Is America at the End of the Road? – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/11/15/is-america-at-the-end-of-the-road
Is America nearing the end of the road as a nation? Have we reached a place similar to that of Judah just before Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple?
Three times in the book of Jeremiah, the Lord tells the prophet to not pray for the people of Judah (Jeremiah 7:16, 11:14, 14:11). God’s judgment on the nation was certain at this point; praying would not change the final outcome.
Can we apply Jeremiah’s words to the U.S. as well? I believe we can.
God’s judgment upon America is not only certain, I believe it has already begun. Please know that I am not implying that revivals will no longer happen in the U.S. We should pray for people to come to the Savior and hopefully a great many will continue to receive His offer of eternal life.
What I am saying, however, is that there will not be a great spiritual awakening that will reshape America or change its downward trajectory. As a nation, we have rejected God and His ways just as Judah did during the time of the prophet Jeremiah.
The November 8, 2022, election in the U.S. confirms that as a nation, we are close to the end of the road. As expected, widespread cheating changed the outcome of many key races keeping the Democrats in control of the Senate as well as that of several state governorships. The slight advantage to Republicans in the House will not alter America’s continuing descent into darkness.
Abortion up to the moment of birth won big. In California, the ballot proposal to make the murder of preborn children part of the state’s constitution was up by 1.3 million votes the last time I checked. In Vermont, 77.4% voted in favor of enshrining the killing of innocents in the state’s constitution while 56.7% did so in Michigan.
There’s also evidence that many people went to the polls to voice their support of keeping abortion up to the point of birth legal.
THE ROMANS 1 PATH TO PERDITION
Paul wrote these words in Romans 1:18:
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.”
What the apostle describes in the rest of the chapter aligns rather well with the past sixty years of American history. In Romans 1:28-32, we see the end result of rejecting God and His Word:
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”
The U.S. has reached the end of the Romans 1 path to perdition. Signs of the “debased mind” described in the above verses abound throughout our culture as well as in the halls of our federal government.
A recent news story claimed that the Biden administration sent money to Ecuador for the purpose of putting on drag queen shows, which are a hideous and indecent repudiation of all that God’s Word says about gender and morality.
Newsweek’s efforts to fact-check this report resulted in the two disturbing paragraphs below:
In a statement sent to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the State Department said the agency supports "a wide range of strategic programs in Ecuador" that focuses on diversity and representation, and that the goal of the CEN program is to "promote tolerance" and "provide new opportunities for LGBTQI+ Ecuadorians to express themselves freely and safely."
"LGBTQI+ people across the globe deserve to live in societies free from targeted violence and discrimination. Recent data suggest an alarming and deadly rise in violence against LGBTQI+ persons in Ecuador," the spokesperson said.[i]
In other words, the report that the Biden administration funded drag shows in Ecuador was not only true, but it’s just a sampling of their efforts to promote abhorrent debauchery in other nations as well.
The corruption that defines the U.S. government extends to Republicans as well. Most, if not all of the GOP leadership support the globalists’ agenda while only a handful of its politicians speak out against the injustice and wicked behavior that abounds throughout America.
On November 16, 2022, twelve Republican Senators joined Democrats in ending debate on the “Respect for Marriage Act,” which establishes same-sex marriage into federal law. This ensures that it will become law.
An article on the Harbingers Daily website quoted Franklin Graham regarding the legislation:
“The deceitfully named Respect for Marriage Act will be voted on by the U.S. Senate this week, as early as Wednesday. The bill strikes a blow at religious freedom for individuals and ministries and is really the ‘Destruction of Marriage Act.’ Its sponsors remarkably claim it protects religious freedom. It does not. This disastrous bill sends a message to America that if you don’t agree with the left’s definition of marriage, you are a bigot.
THE NEARNESS OF THE SEVEN-YEAR TRIBULATION
Another indication that America lies near the end of the road is the rapidly approaching Day of the Lord, or the seven-year Tribulation, in which all nations will experience God’s wrath. It will be the worst time in world history; comparatively very few people will remain alive at the time of Jesus’ return to the earth (Matthew 24:22; see also Isaiah 13:9-12).
There have been 63 million abortions in America alone and over one billion worldwide since it became legal. This alone accounts for the severity of the Lord’s future judgments that John witnessed and described for us in Revelation 6-18.
However, there’s so much more wickedness that places the trajectory of America squarely on on a downward path as I have brought up in other articles.
Several decades ago, after Ruth Graham read the draft of a book that her husband was writing, she said, “If God doesn’t punish America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Her words ring true today, abundantly more so. God will not be apologizing! Instead, the U.S. will suffer a fate similar to those two ancient cities.
Even if I did not believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture, I would still warn people about the Lord’s impending judgment on America.
THERE IS GOOD NEWS, REALLY
In the midst of all the bad news about the moral decline of America as well as the rest of the world, there’s much good news, really!
First, we know that Jesus is coming for us soon; there’s no better news for weary souls than that.
Regardless of our current circumstances, even if they happen to be fantastic, heaven will be so much better, it will be glorious. From the moment of the Rapture forward, we will enjoy immortal bodies and experience joy beyond our wildest imagination.
We will meet Jesus in the air and go to the place He has prepared for us. Can you imagine the excitement we will feel when we see Jesus face to face? Spend a few moments thinking about the reunions that will take place with loved ones and dear friends who are already with the Lord. Once we set foot in glory, we will instantly forget about our trials and hardships on earth.
Second, if you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus and His saving work on the cross, the good news is that you can know that you possess everlasting life (1 John 5:13). All those that call upon Jesus in faith are bound for glory; they will never experience God’s wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 5:9-10).
In my post, Jesus Is the Only Path to Eternal Life, I explain how you can know that God has forgiven all your sins because of the the blood that Jesus shed upon the cross. He died in your place; He took the wrath we all deserve upon Himself. He paid the penalty for all of our sins, past, present, and future.
In 1 John 5:11-12, we find these comforting words about eternal life:
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Call upon the Savior while you have the opportunity; tomorrow may be too late. He alone is the path to eternal life (John 14:6).
[i] Katherine Fung, Fact Check: Is Biden Administration Funding Drag Shows in Ecuador?, October 20, 2022. On the Newsweek website: https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-biden-administration-funding-drag-shows-ecuador-1753649
Agendas And Destabilization – Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/worldview-with-amir-tsarfati-agendas-and-destabilization/ Two Rockets Explode in Poland On Tuesday, two Russian rockets exploded in Poland, killing at least two people. Initially, this rightfully triggered an overwhelming amount of concern regarding the likelihood of tensions in the region being taken to the next level. Should Poland, a NATO country, activate Article 4, it will cover the case when a member state feels threatened by another country or a terrorist organization. The 30 member states then start formal consultations at the request of the threatened member. That said, it was revealed on Wednesday that Russia did not fire rockets into Poland. In fact, it was Ukraine’s missile defense system – which uses Russian-made rockets – that was found responsible for the incident. While it’s a relief to know that Russia is not responsible for what took place, NATO’s apathy towards the situation remains a concern for the future. Furthermore, there is now tension between NATO and Ukraine as NATO claims it was Ukrainian rockets while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims the rockets were fired by Russia. Recent Russian rocket attacks in Ukraine resulted in power outages for an estimated 10 million people. Adding to the chaos in the region, on Thursday, an exploded rocket allegedly fell inside Romania. Stay tuned for more details on this. A new era in Israel-Italy Relations Because of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni In the Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, it was published that in the debate held at the United Nations, Italy took the side of Jerusalem. In the vote, Rome abandoned its traditional line of abstaining and voted together with the USA, Germany, and Israel against the decision to transfer the issue of the ongoing Israeli “occupation” to the Hague Tribunal. 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 27 As sensational as it sounds to try to connect the climate conference – with all its crazy, progressive, and ecumenical motives – as something that happened on the Mt. Sinai, it’s not the case at all. The climate conference was in Sharm el-Sheikh, which is an Egyptian resort town between the desert of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. It’s not Mt. Sinai. Make no mistake, none of this deducts from the reality that the new world religion of climate change is alive and well – and growing. Many people were shocked to hear that there are a new “Ten Commandments” being put forth by climate change religious leaders and activists. Allow me to remind you that this isn’t new. Weeks ago, I made a special video with a fascinating interview on the new world religion. I was joined by Professor Yonatan Dubi in “Climate Change: A New World Religion?” The Ezekiel 38 Coalition Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke on the phone and discussed the cooperation between the countries. The conversation comes amid reports that Iran has begun receiving advanced SU-35 fighter jets from Russia. And don’t forget that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine. As of this week, Putin signed a decree paving the way for citizens of foreign countries to fight in the Russian military. Forgive me for being biased, but Ukraine will have the upper hand anytime it chooses to use Israeli-made military equipment. The Defense Forces of Ukraine use the Israeli-made Gaia Amir MRAP in the Kherson region. Footage of this vehicle was published on the Ukraine Weapons Tracker Twitter page. With this equipment, the Ukrainian military liberates the southern regions from the Russian invaders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Given Mandate to Form Government Following Benjamin Netanyahu’s victory in Israel’s election last week, he officially received the mandate from President Isaac Herzog to form a government. This is where the elected Prime Minister is tasked with negotiating with different parties within the Knesset (parliament) in order form a coalition, majority government. Terror Attack in Turkey Kills Multiple People and Injuries Several More A terror attack in Istanbul killed at least six people and wounded over 50 more earlier this week. The attack was carried out by a female who left an explosive backpack in the middle of a very busy shopping corridor. The bomb was then detonated via a cellular device. The woman who delivered the bomb as well as 20 other suspects were arrested. At this stage, according to the Turkish Interior Minister, the Kurdish PKK underground and its Syrian branch PYD are responsible. A car bomb also exploded in Istanbul this week. The Iranian Tragedy Continues Amid the recent multitude of protests against the corrupt regime in Tehran, an estimated 14,000 innocent protesters, fighting for basic freedoms, are facing the death penalty in Iran. This number consists of mostly teens, young adults, students, lawyers, journalists, and civil society activists. Iran threatens to charge protestors with “enmity against God”, “corruption on Earth”, and other offenses that carry the death penalty. Three Innocent Jews Killed by Palestinian Terrorist It was a tragic morning on Wednesday when three innocent Jews were killed by a Palestinian terrorist in the region of Samaria. I pray that security will be restored to this beautiful country under new leadership. Psalm 120:6-7 KJV – “My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.” |
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They Are Testing A Super Creepy “Digital Dollar” That They Plan To Introduce Soon - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/they-are-testing-a-super-creepy-digital-dollar-that-they-plan-to-introduce-soon/ Are you ready for the government to monitor what you buy and sell on a daily basis? Because that is what could happen if you start using the new “digital dollar” that they are now testing. Of course, using the new “digital dollar” would be voluntary at first, but what if it eventually becomes mandatory? The use of physical currency continues to decline year after year, and some governments in Europe have already taken radical measures to phase out the use of cash. Many among the elite consider digital currencies to be the key to a whole new era of strict governmental control over the way that we live our lives, and there would be so much potential for abuse. On Tuesday, an extremely ambitious 12-week test of the “digital dollar” was publicly announced. As you can see, some of the biggest companies in the financial world are participating… Global banking giants are starting a 12-week digital dollar pilot with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the participants announced on Tuesday. Citigroup Inc, HSBC Holdings Plc, Mastercard Inc and Wells Fargo & Co are among the financial companies participating in the experiment alongside the New York Fed’s innovation center, they said in a statement. The project, which is called the regulated liability network, will be conducted in a test environment and use simulated data, the New York Fed said. When asked about his firm’s participation in the project, a Citigroup executive sounded very enthusiastic… “Programmable US dollars may be necessary to support new business models and provide a foundation to much-needed innovations in financial settlements and infrastructure,” Tony McLaughlin, managing director for emerging payments and business development at Citigroup’s treasury and trade solutions division, said in a statement. “Projects like this, that focus on the digitization of central bank money and individual bank deposits, could be expanded to take a broader view of the opportunity.” This is something that the Federal Reserve has been working on for a long time. Back in January, the Fed released a “much-anticipated discussion paper” on the possibility of a “digital dollar”, and they invited the public to comment on the paper for four months… In January, the Fed took a first step toward weighing the use of a central bank digital currency when it released its much-anticipated discussion paper and opened a four-month public comment period to receive input. The paper said that a CBDC could streamline cross-border payments and could further enshrine and preserve the dominance of the dollar’s international role, including as the world’s reserve currency. Obviously the Fed did not meet with too much resistance during that stage, and so now they are moving on to fully testing the “digital dollar” that they have come up with. The fact that they are going to spend an enormous amount of time, money and energy testing this new “digital dollar” strongly indicates that they already have plans to introduce it. The “digital dollar” would be very similar to Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies. But instead of a decentralized system, the government would control the currency and would have the ability to track every single transaction. And as Michael Maharrey of Schiff Gold has noted, there would even be the potential for the government to “turn off” the ability of certain individuals to make purchases… Imagine if there was no cash. It would be impossible to hide even the smallest transaction from government eyes. Something as simple as your morning trip to Starbucks wouldn’t be a secret from government officials. As Bloomberg put it in an article published when China launched its digital yuan pilot program, digital currency “offers China’s authorities a degree of control never possible with physical money.” The government could even “turn off” an individual’s ability to make purchases. We don’t want the government to have that much power over our lives. Thankfully, some members of Congress are sounding the alarm. In fact, Senator James Lankford has actually introduced a bill “which would require the U.S. Treasury to keep printing and coining money if the government issues an official digital currency”… On September 29, Republican Senator James Lankford introduced the No Digital Dollar Act, which would require the U.S. Treasury to keep printing and coining money if the government issues an official digital currency. Lankford said in a news release: “While some Oklahomans are open to digital currencies, many still prefer hard currency or at least the option of hard currency. There are still questions, cyber concerns, and security risks for digital money. There is no reason we can’t continue to have paper and digital money in our nation and allow the American people to decide how to carry and spend their own money. As technology advances, Americans should not have to worry about every transaction in their financial life being tracked or their money being deleted.” Unfortunately, that sort of a bill is extremely unlikely to get through Congress. Most of our leaders seem quite eager to explore the “possibilities” of implementing such a system. And as we have seen over the past few years, those with authoritarian tendencies are not afraid to push the envelope to frightening extremes. In an article for MaineWire, Steve Robinson listed several hypothetical scenarios that we could potentially see if a “digital dollar” starts being used on a widespread basis… 1.) To protest governmental limits on personal freedom, liberty activists stage a peaceful protest around the nation’s capital. That nation’s leader, wanting to quell the protest and protect his power, instructs his Minister of Economic Control to reduce the protesters’ CBDC balances by 50 percent everyday until the protest ends. The protest ends shortly after the message pings on the CBDC smartphone app. 2.) Economic growth is lagging, and the economists in the federal government suspect it is because consumer spending isn’t strong enough. People are saving their money, rather than spending it. To fix this problem, the Ministry of Economic Control announces a new year-long negative interest rate for all CBDC accounts. Unspent balances of CBDC will be reduced by 10 percent every month. As a result, no one saves, every one spends, and the economists have saved the economy. 3.) You’re at the grocery store picking up some ribeye steaks because some friends are coming over for a barbecue. When you get up to the counter, there’s a problem. The cashier says the payment isn’t going through. You check the CBDC app on your smartphone. There is an alert: “You have exceeded your monthly carbon credit usage; please remove the following items from your grocery cart in order to proceed…” 4.) You want to pick up a new firearm for hunting season, so you swing by the local sporting goods store. But when you go to transfer CBDC credits for the purchase, you’re denied. The trusty CBDC app explains: “We’ve detected activity on your social media accounts that suggests you are at risk of causing harm to yourself or others. You are prohibited from purchasing a firearm for one year.” Once we open the door to this sort of tyranny, there is no telling where it could potentially end. So we should strongly denounce all efforts to introduce a “digital dollar” while we still have the opportunity to do so. Unfortunately, most of the population is still deep in a state of sleep, and so the elite are moving their agenda forward very rapidly. |
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Stand Firm on Faith in God - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com Let’s go back in time to an age of peace. God created everything and deemed it to be good. If God says it’s good, it’s good. Then there was trouble in Paradise. Instead of following God’s direction, Adam and Eve listened to the whispers of Satan. “Now the Serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1. Because Adam and Eve listened to the serpent, Paradise was lost. Things have been getting worse and worse as people listen to Satan’s voice more and more, while rejecting God’s truth. Too many preachers have ignored the fundamentals of Scripture which were established in Genesis. The serpent has been whispering his lies for millennia and mankind hasn’t learned from history. We keep listening to the lies. We need to stand firmly upon God’s truth, not Satan’s lies. In Scripture, the serpent is never referred to as anything good. The Hebrew word translated serpent, is “nahas” and means a serpent or snake, and quite often in Scripture, Satan is referred to as the dragon. Many pastors have listened to Satan’s whispers and followed the way of the world rather than standing firm on God’s truth. They either see evolution as truth, or else the whole creation account is ignored. Many pastors don’t teach from the Old Testament at all. No wonder Christians have failed to stand firmly on faith in God and His truth, and get confused by Satan’s lies. Is it important to give God the credit for creation? Yes, it is. Even humans want credit for things they’ve done. We get patents on inventions so nobody can steal our glory. When someone writes a song or a book, their talent is copyrighted so nobody can take credit for their works. Yet, people have listened to and believed the lie of evolution which basically says everything came from nothing. Scripture tells us the truth. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” John 1:1-3. That’s pretty easy to understand. John goes on to tell us about the Word. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14. The Word was Jesus. “Word” is translated from the Greek word “logos” meaning spoken. Looking back at Genesis we read “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. The Hebrew word “Elohim” is a plural word, translated as a singular word, “God”. In Hebrew a plural is at least three, which reveals God in three Persons…the Trinity. Jesus (God the Son) was also there. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:3. The Holy Spirit was there, too (Genesis 1:2). God spoke all things into being. Do you see how important it is to stand firm on God’s word and believe what He says? Genesis chapter 1 tells us that God created living creatures, including man, on the sixth day. All living things were created male and female in order to reproduce. Today, there is a great deception happening. Males think they are female, and females think they are males. Sadly, mad scientists have found a way to mock God and mutilate people into being something they are not. With enough hormone shots and enough mutilation of the body, a man can look like a woman, and a woman can look like a man, but that’s only deception and delusion. More Satanic lies. Our public schools are teaching this lie along with the lie of evolution, and Christians don’t seem to care. The Apostle Paul, wrote a letter to the believers in Rome, and he explained the importance of believing the creation account recorded in Genesis. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them: for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:18-20. Science has proven God’s truth many times, but manage to come up with more lies to “prove” their former lies. We now know that everything is made up of atoms. They are invisible except when seen through powerful microscopes. Then there’s the pesky problem of DNA, which proves that all things were created after their “kind”, just as Genesis reveals. Evolution didn’t happen. Scripture reveals the consequences of believing lies. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:22-25. When the truth is mocked, lies will replace truth. God’s truth reveals that He will allow people to choose their own path if they insist. Adam ate the Forbidden fruit even though he knew the consequences. Today, God is allowing humanity to reap the evil of the lies we accept. Evolution is taught as fact and humanity is becoming more and more corrupt each day. The wickedness and hatred caused by this lie is seen in mass shootings, sacrificing babies and calling it “a woman’s choice”, and deviant sexual practices, which are all the result of Christians not standing firm upon our faith, questioning God’s truth, and allowing Satan’s lies to be accepted. “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” Romans 1:28. Other Bible translations translate “convenient” as “not fitting” (NKJV), “things that should never be done” (NLT), “things that are not proper” (NASB), and “should not be done.” (NET). Things are getting worse and worse daily. Now we have people who are convinced they are animals. Schools and society are accommodating their idiocy. People are also under the delusion that they can choose a pronoun to be known as. Maybe a person wants to be “they” or “frog” or “bug”. A male might want to be known as “she” and a female known as “he”. This is all happening openly, and Christians are OK with this craziness. Some professing Christians are a part of the lunacy, but God isn’t OK with our acceptance of such deception. Scripture says if we accept this lie, we are as guilty as the ones participating in it. “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:32. It isn’t being judgmental to stand on God’s word. He has told us that males are males and females are females. He has told us that woman was made for man…not man for man. Going back to Genesis, we learn that after Adam’s sin, all of creation fell. Adam and Eve had children, and those children had children, and Satan’s goal was to corrupt everything. His lies have led to misinterpretation of God’s truth. “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:1-2. Just who were the “sons of God”. Simply put, they are angels. The Hebrew “ben ‘elohim” translated “sons of God” always describess a direct creation of God. Adam was a son of God, and so are angels. In Scripture, angels are always referred to as male, so angels don’t make other angels. The angels who rebelled saw the daughters of men and took them as wives. Christians are a new creation through Christ, and our faith gives us the power to become sons of God (John 1:12). Some like to say that this phrase in the above verse really means the “sons of Seth”. Seth was the son of Adam, not a direct creation of God. If God meant Seth, the Holy Spirit would have inspired the words “ben set” instead of “ben’elohim”. In order for Satan to stop humanity from being reconciled with God, the fallen angels (sons of God) mated with humans to corrupt the genetic makeup of humanity. “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:4-5. This evil is what caused God’s judgment to come upon all of creation. People didn’t stand firm on God’s truth, and judgment had to come in order to save humanity from being corrupted beyond redemption. There was one man and his family that stood firmly upon God’s truth. “These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9. This doesn’t mean Noah was without sin, but that he was genetically untainted. His family had stood firmly upon God’s truth and kept themselves pure. His great-great-grandfather was Enoch. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24. This is confirmed in the New Testament. “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had his testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5. This is a “picture” of the Rapture. Enoch walked with God and pleased Him. Faith and obedience pleases God. Enoch was taken by God prior to the judgment of the Flood that destroyed all of God’s creation except life that had not been genetically corrupted. Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives were all saved. It’s important to stand firm upon God’s truth in faith. Fathers and mothers, what are you teaching your children? What are you allowing to be taught to them in schools? Grandparents, have you ignored the corruption of your grandchildren? If Christians don’t stand firm upon the absolute truth found in Scripture, children will continue to be confused into thinking their pronoun is “they” or “dog”. Jesus said the end times will be as it was in the days of Noah. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39. Before the Flood, people ignored all the evil around them. They just went about their daily routines ignoring the evil of the fallen angels and accepting the evil all around them. Brothers and sisters, we cannot continue to close our eyes to the Satanic deception around us. We cannot allow our children to be turned against God. Judgment is coming. God never acts without warning. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:13. God chose Noah for the task of building the ark because Noah was faithful. God had given mankind 120 years to turn from their wickedness (Genesis 6:3). The huge ark that Noah and his sons were building was a testimony of God’s coming judgment. Noah faithfully did what God asked of him. The people around him saw the ark, but chose not to repent. Still, Noah did God’s will. How about you? Do you get frustrated when trying to witness to a loved one or a friend, but they reject your testimony? Do you give up, and decide not to do God’s command and share the Gospel? Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told His disciples to teach all nations. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20. Today, sharing the Gospel has been weakened. Christians don’t follow the Biblical example of evangelism and share the Gospel. We hide behind gimmicks like shoeboxes and think that’s good enough. People have to hear the Gospel in order to believe it. God has warned us that the world will once again be judged. This time it will be worse than anything that has ever happened before. Brothers and sisters, we must believe God’s word and stand firm on our faith. Noah lived out his faith. He worked on the ark for 120 years, and who was saved? Only 8 people entered the ark, but Noah never stopped believing God. His life was a testimony, but the people around him chose not to believe. They all perished in the judgment. Each of us who claim to be followers of Christ, must live our life as a testimony of His love. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16. That word “conversation” needs to be understood. It comes from the Greek word “anastrophe” and means much more than the way we talk to each other. It means our “manner of life, conduct, behaviour, deportment”. So, watch the words you choose to use, but also conform your life to Jesus’ example. Live so that the people around you can see your faith. Don’t base your attitude on the actions of others, but base it on Christ. If you have truly accepted Christ’s sacrifice as the redemption for your sin, then stand firm on that faith. Don’t compromise by being confused by Satan’s lies. God bless you all, Nathele Graham twotug@embarqmail.com 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. |
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Daily Jot: The Farm Chronicles: The old brown snowsuit – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com If you grew up in the Northeastern Ohio snowbelt, you remember the fierce snowstorms. It goes beyond the ever-growing legends about walking five miles to school in the winter, in three feet of snow, and barefoot—for a little added emphasis. In our case, school was too far away for us to walk, but the barn wasn’t. And the animals needed fed and tended to no matter what the weather. When we weren’t doing the farm chores, we may have been inside the house trying to stay warm. As a kid about five years old, I remember the old farm house was not well-insulated. The cold would come breezing through, and sometimes snow would accumulate around doors and windows on the inside. And then there were parents. Parents didn’t like you having idle time around the house. In our house, we might get a little bit of time, maybe an hour or two (if it was really cold outside) to watch Roy Rogers or Sky King on TV on a Saturday morning. That is, if we could zone in one of the three channels and find the program through the “snow” on the old television set. I spent a lot of time manning the North-South-East-West knob on the antenna rotator trying to get a clearer picture. But back to the parents. Maybe you would just get the picture you wanted and the show would be over, and it was time to go outside to “play.” Oh joy! Mom would say that she couldn’t just have me sitting around watching TV. Time to go out. Then the process would start. Go upstairs and find a clean pair of long underwear in the dresser. While I was reluctantly putting on the long underwear, Mom was digging through all the jackets and flannel shirts hung on nails in the stoop going down to the cellar. “Ah, there it is,” she would say, pulling out an old brown thick wool snowsuit that likely had been passed down in our family since my Dad used it when he was about six years old. Every brother wore it in the winter until they outgrew it. I mean it was thick, lined with flannel and the pants had buttons on the front and back where suspenders were attached to make sure the weight of the pants would not slip down and let the cold air in on your back. Now these were really difficult to get in to. Took about 20 minutes to suit up. Once I got the pants on and suspenders fastened, next came an equally thick brown wool coat. Got that on with Mom’s help. Then the goulash boots with the little track fasteners that each of them had to be levered into place. I couldn’t bend over because of the snowsuit, so Mom had that job. Then mittens and wool stocking cap. I was beginning to sweat when she opened the door and I waddled on out into the frozen tundra, slipped on the ice and face planted in the crusty snow. Couldn’t get up because the snowsuit was too thick. Rolled over on my back, angry and crying. Mom rushes out, picks me up. And just like that, the playtime was finished. But it took another ten minutes to peal that brown snowsuit off. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart devises his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Yes, the Lord works in mysterious ways. |
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Daily Devotion: Not a Victim but a Victor - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: ‘You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.’ —Matthew 26:48 Why did Judas Iscariot have to show who Jesus was by betraying Him with a kiss? Would Jesus not have been easily recognized by those who came to arrest Him? After all, we always know who Jesus is in religious paintings. He typically has a halo. And often, when we see Him portrayed in film, He’s usually quite handsome, even strikingly so. However, I think Jesus was quite ordinary in His physical appearance. This was perhaps one of the reasons that Judas had to identify Him. Judas said, “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss” (Matthew 26:48 NLT). John’s Gospel gives us a unique detail about what happened in the Garden of Gethsemane when Judas, a delegation of Roman soldiers, and the Temple guards arrived to arrest Jesus. Jesus met them and said, “Who are you looking for?” “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus replied, “I am he” (John 18:4, 5 NLT). The Bible tells us that at this point, they all fell backward. Can you imagine the scene? They fell on top of each other, swords and spears flying, torches in the air. This was the same God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush and said, “I am who I am,” and the same God who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Jesus could have said, “I am, and you were! Bye!” And that would have been it. He could have spoken all of them out of existence with a single word. He could have called down the angels of Heaven, who would have gladly come and delivered Him. This serves as a reminder that Jesus did not go to the cross of Calvary as a helpless victim but as a victor in complete control of His circumstances. He willingly laid down His life for us. |
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