judgement from God

 

The Wrath of God, Judgment from God, a Consuming Fire - By Pastor Mike - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-wrath-of-god.html   25 “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:25-29)   Have you ever heard someone say to you in light of a terrible tragedy, “Why would God allow such evil to exist in the world?” Many who turn away from God and disavow Him, as they cannot understand how there can be evil in the world, and a Holy God that co-exists or allows such evil. Many disbelieve in God, as they cannot understand how this can be, so they theorize “There is no God.” I spoke with a fellow during an online conversation that believes there is no God, as there is so much pain and suffering in the world. Why is this man an atheist? They try to get their mind around a word that identifies this problem for them, and the word is “Theodicy”. What is theodicy? According to the dictionary the meaning is thus:   Theodicy from Greek theos - "god" + dike - "justice") is a theological and philosophical study which attempts to prove possible God's intrinsic or foundational nature of omnibenevolence (all-loving), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipotence (all-powerful). The fundamental dilemma of theodicy is the problem of evil: its continuing existence and God's apparent inability or unwillingness to eradicate it. (Wikipedia)   They do not understand when they say, “why does God allow, if there be a God, evil in this world?” and another “why does God not make men that do not sin, if He’s so powerful?”. Do they not understand that He has made such a creature. They are called cows and horses. Do you want to be a cow or a horse? Of course not, we are men, and God gave us one thing that we are endowed by our Creator, LIBERTY also called “free will choice”.   13” For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)   You will find this concept in an unlikely place which defines what we enjoy and adhere to. It is found in the pledge of allegiance.   “I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America:  and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” The two are intertwined and cannot be separated.   IN THE BEGINNING   In the beginning, God made man with free will. He was made with a free moral character to choose either to following God, the Creator, or the god of this world. In a nutshell, he was free to choose between good or evil. But on the heels of what men chooses in liberty, there is enacted righteous justice. Men believe erroneously of a god of their imagination, not the clearly defined God of the Bible. They do not understand the distinction of a God of judgment, a God of justice, nor a God of consuming fire that is a direct result of that liberty.   Liberty to do Evil    Let us go back and examine several examples of people who by their own free will did evil and reaped judgment for their actions. I will try and show the error of their ways and how it applies to us, even today.   In the time of Moses and before, the Hebrew people became a great nation. Fear fell upon the heart of Pharaoh and the leaders of Egypt to deal with a growing problem. They were fearful that the Hebrew nation would become so large that Egypt would be overrun by them and eventually the Egyptians could be defeated in battle by their alignment with an invading army. You’ll find this story in Exodus chapter 1, but let’s look at a few defining verses:15 "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah:   16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.” (Exodus 1:15-16)   But the midwives feared God and did not do as the Pharaoh had ruled, but saved them alive.   18 “And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. 20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” (Exodus 1:18-22)   What the Egyptians did was to cast every male child that was born, or some believe that it included any of an age under two, to be cast into the Nile for the crocodiles. Why was this allowed to happen? Our God is a God of imparting liberty. If man is not allowed to do evil in the name of liberty, then he is not free at all, but judgment was coming and it started with the first plague given to Moses against the Egyptians.   THE NILE MADE AS BLOOD   20 "So Moses and Aaron did even as the LORD had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that flowed in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that flowed in the Nile turned to blood. 21 The fish that lived in the Nile died, and the Nile became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood flowed through all the land of Egypt."(Exodus 7:20-21)   This was the beginning of judgment upon a people who had killed innocent babies who were thrown to the crocodiles and God gave them blood to drink, and it was a sign of judgment upon this evil. God gave the Egyptians ample time to repent of their sins and turn from their ways, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, as justice was being done, and judgment had already been decided against Egypt for their evil in God’s eyes. During the final plague against Egypt, a messenger from God, a death angel, came into the streets of Egypt and killed all first born male children that were not protected by the blood of a lamb upon the post and lintels of their doors, a sign of the coming Messiah.   4 "Moses said, "Thus says the LORD, 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who works behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 'Moreover, there shall come forth a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as no one has ever heard before and such as shall never shall come again."(Exodus 11:4-6)   Then in Chapter 12 of Exodus, Almighty God enacted judgment when the death angel came, as God told Moses, but the children of Israel were saved, because of the blood, a sign of salvation:  12 'For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments-- I Proclaim myself the LORD. 13 'The blood shall serve as a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt." (the blood was a foreshadow of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, although at the time they did not understand this, nor do they still).(Exodus 12:12-13)   You ask, why didn’t God just whisk these Hebrew people out of the land of Egypt, instead of killing all the Egyptian first born? The answer is justice. Judgment had been passed on Egypt for the crimes against their fellow man and the murders of the innocent.   Because of their free will, God allowed them to have liberty, to do good, or to do evil, but in His righteous judgment, He enacted justice.   JUDGMENT AGAINST ISRAEL   This is a story that I cannot fathom, but it happened. After all the acts of God and His righteousness, the people of Israel became ensnared with the evil of this world, and by having liberty, did evil in the sight of a Holy God. But judgment came, as Jeremiah prophecies to them, and it came to pass. You may find this sad state of affairs in Jeremiah chapter 19. Jeremiah had been instructed by God in a two way conversation to bring the elders and the priest down to the Valley of Ben-hinnom. This was a place of 24 hour fires burning refuse, and dead bodies. It was like their city dump. There Jeremiah prophesied what God was about do to them for their evil:   4 "Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent (babies and children). 5 and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind; 6 therefore, behold, days will come," declares the LORD, "when this place will no longer have the name Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. 7 "I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 8 "I will also make this city a desolation and an object of hissing; everyone who passes by it will feel astonished and hiss because of all its disasters. 9 "I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them."' 10 "Then you will break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you 11 and say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter's vessel, which no one cannot again repair; and they will bury in Topheth because they can find no other place for burial. 12 " I will treat this place and its inhabitants like this," declares the LORD, "so as to make this city like Topheth. 13 "The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly host and poured out drink offerings to other gods." (Jeremiah 19:4-13)   I spoke of this in past sermons that Israel erected pagan idols and Asheroth poles, even in the very Temple of God and had taken on the practices of Baal worshipers around them by killing their sons and daughters on pagan altars and deluded themselves that this was an acceptable way of giving Jehovah praise and worship. God had given them liberty to do this evil, but being a God of long-suffering and allowing men free will, there came a time when judgment and justice was enacted on this evil among a nation that was designed to be an example to all other nations around them, or a nation of priest, a holy nation. How far did they fall from their glorious intent of Almighty God? They fell to the pit and their eventual destruction as a nation.   FLASH FORWARD TO MODERN TIMES   In our history of "modern" times, we have experienced men who have killed other men in war and desire for conquest. I think on WWII, and Hitler's delusional desire to cleanse the earth of inferior races of men and produce an Aryan race of super men. This was dealt with by the allied nations to the total destruction of Germany and the Third Reich. Why? Because of justice. Because of six million Jewish people, not to mention millions of what was deemed inferior examples of the human race, slaughtered by an evil tyrant. God allowed this maniac to exist and to cause untold suffering, but in the end, that liberty to do evil, was met with righteous judgment, and Hitler and his armies were destroyed utterly. BUT.....   There is coming a day, that may not be too far off, where evil men will do even more evil to good people. There has been, recent history, of many instances of atrocities, more than what was mentioned above, coming against good people by evil men who were given the liberty to do this evil. The coming period I speak of is known as the Tribulation, which flows into the Great Tribulation. Each combined to be a total of 7 years. In Revelation we see a picture of evil that has slain many Christians from time innumerable.   9 "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had become slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10  and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, " How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11  And each of them received a white robe; and they learned that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who would suffer martyrdom even as they had been, would come to completion also."(Revelation 6:9-11)   There have been good men and women down through the ages, (I recall the Spanish Inquisition and the Dark Ages of Catholic dominance and religious cleansing of all who would not bow before the Pope in Rome), that have died because of their faith and judgment has been withheld for their crimes. John speaks of a time when more people will be killed for the profession of the Name of Jesus Christ. As the verses and chapters progress, seal after seal is broken. Trumpet after trumpet is blown, and bowl judgment upon bowl judgment is poured out on this earth in preparation for the coming Kingdom of God.   One thing I wish you to ponder, does the blood of people slain only apply to Christians who were slain? Is not the destruction of many innocents, as was done in the preceding examples describe what is going on right now in our own land of the free? There is a wholesale destruction of whole class of people, the unborn. Is the USA ripe for judgment and divine justice? I believe we are on the cusp if right now.   You read about the increased earthquakes, volcanic eruptions all over the planet. You read about pestilence that has invaded our world. In the news we are told of locust swarms that are ravaging everything green on the earth, from Africa, through the Middle East into Pakistan and China. We saw the Ebola virus come to Africa and even make a visit to the USA, but that has subsided for now...Now we are dealing with a so-called “Pandemic” of the Coronavirus and the world is in great fear. People are dying overseas, like in Italy, where I read 700 people die in a 24 hour period...Even the Pope may have been infected. The stock market loosing over 8000 points and trillions of dollars in what WAS an explosion in our economy. We see what looks like Martial Law coming to several states using the military to quarantine whole groups of people. Many Millennials have expressed a desire for a Socialist/Communist government, and now in California, New York State, and Washington State, they are getting a first hand view of what the loss of our freedoms look like...   You read about the plight of whole groups of people who die in martyrdom in other lands around the globe, but are we not doing the exact same thing that Jeremiah prophesied to the land of Israel, or Moses to the land of Egypt? Have we not spilled the blood of the innocent who had no right to choose? It’s enough to make a person rise up to take vengeance. I understand the emotions of people who wish to stamp out abortion clinics with blowing it up, but is it our place to enact vengeance. My bible says it is not. Romans 12:19 (ASV):   "Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath `of God': for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord."   Is God beginning the birth pains associated with the coming Tribulation right before our eyes? Is our God unleashing judgment on this world in a run-up to the most terrible time in all of human history?   And the wrath of God is what is coming as spoken of in Romans:   18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness ;19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 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)   Again, a warning in Revelation when the Tribulation actually starts and men know who is judging them : 15 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:15-17)   Never underestimate the coming judgment. It is blossoming in all its unspeakable horror all around us, and it will only get worse as the earth is being shaken, and pestilence and diseases likened to the time of Moses kill more and more people. We saw the terror of Christians in the middle east, who were be-headed by Muslim fanatics, or women stoned for their insane description of belief in their Koran to do so. Men killing other men, and we wonder if the Tribulation is here already.   Is it? No, but this is just a warm up of what is coming, as it will be world wide, not just a local atrocity in the Middle East, but coming to every continent on this earth. But that is at the hands of men. This coming time period we call Tribulation, is not to be compared with the evil committed by men. No, this coming time period is justice and righteous indignation of the wrath of God that will make everything else concerning the death of men, pale in comparison.   There is coming a period of time, which may not be long into the future, when this world will be plunged into the most horrifying time in all of our history on this earth. Where men will give allegiance to one man called the Anti-Christ, because he gives them what they want, to live in their sinfulness and unrighteous behavior. All is asked of them is they take a “mark” in their forehead or in their right hand, which they take with full knowledge of what that “mark” means...it means worship of a false god on earth.   9 “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)   I have spoke of this in times past, but if you take the scriptures spoken of in Revelation and the amount of death of whole populations of the earth combined, of the approximately 7.7 billion people on this earth right now, greater than 75% of them will be destroyed in God's wrath...that is estimating 5-6 billion people killed by God's coming judgment of unrighteous, rebellious mankind. And who can blame God for doing so? God has been patient for 6000 years for man to rule himself and turn to God and follow His commandments. He even sent His only Begotten Son as a substitute for the penalty that we all deserve, and that is death. But the world, at large has rejected His salvation found in His only Son. God's patience appears to be running out, as the signs and symptoms of a coming Tribulation is growing louder and louder, and the pangs of earth's redemption from sin through excising rebellion from this earth, much as a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove dead and decaying flesh, is fast approaching.:   7 " Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:7-8)   All who have committed evil in the sight of God will meet sure and righteous justice. Christians, make yourself ready to meet thy God, the Creator of everything in this universe:   1 "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, has spoken, And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth. 3 May our God come and not keep silence; Fire devours before Him, And it is very tempestuous around Him. 4 He summons the heavens above, And the earth, to judge His people: 5 "Gather My godly ones to Me, Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." (Psalms 50:1-5)   It speaks of sacrifice. Have you made a sacrifice to God? He is not speaking of animal sacrifice of bulls and goats that foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice that was nailed to a Roman cross almost 2000 years ago. That sacrifice was the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah. If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, been baptized, and follow His example, then you have made the perfect Sacrifice before God. You that have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, you have been covered with the blood, which God imparts righteousness to you, because of Him. We wait for the adoption process to be completed. We have the down payment of God’s Holy Spirit residing with our spirit, but we wait for the adoption, to be born of the Spirit.   How do we know this? The answer is found in Romans: 16 " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." (Romans 8:16-23)   You and I were given liberty to choose the god of this world, or cast it off and believe in the only Begotten Son of God, who takes away the sins of the world. You who have believed and exercised your faith that to you, it became so simple, so easy that you cannot understand why not all of the world doesn’t see it…..very simple reason, liberty.   1st Corinthians chapter 1:   18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men."(1st Corinthians 1:18-25)   You who read these warning, and examples of the coming judgment of Almighty God in all His righteous wrath, where do you stand? You, like all of us, have been given liberty to choose. Will you stand for good or evil, life or death? To choose this life and all it’s trappings of sinful pleasure, is to choose death, but to give your heart and soul to the Creator of your soul and spirit, by believing on the only Begotten Son of God, is to choose life. It is a free will decision. God will not beat you about the head into submission and He will not wait forever. He wants you to fall in love with Him and follow Him out of your own free will choice, not out of coercion, but because you see Him as He is, Almighty God and you long to be with Him and return to Him that gave you life, and He will grant you life eternal!   God's Holy Spirit moved men to write in your bible the way to come to God and receive forgiveness, through liberty of choice between good or evil.   2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)   And again, Paul tell us about what our Lord did for you and I in Romans:   6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."(Romans 5:6-11)   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)   Take that God given liberty, your free will choice and make that commitment to follow Him, Jesus Christ, wherever He may lead you. Do it today, as to stand before Almighty God without being clothed in the righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ at judgment day will convict you to receive the coming judgment in justice, or the wrath of a God as a consuming Fire.   Those who believed in the "One whom God hath sent" the time of our departure grows ever closer....as said in the Bible. "Lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh"   This is Pastor Mike Taylor, wishing God’s love and salvation through the shed blood of His Son come into your life. If you have a need, a prayer request, need counseling in Biblical@ Christian living or how to come to be saved through the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ, then email me at realteam1999@sbcglobalnet , God bless you all, till we meet at Jesus feet.

Is Israel On The Verge Of War?: PIJ Terrorists Fire Hundreds Of Rockets Following Targeted Israeli Operation – By Erick Stakelbeck - https://harbingersdaily.com/is-israel-on-the-verge-of-war-pij-terrorists-fire-hundreds-of-rockets-following-targeted-israeli-operation/   Israel is possibly on the verge of war.   How did this all begin? Operation Shield and Arrow is what Israel has named it. It began overnight Tuesday with a surprise attack, which is the only way to describe it. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza eliminated three top Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders.   One was the leader of Islamic Jihad operations in northern Gaza, the other was a member of the Islamic Jihad Military Council, and the third member directed Islamic Jihad activities in the West Bank. Now we call the West Bank “Judea and Samaria” because that’s what the Bible calls it. It is the Biblical heartland of Israel.   The Israeli airstrikes were a delayed response to what happened last week when Palestinian Islamic Jihad launched over 100 rockets at southern Israel.   Israel did not really have a significant response last week, and many were very critical of the Netanyahu government. The Netanyahu government certainly had the element of surprise because this was nearly a week after the rocket barrage. Israel acted, acted swiftly, and acted decisively in eliminating these three Palestinian Islamic Jihad commanders and carrying out additional airstrikes in the strip against Islamic Jihad targets.   Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist, but it works side by side with its fellow Iranian proxy, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. From time to time, they will launch rockets in tandem; so far, Hamas has set this one out and let Islamic Jihad go toe to toe with Israel.   Hamas and Islamic Jihad have what’s called a joint operations room. They work in tandem and are in constant contact. Most importantly, they’re in contact with their masters in Tehran and also with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. That entire ring of fire communicates on a daily basis.   Israel did not strike Hamas, which is a key point there. So far, it seems Hamas does not want to expand this, getting involved and having Israel unleash its wrath on them.   Israel carried out additional airstrikes throughout the past 24 hours. We did not see an immediate Islamic Jihad response. Many believe that the reason was that the Islamic Jihad was stunned. They did not expect what Israel did in eliminating overnight those three terror commanders.   Now today, they did begin to respond. This was inevitable; Israel knew that it was coming.   At the time of this report, over 500 rockets have been launched from Gaza towards Israel. Now, notice my wording here. I did not say that over 500 rockets have struck Israel. No, no, no. Over 500 rockets have been launched toward Israel. What happened to them?   Number one, Iron Dome has done its job. Israel’s groundbreaking and incredible, I believe God sent, missile defense system has intercepted a good number of these rockets.   Number two, a good number of these rockets—and we saw this in May 2021—fell inside of Gaza. They’re not making it over the border into Israel. Palestinian civilians are killed because the rockets launched by Palestinian terror groups are falling on Gaza homes, schools, and playgrounds. Israel has called this a double war crime, and rightly so.   The UN, the European Union, and the Biden administration are gnashing their teeth over Israel’s response to Islamic Jihad terror.   Remember, these groups, like Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Lebanon, intentionally use civilians as human shields. These terrorists have no hesitation in using women, children, and the elderly, literally as human shields. What does Israel do? The Israel Defense Forces, along with the US military, have the strictest rules of engagement in the history of warfare. I do not say that lightly. If the IDF sees civilians used as human shields, they will abort the mission. Even if it’s a high-value terror target, they will abort the mission.   Sometimes people naively and frankly, from a lack of education and knowledge of the region and what’s going on, say, “Can’t they just get along? It’s an endless cycle of violence. They’re both to blame.” No, they’re not. There’s not a moral equivalency here between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.   Egypt is apparently feverishly trying to broker a truce between Islamic Jihad and Israel. Israel has good relations with Egypt. They have a peace treaty, and Egypt is in contact with these terror groups in Gaza.   The Palestinian terror groups will try right before the ceasefire is going to kick off; all of a sudden, one last volley of rockets will come into Israel so these terror groups can claim victory. We pray that’s not the case this time around. Right before the ceasefire, the fighting usually escalates.   So far, over 500 rockets have been fired, and several have hit homes in southern Israel. At least eight people have been hurt while running for bomb shelters in southern Israel.   I love the people of southern Israel, who are courageous and are dealing with this nonsense every single day. Folks, keep them in your prayers. In southern Israel, it is mandatory that they have a bomb shelter inside their homes.   I was in Ashkelon, which bore the brunt of those Hamas rockets in May 2021. It’s not just some homemade bottle rockets or fireworks being haphazardly launched out of Gaza. They are increasingly advanced and increasingly more precise.   Today, a massive rocket barrage has also targeted Tel Aviv and central Israel. Some 70-75% of the Israeli population lives in and around the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, hugging the Mediterranean coast. Now the rockets thankfully did not land in Tel Aviv; no one was hurt, but these terror groups have come a long way.   The big red line for Israel is in southern Lebanon, which possesses at least some precision-guided missiles… that’s a whole other level. Additionally, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad have tens of thousands of rockets between them, Hezbollah to the north has some 150,000 rockets and missiles pointed at every inch of Israel right now.   When rockets can reach Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and even towards Haifa in previous engagements, you know that Israel’s got a serious problem.   At the end of the day, it’s not about what Palestinian Islamic Jihad or Hamas wants. It’s what their masters in Tehran want. It’s often been said that the Iranian regime will fight to the last drop of Arab blood, which is a sad commentary, but I think very true if you look at Iran’s proxies throughout the region.   We must prepare Israel for a multi-front war. I believe it’s a precursor to Ezekiel 38 and 39, the war of Gog and Magog. That’s the future war where God Almighty directly intervenes in a massive, mighty, undeniable way.   Israel needs a whole lot of prayer right now. We are mandated to pray for the land of Israel and to pray for the peace of Jerusalem as a follower of Jesus.

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We Are Witnessing A Nationwide Campaign Of Harassment And Persecution Against Christians Because Of What They Believe - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/we-are-witnessing-a-nationwide-campaign-of-harassment-and-persecution-against-christians-because-of-what-they-believe/   Christianity is rapidly becoming synonymous with “hate”, and that puts us in very dangerous territory. Because once a certain class of people becomes classified as a “hate group”, they become targets. Unfortunately, Christians are already being systematically targeted right now. Matt Taibbi and his colleagues just put out an excellent article about the “Censorship-Industrial Complex” that is rapidly evolving all around us. Dozens of major organizations are working together to suppress speech that they do not like. Once an individual or a group has been identified as being problematic, they can suddenly be hit from multiple directions all at once. That can often mean having their social media accounts “deplatformed”, but it can also mean being “de-banked” by financial institutions. In fact, JPMorgan Chase is being accused of “de-banking” quite a few Christian organizations simply because of what they believe…   Nineteen Republican state attorneys general asserted on Tuesday that JPMorgan Chase “de-banked” organizations for their conservative and religious tendencies, calling on the nation’s largest financial institution to respect the viewpoints of their customers.   The officials stated in a letter to the firm provided to The Daily Wire that the National Committee for Religious Freedom, a “nonpartisan, faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the right of everyone in America to live one’s faith freely,” had its Chase account nixed three weeks into starting a relationship with the company and was asked to provide a list of their donors to the firm. A credit card processor owned by Chase likewise terminated the account for Family Council, a conservative organization working to strengthen traditional family values, while a firm called WePay, which is also owned by Chase, refused to serve Defense of Liberty, a Missouri-based political action committee.   If you love liberty, reading that should sicken you, because what they are doing is fundamentally un-American.   Of course JPMorgan Chase is not the only financial institution that is doing this. Many others have also been shutting down accounts that belong to outspoken Christian groups and outspoken Christian individuals, but the corporate media is very quiet about this trend because they are generally very hostile to conservative Christians as well.   Just think about it.   When is the last time that you saw a positive report about conservative Christians on a news show?   Or when is the last time you saw a Christian positively portrayed on a television show or in a movie?   Almost 100 percent of the time, if a Christian character appears on a television show or in a movie, we are supposed to feel negatively about that character.   Once you realize what is going on, you will start seeing it everywhere.   And this endless barrage of propaganda has sparked a very alarming wave of violence against our churches…   After examining the data, The Family Research Council concluded that over 400 “acts of hostility” have been committed against churches in the last five years including “vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more.” Of these incidents, 137 occurred in the months between January to September of last year.   Almost every day there is a new act of violence against Christians somewhere in this country, but once again the corporate media doesn’t really want to talk about this.   Meanwhile, the federal government has made it abundantly clear how they feel about Christians.   Not too long ago, it was revealed that the FBI was actually trying to develop “sources” within certain types of churches…   The FBI recently sought to develop sources inside Christian churches and Catholic dioceses as part of an effort to combat domestic terrorism, according to internal documents released by House Judiciary Committee on Monday.   The internal documents — obtained last month by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., who are also members of the so-called Weaponization Subcommittee — showed the FBI planned to use churches as “new avenues for tripwire and source development.” The federal law enforcement agency also aimed to specifically target “mainline Catholic parishes” as part of its efforts.   We have never seen anything like this in the entire history of our nation.   But now things are changing at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking.   Earlier today, I was horrified to learn that California has launched a new hotline where people can report “hate acts”…   California has launched a new hotline for residents to report “hate acts.”   Last Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and the California Civil Rights Department announced the launch of CA vs Hate. Through the hotline, Californians will be able to snitch on their neighbors for committing “hate acts,” which the service explicitly states do not always include violence.   “A hate incident is a hostile expression or action that may be motivated by bias against another person’s actual or perceived identity,” the website states. “Perpetrators may be motivated by different discriminatory biases, including, but not limited to; bias based on race, color, disability, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender, including gender identity.”   Obviously, this hotline is not intended to protect Christians from all of the hatred that is being directed toward them.   But if you accidentally “misgender” someone, that could certainly get you into trouble.   And if you point out that the Bible says that certain things are “evil”, you better hope that there aren’t any snitches around.   This is our country now.   It is like East Germany in the 1980s.   And actually it is ironic that the Russians have more religious freedom at this point than we do.   In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that I would ever say such a thing.   Of course it is only going to get worse.   As our society become even more hostile to Christianity and to Christians, we will see levels of repression and persecution that most of us never imagined were possible.   They are absolutely obsessed with winning “the culture war”, and they have already shown that they are willing to sink to very deep lows in order to accomplish that goal.

While We Wait for the Rapture - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com   Waiting is hard for most of us. Maybe you’re waiting for news about your health, or waiting for word that the loan has been approved to purchase your dream home. When I was a child. I had a very hard time waiting for our local county fair to start, and my birthday. Time seems to drag by as we wait for things we can’t rush. We all know the old cliché of a young husband in a hospital waiting room, awaiting the news that his wife has given birth and she and the newborn baby are both safe and healthy. He paces and wrings his hands, but prayer would be more beneficial. Even the most solid Christian can forget to pray in times of stress. It’s not a secret that we are nearing the end of days, and Christians need to be busy while we wait. We need to pray for strength, courage, and guidance. The news isn’t fun to listen to.   There seems to be evil in every headline, and that can make us fret. But prayerfully studying Scripture should bring Christians a sense of peace, because the sin which separated us from God has been forgiven and our salvation is secure. Biblical Prophecy discloses the signs of the times, and time is getting short. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7. While the signs of the times are unsettling, we can find God’s perfect peace. The word “careful” is better understood as “anxious”. It comes from the Greek verb “merimnao” which means “to be anxious, to be troubled with cares”. Modern translations say “Be anxious for nothing”, or “Don’t worry about anything”.    When troubles in life have us upset, it’s good to keep busy. Praying is our first priority, but after that, get busy serving Jesus. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid our sin-debt, but His example to us and His directions tell us that we aren’t to sit back and be idle. Jesus was not concerned about upsetting the religious leaders by doing things they felt broke the Law. For instance, on one particular Sabbath, He came across a man who had been blind from birth, and His disciples questioned if the man or his parents had sinned. Jesus said the blindness wasn’t caused by sin, but it was so that God’s works would be seen. Jesus said “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:4-5.   Jesus knew that a major flap would come from “working on the Sabbath” but knew He had a higher calling. He had to do the works of God the Father while there was still time. The darkness of evil is falling all around. “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:5. Today, the Light shines through Christians and we must work for our Lord. Not to buy or earn salvation, but while we wait for Him to call us Home, we need to be busy sharing the Gospel.    An interesting person in Scripture is Enoch. He lived prior to God’s judgment of the flood, and is a “picture” of the pre-tribulation Rapture. The truth of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture isn’t a new idea brought about in the 1800’s. Those who don’t study Scripture can be very misguided in their beliefs. In Genesis we learn that Enoch was sixty-five years old when his son Methuselah was born “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years and begat sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:22. Enoch didn’t sit around for 300 years waiting to be translated, but He lived a life that reflected God. What did he do while he waited? We know he was a prophet. “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.” Jude 1:14.   Enoch was an example to his family and to the evil world around him. It was up to those who were around him to accept or reject his example. Rejection didn’t turn Enoch away from his walk with God. “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Genesis 5:24. Enoch was “taken” prior to the judgment of the flood. This is also spoken of in the Book of Hebrews “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. Enoch’s faith and way of living kept him from facing God’s judgment.   Today, Christians are like Enoch. We see the darkness of sin and evil growing darker each day. What are we supposed to do while we wait for the Rapture? We are to work. Not to earn salvation, but to be examples to a fallen and lost world. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:11-14.   Some would have us believe that our belief in Christ doesn’t have to change the way we behave. We are saved by faith. That’s true; our faith doesn’t require works. Jesus paid the full price for our salvation, but our faith should change our behavior. While we wait for the Blessed Hope of the Rapture, we need to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts” and “we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”. Ask yourself if you, like Enoch, are walking with God. Enoch lived prior to the finished work of Christ on the cross, and he didn’t have the grace under which we live. We have so much to be grateful for, that while we wait for the Blessed Hope, we should submit our self-will to God. The Apostle Paul could have continued in his evil ways after he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, but what kind of witness would he have brought to the world if he had held tightly to his sin. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2. The Rapture is coming closer every day and there are many people who haven’t met Jesus. We need to share the Gospel with the lost souls around us.    We have work to do while we wait for that call to go Home with Jesus. When the call comes, the sins we hold on to won’t give us any pleasure and will be nothing more than waste products that will be burned up. Every person will one day stand before God’s judgment. Those who reject Christ will be judged by their works at the Great White Throne. No amount of works can bring salvation. Those of us who have accepted Christ for salvation will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ. Our works will also be judged, but not for salvation. Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire: and the fire shall try every man’s work of what short it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:13-15. Your salvation doesn’t depend upon works, but when you stand before Christ and see His nail-scared hands, you will want to have done more for Him today. Get busy while you wait.    The Apostle Paul taught about the pre-tribulation rapture in his letters written to believers in Thessalonica and Corinth. He makes it clear that Christians won’t be here to face God’s wrath during the Tribulation. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10. Jesus took our punishment upon Himself. He died for us and even though we face many troubles in this life, we won’t face God’s final wrath. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. We cannot know the date of the Rapture, but we can watch for the signs. Whether we die prior to the Rapture or are alive when it happens, all Christians will be gathered to Him.    What are you doing while you wait? Are you proudly holding on to sin, or are you walking with God? The last command that Jesus gave to His followers was to preach the Gospel “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15. You may not be able to be a missionary to some remote part of the world, but your family and your neighborhood are in need of hearing the Gospel. Share with friends and family while you can. Time is getting short.    When I hear of wars and rumors of war, pestilence, or happenings that tell me we are returning to the days of Noah and the days of Lot, I don’t wring my hands and fret. Scripture tells me that the Rapture will soon happen. While I wait, I try to represent Jesus to the best of my ability. I’m waiting for either death to take me from the world or for the Rapture. While I wait, I want a closer walk with Jesus and to be a stronger witness for my Lord.   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.

Daily Jot: WHO decides - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   The World Health Organization (WHO) has joined Joe Biden in declaring an end to the COVID 19 pandemic. WHO has closed a chapter in one of the worst managed pandemics in world history where mandated treatments arguably resulted in more deaths than COVID would have caused without them. Effective treatments were forbidden. Doctors were censored and lost their jobs, Big pharma made billions with unproven, unsafe and ineffective vaccines. Government and business advanced propaganda vilifying anyone who refused the vaccines, and today refuse to admit that vaccine side effects are greater than any and all vaccines combined. WHO made this mess that will last generations.   The fifteenth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic, was held on Thursday 4 May 2023. It was at that meeting that WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concurred “with the advice offered by the Committee regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He determines that COVID-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).” That’s the obvious good news. The bad news in the same WHO announcement is that Ghebreyesus is going to convene the International Health Regulations Review Committee to advise on recommendations for the long-term management of the virus.   The two-year WHO strategic preparedness and response plan is titled “From Emergency Response to Long-Term COVID-19 Disease Management: Sustaining gains made during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” In the forward to the plan, Ghebreyesus writes: “In the wake of so much loss and disruption we must now restore, reinforce and strengthen health systems– which have been devastated –while sustaining the gains made during the pandemic. We must also continue to integrate COVID-19 surveillance and management into that for other respiratory diseases. WHO will continue supporting Member States as they make these adjustments.” Key words are “reinforce and strengthen health systems,” “integrate COVID-19 surveillance,” and “continue supporting Member States.” Given what the United States went through under WHO directives, no life is safe.   When considering strengthening health systems, the Centers for Disease Control and WHO guidance mandated remdesivir and ventilator treatments with high death rates. They monitored whether you took the vaccine, and to control where you could go, what you could buy, and who you could see if you were unvaccinated. This “surveillance” was oppressive and tyrannical. The idea that WHO would continue to support member states by issuing more mandates and surveillance, and that America’s CDC would submit to it, is frightening. Their power is suffocating—quarantining healthy people, locking down entire nations. As like in Ezekiel 22:27, WHO’s “princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.” WHO cannot be allowed to decide your health for you. Resist.

Daily Devotion: An Imperative for Spiritual Success - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest,org   Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. —Romans 12:2   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/an-imperative-for-spiritual-success/ - Listen   I’ve never met a Christian who was failing spiritually and was also studying the Bible diligently. That is because success or failure in the Christian life depends on how much of the Bible we get into our hearts and minds on a daily basis and how obedient we are to it.   Billy Sunday became one of the great evangelists of his generation. When he was a new believer, an older Christian gave him this advice: Take fifteen minutes each day to let God talk to you, allow fifteen minutes to talk to Him, and then spend fifteen minutes telling others about the Savior.   He told Sunday that if he did these three things, no one would ever write the word backslider after his name.   Not only does the Bible contain truth, but the Bible is truth. It is the standard by which we measure all other so-called truth.   Romans 12:2 tells us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (NLT).   If you’re a hungry person spiritually, then you’re a healthy person spiritually. Healthy people are hungry people, so it’s a good sign if you hunger for more of God’s Word.   I’ve spoken at various churches over the years, and I’ve discovered that I can take the spiritual temperature of a congregation in less than five minutes. I’m able to get a very real sense of where they are spiritually by how many of them bring their Bibles to church.   Of course, it’s great to have the Bible on a phone or tablet. But having said that, I think it’s really great to carry an actual Bible and mark it up as well. There is power in the Word of God, and we should want to fill our lives with it.