit for the presidency, a truly wretched person with no redeeming purpose for the people of the United States of America. Yet, his rallying cry was “Make America Great Again!” The leftist major news media gave him no rest, picking up on every negative imagination that came to mind and delivering it in lock-step to the American public, as well as the whole world, that Trump was an evil, unfit man without intelligence enough to win their respect. While President Trump delivered on his promises made during the campaign, the Democrat politicians and their supporting arm of the news media made no effort to advance any kind of platform of policies that they thought would be of help to the nation. During the year of campaign resistance and the four years of his presidency, the constant topic of the leftist news media was their hate for Donald Trump. Then attempts were made to implicate him in secret deals with Russia with three years of investigation by Robert Mueller and a team of leftist lawyers bent on putting him out of the oval office for good. That effort failed measurably. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff spent his whole time attempting to get an impeachment process underway. It also failed measurably because there were no eyewitnesses to the alleged charges, primarily, yet the total Democratic side of the House voted to impeach him, in lock-step. It did not win subsequently in the Senate’s consideration of the issue, yet the Senate Democrats voted for impeachment, again in lock-step. Adam Schiff did not give up, but continued an attempt to implicate President Trump in a phone call with a Ukrainian leader that they alleged to be illegal. Schiff made up a conversation those two supposedly had and told it as if he had been on the same line with them. All of this came about because of their hate for Donald Trump, who came out of the business world to set straight their plan for destruction of the United States of America. It is an incredible period of opposition to one whose stated purpose was to restore America to its leadership in the world as the land of freedom for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It truly is a strange reaction to one who has actually kept his promises made during the campaign, to the extent possible as he battled with opposing bureaucrats in the House and Senate. There is a bit of information that gives us an idea of the underlying reason for so much hate and resistance to the president. It is revealed in the statement I have reported many times which President Obama made at the DC Correspondents’ annual dinner on April 30, 2016: Obama said, “The end of the Republic has never looked better,” and he went on to show a real expectation that Hillary Clinton was sure to be “elected” president. (I used quotations on “elected” because it is now clear that the election had been rigged to accomplish just that.) Henry Kissinger eagerly exclaimed after Obama was elected in 2008, “He has been primed to lead us into a New World Order!” It is clear that no New World Order can be brought into place as long as the United States sovereignty remains intact, thus the ongoing drive to destroy this Constitutional Republic. “But God,” that arresting truth of the sovereign ruler of the universe, stepped in, perhaps saying in so many actions, “You will not bring that about in your own anti-God methods. I will see to it in My own timeframe and will bring judgment with it. That sense seems to come from Psalm 75:6-8: “For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down.” (A recent article titled “Clearing a Pathway for Antichrist’s Judgment” at www.raptureready.com/home/featured shows how God provides open doors of His own making to reach the ultimate goal He has in mind for that “glorious future” the One World Order promoters tell us about—that time they envision the elitists living in great luxury while the “lesser ones” serve them.) Now, let’s look at the other “like-kind” of expression of evil and rejection of truth so many centuries ago. It was the time of the revelation of Jesus Christ, proclaiming truth and righteousness in the face of absolute rejection of Him and His positions on issues of that day. He called for truth over falsehood and yet was called a blasphemer, a servant of the devil, an imposter. In spite of evidence that He was innocent, and declared so by the civil ruler, Pilate, they screamed, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, give us Barabbas!” Today, the loud cry throughout the major news media and social media venues is, “Hate Trump, deny Trump, exclude Trump, eliminate Trump, impeach Trump, give us Biden!” It is the likeness of the tactics the opposition used in both episodes that I am comparing, not making any kind of assertion that Trump is equal to Jesus, in character or purpose—in case the reader has thought otherwise. The trial of Jesus went through with no ability to find agreeing witnesses, yet they were quick to cry “blasphemy” by twisting His words to have them fit with what they wanted to believe. In the three-year, multi-million dollar Mueller investigation, the perpetrators of injustice could not find evidence to support the charges. Then, in the impeachment trial, the House Democrats could find no reliable eyewitnesses of alleged charges; yet they voted, in lock-step, to impeach Trump. After the religious leaders had crucified Jesus, to be sure someone did not claim He was still alive, they had soldiers seal the tomb and stand guard over it. In today’s episode, evidence of a rigged election continues to emerge, yet the media has hurriedly called the election in favor of Biden, while declaring there is no credible evidence that any kind of fraudulent activity occurred anywhere. The resurrection of Christ in that time, centuries ago, upset the plans of the opposition and turned the world upside down. The question now pending for today’s episode is how will the charges of rigging the election turn out? Will there be a “resurrection” of Donald Trump to a second term? In all of the ways of mankind, it is the sovereign God of the universe Who has the final say. God is just, and wickedness never escapes His judgment. Should Biden end up with the presidency, it will be of God’s doing. If the previously stated objectives of Biden and his promoters are activated, with no law and order, police or closed borders, chaos in the cities, release of felons from prisons, and continued open sexual immorality, it will be the continuing of the “falling away” that brings the removal of the “One who restrains” with all of His saints, followed by the “sudden destruction” of the judgment of God upon this nation and the world. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 and 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3.) Contact email: andwegetmercy@gmail.com Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: The Eulogy – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com We laid my friend and brother Sonny’s remains to rest in the national cemetery in Fayetteville, AR on Monday, December 7. I wanted to write about this to have closing for those of you who have been praying for Sonny, Rose and his family, as well as to inspire you with love and hope in the relationships you have here on earth. Christ gave us a new commandment in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” So often, we let the busyness of the day become weeks and months and years before we realize that time has passed and relationships have been put on the back burner. They are precious. Water them. Feed them. Hold them dear. The large group of folks attending Sonny’s service mostly knew him from his adulthood and professional career, retiring as Commander of the Arkansas State Highway Patrol. I was the one who knew him in the development years that led to the man he became. I’d like to share with you the context of my remarks at his service, which were extemporaneous: “My name is Bill Wilson. As I look around this room, I can say that I have known Les Braunns longer than anyone here. I knew him as Sonny. We met in the basement of Wayland Community Church, in the village of Wayland, Ohio when we were four years old. Two shy boys who wouldn’t speak to anyone, but we spoke to each other. That meeting was the beginning of a lifelong adventure for Sonny and Billy. We did all the things young boys do, making good use of the 100 acre farm of my parents—riding horses, making tree forts, playing cowboys and Indians, civil war, World War II, camping out, backyard football–you name it. In all of these adventures, we sought to be on the right side of things. We were the good guys, the heroes. It wasn’t all just make-believe games. We talked about the deep things of life as well, even as kids. “And that transferred to our adult lives. The pastors and others today who have spoken about Les, have all mentioned his love for others and his family—Rose, Wendy, Bryan, Jeffrey—he loved you so much; his integrity; his honorable character. These qualities just didn’t happen. They were all parts of his upbringing. How his parents raised him. The influence of my parents. The talks we had around the campfires. Along about the time when we were 10 or 11 years old, we learned of Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code. He wrote them in the 1940s. It was a code of conduct on how to live your life—things like never shooting first, treating others well and with respect, telling the truth, keeping clean thoughts and speech, being a hard worker and a patriot. “Sonny and I liked that, but as young boys do, we wanted to have our own code, our own principles for life. We decided on four principles: Love, Truth, Honor, Justice. These four principles for life informed us as men. We figured that Love was the greatest of the principles. The Bible says that Love conquers all. We believe it. And without Love, there is no Truth. Without Truth there can be no Honor. And without Honor, there can be no Justice. You can see how Sonny kept them by how he lived his life. Now as we grew up, life came at us. I remember getting up about 4:00 in the morning and driving to his house. He was leaving for the Air Force. We said our goodbyes and I got in the car to drive back home. I don’t know how I got home that morning, as I was crying all the way. I knew that at that moment our lives were going to change forever. “And change they did. Our professional careers took different paths. We didn’t see each other for long lengths of time. We were sitting in the sun at the edge of his garage three weeks ago talking about it. We wished that we had lived closer together; that our families could have been closer—seeing life in the rear-view mirror is a perfect 20-20 vision. But I told Sonny that no matter where I was at, or what was happening, or what time of the day it was—even 2 in the morning—I knew that I could count on him if I needed him. And he knew that for me as well. It wasn’t something that I thought, or hoped about. I knew it. That’s the type of relationship we had. We were more than brothers.” Daily Devotion: When the Church Prays - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. —Matthew 18:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/when-the-church-prays/ - Listen Maybe you’ve heard the adage “the family that prays together, stays together.” But did you know there’s actual data to support that? Researchers found that when a family takes time to pray every day, their family relationships tend to be stronger. I think it’s good to pray with your family and to pray over meals. It’s good to stop and have a word of prayer together and to encourage all your family members to do so. There’s also power in corporate prayer when we unite as the church. Yes, it’s good to pray by yourself, but it’s even better to pray with someone else. Jesus said, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.” (Matthew 18:19 NLT). It matters when we pray together for something. In the Book of Acts, we find the story of Peter, whom King Herod arrested for preaching the gospel. Verse 5 of chapter 12 tells us, “But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him” (NLT). We see from this verse that they prayed together (“the church prayed”), and they prayed persistently (“prayed very earnestly”). And the next thing we know: Peter was free. The chapter opens rather ominously. We read that Herod is in power, and Peter is in prison. But by the time the chapter closes, we see that Herod is dead and Peter is out of prison. That’s the difference prayer can make. It’s great when you can come to church and say, “I’ve got a burden today, and I’d really appreciate it if you would take a moment to pray for me.” The church should be a loving place for hurting people, a safe place for sad people, and a place for unsaved people to be saved. 
FROM THE HEART
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