A Tale of Two Churches: Seeker-Friendly or Christ-Glorifying – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2022/11/4/a-tale-of-two-churches   It’s a church filled with joyous expectation of Jesus’ soon appearing to take His saints home to glory.   It’s a church concentrates its efforts upon appealing to the lost and increasing attendance on Sunday mornings.   In short, it’s a tale of two types of churches that one finds in our world today.   Revelation 3:7-22 describes churches in the towns of Philadelphia and Laodicea. In Jesus’ letters to them, we discover aspects of each that help us understand the dichotomy between those that resemble each in today’s world.   On any given Sunday, a casual observer might not notice any difference between these two types. The worship and preaching will sound identical at first. Over time, however, discrepancies become apparent.   What, then, sets apart churches more closely aligned with the ancient body of believers in Philadelphia from the Laodicea-leaning ones?   THE FOCUS   The first distinguishing aspect between the two is the differing focus; one tends to be more inward while the other exhibits one that’s outward more than upon themselves.   In Revelation 3:17, we read Jesus’ words regarding the church at Laodicea:   “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”   Among the other things that we notice from this verse, we recognize that the focus of this church is upon itself. Their economic prosperity had blinded the leaders to their spirituality poverty. They were proud of their affluence and assume that numbers imply God’s blessing and approval.   The tone of seeker-friendly churches tends to be self-serving; they frequently emphasize what they are doing. Like the one in ancient Laodicea, they often showcase their achievements. Church membership means commitment to its programs and local ministries.   Jesus, when describing the church at Philadelphia, says this in 3:8a:   “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”   Churches that mirror the one in Philadelphia pursue open doors even when such opportunities take the limelight away from themselves. In Jesus’ message to this body of believers, we see both an outward and upward focus.   THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE   While both types of churches typically display a high regard for the integrity and inerrancy of Scripture in their statements of faith that one finds on their websites, there’s a critical difference in how they treat all the words of Scripture.   Notice the emphasis on words in Jesus’ opening comments to the church at Laodicea:   “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.’”   It’s been my experience that many Laodicean-leaning churches cherish the words of the Bible until it comes to the matter of future things. Many of them adhere to replacement theology, which relies on the spiritualization of the words found in biblical prophecies regarding the future of Israel. They overlook what the words of Scripture actually reveal; they tell of God’s glorious restoration of a kingdom for the descendants of Jacob during Jesus’ thousand-year reign on the earth during which time He will sit on the throne of David (Luke 1:30-33).   In other places, the pastors of such churches remain quiet about the blessed hope of the Gospel even though they believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture and God’s future restoration of Israel.   Notice the sharp contrast that we see in Jesus’ commendations of the Philadelphian church:   “I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”(Revelation 3:8b)   “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance . . .” (Revelation 3:10a)   The word for “kept” in the above verses can carry with it the sense of guarding something so as to keep it in the state that one finds it. Leaders in these churches retain the words of the Bible in the state that they find them, words that signify Jesus’ imminent appearing to catch us up to meet Him in the air and His thousand-year reign during what we refer to as the “millennium.”   It’s to this church that Jesus’ says “I am coming soon” or quickly as the word suggests in the Greek (Revelation 3:11a). This promise of the Rapture brings us much needed reassurance in these perilous times.   It’s in the words of Scripture that we find hope amid the perils of our day. It’s the glorious hope that’s embedded in the Gospel.   THE PLACE OF JESUS   Jesus stands on the outside of the Laodicean church knocking at its door (3:20).   Many seeker-friendly churches today worship Jesus with music and praise, but He remains on the outside in many ways. Attendance numbers trump feeding the feeding flock with with the meat of God’s Word so that believers grow spiritually and learn how “to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14).   When planning for the future, its leaders often fail to heed the wisdom found in James 4:13-17.   Jesus’ message to the Philadelphian church reveals a much different story regarding the place of the Savior. He offers no criticism of this church, but instead provides loving encouragement. It’s a message of praise for believers who clearly love Him. He’s the reason for their endurance as they patiently wait for Jesus’ appearing amid scoffing and distressful circumstances.   Notice the promise Jesus makes to this ancient body of saints and and by inference to us as well:   “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:10-11a).   Isn’t it interesting that Jesus’ promise in the above verse applies to living saints? There’s no need to assure the “dead in Christ” that they will miss the “hour of trial” that everyone living in the world in the last days will experience.   Jesus’ glorious promise applies to all born-again believers. All those in Christ will be caught up in the air to meet the Savior, exactly as Paul describes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. After that, the Day of the Lord wrath will descend upon the earth-dwellers that Jesus refers to in the above verse (see also 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11).   EYESIGHT   Perhaps the greatest need for current leaders of Laodicean-leaning churches today is “salve to anoint” their “eyes” (Revelation 3:18).   Pastor and Bible commentator John MacArthur wrote this regarding the need for sight on the part of the ancient Laodicean church:   “Though they prided themselves on their allegedly superior spiritual knowledge, the Laodiceans were in fact spiritually stone blind. Blindness represents lack of understanding and knowledge of spiritual truth.”[i]   His words not only ring true regarding this late first century AD church, but speak to today’s lack of insight into the prophetic texts of the Bible. So many pastors today fail to recognize the signs of the times, which reveal that that we live in the last moments before the Rapture and the start of the seven-year Tribulation.   We live in a world filled with continuing threats of a nuclear World War III, warnings of catastrophic food shortages for 2023, and dire forecasts of continued soaring inflation for the basic necessities of life, which cause many to wonder how they will be able to both heat their homes and put food on the table for their families at the same time this winter.   This is not a time to shy away from proclaiming what the Bible says about our glorious hope that starts with Jesus’ return for us, His beloved bride.   It’s the true state of our world that scares people (or at least it should). Biblical prophecy, on the other hand, both comforts us and prepares us for what lies ahead.   The Bible said that the world would look exactly as it does today in the days leading up to the Tribulation period. By faith we see His hand at work even during this time of lawlessness. We glorify God as we recognize that He remains sovereignly in control of history and of the nations. And most encouraging, He controls our future as well.   As we witness a multitude of signs telling us that the world is right on the edge of seeing the fulfillment of all that John wrote about in Revelation 6-19, we magnify the greatness of the name of Jesus. The book of Revelation glorifies Christ from beginning to end. (see my post: Don’t Mess With the Book of Revelation).   My heart often breaks for believers who sit in churches never hearing about the glorious news regarding our future.   BUT THEY FAITHFULLY PREACH THE GOSPEL   Many will protest my criticism of seeker-friendly churches by citing that its leaders often proclaim a pure Gospel in spite of teaching errant views or remaining silent regarding future things.   I agree that it’s wonderful that many seeker-friendly pastors proclaim the true saving message of the cross and people are coming to the Lord through their preaching.   However, as I have written in the past, those that divorce our “blessed hope” from their proclamation of the Gospel err in at least two ways:   They must ignore or gloss over many biblical texts that speak to our glorious hope in Jesus’ appearing. They fail to prepare the saints under their care for what might lie ahead before Jesus comes for us and God’s wrath descends upon the world   This is the tale of two churches.   Though most do not check all the boxes of the Laodicean church that Jesus describes in Revelation 3, the seeker-friendly churches of our day exhibit many of its characteristics. My primary criticism is that more often than not, they fail to emphasize the glorious, amazing, and over-the-top joyous message of Jesus’ appearing to take us up to glory.   Those that follow the lead of the Philadelphian church in today’s world hold tightly to Jesus’ words regarding His return for us and persevere in their watchfulness of His soon appearing.   My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. It’s all about how a strong biblical foundation in our glorious hope equips us to face a world ablaze in wickedness, deception, and lawlessness.   Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/ . Thanks!   [i] John MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Revelation 1-11, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1999), p. 139.

China Is “Preparing For War” – I Will Give You One Guess Who The Primary Opponent Will Be - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/china-is-preparing-for-war-i-will-give-you-one-guess-who-the-primary-opponent-will-be/   Chinese President Xi Jinping has just announced that China will be “preparing for war”, and that should deeply alarm all of us. Needless to say, nobody is going to be attacking China any time soon. So why would the Chinese need to prepare for war if there is zero chance that they will be attacked? Unfortunately, the answer is obvious. The only reason China would be engaged in a military conflict any time soon is if it chooses to invade Taiwan. The moment such an invasion is launched, the United States and China will be at war. The Chinese know this, but Chinese President Xi Jinping is going ahead with preparations for war anyway…   China will focus on preparing for war with the country’s security ‘increasingly unstable and uncertain’, President Xi Jinping has declared.   Beijing will now comprehensively strengthen its military training and preparation for any war, Xi said today, according to state broadcaster CCTV.   This is the very first time in decades that China has been on a war footing.   Not too long ago, the Chinese were our new best friends and we were doing all that we could to deepen trading relationships with them.   Now our economy is deeply, deeply dependent on goods from China, and once a military conflict erupts that flow of goods will come to grinding halt.   So let us hope that such a war does not materialize any time soon.   Sadly, it has become exceedingly clear that Chinese President Xi Jinping is strongly considering the option of “reuniting” with Taiwan by force…   Xi’s announcement that China will focus on preparing for a war will raise fears that the nation may invade the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.   China, which has the second-largest economy and military in the world, has repeatedly threatened to annex Taiwan by force if necessary.   A lot of people out there seem to assume that a conflict with China is not an imminent threat.   But just last month, the top ranking officer in the U.S. Navy warned that it could come “as soon as this year”…   Last month, US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday warned that China could take Washington and the world by surprise and invade Taiwan as soon as this year.   Amid the military exercises by air and sea of Taiwan’s coast, Admiral Gilday said: ‘It’s not just what Jinping says, it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do.   ‘What we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it.’   Personally, I don’t think that we will see war between the United States and China in 2022.   But 2023 is a very real possibility.   And it turns out that many officials in Japan also see the need to prepare for a coming conflict with China…   If China were to attack Taiwan, it wouldn’t just have to face a hostile superpower. It would also likely have to confront its longstanding regional rival, Japan. For centuries, Japan and China have vied for hegemony in East Asia; at times, they have threatened each other’s survival. Today, as I found from three days of meetings with Japanese officials and analysts in Tokyo, the threat of Chinese aggression is producing a quiet revolution in Japanese statecraft — and pushing the nation to get ready for a fight.   Tensions just continue to intensify month after month.   As I discuss in my brand new book, eventually a breaking point will be reached.   Meanwhile, North Korea and South Korea are also getting closer to war.   In recent days, North Korea has test-fired over 30 missiles, and that includes an ICBM which prompted “an evacuation alert in northern Japan”…   The North has test-fired more than 30 missiles this week, including an intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday which triggered an evacuation alert in northern Japan — a response to an aerial military exercise between South Korea and the US.   Of course North Korea has test-fired lots of missiles before, but in this case the North Koreans are actually admitting that they just conducted “simulated strikes on South Korea”…   North Korea said on Monday that its recent missile launches were simulated strikes on South Korea and the United States as the two countries held a “dangerous war drill,” while the South said it had recovered parts of a North Korean missile near its coast.   War between North Korea and South Korea is coming.   But my personal opinion is that it won’t happen until China invades Taiwan first.   Speaking of missile tests, it is being reported that the Russians will soon conduct another test of the new RS-28 Sarmat…   Russia is reportedly plotting to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile for a second time. Moscow first tested the RS-28 Sarmat in April. It is capable of carrying 10 or more warheads and decoys, striking targets at 16,000mph.   Russian politician Aleksey Zhuravlyov previously threatened to use the deadly weapon as Finland and Sweden were poised to join NATO.   He said Satan-II could hit the UK in 200 seconds if fired from Russia’s European province, Kaliningrad.   It has been claimed that a single RS-28 Sarmat possesses enough firepower to destroy an area the size of Texas.   The U.S. does not have anything comparable.   In fact, the aging Minuteman missiles that currently form the backbone of the U.S. strategic nuclear arsenal are not scheduled to be replaced by something new until some time around 2030.   Unfortunately, the world will look completely different by 2030.   I believe that World War III has already begun, and several new conflicts are likely to erupt over the next 12 months.   In this article I haven’t even talked about Israel and Iran. Personally, I think that is probably the most likely conflict to erupt next.   This truly is a time of “wars and rumors of wars”, but most people out there still do not understand what is happening.

Prophecy Update Videos

False Prophets: A Sign of the Second Coming – Britt Gillette 2022 US Elections – Pastor James Kaddis & Don Stewart Bible Prophecy and Current Events Q & A – Amir Tsarfati & Pastor Barry Stagner Love God, Live As You Please – Pastor Jack Hibbs

' 'Nearing Midnight: The Strategic Petroleum Reserve Has Become a Joke – Todd Strandberg - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/   The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is an emergency stockpile of petroleum maintained by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). It is the largest publicly known emergency supply in the world. The oil is stored in giant underground salt domes in Louisiana and Texas. The SPR has a capacity of 714 million barrels.   The United States started the petroleum reserve in 1975 to mitigate future supply disruptions as part of the International Agreement on an International Energy Program after oil supplies were interrupted during the 1973–1974 oil embargo.   Because President Joe Biden’s poll numbers were hurting, he authorized in March the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the reserve for 180 days. The Biden administration will release another 15 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in December in a bid to drive fuel prices down.   Since 2015, Congress has been selling the oil in the reserve to partly fund the national deficit, in unpublicized sales. The DOE has run at least seven sales since 2017, selling 132 million barrels, or about 18.2% of what had been in the reserve.   According to legislation already in place, the amount of oil in the reserve could fall to as little as 238 million barrels in the next five years. This will be a 67% reduction to the oil in the reservoir since 2010.   The SPR was never a vast underground sea of oil that could fuel America for a long time. The most recent inventory was 401.7 million barrels. This equates to about 20 days of oil at 2019 daily U.S. consumption levels of 20.54 million barrels per day, or 41 days of oil at 2019 daily U.S. import levels of 9.141 million barrels per day. However, the maximum total withdrawal capability from the SPR is only 4.4 million barrels per day, so it would take about 91 days to use the entire inventory.   The administration has no working plan to refill the reserve. In 2012, the total value of the crude in the SPR was approximately $43.5 billion, while the price paid for the oil was $20.1 billion (an average of $28.42 per barrel). The current spot price of oil is around $90 per barrel, so we would pay through the nose to refill the SPR.   Biden has turned the SPR into a joke. The inventory is now so low that it could not help with any major crisis. If Biden and future presidents are going to deplete the SPR during every future oil spike, the reserve could eventually run dry.   The SPR has just been neutralized by our so-call friend in the Arab world. The oil-producing cartel OPEC and its allied countries announced they would cut their collective production by 2 million barrels a day. Biden went to the Saudi Arabians to beg them to produce more oil, and they made a fool of him by taking the opposite action.   The U.S. used to have all types of reserves, but we sold most of them off in good times. We once had a billion-ounce reverse of silver. The treasury now has zero ounces of silver. Our ability to import goods from China has caused us to not even have reserves of essential drugs and rare earth metals. The only meaningful reserve we have left is a huge stash of government cheese. The dairy lobby has convinced Congress to fund this hoard that sits in old mines and rots.   The DOE has raised the possibility of limiting fuel exports in a bid to force domestic gasoline prices lower, but the administration has in recent days toned down its rhetoric, according to two industry people. Oil company executives and analysts have said the move could backfire because it could cause producers to slow their drills if they no longer have access to foreign markets, increasing domestic prices.   The SPR was a good idea, but government corruption ruined it. We should have had an SPR of at least 2 billion barrels. Energy is something that you can’t live without. Europe now sees the value of having greater gas reserves. Great Britain was really caught with its pants down. Its natural gas reserves are near 100%, but they will only last a few weeks. Some European nations have reserves that will last them until next spring.   One of the most inspiring scriptures that explains why we have a problem with oil is Deuteronomy 25:4. I like Timothy’s quote that is sighted below. When Biden came to office, he attacked oil companies as greed firms that should be driven out of business. He still attacks them as profit-driven, but that is how the capitalist system works. Without a reward, you get less production. God is not only the Lord of the universe, but He is the world’s wisest economist.   “For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward” (1 Timothy 5:18).

‘Blatant Mocking Of God’: The History Behind The Drag Queen Phenomena – By David Fiorazo - https://harbingersdaily.com/blatant-mocking-of-god-the-history-behind-the-drag-queen-phenomena/   A lot can happen in fifty years. The drag queen phenomena – nowhere on people’s radar – has now become mainstream. How did we arrive at the point that men – dressing up as women – are allowed to read to, interact with, and perform for young children? Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) is now celebrated as performances take place in bookstores, libraries, public schools, and tragically even in some so-called churches.   These “performances” are applauded by many parents causing many of us to ask, ‘Why would they go along with this?’   Part of the stated drag agenda is to disrupt foundational and traditional (biblical) beliefs about sex and gender.   This was once an obscure and hidden part of the gay subculture. Not anymore. Primarily homosexual men take on a drag queen persona, find a public space to work, act flamboyantly and often erotically, and are a common feature of pop culture.   But what kind of history is behind this agenda?   First things first: this is an overt attack on the image of God in mankind as well as a rejection of the truth of Scripture. We are witnessing acts of rebellion and debauchery, progressive efforts to not only ‘queer’ children but even seduce the church of Jesus Christ.   In his excellent article, “Drag Queens and the Queering of the Church,” M.D. Perkins writes that queer has become a label of pride within the LGBTQ+ acronym. Scholars began using the word to define radical social theories and the disruptive process of promoting non-biblical, non-traditional sexuality.   Perkins states:   “Queering is intended to complicate and disrupt what is perceived to be normal; to directly challenge heterosexuality, traditional gender roles, or the male/female binary. …”Queering is one strategy for queer activists who want to unsettle or complicate normative practices…”   In other words, the demonic goal behind most drag queen performances is to use entertainment and emotion to move people’s perceptions in order to confuse binary depictions of sex and gender.   Drag Queen Story hour is also a nonprofit organization which helps them solicit donations and use its status to get into schools and claim rights to public spaces. Their website proudly states their mission is to reach children, “defy rigid gender restrictions,” and promote the idea that “everyone can be their authentic selves.”   Not who God created you to be, but whoever you imagine or identify as. It is a perversion of the truth, an extension of the ‘born in the wrong body’ philosophy, and obviously a blatant mocking of the God of creation. This is not new; they just found another way to do evil and to attract kids.   The Bible states:   Jude 1:17-18 KJV – “But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”   Innocent, impressionable children as young as toddlers are being targeted by DQSH.   This past summer, Fox News reported the fact the nonprofit now known as “Drag Story Hour NYC” received approximately $207,000 in taxpayer funding since 2018 from New York residents. It has yet to be determined how many other states have similar groups that send drag queens into classrooms and access schoolchildren as young as age 3.   A gay college professor, drag queen, Harris Kornstein, who performed some of the first readings in public school libraries not only wrote a children’s book but also sits on the board of Drag Queen Story Hour. In fact, the nonprofit has since expanded to 40 local chapters having put on hundreds of performances across the country.   The deception goes deeper. Another perversion of the truth is the fact drag queens are being advertised as “family friendly” to supposedly promote reading, tolerance, and inclusion. This is yet another example of redefining strategic words and meanings.   To “queer” something is to intentionally blur the lines of right and wrong, good and evil, natural and unnatural, male and female. Those who support this philosophy in public and vote for politicians who endorse its wickedness are what the Bible refers to as “participating” in their “deeds of darkness (Eph. 5:11).   Moreover, Colossians 2:8 adds another warning:   Colossians 2:8 KJV – “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”   In his incredibly extensive article, “The Real Story Behind Drag Queen Story Hour,” Christopher Rufo details the dangerous ideology driving the movement which he says was “born in the sex dungeons of San Francisco” and then incubated in academia.   Drag became political when the Stonewall riots of 1969 took place during the sexual revolution and drag performances became open forms of resistance to sexually “repressive” laws.   Later, the academic discipline of queer theory was born in 1984 to deconstruct and subvert the “sexual hierarchy” of married heterosexual people. By cultural influence and “a revolution of values,” they have worked successfully to soften and even tear down Western (read “Christian”) morality and biblical principles.   Rufo adds:   “The purpose, then, is to subvert the system of heteronormativity, which includes childhood innocence, and reengineer childhood sexuality from the ground up.   …The drag queen might appear as a comic figure, but he carries an utterly serious message: the deconstruction of sex, the reconstruction of child sexuality, and the subversion of middle-class family life.”   Remember the goal of these visual, entertaining drag performances is to obliterate traditional concepts of gender. Cutting to the chase however, one logical ending point of this deviant process is absolutely no restrictions on sexual behavior which, sadly will lead to the bottom of the perverse barrel: pedophilia.   Some laughed at those of us who warned about the slippery slope of denying God’s natural order, of normalizing homosexuality and then, legalizing same-sex “marriage.”   One radical in the 1990s, Judith Butler, further paved the way by mixing queer theory with post-modernism. She claimed that “once the premise is established that gender is malleable (changeable) and used as an instrument of power,” the next step is social reconstruction.    With people’s basic understanding of sex and gender identity now questioned, the reality of gender is also put into crisis. Chris Rufo further explains:   “it becomes unclear how to distinguish the real from the unreal. And this is the occasion in which we come to understand that what we take to be ‘real,’ what we invoke as the naturalized knowledge of gender is, in fact, a changeable and revisable reality.”   Now that more of us acknowledge the sheer mainstreaming of this evil in our culture, why would we be surprised to see it creep into the church? This ideology spread from underground to bookstores and libraries to the public schools which are fertile ground for “queering education.”   Until more concerned Christians, parents, pastors, voters, and political leaders understand the true, diabolical nature of DQSH and the ideology that drives it, it will be difficult to stop the enemy; to replace needed boundaries, common sense, and sanity. It will sadly be difficult to save the lives of countless young people and countless souls.   Jesus once warned about those who lead children astray that, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea (Luke 17:2)” than cause “one of these little ones” to sin or to stumble.   God is the Author of creation including mankind (Genesis 1:27-28), Jesus confirmed the established order of marriage between one man and one woman as well as the family (Mark 10:6-9), God calls it an “abomination” for a man to wear a woman’s clothing or vise versa (Deut. 22:5), and those who practice any sexual sin outside of biblical parameters will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9).   It is therefore astounding so many (professing) Christians have been silent or ignore these issues until it’s too late. What’s worse, too many church leaders fail to address sin and resist wickedness being played out right before their eyes. By avoidance or neutrality, we are not looking out for others and protecting vulnerable children.   Love cares enough to do uncomfortable things like warning others and telling them the truth! Repent of your sin, trust Jesus and become a new creation.   As M.D. Perkins said, this “false dichotomy between loving our neighbors and standing for righteousness needs to stop.” If you think they’ll stop at the door of our churches, you’re in for a rude awakening – and we will have to answer for how we responded in this pivotal cultural moment.

Daily Jot: Undiscerning American Voters - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   The election was no red tidal wave. More like a tidal pool. Pundits will be dissecting the “why” for weeks, maybe months, to come. In reality, they will be discussing the strategy of this party or that candidate, but the real cause for whoever gets into office or stays in office comes down to one common denominator—the American voter. Exit polls on Tuesday’s election indicated that almost three-quarters of voters were dissatisfied, even angry, about the direction of the country. Well over half were also concerned about the Supreme Court abortion decision. Like two trains coming at one another on the same track from opposite directions, these “feelings” collided on election day. And things didn’t change much.   This has been one of the worst Administrations in history. There were Democratic governors that no one thought would be re-elected. There were states that re-elected congressmen and senators that appeared not to have a chance. When I was in politics, we learned that voters may be very angry, but they are angry at the other congressmen or politicians because they believe their representative is doing well. Even though we know that a definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Certainly, with the news media and corporate involvement in the elections—just the headlines alone—undiscerning voters’ perception of reality can be altered to the point that they cannot make a decision to even save themselves. It’s called ideological subversion and its alive and well in American society.   Many will point to voter fraud, voter security, voting machines. They will be labeled the election deniers. Personally, after some 16 years full time in politics and many more as a part-timer (because you really never get out of this business once you are in it), I never have been a fan of voting machines or computerized voting. Call me old fashioned, but paper ballot with proper identification is the most secure way to vote and to have votes counted. But even so, there were many elections that were altered due to other ways to cheat the system. Election security and integrity is key and when that breaks down it causes people to question their faith and confidence in elections. It is a huge problem.   Logic and discernment has been replaced with feelings and fear. Certainly, the candidates’ campaigns, with the supporting cast of the news media, calling people a danger to democracy or too extreme to serve or whatever also contribute to this societal condition. Overall, however, American voters reflect the country. It’s deeply divided, lacks a moral compass, and is confused about its identity. And that’s why we get what we get with unethical, unreasonable, even stupid leadership. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” Deception, mocking God, reaping what is sown. And that’s why elections turn the way they do. American voters want to blame it on many things, but at the end of the day, it’s their own…say it with me…stupidocrisy.

Daily Devotion: Peace in the Storm - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. —Matthew 8:24   The violent storm didn’t awaken Jesus, but the cry of His disciples did. In one sense, He was asleep, but in another sense, He was not, because the Bible says of God, “Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121:4 NLT).   This is a beautiful glimpse into the humanity and divinity of Jesus. What could be more human than sleeping after a long day of work? And what could be more divine than rebuking a storm and watching it stop a moment later?   Jesus told His panicked disciples, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” (Matthew 8:26 NLT). This verse goes on to say that Jesus “got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.”   Mark’s Gospel adds that Jesus said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39 NKJV). A more literal translation of the phrase would be “Peace, be muzzled!” It’s as though Jesus were speaking to a wild animal. Indeed, Jesus was speaking to Satan, who was behind this storm. The Devil was trying to stop Jesus from reaching His destination. On the other side of the lake, Jesus would find two severely demon-possessed men, and He would deliver them from their suffering.   This reminds us that Satan is always on duty. He doesn’t rest. In fact, the Bible describes him as “a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 nlt). This is the reason that a spiritual battle will ensue when you try to save someone from Satan and bring them to Christ. The Devil doesn’t want to let his captives go.   Jesus didn’t promise the disciples that the journey would be smooth sailing, but He did say, “Let us cross over to the other side” (Mark 4:35 NLT). In the same way, the Bible says that God will complete the work He has begun in you (see Philippians 1:6). You will reach the other side.

PROPHECY UPDATE....................11/09/2022

 

Revelation – The End of This Age… - By pastor Mike Taylor - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2022/11/revelation-end-of-this-age.html   19 “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”( 2nd Peter 1:19-21)   Here's the question...With the end of this age so obviously at hand, why teach Prophecy? This is a very broad subject and there are many reasons why we should pay attention to the signs around us that point to the fulfillment of the Words found in your Bible. But I will focus on a few of them to answer the question. Many of those who think prophecy has been fulfilled and nothing is awaiting out there save the return of Jesus, discount any mention of prophecy, as they are what is known as Preterist. These deceived people believe that all was fulfilled in 70AD with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Roman army and the nation of Israel was no more.   But has all prophecy really been fulfilled? I would question such folks as when the passages in Revelation had actually been fulfilled. Can they show me where the green grass all over the earth was burned up? Can they show me where 1/3 of the trees were destroyed, along with the sea and the rivers turning to blood as that of a dead man? How about the blazing mountain falling into the sea, which sounds like a comet, hitting the earth and destroying million of people who live along the coastlines, just to name a few of the destruction that befalls the earth?   “12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 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 6:12-17)   Noting that none of the plagues and environmental disasters spoken of in Revelation have been recorded in history as to when these events have actually happened. Reason being, they have not happened, and the time of their fulfillment is because it speaks of a future time period.   I'm reminded of the Bible verses that Jesus spoke of when men will not have a clue what is coming upon the earth and will be going about their lives, like nothing is going to happen.   37 “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”( Matthew 24:37-42)   What was Jesus referring to? In the days of Noah, God commanded Noah to build an ark, as He was sad that he had ever made man.   6 “And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:6-7)   But thankfully for all who live today, Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord:   8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. 13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”( Genesis 6:8-14)   As the Bible story unfolds, Noah built the ark and it took him 120 years. And as he built, Noah preached a warning to the people around him. But the people laughed at him to scorn. “Who had ever heard of it raining from the sky?” is what they must have thought, as the dew watered the earth before this time. So they heeded not the warning of Noah, and only his family and two of every living creature on the earth was taken into the ark. The people of Noah's day thought Noah was mad. So they continued their sinful lives not knowing that the end of all things was close at hand.   AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH   We see some of the same things happening today, as it was in the time of the flood that covered the earth and destroyed all mankind, save a remnant. (As I have warned in the past, “Watch Israel because she is the key to the timing of the end of this age”.) But God said He would not ever again destroy the earth with a flood, but next time, it would be by fire.   6 “ I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. 7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. 8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.” (Zephaniah 3:6-8)   Men today are doing exactly the same thing that the people during Noah's age were doing. They are oblivious to the danger that is lurking right over the horizon.   “in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark”   WE ARE IN THE LAST DAYS   Jesus gave us markers to point to the time of His coming for His bride, the people of His “true” church, and people have been trying to figure out for the last 200 years when the Lord Jesus would come. They have made predictions, and they have all been wrong. Why have they been wrong? First Jesus said that “no man knoweth the day or the hour” "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36)   So trying to pinpoint the time of the coming of the Lord for His church is folly on anybodies part. Second to why the people have been unable to predict the coming of the Lord or even the season? It is because Israel was not yet a nation. It all hangs on Israel as the door to end time prophecy and Jerusalem being the key. Jesus told us the season of His coming for His church and it surrounds Israel's becoming a nation again and being back in her own land.   32 “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:32-35)   As anyone should know, especially if you follow any of my messages in the past, the fig tree is Israel. She blossomed and put forth her leaves, and became a nation once again in May, 1948. But note that Jesus said that “this generation would not pass away, till all things be fulfilled”. What is a generation that Jesus spoke of ? If you search the Bible, God has been shortening the life span of man since the flood, when these people lived centuries of upwards of 900 years and more. Now modern man has an average of 70 years, as the Bible plainly reveals.   10 “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” (Psalms 90:10)   A simple bit of math will render the season of the coming of the Lord. If you take the first number of 70 years, which is the time of a generation and add that to the time of the rebirth of Israel, you see that you get 2018, which is over 4 years ago this coming May when Israel was reborn as a nation.. Or if you take the greater number, you add that also, and you come up with 2028...That means by the words of our Lord, that He will be back on this earth, reigning and ruling for a thousand years. Then will begin the Sabbath rest of the earth, as man has had 6000 years for his rule, now God will rule righteously for a Millennium with a rod of iron. That gives us the season of the Lord's return for His Church at the rapture, but it doesn't point to the narrow window that only God knows.   But note that if Jesus is reigning and He said that ALL things would be fulfilled, and that includes the Tribulation period of 7 years, and being a solid proponent of a Pre-Tribulation removal of the Church of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul called the HARPAZO (interpreted as taken by force, which we call the rapture), you will see that subtracting from 2028 will result in 2021....That gives us a season of when Jesus said that all things would be fulfilled. But God is sovereign and this only gives us a season, as God is very patient until His patience wears out and judgment falls on a rebellious people.   9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2nd Peter 3:9-10)   WAIT IT GETS MORE INTERESTING   I was reading here lately of an old Jewish Rabbi that made a prophecy prediction in the time of the 1200s..into the 13 century. It all related to the year of the Jubilee. Some of you may know, but a Jubilee is the 50th year of four Sabbatical years which are 49. (7x7=49)...on this 50th year, this Jewish Rabbi, Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel prophesied the coming of the Messiah or more correctly, the Messianic period.   His prophesy predicted that Jerusalem would be conquered by the Ottoman Turks and hold it for 400 years, or 8 Jubilees (8x50=400) and that is exactly what happened, but he didn't see his prophecy come true for another 300 years after his death. It happened in 1517 AD and the Ottoman Turks held onto Jerusalem until 1917, exactly 400 years until they were defeated by the British.   “The Mamluks, who had been reigning in Jerusalem since 1250, were conquered in 1517 by the Ottoman Turks. They remained for eight jubilees (8 x 50 = 400 years), that is to say they were in Jerusalem for 400 years. Exactly 400 years later, in 1917, the Ottoman Turks were conquered by the British. The League of Nations conferred the Mandate for the Holy Land and Jerusalem to the British. Thus, from 1917, under international law, Jerusalem was no-man’s land.” (Word News Daily, 12th century Rabbi predicts Israel's Future) You can read the whole story here: http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/12th-century-rabbi-predicted-israels-future/   As was predicted, another 50 years, or another Jubilee, and Israel would recapture Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War. He then predicts that when another Jubilee is finished, the period of the Messianic years would have been fulfilled. But to summarize: -Ottoman Turks rule Jerusalem for 8 Jubilees, or 400 years from 1517-1917 -the British would put “Palestine” under British rule and Jerusalem would be recaptured by Israel at the end of one Jubilee or 1917-1967. -according to the Rabbi Samuel, from 1967-2017 is the Messianic “End Times”   My question? How could a 13th century Rabbi be so extraordinarily correct in his prophecy? Note that 2017 has already passed and we are still here. This rabbi made predictions in the past that came true. What he correctly saw was the Messianic period or the coming end of the age, we call the Age of Grace. Now take what this Rabbi predicted that actually came true and coupling that with what Jesus said in Matthew 24, we can see that if this Rabbi is to be believed, then the season of the coming of Christ is close at hand. Do I believe a 13th Century Rabbi? I find it amazing that his prophecy was spot on. But that's not all.   SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS SPEAK OF THE COMING OF THE LORD   I have written many articles about signs that we are seeing right now, and what has already been fulfilled with the blood moons that fell on Jewish Feast Days for two years in a row and how they have only happened when they gave witness to something prophetic happening to Israel. This all happened in 2014-2015. God told us that He put these signs in the heavens for us during creation.   “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:” (Genesis 1:14)   Note the words “and let them be for signs”...? Note that the solar eclipses and blood moons were more than just naturally occurring phenomenon. Also note that there will not be another set of Blood Moons or solar eclipses that fall on another Jewish Feast day for another 500 years according to NASA...there will be blood moons, yes, but not on Feast Days in the order of what we just saw. I believe it is giving us a warning in the heavens that the “end of the age” is upon us.   NO MAN KNOWETH THE DAY OR THE HOUR   I've posted sermons on this very subject and don't want to get too involved in what Jesus was saying, that any Jewish man in the time of our Lord living on this earth would have immediately recognized what Jesus was talking about. But to refresh anyone's memory of that message, go here: http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2016/09/no-man-knoweth-day-or-hour.html   What the message reveals is that God has used the Feast of the Lord to mark prophetic events and fulfilled them on the very day of their observance. Those were : -Passover: Jesus became our Passover Lamb -Days of Unleavened Bread-our sins were put outside the camp -Feast of First Fruits: Jesus was before the Father as the First Born of the dead -Pentecost: The Holy Spirit came in power and the Church was born.   We are now in the harvest time, between the spring Feast and the Fall Feast, when God is saving mankind through His Son Jesus Christ as in the parable of the wheat and the tares. I would call this the Age of Grace, or the Church Age.   But we are fast approaching the end of this Harvest Time, and the next marker for the plan for the redemption of mankind is the Feast of Trumpets, or blowing of trumpets to signal the return of the King. And the thing that made me stand up and take notice and found in the above article, what is the term used for the Feast of Trumpets. “NO MAN KNOWETH THE DAY OF THE HOUR”...Why? Because it is the only Feast day where they must wait for a sliver of a new moon for the time to begin, and since there is a discrepancy on counting days via their calendar, they keep two days, just to be sure. This year, that Feast of Trumpets fall on September 25-27, 2022.   SO AGAIN, WHY TEACH PROPHECY?   With all the quickly enumerated signs, predictions, the words of Jesus and the return of Israel as a nation being a generation will see all things fulfilled, I think it most important to warn those who have grown tired and slumber, or so enamored with their unrighteous living, that they are as in the days of Noah. They are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage and have not a clue what is happening all around them. People in this world think they have their lives to live and not worrying about what is coming right over the horizon.   That is why we teach prophecy. To warn those who are not aware of the signs of the times, and will be taken totally by surprise when millions of people suddenly disappear. Now some will say, that this precedes the second coming of our Lord, but will men be living their lives in the usual manner leading up to this time? No, I think everyone that is still alive, will be totally focused on their very survival, and know that God in His Divine judgment has caused what has come upon the earth, but still they will not repent.   Some ask why can't we just live our lives, and love one another, and let everyone be whatever makes them happy and judge not anyone on their lifestyle...True to a point...we are not anyone's judge, as that is God's role and I will not judge anything but what is inside the church. We are commanded to judge righteously what goes on inside the Church, as instructed by Paul.   2 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.” (1st Corinthians 6:2-4)   But to the rest of the world, we warn that the time is growing short to get on the “ark of salvation” much like the Ark in Noah's age, the ark today, is Jesus Christ. Only He can save those who are approaching the worst time in all of history of this world, as Jesus said:   21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)   Note that unless He shortens those days, “NO FLESH WILL BE SAVED”. Let those words sink into your mind for a moment. No flesh, nobody would be saved, as the carnage will cover this earth. Environmental disasters, Divine judgment that only be attributed to a Holy God in righteous indignation, and the earth convulsing in earthquakes that will level every mountain and move every island out of it's place. Men will not have confidence even in the earth they stand on. A conservative estimate is 6 billion people dying in 7 short years with the majority in the last 3.5 years. Can you imagine the carnage? The inability to bury that many dead in so short of a time space? The wild animals coming out of the forest and the wilderness to eat dead bodies lying all over the ground, in the streets, and looking for food, as they are starving too. Can you imagine the smell of death filling the air around you?   “24 “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:24-26)   IN CONCLUSION..   Why Teach Prophecy? Because God commanded that we warn those who in peril of their life, and their very souls to what is coming...a sword is coming upon the land.   7 “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8 When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” (Ezekiel 33:7-9)   But all we can do is warn, but as in the days of Noah, many...no, most will not hear, but will scoff at such a warning..   3 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2nd Peter 3:3-7)   But that is why we teach prophecy, as a warning to those who are asleep, or scoffing, or acting as it was in the days of Noah. I hope as you read this, that the evidence found in your bible points to this end of days. We may not have much time longer to preach the Word of God and warn those who are too busy to give God a second thought, but have rejected the plan of salvation found in Jesus Christ. Our King Jesus is coming soon so don't make that mistake of ignoring the signs.. The signs say so, the Bible says so, and the evidence I've presented, hopefully, gives you an idea of what I speak of. Jesus could...I SAY COULD, as I don't know for sure, as God has not revealed it to me personally, but with the evidence, Jesus COULD come next fall or any fall thereafter. I know I will be watching and listening for that Trumpet call and the Lord Jesus coming in the air to bring those who have been sealed with His Holy Spirit and obtain VICTORY IN JESUS.   I want every one to be right there with me and others who have accepted Jesus as personal Savior standing before our Lord in worship and praise...How?   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.”( Romans 10:8-10)   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 God sent not His Son into the world, to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 1818 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)   Prophecy is being fulfilled right now in front of our eyes, and the next moment of your life, Jesus could come and those who are found in Him will be taken out of this world. Those who are not found in Jesus will be thrown headlong into this coming horror known as the Tribulation and most likely, die a horrible death, one way or another. ..I beg you, don't let that happen...Accept Jesus today as your personal Savior and be ready for when He breaks through the clouds and as with a sound of a trumpet, yells “Come up here”...And so shall we ever be with the Lord.   This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying you hear the sound of this warning in your mind and in your hearts...if you need prayer, counseling or just a listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com , or visit me online at my blog at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com , . God bless you all, TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET

The Jerusalem to Jericho Tunnel – Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/the-jerusalem-to-jericho-tunnel/   You’re going to be blown away by this amazing archeological certitude! For background, we’ll start with the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.   Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. 2Kings 25:1b   2Kings 25 is the story of the Babylonian invasion and conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC. It’s a pretty brutal description about the Babylonians building a “siege wall” surrounding the city in order to hem them in so they would slowly starve—making it easy to conquer them.   A siege wall was always built far enough away that the occupants couldn’t reach the invaders with their weapons. In this case, 300 yards was about as far as a catapult could launch a large stone.   The terrain around Jerusalem isn’t flat so it’s assumed the siege wall would have been built over 300 yards away on the downhill slopes and less on the uphill slopes.   Once the siege wall was in place, the Babylons could just wait. It would be just a matter of time until the Israelites starved to death.   Israel held on for over a year exhausting all their food supplies. Then Egypt came to their aid, temporarily lifting the siege.   … Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted the siege from Jerusalem. Jer. 37:5b   But the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians in short order, reimplemented their Jerusalem siege wall, and continued their Jerusalem conquest. Four months later, starvation was taking its toll on the residents of Jerusalem.   On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 2Kings 25:3   So the Israelites are totally out of food. They know they have to surrender or starve to death. This is where it gets interesting … the Babylonians make their move on the severely malnourished and weakened Israelites.   Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 2Kings 25:4   The “Arabah” is referring to the desert area around the Jordan River, east of Jericho, near the north end of the Dead Sea.   So when King Zedekiah realized that the Babylonians were going to breach the walls of Jerusalem and take the city, he and his Israeli soldiers fled in the middle of the night.   But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho [Arabah] and all his army was scattered from him. 2Kings 25:5   So let’s think about this. King Zedekiah and his soldiers snuck out of Jerusalem but didn’t get caught until they were near Jericho—18 miles away!   Now with a siege set around Jerusalem, how in the world did King Zedekiah and his army get to the desert (Arabah) down by the Dead Sea near Jericho and the Jordan River (plains) without being noticed?   Well, it turns out that Solomon’s quarry (where the 1st Temple’s stones were cut on the north end of the city) has an opening to a tunnel that goes all the way to the desert, near Qumran…18 miles away!   Apparently most of this subterranean passage is natural, but also a lot of digging had been done creating additional passages throughout the length of the tunnel.   We can confirm this subterranean passage with two extra Biblical sources:   In the Midrash Rabbah II, a 16th century Jewish commentary, in the Book of Numbers, it says:   “One who observed the Sabbath in a cave, even though it be like the cave of Zedekiah, which was eighteen miles long, may walk through the whole of it.”   And in the Book of 2Maccabees it describes Jeremiah once reprimanding some who were trying to follow him into this subterranean passage saying,   “This place would remain hidden until God regathered His people unto mercy.”   The “regathered His people unto mercy” is a reference to the 2nd regathering of the Jews to the promised land, which happened in 1948.   Jewish archeologists have also discovered a large passage from Solomon's quarry to an area directly under the Temple Mount. And at the end of this passage there’s a vertical shaft to the Temple Mount area.   Archeologists have concluded that the stones used for Solomon’s Temple were transported from inside the quarry down the tunnel to the shaft under the Temple Mount and lifted/hoisted to the surface. (See diagram)   So obviously Zedekiah and his soldiers used this outlet to secretly enter into the quarry and then take the subterranean passage from the quarry all the way to the plains between Jericho, the Dead Sea and the Jordan River.   The Midrash Rabbah commentary also explains that God caused some Babylonian soldiers to chase a deer down to the cave’s entrance near the Dead Sea arriving at the same time Zedekiah was exiting with his soldiers which is how they were discovered.   So Zedekiah, many princes and his sons were captured by the Babylonians. The Babylonians slaughtered all of them in front of Zedekiah and then the soldiers gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes, his last visual being his kids being murdered.   They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon. 2Kings 25:7   And the most interesting thing about all of this is that Jeremiah was the prophet who prophesied a great deal about the coming Babylonian captivity.   So Jeremiah would have been highly motivated to hide all of Solomon’s treasures (leaving a few to be discovered in the Temple) and then he prophesied they would remain hidden until the second regathering of Israelites which happened in 1948.   And also interesting is that the Copper Scroll, with its long list of the immense Jewish gold and silver treasures(1) was found in 1952 in the Arabah area.   This subterranean passage, going 18 miles from Jerusalem to the area east of Jericho and north of the Dead Sea, just boggles my mind.   The Jews today refer to Solomon’s quarry as Jedekiah’s Cave. We’ve been to this cave often on our Israel tours but I’ve never heard about or been shown the entrance to the tunnel that goes to the Arabah/desert. I’ve been told by an archeologist that the entrance can be seen but it’s been sealed up by the Ottomans.   The Ottomans/Muslims conquered Israel in 1517 and completed rebuilding her walls in 1541. We know they knew about this passageway because they had to seal up the entrance due to the fact that people kept getting lost inside.   Hey, let’s face it, 18 miles of dark tunnels means if you lost your light you might never find your way out. So today, at the south end/bottom of Solomon’s quarry, the entrance to the 18-mile passageway remains closed.   But all this raises a lot of questions. A LOT of questions!   Like why didn’t the residents of Jerusalem escape with Zedekiah and his army out of the city through the tunnel to Arabah desert near Jericho?   Starvation is quite the motivator, so why didn’t the residents use the tunnel to get supplies, food, etc.?   Why didn’t Jeremiah share his secret tunnel info that could have saved so many people?   Granted, 18 miles of total darkness would require a lot of oil lamps. But if you’re starving to death, and the residents had known about this passageway, surely they would've tried to use it to escape.   So for some reason it seems the passageway was kept secret, very secret! Naturally I’m wondering if maybe it was kept secret because Jeremiah hid Solomon’s treasures somewhere inside.   Was it such a big secret Jeremiah took it to his grave? And no one else knew about the vast treasures until the Copper Scroll was found near Qumran in 1952? Quite possible.   Zedekiah, being King, might have had knowledge of the tunnel that went all the way to the Jordan River. But probably not of the existence of the hidden treasures, only the tunnel. The king died in his imprisonment in Babylon.   So the secret tunnel and possibly the enormous treasure from the days of Solomon, hidden for some 2500 years now seems to be coming to light.   So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 2Pet. 1:19   I can’t wait to see if this 18-mile passageway and/or Jeremiah is connected to the future discovery of Solomon’s vast riches. Maybe!   CQLJ!   BP

Prophecy Update Videos

Prophecy Update Top News Headlines - 11/10/22 Prophecy Update: Making Way for the Antichrist – Pastor Tom Hughes John Haller Midweek Update – 11/9/22 Tough Love – Pastor Barry Stagner

We Just Witnessed A New “Lehman Brothers Moment”, And It Threatens To Unleash A Frenzy Of Panic On Wall Street - by Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/we-just-witnessed-a-new-lehman-brothers-moment-and-it-threatens-to-unleash-a-frenzy-of-panic-on-wall-street/   Another domino has fallen. We are being told that the failure of FTX “would be kind of like a Lehman Brothers event”, and at this hour FTX is on the verge of collapse. There was a chance that FTX could survive when Binance announced a shocking rescue plan, but after looking at the books Binance has reportedly backed out of the deal. As a result, investors that have poured billions into FTX are likely to lose everything. And many believe that FTX’s heavily promoted token, FTT, is going to zero. If you have been waiting for a financial disaster to happen, this certainly qualifies. A lot of people that were “crypto millionaires” not too long ago are going to be totally wiped out.   Of course the collapse of FTX is going to be felt very widely, because a lot of really big “heavy hitters” were very heavily invested in FTX…   Some of the prominent investors in the crypto exchange include – BlackRock, Ontario Pension Fund, Sequoia, Paradigm, SoftBank, Circle, Ribbit, Alan Howard, Multicoin, VanEck, and Temasek.   Sequoia invested in a $420 million round in the company at a $25 billion valuation in October 2021. Additionally, some of the heavy hitters in the capital market, namely Temasek, Paradigm, NEA, SoftBank, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Tiger Global, Insight Partners, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, and others, poured in capital worth $400 million at $32 billion in January 2022.   Even celebrities such as Tom Brady and Steph Curry had poured enormous sums of money into FTX.   Now all of that money could be gone.   One anonymous industry executive actually told CNN that the collapse of FTX “would be kind of like a Lehman Brothers event for the space”…   “I’m actually shocked by this,” an industry executive told CNN Business. “FTX failing … would be kind of like a Lehman Brothers event for the space. But if they have been successfully bailed out, then that would probably head things off at the pass.”   Sadly, that industry executive is quite right.   This is a major catastrophe.   When the deal between Binance and FTX was originally announced, FTT immediately lost over 2 billion dollars in value…   FTT, the token native to crypto exchange FTX, lost most of its value after rival Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency firm, announced plans to acquire the company.   The coin traded at around $22 on Monday and sank below $5 Tuesday afternoon in New York. The sell-off wiped out more than $2 billion in value in the space of 24 hours.   But now Binance has completely pulled out of the deal.   After looking at the books, Binance decided that the problems at FTX are “beyond our control or ability to help”…   A day after announcing a plan to buy its embattled rival, cryptocurrency exchange Binance pulled out of the deal, saying FTX’s problems were “beyond our control or ability to help.”   “As a result of corporate due diligence, as well as the latest news reports regarding mishandled customer funds and alleged US agency investigations, we have decided that we will not pursue the potential acquisition of http://FTX.com,” Binance said in a statement.   So now there is no hope for FTX.   And there is no hope for FTT.   These developments definitely played a major role in the tremendous turmoil that we witnessed on Wall Street on Wednesday…   Stocks were lower on Wednesday — following recent market gains — as results of the midterm elections provided no clear answers about who would control Congress yet. A crypto selloff also weighed on markets.   The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 646.89 points, or about 1.95%, to 32,513.94. The decline was led by Disney, which fell 13.2% after the entertainment giant missed analysts’ estimates on the top and bottom lines. The S&P 500 shed 2.08% to 3,748.57, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 2.48% to 10,353.17.   Meanwhile, the rapidly growing tech industry crisis that has recently erupted just continues to get even worse.   We just learned that Facebook will be laying off more than 11,000 workers. This is the very first time the company has done anything like this…   Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said the company will cut more than 11,000 jobs, calling himself responsible for the first major round of layoffs in the social media giant’s history.   In a letter to his employees, Mark Zuckerberg took full accountability for the decisions to let people go…   Today I’m sharing some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history. I’ve decided to reduce the size of our team by about 13% and let more than 11,000 of our talented employees go. We are also taking a number of additional steps to become a leaner and more efficient company by cutting discretionary spending and extending our hiring freeze through Q1.   I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted.   Of course it is easy for him to say such things because he still has a job and he is still one of the wealthiest individuals on the entire planet.   In recent weeks, other major tech companies have been conducting large scale layoffs as well…   1. Twitter: 50%   2. Cameo: 25%   3. Robinhood: 23%   4. Intel: 20%   5. Snapchat: 20%   6. Coinbase: 18%   7. Opendoor: 18%   8. Stripe: 14%   9. Lyft: 13%   10. Shopify: 10%   We have never seen layoffs of this magnitude in the entire history of the tech industry.   Even in 2008 and 2009 we didn’t see anything like this.   At this same time, we are seeing some very alarming real estate layoffs as that industry also plunges into a crisis.   For example, Redfin just announced that they will be letting 13 percent of their employees go…   Redfin is set to shutter its home-flipping business and reduce its workforce by 13%, laying off 862 employees.   About 264 of the job cuts will be directly related to the shutdown of RedfinNow, the company’s instant buying, or iBuying, business in which it purchases a home as-is, completes minor improvements and resells the home on the open market.   This is exactly what we would expect to see during the early stages of a major economic slowdown.   Unfortunately, much worse is ahead. In fact, the times that we are moving into will greatly challenge all of us.   During the “Great Recession”, the Federal Reserve pushed interest rates to the floor, and that really helped stabilize the economy.   But the Federal Reserve can’t do that this time around because inflation is totally out of control.   So instead of reducing rates, the Fed is just going to keep raising them.   The economic outlook for 2023 is so bleak, and at this point almost everyone can see that really tough times are ahead.   Up until just recently, however, the financial markets were still doing relatively well.   But now a new “Lehman Brothers moment” has arrived, and it is likely that we will see quite a bit of panic on Wall Street as the implications of the collapse of FTX reverberate throughout the financial community.

Knowing and Doing - Nathele Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com   Life is a series of choices. The choices we make affect our entire life. For instance, if you choose to overindulge in rich foods, you can seriously damage your health. Weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and more are all a result of poor food choices. Too much alcohol brings serious consequences, as does sexual promiscuity. Bad choices have been around since the beginning of time, and all of creation suffers because of Adam and Eve knowing what was right, but choosing to do what was wrong. We must remember that God had very clearly told Adam what would happen if he ate from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God tells us too, through Scripture. Sin separates us from God, who created us. God is love and wants to forgive our sin. Even though Adam willingly chose to disobey God, his sin was covered by God by shedding the blood of an animal to clothe Adam and Eve with the skin. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21. Life in the Garden, prior to Adam’s sin, was very different than life today, but God still loves us and has given us the only way to take away the sin that separates us from Him. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Adam made a choice to sin, and we have that same choice. There’s only one sin that cannot be forgiven, and that is choosing to reject the sacrifice which Jesus made. He shed His blood as the final sacrifice to take sin away. You must make the choice to accept His sacrifice while you’re living this life.   Still, knowing what’s right and doing what’s right are two different things. Knowing is head knowledge, but doing comes from the heart. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, life became difficult. Nobody has ever been more aware of the result of sin than they were. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 8:3. They knew what was right, but did what was wrong. People haven’t changed much over time. After Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden, they had two sons, Cain and Abel. They were well aware of the importance of shedding animal blood to cover sin. God gave the example when He shed blood to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness with animal skins. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22. The importance of animal sacrifice was known to Cain and Abel, and they knew what was right. Cain was a farmer who grew crops, but Abel was a rancher who raised sheep. “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” Genesis 4:3-5. Cain knew what was right, but chose to do things his own way, which was wrong. Because God rejected Cain’s sacrifice, he was angry with his brother and killed him. He knew what was right but he did wrong.   What exactly is sin? That’s a word we use a lot, but do we understand what it means? Many things get named sin by people that God doesn’t name as sin in Scripture. There are also things God names as sin, but people accept as a lifestyle. Sin is something we commit against God. The word in Greek is “hamartia” and means “to miss the mark” or to “miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honor, to do or go wrong”, or “to wander from the law of God, violate God’s law, sin”. So, when God told Adam “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it.: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17, it was a warning for Adam’s protection, rather than God trying to ruin Adam’s fun. Adam knew what was right, but instead of doing what was right, he sinned. Throughout Scripture, we see God’s love as He guides mankind toward the path that leads to salvation, but we also see mankind choosing the wrong path. “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Judges 17:6. That’s why we have troubles in life.   Most Christians know what is right. Scripture tells us God’s ways. Loving one another is a command from Jesus. “These things I command you, that ye love one another.” John 15:17. Knowing and doing are two different things. We know we are to reflect God’s love, but do we? We need to study Scripture and use Jesus as our example of love. The Gospel of John shows us many examples of how Jesus loved people. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human. His body got tired, but even when He needed rest, He had time for others. Humans had no way to bridge the gap to God; sin had made that impossible. Jesus was God’s answer to our need. God Himself stepped into this world and putt His glory aside to provide our only way for salvation. Jesus said “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. Jesus showed us that love. Knowing we should unselfishly love others, and actually loving them are two different things.   We know that we need to be humble. Pride gets in the way of us showing God’s love. Instead of building up our own ego, we need to humble ourselves before our Lord. James tells us “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:10. Humility is something we humans have a very hard time with. If we think someone else is getting more kudos, we get miffed. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18. We know that, but what do we do about it? Instead of living as an example of a humble child of God, too often we allow pride to stumble our walk. We see so many special interest groups who think that rioting or having parades to display their sin is the way to be respected. The truth is that living a humble life that honors God is how Scripture tells us to live. Marriages fail because both the husband and the wife demand to be in control. Pride gets in the way of contentment. A man is to love his wife in the same way Christ loves His church and a wife is to submit to her own husband.   We aren’t alone in our plight. The Apostle Paul wrote about his own struggle with knowing and doing. “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Romans 7:18-19. He wanted to do right, but he felt as if he didn’t do what was right.. “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:20. Paul was a very smart man. He knew the problem was sin dwelling in him. We all have that same problem today. We allow sin to rule our actions rather than allowing Christ to be our example to follow. “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” Romans 7:24-25. So often I feel wretched because I have failed to do what is right. In my mind – Greek word “nous” meaning the intellect and thoughts – I know what God says to do, but in my flesh – Greek word “sarx” meaning my human nature – I fail to do what’s right. Knowing and doing are two different things.   Even though we know what’s right, but don’t do it, we have forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Jesus was God incarnate, and only faith in His death, burial, and resurrection can take sin away. Good works don’t earn salvation, but it’s our kindness that shows Christ to a lost world. There is nothing we can do that’s good enough to earn our right for salvation. Only faith in Jesus will bring eternal life. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. We cannot work for our salvation, but we should work because of our salvation, out of gratitude for what Christ has done for us. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:26. Let your faith show in the way you behave.   Knowing and doing. We all struggle with it. Pray and be sure to study Scripture in order to know God’s will. Follow the example of Jesus.   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: America in Crisis - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com   All the pundits are trying to dissect the recent midterm elections. They are saying that candidates hand-picked by Donald Trump underperformed; that abortion played a major role in stemming a Republican tidal wave when voters actually voted. They put it in terms of politics and political parties. I woke up at about four this morning with this message pounding in my heart: America is facing a moral crisis and the “church” is at the bottom of it. This particular Daily Jot may be hard to wrap your mind around, but please just hear me out before you hit the “unsubscribe” button. I do believe that abortion played a major role in this election as a backlash to Republicans, but that’s only a symptom of the moral crisis.   Many believe that God is finished with America, and because of that, America is finished. I would suggest another consideration: America is more so finished with God. Think about it. Abortion. Since 1973 millions of Americans were killed in the womb because of a Supreme Court decision that was recently overturned. Then every Democrat candidate said that they were going to fight for the right of women to have abortions, calling it in code: reproductive healthcare. And those Democrats were reelected for the most part. The majority of Americans are OK with legalized abortion. Now they are crowing about killing babies in the womb. But this Jot is not about abortion—that’s just an example. The whole LGBTQ+ predation on children in public schools is another. These tend to be moral issues or issues based on lies.   How can this immorality be codified in America if the “church” was effective? To blame God for this crisis because “He is finished with America” appears to ignore the responsibility of Christ followers, the Church. Church seems to be defined as buildings, programs, self-indulgence, extra-biblical teachings, and such. But the “church” is people, not buildings and programs overseen by pastors and priests playing church, preaching agendas instead of the gospel. Does Christ return for a bride of buildings and programs? No. He returns for His people, his Bride. IF the “church” was doing its job, what would be the moral condition of this nation? Yet it appears—just to point out one example of many—that the “church” is so busy arguing over the rapture that it’s lost focus on its mission, and is rearranging deck chairs on a ship called “Great Falling Away.”   This is underscored by polls indicating that the youth in America want nothing to do with church (even though the “church” is inundated with youth “programs”). We see it when people reject morality then brag about it and demonize those who don’t agree. So when people say “God is finished with America,” I tend to think it’s the other way around. And that we as the body of Christ on earth need some serious self-examination. 1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” If America is under judgment, did God skip over the “church”? We are the Church, and we have responsibility. Things need to change.

Daily Devotion: Demonstrating Faith - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org   When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area. - Matthew 8:28   https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/demonstrating-faith/ - Listen   You may be surprised to know that demons and the Devil himself are neither atheists nor agnostic. You could even say that, in a very limited sense, they are quite orthodox in their beliefs.   They believe in the existence of God. They believe that Jesus is coming back, even if some liberal theologians don’t believe this.   They also believe in the divinity of Christ, as shown by what two demon-possessed men said to Him when He arrived in the region of the Gadarenes: “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” (verse 29 NLT).   Now, I’m not suggesting that the demons and the Devil trust in God. The Bible teaches the very opposite of this. It tells us that Satan is in rebellion against God and hates God and His people. The Devil knows that his days are numbered. He knows that his time is short. That’s why he goes out of his way to wreak so much havoc in the world.   However, the Bible also says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror” (James 2:19 NLT).   The demons and the Devil know that Jesus is powerful. At the same time, they acknowledge that something is true without believing in it.   James shows us that we, too, can be quite orthodox in our beliefs. That is, we can believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that Jesus is God’s Son without this belief affecting the way we live. James goes on to say, “Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? . . . Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works” (verses 20, 26 NLT).   If we say that we have faith in Jesus Christ, then let’s show it by the way we live.