PROPHECY UPDATE ...................8/04/2022

 

Is Pope Francis the False Prophet? (Part 2) – by Pastor Mike Taylor - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2022/08/is-pope-francis-false-prophet-part-2.html   12 “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” (Revelation 13:12-14)   I have at other times, written about the history of the Catholic church, mainly the Roman kind, as I have pointed out in the past a unification of the two main religions of the world, known as Chrislam, or Roman Catholicism and Islam joining forces for world domination. In a past message about the "Last Pope". I marveled at how this man just didn't seem to fit the preconceived notions floating in my head and spoke about it. But new developments and details have been brought to bear, and we need to look at this man a little closer.   Noting all the signs of the times around us, I've wondered when and how will a one world church prophesied in your bible come about?. For over a hundred years, one body has secretly and with stealth promoted a one world religion to draw all religions to the “mother church” and that is the Roman Catholic Church. In the past, they did it violently and with blood. Today, they do it with stealth and cunning and invading every part of society including education to promote the unity of the faith (sic). They will do it again, the “with blood part” in the Tribulation.   Prior to taking up the mantle to warn those who would listen, that I have resisted the idea of shining the light on this movement of “another Christ” "instead of Christ" "Anti-Christ" AKA, the “vicar of Christ” or god on earth known as the pope, in the distant past, for personal reasons, as my younger brother has embraced this Satanic form of religiosity, as he feels that only through the Catholic church can his salvation be assured. But I have a duty to God to call out heresy and evil within any religious organization who labels themselves "Christian". It’s our duty and our calling according to Paul in 1st Corinthians:   2 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. (1st Corinthians 6:2-4)   Any organization on earth who puts themselves above God's Word should NOT be tolerated by any born again, Gospel believing , and Jesus Holy Spirit residing in his/her heart Christian. We must realize that no man, no church, no organization can assure you of your redemption except through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not the Catholic Church, not sacraments, not Mary, not the dead saints, not any evangelical/Pentecostal denomination, or any power on earth will assure you of a place at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Our Lord will not be replaced with any mere man/woman or church on the face of the earth. Paul spoke of our personal responsibility for assuring our own salvation, and it is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior when he wrote in the book of Philippians:   “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”(Philippians 2:9-11)   Did Paul write that your salvation is through any other means except through the blood of our Savior? No, Paul makes no mention of it, as it is not found in the Bible anywhere, accept Jesus saying "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by ME." So any other way is simply a LIE. But my brethren, what church organization has promoted these lies for over a 1700 years plus that the only way to God, is through their church? Correct, the Roman Catholic Church is that antithesis of all things that God ordained through His Son, Jesus Christ. Of itself, it is Anti-Christ.   I spoke of stealth in the first part of this commentary message, that one organization has gone fairly silent in recent years directly, but has used deception and the resurgence of it’s goal of a “one world religion” drawing all religions including the Far East religions of mysticism and pagan worship. Don’t believe me? I ask that you read the following article sent to me by a dear brother of my online congregation through the link below, (copy and paste if the link doesn’t work)   http://www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c97.shtml   It’s titled The Jesuit Agenda and the Evangelical/Protestant Church.   In this article, you will see that the agenda of the Catholic church is well and alive through men such as Rick Warren, Kenneth Copeland and their cohorts, and the emerging church. Steeped with idolatry and mysticism, they do the bidding of the “mother church” and the secret Jesuit society. You see it on TV..."Come back to the Mother Church"...you mean like One World Church? No, thank you, I gave at the office.   We as Christians must understand that we are not to judge the world, as our Lord and Savior will judge according to His Word, but that does not apply to things that are heretical within our own ranks and the preaching of the Kingdom of God by His true church as I quoted what Paul the apostle said to the Corinthians.   All one has to do is review the history of the Roman Catholic Church and how it has subverted the Gospel to its own enrichment, the sins of the clergy and the pope, and the continued practice of false doctrine and debauchery that is the modern Roman Catholic Church. Can anyone say “pedophile priest?” Some say, "Oh, that was the past, It's not happening today". Oh, really? So you give them a pass with their historic examples of debauchery and murder? Did you realize that this last pope moved around pedophile priest to prevent the church paying out money in lawsuits? He basically hid them out and they continued to be priest and child molesters. Is this Christ-like and from the supreme “leader” of the religion???   HISTORY OF THE 'CHURCH' IN VIEW   The history of the Catholic Church, from its Rome headquarters, has been one of blood and domination. We read of popes who were the most hideous of sinful men that claimed the authority of God Almighty and whosoever disagreed with their edicts were either excommunicated, or worse, slain from a thousand different methods of torture of a thousand knives and execution. Read about their extermination of any protestant religions who just wanted to worship God in their own way, such as so-called heretical sects like Cathars, Waldensians and Lollards were brutally suppressed in Western Europe, while, at the same time, Catholic Christians lived side-by-side with 'schismatic' Orthodox Christians after the East-West Schism in the borderlands of Eastern Europe. I know you will say, that’s the past. But I’m aghast when I read the modern recent position that the Catholic church took against helpless Jewish people during WW2 and basically aligning itself with Nazi Germany and blessing their swastika symbol as a symbol to be revered, and/or, feared. The power and domination of the Church in Rome has dwindled in the last 200 years, but if any power arise that seeks domination of the earth, it’s a safe bet that the Church in Rome will do it’s bidding to be at the table of the power brokers. It’s their history, it’s their entire focus of a One World Religion headed by one religious authority, called the Vicar of Christ, their “god on earth”. In itself, the title is outright blasphemy. The Church in Rome will arise again, but only for a short few years, before she is destroyed in judgment. Mark my word.   TRUE CHRISTIANS MUST BE WARNED   One of the greatest dangers to Christianity today is the deliberate suppression of biblical truth for the sake of unity. The danger intensifies as we see many highly visible and influential Christians are jumping on the Vatican’s ecumenical bandwagon. Instead of warning believers that this false unity is the emergence of the "last days" Laodecian apostate church, evangelicals are embracing and applauding those who are engineering it.   Everyday we see ministers, so called shepherds of the flock, misleading people away from the truths of the Bible. They are seldom exposed, except when their sins find them out, to the glee of the secular media. Jesus warned of such charlatans that are wolves among the sheep.   “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17)   And Paul when the young and growing church was just beginning warned the people in his ministry in Acts chapter 20:   29 “ For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”(Acts 20:29-31)   I know what I am writing will offend many who are in this so called “faith” and I don't mean to condemn anyone who follows this religion blindly either by being born into it, or somehow embracing it as the “church” Jesus founded. But did He really?   This has even come into modern Protestant churches who believe that the Catholic Church is holy. It is indeed disturbing to see so many folks that are blinded by the deception that goes on in these modern Protestant churches that do the bidding of the “mother church” to draw all religions into one common, all powerful religious state. They have been working steadily at bringing “departed brothers” back into the faith, or the “holy mother church”. When Pope John Paul II was alive, he promoted the following:   In his 1995 encyclical Et Unum Sint, Pope John Paul II said he intends "to promote every suitable initiative...to increase the unity of all Christians until they reach full communion" and "to encourage the efforts of all who work for the cause of unity." The pope’s stated desire is "to gather all people and all things into Christ, so as to be for all—an inseparable sacrament of unity... expressed in the common celebration of the Eucharist." During a week of prayer for Christian unity Pope John Paul II said, "I gladly take this opportunity to call the attention of all believers to the ecumenical commitment that marked VC II. The council rightly defined the division among Christians as a scandal. The council Fathers felt the need to beg pardon of God and of their brethren for the sins committed against unity." He asked Catholics "to cultivate an authentic spiritual ecumenism" through the Virgin Mary [not through the Lord Jesus??].   I quote now from an article I read concerning the papacy’s sole intent of uniting all religions under one authority, the Church in Rome:   “As we watch the Vatican we can see a seductive strategy for uniting all Christians. They masterfully and deliberately redefine biblical terms to make them more vague, ambiguous and acceptable to both Catholics and Protestants. An example of this is the 1999 Lutheran-Roman Catholic "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification." In the declaration, Rome uses equivocal and indefinite words to affirm the doctrine of "justification by faith alone" but, at the same time, continues to affirm the anathema’s that condemn all who believe this doctrine. We must not be misled. Rome has not changed its position on things that really matter! Instead they take advantage of professing Christians who lack discernment or who are unwilling to contend for "the faith." (The Pope's Push for a One-World Religion by Mike Gendron)”   I would go a step further than making doctrine acceptable to Catholics and Protestants alike. They are wooing all major religions to their altar of servitude. Religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Shintoism, and every –ism even pagans out there that are a religion to the people and bring them under one big religious tent, with the power of the papacy in supreme control in religious affairs.   One Word Government, One World Religion   We now see a push for a One World government due to global economic upheaval. Many elites are planning the demise of the capitalistic model of free enterprise and promoting a “new world order.” How this new system shakes out and what will be the catalyst to making the kings of the earth to demand a one world system, is for prophecy in the near future. The stage is set, the actors are being put in place, and all we need is to light the fuse to send the world into utter chaos, even more so than it already is.   John spoke of this period of time that we are fast drawing down to, know as the “end of days”.   “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” (Revelation 17:1-2)   John speaks of a woman, when identified, it stands for a religious entity upon the earth. In this case, the woman is a harlot, meaning that she does not serve the true God, but prostitutes herself to false gods and false doctrine and misleads the people into idolatry.   17:3 “ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:”(Revelation 17:3-4)   I submit to you, that through the ages since Jesus was ascended to the right hand of the Father, has no other religious body that calls themselves “Christian” perverted scripture to their own enrichment and their own lust for power. Any encyclopedia will affirm that only one religious body of paramount whoredom has committed the sins John mentions here…yes, the Roman Catholic Church. In the past, I have equated them with what Paul fought in his epistles of those he called Gnostics who had “secret knowledge” not found in Scripture. What religion has drummed up “traditions” that are not found in God's Word anywhere? Of course, the Roman Catholic Church who could be modern Gnostics. They hold their traditions and the edicts of the pope above clear commands of Holy Scripture. It is designed to promote the power of the church, and debase the authority of God’s Holy Word as secondary to their authority. Blasphemy of the most severe.   5 “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”( Revelation 17:5-6)   Reader, how many people have been slain in the name of the Roman Catholic Church down through the last 2000 years??….Millions, tens of millions? The number and the atrocity of the sins of the Church in Rome rises like a stench in the nostrils of God. Read your history.   In this chapter of Revelation, John goes onto describe the Beast power that arises during the last 7 years, called Daniel’s 70th week. You see how this harlot rides the beast and is joined to its power and uses her influence to support and defend the Beast power and it’s administration. Finally, when the Beast is done with her, she is destroyed by fire.   15 “ And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.(Revelation 17:15-17)   In Revelation 17, the Woman is controlling the Beast, bringing about its worship. But, she and the Beast are antagonists competing against each other. Furthermore, she is heavily involved in politics (influencing kings), manufacturing, shipping, craftsmanship, and merchandising   The Woman indeed has a relationship with the Beast, but she is not part of the politics, economics, religion, or military of the Beast, at least, not directly. She and the Beast are separate entities, even though both are part of the overall One World system. The Catholic Church has always been part of the Beast, influencing it from within. Conversely, the Woman is portrayed as an external influence, competing with, riding, and at some point exercising control of the Beast.   How this harlot will be destroyed by fire is conjecture on anybodies part, but a nuclear blast would destroy all of Rome and the Vatican estate that resides there.   What Time is it?   Many in the Catholic church hierarchy and the leaders within have reported that after this pope, Pope Benedict XVI finished his “reign” over the Catholic Church, that the next pope will be an apostate. From Wikipedia, we read about what is said about this last pope. In one of my messages I went over this prophecy of St. Malachy and was little puzzled about the selection of this pope...one called Francis....It was predicted it would be possibly several other men and that the new pope would take the name Pius....I wondered if "Is this the pope we were looking for, the False Prophet"? But in investigating this man further and settling down to who this man is, at first I thought, he looks so grandfatherly, so humble, and he's definitely OLD. How could he be the prophesied "false prophet". That is until I had several member of the congregation online email me from all over the planet filling me in about this man and supplying information about his past.   1. His given surname is Peitro "peter" 2. His family immigrated to Argentina from Italy..hence he's Roman 3. and most disturbing, he has long been a member of the Society of Jesus, Jesuits. 4. The author’s of Petrus Romanus that I have been reading, agree that his pedigree fits, Peter the Roman.   From Wikipedia online: Bergoglio studied at the archdiocesan seminary Inmaculada Concepción in Villa Devoto,Buenos Aires City, and after three years entered the Society of Jesus on 11 March 1958.[12]   Father Bergoglio completed his final stage of spiritual formation as a Jesuit, tertianship, atAlcalá de Henares, Spain, and took his perpetual vows in the Society of Jesus on 22 April 1973.[27] He was named Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus in Argentina on 31 July 1973 and served until 1979.[28] After the completion of his term of office, in 1980 he was named the rector of the seminary in San Miguel (it is unclear which one), and served in that capacity until 1986. He spent several months at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany, while considering possible dissertation topics,[29] before returning to Argentina to serve as a confessor and spiritual director to the Jesuit community in Córdoba.[30]   Now noting the above article and their determination to make all religions bow to the pope, under any means at their disposal should give each of us pause. Again, I am reminded of the verse in Revelation 13, concerning his demeanor and first impression:   13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” (Revelation 13:11-12)   This present leader of the Catholic Church has pushed hard for a “new World Order”in the U.N. Anywhere he speaks to those who listen and those who follow blindly he promotes a one world religion.. Below is just some of the outrageous, blasphemous statements that this man has made in the name of his “church”.   >Pope Francis Unveils Globalist New World Religion at Summit with United Nations Leader. >Pope Francis Declares That Christian Fundamentalists Are “A Scourge” >Pope Francis: Christianity Welcomes Pagans but They Must ‘Reject Idolatry’(but what religion has more idols inside their churches than does this one?) >Globalist Pope Francis calls for new ‘supranational’ authorities that would to rule countries and enforce UN goals (called Sustainable Development and Agenda 2030 or the control of every man and woman on the planet) Go here if you would like to know what Sustainable Development is and the U.N. Vision for this planet in Agenda 2030 and the Pope is pushing for:   https://massawakening.org/how-does-agenda-21-is-being-implemented-worldwide/   >Pope Francis Endorses Essay Trashing U.S. Conservative Christians >Pope Rejects ‘Excessive Demand for Sovereignty’, Pushes Idea of Global Authority >The Pope And Islam’s Most Important Imam Just Signed A Covenant That Pushes Us Much Closer To A One World Religion >Pope: Christians murdered by Muslims are testament to God’s plan for peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims >Pope Francis: ‘There Is No Hell’ Those who don't believe will just disappear. >Pope Francis ‘paving way for Antichrist’ >Pope Francis: World Government Must Rule U.S. ‘For Their Own Good’ >12 Times Pope Francis Has Openly Promoted A One World Religion Or A New World Order   I could go on and on what this man has said confirming his belief in a New World Order and One World Religion....if you wish to see more of these outrageous statements and commentary, go to this site:   https://setapartbytruth.org/wordpress-watchman/tag/pope-francis/   As mentioning a warning before, don't be fooled by the man's demeanor and his seemly grandfatherly front speaking words that soothe and even salting it with the name Jesus. No, look at his actions and if they are in line with scripture, because if he be the man, then he will say words you want to hear, but "metaphorically" crossing his fingers behind his back. Meaning, he means nothing he says, but to deceive. Using his Jesuit upbringing in this church, he will demand conformity.   I warn every truly converted Christian man or woman, to make yourself familiar with the commands of scripture. Be an informed Berean. As mentioned in Acts   17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:1)   Although I believe that this “pope” is laying the groundwork for the coming “New World Order” he may not be the man to usher it in...it is noted that Pope Francis Secretary General is the real power behind the papacy and could be the next pope to take the helm of the Catholic Church. One can only watch and wait to see.   If a Christian takes it upon himself to read his bible, he will not be deceived with “traditions of the church” or any doctrine that is contrary to the Word of God. I beseech each and everyone of you to put on the whole armor of God, as the spirit world is growing more active with each passing day.   6:11 “ Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;(Ephesians 6:11-18)   I pray for my younger brother, who puts his trust in an organization, not his Lord and Savior to keep him on the straight and narrow path that leads to life. When this world approaches the tribulation, I would pray that each of you, including my brother, would take the Word of God in hand and search its pages to find if these things be true.   THE RAPTURE BRINGS A NEW WORLD ORDER AT WARP SPEED   I spoke earlier of a catalyst, a fuse that would ignite the call for a One World Government, and a One World Religion. Everything is in place, the actors are stage left, stage right and are ready to begin their short act of the last seven years of mankind’s attempt to govern himself. What might that catalyst be? If suddenly upwards of a few million to tens of millions of people suddenly vanish off the surface of this planet, such an economic collapse that we only envision will happen at lightning speed. The call for calm and a ruling body to restore order will be set in motion almost immediately to prevent anarchy and chaos. I believe that the removal of the church saints from this earth, to meet Jesus in the air, will be the most catastrophic event to come to this planet until Jesus comes and destroys all rebellion with the War of Armageddon. Men will search for answers, reasons, and to be comforted that all is well. It is said that the one thing that would unite this world into one solid unit is an “ALIEN INVASION” from another planet. Hence, they will explain it away.   Enter stage right, the One World Government, and enter stage left, the beginning of the One World Religion headed by the False Prophet and the Roman Catholic church, in that order. Hold onto your seat, my brother, as the ride could get real bumpy before the Father says, “It is enough. Go get my children”.   John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.   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. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”(Romans 10:8-13)   As I watch the development stage of world events, I am amazed at how fast things are shaping up and coming into view of Biblical Prophecy. The Lord Jesus could come at any given time, so be ready and not found following any other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.   MARANATHA, SO COME LORD JESUS!!   This is Pastor Mike Taylor praying God’s love in your life. If there is anything I can help you with, pray with about, or just listen, drop me a line to pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com , God bless you till we meet at Jesus feet.

It’s Happening: Here Is A List Of 11 Big Companies That Have Announced Layoffs Within The Last 2 Weeks - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/its-happening-here-is-a-list-of-11-big-companies-that-have-announced-layoffs-within-the-last-2-weeks/   When the economy slows down, layoffs inevitably happen. We witnessed this on a very large scale in 2008 and 2009, and now it is happening again. U.S. economic numbers are rapidly getting worse, and companies all across America don’t want to get caught with bloated payrolls as we plunge into a recession. As you will see below, many of the firms that are laying off workers are either in the real estate industry or the tech industry. Those are two industries that were on the leading edge of the “boom times”, and now it appears that they will also be on the bleeding edge as the economy crashes.   It is always a tragedy whenever any hard working American is forced out of a job. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing right now is just the beginning. The following is a list of 11 big companies that have announced layoffs within the last 2 weeks…   #1 Ultratec Inc. says that it will be laying off more than 600 workers.   #2 Electric truck maker Rivian will be laying off approximately 840 workers.   #3 7-Eleven has announced that it will be eliminating 880 corporate jobs.   #4 Shopify is laying off about 1,000 people.   #5 Vimeo says that it will be eliminating 6 percent of its current workforce.   #6 Redfin will be reducing the size of its workforce by 8 percent.   #7 Compass will be reducing the size of its workforce by 10 percent.   #8 RE/MAX will be reducing the size of its workforce by 17 percent.   #9 Robinhood will be reducing the size of its workforce by 23 percent.   #10 It is being reported that Ford “is preparing to cut as many as 8,000 jobs in the coming weeks”.   #11 Geico has closed every single one of their offices in the state of California, and that will result in vast numbers of workers losing their jobs…   GEICO, one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, reportedly closed all 38 of it’s California offices on Monday, resulting in hundreds of workers being laid off.   According to the company, GEICO would not be leaving outright, and will still be offering policies directly online, with all insurance functions continuing as normal. Buying directly through agents by phone, however, will not be possible.   “We continue to write policies in California, and we remain available through our direct channels for the more than 2.18 million California customers presently insured with us,” said GEICO in a statement on Monday.   On top of everything else, Amazon has announced that it reduced the size of its workforce by approximately 100,000 workers in just one quarter…   With recession fears mounting — and inflation, the war in Ukraine and the lingering pandemic taking a toll — many tech companies are rethinking their staffing needs, with some of them instituting hiring freezes, rescinding offers and making rounds of layoffs.   Amazon.com Inc. was one of the latest companies to discuss its belt-tightening efforts this week. During its quarterly earnings call Thursday, the e-commerce giant said it’s been adding jobs at the slowest rate since 2019. After relying on attrition to winnow its staff, Amazon now has about 100,000 fewer employees than in the previous quarter.   You could fill up two very large football stadiums with 100,000 workers.   Eventually, this wave of job losses will become a tsunami, and millions of Americans will suddenly find that they are unable to continue paying their bills.   Meanwhile, our new housing crash is starting to pick up speed as well.   In fact, we just witnessed an absolutely massive spike in the number of Americans that are searching for the term “sell my home fast” on Google…   Within hours of the latest GDP report on Thursday, which raised fears that the United States could be entering a recession, online search volume for “sell my home fast” spiked a whopping 2,750%.   Shortly after the Commerce Department released the report on July 28, revealing that the economy showed negative growth for a second straight quarter — shrinking by an annual pace of 0.9% — home sellers hoping for higher housing prices to continue are now concerned.   Just like in 2008 and 2009, a lot of Americans that bought near the peak of the market are going to end up underwater on their homes.   We didn’t learn from history, and so now we are repeating it.   And things are going to get worse and worse for the housing market as the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates.   Of course it isn’t just the U.S. that is going to be suffering in the months ahead.   The whole planet appears to be heading for a major downturn, and one of the largest shipping companies in the entire world has just confirmed that global economic activity is really starting to slow down…   AP Moller-Maersk on Wednesday predicted a slowdown in global shipping container demand this year amid weakening consumer confidence and supply chain congestion.   The Danish shipping and logistics company — one of the world’s largest and a broad barometer for global trade — said it loaded 7.4% fewer containers onto ships in the second quarter when compared to the same period in 2021, prompting it to revise the full-year outlook for its container business.   Europe is being hit harder than just about anywhere else.   Many of the numbers that are coming out of Europe are surprisingly bad, and now thanks to the war in Ukraine they are bracing for an extremely cold and bitter winter…   Germany’s presidential palace in Berlin is no longer lit at night, the city of Hanover is turning off warm water in the showers of its pools and gyms, and municipalities across the country are preparing heating havens to keep people safe from the cold. And that’s just the beginning of a crisis that will ripple across Europe.   It might still be the height of summer, but Germany has little time to lose to avert an energy shortage this winter that would be unprecedented for a developed nation. Much of Europe is feeling the strain from Russia’s squeeze on natural gas deliveries, yet no other country is as exposed as the region’s biggest economy, where nearly half the homes rely on the fuel for heating.   We haven’t seen anything like this in Europe since World War II.   In Spain, they have already resorted to extreme measures as they desperately attempt to conserve energy…   Responding to Europe’s energy crisis, Spain has controversially banned air conditioning from dropping below 27°C (80.6°F) in the summer.   The new government decree, which applies to a whole host of public buildings as well as shops, hotels and other venues, will also stop heating from being raised above 19°C during the winter.   “The rules will be mandatory in all public and commercial buildings, including bars, cinemas, theatres, airports and train stations,” reports EuroNews.   I am stunned by many of the things that I see in the news every day.   And things are only going to get worse as time rolls along.   Decades of incredibly foolish decisions have brought us to this point, and instead of reversing course our leaders continue to take us down the exact same road.   So we shall reap what we have sown, and it appears that there is an enormous amount of pain on the horizon. Today’s Recommended Videos   The End of Damascus! - with Tom Hughes and Dr. Andy Woods https://youtu.be/t5gusPjMTeg   BIBLE QUESTION day... – with Pastor James Kaddis & Don Stewart https://youtu.be/ChsVo80GL1M   John Haller Midweek Update https://youtu.be/58QeW-1-8wE False Gospel: Secularists Claim Perfect Morality Will Eventually Be Produced Through Evolution – Ken Ham - https://harbingersdaily.com/false-gospel-secularists-claim-perfect-morality-will-eventually-be-produced-through-evolution/   Where did morality come from? How you answer that question will depend on your worldview and on what foundation you base your thinking. And that was powerfully illustrated in a recent ethics piece titled, “What might 100,000 more years of evolution do for the future of morality?”   This article specifically focused on sexual ethics (something that doesn’t really seem to exist in secular culture throughout the West anymore!), arguing that, for hundreds of millions of years, creatures just did whatever they wanted until “a mere several thousand years ago,” when human brains invented moral codes to regulate sexual behavior. But, the article continues, humans originally had a hard time living up to these codes . . . and evolution explains why:   But humans found it difficult to live up to those sexual codes. It was as if hundreds of millions of years in the evolution of animal sexual attraction and the biological urge to propagate could not be easily blunted by behavioral norms that arrived only ‘yesterday.’   There was an evolutionary mismatch between the human multimillion-year-old amoral self and a newly evolving moral self. Here’s how the mismatch operated vis-à-vis sex: Humans devised moral sexual dicta that humans could not easily perform. Human sexual moral rules outstripped human evolutionary capabilities.   In the evolutionary view, morality is nothing more than societal norms that humans thought of and attempt to keep. In other words, it’s utterly arbitrary, subjective, and inconsistent—and why should anyone bother following arbitrary, inconsistent morality?   Before I continue reviewing the article, I do want to highlight something for those who mix evolution and millions of years with the history God has given us in his Word. Evolution is an idea that attempts to explain the origin of everything apart from God, including morality. And yet the Bible is clear that morality comes from God and the conscience that he has stamped on the heart of each person (Romans 2:12–16). So, who will you believe when it comes to this issue: man’s ideas regarding morality (which undermine virtually everything Scripture teaches about sin and law) or God’s Word?   If you say, “God’s Word,” I’d ask, “Why?” Why believe God’s Word when it comes to the origin of morality but then ignore and radically reinterpret God’s clear Word when it comes to the origin of everything else? It’s inconsistent! Instead of trusting fallible scientists who start with their own wisdom, rather than God’s, we must start with God’s Word in all areas.   Now, back to the article. It continues by saying:   If this is the case—that human minds intuited a future that was nonexistent and impracticable at the moment of initial moral ideation—can some part of human ideation be viewed as vaticination, as a prophecy of things to come for humanity? The fact that humans can even ponder a thing called ‘the future’ and imagine enhanced moral behavior in that future seems remarkable. And hopeful.   I’m hopeful enough to think we are at the beginning of the human story and nowhere near its end. What if our very minds—replete with anticipation of an increasingly moral, far distant future—provide clues for a lengthy human tenure on earth? What if our good thoughts are adumbrations of good deeds to come?   Sexual rectitude became easier after a few thousand years of sexual morality. Time, and lots of it, was crucial in the development of our moral sense. Maybe a hundred thousand more years of evolution (or a million years) will empower humanity to immediately align human bodily capabilities with human moral sensibilities in all areas of moral performance.   Basically, this author is arguing that humans thinking of an ideal moral state will eventually produce one through evolutionary processes, given enough time. Really, it’s a false gospel this evolutionist is peddling! It’s a “gospel” that gets the problem wrong (we have wicked hearts in rebellion against God, not bodies that haven’t evolved enough to do what our minds want them to), and the writer gets the solution (lofty moral thoughts and more time) wrong, too!   The true gospel is so much more hopeful and beautiful than anything evolutionists can imagine. The true gospel says that our natural state is sinful (Romans 8:7) and that we’re dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2:1) and slaves (John 8:34) to sinful passions (hence why we can’t do the good we want to do and avoid the evil we want to avoid!) apart from Christ. But the beauty is that this is us apart from Christ.   Christ, fully God and fully man, came to this earth and did what Adam, and no human since him, has been able to do: perfectly obey God’s commands (2 Corinthians 5:21). This perfect God-man then went to the cross, bearing our sin upon himself, and died in our place, taking our penalty of death for us (1 John 2:2). God’s holy wrath against sin was poured out on Jesus when he bore our sin. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, conquering sin and death. Now Jesus offers the gift of forgiveness to all who will turn from their sin and trust in Christ (Romans 10:9). And someday those who have trusted in Christ will be with Christ in heaven where there is no longer any sin (or death or suffering).   This is such good news! We don’t have to just have some kind of “optimistic and utopic” hope that humans will someday evolve to become more moral. We can turn from our sin and to Christ today, be immediately freed from the power of sin, and someday be fully sanctified and perfectly moral (according to God’s standard of morality).   Evolution isn’t just a false view about the past; it’s also a false view of the future. It’s an anti-God religion. The true history of the universe and everything else is found in God’s Word—and so is the truth about the future and how we can enjoy God forever. Trust Our Good Shepherd - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.comssa   Psalm 23 is probably the most beloved Psalm in Scripture. It was written by King David who knew the responsibilities of a shepherd well. David must have been a very tenderhearted person, but fierce in the protection of his flock. He killed a bear and a lion that had threatened his flock, as God was training him to be king. After that he faced the giant, Goliath with confidence as Saul’s army cowered in the hills. David’s confidence came from his solid knowledge that God was with him. How different a professing Christian’s walk would be if we had the confidence that David had. Too often we cower in fear like Saul’s army instead of walking in the footsteps of Jesus with confidence. Maybe we cower because we haven’t truly placed our faith in Christ. “ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1. God has always taken care of His children. When the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt, He parted the Red Sea so they could safely pass as if it was dry land, He provided mana when they were hungry, and He gave them water when they were thirsty. Like a shepherd, God always looked out for their well-being. Sadly, those belly-aching people never learned to trust Him, and their poor choice caused them to wander for 40 years. Still, God watched out for them. He protected them through battles and led them in their wanderings. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and He will lead us in our Christian walk if we trust Him. “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11. Jesus did give His life for His sheep. We can trust Him and follow Him with confidence.   “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” Psalm 23:2. David’s early life was spent tending to a flock of sheep. He understood how important food and water were for healthy sheep. No shepherd would be foolish enough to find barren fields and stagnant water for the flock. Rebellious sheep just might stray into pastures which only held dead grass and stagnant water, but the shepherd would look for them and bring them back into the fold. Again, we see Jesus as our Shepherd who loves us. “How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.” Matthew 18:12-13. Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and He cares for each member of His flock. If someone decides to wander into the places where sin reigns, Jesus will seek the lost and bring that sheep back to the green pastures and the still waters.   “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3. David knew his Lord very well. He knew that by following God’s word he would never go astray, but would follow the paths of righteousness. Was David perfect in following the Lord? No, he wasn’t. He strayed big time. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, she became pregnant, so to cover his sin, David made sure her husband, a faithful soldier, was put in a position to be killed. Does that sound as if he was following the path of righteousness? It’s more like he was following the way of the world that leads to destruction. Nathan, the prophet, bravely confronted David about his sin, and David saw his own guilt. His heart was broken and he earnestly went to the Lord in prayer to seek forgiveness. “ Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalm 51:1. David knew of the mercy of God, but also knew that his sin was worthy of death. He was brokenhearted and turned to God in humble and true repentance. “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Psalm 51:10-12. As Christians, we are sealed with God’s Holy Spirit, but we should be no less repentant of the sin we commit. As long as we live on this side of Heaven we will struggle against sin. It’s easy to see the sin in other people, but much harder to see our own sin. “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5. David could have pointed to Bathsheba’s sin, but knew he had to repent of his own sin. David found forgiveness.   “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4. In the middle of a peaceful bit of poetry and song, we read of a very eerie place. “The valley of the shadow of death”. In fact, it almost seems as if it doesn’t belong in this Psalm, which speaks about green pastures and still waters. In truth, we are all walking in this valley. If you’ve truly given your life to Christ and accepted Him for salvation, death holds no evil for you. “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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:54-57. Christians have nothing to fear in death. Be sure your profession of faith was real and not just words. Put your words into action, and serve Christ. Death is all around us, and we need to boldly confront those who reject Christ, and help them away from the valley of death. They are the walking dead. They may seem to be happy and have all that life has to offer, but unless they have come to a true faith in Christ, they are dead in their sins. You need to put on the whole armor of God and be fearless in the battle against evil. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. We can trust Jesus to lead in the battle and to guide us each day “… in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” Psalm 23:3b.   “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalm 23:5. Do you have an enemy? If you say no, then you’re not walking the path of righteousness. Satan is a formidable enemy and wants you to stray from you’re your walk with Christ. Jesus didn’t promise that life would continually be filled with green pastures and still waters, but said that because of your faith in Him you would have strife, even with your loved ones. “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:34-37. Jesus doesn’t mean that to follow Him we must fight against family and friends. He meant that He must be first in our hearts. If you’ve chosen to follow Him, you may meet with resistance from people you love who haven’t placed their faith in Him. Even if it brings division, He will provide for you. Don’t be shy about your faith, but speak and act in boldness as lead by the Holy Spirit.   “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalm 23:6. David was very sure of his Shepherd. He knew that God’s goodness and mercy are real and for all time. Upon death, David was assured that he would dwell with the LORD forever. We see other people described in the Old Testament who held that same belief. Job was described as a pretty good guy. “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” Job 1:1. Nevertheless, he faced many challenges. His children died, his wealth was taken away, his health was attacked, and “friends” pointed out that he deserved the troubles. Job came through his disease and loss with a stronger faith. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” Job 19:25-27. These are strong words from a man who lived many, many centuries before the Redeemer was even born in Bethlehem.   David had confidence in the LORD. He knew that “goodness and mercy” would follow him just as surely as the Shepherd would lead “in the paths of righteousness”. He was able to pass some of this truth to his son, Solomon. Solomon had a very difficult time following the paths of righteousness, but he had been given the gift of wisdom. He wrote “In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” Proverbs 14:26-27. There’s no disadvantage to being led by the Lord. We are given all we need. If we learn to thank God for what He provides, we will find that what the Lord gives is really all we want.   Today we can rejoice in our Lord and Saviour. He is our Good Shepherd who leads us in the paths of righteousness. He leads and we need to follow. If you claim to be a Christian, let that profession of faith change you. Trust in the Good Shepherd and He will never fail. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21.   He is my Shepherd and I shall not want…even when walking through this valley of the shadow of death.   God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.comssa ron@straitandnarrowministry.com   Recommended prophecy sites: www.raptureready.com                                                  www.prophecyupdate.com                                                 www.raptureforums.com   All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.   If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: A recession by any other name - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   The White House, the rest of the Biden Administration, and Democratic Party leaders are all scrambling to redefine the word “recession” because they don’t want to admit their policies have run the titanic American economy into an economic iceberg. On July 28, Biden responded to the worst economic news in a generation by saying the economy is “consistent with the transition to a stable, steady growth and lower inflation…There are going to be a lot of chatter today on Wall Street and among pundits about whether we are in a recession, but if you look at our job market, consumer spending, business investment, we see signs of economic progress in the second quarter as well.” This is delusional.   The worst inflation since Jimmy Carter. The highest gasoline prices since Barack Obama. The worst economic growth. The lowest consumer confidence. And Biden continues to repeat with a straight face: “we are on the right path and we will come through this transition stronger and more secure.” This is typical of Biden and his administration. He nominated a Supreme Court Justice that wouldn’t give a definition for a woman. He is supporting the LGBTQ+ effort to teach school children that they are the gender that they identify with, not necessarily the gender of their birth. And now, when the classic definition of a recession is obvious, how can we expect a guy who doesn’t know where he is when he lands in Israel, to understand his policies have thrown the USA into a recession? But that’s probably not the worst of it.   During a rally in Arizona, former President Donald Trump warned: “Recession’s a nice word. We’re going to have a much bigger problem than recession. We’ll have a depression.” Founder of the Brownstone Institute and economic columnist for The Epoch Times, Jeffrey A. Tucker, says, “In short, if this were merely a conventional recession, we would be very fortunate. What’s happening in the trendlines of every important metric is shocking. But the real devastation is in the realm of the invisible: the progress and freedom of which we were robbed. We know who did this to us. It’s the very people who made the desolation and now call it transition.”   Tucker continues: “We can argue all day about the definition of recession, but it doesn’t take us to the intellectual place we need to be. The bottom line is that what we are experiencing now includes anomalies from previous downturns precisely because it is much worse. Only a few months ago, many worried that we were going back to the 1970s. That box has been checked. Then, we worried we were going back to the 1930s. My fear is that we might wish that were true.” He says it’s “worse than anyone wants to admit.” As 1 Peter 1:13 exhorts, “Therefore prepare your minds for action.” It’s likely going to get worse before it gets better. May the Lord be our refuge and strength. Daily Devotion: All Is Vanity - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. —Ecclesiastes 1:14   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/all-is-vanity-2/ - Listen   After his futile search for the meaning of life, Solomon concluded, “‘Vanity of vanities,’ . . . ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ What profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2–3).   The word vanity Solomon used didn’t mean the same thing it means to us today. When we think of vanity, we think of people who’ve never met a mirror they didn’t like. But the vanity Solomon spoke of could just as easily be translated “emptiness,” “futility,” “meaningless,” or “nothingness.” Solomon was saying, “There is nothing on this earth that will satisfy us completely: no thing, no pleasure, or no relationship.”   It’s not unlike riding a stationary bike. You see on the little video screen that you’re going uphill, so it gets a little more difficult to pedal. Then you go downhill, and it becomes a little easier. But the reality is that you haven’t moved an inch. You’ve spun your wheels without going anywhere. That is the idea Solomon was conveying. He was describing a life without God.   Have you ever wondered why the super rich or super famous often have substance abuse issues or other problems? I think it’s because they get to do what others only dream of. They accomplish a certain thing, and then they move on to the next thing. They experience another success, and then they move on to something else. They can’t keep that high they were on, so they turn to the next thing.   You might say that Solomon tried it all, and he realized that it all was meaningless. He was saying, “I’m a seasoned pro. I know what I’m talking about here. If you take God out of the picture, your life will be empty, meaningless, and futile.”