Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Revelation Revealed: Part 3, Divine Destruction of the Wicked - Pastor Mike Taylor -
http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2017/12/revelation-revealed-part-3-divine.html 15 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:15-17) 1 "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree." (Revelation 7:1) As we progress through these chapters of 6-11, we see an ever increasing crescendo of events that is linked to each seal that Jesus our Lord opens before the Father in heaven. Notice that it is God who is causing the events to happen on earth, and He is using men, at first, to do His will and perform judgment on the earth. As mentioned last time, if you follow these messages, that Satan has no power that God does not allow him to have. Satan is the great deceiver and tempts men to do what is hidden in their evil hearts and makes war on other men. But as we have seen in the past, for a quick review, Jesus our Lord covers all the church ages from chapters 1-3, and then makes a decided shift in focus and John is in the throne room of God the Father. There we see the glorified church represented as 24 elders sitting on thrones with rewards of gold upon their head, and seated in the government of God Almighty. John witnesses the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ as He comes to the Father and takes a parchment written on both sides and sealed with seven seals. This can only be described as the "Title Deed" to all the earth, and the plan to rid God's creation of rebellion and to bring Israel, His chosen people to the knowledge of their Messiah. For 2000 years, the Jewish people have rejected Jesus Christ as their coming King, but in the following chapters starting in chapter 6 and progressing into chapter 7 and beyond, Israel is refined as silver is refined in the fire to bring a remnant to faith and belief in the same Messiah their fathers, and they have rejected up until this time. DIVINE DESTRUCTION BEGINS DIRECTLY In chapter 6, we see our God using mortal men do His will by using them to create war, famine, pestilence and starvation that results from wars fought over land and conquering other people to submit to their rule. As we saw in the last part of this series, God opens 6 seals and the destruction grows, as He uses men to destroy those who are in rebellion against Him, and Satan is used to deceive and tempt those who only wish is to continue in their unrighteous behavior to other men and destroy what is before them. As mentioned in the last part of this series, some try to equate this carnage to the wrath of Satan, but it is God who is causing these events to happen. So the wrath of God, much as was written in the Old Testament when Israel was taken into captivity and the majority of their population was destroyed by Assyria and Babylon, so here God is using mankind to enact judgment and begin His righteous wrath. His wrath begins in verse one of the sixth chapter and continues here. So let us look at this chapter.. 2 "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." (Revelation 7:2-4) Noted in verse one, God holds back the four angels that are the four corners of the earth from doing what they have been assigned to do. That is to begin the Divine destruction on the earth and the dwellers of men who live upon the earth, but first God seals 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. These Jewish evangelist, or more correctly, Israelite men are sealed with the seal of God and ordained to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. The question must be raised, if these are being sealed to proclaim the Gospel, where is the church who was commissioned to preach the Gospel to all mankind? It is another clue that the Church is unable to preach the Gospel, as she is not on earth, and the "baton" is given to another in this race to continue to preach the Word of God. These evangelist are supernaturally protected until the harvest of souls that they have been elected to bring the Gospel to, are brought into believing on Jesus Christ as the Son of God, much as the Church believed before them. So you wonder, why have these men believed suddenly, that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah? These men have seen the disappearance of millions in the rapture and have believed the witness of the two men who are preaching before the Temple of God in Jerusalem that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of mankind. (Revelation chp. 11) Many people believe that these men are Elijah and Moses that came to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration that Peter, James and John saw in their glorified state along with Jesus as they talked to each other. But no matter who these men turn out to be, and I believe that the belief who they are is probably correct, these men will preach the Everlasting Gospel, and do so for 3.5 years, or the first half of the 7 years tribulation, and these 144,000 men believe the Truth of God's Word proclaimed and become a great soul winning powerhouse that brings millions to the belief in our Lord and Savior. This continues until we see in verse 9 of this chapter a vision of those slain standing before God on His throne and before the Lamb of God holding palm fronds in their hands. In ancient times, palms were associated with celebrations like the Feast of Tabernacles or "Booths" (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:17; John 12:13) 9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 7:9-12) I have mentioned in past sermons, that the palms that they hold, gives a clue of who these saints are. Only in Israel has the use of palm fronds been used to signify giving God glory, much as ancient Israel did to when Jesus wrote in on a foal of a donkey and proclaimed Jesus King found in Matthew chp. 21. Signs noting Israel in scripture are figs, fig tree, olives and palm branches. When you see any of these, it is referring to Israel. But an angel makes it clear when John sees the men standing before God. 13 "And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. 16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. 17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Revelation 7:13-17) These are those who have been martyred in the first half of the Tribulation, and I want you to focus in on verse 15. Note that the church is called "King and Priest" unto our God (Revelation 5:10), but here these saints minister in the temple of God, much as the Levitical priesthood did in Ancient Israel. These have a secondary role that is not associated with the Church, but are a different group of believers that serve our God in His Temple. In what capacity do they serve, is not revealed, but God will protect them and care for them and they will never hurt again. One comforting truth gleaned from Revelation is that although Antichrist will have power over all peoples and languages, (Rev. 13:7) he will not deceive every individual. (Verse 9), makes it clear that the preaching of the gospel by the 144,000 Jewish witnesses will reach a multitude that no one can number, from every language, tribe, and people. Therefore, even Satan's deception will not keep people from receiving Christ individually. But concerning the Anti-Christ having power over all nations, kindreds and tongues, we will discuss how this can only be those left behind after the Rapture of the Church in future messages, as Jesus has overcome the world and His Holy Spirit is dwelling with each "born again" Christian in the Church Age, so Satan cannot overcome them, but here they are overcome. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is not sealed in these Christians as the Church was, save the 144,000 Evangelist from Israel were and they have not the deposit or earnest of future glorification as a seal of salvation. IN the Tribulation, these saints can still loose their salvation, if they take the Mark of the Beast, or deny the blood of Jesus and follow the AC. We will cover this in more detail when we get to chapter 13 of our bible studies. CHAPTER 8: DESTRUCTION SPEEDS UP The preceding chapter sets the stage for the coming destruction upon the earth, and the opening of the 7th seal. 1, "And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne." (Revelation 8:1-3) Verse 3 tells us this mighty angel stands before the heavenly golden altar of incense, which is before the Throne of the Almighty God. The prayers of all the believers are mingled with heavenly incense and offered up to God. These prayers contain the martyrs' and the suffering saints' cries for relief and justice. The answer to these prayers is the Seven Trumpets and Seven Golden Vials. The whole of heaven, the angels and the the saints who have been taken to be with God, hold their breath, because they know that this destruction will be all encompassing and will affect every human being on the planet. The silence of awe and anticipation at the grim reality of the judgments, God is about to unleash. This destruction will not only come from mortal men, but God will cause the environment to convulse beyond imagination and send Divine retribution that can only be attributed to Him. 4 "And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:4-9) The saints that are still on the earth, that are enduring what is coming upon the nations to even those who believe by faith, are in prayer for those who shall come to repentance, and for themselves as they are in mortal danger 24/7. These seven trumpets are of greater intensity than the seals, but not as destructive as the final vial or bowl judgments will be (compare 16:1-21). They occur during the final 3-1/2 years, but the time of each is indefinite, except the effects of the fifth trumpet judgment, which will last 5 months (9:10). The first 4 announce the divine destruction of earth's ecology (verses 6-12), while the final 3 involve demonic devastation of earth's inhabitants (9:1-21; 11:15). Whether this seven is literal, or not, doesn't matter (in this instance I believe they are literal). These "angels" are prepared to carry out God's orders. These "seven trumpets" were to sound the alarm. Trumpets are loud and send out a clear note. There will be no question of the message. In ancient times, a trumpet blast was designed to do two things, to bring people to worship God, or/and to prepare for war. Here, the angels prepare for God's War on rebellious mankind. An angel takes coals from the altar which reveals that God has accepted the prayers of His saints that are still on earth, and the censer is thrown to the earth, as God will avenge those who have died for belief in His Son as martyrs, and will take revenge on those who have rebelled and are living in sin, taking the Mark of the Beast and worshiping false gods on earth. Know that our God is a consuming fire. God is angered, and He has decided it is time to punish those on the earth who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior. Just as God finally destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah when they would not repent, there is a time when the fire of God will descend upon this earth in punishment. FIRE AND BRIMSTONE RAINS UPON THE EARTH WE read in verse 7, the beginning of God commanding the angels to cause literal fire mixed with blood to rain down upon the earth. This fire consumes all green grass on the earth, and a 1/3 of all the trees, plus the second angel cast a burning mountain into the seas and the seas became blood. Is this literal blood or a contamination of the waters where sea creatures die because of the plague upon the waters of the sea and the resulting tsunami of such a gigantic object that looks like it could be a meteor or asteroid from outer space that the resulting tidal waves destroy 1/3 of all sea faring ships, plus the men that are on them, which be evident if they vessels are destroyed so would be their crews. Here something not detailed here poisons the waters, or changes their composition....John could only explain it as looking like blood. These plagues of fire mixed with hail falling from heaven, remind me of what God did in the plagues of Egypt, "So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation." (Exodus 9:24) And this is only the first two angels that have been commanded by God to bring judgment on mankind. Only thing that separates these two events, is the plague in Egypt was localized, but this plague of fire and hail covers the whole of the earth. Both were punishments from God. One thing very important to remember is that the wrath of God falls on them of unbelief. "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that [are] with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone."(Ezekiel 38:22) It is the same God in Ezekiel that we see here in Revelation. We see that this is the same God that will destroy rebellious mankind by the environment which He commands to do on a broader scale than what is now occurring in California due to fire and drought, but imagine if this was worldwide and everything being on fire and there being no way to escape it? Envision the planet on fire, and the structures that the grass and trees surround also catching fire. The California fires on steroids worldwide. Or envision God allowing unrepentant, evil men to use nuclear weapons on each other and killing millions in a flash. We will see what I believe John is explaining when he speaks of Wormwood in the next verses. 10 "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter."( Revelation 8:10-11) Just as I described that God will allow men to destroy one another with nuclear weapons, we see here a star falling upon the waters and making them "bitter"....does this remind you of something? If a burning nuclear ICBM were to fall into the waters, they would become radioactive. Where have we heard the term "Wormwood" before? The interpretation of a disaster that happened in Russia at the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl is defined as "wormwood" in the Russian language...so could this falling star falling on mankind be a nuclear weapon? If not, God has the ability to bring a flaming object from space that is radioactive and do the exact same thing as a man-made nuclear weapon, but of greater destruction. Whichever is used of God, the waters will be contaminated and many men will die all over the world because of this radioactive material into the drinking reservoirs that men use for their daily lives. You may not be able to find a safe drinking source of water in all the world. But recall what the prophet Zechariah wrote in his book that bears his name? This burning great star from the heavens will be burning as a lamp, this fire being radioactive and nuclear creates devastation that will be far reaching upon the earth.. "Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth" (Zech. 14:12). This is exactly what a Neutron bomb does to an individual that is standing...they don't disintegrate, but their soft tissue, their eyes, and their mouths just melt in their sockets and in their mouths and their flesh cooked and falls from the bones I saw a depiction of that on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when the destroying angel came out of the ark of the covenant and the flesh on the men melted away. Only this time, it won't be cinema, it will be real. It will be the destruction of men by a vengeful, wrathful God of fire. 12 "And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!" (Revelation 8:12-13) Although the last trumpets have been devastating to mankind, God is just getting warmed up, and the next three trumpets will make these first four pale in comparison to their devastation and the near total destruction of the nations upon the earth. IT WILL ONLY GET EXPONENTIALLY WORSE Can you even visualize the destruction that has been up to this point in this apocalyptic book? We can be disturbed by watching a movie depiction of this, but what if you are living it up close and personal? If men could even comprehend how horrible this time will be for anyone so unfortunate to be living on earth at this time, then no one would be found refusing the gift of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on Calvary's cross. The only ones that would dare, would be classified as insane, or in total deception by the "father of lies" Satan the devil. Do you think those who reject Jesus Christ so easily today would remain "silent" if they knew the horrible doom of judgment that is coming upon this earth and upon them because they are rejecting God's Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you stay silent, or cry out to God for mercy, as you read these two chapters, not even focusing on the ensuing chapters that show God's wrath growing exponentially stronger in their intensity and their all encompassing destruction that will destroy near 80% of all mankind in a few short years, with the majority coming in the last 3.5 years. Can you imagine seeing dead bodies lying all over the ground like it was in WW2, but no one to bury them, and wild/domestic animals feeding on them, and attacking those living, because of starvation?. Can you comprehend the smell of rotting flesh that breeds disease? Will you be going about your life as usual as Jesus said it would be so as in the days of Noah? 37 "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (Matthew 24:37-39) Contemplating what is described here, will people, OR YOU, be going about life as usual eating, drinking, or giving in marriage? Or will you be just trying to survive and escape someone taking your life just because they can? Life will not be as usual....life will be full of stress, fear and anxiety, where you will kill, just so you won't be killed. If this is what is going on in this world that John describes, and can't be as Jesus described before the day of the coming of the Lord as a thief in the night, then what is happening here has no basis for the description of the rapture at the end of the tribulation. The details are too prevalent that Jesus was talking about another time, when He will break in on mankind as a thief, and many of you will NOT be prepared. What coming is our Lord Jesus talking about in the above verses of Matthew? 51 " Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1st Corinthians 15:51-55) Paul was describing what will happen before the tribulation even starts, when men will be eating, drinking and giving in marriage, because it won't be that way before the second coming of our Lord to rule and reign. So for Jesus to come unannounced, like a thief, it has to be sudden. It has to be "hidden".....a "mystery" that had not been revealed till Paul spoke of it...it has to be when you least expect it. For the end of the tribulation or the great Tribulation of these 7 years will be signs all over heavens that the Lord is coming. No one will be surprised, for the signs are all around them, in the heavens, on the earth, and from the destruction of near total of all mankind. Next time, we will continue in the next three chapters leading up what can only be explained as "The woman clothed with the Sun" and identifies the players in this spiritual drama. Jesus is coming soon, my friend, and if you are not on the "ark of salvation" much like Noah's ark, but this time His Name is Jesus Christ, then you will be living this horror until you are suddenly "extinguished" from this earth. You will either be saved and martyred, or to follow the beast power and be doomed for all eternity in the Lake of Fire, established for Satan and his angels, not for mankind. But mankind chooses to be separated from God because he loves his sin, more than He loves God, so God will give you what you want. In all things, He is just, and He is completely fair, but most of all, God is Holy, and you can't stand in His presence unless you embrace these two passages and live it like you mean it, because your life does actually depend on it...YOUR ETERNAL LIFE. 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) 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." (Romans 10:8=11) This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying you escape what is coming upon the earth, most likely soon, and find Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly listening ear, email me at [email protected] , or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com . God bless you all........ TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET.............SOON! Jerusalem the Capital of the World - By Sean Gooding - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/12/12/jerusalem-capital-world-sean-gooding/ Lesson 21: Zechariah Chapter 8: 18-23 "Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.' "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Peoples shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities; The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.' Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.' "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" Man, do we live in exciting times! Today is December 9, 2017. On Wednesday, December 6th, President Trump declared that the USA will now acknowledge that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel. This is a historic announcement. For all intents and purposes, Tel Aviv has been the recognized capital of Israel since Israel re-formed as a nation in May 1948. Even after the Six-Day War in 1967, when they retook Jerusalem, no one wanted to defy the Palestinian Authority and declare that Jerusalem was the ancient and rightful capital of Israel. Well, with the USA declaring that recognition and planning to move its embassy to Jerusalem, there is no longer any doubt. Out of courtesy I asked one of the co-workers about how his week was going after having a day off and not seeing him for a day. He commented that his week was good except for the idiocy that President Trump did in Israel. I forgot that he was a Muslim. He is from Egypt. I commented that I was good with it. So, the stage is gradually being set for the return of Jesus to rule the whole earth from Jerusalem. The Muslims may squawk, and they will, loudly. There may be bombs and rallies and suicide bombers, but the stage is set. Let us not forget that the Antichrist will also seek Jerusalem from where to rule the earth. Satan knows enough of the Bible to know that Jerusalem is God's earthly city capital. The prophecies of Zechariah that we are to explore today deal with the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus. This will be a time of peace on earth when Satan is caged in a pit for 1,000 years. The period of time is described this way: Revelation 20:1-3 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time." During this time, there will be some other really cool things that will happen. There will be no infant deaths, and living to 100 will be commonplace. Isaiah 65:20 "No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred, And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed." Even the animals will be at peace. Isaiah 11:6 "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them." And as we mentioned before, Jerusalem will be the political and spiritual capital of the earth. Isaiah 2: 2 "Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it." So, what we have witnessed over the past few days is just the beginning, as we see the world being set up for the next phase. The New World Order that has been prophesied by Presidents Bush Sr. to Obama, by the Pope, and by the leaders of the EU will be put in place. For now, President Trump is being used of God to set up the pins of God's prophecies, just so God can knock them down and show His Omniscience. He truly does know the end from the beginning, and He truly has control of tomorrow. Truth and Peace, verse 19 Today, in our time, truth does not normally bring peace. For instance, if we tell the truth about the 'transgendered lie,' there is no peace. The truth is that there are only TWO (2) genders, Male and Female. There are no others, just XX and XY. No amount of surgery, medications, hair growth or hair removal, no amount of hormone therapy or anything else will change that. When we get up and state this truth, it causes a fight and a war. Governments are trying to squelch the freedom of speech for the truth. But in the time when Jesus rules the earth from Jerusalem, there will be peace and truth. We are called to love peace and truth. In fact, we are to be peacemakers here on earth until Jesus returns. Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." We are called to search the scriptures-the truth-God's written declared truths. In the Bible are the truths of creation, life, death, hope, the future, the present and the past. In the Bible are the truths of how to run a business, how to run a family and how to run a country. The Bible shares truths on how to pick your spouse, your friends and your enemies. The Bible has been proven to be true in its science, its history and its geography. With this truth, those of us who also have Jesus as our Savior are able to find true peace. We have peace in daily life, the peace that Jesus is in control and that He will never abandon us no matter how it may feel or hurt. We have the peace of God in us through His Holy Spirit that carries us when we cannot go on any longer. We have a peace that transcends human understanding and sight. One day soon this kind of peace will be available to everyone. Jesus will be the clear and present standard of truth; the Bible will still be the Book, and He will usher in an era of peace that we only see movies about. There is no Utopia without Jesus. This is the problem of the New World Order; they want to get peace without Jesus, and that is an impossibility. All the World will seek the Lord, verse 22 Wow, what if this were true now? What if all the nations simply just sought the Lord? What if they consulted the Bible before making laws and executing judgment? What if each company had to build their business model on Biblical principles of integrity, openness, and serving the poor? What if the economy operated on Biblical financial principles so that all personal debts were wiped out every seventh year? What if we gave people a fresh start and did not burden the next generations with our stupid decisions? But we still have some leaders that seek the Lord. In all of our governments, even here in North America, we have a few persons who seek the Lord as they perform their governmental duties. They are few and far between, and they are often drowned out, but they are there. The day will come, and soon, when the nations of the world will seek the truth from Jesus. They will travel to Jerusalem and seek Jesus. They will ask for the eternal wisdom of the Almighty God. What a world that will be! God is with Israel, verse 23 We are told that in that day, not too far from now, 10 men will seek a Jew and ask to go to Jerusalem with him since they know that God is with them. God has been with the Jews since Genesis 12: 1-3 when He called out Abram to follow Him. He has overseen and superintended the Jews for 4,500 years. He has protected them, cared for them and preserved them. Yes, they have been hurt, killed, maligned and scattered by many all over the earth. God has allowed them to suffer horrendous crimes at times, and still they are His. We see this in passages such as the following: Deuteronomy 7: 6-8 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples; but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers; the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Psalm 105: 8-15 "He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance,' when they were only a few men in number, very few, and strangers in it. And they wandered about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people. He permitted no man to oppress them, and He reproved kings for their sakes: 'Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.'" Over and over again and again, the Lord makes it clear that Israel is His and those that hurt them do so to their own detriment. God is with Israel even today. They are surrounded on every side by millions of Muslims all clamoring for their destruction, but they cannot do anything lasting - maybe a few rockets here and there, and a skirmish now and then. But they cannot get rid of Israel ever again out of their place, because God is with them. God can never abandon the Jews, JESUS IS A JEW. He cannot abandon Jesus. We in the New Testament church are called to pray for Israel, and to wait for the coming of the Lord. Psalm 122: 6-7 "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls, And prosperity within your palaces." As we come to the season to celebrate the birth of our Saviour, please remember that He was born as the King of the Jews. The first time He came as our Messiah, to take away our sins. The next time He comes, He will arrive as the rightful King of the Jews. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus! [email protected] FB: Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church Turkey's Erdogan threatens to wipe out Jews - http://www.wnd.com/2017/12/major-world-leader-threatens-to-wipe-out-jews/#eyA9HITkp0lmSqDK.99 Invokes Islamic text in response to Trump's Jerusalem move President Obama praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as "a man of action" and one of the five world leaders with whom he had the strongest bond. President Trump met with him at the White House last spring. And certainly Erdogan has tried to portray himself to Western leaders as a pragmatist with whom they can work. But at a convention of his ruling party Sunday, Erdogan invoked a Muslim hadith - a collection of the accounts and sayings of Muhammad - that made clear his view of Jews and the state of Israel, according to dissident Turkish journalist Abdullah Bozkurt, the Investigative Project on Terrorism reported. "Those who think they own Jerusalem better know that tomorrow they won't be able to hide behind trees," Erdogan said, according to Bozkurt. That statement essentially is an affirmation of a prophecy that all Jews will one day be destroyed, the journalist said. Bozkurt explained Erdogan was making "a veiled threat of killing each and every Jew with a shocking reference to apocalyptic prophecy of tree story." The Turkish leader was responding to President Trump's decision last week to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to begin the process of moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Bozkurt said anti-Semitism has always been in the background in Turkish society, but this marks the first time Turkey's head of state has publicly fueled it. Last year, Erdogan shut down Bozkurt's former newspaper, Today's Zaman, which had Turkey's largest circulation, IPT noted. The full hadith that Erdogan referenced says: The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him; but the tree Gharqad would not say, for it is the tree of the Jews. Erdogan invoked the hadith during a Justice and Development Party gathering Sunday in which he also accused Israel of being a terrorist state. Turkey, under Erdogan, has harbored and funded Hamas terrorists, provided covert support to ISIS and other jihadists in Syria, and bombed civilians belonging to his own Kurdish minority, IPT said. IPT pointed out that the Turkish Youth Foundation, run by Erdogan's son, Bilal, participated in anti-Israel and anti-U.S. rallies calling on Muslims to unite against Trump's Jerusalem announcement. On Friday, protesters in Istanbul chanted "Jerusalem is ours and will remain so!" along with "Down with America" and "Down with Israel." 'An approach typical of the Russians or Chinese' In May, as WND reported, Erdogan watching his security officials beat protesters outside Turkey's embassy in Washington. Members of his security team also clashed with demonstrators in 2016 outside the Brookings Institution in Washington, where he was giving a speech. Brookings issued a statement at the time saying the security team "behaved unacceptably - they roughed up protesters outside the building and tried to drag away 'undesired' journalists, an approach typical of the Russians or Chinese." WND reported many geopolitical analysts are concerned the NATO nation, once regarded as a potential member of the European Union, is being systematically transformed into an anti-Western power. Fifteen years into his rule, Erdogan is abandoning the secular tradition of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in favor of Islamic nationalism. In April, Erdogan declared victory in a referendum to grant him sweeping powers in a vote opponents charged was marred by irregularities. The measure, with 51.5 percent of the vote, replaced Turkey's parliamentary system with an all-powerful presidency and abolished the office of prime minister. A week before his visit to the U.S., Erdogan urged Muslims to swarm the Temple Mount to act as a counter to the "insult" of "occupied Jerusalem." He called Israel a "racist and discriminatory" state that is reminiscent of apartheid in South Africa. Erdogan also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah to work on "unifying efforts to protect Jerusalem against attempts of Judaization," the independent Palestinian Maan news agency reported. In December 2016, as WND reported, hacked emails released by WikiLeaks showed Erdogan's son-in-law was tied to the company accused of importing oil from ISIS. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov previously told journalists in Moscow that Erdogan and his family were "involved" in ISIS' illegal oil trade and personally benefiting from it. Turkey also has been accused of training ISIS fighters and of providing direct support to ISIS. 'Strong' relationship At the White House in May, President Trump and Erdogan described the relationship between the two countries as strong but avoided the differences over strategies for confronting ISIS in northern Syria. The previous week, the Trump administration decided to supply heavy weapons to Syrian Kurdish rebel militias, the YPG, fighting ISIS. Turkey is in an ongoing battle with Kurdish separatists in its southeast. The Turkish embassy claims the protesters at the embassy Tuesday were affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the leading Kurdish separatist group, which has been banned in Turkey. The case of Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been imprisoned in Turkey without formal charges since October 2016, was brought up three times during Trump's meeting with Erdogan, twice by Trump and once by Vice President Mike Pence, CBN reported. A former member of Turkey's Parliament who has advocated for Brunson's release, Aykan Erdemir, told CBN that Brunson, improbably accused of "membership in an armed terrorist organization," is now "a pawn, kind of a trump card in Erdogan's hand." "There's absolutely no rule of law, no due process in that case, it's a completely bogus case. Anyone who has looked at the case knows that these are trumped up charges," he said. Nearing Midnight: The Justice System in America is Falling Apart - Todd Strandberg - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ The failure of the San Francisco jury to convict the killer of Kate Steinle was one more major indication that the Justice system in America is in meltdown mode. There never was any doubt that Jose Inez Garcia Zarate had caused the death of Steinle. The question the jury had to resolve was if it was first or second-degree murder. The jury found Zarate not guilty because San Francisco is a sanctuary city, and they obviously wanted to send a signal to President Trump that immigrants are welcomed into their community. It didn't matter that he had been deported five times from America and would have been kicked out a 6th time, if the city had not released him against the wishes of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement federal agency. The public defender wasted no time in focusing his thoughts on President Trump and his administration...saying Zarate was "extremely relieved" by the outcome and that while Steinle's death "was a horrible tragedy," it was used as "political fodder for then candidate Donald Trump's anti-immigration agenda." He added the case "was used to foment hate" and "to catapult a presidency" and "Today was a vindication for the rights of immigration." What I find the most irritating about this case is my intelligence, by insulting it on the lowest level. The left argued that Mr. Zarate found the gun, and then it exploded in his hand when he picked it up; and the reason why he threw the gun into the bay is because he was confused. The weapon had been stolen out of a police car, most likely by Zarate. He was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm. What made him a felon is all the times he was caught illegally re-entering the US. It is pure lunacy to have someone be able to break the law six times without suffering major consequences. Since Zarate has been in jail for two years on the murder charge, he will mostly get credit for time served. A friend gave me another example of how the liberal agenda is destroying the legal system. She said her son was on jury where he had to help decide the fate of a man who had killed several members of his family. There was overwhelming evidence that the accused had committed the murder. He had admitted to the crimes. The choice of the jury would seem to be between the death penalty and life in prison. One of the 12 jurors had a very liberal background, and she had in her mind that it was unfair to convict someone of any crime. All the other jurors had voted for the death penalty. Since the court system in that state requires all juries to agree 100 percent on a sentence involving the death penalty, she was set to force the judge to declare a mistrial. My friend's son on the jury told the holdout that if a new trial is ordered, the new jury will most likely convict the man of first degree murder. So he convinced her to go with a sentence of life in prison; which all 12 jurors agreed to. Last week, The President received a rare victory in the legal system when the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead on his temporary travel ban. There should have never been a need for a ruling by the nation's court. These lower-court judges that have been ganging up to cripple the executive branch are acting with power that is outside their jurisdiction. By law, Trump has the authority to "ban by proclamation" any group he deems dangerous to any aspect of the nation. The law clearly states: "Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate." It is insane for some judge in Hawaii to determine that he has more power than Congress and the President of the U.S. These illegal rulings are allowed to stand because the Democrats and the liberal media are able to outmaneuver those who should know the U.S. Constitution. The biggest travesty of justice we've got going on in America is the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. I think it was very foolish for the Attorney General Jefferson Sessions to step aside and allow for the obviously biased deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein not to give Mueller and his staff of leftist goons their marching orders. There has been no indication that the Russians influenced the election to help the Republicans. Since Mueller has an open mandate to look for criminal activity he finds, he has been able to ensnare Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. What got Flynn into trouble is that he lied to the FBI about a "legal" meeting he had with Russian officials. Mueller drained Flynn of financial resources and he threatened to go after his son. The purpose of breaking Flynn is so that he can be used to go after their main target, Donald J. Trump. There is no doubt in my mind that we are headed towards a point where Mueller will use some perceived infraction to take down the President. The key reason why I believe we are headed for lawlessness is because most people don't love the truth enough to take action. "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12). Daily Jot: Dems emboldened - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Doug Jones is the new Democratic Senator from Alabama. He beat Roy Moore by a small margin in Tuesday's special election. The Democratic Party believes this is historical in that Jones is the first Democratic senator elected in the state in some 25 years, it is believed to be a rejection of President Donald Trump's agenda, and an indicator of how democrats will make great gains in the upcoming midterm elections. If you are a Democrat, this is all good news. If you are a Republican, it's bad news. If you are an American, the election was historic in a very bad way. The recruitment of reputable people to run for office will become far more difficult in this vile environment. Bad may well beget worse. There have been many accusations against candidates for sexual impropriety over the centuries. Many remember the rumors flying about Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, George HW Bush, Bill Clinton, and so on. But nothing on the political landscape has matched the accusations of a sexual nature that have occurred in recent years. For some reason, the mere mention of sexual harassment, unproven, innuendo, or whatever has become the Achilles Heal to bring candidates down. Make the accusation, get the story, repurpose the story for mass media, and the firestorm begins that never ends. Politics never has been a clean game. But the level to which it has now fallen is compounded and weaponized by 24/7 news media. Complicating matters even more is a news media that is predominately leftist. The news cycles are very competitive and try to "one-up" each other, causing a din of leftist rhetoric, rarely fact checked, emotionally driven and without concern for truth, facts, context or human decency. Any self-respecting person with a desire to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, governed by the Golden Rule, would have to think long and hard before entering the sordid ring of politics where he will be accused of things his mind probably couldn't even comprehend. This is the nation we are living in. This causes a downward spiral of the quality of candidates and their character. Wait to see-President Trump will be accused repeatedly for sexual harassment. This will not go away. It will stymie the business of the nation, grind the good things government could do (tax relief, border security, regulation reduction, etc.) to a standstill. The angry, misinformed, disingenuous, evil ones who believe victory is theirs will be further emboldened thinking this vile way of conducting politics is working to their advantage. As Christian Americans, we must be ever vigilant to understand our purpose and not be deceived. As is written in James 1:22, "But you be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Stay true to the Lord. He has us in the palm of his hand, but we cannot be complacent, we must be doers. Daily Devotion: The Man Who Tried to Stop Christmas - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org "Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared." -Matthew 2:7 King Herod was the man who tried to stop Christmas. With all his wealth and power, he came to complete ruin. Historical writings tell us that in the final year of his life, his body was infected with disease. Ironically, Herod pretended to be a worshiper. He said to the wise men, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" (Matthew 2:8). Yet Herod was a false worshiper. There are people like him today. They say they believe in God, but they live a life that contradicts what the Scriptures teach. Herod wanted to be the king of his own life, but he really was a slave. He ended up being not the King of the Jews but the king of fools. Herod ended up on the ash heap of history like dictators before and after him, reminding us that those who live wicked lives eventually will reap what they sow. Adolf Hitler went into his bunker and shot himself as his nation crumbled around him. Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole and was eventually executed by his own people. Muammar Gaddafi was hunted down by his own people, beaten, and shot to death. All those who blaspheme God, fight with God, or try to stop the work of God eventually will fail. Yet God's Word ultimately will prevail. Philippians 2:9-10 says, "Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." One day, everyone-every man, every woman, every believer, and every nonbeliever-will bow before Jesus Christ. 
FROM THE HEART
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