Prophecy Update Newsletter
December 23, 2016
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Cradle, the Cross and the Crown - Pete Garcia - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8360
During the Christmas Season, it is fitting for Christian households and churches to focus on the first coming of Jesus Christ. In times past, and perhaps not so much anymore, one could see the manger scenes in town squares and in front of churches of all denominations. Christmas cards bearing the Star or the three Wisemen are passed amongst believers during this season. Preachers preach predominantly from Matthew 1-2, churches hold cantatas and the sounds of "peace on earth, good will toward men" fill the ears of believers round the world. Bethlehem, Israel becomes the focus of world stage once again, as Christian's flock to the Church of the Nativity,which is currently held hostage by the Palestinian movement. The Cradle Perhaps people like to focus on Christ as an innocent baby, or focus on the role of parenthood as Mary and Joseph cared for this child who came about supernaturally. The virgin birth of Christ and the role of Mary, figures large in Catholic circles and also in liberal and secular circles where the possibility of a virgin birth is denied. Thus Christmas, as to its true meaning (unto you is born a Savior), is controversial. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4-5 When the fullness of time had come...is a phrase so packed with meaning that it would not be possible to break it all down in the limited space (or ability) I have at my disposal. But it speaks to the eternal purpose of God's plan for the redemption of mankind, and of all created order. It speaks to the specific moments on man's timeline, when God would intervene, in a supernatural and visible way, to put feet to His plan. Dr. Andy Wood's makes much use of this phrase in his teachings, and really brought to my mind, the preciseness and purpose for why God chose that particular time frame for Christ's first coming. Consider these points: Since Alexander the Great, Koine Greek became the predominant common language in the Mediterranean. Koine Greek, is a very precise language which is perfect for capturing the original intent and meaning of the Scriptures...no matter which language they get translated into in the future. The Roman republic form of government ends under Julius Caesar and he creates a total dynastic dictatorship under what would become the rule of the Caesars. Christ was born and dies under the reign of a Caesar, and will return one day when another Caesar (Antichrist) who has set his empire up over the whole world. The Roman's perfected the creation of the road networks, which spanned across the boundaries of the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Europe, and even up into Britain. Israel remained under the subjugation of Gentile powers (as described in Daniel 2:31-45, 7, 8, & 11) which had played out from the time of their exile to Babylon (605-539BC) So looking at it from a holistic point of view, there was a common language (Koine Greek), advanced network for travel (all roads lead to Rome), dominant pagan world power (fertile fields no doubt), and Israel in the final years before her diaspora. Unknown exactly which year Christ was born in, or rather, is much in dispute to the exact year, we know when He was born the nation of Israel wasn't expecting it. We know from the world's perspective, the birth of the Christ in some backwater province of the Roman Empire, didn't even register a blip on their geo-geo-political radar. We know Christ lived up unto the age of 30 virtually as an unknown, before exploding onto the scene to present the world with 3 ½ years of God in the flesh, ministry. At the end of that, He managed to make the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Zealots mad enough to trump up false charges and have Him brought before the Sanhedrin to be tried as a political prisoner. The Cross In Genesis 49, Jacob was blessing his sons, who would become the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. When Jacob came to bless Judah, he gave him an interesting prophecy; The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Also, in Numbers 24:17, the prophet Balaam prophesied that this same scepter would be accompanied by a Star, by which the wise men (Matt. 2:2) would know where this One born King of the Jews would be. "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult Now, modern Jewish scholars today will refute that Christ is the Messiah, because their argument is that the 'scepter' departed from Judah back in 605BC when the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Furthermore, that from then, until 1948, the Jewish nation had been under some form of Gentile domination. All that is true. But what is also true is that the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans allowed the Jews to have semi-autonomous rule (Zerubbabel, Ezra, Maccabeus) over themselves, up until King Herod Archelaus was removed from power by Julius Caesar in 6AD (Josephus, Antiquities 17:13). That's when the Jews lost any remaining semblance of autonomy and were subject to a series of Roman procurators with Pontius Pilate being one. Since Jews were either not anticipating the coming of their Messiah, or had largely ignored the literal fulfillment of the prophecies pertaining to Christ's first coming, they thought they had lost their right to wield capital punishment on Him, which is why they had to turn it over to Pilate for the official sentence. Now, that didn't stop them previously from trying to stone Him to death on a couple prior occasions when they were riled up, but He always managed to allude them. (John 8:58-59, 10:30-33) They (the Sanhedrin) didn't want to crucify Him on Passover because of the negative publicity, but again, the timing was such that God orchestrated everything to coincide with exactly the Passover Feast. (Mark 14:1-2; 1 Cor. 2:6-8) The victory at the Cross represented something much more significant than a literal kingdom on earth (which is still yet to come), but that Christ conquered death and hell. (Rev. 1:18) Because Christ had to be a man to die for the rest of mankind as our Kinsman Redeemer, Christ willingly endured the joy set before Him, in order to pay the price for OUR salvation. (Lev. 25; Heb. 12:2; Rev. 5:6-10) It would be equivalent to God rigging a game that placed all the burden and rules against Himself, so that by His losing, we win. Christ trading His own perfect holiness, for our sinful and corrupted lives, is oft referred to as the most lopsided trade in all of recorded history...yet, that is exactly what transpired. We don't think about it this way, but God the Son, traded His former estate, to take on forever, that of God in a glorified human body. The Crown I've often heard Amillennialists and Preterists state emphatically, that Christ will not return to rule and reign on earth, because they say that we are now in the Kingdom. I couldn't disagree more. The Scriptures tell us, that this world, is under the sway and control of Satan himself. (Luke 4:5-6; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 5:19; Rev. 2:13) As much as these might wish, the Cross didn't usher in some Edenic age where lambs lay down with wolfs, children play with cobras, and nations beat their swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4, 11:2-8). Any interpretation that detracts from the actuality that God Himself will right the wrongs, and restore nature back to its original order. Anything less than that, is to depart from the plain reading of the text into allegorical folly. It was to King David that God said, "And it shall be, when your days are fulfilled, when you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom." (1 Chron. 17:11) God states over and over, that the Kingdom Come is not established by man or by earthly efforts, but by God Himself. (Dan. 2:44-45; Psalm 2; Rev. 19:11-16) There is the idea that the Kingdom is purely spiritual, and is argued that the Kingdom is now in play, only in the heavenly realms, this by taking several texts out of context. (Luke 17:20-22; Romans 14:17) If those who deny the literal coming Millennial Kingdom on earth had their way; Christ would only come to earth to die, and not to reign; for Christ to be born 'King of the Jews', but to not actually become "King of the Jews"; for Him to ride a donkey, but not a white horse; for Christ to be spat on, beaten, and hang naked upon a cross of shame, but not to return in triumphal glory coming on the clouds with the armies of heaven behind Him. If Christ doesn't return, then He remains defeated on the earth that He spoke into existence, that God's word does not mean what it says, and that God can break, unbreakable promises. The reason that men and women promote these heterodox teachings, is because man made religion, whether it be Roman Catholic, or Protestant, have become too invested in the things of this world. They want life to continue on, or maybe they just see life continuing on and on, in some endless cycle of man rising and falling. (2 Peter 3) They have to depart from a plain sense reading of the text, and insert their own interpretation, which supplants God's promise to return in victory, and claim what is rightfully His. And not only to claim what is His, but that every knee should bow, whether it is in heaven, on earth, under the earth, throughout all of creation, and confess that Jesus Christ is King. (Philippians 2:9-11) Are these folk saying that Christ is free to rule everywhere, but the earth? The Christ-rejecting world, as well as those Christians who have fallen into spiritual slumber, will be astonished in that Day, when Christ comes for His Church. Because that Day, opens the window of time, for the Tribulation to begin. It doesn't begin the Tribulation, but the Church has to be removed prior to the start of that final week of years, in which at some point afterwards (days, weeks, months, years), the seven year Tribulation will begin just as it is noted in Daniel 9:27. The final seven years will be the most horrific, violent, and devastating period of time humanity has ever seen. (Matt. 24:21-22) God will accomplish two things by it; first, He disciplines Israel, and second, He destroys all the Gentile nations round about her, by bringing the whole Babylonian system crashing to the ground. (Jer. 30:7-11) It is noted in the Prophets, that THAT DAY will begin in unimaginable calamity, perhaps masking the Church's departure. The prophet Joel records..."The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord". Paul writes that "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief." 1 Thess. 5:2-4 Make no mistake that the Lord will return and will come with the clouds and in great power and glory. Christ will come and reclaim that which was lost with Adam. He has the title deed to the earth. He no longer wears the crown of thorns, but now wears 'many crowns', meaning He has ALL authority. When the holy prophet Isaiah saw the throne room, he was undone. When the holy prophet Daniel sees the throne room, he was shaken. When John sees the glorified Christ in all His splendor, he falls over as dead. How much more traumatized will an unrepentant, Christ rejecting world be when it sees the sky splitting open and Christ returning in power and glory? The whole world will mourn. (Rev. 1:7) The world at this moment, doesn't care. The religionists try to minimalize or explain-away His soon coming with fanciful wordsmithing. Those actively opposed to Christ, who loathe Him and are filled with vengeance because this age is coming to an end, are ramping up evil in these final moments... But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:11-16 
Netanyahu blames Obama for UN resolution, summons ambassadors - Herb Keinon -
http://www.jpost.com/printarticle.aspx?id=476465 "We have no doubt that the Obama Administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated the texts, and made sure it passed." Sunday morning's cabinet set the stage for several strong comments from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the major one was that the prime minister has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the ambassadors of the 12 countries in the Security Council with whom Israel has diplomatic ties for a talk in which Netanyahu is expected to reprimand them for the anti-Israel resolution that was passed on Friday. The summoning of the representatives, though expected, was unusual at is took place on Christmas Day. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already summoned the ambassadors from China, Russia, France, the UK, Spain, Egypt, Japan, the Ukraine, Angola and Uruguay. Seeing as this summoning is taking place on Christmas, the majority of the ambassadors are on vacation in their countries and in some of the cases, their deputies or lower ranks are expected to come in their place. Another topic that was introduced in the cabinet meeting was Netanyahu's accusations against the Obama administration. The anti-settlement resolution passed by the UN Security Council on Friday may have been initiated by New Zealand, Senegal, Venezuela and Malaysia, but US President Barack Obama's administration initiated it and shepherded it through, Netanyahu stated. Stepping up angry rhetoric against the administration, he said at the outset of Sunday's cabinet meeting that he shared the "anger and frustration" felt by the ministers around the table at the "imbalance and "very hostile resolution" against Israel. "We have no doubt that the Obama Administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated the texts, and made sure it passed," he said. "This is of course, in complete opposition to traditional US policy which committed itself to not trying to impose permanent agreement conditions, or anything connected to them, in the UN Security Council." Netanyahu said this was also a clear contravention of Obama's own commitments on the matter made publicly in 2011. Turning to English, in his first English comments on the matter, the prime minister said he spoke to US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday and said "friends don't take friends to the Security Council." "US administrations and Israeli governments have disagreed about the settlements for decades, but there was an agreement that the Security Council was not the place to resolve this issue," he pressed on. "We knew that going there would make the negotiations harder, and drive peace further away," he said. The premier said he was "encouraged" by the statements being made by both Republican and Democratic friends in the US, though he did not specify whom he was referring to. "They understand how reckless and destructive this UN resolution was, they understand that the Western Wall isn't occupied territory," he said. " I look forward to working with those friends and the new administration when it takes office next month." Netanyahu said the government would do "everything needed to ensure that Israel is not harmed by this shameful resolution." He called on the Foreign Ministry to present an action plan within a month of steps that can be taken toward the UN and other international organizations. At the same time, he urged his ministers to act "wisely, responsibly and calmly." He said that the security cabinet would meet Sunday afternoon, and that the ministers should act on this issue according to directives that will come out of that meeting. 
UNSC resolution promotes Mid East war - http://www.debka.com/article/25856/UNSC-resolution-promotes-Mid-East-war
The United States did not abandon Israel by its abstention from vetoing the UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements that was passed Friday, Dec. 23, 2016. The one who abandoned Israel was US President Barack Obama - and not for the first time. During his eight years in office, Obama let Israel down at least three times on issues that jeopardized its security: One of the first consequences of his 2011 "Arab Spring" initiative was the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak as Egyptian president and his direct promotion of the Muslim Brotherhood's takeover of power in Cairo. Four years later, Obama turned his back on Israel to award Iran favored status. Iran was allowed to retain the infrastructure of its military nuclear program as well as continuing to develop ballistic missiles, with the help of an infusion of $250 billion in US and European sanctions relief. The horror of the carnage in Syria overshadowed the fact that President Obama allowed Tehran to pump Revolutionary Guards forces into the country through Iraq in order to fight for the brutal Assad regime. The president made no effort to halt the influx of pro-Iranian Shiite groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, into Syria, as though it was perfectly natural and his policies had nothing to do with bringing Israel's arch-foes to its back door. In 2015, too, when Obama tried to wash his hands of the Middle East at large, he opened the war for the Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to walk in and commandeer large swathes of Iraq and Syria virtually unopposed. From those vantage points, the jihadists sent out a tentacle to Egyptian Sinai - close to another Israeli border. Of late, the Obama has claimed he was not aware of ISIS' potential for expansion, implying that US intelligence was at fault. All the same, Obama never tired of emphasizing that he had done more than any US president before him to support Israel's security, mainly in the form of advanced US weapons systems supplied for its defense. Because of the close military and intelligence ties between the two countries, no voice was raised to contradict him. It is now time to point to the hypocrisy of the incumbent president's posture: Had he invested less in granting benefits and free rein to the Jewish state's closest enemies, Israel would perhaps have been less dependent on American hardware. In the latest UN Security Council resolution, Israel is reprimanded on the score that "all Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including east Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and constitute a major obstacle to the achievement of peace on the basis of the two-state solution." Before anyone else, Barack Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry are in a position to attest to the falseness of this equation. On Nov. 25, 2009, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would impose a 10-month freeze on construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as a concession to ease the US peace initiative. Israel gave way further on its demand for direct negotiations, when Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas dug his heels in against meeting Israeli officials face to face. John Kerry was forced to engage in shuttle diplomacy. Even after those concessions for peace, the Obama initiative fell flat when it came up against Palestinian resistance. The departing US president seems determined to use his last weeks in office to teach the Israeli prime minister a painful lesson he won't forget in a hurry after his White House exit on Jan. 20. But he is getting it wrong one more time. The UN SC resolution will soon be reduced to a piece of paper. The Palestinians will wave it gladly in the face of the international community, but Israel won't remove a single settlement or stop building new housing estates in Jerusalem. The Prime Minister's Office made it clear that Israel is not bound by the resolution and rejects it. The only concrete result will be to make peace more elusive than ever The notion that Donald Trump will come riding to Israel's rescue as soon as he moves into the Oval Office is foolish. He was elected to rebuild America as a global power. That would necessarily include restoring US influence in the Middle East, but how he proposes to accomplish this is not generally known. If he decides to call on Israel for support and assistance, it stands to reason that he will introduce radical changes in Obama's steps - especially the nuclear deal with Iran and the peace process with the Palestinians. Not all those changes can be achieved peacefully. They may well entail the use of military force by the United States and Israel. In this sense, Security Council Resolution 2334 may turn out to be the real obstacle to peace, tending rather to promote belligerence in the Middle East, because the Palestinians and other hardliners and rejectionists will use the resolution as their justification for bashing Israel and more acts of terror. 
Israel and Syria - By Ira Sharkansky - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/80718/israel-and-syria-opinion/#Gtz2UJuzScu5xKfy.97
Estimates are ranging to half million deaths in the four year civil war in Syria that shows no sign of reaching an end, or even of agreement among observers about what is likely to occur. The most recent headlines have focused on what Hebrew and Arabic speakers call Chalab, and the speakers of western languages call Aleppo. What had been a city with some 2.3 million residents now is providing videos looking like Berlin and Tokyo in 1945, estimates of 30-40 thousand dead, perhaps 100,000 refugees seeking relief from cold, hunger, and thirst, as well as threats of more killing, rape, and pillage. The city is 500 km (300 miles) from northern Israel, assuming it would be possible to make the trip. There is also fighting right over the border of the Golan Heights, with occasional shells falling by mistake or intention in Israel. Aside from clucking our tongues in sadness at the carnage, pretty much like other outsiders, Israelis aren't doing much, also like other outsiders. Medical personnel take care of injured fighters or civilians who make it to the border, the IDF bombards in response to the shells that land on Israeli territory, and has destroyed stockpiles and shipments of munitions apparently destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Jerusalem Post published an editorial with the headline, "Israel's moral obligation to help save Aleppo's civilians," but the item's content is a pale shadow of anything heroic. Its essence is that Israel must promote action by the UN, US, EU, Russia, Turkey and others to stop the carnage. The concluding paragraphs read more as a moral whisper than anything practical. "As a people who suffered the Holocaust, we should see it as our moral imperative to protect the lives of Syrian civilians, including the thousands of innocent children. There are no easy answers in the ongoing conflict. But before time runs out, the innocent - civilians and aid workers trapped in the fighting - must be saved." The Prime Minister spoke about bringing injured civilians from Chalab to Israel. However, in the aftermath of Muslim refugees killing civilians in Berlin, that may go the way of a lot that the Prime Minister says and doesn't do. A group of Israelis acquired air-time on radio to ask for donations for the purchase of baby food for the refugees from Chalab. How the delivery would be made is its own mystery. More prominent than moral worries are the benefits Israel enjoys from carnage among our enemies. Muslim civil war and its uptick in Islamic extremism is keeping our enemies busy, and distracting the world's elites from making any effort to impose a solution for Israel and Palestine. It's also helping to minimize the clout of the country's own leftists, and their standard claim that Israel is at fault for not trying harder to please those claiming priority where Israelis are residing on one or another side of the armistice lines created in 1948. IDF planners as well as Arabic speaking commentators are pondering the warfare in Syria and its implication for us via which groups may end up on top, especially in areas near the border. For some 40 years Israel's relationship with Syria has been one of enmity and threat, along with restraint. Israel has posted significant military resources along the border, but the area is generally quiet. There was an attack against a nuclear site in 2007. There was also the final exit of what had been a substantial Jewish community with a history of two millennia, with some of the last remnants making their way to Israel from way stations in the US or Europe. Officially Israel has distanced itself from what is happening, along with some kind of relationship with several of the combatants and sources of their support, including Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Kurds, not all of whom are usually on the same side of the fighting. Hezbollah and its Iranian supporters are arguably the most assiduous of Israel's adversaries, and they are deeply involved in the fighting, with significant casualties. Optimistic Israelis see both of them as bleeding enough in Syria to postpone any likelihood of significant efforts against Israel. Should they position themselves in any major way close to the border, that would be one of the reasons to contemplate an Israeli preemption. In a situation where the forces of Russia and Assad appear to have some degree of staying power, while dozens of militias are competing in a chaos that sees allies turning into enemies and again allies, it is best for Israel to stay out of it, while using its power when appropriate. There have been declarations of friendship with Israel from individuals claiming to speak for one or another of the groups rebelling against the Assad regime. There have also been Syrians who refuse to speak to a reporter identified as an Israeli, perhaps because of fear of retribution or because of the person's own enmity to anything Jewish. We can assume that the militias killing one another's fighters and civilian supporters would unify with escalated enthusiasm, and turn their weapons against Israelis if they had the opportunity. The level of pathos may be significantly greater among Israel's Arabs than Jews, and especially among the Muslims. It is their people who are tearing themselves apart, and producing mass graves as well as countless refugees. We hear of bitterness within families as individuals choose sides and justify the actions of those seen as more just, or more likely to emerge victorious, with other individuals depressed by what seems to be a hopeless chaos of shifting loyalties with no results beyond more death and destruction. There is no shortage of governments to blame for the unrestrained warfare and civilian misery. For some, Russia is the prime evil, but for others it is the excessive restraint of Barack Obama. Against the occasional bombing run, supplies and advisers sent to favored militias, as well as joining the EU in economic sanctions against Russia for what it has done in Ukraine, the greater impact of the US is to keep its force at home and to provide a free hand to Russians who are supporting and leading the actions of Assad's forces. 
The Last World Government - By Daymond Duck - http://raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd259.html
From Genesis to Revelation God has placed verses of Scripture in the Bible that can be assembled like pieces of a puzzle to reveal the future. One verse of Scripture or one piece of the puzzle may not reveal much, but when many of the verses or many of the pieces are assembled in the proper way they come together to reveal a picture that is easy to understand. One well-known verse of Scripture says, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). The government wasn't upon the shoulders of Jesus when He came the first time, but it will be upon the shoulders of Jesus when He comes back as King of kings, and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). Satan knows this. He is God's arch enemy and he wants to rule the government that God has set aside for Jesus. He was behind Nimrod's (a name that means "let us revolt") effort to establish a world government at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). But God always knows what Satan is up to and He thwarted Satan's plan by scattering Nimrod and his followers all over the then known world. Satan continued his quest to take the place of Jesus as the head of a world government in Egypt (#1), then Assyria (#2) and then Babylon (#3). In Babylon (#3), Satan's puppet Nebuchadnezzar was having dreams about the future that disturbed him. One of his dreams was particularly disturbing and he tried to get answers from his sorcerers and others, but he wound up having to rely upon Daniel for its meaning. Following prayer and a revelation from God, we get another piece of the puzzle. Babylon (#3) would be replaced by another kingdom (Medes and Persians #4), then another kingdom (Greece (#5), then another kingdom (Rome #6), and then another kingdom (Revived Rome plus others, #7, Dan. 2:39-40; Rev. 17:10). And in the days of kingdom #7 (Revived Rome plus others) a Rock (Jesus) will destroy Satan's world kingdoms and the last world government will be placed upon the shoulders of Jesus (#8, Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45). The next piece of the puzzle comes from the book of Revelation where it talks about the Tribulation Period and the seven bowl judgments. Bowls are containers that can be used to hold beans, chili, potatoes or whatever. They can also be used to hold the wrath of God. Sin that is not covered by the blood of Jesus stirs the wrath of God. He could pour His wrath out upon people each time they sin, but He loves people, and He is merciful and patient. So His wrath is delayed and allowed to accumulate in bowls. He could have poured it out when the first bowl got full, or the second bowl, or the third bowl, etc., but He didn't. Anyway, there is a line and when all seven bowls get filled with God's wrath He will instruct seven angels to dump His wrath upon the earth. · The 1st Bowl will be against those that take the mark of the beast (Rev. 16:1-2). · The 2nd Bowl will be against the sea creatures that survived previous judgments. · The 3rd Bowl will be against those who harmed God's people and the prophets (Rev. 16:4-6). · The 4th Bowl will be against those who blasphemed God and refused to repent. · The 5th Bowl will be against the throne and kingdom of the Antichrist (Rev. 16:10). · The 6th Bowl will be against the armies of the Antichrist. · The 7th Bowl will be against the religious and commercial centers of the Antichrist (16:17-19). Following 7 world governments, 7 angels will dump 7 bowls of God's wrath upon the earth and 7 years of Tribulation period will come to an end. The Antichrist will be destroyed and the government of the world will be placed upon the shoulders of Jesus. Many writers think this will be at the beginning of the 7th Millennium. Prophecy Plus Ministries Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] 
My Review of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Over the last 35 years, I have literally read hundreds of books on Bible Prophecy and End Time signs. I especially enjoy books on the Rapture, and I have read almost every Rapture-related book published. In all those years, devouring thousands of pages, and millions of words, I have not read a better book on the Rapture than, Rapture Ready...Or Not? Terry James might be physically blind, but he is spiritually sharp and well discerning beyond most authors. In "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Terry has nailed the pre-trib Rapture, and removed any doubt what so ever about the Church going through the Tribulation. With great insight and Godly discernment, Terry explains with simple, yet profound words, why and how that he has come to believe the ways he does about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the End Times scenario. I think after reading "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" you too will believe as Terry does, and be Ready for the Rapture like never before! - Randy Thomas - Publisher / Editor - Prophecy Update For more information and or to get your copy of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" use this link: http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book35.html 
One Fat and Sassy Church - Wendy Wippel -
http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8357 Believers see the UN's Agenda 2030 as a blueprint for one-world government ratified September 25, 2015 as a harbinger of the seven-year period called the Tribulation. Doubters point to the persistence of deep divisions in world views, most significantly with respect to religion. No argument there. But when the church is gone only delusion will remain. We saw a couple of weeks ago that the Pope, at the UN, concurred with the UN's call for global government in order to accomplish peace and parity for all, through the 17 comprehensive global issues areas that are now slated to come under UN control. And high on the list of his methods of affecting world peace is to iron out differences in religious views. Iron out meant literally. As completely remove them. And he got started almost the minute he donned the Popely garb. In July of 2013, His Holiness wished for Muslims celebrating Ramadan that their efforts would bear great spiritual fruit. Despite the fact that by definition, according to the Qur'an, the purpose of Ramadan is to "magnify" Allah. A short time later, he sent a message to the Grand Imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque, Ahmed Al Tayyeb, expressing his respect for Islam and hope that a mutual understanding could be achieved so that Islam and the Vatican could work together for peace and justice. Not long after, the Vatican issued a statement expressing their opinion that profound respect for the beliefs and texts of other religions (in the context, specifically, of Islam) is "an essential precondition for the peaceful coexistence of peoples." And in one intriguingly unguarded moment, Pope Francis defined what, for him, Christianity consisted of: "Fundamentalism is always a falsification of religion and goes against the meaning of religion which is, instead, an invitation to share God's peace throughout the world ... The basic message of religion must be against violence." So...through this religion named "peace", an invitation, in the name of the generic God, to share world peace can succeed, according to Francis. Which would seem doubtful, unless he had an ace up his sleeve of some sort. And perhaps he does. An ace named The Virgin Mary. Largely under the American religious radar, Virgin Mary apparitions have been going on all over the world. Particularly in Islamic countries. Like Egypt. A socioeconomic crisis in 1968 was accompanied by an image of the Virgin Mary above a Coptic Christian church in Cairo and remained five months. More than a million Islamic Egyptians saw the apparition, and largely viewed it as a supernatural sign of support. Mary again appeared, clothed in light, in 2009, and again in Cairo, in 2010. A Catholic priest who saw her then believed that her appearance was meant to bring about the end of the state of tensions between Muslims and Christians and an end to extremism. Like Syria. Mary (our lady of Soufanieh) appeared in Damascus in 1982, during a civil war. And this time she spoke, delivering messages that focused on peace among all peoples. (The house in which Our Lady of Soufanieh appears is now a focal point of prayer in Damascus for both Christians and Muslims.) Like Lebanon. an 8- minute apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared in Harrisa, Lebanon, in 2012, telling all Christians to give, and never, ever to judge. And of course, in Bosnia, Herzegovina, where the mother of Jesus has ostensibly appeared in the town of Medjugorje repeatedly since 1981. Her website records her nearly 15 years of messages, and includes Arab translations. As well as translations in nearly every other language. Because the apparitions aren't appearing just to Arabs. Mary appeared to Rwandans shortly before the genocide there. And in Japan, beginning in 1983. And in Mexico, and in Italy, and in Spain, and in Canada, and in Russiaa, and in Peru, and in Vietnam, and in France, and in Nigeria, and in Korea, and in Argentina, and in Zaire, and in Ukraine, and in Camerron, and in the Phillipines. and in Haiti. And in Israel. All in just the last 30 years. Islam, particularly, in fact, has revered the Virgin Mary, and for centuries, as she is the only woman mentioned in the Koran and mentioned many more times than Mary is mentioned in the Bible. So aside for us pesky Christians, for whom Christianity is not about world peace or social justice, but about spiritual truth. it would seem that the whole world, in fact, could rally around the Christianity shaping up under the new Vatican (with a little bit of help from Old Scratch himself in the form of the Virgin Mary) . Whose workings with respect to the new world church on the horizon are evident in the fact that many Protestant churches are now adding veneration of Mary to their practices. Can you say Laodicea? As for the real church? Well, we'll be safe in the arms of our Redeemer, having been snatched out ahead of the chaos to come. True religion, accord to the Pope, must..."promote dialogue, reconciliation and peace." Jesus said... "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword". Pretty big gap there, between "Christianity" and Christ. And from where I sit? Gets bigger every day. Which only means His return gets closer, right? Maranatha! 
Daily Jot: A memory of a Christmas - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
There are a lot of terrible things going on right now in the world. But we are at the time of the year when we as Christians are celebrating the Christmas season. We can choose to be impacted by the world around us in its dimly lit arena, or we can choose to let our light so shine. I choose the latter. I want to tell you a little about the Christmas' that I had growing up on our family farm in Ohio. I was blessed to be born into a horse and cattle farm that has been in our family for some 200 years. And Christmas, especially Christmas Eve, was a wonderful time for our family. December 24 was my Dad's birthday. And my Dad was well loved by his neighbors and friends, so we had a lot going on Christmas Eve. I remember one special Christmas Eve. I must have been about four years old. The night was falling and the wind and snow were whipping across the barnyard, as we often were victims of the "lake effect" from Lake Erie in the southern most tip of the snow belt. The barn was cold when we turned on the lights and started climbing into the loft and throwing bales of hay down, putting the hay in the mangers, grain in the feed boxes and water in the buckets. Then the horses and cows were gathered in the barnyard, one by one we let them through the door and they automatically went to their stalls or stanchions. The barn warmed up and the animals contently eating was a comforting sound. We had dinner and went to church. I remember my brother Chuck carried me out of church that night. He was 14 years older than me and we were so very close. He was asking me whether I thought Santa had made it to the farm yet. And I was worried that it was so early on Christmas Eve that he had not--for we celebrated our family Christmas on Christmas Eve with my Dad's birthday. Then he looked up at the moon and said, "See there...its Santa's sleigh and his reindeer. Don't you see them?" He was so convincing that I looked and looked, but couldn't find them. But Chuck insisted that he had seen Santa Clause. We got home and sure enough there were wonderful presents under the tree. We had a great family time that year, opening presents and enjoying one another. And afterwards, neighbors and friends started dropping by to wish my Dad happy birthday. Their kids and me were playing with my new farm set, and there was a lot of laughter and fun. Chuck was killed by a drunk driver a few years later. Dad passed in 1989. But the spirit of those two wonderful men lives on here and especially in heaven, and I am reminded of them every Christmas Eve--in the best of times or worst of times, they were the best of men. We have a Savior, Jesus Christ, who is with us in all times. And no matter the condition of the world, we can draw comfort in His promise in Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." God Bless you and yours during this season. 
Daily Devotion: The Unpopular Truth - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. -1 Timothy 2:5 One of the most often-asked questions regarding the Christian faith goes something like this: "What about the person who has never heard that Jesus is the only way to God? What about the person in the middle of the jungle who has never heard the gospel?" (They are always in a jungle for some unknown reason-or in the desert.) The teaching that Jesus Christ is the only way to God has never been popular. But maybe it has never been more controversial than it is today. If you want to get someone's blood boiling, then say that Jesus is the only way to God. The "coexist" bumper sticker on their car will catch fire. The idea that you would have the audacity to say that Jesus is the only way is, in effect, saying that other religions are not true. That is the way it works itself out, and people don't like it. It is acceptable if you say that Jesus is a way to God. But when you dare to say that He is the only way, then you can be certain that will have some pushback. But here is what it comes down to. We have to say what the Bible says, whether it is popular or not. It is not for me to edit the message of the Bible; it is for me, as a Christian, to simply deliver it. It would be like a doctor's discovering a very serious problem with a patient's health, but then being unwilling to say what that problem is, because it might make that patient uncomfortable. We have to tell people the truth about their real condition, which happens to be sinful, and then seek to save them, which is to point them to Jesus Christ as the only solution. 
FROM THE HEART
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