PROPHECY UPDATE...............12/28/2022

 

Extreme Weather in Prophecy: Part 3 of 3 - By Nathan Jones - https://www.raptureready.com/2022/12/27/extreme-weather-in-prophecy-part-3-of-3-by-nathan-jones/   In Part 1 of this teaching about the end times sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather, we learned from the Bible that God does indeed exhibit a pattern of using extreme weather to get a wayward people’s attention and call them back to a right relationship with Him. In Part 2, we scoured the past two years of weather data and confirmed that natural disasters are indeed increasing in frequency and intensity. In this last part, we will look to the book of Revelation to see how God will use natural disasters to judge the world during the coming Tribulation period.   The World’s Response   What’s interesting is how scientists are interpreting these extreme natural weather phenomena. In all of the reports, what has been the conclusion of every single article? These natural disasters are due to “man-made global warming.” The O’Driscoll article reports: “Scientists long warned that climate change would contribute to an increase in both the frequency and the severity of freak weather.” How interesting that the article notes an increase in “frequency” and “severity.” Those words sound very familiar. It all sounds rather biblical, doesn’t it?   Germany’s former Chancellor Angela Merkel warned: “We have to get faster in the fight against climate change. Global leaders also have to come to the same conclusion after the UN delivered a code red for humanity.”   So, the world is interpreting these natural disasters, which they agree are increasing in frequency and intensity, as the result of mankind’s pollution problems. But Christians know better, right? Christians know that God alone is in control of the weather. He controls the weather, not mankind.   Remember that God doesn’t wish that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, God always warns before He executes His wrath. And, for thousands of years, God has chosen climactic and catastrophic weather to get our attention. Why? Because God controls the weather!   The Bible contains at least 47 different verses that declare that God is in control of the weather. Here are some examples:   “What kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him” (Matthew 8:26-27). When Jesus stood up in the boat and calmed the storm, He demonstrated that He controlled the weather. “Fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy wind, fulfilling His word” (Psalm 148:8). “He did not leave Himself without witness, that He did good and gave you rains from heaven, and fruitful seasons” (Acts 14:17). “I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or in any tree” (Revelation 7:1).   So, again and again and again, in at least 47 references, the Bible says that God is in control of the weather. God is sovereign, and nothing happens that He does not allow, either in His perfect will or His permissive will. That is the reason the Bible attributes all natural disasters to God.   Let’s go back to how people are noticing that these freak storms have been increasing in frequency and intensity. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 24:8 concerning the signs of the end times, which include natural disasters and extreme weather. He foretold that they would increase in frequency and intensity, just like birth pains, leading up to His return.   God uses these end times signs, such as climactic weather, to wake us up, calling the world to come back to Him. God is warning us that He is upset with our sins. He is upset with all of the evil that’s going on here on the earth. And, He’s crying out: “I love you! Repent and come back to me!”   Yes, freak weather might be contributed to by mankind’s pollutive tendencies, but again, it is God who controls the weather. We can take into account, of course, that certain natural disasters occur because the weather is off-kilter due to the curse on the world. But God still utilizes freak weather in an attempt to try and wake people up to their sins and need for a Savior.   Tribulation Judgments   The ultimate climax to all of these weather signs will be a judgment called the Tribulation. The Lord will rescue and rapture His Church out of this world before His true wrath comes upon it. But leading up to that time, God is going to increase the signs of natural disasters, just like we are seeing, along with the other end times signs such as social, political, war, economic, and so on. These disasters will all increase in frequency and intensity leading up to the Rapture of the Church, and then the world will plunge headlong into God’s wrath during the Tribulation.   As bad as the weather has gotten today, nothing compares to the disasters foretold in the book of Revelation. These weather-related judgments will devastate the world, for God will be pouring out His wrath in the Tribulation era due to the corruption of its people.   1. Third Seal Judgment (Revelation 6:5-6) — food scarcity and famine.   2. Fourth Seal Judgment (Revelation 6:) — death by starvation and wild beasts.   3. Sixth Seal Judgment (Revelation 6:12-17) — great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood, the stars of heaven fell to the earth, sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.   4. Seventh Seal Judgment (Revelation 8:1-6) — noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.   5. First Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 8:7) — hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.   6. Second Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 8:8-9) — a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood, and a third of the living creatures in the sea died.   7. Third Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 8:10-11) — a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch; it fell on a third of the rivers, and many men died from the water.   8. Fourth Trumpet (Revelation 8:12-13) — a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened.   9. Two Witnesses (Revelation 11:6) — “These have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.”   10. Two Witnesses Killed (Revelation 11:13) — “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed.”   11. Seventh Trumpet Judgment (Revelation 11:15-19) — there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.   12. Second Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:3) — “The sea became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died.”   13. Third Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:4-7) — rivers and springs of water; they became blood.   14. Fourth Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:8-9) — the sun scorching men with fire, great heat.   15. Sixth Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:12-16) — great river Euphrates water dried up.   16. Seventh Bowl Judgment (Revelation 16:17-21) — “…thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth, Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, every island fled away, and the mountains were not found, great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent.”   17. Fall of Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:1-8) — plagues will come in one day, death and mourning and famine, utterly burned with fire.   18. Satanic Rebellion Crushed (Revelation 20:7-10) — fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.   The Response for Which God is Looking   God’s Word makes it crystal clear that when He sends discipline, the primary purpose is never to punish. Instead, the primary purpose is to call wayward mankind to repentance so that we might be saved. Here’s how the prophet Isaiah expressed it, “For when Your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9b).   Our God is so merciful. He is patiently sending us one natural disaster wake-up call after another because He never pours out His wrath without warning. And the greatest “coming wrath” already visible on the horizon is the seven-year Tribulation. Our Lord wants as many people to get saved as possible and become part of the Church before the Rapture happens. But that great day of wrath is coming one day soon, and when that happens, all of nature is going to break loose!   How does God want us to respond to these end-times signs, particularly the sign of nature as it relates to extreme weather?   First, we each need to repent individually for our own rebellion and selfishness. God is calling us to repent. He wants us to repent. And so, call on the Holy Spirit and read the Bible so that we can be discerning.   Second, we need to repent as a nation for removing God from our society, for idolatrously worshiping ourselves, for our 63 million murders in the womb, for our obsession with sexual promiscuity, for our fascination with the occult, and for our lack of support for Israel’s right to exist, among other sins. We as a nation need to accept Jesus as our Savior, for that is the only way by which we will be rescued from the “coming wrath.”   Once Jesus finally returns, the curse on this earth will be lifted, and these natural disasters will cease to persist. So, we have hope. We can live by this hope as Romans 13:12-14 proclaims: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”   https://christinprophecyblog.org

The Catastrophic Destruction Of Sodom — An Important Picture Of Future Judgement For Our Present Evil Age – By Answers In Genesis - https://harbingersdaily.com/the-catastrophic-destruction-of-sodom-an-important-picture-of-future-judgement-for-our-present-evil-age/   The names Sodom and Gomorrah are infamous for God’s judgment upon the wickedness of the people who lived in those cities (Genesis 13:13). Sodom is seen as the epitome of wickedness and an expression of God’s wrath (Jeremiah 23:14).   Although critical scholars, because of their naturalistic mindset, view the account of Sodom’s destruction as just another legend or folk tale, the Bible clearly teaches it was a genuine historical event. Just as Jesus and the apostle Peter pointed to the flood as a guarantee of future judgment, so they both also pointed to God’s judgment of Sodom by fire as a guarantee of future judgment:   Luke 17:26-32 KJV – “And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builder; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot’s wife.”   2 Peter 2:5–9 KJV – “And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”   Just as with the days before the flood, Jesus spoke of the days before the destruction of Sodom as a time when people were indifferent and solely concerned with the things of this life: eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. In other words, people were caught up with material things of life, which caused them to have a lack of concern for the things of God. Then the destruction by fire and sulfur came quickly and unexpectedly, destroying them all.   Likewise, when Peter spoke of the judgment that took place at Sodom and Gomorrah, turning it to ashes, it was to foreshadow the coming future eschatological judgment by fire (2 Peter 3:7). This final eternal judgment, however, will not engulf everybody. Just as God preserved Noah and seven others in the judgment of the flood, and Lot in the judgment of Sodom, he will also spare the godly while judging and destroying the ungodly (2 Peter 2:9).   Given the significance that both the Old and New Testament place on the destruction of Sodom as a warning of future judgment, it is important to understand this event.   Why Was Sodom Destroyed?   In Genesis 13, because Abram (Abraham) and his nephew Lot have become affluent in flocks and herds, strife breaks out between their herdsmen as the land can no longer sustain all their possessions (Genesis 13:6–7). Abraham, therefore, proposes that he and Lot separate, and he gives Lot the choice of the whole land (Genesis 13:9). Lot chose “all the Jordan Valley” (Genesis 13:11) because it was “well-watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt …” (Genesis 13:10). Abraham settled in the land of Canaan, by the Oaks of Mamre at Hebron (Genesis 13:18), but Lot journeyed eastward and “settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom” (Genesis 13:12).   Although Lot was not living in Sodom at this point, it did not take long for Lot to move into that wicked city (Genesis 14:12). It seems that Lot did not influence Sodom, but rather Sodom influenced Lot. From the time that Lot left Abraham to his living in Sodom and its destruction, a little over 20 years had passed.   In Genesis 18, the LORD appears to Abraham and announces his intention that Sodom is to be destroyed because its sin is “very grave” (Genesis 18:20). The men of Sodom were previously described as “wicked, great sinners against the LORD” (Genesis 13:13). The latter term “wicked” (raʿ) is also used to describe the people at the time of the flood (Genesis 6:5, 8:21) and indicates that the people of Sodom’s “sins deserved the same catastrophic response from God.” But what was the wickedness of Sodom?   The main issue that Genesis 19 focuses on is the fact that all the men of Sodom want to “know” (yādaʿ) the angelical visitors: in other words, to have sexual relations with them (Genesis 19:4–5; cf. Genesis 4:1). It is no wonder that the sin of Sodom was described as “very grave” as the men of Sodom had “unnatural desires” (Jude 7) wanting to commit a shameless act (cf. Romans 1:26–27).   Nevertheless, it is important to realize that Sodom was guilty of many other sins than homosexuality. In later biblical history, the prophets compared the social injustices committed by God’s chosen people Israel/Judah to the people of Sodom: gluttony, prosperous ease, not aiding the poor, haughtiness, injustice (Isaiah 1:17, 3:9), adultery, lying, and an unwillingness to repent (Jeremiah 23:14).   The prophet Ezekiel also points out that the guilt of Sodom was: “pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me” (Ezekiel 16:49–50). Although some argue that Ezekiel does not mention homosexual behavior as one of the sins of Sodom, this overlooks the fact that the Hebrew word abomination (tôʿēbâ) refers to sexual immorality, specifically homosexual intercourse proscribed in Leviticus 18:22; 20:13 (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9).   In the end, God justly judged Sodom and Gomorrah not only because of its wicked behavior, but because ten righteous people could not be found there (Genesis 18:23–32). Even though he had lived in Sodom for just over 20 years, it seems righteous Lot (2 Peter 2:7–8) had no impact upon the city of Sodom.   The Destruction of Sodom   The destruction of Sodom (c. 2067 BC), takes place in Genesis 19 after Lot, his wife, and two daughters, with the help of the two angels, escape Sodom and flee to Zoar (Genesis 19:20–22).   Genesis 19:23–25 KJV – “The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”   Moses uses the language of the flood in Genesis 6–7 to describe the destruction of Sodom. Just as God sent the waters of the flood that “rained” (mamṭîr, Genesis 7:4) down on the earth in the days of Noah so he “rained” (himṭîr) down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah in a fiery deluge. The fiery deluge “destroyed” (šaḥēt) Sodom, as the earth was destroyed by water at the time of the flood (see Genesis 13:10, 19:29, cf. 6:13, 17).   Through the raining down of sulfur and fire, God “overthrew” (hăpōk) Sodom, the valley, all the inhabitants, and everything that grew on the ground. Everything was destroyed: it was a total catastrophe. The Greek translation of the Old Testament translates the Hebrew word hăpōk as katestrephen, which is the source for the word catastrophe. The same word is used in the New Testament when Jesus cleanses the temple and “overturned [katestrephen] the tables of the money-changers” (Matthew 21:12).   The apostle Peter’s description of Sodom’s “extinction” (katastrophe) fits well with the judgment brought upon the city that turned it to ashes (see 2 Peter 2:6). After God overthrew Sodom, the whole land was burned so that nothing could grow, and no person would dwell in it again (see Deuteronomy 29:23; Isaiah 13:19–20; Jeremiah 49:18, 50:40).   Even though Lot is considered righteous, his life is a lesson for Christians who are caught up with the things of this world. In the end, what had attracted Lot to Sodom (the beautiful land, Genesis 13:10) was gone. Remember Lot started his life living under the blessing of his relative Abraham (Genesis 12:2–3), but because “he saw” the beauty of the Jordan valley, he moved towards Sodom and later became a resident of that wicked city (Genesis 13:10–12, 14:12). Not only did he “linger” on the day of its destruction, escaping only by the mercy of God (Genesis 19:16), but he lost his wife (Genesis 19:26) and sons-in-law (Genesis 19:14). Not only that, but Lot’s only offspring (Moab and Ammon) were the result of his daughters sexually exploiting him (Genesis 19:33–36), while his last years were spent living in a mountain cave like a recluse (Genesis 19:30).   “Written for our Instruction”   Jude uses the catastrophic judgment that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah as an “example” for the punishment of the ungodly, which is characterized as “eternal fire” (pyros aiōniou, Matthew 25:46).   Jude 7 KJV – “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”   The knowledge that there is a future judgment to come should motivate us to warn those who are still in their sins that the only way to escape the coming judgment is by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who has taken the judgment of sinners upon himself so that we can live righteous lives in this present evil age (1 Peter 2:24; Galatians 1:4).

Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Prophecy Update: Is This What Is Going to Happen In 2023? – Pastor Tom Hughes & Lee Brainard 2022 was BAD!!! We ain't seen NOTHING YET!!! – Pastor James Kaddis How to Survive 2023… - Watchman River Tom Putin is portrayed as Santa in new Russian propaganda video Jonathan Cahn’s Prophetic Message II to Joe Biden (The White House Apostasy)  2023 Perspectives Roundtable - What's ahead of us in 2023? Who Will Start the First Major War Of 2023? - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/who-will-start-the-first-major-war-of-2023/   Tensions are on the rise all over the planet, and global conflict will be one of the big trends that we will all be watching in 2023. And that is extremely unfortunate, because more global conflict won’t be good for any of us. Considering what we have been through the past several years, we could really use a time of peace. Sadly, as I write this article it appears that more war is inevitable. But where will it erupt first? In recent days, the mainstream media has suggested several potential candidates…   Will it be Serbia?   Things haven’t been this tense between Serbia and Kosovo since Bill Clinton was president.   There have been several alarming incidents over the past month, and now it is being reported that the president of Serbia has just raised the alert level of his military to the “highest level of combat readiness”…   As Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine heads towards its one-year anniversary, another European flashpoint is in danger of reigniting a second war on the continent.   Kosovo was at the center of the last all out-war in Europe in the late ‘90s and tensions there have never fully dissipated.   Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has this week put his army on its “highest level of combat readiness” to protect ethnic Serbian areas in northern Kosovo he says are under threat from Kosovo. Vucic says his military will “take all measures to protect our people and preserve Serbia.”   But I don’t think that Serbia will be first.   The major powers of western Europe are desperate to avoid a second war in their own backyard, and both sides still seem open to a diplomatic solution.   Will it be North Korea?   Just a few years ago, things were going so much better with North Korea.   But now with Joe Biden in the White House any hope for lasting peace has gone out the window.   The North Koreans have been getting increasingly aggressive, and this week they actually sent a drone almost all the way to Seoul.   In response, the South Korean military “flew surveillance assets” into North Korea…   South Korea’s military fired warning shots, scrambled fighter jets and flew surveillance assets across the heavily fortified border with North Korea on Monday, after North Korean drones violated its airspace for the first time in five years in a fresh escalation of tensions.   South Korea’s military detected five drones from North Korea crossing the border, and one traveled as far as the northern part of the South Korean capital region, which is about an hour’s drive away, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.   I think that the North Koreans were trying to probe South Korea’s defenses.   If this keeps happening, South Korea is promising to “thoroughly and resolutely respond”…   “Our military will thoroughly and resolutely respond to this kind of North Korean provocation,” Maj. Gen. Lee Seung-o, spokesman for the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a press briefing.   Tensions along the militarized border have already been high due to Pyongyang firing off a record number of ballistic and other missiles this year, including a pair fired last week toward Japan. With now days left in 2022, analysts have tracked over 90 missiles fired this year.   Tensions on the Korean peninsula are the highest that they have been in decades, but I don’t think that this will be the first major war to erupt in 2023 either.   Personally, it is my opinion that North Korea will not seriously consider an invasion of South Korea until China invades Taiwan.   Will it be China?   Years ago, a lot of people thought that I was nuts for warning that the U.S. and China would eventually go to war.   And I could definitely understand the skepticism, because our stores are filled with goods made in China and our ties with the Chinese just kept getting tighter and tighter.   But now “the Taiwan issue” has changed everything.   This week, the Chinese “sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan” in just one 24 hour period…   China’s military sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force directed at the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Monday, after China expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a recently approved U.S. annual defense spending bill.   China’s military harassment of self-ruled Taiwan, which it claims is its own territory, has intensified in recent years, and the Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army has sent planes or ships toward the island on a near-daily basis.   When China ultimately invades Taiwan, the U.S. and China will instantly be in a state of war.   And once that happens, the flow of goods from China immediately ends.   Are you prepared for that?   But I don’t think that such a scenario will play out just yet.   My personal opinion is that there is another major conflict that is likely to erupt even sooner.   Will it be Iran?   For years, Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that he would never, ever allow the Iranians to build their own nuclear weapons.   Well, the IAEA claims that the Iranians are now “one technical step away” from enriching weapons-grade uranium.   So it is put up or shut up time for Netanyahu.   Either he takes military action or he lives with a nuclear Iran.   Of course if Israel launches an attack on Iran, the Iranians will hit back extremely hard.   In fact, the Iranians just threatened to raze Tel Aviv “to the ground” if Israel decides to attack…   Iran has threatened to raze Tel Aviv ‘to the ground’ in a chilling video explaining how Tehran would respond to an Israeli strike on its nuclear plant.   The video that the Iranians have produced actually contains “several terrifying explosions to demonstrate what would happen to Tel Aviv”…   The two and a half minute video – posted by @MEMRIReports – contains violent footage of missiles going off and several terrifying explosions to demonstrate what would happen to Tel Aviv.   ‘This is what the first few minutes of the Iranian response will look like,’ the video explained.   Once this war starts, it is going to be incredibly destructive.   But I don’t think that it will start the way that most people are expecting.   As they say, stay tuned for future developments.   Meanwhile, I believe that things in Ukraine are about to get even more “interesting”.   On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a statement that some media sources are describing as an “ultimatum”…   “Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the regime, the elimination of threats to Russia’s security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well known to the enemy,” state news agency TASS quoted Lavrov as saying late on Monday.   “The point is simple: Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army.”   Other Russian officials have also issued puzzling statements in recent days.   Are they trying to give diplomacy one final chance before they take this war to a point of no return?   Because if the Russians launch another massive invasion of Ukraine from the north, there will be no going back.   The Russians continue to move more military assets into position for such a campaign, but that doesn’t mean that it will actually happen.   However, if Vladimir Putin does pull the trigger there will be no hope for a peaceful solution.   Meanwhile, the Russians continue to try to frame this conflict as a great battle between good and evil. In fact, a commercial has just been released that portrays Vladimir Putin as a Santa Claus figure that is delivering a boy from the twisted values of the western world…   Russian President Vladimir Putin has been portrayed as Santa in an anti-Western propaganda video released on the country’s social media.   The film – made by a production company called Signal – depicts ‘Santa Putin’ swapping a photograph of a child’s same-sex parents for one of a mother and father, and gifting the boy being raised as a girl a football, toy cars and a drum kit.   The video feeds into Russian prejudices about Europe and the United States which have been fuelled by pro-Kremlin propagandists during the war in Ukraine to frame the conflict as a clash of values between Russia and Ukraine’s western allies.   I would very much encourage you to watch the video. It will give you some insight into how the Russians really view their conflict with the west.   WATCH: https://youtu.be/u3gIlyBH7dk   The Russians truly consider themselves to be “the good guys”, and they believe that the western powers are an existential threat to the future of their civilization.   Meanwhile, the Biden administration and the western European elite also consider themselves to be “the good guys”, and they believe that the Russians must be crushed at all costs.   Unfortunately, leaders on both sides are not exactly behaving rationally at this juncture, and this has brought us to the brink of a global war of cataclysmic proportions.   In case you haven’t noticed, Russia, China, North Korea and Iran have all been deepening ties with one another.   Three of them already have nuclear weapons, and Iran will be able to construct their own nukes soon.   Perhaps we should pull back from the precipice before the missiles start flying.   Rational leaders would be looking for a peaceful way out of this mess.   Sadly, rational behavior among our leaders is in very short supply at this point. Wise In Your Own Eyes: Operating In The Realm Of Delusion – By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/wise-in-your-own-eyes-our-source-of-wisdom-as-believers-is-not-the-lies-of-the-world/   In a time when our world and many of its leaders seem to operating in the realm of delusion instead of reality, it is good that we have a source of wisdom that will keep us from falling prey to their delusions.   Matthew 7:28-29 KJV – “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”   The “sayings” referred to here is the Sermon on the Mount. The teaching of Jesus was distinguished from that of the scribes. It was the voice of authority, not simply the repeating of what others had said in the past about the scriptures, which was the method of the scribes.    This is much of what we are dealing with today – the repeating of a narrative based on the direction that a few “supposed” great minds have determined that the world should go. The problem is the source of their “wisdom.”   Proverbs 9:10 KJV – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”   James 3:13-17 KJV – “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”   Our world is filled with delusional thinking because most of the people have no fear of the Lord. Thus, the wisdom available to them is earthly, which is sensual and demonic. In contrast, our source of wisdom as believers is not the lies of the world. Through Jesus we have access to “pure wisdom from above.”   James 1:5 KJV – “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”   The wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy is there for the asking from the very source of all “non-delusional” truth. This wisdom is essential to maintaining a sound mind, and, thus, for making sound decisions in these last days.   Proverbs 26:12 KJV – “Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.”   Much foolishness has been treated like truth down through the centuries, because people ignored the wisdom of the word of God and formulated their own opinions. Some have foolishly done so in their interpretation of scripture and have delusionally concocted things like Replacement Theology. Others have done so personally and wound up sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind.   Proverbs 3:5-8 KJV – “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”   As we come to the conclusion of another very bizarre year – a year in which dictionaries changed the unchangeable definitions of man and woman – we have all, at times, failed to seek the wisdom from above and have instead done what “we thought” we should. While there are times when what we thought actually was the right thing, there are other times when what we thought wasn’t.   As we head into 2023, which promises to be even more strange than 2022, let’s make a commitment to walk in pure wisdom instead of our own or the world’s.   Psalm 37:23-24 KJV – “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.”   We all make mistakes, but, like with Israel, the Lord does not utterly cast us down. He will uphold us and order our steps through this coming year just as He has all the previous ones. Let’s make sure we know what the steps are that He wants us to take. It’s the wise thing to do.   Let’s also remember that one more possible year for the rapture of the church is coming to a close, making 2023 the greatest possible year for our home going yet! Let’s walk in pure wisdom until the Lord comes to take us home.   Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Tolerating Anti-Christianism and anti-Americanism - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   In coaching we have a saying, “Control what you can control.” In other words, focus on what you can do and do it. Unfortunately, many have become very adept at recognizing problems, but few have taken the step to control what they can control. Case in point is the anti-Christian, anti-American brainwashing that is taking place in the public school system. Many complain about it. Few are doing anything about it. Same with colleges and universities. “What can we do?” is so often asked. Most don’t realize that the education of their children is the responsibility of the parents and the taxpayers who live in the school districts. There is control. People don’t have to accept the nonsense.   I recently had a conversation with a very dear young man. All he could talk about is how bad America was and is, and how other countries like China and India are so much better. He also pontificated on the stupidity of the English language. He is only 16 and is in AP classes at a public school. Robert Knight, columnist for the Washington Times, recently wrote an article documenting how the extreme leftists in education are restructuring the English language as “part of the Left’s plan to turn the U.S. into an updated version of the Soviet Union.” It’s outright Marxism designed to destroy this nation from within by ideological subversion, a brainwashing technique designed to change a person’s perception of reality. The problem extends to colleges and universities, where the teachers are taught—see where this heads?   The Epoch Times reported, “A Christian law student, who supports the National Rifle Association (NRA), told The Epoch Times he didn’t know he’d been reported as “an extremist” for expressing conservative views until FBI agents knocked on his apartment door. They questioned him about his political views for more than an hour. A journalism student said she felt bullied by a professor who forced students to parrot her scorn for America’s “systemic racism” and affirm “progressive talking points” on immigration, gender-identity issues, “queer theory,” intersectionality, transgenderism, religious faith, and the ideas of Karl Marx, author of “The Communist Manifesto.” When she writes about conservative ideas, she gets an F, when repeating leftist ideas she gets As.   This brainwashing of our kids can be changed. It takes local action. First, the school boards. Hold them accountable by attending meetings. The folks in Loudoun County, Va., did just that. They faced the buzzsaw of being dragged out of meetings, being arrested, even having to file lawsuits. But they succeeded. And they’re not finished yet. Parents can also influence where their kids go to college and have ongoing talks with them about what they are being taught. What is taught now will be how our country is run in the future. And we don’t have to allow this garbage. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Toleration of kids being subjected to this leftist child abuse that has long-lasting moral, ethical and social consequences is, say it with me…Stupidocrisy. Daily Devotion: The 45-Year Wait - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. —Joshua 14:11   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-45-year-wait/ - Listen   Of all the people who received an inheritance in the Promised Land, only Caleb completely drove out the enemy. And Caleb faced some of the most formidable foes in the entire land.   Caleb was an 85-year-old man. And he had been waiting for 45 years. He had to endure everyone’s whining and griping the entire time. Caleb was there when they cried out for meat and complained about the manna God had provided for them. He was there when they rebelled against Moses. And he had to put up with it.   While others looked back, Caleb looked forward. While others wanted to please themselves, Caleb wanted to please God. And after resisting the temptation to go along with the crowd for so many years, he was ready to receive his reward. He believed that God would keep His promise.   Caleb said to Joshua, “I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then” (Joshua 14:11 NLT).   Being an older guy, Caleb could have asked for a nice, comfortable plot of land where there were no enemies to drive out. But he asked for one of the toughest assignments. He asked for Hebron. This was no garden spot. It was a rugged, treacherous area where there was a powerful enemy stronghold guarded by the strongest men.   I wonder if some of the young men of Israel snickered at this point. Maybe they even laughed. But no doubt, their jaws dropped when Caleb drove out his enemies.   Like Abraham, Caleb took God at His Word. He stood on the promises of God. And we need to do the same.   Caleb’s example gives us hope that it can be done. We can remain people of integrity. We can cross the finish line.